Kaufman On OGA

In the March 25 issue, Golfweek's assistant managing editor and business writer Martin Kaufman felt compelled to comment on colleague Jim Achenbach's original Ohio Golf Association ball story, citing this quote:

"We are leaning to one that optimizes (distance efficiency off the tee) between 100 and 105 miles per hour (driver swing speed),"  said Alan Fadel, chairman of the OGA ball committee. "The ball is not going to benefit somebody at 120 (mph) the way the current ball does. We are trying to achieve a little more equality, that's all."

Kaufman appears to not understand that Fadel is referring to the impact of optimization (where properly matched players in the 115 mph-and-up range are getting excessive turbo boosts that effectively work around the USGA's Overall Distance Standard).

So there you have it: Golf's honchos officially have begun to embrace mediocrity rather than celebrating excellence. Years from now, the OGA's foolhardy decision might be remembered as a beachhead for the establishment of a welfare state for mediocre Tour players.

First, this "foolhardy decision" amounts to a 2-day, totally optional state golf association event where the ball is provided free of charge. This is not The Players Championship THE PLAYERS.

Those of us who have followed the issue know that one of the underlying issues with recent distance increases is that of skill, and the blurring of lines between the very good player and the super-elite.

Players of supreme skill like Tiger Woods or Ernie Els would be even better in an event using a ball like the one the OGA has selected. Their games would not be brought down by such a ball. They'd be even better. Tiger has even hinted that he's well aware of this possibility, which is one reason he can't campaign too hard for a change in the ball spec that introduces more spin or one that impacts the role of optimization.

Kaufman sees it the other way, and brings up the issue of equality. He believes the governing bodies have a desire to bring everyone down to the same level.

Any effort to legislate equality, whether in sports or broader society, is inherently problematic, if not doomed to failure. It sends a perverse message that top performers will be penalized for excellence, while laggards can count on benevolent rulers to shield them from superior performers.

And...

Players who swing the driver 120 mph and can control the ball's flight should hold an advantage over players who swing 105 mph. Swinging a golf club abnormally fast reflects superior athletic ability and training. And yes, it reflects superior skill. You remember skill, don't you. Golf used to celebrate it.

I seriously doubt any governing body wants to bring everyone together via an equipment change. (Course setup, that's another story.) Those swinging 120 m.p.h. would regain the proper edge that they deserve with a properly handled rollback.

Groups like the OGA want to eliminate the 350-yard drive born out of the optimization of launch conditions.  Groups like the USGA--assuming the Joint Statement is to be believed--want to reward the player who is physically strong and who can swing the club "abnormally fast," but also reward those who are genuinely precise with their ball striking.

Modern equipment has blurred distinctions in these two areas. 

MacDuff's Post Players Fed Ex Cup Points

Reader MacDuff's once again shows us how a 2007 "FedEx Cup" points race would shake out.  For those wondering, here is a link to the points system he has developed.

Despite its fifth major status, extra points were not awarded for The Player Championship THE PLAYERS.  Why do I suspect that the PGA Tour points breakdown will treat The Players Championship THE PLAYERS like the other majors?

