Sad: Christina Kim Protects The Field And Gets Villified

By now you’ve likely seen the story from LPGA Q-Series: Christina Kim witnessed playing partner Kendall Dye asking for the caddie of Dewi Weber what club was used on the par-3 17th, their 8th hole in the round. Kim first broached the subject with an official not long after, then the issue was fleshed out after the round, resulting in two-stroke penalties for Dye and Weber (because her caddie gave information, a violation of Rule 10-2).

Beth Ann Nichols with the full report here for Golfweek.

And here is my column for Golfweek on this being yet another strange story that you could chalk up to stunning ignorance of the rules, or the bizarre cultural elements that entitle players to believe they are should get the information, lie or good fortune they want.

The column was penned in part based on Kendall Dye’s assertion that this was a private matter but also part of life on the LPGA Tour (which means there are daily rules violations if so).

Kim retained her card, while Dye and Weber did not. She spent her day fending off charges of sensationalizing the situation by taking to Twitter, and from the oddball mob and LPGA sycophants who surface whenever a player suffers shame for bending or breaking the rules. Especially if they are American.

From Brian Wacker’s GolfDigest.com report:

“I was very surprised [they didn’t know the rule]. I don’t want to say I am disappointed in them as individuals, but I am disappointed in the fact that [the violation] was even a possibility, that people claim to have seen it thousands of times. What shocked me was their lack of knowledge of the rules. Does that suck? Royally. Is it excusable? Absolutely not.

On Morning Drive, the assertion by Dye that this behavior is a regular occurrence on the golf course seems utterly ridiculous, or utterly problematic for the LPGA if so. Adam Woodward with a round-up of that peculiar off-shoot debate in this saga.

SiriusXM’s Michael Breed had some interesting remarks on the trolls going after Christina Kim for doing her job as a playing partner. That she waited until after the round seems like a superfluous way of ignoring that a player believed she was entitled to ask others what club they hit to give aid in her decision-making.

.@TheChristinaKim called a rules violation on two of her playing partners at @LPGA Tour Q-School and has been getting attacked on social media.@MichaelBreed weighed in on the controversy. pic.twitter.com/GKKC4fjlWQ

— SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio (@SiriusXMPGATOUR) November 4, 2019

Lisa Cornwell and Karen Stupples, who each defended Dye’s actions on Twitter (here and here), discussed the incident on Golf Channel and in particular the “culture” of hand signals on the course signifying what clubs are hit, argue for a relaxing of the rule after this incident.

Mickelson: "I just haven't been mentally as sharp the last six, eight months."

As Phil Mickelson’s 26-year(!) streak inside the world top 50 came to an end last week, he reflected on his struggles of late and offered this candid assessment. From Will Gray at GolfChannel.com:

"I just haven't played well. Just had a lot of stuff going on, and I just haven't been really focused and into the mental side," Mickelson said. "I haven't seen good, clear pictures. I haven't been as committed and as connected to the target. I just haven't been mentally as sharp the last six, eight months."

For someone so eternally confident in his ability to concentrate, it’s a stark sign of how difficult the game is even for an all time great, but also a reminder just how long Mickelson has maintained the drive and focus necessary to compete.

Shirtless Shark: I Didn't Get A Thank You For My (Hand Delivered!?) Note To Tiger!

The image of Greg Norman driving up to Tiger Woods’ home and delivering a congratulatory note following the 2019 Masters win is, in itself, kind of funny. The likelihood that Woods’ guard might not have known who it was, is just that much juicier.

Either way, the Shirtless Shark complained to Men’s Health about Tiger not acknowledging his note, even though Norman has not said the nicest things about Woods in recent years.

So much to unpack in this answer to a question about the lack of “bond” between the two:

Yeah, look, I’m happy to clear that up for you. Like, when you ask me a question, I’m going to give you an honest answer. I’m not going to bullshit to you. I’m also going to draw on my experience of the past in terms of what Jack Nicklaus did for me, what Arnold Palmer did for me . . . where there was that respect handed off from the generation before you. It’s a code of conduct in a lot of ways.

Oh boy…

Very few people know this: when Tiger won the Masters this year, I wrote him a handwritten note and drove down my road, maybe a quarter of a mile, and hand-delivered it to his guard at his gate. I said, “Hey, this is Greg Norman here. I’ve got a note for Tiger – can you please hand-deliver it to him?” Well, I never heard a word back from the guy. When I won my first major championship, Jack Nicklaus was the first person to walk down out of the TV tower and congratulate me. I don’t know – maybe Tiger just dislikes me.

I think you’re getting warmer!

I have no idea. I’ve never had a conversation with him about it. I’ve always been respectful about what his father did for him.

Oh?

I played nine holes with him at his father’s and IMG’s request when Tiger was 14 or 15 and I was the No. 1 player in the world, to give an assessment of this kid. So, I have always been willing.

