Midweek Musings

Back at Unplayable Lies Western HQ where the snowfall has dwindled to a mere trickle, at least for the moment.  There is some cause for optimism in the forecast, but that's typically as reliable as election exit polls...

Shall we check in with the LIVsters and see what those crazy kids are up to?

Houston, We Have a Schedule - I think we can agree that it's completely normal to not release your schedule until an hour-and-a-half before your opening day.  We do have one take on that maneuvering to share, although Occam's Razor would point towards incompetence and lack of demand, in either order.

You'll want to get these dates in your Dayminder soonest:

Feb. 24-26: El Camaleon Golf Club, Mexico

March 17-19: The Gallery Golf Club, Tucson, Arizona

March 31-April 2: Orange County National, Orlando, Florida

April 21-23: The Grange Golf Club, Australia

April 28-30: Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore

May 12-14: Cedar Ridge Country Club, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

May 26-28: Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C.

June 30-July 2: Real Club Valderrama, Spain

July 7-9: Centurion Club, England

Aug. 4-6: Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

Aug. 11-13: Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, New Jersey

Sept. 22-24: Rich Harvest Farms, Sugar Grove, Illinois

Oct. 20-22: Trump National Doral, Miami, Florida

Nov. 3-5: Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

In terms of wins, they're a little thin on the ground.  They did actually announce a schedule, though that likely falls under the banner of the soft bigotry of low expectations.   Straining further to identify positives, they did grab a few notable venues from the Old World powers, including Valderrama and Mayakoba, though the one that rankles this purist is the Greenbrier and its Macdonald gem.  But the Tour treated that event with its usual passive-aggressive indifference, so hard to blame them....

Other curiosities is that they abandoned their Boston event, and the team competition will come to its dramatic conclusion in...wait for it, Jeddah.  Which would seem to ensure an audience measure in the teens.....

Though does the schedule seem back-loaded to you?  They had previously announced their intention to conduct their events in the February - September window, apparently even a bone saw being no match for the NFL juggernaut.  Seems to this observer that they were forced to push back at least a month-and-a-half to secure dates, not exactly a show of raw strength.  A better blogger than I would take the time to see which each of those events competes with on the PGA Tour, but I'm far too lazy for that, at least right now.

Bob Harig fills in some background on the delay in announcing the full schedule, as well as that curious coda:

Reasons for the delay are due in some part to the relatively volatile nature of securing venues, with limited sites available that can host a professional golf tournament.

But it is also clear that there has been some meddling by LIV Golf’s Saudi supporters, who seemingly stayed out of the day-to-day workings last year as an eight-tournament schedule was pulled off with very little lead time.

The reason likely has something to do with LIV’s Saudi bosses wanting an event to be played in Saudi—something which was not in the plans late last year as LIV Golf was wrapping up its invitational series.

When LIV Golf was playing its seventh event in Jeddah, there was no indication the league would play any of its events there this year. The feeling was that the players were already committed to the Saudi International, and that another event there was asking too much.

Hmmm, so the guys paying the piper will call the tune?  That seems highly irregular, and I remember Phil bloviating to the effect that the LIV operating agreement had been written to give the players control.  It's almost as if the Saudis are doing this for reasons unrelated to golf or economics....who knew?

When LIV Golf got to Miami for its season-ending team event in October, several players suggested that there were rumblings of a schedule change that would see them go back to Jeddah. The first such suggestion was that the first event of the schedule would be there, the week following the Saudi International. The players did not seem to be on board. Nor were they in favor of another idea that would have seen the opener played the week of Mayakoba—three weeks after the Saudi International on the same Royal Greens Country Club, pushing back an already-scheduled Mexico event.

While the Saudis pay the bills and it's certainly within their rights to want to play an event in their home country, the idea is low on smarts for various reasons, perhaps the biggest of which is events staged at the venue outside of Jeddah simply to not attract a large gathering.

LIV Golf’s motto is "Golf, But Louder" and to launch a new season amid such a subdued atmosphere would have been foolish.

Is it any less foolish to finish your season there?  Especially since those $1 billion valuations for each team would seem inconsistent with it wrapping to the sound of crickets.

But, perhaps the bigger issue is its effect on that antitrust litigation, in which we've seen the Saudis ducking depositions arguing that the Saudis are merely passive investors.  Harig does at least touch on that:

And if you want to play into the notion put forth by the PGA Tour put in one of its court filings—that the Public Investment Fund (PIF) that underwrites LIV Golf is calling the shots—this certainly gives legitimacy to those claims.

Ya think?  

Titanic Deck Chair Update - A bit of a C-Suite shuffle, wherein I'll just note that there's a long tradition of kicking folks upstairs as a means of solving an issue without an admission of failure:

Majed Al Sorour, LIV Golf managing director and Golf Saudi CEO, is no longer in an administrative role with the breakaway circuit, Golf Digest has confirmed. 

Al Sorour, who serves as an adviser to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and is the director

of the Premier League’s Newcastle United soccer club, was considered the second-in-command at the Saudi-backed circuit, behind only Aramco chairman and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Greg Norman may have been the public-facing leader, but sources familiar with LIV tell Golf Digest Al-Rumayyan and Al Sorour were the two people who had final say over LIV Golf/Golf Saudi matters.

Now Norman will report to Al-Rumayyan alone, as Al Sorour moves to a position on the LIV board.

“Majed Al Sorour has been and will continue to be an invaluable part of LIV Golf, as he continues in his Board of Directors capacity,” a LIV Golf spokesperson told Golf Digest. “Majed’s role was pivotal in supporting the launch of LIV Golf. As the business transitions into its first full season with a new broadcast partnership in place, the time is right for the managing director role to transition and for Majed to focus efforts and attention on other interests.

The most curious word in there would seem to be that "alone:, no?  Didn't Jamal Kashoggi go into that Saudi consulate alone as well?

Of course, there's been no shortage of turnover:

Al Sorour’s departure continues an offseason of upheaval among LIV Golf management. In December, it was revealed Atul Khosla, chief operating officer of LIV, had left. Khosla was considered one of the voices of reason inside LIV, sources tell Golf Digest. Against criticism that LIV Golf was nothing more than a publicity stunt to improve the reputation of Saudi Arabia—which funds the golf entity through the PIF—Khosla insisted the organization’s goals were business related. Matt Goodman, president of LIV franchises, also left LIV following its first year.

Sources close to LIV Golf tell Golf Digest that Al Sorour’s managing director position will not be filled. In turn, his absence will allow Norman to play a bigger role at LIV. This comes despite calls from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy for the two-time major champion to step down in order for a detente between LIV and the golf world. However, multiple sources say a number of LIV Golf players remain in Norman’s corner. They appreciate that he is fighting for their interests, particularly in trying to secure Official World Golf Ranking status, along with providing them cover from backlash for joining an entity with numerous human-rights issues attached.

Were Tiger and Rory playing 3D chess?  Did they intentionally call for Norman's scalp in order to induce the Saudis to expand the bufoon's role?   Or, with the rats doing what rats do, are there just limited managerial options?

And seemingly no reinforcements to be found, so I guess that Greggy will be cleaning shoes in the locker room, as well as sucking up to his paymasters?

I Saw It On TV - My new favorite LIV flak is Will Staeger, who is LIV's Chief Media Officer, my infatuation resulting form the obvious fact that he, like his boss, will say just about anything.

