Friday, November 3, 2023

Late-Week Lamentations - Shoulder Season Edition

I'm starting tis late Thursday morning, although I don't imagine that you'll see it until Friday.....

The TGL Moment - You really can't make this up.  In a world in which exactly no one watches actual golf on Sunday afternoons, apparently millions...no, strike that, billions will tune in to see them play virtually?  Yeah, that's the ticket!


Over the last year, TGL has continuously announced player signings and team owners to build anticipation for the new tech-infused golf league led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Golf fans knew the basics – six teams of four PGA Tour players competing in 15 regular season matches, followed by semifinals and finals matches all at a high-tech short-game complex – but we didn’t know what an actual competition would look like. On Tuesday the competition format, regular-season points system and postseason details were all released as the first match on Tuesday, Jan. 9, approaches.

Here’s what you need to know about the format for TGL.

 Let's see what they've got for us:

Match play

Each match will feature two sessions with different formats. Session 1 will be 9 holes of “Triples,” three vs. three team alternate shot. Session 2 is 6 holes of “Singles,” a head-to-head competition where each competitor plays two holes.

Holes are worth 1 point and the team with the fewest shots on a hole wins the point. Ties are worth 0 points. If a match is all square at the end of the 15 holes, players will compete head-to-head until a team hits two shots closer to the pin than its competitors.

It’s a unique format to say the least, and the Triples session could provide some entertainment. That said, the Singles session may confuse viewers with a revolving door of players, and the closest-to-the-pin overtime tiebreaker has the potential to drag out (remember the first Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson match?).

Triples?  Although it does sound better when you think of it as a tripartite alternate shot, but still...

But it's the venue/set-up that might interest some:

Venue

SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is a nearly 250,000-square-foot venue that will accommodate approximately 1,600 people on match nights during TGL’s inaugural season. The tech-infused course is roughly the size of a football field.

Players will hit tee and approach shots from real grass tee boxes, fairway surfaces, rough, and sand on long shots into a 64×46-foot screen (roughly 20 times a standard simulator) powered by Full Swing technology.

For shots within 50 yards or less, players will transition from Screenplay to Greenplay to a custom-built “Green Zone” that is larger than four basketball courts and includes three 15×27 foot Virtual Greens, also by Full Swing. Each green features 189 actuators and jacks that change the slope of the green to create a variety of play on every TGL hole.

It might be twenty times larger, but it's still simulator golf....  And no doubt LIV has their sights set on an actuator arms race....LIV will be eating their hearts out, because five franchises have already been sold:

Atlanta Drive GC: led by Arthur M. Blank, AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, PGA Tour Superstores)

TGL Boston: led by John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, and Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, RFK Racing)

Los Angeles Golf Club: led by Alexis Ohanian (Angel City FC), Seven Seven Six, Serena Williams and Venus Williams; as well as limited partners the Antetokounmpo brothers, Alex Morgan, Servando Carrasco and Michelle Wie West

TGL New York: led by Steven A. Cohen (New York Mets), Cohen Private Ventures

TGL San Francisco: a group led by Avenue Sports Fund’s Marc Lasry, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson

We seem to be short one franchise, though twenty-four players were announced here, and I'll just excerpt this one randomly (just a reminder that I don't do anything randomly):

Jon Rahm

“As soon as I learned about TGL, I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it,” said Rahm. “As an avid user of the latest tech in golf with launch monitors, simulators and virtual greens and my personal passion for gaming, I immediately recognized the potential for TGL to introduce golf to a broader global audience — especially younger fans. I’m proud to announce my commitment to compete and help shape the future of golf for the next generation.”

Sure, Rahmbo would be one of your first calls for sure.  But should I be concerned that the Spaniard didn't pledge his fealty to TGL?  Because, well you know....

Everyone is excited, though I'm hoping this guy is joking here:

A week or more back, a few pieces like this appeared:

Does playing in TGL prohibit players from joining LIV Golf? A LIV official weighs in

 Isn't that ass-backward?

From the LIV side, Gary Davidson, who served as LIV’s acting COO before Lawrence Burian was named to the position Monday, said last week he does not believe “there would be a conflict” if a golfer who joined TGL showed interest in LIV.

“We’re open to who may want to play,” Davidson said. “We’re not limiting where our players come (from) to play. We obviously want them to commit to play in our 14-team events. Beyond that, we are very open to them playing in other tour events in other weeks, indeed on Monday night in TGL if they want to. It wouldn’t cause any issues from our side.

“Isn’t something that’s come up as being an issue as yet and I think that there would be room for that.”

The issue would seem to be exactly the reverse, to wit, that Tiger and Rory won't allow any LIVsters to sully their squeaky clean money grab, and a cursory review of those twenty-four names confirms that expectation.

But, hold the phone Alice, we've got breaking news:


The league sent the following statement Thursday morning:

“We will miss (Rahm) during the inaugural TGL season. We understand that players have to balance a lot of different facets of their professional and personal lives and respect Jon’s choice and wish him well.”

The league said it will name a new player to replace Rahm soon.

The news sent social media into a frenzy with rumors and claims that Rahm may be the next player to join LIV Golf, especially after Phil Mickelson and LIV officials said at the recent team championship that new talent would make the jump to LIV in 2024. Rahm was at one point managed by Phil’s brother, Tim, and both Rahm and Lefty are managed by the same agency, Sportfive.

Say it ain't so, Jon!

It's a good thing I've been telling y'all to keep your eyes on Rahm since the word "fealty" passed his lips, although I don't know what to make of this move.  Rahm has always been the ultimate enigma on this subject, articulating better than most the reasons for staying, while simultaneously arguing for amnesty for guys like Sergio, who went out of their way to piss on both tours as he left.

Still, a strange time to jump to LIV, no?  I guess we're going to find out what the man actually believes or, in the alternative, his price.  Before going to press I caught this from Shippy that captures the moment:

How many zeroes would it take?

Circling back, Geoff has some thoughts that go in both directions, first this logical reason for Rahmbo to give TGL a miss:

The WD may be as simple as a Scottsdale resident realizing he would spend too many hours flying cross-country for an unproven concept. One that would mean less time at home with a young family and featuring little career upside as he prepares for 2024’s biggest events. (When Rahm committed a year ago the TGL concept was expected to move around and play near PGA Tour events as an early week kickoff to festivities. Year one is locked into a Palm Beach venue.)

Presumably the travel issues explain why major-focused non-Floridians Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth have passed.

Two young children at home make that believable, yet Geoff informs that the Spaniard does indeed have a number:

Given the timing of Rahm’s TGL WD long after he knew a Florida-only plan was hatched, there will be speculation the move is a precursor to a departure for LIV Golf and a spot on Sergio’s Fireplaces squad. Or more likely, Rahm’s own franchise. The Rahminators would be on brand for LIV.


With chances increasing of a non-consummation between the PGA Tour and LIV of their “Events of June 6th” deal, it appears a cash infusion may be coming from private equity types not named Endeavor. So signing Rahm would be the ideal way for Saudi Arabia to let the world know LIV is here to stay.

Maybe $400 million doesn't change Rahm's life, but his taking it would certainly change mine.

Wither The Honda - The event formerly known as the Honda should serve as a cautionary tale to any company considering partnering with the organized crime family that operates out of Ponte Vedra Beach.  After 42 years of loyal sponsorship, the nice folks at Honda woke up to see themselves landlocked between elevated events the two weeks before and two weeks after their date.  Before we get to the latest, this possibility had been floated a few months back:

It's not like there's a local Jewish populace that might have an issue with that, is there?

The good news is that that doesn't seem likely to happen, but the reality is quite curious. 

But here's the first bit to catch my eye:

Honda became the title sponsor in 1982 but, as first reported by Golfweek, said the 2023 edition would be its final year in that role. At the time, it was the longest-running sponsor on the Tour. According to a tournament director who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Honda was willing to pay $13 million per year to renew as title sponsor but balked when the Tour played hardball and demanded $15 million.

“The Tour thought it had a replacement waiting in the wings that was willing to pay the 15 (million) they were asking but they backed out,” the same source said.

Don't you just love those PVB suits?  After forty-two years of support and completely screwing them on the 2023 schedule, they were ready to sell them down the river over thirty pieces of silver....  I can only assume that the unnamed party dropped out because they didn't want to be treated like Honda ...

But no shortage of curious bits, not least this:

The PGA Tour’s Championship Management division is on the verge of assuming control of one of its tournaments and it might not be the last as it shifts into an era of additional for-profit business ventures.

Golfweek has learned that the Tour told employees at the tournament formerly known as the Honda Classic, which has been tentatively re-named The Classic in The Palm Beaches, that it is taking ownership of the event and that employees would be kept on through at least this year’s tournament but will become Tour employees. The event is scheduled for Feb. 29 to March 3, 2024. Once the ink is dry on the contract, the Tour is expected to name Cognizant as the new title sponsor to replace the Japanese automaker.

OK, but if the new sponsor is in hand, why take it over?

There's lots to gnaw on there, but have you been wondering about that for-profit entity that's part of the LIV deal?  The times they are (or may be) a-changin':

The kickoff to the Florida Swing may not be the only event the Tour takes over, according to a tournament director. Some of the other weaker events may be rolled into the for-profit side of the Tour’s business going forward. The host organization’s contract typically runs hand in hand with the title sponsor contract. As other contracts expire, the Tour will have the option to assume management. A source says the Tour told former Honda staffers that by the end of 2025, the Tour would like to have as many as 15 tournaments in the championship management division.

But will in the neighborhood of 2,000 tournament volunteers still fork over hundreds of dollars for uniforms and give of their time to fill the coffers of a for-profit entity, especially if the Tour goes through with its partnership with the Saudi-backed PIF?

“It’s hard enough getting the necessary volunteers as it is in a post-Covid world. How many do you think are going to sign up if there’s not millions of dollars staying in the community,” a tournament director said.

Change is coming and the Tour’s annual stop in South Florida may be the first of many tournaments to experience this brave new world.

Many of us have been wondering about this Brave New World, yanno, the one in which the players won't show up for the paltry sums supportable by the golf ecosystem.  If you're figuring out how you're gonna keep those terrific peni loyal, those millions of dollars going to charity from each event must look awfully tempting.....

It makes perfect sense to this observer that, in order to keep Cantlay in a cap, that we're prepared to stiff....checking notes, the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation.  

The other bit of amusement is that the for-profit entity might only get the pigs?  Remind me again how business works, because I'm pretty sure the Saudis aren't quite that stupid.

Gambling In Casablanca - The only thing worse than the life of a Tour sponsor might just be the life of a Tour rabbit, and Tiger and Rory have just diminished that life further....  One uncomfortable aspect of the Tour's insatiable quest for cabbage has been its aggressive embrace of legalized betting, there being irony in the demographically rich ancient game embracing a regressive tax on the have-nots.  But our terrific peni don't do irony, which is why you need this blog.  No doubt you at least saw this story:

The PGA Tour drew a hard line with gambling suspensions, but not for the reason you think

How do they know what I think?  But let me offer up a hint, care of the Tour's drug testing protocols in which the only penalties visited upon the great unwashed masses.... Come to think of it, that also encapsulates the Tour's pace-of-play protocols, notice the trend?

Let's get this straight: The PGA Tour—the same PGA Tour that embraced Phil Mickelson as he
reportedly gambled a billion dollars over various sports—decided to lay the hammer down on a minor leaguer who wagered … checks notes … $116 on … checks notes again … an exhibition?

