European Tour: The Fastest Hole of Golf, 2021 Guinness World Record Try

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With 27.88 seconds to beat, Sean Crocker, Nicolai Højgaard, Wilco Nienaber and Min Woo Lee were challenged to break the Guinness World Record for the Fastest hole of golf by a team of four.  In a European Tour production. On Earth. As with the last effort, some fun moments and creative production values. And no chance the PGA Tour’s finest would do this!

Rory Wins His 20th PGA Tour Title And Viewers Even Got To See Some Of It!

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The CJ Cup relocated to a Fazio built near where Blue Origin lands rockets and despite The Summit offering up his usual insipid design, somehow attracted a stellar leaderboard.

Rickie Fowler wanted back in the winner’s circle but Colin Morikawa and then eventual winner Rory McIlroy passed him down the stretch for his 20th PGA Tour win. And we barely got to see it. At least, by modern golf TV standards.

A predictable confluence of issues arose to deprive American fans of seeing the leaders until their 9th hole when the action started to dull. The PGA Tour Champions’ SAS Championship ran long and then into a sudden death playoff. This cut the first 15 minutes out of the CJ Cup’s three-hour allotted window before Golf Channel tried a split screen that didn’t soothe angry viewers who’d already missed most of the front nine. Soon, the Champions took priority with Bernhard Langer taking his sweet time and Miguel Angel Jimenez trying to pass Lee Janzen. Eventually, the playoff ended, Janzen gave an emotional interview following a winning birdie putt, and those all-important Schwab Cup standings were shown.

The coverage ran 39 minutes late.

What went wrong?

The first groups of the SAS Championship did not tee off until 9:45 am ET, with the leaders going at 11:55 a.m. ET. Apparently the geezers needed their beauty rest?

Also, the Champions played in threesomes. Breaking five hours is out of the question on any tour playing threesomes, meaning the leaders were bound to finish at the CJ Cup’s 5 p.m. ET start. To account for the withering Schwab Cup race pressure and the possibility of a playoff, the Champions should have teed off a least 45 minutes earlier.

Making all of this worse: the Golf Channel app did not work for those attempting to stream the CJ Cup and there is no PGA Tour Live coverage option to run a stream of the coverage. The Comcast-ravaged operation appears to be running out the clock until a new media deal starts in January 2022, one where the PGA Tour takes more control (though they already have a foot in the door when it comes to programming and scheduling, so this weekend’s fiasco is largely a Global Home-based screw-up).

Perhaps in the future the Tour will find a place for this coverage or use other networks when increasingly longer rounds are running into each other? Of course, NBC is also folding their namesake sports channel soon, so that’s one less option. If they care, a major question at this point.

Ultimately this was just bizarre combo platter of bad scheduling, bad tee time math, slow play, a playoff and the leadership worrying about everything but putting out a good product. And boy did they hear about it.

I’ve seen my share of viewer-rage slaughters on social media, and even with most sports fans watching other things Sunday, there was understandable interest in this leaderboard. The rage was intense. But fans need to get used to this. Play not getting any faster as every par-5 is reachable and no one is forced to rush. Coupled with a host network that is just trying to get something on the air and a Tour focused on everything but the way its product looks, this is bound to happen again.

More of the feedback to a pinned PGA Tour Tweet announcing the Sunday start time:

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State Of The Game 116: So-Yeon Ryu

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Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation with 21-time international winner and two-time major winner So-Yeon Ryu. We cover a lot, including what this former Chevron (gulp) champion thinks of the event move to an unnamed course in Houston. Warning: very little rollback talk. Apologies to those drinking and listening.

The SOG 116 page is here for all your listening options.

A Fresh Example Of A Ten-Second Rule Violation Unbeknownst To The Broadcast Team

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Here’s a public service message for those not aware of a rule seemingly known to most with a golf pulse: you cannot let the ball hang on the cup edge for longer than ten seconds in hopes it might fall. This was an easy one but because we’re in a State TV era where it must be positivity all the time, we can’t know for sure what caused the Golf Channel broadcast team to not even suggest a possible rules violation (while fans watching and Tweeting knew it right away—see replies to the video posted above.

To recap: Seonghyeon Kim obviously took way too long with his ball on the 18th hole edge and was penalized one stroke after the CJ Cup final round. On cue, the Tour’s rules staff saw the obvious breach and this news was Tweeted:

The rule:

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They did eventually acknowledge the breach, with Steve Sands suggesting the broadcast team was “worried about the time frame” but that it didn’t seem to be “much of an issue.”

Kim’s ball hung on the edge for 24 seconds.

October 17th: The Open Turns 161 Today

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Big birthday to celebrate for golf fans.

A Quadrilateral for all explains.

*The big birthday was noticed on social media…

Rahm: "I don't want to see a golf club"

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To no one’s surprise, top players are running on fumes after an 18-month window of six majors and obligations to turn up all over the world. World No. 1 Jon Rahm spoke of plans to shut it down after the best and also most dramatic stretch of his career when he captured the U.S. Open, contended regularly in majors, lost a probable title after testing positive for COVID-19 at the Memorial, and became a father.

His comments after a 78 and missed cut in Madrid, as reported by AP:

"This is the first time in my life that I don't want to see a golf club," Rahm said. "And this comes from someone who loves this sport, and after a year in which some pretty good things have happened to me."

Rahm said he needs to take a break and may not play for one month until the World Tour Championship in Dubai.

"More than my body, it is my mind that can't take it. I am going to hang up my clubs for four weeks," Rahm said. "I haven't stopped since the stoppage because of COVID. ... If we add it all up, I need to rest."

"There will be solutions but this is not that solution. What they are, we’re not sure yet, but this is not it."

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Mike Stachura covers a lot of ground on the driver length “Model Local Rule” here, including early signs of more players going longer, the supportive stance of the PGA Tour, and the overall theme of this as a proactive move instead of reactive.

If that wasn’t clear, this from the USGA’s Thomas Pagel leaves no grey area about what lies ahead.

“We’re committed to our desire to stop the cycle of increased hitting distances. We have the long-term health of the game in mind. How is the game healthy 20, 50, 100 years from now. That’s something we \remain committed to. We know elite players can achieve distance increases through using a longer club, and as an industry as we go through the critical conversation about the long-term health of the game and what role distance plays with that, we just thought it was best to cap this now while we have the rest of that discussion.”

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News And Notes, October 14th, 2021

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I had to leave a few lesser notes on the cutting room floor but there’s always next week! In the meantime, we have plenty to chew on with the 46-inch Local Rule reactions ensuring widespread adoption in 2022's majors. But Phil doesn't agree and I speculate as to why.

Plus, a cow pasture wants the '31 Ryder Cup, Masters job offerings and a whole bunch of good reads both on golf and not

This would already have landed in your inbox if you signed up. And of course, if you have and a paid subscriber you can comment and read all past issues.

R.I.P. Renton Laidlaw

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One of the game’s great voices and gentlemen has left us, with the R&A first to share the sad news of Renton Laidlaw’s passing. The voice off the European Tour until 2014, Laidlaw began his career as a writer for the Edinburgh Evening News before moving into radio and television. For American viewers he became synonymous as soundtrack to weekend mornings of European Tour events.

Brendan James has more in this remembrance for Golf Australia. I’ll post more as they appear.

Phil's Champions Win Edges Out Shriners' Ratings, But No One Was Watching Either One

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Maybe you decided to go for a par-5 in two, dunked it in a pond and lost $20. Or you finally figured out you’re paying more for fewer channels after cutting the cord? Or you just feel understandably duped for having bought a $1,000 patio furniture set that’ll sit under a cover for the next seven months?

But know this, as least you aren’t paying millions to broadcast or sponsor PGA Tour fall golf. Or millions upon millions for the FedExCup.

Last week’s ratings for the 2021 Shriners Hospital For Children Open and Furyk and Friends event on the PGA Tour Champions are posted at ShowBuzzDaily.com and what’s the best thing one can say? At least they drew a rating, while the LPGA’s Founders Cup could not draw a large enough audience to be listed.

It was the rare win for PGA Tour Champions golf, with Phil Mickelson’s third victory in four starts drawing an average of 237,000 to the Shriners’ 210,000. Both drew what amounts to a courtesy number of 13,000 in the coveted 18-49 demo, so this was even more Villages-leaning than normal. Essentially, built into that number are the family dog and college freshman home for the weekend who tip-toed out by the TV while Pops was snoozing in a Barcalounger to Sungjae Im’s stirring victory.

The causes of this dire state were predictable, predicated and are no secret except to those whose bonuses depend on pumping out product: schedule oversaturation, Golf Channel reaching fewer and fewer homes, and too many other more compelling things to watch.

(Side note on the whole cable/cordcutting topic: this David Lazarus column in the LA Times highlights won way Spectrum is trying to woo back the cutters and it’s really quite unbelievable!)

In the embed above, other sports ratings were included from the bottom third for context. The 2021 Shriners numbers were also down substantially from last year when the pandemic cancelled college football games and other sports:

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46 Inches: USGA, R&A Announce Local Rule Option For The Elites

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As I wrote yesterday in a Quadrilateral for all to see, the most interesting news in capping non-putter length clubs at 46 inches is not what it will do to distances, but what this means for distance politics.

Besides setting a precedent of different rules for “those running professional or elite amateur golf competitions”, we now get to see whether the “Model Local Rule” is adopted. Already, reports GolfDigest.com’s Mike Stachura, the PGA Tour has signed on despite what will amounts to a mid-season rule change, citing low usage of drivers longer than 46 inches. That’s a huge Rules of Golf endorsement from the Global Home. And while they won’t say it, this is bifurcation of the rules. Yes, the big, nasty B word!

Next up, we’ll see what Augusta National, the PGA of America and various other tours say. Golf Digest reached out for comment and only the PGA of America replied, saying a decision will be made before their 2022 events.

For those keeping track of such things, the 48-to-46 capping came six months and one day after the end comment period ended (it had been extended a month to April). A similar comment period ends on a range of more substantial distance questions posed by the USGA and R&A, so put Tuesday May 3, 2022 down in your calendars.

Here is the rule, length tolerance and penalty language.

For Immediate Release:

THE USGA AND THE R&A ANNOUNCE NEW MODEL LOCAL RULE OPTION FOR LIMITING CLUB LENGTH

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. and ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (Oct. 12, 2021) – The USGA and The R&A have announced that a new Model Local Rule (MLR G-10) will be available beginning on January 1, 2022 to provide those running professional or elite amateur golf competitions the option of limiting the maximum length of a golf club (excluding putters) to 46 inches. 

The proposal was announced in February 2021, which opened a notice-and-comment period to allow the industry the opportunity to provide feedback as part of the equipment rulemaking procedures. The comments received from the golf industry, including players, professional tours and equipment manufacturers, were carefully considered before the decision to proceed with the new MLR was reached.

New acronym alert!

The USGA and The R&A issued an Area of Interest notice in 2014 indicating that research was being conducted into the impact of club lengths of more than 48 inches on hitting distance and whether that limit remained appropriate.

Only took seven years to reach the finish line…

A proposed change to the limit was subsequently put forward in 2016 but was put on hold in 2017 when the Distance Insights project got underway.

Mike Whan, chief executive officer of the USGA, said, “We’ve worked closely with our industry partners to ensure the future for golf remains strong. Admittedly, this is not the ‘answer’ to the overall distance debate/issue, but rather a simple option for competitive events. It’s important to note that it is not a ‘Rule of Golf,’ and as such, it is not mandated for the average, recreational golfer. Rather, this is an available tool for those running competitive events.” 

Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, said, “We have taken time to consult fully with the golf industry, including players, the main professional tours and equipment manufacturers, and have considered their feedback carefully. We believe this is the right thing for the game at this time and will provide tournament organizers with the flexibility to choose for themselves within the framework of the Rules. We are working hard to maintain an open, collaborative and considered dialogue with these key stakeholders as we continue to evolve the Equipment Standards Rules to ensure they reflect the modern game.”

And they still won’t be happy.

The proposals submitted in February for changes to the testing method for golf balls and the testing tolerance for spring-like effect are still under consideration. The governing bodies plan to consider feedback on these proposals in line with the responses to the broader Area of Interest – Research Topics notification, which are due by November 2.

Networks And Betting: "But will they go all in?"

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The LA Times’ Ryan Faughnder and Stephen Battaglio access the push into sports gambling and talk to various figures with an interest, but namely how networks and leagues are balancing the need for revenue and “engagement”. Coupled with their vaccine stance, it’s amazing again to see the NFL trying to lead in a more responsible manner, while other sports dive in for short term ad revenue, dreams of regaining lost viewers and to build a new kind of transactional relationship with fans.

This was fun:

Only the seven betting companies with NFL deals are allowed to advertise during pro football broadcasts. The league allows six ads per telecast: one per quarter and one during pregame and halftime.

While odds analysis can bring another level of sophistication to coverage, NFL executives are reluctant to have explicit gambling references during the regular live national broadcasts. Research indicated that audiences don’t want national broadcasts to explicitly include gambling chatter, according to Christopher Halpin, the NFL’s chief strategy and growth officer.

“The bettors say, ‘I don’t need to hear Jim Nantz and Tony Romo talk about sports betting,’” Halpin said. “‘It’s inauthentic. It’s not their area.’”

Golf’s foray has largely leaned on selling ads to the various authorized gaming partners of the Tours, with a scattershot and comically lame approach on the television side (to date). In reading about the above NFL findings, it’s hard not to think about the painful sound earlier this year of longtime CBS analysts Nick/Ian/Frank having to make their FanDuel picks for next week, or Golf Channel’s Jimmy The Greek, Paige Mackenzie, chiming in on a top parlay opportunity at PointsBet, currently available in four states. At least the CBS crew turned the sponsored bits into a chance to laugh a little.

Good news for the anti-gambling set: if the lazy, awkward and short-sighted integration continues, the whole thing will fizzle based on first impressions.

Case in point from last weekend’s Shriners Hospital For Children Open. Mercifully I didn’t hear the analysis, but won’t be shocked to learn that good golf broadcasters were put in an awkward position of hawking product only the folks of New Jersey and Indiana could gamble on via their phone.**

**The page has been updated today (Oct. 12, 2021) to now reflect seven states with some form of legalization.

Tiger Spotting: Standing Without Crutches

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While normally I’m not a huge fan of sharing shots showing Tiger on dad duty at a junior golf event, the images posted by Tiger Woods Legion focus mostly on the all-time great and what appears to be major progress since his February car accident. Nice to see. Now, about that growth on his chin…

"Up to 1 million gallons of water...a night? That’s par for some desert golf courses"

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Influential LA Times columnist Steve Lopez has set his sights on water usage by Coachella Valley courses and shares the concerns of residents Doug Thompson and wife Robin Kobaly. It’s not the usual golf-is-bad piece since all involved acknowledge golf’s role in the region stretching from Palm Springs to Indio. And Lopez gets some great info into the piece from Craig Kessler of the SCGA.

He notes one course as being pleased to have gotten their usage down to numbers like 1 million gallons a night of water, and while drought issues are of concern, there is also a view that residents are paying more than they should have to.

“Absolutely, there is an inequity,” said Johnson, and that, in effect, residential users “subsidize the infrastructure used to get water to golf courses.” Johnson, a golfer, said he used to play at a La Quinta course where “they were irrigating areas that weren’t even in play,” and watering sand traps, as well.

So why not institute tiered pricing for golf and ag, same as for residential users?

I’ll be watching to see how that goes, but it’s worth noting that three of the five members of the agency’s board of directors are in the agriculture industry. Water and oil don’t mix, but in California, water and politics always do.

But the real kicker—spoiler alert—is how Lopez ends the piece.

Thompson and Kobaly, who aren’t golfers, have a suggestion. They’ve been looking into links-style golf courses, which are common in other countries and use far less water. You tee off on a patch of green and you putt on a patch of green, but most of the area in between is natural and not irrigated.

“I’ve got nothing against golf,” Thompson said. “But they’ve got to find a different way of doing it.”

Hey, links style. They may be onto something there!

Shame they didn’t dare suggest that golf reduce its footprint and consider dialing back back distance. Maybe after more research?

NGF: "A New Norm, Or An Old Norm?"

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Joe Beditz and the National Golf Foundation continue to monitor the state of golf, the business side and pandemic-related upswing. His latest looks at the numbers of golfers per 18-hole course showing a balance “that existed 20 years ago, when golf courses were more economically successful, as a whole, than they’d been over the past decade or so.”

Given golf’s trajectory pre-pandemic and the sport being one of the few industries to experience a deceleration of trends, he notes the increase in wealth as a huge driving factor. But there was also this:

And there’s one other very important consideration: a decidedly positive media narrative about golf in non-endemic publications, such as Esquire, Adweek and the Wall Street Journal. It was only a short time ago that headlines blared golf was doomed. Today, pundits are raving about golf’s renaissance like they haven’t since Tiger’s heyday. We’ve assembled some of the more notable positive stories about golf, which you can read here. 

I don’t miss reading and posting all of the stories declaring bowling, cycling, hiking or bowling-while-hiking as the “new golf “.