Trump Ferry Point Situation May Become A Long Saga

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AP’s Bernard Condon considers the possibility that New York City may not be able to break its contract with Trump Golf over the former President’s January 6th role.

The city intends for November 14th to be the last day of Trump Golf’s management deal. Eric Trump says the organization should be paid $30 million to go away.

Condon writes:

In response to questions from The Associated Press, the city referred to legal filings insisting Trump’s actions leading up to the riot caused a “plain and irrefutable” breach of the contract and that the Trump Organization’s last day running the course will be Nov. 14.

Area landscaper and sometime Trump course golfer Sean DeBartolo, who often drives past the hillside sign spelling out “TRUMP LINKS” in giant stones, says he could offer a temporary solution: Fill in those letters with sod and wait for tempers to cool.

“Worst-case scenario, it’s only going to cost a couple of thousand,” says the owner of DeBartolo Landscaping in nearby New Rochelle. “It’d be three guys and it’d be done in a day.”

Shots Recreated: Seve at The Belfry

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I remember it clear as day and still have no idea how Seve Ballesteros cut a shot into The Belfry’s bizarro 10th green. That was the 1989 Ryder Cup and it turns out, he also did it 1985 (embed below).

For this week’s Betfred British Masters, host Danny Willett was joined by Pablo Larrazabal & Renato Paratore in trying to recreate one of the most iconic shots in course history.

The yardage: 265 yards. The trio used replicas of Seve’s persimmon driver.

I won’t spoil too much but you might guess, it took a while to get adjusted to the old clubs. Extra kudos for the creativity, effort and cheap entertainment.

"Transgender woman wins Florida mini-tour event, sets sights squarely on LPGA"

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Beth Ann Nichols does a superb job telling Hailey Davidson’s story, who works in social media but is dreaming of an LPGA career. She just won her first mini-tour event and is awaiting word on potential LPGA eligibility.

Davidson, 28, works in social media for NBC’s Peacock division under the Golf Channel umbrella but has dreams of competing on the LPGA. In January, Davidson underwent gender reassignment surgery, a six-hour procedure. She’s been undergoing hormone treatments since Sept. 24, 2015, a date that’s tattooed on her right forearm.

“We are currently reviewing Hailey’s application to participate in LPGA Tour events under the LPGA’s gender policy,” said Heather Daly-Donofrio, the LPGA’s chief tour operations officer. “The policy is designed to be a private and confidential process between the LPGA and the athlete.”

In 2010, the LPGA voted to eliminate its requirement that players be “female at birth” not long after a transgender woman filed a lawsuit against the tour.

Earlier this year, the USGA changed its Gender Policy to shorten the length of time transgender athletes had to wait to compete. Under the previous policy, a player must have undergone gender reassignment surgery at least two years prior to the entry deadline.

478 Starts Later, Richard Bland Is A European Tour Winner

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Richard Bland’s Betfred British Masters win made for an extra-gratifying Saturday viewing experience, as the ultimate journeyman captured win one in 478 European Tour appearances.

The 48-year-old overcame Italian Guido Migliozzi’s best effort—including a huge par at the difficult (well, maybe goofy) 18th—to win a sudden-death playoff.

The win was noticed and celebrated all over the world.

While it won’t earn him a spot in next week’s PGA, he is lining up for a U.S. Open spot should he desire. From the European Tour notes:

The victory also puts him in pole position for a chance to earn a place in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in June. The top ten aggregate Race to Dubai points earners (not otherwise exempt) at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett, Made in HimmerLand presented by FREJA and Porsche European Open will earn a place in the third Major Championship of the year.

Bland sunk this long birdie putt to ultimately land in a playoff against Migliozzi:

Even the consummate pro interviewer (and Bland’s instructor) Tim Barter let his guard down and had a discernible throat lump. A teaser of the interview below, which can be viewed in full here including an wonderful video chat with his parents.

Guardian: "Authoritarianism for golfers? 'How big is the cheque?'"

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The Guardian’s Ewan Murray wonders why the Golf Saudi-backed Super Golf League is not dying the same quick death as the European Super League:

Mickelson, DeChambeau and others can apparently entertain offers from the Saudis of eye-watering sums of money without anyone focusing on why they might associate with such a controversial – or abhorrent, depending on one’s level of background reading – regime. Authoritarianism for golfers? “How big is the cheque?”

