It's About Time: Tiger Opens Up To Lorne

Lorne Rubenstein may be golf's Barbara Walters after pulling off two incredible feats: getting a sitdown with Tiger Woods (at Woods Jupiter) seemingly without Steiny in the corner issuing a wrap-it-up-sign. More impressively, he gets all sorts of insights. Granted, I don't believe a few of them, but hey, it makes for great reading.

As always, I urge you to read the entire piece for context at Time's website. There's lots of great stuff on his ex and his kids that will pull at your heartstrings and make his accountant sleep (a little) better.

But more fun is the golf and media talk.

First comment I don't fully believe (Lorne in italics):

Do you watch golf?

I can’t remember the last time I watched golf. I can’t stand it. Unless one of my friends has a chance to win, then I like watching it. I watched Jason [Day] win the PGA. But it was on mute. It’s always on mute and I have some other game on another TV.

 Always on mute!

How do you feel about the way the media have covered you?

There’s no accountability in what they say. And what they say, it’s like it’s gospel, there’s no source behind it. Nothing like, yeah, I talked to X number of players, I talked to this player, this player, this player. It’s none of that. It’s jus, some of the announcers, they don’t even go on the golf course. And they look at a pin sheet from the booth, but they’ve never surveyed the golf course, even though the television coverage doesn’t come on until the afternoon. You have all that time to go walk the golf course, to see some of the early rounds, see what guys are doing, how they’re hitting it, how’s the course playing, is the wind coming up? All those different things that you could do. The only one who does that is Finchy [golf broadcaster and former PGA Tour pro Ian Baker-Finch].

I'm sure he meant to include Notah.

How do you handle the speculation about you?

One, you don’t listen to it. And two, in today’s world, you don’t go online.

You don’t read what’s written about you? Was there a time when you did?

Not really.

Eh-em...let's not forget just above you vented about what people are saying but you have the TV on mute and you don't read stuff. Go on...

And that has served me well. It has served me well. Like my dad said when I was young, Were any of these guys there? If anybody has any kind of perspective on it, it would be the caddy. He saw the shot, he understood what the circumstances were. Other than that, there’s nobody else. So what’s their take on it? Who cares? They weren’t there. They didn’t see how difficult it was, what’s going on.

Lorne asked another media question later on..

How would you characterize your relationship with the media over the years?

I have a lot of good friends in the media.

Pausing for laughter to die down in Hero World Challenge media center.

Guys I’ve gone out to dinner with on countless occasions. With respect.

Countless! With respect!

There’s also a flip side of people that I really don’t care for. Hey, they made their career being negative and being outlandish. They’ve made a career out of it. But that’s their take. They’ve almost created a character, per se.

Impressive he knows that without reading or listening.

Alright, let's get to a very interesting observation about today's greatest young crop of talent in the history of world athletics. Sounds like, even though he's not listening or reading, Tiger is understandably perplexed by the surprising lack of consistency from otherwise very talented modern golfers.

What’s it like for you sitting and not being able to compete against the current crop?

I don’t think you’ve played against any of them at full strength.
I haven’t. It’s interesting to see how the game has changed. In today’s game you don’t have to make cuts. And I see these guys miss so many cuts when they’re that good. To go out five times in a year and miss cuts, I just don’t see that. It doesn’t compute, because I haven’t done it. I think I’ve missed only 15 cuts in my career.

And Lorne also gets an admission from Tiger about how bad his short game woes got and how they even impacted him merely practicing at home.

What about in chipping, and those little shots you’ve missed or chunked?

That was a total technique, shifting away from [former swing coach Sean Foley’s] motion to going back to our older motion. It was completely different, what Sean teaches and what I was trying to go back to are polar 180.

Can you describe what he was teaching and what you were trying to do?

What I can say is it was a tough time, being out in my backyard and not being able to make contact with the golf ball.

Update on 2015-12-03 18:38 by Geoff

**Rubenstein was on Morning Drive to discuss the interview with Gary Williams. There was also a discussion after the interview.

