The Card – Volume LV

by | Oct 6, 2024 | The Card

18 observations, thoughts and predictions for the week in golf…

 

  1. Royal Dornoch was everything I was hoping it would be.  The town square was charming, the new clubhouse being constructed behind the 18th green and in closer proximity to the water will usher in a new era for the club and fortify it for the future.  Getting to play the golf course in different winds over the course of three days allowed for an even better understanding of how the golf course changes and the people were fantastic.  
  1. There is a line at Dornoch about how difficult the second shot is at the second hole, a par 3.  Suggesting that the greens raised position and narrower entry make it very hard to hit the green in regulation. Part of me wishes the hole was later in the round because of how good it is and the exacting nature of the shot from the tee regardless of the wind direction, but the hole is wonderful.  We saw a front right pin, a middle left, and a back pin, just three paces from the rear of the green.  The fall offs left and right are pronounced but full of options.  The 8th and 17th are blind tee shots with options to stay on the plateau or drive it down to the lower fairway with a much shorter second but both holes are wonderful.  Finally, the blend of holes from 12 through 17 is superior with a celebration of contrast in look and distance.
  1. I’m not associated with “Links House” the boutique hotel right next to Royal Dornoch where we stayed the first four nights of our trip, so this endorsement is not motivated by anything other than to share how wonderful it is.  Each building is different but all of them are so beautifully appointed, and the service and warmth is world class.  The food was outstanding in their quant restaurant, Mara, and the library where we watched the Presidents Cup and college football games on Saturday night is a space to spend days reading and talking.  It’s simply one of the best hotels regardless of size I’ve ever stayed at, and it enhanced our trip immeasurably.
  1. Andrew Carnegie chose to spend ample time in the Highlands of Scotland and actually took some golf lessons from the legendary John Sutherland at Dornoch.  He also purchased nearby Skibo castle and increased the size of the original structure to three times its previous footprint.  Spending a day and night at the Carnegie Club allowed us to play the Carnegie course.  The setting with natural water features, mountain ranges in every direction and the castle in the distance is sublime.  The lower holes closer to the nearby loch are the ones that need a re-examination.  The 7th and 8th holes are both short par fours, but the fairways are virtually nonexistent, and they should be redone.  The holes in the “meadow” on leveler ground are aesthetically pleasing and overall, it’s an asset to the Highlands region.  Ellis Short, the owner for 22 years, is determined to make the golf course the best it can be and the 8000-acre estate is a reflection of obscene wealth then and now.
  1. Returning to Gullane for the first time in two decades was a hoot.  The number #1 course was loved by my traveling crew and the beauty of the holes on the other side of the hill can hang with anything in Scotland.  The 12th hole is one of the most pleasing holes in the world.  From the back tee looking back toward Muirfield and the Renaissance Club and then playing along the daunting dunes the hole is art. 
  1. North Berwick is one of the best, endearing and fun golf courses in the world.  Playing with a long-time member it is frightening how much costal erosion the golf course has experienced and will continue to unless something very significant is done.  When you turn for home the large dunes that used to insulate holes 11, 12 and 13 have been diminished and despite fortifying the shoreline in recent years the vulnerability of the course is evident.  North Berwick is now the wealthiest town in Scotland, and it shows.  The homes along the outward nine are regal but the holes are the show.  It has it all and I would pick it among a select few to play the rest of my days.
  1. I’ve always had a special fondness for Muirfield and you can read my thoughts on the day there with my boys at www.5Clubsgolf.com but needless to say its ascended into a place in my mind and heart previously unoccupied by any golf course.
  1. This is my final overall thought about returning to Scotland for a week with lifelong friends.  I assumed the responsibility of driving the entire trip.  I drove from Edinburgh to Dornoch and back to East Lothian for the back half of our journey and I’m thankful that I was required to pay attention to where we were going.  The drive into the highlands was therapeutic and similar to earlier drives this year across Oregon and from Indiana to northern Michigan. I was locked in on the destination while appreciating the journey simultaneously.  What a gift.
  1. Sanderson Farms announced this week, the report delivered by Todd Lewis of Golf Channel, that they will stay on for an additional year as the title sponsor for the event in Jackson, Mississippi.  I hope the decision makes sense for them, but it is the latest example that 2025 is going to be the final year of what the schedule currently looks like for the PGA Tour.  It does not mean that fall events will not be a part of 2026, but the tides appear to be shifting into a more dramatic reconstructive direction.
  1. Kyle Porter has been writing and opining at CBS Sports for over a decade, but he announced this week he is breaking away with a new newsletter, Normal Sport, which included part one of a two-part conversation with Rory McIlroy.  I applaud anyone with the belief to leave maybe more comfort and security to pursue something that may be more fulfilling but is associated with greater risk.  Kyle will be my guest on Monday night on 5 Clubs on the SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio to discuss the move and his conversation with Rory.
  1. The state of South Carolina is enjoying an embarrassment of new and widely talked about golf courses coming online in the Palmetto state.  Broomsedge east of Columbia is ready for its big opening in addition to Tree Farm and Old Barnwell embarking on their second seasons with additional assets like lodging soon to be available for members and guests.  Old Sawmill, designed by Tyler Rae has begun construction and the Kiawah Island club is adding their third golf course outside the resort gates being designed by Beau Welling.  Plus, the 21 Club is a provocative project of 36 holes from King/Collins in the Aiken area and Coore/Crenshaw are building an additional course at Palmetto Bluff.  South Carolina is going to be very DEEP.
  1. I recommend the article from John Huggan in Golf Digest on the impact and role of Johann Rupert in men’s professional golf.  A global business magnate, Rupert is the host of the Dunhill Links Championship and has been a champion for golf and South Africans in the game for decades.  His reputation and voice with every important entity in the professional game make him the ideal stealth conduit to more harmony.
  1. The Dunhill, as a stated last week is one of the great events in golf annually but this year it wins the award for being the most inclusive event in men’s professional golf for 2024.  The size of the field, but with Johann Rupert running point, reflected what events can and should look like again.  The combination of a few top Americans from the PGA Tour, the standard bearers of the DP World Tour and many LIV players was refreshing to see.  I’ll say it again, it should be a co-sanctioned event with the PGA and DP World Tours. 
  1. The sight of Jay Monahan playing alongside Yasir Al-Rumayyan of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia was a nice photo op but the additional power players in the game and industry also being present has made the Dunhill Links the fall meeting of the weightiest voices in golf.  This past week only amplifies that the Ryder Cup will include anyone and everyone who can help the respected sides.
  1. Kingsbarns is part of the rotation for the Dunhill Links and Kyle Phillips has a great resume and reputation, but I would argue his construction and design of the course down the road from the St. Andrews will be his greatest triumph.  It has rightfully received praise since opening over two decades ago and the course and facility are impeccable.  The views of the North Sea and the natural presentation is a magnificent accomplishment.
  1. Wenyi Ding won the Asia pacific amateur championship one year after losing in a playoff.  The 19-year-old from China is the fifth ranked amateur in the world and is projected to make the transition to professional golf nicely.  He is also the #1 ranked amateur in the global amateur pathway ranking and that position would make him fully exempt on the DP World Tour next season, similar model to PGA Tour U.  It’s his journey and no one would begrudge him at all if he started his professional career immediately, however, you can be certain that Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament and to a lesser degree the R&A, which offers a spot in the Open Championship, to the winner will be disappointed if Ding passes on a Masters invitation.  
  1. Tyrell Hatton became the first player to win the Dunhill Links for the third time.  Hatton had reached his loftiest perch in the men’s game when he left in the aftermath of the Jon Rahm departure for LIV.  To have the type of record his has over the Old Course as well as Kingsbarns and Carnoustie is historic.  Europe is coming to Bethpage to win a road game and you can book Hatton being on that side as a phenomenal irritant, and also, sadly, a target for fans because of his demonstrative personality on the course.
  1. An itinerary this coming week for team 5 Clubs that includes Piping Rock, National Golf Links, Friars Head, Shinnecock and Maidstone and you can expect some videos and reflections from Long Island and the Great Gatsby trail this coming week.  I call it research.  

