Thursday Threads

My apologies, Dear Reader, for a day off from blogging yesterday, as I attended the Met. Golf Writers meeting at The Woodmere Club.  If it makes you feel better, my golf was sufficiently dreadful that I'm quite certain that I suffered more than you...  Of course dinner at famed Don Pepe's was a different matter...

That'll Leave a Mark - Last week we had good fun with Vijay Singh's decision to skip the Rio Olympics.... Not only is the Veej a spent competitive force, but his famed self-absorption is legendary.  Plus, he couldn't carve out enough time to think of a logical excuse, instead going with the Zika-FedEx points parlay.

But this from an actual professional golfer, one Adam Scott, will sting.  From Adam's statement:

“My decision has been taken as a result of an extremely busy playing schedule around the time of the Olympics and other commitments, both personal and professional,” Scott said today.

“I have informed the Australian team captain (Ian Baker-Finch) and relevant authorities, who are understanding of my position and I wish the Australian Olympic team the very best of luck in Rio.”

Ahhhh, the schedule.... that again.  His fellow Aussies are a bit miffed:

Scott’s decision received a swift response from several Australian athletes, with the most vocal being those who had already represented their country in the Olympics. Dawn Fraser, one of the great female swimmers of the 20th century, took to Facebook to voice her displeasure with Scott’s recent announcement. The a 78-year old Olympic medalist — she is one of only three swimmers in the Games’ history to three-peat in a single event — and self-described “proud Australian” lambasted the golfer for opting out of the 2016 games, insinuating greed drove Scott’s decision to pass on Rio.

“well done Adam great to put your country on hold so that you can fulfill your own schedule how much money do you want in life not showing much for your country
I guess working 3 jobs a week to secure my place as a Olympic swimmer has giver me the strength to say what I feel about sporstmen and women that do this”

 And Johnny Miller isn't much more excited about the prospect it seems:

Miller stressed that “going for your country is bigger than yourself.” 

“Do I want to go all the way down to Rio for the Olympics? No, but yes,” Miller said. “I know it’s important for golf, and my job is to build up the tournament, to build up the players when they deserve it and to build up the growth of the game. So I have a big responsibility that week to make people who wouldn’t normally watch golf say, ‘Dang, this is a pretty cool sport.’ ”

Everyone will have their own opinion, but neither of those personages has to play the schedule as laid out.  But Johnny seems to think that non-golf viewers will tune in, to which one van only shake one's head in wonder.  When there's no other sports on TV we find that most of the world prefers The Real Housewives of Medicine Hat...  As I always note, the viewer can watch Usain Bolt, or he can struggle to find The Golf Channel on his cable system and check out that cool game....

Shack explains why this is a blow (though not a fatal one):

- As a global golfer who represents very international brands in Rolex, Titleist and Uniqlo, Scott appreciates his place as an international ambassador. He didn't take this decision lightly.

- The Rio Olympic course is by an architect he likes who channeled sandbelt aesthetics and principles. So the golf course was not an issue. 

- He was a lock to make Rio and could easily plan for the inconvenience, yet still chose to pass. At least, unlike Vijay, he didn't mention a desire to win some FedExCup points. 

- This may be Scott's best chance at a medal. Four years from now he will be pushing forty and less likely to have his game as sound as it is now.  

- Coupled with any more high profile passes on Rio, there is a danger of momentum building toward a negative sensibility come early August.

OK, that first one strikes me as a variant of the stock N.Y. Times parody headline, in this case it would be along the lines of Golf Dies, Women and Uniqlo Hardest Hit.

Though all of those commenting seem to be making a concerted effort to avoid the elephant in the corner, that Olympic golf will not have a meaningful effect on a golfer's career.  The best parallel would seem to be Olympic tennis, and can anyone name a gold-medal winner there?

Shack lays the blame at the feet of the PGA:

All of this goes back to the PGA of America committing to Baltusrol very early for 2016 to tie into the anniversary of their founding, along with the leadership of golf finding no major scheduling solutions to alleviate this summer's logjam without sacrificing money or a spot on the network schedule. Dropping the utterly droppable WGC in Akron for a year would have been a nice gesture, though even that might not have changed the thinking of someone like Adam Scott. 

But if more players drop out and the schedule turns out to be the reason, the decision to work the PGA Championship around the fall football schedule will have major implications for Olympic golf.

In a sense that's true, because the Olympics are in August and that's Glory's Last Chance This is Major territory.   But the most logical solution would have been to move the PGA to after Labor Day, and there you run into Commissioner Ratched's FedEx monstrosity as well as its own Ryder Cup.

We don't know what went on behind the scenes, but I can easily imagine the Commish's indifference to pleas from the PGA to cooperate in revising the calendar....But we're left with governing bodies that tell us that the future of our game is inextricably linked to participation in the Olympics, and yet:

1. They're incapable of negotiating a format with the IOC that might actually interest viewers;
2. They can't adjust they're schedules to make the summer manageable.

Now I haven't heard any rumblings of further defections, as the players are under tremendous PR pressure to show up.  But they better hope that they get lucky in terms of competitive tourneys with worthy winners, or 2020 might be a harder sell.

Strange Bedfellows - Has your Golf Digest arrived yet?  Mine hasn't so I'll not comment on the content, but you can imagine the reaction this will draw:

For those that have been in abubble the last few years, that's Instagram hottie Paige Spirinac, a woman who is famous mostly for being famous.  Or for being hot?  Same difference...

