Getty Images
Check out each week the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in sports, and join the conversation by tweeting to us @employee.
1. Matt Fitzpatrick denied Jordan Spieth a repeat of his win at RBC Heritage on Sunday, as Fitzpatrick defeated Spieth in the third playoff after Spieth grabbed a piece of the trophy on both birdie attempts earlier in the match but couldn’t get either. He falls. What are the takeaways from Sunday in Harbor Town, and despite the loss, what classic Pete Dye design suits Spieth’s eye so well?
Josh Sens, Senior Writer (@employee): We’ve seen Spieth win on all kinds of courses, but Harbor Town is not a place to beat. There are plenty of tight shots, little greens, overhanging trees and small and crafty chopping requirements – I’d say it’s just right for the inventive Spieth.
Dylan Diether, Senior Writer (@employee): Matthew Fitzpatrick played golf incredibly well. He birdied 15 and 16 in regulation and stuffed a daring iron putt on the 17th (although he missed a putt) – then hit a string of great putts before throwing the putt into the third playoff hole. Spieth played well enough to win the event. But Fitzpatrick really did. A massive moment for him, and it was fun seeing the Thoroughbreds lined up at Harbor Town.
Zephyr Milton, Associate Editor (@employee): Harbor Town begs you to be creative to get to some tucked-in pins, and no one has more imagination than Spieth. The more shots a course requires, the better suited Spieth is to perform.
2. One week after winning the Masters, Jon Rahm tied for 15th at the RBC Heritage then sat down for 20 minutes with Amanda Renner and provided insight and commentary as the event began airing on CBS. What’s your favorite learning from Ram’s sitting, and is this a frequent CBS practice? Or was Ram’s chat, which came after a big win, a convenient anomaly?
Sens: I delved into the details he gave right when he went on air and was asked to describe Patrick Cantlay’s chip at number 13. Golf commentator Bob Rosberg’s caricature of making a shot look impossible (he doesn’t get any, Johnny) right before the player knocks it close . But Ram was quick to share a set of observations—tight lie, heel likely to be exposed, he’ll have to lightly strike—in a clear, concise, insider-sounding way without being overly technical. He’d be good at a party if he quit his full-time job. And sure, it’s repeatable. These men are not popes or in witness protection. They should make themselves handy. Improves the product that is in their interest.
Dither: Well said, Josh. Talks and walks have been fun, but not everyone will feel comfortable doing so in times of crisis. Ram immediately positioned the headset as a fun and insightful alternative. He is an obsessed golfer. he likes it. He plays it better than anyone else at the moment. He thinks about it all the time. Thus, the best way to get to know him better is to give him a microphone a few minutes after he finishes his round and hear the golf nerd talk about it. He enjoyed it, and the CBS team obviously enjoyed it and enjoyed it as a result. Oh yeah, and he won the Masters last week…
Milton: My colleagues are here. It’s always great to get these guys talking, and having Ram at the booth was a huge plus. Hopefully more players will follow in his footsteps as the season goes on.
3. The final round of the Masters was the most-watched golf match on any network in the past five years, with an average of 12.058 million viewers and a 19 percent increase from last year, CBS reported last week. What can we cherish for increase? PGA Tour vs. LIV story in recent pairing with Rahm and Brooks Koepka? Growing appetite because of the Netflix series? Phil Mickelson climbs to the fore? another thing?
Sens: Not the LIV vs. Tour events, but the overall LIV vs. Tour split. It was the first time in this new season that we saw everyone in one place. There has been a lot of talk about how big companies now carry more weight than ever before. Masters was positive evidence of this.
Dither: There’s really no way to know, right? And I’m always hesitant to extrapolate too much from any one TV rating number. But it seems likely to be a combination of the above. Netflix has introduced this world of professional golf to a whole new cast. The gang is back together and the LIV-Tour dynamic is interesting. The best events look big, and the masters feel bigger than ever. Drawing this kind of audience without Tiger Woods playing on a Sunday (and without Rory McIlroy, too!) is a great sign for professional golf.
Milton: Impossible to say, but I think Sens is getting on to something in that the golf-watching public was eager to see all the old gang together. With the stars split between two rounds, it makes the majors even more worth watching. When you only get the big names together four times a year, it makes for those weeks of watching TV.
4. The penultimate pairing of Patrick Cantlay and Victor Hovland was criticized for the pace of play in the final round of the Masters – by both Brooks Koepka and Twitter – and Cantlay defended himself by saying he was slow for everyone. Fast-forward to Sunday at RBC Heritage, and CBS on-court reporter Dottie Pepper said Spieth and Fitzpatrick were visibly frustrated with the time it took Cantlay to play a tricky shot into the box at the 14th green. Has it been overestimated or underestimated how much such incidents actually affect your playing partners?
Sens: I think it’s well established that slow gameplay drives a lot of people crazy. What interests me is how many people defend slow play on the round by emphasizing the importance of every shot, how much money is at stake and yada-yada. This is boring. and questionable. I’m questioning the assumption that such grinding actually improves performance. I think almost everyone would play a little better if they played a little faster, even the pros.
Dither: Let’s break this down: Patrick Cantlay has a deliberate pre-shot routine and stands over the ball for a while before hitting, annoying TV viewers when they show it all. I totally understand that. But why does he change? To appease grumpy viewers on Twitter? Cantlay does not use Twitter. To speed up the gameplay? There are so many other slow players that it’s hardly a significant cause; Look at the Masters, his combo was slow, but the combos in front of him were slow too! to avoid punishment? No one has ever been penalized for slow play. I imagine he’ll work on getting a little faster – the more competition he gets, the more he’ll be affected by this, a self-aware guy – but Cantlay isn’t particularly focused on winning the golf popularity contest, so there’s really very little incentive to change.
Also, I’d like to see more data on slow play and numbers for each player and see how everyone stacks up.
Milton: Look, these guys are professionals—their job to block out noise and perform in any number of conditions. It may be frustrating, but the greats persevere through much worse adversity.
5. After losing the Masters Tournament, Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from RBC Heritage and will now forfeit his $3 million guaranteed cash bonus because it is the second particular event he has missed this season. Would you have any problem with McIlroy, vocal and influential piece on the future of tour, skipping this one? Or is this the reality golf enthusiasts should expect when it comes to the tour’s evolving particular event model?
Sens: My general rule in life is that we are all entitled to some hypocrisy. And I’m willing to cut McIlroy some slack here. He had an emotional nerve last week. However, I think we’ll see more of this as timelines evolve and it could become an issue if a group of players chooses to start skipping all at once. It’s hard to come up with effective consequences for men who can afford to part with $3 million. In everyday language this is known as having the money, and many of the big names in the game own this kind of dough
Milton: I have no problem with skipping it – I know I don’t want to play another event after the mental drain that Masters is – but I find it weird. McIlroy has been leading the charge on the new PGA Tour model, and it’s strange to see him be the first to skip two events. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt, but the optics aren’t the best.
Dither: I’m for Zev – it’s so weird. I’m excited to hear McIlroy’s explanation and will reserve judgment until then, but here’s the thing: He knows he’s going to get blasted for this. He knows it’s a bad look. He knows what the other guys on the tour will say. He knows there could be major financial consequences. He knows he’s been beating this drum for a year. And he skipped it anyway. This means something. We won’t know exactly what until we hear from McIlroy himself.