Another Pro Golfer Bites The Twitter Dust: Lee McCoy Complains About Children, South America

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I can't put a finger on what might have gone wrong for Lee McCoy--wait I can, he has proven to not know what he doesn't know and is a defender of backstopping. The Bobby Jones Award is not in his immediate future.

 

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Seems the Web.com Tour player took to Twitter to complain about South American children wanting some more than a free autograph for coming out to watch the developmental tour play in their country and also insulted the country.

As Joel Beall reports for GolfDigest.com, the offending McCoy Tweets now sleep with the fishes and McCoy has taken the Grayson Murray path of suspending his account. And we know that how well that turned out for Murray.

McCoy tells Beall he has learned his lesson.

"To say I learned a valuable lesson would be an understatement," McCoy said. "More importantly I want people to know that I am, and always have been, a strong supporter of growing the game and doing everything I can to give back to the community."

Grow that game!

A New Year Means Lydia Ko's Been Firing People!

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Lydia Ko may be 20 but she's now projected to surpass caddie and coach firing totals of every legendary golfer--combined.

Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols reports on the latest changes that saw Gary Gilchrist replaced as her instructor by Ted Oh and Jonny Scott taking over the bag.

And it's all just normal...

Ko’s management team said “it’s just a normal transition and exploration that everyone does in their offseason. They’ve only been working together for one to two months. She is hoping to make a great result with them.”

PGA Tour Addresses Bunker Liner Abuse With Local Rule

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As the world's best superintendents and their teams converge on San Antonio for this week's Golf Industry Show, one product many are told they need: bunker lining.

These expensive products, which follow the unsuccessful effort of previous products to prevent sand contamination, are sadly expected now for courses that absolutely should be spending on other products or personnel. A hazard is a hazard!

In 2017, two high profile incidents involving Branden Grace and Charley Hoffman involved the players struggling to take a stance, they claimed because of the liners. Both, coincidentally, faced "fried egg" lies. Both were granted relief to the consternation of millions.

The Forecaddie obtained the PGA Tour's "hard card" for local rules and other rules-related information available to players each week and reports on the new language preventing relief from the liners.

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"Golf has a new place in Ben Curtis' life"

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Golf World's Dave Shedloski catches up with Ben Curtis and the former Open Champion isn't exactly leaving the game, but he's also not going to be playing any more PGA Tour golf.

Like Charlie Wi, the 2003 Open winner is going to use his wisdom and experience to help aspiring players.

This spring, Curtis plans to unveil the Ben Curtis Golf Academy at Country Club of Hudson, a private club about 15 miles from his home. His goal is to not merely teach the golf swing, but impart knowledge on the whole game to youngsters interested in high school or college golf or who have aspirations of a pro career.

“I want to talk to young players about the whole aspect of being a golfer at a certain level,” he explained.

“Practical things like drills and practice but also physical training, nutrition, what tournaments to play in. How do you prepare for college? How do you get your name out there? And it’s working with parents as well, so they know what to do and how to support their kids.”

Old School! Taylor Funk Takes To Vlogging

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In the era of players regularly posting Snapchat and Instagram stories that vanish in a day and lack much storytelling substance, Taylor Funk is going old school by producting, directing, starring in and editing his on video blog items. The aspiring PGA Tour pro and son of Fred Funk's efforts to post travelog style items was inspired by Casey Neistat and Jon Olsson, according to Golfweek's Brentley Romine, who profiled Funk's efforts.

Romine writes:

That led to the pro golfer editing his own photos and videos, even watching footage of instructions on how to edit on Adobe Premiere Pro. The cinematography process is something he realized he enjoyed. And then it hit him: He travels a lot and has picked up video-making skills, why not document his journey in golf?

“They have travel vlogs out there and I travel (a lot) anyway, so might as well just record it,” Funk said. “(I) thought there was a little niche for life to the PGA Tour and background behind that. I kind of thought of it a couple of months ago and decided to try it out, see if it catches on.”

Funk has already published three vlog posts (a second one from Jamaica and one from Disney World) that combine scenery shots, action footage and commentary into an edited product. He records the vlog entries via equipment that includes a point-and-shoot Sony camera, a GoPro and a drone.

Funk's already been told he's wasting his time but you have to admire the old school creativity and time put into telling the story of an aspiring pro.

The most recent video:

 

Hensby's Year Suspension Is Over A Refusal To Submit Sample

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The rule is simple and the PGA Tour has done its part to uphold the sanctity of their drug testing process, but after seeing Mark Hensby's comments and the summary of his post-round frustration, I think we all understand. A little bit.

First, Hensby's defense, posted byBrian Wacker:

Statement from @HensbyMark on being suspended 1 year by @PGATOUR for violating anti-doping policy ... pic.twitter.com/4eF742KViv

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) December 12, 2017

As Joel Beallnotes for GolfDigest.com, the defense is curious but 

Unfortunately for Hensby, the tour didn't buy his explanation, and was informed of the forthcoming suspension.

Hensby waited for his ruling to go public for about a month, and admittedly is somewhat shocked at how much attention it's received. He also doesn't blame the tour for its verdict.

“Don’t get me wrong, a year is a long time, but they have rules," he said

Perspective: Morgan Hoffmann On His Muscular Dystrophy Diagnosis

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A powerful, emotional and inspiring read from PGA Tour player Morgan Hoffmann, who writes about learning of his diagnosis, his research into cures and the inspiration he's drawn from his efforts on behalf of childhood charity work.

You can read it here. (*Hoffmann will discuss his story on Morning Drive Tuesday in the 8:30 am ET portion of the show)

Even though the type of muscular dystrophy that I have doesn’t pose an immediate threat to my life, there is a good chance that it will shorten it. I don’t know when that will happen, because there’s no way to gauge the speed at which the disease will spread.

But please know this: This disease won’t keep me from achieving my dream of winning on the PGA Tour — and it shouldn’t keep anyone else from chasing their dreams either.

Inspired By Langer And McCarron, Scott Goes Long Again

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Jimmy Emanuel reports that former Masters champion Adam Scott will be wielding the long putter, minus the now-banned practice of anchoring, as he tees it up in the Australian PGA (Golf Channel coverage starts Wednesday at 8 pm ET).

Scott says he was inspired to try after seeing the incredible results of seniors Bernhard Langer and Scott McCarron on the PGA Tour Champions. 

“… it was actually pointed out to me that this year they (Langer and McCarron) both recorded the best ever putting stats since stats have been kept. Both of them beat the old best. You know, I don't know if it's just a coincidence or if they had just a really good year, but maybe they've found the best way to putt,” Scott said.

Shark Talks Weakness Of Today's Players Inside 150, Why The Masters Can Make Players Use Anything They'd Like

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We forget that when Greg Norman is not hawking golf carts and posting shirtless Instagram images, he can be a keen observer of the game.

In an interview with an unbylined Gant News writer filing for the CNN affiliate, Norman touches on Patrick Reed knowing so little about his clubs, LPGA players being more accurate with their drivers and many other topics.

But the two getting my attention involved what he sees as a big change in the prowess of today's players with a wedge approach (inside, gulp, 150 yards).

“If you look at today’s top players, their distance control inside 150 yards with a wedge is quite amazingly poor,” he said.

“These guys are 20ft short, 30ft left, 20ft long, their distance control is not consistent. It could just be the way they play — when it works, it works and when it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

“In our era, every time you’d put a pitching wedge in your hand, if you didn’t think you’d get the ball inside 10ft every time, or seven out of 10 times, you weren’t having any control over your golf game.”

I do see this in watching many of today's players compared to Norman's era and wonder what the exact cause is that makes Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson such standouts in this distance.

On the topic of distance, Norman agrees with others that this is about sustainability and Augusta National could be the solution.

“I remember the eighth hole at Augusta was nearly impossible to reach in two and now these guys are hitting irons in there,” said Norman who finished second three times at The Masters, perhaps most notably in 1996 when he blew a six-shot lead and Nick Faldo took the green jacket.

“Augusta can’t lengthen itself anymore but the tech is going to allow these players to keep hitting it longer year after year.