On the one hand, it could be argued that they don't know that we have the Internet, and can throw their nonsense back in their faces down the road.  More likely is that they cash the bonecutters' large checks, and will be on to their next gig before the you-know-what hits the fan.  Mr. Staeger has gotten a media deal done, and wants us to know how great it's going to be at some indeterminate time in the future.  The here and now?  

Amusingly, James Colgan frames the piece with the fact that these desperate negotiations took place through the holiday season and, boo-friggin'-hoo, and it was so inconvenient.  Left unsaid is the rather obvious fact that there was zero interest from any network in actually paying LIV for their content, thereby necessitating a complicated negotiation to find any network willing to even carry the product without risk.  

Shall we have our usual kind of fun with Mr. Staeger?

According to Staeger, LIV received bids from “multiple networks” at its offer deadline in the fall of 2022, though he would not say which networks were among the potential suitors or how many networks were in the running. (Over the summer, LIV CEO Greg Norman told ESPN1000 Chicago the league was in “active negotiations” with “four different networks.”)

Four that were willing to pay LIV a combined total of....checking notes, zero.  Hey, why not ten networks, as we can see your noses growing...  Back here on Planet Earth, that the CW was the best offer is a rather public humiliation but, were denial an Olympic sport, these guys would be on the podium.

There's an old saying in politics that, if you're explaining, you're losing.  There's a further corollary to the extent that you're hiding, you've probably already lost:

For a league unafraid to gas the news cycle with fodder of an $800 million Tiger Woods offer, LIV is noticeably coy about its TV agreement. The league will not divulge specifics about the deal’s financials or term, offering only that the agreement will run “multiple years,” and that LIV will not be paying the network for airtime. (The Sports Business Journal‘s John Ourand reported Tuesday that the agreement is for two years, with a one-year option based on viewership.)

“First of all, for the record, it’s not a time buy,” Staeger said. “We’ve said from the beginning that we’re not interested in doing a time buy with anybody. We don’t feel we have to.”

Staeger’s description leaves plenty of room for interpretation about the agreement itself, particularly regarding which parts of it will result in financial gain for the upstart league. No one from the league has publicly stated if LIV will receive a “rights fee,” or annual lump-sum payment from the network in exchange for the “right” to broadcast LIV’s events. Such agreements are common practice in most major sports TV deals and result in the vast majority of TV revenue for leagues. Sources told GOLF.com last week that LIV would not immediately receive a rights fee from the CW. In lieu of a rights fee, LIV’s best avenue to financial gain from the CW agreement could come in the form of a revenue-share between the two sides. Traditionally, such agreements include splitting a share of advertising dollars generated as a result of the property’s broadcasts.

Do you remember when Norman went to the Ryder Cup and tried to convince us that LIV's team competition would be just like that?  This is their favorite rhetorical trick, in which they compare themselves to other sports properties to which they are not remotely akin:

“The model I’ve liked to talk about is how NBC Sports handled the English Premier League in the U.S., and how ESPN and Formula One combined with Netflix and ‘Drive to Survive,'” Staeger said. “Those deals really grew the property’s popularity in the U.S.”

Oh right, you guys are just like F!....except for the pesky detail that people actually watch F1.  And the CW is just like ESPN.... And Netflix, well they're in bed with that other tour.  But, except for those meager qualifications, I get that it's totally the same.

And let's not forget this pesky detail:

If a revenue-share is the path forward for LIV, at least in the short-term, a separate issue arises. Per the CW’s current agreement with the audience-tracking service Nielsen, weekend viewership numbers are not tracked on the network, meaning LIV will be incapable of showing advertisers the value of their paid time-slots without a separate agreement. Staeger admitted it was early yet to know how the two parties would breach the data gap, but vowed there would be viewership metrics available for LIV in 2023.

“It’s critical to our plans,” he said.

Why isn't the CW tracking their weekend viewership?  I'm guessing it's not because they want to show advertisers how vast their audience is....

But whatever he might be smoking, I do hope he's brought enough to share:

But not every benefit to a television deal is financial. As Staeger points out, LIV’s agreement with the CW — a network that reaches more than 120 million households in the U.S. — has the opportunity to broaden the league’s reach and its viewing audience. Its new owners, Nexstar, have big plans to transform the network into an entertainment powerhouse (utilizing sports as a key part of that platform), following the outline first laid by FOX some two decades ago. The nature of the agreement is such that each party is deeply invested in the other’s success.

“There’s a strong promotional commitment the CW is going to put into place. Virtually everybody within the organization, from executive ranks on down, is enthusiastic about our products, and they expressed that really early on. They share our vision,” Staeger said. “Being their first sport, I think that enhances the situation. In a way, we’re being treated like the NFL for them. So I think that will help the ratings, and that’ll help the growth of our viewership.”

Oh yeah, it's just like the NFL...... Wait, there's more:

There are other levers to help boost ratings and, by extension, revenues for all parties involved. One avenue is through additional rights deals. LIV’s agreement with the CW encompasses its U.S.-based programming, but the league still has the freedom to shop the remainder of its broadcast rights to international partners. Staeger hinted that more news on those agreements could be coming very soon.

“We’re in negotiations in every territory in the world right now,” he said. “We were just wanting to announce this one first.”

Yes, you're always in negotiations, which is great as long as those negotiations are more successful than the ones that led to the CW deal.  But I'm quite sure they'll dominate the Saudi TV market...

It just keeps getting funnier:

Another avenue to growth is through “original programming” — an opportunity Staeger noted specifically as part of LIV’s efforts bolster support with golf audiences. That could mean the creation of a documentary-style TV show in the ilk of ‘Full Swing’, the PGA Tour-focused docuseries soon to release on Netflix. Such programming could live on the CW, Staeger said, but could also be shopped to other networks and/or streaming properties.

“Think ‘Drive to Survive’ or ‘The Last Dance,'” he said. “Programming is the sword that really ties the viewers and the space to the personalities of your stars and your league. I look at the NBA and the NFL, and we plan on following in their footsteps.”

Sure, PReed is just like Michael Jordan..... But wait, the singularly funniest bit comes here, so consider this your spit-take warning:

“We’re fully entrenched,” LIV CEO Greg Norman told Fox News. “We know where we’re going. We know what we’re doing.”

Before his first free weekend in months, Will Staeger’s vision was even more encouraging.

“We’re a rocket ship,” he said. “We’re about to take off.”

He’s right about one thing: the countdown has begun.

 Sure, i think that's spot on, it's just that they're this rocket ship.

I have no idea who Tom D'Angelo is, but writing in the Palm Beach Post he seems to be shilling for LIV, though one wonders why:

Why LIV Golf's TV deal with CW Network is 'next step in making them legitimate'

So, first we lower the bar:

LIV Golf’s recently announced television deal with the CW Network was not ideal, but was the next step in making them “legitimate,” according to an expert in sports management.

Lisa Neirotti, a professor of sports management at George Washington University, specializes in sports entrepreneurship and the importance of media rights for startup leagues. Neirotti acknowledges LIV’s partnership with CW – which is believed to be a revenue-sharing deal without a rights fee being paid – is not a “great deal,” but added oftentimes it’s necessary to give away a product to grow that product.

“We can criticize it all we want but they have been able to get themselves on a network,” said Neirotti, who has taught at George Washington for 32 years and studied LIV Golf closely the last year. “And that’s a first step for any growing sports property is to be able to get themselves on a network.

OK, but I had just been reliably informed that LIV is a rocket ship, so you'd think guys would be opening their checkbooks, no?

But then it turns comedic:

“Now it’s up to that property to bring the eyeballs to the network. The only way they are going to be able to do that is if they are able to really help promote it during different shows. So people who watch CW for news, people who watch CW for other shows, there needs to be promo spots saying tune in on Saturday at 1.”

Well, sure.  And that 16-year old girl that's tuned in for Buffy is LIV's target demo....

Remember above where Staeger was touting the personal investment of CW's entire management team.  This seems closer to objective reality:

“CW doesn’t have anything to lose and LIV has something to gain.”

To me, the key tell can be found on Friday, when CW refused to give up their Gilmore Girls reruns for live golf.  Think about that for a while, and realize the BS that Staeger threw at us.  They are all in with their weekends, where they weren't drawing enough of an audience to track.  But Friday afternoon?   

I'll excerpt the lengthy cods, but you might just notice one missing ingredient:

“You have to grab people’s attention,” Neirotti said. “How are they going to get people to come watch the show now that you’re on? And they weren’t successful in trying to get people to go to YouTube.”

And attracting sponsorship is critical and if LIV is responsible for securing some or the majority of advertisers as has been reported, it can now lure companies with not only signage and tickets and hospitality, but also offering commercial time.

“I think as they become mainstay or legitimate then more people are going to be looking at is as an advertising medium,” Neirotti said.

“It’s not a huge win for LIV in terms of financial windfall,” she added. “It’s the next step in making them legitimate. They are now on a network. The next thing now is to get people to tune in but in order to do that they have to promote it though Nexstar’s consortium.”

I hate to be the one to rain on their parade, but missing from Ms. Nierotti's analysis is one minor step, developing a product that might actually attract viewers.  Just sayin'.

I've got more teed up, but will save it for tomorrow and bid you adieu here.

Weekend Wrap

Lots to cover and never enough time, so forgive me if I don't enquire about your weekend...

Rahmbo In Full - As the 2022 season kicked off, your humble blogger was watching to see if Jon Rahm could separate himself from the chase pack. The answer for 2022 was a resounding "no", but perhaps I was just a tad early:

Is Jon Rahm the best golfer in the world?

The computers at the Official World Golf Ranking may say no, but it’s difficult to argue for anyone other than Rahm at the moment. With four wins in his last six worldwide starts, including

a one-shot victory at The American Express on Sunday, Rahm seems to be moving from a great player to a dominant one.

Chased all day by rookie Davis Thompson and a flock of other players, Rahm managed to steady a shaky back nine with a birdie on the 16th hole to regain sole possession of the lead on the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West. Solid pars on the final two holes gave Rahm a 27-under winning score for his second win in The American Express in the last six years. It also was the Spanish star’s second victory on the PGA Tour in three weeks and his ninth overall PGA Tour title following his win at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

“Body’s been feeling great. My swing’s been feeling really, really good. And it shows, right?” said Rahm, who is expected to move from fourth to third in the new world ranking on Monday. “Even when I’m saying I may not be as comfortable as I would like, I’m shooting 64s because everything is just firing when it needs to.”

Yes, he benefited from that Morikawa collapse at Kapalua and here he was up against an untested rookie, but I also get the sense that he's not playing anywhere near his best.  Not that I watched much of it at all....

The Tour Confidential gang had thoughts as well:

4. On the PGA Tour, Jon Rahm continued his sensational run, holding off Davis Thompson to win the American Express tournament by a shot. With Rahm owning two wins already in 2023, we’ll set his win-total number at 4.5, and ask you if he goes over it, or under.

With two in the bank, isn't it more important where he wins than how many times?

Sens: We’re seeing the Rahm we saw in 2021, in the runup to his U.S. Open win, when the only

thing that slowed him was a bout of Covid at Muirfield Village. He will win five or six this year. You can currently get him at 11-1 at Augusta. The betting favorite. Which seems about right.

Marksbury: When Rahm finished the first round trailing by two in La Quinta, he said that he was filled with confidence because he was scoring well even when he didn’t have his A-game. Reminded me of Tiger. When a player of Rahm’s talent gets in that zone, the sky is the limit. Given the start he’s had this year, I think five is his number, so I’m definitely betting the over.

Dethier: We’ve seen a bunch of players hit hot streaks in recent years. But finding a second peak is rarified air, and now Rahm feels like he’s doing exactly that. I still think four wins is probably more likely than five — in golf, “under” is always the smart money — but I sure wouldn’t be shocked if he finished the year with seven wins, either. He’s currently one of the three best golfers in the world — and he’s not third.

In golf you always take the field.... I wish I had a direct line to Josh Sens, because I wouldn't bet on anyone to win four more times....  maybe not even Peak Tiger.

On to Torrey, though I haven't heard a peep about their field.  Just a reminder that this is a Wednesday- Saturday affair, as the Tour has discovered that NFL Conference Championship Sunday is a TV kill zone.

Lockergate In Full - A/k/a The Lake Nona No-No:

When you reach a certain level of accomplishment on the golf course, you become known by only your first name. Tiger. Jack. Arnie. Annika. The practice is undoubtedly endearing, and it’s

reserved for an elite group of players.

After Sunday at Lake Nona, Brooke Henderson might be next in line for the first-name-only treatment.

Henderson ran away with the title Sunday at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, besting Maja Stark and Charley Hull by four shots to earn the crown. The win is the Canadian’s 13th overall LPGA victory, and her third over the past seven months.

“It was kind of the dream start, which is really exciting,” Henderson said. “[I’ve] always really wanted to win this one, so happy I finally got it.”

Yowzer, what a lazy-ass piece of sports journalism.  Brooke has, to this observer, been a major under-achiever, and a dominating win such as this make one curious about what's to come.  But do you know what Brooke has in common with Arnie and Jack?  yeah, absolutely friggin' nothing.....

The TC gang apparently couldn't move on from lockergate:

3. Brooke Henderson won the LPGA’s season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on Sunday, but the event’s locker room situation — or lack thereof — made headlines earlier in the week. Some players, however, were miffed the controversy took away from the first event of the year. Where do you stand with all of this? Was it a big deal? Blown out of proportion? Something in-between?

Sens: Subpar locker room storage is what is known as a very privileged problem. So in that sense, overblown. But not overblown in the sense that this would never happen to the men, and if it did, can you imagine the whining?

Marksbury: Something in between. The belated locker delivery seemed a bit clunky. It wasn’t the lack of the physical lockers themselves that was the main problem, but rather the lack of onsite private space for the female competitors. But the event is a unique one on the LPGA schedule — a pro-am with both male and female competitors, and the venue simply didn’t have the accommodations that the players are accustomed to week-in and week-out. So I find myself agreeing more with the players who shrugged it off as a blip on an otherwise cool tournament week.

Dethier: I think the locker talk was merited, but I think everyone involved would have preferred it stayed in-house — and that that energy were redirected to the competition, which featured a head-to-head showdown between a couple of the game’s most compelling players (Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda) plus an appearance from rising star Maja Stark. Hopefully this gets the LPGA to double down its focus on its players and we chase compelling golf-related storylines.

There's an old saying in politics that applies here, to wit, if you're explaining, you're losing.  Yes, Jessica, this is an unusual event, but it also includes a tiny field of LPGA players.  Is it too much to except Lake Nona to have both a men's and women's locker room?  

More importantly, if you're desirous of losing your reputation as a second-rate, rinky-dinky tour, perhaps it's advisable to stop providing rinky-dinky accommodations?  Just spit-ballin' here...

But, upon further review, perhaps Sgt. Schultz wasn't the best choice for commissioner?  Because the "I know nothing" defense is a tad over-used lately.

I Saw It On TV, LIV Edition - Stay calm and carry on, you still have a month to figure out where the CW is on your cable system.  Or not...

A couple of pieces of commentary on the LIV-CW-MOUSE TV contract that have amused your humble blogger, first the take-no-prisoners Eamon Lynch.  See if you can suss out his take from this completely non-judgmental header:

Lynch: With LIV Golf’s new TV deal, the desperation is in the details

Sigh!  If only we could get Eamon to tell us what he really thinks....It's common to speak of cold opens, but this seems more of the tabasco-infused variety:

Given his talent for recasting excruciating humiliations as bold victories, it’s surprising that Greg Norman doesn’t present himself annually at the gate of Augusta National wearing a green jacket

and insisting that what happened in 1996 — or ’86, ’87, ’89 and ’99 — was actually a triumph worthy of a place setting at the Champions Dinner.

“A momentous day for LIV Golf,” is how Norman described his league’s just-announced broadcast deal with The CW, the nation’s 25th most-watched network, or 29th if you’re chasing the 18-49 demographic who might be drawn to “golf, but louder.” (To be fair, the CW’s average viewer is 58, so they watch every show louder).

 Good one, Eamon.  But of course he's got more:

Alert to an opportunity to impress his boss, LIV’s chief media officer, Will Staeger, conjured a version of events that would have even George Santos calling for narrative restraint.

“Following a competitive bidding window with multiple U.S. networks and streaming platforms, the sports story of 2022 has just moved into pole position for the top story of 2023,” he wrote in a social media post.

Staeger’s comment raises two questions for those among us predisposed to cynicism: did autocorrect change “begging” to “bidding,” and how does a competitive process among multiple parties result in giving away the product for free to the worst-case option?

  I don't know about worst case.... I understand that PornHub was very interested.

Eamon does point out one area of possible (likely?) future embarrassment for the bone saw crew:

Nexstar Media Group is The CW’s parent company and owns roughly one-third of its TV stations. The rest are affiliates and can choose whether or not to clear scheduled programming — be it teen drama reruns or local sports — to broadcast LIV’s tournaments. The announcement omitted mention of how many stations have committed to airing LIV. Pity the factotum who might one day be called upon to explain to MBS why some markets preferred repeats of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to his $2 billion folly.

Do we think LIV can outdraw those Buffy reruns?  Certainly the latter has more inherent drama....

Joel Beall has his own curious, "what's it all about, Alfie?" take, under this header:

What LIV Golf's TV deal means

Which includes a gaggle of howlers....though he does fill in some background, such as this about Fox:

Nearly all of the major television subsidiaries in the U.S. showed little to no interest in LIV Golf in its first few months of launch, sources told Golf Digest. The one wildcard was the Fox Corporation due to its ties with the LIV operation. Fox founder and media tycoon Rubert Murdoch has a personal relationship with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman; the two attempted to create a “World Golf Tour'' in the mid-1990s, with Murdoch’s Fox Sports securing the TV rights.

In January 2022, LIV Golf hired former Fox Sports President David Hill to help with production, and the right-leaning Fox News had a heavy presence at LIV Golf’s third event in July, held at former President Trump’s Bedminster property. In the fall, reports emerged that Fox Sports was in discussions with LIV Golf. However, multiple sources told Golf Digest talks broke down over rights fees, as LIV Golf viewed a media deal as a revenue generator while Fox Sports insisted on being paid for showing the product similar to an ad-buy.

So, the network most aligned with LIV and its majordomo will only ship on a C.O.D. basis....noted.

Shall we get to the funny bits?

The deal is not without its drawbacks for LIV. The league will no longer be streamed for free on Facebook or YouTube, and its Friday rounds will only be shown on CW’s app, which has limited use. Staeger does say that, over the long term, LIV is looking to find a live linear window during its first rounds. “Whether that comes later this year or in other seasons, we’ll develop more unique ways in how it’s presented,” he says.

Other seasons?  These guys slay me....

LIV also will be handling the production coverage, which, while adding to the associated cost of the operation, gives the league control over its presentation. Unlike last year, when the golf was aired without commercial interruption, there will be ads in 2023. Staeger says they will mostly come before and after rounds, with a few mixed in around LIV’s “halftime” of its shotgun start format.

Odd, no?  I checked my style book which confirms that:

1. There is no crying in baseball, and;
2. There is no halftime in golf.

At the risk of taking them seriously, they seem to be saying that they'll quarantine the precious few paid ads before and after the action, thereby ensuring that nobody will see them.  I've always found that the advertisers love when their ads go unseen, so I take that to mean that any ad revenue is expected to be insignificant.

But wait, they're not done beclowning themselves:

LIV’s on-air announcing team will carry over from the end of 2022 with Arlo White doing play-by-play alongside analysts David Feherty and Jerry Foltz. Dom Boulet, Su-Ann Heng and Troy Mullins will provide on-course coverage. Staeger said the team’s chemistry is “palpable,” and points to TNT’s popular NBA crew as a barometer for LIV’s ambitions.

“We love our announce team. It’s the most diverse team in golf,” Staeger said. “We’re trying to foster something special with our team. We have a jump start because we handle our own production. We have the opportunity, we have a chance to reinvent how the sport is watched.”

I'm quite sure that you, like your humble blogger, choose your golf programming exclusively based upon the diversity of the announcing team.  What could be more annoying than Greg Norman and LIV?  Yup, an uber woke Greg Norman and LIV...

But see if you can follow the tortured logic of Joel's numbers:

According to Nielsen’s metrics, The CW was the 25th most-watched network in the United States in 2022. That is a far cry from the PGA Tour’s broadcast partners, NBC and CBS, which rank first and second, respectively. Because it’s not a network with sports-centric shoulder programming like ESPN or Fox Sports, it’s unlikely LIV Golf will receive audience bumps from CW’s lineup of shows. For the PGA Tour, the outcome, sources say, is considered a sigh of relief.

In that same breath, the deal should not be discounted. Ranking 25th seems low, but not against the fact there are hundreds of channels available to the American consumer. CW’s rank also far outweighs the Golf Channel, which came in 94th.

That sound you hear is the palm of my hand striking my forehead.... yes, fewer people watch GC, but they've tuned in for the specific purpose of, yanno watching golf.  Didn't you just get done telling us that those Gilmore Girls viewers aren't going to stick around when the LIV opening credits come on?  

But that bit about them having all sorts of time is a recurring theme:

“If this were something that younger people were eating up, then you would want to keep it on a place where people are likely to watch like YouTube, where younger people are going, right?” Rishe notes. “But that's not necessarily the case. We know that golf does trend with an older demographic and therefore I'm sure they were looking for a different dance partner.”

Since its inception, LIV has stated its focus is on a younger crowd. The problem is the type of companies that are involved in the golf business tend to target the older, affluent audience. Even with bringing in new sponsors that haven’t been in the space before, LIV Golf will need to tap into those existing advertisers. CW gives LIV that chance; though its programming is filled with teen dramas, its average viewer age is still 58 years old, according to Nexstar. Additionally, Rishe said one of the biggest wins for LIV in the deal is the opportunity to prove itself to other potential networks for future deals.

“For LIV, they can see if they can grow this relationship over the next two or three years, or they're going to use that two- or three-year window to hopefully prove to another network, ‘Hey, look at this. We've gained traction, we've gained support,’” Rishe said.

Guys, you have all the time in the world.  That three years to prove themselves to Fox will only cost MBS a mere $6 billion, so no urgency....

But this was my biggest belly laugh, although your mileage may vary:

Support and traction are imperative for LIV’s ultimate goal. Officials have touted the franchise component of the endeavor as a primary facilitator for future sponsorships and revenue. Twelve teams are expected to compete in a 14-event schedule beginning in late February. The 12 captains—who figure to be high-profile players such as Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Cam Smith—would have as much as a 25-percent equity stake in their teams. Each team would cover their own operating costs, using sponsorships, team prize money and merchandise to do so. To players and potential sponsors and owners, the number LIV Golf has forecasted has stayed consistent, sources tell Golf Digest: a $1 billion potential valuation for a four-man club.

If that valuation is delusional, is consistency a virtue?  Joel doesn't evidence any interest in what supports that valuation, but that's not binding on the rest of us.  They're getting bupkis from their U.S. TV contract, so remind of where this billion valuation derives from.

I had drafted the above discussion of the TV contract Sunday, prior to the TC dropping.  They had their own comments, which don't add much to the mix, but only require your humble blogger to copy-and-paste:

1. LIV Golf announced it had officially signed a “multi-year agreement” with the CW, granting broadcast and streaming rights to the network for its events beginning this season. The opening round will be available only on the app, with weekend coverage broadcast on TV. A source also told GOLF.com’s James Colgan that LIV is not paying the CW to broadcast its events. Finding a broadcast partner was paramount for LIV. Now that it’s done, what do you think of this deal?

Josh Sens: This can’t be the deal LIV was dreaming of from the start. Far from it. But elements of it do square with LIV’s current sales pitch. The league is pushing the team and franchise angle hard, with messaging that tilts toward a younger demographic. Throw in the team names (Crushers, Fireballs, Hy Flyers, etc.), and it all has a kind of a Ninja Turtles teen sheen to it that fits CW’s traditionally teeny bopper audience. One disconnect is that aside from Smith and Niemann, LIV’s biggest names skew older. And the overall golf market is of course much older, too. But it does seem like LIV is making a long play for a younger crowd, looking to build those team allegiances that it can sell down the road. How will it all play out? Anyone claiming to know the answer is full of it, I’d say. Lots of Brooks Koepka/Buffy the Vampire jokes floating around. But the other factor is that CW has new owners with a different vision of what they want the network to be. To accurately forecast, you’d have to know how successful they’re going to be in attracting a new audience, and then how/where LIV would fit in with that. The one thing I can predict for sure is that my own personal happiness will not hinge on how the Hy Flyers perform. But then, I thought Holey Moley was unwatchable, and I never understood why people bought pet rocks, so don’t go by me.

Those teeny boppers are, on average, 58 years old....  But, did you "unwatchable"?  There I think you nailed it.

Jessica Marksbury: Whether LIV paid for the TV time or not, it definitely seems like a step in the right direction. Maybe I’m becoming a bit of a dinosaur, but watching things on TV still seems like an upgrade from streaming-only, even if the audience is smaller than YouTube’s. At the end of the day, though, in terms of being a legitimate competitor to the PGA Tour, I feel like the TV home matters much less than the world-ranking points issue.

Right, which is why their weekday rounds being streaming-only is such a tell... 

Dylan Dethier: Like everything in our strange, divisive world, the CW deal has enough positives in it to give the pro-LIV faction something to celebrate — and the anti-LIV crowd plenty to make fun of. To Sens’ point, I think it’s hard to know how this will look until we know the future of the CW and the level of commitment to reinvention from parent company Nexstar. Overall, it feels like a win for LIV to be in so many households — especially given so many other broadcast opportunities were never going to happen. But the whole thing is still a bit surreal. A PGA Tour rival on the CW! Get your One Tree Hill jokes off while we figure out what’s going on.

Oh, I think we know what's going on.... In giving it way for free, they've gotten it on TV.  Now, if they can go into 5 million homes and point a gun at folks, perhaps they can compel folks to actually watch.  Perhaps....

2. How much will TV ratings tell us in Year 1? How much stock should we put in them?

Sens: I predict poor ratings this year, but that’s obviously not a deal-breaker to a circuit with bottomless funding. What I’d watch more closely is whether LIV can continue to attract big names, which in turn would drive interest. Which in turn gives them a chance at drawing TV sponsors. And so on. Meantime, provided the Saudis stay interested, there will be a year 2, and a year 3 and …

"Provided the Saudis stay interested" is rather a huge bug, no?

Marksbury: I’ll be surprised if ratings aren’t higher than what we saw from YouTube’s numbers. But I don’t think it will matter all that much either way. As Josh said, LIV seems determined to plug along for the foreseeable future.

Dethier: If we’re able to get exact ratings, I’d expect LIV to do fine. I’d be shocked if it was an overnight sensation — but there’s a large contingent of people who get the CW and there’s also a large contingent of people who like watching golf on weekend afternoons. I’m guessing they’ll find a few coins between the couch cushions to spend on marketing, too. What’s interesting to me is that by going from YouTube to broadcast TV, LIV seems to be playing on the PGA Tour’s turf. It is, as Jay Monahan said a couple weeks ago, “product vs. product.”

Didn't we have an item telling us that the CW doesn't cooperate with the Nielsen ratings?   To the extent that they're in the ratings game, I don't see where they'll draw a discernible audience.  

But Josh buried the lede.... can they draw players that will make us tune in?  So far, the answer is a resounding no....

Denial Is Not Just a River in Europe - I'll just grab a few bits from this piece that seems determined not to allow reality to rear its ugly head:

The DP World Tour keeps trying to find its way in the messy world of men’s pro golf

Messy?  That's a good euphemism....

“Shane Lowry” is the answer to the question many people are asking at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this week. Although 19 golfers in the world are currently considered, statistically

at least, to be better than the Irishman, Lowry is the highest-ranked player in the field this week, four places ahead of runner-up Tommy Fleetwood.

That stark fact begs another question: Why has one of the biggest tournaments on the DP World Tour, a Rolex Series event boasting a $9 million purse, been ignored by 19 of the top-20 players on the planet?

And another:

Given the DP World circuit’s “strategic alliance” with the PGA Tour, why does the 17-strong list of its “designated” eventsb oast only one—the Open Championship—outside the United States?

And one more:

Given all of the above, should the DP World Tour be worried about the commitment of the PGA Tour to an alliance that exists only to combat the rise of the LIV Golf League?

There is little wrong with the Euro Tour these days, unless you think that's anything more than a feeder tour for the U.S.-based Korn Ferry Tour.

Of course, the defection of many other longtime European Tour standouts to the LIV Golf League contributes as well. “Those are the two main reasons we’re not seeing better fields here and at the Dubai Desert Classic next week,” Colsaerts said. “My feeling is that the tour is actually in really good shape. Look at the standard of golf we saw at the Hero Cup last week. And there are plenty of other players we are going to be proud of in the future. We play for more money than we ever have before. So we need to take a step back, look at where we were five or 10 years ago and compare that with where we are now. We’re doing pretty good.”

I didn't see that standard of golf, nor did anyone else.... the only reason you play for more money is the subsidy from the PGA Tour, and the only reason that Lowry was there was the Ryder Cup, so perhaps that should be kept in mind....

But they're still whining about that adjustment to OWGR points:

“I am playing here to collect World Ranking points,” admitted Wiesberger, who earns none from his LIV Golf starts. “But I don’t think the Rolex Series should offer half the points they are playing for in the States. That is troubling. I don’t think the guys out here are in a great place [in ranking terms]. They would have to have an outstanding season to make the top 100 and be able to play in the PGA Championship. The guys got devalued a lot to a point where I don’t think the balance is right, unfortunately.”

The only thing I heard him say was, "I don't think", which is quite evident from his comments.  I don't give a rats ass what eh thinks, but he doesn't offer any evidence except it being inconvenient for him, which garners  a trademark boo-friggin'-hoo from your humble blogger.

What we didn't know until the recent change was the extent to which Euro events were subsidized by the OWGR metrics.  It's a cold, hard world Bernd, but you made your bed with the guys wielding bone saws, so enjoy your sleep.

That's it for this wrappage.  I am headed West tomorrow, so I'll see you all on the other side on Wednesday.

Your Friday Frisson

Lots to cover, so forgive me if I skip the pleasantries....

All The LIV-Long Day - It's official, those LIVsters have their wacky TV deal with the CW, and James Colgan does a deep dive to figure it out for us.  But first, he needs to allow us to dispense with an obvious bit:

Get your Gossip Girl jokes out of the way now, because crazy as the CW might sound as a broadcast partner, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Well, there would almost have to be, feeble as it sounds at the headline level.  But, notwithstanding Colgan's exhortations, I'll keep a few Gossip Girls bits in my go bag.

 So, just the fact that they need to spell this out is the tell:

2. LIV will not be paying for airtime

While the exact financial structure of the LIV-CW deal remains a mystery, a source told GOLF.com

that LIV is not paying the CW to broadcast its events. The big question — the one that remains outstanding even after the agreement was announced — is if LIV will make any money from broadcasting on the CW.

In most traditional media-rights deals, the network pays a fee to the league for the right to broadcast its events, but a separate source indicated that the LIV-CW agreement was not structured this way. Another potential avenue toward cash flow would be for the network and the league to share advertising and other revenue generated by league broadcasts.

They're certainly not being paid for their TV rights, which tells us all we need to know about the perceived value of thereof.   Some kind of sharing of the ad revenues seems to underlie this deal, but what would an advertiser pay in the absence of any proof that they can draw eyeballs?

Colgan gets to the implications here:

9. LIV’s long-term remains a question mark

At the beginning of the hunt for a broadcast partner, there was some hope among LIV sympathizers that a long-term, high-paying broadcast deal would materialize, immediately entrenching the league as a fixture of golf for the long-term. Thursday’s announcement certainly doesn’t hurt those prospects, but it didn’t do very much to help them, either.

In fact, if Thursday’s agreement taught us anything, it’s that the league’s existence now and in the near future remains very much tied to the whims of its Saudi financiers.

Short-term as well, but whatev.... Just to make this personal, Phil has assured us that it's all about the Saudi's vision to grow her game.  But there doesn't seem to be a plan for what happens if, strike that, when, the bonecutters decide to stop writing silly checks.

Surprisingly, there's even less here than meets the eye:

3. Streaming will carry early-round broadcasts

Opening-round LIV coverage will not be carried on broadcast television, per Thursday’s announcement. Rather, Friday coverage will be carried exclusively on the CW app. That’s disappointing news for golf fans, particularly those who hoped that LIV’s broadcast deal would expand access to golf coverage rather than limit it.

But, pray tell, did you mean that "round" to be singular, because in a 54-hole event, especially one that concludes on a day other than Sunday, this seems a tad vague.  Will two rounds be on CW, or only the final round?

They could spice this up with some featured-group coverage, but only is they pair DJ and Cam for each event....

Colgan makes the case that the CW is serious, if nly he could say the same about LIV:

4. The CW is very serious about growth

The network is under new owners in 2023, having undergone a late-summer acquisition by Nexstar, a broadcast and local news station behemoth. The goal, per Nexstar chairman Perry Sook, was to diversify the company’s broadcast offerings, bolstering the success of their NewsNation cable channel with a broadcast TV network focused on entertainment.

In the CW, Nexstar found a network that had been used primarily as a proving ground for its former legacy owners, Paramount and WarnerMedia. Though the network had never posted a profit, it touted an unusually young viewership demographic (though those numbers were skewed by the gap between broadcast TV demo reporting and streaming) and an offering in 98 percent of U.S. TV markets.

Sook’s bet is that with the proper strategy, Nexstar can transform the CW into a bonafide broadcast network, building a business that attracts a wide variety of viewers and becomes a destination for TV audiences. LIV represents the CW’s largest push yet toward that effort.

Destination?  Good luck with that, gents, but unless the rest of the Top twenty bolt, tell me gain who you think will tuner in?  Yeah, both names, please.

One outstanding issue that I noticed is the absence of any disclosure as to how LIV overseas events will be handled.  Live with a replay is the Golf Channel model, though no word has been provided here.

Geoff had a Quad post with a few nuggets of interest, first going a different direction than Colgan:

Before you start making Buffy and Vampire Diaries jokes, the network’s average age viewer is a spry 58. Meaning the CW hits the golf audience sweet spot and might not do so terribly. But do keep the age number in mind when Greg Norman touts the young demo they’ll be reaching.

Vampires?  A lot of those LIV signees were the moral equivalent of golf vampires....  But that average viewer age isn't what's been touted my Mr. Norman.  I know you'll need a moment to get over your shock of Sharkie being an unreliable narrator but, to the extent that these folks in their late 50's are inclined to watch golf, don't we think there are other channels they'll instinctively punch in?  But can't you feel the game growing?

Care for a little more Shack-snark?

The upstart league will be shown to willing Americans on Nexstar’s CW, the fifth of five networks that reaches 99% of American households with at least one television. Beyond the numbers, the CW will get LIV in front of two key audiences unable to access YouTube:

• Residents of The Villages who adore its afternoon programming slate.

• The second homes of select billionaires who can’t figure out a Roku remote but who might be lured into buying a piece of Captain Cam Smith’s Greezy Mullets.

LIV needed to check this box, which they did in a minimalist fashion.  They'll still fund it all out of pocket, which one assumes they will tire of at some point.

But, once we're done basking in the schadenfreude of this desperation deal, there's peril ahead for the good guys, as per John Huggan:

What happens if the DP World Tour loses its U.K. arbitration case next month with LIV Golf?

Forget that Saudi event and the OWGR, this is the next date that should be circled on everyone's calendar.  Huggan has the background here:

In contrast to the on-going, protracted and inevitably fractious legal discord between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, the parallel dispute between the Saudi-backed circuit and the DP World Tour is expected to play out to a relatively timely conclusion early next month.

It was on June 24, 2022 when executives with the Old World Circuit levied sanctions on all its

members who played in LIV’s maiden event at Centurion Club in London. Three players, Ian Poulter, Adrian Otaegui and Justin Harding, applied for a temporary stay of those initial penalties—a ban from the Genesis Scottish Open and two other PGA Tour co-sanctioned events, the Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship, as well as a £100,000 fine. That stay was granted by the International Dispute Resolution Centre by Sports Resolutions on July 5. It’s a decision that has allowed LIV golfers to continue to compete in DP World Tour events ever since, Otaegui even winning the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama in October. Twelve LIV golfers are set to tee it up this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

At that time, the February 2023 “appointment” was announced: a five-day long session that will effectively decide whether LIV golfers can be prohibited from competing on the DP World Tour (as the PGA Tour has done to this point) or can continue to play in DP World Tour events unabated.

Both sides have agreed to a binding verdict after arguing in front of the non-profit, independent U.K. body that allows for parties to settle disputes without going to the high court. A five-person appeal panel chaired by Judge Philip Sycamore will hear the respective cases in London, beginning Feb. 6.

The implication seems to be that Pelley and the Euro Tour have agreed to the efficient and quick adjudication of this issue, which would seem to be contrary to their interests (although I'd suggest that we remain skeptical about our understanding of their perceived interests).  Certainly I would have expe4cted Jay to insist that this be dragged out as long as possible, although I profess complete ignorance as to the European litigation environment (whereas I know just enough about U.S. antitrust law to be dangerous).

Here's one man's opinion on the legal issues:

The main question, says Nolan, facing the panel is whether the DP World Tour has the right to censure players or whether sanctions and discipline amount to an unfair restraint of trade. Nolan believes both sides have reasonable arguments.

“It may be hard for Poulter and the others to prove that the ‘punishment’ inflicted on them is in fact an unfair restraint of trade,” Nolan says. “Because they can still play golf. If they lose, the reality is that they can still go out and play golf on the LIV Tour and make what is clearly a lot of money. They are not being prevented from doing so. Having said that, I do agree that it is also hard to substantiate the DP World Tour’s exercising of what they consider to be their powers in an attempt to ban these players. It will end up becoming clear that they are trying to retain their monopoly.”

Nolan notes another argument LIV players could present is “that is it is better for the world of golf—and for the fans—if we can all watch more events with the best players in them. There will be more choice.”

Sure, as long as you don't allow reality to complicate your argument.  This perpetuates the LIV nonsense that their efforts are all incremental, easier to understand in the context of the U.S. tour.  LIV would have us believe that they can siphon off the top 48 players in the world for fifteen event, and the economics of the U.S. Tour will be unimpaired.   

Of course, while sponsors don't seem to be rocket scientists, they're not quite as stupid as LIV needs them to be.   Tours are in the business of delivering predictable fields to sponsors, and as those fields weaken, sponsors will protect their own interests.  The underlying issue on both continents is whether a voluntary organizations can establish and enforce a series of rules because, if not, those organizations seem imperiled.

This is the one aspect of the argument that most annoys your humble blogger, as LIV's business model inevitably results in the destruction of the PGA Tour as we know it (the Euro Tour is a bit more complicated a sit's already devolved into little more than a feeder tour, which could just as readily feed into LIV).

I think this is just wrong, though:

As to how the panel might ultimately rule, several sources contacted by Golf Digest—including high-ranking DP World Tour officials speaking off the record—believe LIV golfers are likely to prevail.

“In the past, professionals who signed up to play on, for example, the PGA Tour as well as the DP World Tour did so without having any sanctions or restrictions imposed on them,” Nolan says. “The precedent has been set.”

Nolan specifically believes that the Competition Act of 1998, European legislation that guards against monopolies in any business sector, will come into play in the decision-making.

This seems to me completely muddled.  Yes, obviously the Euro Tour had to accommodate itself to its best players moving to Orlando, but the rules governing minimum play and the like have been enforced.  But no one has stopped these guys from resigning their Euro Tour memberships and taking their thirty pieces of silver, they just have to decide where to ply their trade.

Of course, the ultimate verdict will have far-reaching implications beyond the ability of DP World Tour members like Poulter, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Martin Kaymer to continue competing on what was for long enough their home circuit. If allowed to play in DP World Tour events, can LIV golfers also earn points in order to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup in 2023?

Unclear, too, is what impact a verdict that favors LIV golfers might have on the strategic alliance between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. Some of the more cynical observers have concluded that going to arbitration and fighting a case he might lose is a means to an end for DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley. He will, after all, be able to look PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in the eye and truthfully claim he has tried everything to exclude LIV players from his tournaments.

Which is to say that “losing” is not such a bad thing for Pelley. Should the LIV argument be validated, the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Open champion Cameron Smith would be free to compete in DP World events. There are those who’ll argue that is not the worst-case scenario for a tour that has, for long enough, failed to attract big names beyond its very biggest events. Many LIV golfers would likely jump at the chance to play in DP World Tour events as it would allow them to once again earn Official World Golf Ranking points on a regular basis, keeping them from seeing their status in the OWGR fall and cutting off a possible way to qualify for the men’s major championships.

Pelley has a gaggle of members who believe that their tour should have embraced the Saudis and taken their money, hence that cryptic warning above about their motives.  That said, while the arguments that the U.S. has contributed in par to the diminishment of the Euro Tour have some merit, the implications of spurning Jay and jumping into bed with the Saudis are hard to predict.  After all, some wise man once called them scary mofos....

Huggan doesn't spend much time on Ryder Cup implications, at least for now:

Then there is the Ryder Cup, an event in which it is hard to conceive any of the European LIV players being given one of captain Luke Donald’s six captains picks, no matter who wins and loses under Sycamore’s ruling next month. In what might be viewed as an indication of things to come, Otaegui was noticeably overlooked for the recent Hero Cup match between Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. It was an exclusion clearly not made on merit. At the time the Hero teams were announced, the Spaniard was one of the six automatic qualifiers for the Ryder Cup.

Oh, it's not that hard to imagine, when Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland are calling for it....

I don't know the relative value, but among the most critical funding sources for the Euro Tour are:

1. The revenues from Ryder Cup home games, which only happen once every four years, and;
2. Subsidies for the U.S. Tour.

Now picture a Euro Ryder Cup team for September that includes, say, Sergio.  You can think through other aspects of this, the extent to which Pelley has cooperated with or accepted money from the Saudis, but it seems noon at the OK Corral, no?  A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and Jay can find his in Wentworth.

The Ladies - I'm pleased to report that the most pressing issue in women's golf has been resolved:

Tournament officials bring in 36 lockers for female players at LPGA season-opener, though the locker room remains open to VIPs

How does one measure leadership?   Carefully, I would suggest, but in the course of barely a couple of months two of the stupidest issues have blown up on the LPGA, and their hand-picked commissioner has gone with the Sgt. Schultz defense, so you girls might want to open an Indeed.com account.  Just sayin'....

The only good news about lockergate is that it's distracted from layers like Lydia skipping the season-opening TOC and being fined $25,000 a head.  The schedule is a mess, and I'm unclear whether their Commish is really up to it.

There have been a series of previews of the LPGA season that I've ignored, so I'll just use this from the Tour Confidential panel to cover my blogging malpractice:

5. The LPGA kicks off its 2023 season this week at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. What’s the one storyline you are looking forward to unfolding in the next 12 months?

Barath: First and foremost, as one of GOLF’s “gear nuts,” my big thing to watch is going to be some of the top players changing equipment manufacturers, along with whether any of these players are going to get off to slower starts in 2023, or just keep rolling.

Secondly, I am hoping to continue to watch the re-emergence of Lydia Ko after her big comeback year in 2022. The only thing she didn’t accomplish was winning a major, and all signs point to her doing that in 2023.

I can pretty reliably guarantee that equipment deals are not of the slightest import....But thanks for playing.

Melton: I’m ready to see if Nelly Korda can get back to her 2021 world-beating form. She struggled a bit last year with injury and inconsistency, but she capped off the year with a win. If she can stay healthy all season, I expect 2023 to be another banner year.

Hirsh: Would you believe me if I told you Lexi Thompson last won on the LPGA Tour in 2019? Age 27 is awfully young to have a three-year-winless drought. She did win an LET event at the Aramco event in New York, so I’ll be interested to see if she can take that momentum back to the LPGA Tour, or even a major.

No, I wouldn't believe you, because I would have guessed it was even longer ago.  But I agree it'll be interesting to see the manner of her chokeage in 2023.... 

Dethier: How will Lydia Ko fare as World No. 1? This is the third act (at least) of her career, and it’s been fascinating to watch her climb the mountain again. I’m curious what she’ll do at the top.

This should tee up as a great year for the ladies, ensuring that it will be of interest the exact circumstances that lead them to squander it.  They are the tour that can't shoot straight, after all.

The reason I know that equipment deals don't matter is that, first they never matter, but the more important issues can be found here:

Why Golf Saudi sees women's golf as ripe for disruption

If you disrupt a golf tour in the forest, does anyone hear itr?

One of my recurring themes is the hash that the Saudis have made of LIV.  With the possible exception of CNN+, it would be hard to identify an enterprise that has gotten less for more. 

Joel Beall frames this with another track on the Mollie Marcoux Samaan greatest hits album:

It was time to talk about the future, the commissioner wrote. In a letter dated Sept. 12, 2022, Mollie Marcoux Samaan—then 16 months into her new role as head of the LPGA—sent a note to players congratulating them on a successful season, expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to lead their tour and optimism for where it was headed. However, Marcoux Samaan said, the LPGA could only get where it wanted to go by having everyone headed in the same direction. “This is your tour and our success depends on your passion, your actions and your commitment to both your individual success and that of the organization,” Marcoux Samaan wrote.

A former athlete and athletic director at Princeton, Marcoux Samaan said she would be providing information on conversations the LPGA was having with players on the Ladies European Tour and with LET officials, “and hope we can share perspectives on the changing global golf landscape.” The letter did not state the series, organization or monarchy that was spurring this change although the implication was clear: If LPGA players had the same reservations about dealing with the Saudis as their PGA Tour counterparts, this was the time to talk about it.

Marcoux Samaan went on to outline that she would be at six of the remaining eight events on the 2022 LPGA schedule, starting that week in Portland, Ore., for roundtable discussions to share information, thoughts, concerns and ideas. “I know it’s hard to make time during a tournament, but I can’t stress how important it is for us to communicate,” Marcoux Samaan wrote. “Your legacy is more than just how you play on the course or how much money you earn.” The first meeting was scheduled at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the player dining area at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

No players showed up.

It seems that her core competency is in getting her players to not appear when expected.....Good luck with that.  After a reference to their issues in the men's game, Beall has this interesting bit:

However, Golf Saudi has had far more success making inroads into the women’s game. In just two years, Golf Saudi has gone from hosting one event on the Ladies European Tour to six, with

one of those events played in the United States. Unlike LIV Golf—which is composed largely of players a notch or two below the game's elite—Golf Saudi’s women’s events have attracted in-their-prime talent. Popular American players such as Lexi Thompson, Danielle Kang, Nelly and Jessica Korda, and Alison Lee have competed in Golf Saudi tournaments. So have international stars such as Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Atthaya Thitikul, Anna Nordqvist, Minjee Lee and Leona Maguire. In fact, Jin Young Ko is the only player in the top seven in the Rolex Women’s Ranking who has not played in a Saudi-backed event. Similar to men's Golf Saudi events, there are extravagant purses to be had with opulent appearance fees for big names.

All six events—the Saudi Ladies International plus five “team series” tournaments played in Bangkok, London, Sotogrande, Spain, New York City and Jeddah—are sponsored by Saudi Aramco, the country’s state-run petroleum company. Aramco’s chairman is Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who is also the governor of the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund that controversially backs LIV Golf. Al-Rumayyan is a passionate golfer who believes the game can be a conduit to political and economic influence for the kingdom, and his input carries particular weight in bin Salman’s circle. Greg Norman may be LIV Golf CEO, but Al-Rumayyan and Golf Saudi CEO Majed Al Sorour are the two people who have final say over LIV/Golf Saudi matters.

That last sentence is quite the stunner given that, as we discussed earlier this week, they are arguing exactly the opposite in that LIV antitrust lawsuit so that Al-Rumayyan and Sorour cannot be deposed.  Just figureheads, they tell us....

Of course the Sharkie has to shoot his mouth off:

Publicly, Norman’s voice has been the loudest over the past year. And while some of his statements have been contradictory in nature, the 67-year-old Aussie has been adamant that a LIV women’s league is coming.

“One hundred percent. Drop the mic on that,” Norman told the Palm Beach Post last July. “We have discussed it internally, the opportunity is there. … We’ve actually had one of the most iconic female golfers sitting in this room having a conversation with her. She absolutely loves the whole concept and is behind the whole concept.”

 Like Seinfeld, the LPGA seems to be a show about nothing:

Marcoux Samaan said “nothing specific” caused her to have the series of conversations with the membership she outlined in the Sept. 12 letter to players regarding the LPGA’s future. “I think part of my leadership style and what I think is really important is just to communicate,” she said.

As for what the agenda had been at those fall meetings, Marcoux Samaan said there was none. “Again, there was nothing specific that we were looking for, just to say, like, how are they feeling about the tour?” she said. “How are they feeling about what ideas do they have that we can make? We have to focus on ourselves. I think that's the most important thing for us to do is control the things that we control.”

Hard to understand why the girls didn't show up....

But can these guys ever stay on brand.  Who's their main target?  Yup, the league that got a woodie over Phil and PReed, has it's sights firmly trained on the most over-rated player on the planet:

Should a rival league manifest, sources close to the LPGA point to Thompson as Golf Saudi’s top target. Not only has she already played in their events, Thompson is represented by GSE Worldwide, the agency whose clients make up roughly a quarter of LIV’s membership. The Korda sisters are also seen as potential signees, sources close to the LPGA say, due to their marketing power; they both have competed in the Aramco series.

Lexie is just perfect for them, and I hear that Annika is available....

They would have been so much better served to have started with the ladies, which might have actually addressed the biggest issue the world has with the Saudis, their treatment of the ladies.  Gratitude from the women would actually have played well, and at a fraction of the cost.  But they had their McKinsey report and, really, what could go wrong.

I have to run at this juncture. I expect normal wrappage on Monday, then Tuesday I head West again.  Have a great weekend.