Apologies for the unexplained absence yesterday.... An old friend and I trundeled out to play Bethpage Red. To be clear, the apology only cover the lack of a warning, not the absence itself.
Scenes From Mayakoba - I don't care, and don't suggest that you invest much emotionally either, but fortunately Golf.com is there for us:
Give the guys credit, the target market of folks not tuning into Mayakoba is ginormous.
Kooch is as popular as they come, though his game has been in eclipse for more than a year now. Perhaps, now that I think about it, since Sunday at Birkdale. But perhaps this explains his popularity?
Sybi Kuchar saved the dayMatt Kuchar’s wife, Sybi, pulled double-duty on Thursday. Not only was she on hand to support her husband, Matt, she also saved the day for Zach Johnson when his regular caddie, Damon Green, had to call it quits after nine holes.
Johnson fired an even-par round of 71 and is currently T91.
Ummm Sybi, you know those straps are adjustable, right? No word on whether she did Damon's birdie dance.....
And in a related note, Shack catches Commissioner Jay making a silly argument to explain the improved fields at the Fall events:
“You are seeing right now at the first part of the season more top players playing and trying to get themselves in position as we flip the switch and get into the new year,”Monahan told GolfChannel.com. “It’s important not to be too far behind and to be in a solid position for the FedExCup.”“Given where we are now with the significance of the FedExCup and now the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 and a shorter season with fewer at-bats in the playoffs, the significance of these fall events has grown. The support they get from the markets they play in and the sponsors has grown and they are as critical a part of the season as any,” Monahan said.
As Shack effectively notes, for the level of player involved the motivation is far more likely the qualification for majors (to which I would add the WGC's, without which it's hard to make that next step). Jay is contractually require to enunciated the words FedEx Cup a minimum of ten times a day into open mics, so no surprise there.
But to the extent that name brand players are showing up, my concern become slost for the recent Web.com graduates and others down the food chain...
Interestingly, they're hyping Jordan's appearance in Vegas and this week, without attributing it to his failure to play the minimum number of events last season due to that finish at No. 31 in said FedEx Cup.
Shack also throws out a caution flag that this could affect field strength on the West Coast and Florida, though that seems a stretch to me.
Though Shack missed this lay-up:
Monahan anticipates the trend to accelerate next fall with the addition of something approaching an offseason following the Tour Championship.
“This year we went from Atlanta (Tour Championship) into France (Ryder Cup) to the Safeway Open. It was a quick turn,” he said. “Now you’re going to have a little more time. Three weeks is not an eternity, but three weeks is not something they’ve had in the past.”
Apparently Jay's knowledge of golf history doesn't predate the Finchem era....
Rut Roh - How many times have we seen this movie?
Justin Rose reached No. 1 in the world for the first time in his professional career as amember of TaylorMade’s Tour staff. Now the reigning FedExCup champion appears set to close out a 20-year partnership with the equipment manufacturer following reports from the Irish Times and Morningread.com that he’ll part ways with TaylorMade and sign an equipment deal with Japanese-based Honma Golf in January.
According to the reports, Rose was asked after Sunday’s title defense at the Turkish Airlines Open about the status of his equipment contract with TaylorMade, which is reportedly up at the end of this year. Rose wouldn’t confirm the move, but his cryptic “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire” response didn’t exactly squash rumors that have been swirling about his impending departure.
Interesting, though you have to make a few 'graphs lower to see what's actually going on here:
Since TaylorMade was acquired by private equity firm KPS Capital Partners in 2017, the equipment manufacturer has contracted its footprint on the PGA Tour, shedding a large majority of its Tour staff. Last year, Sergio Garcia departed TaylorMade to sign a multi-year deal with Callaway.
The economics of this are quite brutal, as we saw from the financial data released as part of the Acushnet IPO. The change is obviously triggered from the TaylorMade end, though Honma is an interesting choice. They recently hired former TaylorMade honcho Mark King, but JR seems to be taking steps to protect his game:
Honma’s presence on Tour has been almost non-existent in recent years, but that could be changing with former TaylorMade CEO Mark King in the fold. King, who held the CEO position from 1999-2013 and spent 34 years with the brand, was hired by Honma in August as a strategic advisor; however, many within the industry believe he’ll be running Honma’s North American operation with the hiring of former TaylorMade executives who previously worked with King.
It’s been reported that Rose’s deal with Honma would require him to play the brand’s irons and wedges but allow him to continue using TaylorMade woods. It’s unclear if he’d continue using a TaylorMade golf ball or switch to a Honma model.
Color me shocked that Honma actually makes golf balls, and in contrast to their clubs a quick Google search indicates that they're a "value brand".
Not sure how this will work out for Justin, but I'm pretty sure that a few Tour endorsement contracts will ruin Honma's business model. Mark King, after all, was the guy that brought us the three-driver release schedule at TM that ultimately resulted in Adidas dumping them.
I thought Jaime Diaz was done with Golf Digest, though he's back with, of all things, a slideshow of those movies referenced above, including this truly curious one:
Phil MickelsonAfter growing up playing Ping clubs, Mickelson signed with Yonex upon turning pro in 1992. It made him one of the few players on tour to use graphite shafts in his irons,which Mickelson later conceded contributed to his erratic ball striking. In 1994, he changed out his Ping Eye 2 lob wedge for a 60 degree wedge he designed for Yonex. He played that wedge until 2000, when he left Yonex for Titleist. After putting the Ping Eye 2 back in the bag, Mickelson admitted that the wedge he had designed lacked enough bounce, causing it to dig rather than glide through rough and sand. Mickelson said the club grabbed the grass on a crucial wedge recovery shot on the 70th hole, leading to a bogey in his one stroke loss to Payne Stewart.
Strange for a couple of reasons... First, yet another example of the genius that is Phil outsmarting himself. He's supposed to be the master of the universe, but didn't put adequate bounce on his wedge? But secondly, Jaime omitted that infamous 2004 move to Callaway, the one in which they paid off a seven-figure gambling debt.
Notes From Tiger World - We haven't seen much of Curmudgeonly James Corrigan recently, but he's broken the news that Tiger will actually turn down large checks:
Tiger Woods has turned down his biggest ever potential overseas pay cheque to play in the European Tour’s inaugural event in Saudi Arabia next year, amid the internationaloutcry over the recent murder of a journalist.The 14-time major-winner has previously been willing to traverse the globe to compete, if the appearance fee has been right.
In the past, Woods has travelled to such countries as China and the United Arab Emirates. Yet it is understood he deemed Saudi Arabia to be an excursion too far - even for at least £2.5m - an amount that apparently dwarfs anything he has received before for an official overseas tournament.
To me, the most interesting part of this is that someone wanted it known that Tiger opted out. Tiger himself has ducked most political issues, with which I have no problem, though this bit of virtue signalling might indicate some sensitivity there.
In other Tiger news, the field for the Hero World Challenge has been announced, and we'll all be relieved that a certain player won't need an exemption from the "Committee of One":
Sixteen participants were announced on Thursday and it's a particularly elite gathering of golfers. Led by World No. 1 Justin Rose, four of the top five, seven of the top 10, and 16 of the top 23 have committed to play Nov. 29-Dec. 2 at Albany, Bahamas. Here's the list:
Justin Rose (1) Dustin Johnson (3)Justin Thomas (4) Bryson DeChambeau (5) Jon Rahm (8)Rickie Fowler (9) Tommy Fleetwood (10) Jason Day (11)Xander Schauffele (12)Tiger Woods (13) Tony Finau (15) Bubba Watson (16) Patrick Reed (17) Webb Simpson (20)Alex Noren (21) Hideki Matsuyama (23)
I was wondering about Patrick..... Is all forgiven? I don't see him playing with the host, but might be a reason to tune in.
The rest of this section will relate to The Match™, which is being hyped to excessive levels. First, who knew that golf pong was a thing?
This trailer focuses is pretty good, though passing strange that it doesn't included any Ryder Cup footage from Paris?
Forgive me the length, but this full press release has quite a bit of detail on the technology to be employed:
Turner Sports’ Presentation of Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil
PPV Event – Friday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m. ET – to Incorporate
First-of-its-Kind Innovations for Live Golf
PPV Broadcast to Include First-Ever Use of Predictive Data for Each Hole;
In Addition to Proprietary Data Stream Provided by MGM Resorts Race & Sports Books
Live Drone Coverage Presented by AT&T & Unprecedented Access to Woods & Mickelson Among Innovative Technologies Bringing Viewers Inside the High-Stakes $9 Million Match Play Competition
Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil, the blockbuster pay-per-view event featuring the iconic Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, will incorporate a number of innovative concepts into the live golf presentation including first-of-its-kind integrations centered on predictive data. The match will take place Friday, Nov. 23, at Noon PT / 3 p.m. ET with a suggested retail price of $19.99.
The broadcast will include real-time, hole-by-hole statistics that will be displayed on screen to forecast the probability of certain outcomes during the match. The data is based on a model and algorithm that combines ShotLink Intelligence with characteristics of Shadow Creek to calculate the likelihood of various scenarios to occur. Separately, after a hole has concluded, the broadcast will integrate a proprietary data stream provided by the MGM Resorts Race & Sports Books – in association with the MGM/GVC Interactive Gaming Joint Venture – to deliver odds, moneyline and other information associated with the golfers’ performance.
Both Woods and Mickelson will selectively make side challenges against one another during the live competition. For instance, Woods or Mickelson could raise the stakes by challenging the other to get closest-to-the-pin; whether one of them can make a crucial putt from 10-feet away; the chances of getting “up-and-down” from a certain location on the course or similar competition during a hole as they play their match, with money being donated to the winning golfer’s charity of choice.Live PPV coverage will also integrate enhancements that will provide fans with unprecedented access to Woods, Mickelson and Shadow Creek including:
Woods and Mickelson, along with their caddies, mic’d throughout the entire event, to capture the strategy and competitive banter that takes place during the winner-take-all $9 million match play competition;
Live state-of-the-art drone coverage – “Drone View by AT&T” – delivering camera angles that have never been seen before for a live golf event;
Data elements from Toptracer, presented by Capital One, that will display real-time trajectories and flight path for each shot;
The use of Virtual Eye real-time golf animations;
A variety of super slo-mo cameras to provide more defined coverage of specialty shots on the course.
As previously announced, Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil will be available on PPV through Turner’s B/R Live (available now for purchase), AT&T’s DIRECTV and AT&T U-verse. The PPV event will be distributed to other cable, satellite and telco operators including Comcast, Charter, Cox, Verizon and Altice in the U.S. and Rogers, Shaw and Bell in Canada through In Demand and Vubiquity (an Amdocs Company). AT&T is the official 4K sponsor of The Match, which will also be broadcast in 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) on DIRECTV channel 106 for $29.99*. Turner International will facilitate the distribution of live PPV access outside the U.S. and Canada.
In addition to live pay-per-view event coverage, accompanying content will be distributed across wide-ranging Turner, WarnerMedia and AT&T platforms including:
HBO Sports and its groundbreaking 18-time Sports Emmy ® Award-winning 24/7 reality franchise will capture all the excitement leading up to the match when it airs Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 10 p.m.;
Bleacher Report and its wildly-popular House of Highlights, which recently surpassed 10 million followers on Instagram, will offer comprehensive highlights and behind-the-scenes content;
Turner’s TNT will also televise programming with select content from the event a week following the live competition.
The media rights agreement with Turner was completed in partnership between CAA Sports, Excel Sports Management and Lagardère Sports. Excel and Lagardère Sports, who represent Woods and Mickelson respectively, are also the event organizers for The Match.
They really want my $20, don't they? The predictive data seems a stretch, but it may well be a hoot, though it seems to me that nothing will save it if they don't both play well.
Today In Bizarre Rules Violations - To this observer the rules of golf mostly makes sense when you consider the game is played over hundreds of acres of uncontrolled wilderness. That said, there are times when they can be maddening, such as this from Euro Tour Q-School:
But not long after his round ended he was told his score was changing from six under tofour under, as he was penalized two strokes for a rules breach on the 9th hole, his last of the day.
Petrozzi was walking off the yardage for his approach on the 9th, and he walked through a bunker for an accurate reading. He then raked the bunker — that sportsmanship ultimately cost him — before walking to his ball, which was not in the sand, and hitting over the trap and onto the green.
Rule 13-2, which covers improving a lie, area of intended stance or swing, or line of play, states that a player must not improve or allow to be improved his line of play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole.
There's an equity concept in the rules of golf that provide that he should have the benefit of the conditions that apply when his ball came to rest. In other words, he wasn't improving his line of play, he was returning it to the status quo ante.... Tough break, kid, shake it off.
Tell Us What You Really Think, Alex - We rarely see these kinds of rants in our little bubble, except for Peter Kessler of course. But Alex Miceli seems to not be a fan of the PGA of America these days:
The PGA of America is holding its annual meeting this week in Palm Springs, Calif. The gathering is being conducted in a bubble, with the media excluded from all aspects,including the likely election of the association’s first female president, Suzy Whaley.The PGA of America issued the following statement about the absence of media coverage:
“The PGA Annual Meeting is primarily about governance and the discussion of Association matters. While there may have been a handful of exceptions over the years based on a specific element of the program (Hall of Fame announcements and celebrity guest speakers, for example), we don’t consider the Annual Meeting to be a media event.
In fact, there have been several Annual Meetings with no media in attendance at all. We do invite some media to attend our National Awards Dinner and to interview our leadership immediately following the conclusion of the meeting. We believe this is the best way to manage any media interest without disrupting the governance process of our Association.”
It would seem, given the fall of the patriarchy, that they could use a course in remedial virtue signalling.... Unless, you know, there's something that's been swept under the rug?
What is the PGA of America trying to hide?
During the past year, Morning Read has written about issues concerning the PGA’s outgoing president, Paul Levy (“PGA applies double standard in Levy case,” June 17). We also have written about PGA members’ concerns and questions about the board’s actions involving Levy before and during his presidency (“L.A. pro to PGA: Clean up Levy mess,” Aug. 2).
I find the organization mostly irrelevant, but the differing treatment of Ted Bishop and Levy was pretty stark. Mostly I find that they'll lost any interest in serving their mission and members, and mostly just focus on milking their two legacy events.
Have a great weekend. Gonna be a cold one hereabouts.....
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