2013 PGA Tour

terrynever

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Red(s)HawksFan said:
 
Steve Sands was the MC and had all the members of the European Ryder Cup team on stage.  Sands was on Golf Channel this morning and explained that he had been seated with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano during the dinner and Fdez-Castano had told him that he and Sergio were renting a house together near Merion for US Open week.  So when Sands got to his question for Sergio, he decided to play up what Fdez-Castano told him and asked if Tiger would be invited over to the house at any point.  Sergio played along and said that Tiger would be welcome every night.  If he'd stopped there, he'd have been fine.  Sands said he was ready to move on to the next question.  But Sergio threw in the line about fried chicken unprovoked and unprompted.
 
There was no egging on or baiting going on, and there were probably a thousand other things food-related that Sergio could have said that would have been plenty funny.  He could have just said "we'll make him dinner" or something like that, but he said what he said instead.  No way he didn't know what he was saying, and his claims that he didn't mean anything by it are total bullshit.  It was a total lapse in judgment on his part, and not a "silly joke" that he didn't mean anything by.  He wanted to tweak Tiger, again, and went too far.
Thanks for the full story. Yeah, he screwed up big time.
 

Average Reds

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The best part of the Sergio story is that every time someone says something to try to defuse things, it just gets worse.
 
Here's George O'Grady, who heads up (for now) the European PGA Tour:
 
"We know the connotation in the United States. We accept all races on the European Tour, we take it very strongly. Most of Sergio's friends are coloured athletes in the United States and he is absolutely abject in his apology and we accepted it."
 
Of course, O'Grady's remarks kicked off a mini firestorm of their own and he was forced to issue an apology later in the day...
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-2329583/George-OGrady-claims-Sergio-Garcia-lots-friends-coloured-athletes.html
 

Comfortably Lomb

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mabrowndog said:
Obscured by the smoke left hovering by the Sergio self-immolation and fireworks is this:
 
USGA and R&A rule anchored putters illegal on January 1, 2016
 
The headline there is misleading. It's not really a ban on the putters themselves, but rather any putting stroke deemed to be one originating from a pivot or hinge at a physical anchor point.
 
I expect the PGA Tour to adopt the rule but there is certainly a chance that they don't, or decide to implement the rule after 2016. It could be a career-ender for several players. Unfairly so considering these putters and this putting stroke only magically became a problem recently due to a few major wins after decades of uncontroversial use. I do think if the PGA Tour decides to play by different rules it's pretty much the end of the USGA and R&A. Once the pros are playing by different rules why is there any reason to pay attention to the self-anointed governing bodies?
 

Average Reds

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Comfortably Lomb said:
I expect the PGA Tour to adopt the rule but there is certainly a chance that they don't, or decide to implement the rule after 2016. It could be a career-ender for several players. Unfairly so considering these putters and this putting stroke only magically became a problem recently due to a few major wins after decades of uncontroversial use. I do think if the PGA Tour decides to play by different rules it's pretty much the end of the USGA and R&A. Once the pros are playing by different rules why is there any reason to pay attention to the self-anointed governing bodies?
 
If the PGA Tour decides to ignore the USGA and the R&A it is more likely to be the end of the PGA Tour. Which is why they won't defy the governing bodies of the sport.
 
You are right, the governing bodies of golf were way too slow to address this issue.  But the ruling is unquestionably correct - anchoring your putter is a huge advantage - and I have little sympathy if some pros have their careers ended.  My answer is simple:  learn to putt.
 

terrynever

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Comfortably Lomb said:
 
I expect the PGA Tour to adopt the rule but there is certainly a chance that they don't, or decide to implement the rule after 2016. It could be a career-ender for several players. Unfairly so considering these putters and this putting stroke only magically became a problem recently due to a few major wins after decades of uncontroversial use. I do think if the PGA Tour decides to play by different rules it's pretty much the end of the USGA and R&A. Once the pros are playing by different rules why is there any reason to pay attention to the self-anointed governing bodies?
I could be wrong but wouldn't we still be treated to a British Open and US Open played without anchored putting strokes? Not to mention the Masters and maybe the WGC events. Plus the whole Euro Tour.