The Card – Volume LIV

by | Sep 22, 2024 | The Card

18 observations, thoughts and predictions for the week in golf…

 

  1. The opining on LIV golf and the PIF of Saudi Arabia has been comical at times beginning at the beginning with many pundits exclaiming LIV’s demise before they even launched.  This past week there was a report that one of the stipulations being proposed by PGA Tour members is that LIV players give back their signing bonuses specifically Jon Rahm.  Is it likely that tour players have voiced that as a reflex to a possible return for some players?  Sure, but as a reasonable negotiation point it’s imbecilic.  PGA Tour players at the top of the food chain trickling down to the upper middle class on the tour have leveraged the tour into a challenging financial position.  Seeking additional monetary retribution from defectors is not how all of this is going to be resolved. 
  1. The modest roll-out of the latest incarnation of the match featuring Bryson and Brooks vs. Rory and Scottie was telling on several levels.  It was not augmented by a PGA Tour attention seeking blitz and the sponsorship and venue was not identified.  Rory’s persistence in cleansing the waters with LIV is not new, it’s just more pronounced. The first indication that he was softening his position publicly was his practice round at the 2023 Masters with Brooks which was the first Masters with LIV players.  Additionally, Rory has aligned himself with Scottie who has been the most agnostic figure regarding all the unrest in the men’s sport.  Scottie and Brooks have the same agent, which is a wrinkle in all this, but Rory is being as impactful as he can be in spurring a resolution.  Rory is more fortified financially than virtually any other player, but he’s only focused on common ground and has expressed no interest in extracting money from LIV guys.
  1. Yasir Al-Rumayyan showed up at PGA Frisco this past week like many of us do when we find ourselves in the same town as a new venue or historic venue and we simply want to go by and see it unannounced.  But the head of the public investment fund of Saudi Arabia just turning up at PGA Frisco is funny, peculiar and kind of head scratching.  Within 24 hours the PGA of America announced something that we already knew and that is that LIV players will be eligible for the Ryder Cup on the United States side.  The visit by Yasir and the announcement seems oddly timed and I think that’s all it is.  The more interesting questions going forward how are quickly the Europeans re-engage former Ryder Cup stalwarts like Westwood, Poulter, Garcia and McDowell into the leadership system and will Keegan Bradley include LIV players in roles beyond potential team members?  I think the answer to both are beyond Bethpage, but Rahm, Hatton, Brooks and Bryson will be outfitted for competition a year from this time.
  1. The pre-event press conferences at LIV’s final team event of the year struck a consistent refrain from the headline players led by Phil Mickelson.  While changes to the overall construct of the tour is expected the appeals and desires for the team component to grow is telling.  The global footprint in the final four months of the year is the most viable pathway for integration between LIV and the PGA Tour.  The team dynamic being the primary driver of what is formed between the two entities and while there are only a few LIV players that the PGA Tour is anxious to re-introduce to tour events, the viability of top players like Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy playing some team events around the world is the carrot for LIV and the for profit arm of the PGA Tour is likely utilizing viability studies to assess the market value and revenue streams for the tour’s ignited a team division of its businesses.  The bigger question is how many top players want hard commitments outside the United States during football season?  The indication is not many.
  1. Matteo Manessero having two straight weeks with a chance to win big events, the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, is a testament to his belief and determination.  Manessero was ranked 1333 in the world at the end of 2019.  Five years later he is back inside the top 100 and he wasn’t gifted anything.  He was uneven on the final nine holes of both events but his ability to play his way into leads in big events is another big step for the one-time golden child of the DP World Tour.  
  1. Peter Malnati made the decision to travel to Wentworth to play the DP World Tour’s premier event.  Malnati missed the cut, but the grander point is the one worth making.  The best way to learn about yourself and grow is to take yourself to uncommon places.  Malnati is a great story in 2024 in his ability to express gratitude after winning the Valspar in March and after sharing his vulnerability and compassion after the passing of Grayson Murray in May.  Peter is an example that you don’t have to be a star to be an inspiring leader for your organization.
  1. Thriston Lawrence may have butchered the first playoff hole of the BMW PGA Championship, but he displayed more evidence that he is a top 50 player in the world heading into 2025 and his star will be on the rise even more in the United States.  At 27 with four wins on the DP world tour and a 4th place finish at the Open Championship Lawrence is projected to be on the Presidents Cup team in 2026 and I would have him in Montreal if I was Mike Weir as an indoctrination into the competition and look at him as a future commodity.  Building the culture to change the narrative requires different thinking.