When the European Super League crashed around the ears of the very executives who thought they had devised the perfect closed shop, it was against the backdrop of fury from supporters. There is no golf equivalent of that; save the Ryder Cup, which takes place once every two years, this really is not a tribal environment. Another key difference is that football clubs had already committed to their lucrative breakaway. Golfers have thus far only been in lengthy negotiations over a plan that would result in the PGA and European Tours losing players to a 14-event global environment where team and individual elements combine.

Given that the money is definitely from the Crown Prince’s Golf Saudi and not entirely sexy from a fan perspective—given reports of a Middle East-heavy schedule—it is odd the Premier Golf League ripoff is lingering.

Padraig: Court Cases Loom If Saudi's Offer 10-12 Events

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Padraig Harrington shared his views of the proposed Super Golf League backed by Golf Saudi, including possible Ryder Cup ramifications.

But this comment to The Telegraph’s James Corrigan was even more intriguing, implying possible “defectors” believe they can still dip in to the existing Tours on sponsor invites.

Harrington fears that if the Saudis do keep pushing on, the issue could end in court, particularly as the SGL seems only to be planning for 10-12 events a year and not the 18-20 first mooted. “It is interesting because you could see somebody playing the SGL’s 12 tournaments and also playing 15 Tour events to satisfy their membership regulations,” the Irishman said.

That’s a big schedule for today’s stars who are, in part (after the money), intrigued by these proposed concepts because they reduce the schedule and theoretically work around the majors.

Phil Mickelson Receives (Much-Deserved) U.S. Open Special Exemption

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A six-time runner-up with the U.S. Open returning to his hometown, this was a no-brainer use of the special exemption.

Glad everyone got on the same page…

USGA Announces Special Exemption for Phil Mickelson into the 121st U.S. Open Championship  

Five-time major winner to play in his 30th U.S. Open 

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (May 14, 2021) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that Phil Mickelson has received a special exemption into the 121st U.S. Open Championship, which will be conducted June 17-20 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif. 

“Phil Mickelson’s incredible USGA playing record and overall career achievements are among the most noteworthy in the game’s history,” said USGA CEO Mike Davis. “We are thrilled to welcome him to this year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.”

Mickelson, 50, is a six-time U.S. Open runner-up, most in championship history, and has recorded ten top-10 finishes in 29 appearances. He won the 1990 U.S. Amateur Championship and was a member of the 1989 and 1991 USA Walker Cup Teams and the 1990 USA World Amateur Team.  

“Winning the U.S. Open has been a lifelong and elusive dream, and I’ve come close so many times,” said Mickelson, a San Diego native. “You can’t win if you don’t play. I’m honored and appreciative of the USGA for the opportunity and look forward to playing in my hometown on a golf course I grew up on.”

Mickelson seeks to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods and become just the sixth in history to win all four majors. Among Mickelson’s 44 career professional victories are five major titles – the 2004, 2006, and 2010 Masters Tournaments, the 2005 PGA Championship, and the 2013 British Open Championship. In addition, Mickelson has represented the USA on 12 Ryder Cup teams and 12 Presidents Cup squads.  

Mickelson is the sixth player since 2010 to receive a special exemption into the U.S. Open. The list includes Tom Watson (2010), Vijay Singh (2010), Retief Goosen (2016), Jim Furyk (2018), and Ernie Els (twice, in 2018 and 2019). Hale Irwin is the lone player to win the U.S. Open playing on a special exemption, doing so in a 19-hole playoff over Mike Donald in 1990 at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club to claim his third U.S. Open title. 

The 121st U.S. Open will be the third USGA championship to be played on the South Course at Torrey Pines Golf Course, which hosted the 1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links won by Trevor Immelman, and the 2008 U.S. Open memorably won by Tiger Woods in a 19-hole Monday playoff over Rocco Mediate. The U.S. Open will be the 85th USGA championship conducted in the state of California. Two weeks earlier, the 76th U.S. Women’s Open will be played at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.  

Quadrilateral: Q&A With Dottie Pepper, Author Of Letters To A Future Champion

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While she’s a former Kiawah resident and a pivotal part of the CBS announce team, that takes second fiddle in this Q&A to Dottie Pepper’s remarkable new book.

