Tag: Adam Scott

Adam Scott reveals who he thinks could be the International Team’s secret weapon at the Presidents Cup, and it’s not who you might expect

Scott gives an inside look to the International team.

In 1983, Australia surprised the sailing world, winning the then Americas Cup using a racing sailboard with a secret “winged keel.” As a sports buff and proud Australian, Adam Scott knows all about one of the greatest upsets and triumphs in sport. Having played in every Presidents Cup since 2003’s infamous tie in South Africa without tasting sweet victory in the biennial competition between the U.S. and the International Team, Scott is anxious for the tide to turn and the International Team to celebrate its own version of an America’s Cup upset. Entering next week’s competition in Montreal as heavy underdogs again, Scott was asked if his side has a winged keel equivalent this year, and if so, what could it be?

“Won’t be much of a secret if I put it out there first,” Scott said in a phone interview with Golfweek ahead of competing in this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England.

But he couldn’t resist answering the question and his response was telling of where the 44-year-old Scott’s head is entering a competition that has been a form of unrequited love.

“I’ll go out and say, you know, Min Woo Lee could be it, and Adam Scott could be it too,” said Scott.

Lee, a 26-year-old Presidents Cup rookie, should be a crowd favorite with his length of the tee and youthful exuberance. But Scott is saying don’t sleep on him and in a subtle way he was sending out a message to his teammates that they should get on his back this time and let him take the International side to the promised land. That’s the type of confidence you want to see from your past Masters champion, former world No. 1 and veteran team leader.

Min Woo Lee on the 12th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst No. 2. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports

Scott, who has an 18-25-6 lifetime record in 10 Cups, then gave a refreshingly honest and thorough assessment of his role in the International Team’s failure to win during his tenure.

“If I rate my own performance the last five cups or so, I’d say I underperformed. And if I was being tough on Adam Scott, I’d say you better perform this time or don’t bother about trying to play another Presidents Cup,” Scott said.

When asked to name the toughest loss in the Presidents Cup, Scott picked the 2019 Cup at Royal Melbourne in Australia, where the U.S. rallied on Sunday for a 16-14 victory.

“That was a harsh one,” he said. “The momentum was on our side all week, and really getting flipped upside down on Sunday. But personally, I didn’t play great against Xander (Schauffele). He got up on me early and I started feeling the pressure a little bit, and he never let up. I got so far down that I couldn’t come back. I knew every match was getting important as I played throughout the round, and I felt like I’d let the side down. That one slipped through our fingers. It was months and months and months of trying to figure out how it slipped away because it felt like that was going to be our time. It would have been an epic victory to win there. It’s something that I’m still looking for in my career.”

That long-awaited win against the American side could happen, especially if Scott turns out to be his team’s secret weapon.

Keegan Bradley goes from last man in the field to winner of the 2024 BMW Championship

The ’25 U.S. Ryder Cup captain added intrigue to the idea that he could be the first American playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

The last man into the field at the BMW Championship was the last man standing when it was all said and done on Sunday.

Keegan Bradley shot a final-round even-par 72 at Castle Pines Golf Club to win his seventh career PGA Tour title in Castle Rock, Colorado. Sam Burns closed in 7-under 65, the low round of the day, to finish second along with Ludvig Aberg (71) and Adam Scott (72), one stroke back.

“Oh, man, I was shaking over that last putt,” Bradley said. “We did it. It was a battle all day.”

Bradley called last Sunday’s final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship “one of the toughest afternoons of my PGA Tour career,” after sneaking into the BMW’s field as the 50th and final player to qualify for the second leg of the playoffs. After struggling to a T-59 finish in the first leg of the playoffs, he returned to his Memphis hotel room, packed his bags and paced back and forth hitting refresh of the scores on his phone as he waited for his flight home in what he described as “a state of shock” that he wasn’t going to get to play in the BMW, his favorite tournament, which he’d never missed during his 14-year career on Tour. Thanks to Tom Kim’s 6-6-6 finish, Bradley finished 17 points ahead of Kim for the 50th spot.

