Topgolfgers morning 9: Scrap the tee system? | JT still mad about U.S. Kids loss | A Ketel for the King

By Top Golf Gears On Aug 28, 2018

1. Officially official: Woods-Mickelson set

Our Gianni Magliocco with the details…”Thanksgiving weekend is the date set for Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson, an event being called “The Match.” Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Nevada, will host the $9 million winner-take-all match. And for those not lucky enough to be able to attend the showdown, the match will be shown live on pay-per-view via DirectTV, B/R Live and other on-demand platforms.”

“The decision to broadcast the event on PPV has unsurprisingly not gone down too well with some golf fans. Many have taken to social media platforms to vent their disapproval.”

“Phil also confirmed that the duo and their caddies will be mic’d up.”

“While the event is winner-take-all, reports also say that Phil and Tiger will be able to make side bets throughout the match, with the winnings going to charity.”

“Las Vegas Superbook has released early odds on the showdown, making Woods a -180 favorite over Mickelson (+150).”

2. Should we just scrap the tee system?

A good discussion over at National Club Golfer about the merits of stipulating who plays which tees.

Alex Perry: I’ve been quite outspoken on this matter. I’m sure it will disappear as we move onto the next generation of golfers, but this stigma surrounding which tees you play off is pathetic. Tees should be based on your handicap, not your gender.

Jordan Elliott: I play off 4, and if I play a championship course I want to play it off the tips. I want to enjoy the course from the same tees that the pros do.

Alex Perry: I play off 14 and if I play a championship course I want to play it off tees that aren’t going to make me feel like I’ve been beaten up by the 3rd hole.

This is but the tip of the iceberg in a solid back and forth. .

3. Writeth the Nantz

Back again with his newly minted “View from Pebble Beach” column for Golf Digest, Jim Nantz writes

“If there’s one thing I see as an absolute lock, it’s that the success of the revamped 2019 PGA Tour schedule-the dates of the FedEx Cup playoffs and season-ending Tour Championship especially-is going to be, for myriad reasons, a gimme.”

“The Tour Championship traditionally ended the third Sunday in September, which in a television context put it dead up against the NFL national doubleheader games aired on CBS or Fox. There’s no denying the NFL is America’s favorite television sport. For example, the 2018 Super Bowl produced a Nielsen household rating of 43.1, and the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier that same Sunday drew what is considered a respectable 2.5. Even high-profile golf events don’t produce numbers that come close to the mighty NFL. The memorable Ryder Cup at Hazeltine in 2016 produced a 2.7, and in 2014, when it was broadcast from Scotland and aired early in the day here in the United States, a 1.6.”

“And what happens when golf regularly goes head-to-head with the NFL? Over the past 10 years, the late NFL game on Tour Championship Sunday has dominated the golf by a whopping 13.4 to 1.7.”

4. The Challenge Tour made me what I am

If you think too much is made of the path Brooks Koepka took to the PGA Tour, it doesn’t sound like he thinks so.

Ahead of the Northern Trust, Koepka said…”I wouldn’t be where I am at today…To maybe spend a year on the [Web.com Tour], I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I definitely learned a lot about myself traveling Europe and you’re on your own for months at a time.”

5. Ryder Cup Radicals return

Luke and Shane are firing off emails again…

Shane asks…”Am I a bad American if I root for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup?”

“(Obama voice): LET ME BE CLEAR … I have not decided if I will actually root for Europe. But I am definitely thinking of rooting for Europe, and I want to know exactly how disloyal this would be before I proceed.”

“Here’s the thing-it’s a very loosely guarded secret in golf media that on average European golfers are more entertaining, thoughtful and generally easier to deal with. That’s not a universal truth, but generally speaking I’d rather have a beer and a chat with a European pro any time. There’s also the fact that they’re pretty big underdogs this year-at least we think so-and it’s always better to pull for the underdog than the juggernaut.”

“What do you think? Is it OK since it’s “only” a golf tournament? Or am I a wretched traitor for even thinking of such a betrayal?

LUKE…”Ultimately, Shane, you’re American, and as I was reminded at the World Cup earlier this summer: There’s nothing worse than American’s pretending not to be American. Going around calling it futbol and half-heartedly cheering for Croatia because you quite like that player … what’s his name … oh yeah, Luka MAW-DRIK. Ugh. No. Don’t be that guy, Shane.”

6. No black socks for you!

A gentleman by the name of David Cole was told he had to change his socks to play semi-private Letchworth Golf Club.

He tweeted” “Got refused as my socks were not white!.(they were black spots socks) I was wearing shorts and a polo shirt but still got refused! They would rather so no to £60 between me and my brother for a sock colour which you can hardly see!”

The management responded, saying that he would surely have been offered the opportunity to change into the necessary white socks, to which Cole replied he wasn’t inclined to buy a pair of whites from their pro shop and went home.

7. Air quality issues

Golfweek’s Kevin Casey…”All should be better by the time the tournament starts, but the site of PGA Tour Champions’ Boeing Classic is currently dealing with air quality issues.”

“Per Golf Digest, TPC Snoqualmie Ridge (this week’s Boeing Classic site) is currently experiencing “unhealthy” air conditions.”

“This is according to Washington’s Air Monitoring Network and is the result of fires east of the Cascade mountains that have affected air to the west.”

8. Festering Thomas

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”Asked on Tuesday at The Northern Trust if he’d been able to move past last year’s finish at the Tour Championship, where he finished second to Xander Schauffele but still won the FedExCup, his answer was telling.”

“I’m still pretty mad that I didn’t win that tournament. [No.] 18 is one of the easier holes on the course. It’s a driver, 5-iron for me and I had a 30-footer for birdie,” he said. “I should have birdied that to have a chance at a playoff. So it still bothers me.”

He’s also still burning about, well...”Totally choked the U.S. Kids [Championship] when I was 8 years old. I shot 32, 30, I shot 37 in the second round,” Thomas explained. “I’m dead serious. I lost in a playoff. I got up-and-down on the first playoff hole then I lost on the second playoff hole, made bogey. My dad was caddying for me. I choked it. I was so mad.”

9. Special Ketel One for the King’s birthday

Golf Digest’s Stephen Hennessey (appropriately chosen to write about booze)…”Lesser known than Arnie’s affinity for mixing iced tea and lemonade might be his tendency to relax with a vodka on the rocks (with a lemon, or a twist, for the initiated). To honor Palmer with his birthday coming up (he would’ve turned 89 on Sept. 10), Ketel One has released a limited-edition Arnold Palmer Collector’s Edition bottle ($25 for a 750 ML bottle, $32 for a one-liter bottle).”

GolfWRX Morning 9: Scrap the tee system? | JT still mad about U.S. Kids loss | A Ketel for the King