Playoffs Need Emergency Tweaks (Or Lose The Playoff Word!)

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The 2017 Northern Trust had the best 36-hole  leaderboard of the PGA Tour season, an immaculately groomed venue on Long Island and the perk of opening the FedExCup playoffs in a market where major events will be common place through 2024. 

Dustin Johnson won in a playoff over Jordan Spieth, and while the August timing is tough when the weather screams "family-day-at-the-beach,"  the event fell flat for another reason: the "playoff" word.

We connote playoffs with excitement in sports.

With do or die.

With drama.

With upsets.

With play well or go home.

None of those things happen in the FedExCup because the entire "playoff" is built around keeping season points leaders around until the end. From day one this lack of urgency has plagued the PGA Tour playoffs, especially since we are a sport once family with the ultimate playoff: the event still known as Q-School but bearing none of the importance it once held.

Instead of something where top players are able to build on their season-long success or lose it based on some poor early play, we have something in between--with two points resets--that has left us with a flat playoff concept.

FedEx has renewed through 2027, and Commissioner Jay Monahan is working hard to envision a better playoffs with (perhaps) only three events and (perhaps) more playing-off that introduces some drama.

As we discussed on Morning Drive Saturday, the most immediate need for the first playoff event is some sort of points penalty for a non-start or missed cut. The thinking goes like this: if someone doesn't want to be here or doesn't come to the playoffs ready to go, there must be some penalty in the quest for $10 million.

Hideki Matsuyama points leader who missed the Northern Trust cut? 500 points deducted.

Beyond this first stage event, however, there must be eliminations along the way and even once the event reached East Lake.

As the 2016 Rio golf proved, even with star defections there will be other stars and storylines that step in. There will be people in contention who want to be there and deserve to be there. Like any playoff, some will go home, maybe even stars. The sun will set in the west and most of all, the PGA Tour playoffs will be real playoffs.

Otherwise, if it's just too hard to cut the cord and penalize players for poor play, then maybe we need to lose the playoffs word?

Social Media Police Disbanded: Tours Cave On Fan Phone Policy

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The evolution of fan rules for cell phones at golf tournaments has shifted gradually everywhere but Augusta, Georgia. Still it was fascinating to see the PGA Tour and European Tour both allow fans to shoot photo and video this week (Casey/Golfweek).

As noted by Casey, the main hope here is more social sharing from fans.

For the PGA Tour, its new policy also allows spectator photo and videos taking during tournament days to be shared on social media platforms.

Live streaming and shot-by-shot coverage are still not allowed, and the new policy also states that phones must be on silent at all times and use of flash is prohibited.

But select media that dares to live Tweet a round in progress will still face losing their credentials, and don't you forget it, worthless non-PGATour.com scribblers!

The European Tour's video announcing the changing going forward:

Playoff Fever! Stars Looking Forward To The Off-Season

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Maybe golf's Playoffs(C) are so rigorous and stressful that they invoke longing for a vacation. Or, not.

Nothing screams playoffs like athletes telling us how they are looking forward to a break. But this is the FedExCup, where stars are coddled by points resets that help get them through all of the stages. Something tells me if these were actual playoffs with traditional eliminations for poor play, that Rory McIlroy's and Bubba Watson's wouldn't be telegraphing their much needed breaks.

Rory on Tuesday, courtesy of Kyle Porter at CBSSports.com:

"I'm not at 100 percent, but I'm at a percent where I feel like I can still compete," McIlroy told reporters. "I want to get a win before I shut it down for the season, so I'm excited for the next few weeks, but I'm excited for the next three months after that. Because more than likely I'll take some time off and regroup.

"When's the last time I've been able to take that much time off and focus on myself and my game. We don't get an off-season anymore, so to be able to get that time to afford myself, I'm really excited about that as well."

After an opening 73 on top of many okay finishes by his high standards, might these playoffs be more interesting if they were sending McIlroy home early? And given that he's not getting any help from his caddie, as David Dusek at Golfweek points out following a day watching Rory play, might the urgency be there with a format that endangers his ability to advance in the playoffs.

Then there is Bubba Watson, who has worked twelve weekends in 2017 even after getting a major wake-up call a year ago when passed over for the Ryder Cup team. Still, he's ready for a break as soon as the playoffs are over.

