Welcome to another installment of SI Golf "Fact or Fiction," where we hope our home courses didn't lengthen any par-5s over the offseason.
If you're new to this drill, we post a series of topical statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” along with a brief explanation. Responses may also be "Neutral" since there's a lot of gray area in golf.
Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X account.
Jordan Spieth was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard at the Genesis. It’s time to get rid of this process on top pro tours, where everyone knows correct scores in real time.
FICTION. Attesting your score is one of the most basic principles in the game. Scorers can get it wrong. So can a computer. Seems silly, but that’s reality and all players know it is their responsibility. However, the disqualification penalty seems harsh. As long as it is a clerical error, add two strokes and don’t disqualify. There have been numerous changes made to the scorecard/disqualification rules in recent years. This should be another one.—Bob Harig
Keyur Khamar/Getty Images
FICTION. We are living in 2024 and unlike the days of Roberto De Vicenzo in 1968, when on-course communications were not the same and the scorecard was considered a sacred document, the process of signing one's scorecard and attesting to the validity of the information on the card seems unnecessary today. But if we keep taking away golf's little quirks, we will lose its soul. The signing of the scorecard is a part of the game from hundreds of years ago and taking that away is taking another part of the game personality.—Alex Miceli
FICTION. Is keeping your own score a bit antiquated and unnecessary? Sure. But it's tradition for golfers at all levels to manage their cards. It's not asking too much for pros to do the same.—Jeff Ritter
FICTION. I'm a traditionalist here. Double- and triple-checking scorecards is one of the first things you're taught as a competitive player, tracing back to junior and high school golf events. These protections are put in place for a reason—cheating is real. ShotLink and TV cameras might have the ability to track every swing on the PGA Tour, but at the end of the day, it's still Spieth's responsibility to verify that his card is correct in scoring. Spieth knew the mistake was a silly one, and that's why he apologized and owned up to it so quickly.—Gabby Herzig
FACT. Live hole-by-hole betting via the PGA Tour's various "official betting operators" wouldn't exist without foolproof scoring so the "mistakes can happen" argument doesn't fly with me. If the Tour wants the optics of scorecards and networks still want cameras inside the scoring tent, O.K., but sending Jordan Spieth home from a signature event is absurd and counterproductive.—John Schwarb
Tiger Woods completed 24 holes at the Genesis before withdrawing with the flu. His performance before the WD suggested he can still be competitive in limited starts.
FICTION. There was not enough evidence to really tell. A score of 72 in the first round while making five birdies was certainly nothing to be upset about. He had too many bogeys, too many sloppy errors. That can be attributed to rust. But without playing the rest of the tournament, it’s difficult to make any projections. Woods is hitting it plenty far. His iron game is still elite. But can he be competitive? No way to know yet.—B.H.
FICTION. We learned very little from Woods's 24 holes at Riviera. What we did learn is that with a fused back Woods has issues with the shanks, a new development for the best player in his generation. We don’t know if Woods can walk 72 holes, which he was not able to do at the Masters or PGA Championship, and those are events he'll want to compete in. We'll learn more at his next event.—A.M.
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FICTION. Did not see much from that performance to be optimistic, but it was his first official event since the Masters. I assume he'll sign up for the Players, and hopefully he'll hold up for at least 36.—J.R.
NEUTRAL. It's hard to make much of an assessment. Of course Tiger can be competitive—he's Tiger. But rust was certainly present at Riviera, especially around the greens. Because of his shortened start at Riviera, Woods's next event will likely feel like another "comeback" and the competitive adjustment period will continue.—G.H.
NEUTRAL. "Competitive" allows for a wide berth and Woods still has the tools to put a little charge into a weekend, if his body cooperates (the "if" he'll have the rest of his career). TPC Sawgrass is a place where he can think his way around—presuming the Tour's awful season of weather doesn't continue.—J.S.
Every PGA Tour winner this season has had pre-tournament odds of 100-1 or higher—and that includes three signature events. The Tour's top stars aren't living up to their billing so far in 2024.
FACT. The stars are not shining so far. Chris Kirk, Grayson Murray, Nick Dunlap, Matthieu Pavon ... those are nice stories and are a nice reminder of the depth in the professional game. But Wyndham Clark—who won the U.S. Open last year—and Hideki Matsuyama are the only "stars" to have won through six weeks and the game needs its best players to be on top more often—especially at the signature events designed for them. There are some big-name players—Scheffler, Homa, Schauffele, Cantlay, Spieth, Thomas—who’ve gone a long time without winning.—B.H.
FACT. The names are not the names you expect to win. Yet Wyndham Clark has a major under his belt as does Hideki Matsuyama. The betting odds are more reflective on how a player is playing and the interest from the betting public. Since most money goes towards the Schefflers, McIlroys and Spieths of the world, the Chris Kirks, Nick Taylors as well as Clark and Matsuyama are usually at the back of the betting bus. Still, the expectation is for a top-20 player in the world to win in the first seven weeks of the PGA Tour season—and in three cases the best were forced to play with each other in the signature events and still didn’t get it done.—A.M.
FACT. Was Hideki really outside 100-1? Still, stars are stars because they close out wins, and it's a surprise it isn't happening on Tour so far this year.—J.R.
FACT. Absolutely. The PGA Tour is in dire need of a big Sunday finish with multiple household names contending. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Rickie Fowler—those are the names that move the needle right now and it's time for a handful of them to step up at the same time.—G.H.
FACT. Is it time to worry yet for the Tour, which now has $3 billion in investment capital and is about to hand out $750 million to stars that have stopped winning? Let's see how the Florida Swing and the Masters play out, but if the household names don't emerge there, Ponte Vedra should be nervous.—J.S.
