Last Week in Golf: December 3-9

While my golfing life is fairly young, I like to think I’ve seen some things. Tiger Woods’ affair, DUI, car crash, return, and second car crash (please, God, no more and get this man a driver), the mass introduction and usage of on a carbon driver (including the club face) and the rise of an alternative golf league that is challenging the existence of the primary domestic—PGA Tour—and international—DP World Tour—leagues.

And despite all this, I am confident when I say this was perhaps the most chaotic, eventful week for the golf world that I can recall (heads up, this won’t be a quick read).

PGA-DPWT-PIF Deal Not Finalized

As alluded to above, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour have, in recent, been the two primary professional golf leagues. Until late 2021, when the Saudi Public Interest Fund (PIF) announced its intent to launch a new golf league—LIV.

For sake of brevity, I’ll cover the historical highlights. LIV held its first event during March 2022 and despite criticism, including PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan invoking 9/11 when trying to cast shame on the startup league, LIV demonstrated it could be a legitimate threat to the Tour after it brought numerous high profile golfers on board, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka.

And while many thought this would end like the gunfight at O.K Corral (several casualties, few wounded survivors), the PGA Tour, DP World Tour (DPWT) and LIV announced during June 2023 that the three leagues would be combining (as many know, players who remained loyal are rightfully pissed off at leadership and golfing community is largely still in disbelief).

But as part of the public made announcement, the three league claimed a deal would be finalized by December 31, 2023.

AND here we are today, in the second week of December 2023 and no deal has finalized. Instead, as discussed momentarily, tensions have only increased despite the idea that the leagues had reached an armistice.

Notably, during this past November, rumors leaked that the deal was falling apart and, instead, the Tour was fielding offers from various private equity firms. But nothing has materialized in a finalized deal, with the PIF or otherwise. Which leads to the next, noteworthy development.

Rahm Joins LIV

Shortly after the PGA-DPWT-LIV combination was announced, a framework agreement was leaked that details a few things, including a revised management structure, a deadline and, most relevant here, an agreement that none of the leagues would poach players from each other while negotiations took place.

That last term, however, was scrapped only a few weeks later when the Department of Justice expressed concerns over the antitrust implications of that concern.

That said, the leagues each continues to adhere to the term, repaired no obligation or requirement to do so. Until last week.

After unexpectedly withdrawing from TGL, a startup virtual golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy and with the help of the PGA, and American Express, rumors immediately kicked up that he was joining LIV. And while it took a few days, Jon confirmed the rumors and announced the departure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This, unsurprisingly, has completely changed the negotiations among the PGA Tour, DPWT and the PIF. While LIV is not, as far as we know, profitable, the PIF has demonstrated that they will spend and continue to poach the PGA’s biggest stars in order to force their entry into professional golf.

And with the looming deadline, the Rahm signing may be the final straw that breaks the PGA & DPWT’s respective backs to get a deal done that will, for better or worse, completely change professional golf on a global scale.

Rory Backtracks (Again)

Through all of the LIV drama, Rory became the unofficial PGA player frontman and frequently echoed Monahan’s thoughts on the rival league.

But that was before Rahm—a powerhouse teammate on the European Ryder Cup team—joined LIV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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After essentially doing a complete 180, Rory publicly claimed that rules needed to be changed so LIV players, like Rahm, could “be in Bethpage in 2025” for the next Ryder Cup.

And while I appreciate Rory’s desire to have the strongest team when Europe goes to defend its title on American soil, Rory—and Monahan—have shred whatever credibility they had throughout this LIV process.

But Rahm May Not Be the Last

As noted above, the framework agreement doesn’t protect against any of the leagues poaching players from each other. And because neither the PGA nor DPWT are in the business of giving out guaranteed contracts, it’s safe to assume that LIV will step on the accelerator if the negotiations are going the way they want and at the pace they expect.

Indeed, despite the dust barely settling from Rahm announcement, rumors are now swirling that Tony Finau and Tyrrell Hatton are both being courted to join LIV. This is all being further fueled by the fact that Rahm is being provided a LIV team and therefore will need to staff it with guys he think can help him make a splash during his inaugural LIV season.

PGA Loses Event Sponsor

As if losing players wasn’t enough, the PGA is also losing sponsors. Wells Fargo, hot on the heels of the Rahm-LIV announcement, announced that it will not be renewing its sponsorship— which enters its final year in 2024—of the namesake event that has been hosted at Quail Hollow since 2011.

Per Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter, Wells Fargo is not willing to contribute additional funds to the purse, which was $9 million in 2022. But this reasoning is not surprising. Indeed, in an attempt to combat LIV golf, the PGA announced increases to the purses in numerous events, especially those that, like the Wells Fargo, were designated an “elevated event.” The obvious dilemma the sponsors faced was why, if the event was otherwise the same, if not weaker due to the LIV departures, why should we be chipping in additional funds? Add in the weaker viewership, and the answer became an obvious “no thanks.”

It, therefore, would not be surprising if additional event sponsors follow Wells Fargo when their contracts come to term (if not sooner).

Meanwhile, LIV May Gain a Sponsor

Pouring additional salt in the PGA’s proverbial Jon Rahm wound is that while, to date, sponsors have kept LIV golfers at an arm’s-length is that Callaway, who hit pause on its relationship with Phil Mickelson when he left for LIV and just inked a long-term extension with Rahm, may be the first “flagship” golf sponsor to align itself with LIV in the form of investing—whether that means financially or otherwise remains to be seen—in Rahm’s unnamed team.

Accordingly, it will be very interesting to see who Rahm decides to fill his roster with (and if they’ll be getting outfitted with some Callaway equipment, Odyssey putters and TravisMathew apparel).

TaylorMade Staffers Playing Olson Putters

While this story started before the Rahm-LIV curfuffle, two TaylorMade staffers who previously competed with Scotty Cameron putters have both switched to putters made by Logan Olson.

Olson Putters first made headlines with the help of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler earlier this month when he replaced his Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype with a Login Olson prototype blade putter at the Hero World Challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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While winning an event after putting a lesser-known putter in the bag was noteworthy in itself, Scheffler wasn’t the only one to make the move. Nelly Korda, who joined Team TaylorMade earlier this year, made a similar switch from her Scotty Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 Tour Prototype to Olson prototype putter.

The knee-jerk reaction is why are two golfers who’ve won majors with their Scotty’s unexpectedly replacing them with Olson putters? One suspicion is that TaylorMade may be contemplating adding Olson Putters—similar to how Callaway added Toulon Design—to its portfolio in the hopes that it could entice its staffers to try something else. Whether that is true remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to see if other golfers like Rory, Morikawa and, perhaps the ultimate Scotty user, Tiger will follow suit.

The Rollback

Perhaps what started as the most controversial thing to happen this week—the USGA and R&A’s joint announcement that the golf ball, starting in 2030, will officially be getting rolled back for everyone—ended up getting tossed in the backseat. But that surely doesn’t mean it should be forgotten because regardless if you’re Rory, who’s mailing it over 320 yards, or the average Joe, who golf data shows is only sending it about 240 yards, every golfer will see some distance losses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As you can imagine, this rule change is being accepted by a small percentage—some professionals and golf course “purists” who think distance has gotten out of control—and largely rejected by the majority, including golf ball makers and countless amateur golfers.

Cover Image via LIV Golf