Golf
New Golf Course
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
A decade ago, professional golf was mostly relegated to the man caves of middle-aged dads as they napped their way through Sunday rounds while winding down their weekends.
Since then, a swarm of young talent has brought the game much closer to the sports mainstream. Not only are the current stars a far cry from the beer-bellied prototypes of pros from previous eras, they’re also personable to crowds, all over social media and – most importantly – better than any generation of golfers that has ever come through the sport.
Players like Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler have started to move the needle, and resurgences from the old guard of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have resulted in plenty of drama.
The changing of guard from one generation to the next is enough of a storyline to hook in the usual golf fans, but the shakeup to this year’s schedule could be the spark that ignites a burst in ratings for the game.
For years, the golf schedule religiously held to the same timing for its biggest events, inadvertently causing lulls of a month or more in viewing for the casual fans. This time around, the season will feature a schedule that features marquee events in six consecutive months.
The big shakeup begins in March as the Players’ Championship jumps forward on the calendar by nearly two months. The Masters will hold its usual spot in early April, with the PGA Championship cutting in front of the other two majors by moving from August to May.
That leaves the U.S. Open for its normal spot in the blistering heat of June, followed by every golf fan’s guilty pleasure of sneaking out of bed early to catch the (very) early morning rounds of the British Open in July. With the PGA already done, the season will bump up it’s big-money Fed-Ex Cup playoff, culminating with the Tour Championship in Atlanta in late August.
It remains to be seen how viewership and attendance will respond to the drastic change, but it seems to be a shrewd move for a sport that has always had a massive casual following while lacking the ticket gate and sponsorship revenue of the traditional major sports.
Golf may have just played its hand perfectly.
In an industry where leagues are struggling to get fans to come to games instead of going to bars or purchasing all-inclusive television packages, golf has spent a decade investing in technology and information beamed right onto the screens of everyone watching the action at home.
And while every other sport is locked into a schedule that lends it to lapses in attention from casual fans, golf has made the decision to condense what had been a very scattered 10 months of tournaments – many of which weren’t featuring top players – into six months of better tournament fields that see the four majors bookended by the next biggest player and viewer draws of the season.
If golf was a sports franchise, this is when all of its fans would be starting to get excited.
Golf had some down years in the early 2010’s, but it took a step back and evaluated its position. It developed a young group of talent that can produce for years to come, it still has the star power of old veterans and – thanks to the new schedule – it’s got some sleek new packaging that will catch the eye of more than just the die-hard fans.
So, for all of the lazy Sunday dads out there, watch out. Your regularly scheduled nap is going to be interrupted by a lot more excitement this year.
The Right Mistake
By: Rich Styles
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Matt Kuchar has spent his life and his golf career upholding doing the right thing. He holds himself to some pretty high standards. I’ve had several face to face interviews with Matt and he has always been upfront, honest and grateful.
Many of you have heard stories about Matt’s win in Mayakoba, his first win in four years.
His regular caddie, John Wood, was unable to be there. So, Matt got together with a local caddie, “El Tucan”, to carry his bag at the tournament. They made an agreement. Matt would pay his local caddie a certain amount if he missed the cut, another amount if he made the cut, a higher amount if he placed in Top 10 and a flat fee if he won.
“El Tucan” carried the bag, which he does at the course and usually receives a few hundred dollars a week for doing that. Matt figured the yardage on each hole, read his own putts, etc. The caddie carried the bag for four days.
Well, as you know, Matt won. He paid the caddie the previously agreed amount of $4,000 plus another $1,000 for the win as a bonus. That was the deal.
I interviewed Matt’s Dad, Peter, last week, and we discussed the matter. Peter said, “a deal is a deal”. He further said, “if I hired a person to paint my house for a certain amount, that was our deal, our agreement.” Peter said, Matt has always done the right thing all his life in everything he has done.
Well, since the tournament, social media and friends of “El Tucan”, has exploded. It has blown up. The media, “el Tucan”, his friends and family have all said he deserved more money than he was paid.
So, after the negative press from many outlets, Matt through the PGA office, agreed to give his local caddie an additional $45,000 plus an undisclosed amount to the Mayakoba Classic to use for local charities. Matt paid more than he said he originally agreed upon.
John Wood, Matt’s regular caddie, in various publications that “you do not know the real guy”. “Matt has treated me fairly during out whole relationship.”
Did Matt make a mistake? In my opinion, no. Should he have paid the local caddie more than they agreed upon. I think not.
But with the pressure from social media and discussions with the PGA Tour, the additional funds were paid to do more than the right thing. Matt went out of his way to make things right. He said, “I made a mistake, I was stubborn and hard headed.
In my mind, a deal is a deal. After I won, it wasn’t a good deal. In the caddie’s case, he did not feel like he won in that situation, and I needed to make that right. It’s as simple as that.”
This situation with Matt should be over. The media will probably continue to talk about it and attack his character.
I am a Kuchar fan. I met him while he was practicing for the President’s Cup a few years ago. He was pleasant and a nice guy.
Every time I have interviewed him or seen him running on the beach on St. Simons Island early in the morning, he always says hi.
The bottom line is that sometimes you make a mistake, but in the end, he will always do the right thing to make it even righter.
Let’s move on, please
The New Clubs
By: Rich Styles
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In January of every year, 40,000 people within the golf industry gather in Orlando, FL for the PGA Merchandise Show. I was one of those.
It is always amazing to me each year how many companies pay thousands of dollars to set up booths, bring in staff and products to show off what they have that is new for the year.
The audience walks around, when you can get through the crowds and lines, to look at all that is new in equipment, training aids, apparel, golf cars, snacks, etc. All related to golf. It is quite overwhelming to say the least.
After spending weeks setting appointments for interviews on the back9boys golf show, there are always a a few surprises. Here are a few….
I got to spend a few minutes talking with Sir Nick Faldo, Masters Champion and currently one of the best announcers on the Golf Channel. Sir Nick wanted to talk about a course, Bella Colina, he designed and will not make it easier to play through a renovation. Sir Nick called the course “a brut”.
He talked about the athletes that now play the game. They are all built, in shape, eat right, workout regularly, have great swings and are mentally tough. By the way, they can hit the ball a mile, sometimes more.
I asked Sir Nick why he wasn’t playing on the Champions Tour, he said he can’t play
like he did years ago, winning tournament on both continents. He would have to put in long hours practicing and basically get in “golf shape”.
He is grateful and blessed to be able to stay close to golf with his gig on the Golf Channel. He was a pleasure to spend a few minutes with but you go away with many more questions that you would have liked to ask. Next time.
Then I had another surprise….John O’Hurley, who played Mr. Peterman on
Seinfeld. Can you believe that was twenty years ago. He loves the game of golf and belongs to two country clubs in LA. He was there with his wife, who works with a travel golf company, Garmany Golf.
John was gracious to spend time with me to talk about his love for golf. He plays in a lot of Pro-Am Tournaments all over the world. He has seen good swings and I am sure not so good swings of the amateurs.
He said the Mr. Peterman role was incredible. He got to work with the staff who all were in their prime and loved being in a show about nothing. Many still call him, Mr. Peterman. He was delight and I hope we cross paths again, this time on a golf course.
Another surprise was having a few minutes with Lexi Thompson. Winner of many LPGA tournaments. She was much taller than I thought, but I guess that means I am shorter than I thought I was.
She was being asked by many to sign autographs, pose for pictures (yes, even with me) and do interviews. She visited several booths of which she endorses their clubs, apparel, product or service. Very nice lady who can hit the ball a mile.
By the way, now members of her family, now her brother, caddie for her on tour.
Yes, I did my seventeen miles of walking from one end of the convention center to the other doing interviews and taking in all that is new in golf equipment, apparel, golf cars, training aids, energy bars, etc.
Every year I say I will skip next year. But I have gone five years in a row so I guess I will be back in 2020. After all, there will be new stuff to see, feel and touch. Yes, samples are appreciated.
Around The Bend
By: Rich Styles
GeorgiaSportsEdition.com news services
The 2018-19 season starts this month on the PGA Tour. Yes, there were several tournaments last fall with many of the top ranked golfers cherry picking which ones to play.
Now, after the Tournament of Champions, which will not include Tiger, Phil and Justin Rose, the tour starts in Hawaii, then the west coast swing.
There are many PGA, Web.com, PGA Tour Canada and Latin American players from Georgia or with Georgia ties. Many have won tour events and several majors over the last several years and around 30 or so live and practice in Sea Island/St. Simons Island.
One of the biggest stories was Charles Howell III winning the RSM Classic. Howell III won on the second playoff hole with a birdie, after over 83,693 shots on the tour, 333 starts and over 11 years without a win. A great and popular win for the Augusta native. He will play in the TOC in Hawaii.
He is also ranked in the Top 20 of total winnings on the PGA Tour. Quite an accomplishment with 3 PGA Tour wins and many Top 10s along his journey.
Looking to regain their games in the 2018-19 season are Patton Kizzire, who had a great first half of the season with two wins to lead the FedEx Cup standings and reached Top 30 of the Tour Championship; Chesson Hadley, who has 13 Top 25s and 7 Top 10s.
Also looking to regain form are Kevin Kisner, who did not have the year that he had planned; Brian Harman, started strong but missed the Tour Championship; Zach Johnson will start the new year with a new caddie after parting ways with Damon Green after 15-years together and 2 major wins. And many others.
A strong list of players on various tours include Anders Albertson, Cameron Tringale, Harris English, Heath Slocum, Hudson Swofford, J.T. Poston, Jason Bohn, Joey Garber, Scott Wolfes, Kris Blanks, Luke List, Michael Thompson, Ollie Schniederjans, Patrick Reed, Richy Werenski, Roberto Castro, Russell Henry, Scott Brown, Sepp Straka, Stewart Cink, Trey Mullinax, Troy Matteson, Vaughn Taylor, Wesley Bryan, Dru Love IV and Will Claxton.
The list will grow of tour players who live or have ties in Georgia with the incredibly strong golf programs at UGA, Georgia Southern, College of Coastal Georgia, Georgia Tech and others.
The AJGA, Jones Cup Jr and Jones Cup Invitational are also strong organizations with unbelievable talent that is only going to get stronger.
That means the talent in high schools to colleges to the mini tours to the PGA Tour is strong. You may not know their names now but you will in the next few years.
These players are young, strong and have an incredible will to win. They have no fear and want to play against the best on any of the above-mentioned tours. Georgia’s golf future is bright and very promising.
The Georgia Golf Trail
By: Rich Styles
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Many states have golf trails. Which are several courses that join together to promote staying and playing golf all over their states.
And yes, Georgia has a golf trail. It has not been widely publicized. They do have a monthly newsletter which can be sent to you free by emailing them your contact info at www.georgiagolfandtravel.com.
To be part of the trail, courses have to be able to provide accommodations as well as golf.
To tee it up all over Georgia, you can travel from the mountains to the coast. There are 25 top resorts that provide first class golf and accommodations.
Doug Hollandsworth is the Director and an avid golfer. There are golf packages available by calling…855.388.4653.
In the western part of the state, there is Little Ocmulgee, a course surrounded by pines, willows and magnolias. There is also Meadow Links, a links course; Lake Blackshear, Georgia Veterans Memorial Golf Course, designed by Denis Griffiths and listed by Golf Digest as a four (4) star course; Callaway Gardens is next, a course mixed into nature.
In the northern part of the state, Old Tobacco Farm; Brasstown Valley Resort and Spa is a great mountain getaway with something for everyone; Innsbruck Golf Club nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Alpine Valley of Helen; The Orchard, designed by Don Maples.
Not far from Atlanta, there is Stone Mountain, which offers two championship courses. Chateau Elan has 3 championship layouts nestled thru lush vineyards; Reynolds Lake Oconee has 6 courses with 117 holes designed by some of the most respected architects in the game;
The Creek at Hard Labor, designed in a natural setting; Highland Walk offers 18 holes built on steep rolling hills and bordered by 9 miles of Lake Oconee; Harbor Club is surrounded by 1600 acres of wooded hills and Lake Oconee.
