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19th Hole

Webb Simpson: Renovated Quail Hollow “too tough”

Published

7 years ago

on

Beyond the usual bickering about pin locations and green firmness we expect from players at difficult courses, some PGA Championship participants haven’t been happy about renovations to the first and fourth holes.

Webb Simpson, a member at Quail Hollow, is uniquely positioned to comment on the reworking under Tom Fazio. And Simpson isn’t impressed by what he’s seen this week.

Simpson finished five over for his four days work at Quail Hollow, tied for 53rd when he finished. And the 2012 U.S. Open winner is of the mind that the PGA of America has gone too far in setting up the renovated course the way it did.

“This setup has been too tough for a PGA, to be honest. I don’t know if the intent was to make it this difficult, but it’s really hard,” Simpson said.

“We are dealing with a long golf course, tons of rough, and crazy fast greens. … Similar feelings to when I play a U.S. Open. You shoot even par, you have done really well. In past PGAs, even par is not that good. It’s definitely something to get used to.”

The past five PGA Championships have seen winning scores in the double digits under par. Certainly, the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, in which Rory McIlroy (-13) beat the second-place finisher by eight strokes is a parallel in terms of difficulty.

Regardless, it seems Simpson thinks this year’s PGA is more reminiscent of a traditional U.S. Open—an interesting point in light of this year’s U.S. Open at Erin Hills which, well, didn’t resemble a traditional U.S. Open in terms of setup and scoring.

Simpson was particularly unhappy with the 477-yard finishing hole, taking issue with its third-round setup.

“The false front is eight yards, which means you are supposed to hit the ball right of the hole. Now we have to get it past the hole so the ball doesn’t come back off the green. Little things like that. Me and my caddie said if they just put the pin four yards farther back, then it’s still a really hard hole but it’s fair.”

Now, it’s difficult to lay issues with hole locations at Fazio’s feet, and there’s something of a philosophical difference here: How tough a PGA Championship ought to be.

Ultimately though, Quail Hollow, as we know, was auditioning for future major championship hosting duties this week. Will more golfers join Webb’s chorus? Does player sentiment really matter in selecting major venues?

Expect to hear plenty of discussion of said subjects during the post mortem of this PGA Championship.

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19th Hole

LET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you

Published

2 days ago

on

Apr 26, 2024

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On Friday morning, Ladies European Tour player, Hannah Gregg, took to social media to share her weekly expenses playing on the LET.

“Expenses of my first week on Ladies European Tour: Flights: $2600 Work Visa: $350 

  • Food: $377 
  • Caddie: $0 because I have an amazing Fiancé 
  • Hotel: $0 because  @GregChalmersPGA sorted me host housing for the week!  
  • Rental Car: +0 because the Tour Tee guys GAVE me their car  
  • Gas: $165 
  • Entry Fee: $130 
  • Lounge Pass for caddie: $50 
  • Gym: $0 
  • Yardage book: $0 
  • Total expenses: $3672 

Made cut, finished 54th, total earned: $1244 Factor in 35% tax on earnings. To break even, needed to finish 24th. To make money, 21st. Guess we have our goals laid out for next event!”

When factoring in Gregg’s free housing, free caddie and free rental car, it’s evident that most LET players would have to finish well inside of the top-20 to make any money.

With ridiculous amounts of money being thrown around in professional golf these days, it’s important to remember the other side of the coin as well. There are countless professionals out there who struggle to get by on their golf salary.

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19th Hole

54-hole golf tour deemed eligible for OWGR points…but it’s not LIV

Published

3 days ago

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Apr 25, 2024

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After a seventeen-month application process, a 54-hole golf tour was deemed eligible for OWGR points.

Unfortunately, for LIV Golf and their fans, it was the Clutch Pro Tour.

After the decision, which is effective immediately, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson issued a statement.

“This is a significant milestone for golf, and OWGR is deeply encouraged by the achievement and the continued efforts in developing the sport of golf in the United Kingdom.”

“We look forward to watching the progress of the Clutch Pro Tour as it continues to play a key role in the development of players from the region,” Dawson added.

The Clutch Pro Tour operates in the United Kingdom and features a 36-hole cut. It also has an open qualifying school.

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19th Hole

Charlie Woods attempting to qualify for spot at 2024 U.S. Open

Published

3 days ago

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Apr 25, 2024

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As first reported by Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Charlie Woods will be attempting to qualify for this year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

The first stage of qualifying for this year’s tournament will be an 18-hole local event on Thursday, April 25th, in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

There will be 84 players in the field, five of which will reach the 36-hole qualifier that will take place in June.

Earlier this season, Charlie attempted to qualify for the Cognizant Classic, and struggled, shooting an 86.

If the younger Woods is able to qualify, he will tee it up in the same field as his father in a few months at one of the more historic U.S. Open venues.

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