Golf Anonymous Players Poll: 40% Did Not Vote For Player Of The Year

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While Rory McIlroy won 2019 Player of the Year in a landslide according to Golf.com’s Anonymous Player survey, the more damning reveal is just how many said they didn’t vote at all. Which, combined with the 10% that somehow found reason to vote for someone other than McIlroy or Koepka, means half frittered away the vote.

WHO GOT YOUR VOTE FOR 2019 PGA TOUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR?

Rory McIlroy: 33%

Brooks Koepka: 17%

Other: 10%

Didn’t vote: 40%

While this validates how many likely voted for McIlroy, it also does not do give much power to that whole “voted by his peers” argument.

"Tokyo 2020 golf must be moved because of heat, politician tells IOC"

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Reuters’ Andrew Both obtained a letter that “well-known” Japanese politician Shigefumi Matsuzawa has written to the IOC calling for the 2020 Olympic golf venue—Kasumigaseki—changed due to the likelihood of deadly heat waves.

Matsuzawa said his concern was not only for the golfers but for volunteers and spectators without clubhouse access who, he wrote, would have nowhere to escape the heat and humidity.

The average temperature over the past three years during the scheduled competition dates -- July 30 to Aug. 2 for men and Aug. 5 to 8 for women -- had been 31.7 degrees Celsius (89F), he wrote.

Extrapolating from past figures, Matsuzawa estimated that up to 1,250 people could suffer from heat stroke during the eight days of the golf competition.

"Ambulances and hospitals will be unable to cope and with heat stroke patients collapsing one after the other, the possibility of fatalities occurring cannot be ruled out," he added.

Matsuzawa recommended several possible replacement venues, including Wakasu Golf Links adjacent to Tokyo Bay or the mountain regions of Hakone and Nagano. Wakasu has been mentioned before and appears to lack the yardage or practice facilities necessary today.

The IOC recently moved the Olympic marathons because of heat concerns and is facing criticism from Tokyo’s mayor.

Kostis On CBS: "I believe the production has suffered over the last few years."

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Rick Young caught up with ousted CBS announcer Peter Kostis to discuss his departure. Many comments are of note, but these two in particular stood out:

“The timing and the reason for mine and Gary’s departure are the ongoing negotiations with a new television contract,” Kostis explained. “That’s involved here. I don’t know how exactly or what it could be but I do believe the next television contract is going to be radically different. I don’t have any basis for saying that other than my gut instinct. I do know the tour is gearing up to be able to handle gambling. I think it’s one of the ways they’re hoping to grow their fan base with younger people.”

Interesting that he ties the timing with negotiations. Meetings started some time ago, so is he implying a Hail Mary play by CBS?

And this probably means he and producer Lance Barrow won’t be trading Christmas cards:

“There’s a fine line between familiarity and staleness,” he said. “What we’ve been hearing over and over from fans since this happened is, ‘You guys are the voices of my weekends watching golf and we’ve grown to love it.’ There’s a familiarity for the viewers with the CBS team. Having said that, I don’t think it was the announcers that were stale. I believe the production has suffered over the last few years. That’s all I’m going to say. I’ll just leave it at that.”

Mitzvah! PGA Of America Is Able To Locate More Ryder Cup Tickets, Sending Make-Good Emails To Some

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I knew somewhere down in Palm Beach they’d find an extra stash of 2020 Ryder Cup tickets and sure enough, reports Brian Wacker for GolfDigest.com, the PGA of America is trying to make up for a massive ticket sale snafu despite claiming as recently as 24 hours ago that only 2000 were snubbed.

The Newhouses Sold A Cézanne For Way More Than Golf Digest

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Reeves Wiedeman of New York Magazine chronicles the slow and steady decline of the once cherished Conde Nast family of magazines under CEO Bob Sauerberg and the Newhouse descendants. While the piece is probably only worth your time if you’re in the media industry, this line is pretty incredible related to their sale of Golf Digest:

In 2016, they sold a cable company for more than $10 billion. That made the amount they earned selling Brides, W, and Golf Digest, the last of which went to Discovery for just $35 million — $400 million less than what Condé had paid for it in 2001 and $24 million less than the Newhouses received that week for selling a single Cézanne at Sotheby’s — seem like a rounding error.

Golf Digest was sold by the Newhouse family to Discovery, which is 31% owned by…the Newhouse family.

Continued Decline Of Club Golfers In The UK, Especially Scotland

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Alistair Tait of Golfweek breaks down the latest numbers tracking those who are club members. The numbers do no, however, count those who still play but simply choose not to pay club dues.

The figures continue a worrying downward trend for all four nations over the last five years, especially in Scotland and Wales. Wales has experienced a 16.92% loss from the 51,445 registered golfers in 2014.

Scotland has seen a 14.07% decline. The Home of Golf had 209,812 registered players in 2014.

New PGA Tour Event Headlined By Four Players Inside World Top 100

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Somehow, 24 world ranking points will be given to the inaugural Bermuda Championship’s winner, even with a strength of field of 27.

The field includes many names you probably did not know still play professional golf and many more that have not earned ranking points in years. Of those ranked—114 according to the OWGR page)—the average is 826.

When do playing opportunities become playing obligations?

To put it another way: players who could not even earn enough points to qualify for the PGA Tour Champions’ Schwab Cup playoffs starting this week at the Invesco QQQ, are playing a PGA Tour event as consolation.

But hey, at least an event in Bermuda let Zac Blair check off another CB Macdonald course and wear pink knee-high socks, so it’s not a total waste of a week. His photo gallery (use the arrows on the image’s right):


What Is Delaying The Distance Insights Project?

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Originally slotted in for this fall, then pushed to year’s end and now scheduled for release February 4, 2020, the USGA and R&A’s position paper on what distance has meant to the game needed another three months.

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Why another delay?

After all, it’s not expected that the report will provide a prescription to restore certain skills or to slow down distance. Instead, the report is expected to piece together data and insights from all sectors of the game while considering the role of a technological expansion and skill.

The delay is unfortunate given the growing groundswell demanding we have a discussion about how the elite game is played. Plenty more want to know if the governing bodies feel a need to cap or contract the scale of the sport in some way. While the percentages are still small, I’ve never sensed the sport was more open to the discussion. Particularly as an increasing number sees a bloated game due to the needed to maintain 18 holes.

Either way, any changes will not be implemented quickly, so the longer they drag this out, the harder it is to understand what the end game might be. We’ll have to wait another three months to see if there is an actual end game, or just new forms of procrastination.

NCAA Caves On Athlete Endorsements: What Now For (Golf) Amateur Status?

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Steve Berkowitz and Dan Wolken report on the NCAA caving in rather spectacular fashion to California’s fair pay act, voting “unanimously to permit students participating in athletics the opportunity to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness in a manner consistent with the collegiate model.”

But this was eye-opening given that California’s bill zeroed in on 2023 as the likely start date for such a move.

The statement about the board action did not provide specifics, but said changes to NCAA rules in each of the three divisions could occur immediately, as long as they occur within principles and guidelines that include:

• Assuring student-athletes are treated similarly to non-athlete students unless a compelling reason exists to differentiate.

• Maintaining the priorities of education and the collegiate experience to provide opportunities for student-athlete success.

• Ensuring rules are transparent, focused and enforceable and facilitate fair and balanced competition.

• Making clear the distinction between collegiate and professional opportunities.

• Making clear that compensation for athletics performance or participation is impermissible.

• Reaffirming that student-athletes are students first and not employees of the university.

This would naturally open the door to golf manufacturers to sign players to deals that they already have informal arrangements with to provide equipment. Which, in theory, would be the end of the elite amateur game including top college golfers.

The USGA is monitoring the situation. A statement from Thomas Pagel, Sr. Managing Director, Governance:

“We have been reviewing these same issues for some time, It’s clear that this topic has the potential to impact many amateur sports, including golf. It will continue to be a primary area of discussion as we review the Rules to reflect the modern game, while still staying true to the spirit behind what it means to be an amateur golfer.”

Given the erosion there of amateurism since players could start receiving free equipment and dress like corporate billboards, there may be sympathy for those receiving endorsement income. Ruling them ineligible for prominent amateur events may get chippy!

However, given that golfers like Tony Romo and Lucy Li retained their status even after clearly endorsing products on the back of their golf ability, perhaps some clever lawyer will find a way to maintain the distinction between pro and amateur golfers. But right now, I’m struggling to see how that will work.

Davis Love Joins CBS Golf Team In 2020

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Moving swiftly after not renewing Gary McCord and Peter Kostis, CBS hires Davis Love.

I spoke to Love for Golfweek not long after the announcement below.

For immediate release:

HALL-OF-FAMER AND MAJOR CHAMPION DAVIS LOVE III JOINS CBS SPORTS GOLF TEAM 

Davis Love III, PGA champion, 21-time PGA TOUR winner, two-time Ryder Cup captain and World Golf Hall-of-Famer, joins CBS Sports full-time as golf analyst for its coverage of the PGA TOUR, the Masters and PGA Championship. The announcement was made today by Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports.

“Davis is one of the most accomplished and respected players in the game of golf,” said McManus. “With his playing experience, reputation and relationships across the golf community, he brings a unique perspective and insight that will enhance our broadcasts. Davis is the perfect fit for CBS, and we look forward to him making the best broadcast team in golf even better.”

“I have long considered CBS Sports the gold standard in golf coverage,” said Love. “Whether playing or coaching, I have always loved the team aspect of golf, and I am thrilled to now be a member of the best team in television. My playing days are not totally over, as I will play select events, but my focus now shifts to broadcasting. I have been fortunate to spend a lot of time with the men and women of CBS Sports, and I look forward to getting started in January.” 

Love will make his CBS Sports debut as an announcer on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 at the Farmers Insurance Open when the Network tees off its 2020 golf season. 

Love started his professional career in 1985 and won his first PGA TOUR event in 1987. Throughout his illustrious playing career, he ranked in the Top 10 in the Official Golf World Rankings for more than 450 weeks while winning 21 PGA TOUR events, including the 1992 and 2003 THE PLAYERS Championship and the PGA Championship in 1997. After winning the Wyndham Championship in 2015, he became one of three players ever – joining Sam Snead and Raymond Floyd – to win on the PGA TOUR in four different decades. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Love was a U.S. staple during international competition, as he was selected to six U.S. Ryder Cup teams and six U.S. President Cup teams as a player. In 2011 he was named team captain of the 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup team, and led the team to victory as captain in 2016. 

Along with his play on the course, Love has consistently been honored for his demeanor off it, winning the USGA’s Bob Jones Award in 2013, the PGA TOUR Payne Stewart Award in 2008, and the Jim Murray Award in 2016, presented by the Golf Writers Association of America each year to the golfer who best cooperates with the media. He also has been elected by his fellow players to the PGA TOUR policy board four times.

Love was a three-time All-American at the University of North Carolina, and won the 1984 ACC Championship.

Cypress Point Opens Up For College Golf (Again), Check It Out!

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And if you’re in the area Tuesday you can get a rare glimpse of Alister MacKenzie’s masterpiece.

Or there’s Instagram!

A sampling from some majestic fall days on the Monterey Peninsula for the occasional Cypress Point Classic with one day to go:

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Tiger's 82nd By The Numbers And What It Means For More Wins

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While there were no ShotLink numbers to validate the supremacy of Tiger’s iron play and putting, some writers have dug up some fun stuff in analyzing Woods’ 82nd PGA Tour win.

PGATour.com’s Sean Martin ponders whether Tiger can win a lot more and offers this:

He has to lean on decades of experience instead of marathon range sessions. He can’t outwork the competition, but he can outthink it. His length no longer separates him from the competition, but his iron game still does.

