Peter Malnati posted a score of 63 or lower for the third time in his last three PGA Tour events as he held the first-round lead at the Bermuda Championship.
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Interesting that R&A Chief Martin Slumbers felt the need to justify his organization’s cancelling of the 2020 Open Championship given the leeway most organizations have gotten during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From John Huggan’s GolfDigest.com discussion with Slumbers about the decision to postpone Royal St. George’s:
“The situation here was very different to that in America,” Slumbers said. “The United States is so much bigger than the U.K. All the messages we received from government were prompt. We were getting very clear steers that this virus was not going to go away in four weeks. Having said that, I can’t be happier for my colleagues at the USGA and the PGA of America and Augusta National who have found ways to get their events done. Do I have a slight tinge of jealousy? Yes, I do. Having no Open rips the heart out of the R&A. Our rhythm of life, as it has for so many, has been disrupted. I didn’t enjoy what should have been Open week.”
There was one more piece of ammunition for potential critics. Did the financial safety net provided by the presence of the R&A’s “communicable disease” insurance policy play too much of a role in the eventual decision?
“Although it would be wrong to say that having the insurance in place was not linked to what we came up with, all the decision-making was done through the lens of being uninsured,” Slumbers said. “We would have come to the same conclusion, irrespective of that. We were fortunate to have insurance. That protects part of our expenses, and we are working though all of that with the insurers at the moment. But it was independent of the final decision. [Slumbers would not say how much the insurance cost, how much the R&A has or will receive as payment or what it covered.] The All-England Tennis Club at Wimbledon was in the same position. They had an identical policy, and they canceled their championship, too.”
I just played one of my final rounds of golf for this year. It was a perfect autumn day, the sun was shining and there was a light breeze. How could I ask for more? Well as it turned out this was the day that my body decided to hook my drives. I just couldn’t shake it until I finally discovered the magic in my swing.
We arrived at a par 5 dog-leg to the right. Being a right handed golfer I watched carefully as each player setup and executed their best fad. One hooked his shot, one completed a dead straight shot beyond the fairway bend and one sliced into the trees. It was my turn and I was concerned that I had been hooking most of my drives. The moment of truth had arrived.
I setup with a slightly open face on my driver and took and open stance. My backswing was wide and looping at the top so that I could nail that shot dead center up the fairway. A fad would have been nice but a hook would have been deadly. As it turn out I hit the longest drive of the foursome and with a slight fad. I pared that 512 yard hole with a 5 foot putt. Success!
Get Out of Your Rut
When your game is going sideways, why not setup for change:
1/ If you are mishitting your shots, slow your backswing down by counting 1, 2, 3 as you (1) start your takeaway, (2) as you rotate your hips and spine and (3) as you set your wrist lag.
2/ If you are hooking, setup for a fade and check out the results.
3/ If you are hitting your chips fat, put more pressure on your leading foot
4/ If you can’t control your approach chip with a wedge, try punching your shot with an 8 iron for a chip and run.
5/ If you can’t reach the green without risking a shot in the water or sand, just select a club for the perfect layup and then pitch or chip it close for a 1 putt.
6/ If your lag putts or chips are missing to the left or right, spend more time checking out the slope of the green and pay more attention to the roll from the shots by others. Pay attention and get in the game.
If you find yourself complaining out loud about your consistent bad shots, do something about it. Break out of your slump. Get back in the fairway. And make your next shot count.
Turn every round of golf into a learning experience. Learn from your mistakes and change your swing or your club selection to improve your game. Enjoy your great shots and stop trying to hit the longest shot in your life with every club in your bag. It so much easier to layup and then hit the perfect shot iron shot. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ for 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com .
Bubba Watson spoke to USA Today’s Steve DiMeglio about anxiety issues that have crippled his game at times and sent the former world No. 2 to dark places he never imagined.
It’s an important read so hit the link. But the happy setup:
But Watson has emerged on the other side, saying he’s feeling as good as he has in a very long time. And helping him battle the anxiety is talking about it.
“I’ve sought help in many different ways, many different forms, trying to overcome it,” Watson said. “It really comes down to me being nuts. I’m trying to make light of it because using humor helps. But it’s all in my head. It’s all anxiety.
