Clayton: Royal Melbourne Allowed Tiger To Show He's Still Better Than Everyone

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At the 2019 Presidents Cup, a supreme design presented free of distance defenses was both fun to watch and possibly horrifying for the golfers who make a living at the game. Because as Mike Clayton notes for Golf Australia, on a golf course requiring both brains, brawn and control, Tiger Woods was allowed to play freely.

Off the tee he put the ball right where he had to and then set to work with his irons. In fairness, most of them were short ones, but every time he looked up the ball was going right where he aimed it. The trajectory was perfect, the ball shaped to suit the green and only rarely did he take himself out of a hole by missing in the wrong place.



At the par-3 third with 148 yards to the hole, he flew a wedge a step short of the front line of the green and, as every member at Royal Melbourne knows, the inevitability is the ball tumbles back 20 paces to the base of the hill. He was short again at the treacherous uphill, fifth, but they were rare errors. 

It was a master class in playing a treacherous golf course with control and precision and watching Woods swing and hit this week suggests the race is still on for Jack Nicklaus’ major championship record. 



He was the best player here.

This does beg a question. Tiger should ask the governing bodies dragging their feet on distance and equipment regulation how many majors they think he might have won had they not let bomb and gouge become a thing that works? You know, just as a conversation starter.

Video: Live From Sends Nobilo Off In Style

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While you were sleeping, Rich Lerner and Brandel Chamblee paid tribute to Frank Nobilo on his last “Golf Central Live From” show. He’s off to CBS full-time, but over the last fifteen years has been a huge part of our enjoyment of major championship coverage.

The segment:

Why? USA Completes Impressive Presidents Cup Comeback And Not Many Feel Very Satisfied By The Outcome

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The Internationals came up just short at Royal Melbourne. Outside of the Team USA inner circle and some fanboys granted a media pass, this will not be remembered as a genuinely satisfying win by the Americans.

Maybe I’m dead wrong. Perhaps there will be dancing in the streets of Jupiter and residents of Quail Hollow will awake to some overturned cars. A White House visit could include Captain Tiger Woods declaring this better than all of his major championship wins combined.

But I doubt it.

Even though the USA’s 16-14 Presidents Cup win left fewer-than-usual feel-good vibes, that sense will not take away from the often-remarkable golf played by both sides. The sensational Royal Melbourne will also rise above the weeks’ strange vibes, as will the effort by the many rookies in a high-pressure team golf event. The matches were immensely satisfying to watch. All involved should be proud.

And yet the ultimate takeaway from Team USA’s 16-14 win will be one of apathy thanks to the inclusion, embrace and pitiful presence of Patrick Reed.

While Woods played beautifully and carried himself with great class, his captaining left much to be desired. Not only was the Reed selection confounding in the wake of 2018’s Ryder Cup boondoggle, where Reed had the audacity to complain about getting saddled with Woods as he posted what would have been a score in the low 80s, Reed’s place on the team was so unnecessary in a year of major American depth.

Yet Woods rode Reed through three losses before finally benching him Saturday afternoon. A dust-up involving his caddie less than 24 hours after a peculiar 2-down, post-putt mocking celebration only reinforced that Reed is a supreme point-misser who has not learned lessons from past mistakes. Patrick Reed is the guy who over-celebrates after a dunk when his team is down by 30.

Reed’s past “body of work” and complicated presence meant he should not have been rewarded with a Presidents Cup team selection. In a “grow the game” world, Reed’s inability to grasp the very basics makes him capable of doing real damage to the reputation of professional golf.

When Reed cheated in last week’s Hero World Challenge, Woods was left with a dilemma. Leaving him off the team last minute was not feasible, but rewarding him with three starts alongside nice guy Webb Simpson left a bad taste in the mouths of American fans wanting to see a reward for class and quality. Simpson ultimately will regret protesting the “undeserved” heckling Reed received.

Maybe time will heal and wipe away memories of the Reed taint on these matches. Or the strange embrace by both Woods and the PGA Tour of the game’s ultimate 24/7, First Team, All-Conference example of Conduct Unbecoming. For now, this Presidents Cup will be remembered for being won by a team embracing a toxic figure beyond repair. And that’s why even many Americans will not feel good about the outcome.

Els Just Has To Get Something Off His Chest About Crowds: "We shut up and we get on with things."

