PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — On Tuesday, Rory McIlroy said LIV defectors shouldn’t be punished if seeking a return to the PGA Tour. Not all of his fellow competitors share his latest view.
“The good thing is the decision’s not up to me,” said Rickie Fowler when asked his opinion after the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday.
But when pressed on the matter, Fowler took a firmer stance on the issue.
“I don’t think it’s a direct road,” he said. “I mean, they made decisions and there’s — there has to be something for it. Whether how small or big, that’s not up to me.”
Patrick Cantlay, one of the independent player directors on the Tour’s board, spoke only in broad terms on the topic.
“I think everyone’s divided,” he said. “It’s up to a group of us. I know players feel all over the board on that issue, and so my job as a player director is to represent the entire membership. So if something like that were to come down the road, I’m sure we would have to have a robust conversation around that topic.”
He added: “I haven’t really been putting a ton of thought into that until the moment comes because I’ve been trying to focus on what’s in front of me.”
Justin Rose, the defending champion this week, said it’s complicated, noting “there will never be a one-for-one ration where one guy feels good about everyone coming back because they got something and they didn’t.
“But I think ultimately, if this is all structured the right way, those guys coming back strengthens the Tour and everybody that’s now involved in this new structure is going to benefit from those great names coming back and being a part of the Tour. So you have to look at it objectively as well. Anything that’s going to strengthen the Tour in the long term is going to benefit the players now. From that point, you’ve got to get your head around that, I suppose. I don’t think there’s an easy reintegration anytime soon, but I don’t see that as off the table.”
McIlroy, once the most vocal proponent for the Tour, has softened his stance since saying in June that “the people that left the PGA Tour (for LIV) irreparably harmed this tour” and as a result there must be “consequences to actions.”
“If people still have eligibility on this Tour and they want to come back and play or you want to try and do something, let them come back,” said McIlroy during his pre-tournament press conference. “I think it’s hard to punish people.
“Obviously I’ve changed my tune on that because I see where golf is, and I see that having a diminished PGA Tour and having a diminished LIV tour or anything else is bad for both parties. It would be much better being together and moving forward together for the good of the game. That’s my opinion of it. So to me, the faster that we can all get back together and start to play and start to have the strongest fields possible I think is great for golf.”
Here’s what you need to know from the opening round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Less than a week ago, Thomas Detry was leading the Farmers Insurance Open in the third round when he spun a wedge from 90 yards back into the water and made double bogey. He admitted it was “a punch in the face.” He went on to shoot 2-over 74 a day later and finished T-20. On Thursday at Spyglass Hill, he was cruising along once again when he fatted his approach at the final hole. But this time there was no penalty area to ruin a good round. This time, he pitched in from about 20 yards short of the green to shoot 9-under 63 and take a one-stroke lead over Patrick Cantlay after the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“It was an uphill lie, I felt pretty comfortable I would put it within 3 feet to be honest,” Detry said in his post-round interview. “And it rolled nicely, just trickled in the hole. It was lovely to watch.”
Detry, a 31-year-old pro from Belgium, said having an extra day to get over last week’s disappointment – the Farmers Insurance Open is the only PGA Tour event that ends on Saturday – helped put it behind him.
“Last weekend was a tough pill to swallow,” he said. “I played some great golf and I didn’t really have the finish that I wanted to. I was in contention the whole weekend except the last five or six holes.”
On Thursday, the weatherman was wrong with his dreary forecast and sunshine prevailed during the opening round. It still was breezy and the tree-lined Spyglass course served as a buffer and allowed for slightly better scoring than at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Detry birdied his first three holes of the day and came home in 30 with a flurry of three straight birdies to cap the day.
Here are four more things to know from the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
This week, a loaded 80-man field is on the Monterey Peninsula for the PGA Tour’s second signature event of the year, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
The Crosby Clambake will look a bit different this time around, with the celebrity amateurs playing in just the first two rounds. Monterey Peninsula Country Club has been removed from the rotation, so the field will play Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill over the first two days before just the pros take on Pebble over the weekend.
Thanks to its elevated status, this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am boasts its best-ever field that includes Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schaufelle, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
Here are 10 of the best performers from the last five AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Ams.
The PGA Tour is back on the Monterey Peninsula for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the second signature event of 2024.
