Today In Saudi Silliness: Player Claims 17 Are On Board, Morikawa Declares Himself A PGA Tour Man

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As the Tour wars seem headed for some sort of clarity, PGA Tour player Kramer Hickok claimed 17 players have officially enlisted to the Saudi-backed league. Speaking on the Stripe Show podcast, Hickok said:

“You're going to see a lot of big names jump over there. I think there have already been 17 guys that have jumped over, I can't say who they are but there is going to be some big names going over there.”

Meanwhile at Riviera, where both PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour Chief Keith Pelley were on hand as are more VP’s than normal. A Tuesday night Player Advisory Council meeting is on tap, as is some schmoozing of sponsor Genesis, host this week and later this summer in Scotland.

The PGA Tour received a better-than-most endorsement from Colin Morikawa, reigning Open Champion.

Q. It feels like news about the competing Saudi league continues to percolate. As one of the top young players on the PGA TOUR, how are you dealing with all the noise and do you find it sort of distracting?

COLLIN MORIKAWA: No, it's not distracting. It was a great read, props to you on the Morgan Hoffman thing. I didn't realize how long the article was, but it was a very good read. I've never met Morgan and to learn about something like that was impressive, really meaningful.

But as it goes to the Saudi stuff -- yeah, it was good. As it goes to the Saudi stuff, I'm all for the PGA TOUR. I've been a pro for two and a half years. My entire life I've thought about the

PGA TOUR, I've thought about playing against Tiger, beating his records, whatever, something that might not even be breakable, but I've never had another thought of what's out there, right? I've never thought about anything else, it's always been the PGA TOUR.

Has it opened up things for us as professional golfers to open up things for the PGA TOUR to look at what to do better? Absolutely. We've seen a lot of changes, some good, some bad, some that are still going to be amended I'm sure as time goes on.

Right now you look at the best players that I see and they're all sticking with the PGA TOUR and that's where I kind of stay and that's where I belong. I'm very happy to be here. I've played I think three events this year, feels like I've played nothing and part of that was designed in the fall to only play two events. But after missing a lot of the West Coast Swing, I decided to go over there and play on the DP World Tour. I miss being out on the PGA

TOUR. I miss seeing these guys, I miss playing out here and I just want to compete against the best in the world and right now that's where it is. I'm very happy, I'm very thrilled to be here.

It's not distracting. I think a lot of other guys are thinking about -- I don't know what they're thinking about, but a lot of guys are probably making the decision what to do, what not. A lot of uncertainties at least from my end. For me, I know I have a place right here, open arms, come out here and let's play some golf.

The View From Scotland: WM Open Post Hole-In-One Scene “Simply can’t be allowed to happen again.”

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Everyone, pray for Martin Dempster.

The Scotsman’s golf correspondent will be subjected to the inevitable mindless millennial rage after daring to suggest the unthinkable in two different pieces: the downturn on decorum—a.k.a. Live Under Par 3.0—is out of hand.

He’s writing in a follow up story of the Wasted Open scene where fans heaved nearly full beers onto the 16th green after hole-in-ones by Sam Ryder and Carlos Ortiz. And even kept throwing them as crews were out trying to return the hole to playability. Of course, in any other sport, this would lead to ejection but in the latest and most embarrassing cry of desperation to lower that viewing demo, the behavior was not discouraged.

Dempster writes this “simply can’t be allowed to happen again.”

It’s a disgrace that the tournament organisers have not come out and condemned such behaviour at a golf event and don’t give me that nonsense about “golf had a brief glimpse of a crowd and players having fun”.

“Refine rather than reject” was the suggestion from another person to comment on the hot topic and that just about hits the nail on the head.

Bottles and cans should be instantly banned at next year’s event and plastic cups be used instead for that consumption of alcohol, which is clearly part of why so many people want to be around that green in the first place.

Yes, but Martin, they’re demo-friendly, party-hearty, ASU-almost-grads living at mom and dad’s house and most vicariously through overpriced brewskies. A.k.a. the coveted demo! So what if someone gets hit and loses an eye? Or suffers a brain injury? It’s like, you know, young fans who, like, think it’s so dope!

