LOS ANGELES — It was all going to be so excellent. It had stars. It had data. It had one of the crucial stunning phases in all of sports activities in prime time. It was imagined to be the PGA Tour’s massive day.
Two weeks in the past up in Pebble Seashore, Wyndham Clark shot a third-round 60 to interrupt the historic course’s document and take the lead on the AT&T Pebble Seashore 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 match a signature occasion, which means certainly one of golf’s most iconic venues had all one of the best gamers on tour competing. And all of the sudden 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 timber throughout California. The course took a lot water over 5 days that the match 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 match ended with Clark’s Saturday 60 and a whimper.
This has been an odd six weeks for the tour. It’s within the thick of one of the best 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 surely may simply have the Sunday it’s been ready for. On the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Nation Membership — which many take into account one of the best 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 pal and No. 5 golfer Xander Schauffele in second, tied with rising star Will Zalatoris again within the combine after lacking 2023 as a consequence of 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. However one thing unusual has been occurring. All six tournaments to this point have been gained by a protracted shot. Actually. They’ve been gained by the so-called randoms, the “mules,” as some within the golf world prefer to seek advice from 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 better. 5 of the six entered the week outdoors of the Official World Golf Rating high 50. The one winner inside that high 50, Clark, gained with out a ultimate 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 dangerous. A lot of the golf has been thrilling. One match was gained 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 was nationwide information as a result of drunken crowds overrunning safety.
However, for higher or worse, this sport has grow to be a enterprise run on backside traces. As wars go on between leagues and personal fairness corporations purchase in and all we hear about is rankings, 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) gained the signature occasion The Sentry in a low-scoring battle with stars like Sahith Theegala and Jordan Spieth. It wasn’t the best match, 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 gained 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 certainly not an enormous match anticipating large fanfare, the 20-year-old defending U.S. Novice champ Nick Dunlap (400-1) took over the golf world by changing 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) profitable at Torrey Pines. Then got here the climate mess of Pebble Seashore with the tour being robbed of its thrilling ultimate spherical, which additionally led to extra of the golf world watching LIV’s ultimate spherical in Mexico. And final week on the Waste Administration Open in Phoenix — recognized for its loud, booze-filled environment — 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 excellent product anymore. This offseason, the PGA Tour misplaced one main star, Jon Rahm, and one other top-20 participant, Tyrell Hatton. Shedding them stung. Little doubt about it. But it surely’s possible 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 a lot of the greatest gamers on this planet. Even Sony, AmEx and Phoenix all had an excellent chunk of top-10 and top-20 gamers. These gamers simply beat them.
It’s possible extra in regards to the character element. Irrespective of your ideas on LIV, it’s at the 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 “character,” however he’s been one of the crucial 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 method to changing into a much bigger star. And all people 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 taking part in one of the best 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 knowledge assortment is true (it won’t be?):
– Nobody from the 2023 PIP high 10 has accomplished higher than third place this season
– One participant within the PIP high 20 (Wyndham Clark) has gained, and it was a rain-shortened occasion— Garrett Morrison (@garrett_TFE) February 17, 2024
The largest title manufacturers for the tour proper now are Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods. Properly, Riviera is simply McIlroy’s second occasion in america this yr. Spieth is taking part in stable golf however not fairly profitable. And Woods is a 48-year-old legend averaging extra surgical procedures per yr than top-10s. Then, simply to throw gasoline in the marketplace share fireplace, Woods withdrew from the Genesis, the occasion he hosts, Friday as a result of 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 on the publicity degree 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 performing like this can be a large difficulty might be attempting to make it one. However it’s a factor. A factor value keeping track of.
“It’s essential, clearly,” Schauffele stated Saturday, “however I used to be speaking to the CEO of AmEx and he was speaking in regards to the rankings when Nick (Dunlap) gained. Individuals love the Cinderella story. I’m undecided what the rankings 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 in regards to the PGA Tour. Anybody can win any week, and there’s plenty of tales that go round.”
It’s simply sufficient of a factor that it makes this Sunday considerably essential. Riviera is arguably one of the best course the tour performs in any respect yr. Cantlay and Schauffele are year-in, year-out top-10 gamers, and Zalatoris is any individual 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 yr’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 crucial constant gamers of his period, however his profession is primarily recognized for being constant with out profitable many massive occasions. Principally, 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 ultimate spherical goes to be superior. It’s going to be one of the best course with one of the best gamers and one thing golf followers ought to be watching.
We’re six weeks into an eight-month season. Shut up and revel in.
(Photograph of Patrick Cantlay: Harry How / Getty Photos)
