DeChambeau Takes First Two Playoff Events, Prepares From Coming Algorithmic Setback

The Reset Cup has long been a silly way to decide $10 million and will continue the silliness this year now that Bryson DeChambeau has won the first two legs of the playoffs. As Will Gray notes for GolfChannel.com, DeChambeau could WD from the BMW and still have the top seed heading to Atlanta. 

But not before the algorithms work their misery and chop back the excellence cushion he's built for the sake of one last confusing points battle until a new format is unveiled next year.  DeChambeau is taking the mathematic shenanigans in stride:

“Look, if a guy wins the first three playoff events, if that was ever to happen, you’re still not guaranteed to win the FedExCup,” he said. “So this week – it’s funny I say that – this week I’ve got to regroup, sit down, analyze what we could have done better out here and make those changes for next week so I can perform at a better level.”

Or, take the week off and not lose any advantage while catching up on your beloved sleep! Come on, you know you want to Bryson!

On a serious note, DeChambeau is a budding superstar and one of the game's elite players at 25, writes David Dusek for Golfweek. 

The highlights of a bittersweet day where TPC Boston says goodbye to annual hosting duties on Labor Day weekend, to be replaced by a biennial Northern Trust Open hosting in early August.

Video: New Angle, New Camera View Of Hatton's 18th Hole Near Hole-Out

Here was the original shot and replay from NBC posted by the PGA Tour if you didn't see Tyrrell Hatton's Sunday shot:

Could not be any closer to going in ...@TyrrellHatton's reaction is perfect. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/cIbTzdAyn4

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 2, 2018

But the angle you have to see aired on Monday's Dell Technologies final round telecast from TPC Boston. Stay with this super slow-mo, ground level doozy.  (Apologies for this version but I could not find a cleaner one on the PGA Tour, Golf Channel or NBC Sports accounts):

Here is Tyrrell Hatton’s shot from yesterday if you haven’t seen it. Never seen this happen before!! Crazy, how does the ball not drop!! @DellTechChamp @TPCBoston #DragsterBall #PureSpin ⛳️⛳️ pic.twitter.com/I1cU4zBwRU

— Tim Dennis (@TDennisSportTog) September 3, 2018

Instagram Trophy Wrap: Sunday Winners Wallace, Alex, McCarron, Hickok, Wilson, USA Women

While the Dell Technologies crowns a champion on Monday, Labor Day weekend's Sunday gave away mostly straightforward hardware. And yes, I'm lumping in Jeff Wilson's U.S. Senior Amateur win from a few days ago, because, why not?

Congrats to all of the big winners, starting with three-time European Tour winner in 2018 Matt Wallace, who birdied seven of eight holes coming in and survived an all-English, four-man playoff. For his effort, he won the largest salad bowl in golf:

A winner again 🏆🙌🏼 #MiD18

A post shared by European Tour (@europeantour) on Sep 2, 2018 at 9:35am PDT

Marina Alex claimed her first LPGA title in Portland:

@marinaaadee FIRST EVER #LPGAWinnerSelfie 🤳👏🏽⛳️

A post shared by Cambia Portland Classic (@lpgaportlandclassic) on Sep 2, 2018 at 7:59pm PDT

Scott McCarron earned both a hat he'll never wear again and a trophy he'll hide ASAP in winning the Shaw Classic.

😁 he couldn’t stop smiling. @shawclassic

A post shared by PGA TOUR Champions (@pgatourchampions) on Sep 2, 2018 at 5:26pm PDT

Kramer Hickok adds another breakthrough win for Texas men's golf in 2018, taking the Web.com Tour's DAP Championship.

“Looking back, six years ago, I couldn’t even start on the @texasmgolf team. Now I’m sitting here holding the @dapchamp trophy, getting ready to go to the @pgatour. I’ve worked my butt off, and it’s just validation.” For @kramerhickok, practice has indeed paid off. 🏆

A post shared by Web.com Tour (@webdotcomtour) on Sep 2, 2018 at 3:20pm PDT

Nice work by Jeff Wilson in finally winning a USGA event by taking the U.S. Senior Amateur at Eugene Country Club last week.

The #USSeniorAm champion and his 🏆. (📷 USGA/J.D. Cuban)

A post shared by United States Golf Association (@usga) on Aug 30, 2018 at 11:25am PDT

And finally, congrats to the American women at the World Amateur Team at Carlton House.

Congrats to Kristen Gillman, Jennifer Kupcho, Lilia Vu and captain Stasia Collins on bringing home another Women’s World Amateur Team Championship title for the 🇺🇸!! #WATC2018 📸USGA/Steven Gibbons

A post shared by United States Golf Association (@usga) on Sep 1, 2018 at 11:11am PDT

Europe's Ryder Cup Eight Set, Bjorn Has "One Little Doubt" On Picks

Let the politics begin!

Now that Europe's eight automatic qualifiers have been determined for the 2018 Ryder Cup--and they even gathered for a picture already, imagine that!--we are left to wonder who will fill out the team. 

First, the eight who make it to Paris based on European and World points:

Eight down. Four to go 🇪🇺#TeamEurope #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/B0WrdASPfV

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 2, 2018

Captain Thomas Bjorn has quite the decision before him after Matt Wallace won his third European Tour event of the season, yet is well down both points lists, starting with the European list where he resides several other contenders for a pick:

Same story with the World list:

According to this Sky Sports report, Bjorn is solid on two picks but still has some thinking to do. 

"I'm pretty set on two or three names," Bjorn told Sky Sports. "We've still got a bit of discussion to do and a bit of golf to watch in America over the next few days and then we'll see.

"I'm pretty much there in my head of how I see this team being and how I want to try and mix and match everyone, but there's still one little doubt in my head."

Alistair Tait at Golfweek with more on Wallace, his amazing finish Sunday and the Englishman's unexpected rise in short time. Will it be enough?

Given that Captain Bjorn has emphasized form, it would appear the final pick is down to Sergio Garcia vs. Wallace, Rafa Babrera Bello, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Russell Knox and Eddie Pepperell. Got to go with the three-time winner this year, right?

Chris Kirk: “The driver and the ball don't go any further than they did eight years ago."

Rex Hoggard on Chris Kirk's post-67 comments about "everyone missing" how the manufacturers have not made better equipment, it's just fitting and, sigh, better athletes who are propelling distance increases (including a major spike this year.)

From GolfChannel.com:

“The driver and the ball don't go any further than they did eight years ago. That's the thing that everybody is missing,” said Kirk, who opened with a 67 for a share of the early lead at the Dell Technologies Championship. “Guys are making it go further. People wanting to change the rule and change the ball and change the stuff, it doesn't matter.”

And there's why we don't consider PGA Tour pros as futurists.

Johnny: 50 Years On The Road May Be Enough

Sounds like Johnny Miller is about ready to hang up his IFB even though he's still the one-and-only-Johnny.

From Doug Ferguson's AP notes column:

“It’s been 50 years on the road, and part of me is saying, ’That’s enough,’” Miller said Tuesday to promote the Safeway Open in Napa, California. “I haven’t gotten to that point yet. They’re still trying to convince me to keep going. So we’ll see. I usually listen to my gut, so to speak, and my wife. Right now, I am planning on scaling down even more. We’ll see what happens. Maybe I will say, ‘Hey, one more year.’”

Sexism Alive And Well Files: "If a No. 1 player can’t get replacement clubs after a long and successful relationship, what kind of message does that send to up-and-comers?"

Forgive me for not seeing Beth Ann Nichols' Golfweek story from two weeks ago, but Bellerive had that kind of transitory effect. Anyway, we discussed on the latest State of The Game the absurdity of this story. Given the amount of free stuff given to young male golfers--young being 14 and up--the notion that a company said no to a future Hall of Famer, all-time great and player who actually might influence buying habits, I'm not sure if there is any way to defend the actions of Taylor Made as they relate to Inbee Park.

Here is Nichols' setup, though there is much more in the piece about issues LPGA players face in getting equipment as the free stuff flows on the male amateur and pro side of the sport:

Two months ago, when Inbee Park was No. 1, caddie Brad Beecher reached out to a TaylorMade rep on behalf of Park to get replacements for the 3-wood, 5-wood and two Rescue clubs she had in her bag. Park is a Srixon staff player but is only required to have nine Srixon clubs in the bag. For more than five years she has played with four TaylorMade woods. That timespan includes six of her seven majors, an Olympic gold medal and more than 100 weeks as the No. 1 player in the world.