The old Crosby Clambake got a facelift this offseason, with amateurs playing on just Thursday and Friday. Monterey Peninsula Country Club was cut from the rotation, meaning the field will play Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill for the first two rounds before the pros battle for the championship at Pebble over the weekend.
Thanks to its elevated status, this year’s field is loaded: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay will all tee it up Thursday morning.
Golf courses
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Par 72 | 6,972 yards
Spyglass Hill | Par 72 | 7,041 yards
Matt Fitzpatrick of England putts on the seventh green during the third round of the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
Calm conditions made Torrey Pines ripe for the picking Wednesday, especially the North Course.
SAN DIEGO — Record rainfall caused flooding and power outages across the county in the days leading up to the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open, which made for a soggy start to the PGA Tour’s annual trip to Torrey Pines.
A whopping 107 of the 156 players in the field were even par or better on a calm Wednesday at the 36-hole muni gem along the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean (No. 39 in Golfweek’s Best public courses list). And yes, the often gettable North Course produced significantly more birdies than the tricky South Course.
Kevin Yu leads the way after a bogey-free, 8-under 64, but the 25-year-old’s birdie fest wasn’t the only notable story from the first round. From a title defense in the making to signature event bubble watch and another sponsor exemption in the mix, here’s what you need to know about Wednesday at the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open.
Webb Simpson, as always, offered his perspective on the world of golf.
HONOLULU — On the morning of June 6, a day that will forever live in infamy on the PGA Tour, Webb Simpson was in Toronto at an RBC outing when a couple of the Tour’s independent directors phoned to let him know about the framework agreement that was about to be announced by Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
“I said, ‘I’m so confused, I have so many questions but I have to go because I’m doing a clinic,'” Simpson recalled on Friday after shooting even-par 70 at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
It’s fair to say that Simpson is still a little bit confused on how the pending deal is going to shake out despite being one of the six player directors serving on the Tour’s board of directors. But Simpson, a seven-time winner during his career, including the 2012 U.S. Open, is always thoughtful when answering questions and generous with his time and proved to be the most willing player director of late to speak candidly on the record.
In a wide-ranging conversation, Simpson touched on greed in golf, why legacy should still matter and his concern that more sponsors could take their money and run to other sponsorship opportunities. [This conversation has been edited for clarity.]
Here’s to a 2024 where the only drama is on the course and not off it.
With the new year upon us, time to dream up some fun scenarios for the 2024 PGA Tour season. Some may be wishful thinking but I will happily settle for a handful.
I want to see Patrick Cantlay get a new hat deal – how about one of those giant hats – and for Will Zalatoris to figure out his short putting issues as well as Lucas Glover did this year. I want to see Tiger play more than just hit-n-giggle golf in December and avoid sending out a press release about another surgery. I want to see Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas back in the winner’s circle.
I want to see top pros support the smaller events – don’t just play the $20 million signature tournaments fellas – because as Sam Saunders put it, there are no bad tournaments. They’re all great and the people in the Quad Cities and San Antonio have been showing up year after year for 50+, 100+ years and deserve to see quality fields.
I want to see someone like Chesson Hadley take advantage of the dome-like conditions in Palm Desert, California, and shoot 57 at the American Express. How cool would it be to go up to Al Geiberger and Jim Furyk and introduce yourself as Mr. 57?
Justin Rose poses with the trophy on the 18th hole during the continuation of the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
I want to see the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am have some juice again. It had become Exhibit A for a tournament that was losing its stars other than Jordan Spieth, who is paid by the title sponsor to be there. I’m excited to see a reinvigorated field at one of the cathedrals of golf. I’ll take a star-studded field at Pebble over Ray Romano and Bill Murray every day.
I want to see an ace at 16 at the WM Phoenix Open during the day and Duran Duran, who is performing in February at the Bird’s Nest, at night. “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Rio” and “Girls on Film?” Count me in.
I want to see the winner of the Genesis Invitational shake Tiger’s hand at the trophy ceremony and be eligible to defend his title in 2025. The last two winners have been Joaquin Niemann and Jon Rahm, who both bolted to LIV before the next tourney. Actually, the coolest too-good-to-be-true Hollywood would reject the script scenario would be Tiger winning at Riviera, his kryptonite and the course and tournament he’s played the most without winning, to claim his 83rd title and break a tie with Sam Snead for all-time career wins on Tour. The Internet would explode.
