Silly Season: Two Stroke Penalties For Spieth, Stenson After Using Wrong Tee Box

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You know it’s the end of the year when two players you’d consider among the more detail-oriented tee off from the wrong box. Playing first out and undoubtedly taking as little time as necessary, Jordan Spieth and Henrik Stenson teed off from the 17th tee on The Albany’s 9th.

By all accounts the Tour staff had made clear of this possibility and gigantic tee signs were on each box, meaning the caddies also had a chance to intervene. So this one was on the players, as the video explanation from Shane Bacon and Notah Begay covers it all, followed by Spieth and Stenson talking to the press after the round:

To get an idea how zoned out the two were…

Q. What was your reaction when the official told you?

JORDAN SPIETH: I actually didn't think we were going to get penalized because it's a charity event, but then I realized there's world ranking involved and all that. I think the frustrating part for us now is that every other group's going to be -- they're making sure to tell them, but for us they didn't. It obviously didn't matter for us, which is fortunate I think for those guys. 

HENRIK STENSON: My question was if we could just finish 19th and 20th and leave after 9, but that wasn't an option, either.

JORDAN SPIETH: Yeah, he did. He asked them if we could just go to the airport and I said I'm down.

In normal times this would be quite humorous particularly given how meticulous these two and their bagmen usually are. But with all of the disruptive tension and importance of world ranking points, even the above antics get noticed when the field in a 20-player even has checked before the conclusion.

Tiger Sure Seems Like He's Prepping For The PNC

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Mark Cannizzaro pieces together the comments and unavoidable sight of Tiger Woods practicing as the Hero World Challenge saw everyone limping home for a break. Except, of course, those playing in this week’s more-intriguing-than-most Shark Shootouts and the following week’s PNC parent-child event.

“Not a doubt in my mind that Tiger is playing the PNC,” Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said Friday during Golf Central Pregame.

One factor is Woods, who needed surgery to repair a shattered ankle and two leg fractures suffered in a horrific car crash in February, doesn’t have to walk the course like a typical tournament. Also, he would be able to play with his son Charlie.

“Tiger can ride a cart, he can drive up basically to the golf ball and almost onto the green, so the walking might not be as much of a stress on the leg,” fellow Gold Channel analyst Notah Begay III, a friend of Woods and his former teammate at Stanford, said this week. “But also, he can play Charlie’s drives. I covered them for the majority of that event last year, and Charlie was hitting most of the drives because of where his tees are at, and he’s such a good ball-striker that they were taking advantage of his drives because they were much farther than where Tiger’s balls were off the tee. Those are two critical things that I think might factor into him possibly showing up in a couple weeks with Charlie. I know the world would love to see it.”

What Notah says.

Latest "Grow The Game" Variant Threatens The Reputation Of Golf's Leading Pros

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Comments this week from Justin Rose and Collin Morikawa offer a reminder that the terrible virus known as “grow the game” has failed to go away.

My Quadrilateral plea to be vigilant plus speculation on grow the game’s origins.

**After filing this latest newsletter, I saw Mark Cannizzaro’s lengthy NY Post story on the Bahamas buzz over the new league. Naturally, it included this:

One high-profile player, who has been approached by representatives for a potential “league,’’ told The Post this week that he’s “concerned for the game’’ if an all-out legal brawl ensues between the PGA Tour and what it would consider another organization infringing on its empire.

“This should all be about growing the game,’’ the player said.

Barf.

"USGA Unveils National Championship for Adaptive Golf Community"

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Pinehurst No. 6 will host the first two U.S. Adaptive Open Championships

Great news from the USGA which hopefully motivates the International Golf Federation to reconsider a push to get golf in the Paralympics.

For Immediate Release:

USGA Unveils National Championship for Adaptive Golf Community 

Pinehurst Resort & Country Club to Host Inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open™ in July 2022

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Dec. 3, 2021) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship, a new national championship that will showcase the world’s best golfers with disabilities. The inaugural competition will be conducted on Course No. 6 at historic Pinehurst Resort & Country Club on July 18-20, 2022. The 2nd U.S. Adaptive Open will also be held on Pinehurst No. 6, and will be conducted from July 17-19, 2023.

