The Great Hunkering - A Golfy Perspective

How's your hunkering going?  Yesterday was especially tough, without that 11:00 a.m. mail delivery around which to organize our day....

The first thing you'll notice is that there seems no rhyme or reason as to whether golf courses are open.  Shack had these notes on the national scene:

Bandon Dunes is getting cancellations but also remaining open.

Brian Napier on Missouri courses largely remaining open.

The City of San Diego has closed Torrey Pines, Balboa Park and Mission Bay until further notice, Tom Krasovic reports. He reports on other greater San Diego area courses remaining open.

Santa Barbara area courses, also closed reports Barry Punzal.

Trump National Los Angeles, like all privately operated courses in the region, is closed.

The City of LA courses were open and thriving reports Dakota Smith.

Closer to home, clubs and courses in Westchester County remain open (or are allowed to be open), most notably the six county public courses.  By contrast, we were informed Saturday that Fairview is required to close by virtue of the Connecticut governor's lockdown order.

Frustrating, of course, but also expected.  The mayhem, I mean, as of course golf is way down their priority lists, if there at all.  But there's much about this that seems to be overkill, and I do hope a little recalibration is in order as the days go by.

Folks continue to ruminate on whether golf is safe or not:

Is it safe to play because golf is an outdoor sport where you can keep your distance from others? 

WEATHERHEAD: “That is a very good question because we really are pushing for social distancing. It’s the most effective mechanism for slowing down transmission of the infection and hopefully eventually getting the infection under control. However we still want to encourage exercise and taking care of your physical health as well. We’ve been recommending individual exercising outdoors like walking or running or biking where you can still be outdoors but be alone and be practicing social distancing. 

Golf is very unique in that aspect in which of course you can be in a bit more wide-open space, you’re using theoretically your own equipment. And in those circumstances it’s probably going to be safe, although because we don’t know much about this virus, our understanding is constantly evolving. And as a result of that, our recommendations continue to change each day. 

“But there are aspects of golf that need to be put into consideration. That’s things like sharing equipment, being on golf carts together, using caddies. Any time there’s any interaction with somebody else, that would need to be avoided in those circumstances.”

Ms. Wethered is an assistant professor of infectious disease at Baylor University, though you'd think they could grab a full professor in these times....But the problems she lays out have all been addressed by clubs and course operators, and seem relatively manageable.  Of course, the key word there is relatively...

Here's a similar take:

“I think the challenge is golf in of itself is a game that does allow for social distancing in some ways, but there’s certainly times during the golf game such as transitioning to the clubhouse, using the bathrooms, teeing off where you are within that 6-feet (boundary). The big thing is figure out what you can do that allows you to distance socially that may augment your game later, whether that may be strength conditioning alone in your house, stretching, running, walking.”

Rest rooms?  Anyone having second thoughts about all those tree removal programs?  Here we've finally hit an upon a subject in which women truly are hardest hit, though it seems a reasonable tradeoff.

But the real point I want to make is that exercising at home is that humans have needs above and beyond exercise.  We have needs for fresh air and Vitamin D, and we also have needs for contract with our fellow human beings.  It's hard to discuss any of this without a better sense of duration...  We can all not leave our homes for a day or a week, but beyond that it gets tougher and tougher to contemplate.

This is a place where I think our leaders need to do better, even to the extent that they might err.  Because added to that list of things people need is hope, and that's scarcer than toilet paper right now.  And, as you're shutting the world down and denying folks their livelihoods, you might owe them a little more than "Stay tuned".

But I'd also like to suggest that we need to think through how we go from absolute zero social networks to small, controlled networks.  Of course I'm thinking foursomes there, but also just some minor relief to those that live alone.  I've got Employee No. 2 to talk me in from the ledge, but there's millions of folks that are alone, and that's not much of a life.  Cell phones and Zoom are good workarounds, but I keep coming back to the question of how long?

Golf.com stood up a Tour Confidential panel for our amusement.  Care for a taste?

1. No one can predict what the future holds, but if pro golf has the opportunity to resume in 2020 but without fans, would you want the majors and Ryder Cup conducted in such fashion? Or would you prefer to see this year’s majors scrapped entirely and start looking ahead to 2021? 

Sean Zak: I want pro golf as quickly as possible. (February Sean is shuddering at that admission.) Living here in New York, things have officially gotten very weird and I know people in similar scenarios could use something real to look forward to. It would be different to see those events played without fans but it would be nice to have something instead of nothing.

No fans would be weird, but the decision between no golf and golf without galleries seems rather clear cut, no?

This one could provoke a spit take, so please be careful out there:

Josh Sens: What? No jugheads yelling baba-booey? Where’s the joy in that? I’d be up for a fan-free version of three of the five: the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open. I’d rather wait on the Masters and the Ryder Cup, as they could be replicated in 2021. That’s unlikely for the others. I was speaking yesterday with someone involved with the PGA Championship. He said that if the event doesn’t get played at TPC Harding Park this year, that ship has sailed — San Francisco’s muni misses its chance. I’m not sure if the same would apply to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, but I assume so. As for the British Open? The 150th anniversary of that event is set for St. Andrews next year. No way they bump the calendar back to give Royal St. George’s its turn. Obviously, that’s not the case with Augusta, and I’d rather wait til spring and watch the real thing, not some off-brand autumn version. And the Ryder Cup without fans wouldn’t be the Ryder Cup.

Math remains hard.... well, somewhere on the spectrum between hard and racist....

Do we have a volunteer to explain to Josh that if they don't play at Royal St. Georges this year but do play at The Old Course next year, that event will not be the 150th Open Championship?  

Of course there will be no Ryder Cup, but the concept of a Ryder Cup without fans is delightfully bizarre....  Perhaps the only manner in which it would be stranger would be if it were the Bethpage iteration of the event, where the disconnect would be schadnefreudalicious.

Luke agrees with me:

Luke Kerr-Dineen: I’m not a medical expert and of course defer to those who are, but it seems a touch too early to make a call about the Ryder Cup. That said, a Ryder Cup without fans wouldn’t be a Ryder Cup worth having. I’m already on record saying they should push back all the majors to 2021, and if the choices are a 2020 Ryder Cup with no fans or a 2021 one with them, the Ryder Cup should join them. It wouldn’t even be that unprecedented. The 2001 Ryder Cup was played in 2002, lest not forget, out of respect for 9/11.

Respect, necessity?  Whatever....  I'm old enough to remember when diversity and inclusion were our strengths, but it's amusing to me the focus on this event.  It's only 24 players, and only Yanks and Euros, so while that makes it logistically easier, it should also be the lowest priority.  Plus the absence of a qualification season would make it weirder still.

Alan Shipnuck: I’m on board for anything we can squeeze in this year. Not having fans

would change the feeling but we all need something to watch, to write about and, most importantly, something to cheer for, so bring it on. 

Michael Bamberger: I’m with Alan. Something is better than nothing. We are adaptable creatures. 

