Note To Five Families: Kang, Perry, Stanley Win Impressively; But Pro Golf Shoots Itself In The Foot Today

While the 2017 editions of the KPMG Women's PGA, U.S. Senior Open and Quicken Loans National probably won't be talked about a century from now, each featured enough intrigue for a sports fan to savor. Yet each started and finished at almost the same time on a summer Sunday in the United States.

Former USGA communications director Joe Goode wondered if this was a good or bad thing.

.@GeoffShac @USGA @PGATOUR @LPGA simultaneously airing golf on 3 separate networks. Flawed scheduling or smart programming?

— Joe Goode (@JLGoode3) July 2, 2017

Put me down for seriously flawed programming.

Even with the July 4th holiday falling on a Tuesday, therefore opening up Monday July 3rd as a de facto holiday, three golf tournaments went head to head for no good reason. With each played at compelling venues that alone would attract viewers (Salem CC, Olympia Fields, TPC Potomac), they competed for viewers on a Sunday that not only failed fans, but will fuel the ratings decline narrative.

Next time the five families meet, perhaps they can bring calendars along to their meetings and kick around a way to spread the viewing love. A Monday finish most likely would not have hurt any one of the three, particularly the Quicken Loans, where galleries were thin.

More importantly, tours that too often serve the needs of players over fans fail their players by asking them to compete for the public's attention.

End of rant, beginning of celebration.

The best story of the day and one of the most heartwarming of the year revolved around Danielle Kang breaking through to win her first LPGA Tour event and more importantly, first professional major.

A two-time U.S. Amateur champion, Kang's road to professional success was derailed by heartbreak over the loss of her father to cancer.

Randall Mell writes for GolfChannel.com that Kang would have given anything to have the person who caddied for her in those U.S. Amateur wins present for the pro breakthrough.

“I don't know what it would have felt like to win right away as a rookie,” Kang said. “However, if I could wish anything, I would wish that my dad saw me win.”

Kang’s father died from brain and lung cancer during her second LPGA season.

K.S. Kang was Danielle’s caddie for her U.S. Women’s amateur victories in 2010 and ‘11

“I think that it's been a really difficult road for me for the past four or five years,” Kang said. “It’s life, though. You have to pick yourself up, and you have to keep working hard at it, and then believe in what you're doing, and not letting yourself down.”

Bill Fields of ESPNW on the important role of Kang's Web.com Tour playing brother Alex.

When the tour made its Asia swing that fall, K.S., despite being gravely ill with brain cancer that metastasized to his lungs, watched Danielle play in two events. Three days after traveling to Japan to be with her at the Mizuno Classic in November, he went into a coma. After his death, the bond between his children, already strong, increased. The siblings communicate a couple of dozen times most days, according to their mother, and Alex offered Danielle valuable strategic advice about Olympia Fields.

"She was not the same girl, but her brother, he kept taking her out to play," Lee said of the period after K.S. died. "Her brother is like her dad almost."

If you were touched by Kang's triumph over Brooke Henderson, you won't want to miss Beth Ann Nichols' Golfweek story that includes some great behind the scenes insights, including a note from mom, Kang's Sherwood CC fans that texted after the win, and her tight bond with Michelle Wie.

A teary-eyed Bo Wie, mother of Michelle, came over a few minutes later for a hug. Michelle Wie and Kang are so close they started a lifestyle blog together, though they’ve been lax in updating it lately. There’s certainly something worthy of writing about now.

Wie, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open winner, said they’ve been in constant contact this week.

“If I don’t text her in six hours she sends me 50 messages,” Wie said, grinning.
In fact, they’ve formed their own book club of sorts. A restless Danielle tried to get lost in the book prior to the final round.

The final round highlights from Golf Central:

As for the other events, Kenny Perry took home the U.S. Senior Open trophy in a two-man battle with Kirk Triplett at charming Salem Country Club. 

Jeff Babineau's Golfweek.com account on the incredible, record-breaking performance.

And Kevin Casey has the lowdown on Kyle Stanley's playoff win over Charles Howell at the Quicken Loans National.

As Steve DiMeglio points out from Maryland, the playoff loss for Howell was his first start in 9 weeks.

