Tuesday Trifles - Even More Minimalist Edition

I'm gonna give you like an hour..... Not much going on, but at least we'll close a few browser tabs.

All Things TGL -  Color me skeptical, but I'll also acknowledge I'm probably not the target market.  For instance, by now I hate each and every one of these guys, so there's that little detail.

But there's little else to talk about so we're off:

A shot clock (!) and timeouts (!!) are coming to golf as Tiger and Rory’s TGL league unveils more wrinkles

Do you need a shot clock n simulator golf?  I didn't realize that J.B. Holmes was included....

Just days after introducing its 15-hole match-play format and points-based scoring system, TGL announced on Monday that it will institute a 40-second shot clock that will be enforced by a referee,

though teams will have the opportunity to call a timeout before incurring a one-stroke penalty.

According to Mike McCarley, CEO of TMRW Sports and TGL, the format and technology used for the new indoor league allows it to incorporate elements that are familiar to sports fans from other sports in ways that would not translate on a traditional golf course. “Instituting a shot clock and timeouts will help make matches entertaining, fast-paced, and exciting for sports fans,” McCarley said in a press release. “These elements also add another level of strategy for the players in how they approach team decisions similar to other sports.”

Penalty shots?  Didn't know that Tianglang Guan was in the field....

 Lots of rules:

Each team will have four timeouts at its disposal in a match but can only use two per session, and it cannot call timeouts back-to-back without hitting a shot. TGL announced Wednesday that its 15-match season will feature a nine-hole alternate shot session among three players followed by six holes of singles split into three two-hole matches. A team collects a point for each hole it wins. Ties are broken with an overtime session consisting of a closest-to-the-pin contest.

The season standings also will reflect a points system similar to professional hockey. The top four teams among the six teams in the league advance to the playoffs. The six teams, representing different cities, are composed of four PGA Tour players each. Other than the Boston team, which features McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Tyrell Hatton and Adam Scott, rosters for the league are still to be filled out. Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa also have committed to teams from Atlanta and Los Angeles, respectively.

 They don't actually tell us what a session is, but I'm sure it'll rock.

Smart how they're doing this, stocking the Boston team with those that have longstanding ties to that community.  Yanno, guys like Rory and Hatton...And the drama of whether Tiger will play.  I mean, simplistically, it's golf without walking, so I'll lay a marker that he'll play.

The Tour Confidential panel weighed in unsurprisingly, as the next Tiger meme they skip will also be the first:

1. As the January debut of Tiger Woods’ tech-infused golf league nears (TGL), last week we found out the format they’ll play in the SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Fla. It’s 15 holes per competition, with three-man alternate shot for the first nine holes (“Triples”), then six holes of head-to-head play (“Singles”). What do you think about the format? Is it intriguing enough to keep your attention? Or the average fan’s attention?

Josh Berhow: I think it is, especially since they are somewhat handcuffed with options. It’s not like we are going to watch these guys play a scramble. But I think the most important aspect here will be the 22,000-square-foot short-game area, which they’ll use for anything inside 50 yards and putting. We’ve never really seen anything like what this short-game area promises to deliver — in a stadium surrounded by spectators, with actuators and jacks to change the slope of the 3,800-square-foot green — so that will be fun to see how it works.

It might be.  It certainly looks crazy:

Intriguing viewers is one thing, it then needs to hold them for fifteen weeks.  That seems overly aggressive, no?

Josh Sens: Makes me think of those old, silly skills challenges, updated for the high-tech, reality-TV age. In that sense, should make for a good showcase for ridiculously talented shotmakers, so golf fans should get a kick of that part. The problem with that kind of entertainment is that a little of it goes a long way. Whether the spectacle draws a wide and long-term audience will depend, I think, on other elements of the production. The quality of the editing. The commentators. The banter among the players. The silly season was fun because it was a short season. I’m not convinced there will be a sustained appetite for what TGL is serving, but then I thought Holey Moley was unwatchable and it went on for several seasons, so what do I know?

Editing?  Is this not being broadcast live?  But Holey Moley was new to this observer, but perhaps a suitably low bar... 

Sean Zak: I really like the idea of three-man alternate shot. And just 15 holes. And a time slot that doesn’t stretch past two hours. I think part of the allure of this product will be creating some form of heroism. Where on a given night, Boston Common wins because Keegan Bradley made consecutive 30-footers and the in-arena reaction flies around social media. But, as LIV Golf realized, you can create a platform for golfing brilliance, but that doesn’t mean it’ll happen right away. (If I’m making the schedule, I’m leading with Rory’s team against Justin Thomas’, and every commercial break I’m playing promo for Tiger’s debut the following week. Unfortunately, I’m not in charge of the schedule.)

Of course.  But that was the aim of the WGC's and LIV, and any actual heroism was of the tree-falling-in-the-forest ilk.

And your humble blogger's takeaway from all 114 installments of The Match is that these guys are pretty boring.  Except, yanno, Barkley, but I'm unclear as to which TGL franchise he'll be on.  Here's one more rendering of the excitement:

Can't you just smell the beers being spilled.....  It's The Wasted, only indoors.

We've got more from Rory today, but this strikes me as an odd sales pitch:

Rory McIlroy shares first look at TGL “clubhouse” locker rooms

 

Hey, I'm completely sold.  Hard to tell from that sepia tone, but they seem to have grabbed Celtic colors.... 

Your mileage may and probably should vary wildly, but what a weird time to launch this venture.  I have little interest in watching these guys play on real golf courses unless there's something important at stake (which happens exactly four times a year), so the appeal of seeing them hitting into screens eludes me.

But I am dying to know whether Patrick will wear a hat.... as I expect all America needs to know.

All Things Rory - About the only they haven't done is name Yasir as a TGL franchise owner, so maybe that's the snag in the PIF-PGA negotiations.  But during our two years of hell, the one constant has always been that Rory shooting off his mouth hasn't helped the process.

So, Rory's opened his pie hole once more, and one assumes it'll be....well, let's see what we have:

During a press conference for Boston Common Golf, one of six founding teams that will represent the mixed-reality league in 2024, McIlroy was joined by his teammates Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott and Tyrrell Hatton at the podium. And after 20 minutes of learning their thoughts on the franchise, their own connections with Boston and what they’re looking forward to, a very specific question was directed to McIlroy.

“Rory, a lot of the things you were mentioning [about TGL] — expanding the demographics and kind of interactivity with players — are a lot of the same things we heard with LIV when they were starting up and trying to change golf and make it more louder—“

“Louder, yeah,” McIlroy said. He didn’t seem thrilled by the topic.

“Why is [TGL] something you are excited about when [LIV] was something you were notably not excited about?”

That's easy.  It's different because Rory ius getting paid.... Anything else matter?

“Again, I think this is meant to be complementary. It’s not meant to be disruptive in any way,” McIlroy said. “So whenever Mike McCarley brought this idea to Tiger and I, I think one of the first things we said, well, ‘If you’re going to do this, we’re going to have to try to partner with the PGA Tour in some way and really try to make this complementary.’ So I think that was the first thing. This wasn’t adversarial at all. It was trying to, ‘How can we be additive to the entire system?’”

 No real issues with that content-free drivel....

But this bit is curious:

“And I think when you look at — we’re pretending to be competitive and it’s a different type of golf, but it’s not the traditional golf you see week in and week out. So, I don’t want to sit here and talk about LIV, but I think you can make an argument that they haven’t innovated enough away from what traditional golf is. Or they’ve innovated too much that they’re not traditional golf. They’re sort of caught in no-man’s land. Where [TGL] is so far removed from what we know golf to be.”

Say what?

I don't even know what to make of that, because I don't consider TGL to be golf.  Oh, I get that golf is involved, but it's a glorified video game.  LIV is golf, it's just the worst possible version thereof, which would be OK if Tiger and Rory weren't determined to turn the PGA Tour into LIV....

Now stick with me, because Rory made another appearance that is also interesting:

If you were watching CNBC around noon ET Monday, the image might have caught you by

surprise: There, on either side of the screen, sat the prospective futures of the PGA Tour.

To the left was Rory McIlroy, the four-time major champion and de facto voice of the PGA Tour, sporting attentive eyes and a warm smile. To the right was McIlroy’s business partner, Tom Werner, Red Sox owner and Fenway Sports Group chairman and founder, wearing the same frog-logo knit sweater as his professional golf counterpart.

Officially, the two men were on CNBC to discuss their partnership with the TGL, McIlroy and Tiger Woods’ techy Tuesday night golf league that will soon feature many of the biggest faces on the PGA Tour. Werner is financially vested in the league as the principal owner of the league’s New England-based franchise, Boston Common Golf. On Monday, BCL had its team launch presser, which brought the squad’s owner (Werner) alongside its star player (McIlroy) for a short spot on The Halftime Report from Fenway Park.

The pair’s shared airtime, though, was much more interesting than a promotional carwash. Monday may have marked the first time that Werner and McIlroy have appeared together in public in an official capacity, but it isn’t the first time their names have been connected in recent weeks.

Here's the connective tissue I'm after:

Werner’s primary employer, sports business goliath Fenway Sports Group, has been heavily linked in conversations relating to its potentially taking a private equity stake in the PGA Tour —

rumors that have only heated up in recent days. McIlroy, on the other hand, is one of six player directors on the Tour’s Policy Board who will likely be tasked with ratifying a potential big-name investor to shore up the Tour’s finances.

Werner hadn’t denied making an offer to the Tour, nor had he denied his involvement with McIlroy in forming that offer. Add in the fact that Fenway’s offer reportedly includes Mets owner Steve Cohen and Falcons owner Arthur Blank — coincidentally the highly influential owners of both the Atlanta and New York TGL teams — and suddenly it seems there’s an awful lot of overlap between the negotiations for the future of the PGA Tour and the entertainment product being launched by its two biggest stars. (A product, mind you, in which the PGA Tour owns an equity stake.)

Ari Emanuel, eat your heart out!  But, gee, I wonder which of those five bidde4rs will win the day:

But before entering into negotiations for a stake in the future of pro golf, it certainly helps to count the two biggest voices on the policy board — Woods and McIlroy — among your current business partners. Werner’s contingent has this backing along with the goodwill of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who was a Fenway executive before he joined the Tour.

“Follow the money” has proved a powerful axiom over these last two years in pro golf, and it may be useful again here. The bidding for the future of the PGA Tour is still a long way from the finish line, but right now the money seems to be running through, of all places, the TGL.

Neither Werner nor McIlroy spoke a peep of this on television screens across the U.S. early on Monday afternoon. But then again, they didn’t need to.

As they spoke shoulder-to-shoulder in glowing terms about the future of golf, their sweaters said it all.

It's all rigged.  We just don't know whether the end game is a deal with PIF or to use private equity to freeze them out.  

But wait, there's more.  Rory, who's been wrong about.....checking notes, everything, has good news for us:

On Monday, McIlroy made an appearance at a press conference for his TGL team, Boston

Common, and told reporters he is convinced that Rahm, a two-time major winner and reigning Masters champion, has no interest in going to LIV.

"I spoke to Jon a couple days ago and would be very, very surprised if that were to happen," McIlroy said. "I'm pretty confident Jon is a PGA Tour player."

Rahm has yet to dispel the rumors about any potential departure to the Saudi Arabia-funded league since his TGL announcement last Thursday, when he wrote on social media: "I am sad to confirm that I will not be participating in the first TGL season. While I still think it's a great opportunity, right now it would require a level of commitment that I can't offer. Best of luck to everyone [involved] and may the best team win!"

That's probably right for now, as it would be a surpassingly weird time to jump.  On the flip side, that $400 million ask seems weirdly specific, so there's that....

This should have gone above, as it's more about the TGL than about the Spaniard:

2. Also last week, we learned TGL now has one less star, since Jon Rahm withdrew from the league after he was originally one of the first players to sign on. While there are still several stars on TGL’s roster, how important will securing the big-name players be to its longevity and success? Or can the fun, laid-back format fuel it?

Berhow: It’s going to be crucial, and some players might come and go over the years if this thing sticks around, but it’s a lot like what we see in a regular PGA Tour season: More people are going to watch if Tiger, Rory and Rickie are playing. (I’d really love to see Spieth join this league, by the way! He has the star power and personality to be a really nice addition). That said, one of the most important factors here will be the entertainment element. These guys can hit the shots, yes, but we’ll need some fun banter or stories or conversation to keep it loose. Some of the forced chatter we’ve seen in some of the made-for-TV matches won’t cut it.

Sens: The names do seem crucial for the initial draw. But if it’s going to last, there has to be more to it than Rickie and Tiger and Rory hitting amazing wedge shots and talking their (let’s be honest) pretty boring version of smack. This gets down again to the other elements of the production. There’s lots of competition out there for eyeballs, and attention spans are even shorter than an indoor course.

Zak: Losing Rahm feels like a pretty big deal. He’s slowly becoming one of the most influential voices/figures in the sport. He’s probably the single player most likely to remain in the top 10 for the next 10 years. Maybe he’ll join season two! If there is a season two …

Here's the ironic bit.  The only actual player that's demonstrated a sufficient gift for gab to hold an audience is that Phil guy, and I'm pretty sure he won't be involved.  None of the other guys were sufficiently engaging to hold our attention through a 12-hole match, so fifteen weeks seems a rather large ask.

Overinterpreting Much? - Last it6em for today, one that I'm attaching way too much significance to for sure.  But when it comes to architectural criticism, this is my go-to guy:

Kelly Kraft, after finishing 71st at last week’s World Wide Technology Championship, says the PGA Tour could do a better job at picking tournament courses.

“Best part about this week was having my family here and watching the @rangers win the World Series!! About the golf, not sure where to start. All I will say is the @pgatour could do a better job at picking courses to host these events. In my opinion this wasn’t my favorite course, and I’ve played on tour for a little while. Better luck next week

“Side note, I will say that @wwt_inc did a great job with what they had. Thanks for the hospitality!”

So, click for a wide range of guardedly favorable comments  from Tour players, though with this caveat:

Still, those thoughts were given in Tour settings, in front of cameras, and opinions tend to be reserved.

On Instagram, Kraft’s post was liked fellow by Tour pros Sam Ryder, who tied for 10th; Dylan Wu, who didn’t play; and LIV Golf player Cameron Tringale.

My question is simple, would Kelly Kraft have criticized a Tiger design two years ago?  We can't know for sure, but in those two years Tiger has authored a takeover of the Tour's operations by the elite players, and has now been placed on the Tour's Advisory Board  

To this observer, the most under-reported part of this story is who wanted Tiger on the Advisory Board and to what purpose?  I will speculate that Kelly Kraft assumes that Tiger will not have his interests at heart, and I certainly don't think he's wrong in that.

We saw a similar thing in that Grayson Murray - Rory dust-up in Canada, and I think we'll see a wave of disgruntlement from the Tour rabbits who have been carved out of the gravy train.  Not our kind, Dearie!.

That's it for now.  I'll see you down the road, said without a clue as to what that might mean.

Weekend Wrap - Minimalist Edition

A slow news cycle, a later arrival at the keyboard and an unmotivated blogger is a recipe for..... Well, don't you have something you need to get to?

Golf Isn't Life - I was dropping in and out of the coverage (thanks, Fox, for showing us the Giants instead of the Eagles-Cowboys), and had some frivolous bits planned.  Alas, real life was more important this week:

When the stakes were the highest?” NBC’s George Savaricas began his post-round interview. Van Rooyen had made back-to-back-to-back putts from outside 20 feet to erase a two-shot deficit to Matt Kuchar.

Van Rooyen paused for what felt like the longest 10 seconds ever. By the time his lips opened, there were tears coming down his cheek.

“Sorry,” he finally replied.

“I was calm because there’s bigger stuff in life than golf,” van Rooyen said.

The 33-year-old was referring to his best friend and former University of Minnesota teammate, Jon Trasamar. Trasamar has been battling Stage 4 melanoma for more than a year and while he hoped he had cleared it by late 2022, he hadn’t. According to reporting by Ryan French, after failing to make it out of the first stage of Q-School last fall, Trasamar went for a follow-up, and it was discovered the cancer had spread to his ribs. Despite treatment and improvement, another trip to the doctor this past February revealed the cancer spread to his liver, back, spine and legs.

Now, van Rooyen said Trasamar has just six to 10 weeks to live.

Am the only one for whom this evokes Crenshaw at Augusta after burying Harvey Penick?   I had actually been focused on Van Rooyen's iffy playing status, obviously the lesser issue here, which in a certain way might have actually helped him:

“At the end of the day, whether I won here or I lost here, it really did not matter. When something motivates you like that, whether you make a putt or miss a putt, who cares?”

He paid no mind to the fact he’s been playing this entire fall for his job. Van Rooyen came into the week ranked 125th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, the bubble man to keep his card when the season ends in two weeks.

Van Rooyen has mostly hung around the fringes of the Tour, his game and statistics all quite ordinary, with just the one exception.  He is the leader in clubhouse when it comes to porn 'staches, so we're delighted that he secured playing privilege's for the near future.

LIVitation Blues -  Bit of a Hot Tuna shout-out there, not that anyone but the author is expected to get it.  Just a couple of odd bits to mull, first this surprising news:

The PGA Tour, in a surprising decision, will let its players participate in an upcoming LIV Golf

event.

As first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Alex Miceli and confirmed by GOLF.com on Saturday, Tour players can play without penalty next month in the LIV Golf Promotions event, which will award its top three finishers a spot in the 48-player LIV tour next year. Previously, the PGA Tour had deemed LIV Golf events to be “unauthorized events,” and its players who played in them were subject to a one-year Tour suspension.

But in a statement, the Tour said the Promotions event “is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorized series” — so no suspension.

That's some world class Nuancy Boy logic there.  The man who told us that anyone playing a LIV event would never again  play in a PGA Tour event is now saying it's peachy keen to attempt to qualify for said disqualifying events.... I'm sure this makes sense to someone.

The Tour Confidential panel had some brief thoughts:

3. As first reported by Sports Illustrated, PGA Tour players can play without penalty at next month’s LIV Golf Promotions event, where the top-three finishers secure one of LIV Golf’s 48 available spots. The Tour said this LIV event is “a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorized series.” Are you surprised? And does this tell us anything about the PGA Tour and LIV’s relationship at this point?

Berhow: We probably shouldn’t be, given the framework agreement among the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF, yet it’s still a little surprising, given we previously haven’t been used to any semblance of unity between the PGA Tour and LIV. But I’m extremely interested to see how many or which PGA Tour members enter the promotions event.

Sens: Not surprising. The tours have already agreed to lay down their gloves. The legal battle is over, and the PGA Tour has also lost any claim to being on the right side of any fight over ‘ethics.’ This seems like a further extension of the olive branch that has already been offered. But given all the lingering questions about the proposed merger itself, it seems too early to see this as evidence of anything other than neither side has the energy for, or interest in, any kind of a fight.

Zak: I’m actually not surprised at all. The only players who will consider doing this are the fringe folks who missed out on keeping their Tour card. In the event they qualify, it’ll be up to them if they want to take the plunge into LIV full-time. And by the time the next season begins, there should be more clarity on if LIV and the Tour are enemies, frenemies or cousins within the same family.

Funny how that laying down of gloves didn't seem to be binding on the OWGR folks....

It's true that this is only for the downtrodden of the golfing world, a market segment that Jay would poll poorly among, but also not one to whom he  needs to pay much attention.

But the olive branch is curious.  That piece on the decision had this about the status of negotiations:

Key here is the word ‘proposed.’ The agreement on the Tour side needs approval, and there’s been little word on the negotiations. But could this recent decision be a signal of where things are headed?

Maybe. You’re not wrong in thinking this feels like an olive branch. Or it could be nothing.

But little word isn't quite the same as no word, and what word we've heard has been more like this:

While the private equity component to a future deal is accelerating, multiple sources say negotiations with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund have been sluggish.

“Less than zero progress,” said one source with insight on the current status. Two other sources attribute the slow pace to the Saudis waiting to see how the private equity element takes shape, having calculated that a deal involving only the Tour and the PIF would be vulnerable to opposition by the Department of Justice on antitrust grounds.

The Framework Agreement has a Dec. 31 deadline to reach a definitive deal between the Tour and the PIF, but that date is widely expected to be pushed deep into 2024.

Could be, or perhaps Yasir is just playing hardball over that Augusta National membership.

That last bit came from this article, even more perplexing to this observer:

Exclusive: PGA Tour narrows list of potential investors to five, including powerful ‘friends of golf'

 Friends of golf?  Why not, they're already prepared to jump into bed with the enemies of civilization....

The PGA Tour has winnowed the list of companies being considered as private equity partners in its new for-profit entity, and it includes some of the most prominent figures in American finance, Golfweek has learned. From more than a dozen initial suitors, five groups remain in the mix to be the primary investment partner in PGA Tour Enterprises, which was created with the June 6 announcement of a Framework Agreement with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which is also expected to invest in the entity that could reshape the elite level of men’s professional golf.

The five companies still under consideration are: Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which is partnered with investors Steven Cohen and Arthur Blank; Liberty Strategic Capital; Acorn Growth Companies; Eldridge Industries; and a group of influential individuals being referred to as Friends of Golf. Beyond the five groups bidding to be the Tour’s main private equity partner, several other companies remain in the conversation as potential investors of additional capital.

There are bigger questions, but what does that last sentence mean?   

This is the bit that has me laughing out loud, though perhaps your results will vary:

A source familiar with the intensely guarded process said all of the groups being considered are focused on a long-term relationship rather than on short-term returns.

Yeah, I'll bet.  So, anyone care to explain what is they'd be funding, that is above and beyond Cantlay's hat logo.

They go through the parties and you can dive in as you see fit.  This is of interest for an obvious reason:

Acorn Growth Company’s portfolio was built largely in the defense, intelligence and aerospace industries. Its U.S.-centric investment focus might appeal to the Tour as it attempts to counter claims by Sen. Richard Blumenthal that the Saudi deal amounts to a hostile takeover of an American institution by a foreign wealth fund. Among those attached to Acorn’s bid is Randall Stephenson, the former CEO of AT&T, who resigned from the board of the PGA Tour in July citing concerns about working with the Saudis.

Hmmm.... Morals seem to be especially situational lately, but that's rather a quick turnaround from Mr. Stephenson, unless.... 

But in a situation that has been far too opaque, this is profoundly weird:

According to sources, the Friends of Golf group features a number of financial titans with a shared love of the game, including Wall Street legends George Roberts and Henry Kravis, along with several other individuals.

Really?  That's all your giving us?  

George Roberts is 80 years old and Kravis is 79, so that's the future of our game, apparently.

But what does this tell us, given that the only thing the Saudis bring to the table is cash, the rather public search for free money seems quite odd...

Of course, these guys could be Plan B, or just a reminder to Yasir that the Tour has other options.  There's been speculation that these parties would invest alongside the Saudis, or at least provide cover as noted above.

Buckle up, it'll get interesting.

Screw The Kids - I'm old enough to remember when Graeme McDowell was a good guy, as Employee No.2 aqnd I had reason to be grateful to him way back when.  He was Rainsuit Man back then, but now he's just another self-absorbed jerk:

In an interview with the Asian Tour, early LIV adopter Graeme McDowell praised Lopez-Chacarra and Puig for their decisions to join the Saudi-backed PGA Tour rival.

“It is interesting for these young guys, you look at Chacarra and Puig in particular, they have chosen the LIV path, and we are not really familiar with that path,” McDowell said. “They have taken a massive risk in a way but they have both kicked on and I’m really happy with these guys.”

I think we can all agree that Graeme being happy is all that matters....  The kids destroying their fledgling careers being an acceptable risk, at least for Graeme.

But obviously the mushrooms have kicked in:

“They have been ostracised a little bit from the young golfing world, but they have used the LIV Golf League as a platform and taken things to the next level,” McDowell said. “I’m happy to see them kick on the way they are – they are going to be great young players. I hope the world opens up for them and they get the opportunity to try and win Majors as well.”

That scenario, however, looks unlikely, with LIV Golf not earning world ranking points anytime soon, two major championships recently announcing they would not alter their entry criteria in 2024 to account for LIV golfers.

You must be so damn proud, Graeme, encouraging them to be ostracized (that "little is a nice touch) to the point that they may never play in a major.  It's pretty obvious to any observer that what a young player needs to develop their game, frequent reps and the need to earn status, isn't available on LIV, but they did cash a check, which one hopes was big.

But what is this "next level" he speaks of?  A couple of the youngsters made some money, which I don't think at all replaces the invaluable experience they avoided.  But here's the reality, Graeme:

Ogletree didn’t play another LIV event in 2022, but will rejoin the league full-time in 2024 after winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Pettit, meanwhile was dropped by his team after the 2022 season and joined the Asian Tour. However, he recently made it through the first stage of Q-School after his one-year ban for playing in the LIV Golf Team Championship last October lapsed (or lapsed enough). He’s seeking to become the first former LIV Golfer to earn PGA Tour status.

Piot has played in every LIV event in 2023, but he finished 47th in the standings, meaning he was relegated and will have to re-earn a spot in the league by finishing in the top three of the LIV Promotions event.

I wouldn't want to be that guy encouraging the kids to take the easy way out.....  We'll see how it plays out, but they ruin the risk of being in perpetual golf purgatory, not a risk I'd encourage at the start of a promising career.

I'll eave you with his odd, but amusing, bit:

PIP money https://t.co/cG1bVvNN20

— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) November 4, 2023

To this observer it reeks of entitlement, though that's pretty much the same thing.

I'll leave you hear.  I've no clue as to a blogging schedule, or even what might be available to blog, so we'll be ad-libbing.  Have a great week.

Late-Week Lamentations - Shoulder Season Edition

I'm starting tis late Thursday morning, although I don't imagine that you'll see it until Friday.....

The TGL Moment - You really can't make this up.  In a world in which exactly no one watches actual golf on Sunday afternoons, apparently millions...no, strike that, billions will tune in to see them play virtually?  Yeah, that's the ticket!

So, what's it all about, Alfie?

Over the last year, TGL has continuously announced player signings and team owners to build anticipation for the new tech-infused golf league led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Golf fans knew the basics – six teams of four PGA Tour players competing in 15 regular season matches, followed by semifinals and finals matches all at a high-tech short-game complex – but we didn’t know what an actual competition would look like. On Tuesday the competition format, regular-season points system and postseason details were all released as the first match on Tuesday, Jan. 9, approaches.

Here’s what you need to know about the format for TGL.

 Let's see what they've got for us:

Match play

Each match will feature two sessions with different formats. Session 1 will be 9 holes of “Triples,” three vs. three team alternate shot. Session 2 is 6 holes of “Singles,” a head-to-head competition where each competitor plays two holes.

Holes are worth 1 point and the team with the fewest shots on a hole wins the point. Ties are worth 0 points. If a match is all square at the end of the 15 holes, players will compete head-to-head until a team hits two shots closer to the pin than its competitors.

It’s a unique format to say the least, and the Triples session could provide some entertainment. That said, the Singles session may confuse viewers with a revolving door of players, and the closest-to-the-pin overtime tiebreaker has the potential to drag out (remember the first Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson match?).

Triples?  Although it does sound better when you think of it as a tripartite alternate shot, but still...

But it's the venue/set-up that might interest some:

Venue

SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is a nearly 250,000-square-foot venue that will accommodate approximately 1,600 people on match nights during TGL’s inaugural season. The tech-infused course is roughly the size of a football field.

Players will hit tee and approach shots from real grass tee boxes, fairway surfaces, rough, and sand on long shots into a 64×46-foot screen (roughly 20 times a standard simulator) powered by Full Swing technology.

For shots within 50 yards or less, players will transition from Screenplay to Greenplay to a custom-built “Green Zone” that is larger than four basketball courts and includes three 15×27 foot Virtual Greens, also by Full Swing. Each green features 189 actuators and jacks that change the slope of the green to create a variety of play on every TGL hole.

It might be twenty times larger, but it's still simulator golf....  And no doubt LIV has their sights set on an actuator arms race....LIV will be eating their hearts out, because five franchises have already been sold:

Atlanta Drive GC: led by Arthur M. Blank, AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, PGA Tour Superstores)

TGL Boston: led by John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, and Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, RFK Racing)

Los Angeles Golf Club: led by Alexis Ohanian (Angel City FC), Seven Seven Six, Serena Williams and Venus Williams; as well as limited partners the Antetokounmpo brothers, Alex Morgan, Servando Carrasco and Michelle Wie West

TGL New York: led by Steven A. Cohen (New York Mets), Cohen Private Ventures

TGL San Francisco: a group led by Avenue Sports Fund’s Marc Lasry, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson

We seem to be short one franchise, though twenty-four players were announced here, and I'll just excerpt this one randomly (just a reminder that I don't do anything randomly):

Jon Rahm

“As soon as I learned about TGL, I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it,” said Rahm. “As an avid user of the latest tech in golf with launch monitors, simulators and virtual greens and my personal passion for gaming, I immediately recognized the potential for TGL to introduce golf to a broader global audience — especially younger fans. I’m proud to announce my commitment to compete and help shape the future of golf for the next generation.”

Sure, Rahmbo would be one of your first calls for sure.  But should I be concerned that the Spaniard didn't pledge his fealty to TGL?  Because, well you know....

Everyone is excited, though I'm hoping this guy is joking here:

🚨🏌🏻‍♂️📱Collin Morikawa’s was ecstatic as he received the call to join @WeAreLAGC from @alexisohanian: “I just got chills through my body, I don’t think I’ve ever answered a call like this, I got my Ryder Cup call this year, but I think this tops it almost.”

{🎥: @WeAreLAGC} pic.twitter.com/E0Yms5Vy4h

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) November 1, 2023

A week or more back, a few pieces like this appeared:

Does playing in TGL prohibit players from joining LIV Golf? A LIV official weighs in

 Isn't that ass-backward?

From the LIV side, Gary Davidson, who served as LIV’s acting COO before Lawrence Burian was named to the position Monday, said last week he does not believe “there would be a conflict” if a golfer who joined TGL showed interest in LIV.

“We’re open to who may want to play,” Davidson said. “We’re not limiting where our players come (from) to play. We obviously want them to commit to play in our 14-team events. Beyond that, we are very open to them playing in other tour events in other weeks, indeed on Monday night in TGL if they want to. It wouldn’t cause any issues from our side.

“Isn’t something that’s come up as being an issue as yet and I think that there would be room for that.”

The issue would seem to be exactly the reverse, to wit, that Tiger and Rory won't allow any LIVsters to sully their squeaky clean money grab, and a cursory review of those twenty-four names confirms that expectation.

But, hold the phone Alice, we've got breaking news:

Jon Rahm won't play TGL in 2024 as rumors fly on social media

The league sent the following statement Thursday morning:

“We will miss (Rahm) during the inaugural TGL season. We understand that players have to balance a lot of different facets of their professional and personal lives and respect Jon’s choice and wish him well.”

The league said it will name a new player to replace Rahm soon.

The news sent social media into a frenzy with rumors and claims that Rahm may be the next player to join LIV Golf, especially after Phil Mickelson and LIV officials said at the recent team championship that new talent would make the jump to LIV in 2024. Rahm was at one point managed by Phil’s brother, Tim, and both Rahm and Lefty are managed by the same agency, Sportfive.

Say it ain't so, Jon!

It's a good thing I've been telling y'all to keep your eyes on Rahm since the word "fealty" passed his lips, although I don't know what to make of this move.  Rahm has always been the ultimate enigma on this subject, articulating better than most the reasons for staying, while simultaneously arguing for amnesty for guys like Sergio, who went out of their way to piss on both tours as he left.

Still, a strange time to jump to LIV, no?  I guess we're going to find out what the man actually believes or, in the alternative, his price.  Before going to press I caught this from Shippy that captures the moment:

This is LIV’s conundrum. It had a recruiting advantage when Tour purses were $9 million. Now, not so much. LIV forced the upgrades to PGA TourU, which locked up Aberg/Sargent. PIP + TGL=funny $ for Tour loyalists. LIV’s only way forward is huge signing bonuses. Your move, Yasir. https://t.co/Ie66eKrhgh

— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) November 2, 2023

How many zeroes would it take?

Circling back, Geoff has some thoughts that go in both directions, first this logical reason for Rahmbo to give TGL a miss:

The WD may be as simple as a Scottsdale resident realizing he would spend too many hours flying cross-country for an unproven concept. One that would mean less time at home with a young family and featuring little career upside as he prepares for 2024’s biggest events. (When Rahm committed a year ago the TGL concept was expected to move around and play near PGA Tour events as an early week kickoff to festivities. Year one is locked into a Palm Beach venue.)

Presumably the travel issues explain why major-focused non-Floridians Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth have passed.

Two young children at home make that believable, yet Geoff informs that the Spaniard does indeed have a number:

Given the timing of Rahm’s TGL WD long after he knew a Florida-only plan was hatched, there will be speculation the move is a precursor to a departure for LIV Golf and a spot on Sergio’s Fireplaces squad. Or more likely, Rahm’s own franchise. The Rahminators would be on brand for LIV.

DP World Tour golfer and LIV antagonist Eddie Pepperell says Rahm recently named a “prohibitively large” asking price and LIV said no. Rahm has also dropped $400 million as a number incapable of changing his life. Where did that come from? And are you sure about that?

With chances increasing of a non-consummation between the PGA Tour and LIV of their “Events of June 6th” deal, it appears a cash infusion may be coming from private equity types not named Endeavor. So signing Rahm would be the ideal way for Saudi Arabia to let the world know LIV is here to stay.

Maybe $400 million doesn't change Rahm's life, but his taking it would certainly change mine.

Wither The Honda - The event formerly known as the Honda should serve as a cautionary tale to any company considering partnering with the organized crime family that operates out of Ponte Vedra Beach.  After 42 years of loyal sponsorship, the nice folks at Honda woke up to see themselves landlocked between elevated events the two weeks before and two weeks after their date.  Before we get to the latest, this possibility had been floated a few months back:

Are you ready for the Saudis replacing Honda at PGA National Resort? You never know | D'Angelo

It's not like there's a local Jewish populace that might have an issue with that, is there?

The good news is that that doesn't seem likely to happen, but the reality is quite curious. 

Exclusive: PGA Tour taking over management of former Honda Classic, new title sponsorship on the verge of signing

But here's the first bit to catch my eye:

Honda became the title sponsor in 1982 but, as first reported by Golfweek, said the 2023 edition would be its final year in that role. At the time, it was the longest-running sponsor on the Tour. According to a tournament director who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Honda was willing to pay $13 million per year to renew as title sponsor but balked when the Tour played hardball and demanded $15 million.

“The Tour thought it had a replacement waiting in the wings that was willing to pay the 15 (million) they were asking but they backed out,” the same source said.

Don't you just love those PVB suits?  After forty-two years of support and completely screwing them on the 2023 schedule, they were ready to sell them down the river over thirty pieces of silver....  I can only assume that the unnamed party dropped out because they didn't want to be treated like Honda ...

But no shortage of curious bits, not least this:

The PGA Tour’s Championship Management division is on the verge of assuming control of one of its tournaments and it might not be the last as it shifts into an era of additional for-profit business ventures.

Golfweek has learned that the Tour told employees at the tournament formerly known as the Honda Classic, which has been tentatively re-named The Classic in The Palm Beaches, that it is taking ownership of the event and that employees would be kept on through at least this year’s tournament but will become Tour employees. The event is scheduled for Feb. 29 to March 3, 2024. Once the ink is dry on the contract, the Tour is expected to name Cognizant as the new title sponsor to replace the Japanese automaker.

OK, but if the new sponsor is in hand, why take it over?

There's lots to gnaw on there, but have you been wondering about that for-profit entity that's part of the LIV deal?  The times they are (or may be) a-changin':

The kickoff to the Florida Swing may not be the only event the Tour takes over, according to a tournament director. Some of the other weaker events may be rolled into the for-profit side of the Tour’s business going forward. The host organization’s contract typically runs hand in hand with the title sponsor contract. As other contracts expire, the Tour will have the option to assume management. A source says the Tour told former Honda staffers that by the end of 2025, the Tour would like to have as many as 15 tournaments in the championship management division.

But will in the neighborhood of 2,000 tournament volunteers still fork over hundreds of dollars for uniforms and give of their time to fill the coffers of a for-profit entity, especially if the Tour goes through with its partnership with the Saudi-backed PIF?

“It’s hard enough getting the necessary volunteers as it is in a post-Covid world. How many do you think are going to sign up if there’s not millions of dollars staying in the community,” a tournament director said.

Change is coming and the Tour’s annual stop in South Florida may be the first of many tournaments to experience this brave new world.

Many of us have been wondering about this Brave New World, yanno, the one in which the players won't show up for the paltry sums supportable by the golf ecosystem.  If you're figuring out how you're gonna keep those terrific peni loyal, those millions of dollars going to charity from each event must look awfully tempting.....

It makes perfect sense to this observer that, in order to keep Cantlay in a cap, that we're prepared to stiff....checking notes, the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation.  

The other bit of amusement is that the for-profit entity might only get the pigs?  Remind me again how business works, because I'm pretty sure the Saudis aren't quite that stupid.

Gambling In Casablanca - The only thing worse than the life of a Tour sponsor might just be the life of a Tour rabbit, and Tiger and Rory have just diminished that life further....  One uncomfortable aspect of the Tour's insatiable quest for cabbage has been its aggressive embrace of legalized betting, there being irony in the demographically rich ancient game embracing a regressive tax on the have-nots.  But our terrific peni don't do irony, which is why you need this blog.  No doubt you at least saw this story:

The PGA Tour drew a hard line with gambling suspensions, but not for the reason you think

How do they know what I think?  But let me offer up a hint, care of the Tour's drug testing protocols in which the only penalties visited upon the great unwashed masses.... Come to think of it, that also encapsulates the Tour's pace-of-play protocols, notice the trend?

Let's get this straight: The PGA Tour—the same PGA Tour that embraced Phil Mickelson as he

reportedly gambled a billion dollars over various sports—decided to lay the hammer down on a minor leaguer who wagered … checks notes … $116 on … checks notes again … an exhibition?

That is the question and those are the optics in wake of two Korn Ferry Tour players, Jake Staiano and Vince India, receiving suspensions from PGA Tour competitions for violating the tour’s Integrity Program, specifically after one of those players, Staiano, explained his punishment derived from a bet made on the 12-hole TV spectacle between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in 2021. There’s a lot to unpack from the ruling, its announcement and subsequent fallout, each serving as an indictment of sorts for critics of the tour and how it is run and those who run it. While there’s certainly truth and nuance to those perspectives, this incident can ultimately be distilled to this: A message needed to be sent by the tour on its new relationship with gambling. And the recipients are not necessarily who you’d expect.

Phil, yeah, but also remember that Billy Walters was a valued guest at ProAms up until he went to jail, so the hypocrisy screams out at us....

The Tour did issue a policy, so the two kids did screw up

To ensure its game remained clean the PGA Tour established the Integrity Program Manual, a 5,000-word document to provide rules and guides for gambling. The program is wide in scope and reach. It is primarily aimed at players, yes, but also to tour volunteers, directors, employees, and affiliated persons with players, which include “caddies, family members, spouses, partners, agents, managers, instructors, trainers and other persons” who receive credentials at a player’s request. Under a section titled “Prohibited Conduct” is a list of violations of the program, the first of which is this:

Betting on Professional Golf Events. Any Covered Person, directly or indirectly, Betting on the outcome or any other aspect of any PGA Tour Event, any other professional golf competition or any elite amateur golf competition (including Olympic Golf) anywhere in the world (“Professional Golf Event”). In this Manual, ”Betting” means (A) placing any money or other thing of value on the occurrence of an uncertain outcome with the expectation of return or (B) participating in any fantasy or other game that awards a prize of value, including any free-to-play, paid or daily fantasy game, unless expressly approved by the PGA Tour.

They're running their Live Under Par commercials and aggressively promoting gambling, which is apparently good for anyone else but a tour player.  It no doubt has to be that way, but what kind of bets are involved?

This lack of transparency backfired when Staiano joined the "Any Given Monday" podcast to explain what happened. In a conversation with host Ryan French, Staiano said the three-month suspension came from four bets, totaling $116.20. A $25 bet was made on DeChambeau making a birdie at a tour event in 2021, the other three on the DeChambeau-Koepka made-for-TV spectacle. Staiano owned his actions but believed it wasn’t an issue because the match was an exhibition. For a second, put aside the punitive aspect, because in failing to describe what Staiano did, the tour—inadvertently or not—could have damaged his reputation for something most reasonable people would think is not that big of a deal. That Staiano is a player on the game’s fringes (he’s played in 17 total events on the KFT over the past two seasons, earning $30,910 in the six cuts he’s made) made the penalty feel all the more unnecessary, as it knocked him out of the PGA Tour’s Q School. It reinforced a notion that has only grown over the past two turbulent years in professional golf: The PGA Tour is really, really good at making a big deal over small things, but often whiffs when trying to connect with the things that matter.

But do you see what a*******es these Ponte Vedra suits are?  A clearly inconsequential violation of the new rules in an area where their guilty of promoting the now-banned behavior, and all they can do is destroy the kid.  Their announcement can't be bothered to provide the details of how ticky-tacky this is, which they fail to disclose because it makes them look punitive, and they deny him Q-School, which basically sets him back a full year, over $116 in silly bets on an exhibition for which the Tour got paid handsomely.

That last sentence seems spot on as far as it goes, but the realty might be even worse.  In all disciplinary matters the Tour has a longstanding practice of enforcing its rules only against those least able to defend themselves....  In other words, they're the playground bully that picks on the weakest among us....  Just another reason to read a book on Sunday afternoons.

But Geoff has another little granular detail that seems kinda important:

Ryan French talks to Korn Ferry Tour player Jake Staiano about his 3-month suspension for gambling on The Match two years ago when he had no membership status with the PGA Tour. 🤔

Is that true that he wasn't a Tour member when he made those bets?

That's it for now, kids.  Have a great weekend and we'll catch up again soon.

Midweek Musings - Back In The Saddle Edition

Thanks for your patience as my absence as we visited Employee No. 2's family on the Left Bank.  A bit of a late start today but shall we see what we missed?  I'll limit myself to the LIViverse today, and perhaps catch up on other golf news later in the week.

So, where are we?  Damned if I know, but this little bit might just encapsulate all that's wrong with LIV:

Danny Lee received an early Christmas present over the weekend. And with LIV Golf's long off-season just getting started, he'll have plenty of time to break it in. That's because the 2008 U.S. Amateur champ and former PGA Tour winner just had a spiffy Porsche delivered. And, understandably, he couldn't wait to show it off. Have a look:

Apparently being Danny Lee pays well, sufficiently so to toss one's regrettable decisions:

From the comments we gather that it's not Lee's first rodeo with the Germany luxury car. Fellow LIV player Pat Perez mentioned Lee's lime green Porsche and Lee responded, "You didn't like that color so I switched to new one." Must be nice.

Like me, you probably assumed that they were so relentlessly focused on growing the game that there couldn't be time for such frivolity.....

But I'm surprised that Lee passed up on the obvious palette option of blood red.

As for this, I could have saved him time and summed it up on one:

27 lessons learned after two years of LIV Golf

 Feels more like fifty in dog years....

Though Joel Beall does come up with a methodology that kind of works, see if you agree:

What’s worked: Team drama

One of the most notable stories from LIV this season was Brooks Koepka repeatedly calling out his own teammate, Matthew Wolff. The zealous fan might not have an appetite for such theatrics,

but turn on any sports TV, radio or podcast and it’s clear that drama sells. Because it’s an individual sport, professional golf lacks the conflict that is inherent to group anatomies. Rather than try to damper such inner turmoils, LIV needs to milk them for all their worth.

What hasn’t: Team movement

The NBA has built an entire economy on team transactions. Forget signings and trades and trade requests, roster building and reloading and tearing down; mere rumors and theoretical roster tinkering has assisted the league in becoming an entity consumed year-round. So far, LIV Golf has not tapped into this dynamic, save for one or two players changing teams this past year. If LIV Golf is sticking with its team-centric approach, it needs to allow for more movement between rosters.

What really hasn’t: Relegation

Those around LIV trumpet relegation as a new concept to the sport, save for the fact that every other professional circuit has been doing this for (check’s notes) almost forever. Also, only those finishing 45th or worse in the 48-man league’s individual standings are relegated … and even that comes with an asterisk, as Lee Westwood (45th) and Martin Kaymer (49th) are exempt due to being team captains. Worse, the lack of consequence for bad performance—and as a corollary, the lack of access into competitions—was one of the reasons LIV Golf was denied Official World Golf Ranking points, a decision that has massive repercussions for the league’s future.

See, already we've found commn ground.  Because Brooks being an a******e was clearly the best part of LIV's second season, though for me the key bit is that he was doing it out of the public eye.

I guess this is about right:

What’s worked: Bryson DeChambeau

Between LIV’s failure to resonate with the public and 18 months of injured and uninspiring play, the paradigm shifter had become somewhat of an afterthought. Which, frankly, was a bummer. DeChambeau may be, ahem, a divisive figure, yet he is never vanilla, and golf is better with some color. Whatever criticisms aimed at those joining LIV, DeChambeau has not channeled the exuberant riches into early retirement, changing coaches and retooling his swing to return to the results he knows he can still achieve. DeChambeau made a run at the PGA Championship, won two individual LIV events this year (including one punctuated with a final-round 58) and secured the team championship at the team finale. There are just a handful of golfers that have the capacity to capture the casual fan’s attention, and DeChambeau is on of ‘em.

What hasn’t: Almost every other big signing

Reread the last sentence from the above paragraph. Dustin Johnson, Cam Smith, Koepka … there’s no doubt these players gave LIV Golf some legitimacy when jumping ship. But following the shock of their initial defections, they have mostly faded into the background with regard to their play on LIV. Not helping is Koepka, who has tried to distance himself from LIV at majors and the Ryder Cup, letting it be known that while he is with them, he is not one of them.

What really hasn’t: Old guys  Save for a weekend run by Phil Mickelson at the Masters, there has been no new lease on life with their games. Professional golf remains a game powered and dominated by youth, and fans seem to recognize that many of the 40-plus crowd were merely jumping at golden parachutes.

Koepka?

The problem for the LIVsters is quite obvious, that those two guys only cashed the check because their bodies were so broken down that they didn't think they'd be able to play.  Once Koepka got healthy, the rumors started flying about his desire to go home...

This passes for Joel's conclusion:

What’s worked: Waiting out moral hand wringing

LIV Golf is funded by a government accused of human-rights atrocities. Still no escaping that reality, as much as LIV and its members try. However, whatever ethical high ground held by the PGA Tour has been lost, as the tour has attempted to partner with the very thing they stood against on principle.

What hasn’t worked: LIV as a threat

Yes, LIV Golf can still Scrooge McDuck mountains of gold. More players may jump. But LIV lost its most formidable weapons against the PGA Tour in the lawsuit and the OWGR battle. It doesn’t mean LIV has lost the war, and the war will definitely continue (which, for the rest of golf, seems like a loss), but a path for victory may no longer exist for LIV.

What really hasn’t: Traction

While its players’ acidic quotes routinely make headlines, what happens during their competitions does not. Every respectable metric has underlined that LIV Golf has failed to gain an audience, to the point where the league stopped reporting its own numbers. If the framework agreement does not come to fruition it’s hard to see any more in-their-prime stars jumping toward LIV (especially after none did prior to this season). Its financial backing confers LIV Golf a forever runway to take flight. Problem is, after two years and billions of dollars, no one wants to get on board.

OK, I guess, but that "forever runway" is entirely dependent upon one guy's continued willingness to write checks.   Will he still do so after it becomes clear that an Augusta National membership isn't in the offing?

Next we have this for those with extra cash for whom the crypto market is too volatile:

Are LIV Golf teams a good investment? A sports analyst weighs the pros and cons

You mean I can get in on the Range Goats ground floor?

But doesn't this just tell you everything you need to know?

How exactly would an interested investor evaluate a LIV franchise for potential investment? How

would that potential investment compare to investing in other professional sports teams? Eric Coonrod and Matt Lashoff run Integral Ventures—a California-based advisory firm that helps investors evaluate opportunities like these. Coonrod says the team payout language is designed to telegraph to potential investors that LIV franchises go beyond hype and hope and have potential revenue streams—and not just expenses such as flying players and their entourages around the world.

“The big questions at this stage are what kind of return can the investment provide in three, five or seven years,” Coonrod says, “and are you ready to jump in because you're more afraid of missing out than you are of doing a proper valuation?"

Pretty clear who the target investors are, those that don't like to run numbers....

Assuming a client wants to buy into LIV as a business and not just an ego or passion play, Coonrod says due diligence would involve exploring the potential to grow revenue—and how much freedom teams have to do that within the structure of the league. Beyond team prize money, could Crushers GC cash in on DeChambeau's fame for merchandising and sponsorship? What about building out a team facility where fans can attend events, watch practices or even take a golf school "taught" by a tour player?

A passion play?  That's just too damn funny:

A Passion play is a dramatic representation of the trial, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. While “Passion” is a Christian theological term used to express Jesus's spiritual, emotional, and physical pain before and during the crucifixion, Passion plays also portray events earlier in Jesus's life.

So, like Greg Norman on any Sunday at Augusta?

But don't worry your pretty little head about those pesky revenues:

More revenue is obviously nice, but the main spliff for a potential owner is the potential for that team to become more valuable for reasons unrelated to how many birdies DeChambeau makes or autographs Koepka signs. "Dan Snyder wasn't the best NFL owner by many measures. The team was not successful on the field, went through a challenging rebrand and became less popular in its market," Coonrod says. "But because the NFL brand is so strong and there are so few opportunities to be an NFL owner, just holding onto the franchise for 20 years turned an $800 million investment into $6 billion when he sold the team this year. That has to be considered a win."

There's a point buried there, though the author loses the plot.  Dan Snyder might be the village idiot, but the franchise he mismanaged just happened to be an NFL franchise, and their revenues went nowhere but North.  But does anyone remember how those USFL franchise in vestments worked out?   

There's only one thing you need to know about this treatise on LIV franchise valuations, to wit, CTRL:F: Greater Fool Theory yields zero results.

There's no more loyal foot soldier than Davis Love, III, and he threw out some interesting nuggets for us to gnaw upon.  The reveal in the header is no surprise:

'I don’t see any way': Davis Love III says PGA Tour deal with Saudi Arabia's PIF unlikely to hit deadline

But as he prattled on, he gave u a few bits worth noting:

“I’m still against the fact that this is a hostile takeover. These guys signed with a company that is trying to take us over. If a bunch of guys left Pepsi and went over to Coke and tried to take over Pepsi would you ever let them come back to Pepsi? I don’t think so. It may not be a perfect comparison but they sued us to make us change our rules so they could get what they wanted.”

Yowser, I'm betting that he got a few angry phone calls from that 904 area code, because that's a staggering admission.

Jay and Jimmy Dunne threw a lot of s**t at the wall to try to convince us that the PGA Tour would remain unchanged and that he, Jay Monahan, would at all times decide the future of LIV.  The problem is that to believe that, one has to accept the premise that the Saudis will pump billions into the PGA Tour and expect nothing in return.....  Yeah, unicorns.

You've long discovered that your humble blogger fixates upon idiosyncratic details, but I can't stop laughing at his mangled analogy.  Once Jay gets over Davis' use of hostile takeover, I suspect he'll be furious at Davis suggesting that the PGA Tour is Pepsi and that LIV is Coke.... Yanno, you might have wanted to put the guys in the white hats as the market leader.....

It's for sure a complicated negotiation, but here's his take on why the delay:

Love suggested that the reason a deal may not be reached before the deadline is due to the Saudi’s unwillingness to negotiate.

“It’s just like the lawsuit: we’re never going to go to trial if they don’t ever do discovery. Our staff and players did discovery. They refused.

“We made an offer,” Love continued, referring to the Tour, “and if you don’t ever communicate, we can’t make another offer. It’s bizarre what’s going on. It’s a long way from anything. The sharks are circling. Now everyone wants to invest in the PGA Tour.”

Sounds like Yasir is ghosting Jay.... Guess he's gonna p[lay hardball over the ANGC membership....

But is this the party line?

“We don’t need money, that’s the beautiful thing,” he said. “One very smart business person said, ‘You may think you’re in a mess but I buy distressed companies and try to fix them to make money. Your company isn’t in trouble, you make a lot of money. It’s perfectly fine the way it is. All you’re trying to do is make it better. You’re in a great position.’”

I was reliably informed that the PGA Tour was going broke because their "gentlemen" refused to play for an amount that supportable by the golf ecosystem.....  Good to know you don't need Saudi money, Davis, but you might want to agree to a script with Jay in the future.

No doubt you heard that they turned down this offer from Ari Gold Emanuel:

It’s been reported that as many as 10 different investors have emerged as potential options for the Tour — although one company, Endeavor, reportedly said it already has been rejected — either to dilute the PIF’s ownership stake, which could make a deal more palatable to the U.S. Department of Justice and in the court of public opinion, or possibly as an alternative to Saudi money. Love said it will take time to weigh those options too.

It's not even clear if anyone knows what they're bidding on, but the rather public rejection seemed curious, even more so if you credit Davis' assertion that the Saudis aren't negotiating in good faith.  

Color me skeptical that any of these investors will fund the Tour in lieu of Saudi participation, for the simple fact that the Saudis remaining competitors of the Tour would seem the kind of risk factor that smart money avoids.  But for two years I've been shocked at the Tour's failure to assert concerns about sovereignty and/or control:

Love went on to point out that it isn’t just the Saudi fund he is concerned about partnering with, but rather extends to any of the investment funds looking to pump money into the Tour.

“If it was Warren Buffett instead of PIF, do we really want Warren Buffett to control the PGA Tour just because he gave us a whole bunch of money? Shouldn’t the players control the PGA Tour and the staff that the board approved?” he mused.

Davis, have you spoken with Patrick?  The hatless wonder isn't willing to play for anything less than Saudi money, though he's very insistent that he receive such largesse without the taint of Wahhabism.  To keep him on the farm it seems you'll be ceding control to somebody..

But things get very curious because this isn't the first overture to the Tour from Team Ari.  Alas, Dylan Dethier takes us through a history lesson from a most unreliable source:

“For clarity’s sake, Endeavor didn’t try to invest 2 years ago, SilverLake did,” Mickelson wrote, referring to the private equity firm with majority ownership of Endeavor. According to Mickelson, Endeavor — which already manages Tour events and is involved with selling the Tour’s commercial rights — would have been involved in the operation of a new proposed series involving team golf and top players.

“Ari and Endeavor were to run 8 elevated events and the players and SilverLake would own the new elevated events 50/50 in a separate entity. October 30, 2021 Ed Herlihy said the Tour would take a hostile view and shut this down if it’s not 100% owned by the PGA Tour,” Mickelson continued.

Sound familiar? This harkens back to a New York Post article from Feb. 2022 in which several anonymous sources talked about the proposal brought to Monahan and the Policy Board. From that Post story:

“The Tour could have ended all threat of the Saudi league had they done this,” one of the sources said. “This would be a collaborative effort. It was all worked out … until [Herlihy] shut it down in one sentence. It undermines everything the Tour has been saying about who they are — that this is owned by the players, this is run by the players. That is complete BS.”

Whether or not Mickelson was one of those original Post sources, he’s certainly sympathetic to their viewpoint and timeline of events. Back to his tweet, then:

“Then in February of 2022 SilverLake went back to Monahan and said The League was going to happen and these new elevated events could prevent players from leaving and Jay [Monahan] said ‘the players won’t go, they know what we will do to them’ so we won’t be doing this. SilverLake went back to Jay again May of 2022 and the same conversation took place. Jay and Ed had 3 opportunities to have elevated events that would be fully funded and could prevent division but their need to control everything(obnoxious greed) blinded their judgment. Let’s get the facts straight. All of this is in discovery of the civil case if it can be obtained. If not, I have it too.”

Whew! There’s more to explore from this tweet and from that timeline of events, and Mickelson is hardly an unbiased observer here. But if you’re looking to debate how the PGA Tour has handled (and how it should have handled) a looming Saudi threat, that is the critical zone. These are the decisions Monahan and the board made that will continue to be second-guessed as long as pro golf’s schism remains.

There’s a key two-word phrase Mickelson uses there — obnoxious greed — that harkens back to another story from February 2022. Mickelson sounded off at the Saudi International about the PGA Tour’s obnoxious greed in handling pros’ media rights, among other things. In the year-plus since then Mickelson has ping-ponged between scorched-earth and a gentler approach. This particular choice of words suggests he’s eager to go on the offensive again.

Phil, accusing someone of obnoxious greed should come with an irony alert, no?

But it goes without saying that the member-owned tour SHOULD control their events, as Davis Love seems to agree.  Of course I totally get that anyone not doing exactly what Phil demands in the moment needs to be destroyed, so don't keep yourself up at nights Phil worrying about destroying the tour that made you rich.

Some thoughts on LIV stuff rom this week's Tour Confidential panel:

1. LIV Golf officially ended his season with its Team Championship last Sunday. Our James Colgan recently broke down, after Year 2, what LIV has and has not accomplished thus far. As LIV Golf enters Year 3, what do you think it needs to do to make the necessary strides next season? And how does it do that?

Jessica Marksbury: It appears that money alone isn’t enough to draw viewers. For me, golf is at its most interesting and entertaining when something other than money is on the line. LIV should probably do whatever it can to meet OWGR eligibility criteria so there can be something else to play for, like a spot in a major, that would be relatable to the general viewing public.

Alan Bastable: There’s a reason LIV and the PGA Tour have been at the negotiating table. The Tour sorely needs investment, and LIV sorely needs competitive credibility. Yes, the OWGR board’s decision to deny LIV points was a blow, but the league has far bigger problems to solve, namely with getting fans to care about the outcomes of their events. Two years in, the tournaments remain mostly unwatchable and devoid of any sense of gravitas. The players will tell you they are competing for more than just cash and champagne showers after the winning putts drop, but as a golf fan, I struggle to see it, or, more to the point, feel it. The team names also need to go. No matter how much talent LIV attracts, fans will never warm to the Crushers, Cleeks or Fireballs. Naming the teams for the captains — Mickelson, DeChambeau, Sergio, et al. — would instantly give squads more of an identity and help to draw in fans. I don’t have any insights into how a Tour-LIV partnership might solve LIV’s woes but commingling Tour players at LIV events and vice versa would be a good start.

Dylan Dethier: That’s well said. I think the simple answer is that there’s no simple answer. One potential approach would be to shrink the schedule, lean in on the team thing, ditch stroke play all together and embrace whatever drama would inevitably stir up. I dunno. LIV is currently a huge newsmaker and intriguing as a disruptor but the golf itself hasn’t captured much of an audience, given its budget.

Ummm, stop sucking so much?

Let me ask it a different way?  Did what they proposed ever sound interesting?  If so, you need to reexamine your assumptions, because it's the WGCs redux.

2. Speaking of LIV, it announced a “Promotions” event, a three-day, four-round shootout in December in which a group of players will do battle for three guaranteed spots on 2024 LIV rosters. Are you expecting some well-known names to to enter the field (if eligible)? What do you think of the new event?

Marksbury: Q-School where there’s some guaranteed money if you get through? That has to be appealing for a certain subset of golfers. I’d be really surprised if any big names who have held out this long would jump for an opportunity like this, though I’m sure it’s an intriguing offer for players who don’t have status elsewhere.

Bastable: Yeah, it’ll be fascinating to see who turns up. There seems to be a fair amount of disgruntlement from the Tour’s “working class” (i.e., those players who don’t enjoy the perks of the signature events) so it wouldn’t surprise me to see at least a few familiar names make a LIV run. Here’s the problem, though: What if you’re a Tour player who tries to qualify but doesn’t make it? Jury’s still out on whether the Tour would allow those players back, and, if it does, it would result in a spot of awkwardness in player dining, no?

Dethier: It’s a fascinating and high-stakes tournament and there are plenty of guys from lower tours who would be crawling over each other to play. But I doubt we’ll see big names; if they wanted to go to LIV they’d jump during free agency, when more money is theoretically up for grabs. I’m intrigued by which current LIV guys won’t get re-signed and will end up in the mix, though.

The Tour's working class has been sold down the river by Tiger and Rory, so one shouldn't expect any loyalty there.  That said, the future of LIV is so uncertain and the retribution can be a bitch.

To me, the reaction of the tour rabbits likely will mirror that of the high value targets.  What I mean by that is, if you're a 24-year old rabbit with upside, meaning you think you can realistically qualify for those elevated events, you're not going to put that at risk to try to qualify at long odds onto LIV.  If you're a beaten-up has-been, well maybe you look for that signature line because, after all, you'd fit right in.

That will be it for today, as I need to get to that lengthy To-Do list.  I'll see you when I see you....