The U.S. Adaptive Open Championship will serve as the association’s 15th national championship, joining such iconic events as the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur. Champions of this new event will see their names recorded in the annals of golf history alongside many of the game’s storied figures.

The announcement of the championship follows through on a 2017 pledge by the USGA to establish this championship for the adaptive golf community. 

“Since 1895, our championships have provided the world’s best players with an opportunity to showcase their skills on a global stage, compete for a national championship and achieve their dreams,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “After years of planning and delays caused by the global pandemic, we are proud to bring that same opportunity to the adaptive golf community through this championship, and to do so at Pinehurst, our second home. We believe this effort will spur participation for golfers with disabilities and hope it inspires others in the industry to make the game and its competitions more welcoming to all.”

The championship will be contested over 54 holes of stroke play on Pinehurst No. 6. It is open to males and females, professionals and amateurs, with either physical impairment, sensory impairment (vision), or intellectual impairment, who have a WR4GD Pass as well as an authorized World Handicap System (WHS) Handicap Index®.

The field will consist of 96 players. Further eligibility requirements, field composition and other competitive format details of the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship will be announced at a later date. The application process is expected to open in February.

"Green-reading changes for 2022 a step back for the game?"

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John Wood makes many terrific points in his case that green reading books have advanced the game. Namely, that of all the things, we have this?

Infinitesimal improvements and differences that cannot be exclusively correlated to greens books. An improved knowledge base, Aimpoint, better coaching with drills and devices, better agronomy (read: smoother greens) have all contributed. Plus, in the last three years, players have been allowed to tap down spike marks, something that’s never been OK in the game’s history. For a statistical comparison, in 1996, Tour average for driving distance was 265.9 yards. Last year? 296.2. Hmm. If players have the power to, in effect, bifurcate the rules, which is what is happening, can they enact other Local Rules? Can they as a Tour decide the ball is going too far and the driver heads are too forgiving? Doubtful, because there’s a lot of money coming from those equipment companies … not a lot coming from Mark Long, maker of the greens books.

No argument on distance or picking lower hanging fruit. But besides all of the reasons they look bad to spectators and add more nonsense all around, they have also introduced another cost to an aspiring “player”. On top of rangefinders and now some form of launch monitor access, not to mention other costs to play, the pressure to buy green reading books or fall behind is not progress. Especially when statistics say they are not even significantly helping golfers make more putts.

Greens books are an advancement in the game, like forgiving drivers and balls that go forever, don’t curve and spin around the greens; like launch monitors, like distance/slope measuring devices. Why is the line drawn here? Why go backwards here? Say it’s agreeable and everyone shares the same feeling about their elimination. Why not announce the ban and give it a year like they did with the anchored putter? Players had a year to work on a new method they felt confident with when the rule was enacted. There is an entire generation on Tour that has never played a tournament without a greens book. Why not give everyone a year to adapt instead of a couple months?

Because people have read greens without them for a few centuries, for starters.

Also, anything that adds time and cost is not an advancement. And because no one ever took up the game or plays it because of green reading books.

As a bonus, they’re also creating precedent for more bifurcation. Wins all the way around!

2023 Ryder Cup Cart Lead Driver Race Update And Henrik Stenson On Playing The Saudi International

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The Guardian’s Ewan Murray says the 2023 Captaincy race is between Henrik Stenson and Luke Donald.

Like Lee Westwood, who backed out of consideration, Stenson tells Murray he still may have another Ryder Cup in him but remains interested in the job.

And like Westwood, he employed his signature dry wit to suggest why fining some players for teeing up in the Bonesaw would be absurd. In Stenson’s case, he committed to playing the event for three years and before the European Tour, now DP World Tour, would break off from the Saudi and schedule a competing event.

“It is one of those situations and I can only say that I had an arrangement to come back and play. It’s been a good tournament on the schedule and it fitted in once again on my schedule. I will fulfil my commitment to go and play there and what happens in terms of the tour, who knows? I believe there’s a European Tour event in Ras al Khaimah the same week. The other one was planned ahead of that one and you can’t be in two places at the same time, I found that out a long time ago.”

The 2022 WGHOF Ceremony Coming To The Global Home

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Even though the World Golf Hall of Fame is just down 95, the 2022 induction ceremony will be in the house that Tiger built. That’s Terminal C for cult with a name ripped from the pages of L. Ron Hubbard.

For Immediate Speculation About What Becomes Of The current World Golf Hall of Fame:

World Golf Hall of Fame Announces that 2022 Induction Ceremony

(Wednesday, March 9) to Take Place at PGA TOUR’s ‘Global Home’

Live Ceremony to Feature Newest Inductee Class – Competitors Susie Maxwell

Berning & Tiger Woods Along with Contributors Tim Finchem & Marion Hollins

Hall of Fame to Unveil New 2022 Inductee Exhibit on Saturday (Dec. 4),

Showcasing Historic Artifacts from Woods, Maxwell Berning, Finchem and Hollins

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 2, 2021) – The World Golf Hall of Fame and the PGA TOUR today announced that the 2022 induction ceremony – honoring the newest class of Hall of Fame members – will be staged at the PGA TOUR’s ‘Global Home’ corporate headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Taking place during THE PLAYERS Championship, the induction ceremony will air live on Golf Channel on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET.

“We are excited to conduct the Hall of Fame’s 2022 induction ceremony in partnership with the PGA TOUR at their new Global Home,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO, World Golf Hall of Fame. “It will serve as an exciting venue for a historic evening among those in attendance, as well as those tuning in from around the world on the eve of THE PLAYERS Championship.”

The induction ceremony in March will center around the newest Hall of Fame class: competitors Susie Maxwell Berning and Tiger Woods, along with contributors Tim Finchem and the late Marion Hollins.

On Saturday (Dec. 4), the Hall of Fame will unveil a new exhibit dedicated to celebrating the 2022 class. On display will be personal items and artifacts from the new inductees, including trophies and memorabilia collected during their respective careers. The addition of these four individuals will bring the total number of Hall of Fame members to 164.

In addition to honoring the four newest Hall of Fame members, the induction ceremony in March also will recognize Dick Ferris and Peter Ueberroth, as recipients of a newly created lifetime achievement award for their contributions to the sport. Additionally, Renee Powell will be honored for her spirit in advancing diversity in golf, as the inaugural recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company.

The 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).

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, December 2nd, 2021

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Rory: "I think we're independent contractors and we should be able to play where we want to play."

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In between questions about ripping off his shirt in Dubai after a rough final round—and getting quite cranky about those inquiries—Rory McIlroy made very clear that pro golfers are independent contractors who should be able to play where they want free of fines to pay for the Global Home’s moat cleaning.

Problem is, both the PGA Tour and European Tour are threatening major fines and other retaliatory tactics for players seeking releases to play in an event controlled by the Saudis, who’d like to poach those players for a golf league.

Another problem: McIlroy carries significant influence, as evidenced by news earlier in the day of green reading books effectively being banned by the USGA and R&A. A move likely instigated by his role in Player Advisory Council discussions and vote on the PGA Tour Policy Board.

So here goes Jay Monahan’s last non-grey hair:

RORY McILROY: I think we're independent contractors and we should be able to play where we want to play. So in my opinion I think the Tour should grant releases. It's an Asian Tour event, it's an event that has OWGR rankings, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't.

I do see reasons why they wouldn't grant releases, but I think if they're trying to do what's best for their members and their members are going to a place other than the PGA TOUR and being able to earn that money, I mean, we're independent contractors and I feel like we should be able to do that if that's what our personal choice is.

My personal choice is not to do that, but obviously a lot of players are doing that and I think it's fair to let them do that.

This didn’t really help his buddy Jay, either.

Q. Going down the road there could be legal battles and arguments.

RORY McILROY: I think the professional game needs to get to a point where we as professionals need to know where we stand. Are we actually independent contractors? Are we employed by a certain entity? That's stuff that's just -- there's a lot of gray area in that and that's what sort of needs to be sorted out, I think.

This was more helpful, I guess:

Q. With all the rumblings of the team concept and whatnot that's in the ether there, so to speak, do you feel like that can co-exist successfully with the Tour?

