USGA Announces Pebble Beach As Anchor Site; 2100 U.S. Open To Celebrate 100th Anniversary Of Tiger's Historic Win

/

Spectators arrive at the 2019 U.S. Open (Geoff Shackelford)

Continuing a concerted effort to go to America’s greatest courses and ensure that future Executive Committees have nothing fun to do, the USGA is set to lock Pebble Beach in through the end of the 21st century.

In announcing the latest “anchor site,” the 2100 U.S. Open “will ensure the next generation can celebrate the 100th anniversary of Tiger Woods’s 15-stroke win in the 2000 U.S. Open,” said the press release which also announced 14 championships for the famous seaside course.

From the release:

“In a world so secure with a future as clear as a sunny day on the Monterey Peninsula, we can’t be more delighted than to announce the securing of Pebble Beach as the site of our national championship for decades to come,” said USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer. "It really is a relief to have gotten this deal done for the betterment of the USGA, the Pebble Beach Company and the world’s best golfers who want to play the very best courses. And we have contingency plans should the 18th hole be taken from us.”

Sources say the USGA contract with the Pebble Beach Company includes several “out” clauses should ocean levels rise and take out the finishing holes.

“This also keeps Facebook from taking Pebble,” said the source in an apparent reference to USGA fears of losing courses to an anticipated U.S. Meta Open. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has instructed his rebranded company to invest heavily in all aspects of the “meta” universe, down to landing site rights to a future national metaverse golf championship.

“Pebble is Zuck’s number one goal for a U.S. Meta Open and he’s demanding exclusivity for a $1 billion offered,” said a USGA source. “We had talks with him about making it the 16th USGA championship but he wanted access to the social security numbers of our members. He probably has them anyway, but institutionally that was a deal killer.”

In addition to the 2100 U.S. Open, the USGA will go to Pebble Beach every five years for a significant championship starting in 2032. The course will host four more U.S. Women’s Open’s. The 2053 U.S. Senior Women’s Open will celebrate the 30th anniversary of next year’s 2023 U.S. Women’s Open winner at Pebble Beach.

Other announced events include the 2055 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, 2062 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and the 2077 U.S. Open to commemorate Lanny Wadkins’ PGA Championship win.

“That’s for when the PGA of America is over Frisco by then and desperate to return,” said the source.

A 2068 date was also secured for a new championship not yet announced, though sources say it may be at the recently renovated Peter Hay Course and called the “U.S. Senior Mixed Team Four-Ball Par-3 Course Open.”

Golf Channel May Bring Back Weekly Tin Cup Airings In Bid To Win Back Viewers

/

Due to budget cuts and tax-incentive driven move to Connecticut, Golf Channel ratings have flatlined and the “brand” diminished despite housing all early round PGA Tour coverage. The once highly-profitable and popular channel is now down to 63 million homes from a peak of nearly 80 million just a few years ago, causing NBC Sports to shift early round U.S. Open and The Open coverage to USA Network.

To stop the bleeding, network executives are said to be mulling an aggressive plan to win back nostalgic viewers. Sources say the initiative, dubbed internally as “Since Holly’s No Longer An Option,” centers around regular weekly late night showings of Tin Cup, the Ron Shelton-directed movie once airing so often that Cheech Marin bought two ocean front homes just off his Golf Channel residuals.

“Someone upstairs equates the film with our Golden Age instead of anything from the original programming, documentaries or award-winning feature department,” said a source. “So get ready for a lot more Tin Cup. Seems Tommy’s Honour just isn’t clicking with the millennials.”

Another source added: “It’ll be expensive, but say goodbye to late night infomercials for Villages insomniacs like Relief From Inflammation, Forgetful?, Try THIS Trick, and Bye Bye Neck Pain. They think this will get the channel’s average age viewer back into the mid-70s.

A third source in Hollywood and connected to actor Don Johnson added, “It’s his most layered role and worthy of more study. So it’s a win-win-win.”

Sponsors like Sqairz golf shoes, penile health pillmaker Xiaflex, Preparation H and crooner Mike Stone have signaled renewed interest in scooping up more premium ad time if Tin Cup returns.

A network spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The Butler Cabin Green Jacket Ceremony Will Look Very Different This Year

/

In a bid to make the traditional-but-often-stilted Green Jacket ceremony more appealing, Augusta National Golf Club will institute several changes in 2022.  Some of the changes can be traced to the needs of documentary crews filming for the forthcoming Netflix series, which initiated conversations about inside access to the ceremony and an overall view of members whose grandchildren say the club needs to appeal to the “next generation.”

Sources cautioned that the changes recently outlined in a memo to the Butler Cabin And Wine Cellar Committee remain fluid and may be subject to change after rehearsals with CBS. But the Club expects all or most of the ceremony modifications to be incorporated when this year’s winner is given the Green Jacket.

  • In the most shocking change, Jim Nantz will step aside from his ceremony-hosting duties after 27 years. CBS’s more youthful Amanda Balionis and Colt Knost have been tabbed to interview the champion after a successful test run at this year’s WM Open’s 16th hole. Sources say Nantz has never been more loved by the club, and that the move is a pure youth play aimed at a demographic willing to wear Birdie Juice rope caps.

  • The highlight package used to bridge the gap from tournament completion to Butler Cabin ceremony will be replaced by a pre-taped trick shot performance from Dude Perfect. Filmed recently at Amen Corner and featuring Bryson DeChambeau, the club sees the Dudes as a more festive lead-in thanks to their faith-based, giant lawn dart trick shots.

  • The 2022 Champion will be allowed to leave his cap on inside Butler Cabin. Should the winner choose, he can wear it backwards in a subtle nod to millennialism and better face lighting for the inevitable tears of joy. Netflix reportedly lobbied hard to letting the Champion switch into their preferred private jet attire of hoodie, joggers and sneakers. But time constraints and logo-exposure issues tabled the idea.

  • The winner of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, as well as all age group winners in the Drive, Chip and Putt will be flown in and positioned on green suede sofas made from repurposed carpet fibers. They will be behind the Champion, the defending Champion and Low Amateur, who will sit on vintage bar stools instead of Butler Cabin’s traditional wood furniture. Consideration was given to covering the Butler Cabin fireplace and installing a fire pit in lieu of a coffee table, but the idea was scrapped by the club’s Fire Marshal.

  • Chairman Fred Ridley will take off his tie and go with an open-collared dress-shirt look. He also will not shave all week in hopes of sporting some stubble by Sunday. The aesthetic was crafted in consultation with the club’s tailor and Netflix’s hair and make-up team. Ridley also reportedly tested out a hoodie-under-the-blazer motif. “We just couldn’t find the right color hoodie to go with the Green Jacket and Fred worried about his mobility wearing so many layers. The last thing he wants is a repeat of the Bubba-Billy handshake whiff, but the Netflix people thought that would be hilarious.

Spokespersons for Augusta National, CBS and Netflix did not initially respond to requests for comment.

Exclusive: Tiger Has Made His Decision

/

Tiger Woods has decided.

He’s going to ComicCon 2022 as Martian Manhunter. 

The return of ComicCon in 2022 has put added pressure on Woods as he nears a decision to play the 2022 Masters.

This will mark his first return to the annual convention since attending a few years ago as Batman. During last month’s World Golf Hall of Fame ceremony, Sam Woods revealed that her family attended ComicCon with her dad dressed in disguise as the caped crusader.

Multiple sources spotted Woods browsing the DC Comics row at Palm Beach’s Hollywood Studio’s Costumes. Shoppers overheard Woods engaging in lengthy chats with a store clerk about the merits of going as Aquaman, Flash and Martian Manhunter while asking many questions about locating a “Lynda Carter” era Wonder Woman getup. But Woods made clear the Wonder Woman dress-up was for his girlfriend who “liked the 70’s style over that neo-classical gladiatorial @$**%$#@ they’ve veered toward, and that she also did not want to revisit the “Cathy Lee Crosby jumpsuit years.”

Calls to Woods’ representatives and Hollywood Studio’s management were not returned, but a store employee who asked to not have their name or superpower revealed said Woods made clear he’s very loyal to DC Comics and was thinking Martian Manhunter would allow him to dress up, show off his biceps and attend without recognition.

“He is all-in on the family going as a Justice League posse,” the store employee said. “He said something about a Joe or Joey making a good Aquaman and also asked if we had Darkseid getups for a Stinny or Stenny. I told him that was backordered after Darkseid’s huge return in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. He totally got that. We agreed the film was so dope. He eventually went with Lex Luther for Stenny and told us to send him the bill. His son is going as Superman and his daughter is kinda rebelling and going with a Marvel character. Probably Spider-Woman. You know teenagers.”

The seven original members of DC Comics’ Justice League are Green Lantern, Flash, Superman, Batman, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter.

 Woods has said he will attend Tuesday’s Champions Dinner and after a recent practice round at Augusta National has fueled speculation of a pending return to The Masters. 

Participation: U.S. Sees Beginner Boom, UK And Ireland Still See Strong Numbers

/

The National Golf Foundation’s Joe Beditz reports the biggest beginner boom since the start of the century in his latest report.

Over the past two years, the number of beginning golfers in the U.S. is higher than it was back when Woods was at his most dominant. Almost 30% higher. In 2021, a record 3.2 million Americans played golf on a course for the first time. This after 3 million newcomers picked up golf in 2020 as the pandemic unfolded and people sought out safe, outdoor activities that could provide a sense of normalcy with friends and family.

Like the “Tiger Effect,” there’s no question the “Covid Effect” has been a force in its own right in terms of fostering golf engagement. But other factors have helped boost golf trials, too, among them the increased interest created by golf entertainment venues and other off-course forms of the game, and a more favorable public outlook on golf in general. It’s now been six straight years that the number of on-course beginners has exceeded the 2.4 million newcomers Tiger helped introduce to the game in both 1999 and 2000.

Meanwhile in the UK the R&A released these numbers:

Two new participation reports show that 5.3 million on-course adult golfers – the second-highest number since monitoring began over 30 years ago – enjoyed playing on full length courses (9 or 18 holes) in Great Britain and Ireland in 2021. This includes a marginal increase in Ireland and a slight reduction in Great Britain.

Golf enjoyed a significant boom during the pandemic due to its ability to be played safely and proven benefits in boosting mental and physical health. The latest data shows that participation in golf is still well above the rates in the years prior to Covid-19.

In Great Britain, the number of on-course adults began to gradually increase before Covid-19, rising from 2.5 million in 2017 to 3 million in 2019, before surging to a peak of 5.2 million in 2020. The latest figures show that 4.8 million golfers played in 2021.

With less restrictions on play in 2021, the new figures also reveal that avid golfers more than doubled, there was an increase in female golfers and the use of driving ranges and Par-3 courses remained high.

And the key highlights from the 2021 Great Britain Golf Participation Report:

  • At 4.8 million, total adult golfers on a full-length course (9 or 18 hole) remains considerably above the 3 million in 2019 pre-pandemic level, albeit down from 5.2 million in 2020

  • Female golfer full course users increased to 34% of golfers (1.4 million to 1.6 million)

  • Avid golfers (who played more than 52 times) more than doubled from 149,000 to 339,000

  • Over 3.5 million people used a driving range – the second highest figure of the last 20 years

  • Par-3 course users rose from 27,000 to 41,000, similar to the figures between 2012-2016

  • The average age of golfers was 41, the same as in 2020

  • 15% of the population tried or started golf again in any on or off-course format because of the pandemic (in 2020 or 202

And the Ireland Golf Participation Report:

  • Total adult golfers on a full-length course (9 or 18 hole) marginally increased from 540,000 to 543,000

  • Female golfer full course users increased to 21% of golfers (70,000 to 111,000)

  • Core golfers (regular golfers who played 12-51 times and avid golfers who played more than 52 times) rose from 161,000 to 201,000

  • 18% of the population tried or started golf again in any on or off-course format because of the pandemic (in 2020 or 2021), rising to 29% of those aged 15-24

Masters News & Notes, March 31st, 2022

/

"After fatal West Texas crash, University of the Southwest community turns to faith"

/

Anthony Olivieri travels to Hobbs, New Mexico and explains how the University of the Southwest community is turning to faith in the face of unimaginable grief. Carve out a few minutes to read this and remember the innocent lives lost.

Inside the ropes at Rockwind Community Links is another memorial. Just outside the pro shop and next to a covered outdoor patio, there are golf balls with messages of prayer and bouquets of flowers with cards attached addressed to both the school and the course.

USW's golf teams were at Rockwind every day, working on their games. Golf pro Ben Kirkes knew every player who died. Two players on the roster who didn't make the trip to the tournament in Midland worked at the course. Kirkes had trouble putting it all into words. Everyone grieves differently.

During his time as a resident on the dorms staff, Joshua Garcia-Matta oversaw Jackson Zinn and Karisa Raines and Travis Garcia. He affectionately referred to Tiago Sousa as TT. He said Laci Stone was bright and funny and humble.

"Words don't describe the pain and the loss everyone is experiencing as a whole," said Garcia-Matta, who also is on the cheer team. "All those people on that bus, I knew personally."

ANWA Set To Go, Rankin Saying Goodbye To Majors And Tiger's Day Trip

/

Ten Years Later, Bubba's Shot Still Resonates Like Few Others

/

We talk so often about the continued sight of Masters patrons gravitating to the spot where Bubba Watson's rope-hook wedge sealed the 2012 Masters.

And so I decided to break down the shot, incorporate terrific insights from Watson’s new book with Don Yeager, and filed this lengthy Quadrilateral item that finishes with links to YouTube options.

R&A's Celebration Of Light Kicks Off Countdown To The 150th Open

/

The Open/Twitter

Martin Dempster reports on the dramatic light and fireworks show that light up the St Andrews sky Saturday night:

The state-of-the-art production was narrated by actor and lifelong golf fan Gerard Butler. It charted the remarkable journey of golf since The Open began in 1860, celebrating renowned Champion Golfers and unforgettable performances from many of the sport’s greatest names.

Some Tweets and the full show on YouTube…

Auction: The Tiger Slam Irons Can Be Yours

/

But you better be ready to fork over eight figures given the starting bid of $25,000 already has things nearing $600k with two weeks to go.

Golden Age Auctions has a lengthy history of the irons and various affidavit’s certifying their authenticity.

It’s quite a story:

In the 12 years since they first surfaced in the collector market in our 2010 auction, the Tiger Slam irons have been displayed privately in a Houston office complex - appreciated only by the occasional visitor with a passing interest in golf. Over the past several years, we have repeatedly pleaded with Brock to let us showcase them to the world. Yes, the collector market has matured a lot since the dark days of 2010. But it was never about the money, even though these clubs will likely reset the record books. Instead, it was about timing. When was the collector market finally ready to appreciate the value of the very best golf collectibles, and ready to appropriately appreciate Tiger Woods and his position in history. 

After winning the 2001 Masters Tournament, Tiger held all 4 Major Championship titles at the same time - what we now call the Tiger Slam. 7 weeks later, at the Buick Classic at Westchester Country Club in New York, Titleist Director of Player Promotions Rick Nelson and Titleist VP of Player Promotions Steve Mata delivered to Tiger Woods the new set of irons and wedges that Titleist made for him. Tiger decided to put the new clubs into play that week, so Nelson brought Tiger's old clubs to the Titleist Tour Van to verify the specs of the new clubs would match his current gamers. Tiger then put those new clubs into play for the first time during the Wednesday Pro-Am that week. And the old clubs? The ones just used to complete the greatest feat on a golf course since Bobby Jones' Grand Slam in 1930? Tiger gave the clubs to Nelson and Mata, and Mata brought them home with him. It was widely known at Titleist, within Tiger's camp, and within the industry that Mata owned the Tiger Slam irons before he infamously put them up for auction in 2010. 

PGA Tour Has Not Responded To PGL's Substantial Offer Letter

/

We learned from the Fire Pit Collective that Rory McIlroy brought the Premier Golf League’s latest concept to the PGA Tour Policy Board, including substantial free money for players.

Bob Harig reports that the PGA Tour has not responded to the letter and proposal more than a month after the letter went out.

There was no direct response to PGL other than through player-director Kevin Kisner, who told the Fire Pit Collective that an independent company studied the proposal and “the results were presented to us: not feasible.’’

The PGL outlined its plan in a Feb. 14 letter to the PGA Tour Policy Board that was shared with numerous players. According to the plan, it would generate significant equity value for all voting PGA Tour members, as well as those on the DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour.

Applications Now Accepted For The Liv Golf Invitational In London

/

Application invitations have been sent to prospective Liv Golf Invitational contestants for the initial stop in London. As tends to happen with email, the link and password has been forwarded around and found its way to an inbox of mine.

Unless you meet the criteria, you cannot apply. But in the interest of making sure all worthy candidates have their fair shot at the $25 million purse, I’ll share the criteria below with carefully crafted insights in between. (Note the nice double dollar sign choice for the password.)

LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL LONDON

WHEN: 3-day, 54-hole tournament taking place June 9-11, Thursday through Saturday. This ensures anyone competing in the U.S. Open the following week has the ability to travel back to the States on Sunday.



No chartered jet to Logan?

WHERE: Centurion Club, 35 minutes north of Central London



FIELD: 48 players across 12 teams (4 players per team)



PRIZE PURSE: $25MM Prize Purse with $20MM distributed based on individual performance (1st $4MM - 48th $120K) and $5MM distributed across the top 3 teams and paid out evenly to each team member (1st $3MM, 2nd $1.5MM, 3rd $500K)



THE DRAFT: A draft will take place on Tuesday, June 7 to roster the 12 teams, with LIV appointed Team Captains selecting their 3 open team positions in snake draft format



LIV appointed Team Captains should be fun.

Greg, I have Gary Player on line one, should I send him to voice mail?

HELL NO! Put him through pronto!

PRO-AM: The pro-am will take place on Wednesday, June 8th



For that much money maybe players can buy pro-am spots and just choose to play a practice round?

COMMITTMENT: Participating in LIV Golf Invitational London does not require you to play in future events

This registration is only for our London event. As players have the option to enter and compete in one or all of our events, we will be sending out separate invitations to request an invite for each of our events in the coming months.

Entries for this event close at 11:59PM EDT Tuesday, May 10th. Invitations will be on a rolling basis with written notifications to the final field commencing Monday, May 23rd.

Taking it right to the bitter end.

LIV GOLF INVITATIONALS 2022 - EXEMPTION CRITERIA:

1) Asian Tour Players(3):


a) Leading 2 players from within the top-20 of the final 2021 Asian Tour Order of Merit Standings


b) Leading 1 player from within the top-10 of the Asian Tour Order of Merit at close of Entries



For now.

2) DP World Tour Players (3):


a) Leading 2 players from within the top-20 of the final 2021 European Tour Race to Dubai Standings


b) Leading 1 player from within the top-10 of the DP World Tour Rankings at close of Entries



Nice recognition of the branding transition.

3) PGA Tour Players (3):


a) Leading 2 players from within the top-30 of the final 2021 PGA Tour FedEx Cup Standings


b) Leading 1 player from within the top-10 of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup standings at close of Entries



Someone finally pays proper respect to the FedExCup!

4) Leading 2 players from within the top 15 of the final 2021/2022 standings of each of the PGA Tour of Australasia, Sunshine Tour and Japan Golf Tour (6)

Two spots each. Generous!



5) Leading 3 players from the Asian Tour International Series rankings at close of entries (3)



You go Asian Tour!

6) The two leading players from the International Series London not otherwise exempt (2)

But wasn’t that event replaced by the Liv London? I can’t keep up.



7) Leading 22 players from the OWGR at close of entries (22)

Whoa, but no minimum on the number. Bold.



8) Balance of field to be made up at the discretion of LIV Golf Commissioner and Championship Committee

Ah now we’re getting somewhere. Will Greg Norman go all Dick Cheney and decide he’s the best candidate to fill out the field?