PGA Tour Closing In On New Twin Cities Stop

Tad Reeve with the latest on efforts to convert the longtime Champions stop there into a PGA Tour event (thanks PG for the story). 

Hollis Cavner of Pro Link Sports has vigorously pursued a PGA Tour date for the TPC Twin Cities course in Blaine that currently plays host to the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship. Cavner wants to play a PGA Tour event there as soon as next summer.

A couple of possible tournament dates are the week before two 2019 majors: June 6-9, leading into the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, or July 11-14, preceding the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Astros Owner Crane Pitches Houston Open Move To Fall And Memorial Park

Nice reporting work by the Houston Chronicle's Dale Robertson on the latest efforts to save the Houston PGA Tour stop. With the Houston Golf Association unable to land a sponsor for the event dating to 1947, Astros and Floridian owner Jim Crane has made a proposal that may or may not include the HGA. 

He said his proposal went into PGA Tour headquarters once a deadline was not met by the HGA to find a sponsor for a possible pre-US Open date. Something doesn't feel right here with Crane talking up community, the HGA and the First Tee managed by the HGA, yet sounding like he really doesn't like them all that much. 

It's believed a wide rift has opened between Crane and the HGA over his unwillingness to step up under the organization's umbrella, even suggesting he had been sabotaging its efforts to corral a sponsor so he could run the show, post-SHO, on his own. But he insists it's simply a matter of doing what makes the most fiscal sense and best serves the big-picture needs of the community.

He stayed in the picture because nobody else was coming forward, and given his personal relationship with the sport — he's a scratch player who was once rated the country's best golfing CEO — he didn't want to see his city lose its PGA Tour event.

"They hadn't been able to pull together a deal, so I got on it," he said. "(PGA commissioner Jay Monahan) told me, 'They (the HGA) have been (the PGA's) partners for years, and we want to give them a chance.' I said, 'Fine. I'm not fighting them.' It's not about me. I won't make a dime off this thing. But if I can get it done ... (The HGA has) a pretty big budget, and I don't think you need that big of a budget to put on a golf tournament."

That statement, while perhaps accurate, is a disconcerting one given the HGA's many roles in the community developing the game. And in recent years, the organization has been working to restore Houston's run-down munis and setting a strong example for other regional golf associations.

Crane loves him some First Tee and the wonderful write-off they can be...

Crane, however, was a founding board member of what's arguably the HGA's centerpiece beneficiary, The First Tee Foundation, and he said, "I love First Tee. I donated a million dollars to First Tee, I like them so much. I'm willing to sit down with (the HGA). I want their help. I like Steve personally, and the HGA does a lot of good stuff. We'll be doing a lot of things through (the Astros') foundation."

Sadly, golfers in Houston won't benefit from the Astros foundation like they would from the HGA's work. 

$2 Billion: Discovery Lands PGA Tour International Television Rights

I believe Sky Sports has the UK rights through 2021, but otherwise PGA Tour golf has a new partner in Discovery, reports Bloomberg's Gerry Smith.

The 12-year deal, which begins next year, includes TV and online rights to the U.S.-based men’s golf circuit, and the development of a Netflix-like video service. It covers more than 140 tournaments a year, including about 40 PGA Tour events.

Netflix-like! 

Here is the real key to how the whole thing makes sense for Discovery, owners of Animal Planet and HGTV:

Discovery will air tour events on its regular TV channels and use them to attract more viewers to its online service, Eurosport Player, which has more than 1 million subscribers who currently pay to stream soccer, tennis and other sports. The tour puts on events 43 weeks a year, so fans would have a reason to keep coming back, Zaslav said. Discovery also will sublicense rights in some markets.

It's Official: Quicken Loans Taking PGA Tour Event To Detroit Golf Club In 2019 And Beyond

The PGA Tour is returning to Michigan and in a big way, bypassing the cushier suburbs for Detroit Golf Club. This is the base for Quicken Loans, current sponsor of the Washington D.C. stop played this year at TPC Potomac.

For Immediate Release:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA, and DETROIT – Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, and the PGA TOUR today announced a long-term agreement to create a new professional golf tournament in Detroit, beginning in 2019. Quicken Loans has been working with officials from the PGA TOUR for several years to bring golf’s highest level of competition to its hometown.

“Professional golf belongs in Detroit. The Motor City – and the entire state of Michigan – have long served as a premier golf destination with some of the best courses in the country. We will be working with the PGA TOUR to make the Detroit stop one of the most exciting and engaging events on the professional golf calendar,” said Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner.

“Quicken Loans has been a tremendous PGA TOUR partner for several years now, making an impact through the innovative spirit and community-first mindset the organization and its leaders bring to every endeavor,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.  “We’re thrilled to take this new step in our partnership and bring a PGA TOUR event to the great city of Detroit.”

Quicken Loans is partnering with Intersport, a leader in sports and entertainment marketing, to oversee the operation of the tournament, as well as create numerous related attractions and festivities that are planned to take place throughout the city of Detroit during the event.

The Detroit Golf Club (DGC) is expected to serve as the host venue. The club’s membership recently overwhelmingly voted to empower the Board of Directors to explore and execute a PGA TOUR event at its historic Donald Ross-designed golf course.

A look at the course and awesome clubhouse from three years ago:

Jack Loves The Memorial's New Schedule Spot, Not So Sure About A May PGA In Rochester

Dave Shedloski reports for Golf World about Jack Nicklaus's pleasure at future Memorial's situated perfectly between the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. The Golden Bear also notes there will be less European competition in future years and is pleased that the Players and PGA Championship will present more interesting weather equations as part of the mix. 

Except in Rochester, 2023.

"I don't know," Nicklaus added, "what's going to happen in May in Oak Hill in Rochester, but I wish them well. I hope the weather is good. That's going to be a tough time."

A Steph Curry Hosted PGA Tour Event In The Works?

That's what Darren Rovell reports is in the works, with hopes for a fall schedule slot in the Bay Area. 

From the ESPN.com report:

Frank Zecca, a managing director at Octagon who has worked with the Curry family for more than 25 years, would not confirm that a deal was inked but did acknowledge that conversations happened.

"Besides family and basketball, philanthropy, investing, technology and golf are high up on his list," Zecca said. "Culinary, community and the Bay Area are also priorities."

Culinary?

The PGA Tour acknowledged the plans and of course, suggested right out of the gate that he might attract the M's!

"There's no doubt Stephen Curry brings a young, new, diverse audience to the PGA Tour through his passion for this great game and support for the community," said PGA Tour spokeswoman Laura Neal. "We're excited about the prospect of partnering with an iconic athlete of his caliber in the future."

Will Sports Gambling Bring Fan Interference?

Here at the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic, players are slowly beginning to realize the economic benefits of sports gambling may come with a downside.

While they aren't ranting like Randall Mell did in his piece for GolfChannel.com, they are sharing the same concern.

With legalized gambling, there promises to be a billion new reasons for fans to root against a player, just as there will be a billion new reasons to root for a player.

Thomas had a right to be annoyed at the Honda Classic. Golf isn’t like the NBA. A fan screaming in a player’s backswing is different than a fan screaming at a player on the free throw line. A golf fan can control the outcome of an event a lot easier than an NBA fan can.

Nobody’s paying to see Joe Blowhard dictate who wins. But that’s the thing about legalized gambling. It’s a pretty good bet we’ll see more Joe Blowhards coming into the sport. And I’ll wager one of them costs a PGA Tour player a chance to win.

Will Gray talked to some veteran players who see potential issues. Ernie Els sees pushback when a player lets a fan down, while Jimmy Walker pointed to the intimacy and quiet of golf.

“Golf is so much more intimate, player to fan base, than any other sport. Tennis may be the only other one where it’s so quiet and the fans can get so close,” Walker said. “I think that’s the big deal, and that’s what people have to realize when they come out here, is that you can stand 5 feet from the best players in the world. You can’t do that at a football game. It’s hard to do that at a basketball game because it’s so loud, nobody can hear all that. So I just think we need to police it a little better.”

Monahan On The Players: "This product works in May, this product works in March."

He hasn't rolled out a Finchem-esque coterminous or compaction reference, but Jay Monahan has definitely picked up a case of B-speak during a week of Players Championship meetings.

From a chat with GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard, updating us on the schedule, the Tiger-Phil pairing and the state of the Players. 

“To bring the best field in golf here, early in the season and to be able to use this platform and have tent-pole events, big events, every month March through July and get the playoffs to a position where we’re really excited about where we’re going, that’s good for the overall schedule.

“When you look at how we make this product [The Players] better, this product works in May, this product works in March. You need to pick the areas where you need to improve.”

"PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan proves to be what tour needed"

Steve DiMeglio of USA Today profiles Commissioner Jay Monahan a year into the job and notes the strong run of late securing sponsors, including nine tournaments with 10-year deals.  He is pleased and humbled by the opportunity.

“Honestly, I don’t think about me and my job but I think about what we are doing,” Monahan said. “I feel like the product is our players — how they perform, how they relate to each other, how they relate to the fans. And our financial contributions are significant. We are part of the fabric of so many communities, which brings a whole level of responsibility and energy. We are in a good place with all of that.”

I'm not sure about this that Davis Love bought into, but it makes for a good story from Commissioner 60 Is The Mandatory Retirement Age For Everyone But Me:

“Tim paid Jay a very high compliment one time when he said to me, ‘You know, I don’t really want to retire, but Jay is so ready. I need to get out of his way,’” said Davis Love III, one of four players on the Tour’s policy board. “That’s the highest of compliments.

And I think we'll all remember this next time a PGA Tour player leaves a ball down as a backstop in defiance of honor and integrity.

“There are so many things I love about golf,” he said. “Its meritocracy — nothing is given, everything is earned. The values of the game — honor, integrity, respect, sportsmanship.”

Video: PGA Tour Fleshing Out Its Sports Betting Position

PGA Tour VP Andy Levinson appeared on Live From to unveil five points of focus should the Supreme Court rule in favor of some form of sports betting. A decision has been expected any day now for over two months.

As you'll see, the Tour has given this a lot of thought and is mapping out its position in anticipation of a change in the law. Levinson's smart take is comforting, though golf still can be more easily corrupted by fan behavior than any other sport.

Check out the short chat with Ryan Burr:

Astros Owner Jim Crane Joins Effort To Save The Houston Open

The Houston Chronicle's Dale Robertson reports on Jim Crane's push to secure sponsorship dollars for the Houston Open, openly fearing the community impact if the event were to disappear. 

The Astros owner says they have until mid-June to get a deal done.

Multiple sources, all requesting anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly, have told the Chronicle that the Tour has given Houston until early-mid June to pull together a viable sponsorship package that figures to cost at least $12 million annually, much of that going toward ad buys during the NBC telecasts. Crane wouldn't confirm the deadline, saying only that it's in all parties' best interests "that something gets resolved soon ... July at the latest."

Good News (Really): PGA Tour Schedule Revamp Announcement Delayed

Golfweek's Forecaddie with news that the expected release of the 2018-19 PGA Tour schedule--the first with a May PGA Championship and potentially shorter playoffs--has been delayed.

The reason, besides the obvious difficulties involved with a nearly year-round global calendar to line up, appears to be driven by efforts to find the Houston Open a spot.

They've been around since 1946, it's the nation's fourth largest city and a tournament run by the local golf association doing incredible things to sustain and grow golf in the region. They've earned the right!

"Tournaments come, and tournaments go. That’s how it is on the PGA Tour."

MorningRead.com's Gary Van Sickle provides some fun memories while reminding us of bad news we already know: nothing lasts forever on PGA Tour.

As two towns integral to men's pro golf prepare to lose events or become less significant in the 2019 schedule--Akron and Houston namely--Van Sickle says this is the history of the PGA Tour, where even the once-vaunted Western Open teetered and is now barely recognizable. 

He also reminds us that someone in Tour headquarters signed off on Cialis as a title sponsor.

History is nice, but our memories often are nearly as short as our modern gnat-sized attention spans. Remember the Western Open? It was a cornerstone of the PGA Tour lineup for decades. Butler National Golf Club, the tournament’s long-time Chicago-area home, was considered a beast by Tour players. The event was seen as being just a notch below a major championship during the 1980s.

Today, the Western Open is long gone, having hit a low point – in my eyes, anyway – when Cialis, an erectile-dysfunction drug, became the title sponsor for a few embarrassing years. Imagine being a female tournament volunteer and having to wear a big Cialis logo on your shirt.

Have New Course, Need Sponsor: Memorial Park In, GC Of Houston Out

As the Houston Open tries to remain on the PGA Tour schedule where it's been since 1946, Golf Club of Houston is out as the host venue.

The Houston Business Journal's Jack Witthaus reports on the potential move to the downtown muni going forward. (A Memorial Park change in operator to the Houston Golf Association has been proposed.)

The move to Memorial Park would return the PGA Tour to a course it last played in 1963. Even if no sponsor is found for 2018, let's hope this leads to a long term goal of saving the event and carrying on the Houston Golf Association's efforts to refurbish the Houston city courses.

Colonial Officially Secure Through 2022

Doug Ferguson with the official word of Charles Schwab rescuing the PGA Tour's venerable Colonial stop through 2022. Sensational news!