Respectable Northern Trust, Women's Open Ratings On Busy Sports Weekend

With a rain-delayed, Dustin Johnson 11-stroke runaway and loads of competition, CBS should not have drawn any audience for the 2020 Northern Trust Open. Instead, Sunday’s respectable 1.52 and 2.279 million average viewership is miraculous given competition with the NBA and NHL playoffs, the Indy 500, NASCAR and regional MLB action.

As always, the full listing and context can be found at ShowBuzzDaily.

A few other observations:

—The AIG Women’s British drew poor numbers on Golf Channel, particularly given the recent spike in morning golf viewing. The miniscule 245,000 average for the Sunday morning final round makes the one-hour handoff numbers on NBC (.64/886,000) that much more impressive.

—One hour shows on NBC gave the women network exposure and a tighter broadcast window that led to the decent .62/897,000 average.

**CBS offered this ratings summation of their season and 11-week restart run:

CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2020 PGA TOUR season scored big with viewers, as the network delivered its best viewership average and highest-rated PGA TOUR season since 2015.

Overall, CBS Sports’ coverage of the PGA TOUR season was up +17% in viewership and +21% in national household rating/share vs. last year, averaging 2.495 million viewers and a 1.7/5 rating/share for the 14 events, respectively.   

 Since the return to live golf in June, which began at the Charles Schwab Challenge and concluded with THE NORTHERN TRUST, CBS Sports’ PGA TOUR viewership was up +22% vs. the comparable events last year, averaging 2.381 million viewers. The national household rating/share was up +23%, scoring a 1.6/5 rating/share. 

All Carry And No Roll: Idea That Agronomy Fuels Distance Gains Is Not Backed By PGA Tour Data

Agronomy—aka fast, hard running fairways—is the go-to faux argument for preserving distance standards should a Harry Higgs or Craig Stadler come along and blow the notion that “athletes fuel distance spikes”.

Certainly today’s generally more fit and better fit players generate increased clubhead speed, and, therefore more distance.

On the surface, agronomy as a distance booster should be a tougher sell since courses have never been greener. One very famous annual major stop, Augusta National, unapologetically presents fairways mown toward tees to slow down drives.

For now, don’t do a deep dive on 2020 yet because the numbers are not all in and the sample size differs from year’s past now that all PGA Tour tees have a Trackman. Look instead to the previous 13 years when the PGA Tour’s amazing ShotLink started measuring carry and distance on the two measuring holes per round.

Those fancy launch monitors peskily track carry while ShotLink documented the final distance of the drive.

Below is the Driving Distance Average vs. Carry Average and The Year’s Distance Leader’s stats.

2007
288.6 yard average on 265.7 yard carry average (Bubba Watson 315.2 yards on 300.3 yards of carry)

2008
287.3 yards on 268.8 yards of carry (Bubba Watson 315.1 yards on 294.0 carry)

2009
287.9 yards on 268.4 yards of carry (Robert Garrigus 312.0 yard avg on 297.8 yards of carry)

2010
287.3 yards on 267.9 yards of carry (Robert Garrigus 315.5 yard avg on 291.6 yards of carry)

2011
290.9 yards on 271.4 yards of carry (J.B. Holmes 318.4 yards on 314.8 yards of carry)

2012
289.1 yards on 274.6 yards of carry (Bubba Watson 315.5 yards on 307.7 yards of carry)

2013
287.2 yards on 273.1 yards of carry (Luke List on 306.3 yards on 296.9 yards of carry)

2014
288.8 yards on 272.6 yards of carry (Bubba Watson 314.3 yards on 305.0 yards of carry)

2015
289.7 yards on 275.8 yards of carry (Dustin Johnson 317.7 yards on 305.7 yards of carry)

2016
290.0 yards on 274.7 yards of carry (J.B. Holmes 314.5 yards on 303.7 yards of carry)

2017
292.5 yards on 278.4 yards of carry (Rory McIlroy 317.2 yards on 305.1 carry avg.)

2018
296.1 yards on 277.6 yards of carry (Rory McIlroy 319.7 yards on 305.6 carry avg.)

2019
293.9 yards on 279.1 yards of carry (Cameron Champ 317.9 on 311.0 carry avg.)

Recap: in 12 years the PGA Tour carry average jumped 13.4 yards (265.7 to 279.1), while the driving distance average jumped just 5.3 yards. (It sits at 296.0 this year with two events to go.)

