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LOS ANGELES — It was all going to be so good. It had stars. It had data. It had one of the vital stunning phases in all of sports activities in prime time. It was purported to be the PGA Tour’s massive day.
Two weeks in the past up in Pebble Seaside, Wyndham Clark shot a third-round 60 to interrupt the historic course’s report and take the lead on the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am. The tour couldn’t have drawn up a greater Sunday — in idea. It was the off week earlier than the Tremendous Bowl, which means it virtually had the sports activities calendar to itself. It made the event a signature occasion, which means considered one of golf’s most iconic venues had all the perfect gamers on tour competing. And immediately it had the reigning U.S. Open champ — the star of the brand new season of golf’s Netflix present, “Full Swing” — Clark going right into a Sunday duel with essentially the most thrilling younger participant within the sport, Ludvig Åberg.
And it merely by no means occurred.
As an alternative, excessive climate halted play Sunday with flooding and knocked down bushes throughout California. The course took a lot water over 5 days that the event couldn’t even be completed Monday. As an alternative of an exciting, star-studded prime-time end with everybody speaking about PGA Tour golf, the event ended with Clark’s Saturday 60 and a whimper.
This has been a wierd six weeks for the tour. It’s within the thick of the perfect 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.
However it would possibly simply have the Sunday it’s been ready for. On the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Nation Membership — which many take into account the perfect non-major on tour — the ultimate spherical is setting as much as get attention-grabbing. It has No. 7 participant on this planet Patrick Cantlay with a two-shot lead. It has his good good friend and No. 5 golfer Xander Schauffele in second, tied with rising star Will Zalatoris again within the combine after lacking 2023 as a result of again surgical procedure. Throw in major-winner Jason Day and Ryder Cupper Harris English 4 again at an elite course, and this could possibly 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. However one thing unusual has been taking place. All six tournaments to date have been received by a protracted shot. Actually. They’ve been received by the so-called randoms, the “mules,” as some within the golf world wish to confer with them. Chris Kirk. Grayson Murray. Nick Dunlap. Matthieu Pavon. Wyndham Clark. Nick Taylor. All six have entered the event at odds of 100-1 or larger. 5 of the six entered the week outdoors of the Official World Golf Rating high 50. The one winner inside that high 50, Clark, received and not using a closing spherical.
PGA Tour Winners and pre-tournament beginning costs to start 2024:
Chris Kirk 100/1 SentryGrayson Murray 300/1 SonyNick Dunlap (a) 400/1 AmexMatthieu Pavon 150/1 FarmersWyndham Clark 100/1 AT&T PebbleNick Taylor 100/1 WM Phoenix
— Michael Verity (@MichaelVerity) February 12, 2024
It’s not even been dangerous. A lot of the golf has been thrilling. One event was received by a 20-year-old newbie who staked his declare because the potential way forward for the game. Two have concerned heartwarming tales of overcoming adversity. Two have gone to a playoff! And final week in Phoenix changed into nationwide information because of the drunken crowds overrunning safety.
However, for higher or worse, this sport has turn out to be a enterprise run on backside traces. As wars go on between leagues and personal fairness companies purchase in and all we hear about is scores, Participant Impression Packages and stars, there’s that debate over whether or not these outcomes have been an issue.
To recap: Chris Kirk (100-1) received the signature occasion The Sentry in a low-scoring battle with stars like Sahith Theegala and Jordan Spieth. It wasn’t the best event, however Kirk’s win after taking time without work to take care of alcoholism and melancholy 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 going through punishment from the PGA Tour years earlier, and received in an exciting playoff thanks to 2 unbelievable pictures within the clutch. These weren’t stars, however most agreed these have been actually cool finishes.
Then, on the American Categorical, which is in no way an enormous event anticipating big fanfare, the 20-year-old defending U.S. Novice champ Nick Dunlap (400-1) took over the golf world by turning into the primary newbie to win a PGA Tour occasion since Phil Mickelson 33 years earlier. This was gold.
Subsequent was 31-year-old Frenchman Matthieu Pavon (150-1) successful at Torrey Pines. Then got here the climate mess of Pebble Seaside with the tour being robbed of its thrilling closing spherical, which additionally led to extra of the golf world watching LIV’s closing spherical in Mexico. And final week on the Waste Administration Open in Phoenix — identified for its loud, booze-filled ambiance — it had an exciting 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 primary half of the Tremendous Bowl.
The tour couldn’t fairly get a win.
A subsection of individuals turned this right into a dialog about LIV departures and an indication the tour wasn’t an incredible product anymore. This offseason, the PGA Tour misplaced one main star, Jon Rahm, and one other top-20 participant, Tyrell Hatton. Dropping them stung. Little doubt about it. However it’s doubtless misguided to behave just like the outcomes of those tournaments have been as a result of these two weren’t there. Kirk and Clark beat loaded fields with many of the greatest gamers on this planet. Even Sony, AmEx and Phoenix all had a superb chunk of top-10 and top-20 gamers. These gamers simply beat them.
It’s doubtless extra concerning the persona element. Irrespective of your ideas on LIV, it’s at the very least honest to say it took most 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 an enormous “persona,” however he’s been one of the vital talked about golfers for a decade plus. Rahm and Hatton are two hot-blooded, emotional gamers who carry aptitude. Cameron Smith is a fishing-loving Aussie with a mullet who was on his strategy to turning into a much bigger star. And everyone has opinions on Patrick Reed.
Even if you wish to criticize the standard of a few of these gamers, the reality is LIV has loads of the golfers who entice essentially the most eyeballs.
And although it’s no person’s fault, the PGA Tour gamers enjoying the perfect aren’t precisely their eyeball winners. As Garrett Morrison of The Fried Egg identified, solely one of many six winners ranked within the high 20 of the PGA Tour’s Participant Impression 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 information assortment is correct (it won’t be?):– Nobody from the 2023 PIP high 10 has completed higher than third place this season– One participant within the PIP high 20 (Wyndham Clark) has received, and it was a rain-shortened occasion
— Garrett Morrison (@garrett_TFE) February 17, 2024
The largest identify manufacturers for the tour proper now are Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods. Nicely, Riviera is simply McIlroy’s second occasion in america this 12 months. Spieth is enjoying 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 in the marketplace share fireplace, Woods withdrew from the Genesis, the occasion he hosts, Friday because of the flu, and Spieth was disqualified Friday for submitting an incorrect scorecard. That’s two big attracts out of the equation.
Its subsequent wave of younger stars like Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa aren’t fairly on the publicity stage of these names, and even they haven’t fairly performed to their distinctive ranges (but) this season.
None of that is truly an issue, actually. The tournaments are nonetheless good. Many have included cool storylines. Anyone appearing like this can be a big difficulty might be attempting to make it one. However it’s a factor. A factor value maintaining a tally of.
“It’s vital, clearly,” Schauffele stated Saturday, “however I used to be speaking to the CEO of AmEx and he was speaking concerning the scores when Nick (Dunlap) received. Individuals love the Cinderella story. I’m undecided what the scores have been for Waste Administration, however Charley being — I’m biased, clearly, being from San Diego — however him being one of many older guys attempting to win out right here, being a youthful crowd. It’s kind of the attractive factor concerning the PGA Tour. Anybody can win any week, and there’s a number of tales that go round.”
It’s simply sufficient of a factor that it makes this Sunday considerably vital. Riviera is arguably the perfect course the tour performs in any respect 12 months. Cantlay and Schauffele are year-in, year-out top-10 gamers, and Zalatoris is any person the golf world is pulling for. However even this win of a leaderboard comes with a caveat.
Cantlay isn’t precisely a preferred participant. He’s solely No. 19 in final 12 months’s PIP rankings and has misplaced factors with the lots at occasions for accusations of sluggish play and a closely reputed report that he didn’t put on a hat on the 2023 Ryder Cup to protest gamers not being paid for the occasion. Schauffele is world No. 5 and one of the vital constant gamers of his period, however his profession is primarily identified for being constant with out successful many massive occasions. Mainly, even the PGA Tour’s massive Sunday is coming by way of a few of its extra ho-hum stars.
However right here’s the place we have to draw back from PIP and recognition. Let’s simply speak about golf. This closing spherical goes to be superior. It’s going to be the perfect course with the perfect gamers and one thing golf followers needs to be watching.
We’re six weeks into an eight-month season. Shut up and luxuriate in.
(Picture of Patrick Cantlay: Harry How / Getty Pictures)
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