Ratings: CBS's 2021 Pebble Beach Telecast's Up, Most Watched Regular Season Event In Two Years

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The Jordan Spieth bounce? Daytona in a rain delay? Either way a nice jump in ratings for CBS’s broadcast of the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Golf Channel lead-in ratings were also up across the board.

According to ShowBuzzDaily, the Saturday broadcast was almost identical to last year’s number, but was minus the pro-am’s traditional celebrity-heavy broadcast. Sunday’s final round saw a nice leap in the only demo that matters from an average of 488,000 to 792,000 viewers.

Streaming numbers are not made available.

CBS is touting the numbers as the most watched “regular season” PGA Tour broadcast in two years.

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It's Official: Mike Whan Is The USGA's New CEO

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For Immediate Release and do note the nice plug for Mike Davis’s next career move…

The United States Golf Association Names Mike Whan Its New Chief Executive

Current LPGA Commissioner will become the USGA CEO starting in summer of 2021 

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Feb. 17, 2021) – The USGA announced today that Mike Whan will join the organization this summer as CEO, and will become the eighth top executive in USGA history. 

Last month, Whan announced his intention to step down as LPGA Commissioner in 2021, after his organization completes a search for the next Commissioner. His transition follows an impressive 11 years at the helm of the LPGA, during which the organization experienced historic growth in virtually every aspect of the business. 

As USGA CEO, Whan will be responsible for leading all aspects of the association’s operations, including its core functions, essential programs, and human and financial resources. He will also represent the USGA on a variety of national and international boards. 

“Mike Whan is a proven, successful and transformative leader, not only in the golf industry but throughout his entire career,” said USGA President Stu Francis, who oversaw the CEO search process. “He has shown a unique ability to understand how the environment is changing in global golf and how to quickly and thoughtfully adapt an organization to meet those changes. Importantly, Mike is already a trusted peer for so many key stakeholders in the industry, and his existing relationships will not only help the USGA, but will also help advance the game.”

Whan started his career at the Procter & Gamble Company in 1987, where he rose to Director of Marketing for Oral Care before leaving to pursue a passion for sports. Whan’s sports business career began at Wilson Sporting Goods as a Vice President and General Manager in the golf division. He joined the TaylorMade Golf Company as Vice President of Marketing in 1995 and later served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Executive Vice President/General Manager for Taylormade-adidas Golf. In 2002, Whan became the President and CEO of Mission Hockey, a hockey equipment company. 

Since joining the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 2010, Whan increased the number of tournaments on the LPGA Tour’s schedule to 34 from 24, increased purses from $41.4 million to $76.5 million, and grew television hours from 125 hours per season, to over 500 hours. Under his leadership, the LPGA became a truly global business – with players, tournaments, sponsors and fans coming from all over the world. Currently, the LPGA Tour is televised in over 170 countries each week. Whan’s leadership resulted in the expansion of the LPGA to now include both the Symetra Tour, the recently announced joint venture with the Ladies European Tour, as well as a nearly 50% increase in LPGA’s teaching division. Whan’s focus on growing the game for junior girls has led to a significant expansion of the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Program, which had 5,000 members when he joined the organization to 90,000 girls now engaged in the program.  

“As someone who grew up loving this game, I have always had huge respect for the USGA and its role in leading our sport,” said Whan. “The game has given me so much throughout my life, both personally and professionally. I know I have a lot to learn, but I’m truly excited about this role, as it gives me the opportunity to not only give back to the game, but to also work hard to leave it stronger.”   

Current USGA CEO Mike Davis, who joined the USGA in 1990 and became the Association’s seventh executive director in 2011 and first CEO in 2016, will depart later this year to team with Tom Fazio II in a new course design venture, Fazio & Davis Golf Design. 

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Mike Whan for many years and I view him as a trusted, strategic leader who has a proven track record of building collaborative partnerships,” said Davis. “I know the USGA will be in great hands, and I look forward to partnering with Mike to ensure a smooth and successful transition for the USGA.”

Report: USGA Selects Mike Whan As New Leader

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Golf’s Alan Shipnuck reports that the USGA has landed on former LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan as their new CEO (the Executive Director position alluded to is no more).

Current CEO Mike Davis announced after last year’s U.S. Open that he would be stepping down after a replacement was found and turning his attention to golf course design work.

Agent: Mickelson "Absolutely" Open To TV Work In Next 12-24 Months

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After suggesting he might reevaluate things if a lousy 2021 start happened—it has—Phil Mickelson’s agent says his client is open to TV offers.

In a rather story on Front Office Sports, Michael McCarthy quotes agent Steve Loy.