The Open, of course, is another perfect illustration of how golf events have evolved and the same goes for the Women’s Open and the Scottish Opens.

Now, I do have to point out to my fine colleague in golf writing how The Open has put too much hospitality on the 18th holes at some of its championships and disconcertingly close to play. A crazed, pint-holding drunk attempted to interfere with Tiger’s final tee shot at Carnoustie in 2018, only to not be ejected or made an example of. But continue…

Yes, the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale can continue to be something different in the game and appeal to people who might not necessarily follow golf on a regular basis.

But it’s never going to grow golf and, make no mistake, will do more harm than good if Saturday and Sunday is a sign of what we can expect there going forward.

Oh it’s here to stay. Just with chicken wire around the grandstands next year and really good WiFi so you can gamble on the madness. Live Under Par lives, baby!

Harrop's Latest Hit (Job) Single: Growing The Game

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I know it’s predictable to say this is Sam Harrop’s finest work to date, but his take on Phil, Bryson, Greg and Saudi Arabia set to America’s A Horse With No Name really is magnificent. I believe this debuted after Phil Mickelson blocked Harrop on Twitter during the recent binge.

Give Sam a follow on Twitter if you haven’t already.

Here is the YouTube option:

DeChambeau: "Just another inaccurate report" Regarding His PGA Tour Future

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Reacting to conjecture on the No Laying Up podcast about his PGA Tour future, Bryson DeChambeau denied suggestions he has played his last PGA Tour event.

The speculation about his future has been intense after a recent trip to Saudi Arabia to learn more about its rich culture and to collect a sizable appearance fee. The No Laying Up team suggested that multiple players had been told by DeChambeau that “he is no longer playing on the PGA Tour.”

DeChambeau offered this rebuttal:

SI.com’s Bob Harig shared this from Brett Falkoff, DeChambeau's agent: "Bryson is planning on defending at Bay Hill provided he is healthy enough to compete. The only reason he is not in LA this week is due to his injuries. Any other report is false.”

Last week DeChambeau played down the seriousness of his injuries, blaming them on a fall and not on his much-hyped speed training.

Waste Management Open: Scheffler Scores First Win As Theegala Hangs In Late

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He’s contended in majors, played a key role on the Ryder Cup team and now Scottie Scheffler has a signature victory in the 2022 WM Open. A birdie at 17 and a 26-footer in the playoff to beat Patrick Cantlay came when 99% of the viewing public was watching the Super Bowl.

Nonetheless, Scheffler gets the best-player-not-to-have-a-PGA Tour win off his back.

From Adam Schupak’s Golfweek game story:

So was Scheffler’s resume, which included U.S. Junior Amateur champion, All-American at Texas and Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year. Scheffler already had shot 59 in a FedEx Cup playoff event, had a chance to a host of Tour events, most recently at the Houston Open, but victory had remained elusive. Entering the week at No. 16 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Scheffler was the highest-ranked player in the world without a PGA Tour victory.

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Another winner from the week: Sahith Theegala. We got to know him after making the cut in the 2017 Genesis before going on to a Hogan and Nicklaus Award at Pepperdine. But contending in Scottsdale is another matter and Theegala did nothing wrong, including what looked like a stellar tee shot at the drivable 17th. It finished in the water and his bogey there was the difference between making the playoff and his T3 finish.

From Daniel Rapaport’s GolfDigest.com story:

Theegala, a distinctly un-jaded 24-year-old rookie with an easy smile and a hall-of-fame strut, failed to get up and down and failed to get himself into a playoff with Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay. He succeeded, however, in capturing the adoration of the 800,000-ish fans who made their way to party this week and the millions more watching on television. (At least until the playoff bled into the Super Bowl.) He slept on the lead three nights in a row and refused to cede his place on a star-studded leader board, even holding a three-shot lead for a brief period on the front nine.

