2021 U.S. Open: USGA Looking To Repurpose "From Many, One" Slogan

Two expensive casualties of the pandemic are facing different futures. 

While the PGA Tour’s “Live Under Par” slogan rehabs somewhere in the glossy new Global Home, multiple sources say the USGA is looking to repurpose its qualifying-inspired “From Many, One” campaign for the 2021 U.S. Open.

With Torrey Pines expected to see severely reduced fan capacity, the USGA saw an opportunity to reimagine its expensive spend. Brand experts applaud the organizations dexterity.

“From many spectators to one would confirm to all the severity of the financial hit they are taking while also utilizing existing messaging,” said advertising consultant Action Fitzpatrick. “Most of your creative is already done, so really it’s just a matter of inboarding your lead flows, standing up your rollout and tweaking the font colors to reflect a more somber tonality.”

Whiteboard alternatives of “From Many, One” have been spotted at the USGA’s Far Hills headquarters. A source not authorized to speak shared this image from a conference room:

Note the USGA’s former “For The Good Of The Game” slogan has been crossed off and is an unlikely option.

 The USGA has not responded to a request for comment.

"How to cure the bane of slow play in golf"

Daniel Zeqiri pens a lovely slow play analysis for The Telegraph based on the continued heat after Sunday’s slow match play finale and the ongoing realization that, as a player-run organization, the PGA Tour is unlikely to do anything. Even when they cost their network partners money running consistently long, as they have the last several weeks with twosomes taking well over four hours to play.

Plus, Zeqiri is talks banning green reading books and rolling back the ball so he gets it.

He writes:

As ever, there are those who would like to see Tour officials reach for punitive measures more readily. ShotLink data also means they can be forensic and indiscriminate in their application of the rules, just as technology has enabled in other sports. No more complaining about a capricious rules official: if the clock says you were too slow, then there's no debate to be had. 

In 2019, there was a change in the rules to prevent caddies from lining their player up on the greens. The reasoning was that alignment - a player's ability to align his body and feet with the target - was a fundamental golfing skill. Quite right too, although even this straightforward change brought teething problems with Haotong Li issued a harsh two-stroke penalty in Dubai when his caddie appeared to walk away before he took his stance. 

There is an argument that reading greens is also an integral part of the game and a skill in itself. While players will occasionally 'call in' their caddie to help them read the break of a putt, they will pride themselves on their ability to read greens. It is part of what separates great putters from the merely good. Any player who backed themselves to be an above average green-reader would welcome the guides being outlawed. 

The counter-argument is that these books are for players to consult on their walk to the green after their approach shot. As Phil Mickelson tweeted in 2019: "The greens book allows me to do 80% of my read before I even get to the green. For anyone to say they slow up play is flat out idiotic."

Actually, they slow up play.

Anyway there is more to read in the piece and I’m sure Zeqiri has been added to the Fairhaven war room bulletin board.

Oh and this was fun from Monty:

100% agree @ewenmurray77 @SkySportsGolf @DellMatchPlay pace of play ridiculous. No one in front of them. Green reading books, lining up the lines on the ball. Really annoying me. And Matchplay is the fastest form of golf. Something has to be done #slowplay

— Colin Montgomerie (@montgomeriefdn) March 28, 2021

Contain Your Excitement! The Comcast Business Tour Top 10

What will be more interesting about the Wyndham Rewards replacement: the top 10 battle heading to the Wyndham Championship or watching Viacom’s CBS promote a Comcast sponsorship during their final three non-playoff telecasts?

Ok dumb question. Of course it’s the latter.

Maybe. For Immediate Release and please, contain your excitement at this $10 million bonus pool that failed to capture player or fan attention before.

Comcast Business Sponsors TOUR TOP 10

“Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10” highlights FedExCup Regular Season performance on the PGA TOUR

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that Comcast Business signed a multi-year deal to sponsor the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 starting with the current 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season.

The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 emphasizes player performance by rewarding the top players in the FedExCup standings at the end of the FedExCup Regular Season. The current ‘super season’ schedule, which features 50 official FedExCup tournaments, the most in a season since 1975 (51), promises to deliver an incredibly compelling finish.

“We appreciate the support of Comcast Business in highlighting the PGA TOUR’s top 10 performers from the FedExCup Regular Season and recognizing the hard work players put into every PGA TOUR season to play their best,” said Andy Pazder, PGA TOUR Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer. “Navigating the FedExCup Regular Season is extremely challenging as players get into the best position possible for the FedExCup Playoffs. Our ‘super season’ of 50 events features more FedExCup points than ever before, which raises the importance of every event and every shot. Finishing within the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 means you were able to rise to the top as a result of exceptional performance throughout the Regular Season.”

Wait, so the whole season is the Super Season? I’m so confused.

Finishing among the top 10 entering the FedExCup Playoffs is an important goal for players looking to position themselves for a run at the coveted FedExCup. At the end of the FedExCup Regular Season, as part of the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10, a $10 million bonus is shared among the top 10 finishers in the FedExCup standings.

“We could not be more excited to partner with the PGA TOUR to sponsor the new Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10,” said Bill Stemper, President, Comcast Business. “Our shared commitment to delivering premier experiences and enabling the highest levels of performance make this partnership a natural fit. We look forward to the continued growth of the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 and to an exciting finish to this year’s FedExCup Regular Season. Best of luck to all the players!”

The inaugural Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 will be determined at the conclusion of the 2021 Wyndham Championship, the final event of the FedExCup Regular Season prior to the kickoff of the FedExCup Playoffs at THE NORTHERN TRUST. The leader in FedExCup points through the Wyndham Championship will earn the top spot in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 in addition to a $2 million prize, followed by $1.5 million for the runner-up with the 10th-place finisher earning $500,000.

“Comcast Business is proud to kick off this exciting, strategic partnership with the PGA TOUR and to recognize the incredible accomplishments of this year’s FedExCup Regular Season winners,” said Eileen Diskin, CMO, Comcast Business. “We value being part of the PGA TOUR and our ability to help spotlight the best players in the game. This partnership provides us with the most distinguished golf platform to engage, support and influence our customers and prospects.”    

Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 updates will be integrated into NBC Sports’ PGA TOUR tournament coverage on GOLF Channel and NBC, as well as studio coverage on Golf Today and Golf Central Presented by Callaway Golf on GOLF Channel in the buildup to the final event of the FedExCup Regular Season.

“As a foundational media partner of the PGA TOUR and a part of the Comcast family, we’re thrilled to amplify the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 on NBC and GOLF Channel throughout the FedExCup Regular Season, emphasizing season-long performances by the world’s top golfers each week as they battle for position in the FedExCup Playoffs,” said Tom Knapp, executive vice president, partnerships and programming, NBC Sports.

Uh yeah, right Tom.

2021 Dell Match Play Ratings Fail To Drop As Much As They Should Have

Slow, uneven golf featuring only-a-mother-could-love finalists who often clashed with aggressively placed corporate tents, somehow failed to deter an average of 2.6 million people from tuning into the 2021 WGC Dell Match Play, reports ShowBuzzDaily in its weekly sports ratings wrap.

Taking over four gruesome hours and apparently as much time as they wanted to get around 17 holes, the Billy Horschel v. Scottie Scheffler final drew a 1.6 final round rating on NBC, down from a 2.18 in 2019 (the 2020 event was cancelled). The match took place against the NCAA basketball tournament games involving Gonzaga and Michigan.

The 2019 comparison ratings where Saturday’s coverage ranked highest thanks to Tiger Woods:

U.S. Open Cuts Back Volunteer Force

Not promising for U.S. Open spectating but also impossible to say without knowing how many are getting trimmed from work force:

We hope this note continues to find you and your families well and enjoying the beginning of spring.

The 2021 U.S. Open Championship will be contested with minimal volunteers on-site at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif. The decision to have limited volunteers was made in coordination with the State of California and San Diego County guidance for hosting a live outdoor event. Although this decision to scale the volunteer program did not come lightly, we feel it gives us the best opportunity to conduct the championship this year while ensuring the health and safety of all involved as our top priority.

We do have limited volunteer positions available and wanted to extend this opportunity to you to continue as a volunteer for the 2021 U.S. Open during the week of June 14-20.

Also you $195 uniform can be kept if opting out, a gulp, $350 value. I blame the water bottle.

If you choose to opt-out, you will have the option to keep the 2021 U.S. Open volunteer apparel package or receive a full refund of $195. The volunteer apparel package is provided by Polo Ralph Lauren. Each item is U.S. Open branded and items include two (2) polo golf shirts, one (1) wind jacket, one (1) piece of headwear, one (1) lapel pin, one (1) water bottle, and one (1) clear drawstring bag. The apparel package has a retail value of approximately $350 and will be shipped out later this spring. Please note we can NOT ship volunteer apparel packages outside of the continental United States and therefore will issue a full refund for all international volunteers along with those registered from Hawaii and Alaska.

All volunteer committee assignments will be finalized and communicated in April. With the reduced number of volunteers, we will attempt to assign each volunteer to one of his or her committee preferences; however, this might not be possible due to the requests for certain committees greatly outnumbering their respective staffing requirements. If the committee preferences you selected are full, we will assign you to another committee.

Video: Harvey Penick Piece From WGC Match Play Telecast

They broke away from the spellbinding matchups last weekend to air this Jimmy Roberts-helmed piece on NBC. It’s a good watch if you were dozing or watching college basketball.

Harvey Penick Piece – 2021 WGC Dell Match Play from NBC Golf on Vimeo.

Walker Cup Ticket Policy Announced: Only $500 Trophy Club Passes Available

May’s Walker Cup now has a ticket policy: limited attendance with only $500 three-day passes offered to those who signed up requesting information. No ticket option is currently listed on the Walker Cup site.

Three days with food and beverage puts it at $167 dollars a day.

Not clear? What constitutes the make up of those beverages.

The policy and some commentary was posted on Twitter:

At a time where people around the world are facing financial hardship due to Covid, this just shows how out of touch @WalkerCup is charging this much. Remember this is amateur golf as well. How is this growing the game and making it inclusive for everyone? @RandA @USGA pic.twitter.com/6s16KuGgfX

— Matt Evans (@Mevans321) March 29, 2021

Phil On TV: "Commentating is not going drive me to be in the gym...or drive me to drink green juice."

Phil Mickelson boards a VistaJet as a luggage handler brings his clubs along.

Phil Mickelson opened up to Forbes’ Mike Doic in less-than-subtle puff piece to plug his VistaJet partnership. And it yielded some gems.

On the possibility of moving into television commentary:

“I can see myself as an announcer because when I look at the game of golf, I see things that others don’t and I’m able to articulate it, and I think I’d be really good at it,” Mickelson says before backtracking a little on the idea.

“But it doesn’t bring out the best in me personally. Commentating is not going drive me to be in the gym, like this morning, or drive me to drink green juice. I envision being on the road and not being as accountable to my overall health. I really need the game of golf to push me and bring out the best in me.”

Wait until he sees how the camera adds 10 pounds. It’ll be celery shots for dinner.

And sounding as first world as one possibly can on a non-April 1 day, he talks of fractional ownership perks. We can all relate to this kind of freedom:

“When Amy and I would travel to the mountains to go ski, I would need to know months in advance when I was going to go, so that I could get a hangar. Otherwise, if the plane sits outside, things freeze and there is a huge additional expense that always comes up,” Mickelson explains.

“With, VistaJet, they handle that problem. We don’t have to tell them months in advance. We can tell them hours in advance, and they drop us off wherever we want to go and they deal with all the logistics,” he adds.

I’ve always said, it’s hangar rentals that just kill the joys of ownership.

Quadrilateral: David Barrett Q&A, Plus Match Play Notes Including A Koepka Update

We the team at The Quadrilateral are moving into major mode with a few new editions.

The Story of the Masters author David Barrett answered my questions about his ambitious new book, available here. This Q&A was open to all Quad subscribers and you can read it here as well.

Following the scintillating WGC Dell Technologies won by Billy Horschel, I offered these notes for Masters and Ryder Cup watchers. This one is only for paying subscribers and includes news on Brooks Koepka’s possible status for Augusta.

Three UT Players Out Of The ANWA After Testing COVID-19 Positive

Beth Ann Nichols reports on a a rough start to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur where three players have WD’d due to COVID-19 positive tests. They had yet to travel from Austin to Augusta.

All three play for the University of Texas, including Kaitlyn Papp, the fifth place finisher in the inaugural 2019 ANWA.

"Golf has about as much place in the Olympic Games as competitive eating"

There will be many columns like this heading into Tokyo where the field may be missing a lot of top players.

Building off Dustin Johnson’s decision to pass, Gavin Newsham writes a New York Post commentary on golf’s inclusion in the Olympic Games. After explaining the return, he writes:

In golf, the world’s best play each other all the time; in the majors, in the World Golf Championship events and then pretty much every week on tour. In that respect, Olympic soccer and tennis can make way for events that would benefit from being in the Olympics, like squash or lacrosse. And as for rugby — really? 

Of course, if the IOC wanted to, it could simply make golf revert to the original ethos of the Games by making the event strictly for amateur players, giving those up-and-coming players that rarest of opportunities to represent their country in the Olympics. 

Failing that, they could look at their famous Olympic motto — “Faster, Higher, Stronger” — and ask whether golf really ticks any of those boxes. 

As even a less-than-thrilling WGC just proved, match play should have been the format.

And as any of the team events remind us, they’re almost always better than 72-holes of stroke play. They also lead to peer pressure to play, something the organizers might want to think about for the golf in the Games.

Report: U.S. Women's Open To Be Played With No Fans

The USGA is insisting they haven’t closed the door on fans at Olympic Club this June, but the San Francisco Chronicle’s Ron Kroichick reports otherwise.

State and local public health officials, in coordination with the United States Golf Association and LPGA, made the decision mostly because of the challenges in controlling social distancing at golf events, according to two sources close to the situation.

Only a limited number of Olympic Club members are expected to be permitted on site during the event.

This is noteworthy for the reason (distancing) and since the men’s U.S. Open is played two weeks later in California this year. I’m surprised also surprised they could not find some accommodation for a small crowd given the recent pace of vaccinations.

The U.S. Women’s Open website currently offers a chance to sign up for ticket information and updates.

Video: Tornado Rips Through Shoal Creek

Severe tornadoes that moved through Alabama and killing five, hit Shoal Creek. The club has hosted two PGA’s and most recently, the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open.

Live Stories Media posted this surreal drone footage:

Legendary Pro Bob Ford Will Fold His Last Salmon Sweater After 2021's Walker Cup

The longtime pro at Oakmont retired there in 2016 and now will call it a grand career at Seminole after this May’s Walker Cup.

Craig Dolch with a nice look at the golf pro to two of America’s most revered courses—including a 16-year run serving both clubs—for the Palm Beach Post:

“I wanted to work through the Walker Cup, because that’s such a great event,” Ford said last week. “I wouldn’t say it was a difficult decision. Everybody has a shelf life.”

What a life the 67-year-old Ford has enjoyed in golf, spending more than four decades working at two of the most prestigious golf clubs in the world. The Jupiter resident has deservedly earned his share of accolades – both as a player and as a PGA Professional.

In 2005, Ford was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame. He was also the recipient of the 2017 Bob Jones Award, the highest honor the USGA can bestow on someone. Typically, the low-key Ford downplays his accomplishments.

Winwood, Winged Foot, You Get The Drift

After his team beat Iona in round one of the NCAA tournament, Alabama men’s basketball head coach Nate Oats and Iona men’s basketball head coach Rick Pitino chatted on the phone. Oats is buddies with Pitino’s son and wanted input on his team. Apparently golf came up and Coach Pitino, a resident on the fourth hole of Winged Foot, offered to have Oats for a game.

Erik Hall of the Tuscaloosa News with this from Oats’ radio interview explaining the invite;

Although Oats appreciated the invitation, he seemed oblivious.

“He talked to me about where he’s living up there — what’s that Winwood?” Oats said. “What’s the big-time golf course up there?”

One of the show’s hosts asked if Oats meant Winged Foot.

“Winged Foot, sorry yeah, I’m not a big golfer,” Oats said. “He lives up there on Winged Foot. He was telling me I’ll have to come by.”

Winged Foot Golf Club hosted the first U.S. Open in 1929 and the 1997 PGA Championship.

“Apparently, those that are really into golf, that’s a big-time spot,” Oats said. “So maybe, I’ll take him up on it and get up there once.”

Of course Winged Foot did not host the first U.S. Open in 1929 but we’ll let that slide.

Winwood! Beautiful.

BTW, go Bruins on Sunday!