Video: Monahan, Pelley Promote Strategic Alliance On Sportscenter

Since we haven’t heard from Commissioner Jay Monahan or Chief Executive Keith Pelley in a long time, it was a tad surprising to see them on Sportscenter announcing the Scottish Open becoming a co-sanctioned event. While it is historic in some sense and potentially the beginning of more such events, this was more about fending off disruptive forces. A grand vision was not shared and with the lucrative WGC’s fading away all of a sudden and the Rolex Series hardly looking healthy, this was not a game-changing announcement given the dollar amounts floated by disruptors.

You will, however, see that the Global Home does not have a TV studio for such hits. But its meeting rooms have plenty of power outlets and cabinet storage. I’m feeling a Room Rater 4, tops.

If you do watch the segment you’ll hear the ecosystem word a lot and see Pelley struggle to look at the camera, never the most convincing impression. It all seems a bit much given we’re talking about one significant event, two opposite field tournaments, and a co-sanctioning to be named later.

PGA Tour And European Tour Make It Official: Strategic Alliance Is Definitely Capitalized

Oh there was much more than simple Strategic Alliance style questions answered. A quick summary of ledes buried in what reads like a press release filed from Scientology headquarters.

• Two WGC’s are gone from the schedule. Only two remain and those are hanging by a thread, with constant rumblings about the match play’s future and an asterisk next to this fall’s HSBC event in China.

• New York and Boston no longer will have their joint PGA Tour stop after this August, to be replaced by the FedEx St Jude event as the FedExCup playoff opener.

• Genesis takes over Scottish Open sponsorship from abhrnt and becomes a co-sanctioned event between the PGA Tour and European Tour, with similar “joint” status given to the Barbasol and Barracuda Championships

• That’s it. Oh, and Strategic Alliance joins Global Home, Season of Championships, Regular Season and in the capitalization world.

The best news? Without question, the demise of the WGC’s. The mastermind of Tim Finchem, with an unintentional assist from Greg Norman, undermined the health of several PGA Tour stops and have not incorporated the “World” part nearly enough. Due to the high cost of sponsorship and having to use PGA Tour Championship Management for operations, the WGC’s priced out most major corporations. It’s not long now.

The most bizarre news? Bread crumbs for fans. Yes, the Scottish gets upgraded and secured, with hints the Irish Open could form a two-event Strategic Alliance swing, but otherwise there is little to get excited about here in terms of the Alliance.

Most stunning news? The PGA Tour has vacated the New York and Boston markets with the demise of The Northern Trust. A five year agreement is expiring. So the Northern Trustwill be contested one last time this month. While greater New York City will be fine with more majors and Cup events on the horizon, the end to even a biennial visit is pretty astounding. Couple that with Chicago no longer annually hosting the Western-turned-BMW and three huge markets have lost annual stops.

Anyway, let the jargon flow and the buried ledes begin…

PGA TOUR and European Tour announce details of historic Strategic Alliance 

Key Takeaways:

• As part of Strategic Alliance, Genesis Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship will be included in both FedExCup and Race to Dubai, while Irish Open will see a significant increase in prize money

• PGA TOUR’s schedule of 48 events includes the move of the first FedExCup Playoffs event to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, sponsored by FedEx

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida, USA, and VIRGINIA WATER, Surrey, England –The PGA TOUR and European Tour today unveiled new details around their Strategic Alliance, with the PGA TOUR also releasing its 2021-22 PGA TOUR Season schedule.

The landmark agreement, announced in November 2020, further enhances and connects the ecosystem of men’s professional golf through a number of areas, including global scheduling, prize funds and playing opportunities for the respective memberships.

B-speak connoisseurs, “ecosystem” replaces brand platform in case you were wondering.

In terms of scheduling, the most significant piece of collaboration is the fact that three tournaments will be co-sanctioned in 2022 and therefore count on both the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup and the European Tour’s Race to Dubai next season: the Barbasol Championship; the Barracuda Championship; and the Genesis Scottish Open.

It’s a fact!

The latter event also has a new title sponsor in Genesis, the luxury automotive brand from South Korea, who will now title sponsor two tournaments on the PGA TOUR, with the Genesis Scottish Open joining The Genesis Invitational, which Genesis has titled since 2017; The Genesis Invitational will once again be played at The Riviera Country Club next year (February 14-20).

