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How Finchem upstaged Kuchar and why

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:19:00 GMT

The overriding question that evolved from the extensive coverage of the PGA Tour's response to the USGA regarding a ban on anchoring the putter was this: Why couldn't this have waited until Monday?

Photo by Getty Images

What an odd final day for one of the showcase events in professional golf, one that carries the prestigious designation of World Golf Championship. The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship began on Wednesday with 64 of the best players in the world and ended on Sunday with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem making the most news.

In the midst of the Match Play final between Matt Kuchar and Hunter Mahan (Kuchar prevailed, 2 and 1), Finchem held a news conference outlining the PGA Tour's position on the USGA's proposal. Then he was summoned to the NBC booth for an extensive discussion that relegated the golf to a secondary role.

"We did give the USGA our position last week and our board and player advisory council concluded that we should be opposed to it, which we articulated," Finchem said. "We're very supportive of the USGA. We hold it in high regard. We were asked our opinion and we feel strongly that going down that road would be a mistake.

"If there's one thing that would prevail across a lot of our players and a lot of our board members is that it's been around for a generation and the game of golf has done quite well. Unless you have a compelling reason to change we shouldn't. And the USGA has indicated there's no performance advantage to using anchoring . . . What the data shows is there isn't an anchoring putter on the PGA Tour that's in the top quartile in the putting stats."

OK, but why now, when this viewpoint was relayed to the USGA several days earlier? Finchem might have been using the WGC television stage to bolster the tour's position by lobbying golfers at large.

The USGA countered via Twitter, then with a statement that read in part: "We continue to listen to varying points of view, and have had many productive conversations across the golf community, which is a reminder of just how much people care about the game - regardless of their position on this issue.

"As we consider the various perspectives on this issue, it has always been our position that Rule 14-1b aims to clarify and preserve the traditional and essential nature of the golf stroke, which has helped to make golf a unique and enjoyable game of skill and challenge."

So we have an apparent stalemate, with the next move up to the USGA. It said it would have a final ruling in the spring, and should it choose to stand by its intention to ban anchoring, it would not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2016, nearly three years hence.

So, again, why the urgency for Finchem to outline the tour's position? Would his urgency have been the same had it been Rory vs. Tiger rather than Kuchar vs. Mahan in the final?

Related: The anchor ban explained

So it was less than compelling, a match between two players who weren't ranked in the top 20, one of them, Kuchar, taking a 4-up lead through eight holes to quell the drama for much of the afternoon. Was that sufficient for Finchem to interject himself into the proceedings by calling a news conference?

For an old political hand from the Carter administration, one apparently set on working the crowd, the answer was yes.

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WGC Match Play: Ian Poulter continues his match-play dominance

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:50:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Here's a look at what transpired on Friday at Dove Mountain and what we can look forward to on Saturday:

Revelation of the day -- Ian Poulter is a match-play god:
Does this guy EVER lose in this format? The Ryder Cup hero's only PGA Tour win came at this event in 2010. That means that somehow he was beaten in each of the last two years, but we wouldn't bet against him. While this format makes predicting a winner even harder than usual, the Englishman has emerged as the clear favorite heading into the weekend.

"Nice try, Bo. Who's next?" (Photo: Getty Images)

"That's soooo match play" moment of the day -- Bubba Watson and Jim Furyk: The match looked all but over when Watson, 1 up, stuck his approach on No. 18 to about three feet. But Furyk answered with a great shot of his own and when "the Grinder" made his putt and Watson missed, the two went to extra holes. Watson wound up winning on the 22nd hole, but only after putting himself through some unnecessary stress.

Weirdest Day -- Rickie Fowler and Francesco Molinari:
Thanks to late tee times and a rare snow storm, these guys both managed to make it to Day 3 of the event without winning a single match. They showed up to the course on Friday to play a combined six holes before bowing out, but we don't feel too badly for them. The $46,000 for simply competing in the tournament is a nice parting gift.

Shot of the Day -- Scott Piercy:
The 34-year-old holed his approach from 228 yards on the fifth hole to go 4 up in his match against the 2011 champ, Luke Donald. Piercy didn't stop, shooting six under on the front nine and winning 7 and 6 -- the most lopsided victory of the tournament. There's a scientific term for what the former No. 1 player in the world ran into: a buzzsaw.

Saturday's sneaky-good best match of the day -- Matt Kuchar vs. Nicolas Colsaerts:
The long-hitting Belgium became a household name during the Ryder Cup when he made eight birdies and an eagle on his own ball in a match against Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood. He'll need to showcase some of that firepower vs. Kuchar, who has an 11-3 record in this event and has been ousted by the eventual champ in each of the past two years.

Saturday's best chance for an international incident -- Hunter Mahan vs. Martin Kaymer:
It seems impossible for Mahan to look at his German opponent and not begrudge him for sinking the putt that won Europe the Ryder Cup this past fall. If Kaymer really wanted to get under Mahan's skin -- and that might be a good idea considering he's won eight straight matches in this event -- he'd show up to the first tee decked out in Ryder Cup gear.

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How To Fill Out Your Match Play Bracket: A Refresher

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:08:00 GMT

By Sam Weinman

After so many upsets in the first round of the Accenture World Match Play Championship, you may think there's no rhyme or reason to who wins these things. Quite the contrary! There is in fact a formula for determining a match's outcome. It's just not the one you'd expect.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Below we provide our basic guidelines for the next time you fill out your bracket.

1. If there's a golfer you have never heard of before this week, he will likely win.

2. If a golfer comes into the week enjoying a "hot start to the season," he will lose.

3. The guy who is in worse physical condition is a lock.

4. Always take the guy with the belly putter. If it's two guys with a belly putter, take the guy in worse shape.

5. If at any point analysts cite a golfer's "impressive match play record," that guy will lose. Unless that guy is Ian Poulter.

6. If a guy was a late addition to the field by virtue of Phil Mickelson going on vacation with his kids, he will win at least one match.

7. Always take the plucky European player over the American. Unless he's a plucky European player with "an impressive match play record." Again, exceptions are made for Ian Poulter.

8. If it's two Americans, take the guy who is considered the worse putter.

9. Also, give the edge to a guy who has any of the following:

-- A hyphen in his last name.

-- The guy with the more garish assortment of logos on his shirt.

-- An inordinate number of vowels and/or consonants in his last name.

-- A painter's cap.

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WGC Match Play: The snow melts, but the big stars disappear

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:19:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Here's a look at what transpired on Thursday at Dove Mountain and what we can look forward to on Friday:

Biggest loser of the day -- NBC:
With match play, there's always a danger the marquee names won't advance to the weekend, but to lose the two best players in the world in a span of five minutes was virtually unthinkable. But that's what happened as Rory McIlroy fell to Shane Lowry and Tiger Woods lost to Charles Howell III shortly after. At least Phil Mickelson is still around to boost TV ratings. Oh, never mind. . .

"I'm. So. Happy. For. You." (Photo by Getty Images)

"That's soooo match play" moment of the day -- Fredrik Jacobson and Ernie Els:
All squared on the 17th hole, each player faced a par putt of about three feet. After a few moments of sizing them up, both players agreed to a "good-good," conceding each other the putts and moving onto the final hole of regulation. It was a curious decision by Jacobson considering he ranks first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting and Els had just missed a similar-length putt. No matter. Els three-jacked No. 18 to allow the Swede to move on.

Easiest day -- Bo Van Pelt: Off the green on the par-5 13th hole in three, BVP began his day by cozying his chip to gimme range. That would be all the golf he would play. When John Senden missed his par putt moments later, Van Pelt won 6 and 5. Now that's making quick work of someone.

Shot of the day -- Keegan Bradley:
Bradley knocked in his approach shot with a wedge for an eagle on the par-4 10th, landing the ball in the rough and spinning it down a slope and into the hole. OK, so we're not sure we heard him call "bank," but we'll give him credit anyway. Not that he cares. Bradley lost his match to Marcus Fraser.

Friday's best chance for an international incident -- Sergio Garcia vs. Matt Kuchar:
There isn't a lot of history between these two, but as we've seen at the Ryder Cup, a riled up Garcia has the capability to get under anyone's skin. Given their love of tennis, there's also a bit more potential for trash-talking over who has the faster serve.

Friday's best sneaky-good match -- Hunter Mahan vs. Richard Sterne: People in the U.S. might not know too much about Sterne, but the South African already has a win and a runner-up on the European Tour this season. Meanwhile, Mahan is the defending champ in this formula and a convincing win over Matteo Manassero in his opening match, along with four-straight top-16 finishes on the PGA Tour, have him poised to make another deep run in the desert.

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Inside Golf World Podcast: Lessons Learned As The Masters Looms

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:51:00 GMT

By Ryan Herrington

As the PGA Tour closes out the West Coast portion of its season at Dove Mountain outside Tucson with the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, it gives us at Golf World a natural chance to break down what's happened thus far in 2013. In this week's edition of the Inside Golf World podcast, senior writer Tim Rosaforte and executive editor Ron Sirak debate the various storylines that have stood out to date--most notably victories by top talents Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and the continued emergence of Brandt Snedeker after claiming last year's FedEx Cup title--and discuss what they potentially mean as the tour heads east with four stops in Florida during the next month. As the run-up to the Masters begins in earnest, Rosaforte and Sirak also offer their early faves to succeed at Augusta.

Listen to the podcast

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Tiger talks about his round with Obama, WGC Match Play

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:09:00 GMT

By JIm Moriarty

MARANA, Ariz. -- It's not often Tiger Woods can get a kick out of winning $15, but when the guy you're splitting the pot with is the President of the United States, a Hamilton ($10) and a Lincoln ($5) take on new meaning, even if Hamilton only made it as far as Secretary of the Treasury. Barack Obama isn't the first POTUS Woods has played golf with -- that distinction belongs to Bill Clinton -- but he's the first President who still had the nuclear codes handy.

Related: Photos of Obama playing golf

Woods is famous for giving out nicknames to close, and sometimes not so close, associates. Did he come up with one for the President? "Partner," replied a smiling Woods. And how, exactly, does one go about giving the needle to the most powerful man on the planet? "Easily," Woods replied, well, easily. "Playing with the President was pretty cool. He's just a wonderful person to be around. And we won.

Woods will compete for the first time since winning at Torrey Pines.

"He's a pretty good athlete," Woods continued. "We all know he played a lot of hoops. I kind of forgot he's a lefty, but to see him out there hitting shots, he hit it well. And we didn't play under the easiest conditions. It was blowing harder than this (Tuesday at Dove Mountain) and it was a little bit cooler than this. He's got amazing touch. He can certainly chip and putt. If he ever spent -- after these four years -- spent more time playing the game of golf, I'm sure he could get to where he's a pretty good stick."

Butch Harmon, one of Woods' former teachers, spent the day before Woods played with Obama giving the President golf lessons. "It was just a nice day," said Harmon. "It was his (the President's) vacation and I'm going to leave it at that."

So, in just three days, Woods will go from playing with the man who authorized the mission to get Osama bin Laden to a head-to-head battle with Charles Howell III. About the only thing those two golfers have in common is that they're both skinny. "Well, I lived with the guy in Orlando," said Woods of his first round opponent in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. "You'd see him out there on the range and the putting green just grinding away. His work ethic has never changed, never waned. I admire guys who put in that kind of work. It's not easy to do."

Outside of his appearance before various members of the Secret Service, this is Woods' first outing since winning at Torrey Pines. "The first week, I didn't touch a club and just got away from it," said the three-time winner of the Match Play. "And the second week I started hitting balls, chipping and putting. Then the past week, I started playing quite a bit, got my playing feel and all that done."

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(Photo: Getty Images)

Video: Mahan tops McIlroy, Huh breaks through at Mayakoba

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:31:00 GMT

Rory McIlroy's attempt to take over No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking was the main story heading into Sunday afternoon's championship match at the WGC-Accenture. By Sunday evening, though, the focus had shifted to Hunter Mahan, the latest player to grab the title of "the next great American golfer."

In recent years, among others we've seen the likes of Anthony Kim, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Nick Watney and Bill Haas lay claim to that distinction. Thinking Mahan, who climbed to a career-best No. 9 in the rankings, is now the guy may be a bit premature, but at 29 he now has the best resume of that bunch with four PGA Tour wins, including two World Golf Championships. Here are the highlights from his latest conquest:

Mahan, who made 35 birdies in the event, was the best player for the entire week. And not even McIlroy, the heir apparent to Tiger Woods as golf's next superstar, couldn't stop him. Getting to No. 1 is just a matter of time for the 22-year old from Northern Ireland, but as John Strege points out, he still has a ways to go in proving he will win at a rate that even approaches what Woods has done in his career.

McIlroy is No. 2 and holding

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:56:00 GMT

Rory McIlroy could see the top of the world from the first tee on Sunday, his climb less imposing than ever before. The most formidable obstacle remaining was himself.

Yet McIlroy's ascent is still on hold, his own deficiency conspiring with Hunter Mahan to delay it. In the meantime, they left us with these questions: Why isn't one winning more and why hasn't the other won more?

Mahan, 29, defeated McIlroy, 2 and 1, in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, only his fourth career victory and first in 18 months, but one that has some salivating at the possibilities. Again.

"It could springboard him into being the best American player," NBC's Johnny Miller said on Sunday's telecast. "I think he's ready to have that label."

His swing has always generally performed with the requisite precision, but his short game has not always cooperated. Recall the chunked chip with the Ryder Cup on the line in Wales in October, 2010.

"I have to chip and putt if I want to win and that was a strength this week," he said. "I made a putter switch and felt great on the greens immediately."

It was an upset that never resembled one. Mahan was the best player in the field from the first round to the last (36 birdies) and the best player in the final from the first hole to the last. He made four birdies on the back nine at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Marana, Ariz., to fend off McIlroy's demonstration of the talent that eventually (sooner rather than later) will land him atop the World Ranking.

WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship: Sunday primer

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:59:00 GMT

Saturday on the PGA Tour is known as "moving day," but in match play, the strategy always remains the same: do whatever it takes to survive. Four players did that better than their opponents to move on to what should be an exciting Sunday at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. For the first time in the tournament's 14-year history, both the semifinals and the final will be played on Sunday. This change in format occurred last year when the championship match was shortened from 36 to 18 holes, but the semis ended up being pushed up to Saturday when snow (yes, snow) was in Sunday's forecast. So what can we expect on the final day other than the winner having to play a lot of good golf? Let's take a look.

Can anyone stop Mark Wilson? (Photo: Getty Images)

Well, that was easy...
No. 6 Hunter Mahan vs. No. 10 Mark Wilson: Both Americans cruised in their quarterfinal matches to set up this red, white and blue semifinal. It ensures that a U.S. player will be in the championship match for the first time since Tiger Woods won in 2008.

A day after tearing apart the Dove Mountain course at the Ritz Carlton, Mahan didn't have to do much to beat Matt Kuchar on a rare off day. After the 6-and-5 romp, Kuchar, the third-place finisher here last year, joked he "probably made a case for them not to outlaw the belly putter." Meanwhile, Mahan looks very confident with his new Ping Nome putter. He noted in his post-match comments that a less-dramatic offset is allowing him to aim better. A win here won't erase the memory of losing the clinching point of the 2010 Ryder Cup to Graeme McDowell when he chunked a chip shot, but it will certainly elevate his status as a match-play competitor.

WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship: Day 4 primer

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:39:00 GMT

A match-play tournament always has the potential to fizzle if it produces less-than-compelling pairings. Of course, it's also less entertaining to watch if the matches themselves aren't very competitive. Such was the case in Friday's round of 16 at the WGC-Accenture, as nearly all eight of the golfers who advanced had big leads for most of the day. Now those players will compete in four quarterfinal matches beginning at 10:05 a.m. MT on Saturday. Here's a rundown of what to look for.

Hunter Mahan dusted Steve Stricker 4 and 3 on Friday.

Red, White and Blue Pairing
No. 4 Matt Kuchar vs. No. 6 Hunter Mahan: An American hasn't made the championship match of this event since 2008. This match guarantees one U.S. player will at least have the opportunity to reach the finals come Sunday morning. With these Ryder Cup teammates each cruising in their past two matches (Perhaps Steve Stricker celebrated his 45th birthday too much Thursday night...) after squeaking out first-round wins, it's tough to give either an edge. Kuchar gets the nod, though, based on his trip to the semis last year, where he lost to eventual champion Luke Donald.

Drive for show and putt for dough...
Mark Wilson: If the diminutive Wisconsinite was intimidated playing the much longer and much, much more famous American Dustin Johnson, he certainly didn't show it. Wilson, who has as many PGA Tour wins since the beginning of 2011 as anyone, crushed DJ 4 and 3 with a deadly short game that included an unlikely chip-in for birdie on No. 12. He'll try to ride his putter past an equally-hot Peter Hanson, another underrated player. Hanson, a member of the 2010 European Ryder Cup team, made eight birdies in 15 holes to eliminate Brandt Snedeker, one of the early season's biggest stories. Weren't looking forward to this matchup of 9 and 10 seeds when filling out your bracket? Don't worry, neither were Golf Channel or NBC...