Dylan Dethier: I’ll take any of these tournaments with or without fans, and as soon as we can (responsibly!) get them. The Masters should have fans, though. I’d wait extra for that.

Bit of a strange reaction from Dylan, methinks.   First and most obviously, I'm thinking that by October we'll be desperate for anything to watch...  But the choice would seem to be an October Masters or not, the assumption being that there will be a Masters in April 2021 in any event.  Would Dylan really deny himself the pleasure of patron less Masters in October?  I'm guessing that will be a lonely position to have staked out.

Of course, as you'll see in this deeper dive on October in Augusta, Dylan isn't fully committed:

2. The golf world is buzzing about the possibility of an October Masters. What would be the pros and cons of holding golf’s annual rite of spring in the fall? 

Zak: Right now, the only pro I care about is the one I mentioned above: some golf is better than no golf. It goes without saying that we’re following the assumption of proper health standards here, and if that’s the case it’d be a great treat to see that course played during a different season. 

Sens: Pros: It would be the Masters. Cons: Except not really. 

Kerr-Dineen: I’m sure there are larger business interests behind the scenes dictating this October Masters movement, but I’m not really into it. I mean look, I’m with Sean. I miss pro golf. I miss normalcy. I will take whatever I can get with a royal smile on my face. But I’d rather Augusta National host some kind of joint event (which there is precedent for, considering the course once wanted to host the Olympics), rather than an official “Masters” in October, which is so synonymous with springtime. 

Shipnuck: It would be awesome to see Augusta National with the fall foliage. Some amateur agronomists out there say in the fall the course wouldn’t be quite as firm and fast as we all like but that’s the case at many Masters after it rains. 

Bamberger: We’re about due for some good luck. Yes to the fall Masters, and if the course is firm and fast that would be a nice bonus. 

Dethier: Now that I’ve been home in Massachusetts for a week, I feel comfortable saying that a fall Masters would be wicked fun! It’s not like we’re giving up next year’s Masters in the process — there are really no cons whatsoever. If the choice is between no Masters and a fall Masters, I know where I’m going.

Of course it's not clear that you're literally going there, but still... But Luke is whistling Dixie on a joint event, as any event held that ANGC will be a Masters.  Not that there's anything wrong with that...

But the obvious reason to focus on a Masters is that it's the one that can actually happen.  Each of the others has obvious venue issues, which only get more difficult as the weeks pass.  But the poobahs at ANGC can do whatever they want, and can actually pull this off.  So let's put this on the calendar... yeah, it's a bit out there on the horizon, but's that hope bit I noted above.

I can only hope I live long enough to understand this fetish over Olympic Golf:

3. The Official World Golf Ranking and the Rolex Rankings have halted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The OWGR, which shapes the Olympic rankings and, eventually, the roster, runs on a two-year cycle with older results diminishing in value as the calendar moves along. This news means golf’s lineups for the 2020 Tokyo Games, if they still happen, is getting closer to being finalized (qualifying ends in June). Which players are the winners and losers due to the rankings pause? 

Zak: Well, the qualifying is tightest between Americans Nos. 3, 4 and 5. That’s Patrick Reed, Patrick Cantlay and Webb Simpson. I don’t really pity any of them in their Olympic hopes. Rather I pity the next rung of guys, maybe Nos. 20-30 in the OWGR, whose opportunities were just cut in half. Of course, the IOC might just make this all moot with a postponement of the Games. 

Sens: With the Olympics in jeopardy, my sympathy goes out more to players from other countries who aren’t earning a living on any major tours and might become one of those Cinderella stories that make the Games so great. 

Kerr-Dineen: World No. 21 Tyrrell Hatton is a perfect example of this. Hatton was putting together a career year before the season paused. He could make a serious case that he was trending to overtake World No. 14 Justin Rose to represent Great Britain at the Olympics. But now, because of circumstances so unusual and outside of everybody’s control, he almost certainly won’t. If the Olympics still goes ahead, the selection process will end up being unfair on some. There’s no way around it, and it’s terribly unfortunate. But we’re just all going to have to be OK with it. 

Shipnuck: It’s hard to imagine the Games won’t be postponed. The most important development there is it gives Tiger time to get his body and game right so he can make a big push to Tokyo. His presence can be a game-changer for Olympic golf and I’m rooting hard for him to make it. 

Bamberger: I agree with Alan. I know the logistics are incredibly complex, but I can see the Summer Games in the summer of 2021, but not 2020. 

Dethier: If, say, our next event is the Olympics, there’s no question Hatton would be the biggest loser. One spot outside the top 20, which would guarantee him passage?! Brutal. Biggest winner would be Cantlay, who is clinging to a .02 (read: small) lead over Webb Simpson for the final American spot. The least affected player would be Dustin Johnson.

Le Sigh!  As an aside, I found this funny:

Folks arguing over a competition that excludes the 21st ranking player in the world?  Doesn't that, you know, make the competition not worth arguing over?

Of course, Shipnuck gets a lifetime achievement award in this category.  In the current instance he's over the moon that the delay will give Tiger time to recover, though of course this iconic competition doesn't have room for Tiger....

And this on a subject on which I've previously opined:

6. If you are looking for some of the best golf movies you can stream at home, our recent list has you covered. In your mind, what’s the best golf movie ever made? And what’s the most overrated? 

Zak: Tin Cup is the best because it’s the most realistic. It really seems to understand the game in a serious way, while most of the others that are beloved are most strictly comedies. As for overrated, I guess Happy Gilmore is probably atop that list. I love the movie for its frivolity, but it’s so damn unrealistic that it’s probably a bit overrated as a golf product. 

Sens: Sorry, but golf movies stink. [Ducks and braces for social media blowback.] At least, I’ve never seen a very good one. Tin Cup is bearable, if you’re stuck on an airplane or in virus quarantine. Happy Gilmore has about one Saturday Night Live skit’s worth of humor. There are some glacially paced golf movies set in gauzy Robert Redford-esque lighting that will put you to sleep in about 10 minutes, or make you queasy from the schmaltz (see: The Legend of Bagger Vance). And a few old-timey ones, like Pat and Mike, that are watchable if you’re into Hollywood nostalgia. Caddyshack is the best of the bunch, but it’s not really a golf movie. It’s a movie about social class (and getting stoned and struck by lightning). As grandma used to say, “Do yourself a favor and read a book.”

Obviously I'm more aligned with Mr. Sens than Mr. Zak, though the concept of Tin Cup being realistic is quite amusing...  Peter Jacobson winning a U.S. Open?  C'mon, even in Hollywood that's quite the stretch....

Tin Cup is quite fine as far as things go, but it always felt like a poor man's Bull Durham for obvious reasons... But we've all seen it a thousand times thanks to Golf Channel, so it's not an especially helpful suggestion in the current moment.  As the man said, read a book.

Need something to read?  This is a sad (but obviously a different kind of sad) story:

Brad Faxon saved his childhood club. Members are now suing him for fraud. The curious case of Metacomet Golf Club

Of course our clubs will be under tremendous stress in the coming months.... at a time when the members themselves are on a knife's edge as well....

Glad to see this:

There's golf still to be played at St. Andrews, but a pint in the pub is out of the question

Not even a lady's pint?  Not sure I want to live in a world with The Dunvegan and Jigger closed....  

This one for sure caught my eye:

In Florida, Sawgrass Country Club member tests positive for coronavirus

They're obviously tracing folks who might have been at the club when he was....  Left unsaid was whether he attended Thursday at The Players..... Also, with a nod to Shipnuck, please tell me he skipped that infamous Chainsmokers concert.

Fun with lists... LKD posts a list of his ten favorite golf courses on the planet, and it's amusingly quirky:

10. Spyglass Hill

9. Bethpage Black

8. Colleton River — Dye

7. Oakmont

6. Winged Foot — West

5. Kiawah Island — Ocean

4. Olympic Club

3. Royal Porthcawl

2. Riviera Country Club

1. Cypress Point

I assume that Luke is a very good player, but if you were asked to name the ten hardest golf courses in the world you'd end up with much overlap.  What we call playability seems in short supply.

Also odd to have only one links on the list, and an off-the-beaten-track one at that....  It's more typical, I think, to either have many or none....

Porthcawl, the best known of the fine collection of links in Wales, is a wonderful track, and a place the bride and I had some fun back in 2017.  For those who weren't on the journey then or just need something amusing to read, this is my account of that delightful day.  Don't miss the video at the end, something the bride and I still chortle over....

I'll leave you good folks there for now, and we'll catch up soon.

Covid Thursday

NOTE TO READERS: This post was written yesterday morning, but not published as my attention span approached zero.  Sorry, I'll scroll through it and maybe add a thing r tow, but please excuse any continuity issues.

I wasn't going to blog today, but what the heck...  What else am I going to do.

I got an e-mail from Elsie and John Coupland in the Scottish Highlands.  They had been up to play at Tain, and made the point that all seemed well with the world on a beautiful day on the golf course.  The bride and I had a similar experience yesterday at Fairview, as I played a few holes with just a 6-iron....  The most notable part for us was the shear volume of work on the golf course....  The completion of our massive winter bunker work (also including some drainage work), but also the normal Spring work of cutting grass and rolling greens.

Of course, it's hard to keep the dark thoughts out, in that way it's just like golf itself.  

Golf Digest gearhead E. Michael Johnson has this interesting take on things:

How golf clubs are adjusting (and readjusting) to find a role amid coronavirus crisis

He gets off on what to me is a wrong foot:

Like most businesses during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, golf clubs are trying to figure out how to maintain elements of their operation while still protecting the safety of their employees and members. As a board member and a past president of a small private club in Connecticut, I’ve been a part of a series of conversations and decisions that underscore how complicated that balance is, and how quickly things can change.

I'm not looking to be snarky here, as I'm quite happy that he wrote the piece.  But the comparison to businesses that support people's live is just so obviously of topic.  A member-owned club is quite the different animal, and I've been devoting some thought to the pressures that our Board and President face in trying to maintain golf operations.

After consulting with our staff management team and other clubs in the area, our initial communique last Friday was that the golf course and range would be open and we would have limited dining. The new golf simulator we installed in the clubhouse would be shut

down. Carts would be available (and be heavily sanitized), but in understanding that many members would not feel comfortable riding, we waived the “trail fee” (a charge for walking) that we normally employ on weekend mornings. We encouraged members to take their clubs and shoes with them to reduce the number of “touches.” We told people not to shake hands but rather offer a wave.

At the time, this felt appropriate, sensible and safe. It also seemed a reasonable way to allow our members to enjoy the club during what is an unsettling time. Little did we know that less than 24 hours later we would be sending a follow-up note to the membership informing them dining and bar service would be suspended and in the clubhouse, only the locker rooms would be open. In order to keep on some hourly staff, we offered take-out food orders with curbside pickup. Drive out and your order would be placed in your car by a member of the wait staff wearing gloves.

That gets at the tension between keeping everyone safe and recognizing the important role that the club can play for its members.  But where do you draw the line?  Absolute safety is available only if you shut everything down, and the stewards of our clubs will be under a lot of pressure to ensure safety....  Of course, they're fellow golf addicts, and they know that they need an outlet during this time just as we all do.... 

Mike has this on the club's policies as of now:

According to the National Club Association, 40 percent of its clubs have indicated moderate modifications as a result of the coronavirus, approximately 25 percent have indicated “a lot” (such as canceling all events) and nearly 20 percent have closed their facilities. Only 1 to 2 percent indicate they have made no modifications. A recent online town hall drew more than 2,000 people to hear experts in the medical and club fields while also collecting data on what many clubs are doing. 

No doubt you're asking about the nature of these measures.  Mike has specifics on a number of clubs, but this is the one drawing the most notice:

Other clubs have come up with some creative ideas worthy of consideration. Shorehaven Golf Club in Connecticut and Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, No. 139 on our last Second 100 Greatest ranking, are taking the additional step of raising cups slightly above the putting surface and deeming any putt to hit the cup as holed to eliminate the need to touch the cup or flagstick.

Egads, have we all gone mad?  Of course, if this is what it takes to get our Board to allow us to keep playing, I'd sign on in a heartbeat.

This one, though, has me baffled:

Out west, Haggin Oaks in Sacramento is dealing with a mandate that anyone 65 and older must self-quarantine. According to Ken Morton Jr., 40 percent of his facilities’ staff is in that category, including entire departments like carts and course marshals. Morton says the facilities will shorten retail-store hours to help shift some of its staff in the stores to help cover shifts elsewhere.

Huh?  Self-quarantine is for those that might infect others....  Obviously there's a ton of over-reaction to be found, but why not emulate Whole Foods and allocated the first hour of tee times to the elderly?

Geoff play aggregator-in-chief as he's wont to do, including this Martin Dempster encouragement:

It has built-in “social distancing”. Rarely do you ever find yourself crowded or with someone in your face on the golf course. And, of course, the maximum number of players you can have in a group is four.

To me, it has to be one of the safest places anyone could be at the moment and, by the sounds of things, the medical experts are of the same opinion. “You’re not in contact with a whole lot of other people,” Dr Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston told golfdigest.com.

“Sunlight and other environmental conditions can kill viruses like this, so it is probable that that is true for this novel coronavirus, as well. So I would say in the actual 
playing of golf, you’re not at much risk.”

Having solved the pin issue, bunker rakes now seem to be the Achilles Heel.  ironic, no, since many insufferable purists (such as your humble blogger) have long thought that they're too manicured and easy to play from.  Win-win, Baby!

Alistair Tait, however, has done a sudden U-turn:

I won’t be signing the petition even though I sympathise with the sentiments in the petition. I’ve grown increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of going to the golf club despite the fact we only play in four balls and the guys I play with would adhere to government and club guidelines.

None of us really knows how this virus works. For all I know, I could be a carrying the virus and could pass it on even if I was practising all the guidelines. The last thing I’d want to do is spread the disease to friends. That risk, however remote, is just not worth it.

I think this is the dilemma we all face, and props to Alistair for taking a stand.  Though it's hard to talk through without a sense of duration.

But there's a counter-argument worth considering as well.  The concern most of us have is that we're closing the U.S. down in reaction to the virus, but when the marshals sound the all-clear, will anything be left?  Restaurants are all closed, but how many do we think will re-open?

I e-mailed our club president the other day on caddies, as a for instance, to let him know that I was willing to take the risk to support our caddies.  The point I wanted to make was that, if we send the caddies home, we'll probably never again have a caddie program (or it'll be a shell of its former self).  I wanted him to know that to me that's a risk worth assuming, but he of course (as I acknowledged) has hundreds of such opinions to absorb and somehow reconcile.  Quite the impossible position for sure.

Brendan Porath makes this good point as well:

Golf may be a lower-risk activity for people looking for a break from total isolation or social distancing. But there is still an element of shared space and public interaction. Most importantly, as the Augusta chairman noted, there are the staffs required to run and maintain a golf course and a clubhouse, whether it be some gaudy private complex or a spartan public shack. As the pandemic evolves and likely escalates in the United States, courses, both public and private, will face the decision of shutting down an outdoor “low-risk” operation.

Of course no one is denying this important fact, but rather are describing our game as relatively safe.

But I am wrong in thinking that this from Augusta National will be widely misunderstood?

“Beginning today, we are taking the necessary steps to curtail our operations so, by the end of this week, the Club will be closed until further notice,” Ridley’s letter states. “We intend to maintain our properties with limited personnel on site, and we will support our many other functions by working remotely where possible. But this is about much more than business continuity. This is about our employees, and the foundation of this decision is built-in upon keeping everyone safe while preserving the financial stability of those we care about most.”

 Of course ANGC will close, but that tells the rest of us nothing useful.  First and foremost, they were going to close in a very few weeks anyway.  Perhaps more importantly, it's a non-resident club at a time when no one is traveling... Duh!  Plus, they are no doubt willing and able to pay their employees without a revenue stream, a position with which the rest of the world is unfamiliar.

In Geoff's piece he had a thought which I found a complete misfire:

As parts of the world shut down to stave off the coronavirus spread, there is uncomfortable and all-first world question of whether to play golf?

We know the pluses: humans still need fresh air and exercise, they need to get out of the house but not gather in large groups, and they need to do something they love for general sanity purposes.

The minuses are largely of perception: does it look wrong? Is it bad to be out gallivanting around the links as thousands are infected, hospitals face a looming crisis and the economy craters? Why should golf course workers be forced to keep going while so many safely stay home?

Geez, Geoff, that's as bad as Mike Bamberger's bit that I called him out on yesterday.  As I was walking our course yesterday, the thought as I saw our greens staff is that these guys are relatively lucky.  First and foremost, they still have their gigs and are still getting paid.  Kind of a biggie, no?

But they also have outdoor jobs when the rest of the world is going stir crazy?  But to think the continuance of their employment is somehow unfair to them is pretty out of touch...  Do they take risks coming to work?  Of course, just like we do foraging for food and toilet paper.  But I'm guessing there won't be much voluntary turnover on greens staffs this summer.  Anyone care to take that bet?

But can we all at least agree to stop caring how things look?  I know, who am I kidding....

Need some frivolity?  How about a Leo Boniface trick shot?  Don't try this at the swing monitor, kids, though maybe it's good that your swing rooms have all been shut down.

Then there's this lego version of ANGC's 12th hole:

That sound you hear is Frankie Molinari screaming, Too soon."  Or is that Brooks?

Manna From Heaven - This is a Friday morning addition, in which I ponder what you need most?  Toilet paper security?  To be able to hug your grandchild?  Alas, this isn't really about you... I just received that which I need most, a corona virus edition of Alan Shipnuck's mailbag.  I've only read the first item, but I'm thinking it will take our mind off things:

Which pro golfer is least likely to wash their hands properly? @alexthomascnn 

J.B. Holmes.

Is there a backstory here, or just a general impression?  I'm more concerned that he's hog the sink with his typical indecisiveness.... And of course he wouldn't have his glove on when it's his turn.

If you had to be quarantined in one clubhouse which one would it be? You have access to all the facilities and can order from any menu. @Flip_Hamburglar 

National Golf Links. Incredible views from the back patio, shower heads the size of a manhole cover that produce so much flow you can drown, and when you sit down to dine, instead of a basket of bread they bring you a whole lobster.

Don't forget the mac and cheese and creamed corn....

But, sad news from Planet Scott.  For reasons having nothing to do with current events, I found out yesterday that I've probably lost my access to that iconic venue.  Le Sigh!.

Just cancelled our buddy trip to Bandon for this Sunday, that we booked 10 months ago. Should I cry for the full day? Or just until my wife and kids gets home and might see me? #askalan @mjcostel27 

I’d still be crying! And you should definitely let your wife and kids see a few tears — they need to know just what a big deal this is. My annual dudes trip to Bandon is set for October and I’m already nervous. Can’t even imagine the pain you’re feeling. Hang in there.

We need those events on our horizon to which we can look forward, because w ehave to think w ecan get back to normal after.  

#AskAlan Will there be majors and Olympic golf in 2020? @TheTexasSteve 

It’s not looking great at the moment. An autumn Masters would be delicious and is probably the most likely of the big events to actually get played, because the infrastructure is already in place and the weather would be nice. But how are we going to cram three more majors and the Games after that? Long Island, Tokyo and England aren’t exactly toasty in November. (San Francisco, though, usually has great weather during the Indian summer in October-November.) But making predictions at this point is folly, because there is so much uncertainty that lies ahead.

Long Island?  Umm, Alan, you're supposed to know a little about golf geography, but Winged Foot is actually less favorably situated, not that geography means very much right now.

Alan, what PGA golfer’s game will be affected the most by a prolonged tournament schedule delay? I think anyone nursing injuries will benefit. I will say Bryson because I think his mind works overtime and without the competition it will stress him out. Thanks. #AskAlan @forearmshivers 

I fear that Bryson is going to return to work looking like William (The Fridge) Perry. Sungjae is probably the one most negatively affected because he was on such a heater … and has nowhere to live at the moment. Meanwhile, Tiger and Brooks should benefit most from this delayed offseason. Both looked like they were playing hurt and their games were rather raggedy, so they now have time to get healthy and hit the reset button.

The Fridge isn't bad, but it took a pandemic to get Sungjae to take a week off....

#askalan Okay, so this situation is pretty lame overall, but would you agree that it might be a great time to not only reconnect with the family but start teaching the kiddos golf? What is better than being together outside, away from people, getting exercise, enjoying nature?? @JSwinging 

Absolutely nothing! I love this idea and you have my full support. Here’s hoping your local courses do the right thing and stay open. We’ve never needed golf more.

