First World Alert: Players Looking To Abolish The Secondary Cut, Reduce 36 Hole Cut Size

Instituted to help pace of play, Saturday cuts on the PGA Tour occur when more than 78 make the weekend. Players, reports GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard, have decided they don't like the Saturday cut and are looking for an alternative. That alternative seems like a bizarre solution given the incentives to make cuts and the "playing opportunities" mantra of the Tour. 

The alternative that’s being studied is to reduce the cut at all Tour events from the lowest 70 players and ties to the lowest 65 players and ties. This would allow the circuit to eliminate the secondary cut at all events.

So they would eliminate as many as five (and often more players) on the weekends because they don't like a few people who post a big score to be cut on Saturday? 

Don't be surprised if a year from now they are revisiting a solution to a problem only the first world could have found.

PGA Tour Enters A Legal Sports Betting State For The First Time Since Supreme Court Ruling...

The playoffs arrive in New Jersey and Ridgewood CC for the first time in a sports-betting legal state.

Rex Hoggard reports for GolfChannel.com on what this means in 2018. In a nutshell, the PGA Tour does not expect any issues.

Although New Jersey was among the first states to embrace sports betting, wagers are currently limited to a few casinos and racetracks.

“I wouldn’t say the gaming would be any different than what’s currently being offered in Las Vegas or elsewhere, win bets and that type of thing,” said Andy Levinson, the Tour’s senior vice president of tournament administration.

There is one potential area of intrigue: soft-launched mobile betting apps in beta form according to this item by Devin O'Connor. 

Resorts, one of the six Atlantic City casinos with sports gambling underway, received authorization with partner DraftKings from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (D) earlier this month for a soft-launch of mobile sports betting.

The app was released to a limited number of users. The DGE hasn’t said when it might permit Resorts and DraftKings to open up the app to the general public. Other casino sportsbooks are also in the process of releasing mobile sports betting platforms.

Of note will be if any of these mobile platforms offer negative outcome bets where a fan could interfere with play and profit. Presumably these beta apps are not offering anything that could derail their popularity or their coveted relationship with pro golf in the coming years. Presumably. 

#liveunderpar Files: Paraglider Tells Trump He's "Well Under Par"

Fearing a call from PGA Tour lawyers looking to protect the greatest slogan in the history of great slogans, a Greenpeace protester flew disturbingly close to President Donald Trump with a "Well Under Par" banner in tow.

Jack Aitchison of the Daily Record with the story and a video clip of the President walking into the Turnberry hotel and the protester getting shockingly close. 

New PGA Tour Schedule: The Good, Bad And Hard To Quantify

There were plenty of fascinating surprises and a few bold moves made the PGA Tour in revamping it schedule.

In this quick-take for Golfweek, I cover some of the questions, positives and negatives of the new 2018-19 PGA Tour schedule, the first with a May PGA Championship. Mostly, I'm struck by the idea of vacating Labor Day weekend.

To expand on what I wrote for Golfweek, I'll certainly defer to the TV Execs, Tour VP's and numbers crunchers who probably can make the case that football fans have already fled by Labor Day. And as I noted for Golfweek, Atlanta is a circus that weekend. But as a sports fan, Monday of Labor Day has been fairly uneventful, and the PGA Tour's FedExCup concluding on that day seemed like a fantastic way of saying, "that's all folks!"

Which is why in today's Alternate Shot with Matt Adams (who has a nice list of issues with the schedule), I suggest that my hope is a change in time that has golf reclaiming that weekend and finishing on that Monday.

Rex Hoggard talks to Jay Monahan about what drove the changes but sees traffic congestion issues in the new schedule before playoff time.

If that all sounds clean and easy, consider that the run up to the post-season will now feature a major (The Open), a World Golf Championship (Memphis) and the Wyndham Championship. Including the three playoff stops, that’s five must-play events in a six-week window.

He notes a similar congestion problem in the Masters lead up, with the Honda Classic and Arnold Palmer Invitational very much in danger of losing top players with two WGC's events. Is this a bad time to mention (again) how I think WGC events are really doing no one any good?

Joel Beall has seven takeaways, but he sees Valspar taking the biggest hit in Florida and he may be right. But don't underestimate the player enjoyment of Innisbrook and the growing disdain for PGA National and Bay Hill hurting those two. He also makes a strong case for continued struggles mid-summer for new stops trying to lure players as they either break between the U.S. Open and The Open, or play European events.

Andy Pazdur joined Morning Drive to discuss the PGA Tour's approach:

Feinstein: "How the PGA Tour's D.C. stop went from can't miss to out of business"

Golf World's John Feinstein looks at the rise and fall of Washington D.C.'s PGA Tour stop, conducting the final edition this week at TPC Potomac At Avenel Farm (FKA TPC Avenel).

