19th Hole

Adam Scott commits to PGA Tour by joining Player Advisory Council

Published

1 year ago

Jan 16, 2023

Just a few weeks away from LIV Golf’s opener at Mayakoba, the Saudi-backed organization has found recent news going against them.

PGA Tour player Harry Higgs gave his side of the LIV argument, stating LIV “took all the villains” whilst just yesterday Eamon Lynch questioned what will be left of the infamous lawsuit between LIV and the PGA Tour, suggesting the financiers “find themselves in a legal quagmire of their own making.”

At the end of last season, LIV chairman Greg Norman was all about making his tour even bigger, and louder, than its first season. Talk was of 14 events, even bigger prize funds and more big names, but already one potential prospect has dashed any hope of signing.

2013 Masters champion and former world number one, Adam Scott, yesterday closed the door on any move to the Aussie team at LIV by joining the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council.

The PAC contains 16 players, all of which meet and consult with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on matters affecting the players and the tour, much of which naturally focuses on the improvements the tour can make to stave off the potential threat of exodus to LIV.

Whilst the 42-year-old has never said he was interested in joining his compatriot on the ‘golf but louder’ tour, he has remained fair in comments, suggesting last year that, unlike many players, he didn’t see LIV as “pure evil.”

That may still be the case, but in joining vociferous anti-LIV players such as Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and the afore-mentioned Higgs, Scott has placed his marker firmly on the more traditional, if now more progressive, side.

Scott confirmed he was not interested in tittle-tattle, stating:

“I’m more interested in what the Tour is planning on doing with the Tour than how we’re fighting a lawsuit. I couldn’t care less about that to be honest. I’m more interested in what the future of the Tour looks like. I convinced myself that it was worth diving into that to see what’s going on.”

Talking of how and why he has now joined forces with fellow players, the current world number 37 explained:

“I think seeing Rory taking a leadership role, I feel, potentially, like a few other notable players—if I can call myself a notable player—can assist him moving things in the direction it seems to be. It’s an important time for the Tour to kind of map out the next decade and beyond, what playing the PGA Tour kind of is working towards and what that looks like.”

He continued, “As well as everyone out here probably wants to know, full schedule and beyond. But it’s just a time of change. And, yeah, big decisions are going to be made and they need to be the right ones.”

With LIV now also frustrated over the decision by the OWGR to award ranking points to another 54-hole tour, this news may not be the most hurtful, but it does give the PGA Tour a further string to its political bow.

The Aussie is clearly keen on moving things forward:

“There’s smart people running the tour. I’m not thinking I’m taking Jay’s (Monahan) job,” Scott confirmed. “But I don’t mind stirring the pot if it needs to be stirred in conversation in those kind of rooms, just to let everyone think more. Sometimes I feel like we get pretty reactive to things these days. It’s nice to think down the line a little bit.”

Butch Harmon reveals what he worked on with Rory McIlroy during visit earlier this year

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

While speaking on the “Son of a Butch” Podcast, legendary swing coach Butch Harmon revealed what he worked on with Rory McIlroy when the four-time major champion went to visit him after the Players Championship this season.

Butch Harmon on what he worked on with Rory:

“The work I did with him wasn’t a tremendous amount of changing what he did, it was his attitude and the way he played certain shots. From 150 yards and in he made a full swing like he was hitting a driver and I wanted him to make…

— Matt Vincenzi (@MattVincenziPGA) May 15, 2024

“The work I did with him wasn’t a tremendous amount of changing what he did, it was his attitude and the way he played certain shots. From 150 yards and in he made a full swing like he was hitting a driver and I wanted him to make more 3 quarter swings and chop the follow through off a little. He’s a very high ball hitter, but with short irons high balls aren’t good, it’s hard to control, we wanted to bring the ball flight down.”

The work certainly seemed to help McIlroy, as he went on to win the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in back-to-back starts.

Rory will now tee it up at Valhalla for the PGA Championship, which is the site of his most recent major victory in 2014.

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Brandel Chamblee says this technological development was key to Phil Mickelson winning major championships

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee shared that he believes the solid core golf ball helped Phil Mickelson win major championships.

“One of the consequences of the solid core golf ball coming around was it put the straightest of hitters in the rough.

“Phil started winning majors in 2004, I don’t think that’s any coincidence. I think he started winning majors after the solid core golf ball came along and put everybody in the rough.

“And so [Phil] is like ‘I got you in the rough, I’m going to kick your a**. This is my game. I’ve been in the rough my whole career. I can go over trees, through trees, around trees.’

“Because he’s got that amazing creativity and Phil is an underrated iron player, phenomenal iron player. Great, great great out of the trouble. If you put the top-40 players on a list and ranked them in terms of accuracy, he would be 40th.

“So, I think that was one of the consequences of the solid core golf balls was it allowed Phil to win major championships.”

Mickelson went on to win the Masters in 2004 as well as five additional majors from 2004-2021 including three total Masters, two PGA Championships, and an Open Championship.

Check out the full interview with Chamblee below:

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Former Augusta National employee pleads guilty to transporting stolen Masters memorabilia; Arnold Palmer’s green jacket among stolen items

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, a man was charged in Chicago with stealing millions of dollars’ worth of memorabilia from Augusta National last month.

The man, Robert Globensky, was charged with transporting the memorabilia across state lines.

The report states that between 2009 and 2022, Globensky allegedly transported “millions of dollars’ worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and historical memorabilia” from Augusta National “and transported to Tampa, Florida, knowing the same had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud.”

The document was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Since then, more details have emerged about the case.

According to Darren Rovell of Cllct, one of the items that was stolen was Arnold Palmer’s green jacket.

The Chicago Tribune also reported that Globensky was able to steal the merchandise due to his role as a former warehouse coordinator at Augusta National who oversaw the Masters merchandise that was sold.

Rovell states that “A source with intimate knowledge of the case said an Augusta National member, who knew the jacket was missing, contacted a well-known collector who had gained a reputation for tracking down rare items. The member’s goal was to return the jacket to Augusta under the guise of purchasing it in a private sale.”

The plan worked, and the man agreed to sell the jacket for an agreed upon price of $3.6 million. After the sale was complete, the FBI swarmed the house of the thief.

Cllct also reported that Globensky pled guilty in a federal court in Chicago on Wednesday and now faces up to 10 years in prison.

The Chicago Tribune adds that Globensky’s plea deal includes an agreement to provide the government a cashier’s check for $1.5 million in the next few days.