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While you were sleeping, the Presidents Cup captain’s presser took an intriguing turn when Tiger Woods delicately addressed crowd jeering at Royal Melbourne. The remarks came in the wake of Patrick Reed and caddie Kessler Karain getting into it with a fan, resulting in Karain’s expulsion from Sunday singles bag-toting.

Q. The comments you've made about the galleries, do you think it's become disrespectful and gone too far, particularly today?

TIGER WOODS: You know, it has happened. Have people said things that have been over the top? Yes. I've heard it. I've been in the groups playing when it has happened, and I've been inside the ropes as a captain today witnessing it.

As I said, all I ask for all the galleries is be excited but be respectful of the players, all 24 of us.

Then a few questions later, Captain Ernie Els just had to get something off his chest. Note the jump-in here without a question:

Q. Tiger, did you have any thoughts on that? Was there a desire to keep as many guys fresh, or not?

TIGER WOODS: Well, that's one of the neat things about playing in team matches. Guys are, in this format, are expected to play two sessions, and could go up to five, all 12 guys were aware of that. There were things that could happen and we could make adjustments on the fly, some guys would sit; some guys would go.

Today, sitting out four players in each session is never an easy thing, and we got feel for who was playing well, who was ready to go, different pairings, and we went with it.

ERNIE ELS: I just want to say one thing about the crowd. I've played in many Presidents Cups. I've played in the U.S. many times. If you look back at New York and how these players were treated in New York, this crowd is pretty quiet.

I mean, we just get treated the same wherever you go as an away game, there's some heckling going on and we all know that, and you prepare for that, and that's just the way it goes.

We shut up and we get on with things. That's what we did in New York. So it's part of the game. And I'm with Tiger; I absolutely, I'm against heckling. I'm against crowds being disrespectful to the players, but it happens. We as professionals, we move on.

I think Tiger is one of the ultimate professionals that's ever played the game. I've played with him where he's been heckled in U.S. Opens and a lot of other places. He's taken it on the chin and he's moved forward. He's been an example.

Same has happened to me. It's happened to a lot of players. But I must say, this Aussie crowd, okay, they got a little bit boisterous this afternoon with a couple of beers, but which crowd doesn't. You take it and you move on.

Well okay then.

Patrick Reed's Caddie Gets Into Fan Squabble, Will Not Caddy In Presidents Cup Sunday Singles

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Following his morning loss with Webb Simpson to take his record to 0-3-0 in the 2019 Presidents Cup, Patrick Reed’s caddie and brother-in-law Kessler Karain were battling with unruly fans, with Karain jumping off a cart to physically confront the fan. Bob Harig reports that the PGA Tour investigated and concluded that Karain will not loop on Sunday. Their statement:

“Following an incident that took place on Saturday at the Presidents Cup involving Kessler Karain and a spectator, Karain will not return to caddie for Sunday’s final-round Singles matches. We will have no further comment at this time.”

Fan video caught the tail end of the dispute:

Kessler provided this statement to select media, with the Foreplay Pod the first to post. Note that athletes are now with a capital A.

6.5 To 3.5: U.S. Rallies Late To Prevent International Blowout, Woods To Sit Saturday Morning

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It was a sensational day at firmer and faster Royal Melbourne, with the International team looking like they could win all five matches at one point before a foursomes session tie. This sets up a big Saturday with of four-ball and foursomes.

Woods plans to sit in the morning session, but is sending out the 0-2 team of Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson. The early morning matchups:

While the day was dominated by the Internationals, the standout moments belonged to the Americans turning two tied matches into 18th hole wins.

Patrick Cantlay sank this birdie putt to hold off Joaquin Niemann and Adam Hadwin. At the time, Team USA trailed 6-1.

Tiger’s approach to 18 set up this Justin Thomas clutch birdie putt:

Patrick Reed's "Fun" With The Crowd Highlighted And It Doesn't Go Over Well

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For the second day Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson lost a Presidents Cup match.

Reed, fresh off cheating at the Hero World Challenge, has been hearing it from fans so even though he made a putt just to halve a hole and keep his match at 2 down, the hubris and rage kicked in. The PGA Tour social account, perhaps encouraged by Team USA’s kid-gloves treatment of Reed, gave it a light spin and the commenters were not amused. Golfers, I’m pleased to say, are not embracing the nebulous behavior of Reed despite efforts to sugarcoat his actions.

The post:

And just some of the comments:

Presidents Cup: Are There Aussie Fanatics Paid To Act As Americans?

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Cover your children’s eyes. This could be jarring.

GolfDigest.com’s Shane Ryan wrote about the Presidents Cup first tee scene Thursday and subsequently reported that the group of red-white-and-blue “American” fans seated there are…Australians.

Worse, Ryan says they are part of The Fanatics group, and likely paid by event organizers to act as crazed, noisy, red-blooded Americans. Other outlets are noticing his Tweets, in order starting from the bottom up.

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Can't Make It Up Files: Ladies European Tour Confirms They Are Headed To That Bastion Of Gender Equity, Saudi Arabia

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Hey, the women will get to enter restaurants through the front door as of this week!

No better time to go to Saudi Arabia then for a golf tournament!

Originally announced in late October, the details were made official today. From Reuters:

“I’m incredibly excited by this announcement and it is an honor for the Tour to be part of history in bringing the first-ever professional women’s golf event to Saudi Arabia,” LET CEO Alexandra Armas said in a statement.

“Confirmation of adding Saudi Arabia to our schedule for 2020 is an exciting prospect... and having seen the quality of the event staging for the Saudi International, I am sure this will be a fantastic experience for our players.”

A number of golfers have been roped in as ambassadors to promote the sport in the country, including Britain’s Carly Booth, Amy Boulden and Rachel Drummond, and Sweden’s Camilla Lennarth and Isabella Deilert.

It wasn’t long ago Booth was roasted for signing an endorsement deal with Saudi Arabia (Ewan Murray’s Guardian story from April.)

At least the LET learned from the European Tour’s mistake and did not mention the Crown Prince’s grand vision for golf.

Clayton On Royal Melbourne: "Perfection isn't always perfect"

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It was a sensational first day at crispy and speedy Royal Melbourne (at least from the approaches in). While much focus has rightfully been on the players, the course really is the star.

The Composite Course’s routing and sequencing is a bit unusual for the Presidents Cup, so Golf Australia’s Mike Clayton looks at that and other minor flaws in what he sees as an otherwise flawless piece of architecture.

He addresses the bland 17th, which is actually a brilliant, Old Course-inspired opener most of the time:

With its hugely wide fairway the opening hole on the West steels from the principle of the shot off the first tee on The Old Course at St Andrews. At both it’s awfully hard to mess the drive up, allowing players the comfort of knowing they are unlikely to ruin their day almost before it has begun. 

The problem is a hole designed to open the course is the 17th this week, making it a bit like reading a book with the chapters out of order. It’s not a bad 17th hole but the 17th on the West Course (9th this week) might be the best par four in the country and the original 17th on the Composite (the 15th) is one of the finest par fives.

The very next hole, the par 5, 2nd West (the 18th) is played off the women’s tee this week as a par four. Whilst the carry bunkers wouldn’t pose a problem off the very back (par 5) tee they are too close to the tournament tee to even look ‘right’ because the scale doesn’t quite work.

A great long two-shotter is thus reduced down to a drive and a short iron and something MacKenzie wouldn’t even recognise if the measure is the clubs he wanted players to be hitting into one of the most beautiful green sites on the course.

Video: Presidents Cup Tribute To Peter Thomson

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Nice to see a tribute to three-time (and only International winning) Presidents Cup captain and Australian golf great Peter Thomson as part of day one’s festivities. Besides the late Australian great’s family at the first tee, this feature aired on the broadcasts and social media.


Whoa: Sharp Internationals Open Up Stunning 4-1 Presidents Cup Lead Over USA

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Royal Melbourne looked stunning.

Quality golf from Tiger and most of the Internationals offset some rust, sloppiness and course management mistakes from the USA. And in what has been mostly lopsided, the International team opened up a stunning 4-1 lead as Team USA looked a bit overmatched at times (jet lag, speedy Royal Melbourne the likely culprits).

Friday’s foursomes, where USA teams have dominated (unlike the Ryder Cup), just got more interesting. This is the International team’s first lead after any session since 2005.

Tactically, the Patrick Reed placement with Webb Simpson will be questioned given Simpson’s recent strong play in matches with Matt Kuchar. Reed, predictably, was heckled loudly on the first tee and received lukewarm reactions throughout the day.

As for highlights, Sungjae Im’s first hole eagle was the only better shot than Tiger’s brilliant wedge and gimme:

Woods chip in at 5 as he carried Justin Thomas to the lone USA win:

Dustin Johnson driving the 11th may have been the most incredible shot of the day. He missed the eagle putt and his team halved the hole.

Friday’s foursomes deprived us of a Reed-Cam Smith showdown, and it sounds like that’s a shame given the tension as reported on by Mark Hayes:

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Nicklaus Rolex Sells For (Only!?) $1 Million

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I know, a piece of golf man jewelry that was on the wrist of Jack Nicklaus for for fifty years should go for $1 million.

Some thought it would match Paul Newman’s nearly $17.7 million watch price, but as Forbes noted, the opening bid was for $500,000 and two minutes later the auction closed at a $1 million bid.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit children's health care via the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation.

Reed: If I Had Cheated, "It would have been a really good lie, and I would have hit it really close''

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Patrick Reed’s Presidents Cup press conference was carried live on Golf Channel and his attempt to answer questions about his Hero World Challenge run-in with the rules included an odd rationalization. From Bob Harig’s ESPN.com story on Reed’s remarks and the notion of cheating:

"It's not the right word to use,'' Reed said after a practice round at Royal Melbourne, where the Presidents Cup begins on Thursday. "At the end of the day, if you do something unintentionally that breaks the rules, it's not considered cheating, but I wasn't intentionally trying to improve a lie or anything like that. If I was, it would have been a really good lie, and I would have hit it really close.''

What an odd way to think.

Maybe Patrick’s new irons feature a sand shock absorption feature? Because I’m fairly confident no one who has played golf for any length of time would claim they are unable to see or feel the type of contact with the ground he displayed.

Video of the session, which includes Reed saying the matches are “personal” now that International team members have called him out:

Meanwhile there was little sugarcoating of the Reed situation on last night’s Live From the Presidents Cup (video embedded below):

Brandel Chamblee – “In general, the team will have the appearance of a well-oiled machine, but deep down, the marrow of this team, they will be affected by this controversy. Their DNA as a team has been altered. There are no two ways about it.”

Chamblee – “I have never seen a more obvious breach of the rule than this. One that is not in any way – nobody who watches it in any way will be able to acquit him of what transpired [at Hero World Challenge]. His comments aside, this was a gross breach of the rule. The court of public opinion is a lot harsher than the rule book. The rule book is going to give him two shots. The court of public opinion is going to make him pay for this for a long time.”

Nobilo – “Public opinion says this is far more egregious, but the rule book disagrees with that. That is why were are almost in a double jeopardy situation. If there is anything positive that does come out of this situation, is that this rule is addressed going forward.”

Chamblee – “To have somebody on your team who so flagrantly abuses the rules of the game of golf, and there is no more sacred rule in the game of golf than play it as it lies. They [the U.S. Team] have a couple of hurdles against them. They are on foreign territory and now they have ceded the higher moral ground to the other team.”

Chamblee – “The whole team made a deal with the devil when he was chosen for the U.S. Team. All of the baggage that they thought was going to come with him has multiplied exponentially with what happened last week. I cannot imagine that Tiger Woods’ choices for teammates for Reed can be anybody other than just himself.”

Jaime Diaz – “Everything was smooth and safe but for one thing. He didn’t think he moved any sand. Players are too good and have too much feel to not have a sensation like that. It is just hard to believe. I think this is going to hang him up forever.”

Jim Gallagher, Jr. – “This week might be difficult for Patrick Reed and it could be difficult for his partners. That is the hard part. The captains are trying to deflect it and go forward, but I don’t know if it will keep deflecting because this is growing into a life of its own.”

USGA, R&A Considering Letting Juniors Become Logo-Clads, For Expense Money

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While junior golfers are now regularly clad in corporate logos, have their own tour reps and even endorse brands on their social media bios, the governing bodies are contemplating letting them take those endorsements to another level.

In Ryan Herrington’s Golf World look at where loosened and reimagined amateur status rules may go, he notes this late in the piece.

Where USGA officials see the most opportunity for potential changes to the amateur rules to have a meaningful impact is if restrictions on accepting money for expenses were to go away. Particularly in the case for junior golfers whose families don’t necessarily have the financial resources to compete beyond a very local basis.

“We just feel like would be a game-changer,” Winter says. “Yeah there would be logos in junior golf, but it would give so many more kids access. And it would in some ways democratize what is a pretty expensive sport by giving young players the ability to not only compete in golf but just experience golf in a more robust way, to really level the playing field.”

While I have little doubt there are cases where this will be true and might do wonders for de-emphasizing privileged upbringings, I would hope some in the sport might question the need to corporatize our youth at increasingly younger ages.