Golfing News & Blog Articles

One update to the Tour guidelines not mentioned in Jay Monahan’s Tuesday press conference involved how Shane Lowry’s possible COVID-19 brush was handled. The Commissioner approved Lowry’s place in the Travelers Championship field—and opening with 66)—but he must wear face covering in scoring and is precluded from entering the TPC River Highlands clubhouse.

From Brentley Romine at GolfChannel.com on Lowry proceeding cautiously:

“I contacted the Tour pretty quickly because I asked them what did they think I should do because I wanted to do the right thing,” said Lowry, who decided to remain in the field and shot 4-under 66 Thursday. “But I don't think I was within enough contact with Ricky over the course of the nine holes we played on Tuesday. … I spoke to [Tour commissioner] Jay [Monahan] yesterday evening here at the club, and he said that I'm good to play, so I'm here to play.”

He may be playing, but Lowry also is having to take extra precautions. He is wearing his mask into the scoring area and he’s restricted from going inside the clubhouse and player dining.

…and in a charming, expedite-the-freak-show exposure of regulatory ineptitude as we wonder how much longer American tournament golf can be played without quarantining half the Tour.

Obviously, it is CLEARLY the better way to play the TPC River Highlands’ 17th by flailing away on a spectator-free course. I mean, who would play to that tiny water-guarded fairway when they could bomb away? Bryson? We need you in this time.

Luke Kerr-Dineen first posted this after DeChambeau’s practice round at the Travelers Championship.

Bryson tried driving the 420-yard 17th green during his practice round today. Reached 198 mph ball speed on the drive (!) and stayed dry, but says it's too risky to try in the tournament.

Was tempted to try and drive a few holes last week, but ended up "playing smart" pic.twitter.com/quAysDTpVb

But he has so far, decided not to do it, Brentley Romine notes here:

Bro-Bumps: Jay Monahan and Rory McIlroy at Last Week’s 2020 RBC Heritage

Kudos to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan for expediting his wheels up time to be out front on today’s hectic virus news at the Travelers Championship, apparently earlier than expected.

Also, kudos to the PGA Tour media team for axing all press conferences to focus on the matter at hand: more positive tests, more signs pro golfers are not immune to the virus, and more signs the that tour officials hear the bubble bursting.

And that’s about it for the compliment department.

The day that started with the news of Whoop’s for everybody! (Contrary to reports, the wrist devices do not inject you with anti-bodies OR zap you after walking into the Tour’s physio area without having tested negative).

Sunday TV Sports
* NASCAR Race Hub on Fox: 1.433 million viewers.
* NASCAR Talladega rain coverage on Fox: 2.059 million viewers;
* RBC Heritage final round on CBS: 2.044 million viewers;
* Everton-Liverpool on NBC: 997,000 viewers;
* Chelsea-Aston Villa on NBCSN: 612,000 viewers

The PGA Tour’s “Return to Golf” featured pretty solid viewer sizes given the Sunday rain delay, with noticeably strong performances during Golf Channel’s broadcast of PGA Tour Live’s Featured Group coverage.

The numbers were comparable on CBS and well up on Golf Channel compared to the 2019 Travelers played last year in the same slot.

From ShowBuzzDaily:

Note that Golf Channel picked up 1.2 million viewers when CBS signed off in part of the country due to teh delay.

Iain Carter pens this BBC piece on the PGA Tour’s first two weeks.

When filing he was not aware of two more players withdrawing to start Travelers Championship week when he noted the European Tour’s plans this July:

The bubble is leaky. When the European Tour resumes on 22 July stricter regulations will be in place with all participants, officials and media required to stay in designated and, where possible, on site hotels.

No one will be allowed to breach the bubble and, unlike in the United States, the media will also have to undergo testing before being admitted.

The PGA Tour is expected to announce some bubble patches Wednesday at the Travelers. Perhaps PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan may even appear to address the start like other leaders in sports have after a positive test.

Royal Liverpool clubhouse, photo by Geoff Shackelford

In his weekly Daily Mail golf column, Derek Lawrenson says news may be coming soon on Royal Liverpool getting pushed back in The Open rota so that Royal Troon can retain its 2023 centenary date.

The cancellation of the 2020 Open has pushed the schedule back a year, with Royal St George’s hosting in 2021 and The Old Course in 2022.

Lawrenson also tested out what will be the courses new par-17th hole whenever The Open returns (photo below). The new hole was created in addition to other adjustments by Mackenzie and Ebert.

