A non-masters/majors golf thread 2014-2021

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:02 pm

Also, there's the Ryder Cup which is also independent of the PGA Tour but pretty beholden to it on the US side. Looking at the makeup of the initial LIV field, you could see a real split in how the US and Euro teams view eligibility.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:06 pm

Is OWGR Official World Golf Rankings, or is it Old White Guy Recognition?

Post by **brian** » Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:37 pm

Another bizarre side to this story is Mickelson skipping the recent majors because of the PR hit (understandable) but not being in the field for the first LIV tourney. If you’re gonna take that PR and endorsement hit at least play in the tournament (or backtrack and disavow the tour)

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:43 pm

My understanding is there is one unassigned spot left for the LIV tournament. So…

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Jun 01, 2022 6:00 pm

Getting Brady crypto commercials during “The Match”. He doesn’t know when to quit?

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Jun 01, 2022 6:23 pm

So brian, what’s the Death Star they’re building there within view of the course?

Square Rob · Post by **Square Rob** » Thu Jun 02, 2022 7:15 am

That was enjoyable to watch, mainly because Barkley was hilarious. Someone brought up Shaq and Barkley said something along the lines of “Man, I’ve been really enjoying my time taking about golf and you have to bring up that idiot.”

Felt bad for Josh as he was really obviously pressing. Brady is a dick. Rodgers hated being Brady’s partner. Mahomes is really likeable. Gallery was the danger zone.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Jun 02, 2022 7:23 am

Square Rob wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 7:15 am That was enjoyable to watch, mainly because Barkley was hilarious. Someone brought up Shaq and Barkley said something along the lines of “Man, I’ve been really enjoying my time taking about golf and you have to bring up that idiot.”

Felt bad for Josh as he was really obviously pressing. Brady is a dick. Rodgers hated being Brady’s partner. Mahomes is really likeable. Gallery was the danger zone.

I agree on all of that except I didn't hate Brady? And I really wanted to?

And the Death Star is some sort of concert venue so it must be even bigger than it looked?

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Thu Jun 02, 2022 8:26 pm

What can be better than watching golf? How about watching golf while fearing for your life?

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Jun 02, 2022 9:00 pm

I’d turn that down for free just because I know I’d have to go to the bathroom.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Jun 03, 2022 5:45 am

I'd pay extra to be allowed to pee off the side while I was up there.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Mon Jun 06, 2022 3:49 pm

sancarlos wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:43 pm My understanding is there is one unassigned spot left for the LIV tournament. So…

Yep

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 7:15 am

Nobody wants to do sports in Canada right now.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 7:43 am

Tiger got offered a billion?

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 7:51 am

I heard high nine figures, so yeah just about.

Meanwhile:

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 10:46 am

Ari Fleischer! That low life piece of crap...

Anyone remember when he left the Bush White House, and then someone got hired as an image consultant for the NBA? His big idea...have injured players who were sitting on the bench be in suits & ties. He didn't like the way Allen Iverson dressed.

And now he's a flack for a murderous regime and their sportswashing golf tour...

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 10:56 am

DaveInSeattle wrote: Tue Jun 07, 2022 10:46 am Ari Fleischer! That low life piece of crap...

Anyone remember when he left the Bush White House, and then someone got hired as an image consultant for the NBA? His big idea...have injured players who were sitting on the bench be in suits & ties. He didn't like the way Allen Iverson dressed.

And now he's a flack for a murderous regime and their sportswashing golf tour...

But, they dress nicely.

pruitt2 · Post by **pruitt2** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 12:35 pm

Guess Sean Spicer turned them down

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 12:57 pm

That reminds me of something that has curiously been lost in the discussion:

LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL SERIES SCHEDULE
9-11 June: Centurion Golf Club – London, England
1-3 July: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club – Portland, USA
29-31 July: Trump National Golf Club Bedminster – New Jersey, USA
2-4 September: The International – Boston, USA
16-18 September: Rich Harvest Farms – Chicago, USA
7-9 October: Stonehill Golf Club – Bangkok, Thailand
14-16 October: Royal Greens Golf Club – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
27-30 October: Team Championship, Trump National Doral, Miami, USA

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 2:19 pm

A few things:

1. Saudis already bought a PL team in Newcastle. In fact Newcastle's away jersey next year is literally the Saudi national jersey, just with the Newcastle badge.

