Tiger And Phil Sounding Like...Veterans

/

I wouldn’t dare say old since they’re both in great shape but after Tiger’s four days in the 2020 BMW Championship he offered this about his back:

Q. How have you felt?

TIGER WOODS: Felt?

Q. Body-wise, physical-wise.

TIGER WOODS: It aches every day.

Q. Has it hurt you at all, just your back or your health in general?

TIGER WOODS: Well, my back is what it is. It's always going to ache and it's always going to be stiff. That's just -- when you have a fusion, that's just part of the deal. I'll have my good days, and as I've told you guys before, I'll have my good days and bad days.

Then there was this from Phil Mickelson regarding his Monday-Wednesday Champions Tour debut and win. He’s liking that cart!

Club Pro Guy also offered an alternate take on this bit of social insight sounding more like a young Phil.

View this post on Instagram

A new lease on life. #LiveUnderNetPar

A post shared by ClubProGuy (@clubproguy) on

ZOZO Championship Will Make A One Year Stop At Sherwood

/

After two weeks in Las Vegas, the PGA Tour will now move to old friend Sherwood Country Club just two weeks prior to the Masters. The “ZOZO Championship @ Sherwood” will not only give players a decent test prior to the Masters, the use of the @ symbol will resonate with the coveted 18-34 year-olds. Win-win!

Tiger Woods won last year’s inaugural ZOZO in Japan but due to COVID-19, the 2020 version of the PGA Tour’s fall Asian swing is getting replaced by a western United States series.

Sherwood hosted ten Shark Shootouts, 13 World Challenges, one prime time match and most recently, three Champions Tour events.

For Immediate Release:

PGA TOUR and ZOZO Inc. announce ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will move to Sherwood Country Club in California in October

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and Tokyo, Japan: PGA TOUR and ZOZO Inc. officials today announced that the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will not be played in Japan as scheduled this October but will instead move to Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California Oct. 22-25, 2020.

Due to unprecedented challenges and the unique circumstances which led to the move to the United States, officials said the tournament will be known as the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD this year. 

Last October, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was launched as Japan’s first official PGA TOUR tournament at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba. Tiger Woods emerged victorious following a three-shot victory over Hideki Matsuyama and tied the all-time record of 82 PGA TOUR victories held by Sam Snead.

“The PGA TOUR is grateful that ZOZO Inc. has partnered with us to host the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD this October,” said Ty Votaw, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, International. “Considering ZOZO Inc.’s main business is in Japan, the decision to hold its event in the U.S. underscores their commitment and support towards our sport, communities where we play and the PGA TOUR. We are truly thankful for our partnership with ZOZO Inc. and the Japan Golf Tour Organization.”

Votaw added: “Following last year’s successful launch, our players will no doubt be disappointed to miss traveling to Japan to play in the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP this year, but we look forward to returning in 2021. Through the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD, we are excited to showcase another strong field and deliver world-class golf to fans in the U.S., Japan and around the world.”

President & CEO, Kotaro Sawada, ZOZO, Inc. said: "It is unfortunate that we are unable to have the PGA TOUR stars in Japan this year and we’re sorry to the faithful Japanese fans who have been eagerly waiting to welcome the players back to Japan and to see them back out on the course. However, we are pleased to be able to host this year's ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in the U.S. at the acclaimed Sherwood Country Club. During this difficult time, we look forward to dedicating this year’s tournament not just to the fans in Japan, but to fans around the world. We are proud to be able to provide an opportunity for the players to compete and our team will continue to work closely with the PGA TOUR to stage a world-class event this October.”

The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD will now be part of a three-event swing on the West Coast in October as part of the early 2020-21 PGA TOUR Schedule: the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada (Oct. 8-11); THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK in Las Vegas, Nevada (Oct. 15-18); and the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD to be held at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California (Oct. 22-25).

The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD will feature 78 professionals, including the leading players from the 2019-20 FedExCup points list, players designated by the Japan Golf Tour Organization and sponsor exemptions.

In addition to the US$8 million purse, ZOZO, Inc. is planning various charity activities in Japan, the proceeds from which will be donated to fund programs and measures to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus among other things.

