The major championship season might be over on the PGA Tour, but that doesn’t mean golf disappears. In the last week alone we’ve seen a guy shoot 58, an exciting final at the U.S. Women’s Amateur that featured two of the best clutch putts you’ll ever see on the final two holes, and the buzz of the Olympics being louder than most thought it would be.
And considering all of those things, it seemed like the perfect time to roll out a mailbag chatting about all of that and more. As always, any questions you have, send them my way on Twitter at @shanebacon or via email at theclubhousewithshanebacon@gmail.com.
OK, here we go!
@shanebacon Should the Tour dump River Highlands?
— Spanish Jam (@SeanSpainhour) August 8, 2016
Bacon: Dump one of the most exciting TPC courses in the rotation? Come on now.
This is a place that saw Kevin Streelman birdie his final seven holes two years ago to win, a 58 this year (which, by the way, was 10 strokes better than the average score that Sunday, so it wasn’t like everyone was posting historic numbers), and is where the always great #prayfortedscott hashtag was born.
I love TPC River Highlands and think it’s one of the sneaky best non-major courses all season long. Sure, it’s a birdie fest, but is that a bad thing? The average winning score of the last five Travelers Championships is 14.2-under par. Compare that to a place like the Waste Management Open at another TPC course, and it’s actually tougher, with Scottsdale boasting a winning score of 17.6-under par the last five years.
I’ve never understood when fans fear good scoring. Isn’t that what we want to see? isn’t the idea of being a fan of a professional sport to see people do stuff we can’t? Streelman’s finish was insane, sure, but Russell Knox had to make a great par save on the final hole to win this past Sunday.
And just for a moment about Furyk’s close on Sunday; he didn’t birdie the 13th, a very friendly par-5, and couldn’t convert the birdie on the drivable par-4 15th, which plays less than 300 yards. And the drama was building because fans of that golf course know that the 16th and 17th are holes where disaster lurks.
I will say, the one change that I wouldn’t hate to see is doing a bit more with the 18th. It just isn’t a ton of fun. But all in all, I like the golf course and think it fits perfectly for what it’s there for.
@shanebacon you're head of Olympic Golf.What changes do you make for 2020 to excite players,golf fans and non golf fans?
— Harry Arnett (@HarryArnettCG) August 8, 2016
Bacon: I got a variety of this question a few times (and talked with David Fay about it on the Clubhouse podcast) … the one thing I would love to see is male-female teams (think Lexi Thompson playing alongside Rickie Fowler), but that is me just hoping for something that won’t ever happen.
The bottom line is this — the Olympics have to be stroke play. It’s the only way to truly give the global golf community a puncher’s chance at this event.
I used to push for two-man teams. I wrote a long piece about how disappointed I was that we didn’t go with some sort of team style format for the Olympics, and I’ve turned 180 degrees on it simply because we Americans think it’s pointless to have Fowler, Bubba or whoever out there battling it out over 72 holes just like it’s the John Deere or Travelers.
But we look at it through our red, white and blue lenses, forgetting that a lot of countries on planet Earth can’t field a competitive two-person team. We all know of guys like Jhonattan Vegas, who will represent Venezuela and has played some incredibly impressive golf this year, but who would his partner be?
We think of a team format and think Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson playing Adam Scott and Jason Day, but there are only a few countries around that could actually be competitive in this style of format.
For now, it will be and should be stroke play. I get that it isn’t sexy, I get that it isn’t what we as Americans want, but it’s the only chance for India or China or Brazil to win a gold medal in golf, and that is something that would actually grow the game.
@shanebacon At what fast food chain would you be willing to try EVERY menu item? No exceptions, no substitutions.
— Doug Maccaferri (@bigmac1441) August 9, 2016
Bacon: A couple of months ago at a wedding me and a few of my friends went out for beers, ended up back at the hotel hanging and I pulled up Postmates on my phone. After plenty of box checking, the order came out to about $90. I’m fairly certain that is all the items on a Taco Bell menu, so I’ll go with that.
Also, spoiler alert — none of us felt that good the next day.
@shanebacon what courses would you like to see host a major that don't currently appear anywhere on the PGA Tour schedule?
— Brad Eland (@bradeland) August 9, 2016
Bacon: Pine Valley, without a doubt. It would never happen, but we can always dream.
If not that, I’d go with Royal Melbourne if the PGA ever does decide to expand the PGA Championship and have it somewhere overseas. That golf course is what golf is about.
@shanebacon what is the threshold of life moments you'd miss to play Augusta?
— Luke Boatright (@luke_boatright) August 9, 2016
Bacon: I went over this with a few of my FOX colleagues and we decided here are the things you cannot miss if given a shot to play Augusta National:
— Your wedding
— A funeral in your immediate family
That's it. Anything else on the planet takes a backseat.
Also, since this question was brought up, go check out The Clubhouse podcast I did with Grant Boone and skip to the end (around the 40:40 mark), where he in fact left a round at Augusta National for a rather respectable reason, but hearing it is as painful as you’d imagine it could be.
@shanebacon other than Reed & Spieth, what US player will give the best #PhelpsFace at the Ryder Cup this year? pic.twitter.com/GVqqaf8eGE
— Brad Lindeberg (@BradRunsFar) August 9, 2016
Bacon: My meme-face at the Ryder Cup rankings:
1. Phil Mickelson
2. Matt Kuchar
3. Sergio Garcia
4. Patrick Reed
5. Bubba Watson
@shanebacon Is Jim Furyk, who owns a major and the two lowest rounds of all time, an underachiever or overachiever for his career?
— Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) August 8, 2016
Bacon: No surprise that KVV would ask such a solid question, and one that I thought about for the last four days.
Here is Furyk’s career stats on the PGA Tour:
555 starts, 17 wins, 30 seconds, a 32.6 percent top-10 percentage (for comparison’s sake, Phil Mickelson has a 33.5 percent top-10 percentage, Ernie Els is at 29.7 percent and Davis Love III is 24.2 percent).
He is the only player to ever post two rounds of sub-60 on the PGA Tour, which, considering the way he plays the game has to be the most surprising Jim Furyk thing outside of seeing him in the front row at a Future concert.
But ... the majors. It always comes down to the majors. Furyk has been so ridiculously close to winning majors and only has the single U.S. Open title. Considering his talent, his longevity, and his consistency, it’s insane he only won that ’03 U.S. Open.
I think I would say he’s underachieved just a bit. No Players Championship (on a course he calls home), no WGC wins, a 4-8 playoff record on the PGA Tour and the lone major. I love watching Furyk grind out rounds, and thought it was amazingly special how well he played at Oakmont up until that 72nd hole (where, frankly, he knew he had to make a birdie to even have a snowball’s chance to catch DJ), but I think when you look back at his career, you’ll be surprised he wasn’t able to win more considering how often he got in the conversation at events and majors (this is especially painful considering he’s a fellow Wildcat).
Bacon: Wait, he smiles?! Still?!
@shanebacon In one month we've seen two 40 something's put on an epic show. And another 46 y/o shoot a 58. How big is Tiger smiling?
— Brandon Feldt (@TheRealBFeldt) August 8, 2016
I’ll say this about Tiger — his body isn’t 40. Surgery after surgery will do that to a person. But it is a good point made here by Brandon.
Henrik Stenson finally wins a major, in epic fashion, at 40. Phil Mickelson has been a different player this year at 46. Jim Furyk shot a 58 at 46.
Tiger has done it right this year, which is surprising considering how tone-deaf he had been the past few years in terms of approach to the game. He took the year off, he is trying hard to get back to 100 percent healthy, and he has to see these older players as some type of motivation.
Bacon: Um, no. The answer is no. The answer for most everyone on the planet not named Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Roger Federer, Jack Nicklaus or Mark Cuban is no.
@shanebacon Have you ever been good at anything like Michael Phelps is at swimming?
— Adam Fonseca (@GolfUnfiltered) August 9, 2016
Bacon: First, if you haven’t checked out the oral history of Tin Cup that Golf.com put together, stop what you’re doing now and give it a read.
@shanebacon can you explain the Phil shot Cheech told today from tin cup? Shoulder against a tree and hit over a tree? Wtf?
— Erik Dutzy (@diggermother_x) August 10, 2016
And second, any question that begins “can you explain the Phil …” should just end right there. I can never explain anything Phil does. This is a man that put two drivers in his bag at the Masters. This is a man that has had the same caddie his entire career, a friend if there ever was one, and gives him a single veto for the entire year to use. This is a man that once said, “My kids and I sometimes will just sit in my office and talk about what the world was like 68 million years ago. Amanda, our oldest daughter, wanted to be a paleontologist for a long time.”
He’s a national treasure. He really is. I’m worried we will never see another man like him in golf again. That’s why I make sure to enjoy all the moments he has left in his career. He’s not done by any stretch, but when he’s in contention, I pay just a bit more attention to what’s happening. When he’s gone, we will miss him.
And all that being said ...
Bacon: It’s Tiger and it’s not even close.
@shanebacon would you rather Phil go full "Jack in '86" for USOpen/career grand slam or Tiger do it at Augusta in '17 for his comeback?
— Ricky Legumes (@RickyLegumes) August 9, 2016
A Tiger comeback, at Augusta National, with all these young guys in the field? It would be a national story, not just a national sports story. Phil Mickelson winning the Grand Slam is a big sports story, but Tiger returning makes “The Today Show,” Jimmy Fallon’s opening monologue, every radio show on the planet and it would bump whatever storyline is leading the world’s news.
Bacon: Yes, it would be, and it would be glorious!
@shanebacon would Sergio winning gold,repeat in 2020, retire w/the only Olympic gold in our lifetime w/no majors be most Sergio thing ever
— Robbie Vegas (@Rob1563GK) August 8, 2016
I love the new-age Sergio Garcia, a guy that seems genuinely happy to be playing professional golf and it shows in his golf game.
I’ve been asked about the best storylines that could come out of these Olympics, and while someone from a developing golf country is probably the answer, Sergio winning would be the most Andy Murray-like victory for a medal ever.
Think about it; a guy that’s been so close so many times in majors but can’t get over the hump. For most people, Garcia’s career is an underachievement even though he has 29 professional wins in his career and 22 top-10s in majors.
I think a gold medal would be perfect for Sergio, and I think much like Murray, it would vault him into a different personal level that could equate into major wins the next couple of years. Sergio might not be the storyline that does the most for golf moving forward, but it would do the most for golf nerds who have always wanted to see Garcia win a big one.
Sergio is my pick this week. I think he’s on that top stand Sunday evening.
