When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Robert Karlson is peaking at the right time for the U.S. Open, leading in Memphis.
Yani Tseng (who else) is leading the LPGA event in Springfield.
And Bob Tway is trying to win on the Champions Tour for the first time.
Oh and the U.S. Open week fun starts Monday. I'll be reporting to you live from there with some first impressions of the course Monday afternoon and evening.
For Golf World Monday, I looked into Friday's Schwartzel ruling and talked to a few people, including someone on the ground when it happened. While I still believe official Jon Brendle's actions were sound and his initial reluctance to grant relief was speaks to the legitimacy of Schwartzel's claimed clubhead path, I've come to a different conclusion about this and other sprinkler head relief situations.
Check it out. It's only 220 words long. (Link works for non-subscribers too.)
Interesting aftermath photo courtesy of Allan Henry at GolfChronicles.
**Elling and Huggan in the Pond Scrum:
Huggan: I felt sorry for Schwartzel when he started getting stick from, of all people, those notorious fence-sitters Faldo and Oosterhuis. The problem, if there really is one, is not anything the Masters champion did, but the rule he was able to take advantage of. Being able to drop one club length away seems excessive; the nearest point of relief would seem more appropriate. Plus, I find it hard to believe that Faldo would have done anything different.
Elling: I thought the ruling was an eye-roller. How many times have we seen guys stand on their heads to get relief, then turn it into an improved lie on the fringe, putting green or fairway? I think there's a spirit of the rule here that is being bent. I am not picking on Charl, by any means. Everybody does it. It's become the culture, and watching it makes me cringe.
Federer and Nadal will be tough to overcome, but Jack's place usually serves up a fun finish, especially now that Jack has beamed in a par-3 from Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Feel free to chime in on the LPGA, Champions and NCAA Men's final too.
Steve Stricker's lead dwindled on Murifield Village's closing stretch, including a bogey at the new 16th, Jack's homage to Robert Trent Jones attempt to inject some drama into the finishing holes.Rex Hoggard gives us a little more detail on the Joost Luiten DQ:
"He took his stance which means you’ve addressed the ball and then the ball moved which is a penalty,” said PGA Tour rules official Jon Brendle who was involved in a lengthy conversation with Luiten adjacent Muirfield Village’s chipping green after the ruling. “He and his caddie didn’t think he’d addressed his ball, but they didn’t know the definition of the rule.”
Luiten violated Rule 18-2b and failed to add two strokes to his score on the hole. Because he had already signed his scorecard he was disqualified.
“I was probably with him two hours right before San Diego at the start of my year. We had a good session,” Fowler said. “It wasn’t like I’d go work with him for a day. We’d hang out, hit some balls for maybe an hour or two and take off. Like a little check up.”
On Thursday at the Memorial the news of McDonnell’s passing still seemed to be sinking in for Fowler. McDonnell had been struggling with skin cancer and suffered what Fowler called a major “heart attack” on May 20. But in recent days he’d appeared to stabilize.
“He was doing alright, but I guess they had some complications that Tuesday night,” Fowler said of McDonnell who died last Tuesday.
The 22-year-old conceded that he had not yet completely digested the news. That moment won’t likely arrive until next Thursday when he attends a memorial service for McDonnell at Murrieta (Calif.) Valley Golf Range where the two spent countless hours simplifying Fowler’s whiplash action.
“That will be where it really hits me,” Fowler reasoned.
Steve Elling on Rory McIlroy's impressive pre-U.S. Open schedule that includes a trip to Haiti next week.
"You want to associate yourself with a charity that you feel close to, and UNICEF works mainly as a children's charity, and I feel like I'm the sort of age that I can relate to the younger people," he said. "I just don't want to really put my name to it, I wanted to do something, and they were very keen for me to go and see somewhere where they're hands on and they're working, and it sort of just fit in quite well that I could go to Haiti for a couple of days and see what they do."
Jim McCabe with the unfortunate ending to Joost Luiten’s American debut after he was disqualified after the first round of the Memorial Tournament for signing an incorrect card.Phil Mickelson didn't sound particularly excited about Jack's redesigned 16th at Muirfield Village.
Q. The new 16th out there, what was your experience like on that?
PHIL MICKELSON: It's certainly more difficult. You know, you're hitting over the water. I thought that you were going to hit more up the green, kind of like 16 at Augusta, but really, you're coming at it from a whole different angle where you're having to fly over the water. I had to change the way I look at that hole.
I thought if we shot up the green I might think about 2 a few times, but really, I'll just try to make it 3 there.
Meanwhile, Dave Shedloski explains Phil's enthusiasm for a 2-iron that is part of his tee shot package heading into Congressional. It is NOT a supplement for his driver. At least for now.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
