Olympic Golf

On the face of it, there may not be a sport less suited to "the Olympic ideal" than golf.  But that ideal - the "purity" of amateur athletes competing against each other in a non-political world that only exists in some parallel universe - is long gone, so there was reason enough to suspend one's disbelief and see how things turned out.

Let's start with the bad news - some of the world's very best players decided not to participate, including major champions Jordan Speith, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy.  Not a great start.  A couple of other things hard to overcome: the fact that you can turn on a 4-round golf tournament featuring the world's best players just about every weekend, and the fact that the great tournaments - the Majors, and the handful of other famous tournaments - are played on great golf courses with tradition.  Hard to do when you've adopted the same format, and are playing on a brand new golf course that no one has ever seen (even with notable course architect Gil Hanse having built the course).

But you know what?  Things turned out OK.  The gold and silver went to Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, both major champions that can easily lay a claim to being one of the best players in the world.  And the bronze was awarded to Matt Kuchar, a great player who is also one of the most popular players on the PGA tour.

What turned the pendulum towards the "aye" side of whether golf should continue to be an Olympic sport was the decorum of the medalists - clearly, they wanted to be there, and the looks on their faces as they examined their medals was something special.  I can't help but think that the famous players who decided to stay home, for whatever reason - might be wistfully wondering what might have been.

Valhalla Rising

No one is ever going to mistake Valhalla for Augusta, Pinehurst No. 2 or Royal Liverpool (Hoylake), the sites of the year's first three major golf tournaments, but sooner or later people are going to have to admit that Valhalla has carved its way into the history books simply because of the dramatic events it has hosted.  First there was the 1996 PGA Championship which ended in playoff; then the 2000 PGA which featured the historic duel between Tiger Woods and Bob May; which was followed by the 2008 Ryder Cup that saw the prohibitive underdog American team pull off an unlikely victory; and following that up today with what was probably the best of them all, a dramatic 2014 PGA Championship that saw Rory McIlroy prevail under unique and historic circumstances, beating the clock against the dark and barely holding on in the end when it looked like Phil Mickelson was going to pull off one of the most miraculous shots in the history of major championship play.

It was a long and great day of golf, and kudos are due not just to the players but to those working the course who somehow managed to help it recover from a 45-minute drenching that left the bunkers looking like ponds, the greens like rivers and the fairways like lakes.  Or maybe the biggest congratulations are due to whomever designed the course's drainage system.  In any event, it certainly didn't seem likely when CBS went on the air at 11 a.m. PST that there was any chance that the tournament would end on Sunday.  But end it did, if only because the final pair was allowed to play up on their tee shots and approach shots as the penultimate pair (Mickelson and Fowler) struggled to pull of the miracle that would tie McIlroy.  It was not to be, and Rory is quite clearly the King.

Some thoughts on the season that heads to a playoff season that ultimately means nothing, because at this point we all know who the world's best golfer is - and right now, there's a huge gap between McIlroy and #2, and that will remain the case regardless of who captures the Fed Ex cup or whatever they're calling it these days.

- Tiger Woods is not finished.  His bid to pass Jack Nicklaus is probably over, but I'd be shocked if he doesn't pull at least one more major out of his hat.

- Before we anoint Rory as the next Jack-slayer, let's see how the beginning of 2015 plays out.  We got spoiled by Tiger's relentless and consistent brilliance over the course of a decade, but we've already seen that McIlroy is prone to slumps.  And winning major tournaments is hard - just ask Phil Mickelson - or better yet, Sergio Garcia.

- Kudos to Rickie Fowler, who won an award that doesn't really exist by turning in the lowest composite score in this year's majors.  A 5th at the Masters, a T-2 at the U.S. Open and the Open, and a 4th at the PGA is nothing to sneeze at.  But as Sergio Garcia and Colin Montgomerie can attest, it's majors that separate the very good from the great.  Fowler is only 25, and is one cool, classy customer.  It would be easy to say that he's going to win several.  Just like Sergio, Colin and Luke Donald were going to.

- Get your shit together, Bubba Watson.  Maybe watch the tape of Fowler's round, or buy one of Wil Wheaton's "Don't Be a Dick" t-shirts and pin it to your ceiling.  But whatever you do, it's time to start to acting like a major winner.

