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LOS ANGELES – It was all going to be great. There were stars in it. There were records in it. It was one of the most beautiful stages in all of sports in prime time. This was supposed to be a big day on the PGA Tour.
Two weeks ago at Pebble Beach, Windham Clark shot a third-round 60 to break the historic course record and take the lead in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. In theory, the tour couldn’t have had a better Sunday. It was the holiday week before the Super Bowl, meaning it practically had the sports calendar to itself. This made the tournament a signature event, meaning all of the tour’s best players were competing in one of golf’s most prestigious venues. And suddenly it had the reigning U.S. Open champion — the star of the new season of golf’s Netflix show, “Full Swing” — going into Sunday’s duel with Clarke, the game’s most exciting young player, Ludwig Aberg.
And it never happened.
Instead, extreme weather stopped play on Sunday due to flooding and downed trees across California. So much water washed away the course in five days that the tournament could not finish even on Monday. Instead of an exciting, star-studded prime-time finale with everyone talking about PGA Tour golf, the tournament ended with Clark’s Saturday 60 and a stellar performance.
It’s been a strange six weeks for the tour. It’s the best part of its calendar before the majors, and there’s talk about whether the PGA Tour season is running out of juice.
But maybe he’ll get the Sunday he’s been waiting for. At the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club – considered by many to be the best non-major on tour – the final round is set to be interesting. In this, world number seven player Patrick Cantlay has a lead of two shots. That includes his good friend and No. 5 golfer Xander Schauffele, who is back in second place after missing 2023 due to back surgery, along with rising star Will Zalatoris. Throw major winners Jason Day and Ryder Cupper Harris English back onto an elite course, and this could be the Sunday that brings that juice.
However, about that juice.
It’s not really anyone’s fault. It is also not clear whether this is true or not. But something strange is happening. All six tournaments so far have been won by long runs. Literally. They have been won by so-called randoms, “mules”, as some in the golf world like to refer to them. Chris Kirk. Grayson Murray. Nick Dunlop. Matthew Pavone. Windham Clark. Nick Taylor. All six have entered the tournament at odds of 100-1 or more. Five of the six entered the week outside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. The only winner inside the top 50, Clarke won without a final round.
PGA Tour winners and pre-tournament starting prices starting in 2024:
chris kirk 100/1 sentry
grayson murray 300/1 sony
Nick Dunlop (A) 400/1 Amex
Matthew Pavone 150/1 Farmer
Windham Clark 100/1 AT&T Pebble
Nick Taylor 100/1 WM Phoenix– Michael Verity (@MichaelVerity) 12 February 2024
It wasn’t bad either. Most of the golf has been exciting. One tournament was won by a 20-year-old amateur who had staked his claim as the potential future of the sport. Two include heartwarming stories of overcoming adversity. Two have gone to the playoffs! And last week it made national news because of a security breach by a drunken mob in Phoenix.
But, for better or worse, the game has become a bottom-driven business. Since there is a war going on between the leagues and private equity firms and all we hear about are ratings, Player Impact Programs and stars, there is debate over whether these results are a problem.
In Brief: Chris Kirk (100-1) won signature event The Sentry in a low-scoring battle with stars like Sahith Thigala and Jordan Spieth. It wasn’t the greatest tournament, but Kirk’s victory after taking time off to deal with alcoholism and depression was an amazing story. Even after a week the situation was the same. Grayson Murray (300-1) also had problems with alcohol and mental health, even as he faced punishment from the PGA Tour years ago, and won in a thrilling playoff thanks to two incredible shots in the clutch . These weren’t stars, but most agreed that these were truly spectacular finishes.
Then, at the American Express, which is by no means a major tournament in which great fanfare is expected, 20-year-old defending U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap (400-1) stunned the golf world by becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour. Occupied. Tour event since Phil Mickelson 33 years ago. This was gold.
Next, 31-year-old Frenchman Mathieu Pavon (150-1) won at Torrey Pines. Then the tour’s thrilling final round at Pebble Beach was cut short due to weather conditions, leaving much of the golf world to watch the final round of LIV in Mexico. And last week at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix – known for its noisy, alcohol-filled atmosphere – it featured a thrilling playoff finale between Nick Taylor and 47-year-old Charlie Hoffman. And that was also overshadowed by the news of fans breaking control and pushing that thrilling finish into the first half of the Super Bowl due to weather delays.
Could not win on this tour.
A subset of people turned this into a conversation about LIV departures and indicated that the tour was no longer a good product. This offseason, the PGA Tour lost a major star, Jon Rahm, and another top-20 player, Tyrrell Hatton. Losing them is shocking. there’s no doubt about it. But it would probably be wrong to treat the results of these tournaments as if they were not there. Kirk and Clark defeated fields filled with most of the best players in the world. Even Sony, AMAX and Phoenix all had a good share of top-10 and top-20 players. Those players definitely defeated him.
It’s probably more about the personality component. Whatever your thoughts on LIV, it’s at least fair to say that it’s taken in many of the PGA Tour’s biggest names. Only a few are older than Mickelson. Brooks Koepka is a star. Bryson DeChambeau is an untouchable man. Dustin Johnson may not be a huge “personality,” but he has been one of the most talked-about golfers for more than a decade. Rahm and Hatton are two hot-blooded, passionate players who bring flair. Cameron Smith is an Australian who loves fishing and has a mullet that was on its way to becoming a big star. And everyone has an opinion on Patrick Reed.
As much as you might want to criticize the quality of some of these players, the truth is that there are a lot of golfers at LIV who deserve the most attention.
And although it’s no one’s fault, the PGA Tour’s best players at play aren’t actually their winners. As The Fried Egg’s Garrett Morrison pointed out, only one of the six winners ranked in the top 20 of the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program rewards players for bringing business to the Tour (tickets, sponsorships, media consumption and fan engagement. ). And that was Clark in the rain-less program.
If my data collection is correct (maybe not?):
– None of the 2023 PIP Top 10 have finished better than third this season
– Only one player from the PIP top 20 (Windham Clarke) has won, and it was a rain-interrupted event– Garrett Morrison (@garrett_TFE) 17 February 2024
The biggest name brands currently on tour are Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods. Well, Rivera is McIlroy’s second event in the United States this year. Spieth is playing solid golf but just can’t seem to win outright. And Woods is a 48-year-old veteran who averages more surgeries per year than any top-10 player. Then, to put market share on fire, Woods withdrew from Genesis, the event he hosts, due to the flu, and Spieth was disqualified on Friday for submitting an incorrect scorecard. These are the two big conclusions of the equation.
Its next wave of young stars like Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa aren’t at the hype level of those names, and even they haven’t played up to their exceptional level this season (yet).
Actually none of these are problems. Tournaments are still good. Many include excellent storylines. Anyone acting like it’s a big issue is probably trying to make an issue of it. But that’s one thing. Something to keep an eye on.
“Obviously it’s important, but I was talking to the CEO of AMEX and he was talking about the ratings if Nick (Dunlap) won. People love a Cinderella story,” Schauffele said Saturday. . I’m not sure what the ratings were for Waste Management, but Charlie – I’m biased, obviously, being from San Diego – but he’s one of the older guys trying to win here because of the younger crowd. It’s That’s a beautiful thing about the PGA Tour. Anybody can win any given week, and there are a lot of stories that go around that.
That alone makes this Sunday somewhat important. Riviera is arguably the best course on tour played all year. Cantlay and Schauffele are top-10 players year after year, and Zalatoris is someone the golf world is gravitating toward. But this leaderboard victory also comes with a caveat.
Cantlay is not exactly a popular player. He is only 19th in last year’s PIP rankings and has lost points to the public several times due to accusations of slow play and a highly regarded report that he has given up his cap at the 2023 Ryder Cup in protest against players not being paid. Didn’t wear. events. Schauffele is ranked world number five and one of the most consistent players of his era, but his career is primarily known for being consistent without winning many major events. Basically, the PGA Tour’s big Sunday is also coming through some of its more exciting stars.
But this is where we need to move away from PIP and popularity. Let’s just talk about golf. This final round is going to be great. This is going to be the best course with the best players and it is a must see for golf fans.
We’re six weeks into the eight-month season. Shut up and enjoy.
(Photo by Patrick Cantlay: Harry How/Getty Images)
