Category: PGA Tour

Categories
PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy: ” I’m maybe a little more outspoken than other guys in our game.”

Speaking his mind: Rory McIlroy at the press conference before the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Getty)

Among the players, Rory McIlroy is considered one of the loudspeakers on the PGA Tour. The Northern Irishman forms an opinion on many topics and tries to classify current events. At the press conference before the Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy explains why he thinks it’s important to express his opinion and what he thinks of the current discussion surrounding PIP and Phil Mickelson. Read the complete interview here:

Q: Rory, you’re going to be making your eighth start here. What is it like to be back, especially as a past champion?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, it’s always good to be back at Bay Hill. I didn’t play this event for the first few years of my career and finally came here in 2015, and I don’t think I’ve missed a tournament since.

We all know what Arnold Palmer means to the PGA TOUR and to the game of golf in general. So it’s always nice to be here and try to sort of remember his legacy and remember what he meant to everyone. He was probably the catalyst with maybe a few other guys of why we’re here today and why the game of professional golf is at such a high level.

So nice to be here, nice to pay our respects. Looking forward to another good week.

Q: And as you stated, you haven’t missed a tournament since you started, have five consecutive top tens here. What about this course and this tournament really clicks with your game?

It’s one of these courses that I don’t feel like I have to do anything special to compete. I can play within myself. You take care of the par-5s here. You play conservatively the rest of the way, especially how the golf course here has been set up the past few years. You play for your pars, and then you try to pick off birdies on the par-5s and some of the easier holes. If you just keep doing that day after day, you’re going to find yourself around the top of the leaderboard.

Yeah, it’s been a course that’s fit my eye from the first time I played here, and just one of those courses that I enjoy coming back to and feel like I can contend at.

Q: Rory, congratulations on finishing third, I think, on the PIP.

Thanks (laughter).

Q: Do you understand exactly why you ended up third, and were there any surprises on the list for you when you saw the top ten?

Not really. I mean, you look at the ten guys that are on there, and they’re the ten guys that have been at the top of the game or have been around the top of the game for a long time. Obviously, everyone’s seen the five metrics that go into it and how everyone ranked in those metrics. I feel like it’s a pretty self-explanatory system. That’s how the numbers sort of rolled out.

Yeah, it’s certainly not something that I’m checking up on every week to see where I’m at, but I think it went the way most of us expected it to go.

Q: Also, as you ramp up for this big stretch of golf tournaments, what are you kind of waiting to see in your game. What is it you’re kind of looking for as you do the run-up?

Just consistency. I mean, I felt like the three tournaments that I’ve played this year, I’ve played pretty well. I had a pretty solid week at Riviera without doing anything really special. I had a good weekend.

I think just more of the same. I’ve driven the ball pretty well. I’ve seen a bit of improvement in iron play. My short game’s been really good. If anything, just getting the consistency to a point where I feel like I can play like that day in and day out.

But the game feels good, so just sort of trying to keep doing what I’m doing.

Q: Rory, given your stature and success in the game, it gives you a voice. Do you feel though that, even if you weren’t a world renowned golfer, you would still speak out about injustices you see? And why are you that way?

Look, I’ll only voice my opinion on things that I believe I’m educated in and believe that I have a right to talk about. So there’s certainly things that I won’t get into just because I’m not completely educated on that topic and feel like giving an opinion probably isn’t the right thing to do.

But when it comes to golf and PGA TOUR stuff, I feel like I’m pretty educated on that stuff. And I guess with that voice comes responsibility to try to do the right thing. That’s all I try to do. I try to make comments or speak about things to do the right thing, and that’s the reason I’m maybe a little more outspoken than other guys in our game.

Again, it doesn’t go much further than the game of golf because I feel comfortable talking about that, but when you sort of delve into other things, I don’t think it’s my place to get into that.

Q: Speaking of education, I thought I read something about you once that you wanted to drop out of school in like the fifth grade?

I did drop out of school in — well, not the fifth grade (laughter). I dropped out of school pretty early, yeah.

Q: What does that say about you, if anything, that you’ve got this appetite for knowledge, for learning, for reading, and hated school?

Learnt my lesson. I didn’t have — I just had no — I had no academic ambitions when I was a youngster. I don’t know, I think I got to a point in golf where I was pretty — all I wanted to do when I was young was play golf. Didn’t care about school. Didn’t want to go. Wanted to just go practice, play golf. And now all I do most every day is go practice and play golf.