The Genesis Scottish Open (July 4-10), which is part of the European Tour’s Rolex Series, retains its place in golf’s global calendar the week ahead of The Open Championship (July 11-17), a date confirmed through to 2025. The player field will be a split between members of both Tours.

The tournament will also benefit from the continued commitment of the Scottish Government, managed by Visit Scotland – the agreement also running through 2025.

Great news. Just keep it on a links or linksy course, please.

“We are delighted to welcome Genesis as a title sponsor of a European Tour event for the first time,” said European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley. “Genesis has a strong history of sponsorship on the PGA TOUR through The Genesis Invitational, and their commitment to the Scottish Open will further enhance one of our premier events of the season.”

The “strong history” consists of sponsorship for four years, but go on…

Although it will be on the PGA TOUR’s official schedule for the first time, the Genesis Scottish Open has a rich history on the European Tour, appearing in the Tour’s first two official seasons (1972 and 1973) and as part of the Tour’s International Schedule since 1986. It has also been part of the Rolex Series – the European Tour’s premium series of events – since the Series’ inception in 2017.

“Adding an existing, strong title sponsor in Genesis to our Strategic Alliance in the form of the Genesis Scottish Open – to be sanctioned by both Tours – is a significant step for the global game,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.

And what a sentence, too.

“Coupled with their support of The Genesis Invitational at Riviera, we’re incredibly proud to forge a deeper relationship with this premier brand across the global game.”

Genesis will take over the title sponsorship of the event from abrdn, who are exploring ways for the decade-long partnership with the European Tour to continue moving forward. The venue for the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open will be confirmed at a later date.

“We are extremely excited to become title sponsor of the Scottish Open at this historic moment, as the PGA TOUR and European Tour announce details on their Strategic Alliance,” said Jay Chang, Global head of Genesis. “Genesis and golf share a culture centered on respect, mutual admiration and innovation. We will continue to strengthen our partnership with both Tours to deliver this spirit to golfers, communities and individuals around the world through successful tournaments.”

Paul Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said, “We are thrilled the European Tour and PGA TOUR have identified the Genesis Scottish Open to further develop their Strategic Alliance, and there is no more fitting stage than Scotland, the Home of Golf, on which to embark on such a historic journey.”

It appears all were required to mention the Strategic Alliance at least once. Is SA the new WGC? Branding minds want to know.

In addition to the Genesis Scottish Open being co-sanctioned, there will also be access for 50 European Tour members to each of two PGA TOUR events in 2022 for the first time – the Barbasol Championship, which will be played concurrently with the Genesis Scottish Open, and the Barracuda Championship, which will be played alongside the following week’s 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews. Both events will be added to the Race to Dubai for European Tour members.

Lucky them. Get to leave Europe in summertime for Nicholasville, Kentucky and Truckee, California.

It was also confirmed today that as part of the Strategic Alliance and collaboration between the two Tours, the Irish Open will see a significant increase in prize money for its annual European Tour event – to $6 million, starting in 2022 – nearly double the amount on offer at Mount Juliet last month. In addition, the PGA TOUR will continue to work with the European Tour on commercial opportunities across the Tour.

Translation: eventually cutting more jobs, aka Strategic Streamlining.

“When we announced the Strategic Alliance at the end of last year, we said it was a landmark moment for global golf’s ecosystem that would benefit all members of both Tours,” said Pelley. “Today’s announcement underlines that promise, with further enhancements to the Genesis Scottish Open, a strengthening of the Irish Open for our members, and direct access for European Tour members to two PGA TOUR events.

“There has been considerable collaboration behind the scenes between our two Tours since November’s Alliance was unveiled, and we are delighted to share these initial developments, which demonstrate our commitment to working together for the betterment of our sport globally. We will have more to announce in the coming months – this is most definitely just the beginning.”

And Jay I sense you agree with this sentiment?

“With today’s news, I am pleased to say that the PGA TOUR and the European Tour are both stronger than at any time in our history, as we are positioned to grow – together – over the next 10 years faster than we have at any point in our existence,” said Monahan. “We are committed to continuing to evolve and adapt, and with our ever-strengthening partnership with the European Tour, to take the global game to the heights we all know it is capable of.”

Grow? I’d say it’s more like, Strategically Masked Consolidation. Some of that is good, some of it great and some of it shocking.

Wait, just one more thing. The 2021-22 schedule announcement was included.

It’s mostly spinning the deeper reliance on FedEx now for a playoff event and of course, the Season Long Chase that wraps up with the Playoffs ending the Season of Championships. All under the Strategic Alliance umbrella, as crafted at the Global Home. Yep, no cult here.

