Christmas For Golf Geeks! New USGA Form 990s Are Posted!

At 142 pages it's a long one, but the PDF posted by Guidestar and sent in by a mystery reader outraged at the salaries reveals plenty of cash on hand for the non-profit. Plenty.

First off, congrats to the first millionaire in USGA history, Mike Butz! Granted, it's just SVP money in Ponte Vedra, but still admirable for an organization that only nets a profit one week a year.

And another congrats to Executive Director Mike Davis for already making David Fay money in just year two on the job. Again, not even Co-SVP money in Ponte Vedra but the PVGC dues check should clear.

Now, I don't know a lot about hedge funds but I do know that Warren Buffett put his money where his mouth is to prove they aren't the greatest investment tool unless you are the one charging outlandish fees, but it is enlightening to see the USGA's rainy day fund at $299,671,833 is comprised of $80,296,213 in hedge funds or alternative investments, up from $34.5 million in 2009. Naturally, the forms seem unclear on who is doing the investment work.

More than anything, it's a relief to know that Fox Sports television contract money is coming in 2014 to bring in another $50 million a year. That way the USGA can get the rainy day fund to $500,000,000 million by the time the 501C3 non-profit status is tossed and the long-awaited IPO hits.

I look forward to your analysis! Post away...

Royal Porthcawl & Muirfield Top List Of R&A's '16 Amateur Venues

Another step for Wales and Royal Porthcawl in possibly hosting The Open Championship one day.

And great to see Muirfield hosting something other than The Open:

THE R&A ANNOUNCES 2016 CHAMPIONSHIP VENUES

21 October 2013, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A has announced the venues for its amateur championships in 2016 which include some of the most prestigious courses in Great Britain and Ireland.

Royal Porthcawl in Wales will host the Amateur Championship for the seventh time and the first occasion since 2002 when Spain’s Alejandro Larrazabal triumphed over Englishman Martin Sell by one hole in the 36 hole final. The preliminary stroke play rounds will also be played at Pyle & Kenfig on the South Wales coast.

It will be the 121st staging of the Amateur Championship which features a field of 288 world-ranked amateur players with the winner earning a place in The Open Championship and the following year’s US Open. Traditionally the winner also receives an invitation to The Masters.

Former Major Champions such as Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Louis Oosthuizen have all played in the Amateur Championship.

Muirfield, which hosted The Open Championship for the 16th time this year, and its neighbouring course, The Renaissance, will welcome the world’s leading boy golfers when they host the Boys Amateur Championship for the first time in 2016.

In recent years more than half of the 252-strong field has come from across Europe, America, South America, Africa and Asia and the 90th staging of the championship will attract a strong international field once again.

Some of the game’s leading players including Sandy Lyle, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald have played in the Boys Amateur over the years. The 2012 champion, Matthew Fitzpatrick, went on to win the Silver Medal as the leading amateur at this year’s Open Championship and the McCormack Medal as the world’s leading male amateur player.

Peter Dawson, the Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We are delighted to have such excellent championship venues in 2016. Royal Porthcawl and Pyle & Kenfig will be wonderful venues for the Amateur Championship and we expect the Welsh galleries will relish the opportunity to see leading amateur players in action.

“Muirfield is one of the finest links courses in the world and will provide a stern challenge for the leading boy golfers in the Boys Amateur Championship.”

Elsewhere, the St Andrews and Jacques Leglise trophy matches between Great Britain and Ireland and the Continent of Europe will be played at former Open Championship venue Prince’s in Kent for the first time.

It will also be a first visit for the Boys Home Internationals to Ireland’s most northerly golf course, Ballyliffin (Glashedy Links), which has hosted European Tour and Ladies’ European Tour events.

The Seniors Open Amateur Championship will return to Merseyside at Formby, which hosted the inaugural event in 1969.

