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by Jeff Skinner

Now that all the waiting is over and the USGA and the R&A have set forth their plan to ban the anchored stroke one may think the controversy would diminish.  Don’t bet on it.

With The PGA Tour and the PGA of America voicing their displeasure with the ban we will have to wait and see what action they will take.  I find it strange that while the PGA Tour insists that they play the highest level of golf in the world they now would entertain the idea of not playing by the rules of golf.

The Tour has been playing under the rules of golf since its inception and contrary to the mistaken belief that they are the end all in golf, they aren’t.  The Tour represents a few hundred highly skilled professionals.  The USGA and the R&A represent the game itself.  They make the rules for the entire game of golf not a gifted, select few.

Isn’t it odd that all the crying is only coming from the men’s professional ranks in the states?  Every other major (and minor) professional tour around the world has said they would follow the rules of golf, whatever they may be.

The PGA Tour has lived with the silliest rule in golf forever, disqualification for signing an incorrect scorecard, and they haven’t threatened a mutiny.  But now, a very small constituency has been able to manipulate the Tour into fighting the ruling bodies.

During the 90 day comment period there was plenty of debate, in the United States, not so much around the world.  R&A Chief Executive had this little tidbit to share,” We received a broad range of feedback during the comment period [the R&A receiving approximately 450 comments and the USGA 2,200 comments] and I think the process has served as very strong reminder about how passionate golfers are about the game no matter their position on this specific issue.”

Looks like the Americans are about five times more passionate  about this ruling.

The PGA Tour’s reaction to the announcement was to circle the wagons or pound their chest or call their lawyers.  You be the judge,” We will now begin our process to ascertain whether the various provisions of Rule 14-1b will be implemented in our competitions…We will announce our position regarding the application of Rule 14-1b to our competitions upon conclusion of our process.”

Could the PGA Tour actually think they could play golf under a different set of rules?  I guess they can, they are their own business.  But if Tim Finchem and the boys decide to make their own rules then it won’t be golf they are playing.  I don’t know what Tim will call it…but it won’t be golf.

I only hope that Finchem and the Tour do not have the arrogance to think they are above the rules of golf.  I don’t think Finchem would want that to be his legacy.

By the way, I have played golf for over thirty years and get plenty of rounds in and last Friday for the first time I can ever remember I played with a golfer that anchored his putter, Adam Scott style.

I can’t imagine what all the fuss is about.

From the USGA:

USGA AND THE R&A ANNOUNCE FINAL APPROVAL OF RULE 14-1B  THAT PROHIBITS USE OF ANCHORED STROKES

Governing Bodies Issue Report Explaining Their Decision Following Comment Process New Rule to Take Effect on January 1, 2016, Allowing for Transitional Period Belly-Length and Long Putters Remain as Conforming Clubs

Far Hills, N.J., USA and St Andrews, Scotland (May 21, 2013) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) and The R&A, golf’s governing bodies, today announced the adoption of Rule 14-1b of the Rules of Golf that prohibits anchoring the club in making a stroke. The new Rule will take effect on January 1, 2016, in accordance with the regular four-year cycle for changes to the Rules of Golf.

Rule 14-1b, which was proposed on November 28, 2012, has now been given final approval by the USGA and The R&A following an extensive review by both organizations. The decision to adopt the new Rule came after a comprehensive process in which comments and suggestions from across the golf community were collected and thoroughly considered.

The USGA and The R&A have prepared a detailed report to explain the reasons for the decision to adopt Rule 14-1b. The report explains the principles on which the Rules of Golf are founded, why freely swinging the entire club is the essence of the traditional method of stroke, and why anchoring is a substantially different form of stroke that may alter and diminish the fundamental challenges of the game. It points out that the Rule will still allow the use of belly-length and long putters and that a wide variety of types of strokes remain for players to use. The report concludes that the new Rule should not adversely affect participation in the game, that it is not too late or unfair to require players to comply with it and that it will remove concerns about any potential advantage that anchoring provides. It also makes clear that one set of Rules is essential to the future health of the game. The report, entitled Explanation of Decision to Adopt Rule 14-1b of the Rules of Golf, can be found at www.usga.org/anchoring or at www.RandA.org/anchoring.

