Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where the gales of November always come early. To the golf news!
It’s kinda-sorta golf’s offseason which means the Monday Finish, like the rest of the golf world, gets to experiment with different formats. This week that means sifting through little golf stories that could have big-time ramifications. Here are 10 recent golf stories — and what they might mean:
The story: Barstool Sports, Bob Does Sports and a bunch of the golf world’s biggest [I have to admit I still groan whenever I type this word] creators have now released five of their six-episode Internet Invitational; the first four have each racked up between 2.5 and 6 million views and that number is rising rapidly.
What it means: Plenty of videos on Golf YouTube rack up mind-blowing numbers of views but this one feels like it has broken through the golf corner of the internet and into the mainstream sports world — particularly intriguing given it’s football season.
‘Internet Invitational’ produces jaw-dropping villain — and millions of views
What’s working? High stakes, entertaining characters, personality clashes, legitimate drama, high production value, endless behind-the-scenes interactions, entertaining narrators (Dave Portnoy plus a rotating cast of eliminated golfers), full buy-in from everyone involved (other than Luke Kwon) and the fact that these creators were ceding editorial control. Lessons here for YouTube golf but for pro golf, too. Also, this time of year golf may be better broadcast in the background on a weekday than going up against football on the weekends. You could start watching the Invitational while you’re at work thinking it would be pleasant background noise and end up getting sucked in while getting absolutely zero work done. Hypothetically.
The story: Ben Griffin brought this to my attention over the weekend after he finished off his third Tour victory of the season — and did so with a mallet putter in hand. Apparently the classic blade is just…done. From Griffin: “I was 19 in Strokes Gained: Putting, and I believe I was the best blade putter on Tour at 19, and all these guys ahead of me switched from blades to mallets.”
What it means: Remember when Scottie Scheffler famously pivoted from blade to mallet? Apparently he wasn’t the only one.
The story: The LPGA’s new commissioner, Craig Kessler, has brokered a deal with Golf Saudi to host the new Aramco Championship, co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour, in a $4 million, 120-player tournament in Las Vegas. The event is part of the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s five-event Global Series and puts the LPGA in direct business, for the first time, with the Saudis. “We often talk about routing, courses and purses — and this event checks every box: a spectacular West Coast setting, an iconic course and a purse that continues our momentum in raising the bar for our athletes,” Kessler said in a release, citing the ability to “elevate opportunities” for his athletes.
What it means: It’s a controversial partnership given Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, but it’s hardly surprising. What the Saudis have done with LIV Golf — attempting to take over the top level of an entire sport — is obviously brazen and controversial, but they’ve worked their way more subtly into the fabric of sport in so many other areas, from soccer to Formula 1 to tennis to boxing to women’s golf. For the LPGA (which just made another hire, interestingly an executive from LIV) the event completes a three-tournament West Coast Swing. And to provide an interesting contrast, the tournament will run up against the Augusta National Women’s Am the week before the Masters.
The story: Aaron Rai bounced back just fine from a Ryder Cup snub by getting married this fall. And then, in his return to golf — and his first tournament as a husband — he won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Two notes on his family, then: His father, the man behind the viral iron-covers story, was on site sporting this epic shirt of Rai and his wife.
As for his wife? Her name is Gaurika Bishnoi and she’s an excellent player in her own right, logging several seasons on the Ladies European Tour.
Compared to say, tennis, where men and women’s tournaments often run in tandem at the same venues, men’s and women’s golf events almost never overlap, so it’s rare for pros to marry. (Si Woo Kim married Ji Hyun Oh, who won seven times on the Korean LPGA, while Gerina and Martin Piller are another oft-cited example, but there aren’t many.) Rai, who seems like one of the most humble, earnest, appreciative pros in the entire sport, had this to say about his wife’s support:
“The understanding of just what goes into playing professional golf, not just being away at the tournament, but on weeks where there are not any tournaments; the amount of practice that you have to do; the way you have to live your life; the choices you have to make; the control that you have to have around just the way you live your life. And I think it’s hard for someone who isn’t in this line or who has the understanding of the game to really be able to know the things that you have to do. So she’s been incredibly understanding in that regard, and just sharing things together has been beautiful. Yeah, I couldn’t ask for anyone better.”
The story: Amidst rumors he was considering a move to LIV, the Australian star doubled down on his commitment to the PGA Tour.
“There’s been a lot of rumors. I’m not going [to LIV Golf] and am just going to play on the PGA Tour,” Lee said in an interview with the AAP. “So, I’m happy with where I’m at and, yeah, I’m looking forward to next year.”
What it means: It means we’ll still have to wait and see when it comes to LIV’s biggest offseason signing. And it means a cutout of Brian Rolapp’s face in Lee’s ‘the show goes on!’ Instagram video:
