The post Tour Confidential: 2022’s overlooked stories, year’s biggest winner, Augusta’s LIV decision appeared first on Golf.

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Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This Christmas edition, we break down the top stories of 2022 and Augusta National’s recent decision on LIV players’ eligibility for the Masters.

1. Before we look ahead to 2023 in Tour Confidential next week, let’s recap some of the most memorable headlines of the past 12 months. While the stories of the year were obviously LIV’s inaugural season and Tiger’s return, what other major storyline did everyone seem to overlook?

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Ryan Barath, Senior Equipment Editor (@rdsbarath): Scottie Scheffler had one of the hottest runs of any player on the planet this year but because it coincided with LIV Golf, players leaving the PGA Tour, and a demeanor that shies away from the spotlight, it went almost forgotten by the fall.

Josh Sens, Senior Writer (@joshsens): You can’t really disentangle this one from LIV, but to me, the biggest story was professional golf being forced to reckon with itself. There’s clearly a disconnect between what the sport says it wants to be (global, diverse, forever growing) and what it actually is. The question is whether golf at the elite level can close that gap by creating a product that will continue to draw in a new generation of fans while satisfying extremely well-compensated professional golfers who somehow seem to think they’re underpaid.

Jack Hirsh, Assistant Editor (@JR_HIRSHey): I think Rory McIlroy’s statistical brilliance went somewhat overshadowed by his outspokenness while rising back to World No. 1. Even before McIlroy took down Scheffler for the FedEx Cup, McIlroy was No. 1 on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Total and scoring average. Data Golf actually pegged McIlroy as the best player in the world in June, after he won the RBC Canadian Open. The duel with Scheffler in East Lake was a matchup of the winningest player of 2022 and the statistical best. In a year most will probably remember McIlroy (partly) taking the mantle as the face of the PGA Tour through his statements to the media, his play on the course was just as memorable, if not more. Honorable mention is how Jon Rahm didn’t have a bad season.

2. What was your favorite major of 2022 (men’s or women’s), and why?

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Barath: On the men’s side, the US Open is my top choice thanks in part to the host course The Country Club, along with the nail-biting finish it provided. Matt Fitzpatrick hit the shot of the year on the 18th hole and there’s not much more you could ask from major championship golf.

For the women, it was the Chevron Championship thanks to Jenifer Kupcho – the inaugural Agusta National Womens Amateur winner, winning the event and taking the final leap into Poppie’s Pond during the same week as the ANWA. It was a fitting time to win her first major.

Sens: The Open Championship could have used more wind and the Masters could have used more drama, but on balance, this was a great major year thanks to the venues. I’m with Ryan in giving the U.S. Open top billing, given the quality of the course and the tautness of the competition. But the PGA Championship was a close second for me, on another terrific course, with some heroic shot-making by Justin Thomas down the stretch and the underdog-hero-tragedy element of Mito Pereira coming oh so close. It had all the ingredients for great drama.

Hirsh: I third Barath’s choice with the U.S. Open at Brookline. Perfect example of the USGA bringing back a classic U.S. Open host back into the rotation and providing an excellent venue. Not to mention it was one most of the public hadn’t seen, at least for a while. The leaderboard had every character you wanted: A couple of the best players in the world (McIlory, Rahm, Scheffler, Morikawa), a hometown hero (Keegan Bradley), the upstart looking for his first title (Will Zalatoris) and the guy who won the U.S. Amateur at the same venue (Fitzpatrick).

3. Who, or what, in the golf world won 2022? 

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Barath: One word — Speed. Whether it was the much talked about extra swing speed gain from US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick, or the speed of the golf news cycle that made it feel like you were trying to drink from a fire hose. It felt like the fastest-moving golf season I have ever experienced as a fan, and as someone that covers the game for a living. As someone that lives in a four seasons climate, I just hope winter feels like it flies by equally fast.

Sens: Lydia Ko. She didn’t win the biggest tournaments but she won Rolex Player of the Year and the Vare Trophy for low-scoring average. She did this after pulling her game out of a death spiral of the kind that most players never recover from. And she did it with the class and kindness and joy that she has always shown, in good times or bad. It’s corny to say, but a win for Ko is a win for anyone who appreciates the best aspects of sports in general and golf in particular. There is no easier player to root for in the game.

Hirsh: Change. The PGA Tour has a rival now. The game has defined its villains and heroes more clearly than ever. The PGA Tour is making radical changes to its schedule and structure which were long overdue. Legendary broadcasters are hanging up their microphones. Purse sizes are blowing up out the wazoo. Is all this change good for the game? Check back in 2023 I guess.

4. Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley announced any player — regardless of which tour they play on — will be invited to the 2023 Masters as long as they qualify, a big win for LIV players. Surprised by Augusta’s decision, and how much will it influence golf’s other three organizations that run major championships?

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Barath: From the standpoint of holding course, this is not a shock decision from Augusta National. Now considering the other major golf organizations that host championships are all in it for their own business reasons in the same way Augusta is (although in a more public way) I expect much of the same from everyone else. 

Sens: Not a surprising decision. This never looked like a battle Augusta was going to take on. The safer–and more sensible–approach is to stick with its traditions and wait and see how things shake out. I’d expect the same from the other organizations. They’ll stick with their customary criteria. As we all know, those criteria might wind up keeping some LIV players on the sidelines based on the Official World Golf Ranking, which those organizations have a say in. That’s the elephant in the room, of course, and it can only be ignored for so long.

Hirsh: Sure it’s a win for LIV players, but in the same way going to the bank without getting robbed is. It was never realistic Augusta National was going to disinvite already qualified players. I see this actually more of a win for the PGA Tour. Augusta is essentially saying it’s not their fight, but by not creating a new pathway for LIV golfers to qualify, it’s standing by the Tour. Now that could change, as you see in the next question…

5. The statement also added that “any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future Tournaments will be announced in April.” Does this mean more changes might be on the horizon, or simply an obligatory statement stamped to the end of a press release? 

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Sens: There will be more to come on this. See above on the OWGR.

Barath: It would not surprise me to see Augusta National completely ignore LIV Golf and its roster of players as a whole moving forward, but on the flip side — I could also see them devise their own internal ranking system to fill the field and offer some sort of top LIV exemption. It really is a complete wildcard at this point and I’m as curious as everyone else to see how this pans out in the future. Their power in the world of golf lies in their ability to remain a completely separate entity and I don’t think have any intention of giving that up any time soon.

Hirsh: This isn’t obligatory at all. It could end up meaning nothing, but if Augusta announces any sort of pathways for LIV golfers to earn Masters invites, it would obviously be a massive win for the Saudi-backed league. But it also may end up meaning nothing.

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The post Tour Confidential: 2022’s overlooked stories, year’s biggest winner, Augusta’s LIV decision appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Tiger Woods’ injury, the Match and Viktor Hovland’s win appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Tiger Woods’ injury, the Match and Viktor Hovland’s win appeared first on Golf.

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, our team discusses Tiger Woods’ injury and prospects for 2023, this week’s Match and Viktor Hovland’s win at the Hero World Challenge.

1. Set to return to competition at the Hero World Challenge, an event his foundation hosts, Tiger Woods tweeted on Monday that he developed plantar fasciitis in his right foot and had to withdraw. Woods also admitted he had a couple of surgeries in the past year, but didn’t elaborate. Does Woods’ latest health update give you more pessimism about his future to compete than what you believed before?

