Category: PGA Tour

The Ryder Cup and the PGA of America Biggest Injustice

Larry Nelson

Larry Nelson, PGA Tour Professional and Vietnam War veteran

With all the hype about the Ryder Cup this week, after been delayed a year due to Covid-19, I cannot stop thinking about one of the biggest injustices in professional golf and Ryder Cup history.

The United States team has had some exceptionally good captains, some not so good, and the ones that never were. Larry Nelson falls into the later category and the PGA of America should be ashamed of themselves over it.

Larry Nelson is not only an American war hero, but also had a remarkable PGA Tour career and an excellent Ryder Cup record. Him, along with Lanny Wadkins, accrued a 4-0-0 record in the 1979 Ryder Cup. Only one other team in Ryder Cup history have accomplished such a feat, the duo of Molinari and Fleetwood at the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris.

Why Larry Nelson never given the opportunity to be Ryder Cup captain is a mystery to me.

Back in a 2012 article by Stan Awtrey, Nelson did not minced words regarding the selection process and the rationale behind it.

“It never really made any sense to me,” he said. “I played on three Ryder Cup teams and two of the captains I had (Billy Casper in 1979 and Dave Marr in 1981) were not really playing on the TOUR anymore. I feel like their decisions were much more effective, because they weren’t based on friendships or relationships. Sometimes it can be a positive.”

When addressing the issue regarding his age, at 65, he went on to say:

“It’s not like a lot of us are out of the game and don’t know what’s going on. We still love the game. We love to compete. Inside our minds we’re just as competitive as we were 30 or 40 years ago. Our physical bodies aren’t quite as good, but I don’t have to arm wrestle anybody. All I have to do is put together a team and get a team prepared. I don’t think age or actually being part of the TOUR is a detriment at all.”

Larry Nelson’s Ryder Cup record of 9-3-1, two-time PGA Champion, United States Open Champion, and the fact he beat Seve Ballesteros 3 and 2 in singles, should have been good enough for the PGA of America to have reach out to Nelson with a captaincy offer.

This has been one of the biggest mistakes, and injustices, ever made by the PGA of America and the Ryder Cup committee.

As we get closer to the first tee shot at Whistling Straits, I salute the great golfer, American hero, and Ryder Cup captain who never was, Larry Nelson.

United States Ryder Cup Team

No Na, No Reed, No Horschel, No Kokrak?

U.S. Ryder Cup Captain, Steve Stricker Photo courtesy of yardbarker.com

First off, enough with these Captain’s assignments.  Steve Stricker may be a nice guy, but he barely plays on the PGA Tour to be in touch with the younger players on tour.   As a matter of fact, Stricker hasn’t played a PGA Tour full schedule in close to a decade.

Which probably explains his decision to keep Kevin Na, Patrick Reed, Jason Kokrak, and even newly crowned European PGA Championship winner, Billy Horschel, off the United States Ryder Cup team.

On Na he claimed he was too short off the tee.  Is he seriously using that lousy excuse to keep one of the most charismatic players on the PGA Tour off the team?  Couldn’t have he paired him with a bomber? 

I think the incident with Dustin Johnson at the Match Play influenced Stricker’s decision.  In my opinion, a dumb decision.

Unfortunately for Na, this may be the last chance he’ll get to make a Ryder Cup team.

Na brings a lot of swag and fighting spirit to the table.  That’s one of the things you need in a Ryder Cup locker room.  With all due respect to Tony Finau and Scottie Scheffler, but they are as dull as a butter knife.

Billy Horschel didn’t even get a phone call.  Horschel won the WGC-Dell Match Play this year.  Sure, he wasn’t in his best form coming in, but anybody who has followed his career knows Horschel can deliver.  At least he should have been considered.

Patrick Reed, Captain America himself was left out of this team.  This man is the Ryder Cup!  He played the Tour Championship after been sick.  If that didn’t show Stricker grit and guts, then Stricker is out of touch.  With a 4th in S.G. Putting stat Reed should have been on this team, period.

Jason Kokrak, two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year and he wasn’t a pick.  To me this is probably one of the biggest boneheaded decisions made by Stricker.  Kokrak has been playing great golf and has become one of the best putters on tour, reaching 6th in S.G. putting.

I don’t intend to pick on the Captain’s Picks, after all, that’s all on Stricker.  But of all the picks, Finau and Scheffler are questionable.  Finau just won the Northern Trust after God knows how long chocking after leading, that’s not a trend, that’s just a good week.

Scheffler hasn’t won a tournament on the PGA Tour despite that fact he has led a few times.  So, he’s not a proven finisher.

Finau and Scheffler are very good players, but shooting stars are not what we need in the Ryder Cup.  We need fire, we need grit, we need good putters.  Scheffler (107th S.G. Putting) and Finau (91st S.G. Putting) are not good putters and have as much fire in them as an ice box.

Finally, Jordan Speith.  Well, at least we will get good commentary from the lad, I don’t think he’s in good form either.  33rd on S.G. Putting with his best stat a 6th on S.G. around the green.

Ryder Cups are won on the greens, not on the fairways, that’s a fact.

Captain Stricker will have lots of explaining to do about these picks if they get their rear end beaten by a European Team that looks solid all around.

I think Stricker got it wrong, but I don’t expect anything less from a guy who has been removed from a full PGA Tour schedule for quite some time.

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole!!!!!!!

PGA Tour: Heckling is Here to Stay

“Please, stop yelling Brooksy” Photo courtesy of Skysports.com

The PGA Tour has enjoyed very much privilege since the Covid-19 pandemic started.  As people were mandated to stay at home, the PGA Tour was busy running tournaments while padding themselves in the back.  They bragged about been the first sport to come back while American families were suffering.

