Opinion & Analysis

In defense of adult autograph seekers and vendors

Published

7 years ago

Feb 9, 2017

Recently, Jordan Spieth put adult autograph seekers at the 2017 Pebble Beach Pro-Am in their place by telling them to “get a job” and to stop profiting from his success. Fair enough. It’s his autograph to either give or not to give.

Here’s his entire rant.

It’s easy to see where he’s coming from, but before we praise Spieth for standing up against these losers, creeps, vultures, or whatever else you want to call them, let’s take a look at the autograph industry and who suffers from Spieth’s stance.

Essentially, you can put autograph seekers into five different buckets. I’ll go through each category with the perceptions and reality of each before ultimately getting to the point.

1) Kids

No one in their right mind is going to argue with kids who want an autograph. In the world of autographs, it really is all about the kids. Have you ever seen a kid get an autograph from their favorite athlete? Then you know what I’m talking about.

2) Adults getting the autograph for their kid

This one is also tough to take a stand against. There’s a number of reasons why a parent is at a sporting event without their child, but still wants to provide them with an awesome souvenir. Let’s say an 8-year-old had school and couldn’t miss, but the father went to the practice round at Pebble Beach and had the opportunity to get a Jordan Spieth autograph for him. Any concerns here? Not from me, but maybe you disagree.

3) Adults who want the autograph for themselves

OK. I see your point. Maybe this is a little weird. Especially when the adult is years, if not decades older than the athlete. But let’s say a middle-aged man wants a John Daly autograph for his man cave, or a middle-aged woman wants an Adam Scott autograph. Still as weird? There are certainly stranger things for adults to collect than autographs, so maybe we shouldn’t judge too heavily.

4) Those seeking autographs to sell at charity events

This one could be sticky for some to rationalize, and easier for others. Let’s say you’re running a charity event to raise money for ALS Research. At the event, you’re giving away a number of different items to raffle off and the profit goes to the research fund. Among those gifts is a Jordan Spieth autograph that was obtained at the AT&T Pebble Beach practice round by an adult. So yes, the autograph was obtained and sold, but the money went to charity. Hmm….

5) Adults with the intent to sell the product on Ebay

This is far and away the easiest group of people at which to point the finger and tell them they’re morons. Specifically, Spieth’s case against this group of people is that they have no intent to give the autograph to a kid or a good cause. They’re simply profiting off of his name…literally, and Spieth has a point. But what if we think about this group in a different light?

Imagine yourself as the parent of a 10-year-old kid who idolizes Jordan Spieth. You can’t afford to fly the family out to Pebble Beach to see Spieth play and hopefully get an autograph, but your child’s birthday is coming up and you really want to give him a signed Pebble Beach golf flag. So what do you do? You go straight to eBay and see if anyone is selling a Jordan Spieth-signed Pebble Beach flag.

You buy it.

It was $125, but hey, not that bad for an awesome gift. It comes in the mail five days later, just in time for the birthday party. And when your child opens up that gift, his eyes light up. He hangs the flag on his wall and looks at it everyday. Maybe he even starts to play golf every weekend because the autograph got him so excited.

Now, is it really that big of a deal that the person who provided the kid with the autograph made a few too many dollars off of it? Would you rather the 10-year-old Jordan Spieth fan never get the autograph?

The point is, there’s a demand for Jordan Spieth autographs. Whether it’s kids, adults, grandparents or dentists who want it for their waiting room, there’s a market. And there’s a short supply. Jordan Spieth is the only person in the world who can provide a Jordan Spieth autograph, and someone somewhere down the line is going to make money off of selling that autograph to the parent of the 10-year-old kid who wants it.

If it wasn’t for the autograph-selling adults, some children would never have access to their idol’s autograph.

What would you do?

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

55 Comments

JThunder

Feb 17, 2017 at 2:30 am

Having something autographed by an athlete (or celebrity) who didn’t autograph it for you is like having a love letter from a beautiful girl (or guy) that wasn’t written to you. As a kid, I didn’t see the point, and I certainly don’t now. That $125 spent on some piece of junk for a kid could surely have been spent better (for one thing, waiting for a chance to obtain a personalized autograph, if that’s the ultimate goal.) The autograph hounding – and the ludicrous high-fiving – is the relatively harmless but still ugly side of our worship of celebrity. The income and adulation they receive is entirely disproportionate to their comparative value. But then, the same is true for most corporate CEOs, and in essence part of that same culture.

Seriously, though, stop high-fiving players too. I cringe every time – one ill-timed move could end a career, especially with all the drunks at the tournaments.

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jc

Feb 13, 2017 at 7:00 pm

I get them to sign their book…that way, they know I spent some money that they got…I have Jack, Phil, Leadbetter….Chick Evans…(old golfer)….

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Bob

Feb 13, 2017 at 4:44 pm

There was only one autograph I ever wanted…Arnie’s. And that was just to get close enough to shake his hand…

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KoreanSlumLord

Feb 13, 2017 at 11:01 am

Kids only. The athletes should ignore the adults and the problem is fixed. I dont understand a lot of United States culture. The one thing that confuses me is adults who wear NFL/MLB/NHL jerseys with another guys name on it. In Korea and Japan, this is for the guys who have certain feelings for other guys. I think of same thing when I see grown azz men waving a piece of paraphanalia to another man to sign. Maybe they want the sex with that guy. Spieth is right on this one.

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Ronald Montesano

Feb 12, 2017 at 5:34 am

The sheer number of comments is astonishing…I want Andrew Tursky’s autograph now!

If a professional athlete sees the same people at multiple events, she/he certainly might suspect that a profit-maker is in attendance. In a case like that, I see no problem with not granting an autograph. If the athlete gets a bad vibe (these are superhumans, after all, with powers of sensitivity beyond my own) from the autograph seeker, again, deny the scribble.

If Jordan Spieth moves the needle, then his moves need to be considered for an article. This is newsworthy, as it involved an interaction with the gallery and a subsequent, public statement (in an interview.) I like how Tursky laid out a hierarchy of seekers, and gave each a level of ethical justification. I wouldn’t give him a shank on this one, lads.

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moses

Feb 11, 2017 at 12:51 am

LOL look at the Like to Shank ratio. It’s EPIC.

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James Wallace

Feb 10, 2017 at 11:16 pm

I forged Jordan’s signature to give to my dad for Father’s Day, when the US Open was at Chambers. All to get revenge for when I was young, I got an “autographed” JT Snow baseball that was done by the guy at the gas station they bought the baseball from.

Sure, it was 15 years ago, and sure I’m now a grown man, but that taught him.

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Someone

Feb 10, 2017 at 4:05 pm

Also, you don’t stop people from buying stuff cheap and fixing it up and selling it for more. Just like an autograph seeker, they gotta do the leg work to get that autograph like travel, tickets, and hotel. It’s just ridiculous. You don’t sell your car to someone and then dictate how they are to use it. Payment was made by the seeker in the form of ticket to the event at a minimum, not to mention other costs. Reward is seeing the event and possibly getting an autograph.