Video: PGA CEO Explains Possible May Move To Members

PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua lays out the timing, thinking and state of discussions to move the PGA Championship to May in coordination with the PGA Tour. The comments were directed at PGA of America members.

It was most intriguing to hear his comments on the changing sports landscape, which I take as he, Jay Monahan and others genuinely seeing that the long term health of their events will be strengthened by a tighter golf window before fall sports take over.

PGA CEO Pete Bevacqua from PGA of America on Vimeo.

Jack Welcomes PGA Championship Move To May, Floats Muirfield Village As PGA Option

ESPN.com's Bob Harig on Jack Nicklaus' extensive comments endorsing a Players move to March, a PGA Championship to May and the end of the golf season by Labor Day weekend.

Interestingly, in the remarks I saw, Mr. Nicklaus suggested much of the decision-making at this point is in PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan's court, not the PGA Of America's.

Harig writes:

That would make The Open the last major championship and would clear the way for the PGA Tour to conclude its season earlier by moving its FedEx Cup playoff series, with the idea of finishing by Labor Day.

"To do that, [Monahan] has many moving parts,'' Nicklaus said. "But he wanted us to know he wasn't going to slight us in any way, he wants to encourage us and promote us.''

Nicklaus noted the "dismal" Tour Championship ratings and endorsed the new order of the majors, including the tighter window for play.

"It would bring the majors a little closer together,'' he said. "April [Masters], May [PGA], June [U.S. Open] and July [The Open]. I think that's good, too.''

In a suggestion that we could end up with only May PGA Championships in Olympic years, Nicklaus said he has discussed swapping out a Memorial for a PGA with the five families.

Nick Menta writing for GolfChannel.com:

If Muirfield were to host a future PGA, that would necessitate either a temporary change of venue for the Memorial or, as Nicklaus brought up himself, “a year off.”

“If we took a year off the Memorial Tournament, I’m not sure I’d want to do that or not. I’m not sure that’s what we want for our brand, our tournament. But whatever is best for the game of golf and however it works, I’m more than happy to about it and try to do it.”

Pressed on the issue of a PGA Championship at Muirfield later on, Nicklaus clarified, “I said we would consider it.”

Southern Hills Lands PGA TBD, Senior PGA

The PGA of America is returning to Southern Hills in a big way, awarding the Senior PGA in 2021 and a PGA Championship some time between "now and 2030." The uncertain timing suggests the venue is on standby as a possible replacement course should the PGA Championship move to May, or should they choose to replace an upcoming venue for any other reason. The intrigue!

Too late to replace Bellerive next year? Sorry...

For Immediate Release:

PGA of America to Conduct PGA Championship and KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (May 30, 2017) – The PGA of America announced today that it will host two different major championships at Southern Hills Country Club, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between now and 2030.

Southern Hills will host the 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship—the most historic and prestigious major championship in senior golf—and also will be the venue for a PGA Championship no later than 2030.

This will be a record fifth time that Southern Hills has staged the PGA Championship, one of golf’s four men’s major championships. In 2021, the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, the most historic event in senior golf, will make its second visit to Oklahoma as it debuts at Southern Hills.

Founded in 1936, Southern Hills has hosted seven previous major championships, beginning with the 1958 U.S. Open won by Tommy Bolt through Tiger Woods’ PGA Championship triumph in 2007, when he captured the Wanamaker Trophy for a fourth time.

Southern Hills also hosted the 1970 PGA Championship (won by Dave Stockton), 1977 U.S. Open (Hubert Green), 1982 PGA Championship (Raymond Floyd), 1994 PGA Championship (Nick Price) and 2001 U.S. Open (Retief Goosen).

“Few American golf venues match the legacy and record of excellence of Southern Hills Country Club,” said PGA of America President Paul Levy. “Some of our sport’s greatest names have walked these fairways and etched their name in major championship history. The PGA of America is proud to once again connect with Southern Hills, its membership and the great sports fans of Oklahoma. We are confident Southern Hills will continue to attract respective world-class fields for both the PGA Championship and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.”

With the announcement, Southern Hills’ history of hosting major golf championships will encompass more than 80 years. Southern Hills will also become the 13th venue to host both a PGA Championship and a KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.

“We’re thrilled to again partner with the PGA of America and host a pair of championships of this caliber,” said Southern Hills President Craig Bothwell. “Major championship golf is a part of Southern Hills’ heritage, but we could not make this happen without the unending support of our dedicated membership, the sporting passion of the greater Tulsa community and the welcoming spirit of our proven volunteer network.”

The PGA Championship is the only all-professional major in men’s golf. It began in 1916, just months after the birth of the PGA of America and today features one of the deepest international fields in golf. Since 1994, it has perennially featured the most top-100 players in the Official World Golf Rankings of all golf Championships.

The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, which will celebrate its 82nd edition in 2021 at Southern Hills, was born in 1937 at Augusta National Golf Club, three years after the first Masters Tournament. The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship is the most prestigious event in the game for PGA Members age 50-and-older.

The current future sites list:

              2017         Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina

              2018         Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, Missouri

              2019        Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, New York

              2020        TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California

              2021         The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island (South Carolina) Golf Resort

              2022        Trump International Golf Club, Bedminster, New Jersey

              2023        Oak Hill Country Club, Pittsford, New York

              2024-30* Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma
              * Date to be announced

Tulsa World's Facebook Live of the press conference:

Euro Tour Chief Anticipates PGA Championship Move, Agrees BMW PGA Would Work Well In September

European Tour Chief Keith Pelley visited Rich Lerner and Frank Nobilo during round two of the 2017 BMW PGA and mostly talked his new "product" geared at the kids.

“But golf needs something else, it needs something to attract a younger generation.”

At the 11:00 mark he is asked about the possible impact of a Players/PGA Championship switch on his tour and, specifically, the BMW PGA.

If in fact if the PGA Championship moved to May, which I anticipate that it will, we will have to look where is the best fit for the BMW PGA Championship. But obviously we would do everything around the majors.

Nobilo then made the case for early autumn at Wentworth and Pelley agreed that the conditions would be ideal, but lightly walking back how well the technology of maintenance now makes the current date fine, too. But it was pretty apparent that the European Tour sees an an ideal early fall slot for this event.

The full interview:

Euro Tour Chief Expecting Players/PGA Move Decision By August, Which Suggests The Verdict Is In

European Tour Chief Keith Pelley believes that a decision is coming this August on a blockbuster trade that has the Players moving to March, the PGA to May and three prospects going to an undisclosed tour.

Will Gray on the Chief's comments this week at the BMW PGA, which will be impacted should the PGA Championship move to May.

"It will depend on what they do in 2019," Pelley said. "The PGA of America says they're going to determine whether the PGA Championship is moved to May by the end of August this year. If that's the case, we are going to have to look at everything. We have plans right now, but there is no doubt that if those changes happen, the 2019 and 2020 schedule will be considerably different to 2018."

A cynical mind might say that given August being the PGA Championship's date, a decision has already been made subject to a few contract signings and conference calls.

Given the domino effect this decision will have on golf tournament schedules and other sporting events, there will certainly be added intrigue in Charlotte.

PGA President Levy: Decision On May PGA In Next Six Months

Thanks to reader PG for PGA President Paul Levy’s comments on Morning Drive today on the topic of a PGA Championship move to May.

Answering Cara Robinson’s question, Levy says the PGA of America is not yet committed to moving and is going to do what’s best for its championship, not necessarily what’s best for the PGA Tour.  He suggested the move has been studied for 18 months already and that we’ll see a “culmination” to that decision in the next six months.

His comments come at the 5:50 mark after talk of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Olympia Fields with LPGA Commish Mike Whan.

Morning Drive-Paul Levy, PGA & Mike Whan from PGA of America on Vimeo.

Weather Update: If The PGA Moves To May, Files

The first domino fell with a FedExCup renewal this week, and now the inevitable March move for the Players means the PGA Championship may move to...May, 2019 or 2020.

Assuming the PGA were played this week, here's a look at future venue cities, prospective markets or longtime host cities (Dallas, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Whistling Straits, Miami). This is today's weather (Thursday) screen-grabbed at midday ET.

This does not take into account any possible agronomic condition issues that would arise from playing earlier in the year, just tournament weather through Monday (just in case!). I don't think we'd be having much fun this week at Bethpage, Bedminster or Oak Hill.

2019, Bethpage:

2020, Harding Park

2021, Kiawah Island

2022, Trump National Golf Club (Bedminster, New Jersey)

2023, Oak Hill (Rochester, NY)

Future possibilities:

PGA CEO Hopes President Trump Gets More Public Courses Funded

Kevin Casey sums up Ahiza Garcia's CNN Money interview with PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua who makes the case that President Donald Trump, who has said he sees golf as aspirational, will go all FDR on us and include WPA-style golf construction projects as part of future infrastructure rebuilding efforts.

“That’s a powerful story because those golf courses are open to everybody, they’re very affordable, and now we’re bringing golf’s best and one of golf’s major championships to those public venues year after year,” Bevacqua said. “We think that’s a powerful signal for the game.”

Wells Fargo's Weak Field, Possible Pre-PGA Future

The PGA Tour moves this week for a one-off Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point, a 2000 Tom Fazio design renovated by Tom Fazio in 2015. The club's president, Bobby Long, is an Augusta National member and potential future club chairman.

With Quail Hollow resting up for its August PGA Championship turn, just seven of the world top 30 means the traditional Wells Fargo turnout is absent, Adam Schupak writes for MorningRead.com.

More interesting in Schupak's story is this comment from tournament director Kim Hougham, anticipating an eventual PGA Championship move to Mother's Day weekend in May.

Hougham didn't point fingers, but the biggest hit to his field has been the move beginning in 2007 of The Players Championship from March to May, a week after the Charlotte stop. There's a lot of talk of the Players’ returning to its March date as soon as 2019. Would that be a good thing for Wells Fargo?

"It depends," Hougham said. "It's a zero net gain if the PGA (Championship) moves to May. We'd be a week before a major."

Sounds like Kim knows something we don't!

PGA Of America "Divesting" St. Lucie Public Course, PGA Learning Center

In a letter to PGA Golf Club members, president Paul Levy announced the planned sale of the organization-owned St. Lucie Trail Golf Club and PGA Learning Center.

The PGA is retaining ownership of the rest of the PGA Golf Club facility in Port St. Lucie.

The letter to members of PGA Golf Club:

Attention buyers: St. Lucie gets solid reviews on GolfAdvisor.com.

More disconcerting, besides the sale of a public golf course at a time the PGA of America is so focused on growing the game, is the sale of the PGA Learning Center so close to their headquarters. Perhaps there is another element in the equation, but the "optics" are not great.

Lexi Fallout: Golf's Five Families Convene At Augusta...

"How did things ever get so far?"

"This Lexi business is going to destroy us for years go come."

I'm paraphrasing of course, but it's fun to imagine the professional tours--which let their players play slow, mark their golf balls constantly (unless it's a backboard for a playing partners)--whining about the Rules of Golf not having addressed issues related to HD and DVR's.

But as Jaime Diaz reported in Golf World, the Corleonie's, Barzini's and Tattaglia's of golf got together to bark at each other about Lexi Thompson's penalty at the ANA Inspiration.

There were intense exchanges in which tour leaders, worried about the perception of their products, argued that rules changes were needed posthaste to stop situations that fans and even players found unfair and nonsensical. The most aggrieved party was the LPGA, and its commissioner Mike Whan, who had publicly called the Thompson ruling “embarrassing.”

“I understand Mike’s perspective,” USGA executive director Mike Davis said. “This was hard on Lexi Thompson, and hard on Mike Whan. But it was not bad for the game, because this is exactly the kind of dialogue that good change comes out of.”

Something tells me that did not give Commissioner Whan a warm, fuzzy feeling.

And this is why we still have cause for concern, just as we did in the days after the Lexi situation.

Golf’s leaders hope that the public will come to regard the rules as better reflections of common sense and fairness. But ultimately, it’s unavoidable that they will be applied on a case-by-case basis.

In Thompson’s case, even under a new standard of intent and reasonable judgment, it’s not clear that she would have not been penalized. As the video shows, Thompson missed replacing on the correct spot by about half a ball. Half a ball doesn’t seem like a lot, but especially on a short putt, it constitutes a pretty bad mark.

