Weekend Wrap

Lots to cover and competing demands on my time, so why are you wasting precious time with silly intros?

The Ladies of the Rings - The fair sex did not provide the same kind of gold medal drama, with the outcome seemingly preordained.  But the combination of a worthy champion and drama for the other medals left everyone well-satisfied:

Inbee Park of South Korea has hinted that this might mark the end of her competitive

golf career, and if so her road to retirement is paved in Olympic gold. 

Park, 28, who earlier this year met the criteria for LPGA Hall of Fame inclusion, added a gold medal to her resume in the women’s golf competition at the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro. 

“This really could be the highlight of my career,” Park said. “I was lucky enough to have the opportunity. We have five major tournaments a year. I’ve won a lot of the major championships. The Olympic Games you get to do it only once ever four years and golf in 112 years. It’s a huge honor and I think it could be the highlight of my golfing career.”

It's really quite amazing how well she played, in light of her injuries and indifferent play this year.  It's almost as if this was the prize she set her sights on, and she wouldn't be denied.

 We lost first-round leader Ariya Jutanagarn to yet another injury:

Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn has withdrawn from the women's Olympic golf tournament after 13 holes in Friday's third round due to a left knee injury.

"Very disappointed, because it's Olympics, and I tell my caddie, I want to finish ... four days," Jutanugarn said. "I don't care how many over I'm going to be, but I'm thinking about my career." 

Jutanugarn said she first felt the injury late in Thursday's second round, but it didn't hurt until after she was practicing post-round.

Ariya is this year's breakout star, but that's about the only thing that went bad in the two weeks of Olympic golf.  And she's young enough that she'll have other opportunities, as long as she kicks the injury habit.

 One of the cuter aspects of the women's competition is the caddies:

More than a third of the 60 competitors in the women’s Olympic golf event has brought a relative or significant other to the Reserva de Marapendi golf course to act as their caddie. 

Of those 21 players, there are five parents, five siblings, five husbands and six boyfriends or fiancés carrying the bag for their loved one and building memories that they will share for a lifetime. 

While Canadian Brooke Henderson and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum have their regular full time caddie, sister Brittany and brother Pornpong, at their sides for the competition, the sibling teams also include the identical Maguire twins from Ireland, who are both talented amateurs in their own right. Lisa is caddying for sister Leona, who said: “It’s special to have her with me this week, because with it being so far away from home, it’s nice she gets to be a part of it. We get along pretty well and she’s a good caddie.”

I know, you could say that this makes it seem like a junior varsity event, but who has that kind of heart of stone?  If players wants their Moms and Dads on the bag, I say let's embrace it.

Australia's Su Oh went another direction, with noted architect and sometimes player Mike Clayton on her bag, whom she references in her press comments:

“My caddy Mike Clayton, who is a golf architect, just said to me once you can get yourself into trouble, then you can keep on getting yourself into more trouble. So if you do, just get yourself back into play and I think I did that well today.”

 But since she mentioned Mike Clayton....our time on the high road will be short-lived.  Clayton is a good guy and a good architect, he's Geoff Ogilvy's design partner and you know about my mancrush on him, but in this social-media-dominated era, he's unfortunately best known for this motor skill failure: 

As I said at the time, at least he stuck the landing.

We'll have some more thoughts on the Olympics in the next few days, there's a Jaime Diaz piece on how to improve them, but we'll save that for another day.

But lastly, Maria Verchenova, who almost wasn't allowed to play because of the Russian doping scandal, one-upped the men and shot a 62 in the final round.  here's Maria showing off her....err...well, just showing off:

You're welcome, Maggot.

The Luck of the Curtis - The U.S. Amateur concluded yesterday, and I can't find a single reference to Diana Murphy embarrassing herself....So, either she wasn't there to present or somebody schooled her in the proper pronunciation of Havermeyer....and Luck, and Oakland Hills and.....well, you get the idea.  Also, perhaps it helped that it was a cash bar....

Ryan Herrington with Luck's secret weapon:

Curtis Luck had just begun the afternoon 18 of the championship match on Sunday at the 116th U.S. Amateur about as miserably as you could imagine. In the right rough off the tee on the match’s 19th hole, the par-4 first at Oakland Hills Country Club’s South Course, the 20-year-old Australian chunked his second shot, the ball advancing a mere 40 yards and staying in the rough. He then sniped his third over the green and stubbed his fourth barely on to the putting surface. Rather than risk doing more damage with his putter, he conceded the par putt of his opponent, Brad Dalke, and walked off 1 down. 

At that moment, Luck heard a voice offer some meaningful, albeit straightforward, advice. 

“OK,” said Stuart Luck, Curtis’ 46-year-old father who doubled this week as his caddie, “now we need to play some good golf.” 

The brief moment of levity—“He usually likes being very obvious with his statements out on the golf course,” Curtis would say later—helped the No.7 ranked amateur in the world shrug off the stumble and re-set himself.

 Obvious?  Yeah, but it must have been in the tone, because Luck the Younger won 6 & 4.

It of course none of our affair, but this makes an insignificant blogger happy:

Luck, who will now stay amateur, can fill out his 2017 schedule with starts at the Masters (traditionally, the U.S. Am winner gets invited), U.S. Open and British Open, as well as traditional starts in PGA Tour events such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Memorial.

As for holding off on turning pro? As they say back home in Australia, no worries, mate. 

“It was something I always was thinking might happen,” Luck said. “I’m very happy with staying amateur.”

As we've been over ad nauseum, the elimination of PGA Tour Q-School has increased the pressure on the best amateurs to turn professional early, denying themselves experiences that they'll never forget.

But this little watermelon feature by head chef Dan Vallone is just creepy:

In fact, you could say it's the pits....<ducking>

It's A Small World - Ever wonder why the South Korean women dominate the LPGA but the South Korean men are an afterthought?  That confirms that you're a misogynist....

Now that you've been shamed, we can agree that it likely has to do with level of competition and other opportunities....  But the South Korean men don't suck, and John Strege jumps on the results from Greensboro to conclude that golf is a world game:

The Scots might claim the game as their own, while the U.S. has cornered the market on

its most significant events, together belying its global reach. Current events remind us that it’s a game without borders. 

