'Designated' Events and Their Flip Side, and the End May Be Near for the World Golf Championships
Four days wasn't enough to get in four rounds at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, so who's ready to sneak in some Monday golf at the office? And if you don't know everyone on the leaderboard, just wait a few days. "The Greatest Show on Grass" is almost here and it's going to be very, very good.
Here are links to Bob Harig's Weekly Read notes from around the game, starting with more on the WM Phoenix Open and the new-world PGA Tour that's lifting some events to new heights.
'Designated' PGA Tour Events Like the WM Phoenix Open Will Be Great, But There Is a Flip Side
Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports
It doesn't matter who is playing at Pebble Beach, as the Monterey Peninsula is still great eye candy especially for those freezing in February across the country. But one would think it matters to event sponsor AT&T, and might that mean "designated" status in the future? Would that affect the amateurs? Bob Harig explains the dichotomy playing out between Pebble Beach and Phoenix and how that may shape future schedules.
The End of the World Golf Championships May Be Coming
Mikala Compton/USA TODAY Network
In 1994, Greg Norman had an idea of a world golf tour that didn't get off the ground—but it did get noticed at PGA Tour headquarters, and before the turn of the century the World Golf Championships were born. Now, in part due to another Norman project, the World Golf Championships could be at the end of the line after this year's match play at Austin Country Club. Bob Harig has more on the diminished franchise and what schedule shakeups may be next.
Is the PGA Tour Overreaching By Barring Nonmembers Who Play With LIV Golf?
Eoin Clarke/Golffile
The PGA Tour made this clear last year to its members: play LIV Golf and you're off the Tour for the foreseeable future. But what about nonmembers? Well, the PGA Tour is moving to bar them as well for any dalliances with the Saudi-backed league, and Bob Harig wonders if that's fair or even legal. This looks like an issue which won't be going away anytime soon.
Fore! Things: Scottie Scheffler Back Where It Began, A Winning Double Bogey and Augusta National News
Alex Gould/USA TODAY Network
Can you believe that a year ago Scottie Scheffler came to the WM Phoenix Open as just another promising young player looking for his first win? (Guessing he gets that exact question in his pre-event press conference.) Bob Harig revisits that and more in his must-read Weekly Read notes, including the story of an all-time double bogey on the DP World Tour and how Augusta National is improving its Women's Amateur.
More Coverage from SI Golf
> WM Phoenix Open Full Field: 18 of the World's Top 20
> Adding More Stones to the Swilcan Bridge at St. Andrews Is a Historically Bad Idea
> Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson Remain Friends, Despite Bubba Leaving for LIV Golf
> Taylor Pendrith Might Not Win at Pebble Beach But He Finished in Style
> Jetting Out of Pebble Beach for a Monday Qualifier, Aaron Baddeley Hoping to Play in His Home Game