Deacon: "Golf course management tool created to help operators improve the golfer experience"

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Fun IOS and Android-friendly concept rolled out from the USGA for golf course “managers” to monitor a variety of things associated with operations and in particular, maintenance related elements.

This sounds like, if nothing else, a great way to monitor what green speeds do for pace of play. For Immediate Release, followed by a video explaining the app.

USGA Launches ‘Deacon,’ An Innovative Green Section Solution to Help Courses Deliver a Better Golfer Experience

Tool named in collaboration with the Palmer family as a tribute to Deacon Palmer, father of Arnold Palmer and longtime caretaker of Latrobe (Pa.) Country Club

 LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Feb. 25, 2021) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) has reached a key milestone in its efforts to support the long-term health of golf courses with the launch of Deacon, an innovative golf course management tool created to help operators improve the golfer experience by delivering better playing conditions while optimizing and prioritizing critical resource consumption.

Developed by the USGA’s Green Section and backed by its 100 years of hands-on industry experience, Deacon was designed to address two universal problems faced by golf courses: a gradual decline in participation due to a lack of satisfaction and rising maintenance costs. The digital tool is accessible online and available in both iOS and Android app stores.

The name is a tribute to Deacon Palmer, whose 50-year stewardship of Latrobe (Pa.) Country Club starting in 1926 – as superintendent and later golf professional – shaped a course that generations of golfers have enjoyed to this day. Latrobe is where Deacon taught his son Arnold to play the game on his way to becoming one of the most beloved figures in sports history, inspiring millions with his passion, character and values.

“In caring for Latrobe Country Club and influencing the life of one of the iconic figures in golf history, Deacon Palmer served the game in a way that matches our mission,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA. “We are humbled that the Palmer family has entrusted the USGA with honoring his legacy.”

The tool contains 10 key features that will enhance a golf course manager’s ability to deliver accessible, enjoyable rounds to its golfers, including pace of play reports, GPS heat mapping, golf course condition management and hole locations. According to USGA research, golfer experience plays a vital role in the financial viability of facilities and the game’s long-term health and sustainability. 

Complementing and expanding upon the USGA’s proven impact in turfgrass research, educational reach and on-site consultations, the tool will serve as an important supplement to the work done daily by golf course operators and empower them to make more efficient, data-driven decisions.

“Deacon represents the latest evolution in the USGA’s efforts to champion and advance the game,” said Davis. “The investment in this innovative technology will have a positive and long-lasting impact on the millions of golfers who visit green-grass facilities each year as well as thousands of golf course operators, the unsung backbone of our game.” 

The USGA and the Palmer family share a long association dating to Arnold Palmer’s amateur career. Palmer cited his victory in the 1954 U.S. Amateur Championship as the turning point in his decision to become a professional golfer. The first player to win the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open (1960) and U.S. Senior Open (1981), Palmer was honored in 1971 with the Bob Jones Award, the organization’s highest honor, and in 1975, he was named the honorary chairman of the USGA Members Program – a position he held until his passing in 2016. His relationship with the USGA and his role in American golf history were further cemented in 2008 with the opening of the Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History at the USGA Golf Museum and Library in Liberty Corner, N.J. 

“My father wanted to be remembered as a caretaker of golf because it was my grandfather, Deacon, who first taught him how to care for the game,” said Amy Palmer Saunders, chair of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. “Our family is proud to continue this longstanding association with the USGA through the Deacon tool because it supports the same common-sense people – superintendents and professionals – my father and grandfather identified with so closely in their own lives.”

 More information about Deacon can be found at gsshop.usga.org.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) conducts many of golf's most prestigious championships, highlighted by the U.S. Open, the U.S. Women's Open and the...

Annika Says This Is No Comeback, But May Also Miss Tokyo Games As IGF President

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Annika Sorenstam’s appearance at Gainbridge LPGA is a hometown stop for her and first on the LPGA Tour since 2008. She signaled this is no return, just preparation for this summer’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open according to Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols.

However, as Brentley Romine notes for GolfChannel.com, that even coincides with week one of the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics. Sorenstam is now president of the International Golf Federation which is primarily focused on one major initiative these days: golf in the Olympics.

Sorenstam says she has the IGF’s support in pursuing the Senior Open.

“Of course you're playing. We love having an active president,” Scanlon said to Sorenstam, according to Sorenstam, who added: “We're still working out the details.”

Sorenstam says a trip to Japan will be necessary at some point, depending on the travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, but she’s optimistic she’ll still be able to compete in the Senior Women’s Open while also maintaining her responsibilities to the IGF.

The IGF has also endorsed Sorenstam’s acceptance of the Presidential Medal of Freedom the day after rioters stormed the Capital building following a Trump rally.

Video from that ceremony and interviews both the day of and later on has been posted today by Graham Bensinger. Sorenstam is seen leading the room in an impromptu standing ovation for Trump a day after the riots is at the 1:20 mark. In follow up chats with Sorenstam and husband Mike McGee, the latter expresses understanding at the outrage over Sorenstam accepting the medal that day in light of what happened.

"MLB is deadening baseballs to liven up the game."

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The L.A. Times’ Mike DiGiovanna talked to managers and pitchers about Major League Baseball’s efforts in 2021 that include a tweak to ball construction and more humidors in certain parks. The goal appears to be dialing in the emphasis on all-or-nothing at bats and to restore “action” in the form of more balls in play, more importance placed on speed, and an increase in small ball for some teams.

In other words, the numbers show launch angle baseball is not resonating.

DiGiovanna writes:

The changes are so subtle that they may result in fly balls traveling only one to two feet shorter when hit more than 375 feet, but if that pushes baseball one small step toward its more traditional roots, it would be one giant leap for the game, in Maddon’s eyes.

“I’m hoping it impacts the game a lot,” Maddon said. “We’ll see how it works out this year, but if, in fact, the ball doesn’t travel as far, it will change the analytics of the game, and a lot of things will change off that.

“Strategically speaking, it will put more emphasis on speed, on hitting the ball the other way, especially with two strikes, on contact. Strikeouts will be more disdained, like they were in the past. Pitchers might challenge hitters more because they want the ball in play, and they won’t walk as many guys.”

This from Rich Hill:

“The overall feeling I’ve gotten from friends and family and fans that I’ve talked to is that, yeah, seeing home runs is almost like watching the NBA and guys throwing up three-pointers all the time,” said Rich Hill, a 40-year-old pitcher who recently signed with the Tampa Bay Rays.

“It understandably has a point to it, but strategically, if we want to continue to grow the health of the game, we might want to rethink where we are right now. And I don’t think I’m the only one who feels that way.”

The parallels with golf’s infatuation with launch angle and power are clear: long balls must be all folks want to see. While control, shot shaping, recovery play and the ground game are seen as not as sexy.

"Tiger Woods’ catastrophic crash in Los Angeles has cast a spotlight on a low-budget documentary series that featured golf’s biggest star"

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A devastating situation gets no better after reading Meg James and Wendy Lee’s L.A. Times piece detailing what Tiger Woods was headed to when crashing his car in Rolling Hills Estates. Day two of the shoot was to be with quarterbacks Drew Brees and Justin Herbert for a Discovery+/GolfTV/Golf Digest series that originally had grander ambitions. The finger pointing has already begun as to why the star was driving himself to the “set”.

TV giant Discovery typically provides transportation for stars of its productions, arranging professional drivers to deliver the talent to and from sets and location shoots, according to an executive close to the company who was not authorized to comment.

That was the arrangement for this week’s shoot in Rolling Hills Estates, people close to the production said.

It’s unclear why Woods did not opt to have a chauffeur take him to the film site, but Woods is known, in golf circles, to prefer to drive himself to events, often with caddie Joe LaCava in the passenger seat.

(It’s actually TGR’s Rob McNamara the last few years and who visited Woods yesterday at the hospital, contrary to a TMZ report it was LaCava).

Discovery pushed back:

“That’s not a question for Discovery — that’s a question for Tiger’s team,” said Fiona McLachlan, a London-based senior vice president for sports communications for Discovery. McLachlan declined further comment.

Tiger Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, did not respond to requests for comment.

There was also this:

Initially, the Woods project was envisioned as much larger scale, with stunts and a bigger budget, but over time the size and scope were modified. Discovery instead decided on a documentary, “fly-on-the-wall” type production with non-union crews to give it a more intimate feel, people familiar with the matter said.

Had it been a union project, a Teamsters driver could have chauffeured Tiger Woods and any other talent or crew to the film location, said Lindsay Dougherty, an organizer at the Teamsters Local 399, which represents drivers, casting directors and location managers.

This also becomes relevant should it turn out Woods was simply speeding because he was late for the “call time”.

The story also puts a dollar figure on Woods’ Discovery deal.

The series sprung from a four-year deal worth an estimated $35 million that Discovery struck with Woods in November 2018.

At the time, Discovery billed the arrangement as “a strategic partnership” between Discovery, the PGA Tour, GolfTV and Woods. The cable programming giant, which owns several international sports channels, said that it would “collaborate with Woods on a wide range of programming, content creation and storytelling opportunities that will offer fans an authentic and regular look into the life, mind and performance of the game’s ultimate icon.”

Director Peter Berg’s post after hearing of the accident news:

Monahan: "right now the entirety of our efforts needs to be around the support"

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With all of the declarations of relief and victory that Tiger Woods survived his crash, PGA Tour Jay Monahan struck a more appropriately concerned and emotional tone in his remarks.

From Steve DiMeglio’s report at The Concession.

“When Tiger wants to talk about golf, we’ll talk about golf, but I think right now the entirety of our efforts needs to be around the support,” Monahan continued. “When you’re going to overcome what he needs to overcome, I think the love of all of our players and everybody out here, it’s going to come forward in a big way and across the entire sporting world.

“I think he’ll feel that energy and I think that’s what we should all focus on. We’ll all be talking about (the PGA Tour without Woods) at some point down the road, but right now that’s not what we should be talking about.”

World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession Becomes First Tour Event With Two Championship References In One Title

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No, I’m not excited about this week’s WGC Mexico City replacement in Bradenton, Florida. Maybe the course will grown on me, but with Tiger Woods in a hospital room this will be a tough one to get up for. Plus, all-things-considered, it was a super West Coast Swing that wrapped too soon for a month of swamp golf.

And a tournament called the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship At The Concession (WGCWCATC).

That said, this week’s venue does have a nice story behind it and some of the players have even heard the story of the 1969 Ryder Cup. Now, ask me again on Sunday after 498 tellings of The Concession story. I might feel like Captain Sam Snead did about one of the great acts of golf sportsmanship.

This is a nice recap of that Ryder Cup, including a reminder that it was Jack Nicklaus’ first ever Cup appearance:

The Concession at the 1969 Ryder Cup between Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin remains one of the most iconic moments of the event. Here Jacklin remembers the f...

As for the course, look to the trusted digital outlets for the best “content” on The Concession. They may not be credential worthy to some golf organizations but someone has to pass on the WAGs slideshows and sponcon to cover the game!

The Fried Egg’s Garrett Morrison and Andy Johnson discuss the layout and slopes with their usual stunning drone shots:

NLU’s “Crash Course” on the Nicklaus-Jacklin design:

Roundup: Doctors Weigh In On Tiger's Accident Injuries

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Blunt warning here: this is all very hard to read on many levels. Emotionally and physically, if you can read this without cringing or losing your appetite, your soul may need nurturing or you’re an orthopedic surgeon.

After a statement detailing Woods’s injuries made by the lead doctor at Harbor-UCLA, enough information has led doctors to speculate about what Woods faces.

Bill Mallon, who played a little Tour golf and is an orthopedic surgeon, posted a lengthy Twitter thread assessing Tiger’s situation based on details.

A selection of some of the posts:

Gina Kolata of the New York Times talks to doctors about Woods injuries that are consistent with car accident victims hitting the brakes. This is a tough read in part because contrary to rosy assessments that the worst is past him or there is reason for a “sigh of relief,” Tiger has a brutal road ahead in the coming days and long term.

Kolata looks to compare Woods’ injuries with that of NFL quarterback Alex Smith and even Ben Hogan. The primary perspective from Dr. R. Malcolm Smith, the chief of orthopedic trauma at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass.

When the front end of the car is smashed, immense force is transmitted to the driver’s right leg and foot. “This happens every day with car crashes in this country,” Dr. Smith said.

Such lower-leg fractures on occasion bring “massive disability” and other grave consequences, said Dr. Smith. “A very rough estimate is that there is a 70 percent chance of it healing completely,” he added.

He goes on to explain the issues facing Woods should swelling not subside in his leg and he needs a skin graft to close the wound.

And the issue of playing golf is addressed.

As a result, he said, it may take five to 14 months for Woods’s lower leg bones to grow together, assuming they do so at all.

The biggest hurdle will be his foot and ankle injuries, Dr. Firoozabadi and others said. Regaining range of motion and strength can take three months to a year. Depending on the extent of those injuries, even after rehabilitation Woods may barely be able to walk.

For the squeamish, University of Rochester’s Dr. Michael Maloney is a level one trauma surgeon and offered a more sensitive explanation on Matt Adams’ Fairways of Life. He translated the doctor’s statement, noting this was a “limb threatening” injury.

It’s a very good explanation that starts three minutes into the show:

Roundup: Tiger Woods Seriously Injured In Rolling Hills Car Accident

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The LA Times story was reported on by Hayley Smith, Richard Winton, Faith E. Pinho, Sam Farmer and Christina Schoellkopf who report on how Tiger Woods was seriously injured and details concerns with the road where Woods was injured.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Woods was traveling at a “relatively greater speed than normal” descending down a hill, noting that the area “has a high frequency of accidents.” The sheriff said that there were no skid marks and no signs of braking and that the golfer’s vehicle hit the center divider, a curb and a tree in the rollover crash.

Villanueva said Tuesday there was no evidence Woods was impaired at the scene.

Woods was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center by ambulance, where he was in serious condition and being treated for his injuries, the Fire Department said. His injuries included a shattered ankle and two leg fractures, one of which was compound, according to a source familiar with his treatment.

That terrible news was confirmed around 10 pm Pacific Time by his doctor and company, TGR (embed above).

From Bob Harig’s ESPN.com report.

As part of a statement on Woods' official Twitter account, Dr. Anish Mahajan of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center updated the famed golfer's condition, saying in part that he had multiple "open fractures" to his lower right leg, had a rod placed in his tibia, and screws and pins inserted in his foot and ankle during an emergency surgery.

"Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia," said Mahajan, the chief medical officer and interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA. "Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling."

Woods was staying Palos Verdes as part of a two-day content shoot for Golf Digest and GolfTV. It is believed he was en route to Rolling Hills Country Club for the shoot, though TMZ reports he might have been late for a shoot at Riviera and appeared impatient at the hotel. That report appears inaccurate.

The officer first on the scene spoke of the experience:

Discovery, owners of Golf Digest and GolfTV, released this statement:

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The PGA TOUR Statement on Tiger Woods from Commissioner Jay Monahan:

We have been made aware of Tiger Woods' car accident today. We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery. On behalf of the PGA TOUR and our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers.

A sampling of statements rounded up here by ESPN.com:

The mood soured at this week’s PGA Tour stop, reports Steve DiMeglio.

The Daily Mail’s story includes numerous images.

I penned this for the Quadrilateral on finding some comfort in Ben Hogan’s recovery.

Coverage was largely respectable except USA Today/Golfweek’s Nathan Bomey story detailing the car like a bad salesman trying to lure sponsored content.

Woods was seen at Riviera for last weekend’s Genesis Invitational arriving in the SUV.

Justin Thomas: "I'm...just worried for his kids"

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Even after learning of Tiger Woods’ serious car accident in Rolling Hills Estates, the PGA Tour went ahead with a pre-planned call featuring Justin Thomas.

Given how close he is to Tiger, it was admirable of Thomas to muster the mood to talk all things WGC and speak so movingly about his concern for Woods’ children.

Nine questions in he was finally asked about what should have been on the only topic in the minds of most press operations. And to see what was asked before and after shows why it might have been best not to have this session at all and just let Justin share his concern on social media.

But we have the Workday WGC at The Concession And Not In Mexico City to promote, promote, promote!

Q. How concerned are you that--if you were playing well when you had that success, how concerned are you with how you're playing at the moment?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I don't know if "concerned" is the right word. I obviously always want and wish to be playing better, but yeah, not exactly where I want to be with my game right now. But just like this game, you always work to try to get out of it when you're not doing your best. So just got to keep working on it and hope good things start happening.

Q. Justin, not the greatest question, but have you heard about Tiger and do you have any reaction to it?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I'm sick to my stomach. You know, it hurts to see one of your--now one of my closest friends get in an accident. Man, I just hope he's all right. Just worry for his kids, you know. I'm sure they're struggling.

Q. On a lighter note, you played the golf course today. One of the reasons that they call this course The Concussion was the greens. How are the greens and especially how are they as you chip up to them?

Oy. Vey. Gevalt.

The point missing here both on the PGA Tour and press side is just off the charts.

But again, tip of the cap to Justin Thomas for being a good sport in a trying circumstance.

Ratings: 2021 Genesis (2.24) Gains Without Daytona 500 Competition

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This year’s Max Homa-won Genesis Invitational scored nice ratings upticks on CBS (2.24 vs 2.03 final round) despite last year’s leaderboard featuring Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy, reports ShowBuzzDaily.com.

Saturday’s wind-delay killed numbers for the network window but saw a nice audience turn to Golf Channel for handoff coverage.

2020’s Genesis went up against the Daytona 500 (6.26).

Golf Channel saw a nice uptick in Sunday morning coverage and other windows.

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More Scatter Chart Silliness: Riviera's 1st and 3rd Holes

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I saw a lot of players at last week’s Genesis Invitational but somehow managed to miss a few of the crazier tee shots. Notably, one by Charl Schwartzel driving over the first hole barranca and Matthew Wolff almost driving the third green.

Let’s look at these two holes and the data collected by Shotlink (thank you team and volunteers). Starting with the 1st hole (Shotlink scatter chart embedded above).

The “par-5” played into the wind at times, including some huge gusts before play was stopped Saturday, and still saw players drive well through the fairway in the barranca or past it. If you know Riviera, this thought has been joked about and tried by a long hitter here and there. The day has now arrived where players are forcing the issue and don’t care if they end up in the barranca. In Schwartzel’s case he cleared it 368 yards away on a carry of 320 according to Shotlink.

Also, a 4.279 average for a par-5 is especially low given that the wind was into the players faces a couple of days.

The second image is of the 3rd hole playing under par for the week with all drives finishing well past the fairway bunker. I’m sure the data analysts of the world will run the numbers and tell players: drive past the bunker, it’s to your benefit. Smart!

Seriously, it’s incredible to see no drive within forty yards of a fairway bunker that once had meaning not that long ago.

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Records Prove It's Ok For ANA To Celebrate 50 Years Without The Great Wall Of Dinah

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I thought I’d seen it all when they erected a blue wall behind the 18th at Mission Hills and players used it as a backboard in the 2020 ANA Inspiration.

Dubbed the “Great Wall of Dinah” by Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols, the feature diminished a major should have been removed after two rounds. But as the tournament prepares to turn 50 they’ve gone back in the “records” to find that there is no better way to celebrate this milestone by returning the 18th to full island status, minus the wall. It’s retro! The kids love retro!

For Immediate Release with interruptions:

ANA INSPIRATION THE FIRST MAJOR OF 2021 CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Defending champion Mirim Lee and 2020 Women’s British Amateur Champion Aline Krauter to play 2021 ANA Inspiration 

February 22, 2021

Note the headline inclusion of Krauter, a late addition to the field and defection from the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

The 50th edition of the ANA Inspiration will take place April 1 - 4 at Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California, marking a return to its usual position on the calendar as the first Major of the year.

This historic Major, which has 38 different champions over its 49-year history, will once again gather the world’s best women with the field headed by defending champion, Mirim Lee, who claimed her first Major title last year over the famous Dinah Shore Tournament Course.

The South Korean won a dramatic three-way play-off last September, sealing victory at the first play-off hole. Lee eagled her 72nd hole on the Sunday to draw level with Nelly Korda and Brooke Henderson, remarkably having not held the lead at any point during the tournament.  Now a four-time LPGA winner, Lee calmly holed a five-foot putt for birdie to snatch victory from Korda and Henderson - both of whom had held the lead over the course of the final day.

As with last year’s tournament, this special 50th Anniversary edition will be going ahead without spectators due to Covid-19 related restrictions following close collaboration with partners ANA, the LPGA, the City of Rancho Mirage, Mission Hills Country Club and in consultation with the Riverside County Health Department, following the State of California Public Health Department guidelines.

With no onsite hospitality possible this year, tournament organisers have taken this unique opportunity, coinciding with 50th Anniversary celebrations, to play the famous 18th island green surrounded by the famous Poppie’s Pond in its purest state.

It’s a special, one-time limited opportunity!

As far as the records show, the world’s best golfers will be approaching the 18th green just as the competitors would have encountered it in its inaugural edition in 1972, clear of any hospitality units or branding.

Or people, also just like 1972. Oh I kid…

Lee is looking forward to revisiting the scene of her victory just six month ago, said; “I can’t wait to return to Rancho Mirage as the defending champion. Usually you have to wait 12 months to get to defend a title so it’s pretty unusual we will be back there so soon. For me personally, I think it will be wonderful to be back there as soon as possible and have the chance to relive all the happy memories and feelings of winning there last year. I am very sad that all the amazing fans still won’t be able to return this year, but it is a very understandable and sensible decision to make when we are in a global pandemic. We are all very grateful to ANA, the LPGA, IMG, Mission Hills and Rancho Mirage and all the partners for working so hard for us to make it possible for us to play the year’s first Major as scheduled.”

Germany’s Aline Krauter, a Junior at Stanford University, has also seized the chance to play in the season-opening Major, commenting, “It is such a fantastic opportunity for me to gain experience playing amongst the world’s best in the season’s first major. I could not think of a more historic venue to play my first major championship at. I am honored to have been given this amazing opportunity to test my game at the next level.”

And she’s not sounding too sad about bailing on Augusta.

Fans will be able to watch the ANA Inspiration around the world, including on Golf Channel and Sky Sports, and follow along for enhanced content on social @ANAinspiration and the tournament website ANAinspiration.com  

It’s still remarkable that this major isn’t network worthy while the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is.

Tiger Surfaces (With Clubs) A Day After Talking About His Surgery And Masters Hopes

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While Tiger Woods gave a less-than-rosy assessment of his immediate ability to play, he turned around and mustered the strength to spend the day shooting something with comedian David Spade. Presumably this is something for GolfTV. But given that few can confirm the channel’s existence and since Woods avoided media during this weekend visit to Riviera, we can only hope the workload is limited and he didn’t set back his recovery in the name of barely-seen “content”.

Amateur Status Proposal: "Eliminating all sponsorship restrictions"

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The USGA and R&A announced a streamlined amateur status update and the headliner: “eliminating all sponsorship restrictions.”

This would appear to be in anticipation of a forthcoming Supreme Court case and possible NCAA changes that might allow athletes to be paid via sponsorship money.

For Immediate Release:

THE USGA AND THE R&A MODERNIZE AMATEUR STATUS RULES

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., USA and ST ANDREWS, Scotland (Feb. 22, 2021) – The USGA and The R&A have announced proposals for significant changes to the Rules of Amateur Status that govern the game worldwide. 

These proposals result from a modernization initiative that has identified a clear need to bring the Rules up to date to reflect today’s global amateur game and ensure that the Rules are easier to understand and apply.

The proposed Rules, along with explanations to key changes, have been posted on usga.org and randa.org and the organizations are now inviting feedback from golfers and stakeholders. Comments will be accepted through Friday, March 26, with the new Rules scheduled to be adopted on January 1, 2022. 

A comprehensive review of the Rules of Amateur Status began in late 2017, focusing on three main goals: to ensure the Rules are in the best interests of the game, reflect the modern game, and are easily understood and applied.

This review reaffirmed amateur golf’s important position in the game and the value in maintaining amateur status Rules to safeguard all the ways golf is played and enjoyed. 

The result is a set of Rules that redefine the distinction between amateur and professional golf and provide a condition of eligibility – amateur status – for amateurs who compete in golf competitions. 

As part of the modernization effort, it is proposed that the new Rules will identify only three acts that will result in a golfer losing their amateur status:

  • Accepting a prize in excess of the prize limit.

  • Accepting payment for giving instruction.

  • Accepting employment as a golf club professional or membership of an association of professional golfers.

To achieve this simplified approach, the following key changes are proposed:

  • Eliminating the distinction between cash prizes and other prizes.

  • Using the prize limit as the only way an amateur can lose amateur status through their play (meaning that entering or playing a competition as a professional would not, of itself, result in the loss of amateur status).

  • Removing restrictions from the Rules surrounding competitions such as long-drive events, putting competitions and skills competitions that are not played as part of a tee-to-hole competition; and

  • Eliminating all sponsorship restrictions.

“Golf is unique in its broad appeal to both recreational and competitive golfers,” said Craig Winter, USGA Senior Director, Rules of Golf and Amateur Status. “We understand and value how important amateur status is, not only to those who compete at the highest level of the amateur game, but for the millions of golfers at every age and skill level who enjoy competitive events at their home courses. These updates should help simplify these Rules and ensure the health of the amateur game.” 

Grant Moir, Director of Rules at The R&A, said, “The Rules of Amateur Status play an important role in protecting the integrity of our self-regulating sport but the code must continue to evolve. This is particularly so in relation to the modern elite amateur game, where many of the players need financial support to compete and develop to their full potential, and the proposed new Rules will give much greater scope for this.”

The proposed new Rules are accompanied by an overview document and explanations that detail the rationale for why changes are being proposed and, in some instances, why they have stayed the same. 

Materials regarding the proposed new Rules, as well as a link to provide feedback can be found at usga.org/amateurstatus or randa.org. 

L.A. Native Max Homa Wins The 2021 Genesis Invitational

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Awkward but still special as Tiger Woods hands Max Homa the 2021 Genesis Trophy (J.D. Cuban)

Awkward but still special as Tiger Woods hands Max Homa the 2021 Genesis Trophy (J.D. Cuban)

Dodgers, Lakers, Max Homa!

On the City of Champions spectrum, Max is a distant third. Heck, Collin Morikawa should be in there too after winning a major last August.

But who cares? Local boy makes good. Local boy saves writers from having to write a Sam Burns story. That alone is a World Golf Hall of Fame stuff. And then Homa goes and gives great quotes!

The cheery ending, coupled with Tony Finau posting 64 ahead of Homa and leading to a 10th hole playoff, almost help make up for the lack of fans. Naturally the rain dance this event normally provides for the region was played under spectacularly sunny skies and a (most days) playable golf course.

Homa’s win is particularly sweet given the Genesis Invitational’s grand history, longevity and relatively small number of local winners. He joins southern Californians Corey Pavin (1994, 1995) and John Merrick (2013) as recent winners with ties to the region.

The winner has been coming to the event since he was two, was there for the bizarre 2005 playoff, cited this event as one of his inspirations to purse pro golf, and, best of all, Homa worshipped host Tiger Woods growing up. Woods subsequently handed him the Genesis trophy. Woods has never won the tournament he hosts.

Homa explained where an LA Open win ranks on his tournament bucket list.

“1-A, 1-B, 1-C,” he said. “I don't know if I could ever do anything cooler in golf than this. Just for me, for my caddie Joe, we were raised 25miles north of here. I mean, Tiger Woods is handing us a trophy, that's a pretty crazy thought. We grew up idolizing him, idolizing Riviera Country Club, idolizing the golf tournament. To get it done, it's almost shocking, but it just feels--it feels like it just can't be topped just for me.”

Homa missed a short but tricky downhiller at the 18th to prevent a playoff. Instead, he posted a bogey-free 66 and headed to the 10th hole with Finau. The famous short par-4 was playing just 282 yards and was getting the first playoff hole nod over the 18th hole due to the lack of fans on site.

Hitting second, the 30-year-old slightly pulled his tee shot and was up against one of the Bottlebrush let to defend the hole because the USGA and R&A chose to take the last decade off.

“Ten's a crazy hole. Talor Gooch and I were talking about it on 11 today during the regulation round. A lot of people don't like it, I love it. I think golf could use a little chaos at times.”

Chaos he got, at least upon finding his tee shot at the brush base.

“You kind of aim at these trees and kind of see what happens,” he continued. “I hit a good tee ball, I pulled it probably five yards left of where Tony was, which is kind of where you wanted to hit it. Yeah, what are you going to be mad about when you make a good swing when you're nervous. Obviously had a weird looking shot but I had a shot, which is cool.”

After a few practice tries, Homa hooded his 50-degree wedge to get some “tumble spin” into the kikuyu fringe. He got up and down. Finau missed his first putt under 10 feet in his last 30 or so tries and they were off to the 14th. There Homa hit a beautiful tee shot and Finau could not get up and down for par.

A new member of the City of Champions has been born and at the place that gave birth to his golf career.

___

Here’s a roundup of 2021 Genesis moments. For Quadrilateral subscribers my write-up on the week and players I saw a decent amount of (with majors in mind).

Sam Farmer’s L.A. Times game story seized on the tip Homa’s wife provided and another tough loss for Finau.

“This morning, my wife gave me a piece of advice,” he said. “There were a few bullet points, [but] one of them was `forgive quickly.’ She called me after, told me to do that, and it was kind of perfect because I had played a pretty perfect round of golf, very flawless. So what was there to be too mad about? I was about to be in a playoff at the place I first fell in love with golf.”

GolfChannel.com’s Rex Hoggard led with Homa overcoming a miss on a 99.57% putt (yeah about that data forecasting…).

Statistically Max Homa had a 99.57% chance of converting the 3-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole of the Genesis Invitational, but then there is no room for statistics in the chambers of the human heart.

In 11 events this season on the PGA Tour Homa, who is as L.A. as palm trees and Dodger dogs, had been predictably automatic, like most Tour types, from that distance. But not all 3-footers are created equal and the slider for birdie and victory at the event that means more to him than any other might as well have been 30 feet.

Homa, who grew up 30 minutes north of Riviera, admitted he was “shaking like a leaf” over the game-winner on the iconic 18th hole and the only saving grace was that the empty pandemic gallery wasn’t there for a collective gasp.

A few more fun items including Homa’s emotional post-round interview with CBS:

Yes, I cashed a win bet ticket Sunday. Thank you Max! And I hope the three people who liked this per-tournament Tweet bet him too!

Check out the best shots of the day from round 4 of The Genesis Invitational 2021, featuring Sam Burns, Tony Finau and Max Homa who claimed his second win of...

And while I hate ending on a sad note, the world famous 18th hole amphitheater Sunday as the leaders approached:

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