Roll is going the other direction and not fueling distance gains. In the 13-year span above, here is the average amount of roll starting with 2007 and going to 2019:

22.9 yards

18.5

19.5

19.4

19.5

14.5

14.1

16.2

13.9

15.3

14.1

17.0

14.8

The average PGA Tour drive rolls 16.9 yards in that 13-year span on a 289.9 yard average, meaning roll accounts for barely more than 5% of the average tee shot.

From 2007 to 2012 the average tee shot produced 19.1 yards of roll.

From 2014 to 2019 the average produced 15.1 yards of roll.

The amount of time the ball hits the ground and starts running is on the decline. Agronomy is playing less of a factor while the carry average has outpaced driving distance average.

Video: Olympia Fields North Drone Tour

Ignore the Todd’s, Terry’s and Chip’s at the start of this video, eventually Olympia Fields provides a fine drone tour of their North Course. It was last seen at the 2003 U.S. Open won by Jim Furyk, site of four majors overall and host of this week’s BMW Championship. The Willie Park Jr. design is among many things to know heading into the BMW, as listed here by PGATour.com’s Mike McAllister.

2020 CJ Cup Moves From South Korea To Shadow Creek

With the PGA Tour’s fall Asia swing not happening, reports of a revamped swing in the western United States is starting to come to fruition. One leg is now official: the CJ Cup moving from Nine Bridges in Korea to Las Vegas’ exclusive Shadow Creek.

The October 15-18 date will follow the already-scheduled Shriner’s in Las Vegas, giving the Tour a nice one-two desert swing minimizing travel. Now, there are casinos open so…it might be a COVID exposure wash.

Two events in Asia, Japan’s Zozo and China’s HSBC, remain on the current schedule but are not expected to happen in those locales.

For Immediate Release:

PGA TOUR, CJ Group announce move of THE CJ CUP  from Nine Bridges in Jeju Island to Shadow Creek in Las Vegas 

 Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and Seoul, Korea: PGA TOUR and CJ Group officials today announced that THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES will move venues and will now be staged at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 15-18, 2020 and will change to THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK.

Since 2017, the event has been played annually at The Club @ Nine Bridges on Jeju Island, Korea, with Justin Thomas securing a playoff victory over Marc Leishman in the inaugural event and winning again last year. Brooks Koepka was victorious by four shots in 2018. 

“The PGA TOUR is truly appreciative of CJ Group’s commitment to bring THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK to the United States this October,” said Ty Votaw, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, International. “While our players have always looked forward to visiting Korea, the current circumstances provided this new opportunity to bring the event to Las Vegas which will also provide brand exposure and awareness to the viewing audience in the United States and around the globe. We are thankful for the partnership and support that CJ Group and the Korean PGA have shown in view of the circumstances. We are confident this year’s event will showcase a stellar field while bringing the CJ Group’s brand values to a new time zone.”

Ethan Kim, Sports Marketing Director of CJ Group, said: “We are delighted to bring THE CJ CUP to the U.S. and to the renowned Shadow Creek. It is unfortunate we will not be able to showcase the PGA TOUR and the best players in the world on Jeju Island this year, but we look forward to having this tournament again in Korea in 2021. We are excited to bring our Korean culture and flavor of bibigo to show the TOUR players and American audience through coverage of THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK.”

As part of the early events on the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season, THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK is slated to be played a week after the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Votaw added: “We would like to express our appreciation to both Shriners Hospitals for Children and their tournament team in Las Vegas who have been fully supportive of our decision to bring THE CJ CUP to the U.S, immediately following their long-standing and successful event, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. This will create an exciting and seamless two-week Las Vegas swing for the TOUR and our players.”

THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK will once again feature a 78-man field comprising of the highest ranked player of Korean nationality from the Asian Tour Order of Merit, up to five players designated by the KPGA and the top-3 available players of Korean nationality from the Official World Golf Ranking as part of CJ Group’s vision to support the development of professional golf in Korea.  The remainder of the field will be made up of the leading players from the 2019-20 FedExCup points list and sponsor exemptions.  

 “THE CJ CUP quickly became one of my favorite events on TOUR. While winning twice certainly helped, the hospitality shown to us by CJ Group and the Korean community has made the tournament special to all of us as PGA TOUR players,” said 13-time PGA TOUR winner and defending THE CJ CUP champion Justin Thomas. “It’s unfortunate that we won’t be able to travel to Korea for this year’s event, but it is fantastic that we will still be able to shine a light on CJ Group through the tournament at a venue like Shadow Creek.” 

 George Kliavkoff, president of Entertainment & Sports for MGM Resorts International, said: “Shadow Creek is one of the country's leading courses offering guests exclusive, first-class experiences.  The course will be in tremendous shape and ready to host our PGA TOUR partners and the world's best golfers as they compete in THE CJ CUP in Las Vegas.” 

Shadow Creek, built in 1989 by renowned golf architect Tom Fazio, played host to The Match: Tiger vs Phil in 2018, which was a winner-take-all shootout between PGA TOUR legends Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The exclusive course, owned by MGM Resorts International, is available only to guests of the company’s properties.

Oakland Hills Wrapping Up Ross Restoration, Wants Majors Back

Those of a certain vintage have seen the restoration movement’s amazing rise. Only a handful of classics are in questionable hands, though they are biggies (Augusta National, Pine Valley, Riviera).

The list of classics undergoing successful restorations is much longer and is adding four once-unthinkables to the repaired, restored, rejuvenated division: Inverness, Oak Hill, Congressional and Oakland Hills.

All mangled for tournament golf by unsympathetic mid-century salesmen, the most prominent of all finally takes the Jones monster off its back: Oakland Hills is wrapping up a Hanse Design restoration and wants back on the major rota.

Tony Paul provides this detail-rich update on the cost, assessment approach for members and the club’s desire to not waste its time with regular PGA Tour golf.

That system cost more than a third of the $12.1-million budget for the project, funded by the membership. Members had the option of paying $10,000 up front or $100 a month for 12 years, or $12,000. It was a major financial and logistical commitment from the membership, which has booked the North Course solid for months this year. There will be more sacrifice next year, with carts not allowed until 2022.

The USGA has sites booked for the U.S. Open through 2027, and the PGA Championship is accounted for through 2031. Oakland Hills clearly hopes it gets one or both, possibly a U.S. Open before the end of the decade. A regular PGA Tour event isn't the goal, and never has been.

"We're here to host a major championship," said Steve Brady, the head pro, adding that even if Oakland Hills doesn't get another major, the membership will find the renovation well worth the commitment. "We're not just about making Tour players rich."

Branson Phil Shoots 61, Hocks Forthcoming Coffee Line

Forget the playoffs, we’ve got Phil Mickelson giving the Champions Tour a 61 in his debut round, the Frank Poncherello shades, and after the 11-birdie effort, some Ricky Bobby channeling. A story only Branson could manage. Let’s get the Phil-being-Phil post-round plug:

I’m not saying you’re going to also shoot 61 after starting your day with COFFEE FOR WELLNESS. What I’m saying is you just might want to try it in a couple weeks when it comes out. 😏

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 25, 2020

This humility and respect for the field killed the Ricky Bobby vibe quickly. From an ubylined AP story:

"We have a lot of golf left," said Mickelson, who hit all but one green in regulation. "A lot of players went really low. The quality of golf out here is really impressive."

Mickelson, who turned 50 in June, was optimistic that his game was rounding into shape for the U.S. Open, the only major championship he hasn't won. But that missed cut on the PGA Tour left him with the possibility of not playing the next two weeks heading into the Safeway Open, which would be his final tune-up for Winged Foot.

Off The Clock: Longtime Euro Tour Rules Officials Paramor And McFee Retiring After BMW PGA

Two legends of the rules world are about to turn in their walkie talkies and conspicuously stalk their last slow poke. The European Tour announced the joint retirement of John Paramor and Andy McFee this October.

For Immediate Release:

END OF AN ERA BECKONS AS PARAMOR AND McFEE CALL TIME

The world of professional golf will witness the end of an era in October when John Paramor and Andy McFee, the two most celebrated and respected rules officials in the game worldwide, call time on their storied careers.

In total the duo have administered the rules of the game on the fairways of the world for over 80 years, John (65) having started with the European Tour in April 1976 while Andy (62) saw his time with the Tour begin in September 1983. 

But both have decided that the time is now right to step down. Their final event together will be this year’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club from October 8-11, the tournament taking place, fittingly, in the shadow of the European Tour headquarters itself.

In recognition of the impact they have had on the game of golf, the European Tour recently invited the pair to reminisce about their careers in a fascinating face-to-face discussion.

The topics covered ranged from how they got into refereeing in the first place to what being a European Tour referee actually entails. They also touched on their interactions with the greats of the game such as Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els and José María Olazábal, and also with a certain golf-mad US President!

Typically modest about their many achievements over the years, the duo, instead, preferred to offer an opinion on each other.

“The great thing about Andy is that if I have a problem and I simply cannot see a way through it, I know I can ring him and he will be able to find a way,” said John.

“The word I would use about John is gravitas,” said Andy. “He has empathy with the players and he is honest and fair. When John Paramor speaks about the rules of golf, people listen.”

