Forward Press: LPGA Kick-Off, PGA Show Coverage

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In this week's edition I speak to LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan about the refreshingly status quo state of the LPGA Tour after years of new events, new lineups and too much sponsor turnover.

Things are so improved for the tour that its number one star is not playing the opener and no one seems to mind because Whan has arranged plenty of playing opportunities.

Also covered: the PGA Show, Farmers Insurance Open and the mysterious Singapore Open where Jordan Spieth is turning up to cash a big check and build on the fatigue that threatens to mess up his year if he isn't careful (we discussed this surprising and not-surprising revelation on Morning Drive).

I'll be curious where PGA Show coverage goes this year after years of secrecy before finally joining the modern world the last few years. In 2015, Callaway was very active online and will be again. Sirius radio will have Matt Adams on hand (with Hank Haney also doing his show from the Show floor). What remains to be seen: how much show coverage is provided by Titleist, Taylor Made and PING. I'll add links if they appear.

The full column here.

Glenn Frey The Golfer

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Tim Rosaforte reviews the life of Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, who passed away last week after a long bout with various cruel diseases.

Frey was very active in the west coast swing pro-ams and at several west coast clubs, including Bel-Air and The Madison Club.

Rosaforte writes:

Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade befriended Frey by playing in the singer’s pro-am in Aspen, Colo. As a return favor, Frey provided entertainment at their charity event every summer in Rhode Island. “Glenn would always say, ‘Ever see me at the piano, I’ve had too much to drink,’ ” Faxon said. “Inevitably he’d be at the piano singing with Joe Pesci.”

Above the desk in Faxon’s office is a photograph of Frey as his caddie in overalls at the Masters Par-3 Contest. Faxon remembers asking Frey why he didn’t start playing golf until the 1990s. “I had to wait,” Frey joked, “until the clothes got better.”

Rosaforte also reminds us that in 2002's Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Frey "made enough net birdies to win the inaugural Jack Lemmon Award, given to the amateur that helped his pro the most, aiding Stadler 31 shots over 72 holes."

On the charitable side, Dale Strode writes about Frey's fondness for Aspen Junior Golf and his willingness to call in a favor with Tiger Woods.

At the height of his golfing glory, Tiger Woods made a pair of visits to Aspen to fulfill a promise he had made to Glenn Frey.

“Tiger was in his prime then. That was a major coup,” Rohrbaugh said. “Everyone wanted a piece of him. But for us, it was huge.”

Woods’ presence alone raised $400,000 in two years for the charities as benefactors bid to play a round with Tiger Woods in Aspen.

Nantz on Fox-Shark Split: "I am curious."

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SI's Richard Deitsch talked to Jim Nantz about many topics, but left out this bit on the Greg Norman-Fox Sports breakup. However, Deitsch posted it in a notes piece.

Nantz explains how good Norman was in the booth whenever he'd finish after a round, making the parting a surprise to him.

So we don’t know what happened there. I am curious. It takes time for people to be together in any sport on the air, to be able to establish continuity and chemistry. When I interview coaches and players, sometimes you can see who is really gifted at rolling out a sound bite and saying it in a way that has never been heard before—interesting ways in making you think. I worked a lot with Greg over the years and I don’t know why they parted ways. I always had a lot of respect for what he offered when he came to his tower.

“I wish Fox well,” Nantz continued. “Unlike the NFL where everyone is broadcasting at the same time during the regular season, the golf season you hand it off. Yes, we [at CBS] have it for the most weeks but we truly want everyone to do well because when it is your week, you are in charge of trying to make the game sound interesting and advance the sport and document it. It is not the competitive craziness that people want to talk about it. I watch other people call golf events and cheer them on and text them and congratulate them when they do good work, which is all the time. It is a different vibe than you might think.”

Video: Student Sinks Full Court Putt Worth...$500!?

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Surely the good folks at Franklin Pierce University could find a way to pay student Brandon Knight more than the $500 he won for draining a full court, halftime putt?

Nice job by Connor Foley to capture this and Sportscenter to post it:

Golfweek On The Growth Of Third Party Tee Time Providers

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As the PGA Show gets ready to convene in Orlando and visitors intially regale themselves in discussing when they arrived and where they’re staying, the follow up chit-chat may end up discussing the growing prominence of third party tee time retailers. If they're lucky.

Adam Schupak of Golfweek looks at Golf Now, the Golf Channel-owned enterprise leading a segment of the industry with huge room for growth. The PGA Tour has joined the business and as with most things technological, golf’s consumer base is behind the rest of society. But the catching up is happening.

This was interesting:

Multiple industry observers with knowledge of Golf Channel operations say GolfNow has become the network’s profit center.

No one disputes that third party tee-time providers have created valuable tools, but the trend has become one of the most polarizing subjects in golf, a disruptive force blamed for negatively impacting the value proposition of a round of golf.

R&A: We'll Consider The Shorts Matter, If You Insist

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Rex Hoggard got this priceless quote from the R&A on the possibility of shorts in The Open Championship.

Nice to see the folks in St. Andrews have a sense of humor mid-winter.

“While we already have our conditions of entry for the Open at Royal Troon, this is something the Championship Committee will consider in future. It would certainly be a pleasant dilemma to have if the weather here in mid-July is sufficiently warm for shorts to be desirable.”

Jim Nantz Eyes Retirement...At The 2036 Masters

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This is assuming (presumptiously) that CBS/ABC/Viacom/ESPN/Google (CAVEG) will still hold the rights in 2036, having fought off a strong effort from NBC/Universal/Apple/GE (NUAG) after Chairman (Brian) Roberts decided it was no longer a conflict to have steered the rights to his former family company (until the Apple/GE takover).

Richard Deitsch talks to the CBS broadcaster as he prepares for another Super Bowl, followed by the NCAA Tournament and then his favorite gig, The Masters.

Oh, and 2036 because that's the 100th anniversary of the Masters...

“So Jack Whitaker if you will gave me a new goal, redefined what I want the back end of my career to look like,” Nantz said. “I know it sounds a little crazy. Here we are in 2016 talking like this. But there are great, iconic voices working in their 70s, churning out quality work. This is all subject to be reexamined but I really want to make it to 2036 health willing and CBS willing. I’d really like to do that for Jack Whitaker.

"I would be 76 years old, but there are broadcasters working at that age and even older. I love what I do. Every show is it’s own challenge and I love it. It will be a hard thing to let go of but that is one thing I would love to be able to achieve one day.”

USGA Pace Of Play Study Moving Slowly But Surely

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My GolfDigest.com report from the USGA Pace of Play Symposium also appears in Golf World. The takeaway: the USGA hasn't dialed in its numbers and presented a definitive white paper in nearly two years. How dare they?

Nope, it's darned exciting, is what it is!

Instead of another golf organization trying to "grow" the game or help operators maximize profits, the effort to study pace of play is morphing into other sustainability efforts with the hopes of a stronger end effort. So while the focus isn't crystal clear yet, the initial data, research and input from some great minds could ultimately make these efforts the best thing the USGA has ever done. Throw in the joint effort with the University of Minnesota to create a golf course lab and we may actually see some progress in the war on short-sighted course management.

Anyway, my overview, with more to come on this year's testing of the flagstick measuring device unveiled last week.

Video: On The Rocks, Jason Dufner Wins In The Desert

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If you were watching football instead of golf, you missed a great finish at PGA West aided by the fearsome finishing stretch masterminded by Pete Dye. The PGA Tour's final round highlight package can be viewered here.

In his game story for the Desert Sun, Larry Bohannan focuses on what was easily the highlight of the day, and almost became the greatest shot in Hope Classic CareerBuilder Challenge history.

Dufner survived a perilous pitch shot from a precarious spot on the island green at the 17th hole of TPC Stadium Course at PGA West, rolled in a tough-as-nails par putt to extend the playoff and then made a routine par on the second playoff hole to defeat Lingmerth for the title.
It was Dufner’s fourth PGA Tour win, but his first since taking the 2013 PGA Championship.

And it’s a win he knows was a bit fortunate.

“It was probably like one in like 50 million that that ball ends up there,” Dufner laughed over his good fortune that his tee shot on the 17th didn’t finish in the water or an unplayable lie. “But I'll take it. I'll take it. Some guy won the Powerball a couple weeks ago, he'll take it, right?”

The shot:

Jordan Spieth: “I’m very tired."

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At 22, many have scoffed that Jordan Spieth would ever get tired crossing the globe contending in golf tournaments. And while the weight of taking home massive checks in Abu Dhabi and Singapore is clearly a burden that all would like to have, no amount of money can soften the blow of time zone changes and chasing appearance fees. Especially when your cerebral, grinding playing style is, in large part, energy-based and easily compromised when you are not 100%.

But in refreshing Spieth-eque fashion, the fall and wintertime globetrotter made clear after his final round in Abu Dhabi that he's zonked despite a T5 finish. Alistair Tait reports for Golfweek.com:

“It won’t be something I’ll do in the future, to bounce back and forth from Asia as much as we did, or Australia,” Spieth said here Sunday. “I’m very tired. As a team we’re beat up mentally and physically. I’m not 100 percent right now. It shows in certain places.”

Spieth tied for fifth at 11-under 277, five shots behind countryman Rickie Fowler. Spieth probably would have put up a better fight if he’d had his A game with him.

“The first day I was here, I was striping it,” Spieth said. “Since then I have been a little weak, and my decision-making has been off.”

It's impressive that he recognizes how his game was compromised. Though I'm guessing his agent won't find Jordan's conclusion and decision to share it publicly quite so appealing.

Gleneagles Kings To Get Braid Restorative Touches

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Paul Reoch reports that the vaunted King's Course at Gleneagles, a 1919 James Braid design, will enjoy restoration efforts in advance of its 100th birthday.

I'm not sure it's a masterpiece, but it certainly should be hosting any events Gleneagles acquires (but isn't).

From Reoch's report:

They include re-aligning selected fairways to return them to Braid’s design, bringing several bunkers back into play, and reinstating heather stands around the course.

The installation of the latest bunker drainage and lining technology, as well as an extensive aeration and sanding programme, will be undertaken.

Scott Fenwick, Gleneagles golf courses and estate manager, said the aim was to return the King’s Course “closer” to Braid’s original vision.

He said: “We’ll widen the approaches to some of the green complexes to enable traditional pitch and run shots to be played, reintroduce tighter mown turf on green surrounds and reshape the bunkers and raise the sand lines."