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5. Tiger’s new normal
Steve DiMeglio wrote this regarding the 15-time major champion (amid a larger look back at 2019)
- “After delivering the season’s greatest triumph – heck, the decade’s greatest triumph – Tiger Woods showed golf fans what his future might hold. And it didn’t look good. At 43 and following eight surgeries to his left knee and back, Woods couldn’t practice, play and train enough to be competitive after he won his fifth green jacket and 15th major title at the Masters.”
- “He played just 17 rounds and six tournaments after winning the Masters in April, and he didn’t earn a trip back to Atlanta to defend his title in The Tour Championship, where he capped his remarkable return to the game after spinal fusion with a victory in 2018.”
- “His play was mostly listless after he looked so robust among the Georgia pines. He missed cuts in the PGA Championship and Open Championship, withdrew from the Northern Trust.”
6. On breaklessness
Christopher O’Day at Fansided writes…”Even if you take a look at golfers 71-125, those that didn’t make it to the BMW Championship, they will still only get one month off. Likely, they are going to jump on some of these early tournaments to try and score some easier FedEx Cup points for the upcoming season and enhance their chances of making it to the 2019-20 playoffs.”
- “Give them a break. Golf is a demanding sport. Playing 72 holes in four days isn’t always easy, and it isn’t easy on your body either. Now do this 30-35 times a year, with never longer than a one month break.”
- “I can’t imagine putting this kind of stress on my body and mind. For those guys who are young and single, I can see how it would give them a leg up on the competition, and that it wouldn’t bother them too badly.”
Full piece.
Here’s why, Chris: The PGA Tour exists to create playing opportunities for its members before it exists as entertainment for fans. Maximizing those opportunities, both in terms of tournaments per year and purse/bonus money is a top priority. There are 52 weeks in a year. In a sense, then, it’s surprising there isn’t a tournament every week. If nobody’s playing for weeks or months, players aren’t making money. The Tour isn’t responsible for individual player schedules, pacing, or breaks. I don’t believe this is a bad thing, and unlike many in the media, I’m not pining for an extended offseason.
7. Lee Elder speaks
The Great Lee Elder’s My Shot (with Guy Yocom) is must-read stuff…
A taste…”I’m best known for being the first black man to compete in the Masters, back in 1975. The victory that got me into the Masters was the Monsanto Open in late April 1974. I beat Peter Oosterhuis in a playoff. After I holed out, the PGA Tour’s tournament director, Jack Tuthill, directed me to a police car. That surprised me, because I expected the trophy presentation would be outdoors. I said, “What’s going on, Jack?” Jack, a former FBI man, explained that death threats had been coming in all morning and that it would be safer if the presentation was indoors, back at the clubhouse. Jack said driving there in a police car would be safer than a golf cart. I agreed and understood the situation. It wasn’t the first time a black athlete had received death threats, and it wasn’t the last. But I was thrilled to win.”
Full piece.
8. Zuback reflects
Good stuff from Michael Shamburger (Bamberger? no Shamburger) at Golf Channel chatting with the famed long driver.
- “When it comes to long-drive champions, Jason Zuback’s name is at the top of the list, right next to Sandra Carlborg (Women’s Division). Over the course of his career, Zuback won a total of five long-drive titles, with four of those coming in succession between 1996-99…It is by far the most dominating run in long-drive history, as there is no other male long-drive competitor with more than three titles to their name.”
- “”When I started, you’d see maybe a little bit on TV and stuff in magazines,” said Zuback. “I’ve always gravitated to the power element of sports, whether it be sprinting, hitting home-runs, or hitting a hockey puck as hard as I could. I always loved to take a rip at it and try and it hit hard.”…That mentality served the Canadian well when he entered his first long-drive competition.”
- “I was playing in a Monday qualifier for an event on the Canadian Tour, the Alberta Open,” said Zuback. “I got paired up with a couple of guys and one of them mentioned that there was a qualifier for this big long-drive event, and that I should give it a try because he had never seen anyone hit it as far as I did. There were close to 100 guys that were trying to get through the local [qualifier], and I think I ended up winning by around 50 yards.”
Full piece.
9. Best drivers
(In case you missed it yesterday…last time I’ll mention, I swear)…I’m proud of the best driver piece we put together, so I want to call your attention to it in case you might not have seen it.
I wrote on Instagram: We believe in fitting foremost-especially if you’re going to invest hundreds of dollars in a driver. We believe the best driver for you will depend on a number of factors, not the least of which are your swing speed and (the other half of the battle) the shaft. Accordingly, we surveyed 13 of the best fitters around to see which drivers they were fitting players in three swing speed categories into, as well as their recommendation for the most forgiving driver overall. In short, what’s presented in this graphic is the shortlist of what we believe to be the best options in each category. If you don’t have access to a fitter, we don’t believe you’ll go wrong picking from the list. However, the BEST way to select the BEST DRIVER for you is to test the short-listed drivers in multiple configurations with multiple shafts under the eye of a reputable fitter on a launch monitor. Don’t settle for what works for a robot, what wins a gold medal, or what your buddy says is great.
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19th Hole2 weeks ago
19th Hole1 week ago
