TCU Golf 2023-2024

[JogginFrog]

A competitive Solheim Cup with some stellar play is ruined by Peacock/Golf Channel/NBC's awful broadcast. More than once, the TV audience was treated to huge roars coming from other holes while the producers showed players reading putts elsewhere (including a key putt in the all-square match that decided the outcome). When they did show the action, Juli Inkster mispronounced multiple players' names and the graphics people declared a match to be finished while still in progress--then capped their work by posting a graphic declaring Europe as the winner (not retainer) of the Cup three minutes before the event ended in a tie.

Women's golf is always going to get the B Team, but it's sad to see a premier event get such ugly treatment.

 

[JogginFrog]

Brun finishes T6 at the Open de France and was the highest-finishing Frenchman. He moves up only a couple of spots in the Race to Dubai rankings (to 34th). He looks certain to qualify for the season-ending DP World Championship next month, which the top 50 qualify for.

 

[JogginFrog]

TCU women are 13th after two rounds in Norman. Lois Lau is 6th individually.

 

[Wexahu]

A competitive Solheim Cup with some stellar play is ruined by Peacock/Golf Channel/NBC's awful broadcast. More than once, the TV audience was treated to huge roars coming from other holes while the producers showed players reading putts elsewhere (including a key putt in the all-square match that decided the outcome). When they did show the action, Juli Inkster mispronounced multiple players' names and the graphics people declared a match to be finished while still in progress--then capped their work by posting a graphic declaring Europe as the winner (not retainer) of the Cup three minutes before the event ended in a tie.

Women's golf is always going to get the B Team, but it's sad to see a premier event get such ugly treatment.

I am a golf fan but IMO these team events (Ryder, Presidents and Solheim Cups) are maybe the most overhyped events in sports IMO.

The nonstop fist pumping stuff is so over the top and so forced. It’s golf. And 4-5 “vice captains?” What in the heck do they do? A Ryder Cup “Task Force”? Lol. These players are the best in the world at what they do and it’s a highly individual sport. They and their caddies know what they need to do to win a match.

At the end of the day, does anyone REALLY care what team wins?

 

[JogginFrog]

I am a golf fan but IMO these team events (Ryder, Presidents and Solheim Cups) are maybe the most overhyped events in sports IMO.

The nonstop fist pumping stuff is so over the top and so forced. It’s golf. And 4-5 “vice captains?” What in the heck do they do? A Ryder Cup “Task Force”? Lol. These players are the best in the world at what they do and it’s a highly individual sport. They and their caddies know what they need to do to win a match.

At the end of the day, does anyone REALLY care what team wins?

I like occasional team competitions. The partisan crowds create an atmosphere completely unlike regular competition, where fans can get escorted out for vocally cheering against a player. According to the players, the partisan crowd and the risk of causing-your-team-to-lose creates more pressure than these guys ever feel in major championships--although it's everyday reality in other team sports. And how they perform in team competitions has a real effect on their career reputation. So, it's not all fake drama.

Yes, some of the media story arcs are manufactured and ridiculous, and the question of artificiality of the structure is especially glaring with the Solheim, where 16 of the current top-25 pros are not from the U.S. or Europe. But it also allows for legit moments of competitive drama, like Caroline Hedwall, the 121st-ranked player, making 5 birdies on her last 6 holes to flip a 3-down deficit to a 2-up win. Europe loses without a full point from that match.

 

[Wexahu]

I like occasional team competitions. The partisan crowds create an atmosphere completely unlike regular competition, where fans can get escorted out for vocally cheering against a player. According to the players, the partisan crowd and the risk of causing-your-team-to-lose creates more pressure than these guys ever feel in major championships--although it's everyday reality in other team sports. And how they perform in team competitions has a real effect on their career reputation. So, it's not all fake drama.

Yes, some of the media story arcs are manufactured and ridiculous, and the question of artificiality of the structure is especially glaring with the Solheim, where 16 of the current top-25 pros are not from the U.S. or Europe. But it also allows for legit moments of competitive drama, like Caroline Hedwall, the 121st-ranked player, making 5 birdies on her last 6 holes to flip a 3-down deficit to a 2-up win. Europe loses without a full point from that match.