Also, what AR just said.
 

SoxJox

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Comfortably Lomb said:
I do think if the PGA Tour decides to play by different rules it's pretty much the end of the USGA and R&A. Once the pros are playing by different rules why is there any reason to pay attention to the self-anointed governing bodies?
Not so fast.  I don't think you can classify either the R&A or USGA as "self-anointed."  Hell, they FOUNDED the sport in their respective "spheres of influence", with the R&A forming in 17-fucking-94, and the USGA in 1894.  Who else was going to "anoint" them?  The PGA didn't rear its head until 1916, and it was established  as a "players' organization", ostensibly to be governed by the rules established by the two founding bodies.  To me, that makes sense.
 
And the PGA Tour Card list at any particular time is made up of 125 qualifying members and a secondary "cut" of "conditional" players up to 150.  On the other hand, there is something northward of 50-million amateurs, and pros of various lesser-PGA levels who are playing to USGA and R&A rules.
 
Now I know everyone envisions themselves on the golf course as masters at the top of the leaderboard during their "competitive" round of golf on Sunday, while lugging around a case of beer and a pack of Cohibas, but the PGA bucking the USGA and R&A ain't gonna happen so that the rest of us can feel that we are somehow closer to "reaching the Tour" with a new set of "PGA rules".
 
IOW, I think you have that bassackwards.
 

Koufax

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Average Reds said:
If the PGA Tour decides to ignore the USGA and the R&A it is more likely to be the end of the PGA Tour. Which is why they won't defy the governing bodies of the sport.
 
You are right, the governing bodies of golf were way too slow to address this issue.  But the ruling is unquestionably correct - anchoring your putter is a huge advantage - and I have little sympathy if some pros have their careers ended.  My answer is simple:  learn to putt.
I am very fearful that the PGA will go their own way.  They are not only representing the touring pros, they are representing every teaching pro at the local course, and I believe that those teaching pros want to do whatever they can to make the game more popular / easier so that they can attract more students and weekend players.  The only thing getting in the way of the PGA on this one is that two of the four majors are run by the USGA and the R&A; and that the Masters is likely to side with them as well.  I could see the PGA saying "screw it, we'll call the Players Championship" and tourneys X and Y the new majors; and we'll boycott the old "majors".  It would be chaos but I could see it happening.
 
I am fully with you on the ruling being correct.  I could see letting the senior tour players anchor, but it is really not much different than Sam Snead's croquet style, which was quickly outlawed. 
 

SoxJox

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Koufax said:
I am very fearful that the PGA will go their own way.  They are not only representing the touring pros, they are representing every teaching pro at the local course
Hmm, the bolded is an aspect that my previous comment did not consider.  A very astute and possibly extremely influential element in this whole affair.
 

Koufax

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Red(s)HawksFan said:
Steve Sands was the MC and had all the members of the European Ryder Cup team on stage.  Sands was on Golf Channel this morning and explained that he had been seated with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano during the dinner and Fdez-Castano had told him that he and Sergio were renting a house together near Merion for US Open week.  So when Sands got to his question for Sergio, he decided to play up what Fdez-Castano told him and asked if Tiger would be invited over to the house at any point.  Sergio played along and said that Tiger would be welcome every night.  If he'd stopped there, he'd have been fine.  Sands said he was ready to move on to the next question.  But Sergio threw in the line about fried chicken unprovoked and unprompted.
 
There was no egging on or baiting going on, and there were probably a thousand other things food-related that Sergio could have said that would have been plenty funny.  He could have just said "we'll make him dinner" or something like that, but he said what he said instead.  No way he didn't know what he was saying, and his claims that he didn't mean anything by it are total bullshit.  It was a total lapse in judgment on his part, and not a "silly joke" that he didn't mean anything by.  He wanted to tweak Tiger, again, and went too far.
In his interview the next day, Sergio was asked whether he expected any discipline from the PGA.  He said no, that there were PGA officials at the dinner who spoke with him afterwards and said something like "It's not a big deal."  If that is the case (and please correct me if I have this wrong) then it seems as if the PGA is as tone-deaf on this issue as it has ever been.  Not that they should necessarily sanction him, but they shouldn't let him off the hook so easily either.
 

