Ryder Cup To Italy: About The Money In Many Ways

Good to see Iain Carter taking a hard but optimistic look at Italy landing the 2022 Ryder Cup with the most lucrative bid for a golf course that doesn't look very compelling. Ultimately he concludes this was a Keith Pelley play to piggyback off the model set forth by George O'Grady with the French Open: add a huge purse for the Italian Open and bolster a late season run of events in an effort to keep more Europeans playing their home tour.

I know that's not comforting when we'll be watching golf played under power lines, but a strong European Tour is a good thing for golf.

The Italian Open currently provides a modest 1.5m euro prize fund. That pot is set to double and from 2017 the tournament will be worth 7m euros for the next 11 years.

Where the money is coming from remains to be seen. It is a mammoth commitment that will propel an event that has been in existence since 1925 to a new level.

"We have exciting plans for the development of the European Tour," Pelley stated. "Italy shares this ambition.
"Their commitment to the Italian Open will provide an inspiring benchmark."

These are the sort of prize purses that Pelley wants to have on offer week in, week out. He clearly hopes a more lucrative Italian Open will provide an example for other national championships to follow.

Nine Days Of Christmas: Lee Wybranski's Major Art

Longtime readers know I'm a huge fan of Lee Wybranski's commemorative posters that are available at three of the four majors). Wybranski's pieces combine the atmospheric 1930's railway art vibe while adding necessary modern touches to provide us the ideal keepsake from major championships.

Lee's 2013 Open Championship poster from Muirfield has been a favorite in my office, aided in part by the special week that unfolded.

As we all know, some majors are better than others, which is why this is a great time to go through Lee's page of past major posters for weeks that were special to you or a friend (there are also some fun surprises in the form of course maps and select amateur events like the 2005 Walker Cup).

There is no better way to liven up your man-cave or office walls with a Wybranski major championship piece from an event you attended or remember fondly. (His 2016 Oakmont poster is now available too).

If you enter the code GEOFF at checkout, he'll give you 20% off any of the posters for sale on his site, including the signed art.

Merry Christmas!

And thanks to Lee for offering a discount on his art work.

Video: Year End Roundtable On The Youth Movement

I continue to be confounded by the number of pro golfers who are so good at what they do at such a young age. Male or female, players are blossoming earlier in life than ever before, and in this digital-only segment taped after the year-end roundtable, Tim Rosaforte, Matt Adams and I discuss the kids.

The actual shows air Saturday and Sunday at 6, 6:30, 11 and 11:30 p.m. ET. 

Nine Days Of Christmas: Two Epic St. Andrews Books

I'll be blunt: I'm was kind of over coffee table books. They're big, they're bulky and rarely do they really resonate. That was, until the two epics on St. Andrews published this year.

I can almost guarantee that barring some nice family member asking what you want and making the effort, one of these two books will not be under the tree on Christmas morning. But that's why we have the internet and this holiday gift suggestion list.

Roger McStravick's St. Andrews In the Footsteps Of Old Tom Morris is easily the richest visual history of early golf. The clarity of the early imagery and Roger's sense for what was important to include make this an amazing trip back in time when a small group of golfers had an inkling that they were onto something.

Just seeing many of the early landmark locations in golf and the people who devoted themselves to refining the sport will make you proud to be a golfer. McStravick discussed the book with us earlier this year, and you can buy any of the three editions here, with the softcover starting at sixty pounds.

Josh Evenson's Links To St Andrews is one big love letter of sorts, with a wide range of contributors sharing stories of all kinds related to the town, the courses and the people who made it the Home of Golf. But beyond that, the book quietly tells the history of golf art right up to the present with works commissioned for the book. And thanks to incredible production values, joins the many historic pieces displayed as a work of art itself. This will look excellent in your vacation estates throughout the globe.

You can order the book here and also check out this PDF sampler.

We talked to Josh on Morning Drive about the book, and also looked at the evolution of golf art.

Video: Year End Roundtable On State Of Pro Golf

I'm sure your DVR's are rested and ready for Saturday and Sunday's year-end roundtables starring Tim Roaforte, Matt Adams and yours truly.

The shows air Saturday at 6 pm and 11 pm ET, and again Sunday at those times (ET).

In a nice development since this was recorded but validating our dicussion, Rory McIlroy has further endorsed the notion that he's getting a little more focused on his golf, announcing that he'll be adding the Northern Trust Open in 2016. This means he will play eight times in the Masters lead-up instead of six.

"I've added an extra event in the States just because I want to go play the golf course," McIlroy said. "I've heard Riviera is a great course and I want to go play there in L.A., and I think it'll be a good course for me."

In this digital exclusive, we talk about the state of the game through the lens of pro golf and naturally come away positive.

Awkward Photo Op Fun: Keith Pelley Mows Fairways Edition

Nothing screams natural more than a Commissioner refusing to shed his navy blazer to drive around on a Toro mower. That's what European Tour Chief Keith Pelley did during the recent Dubai event.

Take this, George O'Grady!

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said “Having our golf courses prepared and presented to the highest standard is an essential part of providing the best possible playing experience for our members, which is one of our key priorities. Toro’s products and equipment play a vital role in us achieving this, so we are delighted to extend our long-standing relationship with them to help ensure these high standards continue to be met.”

Vine: Lebron Crashes Into Jason Day's Wife Ellie

Ellie Day, wife of Jason Day, was taken off in a stretcher after Lebron James dove for a ball and crashed into the PGA Champions' wife.

LeBron just ran over Jason Day’s wife https://t.co/hJoqynevs1

— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) December 18, 2015

Update on 2015-12-18 04:09 by Geoff

**Alex Myers' GolfDigest.com account included this screen grab of Ellie being taken off in the stretcher to an observation room in the arena.

2015 In Golf Television

Golfweek's Martin Kaufmann lists his ten biggest stories of golf on television for 2015, with David Feherty's move to NBC/Golf Channel finishing second to Fox's "uneven" debut.

He sees Fox's innovation pushing the other networks. However I've yet to see CBS or NBC putting a mic in a cup or employing some of the architecture-friendly camera angles and animated flyovers that stood out. I sense Kaufmann is still trying to convince himself that his predictions of Fox innovation spreading like wildfire will come true.

The newcomer's Open effort was uneven, and certainly hindered by the USGA's regrettable decision to hold the event at Chambers Bay. Fox has big issues to address on its announcing crew in 2016. But it is pushing innovative technology, forcing CBS and NBC to follow suit, and it already is doing a better job than competitors at capturing on-course audio. In the long run, the new competition will make the industry, and the consumer experience, better.

GolfChannel.com's Most Watched Videos Of 2015

This was a pretty nice summation of 2015, minus the one retro video of a woman hitting Gerald Ford shots (still fun to watch though). The most watched was a heartwarming story, so there is hope for humanity yet. Others like Spieth's post-Masters presser, the Solheim Cup controversy, Gary Player's Chambers Bay rant were all good to see getting views, though discretion is advised for Rory's club toss at the BMW Championship, which had nothing on his Doral club hurl.

Nine Days Of Christmas: Johnnie-O Pants And More

Day two of the gift guide for those anticipating receiving nothing they wanted shifts from Seamus Golf's classy accessories to the often agonizing subject of good golf pants. Two suggestions will be part of my gift to you, but only suggestion #1 comes with a discount!

Maybe you wanted a pair of Johnnie-O's under the Christmas tree but were never asked? Well the nice folks at Johnnie-O are providing a discount code just for the readers of this site, even the miserable trolls!

Just enter FARANDSURE and receive 25% off your order!

Now, what to get from this maker of golf-inspired (and cleverly engineered) menswear from midwestern-raised and the decidedly-West Coast converted John O'Donnell?

I've been buying Johnnie-O's clothes for years and sense from my own purchases (along with what I see golfers wearing), that they've dialed in both the fit, color and sensibility of their brand, which is to let you wear something functional on the course, while also owning something you can wear in a non-golf setting.

Golf shirt-wise I love all their offerings, but of late have leaned toward the "Prep-formance" polos because who needs ironing when you're traveling. I've been virtually sleeping in their current golf-friendly vest, one of many new outwear items served up this fall. And for off the course, their button down shirts feature Johnnie's why-didn't-Ralph-Lauren-think-of-that "Tweener" button.

But I'm most excited about Johnnie-O's recent forays into pants because it's hard to find pairs that work for both golf and social settings. You'll notice by the dwindling supplies that their Fillmore cords have been a big hit thanks to three elements: great fit, a touch of stretch in the fabric you don't normally get in a cord, and colors not normally seen in cords.

For year-round golf purposes, check out the Napa pant. It's closer to a traditional cut but still modern enough. The style I've been enjoying most, however, is the Cal pant. It's a jean fit not cut too tight but definitely not a dad jean.

And Merry Christmas at 25% off!

Corrigan On Trump: Golf Needs To Protect Its Participants

I'm a little behind on reading so I apologize for just now sharing James Corrigan's six-day-old Telegraph assessment of golf's Donald Trump issue.

This was a strong point in a column that Peter Dawson won't be email blasting to his pals.

But then, Trump so scandalously turned Turnberry - beautiful Turnberry - into part of his election trail at the Women’s British Open in August and the penny dropped. Seeing Lizette Salas, the daughter of two Mexican immigrants, being mobbed by news crews immediately after her first round was one of the most pitiful scenes I’ve seen in sport.

Salas was there to compete, not to defend her heritage against Trump, but as soon as his helicopter whirred into view for all the publicity shots, it was inevitable she would be hounded.

Never mind its image, golf first of all needs to protect its participants. It is a sport which claims to be global, for goodness sake, and which is making huge inroads in Asia including in the UAE where Trump unashamedly cosies up to the Sheikhs with his ongoing Dubai development.

That is Trump’s integrity, right there.

Sandy Jones, head of the PGA in the UK, can be added to the list of recent golf organizatinos suggesting in some way that golf will be hurt by ties to Trump. From a BBC report.

"The controversy is not a positive thing for golf," he told BBC Scotland.

"Donald has built some great golf courses and has two in Scotland, in Aberdeen and at Turnberry.

"I'd prefer to see less controversy around the game and sadly Donald is producing it through his political motive, not through his golfing ones. They are bound to be linked, there is no getting away from that."

Dottie: Players Lined Up By Caddies Needs To End

After the USGA and R&A announced their latest updates to the Rules of Golf, the question of what rule needs changing most seems to come up. Like a stooge, I always nominate something than the most obvious: caddies lining up players.

As Dottie Pepper presented the case in this ESPN.com column on a variety of year-end rules-related issues that will not be getting framed in Far Hills, not only is it a threat to the image of the LPGA Tour, but a far greater violation of the spirit of the rules than other changes made for 2016.

Lining up the shot is the player's responsibility. Period. It is part of being a golfer, part of playing the game. You can have all the help you want on the practice range, but get at it and get at it by yourself on the course. It not only looks bad to the television viewer, but also gives the impression that the player isn't in command of his or her game.

Video: Jack Talking (Sincerely) About Today's Youth Movement

I'm always uncomfortable when Jack Nicklaus gets asked to talk about today's young players. Not because he's incapable of taking a question, but because it seems oddly disrespectful that someone who has won 18 majors championships is being asked to be excited about players who've won a handful of tour events or maybe a major.

Yet in announcing a Memorial Tournament sponsorship extension and huge purse increase, Nicklaus talked with Golf Central about a variety of topics, including the current crop of exciting young talent. Not only was there an obvious comfort level for him in answering the question, but it was fascinating to hear him essentially say the current wave is just a lot nicer, more accessible and more kind.

Go to the 9:23 mark to hear the comments and stay for the ensuing discussion from Savaricus, Rosaforte and Isenhour.

Brandel: Tiger's The Greatest Golfer Of All Time

Between Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, Brandel Chamblee says Woods is the greatest player of all time. For more watch a special Golf Central on December 30, Woods' 40th birthday.

For those of you keeping score at home, Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee concludes in a year-end special that Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of all time, edging out that Nicklaus dude.

The clip, where Chamblee boils it down to the dominance of Woods against his peers. The special airs December 30th, and I know Tiger will love spending his birthday hearing from Brandel, Jaime Diaz and Tim Rosaforte!

Trump Loses Wind Farm Battle, Or Does He?

While he's been cast a big "loser" by the former First Minister in his fight to keep wind farms from scarring the view from Trump International Scotland (they will), I wonder how heartbroken Donald Trump will be to have lost his appeal of the wind farm (Ryan Lavner reports.) After all, he hasn't gone forward with the real estate component of the project and this could allow him to quietly shelve those ambitious plans in what is a hostile.

He is definitely losing with you all, as 62% to 38% (of 747 votes cast) says leading golf organizations should not be playing events at Trump properties going forward.

The loss of appeal has led to a fantastic war of words between Trump and former First Minister Alex Salmond. Once pals (you can see them in happier times here), they've been bickering since the appeal news came out and it's fantastic!

Salmond noted the economic harm caused by the project delay and his view of Trump as a loser, prompting this as reported by The Guardian:

But the Trump Organisation hit back at Salmond in a pointed and characteristically colourful statement: “Does anyone care what this man thinks? He’s a hasbeen and totally irrelevant. The fact that he doesn’t even know what’s going on in his own constituency says it all ... He should go back to doing what he does best: unveiling pompous portraits of himself that pander to his already overinflated ego.”