An Opening? Competition Can Only Hope Jordan Spieth Will Be Injesting Copious Amounts Of High Fructose Corn Syrup

Finally, a crack. A chink in the armor? A glimmer of hope? Maybe an opening!

As Jordan Spieth signs a Lebron-like deal to endorse Coca-Cola (Darren Rovell reports), his competitors can only dream of the World No. 1 ingests unhealthy amounts of the performance de-hancing soda following his rounds.

The only bad news?

Spieth says he's already been drinking the stuff for years. And Doug Ferguson Tweeted that a can of the beverage was sitting on the interview table Sunday at Kapalua.

Joell Beall reminds us that this isn't the only famous golfer Coca-Cola has aligned with.

The brand is no stranger to golf. Bobby Jones starred in an advertising campaign for Coca-Cola in 1947, and serves as the presenting sponsor of the Tour Championship.

According to Coca-Cola's web page, "Spieth, who enjoys cracking open an ice-cold Coca-Cola after a long, hot day of practicing in Texas, says some of his favorite Coca-Cola memories are still being made."

They also posted this video-- a 5 on Awkward Scale, with a 10 being "kidnapped by El Chapo"--where Spieth discusses his love of post-golf Coca-Cola drinking in Texas (take that, Dr. Pepper!).

The clip:

Robert Allenby Perseveres! “If I hadn’t come here, I’d have been running away."

There are real heroes in life who persevere through disease, discrimination, pain, misery, poverty and things outside of their control.

And then there is Robert Allenby!

Oh forget that he provided multiple explanations for his bloodied face and hurled multiple accusations a year ago, dragging some folks and the image of Hawaii into the mud, while still insisting to this day that he was probably drugged, the victim of a senseless crime targeting world famous pro golfers.

But this Rosa Parks of the PGA Tour has found the will to return to Honolulu, kicking off what will be his final year on the PGA Tour barring a big reversal of form.

Dave Shedloski at GolfDigest.com on Allenby's comments to the media, where the Australian golfer risked straining his rotator cuff to pat himself on the back for his moment in heroic courage.

“There’s been a lot of thoughts about it over the last year. A lot of good things, a lot negative things about this. There has been more negative than anything. That really was the whole piece to the puzzle of coming here is to dilute all the negative stuff. Hawaii is such a beautiful place. I didn’t want people to think I wasn’t going to come back here because of what happened. I enjoy being here. The weather is perfect. The golf course is always perfect. People here are always so awesome and so friendly. Sony is a great sponsor. Why not support a great tournament?

The bar for achievement has never been lower.

Just what the folks at Sony wanted to hear!

“Last year was last year. The whole thing about coming here is putting last year behind me. It’s about coming here and hopefully playing well. And if I don’t play well I think I still achieve a lot by coming here.”

Update on 2016-01-13 06:38 by Geoff

**From Brian Wacker's PGATour.com report, Allenby suggests he's been wronged by the media, not his inconsistent storytelling.

“I lost a lot of confidence in my myself from last year with what happened here. I didn’t want to be out in public but I had to be because I had to do my job. The media definitely humiliated me and it was a very hard thing to overcome.

“My life itself probably hasn’t changed but maybe my reputation has changed. It’s been tarnished though false reporting.”

And in case Bill Cosby is out and about in Honolulu this week, Allenby has a plan, reports Doug Ferguson.

He had dinner at the hotel with friends and already has his dining plans laid out for the week.

''Room service and (hotel) restaurant,'' he said.

PGA Of America President Goes To Work For PGA Tour!

Perhaps most interesting in the fine print here is the PGA Tour advancing an "expanded operational relationship" with Liberty National, the oft-reviled design which hosted a few redesigns, two Barclays and will be site of the 2017 Presidents Cup.

Derek Sprague, far rightThe management deal, following the 25-year partnership anounced last August, would seem to move the budding Tim Finchem-Paul Fireman bromance to engaged status.

Derek Sprague Named Managing Director of Liberty National Golf Club

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (January 12, 2016) –Paul and Dan Fireman, co-founders, today announced that Derek Sprague, current President of the PGA of America, has been named as Managing Director of Liberty National Golf Club.  Sprague will be employed by the PGA TOUR as part of an expanded operational relationship between Liberty National and the TOUR.