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Josh Sens, Senior Writer (@joshsens):  The clock ticks for everyone. Woods is no exception. Like a lot of people, I’ve underestimated his ability to bounce back so many times that I’m hesitant to short him again. But at this point, the house of cards that is his health seems just too fragile for any serious optimism. At this point, to expect him to play all four majors next year is to overestimate him.

James Colgan, Assistant Editor (@jamescolgan26): I don’t think any short-term injury qualifies as “increasing” my pessimism in Tiger’s long-term health concerns. If something winds up being the final blow to his playing career, it won’t be plantar fasciitis. 

Jack Hirsh, Assistant Editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Agree with both my colleagues above. It’s hard to count Woods out and it’s also unlikely plantar fasciitis knocks him out for good. I will say knowing this injury was caused by the previous ones does not bode well for his improving durability to play more than he did in 2022.

2. While Woods didn’t play the Hero, he’s still teeing it up the next two weekends. He also mentioned his goal for 2023 is to play in all four majors and “maybe” one or two more events. Two parter: What are those other one or two events he might be thinking of, and what’s the percent chance he plays four majors next year?

Sens. After Augusta, you’d think the major he most wants to play in is the Open at Liverpool, where he won before. But as the last of the four, I think it’s also the least likely appearance for him. The longer the season goes, the greater chance of a health issue arising that even he can’t overcome. He’ll play the Masters, but I’m not banking on anything after that. I’m sure he’d love to play the Memorial, but that’s a tough walk. Bay Hill? It’s relatively flat and he’s won it a zillion times. 

Colgan: 15 percent, and here’s a simple reason why: Do YOU want to go to Rochester in May? No, you don’t. Does a player with long-standing health issues related to cold weather want to go, either? No, they do not. I think we see him in Augusta, L.A. and Liverpool, though.

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Hirsh: The PGA should have foreseen this when it moved the tournament to May! Keep the PGA in the southern states while the U.S. Open takes the northern states. Anyway, I’ll give him a 30-percent chance he plays in all four majors. I agree with James that the PGA is the one he’s most likely to skip this year. I think the biggest question on his schedule is whether he’s willing to risk his body to play at Riviera, where he’s also hosting. Could his duties prove too much to play and host? Will he risk getting hurt again two months before the Masters? Check back in February.

3. Our Dylan Dethier was on site and wrote about Woods’ freewheeling presser in the Bahamas. What was your biggest takeaway from Woods’ time with the media?

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Sens: Free-wheeling? I guess it was by Tiger’s standards. But what struck me more was how close he plays everything to the vest —mentioning surgeries but then declining to say what he was dealing with. Why the caginess? Was it like one of those old ads: “An itch so private, some people won’t even discuss it with their doctor?” Probably not. You wonder if there was any good reason for not saying more. Or is the guardedness just so ingrained that there’s really no other way to go?

Colgan: Sens, I don’t know many things, but I’m quite certain I’ve never seen one of those ads. Sounds terrifying! I think Tiger realizes his words are his legacy’s best defense right now. Good on him for playing defense!

Hirsh: Glad I’m not the only one, James. Related to our previous question, my biggest takeaway was how optimistic he was with his schedule. Does Tiger really think he can play five or six times next year? As I mentioned above, I think four times might be the bar, whether it be three majors and one of the invitationals, or all four majors. To add a couple more in what has become such a condensed schedule seems awful ambitious for the man who’s had more surgeries than just about any athlete I know and turns 47 this month. 

4. The latest iteration of the Match kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy taking on Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. What are you hoping to see from this one from an entertainment/production standpoint?

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Sens: That Tiger plays without a wince or a hitch in his step, and that he and Rory wax the youngsters while delivering some good verbal barbs along the way.

Colgan: LIV has been at the center of every golf course conversation for the past nine months. This event is *supposed* to bring fans into a day on the course with golf’s top players. If it’s true to form, LIV will be on the minds of those in the field. Give me LIV discourse, or give me death!

Hirsh: I mentioned last week how I’m not too high on the Match series. That being said, these guys are all good friends so the trash talk should make this a little more interesting than the Brooks-Bryson snooze fest from last year.

5. Viktor Hovland, despite a scare on the 18th, won the Hero World Challenge for a second-straight year. Carrying him was putting — on Saturday, he had 23 putts, on Sunday, 24. If Hovland’s flatstick stays somewhere in that zone, what do you see from him going forward? 

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Sens: Putting is always a difference-maker. But giving a monster ball striker like Hovland a permanently red-hot flat stick would be like giving Sauron the One Ring. A large handful of wins. Probably a major. Possible global domination. Even Middle Earth would be in play. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It was one week.

Colgan: Man, it’s hard to know where Vik’s ceiling is until we see him win more frequently during the glut of the regular season. As of right now, fall season king feels fitting.

Hirsh: I’ll amend that title to “tropical paradise king.” Hovland has won in Puerto Rico, Mexico twice and now the Bahamas twice. As for his putting, you can kind of put him in the same category as Collin Morikawa. When they got the flat stick working, few are going to beat them. If they don’t, hitting iron shots can get you only so far when you’re missing the putts.

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The post Tour Confidential: Presidents Cup surprises, second-guesses and MVPs from Quail Hollow appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Presidents Cup surprises, second-guesses and MVPs from Quail Hollow appeared first on Golf.

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, we break down the Presidents Cup, wonder what could have been, name MVPs and more.

1. The heavily favored U.S. team took care of business at the Presidents Cup, defeating the International team, 17.5-12.5, at Quail Hollow. While the outcome was forecast by most, did anything surprise you about how the U.S team won?

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): It surprised me how difficult a time the U.S. had closing out the plucky International bunch. After Saturday morning, it looked like the rout was on — but the Internationals refused to go away. Despite the obvious talent deficit, they never gave up. Kudos to them.

Sean Zak, senior editor (@Sean_Zak): Jordan Spieth surprised me. He’s got so much experience in team events, but it isn’t exactly bulletproof experience. I figured he might have a tough time this week (he didn’t exactly finish the Tour season on a high note), but the opposite took place. Spieth went 5-0 in the kind of performance every captain wants, but you can never predict who it’ll come from.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): If you’d taken Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler to go a combined 0-6-3, you would have won a lot of money in Vegas.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): I’m shocked Scottie Scheffler didn’t win a match, which comes exactly one year after he had somewhat of a coming out party at the 2021 Ryder Cup, where he won 2 1/2 points in three matches and dismantled Jon Rahm in singles. And maybe surprise isn’t the right word, but if the U.S. team can get its two key duos of Spieth/Thomas and Cantlay/Xander to click at the same time like they did this week, the Americans are going to be really hard to beat for several more years.

2. One of the big storylines heading into the week was the players who weren’t at Quail Hollow, on account of their deals with LIV Golf. How much do you suppose the absence of the likes of Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann and Abe Ancer hurt the International team, acknowledging, of course, that the U.S. side was also missing at least a couple of its would-be stalwarts?

Melton: I think the absences on the International team were much more pronounced than those on the American side. The depth of talent internationally is just not as good as that of the Americans. With the likes of Smith, Niemann and Ancer replacing a few of the duds on the International side, this thing could’ve gone down to the wire.

Zak: I think it hurt them to start. There’s some easy hindsight in that thought, but never have we seen so many rookies trotted out from one team. They clearly needed to warm up to the event, which would have been much easier had Smith, Niemann, Ancer and even Louis Oosthuizen been involved.