  1. I made a point of watching the final couple holes of Mark O’Meara’s career as he came down the stretch at Pebble Beach on Saturday night.  Mark found a gear in the late 90’s rooted in his time and relationship with Tiger Woods that changed his historical trajectory.  The story of his first win on tour in 1984 was built on a summer of insane production and relentless play.  He played 32 events that year and had 11 top ten’s and four 2nd place finishes before breaking through in Milwaukee and finally winning by five shots over the best player in the world, Tom Watson.  Mark closing the book at Pebble where he won five times and once with his Dad, Big Bob, as his amateur partner.  I once played in a three-day event with Mark in Chicago, and I was a steaming bag of dog excrement and every time I see Mark I apologize.  Congratulations on a hall of fame career as a player and person.
  1. Rory’s year of heartbreak continues.  To his immense credit he keeps playing his way into the biggest moments in most tournaments and he did it again at the BMW PGA Championship.  This time it was Billy Horschel and his eagle on the second playoff hole that added another gutting chapter to Rory’s season.  The sensational way that Rory has come up short in some of these events does not rival Greg’ Norman’s episodic heartbreak but the results are eerily similar.  Rory will give it another try at St. Andrews in a weeks’ time at the Dunhill and if he happens to win that event with his dad it will be a wonderful elixir for a year of soul crushing seconds.
  1. Has any player evolved in the public’s eye more in the last decade than Billy Horschel.  He has thought beyond his own borders by becoming a global player.  He has been willing to share his righteous opinions about tour issues with the content leaders in the game and he has been a pragmatic and dignified professional. His comportment after the Open Championship was admirable.  His support of Aaron Rai down the stretch at the Wyndham Championship as Rai was trying to win for the first time was admirable.  Finally, his reflection on beating Rory in the playoff was top class and authentic.  Impressive evolution.
  1. Mike Weir needs a raucous atmosphere in Montreal from the opening match on Thursday.  He will most certainly get that from fantastic Canadian golf fans, but the rub is maintaining it.  Expect Canadian players to lead the home team on that first day and I will focus on the players who are there, but it will always confound me that Nick Taylor is not on the team.  His win last year in Canada was the biggest moment in Canadian golf since Weir won the Masters not to mention he’s unafraid of the big moments.  A total miss.
  1. Min Woo Lee will be the breakout star this week for either team.  Like Tom Kim, Max Homa, Sergio Garcia, and Patrick Reed in recent memory in team competitions, Lee is a hot dog in the best way.  He’s a showoff and he will be completely turned on by the environment.  
  1. The other big question for Mike Weir this week is what he will get and how many matches from Adam Scott and Jason Day.  Scott has had a very good run of golf going back to late summer and Day is a malleable team guy willing to play with anyone.  Scott is the presumptive captain in 2028 in Australia and you just wonder if he will experience winning the event just once as a player.
  1. This is a critical week for Keegan Bradley as he assesses pairing and the culture.  He knows that the Ryder Cup team next September will most likely include Bryson and Brooks which is big oxygen coming into the team room.  The other questions include who on this U.S. team beyond the top five are viable back half the roster guys at Bethpage.  Finally, can he identify a solid partner for Scottie Scheffler not named Sam Burns since he is far from a lock for next year.
  1. Jim Furyk made it clear this past week he’s not in on the premise that the USA losing is in the best future interests of the event.  The imbalance is a challenge to rev up a fan base amid football season, but the health of the event financially is very good.  The next three events starting in Chicago and then onto Australia will be home runs for a sponsorship and hospitality standpoint just like this one will be, as were Quail Hollow and Royal Melbourne.  The PGA Tour hasn’t built this for thirty years to suddenly share in the profits.  If you want a mixed team event, I’m for it but it will not be this event.
  1. The Johnson Wagner re-enactments this week in Montreal will be epic.  After long days having Johnson on the lager lathered fairways of Royal Montreal will be a tremendous scene.  Expect the cackling from Brandel Chamblee and Paul McGinley on the “Live From” desk to be next level.
  1. This week we will release for the 1st part of a 2-part conversation with Rich Lerner of Golf Channel.  Learning about Rich’s path in the game and his career and life in television is nostalgic and illuminating.  From his view of his partners on Live From to the best broadcasters of all time and his look at where it’s all going.  Rich is a friend and an elite essayist and host.  I know you’ll enjoy this broad and deep conversation available on the website and YouTube channel at 5 Clubs.
  1. I’m headed to the Scottish Highlands this week and you can count on daily diaries and short videos from Royal Dornoch, Nairn, Skibo Castle, Muirfield, Gullane and North Berwick.  Highs in the upper 40’s and low 50’s.  That’s four-ply cashmere layering weather.  Hell yeah!

The Card – Volume LIII

by | Sep 16, 2024 | The Card

18 observations, thoughts and predictions for the week in golf…

 