So I have other things I want to do and hobbies. I think as you get older, you get interested in more things and maybe just become a little more curious. I’ve sort of become that way. But, again, I’m the first one to say I don’t know — I know a little about a lot, but I’m not as smart on a lot of things as I am maybe on golf and things in and around this world.

Q: One more golf question. Finchem probably back in ’10 had talked about this idea of somewhat of a world tour schedule and also how difficult it would be to put together. They’ve been trying for a long time. Do you get a sense that, given the dynamics of golf right now, that it could be getting closer to that and that it would still be just as difficult to implement?

So I certainly think there’s been steps taken that have got us closer to that point. Obviously, this strategic alliance between DP World Tour and the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR buying a stake in European Tour Productions, Jay having a seat on the board in Europe, they’re certainly working much closer together, which is a great thing. I think it needs to be that way.

The game of professional golf, everyone needs to be trying to pull in the same direction instead of pulling against each other. I think we’re getting closer to that spot. I think it would be easy for — it’s not as simple as this, but the guys at the PGA TOUR could just literally walk down the street to the guys in the ATP and just have a chat about what they do.

It’s two very, very different structures and different schedules, but I think there is a path where one day there could be — it might still be two Tours running side by side parallel to each other, but basically for — it would be a global tour, a global schedule.

Q: Would it be important for Europe’s identity?

I think so. I think there’s quite a long history and tradition and heritage there. You go back to — yeah, the formation of the European Tour wasn’t that long after the PGA TOUR. I think European Tour was in the ’70s, and PGA TOUR was in the late ’60s. So there’s history there that you would like to keep.

Q: Are you surprised that so many golfers and sponsors have separated themselves, distanced themselves from Phil, who’s one of the legends of the game, or do you think his comments were so volatile that that was necessary? And how unfortunate is the whole situation?

It is unfortunate. I think Phil has been a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf, still is a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf. It’s unfortunate that a few comments that he thought he was making in confidence or off the record got out there and were — not used against him, but this whole situation is unfortunate.

Look, Phil will be back. I think the players want to see him back. He’s done such a wonderful job for the game of golf, and he’s represented the game of golf very, very well for the entirety of his career.

Look, we all make mistakes. We all say things we want to take back. No one is different in that regard. But we should be allowed to make mistakes, and we should be allowed to ask for forgiveness and for people to forgive us and move on. Hopefully, he comes back at some stage, and he will, and people will welcome him back and be glad that he is back.

Q: I know you to be a student of the world and what’s going on and you’ve traveled all over the world. The world is such a tender place right now. What do you do to sort of put that aside so you can focus on your day job?

I try to look at the news once a day and sort of leave it at that. You sort of try to keep up to date with current events and everything that’s happening. I guess I have to understand that sitting in my position right here in Orlando, Florida, there’s not much that I can say or do that’s going to help the situation. So I can just focus on what’s most important to me, which is my family and my golf, and live my life.

THE MODERATOR: That’s all the time we have for questions. Rory, we thank you for taking the time to talk with us, and we wish you the best of luck this week.

Categories
PGA Tour

Tiger Woods wins the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program

Can look forward to eight million US dollars: Tiger Woods is ranked first in the PGA Tour's Player Impact Programme. (Photo: Getty)
Can look forward to eight million US dollars: Tiger Woods is ranked first in the PGA Tour's Player Impact Programme. (Photo: Getty)

The top 10 of the Player Impact Programme for 2021 have been announced – and Tiger Woods walks away with eight million US dollars. The superstar leads the ranking just ahead of Phil Mickelson, who had already claimed the title on Twitter, and Rory McIlroy, the PGA Tour announced on Wednesday. The objective bonus programme is designed to reward players who generate positive interest in the PGA Tour, with the top ten players being paid a total of 40 million US dollars.

Tiger Woods: No tournament on the PGA Tour, still winner

The fact that the winner of this ranking is Tiger Woods comes as a surprise only because the 46-year-old was seriously injured in a car accident a year ago and has not played an official tournament since. But the PNC Championship at the end of last year may have been the deciding factor, when Woods came second with his son Charlie, played amazingly good golf again and thrilled the masses – NBC Sports reported 53 percent more viewers than the year before. It is precisely this attention that is rewarded in the Player Impact Programme, which is made up of a total of five categories: Google searches, Meltwater mention (mentions in the global media), MVP Index (reach in social media), Nielson Score (visibility during TV broadcasts of the PGA Tour on tournament weekends) and the Q-Score, which indicates the general level of awareness.