From Rex Hoggard's Golfweek story:

“You know, truthfully, when I'm done with the playoffs, no matter where that is, I'm taking at least four and a half months off. I won't play until next year,” said Watson, who opened with a 3-under 67 and was tied for fifth at Glen Oaks. “I don't know about you, but traveling every week, my kids started kindergarten. ... If I had to choose golf or family, I'm going family every day of the week.”

Algorithm writers: let's figure out a points reset that helps these stars begin their hard-earned vacations early!

“Golf is trying to shed its image as an old man's sport and is luring bloggers to push that message”

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CNBC's Michelle Castillo reports on the PGA Tour’s efforts to reach millennials and women, using the world “hired” to describe the bloggers helping to spread the gospel of PGA Tour golf.

Castillo focuses on fashion blogger and scarf purveyor Alexandra Dieck, proprietor of Lexicon of Style, who will be employed to cover The Northern Trust in New York.

Dieck, 26, is among a handful of social media influencers hired by the PGA Tour to tout the sport to younger audiences during the Northern Trust tournament this week. Dieck's social media peers will include other fashion writers, foodies and mommy bloggers.

"We are creating a totally new experience in addition to great golf that is inherently more social and fun, and we want more people to know about it," said Julie Tyson, PGA Tour's vice president of business development. "We are widening our circle of storytellers to include influencers we know our fans already look to for insights and information."

Widening the circle...

PGA Tour Policy Board Adds Kleiner Perkins Internet Expert, But Will They Opt Out September 1?

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I know you all recall that I wrote about the May-PGA move in the August Golfweek. But just in case, a reminder that the piece included a mention of September 1 as the PGA Tour's deadline to opt out its current network television deal. If they do not, the current contract with CBS and NBC is likely to continue as-is until 2021.

Given the uncertainty over schedule dynamics, declining ratings and the uncertain state of television, logic would say wait things out and open up negotiations in two years when the dust has settled.

Countering that thinking was Monday's announcement of Mary Meeker joining the PGA Tour Policy Board. Meeker is a partner in Kleiner Perkins, Silicon Valley's most prestigious venture capital firm and is considered an expert on internet trends.

I believe this announcement also makes her the first woman to serve on the PGA Tour Policy Board. She gets a huge break out of the chute for liking golf architecture, too.

For Immediate Release:

Mary Meeker Joining PGA TOUR Policy Board as Independent Director
 
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (August 21, 2017) – The PGA TOUR Policy Board today announced that Mary Meeker, a General Partner at venture capital firm of Kleiner Perkins in Menlo Park, California, has accepted an invitation to join the Board as an Independent Director.
 
Meeker becomes the Policy Board’s fifth Independent Director, joining Chairman John McCoy, Victor Ganzi, Edward Herlihy and Randall Stephenson.
 
Meeker has been with Kleiner Perkins since December 2010 and focuses on investing in Internet-related businesses around the world. Meeker has led KP’s investments in a number of leading technology companies including Spotify, JD.com, Waze, Airbnb and Peloton.  She is on the Board of Directors of Square, Lending Club and DocuSign. Meeker joined Kleiner Perkins after serving as Managing Director at Morgan Stanley in New York where she helped lead the Global Technology Research Team. Meeker has been listed by Forbes as one of ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ since 2012.
 
“In this dynamic, fast-changing world of media and technology, Mary’s expertise – and proven reputation as a trend-spotter – will be especially helpful as the TOUR innovates to create the best experience for our fans,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Given that her keen business acumen is matched by a true love and appreciation for the game of golf, we’re thrilled to welcome her to the PGA TOUR Policy Board and look forward to the impact she’s sure to make on the future of our organization.”
 
A native of Indiana, Meeker graduated from DePauw University with a B.A. degree and received an MBA from Cornell University in addition to an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from DePauw.
 
“We couldn’t be more pleased to have someone of Mary’s expertise and caliber become the newest member of the PGA TOUR Policy Board,” McCoy said. “Many on our Board have known Mary for years and are familiar with her successes and expertise. We look forward to working with her and applying her insights as we guide the business strategies of the PGA TOUR to continue its overall growth and success.”
 
