"What’s it like to caddie with Tiger Woods? Incredible..."

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Golf.com’s Dylan Dethier tracked down Alex Fernandez, whose son was recently paired with Charlie Woods and his caddie, Tiger. While I’m never comfortable with the viral photos shared of Woods’ children just being kids, unless shared by Tiger, Dethier does a nice job addressing what it’s like to be at a U.S. Kids event where one of the two best to ever play the game is a looper.

It’s a long story about how things played out, including how young Fernandez had his instructor on the bag. But it’s a fun read and doesn’t feel intrusive. There is also this point that was largely all I could think about:

Better yet, Jonah had acquitted himself well. “I was so proud of him because he just played so well,” Payne said. “I don’t mean like, scores, I’m not going to talk about that. But I can’t imagine being 11 and trying to play golf in front of Tiger Woods. It was awesome.”

A Tradition Without Any Others: Considering A Masters Minus Roars

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Jeremy Krinn on Twitter gets the credit for the take on Jim Nantz’s Masters motto above.

As for this new, hopefully short-lived tradition, ESPN.com’s Bob Harig reminds us how much Tiger Woods fed off of crowd support in winning the 2019 Masters.

"It was special to have that kind of support, that kind of backing,'' Woods said last fall. "I was going up against the best players in the world. I was trying to come from behind for the first time [to win a major]. And that support was so important.''

Woods clearly understands the current circumstances. He said as much last week at the PGA Championship, where there were no spectators. Golf has done tremendously well in this climate for more than two months, playing each week behind closed doors.

And having the television product for an unprecedented November at Augusta National will still be a highly anticipated and hugely interesting sporting event, with anticipation centering around the look of the place in the fall, how it will play and all manner of golf-related aspects to a year that is off the rails.

One question also answered by Harig: for the first time, there will be merchandise sold online to some. Presumably it’ll lean heavily toward items already made sporting 2020.

It will offer those who had tickets or badges for this year a special "exclusive'' opportunity to buy merchandise online, a potential windfall but one that can't make up for all the hardship of this year.

What Rust? Refreshed Tiger Gets The Better Of McIlroy, Thomas At The PGA

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My story for The Athletic on Tiger’s solid opening round at Harding Park focused on the weird start, group vibe and Tiger’s slight miss at 8 that prevented an opening 67.

ESPN.com’s Bob Harig focused on a similar theme—the surreal start to the round when three of the game’s biggest names were met with silence.

Alan Shipnuck at Golf.com focused on Tiger’s ability to get the most out a so-so day.

Highlights from the featured group that goes at 1:58 pm PT Friday.



And Then Tiger Said To Rory: "That's how much we hate the Giants. I wouldn't do it."

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The CBS crew and ESPN+ broadcast had plenty of focus on the Featured Group of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, which meant we ended up hearing more than maybe they expected as the players waited on the 4th tee

In a nutshell, Tiger explained to Rory why Dodger fans don’t like the Giants-themed golf bags this week, why both think the NFL is doomed and why Tiger does not see MLB lasting past another outbreak.

Rex Hoggard breaks down the conversations here at GolfChannel.com as they looked at McIlroy’s bag.

“Giants’ colors, couldn’t do it,” Woods said.

“I don’t know enough about baseball,” McIlroy said.

“What team do you root for back home? Soccer?” Woods asked.

The Northern Irishman is a Manchester United fan.

“So, Liverpool. It would be like having Liverpool colors on your bag,” Woods said. “That’s how much we hate the Giants. I wouldn’t do it.”

The clip:

Tiger On Chilly Harding Park: "The ball doesn't fly very far here."

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There wasn’t much from Tiger’s press conference/Zoom Tuesday at Harding Park. He was sharp, all smiles and sounding confident in a quest to win major No. 16.

Bob Harig at ESPN.com covered the most pertinent details, including the lower back talk.

And with temperatures hovering in the 50s in the mornings and likely to not reach 70 for most of the week, the ability to get loose will be part of the struggle for Woods.

"I think that for me when it's cooler like this it's just make sure that my core stays warm, layering up properly," he said. "I know I won't have the same range of motion as I would back home in Florida, where it's 95 [degrees] every day. That's just the way it is.

