Golfing News & Blog Articles

Bill Fields wraps up the annual State of the Masters press conference featuring Chairman Fred Ridley, including details on some nice community outreach efforts prompted by this summer’s civil unrest.

Of course, there was the annual distance talk and one of the non-bootlickers thankfully asked.

From Adam Schupak’s look at Ridley’s comments on distance in response to Schupak’s question.

“I’ve been reluctant thus far to make any major changes regarding adding distance to the golf course,” Ridley said, forgetting, of course, that the club stretched the par-4 fifth hole, Magnolia, under his watch, to 495 yards in 2019. “I think sometimes when you do that, I mean, I think there are unintended consequences that come out of that. The scale and the scope of the hole, it changes when you add distance. It changes more than just adding distance. The look of the hole changes. And the design philosophy of the hole changes. And that’s something that we have always and I have always been very focused on is maintaining the design philosophy of MacKenzie and Jones.”

It’s a tad late on that front due to changes by previous administrations, but nice to see the Chairman gets that no walking back to tees to help tip toe around manufacturer bottom lines is, well, unbecoming.

How about that rough?

There is plenty to wonder about regarding the feasibility and success of this year’s rescheduled Masters. The Associated Press’ Paul Newberry addresses many of those questions in this pre-first round column yet calls the 2020 edition a “weak imitation” and a “nondescript college tournament”, all before a shot has been struck.

Certainly the atmosphere will be dead. So many traditions are not taking place and the atmosphere will be quiet. (Jon Rahm’s incredible skip shot and the silent reaction gave us an indication that the 2020 Masters will not be nearly as fun as normal.)

Still, Newberry slaughters the tournament before it has even begun. I supposed you could say he’s paying tribute to the joys of early-week Masters festivities and that overall strength of the tournament’s ability to captivate sports fans. But reaching that conclusion already is a curious call when 72 of 72 holes remain to be played.

Newberry writes:

Phil Mickelson practices off the 10th tee with his personal launch monitor

And that’s not the predicted rainfall total by week’s end. Though you never know.

I can’t imagine a more nightmarish Tradition-Unlike-Any-Other storyline than talk of golfers and their driver shafts. And because, well you know why, we arrive at the 2020 rescheduled Masters without fans, without a Par 3 contest and without the usual spring delights, 48 inches is the talk of the town.

It didn’t have to be this way. Of course, Fred Ridley is the Masters chairman and he had his shot to ensure a focus on skill during his USGA Presidency, as have many other leaders.

Without further ado, I give you the 48-inch roundup.

Tiger Woods held court as the 2019 Masters defending champion and grew emotion recounting last year’s fifth Masters win.

From Steve DiMeglio’s story from Augusta:

“I’m getting chills thinking about it,” Woods said about his one-shot victory over Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele, picturing in his mind a few moments from his magical journey to his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship triumph. “Coming up 18, and knowing that all I have to do is just two-putt that little 15 footer and to see my family there and my mom and my kids and all of the people that helped support me or were there for me in the tough times, and I was walking up there trying not to lose it, and still saying, ‘Hey, I’ve still got to two-putt this.’

“Then I walked off the back of the green, to see (son) Charlie there, just opened up our arms, it meant a lot to me and still does. It just reminded me so much of me and my dad (hugging after his 1997 Masters win), and to come full circle like that, it stills gets me you know, a little teary.

Video of Woods speaking Tuesday inside the media center:

While we focus on long drives and shafts, Masters numbers crunchers like the 15th Club’s Justin Ray will tell you iron play and very few three-putts will help you win a green jacket.

So with two aces in as many 2020 practice days, maybe Jon Rahm is someone to keep an eye on. And who says I don’t provide live tips?

This one is at 17.5 million views as of this posting because he was skipping the ball off the lake. Yes, I know, it’s a shot he won’t try on tournament play. Still, this takes iron skill and he’s just really good in general.

