Monday, November 21, 2022

Weekend Wrap

Are you ready for some football corruption?  Your humble blogger remains undecided as to whether to sample the U.S. - Wales foosball game this afternoon.  Most likely scenario is that I tune in and depart thoroughly bored within minutes... If, yanno, I last that long.

The Qatar thing is not unrelated to the current moment in golf, Given the theory that success of the Emirates in the high art of sportswashing is the Saudi's motivation, so we should see how this week goes.  I would argue that they're not off to the best start:

Fifa has confirmed alcohol will be banned for World Cup fans at grounds in a major and unprecedented volte-face just two days before the tournament will kick off in Qatar. The news that it
will not be sold inside or around the perimeter of stadiums was confirmed by Fifa in a terse statement on Friday afternoon.

It said: “Following discussions between host country authorities and Fifa, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the Fifa Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters.


“There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero, which will remain available at all Qatar’s World Cup stadiums.”

Don't these folks want to Live Under Par™.

At least the folks in St. Louis seem to have a sense of humor:

However football’s governing body will now be looking nervously over its shoulders at the prospect of legal action from Budweiser, which has a $75m (£63m) sponsorship agreement with Fifa, and is likely to regard this as a major breach of contract.

In a tweet – since deleted – moments just before the news became official the US beer brand said: “Well, this is awkward…” 

The head of FIFA, whose orange jumpsuit is being tailored, has had quite the good week, with this on Budgate:

FIFA president Gianni Infantino downplayed Qatar's last minute ban on the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums as nothing more than a brief inconvenience to spectators.

“If this is the biggest problem we have, I’ll sign that (agreement),” Infantino said Saturday, a day after the conservative Muslim emirate did an about-face on the deal it had made to secure the soccer tournament.

Infantino blamed “crowd flows” in Doha for the decision, though it appeared to be a ruling by Qatar’s autocratic government to placate its conservative Wahhabi citizens who already have been angered by some events around the tournament they view as Western excesses.

Crowd flows?  Give them credit, that's a new one....  But isn't the issue that it's FIFA's event, yet the Qatari's feel emboldened to violate contractual terms.  Hmmm, perhaps that's how people feel when their checks are cashed, they turn into....what's was the term Phil used, scary mofos?

Infantini is reported to be Swiss-Italian, interesting in that he appears all too willing to trash his own, but see if you suss out any similarities to our little game:

The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has accused critics of Qatar’s human rights record of
staggering hypocrisy and racism in a bizarre and incendiary attack on the eve of the 2022 World Cup finals.

In an 57-minute diatribe which frequently drew gasps of astonishment, Infantino claimed that western nations were in no position to give morality lessons to Qatar given their past and current behaviour.

“We have been told many, many lessons from some Europeans, from the western world,” he said. “I think for what we Europeans have been doing the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.”

I think you'll agree that the logic is impeccable.  Because an unnamed European did something 3,000 years ago that Gianni Infantino disapproves of, that immediately invalidates any criticism of human rights violations in the here and now.   Notice the convenient absence of any limiting principals

But our Gianni isn't done beclowing himself:

Infantino also played down concerns over whether LGBTQ+ fans faced danger in a country where gay people risk torture and imprisonment, and insisted that Qatar – with Fifa’s help – had reformed workers’ rights beyond all recognition.

The speech began, though, with Infantino appearing to suggest that his own experiences as a son of Italian immigrants in Switzerland gave him a deep understanding of migrant workers and other minorities in Qatar.

“Today I feel Qatari,” he said. “Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker.”

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't... But pretty much always the a******e.

But remove all liquids from the immediate area, we want to avoid a cleanup on Aisle 3:

He added: “Of course I am not Qatari, I am not an Arab, I am not African, I am not gay, I am not disabled. But I feel like it, because I know what it means to be discriminated [against], to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country. As a child I was bullied – because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian, so imagine.”

Later it was pointed out that in his opening monologue, he had missed out half the world’s population. “I feel like a woman too!” Infantino added.

Yeah, a ginger being picked on is just like mass beheadings of gays...

But behold the progress:

Even more controversially, Infantino insisted that LGBTQ+ rights would be protected in Qatar during the World Cup. “They have confirmed and I can confirm that everyone is welcome. If you have a person here and there who says the opposite, it’s not the opinion of the country, it’s certainly not the opinion of Fifa,’ he said.

So, no queers hung up on lampposts while you're in country?  Wow, you guys really did effect sustainable change....  

Just remember, they've taken the World Cup to Qatar to....wait for it, grow the game.

Some golf?

Kiwi Konquest - So, maybe it wasn't the glasses after all, but my girlfriend* rocks yet again:

Tears welled up in Lydia Ko’s eyes on the 18th green Sunday as she wrapped up a monumental comeback season. Soon after, she wrapped her arms around a tall, slender man wearing black and
khaki, who wiped tears of his own. This marked the first time Jun Chung had seen his soon-to-be-bride win in person. Most of their golf together is casual, with dinner on the line or a fun dare.

Chung, son of Ted Chung, vice chairman and CEO, Hyundai Card, Hyundai Commercial, works in finance for Hyundai and has a home in San Francisco. Because of the pandemic, they were pen pals for six months before meeting for the first time. Shortly after, Ko broke a three-year victory drought in Hawaii. Friends started calling him her good-luck charm. His presence in her life, however, brought a lot more than luck.

Ko’s older sister and manager, Sura, said that she could tell a significant difference in Lydia after Jun came into her life.

“Since she met him,” said Sura, “she finds her own peace.”

That peace translated to bona fide comeback season, with Ko winning for a third time on the LPGA in 2022 at the CME Group Tour Championship, collecting her second Rolex LPGA Player of the Year Award and second Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average in the process.

And, after a record $2 million payday at the CME Group Tour Championship, she also clinches the LPGA money title with $4,364,404. That’s $591 shy of Lorena Ochoa’s all-time record in a single season.

* So named by Employee No. 2.

The Tour Confidential panel devoted a question to the ladies, although not much comes of it methinks:

2. On the LPGA Tour, Lydia Ko held off Leona Maguire to win, for the second time, both the CME Group World Tour Championship and the Rolex Player of the Year honor. With the women’s season now behind us, what will be your enduring memory?

Hirsh: I’m sure I’ll be echoed below (or maybe saying this will force everyone to pick something
else), but this was Lydia Ko’s year. She talked about her mom joking she was better when she was a teenager, but now she’s put together her first multi-win season in her 20s and looks to head into her late 20s with a bit of a spring in her step. We really have yet to see much of a Ko-Nelly Korda rivalry, but that could be really fun if they end up trading No. 1 over the course of the next couple of years.

Dethier: Jack’s right; at the end, this became Lydia Ko’s year. I also really enjoyed Minjee Lee’s alpha play at the U.S. Women’s Open. But even if I’m swayed by recency bias or my love for a comeback story, Nelly Korda’s victory last week to reclaim her World No. 1 ranking after months of uncertainty had me all fired up.

Sens: Ko has long been the most likable player in professional golf, so watching her not only regain her form but regain it with the grace and humor she has always shown, even when her game was in the tank, was the highlight. But the bigger news might be the LPGA’s just-unveiled 2023 schedule, with a record-breaking total prize fund of more than $100 million. Talk of money in golf these days is generally obnoxious and fueled by artificial markets (see: pretty much anything related to LIV and the PGA Tour newly added player perks), but this prize boost reflects something welcome about the growth and popularity of the women’s game.

Injuries and health issues created a void, and our girl took advantage of that.  Amusingly, Jack Hirsch pines for a Ko-Nelly rivalry, but that's one we already have, just with that other Ko.

I don't think Lydia has quite the firepower of those other ladies, but it tees up 2023 quite well, the only down note being that we made exactly that observation about 2022.

Two other bits, first Lydia tweaking your humble blogger about those specs:

We'll just have to agree to disagree on that....

This from Ron Sirak as well:

Ron, you were her first?  Color me jealous....

The last bit is a bit more candor than we're used to, but it's not like the LPGA has anyone else willing to write that $2 million check Lydia just cashed:

NAPLES, Fla. – The seeds of the CME Group Tour Championship began with a pro-am 15 years ago. In those early years, CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy received note after note
from clients who so enjoyed their rounds of golf with LPGA players that they instantly became fans of the tour.

Beginning in 2011, CME began title-sponsoring the LPGA’s year-ending event, eventually integrating the firm’s Global Financial Leadership Conference in Naples, Florida, with the LPGA’s season-ending event at the Ritz-Carlton’s Tiburon Golf Club. This week, Duffy will hand over the biggest check in the history of the women’s game – $2 million. The overall purse of $7 million is the largest on the LPGA outside of the majors (and is bigger than the purses at two of the five majors). The last player in the field of 60 will make $40,000, close to what 10th place made last week.

Former U.S. presidents, secretaries of state and business tycoons have presented at CME’s conference, and for Tuesday night’s dinner, the firm typically invites a select number of players to attend. Earlier this week, when Duffy asked for the houselights to be turned on so that he could applaud the players in the room, the only people standing were those serving the tables.

Not a single player showed up.

Sounds like quite the embarrassing eff-up, but I'm sure it was made right quietly behind the scenes.  Because that's how these things are handled....What?  Why would he do that?

“It’s an embarrassment to a company of my size and an embarrassment to me personally,” said Duffy, two days after the event.

Duffy’s beef isn’t with the players, though — it’s with who’s at the helm.

“I am exceptionally disappointed with the leadership of the LPGA,” he continued. “They better get their act together because they’re going to lose people like me over stuff like this.”

The surprise is to see Duffy reacting so emotionally in public, when he's talking down his own investment in the LPGA.  Not very smart, but he's only signed up through 2023, so watch this space.

The Euro Beat -  I've ordered the weekend events by importance, although you'll note from the TC question numbers their systemic misogyny.  But how important was this one really?

Jon Rahm won the DP World Tour’s season finale on Sunday, fending off several of the world’s
top European pros with a final-round 67 to win by two shots at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

Rory McIlroy finished four shots back with a Sunday 68 but earned quite the consolation prize in the Harry Vardon Trophy, the title of top DP World Tour player for the season.

The split served was a symbolic and fitting end to the season. McIlroy and Rahm are just the heart and soul of modern European men’s golf and have also established themselves as leaders throughout a turbulent year for the pro game.

For Rahm, the victory came as the continuation of a recent run of strong play: he logged two top-10 finishes in the FedEx Cup playoffs, finished T2 at the BMW PGA, won the Spanish Open and finished T4 at the CJ Cup before his arrival in Dubai. It was also a fitting return for Rahm at Jumeirah’s Earth Course, where he now has three wins (plus another top five) in four appearances.

The PGA went away from having two winners because it was too confusing, but at least the cream rose.

Rory had a notable boast that's captured in this TC panel Q&A:

1. The DP World Tour Championship was not without star power, with Jon Rahm winning the tournament and Rory McIlroy clinching the season-long points title. Afterward, McIlroy talked of his play being as complete as it’s ever been, and Rahm noted that his effort on and around the greens, a perceived weakness this year, saved him this week. All good stuff. With both stars hitting their strides, who will have a bigger 2023?

Jack Hirsh: It’s interesting because Rahm probably needs to win at a steadier clip on the PGA Tour while McIlroy, who has been doing that, needs to win a major. But it won’t matter the rest of the season if McIlroy ends his major drought, and that’s something I think he will do in 2023. McIlroy has finished in the top-8 in 12 of his past 15 worldwide events, and while that hot streak is no fluke, thinking it’s sustainable is probably foolish. I could see Rahm winning two or three times next year, but if McIlroy just wins one major, we’ll call his year “bigger.”

Dylan Dethier: By any measure, Rory McIlroy is playing the best golf of anybody in the world. I’d expect him to continue — but I’d also expect Rahm to finish next year higher than No. 5 in the world, where he currently stands. Both had big-time seasons. Both will also be hungry for major championships next year, though …

Josh Sens: Anyone who thinks they can forecast a game this fickle is fooling themselves. That said, Rory is not only going to have the bigger season, he’s going to capture the career grand slam when he wins the Masters. Book it.

Josh has correctly predicted all three of Rory's Masters wins....What?  Don't ask me, ask Josh.

I just find it all too appropriate that Rory is bragging about the state of his game in....checking notes, mid-November.   Has he improved his distance control with his wedges?  There's anecdotal evidence that supports that, but the true test starts in April.  So, let's hold thos thoughts until then, shall we?

They dealt with the biggest issue of the week, a Spanish whine about field of strength measurement:

4. Also earlier in the week, in response to the DP World Tour Championship receiving fewer world ranking points than the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic, Jon Rahm said: “The fact that the RSM doesn’t have any of the top 20 in the world has more points than this event [DP World Tour Championship] where we have seven of the top 20 is laughable. The fact that Wentworth [BMW PGA Championship] had less points than Napa [Fortinet Championship], having players in the top 10 in the world is laughable.” Whew! But does he have a point?

Hirsh: Adam Svensson got more points for winning this week than Rahm got for winning the finale on the world’s second-biggest tour? Yeah … that makes sense.

Dethier: Yeah, it seems like Rahm does have a point. While the changes seem generally sensible and like an improvement, they’re not perfect. And based on the viewpoints of some people smarter than me, it seems like the OWGR erred in their handling of smaller fields. While we’ve seen that the OWGR doesn’t like to rush to make changes (cc: Greg Norman), I’m hoping they can re-evaluate some of these; my understanding is that Rahm should be getting more points for winning a small-field event than he actually received.

Sens: The rankings may be imperfect (that’s what happens when you try to quantify what can’t ultimately be quantified without some margin of error), but with the recent improvements, they’re not “laughable.” This isn’t just about the top players in the field. It’s about the entirety of the field. I’ll defer to the stat master Mark Broadie on this one. As he pointed out in the press this week, the winner of the DP championship had to beat 49 players, 34 of whom ranked in the top 200. The winner of the RSM had to beat 155 players, 68 of whom ranked in the top 200. By Broadie’s math, the second challenge is tougher. That’s enough for me.

As long as the Tour Championship is treated similarly, what's Rahm's problem?  Broadie uses actual data to make the same point I made Friday, the unremarkable assertion that size matters.

But maybe w eshould wait and se ehow the nes system ranks the Masters' field, which is way shallower than it should be?

Eamon Lynch has his own unique take on this issue, including yet another unexpected framing device

“The world is unfair, Calvin,” the precocious child in Bill Watterson’s celebrated comic strip Calvin and Hobbes was once told by his father.

“I know,” Calvin replied. “But why isn’t it ever unfair in my favor?”

That Tao of Calvin has been embraced as a governing sentiment by European tour loyalists, who appear more alert than ever to any perceived dilution of their circuit’s long-established grace and favor status. And in August’s radical overhaul of the Official World Golf Ranking, the perpetually aggrieved found fresh wood with which to fashion a cross that they might nail themselves to.

The Tao of Calvin?  hate it when he uses better bits than I do...

But these have long been compromised, as Eamon chronicles:

Rahm is a thoughtful guy and, to be fair, his comments erred only in their timeliness. The rankings were laughable. Now they are like most rating systems: merely imperfect.

Golf’s world ranking was compromised at birth and corrupted regularly thereafter, hostage to politicking and used as a statistical strut to prop up weak tournaments and tours. Member tours designated ‘flagship’ events, often ensuring more ranking points were awarded than would otherwise be justified by the strength of field. Every tour was also assigned a minimum number of points that would be given to winners of tournaments with weak lineups. The PGA and European tours both had a 24-point minimum. The PGA Tour relied upon that in roughly 12% of its events and the Europeans in about 50%, while other tours used it every time.

Any time an event was artificially inflated in value with the use of minimum points, the ranking was degraded, which served also to diminish the worth of accomplishments against elite fields. The 2019 Magical Kenya Open was elevated that year from the Challenge Tour to the main European circuit, but the field quality remained challenged. Justin Harding was the only player ranked higher than 117th in the world. He finished second and earned more ranking points (10.4) for that result against mediocre competition than he did for a T-12 at the Masters (10.3) a month later.

Eamon's assessment of the new system sounds just about right.  Obviously, we should look for anomalies, but field size is a critical element to measuring performance.

That has to be it for this morning.  I'll be back as the week unfold.

 

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Friday, November 18, 2022

Casual Friday

No, you're fine in those jeans, just perhaps a collared shirt?  

Nothing too taxing today unless, yanno, I get up a head of steam.

OWGR Musings -  What's up with Mito?  I have him penciled in to jump on Monday, but that's been the case for the last 25 Mondays as well.

I'm going to lede with this Jon Rahm rant, though that disclaimer seems a tad suspect:

Jon Rahm unloads on 'laughable' Official World Golf Ranking, but it has nothing to do with LIV Golf

Is this the part where you tell me it isn't about the money?

“I’m going to be as blunt as I can. I think the OWGR right now is laughable. Laughable. Laughable,” said Rahm. “The fact that the (PGA Tour’s RSM Classic) doesn’t have any of the top
20 in the world has more points than this event where we have seven of the top 20 is laughable. The fact that Wentworth had less points than Napa, having players in the top 10 in the world is laughable.”

The OWGR website projects this week’s winner of the RSM Classic in Sea Island, Georgia, will receive 38.38 points. The DP World Tour Championship winner is projected to receive 21.82.

“I understand what they are trying to do with the depth of field but having the best players in the world automatically makes the tournament better. I don’t care what their system says,” he continued. “I think they have made a mistake. I think some aspects of it might be beneficial but I think they have devalued the value of the better players.

“Depth of field doesn’t mean better tournament. I could go on and on. I think they have missed the mark on that stance quite a bit.”

His shot at the field strength in Sea Island is spot on, though I disagree with him strongly on his larger point.  Rory takes a brief break from channeling Neville Chamberlain to connect the dots for his Ryder Cup teammate:

“Yeah, so when you look at two different fields, you’ve got a 50-man field (in Dubai) versus a 144-man field (in Georgia). So just in terms of how the strengths of field is calculated, they have 90 more players to contribute to their strength of field,” said McIlroy. “So the reason that this has got 21 points and the RSM has got 39 is the person that wins the RSM has to beat 139 other guys. You only have to beat 49 other guys here. It’s a much fairer system.”

McIlroy’s Ryder Cup teammate begs to differ.

Rahm tried to muddy the waters:

“But would you rather win a tournament when you have the No. 1 player in the world there or because you have the 30th or 6th there?” asked Rahm. “I think it’s more valuable if you’re beating the best players in the world. I think a lot of people would agree and I think it should reflect that.”

The question, Jon, is which is the more difficult event to win, and those extra 94 guys, while not highly ranked, are each capable of going low.  Obviously the PGA Tour has a similar small-field issue at its concluding event, although in the defense of both of these events players qualify based upon season-long performance.

Those of you taking notes while reading this blog might remember that, a few months back, we had some strength of field numbers for Tour and LIV events, including an especially weak week for the PGA Tour.  It was clear to me at that point, that the SOF measurement mostly ignored the depth of the field, and I believe that was the nature of the revisions recently introduced.  We're told that these changes were in process long before LIV, about which skepticism is obviously warranted.

Perhaps Mr. Rahm thinks they've overshot the mark, as I've no interest in diving into the long grass on that measurement metrics.  But th SOF measurement needs to accommodate the simple fact that it's way harder to beat 143 (or 155) other players, as opposed to beating only 49, even if those 49 are higher ranked.  

 But it seems to Euro players are the ones suing for peace most aggressively:

“I think a lot of people are against (LIV) having world ranking points. I’m not necessarily against it but there should be adjustments,” Rahm explained. “If your requirement is to have world ranking points as 72 holes and a cut, maybe you don’t award them 100 percent of the points since they are not fulfilling all of the requirements.”

The message discipline has been atrocious, no?

But this hints at a less dramatic, though perhaps more effective, counter-offensive from the incumbent golf ecosystem.  The LIV events have two obvious vulnerabilities that undermine their competitiveness, 54 vs. 72 holes and the small field size.  I don't disagree with the Spaniards fallback position, its' just not an effective strategy to broadcast said fallback to the enemy.

If I'm Jay, I fight them on the beaches, sorry I slipped into my Churchill persona, but I'd press the OWGR administration to hold the line on 72 holes as a competitive standard.  Force LIV's hand, which I think is defensible and was the preexisting standard for OWGR points.  I've long thought that naming it LIV could provide and amusing dollop of schadenfreude, because I can't even guess how LXXII is pronounced.

But, even conceding Rahm's proportionate award of points, combined with an accurate valuation of their small fields, the OWGR points available should be sufficiently small that most of the defectors would see their rankings drop precipitously.

Of course, Greg Norman promised them all that none of this could happen, so....

Other LIV Bits - Davis Love stays on script better than his Euro colleagues:

If McIlroy has become the de facto leader of the PGA Tour loyalist movement, Davis Love III
has become one of McIlroy’s most vocal lieutenants. On Wednesday, at the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic in Sea Island, Ga., Love was asked about whether he, too, thought it was time for Norman to step down.

“I don’t know how to answer to that,” Love said. “Again, if they say, Hey, maybe we made a mistake and maybe we should drop a lawsuit and maybe we should quit stealing your players, then we might want to talk to them, but I don’t think that’s their model.”

Love was referring to LIV’s antitrust suit in which it is seeking “punitive damages against the PGA Tour for its tortious interference with LIV Golf’s prospective business relationships.” As for the players LIV has lured away, they have come from all walks of the game.

“They’re recruiting college players, they’re recruiting PGA Tour players, they’re recruiting DP World Tour players,” Love said. “So as long as they’re actively trying to, you know, hostile takeover, take our players away, get them to break the rules and go somewhere else, I don’t think it matters who’s running it.”

Hey, at least he seems to understand they're at war.  Not exactly sure what Rahm and Rory think is going on...

But this might be the more interesting development, as presented by Mike Bamberger:

This uncomfortable and interesting year in professional golf just got more interesting. On Tuesday morning, the PGA Tour announced a move that had been months in the making: The
golf impresario Jimmy Dunne, the ultimate elite-golf clubby insider with the disarmingly candid demeanor of an old-school New York City cab driver, will be joining the PGA Tour policy board in the new year as an independent director. As boilerplate press releases go, the announcement had more news value than most.

That’s because of what the boilerplate press release did not say: One of Dunne’s primary tasks will be to try to ensure that more elite players do not leave the PGA Tour, or the game’s amateur ranks, to join LIV Golf. He has been doing this, in his own sui generis way, for most of the past year, without any sort of official title. In business and in golf, Dunne, a silver-haired, 5-foot-8, 65-year-old native Long Islander with the accent to prove it, is not afraid to insert himself or his views. But now his pro bono advisory services will come with a title, and he will have a vote, one of 10, on sensitive PGA Tour policy matters and decisions. Asked what it means to be an independent director, Dunne said, “It means you think and vote for yourself. The commissioner’s first job is to take care of the players, but an independent board member is thinking about the players, the sponsors, the fans, the TV deals, all of that.”

But Dunne’s broad view of professional golf is similar to that of Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner. They both have a scrappy, take-my-lunch-money-and-I’m-coming-after-you mentality. They have a close relationship. Given that, this won’t surprise you. Rory McIlroy, Dunne’s friend and a PGA Tour board member, has, at least at times, shown an interest in finding a working relationship with Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Dunne does not share that view. “I am 100 percent supportive of the PGA Tour and behind it,” Dunne said in a phone interview on Tuesday morning, before a meeting and a golf game, which is pretty much a typical day for him.

Stocking the board with loyalists is unsurprising, it's just that this specific board has never seemed all that relevant.  Interestingly, they are using martial language intentionally:

His appointment to the board, Dunne said, “is a war-time deal.” He did not use the famous line
from The Godfather, about “going to the mattresses” as the Corleone family goes to war with the other New York mob families. By the way, the line first appeared in the Mario Puzo novel. Dunne and McIlroy share notes on books. Dunne is now reading McIroy’s most recent recommendation, The Gap and the Gain: The High Achievers’ Guide to Happiness, Confidence and Success.

Dunne does not do corporate word-parsing. Even his commencement address last year at his alma mater, Notre Dame, was informal and freewheeling in places. He said, “If you like cool, clinical detachment in people, I’m not that guy.” He demonstrated his penchant for real-world talking in his comments on Tuesday as well. Regarding Greg Norman, the LIV Golf commissioner, Dunne said, “I wouldn’t want to work for Greg Norman. I like people who are absolutely credible, more worried about fact than sizzle, and are reliable.”

 His views seem delightfully old-school:

One of his fundamental beliefs about the PGA Tour is that its greatness stems from being both democratic and meritocratic: Shoot the scores, make the money, hoist the trophies, become a legend. Live happily ever after. “Playing the PGA Tour is like playing center field for the New York Yankees,” he said. “Do that for 10 years and everything else will take care of itself.” His athletic heroes are Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, and Ben Hogan and Lee Trevino. He has played golf with Trevino, with Michael Jordan, with Michael Bloomberg. He has an obsessive interest in success and excellence. His hobby and his profession are the same: dispensing advice. His stock-in-trade is reading people and winning their trust. Players who have sought his advice and will in the future will see that.

“If guys are asking me what they should do, I point to the money you can make on the PGA Tour, what it means to play in majors, playing on Ryder Cups and President Cups, playing in the FedEx events,” Dunne said. “Yeah, you can make a lot of money playing LIV Golf. But you can make a lot of money playing on the PGA Tour, and you can look back at what you’ve done with real satisfaction.” Where to play, Dunne said, “is a pretty binary decision.”

If only he'd been in that slot when the PIP program first came up....  Probably good for Jay to have Jimmy's voice close at hand, although  forgive me for speculating that this could be more about controlling Rory....

Just gonna throw in this funny bit from Club Pro Guy:

Sure, though he shot some Sunday 78's as well....

The Dominos Fall - Another first for our little blog, the golf world explained based upon the Laws of Thermodynamics:

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be converted from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed.

Applied to our little fishbowl, I take this to mean that, if certain PGA Tour events are deemed to be "elevated" and guaranteed a blue-chip field, then that energy must have come from another source:

Golfweek has learned that Honda will end the longest-running uninterrupted title sponsorship deal on the PGA Tour.

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Japanese automaker won’t renew when its current deal expires after the 2023 Honda Classic in late February.

Founded in 1972 as the Jackie Gleason’s Inverrary Classic, the tournament has been sponsored by Honda since 1982. The tournament had been played at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, since 2007.

This has been quite the wild ride, as it was only a few years ago that the Honda was ascendant, often attributed to the large number of Tour members living in South Florida.  The diminishment of this event predates the LIV threat, as detailed in the linked item.  But this is where the nice, longstanding sponsor found itself in the PGA Tour funhouse mirror:

With the changes to the schedule beginning in January, the Honda will have two elevated events before it — the WM Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational — and two following it — Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship. It makes for a challenging recruiting process — the top players are committed to the elevated events where purses will be $20 million compared to the $8 million for the Honda Classic. It’s ironic that the lower prize money of the event is part of its demise as the original winner’s share of $52,000 in 1972 made it one of the richest stops on Tour, greater than for any of the four majors, and more than double that of the Masters, which has a first prize of $25,000.

“It’s unfortunate that we will lose a loyal sponsor like that, especially one that is pulling out because of the decisions we made, not because their business is struggling or don’t see the value but because we’re sandwiching them in between these elevated events,” said a Tour pro. “They’re like, ‘You did us wrong and now we’re gone.’ They’re probably really mad. I’d be.”

I've been saying for a long time that the Tour makes for a horrible partner.  Once the ink is dry on your deal, they're off to the next deal, whether or not that affects the existing sponsors.  In this case, the Tour has clearly favored other sponsors and thereby undermined this event.  I would imagine that the conversations were along the lines of that famous scene from Animal House:

Honda Executive: You can't do this to us.  You promised us that we'd have an equal shot at players for our agreed-to sponsorship funding.

Jay Monahan: Flounder, you can't spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You f***ed up. You trusted us! Hey, make the best of it! Maybe we can help.

Honda Executive: I don't think so, but stop calling me Flounder.

The mystery remains the next guy who is all too eager to believe Jay's assurances, notwithstanding decades of evidence of how sponsors are treated by the Tour.

Upon Further Review... - So, you're telling us that you're a bloody fool?  Thanks, but we already knew:

The Incredible Bulk is no more.

Bryson DeChambeau, who added around 50 pounds in an effort to become the longest driver on the PGA Tour, has shrunk in size and admitted it was a mistake.

Speaking on the 5 Clubs Podcast with Emma Carpenter, DeChambeau said he went on a Whole-30 diet and lost 20 pounds in one month.

“I had such huge mood swings from it,” he said, noting his face had thinned out and all the inflammation is gone from his system. “I look like I’m 20 again, not 35.”

I only have one question.  Has Rocket Mortgage got their apology and have you returned their money?

With the help of trainer Greg Roskopf, DeChambeau’s radical approach that he called Muscle Activation Technique did transform his 6-foot-1-inch frame and contribute to him becoming the longest driver on the Tour in 2020 (322.1 yards) and 2021 (323.7 yards) and he won the 2020 U.S. Open by bombing driver at Winged Foot. But DeChambeau, who suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand as well as a torn labrum in his left hip, admitted gaining a lot of weight is not necessarily the best thing for the body.

“I ate things that were not great for my system that I was very sensitive to and ultimately it got to the point where it was a little bit too much,” he said on the 5 Clubs podcast. “I ate improperly for almost a year and a half and I was starting to feel weird, my gut was all messed up and so I went completely healthy and went on a Whole-30 diet, got a nutritionist. I was super-inflamed.”

“I start out with going to each side and then from there I best fit what works for me,” he said. “It’s a decent way to live life, it can be a tough one at times because it’s such extremes but if you don’t know one side of the coin to the other, I mean, how can you ever figure out what works best for you? That’s what I’ve done with my life so far.”

Would you please just go away.  What?  Oh, he went to LIV?  So he did go away... Thanks, Bryson!.

Closing Bits -  Wrapping the week with some long open browser tabs.  First, from Dylan Dethier's worthy Monday Finish column, a subject near and dear to my own heart:

Houston Open podium

Second place is, as they say, first loser. But at the Houston Open the silver and bronze medalists were each delighted to be there. Runner-up Tyson Alexander, a 34-year-old Tour rookie, felt very
much like a winner despite losing by four.

“Great week for me,” he said. “I wish Tony [Finau] would have taken the week off, but, yeah, you know, 132 players, I think one guy’s going to beat me, so that’s what it’s all about — just trying to beat as many people as possible.” Alexander moved from No. 320 to No. 162 in the world and improved on his previous high finish on Tour, which was…T64.

Third-place Ben Taylor was similarly satisfied when asked how he felt about his week.

“Accomplished,” he said. “I mean, now I’ve put myself in contention at a PGA Tour event, and I think with how well Tony played today, I think I handled everything pretty solid.”

It's Houston in November, so who cares, right?  But this bit about guys grinding their way on tour is the best part of our game, and to me it can be endlessly captivating.  I'd like to think that there's a place for this on Golf Channel, though of course it's going to be a tiny audience.

Bot Graeme McDowell gave the LIV game away, it's Golf Without The Grind™.  But that grind is the best thing about our game, and without it there's no intensity or interest.  That's why I continually reject the LIV vision, even absent the blood money that funds it.

Jay Coffin has a longer piece on Tyson Alexander's long road to the Tour, that might be worth your time.  I say "might" only because I've not yet read it myself.

Lastly, a couple of quick bits from the Tour Confidential panel on the Big Cat:

It’s going to be a Tiger Woods-filled month of December as Woods has committed to his Hero World Challenge (Dec. 1-4) and The Match VII (Dec. 10). He’s also expected to play the PNC Challenge (Dec. 17-18) — although he has yet to commit — with his son, Charlie, which would make three straight weeks of Woods on TV. What are you most looking for out of Tiger from this stretch? Will anything he does give you a better idea of what his 2023 might look like?

Sean Zak: We can learn the most about his health from the Hero. Walking 18 holes for four straight days has been a struggle for Woods this year, but those struggles were four, five, six months ago. Has it gotten any easier? He’s been doing plenty of moving around as a caddie for his son. I think Woods the golfer can beat a handful of those top pros in the Bahamas, but how will he look doing it.? That’ll give us a good idea if there’s progress being made or if there’s a legit ceiling on his body.

Alan Bastable: That TW is playing three times in three weeks is certainly cause for cautious optimism, but let’s not mistake these starts for Torrey, Pebble and Phoenix. As Zak notes, only the no-cut Hero will ask Woods to play four consecutive competition rounds, and it’s not hard to imagine him taking a cart in the Bahamas should he feel he needs one as the event progresses. (Host perk!) As for what we might learn about his 2023 prospects from this stretch, ehh — hard to say. I mean, what did we learn from his 2022 starts? He’s still got game, sure, but seemingly not the stamina for four rounds. I really hope that’s not the case in ’23, but the way Tiger continues to lumber around, it’s hard to envision him going deep in too many tournaments.

Josh Berhow: I don’t think it will give us any great insight into what we’ll see from Tiger in 2023. The Hero is his event and not a super taxing walk, he’ll get a cart at The Match and he can also take a cart at the PNC Championship. The Hero has long been a birdie-fest, so expect him to mix in some good scores there, and I would anticipate he looks pretty good playing casual, cart-aided rounds in the other two events. That said, I still don’t think it’s a great barometer of Tiger’s prospects come 2023. We’ll have to wait for that. But for now, watching Woods tee it up three times in December sounds good to me anyway.

I think they're forgetting that one of those is all of twelve holes....

The only bit of interest on Tiger will be, as Sean notes, just to see how well he's walking.  The far more interesting aspect will be seeing what a year of growth and development has done for Charlie, which means that Tiger might not actually hit too many shots.

And, as noted above, where was Jimmy Dunne when he might have saved us from this:

Speaking of Woods, a report from the AP’s Doug Ferguson named Tiger the winner of the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program for the second consecutive year, edging out Rory McIlroy to win the biggest portion of the Tour’s new bonus pool. If Woods only played three Tour events in the last year but still won, is the formula broken?

Zak: Great question. It might be? Woods earned it during those weeks, though. The will-he-or-won’t-he at the Masters was as great of theater as we’ve had for a non-Sunday in awhile. Then breaking par in the first round? No one was gonna compete with that. I think we’ll know if the formula is broken by next year’s race. If Woods wins again, running away with it, after playing just four events … it’s possible they’ll need to rejigger the details. But then again, this whole thing feels like a payback for his years and years of carrying the Tour on his back. It might be broken and that might be okay.

Bastable: Shame for Phil he’s not still a PGA Tour member — he would have run away with it! Yeah, as Zak said, PIP is largely another avenue by which to line the pockets of the Tour’s stars who feel (rightly!) that they have been under-compensated. And no matter how many titles Rory, Rahm or JT win, nothing riles up the golf-loving masses like any speck of Tiger news, from what he’s thinking to what he’s wearing to where his private jet is headed. Forget millions of dollars — when you consider the attention and sponsorship deals Woods has driven to pro golf, the Tour probably owes him billions.

Berhow: It sounds broken but I don’t think there’s a way to fix it, as it seems silly to make someone ineligible for playing only a certain amount of events. If the PIP continues, it will be fascinating to see if Tiger can keep winning despite not playing as often. Oh well, as Alan says, consider this backpay he very much deserves. And I don’t think other pros have any issue with it, either. They know their purses are what they are due to Tiger.

You can't call it broken unless you know its intention, which these guys seem determined to avoid.  

It's intention was to keep the best players on the PGA Tour.  Given that half of the ten recipients of the prior year's baksheesh pocketed the money and bolted, clearly the first year was a failure.  Will it work better this year?  We only know the top two names, so stay tuned, but Tiger has at the very least stayed bought.

Have a great weekend.

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Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Midweek Musings, Damn You, Rory, Edition

I had a leisurely morning planned, which included a day of rest from my blogging obligations.  Then Rory opened his pie hole, and here we are.

Peace In Our Time - Playing the role of Neville Chamberlain in this morning's performance is.... Well, I know this is over the top, but I've been unable to confirm that Rory is en route to Berchtesgaden.  But the lede to this item seems to have, well, buried the lede:

After winning the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup in August for the third time in his career, Rory McIlroy is in Dubai for the DP World Tour Championship for a chance to sweep the season-long titles on both pro tours.

Despite being winless on the European circuit, McIlroy leads the DP World Tour Rankings thanks to three straight top fives after his win in Atlanta. Over 10 starts, McIlroy has seven top-five finishes with his worst performance coming in January at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (T-12).

Just a ridiculous year.

Wait, Rory is leading the Race to Dubai without anything better than a Top Five?  Wow, as we continue to parse the LIV threat, we need to never lose sight of how profoundly unsustainable the Euro Tour is.  

But, while that's an ongoing issue, that's not what compelled me to the keyboard this morning, that can be found herein:

And so it goes on. Only 24 hours after Greg Norman informed the world that “every PGA Tour player should be thanking LIV, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy,” McIlroy responded in kind. Speaking in Dubai two days before the DP World Tour Championship, the Northern Irishman gave what is surely his most definitive—and certainly most definite—verdict on the LIV Golf CEO’s conduct and comments that have done so much to create the on-going impasse between the controversial Saudi-backed circuit and the combined might of the PGA and DP World Tours.

“There's a few things that I would like to see on the LIV side that needs to happen,” McIlroy said on Tuesday. “I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left. He's made his mark, but I think now is the right time to sort of say, look, you've got this thing off the ground but no one is going to talk unless there's an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences. Then things can happen. But right now, it's a stalemate because there can't be any other way.”

Some of you might find my close of photos provocative, but first we'll let Rory finish his thoughts:

And on Tiger?

“I'm very thankful for everyone in golf, and I've said this a million times: Tiger is the reason that we are playing for as much as we are playing for,” said McIlroy, who has grown so close to Tiger in recent years that the two are now business partners. “Tiger is the reason the stature of our game is where it is. The generation of Tiger and the generation coming after Tiger have all benefited from him and his achievements and what he's done for the game of golf. I don't think Tiger should be thankful to anyone for anything. I think everyone else in the game should be thankful.”

This is just so weird and, I think, counter-productive, but I can't figure out if he's speaking with Jay's approval, or whether he's gone rogue.  He did, to be fair, have some better words that will unfortunately get exactly zero coverage:

“In terms of I guess anything that Greg says, but that comment, it depends what you're looking for out of golf,” McIlroy said. “Am I thankful that LIV has provided more opportunities for the
top players to earn more? Yes. But ultimately will that make me happier at the end of my career? No. There's a lot of things that people play golf for and do their jobs for, and it's not just about money. It's about other things. It's about fulfilment. It's about trying to get the best out of yourself. It's about the satisfaction of turning up and sort of trying to play to your potential.

“Those are the things that certainly make me the happiest about playing golf. Some people, they might play for other reasons. But for me, I'm happiest when I'm playing my best and it doesn't matter how much I'm going to make. But at the same time, it's the sporting achievements that are the things that get me going.”

I simply can't understand why he wouldn't have said only that and nothing more.  That in and of itself is quite the effective putdown of Norman and the LIVsters, but message discipline doesn't seem to be on the menu, does it?

Obviously, his calls for Norman's head on a pike will grab the headlines, although I think that's the secondary issue here.  But he's acknowledging that the Shark has gotten under his skin, which seems to this observer an admission against interest.  But, given the rumors currently circulating, is it helpful for Rory to put his finger on scale?  Does it make the Saudis more or less likely to dump Norman?  

As an aside, has Rory thought through Norman's actual importance?  Your humble blogger finds the man comically inept, but I've never considered him anything more than a useful idiot for the Saudis.  his departure changes none of the facts on the ground, so what purpose is served in over-reacting to his nonsense, including those comments about Tiger.  

But the far larger issue is Rory's ongoing mewling about a deal, in which he seems quite the solitary sentinel.  The question I keep asking myself (and you) is whether he has Jay's approval in suing for peace, because I included that controversial photo for a reason, as things didn't work out well for that guy on the left of the phot (nor for the guy on the right, as well, but at a rather large cost to the rest of us).  It seems pretty obvious to this observer the Rory is showing weakness to the Saudis, and that's why I keep asking about Jay's involvement....

Is the Tour in such a weak position that it should be sung for peace?  I don't see it that way, as the LIV roster features a few relevant golfers, but mostly a ragtag assortment of has-beens and never was.... Of course, we don't know where things stand with additional defections, but that's exactly where I find Rory's comments so potentially calamitous.

For instance, the Cantlay-X-Man rumors have been out there for a while, so shall we step into their shoes for a moment?  Yeah, pretty sweet, aren't they?  But Greg Norman is on Line 2, and he's offering a nine-figure check, so what's a fellow to do?  You make a list of pros and cons, the former including just the one bullet point.  Oh, if you were to make it publicly available, it might include playing less, spending more time with the family and growing the game, but we can ignore that...

The cons would be the more amusing, and could include being banished from polite society or a PReed pairing, but the real impediment would be future access to those enhanced PGA Tour events and, more importantly, unimpeded access to the majors (neither of the two in question has won one, so they'll continue to qualify mostly through their world rankings).

So, I'm a simple guy, but the man most credited with holding things together (active player division, specifically excluding Tiger) sees fit to remove the most significant impediment constraining further defections?  Because, if there's to be a deal, it'll inevitably include amnesty for those defectors, so which team are you on, Rory?  Because I don't think you understand the logical ramifications of your comments.  

Alan, Asked -  Just a couple of other quick things for you today, first some anaerobic blogging of the latest Ask Alan, which dropped yesterday and has all sorts of juicy bits:

#AskAlan, Tony Finau now has equaled the great Russell Henley in wins. Given your recent podcast discussion of five-win players with Ryan French and Michael Bamberger, is Finau overrated or underrated? @the_agrippa

He was overrated, but now Finau is properly rated: a mega-talent who has learned how to win and is on the precipice of big things. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.

A mega-talent?  I won't pretend to know how good Big Tone will prove to be, as that putter remains an open issue to me.  But can't we at least agree that such an issue can never be decided in November in Huston?

OK, so here's where the fun stuff begins:

What’s the Pat Perez/Phil dust-up about? I read once in a detective novel that, “All crime is
about sex or money.” My bet is sex…you?? @Mfurlong

Well, it ain’t about money. In the course of reporting my book on Mickelson, I kept hearing of his rift with Perez, a fellow San Diego native. They have a lot of history. Perez has always fancied himself a Tiger guy, which means he has never been warm and cuddly toward Phil. But what inspired Perez to spout off on various podcasts lately was Mickelson doing something that deeply offended Perez and his wife, Ashley. I approached Pat a couple of times to see if he’d go on-record, but he declined. A handful of players and caddies told me they heard of the incident directly from Perez, but the details are so inflammatory I didn’t feel comfortable putting the story in the book without direct confirmation. This whole situation is still clearly festering with Perez so we’ll see if he chooses to make the details public. If so, that will certainly set off a firestorm.

Hmmm, and I've always been reliably informed that, when they say it isn't about the money, that it's about the money....

But a sex scandal involving Phil and Perez ( let me just add that I'm a bit unclears as to when this incident occurred)?  That's just what this LIV saga has been missing, and based upon Alan's statements, there could be a further three scandals of a similar nature.

But why is Perez airing this now?  If he's blabbed to caddies and fanning the flames on multiple podcasts, it can only be because he wants the story to come out, no?  I think the only logical strategy is to ensure a deep strategic popcorn reserve.

Chiara Noja wins on the Ladies European Tour. How is someone born in 2006 winning an event on tour? I have a hybrid in my bag older than that. #AskAlan @EatandSleepGolf

It’s funny you’d say that—I recently found a hybrid in my garage that’s at least 10 years old but was the exact loft (22 degrees) I had decided I needed. I took it to Bandon Dunes and hit it so good, and now I’m wondering why I ever dropped it from my bag! But, yes, Noja is such a charming story and one heckuva talent. The ease with which she pulled off the win reminded me of the young Lydia Ko. And Nora’s upright, athletic swing evokes Nelly Korda, who, by the way, made some noise last weekend too. It was awesome to see Nelly win again after this season was complicated by a blood clot in her arm. She’s back to number one in the world, where she belongs.

I'll admit it, I don't have sufficient bandwidth to worry about the LET....

But here it gets real:

Who’s on deck for the next round of recruits for LIV for next season? @frazerrice

This is the $64,000 question, although another zero or three will be required to consummate the deals. It was interesting to see Mito Pereira in a photo from Sergio Garcia’s recent charity fundraiser—every other player in the picture is pledged to LIV. Was Mito just supporting a friend and a good cause or is that a sign of things to come? Feels like the latter. Every win now leads to inevitable speculation. Since LIV struck out with Hideki Matsuyama, will it now make a run at a resurgent Ryo Ishikawa? Seems like a natural fit. Beyond these names, I’ve learned to steer clear of speculation because what William Goldman once said of Hollywood also applies to LIV recruitment: Nobody knows anything.

Wait, Mito hasn't gone to LIV yet?  The ratio of rumors to competitive relevance has long been out of whack for Mito, so he should probably just go already.

On this story from yesterday:

After hearing about Matt Fitzpatrick’s brother’s Q School exemption, I can see the LIV golfer’s side a bit more clearly. Maybe the PGA Tour is also a tad corrupt. Is this quid pro quo for Matt staying on the Tour? #AskAlan @david_troyan

It has that aroma, but there is also a simple explanation: The PGA Tour U folks screwed up in allocating points and Alex Fitzpatrick was the only college kid with the wherewithal and/or resources to lawyer up and fight. Now, does the Tour have a keen interest in keeping the reigning U.S. Open champ happy by taking care of his little brother? Sure. But on a different subject, a Tour official once told me that most of the things that cynical reporters and jaundiced fans think are grand conspiracies are really just mistakes/incompetence that have to be corrected on the fly. I think that’s what happened here.

Alan missed an opportunity here to cite Occam's Razor, which I use to create the illusion of erudition.  But I think Alan understates what a bad look this is, and the long-term corrosive effects of such favoritism.

Is Harrington going to revolutionize Champions Tour golf? Discuss. #AskAlan @KevinMKinsella

Umm, no. But Padraig is going to win plenty of tournaments and certainly brings badly needed star power. Because of LIV, the Senior Tour is potentially going to lose out on a generation of headliners. Mickelson, obviously, but also Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, who are all 45-plus. Who is left in the pipeline to bring energy to the Champions Tour in the coming years? I love Stewart Cink (49), but he does not inspire passion like those European Ryder Cup heroes do. Ditto Zach Johnson (46). It’s pretty slim pickings for the foreseeable future.

That he could use that r-word with Langer taking a run at Hale Irwin's win total is quite amusing.... let's see how Padraig's game holds up when he's in his 60's, no?

This is its own interesting sidebar, although there is quite the category error in the question:

It seems like the LPGA players playing in the Aramco Series are not being held to the same standard as LIV Golf, even though both are funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund…..what gives? @ScottKirchoff2

That’s because the money in the women’s game is a fraction of what the dudes make; the lucre is career-changing for some of the gals playing the Aramco Series, whereas LIV feels indulgent in the extreme, with really rich golfers just getting richer. That’s not entirely fair, as LIV has its share of Andy Ogletrees and James Piots—young players just looking for opportunity—but most of the focus is on the DJs and Mickelsons, with career earnings well into nine figures. For them LIV is a choice, while the Aramco feels more like a necessity, which is why folks have been more forgiving of LPGA players accepting Saudi money.

This is not the venue for long-form answers, but this subject would seem to demand one, no?

To me, the Saudis have blundered horribly, which we can see in that category error I noted above.  With that Aramco Series, the Saudis have operated cooperatively within the existing ecosystem, and created additional opportunities for the ladies.  Not only have they staked out some real estate within the golf firmament at bargain basement prices, but the initiative directly addresses one of the criticisms of their regime, their treatment of women.

Obviously the women's game doesn't have the same kind of prominence, but their entry into the big leagues was done in a manner that directly threatened the strongest tour on the planet, and guaranteed a war to the death, which I still see them ill-positioned to win.  More important than my battlefield assessment, though, is the question of what they might achieve by winning?   More on that in a bit....

First, let's wrap Alan:

#AskAlan: Take us through the alternate reality where Tiger doesn’t crash and wreck his leg. Does LIV get off the ground with Tiger playing 10-15 events and expressing his loyalty to the Tour in every presser? @stege1630

Oooh, this is such a good hypothetical. But let us not forget that Tiger’s back was a mess even before his car accident. His reconstituted spine was never going to allow him to slog through 15 tournaments a year, and even 10 feels ambitious. I think the crash made it clear to Woods that his days as a contender were pretty much over, which helped nudge him into the role of elder statesman/activist/de facto commissioner in the Tour’s battle to thwart LIV. So even if Tiger had a good foot, I don’t think this current moment would look that different.

Like Alan, I though Tiger was stick-a-fork-in-him done before the accident as well, so I mostly agree with his take.  But I was always skeptical of the Phil-Tiger bromance, and I suspect that Phil's embrace of LIV to settle scores with Ponte Vedra Beach would have inevitably sent Tiger surrying away, so i think it changes nothing.

Exit Strategy - I'm going to leave you with a long-read non-golf item, the relevance of which I think you'll readily grasp.  I'll just remind you that your humble blogger is on the fence about the efficacy of sportswashing, but that the one analysis that most intrigued me was that which postulated that the Saudi's motivation was to be found in the success of the Emirates in such undertakings, so what could be more timely:

This is a piece you should read in full, as there's much of interest as that World Cup kicks off.  Obviously there's deep-rooted corruption involved, and I've not yet watched the Netflix documentary on this subject.

The first point to make, is that Qatar and other Arab states have been active investors in football for quite some time:

Qatar's myriad sporting investments

Europe is the powerhouse of global soccer, the continent boasting the world's most prestigious clubs and most prestigious competitions. In Deloitte's 2022 Football Money League, its table of the 20 clubs that generate the highest revenue in the game, all of the teams are from Europe. Only one club in the top six, Manchester United, has not benefited from significant financial backing from the Arabian Peninsula.

Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), a closed shareholding organization based in Doha that reinvests into Qatar's sports and entertainment industries, owns the biggest club in France, Paris Saint-Germain, and has recently acquired about a 22% minority stake in Portuguese team SC Braga. Qatari sponsorship agreements stretch even farther around the globe in soccer and other sports.

 Why football?  This is the bit that made me laugh:

"In the past, many sports had a similar reliance on money from tobacco sponsorship until it was outlawed in many parts of the world. But they survived, football survived.

"When American owners began to buy into the Premier League almost 20 years ago, I spoke to one of them and asked what the reasons were, and he said that no other business gets a billion viewers twice a week. He also said they were idiots for taking so long to realize the power of football. So while the game is reliant on Middle East money, it doesn't always have to be like that."

I keep thinking that no one has told the Saudis that, as compared to the billion viewers that tune in to a Premiere League game, six people watch a golf tournament.

As for the sportswashing allegation, the Qataris present as having more basic commercial objectives: 

Securing the right to host the World Cup was never about casting a veil over those elements of Qatar's society. Instead, it was a calculated decision to expose itself to Western scrutiny to make gains elsewhere. For roughly three decades, Qatar has been working on a course toward where it is now, according to Chris Doyle, a director at the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding, a nonprofit organization that promotes human rights, conflict resolution and civil society in the Arab world.

"If you go back to when the previous emir [Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani] came to power in 1995, Qatar was sitting on a large gas field but not exploiting it," Doyle told ESPN. "It was extremely conservative and hadn't seen the explosion of construction that we've seen now.

"It was very closed to the outside world, one of the more conservative states in the Arabian Peninsula, and he attempted to change this in a number of ways. Al Jazeera [the 24-hour English news channel owned by Qatar] was a part of that, opening up the media space, also having the American [military] base at Al Udeid, but probably more important in this respect was the huge changes in education, bringing in western campuses to Qatar."

Quite the fine distinction they draw, no?  Do you find this a compelling argument?

Qatar has arguably had the most uncomfortable ride. Unlike Saudi Arabia, whose human rights issues have long been established -- and other well-known countries like Russia and China that have hosted the Olympic Games -- Qatar had no global image to launder. The awarding of the World Cup 12 years ago was, in essence, the nation's international introduction. Without the World Cup, the country's issues with human rights, the treatment of migrant workers (an issue that existed in the country before the World Cup), the rights of women and the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community might have gone unchecked.

Same-sex relations are illegal, and men convicted of having them can face seven years in prison, while other laws ban unmarried sexual relations, independent of orientation. According to the U.S. State Department's 2021 Country Report on Human Rights, unwed women risk prosecution if they report pregnancies and "there were cases of hospitals reporting unwed mothers to authorities."

Say that again?  They have a long list of human rights abuses, but they're not trying to launder those because they think we don't know about them?

I'll leave you to read the remainder, though you might feel the need for a shower when you've finished.  This is very topical, given the LIV threat in golf, and especially so since Rory seems very content with a continued large role for the Saudis in our game.

The analogies break down in a number of important areas, not that I have thought it through to any great degree.  In football, they're buying franchise in the existing Premiere League, obviously tying their ROI to that institution.

In golf they seem to have embarked on a more confrontational and destructive strategy but, as we watch the World Cup, we should keep in mind that this might well be the Saudis objectives.  Though, they do seem to be going at it in a rather curious manner.

That's it for today, kids.  I'll see you when I see you....

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