Slow Play Files: McGladrey Monday Playoff Edition

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Because 2016 apparently never wants to end, the last fall PGA Tour event will continue a sudden death playoff on Monday morning after failing to finish Sunday night. While two holes of sudden death were played and frankly, based on the number of mentions by all about the darkness, the second hole probably should not have been played.

Most telling was Rich Lerner's mention from the booth that the final round threesomes took five hours on what appeared to be an almost wind-free, crisp fall day at St. Simons Island.

If the Golden Bear had been watching, and he almost surely wasn't, but Jack Nicklaus would have heard that number and said, I just talked at the PGA annual meeting about 5 hours as the death knell for our sport.

Yet on Sunday there was Tim Finchem's vision at its most glaringly tired: players seemingly in slow motion, lacking any fear of penalty, taking their sweet time even as the sun was setting. But all was well because hats came off and hands were shaken to reaffirm that this was a (slow) genteman's game. While this provides a the visual that stirs the souls of Finchem's favorite corporate chieftains, it doesn't move a single sports needle and scenes like this reaffirm that golf is for only those with enough free time to return on a Monday morning.

So the RSM Classic wraps up a day late, minus Billy Horschel, who served up a short putt miss he refused to attribute to the dark playing conditions.

Sean Martin at PGATour.com with this from one of the four still in the playoff:

Hughes considered halting play instead of hitting his 11-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole. Norlander said he couldn’t see the hole once his caddie removed the flagstick. Play will resume at 8 a.m. Monday on the par-3 17th hole. They’ll return to the 18th again if the playoff continues."

“People don't know how dark it is right now,” Villegas said. “It's going to be nice and cold in the morning. We'll be back and try to take another trophy home.”

Here is the Horschel miss, for those who were watching something else (most of you)...

 

 

Tour Operator Offering All-Trump Golf Trip Including White House Meeting With President Trump

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Thanks to reader Mike for sending the link to a too-good-to-be-true golf trip that includes golf at all Trump Organization golf properties and President Trump welcoming "you personally during the 'Trump Presidential Challenge.'"

21 Days, 12 Rounds of Golf, 20 Nights, a tour of the White House and a drinks session with the president, all for $16,275!

Join us at this unique world class event and play all 12 Trump National and International Championship Courses in the United States. Endorsed by the US President-elect himself you will play golf in California, Florida, North Carolina, Washington D.C., New Jersey and New York. You will stay at Trump's most prestigious properties along the way. You will also enjoy the final round of the US PGA Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass and visit the World Golf Hall of Fame. US President Donald Trump will welcome you personally during the "Trump Presidential Challenge".

• 1 round at Trump International Golf Club, Palos, Verde (California)
• 1 round at Trump National Doral Blue Monster Course (Florida)
• 1 round at Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach (Florida)
• 1 round at Trump National Jupiter Golf Club, West Palm Beach (Florida)
• 1 round at Trump National Charlotte Golf Club (North Carolina)
• 1 round at Trump National Golf Club (Washington D.C.)
• 1 round at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point (New York)
• 1 round at Trump National Philadelphia Golf Club (New Jersey)
• 1 round at Trump National Hudson Valley (New York)
• 1 round at Trump Bedminister International Golf Club (New Jersey)
• 1 round at Trump National Colts Neck Golf Club (New Jersey)
• 1 round at Trump National Westchester Golf Club (New York)
• Ticket for the final round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass
• Visit to the World Golf Hall of Fame
• All rounds in carts

Heaven forbid we'd make you walk!

• Use of all practice facilities including range balls
• Lunch at all golf days

Other Inclusions: 
• 20 nights 4 and 5-star Accommodation
• Daily Breakfast
• Welcome Cocktail at the Portofino Yacht Club Hotel, Palos Verde (California)
• Welcome Dinner at the Portofino Club Hotel, Palos Verde (California)
• Tour of The White House (Washington D.C.)
• Drinks with US President Donald Trump

Uh huh.

I've forwarded this to the Trump Organization for confirmation of the trip's validity. Given that they're working on a Secretary of State pick right now, it's hard to imagine they've locked the president in for a cocktail party in May. But stranger things have happened.

First Look From Above: New TPC Sawgrass 12th Hole

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Granted it's just a teaser and we'll no doubt get a much closer look at all the details in May, but the renovated 12th hole at TPC Sawgrass looks like a fun risk-reward short par-4.

A sound risk-reward blend is not normally Pete Dye's style--he tends to favor all risk holes--but he still narrates the video embed below. While we know he didn't write the script because of the hospitality enhancement mention, it's still good to hear he endorses the much-needed change to what was not an interesting hole.

Photo gallery here.

