When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Mercer Baggs highlights some upcoming Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf re-airs coming up on Golf Channel and I noticed one in particular that got me excited: Gene Sarazen vs. Henry Cotton at the Old Course.
The airing of this 1962 match is May 29th at 11 am ET.
There is a dreary version on YouTube, so I’m looking forward to seeing it on a bigger screen.
With exactly two weeks the PGA Tour restarts its season at Colonial, Rex Hoggard wonders if the organization’s threading of “an impressive needle” to balance testing issues is enough. Particularly as the grim total of 100,000 deaths in the U.S. was reached and COVID-19 testing in some markets remains an issue.
The Tour’s plan to bring all of the required diagnostic tools and testing supplies to each event alleviates what would be a bad look in communities where tests aren’t readily available, but it also talks to the limitations of the policy no matter how detailed or well-designed.
Within the Tour’s testing “bubble” are players, caddies and essential personnel, like rules officials, but the vast majority of volunteers, media or the staff at local hotels would not be tested. Instead, they would be screened with thermal readings and questionnaires.
The potential blind spot in the Tour’s testing protocols is a misgiving that at least one top player gave a voice this week.
“An asymptomatic person could operate within a tournament,” Adam Scott told the Australia Associated Press. “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’m a bit surprised at this point that we’ve heard very little from the PGA Tour on two fronts.
First, why exactly volunteers and media are not being tested after Scott raised his concerns?
And second, what is the Tour doing to try and ease the blow of lost charitable dollars to upcoming events? Or, tell us how, as a non-profit organization enjoying significant tax breaks because of charitable giving, is doing with these returning events to promote testing, wellness, a carefully conceived return to normalcy and, or, what they are doing give back to the communities visited.
The LA Times’ Arash Markazi talks to producer Brian Zuriff, founder of The Match, as well as Phil Mickelson about this year’s hit event.
Zuriff explains how Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were the choices to play with Tiger and Phil, and says he’d like to keep aiming for future editions on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Mickelson said he’s gotten plenty of outreach from big names about future playings with more charity in mind.
“I think you could showcase guys like Steph Curry and Michael Jordan or Tony Romo and Patrick Mahomes, who are all good golfers, elite talents and have great personalities. Those personalities are going to come out with this event. Or you could have someone who loves the game and is competitive but is really entertaining like Larry David and Bill Murray. I think that could shine.”
As the tweet above notes, Curry is already raising his hand and seems a natural fit depending on his schedule.
In other Phil/Match news, Mickelson confirmed on Dan Patrick’s show that he’d be open to wearing a microphone in competition based on the positive reaction to last Sunday. From Will Gray’s GolfChannel.com story on that interview:
"I would be open to the idea because of how it's being received, and some of the insight and so forth," Mickelson said. "But you don't have the play between individuals. I had a partner, and Tom and I could talk back and forth. And maybe you could get some of that with the caddie, but having a partner is much more intimate and you have much better conversation."
The full chat:
An unbylined Reuters story quotes Real Madrid star Garreth Bale revealing to Erik Anders Lang just how much his passion for golf has been an issue for his career.
“A lot of people have problems with me playing golf,” Bale told U.S golf podcast The Eric Anders Lang Show.
“I don’t know what their reason is because I’ve spoken to doctors and everybody’s fine with it. The media has this perception that it’s not good for me, you should be resting, it can cause you injuries.
“(U.S. basketball player) Steph Curry plays maybe on the morning of a game. If I play two days before a game, it’s like ‘what’s he doing?’”
Here is the Apple podcast link to Lang’s discussion with Bale, where he talks about life on Real Madrid, how golf is his escape and how he replicated three famous par-3’s in his Wales backyard (it’s rather impressive!). Or the YouTube version:
Media and tour executives insist golfers must get younger to attract the demographic coveted by advertisers. That means hyping young players, encouraging them to turn pro earlier and overall, declaring anyone under 30 to be capable of curing cancer while breaking 70 on a daily basis and delivering young eyeballs.
So as more numbers roll in from The Match: Champions For Charity, it’s noteworthy that four guys in their forties—and one about to turn 50—attracted a record rating on cable, robust sales, and even a younger audience than the previous week’s younger foursome for TaylorMade Driving Relief.
First, a recap on the participants, starting with The Match:
Tom Brady 42
Tiger Woods 44
Peyton Manning 44
Phil Mickelson 49
And the TaylorMade Driving Relief foursome:
Matthew Wolff 21
Rickie Fowler 31
Rory McIlroy 31
Dustin Johnson 35
According to Showbuzzdaily.com, almost 1/3 of The Match 2’s audience was in the coveted 18-49 demo and the number was even better on on TruTV, also meaning there are people of any age group who know how to find TruTV:
About 30% of The Match’s audience landed in the 18-49 demo despite the 44.5 average age of the participants.
The numbers for TaylorMade Driving Relief with a foursome averaging 29.5 years:
That’s 25% of the almighty buyers for a younger, supposedly more millennial-friendly group of golfers. And a grand total of (at least) 860,000 fewer viewers 18-49. While not a huge difference in the percentage department, The Match did rout Driving Relief in overall audience and even took chipped away at NASCAR’s ratings.
