The post Tour Confidential: TGL season preview, lingering questions and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: TGL season preview, lingering questions and more appeared first on Golf.

Finally, after a year-long delay and months of hype promoting the tech-infused golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, the first match of the inaugural TGL golf season kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday on ESPN. What’s your biggest question mark you want answered as you tune-in for opening night?

News

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens). It’s a pretty basic question that applies to a lot of entertainment in our fractured, distracted age. Will it be fun and fast-moving and feel genuinely new and exciting, with enough golf to win over a traditional audience and enough novelty to capture a fresh one while earning the approval of the ‘internet?’ Or will it comes off like a contrived and cynical cash-grab, which has been the case with a lot of other televised golf concepts?

Jessica Marksbury, senior editor (@jess_marksbury): Josh, spot on. The biggest selling point with a format like this is the showcase it offers for the various associated personalities. I’m wondering just how loose these guys are willing to be. Because simply watching them launch shots into a simulator for a couple of hours isn’t going to be enough of a draw for me.

Jack Hirsh, associate equipment editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Agree Jess, will there be enough banter to make it interesting? We all remember how hyped up the first Match between Tiger and Phil was, but it really wasn’t that great of TV because Tiger and Phil were being competitors, not entertaining and the banter between the two wasn’t that good. It wasn’t until The Match II when Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were added to liven things up that the series became a success. Will the whole concept of a simulator league be enough to lighten things up between some normally steely competitors? We’ll see.

The first match will feature the New York Golf Club (Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler) against The Bay Golf Club (Ludvig Aberg, Wyndham Clark and Shane Lowry). (Three of each team’s four players compete in a match.) Does the first match have enough star power to get the public interested?

News

Sens: If this were a traditional tournament, I wouldn’t call this a field that is destined to move the needle significantly. But of course it’s not a traditional tournament. At this early stage, old-fashioned curiosity should be enough to get people to tune in. Would more people tune in if Tiger Woods were playing? Sure. But this schedule wasn’t made by coin flip. It was thought out. By not featuring Woods in the debut, my guess is that TGL is saving its powder for when the inaugural novelty wears off. The organizers understand that the field itself is probably not the most important factor this week.

Marksbury: Agree. We’ll be tuning in regardless! But the novelty factor will only last so long. With the exception of Lowry, I don’t see this opening cast as much of a hot-take-spewing, yuk-it-up type. But maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised! 

Hirsh: Yea I’m really interested in TGL and like the idea, but I’m not sure I like the strategy of not putting Tiger in the first match. I get that the idea, as our James Colgan reported back in October, is to use strategically place Woods’ debut one day after the broadcasting network, ESPN, hosts an NFL playoff game to cross-promote it. But, we all know Tiger is the needle. Rickie Fowler is probably the only player a casual golf fan will recognize. Even after Schauffele won two majors last year, I still don’t think his brand has reached past avid golf fans. Shouldn’t TGL use Tiger as much as possible to capture the attention of non-avid golf fans with a new concept?

Finish this thought: the TGL will flourish if…

Lifestyle

Sens: If it has drawing power beyond its novelty and Tiger’s name. And if it gets talked up — as opposed widely mocked — on social media. It will definitely help if the matches are close and the shots seem appropriately challenging. Beyond that, it comes down to intangibles. In one respect, TGL seems to check the right boxes for our time. It’s high-tech and meant to be fast-moving. It’s got celebrities attached to it, and well-liked broadcasters calling the action. Oh, and you can gamble on it. But elements that seem great in isolation don’t always work when they’re brought together. The magic formula is hard to forecast. At least for me. When Survivor first aired, I thought, Who would watch this garbage? Shows how much I know.

Marksbury: I’ve watched a fair bit of alternative golf in recent months, from Golfzon Tour’s simulator matches on YouTube to a lighted, high-stakes par-3 tournament here in Phoenix. And one thing is for sure: The golf is only part of the package. To stay interested, we need a reason to buy in to rivalries, personalities and storylines. It all has to matter. So I hope there’s plenty of that to chew on with TGL. 

Hirsh: Call me a broken record because I said this above, but I really think it’s going to come down to the banter. Players are mic’d up, is that going to be actually useful? If the guys are lose and taking swipes at each other during the match, while there is still an obviously high level of competition, that could be fun. Everyone is entertained at their golf course by the guy who can walk out with no practice and casually shoot 67 while trashing talking the crap out of everyone. That’s the kind of golf I wanna see.

And struggle if…

News

Sens: Here, I’ll rehash some of my answers from above. If the banter is lame, as the kids say, if the matches are blowouts, and if leading names and whiz-bang tech aren’t enough to sustain interest. Also: if the tech glitches often enough that it doesn’t seem credible. There’s an obvious risk in live TV. My litmus test after the first airing will be to ask my kids and their friends, who are in their teens and twenties. If they deem it ‘cringy,’ I’ll take that as a sign of trouble.

Marksbury: My hope is that listening to the team interactions will feel like being a fly on the wall in the matches these guys routinely play against each other without camera rolling. If they can’t tap into being themselves — or if they do succeed at being themselves, but it’s just not that interesting — I can’t see this endeavor becoming a screaming success. 

Hirsh: I agree Jess, if each match ends up like the first Tiger-Phil match, then TGL could die quickly. We have to see a side of these guys we’ve never seen before and we’ll get a golf product unlike anything we’ve seen before. If the players treat this as business as usual, it will not work.

Hideki Matsuyama won the season-opening Sentry, beating Collin Morikawa by three with a PGA Tour record score of 35 under. Anyone impress you? Surprise you? What was your takeaway from Week 1 of the marathon 2025 PGA Tour season?

News

Sens: Collin Morikawa looks hungry to get that third major, after a couple of close calls last year. He didn’t win but I dig his new Sam Snead-esque pre-shot routine and the ball striking it gave way to. He had a few short game glitches. But it still took a record-number of birdies to beat him. 

Marksbury: Takeaway No. 1: Maui is always a welcome sight in January. Those vistas are truly unmatched. And as far as player performances go, this week was a great reminder about how incredibly talented Hideki is. Thirty-five under, a new scoring record (!!!). That’s unbelievable! I think he tends to fly under the radar sometimes, even as a major champion (though not for our betting expert Brady Kannon, who’s 1/1 on winning picks so far this year!). I will say I’m a little surprised by Xander. He has an excellent record at the Plantation course, with a win in 2019 and three other top 10s since then. He was T30 this week — his worst finish ever — and was never really in the conversation.

Hirsh: Hard to not be impressed when Hideki averages just one birdie shy of one every other hole. I don’t care how “easy” that golf course played, this tournament was never really intended to kick the crap out of these guys and that course would kick the crap out everyone reading this story from those tees. Could the 5th hole be switched to a par-4? Yea probably (it averaged 4.1 this week), but par is just an arbitrary number anyway. It’s the first tournament of the year at a beautiful and extoic resort course with only the 60 best players from last year invited. Let them make some birdies!

The post Tour Confidential: TGL season preview, lingering questions and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Who won 2024, bold predictions for 2025 and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Who won 2024, bold predictions for 2025 and more appeared first on Golf.

In 2024 we saw unpredictable comebacks, insane winning streaks and some stars finally cash in after some lengthy major droughts. But who, or what, won 2024?

Sean Zak, senior writer (@Sean_Zak): I tried really hard to come up with another answer, but there is no other answer. Who won 2024? The man who won everything. Scott Scheffler. For my money, it was the greatest season since Tiger Woods’ 2000. We’re bound to remember Scheffler’s 2024 as an all-timer … so long as he doesn’t follow it up with something even greater.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): If we are sticking with who, no doubt it was Scheffler. On the what front, I’d say recreational golf. Participation is up. More women and kids are playing. As the Tour/LIV divide dragged on and TV ratings dropped, this year underscored what feels more true than ever: the best part of golf is not the pro game. It’s the game most of us play.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Good calls on both. Can’t disagree with Scheffler, who somehow had a better season than Nelly Korda did on the LPGA Tour. And any golfer in a well-populated area can vouch for the continued rise of recreational golf, as the struggle for last-minute tee times is as real as ever.