The one played in 1991 was legit (and there have been a few others since then), but that was when the PGA Tour and the European Tour were very much divided, and there were some bragging rights in play as to where the best golf was played. It's just totally different world golf structure now but they are still trying to milk the Ryder Cup for all they can. And the Solheim and President's Cups are just trying to play off the Ryder Cup.

Seems like all fake drama and then when its over the players go out and party and laugh about it and by Monday they are back home and have moved on. I just don't think they care about the outcome near as much as they want you to think.

 

[JogginFrog]

TCU men are in action today in Albuquerque at the William H. Tucker Invitational, an event not named for the former TCU chancellor but for the architect of the UNM golf course. Lineup is the same as the last event---Frimodt, Massey, Petruzelli, Beauchamp, Dial. 36 holes today, 18 tomorrow, I think. Frogs are 2nd in the 20-team field in the early going.
Scoring: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=28322

 

[JogginFrog]

TCU women finish 14th in a 15-team field. Today's scores: 66-68-71...81-82. Ouch.

Maybe Gracie McGovern can graduate early and join the team in spring.

 

[JogginFrog]

If you follow college golf you quickly come to know Golfstat as the company that manages online scoring for college tournaments and that for years has produced rankings of individual college golfers and teams. Its rankings have been the source for NCAA tournament seedings for years, but the methodology is proprietary.

The NCAA didn't like the lack of transparency, so when former UCLA coach Derek Freeman started a company and got strokes-gained stats guru Mark Broadie on board to create a model that all could see, the NCAA dropped Golfstat and hired Freeman's Spikemark as its exclusive vendor.

Just one problem: Running a real-time scoring website isn't that easy.

 

[JogginFrog]

Bogey-free 66 for Gustav Frimodt yesterday in round 2 in Albuquerque, good for T2 individually. The TCU men were 7th as a team at -6.

Not sure how the guys slept, though. Through two holes this a.m., the team was +7 (discarding one of 4 doubles), dropping into 11th. They are fighting back, but that's a huge hole to dig out of.

Update: Frogs finish 10th in the 20-team field. Frimodt finishes 9th individually.

 

[JogginFrog]

For those interested in seeing the redesign of Shady Oaks--and supporting the TCU men--today and tomorrow attendance is free at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invite. Stellar field of 15 teams includes 6 of the top 10 in Golfstat's early ranking (TCU come in at 34th).

Chris Berzina gets his first start of the season, alongside Frimodt, Massey, Petruzzelli and Beauchamp. They play 36 today, 18 tomorrow with shotgun starts. They're an hour into round 1, and TCU could use all the support they can get. (Frogs are currently last at +6.) Scoring: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=28386

The architectural backstory: Shady was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the preeminent golf architect of mid-century whose designs featured "runway" tees, tree-lined corridors, and huge greens. His design philosophy was "hard par, easy bogey" to retain challenge for top players while also keeping up pace of play. However, that philosophy limits player options and leads to boring golf--no architect has fallen further out of favor in the past two decades than Jones.

Geoff Ogilvy's design firm was hired to breathe new life into the design, and they naturally put in a bunch of "half-par" holes that create opportunities for scoring with accompanying risks--interesting golf. Would love to hear a take from those who have had a chance to see it following the renovation.

 

[FrogBall09]

For those interested in seeing the redesign of Shady Oaks--and supporting the TCU men--today and tomorrow attendance is free at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invite. Stellar field of 15 teams includes 6 of the top 10 in Golfstat's early ranking (TCU come in at 34th).

Chris Berzina gets his first start of the season, alongside Frimodt, Massey, Petruzzelli and Beauchamp. They play 36 today, 18 tomorrow with shotgun starts. They're an hour into round 1, and TCU could use all the support they can get. (Frogs are currently last at +6.) Scoring: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=28386

The architectural backstory: Shady was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the preeminent golf architect of mid-century whose designs featured "runway" tees, tree-lined corridors, and huge greens. His design philosophy was "hard par, easy bogey" to retain challenge for top players while also keeping up pace of play. However, that philosophy limits player options and leads to boring golf--no architect has fallen further out of favor in the past two decades than Jones.