Sens: Huge difference for the Internationals. The American team was so deep, they weren’t going to be significantly better with any of the LIV guys. They might have been worse. Not so for the other side. A giant dropoff from the likes of Smith and Niemann.

Berhow: For all the talk about the players who wouldn’t be there, I don’t think the U.S. team would have been much different. It’s not like Bryson and Brooks and Pat Reed were playing great golf and no-brainers to make this team anyway. But I think it was a significant loss for the Internationals, not only from a talent standpoint but for confidence and comfortability. If you are a rookie, there’s something settling about a big-name, experienced veteran in your team room or on the tee box with you. I’m not sure if it would have been enough firepower to turn the result around, but we can’t act like guys like Cam Smith and Abe Ancer, to name a few, wouldn’t have made a difference.

3. With losses come second-guessing. While International captain Trevor Immelman’s management of his team was roundly praised, is there anything he coulda-shoulda done differently?

Melton: With how Sebastian Muñoz played this week (2-0-1), it certainly seems odd that he only played three sessions. Riding the hot-handed rookie can be a winning strategy in hostile territory (see: Leona Maguire). Alas, hindsight is 20/20.

Zak: I like to call this event (and the Ryder Cup) the Hindsight Olympics. Even the most analytically driven, vibes-savvy captain is going to make decisions that can be second-guessed. And they’ll make moves that work out well that, if a couple putts don’t drop, we would have second-guessed. In other words, Immelman did a fine job. He was led to all those decisions by a deep team of statisticians and golfers. If he could have gotten Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott to play better, he would have.

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Sens: Any second guessing is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. His team was going down either way. But I was surprised he didn’t put Tom Kim out earlier in singles. They needed a big emotional start. Why not give their most demonstrative player a chance to provide it?

Berhow: These guys used more analytics than I could ever wrap my head around and know how players gel with each other, so I won’t act like I have a better solution when it comes to some of the pairings. It comes down to making putts. Captains said it all week and that was the major difference the first two days. But, as Sens says, I did think it would have been a nice kickstarter to get Tom Kim out early and, if he got hot, send some good vibes to the rest of the squad. The Internationals didn’t have a ton of fiery personalities. He was one.

4. Team golf and match-play golf have a way of showing off different sides of players, be that their competitiveness or another personality trait. What’s one thing you learned about a player from either side that you didn’t know before this week?

Melton: That Tom Kim is an absolute delight! I know the storyline has been beaten into the ground at this point, but the 20-year-old really is a fun golfer to watch. I imagine this isn’t the last time we’ll see him on the big stage.

Zak: The cocky version of Max Homa is probably my favorite. And cocky might even be too harsh a word, but how stone-cold he looked playing the 18th hole during can’t-lose matches is so different than the goofy, heartfelt Twitter user we see 99 percent of the time. Look hard enough into the future and you can imagine that version of Homa coming out down the stretch of a major championship.

Sens: I guess we’d seen Si Woo Kim’s crowd-shushing a few years back at the Presidents Cup. But that was such a beat-down it almost went forgotten. Loved seeing him pull that same move out again this week in a much more pivotal context. That takes a special kind of fire, being the guy willing to make an enemy of the crowd.

Berhow: Besides the obvious Tom Kim answer, I thought it was refreshing to see Max Homa talk so openly about how much qualifying for an event like this would mean to him and then have Max back it up and play out of his mind. He pulled off some big-time shots and putts when he needed to. A clutch gene like that is something not many people have.

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5. Who is your MVP from each team?

Melton: I’ll go with co-MVPs from each side. USA: Jordan Spieth (5-0-0) and Justin Thomas (4-1-0). Internationals: Si Woo Kim (3-1-0) and Sebastian Muñoz (2-0-1). Honorable mention for Tom Kim and the energy he injected into the Internationals each day.

Zak: Gotta go with Spieth, but Thomas deserves a ton of credit. I think he pulls something special out of Spieth during these events. It happened at the Ryder Cup in 2018. Thomas is the heartbeat of the team and probably will be for years to come. As for the Internationals, need we look past Tom Kim? Even Si Woo Kim talked about how Tom’s energy livened him up, too.

Sens: If we’re going by pure on-course performance, then it’s Spieth and Si Woo Kim. You can’t argue with 5-0, and Kim was nails pretty much every time he had to be. For all the little stuff that doesn’t show up on the scorecard, I’m with Sean: Tom Kim and Justin Thomas.

Berhow: Jordan Spieth and Tom Kim, the latter especially since he elevated what some might have thought was a sleepy event they didn’t plan to pay much attention to. But how about Trevor Immelman? I think the leader of the International squad gained a lot of fans this week.

6. The U.S. has now won nine straight Presidents Cups and seven of those by three points or more. Is it time to rethink this event or its format?

Melton: Yes, the Presidents Cup needs some sort of changing or we’ll continue seeing American dominance. While it’s true the Internationals can hold their own, if they don’t put up any numbers in the win column then it’s a moot point. Will the PGA Tour change the event? Not as long as the sponsors keep paying and the fans keep showing up.

Zak: Hell no. Quit it. This event is fine. If LIV Golf doesn’t exist, we may have seen an even greater event. Who knows! This event is just fine. I was entertained; weren’t you?

Sens: Keep it as is. Yeah, the historical record is ridiculously lopsided but there are plenty of entertaining moments, and the Internationals are far from just rolling over in the matches. It actually feels to me a lot like what the Ryder Cup was originally supposed to be. An exhibition of great shot-making, with plenty of patriotic fire but without blowing up into over-the-top nonsense. Plus, who doesn’t like rooting for the underdog?

Berhow: No changes! The Americans — I think? — won’t always dominate like this. And as soon as the Internationals end this skid the victory will be even sweeter.

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Check in each day of this week’s Presidents Cup for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topic at Quail Hollow Club, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com.

The 14th Presidents Cup comes down to 12 singles matches on Sunday at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. The U.S. holds an 11-7 lead, but anything can happen on Sunday. Who comes out on top?

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): The International team showed a whole lotta fight late in the day on Saturday, but I fear it’ll be too little, too late. As long as something really wacky doesn’t happen, Sunday will be a coronation for the U.S. in an 18-12 win.

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Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): I suspect even a lot of American fans are rooting for the Internationals at this point. A very likable team. But it’s not going to happen. Singles matches tend to tilt even further in favor of the stronger team. And as much as I’d like to see Tom Kim play all 12 matches for his side and win each of them 6 and 5, nothing close to that is going to happen. My pre-Cup prediction was 17-13. But Zephyr’s call seems more like it. 18-12.

James Colgan, assistant editor (@jamescolgan26): Well lookie here! Do we have a battle on our hands? The U.S. is going to come out angry Sunday (“pissed,” in their own words), and those early matches are going to be a birdiefest. I think the Internationals brave the early storm and make it close, but fall just short down the stretch, 15.5-14.5.

Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): My U.S. wins 16.5-13.5 prediction stands. I expect Tom Kim to win his singles match by the 10th hole (sorry Max). That rally late Saturday afternoon was impressive and I think the Internationals will carry the momentum into singles, but not enough to overcome the four-point deficit. The Internationals have the spunk, but probably not the firepower and depth to pull off a “Miracle at Medinah”-level comeback.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): I’m glad the Internationals won the last session on Saturday to make Sunday more exciting, but you can’t hide the players who have been struggling in singles play. The U.S. has just too much depth and it will show. 19.5-10.5.

