Weekend Wrap

And quite the weekend it was, one game better than the previous.  I might have flipped to Golf Channel a half-dozen times during commercials, but that was the extent of my golf consumption.

The Hope - The hype (Yeah, I know, not much hype at the Hope) was about the trio looking for their first Tour wins.  Alas, grizzled vets Rodgers and Brady came up short, but this one got across the finish line:

Saturday felt like 2017, and no, we’re not talking about the Green Bay Packers losing in the NFL’s postseason, though that happened again, too. (Sorry, Packer fans.) But as Hudson Swafford walked

off 18, fresh off a ball-striking-rich 66 and sitting three shots out of the lead at the American Express, it was all reminiscent to five years ago, when he broke through and won his first PGA Tour tournament.

“Yeah, I might have drove it a little better in ’17, it’s been a — haven’t hit quite as many fairways, but really hit my irons beautifully, putting great, doing everything else pretty good,” Swafford said.

“It’s kind of got that feel the way I feel like I’m rolling it.”

If he had just a feeling on Saturday, then Sunday was full-blown goosebumps. In 2017, he fired a five-under 67 at the PGA West Stadium Course to win by one. In 2022, he was three better in the final round, as Swafford shot an eight-under 64 — the day’s low round — for a 23-under total, a two-shot win and his third Tour victory.

Aren't most of the courses they use in this event about a Par-64?  I know the PGA West Stadium Course was terrifying in the day, but that day was the the Paleozoic Era in a golf sense.

We've covered this event's standing in the golf eco-system, so marginalized that I'm surprised that American Express wants its name on it.  Given that, I'm always surprised when a top player shows up, and the Tour Confidential panel uses a hot mic form one of those top players in its framing question:

1. At the PGA Tour’s American Express (won by Hudson Swafford), world No. 1 Jon Rahm, in a fan video published to social media, was overheard saying to his caddie: “Piece of [expletive] setup. Putting contest week.” This comes on the heels of record low scores at the year-opening Tournament of Champions and a birdie blitz last week at the Sony Open. Is Rahm right? In scorable conditions, do PGA Tour events simply come down to who’s putting best — and, if so, is there anything wrong with that?

Sean Zak: Yes, he’s right. And this is bound to bother Rahm more than any other player in the world, simply because he’s the best player in the world. He has routinely shown that when conditions are tough, when courses are difficult, he’s going to finish in the top 10. Cream rising to the top, they say. There’s nothing wrong with this happening at a handful of events over the course of the season. The issue is that it happens too often. Where players are not asked to work the ball both ways, to make difficult club choices off every tee box, to use different trajectories into greens. Organizers of the event seem to love the PGA West setup, though. This isn’t changing.

Michael Bamberger: No, all golf scoring is interconnected. The putting contest is grounded in how close you hit it. How close you hit it is related to where you hit your tee shots. BUT I totally understand what Rahm is saying. The harder the course, the smaller the number of people who can win. These desert courses are as easy as it gets, on Tour. That’s OK.

Josh Sens: And on that note, remember when PGA West first hosted a Tour event in the ’80s? A bunch of pros thought it was tough to the point of being unfair. They wanted no part of it on a Tour rota.

Nick Piastowski: I get what he was saying. It should first be noted that his putting misses in the third round were particularly brutal — shoot, even the Tour tweeted out a video of them — so he was running hot. But I agree with Michael. The putts were dropping more, because players were hitting fairways and greens more. It’s easier to do so on some courses, and that becomes a different style of golf. Not every course is supremely difficult, nor do I think we want every one to be. Now, if they’re all easy …

As a wise man once noted, it is what it is...but the real question is why is John Rahm even there, especially with Torrey (where I hear talk he's had some success), The Wasted (where he likes to trot out that ASU jersey) and Pebble/Riviera on tap?  

The bigger issue, it seems to this observer, is that this used to be about the only place where they'd go so deep under par.  Now they do it everywhere, which troubles some of us.  Off to Torrey which one hopes will provide a titch more resistance, but remember that Wednesday start (and, the purpose thereof, the Saturday finish to avoid the NFL Conference Championship games).

Lake Nona No-No's - I did watch a bunch of the ladies' season-opener, which had quite the odd vibe.  Like many, you've no doubt long wondered what it would be like to see Nelly Korda play golf in an anorak, perhaps an unintentional homage to the puffy jacket episode of Seinfeld.  Quite the curious format, and quite the curious header here:

Danielle Kang kicks off 2022 with dominant victory at Tournament of Champions

Dominant?  

Sunday’s final round at the Tournament of Champions finished how most fans expected: An

American star lifting the trophy, starting off her 2022 LPGA season in style.

It just wasn’t the American star most people expected.

Danielle Kang was T2 entering the day, a shot behind World No. 1 Nelly Korda. But Kang rode a red-hot stretch in the middle of her round into the lead and never looked back, leaving Korda and the rest of the field in her wake.

In the end Kang’s final-round four-under 68 got her to 16 under for the week, three shots clear of runner-up Brooke Henderson. Gaby Lopez finished third at 12 under, while Korda faded to T4 at 10 under alongside Celine Boutier

I'm not the only one critical of the use of the D-word:

The three-shot final margin looked like a dominant victory, but the result wasn’t always so certain. Korda entered the round with a one-shot advantage, the top ranking in the world and a gold medal to her name. In other words, she was the betting favorite. But she started slowly in the chilly Orlando morning. When she made bogey at the par-3 fourth hole, she lost the lead. Up ahead, Gaby Lopez made birdies at 5, 6 and 7 to seize that position for herself.

It's a good win and perhaps even an important win, I just think we should be a little more judicious in our use of hyperbola, especially given that it's the opening event on the calendar.  So, why might it be an important win?

Luckily, Danielle Kang has been preparing for that exact weather. During the off-season, the 29-year-old LPGA veteran (and California native) made a point of working on her cold-weather game, in part because she wants to contend at an AIG Women's British Open. Who knew it would come in handy a bit early.

A wee bit silly, perhaps, but it's always nice to see one's work pay quick dividends.  Though the bigger significance is that, despite her reputation as a big-game hunter, this girl needed something good to happen.  She didn't win in 2021 (yeah, they let her in the field based upon those two wins in 2020 when they resumed play after the shutdown), and this event was the worst of it last year.  As you might remember, she got paired with Nelly and Jessica in that final round, and pretty much cratered down the stretch.   She also failed to live up to her rep as match-play savant, proving to be quite beatable in the women's match-play event and at the Solheim Cup, where her lackluster performance was a major factor in the U.S.'s upset loss.

If an American woman outside of Nelly is to challenge the Asian juggernaut, I sure like Kang's chances a whole lot more than Lexi's, but 2021 was surely a step in the wrong direction.  Back to the Tour Confidentialistas:

3. On the LPGA Tour, Danielle Kang, behind a final-round 68, held off a star-studded field to win the season-opening Tournament of Champions. Also of note on Sunday, world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who entered the round with the lead, stumbled to a three-over 75. Takeaways from week 1?

Zak: Kang has an infectious personality, and I’d love to see her fight for the No. 1 spot in the world ranking. So it’s hard for me to have a takeaway that doesn’t involve wanting this to be a 2022 launching point for her. My only other takeaway is that the frivolity of music playing in the background and all the celebs getting involved kinda makes it feel like an all-star showcase. Why can’t we bring it to Hawaii during the first week of the year, alongside the men?

Sens: That Nelly is human.

Bamberger: And golf is hard, and four days of it harder yet.

Piastowski: The depth of the women’s game right now is fantastic. Nelly will win her share, but I think we’re going to see a lot of winners this year.

I'm glad Sean mentioned it, because this is the Tour That Can't Shoot Straight.  You're trying to present as a tour of world-class athletes, then you allow horrible music to intrude on the broadcast to create a member-guest vibe?  Seriously, if you're objective was to make the event look Mickey Mouse, what would you do differently?

But let me also put in a good word for their format.  While none of us can get enough of Ray Romano at Pebble, this was quite the upgrade in your humble bloggers opinion.  These were guys (yeah, there was that one exception) that can actually play, and none of the sandbagging issues involved with a handicap amateur event.  I even liked that the guys were playing for the cash, $100,000 large to the winner.  Watching guys that good handle the pressure was interesting, though the modified Stableford was perhaps a titch too forgiving.

Kudos also to Golf Channel for cutting back from the AMEX to at least capture that bomb Derek Lowe sank to beat the local girl.... Good fun, I thought, excluding the gratuitous recitation of that 2004 playoff series....

Abu Dhabi Dhoings - A name from the past won the event, though that's barely the third-most important story from the emirate.  But some of us are concerned about the European Ryder Cup team remaining competitive, and this might help:

Despite holding a three-shot lead near the turn of his final round, Thomas Pieters had to grind out a win down the stretch at the DP World Tour’s 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

“I just hope all the juniors back at home are watching this,” said the Belgian. “I used to watch as a kid and think it was impossible for me but then Nico (Colsaerts) came on the scene and started winning. It’s stuff like that that inspires kids and hopefully I can do that back home.”

Pieters was briefly tied by Rafa Cabrera Bello but held on for his sixth win on the circuit thanks to an even-par 72 Sunday at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi to finish at 10 under. Cabrera Bello was joined by Shubhankar Sharma in second at 9 under, with Viktor Hovland and Victor Dubuisson T-4 at 8 under.

It wasn't too long ago that Pieters looked scary good.  Of course, Victor Dubuisson resurrecting his career would be even more fun, so stay tuned.  But that's not what's caught our eye, because I wasn't aware that the Euro Tour DP World Tour also had a PIP program:

Tyrrell Hatton goes full Tyrrell Hatton

Kids, never go full Tyrell Hatton!  So, it seems the combustible Englishman is now an architectural critic:

Tyrrell Hatton is never shy to speak his mind. Which is something the defending champion at the

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship did loudly and clearly on Saturday and Sunday as he discussed the finishing hole at the new home for this DP World Tour event, Yas Links.

Suffice to say, Hatton’s play exasperated his frustration, explaining why he came close to vowing he would never return should the 646-yard par 5 not see some modification in time for next year’s event. On Saturday, the Englishman finished his third round by making a quadruple-bogey 9, which was only two shots more than he had needed to hole-out in Round 2.

“It must be one of the worst par 5s that I’ve ever seen in my life and, over the last two days, I’ve clearly played it about as well as it was designed,” Hatton said on Saturday.

So, what's wrong with the hole?

“What’s wrong with it? Where do you start? It shouldn’t have a bunker in the middle of the fairway, and it shouldn’t be over 600 yards from a forward tee. If you hit a good drive as a pro you should have at least a chance to go for the green in two, otherwise the hole becomes a par 3 and that’s if you play it well.”

First, quite obviously not a fan of centerline hazards, so who wants to break it to him that it's the hottest concept in golf architecture these days?  This is obviously not the time for this debate and I have mixed feelings here as well, but mostly I feel that centerline hazards are an issue for recreational golfers.  

But it's that second point that reeks of entitlement and cluelessness, that it's unfair to make to touring professional play an actual three-shotter.  Yes, Tyrell, it becomes a Par-3 if you play it well, but a Par-3 with a wedge, as opposed to the actual Par-3's, which are all over 200-yards these days because of all that kale you guys eat.

And I'm just not sure what to think of his violent imagery:

“That I would love for a bomb to drop on it and blow it up to oblivion to be honest,” he said. “It's just such a terrible finishing hole. And the fact that they moved the tee back today is ridiculous. I hit a really good tee shot and still got 290 front. I could peg-up driver up and still not get there. It would be a much better finishing hole if you're actually rewarded for hitting the fairway, which as it stands, you're not.

“I'm obviously not a fan,” he confirmed, just in case anyone was left in any doubt. “If we're coming back here next year, it would be nice if they redesigned it. But I think that's a bit of an ask. Perhaps I may not be back.”

So, you're suggesting that we bomb Muslim countries?  I'm guessing they won't miss you next year, Tyrell.  But if you have that week free, there's a putting contest in the Coachella Valley that sounds right up your alley, just remember that everything breaks towards Indio...

The TC gang took on Tyrell's hissy fit:

2. On the DP World Tour, more course-setup consternation! After making a 9 in the third round on the 646-yard par-5 18th hole at Yas Links, Tyrrell Hatton said of the hole: “What’s wrong with it? Where do you start? It shouldn’t have a bunker in the middle of the fairway, and it shouldn’t be over 600 yards from a forward tee. If you hit a good drive as a pro, you should have at least a chance to go for the green in two, otherwise the hole becomes a par-3, and that’s if you play it well. Hardly anyone will get there in two with the wind even slightly against you.” Let’s set aside Hatton’s gripe with this specific hole and instead discuss his wider point about par-5s. Should all pros, with a good drive, have a chance to reach every par-5 in two?

Zak: I have no issue with a true three-shotter, so long as each of those shots have some level of difficulty layered within them. If the setup that day implies that it’ll take three good ones to reach the putting surface, so be it. The player’s placement anywhere on any hole should always leave some question remaining, whether it’s a risk-reward decision or a discussion on the best angle to hit the approach from. I’m not sure if Yas’ 18th does that, but this YouTube clip says it routinely plays into the wind, so perhaps it might need to be altered from 646 yards. That’s a lot.

Bamberger: The par-5 is dead. It had a good run.

Sens: Hatton’s frustration was clouding his thinking there. Nothing wrong with a three-shot par-5, as long as the second shot requires some thinking and execution. The worst par-5s are holes that ask you only to advance your ball on the second shot, with no other considerations.

Piastowski: Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with a three-shot par-5, but like Sean and Josh said, it should have some creativity mixed in, and not just driver, iron, wedge, putt, putt. And from just a look at the scoring, the hole did play difficult — after all, Hatton took the nine on it.

So, last time I looked, everyone plays the same hole...

I've deliberately not focused on this actual hole, because I can't take the risk that I might actually agree with the guy, though with one huge caveat.  This is a course artificially built in the desert, so I expect it to be tricked up.

But Sean Zak makes the important point on architectural merit, that the hardest part of designing Par-5's is to keep some risk-reward aspect to the second shot.  The guy I've always thought did this best was Pete Dye, who cleverly used angles to sow confusion on the lay-up, for example the second hole at TPC Sawgrass.  An otherwise indifferent hole (and one of less notable on that golf course), but the second shot there is really dicey for the amateur. 

Let me also note that buried within Hatton's bitchiness is the kind of criticism one should acknowledge:

There was more. Hatton won this event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, meaning his desire for it to return there is perhaps logical. “Also, this place for spectators is just awful,” Hatton added. “Seeing where the rope lines are and where spectators have to walk, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear a lot of people have hurt their ankles and all sorts this week.

So, and actual touring pro demonstrates concern for the paying customers, but no one knows because it gets buried beneath his temper tantrum.  Good work, Tyrell. 

The other fun bit from Abu Dhabi is this in which Spaniard Santi Tarrio out-Phils Phil:

Spaniard @santi_tarrio hit this backward flop-shot during his final round today 🤯#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/TbD7sKNrqy

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 23, 2022

That's in competition, kids.  But shouldn't his caddie have helped line him up?

We Have A Sacrificial Lamb - Pity Luke Donald, as he seems to be the only professional golfer not worth $30 million large to the Saudis.  

Luke Donald looks set to be named as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for the match in Rome next year after a ringing endorsement from current skipper Padraig Harrington.

Donald has moved into pole position after Lee Westwood, hitherto an overwhelming first choice, ruled himself out, with Henrik Stenson thought ready to follow suit.

‘As players, we’ve certainly discussed who will be the next captain,’ the Dubliner admitted to Sportsmail.

‘It was assumed it was going to be Lee but I can see where he is coming from, he is playing good golf and he wants to concentrate on that. His decision certainly put the cat among the pigeons though, didn’t it?

‘All I can say is that Luke would be great. Behind the scenes he does a terrific job. His management style... he knows.

We'll start moving towards the exits with this reaction from the Golf.com writers:

4. Luke Donald, according to an exclusive report from the Daily Mail, is in line to be named the next European Ryder Cup captain. The report claims that 2020 captain Padraig Harrington, a key member of the five-man committee that chooses Europe’s captain, has given “a ringing endorsement” to Donald’s potential captaincy. Wise choice? And who’s your early pick to helm the American side?

Zak: Donald is a sound choice. He’s squarely in that aging-out-but-still-around-to-compete

bracket that seems to bode well for captainship. They weren’t going to make a bad choice. European temperaments are too kind. As for the Americans, the game would be better off with Fred Couples as RC captain, even if that ship has sailed. Zach Johnson seems to be next in line, but he’s still playing a very full schedule. Phil Mickelson is showing no signs of stopping. Tiger is, I think, incapable right now, all due respect. I think Jim Furyk has my vote, huh?

Sens: Sean’s right about Donald. He’s in that sweet spot. Respected veteran. Ryder Cup experience. Past his peak, competitively. Unless he’s been living in the U.S. so long that we can count on him as a double agent? Agreed that Johnson will be at the American helm.

Bamberger: Oh, that’s funny. I’d have preferred to see Rory McIlroy as a playing captain, and Johnson — Dustin Johnson — doing the same on the other side. The event should require playing captains, and no assistants. As is, the captains and the “vice” captains clearly have way too much time on their hands.

Piastowski: Donald is fine. Does Lee Westwood then make the team at 50? As for the Americans, Fred Couples would be my choice. The team will need a cool head in the room when it heads to Italy. But no matter what happens, the captains for the 2025 event have to be Mickelson and Poulter. Those two, with a New York crowd. Love it.

Solid guy.  Not the greatest player, though that's not uncommon with the Euros, see Paul McGinley, but a very unsung Euro Cupper.   My strongest memory was of the first tee on Sunday at Medinah, when he paired against Bubba.  Bubba was riling the crowd up before they teed off, but all I could think was that I knew instinctively who would win the match, and it certainly wasn't Bubba.

But MVP honors to Sean Zak who had a strong day of insights, not least the laugh-out-loud funny thought of an Alas, Poor Furyk encore.  What, Sean, is Hal Sutton unavailable?

That's it for our wrappage, but we'll have more as the week progresses.

Late-Week Logorrhea

At long last our national nightmare is over.  The Tour is back on Mainland, and Hope is restored.... or something.

Desert Doings - I had opened this tab on Wednesday, but it got left on the cutting room floor:

American Express 2022 picks: Why Patrick Cantlay will dominate

Well, it was gonna be Rahm or Cantlay, as they're quite obviously the class of the field.... 

Give Patrick Cantlay this: The man knows his brand. Because nothing is more on point to Cantlay’s personality—a reserved soul that eschews self-promotion and cheap publicity—than chasing history in the shadows.

Cantlay gave a run at 59 on Thursday in his opening—and untelevised—round at The American Express, ultimately “settling” for a 62 to own a share of the lead.

“Yeah, I got off to a roll at the start and kind of made a bunch of putts and then I kind of lagged on the way coming in,” Cantlay said. “But I was happy with everything, I thought I did everything well and it's a golf course I really like. It's in perfect shape and so if you get the ball rolling on line it should go in.”

I had the coverage on in the background and at one point saw Patrick at -7 after seven holes, so he was on a 54-watch.  That other guy did just OK:

Rahm keeps rolling

Can a 66 be disappointing? That feels like an absurd question. But Jon Rahm has made a habit of making the absurd routine.

Rahm, fresh off a runner-up finish in Maui, began The American Express with a bogey-free 66 at La Quinta, doing so despite a swing that didn’t feel “100 percent.”

“But I kind of adjusted a little bit and I played some good golf,” Rahm said. “Hopefully I can tidy up a couple putts. My first few holes, I didn't hit the best putts, but then starting on I think it was on 8 or 9 I started rolling the ball better and it showed. Made a couple clutch putts on the back nine.”

Are you a fan of crooked numbers?  Yeah, I mean who isn't, at least for these guys.  There were a few of those, most notably this guy's:

However, Blixt might not want to make it to Sunday, because that will mean he'll have to play the treacherous par-3 17th at PGA West's Stadium Course again.

In his opening round, which began at the par-4 10th on the Stadium Course, the 37-year-old from Sweden was the first victim of Pete Dye's second-most famous island green. Blixt arrived at the tee box at one over for his round and left the green at five over after making a catastrophic quadruple-bogey 7, which was partially caught on tape on PGA Tour Live.

Back-to-back backwards shots, possibly the only relatable thing we'll see all week at what appears to be the tour's latest birdiefest. Who among us hasn't tried something this dumb and ended up hanging their head in shame? The difference here is, Blixt has to finish the hole by any means necessary, while the rest of us can scoop up the ball, shove it in our pocket and say "put me down for a 6."

Reminds me of one of the first time I broke 80, an impressive feat I thought given that two of the 78 swings were left-handed. 

Then there's this guy with yet another installment of his signature move:

Mickelson’s game was never in rhythm Thursday, starting with a double-bogey 6 on the second

hole where he had to hit a second tee shot after going out of bounds. But that was just the start for the reigning PGA Championship winner. On the par-4 eighth hole, Mickelson pumped two drives out of bounds, finally finding the fairway with his third tee shot. The result was a quintuple-bogey 9, pushing him to 6-over for the round.

I'd lie to see the ShotLink graphic on that baby....

If you like big numbers, how do you feel about big boys?  Yanno, the kind that send it a mile.... Well, I'll see your Wilco Nienaber and raise you one James Hart du Preez:

There’s a loud buzz around James Hart du Preez, the 26-year-old golfer from South Africa who is making his PGA Tour debut this week at The American Express.

More accurately, there is a thwack followed by oohs and aahs. That’s because du Preez is one of the longest drivers, not just in pro golf but on the planet.

Du Preez, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound wall of muscle, can hit a tee shot 400 yards. In fact, not only can he hit it that far, he dropped jaws by averaging 373.1 yards per drive last year on The Sunshine Tour, a South African pro tour.

His combination of clubhead speed and raw power — his fastest clubhead speed is 144 miles per hour and his fastest ball speed is 212 miles per hour — has become the stuff of legend. His exploits are popular on YouTube as videos of him hitting tee shots have hundreds of thousands of views.

OK, so what exactly is in the water these days in South Africa?  Of course, this is the bit that might be a surprise:

“When people see me, obviously they don’t see 6-9 golfers come around very often so the first thing they gravitate towards is the long-hitting,” du Preez said. “But funny enough putting is the best part of my game and has been since I was a little kid. I didn’t grow until late in my life until about 16 or 17 so before then I never hit the ball far so I had to learn how to score chipping and putting.”

Normally I'd be quite skeptical given his advanced age, but there have apparently been some injuries that slowed his progress.  But, whether he's the guy or it'll be one that comes later, there will be a guy that hits it this far (373!) and can putt and chip...

 Shack helpfully lists his stock yardages through the bag:

Driver: 345

3-wood: 305

3-iron: 275

4-iron: 253

5-iron: 240

6-iron: 227

7-iron: 206

8-iron: 190

9-iron: 180

Full wedge: 160

50-degree wedge: 145

54-degree wedge: 127

58-degree wedge: 105

Nothing to see here, just the effects of all those ab crunches.

Bob Goalby, R.I.P. -  Sad news from our little golf fishbowl:

Shortly after he won the 1968 Masters, Bob Goalby received a letter from Bobby Jones, the

legendary patriarch of the championship. In his correspondence, Jones wrote:

“I ask you to always remember that you won the tournament under the rules of golf and by superlative play.”

Goalby, a Belleville native, passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. He remains the only man born in the St. Louis area to capture one of golf’s major championships, a distinction that tops his thick profile of accomplishments and contributions to people and the game of golf.

The green jacket Goalby won in 1968, so elegantly corroborated by Jones, carried a stunning sidebar many people could never put aside.

That Sunday at Augusta National in April 1968, Roberto De Vicenzo signed a scorecard that incorrectly marked him for a par at No. 17. He had, in fact, made birdie. What many people fail to realize is De Vicenzo was not disqualified for the oversight, nor did it cost him the win. It cost him the chance to win.

It's hard to gloss over that fact that his signature accomplishment comes with an over-sized asterisk, but he handled it with grace.  I've always felt that the tragedy was that he didn't have the chance to win it "fairly", which I'm sure he regretted his entire life.  But, while there's no sweeping the DeVincenzo bit under the rug, Goalby played like a champion that Sunday:

But it was the 1968 Masters that was his signature triumph. Goalby’s heroics down the stretch often have been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the tournament. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Goalby birdied Nos. 13 and 14, then made eagle at No. 15, drilling a 3-iron from 200 yards to 6 feet. He shot 66 and posted 11-under 277 at Augusta National.

 This most certainly caught my eye:

‘68 Masters champion Bob Goalby passed today @ 92. Forgotten in the De Vicenzo scorecard flap is that Goalby hit 2 of the finest long iron shots in major history. Jones called his 3 iron to 15 to set up eagle the best he’d ever seen at that hole. 2 iron to 18 just as good. RIP

— Rich Lerner (@RichLernerGC) January 21, 2022

Praise from Caesar and all that, but the best Bobby ever saw at No. 15?  If so, pretty amazing given that Jones witnessed Sarazen's double-eagle in 1925....

Goalby is also Jay Haas' Uncle, so it's a very golfy family.  R.I.P.

A Rose By Any Other Name -  Stop we if you've heard this one before.... A highly-touted amateur player turns professional at a young age, foregoing college, and struggles out of the gate:

A few years ago, most people, including Bhatia himself, expected to be here – albeit sooner. Though he took an unconventional route to the pros, bypassing what many believe as a key stage

of development, there was no denying the kid’s talent. Bhatia won seemingly everything he looked at as a junior – the Junior PGA, the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, AJGA invitationals, nearly a U.S. Junior before buddy Michael Thorbjornsen clipped him in that 2018 final – and few could’ve predicted more than but a few growing pains. Yet, when he made the big leap, Bhatia fell hard.

Bhatia’s struggles have been well documented in recent seasons. Upon joining the play-for-pay ranks, Bhatia missed his first seven cuts, six on the PGA Tour and another at the Saudi International, and failed to find his footing on anything other than the mini-tours. He tied for ninth at the 2020 Safeway Open, which he parlayed into enough non-member points (108) for a ticket to Korn Ferry Tour Finals (and by extension his KFT card), but by the time he qualified for last summer’s U.S. Open, he was mentally drained.

Get the header now?  The kid seems able to rise to the moment:

Leading by one and staring down a wedge shot on the final hole, Akshay Bhatia did what any

prodigy would do: He called his shot, and then delivered.

The 19-year-old Bhatia, who once dominated the junior ranks but has mostly struggled since eschewing college for the pros at age 17, faced 156 yards into the par-5 finishing hole on Wednesday at Sandals Emerald Bay. Moments earlier, Bhatia had turned to his caddie, girlfriend Presleigh Schultz, and declared, with the same confidence he used when he asked Schultz out through Instagram last year, “This is my time.”

So, he grabbed his pitching wedge, stepped up and flagged one off the stick.

The babe girlfriend on the bag is just the icing on the cake.  Looking forward to seeing how good this kid really is.

Hello Friends - I've been reliably informed that it will be lit, though I'll keep the mute button close at hand:

7 noticeable changes coming to CBS golf broadcasts in 2022

Is there any chance that Sir Nick wants to spend more time with his family?  Maybe, but I'm guessing that family gets a vote as well...

 Some of it will be for the better:

2. Drones!

One of Shy’s biggest changes in 2021 was the expanded addition of drones to CBS’s broadcast arsenal. Those cameras helped to produce some of the best shots of the season (including a laugh-

out-loud moment with Phil Mickelson at the PGA Championship), and serve a vital role in expanding the viewer’s perception of each week’s venue. According to Shy, drone coverage will be expanded even further in 2022 as part of an overall increase in the number of cameras at each event.

3. Toptracer enhancements

As for the rest of the technology offerings, Shy and co. have worked to improve Toptracer in 2022 by expanding the number of holes with tracer capabilities at each event.

The good news?  All they have to do is show some actual golf shots and they'll exceed expectations....  The bad news?  Sorry, I'd need a bigger blog. 

Fun Stuff - The amusingly-named Tony Dear has a fun two-part series up at Links Magazine, the most famous holes in golf by hole number.  It's not a bad concept, though he loses the plot pretty quickly:

2nd—Gamble Sands (Brewster, Wash.)

By contrast, there weren’t too many options for the 2nd. The carry over Lake Kadijah on Course Three at Medinah Country Club was mentioned, as was Gil Hanse’s incredible renovation of Perry Maxwell’s 500-yard par four at Southern Hills. But, given the number of photographs we’ve seen of it posted by people singing its praises, the final choice was David McLay Kidd’s spectacular short par four at Gamble Sands which starts with an amazing view over the Columbia River, calls for a smart decision about where to place your tee ball, and finishes on a glassy, beautifully positioned green. “The promontory the green sits out on was a wonderful opportunity to use the downhill tee shot with a natural left kick to create a drivable par four,” Kidd says.

Runners-up: Medinah C.C., No. 3 (Ill.); Southern Hills (Okla.)

Since nobody has heard of Gamble Sands, you see the issue.  It's a spectacular course by reputation, but it's in the middle of nowhere and has never been on TV, so I'm simply unfamiliar with that definition of "famous."  

As you can see from his honorable mentions, there aren't many famous second holes.  I would add Dornoch to his list, if only for the fact that it's the answer to the amusing inquiry about the hardest shot at Dornoch, the second shot at the second (the joke being that it's a Par-3).  But, it's a great Par-3 and, should you miss the green, your second shot will be terrifying, as will your third (probably).

The early holes tested his concept, though he quickly settles into a pattern of the usual suspects.  I do love this unconventional choice from his back nine:

13th—North Berwick (North Berwick, Scotland)

The temptation to choose Augusta’s next hole—MacKenzie’s superlative right-to-left-swinging par five—for No. 13 was very real, and there will be plenty of readers who’ll say it was the right move. But in an effort to mix it up a bit and recognize one of the game’s truly iconic holes, we’re giving it to North Berwick’s extraordinary 400-yard par four, named “Pit.” The stone wall crossing in front of the green determines your thinking on the tee—skirt the bunkers on the left for an easier approach up the length of the putting surface or hang right and leave a very delicate pitch over the wall. However, many times you play the hole you’ll never grow weary of making that decision.

Runners-up: Augusta National (Ga.); Austin C.C. (Texas); Glen Course (Scotland); Lost City (South Africa); Tobacco Road (N.C.); Pine Valley (N.J.); Tralee (Ireland); Valhalla (Ky.)

Not only is this not the 13 hole you expected, but it's also not the hole from North Berwick you expected.  It is a wonderful, quirky golf hole that I need to go play again.

The lists are good fun and you should explore them as time permits.

Reads - I'm in lazy blogger mode, so I'll just link you to some worthy reads.

The most famous Marion in golf is Marion Hollins, of Cypress Point fame.  The second most famous is Marion Miley, and here's the tease:

Beverly Bell didn’t always know the story about the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Marion Miley and her mother Elsie in a botched robbery attempt in the fall of 1941, just a few weeks shy of the Pearl Harbor bombing. The news of the beloved golf star’s death shook Lexington to its core and her ghastly demise shocked the nation as word of the tragedy traveled from coast to coast. Even Bing Crosby was rattled by the reports, as were all of Miley’s notable acquaintances.

Born in 1914 to Fred and Elsie Miley, Marion spent her formative years in Florida learning golf from her father, a traveling teaching professional who was quick to foster his daughter’s talent. After Fred relocated his family to Kentucky in 1930 to work at Lexington Country Club, Marion began to solidify her place in history, winning 22 of the 41 amateur tournaments she played. Eighteen of those victories came in a single decade and included wins over would-be LPGA Tour founders Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, and Babe Didrikson-Zaharias. She was a member of three Curtis Cup teams and was considered one of the nation’s top golfers at the time.

Is this the most famous murder in golf?  Probably, or at least since Baltus got rolled....

That life on the mini-tours is tough will come as no surprise, but sometimes winning isn't sufficient:

The Big Money Golf Classic promised the largest payday in minor-league golf. It ended with lawsuits and controversy

The name kind of gives it away, but preying on the weak is never a good look.

Lastly, a wonderful Billy Casper story from reader Mark W. (for whom that Baltus gag was included).  It's a long one, but well worth it for sure and has a bonus Jay Haas sighting:

AUGUSTA, Ga. – We interrupt the pimento-cheese sandwiches, ball-skipping at the 16th and solemn walks around Amen Corner to pose a philosophical question: When finally after 46 years you meet the man to whom you owe all the happiness and joy you feel blessed to have enjoyed for most of your life, how long of a hug is long enough?

Clebe McClary wasn’t sure, so as the embrace intensified, Billy Casper leaned in and whispered, “Don’t let go till you want to let go.”

So right there in front of dozens of patrons, in the shadow of the iconic oak tree behind the Augusta National clubhouse, McClary and Casper hugged . . . and hugged . . . and hugged.

“We hugged for five minutes,” said Casper , who choked back tears. But McClary? He didn’t even try to hold 'em back. He cried like a baby, which was not so conspicuous because as the scene played out, so, too, did the emotions of so many others let loose.

“We all just cried our eyes out,” said Julia Cervantes, one of Casper ’s 11 children.

On any day, Casper is a wonderful story, a righteous man with a keen sense of human kindness. But on this cool, breezy Masters day, his story was even more wonderful thanks to a reunion with McClary, who told everyone how Casper had saved his life. It was 1968, the height of the Vietnam War, and Casper , in the prime of his golf career, was off to Japan to play some offseason tournaments.

While he was there, did he want to visit some wounded American troops, who had been convalescing from Vietnam ? Casper said yes, because, well, that’s his warm-hearted nature. “I was recently asked by a man what I want to be remembered for,” Casper said. “I told him, ‘I want to be remembered for how I loved my fellow man.’ "

That day at a hospital in Japan may have shown Casper at his warmest because when he looked over at a bed and saw a young man who had been wounded to a point where he could barely be recognized, the golfer moved closer. A doctor told him not to bother, that Marine 1st Lt. Patrick Cleburne "Clebe" McClary “was ready to die,” said Casper , but

something made him approach the man.

“I will never forget that day,” said McClary, who on March 3, 1968 had been wounded during his 19th reconnaissance mission in Vietnam . McClary lost his left arm and his left eye and laid in that bed that day thinking one thing. “I’d given up," he said. "I wanted to die, and I’d have died right there if not for him.”

Casper , by 1968 a two-time U.S. Open champion and one of the most prolific winners on the PGA Tour, sensed McClary’s hopelessness as he approached the man.

“He put his arm around me, leaned in and said, ‘God could use you today. Don’t give up,’

" McClary said. “Then he thanked me for what I had done for our country and said, ‘God bless you.’"

Somehow, McClary found the resolve to fight. Somehow, he survived, left that hospital in Japan , and settled in his native South Carolina , near Myrtle Beach . Years went by and he often wondered about this gentle golfer who had brought out the fight in him, but there was nothing more than that. “I mean, I didn’t know golf from polo,” McClary said.

But one day more than a year ago, McClary was down at his beach house talking with a neighbor, a guy named Jay Haas , telling him his life story. The left arm and left eye had been lost in ' Nam , and his life should have been ended in a hospital in Japan , if not for a golfer. With that, Haas’ ear perked up. “I said, ‘Who was the golfer?’ " Haas said. “He said, ' Billy Casper . Do you know him?’"

Haas smiled, then made it his mission to reunite McClary and Casper . The Masters would offer the perfect opportunity. Casper , the 1970 champion, would never miss the pilgrimage Neither would Haas, who competed 22 times at the Masters and whose son Bill is a regular participant these years and whose uncle, the irrepressible Bob Goalby, won in 1968.

The first chance fell apart Monday when rain washed out the day’s action at Augusta National, but on Tuesday the story unfolded to perfection. Haas met McClary up behind the clubhouse, found Goalby, who tracked down Casper and then well, it is said that Augusta National is a magical place, and here was proof positive that it is.

“You never know what effect you’re going to have on another human being,” said Cervantes, who watched the emotions unfold alongside her mother, Shirley, other family members, Haas and Goalby.

When finally the long, emotional hug was over and the pictures were taken, Casper and McClary had so much to say to each other. Forty-six years is a long, long time, but the Marine told the golfer that he had thought of him often. The golfer nodded, because he felt similarly.

McClary told Casper that he was proud of his life. Not because of the Silver Star or Bronze Star or the three Purple Hearts that he had been presented. It wasn’t for the book he had written, “Living Proof,” either. No, he was proud because he had heeded Casper ’s advice to stay strong and find faith in God.

But make no mistake about it: “You’re the reason he’s living. He was ready to die,” one of McClary’s friends said to Casper .

McClary, a motivational speaker who has given talks in all 50 states, smiled, wiped away tears, and nodded his head. “My guardian angel,” he said, pointing to Casper .

As they stood side by side, Casper and McClary threw long, satisifed looks out over the greenest landscape known to man. “A special, special place, but you need to see more of it,” Casper said, and McClary nodded. He was going to walk Augusta National, but McClary had to have one more hug and a promise from Casper that if the Hall of Famer were ever in Pawleys Island, S.C., he had to stop in.

Casper agreed, then McClary started on his walk. But before he did, the former Marine reached into his pocket and handed his business card to someone standing nearby. It read: “I’m just a nobody, that wants to tell everybody, about Somebody, that can save anybody.”

Our game seems to draw or create such people, one of its profound pleasures.

Have a great weekend and we'll pick things up on Monday.   

Midweek Musings

I need to keep my Thursday morning free so, despite that long post yesterday, got time for a little this and that?

Sophie's Choice - This hit in time to be included with yesterday's Saudi Frisson, yet a part of me thought it better to leave for a deeper dive.  One of the more amusing chaps on Tour faces quite the choice, but first your daily recommended dosage of schadenfreude:

While there have been discussions over reappointing Thomas Bjorn, the victorious 2018 captain, in response to the record defeat in Wisconsin four months ago, it is understood that the role now lies between Stenson, Luke Donald and Robert Karlsson.

Normally, the decision by the selection panel – which includes the three most recent Europe captains – would be made this week in Abu Dhabi, but sources have revealed that the decision will be delayed until late next month.

A main factor in this apparent procrastination – you have to go back almost 20 years to when the unveiling will have been so late – is the ongoing review by Ryder Cup director Guy Kinnings in the wake of the 19-9 humbling at Whistling Straits, America’s biggest win yet.

I've seen this movie, it ends with Phil hijacking the effort in the form of a Task Force....  But that guy that's top-left in the photo has been asked to choose between his children:

Henrik Stenson has been told he must choose between the Saudis’ Super Golf League and the Europe Ryder Cup team if he wants to become his continent’s next captain.

Stenson, the 2016 Open champion, has a contract with the Saudi International and will again be paid six figures to appear in the Asian Tour event next month. Wentworth HQ is reluctantly allowing players to take centre stage at King Abdullah Economic City. It is what happens next that will be crucial.

After months, if not years of speculation, the Saudis are finally expected to launch their Super Golf League, with all eyes on the heavyweights receiving seven-figure sums. Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have already expressed their intention to remain loyal to the traditional tours, both of which have warned would-be rebels that they will face lifetime bans should they accept the sheikhs’ millions.

Along with Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, Stenson has been linked with the SGL, with reports indicating he has been offered $30 million. So will he opt for the Saudi gold or the blue and gold? “It is a heck of a decision,” an inner member of Stenson’s coterie said. “It’s complicated not only by the huge amounts on offer.

That's one heck of a dilemma, even your humble blogger must admit.  Complicated, for sure, by the fact that the captaincy isn't a done deal:

“This [captaincy] could be his one and only chance with so many big Europe figures about to come into the picture for future matches. But then, it’s far from guaranteed he will get it this time anyway, with Luke obviously having a strong shout and the case for Karlsson seemingly strengthening by the day.”

Donald has acted as a vice-captain in the past two matches, and as a player was in four winning teams. But his chances may be weakened by the fact it would mean four Great Britain and Ireland captains from the last five editions.

Yet more than this there is a growing sense within the tour that the captaincy should not simply go to the next legend on the rank, but to the most qualified candidate, as Paul McGinley was in 2014. Karlsson is being cast in the same light, with the 52-year-old Swede apparently mightily impressive in his two vice-captain stints.

Shockingly, your humble blogger has a few comments.

First and, perhaps, foremost, Stenson only became the heir apparent when a certain Englishman indicated that he wanted to spend more time with his family caddie.   CTRL-F: Westwood yields zero results, so Curmudgeonly James Corrigan seems to auditioning for a gig with the NYTimes or WaPo based upon his highly selective exclusion of that little factoid.  Westwood omission from that list of four names is equally curious...  I may not know what it all means, but my Spidy sense indicates we're being played.

Second, what does it mean to be offered $30 million?  I don't think there's a check payable to H. Stenson in the mail, but how are these offers being structured?  What I'm driving at is, how are these "offers" being structured?  Signing Stenson for $30 million large would create a stir, but you wouldn't be getting anything for your money unless you had another twenty to thirty guys signed.  So, they must be highly contingent, leading me to wonder how much might be guaranteed and what would have to happen for Henrik to see all the coin.

As regular readers know, this is the fatal flaw of the efforts, I continue to struggle to see any manner in which they can secure a critical mass of the A-list players.  The problem is that, if Henrik is worth $30 mil large, what does Jon Rahm think he might be worth?

Lastly, just a point I've made several times, but the Saudis seem to feel that Henrik Stenson is a hill worth dying on.  Right, Henrik Friggin' Stenson, a man who is currently ranked 184th in the world...  One obvious aspect we've seen is that greatest receptivity to these offers (and we really shouldn't limit our thoughts to the Saudis, as Jay's worst nightmare is that such offers come from a more palatable country, i.e., almost anywhere else) is from the older players, Phil Lee and Henrik most notably.  While I completely get why the has-beens are enamored of that one last mega-payday, why are the Saudis interested in these geezers?  

I have one small addition to this subject, but it compels me to remind you that I'd prefer that we not impose our virtue signaling on professional athletes.  Again a reminder that the event in Saudi Arabia was, as recently as last year, a legitimate European Tour event that no one had any objections to.  Suddenly, with Jay and Keith's feed lots under siege, it's beyond the pale....

Yesterday, we had Eamon Lynch's rant against the players going to Saudi, but the pushback below, including the pushback against the pushback, shows there's always one guy more virtuous than thou:

That first weekend in February is going to be lit.

Play Better - The joke in that header needs to be explained, whereas Blogging 101 tells us not to make jokes that require explanations, for all the obvious reasons.

So, dear reader, how do you feel about Kevin Kisner?  Nice enough guy, it seems, and he can roll his rock, but not on that A-list we referenced above.  Kisner had some curious comments around this time last year, which you might recall:

Not that Kisner seems too disappointed; he admits he can’t win on some of those layouts

anyways.

“Probably not,” Kisner said when asked if he could win anywhere. “I’m not going to win at Bethpage Black or Torrey Pines.”

Naturally, a follow-up was made: So, why play?

“Because they give away a lot of money for 20th.”

Like me, you're probably involuntarily nodding your head while expressing your surprise that a world class athlete would dismiss his own chances so gratuitously.

So, keep that in mind as we come to this current story, in which Kisner whines about being left off Ryder Cup teams:

“I don’t know, man. They don’t like me I, guess,” Kisner told GOLF’s Subpar podcast. “I’ve had the same phone call for about four [Ryder Cups] in a row from about every captain. ‘Man, you were on the team and then you didn’t play well in the playoffs.’ OK, bud.”

If match play resume is part of the criteria, Kisner certainly has an argument. In five starts at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, between 2016-2021, he’s 16-6-2, including a victory at the event in 2019.

“I don’t know. I didn’t give a s—,” he said. “It’s too political for me, I didn’t really care, and I don’t really get caught up in that s—. I love Stricker to death, but he didn’t pick me this year, which I get — I didn’t play worth a s— in the playoff.”

Now, let me explain that joke.  We've had many stories over the years about access to events, some involving sponsors' exemptions, and they all follow a predictable pattern.  Someone complains about such exemptions or about how spots are allocated, and their told by their betters to "Play Better".  I've always found that annoying, because in the vast majority of cases the argument is being made for allocating the slots to deserving others, not the individual involved.  

But in this case, Kevin, Fookin' Play Better!

I have actually made the case for Kisner's inclusion, much along the lines of Geoff's thoughts:

It’s not a huge surprise to read of Kevin Kisner’s frustration over getting passed over in recent Cup Captain’s picks. After stellar play in 2017’s Presidents Cup, Kisner seemed like a wise candidate for Paris the following year. Especially given the likelihood of the European’s narrowing landing areas and nullifying long driving. He was passed over for Royal Melbourne’s 2019 Presidents Cup despite being a strong fit for the course and format. And as he continued to emerge as an incredible match play golfer, culminating in a 2019 WGC match play win, his game was seen as less suited to the (ultimately successful) plan for Whistling Straits: bomb’s away!

And, by the way, I agree with his argument that it's too political, although that's not quite the right concept.  But with Phil's hostile takeover it's certainly controlled by a cabal of cool kids, and not for the better.

But Kis needs to give up the pity party.  A guy that admits he's not competitive on half the Tour venues, has to know in his heart that he's not done nearly enough to lock up a spot on any of these teams.  And if you've left yourself in that grey area, you can't be complaining when you're not chosen.

So, Kiz, with love, Play Better!  Oh, and would you care for some cheese with that whine?

It's A PIP World Now - For reasons that aren't immediately obvious, the Grayson Murray-Kevin Na pillow fight continues to engross and amuse your humble blogger.  Hey, I'm not proud of it, but Golfers Behaving Badly is often the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning.

Dan O'Neil, writing at Sports Illustrated's First Read, has his won thoughts, but first fills in an addendum not included in yesterday's post:

As the smelling salts were applied from that haymaker, others began throwing indiscriminately. “Someone please call an ambulance for Grayson here,” tweeted fellow Tour pro Byeong Hun-An.

Of course, that brought another from Murray, who has now fired more shots with his keyboard 2022 than with his golf clubs. “Hahah love it little guy! Would never tell me that to my face.” (that was quickly deleted) and “if they penalized you like they should for slow play you’d never make another cut either.”

You can see why the deletion was necessary, inferring a physical threat and all.  Though O'Neill amuses himself with the irony:

Besides a lack of proper pronouns and commas, the exchanges bring up an inconsistency. Murray chastises Na for not insulting Murray to his face — as he insults Na from somewhere other than his face. Perhaps the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Murray felt compelled to assert his physicality to the 5-10, 167-pound Na. Or maybe he is saying what so many dads who grew up in the late 1960s and early 1970s say to their kids, i.e. “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Regardless, in the end, that is the beauty of social media jabs. They are never in your face, or even behind your back. They originate from places miles away, places that accept no responsibility and know no ramifications, shallow spineless places.

These days, Murray's gibes to Tour pros almost have to be from miles away, given his lack of status.  O'Neil has advise for both involved parties, this being the more curious:

But the game and those who practice it should rise above things like this. That’s why Murray should go back to the moment where he thought post a witty reaction to McCabe’s tweet was a good idea and re-think it. Thank about who he is, where he’s at and what he’s saying.

Fair enough but, Dan, perhaps you should consider the possibility that this is, in fact, who Grayson Murray is....  including the since-deleted physical threat.

But then this opaque advice for Mr. Na:

That’s why this memo goes out to Kevin Na.

Hank Williams Jr. says it best, speaking to Waylon Jennings in their musical duo, The

Conversation. When Jennings asks Williams if his famous daddy had really written all “them songs.”

The reply from “Bocephus” is terse and to the point: “That don’t deserve no answer, Hoss, let’s light up and just move along.”

Don’t keep dignifying the comments, Kevin Na. Act like you’ve been there before, because you have.

Just light up and move along.

Which, loosely translated into English, suggest that he not "punch down."  Good advice though, as O'Neil does note, the Tour seems to be incentivizing all sorts of aberrant behavior.  And, human nature being what it is, that which gets rewarded gets repeated.

You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat More Lipstick - Musing as I'm wont to do on a Wednesday, I'm amused by a particular aspect of the Tour schedule.  In general, that schedule suffers from a mind-numbing week-to-week uniformity.  If it's Tuesday, this must be Palm Springs....  Phoenix is one exception to the rule, but so are the two celebrity Pro-Am events, this week's as well as the one in early February at Pebble.  But, while Phoenix thrives, those other two events have become two of the weakest events on the Tour's schedule, rendering this header cirious to this observer:

American Express finally has a chance to put its mark on its PGA Tour event in 2022

 I'm still in a quandary as to why the wanted this weak sister.... But here's the gist of the case:

None of the things Finau loves about the tournament can happen without the backing of a title

sponsor like American Express. One of the largest financial corporations in the world, American Express has had two years as sponsor of the desert’s PGA Tour event, but those years have hardly been normal years by sports sponsorship standards.

American Express joined the desert tournament just four months before the January 2020 event, meaning most of the plans for that year were already in place. In 2021, the second of the five-year deal between American Express and the tournament, the marketing and hospitality opportunities a sponsor like American Express craves were wiped out when the event’s three-day pro-am was canceled and no gallery was allowed on the two courses used for the event because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sure, we blame everything on Covid these days, but this event was on life support long before the Chinese Flu got here.  So, how to pump up this event?  

American Express’ impact on the 2022 event can be seen in several areas. The purse for this year has been increased to $7.6 million, up $900,000 from last year’s event that was played with no ticket sales and no pro-am.

The concert series also has changed with an emphasis on attracting a younger audience. That series featured classic rock acts in 2018 and 2019 with Sammy Hagar and Huey Lewis and the News as well as Stevie Nicks and country star Luke Bryan in 2020. This year’s series includes rock act Maroon 5 with lead singer Adam Levine on Friday and country star Brad Paisley on Saturday.

 Sheesh!  Are they the only guys in America that didn't suffer through Maroon 5's Super Bowl appearance?

Maroon 5 at the Super Bowl: A Game Everyone Lost

I mean, does this scream massive golf audience to you?

We're in the best of hands, folks.  Nothing appeals more to golf fans than some mindless MBA-speak:

“When we became title sponsor of The American Express, we knew we wanted to bring exciting experiences to fans and cardmembers because creating these special moments for our cardmembers is how we show customers life is better with AmEx,” Spaeth said. “And we plan on providing great experiences at the tournament in the Coachella Valley for years to come. Between the concert series, on-site activations, and having some of the best golfers in the world participating, there’s something for all fans at this year’s event.”

Cardholders with American Express receive extra benefits at the tournament, from a 20 percent discount on tickets to special seating areas for the concerts.

Is there anything better to induce you to forego the NFL playoff games for this event than those "On-sight activations?"  As for world class players, they've got Rahm, Cantlay and Finau, but the lingering question will be comparing this field to the one at Pebble in three weeks.  Amex might have it over AT&T, though that's an awfully low bar.

But, as I head for the exit, do I get credit for not throwing in a Chainsmokers gag?  

See y'all down the road.