Today In Disruptor Tour Files: Tour Formerly Known As European Rolling Over On Releases, Players Thankful For The Leverage

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Just as their strategic partners have done, the Tour Formerly Known As European will be granting releases to the Asian Tour’s PIFSIPSIA next month, reports The Guardian’s Ewan Murray.

Filling the field of the Saudi-backed event, formerly a European Tour event that was the brainchild of Chief Keith Pelley and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, appears to be quite easy. Especially when tours are rolling over so easily. There was a Telegraph report of possible repercussions after players tee it up.

Murray writes:

By the Monday deadline, between 30 and 40 members of the tour had requested releases to play in the Asian Tour-run event near Jeddah, from 3 February. It is sponsored by the Saudi public investment fund and carries huge appearance fees.

Despite speculation of potential bans for European players who compete in the Saudi International, dismissed by some as little more than a cash grab, it is understood they should be informed this week that releases will be granted with conditions relating to future commitments to DP World Tour tournaments. Should those conditions not be met there is scope for disciplinary action, but player power has seemingly won the day.

Do we even call them disruptors with so little resistance?

Meanwhile over in Hawaii, the winners assembled for the Sentry Tournament of Champions are thankful for the opportunity and leverage created by the Saudis. Only one player, Justin Thomas, expressed hopes of this cash grab having benefits for fans.

Tony Finau, who will be playing the PIFSIPSIA, thanked the PGA Tour but is clearly not ruling out a move if the Saudi’s form a real tour:

TONY FINAU: I mean, yeah, I've been approached just like I think most top guys, as you would expect. I don't have a stance on it yet. I think we're just like everyone, don't really know what's going on with that.

But I'm grateful to be on the PGA TOUR, it's been an honor for me to have an opportunity to play and display my talent in front of the world on a TOUR like the PGA TOUR, so much history there.

Again, I watch guys like Tiger, like Phil, all these guys play PGA TOUR evens and win PGA TOUR events. That's all I know since I was a kid, I didn't know any other tours and I didn't think any of the other tours had what the PGA TOUR had to offer and up to this point in my career very happy I'm on the PGA TOUR and having won a couple times I would like to win more this year.

Jodan Spieth was asked if the league concept backed by the regime would benefit golf and made clear he so far only sees benefits to the players.

JORDAN SPIETH: Well, I think certainly it's a threat to the PGA TOUR. I think as a player overall it will benefit in that I think that the changes that have come from the PGA TOUR have been modernized in a way to, that may or may not have come about if it weren't there.

So I think for us players on the PGA TOUR, I think that so far it's been something that has kind of helped the PGA TOUR sit and say, hey, where can we look to satisfy our membership and potentially make some changes going forward that, where there's some similarities potentially to a league like that, but while maintaining kind of the integrity, the 501(C)(6) category that the PGA TOUR has.

And I think that going forward, I mean, I guess we'll have to see. But for me to sit here and -- I mean, I can only say from my point of view I think that it's been beneficial to the players to have competition, and I think the TOUR would say that they probably feel that they're in a better position going forward by having to sit back and kind of take a look at things and make some changes.

And this from Justin Thomas was the best of the answers in appearing to think of the entertainment aspect over the financial benefits:

JUSTIN THOMAS: I think the idea is healthy for the, it's healthy, could be healthy for the TOUR. I think two competing tours is not healthy for golf, if that makes sense.

I think if the idea of other competition and other tours or whatever happening, I think is a good opportunity for the TOUR to kind of maybe sit back and us players sit back to realize what can we do better on our TOUR and then make our product better, versus having two competing tours to me is not good because you're diluting the product on both sides and it's just not, you're not going to get the best -- it's not possible to get the best players in the world on both tours. They're either going to be one or the other or a little bit of both.

It continues to confound how repulsed players were by the idea of taking the Saudi’s money and now, well, no one is mentioning discomfort at that element after having time to think about it.

Let The Model Local Rules Begin! Major(s) News & Notes For January 6th, 2022

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Bifurcation begins Thursday at Kapalua. While reducing driver shaft length will likely only annoy Phil or Bryson, the player-driven ban on various green reading materials could impact a lot of top players. The bifurcation so many have desired has arrived! It’s a party! With killer views and Kona winds.

I explore those ramifications and a lot more in this week’s Quadrilateral, including the key major dates in 2022, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas going deep on two topics, Masters patrons get good news, Tweets, Reads and a YouTube archival find in this week's Major(s) News & Notes.

As always you can read more about The Quadrilateral here or subscribe here.

OEM's Launch Latest AI-Infused Tungsten Cartridge Speed Frame Jailbreak Stealth Twistface Carbonwoods Guaranteed To Go Longer, Straighter

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As we inch closer to a decision based on the Distance Insights Study, just about any decision will lead to from Carlsbad even as they stare at record profits, give little back to the charitable side of the game and account for maybe 10% over the overall golf “business”.

So with that inevitable sobbing to come, perhaps as soon as May, the January 4th launches by Taylormade and Callaway—with their partners at the independent media operations hoping they’ll buy ads—will be good to file away for safe keeping.

Traditionally when any form of rulemaking is discussed to keep certain skills and courses relevant, the manufacturers claim they’ve maxed out the technology. When they want your $600, the technology is breakthrough, stealth, AI infused and almost guaranteed to add distance and lower spin.

The various golf publications peddled it all as usual. There was this from a Taylormade engineer to keep in mind as they phase out Titanium for the next great innovation, speaking to Golf Digest’s Mike Stachura.

THE DEEP DIVE: The titanium face driver, the golf industry’s staple since the mid-1990s, has run its course. So says TaylorMade’s team of engineers who in fits and starts over the past 20 years have been pursuing something they say is not merely entirely different from titanium, but of course, fundamentally better. As Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade’s senior director of product creation, puts it, referencing the famous “S Curve” for innovation, “We knew the S curve for Ti was ending and the S Curve for carbon-composite faces was beginning.”

Kind of like the bubble shaft! Until it wasn’t.

Look, these are good people who have to come up with something to differentiate their product. But the numbers also do not lie: the engineers are very good at what they do and know how to arm today’s elites with equipment they hit longer by just going on a launch monitor and testing.

So this spring when their bosses, only thinking of shareholder value, claim distance has peaked and how there’s nothing to see here, just remember January 4th’s claims and supporting coverage.

Even Tiger chimed in as part of launch day:

And Callaway has introduced a new Chrome Soft that you guessed it, goes longer even though the ball has hit its limit whenever the USGA and R&A are thought to be changing any equipment rules.

From Andrew Tursky at Golf.com, after explaining how Callaway studied its off-core Chrome Softs to make sure that doesn’t happen again. But there was this regarding the new Chrome Soft X:

So, Callaway listened. Without changing the spin profile at all, Callaway was able to increase driver ball speed by 0.7 mph due to the new core in the 2022 version.

And regarding the new and improved Chrome Soft X LS:

According to Callaway, the new Chrome Soft X LS increases driver speed by 0.8 mph, reduces driver spin by 130 rpm, and reduces iron spin by 120 rpm compared to the previous version.

Tom Watson: "Golf courses...have to adjust to the distance that guys hit it."

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It’s a short list of people who have both designed courses and suggested it’s ok to ask courses to adjust to modern distances. Golf architects Rees Jones, Tom Fazio and Steve Smyers have all been ok with that notion, but I never expected Tom Watson to join that list. Especially since just three years ago he was saying the ball goes too far.

From his Q&A with Golfweek’s Adam Schupak:

When I designed golf courses, I first started at 250 was my turning point.  Then it became 267. Now it’s like 280 is the turning point, back tees on championship golf courses.

Again, golf courses I think have to adjust to the distance that guys hit it. I would think the wrong thing to do would be to make the golf ball go shorter. If they did, they ought to make it go shorter for everyone, you, me, Aunt Alice, everybody.

GW: You’re not a bifurcation guy?

TW: No.

Bad news Tom, we have two rules in place this week that spell b-i-f-u-r-c-a-t-i-o-n.

There was also this:

GW: Did you like the changes to the Rules of Golf?

TW: Yeah, very much. Yeah. Spike mark was the best one.

GW: How do you think your pal (former USGA President) Sandy Tatum would have thought of the changes?