RORY McILROY: No, so for me, like the PGA TOUR is the best place in the world to play.

I'm not saying that the whole thing needs to be blown up and we do a different thing here. I think if people want golf to be more innovative and they want it to be more engaging and they want to see different concepts, there's no reason why the PGA TOUR can't do that themselves, you know? They have the know-how how to put golf tournaments on, they have all the staff, they have everything, they have the best structure in place to do it.

I'm certainly not saying that I want anything else to come of this, but there are certain elements to different concepts of professional golf that I do see merits in, but I don't see any reason why the Tour couldn't do it themselves.

Yeah, uh, about that. They’ve had years to react to disruptors, consider where sports might be heading, discuss updating how they do things and have dug in on a moldy old model. What was it Seth Waugh said back at the PGA? “I actually think it’s healthy. You either disrupt or you get disrupted. That’s what this is.”

USGA, R&A Introduce Model Local Rule To Further Limit Use Of Green-Reading Materials 

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The USGA and R&A keep making bifurcation cool, this time officially piggybacking on the PGA Tour’s rule change to attempt a full ban on grown men studying tiny arrows to read a putt.

For Immediate Release:

USGA, R&A INTRODUCE MODEL LOCAL RULE TO FURTHER LIMIT USE OF GREEN-READING MATERIALS 

Option available January 1 and is intended for the highest levels of the game 

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. and ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (Dec. 1, 2021) – Golf’s governing bodies have made available a Model Local Rule (MLR) to further limit the use of Green-Reading Materials. 

MLR G-11 enables a committee to limit players to using only the yardage book that it has approved for use in the competition. 

This local rule is intended only for the highest levels of competitive golf and, even then, only for competitions where it is realistic for the committee to undertake an approval process for yardage books. It will be available starting January 1, 2022.

The local rule gives a committee the ability to establish an officially approved yardage book for a competition so that the diagrams of putting greens show only minimal detail (such as significant slopes, tiers or false edges that indicate sections of greens). In addition, the local rule limits the handwritten notes that players and caddies are allowed to add to the approved yardage book. 

The purpose behind the local rule is to ensure that players and caddies use only their eyes and feel to help them read the line of play on the putting green. 

The USGA and The R&A developed MLR G-11 in response to feedback from several professional tours.

The MLR, along with question-and-answer guidance, can be found here.

As the local rule should only be adopted at the highest levels of competitive golf, all other golfers will continue to be able to use green-reading tools so long as they meet the requirements established in 2019. For more information on the current rule, see usga.org/grm.

Blue Hill Country Club Retaliates Against Golf Writer And Member

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Veteran New England golf writer and publisher Tom Gorman was banned from Massachusetts’ Blue Hill Country Club where he was a member. It appears a fairly innocuous story in August covering a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling against Blue Hill for violating the “Tips Act” was the problem.

What’s most troubling: Gorman wrote about the decision and considered potential ramifications for all courses in the region. The club lost but apparently took issue with this:

The SJC decision could have wide-ranging ramifications on other private clubs, hotels and spas in Massachusetts that have engaged in the practice of clipping their help of hard-earned income, as Blue Hill CC has done. Also, of note, Holtzman said all the defendants are personally liable even though most no longer work at the club.

“This Supreme Judicial Court decision is important confirmation that Massachusetts law provides clear protection against workers having their tips taken from them,” said Holtzman in a telephone interview August 24. “This is a reaffirmation of the fundamental principle that workers are entitled to the proceeds from all service charges on events they’ve worked, including the frontline workers who’ve been continuing to deliver service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“It’s gratifying that this victory means these workers will now receive not only their back wages and tips, but also the mandatory treble damages designed to deter future violations. It is also an important reminder of the broad scope of the Tips Act protecting workers at hotels, spas, hair and nail salons, restaurants, catering halls and country clubs – anyone in an occupation in which employees customarily receive tips.”

Even though the club was found guilty, Gorman’s story was apparently too much for Concert Golf Partners, the owners of Blue Hill. As Gorman writes in this account of his membership termination, “hostile opinion” in the above story was the rationale for ending his membership.

In a 20-minute call on Friday Nov. 19 Mr. Straub informed me that I am not welcome back to Blue Hill CC for the 2022 season and that my $10,000 initiation is non-refundable.

“We have received 37 complaints from members of Blue Hill that are not happy with the way you presented the club in recent published articles,” said Straub, from his Concert Golf corporate office in Lake Mary, Florida. “Concert Golf has many options in deciding what’s best for the club. Based on the feedback of members and other criteria we made a decision that you are not welcome there and that we will not renew your membership for next year.”

So, I asked, “Is this retaliation?”

“We believe that your published article in August on the Massachusetts SJC decision against Blue Hill contained some inaccurate content, and reflected more as a hostile opinion piece,” added Straub. “That type of journalism should not be coming from a member. You can use your media platform to do whatever you want and I’ve already been informed you plan to make this issue public. That is not the way Concert Golf does business. We handle these matters confidentially for the benefit of both parties.”

It’s hard not to wonder if poor reading comprehension skills were an issue for General Manager Jason Adams, whose letter to Gorman is a hot mess of mistakes:

The actions of the club should not go unnoticed here. To lose the case in the state’s highest court over skimming tip money is a stain on Concert Golf Partners.

Tiger Talks About His Future, St Andrews, Featheries, Saudis And Refers Accident Questions To Sheriff's Report

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A day after an interview by his partners at Golf Digest/Discovery that saw Tiger Woods open up on several topics, he faced questions from assembled scribes in the Bahamas to kick off Hero World Challenge week. As is fairly typical of , Woods avoided any details of his car accident and referred everyone to the police report that was eventually posted by TMZ.

He was again clear about his ability to play at a high level being very much up in the air.

I'll put it to you this way: As far as playing at the Tour level, I don't know when that's going to happen. Now, I'll play a round here or there, a little hit and giggle, I can do something like that. I certainly like -- you know, the USGA suggested Play It Forward. I really like that idea now. I don't like the tees on the back. I like Play It Forward. Come on, let's move it up, let's move it up. To see some of my shots fall out of the sky a lot shorter than they used to is a little eye-opening, but at least I'm able to do it again. That's something that for a while there it didn't look like I was going to. Now I'm able to participate in the sport of golf, now to what level, I do not know that. I'll keep you abreast, all of you abreast as progress continues to go on, whether I'll be out here and at what level and when. 

Actually it was Tee it Forward and I believe that one’s ten years old and about 14 slogans ago. Excuse me, brand campaigns. But we get the point.

Q. Tiger, I'm wondering what you remember of the accident. Obviously we all saw the result and it looked so horrifying and scary, and I have a follow up to that. 

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, all those answers have been answered in the investigation, so you can read about all that there in the post report. 

Short and not very accountable. Would have been nice to say he’s just glad no one else was hurt.

He is out playing golf more than we might have realized:

Q. Have you played golf holes, like a full hole or 18 holes? 

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I play full holes, yeah, but not from my tee markers.

As for the pain…

Q. I don't want to get too personal, but what are you experiencing there at the moment, sitting there? 

TIGER WOODS: My back hurts and my leg hurts.

He was asked about The Open at St Andrews and gave perhaps my favorite answer regarding the Champions dinner:

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I would love to play at St. Andrews, there's no doubt about it. It's my favorite golf course in the world. To be a two-time Open champion there, just being a part of the champions dinner is really neat. From my first one in '05 I got to attend a champions dinner, it was pretty neat to be a part of. Peter Thomson was still alive, and I sat right next to him and to hear him tell stories of when he came over and he played and shots he played and how he did it, that was awesome. Those are things like at the Masters, those dinners are priceless and those stories and listen to them talk about how they played, when they played it and what they did, it's just an honor to be a part of a room like that. Yes, I would love to be able to play that Open Championship, there's no doubt about it. 

Physically, hopefully I can. I've got to get there first. Tournament's not going to go anywhere, but I need to get there.

After mentioning the Par 3 at the Masters he was jokingly asked by AP’s Doug Ferguson about committing to the Par 3 when it returns.

Q. Did you just commit to the par 3?

TIGER WOODS: No. I committed to I can play courses of that length. Now, if the Tour wants to not have golf courses lengthened, they shorten up that much to make it more difficult, that's fine by me, I have no problem with that. If they want to go back to wooden shafts and feathery balls, okay, I'm cool.

Shorter courses and a retro event. What we’ve all wanted! Maybe Jay Monahan can work on that after Tiger gave him this answer to a question about the Greg Norman disruptor league and what players should do.

TIGER WOODS: It's going to be his decision, period. I've decided for myself that I'm supporting the PGA TOUR, that's where my legacy is. I've been fortunate enough to have 

won 82 events on this tour and 15 major championships and been a part of the World Golf Championships, the start of them and the end of them. So I have an allegiance to the PGA TOUR. 

And I understand that some of the comparisons is very similar to when Arnold and Jack broke off from the PGA of America to start the Tour. I don't see it that way. I think the Tour has done a fantastic job, Jay's done an unbelievable job during a very difficult time during the pandemic when there was ample opportunities for players to leave, but we were the first sporting tour to start. 

So with that, yes, did we have some protocol issues at times? Yes, we had to learn on the fly, but Jay and the staff had done an incredible job of that. I think the Tour is in great hands, they're doing fantastic, and prize money's going up. It's just not guaranteed money like most sports are. It's just like tennis, you have to go out there and earn it.

This answer pre-accident would have been huge news. But now that he’s on the Hogan schedule, at best participation in PGA Tour events will be very limited.

Woods also left out the thank you payment he’s receiving from the PIP pool or that he loathes Norman. But do note that he references the “end” of the WGC’s. Better not mention that in May’s WGHOF speech while Tim Finchem is saluted for creating them.

Moving along…more on where he’s at and where’s going. A far more revealing answer about his future:

TIGER WOODS: You made a great point. Am I going to put my family through it again, am I going to put myself out there again. We had a talk within the family, all of us sat down and said if this leg cooperates and I get to a point where I can play the Tour, is it okay with you guys if I try and do it. The consensus was yes. 

Now, internally, I haven't reached that point. I haven't proven it to myself that I can do it. I can show up here and I can host an event, I can play a par-3 course, I can hit a few shots, I can chip and putt, but we're talking about going out there and playing against the world's best on the most difficult golf courses under the most difficult conditions. I'm so far from that. 

Now, I have a long way to go to get to that point. Now, I haven't decided whether or not I want to get to that point. I've got to get my leg to a point where that decision can be made. And we'll see what happens when I get to that point, but I've got a long way to go with this leg.

This from Golf’s Dylan Dethier was another effort to ask about the accident:

Q. When it comes to the day of the crash, clearly that's something that you're hoping to keep private. Is that something that you feel is sort of your business and not the rest of ours, for lack of a better phrase? 

TIGER WOODS: Well, I kind of feel that way with most of my life. Doesn't really work out that way. I understand that it's -- I had friends that insulated me from a lot of the things that were said outside. I didn't have my phone, I didn't have access -- well, I did have access to a TV and I was just watching sports. But I refused to turn on the local channels and news and stuff like that, I didn't want to go down that road. I wasn't mentally ready for that road yet. A lot of things in my body hurt at that time and whether I was on medication or not, it still hurt. And just trying to imagine me coming off of that stuff, how much it was going to hurt, I didn't want to have my mind go there yet, it wasn't ready. 

Yeah, people are going to poke and prod and want to know more about my business, I understand that. Just as long as they don't go into -- they can poke and prod at me all they want, just stay away from my family. 

Considering the usual interruptions from journalists there to fill seats for the sponsor and the haphazard nature of such press conferences, it was fairly classic Woods session with a few good reveals if you look close enough. More telling may have been the clarity in his voice and eyes and cautious tone from someone who traditionally projects extreme confidence.

R.I.P. Lee Elder

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The Associated Press story on the passing of Lee Elder led this way:

Lee Elder, who broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow, has died at the age of 87.

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak notes that while Elder had been struggling with health issues, his passing was a surprise.

No immediate details were available about the cause of death but Elder had been experiencing respiratory difficulties. Arthur Johnson, a Jacksonville resident and a friend of Elder’s for more than 50 years, said Elder died Sunday during a visit with his wife Sharon to his step-daughter Dory’s home in San Diego.

“I talked to him on Thanksgiving and he sounded really strong, in good spirits,” Johnson said. “This is really difficult. He was like a big brother to me. … we were the best of friends.”

Richard Goldstein files the New York Times obituary and leads with the Masters.

But those performances did not persuade the Masters to bend its new rule and accord Elder a spot. Elder broke through after capturing the 1974 Monsanto Open at the Pensacola Country Club in Florida, where six years earlier he and other African American PGA Tour members playing there had been refused entrance to the clubhouse. They had to dress in a parking lot.

That victory finally brought the 1975 Masters invitation. In the run-up to the tournament Elder received death threats. He rented two houses near the Augusta National course and moved between them as a security measure.

GolfDigest.com’s Tod Leonard on how Elder will always be linked to the Masters for better or worse, from the battle to earn an invitation to last year’s stirring tribute by Chairman Fred Ridley.

Golf.com’s Michael Bamberger also looked at the meaning of Elder’s two Masters appearances and what they meant for the game. This was nice:

But the ultimate gift, stemming from Ridley’s invitation and Mr. Elder’s acceptance of it, was to us, to millions of us across the world, to get acquainted or reacquainted with Elder’s remarkable life and example. 

If professional golf has a Jackie Robinson, it is Charlie Sifford, for whom Elin and Tiger named their son. If the game has a Henry Aaron, it is Lee Elder.

No, Mr. Elder did not dominate professional golf as Henry Aaron did professional baseball. Not even close. But Henry and Lee, sons of the Jim Crow South in the years before and during World War II, both pursued their sports with quiet professionalism and little flash. 

Bill Fields in The Albatross on the influence Elder had on Tiger Woods.

The young man had been walking fast, en route to Butler Cabin at Augusta National Golf Club to be given a green jacket, the first man of color to slip into that unique shade. The older man, 22 years prior, had been the first African American to play in the Masters. He got a speeding ticket on his way to watch Tiger make history. The fine was worth it. Tiger Woods and Lee Elder hugged amid the tumult along a corridor of cheering spectators, the excitement of a new day in a golf that was a long time coming. 

For all the fantastic golf Woods played over those 72 holes, that moment with Elder when the tournament was over stands out as a marker of history and potential for change.

Trail opened, trail climbed.  

For those of us who didn’t see him in his prime when he won four PGA Tour events, Elder was a staple of the Senior Tour for several years where he won eight times during its heyday and took home $1.4 million in earnings.

And here is the best of Twitter regarding Elder’s passing. I’ll add more when some notables chime in who so far have not:

R.I.P. Neil Regan

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Christian Hafer/Golf.com

He set the gold standard when it came to club historians who picked up every nugget imaginable to better understand the Winged Foot story. And Neil Regan was always helpful to anyone pursuing the cause of golf history or architecture, forever shaping Winged Foot by documenting and sharing so much about the place. And he was just a super person who left us too soon on November 28, 2021.

You can hear Neil from last year discussing Winged Foot with The Fried Egg’s Andy Johnson and read about him in this lovely Tim Reilly story at Golf.com that included Christian Hafer images of the upstairs archive and Neil.

A few of the tributes, including a video of his signature putt from the fairway.

Tiger: "I’m just happy to be able to go out there and watch Charlie play, or go in the backyard...just hear the birds chirping."

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Golf Digest’s Henni Koyack was able to coax a lot of lovely stuff from Tiger Woods in his first interview since February’s car accident.

I summed up the best of at The Quadrilateral.

The standout remark regarding his golf:

“I think something that is realistic is playing the Tour one day—never full time, ever again—but pick and choose, just like Mr. (Ben) Hogan did. Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that,” Woods said during a Zoom interview with Golf Digest’s Henni Koyack from his South Florida home. “You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. I think that’s how I’m going to have to play it from now on. It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it.”

Better than most realities given the injuries he sustained.

The full video here: