Tiger's First Day At WGC Mexico City Peaks At The First Tee

Remember walk up music? That’s right, we do not hear about that lame idea much because of poor execution. Besides, there is still nothing better than a great first tee announcer as we saw again Thursday.

As Steve DiMeglio notes for Golfweek, Tiger Woods’ first round in the WGC Mexico City Championship peaked at this introduction and was followed by a largely cautious round as Woods adjusted to the altitude. Rory McIlroy leads with an opening 63.

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Tiger’s opening tee shot(s) did not live up to his first-tee introduction Thursday in Mexico.

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USGA Announces Six U.S. Amateur Venues From 2021 To 2026: Oakmont, Ridgewood, Cherry Hills, Hazeltine, Olympic And Merion

Interesting to see the USGA announce so many venues at once for the U.S. Amateur.

Obviously the standouts are Oakmont, Ridgewood, Cherry Hills and Merion—Hazeltine and Olympic once would have been exciting but seem overexposed and architecturally uninspiring now compared to the rest of the scheduled venues. Both are scheduled to host future Ryder Cups.

The next two U.S. Amateurs are at Pinehurst and Bandon Dunes.

For Immediate Release:

U.S. Amateur Returns to Oakmont, Ridgewood, Cherry Hills, 
Hazeltine National, The Olympic Club and Merion

USGA announces six U.S. Amateur Championship sites, from 2021 through 2026

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Feb. 21, 2019) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced sites for six U.S. Amateur Championships, from 2021 through 2026. Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club will host the U.S. Amateur in 2021 and will be followed by Ridgewood (N.J.) Country Club in 2022 and Cherry Hills Country Club, in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., in 2023. The 2024, 2025 and 2026 championships will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minn.; The Olympic Club, in San Francisco, Calif.; and Merion Golf Club, in Ardmore, Pa., respectively.

“This distinguished group of future U.S. Amateur sites aligns the USGA’s oldest championship with courses of historical significance and proven competitive excellence which will be beneficial to both the player and fan experience,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of Championships. “Amateur golf is primary to the USGA’s mission and the partnerships with these prominent clubs affirm our commitment to supporting and growing amateur competition.”

Designed by Henry C. Fownes and opened in 1903, Oakmont Country Club has been the site of 16 previous USGA championships, the most recent in 2016 when Dustin Johnson won the U.S. Open by three strokes. In 2025, the U.S. Open will return to Oakmont for a record 10th time. The 2021 U.S. Amateur will mark the sixth time the championship has been held on the iconic western Pennsylvania course. Oakmont previously hosted the U.S. Amateur in 1919, 1925, 1938, 1969 and 2003.

Ridgewood’s three nine-hole courses – East, Center and West – were designed by A.W. Tillinghast and opened for play in 1929. Ridgewood, which will host its fifth USGA championship, was the site of the 1974 U.S. Amateur, when Jerry Pate defeated John P. Grace, 2 and 1. The club most recently hosted the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior, won by Eun Jeong Seong. It also hosted the 1990 U.S. Senior Open, when Lee Trevino posted a two-stroke victory over Jack Nicklaus.

In 2023, Cherry Hills Country Club will host its third U.S. Amateur and 10th USGA championship. Steven Fox made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 37th hole to defeat Michael Weaver and cap a memorable 2012 U.S. Amateur final. Phil Mickelson, then a 20-year-old Arizona State University student, captured the 1990 U.S. Amateur there. Designed by William Flynn, Cherry Hills has hosted three U.S. Opens. Arnold Palmer produced one of the most indelible performances in Open history with a final-round 65 and a record comeback in 1960, while Ralph Guldahl (1938) and Andy North (1978) also won there.

Hazeltine National will host the 2024 U.S. Amateur, its 10th USGA championship. The club will also be the site for the 2020 U.S. Junior Amateur. Designed by Robert Trent Jones and remodeled by his son, Rees Jones, Hazeltine National hosted the 2006 U.S. Amateur, which was won by Richie Ramsay, the first player from Scotland to win the title since 1898. The U.S. Open Championship has been contested twice at Hazeltine. In 1970, Tony Jacklin became the first Englishman to win in 50 years, while Payne Stewart claimed the first of his two U.S. Opens in an 18-hole playoff over Scott Simpson in 1991.

The Olympic Club (Lake and Ocean Courses) will host its 12th USGA championship with the 2025 U.S. Amateur. The U.S. Women’s Open is also scheduled in 2021. The club has held three U.S. Amateurs (1958, 1981, 2007). Five U.S. Opens have been held at The Olympic Club, including Jack Fleck’s three-stroke playoff victory over Ben Hogan in 1955 and Billy Casper’s four-stroke playoff win over Arnold Palmer in 1966. Webb Simpson (2012), Lee Janzen (1998) and Scott Simpson (1987) each produced come-from-behind victories.

Merion Golf Club will establish records for most USGA championships hosted by a club (20) and most U.S. Amateurs when the Amateur is contested there for the seventh time in 2026. Merion, which hosted its first USGA championship in 1904 – the U.S. Women’s Amateur – will also host the 2022 Curtis Cup Match. The U.S. Open has been played five times (1934, 1950, 1971, 1981, 2013) at the club, while six U.S. Amateurs have been held (1916, 1924, 1930, 1966, 1989 and 2005). Hugh Wilson designed Merion’s East Course, where Bob Jones won two of his record five U.S. Amateurs (1924, 1930).

The 119th U.S. Amateur will be played Aug. 12-18, 2019 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C., while the 2020 championship will take place at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, in Bandon, Ore., Aug. 10-16.

What Tony Romo's Sponsor's Invite Really Says About The AT&T Byron Nelson

Many sent the news of Tony Romo’s sponsor’s invite to the AT&T Byron Nelson expecting me to join the outrage, and while I still think it’s bizarre an amateur golfer can have his own golf shoe commercial and Under Armour deal with the USGA’s blessing, I get why he’s been given a spot this year.

Romo, after Jordan Spieth, may be the AT&T Byron Nelson’s biggest draw.

It’s the right move.

Placed in a new schedule spot the week before the first May PGA Championship, it may be the worst possible tune-up for Bethpage Black. Which is sad, given that Trinity Forest is a fantastic, architecturally brilliant piece of work on otherwise average ground. But it’s the perfect tune-up for The Open, not the PGA and players are likely to pass the Nelson in droves.

Oh, to be a coffee cup on the dark cherry wood conference room table when AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson brings up the new schedule at a future PGA Tour Policy Board meeting.

Patrick Reed Assures Captain Stricker He Has His (Gulp) Back

Rex Hoggard reports that new U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker has spoken to Patrick Reed and all has been handled with regards to the Masters champion.

“As far as he's concerned, and I am, too, it's been handled,” Stricker said. “He's apologized and spoke to the players. He spoke to me and I kind of asked him what to expect from him. He's like, ‘You know what, I've got your guys' back. I'm there for the team.’”

Yes he does! Wielding a large knife from behind if 2018 is any indication.

Stricker Named 2020 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain, Gets Choked Up Naming Jim Furyk An Assistant Captain

Holy cow does this man get emotional! Ben Crenshaw is going to look like Patton after this captaincy.

Steve DiMeglio at Golfweek.com on player reaction to Stricker’s naming…emotional was the key word at his press conference and in Mexico City where players reacted to the “news”:

“I’m an emotional guy. I’m truly humbled,” Stricker said. “I’m very passionate about this competition. We want to win this more than ever.”

We noticed. First time Furyk’s name evoked such throat lumps when Stricker named him the first of 14 vice captains!

The biggest news out of Stricker’s first day?

All four captain’s picks will now happen at once, a change from the policy changed from the previous policy. Ryan Lavner reports for GolfChannel.com.

You can watch the full news conference here and see PGA president Suzy Whaley shut out of the questioning, mercifully continuing the trend of PGA presidents trying to get a share of the limelight only to be ignored by media.

Gasp! Bryson DeChambeau Still Watches DVD's

There goes his millennial street cred!

Actually, the forward-thinking world No. 5 is trying to better teach his brain to be calm, focused and stress-free.

Clearly his DVD player was off last week or maybe he got bogged down working through studio screeners—it is LA where no one in the industry pays to see a nominee—but as Mike McAllister details for PGATour.com, DeChambeau is normally on the cutting edge of brain-training work.