"Talking to some of the guys yesterday, they were laughing at their TrackMan [a measuring device] numbers already. They don't have the swing speed or ball speed they did last week. It's just the way it is. It's going to be playing longer. It's heavy air weather and whether the wind blows or not, it's still going to be heavy. The ball doesn't fly very far here."

There is also the matter of his putting, which clearly was a focus Monday when he played nine (he did not play Tuesday).

Late in the day Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis tweeted out that a putter change is in store:

Woods did well on the tee time draw. He goes at 8:33 am Thursday with personality and speed compatible peers in Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. He also avoids the quick turnaround of a late/early tee time start, something that appeared to be an issue at last month’s Memorial.

The full field tee times can be viewed here.

Tiger Appears Focused And Ready For The PGA At Harding Park

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Not that I’m saying he’s come to some events unprepared, but there was definitely an urgency to the Monday proceedings at Harding Park. Getting comfortable on the green was the primary focus, particualrly given that his swing, ball-striking and body all appear ready to go.

—Short game consultant Matt Killen went nine holes with him and they discussed his putting at times.

—He played one of his approach shots as if a real putt, but with Joe LaCava giving his read first, then consulting the green reading charts, before putting.

—Woods practiced putting one-handed a few times

—Flexibility appeared excellent despite the cool conditions. No 80% swings as we’ve seen in run-ups or early week of majors.

—He took some big swipes at tee shots and reached the 607-yard 4th hole in when the fog had rolled in. His back clearly feels good.

—Mood was great, relaxed and focused.

A couple of Tweets I shared of his swing and putting one-handed:

ESPN.com’s Bob Harig made this observation:

Tiger, Jack Tied For The Open (For The Ages) Lead At St Andrews

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Seve and Nick Faldo are just a stroke back! Louis Oosthuizen is just two back with a tight grip on low nightmare. This board is stacked! Golf Channel has the broadcast from 6-9 am ET Sunday, with TheOpen.com and YouTube also options.

The game story writer is already prepping us to not expect a Tiger-Jack runaway.

While much attention will focus on Sunday’s final pairing, a host of star names remain firmly in contention just behind Woods and Nicklaus.

The penultimate group will feature Seve Ballesteros and Sir Nick Faldo, the Champions at St Andrews in 1984 and 1990 respectively. Ballesteros and Faldo are only a shot off the pace after round three, along with five-time Champion Golfer Tom Watson, who is out in the third-last group with Louis Oosthuizen.

The Champion Golfer of the Year at the Old Course in 2010, Oosthuizen is two behind the leaders with 18 holes to play. John Daly and Jordan Spieth will also start the final round on 10 under and play together in another intriguing match-up.

Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els are the other feature pairing, although both sit nine shots adrift of Woods and Nicklaus.

The third round highlights:

Woods Looks Solid In Return After Five Month Break

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Opening the blustery Memorial with a one-under 71, Tiger Woods appeared sound physically and played a calm, mostly-rust free round alongside Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka. Either he’s swinging at about 80%, as he did in the successful run-up to the 2019 Masters, or maybe his flowing swing of today looks slower thanks to Bryson’s recent slashing.

Either way, the combined sight of such good tempo and seemingly effortless accuracy suggests he’s well positioned for the upcoming majors.

From Steve DiMeglio’s story, noting just how tough the winds were when the all-star threesome teed off, and Woods’ struggle to make putts.

“I was very pleased the way I drove it, my feel for my irons. I just didn’t quite hit the putts hard enough. Most of my putts were dying, didn’t quite have enough oomph to it.”

Tiger Tracker was pleased with the performance too, noting that either poor positioning or a conservative approach led to only one par-5 birdie. Woods hit 8 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens.

ESPN.com’s Mike Wells focused on the odd sight of Tiger Woods playing before no gallery, the perks that came with it and any different vibes.

"I definitely didn't have any issue with energy and not having the fans' reactions out there," Woods said. "I still felt the same eagerness, edginess, nerviness starting out, and it was good. It was a good feel. I haven't felt this in a while."

The round highlights:

In the opening round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide 2020, Tiger Woods carded a 1-under 71, placing him five strokes off the lead heading ...

Even Tiger Watched Last Week's Workday Thriller On His Computer

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Tiger Woods returned to Muirfield Village for a practice round with Justin Thomas and spoke to media soon after. The session didn’t reveal much, though the big buried lede came when discussing last week’s Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village when Collin Morikawa and Thomas went to a playoff.

