Video: Okay, We'll Let You Go Ivor Robson

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Easily the most famous first tee announcer the game has ever known is hanging up his mic and can drink the tallest glasses of water he likes, as Ivor Robson worked his final event Sunday in Dubai.

The European Tour did a swell job saying goodbye to the distinctive voice. But is there any greater compliment than the spot-on impersonations by players who aren't exactly supposed to be taking notes at the time Robson was usually clearing his throat, saying "I'll let you go" and then announcing their names

These all kind of speak for themselves...

 

And this August ESPN.com feature from Michael Collins was excellent too, particularly Adam Scott's impersonation.

Wentworth Members Pondering Court Challenge To New Owner?

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CNN Money's Jim Boulden says the Wentworth membership met Friday to discuss how to battle their new owner, who wants to run most of them off and just days after European Tour Chief Keith Pelley suggested the BMW there is not necessarily the tour's flagship event.

Fun times at Wentworth!

Boulden writes:

Wentworth residents are meeting Friday to discuss how to proceed, and they could go to court.

"There are distinct legal implications in their actions. Failure to listen will bring Reignwood into disrepute and be a terrible case study for China-UK relations," local resident Nigel Moss said in a statement.

Wentworth club told CNNMoney that as a private member's club it won't discuss its new demands.

Video: Most Interesting Man's Warm-Up With A GoPro

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I'm sure when the grade school teachers of the European Tour's social media expert Jamie Kennedy see him strapping a GoPro to Miguel Angel Jimenez, they will gush with pride. All so that we can see the most interesting man warm up! The subtitles were a nice touch, too.

 



This Week Is Ivor Robson's Finale As A First Tee Starter

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Oh sure, he'll probably be enlisted to record voice mail messages for charity and whatever else someone lures him into, but the legendary first tee announcer Ivor Robson is calling it a career after this week's European Tour event.

While Dubai isn't quite St. Andrews (where Robson called his final Open Championship last summer), this will be your final chance to hear a grown man sounding like he's been goosed everytime he announces a golfer on the first tee.

From the European Tour's Instagram account:

 

 

Willett Almost Makes Race To Dubai Fun In A Controversial Way

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The headlines all but had Danny Willett categorizing tournament-skipper and kickabouterer Rory McIlroy as some sort of subversive deserter.

But after a close reading of the Race to Dubai's second place-holder's comments, it appears Willett almost called out McIlroy for receiving special treatment to reach the finale.

From Ewan Murray's Guardian story:

Pressed on the fact other players, including Willett himself, have competed when not fully fit, the Englishman added: “That’s the thing. There’s a lot of guys who play through injuries week in, week out; guys with problems with their back, ankles, wrist. It’s the story of the game.

“If it had been anybody else in a different situation, they potentially might not have been given the same treatment. But it’s Rory and he’s going be the life force of this tour for the next 15 years. So have you got to look after him? Yes. I don’t think it was an incorrect decision at all.”

Fighting Words (Golf Style): Pelley Striving To Make European Tour A "Viable Alternative" To The PGA Tour

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No, it's not trash talk as we know it, but in his first big press conference as European Tour Chief, Keith Pelley is taking a different attitude public than his more genteel predecessor.

You have to admire the confidence but it also sets Pelley up for some lofty goals.

Phil Casey's PA Sport report includes this:

"We need to provide a viable alternative to the PGA Tour for our elite, medium and low-ranked players. End of story," Pelley said ahead of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

"We need to be too important to be dismissed from our sponsors, from our stakeholders, from our players. And that means we are going to have to increase our prize purses.

"That won't happen overnight. That's not going to happen necessarily in 2016. You'll start to see it happen in 2017. You'll start to see it come to fruition in 2018. We definitely in three to five years will have a viable alternative, so that players don't necessarily need to go to America to be able to make as much money as they possibly can."

He's focused on the flagship BMW event at Wentworth as Example A for improvement. Note the tone, which is hopeful but also a bit guarded. Not the usual Commissionerspeak!

"The important thing for me at Wentworth is what they do to the West Course. From everything that I have heard, there is significant investment. We are continuing at Wentworth until at least 2018 and if the West Course becomes exactly what they believe it will, and we can increase the prize purse, then perhaps it can be a flagship event going forward.

Casey's story also delves into the effort to get Paul Casey to change his mind about membership.

2015 European Tour Q-School Notables: Struggling

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They still meaningful Q-Schools in Europe and a EuropeanTour.com report explains who halfway leaders Lukas Nemecz and teenager Marcus Kinhult are.

The full list of scores can be found here. (At the end of the six rounds the top 25 players and ties will earn places on The European Tour for next season).

Of note are several names of recent Walker Cuppers and veterans who have work to do if they want a 2015-16 card: former Ryder Cuppers Soren Hansen (T48) and Eduardo Molinari (T77), recent Open Championship star Paul Dunne (T55), Walker Cup hero Ashley Chesters, veterans Nick Dougherty (T148) and Peter Lawrie (DQ).