  1. The Solheim Cup is the crown jewel of the LPGA and therefore every finite detail is amplified when you have the most attention you can get as a sports organization.  Which makes the abject fiasco of the shuttle service on Friday morning and then again when fans were leaving that night a mind-blowing failure.  The infrastructure of the club, RTJ, the years of planning and the necessity to execute the entry and exit of your fans expertly should prompt a complete overhaul of the policies and procedures of the LPGA’s Solheim Cup planning team.  Lastly, offering free general admission tickets to fans who already have tickets and just had a miserable experience is not the right concession.  Simply put, a complete disaster. 
  1. The pre-determined decision made by Jack Fulghum, Megan Khang’s caddy and Taylor Takada, Alison Lee’s caddy to rip their shirts off if either of their players holed out a shot from the fairway is one of the dumbest things I’ve seen in a team competition.  After audibling from a 500 dollar wager the caddy duo took center stage after Lee holed her second shot on the 2nd hole.  The 2nd hole, that alone is ridiculous, but compounding the imbecilic behavior was the reality that Madelene Sagstrom still had a shot from the fairway.  The American team was let off the hook when Suzann Petterson, the European captain, took a lighthearted attitude towards the caddy buffoonery.  Let’s all agree that caddies being a part of any team competition story now or ever is not the objective.
  1. Speaking of Petterson, if this is the end of her direct involvement in the Solheim Cup as a front facing figure in the competition she will go down as one of the true legends of the event.  Her walk off win into retirement will likely never be duplicated but it was always her appetite for the confrontation of the competition that made her the perfect Solheim Cup antagonist.
  1. Despite getting dusted in Sunday singles 6&4 by Charley Hull, the week for Nelly Korda was a rousing success.  She was the centerpiece of the American team and was fantastic in team play with Megan Khang and Allisen Corpuz with superior shot making and timely eagle putts that put a charge into the home crowd.  She was also the chief hype person for the team.  Additionally, she was the most sought-after photo op amongst the celebs on the first tee including Jessica Alba, whose Solheim Cup fandom I was not aware of.  Nelly was a big winner.
  1. Megan Khang was a superstar for Stacy Lewis’ team.  She was a part of three blowouts including her singles win of 6&5 over Emily Pederson.  Certain players are built for the environment of a Solheim Cup where you don’t ease into the competition.  You are tossed into the blender on the first tee and you either get oriented to it or you will get overrun.  Khang was basking in the blender.
  1. The news of Tiger Woods’ sixth back surgery didn’t hit with much surprise.  It was simply a reminder that the focus on one ailment or physical issue, naturally neglects the other significant physical challenges Tiger deals with as he approaches his 49th birthday in late December.  We all hope he can play some golf with Charlie and at his own event before the new year but the plausibility of Tiger ever really being able to win again gets even more remote.  It doesn’t change the interest and curiosity in his pursuit of being competitive in the majors but the likelihood that he will have a chapter in the twilight of his career like Phil, Jack, Watson and Snead is hard to fathom.  If you can’t play enough around those weeks, you just can’t win.
  1. PGA Tour you have to know that scheduling a meeting with the principles of the public investment fund of Saudi Arabia in New York City on the eve of 9-11 or on 9-11 is at minimum a very bad look, and at worst, a sloppy and tone-deaf gesture void of awareness.  Have the meeting almost anywhere, but NOT there and not on 9-11. Do we really even have to ask?
  1. Rory McIlroy has had many examples of the duality of his career.  Extraordinary accomplishment and mind-bending heartbreak.  I have no idea if the conclusion of the Irish Open summed up his year or his career.  McIlroy possessed a two-shot lead late on Sunday at Royal County Down only to see Rasmus Hojgaard post 65 with a birdie-birdie-birdie finish to deny McIlroy a truly sweet victory in his home country of Northern Ireland.  Rory bogeyed the 15th and then 3-putted the 17th to be forced to make eagle on the last hole to tie Hojgaard Rory produced two majestic shots only to burn the right edge with his eagle putt and experience once again a searing loss at home.  All historic players have chapters of heartbreak, but Rory has a rolodex of heartache in the last couple years unmatched by any player of his ilk.  He also never has a title gifted to him.
  1. Declaring any golf course, the best in the world is a fool’s errand.  However, I think most well-traveled golfers can construct a relatively short list and Royal County Down would be on that list.  Seeing it presented from the sky with drones and getting a week of brisk and dry conditions only showcased the wonder of RCD even more.  The collage of the Mourne mountains, the dundrum bay and the routing of the holes on the championship course is a golf nirvana. 
  1. Alex Fitzpatrick posted his fourth top 10 on the DP World Tour and the younger brother U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick looks the part.  At 25 after a full college experience at Wake Forest behind him Alex is likely not going to thrust himself into the Ryder Cup conversation for 2025 but his future is bright and his girlfriend, Rachel Kuehn, also an All American at Wake Forest, is just beginning her professional journey.
  1. This past week the founder and owner of the Ohoopee Match Club welcomed 24 kids from The First Tee and Underrated Golf.  12 boys and 12 girls given three full days of golf, fellowship, and time with a collection of mentors who have experienced enormous success in a variety of fields from business to sports to music.  To be there to witness the joy and gratitude of these young people was one of the highlights of the year.  Additionally, every kid received a significant contribution towards their college experiences.  The Indigo and Gopher matches is being annualized and its impact on young people invested in golf is just beginning.
  1. The addition of Brandt Snedeker to Jim Furyk’s Presidents Cup staff is the latest indication of the big pivot in the team USA brain trust.  It’s not unreasonable that Snedeker could be a captain of either USA team in the immediate future.  Continuity amongst the voices in the room between the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup captains’ rooms should be used to the Americans advantage.  It will be interesting to see if Tiger will want to be present at Bethpage knowing how his place there will naturally take the attention away from Keegan Bradley.  His decision not to captain the team next year likely means he will stay away altogether.  
  1. Max Homa missing the cut in Napa is not a nightmare scenario for his position on the Presidents Cup team but his inability to find some form and good thoughts at a place with great personal memories is not what Homa and captain Jim Furyk were hoping for this past week.  Homa has thrived in his two cup appearances, but his form was decidedly better than it is currently.
  1. Jimmy Walker played in the Irish Open this past week and shot 65 on Sunday to finish tied for 7th place.  Walker was among the best players in the world when he won the PGA in 2016 and soon after was stricken with Lyme’s disease which stripped him of his competitiveness on the PGA tour almost altogether.  The story of what happened to Walker has received little attention and the story should be told of the years of neurological unrest Walker dealt with.
  1. Lexi Thompson’s Solheim Cup career concluded Sunday with a difficult 1 down loss to Celine Boutier.  Thompson had a decent week and it’s inevitable that she will captain the United States team, the question is when.  The U.S. has a number of marquee players from the past 15 years who are likely to get the nod over the next decade.  Where does Thompson fall in the line and the bigger question is will Michelle Wie get the appointment?  Emphatically yes and you can expect it before Lexi gets her own captaincy.
  1. The next six weeks of golf in the northeast and Midwest are the best days.  Lower temperatures, lower humidity and an abundance of color on the ground and in the trees.  From Northern Michigan to Plymouth Massachusetts, to East Hampton New York this is the greatest playing window of the year.
  1. Lilia Vu making the winning putt for the United States is appropriate.  She has become the most reliable big game hunter in the sport.  Unwavering ability to thrive under intense pressure and her putt to force the extension of her singles match to the 18th hole symbolized who she is, a total stud.
  1. International Team golf competitions are the most enthralling form of golf entertainment.  Primarily because we see it infrequently, it’s confrontational, the players emote unlike any other time that they are playing, and we know we are getting resolution every four hours with matches.  The Solheim Cup managed a tricky situation with back-to-back editions, but it is now on the International Presidents Cup team to bring the fight to the United States or the cries for a radical reconstruction of the format will get louder than they already are.