Sprague, 48, comes to Liberty National from Malone (N.Y.) Golf Club, where he has served as General Manager/Director of Golf for 27 years. In addition to his duties at Malone, Sprague was elected in November 2014 for a two-year term as the 39th President of the PGA, which represents more than 28,000 PGA professionals across the United States. Sprague has received numerous awards and has served in a number of leadership roles at the PGA Section and national levels.

“We believe that this new management agreement will provide the expertise and resources that will continue to enhance the Liberty experience into the future. We welcome Derek and look forward to this unprecedented partnership,” said Dan Fireman.

“Liberty National is an iconic facility and under the Firemans’ leadership has established an impressive legacy in a short period of time and has an exciting future,” said Sprague.  “I am thrilled to be joining the PGA TOUR team and look forward to serving the Liberty National members and guests as we look ahead to The Presidents Cup 2017. I will always cherish my time at Malone Golf Club and would like to express my gratitude to the Malone Golf Club’s Board of Directors, members and staff.”

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem joined Paul and Dan Fireman in August 2014 to announce a 25-year partnership while confirming Liberty National would serve as host site for The Presidents Cup in 2017. This long-term agreement calls for Liberty National to host up to 10 PGA TOUR tournaments, including the first of the four FedExCup Playoff events in 2019.

“We are excited to have someone as highly regarded as Derek to serve the Club’s membership and their guests, as well as handle preparations for future high-profile events,” Finchem said.

“We offer our sincere congratulations to Derek on landing this wonderful opportunity at Liberty National – further proof that the most qualified person to manage a golf property is a PGA professional,” said Pete Bevacqua, CEO of PGA of America. “Derek playing a major role at a highly visible championship venue is an extremely positive development for the PGA of America as we are dedicated to growing the game at all levels.”

This also means Sprague recently visited Atlanta for several days with Dr. Conformity, Finchem's handpicked specialist who puts PGA Tour job candidates through a rigorous, multi-point, indoctrination boot camp. Congrats on passing Derek!

McCord On DeChambeau: "He’s the next game changer."

We talked Bryson DeChambeau on Morning Drive yesterday, namely to live vicariously through the reigning U.S. Amateur Champion as he hangs out in the desert beneath the Santa Rosas, talking golf with big names (Phil), walking tightropes and getting ready to make trips to Augusta National. Rough life, but he'll work through it.

Tim Rosaforte followed up on his enjoyable all-things-Bryson Golf World report with a Morning Drive reveal that DeChambeau is in Carlsbad this week talking to companies and has accepted invites to all three European Tour desert stops starting this month.

From Rosaforte's report on hanging with Phil and the gang at the recent Straight Down Invitational:

“We were just loving the time spent together, one golf geek to another, talking about fun stuff and trying to figure out a couple things on my end from the wedging aspect,” DeChambeau said of his conversation with Mickelson. “He was talking away, and I was listening. It was a lot of fun.”

At the Straight Down, DeChambeau had a locker-room conversation with Gary McCord about his theories that drew an interested audience, including Brandel Chamblee. Whether he’s quoting Homer Kelly’s Golfing Machine, talking about the artist in Einstein or not fearing failure like other great scientists, DeChambeau and his methods don’t come across as madness. Not with his record as an amateur and his potential as a pro.

“You talk to this kid, he’s brilliant,” McCord told me last week. “I tell guys he’s the next game changer. Not because of what he’s doing, but the fact he figured out a process at 15 years of age. He’s smarter than everybody else.”

Rosaforte's Morning Drive reveal:

Video: Ben Crenshaw's Design Legacy

Using his 64th birthday as an excuse to laud the place Ben Crenshaw holds in the hearts of those who have benefitted from golf's architectural renaissance, we at Morning Drive discussed his legacy. (And Bill Coore also talked to the show via phone about his design partner's role in their many classic designs.)

While it's easy to morph Ben into the category of player-architect, his legacy is much greater than that of famous golfer who helped someone sell real estate. (Because in all honesty, pushing some lot sales is about the extent of most player-architect's legacy in the game.)

