Ture Time

Your boy is three weeks into his new life… speaking in the 3rd person like Jimmy on Seinfeld is fun. “Jimmy’s gonna put the moves on Elaine”. Putting the poison down has made my life do a massive 180… I realize it won’t always be easy but the outpouring of support and messages gives me tons of confidence going forward. I cannot stress how much strength everyone has given me along the way. Exposing the struggles has been a big deal in this process… I don’t wanna let everyone down! Going forward my goal is to help people that are struggling. We’ve been working on a book the last couple of years that will dive into the difficulties that I’ve faced as I got sucked into the National opioid epidemic. It has a happy ending but will be really raw and quite shocking, but whatever if I can help people this is a story that needs to be told.

When any addiction starts to effect your daily life and your starting to alienate yourself… it’s time to yank the emergency brake and head in the other direction and get help. Seeing the looks on the faces of my loved ones and how shitty I felt was when I saw the massive error in my ways. Nobody can live in that state and be a productive member of society. You can lie to yourself for years and fake it but it ALWAYS catches up to you. Who thinks a skinny lil punk like me would do well in jail? NOBODY. I’ve spent many nights in jail but thankfully no one ever messed with me. I watched March Madness in 2006 from a jail cell… there is a lil tidbit of the story that is gonna be told when the book comes out. My story feels like it’s taken new life and is a wave that can’t be stopped. Stay Ture everyone

Adam Schupak, Golfweek

Daniel Berger’s chances of winning the Players Championship effectively ended with a splash at the 16th hole of the final round, but that’s when things got interesting.

Berger’s second shot at the par-5 from 234 yards landed in the lake right of the flag, but where the ball crossed into the penalty area became a topic of great conversation.

“As soon as Daniel hit it in the air, he said, ‘Oh, water ball,’ and then I was watching the whole flight, and it was just short right of the green in the water on 16,” Viktor Hovland, who was playing in the group, said after the round.

When Berger went to drop his ball after a penalty stroke, Joel Dahmen, the third player in the group, and Hovland objected. ESPN+ Featured Group coverage captured the back-and-forth exchange between the parties.

Berger was the under the impression that his shot faded into the water and crossed much closer to the hole. Dahmen saw it differently, and told Berger he should be dropping at least 60 yards farther back. Hovland sided with Dahmen.

“I don’t think it crossed up there,” Hovland said as Dahmen stood with his hands on his hips. “I’m sure they got it on camera.”

“A hundred percent,” Berger replied. “Call a rules official and a camera.”

“I’ve got it back here as well,” Dahmen said, pointing to a similar area as Hovland and making clear it was two against one.

“I’m a little skeptical,” Hovland told Berger of the spot where he wanted to drop closer to the green. Hovland suggested that Berger drop just short of the fairway near a grass bunker at around 125 yards.

“I don’t think it crossed up there,” Dahmen chimed in.

Out came chief referee Gary Young to try to sort the matter.

“I’m not going to take a drop that I don’t feel 100 percent about it. I’m not saying it’s all the way up there but it’s not back there,” Berger said.

“I just didn’t think it sliced that much,” Dahmen said and Hovland concurred.

“I’ve never taken a bad drop in my life and I’m not about to take one now,” Berger said.

Berger asked Hovland where he believed the ball had crossed the red line.

“I don’t have it there,” Berger said. “It’s not even a question to me.”

Young was of little help in settling the matter, placing the responsibility on the players to reach consensus and trying to broker a compromise. “You guys had the best angle on it, so you’ll have to decide that amongst yourself like you normally would,” he said.

It is every player’s duty to protect the rest of the field in such matters and Hovland and Dahmen had every right to speak up in this circumstance.

“I’m not OK with it being up there,” Hovland said, reiterating his position that he opposed where Berger intended to drop. “That’s not what I saw.”

“It’s not even a question in my mind that it crossed back there. Zero percent chance it crossed there,” Berger said.

When Berger stated his case for how his ball cut hard right and entered closer to the green, Hovland said, “That’s not really what I saw.”

