The Match Shows Golf Can Be Played Without Fans And Still Captivate

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I remain bullish on the idea of the Ryder Cup going forward this year as a tonic of sorts without huge galleries and instead focusing on a stripped-down competition. After The Match and those record-setting ratings, I’m even more confident that a fan-free (or very limited gathering) would be the right thing this year for the biennial matches.

The Match 2, Champions For Charity, confirmed that people will watch something with no fans. In record-setting numbers, actually.

Big caveat: this is as long as the lack of cheering is made up for with production values and other differentiating elements that take us inside the ropes. A day later, it’s clear this sense of tagging along with the group was why The Match worked despite the dreary day at a largely forgettable course free of fans: it felt like we were there, glitches and all.

Sally Jenkins wrote for the Washington Post about the fan-free element in a column headlined: “No crowds meant you could hear the players at the Match II, and some of it was revealing.”

She writes:

Still, it was tremendously entertaining — and informative — to listen to the one-upping asides and to watch the interplay among four men who have been famously buttoned-up competitors. And who normally show their personalities only in marketing campaigns.

Interestingly, you learned that even in a goofy golf situation and unshaven, Woods remains a fairly laconic and methodical sort. Whereas Mickelson, on the other hand, was a real surprise. You never knew he had quite this much effusiveness in him, with his almost epicurean love of a “tasty” contest on every hole. Mickelson’s willingness to explain and instruct the game — and his clear enthusiasm for doing so — was the highlight of the event. And it was something the PGA and networks should consider giving the audience a lot more of.

Uh, we can’t even get them to do a short interview so instruction out of players is unlikely, but certainly Sky has shown with its on-range instruction elements at majors, that there are ways to re-think the show. And with ratings like The Match delivered, it’s very easy to imagine how this might be a significant wake-up call in reconsidering how golf is broadcast.

**Charles Barkley discussed microphones on players during an appearance on Dan Patrick’s show Tuesday.

Overnight? Champions For Charity Scores Golf's Largest Cable Rating...Ever

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John Ourand reports that second most important number from The Match: Champions for Charity: 5.8 million average viewers, making it the most watched golf broadcast in cable history. (The $20 million raised the most important number.)

While still an overnight, it easily bests the previous week’s relief fund match that drew a 1.5 and total of 2.3 million viewers across three channels, including a 1.5 rating on NBC and a .24 on Golf Channel).

More incredibly, this means The Match 2 out-rated any major championship round on cable.

Given a so-so promotional run-up, a slow start to the show (caused in part by a slight weather delay) a dreary day to watch, and a long telecast, the rating is a stunning statement about the remaining star power of the contestants.

Paulsen at SportsMediaWatch.com also added several thoughts, including this on the staggering numbers.

Since the majority of sporting events were called off on March 11-12, it ranks at best seventh among sportscasts — behind the first two nights of the NFL Draft, at least three episodes of the ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance” and the previous weekend’s NASCAR race at Darlington (6.32M).

Viewership more-than-doubled the previous weekend’s “Driving Relief” charity event on the NBC family of networks, which saw Rory McIlroy compete against Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff (2.35M).

“The Match” ranks as easily the most-watched golf telecast on any network this year, with the caveat that the season’s first two majors — the Masters and PGA Championship — were postponed. Notably, it averaged more viewers than the final rounds of last year’s PGA Championship (5.0M) and British Open (3.7M).

Remember, The Match did not benefit from the reach of a broadcast network in garnering that rating.

Winners And Losers From The Match 2: Champions For Charity

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Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods returned for a second edition of The Match. The weather was awful, the course a tricky one to maneuver for crews and two legendary quarterbacks were thrown onto national TV with golf clubs. What could go right?