“Absolutely, we’re always in discussions about Phil’s future,” said Steve Loy, Mickelson’s longtime business partner at SPORTFIVE.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if in the next 12 to 24 months you might see more of Phil on the air.” 

Well that’s subtle.

There is the hitch that CBS is about to give Jim Nantz is significant raise, NBC would like its announcers to pay them if they could get away with it, and ESPN does early round coverage of just two majors.

During CBS’s 2020 coverage of the PGA Championship Mickelson earned strong reviews for his over-caffeinated but compelling stint in the booth with Nantz and Nick Faldo. But as McCarthy notes in a possible giveaway that agent Loy was in hard sell mode, also noted this:

Even better, Mickelson connects with a younger audience, boasting nearly 2 million followers across Instagram and Twitter.

He reaches the demo! That’s worth $15 million a year, no?

Rory Wins! Becomes First Non-American To Sit On PGA Tour Policy Board

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That’s Chairman McIlroy in 2022.

Not sure why he’d want this in his life but here goes…

Rory McIlroy elected PGA TOUR Player Advisory Council Chairman for 2021 

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that Rory McIlroy has been elected Chairman of the Player Advisory Council (PAC) by the TOUR’s membership for the 2021 calendar year. Voting ended on Thursday, February 11.

The 16-member PAC advises and consults with the PGA TOUR Policy Board (Board of Directors) and Commissioner Jay Monahan on issues affecting the TOUR.

Rory McIlroy, who prevailed over Russell Knox and Kevin Streelman, will succeed Jordan Spieth as a Player Director on the PGA TOUR Policy Board next year, serving a three-year term (2022-24). He will join James Hahn (2020-22), Charley Hoffman (2021-23) and Kevin Kisner (2020-22) on the Policy Board.

McIlroy, 31, of Northern Ireland, joined the PGA TOUR in 2010. An 18-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2019 PLAYERS Championship and four major championships, McIlroy is one of two players to win multiple FedExCup titles (2016, 2019). When he assumes his role of Player Director in 2022, McIlroy will become the first international player to serve on the Policy Board, which dates back to the TOUR’s first season in 1969.

In November, the TOUR announced that the 2020 Player Advisory Council would extend its term through 2021 due to the vital role the PAC played in navigating the TOUR’s response to the pandemic. 

2021 Player Advisory Council
Ryan Armour
Paul Casey
David Hearn
Harry Higgs
Billy Horschel
Zach Johnson
Russell Knox 
Anirban Lahiri
Peter Malnati
Rory McIlroy (Chairman)
Ryan Palmer
Jon Rahm
Kevin Streelman 
Justin Thomas
Harold Varner III
Johnson Wagner

Pelley On PGA Tour Alliance, Equipment Rule Change Discussion

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MorningRead.com’s Alex Miceli talks to Keith Pelley about the European Tour and several top issues in the game. You’ll have to read between the (many!) lines and even then Pelley isn’t saying much.

On November’s hastily-announced PGA Tour strategic alliance in lieu of a deal with the Premier Golf League:

I'll give you an example that even something along the lines – and we didn't ask them to do this – our “Angry Golfers” [video]. They posted [a link] on their social sites, and then the next thing you know, we’re up to 3 million views. That never would have have happened before. We have a number of strong work streams working. In a COVID year, you can't meet face-to-face, and meeting face-to-face is always better, but that's changed. I said that our competitor became our partner, and I meant it. I just didn't think it would happen this quickly and that we would cooperate and work together on every single aspect of our business on both sides and both parties.

I passed that along to all our people, and obviously [PGA Tour commissioner] Jay Monahan has done it, as well. So, very optimistic. There's nothing concrete that we can tell you, but we are promoting, our production people are talking, our marketing people are talking, our commercial people are talking, scheduling people are talking.  

They’re talking. They’re marketing. So far, it’s just an agreement to share Tweets for now. Given that it was a 10% stake in European Tour Productions and he PGA Tour is starting their own tournament production unit, presumably those ties will become stronger soon?

On the equipment chatter, Pelley will not reveal a European Tour position.

The way I look at it is, the USGA and the R&A are our partners and their role is to do exactly what they are: evaluating all facets of the game. The relationship that the six of us developed during the COVID period will serve us well during this time. We will follow closely, speak behind closed doors with our respective partners, not make any comment public, not give any opinion at this particular time because it's not our position to do so, and I feel very strongly on that because that would defeat the purpose of what we're trying to do. When it comes time to make the announcement, all the comments have been evaluated. We are in contact with them all the time, with the USGA and the R&A. They call it the comments; we call it the listening stage. That's the role. You have to put out some type of concepts and ideas and thoughts to generate the comments. That's what it is. I have no opinion on any of the rules and regulations at this particular time.  

