The Match Is Back With Only Superstar QB's And A Producer Who Did Time

/

The latest iteration of Capital One’s The Match is back on Wednesday with quarterbacks Tom Brady, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes playing at the awful Wynn course.

While Phil Mickelson is no longer involved in the made-for-TV events as he ponders how to be a better man, The Match is again being produced by Bran Zuriff.

As noted in Alan Shipnuck’s book Phil in writing about Mickelson’s shady associations and gambling problems, Zuriff was previously sentenced to home confinement and two years probation for his role in an illegal gambling enterprise with Russian mob ties.

Zuriff spoke to Golf.com’s James Colgan about the latest edition of the PGA Tour sanctioned charity match airing on TNT and how Mickelson is doing.

BZ: No. I swear to God, people think I’m making this up — Phil is enjoying his time off the hamster wheel. He’s enjoying it. He has gone balls to the walls for 30-plus years — doing every interview shaking every hand being an incredible ambassador. He’s taking a break and he actually is enjoying it. So we will eventually see him, but he’s enjoying his time off. And he’s really happy about that. But I consider him a lifelong friend and a partner. And when he wants to come back, he’s welcome to come back.

I wouldn’t bet on it.

LIV Lands DJ For First Event Filled Out Mostly By Once-Greats, A Lot Of South Africans And Mostly People You've Never Heard Of

/

The LIV field lives! It took a while but the June 9-12 event finally has a field, almost.

There’s so much to shake your head at and so much to laugh at who will play for gobs of undeserved money next week in London.

Dustin Johnson is the headliner for now and despite being a well-know RBC team member obligated to play the Canadian Open—one would think—he will likely lose his partnership based on this RBC statement obtained by Adam Stanley:

Johnson’s participation is silly on so many levels. Besides the lack of loyalty to the PGA Tour and a sponsor like RBC that puts him in ads despite being a less than eloquent pitchman, the 2020 Masters champion has been back and forth on his desire to grab the Saudi cash. In February he was out, but by May’s PGA he was looking forward to seeing how the event played out.

He’s all about the money.

The move rules out a future Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup captaincy. Ok those were not happening anyway. The Hall of Fame might be tougher now despite those two majors. Not that he cares. And definitely no Rolex billboard on Washington Road—that might actually matter to him.

From February:

What a brand!

As for others in the field, you have to wonder what’s going on in South Africa to make eight of their guys sign up, including Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace. The RSA’s are also wheeling out a Hennie Du Plessis and JC Ritchie who make Shaun Norris and Justin Harding seem like global superstars.

Decent PGA Tour players to make the leap include Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones. Not exactly folks anyone is paying to see.

Decent European Tour players include Sam Horsfield, Bernd Wiesberger and Pablo Larrazabal.

Aging stars like Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer probably ended any hopes of captaining a Ryder Cup squad to take the easy money.

Randoms include former US Am Champ Andy Ogletree, whose done nothing with the perks of winning that event, and the same goes for last year’s NCAA individual champ and current world No. 706 Turk Pettit. Then there’s former Titleist CEO Wally Uihlein’s son Peter Uihlein jumping ship.

Note to Jay Monahan: Taylormade makes a great ball now and ChromeSofts are getting better! Plus, the ball goes too far and straight.

The Friends of Greg division suggests the Shirtless Shark’s Rolodex is not filled with many Aussies. That contingent is led by the recently hapless Wade Ormsby (one top 10 in the last two years), another Aussie named Jediah Morgan and one more named Blake Windred. The latter won the Australian PGA this year.

Then there are the amateurs, including one competing in the NCAA final Wednesday as part of the Arizona State squad.David Puig sounds bitter he has not received European Tour sponsor’s exemptions but still dreams of playing the PGA Tour. He’s taking an NIL deal to appear, as Ryan Lavner reports after hearing Puig’s thoughts.

Current U.S. Amateur champion James Piot is also playing in London and teeing up in this week’s Memorial. Ah the spirit of Bobby Jones…is gone.

As for Phil Mickelson? Morning Read’s Bob Harig says this is still just a field of 42 and more openings means Phil’s probably just waiting as long as possible. You know, because that grey Old Tom beard will be tough to say goodbye to.

Nicklaus On Saudi Meeting: “I did it out of courtesy to them because we're doing a golf course for them."

/

Jack Nicklaus offered a perfectly reasonable counter to Howard Milstein’s claim. Now we’ll have to see what the response is from the Nicklaus Companies head suing the company namesake.

From Bob Harig’s story at Morning Read:

“They obviously called me,’’ Nicklaus said. “And we’ve had a contract on a golf course in Saudi Arabia for over a couple of years. Essentially the same group.

“So when they called Jackie — my son Jackie organized the meeting, and they came into the Bear's Club (in Florida). We met a couple of guys. John Rees and Paul Stringer from the Nicklaus companies were there because we were doing the golf course, and they proposed this thing to me.

“I did it out of courtesy to them because we're doing a golf course for them. I've got zero interest in wanting to do something like that. I don't care what kind of money they would have thrown at me. My allegiance has been to the PGA Tour. I grew up on the PGA TOUR. I helped found the PGA Tour as it is today. My allegiance is there and it’s going to stay there.’’

In an interview with Michael Bamberger, Nicklaus claimed the offer was in excess of $100 million.

It remains a curious situation given how Nicklaus and Milstein both have no qualms about doing business with Saudi Arabia, but see a line crossing when it comes to supporting a rival golf tour.

Only Steph Curry Understands How He Wants His Clubs Regripped

/

Non-golfers might find it a bit odd to see Steph Curry picking his clubs at the local PGA Superstore when the NBA Finals begin Thursday.

Presuming this was a regripping, any golfer can understand how that’s a task not to be trusted to an assistant.

Freshman Wins NCAA Individual Title, NCAA Elite Eight Set

/

Adam Woodward reports on a wild finish to the men’s individual title chase that ended in a four-man playoff won by Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent. The true freshman joins a small group to have won the title in their first year, including Ben Crenshaw and Phil Mickelson.

The final eight teams are set, with Tuesday featuring 36-holes of matches concluding with Wednesday’s final. It was a remarkable show by top ranked teams backing up their season-long efforts to reach the elite eight. Woodward previews the bracket and morning matches.

The teams and TV Times:

Looming Questions Halfway Through 2022's Major Season

/

Deprived of another day wondering who might be turning up at the LIV’s first London event in a week, I sat typed out some looming questions for the second half of 2022. Holy cow there’s a lot to be resolved in the coming weeks and months.

Jack, Howard, Nelly, Tiger, Phil, Brooks, Bryson, Brookline, Congressional, St Andrews, Portmarnock, Muirfield, Winged Foot, Riviera, Distance and plenty more on the rest-of-'22 radar now at the Quadrilateral.

"Rebirth at Riv: 2012 NCAAs, an oral history"

/

As the NCAA men’s championship has been cut to 15 teams and decides the individual title Monday, carve out a few minutes for Brentley Romine’s oral history of the 2012 matches at Riviera.

With the rise of several players who participated and the success of the team match format, Romine has done a fantastic job documenting the epic Texas-Alabama finale. This one happened before Golf Channel started doing full coverage but Romine has enough recollections, images and even YouTube clips to capture what was a match play classic. The premature celebration by Alabama coach Jay Seawell has not, well, aged particularly well.

It’s a three parter and you’ll see my name pop up in there Part 3 but only because UT’s coaches left no stone unturned. But I don’t ever want to hear crap from a Longhorn again.

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

"12-year-old golf phenom Xavier Perez signs name, image, likeness deal"

/

ESPN.com’s Tom VanHaaren reports on the first grand scale NIL deal signed for a junior golfer.

Cobra Puma has inked 12-year old Xeve Perez to a deal, joining his proud partners at Easypost, JumboMax and OnCore.

One of the agents working with Perez is Brett Falkoff, who also represents PGA Tour players, including Bryson DeChambeau.

"He hits the ball further than any 12-year old I have ever seen, and when it comes to his short game, he already has hands like a professional," Falkoff said in a statement. "His larger-than-life personality and well-mannered demeanor will set him apart, and we feel that combined with his work ethic and passion for the game, it's only a matter of time before he takes the golf world by storm."

I haven’t a clue how this ends well except for the adults cashing in on a kid. But maybe he’ll surprise us hitting it “further” than any 12-year-old in the game’s history.

California Bill Aimed At Golf Course Conversion To Housing Dies Again

/

The second effort of California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia to usher in the development of golf courses into affordable housing has failed.

The bill would have required a developer to allocate just 25% of the housing developed on green spaces into affordable units.

From the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance press release explaining the second failed attempt, this time with California Bill AB1910:

Defeating AB-1910, formally entitled “Publicly Owned Golf Courses, Conversion to Affordable Housing,” has been a significant priority of the California golf community since introduction in February 2021 of its precursor bill AB-672.  Since December 2021, defeat of AB-672 and AB-1910 has involved 1000’s of letters/e-mails to California Legislators and individuals and golf clubs and organization writing over 250 policy letters to State Assembly Housing, Local Government, and Appropriations committees.  Both AB-672 and the virtually identically worded AB-1910 died in the State Assembly’s financial watchdog Appropriations Committee, in January and May, respectively. 

Major(s) News & Notes May 26, 2022

/

A busy week winds down (maybe) with final PGA Championship items, pairing sheet stupidity, the U.S. Women's Open gets good news, a bunch of U.S. Open and Open qualifying news and much more.

It’s free Thursday’s at the Quad so everyone can enjoy. But of course, subscribing is free. And while we’re in the heart of major season, this is a year-round venture, as explained here.

"A Week In The Life Stanford Women's Golf"

/

Led by the super-duo of Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck, the Stanford women take on Oregon in today’s NCAA Women’s final. Adam Woodward and Lance Ringler preview what should be a stellar all-Pac 12 match.

The Cardinal women are profiled and trailed at a recent even in a tremendous film by No Laying Up. It’s directed by D.J. Piehowski and edited by Matt Golden, and a tremendous piece of work!

National Golf Links To Host 2030 Curtis Cup

/

2013 Walker Cup matches

Adding to the already stellar lineup, National Golf Links follows its successful hosting of the 2013 Walker Cup with the 2030 Curtis Cup matches. Fantastic news for the women’s game.

For Immediate Release:

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (May 25, 2022) – National Golf Links of America, in Southampton, N.Y., has been named the host site of the 46th Curtis Cup Match, to be held June 7-9, 2030. This will be the third USGA championship conducted at National Golf Links, which has previously hosted the 1922 and 2013 Walker Cup Matches.

“We are thrilled to return to National Golf Links, one of America’s finest golf courses and a true cathedral of the game,” said Mark Hill, USGA managing director, Championships. “The club has been such an integral part of Walker Cup history, so for its leadership to offer to host a Curtis Cup speaks volumes about their commitment to the amateur and women’s game. We cannot wait to work with their leadership in the effort to stage another memorable Match.”

National Golf Links of America, which opened in 1909, was designed by renowned golf course architect Charles Blair Macdonald, who guided the course’s development over its first 30 years. Macdonald’s tenure included the inaugural Walker Cup Match in 1922. Led by playing captain William C. Fownes Jr. and with a side that included Bob Jones, Charles “Chick” Evans and Francis Ouimet, the United States won the first Match, 8-4. National Golf Links of America was the home club of George Herbert Walker, USGA president in 1920, when the event was conceived, and the man who donated the trophy. The Walker Cup Match returned to National Golf Links in 2013, when the USA Team defeated GB&I 17-9.

“We’re thrilled to be able to welcome back the USGA, The R&A and some of the finest amateur players in the world,” said Michael X. McBride, chair of the Golf Committee for National Golf Links. “George Herbert Walker truly valued the camaraderie and level of play involved in team competition, and for National Golf Links to now be involved in support of the women’s amateur game is a special moment for all of us associated with the club.”

Upcoming Curtis Cup Match Venues

2022 Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa.

2024 Sunningdale Golf Club, Sunningdale, England

2026 Bel-Air Country Club, Los Angeles, Calif.

2028 TBD

2030 National Golf Links of America, Southampton, N.Y.

 
National Golf Links will become just the fourth club to host both the Walker Cup Match and Curtis Cup Match, joining Merion Golf Club, The Minikahda Club and Quaker Ridge Golf Club. Merion will host the upcoming 42nd Curtis Cup Match, its second time hosting the Match, from June 10-12.

The 2030 Curtis Cup Match will be the 78th USGA championship held in the state of New York, third-most among all states. The state last hosted the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, and will next host the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough. 

The Curtis Cup Match is contested by two teams of eight female amateur players, one from the USA and one from Great Britain and Ireland, which is composed of England, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It consists of six foursomes (alternate-shot) matches, six four-ball matches and eight singles matches over three days of competition. The USA leads the overall series, 30-8-3.

David Cannon: 2022 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Photojournalism

/

A tremendous piece of work from the CBS team and writer John Hopkins, who also narrated this tribute to photographer David Cannon. It was shown to the audience for Cannon’s award acceptance before an enjoyable Q&A with Jim Nantz. Enjoy!

And the Q&A with Jim Nantz where Cannon takes us through the creation of some of his best images…