Trying To Makes Sense Of The Volvo Match Play

Okay, I tried to read the format description of this week's 24-player Volvo World Match Play Championship's eight groups of three, round robin format. After my third try, I've given up. Anyone care to help this blogger?

Round robin group matches will be played on Thursday and Friday with players grouped according to their Official World Golf Ranking as of the Monday of the Championship. The three players in each group will play each other once. Players will be awarded two points for a win and no points for a loss. If a match is tied after 18 holes each player shall receive one point.

The top two players in each group will progress to the knock-out stages. Should, after all matches have been played, two or more players are tied on points the following criteria will be used to determine the order:

   i) Where two players are tied within a group (in any position within the group) then their specific head to head match result will be used to identify which player is placed higher

   ii) If two or more players are still tied then those players will compete in a hole-by-hole play-off.

   iii) If all three players win one match in their respective group then all three players shall play-off.

The knock out stage will consist of the last 16 and quarter-finals, played on Saturday, and semi-finals and final, played on Sunday. All matches will be over 18 holes.  There will be no third and fourth place play-off on Sunday.

Here's the day one roundup, which I'd like to get excited about since golf needs fresh formats. Especially a creative use of match play. But so far this one is just not doing it for me.

"For him to come back after all of this, it's going to be a hell of a mountain to climb."

I've been out the last two days, so catching up on reading and was shocked by the frankness of statements from Curtis and Azinger in Doug Ferguson's column on the prospects of Tiger ever returning to peak form.

"I thought it was a slam dunk before Thanksgiving a year-and-a-half ago," two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange said. "I started having serious doubts after his withdrawal last week. He's losing valuable time right now with injuries, swing coaches, reinventing himself. You don't have that much time in a career to break those kind of records.

"For him to come back after all of this, it's going to be a hell of a mountain to climb."

And Zinger, who Tweeted similar thoughts last week:

"The big unknown is the severity of the problem," Azinger said. "The mental aspect still must be addressed - having the ability to find someone he can talk and talk with. He's angry at himself, angry at the world, angry at people tearing him down. But physically, for the first time, I'm starting to wonder."

"When the last putt falls at Congressional, the curtain will close on the Jones era of Open doctoring."

John Garrity tells us the era of Rees Jones messing with U.S. Open venues appears to be ending after this year's Open at Congressional.  

They point out that other designers have been hired to prepare seven of the next eight U.S. Open sites. (The USGA has assigned its Open venues through 2019, with the exception of 2018, which means it's quite likely that the earliest Jones's services could be called upon again would be in 2020, when he'll be 78.)

"So I may be the PGA Doctor," Jones says with an optimistic lilt, alluding to his redesign of the Atlanta Athletic Club's Highlands course for this year's PGA Championship and to his completed renovation of New Jersey's Baltusrol Golf Club for the 2016 tourney. "Or as one article called me, the 'PGA Physician.' " In certain countries, he adds, he'll still be the Open Doctor because he's toughening up national championship venues in China, Japan and Canada.

That's a relief.

As for player criticism of his no reward, all risk, drab-bunker, clumsily shaped features:

Jones dismisses such critiques with the air of a man brushing lint off his slacks. "My courses are only controversial," he says, "for the players who play poorly."

He also used the opportunity to rip the minimalist movement. 

Jones, while agreeing that he's a strategic designer, asks why a tournament venue would hire an architect who wasn't. "Today's middle-aged architects are really into aesthetics," he says, taking a shot at the naturalist trend in course design. "They love their wilderness bunkers, which tend to be expensive to build, hard to maintain and difficult to play out of."

Here's a challenge I guess I'm going to have to look into. 

Let's get a Rees design contract and fee for his shapers, and compare his fee with the project cost for employing Coore and Crenshaw's shapers.

And the, let's take the courses involved and find out whose bunkers are more to maintain, the ones that are trimmed a few times a year versus the rotund pieces that are mown with fly mowers every two weeks. 

2018 Ryder Cup Choice Is A "Proper" Course

There hasn't been this much swooning over a Von Hagge design since, well, never. Lawrence Donegan on the common $en$e choice for the '18 Ryder Cup and why Spain didn't get more consideration.

