Slugger Has Given His Last Ruling And Driven His Last Cart Without A Roof

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Adam Schupak at Golfweek files a wonderful send off to Slugger White, longtime PGA Tour rules official, good player and nice fellow who had more early wake-up calls and listened to more lame player gripes than we’ll ever know.

On how it all started:

With career earnings of $32,279, White determined it was time to find another line of work to make a living. He was a finalist for a handful of club pro jobs in the northeast, but every time he was the bridesmaid.

“I look back and think, you know what, they really did me a favor,” he said.

It just so happened that then-PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman, a former player in his own right, was seeking former players to work in tournament operations. Longtime rules official Mike Shea called White to see if he would be interested.

“It kind of fell in my lap,” White said.

U.S. Women's Am Champ Survived 12-For-2 Playoff, Three Matches After Falling 2-Down

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You have to admire the resilience of U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Jensen Castle surviving a playoff and several down moments, only to prevail in Sunday’s finale at Westchester CC. Oh, and she opened stroke play qualifying with a 79!

Adam Woodward’s game story from Harrison, New York included this:

After surviving a 12-for-2 playoff just to advance from stroke play, Castle was apparently meant to be a champion. For the third time in six matches this week, the Kentucky junior came back from 2-down, this time against Arizona junior Yu-Chiang (Vivian) Hou, to win the 121st U.S. Women’s Amateur, 2 and 1.

“It still hasn’t registered. I mean, it feels like just another tournament,” she said moments after the win on just one hour and 45 minutes of sleep. “But then I sit back and I’m like, ‘This is a USGA event with so much history.’ All the exemptions I didn’t even realize. I was just lucky I could play.”

David Shefter’s game story for the USGA official site touches on the incredible nature of Castle’s win given all of the holes she put herself in, becoming the Castle is the third No. 63 seed in USGA history to win a title since seeding began in the mid-1980s.

Castle defeated Yu-Chiang (Vivian) Hou, 2 and 1 in Sunday’s 36-hole final at Westchester CC.

DeChambeau Hears It From Fans But Does It Amount To "Psychological Abuse"?

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Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English unraveled during Sunday’s WGC FedEx St Jude, opening the door to Abraham Ancer’s playoff win over Sam Burns and Hideki Matsuyama. Getting put on the clock several times did not help the duo.

Seems Bryson heard it from fans and even pushed back some. I’m not sure it’s reached the level of “psychological abuse” GolfDigest.com’s Shane Ryan is claiming here, but he was there, and offered this account and it’s worth taking seriously:

Since then, it has evolved into fans calling DeChambeau various forms of Koepka's name, with "Brooksy" being a favorite. On the surface, this may sound ridiculous, minor, and even funny. In reality, when you follow DeChambeau for even half a round, and you see the faces of the people taunting him for a mean little thrill, it looks crueler and more intense than would come across on TV or in written reports. It clearly makes DeChambeau miserable, but he's locked into an unwinnable position where if he reacts, he looks thin-skinned and inevitably makes the abuse worse. Yet staying silent doesn't help, either. After staring down several fans throughout the course of play on Sunday—a long glare, accomplishing nothing, before he marched away—he finally broke down on the 17th tee when a female fan shouted, yet again, "Brooksy!"

"Good one!" he shouted back, but he looked bitter, and tired, and defeated, and the only thing you could feel for him in that moment was pity.

Dating to the days of the Morris’ vs. the Parks, golfers have been subjected to odd forms of heckling or abuse from fans. But it seems different now given a few factors: post-lockdown entitlement to be boorish and the specter of gambling.

The first part the PGA Tour has no control over other than booting fans who are abusive. The second part? I just don’t know how a bettor can trust the sport if a player can be so thrown off their game by hearing “Brooksy”. Imagine what will happen when there is real money on the line?

Anyway, the final round highlights of Ancer’s win, arguably the biggest by a Mexican golfer (though he was born in the U.S. but maintains duel citizenship):

Bryson's Rough Week Continues As Players Call Out Lack Of "FORE!" While Ryder Cup Vax Status May Become An Issue

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Bryson DeChambeau was asked last month about his propensity to not yell “FORE!” or signal to fans that an incoming Bridgestone was headed their way. His answer:

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I do shout fore. I don't know what you're talking about. There are plenty of people on the tee box that do shout fore. You're bringing up a very controversial thing, which is unfortunate, but 99 per cent of the time I do, and unfortunately people think I don't. But that's okay, they can say whatever they want.

But as Steve DiMeglio reports, the Return To Golf in Memphis has been a rough one and got worse after an errant tee shot headed for the crowd.

DeChambeau has only granted interviews to PGA Tour Live following his first two rounds. Two European Tour players who are not in the field, however, spoke up and took DeChambeau to task on Twitter for not yelling “Fore!” when one of his errant drives headed toward the gallery.

The players were all from the European Tour, now part of the Strategic Alliance. So, family.

And these two as well:

DeChambeau did find one supporter in Brandel Chamblee, who made this bizarre assertion:

After DeChambeau’s early week discussion about his COVID bout and vaccination comments, the topic appears to not be going away.

Quadrilateral readers may recall from this week’s edition my question about the prospects of a traditional Ryder Cup team room if there are vaccination holdouts. Given how team activities, team room laughs and passionate speeches are held up as a key part of players loving the event, it would seem necessary.

Well now we learn from Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch that just a day after DeChambeau’s comments, the PGA of America and Ryder Cup leadership “began reaching out to likely members of the team asking about their vaccine status and if they would be willing to be vaccinated in advance of the event.”

Only time will tell what the response is should a player say no.

But hey, at least he’s playing well in the final WGC to be played in Memphis.

Korda-Inami-Ko Win Tokyo Olympic Medals In Grand Fashion

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The women’s side of Olympic golf has prized participation and medals more than the men. No surprise then that the finish was a hard fought one despite Mother Nature’s best efforts to interfere.

American Nelly Korda held off all to capture the gold affirm her status as the world’s best. Rex Hoggard from Tokyo on Korda’s performance and how she dealt with the inconveniently-timed weather delay.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko took the bronze after losing a playoff with Japan’s Mone Inami, making her a two-time medalist. And Inami, the home country hope, tied Korda at one point before bogeying the last but still delivered her homeland its first-ever medal in golf.

Capping it all off was fourth place finisher Aditi Ashok, who first became known to the golf world by making it to Rio after being randomly drawn to the sport and now, nearly medaling in Tokyo. She was even praised by India’s Prime Minister, as Chuah Choo Chiang writes.

The final leaderboard.

Follow-Up: Protestors Camp Outside Winged Foot, Trump Thanks Club For "Love And Spirit" In The Room

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After NBC News revealed a controversial August 4th celebration of Donald Trump hosted by Winged Foot members, protestors said they planned to greet the former President upon his return to the storied club. And they did.

Trump issued a statement thanking the club for honoring him, with proof the gala went ahead along with pristine turf for the old autocrat:

The protestors out front can be seen, with more images here if you’re looking to see the Winged Foot entrance and initials in a new light.

Hoping For 72 But Women's Olympic Medals Could Be Decided After 54 By Weather, Nelly Korda

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Rex Hoggard with the latest from Tokyo where the forecast pretty much stinks in every regard: oppressive heat with the great chance of severe storms. But it sounds like on site officials are doing their best by moving up tee times and at least trying to go early Saturday.

Though it may not matter after Nelly Korda posted an incredible 62 even with a double bogey on the last hole, opening up a four-stroke lead. Last week, Slovakia’s Rory Sabbatini recorded two bogies and still posted a final round 61.

Centroid Closes $1.87 Billion Purchase Of Taylormade And Already Planning For Public Offering

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The Korea Herald’s Son Ji-hyoung reports on Centroid Investment Partners closing “a $1.87 billion deal to buy a 100 percent stake in TaylorMade Golf from US private equity firm KPS Capital Partners” and already announcing intentions of a public offering. I.E. exiting.

Ji-hyoung writes:

The buyout deal will lay the groundwork for the US-based golf equipment and clothing maker to go public in the future, the Korean investor said.

When TaylorMade does go public, the investor consortium will have enough room to seek a “considerable amount of capital gain” as they look to price the offered shares when comparing with US-listed peers, Centroid said in a statement.

According to Centroid’s company analysis, TaylorMade’s enterprise valuation is set lower than the two listed golf product rivals Acushnet Holdings and Callaway Golf, considering the three firms’ profit-generating capacity.

Now I don’t know a lot about this stuff, but “redeemable preference shares for risk hedging” sounds like a lot of debt to service.

The transaction comprises $532 million in equity, $405 million in redeemable preference shares for risk hedging, as well as $933 million financed for senior and subordinated debts combined.

Almost a billion. I think that’s a lot of drivers to sell to pay off the interest.

The story also implies apparel maker F&F will be a big part of the equation:

Centroid has worked with numerous partners in Korea, including outfit manufacturer F&F, Korea Federation of Community Credit Cooperative, National Credit Union Federation of Korea and Yuanta Securities Korea.

Of them, F&F is a strategic partner that has injected 500 billion won ($434.4 million) in Centroid, according to a filing submitted to domestic financial authorities. F&F holds the contractual right to be given priorities when the TaylorMade Golf shareholder is engaged in a new business transaction, according to Centroid.

Tour Says 85% Of "Constituents" Vaccinated But Bryson's Going To Wait Until It's Really, Really Mainstream

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Bob Harig at ESPN.com with a couple of stories worth checking out if you’re not totally exhausted by First World COVID issues.

The Tour gave updated numbers on vaccination and while their testing program has ended a bit too soon given the Delta variant, the numbers are encouraging for conducting safe events.

From the story:

"Given the increase in cases across the country, resumption of some level of serial testing is a possibility," said Andy Levinson, senior vice president, tournament administration for the PGA Tour, in an email. "However, at this time with our high vaccination rates across core constituents, our medical advisors have not recommended testing of asymptomatic individuals regardless of vaccination status."

The PGA Tour reported that 85% of its "constituents' are fully vaccinated. That includes a rate above 70% for players and above 90% for caddies. Others who were included and were routinely tested at tournaments: rules officials, tournament administrators and media relations personnel.

This was overshadowed by Bryson DeChambeau’s return from a mild bout with COVID and his insistence that he not get vaccinated then or now.

DeChambeau seems to believe there are vaccine shortages.

"I'm young enough, I'd rather give it [the vaccine] to people who need it. I don't need it. I'm a healthy, young individual that will continue to work on my health.

"I don't think taking the vaccine away from someone who needs it is a good thing. My dad is a perfect example. He got it [the vaccine] early on because he's a diabetic. People like that need to get it. My mom got it. I don't want to take away that ability."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said there are no vaccine shortages in the United States.

DeChambeau added: "Now as time goes on, if it [the vaccine] is mainstream, really, really mainstream, then yeah."

On this topic, I wrote in this week’s Quadrilateral about the oddity of having rambunctious team bonding activities indoors at the Ryder Cup.

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News And Notes, August 5th, 2021

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Video: Monahan, Pelley Promote Strategic Alliance On Sportscenter

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Since we haven’t heard from Commissioner Jay Monahan or Chief Executive Keith Pelley in a long time, it was a tad surprising to see them on Sportscenter announcing the Scottish Open becoming a co-sanctioned event. While it is historic in some sense and potentially the beginning of more such events, this was more about fending off disruptive forces. A grand vision was not shared and with the lucrative WGC’s fading away all of a sudden and the Rolex Series hardly looking healthy, this was not a game-changing announcement given the dollar amounts floated by disruptors.

You will, however, see that the Global Home does not have a TV studio for such hits. But its meeting rooms have plenty of power outlets and cabinet storage. I’m feeling a Room Rater 4, tops.

If you do watch the segment you’ll hear the ecosystem word a lot and see Pelley struggle to look at the camera, never the most convincing impression. It all seems a bit much given we’re talking about one significant event, two opposite field tournaments, and a co-sanctioning to be named later.

PGA Tour And European Tour Make It Official: Strategic Alliance Is Definitely Capitalized

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Oh there was much more than simple Strategic Alliance style questions answered. A quick summary of ledes buried in what reads like a press release filed from Scientology headquarters.

  • Two WGC’s are gone from the schedule. Only two remain and those are hanging by a thread, with constant rumblings about the match play’s future and an asterisk next to this fall’s HSBC event in China.

  • New York and Boston no longer will have their joint PGA Tour stop after this August, to be replaced by the FedEx St Jude event as the FedExCup playoff opener.

  • Genesis takes over Scottish Open sponsorship from abhrnt and becomes a co-sanctioned event between the PGA Tour and European Tour, with similar “joint” status given to the Barbasol and Barracuda Championships

  • That’s it. Oh, and Strategic Alliance joins Global Home, Season of Championships, Regular Season and in the capitalization world.

The best news? Without question, the demise of the WGC’s. The mastermind of Tim Finchem, with an unintentional assist from Greg Norman, undermined the health of several PGA Tour stops and have not incorporated the “World” part nearly enough. Due to the high cost of sponsorship and having to use PGA Tour Championship Management for operations, the WGC’s priced out most major corporations. It’s not long now.

The most bizarre news? Bread crumbs for fans. Yes, the Scottish gets upgraded and secured, with hints the Irish Open could form a two-event Strategic Alliance swing, but otherwise there is little to get excited about here in terms of the Alliance.

Most stunning news? The PGA Tour has vacated the New York and Boston markets with the demise of The Northern Trust. A five year agreement is expiring. So the Northern Trustwill be contested one last time this month. While greater New York City will be fine with more majors and Cup events on the horizon, the end to even a biennial visit is pretty astounding. Couple that with Chicago no longer annually hosting the Western-turned-BMW and three huge markets have lost annual stops.

Anyway, let the jargon flow and the buried ledes begin…

PGA TOUR and European Tour announce details of historic Strategic Alliance 

Key Takeaways:

  • As part of Strategic Alliance, Genesis Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship will be included in both FedExCup and Race to Dubai, while Irish Open will see a significant increase in prize money

  • PGA TOUR’s schedule of 48 events includes the move of the first FedExCup Playoffs event to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, sponsored by FedEx

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida, USA, and VIRGINIA WATER, Surrey, England –The PGA TOUR and European Tour today unveiled new details around their Strategic Alliance, with the PGA TOUR also releasing its 2021-22 PGA TOUR Season schedule.

The landmark agreement, announced in November 2020, further enhances and connects the ecosystem of men’s professional golf through a number of areas, including global scheduling, prize funds and playing opportunities for the respective memberships.

B-speak connoisseurs, “ecosystem” replaces brand platform in case you were wondering.

In terms of scheduling, the most significant piece of collaboration is the fact that three tournaments will be co-sanctioned in 2022 and therefore count on both the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup and the European Tour’s Race to Dubai next season: the Barbasol Championship; the Barracuda Championship; and the Genesis Scottish Open.

It’s a fact!

The latter event also has a new title sponsor in Genesis, the luxury automotive brand from South Korea, who will now title sponsor two tournaments on the PGA TOUR, with the Genesis Scottish Open joining The Genesis Invitational, which Genesis has titled since 2017; The Genesis Invitational will once again be played at The Riviera Country Club next year (February 14-20).

The Genesis Scottish Open (July 4-10), which is part of the European Tour’s Rolex Series, retains its place in golf’s global calendar the week ahead of The Open Championship (July 11-17), a date confirmed through to 2025. The player field will be a split between members of both Tours.

The tournament will also benefit from the continued commitment of the Scottish Government, managed by Visit Scotland – the agreement also running through 2025.

Great news. Just keep it on a links or linksy course, please.

“We are delighted to welcome Genesis as a title sponsor of a European Tour event for the first time,” said European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley. “Genesis has a strong history of sponsorship on the PGA TOUR through The Genesis Invitational, and their commitment to the Scottish Open will further enhance one of our premier events of the season.”

