"Why spend $40 million this way?"

GolfDigest.com’s John Feinstein makes several strong points in trying to understand what a secret $40 million pool for players already doing well and to keep them from fleeing to something that “doesn’t even exist at the moment.”

I continue to marvel at the FedExCup ramifications, some positive and some really make you scratch your head. The positive: it looks like a wonderful merit-based competition compared to the “Player Impact Program”, even with points resets.

But as Feinstein writes…

And so the first question: Where is the tour getting the $40 million? At the moment, there’s no corporate sponsor and there’s not likely to be one, if only because Fred Smith, the CEO of FedEx, which has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the tour dating to 2007, would probably lose his mind if PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan stood up and proudly announced a new multi-million-dollar corporate partnership in order to pay 10 players millions of dollars.

As it is, one wonders how FedEx, whose contract with the tour runs through 2027, is going to react to a new program that rewards players for being popular. Flawed as the FedEx Cup playoff system is, the hundreds of millions the company has invested has gotten the top players to keep playing through the end of the summer after the major championships are over. That was the whole point when then-commissioner Tim Finchem convinced FedEx to sign on in the first place. FedEx and the PGA Tour are now so closely entwined that the FedEx logo is imbedded in the floor of the lobby inside the tour’s new multi-million-dollar headquarters.

Tracking Tokyo Olympics Excuses, Adam Scott Edition

The best men’s 2021 Olympic competition this year may be found in the build-up to the Tokyo Games.

Best excuse by a player definitely eligible? And worst.

Best pretzel logic to justify passing?

Best use of family over country?

Best use of a virus or disease to not go?

You get the idea.

Dustin Johnson is the current clubhouse leader with “It’s a long way to travel” and “important for me to feel like I’m focused playing on the PGA Tour.” No chance those hold up for an award.

Adam Scott entered the equation with his inevitable pass, but in a twist the committees must study, Scott’s agent Johan Elliot did the talking. Rex Hoggard with the Australian’s rationale for passing up on the Olympics:

“With the world being the way it is, Adam is gone 4-5 weeks at a time this year during his playing blocks,” Elliot said in a statement to GolfChannel.com. “With three young children at home, this time in the schedule will be devoted to family. It is pretty much the only time up until October when he has a chance to see them for a stretch of time and not only a few days/a week.”

Short version: he’s wants to be with his kids.

Much more fun would have been: he needs to rest after The Open before he makes a 2021 Playoff and Meltwater Mentions push.

"It makes you wonder whether someone told Johnny Miller what was coming so he could get out of television just in time."

In a column titled “TV networks’ lovefest with PGA Tour cheats viewers,” MorningRead.com’s Mike Purkey looks at the increasing chumminess of golf broadcasting, where “the airwaves are thick with collegiality” and “PGA Tour players are called by their first names or nicknames, as if it were the third flight of the club championship.”

He goes deeper into why this is happening and what it means for viewing, and also how the PGA Tour’s control is muting a lot of smart voices. A sampling:

David Feherty’s immense talents are being ignored and wasted. His interview show on Golf Channel was canceled, and he appears to be lying low and trying to stay out of trouble until he retires.

It makes you wonder whether someone told Johnny Miller what was coming so he could get out of television just in time.

If you’ve noticed, it should concern you. If you haven’t noticed, you should. No one ever accused television commentators of being journalists. But there was a time when they at least made an effort to appear objective. No players are critically analyzed. Anything negative is on the penalty side of the white stakes.

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News And Notes, April 22, 2021

Subscribers already have today’s edition in their inbox covering a nice mix this week involving three majors and the Ryder Cup. Though a couple of stories aren’t so nice. Edgy, we’ll call them.

The weekly edition is free but commenting and other exclusive editions are for subscribers. All of that is explained here at The Quadrilateral.golf.

Kiawah is going to provide some good preview content in the coming weeks so join the Quad for the ride.

Spin Is In On Meltwater: $40 Million Is A Bargain! Independent Contractors Are So Yesterday! Tiger Needed Our Thanks!

The socially distanced chatter around the Global Home’s pizza maker must have been lively today.

Yet despite pretty tepid reactions to having $40 million extra to give to stars based on some kooky algorithm (plus the cost to employ all of the metric services), some fascinating reactions were peddled 24 hours later. And knowing the Tour’s expectations of its media partners or wannabe partners, it sure seemed like folks felt extra compelled to spin and amplify odd details in Eamon Lynch’s reveal of a secret bonus pool for the game’s most engaging players.

(Players who, oddly, generally leave their social media to someone else.)

The most aggressive rebuttal to Lynch’s story was penned by…Eamon Lynch! Some could say it’s odd to write such a strong defense of a secret slush pool less than 24 hours after revealing the scheme with an undercurrent of skepticism. Not all, but some.

Anyway, maybe he revealed the secret fund’s existence because the golf fan will want to root their favorite star home to a secret bonus as determined by a special algorithm of several other algorithms. Lynch defends this as just a fancy way to find out who the cool kids are everyone wants to hang with. His words not mine:

For all its charitable endeavors, the PGA Tour is a business and businesses everywhere incentivize those individuals deemed to deliver value. That value isn’t always easy to define and often harder to quantify. Much of the head-scratching about the Impact Fund centers on the metrics used to determine a player’s impact, a waggish assortment of measurements that achieve what any child in a schoolyard can do with the point of a finger: identify the cool kids people want to hang with.

Given the scale of the Tour’s new TV rights deal, $40 million is a small sum. There is ample left to boost purses in the minor leagues, underwrite the European Tour and otherwise gild the lily.

Wow, that’s a lot of money to tell us the list most of us could guess! And oddly, the Tour had to lay off 50 low-paid employees of a particular vintage just over seven months ago while rolling this out. That was a really small sum if $40 million is couch change to these folks.

Anyway, this from Lynch is fun:

Whatever criticisms are aimed at the Player Impact Program, it incentivizes players to engage more with fans, media and sponsors. That might be an awkward exercise for those ill-equipped for socialization, but it’s a worthy goal.

The 2019 players who would have received bonuses according to Lynch’s original reporting: Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas.

Let’s just say as a nice way of not suggesting someone else runs their accounts, a lot of people have their passwords. Several of them have publicly made clear they have no use for the same engagement stuff the pool supposedly rewards. We’ve even had high profile resignations from social media in this group when the engagement grew to be too much.

Those are your clubhouse leaders!

At least we have Billy Horschel to tell us all of the above is just nonsense and this was a way to pay Tiger some more money. From Rex Hoggard at GolfChannel.com:

“If we look at over a few years the guys who really drive the Tour, the guys who bring in the money to the PGA Tour, in my opinion, I think we should thank them,” Horschel said. “I look at as we’re thanking them, we’re thanking one guy [Woods] and now multiple guys because of what they’re going to do in the future. We have an amazing TV contract now that is going to be beneficial for all Tour players. If Tour players actually look at this, they’re going to be rewarded in a lot of different ways.”

We’re thanking and placing future bets? And giving TV deal bonus money? Is he saying they’re a non-profit organization is so flush with cash that they have to lose the money somewhere? Huh!

The whole layoff thing kind of messes up the financial fairy tale.

Kyle Porter at CBSSports.com offered seven thoughts defending this as a common sense investment.

The Tour has been (probably unintentionally) taking advantage of the fact that its "franchises" are just individuals who maybe did not think of themselves as revenue-generating entities. However, the power in golf rests not with the PGA Tour but with the Jordan Spieths and Justin Thomases of the world just as it rests with the Lakers, Knicks and Heat in the NBA. The PGL shined a light on that, and now there's a $40 million purse to prove it.

The PGL concept had people praising the Tour’s independent contractor ideal. Yet this no-longer-secret pool will pay people for being famous, with a few conflicts on the side. But that’s the Tour and players business to deal with. The fan should be more saddened by what both the program and the spin job means: the Tour’s vision for growing their product involves marketing morons manufacturing a mirage of meaningless media under the guise of player accounts.

That’s not a worthy goal.

Meanwhile, a man who insists he’s never going to be pool eligible—dream big Billy Horschel!—the hissy-fit thrower himself posted this today:

As a @Zurich ambassador, it's only right that my partner @Samburns66 and I are So Fresh, So Clean this week @ZurichClassic @Outkast pic.twitter.com/4CgRByKBZD

— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) April 21, 2021

The “engagement” after the Tweet is superb.

I wonder if the Meltwater Method knows the Jonah Hill throat slash GIF is a negative reply?

Moving along, it seems the big secret reveal did not stop MVPIndex from some Twitter humblebragging: “Our partners, @PGATOUR, are revolutionizing their sport and player compensation based on fan and sponsor engagement. We're excited to announce that MVP's performance ratings will be the social measurement tool for this new Player Impact Program!”

New AND one they didn’t tell the public about.

The company also Tweeted this, captured since the Tour or Golf Channel should issue a take-down notice for lifting copyright video. Heck, it should be deleted merely for “quantifies intangible metrics.”

Lesser known players who are actually the Tour’s authentic social media stars did their thing in reaction to the news, as Coleman Bentley notes here with Twitter evidence.

Gents, good luck getting your intangible humor noticed by the quantifiers.

Finally, Mark Calcaveccia was the rare player willing to go on the record with his views:

Utterly ridiculous! How bout taking that 40 mil and give 20 mil to the @KornFerryTour and the other 20 mil to help grow the game. https://t.co/q9vYvkkojj

— Mark Calcavecchia (@MarkCalc) April 21, 2021

"The pep talk Stewart Cink gives himself over short putts is a mantra to live by"

Stewart Cink’s putter pump-fake is giving me anxiety. pic.twitter.com/rW0ftYoTfW

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) April 18, 2021

Michael Bamberger explores Stewart Cink’s approach to short putting after years of fits with the short stick.

While the unusual pump-fake got attention at the RBC Heritage rounds—particularly since they seemed to pick up as the round progressed—Cink’s calming efforts were of interest as well.

From Bamberger’s piece:

“You probably have heard me or see me mouth the words, ‘Mountaintop of trust.’ Or, ‘Mountaintop of peace.’ You know, little phrases like that. I’m really just saying it so I can hear myself and remind myself.

“It’s a path to success. Obviously, I want to make the putts. I don’t want to miss putts. But I believe that the way to keep myself the calmest and the way to keep my stroke doing what it’s supposed to do is through the process and staying calm and focusing on something I can control, as opposed to something you can’t control. If you depend on something you can’t control, you’re just going to end up frustrated, and I don’t want to be frustrated.”

PGA Tour Seeks Dismissal Of Haney Lawsuit, Cites "Supervisory Interest" In SiriusXM Programming

Back in February the judge in Hank Haney’s lawsuit sealed the docket as mediation and discovery were ongoing, suggesting the sides might be talking.

Now Rex Hoggard reports for GolfChannel.com that the PGA Tour is back in court asking to dismiss the suit that cost Haney his popular SiriusXM radio show.

Stopping short of confirming its Radio Sawgrass status, lawyers for the Tour argued it had the right to censor the channel as part of a licensing agreement. Did I say censor? I mean, took a “supervisory interest” in Sirius XM.

From Hoggard’s report:

Haney’s contention that the Tour interfered with his contract stems at least partly from a call from Tour commissioner Jay Monahan to Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM president and chief content officer, the day after the incident.

Monahan told Greenstein that Haney’s comments were “completely unacceptable, indefensible.” In his testimony Greenstein said Monahan “was clearly upset” but that he “did not threaten Greenstein.”

The Tour also argued in its motion for summary judgement that the circuit has a “supervisory interest” in SiriusXM as a result of the license agreement between the two organizations and that “programming was required to be agreed upon by the parties in advance of distribution.”

They don’t call it state media for nothin!

Meltwater: Biggest Losers After PGA Tour’s Secret Bonus Pool Is Revealed

Politics had Watergate and Whitewater. Now golf has Meltwater. You know, for that marketing metric you’d never heard of until now and still can’t believe a brand tracker put melt in the title.

It’s hard to know how to start unpacking the bombshell dropped by Golfweek and Golf Channel contributor Eamon Lynch. He revealed a Player Impact Program funneling $40 million in bonus money to stars based on a bunch of doubtable, crackable and corruptable marketing metrics. Lynch’s reporting may end up permanently branding the Monahan era as nothing more than a marketing operation offended it has to be associated with golf.

Now, I realize the post title said “Losers”. But longtime readers know of my faith and devotion to the power of positive thinking. So some the Winners first.

Winners

—FedExCup/WhateverTheyCallTheWyndhamRewards Now. You both look so cool now as almost-legitimate points races requiring players to play golf and perform for cash. It’s all so sportsy and above-board compared to the “PIP”. Still, not interesting at all, but definitely merit-based.

—The Premier Golf League. You sought to make the rich richer AND make pro golf more interesting to watch. Nice contrast to relying on Meltwater Mentions and a company founded by el padre de Jordan Spieth. Plus, nothing you did failed as miserably as the Super League.

—Bots. Think of the prices they can charge players in pursuit of PIP Top 10 money? “So if you finish 8th it’s a $3 million bonus? Okay, at that price we can do 800k searches that’ll set off alarm bells at The Google. Spell your last name again? Is it R-E-E-D like the things in the swamp, or R-E-A-D like a book?”

—PGA Tour Coffers. A new $65 million Global Home. Kicking in millions in purse money each week during the pandemic as revenues decline? Then spending more than all of that combined on the new TPC Sawgrass entrance drive? I guess what’s another $40 million for ten special franchise-worthy guys who never cause any headaches? Take that rainy day fund, fellow non-profits!

—The One VP Muttering To Himself. “I told them the social media mavericks would mock the Meltwater Method!”

Losers

—Fans. This is what the PGA Tour brass came up with as a response to the PGL’s existential threat? This is what they’ve been spending time on to make players likable and get them to play more? Oh, and betting.

—Jay Monahan. This is what you came up with as a response to the PGL’s existential threat?

—FedExCup. You were included in the initial draft obtained by Golfweek, but a correction later in the day revealed you were dropped as the PIP success barometer came into focus. So all that money you pay and still not good enough for the Player Impact Program?

—Sponsors. The PGA Tour creates a bonus pool to reward stars but the reporting suggests sponsor-relations took a back seat to metrics. Players get points for Meltwater Mentions but not for showing up at the Pro-Am party and remembering the CEO’s name?

—Media Partners. A bonus pool without a single mention of outreach to big rights-paying TV partners or something rewarding a star for playing more often? This is how they use your rights money? To pay for Phil’s Jupiter home theater system and backyard coffee bar?

—Rory McIlroy. So that new Policy Board seat, does that earn you PIP Rewards? Because we know you’ll surely abstain from any votes on its future status or the bonuses of folks who devised a way to pay you for that shiny Q rating.

—Jordan Spieth. I’m sure Tour peers have no opinions about your vote on this matter and the invocation of your sire’s “MVPIndex”.

—Almost stars. Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay barely know about the program, suggesting the pool was directed at a very select group. Sounds like the PIP futures are bleak for these ones. That’s okay, we writers like you both for being good quotes and different dudes.

—Agents. I don’t know how the ten-percenters structure their deals these days, but I can’t imagine many had a clause for something as bizarre as the Player Impact Program. But if the client would like the office interns to spend all day Google searching “Billy Horschel Players Championship Food Drive”, the client will need to pay the appropriate commission.

—The 50 PGA Tour Employees Laid Off During The Pandemic. If you accounted for $5 million in salary I’d be surprised. That’s like third place money in this pool no one was supposed to know about. Those lame pandemic layoffs get even lamer.

—The PGL. They see you as a threat and can’t even rip-off one of your many smart ideas.

—Athleticism. Not one metric rewards players for bicep size, how fast they run the 40, their bench press max, or even ESPN Body Issue appearances. Sad.

Report: PGA Tour Creates Impact Bonus Fund Based On Players "Who Positively Move The Needle"

Just did another calendar check. Yep, it’s April 20th. Not the first.

Now, we’ve heard rumors of the “impact fund” to fend off players thinking of joining the Premier Golf League and a little extra bonus money for pimping product, sponsors or ad campaigns isn’t the end of the world.

But the $40 million program outlined by Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch and also creatively undercut in the same piece, seems like an odd solution to the issues raised by the PGL. Namely: none of this will make stars play more, deal with calendar oversaturation, or improve “the product” for sponsors, fans and TV. (Unless you come from a marketing mindset looking at spreadsheets instead of watching golf.)

As always I urge you to read the piece on the “Player Impact Program” for full context. But a few parts with limited snarky interruptions:

A PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed to Golfweek that the Player Impact Program began January 1 to “recognize and reward players who positively move the needle.” At the end of the year, a pool of $40 million will be distributed among 10 players, with the player deemed most valuable receiving $8 million.

The 10 beneficiaries will be determined based on their “Impact Score,” a number generated from six separate metrics that are designed to quantify that individual’s added value. 

The metrics are scoring average, starts, wins and maybe some fancy thing showing an increase in ratings or something right?

Cue agents calling Russian bots to figure out how to search the daylights out of their player 24/7…

(1) Their position on the season-ending FedEx Cup points list.**

**The story was updated to omit this: “While FedEx Cup rank was included among criterion in the document players received, the tour tells Golfweek that it will not be used as a metric to determine bonus payments.”

Well okay then! Let’s start at the new top…

(2) Their popularity in Google Search.

(3) Their Nielsen Brand Exposure rating, which places a value on the exposure a player delivers to sponsors though the minutes they are featured on broadcasts.

Alright, not bad. Go on…

(4) Their Q Rating, which measures the familiarity and appeal of a player’s brand.

Oh dear here comes more faux authenticity and “engagement”.

(5) Their MVP Index rating, which calibrates the value of the engagement a player drives across social and digital channels.

The e word!

(6) Their Meltwater Mentions, or the frequency with which a player generates coverage across a range of media platforms.

Meltwater Mentions. Is that, like, to tell me what the kids are watching on TikTok and Twitch instead of execs just relying on their kids to do that heavy lifting?

Heck, I’d rather see points for meltdowns on the course that generate fun memes. Maybe call them Horschel Hallucinations?

Anyway, Lynch reports there is (of course) an algorithm involved to convert scores into metrics and metrics into money. Basically Tiger and Rickie will see a check for years to come.

Lynch quotes Brooks Koepka, who loves the thing is just fine if Tiger leads it annually, and some journeyman who aren’t so happy. But, there are buts.

A PGA Tour spokesperson said that as part of the program the Tour is providing extra resources to help all players manage their social media and branding, including charitable foundations, and to maximize their off-the-course business opportunities.

I have a feeling those in the coveted demo are likely to get their calls to the Global Home will be returned sooner.

It’s believed the formula used to calculate Impact Scores will distinguish between positive and negative coverage a player generates. 

That should prevent anyone from robbing a bank or intentionally crashing their car to crack the top 10.

There is also the awkwardness of the MVP Index inclusion.

One metric being used—the MVP Index—is generated by a company founded by Jordan Spieth’s father, Shawn Spieth.

“It’s a substantial source of revenue,” one player agent said of the proposed bonuses, adding that the amounts involved are equivalent to another one or two sponsorship deals annually for some stars. “It’s a smart way to reward stars and it’s no time commitment from the players.”

And that last sentiment is exactly why this will be good for bank accounts and bad for the product. All of this will be secret too, so it’s not like we can follow along and wager on the outcome.

More On The 2021 U.S. Open Spectating Possibilities

No one expects a full U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and certainly not at Olympic for the women’s edition where the course sits in two counties and fans were not looking likely at all just a few weeks ago. But there are signs that the USGA is in a wait and see mode before setting any kind of number, with some flexibility to add.

In today’s Quadrilateral I wrote about this issue, the need-to-know stuff from yesterday’s announcement, and addressed the thorny topic of fans getting vaccinated but not players.

From Bob Harig’s ESPN.com story:

"One of the reasons we are not going to make any official comment on numbers is because we anticipate it will continue to change and evolve over the coming weeks. But it's all positive movements. We are planning based on what the guidelines are there today, but realizing it's such a fluid situation that changes day by day. Unlike a year ago, the changes are in a positive way."

Spectator capacities at pro sporting events in California are dictated by a county's risk tier, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. San Diego allows up to 33% capacity, but that can increase to 67% if everyone is vaccinated or tested. That system is expected to be discontinued on June 15, which is Tuesday of U.S. Open week.

Getting near 67% would be pretty robust galleries but it’s unclear if that number is attainable due to potential limits created by parking spaces or a lack of “build out” on site.

2021 RBC Heritage Ratings Down A Bit Compared To '19

With a Stewart Cink runaway the RBC Heritage was down a bit across the ratings board according to ShowBuzzDaily’s Weekly Sports wrap up.

The LPGA’s Lotte Championship and Champions Tour Chubb Classic also landed on the list, which is better than not at all.

By comparison, the 2019 ratings for Heritage week played in a similar calendar spot:

COVID-19 Vaccine: PGA Tour Assures Players They Won't Get Microchipped

This Frenchie has Been microchipped but for different reasons

Hey it’s still April. Just not the 1st.

But it seems the PGA Tour’s finest are more vaccine resistant than we could have imagined. Bob Harig reports for ESPN.com story on the PGA Tour wrapping up its incredibly successful on-site COVID-19 testing this June. Parts of a memo to players reveal that those choosing not to be vaccinated will be responsible for the cost and burden of getting tested if they want to chase points.

• "The COVID 19 vaccine has been administered to over 700 million people worldwide. There have been very few significant side effects reported. Once a vaccine is authorized for use, monitoring continues with systems in place to track problems or side effects that were not detected in clinical trials.''


Apparently enough have shared crackpot theories to the Global Home that the brass addressed them. In writing.

• "There are common misconceptions and concerns about infertility, altering DNA, microchipping, becoming infected with COVID as a result of the COVID 19 vaccine. These misconceptions and concerns are false.''


The microchip conspiracy theory. Common? Only in some circles. At one time 28% of Americans thought the vaccine would come (free of charge!) with the Bill Gates microchip. The origins of the theory—brace for shocking plot twist—appear to be Russian.

Besides highlighting the conspiratorial tendencies of the PGA Tour membership, let’s not underestimate the role of staggering ignorance. Harig quotes an anonymous player who probably isn’t reading much:

"I've had 60-plus tests, all negative,'' said one veteran PGA Tour player who wished not to be identified. "My caddie and I have been through every airport, public transportation, you name it, without getting COVID. But the tour is going to make it a pain for us if we don't take it. They are not forcing you, but it will be a pain if you don't.''

Also, it would be a pain to finally get the virus after all that time and give it to someone you love. Or anyone.

The player said he would be more receptive to getting a shot if it is the Johnson & Johnson version, which has been put on hold by the Centers for Disease Control. The vaccine requires just one shot, and some players are leery of potential side effects associated with two doses and how that might impact their playing schedule.

Now that’s devotion to one’s self on a spectacular level. But FedExCup points will do funny things to people.

USGA: "Limited Number of Fans" At U.S. Opens, Vaccination Required For Out-Of-State Ticketholders

Noteworthy here: proof of vaccination will be required for out of state fans, vaccination or negative test results for California residents at the U.S. Open (Torrey Pines) and U.S. Women’s Open (Olympic Club).

Not clear: how many fans will be welcomed.

For Immediate Release:

USGA to Welcome a Limited Number of Fans in June at 2021 U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Open Championships 

Ticket information now available at uswomensopen.com and usopen.com

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (April 19, 2021) – The USGA announced today that the 2021 U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Open Championships will be played with a limited number of fans in attendance. The 76th U.S. Women's Open will be held at The Olympic Club (Lake Course), in San Francisco, Calif., from June 3-6, and the 121st U.S. Open will be held at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), in San Diego, Calif., from June 17-20. 

"Last year, we missed the energy that fans bring to our U.S. Open championships," said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director, Championships. "We are grateful to our local and state health and safety officials in California to be in a position to welcome some fans back this year to witness the greatest players in the world contending for these prestigious championships, while working to maintain the health and safety of all involved."

Those who have already purchased tickets to the U.S. Open will receive a direct communication from the USGA with additional details.

Information on tickets for each championship is available on uswomensopen.com and usopen.com. 

The USGA will continue to monitor developments and guidelines in California and will update local policies and procedures on the championships' respective websites as required.

For both championships, the following guidelines will be in place:

• Face coverings will be required for fans, staff and volunteers, and must be worn at all times, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status;

• All fans, staff, and volunteers will be required to abide by social distancing guidelines;

• State of California residents must show proof that vaccination against COVID-19 has occurred at least 14 days prior to the championships or that a negative test result has been received;

• It will be mandatory for all out-of-state fans to provide proof that vaccination against COVID-19 has occurred at least 14 days prior to the championship;

• Information regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccination verification will be made available on uswomensopen.com and usopen.com;

• Sanitization stations will be available throughout the grounds, and spectators will be permitted to bring hand sanitizer.

The U.S. Women's Open will be held at The Olympic Club for the first time in its 76-year history. The storied venue has hosted five U.S. Opens, as well as five other USGA championships. Torrey Pines will host the U.S. Open for the second time; in 2008, it was the site of Tiger Woods' memorable Monday playoff victory over Rocco Mediate.

Si Woo's Penalty And Signs That Slow Play Might Be Wearing Thin With Officials

Now that a twosome of American pro golf takes north of four hours to get around any course—even short and well-synced Harbour Town—there are signs the PGA Tour might be recognizing the absurdity of it all.

Since the Florida swing when the Tour has played twosomes on weekends (unless forced by weather to go out in three), their network partners at NBC and CBS have routinely missed their scheduled sign-off on time. This means the rules staff projects a pace hoping to have the round finish just before the network sign-off time. Yet fields are still missing the time par.

Besides being tedious to watch, the extra 45-60 minutes costs “partners” money. And every sport is trying to prevent bloat in fear of the coveted demo going back to their Playstations (if they ever left them to watch golf).

I realize we’ve known this is a problem for a decade or more going back to the Finchem era when the idea of handing out penalties was physically repulsive to Commish Moonbeam. But there were signs last weekend that the act has grown old. CBS noted when Stewart Cink or the group in front of him was put on the clock and without any defense of the slowpokes. The announcers repeatedly questioned the amount of information discussed with caddie/son Reagan. Hint, hint: there was not a lot of admiration for the extent of chit-chat. (Though I’d argue the banter and “process” has helped Cink re-focus to pull off an incredible resurgence.)

Since pace rules have not been enforced with penalties the Cink’s and other slower players have no incentive to change. Throw in green books, all par-5’s within reach in two, a drivable par-4 wait, and it’s hard to break four hours.

The weekend also produced Si Woo Kim’s one-stroke penalty for exceeding the ten-second rule. Noteworthy here is not the enforcement of the rule, but the Tour posting so much controversy on their Twitter feed and the wild sight of Matt Kuchar coming to Kim’s defense. This, as official Stephen Cox calmly explains the rule without highlighting that no ball, dangling on the edge, can move for a minute and not fall in the cup!

Cliffhanger.

Si Woo Kim's birdie putt hung on the edge for over a minute. 😮

Per the rules, a stroke will be added and it will be counted as par since it took longer than 10 seconds to drop. pic.twitter.com/jU3ayv9Mu2

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 17, 2021

PGA TOUR Rules Official Stephen Cox further explains the ruling. pic.twitter.com/mCj8hl7Uzj

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 17, 2021

Predictably, Tour players whined about this travesty, as Nick Piatkowski documented. (You’ll be shocked to learn Grade A whiner Charley Hoffman once again blames the USGA.)

The sad reality? The entitlement factor is strong in these ones.

Without any enforcement of rules, players have come to believe they should be able to do as they see fit as long as it’s cool with their bros on Tour. You look the other way when I take 3 minutes to hit a shot and I’ll be real slow to mark my ball behind the cup. You know, to speed up play.

No entertainment vehicle today can afford to take its sweet time or to not enforce its rules. With betting getting a hard push from the Tour, slow play penalties or backscratching behavior will only scare off wagerers. So even if the stars believe in talking out every element of a shot on Thursday, or believe it’s their right to watch a ball hanging on the edge for a minute, the business of golf cannot support the pace.

But I leave you with good news!

Over in Hawaii the leaders whizzed around the LPGA Tour’s Lotte Championship final round in just over 3:30, as Twitter noticed in celebrating Lydia Ko’s first win in three years. And check out the speed of that Golf Channel cameraman running to get to the notoriously speedy Nelly Korda in time. We need more of this…

was that a 3:36 final round pace?

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) April 18, 2021

Shoutout to this Golf Channel cameraman who absolutely BOOKED IT after Lydia Ko's shot to get to Nelly Korda in time for her shot. pic.twitter.com/vvhUeVrtth

— Ryan Ballengee (@RyanBallengee) April 17, 2021

Cink Continues Amazing Late Career Run After Caddie Change, Distance Gain

It wasn’t exciting and the pace was so slow the leaders couldn’t finish before CBS’s scheduled sign-off times. And Stewart Cink won’t care.

From Dylan Dethier’s story at Golf.com on the Cink’s backstory and the amazing game turnaround since sacking looper Kip Henley:

In Reagan’s first start of the year, Stewart shocked the golf world. The 47-year-old shot 65-65 on the weekend in Napa to edge out his Safeway Open competition; for the first time in 11 years, he was in the winner’s circle.

“I can’t really overstate how important Reagan’s been as a caddie, too,” Cink said after the win. “He understands golf to the very, very highest level. It was really a great experience.”

Father and son got to enjoy the walk up 18:

63-63-69-70. 🏆

What a week for @StewartCink alongside his son, Reagan. pic.twitter.com/ZXoShzl0Qv

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 18, 2021

And it wasn’t like Cink lucked into this one, as Doug Ferguson noted in sharing the scoring records Cink broke:

Cink put on show for the ages — shattering the lowest 36-hole score at Harbour Town of 13-under 129 shared by Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson. Cink also broke the 54-hole scoring mark of 16-under 197 that Justin Leonard had in his 2002 win.

Cink averaged 306 off the tee, the same as his 2021 season average and continues his amazing distance carry surge detailed by Cameron Morfit in January after committing to a massive weightlifting and cardio prog…wait, oh, it was thanks to Trackman. Sorry.

Anyway, the win came in Cink’s 600th career start, a feat commemorated earlier in the week:

A message from the CHAMP 😁 @StewartCink#RBCHeritage pic.twitter.com/1Pf318hOFs

— RBC Heritage (@RBC_Heritage) April 18, 2021

Cupcakes to celebrate ⁦@stewartcink⁩ making his 600th ⁦@PGATOUR⁩ start. Don’t mind if I do! pic.twitter.com/L3WSY90SoV

— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) November 18, 2020

It’s hereditary pic.twitter.com/zHR05gov7V

— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) April 17, 2021