Faldo Goes Out On His Terms; Immelman To Step Into CBS Lead Analyst Chair

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Announcers have been known to hang on too long and while there were hints Nick Faldo was less engaged in his announcing prep of late—who could blame him given some of the nonsense in pro golf—he’s decided to retire.

Based on a letter he posted to Twitter, Faldo has traveled enough and will continue with his design and Faldo Series work. (I won’t be surprised if he’s drawn back in by the chance to work a major here or there but for now, he’s signing off at the 2022 Wyndham Championship after 16 years.)

John Ourand had the initial news of Trevor Immelman’s hiring to replace Faldo.

James Colgan at Golf reports that CBS Sports chair Sean McManus looked at a “broad range” of replacement candidates before settling on Immelman, who has been at the network since 2019 after getting his start at Golf Channel.

Jimmy Dunne On Greg Norman: "The luckiest man in the world, because he had this vendetta his whole career and he found someone to bankroll it.”

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Jimmy Dunne, whose firm lost employees in the 9/11 attacks and is current President of Seminole, spoke to SI’s Michael Rosenberg about LIV Golf and Greg Norman. He passed on discussing the Saudi role in 9/11 or in funding the rogue league.

“I don't like it when they say they're 'growing the game,’” Dunne said. “That's crap. I don't even like it when they say 'I have to do what's best for my family.' I really wonder how many of those guys, the lifestyle that they were living was so horrible that their family needed them to do this. Just say, 'I'm at a point in my career where I (want to) make five times as much money against much weaker competition and play less.' Just tell the truth. Don't cover it with a lot of crap.”

And on his fellow Florida resident Greg Norman:

Dunne said LIV CEO Greg Norman “is the luckiest man in the world, because he had this vendetta his whole career and he found someone to bankroll it.” Dunne understands that LIV is a threat to the PGA Tour. But he thinks it’s also a threat to the psyches of golfers who join it.

Fred Couples: “It’s just amazing to hear all these people who can’t even answer simple questions about LIV Golf”

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Tough love from Fred Couples to some of his Task Force disciples and player fanboys who’ve taken Saudi Arabia’s advances to play the LIV Golf events.

From Christine Brennan’s story about Wednesday’s USGA press conference and the struggles to recall the Saudi regime’s role in 9/11, or the struggle families have had with the United States government to better understand the Saudi involvement.

“It’s just amazing to hear all these people who can’t even answer simple questions about LIV Golf,” Couples told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. “For these 9/11 families, it must be a crushing blow. 

“If I had an 18-year-old son who was killed by a drunk driver, I think I would fight my whole life to make sure people drinking at a bar did not get into a car. I’m sure it’s the same with the 9/11 families and Saudi Arabia. To not be able to answer these questions because they are getting $200 million or he can’t answer because he’s making $110 million or $65 million, it’s just crazy.”

Is The Tour Formerly Known As European Considering A Saudi Partnership?

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GolfDigest.com’s Dan Rapaport and John Huggan talk to multiple sources suggesting the DP World Tour is mulling a “partnership of sorts” with the Saudi Arabia backed LIV Golf.

More than a dozen sources from across the DP World Tour and PGA Tour landscape have told Golf Digest that Pelley is mulling a rather impactful decision: a partnership of sorts between his tour and LIV Golf Investments, or a further integration with the PGA Tour. A spokesman for LIV declined to comment for this story, but a source intimately familiar with discussions between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour says both sides see potential value in aligning more closely.

“[Pelley’s] getting serious pressure from his rank-and-file members to consider the Saudis,” says one high-profile player.

According to sources, Pelley was seen at Centurion Golf Club during LIV’s inaugural event last weekend, though it is not known whether any formal discussions with LIV took place. A spokesperson for the DP World Tour declined comment when asked about any conversations with either LIV Golf or the PGA Tour.

A partnership with LIV Golf for the former European Tour could present benefits to both sides.

The DP World Tour issued a statement in response to the piece but only addressed the whereabouts of the increasingly low profile Pelley last week:

We are aware of some reports in the media that DP World Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley attended the event at Centurion Club last week. This is categorically untrue as Keith was in Sweden attending the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed tournament.

Rahm: "I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I've always been interested in history and legacy"

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Jon Rahm at the 2022 U.S. Open, discussing the LIV Golf exodus and why he won’t be joining.

JON RAHM: I almost feel -- I feel for Jay Monahan. If you see his time as a commissioner, he had to deal with COVID and now this. I don't know if he signed up for all this or not.

I consider the PGA TOUR has done an amazing job giving us the best platform for us to perform. I do see the appeal that other people see towards the LIV Golf. I do see some of the -- I'll put this delicately -- points or arguments they can make towards why they prefer it.

To be honest, part of the format is not really appealing time. Shotgun three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut. It's that simple. I want to play against the best in the world in a format that's
been going on for hundreds of years. That's what I want to see.

Yeah, money is great, but when Kelley and I -- this first thing happened, we started talking about it, and we're like, will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No, it will not change one bit.

Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I've made and live a very happy life and not play golf again. So I've never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons.

I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I've always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA TOUR has that.

There's meaning when you win the Memorial Championship. There's meaning when you win Arnold
Palmer's event at Bay Hill. There's a meaning when you win, LA, Torrey, some of the historic venues. That to me matters a lot.

Monahan: “Why is this group spending so much money--billions of dollars--recruiting players and chasing a concept with no possibility of a return?”

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Doug Ferguson files an AP report on PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan’s booth visit—finally!—blasting the Saudi Arabia government backed golf league. Facing questions from Jim Nantz, a severely overdue dicussion about the money source took place on national televsion.

Speaking of the folks who brought us 9/11, journalist carvings, beheadings galore and high oil prices because it’s fun for the Crown Prince—Monahan offered this:

“It’s not an issue for me, because I don’t work for the Saudi Arabian government,” Monahan said, a veiled dig at the notion of being a free agent. “But it probably is an issue for players who chose to go and take that money. I think you have to ask yourself a question: Why.

“Why is this group spending so much money — billions of dollars — recruiting players and chasing a concept with no possibility of a return?” he said. “At the same time, there’s been a lot of questions, a lot of comments, about the growth of the game. And I ask, ‘How is this good for the game?’”

Monahan also focused on the relative integrity of PGA Tour competition compared to the first LIV stop.

“You’ve got true, pure competition, the best players in the world here at the RBC Canadian Open, with millions of fans watching. And in this game, it’s true and pure competition that creates the profiles and presences of the world’s greatest players. And that’s why they need us. That’s what we do,” Monahan said.