Oy: Golf Digest Releases Woods Instruction Series Filmed The Day Before His Single-Car Accident

There are just some pieces of “content” buried in a vault for good reason. You know, because it’s just a little too tough to watch knowing the extended circumstances.

Apparently that status was not given to A Round With Tiger, the “celebrity playing lessons” he was en route to just before crashing and suffering possible career-ending injuries. That was 149 days ago.

Not only is the turnaround time jarringly fast, the whole thing is a cruel reminder we may never see Tiger Woods play golf again because he was in a hurry to a GolfDigest.com “content” shoot. I know they’re paying him a lot and spent a lot on the production to get these A(ish)-listers down to Palos Verdes, but is it really so much that Discovery wanted to potentially remind us they inadvertently were part of this dark chapter in Woods’ life?

Apparently so. Because in a press release they noted Tiger’s approval as if to say, we know this is slimy but hey, Tiger’s cool with it.

Today, Discovery’s Golf Digest debuts A Round with Tiger: Celebrity Playing Lessons, an exclusive four-episode series starring global sports icon Tiger Woods that unveils a different side of one of the greatest athletes to ever live. The Peter Berg-directed series shows a relaxed Tiger engaging with his celebrity friends and sharing their perspectives on life, fatherhood and golf.

The content was captured in February, the day before Tiger had his unfortunate car accident, from which he is still recovering. With this knowledge, the deep and poignant conversations will undoubtedly resonate even more strongly with viewers.

Or creep them out.

The series is being released with the blessing of Tiger and his guests. Discovery and Golf Digest thank everyone for their involvement and wish Tiger a continued speedy recovery.

Well at least he didn’t issue a quote written by Steiny’s best summer intern. Wait, what?

“Shooting this series was some of the most fun I’ve ever had filming on the golf course,” said Woods.

Right.

“Each guest brought a unique perspective on life, both professionally and personally. I’m always inspired by others who are considered the best at what they do and learning about how they made it to the top.

Now that is some serious, Grade A, First Team, All-American BS.

“I was pleasantly surprised by Jada and David’s golf games, and Dwyane, who just picked up the game, made a lot of progress in the time we spent together. Each episode provides something that everyone can enjoy and learn from, so I’m happy to share these lessons and conversations with the world.

…“It is always a privilege for our team to work with Tiger and we’re excited to have these special guests come together to create this unique series, which so perfectly blends golf and life,” said Chris Reynolds, General Manager, Golf Digest.

Well it certainly blended in real life, just not the kind anyone wants to think about.

“The teams at Discovery and Golf Digest have built such a close relationship with Tiger over the years,

So, so, soooooooo close! Like that time Steiny threatened to…oh this is not the time.

and this resulted in some of the most enlightening, engaging content we’ve ever shot. We thank Tiger for allowing us to move forward in producing this series even after his accident and wish him a continued speedy recovery.” 

Good. Grief. What an embarrassment.

Even the website description is horrifying:

Tiger Woods invites a group of celebrity guests for one-on-one playing lessons at Rolling Hills CC outside Los Angeles—and you, the viewer, are along for the ride.

I’d stay away from driving references for like, a thousand years.

The conversations between Tiger and his guests are funny and enlightening, heartfelt and inspiring, and cover the gamut from golf tips and life-on-Tour secrets to child rearing and favorite foods. Directed by famed Hollywood director Peter Berg (who appears frequently throughout),

Famed!

this program shows a relaxed, intimate side of Tiger as he spends time with some of his favorite actors and athletes in a place they all love: the golf course.

More like, as he fulfills an obligation in his lucrative deal. And now you, too, can watch this macabre reminder of what happened the next day.

Actually, I’d much rather watch Tiger Woods play golf again. This “content” is not the next best thing.

Mickelson Generates Discussion About The Role Of Golf Media

Last week’s Phil Mickelson-driven backlash toward “golf media” lit up Twitter but seemed a tad misplaced given that the story in question…

(A) was written by a Detroit News court reporter,

(B) was buried behind a paywall that only Detroit News subscribers could enjoy and therefore would have been largely unnoticed if not for Mickelson keeping it going by threatening to not return to Detroit.

(C) was a two-decade old unpaid wager that was not known about by most folks on the planet but sounds increasingly newsworthy given Mickelson’s inability to let the story go and the PGA Tour’s gambling push,

(D) that Mickelson was so willing to essentially say the role of journalists is to serve as a sort of in-house Chamber of Commerce/protective force/filter for players.

So it was refreshing to read Eamon Lynch’s Golfweek column replied to by Mickeson, who reiterated his stance on Twitter. Lynch writes:

Mickelson has every right to object to coverage he considers unfair, but underlying his response is a troubling expectation that media must function as cheerleaders when the Tour comes to town, and that failure to do so—by writing unflattering stories about him, for example—hurts the event and its charitable beneficiaries. Conflating his embarrassment with damage to the Rocket Mortgage Classic is preposterous, and accusing a reporter of deliberately hurting citizens in a deprived city by denying them the pleasure of his presence is bush league nonsense.

By Friday, Mickelson was gently backpedaling on his threatened boycott, pointing to a fan’s online petition promising 50,000 signatories imploring him to change his mind. “The people here were so nice that I’ll make a deal with them,” he said. “If he gets 50,000 and all of those 50,000 agree to do one random act of kindness for another member of the community, I’m in.”

Thus can individual churlishness be rebranded as communal charity.

(The petition has received 10,591 signatures as of this posting.)

Mickelson replied to the Lynch column:

Mickelson later added this suggestion the media look at “their own”, though I can safely say few golf media members placed half-million wagers with the cast of the Sopranos.

Lynch concludes by summing up the crux of the problem: “media that applaud and help sling product are good, media that pose awkward questions are bad. It’s the same binary equation beloved by bullshitters the world over. Not just in golf. And not just in sport.”

The issue of players viewing golf writers as a subversive force out to bring them down started with Tiger Woods following his 2009 scandal. Even though late night talk show comedians roasted Woods as golf publications avoided the story for days (and only reported salacious stuff first revealed in non-golf publications), Tiger retained a hostility toward golf press over the coverage. Yet he returned to those same late night shows to plug products and laugh it up with people who did far more to embarrass him than any golf writer.

For me, the most telling sign of trouble came a few years ago when I learned some players referred to golf writer Tim Rosaforte as “TMZ”. The implication being, he writes gossip and sleaze. The recent Memorial Tournament honoree and recipient of the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism.

This, even though Rosaforte diligently reported stories shared by families, agents and “teams” that enhanced player images. While he did report the less positive stories, the overriding majority of his reporting was helpful to the players. He told those tales in Golf World or on Golf Channel when people still watched the surrounding shows and they carried real influence. The “teams” often wanted to get their player’s story out through Tim and his audience heard reasons to root for golfers.

I sat next to Rosaforte several times in press centers, listening to him get every detail about Louis Oosthuizen’s love of tractors or some players’ ability to bench press some imaginary number, or a light story of barista butchering a player’s name and it helping the drone shoot 65. These stories got shared around the 19th hole and were the kind of details that delineated certain players and caused people to pay them endorsement money.

TMZ? Give me a break.

No one could dare try to pull off the “Insider” beat now. Relentless praise is not enough. Throw in the pandemic and some PGA Tour players are even more pleased to see decreased press access. Their “teams” are looking 24/7 for something to be aggrieved about and are on the lookout for the slightest non-positive remark to blow out of proportion, all to show their man they’ve got his back.

“How could they do this to the local charities, reporting you were late for your tee time? The media!”

This sad dance around a completely unfounded victimhood sensibility is why we’re subjected to American TV golf announcers piling on with an excessive compliments just minutes after having dared to say someone pulled a putt or looks like they’re nervous. And the announcers are making the right call. It takes just one player to decided he’s been wronged, even when it’s a player of no consequence whose disciplinary file is housed in the Global Home’s extra heavy-duty safe.

That Mickelson did not receive a public rebuttal from Commissioner Jay Monahan for dragging a sponsor into this was surprising. I’m fairly certain Tim Finchem or Deane Beman would not have tolerated Mickelson’s misunderstanding of media’s role or his regrettable decision to unfairly draw a sponsor and city into the the discussion. Especially when it’s a corporate partner as strong as Rocket Mortgage trying to revive Detroit and build the stop into a special event.

But times have changed. Players run the show. God forbid someone ask them why they layed-up on a par-5 or what they had for breakfast. Plenty of fans will agree with their victimhood stance. But just as many will find golfers to be soft, silly and out of touch with reality if they keep protesting over anything but a deep tissue shoulder massage.

Morning Read To Supply Sports Illustrated With Golf Content

Sports Illustrated announced an editorial partnership with MorningRead.com to host the website/newsletter’s golf content.

While Morning Read is generally one of the last places you’ll read strong points of view from writers like John Hawkins, Alex Miceli and Mike Purkey, it’s also worth noting that the site is owned by the Buffalo Groupe.

The public relations firm handles PSA work for the USGA, communications counseling, and media relations at the U.S. Open, among their known duties. The firm also has staff members contribute to Morning Read editorial content and a former Buffalo staffer working for the USGA.

While I know many of the Morning Read writers would not be compromised by the relationship, it would seem logical to disclose the USGA partnership in articles pertaining to the U.S.G.A. I know, highly doubtful, but if Golf.com can do it, so can Morning Read when entrusted with what’s left of the Sports Illustrated “brand”.

Lexi Passes On TV Interview, Gets Backing From Peer

Just finished watching three hours of Golf Channel coverage of the LPGA Mediheal. Biggest question: How would Lexi respond to that devastating USWO finish?

Well, she shot 71. Currently T-15. She declined a Golf Channel interview.

— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) June 11, 2021

Lexi Thompson is T15 after two rounds at Lake Merced, not quite a week removed from losing the U.S. Women’s Open at nearby Olympic Club.

Given that Golf Channel’s LPGA Tour coverage teeters on sycophantic at times, it’s pretty amazing to pass on a post-round interview that is also a fine chance to display some logos. But as feared with the recent Naomi Osaka situation, coupled with some anti-media sentiment in golf, it seems we are likely to see more players pass on these generally inane chats. And even when they don’t pass, episodes like this put interviewers on notice to bring plenty of massage oil to future post-round therapy sessions.

Here is one defense of Thompson’s decision, with a wide range of replies.

Given her pretty ON POINT interview post her final round of US open…this take is unfair and unnecessary and people wonder why athletes are starting to decline media requests. It’s a new week, she’s clearly moved on and so should the media. https://t.co/EMOi58o2a5

— Marina Alex (@Marina_Deee) June 11, 2021

MorningRead.com’s Mike Purkey challenged players, agents and some broadcasters making these situations worse than they (A) need to be (B) actually are in the grand scheme of life.

Thompson’s agent did her no favors by calling a halt to the media interviews after only two questions after the final round. If he thought he was protecting her, he’s wrong. What’s more, it’s not his job or his jurisdiction in that situation. Thompson, who is 26, might not have been required to face the media, but she does have an obligation as a professional athlete. This was her 15th U.S. Open, and she has been answering reporters’ questions all that time.

If Thompson wants another example, she only has to turn to Greg Norman, who infamously lost a six-stroke lead in the final round of the 1996 Masters. It was by far the most devastating day of Norman’s career.

Yet, he sat in the interview room in the media center at Augusta National, where every seat was taken and journalists were standing in the back and seated in the aisles and in the front. He answered every single question until no more were left to ask.

Nicklaus On Osaka

pic.twitter.com/LN2ANnoAYD

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 31, 2021

Sports fans and media are watching the complicated situation involving tennis star Naomi Osaka and her withdrawal from the French Open, citing anxiety issues with press conferences and huge fines for skipping them.

In kicking off the Memorial Tournament, huge tennis fan and host Jack Nicklaus was asked about the situation, his career attitude toward press and if he sees a similar situation coming to golf.

Q. I think what made me think of it was your reputation of dealing with the media has been outstanding since before some of us were born. Do you think you would be -- what was your approach back then, what was it like back then and do you think it would be any different now given five or six different broadcast outlets that are now part of the mix?

JACK NICKLAUS: I honestly don't know. But my outlook -- my -- my view towards the press has always been you guys have got a job to do. And I tried to be honest with you, straightforward with you, I tried to answer your questions the best of my ability. If I thought there was something that I probably shouldn't answer, I probably answered it anyway, you know that. But I probably sometimes should have kept my mouth shut.

So I have always dealt with you guys that I treated you fairly, you treated me fairly. And I don't understand some of the young people today and thinking they're not going to get treated fairly. I mean, you always get treated fairly if you treat somebody else fairly. That's always been our way.

Maybe there's always some, there's always a snake in the crowd somewhere who decides they want to do something, but you can't blame everybody for one bad apple. And I don't know what she felt, went into, I have not read anything about it, I just heard she withdrew because she didn't want to go to a press conference and that she felt like she had some issue that --

Q. Anxiety.

JACK NICKLAUS: Anxiety? Well, if she has that and that's, and that bothers her, I mean, then you guys should be able to, you know, accommodate her and allow her to do what she needs to do without running her through the ringer. I mean, if she has a problem, if she really has one, you don't know that, I don't know that, only she knows that and her doctor probably knows it.

So I can't fault her, so I don't really -- one of the times I probably should keep my mouth shut a little bit because I just don't know. I mean, open mouth insert foot? I mean, is that a fair answer to you?

Q. It is, yeah. I was actually we were talking last week when just what it was like for you when you finished a round. I was just curious how much different you think the media was back then?

JACK NICKLAUS: I don't think -- I think people are people. I think you have a people, a few people in the media today who are trying to make a name and they want to get sensational. We have had that for 20 years or so. Didn't have it much right when I was growing up. But for the -- you pretty well identify those people pretty quickly. And then you're just careful with what you do. But I'm still, but still you got a job to do. And I think that -- I mean our guys have been pretty good with the press, I don't think you have anybody that's bad with the press, are you?

DOUG MILNE: None at all. (Laughing.)

JACK NICKLAUS: Surprise answer. (Laughing.) But I don't think you -- I don't think that's a big issue with golf. I feel badly for her and I hope that she, I hope that she, whatever she need or if she needs help or whatever she needs, I hope she gets it. But it's a, you know, I just don't know enough about it to really comment honestly on it.

Tim Dahlberg filed this AP column on why the situation goes well beyond being a media issue and one that Osaka will continue to face.

Bubba Watson offered this on Twitter:

I don’t personally know @naomiosaka but when it comes to #mentalhealth... https://t.co/FCPSEx1WQT pic.twitter.com/C9vbf68xzj

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) June 1, 2021

Bryson Transitions To Gentle Troll Mode In Battle Of The Bros, But Tom Brady Wins The Day

Not only did Bryson DeChambeau jump on one of Brooks Koepka’s efforts at light ribbing, but so did PGA Champion Phil Mickelson.

For those tracking the Player Impact Program race instead of the Comcast Business Solutions No One Will Play The Wyndham Regardless chase, that’s 98.2k likes for Brooks, 24.5k for Bryson and 48.6k for Phil. We’ll let the algo comprised of Meltwater Mentions x MVP Index x Google Searches x Tuesday’s temperature in Ponte Vedra decides who wins.

But Bryson also made a quiet Instagram story play WITH Photoshopping (bonus points!), as caught here by No Laying Up:

But wait, there’s more pic.twitter.com/XBGiM9f73j

— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) May 26, 2021

This all came on a day when Tom Brady joined in the fun to promote The Match with some epic meme trolling of Aaron Rodgers and a funny, maybe a tad edgy reply by Bryson.

Glorious!

Except in the State-guided media world.

As I noted in an earlier post, NBC/Golf Channel is “investigating” the origins of the video. And while the episode is a little embarrassing in various ways for Koepka and the network’s leadership, it amounts to a very small deal in the grand scheme and hopefully will not lead to a low paid, overworked employee losing their job.

Given the incredible number of times the clip was watched before getting taken down—as many saw it as tuned in for the final round of the PGA—you’d think media operations constantly searching for “engagement” and “impressions” with a young, hip, male audience would be reporting the above fun that does possibly have ramifications for the Ryder Cup.

The efforts to run from such good fodder suggest this is a grave matter at the Global Home and their internal “listening” reports are being drawn up to analyze the reactions. (GolfChannel.com and PGATour.com have touched no part of the social fodder while GolfDigest.com has buried an item on it where stories go to die, also known as The Loop…yes it still exists.)

So I guess the attempts at make this gaffe go away tells us not to expect an update on the Player Impact Program ramifications. Darn.

Discovery-Warnermedia Merger Hatched Over Golf(ish)

As if the ego maniacal types congregating at each February’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am needed inflated sense of self, the megamerger of WarnerMedia and Discovery had origins in golf.

According to the New York Times’ Edmund Lee and John Koblin, Discovery CEO David Zaslav initiated the talks and it was always only a conversation with WarnerMedia.

Mr. Zaslav expected to meet with AT&T’s chief executive, John Stankey, at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in February, but both had stayed home because of the pandemic. Instead, Mr. Zaslav sent an email to Mr. Stankey as he was watching the golf tournament on TV to discuss a possible deal.

“You around?” Mr. Zaslav said he wrote to Mr. Stankey. “I have an idea.” He added some emoji flair to his signoff with several 🏌🏻and one 😎.

Mr. Zaslav said the note kicked off a conversation that lasted several hours. Later, the two met several times “secretly from my brownstone in Greenwich Village,” Mr. Zaslav said.

Met secretly at my home would have sufficed.

Golf Waits To See Who Would Run Discovery-Warnermedia

Bloomberg broke the Sunday stunner: barring a last minute issue, AT&T will spin off its Warnermedia empire and merge with Discovery.

While most of the hardcore golfers have moved on from the ranks of AT&T leadership, Discovery’s David Zaslav is the brains behind the PGA Tour-GolfTV partnership and his company owns Golf Digest.

It remains unclear who will lead the new combined company, but Zaslav seems the likely candidate and his role as CEO would certainly help the cause of a few golf partnerships.

**Axios reports that Zaslav will oversee the company and Jeff Zucker may hang around to keep running CNN and the Turner sports empire.

Haney Case Depositions Shed Light On Tour's Handling Of LPGA TV Deal, Lack Of Top Player Awareness

The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan has obtained portions of Hank Haney lawsuit depositions in the case against the PGA Tour and the details do not paint a flattering portrayal of PGA Tour leadership. With just under two months left in office, outgoing LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan may need to address the situation.

To recap: Haney is suing the Tour after he was forced off SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio following a flippant comment about LPGA Tour favorites in the then-upcoming U.S. Women’s Open. But he is also alleging PGA Tour interference in several of his business interests beyond their pressure campaign alleged.

Unable to settle, the sides moved to a deposition phase and in the excerpts obtained by The Athletic, their story focus locked in on the LPGA’s percentage of the new PGA Tour TV deal. We don’t know enough about the structure to evaluate the percentages seized-on in the story to evaluate exactly what this means for LPGA revenues. But Monahan testified to the LPGA receiving “several million dollars of additional media rights revenue in 2020 than they did in 2019.”

Kaplan’s story also highlights deposition snippets that reveal stunning ignorance of women’s golf by PGA Tour brass.

Why is that important?

The perception alone is terrible given the particulars of the case (and Haney’s subsequent apology). From a business perspective, the ignorance suggests the LPGA might not have been a PGA Tour focus in the media negotiations or going forward.

This, despite the PGA Tour’s claims of a deep affinity for the women’s game. When denouncing Haney at the time, the Tour and Sirius professed their close working ties with the LPGA:

“The PGA TOUR is committed to and proud of the increasingly diverse makeup of our fan base, not to mention the power and accomplishments of the game’s world-class, global players -- both on the PGA TOUR and LPGA, whom we are working with more closely than ever before.

“SiriusXM proudly covers and supports both women’s and men’s golf and the athletes that make them great. At the PGA TOUR’s instruction Mr. Haney has been suspended from the SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio channel. SiriusXM is reviewing his status on SiriusXM going forward.”

There is one LPGA Tour show on the network.

The PGA Tour has been unable to create a mixed team event despite obvious fan interest. And as for the pride in the accomplishments of female golfers while working closer than ever before?

To hammer home the charge that the PGA Tour isn’t concerned about the LPGA, counsel for Haney quizzed Monahan on his knowledge of women’s golf. Monahan could not name the top golfers and said he had not attended an LPGA tournament as commissioner. (He had before his tenure.)

Maybe the Citation fleet only flies to PGA Tour cities?

“Can you give me the top five ranked players playing in that tournament this week?” Haney’s lawyer asked. (The LPGA played the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston that week.) “I can’t specifically give you the top five players ranked in that tournament,” Monahan replied. Haney’s lawyer then asked, “Who is the top-ranked woman playing in the tournament?”

Monahan: “I’m not sure what the latest iteration of the world ranking is.”

Psst, Jay, that’s the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Haney’s lawyer: “Who are the top several players playing?”

Monahan: “I’m focused on the business of the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, Korn Ferry, PGA Tour Latino America,  PGA Tour China, PGA Tour Canada, our relationship with the European Tour and our industry relationships. The person who is in a position to tell you the top players in the world would be Mike Whan. He runs the LPGA Tour.”

I feel like the video version of that answer probably is not going end up in Jay’s career highlight reel.

The PGA Tour’s SVP of Communications, Laura Neal, had an embarrassing performance given that her past job at the LPGA Tour from 1997 to 2006 under then-Commissioner Ty Votaw. Kaplan writes:

His lawyer asked Neal, the PGA Tour’s senior vice president of communications, in a Dec. 15, 2020, deposition about her own knowledge of top women golfers. When she couldn’t name them, he asked her, “Do you think it’s disrespectful for a senior member of the PGA not to know who the leaders of the LPGA are?”

She replied, “No, I don’t think it’s disrespectful.”

Just ignorant and demonstrating a lack of deposition prep on a topic purportedly very dear to PGA Tour hearts.

Which brings us to the LPGA Tour’s outgoing commissioner.

Mike Whan handed the LPGA Tour’s media negotiations over to the PGA Tour and probably made the right move at the time given the options. But with Golf Channel’s dwindling reach (by cable home counts), even fuzzier future digital plans, lack of complimentary LPGA coverage (their website writer was cut), and slashed marketing budget, the LPGA has a low priority status on the channel.

At the very least, Whan should be displeased with PGA Tour leadership’s lack of preparation or knowledge. Will he say so publicly or dare discuss these performances with his players?

If he was moving to another sector, Whan might be able to skate by. But given his move to the USGA CEO job and the organization’s hosting of the U.S. Women’s Open, he probably needs to get out in front of this one.

Golf Digest Ranking Runs Incorrect Numbers After Touting Commitment To "Objective Data"

The top 25 based on published data before the numbers were removed from GolfDigest.com

With the release of their latest top 100 ranking Golf Digest featured the usual oddball emphasis on theatrics beyond golf architecture.

This prompted a plea from to pay attention to things that make a course fun and timeless, but the damage was already done.

There is also the matter than you can pay to join the panel here for $1300.

Not great.

But that’s their business.

For the sport of golf, the elements consistently rewarded by Golf Digest tend to lean expensive, unsatisfying to play and obnoxious for the planet. There’s a case to be made that the ranking has been one of the worst influences on course development since its 1966 inception. But they bill it as the “oldest and most respected list in golf.”

Thankfully, the golf world is trying to move away from the values endorsed by Golf Digest, with fun and low key atmosphere’s revered, but that doesn’t mean the 2021-22 ranking improprieties should be laughed off.

In the latest ranking rollout, Derek Duncan touts how Digest’s “commitment to emphasizing objective data in an inherently subjective endeavor has only intensified.” He lays out a system to get course votes more timely and to no longer count votes after for a course since modified significantly, plus other ways to keep the list relevant.

Then Duncan writes how close things get among the Top 100 courses.

The space between those fractions of a point might not seem like much, but they matter. Though acknowledging that it’s hard to do, we ask panelists to sweat the details and carry their 1 to 10 scores to two or even three decimal places. This is to delineate between contenders because the scores become increasingly compact the farther down the ranking one travels. What separates No. 114 (Mayacama in Santa Rosa, Calif.) and No. 115 (Stone Eagle in Palm Desert, Calif.) is miniscule: .0003. The difference between being comfortably inside the 100 Greatest (Pete Dye Golf Club in West Virginia, No. 87) and outside (Baltimore Country Club East, No. 102) is only five-tenths of a point. This means a club could elevate its numbers across each category by .07 and potentially improve position a dozen or more places.

That attention to math seems excessive at best and might explain why the panelists are focusing on analytics instead of artistry. But the number crunching looks downright absurd after a former panelist noticed the 2021-22 posted data was not matching up with its revamped category and scoring system.

Jason Jones initially posted on GolfClubAtlas.com about the discrepancy featuring No. 1 Pine Valley:

So, what is interesting about this list is that if you take the methodology described, and the data that is provided, their math is wrong.

For example, their described methodology is to take (2x Shot Options) plus (the other 6 categories). 

For Pine Valley, their published total score using this methodology is: 72.1554

However, if you take the published categories and enter them into their formula, Pine Valley's total score is: 71.8386.

Given that most of these scores are within tenths (or less) of each other, some rankings are different mathematically than their published ranking.

Jones later posted all of the numbers and highlighted the discrepancies in another post ranking the top 100 based on Golf Digest’s initially published numbers.

Those numbers were taken off the website and an updated version now appears.

It’s unclear if the published ranking was off the data since removed or an accurate counting of the numbers or some other combination. No editor’s note or asterisk was attached to the updated page, casting even more doubt about the legitimacy of the process.

On top of the compromised data, the magazine is also not taking criticism well from its own.

Pat Craig posted on GolfClubAtlas of his dismay at dreary Butler National landing above the magical Shoreacres, hardly a controversial sentiment. Craig also posted an emoji after writing simply: “Spring Hill at #100….sure………….”

Craig said he received a note from panel leaders Duncan and Stephen Hennessey with “a screenshot of my comment above which they understandably not happy with.”

Craig then posted he had resigned from the Golf Digest panel and questioned its direction after the installation of a $1300 entry fee that seems to allow anyone to join.

So they are attempting to squelch panelist opinions after publishing incorrect numbers, all while touting the data. What a mess. And even more reason to discount a profit-focused ranking that has rarely bettered the art of golf architecture.

PGA Tour Seeks Dismissal Of Haney Lawsuit, Cites "Supervisory Interest" In SiriusXM Programming

Back in February the judge in Hank Haney’s lawsuit sealed the docket as mediation and discovery were ongoing, suggesting the sides might be talking.

Now Rex Hoggard reports for GolfChannel.com that the PGA Tour is back in court asking to dismiss the suit that cost Haney his popular SiriusXM radio show.

Stopping short of confirming its Radio Sawgrass status, lawyers for the Tour argued it had the right to censor the channel as part of a licensing agreement. Did I say censor? I mean, took a “supervisory interest” in Sirius XM.

From Hoggard’s report:

Haney’s contention that the Tour interfered with his contract stems at least partly from a call from Tour commissioner Jay Monahan to Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM president and chief content officer, the day after the incident.

Monahan told Greenstein that Haney’s comments were “completely unacceptable, indefensible.” In his testimony Greenstein said Monahan “was clearly upset” but that he “did not threaten Greenstein.”

The Tour also argued in its motion for summary judgement that the circuit has a “supervisory interest” in SiriusXM as a result of the license agreement between the two organizations and that “programming was required to be agreed upon by the parties in advance of distribution.”

They don’t call it state media for nothin!

Report: "Journalist tests positive for COVID-19 after reporting on Masters"

Christine Brennan reports on a journalist who has been covering Augusta National events since April 2nd has tested positive for COVID-19 and is quarantining along with three housemates who so far have tested negative.

Press were required to test negative before entering club grounds to start the week.

One journalist Tweeted confirmation of a positive today. Brennan says the club’s testing has found four positive results.

Golf Magazine Helps You Plan A Buddies Trip To The Kingdom...Of Saudi Arabia

Oh I know you think I’m going all April 1 here and it would seem very foolish to advocate an away game to Saudi Arabia given the scarcity of courses and the Crown Prince’s murderous ways.

But that’s just what Golf Magazine has done in its latest issue as part of an overall package that also included Golf.com relentlessly hawking a new Jack Nicklaus design deal for parent company 8AM Golf.

Based on the screen captures sent my way, the (wisely) unbylined story appears to outline Saudi Arabia’s five courses and gets yet another mention in for the unbuilt Nicklaus project. Since the magazine’s ads are mostly just 8AM companies owned by Howard Milstein and times are clearly tough, the copy apparently must become the ad. Sad. Especially given The Kingdom’s well known sportwashing goals and the absurdity of Americans needing to know about the region for a buddies trip.

I can safely say there are better golf trip alternatives closer to home now and for the next 1000 years.

Oh and I haven’t seen the full copy but I see the Road hole got dragged into this somehow. Charming.

Shipnuck Leaves Golf For "A new golf media company 25 years in the making"

Congrats to Alan Shipnuck on a fantastic run at Sports Illustrated/Golf and now just Golf as he embarks on a new chapter in his award-winning career.

He’s joining Matt Ginella and friends at The Fire Pit Collective to, well, I’ll let him explain:

TheFirePitCollective.com will be the home for my original long-form features, weekly columns and event coverage. For my entire career you, the loyal digital reader, has been forced to endure a relentless assault of pop-up videos, embedded links, garish ads and other clutter that destroyed the reading experience, which is supposed to be transporting. That ends today. For the first time, I am in a position to personally promise that all of my stories will be presented in a clean, beautiful format that maximizes your enjoyment, not a corporate suit’s Christmas bonus. In addition to all of the typing, I’m excited to finally immerse myself in long-form video storytelling and get back to podcasting. (More on that soon!) I am going to oversee Fire Pit Presents, which will give aspiring writers a platform to share their work. Matt and I have ambitious plans for a travel series and to host experiential events at great golf courses, featuring thought-provoking guests. Over time we will add more talent, with an eye on diverse, unexpected contributors.

Honda Classic Renames Media Center For Tim Rosaforte

Nice touch here from the Honda Classic paying tribute to one of the reporters who was there from the beginning and as the event remains the PGA Tour’s longest continuous sponsor.

HONDA CLASSIC RENAMES MEDIA CENTER FOR LONGTIME GOLF WRITER/BROADCASTER TIM ROSAFORTE

Tournament creates Tim Rosaforte Distinguished Writers' Award to honor golf journalists

Tim Rosaforte has been covering The Honda Classic for more than three decades, first as a newspaper writer for the Sun Sentinel and Palm Beach Post, then as a writer for Sports Illustrated and Golf World and lastly as a broadcaster for NBC and the Golf Channel.

The Honda Classic announced Monday that it will honor Rosaforte, now retired in Jupiter, for his amazing career in golf journalism by renaming the tournament media center "The Tim Rosaforte Media Center."

In addition, The Honda Classic is creating a perpetual award in Rosaforte's honor - The Tim Rosaforte Distinguished Writers' Award. Rosaforte has been named the first recipient of the award by the tournament.

"Tim has been such a vital part of the history of The Honda Classic from his work as a writer and broadcaster to the emcee of so many of our pro-am dinners and sponsor events," Honda Classic Executive Director Kenneth R. Kennerly said. "It is only fitting now that he has retired from broadcasting that we find ways to honor him for his years of service to the game and to the community."

Affectionately known as "Rosie" to most who know him, the 65-year-old Rosaforte enjoyed a successful career in both print and broadcast journalism.

His career began in 1977 at the Tampa Times after he graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island, where he played linebacker on the football team. He moved from Tampa to the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale in 1981 and then worked at The Palm Beach Post from 1987-93.

Rosaforte's print career continued at Sports Illustrated from 1994-96 before he joined Golf World and Golf Digest as a senior writer. On the broadcast end, Rosaforte served as co-host of USA Network’s “PGA TOUR Sunday” program starting in 2003 and then moved to Golf Channel in 2007 as a reporter and analyst. He retired in December 2019 because of health issues and recently was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease.

“Tim is one of this generation’s great golf journalists," golf legend Jack Nicklaus said. "He has developed relationships and trust from so many in the game, and you always knew that if there was an important story to be told in golf, Tim was going to be the first call you received and usually the first one to report it."

Rosaforte is also a recipient of more than 40 writing awards and the author of five books. He was inducted into the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame in 2012 and received the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism in 2014 and became the first journalist to be given an honorary membership to the PGA of America. Rosaforte is just the 12th person to become an honorary member of the PGA, which is granted after a vote of PGA delegates to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to the game of golf.

The Memorial Tournament also recently announced Rosaforte as a recipient of the 2021 Memorial Golf Journalism Award.

"Tim has been an incredibly important part of the enormous growth of the game throughout South Florida over the past three decades," said Geoff Lofstead, Executive Director of the South Florida PGA. "He has been so important in telling the stories of the great players and all the great PGA professionals that administer the game on a daily basis."