Golden State National: Is This A Bad Time To Mention That We Need More Golf Tournaments In California?

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Let's establish three very simple facts:

--Rain rarely occurs in California from May through October.

--When a golf tournament is played in California, it finishes in prime time for more than half the country and garners a much bigger rating, no matter who is contending

--Golf is played outdoors. It is much better when rain does not interfere with the proceedings.

Ok, technically I've presented four simple facts.

As we were reminded again last week after what has actually been a good-weather season in golf, the sport features many overpaid individuals who continue to sign up their major events on the east coast at times of year when rain can (will) be an issue. The PGA Tour set its playoffs for midwest and northeast venues, with a finish in Atlanta at a boring culmination architecturally that will be even less glamorous in 2019.

(In his defense, Commissioner Moonbeam was said to have been trying for at least one major west coast market in his original playoff plans, but players complained about travel issues and the PGA Tour could not find a sponsor/venue fit out west.)

As you know, ratings have never been very good for the FedExCup Playoffs. The list of reasons is long, from a confusing and unsatisfying format, to the time of year and the time zone of the venues, to overall golf fatigue once the majors have been played. The numbers may not improve next year when the playoffs are contested by late August, soon after the major season has ended and at more eastern venues. 

Meanwhile, the PGA Championship moves to May 2019 and while this meant the PGA of America could open up new regions like Florida or Arizona, they've got mostly a who's-who of venues similar to those they've always gone to--Kiawah, Valhalla, Quail Hollow, Baltusrol, Southern Hills, etc...), with just two California stops scheduled through 2030--Harding Park in 2020 and Olympic Club in 2028. Weather could be an issue for most of the future PGA venues, particularly the New York area stops at Bethpage, Trump Bedminster and Oak Hill. 

So if you like the permutations of weather-delayed event planning, then check out Nick Menta's GolfChannel.com story on the many possibilities for the 2018 BMW Championship as play spills into Monday.

But if you are a dreamer, consider Golden State National. 

It's an as-yet unbuilt (or not-yet-remodeled) facility somewhere south of San Francisco and featuring 36-holes of golf, enough hotel rooms within 45 minutes to support the traveling golf circus, a luxury hotel on property for not-important VIP's, a G5-friendly landing strip, and of course, at least 8,500 yards of golf to deal with the distance explosion.

More vitally, Golden State National can host major events from March to November, deliver ratings and finish on Sundays. The ground will be firm. Fans will enjoy themselves. Television executives won't have digestive issues.

But here's the catch: to build or remodel an existing facility into GSN, it costs money. A lot of money when you have to build a course for the modern game where 250 acres is the new 150, meaning we need 500 acres potentially.

The non-profits of golf, devoted to funneling every penny possible to charity--ok, that's slightly sarcastic--have resisted even considering such a facility due to a lack of vision or a lack of funds, even though GSN could also host some NCAA Championships, LPGA majors and other special events. And hackers the rest of the year eager to pay $250 to play where the pros play. 

It'll probably take about $150 million to pull off the facility from scratch, maybe less if we can find a lesser property where dynamite and architectural ingenuity will be the greatest expenses and a local airport handles the Wheels Up crowd. I can think of two San Diego area properties that fit such a bill, and that's just off the top of my head. 

So how do we go about raising the funds for Golden State National since golf's Five Families resist the desire, vision or courage of convictions to do what is right? Which is, to create a facility dedicated to the modern game, modern weather, and modern sports audience? 

Kickstarter anyone?

Weekend Trophy Roundup: Fitzpatrick Wins, Danes Take World Amateur Team Championship

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We don't have a BMW Championship winner with the event attempting a Monday finish due to inclement weather, making for a light week when the LPGA, PGA Tour Champions and Web.com Tour were all dark.

Which reminds me, those three all finished events last Sunday instead of Labor Day Monday. With the PGA Tour vacating that day in 2019, maybe we can stagger some of those finishes next year?

Here is Alistair Tait on Fitzpatrick's win, just a hair late for this year's Ryder Cup consideration.

In addition to the trophy shot, Fitzpatrick posted this sweet shot capturing the majestic locale:

Captain Thomas Bjorn loves seeing his countrymen winning the World Amateur Team Championship over the Americans. A harbinger of Ryder Cup fortune? Here is Pete Kowalski's story on the win and USA runner-up finish.

The runner-ups from America:

Time For Amateurs To Look Like Amateurs Again

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Stories recommending how to make the U.S. Amateur more relevant have been written for some time now.

Doug Ferguson wrote this one back in 2005 that I blogged about.

I penned a Golfweek story last year suggesting that U.S. Amateur winners retain their U.S. Open exemption whether they turn pro or not.

Once counted as a major by Jack Nicklaus and a vital championship on the golf calendar, the U.S. Amateur has drifted to the back pages and in the ratings division. The amateur game has been weakened by few lifelong amateurs and players turning pro at increasingly younger ages.

But after last week's U.S. Amateur, I'm convinced the event is also undermined by players looking like pros. Maybe it's too subliminal and maybe the trend is irreversible, but I was struck by how many people noted when a player wore a corporate-affiliated hat or looked too much like a professional golfer.

College gear didn't seem to offend even though some of America's finest institutions might as well be corporations. Seeing a player advertising their school reminds us they are still an amateur. But young players looking like PGA Tour pros, down to scripted outfits and an overpolished look envisioned in a corporate meeting room, strips the event of its integrity.

Here is what the USGA's FAQ on Amateur Status says about free equipment and, in particular, clothing:

Yes. Even if you have golf skill or reputation, you may accept a reasonable amount of golf balls, golf clubs, clothing, shoes and other merchandise from a company or source dealing in these types of equipment (e.g., equipment manufacturer or golf shop). However, if you are considered to have golf skill or reputation, you must not advertise or promote the source of the equipment.

The act of wearing a scripted, logoed outfit and hat would seem to fall under the definition of advertising or promoting the source of your free equipment. Particularly the hat. 

The USGA did once try to regulate the logos, according to former Executive Director David Fay, who recalled amateurs at the 1989 event even being asked to cover manufacturer logos with duct tape. The USGA even offered the amateurs who made it to the TV rounds a free host-Club logo hat.  

"But it all started to feel (and look) silly to duct tape “Titleist”, when more and more 15 handicappers started wearing equipment-manufacturer hats and carrying equipment-manufacturer bags and head covers," says Fay.    

Indeed, golf has the equivalent now of cyclists who stumble into Starbucks in the logo-clad tights, as if they'd just finished the Bourg-Saint-Maurice Stage in the Tour De France. Logos are pervasive in our culture and even an attempt to look stylish or to subscribe to some sort of lifestyle brand. 

Nonetheless, amateurs sporting their preferred manufacturer's logos as a thank you for free equipment constitutes advertising as defined by the Rules of Golf. Worse, the look undermines the amateur in United States Amateur.

Bring back the duct tape. 

Putting A Bow On The 2018 U.S. Amateur: Hovland Defeats Bling, Pebble Shines, Jack Provides Link To The Past

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Viktor Hovland

Viktor Hovland

Pebble Beach did not disappoint as a venue for the 118th U.S. Amateur and its fifth time hosting dating to 1929.

Viktor Hovland dominated his opponents all week including finalist Devon Bling. Hovland's winning scores in 2018 U.S. Amateur Match Play:

3&2
2&1
7&6
7&6
3&2
6&5

Yowsers!

Even better, Hovland is a big personality with a bigger brain and strong all around game that has even more upside. The first Norwegian to win the Amateur now heads back to Oklahoma State with likely spots in the Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship as well as a chance to be a great international ambassador for amateur golf. 

The game stories are worth your time on this one giving the many dimensions to Hovland.

Ron Driscoll gives us the nuts and bolts of a match where Hovland dominated, yet had Bling just been a bit better, would have made very interesting, a compliment to his skill and persistence. 

Brentley Romine for Golfweek takes the college angle and explains how Hovland was an accidental find for OSU coach Alan Bratton, who was on the bag this week.

Ryan Lavner at GolfChannel.com has a wild anecdote about how Hovland killed some time in between the morning and afternoon sessions. If you had reading up on a philosophic debate over affirmative action in the pool, you win!

Dave Shedloski dives a little deeper into Hovland's wit and big personality.

Chris Keane's images from the final capture a bit of everything to perfectly sum up the combatants, the venue and the championship. 

Hovland's highlights in three minutes:

As for Pebble Beach, I believe my views are fairly well documented in past blog posts about some of the lost architectural potential of the course. But in a week that is a big sacrifice for the Pebble Beach Company to give up the course, all in all the assessment is a positive one.

The nostalgic fan of golf history in me welcomes any chance to celebrate the 1929 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach, arguably the tournament I'd most love to go back in time to experience. So check out Joe Bissen's story about the winner back then, Jimmy Johnston, a stockbroker from St. Paul. 

And as The Forecaddie notes, it was a fantastic, amazing and slightly bizarre sight of having Jack Nicklaus walking the course early in the week (and not getting recognized by one player). Also, because of his history at Pebble Beach, here is a little-known link to that 1929 U.S. Amateur that Golden Bear buffs will enjoy. 

To really bring it full circle, Nicklaus Tweeted his pride at the effort by winner Hovland and runner-up Bling:

U.S. Amateur Final Set: Bling v Hovland For The Havemeyer Trophy

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A 65 by Devon Bling and six-under-through-16 by Viktor Hovland sets up a battle of two prototypical modern stars in the making. The first 18 commences at 7:30 am PT with streaming coverage at USGA.org starting at 9:30 am PT prior to Fox network coverage of the afternoon 18 from Pebble Beach (1:30 PM PT/4:30 PM ET).

Brentley Romine at Golfweek sets up the final match-up for the Havemeyer Trophy.

Ryan Lavner with GolfChannel.com "snapshots" of the two combatants. 

If Tale Of the Tape is your preferred angle, Mike Trostel breaks down the two finalists by the numbers.

Dave Shedloski with more on Bling playing for his late mother.

If you're in the area, it'll be the best $25 you've ever spent walking the fairways of Pebble Beach watching two players displaying all-around talent.

As I write for Golfweek, it's been another grand amateur at Pebble. (With some architectural quibbling.)

Chris Keane and J.D. Cuban's images from Saturday capture just some of the incredible golf on display.

Hovland's highlights:

Bling's highlights:

Reminder: U.S. Amateur Semi-finals Feature Early Start; Bling v. Salinda and Hovland v. Hammer For Masters Invites

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After some late afternoon golf the 2018 U.S. Amateur semi's get under way at 8 and 8:20, with Devon Bling playing Isaiah Salinda, followed by Cole Hammer vs. Viktor Hovland.

The winners earn a spot in the Masters.

Fox coverage begins at 9 am PT. 

My Golfweek story on Bling's remarkable match with Davis Riley where he never led until a bold line of attack at the 18th set up a winning birdie. 

A showdown of top amateurs features Hovland v. Hammer, and as Brentley Romine notes for Golfweek, Hovland is playing stellar golf coming off two straight 7&6 wins.

U.S. Amateur Quarterfinals Set At Pebble Beach, Fingers Crossed Fox Stays On To The Conclusion

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There are several typically compelling U.S. Amateur stories to follow, particularly at sun-splashed Pebble Beach Golf Links.  Ron Driscoll at the official site has a perfect roundup of the close Round of 16 action and a quarterfinal preview. Mike Trostel with more on the players who all earned exemptions to next year's Amateur at Pinehurst.

The lead quarterfinal match at 2:30 pm PT and features Davis Riley v. Devon Bling.

Brentley Romine at Golfweek has the Riley angle, while I penned this story on Bling's recent rise and play for his late mother.  Both are playing well and for a lot, so it should be a good one. 

Ryan Lavner reports on Isaiah Salinda's win over former US Mid-Amateur champion Stewart Hagestad. Salinda cracked a driver head but helpful technicians on hand were there to help with a replacement.  Stanford's Salinda recently won the Pacific Coast Amateur and is from South San Francisco.

