Concession Crankiness
Recent Ryder Cup dramatics surrounding putts not given appears to be an American phenomenon that is all quite funny--except to some of the world's best golfers who feel entitled to freebies.
Putt concessions started over a hundred years ago as a classy gesture in the name of pace of play. Today, the lack of a concession produces moral outrage in well-compensated golfers whose job—most weeks of the year—requires that they putt everything out.
The gesture of conceding a putt started with a loose-but-sensible rule of thumb: if it’s inside the length of the grip, it’s good. Somewhere along the way—at least in the minds of entitled golfers—a “gimme” morphed into the length of a putt extending from the butt of the grip all the way down to the putter blade. That’s a twofold increase in distance. In some recent cases, it appears the golfers now think anything inside the length of the putter should be good. That’s extending an inch or two under three feet.
For any number of complex reasons, conceding a putt has morphed from the ultimate act of sportsmanship to the ultimate declaration of war on the (usually American) male ego. How did concessions go from a pragmatic, sporting gesture to a bulletin board-worthy affront on all things America? Are some of USA’s finest that soft? Or are they trying to rile up home crowds and willing to make asshats of themselves in the process?
With the next week’s first U.S.-based Ryder Cup since Whistling Straits coming to Bethpage Black and its flattish greens, the red-white-and-blue are destined to once again take it personally when an opponent does not concede a two or three-footer. Worse, they may dramatize any slight to rile up the crowd, despite not having much luck in previous attempts to gin up outrage toward the visiting Europeans.
At Cypress Point’s recent Walker Cup, the reigning NCAA Champion mimicked his professional elders by signaling disgust at the lack of a gimme on a left-to-right, three-footer for bogey to halve a hole in foursomes play. After Michael LaSasso put his putter down in outrage at not being given a putt, he was boo’d and reprimanded by the walking referee. Such extreme pushback seems unlikely at Bethpage Black. Then again, with Americans being paid for the first time after protesting the horror of playing for country, pride and immortality, any silly antics may be met with apathy. Or worse, jeers from the home crowd.
At the 2021 Ryder Cup, USA’s Justin Thomas was forced to putt out from 2’10” in a foursomes match. This was in a year he’d ranked T140 on the PGA Tour from inside five feet with a 96.35% make rate.
After making the putt at the eighth hole, Thomas floated his putter in the air for all to see and with apparent hopes of firing up the fans. They didn’t bite. Even the home crowd knew he was playing the Ryder Cup, not a Tuesday senior’s four-ball at The Villages where they ran out of paint for the usual gimme circles.
The perpetually aggrieved Thomas glared after the opponents made him repeat what he does every day playing stroke play tournaments. But it was also the same length that caused a similar reaction by Thomas at the 2019 Presidents Cup.
Not to be outdone at the 2021 Ryder Cup, Bryson DeChambeau faced the plight of making a 2’7” putt on the first hole of his afternoon four-ball match against Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood. Apparently oblivious to irony, common sense, or the basics of match play, DeChambeau laid his 43-inch putter on the green in shock. And all while employing an arm-lock grip that suggests to any opponent: “I had the yips and found this remedy for just three easy payments of $19.95.”
Europe’s Shane Lowry repeated the “inside the grip” reaction that day and was misperceived to be upset about having to putt a short one. Turns out, he noticed the Thomas antics in the morning and was mocking the Americans. Lowry later revealed what he was up to.
“For a start, Bryson DeChambeau’s putter shaft is about four feet long so it was definitely not a gimme,” said Lowry in an online interview after the matches. “Justin Thomas did the same thing, and then I did the same thing, but purely because Justin Thomas did it. They made me hit a putt from literally 18 inches on the first so I did the exact same thing as Thomas did just because I was annoyed with the picture I’d seen of him that morning.”
The USA went on to easily win the matches but embarrassed themselves in the process. When the teams arrived in Rome for the 2023 matches and without American fans to share their gimme grievances with, one of the USA’s finest and nicest sportsmen went the other way. Rickie Fowler appeared to misunderstand the importance of making an opponent hole a winning putt, adding a fresh layer to the American fuzziness on match play basics.
Europe was closing in on regaining the Cup in Rome. They stood at 14 points and only a half-point away from victory. Four matches remained on the Marco Simone course and they were all toss-ups. Hope was not yet lost for the Americans but it wasn’t looking good.
Sepp Straka was one down to Thomas at the 18th.
Lowry was all square with Jordan Spieth at No. 17.
Robert MacIntyre was tied with Wyndham Clark back at the 15th
Fowler was two down with three to play against Fleetwood.
The clinching moment could occur anywhere, if at all. Fleetwood was best positioned to clinch it for Europe.
At the drivable par-4 16th, Fowler hit his tee shot into the water but wedged on to set up a par putt. Fleetwood drove the green but a lousy first putt left a healthy 2’8” try for birdie to win the hole and the match.
“That will not be conceded, no chance,” said NBC’s Brad Faxon just as Fowler moved in and conceded the putt.
A miss would have sent things to No. 17 where Fowler could keep playing, even though a tie might still clinch a European win. Maybe Fowler knew it was over and just wanted out of there. He certainly expedited the inevitable. But also curiously did not make his opponent earn the win. As Harry Vardon famously once said, “Never concede the putt that beats you.”
Fowler’s concession fell in the center of the gimme spectrum. Somewhere between Jack Nicklaus famously conceding a putt to Tony Jacklin in 1969 to end an all-square match with an appropriate tie in the spirit of sportsmanship, and also far from the Thomas/DeChambeau point missing. But Fowler’s decision also added to the sense that Americans have gotten way too caught up in receiving and giving concessions instead of expecting to play out every hole while competing to the very end without assistance from the opposition.