TW: He would have thought it would be sensible.

For giggles I cracked open Mr. Tatum’s A Love Affair With The Game to double check that this is the same Sandy Tatum I’m pretty sure was a big “play it as it lies” guy.

Yep, same Sandy!

He called Winter Rules a pervasive intrusion on the “True Spirit” of the game and called the PGA Tour playing preferred lies “the most heinous departure from the true spirit of the playing of the game.”

Not feeling like he’d be a pro spike mark tapping guy in a game with few spikes and better conditioning than ever before.

"Why joining an exclusive golf club isn’t as unrealistic as you might think "

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Golf.com’s Paul Sullivan looks at the various options for national and international memberships and even as costs go up there are still reasonable options out there.

Yet not all national membership are five figures to join. A cheaper way in is to get the junior rate by joining before you’re 40. A decade ago, Young locked up his membership at Kinlock [sic] Golf Club, a top-rated course in Virginia, for $1,000. And when it first opened, Chechessee Creek Club, a Coore-Crenshaw design in South Carolina, offered national junior memberships for $5,000.

The greatest deal may be an international membership. One at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath, ranked 22 in the world by GOLF, will costs you $1,500 a year, and that outlay gets you member access to other top courses around the world, including Walton Heath in England; Portmarnock in Ireland; the Philadelphia Cricket Club; and Nine Bridges in South Korea.

Of course, however cheap a national membership is, you still need the extra income to get and stay there.

There is that!

Modern Shafts No Match For A Giant Robber Crab

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“He’s a ripper!” Imagine finding this after putting our for your handy double bogey. But good news, the driver snapped by this robber crab can be replaced under the revamped Rules of Golf.

From Australia’s Christmas Island, which is closer to Indonesia and famous for its crabs:

Golf Has Its First DAO With Hopes Of A Crowdsourced, Crypto-Funded Club

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It’s a little more complicated than George Crump and friends building a course in the pine barrens and you are more than free to admit this makes no sense, but Josh Sens has the lowdown on golf’s first significant decentralized autonomous organization.

LinksDAO sold more than 9,000 NFTs in and initial offering for $11 million in Ethereum. The “grand experiment” is the vision of Mike Dudas, a Stanford start-up entrepreneur hoping to buy a course and create a community of members. Initial buyers of the NFT’s merely bought the right to buy into the next purchase.

Sens writes for Golf.com:

Nor will the money raised by the NFT sales be put toward buying a course. It will be used instead to fund other DAO operations, including course scouting, acquisition planning, marketing, legal compliance, community development and more.

Dudas concedes that there is a still a way to go.

But LinksDAO, he notes, has already progressed quickly.

Dudas started pondering the details of the plan only about three weeks ago, shortly after posting the idea on Twitter.  He was inspired, in part, by another crypto-real world convergence called Flyfish Club, a private dining club concept in New York that has been selling memberships through NFTs. But Dudas says his thinking around LinksDAO also arose from his aversion to the stodginess and strictures of traditional country clubs: the exclusive memberships, the uptight customs.

“As a kid, it was my least favorite part of golf,” he says.

Much of the momentum behind LinksDAO, he believes, is fueled by people who feel the same.

This is what happens when you ban hoodies. The kids start looking for ways to buy you out!

Perfect Putt’s Jared Doerfler filed this look that helps better break down all of the crypto stuff in golf for the majority of us who feel like they’re reading a second language.

"Trials In Renovation"

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Country Club of Farmington (

Sometimes we forget the arduous task of conceptualizing, selling and executing a golf course restoration, particularly with the number of successful projects and satisfied courses.

So for those thinking of pushing to get their older golf course restored, I’d recommend reading about the experiences and lessons learned of Geoffrey Manton, a radiologist and Green Committee Chairman at Country Club of Farmington.

Not everyone will understand what we’re trying to accomplish by restoring the golf course, and maybe that’s not their fault. After all, everything is relative. There is a dominant feature on our golf course, a former sand quarry, that has been overgrown for over a half-century. Our consulting architect created computer generated imagery of what a restoration of this feature might look like. “Can you imagine, it looks like Pine Valley!” said one member to another. “What’s Pine Valley?” replied the other. Some detractors have been more direct, like opposing green expansions, citing the atrocity of having a sprinkler head on the putting surface or calling for tree planting to replace those lost from the emerald ash borer. Each member has their own perspective and as I’ve been informed – “I pay dues. I have a right to complain.”

Some things in golf never change!

Anyway, it’s worth a read over at LyingFour.com whether you are a budding Green Chairman or just dreaming of becomin gone. Manton’s also posted some images at Twitter showing off the finished product.

PIP Meet The PIFSIPSIA! Saudi International Names Sponsor, More Stars To Field

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After intense, last-minute negotiations, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia has been named title sponsor of the Saudi International. Terms of the deal were not announced.

This means the full tournament name is the Public Investment Fund Saudi International Powered by SoftBank Investment Advisors, or, as they might want to call it around the LIV Golf team’s Slack: PIFSIPSIA.

More alarming for the PGA Tour and European Tour should be the continued addition of players to February’s field. Besides now having commitments from five of the world top 10, they’ve added Tony Finau, Patrick Reed, Matthew Wolff, Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert. The allure of the Asian Tour!

The gold rush and late adds seem to be fueled by the PGA Tour’s “stand” against the existential threat, which included creating the widely-mocked PIP and granting of releases with meager consequences for players passing on the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. It’s a far cry from last summer when players were supposedly going to face membership expulsion for jumping ship. But the Saudis went out and got themselves some Asian Tour co-sanctioning and the snowball is picking up speed.

As Rex Hoggard notes here in the best possible light, the Tour was “slow” to grand competing event releases. If that’s the best they’ve got in their arsenal, it’s going to be a long year at the Global Home.

The PIF has assembled an impressive field at this point and sets up the potential for some fascinating names finding their way into the AT&T Pebble Beach field. As in, half the Champions Tour, all Korn Ferry grads, and definitely some Beljan’s and Uresti’s. Shoot, at this pace they may be the headliners!

Anyway, For Immediate Release with the new tournament logo included:


Reed, Finau, Smith join the world’s best with the PIF announced as new title sponsor for Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers 

January 3rd, King Abdullah Economic City, North of Jeddah:  An array of international stars has been added to the line-up for next month’s PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers – in what will be the Asian Tour’s strongest-ever field.

With the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced as the new title sponsor and a field packed with the world’s best players, the landmark tournament is set for a record-breaking edition when it returns to King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, 3-6 February 2022.

2018 Masters Champion Patrick Reed will once again be returning to Saudi Arabia, playing in every tournament since the inaugural event in 2019. Another US Ryder Cup star confirmed is Tony Finau, who finished runner-up to Dustin Johnson last year and will be looking to go one better to kickstart his 2022 season.

Alongside four of the world’s top 10, the tournament will also see several new faces with a debutant for Matthew Wolff, one of golf’s hottest young talents. Further newcomers to KAEC will be exciting Australian trio Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert. Frenchman Victor Perez will also join a star-studded field competing for an increased prize purse of $5 million and one of the highest OWGR point totals in international golf. 

Previously announced players announced include defending champion Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood and Phil Mickelson.

Even An Orangutan Can Drive A Golf Cart

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Longtime readers know one of the worst parts of this whole blog thing is the consistency with which news feeds share horrendous stories of golf cart accidents. So this post is for all of you who think they’re extra clever to drive carts like total shmucks.

Because we learn in this glorious video: even an orangutan can drive a golf cart. What a cool customer!

Besides consisting of the most soothing 3 minutes you’ll enjoy today, there is also this glorious bit of tiger trolling:

I’m not clear where this was shot, but based on scenery, the orangutan’s age and the amount of knuckle hair, this could be any Tuesday in The Villages.

The full video:

Daly Says "The Media" To Blame For Underreporting His Litany Of Health Problems

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undoctored image of john daly from the full send podcast

GolfMagic.com’s Andy Roberts listened to John Daly on the Full Send podcast so we don’t have to and shared a key exchange. The topic was Tiger’s jab at John Daly for taking a cart and a purported apology from Woods at the recent PNC Championship dinner.

Sitting behind a beer, ashtray for his diabetes-assisting cigarettes and a plate of fried chicken, Daly offered this regarding Tiger:

"Yeah, but he didn’t know the facts because the media, ‘the media’ (sarcastic gesture) didn’t tell him I had diabetes and I had a bad two knees and my hips out and all this stuff," Daly said on the podcast. 

"He apologized to me at dinner the other night. I mean, he’s fine. I love Tiger."

You know John is right. No one could look at him sitting there smoking, drinking and looking like a man just a few years under 100 and know he’s unwell.

He’s also right about “the media” having a key job to do: to probe and delve into the personal health records of pro golfers to help keep Tiger Woods informed of what ails them. You know, because Tiger reads so much media and just adores privacy breaches.

It seems Long John is also claiming he was one of the few people to text Tiger after his most recent car accident. Daly sent an eloquent missive.

He added: "Look, I was the only guy that texted him going through all this. Besides JT (Justin Thomas) and a couple of other players, when he had that wreck, I was the first one to say ‘Hey man, get better and do good.’

"And at the dinner, when I was Santa Claus, he says, ‘Man, thank you so much for the texts. It means a lot to me.’ And that meant a lot to me."

But if he had to thank you for the texts there’s a strong likelihood this means he never responded in the first place. No? Yes?

Anyway, I’m sure the vast media entourage covering PGA Tour Champions action will do better in the future by making sure to probe for every detail of Daly’s health issues. This will keep Tiger better informed and the media will be doing its job in John’s world.

And Heaven knows, Tiger could not have otherwise known of Daly’s issues.

If you’d like to subject yourself to more torture, the interview synopsis on YouTube should give you some idea what kind of time waste you’re in for:

Epic show this week boys. Legendary golfer John Daly sits down with Bob, Kyle, and Salim at the original Hooters in Tampa, FL. to cover everything from John’s partying stories, beating Tiger Woods with his son, loving “Daddy Trump,” and much more.

You were warned:

PIP Pandemonium: Phil Declares Victory, Tour Says Not So Fast, Morikawa Posts Dog Photo In Late 10th Place Play

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As the (not secret any more) Player Impact Program hurtles toward its year one conclusion, the silly bonus pool is wrapping with a deservedly absurd finish.

Phil Mickelson declared PIP victory two days before the calendar ended the comical bonus pool. This, despite just one top 10 against the under 50’s this year—the 2021 PGA Championship—Mickelson apparently used four Champions Tour wins to accrue the magical number of Google searches, Meltwater mentions, MVP Index points, Nielsen scores and Q-rating strength to edge Tiger Woods for the $8 million first place prize.

The closest you’ll get to a PIP victory speech since it’s a private matter:

You have to give Phil credit with the late rush of Tweets and replies while playing to the angry bro mobs, a key demo for accumulating Meltwaters by stirring up some virus questions and replying to Elon Musk.

Oh, but not so fast says Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch:

Maybe Phil’s premature celebratory Tweet will ensure victory? Or will the Commissioner and his team of independent analysts who tabulate Player of the Year totals find a way to de-Meltwater Phil’s late run?

These are just the kind of ramifications one deals with when the subject is a cockamamie concoction created for all the wrong reasons. Robert Lusetich summed up the farce best here:

Imagine that, discriminating against the youth trying to grow the game. Sad.

Speaking of the next generation, dream-demo Open Championship winner and dignified user of social media Collin Morikawa reportedly will finish 11th. This means he misses out on last place’s $3 million.

But showing vision and wisdom beyond his 24 years, Morikawa made a last ditch effort with social media gold: celebrating his 11th place finish with humor (on Twitter), and birthday well wishes to his labradoodle. Sources say the indices give extra weight to dog posts—and then triple that for any doodle—so there may still be hope for young Morikawa to crack the top 10 once that independent firm digs into the numbers!

Not since Freddie Tait posed with his dog Nails has a golfer’s dog potentially played such a key role in the game.

And then there’s Jim Herman, coming home strong even as they’re breaking down the bunting, packing up the barricades and still making his valiant PIP plays:

What a time for the game!

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, December 30th, 2021

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Quadrilateral Exclusive: Mike & Mike's USGA Holiday Letter

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