Monahan holds meeting

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We are back from our short break and wish you a good Wednesday morning.

According to my Twitter timeline, it’s been a week where the so-called Five Family fights over the MLR have narrowly surpassed the major and amateur championships for women and the FedEx Cup Playoffs for men. It’s also to the delight of Gen Z that Phil and Bryson tee it up on YouTube, for “straight money, just to be clear.”) On one side, there are the people from Far Hills, and in the other, the scions and PGAs. On the other side, you’ll find PGAs of all kinds (Tour!) The Tour! The Other Side! What’s that? Oh my God, it’s Fred Ridley! Just kidding. It’s not. It’s not. Not yet. Georgia is still a close-knit community.

Morning 9 Exclusive…Reports suggest that the USGA is considering abandoning golf ball regulation in favor of a blue-blazed focus on the shaft. Hello hickory? Fujikura Ventus Brown X? We’ll see. Just kidding. This is not true. Don’t email me. This is just an attempt to show the uniqueness of, eh… our beloved sport. Imagine NBA fans obsessing over hoop height, or NFL enthusiasts lobbying to increase the ball size, because Mahomes, and Allen, are throwing the ball too far…NOT in the off-season when there is a lack of dance cards, but during the season when it’s full. We wouldn’t want it any other way.

On (rare) occasion, I like flexing my fingers when typing to ensure they haven’t completely atrophied. It’s a nice indulgence. I’ll let you know what the news is, as reported better than me.

Brentley Romine of Golf Channel rounds up a few …” The PGA Tour announced its schedule for 2024 on Monday. It includes four majors and The Players as well as three playoff events, eight signature events, and more. The fields for these signature events are determined in a variety of ways. However, the only way to qualify for all of them is by qualifying for this year’s BMW Championship.”

• “That’s the reason Sunday in Memphis could very well be thrilling.”

• “Notables who are not in the top 50 but will be teeing off at TPC Southwind this year include Davis Riley (54) Hideki Mitayama (57), Keith Mitchell 58, Matt Kuchar 60 and Ben Griffin 70. Nick Hardy is seated right at the top. Cam Young (48), Tom Hoge (46), and J.T. Poston (45), who is close to the top-50 bubble, will be in the top 50 this week.

Kikue Higuchi, LPGA.com …” While there are many talented players in the field this week, Boutier is the one to beat. Boutier, who won her first major in the United States, was the first woman to win consecutive events since Jin Young Ko achieved this feat in 2021. Boutier also became the first woman to win a major followed by a tournament in the same year since Ariya Juntanugarn did so in 2016. Boutier, 29, is the first golfer to win three tournaments this season after winning the LPGA Drive On Championship in Superstition Mountain. Now at No. Boutier, who is ranked No. 4 in the Rolex Rankings and leads the Race to CME Globe as well as the Rolex Player Of The Year standings thanks to her three victories and three other top-10 finishes, has led both the Race for the CME Globe and the Rolex Player Of The Year standings. Boutier is 29-under in her cumulative total of eight rounds in the last two week. She has shot in 60s seven times in the last eight. The Frenchwoman is clearly in her groove and riding a serious momentum wave that will put her back into contention this week at Walton Heath.

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard …” In his first official meeting since taking leave due to a medical condition in June, Monahan will be sure to receive heat from members on a number of topics, including the framework deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, and the schedule for next year, which was announced last Monday.”

• “Since the PIF agreement was signed, the players have been growing dissatisfied with it. On Tuesday, Monahan received a vote from the world’s No. “World No. 3 Jon Rahm gave Monahan a vote of confidence on Tuesday.”

• Rahm stated that “he should be given the chance to finish it off in the same manner as he did.” We’re forgetting quickly how well he handled a number of things. He was a great manager at COVID, and he kept many people in employment.

Golf Digest’s Tod Lenard …”In a decision that could have major implications for the USGA proposal and R&A to rollback golf ball distances at the elite levels, the World Alliance of PGAs asked the governing body to stop its march towards the changes indefinitely.”

• In a memo signed by PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh and obtained by Golf Channel, the alliance, which includes nine PGAs around the globe, wrote, “We believe strongly in the necessity of thoroughly scoping out all unintended effects before introducing any significant changes.” While many aspects have already been taken into consideration, we are concerned that the proposed changes could have far-reaching implications for our sport.

• The USGA and R&A released a Model Local Rule in March that would restrict golf ball distances for elite competitions beginning in January 2026. Recreational golfers were not affected by the proposed rule, but it sparked a heated debate on whether different balls should be used for elite and everyday players.

Matt Vincenzi …”With the PGA Tour in turmoil, it is no surprise that minor accommodations have been lost.

• Jon Rahm says that the PGA Tour could benefit from a few additional bathrooms on the golf courses.

• “I’ll tell you now that my priorities are lower than most people think. It may sound silly, but it’s as simple as putting a porta-potty in every toilet. I know this sounds absurd, but I cannot choose when to use the bathroom. “I’ve told this tour many times.”

Cameron Jourdan, Golfweek …”Briana Chacon accomplished something that no other golfer has in the history U.S. Women’s Amateur ever achieved.”

• She scored a 9-under-131 in stroke play, which is a championship gross score record. No golfer had ever shot better than the 133 mark in the 36-hole format of stroke-play during the previous 122 editions. Chacon rewrote records at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur, held at Bel-Air Country Club.

• Chacon, who is a fifth-year Oregon player, will have the top seed for match play which starts Wednesday morning. Andrea Lignell, a fifth-year Ole Miss player, had the chance to match Chacon’s par on 18th hole but made double bogey when she hit her tee ball in a fairway hazard. Lignell had been 7 under par before her blunder. She shot a 5-under-par 65 on Tuesday.

Ben Fleming, Golf Monthly …”Rose Zhang is set to compete at her fourth Major in her professional career when she takes part in the AIG Women’s Open. However, the young American has revealed that she wants to balance golf with her academics and plans to go back to college later this summer.”

• After a stellar amateur, Zhang announced in May her intention to turn professional. She made headlines once again a few weeks later, when she became first woman in 72-years to win her LPGA Tour debut, with a victory in a Mizuho Americas Open playoff.

• Zhang, who turned professional midway through her Communications degree, still plans to finish her Stanford education.

• She said this at a press conference held on Tuesday before the tournament.

• I’ll be taking a lot of classes during the winter quarter. “I’ll be taking classes in the winter quarter and continuing to play golf and continue on Tour.”

James Nursey, Golf Monthly …” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan held a meeting with players to address new questions about future plans following the shocking resignation of a senior official.”

• Monahan met with players at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Tuesday for the first time since taking a medical leave in June. The meeting was an opportunity for Rickie Fowler to question Monahan about plans of setting-up a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund which supports rival LIV golf.”

• The scheduled discussion was held just after the players received an email informing them that Andy Pazder had resigned as chief tournaments and competions officer of the tour.

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