Then towards and on the coast, there are several great courses to play that include Web.com and PGA Tour events each year.
The Landings Club, which hosts the Savannah Golf Championship on the Intercoastal Waterway; The Club at Savannah Harbor offers a Troon managed property with great views of the marshes; Sea Island Resort offers three, two of which host PGA Tour events in November plus spa and an incredible golf performance center; The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort offers 18 holes, 4 of which are on the salt marsh; Jekyll Island offers 63 holes on four (4) courses; Sapelo Hammock Golf Club is tucked away along the Sapelo River.
Not far from the coast are a few more courses…Brazell’s Creek, an 18-hole layout, par 71; The Lakes has three large lakes near the Okefenokee Swamp; Stone Creek winding through the South Georgia wetlands with an authentic beaver pond and bass lake.
So, there is a quick trip through the Georgia Golf Trail. Fun to travel and play in our state and enjoy all the different climates. Tee it up in Georgia with the vast variety of courses and designers that you will want to play again and again.
The Tour Championship
By: Rich Styles
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta is history.
Also making history is the amazing comeback of Tiger Woods. From 2008 to 2013, Tiger has dealt with family issues, injuries, surgeries….a fall from the top.
Now he is back. He has proved to his doubters that he can win, he can still play and he is ready for a full schedule for 2018-2019 season.
He is a changed Tiger. He has enabled the purses in all PGA Tour events to grow to what some would call unbelievable amounts of money, he is helped TV ratings increase and he has helped ticket sales.
Look at the crowd at East Lake on the 18th hole, I have not seen anything like that in a long time. I said Tiger has changed. He has in the following ways….he is a Dad, he is humble and he is grateful to be playing the game his Mom and Dad raised him to be playing from an early age. He is a champion again.
The Tour Championship could not have written a better script for a Sunday afternoon.
Tiger and Rory in the final group. Allison Fillmore, Tournament Director for the Tour Championship text me on Sunday when I said, “it could not be any better, Tiger and Rory, final group.” She texted right back…”I know, right!”
Half of the final pairing lived up to the hype. Tiger played well. Rory did not. Finishing ahead of Tiger was Justin Rose, who calmly and methodically, worked his way around the course to win the FedEx Cup and $10M. The story most will remember this year, will be that Tiger won the Tour Championship and oh yeah, another guy won the FedEx Cup.
Next year, the Tour Championship will be held in August and will have a different format.
Over the years, the average winning score was -11. Now the leader of the FedEx Cup going into the Tour Championship will be at -10 under. Others will also begin under par based on their ranking of FedEx points.
I have talked with many golf writers, who say they do not fully understand the new format but by the time the Tour Championship rolls along to next August, it will be written about, talked about enough that it will be more clear.
Fans, writers, etc are excited for the next season of the PGA Tour which begins in California and then the first half ends at the RSM Classic at Sea Island Resort. The Top 25 of the web.com tour get to play all five of these tournaments.
Then the Tour does a reshuffle based on their performance in these five tournaments and then they can begin to schedule for 2019.
Plus several tournaments will have date changes. The Players will move to March; the Masters in April; PGA Championship moves to May at Beth Page; U.S. Open in May at Pebble Beach; The Open in July at Royal Portrush Golf Club and the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in August.
This should help with TV ratings since college and NFL will not have regular season games until September. That is the main reason for the changes. We will see.
Many say that the PGA Tour starts and ends in Georgia. Next year it will begin in FL and end in GA. It will be another exciting year and there are 156 tour pros who would like to win the FexEx Cup and the new prize to the winner of the Tour Championship of $15M. Not a bad way to end the Tour schedule. Not bad at all.
The Great Casper
By: Rich Syles
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Now, I have had a privilege to interview some of the greats in professional
Golf; Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Billy Casper and a few more.
I have interviewed some of the great architects of some of the outstanding courses in the world. I would like to share with you one of my favorite interviews and why.
I had the opportunity to sit with PGA Tour legend, Billy Casper, one on one, for an hour and half at a friend’s house in Raleigh, NC.
Casper was funny, down to earth and humble. He was a man with a strong faith and did not have the notoriety that the others did.
Yet, Billy Casper’s winning percentage was third behind Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. He was ahead of everyone else; Palmer, Player, Trevino, etc. The statistic was figured upon number of PGA tournaments entered and number of wins.
That is a fact not many people realize about Billy Casper. He did not have a big public relations team behind him. He had his talent and his faith. Casper was a gentleman’s gentleman who loved people, his family, which included many adopted children.
I asked him specifically who was his biggest rival…..he said, “whoever I was playing at the time.” I asked him about his U.S. Open win at the Olympic Club. On the tenth
tee, he was 7 shots behind Arnold Palmer with nine holes to play. He told me about every hole, not only what he hit, but how he hit it and what Arnold got on those holes.
At the end, he tied Palmer and won in a playoff.
This was one of my favorite interviews and people. RIP Billy. To steal a line from Bob Hope…..thanks for the memories.
King Koepka
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For the first time since Curtis Strange in 1989, Brooks Koepka has won the United States Open in consecutive years.
Koepka fired a final round 68 to beat Tommy Fleetwood by a stroke and World #1 Dustin Johnson by two strokes. Fleetwood who played earlier in the day on Sunday shot a record low round of 63.
Koepka with the win jumps to number 4 in the world rankings and looks like at age 28 he will be a force in American golf for at least the next decade.
Shinnecock Hills hosted another memorable US Open. Rounds 1 and 3 brought the best players in the world to their knees. Johnson was running away with the title after 36 holes but fired a 77 on Saturday to come back to the pack.
Phil Mickelson hit a moving ball and took a lot of criticism from the golfing media.
The USGA took a lot of heat from media and players regarding pin positions and baked out greens that made good approach shots into bad shots.
Shinnecock is a beast when the wind blows and after Koepka won at Erin Hills at 16 under in 2017 who did not see this coming? The US Open is regarded as the toughest test of golf in the world and the USGA likes the winning score to be around par.
Koepka has now won the toughest golf tournament in the world in back to back years.
Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Koepka was raised in Lake Worth and attended Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach. He played college golf at Florida State University, where was a three-time All-American.
Koepka started his professional career on the European tour, where he won three times before coming to the PGA tour.
Koepka now has a reputation for being able to win on the toughest courses in the world. The Open is being played at Carnoustie this year, which is also known as the toughest course in Scotland so expect Koepka to contend there as well.
Some players just are built to compete for major titles. Koepka at 28 has won two, has 5 top five, and 7 top ten finishes. He has made the cut in straight majors dating back to the 2013 PGA Championship.
When you can do that you build a reputation as being a closer and that was evident in the final round at Shinnecock when he stuffed a short iron to 4 feet and drained a birdie putt to pretty much seal the deal playing alongside Dustin Johnson.
Willie Anderson of Scotland is the only man to ever win three consecutive US Open titles in 1905. Koepa can become the only American to accomplish that with a win at Pebble Beach in 2019.
Life is pretty good for Brooks right now, back to back US Open champion, top 5 golfer in the world, and a beauty pageant winner as a girlfriend.
Look for Brooks Koepka to help lead the US Ryder cup team this fall to a much needed victory on European soil. Something that has not happened in 25 years.
The future of US golf is pretty bright currently.
Tee It Up
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If you are a diehard sports fan then you know with Father’s Day approaching next week that it is US Open time as the tournament always concludes on that special day for dads.
The 118th edition returns to Shinnecock Hills for the 5th time. Shinnecock Hills claims to be the oldest formal organized golf club in the United States (1891), to have the oldest golf clubhouse in the U.S. (1892) and to have been the first to admit women, which it did from the start. It is a links course just east of New York City. If the winds blow, then look out.
If there is a tie after 72 holes then a two-hole aggregate playoff, introduced by the USGA this year, will be used to determine the champion.
Previously playoffs at the U.S. Open were 18 holes, with sudden-death if needed. The last 18-hole playoff occurred in 2008 with Tiger beating Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines. It was Tiger’s last win in a major.
Some memorable US Opens have unfolded at Shinnecock Hills.
