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1. Both the Fire Pit Collective and Sports Illustrated reported Saturday some of the details of this week’s Tiger Woods-led players-only meeting that addressed LIV Golf’s threat to the PGA Tour. Among the reported items discussed were the creation of ‘a tour within a tour,’ where there would be 18 no-cut featuring 60 players playing for $20 million purses. Could this work? 

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Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): Sure. The super-rich get richer. That pretty much always works. Is it good for fans? Doesn’t sound exciting to me. If you want to fend off the kind of threat the Tour faces, why make it an economic arms race you can’t win? How about differentiating the product? Golfweek on Sunday reported plans for Tiger-and-Rory-led one-day events in non-green-grass arenas. Details to be revealed soon, apparently. It already sounds awful to me, but even as I type that, I can hear the kids saying, ‘OK, boomer.’ On the plus side, at least it’s different. My preference? Roll back the ball for some events  and scrap the cookie-cutter bomb-and gouge courses in favor of more interesting designs. Make the players hit more creative shots. Enforce a shot clock. I know, it doesn’t involve trillion-dollar purses. But it would be more compelling than a lot of the same-old. And you might even turn a profit. Though I realize that several lifetimes of wealth isn’t enough for some. 

Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Sure, it could work, if the guys who are staying on the tour now aren’t jumping to LIV by 2024. But I also agree with Josh: Why basically copy LIV’s format (save for a three-round event). I’ll add to the suggestion of playing more alternate formats (but not the non-grass arena idea) like alternate shot or a team event with the LPGA. Players seem to love the Zurich Classic; why not have a mega-purse team event? All the limited-field stuff does is alienate the mid-level pro.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): I’d argue that by stealing some of the things that LIV got right, the PGA Tour is adopting some overdue changes — part of what made it vulnerable in the first place. I have slightly mixed feelings about the no-cut aspect, because we’ve seen some relatively lifeless WGC events over the years. But the fact that we as golf fans would know when we should be watching would be extremely helpful. And because the Tour has built-in advantages — TV deals, decades of history, Tiger Woods, etc. — it wins most tiebreakers.

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): It works for the players’ bottom line ($$$) and the Tour’s (survival), which, like it or not, is the goal. But I have questions. It would create a tournament tier, and go ahead and laugh about the fate of some events, but they mean a lot to those cities and fans. It also creates a player tier. Can others move up to the big events? Or are you stuck with those 60 players, who, obviously, can slide over time? Which leads to my biggest question, and one that Tiger himself has mentioned — if the cash is guaranteed across now an entire season, is that incentive still great to dig it out of the dirt? Let’s hope this doesn’t trickle into the majors.

2. A group of LIV golfers last week filed an antitrust suit against the Tour alleging that the Tour is unlawfully sanctioning them for signing on with the rival circuit, and this week, a handful of legal documents were unsealed, including player contracts. Having seen some of the details, what stood out to you?

Hirsh: For me, the limitations on media availability are the most shocking, considering Phil wanted the rights to his highlights. What he gains in that, he loses in freedom to communicate with the media. These players seemed like they wanted more freedom, but it’s fairly obvious that the price of the millions of dollars from LIV is their freedom to talk to the media. Also wasn’t that Bryson-Brooks feud staged to help them win the PIP? No more of that.

Sens: Agreed on the compromises on the media front. One clause that caught me was the prohibition against saying anything that might bring any person of note into ‘disrepute.’ How are we defining disrepute? What are the new boundaries of decorum? Will a lot of what used to be considered honest and acceptable talk become punishable? 

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Dethier: I was intrigued by the apparel talk! LIV guys are going to be wearing LIV gear like, all the time? At majors, even? It was interesting to read about LIV’s hold over players’ sponsorship decisions and displayed logos, which require approval for something as small as a coffee cup. These contracts are all different, so we don’t have a complete picture, but getting a little window into how LIV will exercise control was telling.

Piastowski: Dylan, why aren’t you wearing your GOLF shirts and hats? But yes, the apparel bit is great. As is this, which may cut into ‘family time.’ This is from Zephyr Melton’s story: “One of the stipulations indicates that players must ‘participate fully in up to 7 additional Service Days’ in 2022, with ‘12 additional Service Days in each following year.’ A Service Day is defined in the contract as ‘any day during which the Player is required to participate in and assist the League Operator and/or the Team Operator with meetings, negotiations and/or other activities with corporate sponsors or other business partners of the League.’”