The dates for the championships in 2016 are as follows:

The Amateur Championship at Royal Porthcawl and Pyle & Kenfig:  13 – 18 June

Boys Home Internationals, Ballyliffin (Glashedy Links):  2 – 4 August

The Seniors Open Amateur Championship, Formby :  3 – 5 August

The Boys Amateur Championship, Muirfield and The Renaissance:  9 – 14 August

St Andrews and Jacques Leglise Trophies, Prince’s:  26 & 27 August

Video: "Bald Man On Campus" (Jack's Grandson)

Scott Van Pelt visits Florida State tight end Nick O'Leary to talk about his having Jack Nicklaus as a grandfather, something mentioned nearly every time he catches the ball.

O'Leary had a much talked about play in Sunday's huge Florida State game rout of Clemson.

Dreaming Of The Woods V. Chamblee Trial

At the websites Brandel Chamblee employers GolfChannel.com and golf.com, I had to look hard for a story on Team Tiger's reaction to Chamblee's golf.com column. Granted, the harsh rebuttal statement and comments by Mark Steinberg went out at about 6 pm ET on a Friday, a news window reserved only for USGA Presidency announcements and press releases on Old Course changes.

Eventually I found a (non-front page) story by that wily scribe his ownself, GolfChannel.com Digital. He's the first-born son of The Digitals of Key Biscayne, armed with a J-school degree that prepped him to take stories no one else will write.

And what about Golf.com, which stands to be sued if Steinberg finds a lawyer willing to sue over the insinuation that Tiger is a cheater? No story was posted as of 1 a.m. ET.  Here's guessing the on-call legal minds at Klapp, Lard and Doppleganger took an early weekend.

Now, before Chamblee apologizes or some lawyer advises Tiger that he can't win this battle, I want the folks involved to think about the merits of a televised trial. Planned creatively--scary words in the golf world-- this could be a ratings Godsend. Way better than the PGA Tour wraparound events. (Okay, that's a low bar to set, I know.)

But think of the possibilities. Sean Foley takes the stand to be grilled by Brandel's attorney over the pitch angle of Tiger's hips at impact.

Tiger testifies about how much Brandel's relentless criticism stings, at which point the judge rules with the defense that questions about the stinger are now permissible.

Outside the Jupiter courthouse, Alex Miceli and Nancy Grace host Golf Channel's daily coverage. Hank Haney, Tim Rosaforte and Frank Nobilo are called in to testify and plead the fifth, only to give exclusive post-courtroom interviews to Golf Channel.

What could be more American?

Tiger's Agent On Brandel Chamblee Column: "It's atrocious...I have to give some thought to legal action."

Bob Harig reports on the statement issued by agent Mark Steinberg and also shares his over-the-phone reaction to Brandel Chamblee's Golf Magazine insinuation that Tiger Woods is cavalier in interpreting the rules of golf.

From the phone interview:

"There's nothing you can call a golfer worse than a cheater," Steinberg said. "This is the most deplorable thing I have seen. I'm not one for hyperbole, but this is absolutely disgusting. Calling him a cheater? I'll be shocked, stunned if something is not done about this. Something has to be done.

"There are certainly things that just don't go without response. It's atrocious. I'm not sure if there isn't legal action to be taken. I have to give some thought to legal action."

Oh now that would that be a great trial!

Internationals Love PGA Going Abroad; Yanks Not So Much?

When we reached 500 votes, 75% had endorsed a once or twice a decade PGA Championship played abroad, while 25% said no.

An east coast reader who was having trouble sleeping after airing a grievance earlier in the day, noticed that in the early polling that would likely be comprised mostly of international readers, the numbers were even stronger. And then the east coast of America woke up, followed by the west coast, where the PGA hasn't been since 1998.

From that reader noting the shift, though it never was profound enough for the PGA to do anything but continue to strongly consider this. All times ET:

About 4a, first look it was 81 percent yes.

845a: 133 yes, 40 no (77-23 percent)

958a: 181 yes, 62 no (74-26 percent)

1141a: 232 yes, 85 no (73-27 percent)

In the comments division, the pro-America contingent spoke up. However, I didn't see many arguments beyond the xenophobic "America is in the title of the PGA" as a sound reason to keep the PGA locked in place.

Funny, and here as an American I think sharing the championship with other parts of the world when the schedule allows, would only solidify the PGA's place as a major and the PGA Professional as an important figure in the game.