Park received the same response as several other LPGAers: A new company policy stipulates that players must use a TaylorMade driver to get free product.

Anyone who has seen Park play in person is immediately struck by how well she plays her fairway woods to make up for less length off the tee. Next, you are struck by how beloved she is with Korean golf fans. One might think this would lead to companies lining up to stock her locker with fairway woods. All in hopes of being associated with an all time great and the strongest part of her game, driver counts be damned.

Apparently not for all. Taylor Made's response:

When asked to comment on their policy regarding Park, a TaylorMade representative said, “We don’t share information around our relationships with athletes (contracted or non-contracted) due to confidentiality reasons.”

It's a rare misstep from a player-friendly company and one that sadly screams of short-sightedness at best, whiffs of sexism at the very least.

Patrick Reed Gets Free Red Sox Tickets, Complains About Placement In The "Line Drive" Section

Just when you felt like we were turning a corner, the PGA Tour's 21st century Bobby Joe Grooves took to Instagram to complain about free tickets to Fenway Park in the "line drive" section that prompted him to spend $650 on an upgrade that put him with other PGA Tour players who, hint, hint, got the good seats to begin with. And you wonder why Jay Monahan is prematurely grey?

Thank you @pgatour for the tickets to the @RedSox game tonight. I love how you put my wife, sister in law and myself in the line drive section. We paid $650 to upgrade our seats and ended up in the same section as the rest of the @PGATOUR! #frontrow

A post shared by Patrick Reed (@preedgolf) on Aug 29, 2018 at 6:19pm PDT

The comments are pretty spectacular, as you might imagine for this case of extra-perverted first world griping over being too close to the action. For free. At Fenway. On a beautiful summer night. With your lovely wife. The year you won The Masters. 

State Of The Game Podcast 81: The Match, Waugh As PGA CEO And Sexism In The Free Equipment World

We kept it varied and light on a rambling cross-section of State of The Game topics with Rod Morri and Mike Clayton. As always, you can subscribe in the usual places or listen below:

Sometimes there is so much to talk about you don't need a guest and episode 81 of State of the Game comes at just such a time. From the Tiger/Phil big money match to reactions to Bellerive to Inbee Park's slap in the face from one of the game's biggest manufacturers and the possibility of a PGA and PGA Tour merger, its all happening in the world of golf.

DJ Tests Jack's 1-Iron And Persimmon Driver, Early Reports Suggest He Survives The Experience

We don't have all of the Trackman numbers, but with Jack Nicklaus' old 1-iron and driver it's said Dustin Johnson hit the ball 232 yards and 290 yards, respectively. 

Even better he survived the experience of hitting those non-game-growing, too-hard-to-hit clubs that somehow did not kill the game. Worse, it grew when people hit the ball shorter! Perish the thought!

Cool experience today at Bears Club. @jacknicklaus and @garyplayer wanted to see @DJohnsonPGA hit Jack’s old 1 iron and Persimmon driver. pic.twitter.com/eX0joF4AgQ

— Dustin Johnson Golf School (@DJGolfSchool) August 29, 2018

Poll: Should Jim Furyk Revisit A Tiger-Phil Ryder Cup Pairing?

While Eamon Lynch at Golfweek joins the choir of Phil Mickelson dissenters in saying Lefty should be left off the 2018 Ryder Cup team, we all know he's going to be on the team because of his match play prowess and ability to elevate the game of a younger playing partner (see Bradley, Fowler, Kisner). 

Given the unsuccessful 2004 Ryder Cup pairing by Captain Hal Sutton, the idea seems implausible, yet they each may play just 18 a day in Paris and could make for a natural pairing. I say no way, Jaime Diaz in today's Alternate Shot said yes it should happen. 

Since we all need a mental break from the relentless stress of PGA Tour Playoff golf, let's focus on the Ryder Cup and ask, should Tiger and Phil be paired together at some point?

Should Jim Furyk Pair Phil Mickelson And Tiger Woods Up For A 2018 Ryder Cup Match?

Yes

No

 

pollcode.com free polls

Made In Denmark Deja Vu All Over Again? Thomas Pieters Is Coming Up On The Ryder Cup Rail

The 2016 Made In Denmark Open winner is back and again on the outside looking in for a Ryder Cup pick. He can't make the team on points but a pick is not out of the question given the suspect play of Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson.

