Weekend Wrap - Gotterdämmerup Edition

Hey kids, did that header pun work for you?  I haven't been much of a blogger recently, but one does like the cheap puns, no?

Shall I give you the bad schedule news now, or save it for the close?  Yeah, no sense depressing you before its necessary.

Wasted Words - I went with Norse Mythology above and an Allman Brothers reference here, hope you've kept up.  Maybe we'll get to some golf as well.  Golfweek played it thusly:

With late birdie binge, Chris Gotterup steals Phoenix Open in playoff

He finished on a heater, yet that somehow isn't the image we're all left with.  Golf Digest apparently can handle the truth:

Chris Gotterup benefits from Hideki Matsuyama’s meltdown in Phoenix, collects second win of season

Hey, Hideki might have coughed up the win, but that was the best 18th tee Mito Pereira impression evah!

Since we're in dueling header mode, my sense is that Geoff worked a little too hard for this one:

Weekend: Gotterup Continues To (Phoenix) Rise

A little from that Golweek game piece:

Chris Gotterup birdied five of the six last holes on Sunday and added one more for good measure in a sudden-death playoff to win the WM Phoenix Open over Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.

"To come out on top and do it the way I did in the playoff was awesome," he said.

Gotterup closed in 7-under 64, making nine birdies on the day at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course to win for the second time on the PGA Tour in the first four tournaments of the season. Less than a month ago, he won the season-opener, the Sony Open in Hawaii.

It happened because Matsuyama fought a two-way miss with his driver in the final round, failing to hit a fairway on the front nine. Asked earlier in the week why he loved the TPC Scottsdale course, he said, "I like this course because even if I miss a fairway, I can still find my ball. Unless it's in the cactuses."

The cactuses or the Church Pews or the Agua....

I watched a bunch of it, flipping back and forth to catch the Quad God and the like.  I'm not sure how much of that fast finish CBS actually showed, as Gotterup was well out of the mix, until he wasn't.

It was all a bit of a yawn.  The best part was watching Scottie work his way back into the mix, missing the playoff by one shot, while playing as sloppily as you'll ever see.  But much as they hype the 16th hole, even on Saturday the party atmosphere is feeling increasingly forced.

The is quite obviously one of the more unique weeks on Tour, though the field seemed even weaker than is typical.  Phoenix and its organizers deserve all sorts of credit for taking on the NFL, making Super Bowl weekend work.  That said, color your Humble Blogger bored....

In the current schedule configuration, they're in a no-win spot, with Signature Events the two succeeding weeks limiting their ability to attract a strong field.  That may well change to their benefit as the Tour contracts further, there was even some chatter about the Wasted being the season-opening event.   Right now, even with the entire East Coast snowed in, it's a big ask getting eyeballs to the broadcast.

There's a wee little story I want to work in, especially since it includes some journalistic malpractice.  Did you happen to see Hideki have to step away a couple of times late Sunday as fans attempted to disrupt him?  

First, this is the header from the Golfweek home page:

To yell at fans?  Does that sound right to you? The article itself makes far more sense:

Influencer ejected from Phoenix Open after paying fan to yell at players

The underlying incident seems to have been directed at Mackenzie Hughes, but the idiot takes some fun incoming.  But, combined with the assault of gambling opportunities, comportment among galleries will not be getting any better soon.

That concludes our obligatory coverage.  Shall we get to the fun stuff?

OWGR, M-O-U-S-E - How great is this story?  They're finally granted OWGR points, and they couldn't be more pissed....  I'll make things easy and just riff off this week's Tour Confidential panel:

After years of battling for valuable World Rankings points, the OWGR announced it had

accepted LIV Golf’s application for membership and the league will receive points effective immediately. Although since the OWGR said LIV fits into the “small-field tournaments” classification, it will only be awarded points for top-10 finishers and ties. In its own statement, LIV said, “a player finishing 11th in a LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player finishing 57th” and that this “disproportionately harms players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside that threshold.” How would you untangle this?

Zephyr Melton: Afraid that one is above my pay grade. But I will say that LIV should be ecstatic with this result. The depth of fields has never been the league’s strong suit, but they’ve always had some solid top talent. With this result, the big guns (Rahm, DeChambeau, Hatton, Niemann) will finally get some points and have an easier time getting into majors. Seems like as good a result as they could’ve hoped for.

Josh Schrock: I don’t feel it needs untangling. LIV should be thrilled it got recognition from the OWGR board. It should allow its best players to hoover up the same number of points given out at an opposite-field event. Elvis Smylie received more points for winning LIV Riyadh than Patrick Reed did for winning in Qatar. It seems fair given all of the other things the OWGR board noted, including selecting members for the tour “based on their nationality and not meritocratic reasons.”

Dylan Dethier: These points are a big, big deal. There would be relatively few points available outside the top 10 anyway, so — despite the grievance note — what they got far, far outweighs what they didn’t. LIV’s young stars now have a legitimate pathway to climbing the ranks and playing their way into majors. For the likes of David Puig, Tom McKibbin and Elvis Smylie (plus more established pros like Joaquin Niemann) that’s a potential game-changer.

This to me is delightfully schadenfreudalicious.  They've blamed all their problems on the absence of OWGR points, and now all will see that, even welcomed back into the warm embrace of collectivism, LIV Golf still sucks.  Who could have seen that coming?

World Ranking points are valuable pathways for LIV players to earn entry into major championships. But is last week’s news — and the points distribution — enough to lure players to LIV who were already on the fence about their major eligibility?

Melton: Perhaps, but with the PIF seemingly restricting the LIV budget of late, I’m not sure the massive paydays from yesteryear are still viable. Would a big name be willing to jump to LIV without a Rahm-like signing bonus? I’m not so sure.

Schrock: I doubt it. They might be able to lure one or two younger players who might have been on the fence but I don’t think another big name jumps unless the PIF decides to loosen the belt a bit.

Dethier: If you’re an established PGA Tour star, probably not. But LIV has picked up some young talents from outside the U.S. and that particular profile of player could be pushed over the edge by this decision. LIV and the DP World Tour continue to be on a collision course — competing for players, for regions, for legitimacy as the “World Tour” and now for points, too. More to come on that subject.

It's a big breakthrough for LIV, but the larger context is turning the other direction.  I was horrified by Michael LaSasso's decision to join LIV, which absent this change would have left him likely unable to play in the majors.  That said, it still feels like anyone inclined to that model, would have already cashed a check.  It also doesn't help that so many of those who jumped have appeared to regret their decisions.

Speaking of which, it seems a strange time to be saying things like this:

Bryson DeChambeau offers ominous criticism of LIV change: ‘Didn’t sign up to play for 72’

 If you're a young up-and-comer, do you want to sign on with the tour's biggest star sounding like this:

That new pathway back to the Tour was open only to Koepka and three other LIV stars: Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and DeChambeau.

While all of them confirmed they would reject the PGA Tour’s offer, DeChambeau’s reaction was notable for its tone and brevity.

“I mean, look, I’m contracted through 2026, so I’m excited about this year,” DeChambeau said at the time. But anyone who watches the video would struggle to describe Bryson’s demeanor as “excited.”

Most striking was what he did not say. He did not offer a fully-throated defense of the league, nor did he commit to playing LIV beyond 2026.

But in his recent interview with Today’s Golfer, DeChambeau went a step further, openly criticizing the league for its recent format change.

He continued: “Look, it’s 72 holes, it’s changed, but we’re still excited to play professionally and play for what we’re doing and go across the world. I think it’s going to be great for our team.”

He then added a second criticism of the 72-hole format shift.

“Is it what we ultimately signed up for? No. So I think we’re supposed to be different, so I’m a little indifferent to it right now. Hopefully it weighs positively on me over the course of time, but you never know,” DeChambeau said ominously, “I’m not sure. We didn’t sign up to play for 72.”

Why wouldn't you sue, Bryson?  It's gonna be the civil rights issue of our era...

Fifth Of Four, Revisited -  There's not much that the PGA Tour has done the last few years that your humble blogger likes, but today's laughs come at the expense of the one event they haven't screwed up... at least not yet.

We haven't had a good belly laugh from Ponte Vedra Beach since they astutely replaced These Guys Are Good™ with the lame Live Under Par™, but see how you react to this:

Again?

Shall we let Geoff run with this?

A New Outbreak Of Fifth Major Desperation Syndrome

The PGA Tour signals for The Players to be seen as a major. The move will only backfire and expose a thirst for profit over common sense.

Declaring you’re cool?

You’re not cool.

Reminding people that you’re a major championship?

You’re not a major.

And if you have to unleash an orchestrated ad campaign that’s immediately endorsed by eager-to-shill propaganda partners?

You’re not even close to becoming a major.

Despite a solid start to the 2026 season and one of the PGA Tour’s more iconic events playing out in sunny Scottsdale with a fun Sunday awaiting, the Tour launched a new ad campaign to pimp March’s Players Championship.

One of the risks in bringing in non-golf insiders is that they may not know how prior Tour administrations have embarrassed themselves....

 We'll let Geoff have his fun:

The slogan might have been chalked up to a simple alliterative choice featuring “M” words. But then there were the signs of a coordinated hype campaign, complete with supportive affirmation from Tour toadies that suggested otherwise. The hard sell was all capped off by confirming comments from an unnamed Tour spokesperson in response to Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan.

“Fans and players have long discussed THE PLAYERS Championship’s status as a major. We understand that is not for us to decide. Ultimately it is up to our sport and its fans to recognize what the professionals who play the game already know.”

Yes, everyone knows: The Players is a very fine tournament generally held back by identity issues and deep insecurity from never being considered better than one of the big four.

Also? Real majors never need ALL CAPS to let you know they’re majors.

And he even gets one more dig in at their edifice complex:

Ever since? The vision has been inconsistent. They’ve overseeded the place, then converted the whole thing to modern Bermuda, and are now back to drenching the place with water and ryegrass in a bid to look more like a certain tournament in April. They’ve harvested deep rough, cut it back to get balls rolling into the pine scrub, and seen the effort at restoring some of the crunchiness undone by all the EVP cooks who wanted to see emerald green on TV.

They also went from a modest, disguised-into-the-landscape clubhouse that put the course and players forward, to a gaudy Mediterranean-ish castle designed by Lord Farquaad.

Google it if you're not familiar with the reference.

The TC gang has thoughts:

The ‘major’ debate surfaced again last week, when the PGA Tour released a Players Championship promotion with the tagline: “March is going to be major.” When asked for comment, the Tour told GOLF.com, “Fans and players have long discussed THE PLAYERS Championship’s status as a major. We understand that is not for us to decide. Ultimately it is up to our sport and its fans to recognize what the professionals who play the game already know.” [Eds note: the Players, by definition, is not a major.] Any thoughts on the peculiar messaging around this?

Melton: The Tour is simply doing its job in promoting its biggest event. Does declaring the Players a major make it one? No — but you can’t fault the Tour for trying.

Schrock: The PGA Tour doesn’t own the five most important events in golf. They are promoting their flagship product. Can the Players be made into a major? Probably not, but the majors as we know them weren’t “majors” until Arnold Palmer basically created the idea in the 1960s. The tournaments existed but the idea of a “major” or the “grand slam” could have meant any number of things until Palmer said he wanted to win the Open Championship and PGA Championship to have a “grand slam” of his own after winning the Masters and U.S. Open. Majors can be created and deleted. The PGA Tour might as well try.

Dethier: I went deep on this exact subject here, but one feeling I can’t shake is that there should be four major championships. Five per year suddenly messes up history and the entire idea of the Grand Slam, which is a big deal in contextualizing great golfers. The Players has hit its stride in recent years as the PGA Tour’s greatest event. If it’s going to become a major it needs to stage a duel to replace one rather than add a fifth.

Zephyr, if the Players is their biggest event, where does that leave the FedEx Playoffs?

To this observer, rekindling this debate only serves to remind us all of the fact that the Tour doesn't own or control the events that folks care most about, so how is that helpful to PVB?  

Dylan, I agree fully, but I'm guessing you have an incoming call from....Evian?  But could there be a another context here.  Riffing on Dylan, which major would the Players most like replace?  Well, there's little doubt which is the weakest, the one that the Players keeps moving to accommodate.  I'm thinking this might be best understood as a warning shot across the bow of the good ship Frisco...

Of course, Brandel has to bloviate:

Days later, Brandel Chamblee created headlines when he said the Players has the best and deepest field in golf and is “the hardest major championship to win,” adding: “the Players, to me, stands alone and above the other four major championships as not just a major, it is in my estimation, the best major.” What is going on here?

Melton: Ok this one was definitely strange. I can see an argument for making the Players a major, but to say it’s “the best” major? Now that’s a hot take. Credit to Brandel for sticking his neck out there, but I’m gonna have to disagree.

Schrock: He honestly kind of lost me with the argument that because “Live From” broadcasts at majors and the Players, it makes the Players a major. I’ll listen to an argument that the Players is more of a major than the PGA, but Brandel lost me with his soliloquy. But it got people talking!

Dethier: Brandel is a provocative thinker and talker. When he’s on TV he has my attention. And some of his nuance got lost with this headline-grabbing declaration. With that said — I think this pretty clearly misses the mark. A better major than the brawny, epic U.S. Open? Than the vaunted, iconic Masters? Than the Open Championship and its 150-year history? The cover ruins the book for me here.

The case that the Players has the best field in golf is a serious one, it just unfortunately is an argument that has been thoroughly adjudicated previously.  There's no new information that's changed its status, except perhaps for its fields getting weaker due to the LIV defections.

But, if we're doing field strength, lets do the Signature Events next, then the Masters.

Eamon Lynch weighs in as well, though his characteristic pyrotechnics mask what I feel is a highly flawed argument:

Lynch: The Players isn’t a major and won’t be, unless the PGA Tour makes a big move — literally

Since they’re new to golf, it’s possible that the PGA Tour’s CEO, Brian Rolapp, and his investors think the “March is going to be major” campaign constitutes artful marketing, rather than pointless pot-stirring that’s wearisome even to golf nerds, a clot usually eager to fight duels over esoterica.

The specific pot being stirred is whether The Players should be considered a major alongside the four accepted championships. If golf was like marathoning, it could be decided by fiat. For many years, the World Marathon Majors included six races: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Then, in late 2024, Sydney was added, a tough pill for runners who’d achieved a lifetime goal of completing the original half-dozen. That change was possible because one entity could make the call.

I might have gone with LPGA, but whatever....

The most compelling rationale for major status is that least frequently offered: the political one. All of the most powerful bodies in golf own a major championship, except the organization that’s arguably the most influential — the PGA Tour. But even that position has a convincing counter argument in this Balkanized era: an event that excludes superstars like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Talor Gooch as a matter of policy has no legitimate claim on major status.

Gee, Eamon, where is Talor Gooch playing these days?

If the Tour and its investors are hung up on not owning any of the sport’s five biggest titles (including the Ryder Cup), there are only two options: they can acquire a major or take steps to make fans concede that they already have one. Buying the PGA Championship might have seemed plausible of late, but less so since the PGA of America has hired a seasoned executive as CEO while simultaneously seeming to enjoin its most buffoonish liability to silence. So, how to convince folks that The Players deserves even greater stature than it already deservedly enjoys? Certainly not via the ham-fisted marketing the Tour has tried for years, which serves only to harden opinion against elevated status.

One move that might possibly sway golf fans on the subject is a literal move: take The Players on the road. The notion of a major that travels to established and growing regions of the world has been mooted for years, usually in the context of wondering how the PGA Championship can escape its standing as the runt of the litter. But the PGA of America is a parochial organization in its membership, culture, ambition and administration. The PGA Tour, on the other hand, has reason to build its business beyond U.S. borders and to better leverage its strategic partnership with the globe-trotting DP World Tour. Instead of quibbling about whether an existing major can be mobile, perhaps the answer lies in The Players becoming a major because it is portable.

 This strikes me as quite silly, but let's let Eamon give the yang to the above yin:

The Tour’s flagship event could go global on alternate years. One year at its traditional home of TPC Sawgrass, the next at Royal Melbourne or Durban Country Club or Koninklijke Haagsche (that’s not an ice cream brand, Brian). Let it be golf’s first truly global competition — two of the last five “international” Presidents Cup venues have been within walking distance of the U.S. border — with an elite, deep field that isn’t dependent on a couple of guys paid appearance fees.

Even cynical fans would see enormous value — perhaps even major value — in an event that takes golf’s gospel to venues, audiences and countries long underserved. Making The Players mobile would come with costs that the Tour would probably be unwilling to countenance, however, like smaller viewership due to time zone changes and the likelihood of reduced revenues.

Like so much else being considered these days in Ponte Vedra, it’s tough to balance tradition, fan enthusiasm, cost effectiveness, revenue generation, investor returns, player entitlement and obligations to the broader golf ecosystem. In which case, the Tour might conclude that the status quo ain’t all that bad.

The status quo is pretty damn good, though the amusement comes from the Tour's unhappiness with this successful event.

To me, the event succeeds for two simple reasons:

1. It's the Players' Championship, appropriately played at the Tour's home in PVB, and;
2. The Frigging Golf Course.  The event is the course and the course is the event, and disconnect the two at your peril.

It's a great event, one of the few Tour events that still has merit.  It's just sad the Tour can't be content, given that it doesn't solve all their other problems.  Eamon's arguments work far better if applied to the PGA Championship, which has no compelling reason to even exist.

The Bad News - Is March good for you guys?

For those that remember last winter, it's deja vu all over again.  My brother, nephew and I are headed back to British Columbia for another skiing adventure, one that hopefully will go a little better for your humble blogger than last year.  BC is one of the few places that this winter has actually seen snow, though one senses that our arrival will be the cue to turn off the faucet.

I'll leave you with this video of my hotshot nephew from last winter:

No need to share the video of me.

I get home on March 3rd, and blogging will resume thereafter.  Have a great few weeks.

Weekend Wrap - Bomb Cyclone Edition

As with all aspects of life, yesterday's bomb cyclone failed to deliver the goods.  But I only come to New York to see the snow, which looks like it will be covering our golf course well into May.... Soon I'll be heading back to the Mountain Greenery (anyone but me remember that song) of, wait for it, Utah.

In other news, I'm still trying to reignite my enthusiasm for this blogging thing.  Just when I've worked up a smidgeon of enthusiasm, PReed heads back to town.  Can't a fellow get a break?

A Rose By Any Other Name - It was quite the week and I do agree he's one of the good guys, but perhaps a deep breath is in order?  Not to be Debbie Downer, but fields don't get much weaker and weather doesn't get more benign, so I'm still thinking that Tiger guy was probably the better player...

This is a good take on how we got here:

In 2022, Rose’s game had dipped. The former World No. 1 had fallen into the 60s in the OWGR and LIV came calling. The Saudi-backed breakaway league was collecting names and resumes. It 

was paying for past achievement, hoping the major-winning names would drive initial interest. Where Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and others said yes, Justin Rose said no. It was fitting that, during the week Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour after a three-plus-year voyage with LIV, Rose continued to validate his decision with a romp that saw him break the 72-hole scoring record set by Tiger Woods.

Rose was able to do that because he wanted more. He has been able to do all of it because he wanted more.

“My career goals have always only been attainable by staying on the European Tour and the PGA TOUR because access to them is not, you know, not possible the other way,” Rose said on Sunday about his decision to reject LIV and the ripple effects of it.

“But obviously I want to play amongst the best players in the world. That obviously for me is kind of what keeps me motivated, what keeps me hungry, what keeps me pushing. So yeah, it would have been easy to potentially do other things, but none of that excited me, I don’t think really. And none of it gave me access to what I wanted to achieve. So I kind of always felt like my childhood self wouldn’t feel very good about making that decision and kind of giving up on those dreams.”

Compare this boring contentment with Phil's white-hot anger and his alleged poor treatment from the Tour.  I suspect JR is actually selling himself a little short, because if we prompted him he'd add for sure a concern that the Tour be sufficiently strong to support the next generations of newbies.

It's that time where we typically duck into the Tour Confidential roundtable, which today is most interesting and even noteworthy for the order in which it presents the issues of the day, although the absence of numbered questions perhaps indicates some internal lack of comfort with their editorial decisions.  They didn't get to this until the last query::

Justin Rose won the Farmers on Sunday, cruising to a seven-shot victory at Torrey Pines for his 13th PGA Tour win of his career. At 45 years old — and with an Olympic gold and U.S. Open title — does Rose get enough credit for being one of the game’s most consistent performers? How is he still doing it?

Colgan: When Rose faded down the stretch at the 2024 Open, I remember wondering if the “Indian Summer” chapter of his career was over. I was amazed by his performance then, and I’m even more impressed by it today. Rose is one of golf’s most impressive strategic thinkers and all-time decent dudes — he deserves the love he’s receiving.

Dethier: Rose just keeps writing new chapters and my goodness was this one particularly impressive. Rose is smashing drives; he’s up several miles per hour in ball speed over last season, looking and playing like a younger man. He led wire to wire. Broke Tiger Woods’ Torrey Pines scoring record. Won by seven. Looked in control very literally the entire tournament. Now he’s up to No. 3 in the world, which is unthinkable. Inspiring play from an inspiring player.

Schrock: It’s probably the best story we have going in professional golf right now. There’s nothing better than the aging guy who refuses to give Father Time what it wants to take from him. That he is arguably an even better player now than he was when he was World No. 1 speaks to his talent, drive and commitment to his craft and his body. At the Open, he said that losing the Masters to Rory didn’t sting in the way you’d think because it told him he can still bring it on the biggest stages against the best players in the world. Didn’t sound like a guy whose “Indian Summer” was ending and now he has won two times in the last six starts and continues to be a Ryder Cup killer. Tip of the cap.

It is a great story, mostly because we all like rooting for the good guy, especially given the peer group.  That said,  this is very much a second tier Tour event with a third tier field, so methinks we're subject to the dreaded recency bias.  What most interests me is how old school he seems, featuring consistency in a world that no longer values that trait.  

He's now risen to No. 3 in the OWGR, but does anyone really believe he's the third best player in the world?  To me, the real interest is in seeing if he can bring it on demand and pick off another major before the sands run through the hourglass.  If we're writing the script for what one writer called the best story in golf, wouldn't that have to happen at Augusta?  

They say that any time you share a record with an all-time great, you must be doing something right.  Yet the Masters record that JR shares with Hogan defies that conventional wisdom, no?  That Hogan guy has two wins to go with his two playoff losses, it's Justin that needs one to break his way.

The Prodigal Son - I'm something of a Mark Twain fanboy, so his famous quote, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes", is top of mind this morning.  I find comfort in the fact that Brooksie's return to the fold was every bit as exciting as as Brooks can be.  Which is to say, who is that thinks Brooks moves the needle?

Geoff had some fun snark, aimed at all the usual suspects:

Judging by the hype, you’d think Brooks Koepka had been hit by a Greyhound bus, transported to Area 51 to have his limbs removed, only to have them reattached in a Netflix live-streamed surgery by Dr. Neal El Attrache.

The 35-year-old five-time major winner is merely returning to PGA Tour play after a brief three-year tour of some of the worst golf courses known to man. Koepka appeared early this week in La Jolla just as everyone remembered from seeing him at last year’s majors: looking like he’d just gotten out of bed and delivering clipped answers in a monotone flatter than a Rees Jones design.

Golf fans already knew the faux tough guy wouldn’t be crooning classics while backed by the Ponte Vedra Brass. The five-time major champion’s appeal comes from an innate ability to flip a switch at majors, a superpower that vanished after his 2023 PGA Championship win.

The Tour Confidential panel had this:

LIV golfer-turned-PGA Tour player Brooks Koepka made his return at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, making the rounds in the media and even jumping on the broadcast before finishing T56. What did you think of his week and the reception?

Colgan: I was surprised by how vulnerable he seemed in his conversations and his interactions on

the course. For the vast majority of Koepka’s interactions with the public over the last five years, he’s appeared somewhere between surly and outright combative. This week was quite the opposite. I think it’ll be a while before I fully buy the “changed man” narrative — but it’s something I’m monitoring.

Dethier: I’m wary of getting too over-the-top with anything Brooks. Still, he was greeted like a conquering hero. He sounded humble and grateful and did extensive media before the tournament and then after each round, even sitting for the CBS broadcast on both Saturday and Sunday. Also, his golf swing looked great. Tee to green he was good enough to contend. He was dreadful with the putter, but there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic.

Schrock: I agree with James and Dylan that we should tread carefully when psychoanalyzing Brooks. We’ll see if the Koepka who seemed genuinely happy and grateful to be back and said he has “grown up” is indeed the Koepka who has returned from LIV. But my biggest takeaway was that a guy who famously couldn’t be bothered by regular PGA Tour events really seemed to soak up his return, enjoy the moments with his family and relished the opportunity to be the first guy back across the bridge. It was cool to see him back. His putting was dreadful. Hopefully he can find his way into contention soon.

How precious that James thinks he was vulnerable as he read from his prepared script.... Obviously the Tour is prepping for what could come next, and Brooks needed to play his assigned role.  But it was fun watching him on the greens.

I'll allow Geoff to also lede on that other guy:

Koepka will eventually be joined on the PGA Tour by Patrick Reed, who announced he is returning for the 2027 season after an early check-out from the Four Aces hotel. But if anyone defines checking out but never leaving, Reed’s PGA Tour return won’t be celebrated, given the pathetic legal actions befitting a man of little character and taken during an ill-fated partnership with now-suspended lawyer Larry Klayman.

Unlike Koepka’s decision to return, the PGA Tour posted a tidy and hardly-celebratory story confirming Reed’s eligibility. He resigned his membership prior to “violating any regulations” and would be eligible to return to competition “on Aug. 25, 2026, as a non-member, provided that he complies with Tour regulations and does not participate in additional unauthorized events.”

Smart stipulations given that we’re dealing with PReed and his bonkers “team.”

This also means the former Farmers Insurance Open champion won’t get to pick up and improve his lies at Torrey Pines this week. Instead, he’s the top-ranked player at this week’s DP World Tour stop in Bahrain.

Notice how Geoff always buries the good news.  In this case it's that we won't have to watch Patrick improve his lie by placing each of his fourteen clubs and ball retriever behind his lies in the rough. 

And now for the obligatory stupid question, yanno, in lieu of a potentially interesting one:

Speaking of LIV defectors, Patrick Reed announced Wednesday he’s leaving LIV and will be eligible to rejoin the PGA Tour in the fall of 2026. Bigger news for the Tour, or worse for LIV Golf?

Colgan: Worse for LIV, if only because name value is the currency of sports, and Reed’s departure removes one more familiar name from LIV’s fields.

Dethier: Worse for LIV. One quote Reed gave to ESPN explains why: “After winning [on the DP World Tour last week], I realized just how much I missed the grind and the dogfight; that’s who I am,” he said. The implication there is pretty clear. To Reed, golf’s established tours offer something that LIV didn’t. His decision to come back is a tough narrative to counter.

Schrock: Worse for LIV. They’ve now lost two of the six names they have that truly register. LIV built itself on buying names and two of those have now left. Combined with reports that the PIF is tightening the belt and that’s two successive blows to LIV.

