News
SMU banned from NCAA postseason, DeChambeau can’t defend title
On Tuesday, the Southern Methodist University men’s golf team was deemed ineligible from NCAA postseason play in 2015-2016 due to recruiting violations and unethical conduct, according to a report from the Golf Channel.
Josh Gregory, who served four years as the SMU Mustangs head golf coach, was found to have:
- Committed multiple recruiting infractions with 64 impermissible contacts with 10 prospects and seven parents of prospects over a 10-month period.
- Offered players merchandise and golf equipment at a “significantly reduced price.”
- Was aware of a university booster contacting nine recruits and “facilitated contact” between Gregory and players’ families
Due to the infractions, the Mustangs golf team, who are now coached by Jason Enloe, are banned from NCAA postseason play in 2015-2016 and will lose 25 percent of its recruiting scholarships for the next three years — the team receives 4.5 scholarships before reductions.
The postseason punishments will keep senior Bryson DeChambeau, who became only the fifth player ever to win the NCAA Men’s Individual Championship and the U.S. Amateur Championship in the same year last month, from defending his NCAA title.
Related: Bryson DeChambeau WITB 2015
Gregory, the former SMU golf coach, who also coached the 2012 U.S. Palmer Cup team, did not deny the allegations, but disagreed with the punishment.
“I’ve admitted my mistake since Day One, but I’ve never hidden from it,” GREGORY TOLD GOLFCHANNEL.COM. “I know I made a mistake, but I don’t understand [the punishment]. It doesn’t fit the crime.”
According to the NCAA, the SMU Mustangs Men’s basketball coach Larry Brown also committed multiple infractions including academic fraud and unethical conduct, and will be suspended for 30 percent of the team’s games.
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Bettinardi BB1 Wide putter review – Club Junkie Reviews
Bettinardi has long been known as one of the best putter manufacturers in golf. The BB line is considered the company’s flagship. This year, Bettinardi took more input from the tour in order to optimize CG placements and refine the feel in the lineup. To optimize the CG and ensure that the sweet sport is in the correct location, Bettinardi engineers reshaped the shoulders and bumpers on the back of the head for better weight placement. The face also features a brand new Perpetual Flymill milling that enhances feel and feedback as well as gets the ball rolling more consistently. You can check out all of the details on the 2024 Bettinardi BB line of putters in our launch report. For a full review check out the Club Junkie podcast on all platforms or on YouTube below.
I have been using a Bettinardi BB8 Wide for the past two years, both previous generations, and really loved those putters. They were the first blade putters I have actually gamed in well over 10 years, so you know I was excited to see the 2024 BB lineup.
The BB1 Wide jumped out to me immediately, because it is similar to the BB8 Wide, just a little softer and with more rounded edges. Out of the box, the BB1 Wide looks great, and I think the new Black Pearl PVD finish has a slight shine to it that looks a little nicer and more high quality than the matte grey from the last generation. The gloss black stepless shaft and bright blue Lamkin grip are solid editions to the whole package and give the putter a little glitz that doesn’t distract. Finally, Bettinardi updated the BB covers to magnetic closure, and I am way too happy about that!
Out on the green, the BB1 Wide frames the ball well and you can easily see that it has a shorter heel-to-toe measurement than the BB8 Wide. From face to back the putter is wide, but I think the stubbiness of the head makes it look a touch wider than it really is. The look from address also greets you with a softer and more rounded look from the bumpers and overall shape of the head. As you would expect the flange is longer and includes a single site line for alignment. I like this setup as a single, longer, site line tends to be what I line up the best. A thicker topline is slightly rolled for a softer and thinner look that blends in well with the profile of this putter head. If you like the larger mallets that have been trending lately then I think you will enjoy looking down at the BB1 Wide.
On the course and the putting green, the Bettinardi BB1 Wide offers a great soft feel at impact, softer to me than last year’s BB8 Wide. Bettinardi’s Perpetual Fly Mill face has deeper grooves that provide this softer feel while still putting a nice roll on the ball. The greens up here in the north are still long and bumpy, but the BB1 Wide provided as smooth of a roll as it could under the conditions. Some playing partners were dealing with big hops and jumps in the first foot of their putts, but I never had that problem with the BB1 Wide. The initial roll limited the hop and skip more than I expected, and I felt like it started the ball on line very well. Aiming the putter was simple and easy as I had the same single site line on my previous putter.
