Major(s) News & Notes, November 21, 2024
Comcast intentions remain unclear, Sergio pays his tab, early Ryder standings, another Am passes up Masters, Reg Murphy, huge auction sales, Women's Latin America Am, Quotable, This, That and Reads.
Late breaking news in Tuesday’s Quad noted the Wall Street Journal exclusive predicting Comcast would split off its non-Bravo cable channels from NBC and into a new publicly traded company. They would also be moving Mark Lazarus from NBC to run the entity. In normal times, news of this still highly profitable group of cable channels continuing free of the streaming loss leader Peacock, with leadership from a golf-wise executive, should reassure fans and partners.
Who am I kidding?
This is Comcast!
WSJ’s details lined up perfectly with Wednesday’s news—Mitzvah Appreciation Pause—but the day after analysis produced little understanding of what might happen to Golf Channel or USA Network. The latter channel hosts the U.S. Open and The Open as part of a programming slate featuring esteemed fare like Chucky and Barmaggeden.
When contacted by The Quad, sources at various Comcast golf partners all said they only knew what had been reported by the Journal. In other words, golf partners had not yet been contacted to hear what the vision is for the future. Maybe because the whole thing feels a bit slapped together? Or, this is nothing more than a departure from cable to eventually feed the channels to private equity wolves?
“This is sort of a very clear and direct statement by Comcast and Brian Roberts, ‘we are exiting the cable business,’” said Rich Greenfield, co-founder and partner of LightShed Partners, speaking to CNBC’s Squawk Box. Awkward!
Besides the red flag raised when it was announced Comcast would be hanging onto Bravo while divesting of everything from MSNBC to CNBC, golf fans could relate to Greefield’s take for another reason. That’s because they’ve been watching Comcast treat Golf Channel and its golf properties as an annoyance since channel co-founder Arnold Palmer died.
The confirmed spin-off is currently working under the title SpinCo—more evidence of a rush-job—is likely to cause golf fans and partners even more headaches next year, undoubtedly featuring no-longer-inner-company handoffs between cable and network coverage. But golf viewers have been battle-hardened suffering through various shenanigans, Peacock conversion attempts and overall decline of the former gold standard of coverage.
Then again, with separate companies, maybe this spinoff will fix the handoff mishegas. There I go again!
Let’s get to happier stuff.
Sergio Pays Fines In Late Career Ryder Cup Quest
Bunkered’s Ben Parsons reveals that Sergio Garcia “has revived his hopes of a dramatic Ryder Cup return” after successfully re-applying for DP World Tour membership after last May’s resignation. The tour confirmed the news.
Garcia paid outstanding fines “totalling over £1million” according to Parsons.
Yasir, the Fireyballs captain is on line 1 asking if you’ll pay his fines. Should I direct him to Neom accounting? Or just send him your favorite Riyadh beheading meme?
After Garcia’s fine checks clear DP World Tour accounting, the Spaniard will serve tournament suspensions—something else he’s familiar with— before regaining eligibile to compete on the DP World Tour.
The LIV defector has no 2025 Ryder Cup points and a 14-week 2025 LIV schedule to play. He will need several strong performances in the Masters and U.S. Open to have any shot of making the European squad. Perhaps Garcia is angling to be one of Luke Donald’s six Captain’s picks? He has also played well at Bethpage in the past. But at 44 and a ridiculously consistent jackwagon for over two decades, Garcia has angered many of his peers over comments about the DP World Tour. So an 11th Ryder Cup appearance as a player or cart driver feels like a longshot. But who could have predicted a $750 ticket for the Ryder Cup?
“He’s certainly very interested,” Donald said a month ago. “He understands everything that’s involved and again, the decision has to go to him whether he’s prepared to do all that. But certainly we’ve had that discussion.”
Garcia logged top fives in six of 14 LIV events and finished T12 at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst. He missed the cut in his only other major appearance at The Masters.
2025 Ryder Cup Standings…Yes It’s Early
Too soon! But not for long.
The above listing is the first of many reminders that the USA points race awarded major-championship level points for the 2024 Players (explaining Harman), but will be treating the event like a typical Tour stop in 2025.
On the European side, it’s now Nicolai Hojgaard who has to get going if he hopes to join brother Rasmus on the squad. A recent T18-T20-T9-T13 fall run suggests he’s close to regaining his early 2024 form when he finished second at Torrey Pines. Nicolai currently ranks 42nd in points. The Hojgaard’s are hoping to become the first brothers on the same squad since 2010 when Edoardo and Francesco Molinari represented Europe.
Second Amateur Passes On 2025 Masters
Jacob Skov Olesen, The Amateur champion this summer at Ballyliffin, has turned pro and will no longer be eligible for his 2025 Masters invitation.
Olesen earned Challenge Tour status via the DP World Tour’s Global Pathway Rankings. Still, unlike Wenyi Ding, the other amateur to pass up the 2025 event for touring pro life as a touring professional, Olesen did not initially turn pro. Only after finishing T20 at DP World Tour qualifying school where Olesen earned a 2024-25 card, did he accept and immediately headed Down Under to play this week’s Australian PGA at Royal Queensland.
Olesen explained the decision to forego a Masters invitation to Golf Digest’s Evin Priest.
“Ever since I was a kid and watched tournaments for the first time, I dreamed of going [to Augusta National],” he said. “But it's the same with the DP World Tour, it’s a childhood dream to play out here as well. [At 25], I was a little older for an amateur, [compared] to most. I think it would have been a different, different situation and decision if I was 20. Being 25, I felt like I wanted to get going and it's hard to turn down a DP World Tour card.”
If this is a new trend—and with the various “pathway” programs it may be—perhaps it’s time for the Lords of Augusta to consider inviting the runner-ups at these events should the champion pass up the opportunity of a lifetime? Or maybe in the world of blurring amateurism lines, it’s time for The Masters to welcome invitees even after they turn pro?
Reg Murphy, 1934-2024
Former USGA President Reg Murphy, whose 1994-95 tenure is best remembered for a major change in broadcast rights, died this month at age 90.
During his two one-year terms, Murphy helped usher in a 20-year championship broadcast rights agreement with NBC after the USGA had previously had a long relationship with ABC. Prior to his presidency, Murphy chaired the USGA’s Championship Committee in 1993.
“Like so many USGA presidents before him, and since, Reg gave his time and expertise to help leave the game of golf even better,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “The USGA, and the people who play and love the game of golf, are better off because of Reg’s commitment, passion and leadership.”
Twenty years after Reg retired from the USGA Executive Committee, Diana, was elected as the second female USGA president.
“Journalism is, in my mind, sacred,” he said in an interview last year for Mercer University. “It is a sacred trust to tell the truth and to try to give people enough freedom to be able to find the truth and then to pursue it.”
During his time as editorial page editor at The Atlanta Constitution, Murphy became the focus of a gripping story in 1974, when he was kidnapped and held for a $700,000 ransom. The kidnapper claimed to be part of a militia group wanting to stop “the lying of leftist newspapers.”
Two days later, Murphy was released in a motel parking lot after the ransom was paid. Within hours of his release, his abductor was arrested at his home and the money was recovered. The man was later convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison but ultimately served nine.
Women’s Amateur Latin America Tees Off In Peru
The 72-hole championship is underway at 100-year-old Lima Golf Club. Presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation, the champion will earn places into the 2025 fields at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl, The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship.
Argentina’s Ela Anacona defends her Women’s Amateur Latin America (WALA) title after a 12-stroke win last year at Pilar Golf in Argentina last year. The 24-year-old went on to make the cut in the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.
The most represented nations in the field of 60 are Colombia (11), Argentina (eight), Peru (seven) and Mexico and Chile (both six). Also included are entrants from Guatemala, Barbados and Bolivia. The youngest player is 15-year-old Maria Mercedes Tablante of Venezuela. The oldest is 50-year-old Maria Olivero, the Nadal of Argentina as a 12-time (!!!) winner of the Argentine Women’s Stroke Play. Olivero led last year after each of the first two rounds only to finish third.
Over half of the players in the field present have attended or are currently attending universities in the United States of America.
You can follow the action from Lima at the official site.
Auction: Claret Jug Goes For $392k
Golden Age Auction’s recent sale has wrapped and the prices confirm that there are a lot of people with way too much couch change. Highlights:
Old Tom Morris' Personally Owned c1870 Photograph of Old & Young Tom Morris sold for $85,350.00
Old Tom Morris' Personally Owned c1891 Old Tom Morris Portrait sold for $27,195.60
Rocco Mediate's 2008 US Open Silver Medal sold for $52,995.60
John Daly's 1995 Open Championship Player Claret Jug sold for $392,181.60
The c1500s Square-Toe Iron - a.k.a. "The Oldest Iron" sold for $153,283.20
A signed limited edition of 'The Architectural Side of Golf' by Wethered & Simpson sold for $10,485.60
Five c1920s Pre-Construction Cypress Point Club Photos (5) sold for $9,532.80 even though all of those photos could be seen in a certain book on Cypress Point by yours truly for a lot less. Eh, whatever floats the buyer’s boat!
Quotables (Pace Of Play Edition)
Charley Hull on LPGA pace of play. “I’m quite ruthless, but I said, ‘ Listen, like, if you get three bad timings, every time it’s a two-shot penalty. If you have three of them, you lose your tour card instantly. Go back to Q School.' Because I’m sure that would hurry a lot of people up and they won’t want to lose their tour card. That’d kind of kill the slow play, but they’d never do that.”
Lucas Glover on the lack of strict pace of play enforcement. “You get a better pace of play policy or enforce the one you have better. If I’m in a slow twosome and an official came up and said, ‘You guys are behind, this is not a warning, y’all are on the clock and if you get a bad time, that’s a shot penalty,’ guess who’s running to their ball? That’s what we need to be doing.”
Brian Harman on reducing field sizes because of slow play and competition concerns. “I feel as though when we get into some of these 156-man fields, you can look at the parking lot out here, there's nowhere to park and this is two golf courses, thank goodness. But 156 on one golf course, it's hard to navigate a practice round, it's hard to navigate where to get food. I mean, logistically it just makes it a lot, a lot tougher.”
Nelly Korda on slow play last week and overall. “It's not good for the fans that come out and watch us. If it was me personally, I would be very, very annoyed watching for five hours, over five hours, five hours and 40 minutes, close to six. I just think it really drags the game down. I think that it really, really needs to change.”
This And That
The recently vandalized Old Tom Morris statue has been repaired, as seen in the above image shared by author Roger McStravick. The suspects remain at large.
Daily tickets are now available for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont. Prices start at $60 for Monday and for the competition days are $150-$175-$200-$185.
SI has posted more of Nelly Korda’s swimsuit edition photos.
Reads
🫣 Jared Doerfler on more rough same-store numbers for Topgolf.
🇪🇸 Kevin Mitchell will remember Nadal for his graciousness as much as his tennis.
And finally, winter has come to a great links recently announced as the 2028 Curtis Cup site. No better way to start studying those magical contours than this…
