Review And Roundup: Arnold Palmer Memorial Service

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Let's get the predictable headline out of the way: it was a tribute fitting for a king. In this case, The King. 

A nice blend of speakers mostly adhered to family wishes to keep things light, and those who didn't (unintentionally) offered those feeling emotional a few moments to collect themselves before another speaker would have you laughing or crying.

Emcee Charlie Mechum offered comfort, class and humor and gentle ground rules. Lorenzo Reyes of the USA Today explained his this account:

The service spanned two hours and 19 minutes, and allowed guest speakers to share their memories and describe how Palmer impacted their lives and the game of golf.

“I’d like to suggest that the tone and the mood for this service is best exemplified by the image of him striding up the fairway with that iconic smile, hitching up his pants, and giving it a thumbs up,” former LPGA commissioner and close Palmer friend Charlie Mechem said. “That’s what I want you to think about all day today.”

While every speaker brought something special to the proceedings, though Jack Nicklaus, grandson Sam Saunders, Jim Nantz and aviation pal Russ Meyers stood out for capturing the best things about Arnold Palmer, while Vince Gil's memories and rendition of Carole King's You've Got A Friend had attendees like Tom Watson singing along.

Doug Ferguson notes for AP in a short story on the service,

The service at Saint Vincent College in Palmer’s hometown was filled with just as much laughter and warmth from stories of the most significant player in the modern game. The basilica at the college was packed with golf’s biggest names from around the world.

Jaime Diaz was present and wrapped up the service in this GolfDigest.com story.

The scene before his memorial service at the bucolic campus, only two miles from where Palmer learned to play golf at Latrobe C.C., also contained contrasts. The nearly 1,000 who would enter the lovely basilica were somber as they shuffled in, but also carried a palpable energy. It was the power of memory.

Fulfilling the simplest metric for a life well-lived, Palmer, who died on Sept. 25 at age 87, filled up a church. Actually, another 5,000 watched the service via closed circuit at other locations on the campus, making Palmer’s gathering even larger than the 3,000 that attended Payne Stewart’s service at the First Baptist Church of Orlando in 1999. But it was all the stories and moments and images contained in the collective remembrances of Palmer that had trouble fitting under the basilica’s ornately-arched 50-foot ceilings.

Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette live-blogged the service and captured many of the great lines delivered.

Sam Saunders’ touching tribute and final phone call just an hour before his grandfather passed:



Jim Nantz, who knew Palmer well, understandably struggled with his emotions in ways we've never seen, but battled through to tell some epic stories in grand fashion. All 17 minutes of his eulogy:

And here is Jack Nicklaus, who apologized for reading from a script, but as you'll see he did so for practical reasons.
 

Random Lessons From The 2016 Ryder Cup

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--Match play is more interesting than stroke play. Particulary when we have so few matches and can focus on the dynamics of a match. Couple that with a team component and the Ryder Cup continues to be golf's most engaging, thrilling and fascinating event. Which is why most folks running the game wants to give us more stroke play.

--This was another reminder that team match play must be contested in Tokyo 2020. As nice as the Olympic golf turned out, Rio's individual stroke play's dramatic ending paled in comparison to the Ryder Cup.

--Experience does not necessarily matter. Darren Clarke's two experience picks were 1-6. Thomas Pieters, selected only because he forced the Captain's hand, was 4-1. Rookies on a squad that won 11 points were 7-9-1. American rookies Ryan Moore and Brooks Koepka earned five points for USA.

--The PGA of America badly oversold the event, just as it did at Medinah. Throw in no cut-off for alcohol sales, leading to angry fans who couldn't see the already limited action. This led to terrible treatment of our guests and an embarrassing international narrative that required a (way too late) admonishment which helped matters Sunday.

--No one should Tweet after 11 p.m. and a few consoling beverages. Especially when you've had a week like he had.

--Course setup is not easy. But 18 center-cut holes? Strange.

--Hazeltine's membership sacrificed their club and hosted to perfection. Every member encountered could not have been nicer or more welcoming. The members hit shots off of mats in August and closed the course on Labor Day so that Chris Tritabaugh could present conditions so good, no match would ever be impacted by faulty turf.

Handicapping The Next Ryder Cup Captain's Race

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Sadly for admirers of petty politicking and backstabbing the races look to have 1/5 favorites. Bust we mustn't give up hope.

According to Golfweek's Alistair Tait, the oddsmakers will install Thomas Bjorn as the overwhelming favorite.

A separate committee consisting of the three immediate past captains, a player from the tournament committee and the European Tour chief executive now decides who leads Europe’s Ryder Cup charge. That committee will lean heavily toward Bjorn.

Clarke, Paul McGinley and Jose Maria Olazabal are the committee’s three immediate past captains. Bjorn, 45, served as a vice captain under all three. He’s also played on three winning teams (1997, 2002 and 2014), compiling a 3-4-2 record.

I'll pause for a moment to let the goosebumps subside.

As we know, the Europeans have had their share of captaincy drama and sought to stabilize the system. But a resounding 17-11 loss might just handicap Bjorn.

Andrew Coltart makes a case for Ian Poulter, who will be 42 in 2018, to bring his unique blend of Ryder Cup passion and success to the proceedings. Poulter became a 2016 driver vice captain after a season-ending injury and successfully got through the week at Hazeltine without running over a spectator. 

Poulter is 80-1, perhaps because Derek Lawrenson quotes him in a Daily Mail wrap of the Cup's performers as saying he's eager to get back to his playing career. The rest:

On the U.S. side, Kevin Van Valkenburg at ESPN.com considers how Jim Furyk struck all of the right notes and it became clear that the next U.S.A. captain in Paris 2018 was at Hazeltine. Task force honcho Phil Mickelson was already plotting strategy for the captain, according to Love.

In the post-match celebration, Love said while the win obviously meant a great deal to him, one of the things he was most proud of this year was developing (with Woods and Mickelson and other titans of American golf) an approach the U.S. can use going forward, for years to come.

"We started this process well over a year and a half ago," Love said. "And we're sitting there on the 18th green watching the last few matches come in, and Phil is already explaining what's going to happen in Paris."

Only the task force knows who will get to spend a lot of time in Paris, but in ESPN's four-ball, Bob Harig mentions this.

Harig: If you go by how the task force laid out the plan for the future, it will be Furyk. He was a Presidents Cup assistant last year as well as an assistant at the Ryder Cup. You can expect him to be an assistant for Stricker at the Presidents Cup next year. Furyk has played on numerous U.S. teams. It sets him up to get the gig in France.

Task Force, we are living in your world. Just let us know who you annoint the next captain.

NBC's Ryder Cup Final Round Rating: 3.4, Peaks At 6.4 Million

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The Ryder Cup ratings news is mixed, with Golf Channel enjoying a historic day on Friday, while the weekend was down a bit since 2012 at Medinah. The reasons? It could be that these matches were without Tiger, with  sooner ending and with millions of cords cut in the four years since the last domestic Cup.

According to SBD, the 3.4 rating was down 17% from 2012's 4.1 rating. That puts the Ryder Cup behind the U.S. Open final round rating (3.8), and just barely ahead of The Open Championship among the big events. The Open aired much earlier in the day than the Ryder Cup.

The full release and overnight numbers:

NBC Sports’ Coverage of 2016 Ryder Cup Sunday Garners 4.3 Million Average Viewers, Peaking at 6.4 Million as U.S. Team Clinched a Decisive 17-11 Victory
 
Golf Channel Posts Most-Watched Day Ever with Coverage of Day 1 of Ryder Cup on Friday, Sept. 30
 
NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive coverage of the U.S. Team’s decisive 17-11 victory at the 2016 Ryder Cup concluded Sunday on NBC with 4.3 million average viewers and a 2.72 U.S. household rating (Noon-6 p.m. ET) according to Nielsen Fast Nationals.  For average viewers, the 2016 Ryder Cup Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club outside Minneapolis was +95% vs. 2014 at Gleneagles in Scotland (7 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. ET); -22% vs. 2012 at Medinah outside Chicago (Noon-6:33 p.m. ET); and +2% vs. 2008 at Valhalla outside Louisville (12:30-6:07 p.m. ET), the last time the United States won the Ryder Cup.
 
Viewership on Sunday peaked with 6.4 Million average viewers from 5-5:15 p.m. ET as Ryan Moore clinched the winning point in Match 7 of 12 at approximately 5:12 p.m. ET, 45 minutes before the conclusion of coverage. In comparison, 2012 at Medinah peaked between 6-6:15 p.m. ET as Europe’s Martin Kaymer capped one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history by winning the 11th match of 12 to win 14 ½ - 13 ½.
 
Additional NBC Sports Ryder Cup highlights:

·       Across all three days, the 2016 Ryder Cup totaled 35.1 million live minutes, 487,000 unique devices, and an average minute audience of 22,000 across all digital platforms.  The average minute audience of 22,000 users ranks as the highest for any NBC and Golf Channel event on record (NBC’s inaugural coverage of The Open had an average minute audience of 18,000).

·       Golf Channel’s Live From the Ryder Cup on Sunday evening following play posted a .31 overnight rating (6-9:15 p.m. ET), +121% vs. 2014 at Gleneagles and +82% vs. 2012 at Medinah.

·       On Friday with Day 1 of the Ryder Cup, Golf Channel posted its most-watched day in history, since the network was founded by Arnold Palmer more than 21 years ago, with 673,000 average viewers. Golf Channel was the No. 1 cable sports network by 319% in Total Day.

No Win: Setting Up A Ryder Cup Course

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Cara Robinson and I summed up the Justin Rose/course setup comments on Morning Drive today if you want the quick version.

However, the subject is worth delving into on multiple fronts:

A) how setup effects matches

B) the entertainment side

C) how hole locations are used to thwart distance

We knew from 2012 post-mortems that Team USA lamented a 17th hole pin placement that favored Europe. So this time around the task force Task Force "Task Force" 2016 Ryder Cup winning-TASK FORCE set parameters (low rough, fast greens) and left the rest to the PGA of America's Kerry Haigh.

While Hazeltine is strategically no Old Course, it was shocking Sunday to see almost no interesting hole locations. Nearly were all centered and whatever angles of importance there are at Hazeltine were rendered useless.

Rees Jones' par-3 17th features a strange, clumsily-constructed green complex with almost no character, only a few intriguing hole locations and zero interest if it were not set by a lake. Yet, somehow Sunday, the hole location induced zero risk-reward element in flirting with the water.

Justin Rose summed all of this up in his post-round comments:

Setup-wise, this course can be as tough as you want it to be, there's no doubt about it. I think today, I think if we were all to be honest about it, I thought the setup was incredibly weak. I thought it was very much a Pro-Am feel in terms of the pin placements. They were all middle of the green.

I don't quite understand that to be honest with you, world-class players, 12 world-class players here and 12 world-class players here in 30 minutes time, and we want to showcase our skills. We want to be tested. For example, the water holes out there, all the pins were as far away from the water as possible.

I mean, the pin on 17 is an absolute, you know, a joke. It's a 9-iron into the middle of the green and you stiff it. So with a match on the line, you kind of feel like you want to have something -- you want a player to step up a little bit more than they have to.

Even 18, if you hit a good drive down there, you've got a wedge into the green, and if you hit a wedge to the middle of the green, you're within 12-foot of the pin. So I just felt coming down the stretch, it was a little soft.

Some saw this as sour grapes, but Rose seemed to be speaking as a veteran of match play who understands what kind of dynamics might be introduced when the course is a third element.

Rory McIlroy is quoted by GolfDigest.com's Brian Wacker as lamenting the hole locations when combined with this week's low rough, but McIlroy also ultimately chalks up the situation to home field advantage.

“Bad tee shots weren’t getting punished as much as maybe they should have been."

Rickie Fowler, who beat Rose Sunday, defended the setup when asked.

Q. In the European presser a few minutes ago, Justin Rose said that he -- he was very critical of the setup. He said it was weak and considered it to be similar to a Pro-Am. Your thoughts on that? Did you sense that from him? What were your thoughts on the setup?

PHIL MICKELSON: (Laughing).

RICKIE FOWLER: The setup was, I don't think it was easy by any means. Him and I didn't play as well as we would have liked to. We didn't make many birdies on both sides. I felt like it was an even match between the two of us. Obviously, as you could see, no one was ever more than 1-up.

It was easier for some; this guy next to me (turning to Phil) he made a few birdies. He's been playing well all week. I wouldn't say that the setup was easy, by any means.

I thought that the PGA did well all week, Kerry Haigh and the staff. Depending on whether it be a foursomes or a fourball match and then into singles, they did a good job preparing the golf course, getting it in the right condition and with where the hole locations were.

