Colonial Times

It occurs to me that you might not know to look for a new post on a Tuesday.but we have much to discuss.  And tomorrow is the earlier tee time, so shall we dive in?

Must-See TV - The "Eye" will have no shortage of eyes upon it this week, as televised professional golf returns.  CBS presented its broadcast plan to the media (I know, postmodernism for sure), and Shack has a link-filled post that I'll draft off of.

We'll allow Jim Nancy-Boy to bat lead-off, though I think you'll agree that he's checked his white privilege and is keeping his perspective on matters:

“I consider this to be perhaps the most important moment in our country in my lifetime,” the 61-year-old Nantz said. “We have to get this right. We can't let this opportunity pass. I hope to express that at the top” of the broadcast.

Have to get what right?  Jim, please tell me you're not going to take a knee Thursday morning?

I'm really not sure what to make of the self-importance.  He's likely over-stating the importance of this moment in the country, that's a trap into which we all occasionally tumble.  But the sickness is in thinking that your silly little golf broadcast has to address the weighty issues of the day...  Your role, Jim, is to provide a respite from the real world, not to reinforce its malignancies.

But this might be the more important bit:

“It's a wonderful opportunity for the game ... to go before a sports-starved nation and have a chance to create a wider fan base than it's ever been before,” Nantz said. “A lot has to be personality driven. We need to hear from the players. It's something that's not obtrusive. It's an opportunity for players to invest in their own game.”

Personality driven?  You mean like Pebble?  Please don't ruin my day by telling me that Ray Romano is no longer self-quarantining... here's a thought, Jim.  Have you guys considered making the telecast golf driven?  An idea so crazy it might just work...

From that same Doug Ferguson piece, here's the skinny on the announcing crew:

CBS is doing its part of reduce health risks with a production crew that McManus said will be roughly half of what it is for a normal PGA Tour event, with operations such as graphics and video shading in six locations. 

Faldo will be at Golf Channel studios in Orlando, Florida, along with Frank Nobilo and Ian Baker-Finch, who usually are in towers on the course. The other talent at Colonial will be Dottie Pepper and Mark Immelman as on-course reporters. 

There will be smaller production trucks spread across the compound to promote social distancing. Nantz will call the action all four days, as the same production will be used for the weekday coverage shown on Golf Channel.

So, trucks are require to practice social distancing as well as humans?  Good to know...

It's not just Orlando, but this from the CBS press release indicates crew will be spread around the four corners of the globe:

CBS Sports and GOLF Channel will present a unified, linear broadcast production. The same production and announce team during Saturday and Sunday’s coverage on CBS also will work Thursday and Friday’s coverage on GOLF Channel – allowing for fewer than half of the normal contingent on site for a typical PGA TOUR production. In addition to Fort Worth, there will be members of the team working remotely from GOLF Channel studios in Orlando, Los Angeles, New York, Stamford (Conn.) and New Zealand.

So, what have we learned, class?  Somebody will be in New Zealand, but that somebody is seemingly not Frank Nobilo....

Lots of discussion of audio, but first that which will not be on your soundtrack:

• While there will be no fans watching the action at Colonial, the network will eschew piping in any audio enhancements—another way of saying it will not add fake crowd noise or reactions. As Nantz said, appropriately, “The key word is ‘fake.’ As a fan … just take it for what it is, give me the real scene and let me deal with it.”

Ah, good times.  Remember when CBS got busted for piping in bird calls?  Hey, dogs don't get older than this one, though it's good to see them maintaining the purity of their audio track.

This bit relates to Nantz's comments above, and I really recommend muting your TV or fast-forwarding through it if you're watching on tape:

Another wrinkle, and a big one that will frame coverage the first week, will be an introductory monologue from Nantz shortly after coming on air. The longtime golf host will, in his own words, put the return of golf—and, more broadly, sports in general—in the proper perspective amid two ongoing world-altering events: the COVID-19 pandemic and the impassioned protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Because they think we can't sort through such issues on our own...  I might be more inclined to accept Jim Nantz's guide to the real world if I had any sense that Jim spends much time there...  he self-quarantined on 17-Mile Drive, so I'm sure he can teach us much about life in the 'hood.

So, where was I?  Oh yeah, audio:

A few players have already agreed to wear a microphone during this week’s telecast, part of what CBS chairman Sean McManus described as an “aggressive” push with the Tou

r. With no spectators for the first five events, McManus said there’s “a little bit more of a willingness” among the players to be mic’d up.

“I think there’s probably a greater appreciation for wanting to contemporize golf coverage a little bit,” he said, “and players are beginning to realize they can play a real role to make it more interesting.”

Maybe the best part is that accompanying photo.  Jordan is for sure the poster child for audio capture and the photo is from Colonial in 2019, but those high-fives with spectators are now the subject of hate-crime legislation.

Audio capture is great, though it needs to be carefully curated....  Most of what you get is banal, so CBS can't just feed us the live audio.  But the other point to make is that it's going to be hot this week in Fort Worth, so wearing the microphones might not be a whole lot of fun.  And for those that sweat profusely, I've heard talk that moisture and batteries are a bad combo....

But by far the most noteworthy bit has been dubbed the "Confession Cam":

“I want this to be expressed — 'Guys, we need your help. We're not asking for a lot,'” Nantz said. “If you had a chance to hear from 30 players in the field, you can't imagine what a difference that could make to our broadcast. All they have to do is walk over and talk into a confession cam. We need the players' help.”

Apparently they will be ushered into a tent and asked a single question.  i agree that this could be good fun, but it kinda depends upon the question, no?  Or maybe they'll just take a knee... 

More fun is to think through what we'd want them to be asked, and somehow I'd expect there's an amusing Twitter thread on this very topic.  I'd offer up the inevitable Patrick Reed question, but you wouldn't have to even make it personal.  You could ask them to describe the worst drop they've ever seen taken, and it could even be without naming names....

I thought this was interesting as well:

• Though the network plans to use roughly the same amount of equipment as before the hiatus, it will reduce the number of personnel on the ground by half, including having just three announcers in Fort Worth: Nantz in the 18th tower and Dottie Pepper and Mark Immelman as on-course reporters.

That seems to this observer as less of an issue over the weekend, when the field is sorted by score.  But should have them stretched pretty thin on Thursday and Friday, no?

Udder Tour Notes -  The logistics of the broadcast are their own interesting subject, but let's cover a few other aspects of the resumption of Tour life.  First, I know you're deeply concerned about their travel arrangements, but we've got you covered:

7 things to know about the PGA Tour’s jumbo jet carrying players and caddies

Who gets the middle seat?  Nah, but this won't surprise you:

But there’s a priority ranking 

As far as registration goes, players come first, caddies second. And even then, players with greater status in the game will be prioritized first. A top 20 player like Matt Kuchar will have no problem choosing his seat. He might even get one of the precious first class spots. But a lower-ranking player will be pushed further down the list. Caddie reservations will follow players, and will be prioritized according to their player’s rank.

Gee guys, it might not be a good look to put Harold Varner in steerage.... Just sayin'!

No test, no boarding 

In order to provide as safe an experience as possible, players and caddies will only be able to board the plane once they’ve confirmed a negative Covid test within the last 24 hours. The Tour is providing testing on Saturday afternoon to players and caddies who wish to fly via the charter jet. If a player tests positive, they will not be allowed to board the plane

But who is handling the flights for the Tour?  I actually don't know for sure, but this was the accompanying photo:

Does Jay know anyone at FedEx?  More importantly, do FedEx planes have seats?  Seems like they've left us with more questions than they actually answered.

There's surprisingly little written about the testing procedures as players arrived at the tournament site, this being the most detailed:

When the PGA Tour resumes on Thursday at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth,

Texas, following three months of silence due to the coronavirus pandemic, it will be a new golf world with a new normal. 

Testing – including thermal readings and questionnaires each day – is one of the pillars of a safety and health blueprint developed by the PGA Tour in consultation with infectious disease experts. The Tour has partnered with Sanford Health to conduct COVID-19 tests, with results available in a manner of hours. 

Social distancing measures, host hotels and chartered planes for players also are among measures taken by the PGA Tour to create a “bubble” of protection for players, caddies, staff, media, volunteers and others that will attend events.

Thermal testing and questionnaires are not what most of us think of as "testing", it's more a way of culling the herd for those that should be tested.  Last I heard, the Tour is not planning to share any positive tests with the public, though I'm curious to see is their longstanding policy of Omerta can survive the Wuhan flu...

This is an interesting take:

The 3 most significant ways having no fans at events will impact play during the PGA Tour's restart

I've been all over this issue:

No more “grandstanding”

For most amateurs, missing way long of the green is the quickest way to a big number. The ball often careens well past the putting surface into an impossible position. You’re forced to try a flop shot, often with the green sloping away from you, if you’re to have

any chance to save par. On the PGA Tour, however, shots that miss long—or right, or left—often end up hitting a grandstand and bouncing back toward the hole, or ending up in the grandstand and resulting in a free drop. They essentially act as bumpers, and it’s a phenomena labeled by conspiracy theorists detractors as “grandstanding.”

Whether players use grandstands as backboards intentional or otherwise, the fact that they won’t be in place at the first few tournaments could have a very real impact strategy. Say a player is faced with a 250-yard approach into a par 5. There’s water short of the green and a grandstand behind it. The player is in-between clubs—his 3-wood carries about 270, but his 3-iron only flies about 240. With a grandstand there to catch anything that goes long, 3-wood would almost always be the play. Now, players will have to decide between hitting a little three-quarter 3-wood into the green or roast a 3-iron, with danger lurking short and long.

Think we’re exaggerating? Well, here’s how Jim Furyk, who has been on tour more than 20 years put it: “There’s a lot of greens on the PGA Tour that I’m not actually sure what’s behind them because there’s usually a block of stands there every year when we play them.”

Yep, things are going to look a lot different for players without fans the next few weeks on tour.

To me, it highlights one of the great misunderstandings about the professional game, the extent to which these guys use TIO's to their benefit.  Interestingly, all three of his examples, the other two are more lost balls and tougher lies in the rough, should theoretically drive scoring higher in these five events to be played without spectators and grandstands.

Unexpectedly, the Monday qualifier for this week's Korn Ferry event was loaded:

More than 250 players will tee it up at two sites – Palencia Club in St. Augustine, Florida, and Eagle Harbor Golf Club in Orange Park, Florida – on Monday ahead of the Korn Ferry Tour event, and their resumes are all over the board.

You mean people want to get out of the house?  Who could seen that one coming?  Familiar names such as Martin (Mr. Gerina) Piller and Dru Love qualified, but there were all of eight spots available.

I read somewhere that the cancelled tournaments represented $90 million in purses, so it's no surprise that these guys will do anything to get a tee time.  But I'm not calling them money-grubbers, it's just a normal human desire the get back to that which you do.  

'Dis and 'Dat - Your humble blogger has far too many browser tabs open, so shall we knock a few off?

The Rich Get Richer - We've seen this before, and we'll see it again:

Report: Augusta National makes largest real estate purchase yet

Even by Augusta National Golf Club’s gaudy standards, this real estate deal is a doozy.

On April 13, the Monday after what was supposed to be the final round of the 2020 Masters, until it was postponed to November because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the club finalized a $26 million purchase of a nearby shopping center, making it the single-largest financial acquisition in ANGC history, according to a report on Thursday by the Augusta Chronicle.

The 15-acre National Hills Shopping Center is across the street from the northwest corner of the Augusta National property, just a couple hundred yards from the main entrance on Magnolia Lane. The primary tenants are The Fresh Market and Electrolux customer service repair center.

We always knew of their desire for a defensible perimiter.  We just never realized that perimeter would be in South Carolina...

You'll Need a Bigger Blog - I think we can all agree that this list can't possibly be comprehensive:

The 41 absolute *worst* feelings in golf, according to golfers

Here's an example:

22. Blading a sand wedge from a greenside bunker

I don’t always hit my wedge 170 yards, but when I do, it’s from a greenside bunker.

This isn't all that bad, as long as it's a front bunker, so that you're hitting towards your next tee box.  From a back bunker?  Just abandon the ball and wait for your group at the next hole.

But I can top this one:

31. Counting your clubs and realizing one is missing 

The horror of realizing you left your wedge back on that green where you chunked, then bladed those chips.

Much worse is to suggest, while caddying, that your player hit 8-iron instead of the nine, only to find no 8-iron in the bag...

I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this one from the Golf Digest vault:

Dirty little secrets of a sandbagger

Little?  We'll be the judge of that:

Most people classify sandbagging on a handicap as outright cheating, but I’m not so sure. Cheating is carrying a tube of Chapstick in your pocket and whipping it out on the

tee of a long, tight par 4 with water running down the right side. You grease up your lips, put the tube back in your pocket, pull your driver from your bag, and wipe your bottom lip with your forefinger. Then you discreetly brush that greased-up finger across the clubface of the driver. That little film of lubricant makes it impossible to slice the ball into the drink.

Or the guy I knew from Houston who always griped about the course being in lousy condition. He would suggest on the first tee that we play the ball “up,” so you may bump it in your own fairway. He always carried a roll of LifeSavers, which we didn’t regard as suspicious until the day we caught him tossing one on the ground next to his ball. We watched him roll his ball up on top of that LifeSaver, and it made the prettiest little tee you ever saw. He preferred the lime-flavored kind, so the green blended in with the grass. In winter, when the Bermuda grass went dormant, he’d use butter-rum.

Now THAT’S cheating. Sandbagging is quite a different thing. I did it for years on the Texas golf “barbecue circuit,” for reasons of economic survival. There are scores of small amateur tournaments around the state, and handicap hustling on this “tour” is a way of life. From Sherman to Paris, from Tyler to Longview, you either play with an inflated handicap or just donate your entry fee to the guys who do.

Does Patrick Reed suck on Lifesavers?  It's good fun, though our bigger problem these days is with vanity handicaps.  

I'm of mixed minds on this one:

Cheaters on tour: ‘We know who they are’

This is another from the Golf Digest vault, so no cheap Patrick Reed jokes here.

Nothing has been said this year in golf or in sports that rings with a sharper truth than the five words: “We know who they are.”

To a leading question in a dinner setting, Tom Watson acknowledged in late winter that there were cheaters on the PGA Tour. “The game is a game of integrity,” he told an Australian interviewer in Melbourne, “but you are talking about money and you’re talking about livelihoods.”

Invited to name names, Watson said icily, “We know who they are.”

As if candor were calumny, Tom was slammed in the U.S. for once again sticking his blue nose where it wasn’t wanted. But the slammers lost momentum when Nick Price told the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, “There are two [players] I know of for sure on tour who cheat and many others who I have come across in my travels. But once you do it, the guys all know who you are. Forever.”

While PGA patriots were extolling Jeff Sluman’s honesty at Bay Hill, Ben Crenshaw, of all gentle people, was saying, “Cheating is the absolute worst thing on tour, period. It’s like the people who play golf are one big family, and once you get cast out of the family, there’s no way to get back in.”