Peter Senior (57) Calls It A Career

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Not many 50-somethings have ever been able to remain relevant with the flatbellies, yet Peter Senior did so in spite of the game's power surge, even winning the 2015 Australian Masters at 56 (!).

Planning to call it a career at the Australian PGA Championship in a few weeks, Senior had to WD from the Australian Open he's won twice due to hip pain. Martin Blake reports on the ageless golfer finally experiencing father time catch up to a career that included 34 worldwide wins.

"It's a tough pill to swallow. The last two years, I've had that many injuries. I'm just sick of it. It's a game you can't play with injuries. I've had a great run, a great career. I've enjoyed every minute of it. People have been fantastic, you just can't play like that. I don't enjoy playing like this. I can't hit a shot. Every time I hit the ball I get a bolt of pain through my hip.''

Senior gave this interview after withdrawing from the Open.

Transition Meetings: Mr. Trump Goes To Bedminster!

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Perhaps realizing he'd like to not have every New Yorker mad at him for clogging up Fifth Avenue, or maybe Melania was just really sick of all the retreads kissing up to the president-elect (Kissinger!)?

Either way, Donald Trump is moving his Friday transition team meetings to Trump National Bedminster, home of the 2017 U.S. Women's Open and the 2022 PGA Championship.

S.A. Miller, reporting for the Washington Times, says no reason was given.

The transition team did not provide details of who Mr. Trump will meet with at the exclusive private golf club about 35 miles west of Manhattan.

What's Up With The State Of America's Women Golfers?

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As the LPGA wraps up its season, Bill Fields tackles the sensitive topic of American women's golf. Sensitive because it's usually just chalked up to South Korean golfers working harder. But as Fields notes, the issue may be something both straightforward and difficult to address given the already robust college golf system.

Writing for ESPNW, Fields says...

Talented female golfers in other parts of the world frequently are immersed in golf at younger ages through organized channels of a national scope -- federations or associations charged with developing and supporting young talent. No existing American entity has that responsibility.

"It really is a missing link here," says Hall of Famer and 31-time LPGA winner Juli Inkster. "Places are trying to grow the game but not really grow individuals. We don't have a federation to push our young athletic girls into golf, and we've come to a point where we need a federation to really grow top-level golfers. I'm not saying our girls aren't good, because they are. But they've grown up in a different type of golf atmosphere."

Update On Tour, Microsoft Putting Tracking Effort

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It was a year ago that the partnership was announced and some of us got to see demos of the PGA Tour/Shotlink/Microsoft effort to enhance both the presentation and culling of ShotLink data.

The most interesting component appears to be the upgrade of putting stats, which will give players some incredible data on their tendencies. But as Doug Ferguson reports, the ability to put the lasers to good use could some day have a profound effect on a telecast.

This is from ShotLink's Steve Evans...

"With this system, let's say it's a 30-foot putt. We'll know a foot off the putter how fast the ball is moving," Evans said. "It's gives us a much more accurate projection on where it will end."

Imagine how fun it would be if that information could be incorporated in a graphic popping up on the screen a bit off the putter face what the percentage chances are of the ball going in the hole?

It's still a ways off but that could be just the kind of fun use of technology revolutionizing the least interesting and most heavily seen part of a golf telecast.

Guardian: Rolex Series Doesn't Bridge PGA Tour Gap

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Ewan Murray doesn't deliver a Guardian-endorsed stamp of approval to the European Tour's new Rolex Series.

He questions whether the expensive funneling of cash to events that were already stars on the ET schedule is a wise tact given the number of events in dire need of an attention infusion.

Pelley remains quite the showman but close analysis of his work continues to raise queries. What this Rolex Series will actually provide, barring more money at the elite level of the Tour and enhanced media coverage which it is hoped will make golf more accessible, is a cause for debate. The gulf in resource to the PGA Tour remains vast.

One could make a decent case for the batch of events as boosted, with the French Open being certain to follow, being strong enough in any case. What is being done for the poorly attended, unattractive stuff at the lower end? Pelley has to be careful not to pander only to the players at the top of his organisation.

Murray also touches on something that has left me confused about the Series and many of these concepts created in various tour headquarters.

There is no overall narrative to knit the seven tournaments together and no combined prize at the end of them. The European Tour already has an order of merit, which it is stressed will retain key status. This, it is feared, could add confusion; the announcement of a second money list, lost in the Rolex melee, certainly should. Golf hasn’t really grasped the concept of simplicity being king.

It's bizarre that tournament formats floated to break free of 72-hole stroke play are often branded as too complicated, yet we keep getting all of these odd money lists, points races and other algorithmatic nightmares that interest no one.