When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
We kept it varied and light on a rambling cross-section of State of The Game topics with Rod Morri and Mike Clayton. As always, you can subscribe in the usual places or listen below:
Sometimes there is so much to talk about you don't need a guest and episode 81 of State of the Game comes at just such a time. From the Tiger/Phil big money match to reactions to Bellerive to Inbee Park's slap in the face from one of the game's biggest manufacturers and the possibility of a PGA and PGA Tour merger, its all happening in the world of golf.
We don't have all of the Trackman numbers, but with Jack Nicklaus' old 1-iron and driver it's said Dustin Johnson hit the ball 232 yards and 290 yards, respectively.
Even better he survived the experience of hitting those non-game-growing, too-hard-to-hit clubs that somehow did not kill the game. Worse, it grew when people hit the ball shorter! Perish the thought!
Cool experience today at Bears Club. @jacknicklaus and @garyplayer wanted to see @DJohnsonPGA hit Jack’s old 1 iron and Persimmon driver. pic.twitter.com/eX0joF4AgQ
— Dustin Johnson Golf School (@DJGolfSchool) August 29, 2018
While Eamon Lynch at Golfweek joins the choir of Phil Mickelson dissenters in saying Lefty should be left off the 2018 Ryder Cup team, we all know he's going to be on the team because of his match play prowess and ability to elevate the game of a younger playing partner (see Bradley, Fowler, Kisner).
Given the unsuccessful 2004 Ryder Cup pairing by Captain Hal Sutton, the idea seems implausible, yet they each may play just 18 a day in Paris and could make for a natural pairing. I say no way, Jaime Diaz in today's Alternate Shot said yes it should happen.
Since we all need a mental break from the relentless stress of PGA Tour Playoff golf, let's focus on the Ryder Cup and ask, should Tiger and Phil be paired together at some point?
The 2016 Made In Denmark Open winner is back and again on the outside looking in for a Ryder Cup pick. He can't make the team on points but a pick is not out of the question given the suspect play of Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson.
Pieters been playing beautifully, briefly snuck into PGA Championship contention Sunday and was a big success story in the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.
Paired the first two days with vice captain Lee Westwood and likely team member Thorbjørn Olesen, Pieters is doing something this week that Stenson and Garcia are not doing in Europe this week before Captain Bjorn makes his picks next Wednesday: playing on the European Tour!
I make my case on today's Alternate Shot for player with the most to gain this week while Jaime Diaz went the PGA Tour Champions route:
Rex Hoggard got the first chat with new PGA CEO Seth Waugh for GolfChannel.com.
On the distance issue:
SW: I have an opinion as a golfer, but not as a CEO yet. I pride myself on coming in without preconceived notions and hearing all the sides and I haven’t done that yet. I don’t think you can do this without the sign-on of these 29,000 [members].
I think golf should be more fun instead of less fun. I don’t think we need to make the game harder.
I look forward to getting in the middle of the conversation, but it’s premature to give an opinion because it’s not informed without hearing all the sides of the argument.
Hmmmm...cryptic on his views as a golfer.
Waugh endorsed the PGA of America team and vision in place from his predecessor Pete Bevacqua:
SW: [Bevacqua] has done a great job. The association is in the best shape, probably ever. The Ryder Cup is bigger than it’s ever been. We’re going to do a TV contract that is bigger than it’s ever been in the past. The status of the brand, the level that he created by being at the table, has never been higher.
The cool thing for me is how do we optimize that? There are two ways to take things over, to redo and clean up and the other is it’s on a roll and you want to continue to reach higher highs, and that’s where we are.
Waugh also appeared on Golf Central from the NBC affiliate WPTV where the busy newsroom nonsense didn't cause him to flinch once. Something tells me Waugh's going to make having an in-house studio priority #1 in the next PGA of America headquarters!
Here is the full interview with Ryan Burr, who asks at the 4-minute mark about the possibility of a PGA Tour merger and says there is "no fire" where the smoke is coming from.
Commissioner Jay Monahan welcomed Waugh with this Instagram post:
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There are plenty of Instagram accounts turning into something their creators could not have imagined, so it's fun to see a few in golf joining the fray by making businesses out of good taste and fresh ideas. Even more fascinating: seeing the brands who are saddling up to them for products.
Golfweek's Brentley Romine with Malbon Golf's success story, which jumped to another level beyond pop-up shop and place where the cool kids go after they launched a stellar-looking new line with Puma last week.
Last year the vision gained strength when Malbon Golf opened a pop-up shop on 800 N. Fairfax Ave. in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles. Since its opening, the shop, which features a boutique store accompanied by a putting green and golf simulator, has welcomed guests ranging from Michelle Wie and Smylie Kaufman to Travis Scott and Justin Bieber.
Several collaborations have added to the snowball effect, as Malbon has teamed up with several companies, including Puma, Nike, Ecco and Jones Bag, to produce merchandise and apparel featuring the trendy Malbon logo – a golf ball wearing a hat; simple but stylish.
An Instagram account originally started as a way for Malbon to not annoy his non-golf-loving followers of his personal account has more than 37,000 followers.
The rumblings in recent weeks have been met with an understandable: "Yes, that's a nice rumor but Seth doesn't need that job or want it," the power players would say when Seth Waugh was suggested as the leading candidate to become PGA of America CEO.
Now that the former Deutsche Bank CEO and current PGA of America advisory board member has been officially announced as Pete Bevacqua's replacement, the question will still be asked: why is an executive of his prowess, reputation, bank account and career arc taking on this position?
Or, to put it less-tactfully, why would a 60-year-old with ten club memberships, a net worth of $80 million, expensive homes in nice places and golf's most glorious tan/hair combo want to hear from 29,000 members about their excessive dues? Or, more alarmingly, report to a Grand Jury-sized board that forcefully condemns social media dust-ups but supports drunk drivers in leadership positions?
A) His love of golf is well established. Deutsche Bank built an incredible tour event in Boston in short time under his watch, one that sadly (and ironically) dies this week under the Dell Technologies banner due to changes in the PGA Tour schedule and post-2008 priority changes for his former employer.
B) Waugh was tight with former CEO Bevacqua, has been/continues to be a mentor to current PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, and at 60 can only play so much golf. Also, this is an organization in the sport he loves, based (at least for now) near his winter home, seems like a wise way to stay in the game of dealmaking and keeps in him in the golf and business game.
C) He's well versed in the PGA's current issues and may see an opportunity to make a major deal. So, what is that megadeal?
Well, what would be a fun, creative and utterly jaw-dropping collaborative negotiation that tickles the senses of a CEO like Waugh and allows him to work with people he likes (Waugh has a well-known no &**hole policy that does limit how many people in golf he can negotiate with)?
How about a stronger partnership with the PGA Tour? Or, more intriguingly, a merger?
Consider what currently sits before the PGA of America: an expiring television contract for the PGA Championship and a possible headquarters move to Frisco, Texas. Those are big ticket items that will shape the organization for decades to come and left by Pete Bevacqua for the next CEO when he moved to NBC Sports. Does Seth Waugh really take the PGA job to quibble with a Mark Lazarus or Sean McManus over commercial breaks-per-hour and then have a celebratory dinner when the deal is done? When he could be playing Cypress Point or Seminole or National Golf Links?
Probably not. But stranger things have happened.
And does a CEO of Waugh's stature take a day job at this point in his life to fly to Frisco, Texas to hear about the amazing millennial-friendly townhouses they'll be building and to help pick out LED lighting for a headquarters building?
Probably not. But stranger things have happened.
No, Seth Waugh taking the PGA of America job screams eventual merger. Or, "enhanced partnership," though technically this will marriage number two for those who sell sweaters and those who get paid to wear logoed sweaters.
After all, they were married for a time and divorced in 1968. It wasn't pretty but you know what they say, time heals all wounds!