Tiger revealed that he was watching on his computer like most after CBS successfully produced excellent live early round coverage for Golf Channel, then sent viewers to its app and website to watch continuing live coverage all so the final round could be shown on tape in its regularly scheduled time slot.

Q. You've been in this situation before, too, but I'm sure you saw on Sunday J.T. holes a 50-footer. If there's a crowd around like Memorial usually gets and they react to it, how much harder is it for Collin to make his putt?

TIGER WOODS: A lot more difficult. I just think that the energy -- even it felt weird as I was watching on my computer at home, like 14, when Collin hit the ball on the green there, and granted, they've never had the tees up there during the Memorial event, but if they were and had that same situation during a Memorial event, to have someone drive the ball on the green that close to the hole, I mean, that whole hillside would have been going nuts.

Now, I’m speculating here, but work with me: Tiger Woods went to Stanford, he has a big yacht, he loves sports, and watches a lot of those sports on TV in the comfort of his home. I’m thinking he has a pretty nice TV setup, maybe even a “guy” who set up a sweet system complete with surround sound, Sonos through the estate and every channel known to man.

And he went to his computer to watch the live stream because, well, it was just easier.

Yep, streaming still stinks.

Anyway, speaking of going nuts: imagine if Tiger’s in contention for historic win No. 83 this week and storms again force tee times to move up (50% chance for Sunday as of now).

Could this mean a repeat of last week’s complicated and unsatisfying approach to serving viewers?

“Going nuts” is one way to think of how the sports viewing public will behave if it’s deja vu all over again.

Tiger Checks In On His Peter Hay Course Revamp, Detailed Plans Unveiled

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We got an update and plan of the in-progress updating of Pebble Beach’s Peter Hay Course, adjacent to the Lodge and becoming a big kids pitch and putt. Also great to see it is the plan to have a putting course.

For Immediate Release:

Pebble Beach Company and Tiger Woods release plans for reimagined short course facility at Pebble Beach

New facility will include a nine-hole par-3 short course, a putting course, and an indoor/outdoor food and beverage venue overlooking one of the Resort’s most stunning views
 
PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF. (June 18, 2020) – Pebble Beach Company and Tiger Woods, through his TGR Design firm, today released plans to transform the former site of Peter Hay Golf Course. Located directly between the Pebble Beach Pro Shop and Golf Academy, the new facility will include:
 
• A short course comprised of nine par-3 holes ranging in length from 47 to 106 yards and measuring 670 yards in total;

• A 20,000-square-foot putting course that can be set up in a variety of different hole and routing combinations; and

• A 5,000-square-foot food and beverage venue featuring a full kitchen and bar, indoor seating, and the resort’s largest outdoor patio positioned for expansive views of the short course, putting course, Carmel Bay, and Point Lobos
 
“We are thrilled to elevate the quality of our short course to a level consistent with our other world-class golf courses,” said Bill Perocchi, Chief Executive Officer of Pebble Beach Company. “You can see the genius of Tiger Woods and TGR Design come to life when you walk the site, the way it all fits together. I expect all aspects of this new facility will be very popular for junior golf events, Resort golfers, outings, resident hang-outs, and everything in between.”

Woods’ design philosophy for the short course is anchored on playability and creativity. His vision is that the course will draw new players to the game, bring families together, and provide a fun golf experience for players of all ages and abilities, while still offering a challenge for skilled players.

“Everyone who plays this golf course is going to enjoy the playability of it,” said Woods. “Golfers will have the choice to play nearly any club off most tees and around the greens, which will make them think and channel their creativity. It will also play differently from day to day depending on the tee and hole locations and wind direction. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to play it.”

In shaping the new course, Woods’ inspiration resulted in dramatic terrain movement and nine holes entirely distinct from the old course. He also reoriented the routing to better capture the views, with four holes now playing directly toward Carmel Bay.

In addition, Woods aligned each hole’s yardage to correspond with a significant year in Pebble Beach history, with accompanying plaques on each tee telling a story and creating the sense guests are walking amongst the Resort’s rich championship heritage as they play. The only exception is the course’s second hole, which will be an exact replica of the famous seventh hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Oh why not just go all 1929 in that replica while we’re at it!