The Card – Volume LII

by | Aug 26, 2024 | The Card

18 observations, thoughts and predictions for the week in golf…

 

  1. The Curtis Cup will be contested this week at Sunningdale located 30 miles Southwest of London.  It’s among the very finest 36-hole facilities in the world.  The golf courses are an enchanted forest, the holes are architectural gems, and the clubhouse is a treasure trove of historical artifacts while being exceedingly warm and comfortable.  With the future sites in the United States that include Bel-Air, National Golf Links, Pine Valley and Bandon Dunes it is a dead heat between the Curtis cup and Walker cup for best rota in golf.
  1. Speaking of Pine Valley, the U.S. Curtis Cup team did some team building, bonding and just hanging out with each other at one of the game’s iconic spots.  I know it was not lost on Meghan Stasi, the U.S. captain, that Harry Colt had some input into the design of Pine Valley, and he was a central figure in the evolution of the Willie Park Jr. design of the Old Course at Sunningdale.  It’s fantastic that PV is being used for a pre-departure venue for team competitions and while the land does not have the majestic tall species of trees that Sunningdale does, there is no place to get more lost in the next shot than the solitary experience of each hole at Pine Valley.  These young women are embarking on one of the great experiences of their lives only enhanced with a trip to PV.
  1. Viewing all four days of the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews and it only re affirms what I’ve felt since the first time I stepped onto the first tee at the Old Course 30 years ago.  There is no golf course more interesting, no walk more invigorating and no experience more nourishing.  Seeing the women layered up, which is the only way to go around the Old, the gray town bouncing between blue sky and dull low greyish clouds is what makes it haunting and a singular experience.  
  1. I.K. Kim finished her final round of the Women’s Open and after shaking Martin Slumbers of the R&A’s hand and announced her retirement from professional golf.  Kim is a major winner having won the 2017 Women’s Open and she finished in the top 5 in nine major championships.  She will always be remembered as the player who missed a putt of roughly one foot at the Kraft Nabisco to win her first major in 2012.  She lost in a playoff but never lost her positivity and grace is a testament to a career well led.
  1. Lexi Thompson made the cut at the Women’s Open and took a moment on the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th hole to acknowledge her exiting the competitive stage.  I would think she will cherry pick an event somewhere in the future but her career as we knew it is over.  She was a dynamic, explosive, and captivating player and she suffered some gut-wrenching losses that only made her more interesting.  Lexi never appeared totally comfortable holding such a lofty perch as the quasi face of women’s golf in America and she was in the public eye long before high school.  She will captain a future Solheim Cup team and I hope she finds immense joy in the next chapter.
  1. The report this week that LIV Golf has signed a rights management deal with the global sports monolith only reinforces what we’ve said here for two years.  LIV isn’t just going away.  CAA is a leader in marketing, sponsorship and media rights and they are being paid to raise PIF’s profile at a time the PGA Tour and the PIF are trying to find common ground.  With a media deal expiring with the CW for over the air broadcasts and many contracts of players also expiring at year’s end this is a fascinating and significant end of year for LIV, but they are doing the opposite of drawing down toward a conclusion.  Where and when do the two tours find entry points for players?  2026.
  1. Nelly Korda arrived at the 14th tee, the par 5 at the Old Course, with a two-shot lead and she was playing a steely and sturdy round of golf.  She was not a lock by any means to win but what transpired in the next 15 minutes was mind numbing.  After a good tee shot down the right side of the 14th fairway, she then hit a worse shot for her second. The third shot was worse than the second, the fourth worse than the third, the fifth worse than the fourth, the sixth worse than the fifth and finally a double bogey 7.  She missed an 8-footer for birdie on 16, left a 10-foot par putt short on 17 and she was effectively out of contention.  She’s had a historic year but leading the Open by two with five to go and losing stings.  A lot.
  1. Lydia Ko completes the month of her life.  First, she wins the gold medal in Paris and now adds her third major victory at the Old Course.  It’s been eight years since her last major victory, and she has had so much change for someone only 27 years old.  21 LPGA wins, three majors, all three medals in Olympic golf and now a major win at the Old Course.  No one knows how long she will keep competing, but she is one of the truly historic figures in golf.  Her early rise, her humility and her appreciation.  A true champion.
  1. Lilia Vu will be smarting from leaving her tying putt short on the 18th hole, but it is very clear that she is the most capable and comfortable American along with Nelly on the biggest stages.  She is a big game hunter and Stacy Lewis will lean on her big-time next month at the Solheim Cup.
  1. The beauty of golf courses has never been celebrated more than they are currently.  The beautiful work of so many dedicated content creators have taken the lead but seeing Castle Pines for the first time in almost 20 years with aerial footage via drones has been phenomenal.  20 years ago, you never got the long views of the Colorado landscape and the rise and fall of the land.  With the massive support of fans locally and the gushing of the players and broadcasters.  Castle Pines will be visited again, soon.
  1. Earlier last week the PGA Tour had a player call/meeting scheduled to discuss future issues including field size and reportedly the number of players who may have tour cards starting in 2026.  One of the items is the continuing discussion about the number of players in fields from Signature series events to all the other tour stops.  It has been suggested that one of the driving concerns about field size is the challenge to make a cut by Friday night each week.  I promise you the main reason is not the concern about cuts being executed it’s about money.  More for less.  At a time that more players from all over the world can play at an elite level the PGA Tour is deliberately trying to contract.  I have no problem with more elite fields, but the door must stay open for the underdog, it’s the essence of sports.  The mules on the PGA Tour must be restless because the barn door may be closing.
  1. Chris Kirk made the Tour Championship in 2014 and he had not been back to East Lake since.  After being the only player who played his way out of the Tour Championship last year at the BMW Kirk returns to Atlanta.  His victory at the Sentry in Maui book-ended by a trip back to East Lake.  As someone who also lives a life of recovery Chris is an inspiration and for all the success playing golf, I can assure you that the thing he values most in life is peace of mind.  
  1. If you said in January that Max Homa, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jason Day and Brian Harman would all play a full schedule and all miss the Tour Championship you’d have gotten great odds on the parlay card.  They are just 2024’s reminder that getting there is a big deal.
  1. Ludvig Aberg did a bunch of firsts this season. The majors were all new and all the big events were new as well.  With a heaping of expectations on him entering the year off the Ryder Cup appearance he has produced eight top 10’s and was in the deep end of the pool at the Masters finishing second and he also nosed himself into the mix at the U.S. Open.  He made a big blunder on 14 on Sunday with a 6 iron in his hand on the par 5 and walked off with bogey and that was the swing hole for him to possibly win.  Nonetheless he’s headed to East Lake having validated the buzz.
  1. Adam Scott playing well late in the season and all the way to East Lake is a testament to many things.  Generational talent, dogged determination and a true worker.  All of those things while Scott deals with a putter that CAN be capable but his inability to make a handful of six footers and shorter kept him from a minimum likely forcing a playoff.  Mike Weir must feel more confident in his ability to play Scott in any session of the Presidents Cup.
  1. Keegan Bradley is going to make the Presidents Cup team off his win.  The 5 iron he struck on the 17th hole with a one-shot lead was one of the finest and biggest shots of his career.  I do not think he can be a playing captain at Bethpage and do not think he will be in the top 6 next year but we can debate that plenty in the next year.  Bottom line, Furyk should pull the trigger and put him on the team, and I expect he will.
  1. The Bradley appointment to Ryder Cup captaincy has created a vibe around him that has never existed before.  He was a very relevant player but the combination of the ‘Full Swing” documentation of his Ryder Cup snub and his shocking appointment as captain for Bethpage have made him more relevant than he’s ever been at age 38, interesting.
  1. The significant changes to East Lake will be the story of the week in Atlanta.  I spent an hour with Andrew Green on Friday and that extensive conversation will be available Monday AM, August 26 on all 5 Clubs platforms.  His thoughts and what was there before, what they changed, misconceptions about Donald Ross designs and why his job is his passion.  Please give it a watch or listen.

The Card – Volume LI

by | Aug 18, 2024 | The Card

18 observations, thoughts and predictions for the week in golf…

 

  1. Lauren Coughlin is one of the great stories in professional golf this year.  At 31 she has taken the longer road to success and winning on the LPGA and her recent burst of winning two events in the last three starts.  Lauren is a lock for the USA Solheim Cup team and her break out year reflects perseverance and belief.  Coughlin has not only won twice but she has seven top 10’s this season.  In her career coming into 2024 she only had three.  Coughlin’s win at the ISPS Handa Scottish Open was complete and she is a true favorite this coming week at the Old Course and the Women’s Open.
  1. Esther Henseleit of Germany backed up her silver medal at the Olympics with a solo second at the Women’s Scottish Open and her odds at the Women’s Open will also get shorter.  Henseleit is also a lock for the European Solheim Cup team.  Esther played well in three majors, won the silver in the Olympics and very quickly has become a viable piece to Suzann Pettersen’s European Solheim Cup team.
  1. The news this week that the 2028 Solheim Cup will be contested at Valhalla was met with a great deal of indifference and a healthy dose of criticism.  While I think it is a proper course for the club to go in this direction because men’s major championship golf is not going back there for the foreseeable future the question is why would the LPGA make the choice to go there?  Every event there has been eventful, it can build whatever footprint is needed for the Solheim Cup and you have a market and a region that will support the event.  Reasonable mindset but the LPGA had an opportunity at a time that more elite old and new clubs are being more welcoming to the idea of a “one off” event, especially one with 24 players and a match play format.  The entire country is in play for a September event and while the decision to go to Valhalla will ultimately make sense the choice not to stage the event at a classic venue currently out of the spotlight or at a new location with a lot of buzz would have been a much more pragmatic decision.
  1. Jordan Spieth completed his season at Memphis and his result reflected a season lost.  His left wrist will be operated on, and he spoke after his final round about being a little scared with the uncertainty of any surgical procedure but that it is necessary.  His strokes gained approach for the week in Memphis was dead last which has been the story of his year.  Jordan shared that the recovery period will be 12 weeks and he may seek a sponsor exemption for Tiger’s event in December and not being exempt for the Sentry event at Kapalua may mean that Jordan’s next official start on the PGA Tour will be the Sony Open in mid-January.  Spieth is still a big name but 2025 will be a critical year to re-establish himself as a viable winner on tour and whether he’s a reliable candidate for the USA Ryder Cup team at Bethpage.
  1. National Golf Links has always been the happiest place for golf that I’ve experienced and that’s in large measure to an annual event I’ve attended for the last ten years.  It’s 24 hours and it’s 36 guys playing golf and renewing friendships that, for some, are almost confined to those 24 hours for the entire year.  Time passes and conversations evolve but at the core of this trip is the time itself.  The value of laughing, thinking, sharing and even crying makes the annual 24 hours at National the best 24 hours in golf for me every year.  Those holes, the stories, the setting and the people sum up my and our mantra at 5 Clubs.  It’s the time, not the score.
  1. The transition to the next generation of Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup leadership will be complete after Jim Furyk captain’s the USA in Montreal after failing to win the Ryder Cup in 2018 in Paris.  Furyk is a consummate professional and his team certainly admired him but the generation of players who achieved the most individually but failed collectively the most in the Ryder Cup for the USA.  Expect Keegan Bradley to fill out his leadership team with younger guys and that could include a few without any Ryder Cup experience like Kevin Kisner, Lucas Glover and Billy Horschel.  The next 14 months will usher in a whole new system of USA captaincy.  The interesting development will come in 2027 when Tiger captain’s the team in Ireland and who will be his trusted staff.
  1. The final major of the year in professional golf is this week at the Old Course with the Women’s Open.  We will get to see the Old Course again in October during the Dunhill Links when it will be downright cold.  The Dunhill should be made a co-sanctioned event.  It’s a phase of the DP World Tour schedule that members are looking to fortify their position for the final series and 2025 but the ability to entice some top Americans to venture over will help both tours.  It could also see other Americans use the terrific events in the fall in Europe to augment their autumn schedules.  If the two tours are going to have an alliance the PGA Tour members both American and European can make the fields deeper by realizing critical fall points for the following season.
  1. Sam Saunders didn’t have the name PALMER on the bag, but everyone knew the Arnold Palmer was and is Sam’s grandfather.  This past week Sam announced his retirement from professional golf competition.  320 starts on the various Tour sanctioned circuits spanning 15 years produced one runner up on the PGA Tour and three more on the Korn Ferry Tour.  At 37, Sam can make a pivot in his professional life and whoever has the good fortune of working with and around Sam Saunders will be better for it.  He possesses many of the things his grandfather valued, starting with being a very solid citizen.
  1. Tom Kim’s 6-6-6 final 3 holes Sunday to finish 51st and out of the playoffs is the devil’s scorecard.
  1. Max Homa finished last at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and will need a very good week just to make it to East Lake for the Tour Championship.  His last top 10 was on May 12th at the Wells Fargo and his position on the Presidents Cup team is far more precarious than you would have thought it would ever be.  In June of 2023 Max was asked if he was in a mini slump because he had a couple very flat starts in a row and he whistled past it explaining how it was a few starts.  In this case its eight starts and the best finish is a T22.  Max finished with his best result in a major with his T3 at the Masters but his year went sideways by a top players standards after that.  He will make the Presidents Cup team partly because of his own performance in the last two team events but also because there are few “hot” Americans down the list.
  1. Rory McIlroy had a dreadful week in Memphis off his T5 at the Olympics.  Among the events he played the weekend in 2024 his T68 at FedEx was his worst result of the year.  Beyond the next two playoff events, Rory has several overseas commitments on the DP World Tour from September on, but you can feel people have turned the page to 2025 for Rory.  He’s a two-time winner this year, one with Shane Lowry, but he is miles from the performance level of Scheffler and Schauffele’s two major wins which makes Rory truly feel like a distant third in the pecking order.  
  1. Eric Cole shot 63 for the second straight Sunday and overcame driving it in the water on 18 to salvage a bogey and sneak inside the top 50 and advanced to the BMW.  Cole plays more than anyone and him making it deeper into the playoffs and the bonuses associated with it tickles me.  Cole was the rookie of the year last year and although his season in 2024 wasn’t quite as good as 2023 I admire his persistence to keep his dream alive into his mid 30’s and he’s now raking massive checks after playing for peanuts for over a decade.  Rake that bonus, Eric.
  1. The U.S. Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester is a protégé of Sergio Garcia and is coached by Sergio’s Dad.  As an Arizona State Sun Devil, he has also spent time with Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson.  Ballester emerged during a week when many of the top amateurs struggled to make deep runs in match play including Preston Summerhays, Gordon Sargent, Ben James, and Luke Clanton.  Will Ballester defend next August when the amateur returns to the revamped Olympic Club?  Following the work of Gil Hanse and team Olympic, it returns to the main stage over the next eight years with the Amateur, then the PGA in 2028 and the Ryder Cup in 2033.
  1. Nick Dunlap started 2024 in college at Alabama.  He won as an amateur and received no points.  He turned pro and started at 0 and won again mixed in with some missed cuts.  He showed up in Memphis needing a top 5 simply to make it to the BMW and secure a schedule including all the Signature series events in 2025.  Mission accomplished.  Kids.
  1. Scottie Scheffler racked up his 15th top 10 in 17 starts this season.  He made zero putts on Saturday and a long putt on the last altered his putting stats on Sunday and for the week.  He was average by his standards.  He finished 4th.
  1. Xander Schauffele shot 63 on Sunday and put the late heat on Hideki Matsuyama and he picked up his 13th top 10 in 19 starts and his third runner up finish.  A phenomenal display of production for an entire season and this is more than a run, he will have ebbs but this is who he is.
  1. Hideki Matsuyama has now won 10 PGA Tour events.  He wins big events and he’s been the face of a golf crazy nation in Japan for a decade.  He’s a dignified and respectful champion and he’s a mortal lock for the hall of fame.  His birdie-birdie finish to halt an epic meltdown was built on big time stones.
  1. The International at Castle Pines was a very cool event and when it left the schedule it left a void.  Castle Pines showed beautifully on analog television and the style of play at altitude was dynamic.  Castle Pines returns to the stage this week and with drones and the power in the game now, it should be a great show.  A long time coming back, I hope they have a great week.

The Card – Volume L

by | Aug 12, 2024 | The Card

18 observations, thoughts and predictions for the week in golf…

 