2. This is not a money making venture, it's sportswashing, so they are committed to losing heavy here. Apparently 10 years of funding is secured.

3. Being banned from majors is really the only meaningful deterrent here, and I don't see how they can institute a ban, especially for the Opens. The "ban" will be LIV guys can't qualify on OWGR points, so only the exempt guys are safe.

4. It seems the under reported part of their strategy is trying to snap up younger up-and-comers, and amateurs with potential. Apparently some of the amateurs are even getting multi-million dollar signing bonuses. This to me is where the PGA might have some problems, not in losing has beens, also rans, and never weres.

But the whole venture is contingent on being able to have players, sponsors and TV partners telling us how great Saudi Arabia is. So until they actually start getting TV deals and meaningful platforms this is a fruitless endeavor. Not getting an audience will see the plug pulled far faster than hemorrhaging money.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Tue Jun 07, 2022 3:37 pm

I just don't think they are going to penetrate the US market, and without that, they are done.

This is just my theory, but I think from a consumer's perspective, the demand for golf is fully satisfied in the US. The Masters legitimately dominates TV for an entire weekend, and the other three majors also get a lot of attention. Add the Ryder Cup and that's 4.5 weeks a year in which golf is a serious player in the US sports schedule. For a niche sport, that's a lot.

The PGA Tour itself has spent decades trying to stage an event with a comparable level of prestige and cultural impact to the majors and the Ryder Cup, and the best it has been able to do is the Players (which is dominated in its time slot by March Madness) and the FedEx Cup playoffs (which are dominated by preseason NFL buzz. by practice!) The Tour Championship offers a purse that is four times the Masters. Which one do you think the golfers would rather win?

This here thread is the omnibus for all non-major golf since 2014, and it is the same length as the 2022 NFL Offseason thread.

LIV is contemplating some sort of team competition which at least is a niche that is unserved. I doubt that the consumer will care about team competition outside of the international format. The PGA Tour already has a doubles event and nobody watches it.

without the US market you don't get the prestige and without the prestige you eventually bleed out.

The saudis need to focus on the Super League. Now that was a good idea.

pruitt2 · Post by **pruitt2** » Wed Jun 08, 2022 5:32 am

Rex wrote: Tue Jun 07, 2022 3:37 pm I just don't think they are going to penetrate the US market, and without that, they are done.

This is just my theory, but I think from a consumer's perspective, the demand for golf is fully satisfied in the US.

Excellent point.

Can't see this succeeding.

Also, with only 8 scheduled events, a lot of players are going to miss a lot of potential paydays.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Wed Jun 08, 2022 7:41 am

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Jun 08, 2022 9:59 am

Nobody wants to watch 6 hours of four-ball. Even in Ryder Cups, it's a struggle.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Jun 08, 2022 6:03 pm

Scuttlebutt is Augusta will ban LIv members. I’m quite surprised but honestly Augusta has been more progressive than I would have thought in the recent years.

And to have a ban with past champs will be interesting. I bet they make exemptions for that at least.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Wed Jun 08, 2022 8:08 pm

Yeah, I’m surprised at that too. I wonder if there is sponsor pressure from corporations that are happy with the status quo of the Tour. Sure looks like there is no role for the Buicks and the Northern Trusts of the world on the LIV Tour, whereas the PGA Tour checks off a lot of marketing and networking boxes for them. ANGC as an institution might not care about that, but its members might.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Thu Jun 09, 2022 10:29 am

Post by **brian** » Thu Jun 09, 2022 10:29 am

Rex wrote: Wed Jun 08, 2022 8:08 pm Yeah, I’m surprised at that too. I wonder if there is sponsor pressure from corporations that are happy with the status quo of the Tour. Sure looks like there is no role for the Buicks and the Northern Trusts of the world on the LIV Tour, whereas the PGA Tour checks off a lot of marketing and networking boxes for them. ANGC as an institution might not care about that, but its members might.

Considering the "typical" member of Augusta National are the CEOs of those types of businesses, absolutely.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Thu Jun 09, 2022 12:39 pm

Those CEOs are also typically right-wing Trump supporters. I expect Trump to promote the LIV tour and contrast it with the “Woke PGA” that won’t let Trump host tournaments. Might influence some of that crowd.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:03 pm

This shit has been going on since forever. We learn months (usually years) after the fact that JLo or Shakira or whatever pop star went over and did a private concert for the royal family and there are ZERO consequences in terms of employment.

And I think what you guys just hit on is going to cause major issues for the PGA in this battle. Trump will get the rich white boy crowd behind this as much as he possibly can, and then, impossibly, the PGA will become this democrat bastion of liberal wokeness and LIV supporters are able to, again, seemingly impossibly, make their "own the libs" argument.

Meanwhile, the VAST majority of folks that lean democratic absolutely love the idea of rich white men fighting over a ridiculous sport that very few people on the planet actually watch/care about.

I'm definitely on the side of chaos here. I like golf and my fandom is slightly above the level that Rex laid out above. But, really, fuck these rich mother fuckers.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:05 pm

Oh, also, I wonder which streaming service buckles and serves these events up.

I'm actually a little surprised I haven't seen online advertising promoting the event. I wonder if Google and Facebook and other platforms have declined to run them? Because like a lot of you, I see a LOT of online advertising throughout the day.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:11 pm

I think I read today that DAZN is signed up. And Trump will be very much involved in this next month when the Bedminster event gets closer. I view that as the golf establishment's window to get their shit together because all the things you describe are very much going to start happening at that tournament.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu Jun 16, 2022 3:17 pm

Pro's playing in majors are just like us playing the local muni
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/34 ... hm-ball-18

pruitt2 · Post by **pruitt2** » Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:37 pm

HADWIN!!!

Baloney · Post by **Baloney** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 7:40 am

pruitt2 · Post by **pruitt2** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:30 am

I really think that someone is overestimating the star power of these golfers.

Are any "Brooks Koepka Fans" so enraptured with his personality that they will now watch the LIV tour?

Even something like the Los Angeles Open or Pebble Beach pro-am has real cachet amongst golf fans. Seeing DJ and Koepka playing in the Riyadh Open or whatever it will be called will have all the allure of watching an exhibition match.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:38 am

I think Koepka just doesn't really want to lay a full schedule.

pruitt2 · Post by **pruitt2** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:39 am

A_B wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:38 am I think Koepka just doesn't really want to lay a full schedule.

Wonder if he and De Chambeau will get WWE-style entrance music.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:50 am

This is going to be fascinating to watch play out. Because I agree with pru, I don't really think the Saudi tour is going to catch any traction.

What the PGA has going for it is that their events are REALLY cool in person, especially at the prestigious and historic tracks. And then, in terms of TV, I think a lot of folks are like me, I'll tune in Sunday afternoon and check the leaderboard, having casually followed FRI and SAT. If there's some drama afoot, pretty much regardless of who is in the mix, I'm gonna stick around for a couple hours to see it play out.

That goes double for the competitions pru mentioned, plus a few others with somewhat histocial or personal significance, like the Memorial and Canadian Open.

The LIV tour would have to siphon off just about every player of any standing, and then I'd just stop watching. I have zero connection to the venues and the silly shotgun format. Just really wouldn't be bothered do even figure out how to watch it.

I'm not necessarily mad about it, I just have zero fucks to give about the LIV stuff. If it comes to the PGA just being a shitty watered down shell, I'll just watch the Majors and move on with life. Just don't care that much, at the end of the day.

pruitt2 · Post by **pruitt2** » Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:58 am

And I read that the LIV folks are looking to buy time on Fox in order to get their events televised. With no ratings in the book, they're going to have to practically give ad space away.

And while a lot of golf fans are also in the pro-Trump camp, once that loud mouthed POS gets involved, a lot of potential viewers will find more time to spend with their families on the weekends rather than watch LIV