Mary Ann Wakefield (84) Sinks Full Length Court Putt, Wins Car
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Halftime of an Ole Miss basketball game got a lot more exciting when 84-year-old Mary Ann Wakefield drained a 94-foot, full court putt to win a new car.
When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
WSJ: " The Controversial Past of the Tycoon Behind the Astros" (And The Houston Open)
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The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton and Jared Diamond look at the more sordid moments in Jim Crane’s business career and circumstances surrounding Major League Baseball’s vetting of his 2011 Astro’s purchase for $685 million.
The story implies Commissioner Bud Selig ordered more extensive vetting than normal given the cultural issues at Crane’s business, including allegations of discrimination against minorities and women, as well as a case of war profiteering.
As with the continuing Astros cheating saga, Crane was never proven with direct links to any of the questionable acts and eventually, baseball pushed the sale through.
The people say Crane had a couple important factors on his side that helped usher the deal through. For one, he was willing to move the Astros to the American League, a move others were unwilling to make. MLB was so keen on making this happen that Crane wound up receiving a roughly 10% discount on his purchase price.
“The negotiation of the Astros move to the American League was the driving factor in the length of the vetting process,” said Giles Kibbe, the Astros’ senior vice president and general counsel. “Switching from the National to American League required renegotiation of terms, which took months.”
Moreover, there was that price: Even with the discount, it was among the highest ever for a baseball franchise, and a rich sale has the effect of boosting club values for all owners across the league.
Crane was instrumental in saving the PGA Tour’s Houston Open, and also in pushing out its longtime operators at the Houston Golf Association.
The announcement also means the Houston Golf Association is no longer the host organization of the Houston Open after 72 years. The HGA already has been cutting its staff, though executive director Steve Timms said it will remain active in its successful junior golf programs -- which includes The First Tee -- amateur tournaments and a municipal golf project to restore city golf courses in Houston.
The 2020 playing is scheduled for November 9-15th at the freshly renovated Memorial Park.
Never Worry About The Old Course First Tee Shot Again
/There is no more nerve-wracking tee shot in golf than the opening hole at the Old Course.
There’s the history, the gallery and the mystery of whoever is watching behind those tinted Royal and Ancient windows. Oh, and it’s about a wide of a landing area as you can get.
And I’m confident, should you be worried, that this gem nobly shared in response to a Zac Blair question, will alleviate all concerns you will look foolish should the Old Course opportunity arise. Thanks to reader Brian for catching this.
Note that it appears the ball remains in bounds. Glad the tees were up!
Of Course Patrick Reed Wins After A Long Week, DeChambeau Congratulates His Fellow Bad Rap "Co-Worker"
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Say what you want about Patrick Reed, but it was mighty impressive to go win over a quality field in the same week Brooks Koepka and Peter Kostis mentioned his cheating ways. Or, it speaks to an ability to compartmentalize worthy of deeper study on the outskirts of Vienna. Or wherever they psychoanalyze golfers.
Either way, in passing elite talents like Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, Reed navigated the narrow and bumpy Club de Golf Chapultepec for his second win in this event.
GolfDigest.com’s Brian Wacker reminds us of the quaint old days in 2014 when Reed declared himself a top 5 player.
Even his victory on Sunday was a reminder of controversies past. In 2014, Reed won the same tournament when it was played at Trump Doral in Miami. That year, in a taped interview with NBC that aired during the final round, Reed declared himself a top-five player in the world, a remark that came off as cocky and was generally not well-received, considering Reed was just 23 at the time, hadn’t played in a major yet and had started the week ranked 44th in the world.
Since then, Reed has racked up several notable wins, including his 2018 Masters triumph, leaving that misstep a distant memory.
When this latest controversy will wash away, who knows. In the meantime, Reed is now up to No. 8 in the world after his latest victory over a world-class field.
“I think the biggest thing is I’ve grown as a player,” he said. “I’ve not allowed too many things to bother me, the highs and lows in golf, especially through a round of golf.”
While DeChambeau seemed to have the tournament in his grasp, a three-putt at the 71st hole and a hideous birdie attempt at the final hole left him in solo second. But feeling bonded with winner Reed, reports G.C. Digital at GolfChannel.com.