The six Olympic medalists in the men’s and women’s competitions in Rio de Janeiro represented six different countries — Great Britain, Sweden, the U.S., South Korea, New Zealand and China. 

And on Sunday alone, the U.S. Amateur was won by an Australian, Curtis Luck; the D+D Real Czech Masters by an American from the Asian Tour, Paul Peterson, who beat a Belgian, Thomas Pieters; and the Wyndham Championship by a South Korean, Si Woo Kim. 

Five continents (including that in which the Olympics were held) are represented: Europe, Asia, Australia, North America and South America.

It’s a small dimpled world.

To me, it's more significant that he's a 21-year old South Korean, so it seems we'll be seeing more of him....

The Group From Hell - Every club has a group of death, guys you go out of your way to avoid being paired with.  So its' some what appropriate that the Web.com Tour have such a pairing:

If avoidance is not feasible, then be sure to stay upwind, as their conditions are highly contagious.

Golf RIP's - Two passings of significance over the weekend, in order of said significance.  

The first is famed golf photographer Jules Alexander, best known for his iconic photos of Ben Hogan:

In 1959, Jules Alexander was a fashion photographer who on a whim took the train from New York City to suburban Mamaroneck to check out the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. Alexander hadn't photographed golf at that point. He didn't have a press credential. Yet when he wandered onto the golf course, he was perceptive enough to recognize something unique in Ben Hogan, then 47 but still a commanding enough presence to captivate the young photographer. 

Alexander died Friday near his home in Rye, New York at age 90, after a celebrated career that saw him capture a host of iconic images of the game's biggest figures, from Palmer to Nicklaus to Woods. But none rivaled the importance of the photos he took that week of Hogan. They were the photos that forged his connection with golf, eventually buying a house on the grounds of Westchester Country Club and raising two sons who became successful golf pros. They were the photos that inspired an advertising campaign for the Ben Hogan Company, and led to a popular coffee table book, The Hogan Mystique.

Excuse me, WCC is in Harrison, not Rye.... Just sayin'...  But I love this:

The most celebrated picture in the Alexander collection is the one above on the right of Hogan leaning against his putter on the green, head turned to the side, a cigarette in his right hand. When Alexander told the story of that photo, he recalled Hogan holding his position just long enough for the photographer to make it work. 

"I sit at my desk and I can see the picture every day, and just recently I began to think, ‘Why did he stand there just long enough for me to take all these frames with three different cameras?’” Alexander said in 2006. “You can’t do that in two minutes. But he’s looking across the green at Claude Harmon. And I’m going to have the temerity to think that he posed for me by saying to himself, ‘I’m going to give this guy a shot.’ ”

 It's iconic for a reason....and you might also enjoy this very personal reflection on Alexander.

The second loss is architect Bob Cupp, whose career I'm unable to help you put in perspective, but who seems like a great guy in this reflection by Ron Whitten:

I last saw Bob Cupp, who died August 19 at age 76, back in June, a few months after he’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We met at his home in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, a house he had designed and built about 20 years ago, just around the corner from Capital City Club Brookhaven, whose course he’d totally remodeled almost a decade ago, a course I insist is now prettier than Augusta National.

Do read the whole thing, as it's a wonderfully warm memory filled with great stories, including this one:

We talked of his early years, how he studied art at the University of Miami with the intention of being a commercial artist, and after graduation joined the U.S. Army, stationed in Fort Richardson, Alaska, where he played golf several times with Claude Harmon’s son, P.F. C. Butch Harmon. Bob and Butch ran into one another again 30 years later, at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon, when Bob’s 36-hole complex was hosting the U.S. Amateur. Butch was there helping his latest pupil, Tiger Woods, who would win his third straight title that week and then turn pro. Bob said he and Butch had dinner during the event, each agreeing the other had turned out far better than expected.

Did that P.F.C. Harmon ever make anything of himself?

As I hinted, Cupp the architect is an enigma to me because of two specific words, Liberty National.  Now sometimes train wrecks aren't the architects fault, so we'll leave it at that....  But he spent much of his career working for Nicklaus, so the reader can draw his or her own conclusions...  His most acclaimed work is in Oregon, Crosswater and Pumpkin Ridge, and the former was unfortunately closed to replace the greens when the bride and I visited central Oregon.

Is that enough for now?  I'm afraid it will have to be, but I'll see you in the morning.

Friday Frisson

Unplayable Lies management generously gave me Thursday off, so I hope that your Thursday was enjoyable despite the absence of my typically trenchant observations.  You say because of, I say despite, but let's not quibble....

Ladies Daze - The fair sex, on an unusual Wednesday-Saturday schedule, have the stage, and they're hamming it up.  More on that in a bit, but first the game story:

American Stacy Lewis hasn’t won in more than two years, a winless streak in a position to fall by virtue of the eight-under par 63 she shot in the second round of the women’s Olympic golf competition on Thursday. 

Lewis completed 36 holes on the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro at nine-under par 133 and trails leader Inbee Park of Korea by a stroke. Two strokes back of Park are Great Britain’s Charley Hull and Canadian Brooke Henderson.

Except for the absence of Lydia, that's about as strong a leaderboard as one could imagine.  And first round leader Ariya Jutanagarn is only four back.

Loyal readers will recall that I've been forced to take the recently-married Lewis to the woodshed on more than one occasion recently, mostly for excessive whining.  It's therefore nice to see her go low, but perhaps more importantly demonstrate that she hasn't lost her sense of humor:

Unfortunately, her outfit had people thinking more about bronzer than bronze. 

Lewis wore a tank top during her red-hot round, which showed off quite the golfer's tan.

Afterward, Lewis was asked about her play -- as well as her not-so-subtle tan lines. 

"I never wear sleeveless," a laughing Lewis said. "And I won't wear sleeveless again."