I've been thinking through how this might change the game as we play it.   For instance, I'm not sure at this point that we'll ever have caddie programs again.  Perhaps that's overly pessimistic and I'm certainly expecting incoming, but I've long believed that summer caddying was a great job for young kids.  It puts them in contact with successful adults, and the process of making the customer satisfied is a great life lesson....On the other hand, I'm probably going to order push carts for the bride and myself.

Happy Gilmore, Tin Cup, Caddyshack, Greatest Game Ever Played, Bagger Vance…what’s the greatest golf movie out there? What others would you recommend for some bingeing? @GolfLover67 

Caddyshack is in a league of its own, but I have to say Tin Cup is my fave. The writing is so clever and the Tour player cameos never fail to amuse. You should definitely check out Follow The Sun, which is certainly cheesy but the Hogan story remains irresistible.

You know what the best golf movie of all time is?  Got you, it's a trick question, there isn't one.  Oh, Tin Cup is OK, but let's not forget the extent to which Golf Channel used that and the short list of nominees to fill the long dead zones in their programming schedules.

The better question I think is golf reading....this Golf Digest piece offers some suggestions you might consider:

The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever 

By Mark Frost 

A co-creator of the early '90s hit television series Twin Peaks, Frost is also an avid golfer who has written three books on the game. This one recounts a match conjured up when a wealthy businessman, Eddie Lowery (better known for having caddied for Francis Ouimet in the 2010 U.S. Open), who was willing to wager that two amateurs who worked for him, Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward, could beat any two players in the world. Another wealthy man stepped up with Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the match took place at the Cypress Point Club.

All three of Frost's books are worth your time, as each uses the subject matter to offer a history of that time in our game.  I'd start with The Greatest Game Ever Played, both because it's an earlier inflection point and the more important event.  

Also, as much as I enjoyed The Match, I've always had trouble getting past that overwrought subtitle.  There were changes afoot in the game and in the world, and Frost cleverly uses this trifle of an event to capture those changes.  But this match didn't change anything itself, if for no other reason that only a handful of people knew about it.

Here's one of special import to the bride and me:

A Season in Dornoch: Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands 

By Lorne Rubenstein 

An acclaimed Canadian golf writer, Lorne Rubenstein, spent a summer in the village of Dornoch in Northern Scotland, home to the renowned Royal Dornoch Golf Club. This is his account of the golf and the quirky assortment of people he encountered, including American Don Greenberg, a former sportswriter (and a former colleague of mine), who at the same time was a member of Royal Dornoch and a caddie there.

Not only did Lorne's book serve as our template for our planned Season in Ballyliffin Crail, But Don Greenberg caddied for me in 2001.  Amusingly, he most likely got my bag because they assumed I was that other Scott Simpson.

The Making of the Masters: Clifford Roberts, Augusta National, and Golf's Most Prestigious Tournament 

By David Owen 

A list of books a few weeks before the Masters would have been played would be incomplete without a book on the Masters. Hard to beat this one by David Owen, a New Yorker writer and a Golf Digest contributor, who was given access to Augusta National’s archives, a treasure trove unavailable to anyone else.

It will amaze you how little you know about the development of the signature event in our game.  In contrast to that Mark frost subtitle, the relative importance that David places on Clifford Roberts is entirely appropriate.  The most feared man in golf until has tragic death, but you'll come away with begrudging respect for a far more nuanced man.

This seems perfect for the times:

Dead Solid Perfect 

By Dan Jenkins 

In these somber times, an infusion of humor is a blessed intrusion, and the late Jenkins has provided it in this timeless fictional account of life on the PGA Tour, culminating with “the 87th Open Championship of the United States Golf Association” at Heavenly Pines. It is bawdy, to be sure, and politically incorrect on many levels (“a good 1-iron shot is about as easy to come by as an understanding wife”), but it is laugh-out-loud funny, even on a 10th reading.

Dan Jenkins?  Hell Yeah!

A decent list, to which I would add Tommy's Honour, covering the beginning of professional golf in Scotland in the back half of the nineteenth century.

Speaking of the ‘89 Masters [which you commented on for Golf.com’s Pod Unlike Any Other], where does the Hoch miss rank as the single worst shot ever? I give it #1 place for greatest golf gaffes. Better than van de Velde. Number 1, baby! @JoeGunter

Van de Velde is an unbeatable bit of slapstick, and Hoch’s miss is savage, but I think Doug Sander at the 1970 Open Championship tops them both. He had 3 feet to slay Nicklaus at the Old Course and he blew it! What a nightmare.

Nailed it.  That Sanders video is the most painful bit I've watched in golf...  that bit where he reaches down to move a loose impediment touches something deep in me, and not in a good way.  On the positive side, he's the only professional golfer in recorded history to miss a shortie and not tamp down an imaginary spike mark...

As mere coincidence seems highly improbable, to what do you attribute the serendipitous timing of Rahm and Koepka’s twin repudiations of the PGL? @Lou_TireWorld 

Brooks is clearly enjoying his new role as one of golf’s truth tellers. Once Rory staked out his position I’m sure Koepka was quite eager to put himself on the right side of history. And as soon as the two best players in the world said no the PGL was effectively kaput, so the likes of Rahm might as well weigh in, too, because there is no longer any risk in doing so. I love conspiracy theories but I think these players came to their own conclusions, not that it was very hard — the PGL was always a lame idea with untoward financing. I’m glad it will now be going away.

Alan is ignoring that fact that, in a world without professional golf, even Saudis aren't stupid enough to try to start a new league.  So, yeah, they asserted their fealty to Ponte Vedra Beach when there was no cost to do so but, then again, Jay's having a bad week:

#askalan Post-covid19, will the world of pro golf be irrevocably different? How? @GolfJoss 

I don’t think much will change. We’ll probably see wider corridors from green to tee so players can get around without fans reaching out and touching them. Phil may sign fewer autographs. The big shift will be no more Chainsmokers concerts.

Alan might have gone over the line on milking that concert....  Nah, Jay has it coming.

#AskAlan Was out for a game on Sunday with my boy. Left myself 6-footer for par on the last. As the light from the setting sun wrapped us in its warm embrace, it struck me that it could be the last par putt I ever have. Left it a foot short. Should I snap the putter? @TheSecretDuffer 

Haha, I feel your pain. But spare the putter! You’re gonna need it to kill time by putting on the living room carpet while you shelter in place for the next five months.

At least you didn't lay-up like JB...

 But what do I do with Alan with crap like this:

If only one male major is allowed to take place in 2020, which should it be?? @jcorrigangolf 

The Olympics.

Really...you're picking the event that has a place for Rory Sabbatini but none for Tiger?  

Which non-major tournament would you miss the most if it doesn’t get played this year? Related: Which Tour stop needs its tournament the most for local economy? Could make a case for Austin with loss of SXSW, or Quad Cities if Deere doesn’t get played. @jwfickett 

I’ll miss the Match Play and New Orleans the most, because I’m a sucker for anything that isn’t 72 holes of stroke play. As for the economic impact, that’s a sad part of this whole deal, because so many communities are going to be negatively impacted. From a pure dollars standpoint, losing the Masters would be devastating to Augusta on an order of magnitude greater than anything another community will feel.

 New Orleans and Austin, duh!  But are you aware that Olympic Golf is, you know, 72 holes of dreaded stroke play.

The Monday of Masters week Fred Ridley calls you and offers you a spot in the field. If you take it, you’ll forever be remembered as the asshole who shot 130 and ruined a great week for literally everyone… but you get to compete in the Masters. Would you accept? @NaderBaajwa 

Not a chance in H-E-double hockey sticks. I wouldn’t even play a practice round or the Par-3 because it would be utterly mortifying to have my game crumble in front of the world.

Then that's what I'll dream of. Alan, until you get off your Olympic hobby horse.

Be safe and have a great weekend. 

Golf In The Time of Corona

I started this post late yesterday, so there's a chance of continuity errors that I'll ask you to understand.  

By the way, I'm assuming everyone gets the Gabriel García Márquez reference in the recurring header....Does my repeated use of that bit require me to actually read the book... Nah, seems more a time for mysteries and thrillers.

So, the hits keep on coming:

PGA Championship postponed due to coronavirus outbreak

What, suddenly August sounds great?  Tough break, kid, we're required by law to pretend that the FedEx Cup is important that month.  No doubt they covert September in their heart of hearts but, you know, that's the Safeway....

The PGA Championship has come off the clock. With all eyes on golf’s second major in an uncertain climate created by a coronavirus outbreak, the PGA of America announced

on Tuesday that it would postpone the event originally scheduled for May 14-17 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. 

The organization said it hoped to reschedule the event at TPC Harding Park later in the summer, and that it would remain in contact with the PGA Tour and the City of San Francisco to find the right date. 

“Throughout our evaluation process, we have been committed to following the guidance of public health authorities and given the coronavirus shelter-in-place order in effect in San Francisco, postponement is the best decision for all involved,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh.

Don't want to rain on Seth's parade, but San Francisco doesn't seem likely to be habitable until...well, why start now?

Perhaps as a result of arriving home, my thoughts turned to the U.S. Open in my back yard.  Hard to imagine, right, but maybe without spectators?  But then the long qualifying process seemed an impediment:

Local qualifying for the U.S. Open was set to begin on April 27 but the USGA announced Tuesday that it would cancel that stage of qualifying and look to redesign the qualifying process going forward as events unfold. 

The USGA will continue to hold open the U.S. Open competition dates, however.

I think the qualification process is just great, but of course that's unnecessarily putting folks at risk with little chance in the big event.  An easy sacrifice to make, at least from where I sit.

But would you try to hold a U.S. Open if no golf has been played since that Magical Thursday at Sawgrass (is Hideki still the leader in the clubhouse?)?

The PGA Tour announced that it is canceling all tournaments through the PGA Championship, which was expected to be played May 14-17, due to concerns with the coronavirus. 

The decision means that the following tournaments now have been called off: the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina; Zurich Classic of New Orleans; Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte; and AT&T Byron Nelson Championship in Dallas.

On an amusing note, so much for a last awkward week at Trinity Forest.  Thank God all will be back to normal for the triumphant return to Las Colinas....Egads, haven't we suffered enough?

Things are coming together nicely for the folks at Golf Magazine....  The world is just realizing the value of telecommuting, and it just so happens they've been doing that for years in their Sunday night Tour Confidential roundtable:

1. The PGA Tour and Augusta National Golf Club joined a host of other sports organizations last week in either canceling or postponing events due to the coronavirus. The Tour announced Thursday that it was canceling the remainder of the Players Championship and the next three tournaments, and on Friday, the Augusta National Golf Club said it was postponing the Masters. What will be the biggest impact of the Tour/Masters layoff? 

Sean Zak: Hmmm. Tough question to answer because so many industries are affected, but I’ll say the lesser-paid factions of professional golf could be greatly impacted. If this layoff extends beyond the initial announcement (and I think that is very reasonable to expect), people like LPGA Tour players, Korn Ferry players, Ladies European Tour players, etc., will potentially look for other means of income. It’d be like they’re all in a missed-cut drought, and it’s not up to them to play their way out of it. 

Josh Sens: Right. The impact will be felt most when you get beyond the Tour stars to the third and fourth degrees of separation. Not just the lesser lights and the other circuits. The charities that benefit from the events. The local businesses that see a boost every time the Tour comes through town. Hotels. Caterers. Event planners and on. As Clarence tells George Bailey in that Christmas classic — each life touches so many others.

I have to confess, I didn't see the George Bailey reference coming.  I only question is whether he might regret using it so...well, early.

Of course, there's one eejit in every crowd:

Dylan Dethier: Well put by all of the above. I’m feeling glum, so let’s think of the tiniest sliver of silver lining: On some future day when this starts to slow down, we’ll have golf to look forward to. We may even have Olympic golf, and a tiny hope of a fall Masters. Golf will matter again then, and dang will we be excited for its return.

Players: Cancelled.  Masters: Postponed.  PGA Championship: Postponed.  U.S. Open and Open Championship: Highly Unlikely.  But look, there's Olympic Golf....  Cheer up, it's a remarkable facsimile of the real thing except, you know, for the actual golfers....

But about that Fall Masters?

2. It’s important to note that Augusta National has only postponed the Masters, not canceled it. How likely is it that we’ll see a Masters in 2020, and if it is played this year, what would be the most likely dates for the event? 

To make an obvious point, we can't know yet whether that distinction comes with a real world difference... 

Zak: I’ll lead off with the most obvious and optimistic answer. Yes, it will be played this year, and mid-October. Two weeks after the Ryder Cup. As many people know, the course is typically not open during the summer due to the hot southern climate. So give the overlords at Augusta the month of September to prep the course and give us that fall Masters. It’d be a memorable one. 

Sens: Autumn in Augusta. Talk about an off-brand Masters, like baseball holding the fall classic in spring. I’ve been wrong a million times before, but I predict the next Masters we watch will be spring of 2021. I hope the show can find a way to go on, especially for a local economy that depends so much on the tournament. But I think the uncertainty of the current climate — combined with the flat-out weirdness of a Masters late in the calendar year — will conspire to push things back to the traditional spring date. I’m surprised no one has been pushing the conspiracy that this is all a hoax to give Tiger more time to rest his back. 

Shipnuck: I hope Zak is right. October feels like best-case. But if you look at all those charts of infection rates, we could still be dealing with this in the late summer, which is when ANGC would have to be mobilizing, so that might be too soon to make a call. Would the green jackets want a Masters in November and then another in April? That would feel a little weird. 

Dethier: Like Shipnuck, I’m stuck in between Zak’s optimism and Sens’ realism. It feels like a 40 percent chance we have some sort of Masters this calendar year. But damn, I’d sign up for fall foliage at Amen Corner. 

Bamberger: I fully believe we will have an autumn Masters, and it will be different and wonderful.

My answer to Alan's fine speculation is that this shouldn't be about them... But I wonder how this feels to them.  It's always been an odd feature of our game's governance that a little club in Northern Georgia has such outsized influence.  Why I'm old enough to remember when folks thought this one club was going to defy the USGA on equipment...

But being serious for a moment, I wonder how this all feels to the green jackets.  I would certainly hope that they see the opportunity to enhance their image and help their fellow citizens as well as the game, a short turnaround Masters be damned.... Of course, folks there still look over their shoulders for the ghost of Clifford Roberts.

And, I'm not saying it's aliens, but...

However, reporting says Augusta National has their Masters contingency dates in the month of October. When specifically the Masters could be played October isn't certain, but some Augusta-area hotels are now dramatically hiking their rates from October 4-12 with the assumption that the 2020 Masters would be played from Oct. 8-11. 

A search of Priceline notes several hotels in the area hiking rates dramatically, going up from the $70-$110 per night range into the $300s, $400s, $500s and even $600s per night. There's even a Fairfield Inn charging nearly $1,000 per night. In the northern portion of Augusta, in particular, hotels are taking a guess that the Masters will be played this week.

If only there were some way to short those hotel rooms... Hey, I'm staring at some pretty nasty paper losses.

NOTE: Since the above was drafted, the poobahs seem to have confirmed their interest in an October date.  Apparently ESPN's Bob Harig had it first, though I've also heard that the rumor goes back to LPGA player Marina Alix, who for some reason had a hotel reservation in Augusta for the October time frame....  

3. In a span of about 24 hours, the PGA Tour decided to play the Players, decided to play without fans and decided to cancel it altogether. How do you think the Tour and commissioner Jay Monahan handled things?

Well, my feelings are a matter of public record...

Zak: Let me start by saying I do envy not the position Monahan was put in, but he and the Tour definitely bungled the decision-making process. It was a quick one, and with dominos falling every 30 minutes, but where Monahan lost me quickest was his incessant use of certain excuses to keep the Players Championship moving forward while all other sporting events stopped: 

“My children went to school this morning.” 

“Disney World is still open.” 

“Our playing fields are more than 400 acres.” 

I’m paraphrasing all those, but that’s what Monahan said, repeatedly. By comparison, LPGA commissioner Mike Whan — who took four hours longer to take action — came out and said, “Yeah, we can probably play … but can I live with it if I’m wrong?” 

He had hindsight of many reactions prior to that statement, but damn, did it feel like the right one.

Sean, you left out the Task Force that he turned into a business unit....  that seemed to be the default mantra.  I can't see where he could have looked less decisive, and he exposed the Tour to some pretty serious recriminations if any cases come out.

But the exit question would be, does this hurt him in any way.  I get that he's great with the glad-handing of sponsors and networks, but in the glare of the lights he revealed himself as Chance the Gardner....Was anyone paying attention?

By the way, it's not like that was the only harsh review:

Sens: It came off as another case of golf getting lost in its often exaggerated sense of its own exceptionalism. We’re not like other sports. Non-contact. Wide-open spaces. Underlying some of the delay was the conviction that golf was just different. Which in the case of preventing a virus from spreading, it wasn’t. 

Shipnuck: That Chainsmokers concert is going to be Monahan’s Katrina. He had a chance to lead but seemed happier to follow.

It shocks me that, sitting on the coast of windy Florida, the man had no clue which way the wind was blowing.

Dethier: I still can’t believe a few of the things I saw on the ground last week. Wednesday, players were signing hundreds of autographs. Thursday, even as the Tour decided it was unsafe for fans to be on site the next month, fans were still streaming through the gates and congregating around No. 17. It was impossible to handle it perfectly — I certainly didn’t have a grip on it — but taking no steps to limit fan and player exposure was a big miss. 

Bamberger: I’m sympathetic to the struggles of the decision-making. A golf tournament is not a concert or an NBA game — or a commercial airline flight.

Excuse me, Mike, but I eagerly await your dissertation on the differences between a fan's ride from the parking lot on a shuttle bus and an airline flight...  Mike is a guy I like and respect, but the point of Jay's malfeasance is that he was indifferent to the risks to Joe Lunchbucket.

 Even Mike does well with this softball:

Golf fans are looking at a minimum of four more PGA Tour-less weekends. In lieu of watching golf, how would you suggest they spend their time? 

Zak: This is a layup for me! Season Two of A Pod Unlike Any Other begins Monday with Tom Watson’s riveting 1981 victory over Big Jack and Johnny Miller. We rewatch the final round of Masters broadcasts for you and break down the historical relevance, the kooky outfits, the underrated moments of failure, etc. It’s all in the purpose of loving the Masters, and right now it’s about all we’ve got.

Sens: Play more golf. Responsibly. Follow public health guidelines but get out there when you can do it safely. It’s good for the courses. And for your state of mind.

Shipnuck: Yeah, just leave the pin in and avoid handshakes and I think golf is a great option. Hopefully many/most courses will be able to stay open. Golf also has a long literary tradition so there are tons of good books out there to read. And a Pod Unlike Any Other is definitely a must. 

Dethier: For starters, order Michael Bamberger’s book “The Second Life of Tiger Woods.” But that’s not out until the end of the month — until then, I’d recommend catching up on more than a month’s worth of Muni Mondays! From a Phil Mickelson junior haunt to a product of the Great Depression to the best public par-3 course in the world, they are some of golf’s best goodness. Public golf: it’s where it’s at! 

Bamberger: Can’t tell you how much I agree with Dylan. So true, but did you not learn at Williams College or on your path there not to end sentences in prepositions? Play, read, watch. Walk, be outside. Turn off your screen. Work on your grip. Leave the pin in.

A grammar lesson is just so reliably on brand for Mike... as is the grip bit.... We took Mike's advice and went for a long walk on Willow Ridge today.  The walk was great, but seeing them cutting fairways and rolling greens was truly chicken soup for the soul... at least for mine.

Via Shack, here are all of the events that have been cancelled:

The Euro Tour has cancelled seven events as well.

These guys are hanging tough for the time being:

First it was the Masters postponing to a later date. 

Then the PGA Championship. 

But don’t add the Ryder Cup just yet. 

A report in The Telegraph on Tuesday said the Ryder Cup would be postponed to 2021. But the PGA of America said reports of postponement were inaccurate in a tweet posted to the official Ryder Cup account. 

While the PGA of America postponed the PGA Championship earlier in the day, and the PGA Tour announced four additional tournaments would be canceled, the biennial contest between the U.S. and Europe is still on the schedule for Sept. 25-27 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. 

The last time time the Ryder Cup was moved was in 2001, when the matches were postponed to 2002 following the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11.

It's quite amazing how this has turned our world upside down.  Not just the cancellations, but the curious existential challenges.  We all love the Ryder Cup, but can you hold one if you don't have a golf season during which to qualify the players.  Do we just resort to twelve captain's picks?

