Torrey Pines Update: Tougher, Way Fewer Trees, Same Architectural Humdrum

As a pair of Farmers Insurance Opens and the 2021 U.S. Open are set for Torrey Pines, the stakes are high for Tiger Woods in pursuit of win no. 83 and who-knows-what-major-number next summer. The conditioning struggles of 2008 are long gone and a pricey new irrigation system will continue to ensure sound turf conditions as long as superintendent Rich McIntosh is around.

For the 2020 Farmers, you will see some scarring left over from the two-hole-at-a-time irrigation installation method of last summer, but the courses are in otherwise excellent condition, with the North sporting more stout rough (and pretty narrow landing areas). With disease and beetle issues claiming a tragic number of Torrey Pines, the property has better views but is lacking a little something without the native tree for which the facility is named.

Also on tap will be our first look at newly configured elements on the 4th, 9th, 10th and 17th holes.

The 4th features a reshaped landing area designed to remedy issues from the 2008 when balls would not stay in the fairway under faster, firmer conditions. The shaping of the new work is quite good, fitting the hole better to existing landforms and presenting a more intimidating looking hole. How the balls react and where they finish, is still to be determined.

The most dramatic work from last summer can be seen at the par-4 17th, long a bit of a snoozefest for a penultimate hole and now hugging the canyon edge. It will force a decision between laying back and leaving an uphill 200-yard approach or hitting driver to get less club in. A huge risk that I suspect most players will not take, but at least it’s there and we’ll see just how aggressive the world’s best will get.

My summary for Golf Central followed by my Instagram post showing the new look 17th:

View this post on Instagram

@tigerwoods tees off from a new 17th tee at Torrey Pines. The 443-yard view provides a great look into the sagebrush canyon, with the landing area now hugging the hazard. The revamped fairway bunkers are as atrocious looking as you’d expect for a Reestoration, but they do ask players to either lay back or take a big risk hitting driver. Will be a much more interesting penultimate hole, finally, after all these years.

A post shared by Geoff Shackelford (@geoffshac) on Jan 22, 2020 at 2:45pm PST

Facebook Watch And PGA Tour Launch Highlights Deal This Week

I’m not sure what this means at this point given Facebook fatigue, inflated Facebook Live numbers leading to advertiser payouts and the platforms’ aging demographic.

But today’s announced PGA Tour-Facebook partnership could mean a few crazy uncles spend a little less time watching propaganda and instead take in the best of Brendon Todd’s third round 65. A very good thing.

Facebook Watch, where the highlights and other elements are set to appear, announced a major deal with ESPN last fall.

For Immediate Release:

Facebook and PGA TOUR announce global content agreement 

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR today announced an expansive agreement with Facebook to distribute daily highlight packages globally on Facebook Watch in 2020 starting at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open. 

The PGA TOUR will publish daily round recaps and player-specific highlights from more than 30 events, including THE PLAYERS Championship and FedExCup Playoffs.

These expanded highlights will feature content from the TOUR’s core telecasts, along with content from PGA TOUR LIVE, the TOUR’s OTT service featuring more than 1,200 hours of exclusive Featured Groups coverage in 2020.

“We’re excited to expand our partnership with Facebook by delivering additional content for our fans,” said Chris Wandell, Vice President Media Business Development at the PGA TOUR. “This is in response to our fans’ appetite for additional coverage packaged in a way that is convenient for them to consume.”

The TOUR will create a robust and timely highlights experience for PGA TOUR fans around the world on Facebook Watch. Fans can stay up to date with the latest highlights by following the PGA TOUR Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/PGATour. Content will be posted daily at the completion of each tournament round. As part of the agreement, the TOUR will also engage fans in its Facebook Group, The Gallery, with interactive elements such as Facebook Lives and Facebook Watch Parties.

“We’re thrilled to add PGA TOUR recaps to our growing portfolio of sports highlights on Facebook Watch,” said Sidhant Rao, Facebook Sports League Partnerships.” Through this content, as well as products such as Facebook Groups and Watch Party, the TOUR will be able to engage its fans in exciting new ways this year.”

In 2018, the PGA TOUR and Facebook teamed up to stream live coverage from THE PLAYERS Championship and several other PGA TOUR events leading into the 2018 FedExCup Playoffs.