Closed circuit cameras caught the meeting:

PGA Of America To Forbid Sweater Sales During New May PGA Championship

Fearing a backlash from veteran members, the PGA of America's planned shift to a May PGA Championship has been held up by an internal struggle over the organization's ties to the complicated art of sweater folding.

It turns out neither cool weather or television ratings have proven to be main stumbling blocks in the bold calendar move that will end the Championship's run as an August event. No, the last issue in making a May move official involves sweaters and how they are presented to shoppers in the PGA Championship Merchandise Center.

According to a MorningRead.com report by former PGA of America President Ted Bishop, the organization was set to announce the May, 2019 move following discussion about the agronomic ramifications of unseasonably cool weather years in northern regions. When a vote was to take place, the 19-member board of directors wondered cool spring weather might undo years of progressive initiatives highlighting how PGA Professionals are more than just experts at folding a lambswool half-zip. 

“A board member mentioned the S word," a source told Bishop, referring to the insensitive phrase sweater-folder. "That's when the repressed emotions and deep-seated fears came out. It wasn't pretty."

The source revealed the comment of another board member.

"The first spectator who walks into the merchandise tent and sees someone folding a sweater will associate us with the very thing we’ve worked so hard to move on from, so we just can't move to May without further exploration,” one board member reportedly announced.

Bishop’s report says the PGA of America’s current solution is to simply ban the sales of sweaters at the PGA Championship no matter how chilly the temperatures get in Rochester or on Long Island. Another source says there will be a last minute attempt to have the PGA Tour make up for lost cool-weather gear revenue since the Tour spearheaded the schedule shake-up.

“Maybe it’s sweet justice,” the source told MorningRead.com, "that the flatbellies have to pay out of their Lululimen pockets after decades of disrespecting proper soft-goods merchandising. Just because they don't wear cotton anymore doesn't mean they should disrespect those who know how to work with natural fibers.”

The term “sweater-folder” has been used in derogatory fashion by vengeful club board members and retail reps spurned by club professionals who ignored suggestions to stock $350 cashmere V-necks. While the term's origins are unclear, golf historians believe the apocryphal roots of the epithet trace to 1958 in the Winged Foot restroom. Legendary pro Claude Harmon is said to have overheard a member conversation when he went to the upper level of the men’s locker room moments after having been spotted neatly restoring three folding-unfriendly Alpaca cardigans to their factory-folded state.

Since that fateful morning, hurt caused by the term has driven some out of the business altogether and is considered so toxic that the PGA of America is set to do the unimaginable: forsake revenue.

SI Players Poll: 66% Favor Players Move To March, PGA To May

As always the SI/Golf.com players poll features a nice mix of fun and provocative questions, and while there several to chew on, the drumbeat of talk about a PGA Championship move to May is building.

The players are on board...until the check out the mid-May forecast for Rochester.

Should the Players Championship be moved to March and the PGA to May?

YES: 66%

NO: 22%

Don't know: 12%

Loose lips: "That would be a much better fit."
"We have to, if we want to avoid competing with the NFL."

PGA Tour Not Likely To Be Allowing Shorts Anytime Soon

Former PGA of America president Ted Bishop suggests the organization he once served jumped the gun on allowing shorts at their major, solidifying it as the fourth of four and clearly not coordinating this European Tour-driven idea with the PGA Tour.

It's worth noting in the quote below that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, more progressive than his predecessor, cites the pro-am appearance as a legitimately good reason for not budging. After all, do you want your picture taken with someone who looks like a professional in uniform, or in shorts looking like it's a casual round?

It appears that the PGA Tour was not consulted by the PGA this time. Similar to yanking the Fall Series from the Ryder Cup points system, the PGA of America pulled the trigger on a new shorts policy to the apparent surprise of the Tour. I’m not saying that the PGA needs to ask the Tour for permission to do anything, but when a policy affects both organizations, collaboration should be required. It’s another example of the PGA being shortsighted.

In a statement, Monahan pointed to the Tour’s unique relationship with sponsors during Wednesday pro-am rounds.

“That special experience, which no other sport can provide – where one of the world’s best players can play alongside two, three or four amateurs and those amateurs can look at that player playing the same clothes, the same club, the same course over the next four days – we think that’s really special,” he said. “We want to do everything we can to protect that.”