Weekend Wrap - Branch Covidian Edition

Remember that snow forecast I posted?  The numbers have exceeded those forecasted, with these being the reported totals at Park City the last four days:

Friday: 5"

Saturday: 16"

Sunday: 18"

Today: 13"

Thursday Lee and I had even taken our first shots through the woods, and the continued build-up of fresh snow had visions of my favorite tree lines running through my mind.

But then a different kind of line intervened:

I can't complain about my number finally coming up in the great Covid lottery, but man that timing is quite the bitch.  No fun at all to be cooped up alone here, but to have to watch it chucking snow is just gratuitous cruelty.

I was able to get a Paxlovid prescription and really only had one bad day with an elevated fever, just bored and stir crazy.  It'll be up to you to see if it affects my blogging....  But I do get credit for playing hurt, no?

Chicks Dig The Bad Boys - The man comes with steamer trunks worth of baggage, but I actually found myself rooting for him.  I'll explain why, but first this on that baggage:

In the wake of his first PGA Tour victory since the Barbasol Championship in 2017, Grayson Murray's words to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis made it clear just how low he had been in the difficult intervening years.

"It's not easy," he said, his voice quivering with emotion. "I wanted to give up a lot of times. Give up on myself. Give up on the game of golf. Give up on life, at times."

Murray has been open about his battles with demons ranging from anxiety to depression to alcoholism, and how they contributed to a six-year drought in which he admitted to putting his loved ones "through hell and back." His big breakthrough came last year, with two victories on the Korn Ferry Tour, and now, after draining an improbable 38-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole at the Sony Open, he can add a PGA Tour win to his remarkable comeback story.

Never a good enough player to draw our focus, but what little I saw of him he was always in stupid little spats, seemingly at every stage of his golf career.  But he's obviously changed his life to address it, and who doesn't like a second act?

This will have certain folks clutching their pearls, but so be it:

"When you get tired of fighting, let someone else fight for you," Murray told Lewis. He gave credit to Jesus and his fiancee for changing his life, and despite knowing how important the victory was for his path in golf, he kept it in perspective. "I hope everyone at home watching can get a little inspiration from it. If I can just help one person, that's all it takes ... I knew today was not going to change my life, but it did change my career, and I'm excited."

A very improbable win, as Jack Hirsh did a good job of capturing:

More than two years ago, when Grayson Murray took time away from the PGA Tour, few could have envisioned him winning the 2024 Sony Open.

On Sunday, after Murray’s wayward tee shot on the 72nd hole — and with his playing partner looking to make birdie for the win — few could have envisioned Grayson Murray winning the 2024 Sony Open.

After another wayward Murray tee shot on the first playoff hole, one that clipped a tree and wasn’t even picked up by ShotLink, few could have envisioned Grayson Murray winning the 2024 Sony Open.

But with 106 yards to the flag for his third shot on that hole — and both his opponents, Keegan Bradley and Ben An, in trouble around the green — Murray’s caddie, Jay Green, pressed his man for some motivation.

“Show me something,” Green said to Murray. It took another shot for Murray to follow through, but, boy, did he deliver.

After pulling his wedge approach some 39 feet left of the hole, Murray drained the ensuing birdie putt and then watched as both Bradley and An missed their shorter putts to match, giving Murray the Sony Open title.

It just never looked like it was gonna happen for him, but he doesn't even mention the pin-seeking missile on No. 18 to get into the playoff.

 I did find this piece from last fall with more on his issues:

Among the most agitated players in the room was Grayson Murray, a 29-year-old one-time Tour winner with a history of colorful antics and controversial opinions. In 2017, his rookie season on Tour, Murray invited a Playboy model to caddie for him at the Masters Par-3 Contest (Murray failed to qualify for the Masters so the stunt never had a chance to materialize); fired a caddie mid-round; and apologized for an inappropriate tweet he sent to a high school girl. In the final round of the 2022 U.S. Open, Murray flung his putter into the fescue and snapped an iron over his knee en route to a 10-over 80; four months later he crashed a scooter in Bermuda, leaving him unconscious, in need of 50 stitches and with a serious knee injury. Last year, Murray called out Kevin Na’s pace of play on social media, which, according to Murray, led to Na confronting Murray on the range at the Mexico Open.

