Luke: "I feel like even if I went to HSBC and won, they'd find another event to add."

Steve Elling reports the rarely-sarcastic or skeptical Luke Donald has called the PGA Tour's decision to delay a Player of the Year ballot mailing "sketchy."

Speaking Tuesday morning on the Golf Channel, Donald said he was less than thrilled to learn that, instead of mailing Player of the Year ballots to his peers this week, the tour elected to push back the mailings until next month because a quasi-official event has yet to be played in China.

Donald characterized the decision as "sketchy," perhaps the most generous term he could have mustered. Boneheaded might have been more accurate.

By any measure, it was a serious Shanghai Surprise.

Comments

[Paboy]

Induce birth ASAP.

[pasaplayer]

WTF! Thanks, PV. You're doing your best to stimulate the Occupy Ponte Vedre movement with every move. Lucky for you none of my golf buds can abide Florida even for a good cause.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

"Coincidentally or not, it also adds another couple of weeks of seemingly contrived interest to a season that's supposed to be over. That benefits the tour, for sure."

Not outside of St. Johns County, Florida.

[JRP]

Boo hoo. Nobody cares.

[Del the Funk]

Webb, get on the plane and GO!!!!!

[Marky Mark]

Tim Finchem is praying 24-7 that Bill Haas wins in Chinacommiestan.

Keegan Bradley can kill two birds with one win - makes Bill's aunt, Freddie C, look more like an idiot AND potentially snatches one of Luke Donald's many "non-major-related" ambitions (longest non-3-putt streak, money titles concurrently on two tours, the record for number of backdoor high finishes, amassing 100's of millions of dollars, PGA Tour POTY, etc, etc).

[Moi]

Last year a USA player (Fowler) was choosen, unfairly, as Rookie of the Year instead of a brilliant (and winner of one tournament) Rory McIlroy. It seems that the PGA Tour doesn't like foreigners to win any of their titles. One more time, politics is the game, and not golf.

[carnaptious and camsteerie]

@ Moi ... ironic really given pga tour.com is desperate for best players from europe and row to prop up its tour.

[Paboy]

PGA Tour's real issue is Rory and Luke are playing a good bit in Europe too. Most US golfers are too rich and spoiled to take on that level of travel commitment, they all want to be Jack N, Phil M, Fred C, Davis L, Tiger W. etc.... and only play the majors and close to home plus add a few big appearance fees for the few times per year they play outside the USA.

[Moi]

@C&C You know that, for TVs, an USA golfer gives a lot more audience in the USA. We all saw what happened involving Lexi Thompson, the media and the LPGA, or TW and the Frys Open. I don't believe in chauvinism; the one who plays better is the winner, and causing controversy just to try to win more money while hurting LD this way is far from what I call "a gentlemen game"

[VKM]

No worries Luke if you don't win POY something is wrong for sure. The only other possible person who could win it is Keegan Bradley and I think you had a better year overall than he did for sure.

[No Longer Used to be Former S&T Convert]

This is clearly a conspiracy against Luke Donald. The Tour made a player who was ranked 94th in the world in 2010 play late season events while he was hot to hurt Luke Donald. The media is part of the conspiracy as well, remember it was a media member who brought up the issue of the event in China being an official event. Joe Paterno was also in on the conspiracy as Luke was forced to missed his pregame pep talk to Northwestern before the Penn St game Saturday, Joe Pa knew that his boys had no chance against a Northwestern team fired up by a talk from a big hitter like Luke.

Some say that the Big Ten Conference is the mastermind behind this whole conspiracy, the grand scheme by the Big Ten is to kick out Northwestern and bring in Texas. But we all know that Texas holds all the cards in college football, so they were in the smoke filled back room and are clearly the puppet master. But wait, who lives near Austin Texas, George W Bush and as we all know he was behind 9-11, so clearly he is the one behind it all, he just doesn't want a non-American to win POY, patriotism is the motive. So there you have it, it is so clear that I don't know why everyone didn't see the plot to get Luke from the beginning.

[VKM]

Luke Donald entered 19 events this year....2 wins, 17/19 cuts made, (2) 2nds,( 2) 3rds, (14/19) Top 10's and (16/19) Top 25's. Everyone else not even close to a resume like that consistency wise.

[Del the Funk]

Is Keegan entered in the event? If he wins that's really going to be something interesting!!

VKM, good numbers. Problem is the POY vote is a popularity contest, any player can vote for whoever they like, key word "like". Don't know if anyone caught it but when queried about POY at the end of his last Disney interview Webb Simpson said "I will definitely be voting for myself"...!

If Keegan wins HSBC I bet he also wins POY. A lot of his brethren will think here's a kid that won 3 events, including a major, and got jobbed out of a Prez Cup spot -- I'm gonna throw him a bone. Hell, I bet a lot of players are already thinking that! The more Luke talks, the better Keegan's chances get.

[VKM]

Del

Only thing I'd hold against Luke right now was the lack of events here entered on the PGA Tour this year. He played in SEVEN less events than Webb but still managed to win more money than Webb. Numbers wise nothing against Webb but Luke based on those numbers was pretty STOUT when he teed it up.

Webb's #'s---26 events, 2 wins, (2) 2nds, (3) 3rds, (12) top 10's, and (21) top 25's...Also, made 23/26 cuts. Great numbers as well. I personally got to give the nod to Luke.

[bc]

S&T,

Other than the fact that W lives around Big D (grassy knoll can't be too far away) in Feherty's neighborhood, I think you've correctly connected all the dots.

[Smolmania]

If anybody is getting kicked out of the Big Ten it's Indiana. As for last week's game, alas I fear that no amount of pep from Luke can help our poor defensive backs stop allowing balls (and opponents) to get over their heads. . .

[Jerry Robinson]

May the gnashing of teeth begin.

[Alex H]

I actually believe that the decision didn't have anything to do with Luke Donald...I think somebody noticed that sending out the ballots prior to the HSBC would resemble a big F-U! to the HSBC tournament organizers. They've struck a deal to be an official tournament (well, semi-official...no money, but all exemptions) - if the ballots went out before the tournament, the PGA Tour would in essence say: the HSBC doesn't count.
I understand why Luke's a little peeved, but it's probably more of a case of appeasing the tournament organizers. That said, it's pretty idiotic that it took them until now to realize...

[g_r_c]

I'm on the edge of my seat with anticipation...NOT! Who cares??? It's a stupid award, and Luke might be the most boring golfer I've ever seen.

[No Longer Used to be Former S&T Convert]

@bc you are right, which means this conspiracy goes way deeper than I imagined. G dub is involved but only as a cover for Prince William, 2nd in line for the throne. Apparently at some point Kate Middleton told the Queen Mother that she hoped that Luke kicked Webb's ass, word got back to the Queen, and as we all know Queen Elisabeth does not tolerate competition for her grandson.

[Del the Funk]

VKM, no arguing with those numbers. Thing is, players can vote for anyone they like regardless of what the numbers were. Again, key word, "like".

Paboy, which American players are you referring to as "too rich and spoiled" to travel? Are there 4 or 5 (names please) that you expect to take on a high level "travel commitment"? Or is this something you expect of the, say, top-50 Americans? Where do you draw the line?