- Could the U.S. team be any bigger underdogs going into the Ryder Cup than they are this year?  Which is good - they can go over there feeling like they have nothing to lose (because they don't), with Captain Tom on their side convincing them (but not in public, please) that they are the 12 best golfers in the world.  I'll still be surprised if they win, but I won't be shocked.

Sunday at the Masters

Even though I always enjoy rooting for Bubba Watson, there's no arguing the fact that the final round of The Masters was about as much fun as watching paint dry.

Now, that's a bit of an exaggeration, because it's nearly always fun to watch just to see the glorious holes that make up Augusta National.  Now that the green-jacketed members have relaxed a bit and let us see action on the front nine, we're becoming more familiar with those holes as well - but there's little doubt that if you call yourself a serious golf fan, then you really need to know the back nine as if it were the back of your hand.

Over the years I've had different favorites - 15 and 11, in particular - but now, I'm just about convinced that the 13th hole is the greatest golf hole in the world.  Or at least, the greatest parkland golf hole in the world.  It is the perfect combination of risk and reward for the great player - a hole where the difference between eagle and double bogey is inches.

So watching The Masters is always fun, I admit to that.  But Sunday afternoon held so much promise, when it appeared that we were in for one of those "duels for the ages" that people remember for decades.  But no, it was not to be.  In fact, no single player particularly distinguished themselves on the back nine on Sunday, and the back nine is what distinguishes a run-of-the-mill Masters from a great Masters.

So congratulations, Bubba Watson - perhaps the most unlikely winner of multiple majors since John Daly? (Discuss).  But it wasn't quite the show I was hoping for.

The King of Scotland

The champion golfer of the year.

Last weekend, when Phil Mickelson won the Scottish Open in typical Mickelson fashion (three-putting the final hole of regulation to drop into a playoff, and then winning said playoff) I tweeted, "Thanks so much, Phil Mickelson, for getting our hopes up again right before a major."  But even with that, I never really gave Phil much of a chance.  His extreme risk/reward style of play has never meshed well with links golf, and let's face it, one of the reasons Phil is beloved by so many is that (like so many) he occasionally plays as if his brain was sliding right out of his ears.

But today, Phil cemented a place in history that was already pretty damn secure.  On the final day of the Open Championship, on a day when the rest of the field flailed away as if they were a bunch of 12-handicappers, he fired a brilliant 66 to capture the Claret Jug, including an incredible stretch of 4 birdies on the final six holes.

The birdie putt at 18.

And while any Open Championship is historic and special, this wasn't just any Open - it was a Muirfield Open.  Aside from the Old Course, there is likely no course in the rota that a player would rather win on - because this, as noted a few days back, is a course that crowns true champions - Mickelson joins a list of Muirfield champions that includes names like Player, Nicklaus, Trevino, Watson, Faldo, and Els.

As for Tiger Woods, it was yet another major championship where he appeared to be in the perfect position to resume his chase of Jack Nicklaus' all-time majors record, but instead was just enough off on every facet of his game to add this Open to his list of disappointments.  Lee Westwood looked to be in command for much of the front nine, but it all began to slip away with frightening rapidity when it frankly looked as if the pressure got to him.  Not that it would have mattered with Mickelson's miracle, but at this stage in his career one has to think that Westwood will join Colin Montgomerie in the club of greatest players to never win a major.

The way Mickelson is playing right now, you can't count him out to finally capture the one win that would truly lift him to legendary status - the U.S. Open. 

Masters

We can all get annoyed with the cloying music, the levels of pretension, the "tradition unlike any other" nonsense. Yet, year in and year out, there is just no doubt that the Masters is the greatest of the major championships, and one of the great events in all of sport.

A few years back the changes they made to Augusta National threatened to turn the tournament into a Spring U.S. Open (don't get me wrong - I love the U.S. Open, but it has its own identity, one that is much different than that of the Masters), but apparently the stodgy old men in the green jackets remembered that what makes the Masters the Masters is the risk-reward nature of the most famous holes - meaning those on the back nine. If you don't have golfers going for the green in two and putting for eagles on the 13th and 15th holes; well, then you don't have the Masters.

Yesterday, Phil Mickelson turned in one of those "back nines for the ages" that people like Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus are famous for. So he finds himself one stroke behind, and a heavy favorite over the man he trails, Peter Hanson. But you never know about the Masters - if you'd asked me this time yesterday who I'd pick to win, I would have said Rory McIlroy or Sergio Garcia. But those two ended yesterday a combined 8-over par, and for them it is once again, "wait until next year." So the obvious choice today is to go with Phil, and that's what I'll do.