"[I congratulated him] because he's a great player," DeChambeau told Golf Channel's Todd Lewis. "There's been a lot of stuff said in the past years, I guess you could say, with him – and even with me – and I feel like unfortunately sometimes we get quite a bad rap. And yeah, there's things that we've done that hasn't been right, but we haven't got really got the best rap and we're still trying to provide great entertainment for everyone. You know what, he's a great player, and he'll be a great player for a long time, and yeah, I have respect for his game."
Lewis then followed up by saying, "It kind of sounds like you're brethren in this ..."
"We're co-workers, right?" DeChambeau interjected. "And we understand each other's pain sometimes."
Speaking of pain, the greens at Club de Golf Chapultepec took a beating Saturday from DeChambeau, and he subsequently took a beating on Twitter for his outburst, reports Nick Piastowski.
Round four highlights from Mexico City, courtesy of PGA Tour Entertainment:
Mexico City Madness: Rory's Stock Yardages This Week
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The WGC Mexico City has become a fun opportunity to hear how players adapt to the altitude, while reminding us they can adapt to distance changes (eh em…).
Nice spot by Alex Myers to highlight this McIlroy Legion Tweet of Rory’s adjusted stock numbers, as presumably documented for reference by his bagman Harry Diamond. Also noteworthy: the size of gaps with mid and longer irons. Another reason to roll back the ball!
Tiger, Rory, JT Passing Up Honda Suggests The Model Isn't Working
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Friday’s news offered a fascinating juxtaposition of stories unless you live in the 32082.
There is this AP story by Doug Ferguson on Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas all passing up next week’s Honda Classic, even though they could play and sleep at home sweet home.
And despite a pretty compelling second round down at the WGC Mexico City, where Bryson DeChambeau fired 63 and a good leaderboard should make the weekend interesting, look at Golfweek’s homepage:
This was all set against the Premier Golf League’s Andy Gardiner making the rounds: talking to me exclusively here, to Golf Digest’s Max Adler, and most compelling of all, on Rick Shiel’s podcast where you can finally put a voice to the concept.
While I think you’ll get more specific details from the interview I posted, anyone listening to Gardiner talking to Shiels can hear an earnest view about how professional golf’s current schedule and excess of “product” is not working. Gardiner is able to lay out a vision that is strong, refined and ably rebuts some of the more compelling criticisms of the concept.
After the nearly 90 minute chat I was still left with questions about the proposed league’s details, but my ultimate conclusion was unexpected: the Premier Golf League lays out a smart future for professional golf after Tiger.
There has been much focus on whether Woods will commit and a curious glee at the prospect of Rory McIlroy invoking Arnold Palmer to reject the PGL—a curious example given Palmer’s flirtations with disruption in the early 1960s and 1980s.
Yes, both players could make the league take off and Woods could certainly torpedo the PGL’s chances of starting in 2022 by declining. But the vision laid out by Gardiner, and surprising no-shows at events like the Honda, also explains why Woods said last week that he expects regular runs at the PGA Tour model going forward.
He said that because whether it was Gardiner, his agent or just Woods’ overall vision telling him what is becoming increasingly clear: the professional golf model is broken. And when Woods retires, it may recede into a very small corner of the sports universe.
The PGL’s revision of the “tour” model would prevent something like we saw Friday: next week’s non-commitments overshadowing this week’s tournament. Their guarantee of top fields, a January-August schedule and a very intriguing team component bring new life to the pro game, presenting a refreshed vision for the sport long after Tiger has hung up his Nike’s. For that alone, the Premier Golf League is worthy of everyone’s attention.
Q&A With Andy Gardiner, CEO Of The Premier Golf League
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After conducting their efforts in secrecy for several years, the Premier Golf League’s CEO is speaking publicly about his dream and the various constituencies working to make it happen.
Andy Gardiner spoke to me for 20 minutes while making various media rounds. Among the topics covered: why go public now, Rory McIlroy’s verdict on the league, media rights, timing and financing.
GS: So you’ve recorded a podcast today and are going more public with the Premier Golf League concept? Why now?
Andy Gardiner: The plan was to—and we've been going about our business quite quietly and discreetly—and that was probably the plan to present the opportunity as well as it can be presented.
I'm sure you've been following the sentiment as much as we have, and--delighted is too strong a word-- but very encouraged. It's nice to know that what you've been doing for six years hasn't been a complete waste of time. And I think the debate has been entirely balanced. It's obviously changed a level in the last 48 hours, but in terms of our reading, a sentiment is that it's been as good as we could possibly have hoped for really.
GS: You're referring to Rory's comments? Were his comments surprising to you or problematic to what you're trying to do?