The truth is relations between Seve Ballesteros, and by extension his family, and the tour hierarchy had been poor for years. This isn't to say that those involved in taking today's decision were swayed by memory of that fractious history – the bidding process was overseen by independent observers, remember – although it is entirely possible it made them even less inclined than most to be swayed by the emotion of the Ballesteros-backed Spanish bid and even more inclined to go with their instincts.

The European Tour is a business. Golf in Europe is a business and awarding the 2018 Ryder Cup to France was a business decision. The good news is that it was also the right one.

Paul Mahoney says the mix of links golf and inland American golf is "proper," though I'm not sure what that means.

Sentimental voters were disappointed that Spain lost out, but the Ryder Cup is all about big business for the European Tour. "Follow the money" is always the best bet when trying to discover the truth hidden behind bidding wars. (See: the Olympics and soccer's World Cup.) Recent European Ryder Cup history has centered on the deep pockets of Sir Terry Matthews (Celtic Manor), Dr. Michael Smurfit (the K Club), and Jaime Patino (Valderrama). France 2018 had the full backing of the French government. It was a fait accompli. And the right decision.

Jack: Pitching 12-Hole Concept To Finchem

Joe Biddle reports on Jack Nicklaus' visit to "The Vinny" on Sunday, a charity fundraiser for Vince Gill.  Seems Jack was chatty about the game. Thanks to reader Jim for this.

“Since 2006, we’ve lost 20 percent of the women in the game and we’ve lost 20 percent of the juniors in the game,” Nicklaus said. “If you’re the CEO of a corporation and have those numbers, you say, ‘What do I do?’ The professional game is great. The showcase is great.

“But is the showcase bringing people into the game, or is it running them out of the game? It’s a good question.”

Jack feels the pro game is no longer relatable to the average man, woman and junior.

“Quite often, by local knowledge, he would beat me,” Nicklaus said. “You go to these courses today and play the club champion at 7,500 yards and you run in Phil Mickelson and there’s no chance in the world (the club champion) is going to beat them.

“I worry about that as it relates to what is happening in the game.”

Jack's now on the 12-hole kick.

Looking forward, Nicklaus believes cutting a round of golf to 12 holes would be more palatable for golfers who don’t want to make it a day-long process.

He tossed the idea past Finchem, who pooh-poohed it six or seven months ago. Finchem talked to Nicklaus at the Masters this year, and Nicklaus said Finchem is starting to consider the idea.

Now Jack just has to figure out how to make it Tim's idea!

At two of Nicklaus’ courses — Muirfield and the Bear’s Club — he had them make up 12-hole scorecards.

“My seniors are loving it,” he said. “The game is so difficult to start with. You take kids. They start basketball at a 6-foot hoop, 7-foot hoop, small ball, big ball.... All the sports work their selves up. In golf, you start with a set of clubs and a hard golf ball and it’s not easy.

“It’s the health of the game, the growth of the game, keeping people in the game, that I’m interested in.”

There's a video accompanying the story as well:

"I think golfers are more aware than ever that the game lost its way, and a correction is needed."

Jaime Diaz reports on the latest regarding Barney Adams' noble campaign to get people playing forward.

Adams posted his findings on the Internet (in the January Golf Digest, he advocated moving up a set of tees), and he received a positive response. But his persistence at lobbying for his idea was most meaningfully rewarded by American golf's powers that be. Beginning in late May, the USGA, the PGA of America and the GCSAA will begin a campaign -- with the tentative handle of Play It Forward -- to convince golfers to move up. It will start with television segments during the Senior PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open. Then the organizations will urge course operators across the nation to set aside two weeks beginning July 5 in which they ask customers to play from a shorter set of tees, following Adams' guidelines.

And will there be incentives in the form of reduced green fees? If not, I'm guessing this campaign won't register.

"That brings in shotmaking, even for an average player, and that's what really makes the game interesting." For all that, Adams doesn't believe scoring will be dramatically affected.

"Maybe a 13-handicap becomes a 10," he says. "That's where the USGA would have to really get involved, to make sure handicaps don't lose equitableness.

"This is about a change of habits, which is always hard," Adams says, "but I think golfers are more aware than ever that the game lost its way, and a correction is needed."

This is where I just don't get as excited about Adams' cause as some. He's absolutely right that people should play shorter courses but how can than happen when, contrary to what he says, people are using today's equipment to hit the ball longer? Courses were not lengthened because architects thought it would be fun for the average man, but in reaction to the demands of golfers, course owners and safety concerns. Reversing that trend will be tough. Still, it's certainly a campaign worth getting around because they are not advocating consumerism as the savior of golf.