Player Impact Progamm Preisgeld
1. Tiger Woods 8 Mio. US-Dollar
2. Phil Mickelson 6 Mio. US-Dollar
3. Rory McIlroy 3,5 Mio. US-Dollar
4. Jordan Spieth 3,5 Mio. US-Dollar
5. Bryson DeChambeau 3,5 Mio. US-Dollar
6. Justin Thomas 3,5 Mio. US-Dollar
7. Dustin Johnson 3 Mio. US-Dollar
8. Brooks Koepka 3 Mio. US-Dollar
9. Jon Rahm 3 Mio. US-Dollar
10. Bubba Watson 3 Mio. US-Dollar

Looking at the more detailed breakdown of the individual scores, it is noticeable that the 15-time major winner leads the Google Searches, Meltwater Mention and Q-Score categories (and thus 3 out of 5 categories). This is not surprising, as Woods is the poster boy of golf and has repeatedly been a topic in the media, especially due to his serious accident. The record PGA Tour winner was “only” 43rd in the Nielsen score, which is quite remarkable in view of the fact that he only played one tournament.

Koepka and DeChambeau cash in

In this category, ” broadcast time”, Bryson DeChambeau is the leader, the 28-year-old also lands in third place in Meltwater mentions. So the “Brooks-Bryson-feud” seems to have paid off for the “Mad Scientist” and Brooks Koepka, as both stars land in the top 1o of the ranking and get a few extra bucks.

Surprisingly, Bubba Watson also made it into the top ten of the PIP. The 43-year-old wins the MVP Index category, i.e. has the greatest reach in social media, and does really well in Q-Score as third, compensating for the weaker categories. (The top 9 in each of the categories Google Searches and Meltwater Mention also occupy the first nine ranks in the PIP.) Collin Morikawa has already won quite a lot at the age of 24, but narrowly misses the top 10 in this ranking in eleventh place.

Player Impact Program: Payout tied to conditions

However, the stars of the PGA Tour only receive the money under two conditions: First, they have to participate in a “sponsor’s function”, such as an interview, Q&A session, dinner or similar, and second, they have to play an agreed tournament on the PGA Tour in order to collect the money. According to these regulations, the winner of the Player Impact Programme, Tiger Woods, only gets the money if he competes in a PGA Tour tournament that he has not played in the last four years. It is not known whether there is an exception for the superstar because of his special circumstances. For the coming year, the prize money pool has been increased by another ten million, so there will be a total of 50 million US dollars for the idols of golf.

Categories
PGA Tour

PGA Tour: Phil Mickelson no longer hosts the American Express

The PGA Tour is ending its partnership with Phil Mickelson to host the American Express. (Photo: Getty)
The PGA Tour is ending its partnership with Phil Mickelson to host the American Express. (Photo: Getty)

After his controversial and insulting statements about the PGA Tour and a possible Saudi Golf League, Phil Mickelson is facing severe consequences. Although the 51-year-old had apologised and announced a break from professional golf, several long-time partners of the six-time major winner ended their partnership. Now the PGA Tour has also announced that it will end its cooperation as host of the American Express.

PGA Tour: Phil Mickelson no longer host

As the “Desert Sun” reports, the PGA Tour has confirmed that Phil Mickelson will no longer return to La Quinta, California, as host in 2023. In addition, the Mickelson Foundation, which was established in 2019 specifically for the American Express, will no longer be part of the tournament. This is the PGA Tour’s way of responding to “Lefty’s” statements, with which he had taken a tough stand against the American professional tour. Mickelson and his foundation had been the official host of the American Express since 2020 and were originally supposed to hold that role until (at least) 2024. Who will take over this role from next year has not yet been decided.

Sponsors cut ties

Previously, personal sponsors had also cut the ties and ended or paused their cooperation with Mickelson. Callaway, the equipment manufacturer of the 45-time PGA Tour winner declared to pause the partnership. “Callaway does not condone Phil Mickelson’s comments and we were very disappointed in his choice of words — they in no way reflect our values or what we stand for as a company,” it said in a statement to golf.com. “Phil has apologized and we know he regrets how he handled recent events. We recognize his desire to take time away from the game and respect that decision. We recognise his desire to take time out from the game and respect that decision.” After this unspecified time off, the partnership will be re-evaluated, the statement added.