Pieters been playing beautifully, briefly snuck into PGA Championship contention Sunday and was a big success story in the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. 

Paired the first two days with vice captain Lee Westwood and likely team member Thorbjørn Olesen, Pieters is doing something this week that Stenson and Garcia are not doing in Europe this week before Captain Bjorn makes his picks next Wednesday: playing on the European Tour!

I make my case on today's Alternate Shot for player with the most to gain this week while Jaime Diaz went the PGA Tour Champions route:

New PGA CEO Waugh Goes Corporate On The Distance Issue, For Now

Rex Hoggard got the first chat with new PGA CEO Seth Waugh for GolfChannel.com. 

On the distance issue:

SW: I have an opinion as a golfer, but not as a CEO yet. I pride myself on coming in without preconceived notions and hearing all the sides and I haven’t done that yet. I don’t think you can do this without the sign-on of these 29,000 [members].

I think golf should be more fun instead of less fun. I don’t think we need to make the game harder.

I look forward to getting in the middle of the conversation, but it’s premature to give an opinion because it’s not informed without hearing all the sides of the argument.

Hmmmm...cryptic on his views as a golfer. 

Waugh endorsed the PGA of America team and vision in place from his predecessor Pete Bevacqua:

SW: [Bevacqua] has done a great job. The association is in the best shape, probably ever. The Ryder Cup is bigger than it’s ever been. We’re going to do a TV contract that is bigger than it’s ever been in the past. The status of the brand, the level that he created by being at the table, has never been higher.

The cool thing for me is how do we optimize that? There are two ways to take things over, to redo and clean up and the other is it’s on a roll and you want to continue to reach higher highs, and that’s where we are.

Waugh also appeared on Golf Central from the NBC affiliate WPTV where the busy newsroom nonsense didn't cause him to flinch once. Something tells me Waugh's going to make having an in-house studio priority #1 in the next PGA of America headquarters!

Here is the full interview with Ryan Burr, who asks at the 4-minute mark about the possibility of a PGA Tour merger and says there is "no fire" where the smoke is coming from.

Commissioner Jay Monahan welcomed Waugh with this Instagram post:

Other than my family, this is the only framed photo I have on my desk in my office. It’s Seth Waugh and I walking together during the (then) Deutsche Bank Championship pro-am. We came together in 2002 to build a PGA TOUR event in Boston, which started as a Fall Series event and is now a part of our FedExCup Playoffs. Seth cares deeply about the game and is a brilliant hire to lead the PGA of America.

A post shared by Jay Monahan (@pgatourcommish) on Aug 28, 2018 at 10:44am PDT

Malbon Golf: From Instagram Account To Partnering With Puma

There are plenty of Instagram accounts turning into something their creators could not have imagined, so it's fun to see a few in golf joining the fray by making businesses out of good taste and fresh ideas. Even more fascinating: seeing the brands who are saddling up to them for products.

Golfweek's Brentley Romine with Malbon Golf's success story, which jumped to another level beyond pop-up shop and place where the cool kids go after they launched a stellar-looking new line with Puma last week. 

Last year the vision gained strength when Malbon Golf opened a pop-up shop on 800 N. Fairfax Ave. in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles. Since its opening, the shop, which features a boutique store accompanied by a putting green and golf simulator, has welcomed guests ranging from Michelle Wie and Smylie Kaufman to Travis Scott and Justin Bieber.

Several collaborations have added to the snowball effect, as Malbon has teamed up with several companies, including Puma, Nike, Ecco and Jones Bag, to produce merchandise and apparel featuring the trendy Malbon logo – a golf ball wearing a hat; simple but stylish.

An Instagram account originally started as a way for Malbon to not annoy his non-golf-loving followers of his personal account has more than 37,000 followers. 

Why Seth Waugh Took The PGA Of America CEO Job And The Potentially Seismic Megadeal Now In The Cards

The rumblings in recent weeks have been met with an understandable: "Yes, that's a nice rumor but Seth doesn't need that job or want it," the power players would say when Seth Waugh was suggested as the leading candidate to become PGA of America CEO. 

Now that the former Deutsche Bank CEO and current PGA of America advisory board member has been officially announced as Pete Bevacqua's replacement, the question will still be asked: why is an executive of his prowess, reputation, bank account and career arc taking on this position?

