Sahith Theegala started his back nine with six consecutive birdies on Thursday. He went on to shoot a 9 under 64 at Hawaii’s Plantation Course and take the lead in the Sentry Tournament of Champions – the inaugural event of 2024 PGA Tour.
Golf fans could now think of golf as sport rather than a business. Fans can now watch golfers hit great shots and make amazing recoveries. They can also see them do things that recreational players can only imagine.
This has not always been the case over the past three months. The PGA Tour’s transition to a calendar-based schedule, where both the season and the year begin at the same time left the tour with a period of three months that was dominated by very little golf. The tour, which is meant to be an offseason for the biggest names in the game, unfortunately had a lot of different headlines during that period. The tour was negotiating with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund against a deadline of Dec. 31, and there were only a few non-official events to distract from the business side of the game.
It was all about golf again on Thursday. It was all about a hot start by players like Collin Morikawa or Xander Schauffele. Scottie Schoffler was the talk of the town. Viktor Hovland will be No. 1. Theegala was a rising star in the tour and he had a scorching back nine.
Chris Kirk won the PGA Tour with a total of 29-under-263, one stroke better than Theegala.
This week, PGA Tour will be heading to Honolulu at Waialae Country Club for the Sony Open.
Less talk of ledgers and more golf
Golf fans’ dissatisfaction with the game of golf in the last few months can be attributed to the constant debate and sniping between the two sides involved in the PGA Tour/Liv war. It can be partly attributed to the lack of top-level golf on TV. Football season is upon us, and the NFL as well as the college game are dominating sports. The PGA Tour’s schedule is designed to avoid the NFL as much possible. It is unfortunate that the professional golf world has been filled with stories that make the sport and the players look greedy.
Chris Kirk lines his putt up for a birdie at the sixth green at the Kapalua Golf Club’s Sentry Plantation Course during the final round on January 7, 2024. Michael Reaves/Getty Images.
Focus on the Course
Now, players are ready to prove their physical and mental skills. We can focus on Scheffler’s striking, Hovland’s short game and whether Brian Harman or Wyndham can repeat their major championships of 2023.
It’s interesting to see how many rookies are coming from the Korn Ferry Tour. We can be amazed at Rory McIlroy’s distance and wonder if this year is the one he wins his fifth major. We can also think of golf in the boardroom instead. Let golfers be golfers, not politicians or accountants.
Does it last? No, of course not. In the next few months, some golf figures may be claiming victories and others losing their jobs because of the PGA Tour’s and PIF’s ongoing negotiations. The world will be focused on strokes gained-putting if another player decides that they want to move from the PGA Tour over to the LIV Tour.
It was still refreshing to focus on golfers and courses only this week. We hope that nothing will distract fans for a few more weeks.
Larry Bohannan writes about golf for The Desert Sun. You can contact him at (760) 778-4633 or at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook at @larry_bohannan. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Desert Sun.