However, other sponsors of the superstar came up with even harder consequences. KMPG, Workday and Amstel Light (Heineken) have all ended their cooperation with the World Golf Hall of Famer. “At this time, Workday and Phil Mickelson have mutually and amicably agreed to not renew our brand sponsorship that ends this March,” a Workday spokesperson told Golf Digest on Friday. KPMG had also “mutually agreed” to part ways with Mickelson, he added. Similarly, Heineken, the parent company of Amstel Light, announced that it was going “separate ways”.

Categories
Panorama PGA Tour Tour News

Phil Mickelson: “The PGA Tour is a dictatorship disguised as a democracy”.

Phil Mickelson calls the PGA Tour a dictatorship. (Photo: Getty)
Phil Mickelson calls the PGA Tour a dictatorship. (Photo: Getty)

Phil Mickelson has been in the headlines repeatedly for weeks and months. The reason for this is not his sporting achievements but his comments on the Saudi Golf League. In November, he spoke with Alan Shipnuck about his motives for his Saudi lobbying. In the conversation with Shipnuck, the American compares his (actual) home tour to a dictatorship and at the same time justifies his looking the other way when it comes to the origin of Saudi money.

Phil Mickelson: “They’re scary motherf_s to get involved with”

Phil Mickelson is well aware of who is behind the Saudi Golf League: “We know they murdered [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a terrible human rights record. They execute people there because they are gay. Why would I even consider that, knowing all that?” For Mickelson, the answer is clearly summed up in one point: “Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape the way the PGA Tour operates.

They were able to deal with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no way to fight back. As nice as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across, if you don’t have leverage, he’s not going to do the right thing. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage.” So it’s all about Mickelson taking a swipe at the PGA Tour and making big bucks in the process. But he doesn’t seem entirely convinced about the new league, as he let slip to Shipnuck. “I’m not sure I even want the SGL to succeed, but just the idea of it allows us to work things out with the PGA Tour.”

“The PGA Tour is sitting on billions of dollars”.

In the further course of the interview, Phil Mickelson explains his dissatisfaction and criticism of the PGA Tour’s media handling. He is concerned with the possible assets behind the media rights and image materials of the players and tournaments. According to Mickelson, these are worth billions of dollars in NFTs. But these digital value tokens of individual images are not due to the PGA Tour, according to Mickelson, but to the players who are featured on the media. “I don’t want to say it’s annoying, but it’s definitely beyond frustrating,” Mickelson said of the image and media rights situation.

“The Tour is sitting on billions of dollars worth of NFTs,” Mickelson said in the interview. “All of that has to belong to the players. We made these shots, we created these moments, we should be the ones benefiting from it.” Mickelson’s biggest point of criticism is the PGA Tour’s handling of its revenue. “How the hell is it legal for them to have that kind of money at their disposal?” he asks Shipnuck, noting that the Tour is actually a nonprofit organization. Mickelson promptly provides the answer himself, “Not at all. But they want more and more. They have to control everything. Their egos don’t allow them to make the concessions they need.”

“The PGA Tour is a dictatorship”

Mickelson has harsh words for the PGA Tour and the way it operates: “The Tour acts like it’s a democracy, but it’s really a dictatorship. Instead of catering to the broad mass of players, the PGA Tour only supports the top players, he says. Mickelson would like to see a turnaround and a better perception of the large mass of “middle-class players. He wants to achieve this with the Saudi money and the pressure on the American tour behind it.

Categories
PGA Tour

240 million dollar offer and tour break: Bryson DeChambeau clears up rumours

Bryson DeChambeau has had to deal with several rumours surrounding him recently. (Photo: Getty)
Bryson DeChambeau has had to deal with several rumours surrounding him recently. (Photo: Getty)

In the past few weeks, various rumours have been circulating about the American Bryson DeChambeau. The offer for a move to the Saudi Golf League is said to have been significantly increased and DeChambeau has announced that he no longer wants to play on the PGA Tour. Last Monday, the Major winner posted a statement in which he tried to clarify his current situation.