Lavner reports on the unfortunate round of 32 loss by Akshay Batia thanks to a mistake ride taken by his caddie from what he thought was a rules official.

Mercifully, the Riley-Bling match starts off the afternoon and should finish inside Fox Sports 1's allotted broadcast window. The network signed off on Thursday's action with two matches All Square to rack up a tape of some sort of U.S. Women's Open mini-documentary.  I'm told an on-time sign off with action still going also occurred Wednesday.

So to recap: do you go with prime time match play golf from Pebble Beach or save an hour of overtime pay?  Fox execs went the save-money route for their USGA partners. 

It's little wonder then that fans do not make an effort to find USGA-Fox broadcasts. Overnight ratings for Thursday's Round of 16 coverage were down 29% from last year's Thursday play at Riviera, drawing a .05 despite the prime time slot and Pebble Beach. 

The quarterfinal matches starting late in the day for Fox. 

Today's coverage on FS1 starts at 4 pm PT.

Round highlights from the USGA social squad and Fox:

Round Of 64 At Pebble: Upsets Galore, Hole-Outs, Hammer Wins And Hagestad Finally Wins One

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Stewart Hagestad (JD Cuban/USGA)

Stewart Hagestad (JD Cuban/USGA)

The 118th U.S. Amateur got underway after a 24-for-1 playoff (Ryan Lavner reports) Wednesday morning at Pebble Beach.

Brentley Romine of Golfweek on the top three players losing in round one.

Cole Hammer continued his great play, surviving a round one match by chipping in for eagle at the 18th, beating Alvaro Ortiz. The Western Amateur champion's highlights:

Zhen Kai Bai aced the 7th hole and his mom caught it on her cell phone!

Pepperdine's Clay Feagler holed out at 15 en route to a Round of 64 win.

Stewart Hagestad finally made it to match play in the U.S. Amateur, defeating the dapper Harry Hall of England and his strong fisherman's hat. My story for Golfweek.

Thursday's round of 32 tee times and other info.

Jack Returns To A Pebble Beach As A U.S. Amateur Spectator

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My account for Golfweek on Jack Nicklaus' return to the scene of a U.S. Amateur and a U.S. Open win to watch his 49-year-old son Gary play the 2018 U.S. Amateur.

While there are so many great stories at the U.S. Amateur, seeing the greatest ever walking 36 and treating the other competitors with his usual touch of class, added something special to this year's U.S. Amateur. 

A few of my shots of the Golden Bear out spectating where he won this championship 57 years ago:

U.S. Amateur Primer: Pebble Beach Hosts For Fifth Time

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Here's a great look, with old film footage of the 1929 U.S. Amateur, of Amateur golf's history at Pebble Beach where stroke play qualifying begins Monday.

This photo gallery of 1929 is a real keeper. 

And as John Fischer reminds us, Bobby Jones losing early in match play led to golf at Cypress Point and Pasatiempo, and an affinity for Alister MacKenzie's work. 

As for 2018, Golfweek offers this look at players to watch.

Here is Amateurgolf.com's list of players they're watching.

Brian DePasquale's USGA.org full breakdown of the field.

Tee times.

You can follow scoring at USGA.org.

And their page devoted to event schedule and Fox television times.

Jack Nicklaus, whose son Gary qualified as a reinstated amateur, attended the event dinner Saturday and posed with some current Buckeyes. Nicklaus won the 1961 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. 

Here is the USGA's mood-setter on Pebble Beach:

DCP'ers At The U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Offers Perspective, Raises Questions

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The Forecaddie is astonished as many of us were upon learning how many Drive, Chip and Putt finalists are competing in this week's U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball (nearly a 10% clip for DCP finalists). After Monday's round of 32, all but two were eliminated, reports David Shefter.

We discussed on Morning Drive what a statement this is for the DCP:

The average of participant--18.1 for the match play--does raise questions about what this event has become. 

The USGA seemed to schedule the men's and women's four-balls at at time to discourage college players and make it easier for mid-amateurs to compete. At least on the women's side, the timing has been conducive to junior golfers and not so friendly to both college players (conference finals/regionals) and mid-amateurs (too early in the golf season). While I love seeing the young talent excel, it also calls into question who this U.S. Amateur Pub Links replacement is serving and if the April date is working for anyone. 

Parziale: “He’s a blue-collar kid from a blue-collar family from a blue-collar city"

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Matt Parziale, the U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion, came into the Masters press center yesterday to discuss his tournament preparation and career as a firefighter. 

Mark Cannizzaro has a superb write up of Parziale's story, his comments and insights from friends and family. 

Also worth your time is Jim McCabe's Masters.com piece on the ties between Parziale, Thorny Lea and a former fellow member, Herbert Warren Wind. 

From his home a few blocks away, Wind would walk over to the club, entering at the 15th hole. Born in 1916, he began to play before age 10 and for years would say how Thorny Lea ushered him into a world of golf that he cherished forever.

“I know of him, how he named Amen Corner and was a great writer,” said Parziale. “I know the club is proud of him.”

Reminder: LAAC And Spot In Masters Underway In Chile

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The repositioned (by two days) Latin America Amateur Championship is underway at Prince of Wales Country Club. A papal visit led to the event's original dates being altered by five days.

Even Augusta National, the USGA and R&A stand down for the Pope!

The telecast times:

Live broadcasts of all four rounds will be available across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. The scheduled times for each round’s live broadcast are listed below, with all times local to Santiago, Chile:

First Round: Saturday, Jan. 20: 3-5 p.m.
Second Round: Sunday, Jan. 21: 3-5 p.m.
Third Round: Monday, Jan. 22: 12-2 p.m.
Final Round: Tuesday, Jan. 23: 12-2 p.m.

Championship highlights will air on Tuesday following the completion of play; viewers can check local listings for specific broadcast times.

ESPN will provide event coverage in this year’s host country, as well as throughout Latin America. Other broadcasters include ESPN and ESPN2 (United States), Eurosport (Europe), Fox Sports Asia, Fox Sports Australia, SuperSport (Southern Africa) and TSN (Canada). All of the coverage will also be streamed live on the official event website, LAACgolf.com.

Masters Chairman Fred Ridley discussed the state of the event with Todd Lewis of Golf Channel, and refreshingly, refused to say in year four if it's fair to know exactly what impact the event has had.

Also, a return to the Dominican Republic for 2019 was announced Saturday.

LATIN AMERICA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP TO RETURN TO CASA DE CAMPO IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC IN 2019

SANTIAGO, Chile –The Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) will return to Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic for its fifth edition, which will be held January 17-20, 2019. Championship organizers made the announcement today during the 2018 LAAC currently underway at Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago, Chile.

Founded by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA, the LAAC was established to further develop amateur golf in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
The LAAC champion receives an invitation to compete in the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. In addition, the winner and the runner(s)-up are exempt into the final stages of qualifying for The Open and the U.S. Open Championship. The champion is also awarded full exemptions into The Amateur Championship, the U.S. Amateur Championship and any other USGA amateur championship for which he is eligible.

The 2019 LAAC will mark the championship’s return to Casa de Campo, which hosted the event in 2016. It was then that Costa Rica’s Paul Chaplet claimed the title and went on to become the first player from Central America to compete in the Masters and the second-youngest competitor in Masters history at 16 years old.

“It gives us great pleasure to welcome the Latin America Amateur Championship back to our beautiful resort and country,” said Andres Pichardo Rosenberg, president of Casa de Campo and a native of the Dominican Republic. “This championship is a truly special event that is helping advance the game throughout our region and paving the way for Latin America’s future golf stars. We are honored to play a role in supporting this mission as hosts and look forward to seeing the most talented amateur players once again rise to the challenges our course offers.”

Golfweek Wrap: 2017 In Amateur Golf

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We were priviliged to have the U.S. Amateur(s) and Walker Cup come to California and all three produced historic weeks with unforgettable moments.

I was blessed to get to cover the U.S. Amateur at Riviera and Walker Cup at Los Angeles Country Club for Golfweek and reflect on where 2017 fits among the great years in amateur golf.