Grayson Murray Vents Frustration At Pro Golf Life, Finds A Friend In Phil

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Oh and Elkington too. It’s a real who’s-who of Commissioner’s favorites chatting away on Twitter about, what, ultimately, I’m not sure except Grayson Murray’s brave admission he’s an alcoholic and is angry the PGA Tour has not helped him recover.

You can read Murray’s Notes app essay—nothing ever good comes from a Notes app essay—or just get a flavor of it in the screen capture below. Murray had deleted his Twitter account earlier this year after urging former President Donald Trump to play his own event after Trump Bedminster was stripped of the 2022 PGA Championship.

More newsworthy here is Phil Mickelson’s assertion that “we’ll get back to you” is the only response he gets from the Global Home.

Something tells me that’s not entirely accurate.

But I do look forward to Grayson joining Team Mickelson in the Premier League with Elkington serving as Senior Assistant Cart Driver to Manager Tim Mickelson.

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It's Official: Glen Abbey Will Not Be Subdivided

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It never made an ounce of sense and several years after Glen Abbey was designated a heritage site, the owners have officially dropped all efforts to turn revisit development plans. The many-times Canadian Open seems safe and folks will be able to keep trying one of the greatest non-GIR shots ever hit by Tiger Woods, or any golfer.

From an unbylined CBC report:

Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark said in a statement Friday he'd secured a commitment from Glen Abbey owner ClubLink Corp. to not go ahead with its plans.

"I am incredibly thankful to ClubLink for its cooperation and for ensuring that this heritage landscape will be protected from development," Clark said. 

Preserving the golf course was "precisely" what the town, Halton region and residents wanted, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said in a statement.

"The thousands of letters written to the province made a difference and showed how our community is an engaged community," the mayor said.

Angel Cabrera Wears His Best Presidents Cup Jacket To Sentencing Hearing

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There’s nothing funny about former U.S. Open and Masters champion Angel Cabrera getting two years for assault against his former partner. Especially given this from the prosecutor, as reported by AP:

“His situation is much more complex than this, he has other charges for which there are arrest warrants, too. There are other victims,” prosecutor Laura Battistelli told TV channel Todo Noticias.

The first charges were brought by Torres Mana, and two other women then did the same.

The golfer traveled to the United States in July 2020 without seeking permission, which led the province of Cordoba to request his arrest.

But you have to admire his devotion to the Presidents Cup cause in choosing to wear his team jacket to court. A crowning achievement for the brand. What better way to impress a judge, right?

Bryson Splits With Caddie And Brooks Celebrates By Announcing Caddie Ricky Elliott Appreciation Day

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Brooks Koepka made a huge passing PIP move by taking news of Bryson DeChambeau splitting with his caddie and piling up the Meltwaters with upbeat social media!

Koepka’s positive news first because I really don’t like the world of manspatting.

But you have to be impressed by 49K likes on a Tweet. That’s some serious PIP pointage. There is also the enjoyment Koepka inevitably enjoyed hitting send on this. Because he loves his Ricky!

And many thousands of likes on the Gram, too!

As for DeChambeau, he lost the services of caddie Tim Tucker at some point Wednesday night or Thursday morning. The bagman for all of Bryson’s wins decided he’d had enough and No Laying Up had the news first.

From Golfweek’s Adam Schupak at the Rocket Mortgage Classic where DeChambeau is defending champion:

“I love the kid,” Tucker texted Golfweek. “Hardest worker I have ever seen. Proud to have been his caddie. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win Rocket Mortgage. He is hitting it great.”

Tucker caddied for DeChambeau in the practice rounds this week, including Wednesday’s pro-am. Tucker has been on the bag for DeChambeau for all of his eight PGA Tour victories, including the 2020 U.S. Open. DeChambeau went through a slew of caddies early in his career, including a previous break with Tucker, before making him his steady bagman in 2018.

DeChambeau’s agent told various outlets that it was a mutual agreement, separate ways thing.

No PIP points for that kind of dreary news!

