Whoa: David Feherty Profiled By John Feinstein

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This is the first story of any depth profiling Golf Channel's David Feherty since the death of his son, Shey. 

John Feinstein writing for Golf World:

On July 4, Anita had gotten a text from Shey saying he needed to go back to rehab. He had never gotten there.

For a year, Feherty had been told by professionals that he needed to stay away from Shey, that he was enabling his drug habit by giving him money. He and Anita had agreed the night before that they would call him the next day—Saturday—to wish him a happy birthday.

"The truth is, I'd broken down on several occasions and given him money again," Feherty says. "He was so sweet, and I couldn't say no to him. Plus, like all of us addicts, he was a very good liar. He convinced me the money wasn't for drugs. I'm sure I knew deep down he was lying, but I wanted to believe he was really on the way to coming out on the other side.

"Not talking to him regularly, not seeing him, was painful. But this ..."

He stops, unable to go on.

295's Within Reach! Huge Spike In Driving Distance Enters The Monster-Drive Season

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As we head into the warm weather months and silly-long drives, the 2018 spike has a chance to spill well over the 295-yard driving distance average mark on the PGA Tour. 

Of course, this is noteworthy since the governing bodies said way back in the early years of the George W. Bush administration that they were drawing the line and have maintained little has changed. And while we know that the addition of extra fiber in diets, more widespread implementation of mindfulness and of course, drinking cold brew coffee, have driven this year's spike, the Statement of Principles said the reasoning would not matter in a decision to take action.

PGA Tour driving distance average through the Travelers:

2018: 294.7

2017: 289.3

2016: 288.2

2015: 288.1

2014: 287.8

2013: 286.4

2012 287.1

2011: 288.0

Instagram: R.I.P. Phil Rodgers, Tiger Benches His Scotty, Freddie & Davis At The Broadmoor, Inverness From Above

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Jack Nicklaus, who competed against, with and even learned from Phil Rodgers, says farewell to the short game wizard.

Rodgers is remembered with this sensational obituary by the San Diego Union-Tribune's Tod Leonard.

Today we lost one of golf’s greats, one of its most colorful individuals, and one of my dearest friends in Phil Rodgers. Phil had been battling leukemia for years, but thanks to the efforts of a close mutual friend in Bryan Naugle, my wife Barbara and I had a chance to reunite with Phil in May at the @insperityinvitational. He was struggling greatly, but it meant the world to me to see him, even if it was briefly. I have known Phil Rodgers for almost 65 years. We started out as young rivals. I think we first competed in Columbus, Georgia, in 1955 at the U.S. National Jaycees. I was 15 and Phil was 17. We tied for medalist honors and he won via a tiebreaker. But from that week on, we played a lot of golf together. We competed against each other and as partners. In fact, my first @pgatour tournament as a pro—the Los Angeles Open—Phil and I were both rookies. Phil won going away (9 shots) and I finished 50th and won $33.33. Phil was a terrific junior and tremendous college player, winning the 1958 NCAA title at Houston. As a pro, Phil won six times—all by the time he was 28. He was a terrific ball-striker, had a great short game, and became a gifted teacher. Phil was instrumental in my resurgence in 1980, and I give a lot of credit to him for my success that year. At the end of 1979, my game—particularly my short game—was awful. I called Phil and we worked together in Los Angeles at the start of 1980. He taught me his famous “Figure 8” method and I went on to win two majors that year, thanks to Phil. We golfed, fished and socialized together. Phil was one of my dearest friends in the game and out, and I will miss him. I will miss him dearly, just as the game will miss this very special man. Barbara and I send our love and prayers to his wife Karen and their family. Our hearts hurt for them, and his many friends in and outside of the golf world. 🙏🏼

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Tiger Woods benched his Scotty Cameron Newport 2 in favor of a TaylorMade TP Collection Ardmore 3 for Tuesday's practice round at TPC Potomac.  More details here from Dan Kilbridge.

Fred Couples and Davis Love are aging gracefully as they walk around The Broadmoor for this week's U.S. Senior Open.

The Fried Egg offers an aerial view of Inverness, post tree-removal, bunker remodeling and overall effort to put as much Ross back into an American classic.

Quite the championship test. Inverness has got its Ross soul back.

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Phil Admits: It Really Wasn't About Saving Strokes

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In Chicago to help KPMG kick off the Women's PGA Championship, Randall Mell reports that Phil Mickelson had a fun time promoting junior golf and took time to answer a few questions from Golf Central's Todd Lewis.

Regarding this 13th hole meltdown at Shinnecock Hills:

“I certainly wasn’t thinking of that at the time, but I have pretty thick skin,” Mickelson said. “I will probably hear about this for some time.

“Fortunately, I can take it and hopefully at some point we will be able to laugh about it.”

Mickelson intimated his intentionally hitting a moving ball wasn’t really about saving strokes.

“At the time, I didn’t really care about the stroke difference,” he said.

The full interview:

Couples: "I think my time's running out."

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Golf World's John Strege talks at length with Fred Couples, who considers his made cut and T38 at the Masters a victory given the poor state of his back.

Couples gives it a go at this week's U.S. Senior Open and at the Senior Open at St. Andrews but beyond that he's not sure he'll play much more competitive golf.

The trials of bending are evident in the makeup of his golf clubs. The longest iron in his bag is a 5-iron, for now. “I no longer have a 4-iron,” he said. “I have five woods in my bag [three of them hybrids] and the next one to go out will probably be my 5-iron, because [hybrids] are just a little longer and they’re easier to hit and I don’t have to bend down.”

To test his back, “to see if I could play,” in advance of the senior event last week, Couples played in the member-guest at his home club, Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif. “I played a practice round and three days, and I didn’t move very well Sunday or Monday.

“To be honest with you, the last couple years my back has been not so good."

John Daly And The USGA Not Agreeing On His Golf Cart Petition Request, Daly WD's From U.S. Senior Open

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The U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor gets underway at Thursday and John Daly has withdrawn, citing the USGA's refusal to grant him a cart. 

Daly made the request, the USGA says it wanted more information and Daly claims that is not the case, so he WD'd.

Scott Verplank was granted a cart after applying for one. The USGA noted this in a Tweet:

Instagram: Choi's Greatest (Swing) Hits, An American In Paris, Rory Reunites With Faxon, Pine Valley's 12th Vertically

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A spectacular compilation of Hosung Choi's swings from last week's Korean Open, courtesy of Skratch.

Hosung Choi in all of his glory.

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Justin Thomas is teeing it up in the French Open this week and already about 20 strokes up on Bubba Watson, who panned the place upon arrival.

Paris... you aren’t disappointing 🙌🏼📷🇫🇷

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So Yeon Ryu was among the LPGA Tour players at the CVS Charity Classic, seen here with Rory McIlroy and his spring-fling putting coach Brad Faxon.

The new 12th hole "bunkering" at Pine Valley looks just as ghastly from a vertical as it has in all other photos that have surfaced. 

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Feinstein: "How the PGA Tour's D.C. stop went from can't miss to out of business"

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Golf World's John Feinstein looks at the rise and fall of Washington D.C.'s PGA Tour stop, conducting the final edition this week at TPC Potomac At Avenel Farm (FKA TPC Avenel).

While Feinstein is a bit tough on Tiger as host and notes the loss of Quicken Loans as the most fatal component of the tournament's demise, the story points out how the event suffered identity issues when it lost Congressional as a regular host. 

In the tournament’s swansong, Woods will play this week, his lone expected start after a missed cut at the U.S. Open and before heading to the Open Championship at Carnoustie. One might have thought his apparent return to health could inspire a sponsor to jump in and take a chance on Washington, but Woods didn’t seem to really care very much if that happened. His foundation is now the beneficiary of the annual PGA Tour event played at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles.

The L.A. event has the kind of stability never established in Washington. It has been played at Riviera for 44 of the last 46 years, as opposed to the D.C. event which will have been held at four golf courses in 13 years, none for more than three consecutive years. 

Also noteworthy here is the influence this event had on Chicago's annual stop, which previously held the July 4 date before being shifted to a playoff stop moved around to different venues, several outside of Chicago. The July 4 date is currently Greenbrier's. 

The story is a prime example of quickly a tournament's fortunes can turn on quality of course, consistency of location and the identity an event derives from a regular host venue and date.

They're Back! Senators Again Propose Yanking PGA Tour, PGA of America's Tax-Exempt Status

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You may recall that it was only six months ago that we could only envision the lobbying effort behind the scenes as the PGA Tour and PGA of America battled successfully to preserve their tax-exempt status. Many took pleasure in pretty conservative organizations begging a Republican Congress and Republican President to not inflict great financial damage on their operations.

Yet already, the effort to end 501(c)(6) tax-exempt status is back with this bill. The $100 million it proposes to save for taxpayers will undoubtedly buy the Space Force a few nice space suits...

Senators Ernst and King Seek to Withdraw Tax-Exempt Status from Professional Sports Leagues

PRO Sports Act would give $100 million back to taxpayers

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation, the Properly Reducing Overexemptions for Sports (PRO Sports) Act, to strip multi-million dollar professional sports leagues of their tax-exempt status, saving roughly $100 million in taxpayer dollars over 10 years.

“Professional sports leagues – which are raking in millions of dollars from television rights and membership dues – shouldn’t also be scoring a hole-in-one with their taxes,” said Senator Ernst. “The PRO Sports Act amends the tax code to revoke this unnecessary exemption, saving approximately $100 million in taxpayer dollars over 10 years. Senator King and I are cutting this wasteful spending and protecting taxpayer dollars.”

The PRO Sports Act would revoke the 501(c)(6), tax-exempt status of professional sports leagues with over $10 million in gross receipts. While some leagues have voluntarily ended their tax-exempt status in recent years, others continue to use this loophole while bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

“Sports leagues like the NHL and the PGA Tour provide entertainment for millions of Americans, but that doesn’t mean these league-specific brands should be able to utilize Section 501(c)(6) of the tax code to be tax exempt,” said Senator King. “This bill would help close loopholes that allow leagues to boost their profits at the expense of taxpayers – it’s just common sense.”

Bryson's Use Of A Compass And Protractor Is Under Investigation

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Jimmy Walker announced (in writing) that he leaves a ball down as a backstop to help someone he likes or someone he feels sorry for, then Phil Mickelson hit a moving ball and said he'd been waiting to do it in competition for a long time. He was not, as far as we know, punished.

But a pro golfer employs a compass and protractor--a device at least 50% of the players could not identify by name, much less use--and Ponte Vedra is investigating. Strange times indeed.

Will Gray reports for GolfChannel.com on what DeChambeau was told about these potentially not "allowable" devices he's been using since October, 2016 to double check the accuracy of hole locations.

“They said, ‘Hey, we just want to let you know that we’re investigating the device and seeing if it’s allowable,’” DeChambeau said. “I understand. It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened.”

For his part, DeChambeau handled the news well.

“It’s a compass. It’s been used for a long, long time. Sailors use it,” DeChambeau said. “It’s just funny that people take notice when I start putting and playing well.”

Instagram Trophy Wrap: Bubba Takes Cromwell, Hataoka Wins In Arkansas, McCarron Storms Wisconsin, Wallace Outlasts In Germany And Schnell Was Best In Wichita

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Bubba Watson took home the Travelers Championship for his third win of 2018 and third Travelers (kind of small) trophy.

Bubba’s back in the winner’s circle.🏆 #LiveUnderPar

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19-year-old Nasa Hataoka won the NW Arkansas Championship and with it came an unwieldy piece or crystal and a wieldy Rolex.

Scott McCarron won the American Family Insurance PGA Tour Champions tournament and when he returns can provide his dentist's waiting room with the accent piece it's always needed. 

Dream Achieved. Scott McCarron is your 2018 @amfamchampionship winner!

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Matt Wallace captured the European Tour's BMW International Open stark white minimalist --expect anything different?--trophy.

Grit. Determination. Surreal day! 😗🏆

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Brady Schnell takes home the Wichita Open's nautical-theme propeller--actually he'll be shipping that weapon FedEx--and moves to 12th on the Web.com Tour money list.

Your 2018 Wichita Open champion is Brady Schnell. #WichitaOpen #webtour

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Instagram Wrap: Squirrel!, Hosung Choi's Swing That Almost Made The Open, Greg Norman's Body Issue Body Double Revealed?

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Rory McIlroy trying to tee off in round 3 at the Travelers. Squirrel!

“Next on the tee …” 😂😂😂 #LiveUnderPar

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Hosung Choi made a nice run at one of two Open Qualifying Series spots available in the Korean Open before a Sunday flameout. This would have been fun to see at Carnoustie:

GolfBalled suggests Greg Norman had a body double for the ESPN body issue shoot. I'll let you be the judge:

Does USGA's Response To Mickelson Mean We Need A New Rule Of Golf?

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That's the case Golf.com's Dylan Dethier makes quite well. It comes after Lee Westwood posted this Tweet in response to hearing Phil Mickelson say he'd been thinking of stopping his moving ball at Augusta National's 15th over the years.

The Tweet:

Dethier writes of the USGA ultimately citing 14-5 over 1-2, rightfully so based on a strict interpretation of their rules and the "precedent now set". 

The so-called Phil Rule will be simple: anyone who intentionally strikes a moving ball will be disqualified.

Mickelson entered the week hoping to add his name to the USGA's record books — he'll have to settle for its rulebooks. Otherwise the awkward jogging alley-oop will just be left hanging there as a strange loophole option, tempting players in tight spots. "I took the two-shot penalty and moved on," Mickelson said.

I would normally argue that the honesty of the players and fear of being ostracized by their peers would make this unnecessary. But with the USGA coming to Mickelson's rescue week without even a single word of disdain for his behavior, and in a world of backstopping and players snickering at Mickelson's actions, it's time to cook up the new rule before this shameful stuff happens again. 

But this is the place we've reached in golf: to explore such a decision in the next rules of golf, the USGA would first have to come to terms with not condemning the behavior in any way that might deter repeat offenders. Strange times.

McIlroy Retools Swing After U.S. Open Missed Cut, Shoots 64

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Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson leading understandably led Mike McAllister's PGATour.com roundup of day one at the Travelers, but one back is Rory McIlroy.

It seems the lad spent his post-U.S. Open performance further refining his seemingly-great swing to get back to a certain year, enabling him to work the ball both ways.

From an unbylined Reuters report:

“I’m trying to get back to the way I swung in 2010, 2011 and it’s sort of hard because my body’s changed quite a bit since then,” the 29-year-old, whose muscular frame now is a far cry from the scrawny teenager of days gone by, told reporters. 

“The feeling I have now is the feeling I had in the middle of 2009. 

“That’s basically what I did over the weekend. I got a feeling that really resonated and brought me back to a time when I was swinging really well, and sort of went with that feeling."

Okay so it's like 2009-11, but still fascinating that he'd drifted that far from his swing of seven years ago and that he could get it back in a weekend.