Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Tuesday Tastings - Eye Of The Tiger Edition

 T-Minus 48 hours for you-know-who's return.....

State Of The Tiger - The Tour Confidential panel was always going to dive in on Tiger, this of all weeks, although they started at a less predictable spot:

1. This week’s Hero World Challenge will have extra eyes on it, as tournament host Tiger Woods will be among the 20-player field in the no-cut event in the Bahamas. It will also essentially be the first time Woods has fielded questions from reporters since the 2023 Masters, which was also his last start. Lots has happened since. What are the top two topics you’d love to hear Woods answer questions about candidly?

Candidly?  So we're asking them to fantasize, is it?

James Colgan: The merger! Crazy as it sounds, we still haven’t heard from the man since the golf world flipped on its head. I want to know what he thinks about the prospect of joining forces
with the Saudis. I’d also love to hear Tiger talk about the list of demands submitted to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan that resulted in his becoming the Tour’s sixth player director. That story — and the resultant fallout of a considerable shift in power at the PGA Tour level — feels like one of the most underreported pieces of 2023.

Josh Sens: What does he think pro golf will look like in the years ahead? And since he’ll have a say in that, what does he want it to look like? More elevated events? Fewer? Could he himself stomach playing in events under a Saudi partnership? Would that tarnish the sense of legacy that he values so much? Underlying all of those questions is the issue of the growing divide among pro golf’s biggest stars and the rank-and-file. Does he think more needs to be done to appease those stars? What about the rest of the players who increasingly feel like they’re getting short shrift? Where would Tiger strike the balance? Yeah. I know. That’s more than two questions. At this point, security has ushered me out of the press room.

Jack Hirsh: I think my colleagues above covered a lot of the top questions with one notable exception: His health. I’m not sure I’m more concerned about his health than two years ago, but certainly more than last year. With the fusion surgery he had on his ankle last spring, he likely had to relearn how to walk again. I want to hear about that process and how he had to rework his golf swing to accommodate it. Tiger is normally coy when talking about his injuries, but he’s also more insightful about the golf swing than just about anyone. I bet his press conference could serve as a clinic for golfers battling trail leg injuries.

A Tiger presser is, as the old saw goes, the triumph of hope over experience....  To me his sudden elevation to Player Director is the great uncovered story here.  You'll intuit my sense, which is that he's there to take care of himself and  his elite buds, but the first question would be who thought he should be there (and, perhaps, why?).  In any event, we'll get precious little from the man.

The Colgan response above caused me to revisit that August putsch, and find that I had forgotten Tiger's active involvement:

According to multiple reports, Woods was the leader of a group of more than 40 players who delivered Monahan a letter on Monday detailing a list of demands for the future of the PGA Tour. Monahan swiftly agreed to those mandates, which included installing Woods as a sixth “player director” atop the PGA Tour policy board and granting players the right of first refusal on all aspects of a “definitive agreement” with the PIF. The changes give players a voting majority on PGA Tour matters heading forward, and ensure that Monahan and the Tour’s non-player board members can no longer act unilaterally on behalf of players without their knowledge, as Monahan, Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy did forging the “framework” agreement with the PIF.

The number forty jumps out at me, as I've always used twenty as my shorthand, perhaps PIP-inspired.  But this also jumps out at me as somewhat disingenuous:

“The players thank Commissioner Monahan for agreeing to address our concerns,” he said in a release distributed by the Tour. “We look forward to being at the table with him to make the right decisions for the future of the game that we all love.”

But it didn’t take a linguistics expert to understand the deeper meaning. In perhaps his most brazen move as a playing professional, Woods had led a mutiny to seize back the power of golf’s largest professional tour from its non-playing leadership. Under the new agreement, Monahan was rendered powerless in negotiating a definitive agreement with the Saudis without player support. The players, on the other hand, now hold the full weight of negotiating power — and the counsel and expertise of Colin Neville, a long-time team-golf proponent and newly minted special advisor.

I cringe every time I read something of this ilk, in which the "Players" are treated as a unified voting bloc, which couldn't be further from the reality.

It's a common enough story to see an organization forget its purpose, and lose the faith of its putative owners.  Why does that inevitably happen?  First, because those owners are busy pursuing their demanding careers, often at the same time of life as their building their families.  But the second reason is the widely varying needs and objectives of the "owners", which are easy to play off against each other.

I see this as a coup by the elite players which will change the DNA of the Tour, much to the worse methinks.  The Tour's mandate has historically been to maximize playing opportunities for its rank and file, and to essentially let the cream rise.  There really has never been a need for the Tour to compensate Tiger for being Tiger, because Nike was kind enough to do that for them (if there's one aspect of the golf ecosystem that I think is underappreciated, it's this bifurcated compensation system).  

But obviously we'll see how this plays out, but for what purpose do we think Tiger seized power?  Do we expect him to be an advocate for the journeyman?  No time for a deep dive today, but color me suspicious.  Earl Woods carried a huge chip on his shoulder, and I certainly harbor a suspicion that his son does as well.  This crisis could not be allowed to go to waste, and we'll perhaps get a view into who Tiger Woods really is as a result.

Back to more mundane matters:

2. Woods has played sparingly over the past few years as injuries and a condensed schedule have limited his starts. But what if his game isn’t up to his standards? Could Woods’ play this week give any hint to how much he will attempt to play in 2024?

Colgan: I think we already know how much Tiger Woods is going to play heading forward: minimally. The bigger question is how well will Tiger Woods play golf heading forward. This week we’ll get a much clearer picture of how the subtalar fusion surgery he underwent in April has affected his ability to walk and swing with ease. His score, spare for something crazy, is irrelevant next to how comfortable he seems shooting it.

Sens: I think we can pretty much count on Tiger’s game not being up to his standards this week. How could it be? But I doubt how well he plays this week will determine how often he plays this season. As James says, we know Tiger is going to pick his spots. The majors. Maybe Jack’s event. Maybe the Players. Maybe the Genesis. Ultimately, the deciding factor will be his health, not how well he strikes it or putts it this week.

Hirsh: This week is about one thing: can he still walk 72 holes? He’s only done it two times since his car accident. I don’t think his play means anything this week and I think it’s probably a good bet that he finishes 20th in the field of 20. But if he can walk 72 holes without limping too severely, it will still be a win.

Hirsch with the tip-in.

 A quick one on TGL:

3. Speaking of Tiger, it was announced last week that his tech-infused TGL golf league, which was supposed to launch in January, will now be postponed until 2025 after its roof collapsed. Why such a long delay? And will this setback have any lasting ramifications on the league, including things such as player commitments?

Colgan: My instinct tells me the delay has more to do with the golf schedule than the repairs necessary to get the arena up and running. The issue here is timing: flying pros in for a Monday or Tuesday match, then flying them out to play a 72-hole tournament beginning on Thursday. It’s a big ask! Having it overlap with the major season was too much to ask.

Sens: Agreed, James. There was a window to get this started, and it closed when the roof collapsed. As for what happens going forward, like so much else these days, that seems contingent in large part on what happens in the bigger picture, with the proposed merger. What if the framework agreement falls through and other big names jump to LIV? Would they be welcome on the TGL? Would they even want to join? What about Tiger himself? What if he gets hurt again and can’t take part? What does that do to the league’s prospects and appeal? So much is up in the air, to the point where I don’t think it’s silly to ask—is there a chance that the TGL doesn’t ever get off the ground at all?

