LOS ANGELES — It was all going to be so good. It had stars. It had information. It had considered one of the most lovely levels in all of sports activities in prime time. It was imagined to be the PGA Tour’s large day.
Two weeks in the past up in Pebble Beach, Wyndham Clark shot a third-round 60 to interrupt the historic course’s report and take the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The tour couldn’t have drawn up a higher Sunday — in concept. It was the off week earlier than the Super Bowl, that means it virtually had the sports activities calendar to itself. It made the match a signature occasion, that means considered one of golf’s most iconic venues had all the finest gamers on tour competing. And all of a sudden it had the reigning U.S. Open champ — the star of the new season of golf’s Netflix present, “Full Swing” — Clark going into a Sunday duel with the most enjoyable younger participant in the sport, Ludvig Åberg.
And it merely by no means occurred.
Instead, excessive climate halted play Sunday with flooding and knocked down timber throughout California. The course took a lot water over 5 days that the match couldn’t even be completed Monday. Instead of a thrilling, star-studded prime-time end with everybody speaking about PGA Tour golf, the match ended with Clark’s Saturday 60 and a whimper.
This has been a unusual six weeks for the tour. It’s in the thick of the finest a part of its calendar earlier than the majors, and there’s an ongoing dialogue about whether or not the PGA Tour season is missing juice.
But it would simply have the Sunday it’s been ready for. At the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club — which many think about the finest non-major on tour — the last spherical is setting as much as get attention-grabbing. It has No. 7 participant in the world Patrick Cantlay with a two-shot lead. It has his good buddy and No. 5 golfer Xander Schauffele in second, tied with rising star Will Zalatoris again in the combine after lacking 2023 resulting from again surgical procedure. Throw in major-winner Jason Day and Ryder Cupper Harris English 4 again at an elite course, and this may very well be the Sunday that brings that juice.
About that juice, although.
It’s not likely anybody’s fault. It’s not even clear whether or not it’s true. But one thing unusual has been occurring. All six tournaments to this point have been gained by a lengthy shot. Literally. They’ve been gained by the so-called randoms, the “mules,” as some in the golf world prefer to check with them. Chris Kirk. Grayson Murray. Nick Dunlap. Matthieu Pavon. Wyndham Clark. Nick Taylor. All six have entered the match at odds of 100-1 or larger. Five of the six entered the week outdoors of the Official World Golf Ranking high 50. The solely winner inside that high 50, Clark, gained with out a last spherical.
PGA Tour Winners and pre-tournament beginning costs to start 2024:
Chris Kirk 100/1 Sentry
Grayson Murray 300/1 Sony
Nick Dunlap (a) 400/1 Amex
Matthieu Pavon 150/1 Farmers
Wyndham Clark 100/1 AT&T Pebble
Nick Taylor 100/1 WM Phoenix— Michael Verity (@MichaelVerity) February 12, 2024
It’s not even been unhealthy. Much of the golf has been thrilling. One match was gained by a 20-year-old newbie who staked his declare as the potential way forward for the sport. Two have concerned heartwarming tales of overcoming adversity. Two have gone to a playoff! And final week in Phoenix was nationwide information resulting from the drunken crowds overrunning safety.
But, for higher or worse, this sport has change into a enterprise run on backside strains. As wars go on between leagues and personal fairness corporations purchase in and all we hear about is scores, Player Impact Programs and stars, there’s that debate over whether or not these outcomes have been a downside.
To recap: Chris Kirk (100-1) gained the signature occasion The Sentry in a low-scoring battle with stars like Sahith Theegala and Jordan Spieth. It wasn’t the biggest match, however Kirk’s win after taking break day to cope with alcoholism and despair was an superior storyline. Every week later was extra of the identical. Grayson Murray (300-1) additionally had points with alcohol and psychological well being, even dealing with punishment from the PGA Tour years earlier, and gained in a thrilling playoff thanks to 2 unbelievable photographs in the clutch. These weren’t stars, however most agreed these have been actually cool finishes.
Then, at the American Express, which is under no circumstances a large match anticipating large fanfare, the 20-year-old defending U.S. Amateur champ Nick Dunlap (400-1) took over the golf world by turning into the first newbie to win a PGA Tour occasion since Phil Mickelson 33 years earlier. This was gold.
Next was 31-year-old Frenchman Matthieu Pavon (150-1) successful at Torrey Pines. Then got here the climate mess of Pebble Beach with the tour being robbed of its thrilling last spherical, which additionally led to extra of the golf world watching LIV’s last spherical in Mexico. And final week at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix — recognized for its loud, booze-filled environment — it had a thrilling playoff end between Nick Taylor and 47-year-old Charley Hoffman. And even that was drowned out by the information of the followers breaking containment and climate delays pushing that thrilling end into the first half of the Super Bowl.
The tour couldn’t fairly get a win.
A subsection of individuals turned this into a dialog about LIV departures and a signal the tour wasn’t a nice product anymore. This offseason, the PGA Tour misplaced one main star, Jon Rahm, and one other top-20 participant, Tyrell Hatton. Losing them stung. No doubt about it. But it’s probably misguided to behave like the outcomes of those tournaments have been as a result of these two weren’t there. Kirk and Clark beat loaded fields with most of the finest gamers in the world. Even Sony, AmEx and Phoenix all had a good chunk of top-10 and top-20 gamers. Those gamers simply beat them.
It’s probably extra about the persona part. No matter your ideas on LIV, it’s at the least honest to say it took a lot of the greatest personas from the PGA Tour. Few are larger than Mickelson. Brooks Koepka is a star. Bryson DeChambeau is a pariah. Dustin Johnson won’t be a large “personality,” however he’s been considered one of the most talked about golfers for a decade plus. Rahm and Hatton are two hot-blooded, emotional gamers who convey aptitude. Cameron Smith is a fishing-loving Aussie with a mullet who was on his technique to turning into a larger star. And all people has opinions on Patrick Reed.
Even if you wish to criticize the high quality of a few of these gamers, the fact is LIV has loads of the golfers who entice the most eyeballs.
And although it’s no person’s fault, the PGA Tour gamers taking part in the finest aren’t precisely their eyeball winners. As Garrett Morrison of The Fried Egg identified, solely considered one of the six winners ranked in the high 20 of the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program rewarding gamers for bringing enterprise to the tour (tickets, sponsorships, media consumption and fan engagement). And that one was Clark in a rain-shortened occasion.
If my knowledge assortment is correct (it won’t be?):
– No one from the 2023 PIP high 10 has carried out higher than third place this season
– One participant in the PIP high 20 (Wyndham Clark) has gained, and it was a rain-shortened occasion— Garrett Morrison (@garrett_TFE) February 17, 2024
The greatest identify manufacturers for the tour proper now are Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods. Well, Riviera is simply McIlroy’s second occasion in the United States this 12 months. Spieth is taking part in strong golf however not fairly successful. And Woods is a 48-year-old legend averaging extra surgical procedures per 12 months than top-10s. Then, simply to throw gasoline on the market share hearth, Woods withdrew from the Genesis, the occasion he hosts, Friday resulting from the flu, and Spieth was disqualified Friday for submitting an incorrect scorecard. That’s two large attracts out of the equation.
Its subsequent wave of younger stars like Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa aren’t fairly at the publicity degree of these names, and even they haven’t fairly performed to their distinctive ranges (but) this season.
None of that is really a downside, actually. The tournaments are nonetheless good. Many have included cool storylines. Anybody performing like that is a large difficulty might be attempting to make it one. But it’s a factor. A factor value keeping track of.
“It’s important, obviously,” Schauffele stated Saturday, “but I was talking to the CEO of AmEx and he was talking about the ratings when Nick (Dunlap) won. People love the Cinderella story. I’m not sure what the ratings were for Waste Management, but Charley being — I’m biased, obviously, being from San Diego — but him being one of the older guys trying to win out here, being a younger crowd. It’s sort of the beautiful thing about the PGA Tour. Anyone can win any week, and there’s a lot of stories that go around.”
It’s simply sufficient of a factor that it makes this Sunday considerably essential. Riviera is arguably the finest course the tour performs in any respect 12 months. Cantlay and Schauffele are year-in, year-out top-10 gamers, and Zalatoris is anyone the golf world is pulling for. But even this win of a leaderboard comes with a caveat.
Cantlay isn’t precisely a standard participant. He’s solely No. 19 in final 12 months’s PIP rankings and has misplaced factors with the plenty at occasions for accusations of sluggish play and a closely reputed report that he didn’t put on a hat at the 2023 Ryder Cup to protest gamers not being paid for the occasion. Schauffele is world No. 5 and considered one of the most constant gamers of his period, however his profession is primarily recognized for being constant with out successful many large occasions. Basically, even the PGA Tour’s large Sunday is coming by way of a few of its extra ho-hum stars.
But right here’s the place we have to draw back from PIP and recognition. Let’s simply discuss golf. This last spherical goes to be superior. It’s going to be the finest course with the finest gamers and one thing golf followers needs to be watching.
We’re six weeks into an eight-month season. Shut up and take pleasure in.
(Photo of Patrick Cantlay: Harry How / Getty Images)
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