“I think more people are speaking out about mental issues and I want to be one of them. I think it’s the only way to get through it. We’re designed to talk to people, to air it out, and get help. I am old enough now to realize my life is a waste if I don’t share, if I don’t try to get better myself so I can help other people.”
Jack Nicklaus has endorsed Donald Trump again for President of the United States and four years later, is issuing a stern warning about the upcoming election and urging folks to vote for his candidate.
Offhand, I’m not sure that I recall a famous golfer wading this deep into ideology since the threat of world war.
The full post is pasted below just in case someone wakes up in the morning and reads the responses, but in the meantime here are the Twitter and Instagram versions.
When its $2B merger with @Topgolf is completed early next year, @CallawayGolf expects the combined company will have a revenue mix of Topgolf (46 percent); golf equipment (30 percent); and softgoods (24 percent).@GeoffShac #callawaygolf #topgolf #golf #golfbusiness #sports pic.twitter.com/cSs6K9Eu0m
— Steve Pike (@StevePike9) October 28, 2020While the market pounded Callaway’s stock price—down 18.83% on news of an all stock merger with Topgolf—Yahoo’s Daniel Roberts notes that Callaway diversified its business for less than half of Topgolf’s $4 billion valuation as it eyed an IPO.
But there is the pandemic and Roberts suggests the market is less bullish on a return to groups gathering for Topgolf fun as soon as Callaway may be thinking.
CEO Chip Brewer joined CNBC’s ‘Closing Bell’ to talk about what the merger would do for its golf entertainment business.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a bustling and busy scene. Thankfully there are quiet escapes if you know where to look. Metroplex golfers in the know will key you in on the solitude available in Gunter, Texas at The Bridges Golf Club, located north of downtown Dallas on Highway 289. The Bridges is one of […]
The post Spotlight: The Bridges Golf Club in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex appeared first on Golf Blog, Golf Articles | GolfNow Blog.
With this week’s Bermuda event featuring around 500 spectators and next week’s Houston Open selling 2000 tickets a day, it’s unclear if this is an aberration or the beginning of fan attendance.
GolfDigest.com’s Brian Wacker reports on the safety protocols planned in Bermuda and the view of some that it’s not worth having spectators back just yet.
Scott Stallings, who is in the field this week in Bermuda and will play in Houston next week, believes it’s too soon to have fans in attendance. Privately, others also expressed similar concerns.
“It’s not worth the risk with only three events left in the U.S.,” Stallings said. “We’ve made it this far without issue, why rush back?”
A not unreasonable point though at 500 spaced well outdoors, let’s hope there are no issues both of the viral sort or on the optics front.
John Lombardo of Sports Business Daily reports on the unlikelihood of crowds in Hawaii and California, where virus numbers are down and restrictions are toughest. Some galleries are possible at the Waste Management Open (but likely without the usual 16th hole arena build-out).
Tiger Woods will not play in the Houston Open, continuing his run of not playing the week before the Masters.
Thanks to reader for Cara Lombardo’s Wall Street Journal story breaking the shocking news: Callaway is buying the remainder of Topgolf after owning 14%. The all-stock deal marks a stunning turn of events after Topgolf had long eyed an IPO. However the company has seen its business decline during the pandemic with struggles ahead due to issues with public gathering places.
“Topgolf is the best thing that happened to golf since Tiger Woods,” Callaway Chief Executive Chip Brewer said in an interview. “It’s going to be the largest source of new golfers for our industry.”
That was certainly a 2019 view of Topgolf but I’m not sure that’s still the case.
This statement from Lombardo is also strange:
Topgolf’s outdoor driving ranges have been a big draw during the coronavirus pandemic as people look for ways to safely socialize out of the home.
College GameDay will originate from Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters on Nov. 14.
The Masters will use a two-tee start to accommodate shorter days in November for the delayed tournament.
Kamaiu Johnson, who won the APGA Tour Championship last month, is being awarded an exemption into the Farmers Insurance Open in January. This will be his first start on the PGA Tour.
There is much to unpack here so naturally we kick off with the 2020 Masters news you needed the least: ESPN’s College Gameday will broadcast from the Par 3 course.
Can’t wait for Herbstreit’s take on Ike’s Pond, a Rinaldi tearjerker on where Clifford Roberts called it a career, Geno on the MacKenzie par-3 course never built and of course, Coach Corso making his Masters pick by in caddie coveralls.