The PGA Tour didn’t care, and they had individuals at PGA Tour Radio and The Golf Channel carry their dirty water.  As a golf fan, and a player, I have pretty much written out Jay Monahan and the Tour for their hypocritical stance on many issues, from race to the state of the game.

Watching golf has been painful in the last two years. I didn’t miss much the fan experience, not having to hear “Mash Potatoes” or “Get in the Hole” was refreshing.  Once the fans returned, I knew exactly what to expect. 

I always thought the Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau rivalry was cool and interesting.  I don’t know what the Tour thought it was going to happen once the fans were allowed back in.  You have fans who love Koepka, like me, and you have those who love DeChambeau.  It was only natural that fan heckling was going to be part of the rivalry.

It is obvious Koepka has managed this drama much better while DeChambeau has melted down on national television and stormed press conferences. 

Some commentators, like Michael Collins of ESPN.com, are going as far as blaming the fans for DeChambeau state of mind.  Is he serious?  If DeChambeau can’t handle a few fans yelling “Brooksy” perhaps he needs to find another line of work.

Heckling has been part of sports, and golf, for a long time, dating back to WW2.  Sam Snead was heckled at the 1942 PGA Championship while playing against Jim Turnesa.  The reason behind it was the fact that Turnesa had enlisted in the United States Army and fans didn’t know Snead had enlisted with the United States Navy. 

Tournament marshals could not control it and Snead ended up telling the marshals to ignore it and allow the fans to say whatever they wanted to say.  Many of the hecklers were soldiers stationed at Ft. Dix and they were cheering for the Army guy, Jim Turnesa.

At the end of the day, the PGA Tour has brought this upon themselves.  This is the price of growing the game and now Jay Monahan wants to put the genie back inside the bottle by telling fans they will be ejected from events if the yell “Brooksy”.

I’m all about decorum on the golf course but yelling someone’s name is not heckling and I think is ridiculous to suggest a player can get rattle by such a thing.  Or maybe they are that fragile, who knows. I guess DeChambeau is too mentally fragile to handle it and needs Monahan to justify and Monday morning quarterback his behavior.

Excuse me PGA Tour, we have young men and women dying in Afghanistan, so forgive me if I can’t feel sorry for a professional golfer who can’t handle a little bit of heat.

On Tuesday’s press conference, before the Tour Championship, Monahan was even more ridiculous.  He goes on to suggest that fans were acting that way because of Covid-19.  He says fans are “frustrated” and have “brought extra and unwelcomed energy to tournaments”.

No way!  Fans are acting the same way they did before Covid.  The problem with Monahan is this time is affecting the PGA Tour’s bottom line, meaning revenues.  DeChambeau is a star and when your star doesn’t want to talk to the press, well, it becomes a problem.

Heckling is part of the game, and it will be part of the game for years to come.  Thankfully the PGA Tour has nothing to do with the Ryder Cup because the heckling is going to be loud and clear at Whistling Straits.

I agree, fans who are disrespectful need to be dealt with immediately.  That type of behavior should not be tolerated at any level, but who determines that is another thing.

Finally, I do have several questions for the Commissioner.  Who’s going to enforce this policy?  The eighty-year-old volunteer?  Are they willing to kick out every fan who says something stupid?  Good luck with that. 

As long as they keep selling alcohol at these events, and not some suggested Covid induced rage, they will always have alcohol induced behavior, is inevitable. 

I don’t dislike DeChambeau, but it appears he needs to book a couple of sessions with Dr. Rotella.

Clown of the Week: Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner

Clown of the Week: Golf Channel’s Commentator Rich Lerner

Rich Lerner has earned the Clown of the Week award for questioning professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau’s stance on the Covid-19 vaccines.

Mr. Lerner was absolutely wrong in suggesting fans were against DeChambeau because of his thoughts about the Covid-19 vaccines and his decision not to take it until further testing were conducted. Mr. Lerner alluded to this during the broadcast of the BMW Championship final round.

As a matter of fact, DeChambeau is not the only American who feels this way. Many Americans have decided not to indulge on a vaccine which has not been properly tested. Perhaps Mr. Lerner should hangout a bit more with real Americans instead of elite athletes and Hollywood types.

You can read more on DeChambeau’s position and his statement on this article by Townhall.

https://townhall.com/columnists/douglasmackinnon/2021/08/29/in-defense-of-bryson-dechambeau-and-his-choice-regarding-the-covid-vaccine-n2594935

Bonehead of the Week: Columbus Dispatch Opinion Writer, Rob Oller

“I’m not a doctor, but I play one for the Columbus Dispatch” Rob Oller, Photo courtesy of buckeye.com

Rob Oller wrote an opinion column for the Columbus Dispatch stating Professional Golfer Jon Rahm lost a $1.6 million dollar paycheck because he wasn’t vaccinated against Covid-19.

First, it wasn’t a guaranteed Rahm was going to be the winner on Sunday, despite his 6 stroke lead going into the final round.

Second, there’s no medical evidence that will suggest Rahm wasn’t going to produce a positive test if he was vaccinated. To say otherwise, like Mr. Oller suggests, is a lie and misinformation. There have been many cases of Covid-19 positives despite the fact the individuals were vaccinated.

Many people haven’t been vaccinated for all sort of medical reasons, but that’s something to be discuss between a patient and his or her doctor.

Mr. Oller is not a doctor, and epidemiologist, nor an expert on infectious diseases. He doesn’t know what Jon Rahm discussed with his doctor regarding the vaccine.

It has been reported that he received the first shot once he found out he became in a contact with an individual who tested positive. As with any vaccine, they are not a guarantee nor a cure.

Mr. Oller gave his uniformed “opinion” and as the say goes; opinions are like (fill in the blank), everyone has one. For that Oller gets “The Bonehead of the Week” award.