That is the question and those are the optics in wake of two Korn Ferry Tour players, Jake Staiano and Vince India, receiving suspensions from PGA Tour competitions for violating the tour’s Integrity Program, specifically after one of those players, Staiano, explained his punishment derived from a bet made on the 12-hole TV spectacle between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in 2021. There’s a lot to unpack from the ruling, its announcement and subsequent fallout, each serving as an indictment of sorts for critics of the tour and how it is run and those who run it. While there’s certainly truth and nuance to those perspectives, this incident can ultimately be distilled to this: A message needed to be sent by the tour on its new relationship with gambling. And the recipients are not necessarily who you’d expect.

Phil, yeah, but also remember that Billy Walters was a valued guest at ProAms up until he went to jail, so the hypocrisy screams out at us....

The Tour did issue a policy, so the two kids did screw up

To ensure its game remained clean the PGA Tour established the Integrity Program Manual, a 5,000-word document to provide rules and guides for gambling. The program is wide in scope and reach. It is primarily aimed at players, yes, but also to tour volunteers, directors, employees, and affiliated persons with players, which include “caddies, family members, spouses, partners, agents, managers, instructors, trainers and other persons” who receive credentials at a player’s request. Under a section titled “Prohibited Conduct” is a list of violations of the program, the first of which is this:

Betting on Professional Golf Events. Any Covered Person, directly or indirectly, Betting on the outcome or any other aspect of any PGA Tour Event, any other professional golf competition or any elite amateur golf competition (including Olympic Golf) anywhere in the world (“Professional Golf Event”). In this Manual, ”Betting” means (A) placing any money or other thing of value on the occurrence of an uncertain outcome with the expectation of return or (B) participating in any fantasy or other game that awards a prize of value, including any free-to-play, paid or daily fantasy game, unless expressly approved by the PGA Tour.

They're running their Live Under Par commercials and aggressively promoting gambling, which is apparently good for anyone else but a tour player.  It no doubt has to be that way, but what kind of bets are involved?

This lack of transparency backfired when Staiano joined the "Any Given Monday" podcast to explain what happened. In a conversation with host Ryan French, Staiano said the three-month suspension came from four bets, totaling $116.20. A $25 bet was made on DeChambeau making a birdie at a tour event in 2021, the other three on the DeChambeau-Koepka made-for-TV spectacle. Staiano owned his actions but believed it wasn’t an issue because the match was an exhibition. For a second, put aside the punitive aspect, because in failing to describe what Staiano did, the tour—inadvertently or not—could have damaged his reputation for something most reasonable people would think is not that big of a deal. That Staiano is a player on the game’s fringes (he’s played in 17 total events on the KFT over the past two seasons, earning $30,910 in the six cuts he’s made) made the penalty feel all the more unnecessary, as it knocked him out of the PGA Tour’s Q School. It reinforced a notion that has only grown over the past two turbulent years in professional golf: The PGA Tour is really, really good at making a big deal over small things, but often whiffs when trying to connect with the things that matter.

But do you see what a*******es these Ponte Vedra suits are?  A clearly inconsequential violation of the new rules in an area where their guilty of promoting the now-banned behavior, and all they can do is destroy the kid.  Their announcement can't be bothered to provide the details of how ticky-tacky this is, which they fail to disclose because it makes them look punitive, and they deny him Q-School, which basically sets him back a full year, over $116 in silly bets on an exhibition for which the Tour got paid handsomely.

That last sentence seems spot on as far as it goes, but the realty might be even worse.  In all disciplinary matters the Tour has a longstanding practice of enforcing its rules only against those least able to defend themselves....  In other words, they're the playground bully that picks on the weakest among us....  Just another reason to read a book on Sunday afternoons.

But Geoff has another little granular detail that seems kinda important:

Is that true that he wasn't a Tour member when he made those bets?

That's it for now, kids.  Have a great weekend and we'll catch up again soon.

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