This isn’t a Masters preview. Instead, the Masters is a great excuse to analyze the most compelling guys there—Tiger and Phil. Specifically, this is a look at Mickelson’s career through the lens of Tiger.

The genesis of this piece was back in February at, ironically, the Genesis Open. I was parked on the couch watching golf and scrolling through twitter when a specific tweet (which I cannot find) caught my eye. It essentially posed a question to the effect of “wouldn’t it be just like Phil to win while Tiger is making this amazing comeback?” My immediate reaction was of course, but it made me want to dig in and look closely at Mickelson’s numbers during different points of Tiger’s career.

– All stats are compiled using numbers off PGATour.com

– Calculating average finish, missed cuts are assigned a 120th place finish and w/d’s were removed altogether (neither guy had enough to materially impact things)

THE PRE-TIGER YEARS (July 1992 to August 1996)

“When I came out on tour, in 1992, or when I won the Tucson Open [as an amateur] the purse — the entire purse — and the winner’s cheque was $180,000. I remember thinking in the mid-90s, ‘I wonder if someday we’ll play for a million dollar first-place check. I don’t know, probably not in my lifetime, but I hope we do.’”

to David Feherty, on Golf Channel’s “Feherty”

Mickelson’s first pro start was in the spring of 1992 at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open. He missed the cut going 68-81 in the first two rounds, an apt microcosm of his tortured relationship with the event. For all intents and purposes, these were halcyon days out on Tour. Annual money leaders were pocketing somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.5 million, the OWGR was an eclectic mixture of body types, swing types, and personalities, and the equipment was relatively antiquated, at least by today’s NASA-lite standards.

Much was expected of Mickelson after a storied amateur career, and he settled into a good amount of professional success. Along with eight wins in four years, he had dope sponsorships, exquisite hair game, and scored a cameo in 

Below are Phil’s key performance metrics from this specific time period:

 Starts 95 Made Cut % 73.7% Avg. Finish 48.5 Wins 8 Win % 8.42% Majors 0 for 13 Avg. Finish 40.5

His talent was indisputable, his game was good and it was a foregone conclusion he’d nab a major sooner rather than later. But Tiger was coming, and I’m not sure anybody outside Eldrick’s inner circle understood what that would mean for both professional golf and Phil Mickelson.

HELLO WORLD (September 1996 to November 1998)

“…And now we do every week, and that’s because of Tiger.” 

to David Feherty, on Golf Channel’s “Feherty” (March 2017)

Tiger’s first start was Milwaukee at the beginning of September 1996 but the first time he and Mickelson crossed paths as professionals was October of that year at the Las Vegas Invitational. There Mickelson played good golf finishing T8 but Tiger proved better capturing his first tour win. This little connection between the two pops up again and again throughout their careers, to the point it’s hard to believe it can all be coincidence.

Tiger announced his arrival to the world at Augusta in 1997 and nothing was the same in pro golf. To put the changing economics in context consider this—in the five seasons between 1992 and 1996 there were twelve total instances of a player finishing a season with more than $1.5 million in earnings on the PGA Tour. In 1999, the season immediately following Tiger’s ‘Hello World’ period, TWENTY-FOUR different guys earned over $1.5 million for the year (including Ted Tryba!!!).

How did Mickelson’s game shift during this period? As you see below, somewhat surprisingly, he was remarkably similar to the player he had been before Tiger arrived. A bit more consistent week to week but otherwise not much change, and of course, no majors yet.

 Starts 95 48 Made Cut % 73.7% 85.4% Avg. Finish 48.5 34.7 Wins 8 4 Win % 8.42% 8.33% Majors 0 for 13 0 for 8 Avg. Finish 40.5 43.9

Tiger then ramped up his game to peak levels. I was very curious to see what Mickelson did in response.

I encourage everybody to click the link above to watch the clip from the 2002 Tour Championship. It’s such an innocuous, legitimately funny quip, yet conveys so much about where each player found themselves at the time. Tiger was the unquestioned, absolute King, and it had to be eating Phil up inside.

Before we look at Mickelson’s performance during Tiger’s run, here is a quick rundown of some of my favorite Tiger numbers during this five-year stretch:

– didn’t miss a single cut. Not one ‘off’ week in over 5 years.

– won 7 major titles, including the ‘Tiger Slam’

 finish in twenty majors was 10.7. His average finish across all PGA Tour starts was 8.96. Basically lived in the top-10 for five years. Again, staggering.

Tiger was at the height of his craft. Before I ran the numbers I would have guessed Mickelson’s game took a step back during this time. I think that’s because his reputation as the loveable loser, guy who couldn’t get over the hump in majors was firmly taking root in the public’s mind at this time.

 Starts 95 48 126 Made Cut % 73.7% 85.4% 88.9% Avg. Finish 48.5 34.7 29.2 Wins 8 4 9 Win % 8.42% 8.33% 7.14% Majors 0 for 13 0 for 8 0 for 20 Avg. Finish 40.5 43.9 25.8

Phil’s performance really ticked up! He was making more and more cuts (leading to a higher average finish), his win rate held impressively steady, especially given Tiger’s deal, and his major finishes improved 

. It’s easy to remember this period as one of near-misses and ‘what-ifs’ for Phil, but in hindsight, that’s not nearly the whole story. It’s eye-opening to see the degree to which he stepped his game up, in direct response to Tiger. Now he just needed to break through at a major…

“I would not have played as well as I have throughout my career had it not been for him…he’s the one that got me started working out back in 2003…”

on the Dan Patrick Radio Show (March 8, 2018)

Pun intended. Mickelson of course broke through at the 2004 Masters. His celebratory leap as the winning putt dropped marked a huge jump in his game. I submit that people don’t appreciate how good Phil was during this period. Here are the stats:

 Starts 95 48 126 48 Made Cut % 73.7% 85.4% 88.9% 93.8% Avg. Finish 48.5 34.7 29.2 23.7 Wins 8 4 9 7 Win % 8.42% 8.33% 7.14% 14.58% Majors 0 for 13 0 for 8 0 for 20 3 for 10 Avg. Finish 40.5 43.9 25.8 11.9

Continued uptick in cuts, average finish dropping, and look at that win rate! Nearly 15% in the age of Tiger. And the majors, there were three of them, with several other good looks. For comparison’s sake, Tiger won 8 times in this stretch, including 2 majors and an average major finish of 20.3 (note: includes a missed cut at the 2006 US Open; not counting that he was at 9.2). Bottom line, while Tiger was off his ridiculous peak, Phil was truly standing in the middle of the ring trading punches with Tiger as a legitimate rival.

“I still am in shock that I did that. I just can’t believe that I did that. I am such an idiot.”

as quoted by Alan Shipnuck for Sports Illustrated

Phil Mickelson stood on the tee of the 72nd hole of the 2006 U.S. Open needing to make par to win. Besides his first U.S. Open, a win would make Mickelson the fourth player in the modern era to hold three major championships at the same time (along with Tiger, Jack and Hogan). 

, summed up best what was really on the line in his SI cover story:

“A win at Winged Foot would propel Mickelson to next month’s British Open with a chance to do the unthinkable: match Woods’s greatest feat, the Tiger Slam, which is to hold the titles of all four major championships spread across two seasons. More immediate, a victory at the Open would leave no doubt that Phil had surpassed Tiger as the game’s dominant player.”

We were all cheated having not gotten to experience what that British Open would have been like as Mickelson went for a ‘Phil Slam.’ A crescendo of hype, publicity and hoopla. Team Tiger riding hard vs. Team Phil. An awesome setting for two of the game’s greats. But alas.

Do you remember who won the British and PGA immediately following Winged Foot? Tiger. I absolutely believe he gained strength from Mickelson’s pain and disappointment. It’s also another little instance of that thread which again and again binds these two.

The numbers for Mickelson in this period are as follows:

 Starts 95 48 126 48 66 Made Cut % 73.7% 85.4% 88.9% 93.8% 86.4% Avg. Finish 48.5 34.7 29.2 23.7 35.4 Wins 8 4 9 7 9 Win % 8.42% 8.33% 7.14% 14.58% 13.64% Majors 0 for 13 0 for 8 0 for 20 3 for 10 0 for 13 Avg. Finish 40.5 43.9 25.8 11.9 35.6

A few less cuts but he kept that healthy winning percentage. Biggest takeaway is the major scar tissue from Winged Foot.

THE FIRE HYDRANT (January 2010 to September 2013)

“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know what to say there.”

as quoted by Tim Dahlberg in the San Diego Union-Tribune

Thanksgiving 2009. I won’t rehash the details but suffice to say everything changed. Again. Tiger took time away to start the 2010 season, finally making his debut at Augusta. And who was there to win a major after Tiger’s pain and embarrassment? Phil. His first major title since before Winged Foot. The thread connecting these two…

2010 to 2013 was a weird time for Tiger. He made a swing coach change, battled through injuries, and was much more inconsistent than he’d ever been. The wonderful Jaime Diaz

, does a marvelous job explaining the steady de-evolution of Tiger:

“Well, I have a theory, admittedly speculative and uncomfortable for many, who would rather—almost as much as Woods—not go there. But it’s based on the relevant history of a historic figure, the only thing that seems proportional in scale to what has ensued: The scandal that changed Woods’ life after Thanksgiving of 2009.

The line of demarcation is clear, because as a golfer, Woods has not been himself since. I believe it’s fair to posit that the trauma of being publicly shamed changed him. Before, he possessed the right makeup for a dominating champion. Ever since, he hasn’t.”

Mickelson was up and down during this time. He played consistent golf but captured less wins. Save for the aforementioned Green Jacket in 2010, his highlights included decimating Tiger during the final round at Pebble Beach in 2012, a couple on-brand U.S. Open close-calls, and one magical Sunday at Muirfield in the 2013 British Open.

 Starts 95 48 126 48 66 85 Made Cut % 73.7% 85.4% 88.9% 93.8% 86.4% 89.4% Avg. Finish 48.5 34.7 29.2 23.7 35.4 33.3 Wins 8 4 9 7 9 5 Win % 8.42% 8.33% 7.14% 14.58% 13.64% 5.88% Majors 0 for 13 0 for 8 0 for 20 3 for 10 0 for 13 2 for 16 Avg. Finish 40.5 43.9 25.8 11.9 35.6 32.5

A quick note on that British Open win–2013 happened to be a season in which Tiger had found some old form and would win Player of the Year on Tour. I don’t think these two things are an accident.

GLUTES DEACTIVATED (October 2013 to January 2018)

“It’s a weird feeling not having him here, isn’t it? He’s been such a mainstay in professional golf and in the majors. It’s awkward to not have him here. I hope he gets back soon.”

Tiger’s body wouldn’t hold up past the 2013-14 season and he shut it down to the point where I was convinced he was done. His swing looked awkward and seemed painful. The wind was out of the sails for golf fans everywhere.

And for Phil as well. He was fighting through a slew of ailments and travails, not least of which probably Father Time, and his game mega-slumped:

 Starts 95 48 126 48 66 85 84 Made Cut % 73.7% 85.4% 88.9% 93.8% 86.4% 89.4% 82.1% Avg. Finish 48.5 34.7 29.2 23.7 35.4 33.3 41.0 Wins 8 4 9 7 9 5 0 Win % 8.42% 8.33% 7.14% 14.58% 13.64% 5.88% 0.00% Majors 0 for 13 0 for 8 0 for 20 3 for 10 0 for 13 2 for 16 0 for 15 Avg. Finish 40.5 43.9 25.8 11.9 35.6 32.5 54.3

Mickelson was like the old dog whose longtime partner passed away and now was resigned to the same fate (this is the plot to 

, yeah?) Mickelson had some major close calls (’14 PGA, ’16 British), but the overall game was down at levels not seen since pre-Tiger. He missed his white whale, his source of inspiration.

Phil broke his five-year winless streak last month in Mexico and Tiger is the favorite to win the Masters. Crazy. Much has been written by folks more talented than me about each of these things, so I’ll quickly wrap this with two Lefty quotes I believe speak to where his mind is heading into this weekend and beyond:

“I feel like he [Tiger] brings out the best golf in me. He’s a great motivator for me. He’s helped me work hard. He’s helped me put forth the effort to try to compete at the highest level year‑in and year‑out, and I’ve loved competing against him. He’s really brought the best out of me, especially when we’ve been paired together, and I hope that we are able to play together for many more years.”

“So I’m as motivated as ever to compete and to play and get the best golf out of me to hopefully play against Tiger when he’s playing his best. That would ultimately be the goal; if I can play as well as I can at the same time he’s doing the same, I would love that opportunity.” 

As this is technically a Masters preview, here’s my official prediction: I don’t know. But I sincerely hope Tiger plays well enough to win. Why? I have a sneaky feeling it’ll be the precursor to Mickelson finally getting his U.S. Open. It’d be just like him to do it that way.

(Header photo image credit to CANNON/GETTY)

A Phil vs. Tiger Masters (non) Preview

(Photos courtesy of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort)

The defining landmark of Old Macdonald is a bare Port Orford cedar standing alone at the crest of a sand dune which juts into and across the third hole. The “ghost” tree is assuredly the most photographed on all of Bandon’s property, one you’ve likely seen even without realizing what or where it is. Besides being quite photogenic it plays a vital strategic role as its position atop the dune provides a crucial reference point for players navigating a blind tee shot below. It’s my belief the significance of this stately old cedar extends far beyond its immediate role on the Sahara hole, and in fact serves as a beautiful metaphor to the spirit and experience of Old Macdonald.

Nostalgia can be a funny thing. What is it about certain settings, particular atmospheres, that will strike competing chords of tranquility and longing? How can the yearning to return to a particular time, or a specific place, be present in a body which has never experienced anything of the sort? Scratch at the surface too long on questions like this and the mind goes to some heady places. Yet these inquiries were precisely what was swirling around my head as I walked the first couple holes.

The soundtrack accompanying these existential musings is the persistent rumble of waves breaking in the distance beyond the dunes. The thunderous echoes permeate across the course, beginning in earnest as one walks down from the ghost tree to the third green. From here it’s impossible not to feel the ocean, to appreciate its proximity and scope. The routing of the course through the fourth, fifth and sixth holes weaves closer to the dunes at cliff’s edge as the symphony of the ocean’s waves strike up their intensity each step along the way. By the time the seventh hole, “Ocean,” comes along, the anticipation is at a maximum. The details are for you to discover on your own, I’ll merely say that the reveal is extraordinary. Among the highlights of any trip to Bandon.

Apart from a few locations like the aforementioned seventh, Old Macdonald is likely the least picturesque of Bandon’s courses. It’s certainly not an unattractive piece of land – no such spots exist – but the routing doesn’t yield the same volume of postcard images inherent on other tracks. The course itself lays sprawled out across a hollowed-out piece of the property framed on one side by the dunes and the sea, and more foliated, undeveloped parts of property on the other side. What Old Mac does possess is a grand scale – wide open sightlines and massive greens – that are digestible at many points throughout the walk. Pause every now and again, take a look around, and soak it in.

Old Macdonald is the creation of architects Tom Doak and Jim Urbina, who set about crafting the course in the spirit of, and as an homage to, Charles Blair “C.B.” Macdonald, widely regarded as the “Father of American Golf Architecture.” Each of the eighteen holes are named for and utilize characteristics of the various classic-age design templates used by Macdonald and Seth Raynor. Several of these names (and concepts) are self-evident, such as the “Short” and “Long” holes, while others describe a defining feature of the hole, for example the “Double Plateau” and “Hog’s Back.” Even if you know the holes these templates are based on, it still leaves you wondering about names, origins, history and a million other things. (“Westward Ho” and “Eden” and “Littlestone” spring to mind, specifically). It’s by no means essential one has any architecture knowledge to play or enjoy the course, lord knows I have a cursory understanding at best, but I do think it’s helpful to carry an open mind into a round at Old Mac, along with an inquisitive attitude. For better or worse, it’s a chance to connect with the past.

Twisting the tenets of space and time is at the core of Old Mac. It brings forth people and ideas from the past while carrying back modern minds. It is a valuable reference point for where the game was, and importantly, where it is today. It is a ghost tree amongst the modern golf landscape. For a guy from Ohio who’d never played links golf, never set foot on the sandy soil of Scotland or Ireland, and certainly never experienced a classic template design, the unmistakable, unshakeable feeling of nostalgia – nostalgia for something I’d never experienced – came as quite a wonderful surprise. My parting words for anybody embarking on the journey of Old Mac: enjoy the ride.

1) “Double Plateau” –refers to the green feature here. It is the best opening hole at Bandon in my opinion. A shorter par-4, it’s a very comfortable drive, especially early in the morning, as you can practically hit any club anywhere you wish.

3) “Sahara” –is home to the famed ghost tree. The blind tee shot is one of my favorite shots on the property, one greatly enhanced by the presence of our caddie.

4) “Hog’s Back” –in my opinion the hog’s back at Bandon Trails (hole #4) is probably a starker example of this design feature.

5) “Short” –as the name suggests, a diminutive par 3. The green here is massive and undulating—lots of fun pin positions. A two-putt par is a hell of a result.

6) “Long” –maybe more than any other hole this transported me to Scotland. Or, as I’ve never been, my idea of Scotland.

7) “Ocean”–home of the big reveal. The green complex is massively elevated from the fairway and sits between dunes. Hope for a wait on the 8th tee so you can snap a picture or three.

8) “Biarritz”– is a par 3 with its name referring to the swale in the middle of this green.

9) “Cape”–finisher on the par-34 front nine. Things most likely will get more difficult on the back nine.

10) “Bottle”–another fun drive. A series of fairway bunkers narrow the landing area forcing you to pick a line and commit.

11) “Road”–as you might have guessed, named after the famous hole at St. Andrews. Not quite the same without the hotel squarely in play off the tee.

12) “Redan”–another hole where I think a better example exists elsewhere on the property, specifically #17 at Pacific Dunes.

14) “Maiden”–I quite enjoyed this short par 4. It plays all the way uphill with bunkering protecting a direct line and lots of room to bailout right. There is a large dune behind the green which serves as a backboard for shots played long. The view up here is probably second best at Old Mac behind “Ocean.”

16) “Alps”–another really fun hole where the second shot is a blind approach over a bulky dune to the green. There’s a signal board on top of the dune to help with aim. Enjoy the walk up and surprise (or disappointment) of where your ball finishes.

18) “Punchbowl” is a rollicking way to finish an inward par 37. The green is a large punchbowl which funnels everything to the middle. You kick yourself if you scrape an iron right and don’t get the full effect of the contouring.

: The genesis for Old Macdonald came from Mike Keiser’s affinity for the Lido, a hallowed CB Macdonald course on Long Island thought to be the equal of National Golf Links but lost during the Great Depression.

WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE PLAYING THIS COURSE?

: The short answer is as much, or as little, as you want. If you are so inclined, I offer up the following:

There’s an awesome run down of Tom Doak’s hole-by-hole descriptions of Old Mac’s

Good friend of NLU and architecture nut, Andy Johnson (

. These are great places to begin for anybody wishing to dip their toes in the water of architecture.

For those looking to go further, the rare book

Evangelist of Golf: The Story of Charles Blair Macdonald

 may be more up your alley. As the link shows, Amazon sells it, but it’ll set you back a bit. The book 

 offers really good insight into Old Macdonald as well.

: We spent the least amount of time in this one and it appeared the least distinctive, however the breakfast sando’s we did have were delicious. Old Mac also has a cool logo and the pro shop there had some of the best merch on property.

The Bandon Experience: Old Macdonald

Though we’ve never met in person, I have a tortured relationship with the Doakito.

Our first interaction was at Streamsong Blue. It was hot and heavy from the start and then things kind of faded and conflict abounded. The foundation for my relationship with Doak was the very idea of Doak – opinionated genius, keenly invested in history, painfully truthful, hard-headed and stubborn. All of those traits resonated with me. On subsequent trips to Streamsong the relationship started to feel emotionally abusive and one-sided. But then I’d head home and dive back into the angsty takes in the Confidential Guide and forget about the bad stuff. We reconciled at St. Andrews Beach down in Australia on a whim last year and I decided to give things another go (for the kids, ya know?). We were back in a good place. SAB was minimalist and sat light on the sandy terrain. Then we hit the rocks again a few days later in Tasmania at Barnbougle Dunes. Tom’s mean-spirited side came back out. The place was too extreme, he’d asked too much of me and thrown too much at me, and I harbored some frustration and angst in the deepest recesses of my soul for the next five months. I was done with Tom forever, frustrated that he lacked nuance and had a propensity for messing up good land with unnecessary tricks and sleight of hand.

It was under these auspices that I reconnected with the Doakito on the Oregon coast. It was the second day of the trip and it felt like heading into a mediation with our lawyers; I was going to be forced to appreciate it because it was such a great piece of land, but I didn’t have to enjoy it. Additionally, the windy conditions we experienced the first day at Preserve and Bandon Dunes caused some consternation that we were absolutely going to get our shit pushed in out in the wind. To our surprise it was as calm and benign a morning as one could ask for, yet I still braced myself to get my ass kicked for four hours, keenly aware of tricky bunkers in spots that kicked you when you’re down. To my surprise, the first few holes showed a deft touch, each progressively harder than the next, but all offering the subtlety absent at other Doakito designs. Bunkers weren’t quite as deep, nor as plentiful; the surfaces, both fairways and greens, were longer, broader, more grand and befitting the surroundings. Was it still hard? Absolutely. But the layout was an eminently fair progression, ebbing and flowing to allow the occasional breath.

Many people talk about golf courses being a canvas and the architect being an artist. The land upon which Pacific Dunes sits feels more like the finest marble a sculptor could ever ask for. Doak freely admitted that he got the best piece of land at Bandon, and that he had the benefit of going second. Chip away at it. Don’t do too much, don’t fuck it up. And Doak seemingly put that philosophy into practice. It feels wise and elevated. And while Barnbougle was completed three years later, it sits on an equally spectacular piece of property but feels more the product of a more temperamental, arrogant artist – too many wrinkles, rumples and over-the-top flourishes that were needlessly penal. And the flow was far too extreme – the holes were great on their own but the dunes were so massive that the course didn’t quite flow or speak in harmony. Maybe that’s just a commentary on the site at Barnbougle and just how extreme it is.

And therein lies the key to Pacific Dunes in my opinion: the routing. Yes, the individual holes are strong, the views resplendent and the land upon which it sits is perfect. In his seminal thesis, 

, and later repeated in Stephen Goodwin’s 

, Doak says “On choice property architects must discover the correct routing through the natural terrain, and thereby claim it’s advantages… But the architect cannot decide upon his best alternative until he has put together several different schemes.” Well, Doak certainly avoided the obvious scheme (nine holes inland and nine holes along the cliffs), deciding instead upon a layout reminiscent of an earlier trip he’d taken to Royal Portrush. In Goodwin’s book, Doak’s former associate Jim Urbina offers the following: “Our routing kept looping, looping, looping.” And I think that’s what spoke to me the most, the symphonic, circular nature of the course. The first three holes are eminently fair, and you’re gradually introduced to the ocean playing up to the third green. Then you get your ass kicked along the cliffs for 15 minutes on the fourth hole, but not in a way that’s unfair or mean-spirited. It’s more like you’ve been rewarded with the view and you need to sack up and hit two good golf shots. Then you get a straightforward, yet handsome par three to catch you breath, moving inland just a bit but still in earshot of the ocean. After that you hang out inland away from the water and the golf is just as good. This is the pattern and it’s great.

Despite moving farther inland, the sixth offers another mini-crescendo, with a salacious short four that’s an eminently fair par but tough birdie, as it should be. Depending on how you play the sixth you can either take a little break or buckle up and try to be a hero. Regardless, the seventh hole might be the toughest on the entire property. If your tee shot is even remotely out of position then you’re pretty much dead and left to extricate yourself from a bad situation by laying up. I ignored my caddie Squid, attempted a heroic recovery, and ended up looking like a dipshit traipsing through the remarkable natural bunkering up the left side (Doak’s words) and making a triple bogey for which I was solely responsible. Despite this, at no point did I feel like Doak was reverting back to his mendacious, mean-spirited habits. When I stepped on that tee I knew what I was in for, and looking back, the hole rewarded placement and precision rather than brute strength, which is a rarity for a long par four.

The inland jaunts away from the coast hold your attention with stern, but fair, golf. Perhaps this stretch of the course also resonated more deeply than it would have during other times of the year due to the honeyed hues of the blooming gorse.

