The Revealing 2013 Mandatory Players Meeting...

Overcoming hideous late-80s carpeting, a less-than-choice setting in the fluorescent-drenched Hilton Torrey Pines basement ballroom, the 2013 mandatory, non-mandatory players meeting was completed in just under two hours and reports say a good time was had by all. Except those who left early citing boredom or refusing to acknowledge the assembled media.

As a belligerent press corps bickered outside the room for nearly 2 hours about deserving World Golf Hall of Fame inductees, PGA Tour players unveiled a variety of peculiar fashion choices to kick off the new year in a fierce battle to see who could best impersonate a wealthy homeless golfer.

Since no one from the USGA or PGA Tour would even talk about the tone of the meeting or acknowledge that a discussion about anchoring a large metal object against one's torso was the topic of discussion, reporters were forced to ask players their views. Always a difficult task under even the the best of circumstances, players were equally as resistant to speak.  Even as they debuted their best winter flip-flops and shabbiest t-shirts paying homage to the world's off-duty longshoreman, the PGA Tour's SVP and EVP corps appeared in their stock blue-blazered best to tell players what they planned to do regardless of the comments made at the meeting. 

"Mike Davis and Tim Finchem are very gifted public speakers," said Geoff Ogilvy, the only player present who completed a sentence and one of the few able to complete full sentences. Several others declined to speak to the media gathered in hopes of landing just one nugget from this most first world of first world discussions.

Flying in for the meeting was noted anchorer Tim Clark, sporting this winter's must-have mandatory players meeting accessory: a carry-on hard case luggage piece filled with mysterious contents that could be construed as legal documents for a player considering a lawsuit to halt the putter anchoring ban. Clark declined comment on his way out of the meeting and remains the subject of speculation that he will be grandfathered in due to a physical handicap preventing him from putting like a normal human being, as will any other player that does 7 Hail Mary's and tells Tim Finchem that he's a first vote World Golf Hall of Famer.

Though all parties declined significant or revealing comment following two hours of meeting and one slightly jovial ovation later, it was revealed that Commissioner Tim Finchem will be briefing the media in an 8:30 a.m. PT press conference.

Update on 2013-01-23 17:53 by Geoff

**Stephanie Wei talked to three players who anonymously shared insights from the meeting. Sounds like it was a lively discussion about bifurcation!

"Landmark" Live PGA Tour Streaming Begins This Week

For Immediate Release...

Live Network Streaming Debuts this Weekend at Farmers Insurance Open

CBS’s coverage signals start of full live streaming for rest of 2013 PGA TOUR season

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – This week signals a landmark moment for expanded PGA TOUR coverage as network telecasts will be fully available online for the first time through live streaming, beginning with CBS Sports’ weekend coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open.

All 18 of CBS Sports’ FedExCup telecasts will be streamed live. Visitors to PGATOUR.com and CBSSports.com will be directed to a co-branded video player to watch live streaming of CBS Sports’ third-round telecast on Saturday (3-6 p.m. ET) and fourth-round telecast on Sunday (3-6:30 p.m. ET). The live streaming this weekend also will be available on PGA TOUR platforms as well as CBS Sports and CBS SportCaster applications for the iPhone, Android and iPad. CBS also will have a mobile web-based player available at m.cbssports.com.

All Golf Channel, through TV Everywhere availability, and NBC telecasts also will be streamed throughout the 2013 season, with Golf Channel available to multichannel video subscribers, and NBC’s weekend coverage of 12 FedExCup tournaments fully available beginning with next week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. Golf Channel is televising the early rounds for all 30 FedExCup tournaments on NBC and CBS, as well as all four rounds for six tournaments.

“This is a significant milestone in the PGA TOUR’s digital history,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “We are excited to work with CBS Sports to bring live PGA TOUR action online, and look forward to continuing our efforts with CBS, NBC and Golf Channel to develop ways golf fans can access live coverage of the PGA TOUR from wherever they are.”

Golf Channel’s telecasts of the Farmers Insurance Open’s first two rounds and early weekend coverage will be streamed live in conjunction with NBC Sports Live Extra, accessible to Comcast subscribers on a co-branded video player via PGATOUR.com and GolfChannel.com, as well as on iPhone, Android and iPad through NBC Sports Live Extra and Golf Live Extra apps. Live streaming was available to Comcast subscribers during Golf Channel’s four-round coverage of the Sony Open in Hawaii and last week’s Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. Availability of live streaming during Golf Channel telecasts of PGA TOUR tournaments will expand to additional satellite, cable and telco providers throughout the season.

Tiger On Getting Out Of California, Anchoring, Torrey

A few highlights from today's Tiger Woods press conference at the Farmers Insurance Open. Looking as fit as ever, Woods answered questions from the assembled slingers and local TV newshounds.

Q.  Slightly different topic here.  Phil Mickelson made some comments regarding the higher taxes here in California.  You being a resident now of Florida, but from here, any comment or any reaction to what he said?

TIGER WOODS:  Well, I moved out of here back in '96 for that reason.  I enjoy Florida, but also I understand what he was, I think, trying to say.  I think he'll probably explain it better and in a little more detail.

Looks like Jerry West has more lobbying to do on getting Tiger back to Riviera for the Northern Trust Open:

Q.  Just wanted to check in on your immediate schedule going forward.  What tournaments you are going to be playing in, and specifically with the Northern Trust Open, whether you're playing or not, or still undecided?  I wanted to know what your thought process is in whether or not you play that one?

TIGER WOODS:  I'm going to play a few tournaments coming up.

Q.  Which one next?

TIGER WOODS:  I don't know.

Q.  What will it take for you to play Rivera again?

TIGER WOODS:  I don't know.  We'll just see.

Is that a non-denial denial? Or just a denial denial?

On anchoring...

Q.  With the player meeting tonight and the anchoring ban being discussed, have you ever kind of reflected on how anchoring has impacted the game in terms of your career, in terms of winning certain events and without naming names, obviously, but do you ever feel you've been deprived of some wins because you putt in a conventional way and there was somebody putting using anchoring?

TIGER WOODS:  No.  I'm not going to look at it like that.  Generally, in the past if guys switch methods, it's usually because they're uneasy, they're a little twitchy or just don't feel comfortable, so they'll switch methods.

But we have a whole other generation that have never experienced having those twitches or having any of those type of problems, and they've grown up with anchoring the putter.

And I think that's what Mike was trying to explain when he was trying to implement this new rule is that we're getting a whole 'nother generation that have only putted with anchoring the putter, and they've just learned that one method.  He believes every club should actually swing, and I agree with that.

After talking about his memories of the unforgettable 2008 U.S. Open, he was asked about Torrey and another Open. I'm not sure if he knows it's off the USGA's radar.

Q.  Your thoughts on the U.S. Open ever coming back to Torrey, and are you in favor of that?

TIGER WOODS:  Absolutely, absolutely.  I think they've proven that they can host a great U.S. Open here.  We, as players, play here each and every year, and we love the golf course.  It's hard.

And I think the USGA is trying to make a concerted effort ever since '02 going to Bethpage for the first time and big public venues.  This is the west coast version.  And it was amazing.  The turnout, the fans, the support, the crowds, I mean, it was just a great atmosphere.

I think with having the other golf course right here for parking and all that, I think certainly I think Torrey Pines and everyone here involved in it really made this tournament special, and I think the USGA will definitely come back.

Pssst...that's a negative!

On a serious note, I'm still trying to figure out how to word this question of Tiger: do you want to see the U.S. Open return here one more time before you are, uh, uh,

"The environmental question is really the one that is difficult for the manufacturers to refute."

Richard Gillis files an interesting WSJ piece (thanks reader John) about distance where Nike's Cindy Davis preaches the joys of pursuing longer drives and selling the next great driver.

Thankfully, my colleague Gil Hanse brought some sanity to the discussion.

"We're at a point where something has to be done," Hanse said. "We're talking about a tiny proportion of golfers where distance is an issue, a small handful of tour players and accomplished amateurs. Whether its bifurcation or rolling the ball back I don't know what the answer is, but the environmental question is really the one that is difficult for the manufacturers to refute."

The new normal in golf course design is the 8,000-yard layout.

"Two hundred acres is the new standard for a golf course compared to 150 acres a few years ago," Hanse said. "And 120 of those acres have to be maintained and watered as opposed to 80. You really are going down an unsustainable path. From a manufacturers standpoint, how can you argue against that? They can talk a lot about marketing, about player endorsements and how there's always been the same set of rules, etc., but the environmental argument is the winning one."

R&A Will Not Be Adding A Walker Cup Mid-Am Quota

Nick Rodger reports that the Great Britain and Ireland Team will not be joining the USGA's American team in requiring two mid-amateurs play in the Walker Cup. Mostly, the mid-am is a distinctly American obsession.

Nathan Smith, the current holder of that particular crown, has played in the past two Walker Cups while the last time Team USA had two mid-amateur men in the line-up was at Ganton in 2003, where Trip Kuehne and George Zahringer flew the flag.

In the UK, the British Mid-Amateur Championship, run under the auspices of the Royal & Ancient since 1995, was discontinued in 2007 while the Scottish equivalent withered on the vine and eventually dropped off the domestic schedule a couple of seasons ago. Given the mid-am culture here, it's hardly a revelation to discover that the R&A don't have any plans to follow the USGA's somewhat bold Walker Cup lead.