Tuesday Trifles

Not a ton going on in our little bubble, but we'll scrape a few things together and call it a post.  It's what we do....

Kooch The Mooch, Day Two - Joel Beall has an interesting take on the Kooch/El Tucan story, though one in which he gives the appearance of having resided in a bubble in recent years:

The past decade has shown that realities can come to life through social media. There are arguments for the virtues and vices of digital platforms, but there’s no debate over their

capability. Facebook and Twitter have helped overthrow tyrannical regimes, brought improper behavior to light, given the oppressed a voice. Tangible paragons of speaking truth to power. 

There’s an upshot, however. The mob mentality often found on Twitter and Facebook can go unchecked, taking on lives of their own. The forums are so emotionally driven that narratives can reach a fever pitch without consideration of context or facts, and the appetite for "owning" someone overtakes the crusade that's supposed to be fought. 

For Kuchar, this materialized at the hands of Tom Gillis of the PGA Tour Champions. In a series of tweets, the 50-year-old Gillis claimed that Kuchar had stiffed David “El Tucan” Ortiz—the local caddie Kuchar had on the bag for his victory in Mayakoba—something fierce.

Joel doesn't get out much, does he?  He'd probably be shocked to learn that Twitter has been waging war on conservatives for years now, shadow banning them routinely for unexplained reasons.

But in this case the allegation comes from a specific user, of course using the Twitter platform.  So this is obviously a completely new phenomenon, right?  If so, this famous quote with a convoluted attribution might be unknown to Mr. Beall:

A lie can travel around the world and back again while the truth is lacing up its boots.

Attributed to Mark twain, Winston Churchill and Cordell Hull, among others, we can safely conclude that it predates social media by close to a century.

Setting aside the effect of social media, which no doubt accelerates reactions, the source is a specific individual, and there are two known factors guiding an assessment of credibility, first:

That Gillis’ previous blast of Ben Crane over an unpaid bet to Daniel Berger proved accurate wasn’t helping, nor was Australian pro Cameron Percy’s reply of, “It’s not out of character if true.”

Alas, the second data point cuts in the opposite direction:

Kuchar was emphatic in denying the allegations (also worth noting when Gillis was asked how he got his information, he was light on specifics).

Fair enough, but then Joel trips over his you-know-what with this:

Kuchar's case, however, felt different, for it wasn’t a tip as it was wages owed. The optics alone—a veteran with $46 million in career earnings low-balling a man who makes less than $46,000 a year—were damning.

This is a target-rich environment, for sure, but mostly I want to quibble with his assertion that this is about wages.  It seems that the two principals may not have had an agreement on Ortiz' salary for the week, but logically that would be a certain number, certainly far below 10% of winnings.  But we would expect that, having won for the first time in 4 years, that Kooch would have thrown a nice little bonus at the local looper, no?  And what's another word for a bonus?  yeah, a tip... so, Joel, this is about a tip.

And here's Joel's rousing coda:

On Sunday the Golf Channel made a brief mention of Kuchar's Twitter drama. On social

media, some saw it as rubbish, the tour and its partner putting their heads in the sand to a story that had become bigger than the tournament. Conversely, as bad as Kuchar looks at the moment, we still don't have definitive proof that the story is legitimate. A mere one-off by the broadcast would have given Gillis' accusation more merit and steam. Once that train leaves the station, there's no turning around. 

So you give Kuchar the benefit of the doubt. Even if that doubt is raised. 

These are awkward times, where suspicion and truth are blurred. But it's the new reality.

There's absolutely nothing new under the sun, as my Twain/Churchill/Hull quotation above demonstrates.   But riddle me this, Joel, whose job is it to determine the truth or falsity behind the allegation?  So yes, Kooch gets my benefit of the doubt, unless and until a golf writer commits actual journalism to prove otherwise.

Prayers, Answered - Forgive me, but I can't remember whether I covered the online petition to get Hosung Choi a sponsor's exemption into the Phoenix Open.  Don't remember the name?  Perhaps this will remind you:

Yeah, THAT GUY!  While I acknowledge he's a perfect fit for Phoenix, Ron Kroichick of the S.F. Chronicle with the scoop about Carmel's scoop in landing the young man:

Golf’s wackiest, craziest, most unconventional swing is coming to Pebble Beach. 

South Korea’s Ho-sung Choi, who hits a golf ball unlike Tiger Woods ever did, has landed a sponsor exemption to play in next month’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Tournament officials made the announcement Monday. 

Choi’s unorthodox action — sometimes he practically hops out of his stance upon making contact with the ball, and other times he whips his right leg around like he’s dancing — has made him an internet sensation in the past year. Several PGA Tour pros, including Justin Thomas, posted tweets about Choi’s curious swing upon seeing it last summer.

It'll be good fun....  he's got style even just taking the putter from his caddie:

And, just because we can, here's video of his crazy action:

You're welcome.

Equipment Notes - I try to stay out of the deep weeds on equipment, but times are interesting in that regard.  This from the Sony is surprising:

The latest example is Titleist’s driver count win at the Sony Open, where the brand outpaced the field with 45 drivers in play, according to this week’s Darrell Survey

results, compared the nearest competitor with 32. Taking a closer look, 38 of those drivers were Titleist’s new TS Series, with 11 players switching to the driver for the first time in Hawaii. 

To be clear: Titleist’s recent driver count win is a small sample size. With the meat of the Tour schedule ahead, equipment usage can change rapidly. That being said, the driver win was significant for a number of reasons: It broke an 18-year drought for Titleist, which last won a driver count at the 2001 PGA Championship. And in terms of non-major driver wins, you have to go back to the 2000 Buick Open.  

Not only did Titleist win the driver count, but they also swept the board in every major club category at Waiʻalae — an impressive feat that almost never happens at the highest level of professional golf. But we’re not here to talk about across-the-board count wins.

This represents the confluence of multiple factors, including Titleist's success with their now offerings:

“We wanted to get rid of the slow, spinney label that had been placed on Titleist drivers in recent years,” said Talge. “We measured every little thing to get better results, with the 

goal of creating a club that’s considerably faster than anything we’ve created in the past.”

From a Tour standpoint, Titleist’s push for more speed appears to be paying off early in the year, based solely on the numbers that have switched to the driver, especially those available players (Kyle Stanley, Kevin Tway and Troy Merritt) who came over to the driver but didn’t sign full line deals. 

Titleist even shook things up with the TS driver launch on Tour, releasing it earlier than usual at the U.S. Open — a move that provided the club with some early visibility and saw Justin Thomas switch the first week it was available. 

“It’s a couple miles per hour faster,” Thomas said of the TS3 driver. “It’s anywhere from 176, 177 to low 180 miles per hour. It’s nothing monumental or something you guys will be watching me and noticing a difference, but it’s a little bit faster.”