Or, to put it less-tactfully, why would a 60-year-old with ten club memberships, a net worth of $80 million, expensive homes in nice places and golf's most glorious tan/hair combo want to hear from 29,000 members about their excessive dues?  Or, more alarmingly, report to a Grand Jury-sized board that forcefully condemns social media dust-ups but supports drunk drivers in leadership positions?

A) His love of golf is well established. Deutsche Bank built an incredible tour event in Boston in short time under his watch, one that sadly (and ironically) dies this week under the Dell Technologies banner due to changes in the PGA Tour schedule and post-2008 priority changes for his former employer. 

B) Waugh was tight with former CEO Bevacqua, has been/continues to be a mentor to current PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, and at 60 can only play so much golf.  Also, this is an organization in the sport he loves, based (at least for now) near his winter home, seems like a wise way to stay in the game of dealmaking and keeps in him in the golf and business game.

C) He's well versed in the PGA's current issues and may see an opportunity to make a major deal.  So, what is that megadeal?

Well, what would be a fun, creative and utterly jaw-dropping collaborative negotiation that tickles the senses of a CEO like Waugh and allows him to work with people he likes (Waugh has a well-known no &**hole policy that does limit how many people in golf he can negotiate with)?

How about a stronger partnership with the PGA Tour? Or, more intriguingly, a merger?

Consider what currently sits before the PGA of America: an expiring television contract for the PGA Championship and a possible headquarters move to Frisco, Texas. Those are big ticket items that will shape the organization for decades to come and left by Pete Bevacqua for the next CEO when he moved to NBC Sports.  Does Seth Waugh really take the PGA job to quibble with a Mark Lazarus or Sean McManus over commercial breaks-per-hour and then have a celebratory dinner when the deal is done? When he could be playing Cypress Point or Seminole or National Golf Links?

Probably not. But stranger things have happened.

And does a CEO of Waugh's stature take a day job at this point in his life to fly to Frisco, Texas to hear about the amazing millennial-friendly townhouses they'll be building and to help pick out LED lighting for a headquarters building?

Probably not. But stranger things have happened.

No, Seth Waugh taking the PGA of America job screams eventual merger. Or, "enhanced partnership," though technically this will marriage number two for those who sell sweaters and those who get paid to wear logoed sweaters.

After all, they were married for a time and divorced in 1968. It wasn't pretty but you know what they say, time heals all wounds!

What would incentivize these two to get hitched?

Money, of course. 

Let's start with the easy issue: office space.

If the two organizations joined forces, here's betting the PGA Tour could find room in their new Foster-designed headquarters. It's not Palm Beach, but it's also not Frisco for the PGA of America staff who would still like to serve the members and keep their jobs in a place where palm trees don't wilt. There would undoubtedly be consolidation on some fronts, though the PGA of America is a pretty lean operation. 

But here's where a merger makes sense: power, money and branding.

Rights to PGA of America's PGA Championship expire for CBS in 2019. The PGA Tour's rights expire in 2021 with the networks and Golf Channel. It is no secret that the PGA Tour would like its own channel or an ownership stake in NBC's Golf Channel. They passed up that opportunity when the current deal was negotiated but these two entities begin a new streaming partnership in 2019 for PGA Tour Live. 

Currently, two major media corporations have shown a love of golf and content: Comcast and AT&T, headed by two CEO's--Brian Roberts of Comcast and Randal Stephenson of AT&T--are both Augusta National members who sign big checks in golf and are lodged in megadeal madness to expand their companies. 

How does a stronger partnership serve the PGA Tour and PGA of America members?

The deal would give the PGA Tour ownership of a major championship and partial ownership of the Ryder Cup.  A deal would put an end to the meaningless but vanity-destroying confusion over PGA Tour vs. PGA of America. And most of all, such a partnership would further convince one of those two media companies to respect their position in the form of dollars in some way. The PGA of America's members will have to get something out of all of this, but what that would be, remains unclear. 

How does a possible merger serve the fans?

I haven't a clue. But none of the above-mentioned power players hopes to be in golf for the next few decades only to get on the bad side of consumers and to scare off subscribers. They want to make money, make deals and extend their reach. They like golf. 

Still, mergers of non-profits (haruumph!) should deliver something tangible and exciting. And that's why Seth Waugh's decision to take the CEO job could lead to some big and compelling moves.