What would incentivize these two to get hitched?
Money, of course.
Let's start with the easy issue: office space.
If the two organizations joined forces, here's betting the PGA Tour could find room in their new Foster-designed headquarters. It's not Palm Beach, but it's also not Frisco for the PGA of America staff who would still like to serve the members and keep their jobs in a place where palm trees don't wilt. There would undoubtedly be consolidation on some fronts, though the PGA of America is a pretty lean operation.
But here's where a merger makes sense: power, money and branding.
Rights to PGA of America's PGA Championship expire for CBS in 2019. The PGA Tour's rights expire in 2021 with the networks and Golf Channel. It is no secret that the PGA Tour would like its own channel or an ownership stake in NBC's Golf Channel. They passed up that opportunity when the current deal was negotiated but these two entities begin a new streaming partnership in 2019 for PGA Tour Live.
Currently, two major media corporations have shown a love of golf and content: Comcast and AT&T, headed by two CEO's--Brian Roberts of Comcast and Randal Stephenson of AT&T--are both Augusta National members who sign big checks in golf and are lodged in megadeal madness to expand their companies.
How does a stronger partnership serve the PGA Tour and PGA of America members?
The deal would give the PGA Tour ownership of a major championship and partial ownership of the Ryder Cup. A deal would put an end to the meaningless but vanity-destroying confusion over PGA Tour vs. PGA of America. And most of all, such a partnership would further convince one of those two media companies to respect their position in the form of dollars in some way. The PGA of America's members will have to get something out of all of this, but what that would be, remains unclear.
How does a possible merger serve the fans?
I haven't a clue. But none of the above-mentioned power players hopes to be in golf for the next few decades only to get on the bad side of consumers and to scare off subscribers. They want to make money, make deals and extend their reach. They like golf.
Still, mergers of non-profits (haruumph!) should deliver something tangible and exciting. And that's why Seth Waugh's decision to take the CEO job could lead to some big and compelling moves.
We wondered, Ted Bishop wrote about it and now they've made it official.
Much more analysis to come but in the meantime, what a fascinating and bold move for both the PGA and Waugh.
For Immediate Release...
Seth Waugh, a former Deutsche Bank Americas CEO, has been named Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of America. Waugh will guide the business and overall strategy of one of the world’s largest sports organizations, serving the Association’s nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals into an exciting new era.
An Independent Director on the PGA of America Board of Directors, Waugh is completing a three-year term of service, during which the Association focused on a long-term strategic plan to serve the PGA Member and grow the game.
Since 2017, Waugh has served as a Senior Advisor and then a Managing Director at Silver Lake, a global leader in technology investing. He will continue on as a Senior Advisor to the firm.
In 2016, he was also appointed Non-Executive Chairman of Alex. Brown, following the sale of Deutsche Bank’s Private Client Services division to Raymond James. Waugh also served in the management of Florida East Coast Industries in 2014.
“It is an honor and privilege to be invited to lead this remarkable Association into its second century,” Waugh said. “Like so many, I share a passion for the game that has given so much to me, and in the process, has somehow become a huge influence in my life. The opportunity to work with the nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals and others in the game to give back and to help our beautiful sport evolve is a true gift. I look forward to getting into the field to engage with our Members, learn more about the issues that matter most to them, and look for ways to enhance their careers and lives. I am grateful for the trust that the Officers and the Board are showing in me. It will be exciting to see all the good that we can do together as an Association and an industry.
“Leaving Silver Lake has been the hardest decision of my career, and I want to thank my partners for their support and commitment to excellence. There is a reason they are the best in the world at what they do.
“I am also grateful to my predecessor Pete Bevacqua for leaving the PGA in such strong shape, with a long-term strategic plan that will be the road map for our planning. Because of Pete’s good work and the work of the leadership team, the PGA Staff, the Board and Officers, and our Sections, I take over at a time that allows us to optimize our impact—and put particular focus on how to add value to our dedicated Members. I am truly grateful for the game of golf and this amazing opportunity, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Previously, Waugh spent 13 years at Deutsche Bank, including 10 years as CEO of the Americas, overseeing an unprecedented time of growth for the Bank in the region. He also served as Chairman of the Deutsche Bank Americas Advisory Board, an external strategic advisory team conceived under his leadership. During this time, Waugh worked with the PGA TOUR to create the former Deutsche Bank Championship (now the Dell Technologies Championship) in Boston.
“With Seth Waugh steering the PGA of America as our new CEO, we are gaining a leader who is respected across multiple industries for his vast strategic management experience and vision,” said PGA President Paul Levy. “Seth’s passion for PGA Members and the game of golf—as demonstrated by his service on the PGA of America’s Board—coupled with his global expertise in business, will serve our Members well.”
Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Waugh was CEO of Quantitative Financial Strategies (QFS). He also spent 11 years in various leadership roles at Merrill Lynch, culminating in serving as Co-Head of Global Debt Markets. Earlier in his career, Waugh managed the Corporate Bond and International Trading desks at Salomon Brothers.
Waugh serves on the Board of Franklin Templeton Advisors and the Advisory Board of Workday, Inc. He also served on the FINRA Board of Governors until 2015. Waugh’s philanthropic endeavors have included serving on the boards of the: World Trade Center Memorial Foundation; YMCA of Greater New York; Multiple Sclerosis Society of Greater New York; Executive Committee of Partnership for New York City; St. Vincent’s Services of Brooklyn; Local Initiatives Support Corporation; and Harlem Village Academies, as well as President of the Board of the Lawrenceville School, and Trustee at Wake Forest University.
Waugh holds a B.A. in Economics and English from Amherst College. Seth and his wife, Jane, reside in North Palm Beach, Florida. Together, they have five children, one of whom, Clancy, played golf at Wake Forest and SMU, and is now trying his hand in the professional game.
Waugh succeeds Bevacqua, who was recently named NBC Sports Group President, and will officially start at the PGA on Sept. 24. John Easterbrook Jr., PGA will continue to serve as Interim CEO until such time.
Let's establish a few things for those who might have forgotten: the FedExCup has been a resounding success despite lackluster ratings and constant tweaking over the years.
Which, of course, is why something so good, so brilliantly conceived, and so universally adored by the masses will be blown up in 2019. Despite years of great suggestions from all corners of the golf watching world, it should be noted the PGA Tour chose to cook up an internal idea that has some merit but also potential holes.
AP's Doug Ferguson says the vaunted points system, resets and algorithms will be tossed in favor of a scoring bias system that starts the FedExCup leader at -10 and works its way down from there.
The problem was splitting attention on two trophies. A year ago, Xander Schauffele won the Tour Championship by one shot over Justin Thomas, who won the FedEx Cup. Thomas said later it was a “weird” moment to lose the tournament and win the $10 million prize.
This means we have a weird 72-hole stroke play event where one player starts with a 10-stroke advantage, the next guy 8 strokes, and on down for the top 5. Presumably after those top 5 everyone else will start from scratch.
After legions of great suggestions over the years ranging from aggregate stroke play playoffs to points systems that produce a one-day shootout any sports fan can understand, we have something crafted by focus groups. Literally.
From Brian Wacker's GolfWorld.com story with more details on the concept:
According to multiple sources, the organization gathered statisticians and focus groups to help flesh out the format and gauge how well the changes would be received. Roughly 80 percent of the focus groups grasped the concept and said it was easier to understand, according to one source.
This handicap tournament will count as an official win despite the stroke-weighted structure.
No doubt, Cialis prescriptions went unused for days when the statisticians and tour executives were told the new format would have produced a one-stroke Justin Thomas win over Jordan Spieth in 2018. (Spieth held the FedExCup lead over Thomas heading to East Lake, so this presumes he started -10 to Thomas's -8).
