Steiny Pushes Back On New Tiger Book: “Egregious errors”

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With the new Simon & Schuster published Tiger biography now widely available, the Woods camp has pushed back, calling the Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian tome a re-hash from older books and articles. 

I'm surprised that Agent Mark Steinberg decided to acknowledge the book at all, but given the visibility of the authors and some of the more salacious tidbits overshadowing the attention given by the authors to the price of celebrity, perhaps pushback was wise.

Rex Hoggard, writing for GolfChannel.com sets up the story and offers this from Steinberg:

“This book is just a re-hash from older books and articles and it’s hard to tell if there’s anything original at all,” Woods’ manager Mark Steinberg said. “The authors claim ‘we seldom quoted anonymous sources’ yet they relied on them at least 65 times.”

Steiny with a little self-reference in the third person action here...

“They insist that they ‘provide a wealth of new insight,’ but without any input from Tiger, [Woods’ mother] Tida Woods, Mark Steinberg or those closest to him, that’s obviously impossible,” Steinberg said. “It’s clear the sources they actually rely on are people that haven’t spoken or interacted with Tiger for many years, most with ulterior motives.”

Former Clinton Administration counselor to the President, Doug Band, wrote to Golf Digest, taking issue with an account in the book of the Learning Center's opening. Band says "there is hardly an accurate or true word in the excerpt."

According to Awful Announcing's Andrew Bucholtz, who also rounds up some of the issues at hand in debating the book, he quotes one of the authors pushing back on Band's account.

Keteyian then fires back at Band, saying “I called him to fact-check the information that’s in that section,” and reveals that Band is the source for the quote of “I’m Tiger Woods, king of the world, go eff yourself,” plus says he had another source in that fivesome who described that round. Benedict then talks about how there is new and fresh material in this book, like stories of Woods being comfortable with kids who didn’t know he was famous and one of his neighbors talking about him asking who he can trust, and Keteyian talks about the book illustrating “the cost and the price of fame.”

Authors Benedict and Keteyian on Outside The Lines (embed not working but link should).

Renowned documentarian Alex Gibney will be developing a “documentary series” based on the new biography, Reuters reported Tuesday. No outlet has been named but the combination of Tiger intrigue, Gibney's reputation and the host of streaming options makes it likely the series will find a home.

WSJ: "The Next Chinese Trade Advantage: Professional Golfers"

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Thanks to reader John for Brian Costa's overview of China and golf as Shanshan Feng is the top-ranked female player and Haotong Li continues to progress, entering The Masters as the highest-ever ranked Chinese golfer (No. 41).

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However their success seems unlikely to sustain the Chinese game as long as courses are considered illegal, a minor glitch in golf's grand plan to profit on the creation of overpriced, overbuilt courses.

But the obstacles are greater in China, where more than 200 courses have been closed as part of President Xi Jinping’s war on government corruption and gaudy symbols of wealth. Fewer than 500 courses remain in the country.

Gareth Winslow, a New Zealand-born golf coach who works in Shanghai, lost two jobs in recent years when a course and a driving range where he worked were abruptly shut down. “The bulldozers come in and just knock everything down, so there aren’t a lot of options after that,” he said.

And it still starts with driving ranges, par-3 courses and affordable places to start...

If Chinese professionals continue to make headlines overseas, it may draw more wealthy Chinese to the game, Winslow said, “but if China wants to become a global power in golf, there needs to be more accessibility.”

Time To Update Your Masters Apps: New Features, Classy Design And Enterprise Grade Artificial Intelligence!

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You can now download The Masters app from various stores (iTunes here).

If you're an AppleTV user and have auto-update enabled, the 2018 version should be ready to go.

If you're a cord cutter--enjoy that buffering!--this guide will help you find ways to watch the Masters via HuLu, YouTubeTV, Playstation and DirecTVNow.

The big upgrade to the mobile and tablet app's this year comes via IBM's Watson--no relation to Tom or Bubba. Here's the fancy way of saying what you will find across all platforms if you log in and denote favorite players:

This year, IBM Watson is moving us from scores and statistics to faces and fist pumps. For the first time ever, the Masters is using enterprise-grade artificial intelligence to capture the essence of the competition; the sights and sounds that make this a tournament unlike any other. 

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Take that craft, artisanal, fair trade and organic grades of Artificial Intelligence!

Watson watches hundreds of hours of video from all of the Masters live streams. It identifies the player in each clip, and scores the highlight worthiness of that clip by listening for crowd noise and commentator excitement, and watching for player gestures. The highlights are scored and indexed, making the video production process easier for the Masters digital team. And they are packaged up into personalized highlight reels for users of the My Moments feature in the Masters app. 

And this is clever:

My Moments allows fans to customize their Masters app by saving their profile across all digital platforms. End users select their favorite players and highlight packages are tailored to their preferences. The app also features a spoiler-free mode, which determines the last time you checked in on the tournament action, and chronologically walks you through everything you missed, without revealing the real-time score until you’re caught up.

To put this more succinctly: it's a lot like Instagram or Snapchat Stories. Only better!

The centerpiece of the app remains the ability to watch Live Coverage and get quick access to a Leaderboard.

The offerings on the AppleTV also allow you to watch channels like Amen Corner Live, Featured Groups and other video, including surprise nuggets like last year's broadcast and the Green Jacket ceremony at the putting green. 

A few screen grabs here:

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“Augusta can always be defended. St Andrews is in trouble.”

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A wise friend says the distance discussion should only be predicated on one barometer: the Old Course. If it is obsolete for the elite player, distance limits or something should be done to keep it relevant. 

So it was enlightening to see Paul Azinger suggest the Old Course at St. Andrews is in trouble within this Steve DiMeglio piece about Augusta National and distance. 

There is of course the usual shallow stuff from golf pros looking to protect their corporate interests over how the game is played, with Billy Horschel reinforcing his steadfast ignorance and Brandt Snedeker suggesting Augusta just plant a tree, ramp up the Sub-Air and call it a day.  

But Azinger's comments stood out since the R&A might actually feel the same way.

“The Old Course at St Andrews, the home of golf, is different, because the course isn’t as long and the greens are pretty easy to putt and don’t have nearly as much slope,” Azinger said. “Augusta’s greens are frightfully fast, and they can stick the pins two paces from the edge.
“Augusta can always be defended. St Andrews is in trouble.”

Instagram Wrap: Seve Being Seve At The Masters, An Augusta Persimmon Plate And Bridgestone Makes A Tiger Ball

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New Look Tour Schedule Coming Into Focus And The Small Markets Are Trouncing America's Big Cities

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If you told me a few years ago that the FedExCup and wraparound schedule designed to save fall events in smaller markets would lead to minimizing the PGA Tour's presence in Chicago, New York, Boston and Houston, I'd have told you no chance. 

As Doug Ferguson of the AP reports, the 2018-19 revamp of the PGA Tour schedule is shaping up in curious ways.  (As noted by The Forecaddie last week, Florida will have its swing back and that's a very good thing.)

After explaining how May will feature the Byron Nelson and Colonial stops surrounding the PGA Championship--cue the claims of Trinity Forest not being a good preparation for PGA venues--Ferguson says there is a possibility of Houston landing before the U.S. Open when Memphis shifts to the beautiful month of August for its expected WGC upgrade in place of Firestone (hit the link if you don't believe me). 

But the real puzzler is what the playoff shortening means for two huge markets.

There’s one other potential wrinkle to the end. The FedEx Cup playoffs will be three tournaments instead of four, and while this is the final year of the playoff event at the TPC Boston (previously Deutsche Bank, currently Dell Technologies Championship), it might not be the end of Boston.

One possibility the tour is exploring is for The Northern Trust to alternate between the New York area (such as Liberty National) and Boston.

So if this goes forward, remember that the introduction of the playoffs changed Chicago's former Western Open in July to a rotating BMW in multiple cities later in the summer. 

The incredibly successful Boston stop, a relatively modern creation, may go away and the old annual New York stop at Westchester has been converted to a rotation that could spread north.

To recap: Houston, Boston, New York* and Chicago all have seen or are about to watch their regular tour events compromised in the name of making Sea Island, Las Vegas, Napa, Jackson, Kuala Lumpur, Jeju Island and Playa Del Carmen stops part of the FedExCup, while possibly adding Minneapolis and Detroit stops. 

Fascinating big market strategy!

*New York is, admittedly about to be overrun with annual major golf events starting with last year's Presidents Cup and running to at least 2024's Ryder Cup. But other than the Presidents Cup, the rest are run by other organizations.

The Evolution Of This Year's Masters "Favorite" Status

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Doug Ferguson does a nice job tracing the many stages of betting favorites for this year's Masters and reminds us it wasn't long ago that different names were atop the list. 

• Westgate had Woods at 50-1 for the Masters right before he returned to competition the first week of December in the Bahamas.

• Johnson wins Kapalua by eight shots for his eighth victory in his last 34 events, all against some of the strong fields.

• Rahm ended 2017 by winning the European finale in Dubai, was runner-up at Kapalua and won the CareerBuilder Challenge. With a chance to go to No. 1 in the world at Torrey Pines, he went from a one-shot deficit after 36 holes to a 75-77 weekend. Woods made the cut at Torrey Pines with a two-putt birdie from 70 feet on his last hole. He tied for 23rd, exceeding expectations. Masters odds go to 20-1. Day won Torrey Pines in a playoff for his first victory in 20 months.

• Johnson finished second at Pebble Beach to Ted Potter Jr., who has missed every cut since then. Imagine if Johnson had won Pebble. He would have two wins this year, nine in his previous 36 starts. He would still be the clear favorite at Augusta.

As we discussed on Golf Central Alternate Shot today, the favorite game is too complicated so just focus on the best, most unusual story this year! And yes, yes, I know, I said Amateur champion the first time, not Mid-Amateur. But I got it the second time...this is live TV for you...

Things You Probably Didn't Know About The Green Jacket

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As the Green Jacket has become cool again--thanks in part to winners parading the Pantone 342 blazer to some pretty swell places--Golf Threads has 13 things you probabaly didn't know. I certainly learned a few things about golf's most coveted article of clothing, including where it's made, where the fabric comes from, how long it's been since they've need to order new fabric and how inexpensive they are to make. 

Lexi Reveals Just How Much Grief Last Year's ANA Penalty Caused

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Powerful stuff from Lexi Thompson at her ANA Inspiration press conference a year removed from the four-stroke penalty that cost her a major. 

Penalties, which, by the way, could not happen again thanks to changes in the rules, as Larry Bohannan explains in the Desert Sun.

From Beth Ann Nichols' Golfweek story:

“That night was extremely rough,” said Thompson of the hours that followed the toughest loss of her career. “I was screaming, crying. You know, I’ve re-lived it for a while. I had nightmares about it. You know, I still occasionally do.”
Thompson, 23, cried on every tee shot that followed her encounter with rules officials after the 12th hole. She said it was the fans who allowed her to finish the way she did.
“I heard them chanting my name on every shot, every tee,” she said. “I heard them on the green chanting my name, and I was like, I have to finish strong for them.” 

Good Grief: Tom Morris Name Covered Over, Replaced By "The Open" Gift Shop

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Vandalism in golf takes many shapes and sizes, and while I know the purveyors of The Open will argue that Tom Morris was one of the proud creators and winners of The Open, there is no way to sugarcoat this as anything other than a dreadful, vandalous act as verified by the Twitter replies:

Every golf professional and golf shop owes something to this location's historical importance. Furthermore, the change is made all the more appalling by recent Links Trust efforts to restore the shop and highlight it's importance. The name Tom Morris has been an integral part of Links Road for well over a century and golfers from across the globe have come to pay their respects.

Historian Dale Concannon:

This from local writer Kieran Clark...

"Terry Gannon's TV Versatility Rooted In Hoops Past"

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He'll be helming the ANA Inspiration's Golf Channel coverage this week with Judy Rankin and also undoubtedly will be thinking about the 35th (!) anniversary of NC State's improbably NCAA basketball championship.

But fresh off his prominent Olympics role, Terry Gannon continues to be the least-recognized top voice in golf. 

Steve Eubanks of Global Golf Post considers what makes Gannon such a solid announcer, including his talent for asking the right questions of his analysts.

Instagram Roundup: An Early Masters Image, More Champions Dinner Never-Before-Seens, The ANA's Saki Drum Barrel Cracking, PXG Goes The Awkward Route

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It's not the first Masters because we know the 9th green was a lot more interesting in Dr. MacKenzie and Bobby Jones' version, but still a fun aerial from the good ole days:

Click here on the link if the embed is resisting, as it's more rarely seen Champions Dinner moments via the Masters Instagram account...

6 days until #themasters and an extraordinary gathering. #cominginapril

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The saki barrel has been broken, so the ANA Inspiration can begin. The honorary starters ceremony, this is not.

The #anainspiration has officially begun with the breaking of the saki barrel!

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Quite possibly the most awkward thing I've watched in years...if not ever.

Augusta National Cracking Down On Third Party Market, Invalidating Some Credentials

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Adam Schupak with a Golf.com exclusive on Augusta National's effort to crack down on ticket holders who have sold to third parties. They are being notified by letter that their $150 is to be credited and they can expect to no longer be attending the Masters.

As Schupak notes, this scenario means there may be unsuspecting buyers who show up at the Masters after having paid top dollar, only to find their tickets invalidated.

How are they spotting the offenders?

The tournament has long prohibited the reselling of its coveted single-day tickets and multi-day badges, but last year it added a new defense to catch offenders: color-coded strips on the bottom of the tickets that the tournament's ticket police can use as secret decoder rings of sorts to determine the original purchasers. Each of the colors in the six-color design represents a letter and five numbers that match the corresponding ticket number.