Now, for a woman of limited golfing ability (as compared to the best in the world, that is), Paige has utilized social media to carve out a meaningful presence and perhaps even a career.  On the other hand, does that make her a Futurist?  You could write the reactions:

The choice didn’t go unnoticed by LPGA pros teeing it up at the Swinging Skirts Classic. Spiranac, the former college player who has become an Internet sensation with her provocative social media videos and photos, wasn’t among the top 300 players in the NCAA rankings when she played at San Diego State. She sparked some controversy in December when she received a sponsor’s exemption to play the Ladies European Tour’s Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and then missed the cut shooting 77-79.

With Spiranac the featured model in Golf Digest’s package on “Futurists,” the “innovators and influencers changing the game,” LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster noticed who wasn’t on the cover. 

“You look at what Lydia Ko’s doing, and why isn’t she on the cover?” Inkster said. 

Ko has yet to be featured on a Golf Digest cover.

Yeah, they've done precious few covers of the ladies, and when they do the focus is on... well, let's just say that they tend to follow a certain pattern.  This, for instance:

I'm sure it's just a coincidence.... But this was my favorite reaction, from the great Twitterer NoLayingUp:

Employee No. 2 remains convinced that the guy on the left had reduction surgery....

Short Takes - No, Next Question - Should golf take a stand against North Carolina's controversial bathroom bill?

I Think You Spelled "Silly Incorrectly - Bryson DeChambeau is holding off on wearing knickers because he doesn't want to look "arrogant"

Didn't He Get the Memo That We've Moved On? - Report: Tiger Woods logging 4-5 hours of practice daily at Medalist

I'm Hoping There's No Coke Involved - Dustin Johnson on His Near Miss at the Masters, His Plan for the U.S. Open, and How He Stays So Trim

Ahhhh...Good Times - 

Tuesday Trifles

It's primary day here in the Empire State, so what could go wrong?  I know, that's why I stick to the golf beat...

Masters Hangover - Not his, of course, but if you're so inclined you can watch Shack and Gray Williams discuss our kind's inability to move on here.  I've gotten past it, so I hope young Jordan has as well....

I wanted to share these infrared Sports Illustrated photos of Augusta National, which are quite cool:

The 11th green and scoreboard.

Jimmy Walker teeing off on the 7th.

I did enjoy this James Corrigan item on Danny Willet's half-coach Mike Walker, who almost missed it all.  He apparently missed the memo that the Masters doesn't begin until the back nine on Sunday:

“I actually went to bed at 9.30pm when Jordan birdied nine to go five clear, thinking that

was it,” Walker said. “But then an hour later my phone went mad. I turned on the TV and Spieth was just finishing off his [quadruple bogey] seven on the 12th. Danny was leading and I was like ‘wow’.”

What followed next is already enshrined in golfing folklore. “I had to have a few beers and then Liz [Walker’s wife] cracked open the Prosecco. Even after all that, I couldn’t get to sleep. So much stuff was going through my head. I didn’t hear the alarm. I spoke to Dan about 9am UK time, which was 4am over there and he was still going strong. We were both in a state of shock.”

We'll cut him some slack, as he delayed his honeymoon to help prepare Danny for Augusta...Interesting stuff about how Pete Cowan and he work together.

In another Corrigan piece, James takes stock of the strong state of English golf, including high finished from Lee Westwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick and others.....  This was moderately amusing:

Guess what Danny Willett, the Masters winner from Sheffield, is going to serve up at next year’s Champions Dinner? Roast Spieth and Yorkshire pudding.

But this was rather, how shall I put it, creepy:

And so he was soon on his way back to his wife, Nicole, and two-week-old baby, Zachariah, in Rotherham, where he has gone to ground for a period of nappy changing and reflection.

Rotherham?   Of all the gin joints.... I don'y know what to make of that, so we'll just move on as quickly as possible.... But this, you'll agree, is the soft bigotry of low expectations:

“It is time England paused to think as well and realise that golf is its most successful sport. Indeed, with Rory McIlroy having won four majors, Jamie Donaldson hitting Europe’s winning putt in the last Ryder Cup and with Russell Knox winning Scotland its first WGC title last year, golf is the United Kingdom’s most successful sport.”

And what would be Number 2?  But we leave no nit unpicked, so to support the case that England is ascendant in the game of golf, we cite the accomplishments of an Ulsterman, a Welshman and a Scot.  Well played, James!

Lastly, this is not only wishful thinking, but wouldn't turn out like folks think:

When I was chasing Ernie Els and Bryson DeChambeau and Spieth last week, I was struck by a thought: Wouldn't it be great if Augusta National offered, in the spirit of progress, to host a Solheim Cup there? At a time when the game of golf needs to find ways to grow, and especially increase female participation in the sport, can you imagine how much fun it would be to watch Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen duel on the back nine, with Sunday roars echoing off the Georgia pines?

No only do they err in thinking that the crowds and energy would be the same, but they fail to understand that the ladies' inferior games would be exposed by the comparison.  Exhibit A is the play at the ladies' Ocala, FL event, specifically it's copy of ANGC's 13th hole.  The excitement that comes from the men flirting with disaster in going for the green in two on the Par-5's would be missing, and the results would be quite boring.

What emerges is more a wish for the Lords of Augusta to expiate their sins, and I've long found that trying to satisfy the SJW's of the world is not a fruitful undertaking....  Augusta makes a contribution through the DC&P as well as its support of amateur competitions, but that'll never be enough, Willet?

Forward Press -  Shack tries to work up some energy for this week's golf schedule, but when the high point is a sinkhole.....well, it's really quite a big sinkhole:

And there's this:

Johnny Morris has resurrected the Legends of Golf, which started the Senior Tour. Now it’s the Bass Pro Legends on the PGA Champions (Tour) and the 54-hole event takes place over the resort’s 9-hole par-3 course and its 18-hole Buffalo Ridge Springs Course. 

Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Hale Irwin, Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw and more will be there as will the Top Of The Rock par-3 course, which was hit with a giant sinkhole last May.

It was good fun a few years ago when they played the short course in high winds.... But otherwise... Of course he does provide some of the video highlights of the Valero Texas Open.....  I know what you're thinking, but Kevin Na making a 16 is three hours of your life you won't get back:

And the head coming off Phil's club?  Good times...

Given that, how is this not a major?

But the high point is no doubt the worst-named tournament in professional golf, The Swinging Skirts...  Lydia is double-defending champ, but the real star is the venue, Lake Merced:

Short Takes - Headlines we didn't get to the end of:  Austin shoots 64, beats Short in playoff to win Mitsubishi  Hard to understand why, per Kenny Perry, no one watches that Tour.

Did You Happen to see "The Natural Shoot 80 at Augusta? - The Natural - How a Sunday at The Players Championship made Rickie Fowler the player he was destined to be.

That It's Better To Look Away? - What you can learn from Els' six-putt. A serious piece on his improved putting at Harbour Town can be found here.  The Yips don't show up every day, but once you have them, you have them...

Who To Believe? - Him?

When I first arrived on the scene in Aberdeen, the people of Scotland were testing me to see just how serious I was – just like the citizens in the United States have done about my race for the White House. 

I had to win them over – I had to convince them that I meant business and that I had their best interests in mind. 

Well, Scotland has already been won – and so will the United States.

None of this has been fast or easy in either venue. 

I had reviewed sites in Europe for over five years and had considered 100 possibilities before seeing the links land at Menie Estate.

Or them?

Of course, any mention of Trump's arrival in Scotland is merely a thinly-veiled pretext to run one of our evergreen photos:

Alert the Media, Scotland has been won!

Weekend Wrap

Hope your weekend was as good as we experienced in the NYC area, as Spring finally put in an appearance, as did your humble blogger's short game.

Hilton Head Happenings -  The headline is one you'll think has to be a few years old:

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) Branden Grace has had his share of big moments.

He believes winning the RBC Heritage is his biggest, by far. 

The 27-year-old South African had won 10 times overseas, finished in the top five last year in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and went 5-0 for the International team at the Presidents Cup. On Sunday, he shot a 5-under 66 to overtake Luke Donald for his first title on the PGA Tour.

''This really puts the cherry on top of the cake,'' Grace said. ''And I'm excited for things to start.''

That's a two-stroke penalty for mixing metaphors, though perhaps they really do put cherries on top of cake in South Africa.... barbarians and all.  But with all of Grace's high finishes over the years, it's hard to imagine this is his first title in the U.S.  But he's now one-up on Monty, so he's got that gong for him.

Gary Van Sickle seems to hold this event in a similar high regard, despite having caught a truly frightening scene:

It was Plaid Nation Day at the RBC Heritage, so fans were urged to wear the red plaid pattern that traditionally covers the champion’s jacket. I wore a grape-colored shirt today, sorry about that, and declined to don the free sunglasses the tourney offered with the red-plaid frames. What can I say? I’m a rebel. Live free or die. Don’t fence me in… at least not without cookies. 

Anyway, a bunch of fans, mostly younger guys in their 20s mixed with one or two older gents, were in team uniforms ahead of the second tee. They all wore the same ghastly Hawaiian sunset shirts that were a mess of pink, yellow, a sick-looking color that has no name, and black. I counted at least ten members in the group, and I might have missed one or two. They wore assorted red plaid hats, some in that Justin Timberlake-Frank Sinatra style, some in Hogan caps. They resembled the least fearsome gang ever but did look like a party waiting to happen. 

One plaidster stood out. Him. Well, Him sported a couple days’ beard growth on Him’s face, carried a Michelob Ultra can that He was busy draining, had the plaid hat, wore floppy sandals with no socks and… flaunted a red plaid mini-skirt. (No, it was not a kilt. I know the difference.) 

This is more than you want to know but He had not shaved His legs. Plus, the skirt was pretty short considering the unpredictable wind gusts. I made a note to root for calm conditions.

 That's where Van Cynical and I part paths, I think it's a good event despite that harrowing image...  And my use of the word "good" is deliberate, as not only is this event not "great", but it's deliberately not so.   The week after Augusta can't sustain great, the the down home low country vibe of the event is integral to its sustainability.

Tears were shed for the 54-hole leader Luke Donald, who's made a pretty good career out of being passed while doing 45 mph in the left lane with a turn signal flashing:

Grace also became the latest to rally past hard-luck leader Donald at Harbour Town Golf Links. The Englishman has finished second four times and third twice in the past eight events here. 

Brandt Snedeker shot a final-round 64 to catch Donald and win in a playoff in 2011. Matt Kuchar shot a 64 in 2014, overtaking Donald for the win with a chip-in from the bunker on the 72nd hole.

Maybe it's the Northwestern colors holding him back?  For reasons that elude me, the Tour Confidential Ringmaster thought this the most burning issue of the week, asking whether Luke should be encouraged by his performance.  A sample response:

Michael Bamberger: For sure, encouraged. Golf at that level is all about knocking on the door. You knock and you knock and a certain percentage of the time it opens. Tiger made you think that's not how golf works but he was an outlier in every way. If Luke is as smart as I think he is, he'll be certain to play Colonial--good course for him.

Let's see.... Luke has been in the golf equivalent of a North Korean labor camp for the last few years, so a T2 has to be a welcome result.  But our hero still suffers from what has become known as Luke Donald disease.  One of the shorter hitters on Tour, he's also one of the crookedest drivers of the golf ball on tour...  You can make do with long and wrong or short and straight, bu while short and wrong doesn't rhyme, it does sing.  Only it's a dirge...

Exhibit A was his three-wood snapper into the hazard on No. 8 yesterday, the ProTracer graphic of which was cruel and unusual punishment.  Luke has some pretty impressive short-game chops, but as Mike notes above, there's a limited number of golf courses on which he can keep up with the big boys.  Still, if Captain Clarke has to choose between Luke and Poulter for a Ryder Cup spot, I'd suggest the lad in purple...

Much ink is being spilled on the pro debut of Bryson DeChambeau, which seems a bit of a technicality at this point:

I have to admit I didn't believe the hype. When folks talked about Bryson DeChambeau potentially winning the Masters last week, I laughed at the idea that an amateur could be competitive there. And then he was -- more than competitive. DeChambeau finished T21, won low amateur and made his pro debut this week at the RBC Heritage. 

All he did there was finish T4, four back of winner Branden Grace.

OK, I love the kid as much as the next guy, but he's been playing professional events seemingly every week since he won that U.S. Am, the only difference is that this week he can endorse the check.  He's proven that he's good enough to belong out there, now it's time to grab a bowl of popcorn and see how he progresses.

The significance of the high performance comes down to this:

One week after taking low amateur honors at the Masters, DeChambeau earned a check for $259,600 along with 123 FedEx Cup points. Both will go a long way toward securing his status for the rest of the season and beyond, as DeChambeau needs to accrue at least 361 FedEx Cup points to earn special temporary membership that would bring with it unlimited sponsor invites this season. 

To earn a full card for next season, he'll need to equal the points or earnings of No. 125 on the season-long standings, which last season meant a cutoff of 458 points or $747,899 in earnings. 

DeChambeau still has six sponsor invites at his disposal. He was already planning to play next week's Valero Texas Open, but now he will be able to save a sponsor invite because his top-10 finish this week earns him a spot at TPC San Antonio. 

Otherwise Commissioner Ratched will bury him for a year on the Web.com Tour...  because he can.

Here's a couple of Confidentialista takes on the young man:

Godich: It's one thing to be eccentric. It's an entirely different thing to back it up with your sticks, whatever length they may be. I'm intrigued. A 21st-place finish (at the Masters) and a T-4 on two entirely different tracks tells me that Mr. DeChambeau has the game to compete at the highest level. 

Bamberger: I wouldn't even call him eccentric, Mark. I just think he's thinking for himself. That's what made this country great!

Boy am I confused, because I thought we were trying to  make America great.....you know, again.  But Bryson seems to have a way with the youngsters:

And how about a little love for Ernie Els.... not only did he post a very respectable T-14 in the event, but according to the talking heads he was in the top five in Strokes Gained-Putting for the week.  Not sure why that last bit is remarkable, have we seen Ernie have any issues with the flat blade recently?

Short Takes - Meet your Euro Tour winner of the week:

Andrew "Beef" Johnston just wants to "get hammered" after 1st win, is your new favorite golfer

Don't make me choose between Lumpy and Beef, please.

I suppose this is an accomplishment of a kind:

Since it's the French team, the reader is encouraged to insert a Maginot Line joke of his or her own.

Custom Stamping for $100 Alex - 

Jerry Kelly's customized wedge is money. Literally.

I'm not sure that literal is exactly the right term here, but Jerry Kelly seems like an affable soul with whom one would enjoy an adult beverage, so kudos for this:

And when play slows down, he can amuse himself with a quick hand of liar's poker.

Lastly, a couple of further thoughts from the Tour Confidential gang.  First, as relates to Veej's Olympic dis:

Shipnuck: What, can deer antler spray allow a dude to get knocked up? From all that I've read, the Zika isn't a concern for healthy (non-pregnant) adults. As for scheduling concerns, that's a joke. Is he afraid of missing some B-list Senior event? At his age he should be thrilled to have one last shot at the Olympics. I'm guessing this is more about Singh's tortured relationship with his homeland than anything else. I think Olympic golf is gonna be a home run and personally can't wait to get down there. Once the various other golfers are in Rio surrounded by all the Olympic pageantry they'll get the fever, too ... and I'm not talking about Zika.

Seems as though Vijay has no shortage of "tortured relationships" in his life, though this one isn't helped by the fact that he allowed the Fijian Prime Minister to announce that he would be playing under the Fijian flag.  Oops!

And, as relates to the Dawie van der Walt - Mike Weir cage match, there was this:

Passov: Continuing a tradition I began a month or so ago, I have to agree completely with Alan's assessment here. If I'm a tournament sponsor, I'm going to give Mike Weir some love: major winner, multiple wins on tour, brings the Canadian crowds.

I'd feel a lot better if I thought Joe was kidding.... but the other guys seem to get it:

Godich: Plenty of blame to go around. The sponsor knew what it was getting into by inviting a guy who hadn't played on a weekend in 20+ events. Who cares what van der Walt thinks? And if a sponsor is going to be kind enough to grant you one of its prized exemptions, Weir owes it to said sponsor to play 36 holes, even if he's a little nicked up or on his way to shooting 100. 

Bamberger: Oh, please. Move on, Mike Weir. Yes, you're entitled. But play the 36 or don't go to the first tee at all.

Mike Weir morphed into John Daly so quickly I didn't notice... 

Late-Week Lamentations

The weather is finally cooperating, so let's get this over with so we can send you to the great outdoors....

These Guys Are Good - To the untrained eye, Jordan Spieth's bit of bother at the twelfth hole Sunday might have looked like the inevitable result of using tools ill-suited to the purpose.  But for those of a more conspiratorial bent, it had all the makings of a classic Wall Street pump and dump:

Shares of sports apparel maker Under Armour dropped nearly 6 percent on Monday, one day after defending champion Jordan Spieth lost the Masters golf tournament in a shocking meltdown. 

Spieth last year signed a 10-year agreement to wear the No. 2 U.S. sportswear maker's golf shoes and other clothes, and his collapse in Sunday's final round appeared to be partly behind the drop in the company's shares.

Hmmmm...he gave up six shots in three holes and the next day the stock plummets 6%....  Coincidence?  I think not....

Now for those of you that didn't hear anything from the grassy knoll, no need to have your hearing checked....

One might be forgiven for associating the swoon in Under Armour's stock price Monday with golfer Jordan Spieth's epic collapse Sunday at the Masters, but they're not really related. 

While Under Armour's fortunes are tied somewhat to the world No. 1 golfer, who debuted a new line of golf shoes from the Baltimore sports apparel and shoe brand this spring, other news sent the company's stock down more than 5 percent. 

Morgan Stanley analyst Jay Sole, who follows Under Armour, reportedly issued a downbeat report this weekend that said he is worried about weakening demand for women's apparel and running shoes and affirmed his "underweight" rating on the company's stock. 

He called Under Armour's growth in running shoes "unsustainable" and, coupled with slowing sales to women, will result in an earnings miss in the near future.

 It's not really as much fun if you're going to bring logic into it....

Golf In The Middle Kingdom - It turns out that golf isn't necessarily corrupting, which no doubt comes as a relief.  And there's no greater expert on corruption than the Chinese Communist Party:

Banned by Mao Zedong – who despised the “sport for millionaires” – golf enjoyed a renaissance during the 80s and 90s only to be outlawed for the party’s 85 million members in 2015 as a result of president Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive. 

Articles in the party-controlled media have painted China’s golf courses as cauldrons of profiteering where the palms of rotten officials are greased by favour-seeking business people.

Cauldrons of profiteering?  I assume they're speaking of Colin King's dubious handicap, but otherwise that seems just a tad overwrought.  But you can all breathe easier with this edict:

“Can officials play golf while the nation steps up efforts to clamp down on corruption and promote austerity?” the China Daily asked. “The answer is yes - if they pay out of their own pockets.” 

“Playing golf itself is not a wrongdoing,” the newspaper confirmed.

 Got it: Golf is not a crime... though, the way some people play it certainly is...

And if golf isn't a crime, then this must be a great misunderstanding.

#hangitupmike - These crazy kids with their hashtags and such.  But the best part of this story is that it allows me to introduce you to my newest favorite-named golfer, South African Dawie Van der Walt.  Dawie was second alternate to get into this week's Harbour Town event, and committed an unnecessarily personal social media faux pas:

"Gota (sic) love a guy who gets an invite into a Tour event and then WD after the first round," van der Walt wrote, closing his tweet with the hashtag, "#hangitupmike."

Mike is former Masters champion and seemingly nice guy Mike Weir, and Dawie is officially off the Weir's Christmas card list.  And while I can't endorse the way he expressed himself, the frustration is quite understandable:

Weir, 45, did not disclose any injury upon withdrawing. He is playing this season on a

major medical extension, but remains mired in a lengthy slump. Weir has either withdrawn or missed the cut in each of his last 24 worldwide starts, and he hasn't played the weekend since a T-21 finish at the no-cut CIMB Classic in October 2014. 

Weir has not broken par in any of his 12 competitive rounds this year, and he hasn't been in red figures since a second-round 70 at last year's AT&T Byron Nelson Classic.

I don't know what the answer is, but the first step is admitting you have a problem.  Sponsors pony up the big bucks and deserve the right to use their exemptions as they see fit, but Weir doesn't come off too well in this.  

Ultimately the underlying problem is that there are too few playing opportunities, and in requiring a year of indentured servitude on the web.com tour and then not delivering the stipulated tee times, the tour is running a Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme.  

But given this reality, it would sure be nice if the sponsors could be a little more judicious in their allocation of exemptions.

Short Takes - A little cheese with that whine, sir?  Watch Camilo Villegas get a ruling that he was NOT happy about

I'm Gonna Go With, Because He's John Daly - John Daly picked Danny Willett to win the Masters. Why didn't we listen to him?!

Thanks, I'm Good - You can buy your very own set of Bubba Watson emojis (Yes, really)

Like Last Year? - How the U.S. Open's TV coverage will crush what we saw at the Masters

Well, He Unexpectedly Had Last Weekend Free - Rickie Fowler attached a golf ball to the gear shifter of his first car

Reader's Trip Report - Streamsong Resort

Your humble blogger is often accused of being a Shack wannabee, to which I plead guilty with an explanation.  But today we have a special treat for you, one that allows me to mimic my second favorite practitioner of the trade, David Owen.  He often is the beneficiary of reader trip reports, and who doesn't respect the logic of allowing others to perform one's own tasks.  David has raised this art to a higher level than I could dream of, since he also presumably gets paid for the effort.

Reader Mark W. is a former work colleague, but remains a first-tier golf buddy and a loyal reader of this here blog.... that latter bit likely the result of his retirement in which there are far too many hours to fill.  In March Mark traveled to the Streamsong Resort in Nowhere, FL for the Canada-US Friendship matches, as tenuous and excuse for heavy drinking as you'll likely find.  At my suggestion Mark was kind enough to file to report below on his experience, so without further ado, lets hear his thoughts on the place:

Not sure of the appeal of such a place in March....

