Where Scoreboard Watching Was Not An Option

Phil putting on #14 Sunday with a videoboard in the backgroundLongtime readers know of my complaints about the elimination of the 18th-at-Riviera manually-operated scoreboard and my annual quibbles with the PGA Tour's decision to exclusively use their advertising-cluttered (but pretty!) Mitsubishi video boards.

And Phil Mickelson finally had enough to say something at a crucial time.

My gripes about the impact this change in presentation of scoring started in 2008 when the event at Riviera became the Northern Trust Open and PGA Tour Championship Management took over. While Championship Management should be applauded for their minimalist and dignified presentation, the obsessive-compulsiveness unfortunately meant the end of volunteer-manned scoreboards on the course (holes 5, 8, 12, 18 and driving range).

And as I've written ad nauseum, including Saturday when a FedExCup calendar was displayed when leaders were on 16, this disregard for what the scoreboard means to players and fans stems from having folks in charge who at best have not paid to watch a golf tournament since the waning days of the Clinton Administration and worse, who see a golf tournament as nothing more than a push "product."

Phil chatting with Steve Rintoul as David Feherty looks onHaving grown numb to the schizophrenic videoboards on the PGA Tour and used to no manual boards four years running, I now check my phone for scores and yesterday didn't think much of the deficiency until the 16th tee Sunday when Amy Mickelson saw me look at my phone and nicely asked if I knew what was the leading score.

As noted in this week's Golf World Monday, within moments of that and totally unrelated to Amy's question, there was the unbelievable sight of Phil signaling for a tour rules official before he hit his crucial 16th hole birdie putt.

After the round Mickelson explained:

Q.  On 16 you said something to Steve Rintoul about the scoreboards.  You didn't see any on the back nine?

PHIL MICKELSON:  I didn't see one for four holes, and then when I did, it never had the lead.  It was a bunch of other stuff going on.  It's just frustrating. But it's no big deal.  It didn't affect the tournament.  I was just pointing that out so maybe he could say something for next time.

During the first playoff hole, Northern Trust CEO and Jerry West watch as the 18th green videoboard updates fans on the FedExCup standings!No big deal?

The most prominent player in the field, a Hall of Famer and two-time winner of the tournament, essentially stopped his final round with three holes to go, all to help the tour improve things for next time? That's just Phil being nice!

This was clearly something that bothered him deeply and may have impacted how he played the tournament.

Here's to guessing that Camp Ponte Vedra, warned about this before, got the message Phil.

On behalf of the fans, media and even the sponsors who get no benefit from the current cavalcade of clutter, we thank you.