Tiger: "Making progress"
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A welcome Sunday morning sight from Tiger Woods, recovering from injuries sustained in a February car accident:
When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Rankin Winding Down Her 2022 Schedule, Golf Channel Producer Hutter Stepping Down
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The LPGA will see two huge changes to their broadcast presentation in 2022, with Judy Rankin confirming plans to only do four events in 2022 before retiring. If there were a broadcast wing to the World Golf Hall of Fame she’d re-enter the Hall for her incredible tenure at ABC/ESPN/Golf Channel. While she’s often lauded for breaking gender barriers, golf fans just know her as a steady, smart and reliable broadcasting presence. She’s been ABC/ESPN’s lead on-course reporter and easily transitioned to lead analyst duties when needed, the primary role Rankin played covering the LPGA in recent years.
GolfDigest.com’s Kent Paisley on Rankin confirming the news while accepting the Commissioner’s Award at the Rolex Awards.
"I'm coming to the end of my time," said Rankin, who turns 77 next February. "I'm not going to do a Brett Favre and retire about four times. I am seriously slowing down. I don't know how much their will be after this, at some point I will see you next year."
Rankin received tributes from many of her broadcasting and golf colleagues prior to speaking.
You can see it all starting at the 1:09 mark in this broadcast of the awards.
More surprising was the tribute paid by emcee Tom Abbott to Golf Channel’s LPGA producer Beth Hutter, who he announced was finishing her run with this weekend’s CME Group Tour Championship to spend more time with her family. The Abbott tribute can be viewed at the 9:22 mark.
Hutter received much attention in 2021 as the first woman to lead a major championship production and more recently was the subject of coverage when Golf Channel featured an all-female broadcast team at October’s Shop-Rite event. Multiple stories noted the moment but did not mention any plans to step aside at year’s end to spend more time with family. I’ve asked Golf Channel for comment on what is a shame for viewers, as Hutter got the most out of shrinking resources and brought fresh perspectives to audiences that helped differentiate LPGA coverage.
The USGA highlighted Hutter’s groundbreaking role in this pieced helmed by Bailey Chamblee:
This was the on-air tribute Sunday:
LPGA Up To 34 Events, $90 Million In Prize Money And Plenty Of Time In SoCal
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Doug Ferguson reports on the 2021 LPGA schedule featuring $90 million and surrounding the final playing of the Dinah in Rancho Mirage, four tournaments in greater southern California.
South Korean television network JTBC has become the title sponsor of three tournaments, all of them in California. It takes over for Kia at the March 24-27 tournament at Aviara north of San Diego, and then has back-to-back tournaments in late April in Los Angeles at Palos Verdes Estates and Wilshire Country Club.
The other SoCal stop will be at Saticoy CC in October. The MediHeal moves from Lake Merced to Ventura County for an October 6-9 playing.
Fried Egg Podcast: Talking George Thomas
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As part of his series on the great golf architects, Andy Johnson had me on the Fried Egg podcast to discuss George Thomas, aka The Captain who I wrote a biography of in (gulp) 1996! Hope you enjoy.
Major(s) News & Notes, November 18, 2021
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Rory McIlroy reiterated the importance of majors as the PGA Tour focuses on financial incentives. My thoughts on this dichotomy are shared with a very profound solution.
Plus, Inverness and Olympic Club news, Slumbers on model local rules and media, capped off by some Reads.
Today In Strategic Alliance News: Jack To Facillitate The Next Phase Of Gary's Career
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Our deepest sympathies to Josh Sens for having to take out the 8 a.m. Golf news litterings with this “strategic alliance” “news” of 86-year-old Gary Player joining with Jack Nicklaus’s firm for design resource assistance.
Essentially the Nicklaus plan factory will churn out whatever stuff Player is paid slap his name to. Sens writes:
Under the arrangement, Player will enlist the resources of Nicklaus Design to help him launch his reborn Gary Player Design business. (Nicklaus Design is an affiliate of GOLF.com’s parent company, 8AM Golf.) That business has been largely inactive over the past two years, held up by a legal dispute between Player and a company run by one of his sons.
Family.
With that dispute now behind him, Player said he was eager to get back to designing and building courses around the world, and that the relationship with Nicklaus Design would be key as his own design company starts afresh.
“When I get a course to do, it will be great to have Jack’s people be part of the design,” Player said. “They’ve had so much experience with top courses around the world.”
In a statement that accompanied the announcement, Nicklaus said that the arrangement meshed with his own goal of providing “the expertise and resources needed to develop and support the people who will design the courses of the future.”
In this case, Nicklaus added, he and his colleagues were “happy to be in the position to facilitate the next phase of my dear friend Gary’s career.”
Greg Norman's Appointment Hardened Rory's Opinion Against The Disruptor Tours
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So much for The Great White Shirtless Shark convincing Rory McIlroy to take the Saudi’s money, reports the Daily Mail's Derek Lawrenson.
When asked by Sportsmail, the Northern Irishman made it clear in no uncertain terms that his opposition to a proposed Saudi world tour remains unequivocal.
If the Saudis thought that appointing Norman as the face of their new operation would lead to a player exodus from the established tours, they might well be dismayed by McIlroy’s coruscating verdict.
I’d say my view only hardened after the first appointments,’ he responded, referring to Norman.
‘Then, when other selected individuals also came on board, I’d say that just hardened my opinion even more.’
Can’t these Floridians all just get along?
PGA Tour Fires Studio Host Who Wanted Religion Exemption From Mask Wearing
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Steve DiMeglio reports that the PGA Tour has fired social media host Teryn Gregson after the 32-year-old pregnant mother sought a religious exemption from COVID protocols, including mask wearing in the office for those who are unvaccinated.
Gregson took to Instagram to share her saga and has been retweeting the usual fringe news outlets like BlazeTV and Outkick The Coverage taking up her cause while seeking donations.
“I was in need of religious exemptions from their vaccine protocols of masking and testing,” Gregson said in her post. “They would not accommodate me in such a way that I did not have to violate my religious beliefs.
The story features an extensive rebuttal from the Tour where 94% of employees have been vaccinated and they have greater existential threats to deal with right now than social hosts who feel violated by masking and testing.
“When mandatory in-office work for Northeast Florida employees at our new Global Headquarters and PGA Tour Entertainment building commenced on November 1, the vaccination rate of employees was at 90 percent. Presently, all Tour employees based in Northeast Florida are required to return to the office and follow health and safety protocols.”
In a phone call, Gregson said she is contemplating pursuing legal action against the PGA Tour. She said she has not given much thought about seeking other employment. She added that she has been overwhelmed by an outpouring of messages from people across the U.S., many who said they are dealing with this same issue.
“I don’t know what’s next,” she said. “But I have to figure some stuff out.”
Start by looking for a job where you can go without a mask? Don’t bother with Fox or Newsmax. Good luck!
McIlroy On The Environment, Sustainability...
/I know what you cynics are thinking, this is the guy who unfairly blasted the governing bodies for spending money to research distance and the corresponding issues related to chasing overall golf course yardage.
So he has some consistencies to mop up when waxing on about sustainability all while reluctantly supporting bifurcation driven in part by cutting down on resource waste.
Here is Rory McIlroy, speaking at the DP World Championship about the guilt of flying private.
Q. The big talking point of the month has been environmentalism with COP26 and that sort of thing. You're somebody with a massive global footprint. You travel in private jets. You play a game that some people argue is not the most environmentally friendly. I've never heard you speak on that subject. What's your take?
RORY MCILROY: It's funny you say that. So two years ago, after I won in China, I flew back home privately, and it was just me on the plane. And I just got this massive sense of guilt come over me just because this can't be good and all that sort of stuff.
So we ended up reaching out to the GEO Foundation who do a lot of great sustainability things in golf, and that was the only sort of organization that we knew of that I guess could help us go in the right direction.
The GEO Foundation is an R&A partners so…
What I was trying to do is make all my travel -- I wouldn't self-profess to be an eco warrior, but I'm someone that doesn't want to damage the environment anyway, so how can I make my travel around the world neutral, how can I neutralise what I do.
And they came up with a few different ways that I can do that. So on top of what I pay to fly private, I pay quite a bit more on top of that to make sure I'm carbon neutral by the end of the year.
Hey maybe the PGA Tour will do the same with its fleet!
So it's something that I have a conscience about and I take it seriously, especially when you see some of these weather events that are happening. And I live in a part of the world where hurricanes are very prevalent and becoming more and more prevalent as the years go on. I think we can all play our part in some way or another.
Just how so many Floridians think!
Wait, there’s a follow up?
Q. How much of a talking point do you think it is amongst your peers, the other players? Is something that's going to gain momentum?
RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think -- yeah. As you said, we play on big pieces of land that take up a lot of water and a lot of other things that could maybe be put to better use some could argue.
I think they’re studying that!
But at the end of the day, we decide to be professional golfers and hit a ball around a course. And I guess that's sort of the extent of it.
But as I said, we all can do our part. I certainly don't think it's something that I've talked to many of the players about really, but just from my conscience and my mind, I know that I'm at least -- when I do travel and I travel privately that I'm not doing it to the detriment of the world that we live in.
Next on the agenda: the size of the places you fly all over the world to play.
Ratings: Schwab Cup Beats Out The Houston Open Flatbellies
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That could be a fun band name: the Houston Open Flatbellies. Too bad in this case the name represents the never younger, more athletic, more popular PGA Tour fall collection of tournaments buoyed by FedExCup points but still losing to the geezers. Who says the Champions Tour is dead?
There is some positive news for golf: TNT’s Wednesday prime time hockey game pulled up the rear for the second week in a row, but still crushed golf in the only demo that matters.
Showbuzzdaily.com posted the 2021 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open ratings (.15/222,000 average viewers of which only 32,000 are of the magical 18-49 demo). Remember, I am not responsible for carpel tunnel caused by scrolling down to find the golf where, you’ll see the flatbellies were beaten by the Schwab Cup Championship featuring Phil Mickelson winning and Bernhard Langer capping off his sixth cup win.
Slugger On Norman Reaching Out To Manage Saudi Golf League's Rules
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Ken Willis caught up with formerly-retired PGA Tour rules and competitions director Slugger White about his new role running that side of things for Greg Norman and the Kingdom’s ambitions in golf.
White said it came down to Norman’s outreach.
“Yeah it really is. I appreciated him reaching out to me and asking if I’d consider something like this,” Slugger says. “Thought about it long and hard. Shelly and I talked about it. She felt like it was a nice opportunity and nice of Greg to think about me and reach out.
“Then I thought, you know what, this is something that I know, and it’s just a new chapter.”
“They’re concentrating on those 10 events on the Asian Tour right now, and that’s pretty much all I know,” Slugger says. “I’ll just wait for them to tell me where they want me to go.”
Podcast: Talking State Of The Game Issues With Keith Stewart
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I always enjoy chatting with PGA pro Keith Stewart, whose show airs on ESPN 920 a.m. in New Jersey and is full of smart questions from the host, who is moonlighting from his work as an instructor.
I hope you enjoy the chat as we try to make sense of the various moving pieces in golf, from the Saudis to amateur status ramifications to whether pandemic bounce is sustainable.
Phil Joins The #ManningCast And He Turns It Into An Inquisition
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I made the case not long ago that Phil Mickelson was a no-brainer for a golf version of the ManningCast, but after Monday’s appearance during the Rams-49ers game I’m not so sure.
Maybe he had not watched previous versions or maybe it was a little too much Coffee for Wellness instead of Black Magic cab, but instead of letting the Mannings ask him questions and drop a humblebrag for the PGA Championship behind him, Mickelson became an odd mix of Mike Wallace in his prime with the new hire by the district attorney looking to impress. The ManningCast’s first Spanish Inquisition!
Football fans loved it and he dropped a fun line about the apparent ManningCast curse, but to golf fans it sounded like a Prevent Offense. Was Phil worried Peyton might ask about how he lost out on the Schwab Cup race?
WGHOF Adds "Charlie Sifford Award" For Advancing Diversity
/Instead of reevaluating the criteria for the World Golf Hall of Fame or starting wings, yet another “award” has been created in advance of this year’s induction ceremony. The seemingly sudden news of a Charlie Sifford award comes on top of a lame “lifetime achievement” award created for this year so that Tim Finchem can go in with old boys club cronies like Dick Ferris. Yack. A check signers and the guy who testified against Casey Martin after Finchem took him all the way to the Supreme Court. And they wonder why no one cares about the Hall?
That said, it’s nice whenever Renee Powell is honored and we’ll leave it there…
World Golf Hall of Fame Announces Creation of ‘Charlie Sifford Award’ for Advancing Diversity in Golf Renee Powell to be First Recipient
Southern Company to Serve as Presenting Sponsor of Charlie Sifford Award
Powell to Receive Award as Part of Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in March
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Nov. 15, 2021) – The World Golf Hall of Fame announced the creation of the Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company, which will honor recipients for their spirit in advancing diversity in golf. Today marks the anniversary of when Sifford was inducted into the Hall of Fame (2004). The inaugural recipient of the award is Renee Powell, who will be recognized as part of the Hall of Fame’s 2022 induction ceremony on Wednesday, March 9, taking place during THE PLAYERS Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The award honors an individual who personifies Sifford’s groundbreaking achievements through perseverance, confidence, respect and adaptability. Powell – the second African American woman to ever compete on the LPGA Tour – demonstrated resilience amidst her own obstacles of racial adversity and segregation and dedicated her life to making golf a sport for all.
“As a youngster my parents fought to get me into tournaments when I was not welcomed because of the color of my skin, which instilled in me how important it is to get young people into the game to help build their self-confidence,” said Powell. “I’m honored to be the first recipient of this award and to see Charlie Sifford be recognized for breaking down barriers that never should have been put in front of him and all others of color who strived to play this game. I was taught early on by my parents that golf should be a sport for everyone, and we can all diversify this game in so many ways.”
Powell competed in more than 250 professional tournaments during her career and played as a member of the LPGA Tour from 1967-’80. Since 1995 she has served as the head PGA/LPGA professional at Clearview Golf Club (Ohio), which her father – William Powell – established in 1946 as the first U.S. golf course designed, built, owned and operated by an African American. The club’s Clearview Legacy Foundation (nonprofit) focuses on education, preservation, and research, utilizing golf as a tool to reach everyone, with an emphasis on youth, minorities, veterans, seniors and other underrepresented groups.
“On behalf of the Sifford family, we are immensely proud and honored to have this award established in my father’s name,” said Charles Sifford Jr. “My father, my number one hero, simply wanted to play the game he loved so much and – in this pursuit – endured enormous challenges as an African American golfer. His skills, perseverance, grit, and determination propelled him to continue his dream. He was successful despite having to overcome multiple barriers of discrimination. His hard-fought efforts paved the way for other minority golfers to pursue their career. This award is honorably illuminated by having a longtime family friend and successful African American female golfer, Renee Powell, as the first recipient. This really is something special.”
Southern Company will serve as presenting sponsor of the Charlie Sifford Award, further expanding the organization’s role in celebrating golf’s most distinguished individuals, as the longtime presenting sponsor of the PGA TOUR’s annual Payne Stewart Award.
“At Southern Company, our behaviors are guided by the principle that how we do our work is just as important as the energy we deliver daily to drive growth and prosperity for nine million customers. During our decades-long association with golf, we have focused on promoting the importance of values by highlighting and celebrating champions of character, charity and sportsmanship,” said Tom Fanning, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company. “Honoring the spirit of advancing diversity in golf aligns with Southern Company’s commitment to being a role model company on issues surrounding racial equity. Renee Powell is a tremendous inaugural recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company for the perseverance, confidence, respect and adaptability Renee has shown throughout her life. Her commitment to these values not only led to great achievement and success in her career, but also introduced so many underrepresented groups to the game and the lessons it teaches all of us.
Although he turned professional in 1948, Sifford was excluded from the PGA TOUR until 1961, when he became the first African American to compete as a member. Despite the injustice of having some of his best years behind him, Sifford won the Travelers Championship (1967) and Genesis Invitational (1969) and finished in the top-60 on the money list in his first nine years on TOUR. The Genesis Invitational now offers a tournament exemption each year (in his name) to a player who represents the advancement of diversity in golf. In 2004, Sifford was inducted into the Hall of Fame in recognition of his historic contributions in breaking barriers for generations of minority golfers who would follow in his footsteps, including Tiger Woods, 2022 Hall of Fame inductee. Sifford also was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2014) prior to his passing in 2015.
“The creation of this award will establish a platform for celebrating the significance of Charlie Sifford’s contributions to golf in the face of adversity,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO, World Golf Hall of Fame. “In partnership with Southern Company, the Hall of Fame is committed to ensuring his legacy endures for future generations by recognizing others – like Renee Powell – who are devoted to making the sport a welcome environment for all.”
In addition to Powell, the induction ceremony in March will recognize Dick Ferris and Peter Ueberroth, who recently were announced as recipients of a newly created lifetime achievement award for their contributions to the sport. Competitors Susie Maxwell Berning and Tiger Woods, along with contributors Tim Finchem and the late Marion Hollins, will be inducted as the newest Hall of Fame class. The addition of these four individuals will bring the total number of Hall of Fame members to 164.
The induction ceremony will take place in Northeast Florida for the first time since 2013, with most recent ceremonies held in California (2019), New York (2017) and Scotland (2015).
