Padraig's New Swing Turns Heads, Gets Him A European Tour Second Place Finish

It's probably too late for 2018 Ryder Cup vice captain Padraig Harrington to get asked for his cart keys back following a Czech Masters second place finish to Andrea Pavan. 

But the 47-year-old, who has tried some intriguing on course moves, is sporting his most fascinating move yet, presumably with an early takeaway pause/set inspired by his work with instructor George Gankas. He also feels he can still win on the European Tour after shooting 20-under-par and who would disagree?

Harrington into the lead 🎯 #CzechMasters @padraigharrington

A post shared by European Tour (@europeantour) on Aug 26, 2018 at 7:21am PDT

AT&T Betting Big On Golf Beyond "The Match" Or Just Making Their Best Possible Synergy Play?

Lost in the details and griping over pay-per-view of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson the day after Thanksgiving may be the role of the main backer: AT&T.

From Mike Murphy's MarketWatch.com item:

AT&T said it will distribute live pay-per-view coverage on a number of its platforms, including DirecTV, AT&T U-verse and sports streaming site B/R Live. The company said the match will also be available on other on-demand platforms, and a rebroadcast will air on the TNT network. The pay-per-view price was not announced.

In a statement, AT&T said the two will be able to make side challenges: “Woods and Mickelson will selectively make side-challenges against one another during the match. For instance, Woods or Mickelson could raise the stakes by challenging the other to a long-drive, closest-to-the-pin or similar competition during a hole as they play their match, with money being donated to the winning golfer’s charity of choice.”

While long focused on sponsoring tournaments and providing bonus coverage on its more recent acquisition, DirecTV, this is the first major play by AT&T on the golf content side. With CEO Randall Stephenson on the PGA Tour Policy Board, could their role in the match and use of TNT as the broadcasting brand to deliver the coverage--despite consistently loathsome reviews of their PGA Championship effort--give folks the impression AT&T is getting in the golf business. 

Or, is this all a way to justify their recent mergers by bringing together too many AT&T properties under the AT&T umbrella: DirecTV, TNT, Bleacher Report, HBO and AT&T U-Verse?

Time will tell, but a big PGA Championship bid does not seem too far fetched. Certainly bidding on some PGA Tour events for 2022 and beyond seems plausible. One question remains and probably always will go unanswered: what does Stephenson do when these matters come up before the PGA Tour Policy Board? 

DeChambeau, Maybe Finau Making Captain Furyk's Task Easier?

With a four stroke lead, Bryson DeChambeau seems destined to land a Ryder Cup captain's pick even with another week to go. He was the first man outside the eight automatic selections and has had a sensational 2018 season. 

Tony Finau, in third heading toward Sunday's Northern Trust Open final round, continues to bring a consistently strong game no matter the style of course or setup. While Matt Kuchar has the presence and Kevin Kisner/Xander Schauffele may have games more suited to Le Golf National, Rex Hoggard points out for GolfChannel.com how well Finau's audition is going. 

Tony Finau will be in a similar position on Sunday at Ridgewood following a 66 on Day 3 that moved him into a tie for third place at 11 under, five strokes behind DeChambeau.

“To say that I'm not thinking about the Ryder Cup, is definitely not true,” admitted Finau, who was 15th on the final qualifying points list. “But it's not the most important thing right now. I want to play good golf and get myself in contention this week. If it continues to prove to the captain and to the guys that make the picks that I'm worthy of a spot, then that's the case.”

Because of task force politics there will always be intrigue in the four picks, but it sure looks like the Captain's pick portion of the job is getting easy. 

Oh and we all know who the other picks will be. 

Strantz's Royal New Kent Coming Back In April 2019

There has been no shortage of depressing stories of golf courses lost for not entirely great reasons, and the loss of one of Mike Strantz's nine designs has filled up my email box.

While I haven't played it, I'm nonetheless pleased to read Erik Matuszewski's Forbes.com item on the impending resurrection of Strantz's work in Virginia, with help from the Strantz family and the courses original shapers.

Before its closure, conditions at Royal New Kent had deteriorated significantly. But a new ownership group led by Wingfield Golf Management Services is faithfully restoring Strantz’s work, which in 1996 was selected by Golf Digest as the country’s best new course. So not only did they save it from going to seed or being plowed under for housing, they're preserving one of Strantz's visions the right way.

Tiger V. Phil On November 23rd: Pay Per View Price May Be Shockingly Inexpensive

I'm growing increasingly excited about Tiger v. Phil, which ESPN.com's Bob Harig says will be Friday, November 23rd at Shadow Creek and on pay-per-view.

The winner-takes-all $9 million was a compromise to keep the $10 million FedExCup first prize the top one in golf. However, in return it sounds like the PGA Tour has signed off on some blatant gambling elements, like presses or side bets that will have a charitable component. There may also be a heavy Las Vegas, in-match betting element that would have made Commissioner Moonbeam freak out, but which could lay the foundation for the future of fan betting. 

As for the timing, late afternoon/prime time streaming seems to be the goal:

Although a time for the event was not announced, Mickelson said he hoped for a prime-time finish in the East and perhaps even playing the final few holes in Las Vegas under the lights.

Love the lights, love the holiday weekend play and my sources are saying the streaming price will not be substantial. Some--other than millennials who like to share passwords--will find dirt cheap, in the $5 to $15 range, $20 likely the top end depending on how you access. The goal is to make this available via as many options as possible, not to launch and promote one entity. 

Yes, TNT will be announcing, which means Ernie Johnson welcoming us in a PGA Championship Thursday flashback. But as our poll last month showed, 22% of you were willing to pay in that price range. 

Much Needed Animal Golf Course Video Surfaces! Fox Steals Golf Ball

It's been too long. With slow play fights leading to severed digits and other bleak news in the world, we are faced with the FedExCup and it's completely moribund format as a diversion.

Thankfully a wee critter has come along to give us hope for humanity. Or, at least for young animals.

From Springfield CC and while I recognize it's no dancing bear, we'll take it:

Video: Ridgewood From Above

I won't even begin to try and convince you to get excited about the first round of the Playoffs (C), nor will I try to figure out the composite course in use for Ridgewood Country Club in this week's Northern Trust Open. 

Instead, just whet your appetite on a return to a A.W. Tillinghast gem thanks to Evan Schiller's drone shots:

Ryder Cup: Tiger And Furyk Talk About Tiger Woods

Pretty funny to imagine Tiger Woods shifting to third person mode to assess his potential as a Captain's pick, though why we are pretending it's a serious discussion at this point is beyond me.

Ryan Lavner with the best revelation from Tiger's press gathering Tuesday at Ridgewood CC in advance of the Northern Trust:

“I’m one of the guys on the short list, and sometimes I have to pull myself out of there and talk about myself in the third person, which is a little odd.”

Poll: Are 59's Losing Their Luster?

I was at a golf course snack bar when the Golf Channel was showing highlights from Brandt Snedeker's 59 at the Wyndham Championship. It was the 10th such round in PGA Tour history and when some golfers looked up and asked if he'd shot 59, I said yes and they went, "ah that's great" and then went about decorating their hot dogs.

A decade ago, I'm pretty sure we all would have stopped what we were doing to watch all of the highlights and regale in the history playing out before our eyes. 

Throw in a 58 by Jim Furyk and it seems like the 59 has gone from golf's equivalent of a perfect game to a no-hitter. Still an amazing feat and worth dropping what we're doing to see a player break the barrier, but also not quite as satisfying as it should be.

Is this because of how many have occurred since Al Geiberger broke golf's sound barrier, perhaps coupled with the 13-under-par nature of the first three when par-4s sometimes actually required a long-iron approach?

Or has the role of distance, improved technology, amazing agronomy and golf courses put in a strategically untenable position played a role in making them a little less magical?

First, our Golf Central discussion, followed by a poll...

Are 59s Losing Their Luster?

Yes, they no longer are as incredible as they first seemed

No way, a 59 is a 59

Eh...somewhere in between

 

pollcode.com free polls

First World Alert: Players Looking To Abolish The Secondary Cut, Reduce 36 Hole Cut Size

Instituted to help pace of play, Saturday cuts on the PGA Tour occur when more than 78 make the weekend. Players, reports GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard, have decided they don't like the Saturday cut and are looking for an alternative. That alternative seems like a bizarre solution given the incentives to make cuts and the "playing opportunities" mantra of the Tour. 

The alternative that’s being studied is to reduce the cut at all Tour events from the lowest 70 players and ties to the lowest 65 players and ties. This would allow the circuit to eliminate the secondary cut at all events.

So they would eliminate as many as five (and often more players) on the weekends because they don't like a few people who post a big score to be cut on Saturday? 

Don't be surprised if a year from now they are revisiting a solution to a problem only the first world could have found.

Time For Amateurs To Look Like Amateurs Again

Stories recommending how to make the U.S. Amateur more relevant have been written for some time now.

Doug Ferguson wrote this one back in 2005 that I blogged about.

I penned a Golfweek story last year suggesting that U.S. Amateur winners retain their U.S. Open exemption whether they turn pro or not.

Once counted as a major by Jack Nicklaus and a vital championship on the golf calendar, the U.S. Amateur has drifted to the back pages and in the ratings division. The amateur game has been weakened by few lifelong amateurs and players turning pro at increasingly younger ages.

But after last week's U.S. Amateur, I'm convinced the event is also undermined by players looking like pros. Maybe it's too subliminal and maybe the trend is irreversible, but I was struck by how many people noted when a player wore a corporate-affiliated hat or looked too much like a professional golfer.

College gear didn't seem to offend even though some of America's finest institutions might as well be corporations. Seeing a player advertising their school reminds us they are still an amateur. But young players looking like PGA Tour pros, down to scripted outfits and an overpolished look envisioned in a corporate meeting room, strips the event of its integrity.

Here is what the USGA's FAQ on Amateur Status says about free equipment and, in particular, clothing:

Yes. Even if you have golf skill or reputation, you may accept a reasonable amount of golf balls, golf clubs, clothing, shoes and other merchandise from a company or source dealing in these types of equipment (e.g., equipment manufacturer or golf shop). However, if you are considered to have golf skill or reputation, you must not advertise or promote the source of the equipment.

The act of wearing a scripted, logoed outfit and hat would seem to fall under the definition of advertising or promoting the source of your free equipment. Particularly the hat. 

The USGA did once try to regulate the logos, according to former Executive Director David Fay, who recalled amateurs at the 1989 event even being asked to cover manufacturer logos with duct tape. The USGA even offered the amateurs who made it to the TV rounds a free host-Club logo hat.  

"But it all started to feel (and look) silly to duct tape “Titleist”, when more and more 15 handicappers started wearing equipment-manufacturer hats and carrying equipment-manufacturer bags and head covers," says Fay.    

Indeed, golf has the equivalent now of cyclists who stumble into Starbucks in the logo-clad tights, as if they'd just finished the Bourg-Saint-Maurice Stage in the Tour De France. Logos are pervasive in our culture and even an attempt to look stylish or to subscribe to some sort of lifestyle brand. 

Nonetheless, amateurs sporting their preferred manufacturer's logos as a thank you for free equipment constitutes advertising as defined by the Rules of Golf. Worse, the look undermines the amateur in United States Amateur.

Bring back the duct tape. 

Slow Play Files Gone Mad: Of Course A Man Bit Another Man's Finger Off Over Not Playing Fast Enough

The finger biterer

It probably comes as little surprise that the severed digit story involved slow play (sorry to those who had "just plain hungry" and "someone drove into them" in the pool). 

Emily Sweeney of the Boston Globe reports on Derek Harkins' arraignment on charges of assault and battery after biting off Daniel Menton's finger in a Plymouth, Massachusetts brawl over slow play. 

Menton told police that he and seven others were playing the ninth hole when Harkins’s father, John, arrived in his golf cart and complained they were playing too slowly and cheating during an ongoing tournament.

Sevensome? What could go wrong?

Menton told police that he saw Derek Harkins following his father in his own golf cart “at a fast rate of speed” and that he had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. He said Harkins then sprang from the cart and punched him in the face.

Menton told police that they were wrestling on the ground when Harkins bit his finger.

Even better, there's video!

One of the golfers shared with the police a video of the moments when the combatants separated. “While viewing the video it was clear Derek Harkins was acting out of control and was trying to be restrained by the other individuals,’’ the report said. “It should be noted that there was blood coming from his mouth and face.”

What a fine story and image for the royal and ancient game!

On a serious note, the severed digit cannot be reattached. 

Wyndham Ratings Up A Bit, U.S. Amateur Flat For Final Match

While it's more fun to look at Tiger Woods-infused ratings, SBD's Josh Carpenter reported on the 2018 Wyndham Championship on CBS and U.S. Amateur ratings on Fox.

Neither was particularly staggering, but neither was a negative story either. 

The Wyndham's 1.9 for Brandt Snedeker's win was up from a 1.6 in 2017 and the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach drew a .4, the same as last year's thrilling finale between Doug Ghim and Doc Redman.

For Some Unknown Reason, Mark King Has A Job In Golf Again

Overcompensated retread alert!

Honma Golf USA is apparently unable to do basic Google searches to read up on how Mark King is not the man to run your equipment company unless you want an unhappy ending. 

The former Undercover Boss star who wheeled out multiple Taylor Made drivers in a year in a move that set the company back with consumers, advocated 15 inch cups, sat on the two-meeting PGA of America task force to grow the game and eventually found himself stashed in Adidas North America offices somewhere, is back running Honma Golf USA.  

Mike Stachura reports on King joining the Honma brand in what the former Taylor Made CEO calls a consulting role, though employees are already calling that nonsense. Great start!

“He’s in charge,” said one former Honma employee who requested anonymity. The employee indicated King’s position was announced internally at Honma last month. “It’s been in the works for awhile. Mark’s taking over everything.”

Got to love his description of the new boss, Chairman Liu of Honma.

“There were two things that made this attractive to me and the first one right away was him,” King said. “He doesn’t speak a lot of English, but his enthusiasm is mesmerizing. On top of that, with this brand, I see the opportunity to do different things, the right things for this brand, to understand who its customer is and how to reach that customer.

“He was interested in having someone help him who understands golf and understands golf in North America and how to present that brand to the market. My role is to help them build the brand.”

PGA Tour Enters A Legal Sports Betting State For The First Time Since Supreme Court Ruling...

The playoffs arrive in New Jersey and Ridgewood CC for the first time in a sports-betting legal state.

Rex Hoggard reports for GolfChannel.com on what this means in 2018. In a nutshell, the PGA Tour does not expect any issues.

Although New Jersey was among the first states to embrace sports betting, wagers are currently limited to a few casinos and racetracks.

“I wouldn’t say the gaming would be any different than what’s currently being offered in Las Vegas or elsewhere, win bets and that type of thing,” said Andy Levinson, the Tour’s senior vice president of tournament administration.

There is one potential area of intrigue: soft-launched mobile betting apps in beta form according to this item by Devin O'Connor. 

Resorts, one of the six Atlantic City casinos with sports gambling underway, received authorization with partner DraftKings from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (D) earlier this month for a soft-launch of mobile sports betting.

The app was released to a limited number of users. The DGE hasn’t said when it might permit Resorts and DraftKings to open up the app to the general public. Other casino sportsbooks are also in the process of releasing mobile sports betting platforms.

Of note will be if any of these mobile platforms offer negative outcome bets where a fan could interfere with play and profit. Presumably these beta apps are not offering anything that could derail their popularity or their coveted relationship with pro golf in the coming years. Presumably.