55 (-16) For 18 Holes!

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Also, Alexander Hughes parred the first and last hole at South Lakes in greater Tulsa to post 55.

From Adam Woodward at Golfweek:

Hughes, a former player at Central Oklahoma, tied the Guinness Book of World Records’ lowest score in a single round of golf with a 55 on Thursday at South Lakes Golf Course in Jenks, Oklahoma.

After making par on the first hole, Hughes made a hole-in-one on the 155-yard par-3 second, followed by another par. Then he got hot, birdieing Nos. 4-8 with an eagle on No. 9 to make the turn at 9-under 26. His birdie streak ended on No. 10 with a par on 11, but the four-year letter winner at Central got to 10 under with a birdie on No. 12.

The card and last hole attempt at birdie.

Oh and it was almost lower:

Popov: LPGA Sticks With Finalized ANA Inspiration Field Minus Recent Major Winner

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A tough, even seemingly irrational call was made by LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan and the LPGA to remain firm on September 10-13th’s ANA Inspiration: the field set for earlier this year remains in place, despite Sophia Popov’s improbable Women’s Open win.

Some context from Julie Williams at Golfweek summing up the tough situation and membership “category” issues created by the pandemic rescheduling. From Whan:

“You don’t have to like that, you don’t have to agree with me on that,” Whan said. “But that way, from the very beginning we knew that a winner there was going to qualify for the 2021 ANA.”

As for limited membership, Whan points out it has happened before – and recently.

“I’ve been commissioner 11 years. I’ve seen plenty of non-member wins at majors,” Whan said. “And I’ve seen almost all of those non-members go onto long and storied careers on the LPGA.”

According to the LPGA, In Gee Chun (2015 U.S. Women’s Open) and Hyo Joo Kim (2014 Evian Championship) are among recent players who won a major championship and received a two-year LPGA membership. Hinako Shibuno (2019 AIG Women’s Open) would have received the same if she had accepted LPGA membership.

No matter how you feel, Whan deserve major plaudits for not merely wheeling out a press release. I happen to think it’s the right decision because of precedent-setting fears.

His video statement:

PGA Tour's Champ Discusses Showing Support For Racial Injustice

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After posting a BMW opening 77, Cameron Champ still spoke to press about his show of support for protestors and other professional athletes choosing to not contest official games and matches. From Adam Schupak’s report in Chicago:

The PGA Tour posted a video on social media on Wednesday that Champ re-tweeted, in which he wore a Nike golf shoe that is black on his left foot and white on his right foot, the latter with the words “Jacob Blake” and “BLM” in blue marker. During Thursday’s round he shook up his message.

“I have Papa Champ on my sneakers, Black Lives Matter and Breonna Taylor,” he said. “Obviously there are some very important reasons why that’s on my shoes. For my grandfather, if anyone knows my story, he grew up in the South, Jim Crow, all those eras through the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s and obviously Breonna Taylor, which is another ongoing issue. For me again that’s kind of where I stand with this. I just want to show my love and support and obviously with my hat, as well.”

Champ’s full remarks here were also of note:

Q. Just to build on that, with the NBA it looks a lot different than the PGA TOUR. I just wonder, there's probably a number of players, certainly fans who have a different idea of what Black Lives Matter means. I just wonder if you feel in any way like an outlier when you support this or you wear the shoes and you're the only one here, right? Just how you kind of square that and how you feel about that.

CAMERON CHAMP: Yeah, I mean, it's -- again, I mean, I do to a sense. Like I said, it's a situation where, again, that video I did yesterday, and I've been told what some people have said. I'm like, that's just -- if you don't understand the full view of everything and realize what's going on and realize the statistics with massive incarceration to law and order to war on drugs to statistically speaking there's, what, I think 12 percent of the U.S.'s population is African-American which makes up 33 percent of the incarcerations versus 62 or 63 percent Caucasian and it makes up 30 percent. So how do those numbers add up?