From pond to pin! Rahm skips to a hole-in-one on No. 16 at #themasters pic.twitter.com/JNNPWgW9OP

Rahn’s fourth hole ace Monday was not caught on camera but the moment he grabbed the ball was later posted by the 10-1 Spaniard:

Eureka Earth’s overhead from a few weeks ago shows a new grove of trees left of the 18th hole fairway bunkers (left side of image)

I felt like we were making such progress with Augusta National, down to public comments by Chairman Fred Ridley to uphold the original architectural vision of Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones.

So to read of Hootie Johnson-era manipulations to the course via rough and trees is, well, a setback given the well-stated views of the architects.

From ESPN.com’s Bob Harig Monday course assessment:

The rough appears longer. It's possible it will be cut prior to the first round, but on Monday it was thicker than what the "first cut'' would normally play and look.

Every shot. From every player. On every hole. That’s the pledge of “My Group”, the newest feature in the Masters app and website (with a Jimmy Roberts voiced tutorial here).

Developed by IBM, the 2020 Masters rolls out the next innovation in viewing after last year’s mostly excellent debut of every shot, every player (with just a few exceptions).

The latest twist: you can build a playlist of players and artificial intelligence will put together shots and highlights for you. They are also saying you can view (almost) live coverage of only the players you want to see.

I will be most interested to see how this “sounds” given the lack of fans on site or announcers adding big picture context to what you’re seeing. That’s also a nice way of saying you might want to have your Masters music playlist on a loop.

Here is a setup video hosted by Scott Van Pelt featuring a distinctly pharmaceutical ad vibe with actors pretending to look at screens in places no normal person would watch golf. I’m not sure they should be encouraging viewing while behind the wheel unless, of course, AI is also driving your Tesla. Then it’s okay:

Beginning with the 2020 Masters Tournament, the low 50 players and ties will qualify for the final 36 holes. This is the first change to the cut since 2013.

Certainly with daylight at a premium and a bleak weather forecast, you can understand the Fall Masters going to a 50-and-ties cut format.

But as GolfDigest.com’s Alex Myers notes, the vaunted ten shot rule helped nine others make the cut in 2019 and on a course where a huge comeback is not out of the question. Yet today’s Tweet suggests the change is permanent.

Feeling symptoms on his Saturday night drive back to Austin following the Houston Open, Sergio Garcia got tested in advance of the Masters and “informed” the club of his plant to withdraw. It’s obviously concerning any time someone experiences coronavirus and was participating in a PGA Tour event while positive, but hopefully it’s a minor event for the 2017 Masters winner and those closest to him.

He becomes the second player to WD due to a positive test. Garcia’s incredible run of 21 years and 84-straight majors ends, as GolfDigest.com’s Alex Myers notes here.

Adam Scott, who recently covered from a short bout with the virus, commented on the bad break for Garcia. Jim McCabe reports for Masters.com:

But with the aura of the Masters here and both Garcia and Niemann back at home in Texas and Florida, respectively, Scott shakes his head. “Terrible timing. I feel for Joaquin and certainly for Sergio, a past champion,” he said. “It’s got to be tough to miss out. I hope they are both just feeling OK, nothing serious.”

Long overdue and a small token of compensation for any number of pitiful actions, Augusta National announced that Lee Elder’s pursuit of a Masters invitation and overall career arc will be acknowledged several ways.

I’m not sure why the honorary starter role isn’t starting this year, but he will be invited to kick off the 2021 Masters according to the club’s press release. Here it is:

Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, announced today that Lee Elder, the first Black man to compete in the Masters Tournament 45 years ago, will be honored by establishing scholarships in his name and inviting him to be an Honorary Starter for the 2021 Masters.

At a press conference at Augusta National, Ridley revealed the creation of the Lee Elder Scholarships at Paine College, a Historically Black College and University located in Augusta. Two scholarships will be awarded annually, one each to a student athlete who competes on the men’s and women’s golf team.