Wrong, it's actually good for neither (though I'll concede worse for the bonecutters.

The interesting question is to understand how this deal with PReed does or does not provide a template for future LIV defectors.  The real question is what the hell is up with LIV.....

King Of The Segues - Did I hear someone ask about the future of LIV?  Let's throw this out first:

LIV Golf begins its season this coming week in Saudi Arabia, although without Koepka, who took up the PGA Tour’s offer to return via the newly created Returning Member Program. The window for application ends Feb. 2, and at this point it seems unlikely the only other eligible players (Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith) will flip. Given that Koepka might be the only one to return, was new CEO Brian Rolapp’s program a success?

Colgan: Uh, it wouldn’t have been a failure if nobody rejoined the Tour. The biggest talking point of the last three years has been bringing the best players back together. The Tour has now very clearly defined how that pathway looks. Adding two former major winners (including one willing to endure an eight-month suspension)? That’s just a bonus.

Dethier: Koepka’s decision to return is a massive win for the Tour. Reed’s decision to return is, too. These guys are essentially paying to play the PGA Tour; that’s a narrative win. Rolapp deserves a ton of credit, but so do those around him; this is a reinvigorated Tour thinking bigger and better and in this case, it really shows.

Schrock: No other way to square it than as a massive win for the PGA Tour. They brought back two big names, both of whom are major champions and generate emotion, and have them both agreeing to penalties — in Reed’s case an eight-month suspension — to come back. Rolapp being untethered to the past has freed the Tour up to do what previously seemed unlikely under past leadership. The response and coverage of Koepka’s return showed how big of a win this was for the PGA Tour. Reed coming back and doing so after an eight-month exile is icing.

Obviously that doesn't add much to our discussion or understanding of LIV's status and prospects. Do you remember when LIV was created, and how everyone felt compelled to offer their unique insights, which were typically along the lines that the Saudis could spend as much as they wanted or needed to.  Your humble blogger is an old curmudgeon who has absorbed one or two life lessons, one of which is that, no matter how much money one has, it's always a finite resource.

What do you know, but suddenly there are all sorts of references to belt-tightening in the Kingdom, mostly linked to this boondoggle:

Neom no more? Saudi Arabia reduces ambitious plans for 'The Line' and futuristic megacity

After years of cost overruns and delays, Saudi Arabia’s flagship futuristic megaproject, Neom, is set to be significantly scaled back. The futuristic super-city, meant to run entirely on alternative

energy sources, was due to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which has now been postponed.

Saudi Arabia is set to significantly scale back Neom, its flagship super-city project.

According to reports, Saudi Crown Prince and Neom chairman Mohammed bin Salman now envisions a much smaller development than originally planned, following years of cost overruns and delays.

On Saturday, the kingdom announced the indefinite postponement of the Asian Winter Games, which had been scheduled for 2029 at Trojena, a year-round ski resort in the Neom mountains.

Which do you think is funnier, that year-round ski resort or the Saudis falling for the green energy scam?  Tough one, as they're both comedy gold.

But here's the key bit on scale:

Covering roughly the size of Belgium, Neom was first billed as Saudi Arabia’s answer to Silicon Valley — a hub for technology and futuristic innovation. The projected cost was around $500 billion, but recent reports suggest the true figure could approach $9 trillion.

First touted in 2017, the desert megacity was expected to be home to nine million people by 2045, as Saudi Arabia sought to grow its population and become a global economic powerhouse.

Yanno, $9 Trillion here and $9 Trillion there....

We understand that a dysfunctional camel herding culture will inevitably misallocate capital, but in $9 Trillion increments it goes pretty quickly, even for the Saudis.  Of course, the larger issue is the absence of any tangible benefit from LIV.

Of course, LIV would have better prospects if it wasn't such a clown show.  This was my favorite bit this past week:

I for one am excited to see Dustin Jonhson, Phil Mickeslon and Martin Kraymer play.  They didn'ty even get the Tour name correct, which is now LXXII.

Wither Torrey - Did you notice how often Jim  Nancy-Boy referenced the term of the Tour at Torrey, as well as the length of the Farmers Insurance sponsorship?  Maybe it's me, but they seem to have elided a few relevant details:

As Farmers Insurance exits, what’s the future for San Diego PGA Tour event?

Why would they move on?  Maybe because the Tour treats them like the Mob treats its borrowers?

The PGA Tour returns to Torrey Pines and the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday with much fanfare. Brooks Koepka is back on tour after four years away. Torrey Pines is one of the more visually stunning tour stops. And CBS makes its season debut for weekend coverage after nearly six months off.

But this very well could be the final January edition of the event. Farmers Insurance did not renew its longtime deal as title sponsor (it signed on in 2010), and much has been made about what the tour and its new Future Competitions Committee (FCC) is planning for 2027 and beyond.

Instead of looking forward, maybe we should look at how the Tour has treated Framers since 2010, specifically those back-to-back Signature events coming up.  It's not just that the Tour dumped them behind this event and made it impossible for them to attract a strong field, but rather that would have come after the extortion attempt.  Nice little event you have there.  Sure would be a shame if anything happened to it....

Amusingly, this may be the most likely scenario:

Though the tournament does not yet have a title sponsor beyond this week, Golf Digest reported recently that there was “strong interest” in the event. One potential sponsor for the San Diego tournament, sources said, is Sentry.

The insurance company first signed on for “The Sentry” prior to the 2018 tournament, which has been the PGA Tour’s annual first event of the season. But the 2026 tournament was canceled in September due to water delivery issues on Maui, and it’s widely expected that it will not return, meaning Sentry would be without an event to sponsor. Golfweek also recently reported on the possibility of Sentry moving to the San Diego event.

Sources said it’s possible -- even “likely” -- that Sentry would move in to sponsor the Torrey Pines tournament in future years should the Maui tournament not continue. Its deal for the Hawaii tournament runs through 2035. Also, sources said it’s possible that the Torrey Pines event, with Sentry as a sponsor, could move into a spot in the tour’s three-event postseason.

Stupidity on parade.  The best part of the PGA Tour schedule is the West Coast Swing, so naturally it needs to be destroyed.  Ask yourself a simple question: What is Torrey's appeal?  I'll concede the history, but it's far from a great golf course.  What it offers are the Pacific Ocean views, the cliffs and the hang gliders, in other words, the eye candy.  Does that eye candy resonate in August?  Yes, a little, but not like it does in frigid late January.  

Exit Strategy - I teased it above and damn near forgot to pay it off.  Did you catch the last round of the LPGA TOC?