“If they sent out an invitation to the players and said ‘you’re going to use a gutter percha ball and a hickory shafted golf club, go get them worked out, practice before you get there, the best player will still win that week.

“The best players have that ability to make that adjustment no matter what they’re using.”

Jarrod Lyle Update: Working Television This Week, Stem Cell Transplant Next Month, A Book In Works

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Mark Hayes catches up with Jarrod Lyle at this week's Australian Open, and the pro golfer battling cancer for the third time is working the event for Australia's Channel 7 (and therefore we should hear him on Golf Channel) before receiving a stem cell transplant in December.

From Hayes' story for Golf Australia:

“I’m great now, feeling really good actually,” said Lyle, who will spend time this week as an analyst of Channel 7’s coverage of the national championship.

“But I’ve got a big month coming. I’m back into hospital for some really heavy-duty treatment that’s really going to determine how things pan out for me.

“It’s pretty hard work at the moment, but that’s the reality of the situation. It’s very serious and I’m going to have to fight … thankfully I have the three girls as inspiration and I’ll do whatever I can to get back out and be a father and a husband and live as a family afterwards.”

A video interview with Lyle:

Grayson Murray Now Respects The Guys Who "Paved My Way" To Play Pro Golf For Money

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Now, let's revel in the immediate apology from HOF Point Misser and undoubtedly-freshly-fined PGA Tour player Grayson Murray first, then quibble later.

For those unaware or simply distracted by things that actually matter, Grayson Murray comes from a world where those who make money are good and those who cause the PGA Tour's stil-robust bottom line to show a few red numbers, apparently are not so good. That was the basis for his post-Schwab Cup controversy thoughts, since deleted.

He was scolded by, among others, Curtis Strange, who has won more U.S. Opens that the rounds Mr. Murray has played in the U.S. Open. Given that Mr. Murray also failed to break 80 in either of those rounds, it's clearly he saw some sort of light from Strange's rebuttal Tweet that cited the way-pavers.

However, I must quibble that the current players on the PGA Tour Champions paved a way for Mr. Murray to ply his trade. That honor would actually go to Willie Park Sr./Jr., Allan Robertson and Old Tom/Young Tom Morris, folks I'm willing to bet he's never heard about.

Their fine efforts for professionals were continued, with major injections of freshened paving from Harry Vardon, Ted Ray, J.H. Taylor, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and should Mr. Murray leave these United States, the likes of Gary Player, Peter Thomson and Seve Ballesteros, among others.

Today's PGA Tour Champions are riding the remnants of a wave initially fueled by some of the aforementioned. They still warrant respect for having devoted their lives to professional golf and doing their best to create a place for the likes of Grayson Murray to make a living, and presumably play a sport he loves, after he turns 50. God helps us all should he ever think of himself as a path-paver.

Golfers & Twitter Files: Grayson Murray Is Schmuckier Than Ever, Gary Evans Concedes To Pepperell

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The Grayson Murray World Twitter Tour started again November 2nd after a self-imposed hiatus and the legendary PGA Tour buffoon has already had to hit the delete button (and no doubt the Pay Fines Here button in the coming days).

Golf Wire reported for Golf.com on Murray's reply to Tweets about the bizarre Schwab Cup ending that cost Bernhard Langer the season-long points race.

In response to a tweet detailing Bernhard Langer's accomplishments on the senior circuit this season, Murray replied: "Does anyone really care is the real question...These guys were relevant 10 plus years ago."

In another reply, he conceded that the pros on the Champions tour had "laid a good foundation" for the next generation, but then added: "You will never see Phil, Tiger, Furyk ever play on it! The tour subsidizes it every year. Loses a lot of money."

I thought this reply from Curtis Strange was especially good, not that an intellect the size of one-time U.S. Open appearee Murray could take in such sentiments from a two-time U.S. Open Champion:

Meanwhile over in Europe, former player and longtime commentator Gary Evans has retired from Twitter following a dust-up with the increasingly profane Eddie Pepperell.

Martin Inglis summarizes at Bunkered and I'll let you read the Tweets there as Pepperell likes to, uh, pepper his social media missives with colorful langauge!