1. Officially official: Woods-Mickelson set
Our Gianni Magliocco with the details…”Thanksgiving weekend is the date set for Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson, an event being called “The Match.” Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Nevada, will host the $9 million winner-take-all match. And for those not lucky enough to be able to attend the showdown, the match will be shown live on pay-per-view via DirectTV, B/R Live and other on-demand platforms.”
- “The decision to broadcast the event on PPV has unsurprisingly not gone down too well with some golf fans. Many have taken to social media platforms to vent their disapproval.”
- “Phil also confirmed via ESPN that the duo and their caddies will be mic’d up.”
- “While the event is winner-take-all, reports also say that Phil and Tiger will be able to make side bets throughout the match, with the winnings going to charity.”
- “Las Vegas Superbook has released early odds on the showdown, making Woods a -180 favorite over Mickelson (+150).”
2. Should we just scrap the tee system?
A good discussion over at National Club Golfer about the merits of stipulating who plays which tees.
- Alex Perry: I’ve been quite outspoken on this matter. I’m sure it will disappear as we move onto the next generation of golfers, but this stigma surrounding which tees you play off is pathetic. Tees should be based on your handicap, not your gender.
- Jordan Elliott: I play off 4, and if I play a championship course I want to play it off the tips. I want to enjoy the course from the same tees that the pros do.
- Alex Perry: I play off 14 and if I play a championship course I want to play it off tees that aren’t going to make me feel like I’ve been beaten up by the 3rd hole.
This is but the tip of the iceberg in a solid back and forth. Check it out.
3. Writeth the Nantz
Back again with his newly minted “View from Pebble Beach” column for Golf Digest, Jim Nantz writes
- “If there’s one thing I see as an absolute lock, it’s that the success of the revamped 2019 PGA Tour schedule-the dates of the FedEx Cup playoffs and season-ending Tour Championship especially-is going to be, for myriad reasons, a gimme.”
- “The Tour Championship traditionally ended the third Sunday in September, which in a television context put it dead up against the NFL national doubleheader games aired on CBS or Fox. There’s no denying the NFL is America’s favorite television sport. For example, the 2018 Super Bowl produced a Nielsen household rating of 43.1, and the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier that same Sunday drew what is considered a respectable 2.5. Even high-profile golf events don’t produce numbers that come close to the mighty NFL. The memorable Ryder Cup at Hazeltine in 2016 produced a 2.7, and in 2014, when it was broadcast from Scotland and aired early in the day here in the United States, a 1.6.”
- “And what happens when golf regularly goes head-to-head with the NFL? Over the past 10 years, the late NFL game on Tour Championship Sunday has dominated the golf by a whopping 13.4 to 1.7.”
4. The Challenge Tour made me what I am
If you think too much is made of the path Brooks Koepka took to the PGA Tour, it doesn’t sound like he thinks so.
Ahead of the Northern Trust, Koepka said…”I wouldn’t be where I am at today…To maybe spend a year on the [Web.com Tour], I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I definitely learned a lot about myself traveling Europe and you’re on your own for months at a time.”
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steven
Aug 24, 2018 at 11:25 pm
I always play off the tips but…. long par 5s are par 6… long par 4’s are 5’s… and very long par 3’s are 4’s. Generally, when I play a long course over 6700 yards my personal par is between 80 and 85. No stupid hero shots… just good course management within my abilities.