Weekend Wrap - Minimalist Edition

A slow news cycle, a later arrival at the keyboard and an unmotivated blogger is a recipe for..... Well, don't you have something you need to get to?

Golf Isn't Life - I was dropping in and out of the coverage (thanks, Fox, for showing us the Giants instead of the Eagles-Cowboys), and had some frivolous bits planned.  Alas, real life was more important this week:

When the stakes were the highest?” NBC’s George Savaricas began his post-round interview. Van Rooyen had made back-to-back-to-back putts from outside 20 feet to erase a two-shot deficit to Matt Kuchar.

Van Rooyen paused for what felt like the longest 10 seconds ever. By the time his lips opened, there were tears coming down his cheek.

“Sorry,” he finally replied.

“I was calm because there’s bigger stuff in life than golf,” van Rooyen said.

The 33-year-old was referring to his best friend and former University of Minnesota teammate, Jon Trasamar. Trasamar has been battling Stage 4 melanoma for more than a year and while he hoped he had cleared it by late 2022, he hadn’t. According to reporting by Ryan French, after failing to make it out of the first stage of Q-School last fall, Trasamar went for a follow-up, and it was discovered the cancer had spread to his ribs. Despite treatment and improvement, another trip to the doctor this past February revealed the cancer spread to his liver, back, spine and legs.

Now, van Rooyen said Trasamar has just six to 10 weeks to live.

Am the only one for whom this evokes Crenshaw at Augusta after burying Harvey Penick?   I had actually been focused on Van Rooyen's iffy playing status, obviously the lesser issue here, which in a certain way might have actually helped him:

“At the end of the day, whether I won here or I lost here, it really did not matter. When something motivates you like that, whether you make a putt or miss a putt, who cares?”

He paid no mind to the fact he’s been playing this entire fall for his job. Van Rooyen came into the week ranked 125th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, the bubble man to keep his card when the season ends in two weeks.

Van Rooyen has mostly hung around the fringes of the Tour, his game and statistics all quite ordinary, with just the one exception.  He is the leader in clubhouse when it comes to porn 'staches, so we're delighted that he secured playing privilege's for the near future.

LIVitation Blues -  Bit of a Hot Tuna shout-out there, not that anyone but the author is expected to get it.  Just a couple of odd bits to mull, first this surprising news:

The PGA Tour, in a surprising decision, will let its players participate in an upcoming LIV Golf

event.

As first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Alex Miceli and confirmed by GOLF.com on Saturday, Tour players can play without penalty next month in the LIV Golf Promotions event, which will award its top three finishers a spot in the 48-player LIV tour next year. Previously, the PGA Tour had deemed LIV Golf events to be “unauthorized events,” and its players who played in them were subject to a one-year Tour suspension.

But in a statement, the Tour said the Promotions event “is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorized series” — so no suspension.

That's some world class Nuancy Boy logic there.  The man who told us that anyone playing a LIV event would never again  play in a PGA Tour event is now saying it's peachy keen to attempt to qualify for said disqualifying events.... I'm sure this makes sense to someone.

The Tour Confidential panel had some brief thoughts:

3. As first reported by Sports Illustrated, PGA Tour players can play without penalty at next month’s LIV Golf Promotions event, where the top-three finishers secure one of LIV Golf’s 48 available spots. The Tour said this LIV event is “a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorized series.” Are you surprised? And does this tell us anything about the PGA Tour and LIV’s relationship at this point?

Berhow: We probably shouldn’t be, given the framework agreement among the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF, yet it’s still a little surprising, given we previously haven’t been used to any semblance of unity between the PGA Tour and LIV. But I’m extremely interested to see how many or which PGA Tour members enter the promotions event.

Sens: Not surprising. The tours have already agreed to lay down their gloves. The legal battle is over, and the PGA Tour has also lost any claim to being on the right side of any fight over ‘ethics.’ This seems like a further extension of the olive branch that has already been offered. But given all the lingering questions about the proposed merger itself, it seems too early to see this as evidence of anything other than neither side has the energy for, or interest in, any kind of a fight.

Zak: I’m actually not surprised at all. The only players who will consider doing this are the fringe folks who missed out on keeping their Tour card. In the event they qualify, it’ll be up to them if they want to take the plunge into LIV full-time. And by the time the next season begins, there should be more clarity on if LIV and the Tour are enemies, frenemies or cousins within the same family.

Funny how that laying down of gloves didn't seem to be binding on the OWGR folks....

It's true that this is only for the downtrodden of the golfing world, a market segment that Jay would poll poorly among, but also not one to whom he  needs to pay much attention.

But the olive branch is curious.  That piece on the decision had this about the status of negotiations:

Key here is the word ‘proposed.’ The agreement on the Tour side needs approval, and there’s been little word on the negotiations. But could this recent decision be a signal of where things are headed?

Maybe. You’re not wrong in thinking this feels like an olive branch. Or it could be nothing.

But little word isn't quite the same as no word, and what word we've heard has been more like this:

While the private equity component to a future deal is accelerating, multiple sources say negotiations with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund have been sluggish.

“Less than zero progress,” said one source with insight on the current status. Two other sources attribute the slow pace to the Saudis waiting to see how the private equity element takes shape, having calculated that a deal involving only the Tour and the PIF would be vulnerable to opposition by the Department of Justice on antitrust grounds.

The Framework Agreement has a Dec. 31 deadline to reach a definitive deal between the Tour and the PIF, but that date is widely expected to be pushed deep into 2024.

Could be, or perhaps Yasir is just playing hardball over that Augusta National membership.