He was emotional after a gut-wrenching loss:

Maidstone Looper Charged In Killing Of Caddiemaster

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Just a terrible story from Southampton where Maidstone caddiemaster Kevin Somers died after an altercation with caddie Marc Dern.

The two apparently started arguing while watching a golf tournament on February 5th, which was Saturday of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

From the NY Posts’ Gabrielle Fonrouge:

Dern allegedly punched Somers in the face and then put him into a chokehold, breaking a small bone in the victim’s throat that asphyxiated him, prosecutors said, according to the outlet. 

Authorities allege that Dern left Somers on the front porch for three hours before calling 911 and told cops he felt his buddy’s body go limp while he was choking him. 

Dern’s lawyer, John Ray, disputed the prosecutor’s claim that Somers had been left out on the porch, arguing that emergency responders told police his body was still warm when they arrived. 

“If a man was lying from 7:30 to 10:30 dead, his skin would not be warm,” Ray said during the hearing. “That’s just common sense.”

Spain's High Court Orders Destruction Of Entire Golf Resort, 200 Homes

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After 14 years Spain’s highest court says a four-star hotel, golf course and 200 home development must be destroyed.

From CNN.com’s Jack Guy, reporting on the Marina Isla de Valdecañas having been built illegally on an island.

In July 2020 a court in Extremadura ruled that the hotel, villas and golf course, which were already in operation, should remain standing as they were not causing environmental damage.

The ruling estimated the cost of destroying the whole development would be nearly 34 million euros ($38.8 million), and compensation to property owners would reach 111 million euros ($126.7 million).

It therefore ruled out demolition on economic grounds, as the regional Extremadura government would have had to foot the bill, and said that only facilities still under construction should be destroyed.

However Tuesday's decision overrules that ruling and orders their demolition.

2022 Genesis Invitational Draw All Of World's Top 10, 16 Of The Top 20

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It’s a major championship caliber field and forecast for this week at Riviera, as The Genesis Invitational hosted by Tiger Woods lured all of the world top 10, 16 of the top 20 and 34 of the top 50.

The headliners:

·         Jon Rahm (World No. 1, 2021 U.S. Open champion) 

·         Collin Morikawa (World No. 2, 2021 Open Championship winner and Los Angeles native) 

·         Viktor Hovland (World No. 3) 

·         Patrick Cantlay (World No. 4, the PGA Tour’s 2021 FedExCup champion) 

·         Dustin Johnson (World No. 5 and 2017 Genesis Invitational champion) 

·         Rory McIlroy (World No. 6, 20-time PGA TOUR winner and four-time major champion)  

·         Justin Thomas (World No. 7 and 14-time PGA TOUR champion) 

·         Xander Schauffele (World No. 8 and 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist) 

·         Cameron Smith (World No. 9) 

·         Hideki Matsuyama (World No. 10 and 2021 Masters champion)

Also in: Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth and defending champion Max Homa. Former winners Adam Scott and Bubba Watson will also be there. Sponsor invites include Rickie Fowler, Will Zalatoris, Robert Macintyre, Thomas Pieters and Sahith Theegala.

Quadrilateral: Phil Mickelson's Block Binge

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Freaking out over critiques of his anti-PGA Tour comments and Saudi support, Mickelson dismantles his good-guy image in a matter of months.

His latest block binge while supposedly on vacation skiing suggests a rocky road for his future as an elder statesman. My Quadrilateral latest that includes a robust free preview for all.

Turns Out, Charley Hoffman Just Really Wanted Attention

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After a sparkling third round 79, sponsor ambassador Charley Hoffman met with media to clarify his various charges against the rules, governing bodies and PGA Tour. It’s quite a bizarre transcript.

While I realize we’re talking about someone who will never be confused as a former Oxford and Cambridge man, a few things become clear after reading Hoffman’s remarks. If you are paired with him, watch him like a hawk. And if this is the best the PGA Tour can do for its Policy Board when all bright hands are needed on deck, the future is not bright.

Q. Things often get sort of lost on social media, so I just wanted to ask what you really meant with the Instagram last night.

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: What I meant and what I said, I mean I think I explained it fairly well, but obviously not a huge fan of the USGA and how they govern us all the time.

“Govern us all the time.”

Those pesky rules always in place!

I was under the, or, under the impression that the rule had changed. And I was frustrated when the rule hadn't changed, why it hadn't changed and I think there's some sort of -- I mean obviously we have a PGA TOUR liaison that helps with the USGA and helps in figuring out what the rules should and shouldn't be.

Sounds like someone really doesn’t like playing by the rules.

And it just, it didn't make any sense at that point in time why that rule hadn't changed, especially this exact tournament when it happened to Rickie Fowler, he ended up winning the golf tournament, but it could have cost him the golf tournament.

But as -- and as I told the rules officials last night it's like, everybody says, We're going to change it for the better, we're going to do this and that, we're close or whatever but nothing seems to get done.

Just to be clear, Hoffman had more than one option, chose to drop in the difficult location and is now whining because his ball moved after he placed it. The rules were there to help him in multiple ways, as were the first and second opinions he called in. (The rules staff responded as detailed here.)

And unless you come out on a platform like I did it somewhat influences a change. That's what I meant by the rulings and everything else.

Yes you can really feel the groundswell.

Q. You wrote that you wonder why guys are looking to join another tour. Do you feel like a lack of accountability or a rules issue are why guys --

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I think it's a whole, a whole -- everything. You got to look at yourself as a policy board member and look at your self in the face, as I said, what can I do better as a player director, what can the executive committee do, executive directors do better to make sure that we are the best tour in the world.

And if it's -- the PGA TOUR's rewarding us by using social media in their platforms now, but they don't like it when you don't say something that may not be up to their standard. But you're rewarded on it.

Apparently Charley missed the meetings where it was explained that attempts to get attention or negative publicity would not factor into the PIP. Must have been busy reading the Rules of Golf!

I'm by no means trying to win the Player Impact Program, but I wanted to get my point across that there's rules out there in the game of golf that should be changed.

Because Charley doesn’t like them and declined the safer option.

I had no -- I wasn't near the golf ball, I had no intent to hit at the golf ball and the ball moved after I dropped it twice and I have to put it down where the ball landed. I have no control over that, I turn my back and the ball goes in the water. How is that a rule that is good for the game of golf and how we play? I mean, not one person at a country club would have took another penalty for that, why is it, in professional golf, are we doing that? It's not the first time it's happened.

Charley should draw up some Rules his ownself. Really dig in to the literature, the plight of the PGA Tour pro and publish his version of the rules.

So you have to use what I have because obviously what we, what the players have said and our person that sits on their board and sits with them, it hasn't gotten through to them.

And I talked to the USGA last night and hopefully they got the point and hopefully it does change.

What a fun Friday night for that USGA official.

So hopefully a little bit of hard times for me going through this, probably going to catch a ton of crap, will make the game better and I hopefully the PGA TOUR and the policy board and everybody gets together and we keep everybody here and we play in the U.S. the best game of golf in the world and we have the best players play week-in and week-out here in the United States.

Nice recovery there. But uh…

Q. You made a pretty giant leap though going from this rules infraction to, you know --

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Yes.

Q. -- players --

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: Strategically.

Q. Yeah?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I, if I just griped about a rule no one probably catches it. No one says anything.

Q. How much thought did you put in --

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: A decent amount. So I put a jab in there on purpose just so that the media would catch it.

So clever! What other kinds of bait and switch do you pull?

Q. And Jay Monahan's name too?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: And Jay, yeah, it was "Sorry, Jay", that I was doing this, because I have a great relationship with Jay and I have nothing for admiration about what Jay does for this TOUR and how hard he works.

So it was a "Sorry, Jay" because I know he's going -- this isn't an easy time for the PGA TOUR. So that's why that "Sorry, Jay" that that's why I said we need to do better, we as player directors, as executive directors, commissioners, everybody, we need to do better to make sure we keep everybody here in the U.S.

With you on the case, I’ll take the Saudis and their silly oily money.

