News

Tiger, Phil cut a promo | European Tour schedule reshuffle | WGHOF popularity contest

Published

3 months ago

Oct 30, 2018

Ben Alberstadt

1. Tiger-Phil promo

Oh boy. WWE’s got nothing on these two!

SI’s Chris Chavez…”HBO has released the trailer for the 24/7 series that will follow Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson before ‘The Match’ on Nov. 23…It would mean more than the $9 mill to take it off of him,” Woods says in the trailer. “It’s just that much better.”…The first episode of 24/7 will air on Nov. 13.”

See it here.

2. European Tour schedule shuffle

ESPN’s Bob Harig…”The European Tour on Monday released its 2018-19 schedule, with several changes occurring, many in response to the overhaul of the PGA Tour’s schedule.”

“The tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship played at Wentworth, will move from May to September and be part of a series of events after the PGA Tour’s schedule ends in August meant to attract European stars home.”

“The 47-tournament schedule begins next month in Hong Kong and concludes nearly a year later in Dubai with the season-ending DP World Championship. The Dubai event follows playoff tournaments in Turkey and South Africa.”

More details.

3. DL3 taking blame

Just when you thought the 2018 Ryder Cup was dead and buried…”I dropped the ball on two or three things that could have helped, and I apologized to Jim…I should have seen some of those things coming.” (Davis Love III to Golf Digest).

But what things!?

4. Best Young Teachers in America

GD’s biennial ranking is here…Here’s a look at a few who are new to the list.

JASON BARRY / 30

Mercer Oaks G. Cse., West Windsor, N.J.

$110/hr.

JASON BIRNBAUM / 36

Manhattan Woods G.C., West Nyack, N.Y.

$250/hr.

JESSICA CARAFIELLO / 35

Innis Arden G.C., Greenwich, Conn.

$140/hr.

SCOTT CHISHOLM / 33

Rolling Green G.C., Springfield, Pa.

$170/hr.

JOE COMPITELLO / 33

Plainfield C.C., Edison, N.J.

$175/hr.

SARA DICKSON / 31

The Country Club, Brookline, Mass. $130/hr.

GREG DUCHARME / 27

Michael Breed Golf Academy at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, New York City

$300/hr.

Full list.

5. A sister act not to be overlooked

Geoff Shackelford rightly points out how impressive the fact that both Korda sisters are now LPGA Tour winners is. Quoting Al Lunsford of the LPGA…

“With her win, Nelly Korda joined her sister, five-time LPGA winner Jessica Korda, in the winner’s circle on Sunday, making the Kordas just the third set of sisters to win on the LPGA Tour in history.”

“Annika Sorenstam (72 wins) and Charlotta Sorenstam (one win) were the first to accomplish the feat in 2000, and were joined by Ariya Jutanugarn (10 wins) and Moriya Jutanugarn (one win) earlier this season when Moriya won the 2018 HUGEL-JTBC LA Open.”

An associated question: What percentage of casual golf fans know Annika Sorenstam’s sister won a tournament?

6. Popularity contest?

Also from Shack commenting on a Reuters piece regarding the WGHOF… “Steve Mona said eligibility is not strictly based on playing record, as it shouldn’t be-Captaincy’s, course designs, influence as a media member and other influencer intangibles should help push some over the finish line.”

“But then there is this face-in-the-palms admission from someone paid lavishly to not to say stupid things….”The Fame element is part of it. Some people were just more popular than others when they were on tour.” (Mona)”

“Still not sure where that leaves us with Monty. But there you have it. A popularity contest. On the record. It’s cronyism gone public.”

7. Roberta Bowman

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…The LPGA Tour’s Executive Leadership Team welcomes a new member…”The LPGA has named former board member Roberta Bowman as its new Chief Brand and Communications Officer. Bowman will oversee communications, public relations, television, website/digital, social media, branding, marketing and the LPGA’s creative department in the newly created position.”

“Bowman served six years on the LPGA board. Whan called her a “true visionary” for the tour….Bowman spent most of her business career at Duke Energy in Charlotte, N.C., retiring in January 2012 as Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer. She spent 25 years with the company, spending the bulk of the time as Chief Communications Officer and President of the Duke Energy Foundation.”

