Bryson Walks By Brooks: Viral Smash For The PIP Era!

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Frankly, the Player Impact Program ramifications are just too complex. At least I think. Since that was meant to be a secret rewards program we just do not know what the algorithms will say about this Todd Lewis interview of Brooks Koepka where all Bryson DeChambeau had to do was walk by to elicit genuine pain, agony and swearing.

The key line from Brooks for the historical record: “Sometimes, uh I lost my train of thought, hearing that bull!@#$t…&*^%ing Christ.” Or words to that effect.

The tape obviously was left on the Live From The PGA cutting room floor, so I’ve reached out to NBC Sports for an explanation as to how it made it’s way to a Twitter account and very quickly, legendary PIP virality (2.5 million views not more than 120 minutes after getting posted). I’ll share an update on how the tape got out when I hear back from Golf Channel’s parent company.

A YouTube edition that gives the PVB Police another takedown to deal with:

PGA Of America Apologizes To Brooks And Phil Over Kiawah Security Breakdown

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The PGA of America has condemned the excess of fans who poured onto the 18th hole in obvious jubilation over witnessing history. And of course I’m sure they were all fully vaccinated.

But the PGA has yet to address what it plans to do about the security and crowd control breakdown at Kiawah.

With a Ryder Cup coming and no apparent desire to limit adult beverage sales, barricades may be in order. Also yet another review of the alcohol policy might be in order.

There was also this as noted by ESPN.com’s Bob Harig:

The tournament originally announced that attendance would be capped at 10,000 spectators per day due to COVID-19 protocols. But with restrictions being loosened across the country and in South Carolina, the crowds were considerably larger throughout the event. There were thousands of people lining both sides of the fairway at the 18th on Sunday.

The late Monday statement from CEO Seth Waugh lacking any vow to make improvements for future events:

Here is what Brooks Koepka said about the scene:

Q. What was that scene like on 18 and was anything today reminiscent of the 2019 Masters when you were right there, also, T-2 behind Tiger's win? The energy seemed very similar.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I never thought of it that way but I think so. Yeah it would have been cool if I didn't have a knee injury and got dinged a few times in the knee in that crowd because no one really gave a s---, personally. But if I was fine, yeah, it would have been cool. Yeah, it's cool for Phil. But getting dinged a few times isn't exactly my idea of fun.

Q. What is going through your mind as you're walking up 18 with all that commotion around you? You're incredibly focused but what's going through your mind in that moment?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Trying to protect my knee. I don't think anybody really understands until you actually you're coming out of surgery how -- I mean, even when I was doing rehab and there's five people kind of standing by your knee, you get a little skittish. Like I don't mind waiting or being in that crowd but getting my -- I don't know, it felt like somebody tried to, I don't know what the deal was, but it's what it is. Be putting it nice today. It feels like s--- right now.

Your Thoughts: Phil Mickelson Wins The 2021 PGA

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While I’m busy collecting thoughts, notes, quotes, anecdotes and much more from Phil Mickelson’s 2021 PGA win, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the day.

I tried to come up with a clever poll question but there really isn’t one. Just a special week, incredible win and one we won’t stop talking about for a long time.

Quadrilateral: Mickelson Tries To Become Golf's Oldest Major Winner

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Phil Mickelson Saturday at 16 (PGA Championship Instagram)

Phil Mickelson Saturday at 16 (PGA Championship Instagram)

Bel-Air To Host '23 Women's Amateur, '26 Curtis Cup And '30 Mid-Amateur

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Congratulations to Bel-Air for securing three USGA events over the next decade. The club was instrumental in the success of the 2017 U.S. Amateur hosted by Riviera and will be an incredible setting.

For Immediate Release:

Bel-Air Country Club, in Los Angeles, Calif., has been selected as the host site for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, 2026 Curtis Cup Match and 2030 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. The historic golf course has previously hosted two USGA championships.

“Bel-Air is one of the country’s most prestigious courses, steeped in golf history, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate three more USGA championships there,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director of Championships, USGA. “The USGA is looking forward to continuing to build our relationship with this esteemed club.”


Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Bel-Air is a private club with an 18-hole course originally designed by George Thomas and recently renovated by Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf Design. The project focused on updating the course while restoring its archetypal integrity. The course previously hosted the 1976 U.S. Amateur, which was won by Bill Sander, and the 2004 U.S. Senior Amateur, where Mark Bemowski took home the trophy. It most recently served as the stroke-play co-host course for the 2018 U.S. Amateur at The Riviera Country Club.


“To be named host club for not one, but three USGA championships over the course of the next decade is an extraordinary honor for Bel-Air and its membership as well as our surrounding community,” said Jamie Widdoes, president of the club. “Hosting the U.S. Women’s Amateur and Curtis Cup is very special, as we are pleased to play a role in the USGA’s commitment to women’s golf during this exciting time for the game. To then welcome the U.S. Mid-Amateur represents the heart and soul of what we celebrate at Bel-Air, amateur golf.”

In the shadows of the Hollywood Hills, Bel-Air is known for its dramatic topography and one of golf’s most famous suspension bridges, which spans a canyon on the 225-yard par-3 10th and serves as a stunning backdrop for the 18th hole.


The U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship marks the beginning of women’s competitive golf in this country. The Women’s Amateur is one of the USGA’s first three championships, having debuted in 1895 along with the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open.

In 2019, University of Southern California standout Gabriela Ruffels became the first Australian to hoist the Robert Cox Trophy at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss., while Rose Zhang of Irvine, Calif., earned the title by defeating Ruffels in a final match that went extra holes in 2020 at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. The U.S. Women’s Amateur champion receives a full exemption into the following year’s U.S. Women’s Open.


The 2021 championship will be hosted by Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y., from Aug. 2-8. The dates of the 2023 championship at Bel-Air are Aug. 7-13. The 2024 championship will take place at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., and the 2026 championship will be held at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn.

The Curtis Cup Match, a biennial international women’s golf event contested by teams from the United States and Great Britain and Ireland, was last played in 2018 at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., when the USA defeated GB&I, 17-3. Many U.S. Women’s Open champions have competed in the Match, including JoAnne Gunderson Carner, Juli Inkster, Laura Davies, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, and Michelle Wie, as well as LPGA Tour stars such as Georgia Hall, Stacy Lewis, Jessica Korda, Nancy Lopez, Mel Reid and Lexi Thompson. The 2021 Curtis Cup will take place at Conwy Golf Club in North Wales from Aug. 26-28, and the 2022 Match will take place at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., from June 10-12. The dates of the 2026 Match are June 12-14.

The U.S. Mid-Amateur champion receives a full exemption into the following year’s U.S. Open. The 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur will be held at Sankaty Head Golf Club, in Siasconset, Mass., from Sept. 25-30. In 2022 the U.S. Mid-Amateur will be contested at Erin Hills, in Erin, Wis., and the 2023 championship will be held at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. The dates of the 2030 championship at Bel-Air are Sept. 14-19.

Super Golf League Meeting Called Quick, Underwhelming

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Whether this was all code for something more we’ll soon find out, but the initial reviews suggest the Saudis did not throw much of a Kiawah party.

From Daniel Rapaport’s GolfDigest.com story on the gathering of ten-percenters and lawyers representing Golf Saudi’s ripped-off Premier Golf League push:

“It all happened pretty quick,” the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said. “It was like, We have everything sorted, it’s all going to work out.”

Present for the meeting were lawyers from a high-profile American law firm that is handling the venture’s contractual work. These attorneys assured agents that they were combing through any potential legal hiccups and that their process, too, would be completed sooner rather than later.

Oh yeah, nothing to worry about.

A rep for Golf Saudi also ZOOM’d in. Which is probably why the characterization shared by Rex Hoggard makes a lot of sense:

One manager who attended the meeting characterized it as “underwhelming” and given how long representatives from the Super League Golf concept have been pushing for the new tour it’s likely going to continue to be a topic and a distraction for some time.

Quadrilateral: 2021 PGA Wednesday News And Notes

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This one is for subscribers both paying and following, with a look at the sublime weather forecast, the not so hot forecast at future venues, plus a bunch of quotes, reads and Tweets.

*Whoops, sent this one out only to the paying folks. I send the first round’s notes to all subscribers. The link above though should give you access.

"As you gain experience, you lose innocence"

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Padraig Harrington’s comments yesterday understandably got a lot of attention since we don’t usually hear profound lines from golfers. A couple of Quad subscribers emailed wanting to see the full context after it ran in yesterday’s newsletters, so here is the Ryder Cup captain’s full answer:

Q. You just talked about Kiawah being a good test and you won the World Cup there in '97 with McGinley, but he didn't mention this is your 21st PGA Championship. How much is the accumulation of all this experience you've got and also the experience of playing Kiawah, how comfortable will it make you feel this week?

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: Yeah, look, people often ask in a general term about experience. Well, as you gain experience, you lose innocence. I suppose if you drew a graph, there's a crossing point of equilibrium where you have some experience and a certain amount of innocence and enthusiasm. As you get a little bit older and you get all this experience, on paper people might think you get better with experience, but as I said, you've seen a few things that you know in your game that you probably never wanted to see, so you kind of lose that little bit of, I suppose, innocence.It's not everything it's cracked up to be to have experience. I know I've played 21 times in the PGA, and to be honest, when you come to a great golf course like this and you look back, you realize how many different types of tests we've had at the PGA over the years.

I think when I first came out the PGA was considerably played on probably a pretty typical U.S. golf course, U.S.style golf course. But we've played a great variety now over the years, and it's really matured as a major championship from what I would have had an image of it in the '80s. It really is sitting up there now giving us a good variety of tests. You never know what you're going to get from year to year in terms of style of golf course, and it's -- as all the majors, they're putting it up to each, it's upped its game, it's improved its standing, and coming to places like this for a week where this is going to be a great championship, there's going to be plenty of excitement on this golf course, and whoever wins this week will be a worthy winner.

Five Families Make Moves To Stop Disruptor Leagues

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Nice work by The Guardian’s Ewan Murray to get ahold of Official World Golf Ranking language apparently crafted with stopping small field concepts.

Documentation seen by the Guardian confirms world ranking points only apply on the basis that: “Tournaments on a tour must average fields of at least 75 players over the course of each season.” On this rule, the proposed tour clearly falls short; their 14 planned tournaments are for just 48 players.

The guidelines add: “A tour must demonstrate it has complied with the above guidelines for a period of at least one year immediately prior to being admitted to the OWGR system and must continue to comply with such guidelines following its inclusion in the OWGR system.”

The “average” language helps offset players and agents pointing to something like the Hero World Challenge’s 18-player field earning points.

Another interesting twist in the disruptor golf league world came Tuesday at Kiawah, as PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh made clear the Ryder Cup will only accept PGA of America members who get that perk through their PGA Tour membership:

“If someone wants to play on a Ryder Cup for the U.S., they’re going to need to be a member of the PGA of America, and they get that membership through being a member of the Tour,” Waugh said. “I believe the Europeans feel the same way, and so I don’t know that we can be more clear kind of than that. We don’t see that changing.”

Translation: should someone sign up for an SGL or PGL, and the PGA Tour follows through with threats to toss them off their books (with potential legal ramifications), the players would be Ryder Cup ineligible.

Whether that is enough to dissuade Americans, is unclear.

Adam Schupak filed this Golfweek with more details of Waugh’s remarks and his interesting assertion that these league conversations are healthy for the game, to a point.

“I actually think it’s healthy. You either disrupt or you get disrupted. That’s what this is,” he said. “You know, should it be a hostile takeover of the game? I think is way too far. They’ve created this conversation, which by the way isn’t new. It’s been around since 2014 in different forms, has created change. It’s created an alliance of the European Tour and the PGA Tour, which we think is really healthy for the game.”

R.I.P. Arthur Hills

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The golf course architect and former ASGCA President was 91. The ASGCA’s announcement of his passing:

Arthur Hills, ASGCA Fellow, dies at 91 

BROOKFIELD, Wis. – American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) Past President Arthur Hills, ASGCA Fellow, died May 18, 2021, in Florida. He was age 91.

A graduate of both Michigan State University (science) and the University of Michigan (landscape architecture), Hills excelled at golf as a member of the MSU Spartan golf team. He formed his golf course architecture firm in the 1960s. Today, Hills * Forrest * Smith, Golf Course Architects continues to, as their website states, “create golf course designs that stimulate the senses, display creativity, and honor the hallowed traditions of the game as they relate to strategy, shot values and aesthetic character.”

Hills designed more than 200 new golf courses around the world and renovated more than 150 other courses. His new designs include: Bonita Bay, Naples, Florida; The Golf Club of Georgia, Atlanta; Bighorn Golf Club, Palm Desert, California; Keene Trace Golf Club, Lexington, Kentucky; and Hyatt Hill Country Resort, San Antonio, Texas. Hills-designed courses have hosted a number of distinguished amateur and professional tournaments, including U.S. Opens and the Ryder Cup.

“As a kid drawing golf holes and dreaming about becoming a designer, I would read the magazines and marvel at the articles about new courses,” ASGCA President Forrest Richardson recalled. “One was Tamarron in Colorado, a new course by Art Hills set in a rugged valley with steep cliffs. Eventually I got to see it firsthand, and it inspired me with its bold greens and creative routing.

An environmental pioneer, Hills designed the first Audubon Signature Sanctuary courses in the United States, Mexico and Europe. ASGCA Past President Pete Dye dubbed Hills “the Mayor of Naples” for the number of private country club courses that he designed in and near that coastal Florida location.

ASGCA Past President Steve Forrest said, “He started the business by placing an ad in the Toledo, Ohio, Yellow Pages under ‘Golf Course Architect’ while operating a landscape contracting business. I had the great privilege of learning all aspects of golf course architecture from a distinguished professional practitioner and humble gentleman over 42 years. Arthur became a father-like figure to me who was a mentor, an instructor, exhorter and admonisher while always trying to improve his own skills and increase his personal knowledge every day.”

“Mr. Hills was among a handful of golf architects who subscribed to a newsletter I published about golf design in the 1970s, and he also took time to comment and contribute,” Richardson said. “While he left an incredible legacy of work across the world, for me I will always recall the kindness he showed a young aspiring student — a gift we should all pay forward.”

Hills has been inducted into both the Ohio and Michigan Golf Halls of Fame and received a lifetime achievement award from the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association.

He became an ASGCA member in 1971. Hills served as ASGCA president in 1992-93 and achieved Fellow status in 2003. He is survived by his wife Mary. They had eight children, 24 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.  

Visitation will be at Reeb Funeral Home, Sylvania, Ohio, on Sunday, May 23, from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. Funeral Mass will be at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Sylvania, Ohio, on Monday, May 24, at 11 a.m.

Westwood On Olympic Golf: "They didn't quite get the format right or the players that play in it right and the qualification right."

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Lee Westwood has an outside shot at making England’s Olympic golf team and surprised media assembled at Kiawah Island by revealing he’s already given notice of his intent to pass on Tokyo.

The reason? Too much golf at that time of year.

Many, many reasons. I have a few family commitments,and I already proved a few weeks ago that playing seven in eight weeks is not good for me. And there's already a lot of tournaments crammed in around there, Scottish Open, Open Championship. I need a couple of weeks off between there and the FedEx in Memphis. Then there's only another week off and I could be playing three FedExCup events, the PGA, a week off, then the Ryder Cup. I want to be in good shape for all of those. I think going to Japan the week before Memphis, just with all that going on, is a bad idea, especially when I can't say whether I'm in it at the moment anyway.

I'm of an age where I need to make a plan and stick to that going forward, else my game suffers.

And then he offered this on the format:

LEE WESTWOOD: I know why they brought the Olympics to golf, and I'm all for that. It's taking it to another audience, and obviously the funding from the Olympic committee feeds down through golf, which is great.I just feel like maybe they didn't quite get the format right or the players that play in it right and the qualification right.