Sherwood Country Club is a Jack Nicklaus Signature designed golf course and has hosted numerous PGA TOUR-sanctioned events in the past, including the Greg Norman hosted-Shark Shootout, World Challenge hosted by Tiger Woods and a PGA TOUR Champions event. Woods also played David Duval in an exhibition billed as the “Showdown at Sherwood” in 1999, which Woods won 2&1.

“Sherwood Country Club and its Members are honored to host this year’s ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD and welcome golf’s greatest players as our guests for the week. We are greatly appreciative to ZOZO Inc. for this unique privilege. Our staff throughout the club are excitedly preparing the club in anticipation of this extraordinary event and look forward to once again working closely with the PGA TOUR. Sherwood’s scenic Jack Nicklaus Signature design will provide an exceptional background for a memorable week of golf during an unforgettable time,” says Rob Oosterhuis, PGA, General Manager and CEO of Sherwood Country Club.

Jon Rahm Sinks Epic 66-Footer To Pull Within Two Of Dustin Johnson's Tour Championship Lead

/
Screen Shot 2020-08-30 at 8.08.01 PM.png

Oh, and that amazing putt helped Rahm claim the BMW Championship in a thrilling finish over Dustin Johnson, who also made a doozy to send the tournament into overtime.

But I digress. Why focus on the BMW when the real story is next week’s Thursday leaderboard? While we’re in the midst of this playoff let’s send it down to Steve Sands for more. Will JT be four back or two back next Friday? Could Rahm cut into his deficit next week with a win this week? Inquiring minds do not need to know.

Fourteen years into this FedExCup, we’re still subjected to the hard sell. I realize there is a gargantuan sum of money at stake. And a season-long sponsor demanding full value for their investment even at the expense of other sponsors trying to have their moment. Yet once again, a compelling final round on a penalizing parkland course was mostly overshadowed by the effort to push FedExCup narratives that no sane individual cares about in the best of times. During a pandemic, it’s nails-on-the-chalkboard stuff. Especially with a fascinating final round featuring a better-than-most variety of characters.

As NBC’s Paul Azinger noted on Saturday, the FedExCup is a “pretty prestigious” competition. That was an apparently slight he mopped up, undoubtedly after an 904 area code popped-up on someone’s phone. This overall demand to focus on the perennially lame “playoff’ race was more of a shame than normal. The NBC team really never got to go deep on any topic or even do something mildly in-depth on the difficult setup conditions. There were just too many non-BMW obligations to juggle.

Even Mackenzie Hughes’s putt to get into the Tour Championship, while dramatic, felt like NBC’s team turning it into Ouimet beating Vardon and Ray. The hard sell brings down genuinely great moments.

Producer Tommy Roy was working without several once-normal production values that would have made this “playoff” event better. Yet the final putt replay sequence was vintage NBC stuff, yet not having an aerial shot of a few key tee shots getting amazing kicks off of trees turned out to be a huge storytelling miss we’re not used to with NBC. Particularly with CBS now mastering that element over the last 11 weeks and Winged Foot looming in two weeks, we can only hope the accountants loosen some purse strings. (NBC’s 2006 U.S. Open coverage was so epic in part thanks to aerial’s of Phil’s 18th hole adventure.)

Mercifully on this Sunday, we had Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm to thank for an unforgettable 2020 BMW finish.

Their absurdly long putts are embedded below and Daniel Rapaport covers all of Rahm and Johnson’s reactions here at GolfDigest.com. If you just have to know what the Tour Championship leaderboard looks like Friday morning (Labor Day finish), Ben Everill has it in this FedExCup points race roundup.

Take a look at the ShotLink scatter chart for the 18th green Sunday and note how there was no birdie putt resembling what Rahm made. Johnson’s make in regulation is highlighted in the second slide followed by a clean slide showing the 18th hole birdies in regulation:

Screen Shot 2020-08-30 at 8.30.52 PM.png
Screen Shot 2020-08-30 at 8.33.04 PM.png
Screen Shot 2020-08-30 at 8.31.17 PM.png

Video of Johnson’s incredible 18th hole birdie putt, sending the 2020 BMW into overtime:

Rahm’s 66-footer for the ages:

The final round highlights from PGA Tour Entertainment:

2020 U.S. Open Flyover: Third Hole At Winged Foot

/
Screen Shot 2020-08-30 at 7.37.52 PM.png

Winged Foot’s 243-yard third is in that sour spot no one likes unless they’re standing on Cypress Point.

With a classic Tillinghast bunkering scheme, the steeply pitched green should welcome today’s 4 and 5-irons unless tournament tees are moved up. A particularly goyish house behind the green also highlights OB lurking, though such a costly outcome seems unlikely on a hole of this length.

Stack: Dick's And Golf Galaxy Seeing Big Spike In Sales And Junior Golf Thriving

/

Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack, at one time believed to be the most arse-kissed executive in golf, deservedly lost his allure around 2014-15 after the whole PGA pro firing thing that set off a ridiculous blaming of revenue falls on golf’s “structural decline”, and then realizing it was nonsense and golfers might take business elsewhere, backtracked.

As retail sales decline, Stack also appears less powerful with the move to direct-to-consumer online commerce. That all said, even though his past actions and assessments suggest he’s all about the bottom line, his company and the people briefing him remain important observers of industry trends.

Thanks to reader Steve for Myles Udland’s Yahoo Finance story on golf’s positive numbers during the pandemic and this assessment from Stack on junior golf.

And a standout during the quarter is what the company saw in its golf segment. An area that Dick’s management expects will continue to be a point of strength for the company through the rest of the year.

“The golf business has been great both at Dick’s and [Golf] Galaxy,” said Dick’s CEO Ed Stack on the company’s earnings conference call on Wednesday.

“There’s a number of young people who have come into the game because they’re not playing football or soccer or some other sport,” Stack added. “So they’re out playing [golf]. Guys are out playing golf because they’re not at their kids’ games. Men, women, and kids have really all jumped into this game and we expect that to continue through the balance of the year, too.”

2020 U.S. Open Flyover: Second Hole At Winged Foot

/
Screen Shot 2020-08-29 at 7.50.11 PM.png

The 484 yard second is highlighted an audacious green enlargement/restoration that took place under Hanse Design’s supervision.

The tee shot features a bend to the right and kind of odd looking outside-the-dogleg fairway bunker at 300 yards, in other words, only a minor annoyance to most in the 2020 Hale America 2/U.S. Open tournament.

Don’t hesitate to hit pause when the flyover reaches the green. Most will focus on the overhanging tree—certainly an odd hazard on a classic course. But spend more time looking at the putting surface shape. You can see a lot of intricate movements, no small feat in the era of USGA Green construction that has made contours and extreme shapes quite cumbersome to create.

Yet it’s those corners, bends and wings that add more interest and natural lines, all things you’d expect in a revered design. For more on Winged Foot’s effort to rebuild greens and retain contours, the USGA produced this video two years ago.

2020 U.S Open Flyover: First Hole At Winged Foot

/

The countdown begins to Winged Foot and this year’s delayed U.S. Open and as is the tradition here, all 18 flyovers will be posted. While not as cool as this dreck for Executive Committee members to see youth outreach as envisioned by “adults”, we like to stick to the important stuff here.

This year’s tournament will be played September 17-20, meaning, with 18 holes it’s time to chip away at the memory banks since the West Course has not hosted since 2006’s Geoff Ogilvy win.

Much has changed, as Hanse Design oversaw restoration work of A.W. Tillinghast’s original. Out of the chute we get the drive-and-pitch first with its diabolical green. Squared corners and refreshed bunkers look superb.

At just 451 yards, a nice drive sets up a likely wedge for today’s decathletes. Maybe a Pelz nine on a cooler early fall morning.

Olympia Fields Bites Back And It's Still Not Getting A U.S. Open Any Time Soon

/

Since 2003 I’d somehow forgotten what an absolute snoozer Olympia Fields can be on TV. As in, get out the hair dryer-to-deal-with-pillow-drool-dull, confirms the blogger coming off two amazing BMW Championship afternoon power naps.

That said, if par-protecting-fests-to-make-up-for-the-apparent-indignity-of-Jim-Furyk-winning-your-U.S.-Open, Olympia Fields is certainly a contrast from last week’s birdiefest. However, with a logjam of masterful venues in the queue, the USGA likely shrinking things down to a rota, several bigger name classics offering restored designs, Olympia Fields is not getting a U.S. Open anytime soon.

Dylan Dethier with some of the more extreme numbers for a regular Tour stop.

Billy Horschel says its fair, so in addition to deep naps, I’ll sleep so much better tonight.

The Chicago Tribune’s Teddy Greenstein is reveling in Olympia Fields playing like a U.S. Open course, reporting on the odd USGA shot taken by 36-hole co-leader Rory McIlroy.

Asked if Olympia Fields could be a good U.S. Open venue, McIlroy said yes and added this zinger: “I think what they could do is hire the Western Golf Association to set (it) up. Yeah, this would be a wonderful test for a U.S. Open.”

The course was softened in 2003 by weather but more notably, the PGA Tour rules and agronomy staff oversees the setup this week. So I’m not entirely sure Rory’s punch landed.

Ironically, the event ushering in this whole players v. USGA was at Shinnecock Hills a year later. Not all believe that’s a coincidence.

55 (-16) For 18 Holes!

/
Screen Shot 2020-08-28 at 8.34.29 PM.png

Also, Alexander Hughes parred the first and last hole at South Lakes in greater Tulsa to post 55.

From Adam Woodward at Golfweek:

Hughes, a former player at Central Oklahoma, tied the Guinness Book of World Records’ lowest score in a single round of golf with a 55 on Thursday at South Lakes Golf Course in Jenks, Oklahoma.

After making par on the first hole, Hughes made a hole-in-one on the 155-yard par-3 second, followed by another par. Then he got hot, birdieing Nos. 4-8 with an eagle on No. 9 to make the turn at 9-under 26. His birdie streak ended on No. 10 with a par on 11, but the four-year letter winner at Central got to 10 under with a birdie on No. 12.

The card and last hole attempt at birdie.

Oh and it was almost lower:

Popov: LPGA Sticks With Finalized ANA Inspiration Field Minus Recent Major Winner

/

A tough, even seemingly irrational call was made by LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan and the LPGA to remain firm on September 10-13th’s ANA Inspiration: the field set for earlier this year remains in place, despite Sophia Popov’s improbable Women’s Open win.

Some context from Julie Williams at Golfweek summing up the tough situation and membership “category” issues created by the pandemic rescheduling. From Whan:

“You don’t have to like that, you don’t have to agree with me on that,” Whan said. “But that way, from the very beginning we knew that a winner there was going to qualify for the 2021 ANA.”

As for limited membership, Whan points out it has happened before – and recently.

“I’ve been commissioner 11 years. I’ve seen plenty of non-member wins at majors,” Whan said. “And I’ve seen almost all of those non-members go onto long and storied careers on the LPGA.”

According to the LPGA, In Gee Chun (2015 U.S. Women’s Open) and Hyo Joo Kim (2014 Evian Championship) are among recent players who won a major championship and received a two-year LPGA membership. Hinako Shibuno (2019 AIG Women’s Open) would have received the same if she had accepted LPGA membership.

No matter how you feel, Whan deserve major plaudits for not merely wheeling out a press release. I happen to think it’s the right decision because of precedent-setting fears.

His video statement:

PGA Tour's Champ Discusses Showing Support For Racial Injustice

/
Screen Shot 2020-08-27 at 9.13.52 PM.png

After posting a BMW opening 77, Cameron Champ still spoke to press about his show of support for protestors and other professional athletes choosing to not contest official games and matches. From Adam Schupak’s report in Chicago:

The PGA Tour posted a video on social media on Wednesday that Champ re-tweeted, in which he wore a Nike golf shoe that is black on his left foot and white on his right foot, the latter with the words “Jacob Blake” and “BLM” in blue marker. During Thursday’s round he shook up his message.

“I have Papa Champ on my sneakers, Black Lives Matter and Breonna Taylor,” he said. “Obviously there are some very important reasons why that’s on my shoes. For my grandfather, if anyone knows my story, he grew up in the South, Jim Crow, all those eras through the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s and obviously Breonna Taylor, which is another ongoing issue. For me again that’s kind of where I stand with this. I just want to show my love and support and obviously with my hat, as well.”

Champ’s full remarks here were also of note:

Q. Just to build on that, with the NBA it looks a lot different than the PGA TOUR. I just wonder, there's probably a number of players, certainly fans who have a different idea of what Black Lives Matter means. I just wonder if you feel in any way like an outlier when you support this or you wear the shoes and you're the only one here, right? Just how you kind of square that and how you feel about that.

CAMERON CHAMP: Yeah, I mean, it's -- again, I mean, I do to a sense. Like I said, it's a situation where, again, that video I did yesterday, and I've been told what some people have said. I'm like, that's just -- if you don't understand the full view of everything and realize what's going on and realize the statistics with massive incarceration to law and order to war on drugs to statistically speaking there's, what, I think 12 percent of the U.S.'s population is African-American which makes up 33 percent of the incarcerations versus 62 or 63 percent Caucasian and it makes up 30 percent. So how do those numbers add up?

So it's just, again, a topic that again, I'm going to always show my support. Again, it's part of me, it's part of my family, again, with my grandfather who I looked up to more than anyone, and he's the one who I've learned all the knowledge from and kind of fed off, and again, I think it's a good thing we're all talking about it, because again, it's what needs to happen for change to happen.

"Only three times in at least the past 151 months has the industry seen a monthly rounds increase of 20% or more"

/
Screen Shot 2020-08-27 at 9.42.20 PM.png

The reversal of golf’s fortune is put into context in the latest National Golf Foundation update. News of big June and July’s in the U.S. came from GolfDatatech, as did word of an increase in 9-hole and evening play, prompted this analysis:

This two-month rebound has allowed us to climb from a 16% YTD deficit on April 30 to now a 3% lead over 2019. Seems almost inconceivable given the loss of 20 million spring rounds from course shutdowns and virus-related anxieties. And the good news is likely to keep coming. Several golf course management companies have told us that August has been almost as good.
 
We did a little digging for perspective. Only three times in at least the past 151 months has the industry seen a monthly rounds increase of 20% or more. All three were during a heatwave in late 2011/early 2012, yielding surges in play at courses in the north that were typically closed and at a time of year when percentage increases can be misleading. To have a jump this significant during a high-volume summer month is unprecedented and reflects approximately 10 million more July rounds versus a year ago.
 
Our latest year-end forecast has us up 2% to 6% year-over-year. Consider this  – we haven’t seen more than a 5% Y.O.Y. increase since 2012 (during that surreal winter heatwave).

Tiger On Playing As Other Sports Took A Pause

/

Buckling under playoff pressure like he hasn’t faced since last year, Tiger bogeyed his last three holes and was not necessarily channeling his inner Norman Vincent Peale.

He made clear there was no discussion of playing as several other athletes protested or elaborated on the times.

Q. Just general thoughts on -- it was a rough finish, but how the course was playing and what was the strongest part of the challenge?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, the course was fine. The course is in perfect shape. Not the way I wanted to finish, but the golf course is playing difficult for sure.

Q. Was it a challenge dealing with the heat? Did that wear you out at all?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I live in Florida, so it's hot. This is no different. Certainly it was hot early. The wind picked up and it wasn't bad. It's just a little muggy.

Q. Obviously there's so much talk about racial injustice, and the NBA and MLB had some teams that didn't play. Was there any thought at all to not playing this round?

TIGER WOODS: No, I talked to the commissioner and they were on board. Obviously he released his statement, and all the guys were on board. So no, obviously there was talk about it because of obviously what happened, but we're all on board, on the same page.

I can see why the PGA Tour would not be looking to postpone the BMW Championship round, but I’d love to sense they genuinely grappled with the perception of golf, the PGA Tour and playing through these times. Yes, march on, but at least maybe pretend to grapple with the difficulty of these times?

Even the Thursday Night Men’s League did.

Tiger's First Public Course To Debut With Post-U.S. Open Mini U.S. vs. Europe Match

/

Branson’s big moment this week could be upstaged in September when Tiger debuts his first “public” course design, Payne’s Valley. The Golf Channel/NBC/Excel production features Woods and Justin Thomas vs. Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. I sense some contractually-obligated “days” are getting checked off.

Anyway, for Immediate Release:

ORLANDO, Fla. – NBC Sports and Excel Sports Management announced today the Payne’s Valley Cup, a special 18-hole charity team exhibition match headlined by four of the world’s top golfers to commemorate the grand opening of Payne’s Valley Golf Course at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Mo. Payne’s Valley represents the first public golf course design for 82-time PGA TOUR winner Tiger Woods, who will team up with World No. 3 Justin Thomas (Team United States) to take on major champions Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose (Team Europe) in the Payne’s Valley Cup.

Airing live on GOLF Channel on Tuesday, Sept. 22 (3-7 p.m. ET), the Payne’s Valley Cup will feature an entertaining mix of some of the best competition formats seen during Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups: Fourball, Foursomes and Singles matches. NBC will televise a special encore as two separate telecasts on Dec. 26 and 27 from 4-6 pm ET. The four players competing in the Payne’s Valley Cup have an eclectic resume: all four have been World No. 1; are major champions, all have won the FedExCup and have been part of victorious Ryder Cup teams.

The made-for-television exhibition match will be produced by NBC Sports, featuring all four players mic’d up during competition while showcasing Woods’ new golf course that pays tribute to Ozarks-native and World Golf Hall-of-Famer, Payne Stewart. 

“Payne’s Valley is the first public golf course that I have designed. I couldn’t be prouder of how it turned out,” said Woods. “It was an honor for me and my TGR Design team to work with Johnny Morris and Big Cedar Lodge on this spectacular golf course. I am thrilled that it will be featured during the Payne’s Valley Cup.”

“The breathtaking beauty and pure majesty of my native Ozarks is something you have to see to believe. To be able to harness this unique landscape and make it come alive through our golf courses has been an honor that has been driven by passion,” said Johnny Morris, noted conservationist and founder of Bass Pro Shops and Big Cedar Lodge. “Tiger and I have a twenty-year friendship that started through fishing and has evolved into a great partnership. We look forward to showcasing this destination to the world through the Payne’s Valley Cup and truly believe we are creating ‘America’s Next Great Golf Destination.”

Through a partnership between Morris and Woods, the 18-hole layout of Payne’s Valley, named in honor of golf legend, Ozarks native and dear Morris friend Payne Stewart, was created with the intent to foster a deeper connection to nature through the game of golf. Being celebrated as one of the most remarkable golf holes in the world, the course features an unforgettable par-3, 19th bonus hole designed by Morris to celebrate the nature and beauty of the Ozarks. After the final hole, golfers traverse a breathtaking, cliff hanger nature trail and journey through a beautiful nature cave system to return to the clubhouse.

PGA Tour Statement: "Sports have always had the power to inspire and unify, and we remain hopeful that together, we will achieve change."

/

The PGA Tour issued this statement in response to yesterday’s social justice protests in other sports, leading to the postponement of several games, including the NBA playoffs.

PGA TOUR Statement - August 27, 2020 

The MLB, MLS, NBA, WNBA and WTA protests are player-led, peaceful, powerful ways to use their respective platforms to bring about the urgent need for change in our country. There have been a number of efforts in the past to send a message that the current climate is unacceptable, and these teams, leagues and players now taking this step will help draw further attention to the issues that really matter. The PGA TOUR supports them – and any of our own members – standing up for issues they believe in.

The PGA TOUR made a pledge over the summer to be part of the solution, and we have been actively working to make deeper and more specific commitments to racial equity and inclusion in the communities where we play, as well as supporting national organizations within this movement that we had not previously engaged with.  However, we understand that now is not the appropriate time to highlight our programs and policies, but rather to express our outrage at the injustice that remains prevalent in our country. 

Sports have always had the power to inspire and unify, and we remain hopeful that together, we will achieve change.

The PGA Tour’s BMW Championship tees off today at Olympia Fields, just 100 or so miles south of Kenosha, Wisconsin where a police shooting and subsequent social unrest is occurring.

Cameron Champ retweeted this and the replies are a window into the how golf’s audience feels.