Mell: Backstopping Must Stop, PGA Tour Must Intervene

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Randall Mell at GolfChannel.com is the first outside of posts here to take on the backstopping matter. With the PGA Tour Player of the Year trying to argue the practice is almost non-existent and it's his right to take advantage of another player's golf ball as a backstop.

Yikes!

Anyway, Mell notes that a Rules of Golf does cover this issue in the Decisions two ways, with the latter requiring, the players admit intent. What is still not addressed in any of this discussion is the obvious thumbing of noses to the spirit of the rules, something that has left many long time elite players aghast watching the practice evolve.

But if the spirit of the rules angle doesn't impact today's young players, maybe the dollar figure side will.

Using Sunday's Tony Finau incident as his example, Mell writes of the shot saved:

Finau took home $669,000 for finishing second on Sunday. Phil Mickelson and Chesson Hadley finished a shot behind Finau and took home $359,600 for sharing third place.

If Finau had not saved par at the 12th and fallen into a three-way tie for second, he would have taken home $462,933, as would Mickelson and Hadley.

That matters, and so do the FedExCup points at stake.

Mell says the PGA Tour cannot wait for the governing bodies to address something that imperils the integrity of the tour when it's trying to make sure it has all integrity ducks in a row.

The PGA Tour’s administration ought to step in, too, to address whether Thomas is right in his thinking, or whether there is more for players to consider. Fans should know whether the PGA Tour deems Thomas is correct in asserting he has “a right” to play quickly. This isn’t about trying to craft specific language for a new rule. It’s about examining hearts and creating awareness about the importance of even the appearance of impropriety.

There’s no definitive solution here, but if the Tour’s going to implement an integrity program to protect itself from gambling issues, then framing backstopping issues for players that will reduce the possibilities they become a powder keg some Sunday soon is worth flushing out.

Trump Golf's UK Courses Suffer Losses In 2016

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I'd caution against judging the losses at Turnberry as anything beyond the cost of renovation. And as detailed in Severinn Carrell's Guardian story, these 2016 numbers are pre-election, pre-madness.

However, the losses for Trump International Links in Aberdeen appear to be caused by a combination of factors and do not speak to a strong future for the Martin Hawtree-designed course, which appears to have been ruled out as a Scottish Open venue this summer by the tournament sponsor.

The latest accounts for his network of Scottish companies show he had to plough another £1.3m into his debt-ridden resort in Aberdeenshire to keep it afloat after the North Sea crisis saw its popularity slump among local golfers.

Trump International Golf Links Scotland lost nearly £1.2m in 2016, forcing Trump to increase his interest-free loans to the resort to nearly £41m ($54m) while he was campaigning for the presidency last year.

In their annual report, the Trump organization cited various factors.

The “crash in oil price and economic downturn” which had hit the north-east of Scotland had seen its income fall by 12.4%, he said, while winter storms had badly damaged part of its 18-hole championship course.

Video: Mickelson Says "Let's Take A Moment To Admire That I Just Hit A Fairway"

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Fun stuff in the final round at Safeway Open, where Mickelson hit 15 of 56 fairways, though as he noted post-round as captured by PGATour.com's Mike McAllister, some are as narrow as 13 yards in spots.

Despite only hitting his 15th fairway of the entire tournament, Phil’s got jokes... 😂😂😂

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on

Today In Backstopping: Finau Saves A Shot, Thomas Says It's His "Right" To Play Quickly To Use Ball On Green As An Aid

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During Sunday's Safeway Open final round we had yet another example of the backstopping practice prevalent only in men's professional golf (here, here and here for 2017 samples). In case you haven't been watching, this is the now-regular practice where golf balls are left down on a green unless it's in the path to the hole, with various motives and theories as to why this has become practice instead of players simply marking their ball to protect the field. Speed of play is cited as the reasoning.