So it's just, again, a topic that again, I'm going to always show my support. Again, it's part of me, it's part of my family, again, with my grandfather who I looked up to more than anyone, and he's the one who I've learned all the knowledge from and kind of fed off, and again, I think it's a good thing we're all talking about it, because again, it's what needs to happen for change to happen.

"Only three times in at least the past 151 months has the industry seen a monthly rounds increase of 20% or more"

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The reversal of golf’s fortune is put into context in the latest National Golf Foundation update. News of big June and July’s in the U.S. came from GolfDatatech, as did word of an increase in 9-hole and evening play, prompted this analysis:

This two-month rebound has allowed us to climb from a 16% YTD deficit on April 30 to now a 3% lead over 2019. Seems almost inconceivable given the loss of 20 million spring rounds from course shutdowns and virus-related anxieties. And the good news is likely to keep coming. Several golf course management companies have told us that August has been almost as good.
 
We did a little digging for perspective. Only three times in at least the past 151 months has the industry seen a monthly rounds increase of 20% or more. All three were during a heatwave in late 2011/early 2012, yielding surges in play at courses in the north that were typically closed and at a time of year when percentage increases can be misleading. To have a jump this significant during a high-volume summer month is unprecedented and reflects approximately 10 million more July rounds versus a year ago.
 
Our latest year-end forecast has us up 2% to 6% year-over-year. Consider this  – we haven’t seen more than a 5% Y.O.Y. increase since 2012 (during that surreal winter heatwave).

Tiger On Playing As Other Sports Took A Pause

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Buckling under playoff pressure like he hasn’t faced since last year, Tiger bogeyed his last three holes and was not necessarily channeling his inner Norman Vincent Peale.

He made clear there was no discussion of playing as several other athletes protested or elaborated on the times.

Q. Just general thoughts on -- it was a rough finish, but how the course was playing and what was the strongest part of the challenge?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, the course was fine. The course is in perfect shape. Not the way I wanted to finish, but the golf course is playing difficult for sure.

Q. Was it a challenge dealing with the heat? Did that wear you out at all?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I live in Florida, so it's hot. This is no different. Certainly it was hot early. The wind picked up and it wasn't bad. It's just a little muggy.

Q. Obviously there's so much talk about racial injustice, and the NBA and MLB had some teams that didn't play. Was there any thought at all to not playing this round?

TIGER WOODS: No, I talked to the commissioner and they were on board. Obviously he released his statement, and all the guys were on board. So no, obviously there was talk about it because of obviously what happened, but we're all on board, on the same page.

I can see why the PGA Tour would not be looking to postpone the BMW Championship round, but I’d love to sense they genuinely grappled with the perception of golf, the PGA Tour and playing through these times. Yes, march on, but at least maybe pretend to grapple with the difficulty of these times?

Even the Thursday Night Men’s League did.

Tiger's First Public Course To Debut With Post-U.S. Open Mini U.S. vs. Europe Match

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Branson’s big moment this week could be upstaged in September when Tiger debuts his first “public” course design, Payne’s Valley. The Golf Channel/NBC/Excel production features Woods and Justin Thomas vs. Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. I sense some contractually-obligated “days” are getting checked off.

Anyway, for Immediate Release:

ORLANDO, Fla. – NBC Sports and Excel Sports Management announced today the Payne’s Valley Cup, a special 18-hole charity team exhibition match headlined by four of the world’s top golfers to commemorate the grand opening of Payne’s Valley Golf Course at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Mo. Payne’s Valley represents the first public golf course design for 82-time PGA TOUR winner Tiger Woods, who will team up with World No. 3 Justin Thomas (Team United States) to take on major champions Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose (Team Europe) in the Payne’s Valley Cup.

Airing live on GOLF Channel on Tuesday, Sept. 22 (3-7 p.m. ET), the Payne’s Valley Cup will feature an entertaining mix of some of the best competition formats seen during Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups: Fourball, Foursomes and Singles matches. NBC will televise a special encore as two separate telecasts on Dec. 26 and 27 from 4-6 pm ET. The four players competing in the Payne’s Valley Cup have an eclectic resume: all four have been World No. 1; are major champions, all have won the FedExCup and have been part of victorious Ryder Cup teams.

The made-for-television exhibition match will be produced by NBC Sports, featuring all four players mic’d up during competition while showcasing Woods’ new golf course that pays tribute to Ozarks-native and World Golf Hall-of-Famer, Payne Stewart. 

“Payne’s Valley is the first public golf course that I have designed. I couldn’t be prouder of how it turned out,” said Woods. “It was an honor for me and my TGR Design team to work with Johnny Morris and Big Cedar Lodge on this spectacular golf course. I am thrilled that it will be featured during the Payne’s Valley Cup.”

“The breathtaking beauty and pure majesty of my native Ozarks is something you have to see to believe. To be able to harness this unique landscape and make it come alive through our golf courses has been an honor that has been driven by passion,” said Johnny Morris, noted conservationist and founder of Bass Pro Shops and Big Cedar Lodge. “Tiger and I have a twenty-year friendship that started through fishing and has evolved into a great partnership. We look forward to showcasing this destination to the world through the Payne’s Valley Cup and truly believe we are creating ‘America’s Next Great Golf Destination.”

Through a partnership between Morris and Woods, the 18-hole layout of Payne’s Valley, named in honor of golf legend, Ozarks native and dear Morris friend Payne Stewart, was created with the intent to foster a deeper connection to nature through the game of golf. Being celebrated as one of the most remarkable golf holes in the world, the course features an unforgettable par-3, 19th bonus hole designed by Morris to celebrate the nature and beauty of the Ozarks. After the final hole, golfers traverse a breathtaking, cliff hanger nature trail and journey through a beautiful nature cave system to return to the clubhouse.

PGA Tour Statement: "Sports have always had the power to inspire and unify, and we remain hopeful that together, we will achieve change."

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The PGA Tour issued this statement in response to yesterday’s social justice protests in other sports, leading to the postponement of several games, including the NBA playoffs.

PGA TOUR Statement - August 27, 2020 

The MLB, MLS, NBA, WNBA and WTA protests are player-led, peaceful, powerful ways to use their respective platforms to bring about the urgent need for change in our country. There have been a number of efforts in the past to send a message that the current climate is unacceptable, and these teams, leagues and players now taking this step will help draw further attention to the issues that really matter. The PGA TOUR supports them – and any of our own members – standing up for issues they believe in.

The PGA TOUR made a pledge over the summer to be part of the solution, and we have been actively working to make deeper and more specific commitments to racial equity and inclusion in the communities where we play, as well as supporting national organizations within this movement that we had not previously engaged with.  However, we understand that now is not the appropriate time to highlight our programs and policies, but rather to express our outrage at the injustice that remains prevalent in our country. 

Sports have always had the power to inspire and unify, and we remain hopeful that together, we will achieve change.

The PGA Tour’s BMW Championship tees off today at Olympia Fields, just 100 or so miles south of Kenosha, Wisconsin where a police shooting and subsequent social unrest is occurring.

Cameron Champ retweeted this and the replies are a window into the how golf’s audience feels.

Azinger, Brandel See Romo-Like Qualities To Phil's PGA Booth Audition

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During a media call to promote the upcoming playoffs, Paul Azinger and Brandel Chamblee swooned over Phil Mickelson’s brief CBS/PGA Championship stint.

From Alan Bastable at Golf.com:

“I listen to every word that’s said on air and check it and cross-check it, and I find myself pulling for the commentators as much as I do the players,” Chamblee said. “I want them to tell me something I don’t know. I want them to tell me something nobody else has thought of, and it’s hard to do that because the whole world is kicking and scratching for the same information and they all have the same information, and I thought Phil did that.”

And while Phil has no plans to retire to the booth anytime soon, the two NBC stars are anxious to see where his TV career goes.

“I thought it was hilarious; some of the most compelling golf I watched was watching Mickelson in the booth,” Azinger said. “I loved it. “

Don’t love it too much, gents. He’s a free agent.

Men vs. Women's Pro Golf: "Hit and Run vs. Home Run Derby"

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Andy Johnson wins the analogy award for summing the contrast between last weekend’s AIG Women’s Open at Troon and the slugfest at TPC Boston, aka the Northern Trust won by eleven by Dustin Johnson.

During the 2020 Women’s Open, played at a windy, 6,632-yard Royal Troon, we saw just that. Cunning and shotmaking came to the forefront. The competitors’ typical trajectories and spin rates brought slopes on and around the greens into play. Fronting bunkers were intimidating, often prompting players to aim away from a pin if they had a poor angle.

As a diehard golf fan, I felt how a diehard baseball fan must feel during the postseason. In playoff baseball games, the margins are slim, and the most successful teams manufacture runs in nuanced ways: hit and runs, safety squeezes, pitch-outs. Similarly, the Women’s Open highlighted precise driving, well-struck long irons, varied short-game play, and patience. This is the kind of stuff that tragics love and obsess over. And in golf, despite advances in equipment, the intricacies we crave can still be found in women’s tournaments because the scale of the players’ games fits the scale of the venues.

At the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust, on the other hand, those scales were completely mismatched.

Matt Brown offered a similar look from Down Under (thus, the “Monday morning” references to the final round). He lamented how “boring” the Northern Trust final round was, but appreciated how Bryson DeChambeau has brought the distance discussion to the table. And this:

At the same time the TPC Boston was giving up birdies like they were jellybeans, across the Atlantic, the world's best women's players were having a hell of a time at Royal Troon.

With 65-kilometre-per-hour winds ripping off the Firth of Clyde on Scotland's west coast, this classic 140-year-old links was baring its teeth. The leader after the first two rounds was Swede Dani Holmqvist.
She shot rounds of 70 and 71 to be 1-under, the only player in red figures.

The cut was set at 9-over par. Three golfers had rounds of over 80 in the first two days and still played the weekend.

And it was glorious to watch.

Great to see World Golf Hall of Famer Karrie Webb on board too (above).

NGF: Afternoon And Evening Nine-Hole Rounds Up During Pandemic

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The news isn’t too encouraging these days but for golf the signs are positive. And while we’re all sleeping better knowing the never-happy manufacturers are selling clubs and balls, it’s the course operators and lower-level clubs that form the backbone of golf. It seems, based on National Golf Foundation data, that the pandemic has freed people up for more afternoon and evening golf, a surefire way to hook and retain participants.

From the NGF report:

Golf course operators report that afternoon and evening tee times have been popular, which seems right given that Covid-19 has changed the contours of the work day for many. Sorting through recent NGF golf participation and engagement research, the number of short loops (as a percentage of total loops) is up over 15% in 2020.

Core golfers report that 33% of their rounds this year have been of the nine-hole variety, while occasional golfers tell us that nearly half (48%) of the rounds they’re playing are nine holes. This will be seen as good news by many, especially the USGA given their PLAY9 initiative, and would indicate that the “time barrier” to golf is being overcome by more golfers.

And I loved this perfect summation from the NGF:

We’ve talked about the increase in beginners and youth golfers, so clearly the late-day tee times aren’t just for the work-at-home crowd.

With late summer days, those nine-hole twilight rounds present the perfect opportunity for families to get to the course after an early dinner, or newcomers to get more comfortable with the game.

As for the graph above, it is discouraging to see 9-holers disappearing given the way the world is going, but maybe the numbers of late and fine documentation by the NGF can help save a few 9-holers wondering about their future. Particularly if they can reimagine themselves as late afternoon/evening places to play.

Phil And The Aviators Take Branson By Storm!

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Phil Mickelson’s eye-opening—if you could see behind the aviators—22-under-par PGA Tour Champions debut outside Branson was impressive. That’s even if the competitive setting more closely resembled afternoon cart games at The Bridges than big boy golf, but Mickelson proved he’s still got something special during a four-stroke win over Tim Petrovic.

Jay Busbee with this on the win and Tiger’s assessment…or was it a dig?

Look, it’s easy to laugh off Mickelson’s achievement as an unfair matchup, the golf equivalent of LeBron James rolling over a neighborhood pickup basketball game. Mickelson’s odds to win the tournament were as low as +220 (bet $100 to win $220); that’s getting in the neighborhood of prime Tiger right there.

Woods himself knows just how much of an advantage Mickelson currently owns. “He was already one of the longest hitters out here [on the PGA Tour],” Woods said Wednesday at the BMW Championship, “and now he goes to where he’s going to pick up a huge advantage off the tee ... There’s no reason why he can’t win every event he plays out there. He’s got such a big advantage over the rest of the field just with sheer length.”

That’s right, he could win every week “out there”!

More importantly, buried lede here: Phil is putting with a blade and making putts. I feel the Golf Gods at work here. The entire bag of Callaways for Mickelson including a nice shot of his old school putter.

Also, the cart driving was magnificent! This man has a Ryder Cup captaincy in his future!

Oh, and the trophy is…sizeable.

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One start. One win. 🏆

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Vin Scully Auctioning Off His Clubs And A Whole Lot More

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An unbylined AP story sent to me by reader Steve details legendary broadcaster Vin Scully’s plans to sell off much of his memorabilia, including golf items right down to his clubs.

Vin Scully sat outside watching two sets of his golf clubs being loaded into a truck. He thought of afternoons teeing off at Bel-Air Country Club or with President George H.W. Bush.

Those left-handed clubs had produced a lot of shots over many rounds, some good, some bad. Traipsing the fairways was a way to relax and swap stories away from the ballpark through the years. Seeing them go stirred emotion that surprised the 92-year-old Hall of Fame announcer.

"Wow, there is a chapter of my life that really hurts," Scully told The Associated Press, "but at my age and after some physical problems, I knew I'd never be able to hold them again. I heard a door close in my life."
Scully took a bad fall in April at the end of his driveway while retrieving the mail, breaking his nose and ribs and suffering a concussion.

"It was a learning experience," he said. "I hold on to my walker."

Scully is spreading the proceeds between family members to pay for home schooling and to UCLA for neuromuscular research.

Tiger: Fanless Masters Less Confined, Fewer Distractions

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Looking ahead to his 2020 Masters defense this November, Tiger Woods noted a couple of key elements that will be different.

Beyond the roars giving you an idea where another player stands, he also referenced the loss of basic distractions (backing off a shot due to a noise) and the lack of confinement. Presumably, as he said at the PGA, this favors players not used to everything that comes with playing on the biggest of stages. He’s not wrong.

From Ryan Lavner’s GolfChannel.com report:

“When you put 40,000 people on such a small piece of property – I know there’s no rough, but it gets confined,” he said. “But this will be very different. This will be a fun Masters, and I’m looking forward to defending.”

Some players have mentioned difficulties focusing without fans and plenty more are enjoying it. Pace of play has improved but the idea of being less confined is fascinating. For some players, having fairways lined by players might be a positive in helping to focus on the job at hand, and perhaps, for others not having the fan presence makes things trickier.

Anyway, it’s an oddity of 2020 that cannot be quantified.

NBC, USGA Announce 2020 U.S. Open Broadcast Windows And Peacock Integration

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With the U.S. Open’s surprise return to NBC there will be ups, downs, perks and a few remote-control headaches that might include multiple phone calls with older relatives. Be ready to explain Peacock.

Good news?

The new Peacock app has a free option and if you’re only casually into the U.S. Open, probably not necessary since it’s largely handling field outlier broadcast windows. Maybe.

The bad news? If you’re a cord cutter and willing to pay to stay in one place despite Peacock, Golf Channel and NBC Sports existing under the same Comcast umbrella, you’ll be doing some app switching, updating, password entering, yada, yada. But you’ll survive, I promise.

Here is the schedule retaining the same 45 U.S. Open hours as last year on Fox. However, with the need to incorporate Peacock, the U.S. Open is losing 90 minutes of cable coverage each weekday round compared to Fox Sports 1. This year’s event—a one-off played in September at Winged Foot—is down four hours of broadcast television coverage Saturday and Sunday compared to Fox’s 10 hours and 8 hours respectively.

According to a spokesman, plans for Featured Holes and Groups will be announced at a later date. Last year those feeds were both available on Fox Sports Go and USOpen.com.

As for the weekday Peacock late/early scheduling, let’s just say if I were Tiger Woods, I think I know my 2020 U.S. Open tee time schedule already.

Either way, you have a month’s notice to sort out your viewing plan-of-attack and download the inevitable app updates that will need updating again, but it’s what the kids want!


U.S. OPEN – LIVE COVERAGE AIRTIMES (SEPT. 17-20, EST):

Thursday, Sept. 17

7:30a.m.-2 p.m. GOLF Channel

2-5 p.m. NBC

5-7 p.m. Peacock

Friday, Sept. 18

7:30-9:30 a.m. Peacock

9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. GOLF Channel

 4-7 p.m. NBC

Saturday, Sept. 19

9-11 a.m. Peacock

11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. NBC

Sunday, Sept. 20

8-10 a.m. Peacock

10 a.m.-Noon GOLF Channel

Noon-6 p.m. NBC

Golf Equipment Sales: Social Distancing, Not Distance Gains, Fuel Record Growth

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I kept waiting to hear that record equipment sales tracked by Golf Datatech were fueled by a major distance-gaining breakthrough.

Turns out, it’s just social distancing.

GolfDigest.com’s Mike Stachura offers an extensive breakdown of the surge in sales and reaches out to all of the CEO’s who rarely advertise in print any longer because, they’re (kind of) happy campers! Until they hear the anti-capitalist governing bodies will blow this pandemic-fueled resurgence of golf.

Each of the club and ball categories were up more than 25 percent in both units and dollars compared to a year ago. Specifically:

Balls: Up 27 percent in units, 28 percent in dollars

Putters: Up 32 percent in units, 36 percent in dollars

Wedges: Up 64 percent in units, 74 percent in dollars

Woods: Up 74 percent in units, 68 percent in dollars

Irons: Up 83 percent in units, 93 percent in dollars

As calculated by Golf Datatech, iron sales set an all-time high for any month the research firm has tracked in its more than two decades of looking at industry numbers.

What record did it beat? The one set just last month.

Now, for the CEO’s who were all contacted so Stachura didn’t get any angry calls. The wisdom gleaned is life changing.

“One element we’re seeing is that the more folks play, the more they think about equipment,” said David Maher, president and CEO of Titleist and FootJoy parent Acushnet, on the company’s recent quarterly earnings call.

Holy Mungo Park, who knew?

So hear me out: more people playing use more golf balls, and buy more things. This is remarkable!

Here I thought we wanted to just have really rich people overpaying to gain a few yards, join their seventh club and post a few pics on The Gram, all while the rest of us worked 80 hours a week and aspired to win the lottery so we could play some golf?

Who knew!

Perhaps we should study this appreciation of golf as cool, affordable, accessible and safe might grow it? Bold for a Wednesday, I know. I know.

Callaway’s Chip Brewer reported a huge uptick in online sales and he doesn’t think it’s all just a pent-up demand situation.

“The surge we have right now, some portion of that is pent-up demand,” he said on the company’s recent second-quarter earnings call. “And some portion of that is the increased interest in the game and the increased participation. The participation and the interest in the game, I can't help but believe are positive indicators for the long run.”

On a serious note: this pandemic is dreadful and will be part of our lives for some time. Golf has turned out to be a safe place to be and also an activity folks can participate in because they are not working 60 hour work weeks. Or at all.

Yet no where, in this surge, is anyone daring to suggest these sales are happening because of some amazing equipment breakthrough or distance boosting cure-all. That’s worth noting the next time a manufacturer suggests distance regulation will collapse the sport and deprive folks of real golfing joy. Sales are driven by participation. Simple as that.

Healthy sport, healthy business.