PGA Tour, PGA of America Issue Statements On Georgia Voting Law, Stand By Upcoming Events

G.C. Digital has the statements from the PGA Tour (Tour Championship, RSM Classic) and PGA of America (KPMG Women’s PGA) standing by their upcoming events in Georgia after MLB pulled its All-Star Game over the state Senate’s move to change voting laws.

The PGA Tour statement rightfully leans heavily on East Lake’s mission as the basis to stay put:

At the heart of the PGA Tour’s charitable mission is a commitment to serving and supporting communities where we play, across the country and around the world. In Georgia, this commitment has resulted in more than $38 million generated for local charitable organizations since the Tour Championship – our season-ending event – moved to Atlanta in 1998. The Tour Championship’s commitment to East Lake has helped our partners transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and thriving ones, which is a key to ending the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

The charitable and economic benefits that have led to these substantial changes would not continue if we simply walked away from those in need. We intend to maintain our commitment to the East Lake Foundation, Grove Park Foundation, Purpose Built Schools Atlanta and First Tee of Metro Atlanta by staging the Tour Championship at the East Lake Golf Club in September. We love these partners, and we will work with them to continue to deliver much-needed support and influence positive change.

Our intention to stage an event in a particular market should not be construed as indifference to the current national conversation around voting rights. The PGA Tour fully supports efforts to protect the right of all Americans to vote and to eliminate any barriers that may prevent citizens’ voices from being heard and counted. It is the foundation of our great country and a critical national priority to listen to the concerns about voter suppression – especially from communities of color that have been marginalized in the past – and work together to make voting easier for all citizens.

The PGA of America is "monitoring developments”:

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is a partnership between three organizations committed to diversity, equity and inclusion: PGA of America, LPGA and KPMG. Like many entities, we are monitoring developments related to the new state legislation on voting access. We believe elections should be accessible, fair and secure, and support broad voter participation.

Rose Warns Of Shorter Careers Due To Distance Obsession

Talking to James Corrigan about this fall’s Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship at Walton Heath, Rose said his back has improved ahead of the Masters and that he could have played the Players and Match Play.

The 2017 runner-up at Augusta is instead going in off a five week break and was asked by Corrigan what he’ll tell the juniors who qualify for his championship.

“If you look at my generation — say me, Adam Scott and Sergio [Garcia] — we are probably the first wave that’s grown up with the fitness and physio side and I kind of feel we're in the sweet spot, the way we approached the game in the last 20 years, focusing on our mobility and flexibility and looking at the big picture. And I think our best golf could well be in front of us, as weird as that is to say with us all in our 40s. 

“Whereas I feel like that the generation coming up behind us is pushing the limit much harder than than we did from a physical point of view and even though science is improving and we are understanding more and more about the body, eventually those aggressive motions have to take their impact.”

This wisdom should be appreciated by the various ageist Tour types…

"If it carries on like this and if everyone coming out here is looking for the power game, then maybe careers will get shorter and there won’t be players in their 40s still able to compete at the top of the sport. 

“Apart from the physical issues that might be suffered, I think that would be a huge shame. Watching Westy [Lee Westwood] and Bryson going at it at Bay Hill [last month] was great because you had a 48-year-old taking on a 27-year-old. That sort of battle between the generations is unique to golf. 

“Westy and what he has done in the last year and a half is a huge inspiration. It’s a great part of what I love about golf. Lee is playing with wisdom and experience and gratitude. They are powerful words, but there is something so noble about it.  That longevity and endless hunger should be celebrated and it is. That is my concern with this drive for length — the professional male game could lose all that.”

Yes but people in their forties are not what the advertisers want Justin! Please, think of the brands!

Quad: This Week's Masters Notes And 2021 Power Ranking

Well now that your NCAA brackets are dead it’s time to focus on Masters prognostication and today’s Quadrilateral features my look at favorites, longshots and a surprisingly large group this year who are tough to figure out. This one’s only for the paying folk.

Open to all is The Quadrilateral’s Masters league on the tournament’s official app. The prizes are all theirs.

But the weekly notes column, focused heavily on exciting TV plans and details is for all to enjoy.

Sign up and you get the weekly notes in your inbox for free. I’ll throw in the postage and spare you of pop-ups.

Golf Magazine Helps You Plan A Buddies Trip To The Kingdom...Of Saudi Arabia

Oh I know you think I’m going all April 1 here and it would seem very foolish to advocate an away game to Saudi Arabia given the scarcity of courses and the Crown Prince’s murderous ways.

But that’s just what Golf Magazine has done in its latest issue as part of an overall package that also included Golf.com relentlessly hawking a new Jack Nicklaus design deal for parent company 8AM Golf.

Based on the screen captures sent my way, the (wisely) unbylined story appears to outline Saudi Arabia’s five courses and gets yet another mention in for the unbuilt Nicklaus project. Since the magazine’s ads are mostly just 8AM companies owned by Howard Milstein and times are clearly tough, the copy apparently must become the ad. Sad. Especially given The Kingdom’s well known sportwashing goals and the absurdity of Americans needing to know about the region for a buddies trip.

I can safely say there are better golf trip alternatives closer to home now and for the next 1000 years.

Oh and I haven’t seen the full copy but I see the Road hole got dragged into this somehow. Charming.

Masters Quietly Offers First-Ever Glamping Experience In 2021

Google Earth view of Camp Masters

Not many people get to spend the night on the grounds of the 2021 Masters.

Few enjoy the privilege besides member accommodations in familiar cabins named after former Presidents, and the lucky amateurs choosing the Crow’s Nest.

But now Augusta National is offering its first ever “glamping” experience for select guests as part of the super-exclusive Berckmans Place hospitality operation. The glorified camping concept appears born out of the pandemic and allows lucky guests to pay a premium price for overnighting on the grounds of Augusta National.  

In a prospectus obtained by GeoffShackelford.com, staging for the Berckmans Place glamp site is just beyond the 12th green on newly acquired land from Augusta Country Club. Club sources say the revenues will help pay for the expensive land acquisition.

Here is the document detailing the Camp Masters offering. No price is listed.

PGA Tour Issues New On-Course Microphone Rules After Player Complaints

Justin Thomas uttering a homophobic slur was not the final straw. Nor were the many other salty language moments picked up by television microphones. 

Multiple sources have shared Commissioner Jay Monahan’s email to players outlining restrictive measures designed to reduce the PGA Tour’s overheard conversations and obscenities. High-quality audio became a focus of player ire in recent weeks when NBC microphones captured balls hitting the water.

“It seemed like it was louder this year and we got agents complaining about player brand damage due to the ker-plunk sound,” said a source.

The news all but dashes hopes of players wearing microphones or placement of mic’s in cups. Players have publicly pushed back at recent broadcaster efforts to share more of on-course conversations and have defied requests for on-course interviews.

Just last week at the WGC Dell Match Play, Jon Rahm told writers it was a privacy issue.

When asked for comment, the PGA Tour deferred all questions to their network partners. However, GeoffShackelford.com obtained the email sent to players by Commissioner Jay Monahan: 

Augusta National Women’s Amateur: In Future Years Practice Rounds May Be Played Following Tournament’s Conclusion

Always looking to fine tune their approach, the committee charged with running the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is considering moving the tournament’s practice round to a different day.

Currently, the “ANWA” underway near Augusta plays two competitive rounds at Champions Retreat and a 36-hole cut is made. The tournament is then stopped to allow the entire field a practice round at Augusta National whether or not the player has made it to Saturday’s final round.

The unusual tournament structure was created to avoid a club tradition.

“Johnny Harris has a popular Scotch foursomes game on Wednesday’s,” said a club source. “So moving the practice round to before the tournament just isn’t in the cards. Speaking of which, Trophy Room card games are also a big part of Mr. Harris’s Wednesday game.”

While playing the practice round after a winner has been decided might seem peculiar, sources within the club think it could make for great television despite the excitement created at the inaugural ANWA where Maria Fassi and Jennifer Kupcho dueled.  

“The Club has looked at how the Par-3 Contest has turned into a family affair,” said the source. “Seeing the women smiling in a more relaxed setting and charting the greens could really grow the women’s game.”

2021 U.S. Open: USGA Looking To Repurpose "From Many, One" Slogan

Two expensive casualties of the pandemic are facing different futures. 

While the PGA Tour’s “Live Under Par” slogan rehabs somewhere in the glossy new Global Home, multiple sources say the USGA is looking to repurpose its qualifying-inspired “From Many, One” campaign for the 2021 U.S. Open.

With Torrey Pines expected to see severely reduced fan capacity, the USGA saw an opportunity to reimagine its expensive spend. Brand experts applaud the organizations dexterity.

“From many spectators to one would confirm to all the severity of the financial hit they are taking while also utilizing existing messaging,” said advertising consultant Action Fitzpatrick. “Most of your creative is already done, so really it’s just a matter of inboarding your lead flows, standing up your rollout and tweaking the font colors to reflect a more somber tonality.”

Whiteboard alternatives of “From Many, One” have been spotted at the USGA’s Far Hills headquarters. A source not authorized to speak shared this image from a conference room:

Note the USGA’s former “For The Good Of The Game” slogan has been crossed off and is an unlikely option.

 The USGA has not responded to a request for comment.

"How to cure the bane of slow play in golf"

Daniel Zeqiri pens a lovely slow play analysis for The Telegraph based on the continued heat after Sunday’s slow match play finale and the ongoing realization that, as a player-run organization, the PGA Tour is unlikely to do anything. Even when they cost their network partners money running consistently long, as they have the last several weeks with twosomes taking well over four hours to play.

Plus, Zeqiri is talks banning green reading books and rolling back the ball so he gets it.

He writes:

As ever, there are those who would like to see Tour officials reach for punitive measures more readily. ShotLink data also means they can be forensic and indiscriminate in their application of the rules, just as technology has enabled in other sports. No more complaining about a capricious rules official: if the clock says you were too slow, then there's no debate to be had. 

In 2019, there was a change in the rules to prevent caddies from lining their player up on the greens. The reasoning was that alignment - a player's ability to align his body and feet with the target - was a fundamental golfing skill. Quite right too, although even this straightforward change brought teething problems with Haotong Li issued a harsh two-stroke penalty in Dubai when his caddie appeared to walk away before he took his stance. 

There is an argument that reading greens is also an integral part of the game and a skill in itself. While players will occasionally 'call in' their caddie to help them read the break of a putt, they will pride themselves on their ability to read greens. It is part of what separates great putters from the merely good. Any player who backed themselves to be an above average green-reader would welcome the guides being outlawed. 

The counter-argument is that these books are for players to consult on their walk to the green after their approach shot. As Phil Mickelson tweeted in 2019: "The greens book allows me to do 80% of my read before I even get to the green. For anyone to say they slow up play is flat out idiotic."

Actually, they slow up play.

Anyway there is more to read in the piece and I’m sure Zeqiri has been added to the Fairhaven war room bulletin board.

Oh and this was fun from Monty:

100% agree @ewenmurray77 @SkySportsGolf @DellMatchPlay pace of play ridiculous. No one in front of them. Green reading books, lining up the lines on the ball. Really annoying me. And Matchplay is the fastest form of golf. Something has to be done #slowplay

— Colin Montgomerie (@montgomeriefdn) March 28, 2021

Contain Your Excitement! The Comcast Business Tour Top 10

What will be more interesting about the Wyndham Rewards replacement: the top 10 battle heading to the Wyndham Championship or watching Viacom’s CBS promote a Comcast sponsorship during their final three non-playoff telecasts?

Ok dumb question. Of course it’s the latter.

Maybe. For Immediate Release and please, contain your excitement at this $10 million bonus pool that failed to capture player or fan attention before.

Comcast Business Sponsors TOUR TOP 10

“Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10” highlights FedExCup Regular Season performance on the PGA TOUR

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that Comcast Business signed a multi-year deal to sponsor the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 starting with the current 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season.

The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 emphasizes player performance by rewarding the top players in the FedExCup standings at the end of the FedExCup Regular Season. The current ‘super season’ schedule, which features 50 official FedExCup tournaments, the most in a season since 1975 (51), promises to deliver an incredibly compelling finish.

“We appreciate the support of Comcast Business in highlighting the PGA TOUR’s top 10 performers from the FedExCup Regular Season and recognizing the hard work players put into every PGA TOUR season to play their best,” said Andy Pazder, PGA TOUR Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer. “Navigating the FedExCup Regular Season is extremely challenging as players get into the best position possible for the FedExCup Playoffs. Our ‘super season’ of 50 events features more FedExCup points than ever before, which raises the importance of every event and every shot. Finishing within the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 means you were able to rise to the top as a result of exceptional performance throughout the Regular Season.”

Wait, so the whole season is the Super Season? I’m so confused.

Finishing among the top 10 entering the FedExCup Playoffs is an important goal for players looking to position themselves for a run at the coveted FedExCup. At the end of the FedExCup Regular Season, as part of the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10, a $10 million bonus is shared among the top 10 finishers in the FedExCup standings.

“We could not be more excited to partner with the PGA TOUR to sponsor the new Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10,” said Bill Stemper, President, Comcast Business. “Our shared commitment to delivering premier experiences and enabling the highest levels of performance make this partnership a natural fit. We look forward to the continued growth of the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 and to an exciting finish to this year’s FedExCup Regular Season. Best of luck to all the players!”

The inaugural Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 will be determined at the conclusion of the 2021 Wyndham Championship, the final event of the FedExCup Regular Season prior to the kickoff of the FedExCup Playoffs at THE NORTHERN TRUST. The leader in FedExCup points through the Wyndham Championship will earn the top spot in the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 in addition to a $2 million prize, followed by $1.5 million for the runner-up with the 10th-place finisher earning $500,000.

“Comcast Business is proud to kick off this exciting, strategic partnership with the PGA TOUR and to recognize the incredible accomplishments of this year’s FedExCup Regular Season winners,” said Eileen Diskin, CMO, Comcast Business. “We value being part of the PGA TOUR and our ability to help spotlight the best players in the game. This partnership provides us with the most distinguished golf platform to engage, support and influence our customers and prospects.”    

Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 updates will be integrated into NBC Sports’ PGA TOUR tournament coverage on GOLF Channel and NBC, as well as studio coverage on Golf Today and Golf Central Presented by Callaway Golf on GOLF Channel in the buildup to the final event of the FedExCup Regular Season.

“As a foundational media partner of the PGA TOUR and a part of the Comcast family, we’re thrilled to amplify the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 on NBC and GOLF Channel throughout the FedExCup Regular Season, emphasizing season-long performances by the world’s top golfers each week as they battle for position in the FedExCup Playoffs,” said Tom Knapp, executive vice president, partnerships and programming, NBC Sports.

Uh yeah, right Tom.

2021 Dell Match Play Ratings Fail To Drop As Much As They Should Have

Slow, uneven golf featuring only-a-mother-could-love finalists who often clashed with aggressively placed corporate tents, somehow failed to deter an average of 2.6 million people from tuning into the 2021 WGC Dell Match Play, reports ShowBuzzDaily in its weekly sports ratings wrap.

Taking over four gruesome hours and apparently as much time as they wanted to get around 17 holes, the Billy Horschel v. Scottie Scheffler final drew a 1.6 final round rating on NBC, down from a 2.18 in 2019 (the 2020 event was cancelled). The match took place against the NCAA basketball tournament games involving Gonzaga and Michigan.

The 2019 comparison ratings where Saturday’s coverage ranked highest thanks to Tiger Woods:

U.S. Open Cuts Back Volunteer Force

Not promising for U.S. Open spectating but also impossible to say without knowing how many are getting trimmed from work force:

We hope this note continues to find you and your families well and enjoying the beginning of spring.

The 2021 U.S. Open Championship will be contested with minimal volunteers on-site at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif. The decision to have limited volunteers was made in coordination with the State of California and San Diego County guidance for hosting a live outdoor event. Although this decision to scale the volunteer program did not come lightly, we feel it gives us the best opportunity to conduct the championship this year while ensuring the health and safety of all involved as our top priority.

We do have limited volunteer positions available and wanted to extend this opportunity to you to continue as a volunteer for the 2021 U.S. Open during the week of June 14-20.

Also you $195 uniform can be kept if opting out, a gulp, $350 value. I blame the water bottle.

If you choose to opt-out, you will have the option to keep the 2021 U.S. Open volunteer apparel package or receive a full refund of $195. The volunteer apparel package is provided by Polo Ralph Lauren. Each item is U.S. Open branded and items include two (2) polo golf shirts, one (1) wind jacket, one (1) piece of headwear, one (1) lapel pin, one (1) water bottle, and one (1) clear drawstring bag. The apparel package has a retail value of approximately $350 and will be shipped out later this spring. Please note we can NOT ship volunteer apparel packages outside of the continental United States and therefore will issue a full refund for all international volunteers along with those registered from Hawaii and Alaska.

All volunteer committee assignments will be finalized and communicated in April. With the reduced number of volunteers, we will attempt to assign each volunteer to one of his or her committee preferences; however, this might not be possible due to the requests for certain committees greatly outnumbering their respective staffing requirements. If the committee preferences you selected are full, we will assign you to another committee.

Video: Harvey Penick Piece From WGC Match Play Telecast

They broke away from the spellbinding matchups last weekend to air this Jimmy Roberts-helmed piece on NBC. It’s a good watch if you were dozing or watching college basketball.

Harvey Penick Piece – 2021 WGC Dell Match Play from NBC Golf on Vimeo.

Walker Cup Ticket Policy Announced: Only $500 Trophy Club Passes Available

May’s Walker Cup now has a ticket policy: limited attendance with only $500 three-day passes offered to those who signed up requesting information. No ticket option is currently listed on the Walker Cup site.

Three days with food and beverage puts it at $167 dollars a day.

Not clear? What constitutes the make up of those beverages.

The policy and some commentary was posted on Twitter:

At a time where people around the world are facing financial hardship due to Covid, this just shows how out of touch @WalkerCup is charging this much. Remember this is amateur golf as well. How is this growing the game and making it inclusive for everyone? @RandA @USGA pic.twitter.com/6s16KuGgfX

— Matt Evans (@Mevans321) March 29, 2021

Phil On TV: "Commentating is not going drive me to be in the gym...or drive me to drink green juice."

Phil Mickelson boards a VistaJet as a luggage handler brings his clubs along.

Phil Mickelson opened up to Forbes’ Mike Doic in less-than-subtle puff piece to plug his VistaJet partnership. And it yielded some gems.

On the possibility of moving into television commentary:

“I can see myself as an announcer because when I look at the game of golf, I see things that others don’t and I’m able to articulate it, and I think I’d be really good at it,” Mickelson says before backtracking a little on the idea.

“But it doesn’t bring out the best in me personally. Commentating is not going drive me to be in the gym, like this morning, or drive me to drink green juice. I envision being on the road and not being as accountable to my overall health. I really need the game of golf to push me and bring out the best in me.”

Wait until he sees how the camera adds 10 pounds. It’ll be celery shots for dinner.

And sounding as first world as one possibly can on a non-April 1 day, he talks of fractional ownership perks. We can all relate to this kind of freedom:

“When Amy and I would travel to the mountains to go ski, I would need to know months in advance when I was going to go, so that I could get a hangar. Otherwise, if the plane sits outside, things freeze and there is a huge additional expense that always comes up,” Mickelson explains.

“With, VistaJet, they handle that problem. We don’t have to tell them months in advance. We can tell them hours in advance, and they drop us off wherever we want to go and they deal with all the logistics,” he adds.

I’ve always said, it’s hangar rentals that just kill the joys of ownership.