More Flagstick In The Hole Fun: The First World Conundrum Presented, Adam Scott's Success And Could It Ever Be Outlawed?

As Adam Scott flies up the Farmers Insurance Open leaderboard, his decision to leave the flagstick in the hole is paying off with his best putting in years. Scott explained to me for this Golfweek story how it’s not just the feeling of security on shorter putts to take a more aggressive stroke, but also helping him better gauge reads.

WSJ’s Brian Costa did a nice job summing up the “conundrum” golfers are facing and whether there are benefits, but this was a surprising suggestion from the USGA’s Thomas Pagel:

“If there was some kind of conclusive evidence that showed a significant advantage,” Pagel said, “I think we would have to go back and reevaluate it.”

As I note in this Golfweek video, it would be the ultimate irony if Scott were to finally find peace on the greens as a result of a rules change.

VIDEO: @GeoffShac explains how Adam Scott has boosted his putting game thanks to the new flagstick rule. #FarmersInsuranceOpen @PGATour @FarmersInsOpen pic.twitter.com/QLnn9uFgRW

— Golfweek (@golfweek) January 26, 2019

Farmers: Repairing Green Damage Comes To Poa Annua, Will It Matter?

For years pro golfers have fixed ball marks in their lines, increasingly without consulting their playing partners. The governing bodies presumably have created the new green damage repair rule to allow this sometimes questionable improvement of a putting line.

Doug Ferguson of AP considers what will become of the rule now that players have arrived at the sometimes bumpier and more-prone-to-damage poa annua greens at Torrey Pines. Players are still unsure how much can be damaged.

“At Kapalua, I fixed ball marks, but I was only tapping them down because it was Bermuda,” Xander Schauffele said. “Out here, you might do a little more than a simple tap down. ... This place, late in the day, it feels like you’re playing a game of Plinko.”

Schauffele was quick to note one part of the new rule: Damage can be repaired without unusual delay.

“It could, depending on how these players take the rule to heart ... if you’re trying to fix a 40-foot putt, it’s going to be tricky with pace of play,” Schauffele said. “Rules officials will be on us. The time clock hasn’t changed. If you want to spend 35 seconds tapping down the line, you’re going to have to pull the trigger in less than what you normally do.”

I penned this item for Golfweek with Rory McIlroy’s slight concerns about what is and what is not damage. The piece also includes video of what a spikeless-shoe green can look like after a day of play. Granted, 1080p and modern contrast makes the greens look way worse than they are given how far Torrey’s surfaces have come since Tiger’s infamous bouncing putt in the 2008 U.S. Open.

To be clear: the greens are excellent. Smooth as bent in the afternoon? No. But compared to poa of 20 years ago, there is no comparison.

VIDEO: Why the new golf damage-repair rule may be a pain in the grass at Torrey Pines. #PGATour via @GeoffShac pic.twitter.com/NA31yrKcXV

— Golfweek (@golfweek) January 24, 2019

Farmers Intrigue: Tiger Is Back, Rory Returns For The First Time, The Rough Is Up And Defender Day Is Ready

The Farmers Insurance Open returns to Torrey Pines with stout rough and even better weather forecast.

While it’s a bit silly to enlist Tiger Woods as a favorite here given the strong recent play of Torrey lovers like Jon Rahm, Marc Leishman, Tony Finau and even defender Jason Day. We debated that notion as Woods kicks off his campaign and having not seen his game when bickering with Matt Adams, I now revise my assessment. He showed no signs of rust and appears to have the same rhythm and swing confidence as he did by the second half of 2018.

As Dan Kilbridge notes in this Golfweek assessment, Wood is mentally refreshed after overloading from a playoff and Ryder Cup run last year. If the putter cooperates, look out.

Woods is also sporting a lot of new clubs in the bag.

Rory McIlroy actually was going to play the Junior World here and even took part in ceremonies before not playing, so he only played Torrey Pines for the first time Wednesday. The course is different than he thought it would be, writes Rex Hoggard.