Using his travel-sized Neuropeak Pro brain-training unit, DeChambeau pops in the DVD, then attaches a gold-plated silver EEG sensor to his head. The real-time data he receives monitors the peaks and valleys of his brain’s electrical current as the movie unfolds. DeChambeau’s goal is to avoid the spikes that occur at the most stressful, intense parts; he wants to keep his high beta and theta ratios inside a pre-determined range.

If the activity in his brain fires too high, the movie will immediately stop. Only when DeChambeau relaxes his brain – controlling his breathing, reducing his heart rate, focusing his mind to reach a calm state -- will the movie resume playing.

Maintaining a proper balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic states, flattening out his EEG reading to eliminate the highs and lows – that’s the end game.

I wonder how many kids will be sending this story to parents suggesting they need a Neuropeak Pro system and Amazon gift card in their lives?

The Clubhouse Podcast With Shane Bacon: Genesis Open Wrap, J.B. Holmes "Situation" And More

Shane Bacon hosted me in The Clubhouse to wrap up the week at Riviera that included more player drama than normal and a weird finish. Enjoy!

Players: Shorts Make Players Us More Relatable To Pro-Am Partners

I was pleased to see that the move to shorts in practice and pro-am rounds (A) came after resistance from Commissioner Jay Monahan and (B) for the utterly moronic rationale that players will be more relatable to pro-am participants.

I have an idea! How about we just handcuff them, poor lemon drops in their eyes and spin them around on every tee shot so they shoot 95, whine excessively and make fools of themselves? That should bring these flatbellies down even more!

At least we are all in agreement that shorts concept validates the theory this look only dent the image and look of the professional golfer.

From Rex Hoggard’s GolfChannel.com story:

“It makes total sense,” Kevin Kisner said. “The Tour went about it in the correct way. They asked our sponsors and they said anything that makes us more relatable and makes pro-am groups feel more comfortable on Wednesday it’s a positive for them.”

According to Horschel it was input from various sponsors that ultimately convinced the Tour to allow shorts.

“[Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] was against it. He will tell you he wasn’t really for the shorts. But when the PGA of America did what they did and it was successful and people loved it he took notice,” Horschel said. “What pushed Jay over the edge was when he talked to the sponsors and they said they loved the shorts. They told him it brings the Tour player closer to us. That’s what Jay told me pushed him over the edge when it allowed the Tour players to become more relatable.”

I can’t relate to drives carrying 320 yards. Maybe we should bring those back, too?

Four Ways Tiger Can Make His “Invitational” Special

While most fans will not feel much impact from the Genesis Open’s new “invitational status”, Tiger Woods has an opportunity to leave a special legacy with a few moves.

He can use the example set by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer with their events, put his own twist on the Genesis, and give fans reason to believe last week’s announcement will have a profound impact on this historic PGA Tour stop.

Maintain The Open Status 

Last week when the new “invitational format was announced, I was a bit surprised to watch PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan unable to answer a straightforward question about whether the 94-year-old Los Anglees “Open” would retain components of its original status in the form of Monday qualifying, a spot given to the local PGA section and an amateur spot of some kind. After the new invitational format was announced, I heard from many Angelenos wondering if it meant the end of Monday qualifying. The answer we got: TBD.  And the name? Genesis Open is out, to be replaced by something clunky like Genesis Invitational, Genesis Classic or The Genesis.

The narrative for Tiger is a simple one if he agrees to maintain elements of this tournament’s past: “I love Jack and Arnold’s events but this has always been an ‘open’ event, and as long as I can remember I dreamed of qualifying before I got an invitation in 1992 to play that was vital to my career. So even as we go from 144 to 120 players, my foundation will use sponsors invitations to maintain the open nature of this tournament: two Monday qualifying spots, an exemption to the Collegiate Showcase winner, an exemption to the local PGA of America sectional qualifier, and of course, the Charlie Sifford Exemption. Those five spots will maintain ties to this tournament’s past while also not prevent any worthy players from participating. Tiger would be a hero to golf geeks in SoCal and even PGA Tour pros would have to tip their cap at him maintaining the tournament spirit and name.”

Hooray For Hollywood 

Tiger has the ability to attract star power like no one else in golf. Since the LA Open’s early days, stars have either been part of the week as spectators or the pro-am. This connection is an essential to distinguishing the Genesis Open going forward for marketing and atmospheric purposes.

The new Celebrity Cup brought out A-listers from screen and sport, while the Wednesday pro-am played in lousy weather brought out fascinating names from sports, business and Hollywood. From a word-of-mouth point of view, the sight of big names early in the week helps attract local television and national media attention. From a fan point of view, seeing major names whapping it around Riviera gives the stop something no other tournament will enjoy.

Create The Western Hollywood Bowl 

If you’ve ever been at Riviera’s 18th green when a large crowd has assembled, you know there is nothing remotely close in golf. A few thousand people can fit in a very small, shockingly vertical space and the atmosphere is electric. But there is also a tradition at the 18th green dating to the tournament’s early days as a popular place to sit and watch the players come to you. Some of that tradition was built on Scotty Chisholm’s back. For decades, the tournament co-founder would announce every group and their score as they came to the 18th in his trademark kilt. He even performed a modified version in Follow The Sun (1:25 in). I say bring back an 18th green announcer—Chris Harrison and Carson Daly are Tiger/Riviera friends—and get a modern video board situated so that fans can follow the action—there was just a small PGA Tour stock board in the trees 100 yards short of the green.

The focus has clearly been on elaborate corporate structures that do look sensational, but the focus going forward should be on making the 18th green at Riviera one of golf’s most important places to be all week, but especially on Sunday. An announcer, a video board and some promotion as the February edition of the “Bowl” will work wonders for attracting even more fans.  

 Go to the 1:25 mark to see Scotty Chisholm in Follow The Sun:

Win No. 83 At Riviera

With two wins in 2019 and Tiger can return to Riviera next year looking to break Sam Snead’s record at a course where the all-time PGA Tour leader in victories won twice. It would also mean Tiger breaks the record at his event.

The script writes itself!

Hooray for Hollywood!

Chicken Legs Of The World Rejoice! PGA Tour Unveils New Shorts Policy

Prioritizing player comfort, convenience and entitlement or maintaining a sense of gravitas, the PGA Tour will now allow players to wear shorts in practice rounds and pro-ams.

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Hot off the press.... We can now wear shorts in Pro-am’s and practice rounds on the @pgatour ... 👍🏼🙌🏼 My 43 year old varicose legs will be on full show 😜

A post shared by Ian Poulter (@ianjamespoulter) on Feb 18, 2019 at 7:14am PST

Given that most of the players who’ve worn shorts have been lacking in the tanning and muscle department, I say let ‘em get their Vitamin D.

But if I were Commissioner, I’d point out that athletes in other sports are dressing better and rising up the Forbes list while golfers are dressing down and moving down the list of top-paid endorsers.

The timing is also strange given that golf pant fashion has never been better in terms of fit, quality and look, with the performance pants worn by golfers appealing to non-golfers and giving off an athletic vibe.

But hey, these big macho athletes want to be comfortable no matter how it looks. Tiger once famously embraced the policy even though he acknowledged it’s not his strongest physical attribute.

"A lot of the tournaments are based right around the equator so we play in some of the hottest places on the planet," he said. "It would be nice to wear shorts. Even with my little chicken legs, I still would like to wear shorts."

He resurfaces in Mexico City this week where daily highs in the 70s and 80s are forecast.

BTW, do you think the tournament everyone wants to be like, everyone wants to go to and every player would donate a limb to win, will adopt this policy?

Of course not.

Is A Player Entitled To Wait Out Wind As Long As He Wants?

Of course not!

J.B. Holmes epitomizes the same weird entitlement Matt Kuchar and Sergio Garcia exhibited in recent weeks after years of the PGA Tour coddling players.

And while his reading green books, not playing ready golf and in general taking his sweet time amounts to offensive behavior, couple that with the suggestion of a right to wait out gusts, and you are dealing with a mindset only remedied by penalty strokes.

From his post 2019 Genesis Open victory press conference:

So I was never even close to being on the clock all week.  I mean, yeah, when I first got out here I was really slow, but I've sped up quite a bit.  Like I said, the conditions made it tougher, too.  Sometimes you're waiting for the wind to stop blowing 30 miles an hour.  Like I said, I've gotten better.  There's times when I'm probably too slow, but it is what it is.  I was never on the clock.  Nobody ‑‑ never even got a warning.  TV wants everything to be real fast all the time.

The irony of the PGA Tour fearing the negative press from penalties? Situations like this, which have overwhelmed the “day after” chatter at the Genesis Open and overshadowed a great leaderboard, a win, a famous tournament host, amazing work by all to get the tournament in and the sponsor.

It is, after all, a player organization!

Just One Player Laid Up At Riviera's 10th Hole Sunday, Zero Yesterday

Longtime readers know I’ve tracked the gradual shift of the ShotLink scatter chart at Riviera’s 10th toward the greensite.

The great risk-reward short par-4 is now officially a one-shot hole given that only one player appeared to intentionally lay up Sunday and only 40 over four days of Genesis Open play at Riviera. The rest—400 attempts—”went for the green”.

That, my friends, is a par-4 in name only.

The round 4 scatter chart:

When the hole played shorter Saturday, no one laid up.

And over four days, almost no one is even bothering to try to use the lay-up options once so revered before, you know, kale, high-fiber diets and agronomy conspired to shorten the hole.

Live Under Par's Architect Departs As PGA Tour CMO, No Word Yet On If He'll Take That Awful Slogan With Him

The Forecaddie reports on the departure of PGA Tour Chief Marketing Officer Joe Arcuri, architect of the hellacious “Live Under Par” slogan that turns one next month.

It seems Matt Kuchar is still not clear on the difference between the slogan and the tour’s streaming television product. Which about says all you need to know on many fronts.

JB Wins Genesis, Pushes Back On Slow Play: "You play in 25 mph gusty winds and see how fast you play when you're playing for the kind of money and the points and everything that we're playing for."

JB Holmes overcame a four-stroke deficit to fellow Kentuckian Justin Thomas in winning the Genesis Open.

My Golfweek game story on a weird day to wrap a weird week.

Obviously Holmes is no fan favorite after last year’s debacle at Torrey Pines but today’s conditions certainly were difficult. That said, as the video embedded below shows, there is a lack of urgency and ready golf issue, as well as a green reading book in this example.

But first, his comments after a final round 70 at Riviera:

Q.  The conditions made things really tough, but there was a lot of discussion on the broadcast and social media about the pace of play today.  What were your thoughts about the pace and is that something you were thinking about or working on?

J.B. HOLMES:  Well, you play in 25 mile an hour gusty winds and see how fast you play when you're playing for the kind of money and the points and everything that we're playing for.  The greens are fast, the ball  Adam had a putt, he kept setting the ball down and it was rolling.  

You can't just get up there and whack it when it's blowing that hard.  You've got to read wind and there's a lot of slope on these greens.  It's not an easy golf course and you throw in winds like that.  On 13 or 14, the par 3, I hit a 5iron and it stays pretty good.  He hits a 5iron really good and a gust of wind comes up and he comes up like 15 yards short, and I think he hit it better than I hit mine.  It's very tough.  Then when you get putting like that, it's just not going to be fast anywhere. 

And…

Q.  Adam Scott said just before that we know J.B.'s a slow player and there was some discussion on the broadcast.  Do you think that's a fair assessment?

J.B. HOLMES:  I've been slow in the past.  I don't think as slow as  I mean, I'm not the fastest player, but I mean, like I said, it was really windy today and we waited a lot early.  At the end, I took a little bit longer at the end, but you're talking about getting down to the tournament, you're talking about the last nine holes of the tournament.  I mean, I think  correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a lot of times the last group of the tournament gets a little bit behind.

So I was never even close to being on the clock all week.  I mean, yeah, when I first got out here I was really slow, but I've sped up quite a bit.  Like I said, the conditions made it tougher, too.  Sometimes you're waiting for the wind to stop blowing 30 miles an hour.  Like I said, I've gotten better.  There's times when I'm probably too slow, but it is what it is.  I was never on the clock.  Nobody  never even got a warning.  TV wants everything to be real fast all the time.

Earlier today on the fourth hole:

JB Holmes takes an eternity to putt pic.twitter.com/uiAS1eBpEF

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) February 17, 2019

"Lucy Li, Tony Romo Situations Are Another Blow To Amateur Golf"

The USGA letting off Lucy Li for a blatant amateur status violation was not a huge surprise, but juxtaposed with Tony Romo’s Skechers golf shoe ad campaign running during golf telecasts, and the overall commercialization is expediting the de-legitimization of amateur golf and the organizations charged with enforcing the rules.

Even worse, there is a growing sense of the rulemakers playing favorites. My Golfweek column.