Weekend Wrap

We do have some actual golf action for you, though the real action remains the continuation of Friday's golf crazy.  Your calendar may say November, but golf seems determined to make every day Halloween.

Bermuda Blues - Not as blues as it might have been, as when I turned back to football it looked as though PReed was gonna back into a cheap "W".  So, coulda been worse:

It was only fitting, then, that Lucas Herbert missed a four-footer for birdie at No. 18, leading to an anticlimactic tap-in for par and a one-shot victory. This was a survival test, after all, and Herbert had done just enough to win.

“I love playing when it’s really hard,” Herbert told Golf Channel immediately after finishing up. “I think it makes you be that little bit better and it eliminates the guys who maybe aren’t as good who are hitting shots that don’t get affected by wind or rain as much. I just enjoyed the struggle out there today. There were times where we were nearly sitting on the ground behind an umbrella — and just embracing that was so much fun.”

Other contenders got eliminated, one by one, while several furious charges up the leaderboard fell just short. Scott Stallings shot the round of the day, posting a preposterous nine-under 62 that was nearly 10 shots lower than the field average. For a moment it looked as though he might contend for the win despite starting the day 14 shots back.

He was so far behind that he started on No. 10, adding to the surreal atmosphere.  Of course, this is the near miss to which I alluded above:

Patrick Reed had the day’s second-best round and he finished it off in style with birdies at 13, 14, 17 and 18. He signed for a six-under 65 that left him as leader in the clubhouse at 14 under. He said that he felt like he could play particularly creative golf on a day that “you could pretty much throw out the yardage book.” Reed added that the result — by far his best since missing time with illness at the end of last season — was a big confidence boost going forward.

“Ever since I got back from being sick it just seemed like the offense wasn’t quite there, I wasn’t making enough birdies and when that happens one little swing here or there turns a round you want to salvage into a mediocre round,” he said. “This week I had plenty of offense, just needed to take away a few careless errors.”

Oh, Patrick, the modesty does seem to suit you, as if your offensiveness ever takes a week off.  Now, Patrick, were there any Golf Channel camera angles or deceptive editing you'd like to comment upon?

This guy to me was the story of the week:

All of the strong work, and the rewards that come with it, seemed to be slipping away for Jim

Knous on Sunday in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Through nine holes, he was four over par for the day and looking at a worst-case scenario.

The 31-year-old, playing his last event on a major medical extension, entered the week needing to finish tied for 67th or better to retain conditional status on the PGA Tour for the 2021-22 season. He nearly didn’t make the weekend at Port Royal, but closed with a birdie on Friday to make the cut on the number. A solid third-round 69 put him at T-56, two shots inside the bubble.

In the rain and wind, Knous made three birdies against a bogey on the back nine, including a birdie on his 18th hole, to shoot one-over 72. That put him at one-under total and in a tie for 57th. Those who finished tied for 67th were three over.

“The greatest top-60 of all time,” an ecstatic Knous said after the round. “I'm going to celebrate with my caddie and my friends tonight and then my family when I get home. Then it's back to work; job's not done. Obviously conditional status—the ones I get in I have to be ready, and I plan to be ready and go low and have chances.”

If there's to be Fall PGA Tour golf, it should be about the Jim Knouses of the world (though Spellcheck has profound concerns with the pluralization of Knous).  In fact, that was the intent of the original Fall Finish schedule of a few years ago, one that I found far more compelling.  Watching struggling Tour wanabees play for their professional futures is compelling TV, if only someone would understand that.

The Tour Confidential panel had bigger fish to fry, but did manage to acknowledge that this event was played:

4. Lucas Herbert beat the field (and the conditions!) in Bermuda this weekend to earn his first PGA Tour victory. Herbert — like 54-hole leader Taylor Pendrith — is a Korn Ferry Tour graduate making his mark on Tour already. Is there an under-the-radar Tour rookie you have your eye on?

Zak: Cameron Young has played some extremely good golf in waves this year. It comes and goes for every pro at that level, but when it comes for him, it’s really good. I’d expect him to contend for a win sometime in 2022.