While Feinstein is a bit tough on Tiger as host and notes the loss of Quicken Loans as the most fatal component of the tournament's demise, the story points out how the event suffered identity issues when it lost Congressional as a regular host. 

In the tournament’s swansong, Woods will play this week, his lone expected start after a missed cut at the U.S. Open and before heading to the Open Championship at Carnoustie. One might have thought his apparent return to health could inspire a sponsor to jump in and take a chance on Washington, but Woods didn’t seem to really care very much if that happened. His foundation is now the beneficiary of the annual PGA Tour event played at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles.

The L.A. event has the kind of stability never established in Washington. It has been played at Riviera for 44 of the last 46 years, as opposed to the D.C. event which will have been held at four golf courses in 13 years, none for more than three consecutive years. 

Also noteworthy here is the influence this event had on Chicago's annual stop, which previously held the July 4 date before being shifted to a playoff stop moved around to different venues, several outside of Chicago. The July 4 date is currently Greenbrier's. 

The story is a prime example of quickly a tournament's fortunes can turn on quality of course, consistency of location and the identity an event derives from a regular host venue and date.

PGA Tour Adds Facebook Watch Streaming For Weekend Featured Groups

It would appear the more significant development here is another effort on top of its Twitter pre-PGA Tour live coverage to add a streaming option. I'm not sure how many weekend early featured groups are of note, but the PGA Tour is certainly going hard at streaming options...excuse me, emerging media platforms. 

For Immediate Release:

PGA TOUR partners with Facebook to stream
60+ hours of exclusive live coverage across eight events

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR has announced an agreement with Facebook to distribute exclusive Saturday and Sunday live competition coverage, on a free basis, from eight tournaments leading into the FedExCup Playoffs for the 2017-18 season.  Airing on Facebook Watch in the United States, the coverage will be produced under the PGA TOUR LIVE brand and, similar to the TOUR’s subscription OTT service, will follow two featured groups that tee off in the morning of the third and final rounds. The PGA TOUR will uniquely produce this coverage for Facebook’s social video platform, with interactive elements aimed to engage fans. For example, the coverage will incorporate fan questions and comments.

Oh those will be rich with insight.

“We are thrilled to add Facebook to an already impressive lineup of global digital and broadcast partners,” said Chris Wandell, VP Media Business Development of the PGA TOUR. “The PGA TOUR has put a premium on distributing exclusive content on emerging media platforms with a goal of reaching new and diverse audiences.”

The Facebook Watch coverage will begin at the Travelers Championship on Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24. The remaining events in 2018 include: Quicken Loans National; A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier; John Deere Classic; RBC Canadian Open; World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational; Wyndham Championship; and THE NORTHERN TRUST.

“No matter if it's a weekend foursome or water-cooler conversation about a top moment on TOUR, golf brings people together,” said Devi Mahadevia, Facebook’s North America Live Sports Programming Lead. “So we're delighted to partner with the PGA TOUR to help it reach new fans and deliver interactive, live coverage on Facebook that taps into the social nature of the sport.”

Got all the buzzwords in there but Netflix and chill.

The Facebook Watch-exclusive coverage window will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET on both Saturday and Sunday of each event and will conclude when Golf Channel’s lead-in coverage begins.  Following the featured group coverage, PGA TOUR LIVE Featured Holes coverage will be streamed globally on a non-exclusive basis on Facebook. To watch PGA TOUR’s coverage on Facebook, users can follow the PGA TOUR LIVE show Page at www.facebook.com/pgatourlive.

The agreement also calls for a range of on-demand programming, including tournament previews, round recaps and extended player highlights – all of which will be available in the United States on Facebook Watch and globally via the PGA TOUR LIVE show Page.

In May, the PGA TOUR and Facebook teamed up to stream 30+ hours of live coverage from THE PLAYERS Championship.

The trailer:

Houston Open Moves To Fall, Drops Houston Golf Association Ties

Tournament saved, but without mention of the Houston Golf Association's involvement, there is more than a tinge of sadness to this U.S. Open week announcement. 

Astros Foundation and PGA TOUR announce five-year partnership for the Houston Open

HOUSTON and PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR, the Astros Foundation and its Board of Directors, led by Astros Owner & Chairman Jim Crane, announced a five-year partnership for the Houston Open beginning with the 2019 event. The Astros Foundation will operate the event and serve as the host organization.

The commitment to the Houston Open from the Astros Foundation, with the support of a consortium of local sponsors, is in place through 2023. The 2019 tournament will be conducted at the Golf Club of Houston during the fall portion of the PGA TOUR’s 2019-20 FedExCup Season with a $7.5 million purse and 500 FedExCup points awarded to the winner.

“Our team is committed to the continued growth of the Houston Open and making a positive impact in the city of Houston,” said Astros owner and Chairman Jim Crane. “The Astros Foundation has always committed to giving back to our community. The funds raised through this tournament will allow us to continue our commitment to serving the people within our county and city and help improve our parks.”

“The PGA TOUR has a rich history in Houston dating back to 1946, and we’re thrilled to share this great news today regarding the Houston Open,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The event has always made a significant charitable impact by virtue of tremendous partners and outstanding community support, and thanks to the Astros Foundation and Jim Crane, these works including support of The First Tee of Greater Houston will continue.”

The Houston Open was first played in 1946, with the inaugural event captured by Byron Nelson at River Oaks Country Club. Winners in the 72-year history of the event include World Golf Hall of Fame members Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Burke, Jr., Bobby Locke, Cary Middlecoff, Gary Player, Curtis Strange, Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson. One of Houston’s premier sporting events, the tournament has also made significant contributions to the Houston community, raising nearly $69 million (through 2017) for charitable causes.

Ian Poulter won the 2018 Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston, the tournament’s home since 2003.

PGA Tour Closing In On New Twin Cities Stop

Tad Reeve with the latest on efforts to convert the longtime Champions stop there into a PGA Tour event (thanks PG for the story). 

Hollis Cavner of Pro Link Sports has vigorously pursued a PGA Tour date for the TPC Twin Cities course in Blaine that currently plays host to the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship. Cavner wants to play a PGA Tour event there as soon as next summer.

A couple of possible tournament dates are the week before two 2019 majors: June 6-9, leading into the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, or July 11-14, preceding the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Astros Owner Crane Pitches Houston Open Move To Fall And Memorial Park

Nice reporting work by the Houston Chronicle's Dale Robertson on the latest efforts to save the Houston PGA Tour stop. With the Houston Golf Association unable to land a sponsor for the event dating to 1947, Astros and Floridian owner Jim Crane has made a proposal that may or may not include the HGA. 

He said his proposal went into PGA Tour headquarters once a deadline was not met by the HGA to find a sponsor for a possible pre-US Open date. Something doesn't feel right here with Crane talking up community, the HGA and the First Tee managed by the HGA, yet sounding like he really doesn't like them all that much. 

It's believed a wide rift has opened between Crane and the HGA over his unwillingness to step up under the organization's umbrella, even suggesting he had been sabotaging its efforts to corral a sponsor so he could run the show, post-SHO, on his own. But he insists it's simply a matter of doing what makes the most fiscal sense and best serves the big-picture needs of the community.

He stayed in the picture because nobody else was coming forward, and given his personal relationship with the sport — he's a scratch player who was once rated the country's best golfing CEO — he didn't want to see his city lose its PGA Tour event.

"They hadn't been able to pull together a deal, so I got on it," he said. "(PGA commissioner Jay Monahan) told me, 'They (the HGA) have been (the PGA's) partners for years, and we want to give them a chance.' I said, 'Fine. I'm not fighting them.' It's not about me. I won't make a dime off this thing. But if I can get it done ... (The HGA has) a pretty big budget, and I don't think you need that big of a budget to put on a golf tournament."

That statement, while perhaps accurate, is a disconcerting one given the HGA's many roles in the community developing the game. And in recent years, the organization has been working to restore Houston's run-down munis and setting a strong example for other regional golf associations.

Crane loves him some First Tee and the wonderful write-off they can be...

Crane, however, was a founding board member of what's arguably the HGA's centerpiece beneficiary, The First Tee Foundation, and he said, "I love First Tee. I donated a million dollars to First Tee, I like them so much. I'm willing to sit down with (the HGA). I want their help. I like Steve personally, and the HGA does a lot of good stuff. We'll be doing a lot of things through (the Astros') foundation."

Sadly, golfers in Houston won't benefit from the Astros foundation like they would from the HGA's work. 

$2 Billion: Discovery Lands PGA Tour International Television Rights

I believe Sky Sports has the UK rights through 2021, but otherwise PGA Tour golf has a new partner in Discovery, reports Bloomberg's Gerry Smith.

The 12-year deal, which begins next year, includes TV and online rights to the U.S.-based men’s golf circuit, and the development of a Netflix-like video service. It covers more than 140 tournaments a year, including about 40 PGA Tour events.

Netflix-like! 

Here is the real key to how the whole thing makes sense for Discovery, owners of Animal Planet and HGTV:

Discovery will air tour events on its regular TV channels and use them to attract more viewers to its online service, Eurosport Player, which has more than 1 million subscribers who currently pay to stream soccer, tennis and other sports. The tour puts on events 43 weeks a year, so fans would have a reason to keep coming back, Zaslav said. Discovery also will sublicense rights in some markets.

It's Official: Quicken Loans Taking PGA Tour Event To Detroit Golf Club In 2019 And Beyond

The PGA Tour is returning to Michigan and in a big way, bypassing the cushier suburbs for Detroit Golf Club. This is the base for Quicken Loans, current sponsor of the Washington D.C. stop played this year at TPC Potomac.

