Fore, please: 2025 Masters thread

[melock]

I said I was rooting for Justin Rose, but good on Rory for winning. I would keep an eye on him for ripping off a few more majors. His distractions seem to be in his rearview mirror now.

I was pulling for Rose, too. I covered the Open at Merion when he won and he was fantastic with the media even small timers like myself. I talked to him for about five minutes after the first round and he couldn't have been nicer.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

I was pulling for Rose, too. I covered the Open at Merion when he won and he was fantastic with the media even small timers like myself. I talked to him for about five minutes after the first round and he couldn't have been nicer.

I wish Rose would’ve beaten Sergio Garcia in the 2017 Masters playoff. Coulda kept that asshole winless in majors.

 

[Bubbler]

I'll always hate the PGA being in May. I always used it as the unofficial end of summer. Now the final putt of the British Open drops and I barely GAF about golf until the Players.

I'm with ya, but for a different reason. There's still other things going on in May that distract you from the PGA - NBA and NHL playoffs, Triple Crown, Indy 500. PGA is very easily lost in the shuffle in a way it wasn't when it was in August.

When it was in August, all it had to compete with was NFL preseason (who cares) and pre-pennant race baseball. It had the field basically to itself … which was smart for what is universally considered the red-headed step-child among the majors.

I know the PGA has its "playoffs" in August, but I only know that because I just looked it up to see WTF came after the British Open.

The PGA did itself no favors when it unmoored itself from its long stable calendar. At least there was some conception of the what came when. They're still paying the price for that dopey wraparound calendar.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

The PGA moved as part of the devil's bargain to make golf an Olympic sport again. The Tour's weird schedule is because FedEx and Coke didn't want the "playoffs" to conflict with the NFL. It hasn't seemed to help them get it into the public consciousness.

 

[Cosmo]

Speaking of the Olympics, they just announced today that there will be a mixed-team event added to the men's and women's competitions for 2028, which is nice.

 

[qtlaw]

I guess I should be happy because my club is hosting the PGA in a few years but not looking forward to losing the courses for likely a couple of months.

 

[MileHigh]

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/i...ports-psychologist-said-silence-was-game-plan

 

[qtlaw]

Just watched the last episode of Netflix's Full Swing which had a focus on Rose in 2024. If it wasn't Rory, I definitely would have been rooting for Rose, what a good, down to earth, guy (at least from what I see). (Extraordinary access to Woodland's brain tumor treatment as well; I really liked him before and am rooting for him even more so now.)

 

[poindexter]

The reach of the NFL is incredible. The PGA needs to get their playoff finished before the start of the NFL season. So the playoff gets pushed back. Which is then too close to the PGA Championship, necessitating the move to May.

The PGA was always the red headed stepchild of the majors, but I really liked it in mid-august.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

I'll take the opposite view here... I like the PGA in May. Since it's the weakest of the majors, I don't think it should be the finale. And the long break between the Masters and the US Open was always too much. Also, better chance of someone winning multiple majors if they can get hot and have one every month for four months.

 

[Cosmo]

I also like the Players in March. We need a big event leading into Augusta.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

I also like the Players in March. We need a big event leading into Augusta.

I agree with this. Wind is what makes Jacksonville area courses, and May is when the wind stops. But there's no reason the Players couldn't be in March and the PGA in August. That's what it used to be not so long ago.

 

[HanSenSE]

 

[MileHigh]

I agree. No problem with the current setup.

 

[Gutter]

I'll always hate the PGA being in May. I always used it as the unofficial end of summer. Now the final putt of the British Open drops and I barely GAF about golf until the Players.

Along with the other points raised about too much going on in the sports world in May vs. having August to itself for the most part, I hate the PGA being in May for selfish reasons … it most likely takes Whistling Straits out of the rotation.

Getting that course PGA ready for May would be a challenge. And the weather then off Lake Michigan … ooph.

 

[Bubbler]

The funny thing is that one of the events that gets the most attention on the PGA Tour - for good or bad - is the Phoenix Open. It competes directly with the Super Bowl.

I get why no one wants to take on the NFL. Being an IndyCar fan, I totally get why they try to wrap up before the NFL starts because it hurts butts in seats and it's a niche sport.

I'm not sure the PGA has to worry about that so much. When it comes to town, it's an event that draws from a much-wider audience. Not everyone watches NFL wall-to-wall on a Sunday either. I don't. Apart from majors, golf is never going to deviate much on a week-to-week basis anymore than NASCAR does. It will still get viewers.

I wish golf had a late calendar anchor.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Along with the other points raised about too much going on in the sports world in May vs. having August to itself for the most part, I hate the PGA being in May for selfish reasons … it most likely takes Whistling Straits out of the rotation.

Getting that course PGA ready for May would be a challenge. And the weather then off Lake Michigan … ooph.

It's a great course, and that does suck. I wonder if it's ever been considered as a US Open venue.

 

[Gutter]

It's a great course, and that does suck. I wonder if it's ever been considered as a US Open venue.

It’s hosted a US Senior Open and will host US Amateur and Junior Amateur in the future, so it hasn’t been exclusive to PGA.

 

[MileHigh]

The funny thing is that one of the events that gets the most attention on the PGA Tour - for good or bad - is the Phoenix Open. It competes directly with the Super Bowl.

I get why no one wants to take on the NFL. Being an IndyCar fan, I totally get why they try to wrap up before the NFL starts because it hurts butts in seats and it's a niche sport.

I'm not sure the PGA has to worry about that so much. When it comes to town, it's an event that draws from a much-wider audience. Not everyone watches NFL wall-to-wall on a Sunday either. I don't. Apart from majors, golf is never going to deviate much on a week-to-week basis anymore than NASCAR does. It will still get viewers.

I wish golf had a late calendar anchor.

Kind of. It competes with the Super Bowl pregame. Unless there's a playoff, it's done by 6 p.m. EST. Saturday is the big day there.

 

[hondo]

I'm with ya, but for a different reason. There's still other things going on in May that distract you from the PGA - NBA and NHL playoffs, Triple Crown, Indy 500. PGA is very easily lost in the shuffle in a way it wasn't when it was in August.

When it was in August, all it had to compete with was NFL preseason (who cares) and pre-pennant race baseball. It had the field basically to itself … which was smart for what is universally considered the red-headed step-child among the majors.

I know the PGA has its "playoffs" in August, but I only know that because I just looked it up to see WTF came after the British Open.

The PGA did itself no favors when it unmoored itself from its long stable calendar. At least there was some conception of the what came when. They're still paying the price for that dopey wraparound calendar.

It's the PGA Tour that has a playoff system. The PGA Championship is operated by the PGA of America, a separate organization from the PGA Tour. Calling the PGA Tour "the PGA" on second reference is incorrect. I will keep beating this drum until you folks, who presumably are paid to get facts right, finally get it right.