PGA Tour tales in a year mostly about money
More than six months have passed since PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-rumayyan of Saudi Arabia’s national wealth fund appeared publicly for the first time.
It was in a television studio, not a federal courtroom. That was the first surprise.
They spoke of a proposed business partnership, which no one saw coming because negotiations had been held in secret. Even now, no one is sure where it will lead. Tiger Woods used the word “murky” to describe how he envisioned the immediate future of golf’s landscape.
As for the immediate past? Money was at the center of almost every conversation, from $20 million purses to how much it would take to lure a top player to LIV Golf ( Jon Rahm won’t say ).
But the game marched on inside the ropes (too slowly for some) and provided new major champions, new stars and plenty of memories for this year’s version of “Tales from the Tour:”
The Genesis Invitational was the perfect place for a photo opportunity, and not just because Tiger Woods was making his first start of the year.
Riviera Country Club is hosting the golf competition when the Summer Olympics return to Los Angeles in 2028. It just so happened the last two gold medalists — Xander Schauffele (Tokyo) and Justin Rose (Rio de Janeiro) — were in the field. They brought their gold medals, and then another Olympian showed up to join them.
The golfers didn’t immediately recognize freestyle swimming great Janet Evans until she reached into her bag and removed a small pole holding the four gold medals she won in Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992.
“Hang on,” Evans said, reaching into the bag again to get her silver medal. Schauffele was born a year after Evans competed in her last Olympics. It didn’t take long for him to realize he was in the presence of Olympic fame.
Monahan was in the breezeway at Bay Hill, fresh off a seven-hour board meeting that reshaped the structure of the tour. Adam Hadwin walked by and asked him what came out of it. Monahan assured him good news was on the way.
“For everyone?” Hadwin asked.
Even then, there were concerns that a new schedule would be lucrative mainly for the best.
WYNDHAM CLARK WAS LONG ON PRIDE, SHORT ON HISTORY>>
The subject was his 3-wood to the par-5 14th in the final round of the U.S. Open, arguably the best full shot of the year.
“My caddie thinks it’s one of the best shots in U.S. Open history, just considering how tough the shot was, and then under the circumstances,” Clark said.
The target on this 282-yard shot was an opening about 8 yards wide, and Clark nailed it. The ball settled 20 feet from the hole, and the two-putt birdie gave him a three-shot lead with four to play. “It won me the U.S. Open,” the Denver native said.
A few months later, the debate was on. John Ellis, his caddie, felt it should be recognized as one of the greatest shots ever in the U.S. Open. Asked for another candidate, Ellis and Clark mentioned Corey Pavin hitting 4-wood into the 18th at Shinnecock Hills to all but clinch victory in 1995.
Left out of the conversation of full shots that day was Ben Hogan’s 1-iron into the 18th at Merion in 1950, Jack Nicklaus and his 1-iron off the pin at the 17th at Pebble Beach in 1972 and Arnold Palmer driving the first green at Cherry Hills to start his historic comeback in 1960. It’s unlikely that 20 years from now Clark’s 3-wood will be mentioned in the same breath.
But he’s the U.S. Open champion. That was enough.