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “The word ‘legend’ is sometimes used too often in sport but in terms of golf, and the administration of the rules of our sport, it is the perfect word to describe both John Paramor and Andy McFee.

“They are rightly recognised for being the best in the business and have represented the European Tour with honour and distinction across the world for decades, bringing professionalism and integrity to the role not only inside the ropes, but also outside them in the important work they have undertaken with the R&A and the USGA to constantly develop and modernise golf’s rule book.

“I am convinced that neither John nor Andy will be lost to the game for good but, at this time, I join with everyone at the European Tour, to wish them both all the very best for the future.”

The two conducted this most enjoyable discussion posted on YouTube:

Champions Tour: Mickelson Gets To Show Off His Cart Driving Skills For Captain Stricker

While Branson isn’t what it used to be—at least until post-COVID shows get people paying to watch performing holograms of Roy Clark, Glen Campbell and Tony Orlando—the next big thing is Phil Mickelson turning up at Ozarks National to begin a new Champions Tour career.

For this special Monday-Wednesday of old man golf, we have a Coore-Crenshaw course making its national TV debut.

Then there is Phil’s first grouping with Retief Goosen and 2020/21 Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker. Since carts seem likely at Ozarks, it’s an ideal opportunity for Lefty to show off his cart-driving skills on tough terrain (hint, hint Captain Strick, just like Whistling Straits!).

And finally, there is the group prior to Mickelson featuring Bernhard Langer, Darren Clarke and old buddy Vijay Singh, who might even bring out a special pair of spikes to welcome Mickelson.

My listings say Golf Channel is bringing us this fine entertainment from 6-8 eastern time Monday.

Here’s a nice preview of the course that should add to the fun:

Davis Love is liking what he’s seeing:

DL3 on the Coore-Crenshaw designed Ozark National: "Every hole's beautiful and I love this style of architecture. I texted Ben after about 10 or 11 holes, I said it's in my top-10 already and I'm not even finished yet. I love it, I think it's great."

— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) August 24, 2020

Johnson Wins Northern Trust By Eleven Strokes: Tour's Biggest Blowout Since 2006

It wasn’t a lot of fun to watch despite the intense playoff vibes. Dustin Johnson winning by eleven at normally exciting TPC Boston probably won’t be setting a new Northern Trust Open ratings record. Johnson’s 22nd PGA Tour win also sends him back atop the world golf rankings.

Maybe the eleven shots was not the most impressive part, writes GolfChannel.com’s Ryan Lavner.

Johnson was 13 clear of fourth place.

He was 15 ahead of eighth.

Those who shared 18th place – a nice week, normally – were 18 strokes behind.

“That’s the type of talent he is. I’ve been watching it for 25 years,” said fellow South Carolina native Kevin Kisner, who tied for fourth. “I’m pretty accustomed to it. When he’s on, I just step to the side and try to add on to my bank account.”

Ballstriking was especially stout, as noted by Johnson and GolfDigest.com’s Daniel Rapaport:

“Obviously this was a really good week. My ball-striking was unbelievable,” he said. The numbers back it up. Johnson picked up a staggering 18.14 shots on the field tee-to-green over 72 holes at TPC Boston, and hit 65 of 72 greens, including all 18 on Sunday.

You don’t see a lot of double digits in the strokes gained world. That’s my main takeaway. My instincts also suggest we’re going to learn more on where that stat stands since such records have been kept.

Speaking of records, Johnson’s performance missed two big ones by just a stroke each:

DJ missed lowest 72-hole total (253 by JT at Sony Open in 2017) and lowest in relation to par (-31 by Ernie Els) at 2003 Mercedes by one stroke in each case.

— Bob Harig (@BobHarig) August 23, 2020

The Golf.com gang debated his place in today’s game. Loved this from Bamberger:

Bamberger: He is his era’s Tom Weiskopf, without Weiskopf’s style or charm or charisma. He’s a mega-talent who can win on any course, if he can make short putts as he has been. He might surprise us. He might win another major. Either way, his career will finish in the Hall of Fame. You hope Weiskopf gets in before him, though.

Highlights from Johnson’s final round 63 in a week he also shot 60:

Poll: Are We Ready To For Head-To-Head Odds And Other On-Air Gambling Reminders?

This week’s PGA Tour Live featured group coverage included Draftkings odds for head-to-head betting. The move certainly marks a new chapter and is a far cry from not long ago when fantasy gaming was an annoyance.

My only reservations involve the timing (pandemic), and how golf will work when fans are back. After all, if you’re able to wager on a phone and watch them, there are bound to be folks looking for change, screaming baba-booey extra loud and maybe right before impact. My concerns on that front are regularly downplayed because golf in Europe has coexisted with these possibilities. Key word there: Europe.

Anyway, I’m curious how you all feel.

Poll: Are We Ready To For Head-To-Head Odds And Other Gambling Reminders?

Yes, the time has come

No, too soon!

Eh, no strong feeling either way

 

pollcode.com free polls

Women's Open: Popov Takes The Improbable Troon North-Troon Double

Sophia Popov’s rise from almost quitting to Symetra and Cactus Tour player, to Lyme disease sufferer, to caddie a month ago, to Open Champion, is the stuff of history. Maybe only Ben Curtis posted an equally improbable major win in the 2003 Open. (The Golf.com Confidential crew debated this very topic.)

From Beth Ann Nichols at Golfweek:

With no grandstands and fans to wave to as Popov came up the 18th fairway with a three-shot lead, she turned to her caddie, boyfriend Maximilian Mehles, and told him that the calming seaside views reminded her of a scene from Lord of the Rings.

It wasn’t the electric atmosphere that the Symetra Tour player deserved, but Popov knew that her performance this week inspired people more than she’ll ever know.

“I think that’s why I broke down on the 18th hole,” said Popov, “because it’s been something I couldn’t have dreamed of just a week ago, and it’s incredible that golf allows for these things to happen because, you know, I think the difference between two players any given week is never that big … and the hard work they put in is the same.”

In May, Popov won a Cactus Tour event at Troon North, named for Royal Troon and co-designed by Tom Weiskopf, 1973 Open winner at Troon.

Alistair Tait was there and admitted to shedding a few tears over seeing someone go from obscurity to major winner.

More importantly, hopefully this wonderful advert for women’s golf will entice sponsors to dig into their coffers to back the women’s game. Once again, the world’s best women proved they can pen heart felt stories that resonate with golf fans.

I’ve been there, done that, in the royal & ancient game. Yet there I was on Sunday afternoon with tears running down my face as I watched Popov pull off the unlikeliest of victories. I wasn’t alone. Hardened people in the game were also shedding tears. Trish Johnson admitted as much during TV commentary, and she’s a 19-time Ladies European Tour winner who played in eight Solheim Cups.

Now, there is one catch. It’s an issue for the Masters this fall as well: the postponed ANA Inspiration’s field will not include Popov, who could return to southern California where she played college golf at USC. The ANA field was frozen in place and as a non-LPGA member going into this week. Nichols with this commentary for Golfweek:

Because the LPGA’s majors are out of order due to COVID-19, Popov’s five-year exemption won’t start until 2021. An LPGA official explained that since the ANA field was basically filled when the tour had to shut down, they’ve chosen to honor that field. The only exemption adjustment was changing the cutoff for top 20 on the money list.

But because Popov, 28, isn’t an LPGA member (she missed out on her card by a single shot last fall at Q-Series), her $675,000 earnings won’t count as official money.

The victory does put Popov into the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in October. It does not, however, get her into the U.S. Women’s Open in December.

Popov’s last post pre-tournament social media post documented her first (and ONLY practice round!) look at the Postage Stamp:

Well...every one else posted a video from #8 aka postage stamp, so I didn't want to feel left out 🤷‍♀️ After a long two days of traveling and self isolation I finally got a chance to look at the course today...and it really is a gem 👌 Let's see what storm Ellen has in store for us the next couple days 😬 Ready to get started at 9:42 tomorrow morning. @aigwomensopen @royaltroongc @rohnischgolf @gfore @allianz_deutschland

Your highlights options come in either a sixty second version or a much longer edition:

0-60 with Toyo Tires

The Champion @SophiaCPopov round 4 highlights in 60 seconds! #AIGWO #WorldClass pic.twitter.com/CoIinN1H03

— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 23, 2020

Popov’s emotional post-round acceptance speech in front of Troon’s clubhouse.

An emotional interview from @sophiacpopov after her incredible triumph!

What a performance from Sophia. She is now a major champion!#AIGWO #WorldClass pic.twitter.com/13e9NbnW5p

— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 23, 2020

Rich Lerner reflected on Popov’s win in the world of amazing sports upsets. 

Video: Flynn's Hole In One

At The Machrie’s 6-hole course no less. Also another reminder how much golf would be with more courses of this size and fun to attract the next generation…

🎥 Here's Flynn's hole in one in all its glory 🏌️ pic.twitter.com/iGRDPhl78g

— The Machrie Links (@TheMachrieLinks) August 21, 2020

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.”