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Morning 9: U.S. Women’s Open loses big money? | Brandon Matthews | Piercy apologizes

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By Ben Alberstadt
Email me at [email protected] and find me at @benalberstadt on Instagram and golfwrxEIC on Twitter.
March 4, 2020
Good Wednesday morning, golf fans.
1. USWO a big money loser? 
Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols with the grim news about the U.S. Women’s Open’s profitability…or lack thereof…”During its annual meeting at Pinehurst, the USGA revealed that of the $165 million in revenue that’s generated by the U.S. Open, the organization takes in $70 million in profits. All of that money goes directly back into the game, officials said, with $22 million of it going toward women’s championships and participation.”
  • “To help understand the U.S. Women’s Open purse of $5.5 million, the USGA broke it down even further for Golfweek. The USWO purse is the highest among the LPGA’s five majors but is still $7 million behind the men. While there’s a national conversation around equal pay for women, some in golf have also questioned the wide gap.”
  • “According to the USGA, it costs $19 million to conduct the U.S. Women’s Open (including qualifiers), which most consider to be the crown jewel of women’s golf. The USGA sees about $9 million comes back by way of ticket sales, corporate hospitality and partner support.”
  • “The bottom line: The USGA loses about $10.4 million on the Women’s Open.”

Full piece.

2. A special exemption
PGATour.com’s Sean Martin on Brandon Matthews, whose name you might not remember, but whose kind act you surely do, getting a spot in the AP Invitational field this week.
  • “…Matthews made headlines at last year’s Argentina Open when he hugged a fan with Down Syndrome who inadvertently yelled in his stroke during a playoff. A startled Matthews missed the 8-foot putt that he needed to make to extend the playoff.”
  • “At first, Matthews was frustrated by the distraction. Then he learned that the man had Down Syndrome. Matthews sought him out to give him a signed glove and a big hug.”
  • …”The people at the Arnold Palmer Invitational noticed, and rewarded Matthews with a sponsor exemption. The event’s Twitter feed said Matthews responded “just as Mr. Palmer would have – with kindness, humility and grace.”
3. Piercy apologizes 
Golf Channel’s Digital Team…”Scott Piercy on Tuesday posted an apology to his Instagram story for content he shared on Monday that reportedly included an anti-gay slur and a reference to a right-wing conspiracy theory.”
  • “Whenever i (sic) post my intent is NEVER to offend. I want to apologize if any of my recents (sic) story posts have been offensive,” he wrote. “I will do better!”
  • “Per Golf Digest, Piercy “shared a homophobic meme … directed at former South Bend mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Pete Buttigieg. … [He] also posted a message about QAnon, which is a far-right conspiracy theory involving a secret plot by a ‘deep state’ against the government, one that accuses its critics of child sex trafficking.”
4. Brotherhood of the scar
Golf Channel’s Randall Mell…”Tour golf is a game of old wounds, really.”
“It’s a kind of brotherhood that way…For every Sungjae Im who wins, there’s a Tommy Fleetwood and Brendan Steele rinsing a shot at the last.”
  • “Harold Varner III is at Bay Hill preparing for this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. He remembers not feeling so alone when Tiger Woods reached out to show him some empathy after Varner struggled through the final round of the Genesis Invitational with an early chance to win.”
  • “Well, it wasn’t really empathy, but it was the best attempt the greatest closer in the history of the game could muster.”
5. When Goydos knew TW was back 
Interesting anecdote here, related by Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”He’s walking away and I say, ‘Tiger, you know what’s great about playing this Tour?’ Tiger stops and looks at me and I say, ‘Where I drive the ball there are no divots.’
  • “Now, it’s a reasonably funny self-deprecating joke. Tiger smirked, but then he said, ‘How many woods do you carry now?’ So, I make a joke about myself and Tiger has to immediately annihilate me with a joke about me and my game. Tiger’s needle is long, sharp and he uses it a lot. He just needled a Champions Tour player on Tuesday at Bay Hill. I’m so far down the threat level to Tiger’s game. I’m non-existent in his world.”
  • “I thought, ‘Holy crap, this guy is back. He’s a killer. That’s a killer attitude. He doesn’t care who you are.’ If you’re one of the 144-man field he is going to stomp you if he has to. I walked away and went over to my caddie and said, ‘Oh, Jesus, these guys have no idea what’s coming. They’re not ready for this.’ These guys that say, they’d love to compete against Tiger? They have no idea. Tiger is back to being a killer. When I told him that joke, that’s when I knew.”
6. PGA Tour Champions qualifier evacuated due to fire
Golf Digest’s Daniel Rapaport…“Tuesday’s PGA Tour Champions qualifier for the Hoag Classic has been delayed due to a fire near the Goose Creek Golf Club in Mira Loma, Calif., the Tour confirmed to Golf Digest. Players have been taken off the course and there has not yet been a decision on how, or if, to proceed with the qualifier.”
7. Bamberger on Palm Beach Par-3
The venerable Michael Bamberger at Golf.com writes this about what he suspects might be “the best public par-3 course in the world.”
  • “If you got in a boat on the beach at Seminole and sailed south about 20 nautical miles-past Lost Tree Village, the gated community where Jack Nicklaus lives, past Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s private club-you would eventually see another true oceanfront course, designed by Raymundo himself, which he did at no charge. It’s a muni! It’s owned and operated by the town of Palm Beach.”
  • “There’s no other course quite like it. It comprises 18 par-3 holes, representing all the popular wind directions, on 39 acres smack-dab between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. It would be impossible to put a price tag on the property-a half billion? Probably far more, but the town’s not selling, not now, not ever. That would be like Honolulu selling Waikiki Beach.”
  • “About 12 years ago, Floyd inherited a 1961 18-hole Dick Wilson course that had become a financial drain on the town. “I took a course that was losing money, changed the routing and everything about it, and now it makes so much money it carries everything the town’s rec department does,” Floyd said in a telephone interview while the fourth round of the Honda Classic was underway. Floyd lives a couple miles south, at a golf development called Old Palm, where there’s a course he designed.”