Meeker has a strong, longstanding connection to golf, dating back to a summer job working as a groundskeeper and serving as captain of her high school golf team. Meeker has played golf around the world and has participated in pro-ams on both the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, including at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
 
“I grew up around golf and am passionate about the sport,” said Meeker.  “I love practicing, playing, watching, competing and appreciating the artistry of golf course design. The PGA TOUR is impressive – the players, the leadership and organizers, the volunteers and the business model, including the focus on local charities communities and global growth. It’s an honor to have a seat at the table to help participate in the growth of the game.”

According to the release, Meeker joins four other directors, the PGA of America president, and four player directors. That makes ten. The board has traditionally included just nine members. The Tour confirmed there will be ten voters until John McCoy retires some time next year.

The current pre-Meeker board:


But there was also great news for Meeker and others at the PGA Tour!

Citations for everybody at the C Level!

NETJETS EXTENDS CONTRACT AS THE OFFICIAL PRIVATE JET PROVIDER OF THE PGA TOUR
 
TOUR extends partnership through 2022 for the worldwide leader in private aviation
 
Columbus, OH – August 21, 2017 - NetJets® Inc., the worldwide leader in private aviation, has extended its contract as the Official Private Jet Provider of the PGA TOUR® and PGA TOUR® Champions. The agreement solidifies a partnership between NetJets Inc. and the TOUR through 2022, providing flights, marketing support and charitable contributions to assist the PGA TOUR, tournaments and players around the world.
 
“We launched our initial partnership with the PGA TOUR in 2014 and it has been a mutually beneficial arrangement that delivers incredible exposure to our brand and value to the audiences we serve,” said Pat Gallagher, NetJets Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Currently, more than 30 top-ranked PGA TOUR players rely on NetJets to give them a competitive advantage by maximizing their time. We are excited to work together with the PGA TOUR on tournament activations and media opportunities, as well as extending valuable opportunities to our Owners.”
 
Since 2014, when NetJets became the Official Private Jet Provider of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, the company has had the privilege of flying nine of the last 10 FedExCup winners and seven of the Top 10 world-ranked golfers.
 
“My time is valuable and I try to maximize every second I can get on the course and with my family. For more than 16 years, NetJets has made it possible for me to do both,” said Jim Furyk, NetJets Owner. “They do everything possible to get me to tournaments on time, making my schedule, my safety, and my comfort their priority. I truly can’t imagine traveling any other way.”
 
“The PGA TOUR continuously seeks quality partnerships that support our members and the TOUR on a global scale,” said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President, Sponsorship & Partnership.  “NetJets is the recognized leader in the private aviation industry with an outstanding reputation for service, safety and comfort. In addition to our joint marketing efforts throughout the year, NetJets has direct relationships with a number of our players who regularly utilize their service for their private travel needs week to week. We are extremely pleased to extend our valuable relationship with NetJets for the next six years.”
 
NetJets, Inc., the global leader in fractional ownership of private aircraft, has more than 700 aircraft in its fleet, making it the fifth largest airline in the world. Featuring 14 aircraft types, including the Challenger 350, Global 5000 and 6000 as well as the Phenom 300, only NetJets can serve the wide-ranging needs of PGA TOUR players. All of its jets feature plush interiors, the latest avionics, state-of-the-art entertainment systems, mood lighting and more. Larger cabin aircraft, which are designed for longer-range flights, feature a spacious divan and seating that can be adjusted to lay flat for a restful sleep experience.
 
Learn more about the NetJets experience from NetJets Owner and PGA TOUR player Dustin Johnson.

Kapalua Event Saved; Joint PGA Tour-LPGA Tournament Of Champions Has "Not Materialized"

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In reporting on the PGA Tour landing new sponsor Sentry for the Tournament of Champions, Doug Ferguson noted this about the efforts to turn this into a joint PGA Tour-LPGA Tour winners-only kick off event.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had said last year that the tour was contemplating a scenario where the LPGA Tour and the PGA Tour play a winners-only format at the same venue. “That has not materialized here,” Monahan said.

Meanwhile, the Sony Open in Honolulu is the week after the Tournament of Championship. Its title sponsorship ends in 2018. For years there was concern that if one of the tournaments had left, it would be more difficult to stage the other as a single event in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

“We have been playing golf in Hawaii for over 50 years,” Monahan said. “And the two tournaments present a strong start to the calendar year that we looking forward to continuing.”