Hirsh: I think the cause of the 12-month delay is actually very simple. Monday nights on ESPN are occupied from April to December with Monday Night Baseball in the spring and summer followed by Monday Night Football in the fall. TV is where all the money is, therefore they get to call the shots. If the league was pushed back just a month or two for the dome’s repair, ESPN wouldn’t be able to show matches in April or May on its main channel. I’m sure more went into the decision than that, but money talks and that’s where the majority of it was. I’m still optimistic we see the TGL in 2025.

Yeah, the schedule is the killer, as the window for getting these guys together is really difficult.  But that only makes me understand that this initiative will inevitably hurt their actual weekend tournaments, because of the need to fly back and forth.  Further, it will inevitably hit the weaker events more, at the same time as those events are being devastated by the bifurcation into designated Events vs. Marginal Events.  Yet again, the Tour is backing an initiative that hurts its own sponsors, which is basically what they do once the ink is dry.

I know, they keep signing up and funneling millions to support the cause, then they get Honda'd.  You'd think they'd learn, no?

Just a few other bits. 

Irish Eyes - Who doesn't like a free home trial?

Paul McGinley will step in as temporary lead analyst for NBC Sports’ golf coverage this week at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, according to a report from The Independent in Ireland.
McGinley, 56, is a four-time European Tour winner best known for his captaincy at the 2014 Ryder Cup, where he led the Europeans to a resounding victory. The Irishman has previously appeared on Golf Channel’s “Live From” show, which is owned by NBC, and also appears in Sky Sports’ golf coverage. McGinley reportedly will work alongside NBC play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks and analyst Curt Byrum.

According to the Independent, “McGinley's [TV] future will likely depend on how he does in the Bahamas and future events over the next few months.” McGinley has received kudos for his commentary on "Live From" as he often gets into spirited golf debates with fellow commentators Rich Lerner and Brandel Chamblee.

Brad Faxon will have some advocates, but McGinley seems an amusing chap, though it's always hard to anticipate how they'll play over the endless hours of commentary.   Given that The Zinger move was over salary, this seems portentous:

Sources have told Golf Digest the move is part of a larger overhaul of NBC Sports’ golf coverage, with more changes possibly coming to the company’s Golf Channel brand.

I assume they'll regret turning this down:

Paige Spiranac ready to replace Paul Azinger on NBC Sports amid calls for golf's glamor girl to join the network: 'I'm a woman of the people'

She has one obvious advantage over McGinley, in that she certainly knows what she' selling:

 


Hate to see you sell out, Paige.

An Honor Just To Be Nominated - Alex Myers traditionally gives out his Turkey Awards at this time, reminding us of, well, those whose palms met foreheads in such schadenfreudelicious and, most importantly, publicly.  First, do you care much that Paul Azinger got fired?  I think he'd declined into quite the oddball analysts, with off-kilter takes offered breathlessly.  

That said, NBC/Comcast shows contempt for its audience in how they fired him.  To me, the savings couldn't have moved a needle, but either he's your guy or he's not, it shouldn't turn on the outcome of the4 haggle.  Or am I a hopeless romantic?

But this will arm those who think he wore a short skirt and had it coming:

Paul Azinger: The (former) NBC announcer is back on our list. Look, it's tough being in the booth for hours at a time, but Golf Twitter had a field day with Zinger just about every day he called golf. If we had to single out one moment, though, it would be with his call of Wyndham Clark attempting to get up and down on the par-3 ninth hole at LACC during the final round of the U.S. Open. First, Azinger said it would be impossible for Clark to get his chip within 10 feet of the hole. Wrong. Then he said Clark had missed a slope he needed to hit. Wrong again. Then he continued to say Clark had missed said slope even as millions of people saw the ball perfectly rolling down said slope toward the hole.

It was really wild. Anyway, the result was Clark's ball rolling out to about five feet and him making a huge par save on his way to winning his first major. Oh, and in somewhat related news, Azinger's five-year contract was NOT renewed by NBC Sports at the end of the year. Speaking of that tournament . 

From the Twitterverse:

Are they allowed to do that?   

But I had forgotten about this, even more amusing after his 4-play season:

Aaron Rodgers: We've knocked Rodgers a lot for winning the pro-am portion of the AT&T
Celebrity Pro-Am with a 10 handicap, but he deserves one more QB knockdown. Especially with PGA Tour winner Keith Mitchell calling it "crap" and Josh Allen, who finished fourth alongside Mitchell, telling everyone that Rodgers "sandbagged the world" in addition to literally giving a thumbs down.

Not to mention his impressive past performances in The Match. A 10?! The guy is more full of sand than Pebble Beach itself! To be fair to Rodgers, we could also assess a turkey to whomever at the tournament assigned him that handicap or let him keep it, but like in football, ultimately, the blame falls on the signal caller.

Josh got himself bagged again Sunday night, though under different circumstances.  He might have time on his hands earlier than usual, though no Pebble ProAm for him to grind over.  They had to cancel it so that Patrick can get paid....

This is deserving of its honor as well, the logic escaping your humble blogger:

John Daly/David Duval: To be fair, this pairing of past British Open champs at the Zurich Classic was a combined 107 years old when they teed off. So when you're that long in the tooth you're going to be a longshot in a PGA Tour event. But not only did they finish dead last through two rounds, they finished dead last by 12 shots.

And the next team featured a former military man who had made just one cut in 28 starts on something called the GPro Tour playing on a sponsor exemption. We're guessing Double D and JD won't tee it up together in 2024. While we're on the subject of star-studded teams . . .

How can a sponsor believe that these guys can help their event in 2023?  And Daly always acts as the consummate professional, those twenty-something fines for failure to try being a grave injustice.... A self-inflicted wound of the silliest sort.

I'll leave you nice folks here, and be back at some point later in the week.

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Monday, November 27, 2023

Weekend Wrap - Porta-Potty Update Edition

Lots to cover, surprisingly including some actual golf.... Shall we lede with that?  Yanno, Just for a change of pace....

Let Him Cook? - It's hard to keep up with these kids, but this guy seems to be a comer:

BRISBANE, Australia — It's hard to know where Min Woo Lee does his best work. Tournament results this year suggest it's on golf's biggest stages. But one could argue it's on social media. There,
the younger brother of LPGA star Minjee Lee does everything from mobilize his 600,000-plus total followers with a catchphrase, "Let him cook," to obtaining Steph Curry's cell phone through Instagram DMs.

Lee, 25, fended off a field of stars from Australia, Europe and Asia to capture the first of two tournaments that make up the DP World Tour’s Down Under swing. Lee began the final day with a three-shot lead at Royal Queensland and a closing 68 gave him a 20-under-par 264 total. He defeated runner-up Rikuya Hoshino of Japan for his third career DP World Tour win. Lee is expected to rise to a career-high No. 38 on the Official World Golf Rankings when the next listing becomes is posted on Monday.

Australian Marc Leishman (64) was third at 16 under. Former U.S. Amateur champion Curtis Luck (69) was fourth, while LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann was fifth at 13 under, making an ace at the par-3 fourth. Adam Scott (sixth), Lucas Herbert and Cameron Davis were some of the names in the top 10.

What used to be the wonderful and meaningful Australian Championship Season has now been downsized to a 2-week Down Under Swing on the Euro Tour, but at least they're drawing some familiar names.  The hat is not a candidate for our ongoing coverage of bizarre tournament trophies and prizes, but rather a social media homage:

One of the more outgoing characters in the game, Lee put on a chef’s hat on the 17th green to celebrate with fans and honor his “Let him cook” social media mantra that took off during the Players Championship. Imagine having that kind of confidence with a hole still to play. That’s Min Woo Lee.

According to mythology, Lexi Thompson is a battle-hardened competitor by virtue of growing up with two athletic brothers, whereas the reality is far different for sure.  I just wonder in Min Woo's case if his big-game hunting capability is the predictable result of competing against his big sister....  Time will tell, but the kid could be great.

Golden Slumbers -  One under-appreciated aspect of D-Day (the 2023 version, it goes without saying) is the effect it can have on the USGA-R&A proposal to institute a Model Local Rule governing balls used in elite competition.  It's been quiet through the comment period, but the R&A's Martin Slumbers had some quite specific comments on this important subject:

Distance. Specifically, how far golf’s leading practitioners can these days propel balls with their turbo-charged equipment, is the aspect of the game that, surely more than any other, bonds the
regulatory bodies. Standing side-by-side, arm-in-arm and shoulder-to-shoulder, the R&A and the USGA are currently going head-to-head with a variety of interested parties in a battle for the future of the sport.

“Unequivocally, the ball is going further than it did 15 years ago,” says R&A CEO Martin Slumbers in an exclusive interview with Golf Digest. “And I see no reason to doubt it will not continue to do so. I’ve long been of this view. And for a long time, I had to keep it private. But once we published our distance report at the start of this process, I was very clear that, for the good of the game, we need to address this issue.

“From that point of view and from an environmental point of view, we have to do something,” he continues. “We have been very clear, as has [CEO] Mike Whan at the USGA. There are only three options: We can bifurcate; you change the whole game; or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option. We stand by that.”

Slumbers seems to be saying to the two PGA's, your ball is being rolled back, regardless of what happens to the great unwashed masses.  So, Patrick (just to pick a PGA Tour player at random), do you want your intransigence to affect Joe Sixpack?  More importantly, do you want that hissy fit to result in the shrinkage of the recreationally game, because that's what you tell us will happen.

And, yes, the question is better directed to Wally Uihlein.....

“The game was not happy with the Model Local Rule,” admits Slumbers. “There was a view that it would create a bifurcated game at the elite level. It was a very strong pushback against that. The PGA Tour was very public about it. So was the PGA of America. A number of players spoke out. And our job is to listen.

“But our responsibility is to the long-term future of the game. Along with the USGA, the R&A is a custodian of the game. We’re responsible for our period of time, something that has gone on for hundreds of years and will go on for hundreds more. So, we are listening. And we have made a decision about what we are going to do. We’re working that through at the moment and will make it public before the end of the year.”

We'll see how it all plays out, but apparently we should be hoarding golf balls, at least according to Geoff:

This was the second report quoting Slumbers suggesting the “Model Local Rule” bifurcation concept may be jettisoned after excessive whining by the PGA Tour and PGA of America. The first dropped November 10th from Golf Monthly. But the Digest report was the first to get widespread notice and, my oh my has it been fun reading predictions of mass quitting, hoarding of (current golf) balls, and other petulant social media displays of ignorance oblivious to the fact that (A) the Rules of Golf are 100% optional to abide by for golfers and manufacturers, (B) companies could continue to sell non-conforming equipment for those who prefer to buy their skill, and (C) very few of these softies have the clubhead speed to notice a distance decrease as presented in the Model Local Rule proposal. But let’s just see the details first, shall we?

It's not so much a preference as a necessity, Geoff, but we take your point all the same.

In the aftermath of that D-Day shock, I spent some time thinking through the impact of that "merger" on the USGA-R&A initiative, which seemed tricky for the governing bodies, though perhaps manageable with three of the four majors committed.

But it took longer for us to understand the paralyzing uncertainty of that effort, which has already consumed to comment period and makes for unprecedented uncertainty for the governing bodies and tours.  

Did Someone Mention Uncertainty? - For the Chinese, living in interesting times is a curse, which only now makes complete sense to me....  Because...well, you'll not need me to explain.

It's supposed to be the quiet se4ason, but it's been anything but.  First, the payoffs:

The PGA Tour gives mega-millions to its stars. Some pros hate it

Some fans, as well..... And don't get me started on bloggers....

But, as many times as you've heard me call out headers, this one gets it so very right, specifically with that first verb.  Oh, they're trying to convince us that it's earned, not given, but boy is that weak tea:

But the popularity of the PGA Tour, the ratings its TV partners receive, the people who will travel to Charlotte for the Wells Fargo and buy tickets in Los Angeles for the Genesis Invitational — these things are not necessarily tied to where players finish on the leaderboards. That is what the PGA Tour has earmarked millions of bonus dollars for. A payout for players who have the stardom to impact those aforementioned things that matter to the PGA Tour. Players who have weight in the golf world. Players who can impact the Tour’s bottom line simply by existing. That’s why it’s called the Player Impact Program.

Oh, that makes perfect sense..... We're paying Tiger for existing but, gee, other guys exist as well, no?  

In year’s past, the PIP rankings have been shared by the Tour itself, and sometimes even leaked through golf media. But one thing was different this year: The rankings came via Instagram. And via one Instagram account in particular. Nate Lashley’s Instagram.

Lashley is the 187th-ranked player in the world. He just finished 96th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, which means he won’t be playing in any signature events to begin the 2024 season. He has full status, which is job security. You’ll see his name on leaderboards next year. But for the moment Lashley is upset.

“How many golf fans actually know what the PIP on the PGA Tour is?” he wrote in his IG caption. “Would love to hear from golf/PGA fans if they think this $100 million was spent well? There’s 150-200 members of the PGA Tour and they just spent $100 million on 20 players. Seems a little ridiculous. Time for new leadership on the PGA Tour. This is an absolute kick in the face to the rest of the PGA Tour players.”

A kick in the face! That’s how Lashley feels. He wants that sum of $100 million redistributed to tournament purses, which he made clear in subsequent comments, and you can’t blame him for feeling that way. That gives him the best chance to grab a share of that money. Because Lashley is not going to finish anywhere near the top of the PIP rankings, barring a massive change in ability. And if the entire structure of the PGA Tour’s profits and losses hinged on those tournaments and their leaderboards, he might have a decent case.

Right.  But Jay needed a slush fund to pay off Tiger, who isn't able to earn purses any longer.  So many lazy sports journalists have written as if this is a battle between the players and the "owners", whereas the battle lines are among these players and the rest of professional golf:

1. Rory McIlroy — $15 million
2. Tiger Woods — $12 million
3. Jon Rahm — $9 million
4. Jordan Spieth — $7.5 million
5. Scottie Scheffler — $6 million
6. Rickie Fowler — $5.5 million
7. Viktor Hovland — $5 million
8. Justin Thomas — $5 million
9. Tommy Fleetwood — $5 million
10. Max Homa — $5 million
11. Xander Schauffele — $3 million
12. Jason Day — $3 million
13. Tony Finau — $3 million
14. Collin Morikawa — $3 million
15. Matt Fitzpatrick — $3 million
16. Wyndham Clark — $2 million
17. Cameron Young — $2 million
18. Justin Rose — $2 million
19. Patrick Cantlay — $2 million
20. Brian Harman — $2 million

That's $100 million diverted from purses to allow Jay to pay off the guys he thinks he needs... Based upon opaque measurement criteria that exactly no one understands.

The only good news is that Tour is appearing sheepish about this.  Why do I say that?  First, there's the bit above about not announcing it.  Secondly, there's this:

The Tour’s only problem in acknowledging its most impactful stars? It’s that Lashley is not alone. James Hahn has made a stink about this same issue in the past — millions in funds going to a select few instead of the membership at large. Lanto Griffin just bemoaned the difference between the Tour’s haves and have-nots a week ago in Georgia. A divide exists now more than ever before. And the PIP isn’t going anywhere. Players received a memo with the results Wednesday, but along with it they received a note on how the program would exist and change in 2024. $50 million to the top 10 players, a slight change from $100 million to the top 20. Lashley now has a full year to get comfortable with that.

So, let me see if I follow.  The PIP program is necessary to continue to promote the Tour's growth, but we're gonna chop it in half in 2024....   OK, who doesn't love a clown show?

I've long been a Mad-Lib fan, so this might be podcast to give a listen:

I've mostly gone with slush fund, but I'm guessing their listeners will have some better bon mots.

Among the many reasons to hate PIP is this gnarly issue of what social media engagement is actually positive.  For instance, this sourpuss seemingly got his $2 million for being an a*****e:

Why not?  Phil got $200 million for the same....

But wait, we're not done coddling these overly-entitled game growers.  The Tour has sent a memo to sponsors dramatically upping the care-and-feeding of these delicate warriors:

The requirements are:

• All tournaments now must provide complimentary courtesy cars during the week.

• Tournaments will have amenities for players’ families on the course, including a private restroom on each nine, with flushable toilets, water and dry snacks. Additionally, four restroom stations on each nine will be provided for the players.

• Cold plunge tubs, which have become popular to the players, will be provided by the tour, with tournament directors needing to find a place to put them and keep them maintained during the week.

• The memo states that tour players are focused on their nutrition and wellness, and that the tour is “encouraging” events to re-evaluate the meals that players and their families are receiving in player dining.

I was under the impression that golf had been played for hundreds of years without cold water plunges, but I stand corrected.  But I hope you've kept some outrage in reserve, because you'll be shocked to know that the Tour is only worried about the diets of those twenty guys:

The enhancements get nicer for the tour’s Signature and Playoff events. Among the requirements for those tournaments are reserved parking for the players’ families, agents and coaches; organic food options; complimentary dry cleaning for players and caddies, and free picture yardage books.

The Tour seems perfectly happy to allow Nate Lashley to poison himself with non-organic food, which seems a human rights violation.

The funny part of this is that the Ports-Potty thing apparently originates with comments from Jon Rahm back in August, and we all understand that when you gotta go..... But Mr. Rahm has been subject of many recent rumors, so this seems a fair trade-off:

If you're familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the answer is quite obvious, although organic food is way down the list.

Just to amuse us further, we have Phil and Alan Shipnuck getting into it again:

I have no idea whether Rahm is really in play, though he at least seems willing to allow the rumors to stand:

Meanwhile, Rahm’s reps scoffed at the notion during his recent Dubai appearance and yet the Masters champion has yet to get on social media to calm Global Home nerves. You know, the way he did after bailing from the TGL before the ceiling caved in. Rahm could just be leveraging a few millions more out of the Tour’s private equity bonus pool expected for top non-LIV defectors. Or, he’s talking with the Saudis and is merely negotiating final details on a Fireflies ownership takeover from Sergio. Or he just doesn’t care about refuting the possibility of a jump to LIV, which, no disrespect to Cam Smith, would be a monumental twist in the LIV v. PGA Tour saga.

Although Phil saying that he doesn't know anything is quite precious..... He usually embraces being a lightning rod, so it's amusing and perhaps meaningful that he's ducking here.  I'm having trouble understanding how Rahm could jump at this juncture, given that sad state of all things LIV, but no doubt $500 million is hard to decline.  But funny that someone should mention Cam Smith, because:

Obviously we shouldn't draw too many conclusions from a mere 36 holes of golf, tough let's remember that Cam told us he signed to spend more time in his homeland, though he didn't specify that he'd be stinking up the joint.

I and many others have noted that LIV can't be good for a players long-term competitiveness.  Of course, the LIVsters fet that 2023's major season vindicated them, not without some favorable data points to cite.  Obviously we're all reacting to small sample sizes, but it's not like any of us thought these guys would lose their skills completely.  Still, Cam seems like he doesn't much care anymore, so remind me why we should.

I'm going to leave you here, Dear Reader, and hit the hero World Challenge and other bits over the next few days.  Nothing too taxing but, we do have Tiger to watch this weekend.  Have a great week.

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Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Midweek Musings - Pre-Tryptophan Edition

I wasn't actually planning on blogging this morning, but that damn news cycle just featured too many giggles to leave unblogged.

TGL, Delayed - Whatever will we do with our Monday nights?

Following last week’s roof collapse of the TGL’s dome arena, Tiger Woods’ forthcoming golf league will not kickstart in early January, as scheduled. The league will now look to launch on a 12-month delay, circling early 2025 as its new goal.

It was always going to be a tightrope walk to make schedules of 24 players fit nicely on Mondays and Tuesday nights during the PGA Tour regular season and finish before Masters week in early April. Any significant delay would cause a disruption with other aspects of the construction, or even primetime television schedules.

“The postponement brings mixed feelings of disappointment and excitement,” said Rory McIlroy, fellow player-investor in the product. “Above all, we are happy that no one was injured. We are looking forward to the launch of TGL. Given the circumstances, while the delay is disappointing, the postponement will allow us to regroup, refocus and return stronger.”

Return?  I know Rory's had a tough stretch, but the time-space continuum remains pretty basic stuff.  To wit, to return one needs to have been there in the first place.... Just sayin'.

More importantly, is this one of those commitments that caused Rory to resign as a Player Director?  Because he's now got some free time on his hands.... Oops, too late.

The biggest loser might be ESPN, which suddenly has lots of TBD on its programming schedule:

Last week’s dome collapse was due to a temporary loss of power. On a windy night in southern Florida, the air-supported canvas roof deflated, leaving behind a tattered skeleton of what is ultimately a very expensive roof membrane. Dome specialist company Broadwell Air provided GOLF.com with an estimate of what total replacement would cost: $2.1 million.

More costly, in this scenario, was the time it would take. Broadwell estimated a total replacement would take three months. And while TGL had a unique repair/replacement to take on, it did not have three months. It did not have two months. It had seven weeks.

The league was going to host 18 different matches between its six teams, and get all of them completed between January 9 and the end of March. Even starting the league a month later would have pushed the timelines into a conflict with the major championship season, when players are most particular about their schedules.

Instead, golf fans who were anxious for the mixed-reality golf league will have to stay patient. Officials of the league have already coordinated an optimistic attitude about the situation. Take this quote from Rosalyn Durant, Executive Vice President of Programming at ESPN, which had signed on to broadcast the league.

But how will the game grow without this essential component?   Might as well shut down the entire Tour, no?

Dylan Dethier had this take:

1. TGL Down!

A realist might point out that the sudden one-year postponement of the TGL following the collapse of its stadium is … not a great scene, either. An optimist might point out that the delay is actually good for the league long-term, and that it’ll be huge for the league to have an extra year to craft the vision rather than trotting out a half-baked product. But it’s hard to resist the instinct to sit back and chuckle at the whole thing, marveling at the ways in which golf’s leagues continue to step on larger rakes with every passing week, undermining themselves in the process.

