Theres obvious appeal in the Cinderella story, but part of that appeal is scarcity.
The underdog doesnt win very often; thats why its compelling when he does.
Theres an issue, however, when that becomes the norm.
Its a testament to just how deep the pool of talent is these days on the PGA Tour.
There are more guys who tee it up with a legitimate chance of winning than ever before.
That doesnt necessarily make it a more compelling product because sports are largely driven by stars.
As for whether golfs better or worse with a dominant figurelooking at you, Scottieit depends on the figure.
Im not sure Scheffler resonates with fans the same way Spieth or Rory or did, let alone Tiger.
Ratings are down on the PGA Tour this year.
Weve seen enough to know that is true.
@PerryBurberry
Theres a good chance something very interesting, and perhaps ominous, happens in two weeks time.
Thats when well get the TV ratings for the Masters.
Its always been that way to an extent in golf, but the gap feels like its widening.
Because majors matter evermore to a players resume if the narrative is that both tours are missing both guys.
Its a cruel reality.
Rory knows it wellhes won everything there is to win in golf since he won his last major.
But he hasnt won another major.
And for an increasingly jaded public, thats not good enough.
Im going to go with Min Woo Lee.
It was the best display of driving Ive seen from a professional golfer.
Its been a solid if unspectacular start to his first full season as a PGA Tour member.
Hes so long that hell absolutely feast on those par 5s.
I like him to top 10 that week.
Do you see that coming next week?
@GoForBrokeAF
I do not, but these two parties have successfully negotiated in private before.
Its a lot of hearsay and reading between the lines.
So lets play along.
Have you been using the vanilla chipping technique?
And how has that paid off for you so far?
Watched the video last night going to start implementing @Bogey Nic
Yes, big time.
Ive been working on it and having something unflashy but ultra reliable has transformed my short game.
Which LIV golfers have the best form heading into the Masters?
DJs got a win under his belt this year and has plenty of past Masters success to draw from.
Does Tiger have any shot of playing?
@OHitzjimmy
Oh, hell play.
I have no doubt about that.
So I have no doubt hell be there next Thursday.
I do have doubts about whether hell be there next Sunday.
I was stunned that Tiger didnt play the Players Championship.
We thought hed get two, three starts in before the Masters.
And even Tiger needs to play his way into shape.
He played 18 times in 2018 and five times in 2019 before winning his most recent major championship.
This year…hes got one official round plus seven holes under his belt.
So the question is…why didnt he play the players?
He had plenty of time to recover from whatever influenza he had.
He knows he needs to play to get in competitive shape.
Its one of a few things.
This is entirely plausible.
This is unfortunately, the Tiger reality were in.
Theres nothing too complicated about the fan experience, which is part of what makes it great.
Allow yourself to soak in the moment and sort of gravitate toward whatever sounds best.
No ones going to check whether you made it to this hole or got to the practice range.
Okay, fine, one specific tip: the are behind 2 green is the best for viewing.
Okay, one more tip: avoid the range.
Because spoiler alert: Its a flat piece of turf, and theyre all flushing it.
But that happens every week.
Okay, fine, one more.
Wait until the afternoon to go to the mercy tent.
Can Scottie contend at Augusta without elite putting?
He finished solo third at the Memorial last year despite finishing dead last in the field in putting.
Historically, its approach play thats most predictive of success at Augusta National.
There is no one better on the planet at that very skill than Scottie Scheffler.
Speaking of Scottie…obviously its always better to win a tournament than lose it.
But as far as pre-Masters prep goes, it couldnt have gone much better for Scheffler this past week.
Mr. Scheffler remains the clear favorite.
Did players tend to enjoy the match play in Austin?
This is the problem with a members' organization, he said.
Things are created for the members.
To me, that seems a little backwards.
That seems pretty simple to me.
Thats what should matter.
Until next week,
Dan