He added, “If you were dropping all the way up there it would have had to cut 20 yards.”

“It had 20 yard of cut on it, just so you know,” Berger said.

“Anything here a good compromise?” Young asked.

“It’s wrong. I’m telling you it’s wrong,” Berger whined.

“I’m not going to make you,” said Young, explaining it is ultimately the player’s decision. “I want you to go where you feel you crossed.”

But sensing a stalemate, Berger concluded, “I’m going to drop here for the sake of you guys, but it’s wrong.”

Berger dropped 97 yards from the hole, wedged to 12 feet and missed the putt. He made bogey and shot 2-under 70.

“It ended up being somewhat of a compromise,” Hovland said. “He dropped a little bit further up than Joel and I kind of thought, but we ended up making a compromise, and that’s where he hit it from.”

Former Tour pro John Maginnes, the announcer for ESPN+ with the group, chimed in and said, “I can to tell you when we were playing for $2 million purses you could drop wherever you wanted. Twenty million dollar purse? They are going to push you back.”

Dahmen, who was involved in a similar situation with Tour pro Sung Kang during the final round of the 2018 Quicken Loans National, was adamant that Berger’s drop should be farther back but let Hovland do most of the talking.

Both Berger and Dahmen declined to speak to the media after the round, but Hovland answered a few questions on the subject.

“It’s not a fun conversation, but when you strongly believe in something, you kind of have to stand your ground,” Hovland said. “It’s not like we’re trying to dog on Daniel and trying to screw him over. It’s just, that’s what we believe, and he obviously felt strongly the other way. It’s just what it is. I’m not accusing him of anything. The golf ball is in the air for a couple seconds, so it’s tough to exactly pinpoint where it crossed and not. But Joel and I saw it in one way and he saw it differently.”

Joel Dahmen, the PGA Tour’s defender of all that is right and true. The Ture’s Batman if you will. He swooped in to aid Hovland like Christian Bale in the Dark Knight’s second scene (The one in the parking garage with the fake batmen and the Russian drug dealers). This is as close to a hockey fight as you’re gonna get in golf. I am a Daniel Berger fan and honestly that shot had a lot of cut on it, but when you play with Joel you better watch ya neck. Hovland appeared to depart from his usual smiley demeanor to make sure Boog didn’t drop from 40 yards. On tv it looked like they wanted him to drop at around 180 yards, but when you find out it was a perfect number and 96 yards it leaves you wondering, “what the hell is the big deal?” Bummer I have a full swing instead of the most awkward number in golf.

Schupak nailed it when he mentioned the 20 million they were playing for. The John Maginnes quote was amazing too, “When we were playing for 2 million you dropped wherever you wanted.” A 20 million dollar purse is going to undoubtedly raise tensions from the 1st tee to the final hole on Sunday (Monday). Hopefully neither Dahmen or Hovland have mob ties because there may be a hit squad waiting in the dark in the near future. Obviously I’m kidding but if these purses keep going up someones gonna get punched in the face during a round on the PGA Tour… which will raise purses and viewership even more.

Adam Woodard, Golfweek

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour, folks. Just ask this week’s winner, Cameron Smith.

The 28-year-old Aussie earned his fifth PGA Tour win at its flagship event, claiming the 2022 Players Championship at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass at 13 under. The win is Smith’s second of the year following his record-setting victory at 34 under at January’s Sentry Tournament of Champions.

For his efforts, Smith will take home the $20 million event’s top prize of $3.6 million. Runner-up Anirban Lahiri will pocket $2.18 million, with third-place Paul Casey taking home $1.38 million.

Check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the 2022 Players Championship.

Position	Player	Score	Earnings
1	Cameron Smith	-13	$3,600,000
2	Anirban Lahiri	-12	$2,180,000
3	Paul Casey	-11	$1,380,000
4	Kevin Kisner	-10	$980,000
5	Keegan Bradley	-9	$820,000
T6	Harold Varner III	-8	$675,000
T6	Russell Knox	-8	$675,000
T6	Doug Ghim	-8	$675,000
T9	Sepp Straka	-7	$525,000
T9	Adam Hadwin	-7	$525,000
T9	Viktor Hovland	-7	$525,000
T9	Dustin Johnson	-7	$525,000
T13	Russell Henley	-6	$327,222
T13	Keith Mitchell	-6	$327,222
T13	Taylor Pendrith	-6	$327,222
T13	Erik van Rooyen	-6	$327,222
T13	Daniel Berger	-6	$327,222
T13	Max Homa	-6	$327,222
T13	Tyrrell Hatton	-6	$327,222
T13	Brendan Steele	-6	$327,222
T13	Shane Lowry	-6	$327,222
T22	Joaquin Niemann	-5	$201,000
T22	Patton Kizzire	-5	$201,000
T22	Tommy Fleetwood	-5	$201,000
T22	Kevin Streelman	-5	$201,000
T26	Corey Conners	-4	$140,000
T26	Doc Redman	-4	$140,000
T26	Sergio Garcia	-4	$140,000
T26	Alex Noren	-4	$140,000
T26	Patrick Reed	-4	$140,000
T26	Will Zalatoris	-4	$140,000
T26	Sam Burns	-4	$140,000
T33	Abraham Ancer	-3	$140,000
T33	Ian Poulter	-3	$97,750
T33	Justin Thomas	-3	$97,750
T33	Seamus Power	-3	$97,750
T33	Joel Dahmen	-3	$97,750
T33	Pat Perez	-3	$97,750
T33	Tom Hoge	-3	$97,750
T33	Rory McIlroy	-3	$97,750
T33	Sebastián Muñoz	-3	$97,750
T42	Kramer Hickok	-2	$73,000
T42	Francesco Molinari	-2	$73,000
T42	Scott Stallings	-2	$73,000
T42	Louis Oosthuizen	-2	$73,000
T46	Maverick McNealy	-1	$57,700
T46	Troy Merritt	-1	$57,700
T46	Adam Long	-1	$57,700
T46	Peter Malnati	-1	$57,700
T50	Brice Garnett	E	$50,200
T50	Dylan Frittelli	E	$50,200
T50	Aaron Wise	E	$50,200
T53	Jason Kokrak	1	$47,800
T53	Branden Grace	1	$47,800
T55	Jimmy Walker	2	$46,200
T55	Sungjae Im	2	$46,200
T55	Jon Rahm	2	$46,200
T55	Scottie Scheffler	2	$46,200
T55	K.H. Lee	2	$46,200
T60	Sam Ryder	3	$44,600
T60	Michael Thompson	3	$44,600
T60	Denny McCarthy	3	$44,600
T63	Hank Lebioda	4	$43,400
T63	Chesson Hadley	4	$43,400
T63	Brian Harman	4	$43,400
T66	Hayden Buckley	5	$42,400
T66	Nick Watney	5	$42,400
T68	Lucas Herbert	7	$41,600
T68	Bubba Watson	7	$41,600
70	Lee Hodges	9	$41,000

Lord have mercy, this payout is something to behold. The purse for the Players has gone up 9 million dollars in the past 6 years. Is Jay Monahan the nicest Commissioner ever or are they feeling the pressure from over seas? I’m sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation but this 33% uptick in cash is just breathtaking to see on the screen. They had to earn it this week with the marathon golf and terrible weather, but you have to feel for the late/early wave who had to play their opening round in absolute hurricane conditions. One could argue that it evened out for the other wave when round 2 rolled around but at least they got to play their opening round in relative calm.

Last place gets you 41k, in 2016 last place got you around 20k. I know this because I finished 72nd… maybe it was around 25k… doesn’t matter. The overwhelming theme is the amount of money these dudes get to play for these days. Couldn’t be happier for Anirban Lahiri who cleared over 2 million after the early week article came out about what a difficult year he is having. Baan is endlessly positive and he explained that in the article. What a difference a week makes as he shot 82 in the final round at Bay Hill. Now he and his wife get to frolic across the parking lot at TPC and imagine their next vacation. You gotta love golf and its abundance of comeback stories. Locals Russell Knox and Cam Smith did ok too haha how about that 1st place share. Knox made more for his t6th effort than Ryan Brehm did for his life changing victory in Puerto Rico last week. Let that soak in

Episode #5 – Roberto Diaz – Ture Time with Will Wilcox and Jim Renner

Eamon Lynch, Golfweek

Too often, professional golf—in particular the strain presented on the PGA Tour—tilts toward the one-dimensional, not only in the repetitiveness of individual stroke play but in the consistency of course conditions that envelop players every week like a comfort blanket intended to minimize blubbering.

What variety there is exists mostly in the questions asked hole by hole, and even that has been diminished in the modern power game as players bludgeon courses into submission rather than seduce them in the manner of yore. The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass still poses its share of nettlesome challenges for the best players in the world, but its iconic 17th hole is the Mona Lisa of one-dimensional golf.

That’s not to say it’s a wholly lousy hole. It’s indisputably entertaining, which is no small matter when it comes to fan engagement, dramatic theater, merchandise branding and hospitality sales. It’s daunting too, a necessary stress test in the closing stretch of tournament play. In normal circumstances, it’s not particularly difficult, even for recreational chops (it’s the shortest hole on the course and the green is huge). But No. 17 is woefully lacking in the one aspect that makes a golf hole truly interesting: options.

Unless you consider “live vs. die”” to be a real option.

Great golf holes offer a choice of routes that depend upon a player’s skill, confidence or courage. On 17 of the holes at TPC Sawgrass, a poor swing leads to car crash golf—injurious, but offering the possibility of recovery. But the penultimate hole at Pete Dye’s creation is plane-crash golf, where a poor swing is fatal. That’s why the least interesting hole here was the focus of attention when high winds buffetted the Players Championship, producing more squealing splashdowns than a kid’s water slide.

In a game of numbers, some of those we witnessed at Sawgrass felt like golf seen through a funhouse mirror, and it made for one of the most beguiling days in recent memory on Tour. Sure, weather conditions on Saturday were extreme, but it took that extreme to expose just how much torpor has been induced by the norm.

Among the spectacles that were awesome to behold in whipping winds were Brandel Chamblee’s mane and Justin Thomas’s 69. JT’s caddie, Bones Mackay, told me Sunday morning that it was among the top-five rounds all-time he has ever carried for, a captivating mix of sublimely flighted shots and clutch putts, all while knowing he had been diddled by the draw.

Twice during his round, Thomas hit pitching wedges 185 yards, while delivering a glorious 5-wood into the 18th green from 193 yards. His scorecards show two 3s on 17, but numbers don’t do justice to the situation. “When you have a 7-iron on that hole and it’s into off the left, it’s a lot more fun when someone tells you a story of them doing it versus you have to it,” he said.

Playing alongside Thomas, Rory McIlroy also hit 7-iron to the 17th, landing it on the front of the green 123 yards away. Asked afterward how far he normally hits that club, he replied: “185. It’s crazy.”

One group ahead, Brooks Koepka had hit an 8-iron into the 16th that flew 205 yards in the air. He turned around and struck the same club into the wind on 17. It flew 105 yards, coming up well short of dry land. He just laughed.

“It was 138, and I hit 118 front, which is really the only number we were kind of looking at,” said Dustin Johnson. “I hit a pretty good 8-iron with a low draw.” Pressed on how far that shot would usually travel, he said 165 yards. “It was kind of a chip,” he said with a shrug.

The 17th demanded a creativity that is somewhat lacking in its design, something beyond stock shots with stock clubs. Even with that, reward wasn’t assured. Koepka saw his playing partner Scottie Scheffler punch a 6-iron to the back pin, which ended up rinsed over the green. “You flight it low enough like Scottie did, the grandstands, the screen, everything in the back, you almost flight it too low and the wind doesn’t touch it,” he said. “It’s a tough one.”