Update on 2015-12-04 05:49 by Geoff

**Michael Bamberger says "this interview is different. It’s the Woods I have long suspected was there." And writes:

Woods almost never gives serious, long, revealing one-on-one sit-down interviews. (Or ever, really.) This appears to be one. With Woods, everything in his public life is so orchestrated, there was reason to be suspicious about Woods’s motives here. (Or there was for me.) It was a relief to learn that Rubenstein simply contacted Woods’s people, requested an interview and, after a little back-and-forth, there was one. Rubenstein told GOLF.com that the interview lasted two-and-a-half hours and was conducted at Woods’s new restaurant in Jupiter, Fla.

USGA Adds Pair Of Top Venues: Colorado GC & CC Of Charleston

2019 was already going to be fun with a Pebble Beach U.S. Open, and now the USGA has announced a pair of exciting venues for the U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Mid-Amateur, while also making a great statement with its secondary Mid-Am venue.

First, the news for the Women's Open venue, reviewed in detail here by Ran Morrissett at GolfClubAtlas.com:

COUNTRY CLUB OF CHARLESTON TO HOST 2019 U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN

FAR HILLS, N.J. (Dec. 1, 2015) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) has selected the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., to host the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, to be conducted May 30-June 2.

This will be the second USGA championship conducted at the Country Club of Charleston. The club previously hosted the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, won by Emma Talley, 2 and 1, over Yueer Cindy Feng.
“We are thrilled to bring the 74th U.S. Women’s Open to the Country Club of Charleston after it served as such a superb venue for the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “The U.S. Women’s Open is the most sought-after title in women’s golf, and we are confident the course will test the players thoroughly as they compete for the honor of hoisting the Harton S. Semple Trophy in 2019.”

Seth Raynor designed the course at the Country Club of Charleston, which opened in 1925. John LaFoy made revisions in 1990-1991 following Hurricane Hugo, with additional revisions from Brian Silva in 2007.
“The membership and staff of the Country Club of Charleston are honored to host the United States Golf Association again, this time for the U.S. Women's Open,” said Cordes Ford, club president. “Not only will this championship showcase our classic golf course to an international audience, it will bring the world's best female golfers, their families and supporters to our vibrant city and allow them to experience Charleston and all the hospitality our community has to offer."

The Country Club of Charleston has a storied tradition of hosting state and regional tournaments. It first hosted the Carolinas Amateur in 1911 and will serve as host site for the seventh time in 2016. The club has also hosted eight South Carolina Amateurs and four Women’s South Carolina Amateurs. Since 1946, the club has hosted the Azalea Invitational, which includes among its champions Dale Morey, Billy Joe Patton and Webb Simpson. Since the early 1950s, the club has hosted a junior event, now known as the Beth Daniel Junior Azalea Championship.

From 1933-1937, the club hosted the PGA Tour’s Charleston Open, which counted Walter Hagen and Henry Picard among its winners.

The club also boasts a membership rich in championship pedigree. Picard, a World Golf Hall of Fame member who won 27 PGA Tour events, including the 1938 Masters and 1939 PGA Championship, was a longtime member. Daniel, a Charleston native, learned the game at the club and went on to enjoy a career that included two U.S. Women’s Amateur titles, 33 LPGA Tour victories including the 1990 Women’s PGA Championship, and induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000. Other notable club members include Alberta (Bea) Bower, who claimed the 1975 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur; two-time PGA Tour winner and 2010 U.S. Open low amateur Russell Henley; and career amateurs Frank Ford Sr., and his grandson Frank Ford III, who between them won the Azalea Amateur 11 times. D.J. Trahan, the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links and 2002 Azalea Amateur champion, is an honorary member.

And Coore and Crenshaw's Colorado Golf Club, host to a Senior PGA and unforgettable Solheim Cup, adds the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Common Ground, and affordable daily fee designed by Renaissance Golf, is the "other" stroke play course.

All of the details:

COLORADO GOLF CLUB AWARDED 2019 U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

CommonGround Golf Course Will Serve As Stroke-Play Co-Host Course

FAR HILLS, N.J. (Dec. 3, 2015) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced Colorado Golf Club, in Parker, Colo., as the host site for the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. This will be the first USGA championship contested at the club. The dates for the championship are Sept. 21-26.

“The USGA is pleased to bring a championship to Colorado Golf Club for the first time,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “The course has a proven record in both stroke-play and match-play competition, and the variety of risk-reward options will allow for exciting and dramatic play, helping to identify a champion worthy of hoisting the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy.”

Designed by Bill Coore and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, Colorado Golf Club opened for play in 2007. The 1,700-acre property was once an Arabian horse ranch and features views of Colorado’s Front Range, dominated by Pikes Peak, Mount Evans and Longs Peak. The course plays through open meadows, foothills of ponderosa pine, natural gullies and streams. Coore and Crenshaw also created a nine-hole short course and 7,000-square-foot short game area to complement the championship course.

“Colorado Golf Club is a strategic and demanding championship venue, and we could not be more proud to welcome the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship,” said Matt Kellogg, the club’s president. “With its emphasis on the amateur golfer, the Mid-Amateur is meaningful to our members and to golf enthusiasts everywhere. We are thrilled to have the Mid-Amateur as our first USGA championship.”

Located 30 miles southeast of Denver, Colorado Golf Club has already hosted a pair of major golf events. Tom Lehman defeated Fred Couples and David Frost in a playoff to win the 2010 Senior PGA Championship for his first senior major title. The Solheim Cup, a biennial competition that features teams of female professionals representing Europe and the United States, was contested at the club in 2013. Europe defeated the USA, 18-10, for its first win on American soil since the event was established in 1990.

The club hosted a U.S. Open local qualifier in 2008, as well as sectional qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2007.

CommonGround Golf Course, in Aurora, Colo., will serve as the stroke-play co-host course for the 2019 Mid-Amateur. The course, which was designed by Tom Doak and opened for play in 2009, is the home of the Colorado Golf Association and the Colorado Women’s Golf Association. CommonGround also served as the stroke-play co-host course for the 2012 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club, in Cherry Hills Village, Colo.

Finchem: Appearance Fees Can Go To A Player's Head?!

Commissioner Timmy Fallon is fresh off his year-end employee summit where he actually put on a wig to look like Jimmy Fallon and delivered a, gulp, humor skit (thanks for the blog shoutout "Timmy"!).

So apparently emboldened by his effort last week in Ponte Vedra, the Commish was asked about the prospects of a bleak start to the 2016 as top stars chase appearance fees.

The question prompted a strange response. From Rex Hoggard's GolfChannel.com report:

“There isn't anything happening out there that would say the guidelines are starting to get pushed by players in typically unique situations,” Finchem said. “Certain places have a fair amount of appearance money and it can in turn go to the player's head.”

Good thing money never goes to Timmy's head!

Meanwhile the Commish was cracking jokes about the reaction to Tiger's press conference, reports Jim McCabe at Golfweek.com.

“I saw Tiger. It was good,” Finchem said. “It was fun. He seemed fine to me. I kidded him, because based on the media reports I read before I came down this morning, I thought he had actually died. I said, ‘Tiger, you’re supposed to be dead.”

Finchem chuckled, then confirmed, “he’s alive.”

Maybe if the narrative was not to Finchem's liking, he can always rely on the TigerWoods.com account which noted how the injury time is allowing Woods to improve "his already proficient skills in video games."

"Tuesday’s press conference was an unburdening that left Woods looking relieved"

I was waiting for Jaime Diaz's assessment as the closest Tiger Woods watcher and he did not fail to deliver a smart take on a press conference that was noted and analyzed around the world.

Diaz writes:

He seemed to take pleasure in putting himself among them, an athlete who nobly gave his all until his body wore out. It’s a better narrative than the supremely gifted golfer on track to be the greatest ever who self-destructed.

The weight of that latter persona over the last six years has surely been immense. And on some level, Tuesday’s press conference was an unburdening that left Woods looking relieved. Or at least OK with taking a break.

Honestly, a break—a long one and a real one, not one filled with training and updates and range sessions—is the wisest, best thing at this point.

Faldo, Nantz & Buck Prevail In Golf Digest TV Survey!

I'm not entirely sure what to make of the results given that Joe Buck and Greg Norman were runaway winners in their respective divisions for least liked while Fox didn't register on the least favorite network voting (TNT excelled despite doing only one event a year and mostly with CBS production values, so go figure). This may come as a blow to Norman, who continues to suggest folks were paid to Tweet negative comments about Fox's U.S. Open coverage.

Alex Myers sums up the results and makes some comparisons to the last survey, where it was all about Tiger Woods. This time around Nick Faldo and Jim Nantz cruised to victories, while there was little dislike for CBS and Golf Channel, but a real hatred for TNT. And Joe and Greg.

In fact, Buck and Norman were named least favorite in their respective categories, with Buck widely criticized for a perceived lack of golf knowledge and Norman getting knocked for a surplus of arrogance. It wasn't quite a Brent Musburger level of disdain—the former ABC golf announcer received 43 percent of our worst-host vote in 1996—but 39 percent named Buck their least favorite, and a quarter of those polled gave the Shark a biting review.

There was good news for Fox...they weren't included in the best/worst network balloting!

PGA Tour's "Strength Of Field Regulation" Does What, Exactly?

Maybe I'm missing something, but the PGA Tour's new "strength of field regulation" for 2016 and beyond reported on by Rex Hoggard at GolfChannel.com is not really going to terrify a top player with a threat of a $20,000 fine or suspension.

After all, it's well known the PGA Tour doesn't want to invoke slow play penalty strokes, so how would a $422 milllion net-worth player lke Rory McIlroy believe they'd suspended him for not mixing in a new tournament every five years? Or care about a $20,000 fine?

Perhaps there is some fine print that makes this meaningful to sponsors who are the intended beneficiaries. I suppose we'll find out about when players are publicly complaining about the regulation?

Hoggard's report.

Update on 2015-12-03 05:43 by Geoff

**Todd Lewis explains the new policy and sees some positives. Assuing of course that it has a meaningful impact.

Euro Tour Commish Pelley: "This is theatre."

I hate to encourage a man who owns more than one pair of blue-framed glasses, but it's hard not to get excited reading John Hopkins' Global Golf Post Q&A with new European Tour Chief Keith Pelley.

Why?

He's punching all of the buttons that Tim Finchem covers with duct tape, belly-flopping if he has to: faster play, golfers as entertainers first, a global tour, etc...

I'm too lazy to transcribe, so please hit the link and give GGP some hits. But for the sake of archiving, Pelley's take on golf tournaments as an entertainment vehicle differs in noteworthy fashion from the PGA Tour's view that tournaments are a playing opportunity first and formost, a form of entertainment a distant second.

Pelley's take on golf tournaments as a form of entertainment, first:

Draft: Tiger's Players Tribune Poem That Never Was

As Brian Wacker noted at PGATour.com, the Tiger-Kobe parallels are pretty incredible. So it's little coincidence that they seem to be saying goodbye around the same time.

Even more eerie? That Tiger sat down to pen a poem for The Players Tribune, only to be beaten to the punch by felling contributing editor Kobe Bryant.

Mercifully, I was able to get a draft of Tiger's poem, which was oddly similar to Kobe's in structure. Here goes. The ultra-exclusive to GeoffShackelford.com...

Dear Golf
by Tiger Woods (almost)

From the Moment
I started rooting for my dad’s missed putts
And making imaginary
Putts to overtake Y.E. Yutz
And appeared on the Mike Douglas Show
I know one thing was real:

I fell in love with you as a way to make a lot of alimony and hush money.

A love so deep I gave you my all —
My leg, my knee, my shoulder
And eventually my back three times each time I visit Dr. Rich a whole lot older.

As a young boy
In love with the game
I never saw a time I could not beat Brandel with eyes closed left-handed
I only saw myself
Winning major after major

And so I practiced
Running like a Navy Seal
Hitting every loose ball on the chipping green
From Butch to Hank to Sean to Dr. Galea to Chris
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more cash

I played through sweat, a broken leg, even pro-ams
Not because drug testing was the following week
But because Jack’s record called me, and so did Phil Knight
I did everything for that record
Because that’s what you do, Steiny squeals
When someone makes you feel
As alive as bonus checks made me “feels”

You gave a six-year-old boy his Masters dream
And my accountants will always love you for it
But, I can’t love you obsessively for much longer
This season is about the big payment I have to make to Elin yonder
My heart can take the grinding
My mind can handle the missed cuts
But my wallet won’t let me say goodbye

And that’s ok
I’m almost ready to let golf go
I want you to know that now that January’s payment is coming
So we can savor the moments before I shuttle Kevin Kisner to Ryder Cup dining
The good and the bad
We have given each other
All that we have, almost.

And we both know, no matter how many times Tim Finchem calls
I’ll always be Pop’s kid
Making his putts
Chasing the Golden Bear
Taking dead aim
Saying It Is What It Is
Fist Pumping to the Skies
The Second best Golfer of all time

Love you always,
Eldrick “Tiger” “Tont” Woods

At Least Tiger's Not Writing Poetry Yet...

Tiger's pre-Hero World Challenge press conference probably shouldn't have been the shockingly morose affair that it turned out to be given that the legendary golfer signaled some resignation to his back issues by already signing up as a Ryder Cup assistant. (Woods denied the two were connected in his comments today.)

While he's not writing Dear Golf poems yet and he does play a sport more tolerant of old age than just about any other, his comments about not seeing light at the end of the tunnel and all-gravy going forward in the way of success sounded bleak. The assessment by various golf writers suggests a virtual retirement of sorts, and Tiger is certainly laying the groundwork for the need to have an extended absence.

Ron Green Jr. says Tiger failed to deliver an early Christmas present in the way of good news.

It may be too much to call Woods’ self-assessment grim but it’s fair to say it was discouraging.

For several years, we’ve understood that Woods is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but he didn’t seem so close to the end as it sounded and felt this time.

Alex Myers puts together the seven primary takeaways and says the press conference "was downright depressing at times."

Bob Harig at ESPN.com writes:

Woods, who will turn 40 on Dec. 30, appears to have confronted the possibility that his career could end. He declined to specifically say that on Tuesday, saying instead that his hope is to resume his career and "get after it with these guys."

Update on 2015-12-02 04:28 by Geoff

**Doug Ferguson's straightforward account of Tiger painting a "bleak" picture was picked up by papers across the land. Naturally, the New York Post took it and made things more bleak with this headline:

Reactions To R&A, European Tour Slow Play Agenda

That's John Huggan's take on news of the R&A making pace of play a focus. As much as distance leaps are to blame, Huggan notes the absurdity of green speed not getting more attention. Then again, Saturday play at The Open was lost to green speed, so that's a tricky subject too.

Huggan writes for GolfDigest.com:

Unbelievably, only once during the two-day conference in the Home of Golf was there any mention of excessive green speeds as an aspect of the game that adds, according to a Danish Golf Union study, “ten minutes to every round for every foot over nine on the Stimpmeter.” And never was the absurd distances leading players hit the modern ball -- and in turn the ever longer walks from greens to distant back tees -- cited as an obviously detrimental factor in pace of play.

Lorne Rubenstein has written and read about slow play for a long time, so he welcomed news of the R&A's focus, but also wondered how much we want to rush through a round.

Slow play has not exactly been something that the golfing authorities worldwide have been quick to tackle, really tackle, or solve. This isn’t because they’ve not studied the problem enough. The subject comes up frequently, and has for many years. The USGA held a pace of play symposium a year ago, when the results of 17 research projects were presented.

But give the R&A marks for getting various people and organizations together to discuss the matter, and, in the process, enjoy some fine claret. As the PGA master pro Denis Pugh tweeted from the conference, “Most enjoyable evening at R&A. Food, wine, and company first class.” Pugh is an advocate of faster play, and his experience informs him that golfers are more successful when, as Gene Sarazen once wrote, they “miss ‘em quick.”

If so many golfers, and not only those in St. Andrews this week, believe slow play is a scourge, well, why don’t they play faster? Are they as bothered by slow play as much as we suppose? Or, is this a case of leading the witness, as in posing multiple-choice responses to a question: “What is hurting golf most? (a) cost (b) slow play, (c) difficulty, and so on.

I think the bigger picture story here, as discussed today on Morning Drive, is the R&A's willingness to let people in the trenches tell their story and to suggest it's time to get more aggressive with slow-pokes.

But as I wrote in Golf World, this is also setting up a battle between Team Europe (R&A/European Tour) and Team USA (PGA Tour/USGA), where Europe is signaling a willingness to crack down and even embarrass some slow pokes. Of course, that is a notion offensive to PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, who has discouraged the administration of rules in place to deal with slow play. Reason #459 he needs to retire.

Here is Slumbers talking about the conference on Morning Drive with Gary Williams. It's one of the first chances to hear from the R&A's new head man. He comes off very well.

Forward Press: Off-Shore World Ranking Points

If you were thinking the long 2015 or looming 2016 scheduling mess would hurt the Hero World Challenge's ability to lure a top field, think again.

But like the perks of parking your money in off-shore, tax-free accounts, there is still something a little shady with an 18-player field counting in the world ranking. The stellar turnout tells you all you need to know about the value of such points, particularly with Olympic berths on the line.

That, and what I could muster in the way of a preview for the third course in three years to host Tiger's event, can be found in this week's edition of the Forward Press.

Incidentally, host Tiger Woods is slated to give a press conference Tuesday at 1 pm ET.

Handicap Posting Narrative Unchanged: USGA Should Respond

A week removed from the USGA's announcement no longer tolerating solo rounds for handicap posting, the narrative hasn't budged. Reaction continues to paint the organization as out of touch with the demands of the modern golfer's schedule, oblivious in its reply to early criticism and worst of all, is thought to be painting most solo golfers as incapable of being trusted.

The discussion was pretty tough on Morning Drive today, with Charlie Rymer, Gary Williams, and Damon Hack talk about the new rules and offering several insights of note, especially the confusion that newish golfers have with handicapping.

I followed that segment by discussing with Williams the most disconcerting element in the social media reaction: none of the usual nuttiness when a controversy breaks out. Instead, the commenters are largely making thoughtful arguments and many are from people in the trenches who have to deal with the fall-out from this decision.

Two more writers I respect have chimed in, and they aren't sending their love and admiration toward Far Hills. Rick Young at ScoreGolf fleshes out Canada's opposition and writes:

The USGA is showcasing hypocrisy here. It might deem peer review as an integral aspect of confirming golfer ability but no longer will it take golfers on their word if they play alone.

Tod Leonard, Tribune golf writer for the LA Times and San Diego Union-Tribune, writes:

Foremost is that in a game that is so heavily based on honor and self-policing that the national governing body doesn’t assume that those playing alone will be honest about their score when posting. Because at its core this is about posting, and it’s not like you have someone standing over your shoulder when you put your score into the computer.

In the face of criticism, the USGA responded rather awkwardly with an FAQ that in some sections is laughable.

As long as someone accompanies the player during the round the player is not playing alone.

Hey, pal, got an extra four hours to spare to watch me play golf?

The player must be accompanied for at least seven holes for a nine-hole score or 13 holes for 18-hole score. This is consistent with Section 5-1 and the minimum number of holes played under the Rules of Golf.

So you can trust me for a portion of the holes but not the others?

Obviously, the USGA wouldn’t come up with the rule if it didn’t think that posting was being abused in some fashion. Maybe this is a big problem at private clubs. I wouldn’t know. But as is always the case, it’s up to organizations to police their participating players.

To discourage play of any type, especially something as treasured as solo rounds? That’s the last thing golf needs right now.

The most hurtful commentary may be from Global Golf Post's Mike Purkey, who lays out the case against the change in calm, cool fashion. And does it in a publication that goes to all USGA members for free.

There are always going to be sandbaggers and sandbaggers are always going to find a way to game the system, no matter how much they are monitored. But to eliminate playing alone as an acceptable—sometimes preferable—way to play golf and still maintain an honest and reputable handicap flies in the face of what our game was designed to give its players: a solitary walk, spoiled.

The USGA's lone reaction as noted here and mocked by Leonard, was to delineate what a solo round means versus one played with some sort of witness. It's the ultimate splitting of hairs that only an organization made up of too many lawyers could muster up and think makes sense.

To save face, the USGA needs to at least better explain the origins and thinking behind their decision, if not rescind it asap in the name of saving face with their core constituency.

Rory McIlroy Inc Valued At $422 Million By Rory McIlroy Inc

The Irish Examiner's Gordon Deegan says Rory McIlroy Management Services has valued their man Rory McIlroy Inc, four-time major winner best known of late for his football exploits, at $422 million.

Deegan notes:

The new McIlroy company, headed bymanaging director Donal Casey, manages all the royalty payments from the golf star’s various endorsements for Nike sportswear, Omega watches, Bose, Upper Deck and computer games.

The value of the McIlroy brand — that persuaded the likes of Nike to enter a reported $250m 10 year deal with the 26-year-old — is underlined by the Dublin firm placing a $422.13m (€399.55m) book value on the firm’s intangible assets connected to the golfer’s brand.

USGA Sees Record-Low Executive Committee Turnover!

This lack of pink slips business doesn't mean the later release date or press release left some questions for the few hundred who still don't totally hate the organization after the recent handicap posting change.

--Vice Presidents have been eliminated. Ron Sirak reported this over the weekend and we know the reason, but no official explanation in the announcement?

--The new president is married to a former president. Yet he isn't worthy of a mention?

The full release, within the necessary two month window of the annual meeting set for February 6th in San Diego. 

USGA ANNOUNCES 2016 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS
Diana M. Murphy Nominated to Serve as 64th President

FAR HILLS, N.J. (Nov. 30, 2015) – The Nominating Committee of the United States Golf Association today announced the nomination of Diana M. Murphy, of St. Simons Island, Ga., to serve a one-year term as the 64th president of the USGA. The election of officers and the 15-member USGA Executive Committee will take place Feb. 6, 2016, at the USGA’s Annual Meeting at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, Calif.

“I am deeply honored,” said Murphy. “Since first being introduced to the USGA in 1988, I have had opportunities to watch the organization evolve and develop stronger relationships with Members, golf facilities and industry colleagues. Golf has greatly benefited from the leaders and volunteers who have come before us, and who continue to give back to the game.

“While having the privilege to serve on the Executive Committee, I have worked closely with Mike Davis, the executive director of the USGA, as he built a diverse management team to reflect the strategic focus of the Association. Together, we remain focused on the health, enjoyment, values and traditions of this wonderful game at all levels of ability.”

In her fifth year as a member of the USGA Executive Committee, Murphy currently chairs the Championship and Compensation committees and serves on the Audit and Corporate Partners committees.

Murphy has been formally associated with the USGA since 1996, when she became a member of the USGA Membership Committee. She joined the Executive Committee in 2011, and has chaired several committees during her tenure, including the Commercial (2012-13), Compensation (2014), Finance (2012-14) and U.S. Senior Amateur Championship (2014) committees, in addition to her current responsibilities. She was elected treasurer in 2013 and vice president in 2014 and 2015.   

Murphy, 59, is the managing director of Rocksolid Holdings, LLC, a private-equity firm focused on small business and real estate in the Southeast. She is also managing director of the Georgia Research Alliance Venture Fund, which supports the state’s public and private research universities. Past appointments include managing director of Chartwell Capital Management Company, a private equity firm in Jacksonville, Fla., for 11 years, and senior vice president of The Baltimore Sun Company for 15 years.  

An active community supporter, Murphy has served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Georgia since 2006, spearheading the establishment of the Elizabeth F. Correll Teen Center in 2008, among other activities. She is a member of the executive committee of the College of Coastal Georgia, and played an instrumental role in developing its master plan as it moved from a two-year to a four-year institution. She is the non-executive chairman of Landstar System Inc. and a board member of CTS Corporation, both public companies.

Murphy earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Virginia University in 1978, and holds an advanced executive business degree from Northwestern University.  

She is the second woman in the association’s 121-year history to be nominated as president, following Judy Bell, who served as USGA president in 1996 and 1997.

Two other current members of the Executive Committee have also been nominated to serve as officers. They are: Sheila C. Johnson, of Middleburg, Va., to continue as secretary, and George J. Still Jr., of Atherton, Calif., as treasurer.

The other 10 current members of the Executive Committee nominated to continue their service are: William E. Fallon, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; J. Stuart Francis, of Hillsborough, Calif.; C. Malcolm Holland III, of Dallas, Texas; G. Thomas Hough, of Atlanta, Ga.; Robert D. Kain, of Gates Mill, Ohio; Martha J. Lang, of Birmingham, Ala.; Gregory B. Morrison, of Duluth, Ga.; Asuka Nakahara, of Merion, Pa.; Mark E. Newell, of McLean, Va.; and Mark P. Reinemann, of Pewaukee, Wis.

There are two newly nominated candidates for the 2016 Executive Committee: J. Michael Bailey, of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Clifford J. Shahbaz, of Portland, Ore. Robert C. Weber, of Hobe Sound, Fla., has been nominated as general counsel.

J. Michael Bailey, an attorney and shareholder in the litigation and government relations departments of Parsons Behle & Latimer, has concentrated his practice on commercial and environmental litigation, and government relations. Bailey has served on the USGA’s Regional Affairs Committee since 2002, and has supported the Association as a Rules official or scoring volunteer at a dozen USGA amateur championships. He played collegiate golf at Santa Clara University, where he earned his B.S., before graduating from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. A former board member of The First Tee in Salt Lake City, he has also volunteered on the boards of Utah Youth on Course, the Utah Championship Advisory board and Friends of Utah Golf. He is a current board member of the Utah Golf Association and advisor to the Golf Alliance of Utah.

Retired Lt. Col. Clifford J. Shahbaz, a decorated Air Force pilot with two combat tours in Vietnam, is an instructor pilot for Boeing Training & Flight Services in Portland, Ore. He flew 28 years for United Airlines, retiring in 2006 as a B-747 captain. Shahbaz learned to play golf in high school and has dedicated more than 20 years as a volunteer to the Oregon Golf Association and Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) as a Rules official. A member of the PNGA’s board of directors since 1998, he served as its president from 2007-2010 and assisted the association in the purchase and management of The Home Course in Washington. He is a trustee of the Pacific Coast Golf Association, having served a one-year term as its president in 2012. Shahbaz is a nine-year member of the USGA Mid-Amateur Committee, and he has supported the Association as a Rules official at the U.S. Senior Open and several national amateur championships. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.

Robert C. Weber is a senior advisor to IBM, following a nine-year career with the organization as its senior vice president of legal and regulatory affairs and general counsel. A member of the Chairman’s Operating Team and the Chairman’s Performance Team, he held global responsibility for IBM in government affairs and policy, environmental affairs and security, legal and corporate governance and other key functions. During his tenure, he co-chaired the North American Women’s Diversity Council and was IBM’s representative on the board of directors of the United States Chamber of Commerce. While in private practice, he served as president of the Cleveland Bar Association and established its Juvenile Justice Initiative, which received the Ohio State Bar Association’s highest award for public service.  Weber is a graduate of Yale College and the Duke University School of Law.

Two current members of the Executive Committee will retire at the 2016 Annual Meeting: Thomas J. O’Toole Jr., of St. Louis, Mo.; and William W. (Skip) Gist IV, of Omaha, Neb. Ernest J. Getto, of Santa Barbara, Calif., will also retire as general counsel.

Update on 2015-12-01 04:41 by Geoff

**Adam Schupak talks to the first female USGA president, Judy Bell.

“It’s progress,” Bell said. “We’re golfers too and we love the game, so it’s very appropriate.”

Foreign Secretary Plans To Intervene At Wentworth!

Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter for the Telegraph, says Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond has signaled an interest in trying to solve the row between members of Wentworth and its new owner, Reignwood Group.

Take that, John Kerry!

Mendick writes of Britain's most important foreign relations representative coming to the defense of Wentworth's members and includes a letter from Hammond outlining how he can help. There was also this:

Relations between Reignwood Group, which bought the club last year for £135 million, and its membership have sunk to an all-time low.

In a growing escalation in tensions, Wentworth’s Chinese owners are being accused of a lack of respect after the St George’s flag was lowered to half mast for victims of the Paris atrocity while the Chinese flag that also now stands outside the clubhouse was not.

Reignwood has countered with new membership categories.

In a statement, Wentworth Club has announced it plans to invest £20 million over the next two years “to significantly enhance and improve its three championship courses, facilities and service quality”.

It also insisted it was listening to members’ concerns and had “introduced two new [membership] categories with discounted rates as a result”.

It went on: “We lowered the St George’s flag at the entrance to the Club, along with the Union Flag on the roof of the club, as a mark of respect following the devastating terror attacks in Paris earlier this month.

“The inference that there was any disrespect as a result of the Chinese flag not being lowered is deeply upsetting. We are extremely disappointed to think that any of our members would construe this to be the case.”

New European Tour chief Keith Pelley also recently balked at the idea of Wentworth as host of the European Tour's "flagship" event while expressing reserved optimism for the upcoming changes.