Bastable: There are no sure things in golf but it’s hard to not to buy stock in Sahith Theegala, who won virtually every significant college award during his days at Pepperdine and top-tenned is just his second start of his rookie season, at the Sanderson Farms. Kid looks groomed for greatness.

Sens: Mito Pereira first caught my eye at the Tokyo Olympics, where he nearly medaled. I’ll be looking out for the Chilean this year.

Dethier: The secret is out on Taylor Pendrith — sort of. I’m not sure how many people were dialed into the 54-hole leader in Bermuda, but he’s got big-time game and has massively improved his putting in recent years. He’s 30 years old but still a potential rising star, and I’m excited to see if he can use Sunday’s disappointing round as a springboard.

Pendrith is allegedly as long as DeChambeau and Cam Champ, so he warrants mention, though one could argue that neither he nor Cam Young is under the radar....

Did someone mention Bryson?  There was a seemingly funny bit On Saturday when Danny Lee, then in solo second, seems to have trotted out a Bryson swing impression for his 18th hole tee shot.  The announcers were on it, though I can't find anything about on these Interwebs.  I caught one brief mention on Saturday, differentiating on Lee swing as a mini-Bryson vs, his full-Bryson the prior day.  

Did I see what I thought I saw (and what Terry Gannon thought I saw)?  Crazy thing for a guy near the top of the leaderboard to do, but why no coverage?  On the other hand, anything that Danny does to make us forget this has to for the better, no?

Crazy Rich Saudis - Shall we get to the fun stuff?  We get only the slightest peak behind the curtain, but Geoff has a long Quadrilateral post on the Super-Duper League, with much to observe:

The Guardian first reported on a select press gathering to discuss Norman’s hiring, with more detailed stories about that session now appearing at ESPN, Global Golf Post, the New York Post and Golf.com.

In the reporting, you’ll have to scroll past the windbaggery from Norman about sacrificing his business empire for this new venture (while retaining his role in golf course design projects, including one in Saudi Arabia). The stories all confirm the most inconvenient truth: despite Norman’s effort to suggest multiple investors are in play, he’s reporting to the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

Well, gasbaggery is very much on brand for the Shark.  I recently referenced his prior attempt to remake golf from the ground up, which would have been considered a dumpster fire if anyone was paying attention.   But maybe it's worth parsing his actual statement, which is really quite delusional:

"In the middle second quarter of next year, I'll invite you guys down to my office. We will tell you exactly how we're going to break this cast iron that's been wrapped around golf for so long. We're going to shatter it. The institutions (USGA, R&A, PGA of America, PGA Tour) will eventually buy into it because they will have to buy into it. They won't have a choice," Norman told reporters last month at the unveiling of his latest design, the Greg Norman Signature Course at Vidanta Neuvo Vallarta, Mexico.

The grandiosity is just priceless.  Also delusional, for those keeping a scorecard at home.  But note how invested in the details he is...the date is hyper specific, the world will respond to his summons and he'll exert Jedi-like mind control over the game's governing bodies.   They will be forced to recognize the complexity of his worldview, in which he'll be treated as a liberator.  But now, reality intrudes, because the underlying premise that will shatter our game was a pimped-out golf cart.  Keep that foremost in mind each and every time Norman opens his mouth...

Which, of course, Geoff gets:

So why would Norman give up his role running companies he started and risk tainting the “living brand” for the closest thing to evil we have in the rapidly expanding authoritarian dictator sector?

Whatever the vain vintner’s motives—revenge, money, ego, boredom, attention, all of the above x 8—his full-time presence is not likely to convince reluctant star golfers to come aboard. Yes, he provides cover by discussing his favorite topic—himself. And Norman can push back at the PGA Tour by saying, you messed up the WGC concept that I instigated back in the early 90s, so move over because there’s a new Shirtless Sheriff in town!

Shirtless Sheriff isn't bad... 

Where Geoff is helpful is in the details:

Thanks to a lightly-reported Ryder Cup-week announcement, the Saudi’s joined up with the Asian Tour to sanction the former European Tour stop at Saudi Arabia’s Royal Greens G&CC. The latest reporting says they’ve since expanded the agreement into a $200 million, 10-event, 10-year deal with the Asian Tour to offer a rankings point-eligible feeder circuit. With that in place, golf league viability becomes clearer to potential fence-sitters.

