They Picked a Bad Week To Quit Smoking

I'm sure at the time it seemed a good idea to line the three FedEx Cup events up and down the East Coast....  What could go wrong?

I was going to attribute Serena's meltdown to global warming, but.... You know this ultimate N.Y. Times header:

World to End, Women and Minorities hardest Hit

Perhaps it's not such a parody after all:

Roger Federer Is Tough to Beat. Global Warming Might Have Pulled an Upset.

Maybe, though I've been reliably informed that it was The Russians.

First Prize, A Week in Philly -  I hope none of those guys checked out of their hotels on Sunday:

NEWTON SQUARE, Pa. – Overnight rain rendered Aronimink Golf Club unplayable Sunday morning, when the PGA Tour had hoped to squeeze in the final round of the BMW Championship in order to avoid a Monday finish.

Play was officially called off at 2 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon, with a full 18 holes remaining. 

Justin Rose is the outright leader at 17 under and one shot ahead of Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, all of whom knew today’s washout was a strong possibility. It’s expected to rain through Monday as well and it will be a real challenge to finish this thing. 

PGA Tour Vice President of Rules and Competitions Slugger White said the course has taken on about three inches of rain this week, including another half inch overnight. Greens and bunkers were in decent shape, but several tees and fairways were unplayable.

The Tour can’t push play back to Tuesday unless at least half of the final round is completed on Monday.

With no event the next week, that seems like a strange rule.....  Especially since, they keep telling us, it's the playoffs.  Win or go home, so by all means send everyone home.

It has left this guy in an awkward spot, though one I'd argue is entirely of his own making:

We may soon be calling it The Jordan Spieth Rule. 

Really, I'm this close to turning it around.

But it already has an official name. 

It’s the PGA Tour’s Strength of Field Regulation, and it made headlines this weekend when it became apparent that Spieth may run afoul of it. If current results hold at the rain-delayed BMW Championship, Spieth will fail to qualify for next week’s Tour Championship, putting him in violation of a season-minimum for tournament appearances. 

Word of that violation, which carries a potential $20,000 fine or three-tournament suspension, came as a surprise to many golf fans. 

But it shouldn’t have been a shock to Spieth.

We have perhaps the least interesting Tour Confidential panel ever, not a criticism given the absence of any golf to discuss, in which they tackle the issue of whether the rule is sensible:

Sens: The reasoning behind it is. The idea is to bolster the strength of fields across the season. That’s good for the Tour as a whole. If Spieth gets dinged, it’s not because he didn’t have plenty of opportunities to meet the minimum requirements this season. 

Shipnuck: It’s a very sensible rule and the penalties should be much steeper. Steph Curry and LeBron go to every NBA city, no matter how bad the home team is. It badly hurts the Tour product that the stars skip half the tournaments each year. The Tour would be much better off with only 25 tournaments a year instead of 40+.

Of far greater interest are related questions of, first, what the Tour will do about it and, second, whether they will share said decision with the great unwashed masses.

Let The Good Times Roll - Golf Magazine is out with their annual list of compensation for golf executives, and it's a bit shocking how hand-to-mouth their existence has become:

I realize that may be a tad difficult to make out, but a full-size version can be seen at the link.  John Paul Newport has this in terms of perspective:

If Davis and his colleagues in golf's top nonprofit jobs deserve what they earn, why the big jump in pay for PGA Tour executives? Primarily because, practically speaking, the tour functions more like an entertainment business than a trade association. 

PGA Tour Inc. qualifies as a nonprofit because it exists not to make money for itself or for owners and shareholders, of which there are none, but primarily to organize, support and create opportunities for its members, independent contractors that we commonly refer to as tour pros.

There are cheap shot opportunities galore, but it's little wonder that so much effort is focused on the charitable side of tournament golf.  You all know my issues with Nurse Ratched, but the pay level at the very top is hard to argue against given the level of purses available, but I have a sneaking suspicion that we'd all be shocked at the number of folks earning in six figures throughout the organization.

These Guys Are Good Live Under Par - OK, technically this happened on the Euro Tour, but it has Shack salivating over the forthcoming Thomas Pieters Greatest Hits Compilation:

There is no modern artist quite like Thomas Pieters when it comes to breaking clubs. The power, the clarity of purpose...breathtaking in its global golf singularity. 

While today's Omega European Masters effort featured no disposal into gorse, the speed and efficiency is admirable. Unless you expect to run into Pieters in a dark alley.

I think this is a fine effort, although far from Thomas' best work in genre.  As Shack notes, the tone is set by the casualness of the three-footer for quad, obviously method acting at its best.  But the camera lovingly lingers on our protagonist as he calmly walks off the green, with not the slightest betrayal in his innermost turmoil...  Then, as we anticipate a quick cut to actual golf action, the offending putter gets its just desserts.

At that first link, Kevin Casey helpfully compiles the Belgian's impressive body of work, first this driver abuse from The French Open in 2017, perhaps helping Thomas Bjorn decide that Thomas was not the horse for this particular course:

This has a Cinéma Vérité feel to me, since we don't actually see the act of vengeance, but Thomas is the picture of calm at the end, helpfully removing the clubhead from the shaft shards.

This one I'm unable to embed, but the toss of the club into a gorse bush is quite the dramatic turn, one I could watch on loop all day.  Though I think we can all agree that this use of his shoulders to effortlessly snap an XS shaft captures the sine qua non of the artform:

If only this nickname wasn't already in use....

Alan, Asked, Mostly About Bryson - For some reason, Alan Shipnuck's weekly mailbag feature didn't show up last week until after my Friday post was published.  I'll get it it in a sec, but first this completely Bryson moment:

Leave it to Bryson DeChambeau to enter a new phrase into the golf lexicon that we

hadn't really considered before. In the aftermath of his even-par 70 in the second round of the BMW Championship, the winner of the first two FedEx Cup events says he won't spend his off week relaxing, but rather in Colorado working on his "oxygen depletion." 

What exactly that means is subject to interpretation, but it's fair to assume that the golfer will spend the days in high altitude engaging in what's known as "hypoxia training." But unlike Kenyan marathoners who log miles in the thin mountain air to strengthen their lung capacity at sea level, the direct benefits for a golfer are less obvious. DeChambeau, for one, has already discussed "brain training" that allows him to slow his breathing and subsequently his heart rate, which presumably will allow him to execute better under pressure.

This kid is so much fun....  Yeah, it's howling-at-the-moon-crazy, but is it any crazier than, say, a golfer training with Navy Seals?

