Midweek Musings - Home Sweet Home Edition

After January's Covid-inspired debacle, the ski gods have been kind to your humble blogger.  Both subsequent trips have ended on high notes, Monday featuring 26" of fresh stuff over the last 48 hours.  I mean, if you like that sort of thing...

But just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder in our little fish bowl....

Say What? - Gotta cover a couple of things before we get to the actual news.  There's a body of thought that, because all of the a******es are self-quarantined in LIV, that the PGA Tour will become bland and lack a certain frisson, apparently forgetting that it hit that benchmark even befoere Phil and PReed left.  But their competitive advantage is for sure their whininess, even on display in moments of success:

For instance, this young man has just been invited to the Masters and PGA Championship, but is more focused on making the podium in the Victimhood Olympics:

Everything’s coming up Milhouse Niemann at the moment. The Chilean-born LIV Golf pro is en fuego, winning two of the first three events of the 2024 season and earning a golden ticket to the

Masters in the process. During his victorious post-round interview in Jeddah on Sunday, Niemann was called “one of the hottest golfers on the planet right now” and “one of the favorites to win a major championship this summer.” Those claims are tough to dispute, but Niemann himself didn’t seem thrilled with the accolades, using the opportunity to once again take aim at the OWGR, which currently rank him as no. 72 in the world.

"How is that possible," Niemann fired back at the reporter's compliments, "if I'm like 100 in the world?"

That's an easy one... because you chose to play on an Exhibition circuit in return for a huge check?  I mean, just spitballin' here....

Am I the only one that notices that now, after the checks have cleared, the money doesn't seem to be making these guys very happy?  I'll just add this 'graph since the writer, a new hand at Golf Digest unknown to your humble blogger, covers the yin and yang of it:

Between this and Talor Gooch’s recent comments about the Masters deserving an asterisk, you could start a winery with all the sour grapes being squeezed by LIV golfers as the majors approach. Unlike Gooch, however, Niemann was so motivated to play in golf's biggest events that he paid hefty fines to retain his DP World Tour membership and played in the Australian PGA Championship, Dubai Desert Classic and International Series Oman this winter, winning the Australian PGA Championship.

So, why the long face?   Sorry, are yu confusing me with someone who cares about these asshats?

As I booted up the desktop (can someone explain to my younger readers what that is?), I found this browser tab open:

LIV Golf and the World Rankings remain a mess with no simple solution

I don't even remember is I blogged that piece, but I certainly no longer need to, because it just so happens that an easy answer has presented itself:

LIV Golf gives up bid for World Ranking points as Greg Norman sounds off on board

Did they clear this with Joaquin?

LIV Golf has given up its bid to gain Official World Golf Ranking accreditation.

In a letter to membership, LIV CEO Greg Norman told players the Saudi-backed circuit will no longer attempt to appease the qualifications to earn OWGR points, which is a primary avenue into major championship fields for those otherwise not exempt through past victories.

“We have made significant efforts to fight for you and ensure your accomplishments are recognized within the existing ranking system,” Norman wrote to his constituents. “Unfortunately, OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us.”

The self absorption is quite profound, as apparently the system established by the major golf organizations is expected to ask "How high" when the Sharkie speaks.  Ironically, you would think the LIVsters might be angry at the Great White Pilot Fish, because of his assurance that OWGR points would quickly be available....  But, then again, those checks all cleared.

Amusingly, there's quite the buried lede herein, as the linked article is dated March 5th, a Tuesday, so the capitulation took place on a Monday.  That's quite the accomplishment for Mr. Norman, who has heretofore built his reputation almost exclusively on caving on Sundays.... We salute you, Greg, for continuing to show personal growth.

As for your players?  Yeah, I think we can all agree that Flounder said it best:

You f***ed up. You trusted us! Hey, make the best of it!

We're well rid of most of these guys.

You Heard It Here First -  There are no pictures of Dave Shedloski and your humble blogger together, so draw your own conclusions.... But you're gonna think that I wrote this column:

At Arnold Palmer's 'signature' event, less doesn't feel like more

Call me crazy, but that just might be because less isn't more, but do tell, Dave:

The same big-name players getting together in a limited-field, big-money tournament has its appeal, but originality isn’t part of the package.

Before the LIV Golf League came along, there were World Golf Championships. Now we have signature events.

Just 69 men tee it up Thursday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, already the fourth signature event this year on the PGA Tour and the first one that truly doesn’t need the designation. This is a tournament whose logo features the signature of perhaps the most consequential player in the history of the game.