As Will Gray points out here for GolfChannel.com, Tony Finau was likely saved a shot during the 2017 Safeway Open final round when he had a buried lie with playing partner Jason Kokrak's 34-yard wedge shot was near the cup. In a post round interview with George Savaricus, Finau said he'd forgotten Kokrak's ball was by the hole when he hit. 

"Funny thing is, I forgot he hit. I was so focused on what I needed to do and how hard my shot was," Finau said. "I hit a perfect shot, but it was still going to go about 25-30 feet past. It was a bonus to hit his ball. I used the rules to my advantage, I guess, not knowing."

Finau finished second, one ahead of Phil Mickelson and two behind winner Brendan Steele.

Here is the shot that elicited a response from PGA Tour Player of the Year Justin Thomas.

In responding to Gray, Thomas said the practice of playing with a ball down by the hole happens "MAYBE" five times a year and is "part of the game, if I want to rush and hit a shot for that reason, it's my right."

So to recap: the player of the year says it's his right to rush a shot before a player can mark it, to gain an advantage that happens maybe five times a year. There you have it!

The implication of Thomas' second tweet is unclear to me. He retweeted a fan's thought related to grandstands and spectators that suggests he views this as a rub of the green matter, even while believing it's his right to take advantage of a competitor's ball on the green.

Somewhere Bobby Jones is harumphing at this admission.

The Rules allow a tournament committee to disqualify a player if they determined "players have agreed not to lift a ball that might assist any competitor."

Thomas also suggested the players are often too far away to mark a ball in time and this is why the practice occurs...five times a year, "MAYBE".

Half the time in these cases--that's MAYBE 2.5 times a year in Thomas's thinking--the walking distance is apparently too great for a player to wait, as Thomas demonstrated on the final day at TPC Boston earlier this season when Marc Leishman chipped up to the sixth hole and Thomas played quickly to enjoy what we now know was a hoped-for advantage.

But if we take the Kokrak-Finau example at Safeway, it would require an extra 20-22 seconds to have walked the 34 yards to slap a coin down before Finau played. Since Finau forgot Kokrak had hit, this wasn't possible. I'm not sure how you forget that a playing partner hit a shot, but alas, this is the situation.

Thomas believes too much attention is being paid to the subject, but prominent others are not agreeing.

While many don't see this practice as a major issue, I do not agree for the very simple reason that professional golf's success is built on the integrity of its players. Corporations pay handsomely to be part of professional golf because they view the athletes as the most honest and upstanding in all of sports. Many fans follow the sport and love it because the athletes have such integrity.

Having a top player openly confessing to taking advantage of a ball on the green to possibly better his chances of finishing near the hole, is not great. If we found that his peers knows he does this and leave the occasional ball down to help him, we'd have the makings of disqualification for violating the rules. That this is even a "thing" speaks to a cultural shift and behavior that, if it becomes commonplace, could cause some to question the integrity of the players. Or, at the very least, make fans question if the players are legitimiately competing or colluding for peculiar reasons.

Besides, play can be sped up in much better ways than this.

European Tour To Unveil Shot Clock At '18 Austrian Open

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Alasdair Reid reports for The Times that a shot clock will be part of next June's Austrian Open, replete with group referees, 40 second limits and one-shot penalties.

Reid says European Tour tournament committee member David Howell supports the idea but is concerned that we won't see great recovery shots if this became a regular practice. However, Howell says the committee signed off because the event in question can have its field size reduced.

“We’ve discussed it and agreed it should take place,” Howell said. “Among the committee, we think it’s worthwhile trialling that week in those specific circumstances. The field is not the strongest so it can be shortened without doing anyone too much harm. That allows the opportunity to get around quickly, so that’s why it is that week.”

Hmmm, Files: Old Course, Carnoustie Course Records Fall During Alfred Dunhill Championship

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There will be the usual hysteria after a record falls that something must be done and while I always find that shortsighted and slightly disrespectful to the players involved--but let the hysteria begin!

Ross Fisher had an amazing shot at 59 during the Alfred Dunhill final round over the Old Course, in spite of a glacial round pace caused in part by the pro-am format. But a last hole three-putt from the Valley of Sin left him with 61 and a new record. Victor Dubuisson was on a 59 watch a few groups ahead of Fisher, but settled for 63.