That last bit came from this article, even more perplexing to this observer:

Exclusive: PGA Tour narrows list of potential investors to five, including powerful ‘friends of golf'

 Friends of golf?  Why not, they're already prepared to jump into bed with the enemies of civilization....

The PGA Tour has winnowed the list of companies being considered as private equity partners in its new for-profit entity, and it includes some of the most prominent figures in American finance, Golfweek has learned. From more than a dozen initial suitors, five groups remain in the mix to be the primary investment partner in PGA Tour Enterprises, which was created with the June 6 announcement of a Framework Agreement with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which is also expected to invest in the entity that could reshape the elite level of men’s professional golf.

The five companies still under consideration are: Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which is partnered with investors Steven Cohen and Arthur Blank; Liberty Strategic Capital; Acorn Growth Companies; Eldridge Industries; and a group of influential individuals being referred to as Friends of Golf. Beyond the five groups bidding to be the Tour’s main private equity partner, several other companies remain in the conversation as potential investors of additional capital.

There are bigger questions, but what does that last sentence mean?   

This is the bit that has me laughing out loud, though perhaps your results will vary:

A source familiar with the intensely guarded process said all of the groups being considered are focused on a long-term relationship rather than on short-term returns.

Yeah, I'll bet.  So, anyone care to explain what is they'd be funding, that is above and beyond Cantlay's hat logo.

They go through the parties and you can dive in as you see fit.  This is of interest for an obvious reason:

Acorn Growth Company’s portfolio was built largely in the defense, intelligence and aerospace industries. Its U.S.-centric investment focus might appeal to the Tour as it attempts to counter claims by Sen. Richard Blumenthal that the Saudi deal amounts to a hostile takeover of an American institution by a foreign wealth fund. Among those attached to Acorn’s bid is Randall Stephenson, the former CEO of AT&T, who resigned from the board of the PGA Tour in July citing concerns about working with the Saudis.

Hmmm.... Morals seem to be especially situational lately, but that's rather a quick turnaround from Mr. Stephenson, unless.... 

But in a situation that has been far too opaque, this is profoundly weird:

According to sources, the Friends of Golf group features a number of financial titans with a shared love of the game, including Wall Street legends George Roberts and Henry Kravis, along with several other individuals.

Really?  That's all your giving us?  

George Roberts is 80 years old and Kravis is 79, so that's the future of our game, apparently.

But what does this tell us, given that the only thing the Saudis bring to the table is cash, the rather public search for free money seems quite odd...

Of course, these guys could be Plan B, or just a reminder to Yasir that the Tour has other options.  There's been speculation that these parties would invest alongside the Saudis, or at least provide cover as noted above.

Buckle up, it'll get interesting.

Screw The Kids - I'm old enough to remember when Graeme McDowell was a good guy, as Employee No.2 aqnd I had reason to be grateful to him way back when.  He was Rainsuit Man back then, but now he's just another self-absorbed jerk:

In an interview with the Asian Tour, early LIV adopter Graeme McDowell praised Lopez-Chacarra and Puig for their decisions to join the Saudi-backed PGA Tour rival.

“It is interesting for these young guys, you look at Chacarra and Puig in particular, they have chosen the LIV path, and we are not really familiar with that path,” McDowell said. “They have taken a massive risk in a way but they have both kicked on and I’m really happy with these guys.”

I think we can all agree that Graeme being happy is all that matters....  The kids destroying their fledgling careers being an acceptable risk, at least for Graeme.

But obviously the mushrooms have kicked in:

“They have been ostracised a little bit from the young golfing world, but they have used the LIV Golf League as a platform and taken things to the next level,” McDowell said. “I’m happy to see them kick on the way they are – they are going to be great young players. I hope the world opens up for them and they get the opportunity to try and win Majors as well.”

That scenario, however, looks unlikely, with LIV Golf not earning world ranking points anytime soon, two major championships recently announcing they would not alter their entry criteria in 2024 to account for LIV golfers.

You must be so damn proud, Graeme, encouraging them to be ostracized (that "little is a nice touch) to the point that they may never play in a major.  It's pretty obvious to any observer that what a young player needs to develop their game, frequent reps and the need to earn status, isn't available on LIV, but they did cash a check, which one hopes was big.

But what is this "next level" he speaks of?  A couple of the youngsters made some money, which I don't think at all replaces the invaluable experience they avoided.  But here's the reality, Graeme:

Ogletree didn’t play another LIV event in 2022, but will rejoin the league full-time in 2024 after winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Pettit, meanwhile was dropped by his team after the 2022 season and joined the Asian Tour. However, he recently made it through the first stage of Q-School after his one-year ban for playing in the LIV Golf Team Championship last October lapsed (or lapsed enough). He’s seeking to become the first former LIV Golfer to earn PGA Tour status.

Piot has played in every LIV event in 2023, but he finished 47th in the standings, meaning he was relegated and will have to re-earn a spot in the league by finishing in the top three of the LIV Promotions event.

I wouldn't want to be that guy encouraging the kids to take the easy way out.....  We'll see how it plays out, but they ruin the risk of being in perpetual golf purgatory, not a risk I'd encourage at the start of a promising career.

I'll eave you with his odd, but amusing, bit:

PIP money https://t.co/cG1bVvNN20

— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) November 4, 2023

To this observer it reeks of entitlement, though that's pretty much the same thing.

I'll leave you hear.  I've no clue as to a blogging schedule, or even what might be available to blog, so we'll be ad-libbing.  Have a great week.