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Check in each day of this week’s Presidents Cup for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topic at Quail Hollow Club, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com.

The Americans added to their lead by winning the second session of the Presidents Cup on Friday, and they now lead the Internationals 8-2 heading into the weekend. There are still 20 points up for grabs, but who, or what, has been the biggest surprise of the Presidents Cup so far?

James Colgan, assistant editor (@jamescolgan26): After watching the last two days of play, I think the biggest surprise is that the margin isn’t even bigger. The Internationals were in a precarious state from the moment the first balls went in the air on Thursday morning, and they’ve stayed there ever since. A lot’s been made of the talent advantage on the American side, but this isn’t about talent. The Internationals have plenty of firepower to at least keep this thing close. Rather, these matches are being decided by two things: birdies and self-inflicted mistakes. The International side has too few of the former, and far too many of the latter.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): I guess you could look at it that way. The other way to see it is that those birdies and self-inflicted mistakes are just the percentages playing out and that this one is going pretty much on script. The Americans were huge favorites for a reason. Team USA is so stacked that Davis Love’s toughest decision so far has been to figure out which guys to sit. The NBC broadcast team has been doing its best to convince us that things have been closer than they appear on the scoreboard, but the lopsided tally so far is not the result of some fluky rubs of the green.

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): That Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns haven’t scored a full point yet! I wrote that they’d be fantastic in the team format, but despite some strong play on Friday, Sungjae Im and Sebastian Muńoz kept them from securing the full point. Few things this week have been a huge surprise, but this one certainly qualifies.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): Tom Kim! Maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised, but this guy is an absolute ball of energy. I was standing by the edge of the 14th green when he made a putt for birdie to go from 5 down with five holes to play to 4 down with four to play. He fist-pumped. He screamed. Nobody could quite believe it, but everybody respected it. Tom Kim is a star despite sadly starting 0-2.

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Check in each day of this week’s Presidents Cup for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topic at Quail Hollow Club, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com.

The Americans picked up an early 4-1 lead after the opening foursomes session of the Presidents Cup, and now the Internationals head to Friday fourballs looking to rebound. How does International captain Trevor Immelman get his squad back on track?

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): Stay the course! This sounds dumb, because today was a disaster for the Internationals and because everyone was afraid they’d get boat-raced off the top. But there’s actually no need to panic, because the Presidents Cup is a marathon. They’ve only handed out five of 30 total points. The U.S. team made a bunch of long putts and squeaked out three of its four points. Time for Team USA to get complacent and for the black and yellow to rally.

Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Agreed, there is absolutely no reason to panic. However, and maybe he was planning this for fourballs anyway, Immelman shouldn’t take the gamble by leading off with Scott and Matsuyama again — and he didn’t, pairing Scott with fellow Aussie Cam Davis in the first match. If the team sees those two stars losing — like they did today — it’s going to be very difficult for them to rally. Those guys probably shouldn’t be playing together anyway as it just isn’t successful. The pair is 1-4-1 now in six career matches.

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): Immelman’s bunch got a much-needed boost late in the day as Si Woo Kim and Cam Davis stormed back to take down Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. It’s just the kind of performance they’ll need to lean on to get back in this thing. Immelman needs to focus on that match and the never-say-die attitude Kim and Davis exhibited. He needs to make that the example they can rally around. Even though they’re down, they’re not quite out of it.

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Sean Zak, senior editor (@Sean_Zak): Mix some heavy laxatives into whatever the American team is eating tonight. Dietary warfare, it might be their only hope!

Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): Light some incense. Bust out the amulets. Break up the Scott/Matsuyama pairing. And hope the putters heat up. Beyond that, I assume he’s already given them a Belushi-in-Animal-House, “We’re the underdogs” inspirational speech. But it’s worth giving another one. The point can’t be emphasized enough. No one is expecting these guys to win. This is a free role. No pressure. Have fun. At least, that’s the mindset Immelman should try to get his team in.

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): Look at the positives! Coaching 101. And I think he has. He took his pairing that won on Thursday — Cam Davis and Si Woo Kim — and is spreading that good mojo to the players who got hammered: Davis will play with Adam Scott, and Kim will team with Hideki Matsuyama. Everything else was close. And fourballs is more individual than foursomes, so that will help, too. Friday should be a fun one.

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Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, we discuss LIV Golf players at the BMW PGA Championship, the PGA Tour’s new season, the Presidents Cup and more.  

1. In the latest chapter of LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour drama, Jon Rahm, Billy Horschel and Rory McIlroy were among the PGA Tour players who spoke out about LIV players competing in the BMW PGA Championship, which knocked some DP World Tour players out of the field and helped LIV players receive valuable World Ranking points. Do Horschel and Co. have the right to be angry with these LIV players?

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Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): I understand why Horschel and Co. would be irked. These are heated times. LIV guys were technically within their rights to play. Were they honoring the game in the purest fashion? Hardly. But also hard to vilify them without running into some intellectual contradictions. On the emotional front, I’d probably save the anger for what Sergio Garcia did, taking someone’s spot, shooting a bad first-round score and then withdrawing with no immediate explanation. Lame. 

Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): I understand Horschel spoke to several regular DP World Tour members before making his comments during the week. He definitely has a point and is qualified to talk about that as the event’s defending champion. However, I would have loved to see more of the regular DP World Tour pros, i.e., the guys who aren’t also regularly playing on the PGA Tour, speak up. I also think the bigger issue is how the suspensions of LIV pros on the Euro Tour isn’t resolved yet. It’s hard to fault the LIV guys for taking advantage of that situation since it was still available to them. Then again, like Bubba said last week about Augusta, why would they want to play in an event where they were clearly unwanted?

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Absolutely, but at the same time, if you are one of these LIV players and earned a spot in the field, it’s your right to be there. The LIV guys know they need World Ranking points so it makes sense to be there and they earned a spot. But you can also be Jon Rahm and Billy Horschel and be annoyed at them. Both things can be true. As for Sergio, what a bad WD (even showing up at a college football game on Saturday), but I’m sure he’s not losing sleep over it.

Sean Zak, senior editor (@sean_zak): I’m not sure Billy Horschel gets to be the majority leader, but his opinion is shared by numerous others. I’m most interested in what G-Mac said during the week: that there should be a membership vote on if LIV players should be allowed to compete. While not really practical, it would sure be fascinating to see the results. 

2. Due to the ongoing riff, the state of golf has made major headlines over the past year, but should the sport be worried that the constant bickering and jabs might hurt the game and turn off fed up and uninterested viewers?

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Sens: I think it cuts both ways. In the ‘any publicity is good publicity’ sense, this has drawn a ton of new eyeballs, more than any non-Tiger-related story in memory. But there’s no doubt it has also turned off a lot of longtime golf fans. Too bad pro golf is such an important economic engine for golf. Because it’s definitely not the best or most interesting part of the game. The best parts of the game are the places it takes you and the people you meet. This past year has underscored that for me and a lot of golfers I know.

Hirsh: Absolutely not. Viewers love rivalry and controversy. Think about the ratings some of those Heat-Pacers games got in the early 2010s because LeBron and Lance Stephenson had such an intense rivalry. Now this isn’t the fabricated Brooks-Bryson rivalry. This is actual controversy, which it seems fans can’t get enough of. We didn’t get it this week, but it will no doubt happen soon enough where we see a LIV player in contention for a major, or potentially with a significant lead. Ratings will be through the roof.

Berhow: It can work both ways. I know people who hated watching golf 4-5 years ago when Tiger was struggling because the telecasts would show all of his shots no matter what, even if he was bound for a missed cut. That turned them off. But it also generated ratings because, well, it was Tiger. For every fan who is annoyed at golf’s constant bickering — and there are many — there are more who are intrigued by the constant consternation of the current state of the game. Part of me thinks majors, if LIV guys are still allowed to play (I think they will be), will be even more entertaining now since the two leagues will join together those weeks for some interesting sub-plots.

Zak: There won’t be enough bickering to make this an issue. Because there won’t be enough opportunities to bicker. This was a huge deal this week, but I don’t expect on-site tournament interviews to be as vital as they were this week. Players are about to settle in for the silly season. 

3. The 2022-23 PGA Tour season begins on Thursday with the Fortinet Championship in Napa, Calif. As we turn the page to the next season, look into your crystal ball and predict how you see the LIV vs. PGA Tour battle playing out in the next year?

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Sens: Not as much of a tug-of-war over talent. Feels like that fight has settled down, at least for the biggest names. I expect a smaller, underground skirmish over the amateur pipeline. But the most important battle (given that the antitrust stuff won’t likely be settled next year) will be over OWGR and access to the majors. If I had Fred Ridley on speed dial, I’d be willing to predict more.

Hirsh: Josh is right, it’s unlikely we see many more established pros not named Mito make the jump before the beginning of the next LIV season. I don’t see much changing from the end of this season until the court case finally gets settled. We’re going to continue seeing pettiness from both sides, especially at the majors, which I think it’s unlikely we see LIV players barred from. The main difference (and we’ll get a taste of it this weekend) will be seeing more PGA Tour and LIV going head to head in the same weekend. But even that won’t make that big of waves, unless LIV secures a TV deal.

Berhow: A few more players will jump — I think the last batch has kind of solidified teams for a bit — but I see LIV players being allowed in majors and World Ranking points granted for the new league. It even might all start to seem more … normal?

Zak: LIV players who are already qualified for majors will not be banned. However, the USGA AND R&A will alter their qualification rules for the next year of championships in slight ways to make the OWGR less necessary, making the LIV fight for OWGR points less necessary as well. 

4. The Presidents Cup rosters are set, as both teams made their captain’s picks last week. While both squads lost players to LIV Golf, the U.S. roster, on paper, still appears to have a major advantage over the Internationals. Much has been talked about how the new state of golf might hurt the Ryder Cup, but could it cause even more damage to the Presidents Cup, which has been even more lopsided and has much less history than the Ryder Cup?

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Sens: It’s a bigger threat to the Ryder Cup because the Ryder Cup has more to lose. Maybe a bunch of new names is exactly what the Internationals need? I’m reaching here, but underdogs make better stories.

Hirsh: The Presidents Cup was just starting to get competitive and the Internationals had a lot of stars before LIV took away a bunch of them. I think this sets back the International team several years, and thus the legitimacy of the Presidents Cup with it.

Berhow: I think the Presidents Cup takes a bigger hit, especially since it was in need of growing and gaining popularity and instead goes from a U.S. team that was captained by Tiger Woods to two teams that both lost some firepower. You could also argue it hurts the Ryder Cup more, since some golf fans might not have been interested in the lopsided Presidents Cup to begin with. To ramble even more: The European Ryder Cup team needed new blood anyway, and while some of those veterans were likely to finally miss out on that team next year regardless, this will just expedite the whole process. The Ryder Cup will be just fine.

Zak: In two weeks, we’ll have our answer. We also might have the kind of result that reminds us that Top 100 golfers are all capable of winning matches filled with theoretical randomness. What I’m saying is the Americans aren’t just guaranteed to beat two top 100 players just because they’re OFTEN better during stroke play events. I’m expecting it to be closer than everyone thinks. 

5. Rickie Fowler recently changed his caddie and now his coach, as he split with John Tillery, whom he spent more than three years with, and will instead work more with former coach Butch Harmon. Fowler’s finished 133rd and 134th in the FedEx Cup standings the past two years. With these two recent changes, does Fowler finish better or worse in the standings next season?

Sens: Better. Butch Harmon has that effect on pretty much everyone.

Hirsh: Better. He was one of the best players in the world for the better part of the past decade with Harmon in his corner. To watch the swing changes they made from his amatuer days to when he finished top-5 in all the 2014 majors was quite remarkable. No reason to believe he can’t regain some of that form.

Berhow: Buy! He still wants it. Love to see it. I like him having his best season in a few years.

Zak: Sure, count me in. It’s not a high bar to clear. 

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6. Speaking of the new PGA Tour season about to start, give us one bold prediction for the upcoming 2022-23 campaign.

Sens: Cameron Smith not only plays in the Masters — he wins.

Hirsh: Tiger Woods plays in a non-major.

Berhow: Some LIV players suffer from buyer’s remorse come 2023 Ryder Cup week.

Zak: I think feeling buyer’s remorse is against the rules for LIV players, and written into their contracts. My prediction is that the PIP becomes sponsored. 

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Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, the most recent defections to LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods taking in Serena Williams at the U.S. Open.

1. The latest batch of LIV Golf defections came in on Tuesday, and the list of players was … not too surprising! World No. 2 Cameron Smith marked the highest-profile signing, joining the new league just weeks after winning the Open Championship at St. Andrews. How important was this batch of defections for LIV?

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Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): Every player LIV picks up is a victory of a kind. But Smith is the biggest so far–the reigning Open and Players champ, the World No. 2, the first guy, really, who LIV critics couldn’t fully dismiss, whether by saying he was either past his prime or never that gung-ho about competition in the first place. On the other hand, LIV didn’t land Hideki, whose market impact would have felt even bigger.

James Colgan, assistant editor (@jamescolgan26): It felt as if this batch of LIV defections was the first in which you picked your head up and realized, ‘whoa, the PGA Tour has lost a TON of talent.’ Sure, it helps the argument to see a 23-year-old multi-time winner and the World No. 2 join. But it’s hard to keep up the argument the LIV field consists only of old has-beens and burnout youngsters. This crop brought top-tier talent.

Sean Zak, senior editor (@sean_zak): If Sunday was any indication, hugely important. You had Cam Smith vs. Dustin Johnson vs. Joaquin Niemann. That’s entertaining! IT was the first time LIV Golf has truly entertained me with its finish, and I’m not particularly hard to please. I think in terms of marketability, it was massive. Because the reigning Players Champ and Open Champ is now in all their promotional material. That’s a nice bullet to have in the chamber.

2. Phil Mickelson basked in the changing landscape in pro golf at LIV Golf Boston (where he finished T40). On the topic of structural changes enacted by the PGA Tour, Mickelson argued they proved the Tour needed a rival. (“Unless there was leverage, nothing was going to happen,” he said.) With a rival league helping to force major changes on the PGA Tour, was Phil right?

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Sens: He was right about the leverage. No way we would have seen such big changes so fast. And he was right that these changes are great for many pro-golfer bank accounts. It’s also been great for headlines and clicks. Whether all the shake ups have been great for fans is another matter. I don’t see any immediate perks, unless you’re caught up in that weird faux-populist belief that more money for already rich athletes is somehow a victory for the rest of us. To me, that’s been one of the most striking phenomena in all of this. All the cheering from the sidelines about sticking it to the system. Something we see more often in politics. Oh, wait. I forgot. Stick to sports!

Colgan: He was right, of course, but the irony is that he won’t ever be remembered for it. Right or wrong, Phil has tied his legacy to LIV. Maybe the PGA Tour needed his push, but no amount of victory laps is going to bring him back to see the fruits of his labor.

Zak: He was right but also wrong? Phil has routinely glossed over important details and even cited information incorrectly in this process of “being right” against the PGA Tour. So good for him! He can continue to bask in it, but I’ll continue to believe that there was an easier process than looping in money from Saudi Arabia. 

3. Bubba Watson, one of LIV’s newest players, said he was at peace with his decision to join, even if it cost him an invitation to the Masters. “If Augusta National tells me I can’t go, being a past champion, then I don’t want to be there anyway,” he said. Is there any chance Watson, a past champion, doesn’t receive an invitation next April?

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Sens: Maybe I’m being naive, but I don’t see the Masters disinviting past champs. More likely that anyone who’s won a green jacket keeps coming back, with other invites being sorted out by World Ranking points, which is a whole other can o’ worms to be opened soon enough.

Colgan: I’m shocked a number of Masters champs made the jump without assurances from Augusta National that their invite would remain intact, but if a few more go to LIV, they may leave Augusta no choice.

Zak: I’m shocked Bubba even brought it up. I highly doubt any of the majors dis-invite people we would already expect to be qualified. It opens them all up to criticism, for better or worse, and even litigation potentially. No one wants that.

4. The LIV news wasn’t over there! On Friday, Greg Norman announced that players would be allowed to compete in shorts, upending a longstanding rule to the contrary. Is this a step forward for tournament golf, or much ado about nothing?

Sens: Egad! I’m scandalized! Nah. Seems very much on-brand and hard to argue with. Most golf dress codes are silly anyway. No shirt, no shoes, no service should be the extent of it. Not that I’m itching to see pasty legs on a golf broadcast, but it doesn’t really matter a lick to me one way or the other.

Colgan: It always struck me as strange that pants were required, especially when I realized Average Joes wore them to feel more professional during “important rounds” — like my buddy on Pinehurst No. 2 … in 115-degree heat. Shorts are a beautiful thing, even if their professional liberation is mostly trivial.

Zak: The pants vs. shorts rule has been one of the most difficult things to explain to non-golf fans in my entire career. It made no sense. It’s a good example of how a little speedboat like LIV can make quick turns for its benefit and the massive cruise ship that is the PGA Tour has struggled to do so. [It’s also pretty meaningless in scope].

5. And we had a Tiger Woods spotting! In the middle of the week, cameras caught Woods cheering on Serena Williams in her final bid at the U.S. Open. Later, the 15-time major champ tweeted in support of Williams, his close friend of many years. All this GOAT-ness has us thinking: which pro athlete is Tiger’s best cross-sport comparison?

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Sens: Running through some possibilities in my head here. Ali? Too outspoken. Federer? Too gentle a persona. For ruthless dominance, and for staying out of politics even as many hoped they would have more to say, Michael Jordan fits best. But you also have to go to the likes of Arthur Ashe and Serena Williams for the broader context of a Black athlete soaring in a lily-white individual sport. That’s my attempt at a composite sketch.

Colgan: Jordan is probably the best answer, both for his dominance and overall ability as much as his transcendentalism and racial significance. Ashe and Williams are good for that reason, as are Jack Johnson and Jesse Owens. From the perspective of pure talent, Tiger’s best comparison is probably Lawrence Taylor or Michael Phelps — men who redefined the conventional understanding of a sport with their sheer athletic ability and desire for greatness.

Zak: Jordan feels most correct because of the timeline, the level of worldly fame, the Nike and Gatorade deals, etc. Also for their absolutely cutthroat nature. You could take any number of the memeable reactions from The Last Dance and find a similar story from those around Tiger Woods. 

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Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, we discuss the changes to the PGA Tour’s schedule and money, LIV departures, Rory McIlroy’s win and more. 

1. In a recurring trend, most of the news this week came before play. And the biggest was the multiple changes to the PGA Tour’s schedule and money as part of the Tour’s fight against LIV Golf. Among the items, announced Wednesday by Tour commissioner Jay Monahan ahead of the Tour Championship, were: 20 players will be defined as “top players” starting next year; the device in which the Tour defines those players, the Player Impact Program, will receive a purse bump, from $50 million to $100 million, to reward those players; four more tournaments, in addition to eight announced in June, will be tabbed as “elevated events” with $20 million purses; the 20 players will play in those events, the Players Championship, the majors and three other tournaments; all fully exempt players will start the season with a $500,000 stipend; and players will receive a $5,000 travel stipend.

We’ll start with this: Will these moves work in the Tour’s fight against LIV Golf?

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Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): They seem like effective moves in keeping young American talent around. The upshot feels like both sides are more solidified in their positions. LIV isn’t going anywhere. But the Tour has shored up crucial core support. 

Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Players are choosing between money and legacy, it seems like. LIV has a seemingly unlimited supply of money. The Tour, on the other hand, has history, and if it can make the dollars at least within shouting distance of LIV, I don’t see many players picking them over the Tour. After all, what does $25 million get you that $20 million doesn’t? The league minimum also helps take care of the journeymen pros who help make up a lot of what the dream of playing on the PGA Tour is. 

Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): You know when this plan would have been really effective? A year ago. This new model has many cool elements and enticements — and it seems to have helped sway at least one rising star, in Cameron Young, to stay put — but it’s still too little too late. Too many ships have already sailed, creating two diluted golf leagues, one of which you can only watch on YouTube. Yes, we’ll see some of the best players in the world get together regularly at the elevated PGA Tour events but not all of them. That’ll happen only four times a year now, at the majors. It’s a real bummer. The top players on both tours are all getting richer, but golf fans will be poorer for it.

2. What change are you most interested in? What change may need some work?

Sens: The $500k stipend. A lot of guys are expendable and just can’t cut it. But you’ve got to do something to keep the farm teams alive. The change I’d still like to see is a greater commitment to cool venues. Great designs go a long way toward creating interesting golf. 

Hirsh: I agree with Josh here, but I’ll change it up to bring up another topic. I’m very interested in how the “elevated events” will rotate from season to season. Will we see an elevated John Deere Classic in 2027? You would think every sponsor would want a shot at hosting all of the top pros at their event. On the other hand, not all sponsors are equal, so I guess we’ll see.

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Bastable: Yeah, the rotating elevated events most grabbed my attention. Clever idea — but will it work? With the top players’ schedules filling up with the permanent elevated events, majors and — coming soon! — Monday night golf, how much appetite and energy will they have for smaller-ticket tourneys? The John Deeres, the Hondas, the Rocket Mortgages, etc., all seem to be in a precarious spot. The wave of household names who departed for LIV doesn’t help matters.   

3. Max Homa offered up some of the better thoughts on the changes after his Tour Championship second round, and when he was asked about his field size, he also said this: “I don’t care how good I am at golf; if people aren’t watching, we’re just telling people in a bar we’re really good at golf.” That raises a good point. All of the changes by the PGA Tour, along with the large, guaranteed money, seemingly have the player in mind. But where does the fan fit in to all of this?   

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Sens: As a fan, I’m partly put off by the insanity of the money. But there are trickle-down perks in the preservation of talent. More than fans, I see more pluses for bettors. I guess some of them are fans. 