1986: Raymond Floyd wins after shooting a final round 66 and beating the likes of Greg Norman, Lanny Wadkins, and Chip Beck. Norman held the lead after 54 holes.
1995: Corey Pavin won his only major with a two-shot win over Greg Norman who held another 54-hole lead at Shinnecock Hills.
2004: Retief Goosen beats Phil Mickelson by two shots.
The players to watch this year are: Phil Mickelson: The US Open is the only major lefty hasn’t won and he has finished runner-up six times in the US Open. Does he have a magical 4 days left in him at 47 years of age? Don’t count him out.
Tiger Woods: The three-time US Open champ has not won a major in a decade. Shinnecock is a monster to end a major championship drought. His game is coming around.
Justin Rose: Rose plays well at places like Shinnecock and he is a past US Open champion and his game is peaking right now.
Rickie Fowler: Fowler played well at Augusta and may get his first major at Shinnecock. Fowler has that dreaded best player to never win a major tag and let’s hope he gets rid of that soon. Fowler showed me something at Augusta down the stretch. His first major win is coming soon.
Jordan Spieth: Spieth won the US Open in 2015 and at 24 years of age will be a favorite in majors for probably the next decade.
Patrick Reed: The Masters Champ has the game to win a US Open but can he put together back to back great runs in a major?
Matt Kuchar: My gut is telling me the St. Simons Island resident Kuchar is going to contend at Shinnecock. Kuch has been close in majors before. Could this be the weekend?
Prediction: A Mickelson or Kuchar run would be heartwarming. A Tiger run would be ratings gold. At the end of the day I think it comes down to Fowler, Rose, and Spieth.
2018 US Open Champion will be Justin Rose. Fowler wins the PGA in August
Tiger On The Prowl
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Azaleas are blooming which means one thing to golf fans. Masters week is upon us.
So far in 2018 it has been a crazy sports year. I just watched Kentucky lose in the NCAA tourney to continue to throw it into utter chaos.
Ronald Acuna will start the season in Gwinnett, which is all about money and makes no sense at all. So, the theme in sports this year is to expect the unexpected so I ask this question:
Can Tiger Woods win the 2018 Masters? I’ll get back to that in a few paragraphs.
Here are my favorites in the 2018 Masters:
Phil Mickelson: Lefty just won in Mexico for the first time in five years and looked like the old Phil in doing so. The three-time champion loves Augusta and will contend this year.
Sergio Garcia: The defending champ is starting to round into form and has been near the top of leaderboards lately. Look for Sergio to be in one of the final groups on Sunday now that he knows how to win a major.
Rickie Fowler: He is overdue to win a major and his time in nearing if not the Masters then you have to think he will get one in 2018. This kid is just too good not have a green jacket in his closet one day. Fowler is going to be leading this tournament sometime on Sunday, but can he hold on is the question?
Jordan Spieth: Spieth is the best putter in the world and that makes him dangerous in Augusta and he will contend.
Justin Rose: Rose has the all-around game to compete for the green jacket and lost in a playoff to Sergio last year and that will be a huge motivator for Rose in 2018.
Now back to Tiger. Just a few months ago Tiger was ranked about 600 in the world in the World Golf Rankings maybe even higher. The golfing world left him for dead and Woods recovering from another back injury finally got back on the course. Then he started to contend in tournaments and now the Masters is here and Tiger is a betting favorite.
When Tiger contends people tune in and that is great for the game. Tiger will contend and the 2018 Masters will have record viewership.
I like Rose to win, but with all of the madness going on in March with the Loyola- Chicago’s of the world makes you think some special is in the works for Augusta.
Tiger won his first Masters in grand fashion at 21 years of age in 1997 and now 21 years later in 2018 the comeback will be complete as Tiger roars to another Green Jacket.
Better tune in folks because the 2018 Masters will be special.
Tiger Woods your 2018 Masters Champion. That would be great for sports. This would mark a historic comeback of a sports icon that everyone wrote.
I remember when I was a kid the experts wrote off Jack Nicklaus in 1980 and he finished off his career with three more majors with the 1980 US Open, and PGA Championship and of course the 1986 Masters.
Tiger Woods is great for professional golf.
