Major(s) News & Notes, February 2, 2023
Major(s) News & Notes, February 2, 2023
Pebble's back with a refreshed 8th while Phil returns with less weight. Plus, key ANGC members spared of LIV discovery, ANWA field announced, Peacock's massive losses mount and much more.
Days to the 2023 Masters first tee shot: 64
Long-range Augusta forecast: near normal temps with above-normal precipitation.
Days to the 2023 Chevron Championship: 78
Days to the 2023 PGA Championship 106
Days to the 2023 U.S. Open: 134
Days to the 2023 Open Championship: 169
Days to the 2023 Ryder Cup: 240
The power players of stage, screen, sport, selfies and boardrooms have gathered in Pebble Beach whether their latest earnings were decent or not and for the effort? They get to play (at least) three rounds with some of the PGA Tour’s finest partially-limited-medically-sometimes-active athletes. The tournament even suffered the indignity of losing a rookie and recent tournament contender to a WD after he got a spot in next week’s “designated” event. We can only imagine how many doubles Der Bingle would order upon seeing who was called to fill out his historic AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am field.
The uh-Crosby:
7 of the world top 50.
21 of the top 100.
81 of 156 are ranked higher than 300th.
Meanwhile over in the land of public beheadings, the Asian Tour’s “flagship” PIF Saudi International Powered By Softbank Investment Advisors somehow lured nearly all of the LIV defectors on the Crown Prince’s payroll. Royal Greens will do that to some people. Yet even with world ranking points slipping away for the Niblicks and Majesticks, the PIFSIPSIA only has 67 outside the top 300. It’s practically a major compared to the Crosby.
But at least the AT&T has Pebble Beach. We’ll get a glimpse of how the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open host course (July 5-9) has fared after robust winter storms. This will also be the first competitive test run of the remodeled 8th green and also the return of Jordan Spieth to 2022’s cliffhanger shot there. He returned to the spot last fall and reported this week that rough will deter future shots from the edge.
“It's up pretty high,” he said Wednesday. “The rest of the course, there's not a whole lot of rough. It's almost like you got to play sideways out of it in certain places which should stop this anybody from trying it.”
In other news of the majors, the world No. 254 reemerged at his college weight and claiming he’s got more majors in his system. There is judicial and emotional relief for key Augusta National members in the LIV v. PGA Tour lawsuit. Female major winners are turning up at Royal Greens in two weeks for big money. The ANWA field is set. Peacock continues to hemorrhage cash. And finally, some quotes, this, that, Tweets and Reads. Buckle up.
Mickelson’s Thinks He Has More Majors To Win
In an exclusive conversation with SI’s Bob Harig, Hy Flyers captain Phil Mickelson calls this time in golf “short-term disruption for a long-term gain,” says he’s at his college playing weight, is using Sam Snead’s late career prowess as a guide and admits he really wanted to start his season in Mexico. But for 200 million reasons not mentioned, Mickelson will be starting in Saudi Arabia this week to rekindle those fond memories of staying on a megayacht offshore from Royal Greens where he’ll be safe from the terrible stuff on shore.
A few highlights from the exclusive:
On majors at his age: “I’m in every major for the next three years and I think I have a chance to win one or two more and create these accomplishments that haven’t been done at this stage. I feel like I can duplicate Kiawah.”
On the Ryder Cup: “I’m totally comfortable. … I’ve loved being part of the Ryder Cup as a player 12 times and as a vice captain once. I’ve had more great experiences than probably anybody. If I’m not a part of it, I’m at peace with that as well. And I’m proud of the role I’ve played in that. And the role in creating change and integrating player input and involvement. Having more continuity from year to year. I like seeing us play our best golf in the Ryder Cup, even if I’m not ever part of it again.
On the Official World Golf Ranking: “There will probably be another ranking system that is a more credible system as it includes all golfers in the world. This one has lost any credibility. I wouldn’t be surprised if tournaments stopped using it as a criteria for qualifying. I think it is ultimately hurting the tournaments more than the players. If you’re a major championship and you’re using it as a qualifying factor and you’re taking a system that is not getting all the best players in the field, it hurts the tournament more. That's why you might see tournaments go away from it as qualifying criteria. Or have a new ranking system.”
It’s not clear which tournaments he’s referring to. The Quad staff has yet to find a tournament that’s recently gone away from the OWGR for qualifying criteria. But we’ll keep searching.
Judge Denies Discovery Of Select ANGC Members
Judge Susan van Keulen denied LIV Golf’s discovery request for communications of several Augusta National members, including former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Warren Stephens, son of former Masters chairman Jack Stephens.
From the AP report on van Keulen’s findings:
LIV Golf had issued subpoenas to five PGA Tour board members and Tim Finchem, the retired PGA Tour commissioner. It wanted all communications between them and "any member of Augusta National" relating to a new tour, but not limited to LIV Golf, the Saudi-funded rival league that launched last year.
The Judge did not find LIV’s evidence compelling regarding alleged attempts by Rice and Stephens to lobby against a Justice Department investigation into the PGA Tour. She called the claim “not in proportion to the needs of the litigation,” adding, “for the most part, the identified targets appear merely as names on lists or in other oblique references made by others.’
However, the two sides litigating the case have agreed on document discovery for seven club members and four employees: club Chairman Fred Riley, Will Jones, Casey Coffman, Steve Ethun, Buzzy Johnson, Taylor Glover, Pat Battle, Terry McGuirk, Brian Roberts, Kessel Stelling and Lee Styslinger.
Major Champions Turning Up For LET’s Saudi Stop
The Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund (PIF), better known as the ASLIPPIF confirmed the commitment of 13 major champions competing for $5 million. The event is set for February 16-19 at the esteemed Royal Greens in scenic King Abdullah Economic City.
The major winners taking the Kingdom’s cash: In Gee Chun, Anna Nordqvist, Lexi Thompson, Georgia Hall, Ashleigh Buhai, Patty Tavatanaki, Kim A-Lim, Hannah Green, Jeong Eun Lee6, Danielle Kang, Lydia Ko, Hyo-Joo Kim and Ji Eun-Hee.
ANWA Field Set, Live TV Coverage Expands
The field was announced for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur along with two key changes.
Golf Channel will broadcast the opening two rounds from Champions Retreat.
Players making the 36-hole cut and getting to play the final round at Augusta National on Saturday April 1st, will now include ties.
The entire field will play a practice round at Augusta National on Friday March 31st, regardless of whether they made the 36-hole cut.
Peacock Ends Free Option, Loses $978 Million In Q4
Comcast’s NBCUniversal reported Peacock’s fourth quarter losses at $978 million, for a 2022 grand total of $2.5 billion in red ink.
Hey, it’s not cheap to bring Nightcourt back or to rescue that Magnum P.I. reboot from the CBS scrap heap.
For those counting at home—and wondering why we won’t get that pricey wind gauge on most NBC golf telecasts this year—The Information’s Martin Peers says Peacock has now lost $4.9 billion since it launched in July, 2020. Or around $164 million a month.
And more bad news for one of two streaming homes to U.S. Open and The Open coverage:
Comcast executives forecast Thursday the service would lose another $3 billion this year, which it said would be the peak for losses. It expects things to improve from there.
Gotta love that optimism!
So far, the service has signed up “more than 20 million” paying subscribers, Comcast said Thursday. In comparison, by the time Netflix started generating cash in early 2020, it had burned through $11 billion and signed up 167 million subscribers. (Netflix finished last year with just over 230 million.) You don’t have to be a math genius to figure that Peacock is spending a lot more money to take flight than Netflix had to.
While ’cock’s exclusive golf windows have not been on the free tier since year one when the app barely worked, Variety’s Todd Spangler says that tier was killed off this week.
As of Monday (Jan. 30), Peacock had stopped allowing new users to sign up for the free tier. To get Peacock, users will need to subscribe to the Premium plan ($4.99/month) with ads or Premium Plus ($9.99/month) without ads.