Yet…

Winners

Phil Mickelson – When he’s on and invested, he’s a master entertainer. He dropped only one early groaner followed by high energy and fun. The 11th hole drive and commentary falls into the first team all-legendary TV category. It should be a Callaway commercial. Now interrupting this post for an embed:

Tiger – There will be plenty of wondering what might have been at the Masters, PGA and U.S. Open given his ballstriking performance. Then again, the break may have been Either way, good to see him looking and playing well. He wasn’t excessively chatty but did deliver one especially fun zinger.

The legendary quarterbacks – They played incredibly well given the circumstances and in particular, Tom Brady’s painful struggle to find his swing. Peyton Manning delivered strong energy, one extra-special zinger and charmingly dated Top Gun references, while Brady delivered the shot that’ll be seen on every national highlight show. The Brady hole-out, also worthy of interrupting this blog post:

Justin Thomas, Charles Barkley, Brian Anderson—Three guys who either never or rarely do golf were the stars mostly because they knew when to chime in and when to let the players shine.  Thomas’s knowledge of the course and quick adoption of the medium was impressive, particularly confidently and succinctly he delivered his points.  

Turner – They clearly learned from The Match 1 and improved under brutal working conditions. Pile on awful weather, physical distancing requirements, an untested format and losing the Goodyear blimp to rain, and Champions for Charity should have been an unmitigated television disaster. Early on, things appeared headed that way but the energy and pace issues were a result of a 45-minute rain delay and the dreaded energy sapping format known as best ball golf. Strong graphics and tracer work was also turned in by producer Jeff Neubarth and director Steve Beim’s crew.

Sound – Of course there were a ton of issues, but even those turned slightly comical when players were zooming off the tee and unable to hear questions posed to them. The unintentional icing-out effect was cute. But given the crappy conditions and difficulties posed by trying to have players wear both a microphone and IFB for sound, the overall performance was beyond admirable. A nod to the announcers for laying out well for player dialogue after maybe overdoing the silence early on.

Modified Alternate Shot – Once this format took over on the back nine, the pace completely changed. I fear a lot of viewers were lost due to the front nine’s sluggish best-ball format. Their loss, but no one could blame them. Instead, point the finger at best ball.

Cart cams – what seemed like a huge optics nightmare—grown men and rich athletes whizzing around in their personalized decked-out carts—turned into a positive with cameras situated on the inside and the ability (sometimes) to converse with them. And was it me or where those carts moving a bit more rapidly than your normal buggy?

Charity – A whopping $20 million was raised by the assorted sponsors, pledges and viewers. 

Medalist’s drainage – Given the rain and being situated on a swamp, to see the ball rolling and the greens retain speed after being under water when TNT came on the air, a miracle really.

Ernie Johnson - He’s a national treasure and great Barkley foil, but wasn’t able to make it for reasons he explained in this emotional piece that ran early in the show:

Losers

Tom Brady’s Under Armour pants – They split in the fabric—not the seam— and the big reveal came as he went to pick up his hole-out. They’ll be shipping those to UA headquarters for forensic analysis. **Brady later Tweets a suggestion they were NOT UA pants.

Even Brady had fun with it after the match:

Tiger’s “shorts” - No, they were not cut off rain pants. And they were predictably mocked on Twitter.

Most golf television golf commentators — The freedom of the Turner crew demonstrated how locked up and stale most golf broadcasters have become trying to cheer-lead in a losing battle to fend off PGA Tour censors, agents and other assorted overmeddling point-missers.

Best-ball – It just takes forever. And rarely is the format that good. Granted, the front nine best-ball format of Champions For Charity was better than two-man Skins (!?), but that’s not a high bar. Remember, the Scots have it right even if they may grovel at the “modified” notion. More alternate shot please.

Caddies – it was a rough two weeks for the bagmen of the world. First the lads carried their clubs around Seminole and it was the highlight. Then, even in awful conditions, the loopers left at home were not really missed. Sorry!

That Weird Mid-round Intermission – I’m sure there were logistical and bill-paying reasons but the mid-round intermission was a huge buzzkill.

