Golf's Most Basic Tenet Is Now A Grey Area: Why That's Not A Good Way To Go

Social media continues to bicker over Lexi Thompson’s clearance for what would have been an clear breach under the old Rules of Golf, but as Alistair Tait notes here, things seem to be murkier now with the R&A not penalizing Thompson.

The key issue: the R&A was ok with Thompson moving something behind her ball because it appeared to move back to its original position. The rule as 13-2 would not allow such a grey area, as Tait writes:

Whether the lie returned exactly to its original conditions is clearly a moot point. What isn’t moot is that Thompson made no effort to restore the original lie. The inference here is that Mother Nature decided to interfere by restoring the original condition, therefore there was no breach.

I can’t find the clause in either of my rule books that says if you improve your lie but the ball returns naturally to its original condition then you’re off the hook. You might struggle to find it, too.

Thompson, who was penalised four shots after replacing her ball incorrectly at the 17th hole during the third round of the 2017 ANA inspiration, is extremely lucky not to have been penalised on this occasion. She would have been penalised under the old Rules of Golf. There was no grey area surrounding old Rule 13-2, which dealt with this situation.

There are plenty of grey areas surrounding our rules now. Maybe too many.

Let’s forget the obvious issues with playing it as it lies and spell it out for commissioners and governing bodies of the world intoxicated by playing prowess over rules sanctity these days. A common reaction to Thompson’s actions went something like this: if she did that in my group, at my club or in the Yucatan National Thursday night league play, she’d be penalized.

The idea that the golfing public has higher standards these days should be troubling for Commissioners and governing bodies who want to coddle players instead of dishing out penalties. And for the corporations overpaying to sponsor events because the competitors are seen as more righteous than other athletes, when will this perception of pro golfers living above the rules cause them consternation?

Not enforcing the rules, including the biggest and most important of them all, could end up becoming very costly for the pro game.

Low Scoring And Why It's Okay To Credit The Technology

I’m not a huge fan of using low scoring to make the case to tighten up the equipment rules in the name of protecting skill. When scores aren’t low, the we technophobes hear stuff such as, “see, nothing to see here!” The same folks can’t be found when records are broken. Or they just chalk it up to modern athletes, arguably the last thing explaining an efficient scoring week.

So when players post a 59 and a 60 on the same day—under the relentless strain of PGA Tour Playoff pressure—it would be easy to highlight how overmatched TPC Boston looks. (Particularly when Dustin Johnson went out in 27, birdied the 10th and 11th, and seemed destined to shoot 57. )

But we know Tom Brodeur’s crew presents typically outstanding conditions. Players are usually peaking in August. And the updated modern design already appears overmatched by modern distances. Still, it’s notable how various intrusions of technological advances—clubs, balls, launch monitors, green reading books—are rarely cited in the scoring conversation.

Take Saturday’s CBS discussion citing consistency of agronomy (Dottie Pepper) and “quality of play” or “quality of setup” (Nick Faldo). No one mentioned clubs and balls which, if taken away from the players and replaced with something from 5, 10 or 15 years ago, seems more likely to impact the scoring.

Justin Thomas was asked Friday about the rounds and also noted player superiority over any outside influences:

I could play really, really great rounds and be 9-under going into 17, 18, instead of 10 or 11. It is, it's extremely impressive, and I said it a couple years ago, I still think someone is going to shoot a 56 or 57 or 58 on TOUR, whether it's next couple years or ten or 15 years. We're all getting so much better and especially if you get a place like this with really good greens, and if it's soft, we're pretty good with our distance control and pretty good at golf to where we get it rolling, who knows what it happen.

Players deserve credit for their role in performing so well, but why is it so seemingly off-limits to admit that technological advances in equipment, agronomy, club fitting, are the greatest influence of all? Or worse, an apparent insult to a modern golfer to suggest they are producing incredible scores thanks to improved implements.

PS - you’re paid to say the clubs and balls are the greatest ever made, so do it!

Phil Heads To Branson For His Champions Tour Debut

What a shame that Branson’s theaters are shut down right now. A little time in Missouri’s creative hotbed could motivate Phil Mickelson to stave off that next career option, the PGA Tour Champions.

As COVID-19 has halted Branson's Famous Baldknobbers, some shows by people you did not know still inhabited Earth, and even a few family-friendly Andy Williams tributes, Mickelson would not have time any way. He’s only got 48 hours to prepare for battles against the likes of Blake, Perry and Parel in the “Charles Schwab Series” at Ozark National.

From Ryan Lavner’s GolfChannel.com report at the Northern Trust, where Mickelson was eliminated from the playoffs:

“I feel like coming into this event I’ve been playing really well at home. I was excited to play. And I feel like I’ve been playing decent,” said Mickelson, who was set to miss The Northern Trust cut at even-par 142. “So I want to play. I really want to play golf. So that’ll give me a chance to play three competitive rounds.”

Video: "Meet the 10-year-old golf phenom who’s already compared to Tiger Woods"

NBC’s Blayne Alexander introduces us to Xeve Perez, a 10-year-old phenom born premature at 20 weeks and weighing just three pounds. He took up golf at 18…months and is said to have won his first tournament at three. Just work with me here. It’s a good feature.

Anyway, he’s picked up plenty of wins since, is Georgia’s top ranked player in the 12 to 14 division even though he’s just ten. Also, he’d love to play Augusta some day. The 2026 Masters is penciled in right now and looking at that swing he’s got a shot.

Stick around for the live discussion and input from Today’s resident golfer Carson Daly. It’s fun stuff.

Today In The Struggle To Play It As It Lies, Files: R&A Clears Thompson Of Breach

The ongoing trend of top players fiddling, pushing, mashing, digging and generally meddling immediately behind their ball continued Thursday at Troon.

This time it was Lexi Thompson in the AIG Womens’s Open who appeared to push aside some meddlesome Marram, but was cleared by the R&A of a Rule 8.1 breach because the grass returned to its original location. From Beth Ann Nichols’ report:

Yesterday, as part of its normal TV review procedures, The R&A viewed Lexi Thompson’s actions prior to playing her second shot at the 16th hole in round one of the AIG Women’s Open. 

Following a discussion between Chief Referee David Rickman and the player prior to her signing her scorecard it was determined that, although the player had moved a growing natural object behind her ball, it had returned to its original position. 

Thompson posted rounds of 78-75 and will miss the cut.

Here is the video:

Literally just turned on the coverage of Women’s Open Championship to see this 😳@mikeclaytongolf @GeoffShac @Rod_Morri pic.twitter.com/HQe4OFLh7T

— Rob Williamson (@Yeti2319) August 21, 2020

In the last year we’ve had Reed, Kuchar and Rahm incidents, a chance to reset the demise of play it as it lies, and a need for someone to explain to players how bad this looks.

But I have good news! In the era of sports betting, with the PGA Tour now advertising prices on telecasts, the gamblers will eventually warrant a crackdown if the tours want that hard-earned betting money.

After Strong 2020, Berger A Little Baffled At Lack Of Masters Invite

When the Masters was postponed to November and the field frozen at 96, a Daniel Berger was bound to happen.

Ryan Lavner explains why the most consistent player this year before and after the pandemic is an obvious serious omission from the current Masters field. He’s now 18th in the world, 7th in the FedExCup standings and a winner at Colonial this year.

Augusta National said any players who win a Tour event this summer and during the fall portion of the 2020-21 season – or qualify through any of the other avenues such as high finishes in the majors – would earn an invitation to the 2021 event.

“I’m not sure what else I have to do at this point to get into Augusta,” he said. “I’m a little baffled that I haven’t had more opportunity to at least hear from some of the guys over there and have a chance, obviously. The field was set, but – I don’t know if I could say I deserve a spot, but I feel like I’m playing well enough to earn a spot into the Masters.”

With the November days already extremely short for a very decent-sized Masters field, adding invitations at this point seems logistically impossible.

So unless past champions past their prime to sit this one out to help get a player like Berger in, I can’t see a solution that allows the Masters to reverse course.

2K21 Allows Users To Create, Play And Share Custom-Designed Courses

From Nick Menta’s review of a big return to golf gaming with a fun design touch:

As someone who’s been playing PGA Tour video games since 1999, this was the one thing I always wanted from EA Sports: the ability to create my own courses or to recreate courses that EA simply couldn’t license. Once I got that from HB Studios in "The Golf Club," I found myself pining for what I had with EA: Tour branding, Tour pros, Tour courses.

This game, finally, has both.

It’s been awhile since users could design their own or, thinking out loud here, a design of merit that could not be licensed. As someone totally oblivious to this world, I’m eager to hear what ways this addition potentially influences interest in the game and course design.

Today In The Distance Debate: Why A Workable Solution $eems Unlikely

MorningRead.com’s Gary Van Sickle looks at all of the distance forces in play and not to be a spoiler, but there is money involved. And a lot of people who will take the cash over supporting what might be the right thing for golf’s sustainability and interest.

I was pleased to see he mentioned a slightly larger ball, though I’m not sure from some informal Callaway Magna testing that the distance fallout would be as great for hacks as Van Sickle thinks:

The laws of friction will reduce its flight. That’s been done before. The British “small ball” was used in the United Kingdom until late in the 20th century, and it went farther than the slightly larger American model. Another bump on ball size could do the trick, although amateurs would protest vehemently.

Another option would be to limit ball dimples and their shapes, in hopes of taking another percentage point or two off ball flight and by giving golf balls more curve than today’s forgiving models. We’re in a golden age of golf-ball technology. The old balls, when mis-hit, curved way off-line. Not anymore. More spin would bring more skill back.

"What’s it like to caddie with Tiger Woods? Incredible..."

Golf.com’s Dylan Dethier tracked down Alex Fernandez, whose son was recently paired with Charlie Woods and his caddie, Tiger. While I’m never comfortable with the viral photos shared of Woods’ children just being kids, unless shared by Tiger, Dethier does a nice job addressing what it’s like to be at a U.S. Kids event where one of the two best to ever play the game is a looper.

It’s a long story about how things played out, including how young Fernandez had his instructor on the bag. But it’s a fun read and doesn’t feel intrusive. There is also this point that was largely all I could think about:

Better yet, Jonah had acquitted himself well. “I was so proud of him because he just played so well,” Payne said. “I don’t mean like, scores, I’m not going to talk about that. But I can’t imagine being 11 and trying to play golf in front of Tiger Woods. It was awesome.”

Slumbers on R&A Hosting The Women's Open This Week

A question I’ve seen asked a fair amount with this week’s AIG Women’s Open and two men’s majors to go: why didn’t they reschedule The Open for the fall?

Given that events are proceeding without horrible travel restrictions and other constraints, it’s a fair question. But the R&A had pandemic insurance and there was this, in Ewan Murray’s Guardian story quoting Chief Executive Martin Slumbers suggests the R&A only recently saw an opportunity to play this week at Royal Troon:

“But if I’m really honest, it was probably only a month or so ago that we were really comfortable that we could get this away. It has been an enormous effort by an enormous number of people, and our thanks go to not just our partners but the government both in Westminster and Scotland who have been tireless in helping us try and make a statement of putting this championship on.”

So Not Everyone Loves Links Golf: England's Charley Hull Confirms Her Longing For Tree-Lined Courses On Open Eve

As the AIG Women’s Open Championship kicks off at historic Royal Troon, one of England’s great hopes admitted she is not fan of links golf.

Ewan Murray reports for The Guardian from Troon on Charley Hull’s forthright assessment of links golf:

The prospect of Charley Hull ending her wait for a major title this weekend at Royal Troon has diminished after the 24-year-old admitted her indifference towards links golf. Hull risked offending those immersed in the ancient form of the sport by admitting she will visualise holes at the famous Ayrshire venue lined with trees during the Women’s Open when it begins on Thursday.

“I’m not the biggest fan of links golf,” said Hull. “I like playing with my friends and stuff as a bit of fun but I find it hard to score around sometimes. I like parkland golf courses and American-style.”

“I just try to picture the fairways being tree-lined because I like really, really tight golf courses. I like to feel like tunnel vision, where this is kind of open and flat and it’s hard to pick your lines because it’s hard to pick out the fairways sometimes. So you’ve just got to be really focused.”

Well then, we’ll be looking elsewhere with our investment strategies this week.

Collin Morikawa Isn't Sure Where The Infamous PGA-Winning Driver Will End Up

AP’s Doug Ferguson looks back at Collin Morikawa’s 2020 PGA Championship win at Harding Park and tries to pin down the winner on where various historic artifacts are headed. The caddy gets the loathsome Giants-themed bag. How about the shoes and the world famous driver? Morikawa isn’t sure.

“The driver, who knows when TaylorMade is going to come out with a new one and I’ve got to switch,” Morikawa said. “I’ll probably just mark it with a little ‘PGA Championship,’ maybe a Sharpie on the head to remember it.”

And then?

“Probably just stick in my other bags at home when I start collecting them and they start piling up,” he said. “I really don’t know.”

There will be plenty of prominent places happy to display that one when it loses it’s place in the rotation.

Playoffs: Brooks Koepka's "Season" Ends Due To Injury

With two majors looming, Brooks Koepka might get well in time for his favorite events. But in withdrawing from this week’s Northern Trust at TPC Boston, the gym-rat and major-slayer is also giving us a peak into the future of issues facing “athletes” in golf.

From Ryan Lavner’s bleak assessment of Koepka’s physical health and WD from the Boston stop, which also means no more 2019-20 playoff events:

The 3 1/2-month coronavirus shutdown should have come at a perfect time. Gifted a total reset, he could rest and rehab his body. He could sort out his swing. But other than a sterling final round at the RBC Heritage, he wasn’t a factor until his title defense at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, where he chased Justin Thomas down the stretch before a water ball on the 72nd hole. The following week, at the PGA, he was two shots off the lead heading into the final round before fading badly on Sunday. He’ll end this lost season with only two top-25s in 13 starts.

Good news? The man now synonymous with majors has plenty to get well for. Assuming a surgeon’s scalpel isn’t needed before then.

"Hosted Experiences" The First Effort To Welcome Back Golf Fans

Rex Hoggard looks at the “hosted experiences” apparent to viewers duing last week’s Wyndham through the eyes of Tournament Director Mark Brazil. He saw the addition of a few guests to get some sponsors on site and commence what will be a slow, challenging process in eventually welcoming spectators back to tournaments.

“It’s better than nothing and it allowed us to give a special thank you to Wyndham and all the key sponsors who stayed with us,” said Mark Brazil, the Wyndham Championship tournament director. “It wasn’t the 5,000 we planned on a day but I think the Tour has made the right call as far as fans go.”

Brazil built three hospitality-style tents adjacent to the 18th green to accommodate what the Tour has dubbed a “hosted experience.” What that means varies wildly from market to market depending on local and state COVID-19 regulations, but at the Wyndham it meant that 25 guests were allowed to gather outside and 10 were allowed inside the tents.

It seems, at least based on what we know now about COVID-19 spread, that the golf course and even outdoor hospitality areas will generally be safe if spaced. It’s getting to the site—without a long shuttle bus ride—that will be a long term issue for many tournaments.

Oh, and we’ll need some form of rapid testing and a system to confirm one is asymptomatic. And eventually, get everyone inoculated against the virus. No problema!

Laura Davis Teeing Off First In The Open, But About That Wind Forecast...

Slow play is a focus as the women turn up at Royal Troon for a major and, other than Laura Davies going out first to set the pace, the forecast calls major gusts by 9 am. So how long golf can be played remains to be seen.

From Beth Ann Nichols story on Davies, playing in her 40th Open, also working this week for Sky’s broadcast team.

“I played 18 holes yesterday morning at 7:30, basically on my own, in two hours and 15 minutes,” said Davies, “played every hole properly, chipped and putted on quite a few. I’m not saying we can get ’round in two hours and 15 minutes, but we should be ’round in under four, as long as the weather is not crazy. If the weather is crazy then obviously you get up on those holes around the turn, anything can happen. You can spend half an hour on the tee if you’re unlucky.”

The weather on Thursday doesn’t look promising, with wind gusts of up to 55 to 60 mph predicted around 9 a.m. Tournament Troon will look nothing like what they’ve faced in the practice rounds thanks to what they’re calling, “Storm Ellen.”

Martin Dempster points out how the R&A is preparing for delay scenarios, including shortening of the tournament or a 36-hole Sunday. A Monday finish is not in the cards.

In the event of a “significant amount of playing time” being lost on the first two days, the number of players making the cut could be reduced from the intended top 65 and ties, something that would be beneficial if the target was to play two rounds on Sunday.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy for the next two days,” predicted Slumbers, both in terms of the challenge facing the players and the R&A’s team of rules officials. “We are easing the golf course as much as we can to make it as playable because we want a spectacle. But we have not taken the full teeth out of the golf course.”

For American viewers, the tournament airtimes:

Golf Channel (Eastern):

Thursday         5:30-8:30 a.m. / 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (Live) / 1:30-4:30 a.m. (Friday replay)

Friday             5:30-8:30 a.m. / 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (Live) / 1:30-4:30 a.m. (Saturday replay)

Saturday          9 a.m.-Noon (Live) / 11:30 p.m.-3 a.m. (Sunday replay)           

Sunday            8 a.m.-Noon (Live) / 12:30-3 a.m. (Monday replay)

NBC (Eastern):

Saturday          Noon-2 p.m. (Live)

Sunday            Noon-1 p.m. (Live)