What Dave is saying is that we've been told that these limited field events were a necessary change to ensure that "we" would know when the best players would peg it.... Except, of course, we already knew they would all be here.  The same can be said about most of those Signature Events (exceptions might include Pebble, because of the Pro-Am format, and Hartford, because it's the week after the U.S. Open).

The longtime invitational at Bay Hill Club began offering a bloated $20 million purse last year when it was referred to as an “elevated” event. Not sure what has been elevated in the 12 months since then, which is maybe why the tour opted to change the nomenclature. The event invited its traditional 120-player field in 2023, but barely more than half that number this year. If we’re doing the math right, that means Arnie’s Army is getting barely more than half the entertainment value it offered in 2023.

It was the same at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.

At least they’re still playing 72 holes.

I think Dave errs in focusing on volume, in lieu of competitiveness.   Those 70-80 missing bodies make the event far easier to win.

But Dave does better here:

But Bay Hill deserves more than this. Arnold Palmer helped in the creation of the PGA Tour with the thought of offering better playing opportunities for touring pros, among other considerations. He wouldn’t like what the tour has foisted on his namesake event.

The atmosphere on the grounds was muted all day. Granted, it was only Tuesday, but you just noticed an emptiness to the place, for lack of a better description. Will Zalatoris used the word, “bizarre,” when asked about it.

“I came out yesterday to practice for a couple hours and it feels like no one's here,” he said. “It doesn't feel bigger. I wish I could give you a better answer than just different. It’s a different feel.”

I'll also excerpt this 'graph, which only hints at the devastation inflicted by favoring a handful of tournaments:

This is not the doing of tournament officials. The tour cooked up this formula—or simply reheated it—and decided to serve it up to golf fans on eight occasions. Fans undoubtedly appreciate the attendance of many of the top players in the game, especially now that most of them aren’t exactly going out of their way to compete in the non-signature editions. And viewers at home get to see Jordan and Rory and Rickie and Scottie, et al. That sells.

Does it actually sell?  Hard to discern that from the TV ratings, but no one but Dave and I seem to even notice what's been done to the Tour's other 40+ events.

But, if this is such a screaming hot idea, why did those WGCs tank?

A signature event presumably is supposed to feel bigger, more important. Sorry, but if you have an event that once was hosted by Arnold Palmer, you don’t need much else for it to be special. We guess offering 700 FedEx Cup points to the winner might increase its importance. At least to the winner.

In other words, it’s signature because it’s Arnie’s place or because they play at Pebble Beach or Riviera, where the host is Tiger Woods, or at Muirfield Village later this year, where Jack Nicklaus, who spearheaded the tour’s founding with Palmer, hosts the Memorial Tournament.

That's a misfire from Dave, even though he's making the right points.  It used to be special because of the King (and Riviera, etc.), and there was a pleasure in seeing players pay homage to Arnie by paying in his event.  Now, their specialness has been distilled down to one single factor, purse and field size.

But again Dave only skirts the underlying issue:

That said, in countering the LIV insurgency and attempting to raise the status of a handful of events, the tour has ventured down a path that might need correcting. The have-nots of the tour are noticing the disparity in their opportunities and rewards, and they seem like they have a legitimate gripe when only one winner this year has been ranked inside the top 50 in the world—Hideki Matsuyama in the Genesis. Adam Scott, a sponsor’s exemption this week, months ago admitted that this latest foray into attempting to inject more value into a sporting event with fewer competitors could be revisited in 2025.

It does bring more value. To the players.

No, Dave, not to "the players."   It only brings value to CERTAIN PLAYERS.  Because, as we've been reliably informed, we can only grow our game if Patrick gets paid.

The Faceplant Tour™ continues....

Pulling A Sergio - He's not remotely competitive with the Spaniard, who s**t on both tours that had made him fabulously wealthy, but what is he thinking?

Paul Azinger doesn't hold back about his breakup with NBC (and suggests who should replace him)

You'd think there would be someone in his life to warn him about making an a*****e of himself, but no such luck.  Before we get to the juicy bits, see if you buy any of what he's selling here:

Instead, Azinger has been hanging on his boat, fishing frequently, and getting ready to get “his

elbows dirty” partnering with Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design to build the new riverside Miakka Golf Club in Myakka City, Florida.

“There’s always something to do, wash the wheels of your car,” he says during a phone conversation on Sunday. “It’s not too bad, and I’m not looking for a job either. I’ve had two full careers. I played the Tour for 30 years, I broadcast for about 18 years. I’m enjoying my life right now. I didn’t know I could enjoy it this much. I’m serious, I wake up with no schedule. It’s weird and it’s nice.”

