Silly Season: Two Stroke Penalties For Spieth, Stenson After Using Wrong Tee Box

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You know it’s the end of the year when two players you’d consider among the more detail-oriented tee off from the wrong box. Playing first out and undoubtedly taking as little time as necessary, Jordan Spieth and Henrik Stenson teed off from the 17th tee on The Albany’s 9th.

By all accounts the Tour staff had made clear of this possibility and gigantic tee signs were on each box, meaning the caddies also had a chance to intervene. So this one was on the players, as the video explanation from Shane Bacon and Notah Begay covers it all, followed by Spieth and Stenson talking to the press after the round:

To get an idea how zoned out the two were…

Q. What was your reaction when the official told you?

JORDAN SPIETH: I actually didn't think we were going to get penalized because it's a charity event, but then I realized there's world ranking involved and all that. I think the frustrating part for us now is that every other group's going to be -- they're making sure to tell them, but for us they didn't. It obviously didn't matter for us, which is fortunate I think for those guys. 

HENRIK STENSON: My question was if we could just finish 19th and 20th and leave after 9, but that wasn't an option, either.

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, he did. He asked them if we could just go to the airport and I said I'm down.

In normal times this would be quite humorous particularly given how meticulous these two and their bagmen usually are. But with all of the disruptive tension and importance of world ranking points, even the above antics get noticed when the field in a 20-player even has checked before the conclusion.

Latest "Grow The Game" Variant Threatens The Reputation Of Golf's Leading Pros

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Comments this week from Justin Rose and Collin Morikawa offer a reminder that the terrible virus known as “grow the game” has failed to go away.

My Quadrilateral plea to be vigilant plus speculation on grow the game’s origins.

**After filing this latest newsletter, I saw Mark Cannizzaro’s lengthy NY Post story on the Bahamas buzz over the new league. Naturally, it included this:

One high-profile player, who has been approached by representatives for a potential “league,’’ told The Post this week that he’s “concerned for the game’’ if an all-out legal brawl ensues between the PGA Tour and what it would consider another organization infringing on its empire.

“This should all be about growing the game,’’ the player said.

Barf.

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, December 2nd, 2021

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Rory: "I think we're independent contractors and we should be able to play where we want to play."

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In between questions about ripping off his shirt in Dubai after a rough final round—and getting quite cranky about those inquiries—Rory McIlroy made very clear that pro golfers are independent contractors who should be able to play where they want free of fines to pay for the Global Home’s moat cleaning.

Problem is, both the PGA Tour and European Tour are threatening major fines and other retaliatory tactics for players seeking releases to play in an event controlled by the Saudis, who’d like to poach those players for a golf league.

Another problem: McIlroy carries significant influence, as evidenced by news earlier in the day of green reading books effectively being banned by the USGA and R&A. A move likely instigated by his role in Player Advisory Council discussions and vote on the PGA Tour Policy Board.

So here goes Jay Monahan’s last non-grey hair:

RORY McILROY: I think we're independent contractors and we should be able to play where we want to play. So in my opinion I think the Tour should grant releases. It's an Asian Tour event, it's an event that has OWGR rankings, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't.

I do see reasons why they wouldn't grant releases, but I think if they're trying to do what's best for their members and their members are going to a place other than the PGA TOUR and being able to earn that money, I mean, we're independent contractors and I feel like we should be able to do that if that's what our personal choice is.

My personal choice is not to do that, but obviously a lot of players are doing that and I think it's fair to let them do that.

This didn’t really help his buddy Jay, either.

Q. Going down the road there could be legal battles and arguments.

RORY McILROY: I think the professional game needs to get to a point where we as professionals need to know where we stand. Are we actually independent contractors? Are we employed by a certain entity? That's stuff that's just -- there's a lot of gray area in that and that's what sort of needs to be sorted out, I think.

This was more helpful, I guess:

Q. With all the rumblings of the team concept and whatnot that's in the ether there, so to speak, do you feel like that can co-exist successfully with the Tour?

RORY McILROY: No, so for me, like the PGA TOUR is the best place in the world to play.

I'm not saying that the whole thing needs to be blown up and we do a different thing here. I think if people want golf to be more innovative and they want it to be more engaging and they want to see different concepts, there's no reason why the PGA TOUR can't do that themselves, you know? They have the know-how how to put golf tournaments on, they have all the staff, they have everything, they have the best structure in place to do it.

I'm certainly not saying that I want anything else to come of this, but there are certain elements to different concepts of professional golf that I do see merits in, but I don't see any reason why the Tour couldn't do it themselves.

Yeah, uh, about that. They’ve had years to react to disruptors, consider where sports might be heading, discuss updating how they do things and have dug in on a moldy old model. What was it Seth Waugh said back at the PGA? “I actually think it’s healthy. You either disrupt or you get disrupted. That’s what this is.”

Tiger Talks About His Future, St Andrews, Featheries, Saudis And Refers Accident Questions To Sheriff's Report

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A day after an interview by his partners at Golf Digest/Discovery that saw Tiger Woods open up on several topics, he faced questions from assembled scribes in the Bahamas to kick off Hero World Challenge week. As is fairly typical of , Woods avoided any details of his car accident and referred everyone to the police report that was eventually posted by TMZ.

He was again clear about his ability to play at a high level being very much up in the air.

I'll put it to you this way: As far as playing at the Tour level, I don't know when that's going to happen. Now, I'll play a round here or there, a little hit and giggle, I can do something like that. I certainly like -- you know, the USGA suggested Play It Forward. I really like that idea now. I don't like the tees on the back. I like Play It Forward. Come on, let's move it up, let's move it up. To see some of my shots fall out of the sky a lot shorter than they used to is a little eye-opening, but at least I'm able to do it again. That's something that for a while there it didn't look like I was going to. Now I'm able to participate in the sport of golf, now to what level, I do not know that. I'll keep you abreast, all of you abreast as progress continues to go on, whether I'll be out here and at what level and when. 

Actually it was Tee it Forward and I believe that one’s ten years old and about 14 slogans ago. Excuse me, brand campaigns. But we get the point.

Q. Tiger, I'm wondering what you remember of the accident. Obviously we all saw the result and it looked so horrifying and scary, and I have a follow up to that. 

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, all those answers have been answered in the investigation, so you can read about all that there in the post report. 

Short and not very accountable. Would have been nice to say he’s just glad no one else was hurt.

He is out playing golf more than we might have realized:

Q. Have you played golf holes, like a full hole or 18 holes? 

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I play full holes, yeah, but not from my tee markers.

As for the pain…

Q. I don't want to get too personal, but what are you experiencing there at the moment, sitting there? 

TIGER WOODS: My back hurts and my leg hurts.

He was asked about The Open at St Andrews and gave perhaps my favorite answer regarding the Champions dinner:

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I would love to play at St. Andrews, there's no doubt about it. It's my favorite golf course in the world. To be a two-time Open champion there, just being a part of the champions dinner is really neat. From my first one in '05 I got to attend a champions dinner, it was pretty neat to be a part of. Peter Thomson was still alive, and I sat right next to him and to hear him tell stories of when he came over and he played and shots he played and how he did it, that was awesome. Those are things like at the Masters, those dinners are priceless and those stories and listen to them talk about how they played, when they played it and what they did, it's just an honor to be a part of a room like that. Yes, I would love to be able to play that Open Championship, there's no doubt about it. 

Physically, hopefully I can. I've got to get there first. Tournament's not going to go anywhere, but I need to get there.

After mentioning the Par 3 at the Masters he was jokingly asked by AP’s Doug Ferguson about committing to the Par 3 when it returns.

Q. Did you just commit to the par 3?

TIGER WOODS: No. I committed to I can play courses of that length. Now, if the Tour wants to not have golf courses lengthened, they shorten up that much to make it more difficult, that's fine by me, I have no problem with that. If they want to go back to wooden shafts and feathery balls, okay, I'm cool.

Shorter courses and a retro event. What we’ve all wanted! Maybe Jay Monahan can work on that after Tiger gave him this answer to a question about the Greg Norman disruptor league and what players should do.

TIGER WOODS: It's going to be his decision, period. I've decided for myself that I'm supporting the PGA TOUR, that's where my legacy is. I've been fortunate enough to have 

won 82 events on this tour and 15 major championships and been a part of the World Golf Championships, the start of them and the end of them. So I have an allegiance to the PGA TOUR. 

And I understand that some of the comparisons is very similar to when Arnold and Jack broke off from the PGA of America to start the Tour. I don't see it that way. I think the Tour has done a fantastic job, Jay's done an unbelievable job during a very difficult time during the pandemic when there was ample opportunities for players to leave, but we were the first sporting tour to start. 

So with that, yes, did we have some protocol issues at times? Yes, we had to learn on the fly, but Jay and the staff had done an incredible job of that. I think the Tour is in great hands, they're doing fantastic, and prize money's going up. It's just not guaranteed money like most sports are. It's just like tennis, you have to go out there and earn it.

This answer pre-accident would have been huge news. But now that he’s on the Hogan schedule, at best participation in PGA Tour events will be very limited.

Woods also left out the thank you payment he’s receiving from the PIP pool or that he loathes Norman. But do note that he references the “end” of the WGC’s. Better not mention that in May’s WGHOF speech while Tim Finchem is saluted for creating them.

Moving along…more on where he’s at and where’s going. A far more revealing answer about his future:

TIGER WOODS: You made a great point. Am I going to put my family through it again, am I going to put myself out there again. We had a talk within the family, all of us sat down and said if this leg cooperates and I get to a point where I can play the Tour, is it okay with you guys if I try and do it. The consensus was yes. 

Now, internally, I haven't reached that point. I haven't proven it to myself that I can do it. I can show up here and I can host an event, I can play a par-3 course, I can hit a few shots, I can chip and putt, but we're talking about going out there and playing against the world's best on the most difficult golf courses under the most difficult conditions. I'm so far from that. 

Now, I have a long way to go to get to that point. Now, I haven't decided whether or not I want to get to that point. I've got to get my leg to a point where that decision can be made. And we'll see what happens when I get to that point, but I've got a long way to go with this leg.

This from Golf’s Dylan Dethier was another effort to ask about the accident:

Q. When it comes to the day of the crash, clearly that's something that you're hoping to keep private. Is that something that you feel is sort of your business and not the rest of ours, for lack of a better phrase? 

TIGER WOODS: Well, I kind of feel that way with most of my life. Doesn't really work out that way. I understand that it's -- I had friends that insulated me from a lot of the things that were said outside. I didn't have my phone, I didn't have access -- well, I did have access to a TV and I was just watching sports. But I refused to turn on the local channels and news and stuff like that, I didn't want to go down that road. I wasn't mentally ready for that road yet. A lot of things in my body hurt at that time and whether I was on medication or not, it still hurt. And just trying to imagine me coming off of that stuff, how much it was going to hurt, I didn't want to have my mind go there yet, it wasn't ready. 

Yeah, people are going to poke and prod and want to know more about my business, I understand that. Just as long as they don't go into -- they can poke and prod at me all they want, just stay away from my family. 

Considering the usual interruptions from journalists there to fill seats for the sponsor and the haphazard nature of such press conferences, it was fairly classic Woods session with a few good reveals if you look close enough. More telling may have been the clarity in his voice and eyes and cautious tone from someone who traditionally projects extreme confidence.

Saudi International Commit List Sporting Some Big Names And Under-40's

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The lure of testing the game out on storied Royal Greens can never be underestimated, but more germane to the topic du jour it seems the Saudi’s are offering attractive appearance fees for this year’s edition. Now co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the former European Tour stop will be February 3-6, 2022. The Saudi International is the same week as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Barring some sort of threat to the independent contractors that changes minds, these players will be defying the PGA Tour and DP World Tour threats of fines by playing. The Tours have until 30 days prior to the event to agree to or deny a waiver to play. As reported last week by the Telegraph, the DP World Tour leadership can now fine players whatever they like for playing a competing event.

It does not appear to have scared away some big names based on the commit list updated at Golf Saudi’s website:

  • Abraham Ancer

  • Adri Arnaus

  • Rafael Cabrera Bello

  • Paul Casey

  • Bryson DeChambeau

  • Jason Dufner

  • Tommy Fleetwood

  • Sergio Garcia

  • Tyrrell Hatton

  • Dustin Johnson

  • Jason Kokrak

  • Shane Lowry

  • Graeme McDowell

  • Phil Mickelson

  • Kevin Na

  • Joaquin Niemann

  • Louis Oosthuizen

  • Ian Poulter

  • Xander Schauffele

  • Adam Scott

  • Henrik Stenson

  • Harold Varner III

  • Jhonattan Vegas

  • Bubba Watson

  • Lee Westwood

Biggest surprises? Xander Schauffele for sure. Maybe Shane Lowry, Bubba Watson and Joaquin Niemann, too.

Schauffele is schedule to meet with media Wednesday at the Hero World Challenge.

PIP: “What they should have done is taken all $40 [million] of it and sent it to Tiger and say, thank you"

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Rex Hoggard looks at the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program as the exciting, unpredictable season-long race for Meltwater Mentions nears its secretive conclusion. He quotes several players who either do not understand it or care for the program’s secrecy.

“No idea,” Herman laughed when asked to explain how the PIP list is created. “I wish we had a list. I wish we knew, so if a guy is on the list and he’s close and had an idea of what they needed to do to crack the top 10. That’s the hardest part for the rest of us. They are throwing a lot of money out there without a real good understanding of how you can crack the top 10. We feel like it’s a popularity contest.”

According to various sources, the Tour will not show the entire list to players but will tell each player where they are on the list, which only seems to fuel the confusion over how the list is compiled.

And these fellows cut right to the chase:

“It’s a way for Tiger Woods to be rewarded even more for what he’s done for the game of golf,” Chesson Hadley said.

But while every player agrees with Hadley that Woods will be atop the PIP list, it remains unclear how his single-vehicle crash in February and the ensuing media coverage of the accident should be factored into his index score.

Monahan explained at East Lake that the point of the program is to get “players to engage in our game, help grow our Tour, and help grow their own respective brands.” But where exposure ends and controversy begins, is anyone’s guess.

“What they should have done is taken all $40 [million] of it and sent it to Tiger and say, thank you,” Scott Stallings said. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. When he posted that picture of himself on crutches it outperformed the last four tournament winners [on social media]. If he even tried it’s over.”

Hard Sell Files: Monahan Notifies Players Of Pending Purse Bumps

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In a letter to PGA Tour players, Commissioner Jay Monahan loosened the reins, went to the whip early and rode this announcement way, way too hard.

Call the stewards! Inquiry! No Laying Up summarized and posted the letter to players that screams of greater desperation than you’d expect for such great news:

Major(s) News & Notes, November 18, 2021

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The Grand Slam world is never dull for Quadrilateralatians so if you aren’t signed up you’re missing what just dropped in email boxes.

Rory McIlroy reiterated the importance of majors as the PGA Tour focuses on financial incentives. My thoughts on this dichotomy are shared with a very profound solution.

Plus, Inverness and Olympic Club news, Slumbers on model local rules and media, capped off by some Reads.

PGA Tour Fires Studio Host Who Wanted Religion Exemption From Mask Wearing

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Steve DiMeglio reports that the PGA Tour has fired social media host Teryn Gregson after the 32-year-old pregnant mother sought a religious exemption from COVID protocols, including mask wearing in the office for those who are unvaccinated.

Gregson took to Instagram to share her saga and has been retweeting the usual fringe news outlets like BlazeTV and Outkick The Coverage taking up her cause while seeking donations.

“I was in need of religious exemptions from their vaccine protocols of masking and testing,” Gregson said in her post. “They would not accommodate me in such a way that I did not have to violate my religious beliefs.

The story features an extensive rebuttal from the Tour where 94% of employees have been vaccinated and they have greater existential threats to deal with right now than social hosts who feel violated by masking and testing.

“When mandatory in-office work for Northeast Florida employees at our new Global Headquarters and PGA Tour Entertainment building commenced on November 1, the vaccination rate of employees was at 90 percent. Presently, all Tour employees based in Northeast Florida are required to return to the office and follow health and safety protocols.”

In a phone call, Gregson said she is contemplating pursuing legal action against the PGA Tour. She said she has not given much thought about seeking other employment. She added that she has been overwhelmed by an outpouring of messages from people across the U.S., many who said they are dealing with this same issue.

“I don’t know what’s next,” she said. “But I have to figure some stuff out.”

Start by looking for a job where you can go without a mask? Don’t bother with Fox or Newsmax. Good luck!

Ratings: Schwab Cup Beats Out The Houston Open Flatbellies

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That could be a fun band name: the Houston Open Flatbellies. Too bad in this case the name represents the never younger, more athletic, more popular PGA Tour fall collection of tournaments buoyed by FedExCup points but still losing to the geezers. Who says the Champions Tour is dead?

There is some positive news for golf: TNT’s Wednesday prime time hockey game pulled up the rear for the second week in a row, but still crushed golf in the only demo that matters.

Showbuzzdaily.com posted the 2021 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open ratings (.15/222,000 average viewers of which only 32,000 are of the magical 18-49 demo). Remember, I am not responsible for carpel tunnel caused by scrolling down to find the golf where, you’ll see the flatbellies were beaten by the Schwab Cup Championship featuring Phil Mickelson winning and Bernhard Langer capping off his sixth cup win.

Slugger On Norman Reaching Out To Manage Saudi Golf League's Rules

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Ken Willis caught up with formerly-retired PGA Tour rules and competitions director Slugger White about his new role running that side of things for Greg Norman and the Kingdom’s ambitions in golf.

White said it came down to Norman’s outreach.

“Yeah it really is. I appreciated him reaching out to me and asking if I’d consider something like this,” Slugger says. “Thought about it long and hard. Shelly and I talked about it. She felt like it was a nice opportunity and nice of Greg to think about me and reach out. 

“Then I thought, you know what, this is something that I know, and it’s just a new chapter.”

“They’re concentrating on those 10 events on the Asian Tour right now, and that’s pretty much all I know,” Slugger says. “I’ll just wait for them to tell me where they want me to go.”

An Inconvenient Sunday: Wins By Saudi Golf League Potentials Kokrak And Mickelson

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As middle-aged executives work the Global Home phones to stop a disruptor golf league from messing with their bonus structrue—imagine a Jerry Lewis telethon with way too many men in Gingham and khaki—the task got tougher Sunday. That’s because two potential players who have been linked to taking a dictator’s “sovereign” money happened to win on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.

Jason Kokrak, Golf Saudi’s proud ambassador, recovered from Saturday’s back nine 41 to win the Houston Open and the privilege of posing with a furry “Astro” clad in the colors best associated with owner Jim Crane’s special brand of dishonest baseball. See, I resisted the urge to call them cheaters. Progress! But boy, for a game of integrity, golf sure has its share of shysters.

Anyhoo…over on the PGA Tour Champions, Phil Mickelson, who has recently blasted away at the PGA Tour’s business structure and could pocket a massive payday if he doesn’t mind mingling with Greg Norman, won for the fourth time in six geezer Tour starts as Bernhard Langer took his sixth Schwab Cup. The key differences between Mickelson and Langer? One captured a major this year and seems primed to bolt from the PGA Tour while wearing his sunglasses to trophy ceremonies. The other is just a freak at age 64.

Houston’s final round highlights. Though they might vanish from The Tube if Kokrak takes the SGL money…

Report: PGA Tour Floating Detail-Light And Eerily Familiar Sounding Plans To Stop Players From Fleeing

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We’ve moved to the bad movie phase in this Leagues v. PGA Tour. This is the scene where law enforcement calls and starts off by saying, I just want you to know before I say anything else, the FedExCup is safe. Now, for the bad news…

Years after first learning of different approaches to the pro golf model and months after knowing those pesky Saudi’s are offering silly money, the PGA Tour is (finally) formulating plans for a fall world circuit of WGC-style cut-free events and—are you ready—possibly a team component. Breathtaking originality.

The real takeaway from this Eamon Lynch Golfweek exclusive is that (A) the Tour is very worried about the Saudi offers and (B) no where in the Global Home was there a plan tucked in a drawer should this very predictable scenario arise. Oh, and (C) the FedExCup is not why players show up to tournaments.

To say the details are not well formulated or even close to fruition is an understatement:

The Tour intends to stage between four and six events annually outside of the United States, in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The series will begin in the fall of 2023 at the earliest, though possibly not until 2024.

Three years? That’s a lifetime in this world. Are we going to blame the global supply chain for the lag time? Then again, when you haven’t planned accordingly, that time is needed.

This almost makes the PIP look original and smart.

While internal discussions are continuing on specifics, tentative plans call for between four and six events, with fields limited to 50 or 60 competitors and no halfway cut. It has not been decided if the fields will be determined by the Official World Golf Ranking or FedEx Cup standings. A range of format options are being considered, including the possibility of a team component.

“Nothing firm on formats yet,” the well-placed executive said, “but a team format is certainly one of the ideas on the table.”

See, that baking option in the Global Home Cafe has drawn real outside-the-box thinkers!

And again, so you can rest easily, the most important thing of all…

A PGA Tour source told Golfweek that a mechanism will be devised to ensure players who compete in the overseas series will not be disadvantaged in the FedEx Cup points race as a result of having skipped the U.S. schedule.

“Top guys want to have a break from the FedEx Cup,” the source explained. “The setup would be so they don’t have to worry. If they play in these big events, the idea is they don’t fall behind in the FedEx Cup.”

Big relief! Maybe one less points reset too? Oh…that was aggressive, sorry.

Given that we have full confirmation even decent fall leaderboards draw no audiences, it will be fascinating to see star player reaction to something assuring the schedule is year-round and asking them to divert their energies away from the core part of the schedule surrounding the majors.

Major(s) News & Notes, November 11th, 2021

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This week’s edition free for all to read and subscribe to for free explores the danger of pro golfers talking money. Plus, an update with links to the best reads about the chase for money.

Then the Quad dives into how major venues fared in Golf Mag's World Top 100, followed by a Frisco update, and some non-golf reads.