The “strong history” consists of sponsorship for four years, but go on…

Although it will be on the PGA TOUR’s official schedule for the first time, the Genesis Scottish Open has a rich history on the European Tour, appearing in the Tour’s first two official seasons (1972 and 1973) and as part of the Tour’s International Schedule since 1986. It has also been part of the Rolex Series – the European Tour’s premium series of events – since the Series’ inception in 2017.

“Adding an existing, strong title sponsor in Genesis to our Strategic Alliance in the form of the Genesis Scottish Open – to be sanctioned by both Tours – is a significant step for the global game,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.

And what a sentence, too.

“Coupled with their support of The Genesis Invitational at Riviera, we’re incredibly proud to forge a deeper relationship with this premier brand across the global game.”

Genesis will take over the title sponsorship of the event from abrdn, who are exploring ways for the decade-long partnership with the European Tour to continue moving forward. The venue for the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open will be confirmed at a later date.

“We are extremely excited to become title sponsor of the Scottish Open at this historic moment, as the PGA TOUR and European Tour announce details on their Strategic Alliance,” said Jay Chang, Global head of Genesis. “Genesis and golf share a culture centered on respect, mutual admiration and innovation. We will continue to strengthen our partnership with both Tours to deliver this spirit to golfers, communities and individuals around the world through successful tournaments.”

Paul Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said, “We are thrilled the European Tour and PGA TOUR have identified the Genesis Scottish Open to further develop their Strategic Alliance, and there is no more fitting stage than Scotland, the Home of Golf, on which to embark on such a historic journey.”

It appears all were required to mention the Strategic Alliance at least once. Is SA the new WGC? Branding minds want to know.

In addition to the Genesis Scottish Open being co-sanctioned, there will also be access for 50 European Tour members to each of two PGA TOUR events in 2022 for the first time – the Barbasol Championship, which will be played concurrently with the Genesis Scottish Open, and the Barracuda Championship, which will be played alongside the following week’s 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews. Both events will be added to the Race to Dubai for European Tour members.

Lucky them. Get to leave Europe in summertime for Nicholasville, Kentucky and Truckee, California.

It was also confirmed today that as part of the Strategic Alliance and collaboration between the two Tours, the Irish Open will see a significant increase in prize money for its annual European Tour event – to $6 million, starting in 2022 – nearly double the amount on offer at Mount Juliet last month. In addition, the PGA TOUR will continue to work with the European Tour on commercial opportunities across the Tour.

Translation: eventually cutting more jobs, aka Strategic Streamlining.

“When we announced the Strategic Alliance at the end of last year, we said it was a landmark moment for global golf’s ecosystem that would benefit all members of both Tours,” said Pelley. “Today’s announcement underlines that promise, with further enhancements to the Genesis Scottish Open, a strengthening of the Irish Open for our members, and direct access for European Tour members to two PGA TOUR events.

“There has been considerable collaboration behind the scenes between our two Tours since November’s Alliance was unveiled, and we are delighted to share these initial developments, which demonstrate our commitment to working together for the betterment of our sport globally. We will have more to announce in the coming months – this is most definitely just the beginning.”

And Jay I sense you agree with this sentiment?

“With today’s news, I am pleased to say that the PGA TOUR and the European Tour are both stronger than at any time in our history, as we are positioned to grow – together – over the next 10 years faster than we have at any point in our existence,” said Monahan. “We are committed to continuing to evolve and adapt, and with our ever-strengthening partnership with the European Tour, to take the global game to the heights we all know it is capable of.”

Grow? I’d say it’s more like, Strategically Masked Consolidation. Some of that is good, some of it great and some of it shocking.

Wait, just one more thing. The 2021-22 schedule announcement was included.

It’s mostly spinning the deeper reliance on FedEx now for a playoff event and of course, the Season Long Chase that wraps up with the Playoffs ending the Season of Championships. All under the Strategic Alliance umbrella, as crafted at the Global Home. Yep, no cult here.

PGA TOUR Schedule Highlights
The 2021-22 PGA TOUR Schedule includes several significant enhancements and features a total of 48 official events – 45 during the FedExCup Regular Season along with three 2022 FedExCup Playoffs events.

The 2022 portion of the schedule will kick off the PGA TOUR’s new, nine-year domestic media rights agreements with ViacomCBS, Comcast/NBC and ESPN. As part of the agreement, all three 2022 FedExCup Playoffs events will be broadcast domestically on NBC network television, beginning a rotation that continues with CBS hosting all three events in 2023.

Headline news includes the change in location and venue for the kickoff of the FedExCup Playoffs to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, starting in 2022, replacing the Regular Season event that has been held in Memphis since 1958. FedEx will serve as the title sponsor of the event, to be known as the FedEx St. Jude Championship (August 8-14), replacing existing title sponsor Northern Trust after this year’s playing of THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey.

“FedEx is excited that the first event of the 2022 FedExCup Playoffs will be hosted in our hometown of Memphis, Tennessee,” said Raj Subramaniam, President and Chief Operating Officer of FedEx Corporation. “We are proud of our history and the community impact we’ve had since becoming title sponsor of our hometown TOUR stop in 1986. We look forward to the impact it will bring to our local community and will continue to use it as a platform to showcase the groundbreaking work being done by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to golf fans around the world.”

“Since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007, we have made a number of changes to enhance the quality of the FedExCup Playoffs for our players, fans and partners,” said Monahan. “Thanks to the continued support from FedEx as the TOUR’s umbrella partner, we’re proud to bring the start of the FedExCup to Memphis and a course loved by our players. Not only will it be a great test worthy of Playoff golf, but we also anticipate tremendous enthusiasm from a community that has steadfastly supported the PGA TOUR for more than 60 years. And, of course, the important work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will continue to be front and center.

Front AND center.

“In totality, the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Schedule, combined with the momentum we have with our now-entrenched partnership with the European Tour, puts the PGA TOUR in a position of strength within professional golf like never before. We’re confident this schedule will give the world’s best players the opportunity to do what they do best – inspire and entertain our fans around the globe while helping our tournaments make a significant impact in their respective communities.”

The 2022 FedExCup Playoffs will continue to include the BMW Championship (August 15-21), which rotates next year to Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, and the FedExCup Playoffs finale, the TOUR Championship (August 22-28), once again slated for East Lake Golf Club.

The PGA TOUR’s flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship (March 7-13), will anchor a true Florida Swing in 2022, which features four consecutive events through The Sunshine State in the spring, including the Valspar Championship, which was played in April/May this past year. THE PLAYERS will be in year three of its March date and as a kickoff to the Season of Championships, with Justin Thomas returning as defending champion.

The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (May 30-June 5) enters the first year of a 10-year agreement in 2022 with new presenting sponsor, Workday. Founded in 1976 by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and held annually at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, the tournament partners for the first time with three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, and Ayesha Curry, an entrepreneur, host and New York Times bestselling author.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the RBC Canadian Open (June 6-12) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, returns to the schedule in 2022 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club. Rory McIlroy won the last RBC Canadian Open, played in 2019.

Other notable items and changes to the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Schedule include (in chronological order):

2021

  • As previously announced, the Fortinet Championship (September 13-19), with new title sponsor Fortinet, kicks off the 2021-22 FedExCup Regular Season at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California.

  • The Ryder Cup will be played the week following the Fortinet Championship, with nine official events played during the balance of 2021 for a total of 10 events to be played in the fall.

  • The reconfigured Asia Swing will begin with THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT (October 11-17), which moves to the United States for the second year in a row and will be staged at The Summit Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, delivering back-to-back weeks of PGA TOUR golf in Las Vegas, as the Shriners Children’s Open will be contested October 4-10.

  • Following THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT will be the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP and World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, with additional details to be available in the near future.

  • As previously announced, World Wide Technology embarks on its first year of title sponsorship of the TOUR’s original event in Mexico, the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba (November 1-7).

2022

  • The Sentry Tournament of Champions – a PGA TOUR winners-only event – leads off the 2022 calendar year (January 3-9).

  • The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (January 31-February 6) and the Waste Management Phoenix Open (February 7-13) trade spots in the schedule, as the TOUR’s event at TPC Scottsdale remains in its traditional date of Super Bowl week.