1    Singh    11609.37        8
2    Sabbatini    10891.66        7
3    Toms    10509.37        6
4    Mickelson    10346.87        7
5    Petersson    10233.33        9
6    C.Campbell    10200        9
7    Glover    9854.16        7
8    Furyk    9587.5        7
9    Pernice    9437.5        7
10    Gf. Ogilvy    9387.5        6
11    T.Woods    8859.37        5
12    Lehman    8350        7
13    Weir    8334.37        6
14    Verplank    8187.5        6
15    Donald    8109.37        5
16    Van Pelt    8065        8
17    Villegas    8025        7
18    Rollins    7675        7
19    Parnevik    7567.5        8
20    Chopra    7424.5        8
21    D.Wilson    7400        7
22    Oberholser    7300        6
23    Mayfair    7191.66        7
24    Olazabal    7150        5
25    Franco    6800        7
26    JB Holmes    6695.83        6
27    G. Owen    6662.5        6
28    Barlow    6657.5        7
29    Appleby    6650        6
30    Garcia    6550        5
31    Ames    6500        5
32    Choi    6400        6
33    Funk    6337.5        7
34    Pat Perez    6262.5        7
35    Palmer    6166.66        6
36    Warren    6050        6
37    Rose    5966.66        5
38    T.Clark    5892.5        6
39    J.Ogilvie    5845        6
40    Pampling    5792.5        5
41    Love III    5762.5        5
42    Bohn    5733.33        6
43    Gay    5662.5        7
44    Bjornstad    5655        6
45    Z.Johnson    5612.5        6
46    Goosen    5537.5        4
47    Jobe    5392.5        5
48    Vn Taylor    5362.5        5
49    Langer    5354.16        6
50    Jerry Kelly    5325        4
51    N.Green    5262.5        6
52    Imada    5212.5        6
53    Els    5200        5
54    Westwood    5187.5        5
55    Calc    5150        7
56    Bub Watson    5075        5
57    Purdy    5037.5        5
58    Couples    5025        6
59    Cink    5021.33        5
60    Allenby    5012.5        5
61    DiMarco    4984.37        4
62    Bertsch    4900        6
63    Leonard    4895.83        5
64    Bryant    4862.5        5
65    A.Scott    4800        4
66    Fischer    4787.5        7
67    Triplett    4750        4
68    Watney    4737.5        6
69    F.Jacobson    4687.5        4
70    Senden    4625        4
71    Matteson    4600        6
72    M.Wilson    4590        4
73    Olin Browne    4487.5        6
74    Gore    4387.5        4
75    J.Smith    4350        4
76    Crane    4345        4
77    Atwal    4312.5        4
78    Howell III    4300        8
79    Sluman    4287.5        8
80    Baird    4200        5
81    Frazar    4187.5        6
82    Br.Davis    4162.5        6
83    Harrington    4050        3
84    JJ Henry    4050        4
85    Cook    4000        4
T86    Veazey    3962.5        4
T86    Kenny Perry    3962.5        4
88    D. Howell    3925        3
89    Hart    3925        4
90    Branshaw    3875        4
91    Curtis    3875        5
92    Hoffman    3852.5        4
93    Faxon    3787.5        5
94    Estes    3775        3
95    J.Byrd    3750        3
96    D.Clarke    3725        3
97    Slocum    3725        6
98    Lonard    3662.5        5
99    Herron    3657.5        4
100    Immelman    3650        4
101    Maggert    3625        6
102    Kent Jones    3537.5        4
103    Micheel    3500        4
T104    S.Jones    3475        4
T104    Cabrera    3475        4
106    Beem    3356.25        5
107    Stankowski    3265.5        5
108    RS Johnson    3225        3
109    Waldorf    3200        4
110    Sean O'Hair    3187.5        5
111    Dickerson    3137.5        6
112    Gove    3125        3
T113    Azinger    3112.5        4
T113    Petrovic    3112.5        4
115    H.Stenson    3012.5        3
116    S. Maruyama    3000        5
117    Ridings    2912.5        4
118    Gamez    2887.5        4
119    Garrigus    2850        3
120    Lowery    2837.5        4
121    JL Lewis    2800        5
122    Flesch    2775        5
123    Huston    2762.5        3
124    B. Quigley    2750        3
125    Points    2737.5        3
126    Mahan    2662.5        5
127    Levet    2637.5        5
128    Kaye    2487.5        3
129    M. Cambo    2437.5        2
130    Allen    2400        4
131    Goggin    2387.75        3
132    Pavin    2362.5        3
133    Sindelar    2325        5
134    Barron    2293.75        3
135    Lickliter II    2287.5        2
136    Poulter    2250        3
137    Stricker    2225        2
T138    Geiberger    2225        3
T138    Dawson    2225        3
140    Driscoll    2175        4
141    Baddeley    2100        4
142    Bren Jones    2050        2
143    Kevin Na    2037.5        2

PGA Tour Driving Distance Watch, Week 12

The PGA Tour Driving Distance average dropped again from 288.956 yards after Bay Hill, to 288.12 following The Players Championship THE PLAYERS.

There were 2 over-350 or longer drives, bringing the season total to 832. And that 6-8 inch rough managed to take driver out of the hands of contestants, dropping the percentage of over-300 yard drives from 25.3% to 23.8%.

"It's A Platform For What's To Come"

Just when you think one of those wonderfully empty MBA favorites is no longer en vogue at PGA Tour headquarters, along comes this story on the soon-to-be-demolished Sawgrass clubhouse...

The clubhouse will be replaced, but according to Dave Pillsbury, the Chief Operating Officer for PGA Tour Golf Course Properties, the old one will not be forgotten.

"It's going to be all about where we've been," he said. "It will be a platform for what's to come, but it's also going to celebrate where we've been. ... When you walk in the doors, we want you to be immersed in the history of this event and of Sawgrass."

Update on 2006-03-27 19:07 by Geoff

By my count, the Commissioner never used platform in last week's gathering with the media.

Tiger On Sawgrass Setup

More from Tiger Woods after Sunday's final The Players Championship, before it becomes THE PLAYERS:

TIGER WOODS: Since I've played here, I've never liked the way they've set it up with the rough high because the golf course wasn't meant to be played that way. I've talked to Pete Dye, and it wasn't meant to be played that way. It's supposed to be hard and fast and all the palmetto bushes are supposed to be coming into play. When we played the Amateur here in '94 that's the way it was, but they've cleaned it up and changed the golf course and changed, I think, how Pete wanted it initially to be played.

Hopefully when we come back here in May, it will be playing like that. Hard and fast is great, but six, eight inch rough, I don't think that's the right combo.

Ames and The Masters

 Stephen Ames after The Players Championship THE PLAYERS:

It was a difficult year for my wife and myself. And my boys, yeah, they probably watched it all as they came in this afternoon. They're probably sitting in front of the television watching it. It's going to be a big thrill and a wonderful vacation now.

Q. Have you spoken to Jodi yet?

STEPHEN AMES: I haven't, no.

Q. Is that going to be a two week vacation?

STEPHEN AMES: Not sure yet (laughing).

Q. Seriously, is there a possibility you won't play The Masters?

STEPHEN AMES: I have no plans of playing at Augusta. My kids have just come out of for their spring break, and we had plans to go somewhere else. My priorities have always been my family first. If it comes down to that, it's probably going to be a two week vacation, yes.

Q. What is the status of your citizenship?

STEPHEN AMES: For which country (laughter)?

Q. For your individual country.

STEPHEN AMES: I am born in Trinidad and Tobago. I am also a Canadian citizen. I live in Canada and have been there for the last 12 years.

Ah, but this rally killer was not successful...

Q. Is it possible your wife might talk you into Augusta?

STEPHEN AMES: I don't know. I'm not sure about it yet.

Q. What will determine whether you go to Augusta? Would your wife and children have to say go, pop?

STEPHEN AMES: No, I'd rather go on vacation to be truthful.

Q. So are you telling us you will not play The Masters?

STEPHEN AMES: I don't know yet. We'll see.

Update on 2006-03-27 16:09 by Geoff

Looks like he changed his mind...with the help of his family.

Tom Kite In The Forecaddie, Debut of The List

Courtesy of reader Stan, who kindly typed this from the current Golfweek (since I'm still waiting on an issue with a March dateline to reach the apparently hard-to-reach home of the homeless):

Hall of Famer Tom Kite never won a Masters, but he had a splendid record there, racking up 11 top-6 finishes, including three seconds. He knows a thing or two about what it takes to excel at Augusta National. When the Man Out Front asked Kite whether a medium-length hitter could contend routinely as he did given the course changes, the topic stirred some passion.

"I can understand making the golf course stand up to technology," Kite said. "Unfortunately they're responding to what's happening with just a top few players. From what I've heard has been done, I don't know if Arnold (Palmer) could've won there. (He won there four times) He made such good recovery shots, but if you hit a 3-iron, you're not going to hit the green. It takes that ability away."

Palmer and Jack Nicklaus got Kite's attention when they expressed concern over the latest National changes. Kite says he understands why courses have to be lengthened. And he gets fired up talking about it.

"If the manufacturers continue to run the game, I think the game is in for a long, tough road," he said. "The rule-making body (USGA) is not making rules for the game. The manufacturers are, and their No. 1 goal is to sell product. The game has changed so dramatically in the last six, eight years. What's happened is a joke. It's mind-boggling, compared to how much change there was over the last 100 years. Everything is based on speed. It's not based on ball-striking. If you want a good game, you can go buy it."

And with these comments, I guess it's time to debut a still-very-much-under-construction page on this site, called simply "The List."

The List features comments and links from just a few noted names in the golf world who have expressed concern about the distance issue, and their suggested remedies.

I have yet to go back into my archives of stories to post pre-2005 statements, but for now, The List should give you an idea where just some of golf's bigger names stand on the distance issue. Naturally, I welcome reader submissions to help make the list more definitive.

With This Win...

...Stephen Ames  loses the crown of best player never to have won a major championship     joins Craig Perks and Fred Funk as best players to win a fifth major without winning a Grand Slam event     reminds us that an anti-birdie, anti-distance rough harvest usually produces fluke winners     that The Players Championship will always be the fifth of four majors     joins Tiger Woods as a winner of the fifth major (The Players) and a former major (the Western Open).

Seriously, thanks Stephen for making it a runaway so we didn't have to turn away from the George Mason-UConn game.  I wanted to soak up some mighty Big East basketball before the Final Four is contested with all of those teams from conferences having down years!

And special thanks to the PGA Tour for a positively abysmal course setup that took a great design and rendered it's character virtually meaningless with excessive green speeds, lousy fairway contouring and excessive rough. 

"Restoring It To The Way Pete Dye Intended It"

That's what PGA Tour Golf Course Properties COO David Pillsbury said on today's Players telecast puff piece on the upcoming course restoration. I wonder if this means bringing back the scrub, crooked railroad ties and losing the rough?

Sheesh, I know the answer. Sorry for asking. 

It's Official...

...The Players Championship is a major because essayist Jimmy Roberts is dressing just like Jack Whitaker (well, minus the newsboy hat and tweed, but nothing says major like a turtleneck and bright red sweater vest).

What's next, Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Love's Theme?"

Fifth Major Watch, Final 2

Thanks to reader Steven T. for noticing this subtle, affirmative (or tongue in cheek?) "fifth major" reference in Doug Ferguson's third round game story.

Scott, the 2004 winner of golf's fifth major, shot 45 on the front nine and wound up with an 82.

Meanwhile Scott Michaux takes on the fifth major question:

It's the best tournament never to be a major.

Period.

The Players Championship has a serious inferiority complex which it needn't have. It's a great event on a thrilling golf course with a terrific field. Why that can't be good enough for the folks at the PGA Tour is pitiable story of jealousy and ego.

"We already think it's No. 1," said tour commissioner Tim Finchem, the primary "fifth major" lobbyist.

It's even tried to push-promote the notion of five majors as being a natural number by declaring a full handful on its senior circuit.

And...

It kills Finchem that he can't just declare his Players to be a major and make it stick. While the designation of major status might have been a fluid concept at one point, the television era and universal acceptance made the current four events established precedent long before the Sawgrass Stadium Course was ever built.

Finchem has finally pushed his Masters envy to the extreme starting in 2007. He's given the tournament its own spring month, reduced commercial interruption on television to four minutes per hour, spread the coverage into China, approved plans for a more traditional clubhouse and trimmed the official name to a brand-hammering title - The Players.

If that's not enough, Finchem made sure he mentioned the TPC's "champions dinner" on Tuesday and has proved even more adept than Augusta National Golf Club at creating a vocabulary all its own. (See "limited commercial inventory presentation.")

Rory and Nick, Follow Up

Iain Carter in The Guardian has even more fun details on the story that NBC and various American press outlets either won't touch or completely missed.

