British Masters Saved In Grand Fashion: Hillside, Tommy Fleetwood To Host

The European Tour unveiled its 2019 schedule with 47 events once again and a new fall finish anchored by the BMW Championship and followed by the Open de France’s move from May to October but losing Rolex Series status (au revoir!).

Besides elevating the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to Rolex Series status, the other headlining news is the last minute salvation of the the British Masters. Thought to be in danger, the event has landed the beautiful Hillside Golf Club next door to Royal Birkdale and Ryder Cup hero Tommy Fleetwood as host of the 2019 edition.

From the European Tour release where you can also access the full schedule:

In terms of dates, Tommy Fleetwood will have an eye on the second week of May when he follows in the footsteps of his fellow countrymen Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose as the central figure of the British Masters hosted by Tommy Fleetwood.

The man who contributed four points to Europe’s remarkable 17 ½ - 10 ½ Ryder Cup triumph at Le Golf National last month, will assume the role at Hillside Golf Club in his native Merseyside, the celebrated links part of the glorious stretch of terrain recognised as England’s Golf Coast.

“I can’t wait to host the British Masters in my home town,” said Fleetwood. “It will be such an honour and I’m so grateful to have been asked.

“I’m extremely proud to follow the great ambassadors of our game who have hosted this tournament. I am very confident that Southport will make everyone welcome and the north west of England, and its love of golf, will embrace this opportunity and show support to us all.”

The British Masters hosted by Tommy Fleetwood will mark the European Tour’s first visit to Hillside since 1982 when Tony Jacklin won the Sun Alliance PGA Championship – the precursor to the BMW PGA Championship – beating his fellow Ryder Cup Captain Bernhard Langer in a play-off.

Hillside Golf Club also played host to the European Tour in its inaugural season in 1972, when Tommy Horton won the Piccadilly Medal, and the following year when former Tour Chairman Neil Coles won the PGA Match Play title. It was also utilised by the R&A as a Final Qualifying venue for the Open Championship from 2014 to 2017. 

Champ Wins Even After His Driver Cracks, Dominates With Distance At Sanderson Farms

Getting your first PGA Tour win is an incredible feat, but especially when you are known for you prodigious driving distances and the head cracks just 20 minutes before your tee time. That’s one Cameron Champ will be able to giggle about after battling to hang on and win the Sanderson Farms Championship at CC of Jackson.

Kevin Casey with the backstory on the driver break. Thankfully there was a backup. Given his clubhead speed (130) and ball speed (190ish) he probably should carry a backup collection!

This is the driver of Cameron Champ 20 minutes before his final round tee time with a 4 shot lead. He had a backup in the car, and was able to hit a few on the range. pic.twitter.com/QfnvStHFqW

— Justin Leonard (@jlmountainman) October 28, 2018

As for Champ’s driving distance and its role in his win, Sean Martin at PGATour.com writes in his Sanderson roundup:

He dominated the Country Club of Jackson’s back nine, which features two par-5s (Nos. 11 and 13) and the drivable, par-4 15th hole. He was 16 under on the course’s inward half and didn’t make a bogey.

Champ’s trademark driving distance was key to his victory. He finished first in driving distance, averaging 308 yards on all holes and 334 yards on the measured holes. He was second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, as well. Champ also finished second in Strokes Gained: Putting (+2.27 per round) and ninth in greens hit (55 of 72), despite hitting just 11 in the final round.

And check out these numbers from the ShotLink team. Look at that approach average distance number!

Trophy Wrap: Schauffele Takes The HSBC, Champ Claims Sanderson, Nelly Nabs The Swing Skirts

Xander Schauffele is primed for a Ryder Cup berth after…oh wait, sorry. Presidents Cup! He’s in like Flynn! Your WGC HSBC winner…

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Some birthday week eh, @xanderschauffele?

A post shared by European Tour (@europeantour) on Oct 28, 2018 at 11:02am PDT

Cameron Champ has arrived, taking the Sanderson Farms and a fantastic bookend for his coffee table book collection.

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Welcome to the winner’s circle @cameron__champ. 🏆😁 #LiveUnderPar

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) on Oct 28, 2018 at 3:30pm PDT

Nelly Korda becomes an LPGA winner in Taiwan and has a fantastic glass plate to show for her effort.

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#LPGAWinnerSelfie with @nellykorda at the #SwingingSkirts LPGA Taiwan Championship- the first winner selfie of her young career!

A post shared by LPGA Tour (@lpga_tour) on Oct 28, 2018 at 2:26am PDT

Scott Parel won the Invesco QQQ and the member-guest crystal that goes with winning a Schwab Cup playoff event.

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Trophy No. 2 for @parelgolf. 🏆🏆

A post shared by PGA TOUR Champions (@pgatourchampions) on Oct 28, 2018 at 5:37pm PDT

Who Says He Doesn't Play Well With Others? Patrick Reed Offers A Helping (Backstop) Hand* (*Or Was It Justin Rose)

*Those who stayed up to watch think Justin Rose was the kind helper. I will review tape Monday to confirm. Until then…my original snark that will happily be transferred to the former World No. 1 if he’s not protecting the field.

Maybe being on a Ryder Cup team bonded them, maybe he’s just lazy, maybe those grooves just really needed cleaning instead of protecting the field, or maybe Patrick Reed is just trying to be less of a maverick by leaving his ball next to the hole. Either way, he did it at the HSBC Champions so that Tony Finau could slow down his bunker shot just like we saw a year ago in Napa.

Yet another example of insidious behavior inside the ropes in the name of faster play when it’s could conveniently save someone strokes no different than turning a blind eye to someone improving their line. At least in a few months when the new rules of golf take hold, players won’t have to pretend to look the other way when a “ball mark” is repaired in their line. Tap away. Too bad the new rules find a way to address this nonsense.

Finau yesterday. Love Tony, but cmon man.

And shocked/disappointed to see lone wolf PReed participating in the buddy system. pic.twitter.com/XljY80j8ew

— Tron Carter (@TronCarterNLU) October 28, 2018

Inside The NBA: Come On "The Match" Haters, You Have To Admit Phil Knows How To Promote

Not only did he shed the Fonzie leather jacket and work in some product to calm down the increasingly distracting mullet, but Phil Mickelson turned in a masterful performance promoting The Match during TNT’s always fun Inside The NBA. I was ready to sign up by the end!

The Match: "Suggested Retail Price Of $19.99"

WarnerMedia announced the “pricing and distribution partnerships” for their Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson match, the first ever pay-per-view golf event. Capital One cardholders get 25% off.

We’ll never know how many are sold, but I’m having a hard time seeing huge sales at that price given the general hostility exhibited by the golf audience at having to pay for the first time. Then again, it’s the day after Thanksgiving and reality may set in that there is nothing else on television worth watching!

For Immediate Release:

For Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil 

Blockbuster Pay Per View Event – Produced by Turner Sports – to Tee Off 

Friday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m. (EST)/Noon (PST) With a Suggested Retail Price of $19.99

PPV Event Reflects New AT&T Combined Resources, Available Through

Turner’s B/R Live, AT&T’s DIRECTV, U-verse and Other TV Providers

 WarnerMedia’s Turner will present Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil, a highly-anticipated, head-to-head match play competition between golf icons Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on Friday, Nov. 23, beginning at high noon PT (3 p.m. ET).  The pay-per-view event, hosted by MGM Resorts International at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, will be widely distributed on PPV with a suggested retail price of $19.99.  

Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil will be available on PPV through Turner’s B/R Live, AT&T’s DIRECTV and AT&T U-verse.  The PPV will be distributed to other cable, satellite and telco operators including Comcast, Charter, Cox, Verizon and Altice in the U.S. and Rogers, Shaw and Bell in Canada through In Demand and Vubiquity (an Amdocs Company). Turner International will facilitate the distribution of live PPV access outside the U.S. and Canada. 

Turner Sports is producing all live event coverage while also serving as the exclusive sales and sponsorship partner, in conjunction with Excel Sports Management and Lagardère Sports. As title sponsor, Capital One will collaborate with Turner Sports and Turner Ignite Sports on a number of digital and broadcast integrations leading up to and during the live pay-per-view event and will have cardholder access opportunities for the event as well. Details will be released leading up to the event on how Capital One cardholders may receive a one-time discount for 25% off B/R Live.  Additionally, Capital One is the official bank and credit card of Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil, as well as the preferred payment card on B/R Live.

AT&T is the official 4K sponsor of The Match, which will be broadcast on DIRECTV’s 4K live event channel 106*.  In addition to live pay-per-view event coverage, accompanying content will be distributed across wide-ranging Turner, WarnerMedia and AT&T platforms including:

• HBO Sports and its groundbreaking 18-time Sports Emmy ® Award-winning 24/7 reality franchise will capture all the excitement leading up to the match;

• Bleacher Report and its wildly-popular House of Highlights, which recently surpassed 10 million followers on Instagram, will offer comprehensive highlights and behind-the-scenes content;

• Turner’s TNT will also televise programming with select content from the event in the weeks following the live competition. 

B/R Live, Turner’s new premium live sports streaming service, will offer the most direct access to purchase the PPV event across any digital platform.  B/R Live is available at https://live.bleacherreport.com; by downloading the B/R Live app through iTunes or Google Play; and/or via Apple TV, the Roku platform and Amazon Fire TV. 

As previously announced, the winner of this blockbuster, winner-take-all showdown between two golf legends will walk away with $9 million.  During the live event competition, both Woods and Mickelson will selectively make side challenges against one another.  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.

Turner Sports and its Turner Ignite Sports is simultaneously working closely with additional marketing partners to elevate their brands within this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, tapping into award-winning live events, experiential and creative marketing solutions. As associate sponsor, Audi will serve as the official automotive partner for Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil.  Along with having on-air and on-course signage, the auto brand will host the Audi Driving Range and will have a variety of vehicles on display for attendees. AT&T is also sponsoring the event, serving as the official wireless and data services partner and will present drone course coverage for the first time at Shadow Creek. 

The media rights agreement with Turner was completed in partnership between CAA Sports, Excel Sports Management and Lagardère Sports. Excel and Lagardère Sports, who represent Woods and Mickelson respectively, are also the event organizers for The Match. Broadcast talent and other event specifics for Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil will be announced in the coming weeks.

SNF: Trackman Coming To (Sunday) NFL Kicks!

Nice to see what most golfers have been wondering about: tracer technology and Trackman numbers on field goals with expansion plans as the season goes.

Best of all, the number we’ve always wanted to know will be shared: how far a kick would have flown had the net not stopped the ball.

SNF Kicks -- Using TrackMan Technology -- Maps Field Goal Attempts, Kick Trajectory, Football Speed & Projected Kick Distance  

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 25, 2018 –  NBC Sports this weekend will debut television’s first-ever field goal “tracer” on Sunday Night Football, as the New Orleans Saints (5-1) visit the Minnesota Vikings (4-2-1) in a meeting of first-place NFL teams, and a rematch of their memorable 2017 NFC Divisional Playoff. 

The new SNF Kicks Tracer – an element of SNF Kicks – can map the flight of the football on all field goal attempts. The SNF Kickstechnology will provide additional data including trajectory, speed of the football, and a “good from” statistic which indicates the furthest distance from which a made field goal attempt would have been successful. The SNF Kicks “good from” metric will be utilized for madefield goal attempts of 45-or-more yards, as this is the distance at which kickers typically put more power behind their kicks, making the maximum length measurement more applicable.

Using TrackMan technology – utilized and popularized in a longtime partnership with NBC Sports/Golf Channel golf coverage – SNF Kicks determines “good from” on field goal attempts by tracking the football from when it is kicked until the ball hits the net. The full flight measurement along with advanced modeling techniques determines the maximum distance the kick would have been good from, based on both distance and direction (any hook or slice). 

“As we continue to use the most cutting-edge technology to enhance our Sunday Night Football broadcast, we are excited to add the tracer to our coverage,” said Fred Gaudelli, executive producer of SNF. “With many games coming down to field goals, this new element will illustrate the flight of the football, while also providing many statistics pertinent to the kicking game. And field goals are only the beginning. By the end of the season, we hope to be showcasing the technology on kickoffs and punts, and eventually make our way to the passing game.” 

Tour Slow Play Wars Taking On Added, Enjoyable Dimension: Chipping Away At Field Sizes

For those who’ve watched the various Tours and players defend the pace of today’s game and fight to preserve the rights of entitled, selfish daily repeat-offenders, I have good news!

Field sizes are about to take start taking hits. If there will ever be one thing to make players actually stop defending slow pokes, the loss of playing opportunities might do it.

Rex Hoggard at GolfChannel.com reports on the continued player chatter after Corey Pavin—not known as a super slow player like Bernhard Langer—got zapped with a PGA Tour Champions penalty last weekend.

On the PGA Tour, the inability to finish at tournaments in the winter and spring months is putting pressure on officials to reduce playing opportunities. As it should be. The players can’t play fast enough? Time to start reducing fields!

The Tour’s policy board approved a plan to reduce the field size in Las Vegas from 144 to 132 players. According to a memo sent to players, the decision was made “to give the tournament a better chance of completing Rounds 1 and 2 on schedule.”

To be fair, part of this problem was driven by the event’s move from mid-October to early November, when the daylight window is slightly larger. But there’s no denying the fact that if threesome rounds didn’t regularly stretch past the five-hour mark, this would not be an issue.

Correctorama!

This was a fun fact. Television masks this, but think of the fan in attendance who can expect to lose valuable minutes of their life watching a player prepare for a shot.

Perhaps more eye opening are the Tour percentages. Eighty percent of all players took between 31 and 44 seconds to hit shots so far this season, while only 40 percent took between 35 and 40 seconds, which in theory should be the goal given the fine print of the circuit’s policy.

Which means a very large percentage took more than the Rules of Golf allow for. Charming.

But hey, they take their hats off at 18 to shake hands and call penalties on themselves!

Fingers crossed the Genesis Open at Riviera is next on the chopping board. 156 players used to get around there in January. Now at 144 in February, that’s too much for today’s turtles even with almost no rough. Let’s cut those playing opportunities so the serial slow pokes are protected!

Golf Inc's Most Powerful People In Golf...Tiger's Really Back Now!

Troon Golf’s Dana Garmany tops the annual Golf Inc list, followed by PGA Tour Commish Jay Monahan and Tiger returns to the list at 7th. However, when you are two slots behind the Finchem-Nike-American-Golf-some-health-care-company castoff David Pillsbury, who somehow conned Club Corp’s board into making him CEO, it’s hard to hold your head too high Tiger if you are in the six slot and beyond.

Much more entertaining than the list are the photos of the execs and architects. Some airbrushes were out in full force!

How Molinari's Big (Distance) Gain Led To His Big Season

Francesco Molinari’s breakout 2018 will forever be remembered for his final round Open precision. Paired with Tiger Woods, Molinari never wilted on an unrelenting Carnoustie that exposed the slightest mistakes.

Yet as Sean Martin notes in this PGATour.com look at Molinari’s numbers, a sacrifice of some accuracy for distance gained through a combination of fitness and fitting allowed Francesco to pick up enough off the tee to make huge leaps.

His tee shots covered 64 percent of the yardage on par-4s and par-5s this season. That's nearly 5 percent more than three seasons ago. He ranked 27th in that statistic in 2018 after ranking 168th (out of 184 players) in 2015.

That’s pretty amazing. So was this after his fitting work with Taylor Made and fitness came together. The numbers don’t lie:

In May 2018, he was up to 114 and 169 mph. He was now carrying the ball nearly 290 yards, more than 25 yards longer than that October 2016 testing session.

Molinari’s story is even more fascinating given what an established player he was and what a bold move he made given the number of players who have tried to pick up distance and lost their games. Best of all he did it through a combination of art, science and hard work. Given the direction of the game toward a speed emphasis at younger ages, Molinari may be one of the last we’ll see to make such a big mid-career adjustment.

"Pete Dye's Last Chapter"

While Ron Whitten dwells on the horror of seeing the Pete Dye he’d long known no longer able to recognize him or share stories, he uses the opportunity of a recent visit to recount Dye’s career and legacy in golf architecture in a lengthy Golf Digest story.

To me, Pete was always a combination of Will Rogers, Walt Disney and Rod Serling. Now he's barely Pete. It is heartbreaking.

I ask Alice if Pete is aware of who we are, or, more important, who he is anymore.

"I don't know what he knows," she says. "It's very strange. He doesn't communicate back much. But I think he understands more about what's going on than we think."

I guess I'd seen it coming but didn't recognize it for what it was at first, or maybe I was in a state of denial. During a round of golf in 2015 with Pete and Alice at Gulf Stream Golf Club, just down the street from their house, Pete had asked me a question, then five minutes later asked me the same question again. And he kept calling me by the wrong name. I dismissed that as the usual forgetfulness that comes with old age.

From there Whitten briefly details coming to grips with the emotions of seeing a longtime subject essentially gone. But mercifully Alice is as sharp as ever and there is a long documented record, much of which Whitten reviews in this remembrance.

Reuters: Chinese Golfers Urged To WD From Taiwan Event By Higher Ups

This week’s friendly (cautionary) tale for a world of golf eager to cash in on all things golf in China comes in the form of a Reuters report by Peter Reynolds. The short version: sources say someone “high up” in China urged the golfers to pass on this week’s Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship.

China, which views self-ruled Taiwan as a wayward province, has ramped up pressure to assert its sovereignty. Ties have deteriorated since 2016, when President Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party came to power.

The United States sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Monday in its second such operation this year, as its military steps up the frequency of transits through the busy strategic waterway, despite opposition from China.

Shanshan Feng and rookie Yu Liu are the two players, both given billing on tournament websites. Reynolds quotes Liu as saying the late WD was not for personal reasons.

Should Captain's Be Allowed To Control Cup Courses?

Paul Azinger brought up this question when discussing the 2018 Ryder Cup with the Morning Drive crew, noting that he was the first American captain in the modern era to influence setup. He said it’s been more of a European tradition to meddle and suggested that Captain Thomas Bjorn exploited the U.S. strength. But the most interesting point: Azinger now agrees with Jack Nicklaus’ view that Captain’s shouldn’t have control over the setup.

While a sportsmanship element certainly seems undermined by course setup gamesmanship, and the 2018 Le Golf National presentation was just plain silly, I think the event is more interesting when the home team attempts to shape the course to their strengths. The move can easily backfire. But since the Ryder Cup seems determined to avoid genuinely captivating match play architecture with strong risk-reward holes, course setup ploys add intrigue.

Azinger’s remarks:

Azinger! NBC/Golf Channel Introduces New Analyst

Paul Azinger hit the airwaves and the teleconference lines to discuss his new role as NBC’s lead golf analyst replacing Johnny Miller.

Here is the full release announcement from G.C. Digital.

Steve DiMeglio reports on Azinger’s excitement over getting to call Tiger Woods’ comeback.

The most interesting reveal of the day came on Morning Drive when Azinger confirmed what was long suspected: he lobbied for a Ryder Cup return gig after the victorious 2008 gig. Rex Hoggard reports for GolfChannel.com.

As The Forecaddie notes, there were a few surprises in the volume of events and other non-tournament moments the 1993 PGA Champion will work.

Azinger at the table with Gary and Damon on Morning Drive today:

U.S. Mid-Amateur Champ Postpones Turning Pro For A Second Time

I’m guessing when folks who ask why no one in golf pays much attention to the amateur golf scene, a quick case study of the new U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion will be an easy example to cite.

According to Golf World’s John Strege, a looming Masters invitation and U.S. Open exemption for Kevin O’Connor means he’s unlikely to take a second crack at pro golf after once regaining his amateur status.

O’Connell, 30, a Cary, N.C., resident, was similarly not conflicted, though in the other direction. The Masters and U.S. Open, as well as a U.S. Amateur exemption and possibly playing on the U.S. Walker Cup team, prevailed without an internal argument. “I think those were definitely the primary reasons,” he said. “Secondarily, just the idea of another year of elite golf at the amateur level, it’s a good proving ground as well.”

The concept of the mid-amateur was started in part to not be a proving ground for professional golf, but instead a proving ground for those who just want to be amateur golfers and not compete against those who play every day while earning a scholarship. But when even mid-amateur golf is just a place to house former and budding pros—or both, the appeal is significantly dented.

Then again, when they all get free equipment and wear the branding of the companies supplying the goods, is anyone even an amateur anymore?