Snapping From The Bahamas: Jordan, Rickie, Justin & Smylie

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Golf's newest boy band has silenced their usual social feeds and seems to be unified over Snapchat for their Bahamas buddies trip.

I know cynics will find this all a bit suspicious, what with all the mentions of the Bahamas and the adorable Snapchat graphics, but can't you just take G.R. Team's report at GolfChannel.com for what it is: good old fashioned reporting on a vacation that may or may not irk the players involved, depending on their understanding of screen capture rules?

On a more serious note, Doug Ferguson reports that the aforementioned Snappers and select peers have been visiting Jack Nicklaus for advice, who loves it.

''I don't know why they do it. They seem to think it's going to help them,'' Nicklaus said with a wink and a smile. ''I get a big kick out of it, sure. Why would you not get a big kick out of it? I'm 76 years old and I've got a 22-year-old kid coming here asking me for advice.

''How many 22-year-olds ask anybody for advice?''

Why Adam Scott Not Playing In Rio Hurts

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Because he's well-liked and has staked himself to a consistent Olympic position, Adam Scott won't take much heat for deciding he'd like to have a life this summer while trying to win The Open and the PGA.

His statement via Golf Australia:

“My decision has been taken as a result of an extremely busy playing schedule around the time of the Olympics and other commitments, both personal and professional,” Scott said today.

“I have informed the Australian team captain (Ian Baker-Finch) and relevant authorities, who are understanding of my position and I wish the Australian Olympic team the very best of luck in Rio.”

However, unlike Vijay's decision to pass after intially expressing enthusiasm, Scott's decision to pass is a blow to the Olympic golf movement. Not a deadly one. Just a blow. Here is why:

- As a global golfer who represents very international brands in Rolex, Titleist and Uniqlo, Scott appreciates his place as an international ambassador. He didn't take this decision lightly.

- The Rio Olympic course is by an architect he likes who channeled sandbelt aesthetics and principles. So the golf course was not an issue.

- He was a lock to make Rio and could easily plan for the inconvenience, yet still chose to pass. At least, unlike Vijay, he didn't mention a desire to win some FedExCup points.

- This may be Scott's best chance at a medal. Four years from now he will be pushing forty and less likely to have his game as sound as it is now.

- Coupled with any more high profile passes on Rio, there is a danger of momentum building toward a negative sensibility come early August.

All of this goes back to the PGA of America committing to Baltusrol very early for 2016 to tie into the anniversary of their founding, along with the leadership of golf finding no major scheduling solutions to alleviate this summer's logjam without sacrificing money or a spot on the network schedule. Dropping the utterly droppable WGC in Akron for a year would have been a nice gesture, though even that might not have changed the thinking of someone like Adam Scott.

But if more players drop out and the schedule turns out to be the reason, the decision to work the PGA Championship around the fall football schedule will have major implications for Olympic golf.

 

Video: Watch Brandel Get A Bit Weepy Over Sidekick Frank

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Marksbury!

Who knew Jessica could draw blood in the form of tears, especially when the discussion was over a questionable Rules of Golf drop? Either way, nice work by Golf.com's host to bring Brandel Chamblee to tears over his admiration ("He's doing his job") for Frank Nobilo's commentary during the Tiger drop debacle.

To recap, Chamblee wanted Tiger to WD from the 2013 Masters but Frank would have none of it. The two later worked out any remaining grievances at the 2014 PGA with a sensational on-air manspat.

Anyway, this lovely fireside chat over Old Fashioned's (or are those Arnold Palmer's?) is not embeddable and you'll have to deal with the seasickness-inducing page that is Golf.com, but you should be able to get it working here.

"At noon, (Nobilo) came in and sat down and he brought a perspective that I had not thought of. I remember, he was on the air and he was speaking. And it was ... it was just beautiful. I just thought 'that's a great mind.' And to see someone with that passion ... you know, I remember thinking 'He's doing his job.' ... When I see someone, in anything, that is passionate about what they're doing, it moves me. And he is and that's why I love working with him."

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Video: Preview Of Real Sports Segment On Trump In Scotland

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And I had such high hopes for Alex Salmond and Donald Trump patching things up!

HBO's Bernard Goldberg heads back to Scotland to follow up on his reporting from a few years ago when everyone was a lot thinner and younger. What he finds appears to be a lot less enthusiasm for Trump.

The segment debuts Tuesday, April 19th.



Forward Press: Fighting Off The Post Masters Blues!

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Trying to find a positive in a week that features the Valero, the Shenzhen, Swinging Skirts and Big Cedar Lodge Legends. No, we are not living in a Dan Jenkins novel. Yet.

That said, Nicklaus, Trevino and Player are teeing it up this week, so how bad can things be?

Read it all in the Forward Press.

And that sinkhole opening up on the course were the Legends is played? It's now an attraction:

Why Is Jordan Spieth's Loss Still Resonating?

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I was minding my own business today but sporting a Masters-logoed hat, prompting an unexpected conversation about Jordan Spieth blowing the 2016 Masters. Little did this soul know that just hours before Gary Williams and I discussed how the topic won't go away.

Obviously anytime an elite player blows a chance to win a major, it's news. But the outpouring, concern and downright sympathy is kind of surprising since Spieth already owns one Green Jacket. Some of it speaks to his rise to a level beyond elite golfer and into global athletic icon.

Yet it seems like concern for his well-being following this Masters has reached Norman/Masters or Mickelson/USOpen levels of sadness for Spieth's plight. But as Gary and I discussed, he already has one and seems destined to contend there annually, making it hard to feel too much sadness.

Jim McCabe talked to players at Harbour Town who were having similar conversations about the final nine struggles and they were taking sides in a "should have" vs. "could have" won debate.

It will go down as a “should have” tournament, Geoff Ogilvy said. Even though it was three days later, Ogilvy was still processing the events of the final round of the 2016 Masters. He did not play this year, but he watched all of Saturday and Sunday and like any other fan, Ogilvy was stunned at what happened at the start of the back nine — a bogey at 10, a bogey at 11, then two balls in the water and a quadruple-bogey 7 at the 12th.

Ogilvy could interpret things differently than most fans because as a guy who plays at the top of the game he knew Spieth was struggling with his game. “I think he has to take that out (of the week), that I can lead a major by five with nine to play with not even remotely close to my best.”

But Ogilvy concedes that the bottom line for Spieth is this: “Because I got five in front, I should have finished it.”

Video: Black Swans & Na-Yeon Choi's 18th Green Recovery

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I'm a little slow to have seen Na Yeon-Choi's 18th hole impressive recovery in Saturday's Lotte Championship final round (won by Minjee Lee).

Not only does she go left-handed from a lake bank, but then there is the uncredentialed audience watching her ball go toward the hole. Tom Abbott and Karen Stupples on the call from Hawaii:

You've gotta see this! @nychoi87's "trick shot" to save par on 18 at the #lottechampionship

A video posted by @lpga_tour on Apr 15, 2016 at 6:09am PDT

 

Six, Schmix: Two-Year-Old With Amazing Clubhead Speed

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Forget the amazing 6-year-olds, look at the clubhead speed this 2-year-old is generating.

 

Even Danny Willett's Instructor Thought The Masters Was Over

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Granted, Mike Walker had an early flight the next day, had delayed his honeymoon to help Danny Willett prepare and couldn't do anything from home.

Still, as James Corrigan writes in a lengthy Telegraph piece, the instructor to Danny Willett (along with the legendary Pete Cowan) turned off the telly and prepared to sleep. That was after Jordan Spieth had birdied four holes in a row.

“I actually went to bed at 9.30pm when Jordan birdied nine to go five clear, thinking that was it,” Walker said. “But then an hour later my phone went mad. I turned on the TV and Spieth was just finishing off his [quadruple bogey] seven on the 12th. Danny was leading and I was like ‘wow’.”

What followed next is already enshrined in golfing folklore. “I had to have a few beers and then Liz [Walker’s wife] cracked open the Prosecco. Even after all that, I couldn’t get to sleep. So much stuff was going through my head. I didn’t hear the alarm. I spoke to Dan about 9am UK time, which was 4am over there and he was still going strong. We were both in a state of shock.”

The story goes on to look at how Walker and Cowan work with the clients they share and the lift this has given UK elite golfers like Andy Sullivan, Chris Wood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Grace Wins, Els Strikes Back, DeChambeau's Debut (T4)

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Kyle Porter considers some of the numbers from Bryson's DeChambeau and while they certainly don't guarantee success, it's an eye-opening debut a week after a strong run at the Masters. Will Gray on the successful start.

His post-round interview with Scott Walker:

And there was this from Golf Channel's Justin Ray:

 

 

How about Ernie Els recovering from his Masters struggles to finish T14th!

Oh, and small-ball grinder Branden Grace, inspired by Els this week (Will Gray reports), finally won a tour event after contending many times, including majors. Look out Players and U.S. Open! The highlights:

Video: France Would Be Really Good At Relay Golf

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Here's another form of golf that would be more fun that 72 holes of stroke play in the Olympics. Ok, the cart part is a little strange, but we could work through that.

Judging by the scores, and this comment from Paul Lawrie (thanks reader Brian), this is the most fun the European Tour's finest had this week at Valderamma in the Real Club Valderrama Open de España, Hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation: