Really Up Shoal Creek: The U.S. Women's Open Is Just One Big Mess

More rain Wednesday meant more of a mess at Shoal Creek, host of the 2018 U.S. Women's Open starting Thursday near Birmingham.

Some players will not have played a single practice round, others who did reported a course essentially under water and desperately needing preferred lies. So far, the USGA isn't budging given its history of having never played lift, clean and place.

Oh and thunderstorms are in most forecasts for the scheduled tournament days. 

From Beth Ann Nichols' Golfweek story about the situation:

After Tuesday’s practice rounds were washed out due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto, Wednesday’s were delayed until 1 p.m. due to electricity. Since 10 p.m. Tuesday evening, the course received 1.62 inches of water, pushing the overall total since Sunday afternoon to 4.76 inches.

“I’ll just say it,” said USGA senior managing director John Bodenhamer, “we were a little unlucky last night. I think we had hoped for a better night, and we got worse.”

From Randall Mell's GolfChannel.com story:

This might be as unprepared as players have ever felt for a U.S. Women’s Open, with the rain closing the course for a day and half.

Karine Icher did not expect to play a single hole before Thursday’s start after her Wednesday afternoon practice round was canceled with morning rain pushing back tee times.

“It’s unfair,” Icher said.

Like a number of players here, Icher wished the USGA would have set up nine-hole practice rounds on Wednesday, so every player would have gotten access to the course.

Frustration is part of every U.S. Women’s Open week, but rarely have anxieties mounted so palpably before the first tee shots were even struck.

Fox's Brad Faxon posted this from the course:

Sent a video to Jeff Sluman and his caddie Doug Lloyd showing them Shoal Creek and the amount of water here from all the rain before US Women’s Open starting tomorrow @uswomensopen @dougblloy

A post shared by Brad Faxon (@bfaxon) on May 30, 2018 at 2:35pm PDT

THURS, MAY 31 Coverage times:

Bonus First Round 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM USGA.org

First Round 3:00 – 8:00 PM FS1/FSGO

Featured Groups 3:00 – 8:00 PM FSGO

No Signs Of Improvements For Future Italian Open, Ryder Cup Venue

This one was all about the money then and now, as Italy is in a financial and political crisis, the prospects of the 2022 Ryder Cup host course getting a necessary renovation appear uncertain, writes The Guardian's Ewan Murray.

While the Italian Open kicks off Thursday and the European Tour says all bills have been paid so far, the specter of trouble looms, writes The Guardian's Ewan Murray.  

Still, recent weeks have not provided much to alter the sentiment of those sceptical about Italy and the Ryder Cup. The host course of the 2018 Italian Open, Gardagolf in Brescia, was late in being confirmed to participants. Players were subsequently warned by the European Tour to expect a course short of the standard they would expect for such a high-profile and lucrative competition. Given the emphasis placed on Rolex Series performances in respect of Ryder Cup points, this is an ominous scenario. It would be a surprise if players don’t speak out over the coming days regarding what is little more than a standard members’ course.

Of greater significance is a lack of action at Marco Simone.

Given that Tiger Woods seems a very likely candidate to captain the 2022 team, and his Italian isn't quite as good as Kobe Bryant's, maybe the matches should just move to the Old Course? You know, out of respect to a legend...and the sport.

Tiger And Phil Issue Their First Impressions Of Shinnecock Hills 2018

Following their reconnaissance trips to Shinnecock Hills, Tiger Woods prefaced his assessment by noting the rainy weather and extreme length of the par-70 course. But as Brentley Romine reports for Golfweek, Phil Mickelson offered a rave review of the course where he finished second in 2004.

Mickelson spent Tuesday at Shinnecock. He went around with assistant pro Matt Cahill and raved at the changes, particularly the widened fairways and shaved run-off areas around the greens.

“Phenomenal,” Mickelson said. “It’s really well done. They renovated it a little bit and some of the fairways are a little bit wider, certainly the rough is as penalizing or more so than I’ve seen it, but the fairways are fair and the greens are as healthy as I’ve seen them.”

Instagram: Oklahoma States Wins, Tiger's Karma Looking Good, Jack's Memorable Memorial Arrived To The Memorial, Mammoth Dunes Opens, 3-Year-Old With Game

A dominating performance by Oklahoma State at their home course in defeating Alabama for the 2018 NCAA Men's team title. 

🏆 Number 5️⃣2️⃣ #okstate #GoPokes

A post shared by Oklahoma State Athletics (@osuathletics) on May 30, 2018 at 6:55pm PDT

Tiger acknowledged a fan, holed out a wedge shot and gave the ball to the same youngster during Wednesday's Memorial tournament pro-am.

@tigerwoods gets it. #LiveUnderPar 👏

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on May 30, 2018 at 6:30am PDT

Jack!

@jacknicklaus always knew how to arrive in style.

A post shared by SkratchTV (@skratchtv) on May 28, 2018 at 10:47am PDT

David Kidd's design at Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes, opened for play Wednesday.

The par-3 13th at Mammoth Dunes 😍

A post shared by Ashley Mayo (@ashleykmayo) on May 30, 2018 at 1:03pm PDT

Three-year-old Preston Cowie has game.

First official round in the books at Kettle Creek @cardinalgolfclub so fun! First time playing 9 holes #3yearsold #toddler #toddlergolf #golfprodigy #golfswing #golfaddict #happyplace #toddlerfashion #jordan3 #uagolf #newmarket #kingcity #yorkregion #driveforshow #puttfordough #pumagolf #golfer #golfing #pga #uskidsgolf #uskidsgolffdn #cobragolf #funtime #whistleworth @golf_gods @golfballed @whistlesports @foreplaypod @rbccanadianopen @clublinkgolf @golf_com @golftown

A post shared by Preston Cowie Golf (@preston_henry_golf) on May 25, 2018 at 1:55pm PDT

Video: Shinnecock's Fifth Hole And Trying To Restore The Intended Landing Area

Fifth tee at the bottom, very close to the members' 18th tee.  The landing area of this double Fairway Par-5 is in the upper right center of the image.

Lengthened to 589, the first par-5 at Shinnecock Hills is a niftily designed double fairway hole with a cool decision installed by architect William Flynn. When the hole was envisioned, Flynn was thinking of risk-reward dynamics that made the lay-up easier.

Unfortunately, even with the hole 54 yards longer than it was in 1986, 1995 and 2004--despite the claimed flatlining of distance since 2003--the player's tee shot decision is muted by modern driving distances. From there, the dynamics of the second shot and green take on totally different meaning. 

This is not a big deal if you think a test is all about power and hitting from point A to point B. But if decision-making and going to great trouble to return to Shinnecock Hills to ask more sophisticated design questions is the USGA's goal, then the 5th provides a fine example of a losing battle for classic architecture.

The USGA's Mike Davis addressed the effort to get landing areas relevant again with new tees:

“We didn’t add distance just to add distance,” Davis said. “What we really did, and we did it in concert with the club itself and also with some work with Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, that architectural firm, is we really wanted to bring the shot value back to what (William) Flynn had designed in the late 1920s. So we looked at each drive zone and said, ‘what would it take to get the drive zone back into play?’ So I think we are excited because now all of a sudden some of the cross bunkers that are in play, some of the lateral bunkers that are in play or some of the shots, I mean take the second hole, it was always meant to be a long downwind par-3 that you can bounce the ball in. We now have that again.”

Lengthened 30 yards for the U.S. Open's return in 1986, Flynn's fifth hole strategy is worth savoring even if it's not as his team envisioned. The player unwilling to take on the carry to the left fairway is forced to play right, lengthening the next shot and bringing a fairway bunker into play, possibly forcing another safe shot. While the player who lands in the alternate fairway shortens the hole, improves the second shot view and in general, is high on life.