The sole of the BB1 Wide is a little unique as it has a sound slot that runs the length of the cavity from heel to toe. We don’t see a lot of sound slots on retail putters but they are used to fine-tune the sound of a putter at impact. The use of the sound slot on the BB1 Wide definitely increases the audible sound at impact and gives it a slightly more metallic sound. I was a little worried that the sound would have too much “ting” to it or be offensively loud, but I was impressed that it was much more dialed down. Feel off the face was soft, definitely softer than the previous BB line. Now while that softer face is great, it does reduce a little of the feedback on where you struck the shot. You can tell the misses are there but they are a little softer than you would expect from a fully milled putter.
Forgivness with this putter is pretty good, and it will allow you to get away with less-than-perfect strokes. The amount of mass out on the toe and heel make the putter much more stable than a lot of blades. While it isn’t high mallet MOI stable the putter will show you that shots off the toe or heel will stay online well and come to rest right next to the hole. Distance control is precise and you won’t be stunned by a ball that jumps off the face with too much speed or the opposite. Putts on the putting green from the same spot just consistently toll to the same finish line, if they don’t drop into the cup.
Ultimately, a new finish, face milling, and design keep things fresh and high-performance but in a very classic package. Bettinardi did a great job mixing those things to keep the traditionalist and the gear junkies both happy. While the lineup doesn’t feature a massive amount of head shapes, it nails some core designs and should be a big hit for Bettinardi.
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mb
Oct 5, 2015 at 12:00 am
not in the field for SMU this week….most likely turning pro id guess
Keith
Sep 30, 2015 at 6:42 pm
Given SMU’s track record and the huberous of the typical SMU booster…this does not surprise me.
This is the social elite of Dallas/Texas that think they are above the rules. It’s unfortunate for the athletes and sets a terrible precedent for their future and the perspective they will have when faced with similar challenges/opportunities in their life.
E
Sep 30, 2015 at 9:31 pm
Al Texans believe they are above it. Look at the Bush family. They got away with everything
MW
Oct 14, 2015 at 9:25 pm
You’re an idiot.
RG
Oct 25, 2015 at 5:20 am
And your really bright…or not.
Ron
Sep 30, 2015 at 3:12 pm
Once again the athletes are the ones penalized! That’s just wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
brian d
Sep 30, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Its sad, because its never really the people involved who get punished, its the kids who play there and those who had nothing to do with the situation
Jim H
Sep 30, 2015 at 12:23 pm
Looks like Obama’s tyrannical ideology is trickling down to the ncaa.
Desmond
Sep 30, 2015 at 12:33 pm
Seriously?
The NCAA has tyrannized for longer than Obama has lived. Let’s leave politics out of this.
RJ
Sep 30, 2015 at 6:51 pm
WOW…. Can we stop wasting my eye usage with FOOLISH writings! Leave politics to F*X News
DolphLundgrenade
Sep 30, 2015 at 12:11 pm
Everyone who knows about the NCAA knows they are an awful organization for the way they earn huge dollars off of students (if you don’t know, read more), but then they back it up with ridiculous penalties like this…. As if Dechambeau is a professional athlete on a professional sports team.
I don’t know anything about SMU or its problems beyond this (and I can’t say this surprises me, as there are a lot of colleges doing exactly this as we speak; ever wonder why ANYONE would rather live in Alabama to play golf than on a beach in California? No 18 year old recruit would make that pick unless X number of other things are promised) but I do know that this school should continue to face its penalties, but its students should be considered in all of this- Let players that are there play. If they are cheaters or ethically challenged, they will get their comeuppance soon enough- or work on Wall Street or politics and be rich. Life is fun huh!
TE
Sep 30, 2015 at 11:53 am
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/appeals-panel-upholds-ncaa-anti-trust-ruling–disagrees-with-deferred-payments-153721335.html
Deacon Blues
Sep 30, 2015 at 11:37 am
It’s the same story over and over again. . .
It seems like all of the collegiate coaches have no problem providing their athletes the newest and finest equipment, but for some baffling reason they always seem to have to compromise when it comes to exposing their prized athletes to old, washed-out athletic supporters!
It’s just nuts!
There must be some plan of action these geniuses at all of these fine institutions of higher education could come up with to prevent exposure to these unfortunate side-effects of collegiate sports.
Maybe building a special clubhouse to keep them all in – or something like that. . .
Desmond
Sep 30, 2015 at 9:15 am
It is more severe than needed.
The former coach, whom SMU had resign under pressure, a year ago, can’t coach at an NCAA School for 4 years.
The booster is disenfranchised from the program.
The guilty individuals were punished severely.
Why punish the kids and essentially kill the program of another coach?
Yes, SMU had institutional issues … over 30 years ago! And most of those involved are dead or not on the board. Punishing SMU because it is SMU is ludicrous with a 30 year span for severe violations.
I do not like the NCAA .. they make millions off the blood and shortened careers of athletes to whom they give nothing. Someone should investigate the NCAA and cut out their institutional heart, and replace it.
Robert
Sep 30, 2015 at 11:19 am
Completely agree. The NCAA has such incredibly hypocritical and unrealistic standards.
alexdub
Sep 30, 2015 at 11:26 am
Well said. I think we will see some institutional reforms with the NCAA in the coming years. Certainly, the NCAA fulfills a needed role, but they have now become the embodiment of institutional cronyism the organization originally sought to suppress.
TE
Sep 30, 2015 at 11:53 am
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bad-horseplay–smu-s-time-as-part-of-ncaa-should-be-over-195905029.html
Desmond
Sep 30, 2015 at 12:37 pm
Shock Jock Comments…
Doesn’t pertain to the golf team;
As to Larry Brown and Roundball, Larry leaves a trail of penalties. He is 75 yr old — did you expect him to follow every rule and play .500 basketball?
I think not — SMU hoped with age that Brown could play legal – and he lied – and then “clarified” his answers to NCAA. You’ve got to ask if the juice is worth the squeeze – for BBall, yes.
JF
Sep 30, 2015 at 4:21 am
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I love it. Cheaters
jakeanderson
Sep 30, 2015 at 2:54 am
this is well deserved. some people would say that god’s will was at work, and I, am one of them. i have never heard of a catholic college committing such fallacies.
Mike
Sep 30, 2015 at 8:14 am
no the priests do “other” things considered a little worse in the catholic church schools
shimmy
Sep 30, 2015 at 9:58 am
They committed a fallacy? What?
What evidence do you have that this supposed god of yours favors catholics and hates methodists?
Desmond
Sep 30, 2015 at 1:21 pm
Let’s leave God out of this one… it appears the NCAA god is money.
BB
Sep 30, 2015 at 1:31 pm
Yeah let them bugger little boys instead like you know you enjoy doing, with God on your side watching over you while you do it
shimmy
Sep 29, 2015 at 9:46 pm
Good. They deserved it.
Jay
Sep 30, 2015 at 4:17 pm
Seems to me the coach who committed the actions is the one who deserved it??
Christestrogen
Sep 29, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Jeffrey….it was/is called the “death penalty”…
I’m a Texan and remember it well….mainly it was a witch hunt by liberal talking heads to tie then governor bill Clements to impropriety….dale Hansen in particular wanted to catch Clements…
It was ridiculous….and I’m an austinite and have zero affinity for smu
Brodie Hock
Sep 29, 2015 at 4:43 pm
Merchandise at a “significantly discounted price”….if that’s against the rules than I would say a ton of colleges are guilty!
Joe
Sep 29, 2015 at 7:07 pm
There were more NCAA rules infraction than just equipment. The coach and recruiting staff are at fault, I hope some people were fired.
Keith
Sep 30, 2015 at 6:49 pm
The real fault lies on the boosters…they are the root of a lot of these infractions
Joel
Sep 29, 2015 at 3:45 pm
He’s right! The punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Its the players who are paying the price.
JF
Sep 30, 2015 at 4:21 am
Duh
JF
Sep 30, 2015 at 4:26 am
Of course it fits the crime.
If this is not the correct sentence, then they should strip the college and its players of all the awards from the years that these infractions had taken place, and the kids should not be allowed to graduate and should have to go back, if they have already graduated. The sponsor moneys and items should all have to be returned, and no further free goods should be given to this college.
Would you be willing to give out that sort of proper punishment? I would. But the sporting world is very forgiving in the USA because there’s too much money involved.
Desmond
Sep 30, 2015 at 9:17 am
It’s Donald Trump!
help us all.
Joe
Sep 29, 2015 at 3:44 pm
He admitted that he made a mistake! You have to be kidding, it was willful disregard of NCAA rules. Too bad that it has effected DeChambeau from defending his title.
This may hasten DeChambeau to turn pro.
Gary
Sep 29, 2015 at 4:27 pm
Will he be able to compete in the three majors he qualified for with the win at the US AM then?
Joe
Sep 29, 2015 at 7:05 pm
It should not effect his eligibility for the Majors.