Storm Wins On Patrick Reed Lifeline; Rory To Have MRI

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The European Tour's 2017 kicked off in wild fashion with 38-year-old Graeme Storm edging Rory McIlroy in a three-hole playoff.

As James Corrigan writes for the Telegraph, Storm thought he'd lost his card in October after a final hole bogey and by just €100, only to receive a lifeline from Patrick Reed. Now Storm's holding the SA Open trophy and all of the perks that come with winning.

But then the American Patrick Reed failed to fulfill the minimum number of events when skipping the Final Series and so Storm was handed a reprieve. And there he was, at the Glendower Country Club near Johannesburg, captilasing on his second chance in one of the most gutsy scenarios imaginable.

To win just the second title of his career – following up his French Open a decade later - and in the process ensure he retains his Tour playing privileges for at least two years was the stuff of fantasy. But to do so when going head-to-head with McIlroy, the world No 2 and winner of four majors, was, in his words, “totally unbelievable”.

The news was tempered by Rory McIlroy's upper back issues. With a chance to retake the World No. 1 spot in Abu Dhabi this week, he's headed for an MRI machine in Dubai.

“It was manageable this week with tape and a few pill, but it’s not 100 per cent.

"Part of me really wants to make this week because there is so much to play for with world No 1 on the line. But at the same time there is so much to play for over the whole season and I don’t want to jeopardise long-term goals for short-term gain. Hopefully, I’ll be good to go.”

Despite the pain, McIlroy uncorked some stunning tee shots, including a 392-yarder to open the week. The European Tour compiled this collection of tee balls of McIlroy and his new Epic driver:

 

 

All of the three-hole playoff shots in under five minutes, courtesy of the European Tour:

 

 

Here We Go Again: Tokyo Governor Calls On 2020 Olympic Golf Venue To Admit Women

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Amlan Chakraborty of Reuters says Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike has asked Kasumigaseki Country Club to admit women as full members.

"I feel very uncomfortable about women not being able to become a regular member in this era," Koike told reporters on Friday.

And for good measure, the club that will host the 2020 Olympic golf, bars women on Sundays. Unreal.

You really have to wonder how this slipped through the Tokyo 2020 vetting process for the course.

Roundup: Justin Thomas Shoots 59 At Waialae

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There aren't many highlights due to the early nature of the round, here's PGATour.com's package. And GolfChannel.com's recap with Steve Sands and Frank Nobilo.

Doug Ferguson notes this in writing about Justin Thomas's opening-round 59 at the Sony Open.

He was five shots better than anyone in the morning, but his lead was only three shots by the end of the day. Hudson Swafford shot a 62 in the afternoon. Swafford made a birdie on his 12th hole, when his caddie told him, "We've got to make seven birdies on the last six holes to catch Justin."

The average score was 68.26.

Thomas put the round into great perspective, writes GolfDigest.com's Dave Shedloski:

His hard-fought victory over Hideki Matsuyama last week was highly satisfying. But to etch your name in the history books with one magical round has a certain cache and sparkle to it.

“I would say, on paper, it would be today,” Thomas said when he was asked if his win at Kapalua or his 59 at Waialae was more special. “History wise … I have a chance to win a golf tournament every week. I don’t have many chances to shoot 59.”

Rex Hoggard on the last hole decision Thomas made that set up an eagle putt.

Thomas’ drive found the bunker at the par-5 ninth hole. “I wanted to punch something,” he said. He appeared destined for a 10-under round on the par-70 layout, but Berger, who was in the same bunker off the tee, showed him the way.

It’s what friends do.

“It was sitting really good to where it felt like I could get a 6-iron or 7-iron on it and just get it short of the green. And then I hear [Berger’s] caddie say 4-iron for them,” Thomas said. “I was like, man, can I hit it on the green? I'm like, I guess I can hit it on the green, I don't know.”

Thomas said he “flushed” a 5-iron that cleared the lip of the bunker, sailed through the warm air and settled 15 feet left of the pin. He made the putt - of course he did, what else would one expect from a player who has won twice and finished in the top 5 in four of his last five starts?

Here is that last hole with Thomas watching:

 

Speaking of the eagle, Thomas became the first 59 or less shooter to have two in one round. Great stuff from the ShotLink guys comparing the 59s and Furyk's 58. Click to enlarge:

Thomas's 59 Highlights PGA Tour's Digital Conundrum

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PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan highlighted digital as a big part of his focus and has expressed a desire for the PGA Tour to obtain ownership or partial ownership of the channel showing his tour product.

This has prompted the PGA Tour to create PGA Tour Live to show pre-Golf Channel coverage and to establish another option for showing golf, with the long term goal of possibly becoming home to Thursday and Friday coverage once the current Golf Channel deal expires (2021).

But when Justin Thomas teed off early and posted a Sony Open 59 Thursday, he exposed several weaknesses in the PGA Tour approach to digital, starting with PGA Tour Live sitting out the two Hawaii events, presumably due to cost. This isn't surprising given the expense of doing golf in Hawaii and the tour's propensity for saving a buck, as evidenced by PGA Tour-managed events ending spectator access to practice round days.

Golf Channel, set to start Sony coverage at 6 pm ET, did pick up the last two holes of Thomas's 59 more than one hour before scheduled sign-on time. Yet the PGA Tour directed fans to Facebook Live where the 8th 59 in tour history was seen through the cell phone camera of PGATour.com's Ben Everill (who, btw, did an excellent job analyzing the scene).

However, this is not exactly the most scintillating way to see a 59:

Would the PGA Tour's new Twitter streaming deal have helped? Nope. It's merely a way to preview PGA Tour Live coverage in the weeks PGA Tour Live is covering golf.

In the case of Thomas's 59, had the PGA Tour linked to Golf Channel's Golf Live Extra, fans would have been asked to log in via their cable provider. Sorry cord cutters!

Yet given the lack of PGA Tour Live presence this week, the PGA Tour should have worked out something to provide fans with a better view. 

According to the PGA Tour's Ty Votaw, the issue was contractual, requiring all viewing to go through Golf Channel's Golf Live Extra. Yet the tour directed fans to a PGATour.com reporter's cell phone video at Facebook Live, with no social link for Golf Channel cable viewers. By having PGA Tour social accounts not promote the Golf Channel's online streaming of the last two holes, it's been made clear the partners are not working together, even in a non-PGA Tour Live week.

This will not be the last time fans are caught in the middle of leveraging tension between the tour and Golf Channel.

Take That, Europe: Furyk Is The 2018 Ryder Cup Captain, Already Names His First Assistant Captain!

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The task force "Task Force" Task Force probably had this one and the next four decided, but the rumor mill and Jim Furyk's continued relevance as an elite player injected a little doubt into whether he'd be selected 2018 Ryder Cup captain.

Furyk was named captain Wednesday on quite possibly the worst news day in the 21st century to reveal something, but it happens and the next Ryder Cup remains just under two years away.

Jason Sobel summed up the Furyk announcement this way:

Armed with a self-made swing and no-nonsense personality, Furyk has never been as awe-inspiring as Tiger Woods, or as beloved as Phil Mickelson, or even as admired as his predecessor Love, whom he has already named as his first vice captain.

What he lacks in affability, he more than makes up for with intelligence and sincerity and respect from his peers, qualities that should make him a strong captain for next year's festivities at Le Golf National in Paris.

Rex Hoggard talked to players about Furyk as captain.

After Mickelson, who assumed something of a playing vice captain role last year and is likely slated to captain the ’24 team at Bethpage in New York, Furyk is the most obvious choice to continue the work that began with last year’s victory (and make no mistake, those involved view the ’16 matches as only the beginning).

“Phil and Amy [Mickelson] are big time leaders and Jim and [wife Tabitha] are big time leaders as well,” Spieth said. “That really is important in a Ryder Cup team room, having both sides, having leadership together as a couple.”

In the old boys world of task forces, Furyk already named Davis Love an assistant, putting Mr. 58 on target--as of now--to be the first captain to have an assistant cart driver for every player on the team. 

Love had Furyk as an assistant and apparently wants to spend some time in Paris (can't blame him) in 2018. Or, Love missed driving his own cart at Hazeltine and is hoping to get back to his roots steering a Club Car.

From Doug Ferguson's story on the announcement:

Love will be one of his assistants in France.

"He's going to be a very tough act to follow," Furyk said from PGA of America headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. "He put a system in place. He put the players behind it. It won't make my task easier, but it makes it easier knowing there is a system in place. To have him by my side his advice, his experience, two captaincies and one vice captaincy is going to be priceless for me."

System's in place! Now it's just the captain's job to make sure those rain suits don't leak! Or does the system cover that?

Anyway, Furyk will give great press conference and not violate the most important tenets of the job, which John Feinstein and I debated on Golf Central: