Great Wall of Dinah overshadows big finish

It seemed almost destined to happen. Build an eyesore of a wall on an island green and balls will bounce. Bogeys will turn into birdies. Even an eagle! It’s the same for everyone, of course. But the LPGA had a dreamy finish in store, and it all came to a crashing, truly comical halt.

Mirim Lee won the ANA Inspiration tournament outright with her three chip-ins, including an electric eagle on the 72nd hole. No one can dispute the way she coolly kept her head in the game while the blonde bombers traded blows in the spotlight.

But Lee’s eagle came on the heels of a 5-wood that might have found the water had the Great Wall of Dinah not stopped it cold. That was the plan all along for Lee, and no one can blame her.

“I definitely thought to utilize the back and the backboard,” Lee said Sunday after her victory dip. “When I had practice rounds, I had practiced that shot, so it was a definite for me to use the space there.”

Golf fans can’t blame Lee, but they can blame the LPGA and tournament organizers for constructing a wall that’s even bigger and closer to the green than the usual grandstand when there were plenty of other ways available to give ANA the attention it deserves.

It’s a wonderful thing, carrying on sponsorship duties and providing an opportunity for play during a global pandemic. Yet the wall created unnecessary controversy. It wasn’t easy to accept an obstruction on an island green even with seats there for important guests. But we did because someone has the pay the bills, and on the LPGA, title sponsors are vital at the majors.

Take out the seats and the guests though, and it simply didn’t make sense.

Brooke Henderson’s second shot on the 72nd hole came in so hot it went underneath the wall and got stuck. Her sister/caddie Brittany crawled inside the blue mesh to retrieve the ball as Katherine Kirk worked out how she might hit a shot from the ledge of Poppie’s Pond, where it says “Do not dive. Do not step.”

“That’s closest to the hole from the diving board today,” joked Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz after Kirk managed to not only hit a nifty little shot, but also stay dry.

Judy Rankin tried to hold back about the wall throughout the week on the broadcast only to ultimately say what most were thinking as the wall took center stage. “The fact is, it has been way too artificial,” said Rankin. “There was no real reason for it to be there. There were no spectators, or clients or anything like that. And it has affected play way too much.”

On the heels of the Sophia Popov snub, this was another bad look for the tour.

Tune in for the big finish! Nelly Korda! Brooke Henderson! Lexi Thompson!

Fans who don’t normally watch the LPGA might have flipped over to Golf Channel for the conclusion, only to become instantly perplexed by the presence of a wall.

The LPGA can make it right in 2021, by taking the finishing hole back to its roots as an island green and eliminate the grandstands. At the very least, move them as far out of play as possible and downsize. Make the closing par-5 a true championship test, one that puts risk back into the equation.

This weekend felt similar to 2007 when the Women’s British Open was first contested at the Old Course, and they played the Road Hole as a par 5 and it ranked the easiest hole for the week. (Thankfully that was fixed in 2013.)

The depth of talent in the women’s game and quality of play has never been better. There’s plenty to showcase.

But sometimes the LPGA just can’t get out of its own way.