Five Families Would Be Wise To Steer Clear Of The Tours v. Greg & The Sportwashing Saudi's

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There are no sound reasons I could come up with for the Masters, USGA, R&A and PGA of America to uphold possible player suspensions and risk legal exposure should Jay Monahan suspend players over U.S. appearances for LIV Golf’s series.

Things are good right now for the other Families and it sounds like they know it. My latest Quadrilateral.

Nasa Wins LA Open, Norman Gets An Open Rejection

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It was another fun week at Wilshire Country Club where Nasa Hataoka dominated and set herself up as a U.S. Women’s Open favorite with her DIO Implant LA Open victory.

Plus, Jin Young Ko's 17th-hole fiasco, rangefinders on the LPGA Tour, Greg Norman continues to need attention and a weekend recap. All in the latest Quadrilateral.

Norman Calls Mickelson Reveal Part Of A Conspiracy, Saudi League Targeting Amateurs Using NIL Rules

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Just another week in the messy disruption effort by the Living Brand.

According to The Telegraph’s James Corrigan, four players of note have committed to the first LIV Golf event in London, including a "two-time major winner” that’s “in talks” with the group. Details have not been confirmed but Corrigan says the names are thought to “include Bubba Watson, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Kevin Na."

Soon after, Watson randomly shared his schedule this week on Twitter for those looking to make summer plans. It did not include any Saudi events, suggesting Watson was refuting the story.

Corrigan quotes Norman as saying the Saudi-backed “League” is going forward with full purses no matter who shows up and hopes this creates a domino effect where top players see guys they can beat winning silly money. Interesting strategy!

Corrigan also quotes sources saying the Saudis and the charming Crown Prince are "willing to up the ante if needs be and lose” $3 billion over three years.

Since they gave Jared Kushner $2 billion to play with, I think we can believe them!

And most amazing of all, Norman suggested that the release of controversial comments by Phil Mickelson was "part of a conspiracy to derail the venture.” The Shark may have forgotten that Mickelson gave a disastrous interview in Saudi Arabia to John Huggan first, making the release of Alan Shipnuck’s book excerpt mere validation that Mickelson’s rhetoric had jumped to a new level of dark and deranged.

Mickelson has also not refuted the accuracy of either interview.

In another interview, Norman revealed to SI’s Bob Harig that the “league” concept has been shelved for two years, at least. And he’s coming after the kids!

Norman said the group is looking at using the Name, Image, Likeness opening to pursue amateur golfers.

Norman, in an interview with SI.com/Morning Read, said for those who do not want to turn pro or have college eligibility, LIV Golf is working on Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals that are now prevalent in college sports.

“I’ve always said from the outset I want to grow the game of golf the best way we possibly can for all levels,’’ said Norman, who is the commissioner of the LIV Golf Invitational Series and CEO of LIV Golf Investments. “I’ve been consistent with this. At the Shark Shootout (his team event in Naples, Florida), for 33 years I’ve tried to always invite a rookie, a younger player — Rickie Fowler, Matthew Wolff.

“It was to reach out to some kid to give him a chance to start experiencing something new. And we have every intention of doing that with this as well. Give them a pathway. Some of these guys are set to turn pro anyway, and this is an opportunity for them to experience something new.’’

Give them a chance to experience something new. Growing the game!

The revised amateur status rules do no appear to address such an endorsement deal to provide an advance. It’s both a clever move and utterly creepy since it could have leagues and tours pursuing deals with college golfers and even high schoolers.

Applications Now Accepted For The Liv Golf Invitational In London

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Application invitations have been sent to prospective Liv Golf Invitational contestants for the initial stop in London. As tends to happen with email, the link and password has been forwarded around and found its way to an inbox of mine.

Unless you meet the criteria, you cannot apply. But in the interest of making sure all worthy candidates have their fair shot at the $25 million purse, I’ll share the criteria below with carefully crafted insights in between. (Note the nice double dollar sign choice for the password.)

LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL LONDON

WHEN: 3-day, 54-hole tournament taking place June 9-11, Thursday through Saturday. This ensures anyone competing in the U.S. Open the following week has the ability to travel back to the States on Sunday.



No chartered jet to Logan?

WHERE: Centurion Club, 35 minutes north of Central London



FIELD: 48 players across 12 teams (4 players per team)



PRIZE PURSE: $25MM Prize Purse with $20MM distributed based on individual performance (1st $4MM - 48th $120K) and $5MM distributed across the top 3 teams and paid out evenly to each team member (1st $3MM, 2nd $1.5MM, 3rd $500K)



THE DRAFT: A draft will take place on Tuesday, June 7 to roster the 12 teams, with LIV appointed Team Captains selecting their 3 open team positions in snake draft format



LIV appointed Team Captains should be fun.

Greg, I have Gary Player on line one, should I send him to voice mail?

HELL NO! Put him through pronto!

PRO-AM: The pro-am will take place on Wednesday, June 8th



For that much money maybe players can buy pro-am spots and just choose to play a practice round?

COMMITTMENT: Participating in LIV Golf Invitational London does not require you to play in future events

This registration is only for our London event. As players have the option to enter and compete in one or all of our events, we will be sending out separate invitations to request an invite for each of our events in the coming months.

Entries for this event close at 11:59PM EDT Tuesday, May 10th. Invitations will be on a rolling basis with written notifications to the final field commencing Monday, May 23rd.

Taking it right to the bitter end.

LIV GOLF INVITATIONALS 2022 - EXEMPTION CRITERIA:

1) Asian Tour Players(3):


a) Leading 2 players from within the top-20 of the final 2021 Asian Tour Order of Merit Standings


b) Leading 1 player from within the top-10 of the Asian Tour Order of Merit at close of Entries



For now.

2) DP World Tour Players (3):


a) Leading 2 players from within the top-20 of the final 2021 European Tour Race to Dubai Standings


b) Leading 1 player from within the top-10 of the DP World Tour Rankings at close of Entries



Nice recognition of the branding transition.

3) PGA Tour Players (3):


a) Leading 2 players from within the top-30 of the final 2021 PGA Tour FedEx Cup Standings


b) Leading 1 player from within the top-10 of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup standings at close of Entries



Someone finally pays proper respect to the FedExCup!

4) Leading 2 players from within the top 15 of the final 2021/2022 standings of each of the PGA Tour of Australasia, Sunshine Tour and Japan Golf Tour (6)

Two spots each. Generous!



5) Leading 3 players from the Asian Tour International Series rankings at close of entries (3)



You go Asian Tour!

6) The two leading players from the International Series London not otherwise exempt (2)

But wasn’t that event replaced by the Liv London? I can’t keep up.



7) Leading 22 players from the OWGR at close of entries (22)

Whoa, but no minimum on the number. Bold.



8) Balance of field to be made up at the discretion of LIV Golf Commissioner and Championship Committee

Ah now we’re getting somewhere. Will Greg Norman go all Dick Cheney and decide he’s the best candidate to fill out the field?

Norman On Five Clubs Pod: Grow The Game, Grow The Game, Grow The Game

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Unlike the bubbly bro massage he received on Golf.com’s Subpar podcast, LIV Golf Commish Greg Norman faced real questions on Gary Williams’ Five Clubs podcast where he was pressed about that beheading-prone guy controlling the purse strings of Norman’s 8-event schedule.

Sitting in front of the Sydney Opera House minus his ears, Norman made one bit of news while producing pathetic answers on funding front.

First the news. This was an odd line to me for a series of eight, come-as-you go events for independent contractors.

“There are contracts, but I’m not going to give out any names on that,” Norman said when pressed on commitments to the league. He later said that invitations would be going out “very shortly.”

Contracts but invitations have not gone out. Interesting. Also, I get it that you need contract for to give away your likeness and stuff, but here’s guessing the fine print mentions more than that. As in, a lack of independence as a contractor.

Regarding the Saudi stuff, get ready for some robust “grow the game” nonsense. But do chuckle when the Shark notes the Saudi’s deep history of support for the game. You know dating to 2019.

G.C. Digital wrote a summary of the pod and noted these lines:

“We’re not a political organization,” Norman said. “And what we’ve done and what the PIF have done and what Saudi Arabia has done, like I said to you before, golf is good for the world and golf is good with Saudi Arabia.”

He later added: “My passion for the game of golf and growing the game of golf is my priority. … This is all about the game of golf and growing the game of golf. I’m not even going to go down that path of trying to get into a political discussion about it. I’m focused on growing the game of golf the best way I possibly can. End of story.”

It’s also fascinating to hear him talk about the “long process” and “massive amount of effort to build this enterprise, including all the stuff with the lawyers, blah, blah, blah. This would seem to be disregarding how the Saudi group unashamedly stole the Premier Golf League’s playbook they were once a funder of.

Anyway, if you’re doctor forbids you from hearing more than two “grow-the-games” a day, this isn’t for you. Here is the portion on Saudi Arabia that’s so telling (full pod embedded farther down or wherever you get your pods):

Norman also gave an interview to CNN’s Amanda Davies and delivered similar grow-the-game broken recordspeak.

"We're here to grow the game of golf. Money from Saudi Arabia has gone into the game of golf and since 2019, Saudi Arabia has put on the Saudi International," the 67-year-old said.

"That was co-sanctioned by the European Tour, now the DP World Tour. So the money's been there and the other tours have co-sanctioned these tournaments by Saudi money. Golf is good for the world and golf is good for Saudi Arabia too. We've seen it.

"Saudi Arabia has invested a lot of money into women's golf. They're the largest investor in women's golf today. So when you look at all the facts sitting out there, yes, our investor is Saudi money. I'm proud of that because, like I said, golf is good for the world and we're just going to grow the game of golf on a worldwide basis."

What an amazing fall for the living brand.

State Of The Game 119: Well That Escalated Quickly

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Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly convened to wade into the various issues of the day. And there are plenty. Ball rollback drinking gamers should be pleased, too.

The episode direct link.

The Apple listening option. And the pod remains available wherever you get your shows.

It's Not Even Friday Yet: Mickelson Loses Another Sponsor Along With Greg Norman's Favorite Cool Kids

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After KPMG and Phil Mickelson agreed to part ways, Amstel Light makers Heineken confirmed to Sportico they had dropped the embattled golfer.

A spokesman for Amstel parent Heineken told Sportico on Tuesday night: “We made the decision to go our separate ways and end Amstel Light’s partnership with Phil Mickelson. We wish him all the best.”

Mickelson’s bio remains on Callaway’s website but some noticed a scrubbing of his likeness from other web pages. The company has not commented on Mickelson as a Friday news dump possibility looms.

The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay looked at the “bleak” matter of sportwashing and Mickelson’s mistake in not understanding the consequences of saying the quiet part out loud.

The New York Post noted Mickelson’s lastest block: the influential Paige Spiranac. I don’t this is going to help him win a second PIP.

Most painful of all may be Greg Norman’s favorite influencers at PGA Memes mocking Mickelson. Yes, the same PGAMemes Norman mentioned four times in his recent Saudi Arabia press conference as the future of the game. You know how the old saying goes, when you lose the meme makers…

Meanwhile, in other news of the bizarre, Instagram star-of-The-Villages Greg Norman thinks he’s Churchill taking on the Nazi’s.

And finally, from Find The Fairway, an alternative look at the Saudi Golf League:

Monahan Reiterates Ban Pledge, Shark Bites Back While Citing Former FTC Counsel Who Really, Really Wants The Saudi League To Succeed

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You could admire PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan’s decision to lay low the last few weeks as the disruptive LIV Golf Investments purported league crumbled under the weight of Phil Mickelson’s comments and direct ties to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But in leaving Rory McIlroy’s of the world to front the opposition, Monahan left those who took a moral or history-based stand to be the spokespersons for the PGA Tour.

Q-rating enhancing, all of this money talk is not.

Maybe good for Meltwaters? I don’t know.

Either way, Monahan finally dropped the hammer as the Saudi ship was seen sinking off the coast of Jupiter, reiterating in a phone interview to AP’s Doug Ferguson that he has “zero complacency” when it comes to the threat of a Saudi league.

“I told the players we’re moving on and anyone on the fence needs to make a decision,” Monahan said Wednesday in a telephone interview.

He also emphasized anew that players who sign up for a Saudi golf league will lose their PGA Tour membership and should not expect to get it back.

Why the ban was brought back up as the whole thing crumbles, is surprising and suggests there are still concerns the LIV Golf effort has legs. Because it seems like Monahan could have just belittled what appears to be left of a league down to some Kokrak’s, Poulter’s, Stenson’s, Westwood’s and Mickelson’s.

Meanwhile, the Shark one is fighting back in a last ditch letter after this “ban” opening and it’s multi-layered. And a two-pager:

Page one of Greg norman’s letter includes a hyperlink to a commentary by Alden abbott

Here is the “recent article” Norman happened to stumble on, posted February 21st, two days before the Monahan interview cited above.

The author, Alden Abbott, was General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission during the final two years of the Trump Administration. He’s a member of the Federalist Society and former staff member of the Heritage Foundation, and was also a longtime professor at the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University.

The Abbott article cited by Norman was promoted in a press release from the website Inside Sources, where the “About” page says:

Academic research has found political pundits are worse at predicting the future than if they were randomly guessing. The media elite’s echo chamber thinks half-truths, bad predictions, and “conventional wisdom” qualify as news. Good thing we don’t.

A few weeks back on February 3rd, Mr. Abbott wrote another piece for RealClearMarkets.com promoting the Norman effort to disrupt professional golf while making some curious leaps.

He writes:

The threat over the putt is precisely what the PGA Tour is applying to players considering playing in any new golf leagues, especially the rumored new league Norman is linked with. The Tour is trying to maintain its monopoly by telling players it will destroy their livelihoods, ban them from tournaments, and restrict their media rights. That’s not competition on the merits.

Ban? Yes, as Monahan just reiterated. But I’ve followed this story closely and am not aware of any player suggesting the PGA Tour has told players “it will destroy their livelihoods” or “restrict their media rights.” If you’re banned, then you have moved on to a new Tour paying you lavish advance sums, theoretically. And presumably that tour or league is no longer under the PGA Tour’s control, restoring a player’s media rights.

Playing for a new tour would also impact the anti-competition narrative since the PGA Tour does not control major championships, the Asian Tour or the DP World Tour. But I’m not a lawyer.

Abbott also wrote in the February 3rd piece:

If Norman’s rumored new league – or any other competitive structure — is able to launch, fans and players will benefit. The American Football League’s entry in the 1960s—just a few years after antitrust litigation forced the NFL to stop the player threats that had forestalled earlier competitors—spurred a generation of innovation that led to the modernization of football for the benefit of players and fans alike. Golf desperately needs the same revival, and competition can provide it. 

While the points about competition and innovation are legitimate, it’s also fascinating to see the “Golf desperately needs” line in Abbott’s piece. Similar sentiments were echoed in a recent apology statement we all read. And like Phil Mickelson, Abbott’s claims mostly revolve around player compensation and rights. What that has to do with fans is beyond me.

A strong case is building that all of this money talk from both sides without much discussion around improving the sport, is actually hurting the sport.

I reached out to LIV Golf Investments to ascertain whether Mr. Abbott has any kind of consulting or financial relationship with the operation. From their spokesperson:

“Mr. Abbott is the former General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission. He is not an agent of LIV Golf and has no commercial relationship, nor has he received any compensation of any kind.”

The PGA Tour declined to comment.

R.I.P. The Saudi Golf League

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The Saudi Golf League, a short-lived effort to reinvent the model of professional golf backed by a murderous dictator via the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, has died. It was barely six months old.

The league passed away after legendary golfer Phil Mickelson gave two interviews revealing an almost incomprehensible level of greed, rage, hypocrisy and avarice aimed at the same PGA Tour that helped him amass millions. Authorities speaking on the condition of anonymity have identified Mickelson as a “person of interest” in the league’s demise. Law enforcement has been unable to locate him at his California or forever-future Florida residences.

Authorities say golfers Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau played a role in the league’s demise by issuing statements Sunday suggesting they would remain on the PGA Tour. They are not expected to face charges as accessories to the League’s passing.

When he resurfaces, Mickelson may need protective custody due to future safety concerns regardless of whether charges are filed.

Besides Crown Prince of Mohammed bin Salman, whose Fund is now saddled with $300 million in obligations to the Asian Tour over the next decade, Mickelson’s role could cost multiple players to potentially miss out on millions of dollars in advance checks. Nineteen sources with knowledge of his thinking who are unwilling to experience a public beheading, suggest retired golfer, mass market vintner and Macy’s clothier Greg Norman is also expected to want a piece of Mickelson.

The Saudi effort to sportwash was lifted from a concept originally envisioned by the World Golf Group-turned-Premier Golf League and faced growing prospects for success after several noted veteran stars became smitten with a limited event schedule and massive advance checks. A partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an investor in multiple American corporations and supported by former President Donald Trump, proved to be a morally bankrupt concept in the eyes of Rory McIlroy and a handful of other players. Many others entertained the concept.

Not until Mickelson opened his big mouth while playing the recent Saudi International did others realize the depth of narcissism or greed involved. Nor did many seem to understand the gravity of partnering with the Kingdom’s investment fund. Mickelson even shrugged off the Kingdom’s history of murder, bigotry and murderous bigotry in the name of leverage, issues that became apparent when a second interview from last November with writer Alan Shipnuck revealed new levels of delusional thinking by the current PGA Champion. In the interview, Mickelson intimated the entire effort was a leverage play to profit off digital rights and to avenge Commissioner Jay Monahan’s negotiating tactics.

Since then, a series of players who were long silent about the league have announced their intention to remain on the PGA Tour. Johnson and DeChambeau delivered the final blows Sunday as league founder Norman remained silent.

The League is survived by LIV Golf Investments, bin Salman, Norman and the Public Investment Fund. Due to COVID and fears of more beheadings, services will be very, very private.

Dustin Johnson Latest To Announce Allegiance To The PGA Tour, What Does Greg Norman Do Now?

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In a statement issued through the PGA Tour—the PR equivalent of saying I’m sorry I flirted with the enemy—Dustin Johnson has pledged his allegiance to Ponte Vedra:

Meanwhile this all turns the focus back to Greg Norman and friends who have been very quiet as Phil Mickelson implodes their effort and players on board jump ship. His old nemesis at the Sydney Morning Herald Peter FitzSimons has some advice:

What should you do?

Well, anyone with a conscience would resign. But with you I guess that is beside the point here. Your best plan is probably to do what you have been doing, and do better than anyone – hold your nose and go after more money. The damage to your own “brand” gets worse every week on this one, and will take an even more colossal hit on Mickelson’s truth-telling. Hit the Saudis now, Greg. “Gimme more money, or I will tell the world that Mickelson is right!”

It just might work.

Anything to help Greg pay the electric bill!

Winners And Losers: The Clash With The Clambake

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A predictably awkward week from the Monterey Peninsula to the Red Sea claims its share of victims. I kind of rank them from least harmed to most harmed, ish.

What would Der Bingle say about all of this. But hey, at least CBS had some stellar production values and Spieth made it interesting.

Mickelson: Tour's "Obnoxious greed that has really opened the door for opportunities elsewhere."

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Phil Mickelson unleashed a torrent of criticisms at the PGA Tour from the Saudi International. (I covered the major championship-related claims at The Quad.)

After a fairly benign press conference session, Mickelson told GolfDigest.com’s John Huggan that he’s been forced to consider various business opportunities because of the Tour’s “obnoxious greed.”

The us vs. them stance, even though players appear to have more control and influence over the PGA Tour’s operation, may not resonate very well with fans. Mickelson is aware of this danger but forged ahead with some incendiary comments.

“It’s not public knowledge, all that goes on,” Mickelson said. “But the players don’t have access to their own media. If the tour wanted to end any threat [from Saudi or anywhere else], they could just hand back the media rights to the players. But they would rather throw $25 million here and $40 million there than give back the roughly $20 billion in digital assets they control. Or give up access to the $50-plus million they make every year on their own media channel.

“There are many issues, but that is one of the biggest,” he continued. “For me personally, it’s not enough that they are sitting on hundreds of millions of digital moments. They also have access to my shots, access I do not have. They also charge companies to use shots I have hit. And when I did ‘The Match’—there have been five of them—the tour forced me to pay them $1 million each time. For my own media rights. That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious.”

Two parts to this stand out. The rights to “my shots” would seem motivated by a desire to cash in on NFT’s. More concerning is the claim of personally paying $1 million each time he’s played The Match and the “beyond obnoxious” green of the Tour.

I reached out to the PGA Tour and will add any comment they might have on Mickelson’s claim.

It is well known that the organizers of such silly season events pay a fee to cover everything that comes with official Tour sanctioning of the event and support services like rules, scoring and promotion.

Mickelson also used an odd example with Huggan to support his case: the famous 2010 Masters shot off the pine needles.

There are other examples of what Mickelson clearly sees as golf’s equivalent of “intellectual property.” During the 2010 Masters, he famously hit a shot from the pine straw to the 13th green at Augusta National. Later, someone wanted to use seven seconds of that clip. They had to pay $30,000 per second every time it aired. The total cost was $3.5 million, which was three times what Mickelson earned for winning the tournament. (Editor's Note: Although the Masters counts as an official PGA Tour event, the event and its media are not owned by the PGA Tour.)

While that’s a hefty sum, it’s also a dubious claim to suggest this is part of his beef with the PGA Tour and undercuts any case he might have.

One of the more interesting points made to Huggan relates to the bizarre refusal of players to wear microphones and provide inside-the-ropes access. Mickelson claims there may be a business reason.

“Why hasn’t golf had cameras and microphones on players and caddies?” he asked. “Because the player would not benefit, only the tour [so players resist wearing them]. Take this Netflix project that is underway. None of the players are getting paid. But the tour is getting paid a lot of money. As is Augusta National. As is the USGA. But if the players had their own channel, maybe they put up their own content and we start to see golf presented a bit more intimately.

“If I had access to my own channel and access to my own media, I would have a camera and microphone on my hat,” he went on. “And on my [caddie] brother’s hat. And on my golf bag with a 360 view. And I would bring the viewers in. They would see and hear what is going on. But none of that happens [currently] because why would any player do that? To make more millions for the tour? They already make enough. The tour only understands leverage. And now the players are getting some of that. So things are changing and will continue to change. I just hope the leverage doesn’t go away. If it does, we’ll be back to the status quo.”

The “leverage” would be the Saudis who have no business model. As for fans? Hard to say how many would feel for his plight. It sounds like Mickelson isn’t worried what they think. For a fan favorite who has cashed in on his likability, that’s a risky game to play.

David Hill Brought In To Help Norman-Backed League Change Golf On TV

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James Colgan spoke to longtime and now former Fox Sports head David Hill upon joining LIV Golf as a consultant on the TV side. Presumably to help on the production side of a proposed Saudi-backed golf league.

Hill plans to carry out Greg Norman’s vision to get a younger viewing audience should the league be a go, something the Shark seems consumed with given the demographic of golf. The Shirtless one failed with his last get-younger, revolutionary concept with Verizon billed as a game changer and turned out to be nothing more than music-playing carts geared at millennials. So no where to go but up!

From the Golf.com story:

“What Greg has done is taken all that energy that he’s renowned for and pushed it into making golf for today,” Hill said. “His main hope is to take the excitement of golf to areas where it’s not represented, especially in the Asia area and China.

“The reason he’s so adamant about this is because the average age of people who watch a golf telecast is 65. That’s the average age. And that tells you that the golf audience is on a downward ski slope. What Greg wants to do — because he’s so passionate about the sport — he wants to reverse that trend and hopefully produce golf that appeals, for the first time many decades, to a much younger demographic than watches now.”

I’d settle for a league and a broadcast deal first. Baby steps.

Shirtless Shark To Get The 30 For 30 Treatment

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Quad subscribers know from the latest edition that I remain mystified by the Lakers’ 33-game win streak not rising to the level of full-production, full-NBA cooperation status for a documentary. But it seems the Shirtless Shark is!

Thanks to reader JM for Ben Koo’s Awful Announcing report on producer Connor Schell and director Jason Hehir tackling at Norman “30 For 30”.

A little over two years ago, we wrote about Connor Schell leaving ESPN to start his own production company. This week, tucked away in a Variety article with updates on Schell’s production company that included news of some key hires (more on that later) and projects, was a very noteworthy nugget.

Schell and Geist will continue a relationship with ESPN and produce “30 for 30” installments. Currently the studio is at work with [director Jason] Hehir on a “30 for 30” about professional golfer Greg Norman titled “Shark.”

Hope they are ready for some last minute updates depending on how the whole LIV Golf Investments thing works out.

Greg Norman Hosts His 33rd Shootout But It Was Kinda Hard To Tell!

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Going through the Instagram photos someone uploaded for him, the impression is one of a busy week for Greg Norman at the tournament he’s hosted since 1989. He even earned his keep this year by playing the pro-am and dropping a lot C-Suite references during a pre-tournament press conference.

And yet if you were watching the Golf Channel and NBC telecasts for this year’s QBE Shootout, Norman’s name was rarely mentioned. The CEO of QBE didn’t give the Shark a nod in the telecast opening while doing his best Joe Ford impersonation. Even Norman’s role as Tiburon course architect seemed rarely mentioned. (But we did learn that Naples, Florida got its name because of a resemblance to Italy’s Naples.)

But since Greg Norman is a such a hero in the eyes of today’s youth, at least he got plenty of mentions on the PGA Tour Twitt…wait, what? None? All week?

Not even the traditional pic with the winners? Since Norman’s not much of a presence on the tournament website, that might be asking too much.

Surely there was the all important in-booth visit with NBC/Golf Channel’s Steve Sands and Curt Byrum? You know, to talk about Greg’s favorite subject? No sirree.

The Shark was finally seen on the telecast Sunday when he greeted the champions in the most masculine way possible. But who wouldn’t be elated when Kevin Na and Jason Kokrak win your tournament?

I should note that there was no announcer mention along the lines of, “There is tournament host Norman to greet the champions, a great tradition here at the QBE Shootout.”

For all we know, this was just jacked Florida retiree who paid $150 for a Norman Collection uniform and fulfilled a lifelong dream of working as Kevin Na’s final round standard bearer.

You know, maybe the problem is Norman’s role as CEO of LIV Investments fronting Saudi Arabia’s deep desire to grow the game and disrupt the PGA Tour’s business? It’s almost as if some are not too happy with the Shark!

But at least the week ended with nice wire story about Greg Jr.’s wedding to Michelle Thomson. Except for this mistake…