First, I'm glad that you guys know, but I'm still curious as to why you don't share that with the rest of us....  We get enough glimpses to know that there's more than they let on, but not enough to know how widespread it really is.

But it's that last bit that really troubles me, because the cheaters don't seem to actual;y get cast out.  Not only did Vijay, Gary Player and Colin Montgomerie survive allegations of cheating seemingly their whole careers, but Sung Kang remains a member in good standing.  

I left Seve out, about whom a PhD dissertation on cheating could be written, including this:

Many U.S. Opens ago, a large Californian named Lon Hinkle seemed to hang over young Ballesteros like a gargoyle at every green. Asked about it afterward, Hinkle said in a measured tone: “He is a great young player, but he is going to have to learn to mark his ball like a professional.” Evidently, he did.

Not according to many Americans...

I actually believe that the bast majority of players are honorable, but the Tour's refusal to share the exceptions rankles.  I don't actually take their word for much of anything, as they act like they have something to hide.

News You Can Use - Again from that vault, though it seems ripped from today's headlines:

How To Save Your Club

Including this proposal that has much to recommend:

It has long been a truth universally acknowledged that no man is a hero to his valet. In an asylum, who will have the better measure of the inmates than the keepers? In the

singular, special bedlam of a golf club, who is in a better position to pass final judgment on the clubworthiness of the members than THE STAFF: the people in the golf shop and caddie shack, the greenkeepers, the folks in the clubhouse?

My second modest proposal would therefore stipulate that each year, by secret ballot properly certified by a disinterested party, the staff shall have the right to “fire” 1 percent of the members excluding, however, in the interests of equity, those members who have bought their way in within the preceding five years.

I suspect that such a policy would put an end in short order to undertipping, stiffing the pro by patronizing Nevada Bob’s, being discourteous to waiters and caddies, failing to repair ball marks, bringing around the wrong sort of people, taking five hours to play 18 holes and many of the other forms of general churlishness that have made modern golf so iffy a social and sporting proposition.

Yes, just like public shaming, the behavioral benefits would be profound.... 

The Seedy Underbelly of Professional Golf - This will shock you for sure:

John Daly will send your friends a (semi-harassing) message for $750

Semi?  But of course he will.... But get these comparative valuations:

The way Cameo works, different celebrities charge different fees for a quick message and will take up to seven days to create the short video. Other golfers on the site include Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald, who both charge $149 for a short message. Tom Lehman will leave a short message for $100 while Golf Channel host and former Symetra Tour player Blair O’Neal will do so for $99. A message from current LPGA star Lexi Thomson costs $50.

Long John isn't exactly the value brand, is he?  

I'll see you good folks later in the week.

Colonial Daze

The last weekend without professional golf is now safely behind us, as we look forward to the resumption of play in a mere 72 hours.  Not a moment too soon, we can all agree.

Dateline: Fort Worth, TX - Colonial itself is a bit of a faded gem, typically drawing among the Tour's weakest fields.  The big boppers in particular tend to skip this week, as the prevalence of doglegs hinders the modern, bomb-and-gouge game.

Not so in this mother-of-all-years for sure:

I know that might be a little tough to read, but here's the skinny on the deep field (at least once they get their style-book required caveat out of the way):

Even without Woods, the strongest field in tournament history will show up at Colonial, led by world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who has six top-5 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, including a victory in the WGC-HSBC Champions last fall. 

He’ll be joined by World No. 2 Jon Rahm, No. 3 and reigning PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka, No. 4 Justin Thomas and No. 5 Dustin Johnson. It will be the first time the tournament will feature the top 5 players in the world since the Official World Ranking began in 1986. 

Other top-10 players in the field include No. 7 Patrick Reed and No. 9 Webb Simpson, both major champions. In all, 16 of the top 20 will be at Colonial, and 70 of the top 100.

I'll go way out on a limb here, but it just might be that they're tired of sitting at home....  

Shockingly, Shack has some quibbles....Shall we see how they feel?

One minor first world golf mistake of the COVID-19 era was the PGA Tour committing to expanded fields upon returning to action. It was done in the name of playing opportunities—the lifeblood of VP bonuses and pace of play killer.

So in spite of an incredible field gathering featuring an impress 101 PGA Tour winners, the Charles Schwab Challenge also brings a grandfathered in clause giving lifetime exemptions to 20th century winners at Colonial. With super-senior tour eligible names like Frost, Clearwater and Lehman pushing the field to 148, combined with sponsor invites to fellow geezers Langer, McCarron and Stricker, topped off by a gift to a longtime Colonial member's relative, it’s another reminder that fields feature embarrassing add-ons even in a time of pandemic.

At this hinge-point in history, it's perhaps pace-of-play itself that is the first-world problem, but I digress.  The problem isn't with the expanded field size, a bit of a logic fail there, though like Geoff I'm unhappy with the geezer component in the field.  But Geoff even invokes the V-word:

Given the recent uproar over Vijay Singh wanting a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour’s return, only to WD, you’d think the Schwab folks might have played it a bit safer with their exemptions. Especially since the field actually includes a shocking number from an age group more vulnerable to the virus. Furthermore, no one will now watch this event with the inclusion of PGA Tour Champions players. No one. Zilch. Nada. Zip. Diddly squat. Squat. Did I mention no one?

I agree that it's off-putting, but the PGA Tour has been a closed shop for a very long time, and I'm glad to have such good company supporting my objections.  I'd also want to know when those Sponsor invites were extended, because it's much more palatable were they made before the pandemic, with the expectation of this being it's usual below-the-radar event.

That said, there is one guy excluded from being on-site that had me excited... Win-win, baby:

CBS Sports golf announcer Jim Nantz will be missing something when the PGA Tour returns next week — his partner.

Nantz will call the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial without Nick Faldo at his side, in deference to the PGA Tour’s Covid-19 rules and regulations, two sources with direct knowledge of the arrangement told GOLF.com. 

Faldo will be part of the broadcast but beamed in remotely, while Nantz will operate from a new, more compact location at Colonial Country Club. The traditional CBS tower behind the 18th green has been relocated to a small white building to the right of the 10th fairway, where Nantz will sit in front of a remote camera.

Silliness on steroids, no?   One of the least understood aspects of golf broadcasts is that the announcers don't see much more than we do at home, but explain to me why Nantz can't be in the usual spot behind the 18th green?  Other compromises:

Other on-site CBS commentators will also be missing at Colonial, including post-round interviewer Amanda Balionis, but Trevor Immelman and Dottie Pepper will be roving the grounds as on-course reporters. The Golf Channel, which is handing the first and second rounds at Colonial, will also have reduced staffing.

They'll have to pry Amanda Balionis from my cold, dead hands.... Your presence is expected:

“It’s won’t be the best ever [in golf], because we don’t have Tiger in the field and he drives everything, but I think we’ll do a 6.0 or higher,” Tothe said, referring to the Nielson ratings. “If we had Tiger we could do a 10.” 

In the last decade, Colonial has never drawn better than a 2.0 rating.

That seems a bit optimistic, no?  I mean, I get how deprived folks are, but they're still playing golf, no?

Let's see what the seers in the Tour Confidential panel expect:

1. This marks one of the more intriguing weeks in PGA Tour history when the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial begins Thursday. Player testing. Social distancing. No fans. Jim Nantz flying solo in the booth. And a return to play after three months off. What storyline(s) are you most interested to follow?