**Sam Harrop was inspired by the latest Brookson exchange to re-imagine The Scientist by Coldplay.

"Phil Mickelson, upset over report, Tweets he won't return to Rocket Mortgage Classic"

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Phil Mickelson won’t be returning to the Rocket Mortgage Classic over a Detroit News story about gambling with the help of goombahs in 2007.

Carlos Monarrez with more Mickelson explanation for why he’s holding a local news story against Detroit and Rocket Mortgage.

Mickelson, the reigning PGA champion, was highly critical of the article in the Detroit News. He said he did not feel appreciated for arranging his busy tournament schedule in order to play in Detroit, which marked his first tournament in Michigan since the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

“It was so much effort for me to be here and to have that type of unnecessary attack,” he said. “Not like I care. It happened liked twentysomething years ago. But it’s just the lack of appreciation. Yeah, I don’t see that happening. I don’t see me coming back. Not that I don’t love the people here. They have been great. But not with that type of thing happening.”

I’d like to say it’s somewhat amazing Phil is linking a local newspaper story with the good folks putting on a golf tournament. The laddie doth protest too much, methinks.

PGA Tour Ending COVID-19 On-Site Testing In July, Vaccination Rate Unknown

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GolfDigest.com’s Tod Leonard reports that players have been notified of the full scale COVID-19 testing coming to an end at the 3M Championship this July. No player has been known to test positive since Jon Rahm’s high-profile case at the Memorial, one of around 35 detected or reported after players revealed to have experienced the virus (but not testing positive under the Tour program).

Leonard says there will still be testing available to those who experience symptoms and daily health surveys but could not get a vaccination rate out of the Tour.

I reported earlier this month that the LPGA was at 60% full vaccination of players, caddies and staff as of early this month and no positive cases since March.

According to Leonard, the unvaccinated will have to undergo contact tracing if they test positive.

Though unvaccinated people don’t have to undergo testing, according to the memo, there are distinctions made. Vaccinated individuals will not have to undergo contact tracing should they be around someone who has COVID-19, while those who haven’t been vaccinated must notify the tour and follow contact tracing protocols.

The memo says that those who have been vaccinated “should” upload a copy of their vaccination record to their Healthy Roster account, but the tour will require proof of vaccination should the player be involved in a contact tracing situation, a tour spokesperson said.

The story also notes this:

Since testing began, more than 25 tour players have tested positive for COVID-19, including some of the game’s most high-profile athletes: Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau, Adam Scott, Gary Woodland and Padraig Harrington. No PGA Tour player has reported serious illness or hospitalization due to the coronavirus.

It was Golf Digest’s Undercover Caddie that suggested there have been players hit harder than reported:

A few of the guys who did test positive got really sick, more than fans have been led to believe, and that certainly got our attention.

Given that the LPGA Tour has a better track record on positive cases this year despite a more worldly schedule and far less private jet travel, they were able to report vaccination rates without violating anyone’s privacy. In light of that, the Tour’s program seems like it should be able to end on a brighter note of at least some disclosure and assurance that it’s in line with vaccination rates seen in general society.

It Seems Like The Post Round Interview Is Doomed

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A couple weekends ago I watched the end of two events: an Indy race on NBC and a competitive sailing competition on CBS.

At the Indy race, about ten drivers were interviewed to help fill time when the race ended early. This included a driver who crashed.

On the sailing, which was on tape, the American team’s jib broke, or someone’s Sperry’s slipped, I don’t know. But they were knocked out of the race and within seconds they went to the captain wearing a microphone to hear what went wrong. He answered while they were still reeling from what went wrong.

Both sports were also full of sound allowing us to eavesdrop on the proceedings. During the interviews, logos were visible, the drivers let you get to know them better and all that screen time pleased the people who write the checks.

Pro golf is going the opposite direction.

In-round interviews have died (again). Sound of conversations seems like it’s less prevalent. And now post-round interviews of anyone but the winner seem in danger.

Following Naomi Osaka’s French Open WD over post-round media stress , some golfers have opened up about how much pressure they feel from announcer criticisms or post round interviews. While these sessions generally don’t yield much, it’s still a shame that some feel questions starting with the world “how” or “talk about” can be seen as so stressful.

Of course writers and television will miss them and the shirt logo and watch deals might start to disappear, but mental health does take priority. And maybe if there is no danger of losing access, announcers can call the action more accurately.

Maybe these are isolated cases, but here’s a review of some recent comments on the topic, starting with Bubba Watson at the U.S. Open.

“The sad part for me is we celebrate every sport in the world. We celebrate accomplishments. We celebrate a guy scoring 50 points in the NBA. They are not saying quit shooting three-pointers. But we don't celebrate when a guy makes eight birdies or a guy bombs it 400 yards. I don't understand how we're not celebrating. We're trying to make golf courses bigger, harder, dumber, however you want to word it, but we're not celebrating our great players. I'm definitely not in that group of great players. I'm saying I want to see these guys hammering the ball. I want the next up-and-comer. I want a 6'8" guy not playing in the NBA, I want to see him on the PGA Tour bombing the ball. We're the only sport not celebrating accomplishments of being a guy working out in the gym that can hit the ball miles. We're mad at that guy. I don't know why, but we are. I'm not, but some people are -- golf course designers. The NBA, Tom Brady winning, throwing touchdowns, we celebrate that. ESPN talks about it nonstop. They don't ever talk about us chopping out of the -- hey, he laid up again. That's great. Anyway, that's my rant for the day.”

Given the influence his advice has had on Matthew Wolff, here is what Wolff had to say while dealing with undisclosed issues.

“I was talking to Bubba Watson earlier on the range this week and he told me he stopped watching golf, he only watches LPGA because they're so positive. He goes, LPGA is like the commentators, like everyone is just so positive, like every shot they hit is the best shot ever. And I think that -- and I'm not, I'm not like hating on the LPGA, I think it's awesome, because like these shots are hard out here and it's like, you know, sometimes they're describing a shot and they make it sound easy and it's not. And it's just, I'm only trying to have positive thoughts in my head and be positive. And I mean, kudos to pretty much every professional athlete out there, it's, I haven't been in this world for a long time, but it's fucking hard.”

And this in advance of the KPMG LPGA from Jessica Korda:

“You have fans coming to follow you, and if you're not playing your best, you obviously feel like you're disappointing everyone, and you get asked about it right after. It's never easy not playing well and then kind of answering the questions why because you're trying to figure it out yourself.”

This could just be a short term post-pandemic thing that will change when crowds come back and some normalcy returns. But this also could build momentum in the other direction and lead to more players saying no. I’m not sure that’s great for “growing the game,” but we’ll find out soon enough.

"We recognize the image-crafting guardrails that surround every sport, and we perk up when we see them falling."

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Writing for the New York Times Magazine, Elizabeth Nelson captures why so many are fascinated with the tension between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. And it’s not the Player Impact Program points chase.

All this suggests the two sports are having difficulty understanding both their audiences and their athletes. They proceed from the premise that their tissue-thin veneer of high-minded sportsmanship and sometimes incomprehensible notions of etiquette are celebrated attributes, not turnoffs. But evidence suggests the opposite. Fans don’t want pageantry; they want intimacy. Increasingly, the stories that grab the public are those that break up the placid, corporatized surface of the game — a tennis star who chooses self-care over a major, or two large golfers who seem ready to fistfight. We recognize the image- crafting guardrails that surround every sport, and we perk up when we see them falling. Is this what happens when sports stop being polite and start getting real?

PGL: "All we want is a conversation"

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Andy Gardiner spoke to ESPN.com’s Bob Harig about the hopes and dreams of conversations with the PGA Tour. I’m not sure I see a place where the Premier Golf League and the PGA Tour co-exist, but Gardiner apparently does.

"All we want is a conversation,'' Gardiner said. "We've never been the enemy. But I can understand why we've been perceived as such. But we'd love to be friends. I've not had that opportunity so far. And I will be redoubling my efforts. We want to have a conversation in the best possible way to ensure they understand where we are coming from and why we are doing it and to ensure that nobody's feelings will be hard done.''

Gardiner also revealed the PGL’s effort at making “an approach in the last 24 hours setting out our thoughts in the best possible way.”

Presumably the letter was delivered by FedEx. If it came via DHL or UPS, I’m not sure the conversations will be cordial.

He is playing up a free market, choice approach and it would seem to be boxing the Tours into a corner given the whole “independent contractor” push last year when the PGL was a topic. Also, taking an open tone certainly makes tough replies from the PGA Tour, while justified given what is an obvious business threat, could reflect poorly in some sectors.

"I do know the existing PGA Tour rules. The players will ultimately decide where they are going to play. There have been rumors of bans and not getting ranking points, but all individuals should have the right to choose how and when and where they work. These guys are professionals. If the PGA Tour changes its rules that allows them to remain members ... we hope that would be feasible.''

PGL Co-Founder On Just Wanting a Fair Chance To Compete For Players

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Phil Casey talks to Premier Golf League co-founder Andy Gardiner about the hopes of starting in January 2023 with players who would still like to earn world ranking points and possibly defect without repercussions.

Choice and other offshoots of that theme play a big part in the PGL approach this time with obvious restraint of trade issues in mind. Gardiner says:

"We went through establishing what the law says and how it applies to the players, we now know the position and that's why we are reaching out to the community to say 'There's a nice way of doing this, a great way of doing it, which is to make sure everybody gets a fair share'.

"All we've ever wanted is the ability to compete for the services of these guys in a fair and effective manner.

"I think we will be able to provide the players with the peace of mind they require, hopefully in the next couple of months, with a deal which says 'rght guys, you've now got the freedom to choose'.

"And you can choose another Tour that pays more, because that's just the case, and you can also choose it on the basis that's it in the best interests of the game long term and other parts of the game are involved in this.

"In other words there is no controversy, it's not as difficult a decision as the guys back in '68 had to make."

1968 being the year Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, among others, led players away from the PGA of America to form the PGA Tour.

The recent Saudi-led offshoot of the Premier Golf League concept prompted an unusual outpouring of PGA Tour and European Tour support from the other Five Families. It will be interesting to see if the PGL’s latest iteration prompts similar statements from Augusta National, the PGA of America, USGA and R&A.

Premier Golf League Jumps Back In At An Inconvenient Time For PGA Tour

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News of the Premier Golf League’s non-Saudi backed plan getting a refreshed non-Raine Group rollout seems to be designed to generate discussion at next week’s U.S. Open inside the bubble.

But the news landing this week highlights just how embarrassing the PGA Tour’s “product” can be in weeks when a 156-player field is rolled out despite no demands to see that many players for another stroke play event.

The PGA Tour incentivizes executives to create playing opportunities and purse growth, no matter how much if dilutes the product. Not many businesses I can think of would succeed that way.

Therefore this week’s Canadian Open replacement event turns up at a remote club in South Carolina featuring 156 players. Many had to be awakened from their backyard hammock to get down to South Carolina in time.

Or worse, in Tommy Gainey’s case, they passed to play the Korn Ferry event instead.

Hey congrats you’ve been called up to the Show! Wait, what? You want to stay in the minors?

What perfect timing for the Premier Golf League to highlight how the PGA Tour product can be so unnecessarily warped, bloated and unnecessarily weak. Imagne playing events where the priority is on providing work for golfers and executives instead of something a tad more aspirational for the people who pay the bills?

And they wonder why there are competing ideas to blow up the current model.

Look at the WD’s this week and the replacements. As Brendan Porath noted in the Tweet embedded above, what a contrast to Golf’s Longest Day where the lowest scores go to the U.S. Open. Granted, the various disruptor leagues are anything but democratic. Seems like something in between would be ideal for fans and the world’s best. And nothing against Omar Uresti, but no one is paying to watch him play on the PGA Tour…

Bryson Leaves It To The Tour To Address Brooks Who Says He's Growing The Game With Michelob Stunt

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The headlines just write themselves these days!

For those tracking the Brooksy saga, we have updates.

Brooks Koepka spoke to Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch about his pledge to offer brewskies to his Brooksy-howling booted bros just living under par.

“I’d never condone anyone being a distraction during someone’s swing or when they are about to hit,” he said. “As professionals, we do enjoy fans getting engaged at the appropriate times. It’s part of sport and competition. Hecklers are always going to be a part of any live performance. We all know that out there. We all get called different names. I’ve been called DJ many times, even when I was slipping at Bethpage [where a faltering Koepka held off Dustin Johnson in the ’19 PGA]. It’s part of it. He even said he considers it flattering.”

“With the Michelob Ultras, I wanted fans to know I saw what was going on and I appreciate fans who care about golf. It’s great to see fans out there loving it, having fun after a year of no one.”

LUP it up!

This quote alone could be the swan song for “grow the game”:

“I’m not condoning disrespectful or inappropriate behavior,” he replied. “I’m engaging in helping grow the game of golf and growing the Tour. I’m here for people being engaged and excited about golf, as long as it doesn’t cross the line.”

Meanwhile Bryson DeChambeau sounds less amused with all of the back and forth in the name of game growth.

He was all over the place after his third round but talked about his PIP prospects rising thanks to Brooks mentions. Take that FedExCup!

Q. Did you see a certain video last night from Brooks?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I heard about it through my manager and whatever, but, no. First off, I wanted to say like the fans were awesome today. They came out, supported me. Obviously you're going to have people saying things, but again it doesn't -- like I said yesterday, it doesn't rile me up, it doesn't affect me or anything like that. So it's great banter, it's fun, but the fans were awesome, the golf course is in great shape, I can't say much more than that.

Q. You didn't see it, but you heard about it. Are you surprised? I mean, like that it's going to escalate it like sort of, is that sort of what happened, I think.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I think that's something that the TOUR needs to handle, it's something I can't control. I tried to take the high road numerous times and I think that, from my perspective, I'll continue to keep doing so and people are going to do what they want to do. So it is what it is.

Q. Do you in any way think, in a strange way, that this is good that people are talking about it, people are talking about golf?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I mean, I don't even know how to answer that question. Like for, from an integrity standpoint and an honor of the game standpoint, you know, the game has always been played in a certain way. I think golf is changing, it's evolving, so there's going to come a time where it is going to be like this and if I'm the person to take the brunt of it and whatever, you know, great. I'm happy that there's more conversations about me because of the PIP Fund.

🤮

Q. That idea of honor and kind of the way that the game is played, for you, what's like that fine line of things that happen in other sports, right, where you might hear things from the stands versus out here?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I love what's been going on. I've had no issue with it whatsoever. I think that when it gets to a point where -- I would say tennis and golf are the only two sports where like when you're hitting a shot everybody's usually quiet. If it comes out to a point where they're affecting like your swing, like they're saying in your swing, that's a little over the line, but everything else, I don't care.

Q. Have you had conversations with the TOUR about this?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, my agent has.

Q. And can you give us a kind of a drift on which way, what it's about? I mean, obviously, you said it doesn't bother you.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, it's more about how, I think, and this is what I don't really know about, but I think it's something along the lines of how the TOUR wants players to act, I think. That's about it. But from my perspective, I mean, if he keeps talking about me, that's great for the PIP Fund.

And I’m sure he meant to mention his real focus remains on the FedExCup and the Comcast Business Solutions thing.

Sleuthing The Koepka Interview Origins: How Can We Ever Look At The Player Impact Program The Same Again?

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Golf.com’s Dylan Dethier has dug into the leaked Brooks Koepka interview never aired by Golf Channel and it only raises more questions about the purity of the PIP race.

When a once-secret $40 million bonus pool with seemingly pre-determined standings is compromised, it really makes you wonder, why we even bother to get up in the morning?

Dethier went to the source, the mysterious @RJWinfield, who knows none of the individuals involved. Instead he obtained the video after it started going around via a MediaSilo link, Golf Channel’s preferred site for in-house video sharing. The big question with millions at stake: why was the interview’s first take uploaded?

Dethier has dug into the origins of the Koepka interview and it only raises more questions about the purity of the PIP race:

Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter said that Koepka himself had requested the clip from a Golf Channel contact to watch himself and send to friends for a laugh. He hadn’t intended for it to spread so widely, the sources said, but he might not have cared that it did, either. Remember how the video ended?

“I honestly wouldn’t even care,” Koepka said.

Maybe he meant it.

While there may not have been intent by Koepka for the clip to go viral, millions of views and some serious Meltwater/Google/MVP Index engagement, which, when multiplied by FedExCup standings rank and divided by a number of Vice Commissioner McIlroy’s choosing, Koepka may have improved his PIP status when things accidentally went viral.

Or, was it accidental?

This could be a $1 million difference in the final standings. I think I’ve lost all faith in formerly secret marketing program points races.

Super Golf League Meeting Called Quick, Underwhelming

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Whether this was all code for something more we’ll soon find out, but the initial reviews suggest the Saudis did not throw much of a Kiawah party.

From Daniel Rapaport’s GolfDigest.com story on the gathering of ten-percenters and lawyers representing Golf Saudi’s ripped-off Premier Golf League push:

“It all happened pretty quick,” the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said. “It was like, We have everything sorted, it’s all going to work out.”

Present for the meeting were lawyers from a high-profile American law firm that is handling the venture’s contractual work. These attorneys assured agents that they were combing through any potential legal hiccups and that their process, too, would be completed sooner rather than later.

Oh yeah, nothing to worry about.

A rep for Golf Saudi also ZOOM’d in. Which is probably why the characterization shared by Rex Hoggard makes a lot of sense:

One manager who attended the meeting characterized it as “underwhelming” and given how long representatives from the Super League Golf concept have been pushing for the new tour it’s likely going to continue to be a topic and a distraction for some time.

Five Families Make Moves To Stop Disruptor Leagues

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Nice work by The Guardian’s Ewan Murray to get ahold of Official World Golf Ranking language apparently crafted with stopping small field concepts.

Documentation seen by the Guardian confirms world ranking points only apply on the basis that: “Tournaments on a tour must average fields of at least 75 players over the course of each season.” On this rule, the proposed tour clearly falls short; their 14 planned tournaments are for just 48 players.

The guidelines add: “A tour must demonstrate it has complied with the above guidelines for a period of at least one year immediately prior to being admitted to the OWGR system and must continue to comply with such guidelines following its inclusion in the OWGR system.”

The “average” language helps offset players and agents pointing to something like the Hero World Challenge’s 18-player field earning points.

Another interesting twist in the disruptor golf league world came Tuesday at Kiawah, as PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh made clear the Ryder Cup will only accept PGA of America members who get that perk through their PGA Tour membership:

“If someone wants to play on a Ryder Cup for the U.S., they’re going to need to be a member of the PGA of America, and they get that membership through being a member of the Tour,” Waugh said. “I believe the Europeans feel the same way, and so I don’t know that we can be more clear kind of than that. We don’t see that changing.”

Translation: should someone sign up for an SGL or PGL, and the PGA Tour follows through with threats to toss them off their books (with potential legal ramifications), the players would be Ryder Cup ineligible.

Whether that is enough to dissuade Americans, is unclear.

Adam Schupak filed this Golfweek with more details of Waugh’s remarks and his interesting assertion that these league conversations are healthy for the game, to a point.

“I actually think it’s healthy. You either disrupt or you get disrupted. That’s what this is,” he said. “You know, should it be a hostile takeover of the game? I think is way too far. They’ve created this conversation, which by the way isn’t new. It’s been around since 2014 in different forms, has created change. It’s created an alliance of the European Tour and the PGA Tour, which we think is really healthy for the game.”