Month: March 2022

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PGA Tour

The Players Championship money shower: PGA Tour sets records

The current defending Players Championship champion: Justin Thomas (Photo: Getty)
The current defending Players Championship champion: Justin Thomas (Photo: Getty)

It is The Players Championship time! The world’s best golfers meet on Ponte Vedra Beach on Thursday, for a very exciting week. The “unofficial fifth” major tournament will take place in Florida, and this year the prize money is higher than ever before.

A total of $20 M will be paid out to the tournament participants. That is five million more than last year. Read this article to find out how the prize money has increased year after year, even though “The Players” is not one of the four major tournaments.

PGA Tour not only increases the Players Championship prize money

That golf is only played by the “rich and famous” is an outdated cliché. The sport has long since developed more and more into a popular sport and offers everyone the opportunity to try it out. Looking at professional sports, however, one quickly realizes that a lot of prestige and, above all, money are at stake.

A good example of this is the prize money on the PGA Tour, which has reached a new record high this year alone. Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour, stated at the beginning of the season that prize money for 2022 will increase “from $367 million to $427 million.”

In particular, the upcoming Players Championship in Florida will benefit. While the total prize money was $15 million last year, it has now been increased by another five million. From March 10-13, golf’s elite will meet at TPC Sawgrass to determine the winner of the PGA Tour’s highest-paying golf event.

The Players Championship reward over the years

When the Players Championship was first held in 1974, the total prize money was $250,000. The winner, Jack Nicklaus, received $60,000 for his victory at the time. Over the years, the prize money continued to increase. In 1987, for example, the “pot” cracked the one million dollar mark for the first time.

Another milestone was certainly the win of the tournament by Hal Sutton in 2000, who was able to collect over $1M for winning the tournament. Justin Thomas enjoyed a victory bonus of 2.7 million dollars in 2021. That sum will be surpassed again this year.

The Players Championship’ 22 reward

The winner of this year’s Players Championship will receive 3.6 million dollars alone. This means that the bonus for the winner has increased by an incredible sixty-fold from the beginning.

However, that prize money in golf as a whole has increased many times over since the 1970s. And that is not the end of the line. The PGA Tour already announced that the prize money of its flagship tournament will increase to $25 million by 2025.

For instance, the following table shows the win bonuses of the top 5 for the upcoming Players Championship.

Ranking Prize Money
1. $3,600,000
2. $2,180,000
3. $1,380,000
4. $980,000
5. $820,000

Players Championship eclipses major tournaments

Although the tournament at TPC Sawgrass is not one of the majors, it has something over the four competitions. It is the highest paying event on the PGA Tour. Compared to the Masters, which takes place in about a month at Augusta National Golf Club. The Players Championship offers near twice as much.

According to media reports, the premiums for the upcoming Masters amount to the $11.5 million from last year, while the Players Championship boasts as little as $20 million. Last year’s Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama’s victory bonus also represents just about half of this year’s Players Championship winner, at around $2 million.

Major comparisons

The 2021 British Open was also listed at a total of $11.5 million, while the PGA Championship gave $12 million and the US Open $12.5 million. Concrete figures for prize money in 2022 are not yet available.

The thought is that the PGA Tour is pushing up the Players Championship prize money to motivate major tournaments, over which Tour has no control, to follow suit.

Golf fans have plenty to look forward to when the balls start flying again at Ponte Vedra Beach on Thursday and the winner is determined from the field of prominent participants. The golfers themselves are also likely to be full of anticipation, after all the winner can expect not only 600 FedEx Cup points and a lot of prestige, but also the tempting sum of 3.6 million euros

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Travel

Navarino Hills: The new star in Greece’s golfing sky

On the left is the International Olympic Academy Golf Course. On the right is Jürgen Linnenbürger meeting José Mariá Olazábal in front of The Hills Course. (Photo: Linnenbürger)

Travel insider from our Golf Post Team Jürgen Linnenbürger visits the Greek golf destination Navarino Hills. This course in Greece was the World’s Best New Golf Development in 2020. The World Golf Awards recognized it as so as part of a press trip.

Here in Messinia on the Peloponnese, he meets the two-time Masters winner, multiple Ryder Cup participant and captain José María Olazábal, who is responsible for the design of the two new Greek courses of the Navarino Hills.