LIV is welcome to Kevin Na's pace of play, which I'm quite certain will alone grow the game of golf, but Murray was obviously a guy to avoid in the locker room.  But he began reclaiming his reputation with your humble blogger with that which I think should have been the 2023 golf quote of the year:

At the June players meeting in Toronto, Murray, according to multiple reports, came in with a head of steam and berated Monahan for betraying and lying to the Tour membership. A player in attendance told Golf Channel, “I forget exactly what led to this, but Rory [McIlroy] goes, ‘Just play better, Grayson,’ and that got a bad response from the crowd.”

According to the report, Murray told McIlroy to, “F— off.”

Now's the time to relitigate Rory's involvement, but if Willie Sutton were still alive, he'd be impressed with the Rory-led money grab.  Look, I think Rory is a nice man who's not all that bright.  But after leading a coup by the elites, to tell a Tour rabbit to "just play better" is really an asshole's remark.

Speaking Of Rory... - It's way early in the season, but am I the only one that noticed that Rory is in midseason form?

Watch Rory McIlroy three-putt from two feet(!) late on Sunday during all-time brutal loss

 No thanks, I've seen that movie before.... Oh, and he wasn't done:

McIlroy, in particular, was all over the map, his closing 67 dotted with seven birdies and three dropped shots. Throw in the quadruple-bogey 7 at the par-3 eighth hole on Day 2, the three-putt he came up with from two-and-a-half feet on the 14th green in the final round and the fact that he led the tournament by a shot with one hole to play—then drove into water—and it would be easy to imagine McIlroy leaving the premises filled only with regrets.

Gee, I don't Rory, maybe you should....how did you put it, play better?

The Tour Confidential panel had some thoughts on Rors:

3. On Sunday, Tommy Fleetwood won the Dubai Invitational, but Rory McIlroy’s “sloppy” performance — his word — drew headlines. McIlroy three-putted from two feet on the 14th hole, then hooked a drive into the water on the 18th to lose by one. Considering it was his first start in two months, we won’t spend too much time focusing on the rust, but the echoes of years’ past give us the chance to ask an important question: What’s at stake for Rory in 2024?

Hirsh: He’s retreated from his role as the defacto PGA Tour spokesperson, he’s even softened his position on LIV Golf. Going into 2024, I think there’s just one thing on McIlroy’s mind and it’s the same thing that’s been on his mind since 2015: Completing the Career Grand Slam by winning the Masters. The circumstances surrounding McIlroy this year are completely different than 12 months ago and I think that can only help him. Obviously we’ll over-analyze his three-putt or his hook on the 72nd and chalk it up to rustiness, but the fact of the matter is only one thing should matter to him anymore in golf and hopefully for him, he’ll enter the Masters with a clear focus on that objective.

As opposed to every year since 2011 when he's come down Magnolia Lane thinking of nothing but winning that event, and has flamed out spectacularly, typically on Thursday.   Hirsh seems to think the enhanced focus will be helpful.... color me skeptical.

Colgan: I think 2024 is a glorious opportunity for Rory to rewrite the second act of his playing career, which to date has been much more about his role as an ombudsman than as a player. With the LIV stuff mostly off his plate, there’s never been a better time for the major breakthrough. At 34, he’s not getting any younger.

Yeah, especially since he looks rather foolish right now, thanks to his good buddy Jay. 

Dethier: McIlroy doesn’t actually need to win the Masters — but he does need to win a major. Is that a fair expectation? Probably not. It’s a brutally high bar. But McIlroy has spent the last decade contending in majors and winning just about everything else but still hasn’t gotten across the line for No. 5. Maybe he’ll do that at Augusta. I’m sure he’d be delighted by one of the other three, though.

Dylan is usually an astute observer, but not sure what he's trying to cram down our throat's here.  Is Dylan trying to negate the value of a career slam?  But, more to the point, Augusta has become Rory's demon, and, if he succumbs yet again in April, why would we like his chances at those later majors?

Rory has struggled at Augusta because it exposes the flaws in his game, which he has been unable or unwilling to address.  The childhood best friend on the bag has always been a proxy to me, perhaps over-interpreted, but Rory seems unwilling to pay the price these days.

This event was only a 60-player field, but we have another example of the misuse of sponsor's exemptions:

4. Florida club pro Ken Weyland found himself in a spot of controversy this weekend. Weyland, the pro at Michael Jordan’s Grove XXIII, played under a sponsor’s exemption at the Dubai Invitational and … it didn’t go well. After four rounds in the 80s and only two birdies all week, Weyland finished 72 shots behind Fleetwood’s score. Handwringing over sponsor’s invites is nothing new but finishing 72 off the pace takes the debate to a new level. Was Weyland’s invite a step too far?

Hirsh: Sponsor’s invites were as good as gold to last year’s WM Phoenix Open and that was a 136-man event. Giving ceremonial sponsor’s invites to a limited-field event with just 60 opportunities is borderline criminal. I would understand it more if it was a young, up-and-coming pro or amateur trying to make a splash, but Weyland had never made a start in a worldwide event before in his life. At 54, he probably isn’t looking for some-sort of career renaissance. If you try to compare this situation to Michael Block, don’t, because Block earned a spot reserved for club pros in the PGA at the PGA Professional Championship. This is totally different. I have to agree with Eddie Pepperell’s take, it really didn’t matter who Weyland was (or was friend’s with), he didn’t deserve his spot.

Colgan: Epic move from our King Ken, whose performance this week is a brilliant glimpse into the “what would a 10-handicapper shoot?” allegory. Should he have said no? Maybe! But I sure wouldn’t have if I’d gotten invited.

Dethier: Look, it’s not great. It’s perhaps even a little bit stinky. It probably takes away slightly from the legitimacy of the bottom of the limited-field Dubai Invitational. But then again, nobody was calling this the fifth major. It’s tough for me to summon much outrage but easy for me to get some joy out of those scorecard screenshots. Shoutout to Ken for jumping in the arena. And credit to him for finishing all four rounds!

Did he win low net?  How do rationalize this?  This isn't even a John Daly situation, bad as those are, because nobody knows who this guy is.  It is a good link into Euro-stuff, not even taxing my legendary effortless segue skills....

EuroDistress - Mayday!  Mayday!  Europe is leaderless, shall we start with the TC panel's take?

2. On Wednesday, two of the most powerful executives in professional golf — R&A CEO Martin Slumbers and DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley — announced their plans to step down from their current roles. What do you make of the conspicuous timing of their exit?

Hirsh: It sure seems like Slumbers and Pelley are experiencing the same thing many other golf fans are: fatigue. For Slumbers, the past year of dealing with feedback on the proposed golf ball rollback had to be exhausting, not to mention the years of research and discussions that preceded it. For Pelley, he’s probably sick of being the subject of ire, along with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, related to the ongoing negotiations with Saudi PIF. The timing of these two announcements isn’t really conspicuous, it’s understandable.

Gee, that's about as compelling as them wanting to spend more time with their families.... 

Colgan: It sure seems like a strange coincidence that both men — each intimately involved in the conversations surrounding the future of pro golf — would announce on the same day that they are leaving their posts. But, assuming it is a coincidence, it’s still interesting to think about how the two men will be remembered. Slumbers will go down as a visionary leader at a time the R&A badly needed one; but Pelley’s legacy is less clear. He stewarded the DPWT into a partnership with the PGA Tour that shored up its Covid finances but has had dubious effects on the league’s talent pool and standing in the golf world. Pelley’s efforts at leaving his league better than he found it, presumably via a deal with the PIF, will be crucial.