Ryder Cup 2018: "This great victory is for everyone involved in French golf."

Mitch Phillips reports that France and Le Golf National won the 2018 Ryder Cup bidding.

The 2018 Ryder Cup will be played on Le Golf National course in Versailles, near Paris after the French bid won a five-way contest on Tuesday to host the biennial match against the United States.

European Tour officials made the announcement at their base in Wentworth, saying one of the main draws had been the "outstanding spectator viewing." France will become only the second country in continental Europe to stage the Ryder Cup after Spain in 1997.

"We always believed. The world of French golf was united and that did not escape European Tour bosses," Pascal Grizot, chairman of the Ryder Cup Committee at the French Golf Federation, said in a statement.

"This great victory is for everyone involved in French golf."

This Euro Tour site story quotes the disappointed Spaniards, who had made a late surge and had the most impressive looking bid. But we know looks meant little in this contest!

Following the announcement, Gonzaga Escauriaza, President of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG), said: “Madrid would have been a fantastic venue for the Ryder Cup in 2018, but unfortunately our dream has not come true. I honestly believe we could not have produced a better bid, and I have been extremely proud to be a part of it. I hope that Spain will one day be given the opportunity to host the Ryder Cup again.  Congratulations to France on their victory, I’m sure they will do a fantastic job”.

A Wild And Wacky Local Qualifier

Garry Smits reports on Monday's US Open qualifier at Sawgrass. It included a DQ for a non-conforming wedge and one player qualifying in spite of a one-shot penalty for slow play.

There also was a controversy over the FSGA's pace-of-play policy, which requires groups to not only finish their rounds in a given time, but finish within 15 minutes of the group ahead of them on both nines.

Six players in two groups didn't make the deadline of four hours, 40 minutes to complete 18 holes; and were more than 15 minutes behind the group ahead of them. Included was Harman, whose 70 was changed to a 71 with the one-stroke penalty. He angrily berated tournament officials for not giving his group a warning during the round. He qualified anyway.

Under the FSGA policy, initiated two years ago, warnings are not issued during play. Stroke penalties can be assessed at the turn and when a group finishes, and can be waived at the discretion of the committee if players were held up by rulings or having to look for lost balls.

"They received the pace-of-play policy in a packet mailed to them before the tournament, got another copy on the first tee, and the policy also is posted on six holes on the course," Dudley said. "There's no excuse for them not knowing it. They don't need warnings from rules officials to know what the policy is. All they have to do is read the information they've been given."

Donald May Not Be Running, But Doesn't Mean People Will Stop Scrutinzing Scotland Project

Even though his presidential bid is over, there's still plenty of scrutiny of The Donald and much of it involves his work in the golf business.

Andy Wightman, a self-described "independent writer and researcher on issues of land and democracy" posts a paper looking at the many issues, brouhahas and other facts related to Trump's Scotland project. I haven't had time to do more than scan it, but there appears to be some interesting stuff.

And the Washington Post's Annie Gowen looks at Trump's environmental record. A photo gallery accompanies the piece.

Over the years, Donald Trump — the “Celebrity Apprentice” star, real estate mogul and impossible-to-ignore presidential candidate — has developed 11 luxury golf courses around the world, leaving a trail of happy golfers but angry residents and environmentalists in his wake. He infuriated neighbors in California for trying to plant trees to shield pedestrians from flying golf balls and in Northern Virginia for taking them out.

His fight with five gritty Scots who refused to move from the stone cottages standing in the way of his $1.6 billion golf course in Scotland inspired a film, “You’ve Been Trumped,” that played to sold-out crowds at Toronto’s documentary film festival this month. (Choice scenes: Trump worrying over his hair at a press conference on a windswept bluff and accusing one of the holdouts of living “like a pig.”)

What's unfortunate about reporting like this is that non-golfers will continue to associate all of golf with the Trump vision. Not helpful.

Michael Hiestand reports there is also this:

HBO's latest Real Sports on Tuesday includes a feature on Donald Trump building a lavish golf course and hotel in historic northeast Scotland — a project that sparked local environmental protests. But on HBO, Trump says: "You can't improve on God's work. But I'm changing it around just a little bit so we can putt." How considerate.