The eighth hole was another highlight for me. The drive was fair and forgiving and the approach featured far more than what met the eye from the fairway. A massive false front on the left intimidated you, but as Squid noted, there was more room right of the green than you could imagine and the green offered up a half-punchbowl. It also felt like the start of a new journey back down to the ocean, with palpable suspense building on 8 and 9. You get back down to the 10th and you’re given a chance to breathe – a medium-length, bunkerless par three awaits and allows you to level out in the presence of the sensory overload in front of you. The scenery is one thing, but along the way you’re hitting cool pockets of ocean air sitting snugly among the dunes, smelling the salty humidity, and hearing the dull roar of the waves drifting up from below. You’d gotten a dose of this earlier and here you’re getting a second chance to relive it all, but with the key learnings from earlier. And then you get to the 11th and you’ve got another par 3, well-bunkered yet shorter, and you can maximize the enjoyment of that piece of land that much more with the quick flourishes inherent in one-shot holes. In all, there are four par-threes on the back nine and at no point does it feel gimmicky or cute.

The 12th offers a wide-open, yet thought-provoking, par 5 ripe with strategic options. The thirteenth was one the highlights of the entire trip. It’s long, uphill, into the wind, but easier than it looks from the tee, and buffeted by bunkers up the right side and cliffs down the left. Instead of bitching about how hard this hole is, take it with a grain of salt and treat it like the pay-off for the four par threes on the side. The green site on 13 backs up to Old Mac and is one of the more spectacular perches on the property, isolated and rugged. After that you start heading back to the clubhouse (realizing at this point that you haven’t been back there since the first hole).

I found the closing stretch a bit uneven, which isn’t surprising given what you’ve just experienced. However 16 is a cerebral par 4 up the hill to a challenging green and 17 is a spectacular long, redan-ish par three set among the gorse and befitting the land movement quite well. The 18th leaves a bit of a sour taste in your mouth, as if Doak couldn’t quit without a parting shot. The par 5 features a penal drive; the gorse cuts in way too much down the right to the point where even well struck drives get punished, and then the green side features some unnecessary bunkering. I was left to stew on what I had just experienced over lunch on the veranda overlooking the entire property. Man, those oceanfront holes were *heavy* and I immediately wanted another crack at the whole place. It certainly wasn’t the ass-kicking I’d expected.

The next afternoon saw our second loop around Pac Dunes and those sour notes completely dissipated. Perhaps it was the beers at lunch, or the rapidity with which the weather the turned and the cold fog rolled in just in time for our second oceanfront climax (the fog was just thick enough to shroud the course in mystery and make each hole feel distinct and remote from the others). Or it could have been the fact that I played more patiently or that we’d been on property for long enough to adjust to the slower rhythms. Whatever it was, I felt all of the positive things I’d felt the day prior, just more acutely. The characteristically extreme elements were all still there – the unforgiving green on four, the massive blowout bunker on six, even the encroaching gorse on eighteen – but they all felt complimentary, natural, and essential to the larger ebb and flow of the round. This course is truly a give and take. It’s both thoughtful and emotional; but above all else, it’s restrained.

So where does that leave me and the Doakito? At this point I’m seeing other people (Coore & Crenshaw) but Doak and I remain good friends (think the movie “It’s Complicated”). I’m unsure what brought on his restraint (perhaps Keiser, perhaps just a dutiful responsibility to that piece of land). Whatever it was, it offered up the best golf experience of my life.

 The restroom/concession stand/bomb shelter that you hit on 4 and 13 features outdoor urinals which Keiser says are among his “favorite places on the course” according to Dream Golf.

WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE PLAYING THIS COURSE?:

 I actually wouldn’t do anything. It’s better to go in open-minded and untarnished by specific expectations – just wing it!

 The aesthetic is very Pac-Northwest and the space is airy upstairs. Breakfast here was the best of the bunch. Drinks and appetizers on the back deck were also essential.

The Bandon Experience: Pacific Dunes

The most distinctive characteristic of the massive, 2+ acre putting green/course at Pacific Dunes is the soundtrack: the raucous bursts and deep groans that alternate and grow louder as the afternoon wanes into evening and the beverage service does it’s job. You can hear the soundtrack as Pac Dunes winds nearby on the seventh hole, and again as you’re finishing up on 18. Our experience was slightly different than that enjoyed by most during the warm summer months, as our evening spent at the Punchbowl was foggy and cool, which added an element of surrealism. After playing a skins game on the 18-hole putting course (which changes its holes daily), we elected to create cross country holes, some of which were 60 yards long.

Another memory of the punchbowl that will stick with me came from our lunch after our first loop around Pacific. As we sat there nibbling a dozen members of the grounds staff was hard at work below, mowing, cutting new holes, trimming surrounds, etc. It was a symphonic performance that serves as a good analogy for the resort as a whole – a chorus of individuals coming together to create and sustain something you’d never be able to dream up if you tried.

The Bandon Experience: The Punchbowl

I love Bandon Dunes. She only loves me when she wants to. I think about her a lot, but often my outreach goes unreturned. I see that she’s read my text, but she hasn’t responded. When she does reply, my heart flutters, I get too excited, and it shines through in my response. And she pushes me back away.

In 2013, my dad dangled the ultimate temptation in front of me. Almost a half decade had passed since my first attempt to pass the CPA Exam, and it was extremely apparent that standard measures were not going to be successful. Needing to pass the exam to get promoted to manager, the bribe that was proposed was that if I managed to pass all four parts, we would go on a father/son trip to Bandon Dunes. I wasn’t sure if he was serious about the offer, but it was that carrot at the end of the rope that motivated me to start taking the exam more seriously. Is there any wonder now as to how I made golf my career instead of accounting?

I kept a browser window open on the Bandon website as I studied. When tempted to start perusing the internet, I would see those pictures and remember that there was a prize at the end of the tunnel, and that I needed to keep that nose buried. When I finally did pass, the old man pulled through with the most simple of texts. “When are we going?”

The trip was off to a poor start, as our clubs did not make our connection to Eugene. The staff at the resort was more than helpful getting us sorted in a rental set, but I regrettably chose irons with regular flex shafts. After an embarrassing 93 strokes around Pacific Dunes (things were moving VERY quickly), we woke up the next morning to see that our clubs had been delivered. Compared to the previous day, my comfort level had increased dramatically, and I got the sense that the actual trip was now just beginning.