A couple of quick hits:

- Tiger Woods needs to get his act together, and quickly. And I'm not talking about his game; I'm talking about the way he conducts himself on the golf course. The time is long past for fans (like myself) to excuse Tiger's asinine behavior. Just ask yourself - can you imagine Palmer, Player, Nicklaus, or Watson kicking a club on the golf course? Of course not. Whether he realizes it or not, Tiger is endangering his legacy. It's time for him to get it together.

- The Masters iPad App? Pure awesomeness. Watching bonus coverage in HD of Amen Corner and the 15th and 16th holes? Amazing. Kudos to anyone and everyone involved in that little project.

Declawing A Tiger

Yesterday, I noted the possibility that the Phil vs. Tiger duel could end up on the list of 2012 memorable sports moments. And it did, although not for the reason that I (or anyone else, probably) had imagined.

It was a massacre of epic proportions, with Phil playing one of the best rounds of his career on a storied course and Tiger displaying the inconsistency that has plagued him since right around the PGA Championship in 2009. Actually, Tiger was worse than inconsistent - he was downright putrid, especially on the greens. And here I was all set to predict that he would win a major this year. It could still happen, but first he'll have to learn again how to string four strong rounds together (sing that to the tune of "Four Strong Winds").

The stat of the day was provided by Nick Faldo, who brought to our attention the fact that, had yesterday been match play, Mickelson would have defeated Woods 7 and 5. And that, folks, is pretty darn embarrassing.

Presidents Cup

It’s pretty cool watching live golf on a fall evening from the other side of the world, especially when you’re watching some of the world’s best golfers (in the Presidents Cup) playing on one of the world’s best golf courses (Royal Melbourne, in Australia).

But watching for the last couple of nights, I think I’ve put my finger on the difference between the Ryder Cup (U.S. vs. Europe) and the Presidents Cup (U.S. vs. the world, excluding Europe). Watching the last two nights of Presidents Cup matches, I’ve enjoyed them a great deal, but I don’t feel as if I really care who wins. Yes, I want the U.S. to win, but if they don’t, whatever – it’s just an exhibition for fun, right? But when I watch the Ryder Cup, you’d better believe I care.

Maybe it’s just tradition, and maybe over time the Presidents Cup will feel the same way. Right now, it doesn’t quite feel that way.

Majors

I watch my fair share of golf on TV (and for me, "fair share" means a lot more than anyone you might consider normal), but I've probably seen less of this year's major championships than ever before. It was mostly a quirk of scheduling - during Masters weekend I was attending a conference, the U.S. Open is always tough because it falls on Fathers Day weekend, and the Open Championship coincided with a weekend trip to San Francisco.

Not so with the PGA Championship - convalescing from a "minor" surgical procedure (although I'm beginning to think that any time your body is sliced open, it's not "minor"), I haven't been able to do much but sit (or lay) around and watch golf on TV, so for the past couple of days it's pretty much been all PGA, all the time.

Because of its August date and accompanying weather, there's always something brutal about the PGA, especially when its held in a city like Atlanta (Johns Creek, to be precise) on a course like the Atlanta Athletic Club (the Highlands course, to be precise). The course is not without its own history, having served as the home course for the legendary Bobby Jones, but it's not what you'd call your classic "character course," at least not in comparison to places like Augusta and Royal St. George's (or next year's site, The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island). It's long, it's brutal, and after two days it seems to be playing more like a U.S. Open course than this year's U.S. Open Course, Congressional, did.

Right now the leaders are two guys named Bradley (Keegan) and Dufner (Jason), and that's the other thing about the PGA - it seems like at some point during the week, you're always going to have guys like Bradley and Dufner leading the tournament. At this point, with the leaderboard bunched up the way it is, one would be crazy to try and pick a winner, but what the heck - I'll go out on a (short) limb and pick Adam Scott, fresh from his victory at Firestone and with the most famous caddie in the world on his bag.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

In the sports section and on ESPN, the breakup between Tiger Woods and his longtime caddie Steve Williams is getting almost as much ink/airtime as his marital breakup. Yesterday, you couldn't turn on SportsCenter without seeing Stevie digging into his boss with something approaching zeal, if not downright glee.