AG: They weren't actually surprising because everyone's going to have a view. I just saw them as part of the process that we're going through. I've been thinking about them a lot and this is what Rory does, of course. He's an exceptional individual. He's an exceptional golfer, he's compelling in so many respects. When he's playing, I find it hard not to watch him. You can't take your eyes off him because he's capable of truly exceptional things on a golf course, and he's also compelling when he's not on the course because he's a very interesting individual. And I must confess, yes, he caused me to think quite hard about what he said, and there are two bits that stood out to me. One was the thing on the right side of history, and my reaction to that just as a human being is, absolutely.
We all want to be on the right side of history. There have been a few folks that haven't been of course. So that's everybody's desire. I guess that people have different views of history. One thing that crossed my mind was his reference to Arnold Palmer. I thought to myself, different people could have different views on individuals who've been significant in the past. And the first thought when you think about Arnold Palmer for me is obviously, he’s the King, but I actually went straight to my understanding of how the PGA Tour was established. Which was in itself a breakaway from the PGA of America. So on the one hand, you can position him as a stalwart of the establishment. But actually I always thought of Arnold as somebody who took responsibility and led to a significant change in the structure of the sport. Obviously, along with others including Jack Nicklaus. I also read with great interest years ago Deane Beman's book. The chapters that relate to what happened in 1983 and 1984, with those guys where they nearly did it again and that they nearly walked away from that which they had created.
Now, I'd say I've got a slightly different view perhaps than others of Arnold Palmer. I think he's not only been a brilliant golfer and a brilliant individual, but he has moved the sport on. I also think something Greg Norman said in the last couple of weeks, which was when the players were gathered to have the conversation in '94, I understand that Arnold Palmer was in the room and once he realized what the topic of discussion was, he decided to absent himself. But he said, "Guys, I understand that you want to do this", but if I'm right, he was probably 65 at the time. And his view was if you want to do this, by all means, but I'm probably not going to be a part of it.
So he'd done it once. He'd nearly done it twice, and I think what he was probably more focused on at the time was when he created the Golf Channel, which was certainly part of the process in '94, and launched in '95. So it's just, as I say, it caused us to think quite a lot. And the second part of the statement that made me think most was about the autonomy that the players have, their ability to pick and choose. And I know that that is prized amongst the best golfers in the world.
That actually is why we started to do this: as fans of the game and just having a slight flight of fancy thinking, well if you could start again, what would you create? And that's all this began as. I was thinking to myself, the flip side of autonomy is that as a fan, I'm desperate to know where Rory's going to play next week, and I'm desperate to see him play as often as possible. And quite frankly, if you gave me a wish list of who I'd like to watch in the next few weeks, I'd like to see Rory going head to head with Brooks every week right now just because I think it would be incredible entertainment.
So those are the thoughts that I had. You asked, is it damaging or problematic? Time will tell because this isn't about an individual, it's about a collective. And our attitude all the way through this has only been, we will build and we will persevere and we will offer the opportunity for people to make a choice. What we've been doing won't amount to anything unless there is a collective wealth, and that's on behalf of fans. It's on behalf of those who financially support the sport such as sponsors and broadcasters. But fundamentally it's about the best players in the world. And if any one of those three segments were to turn around and say, "We think you're wasting your time", we'd say "Fair enough” and move on. So, as I say, we are simply providing a choice and if the right parties don't want to take the choice then we will do something else.
GS: Where are in terms of timing and on being able to say you are ready to go with a schedule and do players have to commit publicly to the league?
AG: So our attitude has always been any conversation that we have with a third party, I don't feel it's my place to disclose the nature of that conversation because it's really theirs. We haven't asked a single player to make any commitment to us thus far. In terms of Rory, I’ve barely spent any time with him, which probably tells you as much as you need to know. The timing of this is down to the players, and part of the conversation that we've been having over the last several months, in fact, really for the last 12 months, is about how we could best collaborate with other tours, the PGA Tour in particular. That's a conversation that continues because our first press release following your piece was actually that it is our strong desire. I believe that the value that we're creating should flow throughout the whole of golf.
And there is a lot of value to go around, and all we're looking to do is to ideally bring golf together under a stronger structure in the best interest of the game. And that ultimately comes down to: will more people watch our content. The greater number of people who watch it, there should be a correlation with the number of people who will take up the sport. So that's the 30, 50-year view that we take, and I can't see any reason why there shouldn't be a conversation about how we can ensure that the other elements of the game remain entirely robust. That's something that I hope we can achieve. And that's part of the conversation that we're having with those who matter to us.
GS: How would you describe conversations you’ve had with the various tours?
AG: So if you forgive me, Geoff, I won't talk about those conversations. I will say that, and in fact, I think the first paragraph of the letter of the PGA Tour put out to its members in relation to us, they said that we hadn't sought to engage with them directly. And that is true, but it's a timing thing. And there have been several guys who have sought to make an introduction over the last 12 months. The conversation hasn't happened because there was a time and a place, and I believe that we're very close to that time, and we should be able to find a place. I would travel anywhere in the world to have that conversation at any time. What I do want to do is make sure that if it ever comes to pass, then we have a good understanding of how other elements of the game would like that to happen so that we're best placed to make it a successful conversation. But yes, it is our strong desire, and I think that it's achievable.
GS: So what should we as media or fans watching this unfold look for in terms of signs that you're close to launching this?
AG: We are progressed, and I can't be specific on timetable because it's down to, as I say, individuals coming to certain decisions. We are patient but we spent six years building an extraordinarily solid platform which, as I say, gives us the opportunity to facilitate whatever decision is made by third parties. There will be quite possibly more said by individuals. In this case, it will happen in the same time we are ready to make it happen if the right elements of the game want it to happen.
GS: You have a lot of people listed as part of a team because obviously trying to start a new tour from scratch requires a lot of different departments and elements. How do you feel about where you are in that regard?
AG: For two and a half years we've been working with the Raine Group, and in order to maintain a relationship with a group of that quality, obviously, you need to have everything planned down to the finest detail. So in terms of the execution, should we be given the opportunity by the pilots to move this forward, everything that needs to be done in time to ensure a world class product is produced in January 2022, is planned down to the finest detail. We do have an extraordinarily competent, experienced and expert group that have been working together on this for the last four years. We will utilize as far as our plan is concerned, the best of the best in terms of third party service providers, and they will be required to ensure that our product is as good as possible.
The full build out of our entire team will come probably quarter three, 2021, and would be 435 permanent staff. Going back to any form of collaboration with any other tour, you can immediately probably start to look forward and think, well, what's the sensible structure? I guess the answer to your question is we feel as though everything is in place to whichever path is chosen, we're ready to execute.
GS: It seems from the structure that you do not necessarily need to have a media partner locked in as part of your model at the moment. Obviously, that's something that will come if the right individuals commit, is that correct?
AG: I can tell you when we started this process, it started with, as I say, we are fans of the game and we gave ourselves the opportunity to think how good it could be. The next group that we went to were the sponsors of the sport, and we listened to them and their views are reflected in what we're doing. And we appreciate how valuable the sponsors are as do the broadcasters. We then began conversations with the broadcasters in the US and elsewhere, and we listened to them, and we got to the point where we had a fork in the road, we had the opportunity to partner with broadcast, and we decided that it was probably in everyone's best interest to have that conversation only in a meaningful way once the players were secure. So what we did instead was, we went to the top three media buyers in the US sports market, and we partnered with the number one, and that is a group called Omnicom sport, which is a division of Omnicom.
We went to Omnicom because as I say, two and a half billion dollars a year is spent by Omnicom on behalf of some of the biggest brands in the world. And certainly the brands that you in the US would recognize when you watch live sports. Now, we went with those guys because they are ultimately the ones who are spending the cash, the cash that obviously gives the broadcasters the ability to buy the rights. They've been alongside us for the last 18 months, and every material conversation we've had about media. So the other thing that we then did was to look to provide the players with the comfort that they might require in terms of our ability to generate the purse. And we've also done that by securing a purse guarantee from a very well known insurance group. So I think we have everything that we should have in place. And quite frankly, the answer to the broadcast is I would much rather be in a position of offering the product to that market and allowing the market to then decide its value.
GS: In terms of financing and reports regarding involvement from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is that something you can address?
AG: Yes, I can. So we have a diverse shareholder base, and when I say diverse, there are a large number of shareholders. We've been very careful in our selection of our partners. As I mentioned, a two-and-a-half year relationship with the Raine Group, which is one of the most impressive and powerful investors in sports and media around the world. And I'm sure you've been able to go onto their website and see the deals that they've done, and part of our group is yes, probably the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world. And I can say that is the public investment fund of Saudi Arabia. Their passion for the sport is what enabled us to form the relationship because they are truly passionate, and I think that will become clear in due course.