As part of this effort, Augusta National also will fund the creation of a women’s golf program at Paine College. Soon, the Lee Elder Scholarships will help foster opportunities for Black men and women alike as they pursue their dreams on and off the course.

True words and yet the lack of patronage at this week’s Masters will be impossible to ignore. Nonetheless, a nice head on approach here from The Masters team to set the table:

The Masters plays on. #themasters

A post shared by The Masters (@themasters) on Nov 8, 2020 at 1:01pm PST

The Bryson DeChambeau show arrived in Augusta for the November Masters and he’s got the 201 mph ball speed ready to go:

US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau on the range at Augusta National #TheMasters

📽️: @kharms27 via Instagram pic.twitter.com/qrBKH4OnUD

On top of that, DeChambeau’s recent round at the course included some eye-opening approach yardages:

During a recent round at Augusta National with Sandy Lyle, Bryson had some eye-popping club selections into holes, including:

#1: Sand wedge
#2: 8-iron
#8: 7-iron
#10: Pitching wedge
#11: 9-iron
#13: 7-iron (hit 3-wood off tee)
#15: 9-ironhttps://t.co/lC8P1Wa1hN https://t.co/nYTmgveKbS

Of course this is all how it should be. The best player in the world right now is arriving at Augusta National with a game and distances like we’ve never seen. The opportunity to dismantle the place and render the course obsolete is real. That is easily the top storyline and one most of us who’ve seen the distance complacence by multiple governing bodies come to this fruition (including during Masters Chairman Fred Ridley’s USGA days).

A diverse set of playing styles highlighted the huge success of Memorial Park’s renovation and Carlos Ortiz punctuated his win in 18th hole-birdie style before dam of emotions burst.

There's nothing like your first. 😊

Soak it in, @CarlosOrtizGolf. pic.twitter.com/S7j4ZBuwIF

He is the first Mexican to win a PGA Tour event in 42 years. The finale and strong showing by Memorial made for great viewing and was unquestionably better with fan support.

(And no, Ortiz was not in the 2020 Masters field so he will not be headed to Augusta. That’s how things roll this strange year.)

About the “2000” fans a day.

Bloomberg’s Patrick Clark looks at the impact of a postponed Masters on Augusta, Georgia’s rental market and finds that multiple hotels are behind on loan payments. Including, sadly, the legendary Partridge Inn.

From Clark’s story:

That’s bad news for properties like the Partridge Inn, a historic 143-room hotel that’s 60 days delinquent on its $15 million mortgage, according to an Oct. 19 report compiled by Wells Fargo & Co.

A representative for the owner -- listed in property records as Partridge Inn DE LLC -- declined to comment.

At least two more Augusta hotels are delinquent on loans that have been packaged into commercial mortgage-backed securities, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Several others are on servicer watch lists.

ESPN.com’s Bob Harig talks to Rory McIlroy in advance of next week’s rescheduled Masters where an already wet course is expected to see more rain.

Besides the softness, I was intrigued by the role McIlroy sees Bermuda playing versus an April playing of the Masters.

"A lot more Bermuda [grass] in the fairways and in the surrounds of the greens,'' McIlroy said. "The greens are exactly the same as they always are. But for the fairways, it just hasn't been cold enough for the Bermuda to die off. That's going to make things very interesting around the greens. Chipping will be a lot trickier.

"[The fairways], instead of being thin it can be a little grainy or a thicker patch. But it was soft. There were a lot of mud balls and looks like some rain during the week so that can be an issue. It's just going to play very different. They haven't done anything to the golf course -- it's just the way it's playing.''

The current forecast calls for rain possibilities Tuesday to Sunday, with the remnants of Eta also a possibility next weekend.

5600 of us owners enjoyed a Breeders Cup Classic win today and I thought of buying a $49 “Authentic” hat to commemorate. But that’s a lot for a cap. Unless, you’re Phil Mickelson and Melin.

