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Chamblee, the controversial Golf Channel analyst, appeared to talk out both sides of his mouth on the differences between the men’s and women’s game.
Brandel Chamblee is at it again. This past weekend at the U.S. Women’s Open, he spoke on Live From with Mel Reid about the women’s game. He specifically took umbrage with the lack of driving greens in two on par-5s.
“It does rob the LPGA tour of a lot of its excitement,” Chamblee said.
Does it?
Driving a green in two is quite the achievement. It is exciting. But what makes it exciting is the fact that it’s not common.
Chamblee would go on to claim that the LPGA should shorten courses for the women by approximately 1,100 yards. That’s on top of the tees that are already moved up from men’s tees.
This is the same person who claims they need to lengthen courses for the men to over 8,000 yards. Wouldn’t that do the opposite though for the men?
Long-time PGA Tour coach and media personality Peter Kostis commented on the tweet from Golf.com’s article on the matter.
This is golf opinions in a nutshell. USGA says the ball should be rolled back because men hit it too far! Too many wedges and too few 3 shot par 5’s! But courses on the LPGA are too long because they don’t hit enough wedges and can’t reach par 5’s in 2! Which is it?
— Peter Kostis (@peterjkostis) July 10, 2023
He hit the nail on the head. Kostis called out Chamblee for appearing to talk out of both sides of his mouth.
First of all, it was the U.S. Women’s Open, a major championship.
Eagles and birdies are important to winning golf tournaments, but it isn’t supposed to be a birdie fest. Majors are supposed to push players to their limits, and the USGA does that.
Fewer birdies at major championships are more entertaining, and that’s an opinion shared by golf fans everywhere. Just take a look at what happened after day one of this year’s U.S. Open.
Both Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot record 62’s, sending fans into a tizzy with the low scoring.
Secondly, if the LPGA shortened courses, it would turn into a wedge show. Sure it would produce more birdies and eagles, but that would get boring after a while. Seeing the men destroy the last three tournaments with 20-under-plus scores lost its luster quickly.
The viewership ratings back that up.
Beyond that, seeing professional golfers struggle is what makes golf more entertaining and particularly more relatable to the average viewer.
Chamblee’s comments feel short-sided.
Getting home in two is a skill that few LPGA players have. Bailey Tardy made an eagle both times she got on the green in two strokes, giving two exciting moments, but that is the point of it. She did something different.
“You just think about the contrast of the men’s game,” Chamblee said on Live From, “and often they’re driving it down there and they’re hitting exciting shots with mid-irons, long irons, getting on the 6th green.”
“These par-5s are meant to be exciting. They’re meant to have a shot at the 18th green in two. Not a single player today hit the 18th green in two. … You go back to the major championships that are played here, and these are some of the most exciting moments when players have a chance to go for par-5s in two.”
He is talking about the men’s game during a woman’s tournament. Sure it’s exciting, but it’s because those players are able to do something that not everyone else can.
Shortening women’s courses is only going to allow more women to reach in two, making it commonplace.
These pros need to be challenged.
This argument also appears to show hints of sexism. It would not be the first time the Golf Channel analyst would have found himself in a controversy of that sort.
In March of 2021, Lisa Cornwell filed a complaint with the EEOC, accusing the Golf Channel and Chamblee for perceived sexist comments made on air.
18 different former employees of the NBC Network accused the Golf Channel network of being a hostile workplace rife with sexism and misogyny.
Chamblee and Reid came up with a formula, but it misses the point. Comparing the longest hitters on the LPGA to Rory McIlroy is not good. He is a different kind of animal and that would be like comparing apples to oranges.
Shortening courses by 1,100 yards is just blasphemy.