Now to Alan:

Will Bryson’s recent success have a knock-on effect for the next generation or even some of the current ones? He’s proved that orthodox mechanics and aesthetics mean jack sh*t surely. #AskAlan -Danny (@ShiteInABucket) 

This is such an interesting moment in golf, as all the old orthodoxy is crumbling. Look at the equipment of the players who won majors this year — all had mixed bags. Look at new-school swing instructors like George Gankas and Trackman Maestro, who are using science and unconventional ideas to teach a modern, more efficient swing. And now we have Bryson, exploding every golf cliché with his beautiful mind. Even if the masses don’t embrace the Golf Machine or his quirky clubs, he has certainly emboldened golfers everywhere to do things their own way and drown out the annoying opinions of stodgy traditionalists. For that reason alone he is the most refreshing figure to come along in ages.

What's funny is that we're so focused on the equipment and other issues, that we tend to neglect the oddity of his actual swing.  

Do you think more golfers will give single-length irons a chance with Bryson’s success? I know I ordered me a set this week! -@BrentWalker52 

Well, you’re a year late – I’ve been playing my single-length Edels since last fall and I loooooove them. I can confidently say I’ve never hit so many good 4- and 5-irons in my

life, and am more consistent from 100-150 yards, too. (My only concession to tradition is that I dropped the Edel sand wedge and have kept my standard-length one, because on touch shots from 30-90 yards I prefer the shortie.) Because I have a bunch of kids and travel a lot for work, I almost never hit balls. So with my old set I would step on a golf course and every club felt different, since it was: the 9-iron shaft being shorter and the head heavy and chunky, while the 4-iron felt as long as a fishing pole with a tiny, light head. Every club forced me to stand a tiny bit differently, and every swing arc was of a varying length. Now, every club is an identical length and weight – all I have to do is make the same swing over and over and over. So many variables have been eliminated it’s impossible not to be a more consistent ballstriker. And if I do run to the range I only need to take one club, since they all look and feel the same. I can’t imagine any scenario where I ever go back to a traditional set.

It's interesting for sure, though I wish somebody would explain the gapping of a single-length set of irons.

Who will get to No. 1 first: Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau or Jon Rahm? #AskAlan -Brentley (@GolfWeekBRomine) 

Rahm got off to a strong start in 2018 but missed cuts at both Opens is indicative of a good-but-not-great year. Given his mathematical edge at the moment, it’s hard not to pick Koepka. But who will spend more time at number one over their careers? I’ll go with Bryson. Brooks has clearly become golf’s big-game hunter, but the World Ranking rewards week-in-and-week-out consistency and DeChambeau has found the magic formula. And while Koepka clearly thrives on competition, I don’t think anybody in the game today loves golf the way Bryson does. He’s chasing the game’s secrets harder than anybody this side of Ben Hogan and I don’t see that passion/obsessiveness waning any time soon.

We're in that part of the cycle where No. 1 might bounce around a bit, making it easy to be dismissive.  But we kinda of know how good the Koepka's and Rahm's of the world can be, as distinguished from how good they will actually be.  I'm plenty intrigued to see how good Bryson can be, as well as the effect that might have on our understanding of our game.

In non-Bryson questions, more of amusement and/or interest from Alan:

The playoff venues are boring re-treads (Ridgewood, TPC Boston, Aronimink, East Lake). Where does Commissioner Schnazzy Hair think the Tour should go? A traveling road show, east to west coast, could be appealing. -@KevinBarton11 

Hahah, I’m gonna get that printed on my business card. I don’t entirely agree with your assessment. Yes, East Lake is the dregs, and TPC Boston is a bit played out, but I like Ridgewood and *love* Aronimink. But the overall geography is indeed a major problem; obviously one of the “playoff” events should be played on the Best Coast. I’m really not sure why the Tour is married to East Lake, which is a boring course that always has zero energy outside the ropes. If the Tour Championship purports to be golf’s Super Bowl then it needs to follow football’s example and move to a new part of the country every year, which would generate a lot more buzz.

The geography is strange, especially as we're now calling the BMW the heir to the Western Open.  But, as Alan notes, we'll not do better on venues anytime soon.  Tillie, Hanse and Ross is a pretty special lineup, though East Lake remains a buzzkill.

Let's segue now to Shack going off the rails on this subject:

Let's establish three very simple facts: 

--Rain rarely occurs in California from May through October.

--When a golf tournament is played in California, it finishes in prime time for more than half the country and garners a much bigger rating, no matter who is contending

--Golf is played outdoors. It is much better when rain does not interfere with the proceedings. 

Ok, technically I've presented four simple facts.

OK, kids, but late August/early September is usually a good time back East, so maybe it's just a bad year?  So, wait for it, here comes his Big idea:

But if you are a dreamer, consider Golden State National.

It's an as-yet unbuilt (or not-yet-remodeled) facility somewhere south of San Francisco and featuring 36-holes of golf, enough hotel rooms within 45 minutes to support the traveling golf circus, a luxury hotel on property for not-important VIP's, a G5-friendly landing strip, and of course, at least 8,500 yards of golf to deal with the distance explosion. 

More vitally, Golden State National can host major events from March to November, deliver ratings and finish on Sundays. The ground will be firm. Fans will enjoy themselves. Television executives won't have digestive issues. 

But here's the catch: to build or remodel an existing facility into GSN, it costs money. A lot of money when you have to build a course for the modern game where 250 acres is the new 150, meaning we need 500 acres potentially.

Just shoot me now!  Really, why not put it all under a dome?

Back to Alan:

A better Pay Per View idea: Tiger vs Phil, or DJ vs Brooks on a 9,500 yard course? #AskAlan -Brian (@bmlynn1) 

Given the lack of on-course personality by Brooks and DJ I’m afraid that would make for dreadful television, though it would be delightful to watch them have to hit a few long-irons into the par-4s.

True on both counts...

And while this is a bit of the reservation, Alan handles it quite well:

If I’m on a date with a guy who plays golf, what are some good questions I can ask him? (Preferably, ones that make me sound informed and won’t result with me putting my foot in my mouth. Thank you in advance.) -@ROIChristie 

Honestly, it’s about time we merge Ask Alan with Dear Abby. The mind reels at the possibilities. But to the question at hand, golf is endlessly fascinating but nothing is more boring than a golfer talking about their own game. Now, if you’re a passionate golfer yourself, it’s always fun to compare favorite courses, which is as revealing as looking at someone’s Netflix queue. But if you’re looking to plumb the emotional depths of the dude sitting across from you, ask him how he learned the game. Chances are it was his dad or grandfather who taught him and you might get a moving response. A generic question that can lead to a fascinating answer is,”Why do you love golf?” Nature, male-bonding, self-improvement, competition – there’s a lot to unpack here. But if he says,”Cart girls” I suggest you crawl through the bathroom window and Uber home.