I want to see Rickie Fowler, who happily signs autographs like Arnold Palmer once did, slip into the King’s alpaca red sweater awarded to the champion of Palmer’s tournament in Orlando.
On the occasion of the 50th Players, I want to see the winner dive into the lake at 18 at TPC Sawgrass like Jerry Pate did in 1982. That should be the men’s version of Poppy’s Pond.
I want to see Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm in the final group on Sunday at the Masters. It wouldn’t suck if Tiger and Scottie Scheffler were in the next group and they were all tied for the lead as they hit the back nine.
My colleague Beth Ann Nichols said she’d like to see more co-ed teams at the Grant Thornton Invitational. I second that but I’m going to go one step further: let’s make the Zurich Classic of New Orleans an official co-ed team event. The team format breathed new life into this event but let’s go next level and get the women involved.
I don’t care if it is an existing tournament switching things up or a brand new one but the PGA Tour needs to bring back a match-play tournament ASAP. Not a good look for the Tour letting Austin fall off the calendar.
I want to see a first-time major winner at the PGA: Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau are about due but I like Viktor Hovland to break through next.
I want to see Billy Horschel win the Memorial and go from first to worst back to first. That’s how you stamp that you’re back.
It doesn’t get much better than the U.S. Open being at Pinehurst No. 2. That’s the major I’m most looking forward to attending in ‘24. It’s Disney for golf geeks there. Here’s hoping Martin Kaymer, who a reader reminded me has one year left on his 10-year exemption for winning there at No. 2 in 2014, can re-find some of his magic from a decade ago, and some Cinderella story fills the Jason Gore role as the new Prince of Pinehurst.
I want to see Daniel Berger return from injury and win the Travelers Championship. Still can’t believe Jordan Spieth holed that bunker shot to beat him in a playoff. Or that it happened back in 2017.
Robert MacIntyre celebrates a par putt on the 13th green during Day Four of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club on July 16, 2023 in United Kingdom. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
I want to see the wind blow again on Sunday at the Genesis Scottish Open and this time native son Bobby Mac, who got pipped by Rory this year, win his national open.
I want to see Tommy Fleetwood win a PGA Tour title so I can stop writing that he hasn’t and he should go big or go home and win the British at Troon. Then we can start asking him if he’s ever going to win in the U.S.
I want to see some drama with gold medals on the line in Paris. Ooh la la, can you imagine how the Norwegian announcers will lose their minds if Viktor Hovland were to sink a winning putt at 18 at Le Golf National?
I want to see an amateur win on Tour for the first time since Phil Mickelson in 1991. Rocket Mortgage Classic, 3M Open or Barracuda Championship feel ripe for the taking by the likes of Gordon Sargent or Nick Dunlap.
I want to see a down-and-out pro, who barely broke 80 all season capture some last-minute magic and win the Wyndham Championship and qualify for the FedEx Cup like Jim Herman before him and Lucas Glover did in August.
And for the ultimate rags to riches story, I want to see a “mule” win the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup for the everyman.
Royal Montreal needs to be the site of an International Team victory. I want to see Nick Taylor, one year after becoming the first Canuck to win the RBC Canadian Open in forever, win the clinching point of the Presidents Cup in Montreal…and for Adam Hadwin to get leveled again by security while trying to celebrate with him.
But most of all, I want to see the best players compete against each other more often. If that doesn’t work out, let’s hope that powers-that-be at least can agree on a PGA Tour-LIV Ryder Cup-style competition. Here’s to a 2024 where the only drama is on the course and not off it.
If Cantlay is going to wear a hat on the golf course in 2024 it won’t feature a Goldman Sachs logo.
If Patrick Cantlay is going to wear a hat on the golf course in 2024 it won’t feature the Goldman Sachs logo.
The bank signed Cantlay, 31, to its first-ever golf deal but will not renew its endorsement of the eight-time PGA Tour winner. Goldman signed a three-year deal with Cantlay in 2020 and agreed to a new one-year deal at the start of 2023. DealBook and the New York Times were the first to report the news.
“We constantly evaluate the firm’s partnerships, and at this time, our logo will no longer appear on his hat,” a Goldman spokesman told DealBook.
Cantlay’s name has been in the headlines for a variety of reasons over the last year thanks to his on-course slow play and off-course motivations. He was most recently at the center of a viral story during the Ryder Cup in Italy earlier this fall that revolved around his decision to not wear a hat. Cantlay said it’s because the U.S. team hats didn’t fit. Multiple reports claim it was a silent protest due to the lack of Ryder Cup player payment.
This season on Tour, Cantlay made 21 starts and earned 16 top-25 finishes as well as two runner-up showings at the 2022 Shriners Children’s Open and 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
“I think the headlines sort of skewed obviously what he was trying to say.”
Xander Schauffele says his father’s feelings about whether Ryder Cup players should be paid to compete were taken out of context.
Speaking on Wednesday at a press conference in Japan ahead of the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship, Schauffele said, “If you look at what he said, I wasn’t super fired up that he was speaking to media just because I know how things get twisted. I had to look back at what he said specifically and he specifically said that if the tournament’s for-profit, then players should get paid. He also said that if it’s charitable — it should be a charitable event most likely and that everything should get donated.”
The topic of whether competitors should be paid to play in the Ryder Cup became a topic of controversy in Rome during last month’s Ryder Cup when it was reported that American Patrick Cantlay refused to wear a Team USA cap as a sign of protest.
There is no purse at the Ryder Cup. The only prize is the 17-inch tall golden cup that the winner possesses for the next two years. But players and captains are given charitable donations of $200,000 each (vice captains receive a smaller amount), which they are able to gift to the charity of their choice. The PGA Tour also banks 20 percent of Ryder Cup TV profits, which is distributed to the Tour’s pension plan. Is that enough? Stefan Schauffele isn’t so sure.
“If they make profit off this and finance their organization of almost 29,000 [PGA of America] members for four years with the proceeds earned on the backs of these guys here, well, then they should share or they shouldn’t be allowed to do that,” Stefan told Golf.com. “Alternatively, they can donate all proceeds after opening the books to a charity of our joint choice, and then we will happily play for free. Please print that.”
While Cantlay was being grilled during the U.S. team’s press conference after losing the Ryder Cup about whether he didn’t wear a hat to avoid tan lines at his upcoming wedding, Xander Schauffele jumped in and said, “I apologize for anything my father said.”
A few weeks after the fact in Japan, Xander added, “I don’t know, when I look back on what he said, I think the headlines sort of skewed obviously what he was trying to say, but I don’t think he ever really spoke directly to what you’re referring to in terms of players getting paid. He just said it should be either/or, not really as confusing as it is.”
Xander Schauffele putts on the second green as his dad Stefan Schauffele looks on during a practice round prior to the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club on June 13, 2022 in Brookline, Massachusetts. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
Xander wasn’t asked whether he thought Ryder Cup participants should be paid to play in the biennial event. But both of the captains were asked that question during the Ryder Cup.
“Absolutely not,” European captain Luke Donald said when asked during the Ryder Cup if players should be paid. “[It’s] what the Ryder Cup represents. It represents true sport…It’s the purest form of competition we have, and I think because of that, the fans love it.”
Johnson added, “I would say if there’s anything that deals with money, there’s guys that would pay to play in this.”
Stefan Schauffele also opposed the PGA granting access to Nextflix to shoot in the team locker room during the Ryder Cup for the second season of “Full Swing.”
“Apart from the fact the guys don’t get paid, you cannot make a deal with a third party that we are not party to for rights into eternity,” Stefan told the Associated Press.
In speaking to Golf.com, Stefan made it clear that these were his opinions and while he knew he’d be seen as being unpatriotic, among other things, for them, he hoped it would lead to change down the road.
“Like with other things that I’ve tried to improve, it’s all about making a better product, right? That truly what it’s about,” he said. “This may not happen next time, but I think it’s a process and somebody has to start somewhere. And so I’m willing to take the heat and hopefully when I’d done walking around out here, then maybe this comes to fruition. It’s a long-term play, right?”
Before the start of this week’s Zozo Championship in Japan, Min Woo Lee confirmed he was joining the TGL, the upstart, tech-infused league led by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and their joint venture, TMRW Sports.
