News

GolfWRX Morning 9: New PGA CEO…paving the way for a megadeal? | #InviteHER | Steve Williams: Tiger believer

Published

6 years ago

Aug 29, 2018

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

August 29, 2018

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans.

1. New PGA CEO

Per Golf Channel Digital…”Former Deutsche Bank Americas CEO Seth Waugh has been named Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of America, replacing Pete Bevacqua who announced his departure from the organization last month.”

“Waugh is currently completing a three-year term as an independent director on the PGA of America’s board of directors. As PGA CEO he will also remain a senior advisor for the investment group Silver Lake, where he has worked since 2017.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to lead this remarkable Association into its second century,” Waugh said in a release. “Like so many, I share a passion for the game that has given so much to me, and in the process, has somehow become a huge influence in my life. The opportunity to work with nearly 29,000 PGA professionals and others in the game to give back and to help our beautiful sport is a true gift.”

“Waugh, 60, spent 13 years at Deutsche Bank and was instrumental in working with the PGA Tour to create the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2003. The tournament, now known as the Dell Technologies Championship, will be played at TPC Boston this week for the final time before it is contracted with the shortening of the FedExCup playoffs beginning in 2019.”

2. #inviteHER

A few facts: 29% of non-golfing women reported they had an interest in playing golf in the immediate future. 74% of these women said that “they’d try the sport if there were a free-golf morning event they could attend with a group of friends.”

How do we increase women’s participation in the game? Well, here’s a new idea that’s brilliant in its simplicity: #inviteHER.

From a joint press release…””Powered by theLPGA Women’s Network and WE ARE GOLF’s Women’s Task Force, golfers – men and women alike – are encouraged to bring friends, colleagues and family to join them on the course through online resources and social media assets. The #inviteHER movement seeks to create an enjoyable, welcoming experience for those interested in trying the game or picking it back up – whether through a group lesson, complimentary clinic, driving range session or on-course experience.”

#inviteHER’s primary objective is to grow awareness and participation among women and girls through the power of an invitation from one of the 24 million American golfers. The game should more closely mirror U.S. demographics as only 24 percent of the current golf population is female.

“Women want to be invited to the game and it’s our duty to give them that opportunity at one of our nation’s 15,000 local facilities,” says Jane Geddes, Executive Director of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association and Chair of WE ARE GOLF’s Women’s Task Force. “We are committed to promoting an environment that makes all females feel more comfortable on the course so they develop into lifetime golfers.”

3. Megadeal cometh?

Geoff Shackelford writes that Seth Waugh’s appointment to the head of the PGA could have some significant future ramifications.

Shack floats the idea that a PGA Tour/PGA merger could happen.

“Consider what currently sits before the PGA of America: an expiring television contract for the PGA Championship and a possible headquarters move to Frisco, Texas. Those are big ticket items that will shape the organization for decades to come and left by Pete Bevacqua for the next CEO when he moved to NBC Sports. Does Seth Waugh really take the PGA job to quibble with a Mark Lazarus or Sean McManus over commercial breaks-per-hour and then have a celebratory dinner when the deal is done? When he could be playing Cypress Point or Seminole or National Golf Links?”

“…But here’s where a merger makes sense: power, money and branding….Rights to PGA of America’s PGA Championship expire for CBS in 2019. The PGA Tour’s rights expire in 2021 with the networks and Golf Channel. It is no secret that the PGA Tour would like its own channel or an ownership stake in NBC’s Golf Channel. They passed up that opportunity when the current deal was negotiated but these two entities begin a new streaming partnership in 2019 for PGA Tour Live.”

“Currently, two major media corporations have shown a love of golf and content: Comcast and AT&T, headed by two CEO’s–Brian Roberts of Comcast and Randal Stephenson of AT&T–are both Augusta National members who sign big checks in golf and are lodged in megadeal madness to expand their companies.”

Full piece.

4. Romo.Web.com?

Our Gianni Magliocco with the details...”Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current NFL analyst, Tony Romo, is ready to take a crack at earning a Web.com Tour Card. The 38-year-old will tee it up this Wednesday at the Web.com Tour Q-school pre-qualifier at Lantana Golf Club in Texas. Romo will compete as an amateur under a plus-0.4 handicap. The Californian will be the first former professional athlete to attempt the feat since ex-tennis pro, Mardy Fish, attempted to do so back in 2014.”

“Earlier in 2018, Romo made his PGA Tour debut at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship on a sponsor exemption and then competed in a local U.S. Open qualifier. On both occasions, he failed to break 77.”

“Romo tees it up in the pre-qualifying section on Wednesday morning at 9.45 ET. The former Pro Bowl quarterback will be hoping to claim one of the 228 spots on offer for pre-qualifiers to advance to the first qualifying stage which begins on September 25th.”

5. LA Golf Shafts news day

It was a big news day for upstart LA Golf Shafts–on GolfWRX, at least.

First, LA hired former Aldila head of engineering John Oldenburg to lead product development.

Full story here.

Then, the company announced it has partnered with Bryson DeChambeau–an excellent choice given the business model of collaboration between player and designer.

Full story here.

“I love the science behind the game, so the concept of actively participating in the development of my own shafts is very appealing,” said DeChambeau. “I’m excited to partner with a design innovator such as John Oldenburg, to not only improve my game, but bring those same solutions to recreational golfers everywhere.”

6. Jenkins returns

Golf Digest has an excerpt of the legendary golf writer’s 23rd book.

Here’s a brief bit where Jenkins discusses covering the Masters…”I started in the old press tent in 1951. It overflowed with grown men in fedoras bumping into each other, or their folding chairs and Smith-Coronas. A few 40-watt bulbs dangled from the ceiling. There was a din of phones ringing and bells pinging on wire machines. The place was dense with cigarette smoke. I knew this was where I belonged.”

“Western Union operators were clacking on their whining contraptions in a cramped alcove sending out urgent pieces about Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, the only two golfers of interest in those days. Sports editors back in the offices in New York, Chicago, even Fort Worth, took a dim view of their writers filing stories on golfers they’d never heard of.”

“…The writers were still dressing in coats and ties at golf tournaments. I suppose it was because Grantland Rice did. I was excited to see the nattily attired Rice at my first Masters. This saintly gent in a shirt, tie, sweater, checkered jacket and light-gray hat. I saw him across the crowded tent. But I was too shy to introduce myself to the gentleman who, along with bringing dignity to my profession, had given the Masters its name. Three years later, he passed away.”

Full excerpt here.

7. DeChambeau the worker

An unbylined AP column rightly points out that in our fixation on Bryson DeChambeau’s methods, we forget that he’s not merely sticking his nose in books and making advanced calculations: he works hard.

“The scientist is always working, always searching, rarely satisfied….Video captured him so frustrated on the range at the British Open that at one point he crouched and put both hands over his face. That doesn’t make him different. It makes him a golfer. He had another long range session on the eve of The Northern Trust. And he worked as long as light would allow Saturday after a 63.”

“It’s half of what I do in my off weeks,” DeChambeau said. “People don’t realize how hard I work to try and get a better understanding of my biomechanics. I’ve never really been super talented. People would disagree with that, but I’ve always had to work twice as hard as everybody growing up. I was never as good as a junior. Right around 14, 15, I started working really hard and that’s kind of what changed my game.”

“I wasn’t great at reading and writing,” DeChambeau said. “But I certainly worked my butt off to be an A student. And I’ll never forget the first time I got a B in high school. I was mortified because I had worked so hard, and I just wasn’t good enough in writing. … That’s been me my whole life. I’ve had to grind and work it out and figure it out on my own.”

8. Year of the Tiger ahead?

In a piece for the Players Voice, Woods ex-caddie Steve Williams suggested that next year we’ll see Tiger Woods win again.

“It’s set to be an epic year and the golfing world will watch with huge interest….If [Woods] can win at Augusta – and he’s proven he can compete there even when he’s not at his peak – who knows what could occur on these iconic venues of the type he loves playing.”

He also offered this interesting tidbit

“Back when we were working together, we’d often have this conversation about how many majors he wanted to win. I believed that when he got to the target he wanted he would rack the cue – it’s just that we were always unclear on what that number would be…Initially it was 20 and then he said one day, ‘No, Stevie, your favourite number is 21 and we’ll get to that’. I came back with: ‘No, you’re a great Michael Jordan fan, so why don’t we go for 23?’.'”

9. A new PGA Tour video game has arrived

…bet its got nothing on Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’99, glorious time waster of my youth that it was.

From the Golf Channel Grill Room staff...”After promises from developer HB Studios that “The Golf Club 2019″ would be made available for download before the end of the month, the game launched Tuesday with a surprise – it’s been published by 2K Sports.”

“The PGA Tour announced in May that it was liscensing its branding and six TPC courses (Sawgrass, Scottsdale, Boston, Deere Run, Summerlin and Southwind) to HB for the third edition of its “Golf Club” game. The Tour had previously maintained a longtime relationship with EA Sports, which produced the now-defunct “Tiger Woods PGA Tour” franchise.”

“The Golf Club 2019” allows players to progress from the Web.com Tour to a full 32-event season through its PGA Tour career mode. The game fills a void left by the discontinuation of the EA series, which came to an end follow the release of “Rory McIlroy PGA Tour” in 2015. It also brings back its custom course creator in addition to revamped gameplay, graphics, commentary and online multiplayer features.”

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News

Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls

Published

4 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Ronald Montesano

This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)

This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.

LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms

There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.

This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.

Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.

Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024

PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte

Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.

Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.

HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!

He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024

PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week

It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.

The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.

Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.

Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024

PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie

Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.

In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.

Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.

At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.

Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024

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Equipment

Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

Published

3 days ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Equipment

Spotted: Tommy Fleetwood’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X Prototype putter

Published

4 days ago

May 9, 2024

Brian Knudson

Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.

This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.

Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.

The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.

Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.