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Someone

Feb 10, 2017 at 4:02 pm

The fans paid to watch and paid to get in. They are ultimately responsible for people becoming famous and making all the money that they do. Arnow signed for adults all the time. Even had conferences where people stood in line and waited. He sat there knowing full well that without them he wouldn’t be who he is or where he is. What’s the difference? You know jordan signed a full beer bottle for a “guy” and everyone posted that he was cool for doing it. That beer isn’t for a kid for sure. And also, you don’t sign and then get to tell people what to do with your autograph. It’s just like giving a homeless person money. You don’t control what they do with it because you have the money to them because they don’t have any. If you want them to buy food or clothes, give them food or clothes instead. Your good deed ends with what you handed off. Celebrities do not need to sign anything, but for their reputation and livelihood, it would behoove them to reconsider any stance against signatures. Regardless of intention, someone paid, watches them, follows them, and does the legwork to wait in line to get that signature. America is the world’s symbol of capitalism, in that people can find almost any way to make money or succeed or be whatever you want to be. A person who puts in the legwork to chase after autographs, can do what they please with their collected autographs, just like how a kid keeps a signed player’s card and may end up selling it in the future for money when it’s of more value. Who are we to judge other people ? It’s ridiculous for a celebrity to think that giving an autograph is unreasonable. Asking for autographs has been a long time way for celebrities to show appreciation to their fans. Doesn’t matter if they plan to sell it or not, that autograph belongs to that fan. They did the legwork to follow and such, why shouldn’t they be rewarded? That’s how you build up a fan base. Tin cup anyone? The other player was a douche…not many douchebags make it far and eventually they lose it all one way or another “no friends, loss of respect in community, loss of status, gambling, bills, etc.”

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ooffa

Feb 10, 2017 at 3:34 pm

Stop being an entitled doofus and sign the autographs. You should be thrilled to have the opportunity to do so. And BTW speed up the play a bit will ya.

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Brian

Feb 10, 2017 at 1:53 pm

Great, you can get autographed gifts for your kids on Ebay. However, those profiteers are doing so using someone else’s name/likeness. Just like any other marketed product using someone’s name/likeness, the athlete should get a cut of those proceeds.

If these leeches want to profit from someone else’s name, they should pay the athlete for the autograph in the first place.

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Shanks for the Memories

Feb 10, 2017 at 12:23 pm

Whoops. Used a real name instead of the pen name that goes on all the obviously satirical articles that aren’t funny.

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Shanks for the Memories

Feb 10, 2017 at 12:13 pm

Crap. They accidentally put a real name on this obviously satirical article instead of the pen name for all the other satirical articles that aren’t funny.

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Grizz01

Feb 10, 2017 at 11:29 am

I wonder what Arnold Palmer would say to Jordan Spieth?

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Bwall

Feb 10, 2017 at 10:07 am

Unless it’s on a check, there is no need for a grown man to have another grown man’s autograph.

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- Brian
  
  Feb 10, 2017 at 1:51 pm
  
  What about a grown man that has another grown man’s autograph….that he still has from when he was a kid?
  
  Otherwise, I agree. As an adult, I find it incredibly lame to seek autographs, wear sports jerseys or any other clothing with another man’s name/likeness on it.
  
  Reply Report comment
mr b

Feb 10, 2017 at 9:51 am

if you’re truly getting it for a kid that’s okay.
but I firmly stand by the ideas that NO grown man should EVER 1. wear another grown man’s sports jersey. 2. Ask for another grown man’s autograph.
i don’t judge others that do this but these are my personal beliefs

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- Ryan
  
  Feb 10, 2017 at 6:03 pm
  
  “I don’t judge others that do this, but I’m gonna go ahead and judge others that do this.”
  
  Reply Report comment
Patricknorm

Feb 10, 2017 at 9:13 am

My son played in the NHL, AHL, KHL and on the Canadian national junior team. It’s scary how people are drawn to a relatively famous athlete. What’s off putting at least for a Canadian from a small town, the lengths people will go to get an autograph from an athlete. Often I’ve seen autograph hounds thrust binders in front of my son to sign pages of cards. Seriously?
He’s good at signing to a point. He always signs for children or fans that want him to sign his jersey. As parents we don’t especially take the time to collect memorabilia about him, just stuff where he’s played in the Worlds or a playoff finals.
Maybe it’s me but I’ve never felt the urge to get something signed by a famous person. It doesn’t reflect anything expensive to me and besides , if an athlete is signing say 25 autographs it can’t be worth much. What I treasure is the conversation I’ve had with a prominent person. Personally I can’t fathom a person’s zeal to obtain a signature. Besides, it eventually fades.

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birdie

Feb 10, 2017 at 9:10 am

simple solution….the athlete ONLY signs for kids…and they make it personal. they ask the kids name and they sign it to him. this way, everything he signs is ” to jimmy, from Jordan”. cuts down on resale.