But as Steve DiMeglio notes, McIlroy’s issues on recent Sundays will be thought about by most. Just not Rory.

I also penned this short item on McIlroy’s views of Hosung Choi and whether he should have received a sponsor’s invite to Pebble Beach.

Jason Day’s relaxed and confident approach makes the defending champion here dangerous, as does a change in irons after a disastrous 2018 campaign approaching the greens.

Here is our Golfweek preview of all things Farmers, including telecast times and more.

And my look at the rough, which is going to play a huge role as it did in 2018:

VIDEO: @GeoffShac takes a "Rough" look at Torrey Pines ahead of @TigerWoods' 2019 debut at the @FarmersInsOpen. #PGA Tour pic.twitter.com/3kkG56A366

— Golfweek (@golfweek) January 22, 2019

Champ's Historic Driving Dominance Gets The West Coast Swing Test

This week’s Farmer’s Insurance Open returns to Torrey Pines where heavy air and thick rough awaits, as I noted in this mini-Monday vlog for Golfweek.

Golf.com’s Mark Broadie notes that Cameron Champ is on a historic pace regarding strokes gained driving and while it may all sound pretty wonky, he does a nice job summing up how much Champ is benefitting from distance and amazing accuracy given his swing speed.

At the time of this writing, Champ leads all Tour players in strokes gained driving, with a massive gain of 1.5 strokes per round. To put that in perspective, the leader in this stat category averaged a gain of 1.0 strokes per round from 2004 through 2018. (Note: Bubba Watson set the pace in 2012 at 1.5 strokes per round, so while Champ’s performance is extraordinary thus far, it’s also bordering on historic.)

Nothing against the golf courses of the fall, but it will be interesting to see if Champ’s advantage actually gains momentum at a time of year where there is often less roll and heavier air. I’m betting he will.

Brandel: By Mexico Standards, Kuchar's Caddie Had A Great Week

Brandel Chamblee may have stumbled onto to something that will excite sponsors of golf tournaments in economically unstable countries and, get this, help the PGA Tour funnel even more money to charity!

In a GolfChannel.com column, Chamblee argues that Matt Kuchar’s underpaid looper in last fall’s Mayakoba Classic was enumerated handsomely by Mexico’s standards, justifying the lack of normal PGA Tour caddie pay.

In Mexico, depending upon the source, the average weekly salary is $285. Ortiz makes a reported $200 a day – six days a week – being a caddie at Mayakoba, about four times the average weekly salary. Assuming he was idle for a week as the Tour took over his course, he would have been out $1,200. But he was, by all accounts, paid at minimum $5,000 – not the initially inferred $3K – roughly four times his average salary and around 17 times the average salary in Mexico. One can easily see why he would be inclined to enter into such an agreement with Kuchar. It was by any definition, a good week for him.

Now, I think we should push this theory forward a bit and suggest that this standard apply not just to the uh, help, but also to the players. If times are lean in a country, PGA Tour purses should reflect what is a good payday in those lands. That way we don’t have controversies like this going forward!

As for Tom Gillis, who called out Kuchar’s payment and tracked down the caddie to find out he received $5000 of Kuchar’s $1.3 million, Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch talks to the now-senior golfer about his role in calling out the underpayment on Twitter.

“Maybe I should have been a union rep,” Gillis said with a laugh. “I’d be willing to fight for the little guy anytime.”

A player prone to policing the personal affairs of his colleagues must accumulate enemies on Tour, I suggested.

“I’m sure some of them are totally against it and think we shouldn’t be airing that dirty laundry. That’s fine,” he replied. “When the man gets paid I can look in the mirror and feel good that I helped this guy out. When I hit the button to send that stuff out, I’m well aware of what’s coming with it.”

Desert Classic: Phil Goes All In On Launch Angle Golf And It Almost Works

If you saw any of Phil Mickelson’s driver swings during the Desert Classic you know he wasn’t holding back in a blatant effort to have the shortest club possible into PGA West’s greens.

The approach is an offshoot of the early 2000’s Bomb and Gouge only players are now able to carry the ball even farther off the tee thanks to optimization. Enter, launch angle golf, which I wrote about for Golfweek as the future way approach for young players at most courses. And, one 48-year-old.

Mickelson was blunt prior to the final round about this intentions:

PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know what to say, I played okay and my goal or game plan of playing the Stadium Course is to actually hit drivers and to try to bomb it down there as close to the greens as you can. Even though the -- because the fairways are tight in a lot of areas and if I miss fairways, try to have wedges or short irons in -- and it seemed to play out okay today and I gave myself a lot of good chances. I missed a few short putts that I've been making historically now for awhile and I let a few slide, but I also made a couple of long ones that were nice little bonuses.

And this…

Q. Not the best but managed your golf around this place, that's what it it's all about, just management.

PHIL MICKELSON: I think it is. I think that there's some holes -- I think it's a course that you can play aggressive. I think it's a course you can hit drivers. Even though the fairways can be tight up where driver is, if you hit it long enough and you have short irons into some of these holes it's an advantage. And that's kind of the way I've been trying to play this week is rip at the driver and get some short irons in and I've been able to make a lot of birdie doing that.

After the final round, lamented his putting, as reported by Sean Martin for PGATour.com:

He lost 3.2 strokes on the greens Sunday. He missed a 4-foot putt to three-putt the first hole and also missed two putts from 5-7 feet.

“I had a terrible putting day, one of the worst I can recall in a while,” he said. “It started right on the first hole. … I felt awful with the putter. I hit a lot of good shots today, though, but just couldn’t get the ball to go in the hole.”

Ultimately this is why Mickelson is wisely skipping Torrey Pines this week, where the high rough and some of his recent numbers suggest it’s best he stay away, notes The Forecaddie.

Congrats to winner Adam Long. Whoever you are. Clutch stuff!

Phil's 60 Comes At The "Easiest" Of The Desert Classic Courses

I’m going to sound old here, but there was a time that La Quinta Country Club was where Bob Hope Desert Classic scores went to die. It was the hardest of the Hope rota courses and the ones players had to survive.

So I hiccuped when reading Ryan Lavner’s GolfChannel.com account of Phil Mickelson’s opening round, 12-under-par 60 at La Quinta CC in the 2019 Desert Classic.

Mickelson again played down his chances in his 2019 debut, but it clicked so well at La Quinta Country Club – the easiest of the three courses in the rotation at the Desert Classic – that he gave himself a chance to break 60 for the first time in his Tour career. He went out in 30. Then he birdied Nos. 10, 11, 13 and 14. Then came the birdie on 16, and all of a sudden, he realized that he needed to birdie each of the last two holes to finally shoot golf’s magic number. On 17, he tried to hook a sand wedge into a tight pin and left himself 18 feet. He missed low, but still finished with a flourish: With a chance to card the third 60 in his career, he spun a wedge to 10 feet and buried the putt.

I pulled out George Peper’s 1986 book, Golf Courses Of The PGA Tour to feel really old just to make sure my memory of La Quinta as the one non-pushover course. Peper writes:

At 6911 yards, La Quinta is the longest of the five Hope courses, and with lakes bordering seven of its fairways this tropical layout can be as difficult as it is beautiful.

The other rota courses: Indian Wells CC, Bermuda Dunes, Tamarisk and El Dorado. I swear doesn’t seem like that long ago!

Mickelson’s first round highlights:

This week on Golf Central, we discussed Mickelson’s chances of winning in his 50s (he’s 48) and his chances of being the oldest winner in PGA Tour history:

Kuch The Mooch: "Does This Constitute A Story?"

That’s the question GolfDigest.com’s Joel Beall asks and does a nice job answering after a fellow golf pro called out what he saw as Matt Kuchar’s substandard pay to a caddie last fall.

Now, while the list of athletes indiscretions is long, being tightfisted spurs a special kind of fury. Ours is a culture that implores the rich to spread the love; those failing are branded. Michael Jordan, Scottie (“No Tippin”) Pippen, Pete Sampras and, yes, Tiger Woods are some of the alleged stars with alligator arms.