  1. Lydia Ko’s gold medal performance is one of the great moments in recent years.  A past winner of a silver and bronze medal in Rio and Tokyo, Ko knew that a gold medal would gain her enshrinement in the LPGA Hall of Fame based on the point system used by the LPGA.  At 27 Ko’s career is likely closer to the end than most people understand so the opportunity in Paris was precious.  Ko will forever be one of the finest and most authentic people I’ve met covering sports my entire career.  The image of her hearing the anthem of New Zealand on the medal stand will stand up as one of the best moments in golf in 2024.  
  1. Esther Henseleit is a two-time winner on the Ladies European Tour but her silver medal performance in the Paris games is by far the biggest moment of her career so far.  Henseleit has finished in the top 10 in two majors this year, the Chevron and Evian, and her final round 66 was the round of the day at Le Golf National.  With the final major of the year in two weeks at St. Andrews, Henseleit has the opportunity to build on the Olympic experience and expect more of her in the United States in 2025.
  1. Nelly Korda’s Olympic week was a microcosm of her summer of ‘24.  Moments of very good that were undone by big numbers.  Korda expressed several key things after her week was over that rang true.  First, she was very proud to represent the United States and proud of herself for being a better player now than she was in Tokyo when she won the gold medal.  Secondly, she pointed out that her summer has been maligned by too many big mistakes.  Those big mistakes started on the third hole of the U.S. Women’s Open when she made a 10 and opened with 80.  Korda also shot 81 at the KPMG Women’s PGA.  Her shank on the 15th hole in the final round of the Olympic golf competition was the latest big number, a triple bogey, which took her out of medal contention.  Korda has won six times, including a major in 2024 but her last win came in May and her summer has been defined by blowups.  A true tale of two seasons.
  1. The two weeks of the Olympic Golf at Le Golf National was memorable, momentum building and enduring.  Players from both the men and women were overwhelmed by the atmosphere on site and all of them expressed humility being around all the other athletes.  Several players, including Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler attended other events and their appreciation for the experience bodes very well for the future of the event.  I wrote about the measurement of the achievement this past week and the overarching point is that the stage is enormous, and the viewpoints of the players will drive the value of winning the gold medal.  Time is on the side of Olympic golf.
  1. Le Golf National has now hosted a Ryder Cup and the Olympic Golf Competitions and the atmosphere has been fantastic for both.  Huge credit to the fans who gave the players everything they would hope to have for a big event.  The closing stretch is entertaining and turbulent but if given the chance I wouldn’t walk across the street to play the place now or ever.  It’s built for big events and big crowds, and it has worked.  It was not constructed for walking with a bag on your shoulder and I would imagine the golf course absent of the infrastructure for those big events has little to no charm.  Big events, I get it.  Regular everyday play, no thanks.
  1. Steph Curry’s performance in the semifinals and his late explosion in the gold medal game only reinforced what we know, he’s the greatest shooter of a basketball of all time.  It also is a great reminder that Steph’s immense popularity will only assist in his ambition to improve the landscape of golf.  The final regional stop of the Underrated Tour, Steph’s junior golf tour, was conducted at TPC San Antonio.  The top 12 boys and girls will now make their way to Ridgewood Country Club, outside NYC for the Curry Cup right after Labor Day.  Steph has already been recognized for what he’s doing for junior golfers, but this is just the beginning.  He will prove to be one of the great ambassadors for the game of golf we’ve ever seen.
  1. The purse for the Wyndham Championship was $7.9 million.  Scottie Scheffler earned $8 million this week for winning the Comcast Business Top 10.  Rewarding the top performers over the course of the regular season is fine but the purpose was to motivate players to play more to earn the bonuses from being in the top 10.  The acceleration of money into the men’s game has made many players exponentially wealthier but it’s also diminished the possibility that they will keenly chase bonuses.  The very mechanism they have used to satisfy players has simultaneously dulled their pursuit of additional riches.  Ironic.
  1. The PGA Tour announced this week that Truist is the new sponsor for the Signature series event at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.  The event will be conducted in 2025 at Philadelphia Cricket Club while Quail Hollow plays host to the PGA Championship.  The tour values few markets and clubs more than they do Charlotte and Quail Hollow.  The secondary sponsorship market, the hospitality market and the fanbase in Charlotte is outstanding.  The club, under the direction and vision of Johnny Harris, is a model for what you need in a partner.  Harris lives by the adage his dear friend Arnold Palmer abided by, “success is always under construction”.  Charlotte is a great pro golf town.
  1. Phil Mickelson shared some thoughts on his own future and the future of LIV golf’s media rights this past week.  Mickelson suggested his event-to-event presence for his team the HiFlyers is going to diminish if his play continues to lag.  He also spoke on the digital and linear broadcast rights of LIV golf events.  What he didn’t say is what is the most interesting part of it all because one way or the other you will get to watch the LIV events. The bigger question is will he transition into the lead analyst role for the televised product.  Phil was the most coveted player to become the lead analyst for any network.  His presence in the booth sharing his righteous opinions would be the most value he can give to LIV in 2025 and beyond.
  1. Rianne Malixi became the fourth woman to win multiple USGA championships in the same year.  Malixi is a Duke University signee who is already a global player.  The Philippines product defeated Asterisk Talley in both the U.S. girls junior and the U.S. Women’s amateur and completed a 12-0 record in USGA match play for 2024.  Two players who are not even eligible for college golf for another year making it to the final of two USGA championships proves again that preparedness is evident at every level in the game.
  1. Jordan Spieth missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship, and he will play in the first playoff event, but his season is likely to come to an end next Sunday.  A season that showed promise on the west coast with two top 6 finishes but his disqualification at the Genesis Invitational which coincided with a lingering left wrist issue sent his season in the wrong direction.  Spieth’s best result in a major was T25 at the Open championship which was also his best result from April 7th to the end of the regular season.  Here’s hoping Spieth gets his wrist repaired and 2025 is a reminder, to some degree, of who he was ten years.  2015 was one of the great season’s this century and he had magic.  
  1. My surprises outside the playoffs for 2024.  Keith Mitchell, Lucas Glover, Sam Stevens, Rickie Fowler, J.J. Spaun and Adam Schenk.
  1. Luke Clanton had a very good summer of amateur/professional golf.  He made the cut in five of six professional events including a T2 at the John Deere and another great finish at the Wyndham Championship.  Clanton returns to Florida State and launches himself to the top of the returning players on campus and his NIL personal collective just tripled.
  1. Victor Perez had the dream week at the Paris Olympics and immediately jetted to Greensboro, North Carolina to try to secure his place in the FedEx cup playoffs starting the week as the bubble boy at 70.  Four rounds in the 60’s with a 36-hole final day and Perez made a sinister 6-footer on the last hole to secure his spot in Memphis.  Golf can be exhausting, and Perez has to be gassed but he is not only a wealthier player as a result of the last two weeks, but he’s also a better player.
  1. The women enter a glorious two weeks off the Olympic competition.  First the Scottish Open at Dundonald and then onto the Women’s Open at St. Andrews.  The women win the scheduling face off with any tour over the next couple weeks and it’s a great opportunity to showcase the women’s ground game if they can get firm and fast conditions.
  1. CBS wrapped up their golf season with the Wyndham Championship after experiencing real change a couple years ago with the departure of Peter Kostis and Gary McCord and the retirement of Lance Barrow.  With Sellers Shy producing and a broadcast roster with defined roles CBS had an excellent year.  Trevor Immelman is respected, and he’s plugged in with players and gives his opinion and Nantz is the voice of the TV show that is professional golf.
  1. Max Greyserman stood on the 14th tee coming off a hole out eagle on the 13th and in possession of a four shot lead.  He proceeded to go 8-4-4 which included a tee shot out of bounds and a four putt.  It epitomized the year of leads lost late which included Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open and Jon Rahm at the Olympics.
  1. Aaron Rai has earned what he’s received in the game of golf, and he’s done it all with immense gratitude.  He has never lost sight of valuing people and possessions and he built all year to his breakthrough win on the PGA Tour.  Well done.