Fisher was gutted to have finished the way he did, but well aware of his accomplishment.

“But to go out and shoot a score like that, with no bogeys, I just saw the lines and was hitting good putts and they were going in and I didn’t want it to end.

“At the home of golf, I wanted to try and give that putt on the last a try for 59 and it just came up a bit shy and then unfortunately I didn’t hit a great (birdie) putt, so unfortunately had to settle for a 61 – but I would definitely have taken it.”

The Fisher scorecard:

A new course record on the oldest course in the world ✍🏻 Congratulations Ross Fisher! #DunhillLinks

A post shared by European Tour (@europeantour) on Oct 8, 2017 at 10:40am PDT

Why should we be hysterical when the distance situation at classic courses has been an issue for nearly two decades ago, with huge leaps since the governing bodies drew a line in the sand (2003)?

Because course records get attention, especially when it's the Home of Golf and especially on a course not using some of the absurd Open Championship tees employed by the R&A to mask distance leaps.

While most of us know modern course conditioning combines with today's instruction technology and brain power, should lead to records falling. And that's just fine. But couple that with players rarely hitting a long iron due to courses being overwhelmed, and these accomplishments should be warning signs that the importance of certain skills has been diminished to the point that such a record may need an asterisk.

Gary Player took to Twitter to remind us that the Old Course is pretty defenseless these days.

This comes on the heels of Tommy Fleetwood shooting 63 at Carnoustie to establish a new course record there.

Fleetwood was honored by the accomplishment, reports The Telegraph's James Corrigan.

“Carnoustie course record holder – it sounds good doesn’t it? It was a good day’s work by any standards,” Fleetwood said. “When you consider all the great players who have played here, in Opens and in this tournament, it is very special to have the lowest score ever recorded on this course. Yeah, I hit it in some places where you probably won’t be able to get able to hitting it when the Open comes back here next year, but I’m still very proud.”

The highlights from that epic round:

Southgate Speaks: "I take full responsibility"

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James Corrigan of The Telegraph talks to Matthew Southgate about the heartbreaking penalty incurred during the Web.com Tour Playoffs that cost him a PGA Tour card.

From Corrigan's story:

“It was poor from me to not know the rules of a game I’ve played since I was two. I take full responsibility. ­People say it’s bad luck but it’s not bad luck because I should have replayed the shot and could have made four. But I didn’t and it became nine, and that ­became me missing my card. I’ve only got myself to blame. I’m not annoyed with anyone else.”

The best wishes of his peers have not assisted much either; and neither has their collective ignorance. I asked 10 different pros at the Dunhill Links if they were aware of that particular rule and all admitted they were not.

USGA To Extend Open Invitations To Mid-Am, Junior Winners

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You may recall that post-U.S. Amateur(s) it was suggested the USGA revisit the insistence on a winner retaining amateur status to enjoy their U.S. Open exemption.

While the newly announced perk by USGA President Diana Murphy is little different and we want the Opens to remain "open," news of exemptions for Mid-Am and Junior winners seems like a positive development from this week's U.S. Mid-Amateur.

From Ryan Herrington's report for Golf World.

During Thursday’s evening reception for the 264 players competing in this year’s U.S. Mid-Am, which begins on Saturday at Capital City Club in Atlanta, USGA president Diana Murphy announced that the winner will receive an exemption into next year’s U.S. Open.

Similarly, the winner of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur next month at Champions Golf Club in Houston will get into next year’s U.S. Women’s Open. Additionally, the winners of the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior this past summer, Noah Goodwin and Erica Shepherd, will get exemptions into their respective Opens as well.

While some might see this as chipping away at qualifying spots for the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open--because it is--the move seems like a smart way to validate the importance of other national championships. Given that these winners get to the Sectional stage and many have qualified for the Opens anyway, it will give the events and amateur golf just a bit more of a boost.

Shinnecock Update: Restored But Also Narrowed

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Golfweek's Bradley Klein visited Shinneock Hills as the legendary layout prepares to host the 2018 U.S. Open.

He is the first expert on site to comment on the recent narrowing revealed by Jaime Diaz at Golf World and writes:

A recent push to narrow the fairways marginally has seen the grounds staff convert seven of the layout’s 50 acres of shortgrass to rough. The idea is to create more strategic twist and turn to the fairways consistent with Flynn’s plan and to bring more fairway bunkers closer to the line of play. Fairway widths are still on the relatively generous side for U.S. Open, 28-34 yards in the championship landing areas. But their delineation pays close attention to the lay of the land and the role of airway bunkers.

NY Fans Files: Audrey Leishman Laments Boorish Presidents Cup Behavior

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The wife of Marc and survivor of a near-death experience is also a wonderful writer. Sadly, she had to take to her blog to share observations about dreadful fan behavior at the Presidents Cup.

Her post was validated by International player Anirban Lahiri and is yet another warning sign that there may need to be limits on crowd size and alcohol sales when the Ryder Cup comes to Bethpage in 2024.

There were many times last week that I thought about what the kids were seeing. The crowds booing for good shots and cheering for missed putts.  The drinking at 7am? Screaming “Big Easy” to Ernie Els and begging for his autograph and then yelling at his players. Heckling a wife for her beauty and then her husband for his play. I was thankful my boys weren’t there to see the way people were treating their daddy. Their hero. My parents could simply turn the television off.

Leishman also takes issue with some of the language used by players in describing what they wanted to do to the International team, and also calls out analysts for excessive language invoking massacres and other ugly scenes for a simple golf exhibition.

ShackHouse 50: Live On Tape From Petco Park!

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House and I meet face-to-face live on tape from San Diego's Petco Park, home again Callaway's The Links. We discuss the season, the Links at Petco and interview No Laying Up's Chris Solomon.

This year's iteration of the course within the stadium was the best routing yet, taking golfers (until next Tuesday) up, down and around one of baseball's very best stadiums. Gil Hanse lent ideas to Callaway's Nate Adelman and while some of Hanse's proposed bunkers will need to be restored in 2049 when they try to reproduce the course, it was still the most challenging yet.

But unlike the copycats, Callaway's The Links is set apart by the signage, the score-keeping caddies, the video screen production, the new Callaway clubs and balls, and the many giveaways.

Speaking of those, on this week's season-ending ShackHouse we are auctioning a special one of a kind set of wedges created by Anthony Taranto, who hand stamps and sandblasts wedges for Callaway's Tour staff and celebrities around the world. The cause: Golf Fights Cancer.

All three wedges are sandblasted and hand painted and stamped (one of them pictured here). They also have one of a kind black and green KBS Tour Limited shafts with Superstroke black grips. Go to Callaway Customs where you can bid until October 11th for this very special set.

Blood Testing (Finally) Comes To The PGA Tour

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Rex Hoggard explains for GolfChannel.com how the PGA Tour's new blood testing will impact the players and perceptions of the sport.

 

Hoggard says most players he spoke to felt the time had arrived for this more complete program, an amazing shift compared to a decade ago when Tim Finchem was resisting testing and players generally declared golfers clean and therefore not needing testing of any kind.


This was interesting:

“Why can’t we do hair samples, because then you can actually trace further back?” asked Casey, who is also an amateur cyclist. “There are certain drugs that are flushed out of the system within a day or two days, hair actually holds that drug in the follicle longer.”

Golf’s return to the Olympics last year will ensure the game remains vigilant when it comes to testing and officials haven’t ruled out new tests as the science and doping evolves. But for now, the circuit is content with the new testing methods.
“There is a lot of alternative testing methods, including hair, but the efficiency of these tests is really not at a level that would warrant use in a sport anti-doping program at this time,” Levinson said. “Urine is the most effective method of detecting most of the substances we are looking for.”