Geoff Ogilvy's design firm was hired to breathe new life into the design, and they naturally put in a bunch of "half-par" holes that create opportunities for scoring with accompanying risks--interesting golf. Would love to hear a take from those who have had a chance to see it following the renovation.

they have the best par 3 in the DFW now on their front side - its great.

They have some of the poorest par 5s around - and Ogilvy made the situation worse really by creating one on the front that bends so hard right you have to hit it over the trees to find a sloping the wrong way fairway and then hit into a double green that requires an elevator between levels... he tried too hard.

and didn't fix the back to back par 5s on the back side that take the driver out of your hands on both holes.

He did give the course more of a single design feel now - before it 100% felt like two nines designed by different people.

But its in great shape and they have the best clubhouse of the private courses in FW.

Will be interesting once Colonial is done - it has a major advantage in just being a better design to start as a foundation and Gil Hanse is pretty accomplished in redesigning historic courses obviously.

 

[JogginFrog]

they have the best par 3 in the DFW now on their front side - its great.

They have some of the poorest par 5s around - and Ogilvy made the situation worse really by creating one on the front that bends so hard right you have to hit it over the trees to find a sloping the wrong way fairway and then hit into a double green that requires an elevator between levels... he tried too hard.

and didn't fix the back to back par 5s on the back side that take the driver out of your hands on both holes.

He did give the course more of a single design feel now - before it 100% felt like two nines designed by different people.

But its in great shape and they have the best clubhouse of the private courses in FW.

Will be interesting once Colonial is done - it has a major advantage in just being a better design to start as a foundation and Gil Hanse is pretty accomplished in redesigning historic courses obviously.

They have 15 playing as a par-4 for the college guys--playing at 470 yards, I imagine some of those guys are trying to fly the creek. The field scoring average is 4.57, so it's very much a half-par hole.

Hole 11 has been the Frogs' downfall this a.m. It looks from the overhead like a straightforward, shortish par 4, and it's been the easiest hole on the course for the rest of the field--averaging 3.74. But our guys played it in 5.20 this a.m., spotting the field 6 shots.

 

[gohornedfrogs]

I am a golf fan but IMO these team events (Ryder, Presidents and Solheim Cups) are maybe the most overhyped events in sports IMO.

The nonstop fist pumping stuff is so over the top and so forced. It’s golf. And 4-5 “vice captains?” What in the heck do they do? A Ryder Cup “Task Force”? Lol. These players are the best in the world at what they do and it’s a highly individual sport. They and their caddies know what they need to do to win a match.

At the end of the day, does anyone REALLY care what team wins?

Here's what happened. 12 of the best players in the world squared off against 12 of the other best players in the world. One team had to be the winner.

That's what golf is. It's not a team sport like any other, where one roster can overpower another. Anything can happen when there's no real discernible talent gap between the two, and no amount of motivation, strategy, team-building, chemistry, etc. is going to change that. They've created a monster with this even though it's really just guys playing golf at a high level. They've completely over-thought and over-produced this entire thing.

The only thing the Americans should have done differently was to play in a couple of events during that five-week layoff. Nobody would take off five weeks before a major championship (unless it was for health reasons), and for good reason. So they knew better, and paid the price.

 

[Wexahu]

Here's what happened. 12 of the best players in the world squared off against 12 of the other best players in the world. One team had to be the winner.

That's what golf is. It's not a team sport like any other, where one roster can overpower another. Anything can happen when there's no real discernible talent gap between the two, and no amount of motivation, strategy, team-building, chemistry, etc. is going to change that. They've created a monster with this even though it's really just guys playing golf at a high level. They've completely over-thought and over-produced this entire thing.

The only thing the Americans should have done differently was to play in a couple of events during that five-week layoff. Nobody would take off five weeks before a major championship (unless it was for health reasons), and for good reason. So they knew better, and paid the price.

I think I agree with everything here.

I could see back in the day when generally European players didn't play the PGA Tour and vice versa, that it was kind of cool to see which side could win. There was at least some intrigue there. But that element is gone.

Over-thought and over-produced is exactly right. They always go on and on about the Captain's responsibilities and how it practically consumes their whole year, and it's like seriously, what the heck? It's golf. You could just blind draw the teams and probably get about the same result. And five Vice-Captain's? Really? A friend and I were texting about that and he asked "what is Davis Love III offering to this team", and I just laughed.

 

[JogginFrog]

TCU men are 14th of 15 teams through 36 holes at Shady. Gustav Frimodt is the usual bright spot-- T2 individually at -6.

Sad to see another guy mirror his ugly start from last year, especially on a familiar course. When you can't get six holes into a round without a string of bogeys or worse, it puts a lot of pressure on your teammates.

Update: Forgettable last day. TCU finishes last as a team. Frimodt finishes T12. One TCU player could have been spotted a shot a side by all 74 other players and still finished last.

 

[JogginFrog]

I think I agree with everything here.

I could see back in the day when generally European players didn't play the PGA Tour and vice versa, that it was kind of cool to see which side could win. There was at least some intrigue there. But that element is gone.

Over-thought and over-produced is exactly right. They always go on and on about the Captain's responsibilities and how it practically consumes their whole year, and it's like seriously, what the heck? It's golf. You could just blind draw the teams and probably get about the same result. And five Vice-Captain's? Really? A friend and I were texting about that and he asked "what is Davis Love III offering to this team", and I just laughed.

Yes, on a blind draw, neutral site, the expected differences in score are tiny. Each team's top 6 were all in the best 13 in the world rankings. That's essentially a push. DataGolf says that, based on a 50-round rolling average, world #1 Scottie Scheffler is almost 3 shots better per round than the "average" tour pro--insanely good--but still only half a shot better than Europe's 6th-best player, Tommy Fleetwood. In competition, Fleetwood makes up that margin maybe 45% of the time. And since Fleetwood has probably played 50x as many lifetime rounds as Scheffler in alternate shot, it might creep above 50% in that format. Tiny differences.

Still, if I'm Luke Donald, I'd ask officials at the BMW Championship the week before to pair all 12 guys in the same groups to give them a little more playing time together. And if I'm journalist Dylan Dethier, I'd write about it after guys who played together in those pairings won 5 out of 6 foursomes points.

Was it some genius move that tipped the scale? No. But it's a logical move by a guy seeking a small edge. Maybe another decision helps your guys get 10% better sleep. If your 5 best decisions combined move the probability of winning from 50% to 52%, you've done your job. That's part of what makes competition at the highest level interesting.

But beyond that--yeah, lots of annoying window dressing, and the predictable effect of announcers having to fill more than 100 hours of broadcast time with commentary.

 

[JogginFrog]

TCU's 1983 women's golf team was inducted into the Block T Hall of Fame this week. It was TCU's first natty in a women's team sport--and was the only one until equestrian joined the party in 2008.

The following season, All-American Jenny Lidback transferred to an SEC school, where she won seven individual titles and was named NCAA Player of the Year. Am I bitter about recent transfers from the women's program? Yes. Yes I am.

Good of Jenny to come back for the ceremony, though.

 

[Big Frog II]

I see by Donati's email that TCU with Colonial Country Club will have a practice/training facility and player's lounge for the TCU golf teams once the course is reconstructed. What a win for the golf teams to have this facility on one of the country's best courses located so close to TCU.

 

[JogginFrog]

Maxence Giboudot sighting! Max played in the Euro Challenge Tour's Open de Provence this week, missing the cut by a shot after rounds of 75-69. Former part-time Frog Filippo Celli made the weekend (72-68).

Max's amateur status is still intact, so maybe he'll be in Fort Worth in the spring.