And before he can be asked the obvious follow-up question, he adds, “I’m not missing golf in any capacity at all as a broadcaster. It’s hard work to be an analyst. It’s always stress and pressure. So I don’t really miss it that much. I just don’t like the way it ended.”

I might believe that, if it weren't for the red-hot anger....

The linked piece has a longer explanation of the breakdown in negotiations, but I'll instead excerpt this shorter one:

The most surprising reveal from Azinger came regarding his NBC departure. The former lead analyst shared that NBC had actually engaged with Azinger about signing him to a contract extension, even going as far as to offer him a new deal matching the financials of his existing one. According to Azinger, things fell apart after he and his agent attempted to negotiate a counteroffer. NBC didn’t take kindly to the counter … and walked away from the table. Yeesh!

It's far from clear what's going on here, and Zinger even goes out of his way to call one of the NBC folks an a****e, though he's doing a passable imitation of that himself.

But that second piece included these high points of Zinger's rant:

• Calling NBC Sports head of production Sam Flood a “real a-hole” for his handling of Azinger’s departure.
• Criticizing NBC’s repeated cost-cutting measures and apparent efforts at censoring him (apparently being a questionable comment he repeated, for the record, about legendary boxing promoter Don King).
• Blasting the PGA Tour product as a “qualifier” for LIV.
• Advocating for his apparently cash-strapped former employer to hire Charles Barkley as his successor (???).

There's way too much there, but for now I'm focused on that second bullet.  Azinger is justifiably concerned with NBC's cost-cutting, as many of us are, but assumes they'll be a heft raise for himself?   Who does he think he is, Cantlay?

I can't attest to NBC's transparency with their analyst, and it may well be that there were mixed feelings about his performance, no surprise since he was routinely taken to task by Golf Twitter.  But he seems to have greatly overestimated his own performance, and knows he can trash NBC without any risk of them responding.

Let's focus on the other bits that are just bizarre and self-destructive.  Yeah, Charles Barkley is a funny guy, but is our Zinger thinking that NBC broadcasts need to be more of a clown show?  More importantly could they be?   Barkley would be a fun guy to have chiming in occasionally, but this comment tells us more about Azinger than about NBCX and the Tour.

LIV ‘QUALIFIER’

Azinger’s assertion that the Tour has become “a qualifier” for LIV was extra spicy.

“The best players aren’t all playing PGA Tour tournaments. That’s over,” he said. “Let’s just say it like this: the PGA Tour has fast become the qualifier for LIV and it’s a sad day for golf.”

Was it a true sentiment? Ehrm … not really. But it was revealing to hear Azinger’s perspective on golf’s tour wars (however jaded they may be) after two years without a LIV whisper in the NBC booth.

Say what you will about ‘Zinger — if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that he’ll never let the facts get in the way of a good story. (Don’t we all?!)

So he'll be going to LIV?  We're all a little put out with the PGA Tour and the loss of talent, but has Paul been dipping into the 'shrooms?  You don't need to be Nate Silver to know that PGA Tour fields are infinitely stronger (and deeper) than LIV, so why needlessly soil your name with this kind of infantile nonsense?

But it gets even crazier:

That’s half the reason that Azinger has no interest in calling the PGA Tour. Here’s the other half: “I don’t want to get in too much hot water and make big headlines or anything but the best players aren’t on the PGA Tour,” he says. “They’re scattered all over the place and that’s a sad day that’s similar to what happened in tennis. The best players are going to be at the four majors, just like tennis, and it’s unfolding right before our eyes.

“I’d rather call the Senior Tour than the PGA Tour to tell you the truth. I’m over the PGA Tour. To call the best senior players in the world, at least they’re the best.”

That first half is equally crazy, but has anyone told Paul that the Senior Tour is run by the same folks that he's in the process of crapping on?

Apparently he wants to ensure that he'll never have any further role in professional golf, and I think we can declare Mission Accomplished.  I'll just leave you with this howler:

Azinger wants to make clear he isn’t bitter

I simply can't imagine why anyone would think that.....

Parting Shot: Just caught this in my Twitter Feed:

Not sure I've ever seen a player being put out on their own in a first round before. It is wrong and against competition, in my opinion https://t.co/WSA6ywy99m

— James Corrigan (never had a blue tick) (@jcorrigangolf) March 5, 2024

It's the law of untended consequences..  They limit the field to ensure that Patrick cashes a big check, so what's James off on.  Well, there's only sixty-nine player sin the field, so they can play as twosomes.  But..... and I know math is hard, but that's an odd number.... So, lucky Nick Dunlap:

The stupidity is in the field size.  If you have a full field and are in threesomes, there's no issue with having an odd two-ball.  

That's it for today, kids.  Catch you down the road.