A group of 24 players traveled to Streamsong Resort earlier this month for three days of friendly competition. Most of us had not played there before, so it was a new golfing adventure that we were looking forward to savor. Savor, because the two courses, Blue – Tom Doak and Red – Coore/Crenshaw had received great notoriety from the golfing press. They are considered the two top courses (public) in Florida by Golf Magazine, Golf Week and Golf Digest.

Streamsong is in Fort Meade, FL, about 60 miles East of Tampa. In the middle of nowhere. I won’t bore you with a rehash of the history of the mining company developer, Suffice it to say, they have a lot money, so the whole project is first class. The hotel is a modern rectangular structure that reminded me of that hotel in the Peruvian desert in the James Bond – Quantum of Solace movie. On arrival, mid-day, we checked in and were shuttled to the clubhouse, a good mile away from the hotel (an important fact while trying to herd 24 golfers from one place to another!)

The site is a former phosphate mine, the reclamation of which created dramatic dunes used to great effect by the architects.  And if you give these talented architects good land, you're going to enjoy the results.  Back to Mark as he tees off on the Blue:

I will give you the ball beater’s perspective of the courses. I think I can play like Jordan 

The 7th hole on the Blue Course.

or Tiger, but a man has to know his limitations and I know mine – 15 handicap. Our first round was on the Blue and one walks up to the top of a rather high dune-ish tee box with a marvelous view of many of the holes of the Blue and Red courses. You can’t believe you are in Florida with all the elevation changes, high dunes with wispy dune grasses covering them. The fairways are so wide that one might believe that you cannot miss them. I proved them wrong, but I think that is the genius of the design. You really shouldn’t miss the fairway, but water and waste areas abound, magnets to my stash of Titleist NXT Tour S's. Let me just say that I started with a birdie on No. 1 and thought, "This is going to be great. I’ve got this thing nailed. Early ripe, early rot."

The greens were very big with fairly severe undulations; in some, I’m convinced they buried the proverbial elephants. We played the Silver tees (6,300 yds.) which was fine for me, but two of my playing partners (really good golfers) were hitting some of the par 4s in one. Not that it helped, because they either had very long putts or diabolical slopes and grain to navigate. My partner shot 73 (1-over) that should have been a 65 if he had made a few putts or had stopped listening to his caddy who was giving him grossly incorrect lines. I thought the kid was dyslexic. Speaking of caddies, these are walking courses, so caddies or tote your own.

I liked the Blue because even playing poorly. One can enjoy the design of the course, make some pars and rare, but occasional, birdies. The par 3s are really impressive. Some very short ones 115 yds., but with a tricky green or majestic vista from an elevated tee box over a lake, with the requisite alligator, to a green that had so many potential pin positions that you needed to be on the right plateau to two putt. On the back, the 10th was adequate, but made interesting because you had just finished the pulled BBQ pork taco or some chipotle thing that was going to power you on the back nine. The last par three, a stout 205 from the Silver tees. I asked the caddy if this was another short driveable par 4. He handed me my driver and said: Jump all over this! Great finishing holes too: 17 is a long par 5 with giant bunkers at the 300-yard mark. I laid up short of these bunkers in 2 and laced a 3 wood onto the green for a 2 putt par. Very satisfying. 

The 18th on Blue with the clubhouse in the background.

The 18th is a strong, 439-yard par-4, up over a hill and then down to a very well defended green which was difficult to read. My 2 handicap partner used a 3 wood to protect against going into the two giant dunes in his landing area (I had no such concerns). Our opponent hit a beautiful drive that avoided the dunes, hit the down slope past the landing area and had a 9 iron in. You would think that his would be the easy par, having landed within 25 feet of the hole. You would be wrong. He had to hole a 4-foot knee-knocker with a break and grain that was impossible to read. I am happy to report that I did not infect my 2 handicap partner with what ailed me. He shot 65 on the Red course the last day.

Mark has touched on the underlying premise of the work of the best of today's architects, which is to provide wide corridors of play off the tee, but to provide increasing challenges for the player the closer he comes to the green.  And while that fairway might be wider than necessary, it typically matters where on it your ball comes to rest, with the correct line offer the best angle of attack to the green.

The Par-3's sound intriguing, and Mark has perfectly captured the essence of a C.B. Macdonald "short" hole, such as the 16th at Sleepy Hollow.  Typically only requiring a short iron or wedge and often played downhill, such holes often feature greens seemingly too large for the length of the hole.  But these greens inevitably feature smaller "greens" within, making it easy to hit the big green but quite challenging to land one's ball on the correct level necessary for a good shot at the bird.

Shall we move on and see how Mark liked the Red?

The Red Course – Coore/Crenshaw, is the better of the courses. It has the similar high dunes dotting the course, but they are less intrusive. There was a bit more water which 

The 16th hole on the Red.

gave it a little more visual diversity from its sister course. The Silver tees were only 6,100 yards, but it was a damn sight more difficult than the Blue. A great mix of long par-4's – Nos.1, 12 and 15 measuring a stout 447, 450 and 430 yards, respectively. But also some very good short par in the 250-347-yard range.

The par 3s may be short, but they are some of the best I have played. No. 8 is 111 yards on the card, which we played at 98 yards. Simple, no? The pin was within 8 feet of this dastardly pot bunker in the middle of the green (a la Riviera). So no easy 3. Yours truly found the water to the left of the green. Need to work on that snap hook. 

Despite my ineptitude, it was still great fun to play the Red. I would play that one again in a heartbeat. The greens are far less dipsy doodle than the Blue, resulting in a more enjoyable round. I can putt with a broom so the Blue was not a problem for me, but for the average ball beater, the Red’s greens were far more playable. Again, beautiful vistas of the Blue and up in the distance the work on the Black, the new Gil Hanse design being built that opens in 2017.

