A Sad Contrast In Field Strength: This Week's AT&T VS. Next Week's Genesis

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A quick review is in order to put the putrid turnout for the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am into perspective.

  • The Official World Golf Ranking puts the strength of field at 141.

  • Last week’s two events had strength of field scores of 395 and 463 (Saudi International and Waste Management Open).

  • The 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach features zero top 10 players and only five inside the top 50

  • The field has just 23 of the world top 100 and only 55 of the world top 200 WITH NO OTHER EVENT ON THE CALENDAR THIS WEEK.

  • There are 14 players outside the top 1000.

  • In 2020 the only fields with weaker SOF: Bermuda Championship, Sanderson Farms, Barracuda Championship, Safeway Open and Puerto Rico Open. The biggies.

  • There is no pro-am format this year, with play whittled to Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hills

  • John Daly is playing on a former PGA Champion exemption. That’s a tournament he captured 30 years ago this year. We are on our sixth American president since that win.

  • AT&T or some form of the corporation has been one of the tour’s longest running and most devoted sponsors now propping up two events featuring opposite-event quality fields.

Well, I guess you can’t say now-retired CEO Randall Stephenson’s company earned special interest thanks to his ongoing role seat on the PGA Tour Policy Board.

The event is obviously getting hit by a ton of surrounding “playing opportunities” of high quality or easy money (WGC Formerly of Mexico City).

Still, it’s Pebble Beach and one of the cornerstone events that built the Tour. Shameful.

But northern California’s loss is southern California’s gain. I’m not complaining, just sad for Pebble Beach.

Here is next week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera sports a loaded field minus tournament host Tiger Woods.  

The numbers:

  • 7 of the world top 10

  • 20 of the world top 30

  • 30 of the world top 50

The tournament announcement summing up the field:

The Genesis Invitational field is highlighted by seven of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, including World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, World No. 2 Jon Rahm, World No. 3 Justin Thomas, World No. 4 Xander Schauffele, and World No. 6 Rory McIlroy. Johnson, the reigning FedExCup Champion and 2020 Masters Champion, is joined in the field by 2020 PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa (World No 7), and 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (World No. 9).

 The field features 19 past major champions in total including Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Gary Woodland and Adam Scott who returns to Riviera where we won in 2020. Scott is joined by past winners at Riviera J.B. Holmes (2019), Bubba Watson (2018, 2016, 2014), Johnson (2017), James Hahn (2015), and Charles Howell III (2007). California native Rickie Fowler is making his first tournament start at Riviera since 2014.

"No Rollback On Talent"

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LET player Meghan Maclaren added some much needed perspective with her latest blog post by addressing what USGA/R&A equipment standards changes might mean for elite players.

Add her perspective with Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy (both pro-skill) and note how little pushback there has been since last week’s announcement (other than from the Titleist toadies and Dustin Johnson) perhaps most good players get it: the rules need to protect skill and highlight the immense talent pool in the game.

Maclaren points out that this might even make the pro game more interesting. Please check out the full piece but is her summation:

And there’s currently 291 players ranked ahead of me in the women’s professional rankings. Not to mention your pick of every player shown on tv every week. Professional golfers will always be able to enthrall, because that is their job. They work every day to be able to do things you cannot. And you can still make the game as hard or as easy as you want, depending on the course you choose to play, the tees you choose to play from, the time you put into practice. None of that will change, even if Bryson or Anne van Dam max out at 25 yards less than they currently do. It might even make the game better.

And Yet More Magnificent Images Of Snow-Covered Scottish Links

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R&A Proposing "Community Golf Facility" In Glasgow

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For years the idea of a family-focused and smaller facility to give people with busy schedules a place to stay in touch with the game seemed like a swell idea. Some with grander ideas have considered weaving in non-golf amenities with the idea of creating something on smaller acreage in locations where scarcity or the need to re-imagine a golf footprint was called for.

No one has done it.

So this makes for a fascinating move by the R&A to take matters into their hands by creating a model facility. (I still think priority one should be to rescue historic Musselburgh and incorporate some of these elements given its location and importance to the game…but we’ll save that for another day.)

For Immediate Release:

THE R&A TO SUBMIT PLANNING APPLICATION FOR NEW GOLF FACILITY IN GLASGOW

11 February, St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A is submitting a planning application to Glasgow City Council for the construction of a new community golf facility that it is hoped will open in the summer of 2022.

The project aims to redevelop the existing public course at Lethamhill to create a family-focussed venue that provides access to a nine-hole course, Par 3 course, putting greens, short-game area, adventure golf and a 25-bay floodlit driving range for visitors to enjoy a wide range of golf activities, including shorter forms of the sport.

Additional features including a café, fitness studio, indoor simulator and movie theatre, education room and retail area are also being planned as part of a central hub that would offer views north over nearby Hogganfield Loch to the Campsie Fells and south to the City of Glasgow.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We want to make golf more welcoming and inclusive for people of all ages and backgrounds and so we need to appeal to them by offering a variety of fun and affordable activities that entice more families and young people into the sport.

“We are excited by the prospect of establishing a facility in the very heart of the local community in north-east Glasgow that provides an accessible pathway into golf and inspires people to get out, have fun and experience the many health benefits that playing golf with family and friends can provide.”

In collaboration with Glasgow Life, the views of local stakeholders including current golfers, community groups and elected representatives are being considered to assist in shaping the development of the facility to create a destination that truly appeals to local people.

Work is also being carried out with the Golf Foundation and Scottish Golf to devise future participation and education programmes that use Glasgow Life’s existing Active Schools network to connect local schools with the new facility and inspire young people to experience playing golf in a fun and relaxed environment.

Councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life and Deputy Leader of Glasgow City Council, said, “This project is a great example of innovative thinking which protects and enhances resources relied on by the local communities and the whole city. It delivers an incredible facility for golfers while at the same time offering families more opportunities to discover the joy and health benefits of taking part in sport.

“The prospect of creating such a fantastic venue in what is already a well-used hub is something everyone can be very enthusiastic about, and we’re looking forward to working with The R&A and engaging with groups and clubs in the local area to develop a facility which is the first of its kind in Glasgow.”

The R&A has been working closely with the Seven Lochs Partnership and leading sustainability professionals to establish clear commitments to delivering positive environmental, health and social benefits to the local community and ensure best practice in sustainability is used throughout the facility.

A new network of public nature trails that link into existing walking routes of the Seven Lochs Wetland Park is being planned for use by visitors to the urban heritage and nature park, which seeks to promote health and well-being and enhance biodiversity.

Councillor Maureen Burke, Chair of the Seven Lochs Partnership, said, “The R&A’s plans for Lethamhill will be a fantastic addition to the Seven Lochs Wetland Park and will help to make the park a great place to discover and explore nature on your doorstep.

“This is a great opportunity to show how golf can promote wider well-being and environmental benefits and we look forward to working closely with The R&A to create new habitats for wildlife, design nature trails around the golf course and develop outdoor learning activities for local schools.”

"NBCUniversal’s Streaming Strategy Raises Prospect of WarnerMedia Merger"

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Shocker of all shockers, people want more than just reruns of The Office.

The launch of NBC’s Peacock is already causing concern and calls for a merger report The Information’s Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan.

The streaming app is the cornerstone of NBC’s future as it winds down cable channels and gradually shifts viewers to paying. However, it’s already becoming apparent that not enough people will be paying to keep it going.

NBCU has said that 33 million people have signed up to use Peacock, which launched last July, a couple of months after HBO Max. But data from an internal NBCU presentation viewed by The Information showed that Peacock recently had only 11.3 million “monthly active ad-supported accounts.” (Active accounts are households and can include multiple viewers). A Peacock spokesperson said the 11.3 million figure was low.

The data also suggests that Peacock’s priciest $9.99 tier that doesn’t carry ads only drew 4% of people signing up to use Peacock.

The story suggests Peacock’s all-in-one approach is showing signs of not working.

That reflects NBCU’s original strategy with Peacock, which was to treat it almost like a traditional TV network. In a strategy developed by Shell’s predecessor atop NBCU, Steve Burke, Peacock’s programming has a mix of news and sports as well as entertainment. Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+, in contrast, don’t carry news and sports. Even now, marketing for Peacock has emphasized the free tier rather than the expensive subscription offering.

Shell has long felt that NBCU should try and build the pricier subscription tier of Peacock’s business, say people familiar with his thinking. But to draw paying users, Peacock needs more original programs, where NBCU’s resources are limited, thanks to the impact of the pandemic and cord-cutting on its cable business.

The shift of shows and other “content” that would have once been under the Golf Channel banner began in earnest last week when Rory McIlroy’s Golfpass stuff and PointsBet second-screen gambling feeds were behind the Peacock Premium wall. I’m not clear if the Golfpass is totally separate or there are crossover elements and since Comcast will inevitably shift its course again soon, no need to dig deep.

News And Notes: Major Media Move Speculation, Landmark (Watch) Deals

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This week’s major notes cover the gamut with a little Ryder Cup news thrown in.

The media items alone are fun to consider—unless your job depends on it—and suggest we’re in for a lively period of change in how and where we consume the big events.

The weekly notes are free for all subscribers so sign up. And here is more on how The Quadrilateral works, now one month and 17 editions in. Thanks to all who’ve signed up.

"Who performs best on Poa annua?"

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7th at Pebble Beach (Geoff Shackelford)

7th at Pebble Beach (Geoff Shackelford)

Ex-Golf Channel stats maestro Justin Ray has been doing especially stellar work of late and files this beauty on poa annua greens like those found at Pebble Beach.

As always, hit the link and I’m not pasting here who the top poa putters are but this bit was fascinating given how much players believe afternoon putting is impossible (and often looks so based on the ball bouncing):

Players have made 68.3% of putts from 4-8 feet on all putting surfaces since 2015. When isolating those numbers to just poa annua greens, the make percentage drops to 66.5%. While that differential of less than 2% sounds small, it can add up. For instance, that’s the difference in ranking 20th on TOUR in make percentage from that range and ranking 42nd. Putts made outside of 10 feet feature a smaller differential, as the make percentage drops from 15.2% on all surfaces to 15.0% on Poa.

And the tee time information was positively strange:

When a player tees off between 6 a.m. and 10:59 a.m. local time on a course with poa annua greens, they average +0.095 Strokes Gained: Putting per round. When teeing off from 11 a.m. through 4 p.m., that number drops to -0.086, a differential of nearly two-tenths of a stroke per round.

Make percentage between 5-10 feet tell a slightly different story – that green speeds changing during a round itself may impact putts made percentage. The earliest tee times – those from 6-8 a.m. – have a make percentage from 5-10 feet of 55.4%. When teeing off from 9-11 a.m. hour, that number drops to 52.4%, before incrementally increasing in the later tee times to 53.3%.

PGA Tour: No Rangefinders In The Foreseeable Future

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Well you can cross one theory off the list: the PGA of America was not doing the PGA Tour a favor by allowing rangefinders at their majors.

In Alex Miceli’s MorningRead.com in-depth story on the use of distance measuring devices at the PGA of America majors, he features a statement from the Tour:

“The PGA Tour conducted a four-tournament test of Distance Measuring Devices on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2017, with varying results,” the Tour said in a statement released Tuesday. “We decided at the time to continue to prohibit their use in official competitions on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and Korn Ferry Tour for the foreseeable future. We will evaluate the impact rangefinders have on the competition at the PGA of America's championships in 2021 and will then review the matter with our player directors and the Player Advisory Council.”

Players are welcoming the news but also suggesting they don’t see the devices as a vital tool in competition. Brentley Romine reports for GolfChannel.com.

Caddies are even less excited, reports GolfDigest.com’s Brian Wacker.

2021 Waste Management Up In All Ratings For NBC And Golf Channel

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Showbuzzdaily.com with the ratings up all days and especially Sunday on NBC, filling in while CBS hosted the Super Bow. With a compelling leaderboard and pre-Super Bowl finish ultimately captured by Brooks Koepka the 2021 Waste Management delivered.

Streaming numbers are not made available but assuming you can get the balky NBC Sports app to work—they no longer support my cable subscription, so charming!—there might have been nice numbers there as well.

Last year’s Waste Management numbers on CBS and Golf Channel along with other sports that 2020 weekend. Webb Simpson prevailed last year over Tony Finau and Justin Thomas.

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Roundup: The Great Links On A Heavy Snow Day

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PGA Of America To Allow Rangefinders At Its Majors, Effective Immediately

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A couple of oddities with this PGA of America announcement:

  • It was made by the current president, with no quote or comment from the CEO or Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh.

  • The use of the world “flow” instead of speed of play (perhaps because faster rounds are a myth?).

  • No supporting evidence of or evidence how “flow” is improved.

  • No mention of demand from players for their use, examples of such use in elite professional competition, or support of other leading organizations.

  • No clarification whether the senior-athlete golfers in the KitchenAid will be able to also access their cart GPS systems. Those are common within the game as well.

The full press release is here.

PGA OF AMERICA TO ALLOW FOR USE OF DISTANCE-MEASURING DEVICES DURING ITS MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, BEGINNING IN 2021

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (February 9, 2021) – The PGA of America today announced that, beginning in 2021, the use of distance-measuring devices will be allowed during competition rounds at its three annual Major Championships: the PGA Championship, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.

“We’re always interested in methods that may help improve the flow of play during our Championships,” said Jim Richerson, President of the PGA of America. “The use of distance-measuring devices is already common within the game and is now a part of the Rules of Golf.  Players and caddies have long used them during practice rounds to gather relevant yardages.”

With this announcement, the distance-measuring devices used by players and/or caddies in PGA of America Championships will need to conform to the Rules of Golf regarding their use and performance:

Rule 4.3a (1)

Distance and Directional Information.

●      Allowed: Getting information on distance or direction (such as from a distance-measuring device or compass).

●      Not Allowed: Measuring elevation changes, or, interpreting distance or directional information (such as using a device to get a recommended line of play or club selection based on the location of the player's ball).

This policy will debut with the 2021 PGA Championship, which will be played at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, from May 17-23. The PGA Championship perennially features the strongest field in golf based on the Official World Golf Rankings.

Strong field super-human athletes apparently needing the support of a petite and pricey device.

USGA: Courses Built In Last Three Decades Around 64 Acres Larger Than Yesteryear's Footprint

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USGA

Adam Moeller and George Waters of the USGA Green Section set out to determine how much golf courses footprints have changed as the sport has chased distance.

They developed an 80-course random sample with an even distribution of public and private from different regions and built in different eras. As always I urge you to read the whole thing. But the key takeaway part is a landmark finding and explains precisely why the USGA invested in studying distance. Well done.

A carefully selected case study of courses that had recently hosted men’s professional golf events was also included in the research because we recognized that these facilities face unique pressures with regard to hitting distance, and because these facilities typically have resources above and beyond what is available to most golf courses, so their patterns of change were likely to be different. The championship courses selected had a variety of opening dates and architects, and came from different regions.

For the purposes of this study, footprint is defined as all playing areas of the golf course, all practice facilities, all native areas that are likely to require some maintenance, ponds and lakes, roads and paths, the maintenance facility, the clubhouse, and any dumping or staging areas that can clearly be attributed to the golf facility. Where a course had woodland borders, an approximation within the perimeter of the tree line was made to account for maintenance that likely occurs along and within the woodland margins.

In the 80-course sample, courses built during the three most recent decades had an average total footprint of 216.3 acres. Courses from the earliest three decades – the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s – had an average footprint of 152.3 acres, a difference of 64 acres. This pattern was also observed in the championship course case study, where the five most-recently opened courses had an average footprint 47 acres larger than the five oldest courses (260 acres versus 213 acres, respectively).

There could be folks out there who love a bigger, longer walk in the park that wastes more resources and spreads out those strolls between holes. I just haven’t met them yet.

Another key finding: the average total area of greens and bunkers decreased over time. Meaning the expansion also came at the expense of design features in favor of dead space or roughs.

In the 80-course sample, the average total putting green area was 109,077 square feet for the earliest map year and 101,197 square feet for the last map year. The average total putting green area for the championship courses decreased from 125,642 square feet in the earliest map year to 115,755 square feet in the last map year. The average area of bunkers in the 80-course sample decreased from 82,573 square feet to 76,823 square feet. In the championship course case study, the decrease was even more pronounced, with a drop from an average of 243,971 square feet of bunker area in the earliest map year to 156,033 square feet in the most recent map year.

Course alterations for distance have been more recent:

In both the 80-course sample and the championship course case study, alterations to golf courses with a clear distance component have increased from 1990 onward. In the 80-course sample, 79% of the total distance added through new tees or moved greens occurred from 1990 to the present. In the championship course case study, a more pronounced version of this pattern arises, with 92.9% of all distance added since 1990. This suggests that courses have faced more pressure in recent years to accommodate increased hitting distance than in decades past.

Even With Aggressive Mask Enforcement Waste Management Open Is Success

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Why did I ever doubt the Thunderbirds?

The Arizona Republic’s Jose Romero on a successful return to sizeable galleries, a good test run that could have gone so wrong for other upcoming tournaments.

Despite the undoubtedly different feel to the 2021 Phoenix Open, it was still the most-attended PGA Tour event in almost a year, with several thousand fans allowed to on the course daily. 

"There's always silver linings in everything," Jenkins said. "This just made us better at running this tournament. We had to look at different ways of being creative and just look at our expenses. It's easy to deal with your partners when times are good.

"We really relied upon our partners, our vendors, as well as the (PGA) Tour and the city of Scottsdale."

For Jenkins, seeing fans pay attention to washing hands, wearing masks and watching their distance was what stood out. If there was any doubt, he said, it was whether fans and officials would abide by protocols, and if enforcing those would be problematic.

The prospect of 5000 at TPC Scottsdale—generally the type of people you fear will plop down next to you—seemed a disaster waiting to happen. But at least on television and based on the accounts of those on the ground, the Thunderbirds were aggressively enforcing mask wearing and a good time was still had by all. Hospitality areas looked well ventilated and other than the Mashed Potato types screaming out, the event felt good to watch. Helped that the golf was fascinating down the stretch, too.