"PGA Tour, other tours should take cue from Olympics"

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One of the more lucid reads in a while on golf tournaments, postponements and the big picture comes from Morning Read’s Dave Seanor. He highlights both the tough-but-necessary call by the IOC to postpone the Olympics, as well as the reasoned stance of the International Golf Federation head Antony Scanlon.

As it turns out, the IOC was ahead of the curve. In the ensuing weeks, only the R&A has taken similar forward-thinking action by postponing the 149th British Open until July 2021. The PGA of America, U.S. Golf Association and PGA Tour continue to operate under the wishful thinking that the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and various Tour events can be played in 2021. Ditto for Augusta National Golf Club, which holds out hope that a November date for the Masters will be doable. (It’s noteworthy that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, unlike his counterparts in California and New York, resisted early shelter-in-place directives and recently displayed a commerce-over-citizens’-health predilection by opening his state’s beaches against the wishes of local governments.)

The IOC, of course, had to consider the needs of many more sports than golf. While it may have dilly-dallied for several weeks, it ultimately concluded that a piecemeal attempt to salvage Tokyo 2020 would have been futile. International sports federations welcomed the schedule clarity, but the IGF still finds itself at the mercy of various pro tours hoping to rescue some portion of their 2020 seasons.

“Now that we know the new dates, we will work to finalize the qualification system for the Tokyo Games and adapt all our operational plans accordingly,” Scanlon said.

Scanlon’s positive outlook in a bleak time highlights how you’d hope an executive would think. That’s a nice way of saying he appears to have grasped reality and is thinking how to properly position golf when the time is right.

Pete Cowen Recovering From Presumed COVID-19

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Brian Wacker with a GolfDigest.com update on instructor and golf guru Pete Cowen, who was never officially tested for COVID-19 after returning home from The Players. In the story, his agent issued a statement explaining Cowen’s health status, and there was this from the instructor to several top players, including Henrik Stenson and Gary Woodland.

“The worst part of it was at one point coughing non-stop for 24 hours,” he says via text, his voice still too weak to talk much.

He also endured low blood pressure, high temperature, hot and cold shivers, a racing heart rate and shortness of breath.

“Apart from that it was OK,” he said.

Podcast: The Shack Show Episode 2 With Guest Charlie Rymer

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Charlie Rymer is my guest for Shack Show episode two primarily because I always enjoy hearing from Charlie but also because he’s one of the brightest people in golf. He should be at Augusta National this week working for Westwood One Radio where he’s done the tournament broadcast for over a decade now.

We spend a considerable amount of time discussing last year’s tournament won by Tiger Woods and working alongside Mike Tirico for his special call of the conclusion (embedded below). Plus, so much more about where golf is right now, Myrtle Beach, dewsweepers, the great lead broadcasters in golf, sunsets and where the game will be after the pandemic.

Show Notes:

Ridin’ With Rymer’s at PlayMyrtleBeach’s YouTube page.

A snippet from Charlie’s chat this week with Jack Nicklaus:

Mike Tirico’s call of the 2019 Masters with Charlie miraculously silent for almost two minutes!

Outpost's Emergency Relief Fund To Help Golf's Independent Contractors

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Like the LA area effort to help some of the last tradespeople in golf, The Outpost Foundation is offering to match $50,000 in donations. Out-of-work caddies are at the heart of their effort.

The foundation is the product of the highly successful Outpost Club.

Here’s what they are doing

Our Emergency Relief Fund provides emergency funding to independent contractors in the golf industry that face unforeseen expenses that cannot or will not be covered by insurance or other means.  Your generous donation will help members of the golf community who rely on gratuities such as caddies, locker room attendants, and outside services workers as they grapple with the hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. We stand with those in our community and are committed to “taking care of our own.”

The Foundation will match the first $50,000 donated to the fund to help the greater golf community during the COVID-19 pandemic. With your help, we hope to increase our reach and the amount of aid we can provide to those in need.

This link will take you to links for those wanting to contribute, and for those wanting to apply for assistance.

"Jim Nantz is just like you—a disappointed golf fan missing this week's Masters"

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GolfDigest.com’s Guy Yocom catches up with Jim Nantz during what would have been his 35th broadcasting duties for CBS.

Nantz shares observations on quarantining in Pebble Beach and this tease for the weekend CBS shows:

This weekend there will be two encore presentations—the 2004 Masters on Saturday—with Sunday bringing a rebroadcast of last year’s “Return to Glory.” Nantz spent the early part of this week taping interviews via his computer at home with Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods for the weekend shows. “We want the presentations to be as stimulating as possible and having Phil and Tiger talk about their wins as they watch the old broadcasts is pure gold for the viewers.”

Padraig: Ryder Cup Will Not Be Played Without Fans And Golf Needs To See The Bigger Picture

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After Monday’s premature and tone deaf rollout of a fall men’s pro golf schedule, the Ryder Cup was slotted in its original dates for Whistling Straits in September.

During a BBC radio interview, 2020 European Captain Padraig Harrington said he does sense organizers will carry on with a fan-free Ryder Cup. From Reuters:

“Non-golfers and golfers around the world watch the Ryder Cup because of the tension that’s created by the spectators.”

Harrington said he held discussions with Ryder Cup organisers regarding the possibility of postponing the event but continues to plan for it to go ahead as scheduled.

“There are bigger things too than the Ryder Cup. It’s a big deal in golf but we have to see the bigger picture,” the three-times major winner added.

“I hope that we get our chance to play. I think it’s something that can bring people together and is something to look forward to and enjoy.”

"From Nick Saban to Bill Murray, stars recall Tiger's 2019 Masters win"

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An oral history of sorts, the team at ESPN.com put together this roundup of quotes and video clips featuring top athletes past and present remembering Tiger Woods’ unforgettable 2019 Masters win.

Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald:

"I was there for the first two days of the tournament then I watched the last two rounds at home. I was elated. To know him, the mental makeup, what the game means to him and how much he cares about the game of golf -- not only for himself, but in terms of the growth of it. I think it's something that's really changed, from the young Tiger when it was, he had blinders on, singularly focused on his achievements to now.

"As a fan of the game, it gave the game a shot in the arm. There are people that love Tiger, there are people that hate Tiger. No matter what, people are going to watch Tiger. They are going to watch to see him play poorly, they are going to watch to see him do transcending things. He's a polarizing figure. I heard people say Tiger moves the needle; Tiger is the needle."

"Are sports broadcasting kingpins facing their Napster moment?"

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Richard Gillis poses the above question in the Irish Times. It’s a worthwhile read if you’re interested in the future of TV sports and are comfortable pondering post COVID-19 matters. (Thanks to reader Rob for this.)

He writes:

Sport has its own version of the CD album: the traditional multi-sport subscription package as sold by Sky, ESPN and Setanta among others. Pared down to its bare bones, these subscriptions bear a passing resemblance to the CD album: Come for the Premier League, stay for carp fishing, canoeing and the European Speedway Championship from Gdansk.

That model started in the United States but has been challenged by cord cutting and audiences shifting to streaming services. But in a matter of weeks, has the pandemic potentially exposed an excess that endanger the model of sports?

Most of us are already juggling multiple accounts, from the established names such as Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime and The Irish Times through to more niche entertainment sites, gym memberships, mindfulness apps and further still into FMCG categories such as pet food and beauty products.

Sport has got the memo and, in the pre-Covid-19 era, a new business model for governing bodies and event owners was emerging that sees them streaming sport direct to fans via so-called Over The Top (OTT) channels.

Debut Podcast! The Shack Show, With Guest Michael Bamberger

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The Shack Show is here and begins an odyssey that hopes to add some substance and, in these bleak days, a bit of diversion. The show will evolve, as it already has signed joining up with the good folks at iHeartRadio. For now, The Shack Show will feature conversations with figures in golf and focus on select topics. While the frequency may vary, I hope to keep these chats at a manageable length. Because as a podcast listener for over a decade, I know you have more choices than ever.

To kick off the show in this postponed Masters week, I chat with noted Golf Magazine/Golf.com writer and longtime book author Michael Bamberger. We discuss Bamberger’s new book The Second Life of Tiger Woods (reviewed here), the 2019 Masters, Greg Norman and golf before, during and after this pandemic.

I hope you’ll enjoy the pod and subscribe wherever you get podcasts. For The Shack Show or podcasts from IHeartRadio, visit the IHeartradio app, the Apple podcast store, the Stitcher option, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

As always, you can listen below as well:

McKellar Magazine For $10 With Code: SHACK

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McKellar’s third issue is an especially rewarding publication to be part of and a timely gift for golf readers.

Every page features something rewarding to read. Thanks to Founding Editors Tom Dunne and Lawrence Donegan, the content is both lively and original. The writers have freedom to roam but never too far.

Tommy Naccarato and I profile an underrated architectural and construction masterwork by an unknown engineer. No where else could we tell the story of Santa Anita Golf Course but in McKellar.

Just some of the other highlights in Issue 3: Never-before-seen images by Ansel Adams of golfers in Yosemite, Michael Clayton on the rejuvenation of Hogan’s Shady Oaks practice spot, Lorne Rubenstein on the joys of just walking a course, David Normoyle on how golf keeps surfacing on BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Dan Davies on golf artist Harold Riley, John Ammerman on architects Devereux Emmet and Stanford White, Jay Revell on the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and Audrey Gillian on Scottish career amateur Belle Robertson.

And so much more.

With checkout discount code SHACK, you can get Issue 3 for $10 a copy plus shipping. It’ll make for ideal quarantine reading and when civilized society returns, a classy gift to your hosts and golf friends. (You’ll see the code entry box at the Checkout page top.)

You’ll be supporting quality journalism in a readable format and enjoying top writers in a travel-friendly 6.5 x 9.5 inch size.

Sunshine Tour Chief: "I think there are going to be different priorities going forward."

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While it’s way too early to be fussing over finance as the world faces another day of pandemic carnage, perhaps Sunshine Tour commissioner Selwyn Nathan’s remarks will help the professional golf world retain some perspective about the sport that will greet them when some form of normalcy returns.

Nick Said of Reuters spoke to Nathan, who has been talking to corporate sponsors and sees purses possibly returning to 2000 levels. He also says there will be “different priorities” going forward with “a lot of haircuts.”

“I don’t think guys will be playing for between 800,000 and 1.5-million euros (as a first prize) any more.

“In my opinion, and after speaking to people around the world, we could be winding the clock back to 2000.

“And for now that might be the smartest thing in sport, to go back to something that is more palatable for partners.”

And this…

“I think they will need us like oxygen, and we will need them also to give our players something to play in.

“But nobody is going to be walking around as gung-ho as they were, not in any sporting sphere around the world.”

Tiger's Inaugural (Unofficial) Champions Dinner Looks Pretty Swell

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Looks like a pretty stellar gathering if you can’t have the real thing in Augusta. And no awkward cocktail banter with Vijay or TWatson.

Review: The Second Life Of Tiger Woods

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Don’t be fooled. Michael Bamberger has immense respect for his subject matter. But at times reading the longtime golf author’s new book, you might question at times just exactly how he feels about Tiger Woods.

This sensibility, however, was not created by Bamberger. It was Woods’ topsy-turvy decade and his bizarre last decade that miraculously ended in rebirth as a giant of sport. Bamberger’s issue is that he’s an outstanding reporter who picks up relatable details. It’s just that Tiger gave us two kinds of drama over the last decade and mercifully, after reviewing Woods’ injuries, the WD’s, the Dr. Galea time and the comeback trail, The Second Life of Tiger Woods (Avid Reader Press) finishes with the victorious 2019 Masters.

The number of insights, stories and well-labeled legends of anecdotal lineage are all presented in Bamberger’s inimitable style and often challenged by the reporter, as well. For as rough as some reminders are of Woods’ DUI or his struggles to recover his game, the ride is filled with plenty of stellar anecdotes for lovers of all things golf, and in particular, The Masters. (For devotees of the tradition unlike any other, the book is worth the cover price for Bamberger’s fresh details just on how the Champions Dinner works and Woods’ approach to the 2019 Masters. Oh, and the the Augusta National Golf Club security drive story that reportedly got Tiger laughing hard.)

Since we have no 2020 Masters to watch, reliving everything leading up to Tiger’s fifth title is well worth the ride, even if the road was bumpier than we’d prefer to recall.

Today In Necessary Diversionary Reading: That Time The Open Was Cancelled Over A Strange Dispute

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With The Open Championship’s official cancellation coming just moments before the oddly-timed fall schedule rollout, there was not much room to consider the implications of such a stunning move. As Ewan Murray notes for The Guardian, it happened for a range of sound reasons and ends a steady run since 1946.

The Open will return next summer at Royal St. George’s and the 150th will now move to 2022 at the Old Course. The other three cancellations involved World War’s I and II, and an 1871 dispute.

John Antonini at GolfChannel.com explains how the 1871 Open at Prestwick was delayed and ultimately never played. There is all sorts of fun stuff to learn about those early day bickerings over the proposed rota, the claret jug’s birth, and also a couple of fun side notes. Starting with this fun reminder that they once contested the Open at 12 holes and somehow the game identified the best player and survived.

Young Tom didn’t disappoint, touring Prestwick in rounds of 47-51-51 to win by 12 strokes. “It will thus be seen that Young Tom Morris was yesterday the successful competitor for the third year in succession, and consequently carried off the belt,” reported the Herald.

Then this related to the Claret Jug’s lineage…

A stipulation stated that the new claret jug would never become permanent property of the winner no matter how many times in row the tournament was won. It was a prescient proviso considering that within the next decade both Anderson and Bob Ferguson would win The Open three straight times.

It wasn’t until the 1950s that anyone else won three consecutive Opens when Peter Thomson won it from 1954-56. By that time, the original jug was long retired.

Following the 1927 tournament won by Bobby Jones, the Royal & Ancient’s Championship Committee took the 1873 jug out of circulation, and has awarded a replica to the Champion Golfer of the Year. The first claret jug, as well as the original champion belt, is on display in the R&A Clubhouse.

What Might Have Been: Golf's Return To Historic Newport Thwarted By Coronavirus

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While still pressing ahead with plans for a U.S. Open in September at Winged Foot, the USGA did announce the cancellation of its U.S. Senior Open at Newport Country Club and the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Brooklawn. Both are treasured national championship venues but any time big time golf is played at Newport, the spectacle is a joy to behold.

Scott Barrett reports from Newport on the understanding from those who worked on the 2020 Senior Open.

Planning for the 2020 U.S. Senior Open began long ago, and an official announcement was made during an intimate gathering at the Newport Marriott in April 2017. It would have been the 41st installment of the tournament, which heads to Omaha Country Club in Nebraska next year and Saucon Valley Country Club in 2022.

“It’s out of our control,” Barclay Douglas, president of Newport Country Club, told The Daily News via a phone conversation Monday morning. “It’s unfortunate because a lot of people worked hard and were anticipating this.”

The full USGA statement, which also notes no decision has been made yet on major amateur events other than the already cancelled Four-ball events.

U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championships

In addition to the postponement of the U.S. Open, the USGA has made the decision to cancel the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championships for 2020. 

The 41st U.S. Senior Open had been scheduled for June 25-28 at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I. The 41st edition of the championship will now be played at Omaha (Neb.) Country Club from July 8-11, 2021. The 3rd U.S. Senior Women’s Open, which was scheduled to take place July 9-12 at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Conn., will not be conducted this year. More information about future sites and dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Canceling this year’s Senior Open championships was a very difficult decision to make,” said Davis. “Not only are they important pillars of our championship schedule, but we also value our relationships with both Newport Country Club and Brooklawn Country Club and were looking forward to staging incredible events there this summer. Given the ongoing health and safety issues related to COVID-19 and the significant consolidation of schedules into the back half of 2020, including the postponement of the U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Open, we felt it necessary to make these unfortunate adjustments to our 2020 championship plans.”