Now, Thomas Boswell has weighed in with some armchair psychoanalysis, painting a contrast between the Tiger/Steve relationship and the relationships that Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson enjoyed with Angelo Argea and Bruce Edwards, respectively. Boswell reaches this conclusion:

Argea and Edwards had relationships with their stars that showed the solid mental health and self-knowledge of the players as well as the best personal qualities in the caddie. Tiger and Stevie were the opposite.

Well, OK...but if memory serves, Jack eventually fired Angelo, and I don't really remember it being such a big deal at the time. And besides, the only caddies that people really remember are the ones on the bags of the superstars. And even then...quick, can you name the caddies on the bag for Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Gary Player? If you gave me a few minutes I could probably come up with the name of Phil's caddie, but it's not there sitting right on the top of my head.

What does all this prove? If nothing else, that Tiger Woods is still the most famous golfer in the world, by a long shot. He hasn't played a round in months, and he can still make the sports section.

Tiger Who?

So...Rory McIlroy went into the last round at Augusta with a 3-stroke lead, and proceeded to shoot 80. One of two things could have happened. One, the sting of that loss stays with him forever, and he becomes the golfer best known for never having achieved his limitless potential. Sad story, but one that is all too prevalent - in golf, and many other sports.

The second thing? Well, that would be what happened this weekend. A dominating, historic performance at the U.S. Open, one that in a fell swoop erased many of the records that a similarly young Tiger Woods set at the Open at Pebble Beach back in 2000. For those who don't watch golf on a regular basis, -16 at the U.S. Open is akin to...well, nothing. Because -16 at the U.S. Open doesn't happen. Never happened before - not even close - and if the USGA has anything to do with it, probably will never happen again.

And yes, I know that the conditions were somewhat unique - an unusual setup by the USGA that led to surprisingly easy pin placements, and weather conditions that led to stunted rough growth (the heat the prior week) and soft conditions (the rain that fell intermittently throughout the week). But still - even with all that, you really can't argue with an 8-shot victory at a major championship. That, in fact, would be the only thing that Rory did not accomplish that Tiger has - a victory margin greater than 8 shots.

But make no bones about it, the world of golf has gotten a good look at its next superstar. And it certainly appears to be a young kid out of Northern Ireland with a shock of curly hair that can only be contained by a well-fitted golf hat.

Well done, Rory McIlroy. The sky is the limit.

"He Could See the Openings Others Could Not See"

A beautiful tribute to Seve Ballesteros, from Joe Posnanski.

Ballesteros was never my favorite golfer - in fact, I actively rooted against him on many occasions. But I absolutely understand why he was so popular, and now appreciate his approach to the game. I'm not sure there's anyone like him out there anymore.

A New Master

For the second year in a row, I was attending a conference during Masters week, which meant that my viewing time was severely limited.

However, I did manage to sneak in the last 45 minutes or so of the tournament on Sunday, watching with about 100 others on a set of televisions located in the snack bar of the conference's trade show floor. I tuned in just in time to watch Charl Schwarzel march through the last three holes of Augusta National as if he had been playing them his entire life.

It was some pretty amazing stuff, made all the more so by the fact that this guy isn't exactly a household name. I watch a fair amount of golf, certainly more than the average person, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'd never even heard of the guy. But that was some of the most amazing golf this side of Jack Nicklaus in 1986. The aggression, the wonderful shots, and the wonderful reactions after sinking birdie putts on each hole. One for the ages.

It will amaze me if this guy doesn't win more - he's just got that look about him.

Cinderella Story

Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!

- Carl Spackler (Bill Murray), Caddyshack

OK, so it wasn't the Masters, but the Pebble Beach Pro-Am is no slouch. And Bill Murray is now the Pro-Am champion, having partnered with tournament champion D.A. Points.

No matter how you cut it, it's a great story. Murray has played the clown for years at Pebble Beach, and some people have criticized him for it. Well, to hell with those people. This tournament is about fun, and the man can play, even when he's making fun of everything around him.

And just ask D.A. Points - hardly a household name - what effect Murray had on his game today.

Tiger's Flame Dimming

Another great post by Joe Posnanski, talking about age, comebacks, and whether Tiger Woods really is finished.

It is amazing how quickly things can change. One moment, you're a lock for immortality, as Tiger was right after he won the U.S. Open in 2008 for his 14th major championship. And then, before you know it, it could be over.