I'm not sure why Mark thinks he has to work on the snapper, as it appears to be a reliable, "go-to" shot.  Mark's comments on the dunes I find interesting, because there's a Goldilocks issue involved.  Large dunes are visually spectacular, but can impede the logical routing of a course.  

One of the more interesting aspects of the creation of these courses is that the Doak and Coore-Crenshaw teams were hired simultaneously and tasked with the job of allocating the land between them.  I've not heard of that being done previously, but seems to have accomplished the intended result here.

Mark plays out of Baltusrol and is also an R&A member, and has played virtually everywhere.  To put it another way, he knows what of he speaks.

Mark adds a few thoughts about the resort:

The hotel is very modern. Well-appointed rooms. High quality resort. While there were

several guests staying there, it didn’t feel crowded or busy. Our group had a room reserved for us for all our meals at the Clubhouse, so it was showers at the hotel and jitney back to the clubhouse. Food was excellent as were the adult beverages. Our group did itself proud in that category.

As for that last bit, horses for courses and all....

I was told that there were plans for 2 more courses and another 500 + room hotel. That certainly would make it a fantastic golfing destination, certainly for East Coast golfers. It is more travel accessible than Bandon Dunes. Bring $$! Not a cheap outing. But for the average chopper such as yours truly, worth the trip or in Guide Michelin parlance – 3 stars (Merite le voyage).

Now he's just showing off for us, though he did spend a number of years living in France.  Many thanks to my deal friend for making the time and effort to share his thoughts.  Where to next, Mark? 

Midweek Musings

There's a still a bit of Masters detritus, but we'll shown some signs of moving on today....

All Things DeChambeau - The reviews are somewhat mixed, as a certain subset of the population finds him a tad arrogant.  To which I can only ask, only a tad?

The Golf Digest equipment geeks capture the endorsement details here:

In a move easily divined by several of his equipment choices in recent weeks, Cobra

Puma Golf announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to an endorsement contract with standout amateur and first-week professional Bryson DeChambeau.

In the last few weeks, DeChambeau, the current NCAA and U.S. Amateur champion and the low amateur at last week’s Masters, had put in play both a Cobra driver and a custom-made Cobra set of irons, the latter tailored to the single-length theory he espouses. DeChambeau has been playing a Cobra King F6+ driver set to 7 degrees of loft and configured to his unique specifications. While the King F6+ features an 18-gram weight that slides to five different positions from front to back in the sole, DeChambeau’s version has removed the weight entirely to get to his preferred swingweight of B-9. He also will play a Cobra King F6 fairway wood (14.2 degrees) and a Cobra King Utility iron (18.5 degrees).

I thought I heard someone say that his clubs are 13 degrees upright, is that even possible?  I'm not nor do I play an equipment nerd on TV, so it's all quite opaque to me, but he'll also be playing Bridgestone balls, or at least the few that float properly:

DeChambeau also will be sponsored by Bridgestone, and will play the Bridgestone Tour B330-S ball and wear a Bridestone glove. DeChambeau, who has been playing the Tour B330-S ball as an amateur, explained during his run at last year’s U.S. Amateur that he floats golf balls in an Epsom salt solution to determine each ball’s center of gravity. He said he often finds four out of every dozen that he won’t play because the ball’s center is off-center. Interestingly, the USGA’s technical chief John Spitzer says DeChambeau probably isn’t really benefitting as much as he thinks he is, suggesting the variances USGA testing of tour-level golf balls shows amounts to “less than one yard in carry.” 

Still, DeChambeau’s unique approach to the game’s technology will be a selling point for Bridgestone. In a new Bridgestone commercial, DeChambeau is called “part athlete, part scientist, part artist,” and it suggests that DeChambeau by opting to play Bridgestone “has dared to question the consensus and choose his own trajectory.”

I think this stuff is covered under the Blogger Full Employment Act of 2016.... Yes it's completely weird, but whatever floats your boat B330-S. 

We all know about the Hogan cap, a look that fellow Puma enthusiast Rickie is unlikely to copy anytime soon.  But did you know that the magical properties of the cap need to be carefully guarded?

During the news conference – two hours before the Cobra Puma

announcement – DeChambeau wore a more traditional golf cap. He saves the other style for game days. 

“That’s my cape,” DeChambeau said. “So I only wear that for tournament days.”

Hmmmm...maybe ab extra battery pack could have avoided the 18th hole difficulties last week?  Just spitballin' here...

As for that arrogance thing, I think these comments will feed that meme:

In fact, some people might label DeChambeau's level of belief in himself as cockiness (He allegedly told Jim Nantz he was going to win the Masters as an amateur). And surely, those people will love what the former physics major at SMU had to say on Tuesday. Ahead of his pro debut on Thursday at the RBC Heritage, DeChambeau was asked for his response to people who say he plays too scientifically. "I am an artist," he said. "I love creating things." OK then. 

DeChambeau could have dropped the mic and ended his presser there, but he kept talking about science vs. art, practice vs. feel, and. . . proprioception? Regardless of how you feel about the young man, he's a fascinating character and a captivating speaker. 

And in case you haven't heard, Bryson's family is dealing with this health issue:

Mike Watney isn’t looking to be a hero. He’s just trying to pay it forward by giving back to someone he has known for years. The retired former Fresno State golf coach and uncle of tour player Nick Watney had two healthy kidneys, and knew Bryson DeChambeau’s father, Jon, needed a new one. So he volunteered to be a donor.

“With Bryson playing so well and about to turn pro, I knew that Jon was going to start an exciting new part of his life,” Watney explained on the eve of last week’s Masters. “I feel like people should help people whenever they can.”

Wow, I think they call that perspective... and, as rebuttal to the arrogance bit, give a look to the SkratchTV video of DeChambeau channeling his inner Carl at the bottom of this Shack post.  

All Things Smylie - Of course he landed hard on Sunday, that's what first-timers do when they soar up where the air is thin.  If you saw his charming interview with Jim Nantz on Saturday, you know he's just a run-of-the-mill millennial living with his parents and driving an old wreck.

But strike that last bit, because Smylie's got new wheels:

Our gold buddy Myron used to have a Nissan in that color (I think it was an FX35), that we called his pimpmobile.

All Things Masters - Another critic piles on the CBS crew:

The Masters telecast has many things going for it: Stunning scenery, subdued (for the

most part) announcers and most of all, limited commercial interruptions. 

CBS apparently feels that it has something else to showcase at Augusta: Main analyst and three-time champion Nick Faldo. 

Throughout its weekend coverage, fellow commentators spend much of their time pulling in and deferring to the 18th-hole analyst, to a fault. Even on the most innocuous situations, Faldo was summoned for his input. For example, on Saturday, Frank Nobilo offered this: “As Nick Faldo was saying, surely anything under par will improve your position.’’ Ian Baker-Finch later added: “The wind makes a big difference, doesn’t it Nick?’’ When newcomer Dottie Pepper asked Faldo a question on Saturday, he responded with this: “Sorry Dottie, I just returned to the tower. What was your question?”

Ahhhh, where to begin?  I did notice that tendency, though to me the bigger issue is that Faldo's meandering ansers don't convey anything useful to the viewer.  I'd love to have a transcript of the broadcast with which to indict the man, but suffice to say that he's unacquainted with brevity.

And this:

Faldo has his share of shrewd comments about Spieth’s tendencies, but it all got to be a bit much. After Spieth hit his second shot into the water at 12 on Sunday, Faldo called it a “complete meltdown.’’ Baker-Finch, who seemed the most deferential toward Faldo, then asked him: “Nick, did you ever practice from the drop zone in practice rounds?” Faldo replied: “I actually didn’t, no.” 

Jim Nantz citied the similarities between Danny Willett’s win and Faldo’s last victory 20 years ago. “If Willett makes 4 here (on 18), he would shoot 67’’ -- the same score Faldo shot in his final-round comeback. CBS even closed the show with images of Faldo’s wins intercut with Willett highligthts.

See, while we in general agree on the quality of the broadcast, I disagree with pretty much everything in those two graphs above.  The IBF question about practicing from the drop zone is an interesting one, especially given Spieth's discomfort with where he took his drop.  And the comparisons to '96 were pretty obvious, and when you have that guy as your lead analyst you're gonna run with it.  If only that which came out of his pie hole was the least bit informative.... 

Obviously the absence of any modern technology in the broadcast doesn't help, and Shack had an interesting take on the Luddite-controlled experience for the crowd patrons:

The only payphones in the U.S. 

The inability to access cell phones during theMasters is indeed the firstidiest of first world problems, but as I explain, the dearth of information available to patrons is a glaring problem given (A) an increasingly connected world (B) only manual scoreboards and no standard bearers, and (C) the mission statement of Bobby Jones to provide an optimum spectating experience.

Lee Trevino could not be reached for comment....C'mon sheeple, revolt against the Man! 

How did we get here?  You'd like to take Billy Payne and slap him around a little, because it's all so misguided.  They do many wonderful things that show an ability to look forward, such as the Drive, Chip and Putt and supporting new amateur events.  But we spent the 80's and 90's denied the opportunity to watch golf on their front nine, because why?

All Things Prez Cup - I know you were on the edge of your seat, but the matter has been resolved:

Steve Stricker is the next Team USA Presidents Cup captain. 

Announced today by the PGA of America, Stricker will captain the American team at the 2017 Presidents Cup held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. Nick Price will captain the International team. 

It will be Stricker's first time as head captain of an event, athough he'll get practice as a co-captain under Davis Love III for the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club this fall.

Fair enough, I suppose, though the multi-count indictment of Commissioner Ratched will include his crime against nature in taking us back to the dreadful Liberty National yet again.  Because, you know, there are so few quality venues in the New York area...

But this is mostly of interest in a reading of the tea leaves way, as relates to the 2020 Ryder Cup in Strick's home state of Wisconsin.  Pre-task force, that would have removed him from consideration, requiring him to wear a Scarlet "P".  These days, who knows?

All Things Olympic -  The drumbeat continues for Olympic golf, as I'm reliably informed that it's going to save our sport.... I know, they wouldn't lie to me.

But what happens when Olympic spirit and love of country has a head-on collision with a man that has made taking care of No. 1 into its own Olympic sport?  I know, it's hard to know which way this might go:

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – There has been plenty of speculation that not every player who qualifies for this year’s Olympics will play, and now the event has officially lost a player. 

Vijay Singh informed Olympic officials in Fiji that he will not participate in the event, which will be played in Brazil from Aug. 11-14. 

“The timing of it, you know I have to focus over here [on the PGA Tour]. I would like to play the Olympics, but the Zika virus, you know and all that crap,” Singh told GolfChannel.com on Tuesday at the RBC Heritage.

Wow, I am so profoundly disillusioned....  You're gonna go with Zika, eh?  'Cause it's gonna surprise a few folks that you're planning to get pregnant.

And as Shack reminded us, our hero allowed the Fijian Prime Minister to announce his participation. 

All Things Tiger - Fooled ya, that's Tiger Hood.  You can se ethe better-produced ESPN 30-for-30 video here, ot this Yule-themed video below.

He might want to float some of those milk cartons in Epsom salts, as more than you'd think are out of round.