If you missed it, here's the original story on the Faldo-Sabbatini spat, complete with a photo of Amy Sabbatini in her "Keep Up" t-shirt. Carter fills us in on the comments that Faldo made at the Booz Allen last year that were clearly on Sabbatini's mind when their pairing was announced this week, and when they were put on the clock.

'When people say that if they were paired with you they would "slow play" you, that leaves a lot of questions about their morals and professionalism,' said Sabbatini, who is aware of Faldo's observations from the commentators' booth.

In response to Amy Sabbatini's decision to plaster her 'keep up' message across her chest, Faldo, who has always taken a painstaking approach to his golf, quipped: 'I think it's very embarrassing for them to bring their sexual problems to the golf course. Poor fellow. I thought he had enough problems as it is without her announcing them to the world.'

Referring to the first-round incident when Sabbatini became enraged because the stopwatches of officialdom were deemed necessary, Faldo said: 'He completely lost his head with the official, so I don't know what his problem was. Camilo lost his ball on the 10th and that's why we were put on the clock, but we were back in place within one hole, so it was no big deal.'

Sabbatini refused to blame the six-time major winner Faldo, but he made his feelings clear when asked if he had any complaints against his playing partners. 'You know, Camilo played great, he did his part and kept playing as well as he could. He was a true gentleman out there and showed good professionalism. I'll leave it at that,' he said.

In truth, Sabbatini's biggest argument is with the way that new slow play rules were ignored in this incident. Regulations permit referees to warn and time individuals rather than the entire group and he believes that this is what should have happened. 'If players create policy then why not use it,' he said. 'I would say there was a situation that occurred that should have resulted in me not necessarily being put on the clock.'

A PGA Tour spokesman said: 'Our pace of play policy does allow individuals rather than the group to be put on the clock if we are able to determine that one player is responsible for the group being behind. In my opinion our officials do a good job on pace of play and apply it consistently.'

It Must Be a Major...

...because the course is playing the players, instead of the players playing the course. (Thank you Walter Hagen.)

Great stuff there at the Players today. Love the 8-inch ryem, and so did Ian Poulter.

Today's intensely dull 3rd round did set the stage for a major power nap that I welcomed before the big Bruin victory.

I know you traditionalists hate this trainwreck setup style that's really all about the people doing the setup and their lousy sense of self, but if I keep getting such great naps out of it, I may have to re-think it.

Thankfully, Tiger and Vijay got in a few subtle jabs about the absurdity of 6-8 inch rough on a course designed with wind in mind:

Q. Is it a PLAYERS Championship without this kind of wind?

TIGER WOODS: Probably not, probably not. This golf course was built here for conditions like this, but the only problem is now they've got six or eight inch rough. That's a little different than how the golf course is meant to be played.

It's a little different out there. If you miss fairways you're probably going to make bogeys. It's six or eight inches in spots. It's brutal. You've got to drive the ball in the fairway and then from there you've got to really understand what you're going to try to do on the greens, whether you line them up in the low spot or a high spot.

And Vijay, explaining in his own way how the rough is designed for one thing, and one thing only: take driver out of the player's hands because someone didn't regulate equipment:

Q. How many 3 woods do you hit on par 4s and 5s or drivers?

VIJAY SINGH: Drivers, I tried to hit driver on 1. I tried to hit driver on the 6th, but I really didn't need to, and on 11 and that was it. Well, I think one more, 14.

Q. So much for this course taking the strength of your game?

VIJAY SINGH: It's not a long golf course. It's one of the shortest golf courses we play on Tour. With the conditions right now getting more and more firm, you probably don't need a driver here at all. But the penalties are the small greens and angular tee shots that we have to hit. It's always at an angle. The fairways pinch in where we hit our landing areas. So it's a very tricky golf course, you might say.

Tricky? That used to be code for goofy.

Think they fine the players for criticizing their own course and their own tournament?

Fifth Major Watch, Final (Until Next Year)

Alan Shipnuck should not be surprised if his 2007 PGA Tour media credential gets lost in the mail after this column debunking the fifth major hype.

-You know you're desperate when you're stealing ideas from the Champions tour, which has five majors (though the only one most of us can name is the Senior Open).

-"Impregnable pentrilateral" just doesn't have the same ring.

-It's already too much work having to explain the difference between Bobby Jones' Grand Slam, the modern Slam and the Tiger Slam. Who wants to have to add the TPC Slam to the conversation?

-And the No. 1 reason the Players Championship will never be considered a major: because Tiger Woods doesn't think it should be.

Week In Review, March 19-25: Fifth of Four Majors Week

Somehow I can't picture Bernard Darwin filing a "fifth major" column if he were (God forbid) forced to cover the Players Championship. Which I guess is my not so subtle way of noting how sad it is that the second annual "fifth major" story watch led to posts here, here, here and here. And just think, next year when they move the Players to May, the inane speculation will start all over again!

Reader Brett asked, "What real "Major" hands out 20 sponsor exemptions? And who do all the sponsor exemptions go to?"

Other Sawgrass talk centered around the impending course overhaul, and thankfully, the installation of so much U.S. Open rough on the course.

Bill Fields in Golf World contrasted the evolution of Sawgrass with Augusta, and became yet another prominent writer to risk a not so friendly Augusta press room greeting.

A flashback of sorts took place, with a look at Ron Whitten's surprising change in stance on the Augusta changes.

John Hawkins blogged about the need to make TPC Sawgrass' 17th hole tougher, prompting me to ask why golf is looking to always make things tougher, while other sports are looking for ways to make their sport better.

Reader Tom Gov set me straight:  "In other sports no one likes to see a one sided blow out. But most spectators like to see two great opponents battling it out on the field. In golf, the only real opponent we have is the course. So as players get better, (whatever the reason) as a spectator, I want to see tougher opponents (in this case the golf course). In basketball the basket wasn't raised and in baseball the bases weren't lengthened. Both opponents just got better and most of the traditions were held in place. In golf, our traditions are being severely challenged by only one of the opponents getting much better."

Reader Josh Hoisington added, "Does anybody remember or more importantly care what Tiger's score was at Augusta 2005? I don't. I do care that I had a great time watching Chris and Tiger battle it out over the back nine, and into the playoff. Heck, I barely even remember the contempt I felt at the changes to the course."

MacDuff kindly shared his latest FedEx Cup points list, and whether you care or not about the Tour's new playoff concept, it raises questions about whether the Tour will install a system that "incentivizes" players to play more often, or one that rewards star power.

Tim Finchem convened the press for a gathering, and I suggested and solicited questions here.  Reader J.P. wanted to ask, "Do you personally own stock in Comcast?"

I dissected the Commissioner's press conference, where many subjects came up, including questions about steroids. Pete the Luddite was surprised by the Tour's weak stance on matter: "Wait until there's a definite problem, the genie's out of the bottle, the integrity of the game is (further) marginalized, the media jumps on the sport as ignoring a problem for too long, and THEN, and only then, maybe possible consider a retrofitted "solution". Apparently, The Commish hasn't watched anything going on with the erosion of baseball's integrity in recent times."

The same Pete shared some fascinating graphs on distance, accuracy and ball striking, and Sean Murphy noted that "the overall driver (thats accuracy and distance combined) the last three years on the PGA Tour did not keep his card."

We looked at SI's recent teachers poll, where teacher Jim Suttie said that the Ohio Golf Association would take individualism out of the game by forcing contestants in an invitational event to try a competition ball.

Smolmania noted that in the limited flight ball event, "The guys who can't bomb it because they aren't capable of swinging the club at 120 mph will have a chance. Yes, they'll still be 40 or 50 yards behind the bombers, but not 100. The bombers will have to hit 5 or 6 irons into par 4s, and might even have to lay up on an occasional long par 5. Oh the horrors."

Don't miss the latest episode in the Sabbatini saga and Nick Faldo's brilliant, early candidate for quote fo the year.

And finally, don't miss Fred Funk's rant on the power game in golf, and how the "little guy" is literally going to be driven out of the game as the shift to certain technologies unfairly rewards taller, stronger players.