A visionary leader?  I'm sorry, James, but what exactly is that vision?  Except, yanno, for taking the business interruption insurance payment over actually holding the words oldest professional championship in 2020....

Dethier: Well said, James. I guess their departure has me wondering one thing: who’s next? Golf’s leadership is in flux. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has an uncertain future, but who would take over for him?! Yasir Al-Rumayyan is likely to be a figure in the pro game’s future, but in what role?! What’s next for Greg Norman? Who will lord over this new PGA Tour Enterprises? The extent of golf’s leadership upheaval is still a relative unknown…

Greg Norman?  Guys I'll need a moment before I can stop laughing.... Dylan, you been into the gummies today?

I'm actually more interested in Pelley right now, because he's being trashed by a certain covey of Euro players.  

But that hasn’t held Matt Fitzpatrick back from detailing the state in which Pelley has left the game on this side of the Atlantic

In conversation with Golfweek, the Englishman was asked what he considered Pelley’s legacy to be.

“Probably giving away the 10 best players for Europe to the PGA Tour. I would say so, yeah,” replied Fitzpatrick.

To the nine-time DP World Tour winner’s disappointment, Pelley introduced the ‘ten cards initiative’ under his leadership of the formerly known European Tour.

It means the top ten finishers on the Race to Dubai will earn PGA Tour cards for the following season.

And this lesser player as well:

Count Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour, among

those who wish Pelley well but aren’t necessarily sad to see him go.

“I believe KP’s departure might be a good thing for the tour as some of the membership have lost confidence on his guidance over the last couple of months,” Fernandez-Castano said in an email. “To be honest I wouldn’t have liked to be on his shoes over the last few years, when he had to deal with the pandemic and with very a poor financial situation, mostly created by poor management (oversized structure of the tour and promoting and financing most of their own tournaments).”

“I wish him the best in this new endeavor back in Canada but I will not be missing him,” Fernandez-Castano said. “I’m afraid he leaves the Tour on a worse place than where he got it and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Guy Kinnings and his new management team brings to the European Tour in the coming years.”

It's all very fascinating, though I think a lot of wishful thinking on (the most interesting thing, though, is a counter-factual, which I'll get to in a moment).  But take that Matt Fitzpatrick comment about "giving" ten players to the PGA Tour....  Matt, where do you play your golf?  Where does Rory play?  Where does Tommy play?  They're all very good at keeping their Euro Tour memberships current, but Matt doesn't seem to understand that those ten guys were gone anyway...

There was a comment from another Euro player to the effect that Euro Tour should remain a competitor of the PGA Tour, as if that horse hadn't left the paddock years ago.  It's a nice sentiment, but to me Pelley faced a much harsher reality....  His tour had already fallen into feeder tour status, the real question was whether it was a feeder tour for the Korn Ferry Tour, or for the big tour.  You can see the choice Pelley made, and it's fair to criticize, though I'm not sure it's actually fair for Matt to make that argument from America.  It's like he doesn't want the guys behind him to make the same choice....

Earlier in our process, Pelley was being criticized for a very different decision, the alliance with the PGA Tour.  Many of the guys that went to LIV (and others who stayed) thought Pelley should have met with and considered allowing LIV to invest in the Euro Tour.  Jay has been criticized for not meeting with the Saudis, but I've not piled on there, as there really was no reason for him do so at that time.

Back in the day when Saudi money was tainted, and wasn't that a time, Europe was Jay's weakest link.  Cash-starved before the pandemic and LIV incursions, they've been brain dead for quite some time.  Propping them up at the time seemed to make sense, as no one wanted to give the Saudis any kind of opening.  But I think you'll agree that things look different after June 6th, and perhaps letting Europe fall to the Saudis would have worked out better.  hard to know, but quite the interesting counter-factual at this juncture.

In terms of where things stand, I'm just going to embed this weird update:

. @jcorrigangolf says Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan recently had a lengthy phone conversation, their first since June 6, and that it has pushed negotiations forward "substantially": https://t.co/yjCTraTG9b

— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) January 12, 2024

What was all that nonsense back in December about a meeting?   Apparently nothing has been done since June.... No hurry, but can you blame Jon Rahm?

Exit Strategy - Just a couple of last bits that don't require more than a copy-and-paste from your humble blogger.  First, what's really up with Dylan Dethier today?

5. Phil Mickelson said he’s too “divisive” to be the next U.S. Ryder Cup captain when the event visits Bethpage in 2025. Assuming Mickelson is right, which would-be skipper is best suited to unite the Americans and wrest the Cup back from Europe?

Hirsh: It’s Tiger, what more do we need to talk about?

Colgan: Bring back Strick!!! (Or make Tiger captain emeritus, granting him the freedom to lead until he chooses not to. I’d probably do that.)

Dethier: Boo Weekley seems like a fella who could draw support from both sides of the aisle. If not him, then yeah — it’s Tiger.

Dylan, I hope you brought enough of those gummies to share with the class.  Respect, Boo is a pretty damn funny answer, I'm just not 100% sure he was kidding.

Lastly, on the Nike thing:

1. The famous sponsorship in professional golf history is no more. On Monday, Tiger Woods announced the long-rumored end of his partnership with Nike after 27 years. What does the end of the agreement mean for Nike’s involvement in golf? And which brand could you see Tiger landing with next?

Jack Hirsh: Boy, this is going to be weird when we see the Big Cat next. While Nike has limited stable of athletes compared to some of the other apparel brands out there, it’s still among golf’s most popular brands simply because of brand recognition and affordability. That probably won’t change much going forward because Nike is still one of the most recognizable sportswear brands in the world.

Did Tiger play a role in that? For sure. Will he make much of a different in their sales moving forward? Probably not. Would anyone? Also probably not. I think it’s likely we’ve seen the company sign its last professional golfers. They’ll probably let their deals with Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Nelly Korda, Scottie Scheffler and co. expire just like they did with Woods and make a quiet exit from the sponsorship space. Interesting, considering they just added Korda and Tom Kim last year. As for Tiger’s next brand? I’m sure he wants to go into business with himself. He’s got all the rights to his TW logo, might as well just add a clothing company to the TGR Ventures portfolio.

Dylan Dethier: Are we short-changing Arnold Palmer’s canned beverage with this “most famous sponsorship” chatter? Anyway, the point stands — the end of TW and the swoosh is a big, big deal. What does it mean for Nike Golf? I’m with Jack. There are deals in place, and when those deals expire, maybe the whole operation will fizzle out, too. Nike will still make golf shirts; they just won’t pay too many golfers to wear ‘em on Sundays. From what I understand the TW brand will live on, though I’m unclear on whether it’ll be the umbrella of an existing apparel company. My biggest question: will World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler keep wearing TW post-Nike?

James Colgan: I always thought they named Arnie after the drink … But yes, in all seriousness, I think the end of the Tiger era at Nike — combined with the company’s stated plans to cut some $2 billion in costs over the next few years — means the time of Nike Golf as a legit power-player is coming to a close. Sad, considering the legacy, but this opens a world of opportunity for luxury athleticwear companies like Lululemon, Rhone (and perhaps even On?) to enter the space.

Sure, James, but don't you think they'd be better off just burning the money....Yanno, for the heat.

I do hope Tiger sticks with a clean presentation.  I don't even love the man, but I'd hate for him to show looking like a Nascar driver....

That's it for today, kids.  No idea about the schedule, so we'll just play things by the seat of our pants.