PGA TOUR Schedule Highlights
The 2021-22 PGA TOUR Schedule includes several significant enhancements and features a total of 48 official events – 45 during the FedExCup Regular Season along with three 2022 FedExCup Playoffs events.

The 2022 portion of the schedule will kick off the PGA TOUR’s new, nine-year domestic media rights agreements with ViacomCBS, Comcast/NBC and ESPN. As part of the agreement, all three 2022 FedExCup Playoffs events will be broadcast domestically on NBC network television, beginning a rotation that continues with CBS hosting all three events in 2023.

Headline news includes the change in location and venue for the kickoff of the FedExCup Playoffs to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, starting in 2022, replacing the Regular Season event that has been held in Memphis since 1958. FedEx will serve as the title sponsor of the event, to be known as the FedEx St. Jude Championship (August 8-14), replacing existing title sponsor Northern Trust after this year’s playing of THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey.

“FedEx is excited that the first event of the 2022 FedExCup Playoffs will be hosted in our hometown of Memphis, Tennessee,” said Raj Subramaniam, President and Chief Operating Officer of FedEx Corporation. “We are proud of our history and the community impact we’ve had since becoming title sponsor of our hometown TOUR stop in 1986. We look forward to the impact it will bring to our local community and will continue to use it as a platform to showcase the groundbreaking work being done by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to golf fans around the world.”

“Since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007, we have made a number of changes to enhance the quality of the FedExCup Playoffs for our players, fans and partners,” said Monahan. “Thanks to the continued support from FedEx as the TOUR’s umbrella partner, we’re proud to bring the start of the FedExCup to Memphis and a course loved by our players. Not only will it be a great test worthy of Playoff golf, but we also anticipate tremendous enthusiasm from a community that has steadfastly supported the PGA TOUR for more than 60 years. And, of course, the important work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will continue to be front and center.

Front AND center.

“In totality, the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Schedule, combined with the momentum we have with our now-entrenched partnership with the European Tour, puts the PGA TOUR in a position of strength within professional golf like never before. We’re confident this schedule will give the world’s best players the opportunity to do what they do best – inspire and entertain our fans around the globe while helping our tournaments make a significant impact in their respective communities.”

The 2022 FedExCup Playoffs will continue to include the BMW Championship (August 15-21), which rotates next year to Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, and the FedExCup Playoffs finale, the TOUR Championship (August 22-28), once again slated for East Lake Golf Club.

The PGA TOUR’s flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship (March 7-13), will anchor a true Florida Swing in 2022, which features four consecutive events through The Sunshine State in the spring, including the Valspar Championship, which was played in April/May this past year. THE PLAYERS will be in year three of its March date and as a kickoff to the Season of Championships, with Justin Thomas returning as defending champion.

The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (May 30-June 5) enters the first year of a 10-year agreement in 2022 with new presenting sponsor, Workday. Founded in 1976 by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and held annually at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, the tournament partners for the first time with three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, and Ayesha Curry, an entrepreneur, host and New York Times bestselling author.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the RBC Canadian Open (June 6-12) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, returns to the schedule in 2022 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club. Rory McIlroy won the last RBC Canadian Open, played in 2019.

Other notable items and changes to the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Schedule include (in chronological order):

2021

• As previously announced, the Fortinet Championship (September 13-19), with new title sponsor Fortinet, kicks off the 2021-22 FedExCup Regular Season at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California.

• The Ryder Cup will be played the week following the Fortinet Championship, with nine official events played during the balance of 2021 for a total of 10 events to be played in the fall.

• The reconfigured Asia Swing will begin with THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT (October 11-17), which moves to the United States for the second year in a row and will be staged at The Summit Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, delivering back-to-back weeks of PGA TOUR golf in Las Vegas, as the Shriners Children’s Open will be contested October 4-10.

• Following THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT will be the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP and World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, with additional details to be available in the near future.

• As previously announced, World Wide Technology embarks on its first year of title sponsorship of the TOUR’s original event in Mexico, the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba (November 1-7).

2022

• The Sentry Tournament of Champions – a PGA TOUR winners-only event – leads off the 2022 calendar year (January 3-9).

• The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (January 31-February 6) and the Waste Management Phoenix Open (February 7-13) trade spots in the schedule, as the TOUR’s event at TPC Scottsdale remains in its traditional date of Super Bowl week.