“Having considered all of the input that we received, both before and after the proposed Rule was announced, our best judgment is that Rule 14-1b is necessary to preserve one of the important traditions and challenges of the game – that the player freely swing the entire club,” said USGA President Glen D. Nager. “The new Rule upholds the essential nature of the traditional method of stroke and eliminates the possible advantage that anchoring provides, ensuring that players of all skill levels face the same challenge inherent in the game of golf.”

Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A said: “We took a great deal of time to consider this issue and received a variety of contributions from individuals and organisations at all levels of the game. The report published today gives a comprehensive account of the reasons for taking the decision to adopt the new Rule and addresses the concerns that have been raised. We recognise this has been a divisive issue but after thorough consideration we remain convinced that this is the right decision for golf.”
 
The current Rule 14-1 of the Rules of Golf will be re-numbered as Rule 14-1a, and new Rule 14-1b will be established as follows:

14-1b Anchoring the Club
In making a stroke, the player must not anchor the club, either “directly” or by use of an “anchor point.” 

Note 1:  The club is anchored “directly” when the player intentionally holds the club or a gripping hand in contact with any part of his body, except that the player may hold the club or a gripping hand against a hand or forearm.

Note 2:  An “anchor point” exists when the player intentionally holds a forearm in contact with any part of his body to establish a gripping hand as a stable point around which the other hand may swing the club.

Rule 14-1b will not alter current equipment rules and allows for the continued use of all conforming golf clubs, including belly-length and long putters, provided such clubs are not anchored during a stroke. The new Rule narrowly targets only a few types of strokes, while preserving a golfer’s ability to play a wide variety of strokes in his or her individual style.

The January 1, 2016, timetable for implementation also provides an extended period in which golfers may, if necessary, adapt their method of stroke to the requirements of the new Rule.

David Rickman, Executive Director of Rules and Equipment Standards at The R&A, said: “This Rule change addresses the future and not the past. Everyone who has used an anchored stroke in the past, or who does so between now and January 1, 2016, will have played entirely within the Rules and their achievements will in no way be diminished.”

“The discussion around the Rule has been very helpful, and we appreciate that so many different perspectives were offered,” said USGA Executive Director Mike Davis. “We know that not everyone will agree with the new Rule, but it is our hope that all golfers will accept that this decision is reasoned and motivated by our best judgment in defining the sport and serving the best interests of the game.”

by Jeff Skinner

The accolades for Ken Venturi keep on coming and Michael Breed did a nice job acknowledging Venturi on last night’s Golf Fix.

Listen to Venturi talk about “The Match” when he and fellow amateur Harvie Ward took on the great Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson.  And if you haven’t read Mark Frost’s book detailing this amazing day in golf go out and get it.  It’s one of the most incredible stories in golf.

by Jeff Skinner

U.S. Open Countdown: 23 days

As the U.S. Open at Merion grows closer you may want to bone up on your U.S. Open history or just relive some of the greatest moments in golf.  Here are three books that should be able to get you through to the Open.

Who know more about the U.S. Open than the folks at the USGA?  No one I suspect and the first book is from three of the USGA’s own.  Rand Jerris, Michael Trostel and Robert Williams, all experts in golf history, have given us “Great Moments of the US. Open” as the USGA celebrates the 100^th anniversary of Francis Ouimet’s Open victory.  As one would expect it is jammed with amazing photos and full of detailed accounts of all things U.S. Open.

If you ever wondered what it takes to put on an Open, John Feinstein gives us every little detail in “Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black.”  Feinstein offers plenty of back-story from the 2002 Open at The Black where the USGA brought the Open to the first truly public course.  The Open itself turned out pretty good and Feinstein doesn’t miss any of the stories.

If you don’t want to commit to a full book get your hands on a copy of “One Week In: June the U.S. Open.”  It’s a compilation of writings from some of the best sportswriters in the history of the game.  Herbert Warren Wind, Grantland Rice, Dan Jenkins and Dave Anderson are but a few of the legends that are featured.  You can choose to read just a few pieces to satisfy your Open fix but be careful, you may not be able to put it down.

by Jeff Skinner

1.  With Tiger Woods absent from the HP Byron Nelson Championship millions of golf fans missed the chance to see a great comeback from one of the new faces on the PGA Tour.  Sang-Moon Bae had a four stroke lead on Keegan Bradley but let it slip away.  But he battled back for a two stroke victory and his first PGA Tour win.

2.  Bradley is still hard to watch with his constant stutter-stepping to the ball before he finally hits his shot.

3.  Graeme McDowell probably celebrated his win at the Volvo Match Play Championship with a pint or two and he may not mind the streak he is on.  It’s been feast or famine for GMac with alternating missed cuts and wins in his last four events.

4.  Cheers to Jennifer Johnson for her win at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic.  It’s the third year LPGA pro’s first career win.

5.  The USGA has scheduled an announcement for Tuesday morning at 8:00am to announce its decision on the proposed anchoring ban.  I say ban the damn thing so we can put all this mess behind us.  As Arnie says, “swing your swing.”  There’s no “anchor” in a golf swing.

6.  Speaking of the USGA, here’s a link to the Golf Magazine Interview with Executive Director Mike Davis.  It covers a lot of topics and proves once again that Davis is a proactive, free thinker in a world where there aren’t many like that.

7.  Nicolas Colsaerts is the latest hit on the internet with his “shot into the loo” at the Volvo Match Play.  I was so hoping he would take the shot from the toilet.

8.  Props to Peter Uihlein for his first professional win at the Euro Tour’s Madeira Islands Open.  He earned a European Tour exemption through the 2014 season.  Uihlein opted for Europe over the U.S. and the Web.com Tour and with his dad the head of Acushnet (Titleist & FootJoy) he certainly could have been awarded some sponsor’s exemptions.  Good job by the kid.

9.  Very nice tributes to Ken Venturi over the weekend by CBS.  Venturi will be missed and I bet there were plenty of tears from those CBS staffers.

10.  I found the perfect way to make those golf telecasts a bit more exciting. With my two TV’s sided by side, I turn the volume up on the hockey game and mute the golf.  It almost made Keegan’s stutter steps bearable.

by Jeff Skinner

It’s been an up and down season for Graeme McDowell and he notched another “up” with his win today at the Volvo Match Play championship in Bulgaria.  He’s missed three cuts this year on the PGA Tour but also has four top tens including his win at The RBC Heritage.

This European Tour win at the Match Play is his latest win in a streak of ups and downs.  His last four events started with a missed cut at The Masters, a win at the Heritage, a missed cut at The Players and this win in Bulgaria.

GMac came from two down early against his championship opponent, Thongchai Jaidee.  McDowell battled back to all-square at the twelfth hole and back to back wins at fourteen and fifteen gave him the cushion he needed and he closed out Jaidee on the seventeenth 2 & 1.

This victory is his eighth on the European Tour and moves him to the top spot in the Race to Dubai money list and up one spot to seventh in the Official World Golf Rankings.

 Click here for GMac’s championship interview.

by Jeff Skinner

Golf lost one of its true gentlemen on Friday as recent Hall of Fame inductee and 1964 U.S. Open Champion, Ken Venturi passed away.  Venturi’s career was cut short by Carpel Tunnel syndrome but certainly was worthy of entry into the Hall.  In just ten years on tour he won 14 PGA Tour events.

He had a great amateur career and played in what may be the one of the greatest match play events ever when he and fellow amateur Harvie Ward took on the best professionals in the game, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson.

“The Match” as it was called in Mark Frost’s book of the same name, marked a changing of the guard in golf.  In Venturi’s own words, “The Match was a dream I never thought would come true.  If I hadn’t been there I wouldn’t believe it myself…  No one will ever see an event like this again. Fiction can’t touch it.”

An entire generation of golfers only knew Venturi as the voice of golf on CBS Sports but he was much more as he mentored many of the best golfers of the day.

Click here for his obituary in his hometown San Francisco Chronicle.  And here for the New York Times.

by Jeff Skinner

It seems that the past weeks of golf have been dominated by more feuds and fights than actual golf tournaments.

The PGA of America is taking shots at the Royal & Ancient.  The PGA Tour balks at the USGA’s proposed anchoring ban.  Vijay Singh gets suspended for deer antler spray, then gets reprieved and then sues the PGA Tour.

As crazy as all that appears they were only the undercard for this past week’s Tiger Woods vs Sergio Garcia main event.  Who would have thought that Vijay’s lawsuit against the Tour would be forgotten in the drama between Woods and Garcia.

Feuds aren’t rare in golf but having them play out in public with players shooting barbs at one another through the media doesn’t happen often or at least to the extent we saw this past week.

Golf.com explores the “Best Feuds in Golf” in a photo spread that captures everyone from Jack and Arnie to Judge Smails and Al Czervik and of course Tiger and just about anyone.

Spend a few minutes perusing the combatants.  You may be as surprised as I was when I saw that the Jones boys, Robert Trent Jr. and Rees have been going at it for years.  And shockingly Phil Mickelson appears most often in their list of 22 of the best feuds in golf as they list five separate Phil Feuds..

How can the lovable, smiling, fan favorite Mickelson tally so many battles…here’s the tale of the tape for Phil.

1. Phil vs Tiger, of course.

2. Phil vs Steve Williams, remember the “prick” remark.

3. Phil vs Vijay, spike marks at The Masters.

4. Scott McCarron vs Phil, McCarron said Phil would be cheating if he played the “grandfathered in” Ping Eye 2’s.  Phil was just stirring the pot as he like to do.

5.  Phil vs Nike Golf, Phil said it was amazing that Tiger is as good as he was because he was using “inferior equipment.”

Moving on to the most recent of feuds, Tiger vs Sergio, Ron Sirak has the final word on what transpired on Saturday at the second hole.  Sirak was following the two of them and was there when Sergio hit and Tiger’s crowd roared.

It’s a must read and he calls out Sergio for his futile attempts to get back at Tiger,” When play resumed after the weather delay, Sergio tried to play mind games with Tiger, but in that arena of competition, Garcia is giving up several shots a side.

On No. 7, with Sergio on the green after the weather delay, Tiger hit his approach shot and with Tiger still about 100 yards from the green, Sergio froze him by putting, possibly out of turn, which is not a rules violation in stroke play but an arrogant breach of etiquette.

On the next hole, as Woods putted for birdie, Garcia stood directly across from him, leaning on his putter with legs crossed at the ankles, not in an inappropriate position but in an annoying one. Seve Ballesteros would have loved it.”

As we all saw, Tiger wouldn’t have any of it and Sergio collapsed.

Sirak sums it up this way, “Here is my conclusion: There may have been bad communication between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia — and the marshals — concerning whose turn it was to hit on No. 2 at TPC Sawgrass. But there was no bad behavior, especially on the part of Tiger.

And my bottom line on the incident is this: Championship golf tests not only your physical skill and mental ability to make decisions under pressure, it also examines your character, specifically how well you cope when life deals you a bad hand.

Sergio got a bad break. It happens. Move on. He didn’t.

When it comes to mental toughness, Woods has Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus as his only peers. Garcia has Jean Van de Velde. That’s why the major championship scorecard between Woods and Garcia reads 14-0, advantage Tiger.”

Sirak has plenty more to say but that’s the bottom line. Try as he may Sergio will never compare to Woods in the mental toughness category and Woods knows it.