1. A Ryder Cup without fans?
ESPN’s Bob Harig…”The idea of staging the Ryder Cup in September without spectators is being discussed, according to PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh.”
- “In a radio interview on WFAN in New York, Waugh acknowledged that “fans are the Ryder Cup, to a certain degree,” and that it’s “hard to imagine one without fans,” but the idea is nonetheless being explored due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
- “We have begun to talk about whether you could create some virtual fan experience, and we’re going to try to be as creative as we can,” Waugh said on WFAN. “It’s to be determined, frankly, whether you could hold it without fans or not.”
2. Finchem elected to WGHOF
PGATour.com report…”The World Golf Hall of Fame will enshrine former PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem as part of its Class of 2021, joining Tiger Woods and Marion Hollins. He received news of his Induction through the Contributor category from Commissioner Jay Monahan.”
“It is the greatest honor to be elected to join golf’s most legendary players and contributors in the World Golf Hall of Fame,” said Finchem. “This is a truly humbling moment, for which I am most grateful, and I look forward to celebrating with my family and friends throughout the game of golf and the many people who made this possible for me. I am especially proud to stand alongside one of the world’s all-time greats, Tiger Woods, in the Class of 2021 and look forward to what will be an exciting year ahead.”
3. Schupak’s retort
Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”But the World Golf Hall of Fame needed another plaque of an administrator about as much as it needed one for Augusta National chairman Billy Payne two years ago. This isn’t so much a knock on Finchem as much as a wider complaint that we’re honoring the wrong people. The Hall of Fame should be for the greats of the game, the players who achieved the moments etched in our memory. There is still one more inductee to be named later this week, but all of the other players who will be left on the outside looking in are far more deserving of recognition in the Hall of Fame than Finchem.”
- He led the PGA Tour through very prosperous times during his 22-year tenure that began in 1994 after Deane Beman passed him the baton, but Finchem’s been richly rewarded for it. According to the Tour’s 2017 990, he earned $12 million and another $6 million in reportable compensation from related organizations.
- “Deane’s left him a Mercedes with the tank a quarter full, and all Tim has to do is keep putting gas in it,” Tour pro Peter Jacobsen once said.
4. Rebuttal, courtesy of Eamon Lynch
Eamon Lynch at Golfweek stands up for the former commish…”This is hardly to say Finchem is beyond criticism. He forged a colorless culture at Tour HQ and enforced a level of secrecy around disciplinary proceedings and drug testing that would have been envied in Pyongyang. But it can’t be argued that he didn’t leave the Tour in a considerably better place than he found it.”
- “When he took over as commissioner in 1994, total prize money on Tour was $56.4 million. Toss in the Champions and then-Web.com Tours and the fund was just over $90 million. This season the Tour’s prize money is nearing $400 million before bonuses, at least until COVID-19 upended things. He created the oft-maligned World Golf Championship events, which if nothing else helped temper Greg Norman’s plans for world domination, and the FedEx Cup playoff system 13 years ago.”
- “It’s a popular though specious suggestion that Finchem owes his success to coat-tailing on Tiger Woods. Sure, he was dealt a strong hand, but he played it well for what was demanded of him. If subsisting on crumbs from Tiger’s table was sufficient to earn a spot in the Hall, then Mark Steinberg would have his own wing.”
5. Nearly half of 2020 sporting events have been canceled
Kelly Cohen at ESPN…”Sports around the world have been on hiatus only since mid-March, but when the numbers are crunched, the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the industry will be felt for years to come. Only 53% of the major sports events originally scheduled for 2020 are likely to take place this calendar year.”
- “That means, according to new projections from Two Circles, a sports marketing agency, just 26,424 sporting events will be held by the end of 2020 — with the possibility that more are canceled as the virus spreads. There were approximately 48,803 major sports events — ticketed events for professional and competitive sports with a projected attendance of at least 5,000 — scheduled in 2020.”
6. Els, Nicklaus encourage clubs to give back
Victor Garcia for Fox News…“Golf legend Jack Nicklaus is the latest big name golfer to help medical workers, announcing on Twitter Thursday that he is joining the Clubs HELP Foundation in order to help first responders during the coronavirus pandemic.”
- “When I was asked to support the mission for Clubs HELP Foundation, I was quick to accept,” Nicklaus said in a video posted on Twitter. “I hope you’ll accept the challenge and along with all the Nicklaus design golf courses and all the other golf courses to join in the Clubs HELP effort.”
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