• The Puerto Rico Open (February 28-March 6) will be played as an additional event alongside the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

• The Corales Puntacana Championship (March 21-27), in its first year under an extended term, will be played as an additional event alongside the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.

• The Mexico Championship (April 25-May 1) returns to the calendar as a PGA TOUR co-sponsored event, no longer under the World Golf Championships umbrella. With the field of 132 players, there is an anticipation of additional Mexican golfers in the field to help in inspire and grow the game in one of golf’s key emerging markets.

Growing the game!

• With the biennial Presidents Cup being held at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte in 2022, the Wells Fargo Championship (May 2-8) will be contested for one year at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac, Maryland.

• The John Deere Classic (June 27-July 3), traditionally played the week prior to The Open Championship, moves one week earlier.

• Following The Open Championship, the 3M Open (July 18-24), Rocket Mortgage Classic (July 25-31) and Wyndham Championship (August 1-7) close out the FedExCup Regular Season.

The European Tour will announce the initial portion of its 2022 schedule later this month, with the full season announcement to follow in due course.

Fun times.

Report: No More Releases For Saudi Arabia Golf Events, DJ Intends To Defend Title

On the groundbreaking news of Jason Kokrak’s signing with Golf Saudi, his hopes of collecting an appearance fee may be in doubt. This comes after Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch confirms the PGA Tour and European Tour (once a proud partner of the Saudis way back in the spring of 2021), will not grant releases to play in 2022’s Royal Greens Classic. Or whatever they’ll be calling the old Bonesaw Open and former Euroepan Tour stop.

It’s a noble stand for human rights by the Tours and they should be appl…wait, what?

The move will be seen as an escalation in a battle for the future of professional golf that pits the PGA and European tours against the Saudi government, which has been pushing a Super Golf League concept that would lure elite players to a breakaway tour with guaranteed paydays of up to $30 million.

Asked to confirm that releases will not be given to players for the Saudi tournament, a PGA Tour spokesperson replied: “You are correct. This follows a PGA Tour longstanding policy of not granting releases to unsanctioned events.”

Oh right, the Super Golf League is now the competition.

Defending champion Dustin Johnson intends to play again and his agent David Winkle sounds displeased with the news.

“However, given that Dustin has played in the event the past three years and would be returning as their defending champion, I have no doubt he would be quite disappointed if the Tour potentially denied his release.

“I also think it is important to note that he is in a unique position, having played in the tournament since its inception and has, without question, helped put golf on the map in the Kingdom,” Winkle added. “In doing so, I hope he has helped grow the game in a region where golf is still a relatively new thing.”

Nothing must ever get in the way of growing the…game!

Five Years Later, The Rio Olympic Golf Course Is Very Much Alive And Well

January, 2020 Google Earth image of Rio’s Olympic course

After much sweating, headache and even a little fear for lives, the Rio Olympic golf course was completed in time for the games. The Gil Hanse-Amy Alcott design was a massive collaboration between multiple parties, including the PGA Tour and International Golf Federation. Yours truly even paid a visit to share ideas, a documentary crew captured the process and the course was kind of a huge hit.

So while most of Rio’s other Olympic venues languish—and lazy stories like this Business Insider claim of its abandonment have circulated, only to then report in 2020 it wasn’t busy, the Rio course is appears to be thriving in ways that seem unimaginable five years since Justin Rose took gold over Henrik Stenson.

Most amazing of all? It may center around how stunning the conditioning looks. To say this course looks lean (in a great way) might be underselling it. Long feared as a place that would be overwatered and too lush for the Sandbelt-style golf envisioned by the design team to show the world a more sustainable game, the Rio course is delivering. Look at this close up from the Google Earth shot 19 months ago:

Now that is a beautiful shade of green!

But if you want proof that the course has become a lively place to be on a daily basis, give their Instagram account a follow. They had a concert in the progressive clubhouse last week! And you can follow along to see what the operators are doing to promote the game. No, the purveyors aren’t growing the game in the favelas, but they are keeping the place public, thriving and conducting outreach programs to juniors.

While some smaller events have been played there it’s a little surprising another big event like the Latin America Amateur Championship hasn’t been played there.

A recent post with video footage:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Campo Olímpico de Golfe (@campoolimpicodegolfe)

Grayson Murray Vents Frustration At Pro Golf Life, Finds A Friend In Phil

Oh and Elkington too. It’s a real who’s-who of Commissioner’s favorites chatting away on Twitter about, what, ultimately, I’m not sure except Grayson Murray’s brave admission he’s an alcoholic and is angry the PGA Tour has not helped him recover.

You can read Murray’s Notes app essay—nothing ever good comes from a Notes app essay—or just get a flavor of it in the screen capture below. Murray had deleted his Twitter account earlier this year after urging former President Donald Trump to play his own event after Trump Bedminster was stripped of the 2022 PGA Championship.

More newsworthy here is Phil Mickelson’s assertion that “we’ll get back to you” is the only response he gets from the Global Home.

Something tells me that’s not entirely accurate.

But I do look forward to Grayson joining Team Mickelson in the Premier League with Elkington serving as Senior Assistant Cart Driver to Manager Tim Mickelson.

It's Official: Glen Abbey Will Not Be Subdivided

Please see my statement regarding #GlenAbbey golf course in Oakville 👇 pic.twitter.com/1BXhS0JzY5

— Steve Clark (@SteveClarkPC) July 9, 2021

It never made an ounce of sense and several years after Glen Abbey was designated a heritage site, the owners have officially dropped all efforts to turn revisit development plans. The many-times Canadian Open seems safe and folks will be able to keep trying one of the greatest non-GIR shots ever hit by Tiger Woods, or any golfer.

From an unbylined CBC report:

Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark said in a statement Friday he'd secured a commitment from Glen Abbey owner ClubLink Corp. to not go ahead with its plans.

"I am incredibly thankful to ClubLink for its cooperation and for ensuring that this heritage landscape will be protected from development," Clark said. 

Preserving the golf course was "precisely" what the town, Halton region and residents wanted, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said in a statement.

"The thousands of letters written to the province made a difference and showed how our community is an engaged community," the mayor said.

Angel Cabrera Wears His Best Presidents Cup Jacket To Sentencing Hearing

There’s nothing funny about former U.S. Open and Masters champion Angel Cabrera getting two years for assault against his former partner. Especially given this from the prosecutor, as reported by AP:

“His situation is much more complex than this, he has other charges for which there are arrest warrants, too. There are other victims,” prosecutor Laura Battistelli told TV channel Todo Noticias.

The first charges were brought by Torres Mana, and two other women then did the same.

The golfer traveled to the United States in July 2020 without seeking permission, which led the province of Cordoba to request his arrest.

But you have to admire his devotion to the Presidents Cup cause in choosing to wear his team jacket to court. A crowning achievement for the brand. What better way to impress a judge, right?

Bryson Splits With Caddie And Brooks Celebrates By Announcing Caddie Ricky Elliott Appreciation Day

Brooks Koepka made a huge passing PIP move by taking news of Bryson DeChambeau splitting with his caddie and piling up the Meltwaters with upbeat social media!

Koepka’s positive news first because I really don’t like the world of manspatting.

But you have to be impressed by 49K likes on a Tweet. That’s some serious PIP pointage. There is also the enjoyment Koepka inevitably enjoyed hitting send on this. Because he loves his Ricky!

Couldn’t do it without my guy Rick! Best friend and greatest caddie to do it💯 @RickyElliott appreciation day! pic.twitter.com/cNvD2VX8Nh

— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) July 1, 2021

And many thousands of likes on the Gram, too!

As for DeChambeau, he lost the services of caddie Tim Tucker at some point Wednesday night or Thursday morning. The bagman for all of Bryson’s wins decided he’d had enough and No Laying Up had the news first.

From Golfweek’s Adam Schupak at the Rocket Mortgage Classic where DeChambeau is defending champion:

“I love the kid,” Tucker texted Golfweek. “Hardest worker I have ever seen. Proud to have been his caddie. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win Rocket Mortgage. He is hitting it great.”

Tucker caddied for DeChambeau in the practice rounds this week, including Wednesday’s pro-am. Tucker has been on the bag for DeChambeau for all of his eight PGA Tour victories, including the 2020 U.S. Open. DeChambeau went through a slew of caddies early in his career, including a previous break with Tucker, before making him his steady bagman in 2018.

DeChambeau’s agent told various outlets that it was a mutual agreement, separate ways thing.

No PIP points for that kind of dreary news!

**Sam Harrop was inspired by the latest Brookson exchange to re-imagine The Scientist by Coldplay.

"Phil Mickelson, upset over report, Tweets he won't return to Rocket Mortgage Classic"

Phil Mickelson won’t be returning to the Rocket Mortgage Classic over a Detroit News story about gambling with the help of goombahs in 2007.

Carlos Monarrez with more Mickelson explanation for why he’s holding a local news story against Detroit and Rocket Mortgage.

Mickelson, the reigning PGA champion, was highly critical of the article in the Detroit News. He said he did not feel appreciated for arranging his busy tournament schedule in order to play in Detroit, which marked his first tournament in Michigan since the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

“It was so much effort for me to be here and to have that type of unnecessary attack,” he said. “Not like I care. It happened liked twentysomething years ago. But it’s just the lack of appreciation. Yeah, I don’t see that happening. I don’t see me coming back. Not that I don’t love the people here. They have been great. But not with that type of thing happening.”

I’d like to say it’s somewhat amazing Phil is linking a local newspaper story with the good folks putting on a golf tournament. The laddie doth protest too much, methinks.

PGA Tour Ending COVID-19 On-Site Testing In July, Vaccination Rate Unknown

GolfDigest.com’s Tod Leonard reports that players have been notified of the full scale COVID-19 testing coming to an end at the 3M Championship this July. No player has been known to test positive since Jon Rahm’s high-profile case at the Memorial, one of around 35 detected or reported after players revealed to have experienced the virus (but not testing positive under the Tour program).

Leonard says there will still be testing available to those who experience symptoms and daily health surveys but could not get a vaccination rate out of the Tour.

I reported earlier this month that the LPGA was at 60% full vaccination of players, caddies and staff as of early this month and no positive cases since March.

According to Leonard, the unvaccinated will have to undergo contact tracing if they test positive.

Though unvaccinated people don’t have to undergo testing, according to the memo, there are distinctions made. Vaccinated individuals will not have to undergo contact tracing should they be around someone who has COVID-19, while those who haven’t been vaccinated must notify the tour and follow contact tracing protocols.

The memo says that those who have been vaccinated “should” upload a copy of their vaccination record to their Healthy Roster account, but the tour will require proof of vaccination should the player be involved in a contact tracing situation, a tour spokesperson said.

The story also notes this:

Since testing began, more than 25 tour players have tested positive for COVID-19, including some of the game’s most high-profile athletes: Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau, Adam Scott, Gary Woodland and Padraig Harrington. No PGA Tour player has reported serious illness or hospitalization due to the coronavirus.

It was Golf Digest’s Undercover Caddie that suggested there have been players hit harder than reported:

A few of the guys who did test positive got really sick, more than fans have been led to believe, and that certainly got our attention.

Given that the LPGA Tour has a better track record on positive cases this year despite a more worldly schedule and far less private jet travel, they were able to report vaccination rates without violating anyone’s privacy. In light of that, the Tour’s program seems like it should be able to end on a brighter note of at least some disclosure and assurance that it’s in line with vaccination rates seen in general society.

It Seems Like The Post Round Interview Is Doomed

A couple weekends ago I watched the end of two events: an Indy race on NBC and a competitive sailing competition on CBS.

At the Indy race, about ten drivers were interviewed to help fill time when the race ended early. This included a driver who crashed.

On the sailing, which was on tape, the American team’s jib broke, or someone’s Sperry’s slipped, I don’t know. But they were knocked out of the race and within seconds they went to the captain wearing a microphone to hear what went wrong. He answered while they were still reeling from what went wrong.

Both sports were also full of sound allowing us to eavesdrop on the proceedings. During the interviews, logos were visible, the drivers let you get to know them better and all that screen time pleased the people who write the checks.

Pro golf is going the opposite direction.

In-round interviews have died (again). Sound of conversations seems like it’s less prevalent. And now post-round interviews of anyone but the winner seem in danger.

Following Naomi Osaka’s French Open WD over post-round media stress , some golfers have opened up about how much pressure they feel from announcer criticisms or post round interviews. While these sessions generally don’t yield much, it’s still a shame that some feel questions starting with the world “how” or “talk about” can be seen as so stressful.

Of course writers and television will miss them and the shirt logo and watch deals might start to disappear, but mental health does take priority. And maybe if there is no danger of losing access, announcers can call the action more accurately.

Maybe these are isolated cases, but here’s a review of some recent comments on the topic, starting with Bubba Watson at the U.S. Open.

“The sad part for me is we celebrate every sport in the world. We celebrate accomplishments. We celebrate a guy scoring 50 points in the NBA. They are not saying quit shooting three-pointers. But we don't celebrate when a guy makes eight birdies or a guy bombs it 400 yards. I don't understand how we're not celebrating. We're trying to make golf courses bigger, harder, dumber, however you want to word it, but we're not celebrating our great players. I'm definitely not in that group of great players. I'm saying I want to see these guys hammering the ball. I want the next up-and-comer. I want a 6'8" guy not playing in the NBA, I want to see him on the PGA Tour bombing the ball. We're the only sport not celebrating accomplishments of being a guy working out in the gym that can hit the ball miles. We're mad at that guy. I don't know why, but we are. I'm not, but some people are -- golf course designers. The NBA, Tom Brady winning, throwing touchdowns, we celebrate that. ESPN talks about it nonstop. They don't ever talk about us chopping out of the -- hey, he laid up again. That's great. Anyway, that's my rant for the day.”

Given the influence his advice has had on Matthew Wolff, here is what Wolff had to say while dealing with undisclosed issues.

“I was talking to Bubba Watson earlier on the range this week and he told me he stopped watching golf, he only watches LPGA because they're so positive. He goes, LPGA is like the commentators, like everyone is just so positive, like every shot they hit is the best shot ever. And I think that -- and I'm not, I'm not like hating on the LPGA, I think it's awesome, because like these shots are hard out here and it's like, you know, sometimes they're describing a shot and they make it sound easy and it's not. And it's just, I'm only trying to have positive thoughts in my head and be positive. And I mean, kudos to pretty much every professional athlete out there, it's, I haven't been in this world for a long time, but it's fucking hard.”

And this in advance of the KPMG LPGA from Jessica Korda:

“You have fans coming to follow you, and if you're not playing your best, you obviously feel like you're disappointing everyone, and you get asked about it right after. It's never easy not playing well and then kind of answering the questions why because you're trying to figure it out yourself.”

This could just be a short term post-pandemic thing that will change when crowds come back and some normalcy returns. But this also could build momentum in the other direction and lead to more players saying no. I’m not sure that’s great for “growing the game,” but we’ll find out soon enough.

"We recognize the image-crafting guardrails that surround every sport, and we perk up when we see them falling."

Writing for the New York Times Magazine, Elizabeth Nelson captures why so many are fascinated with the tension between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. And it’s not the Player Impact Program points chase.

All this suggests the two sports are having difficulty understanding both their audiences and their athletes. They proceed from the premise that their tissue-thin veneer of high-minded sportsmanship and sometimes incomprehensible notions of etiquette are celebrated attributes, not turnoffs. But evidence suggests the opposite. Fans don’t want pageantry; they want intimacy. Increasingly, the stories that grab the public are those that break up the placid, corporatized surface of the game — a tennis star who chooses self-care over a major, or two large golfers who seem ready to fistfight. We recognize the image- crafting guardrails that surround every sport, and we perk up when we see them falling. Is this what happens when sports stop being polite and start getting real?

PGL: "All we want is a conversation"

Andy Gardiner spoke to ESPN.com’s Bob Harig about the hopes and dreams of conversations with the PGA Tour. I’m not sure I see a place where the Premier Golf League and the PGA Tour co-exist, but Gardiner apparently does.

"All we want is a conversation,'' Gardiner said. "We've never been the enemy. But I can understand why we've been perceived as such. But we'd love to be friends. I've not had that opportunity so far. And I will be redoubling my efforts. We want to have a conversation in the best possible way to ensure they understand where we are coming from and why we are doing it and to ensure that nobody's feelings will be hard done.''

Gardiner also revealed the PGL’s effort at making “an approach in the last 24 hours setting out our thoughts in the best possible way.”

Presumably the letter was delivered by FedEx. If it came via DHL or UPS, I’m not sure the conversations will be cordial.

He is playing up a free market, choice approach and it would seem to be boxing the Tours into a corner given the whole “independent contractor” push last year when the PGL was a topic. Also, taking an open tone certainly makes tough replies from the PGA Tour, while justified given what is an obvious business threat, could reflect poorly in some sectors.

"I do know the existing PGA Tour rules. The players will ultimately decide where they are going to play. There have been rumors of bans and not getting ranking points, but all individuals should have the right to choose how and when and where they work. These guys are professionals. If the PGA Tour changes its rules that allows them to remain members ... we hope that would be feasible.''

PGL Co-Founder On Just Wanting a Fair Chance To Compete For Players

Phil Casey talks to Premier Golf League co-founder Andy Gardiner about the hopes of starting in January 2023 with players who would still like to earn world ranking points and possibly defect without repercussions.

Choice and other offshoots of that theme play a big part in the PGL approach this time with obvious restraint of trade issues in mind. Gardiner says:

"We went through establishing what the law says and how it applies to the players, we now know the position and that's why we are reaching out to the community to say 'There's a nice way of doing this, a great way of doing it, which is to make sure everybody gets a fair share'.

"All we've ever wanted is the ability to compete for the services of these guys in a fair and effective manner.

"I think we will be able to provide the players with the peace of mind they require, hopefully in the next couple of months, with a deal which says 'rght guys, you've now got the freedom to choose'.

"And you can choose another Tour that pays more, because that's just the case, and you can also choose it on the basis that's it in the best interests of the game long term and other parts of the game are involved in this.

"In other words there is no controversy, it's not as difficult a decision as the guys back in '68 had to make."

1968 being the year Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, among others, led players away from the PGA of America to form the PGA Tour.

The recent Saudi-led offshoot of the Premier Golf League concept prompted an unusual outpouring of PGA Tour and European Tour support from the other Five Families. It will be interesting to see if the PGL’s latest iteration prompts similar statements from Augusta National, the PGA of America, USGA and R&A.

Premier Golf League Jumps Back In At An Inconvenient Time For PGA Tour

🤌 dichotomy to the meritocratic qualifying going on elsewhere today https://t.co/XKFMgYzK33

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) June 7, 2021

News of the Premier Golf League’s non-Saudi backed plan getting a refreshed non-Raine Group rollout seems to be designed to generate discussion at next week’s U.S. Open inside the bubble.

But the news landing this week highlights just how embarrassing the PGA Tour’s “product” can be in weeks when a 156-player field is rolled out despite no demands to see that many players for another stroke play event.

The PGA Tour incentivizes executives to create playing opportunities and purse growth, no matter how much if dilutes the product. Not many businesses I can think of would succeed that way.

Therefore this week’s Canadian Open replacement event turns up at a remote club in South Carolina featuring 156 players. Many had to be awakened from their backyard hammock to get down to South Carolina in time.

Or worse, in Tommy Gainey’s case, they passed to play the Korn Ferry event instead.

Hey congrats you’ve been called up to the Show! Wait, what? You want to stay in the minors?

What perfect timing for the Premier Golf League to highlight how the PGA Tour product can be so unnecessarily warped, bloated and unnecessarily weak. Imagne playing events where the priority is on providing work for golfers and executives instead of something a tad more aspirational for the people who pay the bills?

And they wonder why there are competing ideas to blow up the current model.

Look at the WD’s this week and the replacements. As Brendan Porath noted in the Tweet embedded above, what a contrast to Golf’s Longest Day where the lowest scores go to the U.S. Open. Granted, the various disruptor leagues are anything but democratic. Seems like something in between would be ideal for fans and the world’s best. And nothing against Omar Uresti, but no one is paying to watch him play on the PGA Tour…

4/

Field ▲ → #PalmettoChampionship

OUT
Tommy Gainey (sticking w/ the @BMWCharityProAm; he's 48th in @KornFerryTour points)

IN
Derek Ernst (alternate) https://t.co/1FwB86SU1k

— Rob Bolton (@RobBoltonGolf) June 6, 2021

7/

Field ▲ → #PalmettoChampionship

OUT
Branden Grace

IN
Carl Pettersson (alternate) https://t.co/r3Xe5Gs8iI

— Rob Bolton (@RobBoltonGolf) June 7, 2021

8/

Field ▲ → #PalmettoChampionship

OUT
Danny Willett

IN
Daniel Chopra (alternate) https://t.co/yBT9wSVies

— Rob Bolton (@RobBoltonGolf) June 7, 2021

9/

Field ▲ → #PalmettoChampionship

OUT
Daniel Chopra (effectively turning down the spot as the previous alternate)

IN
Omar Uresti (alternate) https://t.co/JzC57SvtXe

— Rob Bolton (@RobBoltonGolf) June 7, 2021

10/

Field ▲s → #PalmettoChampionship

OUT
Sung Kang
Nate Lashley

IN
Mark Hensby (alternate)
Ted Purdy (alternate) https://t.co/566Fr1u22Y

— Rob Bolton (@RobBoltonGolf) June 8, 2021