3. In more court news, Patrick Reed has filed a defamation suit against Brandel Chamblee and Golf Channel, alleging they “have conspired as joint tortfeasors for and with the PGA Tour, its executives and its Commissioner Jay Monahan, to engage in a pattern and practice of defaming Mr. Reed.” The lawsuit uses quotes from Chamblee from his time on the air for Golf Channel and Sky Sports as well as on podcasts to allege damages in excess of $750 million. What are your takeaways to Reed’s move?

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Sens: That pro golf is taking on a whiff of the Jerry Springer Show. Maybe the actual courts will see it differently, but in the court of public opinion, I think the verdict would be that any damage to Reed’s reputation has been largely self-inflicted. 

Hirsh: No matter what becomes of all the other suits, I just can’t ever see Patrick Reed playing on Tour again after this. Should he win, and most seem to agree the lawsuit has very little legal merit, would that then mean no media person could critique a player? That’s part of sports. Interesting he chose not to tee it up in this week’s International Series event in South Korea, which he committed to a few weeks back.

Dethier: I think it’s a sham and a shame. Brandel Chamblee is polarizing, sure, but he does a ton of homework, tries to get it right and generally does. Imagine an athlete in any other sport suing an analyst for offering takes on television. LeBron James might not care for Skip Bayless, but he would never sue the guy. I’m not sure how far this will end up going, but I’m sure there would be some interesting documents that would come through if we reached the discovery phase…

Piastowski: Fan reaction is part of the game. Reed shouldn’t expect to be cheered. He has to earn that. I’ll leave it at that. 

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4. The PGA Tour made a player-focused hire this week, bringing aboard Jason Gore as Senior Vice President, Player Advisor to the Commissioner, a role he similarly held with the USGA. There he was Managing Director, Player Relations, and Gore was widely appreciated by players. “I think about how contentious the relationship was between the players and the USGA, so much so that in 2013 there was massive talk of a player boycott at Merion, right. So for it to — it’s done a complete 180,” Rory McIlroy said. “It’s probably, I would say, if you polled players, I would say it’s probably one of the top two majors now in terms of how the players are treated and the feedback that they can give and Jason has been a massive part to do with that. And the team that sort of worked with Jason, too.” What’s your take on the hire?

Sens: A smart, experienced guy who has the respect of the players. Seems like a smart hire in every way. 

Hirsh: Hugely popular with the players, great move for the tour at a time when stability is not the best. Surprised it took this long. Let’s just hope it doesn’t negatively impact the U.S. Open.

Dethier: His impact on the USGA is tough to measure but undoubtedly significant; he got players back on board with the U.S. Open as an entity. This week’s meeting underscored that the top PGA Tour players are taking control of their Tour; Gore’s hiring will make communication between pros and executives that much stronger.

Piastowski: Smart. Hiring someone who can wear multiple hats is wise. 

5. Tom Weiskopf died Saturday at the age of 79, and he leaves behind a legacy as a major champion, course designer and announcer. How will you best remember him?

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Sens: The beautiful swing. The close calls in majors. I didn’t get to watch him in his prime, but I interviewed him many times in his later years. He was smart and funny and frank. He had a reputation for orneriness, but by the time I met him, he seemed to have softened. He came off as a bit wistful about some of those near-misses. But also content with where he stood. And a terrific designer — with a special knack for short par-4s 

Hirsh: Pardon my youth here, but I will remember Weiskopf most as the architect who brought us the venue for arguably the most electric atmosphere in golf, TPC Scottsdale. While he obviously didn’t erect the grandstands that would become the stadium hole, more people follow golf because of that event and it wouldn’t have been possible without Weiskopf.

Dethier: He loved golf. And he played the hell out of it, too. His run at the majors in the ‘70s — 18 top 10s, seven podiums and an Open Championship title — was incredibly impressive.

Piastowski: The swing. Fluid and effortless. And four Masters runners-up, which is damn impressive. And the lifetime in the game, from player to announcer to designer. So I guess a lot.

6. As the PGA Tour enters the final week of its regular season, we’ll spin things ahead. What will pro golf look like a year from now?

Hirsh: LIV is not done announcing signings; it just depends who those players are going to be. Several are going to be announced next Monday after the Tour Championship, and more could come after the Presidents Cup. I don’t think pro golf will look much different from where it is today because very little will be settled legally by the Tour Championship next year. What will look different is where players are playing. Now let’s look two years ahead, after the new PGA Tour schedule changes really kick in, and maybe we truly learn the results of the Tiger meeting from earlier this week. Maybe that means we see tour pros competing for millions at PopStroke!