Leaving aside the two new holes showcased when Portrush returned to the rota last year, this will be the first time we've seen a brand new hole on one of the established Open courses in recent memory.

It's good to report, therefore, it's a beauty, with dramatic views over to Hilbre Island, and quite a talking point too in these days of ever-longer courses, given it measures under 130 yards.

Week three of the 2020 “Return to Golf” has seen two more players withdraw or intend to from the Travelers Championship. And it’s only Tuesday.

Cameron Champ tested positive upon arriving at the event after not playing last week’s RBC Heritage, and according to GolfDigest.com’s Joel Beall, must self-isolate for ten days.

Later in the evening, Graeme McDowell told Golfweek he is withdrawing Wednesday morning after his caddie, Ken Comboy, tested positive before traveling to the tournament. McDowell played the first two events, missing the cut in each.

From Eamon Lynch’s Golfweek story where McDowell and Comboy share the sequence of events.

Comboy suspects he may have been exposed to the virus after the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas two weeks ago. McDowell’s private plane was too small for his party, so his longtime bagman took a commercial flight to Orlando that he described as “packed” with passengers. On Monday, he and McDowell attended the funeral of a friend, then drove to Hilton Head, S.C. for the RBC Classic.

On Thursday, Comboy said he had a mild sore throat and went to bed early. After missing the cut Friday morning, the pair drove home to Orlando that afternoon with McDowell’s trainer, a six-hour journey.

Nice work here by Andy Johnson at TheFriedEgg.com to explain the next big step for the National Links Trust’s effort to save some architectural gems.

National Links Trust (NLT), a non-profit headed by Michael McCartin and Will Smith, plans to make a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment in the East Potomac, Rock Creek Park, and Langston golf properties.

As The Fried Egg previously reported, NLT has partnered with management company Troon Golf, developer Mike Keiser, and a trio of leading design firms. Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design hopes to restore Walter Travis’s reversible layout at East Potomac; Hanse Golf Course Design has agreed to improve Rock Creek Park, a William Flynn design; and Beau Welling, a senior design consultant for Tiger Woods’s TGR Design, looks to renovate Langston.

Kudos to all involved fr putting in the time and effort.

A few of Andy’s past contributions to highlighting this cause:

Lee Westwood believes Rory McIlroy has “probably had a rethink” after his declaration last week that European Tour golfers have no right to complain about avoiding America during the COVID-19 outbreak. McIlroy mocked players for not willingly quarantining for 14 days with their families in Florida. (You know, because nothing says fun like Florida in July with 4000 people a day testing positive for a coronavirus, versus, oh, Europe in summer.)

James Corrigan reports for the Telegraph on Westwood—one of the players essentially called out by McIlroy given the choice to stay in England for the PGA Tour’s restart—having had a rethink, which is probably code for a apology text was sent and dutifully accepted.

That’s great news since it seemed like an unusually insensitive stance McIlroy took toward his European Ryder Cup peers.

Golfweek’s Jason Lusk and Adam Schupak report that “most” of Golf Channel’s Orlando-based staff will be laid off in two waves. The news was delivered in a Microsoft Teams call by an unnamed executive and human resources officer.

All employees will be allowed to reapply for their jobs – if they’re still available. Those whose jobs are eliminated in Phase I will find out as early as Tuesday that their current jobs will end August 29. Those in Phase II will be let go sometime between Oct. 31 and Dec. 31.

“As we announced in February, Golf Channel will be moving its media operations primarily to NBC Sports’ headquarters in Stamford, Conn., by year-end, while GOLFNOW and GOLFPASS will continue to operate from Orlando,” a Golf Channel spokesman said in a statement to Golfweek on Monday.

The report says only “a small fraction of existing jobs are expected to be made available for relocation” to Stamford, Connecticut. Initially the move was announced as part of a “geographic consolidation”.

The lost jobs come in all categories, from camera operators to producers to website writers, Golfweek was told by several people familiar with the layoffs, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity since they are not authorized to address the matter publicly.

Golf Channel’s parent company, NBC Sports, recently renewed its PGA Tour television rights deal at a significantly higher price despite sliding ratings and cord-cutting, with the PGA Tour taking on more production, as first reported here.

The Guardian’s Ewan Murray reports that the 2020 Ryder Cup will likely become the 2021 Ryder Cup next week.

Talks between the PGA of America and the European Tour, who preside jointly over the Ryder Cup, and local government officials in Wisconsin are now close to completion despite a public line of “no change” to existing arrangements. Work on the spectator build at Whistling Straits, ordinarily well under way by now, is not believed to have meaningfully started.

In last week’s poll, the majority here voted for the Ryder Cup to be postponed a year.

Minus fans, the PGA of America confirms reports of plans to to move ahead with the PGA Championship in August. Undoubtedly this is a shame on so many levels, particularly with the organization returning to the west coast, on a true public course and where the galleries would have been such a big part of the week.

The details from their press release, including ticket refund information for those who planned on going.

For Immediate Release:

2020 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE PLAYED AT TPC HARDING PARK WITHOUT SPECTATORS

Brooks Koepka Goes for Rare Three-peat in 

Everybody is watching.

That was Commissioner Jay Monahan’s statement at the PGA Tour’s first event back. And through two events—at least to anyone watching at home—the PGA Tour looks like a collection of very fine golfers, caddies, volunteers and officials who see themselves as above taking measures to ensure the safety of themselves or others.

Just consider the other sports on television this weekend while the storm-delayed RBC Heritage played out (ultimately won by Webb Simpson in the stunning Hilton Head twilight).

The Professional Bull Riders and everyone around them wore masks on CBS.

The pit crews and drivers at NASCAR have been showing on Fox broadcasts how seriously they are taking the privilege of competing in a time other sports are stalled (granted, they do have other disgusting and potentially fatal issues to deal with).

Come to Hilton Head Island and act like it never happened!

Or something like that, at least if you go by post-round comments at the RBC Heritage where players wondered if Nick Watney was an unlucky victim of a lax distancing and mask scene.

Justin Thomas was probably the most blunt about the scene, as Joel Beall reports for GolfDigest.com.

"Yeah, obviously, I was bummed [about Watney]. I don't want to—it's a shame because ... we have done such a great job these first two weeks,” Thomas said. “I mean, no offense to Hilton Head, but they're seeming to not take it very seriously. It's an absolute zoo around here. There's people everywhere. The beaches are absolutely packed. Every restaurant, from what I've seen when I've been driving by, is absolutely crowded. So I would say it's no coincidence that there's got to be a lot of stuff going on around here.

“Unfortunately, that's not on Nick because I know he's very cautious and has done everything he can, but I would say a lot of people in this area of Hilton Head just aren't.”

On a white board somewhere in Ponte Vedra Beach, there was a list of reasons why PGA Tour needed to be careful in returning before most American sports.

I think we’d all agree that a top 3 lock sounded something like player and caddie safety in a time of pandemic. Next, there was surely something about doing damage to efforts at keeping golf or all other sports viable. Shoot, maybe something about not hurting the image of the game. Well, the PGA Tour.

Anyway, I’m fairly certain another top three reason would have been wishing the virus on a fellow player. Actually, no one in their right mind would think a player might…oh, wait, you said Sergio’s playing this week?

Sigh.

Following a third round 65 that has him two strokes off the RBC Heritage, Sergio Garcia accomplished at least one thing: he got Rory McIlroy out of the lead for the week’s Most Regrettable Comment.

PGA Tour Statement On Nick Watney

News of Nick Watney becoming the first PGA Tour player to test positive for COVID-19 was met with a fairly consistent chorus of “a matter of when, not if”.

However, a quick review suggests the PGA Tour “bubble” has burst in just week two of the “Return to Golf.”

There will be wide-ranging implications for public health, Watney’s peers, golf tournaments going forward and even the entire sports business world. The “matter of when, not if” view discounts what appears to be sloppiness by Watney at the very least, and signs early on that PGA Tour policies were too lenient or simply not enforceable due to player apathy.

A review, starting with this sequence of events from AP’s Doug Ferguson reporting from the RBC Heritage on Watney’s movements.

We got an update and plan of the in-progress updating of Pebble Beach’s Peter Hay Course, adjacent to the Lodge and becoming a big kids pitch and putt. Also great to see it is the plan to have a putting course.

For Immediate Release:

Pebble Beach Company and Tiger Woods release plans for reimagined short course facility at Pebble Beach

New facility will include a nine-hole par-3 short course, a putting course, and an indoor/outdoor food and beverage venue overlooking one of the Resort’s most stunning views
 
PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF. (June 18, 2020) – Pebble Beach Company and Tiger Woods, through his TGR Design firm, today released plans to transform the former site of Peter Hay Golf Course. Located directly between the Pebble Beach Pro Shop and Golf Academy, the new facility will include:
 
• A short course comprised of nine par-3 holes ranging in length from 47 to 106 yards and measuring 670 yards in total;

• A 20,000-square-foot putting course that can be set up in a variety of different hole and routing combinations; and

• A 5,000-square-foot food and beverage venue featuring a full kitchen and bar, indoor seating, and the resort’s largest outdoor patio positioned for expansive views of the short course, putting course, Carmel Bay, and Point Lobos
 
“We are thrilled to elevate the quality of our short course to a level consistent with our other world-class golf courses,” said Bill Perocchi, Chief Executive Officer of Pebble Beach Company. “You can see the genius of Tiger Woods and TGR Design come to life when you walk the site, the way it all fits together. I expect all aspects of this new facility will be very popular for junior golf events, Resort golfers, outings, resident hang-outs, and everything in between.”

Woods’ design philosophy for the short course is anchored on playability and creativity. His vision is that the course will draw new players to the game, bring families together, and provide a fun golf experience for players of all ages and abilities, while still offering a challenge for skilled players.

“Everyone who plays this golf course is going to enjoy the playability of it,” said Woods. “Golfers will have the choice to play nearly any club off most tees and around the greens, which will make them think and channel their creativity. It will also play differently from day to day depending on the tee and hole locations and wind direction. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to play it.”

In shaping the new course, Woods’ inspiration resulted in dramatic terrain movement and nine holes entirely distinct from the old course. He also reoriented the routing to better capture the views, with four holes now playing directly toward Carmel Bay.

In addition, Woods aligned each hole’s yardage to correspond with a significant year in Pebble Beach history, with accompanying plaques on each tee telling a story and creating the sense guests are walking amongst the Resort’s rich championship heritage as they play. The only exception is the course’s second hole, which will be an exact replica of the famous seventh hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Oh why not just go all 1929 in that replica while we’re at it!

“Pebble Beach is such an iconic golf destination, we want guests to feel the entirety of that spirit when they play this course. We also know not everyone who comes to Pebble Beach will have a chance to play the U.S. Open course, so we wanted to create the opportunity for all visitors to experience one of its most famous holes,” Woods added.

The Grand Opening of the entire facility is currently scheduled for the Spring of 2021.

Southern Hills

The good-things-come-to-those-who-restore movement continues as longtime USGA favorites Oak Hill and Southern Hills were awarded future championships.

Oak Hill’s two courses where Andrew Green has undertaken an East Course restoration set for a big national stage return in the 2023 PGA, with the U.S. Amateur now coming in 2027.

In 2024 Southern Hills, fresh off a Hanse Design restoration, will host the U.S. Women’s Amateur. It hosts the Senior PGA next year and the 2030 PGA.

Of course, all of this contingent upon there still being amateur golfers in the future.

On that note, For Immediate Release:

Thanks to everyone for voting in the poll adding one key provision to questions surrounding the what to do with the 2020 Ryder Cup.

Just a reminder: most top players the Ryder Cup cannot go forward until next year without the energy of fans. Some feel it should go no matter what, some think a quieter proceeding minus running high-fives and threats of violence against family members might be more appropriate in these times, and recently, signs have suggested the best case scenario may be very limited galleries.

Yet as we learned from the AP’s Doug Ferguson, top players surveyed last week were not given the option to postpone to next year due to the PGA Tour’s unwillingness to push back the 2021 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow.

That’s why the tour went to some of the top players last week at Colonial for a survey. Players were asked to prioritize the following scenarios: a Ryder Cup this year with no fans, a Ryder Cup with half the fans or a Ryder Cup in 2022.

So the results are in and they are, frankly, surprising. Thanks to over 500 of you for voting so far.

With elite players like Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari and Lee Westwood opting to sit out the PGA Tour’s restart, I didn’t expect anyone to question their decision to stay home. Particularly given travel constraints and the two-week quarantine time (each way) for British golfers. And then there is the restarted in two COVID-19 hotspots (Texas and parts of South Carolina) and in a country with the runaway lead in positive tests.

Rory McIlroy, however, was asked in his pre-RBC Heritage Zoom conference and leveled a pretty harsh rebuke of his European Tour peers, reports Gareth Hanna of the Belfast Telegraph.

“If I were in their shoes and I was asked to come over to the States and quarantine for two weeks before these tournaments, I would have done that,” he said.

“If you really care about your career and care about moving forward, you should be here, I think. Last week was 70 World Ranking points for the winner, this week 74.

“I get there are different variables and families involved, but we all have the means to rent a very nice house in a gated community in Florida. It’s not a hardship for two weeks to come over and quarantine.”

McIlroy passed up the 2016 Olympics over concerns about the Zika virus.