2020 PGATOUR thread

[legitimatebeef]

I remember that Masters, and Tiger's tee off. The entire world was watching, literally every single person's tongue wagging. I was so nervous, but Tiger bombed it down the middle.

[Duke of Hazards]

I watched most of it. My favorite moment:

[bkuehn1952]

Returns this week. I may actually tune in this weekend, depending on the Mitten's weather.

[bkuehn1952]

Watched the last couple holes and players Saturday. Pulling a bit for Harold Varner III. It can't be easy being the only black guy on tour other than Tiger. Of course, he has probably somewhat gotten used to being in "the only" position. I knw I feel out of place a bit when surrounded by Asian, Black and/or Hispanic people.

Jordan Spieth has reappeared, too. He seems too twitchy for me to be on his team.

[legitimatebeef]

Watched the last couple holes and players Saturday. Pulling a bit for Harold Varner III. It can't be easy being the only black guy on tour other than Tiger. Of course, he has probably somewhat gotten used to being in "the only" position. I knw I feel out of place a bit when surrounded by Asian, Black and/or Hispanic people.

Jordan Spieth has reappeared, too. He seems too twitchy for me to be on his team.

[legitimatebeef]

Seriously though. I tuned in a bit to check out Jordan. I saw him leave a shortish birdie putt short. I think trying to win again makes him nervous. He can still shoot good rounds but appears to get woozy whenever he gets in contention now.

[bkuehn1952]

This is going to be a weird year; I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that there is no Open Championship, the PGA is back in August, the U.S. Open is September and the Masters in November, two weeks before Thanksgiving.

I seriously doubt there will be a Ryder Cup. No galleries? No singing? No insults being hurled? That just would not be a Ryder Cup experience.

[legitimatebeef]

Ryder Cup is obviously about fans front and center in the modern era. However it started as a pure rivalry did it not. It was like, this beautiful, tremendous, perfect rivalry. Those guys really wanted to prove who was better at golf, and were probably sort of mean and nasty to each other too. I get that the current teams will feel lost without the usual hooligan atmosphere, but they ought to consider honoring the original spirit and contesting the stupid thing regardless. Last I checked golf can still be a lot of fun even without the hordes of people cheering for you.

[bkuehn1952]

It is supposed to be hot & humid this weekend in the Mitten. I have no firm plans other than to pickup some "free" wood chips from the City's composting site. Father's Day will likely entail my participation in some Facetime event, sigh, probably at the best time for sneaking out to play golf on Sunday.

So, looks like I may be watching the PGA's Poulan Weedeater Cashway Superstore Invitational Sunday afternoon. I better get some beer!!!

[legitimatebeef]

Nick Watney has the 'rona.

[bkuehn1952]

Phil, Phil, Phil. One just had to know he couldn't hang on to the lead. But +1 today? Sigh.

[GBOGEY]

I always struggle with the birdie fest tournaments. The players are impressive but what does that say about the course, or at least the course compared to these guys distances. I will say that this course looked more interesting than your typical TPC course.

[bkuehn1952]

Yes, River Highlands looked a little more traditional New England. There was a small "gallery" from the surrounding homes. Several times one could hear a few cheers.

[DougE]

I always struggle with the birdie fest tournaments. The players are impressive but what does that say about the course, or at least the course compared to these guys distances. I will say that this course looked more interesting than your typical TPC course.

I've walked TPC River Highlands during a number of Travelers Championships that I attended when I lived in CT. It is actually a very interesting course with a lot of course management needed to score well. Always wanted to play there, but never got the opportunity.

I did not watch a single stroke of the event this year on TV. My enthusiasm for fan-less golf is quite low right now. (Actually, for golf in general, but that's a different thread.) I forgot about all the homes surrounding River Highlands and the built-in (albeit far-off) gallery that comes with it. I'm kind of disappointed I did not tune in now.

[legitimatebeef]

I think the enthusiasm for TV golf was simmering down well before the pandemic. Of the two big draws in golf one is now a part-timer and the other is officially past the "best by" date. The whole comcast/so-called Golf Channel downsizing says a lot IMO. TV golf generally sucks. Sucking is part of its tradition. Tiger made people forget about that for a couple decades. Let's face it golf is niche entertainment best serving those people who play golf recreationally and feel like being lazy in front of the TV and possibly dozing off.

[DougE]

I hope the LPGA coverage is not abandoned. I miss the girls. Really enjoyed watching them. I could go for a little girl golf right about now. Might cheer me up.

[legitimatebeef]

I hope the LPGA coverage is not abandoned. I miss the girls. Really enjoyed watching them. I could go for a little girl golf right about now. Might cheer me up.

If you are open to ethnic people I would recommend KLPGA. It just might scratch the itch.

http://aqstream.com/sbsg/SBS-Golf-Stream-2

Next tournament starts Thursday night.

[legitimatebeef]

Not even going to bother with a link but the Fox Network is about to bail on their USGA contract. They've had enough of this thankless, low ratings crap, probably. NBC will attempt to pick up the pieces. As I mentioned before I think golf on TV is losing its shine and becoming an ultraboring show again. In the prime Tiger years, every tournament of the season benefited from his heat, even the ones he never played. As Tiger piled up the wins and marched toward all-time greatness, that success elevated the significance of any and all PGA TOUR wins, made the general stakes seem higher. Nowadays people still love their Tiger but feels more like a one-man show. I certainly won't be buying any golf-on-TV stocks anytime soon.

[bkuehn1952]

Live, from the COVID Motor City, the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The leaderboard at the midpoint reads like a veritable "Who's Who That?"

[legitimatebeef]

It's weird, even in a world with no baseball or basketball, regular old PGA TOUR golf is still not that appealing. And we are some hardcore golf enthusiasts. I don't mean to be harsh by the way. It's nobody's fault, just the natural ebb and flow of the universe. And it's not all bad, with golf back on the tube we can make weekend afternoon naps great again.

[legitimatebeef]

There is another Bryson DeChambeau commotion happening. Not even going to dignify it with a link. The whole thing sucks, not because DeChambeau is some ultra douche or whatever, but because it's all phony cooked up bullshit aimed at improving viewership. Everything negative I've ever heard about DeChambeau rings hollow. I suspect it is an attempt at contriving a pro wrestling villain dynamic, to make the sport seem more entertaining. He is the only top young player willing to stick out so he and the tour are trying to make some sort of detestable character out of him. No thanks.

[bkuehn1952]

...I seriously doubt there will be a Ryder Cup. No galleries? No singing? No insults being hurled? That just would not be a Ryder Cup experience.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/r ... i=BB15ms5q

[Duke of Hazards]

DeChambeau was exciting to watch this past tournament. His massive distance advantage and liberal use of the big stick is quite the spectacle. I'm not fond of him being a little bitch about the camera guy filming his bunker tantrum though, and being worried about his 'brand'. Major turnoff.

[legitimatebeef]

John Ram is OK by me. He seems to be mostly about his golf game, and not so much managing a brand or whatever.

[Duke of Hazards]

Yeah, Rahm is kinda fiery and gets sulky when he hits bad shots, but he owns it and doesn't act weird and bitchy afterwards.