Kuchar's case, however, felt different, for it wasn’t a tip as it was wages owed. The optics alone—a veteran with $46 million in career earnings low-balling a man who makes less than $46,000 a year—were damning. That Gillis’ previous blast of Ben Crane over an unpaid bet to Daniel Berger proved accurate wasn’t helping, nor was Australian pro Cameron Percy’s reply of, “It’s not out of character if true.” 

The irony in this escapade like other recent episodes cited by Beall: this was started and fueled by one of Kuchar’s peers, not a media outlet.

As players have increasingly shunned media for social media to break news or tell their story, it’s fascinating how many examples we’ve already seen of players calling out fellow players on social media in ways more harsh and reputation-damaging than a traditional media outlet would dare.

After all, few in the golf press dared to touch the story until Kuchar had a chance to play his round, collect his thoughts and chat with press. Some of his peers were judging before he’d had a chance to comment. It’s a phenomenon worth nothing as players increasing view traditional journalism as “out to get them” even as, at least in Kuchar’s case, the damage was done before he even reached the media center.

Take That Phoenix: Pebble Beach The First To Exempt Internet Sensation Hosung Choi

They tried to get him to the Waste Management Open but the shrewd folks at Pebble Beach took the very minor risk in welcoming Hosung Choi to his first PGA Tour event.

Ron Kroichick on the reports out of Korea that the zany World No. 200 has revealed he’s coming to Pebble this February. Choi’s amazing swing and varied follow-throughs provide a sight unlike anything modern pro golf has seen. While he won’t be as popular to watch as world 869 Vijay Singh, Choi figures to have a large following in a field often filled out by people you were surprised to learn are still active professional golfers.

Now maybe we can get him one more exemption in California while he’s in the land of the free? Say, the Genesis Open?

LA would love this! It never gets old!

Titleist Wins All Club Counts At Sony On The Back Of...Speed? TaylorMade?

There’s a little something for everyone in Jonathan Wall’s Golf.com story on Titleist winning the driver and every major club category at the 2019 Sony Open. It was Titleist’s first PGA Tour week win since 2000. These counts don’t mean much to everyday golfers but are of interest to hardcore club junkies and the golf business.

While Wall cautions this is just one week and it’s a long season ahead, the Darrell Survey results did allow Wall to explain a key factor in the surge of Titleist usage. With claims of more speed using the new TS3, players looking for more distance were understandably intrigued. But here’s why players were able to consider the club:

TaylorMade, which won every PGA Tour, World Golf Championship and major driver count during the 2017-18 season, is unlikely to repeat the feat this year due to the significantly reduced Tour-player staff the brand now employs — only five staffers are listed on its website.

TaylorMade’s decision to partly back out of the driver arms race helped Callaway and Ping pick up one “win” apiece during the fall portion of the season; TaylorMade still logged six wins.

Still, just five players?

Coupled with Nike getting out of the club business not too long ago and TaylorMade out of the everyday Tour player endorsement business, it seems there are more free agents than ever. At least when it comes to what’s in the (tour pro) bag.

Bad News Winning Pro Golfers: Fans Think Your Caddies Are 10 Percenters

In light of Matt Kuchar possibly stiffing his celebrated caddie at last fall’s Mayakoba Classic, Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch posed the question of what constitutes proper payment for a winning bag week loop.

Impressively, 10% is dominating while the $3000 Kuchar possibly paid his man brings up the rear.

Matt Kuchar getting roasted for allegedly paying a local caddie $3,000 after winning $1.3m at a recent Tour event in Mexico. Curious what folks think would be fair in that scenario.

— Eamon Lynch (@eamonlynch) January 12, 2019

Eduardo: Leaving The Flagstick In Helps To A Point...

Nice to see Eduardo Molinari and friends doing a little study on the benefits or lack thereof for putts with the flagstick in.

You need to swipe through the slides to see the results, but some good food for thought if you believe the COR of the flagstick will absorb any speed putt. It will no.

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In the last few weeks a lot of talk has been made about the new “flagstick” rule which now gives you the option to leave the flag in when playing a shot from the green. Bryson DeChambeau last week in Hawaii left the flag in quite often...we wanted to make sure what is the best choice for your own benefit! So three pros from our academy spent the last day on the 18th hole at Royal Park I Roveri testing the two options,using using different speeds and entry lines...WATCH THE FULL VIDEO TO FIND OUT THE RESULTS! @golfdigest @golfchannel @golftrainingaids @golf_gods @the.putting.channel @europeantour @brysondechambeau @swashputting @potters_putting @federazioneitalianagolf @royal_park_i_roveri @dodomolinari @lolloguanti @c0rrad0destefani @bennypastore • • • #emga #giocaagolfcomehaisempresognato #flagstick #newrules #inorout #putting #secrets #golf #puttingcoach #puttinggreen #inthehole #golfballs #golfacademy #golfcoach #puttingdrills

A post shared by Edoardo Molinari Golf Academy (@emgolfacademy) on Jan 10, 2019 at 9:14am PST

Will Adam Scott Start A New Trend Of Players Passing Up WGC's?

Anyone who has looked at the new PGA Tour schedule sees weak spots on the list where top players will be tempted to stay home. Mexico City sits awkwardly before a busy run of Florida events, the Match Play still very close to the Masters and the WGC moving to Memphis after the major season and before the playoffs.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if the WGC’s, field killers to so many longtime PGA Tour stops, were to start taking hits because of the schedule?

Adam Scott admitted in his Sony Open press conference that he’s focused on majors and WGC’s will be a casualty. From Dave Shedloski’s GolfDigest.com report:

As for the WGCs, Scott, ranked 41st in the world, might change his mind as the season progresses, but for now he seems set on there being no deviations from the plan.

"I feel like there are good tournaments right around them that are a preferred option," he said. "It is tricky. I thought that was interesting for my schedule change. I wouldn't have thought that was the case, but that is the case at the moment."

Lawsuit Behind Him, Vijay Happy To Get Back To Taking Up Spots In PGA Tour Fields

The NDA’s are flying so we won’t know how many more forced social media posts we’ll have to endure as the irrelevant Vijay Singh takes up spots in PGA Tour fields, but he at least indicated to GolfChannel.com’s Rex Hoggard what we all know. He settled more than amicably with the tour in his lawsuit over a deer antler spray suspension.

Although a confidentiality agreement prevented Singh from disclosing any terms of the settlement, he did seem pleased to move beyond the distraction of the lawsuit.

“I can get on and do my own stuff and not worry about anything anymore,” he said. “I think both sides are happy, although I might be just a little bit happier.”

Ahhhh…maybe one of the guys can ask him this week on the range how much Vijay’s win took out of the retirement accounts! That’ll liven up the range chatter.

As previously noted, Vijay has only made 11 cuts in his last 28 PGA Tour starts and hasn’t snipped a top 10 finish in that time.

Poll: New Drop Rule Absurd Or Something We'll Forget About In Six Weeks?

On Monday’s Morning Drive we’ll be talking the new Rule of Golf drop procedure that has golfers letting go of the ball from knee height (8:30 am ET). I think the governing bodies need to revisit this one soon, spoken as someone who has no desire to stretch his hamstrings just to make a drop.

That’s because Bryson DeChambeau, a fit and flexible young lad, looked about as awkward as one can look in the first high-profile drop under the new rules. He called the procedure absurd after his round and most social media watchers agreed. Those with even less-limber hamstrings had to turn away.

Yet in assessing what he heard from players at the Sentry TOC, the USGA’s Thomas Pagel predicted to Golf World’s Dave Shedloski that concern over the awkward look and absurdity of a penalty for dropping at shoulder height (and subsequently playing a shot) will be forgotten in six weeks.

I think you know where I stand, but I’d love to hear what you think…the poll.

About that new knee-height drop...

"Jury is still out"

"Absurd"

“In six weeks, we’ll all forget about shoulder height.”

 

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