Late-Week Lamentations - Rahmbo, We Hardly Knew Ye Edition

For an early December week it's been shockingly newsy, not that any of it is for the better...

This post might be a bit of a mess for the reader, as I began drafting Thursday afternoon as the Rahn news was breaking.  I shan't rewrite anything, though I'll throw in some new bits, so expect a continuity-challenged post.  Yanno, just like any day that ends in "Y".

Fealty, Schmealty - As I peck away on Thursday afternoon, there's been to official announcement, though it seems like a done deal:

Jon Rahm bolting PGA Tour for LIV Golf in potential $600 million coup

The whispers in the golf world are becoming a shocking reality.

Jon Rahm is leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf this week, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Previous reports on Rahm’s defection have noted the deal would pay the reigning Masters champ somewhere in the range of $600 million.

ESPN confirmed Rahm’s LIV move and put the money at north of $300 million in a three-year deal.

That's an amusingly wide range of deal values, but it's quite the background music for Jay's warm get-together with Yasir this week.  Wonder what they might talk about...

As the guy who told you to watch Jon Rahm way back at the dawn of time, his relationship with Phil and Sergio always ensured that he'd be a flight risk, though I'm still struggling to understand the timing.  But there's no underestimating the potential impact, both because of his status in the game, but also because Rahm, more than most, made the intellectual case against LIV.

Shall we review some of his prior thoughts, many of which have been helpfully compiled by Golfweek here  First, this that came with his fealty:

February 2022: 'Declaring my fealty'

“I wanted to take this time to say that this is my official, my one and only time to talk about this, where I am officially declaring my fealty to the PGA Tour,” Rahm said ahead of the 2022 Genesis Invitational. “I’m a PAC [Player Advisory Council] member and I have a lot of belief in Jay Monahan and the product.

“There’s been a lot of talk and speculation on the Saudi league and it’s just not something that I believe is best for me and my future in golf and I think the best legacy I can accomplish is on the PGA Tour.

“Everybody’s free to make their own choice, it’s as simple as that. All I can say is from somebody young like myself who has his entire future ahead of him, it doesn’t seem like a smart thing. Again, the only appeal I see is monetary, right? So like I said just earlier on, I think there’s a lot more to be able to play for besides just money on the PGA Tour. There’s history, there’s legacy. At the end of the day, I’m in this to win tournaments, I’m in this to play against the best in the world.”

Jon has a clarification for us....he doesn't play for money, though apparently he does play for boatloads of money....

About that innovative format:

June 2022: 'Shotgun three days to me is not a golf tournament'

“I consider the PGA Tour has done an amazing job giving us the best platform for us to perform. I do see the appeal that other people see towards the LIV Golf. I do see some of the – I’ll put this delicately – points or arguments they can make towards why they prefer it. To be honest, part of the (LIV) format is not really appealing to me. Shotgun three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut. It’s that simple,” Rahm said at the 2022 U.S. Open. “I want to play against the best in the world in a format that’s been going on for hundreds of years. That’s what I want to see.”

“There’s meaning when you win the Memorial Championship. There’s meaning when you win Arnold Palmer’s event at Bay Hill. There’s a meaning when you win, LA, Torrey, some of the historic venues. That to me matters a lot, right. After winning this past U.S. Open, only me and Tiger have won at Torrey Pines, and it’s a golf course that we like, making putts on the 18th hole. That’s a memory I’m going to have forever that not many people can say. My heart is with the PGA Tour. That’s all I can say.”

So, is he leaving because of all those no-cut Designated Events?  If so, that would be epic, because there's a point that we need to make, which is that the PGA Tour has muddied the distinction with LIV through their Honey, I Shrunk The Field Size initiative, and I'll support Rahm if he makes the case that in ruining the Tour's marquee events he eliminated any reason to stay.

At the same time as these comments, he had this as well:

“Will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No, it will not change one bit,” he said. “Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I’ve made and live a very happy life and not play golf again. So I’ve never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons.

That's why I'm guessing that ESPN's $300 million number will prove to be low....

And, doesn't this just sum it all up:

August 2023: 'I laugh when people rumor me with LIV Golf'

 Because you knew they were wrong, or because you knew they were early?

Eamon Lynch had these thoughts a week or so ago:

Lynch: A Jon Rahm leap to LIV will force a messy, make-or-break moment for PGA Tour and its top stars

OK, whatcha mean by that?

For two years, we’ve seen skirmishes claimed as decisive victories. The moves by Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka to leave the PGA Tour for LIV were no more conclusive than the decisions of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to remain. A jump to LIV by Jon Rahm – the subject of intense speculation – will be no different, whatever the banner-wavers and pearl-clutchers on either side say. But it would represent something significant, beyond being an example of what happens to a man of supposed character who remains in the mephitic orbit of people like Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.

A Rahm departure would be more impactful mostly by dint of timing, hastening a reckoning for the competing agendas that have all but paralyzed the PGA Tour’s Policy Board.

Gee, I'd been reliably informed that Tiger was running everything now, so what is this paralysis you speak of?

Among players on the board, there’s a faction opposed to involving the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund in the future of the Tour, preferring to partner with one of several interested private investors. Their motivations are varied, whether it’s patriotism, a desire to see LIV continue for leverage or simple aversion to a Framework Agreement foisted upon them without consultation. Jay Monahan, however, is adamant that the Saudis be included, presumably because he’d rather not have a free-spending rival approaching apostate members who promise fealty only until the offer swells sufficiently.

I know which side Cantlay is on, but where does Tiger come down?  

Word on the street is that Yasir has been slow-rolling the negotiations, so it's not clear that a deal is going to move forward with the PIF only one of the financiers at the table.  But perhaps Jay is surprised that those that keep bonecutters in their consulates play hardball....

This standoff makes any poaching of Rahm an astute leverage play by PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who is scheduled to meet Monahan this week. It would be a sharp reminder to resistant player directors of the damage he can inflict, potentially guarantee PIF participation in the Tour’s future, and secure terms more favorable than had seemed likely. If a peace deal is consummated, Al-Rumayyan might never have to make a Year 2 payment to Rahm. And if it isn’t? Well, he bought the Masters champion and world No. 3 as a high-profile plaything for his league.

To the Player Directors sure, but isn't it more of a warning shot to those other investment banks?  It's one thing to fund PGA Tour ventures in a time of peace, but if they can steal Jon Rahm, they can steal anybody and maybe everybody.

Back to Eamon:

One school of thought says losing Rahm would finish Monahan, reinforcing a perception that he is being outmaneuvered. Alternatively, he could emerge stronger if hesitant players embrace his case for détente. Of course, player directors might also be galvanized against PIF as an untrustworthy partner and entirely torpedo the Framework Agreement. That too has ramifications. Do the Tour’s private equity suitors, who thought they were going into business with the Saudis, have the stomach to go to war with them instead?

Like an artfully designed golf course, there are plentiful options, each with its own perils.

Just like we erred in thinking that Greg Norman matters, I'm not sure Monahan is anything more than a placeholder here....  But again, you guys had a nice little tour, are you sure you want to be partners with these folks?

Eamon gets the divide between the haves and have-nots, though can only go so far with it right now.  But here's another curious bit that is related:

Another new income source for PGA Tour players nearing fruition

Overlooked in the torrent of news and reaction in the wake of the PGA Tour’s bombshell June 6

announcement that it was forging a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was that Tour leadership was aiming to make its loyalists whole by giving them an ownership stake in the Tour’s forthcoming for-profit arm, PGA Tour Enterprises.

Jimmy Dunne, a Tour policy member at the center of the Tour’s secretive, high-stakes dealings with the Saudis, spelled out some of the plan in a piece published by ESPN on June 9, noting: “The new [company] would grow, and the [current PGA Tour] players would get a piece of equity that would enhance and increase in value as time went on. There would have to be some kind of formulaic decision on how to do that. It would be a process to determine what would be a fair mechanism that would be really beneficial to our players.”

Last month, in a memo to his players, Tour commissioner Jay Monahan added of the equity stakes: “…this would be a unique offering in professional sports, as no other league grants its players/members direct equity ownership in the league’s business…[and] the PGA Tour will be stronger with our players more closely aligned with the commercial success of the business.”

Perhaps it was overlooked because of the complete absence of any information on what assets will be in this entity?

Alan Bastable does a creditable job of relating some of the conflict between the haves and have-mores, including Lanto Griffin's recent criticisms.  But here it gets interesting:

Still, details about the players-as-owners plan have been scant, as some pros have grown increasingly agitated by the Tour’s shift toward catering to and lining the pockets of its stars. One such newish revenue channel that favors the Tour’s A-listers is the Player Impact Program, which pays players huge sums for, in the simplest terms, generating buzz. Another is the Tour’s signature-event structure, which the Tour’s middle-class critics contend is unfairly restrictive to players trying to rise up the ranks, given the number of FedEx Cup points that signature events award relative to run-of-the-mill tournaments. Going to bat for the Tour’s “normal guys” in an interview with Golfweek last month, Lanto Griffin, said, “To have the deck stacked against us — we’re losing points, money, starts, it feels like, who’s making these decisions?”

The players are, Lanto! At least some of them are, anyway, and far more proactively than they were even just a couple of years ago. The signature-event concept was cooked up by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, along with 20 or so of their other top-shelf comrades, at their now-landmark Delaware summit in August 2022. That the new schedule most benefits the stars who bring the most eyeballs to the Tour was no accident and it has not sit well with some of the Tour’s proletariat. Chris Stroud, a 41-year-old one-time Tour winner and former Player Advisory Council member told Golf Channel last week, “The Tour doesn’t care about you if you’re not in the top 30 and I learned that quickly that I needed to take care of myself.”

Some of them, exactly.   And some of the players re making the decision to compensate some of the players, the Venn diagram of those two "somes" requiring only the one circle.

There's bene pushback:

Seemingly sensing the growing angst, the Tour’s player directors — Tiger Woods, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati, Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson and Jordan Spieth (plus Adam Scott, who next year will replace Hoffman) — dispatched a memo to the membership last week, which touted the “diversity” of the player directors’ career paths and outlined plans for the creation of a “governance committee,” which would ensure “no major decision can be made in the future without the prior involvement and approval of the player directors.”

Which isn't going to make Lanto feel any better about all this, because those are the very guys that already robbed the bank for the PIP program and Designated Events.  But then comes the curious part, as this opportunity is presented without any linkage to the civil war amongst players noted above:

The P.D.’s buried the lede, though. The real news for Tour members itching for more guaranteed income was on page 2, which confirmed that plans are afoot for a new revenue stream for all players. The fifth of the memo’s seven bullets read: “We will establish a program through which membership has direct ownership in our tour through equity grants. Alongside our governance review, we believe this program will help further align our interests and create substantial economic opportunities for the membership. While we are finalizing the details of the program with management and the independent board members, we are committed to providing ownership opportunities to both current and future PGA Tour members. All investor groups have been incredibly supportive of this program.”

This is a paradigm shift. Historically, Tour players have been independent contractors guaranteed not much more than tournaments in which to compete. Make more birdies than bogeys and players are handsomely compensated, but the inverse can mean players going home with nothing — actually less than nothing when you factor in their travel, lodging and assorted other costs. Established players do get to participate in the Tour’s generous pension plan — according to golf finance reporter Jared Doerfler, as of Dec. 31, 2021, more than 100 members had retirement account balances north of $5 million — but until recently regular old paydays have come only through one primary channel: weekend tee times.

Now, players will stand to profit not only when they play well but also when the Tour itself turns a few bucks. A Tour spokesperson did not respond to an inquiry about how the ownership grants will work, but the memo from Tiger and Co. clearly affirmed that they are nearing fruition. To players fighting for their livelihoods, missed cuts will still hurt, but having another revenue stream should help soothe the sting.

Repeat after me, kids.  SOME players will stand to profit, but can we venture a guess as to which players it will be?  Gee, you're quite the cynical crowd, aren't you?

Lastly, Geoff has weighed in with a Quad post as the whys of Rahm's decision, so shall we take a peak?  Yeah, that was rhetorical....

Take your pick of reasons Jon Rahm went against his word and has hopped on Saudi Arabia’s sportwashing bandwagon:

The money, of course. It might be the richest contract ever given to an athlete. Rahm told Fox News’ Bret Baier that the advance money is “private and it’s going to stay private,” then proceeded to suggest he does not play for the money but wanted to give his family the “resources” necessary. The old put food on the table play which does actually work in some circles. Moments later, after having it pointed out that he’s made negative statements about LIV in the past, Rahm wheeled out his first of what are expected to be many “grow the game” pronouncements.

As you're well aware, when they tell us it isn't about the money.... 

The PGA Tour leadership legitimized sportwashing. Everything changed on June 6th when Jay Monahan flipped on Saudi Arabia, swooned over his new friend Yasir, and Jimmy Dunne forgot. This shocking turn occurred when the Tour appeared to have the upper hand from victorious decisions bound to put Yasir Al-Rumayyan in a deposition he wanted no part of.

Rory was the more public face, but D-Day was a betrayal of everyone that stayed, so why should they be bound by their public statements, when their alleged leadership isn't.  Rahm's comments about the LIV format are being repeated fairly, but without the acknowledgment that the Tour is moving in that very direction.

But this perhaps shouldn't surprise us:

Easily annoyed. The general worldwide for Rory McIlroy gets to Rahm. He appears to loathe when, (A) McIlroy is held up as a standard bearer, (B) as the epitome of what the game stands for and, (C) when he’s viewed as golf’s greatest talent even as Rahm picked off two majors while McIlroy’s drought approaches a ten-year anniversary. We also know Rahm believed more toilet access during a round was a top priority. So his First World needs are as robust as his bladder is tiny.

Yeah, seems to be missing a noun, but we take his point.  I'd guess  that Rahm assumes the Ryder Cup will work out (in fact, he might be OK with that taking a little time, as Bethpage looks like a tough week), but we can console ourselves with the thought of hos awkward this will all be to Rory...

It may be just petty jealousies, as Geoff suggests.  But my own personal belief is that Rory and Tiger failed to show actual leadership in failing to protect the rabbits and the integrity of the high-dollar events, so is it possible that Rahm agrees?  And, logically, if everyone is selling out and getting theirs, why shouldn't he take the easy road?

Global golfer. Rahm views the game globally and the PGA Tour’s future is shaping like a glorified AJGA schedule made by graduates of that borderline xenophobic college admissions program. The PGA Tour had its chance to re-imagine the operation into an F1 global spectacle largely based in the U.S., but the Delaware summit types made clear that is not of interest. “I want to leave the game of golf, at least in Spain, in a better state than I found it,” he told Fox News. “If I can do a little bit in Spain and maybe the rest of the world that will be a very successful career, and I hope that solves whatever issues there may be in the game.”

Only a global golfer could turn his back on two tours that made him rich, so sure....

Kooky advisors. Rahm’s got a strange inner circle and talks to people who’ve shown they aren’t the sharpest grooves in the set: Phil and Tim Mickelson, agent Steve Loy, and Sergio Garcia.

I assume Sergio and he will have  a tearful reunion, presumably destroying a few greens just for old-time's sake....

Category error:

Exempt. Rahm will make Masters appearances until he’s 65. He is in the U.S. Open until 2031. The PGA Championship and The Open through 2027. He also seems to have left open the door for appearances on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, telling Fox News: “LIV Golf gives me the freedom to be able to play golf when it doesn't conflict, with the PGA Tour or DP World Tour and I certainly want to be a part of that in the future.”

That may explain why he can do it, but doesn't cover why he would want to... But it does somewhat limit who could follow him, no?

This is new data for sure:

Support from Callaway. An initial report suggests Callaway will take a stake in Rahm’s LIV team, where Rahm already has a stake in the company. This marks the first major corporation to back LIV.

Does he have gambling debts for them to pay off as well?  maybe we should have seen this coming given their ties to Phil.... I certainly will not be at any Callaway demo days in the near future.

Underappreciated. Most marvel at how he has delivered on the hype of becoming the next star in golf. Or at how he learned English and continues to refine his eloquence. Or at his sincere appreciation for the past and at how he overcame a childhood deformity that limits mobility in his right leg. But we also see his on-course tantrums and swearing that suggest mood swings or even a darker side to his thinking. When he randomly revealed his childhood ankle issues—I was there and immediately asked a peer if he’d told this tale before and the answer was “definitely not”—Rahm seemed perturbed at golf media for not somehow knowing this previously-held secret.

I'll pass on that until we get a team in from Vienna, but we can only enjoy the knowledge that Jay's sit-down with Yasir will be quite  the high-stakes shootout.  

As wide-ranging as Geoff's analysis is, it seems to me that it's all Tiger's fault.  Rahm told us what he needed 18 months ago, and it wasn't the damn porta-potties:

Jon Rahm had some fun chiding Tiger Woods on Tuesday when asked if he’s sought any advice from Woods over the years like advice Woods once got from Spanish legend and former Masters winner Seve Ballesteros about Augusta National.

“I think there’s only one man in this field that hears advice from Tiger, because I’ve asked before and I get nothing,’’ Rahm said. “So, you might need to ask Justin Thomas. I’ve asked [Woods] before. I remember asking him at East Lake the year he won [the Tour Championship in 2019] on the putting green in the practice round: ‘Hey, man, any tips for Bermuda?’ He turned around and said, ‘It’s all about feel,’ and just kept going.

“I was like, ‘Cool, thank you.’ ’

And now we hear that it's Tiger that will save us from the abyss..... All he had to do was throw the Spaniard a bone.... 

Taking The "Back" Out of "Rollback" - As expected, the USGA and R&A have quickly pivoted from their Bifurcation strategy and have announced that we'll all pay the piper, though no need to toss those Pro-V1's just yet.

From Geoff, their new propose is as follows:

THE R&A AND USGA ANNOUNCE DECISION TO REVISE GOLF-BALL TESTING CONDITIONS BEGINNING IN 2028

Revised test conditions to address consistent increases in hitting distance, golf’s sustainability

Impact on recreational game kept to an absolute minimum

6 December 2023, St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, NJ, USA: The R&A and USGA will update the testing conditions used for golf ball conformance under the Overall Distance Standard (ODS), which will take effect from January 2028. The decision aims to reduce the impact increased hitting distances have on golf’s long-term sustainability while minimising the impact on the recreational game.

The word rollback does not appear, as we're merely modifying testing conditions:

The revised ball testing conditions will be as follows: 125-mph clubhead speed (equivalent to 183 mph ball speed); spin rate of 2220 rpm and launch angle of 11 degrees.

The current conditions, which were established 20 years ago, are set at 120 mph (equivalent to 176 mph ball speed), 2520 rpm with a 10-degree launch angle.

To recap: 125 was the initial proposal, raised to 127 but lowered again after pushback from during the comment period. (Comments submitted and approved for public consumption, as guaranteed in the Vancouver Protocols, can be viewed on the R&A distance page). However, USGA CEO Mike Whan implied during a Golf Channel appearance that the speed number shifted back to the original 125 number when it was decided to apply testing to all golf balls instead of a competition ball concept opposed by, among others, the PGA Tour and PGA of America.

Sorry, not trying to make your brain hurt, but this is how it's done.  What's it all about, Alfie?

An analysis of ball speeds among golf’s longest hitters in 2023 shows that the fastest ten players had an average ball speed of 186 mph, while the average ball speed of the fastest 25 was 183.4 mph (the very fastest averaged 190 mph).

The longest hitters are expected to see a reduction of as much as 13-15 yards in drive distance. Average professional tour and elite male players are expected to see a reduction of 9-11 yards, with a 5-7-yard reduction for an average LET or LPGA player.

The change in testing speed is expected to have a minimal distance impact, 5 yards or less, for most recreational golfers. Research shows an average swing speed of 93 mph for male golfers and 72 mph for female players.

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me whether the new balls will spin more, which always seemed to this observer a way to accomplish that which is desired without unduly focusing everyone on lost distance.

Why the change from the previously-announced Model Local Rule model:

The extensive feedback received showed worldwide sentiment that the retention of a single set of playing rules and equipment standards is critically important to the sport and should apply across the game. Feedback from manufacturers resulted in the timeline being extended to 2028 to allow more time for innovation and production of new products for elite and recreational players.

Short-sighted, methinks.  The rules-making bodies are reinforcing the belief first developed in the square groove litigation, that these entities cannot issue equipment rules without the consent of the manufacturers, which seems entirely bass-ackward.

There's a couple of fair-sized surprises involved, first this factoid that will surprise many:

A significant portion of golf ball models that are currently in the market – and more than 30 percent of all golf ball models submitted for conformance across the game – are expected to remain conforming after these changes are applied.

So, in what sense is the ball being rolled back for recreational golfers?  To me, the most serious criticism of this move is that the proposal is so timid as to be not worth the effort, an opinion with which I reluctantly am in agreement.   

The second surprise is for sure big, though it's an open issue as to whether an asterisk is justified:

Arguably the biggest surprise in the announcement, the governing bodies announced a continued effort to investigate driver performance in two areas: spring-like effect and off-center forgiveness. To be clear, this isn’t the first time the USGA and R&A have questioned whether the driver needed to change.

In 2020, their Distance Insights Project hinted at the potential for new conformance tests for clubs and balls, as well as the adoption of local rules that would allow courses to require limited-flight equipment. A Notice and Comment in March 2023 also identified an interest in investigating driver performance after repeated use, also known as “CT creep.”

Which might have TaylorMade worried if, yanno, they hadn't folded like a house of cards on the golf ball.... Just sayin'!

Golf.com stood up an ad hoc Tour Confidential panel on this subject, so I'll freeride on that to the finish line:

The USGA and R&A have officially decided to rein in the golf ball, crafting a rollback plan that will go into effect in 2028 for professionals and 2030 for recreational golfers. (You can learn more about it here.) For starters, let’s ask an easy one many golfers might be wondering: why does golf need a rollback anyway?

Sean Zak: Because two-decades worth of trend-lines say that in 2044, we’ll have pro golfers hitting the ball 340 yards in the air over the course of an entire season. Should that impact the 12

handicap? It’s an easy argument to say no. But we’re all connected in this game. People want to be connected to the golf Rory McIlroy plays. It is going to help the game to slow down the direction top players are taking it.

Jack Hirsh: Aside from the fact that some of the game’s great cathedrals are becoming or already obsolete, I think excessive distance is too easy to come by at the amateur level too. For example, my 68-year-old father has played holes exactly the same way as he has since he was my age. But I take lines he’s never even thought of when I don’t hit it much farther (relatively) than he did 40 years ago. Because of lines I can take, I can shorten a hole that on the card would seem like a 7-iron approach to a wedge, while he has hit 4 or 5-iron into the same hole forever. Now, on some of those holes, I’ll probably have to take the line the designer intended me to, evening the playing field.

Ryan Barath: I believe the scale of the game has gotten a bit out of hand at the professional level, and that same issue has trickled down to elite amateurs and even to junior golf. Many courses have been relegated to driver-and-short iron contests, and with the goal of golf being a total test of skills, this will bring more skill back to golf as a whole.

I like Barath's take best, because these guys simply overpower Par-4's.  I remember Gil Hanse putting a centerline bunker on a Par-4 at TPC Boston a few years ago, and seeing DJ lay up off the tee and hit 7-iron into the green.  As I recall it, DJ said it was the longest club he hit into a Par-4 all year....  is that the game we want?

According to the governing bodies’ research, the longest professionals are expected to lose about 13-15 yards in driving distance, with average professionals and elite males losing 9-11 yards, LPGA players losing about 5-7 yards and average males with swing speeds of 93 mph or lower to lose about 5 yards. Are those driving losses too much? Too little?

Zak: I’ll take the Content Goldilocks stance and say I think they’re justttt right. Just enough to keep Augusta National from creating a new tee box on Hole 3. Or on Hole 2. Just enough that they might be able to move back up a tee on No. 15. Try your hardest to not think about the changes to your own future game — which for 95% of golfers will be negligible — and realize that this move is still about the longest players in the world. It’s bifurcation lite.

Hirsh: I agree with Sean. You could argue it’s not quite enough for the game’s longest players. However, most recreational golfers won’t notice a difference and some of them can even continue to play the same ball.

Barath: At the very highest level I was expecting a further decrease in distance, but also think that as a whole this could lead to additional changes down the line, so for right now this seems like a great start.

As noted above, there's a question of whether the gain is enough to justify the changes....

A key part of all of this is to make sure some of golf’s classic golf courses aren’t rendered obsolete by an explosive golf ball and evolving equipment. But USGA CEO Mike Whan said on Golf Channel Wednesday that he’s “got a folder of golf courses we don’t think we can play our elite events. This change is not significant enough to make me take any of those courses out of the folder.” Why isn’t it possible to make those courses playable again, both with this distance rollback and course setup?

Zak: The move isn’t exactly to pull courses OUT of Whan’s magic folder. It’s to keep from putting more courses INTO the folder. The rollback is to keep from adding St. Andrews’ Old Course to that folder. And so when the U.S. Open goes to Merion in 2030, we’ll have two years worth of seeing no one launching it 340.

Hirsh: There’s no doubt in my mind we won’t eventually get back to the same place we’re at now with distance. Equipment isn’t the only issue here, so too is human performance. While there have been advances in the aerodynamics of driver heads in that time, PGA Tour average swing speed has increased 2.7 mph since radar tracking began in 2007. While that might not seem like much, it translates to 4 mph of ball speed and about 8 yards. Yet, average driving distance increased about 11 1/2 yards in that span. So both equipment and human performance are partly to blame, but human performance will make up for the distance the rollback losses in time.

Barath: Unless golf architecture resorts to digging literal trenches to prevent golfers from hitting it to certain places on the course, the overriding advantage will still be distance. Without the ability to lengthen a golf course, any course that isn’t at a specific length or has the infrastructure to host will forever be lost to high-level competitive golf, and that’s unfortunate but it’s just a reality.

Ummm, Sean, being a golf writer means actually knowing stuff.  The Old Course has only been playable for the professionals because several tee boxes have been placed on adjoining golf course, so it's lone been in Mike Whan's folder...

What’s an important piece of all of this that isn’t getting enough attention?

Zak: Overall selfishness. Everyone will react to this news with themselves in mind. It’s human nature. But as you read and parse through all the reactions, think about why they’re reacting this way. Keegan Bradley is thinking about himself when he calls it “monstrous.” Most pros are thinking about themselves. Equipment manufacturers are thinking about how much it’s going to cost them in R&D. I’m doing my best to be sympathetic to their worlds being turned sideways. But my assessment of who is being the least selfish? The USGA and R&A and their 20- or 30-year view of where the game was being taken.

Hirsh: That they’re going to look at driver forgiveness next. I think that could be where the game actually becomes bifurcated because you need to give players incentive to not just swing away as hard as they can.

Barath: Jack hit the nail on the head — the fact that they’re ready to start looking at limiting driver speeds and potentially forgiveness could bring even more limitations to golf at the highest level.

Yeah, and let me just say that deferring the driver until later strikes me as really weird.  But, more so than weird, pushing it past 2030 seems a dereliction of duty, no?  Almost like they're not really serious, eh?

So, any parting thoughts?

Zak: I am in the 99.99th percentile of awareness on changes to golf courses with hosting professional tournaments in mind. I study this stuff largely out of boredom. But at every tournament, Tour pros get a pamphlet of changes made to the host course from the previous year. It could be a different length of grass behind a green or a new bunker placed along a fairway, but often it’s a new tee box or two, created in the last 12 months, to make this course a little more challenging, always through lengthening. It happens almost everywhere all year round. At the Charles Schwab and at the Masters and at events in the fall. Every major tournament that revisits one of the best courses in the world often does so with a new tee box. Always lengthening. The USGA and R&A have made a blanket decision to slow down all of that. Good riddance.

Hirsh: I think a lot of the anti-rollback argument comes from the PR perspective that it’s a bad look for the game. “The game is in a great place, why would we make it less fun?” This is bogus because the majority of new golfers probably have no idea about the rollback and probably won’t care or know the difference. To me, it seems the expected mass blowback and negative response didn’t materialize amongst the general golfing population.

Barath: I think like many things in the modern day world, any perceived big announcement brings with it enormous amounts of potential arguments and individuals not willing to look past their own biases to formulate a more educated and balanced response. Nobody ever wants to have something “taken away” and the messaging is going to be the most important part of this change going forward, especially for most recreational golfers.

Yeah, but they might have already lost that messaging war....

That's it for this week.  Monday is a travel day, so we'll probably catch up on things on Tuesday from Western HQ.  Have a great weekend.

Weekend Wrap - Bifurcation Blues Edition

Lots to discuss, but rather than grind over a cold open, how about we just grab Geoff's link-rich open with the intentionally-buried lede:

Just another eventful weekend in golf.

Two LIV players won national Opens.

Scottie Scheffler did not three-putt en route to winning the Hero.

Tiger Woods finished 72 holes looking like he can be competitive in 2024.

Phil Mickelson continued his Elon-ish descent in liking a Tweet implying Woods is on a Lance Armstrong-inspired diet.

Matt Fitzpatrick reported Excel stablemate Collin Morikawa and his caddie for committing a yardage book violation.

The player portion of the PGA Tour Board sent out a rosy memo making clear they want the kind of private equity that’s not plundering nursing homes and Toys R Us.

A high-energy particle headed toward earth to the bafflement of scientists.

Up to the reader as to whether or not to click through on that last one, as sometimes it's just better not to know.... And, based upon events of the last few years, I sometimes think of Earth as needing a gut-rehab...

But as for that buried item:

And if it’s not clear by now, I’ve buried the lede long enough: Masters champion/YouTube golf historian Jon Rahm—who would never go to LIV—might be headed to LIV for hundreds of millions in a move that may implode the history-rich PGA Tour and confirm it’s an American entity while ceding the globe to LIV.

If that doesn't depress sufficiently, there's a second buried lede that might be the most significant of all.  We'll get to that second one, but we certainly won't have the bandwidth for Rahmbo today. 

So, shall we start with some actual golf?

A Hero For Our Time - As always, it's the guy that finished 18th that draws the pixels, but I do want to give props to the guy that won the thing in a manner that could be portentous:

Scottie Scheffler put a bow on his season before the holidays with his first win since March, and put the PGA Tour on notice that he may have figured out his putting woes.

The world No. 1 shot a bogey-free 4-under 68 at Albany to win the Hero World Challenge on Sunday by three strokes over Austria’s Sepp Straka, who closed in 64.

Scheffler followed up last year’s four-win season, which included the Masters, by defending his title at the WM Phoenix Open in February and winning the Players Championship in March, but he finished second twice and recorded 17 top-10 finishes as a balky putter held him back from possibly having a historic year. Despite ballstriking that rivaled some of the best seasons of Tiger Woods, Scheffler ranked 162nd in Strokes Gained: putting. Robert Damron, a former Tour pro and commentator for PGA Tour Live, followed Scheffler at the Charles Schwab Challenge and Memorial, which both were held in May, and where Scheffler finished a stroke out of a playoff in each.

“He putted like hot garbage,” Damron said on PGA Tour Network’s Sirius/XM Radio broadcast of the Hero World Challenge. “The ball striking was something I’d never seen before and I’ve seen a lot of golf in my day.”

These magical fixes don't necessarily last in a linear fashion, but this one is unique in that we've never really seen a disparity quite like Scheffler's, where he only needs to be an average putter to win regularly.

Not a betting man, but hard to imagine Scheffler's 2024 will disappoint.

Shall we speak a bit of the host?   Props to the Tour Confidential panel who, notwithstanding their decades-long Tiger sycophancy,. actually led this week's installment with the ball rollback.  But, that's not binding on us, so shall we see what they thought of the Striped One?

3. Tiger Woods returned to action for the first time since he withdrew from the 2023 Masters, finishing 18th in a 20-player field at his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas (Scottie Scheffler won). What did you learn after watching Tiger walk 72 holes the past few days?

Barath: First off, I learned that the man truly has no quit. He’s reached the top of the game more

than once and has records that will likely stand the test of time, but even after multiple injuries and surgeries, he refuses to give up trying to compete and at this point, you really gotta hand it to him. Secondly, I never realized just how much people care about Tiger’s (or any golfers’) shoes. And finally, he still has game. I think that if the stars align and you give him conditions that play into his hand and current skill set, he has a chance to maybe win once more.

Berhow: That he’s aging, like all of us do. Albany is relatively flat and there are lots of birdies available on this course, but that’s also why it’s a perfect spot for Woods to return. He looked good at times and made some rust-induced big numbers as well. I think it was kind of expected. But based on all his injuries, surgeries and just his body simply getting older, this is the norm we should get used to seeing.

Sens: That he still can still compete but that, more than ever, he will have to pick his spots. He himself said it. The most recent surgery has forced him to make all kinds of compensations, which increase strain on other parts of his body. How long before another one of those parts wears out?

You mean, like the left knee, Josh?

Kind of an unfocused question, but the week was unquestionably a home run for Tiger, but one that couldn't remove many of the4 nagging doubts.  Let's see where else these guys go?

4. As for what’s next, Woods will play the PNC Championship in a couple of weeks but said his goal for 2024 is “maybe a tournament a month.” Do you see this type of schedule at all feasible? And based on what we saw and heard from him in the Bahamas, does he have any chance to contend?

Barath: I think Tiger’s chances of week-to-week contending are slim to none but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to put himself into a position to do it if, and it’s a big if, he is able to stay healthy. He had a few moments that week, like when he stepped out of the bunker on 9 in the final round and winced pretty hard toward his caddie, and that’s not a great sign for long-term outlooks. So with that in mind, I think playing once a month is still a pretty unlikely scenario.

Berhow: His comment about a tourney a month seemed like a lot, but in reality, it’s probably just him trying to play the Genesis, the Players and then the four majors, which seems like a good goal. As long as he doesn’t have any long-term setbacks, I can see him playing the majority of these, but probably not all of them given his injury issues. I don’t see him contending much, but that doesn’t mean he can’t put together a really good round, or tournament, here or there. I mean, did we really expect him to win the 2019 Masters?

Sens: if he is healthy enough to play, no reason he can’t be in the mix. But that’s a big if. Playing once a month strikes me as a big ask. It would be great to see him in all the majors. What seems more likely is that the wear and tear of high-level competition will force him to take a longer break at some point in the season. We will obviously have a much better sense after he’s had to walk a bunch of rounds on those hilly grounds at Augusta.

As Josh B. circles around, that "monthly" comment from Tiger was quite the red herring.... Optimistic for sure, but to me the only added bit was the head fake at the Players, telling us that maybe one set of reps in February isn't sufficient to have him honed for Augusta.

I do think the week went about as well as it could have for him, and he seemed to recover sufficiently each day and even within each round.  That said, walking a full course still seems to take it out of him, and it's hard to compete with elite players when you're humping just to get to the green.

The man himself seems happy:

Tiger Woods optimistic after walking, finishing 72 holes at Hero

He had this as well:

Then he will prepare for the 2024 season. He still believes, as he claimed in his pre-tournament press conference, that competing once a month is a realistic goal.

“I think that if you asked me right now I'm a little sore, but once a month seems reasonable,” said Woods, who had TGR executive and close friend Rob McNamara on the bag but hasn’t figured out yet who will caddie for him next year. “I think that having a couple of weeks off to recover, a week to build up, there's no reason why I can't get into a rhythm. It's just a matter of getting in better shape basically. I feel like my game's not that far off, but I need to get in better shape.

“That's what the plan was going into next year and I don't see why that wouldn't change.”

He's never going to be completely healthy and we should start a pool on the next body part to require successful surgery, but he's certainly looking stronger than he has at any time since the car accident.

And this one last bit on the bigger picture:

5. The Hero was also the first time Woods has fielded questions from reporters in months, and he touched on a variety of topics — his health, the PGA Tour/PIF merger, the golf ball and more. What’s the one subject or answer that stood out to you?

Barath: With so much talk about the golf ball, Tiger’s take on bifurcation was interesting and talked about the difference between wooden and composite bats. He also talked about how the same technology that brought others closer to him now allows him to keep up with younger players. “I think I was saying to you guys yesterday that I’m hitting the ball further than I did when I first came out on Tour,” he said. “I’m slower, but tech, I’m still able to hit the ball in the middle of the face so there’s always an advantage to do that.”

Berhow: His “that can’t happen again” comment about players being left in the dark with zero involvement regarding the merger was telling. He’s on the board now and I’m sure will be a big part of everything going forward, but I can’t imagine any big decision happening in the future without the game’s most important player being a part of it first.

Sens: His comments about how his body hurts “everywhere.” It’s only natural that he’d be sore in his first tournament back. But Tiger himself said that other parts of his body are bearing more brunt than they used to. Obviously, tomorrow is promised to no one. We are all day-to-day. But Woods’ description of his own modified swing — and the soreness it is causing — is another reminder: Enjoy watching him now because who knows what’s next.

He's go himself into the middle of the vortex on the two biggest issues of our timer, so we'll see what kind of field general he is.

I'll leave you to dive into that bizarre Collin Morikawa penalty on your own.....  at least for now.  Just a mess of a rule that is perhaps worth our time later.

No Bifurcation For You - Do we love professional golfers or what?  The USGA and R&A are certainly to be criticized for letting the issue fester for some twenty years, but this latest switcheroo has me cackling at our entitled pros.

Basically, the governing bodies decided to go with the bifurcation strategy, minimally rolling back the ball only for elite players.  The logic was that, with Fred Ridley on board, they should have been in a strong position, controlling three of the four majors.  Not sure where this went awry, but here's an update on what's coming this week:

The expected rule change comes after a three-year “Notice and Comment” period with equipment manufacturers and other golf organizations, including the PGA Tour.

It is expected that a new standard for testing the conformity of golf balls would be introduced for elite players and competitions in 2028 and then for recreational players in 2030.

Riddle me this, Batman, but doesn't that sound like two years of bifurcation?  Obviously they're allowing plenty of time to exhaust my current TP5X inventory, but WTF?

But did you ever think that Tour players were whiny and entitled?  Keegan, take a bow:

Bradley, who already had to adjust his game to a change in equipment rules several years ago when the governing bodies prohibiting an anchored putting stroke, wonders how he and his peers will be forced to adjust their games further.

“I don’t know what the ramifications are going to be with the ball—what they're going to do, what direction they going to go,” he said. “It would have to be a complete overhaul of the equipment that I use, the shafts that I use. Yeah, I mean the amount of change that's happened just in the course of my career is insane.

“I think we constantly get penalized for mistakes they [USGA and R&A] make. Whether if they let the ball go too far, that's not our problem. They [are doing this] to punish not only the professional golfers, but the world of golf for something that they screwed up on. I really think it's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of.”

 Let me just interject that i do feel for Keegan on the anchored putting bit, but otherwise...

Let me just say that I'm the first to criticize the governing bodies for ducking the issue for two decades, but that's amongst the laziest excuses possible here.  But how about that whine about equipment?  The man is a professional golfer but apparently is unable to adapt?  If only he had someone to help him.....  Kind of forgetting also that his peers will all be in the same place....

Then there's Rickie:

Rickie Fowler is not a fan of the ruling bodies making any change to the ball at any level. “There are other ways of going about this,” he said, adding that they are "20 years too late" on the issue.

But he is especially opposed to a shorter ball for recreational players. “To take the game and knock it back when it's in the best position it's ever been in, I don't want to see it as the golf ball being necessarily the right move,” Fowler added. “I don't see how when we're at the best place the game has ever been. ‘Oh, you love the game? Yeah. Hey, thanks for joining us over COVID. Now we're going to make you hit it 20 yards shorter. Have fun.' I understand both sides. But looking at it as far as the game and everyone talks about growing the game, I think it's going to be a huge step back.”

So, what you're saying, Rickie, is that the Tour, which opposed bifurcation, is not being responsive to your opinions.  Gee, I happened to notice that on Friday you were paired with a Player Director, so I do hope you addressed this issue.

Let's get the Tc panel's thoughts:

1. In news reported on Friday by Golf Digest that was confirmed by GOLF.com through multiple industry sources, golf’s governing bodies are preparing to announce a golf-ball rollback (as soon as this coming week) for both professionals and amateurs. This comes after the USGA and R&A proposed a Model Local Rule option for tournament organizers in March, which would have required pros and elite amateurs to play a rolled-back ball while the majority of amateurs would see no change. That option, however, wasn’t well-received. While we’re still waiting to hear more details, what’s your general stance on a golf-ball rollback for everyone?

Ryan Barath: As someone who reports on equipment, I expect a lot of people would assume I would be against any sort of rollback, but my view is actually quite the contrary. I believe the governing bodies have the game’s best interest at heart and something needs to be done to curtail the way distance is having a huge impact on the game at both the professional and recreational level.

Josh Berhow: There are so many layers here, I’ve long struggled to come up with a proper rollback take, and it’s hard to make one here without knowing all of the details. But my general thought is golf is already stupid hard for 99 percent of the population and I’m against making it harder for your Average Joes. But what if a new ball — which we know little about — might actually help slower swing speeds and be better around the greens, even if it costs a couple of yards? That’s the kind of stuff I’m waiting to learn. I DO like weekend hackers and pros using the same balls, though, so I guess that makes me against bifurcation. I’ll close this rambling thought with something R&A chief Martin Slumbers told Golf Digest recently, which I think is a really smart way of looking at all of this, regardless of what side you are on: “Our responsibility is to the long-term future of the game. … We’re responsible for our period of time, something that has gone on for hundreds of years and will go on for hundreds more.”

Josh Sens: For golfers of my level or worse (that is, the vast majority of golfers on the planet), my hunch is that you could slip a rolled-back ball into any of our bags without telling us and we would never know the difference. The main problem here is optics, and it’s a real one for the governing bodies, who now have a serious PR headache on their hands. In an ideal world, the rollback would apply to the elite game only, but the USGA and R&A floated that idea and it was roundly rejected by everyone from the Tour to manufacturers to everyday golfers who say they want to play the same equipment as the pros. At first blush, this new proposal seems like the next-best option. It’s easy to get caught up in the fury of the moment, but this is meant to be a forward-looking decision, and just because it didn’t happen sooner, when it should have, isn’t a good argument for it not happening now. The catch is that now is the age of social media, where levels of outrage routinely distort any real-world impact (he says, flinching in anticipation of being called an idiot on the cordial platform formerly known as Twitter.)

In what sense was bifurcation rejected by everyday golfers, Josh?  Seems to me this is on the two PGAs and the equipment manufacturers, no?

We are a little blind here, as we really don't understand the kind of ball they'll be using, specifically how it'll spin.  I suspect that the recreational golfer, who uses his sweet spot sparingly, might find that his or her mishits are penalized more severely, though not until 2030, blessedly.

2. The golf-ball news has yet to be officially announced, but that hasn’t stopped pros (including Tiger Woods and Brandel Chamblee) from chiming in. Rory McIlroy added his feedback on Sunday, saying “people who are upset about this decision shouldn’t be mad at the governing bodies, they should be mad at elite pros and club/ball manufacturers because they didn’t want bifurcation.” He also added this will “make no difference whatsoever” to the average golfer. Do you agree with Rory’s comments?

Barath: I fully agree with Rory and also agree with the likely decision to not bifurcate the game. Although it’s speculation, I have a feeling that the impact is mostly going to be felt by those with the highest swing speeds producing the highest ball speeds. The best simple analogy I can think of works like car aerodynamics because the relationship is nonlinear — if a car with 100 horsepower goes 100 mph, it takes way more than double the horsepower for that same car to get to 200 mph because as the car gets faster there is greater air resistance. So for those average golfers with average to moderate swing speed, any loss of distance will be marginal comparatively. On top of that, golf has never been bifurcated, and I’m glad to hear that it’s likely going to stay that way.

Berhow: Rory could be right that most players might not see much of a difference, but it’s difficult to point fingers at anyone at this point. Parties always want what’s best for them, and it’s hard to blame that thinking. There’s a trickle-down effect here, though. If the ball goes shorter, I would assume courses are more conscious of where tees go. Everything here is linked.

Sens: I’m not going to tell people not to be mad because it’s not my place to deprive people of something that clearly gives them pleasure. But I do agree with McIlroy that a rollback is not going to make a tremendous difference in the average person’s game. Yes, as my esteemed colleague Mr. Berhow mentions above, golf is “already stupid hard” for most people, myself included. But the incredible challenge is a big part of the appeal. To the extent that a rolled-back ball has any real effect on my game, maybe it will help me learn a few new shots.

I don't know about that "no difference whatsoever", which awaits an actual proposal from the governing bodies.  But two guys were sold until recently as the conscience of our game, and here's the other guy's thoughts on this subject:

Tiger Woods is good with the golf-ball rollback. In fact, he says it’s about time.

“Yeah, we’ve been hammering the ball needs to slow down,” he said Saturday, one day after

news broke that golf’s governing bodies would, indeed, slow down the ball.

But Woods has a suggestion:

Dial back the ball for him. For Scottie Scheffler. For Brooks Koepka. For every pro.

And no one else. Amateurs can play with what they’ve been playing with.

Which is what the USGA and the R&A are not proposing: The rollback will be for everyone.

“As I told you guys,” Woods said, “I’ve always been for bifurcation.”

Veddy interesting, because that Tour you just took a leadership roll in rejected bifurcation.  And this is kinda weird, no?

Last one: Had he heard any reaction from other players?

No.

“Honestly, I haven’t talked to any other player yet,” Woods said. “I’m curious to see what the feedback is. I know the PGA Tour had their stance on it. [It had said it would not play a rolled-back ball when bifurcation was suggested.]

“But the ruling bodies are — they’re the ruling bodies.”

Gee, if only you had some influence with the PGA Tour, Tiger?

This is just weird.  Obviously the ball rollback is a threshold issue of our day,.and the man whose supposed to lead us out of the wilderness just shrugs his shoulders....

But the two biggest advocates for controlling distance, Tiger and Rory, will be tested on this issue as well.  I think this is an issue Tiger actually cares about, it's just unclear where it fits on his list of priorities.  And Rory's days of leadership would seem to be behind us.....

Stay tuned....

I shall leave you here.  I'm a week out from my first trip to Unplayable Lies Western HQ, but my week has gotten complicated.  I'll blog for sure, though the timing thereof will be a gametime decision, so check back early and often.

Your Friday Frisson - Prodigal Son Edition

So, what would you like to talk about this morning?  

The "R-Word" - Rusty, as expected, but with golf skills still apparent:

Tiger Woods returns: How did he play? What looked good? What looked bad?

What were Tiger Woods’ highlights?

— The look of comfort with his swing. Since his return from a 2021 car crash, the ‘new’ Woods has relied more on a noticeably larger upper body in his swing, lessening the work his legs have to do.

Thursday was more of the same, and he appeared comfortable. While not as explosive-looking as it was once, his swing does not lack for power, though. On No. 1, no player in the 20-man field hit his tee shot farther.

— No noticeable walking problems. More on that below. But in short, there was no noticeable limp. If you’re a Woods fan, this might be your biggest highlight.

— The tee shot on 1. As noted above, on his first shot of the day, from the tee on the 438-yard, par-4 1st, Woods ripped one 326 yards, tied with Max Homa for the longest shot on the day on the hole.

Yes, the footwork seems noticeably flatter, with that upper body, if possible, even more ripped than previously....  

There are more highlights listed, most notably with his putter.

I checked out after the thirteenth hole, after which it went (somewhat predictably) wrong:

What were Tiger Woods’ lowlights?

— An awful finish. After 14 holes, Woods was one-under. Hopes were high. Then they crashed. He finished this way: double bogey after a questionable decision; bogey after a poor pitch, bogey on a three-putt; par.

— A poor decision. On the 554-yard, par-5 15th, Woods hit his tee shot into a bush, then things snowballed. Instead of taking an unplayable, Woods worked his way into the shrub — only to hit his ball a foot. From there, he played his third shot backward, and he finished with a double bogey. It’s here where we’ll note that Woods confidante, Rob McNamara, is on the bag this week. Would an experienced caddie have coaxed Woods into a different play?

— An inability to build momentum. Woods followed a birdie on 3 with a bogey on 4. He followed a birdie on 5 with a bogey on 6. He followed a birdie on 11 with a bogey on 12. He followed a birdie on 14 with a double bogey on 15 and bogeys on 16 and 17.

— Squirrelly irons on 2 and 4 and 12. Notably, three iron shots got away from Woods — his tee shot on the 169-yard, par-3 2nd, which went out to the right; his fourth on the 503-yard, par-4 4th, which went out to the right; and his tee shot on the 187-yard, par-3 12th, which, yes, went out to the right. It’s something to watch.

— Three-putt from 13 feet. After three shots on the 563-yard, par-5 6th, Woods was 13 feet away. From there, he putted 5 feet past the hole, then missed from there for a bogey. Rust? Maybe.

Here's what that bad decision looked like:

Relatable. pic.twitter.com/K8JqO39R8W

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 30, 2023

Assuming no physical issues when he awakes this morning, we can call the day a success, because nothing could be less relevant than the number on the card.  And Will Zalotoris posted the kind of number guaranteed to keep Tiger out of last place, so he's got that going for him.

This from Dylan Dethier seems about right:

It wasn’t his body that let Tiger Woods down.

That felt like the most important takeaway from Thursday’s opening round at the Hero World

Challenge, Woods’ first tournament since the Masters and since his subtalar fusion surgery: Woods looks like he can do this. In recent comebacks, his swing has looked good and his game has looked sharp but, over the course of one or two or three or four rounds, his body hasn’t kept up.

But if Thursday’s biggest question was whether Woods looks healthy enough to have a future playing a limited professional golfing schedule, the answer was exciting: so far, so good.

“I was dealing with bone on bone for a number of months,” Woods said, referring to pain in his now-fused ankle. “I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

That still doesn’t mean Woods is all-the-way, 100-percent healthy. He still walks with a slight limp. He aches. And his ankle may not hurt like it did, but he describes the pain as having redirected elsewhere. Asked where he feels sore, he tried for a one-word answer — “everywhere” — but gave more specifics, too.

“My leg, my back, my neck. Just from playing, hitting shots and trying to hold off shots,” he said. “It’s just different at game speed, too. Game speed’s a lot different than at home speed.”

He looked like he could walk, with that slight limp only occasionally in evidence.   This is far from the hardest course to walk and it's only Day One, but very encouraging on that basis.

It wasn’t until Woods’ post-round remarks that we entered unfamiliar territory. Woods has faced questions after nearly every round of his professional life, good or bad. But while we’re used to him explaining poor results with references to his swing, his body or his execution, one area has generally remained untouchable: his mind. But not on Thursday.

“I had, really, a lack of commitment through of of the middle part of my round and finishing,” he said. “I just didn’t quite commit to what I was doing and feeling.”

A couple shots in particular drew Woods’ ire. His tee shot at the par-5 11th squirted out to the right and forced a layup. His iron shot on the par-3 12th started way right and stayed there, leading to bogey. And a quick-hook driver at No. 15 led to double.

“You take it for granted, I guess, when you’re playing all the time,” he said post-round. “OK, the wind, it’s coming up, move the ball back [in your stance], you just kind of lean on it just a little bit, just flight it down a little bit, add a couple yards. Instead of reacting to it, I was thinking about doing it. Then as I was thinking about it, should I do this or not, by then I’m pulling the trigger when I shouldn’t really pull the trigger. Hit a bad shot. I kept doing it time and time again. It was a lack of commitment to what I was doing and feeling. I’ve got to do a better job of it.”

If he can walk, one assumes this will take care of itself.....  He's always going to have to make it work without a lot of competitive reps and practice time, but encouraging all the same.

With the caveat that we have to see how multiple days affect him.  I doubt he wants to be in the first group out on Sunday, so let's see what he can show us.  For now, thanks to Will and Wyndham Clark, he's in the second group out:

2023 Hero World Challenge Round 2 tee times (All times ET)

10:51 a.m. – Will Zalatoris, Wyndham Clark

11:02 a.m. – Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler

11:13 a.m. – Viktor Hovland, Justin Rose

11:24 a.m. – Keegan Bradley, Sepp Straka

11:35 a.m. – Jason Day, Sam Burns

11:46 a.m. – Lucas Glover, Justin Thomas

11:57 a.m. – Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa

12:08 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler

12:19 p.m. – Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth

12:30 p.m. – Tony Finau, Brian Harman

The Golf Channel coverage window technically starts at 12:30 p.m., but their pregame show starts at 11:00 a.m., and I'll go way out on a limb and suggest that they might show the start of Tiger's second round.

Tiger, The Presser - Almost more interesting (and perhaps important) than his actual play, lots of thoughts on his comments from Tuesday's presser.  Like Sean Zak, most folks were focused on this bit:

With 3 unwavering words, Tiger Woods puts PGA Tour on notice

That’s right, Woods hasn’t spoken publicly about the seminal day that defined much of the 2023 golf year — and could define much of the golf world moving forward.

“Well, going back to that,” Woods started, “I would say that my reaction was surprised as I’m sure a lot of the players were taken back by it, by what happened. So quickly, without any input

or any information about it, it was just thrown out there. I was very surprised that the process was what it was.”

It’s not surprising that Woods was surprised. So was every pro golfer on the planet. But Woods — the global face of the game, who decried LIV Golf and rallied the top pros into creating a Signature Events system — also wasn’t going to let the Tour’s secret backroom dealings with its one-time Saudi rivals pass, or further develop, without closer inspection.

That’s why Woods is now one of six players on the PGA Tour’s all-important Policy Board. He never once held that position during the peak of his playing days, but he does now, thanks to a late-summer quasi coup during which 41 pros demanded Woods be granted a place on the board.

fair enough, though he's obviously keeping us in suspense as to those three magic words, no?

Why did that happen? Woods is never keen to dive into detail, but for a man who doesn’t say much, it’s often telling when he repeats himself. Tuesday’s phrase of the day was just three telling words: Can’t happen again. As in, what happened in the weeks leading up to maybe the most pivotal decision in PGA Tour history can’t…happen…again.

When asked about Jay Monahan’s role as commissioner, Woods said, “I think Jay has been a part of the direction, he understands what happened prior to that can’t happen again and won’t happen again.”

When asked for the emotions that drove him to join the board, Woods said, “I think the overall emotion is…we can’t let that happen again.”

When asked about his confidence in Monahan, Woods said, “That was part of why I came on to the board is I did have faith in Jay and in what he could do going forward and what can’t happen again.”

So, going out on a limb, I'm guessing the key point Tiger wants to emphasize is that something can't happen again, although the exact nature of that which can't happen again is just a little vague, especially since they seem to be moving forward with the initiative and the guy that did that which can't happen again keeps his job.... 

James Colgan had this take:

Why Tiger Woods’ spicy return press conference felt like a job interview

God doesn't do job interviews....

And not a lot of granularity as to the nature of said job:

So when he arrived at the lectern for his opening salvo from the Hero World Challenge — a frequent spot of Woods comebacks over the years — it was telling that his focus appeared to be on his new gig. For the first time in at least a decade, the most interesting thing about Tiger Woods was not his golf game nor his return to major championship contention, but rather his newly-anointed position.

“We have to protect the integrity of our Tour and what that stands for going forward,” he said poignantly. “Trying to figure all that out in the past few months has been a very difficult task, but we have to protect what the Tour is for the players.”

Yes, but for which players exactly?  Therein lies the rub...

I just find it odd that he's being lauded for candor such as this:

On the topic of the merger, Woods defended players with a mix of candor and cantankerousness. He acknowledged there wasn’t enough time for the players to settle every score, but remained furious about the backroom nature of Monahan’s initial agreement with PIF chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and about the Tour’s initial handling of the news. (Three times during the course of Tuesday’s presser, Woods used the same words to describe the agreement: that can’t happen.)

“I would say that my reaction was surprise, as I’m sure a lot of other players were taken back by what happened,” he said. “We were very frustrated with what happened and we took steps going forward to ensure that we were not going to be left out of the process like we were. So part of that process was putting me on the board and accepting that position.”

Yet, despite the seemingly strong words, that which he objects to is moving forward....  Weird.

Ryan Herrington takes us through the surprises from Tiger, not least this:

Tiger thinks he might be playing a little more regularly

Sitting for another "return" press conference after another surgery and having played in just two

tournaments in 2023, you figured Woods would probably repeat himself again when posed the question about an anticipated schedule for 2024. Instead, there was a more optimistic response.

"I think that best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month," Woods said. "I think that's realistic, whether that's … you would have to start with maybe at Genesis and something in March near the Players. Again, we have set up right now the biggest events are one per month. It sets itself up for that. Now, I need to get myself ready for all that. I think this week is a big step in that direction."

Given the new PGA Tour calendar, that would essentially amount to seven or eight starts in 2024. That doesn't sound like much until you consider eight is the total number of tournaments he's started between September 2020 until today. More over, he's played more than seven events in just three of the last nine seasons.

That points squarely at the Players in March, not Tiger's favorite track but one that is one of the easier walking courses.  Not a huge surprise to me, because to play this week he has to be feeling much better, as it's too far out to help with Augusta prep.

Tiger isn’t thinking about Ryder Cup 2025 just yet

In the wake of the Americans defeat at Marco Simone in September, there had been chatter that Woods should take the reigns as U.S. captain when the Cup is up for grabs at Bethpage in 2025. While Woods didn’t rule out the possibility, he also was quick to say it hasn’t been top of mind of late.

“Right now, there's too much at stake with our tour to think about a Ryder Cup right now,” Woods said. “We have to get this done and we have to be focused on this right now. The Ryder Cup can take a … the players and everyone involved understands that this is an issue we need to focus on.”

More to the point, Tiger doesn't want to talk about that yet.   There is no scenario in which he hasn't thought about it, because there isn't really another logical candidate.  Unless, yanno, Phil is suddenly welcome back into polite society, and let's hope that's not something they try to jam down our throats.

The delay in launching his tech-infused golf league might come with a silver lining

In development for more than 14 months, with all six teams and 24 players lined up, the TGL was less than two months from playing its inaugural match. But then a storm blew through Florida and tore the roof on the still-being-constructed SoFi Center, forcing Woods, Rory McIlroy and other officials to put everything on hold for a year. Given the hype behind the venture, it would be natural to think that Woods was upset with what happened. His response when asked about what happened, however, didn’t leave that impression.

“I think it was moving very quickly and I think we can take advantage of time delay,” Woods said. “I think that we can do it right and I think all the parties that are involved really feel that this is going to be the best thing for it. There's so many partners, so many people that are involved in this league that have had so much brand experience and they want to get it right, and they have gotten it right, they're billionaires. I think that if we're able to capture that I think going into '25, I think that it will be positive for all of us.”

That sound you hear are my eys rolling, though I did lie this quickie slam from Geoff:

He did get a TGL question but here at The Quad we don’t do game show golf-without-backup power generators.

And this as well:

The PGA Tour’s future is more likely to include team golf than you might have expected

There’s been a presumption since the framework agreement between the PGA Tour, the PIF and the DP World Tour was signed in June that should LIV Golf be consolidate in golf’s ecosystem, its “team concept” would likely disappear. But Woods hinted that there is likely to be an aspect of it moving forward (for the record, Tiger has an interest in team golf succeeding given the TGL is built around it).

“Now, as far as team golf, I think there is away in which we can all benefit from team golf, it's just how do we do it. We're just trying to figure out that process now. We have been, we've been doing it for months, trying to figure out how that all works, what does that landscape even look like and where do we play and what impact does it have on our PGA Tour schedule. I think that's something that we have focused on and we don't take lightly.”

A classic Tiger response which tells us exactly nothing.  As LIV has discovered, there's no silver bullet to including a team component, so color me skeptical.  The one thing we can rely upon, though, is that he won't allow any team component to impair his TGL venture. 

Geoff captures Tiger's curious take on the current state of play:

On the progress of negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. “Also frustrated in some of the slowness and the governance change that we want to have happen. And December 31st is coming up very quickly, so there's the timetable* there that we would like to implement some of these changes that have not taken place.”

*Sounds like a hard deadline in his mind!

On options should December 31st come and go. “We have multiple options, but still, we would like to have a deal done December 31st. That's what the agreement said in the summer and all parties understand that. But there are other options out there.”

On what the professional golf landscape will look like in a year or two years. “The answer is murky. I would have to say there's quite a bit of -- there's a lot of moving parts on how we're going to play. Whether it's here on the PGA Tour or it's merging, or team golf. There's a lot of different aspects that are being thrown out there all at once and we are trying to figure all that out and what is the best solution for all parties and best solution for all the players that are involved.”

The rest of the world has assumed that December 31st will come and go, but perhaps the Tour is trying to force the issue with PIF.  

That Other Presser - I don't know what to make of Jay Monahan these days.  Does he still matter in this process, or is Tiger's coup complete and Jay has merely been left in his position as a feckless placeholder?

He gave an interview at the DealBook Summit, and had this on the current state of discussions:

Monahan, 53, did not address those concerns in his talk on Wednesday. Instead, he portrayed himself as a key player in the continued negotiations with PIF and other potential investors. A

deadline of Dec. 31 was set for a deal to be finalized in the original framework agreement.

“We’re having conversations with multiple parties,” Monahan said. “The deadline for our conversations with PIF, as you know, is a firm target. I'll be with Yasir next week. And we continue to advance our conversations. And I think it's pretty well known that there's a large number of other interested parties that we're also pushing to think about.”

Fenway Sports Group and the KKR & Co. investment firm, co-founder Henry Kravis, have been among the entities that are reportedly interested in a tour stake.

“When this gets finalized,” Monahan said, “the PGA Tour is going to be in a position that … the athletes are owners in their sport, and you've got not only the PIF, but you've likely got another co-investor, with significant experience in business, in sport and brand that's going to help take the PGA Tour to another level and help us take share from other sports and even be more competitive.”

But, of course, this is the bit that continues to puzzle:

In the aftermath of the stunning announcement on June 6 about the PIF agreement, Monahan felt barbs of criticism from numerous sides, and that situation came to a head when, a week later, it was announced that the commissioner was taking a leave of absence from the tour for health issues. Monahan revealed in August that he was suffering from anxiety related to the PIF situation that caused him physical and emotional distress.

Well, barbs of criticism, yanno!   Most folks in senior positions try to hide their weakness, but was he expecting to be received as a conquering hero?  None of this makes any sense to me....

“I think what's happening to me in my head around that timeframe was not too dissimilar to what was happening to me in my head in the months prior to it,” Monahan said on Wednesday. “This had been an extended conflict.”

It clearly pained him to leave at such a critical time in the tour’s history.

"I knew I'm the first person to run into a fight,” Monahan said. “Anybody that knows me will tell you that. And I knew the perception was that I was running away from a fight. And that was excruciating. That hurt me to my core.”

In his most insightful comments since his absence, Monahan called himself “a work in progress,” while noting that he’s taken steps in his life, both mentally and physically, to rectify some of his past problems in dealing with stress.

“You'll hear people talk a lot about 'I focus on the things I can control.' I wasn't doing a good job of that," Monahan said. “I was confusing that. I am fully focused on the things I control. And so, you have to realize that it's part of life, it's part of who I am, it's my truth. And I am a work in progress. And I'm just every single day trying to improve.”

I especially love that Brave Sir Jay bit about running into fires, but is he sufficiently stable to be entrusted with sensitive negotiations?  because I don't think the barbs of criticism are done.... 

Or has he been sufficiently defenestrated that he no longer is a threat to Tiger and the other elite players?  The above strikes me mostly as a cry for help, but as long as he knows that he works for Tiger and Patrick now....

That's it for this week.  Enjoy your weekend and the Hero, and we'll revisit it all next week.