8. No ams allowed!

So says Randall Mell writing about amateur inclusion in the LPGA Tour’s Q-Series.

“There ought to be a sign on the first tee at Pinehurst No. 7 this week: Only pros are welcome! A player ought to be required to declare herself a pro before signing up for Q-Series.”

“Apologies to the 11 amateurs playing at Pinehurst. You’re gifted, talented players who’ve done nothing wrong. You’re guilty of no breach of rules or ethics. You’ve committed no indiscretion. You’re simply following the path to a lifelong dream that any reasonable young person would consider if open to them.”

“It’s the path, not the players, which ought to be condemned…It’s just so unfair to the pros competing against amateurs for their livelihood at Q-Series. Amateurs aren’t playing the same game. They aren’t dealing with the same daunting challenges that define this event.”

Full piece.

9. New Pro V1, Pro V1x debut on Tour this week

Our Gianni Magliocco…”On Monday, players were given a chance to practice with the final version before many put the ball in tournament play this Thursday. Titleist’s Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls have been the most popular golf balls on Tour for some time, and at last year’s John Deere Classic 126 of the 156 players in the field (81 percent) played a Pro V1 or Pro V1x ball.

The Las Vegas stop has become customary with the introduction of the new prototype additions from Titleist, ever since they introduced the original Pro V1 prototype at TPC Summerlin in 2000.

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News

Phil phires a 60 | Lowry leads in Abu Dhabi | Bernhard the bricklayer’s son

Published

16 hours ago

Jan 18, 2019

GolfWRX Staff

By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com)

January 18, 2019

Good Friday morning, golf fans.

1. Desert Classic

A “rusty” Mickelson leads with nothing less than a 12-under 60…

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”If this is his idea of rusty, it could be another special year for Phil Mickelson…Before heading out to begin his 28th year on the PGA Tour, Lefty alerted his 250,000-plus Twitter followers that he was “excited” and “fresh” and “ready to get started,” but also, um, “rusty,” which is a golfer’s subtle way of suggesting that expectations should be lowered. Mickelson even told his playing partner, Aaron Wise, the reigning Rookie of the Year, as much before the round: “I’m rusty, so don’t expect much.”

“But Mickelson has been doing the improbable for nearly three decades now, and so maybe it shouldn’t have been such a complete surprise that in his first round of 2019, at 48 years of age, with no expectations, he carded his lowest score in relation to par in his long and decorated Tour career – a 12-under 60, to take the lead Thursday at the Desert Classic.”

“It was kind of a lucky day in the sense that I did not feel sharp heading in,” Mickelson said afterward. “Sometimes it’s just one of those days when it clicks.”

Full piece.

2. Meanwhile, on the LPGA Tour…

AP Report…”Nearly three months after Lewis became a mother, and six months after she last played on tour, she opened with seven birdies on Thursday for a 5-under 66 that left her one shot behind Brooke Henderson and Eun-Hee Ji at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.”

”Pleasantly surprised,” Lewis said. ”Had pretty low expectations going into the day. Just really made a lot of putts. I had some weird shots, which I knew was going to happen having not played in a while. I don’t know where it came from, but I’m going to take it.”

“Henderson overcame a slow start with a bogey on the second hole and a par save on No. 3 at the Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons. She birdied five of her last eight holes for a 65 to tie Ji, who had a bogey-free round.”

“The tournament – the first season-opener in Florida for the LPGA since 2015 – is only for LPGA winners each of the last two years.”

Full piece.

3. European Tour

A report from The National...”Shane Lowry has a three-shot advantage to take into Saturday’s final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA.”

“A birdie at the 18th gave him a round of 67 to leave him on -17, three ahead of South African Richard Sterne.”

“An eagle on the final hole from Ian Poulter lifted the Englishman to -12 and gives him hope he can prevail on Saturday.”

“Pablo Larrazabal will start the final round on -11 ahead of a quartet of Maximilian Kiefer, Thomas Pieters, Soren Kjeldsen and Scott Jamieson.”

Full piece.

4. The bricklayer’s son

Bernhard Langer’s “My Shot” runs in Golf Digest this month.

A few morsels…

“My father built our house. When I was a boy, he would call on me to help him lay bricks. I would shovel the material for the mortar into a small mixing machine, then join him in laying the bricks, setting them carefully, one by one, using string to make sure everything was straight. I consider it a miracle to have come this far.”

“WE CADDIES were given four hand-me-down clubs to share. There was a 2-wood, 3-iron and 7-iron, all with bamboo shafts, and a putter with a shaft bent like an archer’s bow. By the time I was 12, I saved enough money to buy a new set of Kroydon irons. They weren’t top of the line, but they were shiny, new and all mine. I added a Blue Goose model putter that had a small indentation in the head. It was a magical putter, and I quickly became the best putter at the course, Golfclub Augsburg, and possibly all of Germany. One day the putter went missing. I frantically went through the members’ bags, and sure enough, found my Blue Goose with the indentation. But I was in a terrible situation. I couldn’t confront the member-he surely would deny everything, and I would be fired. So I kept it to myself. I never did get the Blue Goose back. I’ve spent the past 50 years looking for a putter that suits me as well.”

Full piece.

5. Latin American Am

AP Report…“Alvaro Ortiz of Mexico had an ideal start Thursday in hopes of turning his fortunes in the Latin American Amateur Championship, opening with a 6-under 66 to build a three-shot lead after the opening round.”

“Ortiz has been runner-up in the Latin American Amateur the last two years. He finished five shots behind Joaquin Niemann of Chile last year, and he lost in a three-man playoff to Toto Gana the previous year.”

“The winner earns a spot in the Masters in April, and is exempt into the final stage of qualifying for the U.S. Open and British Open.”

Full piece.

6. Pins in at Augusta National? Maybe…

Golf Channel’s Nick Menta…”Will players really be allowed to putt with the pins in during at the Masters?”

“Asked that question Thursday at the Latin America Amateur Championship, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley didn’t say no.”

“Under the new Rules of Golf, which went into effect on Jan. 1, players are now allowed to leave the flagstick in while on the greens, as Bryson DeChambeau so eagerly demonstrated.”

“Addressing the possibility of Augusta National going against the Rules of Golf during Masters week, Ridley first thanked the USGA’s Mike Davis and R&A’s Martin Slumbers for their work, then preached a message of “consistency” at the game’s highest levels.”

“We will, as we always do, collaborate with the governing bodies. We will talk about those local rules and conditions that will be implemented,” Ridley said.”

“We think it’s important that there be some consistency in top championship golf, and so you should expect that the Masters Tournament, from a rules perspective, will look very much, if not the same, as what you’re seeing in the major championships and the professional tours.”

Full piece.

7. The weirdest lies in golf history

Great stuff here from Coleman Bentley rounding up some of the most absurd lies (and resultant shots) in golf history (although it’s hard to believe there’s any way his list could be comprehensive, but hey, headlines, and you have to admire the effort)

“Golf is a game of minutely controlled chaos. Atoms crashing into atoms. Weight swooping into inertia. A ballet of bounces, spins, kicks, and ricochets that goes wrong just as often as it goes right. The beauty of a such an unpredictable game-one of inches, not yards-however, is that when it goes right it’s spectacular and when it goes wrong, well, it’s equally spectacular. Beg to differ? Well, keep on begging, because as the weirdest, wildest lies in golf’s weird, wild history prove, chaos is a beautiful thing indeed.”

“Shane Lowry – 2018 Abu Dhabi Championship…Before Shane Lowry could tie the course record at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Championship, he first had to conquer Trash Heap Corner. P.S. If no one’s taking that couch, we might know a guy who’s interested.”

“Phil Mickelson – 2014 Barclays Championship…The Leave: Just to the left of Big Jeff’s Hotdog Haus. One day Phil Mickelson will save par from the surface of the moon. We’re sure of it. Until then, his walkabout at the 2014 Barclays Championship will have to suffice.”

Full piece.

8. Kang & McNealy

A couple of Las Vegas-based golf pros are a couple!

Golf Channel’s Randall Mell...”Danielle Kang watched Maverick McNealy with special interest when he was mic’d up on Golf Channel’s telecast of the Web.com Tour event in the Bahamas earlier this week.”

“They are dating.”

“Kang wasn’t sure whether to reveal McNealy is her boyfriend, but she couldn’t help herself.”

“He’s a dork,” she cracked when asked to review his running dialogue on Golf Channel. “But he’s my dork.”

“She was applying the Kang needle. Both she and McNealy live in Las Vegas. She said they met at a golf course there, The Summit Club.”

“He’s a sweetheart,” Kang said. “I have so much respect for him and vice versa.”

Aww!

Full piece.

9. Back in black!

Titleist 718 AP2 Black and AP3 Black released in limited quantities. Previously only available in a traditional chrome finish, the new Titleist 718 AP2 Black and Titleist 718 AP3 Black irons are finished with a sleek, high polish black PVD coating. The irons feature True Temper AMT Onyx shafts stock.

Titleist has unveiled new 718 AP2 Black and 718 AP3 Black irons in limited black finish that will be available to purchase from March 1.

Previously only available in a traditional chrome finish, the new Titleist 718 AP2 Black and Titleist 718 AP3 Black irons are finished with a sleek, high polish black PVD coating. The irons feature True Temper AMT Onyx shafts stock. The shafts’ powder coat matte black finish aims to minimize glare (in addition to looking cool). An all-black Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip is standard as well.

Speaking on the move to release the irons in black, Josh Talge, Vice President, Golf Club Marketing said

“One request we heard from both tour players and amateurs, particularly those who have gravitated toward our Jet Black Vokey SM7 wedges, was if they could have these same irons in a darker finish. Our team spent a lot of time making sure the aesthetics were done just right. It’s a look that you just have to see.”

Our full piece.

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Equipment

Brooks Koepka with Mizuno JPX 919 irons, TaylorMade M5 driver in the bag at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Published

2 days ago

Jan 17, 2019

Gianni Magliocco

Brooks Koepka is in action this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship equipped with a new driver and set of irons.

Golf.com’s Jonathan Wall broke the news, via Twitter, that Kopeka has TaylorMade’s new M5 Driver in his bag this week, as well as Mizuno’s JPX 919 Tour Irons.

The three-time major champ used TaylorMade’s M3 460 Driver and Mizuno’s JPX 900 Tour irons throughout 2018, and it appears as if Koepka is happy to make the transition to both manufacturers latest additions of those series of clubs right from the get-go in 2019.

Brooks-Koepka-Mizuno-JPX-919

Koepka is currently T13 after two rounds of play at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and sits five shots off the lead.

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News

European Tour members have heated exchange over cheating incident…from 2013

Published

2 days ago

Jan 17, 2019

Gianni Magliocco

Social media appears to have become the new playground for golfers to air their issues with each other, and this week it was the turn of two European Tour members.

The two men involved were Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and England’s Simon Dyson, and the subject of the feud revolves around a new change in the rulebook of golf. As of 2019, players are allowed to repair spike marks on the greens, an act which Dyson was found guilty of doing when it was prohibited back in 2013, and subsequently found himself slapped with a fine and a suspension.

Fernandez Castano kicked off the fun and games following his opening round at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The Spaniard said how the new rule “will take some time to get used to” before adding the punchline “Unless you are Simon Dyson and you have been doing it for years.”

First competitive round of the year on @EuropeanTour with the new rules on effect. Tapping down spikemarks felt so weird, it will take some time to get used to it – Unless you are Simon Dyson and you have been doing it for years.

— Gonzalo Fdez-Castaño (@gfcgolf) January 16, 2019

The bad blood between Fernandez-Castano and Dyson appears to be fully down to Dyson’s misdemeanour in 2013, as one year later on Twitter when the Spaniard was asked for his opinion on Dyson; he bluntly replied: “Used to like him, not anymore”.

Asked why he hadn’t tagged Dyson in his tweet yesterday, the Spaniard claimed that the Englishman had blocked him, before Dyson took to the stage, with a different rationale. In a since-deleted tweet, Dyson stated that Fernandez-Castano didn’t have the cojones (or something similar) and stated that the Spaniard is a “sad little man”.

After getting that off his chest, Dyson approached the incident differently, saying that he, unlike Fernandez-Caetano supposedly, had moved on from the affair which occurred six years ago.