Quadrilateral: Riviera As A Masters Bellwether

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The early days at Riviera

The early days at Riviera

It’s the Genesis now but since it moved to February back in the old Nissan days, Riviera’s PGA Tour stop seems to give us a preview of Masters contenders. Or does it?

I decided to look at it compared to the other traditional “lead up” events in the latest Quadrilateral. Only two provide a decent sample size or consistent schedule slot. And yes this latest piece is behind the paywall for paying subscribers. Thursday’s notes remain free for all. For more on The Quadrilateral go here.

The Real Numbers: "JT and Rory vs. the USGA"

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Justin Thomas mentioned the (billions!) R&D outlay by manufacturers as reason enough to not do anything. He walked that back to millions but ultimately landed at the same spot mentioning “hard work” of manufacturers as cause for rulemakers to stand down.

So, profit over the good of the game. He’s hardly the first and as Titleist’s top player naturally taking the company line.

Rory McIlroy was widely lauded for his comments blasting the USGA’s waste of money studying the distance issue. This, even as he reiterated his support for some kind of skill-protecting bifurcation. His latter point did not jibe with Taylormade’s position on the possibility of tighter regulation.

The Fried Egg’s Will Knights has looked at the claims and it turns out the USGA has spent about $1 million on their portion of the distance study while the manufacturers have spent far more in annual R&D with positive tax implications for doing so. As always I urge you to read the full piece as it’s loaded with fascinating information.

As for Thomas’s claim of R&D spending, Knight found it may be a smaller number than expected and a nice tax credit awaits if desired.

From 2017 to 2019, Acushnet, Titleist’s holding company, spent between $47 and $52 million on R&D. That amounted to about 3% of the company’s net sales. Over the same period, Callaway spent between $36 and $51 million, between 3 and 4% of its net sales. These expenses cannot be attributed solely to golf ball and club development, as both companies manufacture clothing, shoes, and other kinds of products. However, for both Acushnet and Callaway, golf equipment is a major priority, so it’s safe to assume that their R&D spends would be largely allocated to balls and clubs. (Callaway does note that a significant portion of its R&D increase between 2018 and 2019 was due to its acquisition of Jack Wolfskin, an outdoor apparel company.)

The key is this: U.S. companies can take a tax credit for a portion of their R&D spending from their taxable income. This is a complex calculation and we do not have full details on how golf OEMs perform it, but the documents reveal that Callaway has carried forward $18.8 million in federal R&D tax credits, which will expire in the 2030s. These tax credits account for about 3.5% of Callaway’s 2019 taxable income and 4.4% of its 2018 taxable income.

Then there is McIlroy’s claim of wasteful spending. The USGA’s Janeen Driscoll responded to that notion when queried by Knights.

“The USGA invested $1 million total in Distance Insights from 2017 to 2020—the majority of which was dedicated to third-party research,” Driscoll told The Fried Egg in an email. “A lot of this research was dedicated to better understanding and quantifying the recreational game, as we had more than enough data from professional tours and golf at the elite competitive level.”

Driscoll went on to compare that multi-year $1 million investment to the USGA’s spending on other initiatives. In 2020 alone, the organization dedicated $1.3 million to junior programs, $1.9 million to turfgrass research grants, more than $1 million to the PJ Boatwright Internship program, and another $3 million to golf history research and preservation. The USGA also typically sets aside about $10 million per year to conduct amateur championships around the country.

There is more, including the USGA’s Green Section work and other programs that give back to the game.

These two stars are very good at golf and that’s their expertise. Most golf publications will never do anything but praise the players no matter how silly their claims, all in hopes of scratching up a few ad dollars from the manufacturers. But this is a reminder that the topic is multi-layered and such remarks deserve more investigation as the debate progresses.

DJ At Riviera: 67-Under Over The Last Seven Years

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As we look ahead to this week’s Genesis Invitational, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson turns up at a course he loves. Of course Tiger likes Riviera but that hasn’t translated to a level of success by his lofty standards. Johnson, on the other hand, has had an incredible run since 2015.

From Justin Ray’s weekly notes column at the 15th Club:

An elite field is headlined by world number one Dustin Johnson, who won the event in 2017. Over the last five years, Johnson is a combined 48-under-par at Riviera, 8 shots better than any other player in that span. Johnson won his previous start, the European Tour’s Saudi International.

Add in the prior two years and Johnson’s finishes were: 2-T2-4-1-T16-T9-T10, putting him 67-under over the last seven years.

Kevin Hall Takes A Shot At (Nantz Backyard) History And Aces

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A tradition unlike any other, west coast style, is Jim Nantz’s backyard 7th hole and hole-in-one rock of fame.