Instant Poll: Where Will Tiger Win No. 83?

Ben Everill poses that question to various media figures and not surprisingly, the storytellers are rooting for Riviera, the realists see another win at Bay Hill.

Given his ties to Southern California, breaking Sam Snead’s mark at either Torrey Pines or Riviera would be a fitting way to set the new standard for PGA Tour wins. I’m rooting for Riviera but given the strong state of his game and fondness for Torrey Pines, it seems more likely this week.

Your opinions, please.

Where Will Tiger Woods Win PGA Tour Title 83?

Farmers at Torrey Pines

Genesis at Riviera

Mastercard API at Bay Hill

The Players

The Masters

 

pollcode.com free polls

Justin Rose On Channeling His Federer Speed

Defending Farmers Insurance Open champion Justin Rose has returned to Torrey Pines in search of his first win since last year’s incredible 21-under-par performance.

While his press room sessions are always enlightening, the reflections on the state of his game, the Presidents Cup and where he’s at with game analysis proved most interesting.

This is in response to a question I asked about his successful pursuit of “speed” while not letting other parts of his game to suffer. His thinking provides a stark contrast to some peers pursuing speed.

What do you attribute your ability to do that, gain speed, and not have it hurt the rest of your game?

JUSTIN ROSE: Well, I think, yeah, I definitely had a Project 300 in play since 2015, 2016, and although it didn't help my game, maybe it did help my body. I think I paid for it actually in 2016. The back wasn't that great, so I've had to learn to go about it a slightly different way.

I look at it now in terms of, I look at Roger Federer. There's guys that serve at 135, but he serves at 121 in the corners. He's at the back end of his career, so it's incredibly effective.

So yeah, I'm not going to be a 185 ball speed guy and if I chase that, it is going to hurt me and it's going to hurt my swing and body because you've got to reabsorb that force. But I can serve it 121 in the corners is kind of where I'm at. And for me, that's like 172, 175 ball speed. I carry the ball 300. If I can carry the ball 300 in the air, I can compete on any golf course against any player. So that's kind of my benchmark.

Kids Today Files: US Women's Am Champ Chooses ANA Inspiration Over Shot At Augusta National Women's Amateur

The only somewhat understandable caveat in the case of Gabriela Ruffels: the U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion intends to retain her amateur status until the end of her career at USC. Meaning, she might not win the Amateur again but play well enough to get an invitation to Augusta next year.

Still, it’s somewhat confounding to imagine an amateur golfer getting the opportunity to play Augusta National and instead choosing to play one of five women’s professional majors at Mission Hills. Yet that’s what Ruffels has decided after ANWA invitations went out.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

"Yeah it was a really tough decision, but I think we all decided ANA would be the best," Ruffels said.

"I'm only getting the ANA start because I won the US Women's Amateur and it's a rare opportunity; they don't give out exemptions to anyone at majors."

Ruffels, had she played the ANWA, would have been one of the favorites and a huge focus of pre-tournament interest.

Did I note yet that she would have had the opportunity to play at least one round at Augusta National? Oh I did, sorry for the repetitiveness.

A Window Into Golf's Gambling Future: How Tuesday Observations Might Go Over With PGA Tour Players

I’ve heard from a few folks not understanding my views expressed on recent podcast about pro golf gambling. They have not seen me turn a Daily Racing Form into a whip or turn to my Bovada app as a PGA Tour Sunday unfolds and a 20-1 shot sitting three back has an eagle putt.

Gambling could be a great thing for PGA Tour coffers, their media partners and fan interest. With “fantasy” stakes invested in players, fans will find a way to sit through the tedium that is the five-hour round (and growing). But even if the focus is building a lineup each week and rooting for your selections based on research, today’s players seem unlikely to handle the scrutiny well. All too many have come to believe that their every move is a private matter where the exercise of playing in front of fans and media is nothing but an annoyance. And this is without legalized gambling.

Say, in 2021, many states have legalized sports bettering and you can wager on PGA Tour golf, consider what fans will want to know and what media will be obligated to report: every observable pre-tournament detail that will be of interest to fantasy players and gamblers.