Later in the day on Sunday, after Bubba Watson had won his second tournament on a course that Tiger has dominated over the years, hours after Tiger had limped home with a weekend 74/75, Jack Nicklaus teamed with Tom Watson to win the Senior Skins tournament over on Maui. And on the 17th hole, the Olden Bear turned back the clock, hit a terrific tee shot in the face of a driving wind, and placed the ball perfectly for his partner to knock it in and clinch the tournament.

And from Jack's reaction, you would have thought he'd just won his 20th major. A fist pump, a cackle of glee, the familiar high-pitched laugh which defined him for so long. And I'm thinking to myself, my God, this guy is 70, and he still wants to win more than anyone else.

What Posnanski writes about Tiger is undoubtedly true - what was once a given, that Tiger would overtake Jack's major championship record, is now a long shot. If it was anyone else, I'd say it was over. And perhaps I'm blinded by the very thing that Posnanski is writing about. But I still think he's got a shot at it.

Tiger and Phil

I wish we could stop this ridiculous talk of when & if Phil Mickelson is going to pass Tiger as the #1 ranked player in the world. Anyone who's watched a minute of golf this summer knows that Phil and Tiger aren't even without shouting distance of being the best player in the world right now. So let's accept the rankings for what they are, an artificial construct, and move on.

Whistling Straits PGA Recap

Still getting caught up on some things I wanted to write about.

I watched almost the entire final round of the PGA Championship last Sunday, and even before the Dustin Johnson episode, I was all set to say the real winner of the tournament was the golf course, Whistling Straits.

But in this case, I'm not sure that's a great thing. On the one hand, I'd much rather watch a tournament being played on the Straits than I would at, say, Firestone, a course that is so dull and unpleasing to the eye (at least on television) that I chuckle every time I see the overhead shots from the blimp. At the same time, I think Whistling Straits is Pete Dye run amok, and that most of the features that make it look interesting have very little to do with the play.

And while the two-stroke ruling against Johnson for grounding his club in a bunker was the correct call, I really have to question the fairness of what happened. The whole "outside the lines" aspect of the drama just seemed a bit distasteful to me.

Kudos to Martin Kaymer for his victory. I was rooting for Bubba Watson, but I really like the looks of Kaymer - and I fear his steady impact on the upcoming Ryder Cup matches. The guy just looks like an unflappable machine - it doesn't look like Ryder Cup pressure is going to get to him in the least.

Open II

This is going to sound terrible, and it probably is, but at the same time I think it's true.

When Tiger Woods wins a major championship by 8+ strokes, that's history.

When Louis Oosthuizen wins a major championship by 8+ strokes, well...that's just kind of boring.

But still, it is the Open. Congratulations to the young man on a dominant performance.

Open

Everyone who picked Louis Oosthuizen to win the Open Championship, please take one step forward.

No one?

Yeah, I know it's not over, but still...Louis Oosthuizen?

Two Golfers

As much I don't want to get sucked into the psychodrama surrounding the world's best golfer, it's impossible for me not to comment on the striking contrast between these two articles:

SI's Alan Shipnuck, on what he calls Phil's greatest victory, and how it was fueled by his love for his wife.

The London Daily Mail, claiming in an article that Elin Nordegren is planning to divorce Tiger, based on her distaste for the Nike commercial that aired during Masters weekend.

There's really no way to tell how accurate that last article is, but assuming for the sake of argument that it is, my reaction is somewhere between bemused disbelief and "WTF? Everything that's happened up to this point, and you're leaving him because of a TV commercial?

The sooner we can all get past this story, the better.

Something You'd Never Hear on American Golf Coverage

So we're sitting here watching the HSBC World Golf Championships in Shanghai. Watching a golf tournament live, one that's taking place on Sunday morning on the other side of the world, is an interesting experience in and of itself. Watching Tiger play in the final group with Phil is always entertaining.

Tiger is playing quite poorly thus far, and as I've commented elsewhere, watching Tiger when he's not playing well is never a pleasant experience.

As good as some of them are, you'd never hear an announcer on one of the U.S. networks say anything of the sort. But since this tournament is being covered by the European Tour crew on the Golf Channel, it's a whole new ball game.

So you actually hear one of the announcers saying something like (and this isn't an exact quote, but it's close enough), "well, there's that look again, and when you're viewing Tiger when he's playing like this, it's not exactly what you'd call pleasurable for the viewer."