Kevin Hall, playing on a sponsor’s invite to the AT&T National Pro-Am, joins elite company with Nantz on the call (and steady camerawork!).

USGA And R&A: We Are Living In The Post-Stability-Through-Regulation Era

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In going through the distance report that was part of the USGA/R&A announcement of equipment changes on the table, a couple of charts didn’t get quite enough attention for their very not-subtle messages.

In this “Figure 1” we some startling spikes in recent years, including the huge jump in PGA Tour “all drive” numbers. But it’s the shading of the graph that breaks the eras by blame.

Advancements from Club Innovations and Ball Innovations place emphasis on the ball over clubhead size as a distance gain force.

Then there is the “Stability through regulation” run from 2005 to 2017. I’ll pause here for snorting laughs.

Then there is the white section. Just waiting to be named for 2018 to today. For now let’s go with: Instability With Regulation Needed.

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In Figure 2 the focus is on major regulation moves, with “Stability Through Regulation” highlighting over a decade ending in huge spikes. Also noteworthy here is the blame placed on the ball (pink shading) and the waiting-to-be-named section in white.

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Daniel Berger Eagles Final Hole Of Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Blessedly Minus The Pro-Am

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How nice was it not to hear the words, “and there’s Larry The Cable Guy”?

Or, Ray Romano has come into view of our cameras.

Don’t get me wrong, I support the Pebble Beach pro-am concept and know that it brings in new fans to golf when certain entertainers or athletes are involved. But gosh it was fun to see Pebble Beach played an hour faster and unencumbered by former A-listers and briefcases.

Add in CBS presenting a zippier show than in the past filled with those stunning drone and blimp shots…

This was fun too:

A special shout-out must go to the PGA Tour staff using a fun mix of tees to liven-up the setup. From a 139-yarder at the 5th to Sunday’s shorter 10th tee, the switch-up from normal pro-am years was welcomed. And no change was more exciting than seeing players going for the 18th in two. The day culminated with this stunning final hole eagle by 2021 winner Daniel Berger (Steve DiMeglio’s Golfweek game story here):

The tenth tee setup Sunday got some nice graphics and social media support. Always great when course setup is highlighted…

And the PGA Tour photography team produced some beauties, including this:

Place That Club Carefully Behind The Ball, Kids: Knox and McNealy Penalties At Pebble

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One of the more bizarre changes in player behavior of the last five or so years has to be the way players ground their club behind the ball. Often, not gently and occasionally, for questionable reasons (Brooks Koepka called this practice out last year.)

That said, two players who had no intention of improving their lie suffered one-shot penalties that played a role in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am’s outcome. (Video of both incidents below and to the credit of the PGA Tour, remains posted online.)

Saturday, Maverick McNealy placed his club behind a ball sitting high in the rough and it moved. The PGA Tour referrees assessed a penalty under Rule 9-4.

Sunday, it was Russell Knox in the first fairway and on live television. His penalty assessment did not come until he was on 5th hole once officials reviewed the tape. (Eventual winner Daniel Berger was a witness struggling to get clarity on the current rule, one appears confusing to players believing inadvertent actions such as this were changed in the 2019 rules revision).

From Keith Jackson, quoting Knox on his penalty.

Asked to explain the events of the first hole, Knox gave a firm indication of his mood when he said: "Yeah, I wanted to tee my ball up in the fairway to gain an advantage but sadly I got caught, which sucked!

"But, no, I just was getting comfortable a little. I guess I put the club down, moved up, a little waggle, came down and the ball just creeped a little bit, and then obviously I was deemed to have addressed it. And even after I kind of walked away, the ball still moved a little further, like 30 seconds later, which was weird.

"It's just one of those horrible rules which every one of us is against. There's no advantage gained in any way, and it happened to Maverick McNealy yesterday, my playing partner, so it's just, it's one of those kind of horrible rules that got me on the first hole.

"At first, the ruling was that I didn't cause it to move, because it was such a grey area there, and ultimately we got it right and I did address the ball, so I should have been penalised. Obviously it's a rule which I wish they would eliminate."

McNealy’s ball was perched high after taking embedded ball relief. James Raia reports for the Monterey County Herald on another bad break.

“We made the right call and we have the best rules staff in golf, but it was an unfortunate situation,” McNealy said. “I flew it over the green with my pitching wedge and it embedded. I took a drop, relief from the embed and when the ball landed, it popped back out of where I dropped it

“It was kind of perched on the back of that little hole it made. And when I looked at it, as I addressed the ball I was being very careful, because I thought it was in a very precarious spot, but it fell forward back into that hole and ended up being a one-shot penalty.”

The two incidents: