In this Issue

1. 🏆 Results Recap

   • Redemption for Murray

   • Rory gets sloppy in Dubai

2.  🍴Quick Bites

   • PGAT feels sponsors pain

   • Rahm’s LIV Team

   • Nike collab with Team Smash?

   • Ripper GC resign Jonesy for 2024

   • Pelley and Slumbers head for the door

3.  📅 Schedule for the Week

🏆 Results Recap

Redemption for Murray

It was a crazy finish at Wai’alae Country Club for the Sony Open with a three-way playoff between Grayson Murray, Keegan Bradley and Ben An (chasing his maiden PGAT title). Murray sunk a monster birdie putt on the first playoff hole to claim second PGAT title and his first since 2017. He had to do it the hard way though, scrambling from a bad tee shot on the 73rd hole, whilst his opponents both found good position with their drives and had great looks at reaching the Par 5 18th in two. Neither were able to put their approaches on the green which meant all 3 players had looks at birdie. Murray, with easily the longest of the 3 chances, sunk a bomb from 38ft to put the pressure right back on the others. Bradley was unable to make his putt which left An to make a 4ft putt to extend the playoff. But it wasn’t to be, as An pushed his putt past the hole and handed victory to Murray in dramatic fashion.

This win was a huge redemption story for Murray, who has struggled with addiction and mental health issues in the past. He was demoted to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023, but he fought his way back to the PGAT with wins on the feeder circuit. Now he has secured his spot at The Masters in April 2024 and all of the PGAT Signature Events this year. He also moved inside the top 50 of the world rankings for the first time in his career. It’s also worth taking a look at Grayson’s post-victory press conference where he candidly and honestly addressed his drinking problems and the tough road he’s been on over the last few years. Kudos to him for his honesty and hard work to get things back on track.

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The win also must have been extra sweet for Murray given he had been told to “play better” by Rory McIlroy earlier last year. Shankers may recall a big pow wow meeting between Tour Commissioner Jay Monihan and irate Tour players who had been kept in the dark about the Framework Agreement that Jay cooked up in secret with the Saudi PIF. At the meeting, a vocal Murray shouted for Big Jay to resign and told him that the players no longer trusted him because he lied to their faces. Coming to Jay’s defence, Rory told Murray “just play better Grayson”. Murray’s immediate response to Rors was “fuck off”. Seems he has played better though!

Rory gets sloppy in Dubai

Speaking of Rory, well he got a little sloppy in Dubai on Sunday as he capitulated in the final round of the Dubai Invitational and Dubai Creek Golf Course. Tommy Fleetwood showed his class and nerve by birdieing the last two holes to clinch the title by one shot over McIlroy. Tommy entered the final day with a one-shot lead, and with McIlroy his nearest challenger, a tantalising head-to-head was anticipated. But it was a shocking 3-putt from 2 feet (yes, you read that right) and 2 water balls on Sunday for McIlroy (including his tee shot on the 18th hole) which really cruelled his chances.

The victory is Fleetwood's third in the United Arab Emirates after claiming two wins in Abu Dhabi and follows a second-place finish at the 2023 season-ending DP World Tour Championship. It also moves Fleetwood to the top of the International Swing Rankings, to fourth in the Race to Dubai Rankings and could take him as high as 11th in the OWGR.

In contrast, it was a very tough week for Ken Weyand, who shot rounds of 87, 82, 82 and 86 to finish at 53-over par through the 4 rounds of the no-cut event. Who is Ken Weyand you ask - well many certainly did ask that question - and it turns out that he is the Club Pro at Michael Jordan’s ultra private golf course, Grove XXIII, in Miami Florida. Clearly, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, and Weyand may well have been regretting his decision to enter the field, especially with the final spread being 72 shots between him and winner Tommy Fleetwood. Take an inside peak at Grove XXIII here.

🍴 Quick Bites

Here are some golf quick bites for you to snack on:

• PGAT feels sponsors pain - On top of losing marquee players such as Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Bryson Dechambeau and Cameron Smith, the PGAT is also losing key sponsors as the implications of golf’s changing landscape continues to manifest. Sponsors either confirmed or rumoured to have split with the PGAT include Honda, Farmers Insurance, AT&T and Wells Fargo. The catalyst to these splits is undoubtedly the steep increase in prize purses for PGAT events, which is a response by Tour leadership to the competition posed by LIV. The trouble is that the PGAT is simply passing these increases on to the Sponsors and expecting them to pick up the huge tab. Clearly for some, the value for money equation is no longer stacking up.

• Rahm’s LIV Team - Rahmbo's LIV Golf team is set to be named Legion XIII (13). Whilst no signings have been confirmed by LIV yet, it appears that one of the game’s top amateurs, Caleb Suratt, is likely to be part of Rahm’s line up. Surrat played well for the US in their Walker Cup victory at St. Andrews last year and is currently the 10th ranked amateur in the world. Speculation is also heating up that current US Open champion, Wyndham Clark, is also set to sign with Rahm’s team. Given that Clark has 5 years’ worth of exemptions to the Majors, and he may well be at his high-water mark in terms of market value, it seems a great time for him to cash in and make the move to LIV.

• Nike collab with Team Smash? - It could be Brooksy shit stirring again, or it could be a sign of bigger things to come, but images circulated on social media this week of Koepka wearing a custom pair of Team Smash Nike Dunks. My Golf Spy asked the question whether this was confirmatory of Nike partnering with LIV, but punters in the comments were quick to hose that theory down, saying it’s easy to get a pair of custom Nikes ordered online these days. Stay tuned to see.

• Ripper GC re-sign Jonesy for 2024 - the wait for Matt Jones is over. Ripper GC have re-signed him for this year. It must have been an awkward period for Jones knowing that the delay in his re-signing surely was due to captain Smithy testing the market and seeing what other players might be available to replace Jones. Nonetheless, the deal is done, and Jones will be a Ripper for another year. Now to see who fills the final spot in the Aussie team - word is that Lucas Herbert is on the cusp of signing.

• Pelley and Slumbers head for the door - DPWT CEO Keith Pelley and R&A CEO Marty Slumbers will be moving on from their posts in 2024. Pelley, who is a Canadian, will be heading back home to take on the role of CEO for Maple Leaf Sports (owners of the Toronto Blue Jays and Raptors), whilst Slumbers will remain with the R&A through to the end of the year, whilst a suitable replacement is found. No doubt the last few years of turmoil in world golf have taken their toll. But it is probably a timely changing of the guard given the dynamic golf landscape and inevitable change that is coming down the pipe.

📅 Schedule for the Week

Your golfing schedule for the week, and how to watch is below:

• PGAT: The American Express - Pete Dye Stadium Course (La Quinta, CA), $8.4m purse, Friday 19/1 to Monday 22/1 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, Main Coverage starts 7am AEST Friday, Featured Groups from 3.15am.

• DPWT: Hero Dubai Desert Classic - Emirates Golf Club (UAE), $9m purse, Thursday 18/1 to Sunday 21/1 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, Main Coverage starts 5.30pm AEST Thursday, Featured Groups from 2pm.

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