Anyway, the important stuff comes after the Gameday news.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, announced today the 2020 Masters Tournament, scheduled for November 9-15, will provide an expansive slate of content across multiple platforms, including ESPN’s College GameDay airing live from Augusta National on Saturday, November 14.
“Given the circumstances brought about by the pandemic, the delivery of quality content is as important as ever to the storytelling of the Masters Tournament,” said Ridley. “While we will dearly miss our patrons at Augusta National this fall, we are excited to showcase what promises to be a truly memorable Masters in a variety of ways for viewers around the world.”
One such way is the addition of College GameDay, which is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. – Noon before the live CBS broadcast of the third round. The studio will be staged overlooking Ike’s Pond and the 9th green of the Par 3 course.
“When exploring ways to showcase a fall Masters, we were drawn to the concept of hosting College GameDay at Augusta National to introduce the Tournament to a new audience and provide even more anticipation and excitement to the event,” Ridley continued. “We appreciate the collaboration with ESPN, our longtime broadcast partner, for this first-of-its-kind opportunity.”
And hopefully last of its kind. Now that we’ve made up for the Par-3 Contest cancellation…
In a world where one-year product cycles are the norm, two-year product cycles can seem refreshingly old fashioned. But the new Wilson Staff Model CB irons represent an update to the – wait for it – four-year-old FG Tour V6s.
A four-year product cycle? What in the name of Sam Snead is going on here?
Admittedly, the FG Tour V6 is a pretty solid better player’s iron. It was our Most Wanted Player’s Iron in 2017. It slipped to the middle of the pack in 2018 and finished near the bottom in 2019 and 2020.
With that as a backdrop, has it really taken Wilson four full years to develop something better? Or has it been a matter of other priorities in potentially larger – and more profitable – market segments?
Probably a little of both.
The Return To Golf needs to start thinking about a Return to Sound.
After taking in this week’s ZOZO Championship at Sherwood Country Club and watching how other sports have adapted to the times, it’s clear professional golf needs to keep adapting to the bizarre times. Quickly.
The PGA Tour has kept their business going but it’s begun to feel like just that: doing enough to keep the doors open and cash flowing. And I realize this will be a big ask while the main focus is on keeping things safe. But as an entertainment “product” (gulp), it’s losing ground. Broadcast enhancements are needed. Immediately.
With the ongoing pandemic likely meaning 2021 golf will be played, at best, with very limited galleries, the natural melatonin that is a golf broadcast requires immediate rethinking to retain fans and sponsor interest.
To review: pro golf was the first major sport back and without fans, managed to make a broadcast work. That was thanks primarily to CBS going all in on extras, particularly in the sound department. Credit also goes to the players who were willing to wear a microphone. Since only the last nine holes felt like golf in the time of a contagious virus without crowds, the “Return to Golf” worked.
While reading how this week’s PGA Tour stop in Bermuda will earn the winner a 2021 Masters invite—even though the headliners couldn’t get in the ZOZO Championship or don’t hold a Tour card or can’t get in Champions Tour events or were not known to be playing golf still—this seemed like a good time to revisit this year’s Masters daylight issues.
Daylight and field size pose some issues for the committee. That’s where Craig Dolch has done the work for us and all I can say is: play fast robust field of 96, you have over two hours less of daylight and the potential for some chilly mornings. And please, no rain delays.
But, with spring turning to fall and Daylight Savings Time ending on Nov. 1, that number shrinks to a daily average of 10 hours, 27½ minutes from Nov. 12-15.
That will be the only day of a traditional first-hole start of twosomes. CBS will be off the air by 6 to prepare for its Alabama-Auburn telecast.
Sunday’s final round becomes even more problematic because of the possibility of a sudden-death playoff and CBS is committed to televising an NFL game at 4:05 p.m. The Masters would likely shoot for a 3 p.m. regulation finish, but there’s not enough daylight in the morning to move the tee times as earlier as needed.
The Masters thus would have to go back to a double-tee start of threesomes for the final round, a single wave, with the first group likely at 8:40 a.m. and the last group at 10:20 a.m.
Two tees and threesomes and the guy who could fix this is a member!