Hirsh: What the fan gets are defined events of when the “top players” are all going to be in the field. This fixes a huge problem for the casual fan, who didn’t really know when they were supposed to be watching a Tour event. I knew the top players weren’t at the Wyndham Championship, but was the Travelers worth watching? Wells Fargo? Bay Hill has the prestige of being Arnold Palmer’s event, but the field had been weakening with the new schedule shifts. Was it still worth watching? Now fans will know exactly when the best weeks to watch golf are. 

Bastable: Mentioned this above, but, yeah, it’s hard to see how any of this upheaval benefits the fans. Sports fans want to watch the best players, period, competing against the best players, period. In golf, that’s no longer possible, other than four times a year. Don’t get me wrong: The drama around pro golf in recent months has had golf fans and non-golf fans alike riveted. But what happens when that all passes?    

4. This week, while the PGA Tour is off, LIV will play its fourth event, just outside of Boston, and as many as seven current Tour players will be in the field. On Saturday, several outlets were reporting that Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann and others would leave the Tour and join LIV, following other notable players who have done so already. What do these moves mean to both the LIV and PGA Tour brands?

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Sens: A blow to the Tour and a boon for LIV. I don’t know how you cast it any other way. 

Hirsh: It’s a blow to the Tour, but it could have been worse. Don’t get me wrong, Niemann and Smith are both young players just entering the primes of their careers; Niemann may even be a few years away from his. But both of these players certainly don’t draw like Rory, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth or even Adam Scott. It’s definitely a great announcement for LIV as, for the most part, most of the players defecting have been past their primes. If Hideki Matsuyama was going over, that would be a massive blow given his status in Asia. But it looks like he’s staying put for now, thus making this a hit the PGA Tour can weather.

Bastable: Yeah, I’d agree that other than the reigning Claret Jug-holder, there’s no names in the next reported pack of defectors that will send shockwaves beyond the golf world, but it’s still another reminder that LIV isn’t done recruiting. Worth keeping in mind, though, that their format allows only for 48 players (for now, anyway), so there are only so many spots. LIV obviously wants those 48 players to be the biggest stars possible, but there are also only so many big-name players who will say yes. Feels like we might be hitting that threshold soon. 

5. Immediately after Monahan’s announcement, Rory McIlroy revealed that he and Tiger Woods would lead a “tech-infused league” that would be played in an arena on Monday nights starting in 2024. As for the competition, the TGL will feature teams of 3 competing against each other in a 3-on-3 format. Each team will play five times over the 15-week season and each broadcast will feature just one matchup between two teams. Will you watch?

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Sens: I’ll tune in out of professional curiosity, but I’m not the target audience here. Gimmicky and high-tech is not my thing. I’m old-school and analog. If you ever find me wearing VR headsets, please smother me with a pillow. I’d like to live my remaining years engaging with the real world as much as possible. 

Hirsh: Target audience here! I was initially put off by this from the initial reporting, but after seeing the renderings and other plans, I’m hooked! Think of it like this, TopGolf attracts a way wider audience than just golfers. In fact, non-avid golfers probably like TopGolf more than avid ones. If the TGL can do the same, then I’m all for exposing more people to the game.

Bastable: Pros hitting balls into simulators? I don’t think Monday Night Football should feel threatened. But I also think we need way more information here before filing our reviews! Certainly love the idea of regular primetime golf and, at the very least, it seems like an ideal format for Tiger. No walking required. If this concept means we’ll see more of Woods with a club in his hand, it’s already a win.        

6. An actual golf question! The Tour Championship concluded Sunday, and with it, the PGA Tour’s regular season. Rory McIlroy rallied from six shots down to start the final round to edge Scottie Scheffler and bring home the $30 million top prize. What did we learn about McIlroy in victory?  

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Sens: Nothing we didn’t know already. When he gets it going, he’s got a rarefied gear. 

Hirsh: We already knew he was a great chaser. We knew he was resilient. We knew he was the Alpha of the PGA Tour — when Tiger isn’t around. I think this win was a statement of how well McIlroy can let his play do the talking. This was a huge week for him. His last win, at the Canadian Open, was also a huge week for him because it was the week of LIV’s U.S. debut. Maybe these two wins will finally help him get the Masters monkey off his back.

Bastable: Like Tiger’s Tour Championship win in 2018, you couldn’t have scripted this one much better. The Tour’s knight in shining armor in 2022 winning the season-culminating tourney and a boatland of (non-LIV!) dollars to boot. It all felt so right. After his win, Rory also spoke of how much his Open Championship disappointment still haunts him. He’s not over it, he said, but surely $18 mil will help soothe the sting.      

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Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, we discuss the Tiger Woods-led players-only meeting, LIV contract details and more. 

1. Both the Fire Pit Collective and Sports Illustrated reported Saturday some of the details of this week’s Tiger Woods-led players-only meeting that addressed LIV Golf’s threat to the PGA Tour. Among the reported items discussed were the creation of ‘a tour within a tour,’ where there would be 18 no-cut featuring 60 players playing for $20 million purses. Could this work? 

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Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): Sure. The super-rich get richer. That pretty much always works. Is it good for fans? Doesn’t sound exciting to me. If you want to fend off the kind of threat the Tour faces, why make it an economic arms race you can’t win? How about differentiating the product? Golfweek on Sunday reported plans for Tiger-and-Rory-led one-day events in non-green-grass arenas. Details to be revealed soon, apparently. It already sounds awful to me, but even as I type that, I can hear the kids saying, ‘OK, boomer.’ On the plus side, at least it’s different. My preference? Roll back the ball for some events  and scrap the cookie-cutter bomb-and gouge courses in favor of more interesting designs. Make the players hit more creative shots. Enforce a shot clock. I know, it doesn’t involve trillion-dollar purses. But it would be more compelling than a lot of the same-old. And you might even turn a profit. Though I realize that several lifetimes of wealth isn’t enough for some. 

Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Sure, it could work, if the guys who are staying on the tour now aren’t jumping to LIV by 2024. But I also agree with Josh: Why basically copy LIV’s format (save for a three-round event). I’ll add to the suggestion of playing more alternate formats (but not the non-grass arena idea) like alternate shot or a team event with the LPGA. Players seem to love the Zurich Classic; why not have a mega-purse team event? All the limited-field stuff does is alienate the mid-level pro.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): I’d argue that by stealing some of the things that LIV got right, the PGA Tour is adopting some overdue changes — part of what made it vulnerable in the first place. I have slightly mixed feelings about the no-cut aspect, because we’ve seen some relatively lifeless WGC events over the years. But the fact that we as golf fans would know when we should be watching would be extremely helpful. And because the Tour has built-in advantages — TV deals, decades of history, Tiger Woods, etc. — it wins most tiebreakers.

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): It works for the players’ bottom line ($$$) and the Tour’s (survival), which, like it or not, is the goal. But I have questions. It would create a tournament tier, and go ahead and laugh about the fate of some events, but they mean a lot to those cities and fans. It also creates a player tier. Can others move up to the big events? Or are you stuck with those 60 players, who, obviously, can slide over time? Which leads to my biggest question, and one that Tiger himself has mentioned — if the cash is guaranteed across now an entire season, is that incentive still great to dig it out of the dirt? Let’s hope this doesn’t trickle into the majors.