 He hit 76% of his greens last week, ranking third in the field. He was first in putts per green hit, which shows that he was hitting it close and rolling it well enough to convert.

He’s by far the best iron player of the ShotLink era, gaining +1.1 strokes per round with his approach play throughout his career. Jim Furyk is a distant second, averaging +0.7 strokes gained per round.

 Woods hits his approach shots high and low, and curves them left and right.

Brian Wacker at GolfDigest.com reminds us of two things: Tiger hit 65 percent of his fairways for the week on a pretty tight course in sports and proved he can win without overpowering a course. And, old legends tend to remain legends longer than everyone else:

• Gordie Howe had his first 100-point season in the NHL at age 40 with 44 goals and 59 assists, and played until age 51 when he scored 41 points in 80 games for the Hartford Whalers.

• Brett Favre threw for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns at age 40, leading the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship.

• Nolan Ryan, who threw seven no-hitters in his career with the first coming in 1973, threw his final one 18 years later, at age 44.

• Michael Jordan had three 40-plus-point games in the middle of his final season in the NBA for the Washington Wizards, shooting over 50 percent in all of them.

David Dusek looks at Tiger’s equipment through the years and it’s astonishing to see what he started winning with versus what he’s playing now.

As for straight numbers in fun anecdotal fashion, check out Alex Myers’ list at GolfDigest.com and Todd Kelly’s list at Golfweek.com while Golf.com’s Josh Sens narrows things down to nine big numbers.

PGA CEO: Less Than 2000 Customers Shut Out Of Ryder Cup Tickets...

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We have no way of knowing the numbers, but PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh tells Golfweek’s Roxanna Scott that only 2000 were shut out of 2020 Ryder Cup tickets.

Apparently nearly all of them just happened to take to Twitter to complain.

“We’re thrilled obviously with the reaction of it being sold out to the point where we got overwhelmed with tickets,” he said, while noting the PGA went back and found less than 2,000 customers who were shut out of the online process and delivered their orders.

“I think the reality of anything is mistakes are going to happen, problems are going to come up,” Waugh said. “How you deal with them is what defines you.”

When asked how there was ticket inventory available to fulfill the requests, Waugh joked, “We’ll be a little more crowded now. We created inventory; that was fair. We had clients that did everything right and didn’t get fulfilled.”

This does not address the most common refrain from those scorned by the balky system: why were there already inflated tickets on the resale market offered as an option to those rejected?

McCord: "Bottom line, they fired me"

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There is a lot to digest in Dave Shedloski’s Golf World story catching up with Gary McCord, now a former CBS broadcaster.

McCord, a former PGA Tour player and winner of three PGA Tour Champions events, is smarting over the decision mostly because he didn’t have a chance to personally thank all his CBS teammates behind the scenes who have supported him through the years, people who have become like family. “You just don’t do something like this,” he said. “You shouldn’t do it this way. No chance to say thanks to the viewers, to all my CBS friends? That’s what you get for 35 years?”

“Bottom line, they fired me.”

The story says CBS offered McCord the opportunity to work the first two weeks of 2020’s broadcast schedule, but he declined.

He also shares the one bit of reasoning given to him by the head of CBS Sports, Sean McManus.

“He [McManus] tells me, and he told Peter the same thing, that ‘We think CBS golf is getting a little stale, and we need to go in another direction,’ ” McCord told Golf Digest by phone from his home in Scottsdale. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but one thing I’ve never been called is stale.”

There was a great deal of sniping in recent years over McCord’s act having grown thin, but never felt that way. He was often the one person trying to inject some life into telecasts, but without his old foil David Feherty or many opportunities to exhibit his knowledge of the swing, McCord was often limited to the role of 16th hole traffic cop. Therefore the notion of “stale” strikes me as more a statement about the CBS production elements (Yanni?) or overall energy than the work of any one announcer.