Willing to…capitalize?

Half Of PGA Tour Pros Think The "Product" Would Be Better Off With Fewer Events

Maybe it’s the sight of a worse-than-most field in Bermuda, or no rounds this fall registering a respectable audience until the ZOZO’s Monday finish in U.S. prime time, but the question of PGA Tour product oversaturation seems reasonable to ask.

So Golf.com did in their anonymous player survey and an amazing 50% said the product would be better a little bit streamlined.

TRUE OR FALSE: THE TOUR WOULD BE MORE INTERESTING IF THERE WERE FEWER EVENTS.

True: 50%


False: 50%

Hot takes:

“More millionaires, but more guys getting hurt. If you increase quantity in any industry, quality goes down.”


“Would not be good for the new guys.”


“A four-month break would make fans psyched that golf is back.”

While we know four months is not palatable, golf sure could use a dead period. We thought September would be that month in the U.S., but next year will now only see one week off.

Reading Between The (TV Contract) Negotiation Lines: Davis To CBS Edition

Michael Bamberger’s Golf.com story on Davis Love joining CBS features this paragraph highlighting the state of the PGA Tour’s closely-watched television contract negotiations, if we will even call it television by the end of the next deal.

Love has a two-year contract with CBS, for 2020 and 2021. It couldn’t go beyond that because the CBS-PGA Tour contract expires at the end of ’21. The NBC-PGA Tour contract does, too. Golf Channel is under the NBC Sports umbrella. Contract negotiations are ongoing. Traditional TV-watching, as Davis grew up doing it, has been turned on its head in the age of ever-connected phones and laptops and iPads. It’s not at all clear what golf-on-TV will look like in the years to come, as attention spans continue to shorten and as live gambling becomes a bigger part of fan engagement. Love’s deep relationships in the game, at the PGA Tour headquarters, among corporate executives, on Capitol Hill, can only help CBS.

While Love no longer holds a seat on the PGA Tour Policy Board like AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, he does have an intimate knowledge of the Tour’s plans, dreams and desires. Will that bolster CBS’s bid? More revealing though may be the idea that longtime PGA Tour partner CBS needs to pull out such stops to retain rights. Stay tuned…

No Shock: Riviera Still A Player Favorite; Only A Few Vote For Pebble And Augusta

Even in it’s mangled state, Riviera remains a player favorite according to players sampled for Golf.com’s annual Anonymous Player poll.

What is surprising: how few gave votes to Pebble Beach or Augusta National.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TOUR COURSE? 

Riviera: 20%

Muirfield Village: 16%

Harbour Town: 8%

TPC Sawgrass: 8%

Pebble Beach: 6%

Quail Hollow: 6%


Whoa…go on…

Augusta National: 4%

Bay Hill: 4%

Torrey Pines South: 4%

TPC San Antonio: 4%

Old White Greenbrier: 4%

And the resounding winner in least favorite also appeared on the favorite list with as many votes as Augusta National. Go figure:

WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE TOUR COURSE? 

TPC San Antonio: 16%

None: 12%

Trinity Forest: 8%

TPC Louisiana: 6%

Bethpage Black: 4%

CC of Jackson: 4%

Coco Beach G&CC (Puerto Rico): 4%

GC of Houston: 4%

Quail Hollow: 4%

Silverado: 4%

TPC Southwind: 4%

Not too many surprises on that list, other than the unfortunate disdain for Trinity Forest, which may be as much about location, environment and eccentricity of features than anything else.

Wow: Colonial Stop Raises $14 Million For Charity In 2020

The Charles Schwab Challenge’s (aka Colonial) first year raised a staggering some for a one-week event, reports the Star-Telegram’s Drew Davison.

He explains that most was on the back of players making birdies:

Much of the $14 million was generated through the tournament’s “Birdies For Charity” campaign. Charitable organizations solicit pledges from individuals and corporations for every birdie made during the tournament.

Pros made 1,111 birdies during tournament rounds, generating more than $13 million.

For some perspective, the NFL gives about $10 million in grants annually. Nothing to sneeze at, but also amazing given that a left-for-dead historic PGA Tour stop with a date following the PGA can generate more. In one week.

The First Tee of Fort Worth is the tournament’s primary beneficiary.

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

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"

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."

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

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

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

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

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):

View this post on Instagram

Awesome day out in the Bermuda Triangle! MOC was as cool as advertised. Some amazing movement & fun template holes. It’s always fun to see places firm and fast & be able to use the contours/ground. It has one of the most laid back vibes I’ve ever seen at a club. Whipped around in a 7 Ball in 3.5 hours. Pumped I finally got to check it out & how about that cape hole 😵 ... big shoutout to @dswoodcock for setting it all up. #TBC

A post shared by Zac Blair (@zachary_blair) on Oct 29, 2019 at 2:57pm PDT

What Is Delaying The Distance Insights Project?

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.

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.