Slow and spinny won't get you much these days, but this is as much about TaylorMade's new strategy under private equity ownership:

TaylorMade, which won every PGA Tour, World Golf Championship and major driver count during the 2017-18 season, is unlikely to repeat the feat this year due to the significantly reduced Tour-player staff the brand now employs — only five staffers are listed on its website. 

TaylorMade’s decision to partly back out of the driver arms race helped Callaway and Ping pick up one “win” apiece during the fall portion of the season; TaylorMade still logged six wins.

TM has notably parted ways with stalwarts Sergio and Justin Rose, and we also have an unusual number of guys out there without equipment contracts, including all 2018 major winners.  Interesting times....

Hot Takes -  That anonymous polling of Euro Tour players is out, and there's much with which to amuse ourselves.

There's a few items related to the U.S. vs. Euro Tours, including:

WHAT PERCENT OF EURO TOUR PLAYERS ASPIRE TO PLAY THE PGA TOUR? 

0-25%: 6%

26-50%: 6%

51-75%: 41%

76-100%: 47% 

HOT TAKES

“It should be 99% PGA Tour.”

“The PGA Tour is too far away from my home and family.” 

IF YOU HAD YOUR CHOICE TO PLAY THE EUROPEAN TOUR OR PGA TOUR BUT COULD ONLY PLAY ONE, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE 

PGA Tour: 70%

European Tour: 30% 

WHICH TOUR IS MORE FUN TO PLAY? 

European Tour: 88%

PGA Tour: 12% 

HOT TAKES

“[PGA Tour] You know what’s fun? Making three times the money.”

“[Euro Tour] It’s less serious. The PGA Tour is big business.”

You'll expect the perfunctory trashing of American golf fans, though it's actually less vicious than I'd have expected:

ARE U.S. FANS GENERALLY LESS KNOWLEDGEABLE THAN EUROPEAN FANS? 

Yes: 35%

No: 65% 

HOT TAKES 

“No, just louder.”

“No, we go to some places where the fans are clueless.”

“About golf or about beer?”

“Yes, Americans know less about Europeans than Euros know about American players.” 

ARE U.S. FANS GENERALLY LESS RESPECTFUL THAN EURO FANS? 

Yes: 52%

No: 48% 

HOT TAKES 

“American fans are just crazier.”

“The difference is American golf attracts more sports fans whereas Europe attracts more golf fans.”

That 52-48% might be surprising, though it also might depend on whether Sergio was polled.

I might circle back to this tomorrow, but one last item for your perusal.  This is damning, no?

WHO IS THE BEST EUROPEAN TOUR PLAYER RIGHT NOW? 

Justin Rose: 64%

Tommy Fleetwood: 24%

Francesco Molinari: 9%

Rory McIlroy: 3% 

HOT TAKES

“Justin Rose turns up at events expecting to win.”

OK, I lied, the above needs to be paired with this:

WHICH EUROPEAN-BORN PLAYER HAS THE MOST NATURAL TALENT? 

Rory McIlroy: 29%

Sergio Garcia: 21%

Tommy Fleetwood: 12%

Victor Dubuisson: 9%

Well played, Rors.  You've converted your great natural talent into a rounding error....

More tomorrow. 

Weekend Wrap

I did manage to find time to watch the conclusion from Oahu on tape yesterday, but only after watching the Pats and Saints....  Hey, my quads observe the Sabbath.  Well, I know it's not actually me Sabbath....

Kooch the Mooch - I miss the original Mooch.... seems he was only with us for a few days.  What?  OK, it was only a few days, but that's not important now.  Golf.com with their invaluable 30-second guide:

Who won: Matt Kuchar (four-under 66, 22 under overall) 

How it happened: Kuchar opened the day with a two-shot lead but struggled early, and Andrew Putnam jumped out ahead and took a one-shot lead at the turn. They were tied at 

19 under after 13, but Putnam made bogey on 14 and Kuchar didn’t look back. Kuchar made birdies on 15 and 16 to extend his lead and cruise to a four-shot win. 

What it matters: It’s Kuchar’s ninth career PGA Tour victory and second in the last three months. He also won the Mayakoba Golf Classic in November, and that came with a local, fill-in caddie. He won this week with regular looper John Wood on the bag. 

Best quote: “I think it might have been Jay-Z who said 40 is the new 20.” — 40-year-old Matt Kuchar

What it matters?  My kingdom for a proofreader.

There were a few interesting notes to the week, and we'll circle back to the winner and my header in a sec.  But first, The diminutive (I know, pot, kettle) Chex Reavie hung on the leaderboard all week, partially as a result of his Friday pyrotechnics:

Friday at Waialae Country Club, Reavie holed out for eagle three times, becoming the first player to do so on three par 4s in the same round since the PGA Tour started keeping 

track in 1983. 

“I was trying to think back to any round I even had more than one hole-out, and I couldn’t think of any,” the 37-year-old journeyman said. 

He didn’t take long to make the first one, jarring a sand wedge from 101 yards on the par-4 10th, his first hole of the day. Six holes later he made another, from 149 yards with a 9-iron. 

The momentum didn’t last long, though, with Reavie making bogey on the par-4 first and double at the par-3 fourth after missing the green left and blasting his sand shot across the green, prompting him to change balls. 

You can guess what happened next. Two holes later he holed a gap wedge from 135 yards, prompting two of the caddies in the group to throw their hats at him.

Only two?  

Did you catch any of Jordan's play?  Well, you needed to be quick, as trunks were slammed.....  Shall we see what the Tour Confidential panel thought?

1. Jordan Spieth made his first start in two months at the Sony Open but missed the cut to kick off his 2019 on a sour note. “For not playing well at all and being on the bad end of the draw, to miss the cut by one is reassuring,” he said afterward. Still, Spieth is coming off his first winless year as a pro, and this wasn’t exactly an

encouraging debut. Do you expect Spieth to rediscover his mojo this year? 

Jeff Ritter: Spieth definitely seems a little lost in the wilderness right now. I’d still bet that he wins an event sometime this year, but it’s a bet on his talent overcoming his current struggles. 

Sean Zak: “To miss the cut by one is reassuring.” Just wanted to repeat that for you guys. What the what? I’m confident that Spieth is a very good golfer, but he’s seemed a bit all over the place mentally the last six to 12 months. It’s an odd thing right now but of course we expect him to rediscover said mojo. That feels obvious.

It doesn't sound any better with repetition, does it?  I get that these guys need to stay positive, but there's nothing that compels us to go along for the ride....

Dylan Dethier: Call me an optimist, but there actually was something reassuring about the charge he put on Friday when he was trying to make the cut. He started playing golf rather than playing swing. “I just told myself, Just point, aim, and shoot and stop thinking,” he said. More of that would be good. 

Michael Bamberger: You can’t play world-class golf without being a great putter, and putting was/is more of Spieth’s game than others. He’s in a weird place. Without knowing how weird it’s impossible to say if he can come back.

I saw the stretch to which Dylan refers, and he has a point....  It's just that he only got there when he had nothing to lose, and next time he pegs it he'll of course have much on the line.

But if only that were it... Alas, we're forced to ponder whether Jordan has contracted a case of the.... well, we're not supposed to say that word out loud:

2. Before the Sony, Hank Haney said Spieth “visibly has the yips” on the greens. (Our instruction editor Luke Kerr-Dineen performed his own analysis on why Spieth misses so many short putts, theorizing that Spieth gets too rigid.) What say you? Does Spieth have the dreaded y-word?

Well, if that rigidity persists for four hours, he should call his doctor....  What?  Yeah, at his age four hours s a bad night, but perhaps I've milked every last bit of humor out of that bit.... 

Ritter: During his major-winning rise to No. 1, putting was Spieth’s strength, and it really is hard to believe we’re having this debate only a few years later. I don’t know if it’s yips, a mechanical thing or something else, but his game has flipped to the point where putting is now his weakness. 

Zak: I believe there are levels to the yips. I cannot understand it as a black or white disease where you’ve either got it or you don’t. It’s far more likely that there are yipping tendencies on display, or yippy moments, in Spieth’s game rather than a broad-brush version of that dreaded word. Luke clearly found something interesting in Spieth’s on-green routine, but I’m still hesitant to point to that as a clear reason why he’s struggling inside 15 feet.

Levels to the yips?  Is that akin to rings of hell?

Dethier: I was pretty convinced by LKD’s analysis and think Spieth would do well to read it. Spieth is in constant, frenetic motion over long putts. He excels over long putts. He appears to struggle when he freezes over short putts — it’s almost an anti-yip, a lack of motion. Too much time to think. 

Bamberger: I would completely agree with that. He’s the opposite of the modern, robotic golfer and putter, right through the bag, until he gets to the short putts. Circa 2015, he looked the same over 40-footer and four-footers. LKD is on to something.

Even during ski season, it just can't be good for any golfer to be reading about the yips.... 

Did you catch the bizzaro world backstopping incident?  The Golf Channel guys were all over it:

Another backstopping incident has emerged on the PGA Tour, and Frank Nobilo his fellow Golf Channel announcers took notice. 

Matt Kuchar was playing from the greenside bunker on the 9th hole during the final

round of the Sony Open on Sunday when Nobilo, Steve Sands and Jim “Bones” Mackay started discussing the controversial practice on the Golf Channel broadcast. 

One of Kuchar’s playing partners, Andrew Putnam, had left his ball just a couple of inches from the flag and didn’t put a mark down. Backstopping on Tour is when a player, directly or indirectly, fails to mark a ball near the hole and another player hits it. Kuchar would have received an advantage had he hit Putnam’s ball and it slowed Kuchar’s down or stopped it completely, because Kuchar would play it from where it lies. It wouldn’t harm Putnam, either, because if that were to happen he would be able to move his ball back to where it was for no penalty. 

To be clear, Putnam held a one-shot lead at the turn over Kuchar, so there’s no reason for him to want to help Kuchar out. In this case Kuchar could have played quickly or Putnam was just a little slow to get to his ball. 

Still, Mackay, the on-course reporter for the final group, pointed out how he was surprised Putnam didn’t mark. 

“That’s crazy,” Nobilo said. “It really is.”

Yeah, it really is!  My theory has been that this younger generation has somehow failed to absorb the obligation to protect the field...  But failing to protect yourself?  It's madness, I say.

Shall we get back to our Kooch, a guy about whom I've never heard a bad word.... Until now, perhaps.  When Kooch won in the Fall sat Mayakoba he had a local caddie on his bag, the flavorfully nicknamed El Tucan.

Over the weekend Tom Gillis indicated that Kooch failed to adhere to prevailing wage legislation:

Hmmmm... Kooch's first place purse was $1.3 million, so folks will be doing the match, though we don't actually know that it's true, as Kooch has kept it zipped.

Brandel Chamblee was among those defending Kooch, and the TC panel was less harsh than you might expect:

3. Caddie compensation was a hot topic on social media over the weekend after questions surfaced about what Matt Kuchar did or didn’t pay his fill-in local caddie during Kuchar’s winning week at the Mayakoba Golf Classic last year. In general terms, what is equitable in a situation like this? Assuming Tour pros typically pay their loopers 5% to 10% of their haul, do stand-in caddies deserve the same rate? 

Ritter: It’d be nice to see a stand-in get the same fee, but since they’re unlikely to do the job as well as the permanent looper, a Tour pro can justify a reduced rate. I think as long

as Kooch ultimately paid his caddie whatever they agreed upon at the start of the week, no harm no foul. (But a tip would’ve been nice!) 

Zak: It would be interesting to learn what Kuchar has paid local caddies in the past if and when he’s missed the cut…but let’s leave that aside for now. Kuchar hadn’t won in 4.5 years. He had one top-five finish all year. It’s remarkable that he won with with a stand-in looper. Here’s hoping that Kuchar is right, that this isn’t “a story,” and that there’s something missing in the allegations.

This where it gets amusing, and it would have been amusingly awkward to have regular looper John Wood on the panel this week.  Because those extra services that he provides seem at best trivial, given that Kooch won without them.

Dethier: For context, I walked several holes with Kuchar and his caddie, El Tucan, that week in Mayakoba. It was clear Kuchar wasn’t leaning on him the way he would a full-time looper. I think something in the neighborhood of 5% makes sense, but I don’t think there needs to be an ironclad rule on this — when in doubt, shell out, right? But in fairness to Kuchar, I think we’re still missing a key part of this story. 

Bamberger: I’m not pretending to know a thing about how Kuchar paid El Tucan, but in general: be frugal with yourself and generous with others, unless you’re flush. Then be generous with everybody. Give and get back.

Shack's got much more here, but this would seem to be an easy story for Kooch to swat away.....  Unless, you know, it's accurate.

Augusta On My Mind - We've all seen these invitations previously:

I'm beginning to think I might never receive one....

But there's a new one that the girls are swooning over:

That's Alexa Pano opening her cherished invite for Beth Ann Nichols....

This youngster receiving an invite is inevitably newsworthy:

We covered the back story of Lucy's participation in that Apple ad, and now we await a decision from the USGA.  The problem, of course, is that the USGA wants nothing to do with this one.....But, unfortunately for them, with great power comes great responsibility.... 

The TC panel takes on the bigger picture:

4. Invitations to the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which will be held the week before the Masters, began surfacing on the social feeds of a few excited invitees last week. Given the clout and prestige of ANGC, what kind of impact do you expect this event will have on the elite women’s amateur game? 

Ritter: It’s a fresh new way to inspire young girls to play golf and I can’t wait to see it. The event’s impact may be hard to initially quantify, but who knows, someday a U.S. Open winner may say she got serious about golf as a kid after watching this event. The tournament offers nothing but upside for the entire sport. 

Zak: It’s absolutely an historic event. I just hope it reaches its potential. I hope it expands to include more than just one day on the hallowed grounds of ANGC. I hope it can stand alone on the greater women’s golf schedule instead of taking place at the same time as a major. I’m stoked it’s getting started, and I totally trust Fred Ridley and his team to nail it. 

Bamberger: It can be one of the most positive developments in women’s amateur golf in years. What Augusta does it does well. This whole thing should be first-rate, fun and inspiring. 

Dethier: I can’t tell if Zak is being earnest with his last line there, but he hits on a key point: there’s an element of execution involved here that will determine whether it gets to the next level. Help the golf world get excited about it; I don’t think we need much encouragement.

I think it's a great thing the club is doing, and I especially like that it's an amateur event.  But that only me feel worse about my sense that watching the young girls play this golf course will ultimately disappoint....  Inevitably I think it will only serve to showcase the inferiority of the women's game as they all lay up on the Par-5's....

The Euro Beat - Golf.com is slow-rolling the results of an anonymous poll of Euro Tour players, first with this:

That was one of the questions we asked players on the European Tour in our recent survey. Sound familiar? That’s because we asked PGA Tour pros the same question in 2018. As it turned out, European Tour players have actually played hungover LESS than PGA Tour players. 

38% of the Euro Tour pros polled said yes, they’ve played a tournament round hungover before, which arrives a touch under the 46% of PGA Tour pros who admitted to some less-than-stellar feels during a round in their career. It’s worth remembering Englishman Eddie Pepperell, who fired a 67 during the final round of the 2018 British Open, all while being “a bit hungover.” For a long time that day, he remained in contention to advance into a playoff.

Glad we cleared that up.....Though "a bit" is open to interpretation, but I'm sure Keith Pelley is at work on the Hungover Open for next season....

The other question released served as the exit question for our Tour Confidentialistas:

6. In GOLF’s anonymous poll of European Tour players (we’ll publish all the results Tuesday), 79% of Euro Tour pros said they would rather have dinner with Tiger Woods than Phil Mickelson (9%) — 12% said they would rather eat alone. With whom would you rather dine, and why? 

Ritter: If it’s a working dinner, it’s Tiger because I’d like to be able to share every moment with readers. (You’re welcome, readers.) If it’s a casual, off the record meal, it’s Phil because I think he’d spill more gossip. 

Bamberger: I had a breakfast with Phil a few years ago and I’m still trying to process it. Mr. Ritter’s distinctions are salient. If Tiger’s going to actually talk, Tiger. 

Zak: If it’s dinner, that means we’re going deep in conversation, so it has to be Phil. He’s the one ready to go deep on golf physics, strategies, bad course architecture, etc. What a treat that would be. I imagine the experience with Tiger to be a bit formulaic. We just probably wouldn’t get very deep. I suppose Ritter said that in a much nicer way.

Hmmmm...its' that 12% that has me curious, because the original Table for One is a member of the European Tour.  

Gonna leave you here.

Late Week Lamentations

I received some superlatives, but no photos or specifics to blog from Employee No. 2's round at Teeth of the Dog.  That girl hasn't been pulling her weight for some time now, but what's to be done?  

Jordan Being Jordan - Just yesterday he assured us that he knows what needs to be done, then does this:

Hoping to turn the page on a disappointing 2018 and find out where his game was at to begin the new year, Jordan Spieth might have more questions than answers after a rough opening round at the Sony Open in Hawaii. 

Spieth shot 3-over 73 in Round 1 at Waialae Country Club and sat T-125 while the afternoon wave was on course. 

It was Spieth’s worst score in 11 career rounds at the Sony Open and the first time he failed to break 70 since his 2014 debut, when he shot 70-71 to miss the cut. 

Spieth spoke Wednesday about his offseason work and said he was in a good place mentally.

He's happily married to his longtime sweetheart, so I would hope that he's in a good place mentally.  

Hank Haney takes time out from annoying Tiger to opine on Jordan, using that dreaded Y-word:

But one high-profile coach has his doubts. Hank Haney told ESPN.com that he has been studying Spieth’s putting stroke and can only come to one conclusion — and it involves

golf’s dreaded Y-word.

“He’s got to get his putting figured out,” Haney said. “I think he will. But he has to. And I think that spilled into the rest of his game. When I watch him putt, he visibly has the yips. You watch his hands on short putts and there is a tremor in there. I don’t care if the putt goes in or doesn’t. He was center cut on his first putt at the Ryder Cup. But his hands were shaking. He had to miss more short putts than anybody on Tour.” 

The ESPN.com report cited another player, who wished to remain anonymous, referring to Spieth’s stroke as “yippy” and described his discomfort around putts.

If you think he has the yips, then how can you be so sure he'll work it out?  It's only one round, of course, but little to build on yesterday:

He teed off on the back nine Thursday morning and made his first and only birdie of the day on his 16th hole to go along with four bogeys. Performance on the greens was a problem again and he was -2.888 in strokes gained putting in the later afternoon.

Hmmm... Even if you fly private, it's a long trip for a mere 36 holes.

Could it be that our hero suffers from ADD?  Because he was talking about this just the other day:

Jordan Spieth, after airing grievance about new drop rule, had to be reminded by Slugger White about new drop rule on Thursday

Ironically, it's just fortunate that his name happens to be Jordan Spieth....  I guess Patrick nailed it after all.

Duf Being Duf -  OK, anyone that hasn't yet eaten breakfast should just skip this item..... Come to think of it, anyone planning to sit down to a meal later today might consider doing the same.

So, you've been forewarned.... Remember the fun last year with Duf offering the valuable real estate on his baseball cap to the highest bidder each week?  Good times, for sure....  Well, the Dude has landed a long-term sponsor....  I know, I'm happy for him, and yet....

Jason Dufner’s hat sponsorship carousel last season drew a lot of attention, but now that carousel is screeching to a halt, at least for a while. Dufner recently signed a new, let’s say “untraditional,” sponsorship deal with a brand called Dude Wipes. But Duf’s new

deal is getting a lot of attention in its own right.

So what the heck is Dude Wipes, anyway? It’s pretty much exactly what you would guess it is. The company’s primary products are flushable wipes for adults. If you’re still not getting picture, I’ll let the company describe the origin and purpose of the wipes for me: 

“Back in the day, we always hated using toilet paper, the stuff stinks. We believed life should be better—something had to be done. So we went to work, creating DUDE Wipes out of our apartment. Soon the DUDE movement was born, with flushable wipes for on-the-go and at home sh–uations.”

I understand that they're highly recommended for guys like Jordan that are getting a little yippy....

Duf, I don't how much you're getting, but is it really worth it?

Playing Against Type -  One of our favorite pinatas makes a return appearance, though the white hat doesn't seem to fit:

How noted "caddie killer" Robert Allenby ended up officiating the wedding of his new caddie

 I love a redemption story....

Robert Allenby sounds at peace, his mind finally clear. He’s standing at 11,000 feet,

presiding over the marriage of his caddie, Danny Stout, and Sam Troyanovich, an LPGA tour pro who just finished her rookie season. They are in front of a small group of family and friends, all of whom are dressed in ski clothes, Sam included, on top of a mountain in Aspen, Colo. At Stout’s request, Allenby knows to keep things short and sweet, even though there is no rush on a clear 35-degree day in the Rocky Mountains. 

You may be wondering how this is possible. A simple Google search will yield, among other things, horror stories of Allenby’s reputation with caddies. Now, he’s officiating his new caddie’s wedding. Troyanovich is fully aware of the absurdity. 

“People say, ‘Wait, what? [Danny] caddies for Robert Allenby? Isn’t he awful? Isn’t he such a jerk?’” she says. “And we’re like, ‘No, he’s amazing. We love him.’”

OK, if he's found some kind of peace and can act like a human being, that's great.  On the other hand, leopards allegedly can't change their spots, and I have a sense that the key word in that header is "new".

Jesus Saves -  Of course, the old joke went on to credit Esposito with the rebound....  This guy opened with a strong -4 round yesterday, but it's Shippy with the wonderful profile:

Salvation beckoned on the other side of the river. It was only a couple hundred yards away, but the churning water of the Rio Grande was the fiercest challenge yet in José de Jesús Rodríguez’s short, hard life. Late at night, when he made his forays for freedom,

the river was as black as ink. Underfoot were treacherously slippery rocks and other unseen hazards. Growing up in land-locked Irapuato, Mexico, José de Jesús never learned to swim. Now the chilly water lapped against the teenager’s chin, inviting the darkest fear: “If I slip, I die,” he remembers thinking. 

Day after day, for three agonizing months, José de Jesús tried to steal across the Rio Grande, only to be thwarted by its currents and the United States Border Patrol. So many times he wanted to give up and return home, but what kept him going were the people he’d left behind: seven siblings who slept shoulder-to-shoulder on the dirt floor of their one-room, bathroom-less adobe home; a mother who endured seven stillbirths but still found a way to hand-make tortillas seemingly every day; a father he revered but whose body was breaking under the strain of so many years of toil as a laborer on construction sites.

I'm deliberately ignoring the topical nature of the story, as it's better just to enjoy it as a heartwarming story of grit and endurance, and you'll inevitably want to root for the not-so-young man.

We're All Gonna Die -  Shack is enjoying the contradiction between this and Jay Monahan's recent upbeat take on our game:

“There are hundreds of other communities in this situation, and they’re trapped and they

don’t know what to do,” says Peter Nanula, chief executive of Concert Golf Partners, a golf club owner-operator that owns about 20 private clubs across the U.S. One of his current projects is the rehabilitation of a recently acquired club in Florida that had shut one of its three golf courses and sued residents who had stopped paying membership fees. 

More than 200 golf courses closed in 2017 across the country, while only about 15 new ones opened, according to the National Golf Foundation, a golf market-research provider. Florida-based development consultant Blake Plumley said he gets about seven phone calls every week seeking advice about struggling courses, from course owners or homeowners’ associations. He said most of those matters end up in court, and predicted that the U.S. is only about halfway through the number of golf-course closures that will eventually occur.

 I don't think our game is dying, but there's also little doubt that too many golf courses were built for the purpose of selling real estate.  And if you own one of those home on an abandoned golf course, you're in a world of hurt.

Bullet, Dodged - I think we can all agree that this would have been a mistake:

Brandel Chamblee in the booth? It wasn’t much of a long shot. 

Chamblee was recently profiled by Ron Green Jr. in the Global Golf Post, and it’s an

entertaining read that covers Chamblee’s thorough show prep, hobbies off the course and return to pro golf at last year’s Senior British Open, among other things, but there was also an interesting nugget toward the end of the piece. 

The outspoken Johnny Miller announced his retirement from the booth in October of last year, and although a replacement wasn’t named right away, there was plenty of speculation regarding who would take over. Paul Azinger eventually landed the job, but Chamblee said he would have taken it if it was offered. (Chamblee told Green he did not seek out the job, though.)

I actually like Brandel where he is now....  I know he's a honey trap for the haters, but every couple of weeks he throws out something that's fun to blog.  Some of it's way off the mark, for sure, but that's pretty much the job description.

I'll let you get on with your weekend.  See you Monday?

Thursday Thoughts

It's a big day for my little clan.... I haven't previously mentioned it, but Employee No. 2 is in the Dominican republic for a few days of sun, and later today will play Teeth of the Dog.  We'll see what kind of review she can provide us all, as I've never been.

All Things Jordan - Our Jordan kicks off his apology tour later today, playing the Sony to make up for his failure to play the minimum number of events last season.  He had this on the new drop rule:

Making his 2019 debut at the Sony Open, the three-time major winner couldn't understand the logic behind the switch. 

“One that I don’t really understand necessarily is the drop," Spieth said on Wednesday. "“You drop it knee height, but like, what’s the advantage of dropping it shoulder height? It’s actually probably a disadvantage, so why can’t you still do that? You should be able to drop it from shoulder to knee height in my opinion. It doesn’t do any good and honestly it’s like, a frustrating asterisk that I have to re-pick it up and re-drop from your knee." 

According to the USGA, this alteration was made to increase the chance of a ball staying within the relief area.

Hey, physics is hard....  Though the opinion of amateurs that he displays is less than flattering:

“What if they just take a drop from the cart path. I don’t think they probably care. They will still drop it from the shoulder. Technically, you take a drop from your shoulder and play out, you could be penalized for that. Doesn’t make much sense.

Hey, when the big boys released the original draft, drops could be taken from 1" above the ground.  At least we're up to knee-height... He also referred to it as akin to a "frustrating asterisk"...  Not only do I not understand what he means. but Roger Maris was unavailable for comment.

Jordan had some comments on a more important subject as well, but Dave Shedloski framed it with a world-class appeal to authority:

No one is immune from the game’s ebbs and flows, though sometimes it’s difficult to figure where one starts and the other stops. Or as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote, “The way upward and the way downward is one and the same.” And to think, Heraclitus, born in 535 BC, who came to be known as “the weeping philosopher” because of his melancholy disposition, never picked up a golf club.

Wish I'd a thought of using that one....  Just call me The Weeping Blogger.  Back to that threshhold question, what's wrong with Jordan Spieth?

What’s wrong with Jordan Spieth? Not much. But just enough to send him asking the

same exact question that he knows a lot of others are asking. 

“The thing for us,” Spieth began, “is not to get caught up in today’s news. It’s easy to sometimes when you’re not used to it. I haven’t seen, read or heard anything on it. I learned that lesson already because I know what’s wrong with Jordan Spieth, and I know what’s right with Jordan Spieth. 

“I know how to get where I want to go with my golf game and have fun doing it. … I don’t really know what anyone has said other than something is wrong. I know my results aren’t the same, and I know I’m not playing as well. Clearly, I already know that.”

He keeps telling us how close he is, and then his play disproves it....  Perhaps it's not quite as clear as he thinks.  Let's see how he looks over those four-footers this week.

All Things Adam - Scott, that is.... hey, it could have been Hadwin.  The Aussie has some thoughts on the new rules:

Adam Scott says doing things the unconventional way never bothered him before, so he’s not about to stop now. 

Scott, who makes his third PGA Tour start of the season at this week’s Sony Open, told reporters on Wednesday that he plans to leave the flagstick in on every putt following the revisions to the Rules of Golf. And it doesn’t matter the stage or aesthetics, either. He said he would leave it in on a six-footer to win the Masters. 

“As you know, I’m not a person who cares how things look,” he said. “I was a 30-year old man putting with a broomstick.”

I love that last bit for its self-deprecating humor, but also for the irony of the matinee idol not caring about how things look.... I guess he's got the luxury of not caring.

This could get a little awkward out there, as players differ on pin strategies.  You could see the pin going in and out multiple times as the players putt out.

Adam also shared thoughts on his schedule, to which the suits in Ponte Vedra Beach might want to pay attention:

The new PGA Tour schedule that kicked in this year was designed to flow better, with the four majors lined up in consecutive months, but it also is more compact, which leads to some hard choices for players making out their itineraries for the year. 

It's not unheard of for a player to skip a World Golf Championship event. But Adam Scott currently is entertaining the notion that he might not play in any of the three remaining WGC events this season. 

"In the end I just kind of took the simple approach and thought I'll just play the ones I like and that make sense to play," the former No. 1 player in the world said Wednesday at the Sony Open in Hawaii. "Any inconvenience, whether it's a big tournament or not -- I don't know how everyone can define a big tournament differently -- but at the moment I have not scheduled a World Golf Championship because they don't fall in the right weeks for me."

Good on you, mate.  Shack liked it as well, offering these comments:

Anyone who has looked at the new PGA Tour schedule sees weak spots on the list where top players will be tempted to stay home. Mexico City sits awkwardly before a busy run of Florida events, the Match Play still very close to the Masters and the WGC moving to Memphis after the major season and before the playoffs.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if the WGC’s, field killers to so many longtime PGA Tour stops, were to start taking hits because of the schedule?

This may be worthy of a longer discussion, but this is not a risk-free strategy for the Aussie.   The WGC's probably don't help prepare one for majors, but for many players they're integral to the process of qualifying for the majors, representing easy world ranking points (not to mention guaranteed cash).  Adam is currently No. 41 in the world, and needs to maintain that for automatic invites, excepting The Masters in which he can play into dotage.

The best of the WGC's to me is the Match Play, but it's in just a horrible slot two weeks before the Masters.  As for the former Bridgestone moving to Memphis, I'd play there for sure if there were a gun to my head....  Otherwise, life is far too short.

Missed It By This Much - Joel Beall with a cautionary tale of what happens when one loses one's card, beginning with this to frame the margin of error:

The number was 5,509. That’s how many strokes Martin Piller took on the PGA Tour last season. He needed 5,508. 

The shaved stroke could have come at Mayakoba or Palm Springs. It would have done the trick in Dallas or Houston as well. Without a doubt, it was the difference in Greensboro. Piller entered the regular-season finale, the Wyndham Championship, 124th in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 125 players advance to the postseason; more importantly, they keep full tour membership the following year. 

“I thought I was in good shape,” says Piller, a Texas native whose wife Gerina plays on the LPGA Tour. “I was two under through two days. That felt like it was going to be enough.” 

It wasn’t. Piller missed the cut by one shot. Nick Taylor and Harris English, both on the outside of the top 125 to start the Wyndham, made the weekend, grabbing enough points for playoff invites. Piller dropped to 126th. 

One shot. One shot and Piller would have kept his card, and the splendor and security that come with it. Instead the 33-year-old is here. What “here” is … well, it’s tough to explain. 

“To be honest, I’m not sure how to describe it,” Piller says.

The older I get, the more I feel the cruelty of sports...  And of course, we all know that this guy has a new baby at home.

Mikey Likes It - That Bamberger guy is back with his seven best things in golf, so see if he gets you excited about the Sony:

7. Best Chance for a Record-Old Winner

This is the best chance all year for Sam Snead to be knocked off his pedestal as the Oldest Winner on Tour. Snead won at Greensboro at age 52 in 1965. This week, at the

Sony Open in Hawaii, Davis Love, who is 54, and Vijay Singh, 55, are in the field. The Waialae Country Club course is short and its Bermuda greens are flat and slow (by typical Tour standards). All you have to do to win there is play good golf from start to finish. Nothing crazy. Play the wind, play to positions, choose your spots. It’s all about guile. There’s no PGA Tour stat for guile, but these guys have it. 

6. Best Names in the Monday Qualifier

These names were all on the tee sheet for the Monday qualifier for the Sony Open: Ted Purdy, Billy Hurley, Mac O’Grady, Matt Every — and Tadd Fujikawa. The first four are all former Tour winners. (O’Grady, a noted and singular golf instructor, is 67 and the results show no card for him.) Fujikawa is the first openly gay male professional golfer. None made it. There’s more going on each Monday than we realize. A kid named Brent Grant, co-medalist at the Monday qualifier, is playing in his first Tour event this week as a pro. I can tell you one thing about him for sure: he’s good enough to dream.

I'm still in shock over his calling Vijay one of the nicest guys out there....  I agree with the top item to a certain extent, though the nerves would have to hold up down the stretch.  So, an MC seems the far liklier outcome....

This is very true as well:

2. Best News for Golf Writers

Padraig Harrington being named Ryder Cup captain. Possibly the best golf talker since Lee Trevino. So smart, insightful, funny, original, and not just when he has a mic under his chin. At the 2005 Masters, I caddied for a Scotsman in the field, Stuart Wilson, the reigning British Amateur champion. He sought Harrington’s autograph, for his mother. “You’re her favorite player,” Stuart told him. Paddy said, “Wouldn’t that be you?”

Amusingly, we segue now a story in which we see Paddy coming to grips with his new gig:

Former world No. 1 McIlroy has created a rift with his home circuit by threatening to quit the European Tour this year in favor of the PGA Tour, and calling the European

circuit a “stepping stone” to the PGA Tour. Some have questioned his commitment to his home tour. Not Harrington. 

Harrington, who will lead Europe at Whistling Straits in two years’ time, says McIlroy will be fully behind Europe’s efforts to successfully defend the trophy he helped win in France last year. 

“I can only look at his actions,” said Harrington, who succeeds Thomas Bjorn as captain. “That man loves the Ryder Cup. He’s become a leader in the team room. He gives so much to the Ryder Cup; the Ryder Cup gives so much back to Rory that he can’t get anywhere else. He is a leader. He’s 30 years of age and he gets to be a leader. He gets the glory, the opportunity to be loved on the golf course. He gets the exuberance, the crowd.

What does babysitting pay these days, Paddy?  

Alan, Asked -  Shipnuck is in the house with his mailbag, so let's start with a Rory query:

That was an absolutely shocking final round from Rory. -@RalphWardlaw 

Was it, though? Did you watch the final round of last year’s Masters or Tour

Championship? Do you remember the three-footer Rory blew on the back nine at Carnoustie to torpedo his bid? Unfortunately, his Sunday letdowns have become a thing. For sure, a player’s weaknesses are magnified by pressure, and McIlroy’s woebegone Sundays have featured shaky putting and sloppy wedge play. But the problem appears to be metaphysical. At the first sign of distress, the bouncy strut disappears, the shoulders slump and Rory loses all of his alpha energy. I’m not sure what the cure is for that. Unfortunately, I’m not sure McIlroy knows, either.

To be shocked by a Sunday collapse from Rors, you'd have to have been in a North Korean POW camp for the last year, no?  

Here's another topical take:

I think the flagstick will be a nightmare for my weekend group (20+ guys blind draw) as the flag will go in and out based on individual preference. What is your take? #AskAlan I won’t be able to find out until better weather here in the Northeast. -John (@jkellegrew) 

I was interested in Bryson’s comments from Maui talking about not wanting to disrupt his playing partners being part of the decision-making on how to use the pin. I agree that it could get complicated. For sure it will be a time-saver when everyone has long putts but all of us are going to have to learn the dance of navigating short putts when some players want the pin in and some don’t.

Good on Bryson for being conscious of his playing partners, but I suspect this will get awkward at times.

So Paddy Harrington was named 2020 Ryder Cup captain. Who do you have at the top of the U.S. pick? ’22? 2024 at Bethpage Black: Who’s the U.S. captain, Phil or Tiger? #AskAlan -Brett (@BFlynn27) 

In this post-Task Force era, you have to look at the vice captains, since there is an

emphasis on continuity. Steve Stricker is the obvious choice for 2020, with the Cup being in Wisconsin, at Whistling Straits. He’s been in plenty of Ryder Cup team rooms and served as captain of the 2017 Presidents Cup, so Stricker has the v.c.

The big question is whether golf’s shyest, most unassuming star wants to deal with all of the attendant hassles and pressures that come with the job. Only Stricker knows the answer to that. If he takes a pass, that leaves ’18 vice captains Matt Kuchar (40 years old), Zach Johnson (42), and David Duval (47). I’m sure both of those first two names want to try to play their way onto one more team. Duval is a bit of a wild card – a lone wolf as a player, not part of the Ryder clique over the last decade as he concentrated on TV, but a big hit in his surprise role in Paris. I think the analytical Duval would make a helluva captain but ultimately expect Stricker to get talked into taking the job by his many friends who are part of the U.S. side. After that, it lines up for Zach Johnson in ’22, Phil in ’24 and Tiger in ’26.

Continuity?  I had been reliably informed that it was all about pods...

If Stricker didn't want the gig, then he shouldn't have taken the VC and Prez Cup captaincy gigs.  I remain surprised that Tiger isn't using his leverage to land a home game, as the away games will remain quite difficult to win.  

Of course there's some amusing bits:

#AskAlan Since Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, teed it up in the 16th century have you ever seen as dainty a drop as Bryson DeChambeau’s at Kapalua? -@CountDownDave 

Up until Xander’s closing pyrotechnics, that was honestly the most riveting part of the week. Apparently the blue coats at the USGA are evil geniuses, because they have turned something as mundane as a penalty drop into must-see TV!

And one more on the TOC:

How about opening up the Maui tournament to winners of European Tour events, too? -@HanfordChris 

This is the best idea I’ve heard in a while. The problem with the T o’ C now is that a bunch of veterans are rusty and/or treating it like a working vacation, and the rookies are distracted having to host a dozen family members and/or don’t know how to play the course or handle the winds, so the whole tournament comes down to maybe ten dudes. A deeper field would lead to more action on the leaderboard.

I agree that this event has lost it's mojo, though I think that's at least partially a function of how soft the course has played in recent years.   It's still got those great visuals, but it was so much fun watching the balls careen wildly on the turf....  Now they hit and stick, and I've not heard a good explanation of the change.

How many tournaments will Gary ‘I can putt now (ignore the 72nd hole for birdie)’ Woodland win this year? #AskAlan -@EthanZimman 

Well, the putt that mattered the most was the 10-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole, so it’s kind of hard to ignore that one. And Woodland remains oh-fer-his-career in protecting 54-hole leads. And his weekend play at last year’s PGA Championship was particularly painful. So, while there are few guys I’d rather watch swing the club, the winning formula remains elusive for Woodland. Some guys figure it out later in life (paging Kenny Perry), but Woodland is 34 – it’s approaching the now-or-never stage.

Exactly.  

Time to think about skiing....  See you tomorrow? 

Midweek Musings

Back from our daytrip to Little Cottonwood Canyon.  It's quite the place, though we didn't catch the best conditions.... Today will hit 40 degrees on the mountain, so time to work on our tans.

Rejected! - Steph Curry drives for a seemingly uncontested lay-up, but at the last second.....

The PGA Tour abandoned plans Tuesday to hold a new, Stephen Curry-hosted event at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City in September. 

Tour officials had anticipated announcing the new tournament in the next two weeks. They even held dates on the calendar (Sept. 19-22) for the fall portion of the 2019-20 season. 

But negotiations with potential title sponsor Workday, the finance and human resources software company in Pleasanton, unexpectedly broke off. Tour officials didn’t have time to find another title sponsor, especially given the course changes Lake Merced would need to make in eight months. 

“We are still committed to bringing an event to San Francisco,” Curry told The Chronicle. “It just won’t be this year.”

This is one of those time I when I rue not taking the effort to tag my posts, because of the insufferable promotion of Steph's exemptions and potential sponsorship of this event.  If memory serves correctly, this was single-handedly going to save our game, or something.... 

No disrespect to Steph, who seems a fine young man and avid golfer, but he's just the new Justin Timberlake.  Our game's history is measured in centuries, but without Steph we're all gonna die!

Shack poses this logical question:

The question then may be, why didn’t the PGA Tour just sponsor this in year one to ensure they’re in the Steph Curry business.

I'm just gonna spitball here, but perhaps it's because these Fall events don't have much economic value?  If it's a sponsor's money being burned, then bring it on!

Or, perhaps we just need to scroll down to Geoff's previous item, wherein we're reminded that the rainy day fund is less flush than it's been.

Mr. Sunshine - The best-mannered player on Tour, at least in the opinion of Mike Bamberger, is maintaining that relentless optimism for which he is renown:

After more than five years of legal wrangling, Vijay Singh settled his lawsuit with the

PGA Tour in November, and on Tuesday at the Sony Open he said it’s relief, not necessarily vindication, that he feels now. 

“I just thought it was a very unfair deal. That’s why I pursued it, and I’m glad it’s over,” said Singh, who is beginning his year at the Sony Open for the 22nd time. 

“It didn’t weigh on me. It was just there. I had a pretty good relationship with the Tour, and I still do, but that kind of set me back with the Tour a little bit.”

Boy, I'm just glad that you kids could work it out... It did work out, Veej, didn't it?

Although a confidentiality agreement prevented Singh from disclosing any terms of the settlement, he did seem pleased to move beyond the distraction of the lawsuit. 

“I can get on and do my own stuff and not worry about anything anymore,” he said. “I think both sides are happy, although I might be just a little bit happier.”

Sounds like a "yes" to me.

Shack, on the other hand, is maintaining that relentless negativity for which he is renown:

Ahhhh…maybe one of the guys can ask him this week on the range how much Vijay’s win took out of the retirement accounts! That’ll liven up the range chatter. 

As previously noted, Vijay has only made 11 cuts in his last 28 PGA Tour starts and hasn’t snipped a top 10 finish in that time.

Snipped?  I'm guessing he was going for sniffed, though those two keys are remotely near each other on a qwerty keyboard.

Reunited -  Remember Cody Blick?  He's one of our more recent heroes:

Cody Blick became an instant Q School legend when he shot a final-round 63on Dec. 9 just hours after discovering his golf clubs had been stolen. Incredibly, the story of how he got them back is even crazier.

But the details Blick told GolfDigest.com are even wilder. It began with a random Arizona woman's encounter with a homeless man, which led to her buying a set of golf clubs he had possession of for $75. Upon seeing Blick's name stamped on the bag and clubs, she Googled him and learned of his story. From there, the woman managed to track down the phone number of Blick's mom and reached out.

Needless to say, Blick was surprised to get a New Year's Day text from his mom regarding the found clubs. He was excited when photos confirmed the clubs were his, but somewhat disappointed by the condition they appeared in. Still, Blick decided they were still worth buying back. During a follow-up phone call, Blick's dad offered $300 for the clubs and the woman quickly agreed (Apparently, she hadn't seen Blick's $5,000 reward offer from Dec. 9).

Just a great story, but only because he sucked it up and played great....  Hope he makes it to the big tour soon.

Preaching To The Converted - My mancrush on Geoff Ogilvy remains intact, in fact it's only intensified by this travelogue he posts on his buddy trip to Scotland.

It;'s not terribly long, so you'll want to read it all.  It's really just perfect, as they unsuccessfully entered the daily ballot to play the Old Course.  What I love most is the common experience curve, after ticking off the Open Championship venues we all discover the joys of the less-known courses, each with their distinct charms.  Here's his ode to Elie and it's unique first tee:

The highlight of the trip – for me at least – turned out to be Elie. I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of golf in Scotland over the years. And I’ve played a broad cross-section of courses. But I had never been to Elie. I’d done Musselburgh, Prestwick and North Berwick and most of the older courses. But not Elie, which was founded in 1832. 

The New Course at St. Andrews.

The clubhouse and the 1st hole has to be the most Scottish thing there is. At some point you think that you have seen all of the “quirk” Scottish golf has to offer. But I’m not sure you ever really do. The opening shot at Elie has to be fired blind over a massive hill. It’s like hitting over a house, it’s so steep. Back in the day the club would employ a young lad to stand on top of the hill and signal when the fairway was clear. Now, however, there is a periscope next to the starter’s hut to do that job. Yes, a periscope, one that apparently came from a ship, the HMS Excalibur. 

It’s brilliant, especially for an architecture geek like me who loves all the “crazy” stuff you can’t build any more. You can even swing the periscope round and look across the Firth of Forth to Muirfield, Gullane and North Berwick. It really is the most Scottish-links thing possible. The hill was there. The hole had to go over the top. And they just worked something out. It’s so unique and fun on a course that has some really dramatic and enjoyable ocean holes.

I'm embarrassed to admit that Elie is one i'e missed in my travels.... An omission that will be remedied at my earliest opportunity.

Here's Geoff's rousing coda:

That actually got me thinking. When people talk about “links golf” they tend to suggest that every seaside course can be thrown into the same basket. Not so. We played six courses on this trip and they were all very different. Links golf is actually more varied than parkland golf. Because there are no rules. You can have 600-yard par-5s and 230-yard par-4s. You can have stone walls crossing holes. And you can have any number of blind shots. Almost anything is possible. And that is the fun of it. 

“Fun” is the word that sums up my time in Scotland. I had never been on what you might call a “boys’ trip,” one where conversations are dominated by tales of shots and putts. But it is one of the best things you can ever do. It doesn’t get any better than travelling, eating and playing golf with your mates. In Scotland, a country that has retained so much of its green space. The towns and the villages are so understated and charming. They get the balance between quality of life and standard of living just right. I’ll definitely do it again.

True that.  I'll only add that because wind is the primary defense, everything changes with the strength and direction of the wind, keeping it infinitely interesting.

On Course Ratings - Golf Digest has dropped its latest Top 100 Golf Course in the U.S., with Pine Valley retaining its top position.   Lots of companion pieces as well, including these eleven curiosities, such as:

No. 76 Myopia Hunt Club (pictured), No. 79 Monterey Peninsula (Dunes), No. 89 Sleepy Hollow and No. 98 Old Town Club are the four additions to this year's ranking

Sleepy should never have been outside looking in, but that's just one man's opinion.  If I seem insufficiently enthusiastic about this effort, perhaps this will clarify:

Architect Tom Fazio boasts the most designs in the top 100 (13), including No. 26 Shadow Creek. Pete Dye and Donald Ross are next with nine

Oddly, they say that like it's a positive.....

Of course, everyone's a critic, though this guy makes a good point:

That question answers itself, though Castle Pines should be exempted because of the altitude.

I'm going to leave you here, kids.