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Anyone ever watch Playing Lessons From The Pros on The Golf Channel?  Holly Saunders (who isn't bad to stare at for 30 minutes) plays a course with a pro and they give their insight on their game, routine, tips, etc...
 
I'm watching the Streelman one right now.  On a scale from 1-10, he grips his clubs at about a 2.5, and when he gets the driver in his hands, in his mind he's trying to swing at 50%.  I've also seen the Poulter and GMac ones, both were pretty cool.
 

Freddy Linn

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Koufax said:
I am very fearful that the PGA will go their own way.  They are not only representing the touring pros, they are representing every teaching pro at the local course, and I believe that those teaching pros want to do whatever they can to make the game more popular / easier so that they can attract more students and weekend players.  The only thing getting in the way of the PGA on this one is that two of the four majors are run by the USGA and the R&A; and that the Masters is likely to side with them as well.  I could see the PGA saying "screw it, we'll call the Players Championship" and tourneys X and Y the new majors; and we'll boycott the old "majors".  It would be chaos but I could see it happening.
 
I am fully with you on the ruling being correct.  I could see letting the senior tour players anchor, but it is really not much different than Sam Snead's croquet style, which was quickly outlawed. 
 
Probably important to mention that the PGA Tour and the PGA of America are two separate and distinct organizations, and that while they are on the same side of the issue now, when push comes to shove they very well might not be.
 

Comfortably Lomb

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Koufax said:
In his interview the next day, Sergio was asked whether he expected any discipline from the PGA.  He said no, that there were PGA officials at the dinner who spoke with him afterwards and said something like "It's not a big deal."  If that is the case (and please correct me if I have this wrong) then it seems as if the PGA is as tone-deaf on this issue as it has ever been.  Not that they should necessarily sanction him, but they shouldn't let him off the hook so easily either.
 
He's an idiot but why does the Tour need to do something about this? Sergio is being destroyed by the media and general public. Do we really need the PGA Tour to "take a stand" or some PR bullshit like the other leagues would feed to the media?
 

Koufax

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No, the PGA doesn't need to take a stand, but they also don't need to condone this stupid stuff, which they appeared to do by telling Sergio that everything was cool.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Zomp said:
Anyone ever watch Playing Lessons From The Pros on The Golf Channel?  Holly Saunders (who isn't bad to stare at for 30 minutes) plays a course with a pro and they give their insight on their game, routine, tips, etc...
 
I'm watching the Streelman one right now.  On a scale from 1-10, he grips his clubs at about a 2.5, and when he gets the driver in his hands, in his mind he's trying to swing at 50%.  I've also seen the Poulter and GMac ones, both were pretty cool.
This show has been around for a while (just not with Holly) and has always been appointment viewing for me. It's always interesting to hear what the Pros have to say.
 

BigMike

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Koufax said:
No, the PGA doesn't need to take a stand, but they also don't need to condone this stupid stuff, which they appeared to do by telling Sergio that everything was cool.
 
Come on, it would have been absurd for them to punish him for a bad joke, made in another country on a different tour.   Sergio has been rightfully criticized for his comments, but at the same time his comments do not warrant supplemental discipline.  Sergio's brand has been devalued by what he said and that was the proper punishment
 
I guess you would be happier if Sergio's response was,  I was told by PGA officials that they were disappointed in my remarks, but that there will be no supplemental discipline.
 

mascho

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BigMike said:
Come on, it would have been absurd for them to punish him for a bad joke, made in another country on a different tour.   Sergio has been rightfully criticized for his comments, but at the same time his comments do not warrant supplemental discipline.  Sergio's brand has been devalued by what he said and that was the proper punishment
 
I guess you would be happier if Sergio's response was,  I was told by PGA officials that they were disappointed in my remarks, but that there will be no supplemental discipline.
 
Not only that, he gets to travel to suburban Philadelphia in a few weeks and have the U.S. press hound him over his comments for a few days.  
 

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I simply don't believe much Sergio says.  I doubt very seriously that any PGA officials that heard that comment and had any resolution for him within minutes.  I'm not saying they should or shouldn't punish him, I just doubt the process was over and done with in 10 minutes.  That seems like something they would discuss in private after the event was over.
 

cshea

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It is early of course, but Rory is off to another lousy start. +3 through 7 at Muirfield Village. Opened with a birdie too.

Edit: Another bogey on 18, so he turns at +4. Yikes.
 

cshea

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Looks like DJ is freeing up his weekend again so he can hang with Pauline.

Off week for Tiger. +2, which is right on the cut line at the moment, but the cut will probably move to +1 or E when the afternoon groups get on the course.
 

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Matt Every checking in with a solid 84 today. This is a great follow up to Colsaerts 80 yesterday. What a bust Colsaerts has been so far as a 2nd round pick. Just hoping Hoffman and Mahan can get me some sort of points this week.
 
God my team is frustrating.
 

cshea

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On the plus side, you've got Matteo Mannasero who appears to be on the way to his second consecutive win in Europe. So you've got that going for you.

Course is playing tough today. Cut line has moved to +3. There may yet be hope for guys like Rory and DJ to play some weekend golf.
 

TFP

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Manassero has gotten me 3 whopping points this year. Obviously he's talented (which is why I picked him) but all these wins in Europe do nothing for me.
 
Hopefully he can have it translate in the majors and during the WGC events.
 
Edit: I'm not complaining about MM, obviously I knew he wasn't going to play a lot over here but figured it was worth an 8th round pick. I'm just not taking solace in his European success since it doesn't help me one bit.
 

mascho

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Oh, now this is fantastic.
 
 


The USGA has tweeted out the feature group for the U.S. Open and we can round up the usual major suspects.
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott will tee off at 1:14 p.m. ET on Thursday and at 7:44 a.m. on Friday at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.
Thursday they will start at No. 1 and then begin on the back 9 Friday.
The trio has won 17 major titles with Scott winning this year's Masters.
 

Maybe swap Sergio in for Rory, but this is pretty nice.  
 

Koufax

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I don't know, having Steve Williams as part of the group may be spicey enough.
 

BigMike

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Yup, no way on earth the USGA wanted their signature event to turn into 3 days of Fried Chicken before the event starts, and then an additional 2 days of fried chicken talk when they start playing.   
 
Nothing they can do to avoid a bit of the idiocy, but at least it will be muted by them being separated
 

bostonbeerbelly

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Anyone watching care to tell me what the hell happened to Rollins on number 10? 15 yards from the green in 2 and comes away with a 9?
 
Nevermind pgatour is having terrible online scoring errors, so maybe this was one of them. 
 

cshea

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This should be an interesting afternoon. Lots of guys in the mix, and a course that players can go low on. El Pato is -8 through 16 to move into the top 10, so a 62/63 is certainly out there. I believe a saw a graphic yesterday that 2 of the last 3 player to win the Travelers have come from 6 shots back on Sunday to win. There could be some chaos on the course today. 
 

cshea

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Bubba, with a one shot lead, goes into the drink on 16. Tournament is wide open. 
 
And Bubba is pissed at his caddie. 
 

SouthernBoSox

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Yea, Bubba just took a big hit in my book.

You're hitting the shots dude. You choked. Ken Duke is also one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Really pulling for him. Great guy who has just grinded a nice PGA career.
 

LogansDad

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SouthernBoSox said:
Shut the fuck up Bubba. "No reason for me to even show up."
 
I think he was actually talking about his caddie "No reason for you to even show up".
 
Fits with him picking the bag up and putting his putter away by himself after the hole.... he just totally lost his shit on that hole.
 

SouthernBoSox

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LogansDad said:
 
I think he was actually talking about his caddie "No reason for you to even show up".
 
Fits with him picking the bag up and putting his putter away by himself after the hole.... he just totally lost his shit on that hole.
Wow, really? Damn. What a douchebag. That's inexcusable.
 

LogansDad

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Ken Duke in at -12.  Pretty awesome up and down on 18.  Looks like Stroud is the only one who has a chance to catch him.
 
 
Edit: Holy shit, Stroud with the chip in to tie on 18.