Props to the TC gang for leading with this.  If you wonder why I call the LPGA The Tour That Can't Shoot Straight, come along for this ride:

The LPGA Tour opened its 2026 season with the Tournament of Champions at an uncharacteristically chilly Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Fla., and Nelly Korda was named the winner after the event was reduced to 54 holes (eight players finished their third rounds Sunday after weather also delayed the third round). The LPGA told reporters on-site that the weather (temps in the low 30s, plus wind) did not create an “optimal competitive environment for pros,” although the celebrities in the pro-am event still played nine holes Sunday. One of them, Annika Sorenstam, called the course “very playable.” Any issue with this one being shortened to 54 holes?

James Colgan:: I feel sympathy for the LPGA, because this is one of those “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situations. But I think any time things are close to playable, tours should opt for 72-hole events. The mojo of an event is totally changed, if not ruined, by the decision to cleave off 25 percent of it, and I’m not sure the conditions in Orlando justified radical change.

Dylan Dethier: I cannot understand how this was the best option. Y’know what’s interesting about golf? The fact that it’s never an “optimal environment.” It was incredible watching Nelly Korda surge up the leaderboard on Saturday — in part because she played so well in less than optimal conditions. It would have been a huge win for the league to showcase Korda taking on the elements (and the rest of the field) on Sunday or Monday if needed; instead we’re left in awkward limbo with the league sheepishly handing its biggest star what should have been an incredible victory.

Josh Schrock: It really seems like this was an incredible own goal on the LPGA’s part. Not just because they elected not to grind through a cold day on Sunday or play in slightly warmer but still cold temps on Monday. But they could have moved up tee times on Friday and Saturday and grouped the players together instead of with the ams to allow for players to play in similar conditions — Nelly’s Saturday round was awesome, but she also went off well ahead of the leaders and only got the really bad stuff on the final two holes. With the LPGA not playing against until Feb. 19, I find it hard to believe they couldn’t find a way to get 18 more holes in and showcase their biggest draw snapping her winless drought in impressive fashion. It would have been a big win for the LPGA to have Nelly win in this way in Week 1. Instead, we got “optimal competitive environment” and Annika wondering why they weren’t playing. Perplexing stuff.

I have a very simple reaction here.  The next time you hear the ladies whining about their lack of respect or their lack of network coverage, remind them of this.   If you want to taken seriously, then perhaps you might want to actually be serious.

And this:

Six-time LPGA Tour Danielle Kang commented on social media that shortening rounds to 54 holes due to bad weather seems to be the LPGA’s first option, while on the PGA Tour it seems to be the last resort. Do you think there is validity to that? And why?

Colgan: It does certainly feel like that’s the case, but by my accounting, Sunday was just the third time since 2022 that the LPGA has shortened from 72 to 54 holes. The PGA Tour has done so once in that same stretch (Wyndham Clark’s Pebble Beach win in ‘24). Yes, statistically that does make the LPGA three times as likely to shorten an event, but it’s hardly an epidemic.

Dethier: Look, I know it’s not their first option. I know they want the best for the league. I’m excited about the LPGA’s trajectory. It just feels to me like they should have done everything they could have to make it work, frost be damned.

Schrock: It’s not their first option, but reducing it to 54 holes in the manner they did and with a pretty soft explanation is a bad look. Have to feel like they could have found a way to get the final round. There were no frost delays and the high winds from Saturday are not expected to return. Monday will be cold but playable. Let’s see who can grind out a win. That’s the fun part of golf!

I'm glad you guys took on this issue, but it would have worked better if you were actually any good at your day job.

First, there's an obvious category error above.  Shortening a golf tournament to 54 holes is always unfortunate, though sometimes necessary.  But what they did here is far worse, they called off the last round after completion of the third round, meaning a player won the tournament without ever having to, yanno, win the tournament.   You can't let that happen and pretend that your events are serious athletic competitions.

But am I really the only one that will ask the obvious question.  When the LPGA majordomos decided what to do, they knew who was leading, which just happened to be that one woman that they most needed a win.  How can you not ask whether a different decision would have been made were any other woman in the lead?  There, I said it out loud...

That's it for today, kids.  Stay warm and I'll back at some point.

Weekend Wrap - Snowmageddon Edition

Still trying to get back into this blogging thing.  The funniest bit might be that a week ago I used a powder day reference in my header.  Wow, you'd think that I would know to, wait for it, keep my powder dry....

I'll be here all week, folks.  Please remember to tip your waitress....

Scottie, Still Good At Golf - You'll know that this kind of header is inevitable:

Scottie Scheffler enters Tiger Woods territory in the most Scottie way possible

Hmmm, is that more or less impressive than doing it in the most Tiger way possible?

Although I didn't see this lede coming:

The final Sunday in January is a sacred time in sports television — and this final Sunday was even more special.

For one glorious weekend, while the weather is cold and the living room is warm, everyone’s eyes are on television. And, with an enormous snowstorm sweeping much of the United States, sports TV executives were salivating: this weekend’s numbers could be even bigger than normal.

In theory, these conditions set the scene for a mammoth audience for Scottie Scheffler’s first victory of 2026 at the American Express in Palm Springs, Calif. — a blowout win that served as the latest and most consequential evidence of Scheffler’s historic trajectory. But in practice, they were the conditions that made for a perfectly fitting Scheffler victory celebration: a routine ass-kicking that hardly anyone appreciated, because it occurred during the same time as the weekend’s primary sports draw, the NFC and AFC Championship Games.

It's actually quite the clever lede, because it does hit on the walking understatement that is Scottie Scheffler....

Just a fun fact.  When the NFL Conference Championship gamers were on opposite Torrey, the Tour decided to finish on Saturday.  No need to do that here, as Golf Channel coverage ensures that not more than a baker's dozen will be watching at any one time...

Shall we duck into the Tour Confidential writers' room?  Yeah, once again, that was rhetorical....

Scottie Scheffler kicked off his 2026 season just as you might have imagined: with another victory. Scheffler shot a final-round 66 to win the American Express by four and claim his 20th career PGA Tour win. What did you think of Scheffler’s season debut? And if you are the rest of the Tour, what are you thinking?

Alan Bastable: Forget what I think. How about what the 18-year-old playing alongside Scheffler

on Sunday thinks! “One of the coolest things that I learned today was how underrated Scottie Scheffler’s short game is,” Blades Brown said after his buzz-kill fourth-round 74. “To see it in person and just to look at kind of the trajectory and the spin, and just the control that he has with his wedges and short game. Obviously his putting is insane too. It was really cool to watch.” I would concur — Scheffler’s 1.18 putts per green Sunday was best in the field. His 9 birdies were also impressive. Every time I looked up, it seemed Scheffler was spinning a wedge back to within four feet of the hole. Looked like a Golden Tee round. What is the rest of the Tour thinking? Probably. . . [sigh] here we go again.

James Colgan: I know this deserves like a thousand qualifiers, because the American Express is historically one of the easiest tournaments relative to par, but Scottie won in a way we’ve never seen on Sunday. He didn’t just outweather his opponents; he outgunned them. He made nine birdies, and eight of them were converted from inside of five feet (!!!). He’s the third player ever (behind Tiger and Jack) to 20 wins and 4 majors before his 30th birthday — and to everyone else in golf, that should be … terrifying.