Obviously when it comes down to singles, it's fair. Everyone's playing the same ones. So I thought it was a good setup today and it worked out just fine for us.

And there is the Ryder Cup course setup conundrum. Whether it's the Golf Gods, karma or just simple overanalysis, getting cute with setup can be unproductive. Try to do too much--the USA has tried the high-rough, narrow fairway approach too--it backfires.

Erring on the side of too little means taking the setup role and some strategy out of the equation, which seems like a better way to go than trying to be clever.

On the entertainment front, players were allowed to make a ton of birdies, exciting for fans and interesting to watch on TV. This is, after all, an exhibition. We were entertained.  And unlike in a penal setup, players were winning holes through their play and rarely by the mistakes of their opponent. Easier and more shallow it may be, but also more rewarding to watch.

Finally, and this is in no way to detract from the 63s that Sergio and Phil would have posted in their 19-birdie battle Sunday, but we got to see with a round of golf featuring a bunch of "pro-am" pins on immaculate greens, today's players can render a course harmless. It was a reminder of just how much tucked hole locations are used not to offset distance gains.

So the Ryder Cup proved entertaining because we got to see what today's players could do on a once-massively difficult course without facing pin placements designed to prevent birdies.

Arnold Palmer Funeral Coverage And Golf Digest Special Issue

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Here is the Golf Digest special issue coverage hitting newstands today ($13.99) and digitial subscriber tablets on Tuesday.

Congratulations to all, especially Mike O'Malley, Ken DeLago and Christian Iooss for the quick turnaround and excellent presentation for what is an incredible summary of the best Arnold Palmer writing and images.

Artist Dale Stephanos created the cover illustration.

And here is the plan for Golf Channel's Tuesday coverage of Mr. Palmer's funeral in Latrobe.

IN MEMORY OF ARNOLD PALMER: GOLF CHANNEL TO DEVOTE TUESDAY, OCT. 4 TO LIVE COVERAGE OF MEMORIAL SERVICE
 
ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct 3, 2016) – Golf Channel will devote an entire day to celebrating the life and legacy of the King, including live coverage of Arnold Palmer’s memorial service on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m. ET from the St. Vincent College basilica in Latrobe, Pa.
 
Morning Drive and Golf Central will both be onsite throughout the morning prior to the memorial service. Coverage will feature interviews with special guests in attendance, along with live reports throughout the day. Reporting on-site in Latrobe will be Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman and Rich Lerner.
 
At 1 p.m. ET following the memorial service, Golf Channel will feature a special airing of Arnie, Golf Channel Films’ four-part documentary on Palmer’s life and career. The celebration of the King continues at 5 p.m. ET, with highlights of Palmer’s 1960 Masters victory. At 6 p.m. ET, a second Golf Central Special show will recap the memorial service from earlier in the day, hosted by Tilghman and Lerner on-site in Latrobe and featuring special guests.
 
Primetime will return to previously scheduled programming, including the season finale of Feherty, premiering at 9 p.m. ET and featuring fellow Western Pennsylvania sports icon, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Hall-of-Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Golf Channel’s original series Driver vs. Driver presented by Wilson premieres at 10 p.m. ET, showcasing aspiring golf equipment designers developing the next retail driver for Wilson Golf, Palmer’s original equipment brand.
 
Join the Conversation in Memory of The King

Fans who are unable to attend Tuesday’s memorial service in-person are being encouraged to congregate at their local golf course to watch with fellow fans of The King and post a photo on social media with the hashtag, #ArniesArmy.
 
Tuesday, Oct. 4 (All Times EST)
7-10 a.m.                     Morning Drive
10 a.m.-1 p.m.             Arnold Palmer Memorial Service
1-5 p.m.                       Arnie
5-6 p.m.                       1960 Masters Highlights
6-7:30 p.m.                  Golf Central Special: Arnold Palmer Memorial
7:30-9 p.m.                  Golf Central Special: Arnold Palmer Memorial (Replay)

Made America Great Again: Team USA Wins The 41st Ryder Cup

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My quick take before writing up some thoughts on the epic Phil-Sergio match I was privileged to watch from beginning to end:

--Team USA pulled more correct strings and used its depth to ultimately prevail handily.

--Darren Clarke's strong views on experience backfired with the performances of Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer.

--Hazeltine National works very well as a Ryder Cup venue because it lent enough interest to the action and thanks to the amazing conditioning by Chris Tritabaugh's team, never in any way negatively impacted the matches. Kerry Haigh's ultra-safe Sunday holes looked more like a pro-am setup, but were probably almost too bland. Better to err that way than the other way around.

--The Task Force. Our American heroes!

2016 Ryder Cup Singles Sunday, This And That

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The day has arrived and while Team USA's chances look promising for an early win, I think most of us selfishly would love to see this one draw out as long as possible. The players and their team squads have given us all we can ask for from an entertainment perspective, now we just need the fans to only be a story because they are just that loud, and all will be well.

The PGA of America issued this statement at 10:30 am local time regarding the fans:

STATEMENT BY PGA OF AMERICA

This week we’ve seen some of the largest and most exciting Ryder Cup crowds ever.
Minnesota is home to some of the best sports fans in the country and we are so grateful for their enthusiastic support and warm hospitality.
 
Rooted in the ideals of sportsmanship and international goodwill, the Ryder Cup is about having a spirited passion for not only the victory, but for the game of golf.  
 
We are encouraging all spectators on Sunday to be passionate and support their team in a way that is respectful to those around them, the players, and the Ryder Cup.  Our security staff will continue to enforce a zero tolerance policy, removing from the course any fans who are disruptive in any way, including the use of vulgar or profane language directed at the players.
 
We look forward to a strong finish today that reflects the spirit of the Ryder Cup and provides a positive experience for all.

Alex Myers with the sign posting for fans to back up the statement.

Kevin Casey with a roundup of the lowlights from Sergio and Rory.

Bob Harig at ESPN.com is puzzled by the Rory McIlroy vitriol by fans.

Captain Mickelson clutched up Friday and he sure does sounding like he's calling shots, Brian Wacker notes.

Karen Crouse says Thomas Pieters joins the likes of Nicolas Colsaerts, Philip Walton, Phillip Price and Ignacio Garrido in wreaking Ryder Cup havoc, and the Belgian also joins the tradition of another European connecting "effortlessly" with his teammates.

Jaime Diaz sees the Europeans as looking a bit like the San Antonio Spurs.

A recent case was last season’s San Antonio Spurs, so long anchored by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, getting run out the gym in the NBA playoffs by a younger, faster and ultimately better Oklahoma Thunder team, as the venerable Greg Popovich let the beat down play out as if bound by sacred ritual.

The matchups, which as I noted, Davis Love has had much experience with in situations like we see today.


Follow scoring here.

Captain's Pick Report (Don't Look, Russell Knox)

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Of course the Captain's don't hit any of the shots and we have another day to go, but...

Davis Love's captain's picks through two days of the Ryder Cup, with Sunday singles remaining:


Rickie Fowler 1-1
Matt Kuchar 2-1
J.B. Holmes 1-1
Ryan Moore 1-1

Darren Clarke's picks:

Lee Westwood 0-2
Martin Kaymer 0-3
Thomas Pieters 3-1

Do recall that Thomas Pieters was the third choice.

Will A Few Fans Ruin The 2016 Ryder Cup Outcome?

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It was a glorious Saturday of Ryder Cup golf. All of the usual ingredients were in action to produce a day of drama unlike anything else in the sport. But the looming sense of an impending debacle can't be ignored.

There is nothing wrong with rooting and cheering after a ball has been struck. Hope for your team. Hope for America!

But then there is what we've seen all too often at Hazeltine during the 2016 Ryder Cup: fans gradually interfering with the competition by (A) making noise or comments as a player is preparing to play, or (B) resorting to vile language and heckling. An example:

 

There were ejections Saturday according to NBC's Dan Hicks, but the mostly-nice people of Minnesota are in danger of having their Ryder Cup tainted by an incident that impacts the matches. The American players and their entourages, who have put themselves in position to win, could have the outcome tainted if the situation is not reigned in.

Cutting off alcohol sales by noon tomorrow would help. The PGA of America undoubtedly has weighed the risk-reward elements, and plans to go for the green no matter how discouraging the signs.

A few Tweets from Sunday, including this from Christine Brennan who filed this story with Martin Rogers about the Rory McIlroy incident. 

A video of the incident as well.