As I noted in The Quadrilateral introduction, there has never been a book like Letters To A Future Champion in golf’s vast library. I think it’s an especially important read for a young golfer aspiring to greater things. Those searching for necessary comfort to offset the blows this game delivers will also take heart in George Pulver’s letters.

It’s also just a very understated autobiographical story of a player on the cusp of Hall status who, like many women of her generation, were not afforded some of the opportunities today’s players enjoy.

You can read more about Letters To A Future Champion here and also find an easy link to purchase a copy of this magnificently produced tome.

Details Of Cancelled NCAA Women's Regionals Keep Getting Worse, TPC Louisiana Offers To Host

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While the failed NCAA Women’s Regional in Baton Rouge is unlikely to be salvaged due to timing issues, the sequence of events and lack of action to address issues just keeps getting worse.

From ESPN.com’s Tom VanHaaren, explaining that teams practiced Sunday and again Tuesday afternoon following rains and saw the lack off effort to getting the course’s flooded bunkers playable. Or to rule them ground under repair.

A similar scenario played out Tuesday, but the teams were allowed to practice on the course later that day.

The coaches were told the bunkers on the course were a concern, with standing water making them unplayable. The rules officials did have the option to mark the unplayable bunkers as such, which would give the players relief if their ball entered the marked area.

"I specifically asked the head rules official why we can't play, what do we have to do," Kieschnick said. "The answer was that 'We don't think you get the right champion if we don't play the bunkers.' I said, 'Well, you're well within your rights to make those ground under repair; that's truly your opinion.' You don't know if that determines the right champion or not -- that's an opinion."

Approximately 12 coaches from the participating teams went to the games committee Tuesday to get some questions answered. The objective was to determine whether there was a way to resume golf and a way to get the tournament in by the Thursday deadline.

Part of what confused the coaches was that the bunkers and standing water were presented as the big issue but they did not see an attempt to clear the water or repair the course. According to Kieschnick and another source, there were no pumps on site to pump the water off the course.

"A great coach said, 'If bunkers are the problem and you're doing nothing about the bunkers, we ought to leave right now,'" Kieschnick said. "That was on Tuesday. They didn't want to take the bunkers out, but this happens all the time and we can do this. When bunkers are the problem and nothing is being done, that's really hard to swallow. It was bizarre."

As noted yesterday, host LSU made it to the finals thanks to the committee simply advancing the top seeds.

Forgive my ignorance, but why did they get home course advantage to begin with? Did I miss a memo?

Haney V. PGA Tour Gets July 6th Trial Date

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The PGA Tour’s effort to have Hank Haney’s lawsuit thrown out has apparently failed.

According to filings, Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz, II set the date of July 6th.

Last week a rebuttal to the Tour’s attempts at having the case thrown out was revealed by The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan. The filings revealed ignorance of the women’s game and even how the PGA Tour Radio partnership worked. Also included where emails—that I’ll circle back to on a slow news day—shows how they make sausage down in PVB. Digestive enzymes are recommended.

There are also PIP ramifications. Big time.

Given the crux of Haney’s SiriusXM downfall centered around his flippant take on the women’s game, The Athletic story raised questions about the PGA Tour’s care for the LPGA Tour it was representing in media rights negotiations.

I dissected some of that here.

The Quadrilateral: Major(s) News And Notes, May 13, 2021

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The weekly news and notes focus mostly on the PGA and prepare you for next week in all sorts of ways, so check it out here.

A lot of The Quad goes back behind the paywall next week and I know you won’t want to miss my thrilling PGA missives. Info on the newsletter is here, and the subscribe button is here. A year is cheaper than a dozen “longer and straighter” golf balls.

Tokyo Olympics Issues Make The Experience Sound Pretty Pointless

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To be clear: Jon Rahm really wants to play the Olympics and calls it a dream.

But prior to his AT&T Byron Nelson appearance this week he explained why players are going to be passing on the Games. And the issues go beyond money or timing or format.

From Golfweek’s Adam Schupak’s story about Rahm and his remarks:

“The Olympic committee are not making it very easy for us to choose it, simply because up until not too long ago we couldn’t go to our site or tournament hotel until Wednesday and we had to stay in the Olympic Village until then,” he said. “As I understand from what I been told there is at least one- to two-hour drive to the golf course. That’s a lot of time to be in the car going to and coming back from the Olympic Village, and then you can only go to the hotel on Wednesday. Your family is not allowed. You’re not allowed to go to any other events. There are just so many restrictions.”

Rahm left out that most feel the Tokyo venue might feel hotter than Memphis in July, making Memphis in July suddenly appealing.

"Are you serious?" Baton Rouge Women's Regional Cancelled

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The NCAA Women’s Golf regional hosted by LSU was called after not playing for three days due to torrential rains. NCAA rules do not allow the competition to continue after Wednesday, making for an easy decision to send the top seeded teams on to the finals.

Except, the optics were not good. The tournament director said the course was “playable, it’s not playable at a championship level.” That was compounded by the stunning player reaction in the video obtained by Golfweek posted above (which is also quite beautiful in hearing such passion from the players but won’t give the seniors their opportunity back).

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols notes the optics problem that included an inability to get comment from the NCAA’s on site rep, and also signs that the committee and course passed up windows to play.

For days now, several coaches have maintained that there were windows of time in which golf could have been played. Miami coach Patti Rizzo walked all 18 holes on Tuesday afternoon and said that maybe four or five bunkers were in bad shape. She did not see any of the maintenance crew working on the golf course during that time. She suggested to the committee that the par-4 seventh hole be shortened to a par 3 to adjust for the standing water in the fairway.

Young, who has served on NCAA committees for several years, like Rizzo, felt that the decision-makers in Baton Rouge were unprepared. Young was one of several coaches who noted that she hadn’t seen a single pump on the golf course.

Also problematic is the appearance of the home course possibly not doing all it could and having the host school benefit. From GolfChannel.com’s Brentley Romine:

It’s worth noting that the host school, which happened to be top-seeded LSU, does not dictate the final decision, though university employees do run the golf course and therefore would play a role in the process. The Tigers were among six schools to advance to next week’s NCAA Championship, along with Ole Miss, Baylor, Oregon, Maryland and Alabama. The three highest-ranked players in Golfstat not on advancing teams also made it through: Houston’s Karen Fredgaard, Miami’s Nataliya Guseva and Sam Houston State’s Hanna Alberto.

Another video of the incredible scene:

GolfChannel.com: "Super League Golf will continue to linger as long as there's player 'interest'"

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It’s fascinating to see how many players who will not rule out the latest world tour concept even as it’s been revealed to be even more directly funded by Saudi Arabia. Or that it’s a possibly-stolen concept and all of this after PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan (reportedly) drew a line in the sand.

Fascinating given that it feels like a shift for some players from a year ago when the Premier League concept was discussed. But why?

Do players see signs of the European Tour either fading away or getting swallowed (and inevitably muzzled to death) by Cult Ponte Vedra? That would condense their loyalties have been condensed to a pair of options.

Also surprising: there are more blatant Saudi ties to the “SGL” concept and the money source does not seem to have caused players much concern.

Or maybe, as I wrote in The Quadrilateral Monday, these outside hostile takeover attempts will just keep happening because of market forces and the unwillingness of the Tours to address some fundamental issues making them vulnerable.

Anyway, GolfChannel.com’s Rex Hoggard filed this look at player comments and the surprising open-mindedness or shifting curiousities. One standout portion:

Asked about the then-PGL concept last year, Adam Scott also seemed to be squarely in the “interested” category.

“Selfishly, for me, there is some appeal. I might have the opportunity to park myself up in Australia for a little bit if I’m being selfish,” Scott said.

And Patrick Reed said this, “Honestly I have my team grabbing all the information about it, and I don't know enough about it yet to really say anything about it, but once we get all the information, I'll go make my mind up later on."

Tommy Fleetwood appears to have adjusted his outlook toward the SLG since he was asked about the proposed circuit last year.

“Money is one side of it, world ranking points is a side of it. The Ryder Cup is always such a huge thing on people's minds, European and American,” he said. “There's a lot that goes into the criteria of why people play where they play. … I know [Monahan] has a very, very firm stance on it. We'll see where that leads.”