Greg Norman and Dustin Johnson are among those involved in LIV's offseason news.
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Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where nothing goes together like week-old stuffing and the Hero World Challenge. To the news!
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GOLF STUFF I LIKE
Speaking the language.
I got a chance to preview the Ryder Cup’s documentary on Team Europe, Una Famiglia, which debuts tomorrow (12/3). And while I won’t give anything away I’ll just say that watching the film transported me back to the opening ceremonies in Rome, where European captain Luke Donald stepped on stage and greeted the crowd in (what sounded to me, someone who doesn’t speak any Italian) perfect, flowing Italian.
It wound up being an emblematic moment for the week that followed. Team Europe obsessively prepared for all the little stuff and they treated every detail like it was vitally important. That carried over to the on-course action; they did the little stuff to win matches and their collective preparation and attitude elevated the experience for their players and fans, too. The more we’re asked to evaluate different forms of golf competition and content, that’s something that I find appeals to me over and over: If you care as a competitor, I care as a viewer.
Taking time to learn the language — that’s golf stuff I like.
WINNERS
Who won the week?
This was the first week of the offseason for both the PGA and LPGA Tours, but fear not: there’s always tournament golf going on.
Ryggs Johnston won the ISPS Handa Australian Open, turning his new DP World Tour card into the biggest victory of his young life in just his second start on the tour.
Peter Uihlein won the International Series Qatar on the Asian Tour, his second International Series win of the year; he jumped to No. 1 in the series standings as a result. (More on that in a moment.)
And Shaun Norris won the season-ending Golf Nippon Series JT Cup on the Japan Golf Tour, marking the emotional end of a three-year title drought for the South African journeyman.
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NOT-WINNERS
A few golfers who didn’t win but still kinda won.
Marc Leishman finished T3 at the Australian Open, earning a berth in next year’s Open Championship as a result. The tee time at Royal Portrush guarantees the Aussie will play a major for the first time in three years as he’s seen his chances diminish since joining LIV Golf.
Anthony Kim jumped nearly 2300 spots in the OWGR after earning his first world ranking points in a dozen years; his T37 finish in Qatar got him to No. 2,314.
And these aren’t winners so much as intriguing travelers: PGA Tour mainstays Max Homa, Corey Conners, Will Zalatoris and Mackenzie Hughes headline the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour. Throw in top local talents Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Thriston Lawrence plus Team Europe Ryder Cup hopefuls like Thorbjorn Oleson, Jordan Smith, Nicolai Hojgaard and more and you’ve got a decent first-week-of-December field.
SHORT HITTERS
LIV making moves.
-The picture seems to be getting clearer around Greg Norman‘s replacement as LIV Golf CEO; Sports Business Journal first reported that LIV was expected to hire former Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment CEO Scott O’Neil for the position.
–Thomas Pieters was traded from Bubba Watson‘s Range Goats to Dustin Johnson‘s 4 Aces in the first official transaction of LIV’s offseason; the Range Goats’ GM told Sports Illustrated the move was made to free up a spot for another free agent.Plenty of internet sleuths have made the connection between that spot opening up and the fact that Tony Finau withdrew from the Hero World Challenge without explanation. It’s always wise to wait for details when it comes to the LIV hot stove but there’s no question more news is coming.
-There’s an interesting ripple effect to Peter Uihlein taking the lead in the International Series standings; if he hangs onto that spot it will just ensure his return to LIV for 2025. Ever since LIV abandoned its chase for world ranking points it has been looking to up flexibility for teams to sign whoever they want; the only other “exempt” spot will come from the tour’s Q-School this month. I expect John Catlin, who has played as a LIV sub in the past and is now No. 2 in the International Series standings, to find a home on LIV regardless of how the season finishes — but this is a reminder that LIV really is trending towards a league that’s nearly all free agency.
–Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson have been busy this offseason well beyond the boundaries of tournament play; DeChambeau’s ace chase was probably the biggest golf news of the week, his Break 50 challenge with Tom Brady wasn’t far behind and Mickelson made waves with the announcement that he and Grant Horvat will be teaming up for some challenge matches. I wrote about this over the weekend but until there’s some mega-resolution in the pro game it feels like we’re watching an increasingly decentralized sport. Especially in the offseason, of course…
-LIV’s Promotions event will run Dec. 12-14 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for that single spot; it’ll be interesting to see who signs up and, naturally, who emerges.
ONE SWING THOUGHT
From Mark Blackburn.
You’ve definitely heard golf people talk about using the ground for power, but what’s a simple way of describing how they do that? Enter Top 100 teacher and Tour coach Mark Blackburn.
“By pulling our trail foot back and pushing our lead foot forward, that creates rotation,” Blackburn said here. “The best players are pulling very hard back with their trail foot and pushing forward with their lead foot.”
Easier said than done, of course. But that’s at least an easy visual to start with.
ONE BIG QUESTION
Who’s next up for LPGA commissioner?
Mollie Marcoux Samaanstepped down Monday as LPGA commissioner after three-and-a-half years in the role, with her resignation unscheduled but not a shock. Her tenure was marked by ups and downs; she oversaw purse increases, subsidized health care coverage and increased travel stipends, which make very real differences in players’ lives. But there was a sense that the league hadn’t fully rallied to moments of opportunity, like Nelly Korda‘s historic winning streak or a terrific moment turned terrible at the Solheim Cup, and Marcoux Samaan didn’t articulate a clear path to take the tour to the next level.
So what’s next? It feels like the LPGA Tour is at a crossroads. This is a moment of opportunity for a popular sport with big-time potential stars. But it’s also a league that needs its events feeling bigger — faster, more dramatic and with better TV coverage. Perhaps in time Marcoux Samaan will be seen as a successful bridge from Mike Whan, who served for over a decade beginning in 2010, to the tour’s next inspired thinker. I have a question, but not an answer: Who will that be?
ONE THING TO WATCH
Tiger Woods’ Tuesday presser.
It’s time for Tiger Woods‘ annual (semi-annual, if you count the Genesis) State of the Tiger address, which will take place in the Bahamas on Tuesday ahead of this week’s Hero World Challenge. We’re likely to get plenty of non-answers about the status of negotiations between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund — but that doesn’t mean we won’t learn anything. Woods is near the center of all things professional golf, which means it’ll be plenty interesting to read between the lines. What he says or doesn’t say should tell a story of its own.
I’m also curious to hear him project his own playing schedule for the PNC Championship and all of 2025. How engaged is he in the TGL? How likely is he to play the Genesis? Where does his health compare now to a year ago, or two, or three? We haven’t seen much of Woods since the Open Championship; even as tournament host, golf will be glad to have him back.
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
I’ve concluded that the most important element for offseason golf is low wind. Sunny and windy? Brr. Cloudy and windy? Double brr. Drizzling and calm? We can make that work. Thankful for a sunny stretch here, though. Easier to get out and walk off the stuffing.
We’ll see you next week.
Before you go, a quick request: If you like the Monday Finish, subscribe for free HERE to get it in your email inbox!
Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America, which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.