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I'mNotTigerWoods

Feb 10, 2017 at 12:51 am

Agree completely with Jordan… I’m sure he’s privey to all that stuff going on, which the average person isn’t. It’s his autograph and if he only wants to sign for juniors so be it.

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- cgasucks
  
  Feb 10, 2017 at 9:28 am
  
  Yep…if I was in position, I would only sign for kids and people who really appreciate it.
  
  Reply Report comment
cgasucks

Feb 9, 2017 at 10:36 pm

Many many years ago (early 90s) I was an autograph hound chasing hockey players for their signatures not for profit, but for myself. During that time there where a close community of people like me chasing signatures, some like myself were doing it for fun, but some where doing it for profit by selling it to their local sports memorabilia store. The people I knew that did it for profit where mostly respectable to the athletes and some even developed a good relationship with them. If you’re going to chase John Hancocks for profit, be respectful to them and don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

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Usher1

Feb 9, 2017 at 9:50 pm

I had a first hand account of dealing with the group of individuals collecting autographs for profit. I was an usher for a season while in University for the Blue Jays. I was usually given the seat section that had the visiting team dugout. After batting practice, visiting players would come over and sign for a few minutes. The majority of these individuals are simply ridiculous and would do whatever to get that star players autograph. I dealt with 20 to 30 of these individuals every home game. I could tell you many stories and traits of the autograph seekers but I will sum it up with one incident. The San Francisco Giants were in town…the big autograph was Mr. Barry Bonds. He did not come over and sign the first 2 games of the series. Final game there was about 20 autograph for profit seekers. Everyone went into the dugout so the autograph hounds left. 4 or 5 very young kids were still along the first row seats and Bonds came back out to sign for these few kids. Well the autograph hounds came rushing back. They were crushing, knocking over, and stepping on these children. I was right there and started grabbing these grown men by shirt/jacket collars or their backpack and pulled them over the row of seats and off the kids. Then security staff came and cleared them out of the section. Not sure if they got ejected from the stadium or not.

My advice like mentioned previously is personalize all your autographs. Then the autograph hounds will not want them but the kid who wants it will be ecstatic or the parent who wants it for their child or the person who wants it for their office or man cave.

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Dill Pickleson

Feb 9, 2017 at 8:56 pm

from the article link this is my favorite:
adult males who a) wear professional sports jerseys unironically

i had a girlfriend where my jersey in high school. but, that’s a little different.

Reply Report comment
- Joey5Picks
  
  Feb 10, 2017 at 12:39 am
  
  No one over the age of 30 should wear a jersey…and if you do, don’t tuck it in.
  
  Reply Report comment
RHJazz

Feb 9, 2017 at 8:55 pm

The “what if” example about the kid’s cherished memory could just easily be, kids memory is of getting shoved aside by some overgrown man-made child so he can stock his memorabilia “store.”

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Mad-Mex

Feb 9, 2017 at 8:14 pm

As a former baseball/football card/autograph collector, the simplest way to drop the value of an autograph is to personalize it and sign it something like this “To (name) , Jordan Spieth”.

A TRUE fan will cherish this, an autograph hound will be quickly disappointed.

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RAT

Feb 9, 2017 at 8:01 pm

My son played Pro baseball and he always signed for everyone. I got in line for him when he was young because some adults and hounds would push him away not waiting their turn and then by the time he got to the front the STAR would move on or just pass on by. Pros get paid plenty and to give their time to sign things is part of that star package. I would say sign one thing per person and make sure all get what they came after an autograph ! Arnie always did it that way. Besides without fans there would be no BIG MONEY for the stars.

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Lob Wedge

Feb 9, 2017 at 7:12 pm

Wait..

So you’re saying that professional athletes don’t sign memorabelia to be sold by businesses agglutinate with them? That the only way we get an autograph without showing up is through autograph stalkers? That autograph stalkers are really doing it for the kids?

Golly gee..

