The Journey Ends

This entry marks # 585 that I’ve made since I started this blog back in 2010. It will also be my last.

It’s been a lot of fun sharing my passion for the game of golf here the past few years, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank a few loyal readers for taking the time to drop in and visit from time to time. This blog has definitely served a purpose in my life, offering me a nice distraction and giving me something to do in my spare time, something centered around this game that I love.

I’ve often lamented that when I’m not in the mood to play golf – the golf course is the last place I should be. If you want to play good golf, you need to want to be on the course playing and enjoying the challenges that await. To be certain, that’s not a conundrum that most of my friends have to worry about, as most of them are lucky to play once a week, and they treasure each and every round, good or bad. But it’s the only fitting analogy that I can think of that best explains the reason for my official retirement from the blogosphere.

On too many occasions over the past year I’ve found myself posting articles here more so out of obligation than a genuine desire. As a result, the quality of my writing has been replaced with cut-n-paste quotes from various articles and shallow opinion pieces. That wasn’t in my original plans, that’s not who I am as a writer. Nevertheless, that’s the direction this blog has taken, veering wildly off-course and not reflecting near enough of the type of quality that earns loyal readership.

We all go through phases in life when priorities change, when life suddenly moves on and new interests await. That’s where I am today. That’s where I’ve been for quite a while now, but despite that I kept the lights on and the door unlocked for those who wanted to come inside.

Now the time has finally come for me to turn off the lights, lock the door and close up the shop.

Thanks again to all of you who’ve taken the time to visit my site over the years, and I wish you the very best, both in the game of golf and the game of life.

Scott

When Life Moves On

I’ve been following the back-and-forth bickering and barb-trading regarding the Seve Trophy for the past several weeks, and I must say that I find it very unfortunate for a number of reasons.

The crux of the issue, obviously, is the absence of top European players participating in the event, a problem that there is simply no getting around, and a problem that has existed going all the way back to 2000 when Ballesteros came up with the idea. In fact – Jose Maria Olazabal became so frustrated with the lack of support from Europe’s big names that he basically drew a proverbial line in the sand two years ago, issuing a direct challenge to those he felt needed to be there supporting the event.

“In two years time we are hoping this event moves to the week of the Presidents Cup, and after the end of the FedEx Cup, and if that is the case there will be no excuse not to be present,” Olazabal said in an interview back in September of 2011. “We all know how instrumental Seve had been to the growth of the European Tour. I know the younger generation did not have the chance to play when Seve was around but we are here playing on the European Tour in many ways because of Seve.

“But Seve was the first man who was instrumental in turning things around on the European Tour for the better and the younger players now on the European Tour need to remember that. They should make a little extra effort and make this event what it deserves to be. So that will be the idea of moving it so that there are no more excuses.” 

Two years have passed, and the Seve Trophy will be played next weekend, as planned, opposite the Presidents Cup event being held the same weekend. Except the big names, once again, won’t be there.

Tom English poignantly captured the essence of the growing Seve Trophy brouhaha in THIS article over at The Scotsman earlier today.

“The finest Europeans don’t play in it. Sponsors don’t want much to do with it. Crowds can take it or leave it. It has no edge and no passion and no real relevance. It is the polar opposite of what Ballesteros represented,” English began in the article.

“It’s all pretty sad,” English continued. “It’s like the begging bowl is out on behalf of the late Spaniard. You want Europe’s finest to be in Paris but only if they want to be there, not because they feel they have to be there because of peer pressure or because they’re getting grief from some punters on social media, as happened last week with Poulter and Westwood.”

But despite his obvious understanding of the why’s and how’s of the event’s demise, his closing remarks hit the bullseye.

“In an ideal world all of these guys would come together and celebrate the legend that was Seve every two years. But, hang on, isn’t that what the Ryder Cup has become? A Seve appreciation society. A time to remember the great man and give thanks for all he did for European golf. The Ryder Cup is passion and drama and unpredictability played out on a world stage. It is the greatest show in golf. A thrill-fest. In a word, Seve.

The Ryder Cup is the rightful monument to Ballesteros. It doesn’t need a poor imitation, even if the imitation is one that Seve created himself. There comes a time when you have to stop flogging a dead horse and let it be.

Gleneagles next year is the best place to celebrate Seve all over again.”

Well said, Mr. Tom. The horse is dead, the time for flogging has ended. Without support from the big European names, which is both disappointing yet at the same time understandable, maybe it’s time this chapter of Seve’s legacy is closed.

Not so much to remove the awkwardness from the Westwood’s, Poulter’s and McIlroy’s of the game because of their habitual no-shows, but more so because Seve’s legacy deserves better.

 

Navigating the Slippery Slope of Armchair Rules Officiating

Question: Should viewers continue to be permitted to influence the outcome of a professional golf tournament by calling in potential rules infractions that they think they’ve witnessed while watching the live televised coverage at home?

A majority of the people I’ve personally discussed this issue with over the years seem to think viewers shouldn’t be calling in and reporting potential rules breaches, but it’s a practice that isn’t likely to be going away anytime soon.

Obviously the incident with Tiger a few weeks ago at the BMW Championship, which mind you had nothing to do with viewers calling in but rather the use of HD digital video technology, has put this issue front and center again. Maybe the time has finally come to figure out what roles, if any, that viewers and technology itself should be playing in the game.

“It feels awkward when it happens,” said Finchem about the Woods incident, which only came to light because a PGA Tour camera crew was filming the golfer. “On the other hand, I hate to say it’s part of the tradition of the game because actually you can’t really argue that because it’s changed with the degree of television we have. I think we need to do some more thinking about it. I think people in the game need to think about it.”

As far as video technology goes, the only opinion I can personally offer is that if a player has breached a rule and the incident in question is captured on video – the tournament rules committee obviously needs to know about it. To spot a potential rules violation but say nothing, in the end, isn’t protecting the field and certainly isn’t in the best interests of our sport.

And the same could be said about viewer call-ins, as much as I loathe the practice in principle.

The bottom line is this: in this 24/7 world of media/social media we live in today, nothing goes unreported. The absolute last thing the tour needs is a ruling controversy surfacing after an event has officially ended, which then brings into question the most fundamental principle governing our game – integrity. I don’t have a solution, but it would seem to this fan that a good starting point would be to assign a crew of rules officials to scrutinize every last second of televised coverage being aired each and every round played.

Beyond that, the player is responsible for knowing and understanding the rules. They are professionals after all, they get paid quite handsomely. It’s not asking too much for them to know how to play the game according to the rules that govern it. A two-pronged approach that involves both the PGA Tour removing the need for the viewer call-ins, as well as the players themselves showing enough competency to proceed under basic rules procedures?

It seems like a win-win to me.

Quick Five: Tour Championship

                            Getty Images

Before moving into the quick 5, obvious congrats go out to Henrik Stenson. He was easily the worthy winner of the $10 million Sunday at East Lake, and his attitude of not giving up is a reminder to us all that a little self belief and effort can go a long way.

We’ll start with the notables who played well last week. Or better yet, let’s talk about those who didn’t.

 

The two that most come to mind would be Tiger and Adam Scott, the two with the most to gain and the most to lose coming into the week (monetarily speaking). Adam gets a free pass because, well, he’s a nice guy. That and the fact that he became so ill Friday evening that he would’ve undoubtedly withdrawn from any other event in which he wasn’t competing for 8 figures. It was evident Saturday morning when Adam looked more like yours truly playing East Lake than it looked like him playing East Lake. Horrible timing, what a week to come down with a bug… Tiger Woods was sick too, but more along the lines of being sick of playing ratty golf. It’s amazing that the guy we’ve watched play over the past few months is the same guy who’s won 5 times this year and will easily win Player of the Year honors later this week. It was a great start for Tiger this season, but a very frustrating finish. And zero majors since 2008, still. I won’t get into the oscillation thing, I’ve moved on.

Secondly… two words: Spieth Rocks. The kid came into the season playing on sponsors exemptions and no status, and ends the season with a win, three 2nd place finishes, 9 top-10’s, $3.8 million in his bank account and a PGA Tour membership for the next 20+ years by the looks of things. For a very small window of time yesterday at East Lake, he gave us something to get all worked up about. Great season, Jordan. Keep it up, kid.

Thirdly… Finchem has been on record acknowledging that the FEC playoff structure isn’t perfect, and the points distribution (weighted more heavily in the playoffs) is designed to add excitement to those last four events of the season. But he’s been very fortunate to avoid the perfect storm. Imagine the chaos that would ensue with having a player like Steve Stricker, who hasn’t won a single event all season, winning the final event of the year and bagging the $10 million… Nothing against Stricker, who has managed 4 runner-ups this season and played very well, but I just don’t see how that competes against a player who has won 5 times this season (Tiger). The formula needs to be tweaked, Tim. And it wouldn’t hurt to remove one of those playoff events, making it three playoff events total, and expanding the field to include more than 30 players in the Tour Championship finale.

Fourthly… Henrik Stenson had several gut-check moments Sunday, and it was impressive to watch him manage his game on a day when it was clear that he wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Hopefully Jim Furyk was paying close attention, because Henrik provided a textbook example of how to close out a win with a significant lead going into the final round with everything at stake. The only thing missing Sunday was Fanny Sunesson there guiding him along and keeping him in the moment, but Gareth Lord, who took Stenson’s bag at the start of this season after Fanny officially retired, likewise did a phenomenal job getting his player around East Lake Sunday. But it does beg the question: does the caddie get the customary 10% of the $10 million???

And lastly… just a small point to make about how great these players are. A majority of them are hitting approach shots these days from 200-235 yards closer to the hole than I can hit a wedge approach into a green from half that distance. We’re talking insanely good. But most of us already knew that.

Bishop: Picking Watson as Ryder Cup Captain was Gamble

It’s never too early to start talking Ryder Cup.

Martin Dempster over at The Scotsman reports that Ted Bishop, the head of the PGA of America, felt that choosing Tom Watson to lead the American contingent to Scotland next fall came with potential risks.

“It would be great for the US to win [at Gleneagles] and, if we can do it with a 65-year-old captain, it opens the door for us for a whole host of future captains [instead of keeping to a tradition of appointing a PGA Tour player in his late 40s]. It’s a gamble. If we don’t win people will look at us a say ‘wow, you’ve lost eight of the last ten and you’ve pulled out all the stops, what are you going to do now?’ I’ll either be a genius or an idiot this time next year. I’m confident. I feel good about the decision, win or lose.”

Uh, Teddy… we pulled out all the stops years ago. That was never more apparent than when Sutton came up with the ingenious idea to pair Tiger and Phil together back in 2004, undoubtedly one of, if not THE biggest, gaffes ever made by a US Ryder Cup captain.

Picking Tom Watson wasn’t a huge gamble. You could’ve picked Bruce Springsteen for that matter. It’s not going to change the fact that Europe simply produces players who don’t fold in team competition, primarily because they’re not playing for themselves but their teammates.

I wish Tom Watson well next year, but it will take nothing short of a miracle to bring the cup back to American soil.

 

Can Stenson Do It?

It’s been a remarkable season for Henrik Stenson, arguably the best of his entire career, but tomorrow it could get 10 million times better.

With his current position in the FedEx Cup points standings, he can still win the $10 million if his finishes 2nd. Or… he could just remove all doubt and win tomorrow outright, bagging his 2nd win of the season, and earning an additional $1.5 million to go along with the $10 million jackpot.

Really, when it comes right down to it – Stenson is in complete control of his destiny tomorrow. He’s got a 4-shot lead over Dustin Johnson, a 6-shot lead over Steve Stricker, and a 7-shot lead over Horschel, Rose, Spieth and Zach Johnson, who are all currently T4 at 4-under. You really do have to like Stenson’s odds here.

But… stranger things have happened. $10 million is life-changing money, and this entire Playoffs concept was designed with the obvious distraction of that fact in mind. Stenson has always struck me as a cool-hand Luke type, but then he did have that run-in with the dressing room locker last Sunday at the BMW. It’s easy to remain calm and relaxed when you’re making pars and birdies, but things quickly change when the swing gets tight and you suddenly don’t know where to aim.

Pin placements Sunday will be the toughest they’ve been all week, but the course will be playing relatively soft, and the balls will be holding the greens like flypaper. It’ll come down to putting.

It most always does.

 

Cool $10 Million Customer?

Erik Lesser/EPA

It appears that Henrik Stenson is in dire need of some major cash. Or at least he’s playing like he’s a broke man anyway.

Four days following a fit of frustration at the BMW Championship that had him taking dead aim at a dressing room locker, Stenson has readjusted his crosshairs and is taking dead aim at the $10 million jackpot at the Tour Championship. After opening with an impressive 6-under 64 on Thursday, the Swede continued his assault on East Lake Friday with a 4-under 66, putting him 4 shots clear of Adam Scott heading into the weekend.

“It might seem like a large lead, but four shots during two rounds is not that much,” Stenson said, but also pointed out that he’s not exactly in uncharted territory. “I have won a lot of tournaments from a good position like this, and, I hope I can do it again.” With exception of the BMW Championship last week, Stenson has been riding a serious wave of good form this summer, but admits that the hectic pace of the tour schedule since the British Open back in July got the best of him last week in Chicago. “It comes down to being tired. I played so much golf. I played so well, and I just haven’t been able to get any rest,” he said. “That’s not the best place to be and not the best frame of mind to play good golf.” But based on his first two rounds this week at East Lake, the 37-yr-old seems to have discovered some energy over the past three days. None of the other 29 players has hit more fairways and greens than Stenson through the first two days, and his putter has also been steady, 4th in overall putting this week.

Adam Scott wasn’t firing on all cylinders in his 2nd round Friday afternoon, but played well enough to stay within earshot of Stenson, firing a 1-under 69 and four shots back heading into Saturday. “I’m fairly pleased. I didn’t play my best golf out there today. Not that I got in a lot of trouble but when you’re out of position, it’s really hard to have a good score around here,” Scott said. I scrambled well on a few holes, and I didn’t get much to go down when I had opportunities. At least it’s only one guy four in front, so four (back) is not so many at this point.” 

Tour rookie Jordan Spieth is in solo 3rd, 5 shots back of the lead at 5-under par.

Tour Championship Leaderboard

The biggest surprise on Friday was one of major disappointment for Tiger Woods, who after struggling to a 3-over 73 in his opening round on Thursday was desperately needing to right the ship on Friday. And early on, Woods was indeed heading in the right direction, getting to 5-under on the day and 2-under for the tournament through his first 13 holes. But  that would be as close as he would get to Stenson Friday afternoon, as a devastating collapse that included a bogey, a double bogey and a triple coming in over the final 5 holes all but put him completely out of the race. “I put everything I had into that start and didn’t have much at the end,” Woods said, admitting that fatigue played the biggest role in his letdown over the closing stretch of holes.  “Just ran out of gas. I’m tired.” Woods is 14 shots back of the lead, and while he is still mathematically in the race for the $10 million lottery, he will need some help from Stenson and company.

FedEx Cup Projected Points Finish

The forecast for Saturday in Atlanta looks wet, as a cold front is moving across the region later tomorrow and expected to deliver showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. As a result, the tournament officials have moved up Saturday’s starting times to hopefully get the 3rd round completed before the weather system moves in. Players will go out as threesomes starting at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

PGA Tour Makes Statement Regarding Woods Penalty

I must admit that this was totally unexpected.

“In light of last week’s penalty ruling involving Tiger Woods at the BMW Championship, we are requesting that the fans and media stop traditionally referring to Saturday rounds as ‘moving day.’ As of this week, we are urging everyone to now refer to those Saturday rounds as ‘oscillation day.'” ~ Fim Tinchem

An Ode to Oscillation

There I was, deep in the woods,
not another soul in sight
and noticed a twig underneath my golf ball
that would surely affect the ball’s flight.
So I did what any other golfer would do
alone in that situation,
with no one around
not a peep or a sound,
I removed the twig without hesitation.

Little did I know a few hours later
that I was being closely observed from afar
through the lens of an HD high-speed camera
from a reporter wanting desperately to become a star.
Through the smallest gap in the trees behind
he zoomed in closely for a better view
and as the footage kept rolling
my critics started trolling,
saying that my ball had clearly moved.

I watched the video like everyone else
but my take on what happened, despite the truth
is that my ball only oscillated, it never moved out of position
despite the video’s proof.

For the third time this season
for no rhyme or reason
people have questioned my integrity playing the game…
do these people not realize that I’m Tiger Woods?
How dare them make such a claim!

I brought this boring sport back to life
and made millionaires out of many of my peers,
yet the thanks that I get
is this type of nagging shit
that suddenly stains my illustrious career.

Did my ball move? Sure it did.
But that’s really not the underlying point.
You want me on that wall
You need me on that wall.
Well, I’m sorry to disappoint.

I’m Tiger Woods, the greatest of all time
and I’m above such trivial shame.
Think what you want, say what you will,
but I’ll always be bigger than the game.

 

Zach Johnson Rallies to Win BMW Championship

                Sam Greenwood/Getty

There are plenty of ups and downs throughout a season of golf, but sometimes it’s simply a matter of playing the best when it matters the most that defines a career. What Zach Johnson accomplished Monday afternoon with his 10th career win at the BMW Championship shouldn’t have come as a surprise to most people who follow the game; the 37-yr-old has proven himself time and time again throughout his solid 9 years on the PGA Tour, but still remains one of the tour’s most underrated players. I’ll finish my stream of thoughts about Zach later, but now, it’s time to move on to my 5 Things from last week’s BMW Championship.

5 – Good First Impression

Despite Jim Furyk’s round of 59 and a few others who managed scores in the low-60’s, Conway Farms more than held its own last week in its’ professional debut. The Tom Fazio design that many felt wouldn’t challenge the players because of the softer conditions and shortish length ended up playing 8 strokes tougher than the very comparable TPC Boston the week prior. Sure – the winds and the weather elevated the challenges last week, but overall I think the layout proved to be a worthy consideration for the future tour playoff rotation down the road. There aren’t many shot-making courses left on the PGA Tour, and Conway Farms could fill that void. The layout there reminds us that it’s not always the longer hitters who have the advantage each and every week.

4 – The End of the Beginning or the Beginning of the End?

Everyone keeps saying that things will indeed get better, but last week was a sobering reminder of just how forgettable this season has been for Rory McIlroy. He entered the week # 41 on the FedEx Cup points list, well within reach of getting inside the top-30 and moving on to the Tour Championship despite a season filled with enormous struggle. But by the end of the second round on Friday he was already 13-over par and just as confused about his game as he was 9 months ago when the season started. Everyone has their own opinions as to the why’s and how’s of his demise, but that “one good month of steady playing” that many felt was all he needed hasn’t materialized, and doesn’t look to be coming anytime soon based on what he revealed last week. Some time away in the off season can help sooth his mind and maybe offer him some perspective, but winning is the only true thing that restores confidence. And at the moment, winning a golf tournament has never seemed more unlikely for Rory.

3. Tiger’s Carelessness

I had a paragraph prepared to better explain my take on Tiger Woods’ latest brush with rules controversies, his third such episode this season. But then I came across a well-written and to-the-point short read by Doug Ferguson over at AP who does a much more thorough job of putting the entire debacle into proper context. The excerpt from his column below has a live link that will enable you to read his article in its entirety.

“Grousing didn’t make Woods’ case any stronger, especially in light of the video evidence. If anything, he allowed his integrity on the golf course to be questioned. That was never (or rarely, anyway) the case as he assembled perhaps the greatest career in PGA Tour history — 79 wins, 14 majors, 10 money titles (including this year). But now he risks losing the locker room. A few players privately mocked him during the final round at Conway Farms. “Oscillation” became a punch line. Was it worth it?”

 

 

2. Freddy’s Justification

There’s nothing to not admire about Jim Furyk’s career…16 career wins, 25 runner-ups, a US Open title, and over $55 million in earnings. That’s Hall of Fame stuff. And then we look at how he’s represented the sport all these years, a professional in every sense of the word. Back on Friday when he became the 6th player ever to have carded a round in the 50’s on the PGA Tour, that honor couldn’t have possibly been bestowed upon a more deserving candidate. But three days later with a 2-shot lead heading into the closing 9 holes of the tournament, a pattern that has haunted Furyk over the past three seasons continued. Not to dismiss Zach Johnson’s remarkable charge in the group up ahead, but Furyk had this tournament by the balls on a layout that couldn’t have possibly been more suited for his game. But just like he’d done the last 5 times having the lead heading into the final round, Furyk failed to close the deal. His 1-over 37 coming in is basically the reason why he wasn’t picked to be on the Presidents Cup team, and in an environment where the captain is relying on players who can perform under pressure – Furyk did very little in the final round to make the argument that he deserved Freddy’s loyalty.

1. Mr. Clutch

In this long-balling, cookie-cutter swing era of professional golf, Zach Johnson is a refreshing throwback to an era that used to define the best from the rest. His patented closed-clubface with the hold-off finish swing has carved out quite the career on the PGA Tour, yet despite his impressive win at Augusta back in 2007 and the 8 tournaments he’s won since, he still doesn’t get near as much celebrity and press as do some of his longer-hitting counterparts who’ve yet to accomplish even half of the success he’s earned. If I had to sum up Zach’s career thus far with just a single word, it would be “fearless.” He’s shown us repeatedly throughout his career that he can play well under steady pressure, that he can win on a variety of differing layouts, and that he can be a very reliable teammate in Ryder and Presidents Cup team events. Last Monday at Conway Farms he showed once again how fearless he is with an impressive 6-under 65 to come from behind to earn his 10th tour career win. Well done, Zach Johnson.

This week we move ahead to the Tour Championship, the final leg of the race to $10 million. Click HERE for the updated FedEx Cup points standings, and live televised coverage begins Thursday at 1:00 on the Golf Channel.

Justin Rose’s Crazy Penalty on Saturday

While everyone was sidetracked with Tiger Woods incurring a penalty for inadvertently moving his ball during the second round Friday at the BMW Championship, another top player encountered a similar fate during Saturday’s round.

I must say it’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like this happen, and I think it’s a pretty safe bet that Rose will stay well clear of his ball when taking practice swings from now on!