“It just shows you why you have to grind it out every week because you never know how fast it can switch,” he said. “I had to have a lot of magical things happen for me to just play in this tournament, and when I got here, I was so grateful just to be here. I played with a real sense of calm all week, which is not the norm for me.” He added: “Now I go to Atlanta with a chance to win the FedExCup. I can’t believe it.”

Bradley, who won the BMW in 2018, took the title for the second time, and won for the first time with his father, Mark, a PGA professional in attendance.

Bradley opened with 66 to take the lead and trailed Scott by three strokes at the midway point after a 68. Bradley shot a roller-coaster ride 2-under 70 on Saturday with eight birdies mixed with six bogeys. He sank a 9-foot birdie putt at 18 and pumped his fist as he grabbed the 54-hole lead.

On Sunday, he wedged from 94 yards to 3 feet at the first for a birdie but lost his solo lead as Scott tied him with an eagle. But Scott, who was looking to end more than a four-year winless stretch, made three bogeys in a row beginning at the 10th to give Bradley as big as a three-stroke cushion. Bradley reeled off 13 straight pars until making a bogey at No. 15. With his lead cut to one, Bradley lofted his second shot from 227 yards over the front green side bunker at the par-5 17th to 16 feet and made birdie.

“I was a little jacked up,” Bradley said of his 5-iron into the thin mountain air. “One of the best shots of my life.”

The birdie restored his lead to two and made a three-putt bogey at the last uneventful in the final accounting. He finished with a 72-hole aggregate of 12-under 276 and vaulted to fourth in the playoffs heading into next week’s Tour Championship.

Bradley, who was named the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain in July, added intrigue to the idea that he could be the first American playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

“To be named Ryder Cup captain and still be a full-time player is strange. I don’t know anyone knows how to handle this situation,” Bradley said. “So I’m doing the best I can. The only thing I can keep doing is play my best golf and maybe play my way on to some of these teams.”

Bradley, who was recently named an assistant captain for the U.S. Presidents Cup team in September, also made a convincing case for one of six captain’s picks to the biennial team competition scheduled for Montreal.

“I hope I didn’t throw a huge wrench in everybody’s plans, but I’m proud to be in consideration,” he said.

In the tournament within a tournament, Bradley, Scott, Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Kirk moved into the top 30 in the season-long FedEx Cup points standings and advanced to the FedEx Cup finale next week in Atlanta at East Lake Golf Club. In doing so, Brian Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy were bumped out and their playoffs are over. Justin Thomas was the Bubble Boy at No. 30, flipping to the right side of the cutline by 30 points when Harman double-bogeyed the 18th hole to fall to 31st.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 72 on Sunday and finished T-33 but held on to the top spot in the FedEx Cup, which means for the third straight year he’ll begin at 10 under in next week’s staggered start and with a lead ranging from two strokes better than Xander Schauffele to four better than Bradley and as many as 10 better than Thomas.

“Scottie starting ahead,” Burns said. “He doesn’t need any more help than how good he already is.”

A year after heartbreak, Robert MacIntyre birdies 72nd hole to win 2024 Genesis Scottish Open

What a win for Bobby Mac.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre realized a dream on Sunday, holing a 22-foot birdie putt at the last to win the Genesis Scottish Open by one stroke over Australian Adam Scott.

“In my head I just kept saying to myself, this is what you do, Bob,” MacIntyre said of his winning putt to claim his national championship in the tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. “I’ve done it.”

MacIntrye played the final five holes in four under to shoot 3-under 67 at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick and become the first Scot since Colin Montgomerie to win on home soil in 25 years and just the second to do so in the 42 times it has been played since first being contested on the DP World Tour in 1972.

“A lot of people might say, he doesn’t quite have this, he doesn’t quite have that, but I’ve got fight and that’s all I need,” MacIntyre said.

Scottish Open: Photos | Prize money

The 27-year-old lefthander and pride of Oban, MacIntyre made just one birdie and two bogeys in his first 13 holes to trail by three shots with five holes to go. He benefited from a rare off day from Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg, who led by two heading into the day but shot 3 over on the round after hitting only five fairways to place T-4. Scott looked out of the trophy hunt too after he made double bogey at No. 8. But he holed a bunker shot for birdie at the ninth and added three birdies against a single bogey on the closing nine for 67. He was searching for his first victory in more than four years.

“A shame to come up short but Bob did what he had to do to win. Eagle, par, birdie, that’s great stuff,” Scott said.

Momentum shifted to MacIntyre when he sank a 41-foot birdie putt at 14 and he benefited from a rules official granting free relief at the par-5 16th when it was determined that he was standing on a sprinkler head in deep rough.

Robert MacIntyre of Scotland celebrates victory on the 18th green during day four of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 14, 2024 in North Berwick, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

“I’m shouting and I’m swearing when I’m getting up to the ball because I know that that’s my chance to really make birdie coming in. I got over the ball, looked at it, thinking, I’m in a bit of trouble here. Might manage to move it maybe a hundred yards,” he explained. “Look, I got a bit of luck on 16 and you need a bit of luck to win golf tournaments. I couldn’t believe when I heard a spring under my foot where my spike is at and I’m like no way. It was covered, and I thought, I got lucky; it was meant to be.”

Thanks to a drop in shorter grass, he nailed a 6-iron from 248 yards to 6 feet for eagle to tie Scott for the lead.

In the tournament within a tournament, Richard Mansell shot a course-record-tying 61 to finish T-10 and earn one of three places into next week’s British Open along with Alex Noren and Aaron Rai as the top finishers not already exempt into the final men’s major of the year. Rory McIlroy, in his first start since finishing second at the U.S. Open last month, opened with 65 and shot a stroke higher each day to finish T-4 in his title defense.

Last year, MacIntyre had his heart ripped out after McIlroy birdied the final two holes to steal the trophy. This year, the tables turned.

“I thought it was short,” MacIntyre said of the winning putt.

The double-breaker just dripped in the front door, for a winning total of 18-under 262, and MacIntyre pumped both fists in the air and screamed so loud he claimed he had lost his voice.

MacIntyre won his first PGA Tour title, the RBC Canadian Open, last month. With the win in his native country, MacIntyre became only the second Scot to win twice in one PGA Tour season, joining Sandy Lyle in 1988.

“I wanted the Scottish Open and I got it,” he said.

‘You have to break the ice’: Adam Scott says PGA Tour-PIF negotiations to heat up ‘very soon’

“Someone has to show a hand. It’s got to happen soon.”

HAMILTON, Ontario – Could progress be in the offing for the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund?

Adam Scott, a PGA Tour player director, has had a seat at the table this year, and as recently as two weeks ago even he said he is perplexed at how the negotiations have stretched into June. When asked at his pre-tournament press conference at the Charles Schwab Challenge about the future of professional golf, he struggled to give a complete answer.

The problem? He said he was still waiting to hear PIF’s end game.

“I think the PGA Tour has a vision of what it wants to look like 12, 18 (months) and then going forward, five, 10 and 20, you know, or at least 10 years down the line, let’s say, and what it should evolve into,” he said. “But at the moment there’s another party that they’re negotiating with that has to believe in that vision as well, and I don’t know exactly what their vision is.”

Speaking to Golfweek at the RBC Canadian Open, Scott said he was confident he will learn that vision soon.

“I think we are getting there, for sure,” Scott said. “Eventually someone is going to have to put it out exactly what it is, and I think that will happen very soon. I think so. You have to break the ice, kind of, and someone has to show a hand. It’s got to happen soon. It’s moving along as quickly as it can.”

When Scott was pushed on if he really believed that the negotiations – which technically began nearly a year ago with the signing of the Framework Agreement on June 6 – were moving fast enough, he said, “It’s not all up to us on our schedule. The head of the PIF sits on 125 boards or something. He’s busy, too. Some would say the buck stops with him and he has to make some decisions on what he’s investing in.”

The PGA Tour already has entered into an agreement for Strategic Sports Group to invest at least $1.5 billion and as much as $3 billion into the Tour’s new for-profit entity. The Tour and PIF met in March in the Bahamas after the Players Championship for the first time. Jimmy Dunne, whose secret meeting with PIF’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan in early 2023 led to the Framework Agreement, resigned from the Tour board in mid-May citing “no meaningful progress” toward a deal with PIF to unify men’s professional golf. Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth, both fellow Tour player directors, disagreed with Dunne and called that a false narrative.

