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GolfWRX Morning 9: Scrap the tee system? | JT still mad about U.S. Kids loss | A Ketel for the King

Published

6 years ago

Aug 23, 2018

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

August 23, 2018

Good Thursday morning, golf fans.

1. Officially official: Woods-Mickelson set

Our Gianni Magliocco with the details…”Thanksgiving weekend is the date set for Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson, an event being called “The Match.” Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Nevada, will host the $9 million winner-take-all match. And for those not lucky enough to be able to attend the showdown, the match will be shown live on pay-per-view via DirectTV, B/R Live and other on-demand platforms.”

“The decision to broadcast the event on PPV has unsurprisingly not gone down too well with some golf fans. Many have taken to social media platforms to vent their disapproval.”

“Phil also confirmed via ESPN that the duo and their caddies will be mic’d up.”

“While the event is winner-take-all, reports also say that Phil and Tiger will be able to make side bets throughout the match, with the winnings going to charity.”

“Las Vegas Superbook has released early odds on the showdown, making Woods a -180 favorite over Mickelson (+150).”

2. Should we just scrap the tee system?

A good discussion over at National Club Golfer about the merits of stipulating who plays which tees.

Alex Perry: I’ve been quite outspoken on this matter. I’m sure it will disappear as we move onto the next generation of golfers, but this stigma surrounding which tees you play off is pathetic. Tees should be based on your handicap, not your gender.

Jordan Elliott: I play off 4, and if I play a championship course I want to play it off the tips. I want to enjoy the course from the same tees that the pros do.

Alex Perry: I play off 14 and if I play a championship course I want to play it off tees that aren’t going to make me feel like I’ve been beaten up by the 3rd hole.

This is but the tip of the iceberg in a solid back and forth. Check it out.

3. Writeth the Nantz

Back again with his newly minted “View from Pebble Beach” column for Golf Digest, Jim Nantz writes

“If there’s one thing I see as an absolute lock, it’s that the success of the revamped 2019 PGA Tour schedule-the dates of the FedEx Cup playoffs and season-ending Tour Championship especially-is going to be, for myriad reasons, a gimme.”

“The Tour Championship traditionally ended the third Sunday in September, which in a television context put it dead up against the NFL national doubleheader games aired on CBS or Fox. There’s no denying the NFL is America’s favorite television sport. For example, the 2018 Super Bowl produced a Nielsen household rating of 43.1, and the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier that same Sunday drew what is considered a respectable 2.5. Even high-profile golf events don’t produce numbers that come close to the mighty NFL. The memorable Ryder Cup at Hazeltine in 2016 produced a 2.7, and in 2014, when it was broadcast from Scotland and aired early in the day here in the United States, a 1.6.”

“And what happens when golf regularly goes head-to-head with the NFL? Over the past 10 years, the late NFL game on Tour Championship Sunday has dominated the golf by a whopping 13.4 to 1.7.”

Nantz’s full piece.

4. The Challenge Tour made me what I am

If you think too much is made of the path Brooks Koepka took to the PGA Tour, it doesn’t sound like he thinks so.

Ahead of the Northern Trust, Koepka said…”I wouldn’t be where I am at today…To maybe spend a year on the [Web.com Tour], I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I definitely learned a lot about myself traveling Europe and you’re on your own for months at a time.”

5. Ryder Cup Radicals return

Luke and Shane are firing off emails again…

Shane asks…”Am I a bad American if I root for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup?”

“(Obama voice): LET ME BE CLEAR … I have not decided if I will actually root for Europe. But I am definitely thinking of rooting for Europe, and I want to know exactly how disloyal this would be before I proceed.”

“Here’s the thing-it’s a very loosely guarded secret in golf media that on average European golfers are more entertaining, thoughtful and generally easier to deal with. That’s not a universal truth, but generally speaking I’d rather have a beer and a chat with a European pro any time. There’s also the fact that they’re pretty big underdogs this year-at least we think so-and it’s always better to pull for the underdog than the juggernaut.”

“What do you think? Is it OK since it’s “only” a golf tournament? Or am I a wretched traitor for even thinking of such a betrayal?

LUKE…”Ultimately, Shane, you’re American, and as I was reminded at the World Cup earlier this summer: There’s nothing worse than American’s pretending not to be American. Going around calling it futbol and half-heartedly cheering for Croatia because you quite like that player … what’s his name … oh yeah, Luka MAW-DRIK. Ugh. No. Don’t be that guy, Shane.”

Check out their full exchange.

6. No black socks for you!

A gentleman by the name of David Cole was told he had to change his socks to play semi-private Letchworth Golf Club.

He tweeted” “Got refused @GolfLetchworth as my socks were not white!.(they were black spots socks) I was wearing shorts and a polo shirt but still got refused! They would rather so no to £60 between me and my brother for a sock colour which you can hardly see!”

The management responded, saying that he would surely have been offered the opportunity to change into the necessary white socks, to which Cole replied he wasn’t inclined to buy a pair of whites from their pro shop and went home.

7. Air quality issues

Golfweek’s Kevin Casey…”All should be better by the time the tournament starts, but the site of PGA Tour Champions’ Boeing Classic is currently dealing with air quality issues.”

“Per Golf Digest, TPC Snoqualmie Ridge (this week’s Boeing Classic site) is currently experiencing “unhealthy” air conditions.”

“This is according to Washington’s Air Monitoring Network and is the result of fires east of the Cascade mountains that have affected air to the west.”

8. Festering Thomas

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”Asked on Tuesday at The Northern Trust if he’d been able to move past last year’s finish at the Tour Championship, where he finished second to Xander Schauffele but still won the FedExCup, his answer was telling.”

“I’m still pretty mad that I didn’t win that tournament. [No.] 18 is one of the easier holes on the course. It’s a driver, 5-iron for me and I had a 30-footer for birdie,” he said. “I should have birdied that to have a chance at a playoff. So it still bothers me.”

He’s also still burning about, well...”Totally choked the U.S. Kids [Championship] when I was 8 years old. I shot 32, 30, I shot 37 in the second round,” Thomas explained. “I’m dead serious. I lost in a playoff. I got up-and-down on the first playoff hole then I lost on the second playoff hole, made bogey. My dad was caddying for me. I choked it. I was so mad.”

9. Special Ketel One for the King’s birthday

Golf Digest’s Stephen Hennessey (appropriately chosen to write about booze)…”Lesser known than Arnie’s affinity for mixing iced tea and lemonade might be his tendency to relax with a vodka on the rocks (with a lemon, or a twist, for the initiated). To honor Palmer with his birthday coming up (he would’ve turned 89 on Sept. 10), Ketel One has released a limited-edition Arnold Palmer Collector’s Edition bottle ($25 for a 750 ML bottle, $32 for a one-liter bottle).”

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

May 14, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.

While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.

General Albums

2024 PGA Championship – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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News

Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue

Published

2 days ago

May 14, 2024

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the PGA Championship from iconic Valhalla.

1. Is now the time Rory finally ends major drought?

BBC’s Iain Carter…”But given the imperious form he showed in Charlotte last week, perhaps this is the PGA Championship to rekindle the ruthless streak of old. And not just because he is back at Valhalla (the Nordic word for the hall of the fallen).”

“It also became clear last week that McIlroy is somewhat persona non grata to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. His views on a global future for this damagingly split sport do not seem to chime with the American dominated body.”

“His offer to return to the board from which he resigned earlier this year was rejected and he has been left as a mere non-voting member of the “transaction committee” dealing with a potential deal with Saudi Arabia.”

“McIlroy insists there are “no hard feelings” but there should be.”

“No player has worked harder for their sport during this period of unprecedented tumult and the board has rejected someone many people regard as the game’s most articulate and enlightened international voice.”

“Now is, surely, the time for McIlroy to feel slighted and respond with his clubs. Play as though he has a chip on his shoulder, but in the knowledge that he is generationally the most consistent golfing force out there.”

Full piece.

2. Scheffler in for PGA Champ after birth of child

Jaclyn Hendricks for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler and wife Meredith’s bundle of joy has arrived.”

“The couple welcomed their first child, just weeks after Scheffler claimed his second Masters victory in three years.”

“Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig tweeted Saturday that the baby was born and Scheffler will play in this week’s PGA Championship — the second major of the season.”

“There’s been nothing official from Scottie Scheffler, his team or the Tour… But word is he will be at Valhalla for the PGA next week after winning four of his last five tournaments, including the Masters. He is currently on the Tuesday interview schedule for 3:30 p.m. #babyborn,” Harig wrote over the weekend.”

Full piece.

3. “Erik van Rooyen, friends and family live in honor of ‘Trazzy’”

That’s the headline of Ryan Lavner’s superb piece on Erik van Rooyen and his departed best friend Jon Trasmar. An excerpt would be an injustice. Go read it!

Full piece.

4. Stricker out of PGA citing fatigue

AP report…”Steve Stricker decided Sunday to withdraw from the PGA Championship at Valhalla, citing the difficulty of playing four times in a span of five weeks.”

“Stricker, 57, was eligible by winning the Senior PGA Championship last year. He, John Daly and Phil Mickelson are the only players to have competed at Valhalla each of the previous three times the PGA Championship was held there.”

Full piece.

5. Why Valhalla is a great venue for major championships

Garrett Morrison for The Fried Egg…”But before we start slinging mud (of which there will be plenty in Kentucky this week), let’s pause to think about why Valhalla tends to generate close final-round battles featuring elite players. It’s not magic: the course has long par 3s and 4s, narrow fairways, and smallish greens surrounded by rough and bunkers. This style of design and setup, which practically defines the PGA Championship’s modern brand, gives an outsize advantage to a skill that many star players share: power. Length off the tee and the ability to muscle the ball out of rough to a well-protected green will be near-prerequisites for contending at this week’s PGA Championship. If Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau show up with any kind of short-game and putting form, they will be in the mix on Sunday. And the presence of such A-listers on the leaderboard will further burnish Valhalla’s reputation as a serious venue.“

“It does not follow, however, that Valhalla is a great golf course. In fact, I find it a fairly mediocre and bland one. Very few holes offer multiple options of the tee (the exceptions being the short par-4 fourth and the double-fairway par-5 seventh), most of the greens lack memorable contouring, and the recovery shots from around the fairways and greens are one-dimensional and repetitive. So even if Sunday turns out to be a barn-burner, the first three rounds, when the focus will be on the course and the shots demanded, will probably be sleepier, aside from the inevitable Blockie walk-and-talk.”

Full piece.

6. Dunne resigns from policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Jimmy Dunne, who last year helped negotiate the PGA Tour’s controversial framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, resigned from the tour’s policy board on Monday.”

“In Dunne’s resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Dunne wrote that “no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF” and that “my vote and my role is utterly superfluous” now that player directors outnumber independent directors on the policy board. Dunne’s resignation was effective immediately.”

“It is crucial for the Board to avoid letting yesterday’s differences interfere with today’s decisions, especially when they influence future opportunities for the tour,” Dunne wrote. “Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction.”

“Along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Dunne and policy board chairman Ed Herlihy secretly negotiated the framework agreement with the PIF, which is financing the rival LIV Golf League. Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced the deal on June 6. Most PGA Tour players — including some player directors — were unaware of the deal until it was announced on TV.”

Full piece.

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News

Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Ronald Montesano

This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)

This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.

LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms

There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.

This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.

Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.

Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024

PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte

Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.

Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.

HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!

He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024

PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week

It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.

The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.

Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.

Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024

PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie

Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.

In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.

Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.

At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.

Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024

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