Not sure how the week will play out blogging-wise, but I'll fill you in over the next couple of days.

Late Week Leftovers

With the heat spell broken, I'll be heading out soon to tee it up.  According to our super, the golf course took on 1.65" of water in yesterdays thunderboomer, so I'll be in my hip-waders.  So, just a couple of items for y'all.

Men in Red - Wide fairways softened by the heat and heavy rainfall, led to a day of low scoring in Philly:

Tiger Woods dazzles with a 62 in the opening round of the BMW Championshi

Tiger Woods spectacularly avoided the hole in which he has often found himself in first rounds this year by summoning shades of glory days gone by on Thursday. 

Woods went out in 29 en route to an eight-under-par 62 in the opening round of the BMW Championship. 

His six-under front nine at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., included four birdies and an eagle on the par-5 16th hole. He hit every green in regulation and seven of his nine shots to the green were inside 20 feet. 

It was the first time he bettered 30 for nine holes since the Tour Championship in 2007. It was the sixth time he broke 30 for nine holes in his career. 

To be sure, it was an anomaly for Woods in this a comeback season. He entered the tournament 140th on tour in round-one scoring average with a 71.13.

He has had a Thursday problem most of the year, so this is noteworthy.  I'm not sure where to assign the cause.  There was this hall pass from Ponte Vedra Beach:

Tiger Woods said he’s never skipped a Wednesday pro-am, but at the tail end of a long season, at the final stop on a stressful three-week stretch, he finally decided to sit one out. 

“I needed it,” he said Thursday. “I really did. I’ve played a lot of golf in the last six weeks, and I needed a day off to recover and make sure I was fresh today.” 

To pass the time Wednesday, Woods said he went to the gym, received treatment and watched “a lot” of U.S. Open tennis. He felt even better about his decision when the temperatures soared over 90 degrees, and Hideki Matsuyama and a couple of caddies had to pull out of the pro-am because of heat exhaustion.

I don't know the rules involved, but in that heat it was a good call, especially for a man of a certain age....

But there was also this in Shack's distinctive phraseology:

Of course there was also the Scotty Cameron coming off the 60-day DL that might have helped, too, as Tiger noted after the round.

I've long believed that putters need to be put into a time out at least once a season....  It just helps them stay focused.

A 62 with a bogey is quite the day, though admittedly the course was playing to about a Par-66 yesterday.  But, you know what's better than a 62 with a bogey?  Yup, you guys don't miss anything:

McIlroy, meanwhile, made six consecutive birdies, starting on his ninth hole (the 18th at

Aronimick). He made two bogeys late and closed with yet another birdie on his 18th hole. 

“Obviously, today was good,” McIlroy said. “Yesterday in the pro-am I made seven birdies in a row on my back nine and shot eight under for my last nine holes. Obviously, I was nine under through 14 today. I think I played a 23-hole stretch in 17 under par. Pretty good. 

“Eight under par was good. It probably should have been a lot better, but still a pretty good start to the tournament.”

I can't find the average score for the day, but 48 of 69 players were under par.  Which makes Phil's +3 really bad....

No Surprise -  Golf Magazine has completed their annual anonymous poll of Tour Players, releasing this amusing but unsurprising result:

Despite the hush-hush nature of cheating on the PGA Tour, everyone seems to be well aware of the c-word. They just don’t do it themselves. 

As part of our newly published Anonymous Pro Survey, which you can find in the October Issue of GOLF, a resounding 44% of Tour pros surveyed admitted that they had witnessed a fellow Tour player cheat during a tournament round. 

“Multiple times,” offered one Tour pro. “The Tour is a joke when it comes to enforcing the Rules.” 

While those numbers might be slightly inflated, it appears there is plenty of rule-bending on the Tour, at least more than the public typically hears about. The irony exists is in the follow-up question. Of the players surveyed, 100% said they themselves had never broken a rule and not reported it. Of the plenty of players willing to call out cheating, none were willing to point the finger back on themselves.

I'd love a deeper dive on this, to better understand the nature of the offenses.  For instance, they cite the Joe Dahmen-Sung Kang drop fiasco as an example, for which the use of the C-word is arguable.  

And The Winner Is... - Mike Keiser has picked one of his usual suspects to design a very unusual third course at his Wisconsin Sand Valley resort:

It was a three-way horserace, down to the wire in Nekoosa, Wisc. 

In a photo-finish, Tom Doak prevailed. 

The vaunted architect, known for his modern-minimalist designs, will build the third 18-hole course at Sand Valley Golf Resort, edging fellow designers Gil Hanse and Mike DeVries by a nose. 

In keeping with his reputation for out-of-the-box thinking, Doak earned the nod with an unconventional idea. His proposed routing, tentatively named Sedge Valley, calls for a shorter-than-usual par-67 or 68 course that will tip out at no more than 6,100 yards, and feature a mix of drivable par-4s. 

“We had three proposals from three extremely talented architects, all of whom we love,” Sand Valley managing partner Michael Keiser said by phone Wednesday. “The decision in the end came down to these factors: It was Doak, plus concept, plus the specific routing.”

Veddy interesting!  Also interesting is that this bake-ff for the third course yielded similar results to the one for the second:

As a testament to how much room they had to work with, each of the three architects in the running for the next 18 submitted proposed routings on different plots of land of their own choosing. The site Doak selected happened to be one that the Keisers themselves had long been drawn to for its distinctive topography and vegetation. 

“There’s a wonderful mix of really bold movement along with some more subtle, gently roly-poly terrain,” Michael Keiser said. “And then the ground cover is this beautiful sedge.”

The only solution is to build them all.... Now.

Have a great weekend.

Midweek Musings

A day late on those musings, but that just means they've aged properly.

Easy Pickings, Part I - Oh, the drama....  

Most years, there is some suspense when the Ryder Cup captains announce their choices to round out their rosters. Not so this time—especially on the American side. 

When Jim Furyk formally named his first three picks on Tuesday, there was about as

much suspense as there is on the day the Electoral College formally elects a President. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau were 100 percent locks. If there was such a thing mathematically as 110 percent, they would have been 110 percent locks. 

Going a step further, there’s really no suspense about who Furyk will name with his fourth choice next Monday when he makes his so-called “Billy Horschel pick.” This is the delayed decision created by the Ryder Cup Task Force—now known, if you’re scoring at home, as the Ryder Cup Committee—after Horschel won the last two playoff events in 2014 after Tom Watson had made his selections. Horschel, $10 million FedEx Cup bonus in hand after a clinching victory at the Tour Championship, got a call from Watson to both congratulate and console him. 

“Billy, you’re a day late,” Watson said. “But you certainly aren’t a dollar short.”

How crazy is it that people still pine for Billy Horschel?  I mean, what's the utility of a "Billy Horschel pick" if it results in having Billy Horschel on your team?

Perhaps the only surprise was the announcement of the three additional Vice Captains, or cart drivers per Shack, who has good fun going all Mark Broadie on them in this post.  He attributes David Duval's selection to an on air spat with Brandel Chamblee, though this linked item doesn't provide much background:

How the death of Arnold Palmer on the eve of Ryder Cup week impacted the event. How 

an on-air verbal battle between Golf Channel analysts Brandel Chamblee and David Duval lit a fire under the U.S. team. Why Love screened calls from assistant captain Tiger Woods. Why Phil Mickelson said his favorite moment from the week was Jordan Spieth’s speech to the team. 

And how a dirty joke told by Woods calmed Patrick Reed before his epic singles match against McIlroy. And how Reed almost broke Spieth’s hand.

I don't remember any of that, but Duval had been a non-person in Ryder Cup circles ever since his outspoken demand for allowing the players to select charities for some of the riches this event generates.  

But I think we can all agree that this is way TMI:

“I do remember vividly Davis saying, ‘At least we gave you a happy ending,’” Feinstein said.

Hey, what happens in the team room....

Mike Bamberger calls the proceedings "giddy", which certainly didn't translate through the medium of TV.  But this triumphalism, no doubt from his colleague Alan Shipnuck, seems premature at best:

For reasons not immediately apparent — nothing to do with drink — Tiger and Phil had a giggle-fest when they stood almost shoulder-to-shoulder to do a joint standup for one

of the broadcast outlets after the formal announcements were over. We’ll all be seeing a lot those two in Paris, although not, Furyk noted, twice a day on the Friday and Saturday of Ryder Cup play. Some of us will tune in to watch them go head-to-head on pay-per-view in Las Vegas, $9 million to the winner. 

In any event, this is likely the best team Woods and Mickelson have ever been on together, with Spieth and Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson and maybe even Tony Finau. That prospect could have left them giddy. They’re in their 40s. They’re deep on the back nine of their careers.

Given that Tiger wasn't on those 2008 and 2016 teams, that leaves 1999 as the only time both played on a winning team.  But calling a team great before balls are in the air seems...... well, let's just say that it sounds like something we'd hear from Hal Sutton.

Easy Pickings, Part II -  Color me surprised by this:

Thomas Bjorn selects four wily veterans as European Ryder Cup captain’s picks

The European team roster for the 2018 Ryder Cup is officially set. On Wednesday, European captain Thomas Bjorn made his four captain’s picks for this year’s event at Le Golf National in France. Bjorn tapped veterans Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson to round out the European side. 

They will join the eight players who automatically qualified for the team on points: Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, and Thorbjorn Olesen. Olesen earned the final automatic spot following the tournaments last weekend.

Well, I've no quibble with the v-word, but two years ago we'd have considered Westwood and Kaymer to be wily, no?

Obviously Sergio is quite the gamble given his lack of form, the gamble being that the event itself will shake him up and get his juices flowing.  It's not a crazy notion, I just think he had better choices.

Monday I linked to this Shane Ryan piece, but only as relates to Yanks.  Here were his pre-announcement thoughts on The Bjorn Dilemma:

Ian Poulter: I wish people would memorize the adage “experience is only good if the

actual experience was actually good.” Poulter is the epitome of “good experience.” He’s one of the best Ryder Cup golfers ever, and I’d take him even if he were 60 and moving around on a rascal scooter. 

Henrik Stenson: In theory, you take Stenson if he’s healthy, pair him with Rose, and watch them ravage the Americans. But did you know Stenson went just 2-3 in 2016 at Hazeltine National? At 42, he’s the poster boy for “potentially diminishing returns” among Europe’s golden generation. It’s a question mark, and to me his inclusion hinges totally on his health. But if all signs are good, pick the man.

That first bit applies better to the U.S. Captain than anyone, but also to our fourtysomethings as well....   Henrik wa sa case, I think, of Bjorn being forced to decide early to allow him to take those two weeks off to get healthy.  

But these are the ones I wanted most to excerpt:

Rafa Cabrera-Bello: People are talking like he’s the odd man out, which is insane to me.

He’s steady with occasional flashes of greatness, and he went 2-0-1 at Hazeltine when his teammates were dropping like flies. He deserves a pick, and it shouldn’t be a debate. 

Sergio Garcia: No. No, no, no. Form has to matter a little, right? Sergio would be the ultimate mistake for Bjorn, and a bad sign that his thinking is mired in the past.

Hey, it's not like Sergio has a tendency to pout when he plays poorly....

But Shack makes an odd point in his post on the picks:

The greater concern for Europe should be what this says to younger players and those attempting to be loyal to the European Tour. 

Rafa logged 9 starts on the tour in 2018, not including World Golf Champioships and majors.

Another contender for the team, Matthew Fitpatrick, made 7 European Tour non-major/WGC starts but is leaving for the PGA Tour.

Wallace has made 18 non-major/WGC European Tour starts in 2018. Despite three wins, he was 13th on the European Tour points list. Perhaps his inconsistency this year, coupled with an MC at the French Open proved fatal. But he also birdied 7 of the last 8 holes in front of Bjorn at the Made in Denmark event, then won a four-man playoff in a last minute bid.

Meanwhile, Garcia has posted just 3 non-major/WGC European Tour starts in 2018 and several other numbers are not helping his cause.

While the Ryder Cup team should not be filled out by those loyal to the European Tour, the Bjorn decision could have ramifications into the future. 

Given the 2018 European team's emphasis on PGA Tour-based members and the strange point totals not benefitting European Tour play, the deck looks more stacked than ever against those loyal to Europe. Bjorn's pick could provide one more reason a European packs their bag and makes a go of things in America. Or, at the very least, give players a case to chase World Ranking points and money over loyalty to their home tour. Because it's clear Ryder Cup brownie points were not earned this year for showing loyalty to the European Tour.

Egads, Geoff, the only players 'showing loyalty" to the Euro Tour are those without playing privileges in the U.S.  They've gotten over it, so perhaps we should as well?