Plus, it would seem to me that the PGA Championship would be the higher priority...  We've seen this event deferred for a year, which instinctively seems the right call here.  To the extent that professional events can be played in the Fall, it would seem that we'd want to focus on events that accomodate more players....  Just spitballin' here.

The Way Forward - This has possibly been over-taken by facts on the ground, but LKD had an idea. An awful idea. He had a wonderful, awful idea.  Quick kids, where's that from?

Rather than adopting a wait-and-see approach, leaving each of the four remaining majors 

in an independent state of limbo, let’s learn from the the Greatest Generation, which overcame even greater obstacles. Let’s have the PGA Tour, Augusta National, PGA of America, USGA and R&A join together in a show of strength and unity by jointly calling off all the majors for this year — playing one without the others doesn’t feel fair or right — with a plan to reboot them in 2021. 

Instead of rushing through, at best, two majors, let’s come together for a single, unifying event — a one-time championship that would be recognized as a major, as the Hale America Open was. The tournament could be conducted in the fall, giving the governing bodies as much time as possible to pull it together, and played at an iconic venue that’s rooted in the game’s history. Augusta National, perhaps, or St. Andrews.

So.... From Many, One?  It might be taken, it just seems likely to be unused in the near term.

You'll quicky grasp that my interest in LKD's idea is because of the opportunity for a history lesson....  Hey I taught my Golf History class online before online learning was cool...

But before we get to the actual history, you'll note that there's a couple of howlers above.  For instance, Luke graciously includes the PGA Tour at this table (Shack's Five Families fits), but perhaps I could trouble him to remind us of which major the Tour controls?  

Of course the other bit is his ending...  A unified major held at Augusta National will be a Masters.  Sorry, Luke, it's just the way things are.

Time for a digression... I was on the phone with Bobby D. yesterday, discussing the events at Sawgrass last weekend.  As you know, one of my beefs with the Jaywalker is that had he made an immediate decision to play without spectators, perhaps the event could have finished and maybe we would have televised golf as a distraction.  Bob's reaction is that it wouldn't have looked right, selfishly playing on like the Titanic's orchestra.

It's a serious point for sure, though my immediate reaction is that exposing spectators to the risks of contagion seems, you know, a worse look....  And, as occurred to me later, you'd have to turn it into a charitable endeavor, with proceeds donated to appropriate charities (you could let the players choose their own charities for a portion of it).  Of course, the parallels to 1942 only go so far, but the concept of using the game for a higher purpose doesn't seem to have occurred to any of the games leadership.

So, how did that event turn out?

The event was held at Ridgemoor Country Club in Norwood Park Township, Cook

County, Illinois from June 18–21, 1942. The proceeds raised by the event benefitted the Navy Relief Society and the USO.[1][3] 

The tournament was won by Ben Hogan with a total score of 17-under-par 271, three strokes better than runner-up Jimmy Demaret.[1] Hogan received a gold medal and $1,200 in War Bonds for his win.[3]

As always with golf history, career records are hard to interpret in light of unusual circumstances:

Supporters of Ben Hogan and some golf historians maintain that this tournament should count as one of Hogan's major championships, since it was run just like the U.S. Open with more than 1,500 entries, local qualifying at 69 sites and sectional qualifying at most major cities. Additionally, all of the big names in golf who were not fighting the war were in the field

Our game has retroactively called the 1934 Augusta Invitational, with all of 72 players, a major.  But not this, which obviously seems more deserving....  Of course, there are folks that want it to be counted specifically as a U.S. Open, which would be Ben's fifth... a significant total.

That photo above comes from Geoff, and is reportedly the winner showing Boby Jones his scorecard, though exactly why Bobby Jones is dressed like Bill Murray I can't imagine....

Oh, That Premier League - Could their timing have been worse?  Just the thought of taking Saudi money seriously brings a big smile to my face.  Couldn't happen to nicer bunch of guys...

The latest, as if anyone cares any more:

Rory McIlroy was the first to speak out, first stating his position at the Genesis Invitational and backing it up in the weeks that followed. He enjoys the autonomy of life

on the PGA Tour, he said, and he didn’t like where the money was coming from. Brandel Chamblee seized particularly on the latter point. “I applaud the man,” he said, praising McIlroy while excoriating the league’s controversial sources of funding. 

Just days after Chamblee’s comments drew plenty of attention on Golf Channel, golf’s World No. 1 has some backup. 

“I am out of the PGL. I’m going with the PGA Tour,” World No. 3 Brooks Koepka told the Associated Press. “I have a hard time believing golf should be about just 48 players.”

“I think what I’m going to do is focus on just the PGA Tour,” World No. 2 Rahm added in remarks to Golfweek. “At the end of the day I’m a competitor. I’m a PGA Tour member, and I’m going to stay that way.”

Interesting to me that the early support for the PGA Tour comes from European players....obviously, Brooks aside.

There was this bit a couple of weeks ago from a guy whose opinion I tend to ignore these days:

Asked whether he believes the Premier Golf League could possibly influence the PGA Tour to make some improvements, as Rory McIlroy has suggested, Mickelson said: "Well, I wouldn't come out and say I'm not going to do it right away. .. and lose all your leverage.''

I can only hope that Rory told Phil where to stick it...  Not everything is a negotiation, and somehow I suspect that the changes Phil wants will reflect a high quotient of self interest.

Randall Mell has a feature called Randall's Rant, though this one seems especially clueless:

Where was Tiger’s voice? 

Where was Lefty’s? 

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been the PGA Tour’s leading men for nearly a quarter of a century now, dynamic “influencers” who shaped the Tour’s direction more than any other players in that span. 

That’s all but over. 

They abdicated those leadership roles when they were needed most. 

They went silent, or maybe silently rogue, with the Premier Golf League making its hardest push to overthrow the PGA Tour as home to the world’s best players. 

Tiger and Lefty didn’t step up with the existential threat to their tour growing more serious. 

If anything, they stepped back.

Randall, please remind me of all those times that Tiger and Phil put the Tour above their own needs and desires?  I'm still waiting...

Amazingly, this item was published only yesterday, by which time the PGL was deader than Generalissimo Francisco Franco.... 

To me it's quite amazing the extent to which Mell misjudges everything from the character of these two individuals to the prospects of the league.... and that obviously includes actuarial tables.  Remember, these are the guys that chased $10 million in the desert because they could....

But they were always a problem for the PGL, such that at one point I called them a poisoned chalice because of their ages.  Hard to see it going forward without them, but they're at a point where they bring little value as actual players.

Note To Readers - I do hope these musings provide some distraction and entertainment for my dear friends.  It's my intention to keep blogging, though the frequency and scheduling thereof remain a work in progress.  As you no doubt know, I'm a morning blogger, though mornings now need to be kept free for foraging....  But check back early and often for updates...

The bride and I intend to head to Fairview later.  My intention is to take a six-iron and walk/play a bit...  the bride, who had a minor procedure ten days ago (all is fine), will probably only take a putter.  That'll be a nice break from the inevitable tedium, and I can only hope that you all have similar outlets.  

Be safe and we'll catch up soon.