The Pellucid Perspective - July 2016 - (Page 15)

THE LAST WORD A long, very hot summer for the USGA T he blue blazered folks from the USGA are certainly having a summer to remember, aren't they? Well, one for others like Dustin Johnson and Bethany, er, Brittany Lang to remember and one the gentry from Far Hills, N.J. would like to forget. At this point, I'm not sure which is more humorous - Diane Murphy's assertion in her first major interview following her ascendance to USGA President that the organization's top priority was running tournaments and championships or the more typical job one that's been cited, namely creating, overseeing and interpreting the sacred Rules of Golf. Whichever one prefers, the execution has been sadly lacking this summer in the organization's two flagship events, the U.S. Open Championships for both men and women. The USGA performance has on both occasions called to mind the classic response of renowned coach John McKay, leading a hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers team at the time, when he was asked following yet another loss what he thought of his team's execution? "I'm in favor of it," he replied. The Dustin Johnson incident was problematic on many levels, and downright moronic in its actual application. We could argue all day about whether D.J. caused the ball to move on the 5th green. Maybe he did inadvertently when he soled his putter, maybe it moved for some other reason. Whatever. But to wait 7 more holes before concluding in their infinite hi-def wisdom that it was "more likely than not" a penalty and informing Johnson of their concern, and then to say "We'll let you know what the final decision is after the round" has to be the dumbest decision since, well, the anchored stroke rule. (Partial credit if you put "No posting for handicap if you were a single" in that blank). The possibilities for absolute disaster in that decision were legion, and the USGA should definitely remember D.J. at Christmas time for not only winning the thing going away but basically saying it didn't bother him. Well, OK, these things happen. But www.PellucidCorp.com twice ... in two months, in your two biggest events of the year? Along comes the U.S. Women's Open and lo and behold, with Anna Nordqvist and Brittany Lang tied in the middle of a 3-hole playoff for the title, a Fox TV broadcast technician notices that Nordqvist appears to have moved a grain of sand while addressing her ball in a fairway bunker. USGA officials go to the replay, and decide it's a 2-shot penalty. Undoubtedly feeling like Groundhog Day, they finally make the decision and meander out to tell the two competitors as they're about to play their third shots into the par-5 final hole, still apparently tied. Nordqvist is away, and hits her shot still thinking she's tied, so she takes a conservative line. Then, to compound the stupidity, the officials hustle over and tell Lang that she's actually two shots ahead because of the penalty about to be laid on Nordqvist, who is still blissfully unaware that her U.S. Open chances just went up in the smoke from a broadcast truck microwave. Naturally Lang opts for a safe pitch to the fat part of the green and a virtually certain par that will make her the champ. Once again, the victim, Nordqvist, lets the USGA off relatively lightly, although she does "qvetch" a tiny bit that she would have been more aggressive at the last if she'd known she was 2 down rather than tied. Then, just when everyone is ready to strike the tents and get the hell out of championship Dodge, President Murphy makes her way to the trophy presentation podium and proceeds to refer to Lang as "Bethany" not once but several times. But, let's not forget, championships are our number one priority. And a damn fine job you do of it, too, folks. Olympic fever Golf 's 112 year sabbatical from the Olympics has never particularly bothered me, and I'm not really sure why it should bother anyone else in the U.S. if it's two-and-done after 2020. In the format they've adopted, which is essentially the same 72-hole stroke play event we see on TV nearly every weekend, with a vastly inferior field to almost any PGA Tour event, I'm not really sure how they're going to handle the golf portion of the coverage. In any case, not sure it will be must-see TV. Obviously many of the world's best players agree with me. Or, gee, do you suppose that some of them would rather not add to their already busy schedules in the middle of a lot of big opportunities at the Tour pay window, or in some cases, the Ryder Cup (and for others, the FedEx Championships cash call). Perhaps, as some have suggested, it's not a disregard for the Olympics, it's just a lack of desire to risk a payday for mugging and mosquitoes in Rio. Speaking of Rory, if any of his Tour pals refer to him as "their brother from another mother," perhaps his mother is not named McElroy, but rather Murphy. Rory seems to agree with President Murphy and her USGA brethren, who persist in assigning growth of the game to an afterthought position when they outline their organization's reasons for being. On the eve of The Open Championship, Rory informed the panting scribes that he doesn't feel he let golf down in any way by declining an Olympic berth. Said the always candid Rory, "I don't feel like I've let the game down at all. I didn't get into golf to try and grow the game. I got into the game to try to win championships and win major championships." It's all well and good that golf made the IOC cut this year and four years hence. I'm sure Tim Finchem and the Tour are hoping for extra eyeballs from developing nations who will suddenly receive government golf funding for the very remote chance of an Olympic golf medal some day. On the other hand, the U.S. fields a team or contestants in virtually every Summer Olympics sport that exists or has ever existed, so I'm not sure that the opportunity to see Ricky Fowler in four days' worth of red, white and blue ensembles is going to move the U.S. golf participation needle one iota. In any case, -Jim Dunlap USA, USA! The Pellucid PersPecTive 15 http://www.PellucidcorP.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - July 2016

Toc
A Peek Inside the Golfnow Kingdom: Revealing but Not Shocking
Bad Rap?
PGA, Tourgolf Team to Promote Play and Revenues at Pga Facilities and Events
Landscapes’ Success Unlimited by Industry Shifts
June Golf Weather Impact: June Up Marginally; May Utilization Lags
Cleveland’s Favorable Supply “trumped” by Low Revenues
A Long, Very Hot Summer for the USGA

The Pellucid Perspective - July 2016