Ivan Morris’ alter egos Mutt and Jeff meet up for a new year’s chat and discuss the groundbreaking TGL and flesh out Tom McKibbin’s rumoured move to LIV Golf.
Mutt: I stayed up late (very late) to watch the inaugural TGL Made for TV Match on Tuesday night. I enjoyed it. It was fascinating to get all of the guys’ swing speed data and hitting numbers. Brilliant, it was. If you blind-folded those guys and told them to hit the ball any specific number of yards they can do it.
Jeff: I didn’t watch it. I was sound asleep but I did hear an insert on Claire Byrne’s Show on RTE the next morning involving two Psychology Professors (nothing to do with golf) discussing how younger people these days have a diminished capacity to focus and concentrate relative to previous generations. There is too much to process being thrown at them every minute of the day. Technology is leaving them bewildered. I thought technology was supposed to make our lives easier? Far from it, it seems.
Mutt: Hence this new venture. It’s golf re-imagined; fast and furious on an artificial golf course designed specifically for the purpose of simulation. The shot clock helped enormously to create ‘atmosphere’ for the crowd ($500 each for the privilege) to get into the action by barracking any excessive slowness. They were counting the seconds down out loud. Imagine that happening on the PGA Tour and the shame of it if you ran out of time? Do it once? Two shot penalty. Do it twice? Four shot penalty. Do it three times? Disqualification! Having the players ‘mic’d’ up added to the occasion too. Shane Lowry revelled in it, stealing the show with his GAA-type banter and sledging. He also played extremely well, leading his Bay team to a facile win.
Jeff: Sounds a lot better than I thought it would be? I hope to see replays. Especially when Tiger and Rory are up against each other and applying the needle. Neither is a shrinking violet in that regard. Tiger can easily play indoor golf. It makes sense from his point of view. He needs to find a way to stay relevant and keep income streams flowing in his direction. To me, the walk is the most enjoyable facet of playing a round of golf but unfortunately for Tiger, it is a major problem. Where did you watch it?
Mutt: It was on Sky Sports at 2am. Some of the course features were fantastical, but they really didn’t come into the play. They were designed to provide a backdrop ‘wow’ factor. I thought they would be playing at famous venues we know but it was nothing of the kind. Each hole is computer generated for maximum excitement. One hole had molten lava flowing on both sides of the fairway. Another had them playing through a sort of Grand Canyon.
If they had any, each player’s individual personality was ‘designed’ to be ‘front and centre’. This was where it was a little disappointing as all apart from Lowry, and to a lesser extent Xander Schauffele, were very quiet and self-contained. Lowry’s ‘howya lads. I’m here for the beer?’ attitude shone through. I’ll be interested to see how the galleries in America will perceive him in future? By comparison, the others were as dull as dishwater.
Jeff: On an entirely different subject, what’s your take on Tom McKibbin signing up with LIV?
Mutt: It was a shocker at first; so unexpected. To win a PGA Tour card was a fabulous achievement and then to go a different route before he’s hit a single shot is extraordinary. It is definitely a generational thing. I’m sure that Tom would have talked it over with Rory first, so maybe he knows something the rest of us don’t about what’s coming down the line.
Jeff: When millions are dangled in front of you, including guaranteed future riches, it would be foolish to turn LIV down. The life span of a pro golfer is precarious. How many of golf’s leading players from four, six or eight years ago have disappeared down a rabbit burrow? What’s more interesting is how LIV’s millions came to be dangled in front of young McKibbin in the first place? He isn’t exactly a high profile figure worldwide yet.
Mutt: I reckon gaining that PGA Tour card probably had a lot to do with it. He’s one of the brightest young stars in the game, and LIV have been targeting younger players a lot more recently. Rory’s attitude towards LIV has softened a lot since Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour board hung him out to dry.
Jeff: Do you think Rory regrets not joining LIV himself?
Mutt: He probably regrets a lot of things about it, but no, I don’t think he regrets staying on the PGA Tour. The bottom line is that Rory doesn’t need more money. All he needs is a green jacket!
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