Given the sometimes blatant ageism in golf and view that young participants translate to a young audience, The Match’s overall dominating win should be noted. But probably won’t.
In other ratings news, Sunday night’s Tiger Slam documentary debut following completion of The Match on Golf Channel failed to land in cable’s top 150 shows.
I discussed what made The Match a success with myself on the latest Shack Show:
The latest COVID-19 update from the National Golf Foundation features quite a bit on the retail sector now that 97% of U.S. courses have reopened for play.
Over 80% of golf retail stores are now open, though only 12% of golfers surveyed say they’ve visited.
This longer story highlights some of the retail sector findings.
And here is the update on the course side, where the 97% number is up from 44% in early April.
Adam Schupak considers the condition of the golf industry and there are plenty of cautionary signs despite full tee sheets after COVID-19 lockdowns. Check out the piece as there are several interesting components to consider if you are in the industry, including the issues facing courses reliant on more than green fees.
But in the piece reminded us that this was the year we were going to have 50 million golfers and NFL style ratings. At least, in a now-buried presentation Tim Finchem from November 17, 2000.
Actually, he predicted 55 million golfers and a billion rounds a year (slide above).
Given its age and lack of significant closures (except Sundays), there is something symbolic and reassuring to know the Old Course and other St Andrews courses reopen Wednesday.
GolfDigest.com’s Joel Beall with the particulars, just in case you were thinking of trying to get on the ballot.
It will not be business as usual. The letter states that “at this time all courses are available for Yearly Ticket holders only.” Tee times will be made in 12-minute intervals with two golfers per tee time.
There will also be no walk-ups, so if necessary there is a track and trace record of who is on the links.
Last week Scottish Golf confirmed that May 29 would be the earliest return date for Scottish courses. However, a number of courses, especially those in Edinburgh, are targeting June 8 for re-opening.
In other St Andrews-adjacent news, one of the all time great golf pros is hanging up his spikes, and now Crail gets just its second pro in club history.
From Martin Dempster’s story on Graeme Lennie deciding to retire year’s end, to be replaced by David Snodgrass.
“The messages of congratulations have been truly
overwhelming and humbling. I am extremely passionate about Crail GS and the local community and I am very excited for the
journey ahead.
“Crail is an incredibly special club, with two amazing courses, a friendly and supportive membership and it is a dream come true to become the next head professional.”
Lennie is retiring after
34 years, during which time he has helped establish the club as one of Scotland’s favourite golfing destinations. It was also his close friendship with renowned course designer Gil Hanse that led to the American designing Crail’s Craighead Links that opened for play in 1998.
For those dreaming of a St Andrews area itinerary, please keep the courses at Crail in mind. You’ll enjoy this view even more in person:
And the 14th hole on Hanse’s Craighead course:
In an interview with BBC Sport NI (video version at the link), Rory McIlroy reiterated this desire to see the Ryder Cup postponed if it can’t be played with fans.
Worse for organizers wanting to keep the matches on schedule to the benefit of sports fans and the European Tour’s health and the 9-person Quail Hollow Marching and Chowder Society, McIlroy said his “personal hunch” is that Ryder Cup is headed to 2021.
"I think the majority of players would like to see it pushed back until 2021 so that they can play in front of crowds and have the atmosphere that makes the Ryder Cup so special.
"The players are the ones that make the Ryder Cup. If they are not on board with it and don't want to play then there is no Ryder Cup.
"I see it being pushed back until 2021 and, honestly, I think that will be the right call."
In recent weeks several people (Harrington here, McGinley here) who have reason to know what a postponed Ryder Cup might do for the European Tour’s long term prospects, have suggested a Cup without fans would be better than postponement. Presumably to keep the 2022 edition on schedule as much as any one component.
It’s a bit surprising that McIlroy did not take those hints at heart.
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.
I think more players will do this , and if they are happy with we analysts talking direct to them, this could be huge! @PGATOUR https://t.co/tW3oea6FHD
— Sir Nick Faldo (@NickFaldo006) May 26, 2020
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.
Huge TV numbers for “The Match:” Champions for Charity:
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) May 25, 2020
* 5.8 million viewers; most-watched golf event in cable TV history, TNT says.
* Peak of 6.3 million viewers (5:45-6p ET).
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.
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:
Phil goes over the tree line and drives the green on the par-4 11th. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Knib2gL8lx
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2020
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:
Hole-out from the fairway ...
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2020
Just Tom being Tom. pic.twitter.com/ITxotmL3rr
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:
Ernie Johnson gave us the best thing you’ll see all year long...#TheMatch pic.twitter.com/FKTgsmIfC4
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@CTSportsRadio) May 24, 2020
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:
Pants wanted in on social distancing I guess... https://t.co/PJBPyFWowI
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 25, 2020
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 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:
Find a more South Florida, snow bird, private golf community flex... You can’t. pic.twitter.com/jVpGuzDvxK
— Outside The Cut (@OutsideTheCut) May 24, 2020
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.
The forecast for #CapitalOnesTheMatch is typical Florida summer. But as you can see via the @PGATOUR webpage, if there’s weather issue this goes to Monday. —> #golf pic.twitter.com/yur5SmBiCs
— Jeremy Schilling (@jschil) May 23, 2020
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.
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.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
