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19th Hole

Pin position causes absolute carnage at high school state championship

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Us hardened golf viewers love to see the players struggle.

At both the Charles Schwab and Dutch Open over the weekend, players couldn’t get near the ‘level-fours’ (16-under) that is considered a ‘fair course’, and, of course, nothing is better than seeing a slog through 18 holes when they arrive at locations such as Bethpage Black’s Black course, Shinnecock Hills, or wet and windy Carnoustie.

But hard doesn’t mean unfair, something that could be used to describe last Friday’s round at the Girls 3A State Golf Tournament held at the River Valley Golf Course.

So unfair was the pin placement on the final green, it created a rumpus on social media with many of the bigger names in golf commenting that it was ‘ridiculous’.

The course guide does warn players that the last is, “probably one of the most notorious holes on the golf course! The green rises almost 100 feet above the tee box. The finishing hole is straight away up hill. Try to keep your ball in the fairway as this will help get it up to the green. When making your club choice, remember to factor in the hill. Try to keep your ball below the hole when hitting in to this three tiered green that slopes severely from back to front. Anything too short or too long will be a very tough up and down. Par is a great score on this hole! Good luck!”

Par seemed a long way from reality though as players all struggled to get anywhere near the hole from whatever distance, with one putting from three or four feet and watching her putt go sliding down the hill, eventually stopping many yards away.

One viewer tweeted, “I apologize, just watched the full video and the result of her second putt is egregious. Comes up 2 feet short and the putt rolls off the green. Went from 20 feet to 22 feet to 15 yards. This is ridiculous.”

Multimedia journalist Jake Brend confirmed that the average score for the hole was a quadruple bogey, calling it ‘the most unfair pin placement I have ever seen’ before acknowledging that, “It should be known that’s it’s been confirmed that it WASN’T the @IGHSAU (Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union) who chose the pin location.”

Sky golf commentator Tony Johnston summed up the general feeling, “How do idiots like this even get to be in a position of authority?”

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19th Hole

Report: Tiger Woods voted against Rory McIlroy returning to policy board; Will be the only player negotiating directly with Saudis

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According to a report from The Telegraph, the relationship between Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy has soured.

Last week, reports surfaced that McIlroy, who was a member of the PGA Tour policy board during most of the past few years, was looking to rejoin the board, presumably taking Webb Simpson’s seat.

However, on Wednesday, McIlroy revealed that he will not be rejoining the policy board, due to people on the board being “uncomfortable” with that “for some reason.”

The Telegraph has reported that Tiger Woods was among the players who voted against McIlroy returning to the policy board.

The divide is apparently due to McIlroy pushing for the game of golf to unify, whereas Woods, reportedly, believes the PGA Tour is in a fine position where it currently stands.

The Associated Press added another wrinkle to the situation, reporting that Woods is the only player who will be negotiating directly with the Saudis.

The other members of the committee are PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, board chairman Joe Gorder, John W. Henry of Fenway Sports Group, and Joe Ogilvie, who was a former PGA Tour player.

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19th Hole

Phil Mickelson reveals he won’t be pursuing broadcasting career when he retires from golf

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On Tuesday, Chris McKee, a Toronto writer and radio host, wondered aloud on his X account if Phil Mickelson will be a commentator after his playing days are over.

“The second Phil Mickelson retires he’ll instantly become the most sought after TV analyst in golf. Would any PGA Tour broadcaster (CBS, ESPN, NBC or Sky) bring him in or would he have to stick to LIV broadcasts? #LIVGolf”

Mickelson saw the post and responded, saying he’s not interested in moving from the course to the broadcast booth.

“Thank you for the kind words. However, just cuz someone CAN do something doesn’t mean they SHOULD do it. Instead of commentating, I’m going to shoot some Pros vs Schmos 9 hole matches. I’ll share insights throughout as well as talk a little smack. It won’t be the highest quality video but it’ll be fun for me to do and fun to watch I think too.”

While I believe many fans would like to see Phil in the booth, his idea of “Pro’s vs Schmo’s” could certainly be intriguing.

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PGA Tour pro sounds off on ‘unfair’ PGA Championship invites

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This week, the PGA of America made some surprising announcements regarding the field of next week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.

The event now will feature 16 LIV players with Talor Gooch, Dean Burmester, David Puig, Adrian Meronk and Patrick Reed receiving special exemptions.

PGA Tour player, Dylan Wu, took issue with how the exemptions were used and went to X to share his thoughts.

“Why is there never “real” qualifications for the PGA Championship? You have a points list and World ranking invite. Usually just outside top 100 in OWGR gets in. Chan Kim ranked 104th in OWGR doesn’t get in. SH Kim at 107th isn’t in.”

“Jesper Svennson ranked 108th gets in. Tim Widing 120th gets in. Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald gets a spot. A bunch of guys get leapfrogged even though they’re ranked higher than others. Seems like they just invite whoever they want. Unfair to the guys on the edge like Chan and SH”

“Just seems like the world of professional golf is in a weird spot and I love that the tournament invited a handful of great LIV players but figure out a correct system for a major championship where guys know they’ll be in or not. ????”

Fans who replied to Wu seemed to agree that a more definitive ranking system for the PGA Championship should be established.

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