Wesley Bryan Wins The RBC Heritage!

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Completing an incredible run from college golfer to trick shot artist to reality show contestant to multi-stage Q-School grad to Web.com Tour graduate, Wesley Bryan posted a 67 to win the 2017 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town.

Kevin Casey with the full Golfweek.com roundup of the Heritage, with a partial embed of Wesley's interview with CBS's Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo.

Bryan struggled at first in his rookie 2016-17 season on the PGA Tour, missing four straight cuts at one point and not posting a finish better than T-42 in his first eight starts of the season. Bryan then caught fire, though, going T4-T4-T7 in February and March. A 69th and T-62 followed, but now there’s a PGA Tour win in the books.

Statistically it was an odd week for Bryan, as he scrambled his brains out, yet Strokes Gained tells us he passed his peers with great approach play.

The PGA Tour Entertainment highlights:

Ko Fires Another Caddie, This Time After 2nd Place Finish

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Giving Michelle Wie a strong run for player with a penchant for firing luggage handlers, Lydia Ko is splitting with bagman Gary Matthews after just nine events.

More impressively, after Ko had her best start of 2017, finishing second in this weekend's Lotte Championship.

Beth Ann Nichols reports for Golfweek.

And I think I speak for us all in wishing the next caddie the best of luck later his month when Ko returns at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout.

The move by the world No. 1 also comes not long after Ko moved from instructor David Leadbetter to Gary Gilchrist, and from Callaway to PXG.

Meanwhile Cristie Kerr picked up win number 19 in the Lotte.

Roundup: Tommy's Honour Reviews, Filming Backstory

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The LA Times' Kevin Crust gives Tommy's Honour a very positive review, calling the film "handsomely produced" while weaving in current (golfing) events with his review.

He writes:

Connery and his crew, including director of photography Gary Shaw, production designer James Lapsley and costume designer Rhonda Russell, richly evoke the harsh beauty of Scotland, while warmly re-creating the style and manners of the period. There’s a certain “Chariots of Fire”-like reverence for all things golf and Scottish, but the woolly courses, a far cry from the manicured fairways of today, and comparatively crude implements used by the players, provide an earthy balance.

Variety's Peter Debruge gives a largely glowing review though does take issue with the golf swings.

While there's a certain charm in seeing these early sportsmen dressed as though ready for mass (no kilts, alas), the golf scenes are undone by the fact that no one can actually swing a club. For some roles, actors will learn to play an instrument of master a manual skill, but there's none of that authenticity here. Instead, Connery has gone back in post and unconvincingly inserted digital balls, which defy the laws of physics as blatantly as the CG goo in Disney's "Flubber." The strategy robs us of what little thrill golf has to offer, whether spectating live or on TV, as impossible shots remain precisely that: impossible.

Thankfully, Connery has kept the story's human side grounded in the real world, and those are the only stakes that matter.

Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times slaughters the film, calling it staid.

Redolent of damp wool and dour personalities, “Tommy’s Honour” wants to convince us that watching two men bicker and bang balls into tiny holes for the better part of two hours is the height of entertainment.

Not that I wasn’t open to persuasion. For one thing, this staid biopic was prettily filmed in my beloved Scotland and directed by Jason Connery (the son of Sean Connery).

Peter Rainer, reviewing for the Christian Science Monitor leads by saying Tin Cup is the best golf movie ever made and...I stopped reading.

Adam Schupak in the Morning Read talks to the film's producers about what inspired their desire to turn Kevin Cook's book into a film.

The Old Course in its present state was too manicured to represent the 1860s and ’70s. Striving for authenticity, the filmmakers found Balcarres estate, about 30 minutes south of St. Andrews. Funny enough, golf's most cherished temple was reproduced in a cow pasture. Once the filmmakers relocated the cows and cut down the weeds, they built two holes, including the famed 18th. That meant digging a Swilcan Burn and the bridge that golfers know and love.

"There's a little movie magic involved," said Keith Bank, one of the producers, noting that the snow in a winter scene was shot with paper on a 60-degree day.

Masters Wrap: The Course And The Future

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It's hard to argue with Chairman Billy Payne's era as Masters Chairman. Sure, he follows the bumbling Hootie Johnson and just about any sign of progress or forward thinking would have made for a successful tenure after those turbulent years.

But the stability Payne brought to tournament business, coupled with the improvements to the property under his watch, makes it very hard to see anyone else doing the job (particularly when the not-gregarious Fred Ridley's name is mentioned as a likely successor).

Can you imagine anyone else spearheading the Drive, Chip and Putt or resisting the urge to spend some of that Berckman's Place money on more course changes? This was the point of my May Golfweek piece on Payne's tenure and the other many progressive moves that have upheld the Roberts/Jones desire to constantly advance The Masters as a sporting event. However, there is Payne's odd issue with cell phones, which doesn't make much sense when juxtaposed against other digital initiatives.

The summer of 2017 figures to be an interesting one for Payne since, as I wrote in this golf course-focused piece for Golfweek, the 5th hole is likely to see changes. The extent of the changes could range from a mere lengthening to a total land rearrangement to expand the course border once constrained by Berckman's Road.

Given the original hole's design concept, the changes made since, the difficult land forms at No. 5, and the lack of respect for strategic design by consulting architect Tom Fazio, I don't have high hopes for an upholding of the Jones/MacKenzie vision.

That said, Payne stemmed the Hootie Johnson era hemorraging, and that was a huge victory for those hoping to see some preservation of what remains from the original design vision.

The "second cut" of rough still strips the place of elegance that you get with wall-to-wall tight grass (not to mention slowing balls from the pine straw), and still rears its head on odd places.

The leafy, 3/8 inch-cut fairways do slow down roll but have made a links-inspired course almost entirely an aerial design.

With his first major golf course change potentially in the offing this year, we'll get to see another sign of Payne's chairmanship. One that most Masters watchers hopes does not end any time soon.

WSJ: "Low Amateur at the Masters Lines Up His Next Shot: Business School"

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While these stories could come off to the unsuspecting as extreme first world tales, having seen Stewart Hagestad up close last week and watching him handle his Masters "wild ride" with aplomb, his is another great 2017 Masters memory.

Brian Costa and Rebecca Davis O’Brien file for the Wall Street Journal on Hagestad's time in New York and the unusual golf life he lived in the city.

During the day, Hagestad helped put valuations on commercial properties. Most weeknights, Hagestad would head to Golf & Body NYC, a specialized golf gym in an office building off Herald Square. The gym, which has just under 200 members, charges a $10,000 initiation fee and $7,500 in annual dues.

He spent hours there, trainers at the club said—a routine in the weight room, putting on a turf green, practicing drives in a simulator—sometimes closing the club on weeknights at 10pm. One Saturday morning, Bradley Borne, the club’s director of sports medicine, arrived to find Stewart sitting behind the golf desk, “like he worked there,” Borne said.

Tim Rosaforte for Golf World on Hagestad's week that started with nerves, bad signs for his game and ended with a made cut, not to mention the joy of seeing Jimmy Dunne on the range. Hagestad had interviewed with Dunne for a job (unsuccessfully).

And there was this:

From the most nervous he’d ever been in that practice round with Spieth and Kuchar, to fairly relaxed as a Masters rookie, Hagestad made the cut and turned the competition for low amateur with U.S. Amateur champion Curtis Luck into a story line. After making the turn on Sunday, Hagestad’s caddie asked if he wanted to know what Luck posted.

“I told him honestly it’s not going to have any effect on how well I want to play on this back nine,” Hagestad said. “It’s a beautiful Sunday, the day before my birthday, on the most special place on earth. Let’s go enjoy the walk and do the best I can.”

Hagestad talked to Shane Bacon on The Clubhouse podcast this week and back in December, appeared on Andy Johnson's Fried Egg podcast.

He also was begged to turn pro on CNBC this week by Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leery, notes GolfDigest.com's Alex Myers.

Positive Tommy's Honour Reviews In Advance Of Friday's Theatrical Debut

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Long anticipated and getting an incredible marketing push (at least based on television ads in the States), Tommy's Honour hits theaters Friday. I haven't seen it but the buzz seems very positive.

Joel Beall has a quick assessment of early reviews at GolfDigest.com, noting that the early Rotten Tomatoes score puts it ahead of that modern masterpiece Tin Cup. Down boy, down! 

Author Kevin Cook, who was interviewed last July on this site before the film was sold to American distributors, also answers nine questions from the USGA's Mike Trostel.

A link to the final (full length) trailer.

A nice map of filming locations that'll come in handy once we've seen the film. 


 

Superintendent Headache Files: USGA Promoting Stimpmeters

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A few years ago a post here noted the USGA Stimpmeter offer at USGA.org and while it was surreal then, to see the organization pushing the $110 devices in emails to their members. Including "For The Good Of The Game" branding on the devices seems almost April Fools worthy.

Especially given how we know green speed is dangerous to turf health, pace of play and architectural character, all things we know because of USGA research and experience!

Some in the superintendent community, who will have to deal with members perhaps buying the devices, were not pleased. 

Fox Rolls Out 2017 USGA Schedule, Walker Cup To Get 12 Hours

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The Fox Sports/USGA press release provides fantastic news for fans who love team events and the first chance for a national audience to see Los Angeles Country Club's North Course, home to the 2023 U.S. Open. Twelve hours of coverage was announced for the September event.

The overall package pledges over 140 hours of USGA coverage, though by my math it's actually 132.5:

US Open 38.5 hours
Senior Open 20
Women’s Open 20
Junior Am 6
Girls’ Junior 6
Women’s Am 15
Amateur 15
Walker Cup 12

With 54 hours devoted to amateur golf that's down from the 76 hours annually that was pledged when the USGA and Fox announced their partnership in 2013.

'17 Masters TV: 1.41 Strokes Per Minute, Ratings Analyzed

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There is still much to consider from this year's Masters broadcasts, but before we consider what it all means for the future of golf on TV, a few stories related to the always-scrutinized telecast.

The annual Classic Sports TV compilation of shots shows that since tracking has taken place (2014), the 2017 Masters featured the most shots shown per minute (1.41). Kevin Chappell, 7th, was the highest finishing golfer not to be seen.

As for the ratings decreases, Joel Beall at GolfDigest.com talked to former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson who thinks the lovely weather in much of the northeast cut into the number of folks watching.

"Good weather is a killer in swing months. In the fall, people are sneaking in one last trip to the park, and in the spring, it's more pronounced, going outside for the first time," Pilson says. "It was a gorgeous day in the Northeast, where 20 percent of America's households are located. I had to struggle to stay inside myself."

Interestingly, Pilson did not think the number of people streaming cut into the main number. I think that may be a tough sell for those of us who all know people who...streamed instead of watching on a conventional television.

Bamberger To Players On Rules Callers: Welcome The Scrutiny

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A bold take from Michael Bamberger of SI on rules calls from the couch, a huge ongoing issue in the game.

Some players and golf observers take the view that the extra scrutiny that comes with playing golf on TV makes this whole call-in system unfair to the more prominent players. Right after Thompson got her four-shot penalty, Woods tweeted that viewers should not be officials “wearing stripes.”

But that view does not show a keen understanding of the intent of the rules. A player should want the scrutiny that comes with playing on TV because the player is not trying to get away with anything. The player should want to turn in the most accurate scorecard he or she can, with help from anybody who's watching.

I'm not sure how much of the issue comes down to the people calling these things in versus how the potential violations are interpreted by the committees.

While it's easy to pick on those phoning in tips, haven't many of our brouhahas developed because of how HD and the Decisions are used to assume the player is guilty until proven innocent (and without the opportunity to explain their intent)?

One Little 2017 Masters Quibble: Sudden Death

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I know that daylight issues discourage the Lords of Augusta from ever considering Amen Corner from being used for playoffs.

Deciding the Masters in a sudden death playoff continues to not sit well with me and Justin Rose's errant tee shot Sunday reminded why it's such cruel way to decide history. The other majors and Players use aggregate playoffs and the golf world is a better place for it.

Shoot, even a two-hole aggregate of the 10th and 18th would be better than sudden death and faster given the 10th tee's location. You'd get play on two demanding holes requiring very different shot shapes.

Matt Adams and I discussed with Lisa Cornwell today while John Feinstein enjoyed a post-Masters break.

Texas Senate Votes To Transfer Lions Away Muny From UT

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Ralph K.M. Haurwitz of the Austin American-Statesman on news that the Texas state Senate voted 21-10 to transfer Lions Municipal Golf Course ownership from the University of Texas to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The bill now goes to the House.

This part made me chuckle given university plans for years to develop the course. What beacons of the community!

UT-Austin President Gregory L. Fenves offered in January to extend the city of Austin’s lease for Muny after it expires in May 2019 — provided that the city is willing to pony up lease payments that are closer to market value. Fenves testified before a Senate panel that the market value would be around $6 million a year, about 12 times the current rate paid by the city, which has operated the course for decades.

The Save Muny folks are understandably pleased:

The 2017 Masters Covers And Images

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Great to see golf on the Sports Illustrated cover accompanied by Alan Shipnuck's cover story and portrayed so beautifully by Fred Vuich's image.

A nice look at recent SI covers featuring the Masters:


Golfweek's April issue went with Andrew Redington's shot for Getty Images.

Global Golf Post used Harry How's shot for Getty Images.

 

ESPN! Stephen A. And Kellerman Trash Golf, Do We Care?

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Golf has needed ESPN but since losing or waving goodbye to the many golf properties they once enjoyed rights to, not so much.

ESPN the television network makes clear it needs golf once a year when the Masters rolls around (ESPN.com still shows great interest in and respect for covering the sport with their team of Harig, Sobel, O'Connor, Collins, Maguire, Wojciechowski, etc.). But as we saw with last week's no-golf Sportscenter in between live broadcasts and the round replays, golf seems to be an annoyance these days.

Still, the ignorance and disrepect shown by Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman takes things that may have the golf world no longer caring what the network thinks of our sport.

Let's get to the comments first as transcribed by Joe DePaolo (do watch the Mediaite embed as the tone is worse than the transcript.) Here is Stephen A lamenting the sportsmanship shown by Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose's:

This notion that we’re really not competing against each other. We’re really just playing golf and it’s really competing against the course. Nonsense. There’s a game to be played. Each of you go out there to do it. You’re trying to compete at a level that eclipses the individuals that are also on the course. Last time I checked, that’s competition.

He added: “I damn near told them to get a room. It was ridiculous, how they were with one another…I want to see you rooting for the other to fail.”

These comments were the most-noticed and they are silly given that Sergio and Rose did not walk arm-and-arm up the playoff hole. Even sillier when you have to know the heartbreak Rose the competitor feels in those moments and yet shows such respect.

Sure, there is a discussion to be had for players helping each other out by leaving balls down as backboards, or a softening of competitive edges due to the immense amount of money in the sport.

However, I feel the comments from Max Kellerman, Stephen A's colleague on First Take, speak to a lack of knowledge within the Worldwide Leader that is perplexing. He questions golf's "status as a sport" and then...

I would define a sport as a competition through which you accurately gauge the athleticism of its participants. And I don’t think that’s the case with golf. Among its many flaws…this ain’t Ali going at Frazier. They’re not throwing punches. They’re not tackling each other. They’re not in each other’s way. Golf is not a zero sum game. It’s more like a standardized test.

Needless to say we know some of the greatest athletes in the world have said they admire golf as a sport and have profound respect for their fellow athletes.

What's troubling is that a network we once relied on for balancing smart with entertaining coverage and for knowing where to draw the line on First Team All-American ignorance, even allows such an uninformed discussion to take place.

Mercifully, golf goes off ESPN's radar now until next year at The Masters. If there is a next year for ESPN.