My play was infrequent during this phase of my life, but I could still take it low from time to time. The winds were up, but I felt up to the challenge with the proper arrows in my quiver. I try as best I can when evaluating a golf course to separate out how well I played and the weather conditions. But that first walk around Bandon spoke to me in a more visceral way than I had experienced on a golf course. It was my first real links golf experience, and the shots just seemed to fit my eye. Perhaps it was the hours spent perusing the photos on the website before boarding the plane, but most likely it was because I had found a course that I connected with. If only she connected with me.

From the fourth tee, you can see the ocean, but I wouldn’t call it a view. It gives you a glimpse into what you’re about to see, but it doesn’t properly prepare you for the unveiling once you (hopefully) reach your ball down the fourth fairway between two sizeable dunes. The hole bends to the right, directly at the Pacific Ocean. I’ve played seaside holes before, but had never seen anything that looked like the fourth green. Set like an infinity pool against the horizon, it looked like it was about to fall off into the ocean behind it. It wasn’t until I got greenside that I realized just how high up above the ocean these cliffs sat, and how special this property was.

Playing the back tees in a stiff breeze, I was quite pleased to sign for a 77. We were set to get another round in at Pacific Dunes that afternoon. But when presented with the option of almost immediately replaying Bandon, both pops and I were keen to go right back around.

I golfed my ball miraculously around this golf course. Flighting the ball under the wind, getting up and down from everywhere, and making birds on the holes that I should. As the sun began its dip on the horizon, I stood on the 16th green 15 feet away from moving to 2 under.

“For good golfers, Bandon seems like the most ‘gettable.’ And that leads to overly aggressive play. At least, that’s my read.”

I can’t get this recent message that I got from David McClay Kidd out of my head. I gassed the birdie putt by, missed the comebacker. I was in shock. After a par on the 17th, I stood 230 out on the par-5 18th. I blew my 4-iron way right into the hazard, made bogey, and was ready to vomit. As soon as I tried to put the gas pedal down, Bandon Dunes slapped me in the face.

I’ve thought about that round way too often over the last few years. On this return trip, I was chomping at the bit to get deep in Bandon’s ass.

I shot 87 and got Punched. In. The. Face.

I stepped next door to Pacific Dunes. 73. Across the property to Bandon Trails. 74. Old MacDonald. 73. Back to Pacific. 73. Bandon Trails. 72. The only way to end this trip was to finally conquer the elusive Bandon Dunes.

Admittedly, I was too gassed up. The winds were down and the course might actually have been too gettable. I missed in places you can’t miss, fiddled away easy birdie opportunities, and made sloppy bogies. Worst of all, I kept insisting to my partner, Big Randy, that the tides were turning. So we kept pressing. And pressing. And pressing.

We ended up losing ten ways. I walked off the property more confused than ever by the first course built at Bandon, and it’s still the one I’m thinking about. Often I’m a victim of tying my best rounds to my enjoyment of the course. In the case of Bandon Dunes, it’s the opposite. By far my two highest rounds of the trip were at Bandon, and the old girl is still my favorite. I’m still checking my phone to see if she texted back.

 McClay Kidd made three changes to the course recently. The changes were to encourage more aggressive and free swinging play.

“Nothing got easier, at least in terms of making par for birdie.”

Bunkers were removed from the left side of 11, mounding adjusted to the left of the par-3 15th, and bunkers removed from the left side of the 17th fairway.

 The clubhouse at Bandon is the hub for the golf operation at the resort and is also the main lodge. Something for everyone – the Gallery serves up quality golf club fare and looks out at the expanse of the golf course and the ocean beyond. The Bunker Bar is (predictably) downstairs and the perfect spot to tie one on. Also, adjacent to the main clubhouse is McKee’s Pub, which offered up the best food we had all trip. We ate their almost every night. Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, nightly specials, all of it was spectacular.

The Bandon Experience: Bandon Dunes

Let’s put aside the fact that the last two winners of the Green Jacket have been European, because one of them is “he-who-shall-not-be-named” and the other was long overdue.

Instead, I want to focus on some European Tour lurkers and stallions that might end up being superb value-buys for your club pools, Vegas bets, and fantasy selections. Despite a relative few international players that claim the European Tour as their primary circuit in this year’s Masters field, a few names jump off the screen as potential money-makers. Here, I’ll pick and briefly profile each of a favorite, style-points-getter, dark horse, and Low-Am.

 are well-aware of my affinity for Fleetwood. It’s not just that he’s one of the purest ballstrikers in the world–though he certainly is that. His ballstriking is an asset, but my belief in Fleetwood has more to do with how seemingly unflappable he has been in several big moments. The display of cajones in defending his title in Abu Dhabi certainly came through on television, and hearing Tron and Soly rave about how great it was to see in person just confirmed everything I’ve loved about his meteoric rise in the past 18 months or so.

In his only prior appearance in 2017, he registered a MC, but it’s not outrageous to think Fleetwood can win The Masters this year. I’m sticking by my prediction that he will at least contend. At 30/1, he may not have as much payout value as the players below, but I’ll be very surprised if his name isn’t on the first page of the leaderboard around 4:30 Sunday afternoon.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat – 125/1 – Style Points

As with Fleetwood, I have a well-known man crush on the #Barnrat. Also like Fleetwood, Kiradech has a relatively limited history at Augusta. Unlike Fleetwood, however, Aphibarnrat’s 2016 appearance was electric, and yielded a T15 (DNP in 2017).

Pure joy from my favorite player on the European Tour. Behold the #Barnrat. Photo Cred: hartranch.com

The #Barnrat has been on a really special run of form so far in 2018. After a decent T10, T22, T51, T27 start on the European Tour, Aphibarnrat blistered the field in the World Super 6 Perth, and followed that victory up with a T5 at the WGC Mexico and another T5 at the WGC Matchplay. Although he missed the cut at Bay Hill and stumbled in at the Honda, he currently sits at 30th in the OWGR and in second position in the Race to Dubai standings. Don’t let the results in match play events lull you, either. Kiradech makes birdies in bunches, has soft hands around the green, and now has a little positive history to fall back on in his second Masters appearance.

Frankly, 125-1 is a little bit absurd. Vegas always knows, I guess, but 60/1 or 70/1 might even be a bit too high. If you want to look cool to your friends come Sunday, pick the #Barnrat and don’t look back.

The Englishman is a plenty-familiar name to those of us that love and follow the European Tour. At 37, he’s weathered a number of lows in his career, but 2017 and 2018 have propelled Fisher back in to the top 40 in the OWGR (and quite high up in the Ryder Cup standings, as well). Fisher has been a human ATM on the Euro Tour since the start of 2017, clocking 9 top 10s, of which 6 were top 5s, against only 4 missed cuts in 27 events. Fisher collected over €2.9 MM in 2017, and has already taken home €481,000 in only 4 Euro events this season.

Ross Fisher has enough game to compete, but can he finally get over the hump and win for the first time in 4 years? Photo Cred: Getty Images

Ross has five European Tour victories to his name, though none have come since the 2014 Tshwane Open. Although he’s been knocking on the door for the past 16 months, particularly in the States, a win at The Masters would double as Fisher’s maiden win on the PGA Tour. As Poulter showed in Houston, however, it can all come together rather quickly, even at the later stages of a career. Fisher is a polar opposite of Poulter on the course–quiet, unassuming, even-keeled–but what he bottles up in emotion, he demonstrates outwardly in superior ballstriking and a deft putting touch.

In his five previous Masters, Fisher made the cut in four, and netted a T15 in 2011. It may be a bit of a longshot to think Fisher will win this week, but he’ll almost assuredly be around for the weekend, making him a great pool pick.

Joaquin Niemann – 1000/1 to win, +200 Low Amateur prop

The 2018 field might be the strongest ever, and that holds true even down into the amateurs. We’ve seen amateurs contend at the Masters before, and perhaps that is appropriate given the Club’s founder, Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., was the greatest amateur of all time.

This year’s amateur field is really something, with US Amateur winner and runner up Doc Redman and Dougie “Fresh” Ghim probably most familiar to those in the states. But they’re not the favorites to take home the Silver Cup, and probably for good reason. One amateur looms much larger than the rest–19 year old Chilean, Joaquin Niemann.

Niemann makes his debut at Augusta by virtue of having won the 2018 Latin America Amateur Championship, staged on his home course in Santiago. The world’s top-ranked Amateur shot a final round 63 (-8) to claim the title. He planned on turning professional had he not won, but the invitation to the Masters was enough to persuade him to hang on to his status until Monday.

. He said “Maybe not this year but I will win.” 

There have only been 6 Low Amateurs in Masters history that have gone on to win the Green Jacket: Cary Middlecoff, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Sergio Garcia. I am quite confident that Niemann is going to join that list someday, and it starts with him sitting in Butler Cabin Sunday Evening. Book it.

Aside from the obvious, here are a few guys you could/should take a flyer on:

Alex Noren – 40/1 – some value; 40/1 is probably a touch too high.

Tyrrell Hatton – 80/1 – absurd value; could contend

Rafa Cabrera Bello – 125/1 – always a menace; great form; probably will contend

Dylan Fritelli – 250/1 – his first Masters, so a crap shoot. Great ballstriker.

Thomas Pieters – 60/1 – little form of late; severely lost in the sauce right now

Haotong Li – 150/1 – good player, bright future, but not ready for this stage (yet)

Shubhankar Sharma – 150/1 – just a touch over-valued, but probably a good mid-pool contender

Martin Kaymer – 250/1 – coming off an injury; no recent form; streaky

I’m still grinding on Part II of my Ryder Cup tracking preview, though Noren and Casey have basically made it 15 guys competing for one spot at this point. So I went back to the drawing board. We’ll probably know even more after this weekend, so look for Part II to debut likely next week.

Enjoy the coverage this weekend, everyone!

European Tour Value-Buys for Augusta

Nary a better warm-up or cool-down exists than the Preserve, Bandon’s 13 hole short course. In lieu of hitting the range (amazingly we didn’t hit a single range ball the entire trip), we started our trip off on Preserve and then thought it the only fitting way to end the trip, as well. Occupying some of the most spectacular land at Bandon, The Preserve offers up an eclectic mix of half-shots and full-throated eight irons as it meanders down from the Trails clubhouse toward the secluded forest and beach below, and then back up along a gorge. Aside from featuring the best logo on property, Preserve allows eightsomes and the layout is extremely conducive to betting. That’s a recipe for fun.

As for specific holes, the first two are relatively standard fare before you get to the 75ish yard third, which tests your touch like no other hole on property. The fourth features a double green (shared with seven) and can play anywhere from around 80 to 120 yards, a common theme. The sixth might be the hardest hole on the entire property, regardless of which tees you play. The green is seemingly 60 yards long and is fronted by bunkers on the left side and cliffs beyond those.

The seventh can stretch all the way to 147 yards and features a massive green with girthy swales. The eighth was my favorite on the whole course, despite the fact (or rather because of it) that it measures just 40 yards from the front tee and 63 yards from the back tee. A mound guards the front of the putting surface and distorts the view of the half-punchbowl green. You’ve just gotta get it there, which is trickier than it seems! The ninth is spectacular and juts out on a promontory – the views and the natural mounding around the green are delicious. The eleventh is another standout and plays along the creek, demanding a well-struck short iron to reach the green. The home hole comes in at around 100 yards and offers the opportunity to play anything from a lofted wedge to a putter or bumped 3-wood.

Bookending the trip with the Preserve allowed us to apply what we’d learned during our time at Bandon and play the holes differently than how we’d done the first go-around. We were also fortunate to have our caddie, Squid, come play it with us and display some of the butteriest hands on the planet and the creativity that could only be gleaned from years working at Bandon. I felt like I was watching Mark Burke on Golf Channel’s seminal masterpiece “Pipe Dream.”

The Bandon Experience: Bandon Preserve

Most people reading this have probably never heard of Whistling Rock Country Club.

Before the 2015 Presidents Cup, I was definitely one of them, as I could not name a single golf course in South Korea. But I saw the look in D.J. Piehowski’s eyes when he reported back about his experience at this club about an hour and a half east of Seoul. I knew that I had to try to see it for myself.

“It was without a doubt the coolest, weirdest golf experience I’ve ever had,” he said. “The service felt way too good to be true. Like, you couldn’t shake the feeling the entire day that they were confusing us with someone far more important.”

When the opportunity to come over and cover the inaugural CJ Cup at Nine Bridges came up, I immediately began trying to find a way to visit this remote destination.

We spend a lot of time in this space trying to help you plan your golf trips. This is not going to be one of those reviews. Golf is booming in South Korea, but golf tourism is not very well established. Most of the top Korean courses are (extremely) private, extravagant, and incredibly expensive. Many courses even pride themselves on their exclusivity, and wear the title as a badge of honor. Whistling Rock is a member’s club and unless your rolodex is stacked full of Korean golf contacts, it’s unlikely that the opportunity to play it will present itself. But through video, pictures, and my best attempt at words, I’ll try to bring to life one of the most unique golf experiences I’ve ever had.

The Korean golf experience is one of formality and hospitality. I had not experienced anything remotely resembling the level of hospitality afforded by these clubs, Whistling Rock in particular. It was beyond anything I’d seen prior, or have seen since.

To help illustrate the bizarre conundrum that is my life, I was picked up by an employee of the club from my $19-a-night Airbnb in Seoul at 7 AM and driven through rural Korea to one of the most extravagant places imaginable. I was dressed in the nicest clothes I brought to Asia – khaki pants and my go-to Holderness & Bourne sweater. I already knew that I was going to be underdressed upon arrival and had no choice but to power through feeling like a fish-out-of-water.

The drive from Seoul was spectacular. The highway carved through mountains and rolling, verdant valleys with the first hues of autumn in the leaves. The journey was a stark contrast to the modernity and sprawl of nearby Seoul.

Climbing the last hill to the parking lot, our car was greeted by an uncomfortably large cadre of people waiting for my arrival. To an American guest, this kind of treatment creates anxiety. But I’m assured by Tony, the driver (and the assistant to David Fisher, the club’s VP of International Business and my host for the day), that this sort of treatment is normal in Korea. And while I’ve played my fair share of country club golf, I’m more of a change-shoes-in-the-parking-lot kinda guy. My mind was racing. 

I dropped my belongings in the locker room, and proceeded upstairs via elevator (lol) for breakfast. I passed a few of the 30,000 bottles of wine stored in-house and sat down with David for eggs and coffee. The clubhouse is described as “a floating beacon above the golf course,” and the views from the upper level immediately provided an appreciation for the scale of the landscape. After that first look at the course I couldn’t make it out to the first tee soon enough. 

 In Korea, there is much more to the golf experience than time actually spent on course.

We wrapped breakfast, and after a quick change of clothes, strolled out of the enormous glass doors to the patio to meet our caddie. At the handful of Korean clubs I’ve been to, the caddies are all female. There’s one cart per group, capable of accommodating an entire foursome. The ladies are extremely professional, knowledgeable, and approximately eight steps ahead of you the entire day. The carts themselves are capable of driving along the cart paths on their own, controlled by a remote on the caddie’s waist. The first time you see the cart moving on its own, you’re tempted to run it down on foot thinking that it’s a runaway. While you do have the cart to ride between holes from time to time, you typically walk down the fairway from shot to shot, which makes for a drastically different experience than a normal round in a cart. The caddie then waits for you in the fairway with your yardage and an array of clubs to choose from, and the social aspect of the walking portion of the round is effectively preserved.

Building this golf course was an enormous project, as three quarters of a million cubic meters of rock were blasted to route the three nines. This task was assigned to Ted Robinson, Jr. and his team. While on this site we typically appreciate the art of minimalism when it comes to golf courses, Whistling Rock is the antithesis of minimalism.

“The Doak Scale” is the famous grading system used by architect Tom Doak to evaluate golf courses. His five volume set of 

 goes through golf courses from around the world and rates them on a scale of 0-10. The description for a “0” is as follows:

“A course so contrived and unnatural that it may poison your mind, which I cannot recommend under any circumstances. Reserved for courses that wasted ridiculous sums of money in their construction, and probably shouldn’t have been built in the first place.”

Any time you hear about exorbitant amounts of money being spent on a golf course, your mind automatically turns to the word contrived. Often times when that much dirt is moved, the feeling of artificiality can’t be shaken. However, I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t the case at Whistling Rock. The rock formations, the lakes, and the waterfalls were all subtle and didn’t appear man-made at first (or even second) glance. The fact that so much land can be moved and go unrecognized to the naked (albeit unprofessional) eye is remarkable, and I gathered an even greater appreciation for what had been accomplished here. Add to that the scale of the property and it’s truly remarkable what the developers were able to accomplish. The blend of nature, solitude, and peacefulness was seamless.

In communicating with David after the round, he mentioned he’d like me to compare Whistling Rock to another course I would be playing later on in the trip: South Cape. He said he’d be curious to hear what I thought were the good and the great holes from each course. I was happy to oblige, but found the task much more difficult than I had imagined. I walked away from Whistling Rock absolutely blown away by the experience, but simultaneously shocked that I had trouble listing off truly 

 golf holes in retrospect. And I don’t mean that in a critical way. The sum of all of the parts, the unique landscape, fall foliage, and the serenity of the walk really struck a chord with me in a way that I struggle to describe succinctly. A hole by hole description of Whistling Rock just doesn’t capture the essence or experience of the property, so I’ll be a bit brief in this next section.

There are 27 holes at Whistling Rock. We went through the nines in the standard order of Cocoon-Temple-Cloud.

Cocoon sits on the lowest part of the property. As the name suggests, a metamorphosis occurs and the routing transforms as it approaches higher elevations (the Koreans are not short on metaphors when it comes to golf).

All three nines start with a relaxed, shortish par-4. The first on the Cocoon 9 is about 340 yards, and the tee shot is played out toward an iconic mountain backdrop. A wedge from there brings you to the putting surface, where you immediately get an appreciation for the challenge you’ll be facing. The green contours are 

Writing

A Phil vs. Tiger Masters (non) Preview

The Bandon Experience: Old Macdonald

The Bandon Experience: Pacific Dunes

The Bandon Experience: The Punchbowl

The Bandon Experience: Bandon Dunes

European Tour Value-Buys for Augusta

The Bandon Experience: Bandon Preserve

Whistling Rock

Digging into The Golfer's Journal No. 3

Weekly Briefing: Dell Match Play

The Eurozone: #7 (Ryder Cup Watch: The Locks)

March NLU Mailbag (Part 1)

Cape Kidnappers

March NLU Mailbag (Part 2)

The Eurozone: #6 (A little naan-plussed, to be honest)

Weekly Briefing: Valspar

Kauri Cliffs

Fansplaining: The Distance Debate