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- Jack
  
  Feb 9, 2017 at 10:38 pm
  
  LOL yeah, good job justifying that. Honestly I’m not sure what an autograph does vs a picture to inspire. I have a few autographed basketballs that I bought, but that’s only cuz I like those players. If it was personalized then it would have been awesome but it was just a generic signature.
  
  Reply Report comment
Matt

Feb 9, 2017 at 7:03 pm

I always applaud Spieth’s honesty but often he comes across as a whiner. I think adults who obtain autographs to sell on eBay or other market is pretty crappy.

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Randy

Feb 9, 2017 at 5:50 pm

I think Spieth is a crya**, I wouldn’t sell a autograph on ebay but what about the rising cost of golf equipment, largely due to manufacturer’s signing guys like Spieth . We’re spending $1,200 for a set of irons and $500 for drivers!! I don’t think it’s a big deal if someone sells their autograph for a $100

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- The dude
  
  Feb 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm
  
  Haha….buy your sticks on eBay
  
  Reply Report comment
- Steve
  
  Feb 9, 2017 at 9:44 pm
  
  Manufacturers aren’t charging $1,200 for a set of irons and $500 for a driver because they have to pay players like Spieth. They’re able to charge that because we’re willing to pay it. If people stopped spending $1,200 on new irons, prices would drop until people started buying again.
  
  Reply Report comment
ZQ RascalZ

Feb 9, 2017 at 5:35 pm

Completely pointless article. WRX scraping the bin with this one

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- Tom
  
  Feb 10, 2017 at 9:00 am
  
  did it hit a nerve ?
  
  Reply Report comment
Philip

Feb 9, 2017 at 5:27 pm

Where do you draw the line – I’ve seen these adult autograph hounds plow through children. You give someone an inch and they will take your arm. Total fail for an article!

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JustTrying2BAwesome

Feb 9, 2017 at 5:12 pm

What would I do? I’d kick the professional autograph-selling adults right square in the balls. That’s what I’d do. Should be perfectly acceptable, and in some cases encouraged, for the kids to kick the professional autograph-selling adults right square in the balls.

Reply Report comment
- blake
  
  Feb 9, 2017 at 7:19 pm
  
  I think you’re living up to your name, but punches would also be acceptable.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Jack
  
  Feb 9, 2017 at 10:39 pm
  
  I’d recommend a sharp elbow.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Brian
  
  Feb 10, 2017 at 1:59 pm
  
  Trying2Hard2BAwesome is more appropriate. When will humanity evolve past the point of prescribing violence as the answer to their slights?
  
  Reply Report comment
Hans

Feb 9, 2017 at 5:12 pm

These autograph hounds are asking players to give up their time (for free!) so that they can make money off the players. What person wouldn’t find that annoying in the same situation? Not to mention some of these hounds the players see can be pretty obnoxious to boot.

Players don’t mind giving back some attention to fans that come see them. But to give up their own time so someone else can make money off their name and even worse to spoil the atmosphere for the kids – good on Jordan for saying something.

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Double Mocha Man

Feb 9, 2017 at 4:57 pm

I’d be careful telling someone to “Get a job” if they already have one. Sounds conservative/Republican/Tea Party to me. Did Jordan vet each of those requesting his signature to make sure they were unemployed?

Reply Report comment
- Mad-Mex
  
  Feb 9, 2017 at 6:41 pm
  
  Seriously? You that brainwashed you cant keep your political views off a golf site? Your a cult leader’s wet dream.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Double Mocha Man
    
    Feb 9, 2017 at 8:10 pm
    
    Sorry pal, when the issue becomes “Get a job” it does become political. I will be watching Speith closely from now on…
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Mad-Mex
      
      Feb 9, 2017 at 8:18 pm
      
      So, Speith be concerned because your “watching” him? Your not that important “pal”.
      
      Reply Report comment
      - Tom
        
        Feb 10, 2017 at 12:22 am
        
        roflmao…. BAZINGA!
        
        Reply Report comment
- Tom
  
  Feb 9, 2017 at 7:42 pm
  
  Nohny Noct is that you? Poor taste in a post
  
  Reply Report comment
- Sheriff
  
  Feb 9, 2017 at 10:28 pm
  
  Lol! You’re an idiot
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Tom
    
    Feb 10, 2017 at 12:16 am
    
    Ur a high strung y a p
    
    Reply Report comment
- not having it
  
  Feb 10, 2017 at 11:39 am
  
  So are you inferring that the stereotype of liberals not having jobs is correct? Why else would you immediately label Spieth “conservative/Republican/Tea Party”? Obviously, Spieth’s comment is a common cliche’ used in similar context to phrases like “f*** off”. Also obvious, is the fact that you are just trolling, and if you are going to insist on being a troll then at least try to do so with a more intelligent response than, “Sounds blah, blah, blah, political jab because Trump is POTUS and the world is going to end blah, blah, blah, and more nonsense”…
  
  Reply Report comment
TR1PTIK

Feb 9, 2017 at 4:56 pm

I like that you’re trying to provide a different perspective and your opinion is certainly objective. However, the caveat here is that the adult autograph seeker/eBay seller is still profiting off of someone else’s success. More importantly, they are profiting off of kids. You give a great example wherein a mom or dad wants to do something awesome for their kid and get an autographed collectible from their favorite sports icon. What happens when the kid asks how they got it? Doesn’t that completely cheapen the gift? Meanwhile, the guy who sold it on eBay is back on the course stepping over or on top of more kids to get another autograph. I have zero problem with an adult wanting an autograph from someone they admire. It’s perhaps a little weird in some scenarios, but in most cases nothing to be concerned about as long as they are respectable about it. If I were in Spieth’s shoes, I’d absolutely do the same thing.

Reply Report comment
Fred

Feb 9, 2017 at 4:45 pm

You forgot adult autograph dealers who use kids to get the signatures. Yes, they do this, and it is horrible.

Reply Report comment
Matt K

Feb 9, 2017 at 4:39 pm

Not a big autograph guy. They’re for kids… not dentists or Adam Scott loving soccer moms. If I walk into some dude’s mancave and he’s got a bunch of autographed memorabilia, my opinion of him goes down a few notches. Get a kegerator and some pennants maybe, a Bobby Orr superman photo if you’re a Bruins fan or ‘insert your teams iconic photos’. I had a great time getting a cap signed at the 1997 PGA championship at Winged Foot. I was in Denver earlier in the summer and my Dad brought me over to Cherry Hills, he bought me a hat that I later got all signed up at the PGA. Still have it… few good ones on there Ernie, Duval, Vijay, think JD signed it. Remember I ran into Nick Price – not in the autograph line, he was just walking from point A to B – he gave me the Heisman, said he’d catch me later lol. Didn’t happen, I still like him, it wasn’t the time for him to sign. Anyway… I was 13! It was fun, the hat isn’t in a special place or anything, but I wouldn’t ever discard it, its a great reminder of that trip. I never really did it again, the autograph thing, once was enough. Adults who do… get a job!

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

Published

19 hours ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 LIV Adelaide betting preview: Cam Smith ready for big week down under

Published

19 hours ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.

For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.

The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.

The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.

*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*

Past Winners at LIV Adelaide

2023: Talor Gooch (-19)

Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami

Green in Regulation

Richard Bland
Jon Rahm
Paul Casey

Fairways Hit

Abraham Ancer
Graeme McDowell
Henrik Stenson

Driving Distance

Bryson DeChambeau
Joaquin Niemann
Dean Burmester

Putting

Cameron Smith
Louis Oosthuizen
Matt Jones

2024 LIV Adelaide Picks

Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)

When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.

At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.

The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.

Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)

Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.

In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.

For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1

Published

5 days ago

Apr 18, 2024

Terry Koehler

Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.

Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.

But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.

To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.

Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.

If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.

In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.

Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.

While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.

So, what about grooves and face texture?

Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.

Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.

But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?

The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.

So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.

And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.

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