But as we discussed, Ben followed the groundwork layed by Pete Dye to revisit links golf and the efforts of our forefathers. His credibility as a lover of golf history and his worship of heros like Macdonald, Tillinghast, Ross, Thomas and MacKenzie opened the eyes of so many, including the host of this site. And by lending his name to book forwards, introductions and epilogues, Crenshaw injected his thoughts via writings that carried much needed weight with readers and decision makers at some of the world's great courses.

So while his legacy will always be tied to his amazing career as a two-time Masters champion, Ben Crenshaw's greatest contribution to golf will ultimately be his work as an advocate, historian, aficionado of golf literature and co-designer of courses.

Forward Press: Sean McDonough & Dye's Dominican Masterpiece

Other than a 1994 Shell's Wonderful World of Golf featuring Fred Couples vs. Ray Floyd, Pete Dye's Casa de Campo design hasn't been seen much on TV. Until this week.

In this week's Forward Press, I chatted with ESPN's Sean McDonough about the difficulty of working a golf broadcast featuring an almost entirely unknown field. That's the case at this week's Latin America Amateur Championship, brought to you by the Masters, USGA and R&A where a Master berth is up for grabs.

Also included are some embeds of fun "Teeth of the Dog" preview videos, including Dye reading writings about what he has said (at times) of his beloved design.

Other viewing tips include the Sony Open and a Caddyshack airing scrubbed cleaner than a Golden Globes telecast. Enjoy.

2016 Kapalua Overnights: Best In A Decade

Certainly it's nice to see that all of the young-gun hype and interest in Jordan Spieth's potentially historic trajectory is attracting viewers, though I'd contend it's even nicer to see Hyundai finally get improved ratings after a so-so run that likely ended after the 2016 Tournament of Champions. (However, the rumor mill suggests they are primed to be continuing on in a different PGA Tour event.)

Saturday's rating is probably the most impressive given the competition from an exciting NFL game.

From Golf Channel PR:

Golf Channel’s coverage of the PGA TOUR’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions posted Best Overnight Ratings in a Decade:

· Final Round Overnight Rating of .70 is Golf Channel’s “Highest Overnight Rating Ever” at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. This more than doubled the Overnight Rating for 2015 of .34 (+106% vs. 2015)

· Golf Channel’s Final Round Overnight Rating (.70) was +35% from the overnight for any previous telecast of this event on Golf Channel (2007-16) and +52% from any prior Final Round at this event on Golf Channel (2007-16)

· World No. 1 Jordan Spieth’s 8-shot victory had significant television competition, including coverage posting a .60 Overnight Rating (6-8 p.m. ET) vs. Sunday’s late NFC Wildcard Game and posting a .81 Overnight Rating (8-10 p.m. ET) opposite the Golden Globes. Coverage peaked from 9:30-10 p.m. ET at .87.
 
For previous rounds, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions kicked off the New Year by posting “Highest Overnight Rating Ever” on Golf Channel (2007-2016):

· Thursday night’s First Round coverage posted a .33 Overnight Rating (+27% vs. 2015) from 6-10 p.m. ET.

· Friday night’s Second Round coverage posted a .40 Overnight Rating (+25% vs. 2015) from 6-10 p.m. ET, peaking at a .49 Overnight Rating from 8-8:30 p.m. ET.

· Saturday’s combined coverage on NBC and Golf Channel posted a Round 3 Overnight Rating of .74 Metered Market Rating (NBC 4-6 p.m. ET: .95; Golf Channel 6-8 p.m. ET: .52) and is “Highest Overnight Rating” for any 1st, 2nd or 3rd round at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, matching ESPN’s coverage of the 2nd Round in 2006 (.74).

· NBC’s coverage of Round 3 (.95 Metered Market Overnight – 4-6 p.m. ET) is the “Highest Overnight Rating” for any telecast from this event in the last 10 years (2007-16). Coverage peaked at a 1.10 from 5:30-6 p.m. ET

· Golf Channel’s coverage of Round 3 (.52 Overnight Rating – 6-8 p.m. ET) is the “Highest Overnight Rating for Round 3” on Golf Channel (2007-16) and the best 3rd Round at this event on cable since ESPN’s coverage in 2005. Going into Sunday, this was also the “Highest Overnight Rating Ever for Any Round” of this event on Golf Channel (2007-16). Golf Channel’s coverage peaked at a .63 from 7:30-8 p.m. ET.

Spieth Becomes Second To Post 30-Under In PGA Tour Event

But go easy on the Tiger comparisons...

Doug Ferguson's game story covers the resounding season-opening win by Jordan Spieth, who beat Patrick Reed by eight strokes. Spieth became only the second player to post a 30-under total or better in a 72-hole event, and tied Woods for most PGA Tour wins by 22.

Spieth won his seventh title in his 77th start as a pro. Woods won his seventh PGA Tour event in his 38th start, and he had 18 wins in his first 77 tournaments.

"Nowhere near," Spieth said on how his record stacks up with Woods. "I don't think there's any reason to compare. It's awfully early. We're excited about where we're at to start our career. What Tiger has done, I can't imagine ever being done."

The breathless nature of the Spieth enthusiasm is mostly warranted, but the Woods comparisons bothered John Strege a bit.

A more appropriate question: Wouldn’t it be better simply to enjoy Spieth for what he is, fresh air in an often fetid sporting world (to wit, the Bengals-Steelers game Saturday night) and a reason to look forward to watching how the story unfolds in a sport too frequently capable of curing insomnia?

The highlights:

Update on 2016-01-11 17:53 by Geoff

**Brian Wacker posts random observations and comments on the week, including this from Spieth regarding an apparent love-hate relationship with social media.

“I struggle a bit with social media. Trying to quiet the noise there, just people that just want to make comments -- so I've just gone away from looking at any comments on Instagram, Twitter. People just want to say stuff just to say stuff. … I have as high expectations as anybody else. So, if I'm not reaching my own, I'm going to be upset with myself. I'm not going to let other people’s expectations take the best of me.”

Worth noting for Spieth fanboys: Jordan said this is the best putting week he's had on the PGA Tour to date, Alex Miceli reports.

Alex Myers with seven staggering stats from the week.

Video: DeChambeau's Elevates The Tight Rope Walk

Current U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau continues his run-up to the Masters and the day the eccentric golfer turns pro, signing with The Legacy Agency last week (Ryan Lavner reports.)

In the meantime the former SMU golfer appears to be enjoying desert life, walking a tightrope between palm trees and even having someone fire shots at him:

Getting tuned up for the European tour Middle East events. I hear they have palm trees there too!! @golfchannel @golf_gods @usga @marioclemens #slackline #ponyup #europeantour

A video posted by Bryson DeChambeau (@brysondechambeau) on Jan 10, 2016 at 12:57pm PST

Update on 2016-01-12 06:03 by Geoff

**Uh oh, taken down. Oops! Hmm....

"It’s a good feeling, thinking that you’re going to hole everything you look at. And you don’t think it’s ever going to end."

James Corrigan talked to former World No. 1 Luke Donald about hitting a low point before rekindling his fire for the game this winter. (Donald kickstarts his year at the Sony Open coming off another year of falling down the rankings.)

The 38-year-old started struggling when revamping his game in an effort to get longer off the tee, but is entirely back under the supervision of his longtime instructor Pat Goss (where have we heard this before?).

Yet it was the masterful Donald short game that suffered most when trying to change his swing, something current short game wizard Jordan Spieth seems to have learned from, choosing to use the gym as his avenue to more distance. (Though he's never specifically mentioned Donald.)

It was not too long ago that Donald was Spieth, bringing his rivals to their knees with that wand he waved on the greens. “Yeah, it’s a good feeling, thinking that you’re going to hole everything you look at. And you don’t think it’s ever going to end,” Donald said. “But for a good year there, as I focused on getting my swing back to what it was before I started working with Chuck Cook, my short game was not very good at all.

“I need to be one of the best in the world with my short game if I’m going to be successful out here with the way I play golf. But it’s improving and coming back. I’ll get there.”

Video: Golf Ball In The Corner Pocket!

Joshua Kelley is 26, married to an apparently patient woman, lives in South Jersey and plays to a scratch. He also calls himself a trickshot artist and this little corner pocket shot shows some ingenuity both in vision and execution.

This took some time but it was worth the weight #weights #pun #golf #trickshot #golftrickshot #golftricks #golfing #basement #pooltable #cornerpocket #golfskills #whooo #awesome #whyilovethisgame #WhistleWorthy @golf_gods @golfballed @golfgrinders @golfchannel @romainbech @dudeperfect @whistlesports

A video posted by Joshua Kelley (@holeand1trickshots) on Jan 4, 2016 at 4:48pm PST

Kapalua: Some Incredible Jordan Spieth Stats To Ponder

You know you're doing something right in golf when you're matching Tiger Woods records, and after opening up a 5-stroke lead in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, Jordan Spieth is proving last year was only the beginning of a special career. (Rex Hoggard goes with the Tiger angle here, Brian Wacker noting some player comments that are starting to sound like the hopelessness that Woods instilled in his competition.)

First, the round highlights from PGA Tour Entertainment.
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And the near albatross on 18:


Doug Ferguson reports that Spieth intends to go after the Kapalua/TOC scoring record Sunday and why not considering his -24 start and final round scoring?

Courtesy of the gang at ShotLink who are at their best when working with a mix of history and performance. Spieth if giving them plenty to chew on and they've delivered some eye-openers.

Even more remarkable considering his blew his first four 54-hole leads.

Winners have historically torched the par-5s at Kapalua but a 3.92 scoring average and the other two gems listed below (with a round to go!) borders on the silly, especially since he's not one to overpower par-5s.

And this is impressive at any golf course, but one with greens as big, contoured and difficult as Kapalua? After being for essentially a month?

Robert Allenby's Returning To The Site Of His Alien Abduction

Soak up the fun at Kapalua. Because following an opening week of stars, humpback whales and what looks like another impressive Jordan Spieth performance, the Sony Open will deliver us back to reality with an OK field and...Robert Allenby.

You may recall last year's lavish tale inspired by having watched one too many Taken movies. You know, the one that unraveled and included Allenby criticizing the woman who found him bloodied before giving her a gift before ultimately being loosely traced to a strip club.

Doug Ferguson reports that Allenby returns to the scene of it all next week on a one-year all-time money exemption. The vital recap for those who tried to block out the bad memories.

A Hawaii man was arrested a month later for using Allenby's credit cards to buy gift cards, jewelry and clothing. Owen Harbison was sentenced in August to five years.

Allenby stood by his story, saying the media blamed him when he was the victim. He says he suspects someone slipped a drug in his drink because he had total memory loss during a 2½-hour window from leaving the Amuse Wine Bar and being woken in the park.

Golf Channel cited unidentified sources in a strip club that Allenby was at Club Femme Nu and ran up a tab of $3,400. Honolulu Police Det. John McCarthy said the report was not true, and the police investigation showed Allenby was never in the strip club.

Allenby made only six cuts on the PGA Tour the rest of the year.

The Age included this report with Allenby's life changing advice for us all, minus the caveat that this only applies to people with big mouths, weird attitudes and a propensity for bar bickering.

"I'm very cautious, there's no question about it. Most important thing is you never leave a glass of wine or any drink unattached anywhere. And that's probably the best advice I could give anyone in the world because it's not a pleasant experience – especially the outcome of what could happen."

Padraig Loves A Good -140 Degree Cryo Bath

After opening with a 70, the second oldest player in the 2016 Hyundai Tournament of Champions credits quick recovery from a knee injury to baths. Really, really cold ones.

Jim McCabe of Golfweek.com with Padraig's explanation for his quick recovery.

Besides the proper rehab, Harrington also utilized a cryo bath that reached unnatural temperature levels and helped him recover from the surgery faster.

But as with many things Harrington does, the bath was unique.

“I do six minutes at -140 degrees because I'm used to it,” Harrington said of the air bath where he did approximately 20 sessions in a 12-day period. “So, that's a pretty long time. Most guys are at three minutes. But it, basically, when you're working out, it boosts your testosterone. That's what it does. And it helps your recovery from injuries.”