Ryan Lavner has this item, the premise of which is obvious:

Experience is overrated in Ryder Cup

It is, except when it isn't....

Lee Westwood in 2016 is an obvious example, though it's not like Darren Clarke had any viable alternatives.  I'd also add, as Geoff did as well, that I'd place a much higher weighting on experience in a road game.  

But the die is cast, with the exception of one last slot on the American team.  Now it's just a three week wait until hostilities begin.

What's It All About, Alfie? -  Jeff Ritter fires up the Waybac Machine to evaluate the history of captain's picks, including these highlights:

1987

Europe 15 – U.S. 13 

Europe – Captain Tony Jacklin

This is actually the 1989 Team.

Sandy Lyle (3-1)

Jose Maria Olazabal (3-2)

Ken Brown (0-2) 

Europe won back-to-back Cups, including this stunner in ’87 at Muirfield Village, which happened to be U.S. Captain Jack Nicklaus’s home course. You can almost hear the voices echoing from the U.S. locker room that Sunday night: “Hey, why don’t we start using captain’s picks, too?” In ’89, they would do just that.

GRADE: A-

The more things change....  We're still copying what the Euros do.

Alas, the race for worst captain's pick of all time isn't remotely competitive, though surprisingly did not come from Hal Sutton:

1995

Europe 14 ½ – U.S. 13 ½ 

Europe – Captain Bernard Gallacher

Nick Faldo (2-2)

Ian Woosnam (1-1-1) 

U.S. – Captain Lanny Wadkins

Fred Couples (2-1-1)

Curtis Strange (0-3) 

Strange was a controversial pick, as he hadn’t won on Tour since the ’89 U.S. Open at Oak Hill, which was also the venue for this Ryder Cup. He capped a nightmare week by losing the final three holes of his singles match to Faldo to cough up a costly point. Ouch. 

EUROPE GRADE: B-

U.S. GRADE: D-

He didn't just lose the last three holes, he handed them to Faldo on a silver platter.  Good fun and it'll jog your memory in many instances.

Aronimink -  The guys at No Laying Up have posted this video on the Gil Hanse-Jim Wagner restoration of the Donald Ross gem:

And Shack takes way too much pleasure in the club having dumped Fazio for Hanse's firm, but what a really good move.  

But can we stop with the linkage of the BMW to the long-deceased Western Open?  It's laugh-out-loud-funny with the move to Philly, which is not Western in any recognized sense.  Commissioner Ratched couldn't find a place in his schedule for the historic Western Open, so give it up guys, it's gone.

Millennials Will Dig It - As for the rest of mankind, I'm guessing this will be interesting for about 30 seconds:

Golfers in North Dakota will soon be able to get refreshments delivered during play from 

a drone. 

King’s Walk Golf Course in Grand Forks, N.D., will be delivering food and drink via a drone for a $3 service charge in about 10 minutes. The orders will be attached to the drone via a rope. 

“Wherever you are, you should be able to get what you want within a few minutes,” Yariv Bash, CEO of FlyTrex, the Israeli drone logistics startup operating the service, told CNNMoney. “Why wait?”

I hope the yahoos like a large head on their beer.....

News You Can Lose -  Travelin' Joe with some useless advice:

So, how best to proceed when your clubs go MIA? 

First, don’t panic. “Submit your claim without ranting. Most luggage is just delayed, not

lost,” says Gordon Dalgleish, president of PerryGolf, one of the industry’s leading custom travel service companies. “Follow the process described by the airline for tracking luggage. While tempting to call the airline/airport, that will change little. Most airlines update status online. Keep your receipts for all expenses as a result of the delay and be reasonable about costs.”

We're headed to Cabot Links next week and I have no confidence in Delta Airlines, so thank God Joe told me not to panic.

It's good that they typically do show up, because they'll screw you pretty well on reimbursement:

As long as you file notice of claim within 24 hours, the airline will reimburse you for the actual value of the lost property (less any applicable depreciation) determined by the documented original purchase price, so keep your receipts for whatever items filled your travel bag. For U.S. domestic flights, the maximum reimbursement is $3,500; for international flights, the figures are $9.07 per pound, up to $640 per bag, between destinations where the Warsaw Convention applies.

You can replace your clubs for $640, can't you?

But the real cost is being forced to play destination golf with rentals, and the recourse for that is not available in this lifetime.  So, thanks for nothing, Joe.  I'm thinking that I might as well panic now....

See y'all tomorrow.

We'll Always Have Paris

As I'm unavailable tomorrow, let's cover it all:

Team USA -  At 5:00 p.m. today, Captain Jim Furyk will make his first three captain's picks, with the final pick following this week's BMW event at Aronomink.

There's not much to say here, as it's pretty much a mortal lock that the three names the come from Mr. Burns' mouth will be Woods, Mickelson and DeChambeau.  Oh, and just because I can, that obscure reference comes from a 2014 Separated at Birth post from my very own archives:

If you have a moment, give it a look....  Pretty funny stuff.

Shane Ryan has the best item on both captains' dilemmas, first capturing the beauty of Phil's hostile takeover of the event at Gleneagles:

Phil Mickelson: There is actually a really good argument for leaving Phil off the team, and it’s based on his mediocre form this season. The guy hasn’t had a top 10 since May, and let’s be honest, if his name wasn’t Phil Mickelson, he wouldn’t even be in consideration. That said, if Furyk were to snub Mickelson, it would immediately become the biggest Ryder Cup distraction since Phil vs. Tom Watson at Gleneagles, and it would dominate all discussion between now and match later this month at Le Golf National. Captain Jim would have to deal with angry pundits and puzzled fans, and possibly even some bemused team members. He would be placed under a very intense microscope, with the barbarian hordes waiting to eviscerate him at the first sign of trouble. Distractions can have a serious negative effect at the Ryder Cup—ask Danny Willett (or ask his brother)—and it’s just way, way easier to pick Phil. He’s been good enough to justify the pick (the 63 on Monday in Boston was quite the finishing touch), and even though it’s also easy to justify not picking him, that juice ain’t worth the squeeze.

I'm sure that if he was left off the team that Phil would take the high road and make any contribution asked of him to the collective team effort.  Or not....

But since Phil got Alas, Poor Furyk his job, we won't spend long deliberating this possibility.  One can only hope that the quid pro quo for the pick is Phil cooperatively sitting in alternate shot the first two days....  Otherwise, incoming shiv.