Q. You're one of the few players on the policy board. Is the system in place not working?

CHARLEY HOFFMAN: I think it works really good, but we have, we have a threat. I mean, that's real. I mean, you can't hide under a rock and say it's not.

And I, there's no way that I, it's ever crossed my mind to go over and play for a competitor and -- ever -- and it was never -- if it came across in that Instagram post that I have been reached by them, I have not been reached by them, it came across wrong. I added that so the media would catch it, so I would prove my point on the rules side.

What a chap!

Waste Management must be feeling so good about the endorsement deal. Because he really is a waste of a spot in the tournament.

Bohannan: This Time The Tour Is Listening To Players But In NIL World Is That Enough?

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The Desert Sun’s Larry Bohannan considers the latest players v. brass showdown in golf. He highlights some of the differences between the last 1960’s battle the players had with the PGA of America that led to the breakaway PGA Tour and brings up a key point.

While the stakes and issues have changed—no TikTok and NFT’s back then—Bohannan notes that this time the leadership has listened and made adjustments with more money that comes in going out to players. While it’s debatable whether PIP’s and Comcast Biz Solutions Top 10’s do much to make the sport more fan friendly, they have satisfied some players into supporting the PGA Tour model.

However, something else may be driving player thinking (or greed?).

Mickelson’s point is that images of Mickelson, or any player playing in a tour event, are controlled by the PGA Tour. If you want to use a photo of a PGA Tour player for commercial purposes, well, the PGA Tour controls that image, not the player. So the tour has to be paid for use of the image.

That might seem normal, since other sports have similar regulations. But in a day when college athletes are making hundreds of thousands of dollars since the U.S. Supreme Court announced it is the athletes that control their name, image and likeness, should PGA Tour players have the right to control their NIL rights, or is that something the tour must control to operate successfully?

It’s a bizarre conundrum since players want the perks of guaranteed money and more control while remaining independent contractors. But to have the opportunity to profit off their success in new media, it also costs money to put on the show making them NIL-worthy.

Whether Mickelson is an outlier in not having a good sense of this is increasingly unclear. He’s not spoken about how this is about the future and his desire to see the next generation better taken care of, suggesting he’s more interested in short term gain.

But if there are more thinking like him based on the anecdotal NIL situation, this may be the deciding factor for players on the fence about trusting Greg Norman with their future.

A Tradition Unlike Any Other: The Quest For The Slime Green Jacket

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I’m not going to quibble with Nickelodeon’s success in reimagining live sports in a way that’s fun for the kids since their NFL reviews have been glowing slime green.

Still, I’m not envisioning a scenario where the Lords of Augusta

Brian Steinberg of Variety reports on Nickelodeon teaming up with producer Bryan Zuriff of The Match fame, Excel Sports and players like Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Lexi Thompson to bring us the Slime Cup. The final “match” will be played in the Rose Bowl and the winner is to receive a Slime Green jacket .

“We are inventing our own golf match,” says Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, in an interview. “It’s definitely different.”

Confirmed participants include: top-ranked professional golfers like Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Lexi Thompson; NFL superstars, Saquon Barkley and Justin Herbert; Terry Crews; and Nick stars Isaiah Crews, Kate Godfrey, Jaidyn Triplett and Tyler Wladis. Nickelodeon’s Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, who has provided commentary for the network’s Wild Card game-casts, will do the same for “Slime Cup.”  Other participants could be named at a later date.

The teams will compete in a two-round tournament, with holes inspired by Nickelodeon shows, all in hopes of reaching “The Unfairway,”an unpredictable final round that will take place inside the Rose Bowl stadium. The victors win the title cup a slime-green blazer, and, of course, the honor of getting Nickelodeon’s signature goo dumped on them.

“This is relay about making a fun, entertaining golf show,” says Robbins. “I think you know a lot of dads play golf, and getting to watch this with your kids really will be fun.”

Ok let’s not carried away.

Production is set to begin in February at a Los Angeles-area golf course with a summer launch in mind. The full press release can be seen here.