Well played, young lady.  Here's what triggered the discussion:

Good call, Stace....But if it makes you feel any better, this is yet another example of how the women aren't up to the standards of the men (that's a reference to her whining above).  Submitted for your approval is Stewart Cink's is Stewart Cink's bad golf tan:

Sleeves aren't gonna help him much....

But the talk of the event thus far is the dreadfully slow play of the ladies, with Shack filling in the details:

The opening round of Olympic women’s golf did not get off to the most energizing start.

The final group of Lydia Ko, Anna Nordqvist and Charley Hull took five hours, 35 minutes on a sunny, warm and breezy day. That’s about 30 minutes longer than the males took a week ago. 

In defense of the women, who averaged 71.8 in the first round compared to the men’s opening day 70.7 one week ago, they are playing a course that was noticeably faster and firmer than when the men’s competition started. The increased speed is not an intentional ploy, but instead a byproduct of daily tournament mowings and rollings of the greens. Couple that with fairways that are firming and speeding up thanks to daily cuttings during warm, dry days, and the course has more teeth.

Still, Stacy Lewis was left perplexed at the tepid pace. 

“I don't know why it took so long,” she said after an opening 70. “It's a lot of golf course to walk and takes some time, but I didn't expect it to be that slow.”

That's pretty darn dreadful....  Apparently pace of play improved yesterday, though we did have a first for the host country:

Well done to the International Golf Federation for having the guts to hand out a slow-

play penalty to Victoria Lovelady in the second round of the Olympic women’s golf competition. Let’s hope other bodies take notice. 

Lovelady became the first player in the Olympic Games to be penalized for slow play when she was assessed a one-shot penalty on the 15th hole during the second round of the first Olympic women’s golf tournament in 116 years. 

Lovelady, playing in the company of Tiffany Chan of Hong Kong and Swiss amateur Fabienne In-Albon, already had been warned for wasting time on the 10th hole. She was adjudged to have picked up a second bad time for taking too long on the par-4 15th, turning what should have been a par into a bogey.

Let's deal with the most important issues first.... Is Victoria Lovelady a great name, or what?

I'm glad to see them on the case though, as Shack notes, she must have been REALLY slow to make a rules official tag her.  But as we've discussed way too often, the only thing that will get the attention of our pampered tortoises is penalty strokes.

The alliteratively-named Aditi Ashok has been getting lots of airtime on Golf Channel, and it's a pretty good story:

Her name, which means “boundless,” is appropriate given her eagerness to learn and desire to improve. 

“Golf every day is different,” she said. “You never hit the same show twice. So every day is a new experience, and you can’t really come with any expectations. The game is bigger than all of us, so that’s what I like about it.” 

Four years ago her mother, a former radio disk jockey, realized there was a chance Aditi could qualify for the Olympics, so they focused their energies and schedule toward that.

She took up golf because her family had a meal next to a driving range, which reminds me of Employee No. 2's introduction to our game.  But what to make of this?

This week, Aditi and her mother have Skyped every night. Their conversations last about an hour.

“Sometimes we’re both talking,” she said, “and then we can’t hear each other.”

Funny, she doesn't look Jewish.

Math Is Hard -  This exchange between Tom Watson and looper Neil Oxman from last week's Senior Open at Scioto is just priceless:

I love the old traditions of stepping off yardage from sprinkler heads as much as the next guy, but would it be so terrible if we let them use rangefinders?  Especially when we're hoping they'll get themselves around the course a little more quickly....

I Should Have Gotten It A Card - In honor of its twentieth anniversary, Tin Cup has been taking something of a victory lap.  I've always considered it a poor man's Bull Durham, the common thread being Ron Shelton and Kevin Costner.  Though perhaps that's because Renee Russo never did it for me like Susan Sarandon can....

But there's little doubt that it carved out a place in the golfing zeitgeist.... in fact, we had our own little Tin Cup moment on Monday at Glen Oaks.  Never one to pass up an opportunity to have fun with our game, Alex Myers lists the five most authentic golf moments in the film, as well as the five least.

Shall we start with the former?

4. Players staying in motor homes during tournaments.This was a big part of McAvoy's rags-to-riches persona, but there are big-name golfers like Jason Day and Jimmy Walker who do the same thing on a regular basis. Of course, they also have professional drivers and they don't share the space with Cheech Marin.

OK, and the winner is....Hmmm, how topical:

1. A player firing his caddie mid-round. (Cough) Robert Allenby. (Cough)

But of course, with any work of fiction there are inevitably going to be some parts that ring hollow. Our list of the movie's five-most unrealistic moments:

And the least?

1. Spinning back a 3-wood. Again, the movie took things a step (or two) too far. It wasn't enough that Tin Cup foolishly went for the closing par 5 in two seven times, knocking six in a pond ("A little gust from the gods") before miraculously holing a seventh attempt for a mythical 12. No, they had to have McAvoy hole the shot by spinning back a 3-wood into the cup. Guys, it's called physics.

Let's go to the videotape:

Did I mention that I love having Frank Chirkinian in the film?  Especially now that we've lost him.

But Alex, a list of the least authentic moments in the film has to start with Kevin Costner's golf swing, no?

Elsewhere, Alex provides a Phil story from the set:

But this one, courtesy of Golf Magazine's terrific oral history of "Tin Cup," takes the cake. It occurred during the filming of the movie, which turns 20 August 16. Here's Cheech Marin, who played Kevin Costner's caddie in the classic golf flick, describing what happened: 

"We were between scenes, standing around, and someone came up with a bet," Marin said. "There was this really tall pine tree, and someone said to Phil Mickelson, ‘I bet you can't put your shoulder against the tree, drop a ball and hit it over the tree.' The shot basically had to go straight up. Everybody threw in a hundred bucks. I think there was $1,200 in the pot. And he did it! When the ball was still in the air, Mickelson bent over, picked up the money, and put it in his pocket." 

This story has three fantastic elements to it. 1.) The shot -- It sounds remarkable, if not impossible; 2.) The size of the pot -- 12 people threw in $100 in cash?! 3.) The reaction -- Can you be any cockier?

That's our Phil.

Cheap Shots - In which we scan recent headlines to snark at:

How long is that in dog years? - REMINDER: Just a year ago, Tiger Woods was still doing awesome things on the golf course

His shoulders must be awfully tired - VIDEO: Retired fire marshal holds man at gunpoint over stolen golf clubs

No, didn't hurt me a bit - This failed trick shot looks like it hurt...

I don't think you're using the word 'drama" correctly - FedEx Points Bring Drama to Wyndham Championship

Midweek Mishegoss

The ladies are on the course in Rio, and with that as background music, let's dive in...

The Men, A Reflection - The reviews are in and, spoiler alert, the sporting press has been effusive in their praise.  Here's an example:

After seven years of planning, the most important new golf TV show in decades finally

aired: Big Break Rio: Golfers Gone Wild. Golf in the Olympics was vilified, dissed, hyped, politicized and, finally, played. Brazilian sports fans -- mad for soccer and beach volleyball -- came out in droves for the Sunday finale, even though golf plays no role in Rio's sporting culture. More significantly, tens of millions across the world watched on TV as Justin Rose of England won the gold medal, Henrik Stenson of Sweden the silver and Matt Kuchar the bronze.

Even watching on TV -- as I did -- the Olympic golf never felt like an ordinary tournament, or even one of the game's four majors. It was a great many things. The golf duds with next to no corporate emblems. The new course, built for the occasion, which, on TV, looks like a course you would want to play (and got solid reviews from the world's fussiest critics themselves, Tour players). And then the extraordinary notion of playing for an … Olympic medal. For all the flaws of the modern Games -- doping, bribery payments, corrupt judging -- there is still something beautiful and inspiring about it all. Now and forever, those three golfers will be linked to Jesse Owens, Olga Korbut and Mark Spitz. They are part of the continuum.

Yanno, I'm still struggling to understand how folks are experiencing this event, though I'll that Mike Bamberger was not in Rio.  See what you think about this bit:

It's hard to think of Kuchar that way, but that's really what he is. Yes, he's a Ryder Cupper and a proven commodity and a good presence. But without a professional major, he's made little impact on the history of the game. He hasn't won on Tour since Houston in 2014, more than two years ago. And he wouldn't have even been in the Olympics field if not for Spieth's withdrawal. But what he did on Sunday at Rio on the bumpy (that's a compliment) Gil Hanse course made more of a mark on the game than anything else he has accomplished.

OK, but doesn't that say more about Kooch than it does about the Olympics?  Talk about the soft bigotry of low expectations...

It seems to this observer that the enthusiasm for the competition is fueled in part by relief that it would be a disaster.  But now my concern is that in reading their press clippings they'll lose any urgency to change the format.

And of course there's bits like this:

Rose won the gold but dropped two spots in the FedEx Cup points standings because the PGA Tour couldn't take a week off. Shoulda played the Deere Sir Justin!

As for those guys that didn't make the trip, they're in our thoughts, or at least this guy's thoughts:

To: Jordan Spieth

Cc: Jason Day; Rory McIlroy; Dustin Johnson; Adam Scott; Hideki Matsuyama

Bcc: Vijay Singh 

Subject: Rio! 

Hi guys, sorry for the bulk email. I just wanted to see if you had a chance to watch any of that Rafael Nadal-Juan Martin del Potro tennis match from here at the Olympics. It was pretty thrilling stuff. Those two guys blasted thunderclaps at each other for three crazy sets. Then the third set went into a tiebreaker. Each point was like a novella. The crowd was delirious, practically incoherent with joy. It was incredible. 

Anyway I know tennis is not your sport but I was wondering if you happened to see Nadal in that tiebreaker. You know, Nadal is a pretty accomplished guy. Fourteen Grand Slam titles. Nine French Opens in 10 years. Four-time Davis Cup champ.

And there he was in that tiebreaker, grinding with all his heart, playing with 

every ounce of emotion in his body, caring so deeply. Why? Because this is the Olympics. 

I guess the point is, all due respect, you guys blew it.

For the record, that is the funniest bcc I've ever seen.... Golfweek has a nice roundup of social media posts here, and Allistair Tait reports on Rory being a good sport:

“I did get one from Rory. Absolutely. He said he was very, very proud, and said he was pulling for me. He said he could see how much it meant to me and congratulated me. He was very complimentary. Obviously, he watched.

“He made the point that he really wants golf to succeed as an Olympic sport. He has some opinions that are very personal to him, and that’s fine, but as a whole, he’s very, very much behind golf succeeding in the Olympics.”

But he said he was only going to watch the real sports?  He also responded well to this bait, though of course he's the one that ended it....  Now, Rors, what are we doing about that putting?

 And while we all enjoyed Kooch sleeping with his bronze medal, you'll be happy to know that he'll also receive a tax bill:

But the Olympics are all about sportsmanship and national pride! we hear you say. Well, they are for the most part, but there are financial benefits as well, starting with the medals themselves. According to CNN Money, a gold medal has a value of about $564 and a silver goes for $305. A bronze is actually deemed to be worth a negligible amount, so good news for Kuchar, he doesn't owe any taxes on the medal itself. 

But then there's the prize money. Again, contrary to popular belief, there are monetary prizes at the Olympics, which come in the form of bonuses that are determined by each country. The U.S. falls on the lower end of this scale -- in part because it has to pay out so many athletes -- but Americans still get $25,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. So Kuchar will have to pay taxes (probably about $4,000) on his bonus payout.

 Do we need to hold a rent party for Kooch?  

In this day of overpriced sports memorabilia, see if you're amused by this:

When Justin Rose holed his short birdie putt on the 18th hole to win Olympic gold in

men’s golf, he stood back, celebrated and soaked up the moment. 

He also left behind his golf ball. 

Arguably the coolest artifact from Sunday’s final day -- besides the 18th hole flag claimed by caddie Mark Fulcher -- sat in the cup. And sat. And sat. 

About 45 minutes after the final putt and medal ceremony, a few British lads ventured out onto the 18th green to pose for photos. One of them looked into the cup. That’s when Brazilian photographer Zeca Resendes, also out doing some final photos and soaking up a magical final round, intervened. 

“No, no, no!” he said, waving his credential and barking something in Portugese to the effect of, “that belongs to Justin Rose.” Resendes couldn’t believe his eyes but knew that the flagstick had never been put back in the cup. 

Sitting there was a Taylor Made ball stamped with Rose’s signature “99.” It could only belong to the first gold medalist in 112 years.

Really funny and a really nice outcome:

Resendes took the ball out of the hole and shared it with is Brazilian golf peers, who decided it was a fitting artifact for the Olympic Golf Course clubhouse. After some debate about whether they should offer Rose the ball back, Brazil’s Henrique Fruet said officials figured Rose would be quite pleased with his gold medal. He was right. 

Fruet used his special clubhouse access to ask Rose to sign the ball with the idea of displaying it on site.

Nice.  No, seriously....  One last item, which I recommend for those that believe that the Rio golf course will help grow the game in Brazil:

The new course, carved out of natural park in the southwest of Rio de Janeiro, will become a public facility after the Games, a legacy for promoting the sport in Brazil.

Brazilian fans say the main issue, though, will be cost. 

The green fees will be set at $80 for Brazilians and between $200 and $250 for tourists, with golfers charged $8-$10 to play a four-hole practice course, says the Brazilian Golf Confederation. 

In a country facing economic hardship and a minimum wage equal to $275 a month, even the practice course will be a stretch for many Brazilians. Then there is the pricy equipment.

"Even $8-$10 for a local, that is a lot of money and they could spend that money somewhere else and go to beaches and have even more fun," said 16-year-old Taichi Fukai, a Sao Paulo resident who was roaming the course with his family on Sunday to see the gold medal winner, Justin Rose.

It will be interesting to see what becomes of this golf course....  I'm not an optimist, but I do hope that some enterprising reporter with a travel budget returns in five years to see what's become of it.

The Ladies, Ready For their Close-Up -  As noted above, balls are in the air in Rio, and Lexi just missed a 2-footer, so it's just like an LPGA event.  Lexi, we kid because we love....

Lydia is charming all, another weekly occurrence:

“If I end up with a gold medal standing on the podium, I’m not sure I’ll ever take it off,”

Ko said Monday ahead of Wednesday’s start of the women’s tournament at the Olympic Golf Course. “It will bruise me a little bit if I was swinging.” 

She was kidding, of course, which comes very easy to her. Then again, she’s been, in her words, giddy since she started watching the Olympics last week and definitely since she landed here on Saturday. 

“I love my sleep and I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten up at 7 a.m. to watch someone else play,” Ko said about her alarm going off Sunday so she could go to the golf course and watch Team New Zealand’s duo of Danny Lee and Ryan Fox in the final round of the men’s tournament.

Have I mentioned that I like her?

I was pleased to learn that Inbee Park is able to play, but Shack suggests that we savor the moment:

It’s no secret Inbee Park is thinking about a new career as a mother. The South Korean legend has battled back to reach Rio this week after an injury-ravaged season. Her future is so cloudy that the Olympics may be her final event on a big stage. 

“I'd like to have a family soon and that's probably my priority maybe the next couple years,” she said. “But I really don't know what's going to happen if I have a baby or after I have a family, whether I'm going to come back or not comeback. I'm just in between how to plan the rest of my career.”

She's had a miserable time of it recently, so let's just be happy that she's here for this week.

Alex Myers files seven things to know about the women's competition, though if you've found your way here I suspect there won't be anything new.   Bob Harig profiles the American women as well:

"This is an extremely important week for us," said Stacy Lewis, one of three Americans

in the 60-player field that begins play at the Olympic Golf Course on Wednesday. "I think Mike Whan did a really good job of moving our schedule around so we don't play any tournaments around the Olympics. I think that leadership from the top shows that this is an important week for us. 

"This is a great stage for us to play golf on, for the world to see us play more than they do. All of the best players in the world are here -- nobody really dropped out. Everyone is here to compete. I think it's so cool. I grew up probably watching the Olympics more than I watched golf. To be here and be a part of this is a big deal."

Well, they're all important for Stacy these days, since she hasn't won anything since the Carter administration.  Stacy, we kid because we love....

Our tweaking aside, the stage is far more important for the ladies, so let's hope they can deliver a good show.

Udder Stuff: When last we visited the hero of this item, he was frantically searching for the real murderer of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.  I hope this doesn't impede that search:

Robert Allenby was arrested at an Illinois casino shortly after missing the cut at the John Deere Classic. 

According to a WQAD report, Allenby was arrested around 2:30 a.m. Saturday outside Jumer's Casino in Rock Island, Ill. He was booked into the Rock Island County Jail shortly after 4 a.m. and was reportedly charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing. According to the arrest report, Allenby's bond was set at $1,500.

What?  Robert Allenby missed a cut?  Talk about your man-bites-dog stories....

I might pop for the $1,5000 just to ensure a steady stream of content.  Did I miss the release of another sequel to Taken?   I have more, but let's just take this stroll down memory lane:

Good Times.

How Long Is Her Term? - The U.S. Senior Open got lost in the shuffle this year, I mean even more so than usual.  A shame, if only because a look in on Scioto, home to two famous Jacks, is well worth our time.

Making matters worse, weather pushed to conclusion until Monday, and it was won by relative unknown Gene Sauers....  I know, but it reminds us of how lucky they got in Rio, given their depleted field.  Sauers is actually a great story, and I'll just kick you to Bill Fields for the background on that.

But right below Allenby on the list of gifts to bloggers comes the irrepressible Diana Murphy, who has single-handedly made USGA awards ceremonies appointment TV.  Here's Geoff's take:

Apparently Gene Sauers only got the partial Diana Murphy treatment upon winning the U.S. Senior Open, as she nailed his poentially botchable name and yet somehow mispronounced the trophy name, which memorializes one of the top three most revered USGA champions. 

This is great news, as this week's U.S. Amateur takes on even greater meaning. Will Murphy be the first USGA President to win the Grand Slam (Of Trophy Ceremony Butchering) after less-than-subtle mishaps at the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open.

The reference is to the Frances Ouimet trophy, yanno, The Greatest Game Ever Played.  Here's one helpful tweet:

I understand that that Minwet guy could really play....  And this:

And there was this as well:

Wouldn't you love a Miggy thought bubble here?

Olympic Wrap - Men's Edition

I'll gladly apologize for the 24-hour delay in sharing my thoughts about the Men's Olympic competition, the result of your humble blogger's participation in the Met. Open Pro-Am at tony Glen Oaks Country Club.  I might have more on that, depending on how the photos turn out.

But I actually think that the delay in getting to the keyboard might sharpen the analysis..... or not.  My feelings about it all are quite conflicted, so the arc of this post will be determined on the fly....

As we often do here, we'll riff off of that Shackelford guy's thoughts, appropriate in this case because he was there.  Geoff was quite ecstatic in immediate aftermath of the final round, with this at his blog:

What a stellar day at the Rio Olympic Golf Course, and while the folks behind it and the 

The medalists surrounded by leaders of the five families.

players might have dreamed up the best case scenario that unfolded, the chances of things playing as well as they did were pretty slim.

But as I note in this piece for GolfDigest.com, Justin Rose's gold, Henrik Stenson's silver and Matt Kuchar's bronze proved to be a great moment for so many behind the scenes people. While I could only touch on a few of them, here are a few observations from a great day.

One thing that's immediately apparent is that those that were there have been universally giddy about that which they saw.  That's very much a good thing, but we can likely agree that it falls into the necessary but not sufficient category.  

Geoff gushes further in the item linked in the excerpt:

Everything about the Olympic Golf Course’s finishing stage was designed with a grand conclusion in mind. But of the key figures quizzed about Sunday’s conclusion, all admitted they couldn't have dreamed up what actually transpired in Rio. 

Years of planing paid off in a scene that felt different than a major championship. Not better than a major. Just different. More gratifying maybe. 

The joyful antics of the 59 protagonists all week, capped off in the dusk light by Justin Rose’s final birdie, just left everyone feeling good about the week. Rich Lerner said it best on Golf Channel’s Live From coverage: “This is about the happiest I’ve seen the sport in a long, long time.”

Geoff has some great vignettes in his piece, capturing what seems to be genuine emotion at the climax of it all....  I particularly like the fact that only one caddie sought out Gil Hanse for advice, and you'll readily guess whose bag he was carrying.  I know, probably just a coincidence....  But he's even got Steiny crying, so go figure....

And if you can't identify those squeezing into the picture above, he helpfully names names:

But before the medal winners left the scene, they were ushered in front of the International Golf Federation and friends for a group photo. Included were Votaw, Hanse, USGA Executive Director Mike Davis, PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua, IGF director Anthony Scanlon, former European Tour Chief George O’Grady and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. They even squeezed in course superintendent Cleverly. 

The scene was more chaotic than cinematic. More like a film crew getting their picture with the A-listers. But to anyone who knew what it took to get golf in the Olympics and perhaps even keep it there for a long time, it’s an image that will define a week of golf whose impact is yet to be determined. Stay tuned for the sequel. It starts Wednesday with the world’s best female players on the very same stage.

I just have to say that "sequel" is not the best choice of words here, and I say that as someone that had higher hopes for the women's competition than the men's....  it's a different animal that should stand on its own.

But much went right this week, including but not necessarily limited to:

1. They got the desired close horse race between worthy competitors settled without the necessity of an anticlimactic playoff;
2. The players seemed to genuinely enjoy their experience there, and were adept at communicating that enthusiasm;
3. The course performed beautifully, and they deserve full credit for selecting Hanse over bigger names;
4. The weather cooperated entirely;
5. There were exactly zero rules issues during the week, quite an accomplishment in this day and age.

Obviously that first item has folks very relieved, as the organizers essentially drew to an inside straight.  What were the odds, given the dramatically depleted field)  that the two most accomplished players (I know an arguable case can be made for Bubba, but bear with me) would battle neck-and-neck to a one-shot win?  And I certainly didn't find it anywhere near as exciting as Geoff, but we can stipulate that Justin and Henrik can put on a good show....  But did any of you think this had the drama of Sunday at Troon?

I found this Tour Confidential give-and-take to be revealing:

1) The first Olympic golf competition in 112 years ended in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon with Justin Rose edging Henrik Stenson on the back of a sensational pitch shot on the 72nd hole. The fourth round didn’t lack for excitement, but did golf prove that it belongs in the Olympic program?

Alan Shipnuck.: Oh, hell yes. Three world-class players -- Rose, Stenson and Kuchar -- put on a heckuva show on Sunday on a track that has instantly established itself as one of the best tournament courses in the world. But the revelation was Sunday's crowd. A theme throughout these Olympics has been the disappointing fan turnout, but all 15,000 tickets were sold for Sunday, an incredible achievement given Brazil's lack of golf tradition and the course's distance from the tourist center. And those who showed up were loud and fun. It was a big-time atmosphere.

Josh Sens: Think back on some of the most riveting golf events of your lifetime. Did this competition rank anywhere near your top 10? Your top 20? Your top 50? No disrespect to the deserving champion (his genuinely impassioned reaction to his win was the highlight of the four days for me) or to any of those who competed, but the lack of electricity was palpable in the crowd. The Olympics is supposed to reside somewhere near the summit of a sport. This event never got much higher than base camp.

You can read the other responses, and I'll candidly admit that the remaining answers skew a bit more positively than the 50-50 split in my excerpt.  But this is no random poll....these are the writers of Golf Magazine.  Yanno, GOLF Magazine..... Their profession is to write about GOLF.  It's like Hillary winning the vote in the faculty lounge at Harvard 60-40..... It's a win, but it's also quite the under-performance as well....

Golf remains to me an extremely awkward fit for the Olympics, and it may be worth reminding folks why that is:

1. The best players rarely win - The greatest players of all time win less than 10% of their events, and can anyone think of a comparable among other sports?  It makes the every four years problematic, and this is why the limitations on field side might be as important as the competition format.  In swimming and track, it's common for athletes among the ten or fifteen best in the world to not even qualify for the Olympics, but that rarely affects the outcome.  In golf, when you don't have all of the top players (we could argue about how deep you need to go), you don't have a viable competition.  
2. Golf doesn't need the Olympics - Was it women's softball that was dropped to add golf?  Don't confuse me with facts, but isn't that quite the contrast?  I think this is perhaps a point that our sport's leaders need to reflect upon, as their desire to participate in the larger event led them to present our game in quite the unflattering light.  They got lucky that the show turned out well, but will they understand that they served their own needs perhaps more than the game's.
3. I'll believe it's a crisis.... - One of the smiling faces in the photo above is our favorite whipping boy, Commissioner Ratched.  That self same Commish ran an event that competed for viewers and media attention with the Olympics, so why was he allowed to show his pearly whites?  And of course he'll run an event that competes with the ladies this week....  I was told that the were critical to the future of our game?
4. The IOC is a criminal syndicate -  Seriously, dogs, fleas...you know the rest.  The IOC does not have golf's best interests at heart, and any assumption to that effect is naive.  Matt Kuchar and others spoke emotionally about playing for their country, and that's profoundly moving.  But turn to NBC and you'll hear the announcers talking about how athletes in other sports essentially sell themselves to the highest bidder.... Wondering about that Qatari beach volleyball team, yeah, they're not actually Qataris.... Sorry, should have given you a spoiler alert.
5. The IOC has other priorities - Remember, the 60-person fields were a result of the limitation on beds available in Rio.... seriously, think about that.  On the one hand I get it, the Olympics are Trumpian yuuuugee.  But if we can't have a reasonable-size field, what do we have?  And also remember that the IOC couldn't understand why the players needed caddies.... again, I get it, they're not golfers.  But are we sure we can make this work in the context of their environment?
6. The calendar is unrelenting - The summer Olympics inevitably come at a difficult time on the calendar, the more so given that the Ryder Cup is now in even years.  There's way too much golf burning the players and the viewers out, and none of the organizations will yield on the schedule.  How am I to work myself into a fevered pitch for the FedEx Cup in an Olympic year?
7. Signal to Noise - My instincts tell me that golfers are sports fans but sports fans are not necessarily golfers or fans thereof.....  and Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt create a lot of noise.  Shack is crowing about the ratings, but talk about noise?  Best morning ratings since Tiger played in Dubai, really?  Anyone happen to look at the weather most of the country was experiencing?  But the gist of this argument seems to be that those watching the Olympics on NBC left their TV's on when coverage switched to golf....  isn't that kind of a low bar?
8. The public teet - The was perhaps the most dispiriting part of the week for me, the endless crowing about public funds being shoveled at golfers.  Is it too much to ask, in this era of public exposure of the depravity of the Russian and East German athletic programs, that we at least not simply assume that the involvement of unsavory governments in sports is actually a forced for good?  I recommend this post for those that are open to a different perspective.  If you don't like government health care and government motors, why are you so sure you'll like government golf?

So, if we must have golf in the Olympics,van we not at a minimum endeavor to make it somewhat interesting?

This guy takes a first cut at it, with some worthy contributions....Though age limits is simply bizarre.  First, the obvious:

Team format

This addition seems to be universally desired across the media and fan landscape, and rightfully so. A major complaint heading into Rio was that the Olympic format didn’t differ from the usual play see on the top world tours. As team competitions are a rarity in golf, implementing this facet adds a uniqueness to the event, fueling the desire to tune in.

Conversely, the Rose-Stenson showdown illustrated the benefits of stroke play. Bringing in a team component doesn’t have to come to the detriment of the individual 

competition. Similar to college golf, the Olympics can hold a concurrent aggregate total to determine a team winner.

By the way, that last bit is wrong.... the aggregate stroke competitions qualifies teams for team match play, but it's that latter format that has benefited college golf greatly.  I don't have the time to dive into all the challenges related to this, but that's the holy grail and it would rock.  We need to resolve field size and fairness issues, but if you want excitement, that's the ticket.

The fallback is obviously some kind of aggregate stroke competition, and that's certainly better than what we have.  By the way, do you care who would have won?  It turns out that friend of the blog Wally got it oh so wrong, which likley explains that rather dramatic fall-off in texts as the week progressed:

GOLD -- Sweden and the United States: 20 under

Sweden: Henrik Stenson: 270, 14 under; David Lingmerth: 278, 6 under

United States: Matt Kuchar: 271, 13 under; Bubba Watson: 277, 7 under 

SILVER -- Great Britain: 16 underJustin Rose: 268, 16 under; Danny Willett: 284, even

BRONZE -- Spain: 15 under Rafa Cabrera Bello: 276, 8 under; Sergio Garcia: 277, 7 under 

4. Thailand: 13 underKiradech Aphibarnrat: 276, 8 under; Thongchai Jaidee: 279, 5 under 

5. Argentina: 12 underEmiliano Grillo: 277, 7 under; Fabian Gomez: 279, 5 under

I don't see Belgium there, Mr. Light.  And yes, that U.S. team gets an asterisk, given it's the low two of four.  

In need of wrapping this up, my favorite commercial of the week:

Yes, it's been done before, but I just love that it's done at all....

My favorite quote of the week came from Matt Kuchar on Thursday, when he was asked after his round whether he had seen any wildlife on the course.  His answer was, "Well, I saw an Aphibarnrat."

Yes, you very rarely see one of those in captivity...

Olympic Golf - A Day In The Life

Have you caught the bug?  The intense heat hear in the east and a relatively light schedule allowed me to catch the front and back ends, though of course I managed to miss both of the signature shots.

But you can feel the game growing, no? 

Shack sets the scene with this header:

Golf in the Olympics finally resumes 112 years later, tears shed

 Do tell....

Years of meetings, brouhahas, a little begging and international media attention branding

golf all but the greatest calamity to hit the Olympic movement, the sport returned after 112 years in unspectacular but gently emotional fashion when Brazil’s Addison da Silva struck the opening tee shot. 

Upon hitting his ball up the right center of the fairway, the 44-year-old chosen to open golf’s return to the Games walked back to his bag near International Golf Federation officials, let out a sigh, and pulled off the moment without a hint of great stress. But watery eyes suggested the moment had understandably gotten to the 12-time Sunshine Tour winner playing before his home nation that greeted him with a louder ovation than playing partners Graham DeLaet and Ben An.

OK, the man deserves credit for avoiding a smother-hook, but when that three-ball is carrying the sports hopes and dreams, you might want to reconsider your assumptions.

But take heart dear reader, because all of your favorite folks are there... You know, the ones responsible for the exciting format and depleted field:

On hand were a collection of 150 or so spectators and seemingly just as many photographers and media. Greeting the players at the first tee were the IGF’s Peter Dawson, Ty Votaw and Antony Scanlon, the three most important figures in getting golf to this moment. In a dignitary stand adorned with Rio’s festive color palette immediately behind the tee stood PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, future commish Jay Monahan, PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua, PGA President Derek Sprague, USGA Executive Director Mike Davis, USGA President Diana Murphy and many other international executives. In the spectator grandstand, architect Gil Hanse sat with his family along with several of the shapers who built the long delayed, much-scrutinized Olympic course in Barra di Tijuca.

Our game perhaps dodged another bullet, as no microphones were placed in proximity to Ms. Murphy's mouth....  They were assembled to watch the 7:30 a.m. game, but as the t-shirt notes, it's five-o'clock somewhere.....

As for our first day leader, well it's just pitch-perfect:

Four mates from Australia had to opt out of playing in the Olympics for Marcus Fraser to get to the Rio Summer Games. 

He took full advantage Thursday in the first round. 

Fraser set an Olympic Golf Course record with an 8-under-par 63 to grab the clubhouse lead early in the first round. Fraser, who got to Rio when world No. 1 Jason Day, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Matt Jones decided not to play, birdied five of his first six holes and then added four more birdies on the back nine to more than offset his lone bogey on the second hole. 

“That first tee shot … I was a little jumpy,” Fraser said. “Right now I have the Olympic record. That’s pretty cool. Every week we play for ourselves. This week we’re playing for you country … and yourself. This is one of the best rounds I’ve ever played, given the circumstances.

There's quite the buzz, at least among the Frazier family, but you'll note that the lede is the four guys not attending....

Here's Shack's highly upbeat take on the day:

Anyone with a sense of the many meetings, conversations and politicking undertaken by

these folks had to congratulate all involved for getting us to a very special morning. Furthermore, as players continue to offer their praise for the Games experience, these leaders can proudly say they created something that has evolved into a life-changing few weeks for 120 golfers and their assorted families and countries.

Even more heartening was how quickly the course filled up with over 6,000 energetic, eager and curious spectators who were greeted by live music, interactive hitting bays and putting greens, and the chance to take a photo under the Olympic rings. Considering how difficult Rio is to traverse, the attendance was admirable and merely getting all of the volunteers in place was a minor miracle (a few told me some wise soul made a Wednesday night call to employ Uber to ensure early attendance at a tough venue to reach).

Geoff is on-site and no doubt the guys are digging their Michael Phelps and Team Handball outings, but he acknowledges the elephant in the corner:

As for the competition, the surprising on-site energy apparently didn’t quite translate to television based on the reactions I heard. From the press center, the television images I saw were very crisp while the golf course showed the world that nature-based design can look and play well on a grand stage. However, the combination of a nine-hour telecast with only sixty players on day one of Olympic Broadcasting’s first foray into golf was no doubt imperfect, though most of you who wrote said it was not the telecast you took issue with. Instead, it was the stroke play format when set against the other Olympic competitions you’re watching.

Oh, it's not the golf course....it's the format and the field.  The Golf Channel commentators keep referring to the "elite field", yet when I gaze at my Samsung I'm seeing Siddikur Rahman, jaco Van Zyl and Danny Chia.  I don't think they're using the word "elite" correctly....

Alistair Tait, a grizzled veteran of the golf beat, also goes week-kneed on us:

Adilson da Silva was in tears Thursday after the first round of the Olympic golf competition. That’s how much it meant to the 44-year-old to have golf back in the Olympics in his home country. 

The Brazilian had the honor of hitting the opening tee shot at the Olympic Golf Course in the company of Canada’s Graham DeLaet and South Korea’s Byeong Hun An at 7:30 a.m. In front of a sizable crowd that grew throughout the day, da Silva found the middle of the fairway.

That was the memory that caused da Silva to break down. He was in full flow until that moment. He had to pause for about 60 seconds to collect himself and wipe tears from his eyes before he could continue. 

“It was hard,” he said after regaining his composure. “We used to cut a branch in the shape of a golf club, put loft on it and hit it. Sometimes it would break if the wood was too soft. We learned a lot and were very lucky.”

That's a great story, but does it give us a reason to watch between now and Sunday?

So, I missed da Silva's opening drive, and I also missed this noteworthy swing:

Golf fans were guaranteed to see some history on Thursday no matter what as golf

returned to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years. But it didn't take nearly as long for the tournament to present a couple noteworthy accomplishments of its own. Australia's Marcus Fraser shot the event's first-ever 63 and England's Justin Rose made the event's first-ever hole-in-one. 

Rose's highlight-reel shot came on the 189-yard, par-3 fourth hole of Gil Hanse's new Olympic Course and required a 7-iron. It's also believed to be the first ace made by someone wearing sunglasses that big. Needless to say, Rose was pretty happy about it.

Video is here, though they missed the best part.  Rose's caddie tells him as he's approaching the ball, "I'm not even interested in the pin".  he might not have been, but apparently his player was....

The Americans sucked, if you care about that sort of thing....

I'm going to eschew non-Olympic content for the most part, except to note the U.S.Senior Open is being contested this week at historic Scioto.  Early round coverage is on FS1, if you're trapped indoors because of the heat.