Shane is mostly correct here:

Tony Finau: Finau is essentially the perfect fourball player. He’s a tee-to-green stud, he makes tons of birdies, and his occasional shoot-himself-in-the-foot moment will be mitigated when he has a partner to clean up his mess. Plus, he’s second only to DeChambeau in the red-hot department. This is the obvious fourth pick, and it’s a great one—Furyk needs to grab him, play him in both fourball sessions, and reap the rewards. (Lock him up in a dark cellar during foursomes, though.)

Finau is playing at a high level, though there will likely be one more week for him to keep it going.  But there are two arguments to make against his selection:

1. He's played well, but without winning anything, and;
2. His game is a bad fit for the golf course and the team.

As I understand the course set-up, it will be difficult for anyone to score well without hitting a lot of fairways, and our Tony doesn't hit many.  He's also not great with the flat stick, so I'm at best lukewarm on him.

Xander Schauffele, Kevin Kisner, anyone else: They’re just like Finau and DeChambeau, but worse. There’s no planet on which taking them over those two makes any sense. Let’s stop pretending these are viable picks—this year, with this team, there is no bubble.

Let's just do a little comparison:

Finau:  % FW: 53.9% (184th)  SG: Putting: .120 (82nd)

Kisner: % FW: 65.8% (31st)  SG: Putting: .564 (12th)

Harman: % FW: 66.2% (29th)  SG: Putting: .536 (13th)

I totally get that those latter two haven't done anything the last few weeks, but Furyk needs to be sure he has the foursomes teams covered before he has the luxury of taking the hot hand. 

Team Europe - As of close of business Sunday, the Euro's eight automatic qualifiers were set:

The buried lede being that Thorbjorn Olesen hung on to the last slot when nobody better known won the event in Denmark.  Let me just note that this is passing strange, given the number of hopefuls playing in Boston and not finishing until Monday.... More on that in a bit.

Captain Bjorn will make his four picks Wednesday morning (our time), and he has four picks to allocate among the following names:

Ian Poulter
Paul Casey
Henrik Stenson
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Sergio Garcia
Thomas Pieters
Rafa Cabrera Belo
Matt Wallace

He's got the tougher job than Furyk methinks.  And, lest you think that last name is easy to exclude:

Matt Wallace left Silkeborg Ry Golf Club after winning the Made in Denmark event

wondering if he’d done enough to secure a place on Thomas Bjorn’s Ryder Cup team that will take on the United States on Sept. 28-30 at Le Golf National in Paris. 

Wallace couldn’t have done much more to impress the European captain in the last tournament counting toward European qualification. With Bjorn watching, the 28-year-old birdied five of the last six holes in a closing 5-under 67 to reach 19 under and get into a four-man playoff with fellow Englishmen Lee Westwood, Steven Brown and Jonathan Thomson. Wallace birdied the two extra holes to win. 

“To do it in the style I’ve done it is pretty special,” said Wallace, the first player since scoring records began in 1999 to birdie seven of his last eight holes to win. “That just shows who I am right there – my grit, my determination. That’s what I’m all about.”

I don't see it happening, but let's make our first dive into this week's Tour Confidential panel:

2. Matt Wallace notched his third win of the season on the European Tour, staking his Ryder Cup captain’s pick claim. Step into Thomas Bjorn’s shoes and can pick four of the following: Ian Poulter, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Paul Casey, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Sergio Garcia, Eddie Pepperell, Matt Wallace, Russell Knox, Henrik Stenson. Who would you take?

Of greatest interest is that they've included two additional names, Eddie Pepperell and Russell Knox, though I'm guessing those guys won't get much love.  Let's see what the so-called experts think:

Shipnuck: You have to preface this with the inconvenient fact that 5 of the top 8 Euro qualifiers will be Ryder Cup rookies. Plenty of guys have said they couldn’t feel their hands/legs/face on the first tee as a Ryder rookie. There is simply no pressure like it. The formats are quirky and challenging and players are massively taken out of their routines/bubbles. It’s a totally different animal than any other golf event, so I find specious this notion that because these guys have won regular tournaments they are fully prepared for the Ryder Cup. Ergo, I think Bjorn has to pick experience. 

Casey and Poulter are locks. Stenson is such a stud you gotta take him and hope his nagging injuries are overcome by adrenaline. For me the last pick comes down to a red-hot Wallace (who would be another rookie), the slumping Sergio or the Notorious RCB, who played well in his Ryder debut in ‘16. All are defensible, but I’d take Rafa.

I think I'm basically in agreement with Alan, although let me just detour for a moment to note Rafa's Wide World of Sports finish yesterday.  He had himself -6 for the day through 12 holes, with a firm grasp on one of those captain's picks.  he must have sniffed a leaderboard because it suddenly went pear-shaped for him, making three ugly bogeys on the trip in.  No. 18, an easily reachable Par-5, was especially ugly, as he left his fourth shot in a bunker behind the green.  And not just in the bunker, but semi-plugged in the excess sand high in the face leaving no stance.  Just when we thought we'd seen the last of him, with a stance requiring the flexibility of Olga Korbut, he stiffs the bunker shot to save bogey.  I have no clue what Captain Bjorn will or should conclude from all that.

Bamberger: Something old (Stenson), something new (Matt Wallace), something borrowed (Paul Casey, Stateside more often than not), something blue (Ian Poulter).

Zak: Wallace for his form. Stenson for his history with Rose. Poulter because he’s Poulter. Then I’ll take Rafa for being a steely baller. Sorry, Serg. 

Sens: I’m tempted to say Eddie Pepperell because I like saying “Eddie Pepperell,” but I agree that Stenson and Casey are pretty much shoo-ins, that Poulter’s fire and history will get him the rightful nod, and that RCB should prolly get the final slot, given what he did last time out. 

Dethier: On pure merit and performance I’ll grab Casey, Poulter, Stenson and Wallace. But I’m sad not to include Pepperell on that list, especially after he tweeted out a picture of a pinot noir bottle this week – the night before he was to tee it up with Bjorn. He’s golf’s most lovable character. 

Passov: Sergio has had a miserable year by his or any standards. But that hasn’t stopped Euros from starring in the past under similar scenarios – witness Martin Kaymer, on several occasions. I think that in match play, given his passion and past successes, Sergio gets a nod. Poulter has had a remarkable comeback year, and we all know what he and his flatstick and fist pumps bring to a Ryder Cup. I like Stenson’s ballstriking prowess for the venue and Paul Casey, for the firepower he brings, and to atone for some close misses on the selection front over the years.

As you can see, opinions are all over the lot and there may be things we don't know.  For instance, I'm shocked didn't play the last two weeks if he wanted to be on the team, though the only reason he might not was if Bjorn told him he was getting a pick.  I think current form is over-stated as a factor, so I tend to discount Wallace's three wins in marginal events and put his chances at +/- 0%.