Maybe, as explained by Mark Canizzaro in the NY Post:

This appears to be a brilliantly deft move on the part of LIV Golf Investors, because its affiliation with the Asian Tour would provide a gateway for its team series events to be sanctioned tournaments that dole out world ranking points, which are the most prominent determinant for players qualifying for major championships

I could go with deft or clever, though brilliantly deft seems more than a bit hyperbolic.  But, yes, this does at least superficially address one deal-breaker, having their events qualify for world ranking points.  But this is your classic static analysis, meaning that it assumes that the Five Families will allow that status to remain intact.  Though Geoff appropriately notes that the OWGR have blundered perhaps in recognizing marginal properties:

The points deliver legitimacy and bonuses while getting top players into majors (at least barring an emergency move during next week’s Asia Pacific Amateur when several Official World Golf Ranking board members are typically on hand). But the OWGR will have a hard time suggesting the co-sanctioned Asian/Saudi events are no longer an “Eligible Golf Tour” operation. Particularly when the OWGR recognizes biggies like the Abema TV Tour, All Thailand Golf Tour, EuroPro Tour, Alps Tour, Asian Development Tour, Nordic Golf League, Big Easy Tour, ProGolf Tour and the Thursday Night Men’s League. Disqualifying the Asian Tour would create instant legal and anti-trust concerns.

(Oh I was kidding on the Thursday Night Men’s League. The rest are all OWGR “Eligible Golf Tours”.)

The argument is solid, but why would Geoff elide the most compelling example?  In sucking up to Tiger, world ranking points are awarded to the hero World Challenge.  Geoff, the Thursday Night League bit would be far funnier if they weren't already awarding points to a far less serious event...  Just trying to explain how this humor thing works.

But have the Saudis looked into those OWGR?  Do they know who controls them?

The OWGR governing board includes several who may ask for emergency action to save the PGA Tour and European Tour from losing stars. Here is the current board, as of their most recent announcement regarding points system changes set to take effect in August, 2022:

Chairman – Peter Dawson

Augusta National Golf Club – Buzzy Johnson

European Tour – Keith Pelley

International Federation of PGA Tours – Keith Waters

PGA of America – Seth Waugh

PGA TOUR – Jay Monahan

The R&A – Martin Slumbers

USGA – Mike Whan

Buzzy Johnson?  Egads, Geoff, that's a name no one will recognize, nor should they.  The key guy there is still obviously Fred Ridley, and these guys show no signs of breaking ranks.

Now, let me interject an opinion or two, riffing off Geoff's coda:

Waugh’s the most intriguing figure since he makes clear the PGA Of America will fight for the PGA Tour. Waugh has long been close with Monahan and to show his organization’s support, has already declared an end to Ryder Cup eligibility for American and (probably) European defectors.

Is that any way to treat an independent contractor?

Waugh presumes today’s players will care two-hoots about the Ryder Cup when a life-changing advance is wired into their accounts, even if it’s blood and oil-covered money. To his credit, Waugh also sensed this situation was inevitable long before Greg Norman signed on and a rankings loophole was located.

“I think, look, I come from a world of disruption, and I think it's inevitable,” Waugh said of upstart leagues when asked during May’s PGA Championship.

“I actually think it's healthy. You either disrupt or you get disrupted. That's what this is.”

What I want to argue is that, not only is disruption healthy in a general sense, but there's no organization on the planet more in need of disruption than the PGA Tour (really golf in aggregate).  Not only is a dreary week-to-week slog with nothing but 72-hole stroke play events, but look at Jay Monahan's specific initiatives in reaction to this potential disruption.  Does he have anything in mind to improve the product?  No, all he's concerned with is his gambling vig, promoting unruly fan behavior ("Live Under Par") and creating a slush fund to bribe players to stay (Can you say Pip?).  

So, bring on the disruptors.... yeah, but not these disruptors.  I've seen enough of Greg Norman's naked torso, thank you very much, and his pimped-out golf cart doesn't move my needle.  The only worse than falling in line behind Greg Norman's vision is doing so funded by Saudi money....  After all, the Saudi's still seem to think that Phil and Henrik Stenson matter...

You're probably thinking that Eamon Lynch should be piping up on this, and you'd be right.  You're probably also thinking that, since the Ulsterman doesn't like much of anyone, that the Shark won't be his cup of tea:

Since it took the Saudis almost 10 years to sign a player to their global golf ambitions, we might

have expected someone more compelling than a 66-year-old retiree a quarter-century beyond his prime, whose unquenchable thirst for relevance has been laid (literally) bare-arsed on social media with an undignified frequency.

There are obvious reasons why Greg Norman is an appealing front man for LIV Golf Investments, the Saudi-financed outfit that has announced plans for 10 events to be held on the Asian Tour. For starters, he’s already contracted to design a golf course near Riyadh, so he didn’t need to be persuaded to overlook those pesky human rights abuses. Norman has already signaled that he doesn’t care about that.

He remains a brand name in the sport, though he might have finally jumped his own logo when he started slinging beef jerky. He’s no pied piper—attitudes toward him in the locker room have always been lukewarm—but for the casual fan who considers Norman’s catchpenny clothing line to be haute couture, his involvement confers legitimacy.

Legitimacy?  That seems an overly generous concession...

Eamon also takes on an urban myth and I think has it about right:

Finally, he has harbored undisguised animus toward the PGA Tour since 1994, when he launched a bumbling attempt at a world tour that was quickly squashed by then-commissioner Tim Finchem. Finchem was actually helping Norman save face, but Norman later accused Finchem of stealing his concept for the World Golf Championships. That appetite for avenging long-nursed grudges must have appealed to the Crown Prince when he was reviewing résumés of prospective patsies.

Yeah, he was an advocate, but the idea was out there since forever and he wasn't about to get it done with the major tours involvement.

 Eamon actually takes time out from his gratuitous (though highly enjoyable) Shark snark to identify why Norman might be the perfect patsy for the Saudis:

As a 20-time winner, Norman is a lifetime member of the PGA Tour. And while his fronting a Saudi investment in the Asian Tour is of little consequence, any subsequent announcement that he will head up the rival Super Golf League would virtually guarantee a PGA Tour ban. That would pose no practical problem for the former world No. 1, who hasn’t made a start in almost 10 years. Any other player who signs with the Saudis—say, Phil Mickelson or Bryson DeChambeau—risks being benched while lawyers fight it out, unwelcome at a Tour that does exist and unable to play one that doesn’t.

Which makes Norman a perfect guinea pig for the Saudis—a PGA Tour member who can test the legality of a ban in court while having nothing at stake.

That, in turn, poses an intriguing dilemma for Monahan. Does he ban Norman for what would be meaningless posturing as commissioner of a rival league that doesn’t yet exist—thereby setting him up to challenge the Tour’s standing to enact such a ban—or does he ignore Norman and force another player to step up and risk everything? Monahan is acutely aware that no player has yet shown the stomach for that gamble.

This is teeing up to be the threshold issue perhaps, can the tours (most importantly, can the Tour) ban renegade players?  Eamon had this earlier in his piece:

Numerous players have flirted with the Super Golf League but none have committed, not least because PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has made clear he’ll ban anyone who does so. One player told me he’s been assured by his attorney that the Tour can’t expel him. A Tour executive, on the other hand, told me they have a Manhattan office building full of lawyers confident they can.

You'd think that, if there were any doubt, that the Tour bylaws would quickly be redrafted.  In the short term, folks should be watching whether they take action against Norman (my guess is that they won't because the ambiguity works for Monahan) and the pending applications for waivers from eight players to cash those large appearance fee checks for the Saudi events.  In a legal sense, it's probably all or nothing... Though in a gamesmanship sense, Monahan could have some fun approving the waivers for the old times like McDowell and Stenson but denying it for relevant players like DJ.  

I'm just amusing myself with that last bit, so ignore it.  But Monahan has already indicated that the waivers won't be granted, so he can't possibly cave on that, can he?  