So if Scheffler won the year, then who would you hand out silver and bronze medals to for what they accomplished in 2024?

Zak: Silver medal for Nelly Korda, whose brilliance was just as great as Scheffler for much of the year. Bronze medal goes to Bryson DeChambeau, who helped create the greatest finish of the year. (All due respect to Lydia Ko and Xander Schauffele, of course.)

Sens: I’ll put Korda and Ko (the latter ending her major drought and punching a ticket to the Hall of Fame) on the bronze podium together and give the silver to Schauffele, who finally got off the snide by winning a major and then won a second for good measure. That’s rarefied stuff. Let’s not forget that a small swing change preceded his big breakthrough. Should be fun to watch what he does next.

Berhow: I was sold on handing out the silver to Nelly and bronze to Xander, but Sean has a point — it’s hard to argue against what Bryson did in the past year. Not only winning the U.S. Open but completely changing the narrative around him, winning back fans and becoming one of the most popular golfers on the planet. That said, here’s why I lean Xander for bronze: would Scottie or Bryson rather have his season? It’s all about major titles, and Xander won two of ’em.

Xander, Amy Yang and Ayaka Furue won their first majors in 2024. Which major-less pro finally gets theirs in 2025?

Zak: Jeeno Thitikul gets it done on the women’s side (and perhaps twice!). For the men, I’ll hang my hat on Viktor Hovland returning to the peak of his powers.

Sens: Charley Hull wins at Royal Porthcawl and lights a cigar(ette) in celebration. On the men’s side, it’s got to be Ludvig Aberg, although in his case it’s not fair to say finally. His career is far too young.

Berhow: Sam Burns has won five times on Tour but was winless last year, although he did finish in the top 10 eight times. He does just about everything well and is consistent enough to always give himself a chance. I think he takes the next step and wins a big one in 2025. How about the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow? For the women, it’s Rose Zhang. Three top 10s in majors in 2023 but none in 2024. That’s going to change in 2025, and she’s bound to win a handful before her career is over.

And the player to break out in 2025 is…

Zak: Thomas Detry. Played fantastic golf throughout most of the summer in 2024. Put himself in the running for the 2023 Ryder Cup. Seems right on the cusp of becoming a top 30 player in the world.

Sens: Michael Thorbjornsen. Fresh out of Stanford. Stellar amateur career. Top graduate of the PGA Tour University. All the makings of a star.

Berhow: Max Greyserman. Three runner-up finishes as a rookie last year. One of the best putters on Tour. More good things to come.

What’s your boldest prediction for next year?

Zak: LIV golfers win more majors than non-LIV players. And if you want me to get extra bold, the LIV slam takes place. All four, starting with Jon Rahm at the Masters. My colleague James Colgan has dubbed it the Llam.

Sens: Rory McIlroy exorcizes the demons and wins the Masters – and the career grand slam with it.

Berhow: Nelly Korda’s 2025 will be better than her 2024.

Enough about the pro golf scene, what’s your golfy resolution for 2025?

Zak: Break 75. (The real goal is to have a handicap that starts with a 5 and not a 7, and a round or two that breaks 75 will get me there.)

Sens: To be on hand to witness it when Zak breaks 75. As for my own game: to finally play an entire round without worrying about the result on a single shot.

Berhow: Lower the handicap. (Duh.) And finally create that long-overdue Ryder Cup-style golf buddies’ trip I have always wanted to organize.

The post Tour Confidential: Who won 2024, bold predictions for 2025 and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Tiger impressions, Ryder Cup pay, 2024’s best moments appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Tiger impressions, Ryder Cup pay, 2024’s best moments appeared first on Golf.

Tiger Woods teamed with his son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship, making the 36-hole scramble his first start since the Open Championship in July (and his latest back surgery). Sunday had it all: Charlie’s first-ever hole-in-one, an impressive driver off the deck from Tiger and, ultimately, the Langers beating Team Woods in a playoff. What were your thoughts on Tiger and Charlie’s weekend in Florida?

News

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): It was a lot of fun — especially so because they were in contention coming down the stretch. It’s also nice to see Tiger smiling (rather than grimacing) on the golf course. The tournament didn’t give any meaningful insights into Tiger’s future competitive chances (this course is a bunny slope while majors are played on black diamonds) but that’s OK. Just seeing Tiger and Charlie having fun out there is a treat in itself.

Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): Fun, sure. But also competitive. You could feel both teams burning to win in that playoff. Also, not to get all sentimental, but you must tip your hat to the game at large on this December Sunday! What other sport allows participants of such varying ages and abilities to compete equitably against one another in such a charged environment? To be more specific, you had arguably the best golfer ever and his 15-year-old kid squaring off against a 67-year-old who won his last major 34 years ago and his investment banker son — and it made for a riveting watch. By the way, what a pleasure to see Tiger hitting pressure-filled shots just three months removed from his sixth back surgery and in the wake of what was otherwise a mostly grim season for him. For Tiger optimists, 2025 is undoubtedly looking brighter than it did a week ago.   

Jack Hirsh, Associate Equipment Editor (@JR_HIRSHey): I think you guys covered any meaningful takeaways from Tiger’s week, but how about Chuck to make the ace and then come up with some pretty clutch shots the rest of the way, especially putts! I too made my first hole-in-one at 15 in a tournament and barely kept my next swing on the golf course (I finished that round double-birdie-triple). Again, we have to temper our expectations for Charlie as he is just a 15-year-old kid playing with a completely unfair amount of pressure, but it was certainly fun to see the mannerism comparisons once again and the whole Woods family having fun.

Analyst Peter Jacobsen raved about Tiger’s week, saying he was “overwhelmed and excited for the world of golf and for Tiger to see how well he responded [physically] and how well he played.” Do you agree?

News

Melton: Not really. This is a silly-season event played on a benign and flat Florida course. Suggesting this event points to future success is foolish.

Bastable: Who let the Grinch into this roundtable?! No doubt Ritz-Carlton Golf Club ain’t Oakmont, but c’mon, Z, our guy walked 55 holes in three days! Not sure anyone saw that coming. I will say his game left something to be desired. There were some highlights — that driver off the deck to 30 feet comes to mind — but when the heat was on in the playoff, Tiger’s iron play and putting was not sharp. By his own admission, he’s rusty. Question is, can he play enough meaningful golf in ’25 to shake that rust off? At 49 and with his body still requiring much more rejuvenation, that feels like a mighty ask.

Hirsh: Who woulda thought Basty would be the conductor of the hype train? Slow down there, Speed Racer! He’s Tiger-Freaking-Woods, of course he’s going to hit amazing shots like that all the time when it doesn’t matter. He’s the greatest to ever live and continues to defy expectations, but it’s time to accept that we just might not see that in the heat of PGA Tour or major championship competition. That’s not to say he can’t handle the pressure, but pressure manifests itself physically just as much as mentally and his body has been through more than most 49-year-olds. Let’s see if he even ends up playing at Genesis first.

The much-hyped Crypto Showdown — the PGA Tour vs. LIV match featuring Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler vs. Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka — drew just 625,000 viewers, according to Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter. While this wasn’t a part of “The Match” franchise, it would have ranked as the second-lowest viewership total ever. What gives? And are we starting to see a scary trend for made-for-TV matches?

News

Melton: Ratings are down across the sport, and this event was no different. It’s tough to get hyped for events that have so little on the line — and I think the lackluster ratings illustrate that. With so much else on the docket this week (CFB playoffs, NFL games, NBA and NHL early season, etc.) sports fans only have so much bandwidth. A meaningless event with cryptocurrency on the line is obviously low on the list of viewing priorities for the average sports watcher. 

Bastable: I actually thought the crypto purse was one of the more compelling angles! Cash is so 2023. But yeah, it’s no secret that pro golf is oversaturated and about to get even more so when TGL comes online next month. That means any exhibition that doesn’t feature Tiger and Charlie will be a tough sell regardless of how it’s marketed. The PGA Tour-vs.-LIV tension might have been a good hook a couple of years ago — trouble is, much of that angst has since dissipated.

Hirsh: I wasn’t one of those viewers, but not because I didn’t want to watch it. I think Z is spot on that ratings are down, and while pitting LIV vs. the PGA Tour is a good sell, that happens at the majors too and those ratings are down as well. People aren’t going to tune back into golf until there’s less talk about politics, backroom dealings and division and more talk about golf and just golf.

It’s official: the PGA of America announced that U.S. Ryder Cup players will receive $500,000 total — $300,000 of which will go to charities of their choice and $200,000 to do as they please. (Previously, players received $200,000 to go to charities of their choice.) Since the announcement, the Telegraph reported Europe would not be changing its payment structure. How does this new wrinkle affect the dynamic of the Ryder Cup?

News

Melton: It reflects the dynamics of both teams. Team USA as a group of rugged individuals playing (largely) for themselves and their own interests versus Team Europe which bands together for a greater goal. If the Americans lose at Bethpage, you can be sure that point will be talked about for many years to come.

Bastable: I think that’s spot-on, Zeph — this development plays right into the narratives that have formed around both sides over the last 20 years or so. Am I offended that the Americans will be paid? I am not. But I do wonder if a $200,00 stipend was worth all the politicking that surely was required behind the scenes. Rory made a dig about the U.S. paydays earlier this week, and rest assured those jabs will continue until the final putt drops at Bethpage next fall.    

Hirsh: I agree with both of you. What are we doing here? Just send it all to charity and get on with it. What is $200k to Xander Schauffele when he made more than $23 million last year. Was it worth it? Rory is right to throw shade and thinly veiled digs. The Americans look like babies crying “Where’s the money?” while the Europeans are in it for pride and pride only. 

TGL, the new indoor simulator golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, will kick off on Jan. 7, although we got a peek behind the curtain with media day availability last week. Anything you read or saw floating around on social media that was intriguing to you?

News

Melton: It looked … cooler than I expected? The rotating green and Augusta National-esque sand traps look well executed, and the wacky hole designs they’ve revealed remind me of Golden Tee. Color me cautiously optimistic that TGL could be a lot of fun. 

Bastable: Yes, it certainly looks like they got the tech right — how about that six-story-high sim screen! — and the players legitimately seem wowed by all the bells and whistles. But as we’ve already discussed at length in this space, how long until the novelty wears off?

Hirsh: Yea, I am intrigued, but Alan is right. How long will I (and everyone else) stay that way?

We’ll spend next week’s Tour Confidential looking ahead to 2025, but first let’s take one last look back at 2024. What was your favorite golf moment of the past year?

News

Melton: I always get a kick out of covering the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and this year was no different. Lottie Woad’s back-nine charge was epic — and it was a lot of fun to witness in person. We’re still only half a decade into ANWA’s history, but the event is a total hit in my opinion. Here’s to many more iconic moments from the ladies at Augusta. 

Bastable: I will always associate 2024 with the Scheffler arrest. Was it my favorite moment?  I don’t know. But for those of us in the golf-news business, it was the kind of moment that makes this job a blast. Still gobsmacked that it even happened.     

Hirsh: Yeah, it’s Scheffler’s arrest for me too. That was just one of those moments that transcended sports and will make people remember “where were you when.” For me, it was the seven phone calls from my dad telling me to turn on SportsCenter at 7 a.m. Let’s also not forget, the dude shot 66 that day. Like come on man, don’t let us know how easy it is for you!

The post Tour Confidential: Tiger impressions, Ryder Cup pay, 2024’s best moments appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Will The Showdown work? Plus Tiger, Scottie, more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Will The Showdown work? Plus Tiger, Scottie, more appeared first on Golf.

The Crypto.com Showdown kicks off on Tuesday when Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka take on Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. Why does this one have the promise to be the best made-for-TV match yet — and why might it flop?

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): Sometimes the golf can take a backseat in these matches (and, for what it’s worth, I’ve been game to watch ’em every time), but here the emphasis is squarely on the golf, and that’s a good thing. They’ve got four appointment-viewing golfers. They’ve got LIV vs. the PGA Tour. If they just play and don’t try too hard, this should be terrific. As for why it might flop? It’s football season. During football season there’s not much oxygen left for any other sport.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): Par won’t do much good here so it will be four of the best in the game playing no-holds-barred, birdie-or-bust golf. That makes for decent entertainment, especially with the LIV vs Tour overlay. Fairly or not, many will take it as a measuring stick of the rival tours. Dylan is right. Football season is tough competition. But ratings aside, it could be a bust if the banter is as cringe-inducing as it often gets in these miked-up confections. There’s a reason none of these guys has been asked to host a Comedy Central roast. 

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): Here’s the exciting reality: It might not stink! And that pretty much makes it the best made-for-TV golf event since the Brady/Manning/Tiger/Phil match back in 2020. If you’ve decided to assume these events will be insufferably corny until proven otherwise, I think that’s fair. But I also think these are the right characters competing under the right structure, to make something that might be enjoyable to diehards and casuals alike. That’s good enough for me. 

If Bryson DeChambeau — already the YouTube influencer he is — is the most important piece of this match being a hit, which player is the second-most important to its success?

Dethier: McIlroy. He’s not the PGA Tour standard-bearer that he was at the beginning of this LIV-Tour rivalry, but he still moves the needle as much as any non-Tiger-Woods golfer in the world. There’s not a weak link here, though — everybody brings something.

Sens: Agreed. Any of the four is capable of putting on a scorching show. But next up after Rory has to be Scheffler, the world’s best player coming off an epic season, with a chance to put yet another punctuation on his dominance.

Colgan: Scottie is the first long-term, no-brainer World No. 1 in like, a dozen years, and I’d argue golf’s ability to convert his dominance into viewers is the biggest challenge facing the sport after reunification. 

Tiger Woods returns to the course this week for the first time since July when he’ll team up with his son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship in Florida. Will we learn anything about Woods’ form and health this week — or should we just sit back and enjoy some family golf?

Dethier: We’ll see him swing and we’ll see him walk and we’ll even see him hit some pressure putts! Let’s not get carried away — not by Woods’ form nor by his son’s. But yeah, I think what we see this week from Woods will give us some sort of hint at what to expect from his 2025.

Sens: To borrow from Bobby Jones, there are two types of golf, tournament golf and hit-and-giggle father-and-son golf, and they are not at all alike. For one thing, Tiger will be allowed to use a cart. You can’t do that at Augusta. That’s just one of many reasons why we shouldn’t use this as a barometer of anything more than what it is.

Colgan: It’s Tiger playing in a televised golf event. Can we convince ourselves we’ve learned something? Obviously yes. We will, whether we should or not.

Scottie Scheffler won PGA Tour Player of the Year honors for a third consecutive season, matching a feat only accomplished by Tiger Woods. (Tiger won five in a row once and three in a row another time.) If you’re Vegas, what are you setting the odds at for Scheffler to make it four in a row next season? And who would you give the second-best odds to?

Dethier: Sheesh — this is a good question. Golf is a fickle game, even for World No. 1s, but given Scheffler’s dominance you can’t go longer than about 2-1 odds. Xander Schauffele is second, with McIlroy just a tick behind him.

Sens: For a brief time, it seemed like Scheffler’s putter might undo him. But he straightened that out well enough. Nor did becoming a father slow him down, as it has other players. I’d put him at close to even money, though Dylan’s right again. The next has to be Schauffele. Unless there’s a sudden truce with LIV, the Tours merge, and Bryson gets back into the full-time mix.

Colgan: I would make Scottie a prohibitive favorite — maybe even odds. He’s been that good. And nobody (sans Schauffele, who just won two majors in one year and STILL lost POTY) is particularly close.  

Speaking of Scheffler, his famed 2012 GMC Yukon XL (with 184,000 miles on it) has been put up for auction with a starting bid of $50,000. Proceeds from the sale will support the Triumph Over Kid Cancer charity. Forget a green jacket or claret jug, what random piece of golf memorabilia would you most like to get your hands on?

Dethier: If we’re handing out cars I’ll take just one of the two Genesis whips Will Zalatoris won at Riviera last year. Or, I dunno. Maybe an old Top Flite hat. Good vibes there.

Sens: I’m not much of a merch guy or a souvenir collector, and I’ve got no romantic attachment to any golf artifacts. But if someone wants to hand me the first-place check from the FedEx Cup at season’s end, I’d accept it.

Colgan: Jim Nantz, if you’re reading this, please let me get a hands on a game-used version of one of those sweet, sweet Vineyard Vines ties.

The post Tour Confidential: Will The Showdown work? Plus Tiger, Scottie, more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Tiger’s health, LIV Golf shakeups and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Tiger’s health, LIV Golf shakeups and more appeared first on Golf.

Tiger Woods spoke to the media at his Hero World Challenge, calling last season a wash and still unsure about how healthy he’ll be to play consistently in 2025. What was your biggest takeaway from Tiger’s time with the media, and how much longer do you think he’ll approach each season hoping but unsure if he’ll play a few majors before he decides to hang it up for good? Are we close to that?

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): It’s like deja vu at this press conference every year. Tiger seems to always be frustrated with his health and unsure of what he’ll be able to do the coming season. When he said he hoped to play once a month it turned out that wasn’t even close. But none of this is surprising at this point; it’s just reality. The guy’s body has been through a lot. That said, I think this will be the status quo going forward. He’s still competitive and is going to play as much as he can and I don’t think a full-fledged retirement is coming soon unless things get substantially worse. But I’m also curious how much (if at all) he’ll play on the Champions Tour when he gets to cruise around in a cart. That day is approaching quickly.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): Agreed, Josh. Tiger famously plays things close to the vest. But for a long while now, I don’t think he’s known much more about his plans than the rest of us have, and those plans have been to play as many majors as possible, along with a tiny handful of other events. All of the majors are available to him for pretty much as long as he’s willing to hold out hope. And I don’t expect him to give up on them entirely anytime soon. But as Red Sox second baseman Jerry Remy said when he became a broadcaster: we’re all day to day, even GOATs.

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): Tiger is always going to say he’s hoping to play the majors (and a few other select tournaments), but the reality is his body isn’t going to allow that. The day his car veered off the road in 2021, his career effectively ended. It remains to be seen how long it will take him to accept that fact.  

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman confirmed reports that had been circulating for weeks, which is that he’ll be out as the league’s CEO following his three-year run. (Former Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment CEO Scott O’Neil has been reported as his replacement.) How will Norman’s time as CEO at LIV be remembered? And years from now, how significant will his role have been in whatever the pro golf landscape looks like?

Berhow: Norman’s had such a bizarre and complex relationship with the sport. It’s actually quite difficult to keep this answer concise, but in short he did well to sign some big-name players away from the Tour — Rahm, Bryson, Brooks, etc. — and, like it or not, brought disruption to the game that some fans and players thought was due for disrupting. But he also never got a quality TV deal, which was crucial to LIV Golf expanding its reach and proving it was more than just a hit-and-giggle start-up with a weird format that was streamed on YouTube. Would LIV Golf or the pro golf landscape look that differently right now without Norman, and if someone else had just taken that role? Probably not much, but Norman will be forever tied to it.

Sens: With their financial muscle, the Saudis presumably could have found any number of people to help them disrupt the men’s pro game. But Norman was the perfect vessel for it: a global star with restless ambition and–given that a rival tour was his idea all along– a super-sharp axe to grind. This weight of his name surely didn’t hurt with recruiting a bunch of the guys that LIV now has. But distaste for Norman might have helped turn off others, and did little to further the prospect of negotiations.

Melton: Norman will be remembered as a polarizing and disruptive figure. Whether you see that as a good thing or a bad one is up to you. 

From one outgoing CEO to another, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, commissioner of the LPGA Tour, announced she will step down from her role in January, two years before her contract reportedly expired. While purses rose significantly since Marcoux Samaan took over in May 2021, the 2024 season ended with a Solheim Cup parking debacle and a key sponsor calling out the Tour at its season-ending event. What will be Marcoux Samaan’s legacy? And what do you think ultimately led to this early departure?

Berhow: Purses raised drastically in her time and while that’s not completely due to a league’s CEO, they get to take a ton of the credit. Increasing the purses and expanding the league’s reach and exposure were probably the two most important items on her to-do list when she started, and while one was accomplished I’m not sure the other was. Was that completely her fault? Probably not, but if the boss can take credit for purse increases they need to take the fall when things don’t go so well. Nelly Korda had a historic season and it just never seemed to gain as much traction as it should have. (Again, Korda probably could have helped herself more here too.) Finally, the Solheim Cup parking snafu was bad and the immediate response wasn’t much better.

News

Sens: I don’t think you can lay the parking debacle entirely at her feet. Her role is big-picture, not the nitty-gritty of on-the-ground logistics . But it was bad optics (and the sluggish communications response was amateurish), and part of the boss’s job is taking heat when such things go wrong. That the third round of the season-ending CME Championship was shown on tape-delay was another bad look. But that was a TV contract negotiated before Marcous Samaan took over. Again, though, the buck has to stop somewhere, so that becomes entwined in her legacy as well. In her defense, I think frustrations with the LPGA the season are reflective of an issue across the board in professional golf: players and organizations and networks want and expect more money than the market actually warrants. Golf is a niche sport.

Melton: I’ll give Mollie credit, she helped raise purses across the LPGA Tour and was generally well-liked among players. Ultimately, however, her inability to operate as an effective communicator was her downfall. The problems the LPGA Tour faces are too large for one singular figure to fix and I’d expect the next commish to face similar headwinds. At a bare minimum, though, they need to find someone who can better communicate with fans, sponsors and the media. 

Following a year in which NBC Sports held mini “tryouts” for its lead analyst role, the network announced Kevin Kisner will be the replacement to take over the full-time gig most recently held by Paul Azinger. Do you like the Kisner selection over the other candidates?

Berhow: I think Kisner’s laid-back personality and relationship with so many current Tour pros played to his advantage, but from that chair it’s also their job to be critical when necessary. How often will Kisner pull that arrow from his quiver? We’ll find out.

Sens: Kisner can be funny and he obviously knows what it’s like to be out there, but there’s no doubt that close ties to the players he’s covering is both a benefit and a liability. I understand that Brandel Chamblee is not universally beloved, but I also think he’s as smart and incisive as there is in golf. I would have liked to see him in the role.

Melton: It’s fine. The hire isn’t ground-breaking, but it’s not a total flop either. I would’ve preferred to see Chamblee in the booth, but alas. 

Two top American players returned rejuvenated last week, with Jordan Spieth taking on the Hero after a wrist injury and a bulked-up Will Zalatoris teeing it up on the DP World Tour following his first healthy offseason in years. Both sounded optimistic about 2025. Who will have the better season?

Berhow: Willy Z. He’s had a year to get more comfortable with the broomstick putter and his new swing. He seems healthy, excited and committed. I like him to win at least once next season and would not be surprised to see him do it twice.

Sens: Zalatoris. Even when he was winning majors, Spieth was reliant on an otherworldly scrambling and putting game, which is difficult to sustain. Maybe more importantly, he has also been through a long period of struggles with his game as a whole, which takes a toll on the confidence. 

Melton: My coworkers nailed it. Zalatoris looked like one of the best players in the world before his injury troubles. If he’s back to 100 percent, look out.

The post Tour Confidential: Tiger’s health, LIV Golf shakeups and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Player of the Year, Tiger returns (kind of) and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Player of the Year, Tiger returns (kind of) and more appeared first on Golf.

The PGA Tour released its nominees for the 2024 Jack Nicklaus Award and Arnold Palmer Award, with Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy battling for POY and Nick Dunlap, Max Greyserman, Jake Knapp and Matthieu Pavon nominated for Rookie of the Year. Any predictions?

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Scheffler’s seven-win season and the fact that most of them were in bigger events will be tough to top, even with Xander’s double-major year. (P.S. Scottie’s Olympic gold doesn’t hurt his chances, either.) The ROY race should be tighter, but not by much. Pavon won once and had a nice run at the Masters, but it’s hard to bet against the headlines Nick Dunlap made when he became the first amateur to win since Phil and the first player to win as an amateur and pro in the same season.

Jessica Marksbury, senior editor (@Jess_Marksbury): Scottie is a lock. In terms of win quality, Pavon’s title at the Farmers Insurance Open was probably the strongest in terms of prestige. But Josh, you make a great case for Nick Dunlap. I think you’re right. If all wins are equal, doing it as an amateur should be worth double anyway, and Dunlap won another tournament too, for good measure. He gets the nod from me.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): It’s Scottie, who had a ridiculous, historic season. But as crazy as it sounds, I think Scheffler would have traded his season for Schauffele’s until he won the gold medal. A player’s major count is his most important number and Schauffele got two to Scheffler’s one. But Olympic gold is in a category of its own; pair that with his Masters title, add in the Players and a bundle of additional Tour wins, cap it off with the FedEx Cup title and he’s the clear winner. As for Rookie of the Year? Dunlap won twice and is therefore the easy pick. Max Greyserman has shown some red-hot form, though, and may be the guy to watch for 2025.

It’s Hero World Challenge week, and while the 15-time major-winning host won’t be teeing it up, we will hear from him in his annual pre-tournament press conference. What are you hoping to learn from Tiger Woods when he speaks to the media next week?

Berhow: We seem to constantly get no-update updates on the state of the pending merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, but hopefully Tiger has a little more intel on current happenings and where everything stands. As a prominent figure in golf, if he voices any displeasure or skepticism, it will make waves. But maybe it’s wishful thinking that even his thoughts will have that much impact at this point.

Marksbury: I’m still not ready for Tiger’s full transition from player to elder statesman. An update on the LIV/PGA Tour proceedings would be great, but I also want to know how he’s healing from his latest procedure and if competitive golf is far away. A tentative schedule of when we can expect to see him tee it up next year would be nice too.

Dethier: At the moment the people really want to know if Team Woods will be taking on the PNC. I’m legitimately curious to take his temperature on the TGL, too — how invested and excited is he? But Berhow’s right that we should at least be able to read between the lines of whatever sidestep he offers on the PIF-PGA Tour relationship. Mostly it’ll be good to see Woods out and about; the world hasn’t seen much of him since The Open.

GOLF recently released its latest rankings of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S. (including the public list) and with it some survey results we collected from golf fans like you. What was the most interesting nugget you noticed?

Berhow: About 1/3 of those surveyed said they wouldn’t pay more than $100 to play a Top 100 Course. While I think that figure is about right, I think it also reminds that there’s a large portion of people out there who are more into golf for the recreation, sport and camaraderie rather than checking off a bucket list gem — and that’s just fine. It’s important to have courses to support that, too.

Marksbury: I was very surprised at how many respondents (55 percent!) said a course’s designer matters to them when they’re choosing where to play. Unless I’m headed to a heralded or bucket-list destination in which the designer is basically synonymous with the course, a given course’s designer is often something I think about after I play, rather than before.

Dethier: I was just surprised that 10 percent of survey-takers had played Pine Valley and nearly half of you know someone who has. I knew you all were golf sickos, I just didn’t realize how well-connected you were.

Drivers

With a nod to Thanksgiving, what golf moment or part of the game are you thankful for right now?

Berhow: Friends to take buddies’ trips with, slope buttons on rangefinders, good push carts, high-quality brats at the turn and strong post-round IPAs on patios.

Marksbury: Josh, what a list! Hard to top. I’ll go with that first-tee feeling, when the anticipation is at a high and the round — and all its potential unrealized glories — is still ahead of you.

Dethier: Every time you get out on a crisp fall day it just feels like you’re stealing one. Thankful for fall golf, for a course with a view and for the relief when the one group holding you up drops out after nine.

And on a different note, our Josh Sens compiled a list of our annual ‘Turkey Award‘ winners for 2024, which was a look back at some of the more unsavory headlines from the year. Who or what is your winner in that category for this year?

Berhow: Oh boy, some worthy candidates no doubt. Hard to top the mess in Phoenix, although arresting the World No. 1 player might do that.

Marksbury: Scottie’s arrest, hands down. I’m still mad about it.

Dethier: There was something strange and hilarious about Matt Kuchar singlehandedly extending the Wyndham Championship into Monday. Probably less hilarious for tournament staffers who had to come back first thing, though.

The post Tour Confidential: Player of the Year, Tiger returns (kind of) and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: FedEx Cup Fall drama, best public courses appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: FedEx Cup Fall drama, best public courses appeared first on Golf.

Maverick McNealy closed the 2024 PGA Tour season with the first victory of his career, beating three others by a shot at the RSM Classic on Sunday. What took the former top-ranked amateur so long to get his first title on Tour, and do you expect it to snowball into a breakout 2025?

Jack Hirsh, associate equipment editor (@JR_HIRSHey): That seems like a loaded question. Winning is hard on the PGA Tour. We’ve seen numerous top-ranked amateurs get to the PGA Tour and never win, and we’ve also seen plenty who have gone on to have hall-of-fame careers. While he was dealing with an injury last year, he still played better in 2022 than he did this year, even with the win. I say it’s likely he wins again, but I don’t expect him to suddenly become a top-10 or top-20 player.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): He’s kind of unique where he’s never been a star but has never really struggled to keep his PGA Tour card. He’s just been… pretty good: solid off the tee, not so great into greens and a very good putter. It was a matter of time. It’s not a fluke he had so much success at the collegiate level. The first one’s always the hardest. He’d definitely be a breakout contender for next year.

Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): Golf’s a funny old game. Mav had six top 10s this season but also 13 missed cuts or withdrawals. Forecasting what players are capable of from one week to the next is nearly impossible. What a month for Mav, though! He helped mastermind the Tour’s recently announced revamp of its FedEx Cup points distribution system, and now he has his first Tour title. If only he’d lobbied the Tour to dole out more points for the RSM…

News

Last week we found out (officially) that come 2026, only 100 players will earn full-time PGA Tour status. But for 2025, that magic number is still 125, and we learned those players at the season-ending RSM Classic on Sunday. Which player who made it just inside (or outside) that cut line was the most notable to you?

Hirsh: Has to be Joel Dahmen, who put together a Sunday 64 to finish No. 124 in the FedEx Cup. Dahmen has struggled with adjusting to his newfound fame since being a key figure in the Netflix “Full Swing” docuseries. Having him on Tour makes for a much more entertaining, compelling and relatable product, so having him struggle to get into fields under the past champion category wouldn’t have been much fun. I still think his best years are yet to come.

Berhow: Yeah, hard to argue with Dahmen, since he was the biggest name within a few of that No. 125 spot. Two other young former college standouts, Parker and Pierceson Coody, both landed on the wrong side of that line, too.

Bastable: Must say, I didn’t foresee anyone in the Creator Classic field making a run at a Tour card, but that’s what Wes Bryan did, narrowly missing out by three spots. When Bryan took heat for playing in that hit-and-giggle event for influencers earlier this year, he tweeted, “Are there actually ppl mad that I’m playing in this event? I have filmed 100+ long form youtube videos over the last two years…missed almost every cut on the pga tour…and hardly ever practice.” Not exactly a recipe for Tour success. But Bryan still found a way to stay relevant until an MC this week doomed his card hopes.

We’ll spend more time next month unpacking the year that was on the PGA Tour, but off the top of your head, what’s the one big thing you learned or will remember about the 2024 PGA Tour season?

Hirsh: Honestly, that a Tiger-like run is still possible. I think I had started thinking that the generation of kids who got into golf because of Tiger Woods had made the sport too deep for anyone to really go on a run of victories like he did nearly two decades ago. Scottie Scheffler disproved that theory this year. No, he didn’t win multiple majors like Woods did do so often, but until Scheffler’s 2024 no one had won seven times in a Tour season since Woods in 2007. And it’s not like Scheffler’s competition was weak, either. Sure, LIV Golf has taken away Jon Rahm, Cam Smith, Jaco Neimann and others, but Scheffler was winning against Xander Schauffele, who won two majors himself, week in and week out. Let’s not forget about that gold medal win, too.

Berhow: Scottie Scheffler will never go back to Louisville.

Bastable: Yeah, the Scheffler PGA fiasco will go down as the one of the wildest sports stories of all time, but still, this year might be remembered more for what happened off the course. Or, more the point, what didn’t happen. And that will continue to be the case until the PGA Tour and PIF finally strike a deal. The drawn-out negotiations have sucked so much oxygen out of the room. Total bummer.

Also complete is the 2024 LPGA season, with Jeeno Thitikul winning the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Nelly Korda tied for fifth to put a bow on a spectacular seven-win campaign. Quick: Will Korda match or surpass that season-win total again in her career?

Hirsh: I’ll go ahead and say it: yes! For as incredible as Korda’s season was, it was also kind of weird. She missed three cuts randomly in the middle of the season that included two majors, she took two months off between her first and second wins, she let chances to win the Open and Olympics slip away and she also dealt with some injury. As long as her mechanics stay intact, I could see her winning in bunches like this for a few more years.

Berhow: Yes. And boy, that sounds crazy to say, but I came to that conclusion in my head pretty quickly. I think she can keep getting better — as Jack mentioned, she had some weird things happen this year too — and I would not be a bit surprised to see her do this again.

Bastable: ​​Buzzkill Bastable says no. Seven wins is staggering, and the tour is only getting deeper, meaning victories will become increasingly harder to come by. As Jack notes, Nelly’s also been prone to injuries; winning in bunches requires staying healthy.

Last week, GOLF released its latest ranking of the Top 100 Courses You Can Play, a list full of superstar layouts accessible to any Average Joe. If you were creating the ultimate public-golf road trip with this list in mind, where are you taking our readers?

Hirsh: I’ve used this space before to shout-out my former hometown of Bend, Ore., and I will do it again. Bend is represented on our latest Top 100 Courses You can Play list with Pronghorn’s two courses, but it has so much more to offer. Sunriver’s Crosswater course once was in the top 15 of our ranking and I believe it is one of the most beautiful inland courses I have ever played. The list goes on and on with Tetherow, Brasada Ranch, Black Butte Ranch and more. Within 90 minutes is an absolutely fantastic hidden gem in the mountains called Tokatee, which is on GOLF’s list of America’s best golf courses for under $100. And while a five-hour drive to Bandon Dunes may seem long, it is one of the most scenic drives you can take.

Berhow: The easy answer is to spend some time kicking around Pebble Beach or Pinehurst, etc., and playing all of those crazy-good — and often spendy — tracks, but I’m gonna use my homer card as well and pick a more Midwestern trip that won’t hurt your wallet quiet as much and isn’t as obvious. Play one of those elite Wisconsin courses (Whistling or Sand Valley or Erin Hills, etc.) but then stop off for a value play at Lawsonia, then head to Minnesota (which I’m surprised didn’t get one nod on our Top 100 You Can Play list) and go way up north and double up at Giants Ridges’ two courses before driving to nearby The Wilderness at Fortune Bay. It’s a great area that is home to three of the better public courses in the state, and unless you are brave enough to travel that far, a lot of out-of-staters don’t even know about it.

Bastable: No, Josh, the easy answer is, in fact, Bandon Dunes, which has five courses in the top 25. Bonus: the only road trip you need worry about is getting to the resort. A less obvious rec: the Tampa, Fla., area. Three Streamsong Top 100s, the new spread at Cabot Citrus Farms and the Copperhead course at Innisbrook are all within two hours of one another. Not a bad haul!

The post Tour Confidential: FedEx Cup Fall drama, best public courses appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Rory’s big win, Ryder Cup money, LPGA rivalry appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Rory’s big win, Ryder Cup money, LPGA rivalry appeared first on Golf.

The Telegraph reported the PGA of America is considering proposals and nearing a structure that would pay U.S. Ryder Cup players directly — reportedly $400,000 each — for the first time in the event’s nearly 100-year history. As for the European side? “The European consensus is we don’t want anything to change what we have over here,” said Rory McIlroy, “so we probably won’t be getting paid for Bethpage, which is totally fine.” While lots can change in the next year, how would the Ryder Cup dynamic be affected if one side was compensated and the other wasn’t?

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): All the cliches about the American cult of individualism vs the European belief in the collective good definitely play out in Ryder Cup dynamics, and those dynamics sure seem to favor the Europeans. But I’m not sure one side getting paid would change much about the competition. What I think it would change is fan rooting interest. Given a choice between a mercenary team and players willing to play for free, I know which side I’d pull for every time. 

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): I don’t think the dynamic would change much, but I agree with Josh: it strikes me as strange that one side could be compensated while the other is not. But if we’re being honest, it’s ridiculous the players aren’t paid for the Ryder Cup to begin with, so if this is what it takes to get the gears turning in the right direction, so be it.

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): My two colleagues nailed it in the replies above. I’m not sure there’s any more I can add that hasn’t already been said. 

Speaking of McIlroy, he beat Rasmus Hojgaard by two to win the season-ending DP World Tour Championship and clinch his sixth Race to Dubai title. Given his close calls over the past year — U.S. Open, Irish Open — how big was this victory to end the year and how important was it for his mojo heading into 2025: very little, somewhat, or a lot?

Sens: In the grand scheme, very little. McIlroy has won plenty of events during his 10-year major drought. What he hasn’t won are the individual events he says mean the most to him. Maybe the swing changes he says he’s working on will get him over the hump this coming season. But I don’t expect another Race to Dubai title to get him past the mental-game issues that have pretty clearly been getting in his way in majors.

Colgan:  Psychologically, I think it was a pretty big deal. I think his surprisingly emotional interview after the tournament proved as much to be true. But the bigger question — can he defeat the demons that cost him the U.S. Open and nearly cost him the title on Sunday? — remains unanswered heading into ‘25. I think that’s the bigger piece of it. 

Melton: I don’t think it does a whole heck of a lot for his psyche considering winning these sorts of titles has never been the issue — it’s been winning in the four big ones. Another shiny trophy to add to the collection, but not the one he wants most. I don’t think this winning experience is gonna be make or break when it comes crunch time in the majors.

Paul Azinger is returning to the golf broadcasting booth 2025, as the former NBC lead analyst will take over the same role for the PGA Tour Champions (replacing the since-departed Lanny Wadkins). Given how Azinger aired dirty laundry on his way out the door from NBC last December, are you surprised by this hire? And do you think we’ll see the same version of Azinger we saw in the booth previous years?

