If They May Say So Themselves Files: "PGA TOUR announces changes that will further fan engagement, understanding and drama of FedExCup"

Here’s my translation but feel free to read the press release below:

—The FedExCup leaders at -10 and -8 should have Atlanta-area food tasters in place.

—If those leaders get off to a nice Thursday start, they could create one very unsatisfying finale. That’s fan engagement too. We all need naps.

—Wyndham has to bribe players with a bonus pool to show up at the final “regular season” event now that the top seeds at the FedExCup get a lovely reward for their season-long efforts.

—You get an official win on your resume with a handicap system in place (no word yet on world ranking points yet, but let’s hope not). Silly.

—This will be easier to follow than the current system where algorithms proved consistently boring to follow. This has to be better. Low bar, yes, but it only took 11 playings to confirm what we all knew: the FedExCup as we knew it, did not work.

For Immediate Release:

PGA TOUR announces changes that will further fan engagement, understanding and drama of FedExCup 

Revamped TOUR Championship format will simplify FedExCup, highlight competition; Wyndham Rewards Top 10 will continue to elevate “every shot matters” thematic leading into the FedExCup Playoffs  

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – With the upcoming 2018-19 PGA TOUR schedule reflecting previously announced, significant structural changes, PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan today unveiled further innovations that elevate the entire FedExCup season – from the Regular Season through the FedExCup Playoffs and ultimately, at the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship.  These changes include a simplified scoring system at the TOUR Championship that will determine the FedExCup Champion and a new $10 million program for the FedExCup Regular Season sponsored by Wyndham Rewards: the “Wyndham Rewards Top 10.”

The FedExCup Playoffs – which have been reduced from four to three events beginning next season and will conclude before Labor Day, allowing the TOUR to compete to own the August sports calendar – will feature fields of 125 for THE NORTHERN TRUST, 70 for the BMW Championship and 30 for the TOUR Championship, where the FedExCup Champion will be determined. While the points structure for the first two events will remain the same (awarding quadruple points compared to FedExCup Regular Season events), there will be a significant change to the format for the TOUR Championship.

Instead of a points reset at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, beginning with the 2018-19 event the TOUR is instituting a strokes-based bonus system related to the FedExCup standings through the BMW Championship. The FedExCup points leader after the first two Playoffs events will begin the TOUR Championship at 10-under par. The next four players will start at 8-under through 5-under, respectively. The next five will begin at 4-under, regressing by one stroke per five players until those ranked Nos. 26-30 start at even par.

With the implementation of this change, the player with the lowest total score will be the FedExCup Champion and be credited with an official victory in the TOUR Championship competition. 

“This is a significant and exciting change for the PGA TOUR, our players, our partners and – most importantly – our fans,” said Monahan. “As soon as the TOUR Championship begins, any fan – no matter if they’ve followed the PGA TOUR all season or are just tuning in for the final event – can immediately understand what’s going on and what’s at stake for every single player in the field. And, of course, players will know exactly where they stand at all times while in play, which will ratchet up the drama, consequence and volatility of the competition down the stretch.

“Compared to the current system, the beauty here is in the simplicity.  Fans are very familiar with golf leaderboards in relation to par, so they will have a clear understanding of the impact every shot makes during the final run for the FedExCup – ultimately leading to a singular champion without conflicting storylines.”

“It has been gratifying to witness the growth, popularity and importance of the FedExCup since its launch in 2007,” said Davis Love III, a current Player Director on the PGA TOUR Policy Board who also served on the Board during the development and launch of the FedExCup. “Several important refinements have been made along the way to help accelerate the FedExCup’s universal acceptance as a tremendous achievement in professional golf. However, I believe this new strokes-based bonus system for the TOUR Championship might well be the most important of them all, as it will lend absolute clarity to where everyone in the field stands and what exactly they must do to win the FedExCup. It will make for a very exciting and dramatic four days.”   

Meanwhile, the new $10 million Wyndham Rewards Top 10 not only will add drama to the Wyndham Championship as the final event before the FedExCup Playoffs but will also put an even greater premium on excelling over the course of the FedExCup Regular Season.  The top-10 Regular Season finishers in FedExCup points through the Wyndham Championship – also sponsored by Wyndham Rewards – will reap the benefits of the Wyndham Rewards Top 10. The leader will earn $2 million, followed by $1.5 million for the runner-up with the 10th-place finisher earning $500,000.  Additionally, each player in the top 10 will be invited into Wyndham Rewards at its most exclusive Diamond level, unlocking all the travel perks and unique Wyndham benefits that go along with it.

And while the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 will be recognized at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship, the impact of the program will be felt throughout the season; a player’s performance every week becomes more critical than ever before, elevating the significance of each tournament on the schedule and producing drama for PGA TOUR fans at every turn.

“We are excited to unveil the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 next year, which will place an even greater premium on excelling over the course of the Regular Season,” said Andy Pazder, Chief Tournament and Competitions Officer for the PGA TOUR.  “Season-long success is tantamount to qualifying for and advancing through the FedExCup Playoffs, and this is an exciting way to reward the best of the best and provide an added layer of drama for our fans in each market and around the world.”

In addition to the $10 million Wyndham Rewards Top 10, the existing FedExCup bonus pool will increase by $25 million, to $60 million.  The FedExCup Champion will receive $15 million, versus the $10 million prize from previous years.

“Our players and fans have invested in the FedExCup over the past 12 seasons, and with these enhancements, we are reinvesting in the FedExCup in order to raise the stakes, so to speak, for their benefit,” said Monahan.  “We are able to grow and diversify our fan base because we have the best athletes on the planet competing on the PGA TOUR.  Now is the time to make these changes, and thanks to significant input in the process by our players, partners and fans, I believe we’re making exactly the right moves.

“To that end, these changes wouldn’t have been possible without the full support of the TOUR Championship’s outstanding Proud Partners – Coca-Cola and Southern Company – as well as longtime partner FedEx and an enhanced partnership with Wyndham Rewards,” he added. “They shared our vision for how we can challenge ourselves to raise level of excitement and fan engagement throughout the season up until the moment our FedExCup Champion is determined.”

Why The Tour Championship Likely Isn't Leaving Atlanta

David Dusek of Golfweek explores a topic with questions similar to those asked by may intrigued by the idea of a Tour Championship rota. With Coca Cola no longer a full sponsor—Proud Partners along with Southern Company—the PGA Tour would seem free to perhaps move the event around.

Furthermore, according to reports, the 2019 edition will only be about ending the FedExCup. That means only one winner will be crowned and that winner will be the final points chase winner. Having an allegiance to Atlanta or the Tour Championship or East Lake would seem less important.

But as we’ve seen in recent years, rotas are hit-and-miss propositions on the attendance, weather, intrigue and corporate support fronts. The Tour Championship’s rota years even remind us of this, despite the marquee value of certain sites.

Most golf fans probably forget that the first Tour Championship, which was won by Tom Watson, was contested in 1987 about 1,000 miles to the Southwest of Atlanta, at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio. The following year at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Curtis Strange won the Tour Championship in a playoff over Tom Kite, but Kite would win the next year at Harbour Town Golf Links in a playoff over Payne Stewart.

The Tour Championship then made two-year runs at Pinehurst No. 2, The Olympic Club and Southern Hills Golf Club before alternating between Champions Golf Club in Houston and East Lake starting in 1997. Since 2004, all Tour Championships have been played at East Lake, the course Bobby Jones grew up playing.

Ranking The 11 FedExCup Finishes: Kyle Porter Deserves Time-And-A-Half

Maybe he just wanted to inflict pain upon himself during the bye week or maybe some editor was annoyed with Kyle Porter of CBSSports.com, because I can’t fathom anyone wanting to relive the eleven FedExCup finishes in much detail. Though Porter has provided a service to anyone wanting to know why the format will be changing.

A glance at the list yielded one quibble for me—Furyk’s backward cap year is only 6th!?—and mostly sympathy for Porter’s plight in trying to find the beauty in what has to be one of the drearier sets of championship-concluding memories.

The stars are aligned for a grand finish this year regardless of format, so keep those fingers crossed!

Perhaps starting in 2019 we’ll get a new format that yields something more satisfying. I’m confident it won’t take much of a change to get there, but still unsure about the floated concept. From Morning Drive:

Golden State National: Is This A Bad Time To Mention That We Need More Golf Tournaments In California?

Let's establish three very simple facts:

--Rain rarely occurs in California from May through October.

--When a golf tournament is played in California, it finishes in prime time for more than half the country and garners a much bigger rating, no matter who is contending

--Golf is played outdoors. It is much better when rain does not interfere with the proceedings.

Ok, technically I've presented four simple facts.

As we were reminded again last week after what has actually been a good-weather season in golf, the sport features many overpaid individuals who continue to sign up their major events on the east coast at times of year when rain can (will) be an issue. The PGA Tour set its playoffs for midwest and northeast venues, with a finish in Atlanta at a boring culmination architecturally that will be even less glamorous in 2019.

(In his defense, Commissioner Moonbeam was said to have been trying for at least one major west coast market in his original playoff plans, but players complained about travel issues and the PGA Tour could not find a sponsor/venue fit out west.)

As you know, ratings have never been very good for the FedExCup Playoffs. The list of reasons is long, from a confusing and unsatisfying format, to the time of year and the time zone of the venues, to overall golf fatigue once the majors have been played. The numbers may not improve next year when the playoffs are contested by late August, soon after the major season has ended and at more eastern venues. 

Meanwhile, the PGA Championship moves to May 2019 and while this meant the PGA of America could open up new regions like Florida or Arizona, they've got mostly a who's-who of venues similar to those they've always gone to--Kiawah, Valhalla, Quail Hollow, Baltusrol, Southern Hills, etc...), with just two California stops scheduled through 2030--Harding Park in 2020 and Olympic Club in 2028. Weather could be an issue for most of the future PGA venues, particularly the New York area stops at Bethpage, Trump Bedminster and Oak Hill. 

So if you like the permutations of weather-delayed event planning, then check out Nick Menta's GolfChannel.com story on the many possibilities for the 2018 BMW Championship as play spills into Monday.

But if you are a dreamer, consider Golden State National. 

It's an as-yet unbuilt (or not-yet-remodeled) facility somewhere south of San Francisco and featuring 36-holes of golf, enough hotel rooms within 45 minutes to support the traveling golf circus, a luxury hotel on property for not-important VIP's, a G5-friendly landing strip, and of course, at least 8,500 yards of golf to deal with the distance explosion.

More vitally, Golden State National can host major events from March to November, deliver ratings and finish on Sundays. The ground will be firm. Fans will enjoy themselves. Television executives won't have digestive issues.

But here's the catch: to build or remodel an existing facility into GSN, it costs money. A lot of money when you have to build a course for the modern game where 250 acres is the new 150, meaning we need 500 acres potentially.

The non-profits of golf, devoted to funneling every penny possible to charity--ok, that's slightly sarcastic--have resisted even considering such a facility due to a lack of vision or a lack of funds, even though GSN could also host some NCAA Championships, LPGA majors and other special events. And hackers the rest of the year eager to pay $250 to play where the pros play. 

It'll probably take about $150 million to pull off the facility from scratch, maybe less if we can find a lesser property where dynamite and architectural ingenuity will be the greatest expenses and a local airport handles the Wheels Up crowd. I can think of two San Diego area properties that fit such a bill, and that's just off the top of my head. 

So how do we go about raising the funds for Golden State National since golf's Five Families resist the desire, vision or courage of convictions to do what is right? Which is, to create a facility dedicated to the modern game, modern weather, and modern sports audience? 

Kickstarter anyone?

Golf's Annual List Of Overpaid Non-Profit Executives Is Out!

As we near the final quarter of 2018, Golf Digest has compiled the salaries of golf leaders from 2015, the most recent year posted on various Form 990s. Tack on a safe 10% since and you can visualize how much golf's non-profit leaders are making.

John Paul Newport was charged with making sense of the numbers and noted the spike down in Ponte Vedra, but as he points out it's a large operation generating revenue on many fronts compared to other golf organizations making most of their money off one or two major tournaments. 

If Davis and his colleagues in golf's top nonprofit jobs deserve what they earn, why the big jump in pay for PGA Tour executives? Primarily because, practically speaking, the tour functions more like an entertainment business than a trade association.

PGA Tour Inc. qualifies as a nonprofit because it exists not to make money for itself or for owners and shareholders, of which there are none, but primarily to organize, support and create opportunities for its members, independent contractors that we commonly refer to as tour pros.

Eh eh, that's TOUR.

Anyway, the real standouts on this year's list include Mike Whan crossing the two commas line, a bevy of PGA of America C-level salaries climbing nicely, the NGF's Joe Beditz raking in $448k and of course, AJGA head Stephen Hamblin making over $500k now. Who knew junior golf could be so lucrative? Oh right, we learn that around this time every year. 

Live Under Par (Error) Files: Does Bryson Have Air Tolerance Issues?

Since rolling out the Live Under Par campaign, the PGA Tour's social accounts have relentlessly pushed the cumbersome and vapid slogan on nearly every post at the expense of hashtags that might prove useful. Or even promotional ones for a company (#Fedexcup) ponying up millions of dollars to support the #playoffs.

The doltishness behind the Live Under Par effort and that has overtaken PGA Tour social media accounts, including forcing players to pose with any animal within fifty miles of a tournament venue in the name of likes, took on a new level of silliness today.  

Apparently, Bryson DeChambeau has a complicated relationship with the air he breathes. 

The PGA Tour posted an incorrectly transcribed quote with the word air supplementing "error" in sharing a Bryson DeChambeau quote following Monday's Dell Technologies win. Perhaps this was a subtle message from social media workers tired of living under water--where I hear air is limited--but multiple sources have confirmed to this website that Bryson said the word error, was understood by most who were listening to be using the word error, and has no known sensitivities to oxygen, clearing the way for him to be a Captain's pick on the 2018 Ryder Cup team. 

Now, mistakes are made all of the time, especially on this website, and transcripts are tricky business. Still, at some point the combination of reader feedback and the overall notion of struggling for air, probably should have gotten someone's attention once this went live.  Yet even after many users corrected the PGA Tour in the Instagram comments section, the post remains in place for 3 hours now without correction, as does the original transcript with the air, err...error.

It might be wise for the PGA Tour to remove the post and apologize to DeChambeau, who has been lambasted in the comments section for his sensitivity to air. 

Focus Group-Tested, Players-Approved FedExCup For 2019 Still Lacks A Certain Something

Let's establish a few things for those who might have forgotten: the FedExCup has been a resounding success despite lackluster ratings and constant tweaking over the years.

Which, of course, is why something so good, so brilliantly conceived, and so universally adored by the masses will be blown up in 2019. Despite years of great suggestions from all corners of the golf watching world, it should be noted the PGA Tour chose to cook up an internal idea that has some merit but also potential holes.

 AP's Doug Ferguson says the vaunted points system, resets and algorithms will be tossed in favor of a scoring bias system that starts the FedExCup leader at -10 and works its way down from there.

The problem was splitting attention on two trophies. A year ago, Xander Schauffele won the Tour Championship by one shot over Justin Thomas, who won the FedEx Cup. Thomas said later it was a “weird” moment to lose the tournament and win the $10 million prize.

This means we have a weird 72-hole stroke play event where one player starts with a 10-stroke advantage, the next guy 8 strokes, and on down for the top 5. Presumably after those top 5 everyone else will start from scratch. 

After legions of great suggestions over the years ranging from aggregate stroke play playoffs to points systems that produce a one-day shootout any sports fan can understand, we have something crafted by focus groups. Literally.

From Brian Wacker's GolfWorld.com story with more details on the concept:

According to multiple sources, the organization gathered statisticians and focus groups to help flesh out the format and gauge how well the changes would be received. Roughly 80 percent of the focus groups grasped the concept and said it was easier to understand, according to one source.

This handicap tournament will count as an official win despite the stroke-weighted structure. 

No doubt, Cialis prescriptions went unused for days when the statisticians and tour executives were told the new format would have produced a one-stroke Justin Thomas win over Jordan Spieth in 2018.  (Spieth held the FedExCup lead over Thomas heading to East Lake, so this presumes he started -10 to Thomas's -8).

That duel surely would have made for some great theater, but the year before, Dustin Johnson would have played just a so-so final tournament and have beaten Rory McIlroy by three strokes. That McIlroy win in a playoff was confusing but also possibly the most exciting in the Tour Championship's FedExCup era despite the confusion over scenarios.

Ultimately Sundays at East Lake should get better and maybe even make more sense in this scenario. But before you say Billy Horschel, the PGA Tour's Playoffs(C) have always lacked the dramatic potential for wild upsets, surprise eliminations and an underdog component. 

The final four days at East Lake will still be just like before: three days of ho-hum golf with fingers crossed the numbers add up to make Sunday work. Which begs the question: what so has the players, execs and focus-groups still afraid to cut after 36 holes, reset the points, cut again for an exciting Saturday, then feature a Sunday shootout with just a few playing-for-the-big-check?

I guess we still will never find out.

Poll: Are 59's Losing Their Luster?

I was at a golf course snack bar when the Golf Channel was showing highlights from Brandt Snedeker's 59 at the Wyndham Championship. It was the 10th such round in PGA Tour history and when some golfers looked up and asked if he'd shot 59, I said yes and they went, "ah that's great" and then went about decorating their hot dogs.

A decade ago, I'm pretty sure we all would have stopped what we were doing to watch all of the highlights and regale in the history playing out before our eyes. 

Throw in a 58 by Jim Furyk and it seems like the 59 has gone from golf's equivalent of a perfect game to a no-hitter. Still an amazing feat and worth dropping what we're doing to see a player break the barrier, but also not quite as satisfying as it should be.

Is this because of how many have occurred since Al Geiberger broke golf's sound barrier, perhaps coupled with the 13-under-par nature of the first three when par-4s sometimes actually required a long-iron approach?

Or has the role of distance, improved technology, amazing agronomy and golf courses put in a strategically untenable position played a role in making them a little less magical?

First, our Golf Central discussion, followed by a poll...

Are 59s Losing Their Luster?

Yes, they no longer are as incredible as they first seemed

No way, a 59 is a 59

Eh...somewhere in between

 

pollcode.com free polls

First World Alert: Players Looking To Abolish The Secondary Cut, Reduce 36 Hole Cut Size

Instituted to help pace of play, Saturday cuts on the PGA Tour occur when more than 78 make the weekend. Players, reports GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard, have decided they don't like the Saturday cut and are looking for an alternative. That alternative seems like a bizarre solution given the incentives to make cuts and the "playing opportunities" mantra of the Tour. 

The alternative that’s being studied is to reduce the cut at all Tour events from the lowest 70 players and ties to the lowest 65 players and ties. This would allow the circuit to eliminate the secondary cut at all events.

So they would eliminate as many as five (and often more players) on the weekends because they don't like a few people who post a big score to be cut on Saturday? 

Don't be surprised if a year from now they are revisiting a solution to a problem only the first world could have found.

PGA Tour Enters A Legal Sports Betting State For The First Time Since Supreme Court Ruling...

The playoffs arrive in New Jersey and Ridgewood CC for the first time in a sports-betting legal state.

Rex Hoggard reports for GolfChannel.com on what this means in 2018. In a nutshell, the PGA Tour does not expect any issues.

Although New Jersey was among the first states to embrace sports betting, wagers are currently limited to a few casinos and racetracks.

“I wouldn’t say the gaming would be any different than what’s currently being offered in Las Vegas or elsewhere, win bets and that type of thing,” said Andy Levinson, the Tour’s senior vice president of tournament administration.

There is one potential area of intrigue: soft-launched mobile betting apps in beta form according to this item by Devin O'Connor. 

Resorts, one of the six Atlantic City casinos with sports gambling underway, received authorization with partner DraftKings from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (D) earlier this month for a soft-launch of mobile sports betting.

The app was released to a limited number of users. The DGE hasn’t said when it might permit Resorts and DraftKings to open up the app to the general public. Other casino sportsbooks are also in the process of releasing mobile sports betting platforms.

Of note will be if any of these mobile platforms offer negative outcome bets where a fan could interfere with play and profit. Presumably these beta apps are not offering anything that could derail their popularity or their coveted relationship with pro golf in the coming years. Presumably. 

#liveunderpar Files: Paraglider Tells Trump He's "Well Under Par"

Fearing a call from PGA Tour lawyers looking to protect the greatest slogan in the history of great slogans, a Greenpeace protester flew disturbingly close to President Donald Trump with a "Well Under Par" banner in tow.

Jack Aitchison of the Daily Record with the story and a video clip of the President walking into the Turnberry hotel and the protester getting shockingly close. 

New PGA Tour Schedule: The Good, Bad And Hard To Quantify

There were plenty of fascinating surprises and a few bold moves made the PGA Tour in revamping it schedule.

In this quick-take for Golfweek, I cover some of the questions, positives and negatives of the new 2018-19 PGA Tour schedule, the first with a May PGA Championship. Mostly, I'm struck by the idea of vacating Labor Day weekend.

To expand on what I wrote for Golfweek, I'll certainly defer to the TV Execs, Tour VP's and numbers crunchers who probably can make the case that football fans have already fled by Labor Day. And as I noted for Golfweek, Atlanta is a circus that weekend. But as a sports fan, Monday of Labor Day has been fairly uneventful, and the PGA Tour's FedExCup concluding on that day seemed like a fantastic way of saying, "that's all folks!"

Which is why in today's Alternate Shot with Matt Adams (who has a nice list of issues with the schedule), I suggest that my hope is a change in time that has golf reclaiming that weekend and finishing on that Monday.

Rex Hoggard talks to Jay Monahan about what drove the changes but sees traffic congestion issues in the new schedule before playoff time.

If that all sounds clean and easy, consider that the run up to the post-season will now feature a major (The Open), a World Golf Championship (Memphis) and the Wyndham Championship. Including the three playoff stops, that’s five must-play events in a six-week window.

He notes a similar congestion problem in the Masters lead up, with the Honda Classic and Arnold Palmer Invitational very much in danger of losing top players with two WGC's events. Is this a bad time to mention (again) how I think WGC events are really doing no one any good?

Joel Beall has seven takeaways, but he sees Valspar taking the biggest hit in Florida and he may be right. But don't underestimate the player enjoyment of Innisbrook and the growing disdain for PGA National and Bay Hill hurting those two. He also makes a strong case for continued struggles mid-summer for new stops trying to lure players as they either break between the U.S. Open and The Open, or play European events.

Andy Pazdur joined Morning Drive to discuss the PGA Tour's approach:

Feinstein: "How the PGA Tour's D.C. stop went from can't miss to out of business"

Golf World's John Feinstein looks at the rise and fall of Washington D.C.'s PGA Tour stop, conducting the final edition this week at TPC Potomac At Avenel Farm (FKA TPC Avenel).

While Feinstein is a bit tough on Tiger as host and notes the loss of Quicken Loans as the most fatal component of the tournament's demise, the story points out how the event suffered identity issues when it lost Congressional as a regular host. 

In the tournament’s swansong, Woods will play this week, his lone expected start after a missed cut at the U.S. Open and before heading to the Open Championship at Carnoustie. One might have thought his apparent return to health could inspire a sponsor to jump in and take a chance on Washington, but Woods didn’t seem to really care very much if that happened. His foundation is now the beneficiary of the annual PGA Tour event played at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles.

The L.A. event has the kind of stability never established in Washington. It has been played at Riviera for 44 of the last 46 years, as opposed to the D.C. event which will have been held at four golf courses in 13 years, none for more than three consecutive years. 

Also noteworthy here is the influence this event had on Chicago's annual stop, which previously held the July 4 date before being shifted to a playoff stop moved around to different venues, several outside of Chicago. The July 4 date is currently Greenbrier's. 

The story is a prime example of quickly a tournament's fortunes can turn on quality of course, consistency of location and the identity an event derives from a regular host venue and date.

PGA Tour Adds Facebook Watch Streaming For Weekend Featured Groups

It would appear the more significant development here is another effort on top of its Twitter pre-PGA Tour live coverage to add a streaming option. I'm not sure how many weekend early featured groups are of note, but the PGA Tour is certainly going hard at streaming options...excuse me, emerging media platforms. 

For Immediate Release:

PGA TOUR partners with Facebook to stream
60+ hours of exclusive live coverage across eight events

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR has announced an agreement with Facebook to distribute exclusive Saturday and Sunday live competition coverage, on a free basis, from eight tournaments leading into the FedExCup Playoffs for the 2017-18 season.  Airing on Facebook Watch in the United States, the coverage will be produced under the PGA TOUR LIVE brand and, similar to the TOUR’s subscription OTT service, will follow two featured groups that tee off in the morning of the third and final rounds. The PGA TOUR will uniquely produce this coverage for Facebook’s social video platform, with interactive elements aimed to engage fans. For example, the coverage will incorporate fan questions and comments.

Oh those will be rich with insight.

“We are thrilled to add Facebook to an already impressive lineup of global digital and broadcast partners,” said Chris Wandell, VP Media Business Development of the PGA TOUR. “The PGA TOUR has put a premium on distributing exclusive content on emerging media platforms with a goal of reaching new and diverse audiences.”

The Facebook Watch coverage will begin at the Travelers Championship on Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24. The remaining events in 2018 include: Quicken Loans National; A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier; John Deere Classic; RBC Canadian Open; World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational; Wyndham Championship; and THE NORTHERN TRUST.

“No matter if it's a weekend foursome or water-cooler conversation about a top moment on TOUR, golf brings people together,” said Devi Mahadevia, Facebook’s North America Live Sports Programming Lead. “So we're delighted to partner with the PGA TOUR to help it reach new fans and deliver interactive, live coverage on Facebook that taps into the social nature of the sport.”

Got all the buzzwords in there but Netflix and chill.

The Facebook Watch-exclusive coverage window will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET on both Saturday and Sunday of each event and will conclude when Golf Channel’s lead-in coverage begins.  Following the featured group coverage, PGA TOUR LIVE Featured Holes coverage will be streamed globally on a non-exclusive basis on Facebook. To watch PGA TOUR’s coverage on Facebook, users can follow the PGA TOUR LIVE show Page at www.facebook.com/pgatourlive.

The agreement also calls for a range of on-demand programming, including tournament previews, round recaps and extended player highlights – all of which will be available in the United States on Facebook Watch and globally via the PGA TOUR LIVE show Page.

In May, the PGA TOUR and Facebook teamed up to stream 30+ hours of live coverage from THE PLAYERS Championship.

The trailer:

Houston Open Moves To Fall, Drops Houston Golf Association Ties

Tournament saved, but without mention of the Houston Golf Association's involvement, there is more than a tinge of sadness to this U.S. Open week announcement. 

Astros Foundation and PGA TOUR announce five-year partnership for the Houston Open

HOUSTON and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR, the Astros Foundation and its Board of Directors, led by Astros Owner & Chairman Jim Crane, announced a five-year partnership for the Houston Open beginning with the 2019 event. The Astros Foundation will operate the event and serve as the host organization.

The commitment to the Houston Open from the Astros Foundation, with the support of a consortium of local sponsors, is in place through 2023. The 2019 tournament will be conducted at the Golf Club of Houston during the fall portion of the PGA TOUR’s 2019-20 FedExCup Season with a $7.5 million purse and 500 FedExCup points awarded to the winner.

“Our team is committed to the continued growth of the Houston Open and making a positive impact in the city of Houston,” said Astros owner and Chairman Jim Crane. “The Astros Foundation has always committed to giving back to our community. The funds raised through this tournament will allow us to continue our commitment to serving the people within our county and city and help improve our parks.”

“The PGA TOUR has a rich history in Houston dating back to 1946, and we’re thrilled to share this great news today regarding the Houston Open,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The event has always made a significant charitable impact by virtue of tremendous partners and outstanding community support, and thanks to the Astros Foundation and Jim Crane, these works including support of The First Tee of Greater Houston will continue.”

The Houston Open was first played in 1946, with the inaugural event captured by Byron Nelson at River Oaks Country Club. Winners in the 72-year history of the event include World Golf Hall of Fame members Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Burke, Jr., Bobby Locke, Cary Middlecoff, Gary Player, Curtis Strange, Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson. One of Houston’s premier sporting events, the tournament has also made significant contributions to the Houston community, raising nearly $69 million (through 2017) for charitable causes.

Ian Poulter won the 2018 Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston, the tournament’s home since 2003.