The early bird catches the worm

Azalea, the English sports marketing agency organising the trip, gave me a slot of about 20 minutes to conduct an exclusive interview with Spanish golf legend José María Olazábal. Ollie, as his friends call him, will be exclusively available at 8.15 a.m. sharp for my questions about the design of his two new signature golf courses.

The Spaniard was awarded the Golf World Award Golf Course Designer of the Year in 2020. He had already designed more than 20 courses with his team. These include the Olazábal Course in Mission Hills/China, as well as the Education City Golf Club in Doha/Qatar, which opened in 2020. This last one, by the way, immediately became the venue for a PGA European Tour event.

An unusual place for an interview

We did not conduct the interview in the hotel, but on the back seat of a spacious hotel limousine: corona-compliant with a mask, of course. The car takes us from the 5-star The Westin Resort Costa Navarino to the brand new Navarino Hills complex.

Interview at the Navarino Hills with the two-time Masters winner. (Photo: Linnenbürger)

Their two golf courses are The Hills Course and the International Olympic Academy Golf Course, which our group is already allowed to play exclusively in November, before its official opening in February 2022.

The Hills Course will also be completed by that time. Then the golf cloverleaf will be perfect with four signature courses located a maximum of 13 km apart.

Kalimera and Buenos dias

The welcome is warm and relaxed. The likeable Spaniard explains that one of the main challenges for him and his team was to integrate two different courses into the terrain, which is up to 250 metres high, hilly and extremely rocky.
But not only the two new courses should be different from each other. Their design should also stand out from that of the existing, approximately ten-year-old courses, The Dunes and The Bay.

An exceptional property in impressive nature

José has been enthusiastic about the magnificent site from the very beginning. He is very proud that he and his team have been awarded the contract to design the two courses by the owner of the Greek company Temes, which is responsible for the development of the Costa Navarino destination.

The 150-hectare site is one of the most spectacular and beautiful he has had the privilege of redesigning. The breathtaking views of the bay, the Ionian Sea and the impressive mountain backdrop shape its character just as much as the vegetation typical of the Mediterranean area with its shrubs up to two metres high.

José has paid special attention to integrating the pitches harmoniously into the existing environment, so that they have become a natural part of it.

Sustainability is a priority

Another challenge for Olazabal Design was to take the various aspects of sustainability into account as much as possible. Costa Navarino has set itself the goal of being a leader in this field and ensuring ecological, social and economic sustainability on a permanent basis.

In this way, both campsites can benefit sufficiently from the water that the surrounding mountains release. This water is stored in two large basins and is sufficient for year-round irrigation of the pitches. The irrigation systems are state of the art. An own photovoltaic system supplies the huge area with all its facilities with the necessary electricity.

Suitable for all HCP classes

Both courses show as resort courses. They are fair and are intended to convey enjoyment of the game without their guests having to forego the sporting excitement. Golfers should enjoy their game on the courses and finish their rounds with a satisfactory score.

Six different tees contribute to the fact that players of all handicap classes will feel comfortable.

José designed the Hills Course to be shorter and less demanding than the International Olympic Academy Course. With its narrower fairways, this is the more compact and difficult course of the two. The wind, which often comes from the coast and can blow from different directions, also contributes to this.

The designer has responded to this situation by making the greens larger than usual in order to offer more opportunities to play.

The International Olympic Academy Course. (Photo: Linnenbürger)

The Navarino Hills will have wider fairways and more bunkers, but they are deliberately designed not to be very deep.

Wide fairways characterise The Navarino Hills Course. (Photo: Linnenbürger)

It is more spacious and yet intimate. On the holes, you get the impression that you are alone on the course. You cannot see other holes.

At the highest point of the course is the clubhouse, which is currently under construction, as well as the spacious practice facilities of the International Olympic Academy.

The International Olympic Academy

Costa Navarino, in partnership with the International Olympic Academy and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, has opened the first golf course of the International Olympic Academy.

The partnership is guided by principles and values of the Olympic Idea and aims to promote Olympic education through a variety of activities at Costa Navarino. It plays a key role in the development of golf worldwide.

The Olympic Academy Course calls

After the interview, José and I head out for a round. Two of the most remarkable holes for him are two par-3s. The tees of the 12th and the 16th are almost adjacent, but run in opposite directions. While the twelve is heading for the mountains, the tee shot of the sixteen is to be played along the sea.

For José, it is 166 metres on the 16 from the whites. Playing together with a two-time Masters winner in one flight is and will probably remain a unique experience for me. Of course, he is on the green, not like me.

José María Olazábal teeing off on the 16th (Photo: Linnenbürger)

Tee box of the twelfth fairway. (Photo: Linnenbürger)

The par-72 course has a length of 6,351 metres from the championship tees. The fairways are lush green and pleasantly soft at this time of year. On the other hand, the greens are all the harder and arrow-fast. Although they are not overly ondulated, 3-putts are not uncommon for me. The maintenance is excellent.

Spectacular new hotels

Since my last visit in 2018, not only have the Navarino Hills courses developed, but construction has also begun to grow around. The boutique hotel The Navarino Bay Resort is located on The Bay Course, right on the seafront.

A particularly good view of the new high-end gem with its 99 suites and villas show from the high greens of its third course. The spectacular design captivates by the fact that the buildings are set directly into the curved slope and their roofs are completely greened.

An exclusive beach club, a spa and wellness area with a large indoor and outdoor pool, as well as bars, lounges and restaurants complete the offer.

View from The Bay Course to the new The Bay Resort. (Photo: Linnenbürger)

Not far away, a little world of its own is developing. The vibrant lifestyle resort The Waterfront will have 246 rooms, suites and bungalows right on the beach. This one also impresses with its modern design with lagoon pools, numerous shops and restaurants laid out around an agora (marketplace).

The Waterfront will open in summer 2022 and The Bay a year later.

A clubhouse in a class of its own

Opening in 2019, The Bay Course’s stylish clubhouse is also new to me. It is built according to principles of bioclimatic architecture in earth house style and surrounded by thousands of plants and trees. It is not only an architectural masterpiece from the outside.

The clubhouse of The Bay Course. (Photo: Linnenbürger)

Inside, it also impresses with its modern interior and views of the sea.

The clubhouse is also extremely attractively designed on the inside. (Photo: Linnenbürger)

On its terrace we enjoy the fantastic sunset and conclude the great golf day with an excellent menu.

Sunset at Navarino Bay. (Photo: Linnenbürger)

The goal formulated by the founder to develop Costa Navarino into a world-leading golf and sports destination, as well as a family destination, seems to be paying off. Tennis courts have already been built. Football pitches are to be added in the future.

Arrival via Kalamata or Athens

If you decide to stay in the low season, the route leads via Athens. The hotel shuttle takes a good three hours from the airport to The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and the Romanos a Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Navarino in Navarino Dunes. These were awarded European Golf Resort of the Year by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators in 2017.

Further awards are only a matter of time for me. I am convinced that after the opening of the new golf courses and hotels, numerous stars and awards will follow.

Categories
PGA Tour

The Players Championship: Bryson DeChambeau withdraws

Bryson DeChambeau also has to cancel the Players Championship due to injury. (Photo: Getty)
Bryson DeChambeau also has to cancel the Players Championship due to injury. (Photo: Getty)

Last week, Bryson DeChambeau could not start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The American now also has to cancel his participation at The Players Championship of the PGA Tour. DeChambeau is out for at least another week and his comeback continues to be delayed. This means that the current number 12 in the world will not be teeing it up in Ponte Vedra alongside Phil Mickelson and Harris English.

Players Championship without Bryson DeChambeau

Due to persistent discomfort in his left wrist, DeChambeau will still not be able to return to the golf course this week either. Hayden Buckley will play on the spot of the 28-year-old star at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

Another setback on his way to a comeback. After competing in the Saudi International on the Asian Tour in February, he forced to withdraw from the tournament after the first round due to wrist and hip problems. His last participation in a PGA Tour tournament this year dates back to January.

DeChambeau only made three tournament appearances in the 2022 calendar year, and the California native’s return is not clear due to his wrist and hip ailments.

Last year, he finished in a tie for third place at the Players Championship. Thus, the American celebrated his best result with the third participation in Ponte Vedra.

Is the Masters also in doubt for Bryson DeChambeau?

Because Bryson DeChambeau does not show fit enough to return to the golf course this week. The question arises whether the upcoming tournaments are yet to decide for the American.

In particular, of course, the Masters of Augusta is in the spotlight. When the elite of golf meets at Augusta National Golf Club from April 7-10, 2022, Bryson DeChambeau would certainly like to be part of the field.

After all, the first of the four major tournaments will offer around 2 million US dollars in prize money and a lot of prestige.

Categories
PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy: “I feel like I play well enough to win tournaments.”

McIlroy talks about his first round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour (Foto: Getty)

Following his first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour Rory McIlroy was very pleased with his form and the outcome of day one. In a post round interview he discussed his play and his feelings about the course and youngsters like Will Zalatoris. Read the interview here:

Q.  Rory, they talk about golf courses fitting a guy’s eye, Graeme said that about you. Is there something about the mental component when you get to Bay Hill because you’ve done so well here?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think you turn up at any golf course where you’ve had success, and automatically you’re going to have some confidence coming in. I’ve shot some really nice scores here. I think the last couple of years I’ve opened up the tournament really well with scores similar to what I shot today.

Yeah, I feel there’s a nice flow to this golf course where you can really build a score. You have par-5s, one every few holes, and you’ve got a couple of scorable par-4s. As long as you don’t do anything stupid and you keep it in play, you feel like you can sort of methodically build a score on this golf course. That’s what I tried to do today.

I played the par-5s particularly well, and that was the bulk of the score. I’ve sort of said this all along. I don’t feel like you need to do anything — like you can play within yourself here and still shoot a good score, I feel, if you’re just disciplined and pick off the birdies where you’re supposed to.

Q.  Can you talk more about your stellar play on the par-5s.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I hit a couple of really good long irons into a couple of them. I hit a 4-iron into 12 and a 4-iron into 6. They were probably two of the best long irons I hit in a while. So when I start hitting long irons like that, I know my swing’s in a pretty good place. Seeing shots like that certainly gives me some confidence.

Q.  And do you prepare differently as the course conditions get tougher?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I was actually pretty surprised at how firm the greens were already. From the Pro-Am yesterday, we played at a similar time to today. The golf course is firmed up already. I think with this weather and the sort of warmer weather that’s coming over the weekend, it’s just going to get more and more firm as the week goes on. Then that places a premium so much more on just getting the ball in play. Fairways and greens and just being really disciplined with your game.

Q.  You talked about 6 yesterday, specifically the tee shot and having choices. When you hit a shot like you did there today, does it embolden you to be maybe more aggressive the rest of the weekend?

RORY MCILROY: That was as far left as it needed to be. I was trying to hit it into that fat part of the green, like that front third. I did — the wind maybe took it a little further left than I wanted to. I hit it well enough I knew it was always going to cover.

No, I mean, you just — that hole, you’re trying to get your tee shot away. Then if you do, you’re just trying to from there just get the ball down in three and make a birdie and move on.

Q.  Rory, Adam was just over here talking about how nice it is to play with you. He likes watching your swing. He thinks it maybe rubs off. Isn’t it sort of the same about him?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, any time I play with Adam, it’s a good pairing. We chat about all sorts of stuff. I feel like we’ve got quite a bit in common. Yeah, anyone could watch Adam Scott swing the club all day long. He’s got a nice rhythm.

Yeah, it’s nice. If he feeds off me, I certainly think I feed off him a little bit too.

Q.  Do you like having no runoffs or fewer runoffs around these greens? Why or why not?

RORY MCILROY: Not. I prefer the runoffs. I think it separates the good chippers from the bad chippers. I feel like, when you miss a green when the rough is like this, you know, it’s half skill, half guesswork, luck. There’s a little bit more that goes in. I think, whenever you miss greens and there’s runoffs and it gives you options, I think that’s where the guys with the better short games separate themselves. So that’s why I like runoffs. I like that style.

So, yeah, I don’t particularly understand why they did that this year, but it presents a different challenge. You just have to adapt to that.

Q.  Do you think most TOUR players like the thick rough, though, because as long as they know the lies, they kind of —

RORY MCILROY: It certainly makes it a little simpler if you don’t feel like you’ve got a great short game. But like even next week, for example, wherever that second cut is, it’s not too long, I think even a cut like that, I feel like the guys can really show their skill around the greens if they have that skill.

And it’s fun to see. I think that’s the other thing with — it’s fun to see different shots and you can play it certain ways. Obviously, a setup like this this week, that takes that out of the equation. You basically miss a green, and you’ve pretty much got just blast it out and try to hole the putt.

Q.  Rory, you’ve won early in the year versus not winning early in the year. Does it mean anything? Does it matter?

RORY MCILROY: It’s nice to win just regardless. I mean, regardless of when it comes in the season, it’s nice to win. Or in the year. This is my fourth start of the calendar year, and I’ve had one really good chance to win and probably one other half chance.

Yeah, I feel like I’m playing well enough to have chances to win golf tournaments, but all you can ask of yourself is to keep putting yourself in those positions on Sundays, and then you see where your game really is. Hopefully, this is another week where I put myself in a position where I can really see where my game is when the pressure’s on.

Q.  In Dubai on that Sunday, that seemed to sting you.

RORY MCILROY: Standing on the — after birdieing 13, standing on the 14th tee with a one or two-shot lead with five holes to go, and I did all the — in Dubai, I did all the hard stuff right. I made par on 14, par on 15, par on 16. And then you’ve got two gettable holes on 17, 18, and those are the holes where I made the mistake.

So I did the hard part, and whenever the opportunity came to sort of shut the door and win the tournament, I didn’t do that. I think that was what was most frustrating about that.

Q.  I think I heard you say that you felt you had a turning point in your putting, one of the earlier interviews. When was that, and what did you find?

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, like putting is — like with putting, I feel half the battle is already done before you hit the ball — reading the green, getting your setup right, aiming the putter. I think I just got a little bit lax on that side of things.

I’ve actually really enjoyed not having a green book. I feel like it’s got me more into the putts. I feel like I’m more — I’m not consulting a green book as much. Honestly, I feel like it’s benefited me these last few weeks, and that’s been a nice thing.

It’s just been a little bit setup, just a little bit of setup, and a little bit more green reading and practicing that. Those two things have — those have stayed constant, and I’ve putted well because of that.

Q.  Did you find that on your own, your caddie, or Fax?

RORY MCILROY: A little bit of both. I was putting with Fax before going to the Middle East, and I just felt like I started to creep a little too far away from the ball. Eye line was a little too far inside, and what happens then is my right arm leaves my side. I really like, if I can keep my right arm in my side and the shaft plane and my right arm match up, it sort of becomes almost automatic from there. It’s almost like your right arm acts as a piston, and that’s the feel I like. Just setting up like that and having that constant is important for me.

Q.  Rory, as someone who came up young and was pretty polished on and off the golf course as you were, I’m curious what your impression is of Will Zalatoris. While you’ve gotten to know him. He hasn’t been out here that long. What do you see in his game and how he handles himself?

RORY MCILROY: Great player, obviously. Hell of a ball striker. Drives the crap out of it. Hits his irons good. He’s got a nice flight. He can hit it up in the air. I don’t know him that well. I don’t even know if I’ve played with him on TOUR at this point, but from what I’ve seen with him obviously playing in front of us today and watching him on TV, he seems like a great kid. Kid — I can’t believe I’m saying kid. He seems like a great kid with a lot of potential and a really bright future.

Q.  On the rough, is it around the greens, is it a hit and hope, or do you have a certain distance you take it back if you have to hack it out ten yards?

RORY MCILROY: It depends on the lie. Some are hit and hopes, and others, if you get a decent lie, it’s more technique-based. But there’s a little bit of both in there.

Q.  Off the fairway, does it cost you a shot?

RORY MCILROY: You’d have to look at the stats, but it’s probably close to it.

Q.  When you’re in position to win, do you feel like you’re supposed to?

RORY MCILROY: When I’m in a position to win? Like Dubai, for example?

Q.  Anything.

RORY MCILROY: Yeah, I think with the experience that I have and the tournaments that I have closed out in my career, if you’re two ahead with five to play, I think you should win that, yeah.

Q.  Generally in position on Sunday, I guess your attitude if you don’t, on your reflection time, is it always something that you blame yourself, or is it ever something where you acknowledge doing something different?