Sens: The lower-wattage events should look pretty much the same. But If rumors about Cam Smith are true, the Players Championship will be without its defending champ. Tiger’s invitational will be without some past regulars. And depending on what position Fred Ridley and Co. wind up taking, their little invitational in Augusta could have different invitees. Will LIV events get OWGR points? What shifts will we see in Ryder Cup rosters? I guess my rule would be: The bigger the events, the more likelihood of significant change. Or at least change that the average fan will care about. 

Dethier: One year from now, the PGA Tour will be staring down its first season under a new scheme, one that involves a true schism between its Super Tour and its regular Tour. We’ll also be thinking about LIV’s relegation system and evaluating how it has gone in Year 1 of its streaming deal with established teams. Both tours will still exist. They’ll be firmly entrenched in the American Culture War. The online discourse will be plenty toxic. But it will remain intensely interesting!

Piastowski: All good thoughts! I worry about the majors. We want to see the best of the best. There’s a chance that might not happen, which would be incredibly sad. Now, as to where pro golf could be in 25 years … if I’m you, the golf parent, and I’m seeing all this money out there, I’m booking that lesson for junior yesterday. 

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It was then, under the bright lights of the Open Championship, that Weiskopf finally upended a nagging streak of runner-up finishes at the majors to claim his first of golf’s big four championships. “The Towering Inferno” — a name the 6-foot-3 Weiskopf had earned for his temper — meant something else that week. Four days as the hottest putter in golf resulted in a three-stroke, wire-to-wire win at the Open. Weiskopf would total 11 more top-5s in majors, including five runner-up finishes, but when it was all over, ’73 in Troon was his only major championship victory.

“That’s the only time I ever really putted good,” Weiskopf told the legendary sportswriter Dan Jenkins years later. “In ’73 I guess you can say I was looking like whatever it is that Tom Watson has become.”

It was fitting, then, that his former competitor and good friend Tom Watson was the first member of the golf world to share the news on Sunday morning. Weiskopf, a 28-time professional winner and renowned course architect, has died. Pancreatic cancer, which Wieskopf revealed he had been diagnosed with in January, is believed to be the cause. He was 79.

“I sent my deepest sympathies to the family of Tom Weiskopf,” Watson shared in a social media post early Sunday morning. “Will miss you and your stories. RIP my friend. PC has struck again..”

In his death, Weiskopf leaves behind a legacy as one of the most purely talented (and enigmatic) golfers ever, and in later years, as a course architect whose designs helped to usher in a new era of golf focused on playability and accessibility.

Weiskopf was blessed with natural ability from a young age, starring on his high school team at Benedictine High School in Cleveland, where he is from, and later at Ohio State, where he followed the path set by his future sparring partner, Jack Nicklaus. He turned professional in 1964 and waited four more years for his first professional victory at the 1968 San Diego Open. Weiskopf’s game was a modern marvel, a blend of otherworldly ball-striking ability and impressively soft touch. His problems, however, came around the greens, where he was a notoriously inconsistent (and often visibly discontented) putter.

On the weeks the flatstick came around, there were few players in the world who could match Weiskopf’s blend of size and skill. He would win 16 times on the PGA Tour between ’68 and ’82, but no season featured more success than that of his major championship-winning 1973. He won seven times that year, including the victory at Royal Troon that served as his pronouncement to the world of professional golf.

“Maybe I let up after ’73, I don’t know,” Weiskopf later said. “But I’ll tell you one thing about chasing the little white ball. Make what you want to out of it, but it’s all on the greens—and half of that’s in your head.”

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In 1984, he retired officially from the PGA Tour, though his playing career continued on the Senior Tour well into the ’90s. By then, however, a new passion had absorbed his time: course design. Weiskopf had a natural eye for architecture. His designs, much like his personality, will be remembered for being both gentle and unabashed. He is largely credited with revitalizing the drivable par-4, a style that he included in nearly all his designs. In all, he built more than 40 courses worldwide, including former Scottish Open host Loch Lomond, the Olympic Club’s Ocean Course, and the North Course at Torrey Pines.

Towards the end, Tom and his late wife, Laurie, established a scholarship fund in his name at Spanish Peaks, a course in Big Sky, Mont. he both built and lived upon. Generations to come will know that course — and countless others — for the man who designed them. With any luck, they’ll capture the same glimpse of Tom that walked off the 18th fairway at Royal Troon after the victory of his life in 1973. A glimpse of a man rooted in his humanity and tethered by something even rarer: levity.