“Pebble Beach is such an iconic golf destination, we want guests to feel the entirety of that spirit when they play this course. We also know not everyone who comes to Pebble Beach will have a chance to play the U.S. Open course, so we wanted to create the opportunity for all visitors to experience one of its most famous holes,” Woods added.

The Grand Opening of the entire facility is currently scheduled for the Spring of 2021.

Pictures from TGR Design of Tiger making a visit:

Four Golfers Make Forbes Top 100 Highest Paid Athletes

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While the coronavirus cut into earnings of several athletes, particularly in baseball, the annual Forbes list retained four golfers (down from five), with Tiger Woods leading the way in golf, landing 8th.

It’s the same four as four years ago, only in different positions this time: #8 Tiger Woods ($62.3 million combined endorsement and on-course earnings), #14 Rory McIlroy ($52 million), #25 Phil Mickelson ($40.8 million) and #52 Jordan Spieth ($27.6 million).

Winners And Losers From The Match 2: Champions For Charity

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Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods returned for a second edition of The Match. The weather was awful, the course a tricky one to maneuver for crews and two legendary quarterbacks were thrown onto national TV with golf clubs. What could go right?

Yet…

Winners

Phil Mickelson – When he’s on and invested, he’s a master entertainer. He dropped only one early groaner followed by high energy and fun. The 11th hole drive and commentary falls into the first team all-legendary TV category. It should be a Callaway commercial. Now interrupting this post for an embed:

Tiger – There will be plenty of wondering what might have been at the Masters, PGA and U.S. Open given his ballstriking performance. Then again, the break may have been Either way, good to see him looking and playing well. He wasn’t excessively chatty but did deliver one especially fun zinger.

The legendary quarterbacks – They played incredibly well given the circumstances and in particular, Tom Brady’s painful struggle to find his swing. Peyton Manning delivered strong energy, one extra-special zinger and charmingly dated Top Gun references, while Brady delivered the shot that’ll be seen on every national highlight show. The Brady hole-out, also worthy of interrupting this blog post:

Justin Thomas, Charles Barkley, Brian Anderson—Three guys who either never or rarely do golf were the stars mostly because they knew when to chime in and when to let the players shine.  Thomas’s knowledge of the course and quick adoption of the medium was impressive, particularly confidently and succinctly he delivered his points.  

Turner – They clearly learned from The Match 1 and improved under brutal working conditions. Pile on awful weather, physical distancing requirements, an untested format and losing the Goodyear blimp to rain, and Champions for Charity should have been an unmitigated television disaster. Early on, things appeared headed that way but the energy and pace issues were a result of a 45-minute rain delay and the dreaded energy sapping format known as best ball golf. Strong graphics and tracer work was also turned in by producer Jeff Neubarth and director Steve Beim’s crew.

Sound – Of course there were a ton of issues, but even those turned slightly comical when players were zooming off the tee and unable to hear questions posed to them. The unintentional icing-out effect was cute. But given the crappy conditions and difficulties posed by trying to have players wear both a microphone and IFB for sound, the overall performance was beyond admirable. A nod to the announcers for laying out well for player dialogue after maybe overdoing the silence early on.

Modified Alternate Shot – Once this format took over on the back nine, the pace completely changed. I fear a lot of viewers were lost due to the front nine’s sluggish best-ball format. Their loss, but no one could blame them. Instead, point the finger at best ball.

Cart cams – what seemed like a huge optics nightmare—grown men and rich athletes whizzing around in their personalized decked-out carts—turned into a positive with cameras situated on the inside and the ability (sometimes) to converse with them. And was it me or where those carts moving a bit more rapidly than your normal buggy?

Charity – A whopping $20 million was raised by the assorted sponsors, pledges and viewers. 

Medalist’s drainage – Given the rain and being situated on a swamp, to see the ball rolling and the greens retain speed after being under water when TNT came on the air, a miracle really.

Ernie Johnson - He’s a national treasure and great Barkley foil, but wasn’t able to make it for reasons he explained in this emotional piece that ran early in the show:

Losers

Tom Brady’s Under Armour pants – They split in the fabric—not the seam— and the big reveal came as he went to pick up his hole-out. They’ll be shipping those to UA headquarters for forensic analysis. **Brady later Tweets a suggestion they were NOT UA pants.

Even Brady had fun with it after the match:

Tiger’s “shorts” - No, they were not cut off rain pants. And they were predictably mocked on Twitter.

Most golf television golf commentators — The freedom of the Turner crew demonstrated how locked up and stale most golf broadcasters have become trying to cheer-lead in a losing battle to fend off PGA Tour censors, agents and other assorted overmeddling point-missers.

Best-ball – It just takes forever. And rarely is the format that good. Granted, the front nine best-ball format of Champions For Charity was better than two-man Skins (!?), but that’s not a high bar. Remember, the Scots have it right even if they may grovel at the “modified” notion. More alternate shot please.

Caddies – it was a rough two weeks for the bagmen of the world. First the lads carried their clubs around Seminole and it was the highlight. Then, even in awful conditions, the loopers left at home were not really missed. Sorry!

That Weird Mid-round Intermission – I’m sure there were logistical and bill-paying reasons but the mid-round intermission was a huge buzzkill.

Florida – In a statement to GeoffShackelford.com, the local Chamber of Commerce: “We are still investigating whether that was the Bahamas or somewhere in South Carolina, not our state for sure.”

Taylor Made Driving Relief – The PGA Tour Entertainment/NBC/Golf Channel precursor was well-intentioned and fine in the grand scheme. But with a pair of buzzkill guest appearances, and despite a better venue and weather, ended up feeling a bit too much like an empty make-good vessel than a chance to lose ourselves in a few hours of fun.

While both of these fundraising events faced hurdles created by the COVID-19 and The Match 2 obviously featured more dynamic participants, the latter provided escapist entertainment and generated four times the funds. So while there should be no winners, Champions For Charity takes this one 6&5 despite having a similar number of pre-planned obligations, promos and an A-Rod appearance. The Match 3? Why not!

The Match (2) Is Here With Lofty Charitable Goals, Souped-Up Golf Carts And Ill-Fitting Dad Shorts On Full Display

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The carts are freshly painted, primed, sterilized (for the times) and fully charged. If only they were racing might I be more excited for The Match 2, aka Champions For Charity, featuring Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning taking on Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady.

(TNT has the coverage starting at 3 pm ET and the goal is to raise a minimum of $10 million.)

So yes, a lot will be raised for charity and while the Medalist is no Seminole, the fun factor of two legendary athletes willing to subject themselves to the cruelty of golf in front of millions is way more appealing than last Sunday’s poorly-conceived team Skins Game pancake.

Dylan Dethier has the prop bets in case the early pick 4 at Charles Town is your thing. Sadly, no bets are offered on who wears the worst dad shorts, though Tiger would open as an early -400 favorite based on the above practice round photo.

The four players will each take a cart, leading to this dreadful optic in a time of pandemic:

The forecast, as of Saturday, was not great. But fingers crossed they will get the match in. With Monday beings Memorial Day, it’s apparently an option if storms materialize.

Charles Barkley Discusses The Match (2), NCAA's Push To Return

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Part of this Sunday’s Champions For Charity TNT broadcast team, Charles Barkley appeared on Anderson Cooper Live to plug the matches, his involvement trying to play one hole to help raise funds (yay!) and he was asked about breaking NCAA news. Worth a listen.

Phil On Brady And Manning In Sunday's Match: "There is going to be a unique pressure"

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USA Today’s Steve DiMeglio talks to Phil Mickelson about Sunday’s charity match fearing Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning vs. Mickelson/Tom Brady.

I’ve heard some apathy at the event despite what could be huge amounts of charitable dollars raised, but lost in some of that is just how difficult this will be for Brady and Manning. After all, we saw loose shots from four elite players in last Sunday’s TaylorMade Driving Relief event, and Mickelson notes that the two legendary quarterbacks will undoubtedly be humiliated by the game on national TV.

This alternate-shot wrinkle puts a lot of pressure on Brady and Manning.

“I give them a lot of credit for putting themselves out there because there is going to be a unique pressure,” Mickelson said. “But that’s why it’s going to be so much fun, because we are going to have mishaps and we are going to have some bad shots and we are going to laugh at ourselves.”

Mickelson also said there will be plenty of ribbing, unlike the near silence during his and Woods’ first match in Las Vegas. Each of the four players will be mic’d up, with each riding in their own cart. There will be no caddies or spectators.

I wish they could revisit the carts part, as it was pretty refreshing watching Rory and friends carrying their clubs Sunday.