I've shared my thoughts, so all we can do now is sit back and watch.

Who Do We Like? - Before we dive in, let me just note that this opening query in the TC panel is stupidity on steroids:

1. Bryson DeChambeau pulled away from a crowded leaderboard on Sunday, notching his second victory in as many weeks and his fourth in just over a year. And he needs a captain’s pick just to get on the Ryder Cup team! With other likely selections (Finau, Mickelson, Woods) rounding into form, could this be the most loaded U.S. Ryder Cup team ever?

Egads, if we've learned anything from the last 25 years of Cup history it's that how a team looks on paper is quite irrelevant.  Anyway, here are some responses:

Sean Zak: It could be. But Fowler is hampered and Spieth isn’t on point. Couple rookies that could falter in the heat of the moment overseas. This is a post-RC question, not a pre-RC one. 

Shipnuck: Spieth has actually found it a little bit in the last few weeks, which makes the U.S. even scarier. 

Josh Sens: It could be. But the Euros aren’t slouches, and our stat guru Mark Broadie actually has them as the slight favorite, thanks to home field advantage. Buckle up.

Forget Shipnuck, as he's on record predicting a decade or more of U.S. dominance.  But I do wish Josh had given us a link to Broadie's piece, which I haven't found via Google.

I was on the course this weekend with Ed Pavelle, quite the knowledgeable observer of our game.  On Saturday he surprised me by predicting the the Euros would win in a route, based upon their mid-roster strength (my memory is that he cited slots 5-10).  I don't see it, but let's lay out the teams side by side and see what we think (Official World Rankings are in parenthesis):

U.S.	Europe
Dustin Johnson (1)	Justin Rose (4)
Brooks Koepka (2)	Jon Rahm (5)
Justin Thomas (3)	Francesco Molinari (6)
Bryson DeChambeau (7)	Rory McIlroy (8)
Rickie Fowler (9)	Tommy Fleetwood (12)
Jordan Spieth (10)	Alex Noren (15)
Bubba Watson (13)	Paul Casey (16)
Patrick Reed (14)	Henrik Stenson (22)
Tony Finau (17)	Tyrell Hatton (25)
Webb Simpson (19)	Rafa Cabrera Belo (29)
Phil Mickelson (23)	Ian Poulter (33)
Tiger Woods 26)	Thorbjorn Olessen (40)

As you'll see, I've used the consensus captain's picks, not that it would change these numbers much.  We usually get a gift in that there's usually one qualifier from the European points list who would have otherwise made it, but the Dane actually qualified from the World Points List.  Go figure.

Interestingly, the top ten is currently exclusively Yanks and Euros.... No Aussies or Asians need apply.  

Obviously the Americans have a slight edge in average world ranking, though I'd venture a guess that the edge is less than in prior years.  They're very bunched at the top of the rosters, but not a terribly wide disparity as we descend.  Now, after years of watching the Euros outplay their station in life, that inures to their benefit, as does the home field advantage.

I sense that in his comments that Ed may have overestimated guys like Tommy Fleetwood and especially Tyrell Hatton, whose Monday histrionics I found troubling in this context.  But the key word is obviously "may", as it wouldn't shock to see those guys play tough.  I've been arguing all along that this will be quite the tough week, and nothing has changed my outlook.

But I can't see a route in these names, especially in this era of the Task Force ensuring superior performance.  That was a little joke for anyone new to my views on that subject, but I see an agonizingly close competition that will turn on the smallest of breaks and likely not be decided until late Sunday.  

Of course my well-earned reputation as the '62 Mets of golf predictions should govern all wagering.

Weekend Wrap

I'm a little golfed out at this point, how about you?  So, shall we talk some golf?

Bryson Ascendant - Did anyone realize he was actually this good?  

Bryson DeChambeau’s birdie putt at No. 18 at TPC Boston caught the edge of the hole and circled round, a cruel lipout that settled on the far edge of the cup. DeChambeau, perfectionist ’til the end, looked incredulous. He swung his putter up into his cap, upset at the hole’s betrayal. 

But none of it mattered. 

DeChambeau tapped in for his par and then finally allowed himself the satisfaction of a job well done. It was well-earned: he’d just sealed his second consecutive victory. 

For a man famous for his complex thought, DeChambeau is making this look easy. The 24-year-old emerged from a jam-packed leaderboard Sunday afternoon at the Dell Technologies Championship and cruised to victory, posting a four-under 67 to win by two shots. In doing so he further cemented his status as Ryder Cup captain’s pick and jumped to a projected No. 7 in the world ranking, entering the top 10 for the first time in his young career.

I caught that look on No. 18 as well....  Quite the jarring transition to exultation after tapping in.

 Will Gray notes the Vijay effect in the algorithmically-challenged Reset Cup:

NORTON, Mass. – When Vijay Singh opened the playoffs with two consecutive wins in

2008, he needed only to remain upright for the final two legs in order to claim the FedExCup and $10 million. But after replicating those results, there’s still work to be done for Bryson DeChambeau.

It means that DeChambeau, fresh off wins at both The Northern Trust and Dell Technologies Championship, is guaranteed to be the No. 1 seed regardless of how the BMW Championship plays out. But it also means that seed Nos. 2-5 heading into Atlanta will be guaranteed to win the FedExCup with a victory at East Lake – even if DeChambeau were to finish second.

So, whether Bryson wins or finishes 70th next week (or takes the week off), he'll be in exactly the same spot when he shows up at East Lake.   Admittedly, it's not quite as much fun trashing their misguided faux-playoffs after they've admitted the mistake....  But I'll console myself with the knowledge that next year's format promises to be even more ill-conceived.

The most interesting aspects of the event to this observer had little to do with the manufactured hype of the "playoffs".  First, we had a Tiger Woods impersonator in the gallery:

Of course we also had a Tiger impersonator inside the ropes, at least on that back nine.

There was also Webb Simpson caddie Paul Tesori going medieval on a heckler Saturday:

Video at the link, surprisingly safe for work.

But mostly it was the Ryder Cup implications, as it's decision time for the captains.  More on that in a separate post, but some of that is included in this promising new feature:

The 30-second guide to the Dell Technologies: Who won, best quote, worst shot

I'm a little uncomfortable with the demand that I devote that much attention to this event, but let's see what he's got:

Who won without winning: Tony Finau, whose T4 marked his 3rd top-10 finish in his last four events, further strengthening his own Ryder Cup case. 