As I've admitted, I certainly couldn't resist, nor did I see any particular reason to even try.  It's just another poorly disguised money grab on the part of the top twenty players, none of whom I feel a deep need to see more of.  The Tour is force-feeding us LIV at Riviera, so LIV on a simulator seems a tough sell.  I guess Tiger can set that tampon aside for a year, as we'll just have to do without his sophomoric humor until 2025.

Alex Myers with the tip-in:

Say It Ain't So, Schmo - Seriously, you can't make this s**t up:

Patrick Cantlay is looking for … a hat sponsor

Are you sure that it isn't just that none fit him and his swollen noggin?

Say what you will about the good folks at Goldman Sachs, but at least they have a sense of
humor.

On Tuesday morning, the New York Times reported that Goldman will not be renewing its hat sponsorship agreement with Patrick Cantlay after a four-year partnership. According to the Times, the bank has pivoted away from its consumer-focused online banking service “Marcus” in recent months, making Cantlay’s hat sponsorship with the bank no longer a primary focus.

And why, exactly, is Patrick Cantlay’s now-defunct partnership with Goldman Sachs newsworthy information? Well, because it leaves him without a hat sponsor.

Yes, folks, you’re reading that correctly: golf’s most-famed (and perhaps infamous) hatless competitor is now in the market for a hat sponsor.

If only we could say the same about our Patrick, who will never be known for leaving them laughing in the aisles....  But just a change in business direction?  It's not out of the question, but see how you react to this speculation:

At the time of the incident, many golf fans noted dryly that the true bummer of Cantlay’s situation was that his hat sponsors at Goldman wouldn’t be able to profit off the increased airtime. For what it’s worth, the Times report doesn’t mention anything about Cantlay’s performance in the split, pointing instead to Goldman’s recent direction. The company has laid off more than 4,000 employees in 2023, and its stock is off by more than 11 percent from last year. Cantlay, meanwhile, has ascended into mainstay status in the World Top 10 and is fresh off arguably the best performance of his playing career at the Ryder Cup.

The good news? While the relationship won’t be public-facing anymore, Cantlay could continue his relationship with the brand as a speaker or celebrity endorser at company events. The better news? The hat change should be lucrative for Cantlay, whose forehead is now unquestionably some of the golf world’s most eligible real estate. That is, assuming he wants to wear one at all.

Four thousand employees is a drop in the bucket as compared to Patrick's need to be paid, but still....

But, while James Colgan's facts are not in doubt, I find his conclusions highly speculative.  Yes, Patrick is a top ten mainstay and I'll stipulate that his Ryder Cup performance was his best event ever, for the simple reason that the category isn't all that competitive.  For instance, here's his recent major championship record from Wikipedia:

 


I agree that Goldman didn't get much of a benefit, but those kind of finishes don't get the hat much visibility in any event.

The guys on the Korn Ferry Tour get hat sponsors, so somebody will pony up for sure.  But I certainly don't see it as the prime real estate that Colgan does for two important reasons.  First, given the Tour's propensity to shoot itself in the foot, the only events I'm confident will maintain their value are the four majors, and he's a non-entity (or at least historically has been) in those most important of events.

But more importantly, is this the guy you want to tied to?  Would Goldman have wanted to be associated with Patrick at the Ryder Cup, because they're already accused of putting money above all else.... If there's one guy I personally would steer clear of it's our famous terrific penis... Can you imagine if he and X-Man did actually skip the Ryder Cup as they threatened?  

As far as potential sponsors are concerned, I think Dufner's DudeWipes remains the leader in the clubhouse, but I'm thinking Patrick in a Trojan swag hat would be comedy gold!

They Can Have Him - Who doesn't love a little blue-on-blue action?

IV Golf’s Instagram account has been highly visible this offseason. Its 2024 schedule, on the other hand, has not.

While the league’s handles have taken to sharing early and often into the upstart tour’s second-ever offseason, the league’s executives have apparently been coy with the details of the season schedule for 2024.

That seems to have frustrated one of the league’s biggest stars, Brooks Koepka, who has taken to the social media battleground against his employer. Over the weekend, the five-time major champ and former World No. 1 went to Instagram twice to express his frustration with his home tour for the way it has handled the league’s 2024 schedule, which evidently remains a mystery to just about everyone involved in the league, players included.

The situation started on Saturday, minutes after the league posted a mock Instagram DM inbox with the caption, “Who’s DM are you replying to?”

“The DM with the schedule for next year would be nice,” Koepka said first — a comment he later deleted.

The next day, after the league’s official handle posted a second picture of Koepka, he fired another shot.

“We don’t know what course cause we haven’t seen the schedule,” he said.

Gee, maybe you shouldn't have jumped into that clown car?  Just spitballin' here....

LIV has yet to find that, as the apparent scramble around its ’24 schedule only underscores. Even as the PGA Tour and LPGA have released schedules, the only event currently cemented on LIV’s ’24 schedule is a trip halfway around the world to LIV Adelaide, site of the league’s most popular tournament in ’23.

It’s early yet to say the league is in crisis about its schedule. After all, LIV didn’t begin its 2023 season until late-February, nearly six weeks after the start of the Tour season. But it’s worth noting that Koepka’s criticisms are not nothing. By this point in 2022, LIV’s 2023 schedule had already been out for more than a month.

The man behind the criticisms only adds to the story. Even if he’s earned a reputation as a sometimes surly competitor, Koepka is unquestionably one of golf’s biggest voices. And, as his home tour’s only reigning major champ heading in ’24, you can bet his words hold an extra weight around LIV HQ.

Do his Instagram comments, too? We’ll soon find out.

I feel his pain.  It's critically important to know where those events no one will watch will be played....They're not in crisis, they're in something more like the cone of silence....

Do you have any crocodile tears left?

Cameron Smith faces a dilemma looming for all LIV golfers—how to qualify for the 2024 Olympics

But I'm thinking English must be a second language for him, no?

“I definitely want to be there, mate, 100 percent,” the 30-year-old said at this week’s Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in Brisbane. “I know the criteria, I don't know if that can change, but I’ve got these couple of events here [the Australian PGA and the Australian Open, which are co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and therefore receive world ranking points] and probably more looks again in the [2024] majors, so hopefully I can keep that ranking up and wear the (Australian national) coat of arms on the chest again, it’s pretty special.”

Gee 100% means that you would pay any price bear any burden..... Not, yanno, that you'd deposit any check.

If it were actually important to Smith, he would have ensured that he would be able to qualify after jumping.  I hate the be cynical, but I almost get the sense that it was all about the money....

Zing Goes Poof - I don't know if Patrick is over-playing his hand, though this guy seems to have:

Was Paul Azinger fired by NBC?

Many believed that was the case Sunday when it was announced that the 2008 Ryder Cup captain would no longer be the lead golf analyst for NBC.

According to sources, Azinger was not fired but was actually in the middle of contract negotiation on a new deal. Parties had agreed on both a schedule for the 2024 season and other terms on a new one-year contract before a formal offer that included the financial terms was presented to the broadcaster.

Those terms were less than Azinger’s current contract on an annual basis that he signed in fall 2018 when he replaced Johnny Miller as lead golf analyst. Azinger decided to counter the offer, which is when he learned from longtime agent Rich Braund that NBC instead decided to go in a different direction and not renew his contract.

Of course I find that even more depressing, because...well, this:

So, was this a cost cutting move by Comcast-owned NBC?

In the same period of time that the decision was made on Azinger, Comcast-owned Golf Channel let go of 15-year veteran producer Brandt Packer as well as a coordinating and field producer.

The high-profile departures of longtime analysts Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch last year turned out to be just the start of cuts at NBC and Golf Channel. Additional cost cutting in 2023 has included not sending production staff to the Ryder Cup in Italy and instead handling all production from its headquarters in Stamford, Conn., and cuts will continue in 2024.

“Everything they've done is to make the telecast less expensive,” said a source familiar with the operations. “They're not out to make it better for the viewer. There are more commercials, they're cutting speed cameras, cutting drones, they don't have a blimp or an airplane for overhead shots.”

Yeah, the broadcasts will deteriorate to the point where we won't be able to make out the logo on Patrick's cap.... Win-win, baby! 

Golf is ridiculously expensive to produce and the audiences are comically small, so something has to give.  Of course, the players have deemed themselves unconstrained by the value of the golf ecosystem, so we'll have to wait to see how that plays out for them and us.

That's pretty good for a day I hadn't planned to blog.  Have a great Thanksgiving and holiday weekend, and we'll catch up next week.

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Monday, November 20, 2023

Weekend Wrap - See You In Albany Edition

Shockingly, attention must be paid to the actual golf this weekend.... Didn't see that one coming.

Sea Island Breakthrough - How does one know that a young phenom is the real deal?  Well, and you heard it here first, winning early and often is our first clue:

A month before this year's Ryder Cup, the name "Ludvig Aberg" was like the faint howl of a distant wind in the golf world—if you noticed it at all, you barely paid attention, and there were only a few
people warning us that the whisper might turn into a roar...and much sooner than anyone thought. The 23-year-old Swede, winner of the Ben Hogan Award at Texas Tech, had turned down a massive LIV deal last year, turned pro this summer, finished top five at the John Deere, and strung together a few solid results in Europe. Then, a day before Luke Donald had to make some tough choices for his captain's picks, Aberg won his first professional event at the Omega European Masters. Donald's decision became a lot easier, Aberg made the team, and posted a 2-2 record as Europe slaughtered the Americans in Rome. He was no longer anonymous, and his career as he turned 24 on Halloween began to resemble a person bounding up a set of stairs with startling speed.

Sunday, at the RSM Classic, Aberg climbed to the next step: He is now a PGA Tour winner. With a final round 61 to match the same score on Saturday, Aberg finished at 28 under, three clear of Mackenzie Hughes, who kept it interesting with a 63 of his own. The most notable vanquished foe, however, wasn't Hughes, but Eric Cole—the 35-year-old who came into the week as the apparent frontrunner in the Rookie of the Year race. With a deeper resume than Aberg's, nothing but a win from the Swedish phenom could have changed the outcome, but win is exactly what he did, and it now appears overwhelmingly likely that Aberg—the only rookie to score a win this PGA Tour season, not counting opposite field events—will take home the Arnold Palmer Award.

I caught the last 4-5 holes, and the kid seemed preternaturally calm, as if he was in complete control of all aspects of his game.  The funny aspect to me is that because of this aura of serenity, he kept taking me by surprise with how quickly he pulled the trigger.  

It reminds very much of a certain Cablinasian player that burst onto the scene in 1996, also with two quick wins in a cameo appearance (I'm including Ludvig's win on the Euro Tour that got him his passage to Rome).  For what it's worth, he also had a better first Ryder Cup than that other guy...

Props to Golfweek for tackling the obvious issue Aberg's rise brings to the fore:

Sanskrit?  This is obviously one of those where the fun is in the question:

Not long after Aberg watched his highlight reel hole-out at 14, he settled the debate by saying that he curses his rare misfired shots in Swedish. Did he drop any explicit words during Saturday’s scintillating 61, which lifted him to a 54-hole total of 20-under 192?

Of course, silly question to pose when the guy's throwing up a 61....

The Tour Confidential panel has become quite the laughingstock, and you'll have guessed their opening question for this week's installment, almost justified this time.  But here's the only question they allocate to this event, half-cocked at best:

3. The RSM Classic, won by Ludvig Aberg, capped the PGA Tour’s inaugural seven-event Fall series. So, did the new format work? Or did the drama of finishing inside or outside the top 125 fall flat compared to previous years?

Bastable: No doubt the new framework injects some drama, though 126-150 still maintain conditional status for 2024, so it’s not like the guys who just missed the mark are totally kicked to the curb. I’m more excited about the reintroduction of Q-School this year, by which five Tour cards will be doled out next month. There may be no more democratic — or cutthroat — system in all of sports.

Wall: I spent the early part of the week in Sea Island and can confirm the new format certainly did the trick. There was a ton of nervous energy on the range that was non-existent last year when RSM wassimply the last event before the end of the year. Drama late in the year is never a bad thing, even if everyone still had their eyes fixed on the football.

I think the issue of what the Tour should do with the Fall is quite worthy, the more so since they don't have a clue themselves.  Getting a TV-worthy audience to follow the gyrations around a random three-digit number is a big ask, though, espe3cially when the guys involved may have already finished their rounds when the coverage window begins.

But you wouldn't want to ask your staff writers for their impressions or career projections after the breakthrough Tour win of a young stud, would you?  That risks actually being interesting and, Lord knows, we can't have that.

Tiger In Winter - No doubt you've heard that Tiger was able to convince the sponsor of the Hero World to allocate a precious sponsor's exemption on, checking notes, Tiger Woods.  It's a surprise to me just because of the calendar, but obviously the Tour Confidential panel couldn't resist:

1. Tiger Woods announced he’ll play his Hero World Challenge in two weeks in the Bahamas, which will be his first start since he withdrew from the 2023 Masters and had a procedure on his ankle. We already know a ‘win’ for Woods would be four healthy rounds. But what’s a ‘win’ for him in 2024? More good health? Contending? What’s your 2024 Tiger forecast?

Alan Bastable: Tiger’s Hero commitment was a pleasant surprise — I assumed we wouldn’t see
him until the cart-friendly PNC — and an indicator that his ailing body is back to a place where he feels confident that he can walk 7,200 yards for at least four consecutive days. How Woods actually feels, looks and sounds come Friday (or Sunday!) evening in the Bahamas should give us more insight into his 2024 prospects. A “win” for ’24? Staying off the operating-room table, playing at least half the majors and delighting TGL fans with his short-game wizardry. Whether or not Woods is competitive next year, merely having him in and around the game, in any capacity, is a “win” for all.

Zephyr Melton: More good health. There’s no doubt Tiger still has the ability to compete, but the wear and tear of four rounds — let alone a full season — is what will hold him back. It would be a massive victory if he can make it through 2024 without any major health setbacks.

Jonathan Wall: Health. It’s the realistic win at the moment until we see he can handle four rounds of competitive golf — walking. I still don’t believe we’ll see him more than a few times next year, outside of the TGL dome. Tiger’s enjoying his time watching Charlie flourish on the course; I just can’t see him grinding away at regular Tour events. He doesn’t have anything left to prove. After all he’s been through, the simple fact Tiger is teeing it up again is a miracle.

We'll know quite a bit more when we see how he's able to walk, but anyone curious as to who will have the bag?  Less so here than, say, in LA, where one assumes the hatless wonder will be pegging it as well....

But, while everyone is understandably focused on Tiger playing, this bit seems to be far under the radar:

Along with Woods, it was also announced that Justin Rose and Lucas Glover had been given tournament exemptions, with the Englishman and American joining Woods in completing the 20-
man field.

The two players in question that Rose and Glover replaced turned out to be Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, with the American duo now not listed in the Hero World Challenge field.

Currently, it is unclear as to why Cantlay has withdrawn from the event, but Schauffele did reveal a week or so ago that he had withdrawn from the tournament at Albany Golf Club, stating that he wanted some time off from golf to allow him to unwind for the first time since the pandemic.

Color me cynical, but if either of them drops out citing that they want to spend more time with their family, fine.  But for those two to drop out simultaneously?  The reader is free to draw his or her own conclusions, but those seem like they'll be some delightfully awkward PAC meetings, even without Rory involved.

The Tour In Winter -  Just a few loose ends worth musing upon, first the TC take on Rory's stage-left exit:

4. Rory McIlroy abruptly resigned from the PGA Tour board, leaving a vacant spot and raising questions about why McIlroy left before his three-year term was over. McIlroy said simply “something had to give” with everything he had going on in his life. Does his resignation have any significant meaning to Tour pros? Or to fans?

Bastable: Yes, the move has much meaning! In the LIV era, McIlroy established himself as the most ardent supporter of the PGA Tour and the voice of his peers. He could have quietly ridden out the remainder of his term and began curtailing the time and energy he invested into PAC matters, but instead he pulled the plug entirely. If you take McIlroy at his word, his decision was driven by his overtaxed schedule. No doubt that was a factor, but surely so too was his rightful disgruntlement over the Tour’s secret dealings with the Saudis. That degree of betrayal can’t be easy to get over. Curious minds might also wonder if McIlroy’s deteriorating relationship with fellow board member Patrick Cantlay played a role. In a recent interview, McIlroy described his relationship with Cantlay as “average at best,” adding, “We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently.” It’s useful to have a variety of opinions in the board room but only if the sources of those opinions respect one another.

Melton: It absolutely has meaning. Rory has been the voice of the establishment in the LIV-PGA Tour war, and to see him abruptly step down is not a great sign. As AB notes above, the secret dealing with LIV likely left Rory with a sour taste in his mouth. Once you lose someone’s trust, it’s hard to get it back. Jay Monahan and Co. almost certainly lost Rory’s trust this summer, and it doesn’t appear they’ve done much to earn it back.

Wall: Of course! Rory was the voice of his peers — or at least a large majority of them — when LIV was trying to poach the Tour’s top talent. You can’t go from being right in the middle of the action to tapping out and not have people question the motive behind the decision. Sure, Rory was spreading himself too thin, but if the Tour wasn’t seriously considering a framework with PIF, I’m pretty sure he would’ve stayed on board in some capacity — even if he throttled back in ‘24. Simply put, the very thing he fought to protect burned him. Many would’ve done the exact same thing if they were in his position.

Jay must have confused Rory with a sponsor to have treated him in that manner, no?

It continues to amaze me that a guy like Jonathan Wall continues to speak of the players as some unified mass with identical objectives.  What Wall seems to have missed is that Rory took the leadership roll in advocating for a huge money grab on the part of the elite players, justifying it by the need to battle LIV.  When the Tour pulled the rug out from under him that left him exposed, because he'd sold out the interests of most of those guys.  Hence the Grayson Murray confrontation in Canada, but he's unwelcome among those he screwed.

Of course, this guy's frustration communicates clearly, although his arguments could be far more cogent:

One man who believes these changes have only benefitted the circuit's elite group of players is Griffin. The American is currently battling for his 2024 playing rights in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup fall standings, and opened up on his grievances that he had taken to McIlroy prior to his resignation.

"If he wants $20 million purses and $100 million PIP money, take it. We don’t give a s***. I told Rory this. I said, ‘Beginning of the year, what’s your goal? Win the FedEx Cup, win majors, win three, four times? Do you know what 70 percent of the guys out here, their main goal is? To keep their job.’ He said, ‘Fair enough.’ We care about money – that comes with good play – but we’re more worried about keeping our job."

Yes, Lanto is right to worry about keeping his job, but he seems strangely willing for Rory & Co. to keep that $20 million for themselves, which you'd think he'd prefer be spread around.   He does have some faint praise for Rory and, even better, names names as a contrast:

While he questioned the the circuit's policy during McIlroy's tenure on the board, Griffin did praise the four-time major champion for his approachability, but hit out two of the Tour's biggest names in Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa. There are certain guys out here among the top players who won’t give you the time of day and then there are guys like Rory who will," Griffin commented.

"I talked to him for about 30 minutes at [The] Players and then again in Canada, which is really nice of him, and he listens. There are some guys out here who wouldn’t do it. Justin Thomas wouldn’t do it. Collin Morikawa wouldn’t. I feel like there is an elitist group. Rory feels like he can listen in and understand where we’re coming from, too."

Errr, Lanto, have you had any reason to meet Patrick?  I think you'll perhaps reassess your view of JT and Collin after meeting that penis....

My working theory is that Rory's likeability made him a particularly useful idiot to Jay, and perhaps to Tiger as well.  That's perhaps why I was surprised by the Cantlay-X-Man withdrawal from the Hero, because it sure seems that Cantlay and Tiger are reading from the same hymnal, no?

Not sure I'm completely on board, but we always give Eamon a hearing on these subjects:

Lynch: The PGA Tour’s winter of discontent is upon us, and a thaw isn’t coming soon

As the most tumultuous year in the Tour’s history draws to a close (if not a resolution), the
portico principles that supported decades of the organization’s marketing are quickly crumbling. Like the ideals of comity and charity, for so long neatly packaged in a mantra — ‘These Guys Are Good’ — that was repeated with a fervor worthy of the Beijing politburo. Comity has been undermined by griping — about fellow players, about executives at HQ, about the media — while the unrelenting chatter about money encourages a perception that too many Tour members think charity ends where it should begin: at home.

The most enduring and ruinous narrative peddled by the Tour was that every event mattered equally, as did every man in a member-led organization. It was a sustainable storyline only as long as everyone on the boat was aligned to row in the same direction. To the extent that they ever were, they are no longer. A clear caste system now exists on the tournament schedule and the voices carrying most weight belong to a distinct minority of the membership.

But I had been reliably informed by Jonathan Wall that a majority of the players were behind Rory....

Eamon takes on the more personal of Lanto's comments as well:

As the Tour moves to fundamentally reshape how it does business, the divide has never been more glaring. Consider Lanto Griffin’s comments earlier this week when Rory McIlroy resigned from the Policy Board. “Rory was great because he was approachable by everybody, but at the same time he was bought by the Tour,” Griffin said. “The head of the board has the same sponsors as the Tour and the Players, there’s influence there — I’m talking Workday, I can’t remember all of them, Golfpass. The guy who’s running the board is being paid by all the title sponsors, it’s a little sketchy to me.”

The errors of fact in Griffin’s statement rival the frequency of bogeys on his scorecards, but what’s noteworthy here is that McIlroy’s success and marketability has been weaponized against him as cause for suspicion, as evidence that he’s compromised. It won’t be the last time we hear this specious claim leveled against a prominent star. A consequence of players taking control of board decisions is that they are now deemed blameworthy by any of the Tour’s steerage passengers who think those on the upper deck are leaning on the tiller for selfish reasons. That divisiveness is likely to increase since the time is nearing for decisions that will upset many who feel their concerns are being ignored, their grievances not redressed, their future employment not assured.

I don't think Lanto helps himself here, because I've never felt that Rory specifically was motivated by personal wealth, though I won't say the same about Tiger and the others.  But the reality is therefore more depressing, because of how easily Rory allowed himself to be duped.

But Eamon to speak of Rory's success being weaponized is equally disingenuous to this observer.  It's not the existence of $20 million events that's so repugnant, it's the existence of $20 million exhibition matches, because of the ridiculously small field sizes.  Patrick and Rory simply don't want Lanto and the others to have a shot at these massive purses, and it's quite the obvious money grab.  Your best events should have the strongest fields, but look at the bill of goods being sold... In the name of saving the Tour.

here's Eamon's inconclusive coda:

About the only thing uniting locker room factions is a mutual distrust of Tour leadership. Much of that owes to June 6, when Jay Monahan squandered every atom of trust and goodwill he had accumulated over six years as commissioner. It is exacerbated by the slow pace of progress with the Framework Agreement negotiations — “deliberate,” to use Monahan’s word in a memo to players — and the absence of concrete detail. There may be progress soon on the private equity component — to the inevitable disgruntlement of some — but any Saudi involvement faces potential regulatory scrutiny, a time-consuming process. And whatever the future landscape of the Tour and the broader men’s professional game, the steps to get there will be painstaking. The Tour has roughly $6 billion in media rights revenue guaranteed through 2030, and any substantive alterations to the product it delivers before then could imperil that cash. Which leaves plenty of time for grievances to fester.

This painful reckoning for the PGA Tour has been a long time coming, a winter of discontent with many seasons yet to run. It’s all enough to make one give thanks to Woods (perè et fils) for the promise of a few days in which to appreciate things on the other side of the ropes.

So, Eamon. Tiger is gonna save us?  Yowzwer, where do I place a bet on Tiger selling us further down the river?

Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart - Yup, that Ryder Cup weekend being the final nail in the coffin, methinks:

Paul Azinger’s time as the lead analyst for NBC Golf is over.

NBC has elected not to re-sign Azinger, ending a four-year stint as the lead voice of the network’s professional golf coverage. The Associated Press‘ Doug Ferguson first reported the news, which was subsequently confirmed by Azinger himself.

He joined NBC as the successor to legendary golf analyst Johnny Miller, who retired upon the completion of the 2018 season after 29 years in the lead chair. At the time, Azinger’s hiring was largely lauded in the sport, and he was viewed as a safe bet to carry the torch forward for the network.

Zinger struck me as a guy that believed his early press clippings, but his reactions became increasingly disjointed and untethered to the action on the screen, never more so than in Rome:

At the time, it seemed Azinger was on a path to becoming the preeminent analyst in golf, succeeding Miller’s legacy. But as it would turn out, those good feelings were short-lived. As time wore on, public opinion turned against Azinger’s folksy, often instinct-driven analysis. On more than a handful of occasions, sharp viewers pointed out that his analysis was, in fact, at odds with easily accessible statistics or information. In critical moments, audiences grew frustrated with his tendency to overgeneralize using quips and aphorisms rather than information.

As the criticism mounted, Azinger appeared to go on the defensive, frequently deriding and dismissing the “media” during NBC’s coverage — a curious decision considering his role as arguably golf media’s preeminent voice. The situation came to a head at the Ryder Cup, where Azinger entered himself into the story surrounding Patrick Cantlay’s purported hatless protest by ripping the report as “clickbait garbage,” an allegation that subsequent reporting proved untrue.

Never trust content from Patrick Cantlay!  The funny thing about interjecting himself into that mess is that the damming quote was made to Steve Sands, Zinger's NBC colleague.....  He didn't need to do much work to know that was quicksand, but I don't think work was a big priority for the man.

2. Paul Azinger is out as NBC golf analyst after his five-year contract was not renewed. Are you surprised NBC is moving in a different direction, and why might it have decided to do so?

I'm gonna go with, because he sucked....

Bastable: My jaw didn’t drop, no, considering NBC has already been moving in a different direction. When late last year the network decided to move on from two of its stalwarts, in Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch, and bring in a relatively unproven talent in Smylie Kaufman (along with Brad Faxon), it was a clear signal that the Peacock was thinking about the future. Zinger generally was unafraid to speak his mind, but ultimately you also got the sense that he too frequently relied on his gut and didn’t do his homework. With so many analytics now available in the pro game — not to mention an army of media-watchers tweeting every misstep — lead analysts need to bring to the chair a combination of fearlessness and statistical acumen. Makes you wonder … is it finally Brandel’s time?

Melton: I’m not necessarily surprised NBC is going in a new direction, but the move did seem to come out of nowhere. There was not much indication a move like this was coming … and then the news dropped and here we are. Azinger wasn’t incompetent in the booth, but in an age when golf is trying to become more young and hip, he didn’t exactly fit the profile.

Wall: Somewhat. I thought Zing did an admirable job filling Johnny Miller’s shoes with his off-the-cuff takes and insights. I’ll agree with Alan that Brandel would be a logical call for NBC’s brass. I’m not sure anyone else out there would bring the juice at the moment.

Golf Digest does a deep dive that I'll leave you to, just these two assessments that most align with my own reactions:

Sorry Dave, but he sounded unprepared to me. There’s a reason he was routinely a punching bag on Golf Twitter. Replacing a legend is never easy, but he didn’t do a good job. And rarely do so many fans agree on something. —Alex Myers

Much like the loveable uncle who trots out the same lines and stories during the Thanksgiving NFL games, I really didn’t mind Azinger and his clichés all that much. The problem? Usually, you only deal with that uncle in small doses. Once or twice a year, tops. Zinger, meanwhile, is on our TV screens every other Sunday, often calling the biggest events. I can see how the 19th retelling of the time Phil Mickelson was scarfing down waffles while sitting on the 54-hole lead at whatever tournament would begin to wear on the viewers. I personally found it hilarious, in addition to the “straighter than train smoke” line and “players choke over two things: prayshure or prestige” line, but again, I get why others had had enough. —Christopher Powers

There were others more favorably disposed, so click through if you're of that mind.

As for a replacement, I'll assume that Brandel is sufficiently intelligent to take a hard pass on that grueling gig.  So, who do these writers like in the chair?

Geoff Ogilvy would be a home-run hire. Knowledgeable on so many fronts yet can distill that knowledge in ways the average fan can digest. I would also like to see Jim “Bones” Mackay given a chance. We already have proof of concept that he can get the job done. —J.B.

Matt Every. Unfiltered as hell and he’s a young voice that might connect with younger viewers. Novel concept. But what the hell do I know. —C.P.

My first thought was Geoff Ogilvy, too. Very well spoken. Opinionated. Knowledgeable as a major winner and competitor as well as a course designer. He has a lot to bring to the table. —D.S.

Ogilvy would be great because he’d be much better at bridging the old school (“Pressure!”) with modern stats. Plus he still plays some so he’s more plugged in. Brandel Chamblee wouldn’t have the same relationships with current players, but at least he would always know what he’s talking about. Unfortunately, Phil Mickelson has probably burned too many bridges, and Tiger Woods isn’t ready to retire or they’d be fantastic. —A.M.

Give all the money to Paul McGinley and let him roll. —S.R.

Give Bones a gracious way to dump JT's disappointing bag?

I like Ogilvy a ton, although his interests might not align all that well with the audience they think they're after ( not that golf broadcasters have ever properly understood their own audiences).

McGinley is an interesting thought, although it's a bit of a thankless job.  I suspect they'll go smaller ball... Smylie, anyone?  Seriously, I don't actually think Comcast will pay what they'd need to for a name brand.

I shall release you sat this juncture and wish you a wonderful holiday week.  The blogging schedule will be mad eup as we progress through said holiday week, so check back early and often.

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