Premier Golf League Goes Public: Andy Gardiner Podcast With Rick Shiels
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The Rick Shiels Golf Show Podcast has landed Andy Gardiner, CEO of The Premier Golf League and whose team has since joined forces with The Raine Group.
I’ve also just gotten some phone time with Gardiner and while I finish transcribing my interview, will be listening in on this too.
PAC Head Hoffman Opposes "Whatever The USGA's Trying To Prove On Distance"
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The headline on this Will Gray GolfChannel.com piece suggests PGA Tour journeyman Charley Hoffman was extremely critical of the proposed Premier Golf League when talking to Matt Adams on his Fairways of Life show. But Hoffman’s quotes seemed to be a mix of cynicism, understanding and veteran wisdom.
From Gray’s report:
"I think it's intriguing that another group of people are willing to dump a bunch of money and try to guarantee us money, get some of the best players in the world to come over and play. I just don't think there's any sustainability or really any traction, personally," Hoffman said. "I haven't dug deep enough into any of that to see if it is. I don't know if I would like to be owned by some Saudi money over there, but if something was a life-changing amount of money they offered me, you'd have to look at it as an independent contractor. Because there's no guarantees that I'll have a PGA Tour card in three or four years."
Hardly a rip job there.
This was an intriguing notion that I genuinely wonder many fans think about.
"As an athlete, any guaranteed money is very intriguing," Hoffman said. "But I've grown up playing this game that there is nothing given to you, and you earn every penny of it. And I think that a lot of golf fans really enjoy watching that."
More surprising is Hoffman’s take on the USGA and R&A, makers of golf’s rules that are mostly played by on the PGA Tour. Given that Hoffman sits on the PGA Tour Policy Board and chairs the Player Advisory Council, I thought he might be more open to the governing body efforts.
After the usual stuff about athletes, technology, everyone loving hit it “further”, no big deal if you just have to add a few tees, etc… Hoffman suggests he’s already one vote opposed to doing anything.
“I am not really for whatever the USGA’s trying to prove or do.”
So much for an open mind to the Distance Insights Study! Certain golf hats do have a way of altering perspectives.
Living Over Par Files: Menery's Comeback Squashed Before He Could Make Golf A Little More Fun (Again)
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Social media funnyman and announcer-we-all-wish-we-had Bob Menery vowed to bring his act back to golf after multiple PGA Tour takedown notices. He did so with a fun post of Genesis Invitational highlights and it got taken down again after Menery’s various social accounts were served an unfriendly notice.
In a world where the PGA Tour is eager to add young viewers, the focus on Menery’s efforts is surprising. He has 2.3 million followers, including Justin Thomas, Graeme McDowell, Phil Mickelson, Matthew Wolff, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Luke Donald, among others. Not to mention some of the biggest names in sports who don’t mind Menery’s roasting of both athletes and announcers.
The post, as of this post, has received nearly 3,000 comments. Good engagement!
Golf Needs To Get Ahead Of Its "Banging Scheme" Before It's Too Late
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Those following the Houston Astros debacle in baseball that was not properly handled by Commissioner Rob Manfred would likely agree that had more been done early on to stop the shenanigans, there would less of a crisis than the one now facing Major League Baseball.
I’m also confident in saying that had Patrick Reed been disqualified and suspended for conduct unbecoming a pro golfer following his Hero World Challenge lie improvement, there would not be an appetite for more Reed bashing that we see today.
Which, in case you didn’t know, continued Tuesday morning when Brooks Koepka mocked Reed’s efforts and excuses and used the dreaded cheater word. Thene things took an even more incredible turn Tuesday night when No Laying Up’s podcast with Peter Kostis led to explicit accusations of multiple cheating incidents.
From Will Gray’s GolfChannel.com summary of the Kostis portion of the podcast:
"I've seen Patrick Reed improve his lie, up close and personal, four times now," Kostis said.
One such instance came during the final round of The Barclays in 2016 at Bethpage Black, an event that Reed went on to win. After hitting his drive on the 13th hole into thick rough just off the fairway, Reed put an iron down multiple times behind the ball before ultimately hitting a 3-wood, a turn of events that drew Kostis' attention in live time on the broadcast.
"That's the only time I ever shut [Gary] McCord up. He didn't know what to say when I said, 'Well, the lie that I saw originally wouldn't have allowed for this shot,'" Kostis said. "Because he put four or five clubs behind the ball, kind of faking whether he's going to hit this shot or hit that shot. By the time he was done, he hit a freaking 3-wood out of there, which when I saw it, it was a sand wedge layup originally."
Kostis can’t be accused of sitting on his observations:
But another comment from Kostis may speak to something I saw extensively last week at the Genesis Invitational and also at the Farmers in January: a habit of most modern golfers to put their club down behind the ball in not-so-gentle fashion, test the lie, and often with obvious pressure levied.
Kostis on Reed:
"I'm not even sure that he knows that he's doing it sometimes. Maybe he does, I don't know," Kostis said. "I'm not going to assign intent. All I'm going to tell you is what I saw."
After watching players regularly put a club down behind the ball, change clubs, do it again and test how their club sits (even on tight turf), I can only conclude that no one has told a generation of golfers: “that’s a bad look to be, uh, banging at the ground. Some people might even think you are improving your lie.”
While it took a long time to get backstopping under control, perhaps someone in golf will begin talking to players immediately when they are seen banging away at the grass and pressing into the ground behind their ball. It might just prevent an integrity crisis the sport does not need.
Reed Passes On Opportunity To Rebut Koepka And Kostis' Accusations Of Cheating
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Following a strong start in the WGC Mexico City, Patrick Reed was asked by reporters about Tuesday’s accusations of on-course dishonesty from Brooks Koepka and Peter Kostis.
From Brian Wacker’s GolfDigest.com item:
“I mean, I said what I have to say about what happened in the Bahamas,” Reed said. “At the end of the day, all I'm trying to do is go out and play good golf and trying to win a golf championship and hopefully run Rory down.”
The comments from Reed came after an opening two-under 69 at Club de Golf Chapultepec, where he trails leader Rory McIlroy by four.
When a follow-up question was asked — if Reed was at all bothered that the topic of what happened in the Bahamas keeps coming up and following him — an official from the PGA Tour ended the interview, saying that Reed was only there to talk about golf.
Oh, knocking down stuff behind your ball is very much a golf topic!
Breaking Shock Flash! Titleist Says All Is Well, Distance Study Undervalues The Athleticism Of Today's Players
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I know this stuff works on some people, and I do appreciate that Acushnet CEO David Maher’s tone is much more agreeable (sorry Wally). But it’s hard to buy the claims of a CEO whose company advertises a product going longer and straighter also saying that it’s not going longer and straighter, but instead, all on the amazing skill and athleticism of these kids today.
If that sounds like a bizarre crossover with the PGA Tour messaging on the distance debate, it is.
Here is Maher’s stance, admirably posted after the USGA and R&A released their Distance Insights Study and the first significant rebuttal from a manufacturer to those excellent reports. Though don’t expect even some light cherry-picking of the report.
Maher writes:
In the spirit of contributing additional perspective to this discussion and the game’s timeless, and healthy, debate between Tradition and Technology, we believe the conclusions drawn in this Report undervalue the skill and athleticism of the game’s very best players and focus far too much on the top of the men’s professional game and project this on golf and golfers as a whole. Furthermore, we believe that existing equipment regulations effectively govern the prospects of any significant increases in hitting distance by the game’s longest hitters.
So any claims we have made a new product going longer will probably need further study?
Like all sports, golf is played differently today than it was centuries, and even decades, ago – from the people who play, the rules by which we play, and the equipment we use. Almost all would agree this progress has been a great benefit to the game and that innovation in golf equipment has been an important contributor to this progress.
Participation peaked in 2001 and has dropped many million since, if that’s progress. Shareholders looking for value may not agree.
Golf is bringing younger players into the game sooner and keeping older players longer than ever; professional golf is as dynamic and entertaining as it’s ever been; and the game remains a healthy challenge for all players and at all levels.
More exciting than ever, just not to Nielsen families.
In fact, the Report itself shows that hitting distance on the PGA Tour decreased in 6 of the past 13 years, including 2019.
I guess we’re going to ignore the increase years?
We believe this helps to affirm the effectiveness of regulatory efforts, particularly those adopted since the early 2000s, which continue to achieve their desired intent of setting boundaries around future distance increases while also rewarding skill and encouraging innovation.
That’s wonderful you support regulation! Maybe just a smidge more for the good of the game?
Ok let’s get to the good stuff.
The Report, however, suggests that consideration be given to a “Local Rule option that would specify use of clubs and/or balls intended to result in shorter hitting distances.” We believe that playing by a unified set of rules coalesces our game, is an essential part of its global understanding and appeal, and eliminates the inconsistency and instability that would come from multiple sets of equipment standards. We think it should be preserved for these reasons and those outlined in the article entitled, The Case for Unification.
Wally! You’re back! At least, a nice link back to that old gem.
Serious question though: if playing under one set of rules is so important, then how come no one actually knows the rules?
We appreciate that the Distance Insights Project was fueled by the best intentions of The R&A and USGA acting in what they believe to be the game’s best interests. We also recognize that golf is best served when its stakeholders advance and advocate what they understand to be in the best interests of the game.
Just not when it comes to our product.
We also appreciate The R&A and USGA’s commitment to the November 2011 Vancouver Protocol and its established processes for the consideration of equipment changes, and we look forward to continuing to work with the game’s stakeholders over the coming months and years to advance the best interests of the game.
Great. Take some dimples off and let’s light this candle!
XFL Effect? Sunday's 2020 Genesis Ratings Plunge On CBS
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Comparing the 2019 Genesis Open with the 2020 Genesis Invitational’s numbers, it appears the golf audience tuned in like normal on Golf Channel and for Saturday’s CBS broadcast.
But Sunday’s final round featuring a strong leaderboard and compelling finish drew a 2.03 overnight according to ShowBuzzDaily.com, down significantly over 2019’s 3.0.
The loss of essentially 1.3 million 18-49 year olds is most likely attributable to a new entry on the sports TV landscape this year: XFL football. The Genesis ran up against a Dallas-LA game on ABC that drew a 1.52 overnight rating and just under a million 18-49 year olds.
The 2019 Genesis drew a 1.0 Saturday when a rain delay eliminated live golf, so 2020’s 1.47 featuring live action understandably saw a huge uptick. Golf Channel’s coverage also remained largely steady, signaling that Sunday’s Genesis killer was XFL football and an absence of Tiger Woods contending.
Speaking of football, the NFL has unveiled a planned playoff expansion starting in 2021, with a 17-game season in 2022. Both would have significant impacts on early season PGA Tour golf.
Will Rory's Stance Torpedo The Premier Golf League?
/Rory McIlroy’s strong stance against the proposed Premier Golf League looks like a blow to what has been a steady upward trajectory for the upstart rival tour.
However, given that it took nearly a month for a player to definitively declare against it since the league became public knowledge, and coupled Tiger Woods’ assertion last week that proposals like this will keep happening, I’m not sure the folks behind the PGL are hitting delete on their decks just yet.
Here are all of Rory’s comments, as reported by ESPN.com’s Bob Harig, starting with his assertion that he would lose independence going to the structure proposed.
"The more I've thought about it, the more I don't like it,'' McIlroy said at Chapultepec Golf Club, site of this week's WGC-Mexico Championship.
"The one thing as a professional golfer in my position that I value is the fact that I have autonomy and freedom over everything I do," he said. "I pick and choose -- this is a perfect example.
"Some guys this week made the choice not to come to Mexico. If you go and play this other golf league, you're not going to have that choice. I read a thing the other day where it said if you take the money they can tell you what to do. And I think that's my thing, I've never been one for being told what to do, and I like to have that autonomy and freedom over my career, and I feel like I would give that up by going to play this other league.”
Ironic that McIlroy cites a World Golf Championships week, with notable player defections, as an example of the freedom he cherishes. Particularly given that these weeks were designed to prevent an upstart world tour by bringing top players together more often and assuring sponsors of stars convening.
Anyway…
"For me, I'm out. My position is I'm against it until there may come a day that I can't be against it. If everyone else goes, I might not have a choice, but at this point, I don't like what they're proposing.''
And McIlroy didn't see that happening.
"I think it is very split at the moment,'' he said.
Given the strength of the professional game in so many ways, it’s fairly stunning that there is even a split in the first place. And that split seems bound to force significant changes, regardless of the PGL’s fate.
In looking at McIlroy’s comments more closely, it’s no coincidence his stance comes after a wonderful week at a historic tournament and venue, with the revitalized Florida swing looming. So it’s nice to see a sentimental player still exists.
However, that McIlroy also opened the door to joining a mass exodus, hardly makes his stance fatal.
Now, if Tiger reiterated what McIlroy said about the Premier Golf League? That’s a different story.