It would have been a fun idea and may still happen, though the release notes the event's playing in January 2018 but it sounds like it may have to be nimble beyond that year.

For Immediate Release:

Sentry Becomes New Title Sponsor of Tournament of Champions
Leading insurance company signs 5-year deal to sponsor winners-only event at Kapalua

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida, and STEVENS POINT, Wisconsin (August 16, 2017) – The PGA TOUR and Sentry, one of the largest business-focused mutual insurance companies in the United States, today announced a five-year agreement making Sentry the new title sponsor of the exclusive winners-only Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii.

The newly named Sentry Tournament of Champions will maintain its traditional spot as the first tournament in January 2018 when the 2017-18 PGA TOUR schedule resumes following the holiday break. The agreement extends through the 2021-22 season.

“Sentry Insurance is proud to partner with the PGA TOUR to sponsor the Tournament of Champions, held on beautiful Maui,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry chairman of the board, president, and CEO. “This tournament and its champions format is the ideal way to more broadly introduce Sentry to the business insurance audience.”

While this represents Sentry’s first major sports sponsorship, it has been involved with golf since 1984 when the company built SentryWorld, Wisconsin’s first destination golf course. Sponsoring the Sentry Tournament of Champions is considered a natural next step for Sentry, providing an opportunity to reach a wide business audience.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sentry to the PGA TOUR and become its first major venture into sports sponsorship,” said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Sponsorship & Partnership. “Sentry is highly respected as a company that is dedicated to its employees, its customers and embraces the spirit of giving back. So, we view this as a relationship between two organizations that hold common values.”

Sentry assumes sponsorship of a tournament that dates to 1953, when it was introduced at Las Vegas’ Desert Inn Country Club as an event for winners from the previous season. The Tournament of Champions remained at Desert Inn CC until 1967, when it moved to Stardust Country Club. The tournament moved from Las Vegas in 1969 to La Costa Country Club in Carlsbad, California, where it remained for 30 years before relocating to its current home at Kapalua Resort on the island of Maui.

As might be expected with a winners-only format, the Sentry Tournament of Champions has a rich history of champions, from World Golf Hall of Fame members to modern-day stars, as represented by just the past five winners: defending champion Justin Thomas, a four-time winner this season, including at Sunday’s PGA Championship; Jordan Spieth (2016); Patrick Reed (2015); Zach Johnson (2014); and Dustin Johnson (2013).

Poll: Parsing The PGA-Players Championship Trade & Next Moves

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I've been a bit leery of the proposed Players for PGA trade because of potential issues with finding quality venues and locales for a May PGA. On the PGA Tour side, reducing the wraparound season to finish before Labor Day has made fantastic sense from day one, but we are clearly a long ways from sorting out the particulars. Rex Hoggard tries here for GolfChannel.com.

Though as Bob Harig notes in his assessment at ESPN.com, the puzzle pieces are tough to put together with World Golf Championship events in tough places on the schedule.

But this is PGA week and the focus in rolling this out was on the major championship. My review here for Golfweek gets into some of the confirmed elements that have me (and I think) others feeling good about what is a huge change in the Grand Slam ebb and flow.

Alex Miceli at MorningRead.com considered the worldwide ramifications and interestingly the European Tour is already positioning itself in interesting ways.

It's a basic question, but after hopefully taking in some of the coverage today online or at Golf Channel, do you like the switch?

Do you like the PGA's planned move to May 2019?
 
pollcode.com free polls

BMW PGA Announces Move To September Before Ink Is Dry On PGA Move To May Deal!

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Pelley!

Wasting little time...about 10 minutes to be exact...the European Tour announced a shift in the BMW PGA Championship's date to September.

I'd give then an "8" for passive aggressiveness, even this could end up being a great switch.

With the PGA Championship moving to May and the Players to March, the European Tour immediately seized on the likely shortening of the PGA Tour playoff season to push their marquee event into a month where the field stands to improve. Furthermore, the European Tour's Race To Dubai should also benefit from the U.S. calendar changes.

More on the PGA move to May later, as we learned a few fun things in today's press conference that I'm writing about for Golfweek. In the mean time, for immediate release... 

The European Tour today announces that the BMW PGA Championship will move from its current date in May to a new September slot from the 2019 season onwards.

The prestigious Championship, which is part of the European Tour’s Rolex Series, will be played at Wentworth Club from May 24-27, 2018, before moving to September for its 65th anniversary edition the following year.

The move comes following news announced earlier today that the 2019 US PGA Championship will move from its traditional August date into May, with The Players Championship on the PGA Tour moving from May to March.

The specific date of the 2019 BMW PGA Championship will be released in due course but it will be central to a strong and robust end of season schedule on the European Tour.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “Significant changes to the global golfing calendar have given us the opportunity to move the BMW PGA Championship to a more favourable date from 2019 onwards.

“Wentworth Club is an iconic location in the realm of British sport and the BMW PGA Championship is always hugely popular with the public as was seen in May when it launched our Rolex Series with 110,000 spectators in attendance over the course of the week.

“This is a new chapter for the event but we expect similar interest in the autumn, as was shown historically by the World Match Play Championship when it was played at Wentworth Club at that time of the year.”

The BMW PGA Championship was the first of eight Rolex Series events to be played on the European Tour’s International Schedule in 2017, all of which are part of the Race to Dubai. Sweden’s Alex Noren claimed the title in May, overturning a seven shot deficit with a stunning final round of 62 to win by two strokes over the West Course, which had undergone a multi-million pound revamp in the period between the 2016 and 2017 Championships.

Noren joined an illustrious Roll of Honour for the Championship which includes Seve Ballesteros, Arnold Palmer, Tony Jacklin, Sir Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, José María Olazábal, Colin Montgomerie, Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy.

Rolex Effect? European Tour On Ranking Points Streak

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Alex Miceli at MorningRead.com suggests we're seeing the first sign of success for European Tour Chief Keith Pelley's Rolex Series, with the three lead-up events to The Open offering more world ranking points than their PGA Tour counterparts.

Miceli writes:

Not since 2010, when the European Tour’s BMW International Open offered the same ranking points as the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour, followed by France and Scotland outpointing AT&T National and John Deere, has Europe proved to be a better draw than America.

The Rolex Series, which consists of eight lucrative events offering purses of at least $7 million throughout the European Tour season, has allowed Keith Pelley, the tour’s chief executive officer, to create an environment in which European players want to return home to compete.

“There's no question Rolex has come in and has allowed us to elevate the tournaments,” Pelley said of the Swiss watchmaker’s sponsorship. “As the title partner of the Rolex Series, they believed in the vision … but what we have invested in the infrastructure to make it a much stronger and a better tournament.” 

Here were the points breakdown on fields for those events:

HNA Open De France 270 vs Quickens Loans National 229
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open 288 vs Greenbrier Classic 174
AAM Scottish Open 342 vs  John Deere Classic 140

In another nice sign for the tour's ability to intrigue players to tee it up more often, Pat Perez has joined the tour after rising to 42nd in the world ranking, joining Kevin Na and Japan’s Hideto Tanihara in taking up similar affiliate memberships with the European Tour this season.

Perez said: “It’s probably the first time I have been in a position to do become a European Tour member in my career. I’ve always stayed in the US. So I figured, after I won and got to the top 50 in the world, I might try and travel a bit and see some new parts of the world and play against other great players. I wanted to play the European Tour and become more of a global player.

“I am going to try and broaden my horizons, go to places such as Dubai and Malaysia, and see where I fall."

Ratings: Follow Up To Silliness Of Competing Golf Tournaments

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Paulsen at SportsMediaWatch.com scrutinzed ShowBuzzDaily.com's ratings roundup and noted that the KPMG Women's PGA Championshp fared well against final rounds of the PGA Tour and U.S. Senior Open.

The 0.6 rating on NBC was up slightly even though it featured a much longer telecast this year.

Final round coverage of the Women’s PGA Championship, the second major of the LPGA Tour season, earned a 0.6 final rating and 840,000 viewers on NBC Sunday afternoon — flat in ratings and up 1% in viewership from last year, when NBC aired just 90 minutes of coverage (0.6, 829K), and up a tick and 21% respectively vs. 2015 (0.5, 695K).

It was the largest audience for the tournament in at least five years, and likely further back.

The KPMG beat the U.S. Senior Open telecast but as this chart shows, all of the events on at the same time diverted eyeballs and, as noted here, would have been better served with more coordinated finish times and/or days for the benefit of all.

Note To Five Families: Kang, Perry, Stanley Win Impressively; But Pro Golf Shoots Itself In The Foot Today

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While the 2017 editions of the KPMG Women's PGA, U.S. Senior Open and Quicken Loans National probably won't be talked about a century from now, each featured enough intrigue for a sports fan to savor. Yet each started and finished at almost the same time on a summer Sunday in the United States.

Former USGA communications director Joe Goode wondered if this was a good or bad thing.

Put me down for seriously flawed programming.

Even with the July 4th holiday falling on a Tuesday, therefore opening up Monday July 3rd as a de facto holiday, three golf tournaments went head to head for no good reason. With each played at compelling venues that alone would attract viewers (Salem CC, Olympia Fields, TPC Potomac), they competed for viewers on a Sunday that not only failed fans, but will fuel the ratings decline narrative.

Next time the five families meet, perhaps they can bring calendars along to their meetings and kick around a way to spread the viewing love. A Monday finish most likely would not have hurt any one of the three, particularly the Quicken Loans, where galleries were thin.

More importantly, tours that too often serve the needs of players over fans fail their players by asking them to compete for the public's attention.

End of rant, beginning of celebration.

The best story of the day and one of the most heartwarming of the year revolved around Danielle Kang breaking through to win her first LPGA Tour event and more importantly, first professional major.

A two-time U.S. Amateur champion, Kang's road to professional success was derailed by heartbreak over the loss of her father to cancer.

Randall Mell writes for GolfChannel.com that Kang would have given anything to have the person who caddied for her in those U.S. Amateur wins present for the pro breakthrough.

“I don't know what it would have felt like to win right away as a rookie,” Kang said. “However, if I could wish anything, I would wish that my dad saw me win.”

Kang’s father died from brain and lung cancer during her second LPGA season.

K.S. Kang was Danielle’s caddie for her U.S. Women’s amateur victories in 2010 and ‘11

“I think that it's been a really difficult road for me for the past four or five years,” Kang said. “It’s life, though. You have to pick yourself up, and you have to keep working hard at it, and then believe in what you're doing, and not letting yourself down.”

Bill Fields of ESPNW on the important role of Kang's Web.com Tour playing brother Alex.

When the tour made its Asia swing that fall, K.S., despite being gravely ill with brain cancer that metastasized to his lungs, watched Danielle play in two events. Three days after traveling to Japan to be with her at the Mizuno Classic in November, he went into a coma. After his death, the bond between his children, already strong, increased. The siblings communicate a couple of dozen times most days, according to their mother, and Alex offered Danielle valuable strategic advice about Olympia Fields.

"She was not the same girl, but her brother, he kept taking her out to play," Lee said of the period after K.S. died. "Her brother is like her dad almost."

If you were touched by Kang's triumph over Brooke Henderson, you won't want to miss Beth Ann Nichols' Golfweek story that includes some great behind the scenes insights, including a note from mom, Kang's Sherwood CC fans that texted after the win, and her tight bond with Michelle Wie.

A teary-eyed Bo Wie, mother of Michelle, came over a few minutes later for a hug. Michelle Wie and Kang are so close they started a lifestyle blog together, though they’ve been lax in updating it lately. There’s certainly something worthy of writing about now.

Wie, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open winner, said they’ve been in constant contact this week.

“If I don’t text her in six hours she sends me 50 messages,” Wie said, grinning.
In fact, they’ve formed their own book club of sorts. A restless Danielle tried to get lost in the book prior to the final round.

The final round highlights from Golf Central:

As for the other events, Kenny Perry took home the U.S. Senior Open trophy in a two-man battle with Kirk Triplett at charming Salem Country Club. 

Jeff Babineau's Golfweek.com account on the incredible, record-breaking performance.

And Kevin Casey has the lowdown on Kyle Stanley's playoff win over Charles Howell at the Quicken Loans National.

As Steve DiMeglio points out from Maryland, the playoff loss for Howell was his first start in 9 weeks.

Is Tiger's Quicken Loans National Doomed In Schedule Revamp?

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Sure sounds like it if you read from DMV insiders John Feinstein and Ryan Ballengee who each lay out the relatively short history and future of the PGA Tour stop that was started by Tiger Woods.

With the PGA Tour needing to contract to make a Labor Day conclusion work and Quicken Loans having not renewed sponsorship of the stop, the signs are not encouraging. Throw in multiple other anecdotal elements--including the Woods Foundation's involvement in the Los Angeles stop--and we could be watching the last or second-to-last playing of the tour's (mostly) D.C. stop.

All of this is set against a backdrop of a PGA Tour looking to shed a few stops to make the math work on a schedule overhaul moving the Players to March, the PGA Championship to May and a conclusion by early September.

Feinstein reports for Golf World that Congressional will not host the "National" again after contractually obligated playings in 2018 and 2020, all in hopes of luring a USGA event again.

While the members agreed to the deal, it was only to host in alternating years — 2016, 2018 and 2020. And once that contract is up, the tournament won’t return to Congressional. The board is now pursuing a U.S. Open, with USGA executive director Mike Davis telling it flatly that the association won’t even consider the course unless the tour event goes away.

But the event requires a sponsor and Feinstein says it won't be Quicken Loans.

With the contract up after this week’s event, there has been no sign from Quicken Loans officials that it plans to renew. There also has been talk that company CEO Dan Gilbert wants to take his money to Michigan, where he lives, to bring the tour back to his home state, which hasn’t had a tour event since the Buick Open outside Flint went away in 2009.

Ballengee's GolfNewsNet.com report pieces together the other anecdotal signs of an impending demise for the Quicken Loans National. With rumblings out of Minnesota about a likely new tour stop there, perhaps sponsored by a current sponsor, Ballengee writes:

At first glance, the only events on the schedule that appear vulnerable are the Quicken Loans National, with an expiring deal, and The Greenbrier Classic, which is locked up through 2021.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods' TGR Live now runs the Genesis Open at Riviera near Los Angeles, a tournament with an established, legendary pedigree of winners and located in Woods' home state. The field is also imminently better than the National each year.

Quicken Loans, if they choose to remain a title sponsor, could latch on to the as-of-now sponsor-less Houston Open or taking over the Tournament of Champions from SBS (which sublet their deal to Hyundai before this year), both with better schedule slots and fields.

This year's even features one of the weaker fields in modern memory, with just four major winners and one top ten player. Tiger has stepped away for his back and addiction rehab as well.

SBD On 2017 PGA Tour Sunday Ratings Drop

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Thanks to reader PG for this piece by Sports Business Daily’s Thomas Leary, who considers the PGA Tour joining "a growing list of sports properties to see a decline in audience in ‘17."

Many noteworthy points are raised in exploring the 18-week straight dip in Sunday ratings, including digital viewers not counted by Nielsen ratings and similar ratings drops in most sports. Not mentioned: fatigue from the wraparound season (aka over-saturation), the length of telecasts saturating numbers while also testing a short-attention span society, cord-cutting and a President Trump distraction effect.

Mostly though, the story suggests that no one has come close to replacing Tiger both as a charismatic figure and dominant force who people love watching win.

Colvin Sports Network Founder & President Bill Colvin, a veteran of the golf hospitality space, noted when Woods was winning majors at a consistent clip, it was easy for fans to keep track of the sport’s most popular player. Colvin: “Now there’s all the good young guys, but there’s so many to keep track of and all relatively speaking are inconsistent. There’s no momentum built on one storyline right now in golf.”

More PGA Tour Live numbers!

Total visits to PGATour.com this year are up 10%, while PGATour Live subscribers (+33%) and streams (+42%) are also up. CBS and NBC/Golf Channel’s combined live streams are up 16% this year, and the Tour’s social channels have grown by 36% over last year. "It’s not as if our fans aren’t consuming our content,” Votaw said. However, he conceded social and digital viewing "are our snacks, and the TV product is our meal.”

This is a point worth considering on digital growth, though I would say slightly refuted by the success of specialized feeds for The Masters and US Open.

As for its digital platforms, Pilson said golf “probably isn’t getting a bump” because its core audience is “older than almost any other sport.” Pilson: “I’ve yet to see a 60-year-old checking his mobile phone for the golf telecast. My guess is that the benefits that digital is providing for leagues like the NFL and NBA isn’t accruing for golf.”

Perhaps for mainstream audiences, but I think we all would agree golf has an opportunity with specialized feeds that are more engaging than any other sport can offer: featured groups, featured holes and other niche elements that make for great viewing on the office computer!