"Professional Golf’s Continental Divide Is Growing"

Thanks to reader Steven T. for Brian Costa's WSJ column looking at this week's divided world of professional golf, with the PGA Tour at the WGC Bridgestone and the European Tour grabbing a few stars for the French Open.

It seems Chief Executive Elton and Commissioner Ben Carson have diverging visions. The Rocket Man wants his own growing world tour, while the sleepy candidate sees an inevitable merger if his counterpart would just give up the dream.

And we have our first shot fired in the Pelley v. Finchem manspat!

“It’s like doing business with a company and for whatever reason, the CEO retires,” Finchem said. “The new CEO wants to take a look at the organization and wants to go to bed at night thinking he’s moving the needle to make it better. That’s where Keith is.”

Zing...sort of, says the 68-year-old man who won't retire, but thinks everyone else should be put out to pasture at 60. But he can still bring the early 2000's B-speak!

And he said a global tour would have more value to current PGA Tour sponsors, many of which are multinational companies. “We’re not maximizing the interest that’s in the marketplace,” he said.

Scale is so much more 2016, Tim!

On a serious note, Pelley's talk of innovation, progressive thinking and his tour's established place all over the world map has him 1-up through five holes in this match. Sure, there is a long way to go, but Finchem's tired, stilted and power-first, entertainment-value approach figures to fade on the back nine. That is, unless he can substitute his Danny Noonan--Jay Monahan--at the turn.