Full piece.

8. Bomb & Gouge on trackable balls
On Golf Digest: “Are any major ball manufacturers realistically working on developing a way to track location (for finding stray shots or logging-rounds purposes)?…-@HogansBookLied”
  • “The key word in your question is “realistically.” The answer, however, is yes. A few years ago, OnCore Golf made a presentation during PGA Show week about its GENiUS ball-a ball with a chip in the core that could track things such as location, distance and backspin in real time on a smartphone. The company had previously made a ball with a hollow metal core, so the idea of putting a chip inside the ball and being able to protect it from damage didn’t seem far off.”
  • “The product has yet to make it to market, but the company is still pursuing the idea. That said, we have our doubts about the viability or, quite frankly, the need. While producing a golf ball that you can find certainly seems like a boffo idea, it’s difficult to see how such a ball wouldn’t be compromised in some manner performance-wise. You’re taking out performance technology and replacing it with golf-ball-finding technology. That doesn’t seem like a trade worth making.
  • “The cost also is likely to be prohibitive and if you sink it in the water on the 15th at PGA National no ball retriever is gonna reach that sucker.”
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GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Joey5Picks

    Mar 4, 2020 at 3:41 pm

    “I want to apologize if any of my recents (sic) story posts have been offensive” is such a non-apology. “IF” anyone was offended. That’s basically the equivalent of signing a waiver. “IF” anyone was offended, I apologize. If you weren’t, I don’t apologize. Reminds me of the Astros; only apologizing because he got caught.

  2. Feel The Bern

    Mar 4, 2020 at 11:08 am

    It doesn’t matter that it loses a ton of money, the women’s open should pay the same as the men’s. I’m Bernie Sanders, and I approve this message.