Sens: A bit surprising. But a sensible hire in a lot of ways. Azinger will be covering guys from his own generation, so presumably he’ll have some fun personal anecdotes to share, among other insights that add color to color commentary. This time around also feels like lower stakes and less pressure than his first time in the tower, when he was filling the big shoes of Johnny Miller. I would hope – and expect–he’ll be more relaxed and freewheeling, which also makes for a better broadcast.

News

Colgan: I’m pretty surprised, if only because ‘Zinger called his new employers at the Tour a “feeder” tour to LIV less than a year ago. But I also don’t think there are that many people alive who are qualified to speak about the PGA Tour Champions each week like Azinger is, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too shocked.

Melton: It’s always a surprise to see a reunion after burned bridges, but after the twists and turns pro golf has taken in recent years, it’s far from the most stunning reversal. I’m not sure his limited time on TV broadcasting the Champs Tour will make many waves, though. Most of the views for the senior tour come via muted TVs in muni grill rooms and bars anyways.

Two of the women’s game’s most popular players, Nelly Korda and Charley Hull, faced off in the final grouping at The Annika on Sunday, with Korda ultimately shooting 67 to win by one shot. It was also somewhat of a rematch dating back to the fall, when Hull beat Korda 6 and 4 in Solheim Cup singles. How important is this Korda-Hull dynamic for the LPGA? Is it the “rivalry” the league needs?

Colgan: They’re two of the most marketable players in the LPGA right now, so I’d say it is important for the tour that they played together on Sunday. But I don’t think one singular rivalry is enough to move the needle. I think we should be talking about how to improve the product — pace of play is one notable area — so that when stars compete against one another during these bigger weekends, fans are incentivized to keep coming back.

Sens: James pretty much nails it. Rivalries between top players are always welcome. But one rivalry alone isn’t a silver bullet. What the magic cure might be is another matter. I’m not sure. The LPGA Tour is stocked with great players with engaging personalities who are far more media-friendly than their male counterparts. Why they aren’t more popular here — as they are on the Korean professional circuit, where they earn more and draw more fans than the guys — has to do with something deeper currents that make for uncomfortable conversations.

Melton: They’re definitely two of the most recognizable faces in the women’s game, but for it to be a true rivalry, Charley Hull is going to need to beef up her resume a bit. For as much buzz as she generates on social media, her CV is a bit light with just two LPGA wins in her entire career. Even if the “rivalry” does fully blossom, though, it’s not going to be a fix-all for the women’s game. As Sens alluded to above, that speaks to some deeper issues.

GOLF released its latest ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S. last week, with Pine Valley yet again coming in at No. 1 and 11 newcomers making the list. What stood out to you about the latest ranking? (Eds. note: Stay tuned for our newest Top 100 Courses You Can Play ranking that goes live on Tuesday.)

Sens: Just how much of the list tilts private. I don’t think that’s a flaw in the rankings, it’s simply a reflection of the way the game is drifting, and how much money there is at the higher end of the game. Money is pouring into restorations of great old private clubs, but also into super-exclusive new hideaways. As great as many resorts and daily-fee courses are these days, it’s gotten harder for public-access golf to compete rankings-wise.

Colgan: Man, I was shocked by the jump taken by The Lido, the mythical Long Island routing turned Wisconsin resort course. It’s up into the top 40 in the U.S., and given its story, it’s probably the public course I’m most eager to play. 

Melton: I enjoyed seeing Philly Cricket sneak into the Top 100 this time around. The Wissahickon course has long been one of my favorite in the northeast, so it’s nice to see it get some love in the rankings. 

The post Tour Confidential: Rory’s big win, Ryder Cup money, LPGA rivalry appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer  appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer  appeared first on Golf.

1. Last week, the PGA Tour notified members of several proposed changes that could take place in the 2026 season, a couple of which would be handing out fewer Tour cards and reducing field sizes for some events. “I hate all the changes they’re making,” Justin Lower said last week. “Seems like anytime I do something good they make a change.” Lower, due to his ranking, would be one of the players most likely affected if these changes go through, but with all the Signature Event tweaks, field-size adjustments and constant change in the men’s game lately, does he have a point about the Tour changing too much and even running the risk of confusing the average fan? Is the Tour’s constant change good, bad, or inevitable?

News

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): From the fan’s perspective, I think it depends on what you like about the pro game. Do you enjoy watching the stars and mostly familiar names week in and week out? Or do you prefer the occasional underdog? In a sentence, then, the dark horses might get squeezed out — but there’s the strong possibility that the quality of play will improve, as it’ll be harder to keep a Tour card. As for me, I’m a fan of stories — and telling them! — and I think we’ll lose some here. 

Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): Lower definitely has a point, but he’s gonna have to work pretty hard to earn a ton of sympathy. He’s just not one of the 40 or 60 or even top 100 golfers in the world. The truth these days is you need to be a top player to have the system always working in your favor. That is earned by really good golf. 

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): He definitely has a point. And there’s definitely a cost to these changes. But the PGA Tour — and its big-time new consultants — have made this decision with fans and with simplicity in mind. I think this adds clarity to a confusing system, which is a good thing. Still work to do, of course … 

2. Another one of the proposed changes was tweaking the pathway to the Tour, and 20 Korn Ferry Tour grads will now receive PGA Tour cards instead of 30. The DP World Tour will once again award 10 cards. In an interview last week following the Tour’s proposed changes, DP World Tour chief Guy Kinnings said it wouldn’t surprise him if more Americans started to consider joining the DP World Tour. Do you agree? And are there advantages and disadvantages to this scenario?

News

Piastowski: Yeah, I could potentially see that. On the DP World Tour, the purses are bigger, and the locations are more exotic. You can make a good living and travel the globe. But if your goal is the PGA Tour, 20 cards is still greater than 10. I’m questioning how much things change. 

Zak: Totally agree, but it’ll be in reverse. As in those who finish outside the top 125 on the Tour first, then head to Europe, rather than those coming from college to Europe on their way to the Tour ranks. But as long as the purses on the KFT are somewhat comparable, the proximity to home is going to be a better fit for most. 

Dethier: This week’s DP World Tour field was a reminder that it’s tough to put this circuit in a box — it’s an epic global tour that’s also a feeder tour, an outlet for LIV guys and a part-time stop for some of the biggest stars in the world. I’m all for incorporating it more fully in the PGA Tour system … but there are still big-picture identity questions it has to confront. But as Rory McIlroy said this week, it’s a tour with its options open.

3. Austin Eckroat won the World Wide Technology Championship, besting Justin Lower and Carson Young by one and Max Greyserman by two in Mexico. Greyserman talked earlier in the week about his close calls, and with his third-place finish here, he’s now placed in the top five five times in his 27 career starts (including three 2nds) and still hasn’t won on Tour. Is he the best current PGA Tour player without a victory? Or does someone else hold that title?

News

Piastowski: I’ll cheat here a bit and go with Tommy Fleetwood — the seven-time DP World Tour winner and multiple-time Ryder Cupper has stunningly never won on the PGA Tour. But if we’re playing things straight up, gimme Denny McCarthy, maybe the Tour’s best putter. Golf is a hard game. This all being said, Greyserman’s too talented not to win, and I’m thinking he jumps off this list quickly. 

Zak: I think Greyserman needs to do it more than just one season to earn that title. It’s definitely Tommy lad, as Nick points out. And it might not be close? Cameron Young comes to mind, too. 

Dethier: Let’s get more specific: He’s on the hottest current run of anyone without a Tour win. There’s no guarantee one will ever come, but Greyserman seems to be the total package. He’s high on every watch list for 2025.

4. Ageless wonder Bernhard Langer won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Sunday in Phoenix, extending his senior-circuit winning streak to 18 years and giving the 67-year-old pro his record-extending 47th win on PGA Tour Champions. Given Langer’s talent and longevity and the mass sums being made on the PGA Tour these days, is his PGA Tour Champions win record (which could still be added to) something that will ever be broken?

Piastowski: No. Unless that dude who wears red on Sunday — who turns 49 next month! — commits to a full Champions schedule. 

Zak: It will not be broken. It’s ridiculous. I see that level of pro golf only developing more parity moving forward, too. Langer’s records are safe. 

Dethier: The PGA Tour Champions is funny because your age works against you from the moment you make your debut. For everyone else, that is. Remarkable stuff and a testament to his discipline.

5. On Tuesday, GOLF will release its latest Top 100 Courses in the U.S. ranking, a list that dates back decades. Why do you believe this ranking continues to be important for the sport?

Piastowski: All kinds of reasons! But maybe the biggest is you, the golfer, wins. Courses typically want to be on these kinds of lists — so, in turn, you get better golf, better experiences, better everything. That said, here’s hoping we get better prices, too. 

Zak: I think it’s because we love lists, and there’s a ton of good stuff about this list. It allows for change when new courses come into play. It gives us all something to shoot for and talk about. It gives us a reason to travel! It’s a lot of things in one. 

Dethier: It’s important because we love talking about golf courses, and comparing them, and making lists of our favorites. Our Top 100 doesn’t have to be yours. It won’t be! But it’s a great jumping-off point for conversations, for debates, for dreams … and maybe even for making plans. It’s impossible to make a perfect list just like it’s impossible to compare pieces of art. But it’s worth giving it the ol’ college try anyway.

The post Tour Confidential: PGA Tour changes and the great Bernhard Langer  appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Ryder Cup player pay, biggest PGA Tour change, Tour-PIF news appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Ryder Cup player pay, biggest PGA Tour change, Tour-PIF news appeared first on Golf.

Pending approval by the PGA Tour Policy Board, big changes are coming to the Tour regarding membership, field sizes, pace of play, Monday qualifiers and more. You can read about the proposed changes here (and some burning questions here), but what’s your take on the most significant development, and are you in favor of it?

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): The biggest news has to be that the number of full-status players will drop from 125 to 100. In short, it will make it a little more special to secure a PGA Tour card and strengthen that core group of members, but at the same time it’s not like the guys just outside that line won’t get any starts anywhere. Far from it. I don’t mind the cutthroat nature.

Josh Sens, senior writer, (@joshsens): That reduced number of full-timers is definitely the one that jumps out first. But cutting back on Monday qualifiers also caught my eye. At first blush, it seems like an unfortunate change, since who doesn’t love the Cinderella story of some unknown squeaking into a tournament at the last minute and going on to win? Thing is, the record shows that stories of that kind almost never happen, that most Monday qualifiers wind up missing the cut or being non-factors. Bottom line: reality trumps romance. In the end, it seems like a sensible change.

News

Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): Yeah, no doubt the trimming of the full-status number is the headliner change; that kind of reduction is going to be a big deal to the vast majority of players who have to scratch and claw for their livelihoods from season to season. In terms of a logical change, shrinking field sizes makes a lot of sense. Sure, we’ll lose out on a few Cinderella winners, but getting rounds completed before dark should be a priority. It’s wild that nearly three out of every 10 rounds this season spilled into the following day — that’s not good either for players or fans. Mostly, though, I found myself unmoved by these tweaks, none of which will make the Tour “product” significantly more compelling. The Tour and players should be laser-focused on how to improve the TV viewing experience, starting with sinking some of that surge in Tour investment into fewer commercial interruptions.

According to a report from Golfweek, players and captains from the 2024 Presidents Cup were allowed to do what they pleased with their $250,000 stipend they received for playing in the event (in previous years, players were allowed to use those sums to donate to charities of their choice). Golfweek reported next year’s Ryder Cup stipend could be a similar format to the Presidents Cup. This news comes after the recent uproar over a massive uptick in Ryder Cup ticket prices. Given all this information, is it time to actually pay the players?

Berhow: I’d have to look back at my previous stance here, but I’m pretty sure I was against paying players and thought it wasn’t too much to ask millionaires to represent their country once every couple of years. But something about the increased Ryder Cup ticket prices at a place (Bethpage) that’s long been praised for and proud of its accessibility and affordability has irked me. Pay the players.

News

Sens: In my ideal world, the PGA of America would use the proceeds to cover just the costs of running the event and give all the other profits to charity. And the rosters would be limited to (already very rich) players who are willing to play for pride and country. But I know that’s not how capitalism works.

Bastable: Players playing for nothing might have made sense in the early days of the Ryder Cup when teams crossed the Atlantic not by plane but by boat, but the times they are a-changin’. The event is now arguably the game’s second biggest spectacle behind the Masters, and a financial windfall — to the tune of tens of millions of dollars — for its organizing bodies. If getting paid (even on principle) is important to the players, then perhaps it’s time to cut them a check. Look at the Olympics, where no less than seven countries pay out their gold medalists six-figure bonuses. Here’s an idea: Ryder Cup teams could pay out their players on performance. Say, $50,000 for every point won. Make ’em earn it.   

Amid golf’s continued divide, there was another reported meeting last week between PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan. How significant is this news in the interest of a deal being completed? A little? Or a lot?

Berhow: I’m bored with this. They have jets and can meet whenever they want.

Sens: Word is they were just trading casserole recipes. I read that on social media, so it must be true. Come to think of it, maybe they should try sharing a potluck meal. None of these other meetings seem to be leading anywhere

Bastable: Right. I think we’re all at or well past the point at which only an official announcement about the PGA Tour and PIF’s path forward together will get our attention. Fans are frustrated, jaded, disenchanted. Even when a deal is hammered out and presented, it’s going to take a long time to re-engage those fans who have walked over the past couple of years. I, for one, remain hopeful, though. There are too many smart people in the room — and the stakes are far too high — to screw this up.

The 10th installment of TNT’s The Match won’t involve any pro golfers, but instead a collection of eight actors, comedians and athletes. The Match: Superstars will feature Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg, Charles Barkley, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Phelps, Nate Bargatze, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Blake Griffin. The event takes place on Nov. 21-22 at Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Thoughts on the new format/lineup?

Berhow: I’m going to shock myself here and say I’m mildly interested in this (at least more than other lineups). My gripe about The Match has always been that it’s difficult for most of these golf stars to flick on that switch and become entertaining between the golf shots, which is crucial to good television. But having some comedians (Murray, Bargatze) and characters (Sir Charles) and the inevitable squirrely shots from amateurs means there might be some fun unpredictability to this.

News

Sens: Bill Murray is great. Charles Barkley can be funny. But the whole thing sounds painfully contrived to me. Now, if you got them altogether and let Nikki Glaser roast them on Comedy Central, I’d watch that.

Bastable: I’ve always felt A-list pros bring a sense of gravitas to The Match. Not to mention pressure. Remember when Tom Brady looked like a 25-handicapper in the 2020 edition with Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods? That was great theater! You get the sense he wouldn’t have struggled so mightily with Blake Griffin and Nate Bargatze in tow instead. This next Match just feels like a watered-down version of the American Century.

Happy Halloween (a few days late)! What’s your favorite golfy Halloween costume you’ve stumbled upon over the years?

Berhow: I’ve always been a fan of the wholesome Masters caddie uniform, but one of my social feeds recently showed a group of about a dozen guys — a player, a caddie and fans in the gallery — walk through neighborhoods hitting shots like they were playing Augusta. Love the commitment.

Sens: I actually played a post-work twilight round on Halloween this year. I put a lot of work into the costume and showed up dressed like a golfer, but it was no use. The get-up fooled no one.

Bastable: I’m still waiting for someone to figure out how to dress up as the scariest thing in golf: aerated greens.

The post Tour Confidential: Ryder Cup player pay, biggest PGA Tour change, Tour-PIF news appeared first on Golf.