2. A group of LIV golfers last week filed an antitrust suit against the Tour alleging that the Tour is unlawfully sanctioning them for signing on with the rival circuit, and this week, a handful of legal documents were unsealed, including player contracts. Having seen some of the details, what stood out to you?

Hirsh: For me, the limitations on media availability are the most shocking, considering Phil wanted the rights to his highlights. What he gains in that, he loses in freedom to communicate with the media. These players seemed like they wanted more freedom, but it’s fairly obvious that the price of the millions of dollars from LIV is their freedom to talk to the media. Also wasn’t that Bryson-Brooks feud staged to help them win the PIP? No more of that.

Sens: Agreed on the compromises on the media front. One clause that caught me was the prohibition against saying anything that might bring any person of note into ‘disrepute.’ How are we defining disrepute? What are the new boundaries of decorum? Will a lot of what used to be considered honest and acceptable talk become punishable? 

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Dethier: I was intrigued by the apparel talk! LIV guys are going to be wearing LIV gear like, all the time? At majors, even? It was interesting to read about LIV’s hold over players’ sponsorship decisions and displayed logos, which require approval for something as small as a coffee cup. These contracts are all different, so we don’t have a complete picture, but getting a little window into how LIV will exercise control was telling.

Piastowski: Dylan, why aren’t you wearing your GOLF shirts and hats? But yes, the apparel bit is great. As is this, which may cut into ‘family time.’ This is from Zephyr Melton’s story: “One of the stipulations indicates that players must ‘participate fully in up to 7 additional Service Days’ in 2022, with ‘12 additional Service Days in each following year.’ A Service Day is defined in the contract as ‘any day during which the Player is required to participate in and assist the League Operator and/or the Team Operator with meetings, negotiations and/or other activities with corporate sponsors or other business partners of the League.’”

3. In more court news, Patrick Reed has filed a defamation suit against Brandel Chamblee and Golf Channel, alleging they “have conspired as joint tortfeasors for and with the PGA Tour, its executives and its Commissioner Jay Monahan, to engage in a pattern and practice of defaming Mr. Reed.” The lawsuit uses quotes from Chamblee from his time on the air for Golf Channel and Sky Sports as well as on podcasts to allege damages in excess of $750 million. What are your takeaways to Reed’s move?

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Sens: That pro golf is taking on a whiff of the Jerry Springer Show. Maybe the actual courts will see it differently, but in the court of public opinion, I think the verdict would be that any damage to Reed’s reputation has been largely self-inflicted. 

Hirsh: No matter what becomes of all the other suits, I just can’t ever see Patrick Reed playing on Tour again after this. Should he win, and most seem to agree the lawsuit has very little legal merit, would that then mean no media person could critique a player? That’s part of sports. Interesting he chose not to tee it up in this week’s International Series event in South Korea, which he committed to a few weeks back.

Dethier: I think it’s a sham and a shame. Brandel Chamblee is polarizing, sure, but he does a ton of homework, tries to get it right and generally does. Imagine an athlete in any other sport suing an analyst for offering takes on television. LeBron James might not care for Skip Bayless, but he would never sue the guy. I’m not sure how far this will end up going, but I’m sure there would be some interesting documents that would come through if we reached the discovery phase…

Piastowski: Fan reaction is part of the game. Reed shouldn’t expect to be cheered. He has to earn that. I’ll leave it at that. 

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4. The PGA Tour made a player-focused hire this week, bringing aboard Jason Gore as Senior Vice President, Player Advisor to the Commissioner, a role he similarly held with the USGA. There he was Managing Director, Player Relations, and Gore was widely appreciated by players. “I think about how contentious the relationship was between the players and the USGA, so much so that in 2013 there was massive talk of a player boycott at Merion, right. So for it to — it’s done a complete 180,” Rory McIlroy said. “It’s probably, I would say, if you polled players, I would say it’s probably one of the top two majors now in terms of how the players are treated and the feedback that they can give and Jason has been a massive part to do with that. And the team that sort of worked with Jason, too.” What’s your take on the hire?

Sens: A smart, experienced guy who has the respect of the players. Seems like a smart hire in every way. 

Hirsh: Hugely popular with the players, great move for the tour at a time when stability is not the best. Surprised it took this long. Let’s just hope it doesn’t negatively impact the U.S. Open.

Dethier: His impact on the USGA is tough to measure but undoubtedly significant; he got players back on board with the U.S. Open as an entity. This week’s meeting underscored that the top PGA Tour players are taking control of their Tour; Gore’s hiring will make communication between pros and executives that much stronger.

Piastowski: Smart. Hiring someone who can wear multiple hats is wise. 

5. Tom Weiskopf died Saturday at the age of 79, and he leaves behind a legacy as a major champion, course designer and announcer. How will you best remember him?

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Sens: The beautiful swing. The close calls in majors. I didn’t get to watch him in his prime, but I interviewed him many times in his later years. He was smart and funny and frank. He had a reputation for orneriness, but by the time I met him, he seemed to have softened. He came off as a bit wistful about some of those near-misses. But also content with where he stood. And a terrific designer — with a special knack for short par-4s 

Hirsh: Pardon my youth here, but I will remember Weiskopf most as the architect who brought us the venue for arguably the most electric atmosphere in golf, TPC Scottsdale. While he obviously didn’t erect the grandstands that would become the stadium hole, more people follow golf because of that event and it wouldn’t have been possible without Weiskopf.

Dethier: He loved golf. And he played the hell out of it, too. His run at the majors in the ‘70s — 18 top 10s, seven podiums and an Open Championship title — was incredibly impressive.

Piastowski: The swing. Fluid and effortless. And four Masters runners-up, which is damn impressive. And the lifetime in the game, from player to announcer to designer. So I guess a lot.

6. As the PGA Tour enters the final week of its regular season, we’ll spin things ahead. What will pro golf look like a year from now?

Hirsh: LIV is not done announcing signings; it just depends who those players are going to be. Several are going to be announced next Monday after the Tour Championship, and more could come after the Presidents Cup. I don’t think pro golf will look much different from where it is today because very little will be settled legally by the Tour Championship next year. What will look different is where players are playing. Now let’s look two years ahead, after the new PGA Tour schedule changes really kick in, and maybe we truly learn the results of the Tiger meeting from earlier this week. Maybe that means we see tour pros competing for millions at PopStroke!

Sens: The lower-wattage events should look pretty much the same. But If rumors about Cam Smith are true, the Players Championship will be without its defending champ. Tiger’s invitational will be without some past regulars. And depending on what position Fred Ridley and Co. wind up taking, their little invitational in Augusta could have different invitees. Will LIV events get OWGR points? What shifts will we see in Ryder Cup rosters? I guess my rule would be: The bigger the events, the more likelihood of significant change. Or at least change that the average fan will care about. 

Dethier: One year from now, the PGA Tour will be staring down its first season under a new scheme, one that involves a true schism between its Super Tour and its regular Tour. We’ll also be thinking about LIV’s relegation system and evaluating how it has gone in Year 1 of its streaming deal with established teams. Both tours will still exist. They’ll be firmly entrenched in the American Culture War. The online discourse will be plenty toxic. But it will remain intensely interesting!

Piastowski: All good thoughts! I worry about the majors. We want to see the best of the best. There’s a chance that might not happen, which would be incredibly sad. Now, as to where pro golf could be in 25 years … if I’m you, the golf parent, and I’m seeing all this money out there, I’m booking that lesson for junior yesterday. 

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