But remember, after the $3 billion in losses this year things will improve.
Quotable
Open Champion Cameron Smith on taking the Claret Jug everywhere: “I'd describe it as like seeing a ghost, I think, for most part, kind of the look that it brings to their face and the feeling that it gives them is pretty special. Yeah, it's been awesome. I've taken it everywhere with me. Just about had every liquid you can put in there I've tried to put in it. But it's been awesome. It's been fun over Christmas; the family drinking out of it was something I'll never forget.”
Bubba Watson on Scottie Scheffler’s joke about LIV golfers sitting at a separate Champions Dinner table. “Hey, as long as I'm in the Champions Dinner, I'm fine. I'll sit wherever he tells me. It's fine. As long as I'm allowed back, I'll sit wherever he wants me to. I'll sit outside and just stare in the window.”
Phil Mickelson on guys who wanted to play less possibly getting to play more: “In a couple of weeks I expect that the players, the LIV players will win their case in the UK, and we’ll open the doors for all players to play on the European Tour. There’s a very good chance that you’ll have more showdowns, more head-to-head competitions like you saw last week in Dubai and I think that would be a really good thing for the game.”
Jordan Spieth on the forthcoming Netflix docudrama and filming at Southern Hills prior to the PGA: “They went up with us, flew up with us to play the practice round, flew back down. Filmed some content from just a fun, gambling practice round day and 30 mile-an-hour winds and then how that, I mean it just worked out perfectly. Kind of led to Justin winning the PGA there. So you kind of see that whole story line take place within our episode.”
This, That And Tweets
Ratings for the Farmers Insurance Open won by Max Homa were down around 20% across the board between CBS and Golf Channel despite avoiding the massive audiences watching Sunday’s conference championship games.
Patrick Reed is 100% sure he saw his ball marked with an arrow on the end of a line, but Matt Wallace, one of his playing partners Sunday was asked how Reed identified his ball. “He said to me he uses only Titleist (ProV1) 3s with a red dot and a black line and that is the last I am going to say on it.” Reed offered this post tournament social post via a screen captured text, which apparently has replaced the Notes app for C-listers looking to spin a mishap:
A peer did not agree:
In lighter news, congrats to Kevin and NLU:
I want Rupert’s posture and confidence:
Reads
💻 Cory Doctorow on how platforms die.
🏜 Architectural Digest’s Rachel Wallace on Frank Sinatra’s desert “chalet” hitting the market.
And for the pod inclined, the latest McKellar is live, with a new State of the Game in the can after a three month tour of Europe, Scandinavia and the sub-continent. Keep an eye out wherever you subscribe and have a fantastic weekend!
This week’s AT&T National Pro-Am, which my friends and I still refer to as “the Crosby”, is my favorite non Major on the PGA Tour. Like ANGC, the holes on Pebble are like old friends. Too bad it’s so poorly attended by the better players. I went on my PGA Tour App to check the tee times of my “Favorites”. Only two were listed; Spieth and Simpson. (I have a dozen.) As for the amateurs, very few celebrities. Just no name corporate types with handicaps higher than mine. I don’t get it. The courses are storied and magnificent. And for us north easterners, watching the Clambake - what our fathers called it - is a welcome respite from winter. Heck, if you don’t like the golf, the scenery is just gorgeous.
Great threads of articles as always. From the magic ball seen from the grassy knoll to the Saudi execution stats (grow the game in reverse) and all points in between. It is nice hearing how all the LIV’rs are getting really healthy.
I play with some very dedicated golfers, we all try to play 4 to 5 times a week. Multiple amateur tournaments throughout the year. Yesterday after the round, sitting in the pub I asked how many had seen the Reed issue or even watched the tournament . Out of 8 only 2 of us had. No one seems to be lining up to buy new clubs either. I think Golf experienced great growth during Covid, but as time wanders on I’m afraid it will shrink to even less than where it was prior to. Golf in the US has been short sighted and will miss the long term mark by their greed to bank the $$$ now.
Thanks again