And Then Tiger And Joey Sat Down To Watch The 2019 Masters

Great stuff here from The Scotsman’s Martin Dempster sharing Tiger’s retelling of watching the 2019 Masters final round broadcast with caddie Joe LaCava.

“I sat down and watched it with Joe [LaCava],” added Woods of a success that re-ignited his bid to chase down the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus after a drought of nearly nine years. “He came down to do a TV spot then he and I just sat there, had a few beers and watched it. We spoke about the conversations that we had over each shot; some of our friends and family who were there were like ‘Oh my God, you guys really talked about that?’

“But that’s what we were talking about, that’s what was going on. We were running through all the scenarios, Joe looking at the boards, I am looking at the boards. We were trying to figure out what was going on; who birdied what, who was 
making a move.

CBS Adds Nobilo, Immelman To Broadcast Team, Wie Joins Masters Digital

So much to read into this, both timing and personnel wise. Hard to say all of the ramifications, but I did note a few elements to the news here at Golfweek.com.

The full CBS release:

CBS SPORTS ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL ROSTER MOVES FOR 2020 GOLF SEASON

Frank Nobilo Expands Role to Full-Time Analyst

Masters Champion Trevor Immelman Joins CBS Sports Golf Coverage

Dottie Pepper Named Lead On-Course Reporter

Mark Immelman and Andrew Catalon Duties Increase; Michelle Wie Joins CBS Sports

CBS Sports announces additional roster moves for the 2020 golf season for the Network’s television coverage of the PGA TOUR, Masters and PGA Championship.

Frank Nobilo, who has contributed to the Network’s golf coverage for the past five seasons, will expand his role and serve as an analyst for the full CBS Sports golf season. Nobilo, a veteran broadcaster, retired from golf in 2002 after winning 15 tournaments worldwide. 

Masters Champion Trevor Immelman joins as an analyst contributing to the Network’s PGA TOUR coverage as well as CBS Sports’ cross-platform coverage of the Masters and PGA Championship. Throughout his distinguished playing career, Immelman won 11 events worldwide – including the 2008 Masters – and was also a two-time participant in the Presidents Cup in 2005 and 2007.  

Dottie Pepper, who joined the Network in 2015, has been elevated to lead on-course reporter. Pepper is a 17-time LPGA winner and two-time Major Champion, winning at the Nabisco Dinah Shore (now the ANA Inspiration) in both 1992 and 1999. She was honored in 1992 as the LPGA Player of the Year.

Analyst and Coach Mark Immelman, who joined CBS Sports in 2016, will increase his duties with the golf team this season, working the majority of the Network’s PGA TOUR schedule. Additionally, he will continue as part of CBS Sports’ cross-platform coverage of the Masters and PGA Championship. He also currently serves as the Director of Golf at Columbus State University.

Andrew Catalon, who has contributed to CBS Sports’ multimedia coverage of the Masters and PGA Championship since 2011 and 2012, respectively, also will increase his golf duties on the broadcast side, serving as host for select PGA TOUR events. In addition to golf, Catalon serves as play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports’ coverage of the NFL and college basketball, including the NCAA Tournament.

Additionally, Michelle Wie, the five-time LPGA TOUR winner, will contribute to CBS Sports’ multimedia golf coverage this season, including the Masters. 

Earlier this year, Davis Love III was also announced as full-time golf analyst for CBS Sports. For the 2020 golf season, newcomers Trevor Immelman and Love will join veterans Jim Nantz, Nick Faldo, Ian Baker-Finch, Nobilo, Pepper, Mark Immelman, Amanda Balionis and Catalon throughout CBS Sports’ coverage of the PGA TOUR, Masters and PGA Championship.

Mickelson To End Incredible Phoenix Open Run For Crown Prince's Cash, Grow The Game Opportunity

As Alex Myers notes, Phil Mickelson has made 30 Phoenix Open starts, including 27 in a row, but the ASU great will end that run this year to play the second ever European Tour event in Saudi Arabia. The event is the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, attempting to westernize the image of Saudi Arabia while regularly attacking journalists, including arresting more just last week on top of likely ordering the Jamal Koshaggi murder and dismemberment.

“I am really looking forward to playing in Saudi Arabia in January,” Mickelson told the Saudi Gazette. “I watched Dustin win the title last year and thought the course looked like an interesting challenge. Having so many talented players on show also made it look like a much more established tournament than one in its inaugural year. I have enjoyed my previous visits to the Middle East and am looking forward to playing in a new country and doing my bit to grow the game in the Kingdom.”

While other players deserve their fair share of grief for supporting the regime by accepting lavish appearance fees, Mickelson is too enlightened, worldly and successful to be falling back on the “grow the game” sham.

Given the Saudi stop’s date, this likely rules out Mickelson from playing his hometown Torrey Pines event. He skipped last year’s Farmers Insurance Open in an effort to target events with course design and setup more befitting his style of play. What the Saudi event does, besides replenish a bank account, is beyond me.

First World Alert: Thanksgiving Passes Without New PGA Tour TV Contract

To many, the notion of urgency in a sports television negotiation amounts to a silly notion. Especially one that does not change hands (potentially) until 2022.

But as I explain for Golfweek, with the passing of Thanksgiving weekend, the hoped-for conclusion to the PGA Tour’s media partner future came and went. Not surprising, really, with something so complex and uncertain. Nonetheless, the intrigue continues and with two high-profile events over the next two weeks, resolution to what is a major behind-the-scenes power struggle involving America’s biggest media companies, remains a huge topic of conversation within the golf business.

At Decade's End: PGA Tour Winners Get Noticeably Younger

Nice work here by Robopz to use the end of decade opening to look at average PGA Tour winner age from 2000-2009 vs. 2010-2019. Give him a follow for doing all of this math.

This should not be a recipe to turn pro at 18 or to give up the game at 40, but will please those pushing players to peak younger. I am a bit surprised given the falloff in 40+ winners given how much better players age, particularly as major championships have not been won by many youngsters. But other factors like bloated bank accounts, faster greens and the distance chase easily offset the Pilates and chia seed lunches.

Comparison of the prior decade to this decade by age shows the shift to younger winners more dramatically. A big falloff in the # of age 40+ winners, a moderate drop among the age 30's group, but a huge increase in the under-30 winners pic.twitter.com/NBzzyszGvS

— Robopz (@Robopz) December 1, 2019

Ratings: LPGA's Season Finale Down 33%; RSM Classic Not Great Either

2019’s final weekend of official tournaments drew very few eyeballs.

According to Sports Business Journal’s weekend roundup, the CME Tour Group Championship drew a .3 and an average of 395,000 viewers on NBC, down 33% from last year’s final round on ABC. The rating made it by far the lowest rated sports event on network TV last weekend and as Paulsen notes at Sports Media Watch “easily” the lowest since its run on broadcast TV dating to 2015.

Figure skating, on tape, drew double the audience.

Meanwhile the PGA Tour’s 2019 RSM Classic’s compelling final round won by Tyler Duncan over Webb Simpson in a playoff did not land in the top 150 cable shows among the 18-49 year olds, meaning only two rounds of the entire fall showed up on those lists (the ZOZO Sunday and delayed Monday rounds featuring Tiger Woods).

It should be noted: the CME and RSM aired in matching time slots, further dividing the audience.

Also to be noted: Loud House on Nicktoons is geared toward 6-12 year olds, yet with its .3/122,000 still earned a spot in the top 150 for a 10 pm showing while the RSM Classic did not.

Sergio Returning To The Scene Of His Saudi Meltdown Free Of Charge!

The Telegraph’s James Corrigan reminds us that (A) the European Tour is again returning to Saudi Arabia for the Crown Prince-inspired Saudi International, and (B) Sergio Garcia will turn up again despite damaging greens and throwing hissy fits at the inaugural playing.

But there is good news! He’s not asking for an appearance fee. The Crown Prince entered code FOOTDRAG in the online request form and Sergio is showing up free of charge.

But as the Spaniard tries to make reparations for his outrageous meltdown, he will agree to participate without an appearance fee this time around.

It is understood this was one of the conditions placed on the 2017 Masters champion by the European Tour as it spared him a suspension.

What some guys will sacrifice not to be suspended!

García received in the region of £500,000 for this year’s tournament and was not asked to return any of it, despite smashing his putter into one of the greens in anger and then continuing this fit of pique for the next hour or so, as he raked up as many as four other greens. 

There was that.

When Too Much Money Is Still Not Enough: European Tour Chief Confronts "Optionality" Issues

European Tour Chief Keith Pelley chatted with media during round three of the DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai conclusion. And while it’s been a successful year, there are signs in Europe and in the United States that big money is reducing the urge to play often.

Alistair Tait at Golfweek noted the Rolex Series both succeeding at maintaining a certain status quo of quality while also not giving the boost promised. In defending the state of affairs, Tait says Pelley made his point that the money and options are probably too plentiful.

“I had an interesting discussion with Victor Perez, who is ninth in the Race to Dubai. Last year he was a Challenge Tour player but he got into the WGC-HSBC Champions but he doesn’t want to play four in a row, so he made a decision not to play in Turkey or South Africa.”

If a relative unknown like Perez can afford to skip two tournaments worth a combined $14.5 million, it sends a pretty strong signal. It’s why Pelley is looking at ending the 2021 schedule with just two Rolex Series events instead of the current three.

Another problem is that some Rolex Series sponsors are still having to shell out appearance money to lure the top stars. So potential sponsors have to dig deeper into their coffers to stage tournaments, and that’s not an easy sell in the current financial climate.

John Huggan at GolfDigest.com quoted the Chief Executive using a word that only Tim Finchem could love when confronted with stats showing stars playing less.

Expanding on his point, Pelley pointed out the modern reality of professional golf in the 21st century. Awash with cash, the top players are tending to compete less often than they used to. On average, that very best performers teed-up 24.9 times as recently as 2015. That number is now 22.3.

“If we expected the top players to play on a weekly basis, then out expectations would be unrealistic,” Pelley said. “There is unbelievable optionality for the players right now. There are probably less than 10 golf tournaments in the world now that are mandatory. And there are 35 tournaments offering prize money of at least $7 million. So there is no point in us obsessing over any of the above.”

Maybe there needs to be obsessing over culling the herd a bit before the sponsors do it on their terms?

Todd Comes Up Short In Quest For Three Straight, Pro Laments Why We Miss Out On More Great Potential Stories Like Brendon's

Brendon Todd finally flatlined after a dominant run of late on the PGA Tour (Adam Schupak reports for Golfweek).

But the former four-time All-American at Georgia who struggled with swing yips and confidence inspired many fans with his recent run and also prompted golf professional and former amateur golf great Steve Scott to offer this thought on Instagram before Sunday’s finale on Sea Island.

Brendon Todd’s average driving distance for last 6 seasons= 278.3. This year it’s up to 294.5, but still ranking him 136th...well behind more than half of the @PGATOUR. (And this is before the big guns start to play) ‪

These last 3 courses he has conquered are amongst the top 7 shortest on TOUR, all under 7,100 yds, so his timing couldn’t be better as far as his game matching up with these courses like Port Royal, Mayakoba and Sea Island. ‪

He’s on a remarkable run, but sadly it wouldn’t even be possible at venues like Torrey Pines, Quail Hollow or Bay Hill which boast venues north of 7,450 where the bombers almost always rule. ‬ ‪

It’s just sad that the correlation between distance and world ranking are so tight nowadays and we miss out on more great potential stories like Brendon. ‪Keep it up B Todd and close out that rare trifecta tomorrow!‬

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‪Brendon Todd’s average driving distance for last 6 seasons= 278.3. This year it’s up to 294.5, but still ranking him 136th...well behind more than half of the @PGATOUR. (And this is before the big guns start to play) ‪ These last 3 courses he has conquered are amongst the top 7 shortest on TOUR, all under 7,100 yds, so his timing couldn’t be better as far as his game matching up with these courses like Port Royal, Mayakoba and Sea Island. ‪ He’s on a remarkable run, but sadly it wouldn’t even be possible at venues like Torrey Pines, Quail Hollow or Bay Hill which boast venues north of 7,450 where the bombers almost always rule. ‬ ‪ It’s just sad that the correlation between distance and world ranking are so tight nowadays and we miss out on more great potential stories like Brendon. ‪Keep it up B Todd and close out that rare trifecta tomorrow!‬

A post shared by Steve Scott (@sscottpga) on Nov 23, 2019 at 4:48pm PST

Wishbone! Ogilvy Scores Walk-Off Ace In Throwback Club Fundraiser

John Ashworth’s annual gathering of golf professionals playing retro equipment at Goat Hill to benefit junior golf ended in rather spectacular fashion: a Geoff Ogilvy hole-in-one in sudden death to win the persimmon wood exhibition match with partner Chris Riley over Xander Schauffele and Dean Wilson:

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Goat magic strikes at the Wishbone Brawl today, Nov 23! The match got tied up on hole 18 by a birdie putt by Dean Wilson. Goes to a playoff hole. Geoff Ogilvy, US Open winner, DUNKS a HOLE-IN-ONE (@titleist) to WIN THE BRAWL on hole 9, here at GOat Hill Park. This makes for ACE number 9 for Geoff. DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!? #wishbonebrawl #2019 @espn get a load of this. Top 10!? (Sound on, hear the dunk!) @goathillpark @truly @geoffogilvy @pgatour @golfchannel

A post shared by LINKSOUL (@linksoul) on Nov 23, 2019 at 6:14pm PST

Another view from Matt Ginella:

It wasn’t Jones at St. Andrews in ‘27, but still a fun scene:

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As pure as it gets. Pros, persimmons, mini muny, no ropes, more kids than adults, there were even puppies charging greens, all for charity and the good of the game. Today makes me believe in unicorns, guardian angels and Golf Gods. The Goat gives back in magical ways. There are countless tales of the unexpected. @katie.ginella and I had our wedding reception here, which was a good party. And then there was today. Chris Riley and Geoff Ogilvy vs. Dean Wilson and Xander Schauffele in the third annual Wishbone Brawl at Goat Hill Park in Oceanside, Calif. With Wilson and Xander as heavy favorites, it was Riley early who did most of his talking with his putter. Which is saying something. Wilson and Schauffele didn’t have the lead all day. It was all they could do to get even. Which they did on 7, 13 and 18. Which meant there was a playoff. Everyone scrambled to the 9th green, which is a golf coliseum. John Ashworth was proud of the new mulch around the back of the green. The putting surface was littered with long shadows. Wilson went first, middle of the green. Xander was tight, until it spun off the front, down the slope. “Goated!” And then Ogilvy grabbed wedge. From 132. He had hit full wedge over the green earlier. He would dial it back. And he dialed it IN. Swish. As you can see, off the lip. Pandemonium. And the forever question: “Where were you when?” It just doesn’t get any better than what just transpired. Set aside the adults for a second, there were hundreds of kids who walked away reflecting on a day in which they got prioritized, up front, in the mix of all the fun. It wasn’t long, it wasn’t slow, it wasn’t expensive, it wasn’t about the money. It was about giving back, paying it forward, and a can’t-write-that-script finish. “Ogilvy is back!” Was one spectator’s observation. “Chris Riley is still one of the best putters in the world,” was Ogilvy’s first humble retort. But when pressed for more... “It’s crazy! How do you make that up?!” You don’t. You just go to www.wishbonebrawl.com and click on “online auction.” And now we celebrate. Ogilvy is buying! (Video courtesy of @foredagolf & @jbarto22)

A post shared by Matt Ginella (@matt_ginella) on Nov 23, 2019 at 7:40pm PST

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Amazing scene after the walk off hole-in-one by @geoffogilvy on the 9th green!!!😎 He teamed with @chrisrileyusd to beat @deanhwilson and @xanderschauffele in the #wishbonebrawl @goathillpark ! Awesome event benefiting #northcountyjuniorgolf

A post shared by Bryan Geiberger (@bryangeiberger) on Nov 24, 2019 at 1:37am PST

Checking In On Can't-Miss Akshay Bhatia After Four Starts

Through four PGA Tour sponsor invites, former world No. 1 junior Akshay Bhatia bypassed college golf after playing for the U.S. Walker Cup team, turned pro and has yet to make a cut. Granted, it’s not kind to fair on a teenager and most remain bullish on the 18-year-old as prototype of future greats by focusing on speed (Bhatia finished 36 holes leading the field in driving distance and was second-to-last Strokes Gained in putting).

Still, as Alex Myers writes for GolfDigest.com from the RSM Classic, the early signs are discouraging for those pinning their hopes on Bhatia as the next way young golfers develop and break through. He reports after talking to instructor George Gankas:

Bhatia was making his fourth PGA Tour start on a sponsor's exemption since turning pro, but is still in search of a first made cut. He's also got an uncertain schedule after failing to make it past the second stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-school.

"I'm not sure, I'll sit down with the team and we'll see," Bhatia said of his upcoming schedule. "But I have three (PGA Tour) starts left and I'll definitely do some Mondays and maybe go to Europe and play some golf over there."

While Gankas was glad to fill-in on the bag, the in-demand instructor who also coaches Matthew Wolff says it won't be a common sight.

"But I did enjoy it and he's a great kid," Gankas said. "And I think he's going to be one of the best players in the world."

Shouldn’t teenagers only be referring to their college “team”?

Golf Pro Sets Off Epic Falling Golf Bag Domino Effect

I believe this is a Dick’s Sporting Goods but am not positive. If anyone knows for sure and which location, we’d all love to talk to this poor lad…

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It wasn’t me. . . . . #golffail #golfshop #clubproguy #golfjokes #golfers

A post shared by AmateurGolf.com (@amateurgolf) on Nov 21, 2019 at 8:23am PST

Garrigus: "It’s OK to take Oxycontin and blackout and run into a bunch of people, but you can’t take CBD and THC without someone looking at you funny."

While he has his facts wrong on a few fronts, recently suspended CBD user Robert Garrigus scores a few points with his very legit gripes about the consistency of suspension penalties and the overall treatment by WADA and the PGA Tour of various substances.

From Adam Schupak’s reporting for Golfweek:

“I get suspended in the middle of the year. Matt Every gets suspended at the end of the year and he misses three tournaments,” Garrigus said. “There also needs to be some discrepancy there. There’s a gray area there, but the Tour has always been black and white.”

He needs to spend more time in California, because this sure isn’t the case, but I don’t doubt it is the way things are in most areas:

“The fact that it is socially unacceptable for cannabis and CBD right now blows my mind. It’s OK to take Oxycontin and blackout and run into a bunch of people, but you can’t take CBD and THC without someone looking at you funny. It makes no sense,” Garrigus said.

Hope! Mickelson Becomes Host To PGA Tour's Desert Stop

Along with a blue chip sponsor in American Express, the once-vital Bob Hope Classic now has a blue chip host in Phil Mickelson, who expands his role as the tournament’s front man.

Larry Bohannan with all of the Desert Sun details, including these comments from Phil, who even put on his best flip-flops for the presser.

“The last couple of years, we asked to give us a few years to really showcase what this tournament can do, and have needed and had the help of many people,” Mickelson said, specifically pointing to officials with Discovery Land, developer of Madison Club and other desert courses, and Lagardere Sports, which operates the tournament for non-profit Desert Classic Charities.

“Now we have the partner that we want to bring it to a whole other level,” Mickelson said, a reference to the new five-year sponsorship deal with American Express. “American Express asked that myself and my foundation take on a bigger role, the PGA Tour asked me to take on a bigger role. My wife and I, Amy, we’ve decided this is the right fit, and we want to have a more direct involvement with the charitable support and donation here in the valley.”

Fall Schedule Wraps Up With Low-Key, Low-Points RSM

While players rave about the RSM Classic and it’s made for great viewing at Sea Island thanks to some compelling visuals, the field of 2019-20’s final fall stop remains one of the weakest non-opposite fields on the schedule.

Eamon Lynch of Golfweek noted that no matter how you cut it, fall events continue to struggle to have the urgency of calendar year events.

This is a head start initiative for journeymen, an opportunity to bank points and coin before the elite return to vacuum up both in the New Year.

Even one of the more prominent guys in the field admits struggling to get amped up.

“I probably have the old-school mindset that the Tour doesn’t start until January,” said Zach Johnson, one of the many players enjoying a home game at Sea Island. “I’ve got to get out of that because there’s a lot of competitive golf and motivations to play in the fall.”

Lynch goes on to note the fourth exemption of Dru Love to the field by dad/host Davis Love, despite have made just 3 of 18 cuts in Tour.