    • Rascal

      Mar 4, 2020 at 2:25 pm

      I fully agree with this.

      I’m serious.

      So long as the shortfall comes straight from Bernie’s pocket!!

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Morning 9: Scheffler starts strong | Nelly stays in touch | Houston Open photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, as day two of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Scheffler starts strong in Houston

AP report…” Scottie Scheffler had his 28th consecutive round under par to start the year, a 5-under 65 on Thursday that left him 1 shot behind Taylor Moore and Wilson Furr in the Houston Open.”

  • “Scheffler also extended his streak to 49 holes without a bogey dating to the third round of the Players Championship two weeks ago, where he became the first back-to-back winner in the 50 years of the PGA Tour’s flagship event.”
  • “The streak that matters is his bid for a third straight PGA Tour victory, a feat last accomplished seven years ago by Dustin Johnson.”
  • “That also was the last thing on Scheffler’s mind at Memorial Park, his final tournament before he heads to the Masters as a strong favorite.”
  • “I don’t ever really put expectations on myself,” Scheffler said. “I try to be committed to my shots. I try to stay patient out there. At the beginning of the week, I’m not looking forward toward Sunday. I’m just focused on today.”
Full piece.

2. Nelly stays in touch at Ford Championship

AP report…” Nelly Korda fought through brutal conditions to win in Southern California last week.”

  • “A solid opening round on a soft course in perfect weather has the world’s No. 1 player in position to win her third straight start.”
  • “Korda shot a 6-under 66 in the first round of the Ford Championship on Thursday, leaving her three shots back in a bid to become the first LPGA Tour player to win three straight starts in eight years.”
  • “Completely different today compared to last weekend,” Korda said. “The greens are quite soft. I know Arizona has been getting a good bit of rain throughout the winter. I knew there would be low scores out there, so needed to be aggressive.”
Full piece.

3. Why Malnati thinks his win resonated

Via Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…“Maybe they’re so good at winning that they just – it’s normal for them, and they’re right back in their normal routine the next day,” Malnati said Wednesday in Houston, where he’s in the field for the Texas Children’s Houston Open. “It certainly isn’t the case for me yet. So, there was definitely the thought on Sunday night and Monday morning like, oh, my goodness, I could use a week to just wrap my head around this like new reality that I have.”

  • “Malnati added: “I would not say I’m entirely focused yet on playing and working again, I still am enjoying it a little bit, but starting to get back into that mode of like wanting to do my job and keep building from here.”
Full piece.

4. Martin Trainer’s interesting putter backstory

Trainer talking to our Andrew Tursky…

  • You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?
  • MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.
  • And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.
  • When did it come back in the bag?
  • MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.
  • What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?
  • MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?
  • Do you remember how much you paid for it?
  • MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.
Full piece.

5. Finau on driver shaft change

Our Brian Knudson…”Tony Finau has always been known as one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, but he has recently been working on adding a little more distance. Last year, Finau averaged 118.3 mph club head speed and 178.08 mph ball speed, all while playing a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX driver shaft. This year, he has increased his club head speed to 123.93 mph and his ball speed to 183.32 mph.”

  • “However, Finau’s overall distance has decreased by two yards in that time. From a fitting perspective, something was amiss. We asked Tony about the shaft change at the Texas Children’s Hospital Open.”
  • “[I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin. My driver’s been a little high spin for me over the last month or so, and so I just figured it was time to probably check out the equipment,” Finau said. “And it definitely showed me that I was using a shaft that’s maybe a little too tip-stiff for me, the way I load the club now. [I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin.”
Full piece.

6. A 71 with nine birdies

7. Photos from the Houston Open

  • Check out all of our photos from this week’s event!
Full piece.
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Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Wyndham Clark hurts back…still hopes to play

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Reigning U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark injured his back while working out at home Monday, but he hopes to play in this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which starts Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course.”

  • “Clark, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world, said he was lifting weights and “got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and [his] back went.”
  • “It’s not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn,” Clark said. “I’m trending in the right direction. I’m hitting it or feeling stronger and more mobile every day. I’m going to give it my best effort tomorrow and hopefully I can play and compete. If not, I’ve got to get ready for tournaments to come after this.”
Full piece.

2. DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.”

  • “We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.
  • “Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”
Full piece.

3. Charley Hull’s course management problem?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.”

  • “After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.”
  • “While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.”
  • “I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.
  • “The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.
  • “In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else.
Full piece.

4. Sahith’s interesting idea

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Which brings Theegala to his big idea: “There’s got to be something, like a fan challenge or – I think it would be awesome to see a scratch handicap go out and play like the Monday after a tournament, keep the same conditions and see what they would shoot just to put it into perspective how hard a PGA Tour golf course is.”

  • “Theegala loves the thought so much that he’d even come out and watch.”
  • “Shoot, I’d commentate on it,” Theegala added before continuing, “I have a pet peeve, sometimes when I watch golf on TV, a great example is hole 8 at Valspar last week. It’s a 230-yard par 3, the green’s 12 yards wide and someone will hit the middle of the green and, you know, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, really smart shot there.’ I’m like, ‘Well, no, he’s absolutely laced this 4-iron in the middle of the green, that’s right where he’s looking and to hit a 4-iron that straight is really, really hard.’ … Even like chipping, a lot of the stuff just looks flat on TV, but then when you get over the chip, like, oh, great, I have to land it over a mound on a downslope down grain?”
Full piece.

5. Top am Rachel Heck not going pro

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”As Rachel Heck nears the end of her college golf career, she has decided that the LPGA isn’t for her.’

  • “Heck, the 22-year-old Stanford senior who won an NCAA individual title as a freshman and has climbed as high as second in the world amateur rankings, penned a first-person essay for No Laying Up in which she explained her reasoning for remaining amateur after graduation this summer and starting an internship not in professional golf but rather private equity. Heck, a political science major, also will be pinned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.”

Read her piece on No Laying Up: https://nolayingup.com/blog/why-im-remaining-an-amateur

Full piece.

6. DJ’s new LIV signing

Golf Monthly’s Elliott Heath…”Dustin Johnson‘s LIV Golf team 4Aces GC has announced former TravisMathew CEO Chris Rosaasen as the side’s new General Manager.”

  • “Rosaasen, who is a long-time friend of Johnson, is also the founder of the team’s apparel sponsor Extracurricular and has been CEO of the Omniverse Group for the past four years.
  • “He joins with more than 20 years of “brand-building, marketing, and business leadership” according to LIV Golf, which says his “record of innovation in the golf industry will strengthen and accelerate the growth of the 4Aces GC brand.”
Full piece.

7. Photos from the Houston Open

  • Check out all of our photos from this week’s event!
Full piece.
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Four books for a springtime review

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One thing that never changes over time: snowy evenings give purpose to reading (is it the other way around?) It has been a snowy 2024 in western New York, and I’ve had ample time to tuck into an easy chair with a blanket, coffee, and a book. You’re in luck, because despite the title of this piece, I’ll share five books and their worth with you.

There is great breadth of subject matter from one to five. Golf is as complicated as life, which means that the cover of the book isn’t worth judging. The contents begin the tale, but there is so much more to each topic presented within. If you’re like me, your library grows each year. Despite the value of the virtual, the paper-printed word connects us to the past of golf and humanity. Here’s hoping that you’ll add one or more of these titles to your collection.

        

Rainmaker

Hughes Norton interviewed with Mark McCormack for 20 minutes (30 if you count the missed exit at Logan International) while driving the founder of IMG from Harvard to the airport. The lesson of taking advantage of each moment, of every dollar, because you might not get another opportunity, is the most valuable one that life offers. I say to you, be certain to read this book, because another opportunity to bend the ear of Hughes Norton may not come our way.

Hughes Norton was with Tiger Woods for waaayyy fewer years than you might guess, but they were the critical ones. Be warned: not all of the revelations in this tome are for the faint of heart. Some, in fact, will break your heart. Golf was a sleepy hamlet in the 1990s, until the 16-lane interstate called Eldrick “Tiger” Woods came into town. Everything changed, which meant that everything would change again and again, into eternity. Once the ball starts rolling, it’s impossible to stop.

My favorite aspect of this book is its candor. Hughes Norton is well into his time on Planet Earth. He has no reason to hold back, and he doesn’t. My least favorite aspect is that George Peper got the call to co-author the book (and I didn’t.) Seriously, there is no LFA for me, so this is the best that I could do.

Decision: Buy It!

The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor

Michael Wolf, James Sitar, and Jon Cavalier, in abject partnership, collaborated to produce a handsome volume on the work of gone-too-soon, engineer-turned-golf course architect. Seth Raynor was pulled into the game by Charles Blair MacDonald, the crusty godfather of American golf. Raynor played little golf across the 51 years of his life. His reason? He did not wish to corrupt his designs with the demands and failings of his own game.

Jon Cavalier began his photography career as a contributor to the Golf Club Atlas discussion group. I met him there in a virtual way (we still have yet to shake hands) and have exchanged numerous emails over the years. Despite the demands of his day job, Cavalier has blossomed into the most traveled and prolific course photographer alive today. His photography, both hand-held and drone, makes the pages pop. Michael Wolf invited me and two friends to play his home course, despite having never met any of us in person. His words, melded to those of James Sitar, are the glue that connect Cavalier’s photos.

My favorite aspect of the books is the access it gives to the private-club world of Raynor. Fewer than five of his courses are resort or public access, and knowing people on the inside is not available to all. My suggestion? Write a letter/email and see if a club will let you play. Can’t hurt to try! My one complaint about the book is its horizontal nature. Golf is wide, but I like a little vertical in my photos. It’s not much of a complaint, given the glorious contents within the covers.

Decision: Buy It!!

Big Green Book from The Golfer’s Journal

Beginning with its (over)size, and continuing through the entire contents, there is no descriptor that defines the genre of the Big Green Book. It is photography, essay, layout, poetry, graphics, and stream of consciousness. It harnesses the creative power of a lengthy masthead of today’s finest golf contributors. Quotes from Harvey Penick, verse from Billy Collins, and prose from John Updike partner with images pure and altered, to immerse you in the diverse golf spaces that define this planet.

One of my favorite aspects is the spaces between the words and photos. Have your friends and others write a few notes to you in those blank areas, to personalize your volume even more. One aspect that needs improvement: the lack of female voices. I suspect that will be remedied in future volumes.

Decision: Buy It!!!

Troublemaker and The Unplayable Lie

Books that allege discrimination and mistreatment check two boxes: potentially-salacious reads and debate over whose perspective is accurate. In the end, the presentation of salacious revelation rarely meets the expectation, and the debate over fault is seldom resolved. Lisa Cornwell spent years as a competitive junior and college golfer, before joining The Golf Channel as a reporter and program host.

Despite the dream assignments, there were clouds that covered the sun. Cornwell documents episodes of favoritism and descrimination against her, prior to her departure from The Golf Channel in 2021. Her work echoes the production of the late Marcia Chambers, who wrote for Golf Digest in the 1980s and 1990s. Chambers took issue with many of the potential and real legal issues surrounding golf and its policies of access/no access. Her research culminated in The Unplayable Lie, the first work of its kind to address issues confronted by all genders and ethnicities, and immediately predated the professional debut of Tiger Woods in 1997.

My favorite aspects of the two works, are the courage and conviction that it took to write them, and believe in them. My least favorite aspects are the consistent bias that many groups continue to face. Without awareness, there is no action. Without action, there is no change.

Decision: Buy Them!!!!

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