Topic: The Golf Thread

[Statto Red]

What a joke, probably. But what a ridiculous sun of money. Would test anyone’s morals. Disgusting amount.

Does anyone watch LIV though? Do they not care about that? Or will it all come back together eventually
As a very casual tv viewer I enjoy the Majors because you see the best in the world competing for something meaningful. Used to watch some of the big tour events but not religiously but all this is just a massive turn off.

I'm not in the bit interested in LIV golf, it's just a sportswashing exercise, i used to watch PGA Tour now & again, but found i've lost interest in golf the last couple of years, didn't watch any of the masters the last few days, which is normally one of the golf events i most look forward too over the year, the other being the open.

[Spezialo]

And Scheffler is 27. He's going to be a problem for years to come as well. 

the oldest looking 27 year old I've ever seen... apart from Diego Costa!

[paulrazor]

I have said it before, Rory would come across as a hypocrite signing up

But that said he has been fighting this as much as anyone for ages, and a chunk of the people who backed him up hung him out to dry like Monahan, not to mention a lot of his ryder cup buddies took the money like Rahm and Hatton

Its disappointing but also inevitable

[Fiasco]

Rory already is a hypocrite IMO Paul, his stance has softened slowly since his Ryder Cup teammates went over there and he just contradicts himself all the time. He's held up as this saviour and moral compass of golf and he really isn't anything like it.

I can't see him going there mind you but who knows.

[Crosby Nick]

the oldest looking 27 year old I've ever seen... apart from Diego Costa!

Yeah couldn’t believe that! Looks at least 10 years older.

[paulrazor]

Rory already is a hypocrite IMO Paul, his stance has softened slowly since his Ryder Cup teammates went over there and he just contradicts himself all the time. He's held up as this saviour and moral compass of golf and he really isn't anything like it.

I can't see him going there mind you but who knows.

if he was already a hypocrite he would have joined by now although he probably will anyway

But yeah, he has softened his cough on it

[Oh Campione]

The rumour has been dismissed by his manager so no LIV money for Rory.

[Lone Star Red]

Greg Norman made a point to be dick to Rory during one of his practice rounds earlier last week at Augusta. That in of itself was probably a good sign that Rory wasn't going over to LIV.

[Crosby Nick]

Greg Norman made a point to be dick to Rory during one of his practice rounds earlier last week at Augusta. That in of itself was probably a good sign that Rory wasn't going over to LIV.

Is that not just his standard behaviour?

[Ray K]

Is that not just his standard behaviour?

For Greg Norman, or Australians in general?

[cdav]

Its almost like LIV wanted to grab some headlines whilst an actual golf tournament people watch was on

[Ray K]

https://twitter.com/GolfCentral/status/1780262693045150050?t=tcmsPYjfMCQpxAFRtqQSyQ&s=19

Exclusive: Rory McIlroy tells @ToddLewisGC that LIV Golf rumors are false and, "I will play the PGA Tour for the rest of my career." Tune into Golf Today at 5 p.m. EDT for more.

[Mumm-Ra]

Procession, you say? He should win, you say? Bit early for that chaps!

Hope Rory can get himself into contention and then, for a change, make some friggin putts on a Sunday

Also echo the hope that LIV stays off the leaderboard as much as possible

OK I get it now, the guy's unstoppable 

[alonsoisared]

Rory already is a hypocrite IMO Paul, his stance has softened slowly since his Ryder Cup teammates went over there and he just contradicts himself all the time. He's held up as this saviour and moral compass of golf and he really isn't anything like it.

I can't see him going there mind you but who knows.

I think it's more that he's become tired of being the spokesperson for the PGA, especially after it transpired that a deal was being done with LIV without his knowledge. He wasted a lot of time and energy on opposing LIV, probably to the detriment of his own game. I think his stance hasn't softened he's just trying to not be drawn on it anymore and be able to focus o the golf. Don't blame him at all for that personally.

[Mumm-Ra]

I think it's more that he's become tired of being the spokesperson for the PGA, especially after it transpired that a deal was being done with LIV without his knowledge. He wasted a lot of time and energy on opposing LIV, probably to the detriment of his own game. I think his stance hasn't softened he's just trying to not be drawn on it anymore and be able to focus o the golf. Don't blame him at all for that personally.

Yeah Full Swing S2 made this crystal clear

[paulrazor]

https://twitter.com/GolfCentral/status/1780262693045150050?t=tcmsPYjfMCQpxAFRtqQSyQ&s=19

Exclusive: Rory McIlroy tells @ToddLewisGC that LIV Golf rumors are false and, "I will play the PGA Tour for the rest of my career." Tune into Golf Today at 5 p.m. EDT for more.

good for him. Delighted he won't join liv

[4pool]

Rory speaking to The Golf Channel..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WStwUnv_E28

[Yosser0_0]

He leaves the unpleasant stuff to his caddy.

Scotties not the Daddy.

 

[Yosser0_0]

What happened to Justin Rose MBE over the weekend? I never saw any coverage of him.

I've always liked watching Justin, Major winner, Ryder cup winner, Olympic Champion, great swing, dedicated, consummate professional and a thoroughly nice chap overall. Still plays on the US tour, isn't controversial and I'm sure he was far from the worst in the field yet is not even given a mention from what I've seen. I wonder what makes him so unpalatable for the US broadcasters.
 

[Ray K]

What happened to Justin Rose MBE over the weekend? I never saw any coverage of him.

Well he didn't make it as far as the weekend. 73/78 for +7 and missed the cut by a shot.

[rossipersempre]

Greg Norman made a point to be dick to Rory during one of his practice rounds earlier last week at Augusta. That in of itself was probably a good sign that Rory wasn't going over to LIV.

Love seeing that c*nt Norman at Augusta. Never ever won it and must constantly be reminded of '96, when he blew a 6 shot lead.

As for McIlroy, I think he'll ensure he gets paid one way or another. His major drought is what, now a decade?

[4pool]

Maybe next Ryder Cup the Americans can sing:

You haven't won a Major,
haven't won a Major,
haven't won a Major,
since 2014.

Since 2014,
Since 2014,
You haven't won a Major,
haven't won a Major,
since 2014.

 

[Yosser0_0]

Well he didn't make it as far as the weekend. 73/78 for +7 and missed the cut by a shot.

 

He isn't playing very well is he? World ranking of 61 now, can he keep his card? Maybe the next one to join LIV. I wonder where most of the players are based as the tournaments seem to be all over the place but quite a few in the States it seems.

[paulrazor]

Well he didn't make it as far as the weekend. 73/78 for +7 and missed the cut by a shot.

Yeah rounds like that you dont tend to get noticed

But I didnt notice he wasnt mentioned at all, I had to look through the leaderboard to see if he was actually there

Love seeing that c*nt Norman at Augusta. Never ever won it and must constantly be reminded of '96, when he blew a 6 shot lead.

As for McIlroy, I think he'll ensure he gets paid one way or another. His major drought is what, now a decade?

I do look through old masters leaderboards, all the times he was up there and never won one, mad. 2 Majors was a poor return for how good he was.

As for Rory, yes he is up to ten years, the next major is where he won his last won.

I saw the "open films" on youtube which chronicle opens down the years, when he won in 2014 they were saying at the end how he would threaten all time records and wrack them up. Mad

[Yosser0_0]

Yeah rounds like that you dont tend to get noticed

But I didnt notice he wasnt mentioned at all, I had to look through the leaderboard to see if he was actually there


I do look through old masters leaderboards, all the times he was up there and never won one, mad. 2 Majors was a poor return for how good he was.

As for Rory, yes he is up to ten years, the next major is where he won his last won.

I saw the "open films" on youtube which chronicle opens down the years, when he won in 2014 they were saying at the end how he would threaten all time records and wrack them up. Mad

Yes that was my thought on Rose - he is 43 now, so perhaps nearing the end of his career now. I mean Rory is no spring chicken nowadays either, he doesn't seem to be in great form, well not good enough to win a major given the current opposition. He has had a 1st and 2nd in Dubai though, the field wouldn't have been as strong as US Tour / majors.

[Fiasco]

I think it's more that he's become tired of being the spokesperson for the PGA, especially after it transpired that a deal was being done with LIV without his knowledge. He wasted a lot of time and energy on opposing LIV, probably to the detriment of his own game. I think his stance hasn't softened he's just trying to not be drawn on it anymore and be able to focus o the golf. Don't blame him at all for that personally.

I understand he was sold down the river, but he's not someone who is steadfast in his positions. Because Rahm and Hatton went over he made the point of saying something to the tune of 'no matter what we need to have them on the Ryder Cup team', whereas before anybody of importance went over he was banging the drum of 'no one on LIV should play in the Ryder Cup' and he's got a history of just flip-flopping and contradicting himself.

I'm glad he isn't going because that would be a killer blow to the PGA Tour but I just wish he'd not speak so much because he ties himself in knots and just looks foolish a lot of the time. He can't help the fact that all the golf media build him up and focus on him more than any other player except Tiger but I just don't think he helps himself when he speaks.

He's trying everything to get that major drought over with, he works with Faxon on his putting, he's been to see Butch Harmon, he clearly wants it and is putting the time in but the longer it goes the harder it gets. Valhalla next month should give him a great chance though if he can get his form back.

[Yosser0_0]

I understand he was sold down the river, but he's not someone who is steadfast in his positions. Because Rahm and Hatton went over he made the point of saying something to the tune of 'no matter what we need to have them on the Ryder Cup team', whereas before anybody of importance went over he was banging the drum of 'no one on LIV should play in the Ryder Cup' and he's got a history of just flip-flopping and contradicting himself.

I'm glad he isn't going because that would be a killer blow to the PGA Tour but I just wish he'd not speak so much because he ties himself in knots and just looks foolish a lot of the time. He can't help the fact that all the golf media build him up and focus on him more than any other player except Tiger but I just don't think he helps himself when he speaks.

He's trying everything to get that major drought over with, he works with Faxon on his putting, he's been to see Butch Harmon, he clearly wants it and is putting the time in but the longer it goes the harder it gets. Valhalla next month should give him a great chance though if he can get his form back.

I didn't know Rory was against LIV players playing in Ryder cups? He isn't the only one that has flip flopped on this, I mean look at Rahm. As has been mentioned, the players have been undermined by the US PGA tour talking to LIV about deals. I don't think there is much trust between the players and the US PGA tour and that has been the case for a while now, so to a certain extent the US PGA tour have brought this upon themselves. I think that is also true of the relationship between the US PGA tour and the European (DP World) tour, so they could hardly rely on them being friendly allies in all this.

I've generally found the US tour quite a hard watch with the exception of a few key events and as a viewing spectacle I think the interest has dropped more for me in recent years. Sometimes I don't get what's going on with the US TV coverage in terms of a fixation with greens and putting, highlight reels are worse, sometimes you will just see a series of players putting out. Is that all the US viewing audience is interested in? It's a turn off for me and it may sound sadistic but I'd rather see golfers play difficult challenging courses with water trees, etc. but that's mainly to see if they can get up and down and wow us with their recovery shots. I find that entertaining, easy Eagles not so. It's a bit like going to watch pro footballers, you go to see them entertain you with skills that you don't have yourself.

[paulrazor]

Yes that was my thought on Rose - he is 43 now, so perhaps nearing the end of his career now. I mean Rory is no spring chicken nowadays either, he doesn't seem to be in great form, well not good enough to win a major given the current opposition. He has had a 1st and 2nd in Dubai though, the field wouldn't have been as strong as US Tour / majors.

meant to say I "did notice" he wasnt mentioned.

I think Rory has majors left in him but I dont think he will ever win the masters.


regarding his backtracking on Rahm and Hatton, I get it he backtracked, in the past he mentioned struggling to get along with people who went to LIV, back then though it was only ryder cuppers who had their day like Stenson and Garcia.

Hatton and Rahm are top golfers, bit different when the Masters champion at the time and a player who has been around the top 20 for years goes.

Guess he doesnt want to see the ryder cup team torn apart and lose two of their best


As an aside Tyrrell Hatton is someone I cant take too,

[Fiasco]

I didn't know Rory was against LIV players playing in Ryder cups? He isn't the only one that has flip flopped on this, I mean look at Rahm. As has been mentioned, the players have been undermined by the US PGA tour talking to LIV about deals. I don't think there is much trust between the players and the US PGA tour and that has been the case for a while now, so to a certain extent the US PGA tour have brought this upon themselves. I think that is also true of the relationship between the US PGA tour and the European (DP World) tour, so they could hardly rely on them being friendly allies in all this.

I've generally found the US tour quite a hard watch with the exception of a few key events and as a viewing spectacle I think the interest has dropped more for me in recent years. Sometimes I don't get what's going on with the US TV coverage in terms of a fixation with greens and putting, highlight reels are worse, sometimes you will just see a series of players putting out. Is that all the US viewing audience is interested in? It's a turn off for me and it may sound sadistic but I'd rather see golfers play difficult challenging courses with water trees, etc. but that's mainly to see if they can get up and down and wow us with their recovery shots. I find that entertaining, easy Eagles not so. It's a bit like going to watch pro footballers, you go to see them entertain you with skills that you don't have yourself.

I'm pretty sure Rory is on record before the bigger names went to LIV saying that they shouldn't be allowed to play. But once Rahm and Hatton went (maybe another), he changed his mind because it was then beneficial to him as a Ryder Cup player to have two key players there. I just thought it was a bit silly; be outspoken against LIV all you want and that is admirable but don't then soften when it suits you or when it is going to benefit you. It sort of undermines the whole pushing back on LIV thing.

I agree with you in regards to the PGA Tour lately, so often it is just a shootout which is fun to watch sometimes but I want to see the players challenged. That is why Augusta last week was great to watch because of the carnage, the wind, the quick greens, the patience and creativity needed to win. We all know the players these days hit it long and everything but on tougher courses you need more than just distance. There is a tournament every week and it is sometimes hard to keep up with, the quality is sometimes diluted and you sort of lose focus with it.

I think on the PGA Tour too you've got the loss of Rahm, Bryson, Brooks, DJ, a couple others who had pull and were interesting to watch and/or divisive but that brings eyes. Add to that Tiger basically retired, Rory looking for form, JT and Spieth in a real bad slump, the popular players aren't there or aren't doing much so the fans are perhaps fed up a little bit too.

[4pool]

If missing DJ, Deschambolic, Koepka, Rahm and the rest is a problem, why does no one watch LIV?

Because no one cares.

As much as those players are good at what they do, LIV is a joke to most golf followers. It may be a day out to get bevvied up when LIV shows up near you however their tv audience is below miniscule. You can watch them on Youtube and those numbers are lower than how many watch some Youtube golf channels.

They went for the money. They're getting the money. They should be happy. But no, they want world ranking points, they want invited to all the top paying tournaments, ( Err, you've got the money), they want everything.

Screw the Sports washing, Sheikhs circus tour, and the players who went there.

[Yosser0_0]

If missing DJ, Deschambolic, Koepka, Rahm and the rest is a problem, why does no one watch LIV?

I've never watched it but thought I'd have a look to see what I think in the interests of balance and then I realised that there isn't that many tournaments:-

https://www.livgolf.com/events

The other thing is one of access, it doesn't seem to be very well advertised but it sounds like you can just watch it on You Tube so that sounds reasonably straight forward?

Because no one cares.

As much as those players are good at what they do, LIV is a joke to most golf followers. It may be a day out to get bevvied up when LIV shows up near you however their tv audience is below miniscule. You can watch them on Youtube and those numbers are lower than how many watch some Youtube golf channels.

Umm, the Saudi's will not like the sound of that! Pints of water if you please.
 

They went for the money. They're getting the money. They should be happy. But no, they want world ranking points, they want invited to all the top paying tournaments, ( Err, you've got the money), they want everything.

Screw the Sports washing, Sheikhs circus tour, and the players who went there.

It's a players Vs PGA tour power struggle. For a while now players have felt that the tour has been dictating all the terms. Broadcasters / sponsors may also have had their say, as it stands the PGA tour product is less attractive than a couple of years ago which could affect revenues for the tour. For the tour the key assets for them are the players in terms of the marketing value of the product. They'll have to cut a deal them, or more specifically the 'stars'.

[4pool]

Umm, the Saudi's will not like the sound of that! Pints of water if you please.
 

The London tournament was rife with bevvied up "patrons".

A tournament in Australia where LIV played doesn't want them back because of the bevvied up fans and the mess they left.

The list goes on. The one nearest me was in their first year at Pumpkin Ridge outside Portland Oregon. The members never wanted them but Corporate in Dallas Texas forced it. They haven't been back since.