Tomorrow is a travel day... Yeah, I know there's the issue of getting there, but Park City has to be safer than Westchester County at this point. Now, if I could only convince Employee No. 2 to join me....
Flush - The most important story that I deferred yesterday is the announcement of the Tour's new rights packages. I don't know, seems to me that CBS and NBC are over-paying for what I understand will soon be a Premier Golf League feeder tour. Heh, we kid because we love...
The PGA Tour announced Monday a new nine-year media agreement with CBS Sports, NBC Sports and ESPN.
The long-awaited deal, running from 2022 through 2030, essentially maintains the status quo in the television arena. CBS will average 19 events per year through the lifespan of the contract while NBC will get eight events in addition to airing early round and early weekend coverage on its Golf Channel platform. As was previously reported, the networks will alternate FedEx Cup Playoff coverage, with NBC assuming command in 2022.
On the digital/streaming front, ESPN has assumed the Tour's direct-to-consumer rights within the United States, which will be offered on ESPN+. As a result of the deal, PGA Tour Live, the Tour's subscription video service, will live exclusively on ESPN+ beginning in 2022. (Discovery owns the streaming rights to the PGA Tour outside the United States through 2030; GOLFTV and Golf Digest are both a part of Discovery.)
That's pretty exciting stuff you'll no doubt agree... Interestingly, one has to scroll all the way to the last 'graph for a dollar sign sighting:
While financial terms of the deal were not released, the New York Times and Variety report an increase of at least 60 percent from media companies over the previous deal, which was claimed to be valued at $400 million. SportsBusiness Journal reported in December that the pending deal could be worth as much as $700 million.
Maybe I've gotten jaded, but even the $700 million over nine years doesn't sound like all that big a number.
Golf.com has a helpful primer on the important takeaways:
1. Network TV partners are staying the same
While there are plenty of new elements in this deal, much of fans’ golf consumption will feel the same with CBS and NBC remaining as the network TV partners. Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo will be mainstays in your weekend golf coverage while Dan Hicks and Paul Azinger will have their fair share of airtime, too.
You say that as if it were a good thing. I prefer to find solace in the fact that it's a nine-year deal, as opposed to the ten originally reported.
2. Streaming is headed to ESPN+
Consuming golf digitally is where things will change. PGA Tour Live — the Tour’s subscription service that launched in 2015 — will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ starting in 2022. According to the release, “it will be dramatically expanded to include multiple live content channels nearly every week of the FedExCup season.”
“We are looking forward to working with the PGA Tour to bring current and future golf fans the next generation of Tour coverage,” said ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro. “ESPN+ will offer golf fans unprecedented access and storytelling at an incredible value on the industry’s leading sports streaming platform.”
It's the future, or so I'm reliably informed.... Exactly who wants to watch the first group go off at 7:00 a.m. in San Antonio will remain one of life's enduring mysteries.
5. FedEx Cup events consolidating each year
The three FedEx Cup events will now air on the same channel at the conclusion of the season. Starting in 2022, broadcast of all three events will be on the same channel, either CBS or NBC, with the two channels alternating years. NBC will kick things off under this agreement for the 2022 FedEx Cup Playoffs.
The bride and I used to go to Scotland/Ireland in September. We now go in August? Can Jay connect the dots?
I didn't watch it, but apparently Jay's TV appearance in the middle of the market meltdown was comedy gold. Just the screen grab is pretty funny, or as funny as my net worth being halved (excuse me, tied) in thirty minutes can be:
Upon further review, perhaps the red tie was an unfortunate choice... There's a Live Under Water joke to be found somewhere.
This transcription of his comments had this gem, in which old habits die hard:
“Every single person on our tour is going to see an increase,” Monahan said.
Monahan said over course of the new deal, PGA Tour golfers could see FedExCup payouts three to four times that of the $35 million paid out in 2018 and increased prize money for some of the biggest events.
The first sentence is interesting for sure... But do you see what he did in the second 'graph. Well, remember how all the distance studies start in 2002, having incorporated the increases resulting from the solid core ball into the baseline?
I'll let Geoff have the lay-up:
A) It’s intriguing the Commish used 2018’s $35 million as the number the pot will jump three to four times from. In 2019 the FedExCup jumped to $60 million, with a $15 million first prize.
Yup. How do we know they're lying? Yet again they're betrayed by the moving lips...
I don't, however, completely agree with Geoff's next point:
B) The focus on “every single person on our tour” seeing an increase won’t inspire fans and seemed tone deaf on a day the markets were cratering and news of a new media deal really shouldn’t be about the cold hard cash. Yes, the Commissioner reports to the players, but he should have saved that talk for the player meetings and instead focus in this rollout on how the rights deal will improve the “product”.
I do think he's on target with the absence of any discussion of the product, especially since by the luck of the draw they did this in less than ideal circumstances. But Jay is best understood as a politician, and the PGL threat can best be understood as intended to drive a wedge between the elite and the rabbits of the Tour. Jay is ensuring the support of that constituency, and he's smart to do so.
So we've seen the future, and it looks pretty much like the present. Yawn.
Golf In The Time of Corona - Well, did you have any doubt who would be hardest hit? This seems ominous:
The BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells became the first major sporting event in the United States canceled because of the COVID-19, or coronavirus. Attention now moves to the ANA Inspiration, the LPGA event played in the desert each year since 1972 and one of five major championships on the women’s tour.
That was mean... Yeah, I think four is the right number of majors, but this isn't how I want to get there....
The LPGA says it is still planning on playing its first major women’s golf championship of the season April 2-5 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. But the LPGA says it is well aware of what is happening in Riverside County, where a public healthemergency declared over the coronavirus could impact the ANA Inspiration.
“The LPGA Tour continues to closely monitor all information related to the coronavirus in partnership with our security and medical teams, the (Centers for Disease Control) and the (World Health Organization),” the women’s tour said in a statement to The Desert Sun on Monday. “At this time, there are no plans to cancel any upcoming LPGA Tour events.
"However, like other major sporting leagues and entities, we are planning for different scenarios and will take into consideration all relevant information, including the guidance and directives of local health officials in the regions in which we play.”
My mind turns to those amateurs that were forced to choose between this event and the amateur events at Augusta National. Shipnuck broached the subject of a Fall Masters, so maybe we move everything to the Fall:
It’s not a done deal, but it is expected to be determined in the next 48 hours whether the fests can be saved from cancellation, according to high-level sources.
Officials with promoter Goldenvoice are working on a plan to try and move the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California, to the weekends of Oct. 9 and Oct. 16 in an attempt to save the event from cancellation amid concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. The AEG-owned concert promoter is also working to move the Stagecoach country music festival to October as well, possibly to Oct. 23.
That was a trick question above, it's actually the hipsters who are hardest hit...
As we're developing alternatives, this one had me smiling:
A significant event at Sawgrass in May? What will these folks come up with next?
Given that this will be a game day decision, they obviously need a venue with the infrastructure in place. Did they consider Augusta National? C'mon, Fred, take one for the team...
On Sawgrass - It's usually a fun week, at least for us.... But in 2020, it's a respite for the players:
“Believe it or not, this might be the easiest course on the Florida Swing because of theway the last two played and how [the Copperhead] is historically tough,” McCarthy said. “The weather looks good this week, so this one might not have the teeth of the others. But you still have to hit quality shots.”
TPC Sawgrass director of agronomy Jeff Plotts said he and his staff felt a bit of envy when watching the players struggle at PGA National and Bay Hill.
“We were laughing last week ... ’Why can we have that kind of wind this week,” Plotts said. “The best defense for a golf course against these guys is wind. They’re so good that if the wind doesn’t blow, they’re going to shoot good scores. We thought we were firming up, but then we got the rain [Monday morning] and the firmness of the course can erode with just the rain we got.”
That sound you hear is Pete Dye spinning in his grave.
Joel Beall does a deep dive on what he characterizes as the second most burning issue of the week:
There is a debate surrounding the Players Championship, one that surfaces every year when the tournament arrives. We’re not going to get into it here, since we don’t havefour hours to quarrel. Plus, there is a second discussion about the PGA Tour’s flagship event we’d rather explore: That it favors no specific type of golfer, making it nearly impossible to consistently contend at TPC Sawgrass. Though not as heated as the “fifth major” conversation (so much for not mentioning it), those who compete in the tournament are not without strong opinions on the matter.
Rory McIlroy says: “It sort of tests everyone, and favors no one.” Jason Day remarked: “I don’t know if there’s anyone out there who plays that well at this golf course, and that’s what’s so interesting about it.” And Tiger Woods noted: “It’s one of those places, it’s very polarizing. You either have it or you don’t.”
And these are the sentiments from guys who have won.
Let me make it simple for you. Sawgrass rewards good golfers, except when it doesn't....
As for that first issue, we don't need four hours. It's not a major, has never been a major and, for good measure, will never be a major.... Except, perhaps, this May.
The new to me Derek Duncan has an item that I expect to both like and disagree with strongly:
PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 2020: THE 8 MOST UNDERRATED SHOTS AT TPC SAWGRASS
Of course the premise here is that these are interesting shots for the big boys. Let me just say that the second holes is a completely forgettable hole for the big boppers, yet I would argue that for us the second shot on that hole, a layup for God's sake, still torments me. You only have to get the line and distance perfect, so damn you, Mr. Dye.
But let's see what Derek has:
The drive at the par-4 first
Jack Nicklaus, commenting on the TPC in its early years, said, “I’ve never been very good at stopping a 5-iron on the hood of a car.” He might have been thinking about the green at the first—a shallow, inhospitable target angled over a bunker with a higher rear plateau. The shot was considerably more difficult when players actually were hitting 5-irons, but chances for success and a solid start remain contingent on a drive played alongside or past a yawning bunker on the right in order to open up an angle into the length of the green.
Meh, really? Mind you, lots of amateurs' rounds have been ruined here, derailed by missing the fairway and the ensuing carnage from rough or pine straw. But this is a hole without water in play for the gods of the PGA Tour, so the second shot is manageable. Unlike, say, No. 4:
The approach at the par-4 fourth
A precision hole in every sense, the second shot into the fourth is set up by a controlled drive to the narrowest landing area at TPC Sawgrass. Those that find the fairway face a vital scoring opportunity with a short approach to a small green set across a canal, especially when the hole is cut in the bowl on the left or left-front. If there, players can spin wedge shots off the slope for kick-in birdies and the occasional eagle.
Maybe, depending upon whether (a), you've hit the fairway and, (b), where the pin is. But yeah, a deceivingly treacherous hole, one the guys expect to have a good look at birdie on.... To me, the key shot here is the tee shot, because it's all fun and games until you're playing from the rough...
This is a far more playable golf course for the amateur than one expects, but good on Derek for talking through the second shaots on a couple of the Par-5's, specifically the ninth and eleventh. This is a really great collection of Par-5's, especially for the club player. Also good on him for avoiding those last three holes.... yeah, they're great for what they are, but over-exposed for sure.
Should be a fun week, though with less wind and softer conditions than we might prefer.
Northern Delights - I'm not a Twitter guy, but having once registered I have a little feed all my own. This showed up this morning, and why not bore my readers:
Northern delights: Royal Dornoch and Castle Stuart
When Max von Sydow shows up for me (Yeah, unfortunately a topical reference) I'll be negotiating for the proverbial one last round of golf, and Dornoch is as good a venue as any:
The earliest confirmed evidence of golf in Dornoch dates from 1616 meaning 2016marked 400 years of the sport in the town. The Golf Club was founded more recently, in 1877, and in 1886 the members invited Old Tom Morris to travel north to Dornoch to lay out a more formal course over the links. He was responsible for creating Dornoch’s famous plateau greens with their perplexing upturned saucer shaping.
The course as it plays today is largely the result of a remodelling by George Duncan that took place after the Second World War when new holes were constructed out towards Embo, now the loop from the 6th to the 11th. But, that is not to say Dornoch is a course from a bygone age. The club is constantly looking at ways to improve the layout and to keep the test relevant to the modern game. As an example, they are currently buidling a new green for the 7th hole which will offer great views across the course – It’s scheduled to be ready for play in 2021.
Dornoch is a magical place that the bride and I expect to play in an open competition in July. I use "expect" because it's not open for registration until late April, and we're assuming that our dear friend John will be able to sign us up.
Of course, the far harder task is to explain that which makes Dornoch so magical.... A Fairview friend went to the Highlands a couple of summers ago and played the two tracks included in this article. Castle Stuart he imagined to be the perfect execution of a modern links.... Perfect in every controllable detail, but perhaps off-putting a bit because of that perfection. Dornoch, in contrast, touched something deeper.... and he though he might never play a better golf course. My reaction? I just sat there mutely nodding my head....
Care for a bit more?
The first eight holes follow the ridge of dunes skirting the inland perimeter of the course. All of these are tremendously memorable but the two par 3s stand out. Both the 2nd and 6th are devilishly difficult short holes where missing left or right of the putting surface can spell disaster.
there's an old joke that asks what the hardest shot is at Dornoch? The answer, alas, is the second shot at the second, the joke being that the second is a one-shotter. However, missing that green is, alas, no joke, as you'll be playing an impossible shot attempting to hold a narrow, firm green. Pro-tip: Should miss this green, don't miss one of the bunkers.... From there, you'll have a chance. Should you instead end up on the tightly-mown turf, just pick up your ball and wait for your group on the third tee.
The 9th turns to trace the coastline back towards the town. It’s a testing run of holes, from the long par-4 11th, to the bunkerless 14th “Foxy” with its rascally plateau green, to the dog-leg 17th where you must decide whether to play short from the tee leaving a long shot in, or to fire over the marker pole into the unknown. Dornoch offers a true and complete test of golf, examining a player’s ball-striking, short game and strategy. It’s quite simply, a brilliant golf course.
Foxy is one of the greatest holes in golf, notably bunkerless yet impossible. As a preview of coming attractions, I hope to make the case for Dornoch's greatness in July.
For any New Yorker subscribers, I cannot recommend highly enough Herbert Warren Wind's homage. Written in 1964, it captures the aura of this magical destination, which until around that time took an eternity to reach. At one point all of these great HWW pieces were out from behind the paywall but, alas, no more.... Although, that teaser graph seems comically bad... Not only do they misspell Gullane (not that Gullane, as good as it is, even belongs on the list), but it seems written for the specific purpose of deterring potential readers....
My only concern is that including Castle Stuart with Dornoch is unfair to the new venue. OK, it's not Dornoch, but it's pretty damn good:
Back through Inverness and down the Moray Firth a short way, Castle Stuart Golf Links has quickly earned a reputation as one of the finest new courses anywhere in the world.The work of entrepreneurial golf designer Mark Parsinen and renowned course architect Gil Hanse, the layout played host to three consecutive Scottish Opens between 2011 and 2013 and then again in 2016.
As soon as you arrive at the striking art-deco inspired white, circular-fronted clubhouse, you get a sense of the pure quality of the place. The service is of the very highest level and facilities are top-class, from the superb practice ground to the opulent locker rooms that show off the panoramic vistas.
See, that's just wrong.... The clubhouse is actually fairly modest. both in size and features, almost as if it's the golf that matters.
Clubs often wax lyrical about the views across their course and sometimes it’s a little unjustified. This is certainly not the case at Castle Stuart. Looking out over the glistening Moray Firth to the Black Isle and inland, past the Kessock Bridge to distant mountains often still flecked with snow, there can be few settings for golf more awe-inspiring than this.
They did quite the job here, as the course is on two specific tiers above the Moray Firth, offering that eye candy from virtually every hole (there's a five-par through rocks on the back nine that I remember as the one exception).
I don't think we'll find our way here this summer. If we squeeze in a scend round while with Elsie and John, it'll more likely be Tain (where John belongs) or Brora. The latter is one of our faves, but it's a hike from their home.
Unfortunately, this highly-anticipated project has been shut down:
A controversial plan to build an 18-hole championship golf course in the Highlands has been refused planning permission by the Scottish government.
About 32 acres of the planned course was proposed for dunes at Coul Links at Embo, near Dornoch.
Highland councillors gave the project the go-ahead last June, before Scottish ministers called in the planning application for further scrutiny.
Following a public inquiry, the government has refused permission.
In their decision, Scottish ministers said the plan would have supported economic growth and rural development.
But they agreed with government-appointed planning officials' findings that the golf course would have "significant" effects on rare plantlife, wintering and breeding birds and the the dunes themselves.
Pity, that. I won't pretend to knowledge of the environmental concerns, though I tend towards the skeptical in such matters. But this would hav ebeen a great addition to the cluster of links available in the Highlands, and Mike Keiser's involvement could have been a real positive. Those advocating against the project liked it to Trump's Aberdeenshire course, but of course you couldn't have a better environmental steward than Keiser....My instincts say this is a loss for Scotland.
And its there I shall leave you....catch you Thursday from the other side?
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