Florida – In a statement to GeoffShackelford.com, the local Chamber of Commerce: “We are still investigating whether that was the Bahamas or somewhere in South Carolina, not our state for sure.”

Taylor Made Driving Relief – The PGA Tour Entertainment/NBC/Golf Channel precursor was well-intentioned and fine in the grand scheme. But with a pair of buzzkill guest appearances, and despite a better venue and weather, ended up feeling a bit too much like an empty make-good vessel than a chance to lose ourselves in a few hours of fun.

While both of these fundraising events faced hurdles created by the COVID-19 and The Match 2 obviously featured more dynamic participants, the latter provided escapist entertainment and generated four times the funds. So while there should be no winners, Champions For Charity takes this one 6&5 despite having a similar number of pre-planned obligations, promos and an A-Rod appearance. The Match 3? Why not!

The Match (2) Is Here With Lofty Charitable Goals, Souped-Up Golf Carts And Ill-Fitting Dad Shorts On Full Display

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The carts are freshly painted, primed, sterilized (for the times) and fully charged. If only they were racing might I be more excited for The Match 2, aka Champions For Charity, featuring Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning taking on Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady.

(TNT has the coverage starting at 3 pm ET and the goal is to raise a minimum of $10 million.)

So yes, a lot will be raised for charity and while the Medalist is no Seminole, the fun factor of two legendary athletes willing to subject themselves to the cruelty of golf in front of millions is way more appealing than last Sunday’s poorly-conceived team Skins Game pancake.

Dylan Dethier has the prop bets in case the early pick 4 at Charles Town is your thing. Sadly, no bets are offered on who wears the worst dad shorts, though Tiger would open as an early -400 favorite based on the above practice round photo.

The four players will each take a cart, leading to this dreadful optic in a time of pandemic:

The forecast, as of Saturday, was not great. But fingers crossed they will get the match in. With Monday beings Memorial Day, it’s apparently an option if storms materialize.

"Pro golfers among foreign athletes now cleared for travel into U.S."

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GolfChannel.com’s Brentley Romine reports on a Department of Homeland Security order announced late Friday paving the way for international athletes to travel to the United States amidst travel bans from their home countries.

“Professional sporting events provide much needed economic benefits, but equally important, they provide community pride and national unity,” Wolf wrote. “In today’s environment, Americans need their sports. It’s time to reopen the economy and it’s time we get our professional athletes back to work.”

The sports leagues mentioned in the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement included the PGA Tour and LPGA, which each have a significant number of members who reside outside of the U.S. The exception also includes the various leagues’ essential staff, leadership and dependents, as well as athletes’ family members.

While the order certainly clears one major hurdle for upcoming scheduled golf tournaments, the next layer involves players and their willingness to actually travel.

So far, Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari and Lee Westwood have all made clear they are not eager to jump on a plane and quarantine for 14 days on either side of the Atlantic.

Players will need to be in the United States by Monday or Tuesday 25th or 26th if they intend to quarantine for 14-days and also play a Charles Schwab practice round at Colonial.

Meanwhile as many elements remain unclear, Rex Hoggard reports that player travel between events will be on a 737 with 114 seats available. Guess all those bigger planes are too busy aging in the desert to be used.

One Of The Shark's Claret Jugs Sells For $61K, Well Below Calcavecchia's

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Yahoo’s Ryan Young says “one lucky fan has secured the most iconic trophy in golf” and he’s right. However, the paltry $61,164 at auction price for Greg Norman’s 1986 replica version on Saturday night suggests the golf memorabilia market has understandably softened.

While it’s not the real Claret Jug — that trophy travels from winner to winner each year — winners receive a full-size personalized replica to commemorate their win. They can also order up to three smaller replicas.
There are three other replica trophies, too, two of which are used for traveling exhibitions and one that remains at the British Museum of Golf at St. Andrews.

