Charlie Woods’ heartfelt letter to Tiger, PGA Tour CEO ideas

Welcome! The place are you, you ask. I’m calling this the Weekend 9. Consider it as a spot to heat you up for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We’ll have ideas. We’ll have suggestions. We’ll have tweets. However simply 9 in all, although typically perhaps extra and typically perhaps much less. As for who I’m? The paragraphs beneath inform among the story. I might be reached at nick.piastowski@golf.com.

For a couple of minutes, he listened to how nice the U.S. Open was due to its means to check a participant. However then the person seated to my proper puzzled:

Why not play it each week? 

Not at Oakmont, he stated at a presentation we had been at Thursday evening. However he requested why couldn’t this week’s Vacationers Championship, for instance, have the Open’s knee-high tough and zero-inch-high greens, together with different score-busting defenses. The person additionally stated he was principally unfamiliar with the professional sport, so he hoped for forgiveness if his query sounded funky — and people within the know, in fact, can provide some solutions, amongst them being that the U.S. Open, as a serious, ought to be particular, and also you’d suppose the professionals wouldn’t admire the weekly slaughter. However all of it did get me considering, particularly this week, when there may be such a distinction between the high-scoring Open and the usually low-scoring Vacationers:

What do you, the golf fan, desire extra: execs wanting like world-beaters, or execs being dropped at their knees?

In fact, the reply can definitely be that you just like just a little of each, or {that a} low rating typically doesn’t totally mirror a course’s issue, as the most effective on the planet are the most effective on the planet for a purpose: They’re actually freaking good, irrespective of the park. Earlier this week, Scottie Scheffler stated as a lot, when requested if TPC River Highlands, the Vacationers’ host, was too simple.

His reply was considerably prolonged. 

“Golf’s humorous in that sense,” he stated. “Individuals, after they watch golf, it’s not like different sports activities the place you need us to seem like y’all after we play golf. It’s a type of humorous issues. You watch the NBA, and also you’re like, I want they couldn’t dunk, I want they had been scoring much less, I want their capturing proportion was decrease on 3-pointers. For those who watch tennis, you’re like, man, I want the ball was going slower so that they seem like me on the market enjoying tennis. It’s not like that.

“As a lot as some folks need us to really feel like them, skilled golf is totally different than beginner golf. We get quite a lot of time to organize to exit and play. The fellows out listed below are actually good at golf. For those who stand right here on the driving vary and watch a spread session, that ball doesn’t go offline fairly often.

“I believe typically, particularly these days, folks get method too caught up within the profitable rating being what’s a correct take a look at. I believe a correct take a look at is nice photographs being rewarded and unhealthy photographs being punished. I believe this is likely one of the finest golf programs for that.”

Scheffler then reviewed just a few of Highlands’ holes. 

“There’s alternative on the market, and there’s additionally punishment,” he stated. “You take a look at the closing stretch. Fifteen, in the event you hit a very good shot, you’ve acquired a birdie alternative; in the event you attempt to bail out proper, you’re going to be in a bunker brief proper of the inexperienced and have a 40-yard bunker shot, a tough shot. Sixteen, in the event you hit a very good shot, you’re going to have a very good take a look at birdie; in the event you bail out and go lengthy, it’s a tricky chip down the hill. Seventeen, you hit the green, you’ve gotten an opportunity to hit in there near the pin; in the event you hit it within the left tough, you in all probability can’t get to the inexperienced. That’s what we search for in golf programs, by way of you need good photographs to be rewarded and unhealthy photographs to be punished. It’s so simple as that.

“The profitable rating, I believe folks get method too caught up in. I’m not saying essentially that even-par is a foul profitable rating. Some weeks just like the U.S. Open, you hit two nice photographs and also you’re going to get rewarded with a par. That’s effective. That’s good, too.

“Throughout the board, the best way we get examined in skilled golf is superb. We play various kinds of golf programs, various kinds of grass, we play various kinds of profitable scores. We simply see totally different checks, and I believe not one is best than the opposite.

“Essentially the most irritating factor for me once I play a golf event is if you see good photographs not getting rewarded and unhealthy photographs not being punished correctly. That’s all we search for. Can we care that 22-under wins this week? No.

“I performed good final 12 months, and in the event that they in some way change it to 12-under by making the pins in foolish spots and doing issues to trick up the golf course, what we wish is a good take a look at. I believe having birdies on the finish typically is a fairly thrilling end. That’s actually all there may be to it.”

However once more, what do you suppose? My electronic mail tackle is within the first paragraph. 

Let’s see if we will discover eight extra gadgets for the Weekend 9. 

One takeaway from the week — and for the weeks forward

2. This week, we had been launched to Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour’s new CEO, and whereas opinions on his efficiency received’t be totally shaped for a while, we can decide his first public phrases, which might accomplish a lot of issues. They will encourage. Or they will bore. They will agenda-set. Or they will ramble. They are often heat. Or they are often chilly. They will intimidate. Or they will embrace. 

Right here’s a sampling of among the back-and-forth, with reporter questions in italics, adopted by Rolapp solutions and a few ideas:

What’s the precedence in — one of many large matters of golf the final three years has been the fractured nature and making an attempt to tug it again collectively?

“Yeah, I believe everyone seems to be speaking about that. My view is I are available with a fairly clear sheet of paper. I additionally are available realizing that there’s so much to be taught. Every thing that works within the soccer world might not work within the golf world. Relating to that state of affairs significantly, I believe the followers have been fairly clear. They need to see the most effective golfers competing towards one another. I believe as a golf fan. I agree with that. Relating to the state of affairs with LIV, I believe that’s a fancy state of affairs that’s in all probability one thing I ought to be taught extra about earlier than I communicate. However I’ll say my focus is on rising the Tour, making it higher and actually transferring on from the place of energy that it has.

The takeaway: He named LIV out loud. However he was obscure. 

Roger Goodell signed by ’27, no imminent indicators of slowing down on his finish, however your title within the media has been talked about as being on the brief listing of potential names to contemplate so far as the subsequent NFL commissioner. Why was now the proper time so that you can change leagues and step into this new function on the PGA Tour?

“Nicely, I cherished working on the NFL. I’ve discovered a ton from Roger. He’s been my boss for a very long time and a mentor for a very long time. I felt for me, once more, lots of people deal with who the subsequent commissioner is. I don’t. I deal with the job I’ve.

“I used to be simply actually drawn to the chance right here. Once more, I discussed and I stated this to the gamers, if you’re within the seat I’ve been in for some time, you get to take a look at quite a lot of totally different alternatives, they usually don’t come up — distinctive ones don’t come up fairly often. This one did, and it was an opportunity to actually do one thing totally different and assist develop a sport and a sport that I like.

“That’s actually the place my focus is, is the PGA Tour, and I’m actually enthusiastic about it.”

The takeaway: I believe this is likely one of the most attention-grabbing questions: Why did he depart?

Do you suppose that by way of the PIF negotiations, do you suppose from what you’ve seen from the PGA Tour that the Tour can go on and not using a cope with the Public Funding Fund?

“Once more, I’m not shut sufficient to any of these discussions, however I’ll say what I noticed no matter that may be a very sturdy Tour. I see a powerful product. I see sturdy golfers. I believe the Signature Occasions have been an enormous and essential development within the sport. So I see energy that — simply don’t take my phrase for it, take a look at the underlying fundamentals; they’re sturdy.

“I believe that basically speaks to among the adjustments which have been made in the previous couple of years.”

The takeaway: Rolapp didn’t say sure. He didn’t say no. 

When this sort of leaked final week, there have been some folks on Twitter stating you don’t have a golf handicap. In your open letter as we speak, you stated you’re keen on golf and also you play golf. For those who would give us just a little extra element.

Yeah, my golf historical past — initially, my first job in highschool, I labored on the flip at a rustic membership in Washington, D.C. space, Congressional Nation Membership. That’s the place I acquired fuel cash. In order that’s how I used to be truly launched to the sport, on worker day truly studying to play golf.

“I skipped fairly a little bit of lessons in faculty enjoying, after which profession and household began, and I took a very long time off from the sport as a result of my profession, my household acquired in the best way a bit, however I’ve taken it up in recent times in the past.

“I’ve 4 youngsters. Three of my boys like to play. I actually love being on the market with them. There’s only a few occasions if you get 4 hours together with your children, and I don’t know in the event that they prefer it as a result of they get numerous questions. So I play. I in all probability play perhaps 5 to 10 rounds a 12 months. Not as a lot as I want to.

“I’ll say you would need to ask the board and search committee. Nobody employed me for my golf sport right here. That’s not my job. My job is to do different issues. However I’m an enormous fan of the game.”

The takeaway: This wasn’t robotic. 

One other takeaway from the week — and for the weeks forward

3. Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, steps away from the PGA of America’s headquarters, is making its main championship debut this weekend with the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship, and the opinions ought to be value watching, as the ability ought to be in line for a number of PGAs. (It already is internet hosting the 2027 and 2034 males’s PGAs, and the 2031 girls’s PGA.) 

One alternate specifically was making the rounds, although, with reporter questions in italics.

I used to be going to ask you, you may be enjoying in additional warmth tomorrow. Is that going to be a problem for golfers?

“Yeah, I undoubtedly suppose it’s going to be a problem,” Angel Yin stated. “It’s going to be good golf-wise as a result of the ball will fly additional and make the course just a little bit shorter. I like enjoying on quicker greens so I’m going to love that.

“After which, yeah, it’s going to be a battle of hydration and holding focus. As a result of this golf course is sort of boring, so…

What do you imply?

“That’s what I imply,” Yin stated. “It’s simply sort of repetitive and there are challenges, nevertheless it’s very refined. Stepping up on the tee — what did I begin on? — the again 9 will get actually repetitive on the tee.

“Yeah, I imply, it’s not one thing that’s controversial. I used to be shocked. Did I say one thing that’s going to drop the bomb? Perhaps Gil’s [designer Gil Hanse] going to provide me a name. ‘How dare you trash on my golf course.’”

Boring will not be unhealthy.

“It’s simply the best way it’s,” Yin stated. “It’s little challenges and I believe that’s additionally a difficult half.”

Greatest instruction tip on your weekend 

4. Scheffler, after his Vacationers first spherical, stated that his second shot on the par-5 thirteenth gap was “just about precisely what I used to be making an attempt to do” — which led to a reporter asking how usually that occurs. 

“Very not often all through a event do you hit one precisely how I intend to,” Scheffler stated, “and that was one of many few.”

So if the world No. 1 doesn’t hit ’em all on the screws …  

A golf tweet that will curiosity solely me 

5. The tweet beneath, which I noticed on the Ping account, was attention-grabbing. Beneath that tweet is an evidence of what occurred. 

The place I’m enjoying golf subsequent week

11. Let’s do 11 gadgets! I’m off to Vegas in just a few days, and I’ll be enjoying two or three rounds. I’ve a brand new swing thought, too. Be careful. 

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