That duel surely would have made for some great theater, but the year before, Dustin Johnson would have played just a so-so final tournament and have beaten Rory McIlroy by three strokes. That McIlroy win in a playoff was confusing but also possibly the most exciting in the Tour Championship's FedExCup era despite the confusion over scenarios.
Ultimately Sundays at East Lake should get better and maybe even make more sense in this scenario. But before you say Billy Horschel, the PGA Tour's Playoffs(C) have always lacked the dramatic potential for wild upsets, surprise eliminations and an underdog component.
The final four days at East Lake will still be just like before: three days of ho-hum golf with fingers crossed the numbers add up to make Sunday work. Which begs the question: what so has the players, execs and focus-groups still afraid to cut after 36 holes, reset the points, cut again for an exciting Saturday, then feature a Sunday shootout with just a few playing-for-the-big-check?
I guess we still will never find out.
Ted Bishop writes for MorningRead.com on the possibility of Deutsche Bank's former CEO taking the PGA of America position vacated by Pete Bevacqua. Bishop quotes a source saying an announcement could come before this year's Ryder Cup.
Phone messages left by Morning Read with Waugh were not returned. A PGA spokesman would confirm only that the hiring process was “ongoing.”
Waugh, the former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, could be just the man to lead the PGA’s 28,000 members and apprentices. He would bring a wealth of business and golf experience to one of the most unique and challenging leadership positions in golf.
I also reached out to Waugh for comment after hearing similar rumors but have received no reply. A PGA spokesperson also declined comment.
While Bishop dreams of this as a permanent job for Waugh, I'm having a hard time understanding why an executive of his caliber would commit to the job on anything beyond an interim basis.
Certainly, the 13-year CEO of Deutsche Bank and well-known golf nut would land well outside the box of expected candidates. But on a closer look, hiring the 60-year-old to fill Pete Bevacqua’s shoes could give the PGA of America major credibility in upcoming negotiations and provide Waugh a challenge befitting his skill level and contacts.
Waugh is best known to golfers as the very non-CEO type whose golf tan and longer hair provided a nice change of pace during Deutsche Bank Championship announce booth visits. He was instrumental in bringing the PGA Tour back to Boston, and remains very close with Commissioner Jay Monahan, who was once that tournament’s director. That event has its final playing this week as the Dell Technologies Championship.
For the last three years, Waugh has been serving on the PGA of America’s Advisory Board of Directors as an Independent Director. His current term would expire in January. However, Waugh’s already well-versed in the PGA of America’s forthcoming televisions negotiations on a new PGA Championship television contract as well as other issues for the organization. He is close with former CEO Pete Bevacqua and would likely maintain the vision set in place.
A member of ten golf clubs—including Seminole in Palm Beach near PGA headquarters where he spends his winters—Waugh serves on various boards and still works in the finance sector. He’s also one of the managing partners of the Pebble Beach Company.
All but one of Sunday's tournament winners takes home a piece of crystal for their efforts, starting with Bryson DeChambeau at the 2018 Northern Trust where he is turning this season into something very special in his young career, writes David Dusek for Golfweek.
1st in the #FedExCup standings 2nd win of the season 3rd career PGA TOUR 🏆 #LiveUnderPar
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The lone non-crystal trophy goes to the week's best sentimental champ, as Brooke Henderson becomes the first Canadian in 45 years to win her nation's CP Open, writes Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols. But she did get this spectacular memory:
Andrea Pavan took the Czech Masters on the European Tour where the crystal budget dried up and sent him home with this high-end doorstop:
😃🏆 Welcome to the European Tour winner’s club Andrea Pavan 👏🏻 @nellogolf #CzechMasters 🇨🇿
A post shared by European Tour (@europeantour) on
Scott Parel won the PGA Tour Champions Boeing Classic and with it a bomber's jacket, a crystal globe and the photographic evidence yet that all white belts must go.
HUGE congratulations to Scott Parel on his first @pgatourchampions victory! 🏆
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And Robert Streb kicked off the Web.com Tour playoffs with a win in the Nationwide Children's Charity Classic.