  • The Puerto Rico Open (February 28-March 6) will be played as an additional event alongside the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

  • The Corales Puntacana Championship (March 21-27), in its first year under an extended term, will be played as an additional event alongside the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.

  • The Mexico Championship (April 25-May 1) returns to the calendar as a PGA TOUR co-sponsored event, no longer under the World Golf Championships umbrella. With the field of 132 players, there is an anticipation of additional Mexican golfers in the field to help in inspire and grow the game in one of golf’s key emerging markets.

Growing the game!

  • With the biennial Presidents Cup being held at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte in 2022, the Wells Fargo Championship (May 2-8) will be contested for one year at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac, Maryland.

  • The John Deere Classic (June 27-July 3), traditionally played the week prior to The Open Championship, moves one week earlier.

  • Following The Open Championship, the 3M Open (July 18-24), Rocket Mortgage Classic (July 25-31) and Wyndham Championship (August 1-7) close out the FedExCup Regular Season.

The European Tour will announce the initial portion of its 2022 schedule later this month, with the full season announcement to follow in due course.

Fun times.

USGA CEO Whan On Distance: "It would be irresponsible for us not to relook at something that the last significant look was 1976."

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Thanks to reader JT for Beth Ann Nichols’ interview of new USGA CEO Mike Whan that was posted July 13th, the week of The Open Championship.

It’s an odd bit of timing given that you’d think they’d not want to stampede on the R&A is having its big week. Either way, I doubt many saw it due to the poor timing. However, Whan makes a few noteworthy comments before the headliner on distance.

  • He started the job in mid-May and called word of his July 1 start as “a nice media headline.” That’s because the media did not know otherwise.

  • He’s says it’s “embarrassingly past time” for the USGA to jumpstart a “USA Development Team” for young women golfers. “It doesn’t come as a shock me that in my 12 years I think I saw maybe 11 weeks of a U.S. player being No. 1 in the world,” he said. Making the USGA into a talent development organization would certainly be a huge leap in philosophy and yet another eye-off-the-ball move. The U.S. currently has seven women in the world top 25.

On the distance debate he’s taking a smart approach probably shaped by the legal team he’s been meeting with since mid-May: why not review the 1976 Overall Distance Standard?

I’ve said this many times, but the last time really that the USGA (looked at it), in an attempt to establish a maximum distance with perfect launch conditions, was 1976. Think about any other sport or any other business, if the last time you really looked at the farthest standard was 30-plus years ago. The NBA didn’t have a three-point shot or a shot-clock; football’s goal post was on the goal line.

Everybody evolves not only to make the game better, but to make sure it’s great for the next 100 years. It’s important. I won’t lie to you and say it’s going to be popular, but it’s important and I think it would be irresponsible for us not to relook at something that the last significant look was 1976.

I feel like if you want to critique the USGA, the fair critique is why not before now? I think that’s a fair critique. But why now? I think you’re stretching if you don’t think at some point we need to make sure we establish some new parameters.

Nothing to complain about there. Well, in most communities.

Golf World Top 100: Fun Golf Courses In Great Britain and Ireland

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Pennard

Golf World has returned with a second crack at a top 100 “fun” courses of Great Britain and Ireland. As always there are possible omissions and things to quibble about, but overall it looks like another fantastic effort to highlight the fun factor.

Chris Bertram introduces the list and writes:

What constitutes a fun course is a question that could take up several pages. I asked our panel to suggest what made a course fun for them, and by way of a hint as to the sort of courses you’ll see in this list, here are some of their thoughts: “A sense of intrigue and adventure, a little bit of the unknown”. “Clever use of slopes, green positioning and well-placed hazards, rather than heavy rough. Usually shorter than average”. “Short walks from green to tee, quick to play”. “A ‘good shot’ does not always end up in the perfect position”. “Do I want to return there soon?”

The list starts here, with North Berwick still holding off the Old Course for the top spot. I blame the excess of gorse for holding TOC back! Oh, and North Berwick is really, really fun.

Only quibbles: not including Old Moray, Peterhead or maybe even the Eden at St. Andrews. Still, it’s great to see so many super-fun lesser-knowns getting the validation of a ranking.