Josh Sens. To me, this looked like more of the same. A golfer with no physical weaknesses whose mental game is every bit as good. In this, a relatively low-wattage event, Scheffler proved again that unlike some other big guns in the game, he never takes a week off.

That Tiger/Jack 20-4 bit got a lot of airtime and I hate those slice-and-dice statistical oddities, but this one does frame it quite effectively.  To me, though, he's far more Jack than Tiger, as that image of his family celebrating readily confirms.

This one is a bit silly, though:

Scheffler won six times last year and seven the year before. If you are Vegas and deciding the over/under line for Scheffler wins in 2026, what are you setting it at?

Bastable: Feels like cheating given we already have one. Can he win five more? Of course! Six more? Maybe. Seven more would bring us to Tiger territory (TW won eight times in both 1999 and 2006). And eight more would bring us to Vijay Singh (2004) and Tiger again (2000) territory. Feels like a big ask. We’re setting the o/u at 6. What say ye, colleagues?!

Colgan: Agreed, Basty. Six is the only rational number. But great athletes teach us to believe in the irrational. I don’t think eight is out of the question.

Sens: If the line is six, I’m all in on the over. One down already, with –if his past schedule repeats–upwards of 15 to 20 starts remaining? I’ll be collecting my money by late August.

This week should reinforce an obvious point, to wit, that's it's less important how many he wins, than it is where he wins.... Tiny field sizes have made winning actually easier once you've got a tee time (every week is the Masters), but There's 4-5 weeks that will tell me the most.  The list topped, shockingly, by a June even on the Eastern end of Long Island....

To me, it's passing strange that Scottie even pegged it this week.  Seems like more of the guys are kicking off their seasons next week in LaJolla, not that running away from the field isn't an effective warning shot across the bow.

The Blades Brown Experience - This one I've been watching for s while.  His name has been bandied about for a while now, obviously a young kid with seemingly unlimited upside.  I have a good friend and golf buddy that's involved with the management of a Florida golf club.  Local U.S. Open qualifying was held there last summer, and Ed ended up spending ninety minutes with Blades in the clubhouse, and followed him during his round (if I remember correctly, he lost out on Sectional in a playoff).

The first thing you need to know is that the kid comes from an interesting gene pool, his mother having played two seasons in the WNBA after a strong college career at Vanderbilt.  The other bit to throw in is that that epic golf name may not be what it seems, as "Blades" is actually his mother's maiden name.

The second bit is his age, all of eighteen.  His family has a plan for him, and that plan, unlike most of today's kids, had no role for college.  He has already earned status on the Korn Ferry Tour, and I believe this was his tenth PGA Tour event, and far from his first made cut.

Besides Scheffler taking control of the tournament, it was 18-year-old Blades Brown who made headlines earlier in the week. He received a sponsor’s exemption and made his 10th career PGA Tour start, shot 60 on Friday and was one off the lead after 54-holes before shooting 74 Sunday and falling out of the top 10. Was this finish an outlier? Or is Blades a name golf fans should expect to see more of?

Bastable: Outlier? Hardly! He’d already made three PGA Tour cuts heading into this week at an age at which most of his peers are less worried about staring down Scottie Scheffler on a Sunday afternoon than they are about prepping for their next pre-calc exam or landing a prom date. Blades sounds like he’s in full sponge mode. On Sunday evening, he said he could “write a book about what I’ve learned these past couple of days.” In pro golf, 18 is the new 28. There’s little reason to think we won’t see Blades playing more meaningful weekend golf on the PGA Tour this year.

Colgan: The finish wasn’t an outlier. Blades is a name that fans should remember. BUT — and there is a “but” — Sunday was a lesson in how much separates him from consistent PGA Tour success. I’m unbelievably impressed that, at 18 years old, his ceiling is already up there with the best in the sport. But careers are built on raising your floor.

Sens: Blades is no fluke. A name like that is destiny. Guess I shouldn’t have named my son “Shanks.” Poor kid never stood a chance.

The other bit no one is noting is his brutal schedule.  he played a Sunday-Wednesday Korn Ferry event in the Bahamas, then hopped a private plane to utilize this exemption.  He played competitive rounds on eight straight days (not to mention the travel), so a clunker may have been inevitable.  The kid has no shortage of game, and we'll see him on the big tour soon enough.

LIV Stuff - This isn't the most interesting aspect of things right now, but it's anaerobic blogging:

Speaking of the Returning Member Program, next up on Tour is the Farmers Insurance Open where Brooks Koepka will make his long-awaited return to the PGA Tour. What are you most looking forward to hearing from Koepka about, and how do you expect him to play in his first start?

Bastable: I’m not sure we’ll get a whole lot from him — in the press tent, anyway. I would expect focused, tight-lipped Koepka in San Diego. And who knows what we’ll see on the course? The dirty little secret about Brooks is . . . he has not been playing well. He had just two top-10s on LIV in 2025 and both came in his first four starts. In his last four starts he finished no better than T29. Maybe he was unmotivated. Maybe he was distracted by personal issues. Maybe he was dreaming of his PGA Tour return. Hard to know with Brooks. What we do know is he has much to prove. Would it surprise me if he contends? It would not.

Colgan: I’ve heard a few of Brooks’ LIV counterparts mention Koepka’s personal situation was a key component of his decision to return. I’m not expecting him to clue us in, but it would be nice to hear his on-the-record reasoning for returning to the Tour.

Sens: I’m trying to remember the last time I heard something truly revealing in a press conference. I don’t expect that to change when Koepka steps to the podium. But I expect him to play well, recent form be damned. If ever there was a guy who can turn it off and then back on when it matters to him, it’s Koepka.

Yeah, Josh, but I don't expect that he'll be turning it on for the Farmers....  Not sure what Brooks has left in the tank, but His Excellency doesn't see distraught at losing him....

To me, there are two far more intriguing threads, beginning here:

Patrick Reed, days before he won the Dubai Desert Classic, told The Telegraph he’d consider rejoining the PGA Tour if allowed. Then, on Sunday morning, he revealed he has yet to re-sign with LIV Golf — whose season begins in less than two weeks. The Tour’s Returning Member Program specifically created pathways for major winners of the past four years, which Reed doesn’t fall under. Why wouldn’t the Tour be interested in Reed rejoining?

Bastable: Who says they’re not?! I think Brian Rolapp and Co. are interested in welcoming back any player who makes PGA Tour fields stronger and LIV fields weaker. Yes, the current framing

of the RMP precludes a Reed return, but rules, as the PGA Tour has been proving of late, are made to be broken — or, at the very least, altered. Who knows where we’ll be in a year? When asked Sunday if he’s been talking to the PGA Tour, Reed said, “Not right now,” which suggests conversations have been happening. I, for one, miss P-Reed. However you feel about the guy, he makes tournaments more interesting.

Colgan: That whole P-Reed back-and-forth was SO weird. If we’ve learned one thing from the Brooks and Bryson situations, it’s that LIV contracts are like every other negotiation — they’re all about leverage! Why is Reed surrendering his leverage by keeping his free agency a secret? I have no idea. But if his PGA Tour return odds are hampered, I’d bet it’s because he’s been operating under the cover of darkness.

Sens: Golf’s civil war is also a zero-sum game. I’m sure the Tour would be interested in getting Reed back for that reason. A win for Ponte Vedra equals a loss for LIV, and the other way around. My guess is that we won’t see that this year. He’s already exempt into the Masters, his world ranking is now solidly inside the top 50, and he’s just improved his market value in any negotiations with LIV. That’s another way of saying that he can likely have his cake and eat it too, resigning for big money without necessarily missing out on the majors.

Gee, James, I would think his PGA Tour return will more likely be hampered by being the biggest a******e in golf.  Do you not remember his behavior in Paris?  More importantly, do you not remember Justine?

You would expect a little more introspection from these writers, no?  Bastable just operates in a binary world where they either do or don't want him back.  The reality is far complicated, where Rolapp has  multiple constituencies to accommodate.  There are no doubt many Tour members that don't want any of these asshats back, yet the adults are saying, "OK, but let's not shoot ourselve4s in the foot unnecessarily."  But there is no needle that PReed moves, so good luck to him in 2026.

Eamon Lynch has some thoughts on the status quo:

Lynch: Brian Rolapp scored an early win with Brooks Koepka’s return. His tougher battles are coming next

And we have a GMTA moment, though you'll have to believe that I wrote the above before reading Eamon's lede:

As a voracious reader on the lives of former presidents, Brian Rolapp is probably familiar with Dwight Eisenhower's quip about leadership being the art of getting someone else to do what you want done because he wants to do it. The PGA Tour’s CEO has already measured up favorably to Ike’s metric, having engineered the return of Brooks Koepka to the fold while keeping a lid on whatever simmering resentment exists in the locker room. (It helps that Koepka is popular among his peers; it’s not like Rolapp was asking them to save seats in player dining for Patrick and Justine).

Maybe they'll allow PReed back under the condition that he dump Justine?  Win-win, baby!

The first real test of Rolapp’s writ comes six weeks from now however, around The Players, when the Future Competition Committee he impaneled makes public its preliminary concepts about the Tour’s future. That will be followed by a period of negotiations, horse trading and reconciliation until a final plan is agreed upon – which suggests actual material changes to the Tour product are still a couple of years away.

That process will be akin to threading a needle while walking on hot coals. Consider just one dilemma: the chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises is Joe Gorder, who was the former board chair and CEO of Valero Energy, which has for 24 years sponsored the Texas Open, an event not guaranteed to survive the anticipated schedule cuts. And that’s before Rolapp addresses factions that, if not exactly competing, aren’t entirely aligned even as they pay lip service to the shared goal of a better business.

But here's where Eamon sets himself apart from the TC clowns, because he gets that the return of the prodigal sons comes in the context of dramatically reduced playing opportunities:

Like his membership, long accustomed to a benevolent organization devoted to providing them work, but who now face significant reductions in opportunities, narrowing pathways to status, and less likelihood of keeping a job with middling performance. Or his investors, who’d like a return on their $1.5 billion infusion, even if they aren’t the typical burn-and-run private equity ghouls. And the loyal tournaments and sponsors who might find there’s no welcome for them or their money in the new order. Not to mention his media partners, who paid handsomely for a product that will no longer be the one delivered. And of course golf fans, by now weary of hearing how they should bide their time while the aforementioned cut the line to get theirs.

I think the key concept is Good Luck with all that:

To put it crassly, Rolapp will need the persuasive powers of a lady of the night who finds herself trawling for clients in a gay bathhouse.

So how does he accomplish it? By coaxing the reluctant and facing down the refuseniks.

For example, positioning schedule and eligibility changes as being about rewarding excellence, implicitly daring players to make the opposing case that mediocrity is entitled to continued employment (socialism for me, but not for thee!). That demands decent field sizes and smarter criteria for filling them, not prioritizing a 62-year-old veteran like Vijay Singh over an up-and-coming teenager like Blades Brown. By schooling his investors that the Tour's responsibilities extend beyond bottom-line profit to the broader golf ecosystem and to charities. By engineering off-ramp options for impacted events and sponsors for whom no place can be found at the top table, whether as part of an international swing, on the Korn Ferry or Champions circuits, or in a Fall scramble for status, a window that’s destined to have more relevance (and familiar names) thanks to the reduction in fully exempt cards.

That's great, but to do so he'll have to stare down Patrick Cantlay and Tiger Woods....

Not sure, though, that I'm with him on thisd:

But good luck convincing media partners to pay more for a shrinking product. A smaller Tour may turn out to be a better Tour in time, but the networks will likely start from a position that the price tag should be commensurately smaller too.

Crucially, Rolapp must be able to point fans toward what's additive, otherwise they'll focus on what is being deleted. The past couple of weeks provided a low-grade example of that fever with grumbling about the potential loss of the Hawaii swing. A compelling case can be made that the season should open with a ‘hello world’ roar and not the traditional laid-back aloha before sparse crowds in Maui. That case, among many others, falls to Rolapp to present.

Where does Eamon think the roar will appear?   I actually think Kapalua is a perfect warm open to the season, not demanding too much from folks still watching football.

Let me just leave you with this story I hate:

Michael La Sasso, the reigning NCAA individual champion, has joined LIV Golf.

The Ole Miss senior, who is teaming up with Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC on a multi-year

agreement, is expected to debut at next month’s LIV opener in Saudi Arabia, meaning he will forfeit his remaining college eligibility and leave the Rebels before his final semester.

La Sasso, 21, also had an exemption lined up at the Masters this April, courtesy of his one-shot win at La Costa, though that was provided he remained amateur.

“I’m incredibly excited to join HyFlyers GC and take this next step in my career,” La Sasso said in a release. “It’s a rare opportunity to learn from one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and I don’t take that lightly. LIV Golf allows me to compete at the highest level on a global stage, and I thrive in a team environment, especially one with the camaraderie and support that defines HyFlyers GC. My focus is on learning, continuing to improve, and doing everything I can to help our team succeed.”

I have qualms about the path that Blades Brown and his family have chosen, as he's passing up a chance to develop relationships within a college program that most kids end up treasuring.  It's a lonely life out there on Tour, and I instinctively don't love them growing up too soon.

But this goes way beyond qualms.  There's so much money in golf that I almost don't think kids like Brown and LaSasso need to aggressively chase it.  The objective should be to maximize the return on their natural talent, and the best way to ensure that is embrace the grind.  I can't bring myself to respect or expect much from a kid that runs away from the challenge.

What do you say to a kid that says "No" to a Masters tee time?  If there's a God, he won't get another....

Have a great week and keep warm.