It's probably too late for 2018 Ryder Cup vice captain Padraig Harrington to get asked for his cart keys back following a Czech Masters second place finish to Andrea Pavan.
But the 47-year-old, who has tried some intriguing on course moves, is sporting his most fascinating move yet, presumably with an early takeaway pause/set inspired by his work with instructor George Gankas. He also feels he can still win on the European Tour after shooting 20-under-par and who would disagree?
Harrington into the lead 🎯 #CzechMasters @padraigharrington
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Lost in the details and griping over pay-per-view of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson the day after Thanksgiving may be the role of the main backer: AT&T.
From Mike Murphy's MarketWatch.com item:
AT&T said it will distribute live pay-per-view coverage on a number of its platforms, including DirecTV, AT&T U-verse and sports streaming site B/R Live. The company said the match will also be available on other on-demand platforms, and a rebroadcast will air on the TNT network. The pay-per-view price was not announced.
In a statement, AT&T said the two will be able to make side challenges: “Woods and Mickelson will selectively make side-challenges against one another during the match. For instance, Woods or Mickelson could raise the stakes by challenging the other to a long-drive, closest-to-the-pin or similar competition during a hole as they play their match, with money being donated to the winning golfer’s charity of choice.”
While long focused on sponsoring tournaments and providing bonus coverage on its more recent acquisition, DirecTV, this is the first major play by AT&T on the golf content side. With CEO Randall Stephenson on the PGA Tour Policy Board, could their role in the match and use of TNT as the broadcasting brand to deliver the coverage--despite consistently loathsome reviews of their PGA Championship effort--give folks the impression AT&T is getting in the golf business.
Or, is this all a way to justify their recent mergers by bringing together too many AT&T properties under the AT&T umbrella: DirecTV, TNT, Bleacher Report, HBO and AT&T U-Verse?
Time will tell, but a big PGA Championship bid does not seem too far fetched. Certainly bidding on some PGA Tour events for 2022 and beyond seems plausible. One question remains and probably always will go unanswered: what does Stephenson do when these matters come up before the PGA Tour Policy Board?
With a four stroke lead, Bryson DeChambeau seems destined to land a Ryder Cup captain's pick even with another week to go. He was the first man outside the eight automatic selections and has had a sensational 2018 season.
Tony Finau, in third heading toward Sunday's Northern Trust Open final round, continues to bring a consistently strong game no matter the style of course or setup. While Matt Kuchar has the presence and Kevin Kisner/Xander Schauffele may have games more suited to Le Golf National, Rex Hoggard points out for GolfChannel.com how well Finau's audition is going.
Tony Finau will be in a similar position on Sunday at Ridgewood following a 66 on Day 3 that moved him into a tie for third place at 11 under, five strokes behind DeChambeau.
“To say that I'm not thinking about the Ryder Cup, is definitely not true,” admitted Finau, who was 15th on the final qualifying points list. “But it's not the most important thing right now. I want to play good golf and get myself in contention this week. If it continues to prove to the captain and to the guys that make the picks that I'm worthy of a spot, then that's the case.”
Because of task force politics there will always be intrigue in the four picks, but it sure looks like the Captain's pick portion of the job is getting easy.
Oh and we all know who the other picks will be.
There has been no shortage of depressing stories of golf courses lost for not entirely great reasons, and the loss of one of Mike Strantz's nine designs has filled up my email box.
While I haven't played it, I'm nonetheless pleased to read Erik Matuszewski's Forbes.com item on the impending resurrection of Strantz's work in Virginia, with help from the Strantz family and the courses original shapers.
Before its closure, conditions at Royal New Kent had deteriorated significantly. But a new ownership group led by Wingfield Golf Management Services is faithfully restoring Strantz’s work, which in 1996 was selected by Golf Digest as the country’s best new course. So not only did they save it from going to seed or being plowed under for housing, they're preserving one of Strantz's visions the right way.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