This Claret Jug is just the latest to be auctioned off in recent years. Per the listing, Sam Snead’s 1946 trophy was sold for $262,900 in 2013, and Mark Calcavecchia’s 1989 trophy sold for $95,525. 

The Claret Jug had left Norman’s hands some time ago and was with a collector, according to Golden Age Golf Auctions.

This sterling silver Claret Jug and its bands have matching English hallmarks from 1982 by famed Garrard & Co., the keepers of the Crown Jewels from 1843-2007. The bands are engraved with the names of all Open Champions up to Greg Norman's victory in 1986. Garrard was the Royal & Ancient's official producer of the Claret Jug in the 1980s. To our knowledge, the original owner of this Claret Jug had no ties to Greg Norman. Rather, it comes from the Estate of an avid collector of sterling silver pieces from Garrard (to our uninformed American collectors, Garrard is essentially the British version of Tiffany & Co.) with a special interest in horse racing and golf.

**Update, bidding was extended and it still went for less than Calcaveccia’s.

Justin Rose And Honma Can't Thank Each Other Enough After Quick End To High Profile Partnership

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The signs were increasingly there last fall and this winter that Justin Rose was breaking away from Honma a year after then-world No. 1 was signing with the company for big money.

Rose had been with TaylorMade for two decades but was lured away by former CEO Mark King, who has since been lured away from Honma to Taco Bell.

But in issuing dueling Friday afternoon statements, the hard sell was all a bit excessive.

From Golf.com’s Andrew Tursky on the breakup and what Honma had to plug…err…say.

“Honma Golf Limited (“Honma”) announces that, following a successful partnership with the former No. 1 player in the world, Honma and Justin Rose have agreed that Justin will no longer be one of Honma’s brand ambassadors. We are proud to have been a key part of Justin’s journey to regain his position as World Number 1 in early 2019, including a win at the Farmers Insurance Open in his second event with Honma equipment in play.

And now the journey has its left turn blinker on but is probably making a U-turn.

“For over a year, Justin worked closely with our team to help develop innovative and top­ performing lines of Honma woods and irons. His pursuit of perfection, approach to product testing and feedback has produced great value to Honma. Justin’s expert input and desire for maximum ball speed inspired our team to make the Honma TR20 460 and 440 drivers among the fastest drivers in the game. Consistently, and excitingly, our nationwide team of fitters are seeing the new TR20 460 and TR20 440 drivers produce some of the fastest speeds on the market. We wish him the very best in his pursuit of more majors and career success,” said John Kawaja, president of Honma Golf North America.”

He just couldn’t play it to his standards. But it’ll look great in your hands!

Rose, meanwhile, hopes he left behind good ideas as he chucks his Honmas and, undoubtedly, a lot of guaranteed money.

“I have enjoyed working with the Honma team and collaborating closely with them to design and develop excellent golf equipment. I was able to see firsthand the innovations that the craftsmen at Honma bring to their clubs. I am hopeful that during our time of partnership, we have laid the groundwork for Honma to continue to expand their brand. We both feel it is the right time to pursue our own paths.”

A tighter statement next time? “It happens.” More than it should.

The Shack Show Episode 12: The Great Par-3 Course Renaissance

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Children’s Course at North Berwick

Children’s Course at North Berwick

How time flies!

To celebrate the first ten Shack Shows (eleven now after a chat with Hank Haney about his change of heart on rules bifurcation), I’m offering up something a bit different: a look at the par-3 course renaissance.

I love a good par-3. Always have. And from the earliest days playing golf I could never grasp why there were so few. Maybe it was my exposure to a couple here in southern California that shaped this view, but either way, the resurgence of appreciation for wee courses that appeal to all golfers and schedules is a beautiful thing.

Because of their scale, par-3 courses are the perfect place for children to begin the game. They’re also ideal spots for those without the time or ability to play a full-length course. And, no offense good players, your game inside 120 yards or so would be a lot better if you played one instead of banging range balls.

As for Shack Show 12, I asked some of the previous guests about their thoughts, memories and emotions when considering a par-3 course. So after my introduction sketching out the history and beauty of the par-3, you’ll hear from, among others, Nick Faldo and Ben Crenshaw talking par-3 courses.

As always you can subscribe and listen via Apple podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. And the iHeart embed below. Thanks as always to producer Tim Parotchka for the editing, guidance and polished turnaround.

Show Notes:

If you are looking for a reference piece or just some assurance that my assertions in this podcast are not all a figment of my imagination, check out Adam Schupak’s definitive Links story on the par-3 comeback.

The proposed MacKenzie approach and putt course at Augusta National, found by Josh Petit and posted by him here.

The Horse Course designed by Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner and Geoff Shackelford credited by Mike Keiser as inspiring his interest in par-3’s at his developments.

And the epic ace referenced in the show:

NGF: 95% Of U.S. Courses Open, Golfers Finding Normalcy On Course Than Elsewhere

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The week-of-May 17th National Golf Foundation COVID-19 pandemic report shows a lot of positive signs in the way of course re-openings, consumer sentiment and maybe most fascinating of all: golfers finding more “normalcy” at the golf course than other places in their lives.

The graph here grabbed for posterity:

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The NGF’s CEO, Joe Beditz, was on The Shack Show to shed light on this important work to keep the golf industry informed in these bizarre and awful times. As I noted then, these kinds of stats compiled by the NGF are going to have an incredible calming and informative effect that will hopefully guide the U.S. game through this difficult time.

Lawrenson On Fan-Free Ryder Cup Showdown, European Tour Likely Returning With 1990s Purses:

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Derek Lawrenson in his Daily Mail column considers the state of the players v. administrators face off over a fan-free Ryder Cup (he has the players winning right now).

Meanwhile, on the European Tour, there has been only silence in recent weeks as they try to put together a revised schedule. Expect an announcement before the end of the month, with a behind-closed-doors British Masters kicking things off a week earlier than currently scheduled in July.

All told, the revised schedule should run for five months featuring around 21 events, including a run in the British Isles in August and a strong cluster of tournaments in October. But it's a sobering reminder of the effects of the pandemic that half of those tournaments are likely to feature total prize money in the region of the $1.1 million that McIlroy won for his charity on Sunday night simply for a shot that finished closest to the pin.

Well when you put it that way…

More On Why The U.S.G.A. Is Dropping Qualifiers For Its Four Remaining Scheduled Events

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Steve Eubanks considers the complicated call by the USGA to cancel qualifiers for its four remaining Open and Amateur championships. While the jokes are flying in texts and emails about open events becoming invitationals, the poll results from you, the readers, show a strong 63% majority wanting a U.S. Open even if means no qualifyings (and presumably the same view for the U.S. Women’s Open and the two Amateurs).

Eubanks adds this from the USGA’s John Bodenhamer and ultimately, I admire the call to scrap all qualifiers in the name of safety and sheer difficulty of rescheduling, even if it seems like the U.S. Open’s could have at least retained a sectional stage, thereby protecting the integrity of the internationally adored From Anyone campaign.

“There were a number of factors,” Bodenhamer said, “and one of them is that with any (competition) that we conduct, there is a need to test and to implement robust health and safety protocols. The inability to do (uniform testing) at 660 qualifying sites, several hundred of those that would have been rescheduled into a timeframe that was already getting jampacked with other things, presented (insurmountable challenges). Those venues and our allied golf associations have lost revenue; they’re struggling; they’ve canceled events; they need to run events; they need to generate revenue, just as the host venues for those qualifiers need to do their own things.”

Revenue at the USGA was never mentioned but those on the outside believe it played a role. It is widely believed that the USGA has a big financial incentive to conduct the U.S. Open in some fashion this year. Fox television network pays a healthy sum for the delivery of the event. No tournament means no revenue, which likely would put a healthy dent in future operating budgets.

Adam Scott Taking Wait-And-See Approach To PGA Tour Return

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Evin Priest talks to this year’s Genesis Invitational winner and world no. 6 Adam Scott about the PGA Tour’s planned return at Colonial June 8-11.

The verdict? Scott does not think the Tour’s protocols are tight enough and he’s passing for the first seven weeks of play.

"What concerns me is dialogue that (the tour) is hopeful of returning one or two-hour test (results). You'd want that in place before competing.

"The other (concern) is it seems an asymptomatic person could operate within a tournament.
"If they're not showing symptoms and I somehow picked it up inside the course and I'm disqualified I'm now self-isolating (in that city) for two weeks. I'd be annoyed if that happened.

"I thought you'd start quite tight and loosen those protocols to normal if appropriate."

As for his comment on testing and protocols, the two loosest areas that may be a stumbling block for players are with the PGA Tour’s use of nasal swab tests that “at best” will return a result in 24-48 hours. And the “bubble” for travel and lodging is still just a recommendation according to the Tour’s 37-page document, meaning players can use other means of lodging and flight (or car).

Here is the testing element Scott appears to be referring to as not returning results fast enough:

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The travel element seems to leave a few holes in the “bubble” but I’m also not sure how else it can be done, which again reminds that expanding fields for this return could turn out to be a huge headache.

On lodging, the bubble hotel is a strong recommendation, but not required:

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And this also may be part of Scott’s trepidation given the number of people able to come, go and be exposed elsewhere:

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Charles Barkley Discusses The Match (2), NCAA's Push To Return

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Part of this Sunday’s Champions For Charity TNT broadcast team, Charles Barkley appeared on Anderson Cooper Live to plug the matches, his involvement trying to play one hole to help raise funds (yay!) and he was asked about breaking NCAA news. Worth a listen.

Variety: "TV Networks Bet on Golf to Lure Sports Audiences Back to the Screen"

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Variety’s Brian Steinberg talks to various network types to report on how live golf is garnering interest in the ad world at a time when buys are on a severe decline. Whether it’s a scarcity matter or renewed faith in pro golf as a promotional tool, remains to be scene, according to Steinberg:

Others are placing emphasis on golf, too. WarnerMedia has sold all its commercial inventory for its May 24 broadcast of a celebrity golf match between Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Phil Mickelson and Peyton Manning. And CBS is seeing high interest for PGA Tour events it plans to air in June, with appropriate social-distancing requirements. “For us, the PGA starts on June 11 in Texas. We’re seeing very strong demand for that,” said ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish during a recent call with investors.

Golf has long been important to various networks, which fill hours of their weekend schedules televising the Masters and sundry PGA Tour stops. That relationship was spotlighted in early March, when ESPN, CBS and NBC agreed to a new nine-year pact with PGA Tour that could come to at least $680 million.

Whether the current demand reflects a new desire for golf – or for Nascar, another sport that started up last weekend with a race that took place in South Carolina without fans – remains to be seen.

R.I.P. Golf World UK

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After over forty years in operation, Golf World will not longer be serving United Kingdom readers. It’s a sad day even with some elements folded into Today’s Golfer, another of the great golf publications is no more. As one of the last magazines producing quality content with smart writers, it will be sorely missed.

Charlotte Tobitt reports from the Press Gazette on Bauer Media closing, merging and selling ten of its print titles, including this:

The measures will cover the print publication, digital properties and associated events of each brand.

Bauer’s UK publishing chief executive Chris Duncan, who was appointed last month after leaving his role as Times Newspapers managing director, said: “The pandemic and lockdown has further accelerated the trends already affecting the publishing industry.

“Bauer publishes nearly 100 magazines in the UK, and some titles that were already challenged, unfortunately, are not expected to be sustainable after the crisis.

“We must protect the long term health of our business and ability to invest in future growth by re-shaping our portfolio.”

Alistair Tait looked at what Golf World meant and what this all means for golf media. It’s not pretty.