Best closing round: Phil Mickelson, who notched 9 birdies on his way to an 8-under final round 63.

Most optimistic post-round quote: Phil Mickelson, who noted, “Not only did I find something, but it’s something that is going to be a key factor for years to come.”

Years to come?  Silly me, I'm just wondering if he can find a few fairways in three weeks time....

Let's Be Careful Out There - Did you happen to catch this freakish yet horrifying story from the weekend?

A Colorado golfer learned that the hard way last week when warming up for an event at Greeley Country Club just north of Denver. 

The golfer, Matt Gutierrez, was taking practice swings with his wedge when the clubhead caught a rope line that was pinned to the ground with bolts, according to a report by KVDR, a Fox affiliate in Colorado. The force of his swing ripped one of the bolts out of the ground and sent it spiraling into Gutierrez’s leg, piercing his bone.

Ick!  But it might be my first post ever accompanied by an X-ray.....

This weeks Tour Confidential panel used this story to plumb their collective memories:

5. A Colorado golfer ended up with a bolt impaled in his leg after a freak driving range accident (the bolt was successfully removed). What’s the weirdest golf-related injury you’ve ever seen?

Shipnuck: Richard Boxall snapping his leg mid-swing at the 1991 Open Championship.

I have a vague memory of that one, though I wouldn't think Alan is old enough to.

Zak: Buddy of mine somehow dislocated his shoulder during the finish of his mega-flop shot. Club went flying into the air and left a crater in the green. I thought he was just enraged and threw the club in the air out of anger, so I quickly cussed at him. Felt pretty bad afterward. 

Bamberger: I vaguely remember a golfer who pulled a rib muscle while sneezing, but I can see that.

Who was that?  Pretty funny at the time....  This is also well-described:

Dethier: Remember last year, when the hot thing to do was run people over with golf carts? That was sort of spectacularly dumb and fascinating, though I can’t say I ever partook. The best story from my childhood was when one buddy chasing a golf ball into the edge of a pond ended up in some sort of muddy quicksand and started sinking, sinking, sinking… suddenly he was up to his chest in thick sludge before his feet finally hit the bottom. Ended up with just a bruised ego, a wrecked outfit and some ‘splainin’ to do when we got back to the clubhouse. But for a moment it felt like death in pursuit of a Pinnacle Gold was a very real possibility.

Funny, but only as long a sit's happening to others... 

Cheating By Other Means - Golf Digest with their definitive gamesmanship matrix:

That may be a tad difficult for you to read, so click through if interested.

The Three "R's" - Gil Hanse with a brief explanation of what it is he does when hired to work on an existing golf course::

“Restoration is when the principles, style and objectives of the original architect are the

overriding factors for decision-making on the project,” Hanse says. “There’s also sympathetic restoration, when those same elements are put into place as the overriding factors, but then you’re accommodating the modern game and technology in placing and designing the features. Renovation is when you allow your own thoughts to creep into the equation, either because there’s no significant architectural pedigree or no desire to restore what was there, or perhaps there’s something that just doesn’t work based on the modern game.

When we renovate a historic course, we try stylistically to at least make it fit, so it doesn’t appear like this golf hole was dropped from outer space. Redesign is when there’s nothing of inherent value there that we can identify or that feels as though it adds to the experience. We propose redesign in cases where we just think we can do a better job than what’s here, or what was here. Renovation is the most difficult sell to members, because it’s piecemeal, rather than wholesale change. And you’re always going to have members who like the hole or course just the way it is.”

And in my humble opinion Gil does it better than almost anyone else out there, because he's able to control his won ego.  That said, that moment when you tell the Committee that their golf course has "nothing of inherent value" promises to be a tad awkward, no?

My Favorite Item of The Day -  Remember the Patrick Reed Fenway Park story from last week?  If not, here was our hero showing off his interpersonal skills:

Boo-friggin'-hoo, right?  Brendan Porath of SBNation.com subjects it to an old-school Fisking, not often seen in the world of 280 characters:

2. Nobody in golf does the acerbic “thank you” better than Patrick Reed. No one uses a phrase typically associated with gratitude to convey contempt better than Reed. It comes dripping with derision and perhaps best represents the Reed experience.

Yeah, that's gonna leave a mark....

6. The mythical “line drive section.” I think this is the subsection that has, correctly, provoked the most confusion and amusement. I don’t need to add much more to it.

That had me puzzled as well.

9. My working theory is that the Reeds saw other Tour players, who, ahem, haven’t won the damn Masters this year, down on the field yukking it up and having a grand time. The 

Reeds probably had great seats in the “line drive section.” According to #sources, the PGA Tour had tickets all over the park and the Reeds’ tickets were behind the dugout, providing a great vantage point to watch a baseball game. But the tickets were separate — maybe not worse, maybe not better, just separate — from a class or a group of players or people they feel they belong to. It’s not totally wrong and I could see how it might be annoying to many other non-Reed humans out there. So they “upgraded” by dropping $650 to move into that section where other players and Tour folks presumably got in for free. Again, this is just my working theory.

And a fine working theory it is.  I get that all players nurse grievances and Patrick more so than others, but with the Ryder Cup on the horizon isn't this a strange time for Captain America to be alienating those with whom he'll share a team room?  Thanks Brendan, awfully good fun.

Relevance? - Chris Kirk had some interesting comments earlier in the week about distance:

“The driver and the ball don't go any further than they did eight years ago. That's the

thing that everybody is missing,” said Kirk, who opened with a 67 for a share of the early lead at the Dell Technologies Championship. “Guys are making it go further. People wanting to change the rule and change the ball and change the stuff, it doesn't matter.” 

Kirk pointed to improvements in fitting and optimizing a particular player’s launch conditions to explain the distance gains, but the main difference in recent years is how players have simply become better athletes. 

“Every professional sport, it doesn't matter, guys continue to get better, that's just the way it goes. And I don't see why everyone has such an issue with that,” he said.

First, this seems a doubtful proposition, especially as I'm digging my new G400 and P790 irons.  That said, he's making an important point that recent distance gains are influenced strongly by things the governing bodies are unable to control.

 That said, so what?  It's always been and always will be thus, but its affect on golf course design and set-up remains, whether or not its caused by ab crunches or golf club technology.  Reasonable people can and will differ on whether the USGA and R&A should act, and in what manner, but the effect of fitting especially is very real indeed.

Don't fret is this seemed a short post, as I'll have Ryder Cup post following shortly.  No blogging tomorrow due to a zerodark-thirty match, so I'll see you Thursday morning.