“I’m a sentimental guy, whether anybody knows it or not,” he said. “But I still don’t like the damn golf course.”

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I became a Tour wife one week after my high school graduation. We got married in June of 1975. I was 18 and Ben was 23. He took care of me as best as he could but there was a lot of time, when he was practicing and playing, that I was on my own. Jeanne was one of the wives who took me under her wing. She tried to teach me the do’s and don’ts of Tour life, for which I was ill-prepared. Your main job, as I saw it, was to find a way to help your husband shoot better scores. It didn’t come naturally to me.

I was often looking for adventure of my own, and I got along best with the caddies. They were the most regular people around me. Also, they knew the scoop on everything and everyone on Tour. I didn’t have to be “on” with them. I could be myself.

I remember being at Hilton Head Island one day, during a practice round, probably kind of bored, when Tom’s caddie asked me if I wanted to go for a ride to pick up Tom. Eager for company, and kind of intrigued by Tom Weiskopf — one half of Tom-and-Jeanne! — I agreed.

Tom was bounding toward the tournament car with his customary energy. But the second he saw me an uncomfortable look came over his face. On the golf course, when things weren’t going well, Tom’s face told all. His nickname was The Towering Inferno. This was like a cousin to that.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. “I don’t really know,” I said, giggling nervously. “Just going for a ride, I guess.”I could see his wheels turning. A golfer’s wife hanging out with caddies? Not a great look.

But within a minute or two, he had shrugged it off. He was like that. Also, we had a cooler filled with beers. Tom grabbed one and handed one to me.

I don’t know what it’s like now but in the mid- and late-1970s, drinking was a major part of Tour life. One beer became several.

Tom started telling stories about life on Tour. We sipped our beers and I listened. I was desperate to understand the nuances of this mysterious world, wanting to know more about players and caddies and how they get along, and players and wives and how they get along. We were doing a lot of laughing. Everything’s a little funnier when you’re drinking.

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We were driving around, in no particular rush to get anywhere, when Tom announced he needed a bathroom break: “Stop the car!” 

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Tom tumbled out of the car. I turned away and laughed under my breath. (All that beer!) The whole thing was Tom being Tom. He was a big star, but he had no airs, no pretense. I loved that about him. 

It was years later that I realized that alcohol was filling a void for me, that day and every day. I mistook alcohol for a friend, one that gave me courage and helped me overcome my insecurities.

By 1984, the year Ben won his first Masters, our marriage was coming to an end. My drinking certainly didn’t help it. 

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On Tour, in my brief time out there, I felt the wives and players were like books, constantly being judged by their covers. As for Tom, he was a mystery. He had all that talent, but he didn’t match the expectations others set for him after that 1973 British Open win.

I haven’t talked to Tom in years. I don’t follow golf closely but I do know that Tom and Jeanne, the beautiful couple, eventually divorced, and that Tom stopped drinking. Tom has talked some about those things in interviews. He’s always been open. I stopped drinking years ago and since then I have found a new life. I find there’s a grace that comes with being sober and staying sober, a grace that prepares you for … anything.

I hope Tom finds the same. I wish him well, from across the decades. I’m guessing he will face his cancer with the same grit and determination that he exhibited on so many golf courses, but maybe now with a certain peace and, as always, that deep dimple and mischievous twinkle in his eye that is unmistakably Tom Weiskopf.

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But even with this world-class resume, questions linger about unfulfilled potential, especially in the majors. McIlroy’s 22 top 10s in golf’s four biggest events is a huge achievement, but when coupled with context, that number loses some luster. The Masters might be the best example of McIlroy’s top-10 Houdini act, as he’s finished worse than 10th only once in the last seven years in pursuit of the career Grand Slam — while never being in serious Sunday-afternoon contention in any of them.

McIlroy’s Sunday struggles, in particular, have been puzzling. In the 2019-20 season, McIlroy’s overall scoring average of 69.219 was fourth-best on Tour. But his final-round scoring average of 71 ranked 150th. Hard to figure.

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There’s probably no easy answer as to why McIlroy has been struggling in recent years to drop the hammer on his competition when it matters most, but that won’t stop pundits from speculating. Count 16-time PGA Tour winner Tom Weiskopf among those trying to unriddle the McIlroy conundrum. In an interview with Golfweek‘s Adam Schupak, the always-candid Weiskopf reflected on McIlroy’s career.

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“I look at Rory McIlroy and I think golf is something just for (him) to do,” Weiskopf told Schupak. “I’ve said it for a while now that I don’t think he’ll win much more than the four (majors) he’s got or maybe five because I don’t see that determination and will to be the best.”

Weiskopf, who won the 1973 Open Championship, went on to speculate that World No. 1 Dustin Johnson has exhibited more determination on the course than has McIlroy. With two majors to his name and 27 wins worldwide, Johnson is in the same echelon of talent as McIlroy, but in Weiskopf’s mind Johnson has confidence and drive that McIlroy lacks.

“I don’t see any frustration,” Weiskopf told Golfweek. “Life is good, and it should be — he’s a multi-millionaire and has a kid now — but I don’t see the Tiger attitude. It’s like he’s satisfied all the time.”

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Weiskopf conceded that McIlroy is more physically gifted than Johnson, but the intangibles just aren’t there. “I know Rory works out,” Weiskopf said, “but I bet if you watched them both work out, Rory would be a lot of laughs and giggles and Dustin would be b-lls to the wall and forcing a little bit more on himself and that’s what he’s done.”

But that’s also the beauty of McIlroy’s character. He freely admits he doesn’t feel defined by wins and losses. He cares about more than just the game. Filling trophy cases might be the goal for some, but for McIlroy it’s not the only priority in his life.

“Sometimes, I’ve had that in the past where I see myself as the golfer, and basically the only thing that matters is what I shoot that day,” McIlroy said after winning the Players Championship last year. “That’s not me. That’s where perspective is huge. If I go out one day and shoot 74, who cares. I’ll go back the next day and try again. Perspective has been a big thing for me.”

That self-awareness is a gift and a curse for McIlroy, but it’s also what makes him so intriguing. So don’t expect Weiskopf’s observations to irk McIlroy. In his eyes, there is more to life than golf — and that’s ok.

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Jack Nicklaus: Why this is ‘obviously’ the most important part of the golf swing

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“I was playing the 1970 British Open at St. Andrews,” Weiskopf recalls, “and it occurred to me that under the right conditions, four of the par 4s were drivable: 9, 10, 12 and 18. Wow, I thought. How is that any different than a reachable par 5, like the 13th at Augusta? There’s so much freedom off the tees at the Old Course. I thought, if I ever get into the design business, I’m going to have to do one of those.”

Weiskopf has crafted more than 70 courses, each with at least one drivable par 4. The key, he says, is to involve strategy on both the full tee shot and the layup. “To me, the way to achieve this is to have the hole possess the largest and most contoured of all of the 18 greens, where putting, chipping and pitching is challenged by the pin placement. I look at the layup — say, from 180 to 240 yards — almost as a separate par 3. The layup shot should be as interesting as the full shot.”

The ’73 British Open winner says the preferred placement for drivable par 4s is somewhere in the last four holes, but they work out best when fitted to the land. He cites the downhill second at Wyoming’s Snake River Sporting Club as an example of a great drivable par 4.

Weiskopf’s favorite public-access par 4 he’s designed? The 332-yard 17th at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium course — the only par 4 in PGA Tour history to have been aced. “The hole represents a classic risk/reward, and gives the player plenty of options,” Weiskopf says. “The lure for the big hitter is a chance at an eagle putt. The risk for the errant drive is water left of the green and a swale to the right. We’ve also rewarded the shorter hitter, letting him use his short-game expertise to handle the bold contours of the green. The exciting thing about the hole” — and of drivable par 4s as a whole — “is that so many things can happen.”

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1. HIGH FLYER

Tom is standing tall, tilting back slightly and holding his hands and arms sky-high in a classic reverse-C finish. The reason? High hands promote high shots that stop on a dime. No wonder Weiskopf finished runner-up in four Masters over a seven-year span.

2. SHOT SHAPER

Weiskopf, like many of his Golden Age contemporaries, wasn’t shy about curving the ball both ways. Notice his full finish but abbreviated hip turn. Mimic this combo, and the ball can’t help but fade.

3. TOE TAPPER

Elite athletes share a common trait, regardless of their sport: great footwork. In Weiskopf’s day, players tended to be a lot “freer” with their feet, pushing, shifting and twisting them in whatever way made them feel most rhythmic. Tom was a genius in this regard. You can be, too. Build a base, but don’t be afraid to “interact” with the ground.

4. SMOOTH GLIDER

From the top, Weiskopf keeps his knees flexed while driving them laterally toward the target. Why more players don’t copy this move is a mystery. It adds speed, ensures ball-first contact, and places less stress on your back and your left leg.

5. THE RESULTS

Five is the number of wins Weiskopf tallied in 1973, including the British Open at Royal Troon, his only major.

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