“It’s ongoing, it’s fluid, it changes day-to-day,” Woods said ahead of the PGA Championship last month. “Has there been progress? Yes. But it’s an ongoing negotiation, so a lot of work ahead for all of us with this process, and so we’re making steps, and it may not be giant steps, but we’re making steps.”

Added Spieth: “I just continue to kind of chuckle, because I only feel positive momentum when we’re having these internal conversations, and then every time anything comes from the outside world it’s the opposite, and it just kind of makes me chuckle a bit because it’s a bit frustrating.”

A source for Golfweek said that “very soon” could be as early as next week. The Memorial, the next stop on the PGA Tour and hosted by Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, is typically a gathering spot of leaders of the golf world, and talks could accelerate at Jack’s Place.

A source told Golfweek that the question is how much will the players on the board be willing to compromise? And how much money is PIF prepared to lose?

“It’s who blinks first,” a source said. “It’s not rosy in either camp, so empower Jay (Monahan), put him in a room with Yasir and do a deal.”

Adam Scott gets a lesson from CBS’s Trevor Immelman as he chases a 91st straight major start

“I generally tell him to get his head out of his ass.”

HAMILTON, Ontario — Adam Scott possesses one of, if not the most, beautiful swings in golf. But even a Maserati needs a tune-up every once in a while.

On Saturday afternoon, having posted a third-round even-par 70 at Hamilton Golf & Country Club that left him T-49, Scott headed to the range to work on his driver after hitting just 3 of 14 fairways.

“I drove it a step into the first cut on nearly every hole. It was quite remarkable,” said the 43-year-old past Masters champion, pursing his lips in dissatisfaction.

Scott had a second set of eyes checking his every move – CBS’s lead golf analyst, Trevor Immelman, who didn’t have to go on air until 5 p.m. The two longtime friends had dinner Friday night and made an appointment to meet on the range after Scott’s round. Scott currently is without a coach, having parted with his brother-in-law, Brad Malone, around October. Lee Trevino always said he wouldn’t take a lesson from someone who couldn’t beat him. Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion, qualifies.

“I’ve enjoyed talking golf with Trevor and it’s just good to have someone that kind of knows me and my game so well so he can go, ‘You’re getting off base, what are you doing?’ ” Scott said. “He’s got a good eye and knowledge.”

RBC Canadian Open: Photos | Merchandise | Leaderboard

Scott said that Immelman has encouraged him to shorten his swing for months but it has been easier said than done.

“It’s good to have a purpose and work on stuff instead of aimlessly fiddling around to find something,” Scott said.

From the sound of things, Immelman was pleased with the length of Scott’s swing as he kept saying, “Yes,” as Scott took turns driving straight as a needle, with a slight fade and a draw on command.

“Adam is one of my best friends and we’ve known each other since we were teenagers,” Immelman wrote in a text. “He’s an amazing human being, all class. I fully believe that he still has what it takes to win at the highest level, and I really hope he does.”

Hitting balls next to Scott with a head cover placed under his right arm pit  was veteran pro Nate Lashley, who stopped to ask Immelman, “Are you trying to give the most perfect swing a lesson?”

Immelman smiled and replied, “I generally tell him to get his head out of his ass.”

Nate Lashley (front) asked Trevor Immelman, right, “Are you trying to give the most perfect swing a lesson?” (Adam Schupak/Golfweek)

Scott tabbed the session with Immelman “very productive,” and it could come in handy for the final round. He could use a low round on Sunday to move up the standings at the Canadian Open. He entered the week at No. 58 in the Official World Golf Ranking. A missed cut at the PGA Championship last month knocked him out of the top 60 in the world for the first time in nearly six years and cost him a berth in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in less than two months. A T-12 at the Colonial last week bumped him back inside the top 60, where he will need to remain following the conclusion of next week’s tournaments to gain a spot in the U.S. Open field. He hasn’t missed a major since the 2001 U.S. Open at Southern Hills, a span of 91 straight starts in men’s golf’s big four.

In 2018, the last time he slipped outside the top 60, he played in a 36-hole qualifier in Columbus, Ohio and earned his way into the field. But Scott said he won’t be playing at Final Qualifying on Monday. He signed up for a site in Ohio — he wasn’t originally planning to play north of the border — and said he’s won’t be there. He also isn’t in the field for next week’s Memorial. That means Sunday’s final round of the RBC Canadian Open is his last chance to make his case. It’s down to the wire, but as Scott noted, “Some weeks you don’t play and you move up in the rankings,” he said, before adding, “I know the situation. It will be what it will be.”

Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott join PGA Tour subcommittee that will negotiate with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund

The original reports of a five-person committee were refuted by McIlroy on Thursday.

An AP report on Wednesday night cited Tiger Woods as the lone player on the five-person PGA Tour Transaction Subcommittee that will further the discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

After shooting a 4-under 67 to sit T-2 at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship on Thursday afternoon, Rory McIlroy refuted the report and said both he and Adam Scott were also on the seven-person subcommittee that includes Woods, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, former Tour player and current liaison Joe Ogilvie, Fenway Sports Group’s John Henry and Valero CEO Joe Gorder. The latter are also part of the Strategic Sports Group that was formed to develop PGA Tour Enterprises, the for-profit entity that was initially slated to be created by the Tour and Saudi PIF as a result of last summer’s shocking framework agreement. The subcommittee will report to the Tour board.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, McIlroy said he wouldn’t be taking Webb Simpson’s place on the Tour’s policy board because players were “uncomfortable” with his potential return. He did, however, insist that he was still interested in helping with the PIF discussions however he was able.

McIlroy is one of few players who has a relationship with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan that dates back to 2022. Woods and the other player directors on Tour met with Al-Rumayyan back in March in the Bahamas. Said Woods of the meeting at the Masters, “I don’t know if we’re closer, but certainly we’re headed in the right direction. That was a very positive meeting, and I think both sides came away from the meeting feeling positive.”

The PGA Tour’s Chief Competitions Officer Tyler Dennis told media at the Wells Fargo Championship that there were no material updates at this point on the discussions with PIF, but if we’ve learned anything this week, there’s plenty going on behind the scenes.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1375]

Despite increased criticism, Webb Simpson defends PGA Tour sponsor exemption for 2024 Wells Fargo Championship

“It has nothing to do with me being on the board,” Simpson said of his place on the PGA Tour Policy Board.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Outside of the four major championships, players have circled the PGA Tour’s eight signature events on the 2024 schedule seeing as the limited-field tournaments boast a $20 million purse and offer up even more FedEx Cup points than a normal event.

This week at Quail Hollow marks the Tour’s sixth of eight elevated stops, and the big-money event has brought another round of criticism for the four players who received sponsor exemptions to the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship: Matt Kuchar, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and Gary Woodland. As members of the PGA Tour’s Policy Board, players like Scott and Simpson have been in the social media crosshairs, and the latter – a Quail Hollow member since 2011 and resident since 2014 – defended his selection during a press conference on Wednesday.

Wells Fargo: Photos | Thursday tee times | Picks to win, odds

“Look, it’s a different day and age now than it was. I know these sponsor exemptions are probably the most coveted sponsor exemptions in the history of the Tour, but we’re not going to make everyone happy,” said Simpson. “As we’re looking at what criteria should these sponsor exemptions be, yadda yadda, we’re trying to balance making sponsors happy, giving them the opportunity to invite — you know, these tournament directors, who do they want to bring to their tournament, to their community, who do they think will add value to their tournament. These tournament directors are working round the clock for a year trying to make their tournament the best. We want to give them the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, you have a few spots, four spots in these Signature Events to be able to invite who you want to invite.’”

The Tour’s idea with the signature events was for players to earn their way into the amped-up tournaments and reap the rewards for their efforts. A member of the Tour’s Policy Board earning four spots into the six signature events so far brings the meritocracy into question, especially given his form this season. Across seven starts, Simpson has made six cuts but hasn’t cracked the top 25. He’s 152nd in the FedEx Cup standings and No. 227 in the world.

“I know that I’ve gotten, this is my fourth sponsor exemption, and Adam Scott’s received his fair share. There was controversy and guys were trying to link us being on the board, but it has nothing to do with me being on the board,” Simpson. The seven-time winner on Tour (not since 2020) argued his relationships with tournament directors and specifically his connection to the Charlotte area have made him a worthwhile selection.

Webb Simpson hits a tee shot on the first hole during the third round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

“So I certainly think the criticisms, I knew they were going to come depending on who got them, but I’m very comfortable knowing that we’ve given the sponsors the opportunity to pick, and the tournament directors,” he added. “I want to move on from it and realize that the Wells Fargo Championship is an amazing tournament.”

As a player in the field this week, Simpson has spent time with kids in the hospital and will spend time with the First Tee of Charlotte on the range at Quail Hollow on Wednesday afternoon.

“There’s things that I’m way more interested in and that get me excited than kind of worrying about what a certain person thinks about who should get sponsor exemptions,” Simpson said.

While Simpson doesn’t care about the perception of sponsor exemptions to signature events, the fans clearly do. The last thing the Tour needs right now is to alienate its supporters and water down its biggest events as it continues to be challenged each year by the threat of the guaranteed money offered by LIV Golf. The powers that be in Ponte Vedra Beach at Tour HQ are in a tough position as they try to make players, fans and sponsors happy.

“What the PGA Tour Policy Board has committed is that at the summer meeting, they’re going to review how things have progressed in terms of the metrics we looked at, you guys might remember me talking about this a year ago, retention rates, and the sort of aspirational nature of the PGA Tour,” said the Tour’s Chief Competitions Officer Tyler Dennis. “We’re gonna look at all of that and I’m sure sponsor exemptions will be one of those things and see what, if any, changes might be made for the 2025 season.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1375]

Teams, rosters, format and more: Everything you need to know for the TGL’s debut

TGL debuts in 2025.

After TGL’s stadium collapsed at the end of last year, its debut was pushed back to 2025. But as the date draws closer, we now have a significant information about the start-up technology-driven league started by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports.

The first night of matches will take place on Jan. 7, 2025, in primetime on ESPN.

“As we plan the 2025 launch of TGL presented by SoFi, we now have the first three Tuesdays in January circled to introduce sports fans to this new form of team golf. January is a tremendous time of year for fans looking for prime time sports and TGL’s launch will complement the start of the PGA TOUR season and take advantage of ESPN’s promotional machine across their coverage of the NFL and college football playoffs,” said Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports.

Countless PGA Tour stars are involved in the new circuit, including Woods, McIlroy, Max Homa, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, among others.

Learn everything you need to know about the TGL below.

[lawrence-related id=778401004,778455813,778440146,778408214]

PGA Tour Enterprises launched with nine players, including Tiger Woods, on board of directors

The more significant news was the naming of retired Tour pro Joe Ogilvie to the board.

The newly formed PGA Tour Enterprises announced its first board of directors on Wednesday.

The 13-member board has nine PGA Tour Directors, approved by the Tour’s Policy Board, and four Strategic Sports Group Directors, appointed by the SSG investor group. This board will lead all commercial activities related to the PGA Tour and will focus on driving fan engagement and growth, as well as developing new media, sponsorship and commercial opportunities.

All six current Player Directors from the Tour Policy Board will simultaneously serve on the Tour Enterprises Board of Directors: Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods.

The more significant news was the naming of retired Tour pro Joe Ogilvie to the board.

“Given the significant time investment required from the players to serve on both Boards – and as part of the Tour’s governance review – the Player Directors identified the benefit of having a ‘Director Liaison’ on both Boards as well,” the Tour said in a news release. “Ogilvie will join the PGA Tour Policy Board and the PGA Tour Enterprises Board of Directors.

Joe Gorder, who serves as an Independent Director on the Tour Policy Board, and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan round out the Tour representation on the Enterprises Board. Monahan will serve as the CEO of Enterprises, and Woods will serve as the Vice Chairman of the Board.

As announced in January, SSG – a consortium of American sports team owners led by Fenway Sports Group – joined PGA Tour Enterprises as a minority investor, providing an initial $1.5 billion of capital that will “unlock investment opportunities to grow the Tour and enhance the game of golf around the world.”

The four SSG Directors will be:

  • John W. Henry, Principal, Fenway Sports Group; Manager, Strategic Sports Group
  • Arthur M. Blank, Co-Founder, Home Depot; Owner and Chairman, AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Drive GC, PGA Tour Superstore)
  • Andrew B. Cohen, Chief Investment Officer and Co-Founder, Cohen Private Ventures; Vice Chairman, New York Mets
  • Sam Kennedy, Partner/CEO, Fenway Sports Group; President & CEO, Boston Red Sox

The PGA Tour Enterprises Board will elect a chairman at an upcoming meeting.

“Today’s announcement is another milestone for our organization, as I believe we have arrived at a PGA Tour Enterprise’s Board of Directors with the right composition, expertise and balance necessary to take our organization into the future,” said Monahan. “Our current and former players will provide essential insight into our members’ priorities and needs. And we welcome key SSG members to the leadership team, whose exceptional track records and achievements in global professional sports will lend a wealth of knowledge into the opportunities ahead for the PGA Tour. Their expertise will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in the success and growth of our commercial initiatives.

“It’s an opportunity for us to shape something special that will not only create more value for the PGA Tour, but will also benefit and grow our fanbase,” the Player Directors and Liaison Director said in a joint statement.  “We’re ready to get started.”

“Our role on the Enterprises board will focus on hearing Player Director ideas and working alongside them to ensure the sport’s commercial growth occurs in a way that creates the best possible product for fans,” said Henry. “All of us at Strategic Sports Group see a bright future for the PGA Tour and the constitution of the Enterprises Board is an important first step in realizing that future.”

In addition to Ogilvie’s forthcoming appointment, Monahan will be a voting member as well, which will expand that Policy Board from 12 to 14.

Player Directors

Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods

Liaison Director

Joe Ogilvie

PGA Tour Commissioner

Jay Monahan

Independent Directors

Edward Herlihy, Jimmy Dunne, Mark Flaherty, Mary Meeker, Joe Gorder

PGA of America Director

John Lindert

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=451204217]

PGA Tour player questions sponsor exemption recipients into signature events: ‘Seems suspect’

Getting into the signature events on the PGA Tour means more now than ever.

Getting into the signature events on the PGA Tour means more now than ever.

Elevated purses. More FedEx Cup points. More chances for someone to have a life-changing victory.

However, trying to get into those events, if you’re on the outside looking in, is difficult.

Sure, a player can play their way in through the Aon Swing 10, the top-10 players not already exempt from the FedExCup standings, or the Aon Swing 5, the top-five FedExCup points earners not already exempt from the swings of full-field events leading up to each signature event. And then there’s sponsor exemptions.

However, the players who have been given sponsor exemptions seem to be ruffling some feathers.

Dylan Wu, a 27-year-old PGA Tour pro who has made three cuts in six starts this season, said the selection process seems suspect for how players get chosen for sponsor exemptions. He posted his thoughts on social media on Saturday in response to a post saying Adam Scott was receiving his third straight exemption into a signature event, and Webb Simpson was receiving one, too.

Both Scott and Simpson are Player Directors for the Tour.

“Great players and major champions,” Wu wrote in his post. “I can’t say much because I missed the cut hard this week but getting more than one sponsor exemption into elevated events doesn’t seem fair. Seems like if you’re a player director, you’ll get an invite into an elevated event. Seems suspect…..

“And trust me, they’re both great players that probably deserve it but this new model is all about meritocracy. Sponsor exemptions going to the same players every elevated event doesn’t seem to follow the “play better” saying. Seems like “be more famous” or “know the right people.”

Scott has made three starts this season, his worst finish being a T-20 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He finished T-8 at the WM Phoenix Open.

Dating to last March, Simpson in the same span has one finish in the top 30, a T-5 at the Wyndham Championship. He’s ranked 235th in the world.

As Wu mentioned, he hasn’t played well enough this season to play his way into the signature events, but he’s likely not the only PGA Tour pro who has these thoughts, including some who may be just on the verge of possibly receiving an exemption.

There have been plenty of discussions about the Tour trying to serve its stars first and then focusing on those who make up a majority of the Tour.

As Wu states, Scott and Simpson have done enough throughout their careers, and in Scott’s case a strong performance this season, but the question is whether past performance should be awarded more than current form.

For Wu, his thoughts are clear. And it’s likely others in his position think the same way he does.