Today, during the closed-to-the-public practice round at the Farmers Insurance Open, I observed things that would be of interest to those making a lineup this week. Names will not be included, but imagine how upsetting these observations would be if names were involved and social media employed to help gamblers make a wagering decision. A sampling:

—________, who was once addicted to his Trackman, was seen hitting balls without it and talking to someone who is not the instructor he has been officially linked to.

—_______ cancelled a planned nine-hole practice round to keep working with the new driver he’s trying to put in his bag. Tour team members were busy making adjustments and trying to find him a gamer.

—_______looked lost on the practice putting green, using alignment tools, instructing his caddie to record every putt for video review, and appearing utterly confused.

—________came to the course today but appeared under the weather and instead went to the fitness trailer for medical aid.

—Because of a balky back, ________ was heard saying he can practice his putting for more than 30 minutes and hasn’t been able to hit balls how he’d like as he prepares to kick off his 2020 season on a course he’s played well at.

I could go on and on but you get the drift: players will face a new kind of scrutiny. It’s hard to see them liking any of this shared by a media member, or worse, through private channels by insiders observing facts of interest of handicappers.

Maybe the riches that come with the PGA Tour’s stake in gambling will offset the new invasion of their privacy. But given the decline of media, the potential for non-media to cash in on insider information, and the thirst for insight into any wagering edge, I remain doubtful that players are ready for what is yet to come.

State Of The Game 100: The Ball Still Goes Too Far

We’re back after a brief hiatus, and after 100 episodes we’ve concluded a lot of things, including how distance is not great for the game.

You know the drill, subscriptions an option wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen below.

Tiger You've Been Warned: World Golf Hall Of Fame Lowers Induction Eligibility Back To 45

…and still no players will show up to the ceremony unless they are inducted or are paid to be there.

Backstory: the Hall once took people as young as 40, then got ripped for inducting people in their prime, subsequently raising the age to 50. And now a middle ground.

For Immediate Release, and warning to Tiger (44 going on 45 this December) that you will be going in the Hall sooner than later.

World Golf Hall of Fame Modifies Selection Process Including Age Eligibility for Enshrinement

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2020) – World Golf Foundation Board of Directors has voted to make several changes to the World Golf Hall of Fame eligibility and Induction process in an effort to ensure the game’s greats from around the world are actively recognized and celebrated.
 
Changes to the eligibility include lowering the age of a Male or Female Competitor from 50 to 45 years of age or three years retired from the game. A player will be eligible for Induction provided he or she turns 45 the year of the Induction Ceremony. Additional changes include elimination of the Veterans category and replacing “Lifetime Achievement” recognition with “Contributor.”

Contributor is definitely better than the alternatives: Also Rans, Ink Stained Wretches, People Who Didn’t Play or Suits.

“Recognizing the game’s greatest players and contributors is an important endeavor and one our sport takes very seriously,” said World Golf Foundation Board Chairman and PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “We are committed to regularly evaluating the selection process to ensure we approach it with both historical context and the future in mind. I believe these changes benefit the Hall of Fame Members, fans across the world and the institution.”
 
The Nominating and Selection Committees have expanded to include 18 members of the media. Hall of Famers Beth Daniel, Nick Price and Curtis Strange will join Annika Sorenstam as Co-Chairs on the Selection Committee.

"Being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame was one of the defining moments of my career, and I am honored to serve on the Selection Committee,” said Sorenstam. “These changes are positive for the Hall of Fame, and I am pleased that future members can enjoy the recognition and celebration of their achievements beginning at age 45.”
 
“We believe these changes will enhance the Hall of Fame in many ways and bring greater attention to the most deserving players at a time in their careers when they are still competing at the highest level,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO of World Golf Foundation. “We look forward to the future of the Hall of Fame as we ensure it remains a meaningful way to recognize the game’s greats.”
 
The Nominating and Selection Committees will meet early this year to determine the World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2021. The 2021 Induction Ceremony date, location and class will be announced at a later date.   
 
For more information on the Induction criteria, categories and a full list of the Nominating and Selection Committees, visit the www.worldgolfhalloffame.org.

How Has The Middle East Swing Grown The Game?

That’s the question Alistair Tait raises as we begin week two of the grow the pocketbook swing. The one where players inevitably wheel out the GOG slogan to ward off questions about taking the Crown Prince’s money in Saudi Arabia as part of week three.

But with the return to the well-established Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Tait notes several elements, but this barometer for the grow the game set sticks out: elite player development.

There are just four UAE players ranked in the Official World Golf Ranking. Three of them are amateurs. They are all ranked 2,079th, the lowest ranking on the OWGR.
 
The single pro in the ranking, Ahmed Al Musharrekh, played nine times on the Meena Tour last season. He missed the cut in seven, was disqualified in another and finished T44 in the Al Ain Open. He earned $408 from that performance, the only money he made on the Meena Tour last year.
 
In case you think there are players coming through the amateur ranks who will soon take their place in the world order, think again. There are only two UAE players ranked on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Ahmad Skaik holds the distinction as the UAE’s leading amateur at world number 3,230. Saif Thabet sits in 6,478th place.

Liberty National Needs To Expand Into Bird Habitat If It Want To Keep Hosting Those Rapidly Growing Playoffs!

Tracy Tully of the New York Times considers the need of Liberty National to add three holes in a migratory bird habitat called Caven Point if it wants to keep hosting big-time professional events.

Naturally, golfers can understand the desire of adding new waterfront holes on the landfill-converted course, but it’s the rationale being pushed that strains: the economic viability of Liberty National, tournament venue.

“If we are not able to accommodate what these tournaments need, then they will simply go somewhere else that can,” said Chris Donnelly, a spokesman for Liberty National.

Because there are so few options in the greater Met market.

And then there are those playoffs.

A spokeswoman for the state’s Economic Development Authority said the agency had no estimate of the economic value to the state from the four PGA tournaments held at Liberty National since 2009.

A spokesman for the PGA Tour, Joel Schuchmann, confirmed that the size of Liberty National had become a consideration, particularly for the Northern Trust, which is the first event in its FedEx Cup playoffs each year.

“It’s true that as the PGA Tour, and the FedEx Cup playoffs specifically, continue to grow in stature and interest among our fans, media and partners, so does the need to make certain the proper footprint is in place,” Mr. Schuchmann said in a statement.

First the golf ball rendering so many courses useless, and now the playoffs getting so big that they’re limited where they can go. So sad.

Would Someone Sit To Get Tiger To The Tokyo Games?

That’s the question posed by Karen Crouse, looking ahead to the 2020 Olympic Games and Tiger’s spot just outside the final qualifying number (four Americans inside the top 15…he’s fifth).

With the money at stake and possibility this is the last chance for Woods to qualify due to playing less and accumulating more World Ranking points, could one of the four before him opt-out for the good of the games?

At the 2004 Australian swimming trials, the superstar Ian Thorpe, the world-record holder and reigning Olympic champion in the 400-meter freestyle, was disqualified from his heat for a false start after he lost his balance on the blocks and fell into the water. The top two finishers in the final qualified for the Athens Games, and scores of Australians soon were publicly calling on Craig Stevens, the runner-up, to relinquish his spot to Thorpe.

There was no danger that Stevens or Thorpe would miss the Games; both had qualified in other events. But a month later, during a televised interview for which he was paid a six-figure sum, Stevens announced that he was ceding his spot in the 400 freestyle to Thorpe, who went on to successfully defend his Olympic title.

For the moment, Woods still controls his fate. After his victory last year at the Masters, he described the Olympics as “a big goal,” but he admitted “getting there and making the team is going to be the tough part.”

And without Woods this time around, the Olympic men’s competition will be a tougher sell. In 2016, there was the novelty of golf’s return and a venue built for the Games. This time, they arrive on the heels of the last major, are playing well outside of Tokyo where temperatures are expected to make things miserable, and are playing a country club course that hardly screams inclusivity. Oh, and the format is flat on arrival.

Insanity Files: LPGA Playoff Finally Ends After Seventh Playing Of 18th Hole

We’ve been through this before. The LPGA’s insistence on exclusively conducting sudden-death playoffs at the 18th hole can be tedious. Other tours are increasingly doing the same.