For $69 ($82 and change after shipping/taxes), this Melin cap armed with Mickelson’s logo is now available and will help your game. After all, it repels water and helps for those morning workouts when you don’t want to take a shower, according to the hall-of-famer. Operators should be standing by to take your order for just three easy payments of $32.99!

Warning! Here’s the launch video with several gratuitous calf shots.

My favorite @MelinBrand hat can now be your favorite hat too. Check out this link to get yours before they run out! https://t.co/PUBEBBOiVG pic.twitter.com/7ZyVhXwXFO

The rescheduled Masters lost its first player to a COVID-19 and a particularly painful WD by Joaquin Niemann given his current form.

The 2018 Latin America Amateur champion announced the news on Twitter (below) and ESPN.com’s Bob Harig shares the statement in English:

"I have tested positive for coronavirus and unfortunately I will not play in the Masters next week as a result,'' Niemann wrote. "This event means a lot to me, and I have had incredible memories playing as the LAAC champion. I am disappointed but will do everything possible to recover quickly while keeping my family and team safe."

As you might expect from Augusta National, the announcement was handled differently than the PGA Tour, which has disclosed COVID-positives/WD’s with a statement.

The Lords, at least in this case, left the announcement up to the player to announce:

Desafortunadamente testee positivo para coronavirus y no podré jugar @themasters la semana que viene. Este torneo significa mucho para mi, tengo muy buenas memorias de cuando lo jugué como campeón del LAAC y ... pic.twitter.com/QVJobIbcIx

There is plenty to whet your (fall 2020) Masters appetite but you can’t go wrong with the virtual panel put together in the name of Save Muny: 1984 & 1995 Masters Champion Ben Crenshaw, 2017 Masters Champion Sergio García, and broadcast great Verne Lundquist.

Enjoy!

This week’s Vivint Houston Open benefiting the (cheating) Astros Foundation marks the first time in the COVID-19 era that a tournament is welcoming back significant crowds. (Announced at 2000 a day compared to last week’s 500 a day in Bermuda).

While face covering is required at all times and spectators at Memorial Park are forking out over $100 per ticket, they’ve been asked to socially distance. Yet even a Thursday crowd, typically the lightest of the week, appeared to struggle with both requirements.

While the obvious first concern involves virus spread, the responsibility placed in Houston’s hands will also determine how soon upcoming events can welcome back fans.

Golf.com’s Art Stricklin was on site and quotes players who felt safe inside the ropes but also addresses what was obvious to telecast viewers: a lot of people standing around side-by-side with the usual mixed-face covering buy-in.

In fact, the only complaint Texas native Jimmy Walker had was there were only 2,000 fans.

Adam Schupak caught up with Adam Scott following his COVID-19 positive test and symptoms. The Australian was scheduled to play the ZOZO Championship as a key Masters tuneup but tested positive and road out a brief fever at a hotel and then rental house.

The Genesis Invitational winner earlier this year—seemingly a decade ago—is now entered at this week’s Vivant Houston Open Benefitting the Cheating Astros Foundation and admits to a pre-Masters preparation setback.

“Not only not getting Zozo in, not getting any practice in for those 10 days either is a little setback, but I’ve actually come out swinging good this week and at least feel fresh,” he said. “Hopefully that works in my favor…What I had planned in preparation was to kind of peak at the Masters and Houston’s a big part of that. It’s even more important since I tested positive and had to kind of not play in Zozo and not really get practice in and make sure I got healthy again. So, this is an important week for me. There’s a lot to take out of it.”

This was an interesting and typically thoughtful admission from one of the game’s more cerebral players:

“It just becomes harder for guys getting well into their 40s to be consistently competitive. It just takes a bit more. They’ve got to find their right weeks and take advantage of that,” Scott said. “Hopefully there’s room for a couple of older folk to hang in there like me for those next five or 10 years.”