Welcome back to SI Golf’s Fact or Fiction, where our living rooms now have two screens for golf and soccer.
We are here to discuss a range of statements that writers and editors can declare as “fact” or “fiction” and briefly explain. The answers can also (occasionally) be “neutral” as there are many grey areas in golf.
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Even after the increased points from the first two FedEx Cup playoff events, Scottie Scheffler leads Xander Schauffele by nearly 1,100 points and third-place Hideki Matsuyama by 2,700. He also has more than twice as many points as fourth-place Keegan Bradley. The “starting strokes” format of the finals should be based on these differences – Scheffler deserves more than a two-stroke lead.
Bob Harig: FICTION. In a perfect world – one not driven by the need to skew things for the sake of entertainment – there would be no scoring increase or need to restart the game. You would just play it out and the one with the most points would win. But that’s not how the FedEx Cup works. And Billy Horschel’s NFL analogy from a few days ago fits well. He pointed to the New England Patriots’ 2007 Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants, who entered the playoffs as a wild card team. New England had no discernible advantage when the Super Bowl game was played. That’s pretty much what Scheffler is dealing with now.
Jeff Ritter: FACT(clears throat) It seems like it’s time again for my annual plea for how best to reform the Tour Championship: They should have all 30 players play two rounds of stroke play, and then the best 16 should move on to match play. Then the top two seeds should simply get a bye in the first round of matches and, voilàThey have honored their regular playing times and at the same time created excitement with the direct knockout games as to who will win the cup in the end.
John Schwarb: FACT. Scheffler could fail to win the FedEx Cup for the third year in a row despite being ahead in the finals – wouldn’t that be a bit ridiculous? His dominance in the regular season should give him a bigger lead going into the finals, where it should then take a tremendous effort to beat him. I would also support Jeff’s idea.
Speaking of Matsuyama, he withdrew after the first round of the BMW due to lower back pain. Injuries are part of the sport and sometimes come at inopportune times – due to this withdrawal, Matsuyama should not be allowed to participate in the Tour Championship.
Bob Harig: FICTION. The system allows you to continue without entering, and the Tour is careful not to force anyone to compete. I’m surprised more guys who have secured their spot at the Tour Championship don’t skip one of the first two events. It’s an uphill battle this time of year, and two venues with extreme heat (Memphis and Atlanta) and another (Colorado) where elevation changes mean a strenuous hike. Matsuyama has earned his spot.
Jeff Ritter: FICTION. Matsuyama won a playoff event, and in a points system that will weigh heavily. He deserves a spot in East Lake.
John Schwarb: FACT. Remember previous editions of the FedEx Cup when the leaders could skip a tournament and still win, and how silly that was? I’m not thrilled with the thought that Matsuyama could potentially win it all last week despite being out. I know injuries are different than absences and Matsuyama tried it at the BMW, but these playoffs – which continue to fight for legitimacy – have to require full participation all the time.
Lydia Ko won the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews, two weeks after winning Olympic gold. She is currently the LPGA Player of the Year, despite Nelly Korda’s six wins and a major earlier this season.
Bob Harig: FICTION. The two players are tied 1-1 at majors and Korda has won twice as many tournaments, including Ko’s Olympic victory, which is not a major. That’s an easy match unless Ko goes on another winning streak recently.
Jeff Ritter: FICTION. Ko is certainly the best player on Tour and arguably in all of professional golf, but you can’t overlook Korda’s six wins. She’s still POY…but Ko is catching up fast.
John Schwarb: FICTION. Right now it’s Korda, but Ko is actually catching up quickly and one or two more wins, perhaps the CME Group Tour Championship, could be enough, assuming Korda doesn’t win again. And as great as Nelly has been earlier in the season, it’s hard not to think about the recent wins that have eluded him.
On Sunday at the BMW Tournament, Matt Fitzpatrick damaged the face of his driver but was not allowed to replace it because PGA Tour rules officials said the driver was not “significantly damaged” even though the crack was visible. Fitzpatrick was furious, calling the decision “outrageous,” and he’s right.
Bob Harig: FACT. There’s a reason it was handled that way, and that’s because of the nature of the bat’s design and because it pushes the boundaries of what’s legal. So the rule makers have a high standard for a damaged bat. But common sense should prevail. The bat was cracked. Fitzpatrick felt he couldn’t use it. That should be the standard.
Jeff Ritter: FACT. Bob is right: if an official finds that a club has a crack, that should be enough and the player should be allowed to replace it. I am sure that Fitzpatrick suffered from psychological problems not only because his driver was damaged, but also because of the poor equipment that affected his performance. Not a good image for the Tour rules.
John Schwarb: FACT. This was a major misstep by the Tour officials. The honor system is so often in play, but the players are not trusted to know when a rider is unfit to play, with a visible Crack? Fitz almost hit another shot to prove his point, but missed the fairway to the left – what if the club had broken apart and someone had been hurt, even though the umpires had ruled it “not that damaged”? I know that’s far from a small crack, but I don’t see any gray area here.