But I believe we have a new insanity record to ponder after the Diamond Resorts Invitational finished Monday morning following seven turns at the 197-yard 18th. (Eight total including the final round.)

Gaby Lopez and Nasa Hataoka returned Monday to finish the event, playing it two more times after darkness had forced a pause overnight. Inbee Park only had to play the hole three times Sunday before her elimination. Jeff Babineau has the full story for the Associated Press.

At least in finally winning, Lopez served up this gem in her post-victory interview, highlighted how silly it was to repeatedly play the hole, down to using a launch monitor to dial in the number.

 “I do have a feeling for this hole. I like it. It was a perfect number for me to be honest. Yesterday I was hitting 4-hybrid, 3-hybrid, 4-hybrid. The wind was down, the wind was into, it got cold and it was hard for me to figure out the number. This morning with my coach and caddie we kind of figured out the number with Trackman and it was the perfect number for me.”

Augusta National Confirms Social Media Suspicions That A New Service Road You Think You See Is Really A New Service Road

Good on G.C. Digital for calling up Augusta National to ask if the service road under construction and visible in Google’s updated imagery is, indeed, a service road. Confirmed! This news should come as no surprise given the club’s expanded footprint and eagerness to help service or maintenance vehicles move around more efficiently.

However, I believe I speak for us all in saying we’re all way more interested to know if the home of the Masters will cut through ancient pines and add a new 13th tee to prevent the USGA and R&A from having to take away Keto-infused distance gains.

And we have our answer for the 2020 Masters: no.

Google’s last couple of images above Amen Corner show the area prior to this summer’s construction on newly-acquired Augusta Country Club land, followed by the construction from summer when the fairways are, eh-em, off-color.

Frankly, I’m more concerned for Augusta Country Club members in their ninth fairway taking tee shots from the 8th than anything else I see here:

Has John Smoltz Just Legitimized The Standing Putter?

I’m guessing the folks who didn’t like pro golfers leaving the flag in to putt—remember those days!—won’t be approving of the Bloodline putter use on grand stages.

The look has always been of genuine hacker who watched an infomercial, but now with John Smoltz doing this en route to the Diamond Resorts win, might it have received a vote of legitimacy?

Can't figure out if this is genius or if I'd be laughed off the course pic.twitter.com/2b9GOQYIem

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) January 18, 2020

Jessica Marksbury at Golf.com with more on the putter and the reactions Smoltz getting telling him the putter is a form of cheating.

"The PGA Tour Champions has long since ceased being a showcase for fading legends and is instead an annuity for journeymen"

Phil Mickelson hit his share of “bombs” in his 2020 season opener at the American Express, but missed the cut handily despite the speed on display. Overall, his iron play and putting have declined and his obsession with speed is virtual malpractice. (It’s hard to pinpoint his issues with so few stat. All but his opening three 2019-20 rounds have been at ShotLink-free or light venues).

But the bombs keep him believing he is relevant on the PGA Tour—or Saudi Arabia where he’s headed after playing Torrey Pines this week. Mickelson has no top-20’s since last February’s win at Pebble Beach.

Given his self-belief, Champions Tour play starting this June when he turns 50 seems unlikely. One problem not of Mickelson’s doing: the decline of the tour as a place to showcase legends.

Eamon Lynch considers the state of that Tour, once a playground for true greats. But in 2020 the one genuine legend eligible isn’t giving it much thought, reinforcing a huge shift in the Tour’s identity.

But 40 years after it was founded, the PGA Tour Champions has long since ceased being a showcase for fading legends and is instead an annuity for journeymen who couldn’t draw a crowd if they were playing in thongs amid the many vigorous widows at The Villages.

This won’t present as a problem to players currently reaping the benefits of the Tour — and there are surely some who will be happy not to have greater competition at the trough — but Mickelson matters simply because there aren’t any more with his star power waiting in the wings. This is where we see the trickle-down effect of Tiger Woods having impoverished the trophy cases of a generation. Every Tour needs its superstar, and Mickelson is the last undisputed legend the PGA Tour Champions will see this side of Woods getting his AARP card six years hence. And a man with young kids and a broken body who doesn’t need the money probably isn’t a great bet to play either.