In this Issue

1. 🏆 Hideki rips at Riv

2. ⏰ Tiger’s WD rings alarm bells

3. 🍴 Quick Bites

   • Rory’s thoughts on a “World Tour”

   • How might a World Tour fit in?

   • Will the real Max Homa please stand up

4.  📅 Schedule for the Week

🏆 Hideki rips at Riv

Former Masters Champion Hideki Matsuyama won his 9th PGA Tour title by firing a hot 9-under par 62 in the final round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. The golfing hero of Japan prevailed in coolish conditions this year at Riv, which was in immaculate condition with longer than usual rough which forced the players to change up their game from prior years.

Earlier in the tournament there was plenty of drama surrounding a number of the PGAT’s superstars. Most prominent was the WD from tournament host, Tiger Woods. After only 6 holes in his second round, Tiger was ushered via golf cart back to the clubhouse where he would eventually withdraw from the event. Early speculation centered on his back and that he’d been hunched over one of the tee boxes looking in pain. Following his WD, Tiger issued a public statement via X stating that he was suffering from the flu. In bizarre scenes, an ambulance was called to the clubhouse for Woods (apparently because there was no IV available on premises 🤷🏻‍♂️). The ambulance was eventually refused by Woods.

Adding to the Tiger drama was the DQ of Jordan Speith for signing an incorrect scorecard at the end of his second round. Jordan signed for a 3 on a hole where his actual score was 4. In accordance with the current rules, this was enough to end Speith’s tournament. Debate then raged online about whether this was a disproportionate punishment given that his score is tracked electronically by tournament officials and the broadcast team. Many in defence of Speith argued that a 2-shot penalty would have been sufficient and that the rule is outdated given how tournament golf is now played. Whilst all this may be true, we have to wonder whether there would have been any outrage if the player in question was someone like JJ Spaun, or better yet, Patrick Reed?

But back to the actual golf, and it was Patrick Cantlay who opened up a 5-shot lead through 36 holes, which was reduced to 2 shots going into the final round. Cantlay was paired with Ryder Cup partner Xander Schauffele for the 21st time in a PGAT event - could there honestly be a slower pairing possible on Tour??? But it was Luke List and Adam Hadwin who made the early moves on Sunday’s front 9 with both of them being 5-under par through their first 8 holes.

With Cantlay stuck in neutral (he parred the whole front 9) the leaderboard bunched up and with 7 holes to play, there was a 5-way tie for the lead. Enter Hideki!! Matsuyama rifled two stone-dead iron shots on 15 and 16 to make kick-in birdies and catapult him into the lead with Cantlay, List and Will Zalatoris in pursuit. Hideki made a further birdie on 17, and then a rock-solid par on 18 was enough to get the job done. His final round 62 was 1-shot off the course record and sealed his first win in two years (his last coming at the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii).

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As for the Aussies, Jason Day again fared the best. He was somewhat in contention being 4 back going into the final round, but never really got hot and ended up in 9th place. Adam Scott showed glimpses of the form that has made him a 2-time winner at Riv, but just too many bogies on the card saw him fall back to T19. Cam Davis, after shooting a 6-under opening round, struggled for the remainder of the tournament finishing in 49th place.

⏰ Tiger’s WD rings alarm bells

Despite Tiger’s announcement that his withdrawal from the Genesis was due to just a flu, there are more than a few sceptics raising their eyebrows (us included). To put the WD in context, Tiger is the annual host of the Genesis Invitational and his foundation is the charitable beneficiary of the event. Riv is also the location where Tiger played his first PGAT event (as an amateur). So with the financial, sentimental and historical importance of the event, it’s fair to assume Tiger chose to WD as a last resort and the physical ailment which caused the WD must have been significant.

Tiger’s last 6 starts on the PGAT do not paint a pretty picture. He has withdrawn two thirds of the time and only made 1 legitimate cut. No doubt he can play a practice round or a hit-and-giggle event with friends (like the Hero World Challenge he hosts in the Bahamas), but the rigour of playing and walking 4 days straight at the highest level seems to be beyond the functioning of his back and leg. At 48, the question has to be asked - is the writing on the wall for Tiger?

The other burning question is whether the PGAT is ready for life without Tiger? He has been the Tour’s cash cow for 25 years now, and they’ve certainly milked him (and continue to). But what if this is the end of his playing days? Has the PGAT put all their eggs in the Tiger Woods basket? In June 2023, the PGAT (on its knees financially and under siege from LIV) reached a Framework Agreement with Saudi Arabia’s PIF to merge the commercial interests of the PGAT, LIV and also the DPWT. This deal was said to be essential for the survival of the PGAT.

Fast forward 8 months, and it appears we have a much different landscape. Late in 2023, Tiger was appointed as the 6th Player Director on the PGAT Board, which gave players the balance of power. Since then, we have seen renewal of the Player Directors with Rory (and others) stepping down and the likes of Jordan Speith and Patrick Cantlay coming to the fore as the PGAT Board considered the PIF agreement and also scouted for additional investors. Ultimately, this scouting resulted in the PGAT reaching an agreement with sports consortium SSG, the terms of which included an investment of up to $3bn based on a valuation for the PGAT of $12bn. The SSG investment seems to have relegated the PIF negotiations significantly. Word is that Tiger and his advisers have taken control of the PGAT’s strategic direction, and public statements by both Woods and Speith recently indicate that don’t believe a deal with the PIF is financially necessary.

Over the weekend, alarm bells would have (or should have) been ringing for SSG. How much of that $12bn valuation assumes that Tiger will continue to be playing at least semi-regularly on the PGAT? We think a very big chunk of the Tour’s future financial projections rests on Tiger’s prominence. In America, it’s said that Woods doesn’t just shift the needle, he IS the needle.

Have the PGAT and SSG placed too much reliance on firstly, Woods continuing to play regularly on Tour, and secondly, Woods’ thoughts about strategy and investment options for the tour’s future? In addition to Tiger’s physical restrictions, it is clear Woods does not like the idea of the PIF being involved (he openly admitted he hasn’t had a single meeting with anyone from the PIF). Has Tiger’s presence and influence created a false sense of security for the PGAT that it now sees the PIF as less of a threat and future investment from the PIF is simply optional (as opposed to essential when the Framework Agreement was announced in June 2023)? We will see in the coming months as the PIF determines what response it will make if the Framework Agreement is abandoned by Tiger and the PGAT Board. Stay tuned 🍿🍿🍿.

🍴 Quick Bites

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

• Rory’s thoughts on a “World Tour” - McIlroy’s clarity since leaving the PGAT Board has been remarkable. Here he is laying out some tangible details about what a global tour could look like - including Australia, 24 or so events with 50% of them in the USA and the remainder in areas including Asia and the Middle East.

• How might a World Tour fit in? - Further to Rory’s thoughts, some commentators have started to speculate how a World Tour might fit within the current golf ecosystem. This will be debated a lot in the future. Take a look at Rick Gehman’s thoughts below.

• Will the real Max Homa please stand up? - Max Homa has worked hard on his public persona, carefully establishing relationships with key influencers (notably No Laying Up and Shane Bacon) and also building out a very witty X Account. He’s also won some big events too and played well in last year’s Ryder Cup, all of which has slotted him into the role of one of the PGAT’s poster boys (deliberately or otherwise). Here’s some work from Max that he might not care to see on socials or in the public domain - but also something we’ve all done on course from time to time!

📅 Schedule for the Week

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

• PGAT: Mexico Open - Vidanta Vallarta Golf Course (Vallarta, Mexico), $8.1m purse, Friday 23/2 to Monday 26/2 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, Main Coverage starts 7am AEST Friday, Featured Groups from 1.00am.

• LIV: no event

• DPWT: Magical Kenya Open - Muthaiga Golf Club (Nairobi, Kenya), $2.5m purse, Thursday 22/2 to Sunday 25/2 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, starts 8pm AEST Thursday.

• LPGA: Honda LPGA Thailand - Siam Country Club Old Course (Thailand), $1.7m purse, Thursday 22/2 to Sunday 25/2 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, starts 1.30pm AEST Thursday.

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Thanks again for your support and readership. We’ll be back next week and leave you with our Shank of the Week - from none other than the great Tiger at his own event…