1. Against the spirit of the rules?
Scathing stuff from Geoff Shackelford in Golfweek…
First, he puts Matt Kuchar’s waste area management at the European Open in its right context-Kuchar’s recent questionable behavior…
- “El Tucan technically was not entitled to a normal caddie payday after a big win in Mexico…The pitch mark at the Memorial was his because someone said so, yet a replay said otherwise and a third opinion was asked for to get a better lie…And now coarse waste bunker sand is a loose impediment.”
More from Shackelford…“The newly revised rules opened the door for the latest questionable act of sportsmanship by Matt Kuchar. Players can now move a loose impediment in a bunker. As Kuchar demonstrated, if sand is coarse enough to be a pebble in the eyes of any official, then all of the tiny particles are loose impediments.”
- “While using the rules of golf to your advantage is wise, it’s confounding to watch someone with a once solid reputation and plenty of cash in the bank to snub his upturned nose at the spirit of the rules. Again. In the same year. On television.”
- “Kuchar takes well over the time allotted to play a shot while we are watching- television cut away after 40 seconds of Kuchar’s trench dig – and seems to improve his lie in the “waste area.”
Full piece (and arguably the definitive take on Kuch’s pebble picking.
2. Bob Hope saved
Larry Bohannon at the Palm Springs Desert Sun…”An international blue-chip financial giant will bring its name and its services to the Coachella Valley’s PGA Tour event in January.”
- “American Express, one of the largest companies in the world and one of the 30 companies listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, will be the new title sponsor for the 61-year-old desert tour event, The Desert Sun has learned.”
- “The multi-year sponsorship deal will re-brand the desert event as The American Express. An official announcement is expected Monday morning.”
- “This is absolutely the best sponsor we could ask for,” said Jeff Sanders of Lagardere Sports, the company that operates the tournament for Desert Classic Charities. “This is the best news we have received since we took over the opportunity to run this event. American Express is an iconic global brand that transcends quality. We could not be more excited.”
Full piece.
3. 2 players, 1 premier team competition in women’s golf, zero clubs
Golf Channel’s Jason Crook...”Both Europe’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff and the United States’ Angel Yin flew to Edinburgh through Dublin over the weekend, but their clubs didn’t make the connection.”
“As Shadoff and Yin began to miss valuable practice time on Monday, players, caddies and even the European social media team turned to Twitter for help.”
“On the bright side, Shadoff did text GolfWeek with renewed hope later in the day, “Apparently there are over 200 bags in Dublin that are meant for Edinburgh. They have sent a plane with just bags on that just landed, so hopefully they are on that.””
4. Grim statistics
Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”For starters, you’re more likely to lose your card than keep it”
“As a refresher, the top 125 players in the FedEx Cup point standings at the end of the regular season don’t just make the playoffs, they keep their cards for next season. Out of those 300 players, only 42 percent reached the tour’s postseason, and more important, avoided demotion. That means, on average, 21 players from the 50 get full status. (To clarify, the 50 Korn Ferry graduates don’t technically enjoy full status, as they are subject to a priority rank, which comes in play when trying to enter a tournament. Only one player-this year, Scottie Scheffler-is exempt for finishing atop the full-season and the Finals points list.)”
- “This past season, 19 players were able to make the playoffs, although 20 kept their cards thanks to Martin Trainer’s win at the Puerto Rico Open. Of this 19, only two-Lucas Glover and Sungjae Im-reached East Lake, which comes with its own rewards. Speaking of which …
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Tom T
Sep 11, 2019 at 2:33 pm
Kduoooooooooooche, kduoooooooooche, kduoooooooooooche, kduoooooooooooche, kduoooooooooche….
VinnyT
Sep 11, 2019 at 10:15 am
Kuch is a douche.
Ryan
Sep 10, 2019 at 9:45 am
I think Kuch was out of line with the removal of sand particles from the waste area, but the rules and officials allowed him to do it. I can’t really fully blame the guy for doing it. The official should have said something to him. The rules should be written a little more clear. Kuch shouldn’t have thought it ok to removal sand particles from the waste area. All of these are arguable points.