For Immediate Release:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA, and DETROIT – Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, and the PGA TOUR today announced a long-term agreement to create a new professional golf tournament in Detroit, beginning in 2019. Quicken Loans has been working with officials from the PGA TOUR for several years to bring golf’s highest level of competition to its hometown.

“Professional golf belongs in Detroit. The Motor City – and the entire state of Michigan – have long served as a premier golf destination with some of the best courses in the country. We will be working with the PGA TOUR to make the Detroit stop one of the most exciting and engaging events on the professional golf calendar,” said Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner.

“Quicken Loans has been a tremendous PGA TOUR partner for several years now, making an impact through the innovative spirit and community-first mindset the organization and its leaders bring to every endeavor,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.  “We’re thrilled to take this new step in our partnership and bring a PGA TOUR event to the great city of Detroit.”

Quicken Loans is partnering with Intersport, a leader in sports and entertainment marketing, to oversee the operation of the tournament, as well as create numerous related attractions and festivities that are planned to take place throughout the city of Detroit during the event.

The Detroit Golf Club (DGC) is expected to serve as the host venue. The club’s membership recently overwhelmingly voted to empower the Board of Directors to explore and execute a PGA TOUR event at its historic Donald Ross-designed golf course.

A look at the course and awesome clubhouse from three years ago:

Jack Loves The Memorial's New Schedule Spot, Not So Sure About A May PGA In Rochester

Dave Shedloski reports for Golf World about Jack Nicklaus's pleasure at future Memorial's situated perfectly between the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. The Golden Bear also notes there will be less European competition in future years and is pleased that the Players and PGA Championship will present more interesting weather equations as part of the mix. 

Except in Rochester, 2023.

"I don't know," Nicklaus added, "what's going to happen in May in Oak Hill in Rochester, but I wish them well. I hope the weather is good. That's going to be a tough time."

A Steph Curry Hosted PGA Tour Event In The Works?

That's what Darren Rovell reports is in the works, with hopes for a fall schedule slot in the Bay Area. 

From the ESPN.com report:

Frank Zecca, a managing director at Octagon who has worked with the Curry family for more than 25 years, would not confirm that a deal was inked but did acknowledge that conversations happened.

"Besides family and basketball, philanthropy, investing, technology and golf are high up on his list," Zecca said. "Culinary, community and the Bay Area are also priorities."

Culinary?

The PGA Tour acknowledged the plans and of course, suggested right out of the gate that he might attract the M's!

"There's no doubt Stephen Curry brings a young, new, diverse audience to the PGA Tour through his passion for this great game and support for the community," said PGA Tour spokeswoman Laura Neal. "We're excited about the prospect of partnering with an iconic athlete of his caliber in the future."

Will Sports Gambling Bring Fan Interference?

Here at the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic, players are slowly beginning to realize the economic benefits of sports gambling may come with a downside.

While they aren't ranting like Randall Mell did in his piece for GolfChannel.com, they are sharing the same concern.

With legalized gambling, there promises to be a billion new reasons for fans to root against a player, just as there will be a billion new reasons to root for a player.

Thomas had a right to be annoyed at the Honda Classic. Golf isn’t like the NBA. A fan screaming in a player’s backswing is different than a fan screaming at a player on the free throw line. A golf fan can control the outcome of an event a lot easier than an NBA fan can.

Nobody’s paying to see Joe Blowhard dictate who wins. But that’s the thing about legalized gambling. It’s a pretty good bet we’ll see more Joe Blowhards coming into the sport. And I’ll wager one of them costs a PGA Tour player a chance to win.

Will Gray talked to some veteran players who see potential issues. Ernie Els sees pushback when a player lets a fan down, while Jimmy Walker pointed to the intimacy and quiet of golf.

“Golf is so much more intimate, player to fan base, than any other sport. Tennis may be the only other one where it’s so quiet and the fans can get so close,” Walker said. “I think that’s the big deal, and that’s what people have to realize when they come out here, is that you can stand 5 feet from the best players in the world. You can’t do that at a football game. It’s hard to do that at a basketball game because it’s so loud, nobody can hear all that. So I just think we need to police it a little better.”

Monahan On The Players: "This product works in May, this product works in March."

He hasn't rolled out a Finchem-esque coterminous or compaction reference, but Jay Monahan has definitely picked up a case of B-speak during a week of Players Championship meetings.

From a chat with GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard, updating us on the schedule, the Tiger-Phil pairing and the state of the Players. 

“To bring the best field in golf here, early in the season and to be able to use this platform and have tent-pole events, big events, every month March through July and get the playoffs to a position where we’re really excited about where we’re going, that’s good for the overall schedule.

“When you look at how we make this product [The Players] better, this product works in May, this product works in March. You need to pick the areas where you need to improve.”