Fore, please: 2025 Masters thread

[hondo]

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.

And yet, 18 years after the playoffs were launched, FedEx is still the umbrella sponsor and Coke is still the presenting sponsor for the Tour Championship. They obviously think it’s money well-spent.

 

[Cosmo]

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.

I assume they'll use the Irish as a stroke-play qualifying co-host when the U.S. Am comes to town. The Straits course is the star, but I rather enjoyed the Irish, which is a completely different, inland experience.

To your point, yeah, no way it can be major ready by the middle of May. A U.S. Open would be intriguing. Straits tips out at almost 7,800 yards, but the USGA could get creative with combo black and blue tees that would have it play closer to 7400-7500.

 

[poindexter]

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.

Just to reiterate, Waste Management absolutely does not compete directly with the Super Bowl. In fact, I think that it complements it. There is nothing I need from the NFL in the 2 weeks between the conference championship games, and Super Bowl kickoff.

The golf is our Super Bowl pregame show.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

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.

It’s a niche sport, all right, but most NFL weekends are so mid that there are opportunities to compete.

What hurt IndyCar’s butts in seats was The Split, and 30 years of IndyCar not being able to get its **** together as a result.

 

[Bubbler]

Just to reiterate, Waste Management absolutely does not compete directly with the Super Bowl. In fact, I think that it complements it. There is nothing I need from the NFL in the 2 weeks between the conference championship games, and Super Bowl kickoff.

The golf is our Super Bowl pregame show.

It doesn't compete with the game, but it does compete with all the pre-game bull****. Which I call bull****, but it's bull**** that a lot of people do watch.

The point is that leagues generally run away from competing with the NFL under any circumstance. This is one example that proves it can be done. It does seem silly to me that a solid PGA event wouldn't at least do OK against random NFL Week 3 (or pick your week), which may have a marquee matchup, but could just as easily have a regional Panthers-Giants game that isn't worth a damn.

 

[playthrough]

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.

When I worked at the PGA Tour we had a two-day onboarding and damn near the entire first day was spent drilling the difference of PGA of America vs. PGA Tour. I'm sure if the Tour could rewind 50-plus years it would have chosen a different name, but back then the line was more blurred between PGA professionals and touring pros. Needless to say modern pros don't have to work in golf shops and give lessons in the offseason.

 

[Cosmo]

Y'all, do yourselves a favor and check out the No Laying Up Sounds of the Masters pod with old friend of the board KVV and Neil Schuster. Incredibly well done.

 

[Typist Clerk]

When I worked at the PGA Tour we had a two-day onboarding and damn near the entire first day was spent drilling the difference of PGA of America vs. PGA Tour. I'm sure if the Tour could rewind 50-plus years it would have chosen a different name, but back then the line was more blurred between PGA professionals and touring pros. Needless to say modern pros don't have to work in golf shops and give lessons in the offseason.

It could always go back to TPA Tour, which it used in late 1981 and early 1982, when it was in a snit with the PGA of America over the name. I have a 1982 TPA Tour Media Guide to prove it.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

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.

No need here. My college sports writing teacher was a golf writer.

 

[playthrough]

Y'all, do yourselves a favor and check out the No Laying Up Sounds of the Masters pod with old friend of the board KVV and Neil Schuster. Incredibly well done.

That was well done. Curious how they were rigged up with microphones and how much of that had to be negotiated through Masters media reps.

I laughed at the phone bank stuff, for the first time last week I stopped at the phones but the only number I could immediately remember was my wife and she never answers. I also instinctively dialed my own number at first, which would have gone to my desk in the press building -- I imagined my boss looking over and seeing my phone buzz with "Augusta National Golf Club" and thinking "what dumb thing did he do?"

 

[playthrough]

Fascinating story in Front Office Sports about how the Masters is cracking down on ticket resellers. So many fans just dig deep into their pockets to get there once in their lives and that could become much harder to do.

Some wild details:

If Augusta National learns a lifetime badge holder has been selling their passes, they revoke them; those lifetime passes also do not transfer within a family after a person dies. Sources say Augusta National watches local obituaries closely and when a patron with tickets dies, those tickets get canceled.

https://archive.ph/OeAXz

 

[poindexter]

Sources say Augusta National watches local obituaries closely

They have to have better technology, right?

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

Fascinating story in Front Office Sports about how the Masters is cracking down on ticket resellers. So many fans just dig deep into their pockets to get there once in their lives and that could become much harder to do.

Some wild details:

If Augusta National learns a lifetime badge holder has been selling their passes, they revoke them; those lifetime passes also do not transfer within a family after a person dies. Sources say Augusta National watches local obituaries closely and when a patron with tickets dies, those tickets get canceled.

https://archive.ph/OeAXz

I'm not a big golf guy, so YMMV, but ******* does Augusta National ever need to get over itself.