RORY MCILROY: Sometimes someone just plays better than you and you’ve done all that you can. You’re always going to nitpick and think there’s things you could have done better. I’d say 25 percent of the time it’s someone’s just played better than you and you’ve given it your all. But I’d say three-quarters of the time there’s self-error in there somewhere.

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
Driver Equipment

TaylorMade Stealth: A new era begins for golf equipment

The TaylorMade Stealth Series will turn heads. Guaranteed. (Photo: TaylorMade)

The Stone Age, Bronze Age and Titanium Age are over – long live the Carbon Age. At least if TaylorMade has its way. Much of the new TaylorMade Stealth series revolves around the material, which is simultaneously strong but also feather-light. Dive into the new age of golf equipment.

TaylorMade Stealth stands out.

TaylorMade is quite familiar to our company, as we work closely with their latest product launches. First, both parties formally agree that no information will leak out before the official release date. Afterwards, they present the technologies, advantages and details of the new products. There is some spare time to ask questions to the engineers on site before it is over. Finally, it’s off to a driving range or golf course to see the new toy in action and take first pictures and videos.

This year things were a little different at TaylorMade. Our colleague from Golf Post, Johannes Gärtner lived the entire TaylorMade experience, and he knew that something extraordinary was coming. Walking through a specially constructed “disco tunnel” at the European headquarters, a show room was waiting. The theme was the great changes in humanity. Starting with the invention of the wheel, followed by the automobile and the moon landing. TaylorMade is really coming on strong.

TaylorMade masters the “Carbonwood” equipment

During the presentation, Gärtner was handed a driver head that had been disassembled into all its individual parts. The clubface of the new TaylorMade Stealth Drivers is made of carbon, not titanium as usual. This is also the reason for the new term “Carbonwood”, which TaylorMade immediately had protected as a trade mark.

The new face of the TaylorMade Stealth Driver is not only made of carbon, but also in deep red. (Photo: TaylorMade)

English-speaking golfers coined the term “metalwood” after the first major material innovation. Now it is to be the carbon woods that change the game of golf forever, just as the first “metalwoods” once did. Admittedly, this technology is not entirely new. TaylorMade has been working on carbon club faces for about 20 years now.

However, this technological possibilities have not always existed. Back in 2013, there was a strictly limited special promotion that was only available to the Japanese market. TaylorMade Gloire used a carbon face for the first time back then. Moreover, it is a question of cost and use ratio. What it started as a dream became true, TaylorMade has now succeeded, but the new drivers cost more than in previous years.

The first impression

Besides this big surprise, they also presented fairway woods, rescues and an iron set, which belong to the new TaylorMade Stealth family as well. In contrast to the drivers, they are (still) equipped with a traditional titanium face. However, the topic of carbon still plays a big role, as more and more parts in the club head are being replaced with this wonder material. It is extremely stable, holds the driver together and weighs significantly less.

The next day Johannes Gärtner gave it a try at the North Hants Golf Club driving range. There, Justin Rose grew up and was immortalised everywhere in the clubhouse. It is customary to have a small tee box of one’s own to prevent passers-by from seeing the new clubs. To keep them secret while testing them on the course becomes more difficult. Therefore, a huge TaylorMade tent isolated us from the rest and we were not allowed to take photos or videos of the clubs. The new clubs should remain a secret at all costs. At the end, the Americans proved to be exceptionally fond of the clubs.

TaylorMade makes it unforgettable

The feel and sound of the shot with a TaylorMade Stealth Driver are completely contrary to what you have experienced so far. It also feels like the ball sticks to the clubface at first. This is actually due to the fact that the ball has longer contact with the driver because of the carbon construction. After that, it whizzes away. Equipped with a Trackman and new TP5, the statistics validated the first feeling. With the same club head speed, the TaylorMade Stealth drivers deliver more ball speed.

More carbon in the wood and hybrid

The woods also cut a fine figure. The red colour theme is reminiscent of the M5 and M6 generation. The differences to the predecessor models are not that drastic in comparison with the Drivers. Nevertheless, the trained eye perceives small nuances. In particular, a small aiming aid at the top of the clubface and a visible edge at the end of the club. Both help to orientate better.

In addition, the shaping and weighting also experience minor changes that optimise the desired parameters. More forgiveness, a little larger clubface and a come more speed – true to the motto: “A little better every year.”

As with the woods, there is more carbon in the crown of the hybrids – or as TaylorMade calls them, rescues. The same game as always. Weight is saved at one corner in the club, redistributed so that in the end stability, centre of gravity and speed can be improved.

The two fairway woods appeal to different target groups. (Photo: TaylorMade)

TaylorMade Stealth – hot irons

The look of the TaylorMade Stealth irons is extremely close to that of the popular P7 family. Surely, a big step in the right direction. Game Improvement irons have always been thick, chunky, round, big and/or fat. This optical problem has been taken up again and again in recent years in order to improve it. The predecessor models, on the other hand, look much more backward.

In the Game Improvement category, the new TaylorMade Stealth iron is definitely an eye-catcher. (Photo: TaylorMade)

One particular change concerns the tip of the head. With the toe-wrap technology, weight is strategically redistributed within the club. In addition, there is only one set of irons, not two different ones as usual.

Separate variant for the ladies

In recent years, TaylorMade has not had an extra colour option for women golfers. Luckly, this changed. Small adjustments in head weight, angles, shaft and grip tailor these clubs specifically to the preferences of most ladies so they can play to their full potential. However, the core technologies are all the same as for the men.

Text from Johannes Gärtner

Categories
Panorama

Portrait: Sepp Straka – first Austrian-born winner on PGA Tour

Sepp Straka 2016 in his first year as a professional (l.) and after his historic victory on the PGA Tour 2022. (Photo: Getty)
Sepp Straka 2016 in his first year as a professional (l.) and after his historic victory on the PGA Tour 2022. (Photo: Getty)

Sepp Straka is one of the few Austrian professional golfers currently playing on the world’s major tours. At the Honda Classic he achieved something that no Austrian had ever done before: he left the rest of the field behind him at a PGA Tour tournament and climbed to the top of the leaderboard. In the world rankings, he thus moved into the top 100. What is behind the sympathetic Austrian and his path to becoming a professional golfer?

Sepp Straka crossed the Atlantic at an early age

Sepp Straka was practically born to play golf. His American mother and his Austrian father met while buying golf gloves in Salzburg, Austria. On 1 May 1993, Josef “Sepp” Straka was born – two minutes after his older twin brother Sam. The two boys initially spent their childhood in Austria mainly on the football pitch, with Sepp beeing the goalkeeper. When the two took part in a one-week golf camp at the age of eleven, no one imagined that this would be the start of an impressive career. Big brother Sam decided for himself and Sepp that they would play a bit of golf from then on. But it soon turned out that the Straka boys had talent. At the Fontana Golf Club in Oberwaltersdorf, they evolved into hard-working golfers who played their way into the junior national team of Austria.

When the sons were 14, the family decided to move to America. Here the basis for Straka’s career on the PGA Tour was laid. Besides finishing school and studying business administration in the US state of Georgia, Sepp and Sam continued to swing their golf clubs eagerly. Sepp initially remained in his brother’s shadow for years. While Sam Straka was then unable to gain a professional career, Sepp applied to the Q-School of the Korn Ferry Tour and European Challenge Tour, which offered him a suitable platform for the switch to the PGA Tour.

On PGA Tour since 2019

In 2019, Straka became the first Austrian to qualify for the PGA Tour. Since then, he has been trying to compete against the best golfers in the world. His biggest successes here so far have included a third-place finish at the 2019 Barbasol Championship and several other top-10 finishes. In 2021, Sepp Straka represented the country of his birth, Austria, at the Olympic Games. His brother Sam supported him as a caddie at his side. With a record round on day 1, Straka initially took the lead in Tokyo, but then finished the tournament in tenth place.

February 2022: Straka makes history on PGA Tour

For Sepp Straka, a long-cherished dream came true at the Honda Classic in February 2022: It is not only the first victory on the PGA Tour for him personally, but also the first victory ever by an Austrian on the PGA Tour. In Florida, he not only received fame and honour, but also 1.44 million US dollars in prize money, a place in the top 100 of the world rankings for the first time and an invitation to The Masters 2022. In the winner’s interview, Straka described his appearance at the Major tournament in Augusta as a “lifelong dream”.