John Wood, PGA Tour caddie for Matt Kuchar: For me, I’m fascinated to see how this whole new set of circumstances will play out. Players and caddies are so accustomed to

very specific routines, not only on the course but off the course, not only during practice rounds and practice, but during tournament rounds. It will be interesting if the new “rules” try anyone’s patience to a degree that it will affect their play. Get there Monday for the swab test, wait for the result to see if we can play/caddie that week. Social-distance in instances where we are used to shaking hands, giving high-fives, handing clubs back and forth, handling and cleaning of the flagstick and the rakes, etc. The Tour seems to have done a meticulous job of setting things up for a successful return, but there will always be unforeseen events that will have to be addressed. What happens if we play Colonial, and two caddies and a player test positive, then the next week, three caddies and four players and one official test positive? Is there a contingency for the graph going the wrong way? Hopefully none of that happens, and it’s smooth sailing, but I’m interested in all the hundreds of moving parts of a PGA Tour event and how they’ll come together in this new world. And the no fans is going to be so bizarre. I think it’ll hurt some guys and help others, so that’s something to follow as well.

Sean Zak: John’s right about the meticulousness. I’m impressed with the Tour’s system right now. I hope it works. I’m honestly excited for the elite fields at events that otherwise don’t get Rory, Rahm and Brooks to show up each year.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer: To see competitive golf being played again. Somebody wins, somebody places, somebody misses a cut by a shot who needed it for all the world. 

Josh Sens: Some of the more interesting stories will be unfolding off-camera and behind the scenes, as the Tour sees how its on-paper protocols play out in reality. How will all the moving pieces work? What happens, or doesn’t happen, will be a part of a learning experience that is going to influence the rest of the season, whether we’ll see fans at some point soon-ish or not, and more.

It's certainly an interesting moment to restart....  On a superficial level, we're still observing protocols related to surfaces (think flagsticks and rakes) long after the CDC has backed off the virus being transmitted from surfaces.  It seems pretty clear that the Tour is a bunch of science-deniers...

More fundamentally we've learned that it's OK for crowds to violate social-distancing norms as long as they're espousing the preferred narrative, so the Tour apparently needs to be played for social justice.

As three of the four guys note, it could be interesting to see how the safety protocols affect the notoriously pampered professionals, though that doesn't exactly come across as appointment televisions.  I for one expect the broadcasts to be even more lifeless than normal, and that's no small feat when we're talking about CBS.  I also expect the ratings will be initially strong, though I'm not at all confident that that will last the full four days.

Anyone care about the actual golf?

2. The tourney is loaded, with 16 of the top 20 players in the world. Despite the strength of the field, should we expect rustiness from the guys, given the extended layoff? Or will it be business/birdies as usual from the Tour’s A-listers? 

Wood: Business/birdies as usual from the A-listers. Everyone’s had plenty of time to prepare, and I think you’ll see some phenomenal play. With the abundance of events throughout a calendar year, I don’t think players, maybe in their careers, have had this kind of layoff. They’re going to be EXCITED. They’re going to be HUNGRY. And with the season now feeling more like a sprint than a marathon, their play, good and bad, is going to be magnified. There will be a sense of urgency like we may have never seen before, which will bring some serious excitement. 

Zak: I think there’s potential for some rustiness, but I imagine pros will make the most of their practice rounds even more than in a normal season. I doubt anyone will be going mega-low, but these are the best in the world for a reason. They make it look easy.

Bamberger: I think the players will pick right up where they left off, pretty much.

Sens: Business as usual with their physical games, but no doubt some mental adjustments in going through all the safety checks and playing in an altered atmosphere. No fan energy to feed off. Just the occasional solo golf clap from a camera operator or grounds crew member? It’s going to be odd. It will be interesting to see whose focus stays sharp, and whose gets thrown off by the weirdness of it all.

There's little reason for these guys not to have been honing their games, as it's not like they've been distracted by sponsor obligations and the business aspects of the game.  But it will have a hollowed-out feel to it, and I'm curious to see how Golf Channel deals with that.

Back to those predictions of boffo ratings and the like:

3. Charles Schwab Challenge tournament director Michael Tothe said he expects the TV audience that tunes in to the event will likely be more than three times larger than the usual draw. How much do you expect the Colonial event will resonate beyond core golf fans? 

Wood: Frankly I think that’s why we are coming back before most of the other sports, so I think he’s absolutely right. It’s a great field and a great course, but I feel like if you put on a repeat of Boris Spassky vs Bobby Fischer, colorized it and told people it was live, you’d get some damn good numbers. Like I said, I think the reason golf is coming back before the other sports (other than NASCAR) is specifically to try to grab those football, baseball and basketball fans who haven’t had any competition whatsoever to watch.

Zak: Agree with John here. I think the Tour will enjoy its month of being back before other sports catch-up. I HATE to think this way, but if there was ever a time to get a top 5 showdown at a non-major, now is the time. BK and Rory in Texas? Subscribe.

Bamberger: John Wood rolling strong here, and good to have you back, sir. The only way you’d get better numbers were if Hogan, Tiger and Arnold were paired for the first two rounds.

Sens: Grabbing those other fans isn’t the reason golf is coming back before the others. It’s coming back before some others because it has a better chance of operating safely. But no doubt attracting newbies will be an upside of beating other sports to the punch. To say there’s pent up demand for live televised anything is an understatement.

You guys slay me...  I get that there's pent-up demand, but you actually think that football and/or hoops fans will tune into golf and....stay?  I'm thinking they might tune in, say on the weekend, because they've heard talk that there's sports to watch.  But will it hold them?  Maybe if there's a blizzard... or maybe if there was, hypothetically, a quarantine....  But, alas, that ended with the tragic event in Minneapolis.

Shockingly, the caddies want to go back to work:

Still, their response to the Tour’s planned restart is universal.

“I have not talked to one caddie who isn’t pumped about getting back,” said Paul Tesori, who caddies for Webb Simpson. Adds Brennan Little, who’s on Gary Woodland’s bag:

“Even with the uncertainty, I think there’s a lot of excitement.”

It is an eagerness fueled by a myriad of factors. As Aaron Fleener points out, caddies by their nature are not prone to idleness. “It’s good to get a vacation, but with our work ethics, lying around ain’t our thing,” says Fleener, who teams up with J.T. Poston. “We love what we do, being around the guys, and want to get back to doing it.”

“We are used to a certain lifestyle, being on the road, guys are itching to return,” Tesori says. “There are only so many puzzles you can do, you know?”

A failure to understand this seems to be a requirement to hold elective office or to work for the CDC....  Otherwise, very much a dog-bites-man story.

But given the protective bubble, aren't we being a bit silly?

Most of the caddies don’t bat an eye regarding the risks, be it through travel or at the tournament. But they do acknowledge the uncertainty ahead, and how that will change their responsibilities.

“The Tour is adamant that we adhere to the safety procedures,” Tesori says. “Are we going to be six feet apart every single moment? No, but we’re going to try.” Tesori says he and Simpsons already had a long chat on how to go about their strategy with the restrictions in place. “Reading the greens is going to be a big difference,” Tesori says. “I’m usually a foot away from Webb. But everyone is making changes on the fly.”

“There’s no high-fiving, nothing like that,” Fleener says. “How are we supposed to celebrate, tap feet? And it’s going to be weird when someone wins and there’s no fans around. It’s hard to picture that; it’s an adjustment.”

This hits on one of my bigger frustration with the powers that be.  Obviously we all understand the need to cancel large events that could potentially be super-spreaders.  But more than three months into our two-week lockdown, the powers that be still have not accommodated any gradual extension of our social networks.  The inevitable result of this is that we've simply stopped listening to them....  Of course, we also stopped listening to them because they were wrong about pretty much everything...

In case I didn't make that reaction clear, let me explain further.  The player and caddie both arrive on Monday and are swabbed.  Assuming they're both negative (I believe they get results within hours), why exactly are we worried about high-fives?  Yes, there are some concerns that the Tour has excluded some of those on site from the testing regimen, but larger question remains, as that six-foot perimeter, which always had far less science behind it than was acknowledged, was designed for environments where anyone could be an unwitting carrier.

Christopher Powers is here to jog your memory on the highly-important early portion of the golf season.  Well, highly important to someone, I presume:

Tony Romo shot an under-par round on the PGA Tour

In his previous three Tour starts, Romo missed all three cuts, and his scores looked like

this: 77-82 (Corales Puntacana), 79-80 (Corales Puntacana), 76-74 (AT&T Byron Nelson). When he got his fourth crack at the Safeway Open in September, the skeptics were (understandably) as vocal as ever. How many more chances does this former NFLer get? Romo briefly muted the haters, shooting a two-under 70 in the opening round in Napa. For a tournament where the winner routinely shoots a 72-hole total around 20 under, it was nothing special, but it was also two shots better than Hideki Matsuyama and five better than Phil Mickelson. A second-round 78 caused Romo to fall down the leader board (an even par round and he would have made the cut), but his first under-par round in a PGA Tour event was worthy of praise.

 Yes, I had completely forgotten that, though I'd argue for good cause...  Though, to be fair, that might actually be the single most exciting thing that happened in the early portion of the wraparound season.  More's the pity...

And the obligatory big cat reference:

Tiger didn’t play much

Tiger Woods has never played that much, opting to craft a schedule that prepares him for

the biggest four weeks of the season his entire career. But as he continues to age and his fused back continues to play tricks from time to time, Woods has shown he’s going to play less and less with each passing year. In 2018, he made 18 starts, including all four majors, the Players and four playoff events. In 2019, he played just 12 events, including all four majors, the Players, but only two playoff events. This season Woods competed only three before the pandemic, and he chose to skip the Players.

Chose?  If you're going to mention the guy, the obvious bit of interest is the trend line on his health.  After looking fine at Torrey, something was obviously amiss at Riviera and the Players' WD had the golf world in crisis.  Yet he showed up at Medalist looking fit and flexible.... My takeaway is that golf had better be preparing for a post-Tiger world, because it'll be upon us without warning.

Wither Tiger - Just another effortless segue, as you've come to expect from me.  These guys might be scraping the rust off their games, but your humble blogger remains in peak form.  I know, more's the pity....

This seems to be the only question on everyone's mind:

4. Tiger Woods, after an impressive showing in the Match II, is not in the field. When do you think we’ll see him back, and how much do you suspect he’ll play in the run-up to the major season, which is slated to kick off with the PGA Championship, Aug. 6-9? 

Wood: I don’t think you’ll see Tiger back for a few weeks, even with the extended layoff we’ve just had, but that’s a guess. Just looking at the schedule of the upcoming events and comparing them to what he usually plays, maybe The Rocket Mortgage in Detroit? Then down the line and leading up to the PGA, I could see him playing both events at Muirfield, Workday and The Memorial, seeing that he’s won about 37 events on that course, then the FedEx and the PGA.

Zak: I think Tiger comes back for both events at Muirfield Village. No need to bother with courses he’s never played in competition. Eight (or six) rounds at a top track he knows well is exactly the prep he needs for Harding Park.

Bamberger: I’m guessing his caddie, Joe LaCava, a New Yorker in spirit driving with Connecticut plates, will talk Tiger into playing Hartford, as he talked Tiger into playing the Tampa event in 2018. The Hartford course is way underrated; it’s like a short, traditional, U.S. Open course, with interesting, sensibile greens and a tournament run by people who know golf and the players. 

Sens: The Memorial. A course where he’s feasted many times before. That doesn’t give him a ton of reps before the first major of the year in August. But it gives him enough.

The chances of Tiger playing both events at Muirfield Village is no higher than that of your humble blogger receiving a sponsor's exemption into either of them.  He is simply not in the business of playing much golf, and b-to-b is just a no-go zone.  A reminder, he played consecutive weeks in December, and came up stiff on Saturday at the Prez Cup.

There was news Friday on that second event at Muirfield, which I assume you've heard by now:

Muirfield Village is about to find out if its bunkers are made of quicksand. 

The private golf club in Dublin got the go-ahead Friday to allow a limited number of fans to attend the Memorial Tournament on July 16-19, becoming the first PGA Tour event to be played with spectators since the coronavirus pandemic shut down most American sports, in mid-March. 

A maximum of about 8,000 spectators will be permitted on the 18-hole course at any one time, according to a draft prepared by tournament organizers.

For those interested in the underlying logistics, here's the action plan:

The Memorial’s action plan, which undoubtedly will be massaged once Sullivan sees how the tour handles safety protocols at the five tournaments preceding the Memorial — all to be played without spectators — is impressive in its attention to detail. Its draft includes: 

• Daily attendance reduced by one-half to one-third of normal. The Memorial typically does not release crowd figures, but the 8,000 estimate represents about 20% of maximum capacity. 

• Each hole will include designated sitting or standing corrals, through which a predetermined number of spectators will be permitted. Each corral will be marked with a maximum number of fans and will be monitored. 

• Nonsurgical masks will be required upon entry for all attendees, with exempted exceptions recognized. Temperature readings will be conducted at all entrances and to all those on the property through handheld units and thermal temperature readers. 

• There will be no on-site bleachers. 

• Players will be advised to not interact with fans. 

• All general public shuttle transport will be eliminated. 

• Media will be limited to 25% of typical attendance, and there will be a 50% reduction in CBS and the Golf Channel’s on-site crew.

Don't know about you guys, but wearing a mask for ten minutes while grocery shopping is pretty damn annoying, so the concept of wearing one for hours on end in the heat seems, well, avoidable.

More importantly, how does one get 8,000 people to the golf course without a shuttle system?   As the piece bravely notes (brave, because of the heresy involved), just because it's open to 8,000 spectators per day does not ensure that 8,000 people will actually show.  

One more thing on the fortnight in Dublin, OH, is this sketchy advice about that trial run:

Tricking up new Columbus Workday event would benefit Memorial

Wait, I thought we were all in this together?  But what exactly do they mean by "tricking up"?

But my sense is the tour needs to take things further by cooking up a format for the Workday event — say, some variation of a team event, perhaps grouping players into college rivalries or by state, and also adding tweaks like skins and longest drive or closest to the hole. 

Gimmicky, sure, but this is a one-and-done event at Muirfield Village — a source said it is being used as a “test run” for a tour event sponsored by Workday to be hosted by NBA star Stephen Curry in 2021 in northern California — so forget how cheesy it looks. The goal should be to make it different enough to stand out. 

But how different? That is where things gets tricky. Make Workday too entertaining and the Memorial might come off as comparatively bland, which is why the tour is taking a risk by presenting two events at the same venue on consecutive weeks. 

It is a tightrope walk, so how to make sure the Memorial does not take the fall? Well, for one thing, the more exotic you make the Workday event, the better it makes the\ 

Memorial look in terms of “golf integrity.” That matters to golf purists, which tend to be the core fans.

That runs dangerously close to being interesting, so I assume it'll be a non-starter.  As we approach the restart on Thursday, merely will draw attention and eyeballs,  But a month from now that could be old hat, so it would make some sense to generate interest in this one-off event.  But heaven forfend that they make it too interesting, and diminish the actual Memorial a week later....  The irony, she can burn.

Get Woke, Go Broke - I at least had the courtesy to self-quarantine my rant on the subject, but folks just didn't pay attention to recent events involving ESPN and the NBA, among many others.

Here's the TC panel falling into the same trap as most folks:

5. Harold Varner, one of the few black players on the PGA Tour, released a statement this week calling for unity in the midst of the social unrest following the death of George Floyd in police custody. A day later, Tiger Woods called for education. On Friday, the Tour released a statement from commissioner Jay Monahan entitled “a time to communicate and search for answers,” then published a video with Monahan and Varner labeled “an open and thoughtful conversation.” Many Tour players shared these messages, and on Tuesday, several also participated in the “Blackout Tuesday” campaign on social media, where participants posted just a black background. How would you assess the Tour’s response to the social unrest that has rocked the nation?

When exactly did it become the law that every organization has to have a response to everything that happens on this planet?  I know, I'm a lonely voice of sanity these days...

Wood: I think it’s been appropriate. It’s something that has to be addressed. Morally, it has to be addressed. I’m a huge fan of Harold, and obviously of Tiger, and I’m glad they’re taking a bit of a leadership role in this. We can have ideas and thoughts about what it’s like to simply walk around as an African-American in America, but there is no way we can truly understand unless we close our mouths and open our ears, and even then, we may be able to grasp only a small part of it. And I’m proud that the commissioner talked about communicating and searching for answers, because that’s what we need. We have to listen. Golf hasn’t wrapped itself in glory when it’s come to racial issues throughout its history. Hopefully, this will give it a fresh start. 

Bamberger: American golf has been backward on every aspect of race issues and social equality. The country-club mentality, and I am part of the problem, is go with the flow and which way to the first tee. Golf is a game of social conformity. It shouldn’t be. Golf, the institution and the sport, should be a place where you can stand for something without being ostracized, bring in people without the host or guest getting the evil eye. The Tour should allow the players to wear shorts. In other words, start letting go of some of the meaningless obstacles that makes golf look ridiculous and focus on the meaningful aspects of the game: Golf is a competitive sport in which you start by treating your playing partners and your opponents with respect and fairness. You can go anywhere you like from there, in golf and anywhere else.

Zak: I disagree. It wasn’t enough of a timely response from the Tour. For about four days, when the sports world was catching up with the rest of the world, all the PGA Tour did was press RT on Twitter. The Tour retweeted Varner, Woods, Max Homa and Jon Rahm. That’s great, but it waited until most other branches of the sports world spoke out. It waited until part of the dust had settled to show what side it was on. It waited long enough for people to notice relative silence from the Tour. Now, eventually Commissioner Monahan sat down with Varner for their discussion. I enjoyed hearing that and was happy to see Monahan pushing players and Tour staffers to read, but overall the entire week felt like a non-progressive outreach from the Tour. So I was unimpressed.

Sens: Sean’s right, but it’s also hard to take a more aggressively progressive stance when you don’t have that leg to stand on in the first place. Golf has never been a sport at the leading edge of social change. Quite the opposite. Read Charlie Sifford’s memoir if you need a refresher. The Tour’s response was pretty much the least it could do. It’s in no place to pose as a leader here. But if you’re looking for a positive, at least there was a response, something that hasn’t always happened in the past.

This is so supremely misguided...

First and foremost, sports will only survive to the extent that they position themselves as an oasis from the perpetual culture wars.   If tuning in subjects me to the usual liberal claptrap, then folks will avail themselves of the silent veto.  It's even stupider in golf than in hoops, for instance, because the golf universe quite obviously skews older and more conservative.

But the history that Mike and others espouse of golf's regrettable history of elitism should be its own warning flare, as I'm not quite sure why they assume golf will get it right.  Perhaps because they'll shout down any non-conforming opinions?  Which just makes my first point quite clearly... 

And just one last point... what side does Sean think the Tour is on?  The side that supports reckless homicide against citizens?  The side in favor of looting and Molotov cocktails?  Life is notoriously complicated, but can Sean not see how being against police brutality could be taken as an incitement of violence?  I would argue that the Tour and other should stay out of the fray, there's more than enough incitement to violence and destruction as it is.  Just say no to the culture wars!  Do it for the children....

Dateline: Crail - It's not often that my club makes national news, though you should be forewarned that it's not my home club and it's not my home nation.  Writing in The Scotsman, Martin Dempster has this on a notable changing of the guard:

David Snodgrass to become only second Crail Golfing Society head pro

Fife club extends gratitude to Graeme Lennie who will retire in January after 34 years in post

David Snodgrass will become just the second head professional in Crail Golfing

Society’s 234-year history when he suceeds Graeme Lennie in January.

Snodgrass, 31, is a well-kent face at the Fife club, having worked under Lennie for eight years after completing his PGA training at Hilton Park on the outskirts of Glasgow.

“It is a privilege and honour to follow in the footstep of Graeme Lennie to become only the second head professional at this prestigious club, and I am extremely indebted to Graeme for his assistance and guidance in my now eight years at Crail,” said Snodgrass.

Graeme was one of that generation of elder statesmen to game features so many of, and it seems hard to picture Crail without Graeme's warm welcome.  

On a personal note, David was the first person we told after filing our applications to join as Overseas Members.  It was Graeme's relationship with Gil Hanse that led to the architect's first solo gig:

Lennie is retiring after 34 years, during which time he has helped establish the club as one of Scotland’s favourite golfing destinations. It was also his close friendship with renowned course designer Gil Hanse that led to the American designing Crail’s Craighead Links that opened for play in 1998.

“Graeme will be missed at Crail Golfing Society but, with David as his successor, golf’s seventh oldest club will continue to grow in nurturing, promoting and also enriching all that is good in the ancient club-and-ball game,” said club captain Jim McArthur.

This is a transition that's been planned for a number of years, though it happens in a time of existential peril for golf clubs.  Peril that's magnified by the unfathomable regulatory miasma gripping Scotland these days....  I can only wish them some helpful social unrest, so they can experience firsthand the bait-and-switch of social distancing....

I can also only hope that we'll have an opportunity to visit and support the club sometime soon.

Now, did someone mention Gil Hanse?  Funny, because the bride and I watched a few minutes of the girls from Rio last night, playing on Gil's work product.  Golf.com has a list of Gil's ten favorite golf courses on the planet, and there's nary a surprise to be found:

In fact, I could have done his list and gotten 9-10 of them.  I've only played half of them, so there's still much work to be done...

I'll leave you to get on with your day, and see you further on down the road....

Late Week Laments

For those that have just checked in, below this post you'll find golf-related musings related to the George Floyd death and associated demonstrations and rioting.  This post is intended to be a safe harbor, looking back to a more innocent time...  Yanno, say about ten days ago, when our most pressing concern was that little virus...  You remember, it was in all the papers.

Reboot Blues - We are a mere one week out from the restart, and it sure seems like this is going to happen.  We'll bounce around a bit, but shall we lead with the newest, proud PGA-Tour sponsorship opportunity?

PGA TOUR collaborates with Sanford Health to conduct COVID-19 testing at tournaments 

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that it has engaged Sanford Health to conduct on-site COVID-19 testing of players, caddies and

essential personnel at PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and Korn Ferry Tour tournaments in the continental United States for the remainder of the season.

Starting with next week’s resumption of the PGA TOUR schedule at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, testing will be conducted by lab technicians who will be traveling to tournaments in one of three mobile testing units that Sanford Health is deploying across the country. Each unit, which will be manned by a driver and three technicians, will arrive the Saturday prior to the tournament to begin processing RT PCR tests. The mobile unit will remain on site through Thursday before traveling to the next closest tournament site, regardless of Tour.

I guess that technically they didn't use that S-word, so they're more of a vendor or contractor than sponsor.  Shack, who seems to be the only guy with this news, sorts through some of the issues;

Look, these are not normal times but as uncomforable as it is to read a company agreeing to be the Official COVID-19 On-site Testing Provider Of The PGA Tour, I’m not sure this got enough play: the PGA Tour’s events will have on-site testing and results determined on site. This, instead of adding to local lab burdens, not only provides infinitely more consistency in the Tour’s ambitious screening protocals, but also reduces the uncertainty of what will happen with golf played in so many different cities.

It’s just a shame the screening with Sanford Health testing does not extend to a good number of others on-site at the first four Tour starts beginning next week. But, one step at a time.

It is important that the Tour not be perceived as using resources needed elsewhere, though it does seem that testing is now sufficiently available that this isn't a real problem. 

Just add this to that long list of things you'd thought you'd never see...

Here's another, though it actually makes a good bit of sense.  You'll recall that John Deere has cancelled their early-July event, the one scheduled for the week before The Memorial:

When the PGA Tour announced last week that the John Deere Classic, set to be played July 9-12, had been canceled due to complications with holding the event while

following local COVID-19 restrictions, tour officials said they intended to replace it with another tournament. That new event will be held at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, and sponsored by Workday, sources have told Golf Digest.

Muirfield Village is also home to Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament, which is scheduled to be played July 16-19, the week after the John Deere, meaning the Ohio course will host tournaments in back-to-back weeks. Playing a second tournament at the same venue during the open date will allow the Tour to take advantage of infrastructure already in place and reduce player travel to further maintain a “bubble” as the PGA Tour resumes its season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the Memorial is an invitational and is tentatively slated to have spectators in attendance, the still-to-be-named tournament preceding it will be played as a full-field event with 156 players and will be played without fans, according to sources.

Do we think that guy in the photo will play both?   Just kidding....

The amusing thing is that the Euros are doing the same at Celtic Manor, and you'd be hard-pressed to guess which of those two venues receives more rain... Obviously Wales is the wetter place, you just wouldn't know that from the horrible weather Jack has dealt with over the years.

Lastly, the leadership of the Five Families has been seeding the press with an image of Kumbaya breaking out in our game, everyone getting together on Zoom to sing Image and all... One dissenter from that image is Keith Pelley, who has raised a kerfuffle about the resumption of the Official World Golf Rankings:

In a memo to European Tour members, a copy of which has been obtained by Golf Digest, Pelley outlined his own unhappiness at the result of last week’s meeting of the Official World Golf Rankings Technical Committee and the OWGR Board. While Pelley

agreed with the proposal to use the current frozen rankings as eligibility for the majors and the World Golf Championships later this year, the ability of PGA Tour players to accumulate points weeks before the vast majority of his members was a lot less acceptable. 

“We agreed with the proposal that the ranking should restart alongside the resumption of the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour next week on the understanding that dispensation was made for the European Tour and the Challenge Tour—and indeed many other tours around the world—whose players will be disadvantaged by not being able to play at this time,” Pelley wrote in the memo. “Our proposal to correct this imbalance was either freezing the current average points of all European Tour members unable to play tournament golf until we restart our season or increasing the overall OWGR points available at our tournaments when we do restart.

“Without either of those adjustments, the consequences are negative for the majority of our membership, who will lose points through no fault of their own, when they are unable to play.”

Both proposals, however, were rejected, according to Pelley. And, as a result, he voted against the ranking restart proposal. According to his memo, his was the only dissenting voice.

Of course I love when we see behind the curtain, but I'm having trouble understanding why, if we've frozen the rankings for the WGCs and majors, this matters.

The OWGR folks are also noting that there are offsetting adjustments in the formulas, so who really cares?

Officials from the OWGR attempted to address the matter in a statement released on Wednesday, which noted that elements of the averaging formula used to calculate the ranking will help mitigate the issue of some players competing while others aren’t. And in a call to Golf Digest, Peter Dawson, chairman of the ranking board, elaborated on that initial reaction.

“Both the committee and the board took the view that if so many of the world’s top players are going to be playing in America in the coming weeks, we really had to restart the rankings,” said Dawson, who was the chief executive of the R&A from 1999 to 2015. “To not do so would risk, say, Jon Rahm not being World No. 1 when, if we had started the rankings, he would have reached that peak. Then we had to look at the reality that the tours are not all starting at the same time. What do we do then? Do we wait for the European Tour? And if we do, what about the others, like, say the Asian circuit or the one in Japan?”

I figured Geoff would be excited to hear from one of his faves, Chief Inspector Dawson.... Personally, this seems like a nothingburger to your humble correspondent....

I guess I lied, one more slightly encouraging bit:

A new, albeit temporary, series is in the works from the PGA Tour.

In an email sent to members of its feeder system circuits—the Mackenzie Tour, PGA Tour Latinoamerica and PGA Tour China—the PGA Tour is gauging player interest in an American-based league this summer. The letter, obtained by Golf Digest, outlines a series of six tournaments, each 54 holes with a 36-hole cut, starting in August.

“This idea is very much in the exploratory phase,” tour Tour email says, “but we are trying to assess player interest before further developing a plan, contacting potential venues and trying to secure the appropriate sponsorship monies to help run the events.” The tournaments would likely be based in Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Texas.

The Mackenzie Tour canceled its season last week, while the China and Latin America circuits remain postponed. The series’ ambition is to give players make-up opportunities for those starts lost due to the coronavirus pandemic’s upheaval.

This would seemingly be doable, as these guys are well used to playing without spectators. It would be a great thing for the Tour to do, I just wish it felt like it was a bigger priority for them.

 Ryder Cup Blues - U.S. Captain Steve Stricker goes off-script:

“We’re sure hoping we can play it,” Stricker said on “The Golf Affect,” a weekly Madison-based radio show where he is a regular participant. “So far we’re planning as

it’s a go, that we’re going to have it.” 

He just hopes it doesn’t happen without fans.

“Personally, I would hate for that to happen,” Stricker said. “I mean, this event is made by the fans. To me, if it was without the fans it almost would be a yawner of an event. The passion, I don’t know if it would be there. 

“The fans create all that unbelievable atmosphere that we play in front of. And without the fans, I don’t know. It still would be a nice event, but I think the fans make it everything. And to cheat out the fans of Wisconsin, I think would be a crime. So, I just hope that when we do have it, it can be up to its full potential.”

A yawner?  Are you sure you're allowed to say that?  Just earlier this week I had been reliably assured by Justin Rose that a spectator-free Ryder Cup might be even more intense....  Yeah, it's not like any of us believed that....

Both Strick and Keith Pelley have indicated that the decision will be made in the next couple of weeks. 

As you know, I've been a Ryder Cup skeptic since the virus hit.  I just find the 24-elite player exhibition to be a curious priority in the year without professional golf, and also the one with the easiest remedy of just pushing it back a year.  But truing to save this resulted in that early August date for the PGA Championship, so we'll see how the PGA of America's gamble works out.

USGA Blues - Mike Davis participated in the Forward Press podcast and had some thoughts on the last few months:

“As I look back to mid-March, now, I’m incredibly impressed with how well our organization has actually run and how good the communication is, both internally and externally,” Davis said during a recording of Golfweek‘s Forward Press podcast. 

“Obviously, we’re all disheartened with what has been going on with COVID and how it has affected people. People have lost their lives; people have gotten sick. It’s affected not only the national but the global economy. And then the current civil unrest going on. There’s a lot of things to be upset (about), to be worried and to be out of your element about.” 

In light of those things, golf tournaments might seem like a big priority, but it’s Davis’ job to think about our national championships and the health of the sport. 

Working remotely, he and the USGA have been forced to make some tough decisions, not the least of which was eliminating the qualifying events for this year’s “Big Four” – the U.S Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur. 

“It was agonizing,” Davis said. “Particularly, the final decision to say, ‘We are going to play four championships out of 14 this year, and oh yeah, by the way, they are not going to have qualifying.’ For us, qualifying is the cornerstone of our championships.”

I don't have any problems with their decision-making, at least not major ones.  Unlike the R&A, they've always seemed committed to holding their Open, though perhaps that's only because they bought an inferior insurance policy. 

And, a sper these comments, they seem prepared to hold whatever U.S. Open is possible:

Davis also confirmed Golfweek‘s previous reporting that the USGA considered moving the event to December and holding it at a West Coast venue. He added that the USGA also thought about holding the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open on back-to-back weeks in December at different sites, but Winged Foot is the only course that will host the event in 2020. 

Based on what local and state officials recommend and what health officials say, the USGA will hold one of three U.S. Opens. One with fans, one with a limited number of fans or one with no fans or spectators.

And whichever one it turns out to be, your humble blogger will be watching.

A Seanor Moment -  Writing at Morning Read, Dan Seanor ponder the existential dilemma of why oranges are different than apples:

Something does not compute. In 2016, the world’s top four-ranked golfers at the time – Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth – declined to participate in the Rio Olympics because of concerns about the Zika virus, which killed one person in the U.S. that year. 

All four are scheduled to compete next week at the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 106,000 Americans in six months. That’s puzzling behavior...

I get the sense that Dan is the easily puzzled type, though he gets dangerously close to the reality here:

What changed? Is the health of their families no longer a priority? Do they have that much trust that the Tour can protect them, and everyone affiliated with the tournament, from exposure to a virus that has infected more than 1.8 million Americans and has yet to plateau – indeed, has increased – in some parts of the country? Or was their expressed concern about Zika, as widely suspected, just a convenient smokescreen to hide their lack of enthusiasm for the Olympics?

Yet to plateau, Dan?  I'm guessing that Dan is one of those guys that accused the governors of Florida, Georgia and Texas of running death camps by allowing their residents to resume their lives, but the rest of us are actually watching.

Read the piece for it's endless series of misdirections.  He notes the Euro players seeming greater caution, then sweeps that away by acknowledging that those same Euro players would have to self-quarantine for four weeks if the did come to the states.  Caution, inconvenience, whatevah...

And get this:

Players who live in the United States, of course, won’t have to endure four weeks of quarantine. But that, in effect, contributes to a false sense of security and increases the risk – especially now that the widespread lifting of shelter-in-place orders, as well as large gatherings nationwide, protesting police brutality and societal race-based inequality, have raised fears that cases of coronavirus will spike with a vengeance. Demonstrations of varying sizes have occurred in metropolitan Dallas, including Fort Worth, where the Charles Schwab Challenge is slated to begin June 11; South Carolina Lowcountry communities near Hilton Head, where the RBC Heritage is to begin June 18; Hartford, Conn. (Travelers Championship, June 25 in suburban Cromwell); and Detroit (Rocket Mortgage Classic, July 2). 

The trajectory of reported cases may be flattening in some areas, but it’s on the rise elsewhere (including Texas). As of June 3, more than 1.8 million cases of coronavirus have been reported in the U.S., and more than 106,000 have died. In the Texas counties of Dallas and Tarrant (Fort Worth), more than 16,600 cases have been reported, causing at least 412 deaths.

Are they rioting in the low country?  Maybe, Dan, it's a vote of confidence that Governor Abbott won't allow the lawlessness we've seen in DeBlassioland...  But really, Zika v. Covid wasn't working, so let's throw in the rioting ass well...

These states are reopening on a controlled and successful basis, and Dan will hate them for it, as well as anyone that leaves their home and resumes their lives.  Reminds me of this header from the Babylon Bee:

Florida Ruled To Be In Violation Of Science For Not Having More People Die

It's OK to be worried and also OK to stay at home if you feel vulnerable.  What's not OK is to condemn others to your bleak fate....

Pods and Long Reads -  I myself am not much of a podcast kind of guy, as the attention span is a bit too limited for that.  But here's one that might interest you via Geoff, who remains a great resource when he stays focused on golf.

First, Shack links to the Ru Macdonals Scottish Golf podcast in which he discusses playing the Old Course in reverse.  You can listen (I haven't), or enjoy this video of it:

It's a bit long, but well worth your time.  Those course guides were quite the nice touch....

One of the odd things about the Old Course is that it's one of the few places where missing long is safe....  I think you can probably see from this why that would be.

In terms of long reads, lots from Golf Digest to amuse you.  First, from the Master himself:

How Bob Drum and I Invented Arnold Palmer

The first time any of us ever actually noticed a guy named Arnold Palmer, it was on the

veranda at Augusta around 1957, and we wondered who that vacationing longshoreman was talking to Bob Drum, the writer.

Later, Drum said, “That’s Arnold D. Palmer of Latrobe, Pa., the next great golfer.”

“Yeah, sure,” one of us said. “And I’m the next Steinbeck. But first I got to get some of those maroon pants with the cuffs turned up, and a green shirt, and an orange alpaca, like your pal over there. Arnold who?

There were only two golfers then, we liked to joke: Hogan and Snead. Well, maybe there was a Middlecoff occasionally. Writer are very strict about touring pros having familiar names. Editors make writers take laps and do pushups when Jack Fleck or Orville Moody wins a U.S. Open.

In any case, I was convinced our next hero of the era would be Ken Venturi. Others fancied Gene Littler.

“Venturi, perhaps,” Drum would say. “But there’s no such guy as Littler. He mails in his scores. Arnold D. Palmer of Latrobe, Pa., is the next great chin. He makes 4,567 birdies a day.”

Just go read, but I'll also excerpt this famous scene from Cherry Hills:

He stood up and smiled at Drum.

“You coming?” he said.

Drum said, “I’m tired of watching duck hooks. There’s a guy named Souchak leading the tournament. He’s from Pittsburgh, too.”

“If I drive the first hole, I might shoot 65,” Arnold said.

“Good,” said Drum. “You’ll finish 14th.”

“That would be 280,” Arnold said. “Doesn’t 280 always win the Open?”

I said, “Yeah. When Hogan shoots it.”

Arnold laughed and left.

Well, it so happens that he did drive that first green, diid go on to shoot 65/280 and di win that U.S. Open, but perhaps only because that guy named Hogan rinsed a ball on the 71st hole.

Interestingly, we also have this one about a man my college roommate used to call The Master:

The funniest golf writer who ever lived

Funny golf short stories are as rare as baseball movies that make sense. In the history of the English language, there have been perhaps 40. The good news is they are easy to find because P.G. Wodehouse wrote 35 of them. There have been a number of nonfiction

writers on golf who can be called great, but when it comes to fiction, there is Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, and you search the horizon in vain for his equal.

Wodehouse golf stories still make us laugh after all these years, which should come as no particular surprise, for he is the most popular writer of light fiction ever known. He is read in every language that has a discernible grammar.

Among his more than 300 short stories are a clutch of golf tales, most of which were written in the 1920s. Like a Mozart sonata, each one is a tiny miracle gone in a second, leaving behind a line that lingers sweetly in the memory.

They are really quite droll and enjoyable.

Have a great weekend.