Bryson DeChambeau: “This is just another erroneous report”

At the recent Waste Management Phoenix Open, Charley Hoffman caused a stir by getting upset with the PGA Tour via Instagram after the second day. Hofmann collected two penalty strokes for what he considered a correct drop on the water and accused the PGA Tour of a “lack of responsibility” and “lack of protection for players”. Among other pros, Bryson DeChambeau also reacted to Hoffman’s strong criticism and commented that he wholeheartedly agreed. In addition, rumours surfaced that DeChambeau’s offer for a move to the Saudi Golf League had been increased to over $200 million. “That’s just another erroneous report,” the 28-year-old countered the rumour mill surrounding his person.


DeChambeau justifies tour break with injury

Furthermore, it was reported on the golf podcast “No Laying Up” that DeChambeau had apparently said at the Saudi International that he would not play on the PGA Tour again. “The information that I know from very reputable sources is the current state of affairs,” No Laying Up confirmed. DeChambeau’s cancellation for this week’s Genesis Invitational further fuelled the rumour of his move to the Saudi League. But Bryson DeChambeau also addressed his current break in his latest statement, stressing that he is in the process of healing his hand and hip injuries. The two injuries also forced the Major winner to pull out of the Saudi International. “Any news about my health or my game plan will come directly from me and my team,” the 28-year-old added, concluding by mentioning that he was looking forward to being back soon and seeing everyone again.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Bryson DeChambeau (@brysondechambeau)

Categories
PGA Tour

Hole-in-one at 16! – Sam Ryder makes the crowd go crazy

Sam Ryder makes an Ace on the 16th hole at PGA Tour's WM Phoenix Open. (Photo: Getty)
Sam Ryder makes an Ace on the 16th hole at PGA Tour's WM Phoenix Open. (Photo: Getty)

You couldn’t pick a better place for the first hole-in-one of your career. At the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Sam Ryder hits the perfect shot on what is probably the biggest party hole on the PGA Tour and makes the crowd go crazy.

The 32-year-old played the ball with a 54-degree wedge onto the green at the 124 yard par-3, the ball bounced briefly and rolled into the hole! After that, the cheers knew no bounds. Sam Ryder himself jumped into his caddie’s arms, high-fived his group partners and could hardly believe his luck. “Still kind of coming down off the adrenaline,” Ryder said, “it was pretty crazy.”

But it was not only a special moment for the golfer: the numerous fans at the legendary hole, which is completely surrounded by grandstands, knew no bounds. No one in the spectator stands was left dry, drinks were ecstatically spread into the air and cups were hurled onto the course. The 16th hole was a party mile and the title sponsor of the tournament was able to pursue his main occupation. The clean-up lasted about fifteen minutes before Brian Harman and his group could continue their round. For the spectators, too, the hole-in-one was unique: “The craziest thing I have ever seen” and “the greatest experience of my life”.

First Ace on 16 since 2015

The ace on the 16th at TPC Scottsdale was the first since Francesco Molinari teed off at the same spot in 2015. It also brings back memories of other legendary hole-in-ones like Tiger Woods’ 25 years ago. For Sam Ryder, however, it’s quickly getting down to daily business. The American brought an even-par round into the clubhouse and will start Sunday’s final round in tied 29th place. “I’ll try and get ready for tomorrow and hopefully have a good day and finish the tournament strong,” Ryder said. He will, however, make sure that the staff around the event are well compensated: “All the drinks on me!”

Categories
PGA Tour

Bryson DeChambeau withdraws from the 2022 Sony Open due to wrist soreness

Bryson DeChambeau is facing wrist pain and withdraws from the Sony Open. (Photo: Getty)
Bryson DeChambeau is facing wrist pain and withdraws from the Sony Open. (Photo: Getty)

The World number eight golfer Bryson DeChambeau will not play in the 2022 Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu next weekend. DeChambeau’s manager announced this last-minute decision to golfchannel.com on Monday January the 10th of 2022.
And the PGA Tour also confirmed via Twitter that the tour’s long hitter will not play in the second tournament of the Hawaii Swing.

Health problems prevent participation

Bryson DeChambeau, however, is not sitting out entirely by choice. The technical fanatic is struggling with wrist pain, according to this PGA Tour post.

Last weekend, he finished 25th at the Tournament of Champions, which is unusually down in the leaderboard for him, since the total participants was not larger than 40. For the last round, DeChambeau shot one-under-par round, and thus fell far short of expectations. His manager Brett Falkoff told Golf Channel that DeChambeau’s wrist had flared up again in the recent weeks and that he was not ready to play more tournaments back-to-back as he had originally hoped.

Long break for Bryson DeChambeau

“The Hulk” has only played in one official Tour tournament in the last three months and has otherwise kept a low profile. He played well in the Hero World Challenge in December, but there was little else to report from DeChambeau in terms of golf.
He was supposed to attend to a press event at the Saudi International on Monday, for the tenth of January 2022 that also had to be postponed indefinitely. After his cancellation of the Sony Open 2022, Bryson DeChambeau will probably not plan to be back on the field again until the Saudi International, which will take place on February 3rd, 2022.

Categories
DP World Tour Panorama PGA Tour Tour News

The biggest upsets in golf of 2021: insults, house bans and broken clubs.

Honorary Starter Lee Elder of the United States (L), honorary starter and Masters champion Gary Player of South Africa and honorary starter and Masters champion Jack Nicklaus

It’s not always “peace, joy, pancakes”. Snotty professionals, aggressive slips or inappropriate actions also find a place in golf. There has definitely been reason for excitement this year – one or two situations will definitely stick in the memory. If not, here is a summary of the biggest upsets in golf of 2021.

Justin Thomas’ homophobic gaffe

Justin Thomas kicks things off. He slipped out a homophobic insult at the Tournament of Champions in January. Not against a teammate, not against a referee – but against himself. He was angry about a missed 2-metre putt. Immediately after the round, Thomas apologised in an interview and on his social media channels for his ill-considered curse. Nevertheless, the slip had consequences for the golfer: his sponsor Ralph Lauren parted ways with him. His apology was acknowledged, but the statement could not be reconciled with the values that the company represents.

Tyrrell Hatton goes one better

Things did not go as hoped for Tyrrell Hatton at the British Open in July 2021. A spectator interfered with Hatton’s bogey putt on the 11th hole, whereupon the Englishman recorded a double bogey. Hatton promptly took his displeasure out on the spectator: He received a raised middle finger and the words “Absolutely fucking bollocks!” The spectator was not the only one to suffer on this day. At the 18, Hatton’s bat had to be destroyed.

The fans also fire verbally

The beef between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka is unlikely to have passed anyone by this year. Shouts also play a role in this dispute: Bryson DeChambeau, for example, was distracted by “Brooksy” shouts from Koepka fans in a tournament. Koepka, not present at the tournament himself, promptly responded to the extraordinary support of his fans and promised them free beer as a thank you. This story is just a small drop in the ocean in the dispute between DeChambeau and Koepka, who fought out their feud in “The Match V”.

*link dispute review

Every year again: Respect is a foreign word for American Ryder Cup fans

The Americans not only celebrated their own team at the Ryder Cup by cheering and applauding, but also tried to upset the opposing Europeans by disrespectful booing and insults. They cheered failed shots, shouted in the swing between them and wished the blue team balls in the water. Despite Steve Stricker’s appeal to the Americans to greet the Europeans with respect, the hosts’ fans did not mince their words. Unfortunately, not an isolated case at the Ryder Cup!

Brooks Koepka also had to contend with rebellious fans this year

Only a few weeks after a knee operation, Brooks Koepka competed at the PGA Championship. He was in the last flight together with Phil Mickelson and on his way to the 18th green. The fans, who naturally wanted to be especially close to their idols, scared Koepka. He was worried about his recently operated knee. The spectators came so close to the golf star that it was not easy to get through to the green. The American even suspected some fans of deliberately targeting his knee.

Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s ex-lawyer, shocks with sexist remark

In 2014, Rudy Giuliani won a charity tournament with Ernie Els alongside Michelle Wie. Seven years later, in 2021, he is reviving memories of the tournament. Not in a good way, though. In a podcast, Giuliani revealed that he noticed the “stunning” Michelle Wie’s panties as she putted that day. The paparazzi, he said, went crazy for a photo of them. Wie reacted quickly to this sexist remark: with a strong statement on Twitter she condemned the inappropriate remark and got support from the USGA and LPGA. Definitely one of the biggest upsets in golf, and the least proud moments for missing the essence of sport at its fullest.

Banned from Augusta? Gary Player’s son knows the drill

There was another upset at the opening ceremony at the 85th Masters. Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Elder were invited as honorary starters. The latter had to take part in the welcoming ceremony sitting down for health reasons. Standing diagonally behind him was Gary Player’s son and caddie, Wayne. He shamelessly took advantage of the moving ceremony: He held the inscription of a badge into the camera for several minutes – obviously this could not be a coincidence. What followed? A ban from Augusta. Wayne Player’s explanation of the situation? More than strange.

Player Impact Programme – Even more money for those with the most money

This year, a bonus programme was launched on the PGA Tour, the principle of which is rather questionable. It is not meant to reward a good playing performance, but to be a prize for special media impact. Players with this special media impact – for example Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Rory McIlroy – are to receive a reward for drawing the crowds and increasing golf’s audience. A total sum of 40 million dollars is to be awarded to the stars. Even more money for those who already have the most? This causes incomprehension.

NRW Health Minister Laumann causes outrage

Recently, NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann caused an uproar in the German health system as well as in the German golf market. In the wake of rising Corona numbers, he called on family doctors to invest more time in vaccination. His choice of words was more than daring. “Instead of golf on Saturday, vaccinate on Saturday,” were his words, with which he not only stepped on the toes of people from the health sector, but also of golfers. DGV President Claus Kobold did not take the flippant remark lying down for long and promptly responded with a quick-witted statement.

Categories
PGA Tour

PGA Tour: Cameron Smith wins the Tournament of Champions and sets a record

Cameron Smith wins the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions. (Photo: Getty)

Cameron Smith started the new tournament year with a bang. He wins the PGA Tour’s Sentry Tournament of Champions on Maui with 34 strokes under par, one shot ahead of Jon Rahm. It is the lowest under-par score in PGA Tour history and marks Smith’s fourth win on Tour. Previously, Ernie Els held the record with 31 strokes under par.

Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith started the fourth round with a five-stroke lead, but that didn’t mean they could rest on it as Matt Jones came from behind with a round of 61, the course record set the day before by Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm. Jones eliminated the lead and ended up third, just one stroke behind Jon Rahm.

PGA Tour: Cameron Smith beats world No. 1

Smith and Rahm went head-to-head on Moving Day at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and the final was to be no less exciting. Smith gained a small lead over Rahm on the first nine, which could have been null and void on the last holes if Rahm had been able to hole his eagle attempt on the 18th from 15 metres, which he did not do, or if Smith had not been able to follow up with the birdie. But with a sure hand he sank his putt on the 18th green against the world No 1. “Rahm is the best golfer in the world and there are a lot of reasons why,” Smith said after his round. “He puts the ball on the flag and seems to sink every putt he looks at. It was nice to top that and hit it back.”

Smith had been in the lead since the start of the tournament, alone for the first two rounds, then sharing the lead with Rahm. “Being the leader is not easy. Sleepless nights. I spent a lot of time this week staring out of bed at the ceiling. I never had that before. But it was nice to see that my game is on par with the best players in the world.”
His goal for the year, to make it into the world’s top 10, has also been taken care of.

Categories
PGA Tour

Twitter King Phil Mickelson claims PIP-victory for himself

Phil Mickelson claims PIP-win on Twitter. (Photo: Getty)
Phil Mickelson claims PIP-win on Twitter. (Photo: Getty)

Phil Mickelson puts on a great show on and off the golf course in 2021. Mickelson made history as the oldest major winner at the PGA Championship and “Lefty” also showed off his talent as an entertainer on Twitter. So it wouldn’t come as a surprise to many if he won the PGA Tour’s Players Impact Program (PIP). But his victory has not yet been officially confirmed.

Is Mickelson really sure of the eight million?

The PIP rewards the ten players on the PGA Tour who “add the most value to the brand”. Phil Mickelson may have scored some points there with his thoroughly provocative tweets. But as Golfweek reported, the evaluation for this special annual ranking does not end until 31 December. In addition, the result must also be confirmed by an independent auditor. Thus, no final ranking can be determined yet. In addition, the PGA Tour does not want to publish the results of the PIP, but only announces them in an internal memo to the players. According to the PGA, this will happen in February at the earliest.

More money for the PGA Tour stars

If the incredible sum of 40 million dollars already brought displeasure to some this year, next year’s PIP will even more so. In addition to the hullabaloo over Phil “Lefty” Mickelson and his potential win of the programme, the PGA also announced an increase in the prize pot to a whopping 50 million dollars.