Basic but interesting strategy, that must have been even more clever when 250 yards was a big poke but now lost. With the carry to the left fairway at 240 or so yards, only a stiff breeze into the players could make the tee shot decision relevant for a U.S. Open field. 

The flyover of Shinnecock Hills' fifth:

It's Official: Quicken Loans Taking PGA Tour Event To Detroit Golf Club In 2019 And Beyond

The PGA Tour is returning to Michigan and in a big way, bypassing the cushier suburbs for Detroit Golf Club. This is the base for Quicken Loans, current sponsor of the Washington D.C. stop played this year at TPC Potomac.

For Immediate Release:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA, and DETROIT – Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, and the PGA TOUR today announced a long-term agreement to create a new professional golf tournament in Detroit, beginning in 2019. Quicken Loans has been working with officials from the PGA TOUR for several years to bring golf’s highest level of competition to its hometown.

“Professional golf belongs in Detroit. The Motor City – and the entire state of Michigan – have long served as a premier golf destination with some of the best courses in the country. We will be working with the PGA TOUR to make the Detroit stop one of the most exciting and engaging events on the professional golf calendar,” said Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner.

“Quicken Loans has been a tremendous PGA TOUR partner for several years now, making an impact through the innovative spirit and community-first mindset the organization and its leaders bring to every endeavor,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.  “We’re thrilled to take this new step in our partnership and bring a PGA TOUR event to the great city of Detroit.”

Quicken Loans is partnering with Intersport, a leader in sports and entertainment marketing, to oversee the operation of the tournament, as well as create numerous related attractions and festivities that are planned to take place throughout the city of Detroit during the event.

The Detroit Golf Club (DGC) is expected to serve as the host venue. The club’s membership recently overwhelmingly voted to empower the Board of Directors to explore and execute a PGA TOUR event at its historic Donald Ross-designed golf course.

A look at the course and awesome clubhouse from three years ago:

Jack Loves The Memorial's New Schedule Spot, Not So Sure About A May PGA In Rochester

Dave Shedloski reports for Golf World about Jack Nicklaus's pleasure at future Memorial's situated perfectly between the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. The Golden Bear also notes there will be less European competition in future years and is pleased that the Players and PGA Championship will present more interesting weather equations as part of the mix. 

Except in Rochester, 2023.

"I don't know," Nicklaus added, "what's going to happen in May in Oak Hill in Rochester, but I wish them well. I hope the weather is good. That's going to be a tough time."

Weekend Ratings: Golf Goes Head-To-Head With Golf, No One Wins

Yes, we're a sport that plays in the daytime, limiting options. Golf also faces travel and weather issues and has to consider timing for the next tournament. Still...

Memorial Day posed it's share of issues, but looking at the down Colonial number (1.45), the essentially flat Senior PGA rating (0.5) and LPGA's .17 as noted in SBJ's weekend ratings wrap-up, golf battled itself and lost.

As the Forecaddie notes, this doesn't seem like the best use of the big partnerships between three of golf's various families. 

NCAA Men's Final Set: Oklahoma State V. Alabama

Golfweek's Lance Ringler says the storylines are flowing in Wednesday's finale between Oklahoma State and Alabama. With OSU on their home course--the charm-free Karsten Creek--and huge crowds expected, Alabama faces hometown opposition in numbers possibly never seen since the format change. 

The Cowboys have won all year collecting nine victories in 12 starts and now they may be playing in front of the biggest home crowd college golf has ever seen.

They are talented and that talent has produced wins, which has created confidence. All five players are ranked in the top 72 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and all five players have a scoring average below 72.

This will be fun to see the two styles go head-to-head in an atmosphere that may be unmatched to anything we have seen and may ever see again in college golf.

Kevin Casey with the nuts and bolts of how the two teams survived some tight match-ups to advance to Wednesday's final.

Ryan Lavner focuses on Alabama's late season rise thanks to talented freshmen, including Wilson Furr.

“I’ve never been on a team with freshmen who can play this way,” senior Lee Hodges said. “I knew they’d be great players, but they’re even better than I thought.”

And to think, Furr couldn’t even crack the Alabama lineup in the fall, his game in disarray because of what was later described as the driver yips. Karsten Creek might be the last place on Earth that a player with long-game troubles would want to compete – “There’s a lot of crosses out there – it’s killed a lot of good players,” Seawell said – but Furr got his game back on track this spring with the help of swing coach Jeff Smith. In the semifinals, Furr routed his opponent, 7 and 6.

“They’re special kids,” Hodges said.

The final match-ups and times.

Golf Channel's coverage features the Golf Central Pre Game from 2-4 p.m., the Championship Match from 4-8 p.m. and Golf Central from 8-9 p.m. ET.

Earlier in the day, Texas's loss to Duke meant the end of Doug Ghim's career. The Masters low amateur and 2017 U.S. Amateur runner-up was joined by coach John Fields to talk with Chantel McCabe and the emotions were real as you'd expect from one of the closer player-coach bonds in the game.

Birmingham Blues: Tropical Storm To Put USGA's Lift-Clean Opposition To The Ultimate Test

Even after Tropical Storm Alberto passed through a Shoal Creek already wet and not in the best of shape by the USGA's admission, the USGA suggested Tuesday that the plan is to play the ball down despite mudballs galore.

From Randall Mell's GolfChannel.com report:

“I would say it is our intention to play 72 holes to identify our champion, and play the ball as it lies,” said John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s senior managing director of championships and governance.

Bodenhamer said his staff will continue to evaluate conditions on Wednesday, but it appears it will take extraordinary circumstances for the governing body to implement preferred lies on what is likely to be a soggy course.

Cristie Kerr minced no words.

“The course is unplayable,” Kerr said. “There’s going to be mud on every ball. It’s not fair. Tropical storms aren’t part of the game.”

Players took the Tropical Storm's passing in stride, as Beth Ann Nichols writes, opening up books or limiting their practice just two days out from the biggest event in the women's game.

Not April Fool's: R&A Keen To Make Golf More Inclusionary For Women

We'll give R&A Chief Martin Slumbers benefit of the doubt even as it's tempting to dig up four million links to stories about the Royal and Ancient Golf Club's steadfast refusal to let a woman enter their clubhouse, as recently as a couple of years ago.

But...Slumbers was not part of that world and he's too focused on golf's future to allow past blunders torpedo his desire to welcome more women to golf.

Alistair Tait praises Slumbers and explains the new R&A Charter:

“strengthen the focus on gender balance and provide a united position for the golf industry; commit national federations and organizations to support measures targeted at increasing participation of women girls and families in golf; call on signatories to take positive action to support the recruitment, retention and progression of women working at all levels of the sport; set individual targets for national federations for participation and membership and annual reporting of progress; and develop an inclusive environment for women and girls within golf.”

You can read the full charter story here.

Tait's commentary:

The Englishman is to be commended for this initiative. British golf authorities have previously either done too little to encourage women to take up the game, or have merely paid lip service to the issue. It’s a sad indictment of the game that we still have clubs with no female members, or even junior members.

It’s hard to imagine how many women and girls have been turned off the game because of the chauvinistic attitudes embedded in golf’s status quo.

The Ogilvy's Are Heading To Australia

In his AP notes column, Doug Ferguson talked to Geoff Ogilvy about moving his family to Melbourne. The 2006 U.S. Open champion is looking to retain his card and attempt a unique schedule from the hole he still owns on Royal Melbourne's 14th hole (West). 

''It's a feeling more than anything,'' he said. ''Scottsdale is dreamy. We live a great existence. I know what I'm getting there. If we didn't move back, we'd be a six-and-six family. The kids get out of school, and they're bounced back and forth. It's not good for continuity.''

As for golf?

Ogilvy narrowly kept his full PGA Tour card last year and this season has been a struggle. He hasn't sorted out what kind of schedule he would keep, understanding it would involve long trips from Sydney to Dallas.

The immediate goal would be to play a heavy fall schedule and miss most of the West Coast swing to get acclimated to the move.

''And then we'll start working it out,'' he said.

USGA, Shinnecock Indian Nation Said To Be Near Deal

I hate to think how an event as intricately planned as the U.S. Open returning to Shinnecock Hills still hasn't crossed this t, but Bill Pennington of the New York Times says a deal is imminent.

Not mentioned in these stories, but there is the obvious--merchandise logos featuring a Shinnecock--and the not-so-obvious fact that the tribe helped build the course and was long part of its maintenance. 

Anyway it's all a little strange but good news: more parking spaces are opening up!

Instagram: Cruden Bay Sunset, Today's Massive Gator, Tiger Comes Out Of Trick Shot Retirement, Hilty Holes A Futbol

The gorse is in full bloom, the sun (was out) and it's Cruden Bay. What could be better?

Tonight's sunset over the links 👌🏻 📸 via @james_booth21 #crudenbaygc #crudenbaygolfclub #CrudenBay #linksgolfcourse #linksgolf #whyilovethisgame #scottishgolfpodcast

A post shared by Cruden Bay Golf Club (@crudenbaygolf) on May 29, 2018 at 2:44pm PDT

Nice cinematography on today's absurdly huge golf course gator...

Dinosaur. #🦖 #playtheballasitlies #golf #charleston #southcarolina @coloradogolfblog @golfgrinders @golfballed @golfballing @thegreenjacket @chsgolfies @charlestonsc

A post shared by Kris Smith (@unclesmitty19) on May 26, 2018 at 5:36pm PDT

TigerJam included Joshua Kelley doing his thing and the host dusted off his trick shot roots and joined in...

Dreams really do come true! When I was 12 years old, I was watching TV when @tigerwoods juggling commercial played. I remember grabbing my ball and wedge to run outside and try it myself. Not only has he always been my inspiration to play golf but also one of the biggest reason why I do what I do today. Thank you @tgrliveevents for the amazing weekend at #tigerjam 🐅🐐

A post shared by Joshua Kelley (@holein1trickshots) on May 29, 2018 at 2:00pm PDT

Max Hilty posted a story of raw footage for the grassy knoll set who thought this was not real...

First ever golf, soccer, b-ball combo 🤷🏻‍♂️?!! Big thanks to @charlycolver for the idea on this one 👍🏼 #ScTop10 @whistlesports @sportscenter @barstoolsports @golf_gods @15cek @houseofhighlights @taniatare63 @holein1trickshots @brodiesmith21 @ifyouhigh @worldstar @highlightsnetwork @awesomepeopledoingthings @dudeperfect @sportsnation @thegolfchannel #houseofhighlights #golfgods

A post shared by Max Hilty (@max_hilty) on May 29, 2018 at 3:40pm PDT

Captain Furyk Plans Pre-Open Championship Scouting Trip, But Who Will Show Up?

Ewan Murray considers Jim Furyk's plan for a pre-Open trip to the Ryder Cup venue and wonders if a repeat of Tom Watson's shockingly unsuccessful effort at Gleneagles is likely.

As Murray notes, going before the Open will test the strength of Team USA's now-vaunted bond, possibly leaving the captains to do the scouting on their own. But even Mr. Team USA and future captain Tiger should probably be getting in some links golf instead of some inland aerial play.

Tiger Woods traditionally appears at the Open course for practice from the pre-tournament Saturday but has already been named as one of the USA’s vice-captains. Woods retains hopes of making a playing appearance in France. Eyebrows would be raised if Woods puts his Open bid before his role within Furyk’s backroom staff.

Phil Mickelson routinely plays in the Scottish Open but there has been no confirmation yet relating to that, just as the John Deere cast list has been slow to emerge. Rickie Fowler won the Scottish Open the last time it was at Gullane in 2015. Justin Thomas, the world No 1, has committed to playing at Le Golf National in the French Open next month.

Perhaps the real question: with three to four practice rounds, how much scouting becomes too much scouting? Especially since Europe will still have a huge home course advantage in the local knowledge department.