Forward Press: Two Races-To-Cash Wrapping Up, Aussie Majors Starting And Loopers In The Booth!

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It's a bizarre week in golf as the LPGA Tour and European Tour end their respective "races."

One (LPGA) has a lot on the line with a possible entertaining showdown. The other is teetering on the edge of silliness as players defect and the points leader got to the finals on a free pass from the home office.

For American west coasters, the joyous annual ritual that is going to bed watching Australia's golfing triple crown is upon us. And finally, Friday and Saturday's tour event from St. Simons Island, Georgia will feature two caddies named Bones and Woody working as on course reporters, prompting me to wonder in the column if the next "Rossy" is upon us.

Here is this week's Forward Press column at GolfDigest.com, with links and some fun embeds.

Speaking of Rossy, for those of you too young to remember the beloved ABC/ESPN on-course reporter, I went hunting for a "he's got no chance" clip on YouTube. Sadly, that signature phrase from the late Bob Rosburg was nowhere to be found.

But do check out this short British Pathé highlight reel from Wentworth, circal 1960. The Ballantine's event was played to test the larger American ball. It includes Rosburg, stylish crowds, a stylish version of that now-mangled golf course (no doubt this clip will be studied by restorer Ernie Els) and best of all, those wacky flagsticks!

Playoffs In Golf Aren't Playoffs Files: Sergio Passing On Dubai

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Ewan Murray's files a story on Sergio Garcia, currently 30th in the Race To Dubai and bound to move up thanks to a strong BMW Masters showing, deciding to pass on the European Tour's grand Dubai finale.

As Murray notes, Garcia has been positive about this latest format tweak, but instead has played in Asia the last two weeks and is passing up the chance to take an easy check just for showing up in Dubai.

García cited scheduling and tiredness issues when he was among a trio of players in 2013 who refused to meet the playing criteria required for the flagship Dubai tournament, in what was the inaugural year of the European Tour’s Final Series. The format for that has since been tweaked and will be again during an announcement by Keith Pelley, the European Tour’s chief executive, in Dubai on Tuesday. Pelley will also unveil new criteria for Tour membership, the template for which was revealed by the Observer last week.

At the time of the previous alteration to the Final Series, García said: “I’m very happy with the changes and I’m looking forward to the Final Series. At the end of the day, we are all working together. I’m very happy to see that we’ve reached a middle ground which should help make us all happy.”

This latest in a neverending list of player defections, WD's and overall mail-in jobs during playoff season got me thinking: have any of these golf "playoffs" on the major tours ever generated an onslaught of positive press?  Or just mostly negative stories about player apathy, fatigue, boredom or nonchalance?

HSBC Renews Commitment To Golf, Awkward Celebratory Pics

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As he's prone to do, HSBC's Global Head of Sponsorship and Events made it sound dire before committing some of his bank's sizeable resources to sponsoring golf tournaments on the PGA and European Tours, along with The Open Championship. The latter was already secured, but on the eve of the WGC-HSBC in Shanghai, the company committed to a five year renewal in Shanghai.

Even better, the news led to arguably the most awkward golf photo ever taken.

For Immediate Release:

HSBC ANNOUNCES RENEWAL OF GLOBAL GOLF SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMME

HSBC, one of the most prolific supporters of world golf, announces renewal of its global golf sponsorship portfolio
 
SHANGHAI - November 3, 2015 - HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations, has announced the renewal of three key pillars of its global golf sponsorship portfolio and confirmed its commitment to the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, the HSBC Women’s Champions and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship following the news earlier this summer that the bank will continue as Patron of The Open Championship.
 
Giles Morgan, Global Head of Sponsorship and Events at HSBC, made the announcement on stage at the 2015 HSBC Golf Business Forum in Shanghai ahead of the 11th edition of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions at the Sheshan International Golf Club later this week and against the backdrop of the bank’s 150th Anniversary.
 
Morgan, flanked by an impressive cast of PGA TOUR Commissioner, Tim Finchem; European Tour Chief Executive, Keith Pelley; Chief Executive of the R&A, Martin Slumbers; Asian Tour Chairman Kyi Hla Han; HE Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) and Global Head of Golf at IMG, Guy Kinnings, announced HSBC’s wholehearted commitment to golf with the renewal of its title sponsorship position of all of the professional tournaments in its portfolio.  Multi-year extension contracts for the renewals of the HSBC Champions, the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship were all agreed this morning in Shanghai.
 
Morgan said: “In the last decade we have been involved in 45 tournaments and brought world class golf events to China, Singapore and the UAE.  Today we are re-stating our commitment to golf in Asia and the Middle East. Here in China, our flagship World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions event has proved to be the perfect stage for golf in Asia to come of age; in Singapore, HSBC Women’s Champions has become an annual highlight of the LPGA Tour, whilst the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship has cemented its reputation as the jewel in the crown of Middle Eastern golf. We believe today’s announcement represents a major statement of intent as golf prepares to return to the Olympic Games following a 112 year absence – it’s a huge opportunity for the sport and one golf needs to grab with both hands.”
 
HSBC is one of the biggest supporters of golf worldwide with extensive youth and community programmes in place to underpin their commitment to elite golf . The presence of so many of the leaders in world golf at the announcement underlines just how significant HSBC’s contribution is considered to be to the game and how much the Tours each value the bank’s committed support.
 
PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem: “We are delighted to be here today to be with Giles to announce this excellent news. The World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions is the flagship event in Asia for the PGA TOUR and a great example of collaboration with the different members of the International Federation of PGA Tours along with the CGA and IMG to deliver a world-class tournament. We are thrilled that with this five-year extension, the HSBC Champions will be a part of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup schedule through the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season. ”
 
European Tour Chief Executive, Keith Pelley, said: “Today’s announcement is wonderful news for The European Tour and continues our partnership with HSBC which stretches back to November 2005 when the first HSBC Champions tournament was part of our International Schedule. Since then, both the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship have become hugely significant events and to have them both part of The Race to Dubai for the next five years is fantastic news. We thank HSBC not only for their commitment to The European Tour, but to the game of golf as a whole.”

Uh, I guess this means the HSBC Champions will continue to be part of the Race To Dubai? Anyone else need to kiss up to HSBC? Oh, I see we have a line forming!

LPGA Commissioner, Mike Whan commented, “HSBC is a world class sponsor of women’s golf and it is fantastic to be here representing the LPGA as part of this important announcement for golf globally. HSBC Women’s Champions is one of the best events on our Tour and HSBC’s commitment to women’s golf is unwavering.”
 
Asian Tour Chairman Kyi Hla Han said, “We have been part of the HSBC Champions since 2005 and have enjoyed seeing this tournament grow and establish itself. It is great news that HSBC has guaranteed the future of the only World Golf Championships held in Asia.”

HE Aref Al Awani, ADSC’s General Secretary welcomed the renewed partnership, saying: “HSBC has greatly contributed to the Championship since coming on board in 2011. With its support we have strengthened the field, significantly enhanced the spectator offering and hugely expanded our messaging outreach.  Through this partnership the Championship has become stronger year-on-year and we believe that will hold true for the coming half decade.”

Zhang Xiaoning, Vice President and Secretary General of the CGA said, “We welcome this traditional tournament to continue to take place in China. For a long time, CGA has enjoyed working with HSBC on this tournament and their junior programme and very much appreciate their commitment to golf in China.”

Anyone else need to get in a thank you quote? Going once...

Big Changes Coming To Euro Tour Final Series, China Swing?

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I'm glad someone went to Turkey for the start of the European Tour's Final Series, which now makes a weird leap to the HSBC Champions in Shanghai without some of Europe's best players. That, reports Alex Miceli at Golfweek.com, is about to come to end.

Miceli says there may be fleeing from HSBC and BMW from the current China swing that is carried out over the next two weeks, leading to big scheduling changes for both European and PGA Tours. The real domino may be HSBC ending its run in Shanghai:

The fate of the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, however, remained uncertain.

HSBC, the London-based banking company, has sponsored the prestigious event since 2005 but reportedly was looking at not extending its contract with the World Golf Championships past this year because of increased scrutiny of the bank and its expenses.

“This is our last year of our golf portfolio, so we are in discussions with everybody,” Giles Morgan, HSBC’s global head of sponsorship and events, said at the Sports Matters industry conference in September in Singapore, according to Agence France-Presse.

Morgan has been outspoken (and maybe a tad inconsistent) about appearance fees as well, but carries a great deal of power in the golf sponsorship world.

Victor Dubuisson Is Back And Staying In Europe

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While the Reuters game story understandably focuses on Rory McIlroy's putter letting him down during the Turkish Airlines Open final round, the second victory in Turkey by Victor Dubuisson marked the re-emergence of the 25-year-old Frenchman after a rough year on the PGA Tour.

Check out this very groovy European Tour "interactive" recap of his win.

The PA story focused more on Dubuisson's emotions pouring out after a resurgent week that also gives the European Tour a piece of good news in the face of concerns about player loyalty.

"It was so hard because there were so many personal reasons why I did not play so much this year," said Dubuisson, who declined to reveal any details.

"That's why I am so emotional. I played a few events on the PGA Tour at the beginning of the year and I was not feeling good to be far away from my family. I did not play well and I was feeling lonely so decided to come back to Europe. Now, for the next three or four years, I will just stay in Europe 100 per cent."

You can view the European Tour highlights from round four here.

Dubuisson was in many of the highlights from best shots in Turkey this week. Most of them around the greens.