As alluded to above, this is the focus of that TC panel, begging at the top of the page

1. Greg Norman has been named CEO of LIV Golf Investments, a Saudi-backed group that promises to “holistically improve the health of professional golf on a truly global scale,” beginning with a 10-year commitment of at least $200 million to underwrite 10 new full-field Asian Tour events. What was your biggest takeaway from Friday’s announcement?

Alan Bastable: After years of rumors and speculation about various rival super leagues, I guess I was expecting/hoping for more juice than what was in this initial announcement. LIV’s investment in the Asian Tour is significant but what’s coming next — seemingly some kind of star-powered breakout tour — would send shockwaves should it come to fruition. Norman said it himself in the Friday release: “This is just the beginning.” My attention is piqued!

Josh Sens: Right. That was the elephant in the press release. The prospect of this super league, which is far more threatening to the PGA Tour than a 10-year, $200 million commitment to the Asian Tour. Alan’s phrase is apt: “Should it come to pass.” We’ve been down this road before. Will it end differently this time? How is the Tour going to respond? Will it be as successful as squelching a challenge from a rival circuit as it has been in the past? All related questions.

Sean Zak: My biggest takeaway is how soft these commitments from top 10 players really seem to be. Rumors about players interested keep floating around, but no one is ready to publicly take a stand yet. It’s a weird look to announce a league with all this hype…in waves without the names coming first.

Dylan Dethier: This press release was an answer that mostly led to more questions. (I listed 10 of ‘em here.) Until you have players, golf courses, something tangible…it doesn’t feel quite real. So it still doesn’t feel real. The only sure thing secured seems to be the money. But sometimes the money is the toughest part to secure, so maybe that’s enough.

Soft. Sean?  They don't exist, full stop.

I had forgotten Dylan's column, though ten seems an understatement, given that absolutely nothing substantive has been announced.   I mean, it's true that we know pretty much everything, with the minor exceptions of players, dates, venues, money, format, air rights and cart girls....  OK, maybe that last one isn't quite as critical, but it's not like golf draws an actual audience without some help.

2. As referenced above (and as reported by various media outlets), LIV Golf is also aiming to launch a global golf league this spring, likely to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, which would mean World Ranking points would be available to participants. Among the key details that are still unknown: which, if any, players have signed on and where the events would be conducted. For this upstart league to be successful, what element do you think is most essential for Norman and Co. to get right?

Bastable: Everything starts with the players. Some big names have been rumored to have been courted by LIV — and star power will, of course, be essential for this thing to succeed. Beyond that, who will broadcast the events and how will they be presented? Whichever TV/streaming partner steps in, there are all kinds of ways to outperform golf’s current broadcast models — beginning with simply showing more shots. I’d expect to see all kinds of fun bells and whistles and no doubt an emphasis on betting. I’m also intrigued to see the host sites. PGA Tour venues largely lack much sizzle. If this new tour is smart, it’ll make its host courses part of the show.

Sens: Right. First things first, it needs the buy-in of the players. Back in 1994, when Norman first proposed a world tour, it seemed like he had the stars lined up. But when it came time to act, the players backed off. This rival league will need big names fully on board to gain momentum. Beyond that, as Alan says, how it’s packaged/presented will be key. Even if fans turn a blind eye to the ethical concerns, will they find the events themselves compelling? Or simply another iteration of big-money exhibition golf?

Zak: Players matter! But a broadcast might be just as important. The rumored differences between this league and the PGA Tour are only different if people see them.

Dethier: Right. Is there as much demand for this product as this Tour’s organizers think? I think “legitimacy” is the most important and most elusive element. The PGA Tour is a known quantity with an established structure, and that’s comforting for players and viewers alike, despite various complaints about the product. Legitimacy is tough to create. Can LIV + Co. do so?

Yeah, Dylan kind of nails it, as who among us thinks that golf needs more tournaments?   Alistair Tate grabs this real estate:

How many reading this are hanging on every word written about the proposed new Golf League backed by Saudi Arabian money?

How many are wondering why you played 10 shots worse than your handicap last time out, when you hardly missed a shot your previous round?

Thought so.

News of a golf tour backed by Saudi money to challenge the hegemony of the PGA Tour has practically dominated the headlines of established golf outlets the last few days. First it was the Premier Golf League, now the putative Saudi Golf League with hints of holding tournaments at courses owned by Donald Trump.

Do ordinary golfers care? Probably not. The idea of multi-millionaires like Greg Norman or Phil Mickelson boosting their bank accounts with even more millions probably doesn’t hold too much interest for everyday golfers more concerned with their chipping or putting woes.

Well, perhaps not quite the real estate I was thinking of, but a valuable corollary.  We already have far too many professional tournaments, as evidenced by the events of this weekend.  If you hold a PGA Tour event and can't fill the field, perhaps supply exceeds demand?

I've been a lonely voice lately arguing the the Premiere/Super Golf League concept is highly flawed and would fail of its own lack of legitimacy.  Part of that is a misunderstanding of our game and the role of the PGA Tour.  Yeah, it's the world's elite tour, but with a huge frigging asterisk.  Remember, the Tour doesn't run the most important events in the world, it's there to fill in the other 48 weeks on the calendar.  That's a very important thing to keep in mind.

But so is the nature of our game, in which the greatest player on the planet might win 5% of the time he pegs it.  Folks crave head-to-head showdowns, but how did Tiger v. Phil at Shadow Creek go?  Can you even remember how dreadful it was....

Second thought experiment:  How many riveting head-to-head matchups can you remember from regular Tour events?   Precious few, no?  I remember Tiger v. Phil at Doral and a handful of others, but barely a handful.  We're all happy when it happens, but it only works when it happens organically.  Even the WGC's, the part of the Tour model closest to the Super League concept, fails to deliver on the premise.  And isn't it interesting to promote a WGC-like schedule when the WGCs themselves seem to have failed?  

One last bit:

3. LIV Golf is bankrolled by the deep pockets of Saudi Arabia’s authoritarian government — or, more specifically, by the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, which is chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, who has been linked to the 2018 murder of Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. (Norman said in a statement to reporters that he is “happy to partner with this group of investors to bring the significant resources to bear that are necessary for the fundamental changes required for the greater good of the sport.”) How much, if at all, do you suppose the source of the would-be league’s financing could impede its ability to attract players, fans and sponsors?

Bastable: If the purses are as a rich as rumored, hard to imagine LIV will have much trouble lining up players. Look no further than the Saudi International, which annually attracts a host of big names. But, yes, LIV’s funding, of course, presents an inconvenient truth. When the Saudis bought the Premier League team Newcastle United earlier this year, human-rights advocates were aghast, with Amnesty International calling the deal a “clear attempt by the Saudi authorities to sportswash their appalling human rights record.” Presumably as this new league ramps up, it will face similar charges.

Zak: A handful of players will not be involved, no matter what. Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm are just a couple with no interest. But if there’s one thing I know about Tour pros, it’s that they follow the money ALL the time.

Sens: They will follow it, for sure. But they’ll also have to consider whether that paycheck is worth the potential financial blow of losing a sponsor or two? What happens when Company A, facing public outrage, decides it would rather not have its name on Player B’s hat? That’s going to happen at some point along the line. But Sean is probably right. The bigger paycheck will ultimately win out.

Dethier: It’s going to be extremely difficult to be the FIRST player to commit to this new league. This is one of those times that it’s unwise to be a trailblazer. But if several players announce their commitments at the same time, it’s going to be confusing for golf fans who feel some trepidation at the entire purpose of this new league. Some fans won’t watch for either reasons of morality or indifference. Others might shrug, say, “It’s hard to keep track of all this stuff, but I want to watch golf,” and tune in.

It's a gift to Jay Monahan.  If the UK effort was the one going forward, then the fight is much more on the merits.  because it's Saudi money, Jay gets to fight on far easier terrain.

But the most depressing aspect of all is that the disruptors seem to have killed disruption.  The only disruptors in our game were Keith Pelley and his Euro Tour, and the unintended consequence of the Saudi efforts (combined with teh pandemic) was to force Keith Pelley into Jay Monahan's loving embrace.  All those Euro innovations, shot clocks and irreverent videos, will continue only at Jay Monahan's suffrage.  That will be the worst outcome of this initiative, methinks.

Alas, we must part at this juncture.  But I'll be around this week, so check back early and often.