Get Ready For...I'm Playing The Barbasol Instead Of The British

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A new opposite field PGA Tour event for Open Championship week.

Some of the press release:

Barbasol Championship to Debut on PGA TOUR in 2015
Tournament near Opelika, Alabama will be held the same week as the British Open
 
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (August 11, 2014) – A new PGA TOUR tournament sponsored by Barbasol, the No. 1 shaving cream brand in the U.S., will debut in 2015 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National near Opelika, Ala. A four-year agreement establishing the Barbasol Championship was announced today at the Alabama State Capitol by Governor Robert Bentley and representatives from the PGA TOUR and the Robert Trent Jones Trail Foundation, which will serve as the tournament host organization.

The Barbasol Championship will be held at the Grand National - Lake Course July 13-19, 2015, the same week as the British Open.

“We are excited to announce the creation of the Barbasol Championship and to present an outstanding new playing opportunity for our members beginning next season,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “Barbasol has been a leader in the industry for more than 90 years and we are delighted to forge this new relationship with such an iconic brand. We are equally pleased to partner with the Robert Trent Jones Trail Foundation and to bring this tournament to the renowned Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and Grand National’s exceptional Lake Course.”

The Barbasol Championship will become part of the FedExCup competition, awarding 300 points to the winner.
“We are extremely pleased to be partnering with the PGA TOUR and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail,” said Tom Murray, President and CEO of Perio Inc., the parent company of Barbasol. “As we approach Barbasol's 100th year, bringing together two of America’s most respected, iconic brands is further proof of our long-term commitment to expanding our sports partnerships.”

Fivethirtyeight: "Rory McIlroy Could Be A Bigger Threat To Jack Nicklaus Than Tiger Woods"

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Fivethirtyeight.com's Benjamin Morris looks at a few different stats and presents graphs both fascinating and above my pay grade.

Thanks to reader Steve D for passing along a piece that asserts "McIlroy has built up one of the best starts to a career in modern golf history, essentially matching the Golden Bear through age 25, and each day Woods moves farther away from his prime."

30.9 Million Watch PGA Final Round, Rating Up 30%

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The last three PGA Championship final round overnights: 4.4 2013 (Dufner Oak Hill), 3.9 2012 (Rory Kiawah), 4.3 (Keegan Atlanta). Sunday at Valhalla was up 30% (6.0) according to Deadline (thanks reader Pat).  The refusal to move up tee times and finish into east coast prime time was a huge help, as was the dynamic finish.

For Immediate Release from CBS:

ESTIMATED 30.9 MILLION WATCH ALL-OR-PART OF CBS SPORTS’ 2014 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, UP 30% AND HIGHEST IN 5 YEARS
 
Estimated 26.3 Million Watch All-or-Part of Sunday Coverage, Up 48% and Highest in Five Years
 
An estimated 30.9 million viewers (Persons 2+) watched all-or-part* of CBS Sports’ two-day coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship according to Nielsen Media Research, up 30% from last year’s 23.8 million; and up 42% from 21.8 million in 2012 when Rory McIlroy won his first PGA Championship.  The 30.9 million was the highest number of viewers to watch all-or-part of the Network’s weekend coverage in five years (2009; 35.7 million).
 
CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship on Sunday, Aug. 10 was viewed in all-or-part by an estimated total audience of 26.3 million (Person 2+), up 48% from last year’s 17.8 million; and up 58% from 2012’s 16.6 million.
 
This year’s 26.3 million marks the highest number of viewers to watch all-or-part of the Network’s PGA Championship Sunday coverage in five years (2009; 29.0 million; Y.E. Yang won with Tiger Woods finishing second).
 
CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship on Saturday, Aug. 9 was viewed in all-or-part by a total audience of 12.9 million.

Ian Poulter Tweets That He’s Not Tweeting Anymore

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The whole British Airways spat that was never terribly interesting has exploded into word wars with some of his followers, so Ian Poulter has announced via a Tweet that he won't be Tweeting for now.

Poulter assessed his Ryder Cup chances after the PGA final round. Gene Wojciechowski reports.