Tough, but not unfair. Players who spoke after Saturday’s shenanigans unanimously said the set-up was difficult (brutally so) but had not crossed the line, a gracious sentiment that is so often denied the USGA.

The essential nature of the challenge was best summed up by Keegan Bradley, who drew a stark comparison between two 9-irons hit in his round. On the 12th, it was from 95 yards. Four holes later, the same club flew 206 yards. “To me there’s no yardage,” he said. “It’s just the trajectory of your ball, whatever club you can get to fit that window, that’s the shot.”

And that’s why the third day (albeit just the first and second rounds) of the Players was so wildly engaging. Every week the PGA Tour tests execution, but Saturday at TPC Sawgrass tested both execution and imagination—and many who are well-equipped for the former were found lacking in the latter.

Bubba Watson shapes his shots more than anyone on Tour and carded a stout 68. That could make one wonder why his imaginative approach hasn’t translated to a better record in the Open Championship, since links golf ought to be an inviting canvas for an artist of his caliber. But Sawgrass was very soft and Watson’s ball mostly stopped where it landed, whereas he has proven poorly wired for the fickle bounces of the ground game overseas.

Golf is a capricious game and it’s impossible to legislate chance out of it. Tournament organizers have no interest in guaranteeing equality of outcome, but they cannot even ensure equality of opportunity. In course conditions, sure, but Mother Nature’s writ overrules that of the PGA Tour’s chief referee, even in Ponte Vedra Beach. Whoever wins the 48th Players Championship—presumably on Monday—he might reflect that the most crucial stretch of his week was spent in a hotel room, sheltered from the less favorable side of the draw. Any victory will be hard-earned, but there’s no shame in hoping the eventual champion was among those faced and aced a test that is administered all too infrequently these days.

The Players has been a roller coaster for these players but the pot of gold at the end is well worth the wait. I’ve played in some very windy conditions, but it wasn’t around the Stadium Course at Sawgrass. Danger lurks on just about every swing… the rough has to be ankle deep at this point. The prudent Ture player can’t bail out or play safe on any hole out there… that’s the genius of the Pete Dye design. If you aim away from the trouble, your going to hit it into the moguls that feature the 4 inch rye grass rough. The winter rye they plant around there is so sticky you’d think it was mixed with molasses.

17 at TPC is a short hole with some serious fangs. I said before I hadn’t played in windy conditions at The Players, not entirely true. In 2016 the event was played in May so the weather was warmer and dryer, thus making the place a yellowish brown tint that more resembled a British Open than a stateside PGA Ture event. On Thursday and Friday 17 was a flip wedge so it played as easy as the hole could possibly play. Then Saturday came around and the wind flipped around to an into outta the left gale. The only option that day on the 126 yard hole was a steep hold-off stab 8 iron, and of course to say a prayer as the ball attempted to cut through the wind.

This leaderboard is the best as the recently struggling Anirban Lahiri leads the way. He is endlessly positive about his golf game and never gives up. He has those 18 world wide wins with 2 coming on the European Tour and 7 on the Asian Tour. India’s best player can ball and it’s showing this week in the most brutal of conditions. None of the standard “world’s best” are near the top except Berger, who can flight the ball as good or better than anyone, Oosthuizen, Keegan, and P Reed. Louis is a a former British Open winner so it’s not surprising to see him up there in such a difficult test. Keegan Bradley compresses the ball against the turf like he’s attempting to tear the cover off so that’ll usually hold up in the wind if he keeps the spin rate in check. P Reed will get any advantage he can, as history has shown, but there are about 20 cameras per hole so he may not be foot wedging it into better lies. His driver may be going 25 yards shorter on average but that’s perfectly fine on a course like TPC. Reed’s short game rivals Phil’s or Ceve’s so he can get up and down from any trash can he hits it into out there. I’m pulling for Lahiri to take it home and right the ship (season) in the biggest way possible.

Dan Rapaport, GolfDigest

Getting through the day without a double bogey was a minor miracle. This is the anti-links course; the vast majority of holes don’t have pathways to run a ball onto the green. And even if they did, three-plus inches of rain morphed this course into a pillow. Carrying onto the putting surface is the only option.

It all leads to one question: How in the hell were Bubba Watson and Justin Thomas able to play bogey-free in their second rounds despite facing constant 25-mph winds?

Thomas put it succinctly: “Our creativity has to help—the amount of shots we can hit.”

Thomas is sometimes lumped in with the rest of the tee-it-high-and-let-it-fly bombers, but it’s a mischaracterization. He varies shapes and trajectories on virtually every shot. He’ll hit the high draw on one hole and the hold-off cut on the next. The enduring memory of his Players Championship victory a year ago is the rope-hook 3-wood he hit off the 18th tee, a shot most guys simply do not have. He’s a bit old school that way, a chip off the block of his adopted older brother Tiger Woods, a master of letting conditions dictate his shot choice.

Woods will be proud of Thomas’ grind on Saturday. After double-bogeying the final hole of his first round for an even-par 72, the defending champion regrouped and flashed his full arsenal in the afternoon, making three birdies for a three-under 69 that has him nicely positioned in this most peculiar tournament.

“I’m thrilled with how I played and how I competed today,” said Thomas, looking to become the first repeat winner in Players history. “It was a very, very tough day, and I just stayed very patient and executed well.

“It was one of those days I think could be really fun to play if you’re [at your] home [course]. It’s not really fun when it’s TPC Sawgrass for the Players, and you’re kind of around the cut line to start the day. It’s so hard. I really just … as soft as it is in normal conditions, the first round, you’re just trying to knock it close. You’re trying to make a lot of birdies. But I just tried to hit as many greens as I possibly could [today].”

 

It’s a simple strategy that required mastery-level execution of a diverse range of shots. He sent a pitching wedge into the heavens on the downwind par-3 13th. It flew 180 yards. He hit a back-foot 6-iron to safety on 17, a hole that terrorized all afternoon. At 18, which played as the toughest hole, Thomas hit a knockdown draw with driver down the center, then a 5-wood from 204 yards right into the middle of the green. He peeled a cut down the center on 4 then punctuated it with an aggressive club twirl as if to say yep, I’m cookin’.

“It’s not really a swing rhythm because you’re just not really making that many swings—it’s just a lot of shots. A lot of choking up, very, very narrow, open stance, slicing it against the wind, drawing it against the wind.It was some of the most bizarre conditions I’ve played in.”

With similar wind forecasted for Sunday morning, when the early/late wave will play the meat of their second rounds, Thomas will surely inch up from his current T-15 position. So will Bubba Watson, also on three under after a four-under 68 in his second round Saturday. He, too, didn’t make a bogey … or the double he was expecting.

“It was funny—the last two holes, I barely hit it on the green on 16. So I three-putted 16. I was trying to get to 4-under so I could make double bogey, double bogey, so I could still be at even. I told my caddie Gabe, man, I need a birdie so I can go double bogey, double bogey.”

He went par, par and now finds himself in an unfamiliar position: primed to contend for the Players Championship. His best finish in 13 previous starts is a T-37. Watson famously does not, cannot, see a straight shot. Everything curves one way or another. On the right course—say, Augusta National—he looks a genius. On the wrong course—essentially any U.S. Open setup—he looks a fish out of water. That’s been the case at TPC Sawgrass.

“Blind shots are very difficult for me, and this golf course, the designer knew what they were trying to do,” Watson said. “I’m the perfect person that fell into the trap on every hole, because for me, I like to look at certain shots or see certain shots. … There’s a lot of holes that don’t fit my eye.

“This one reminds me a lot of Hilton Head. Even though you can move the ball and do things, you know, overhanging trees, vision of bunkers, it just kind of throws me off. So I’m not a guy that aims at a target and then just they can pull the trigger. So I have to see it. I have to visualize my whole shot, and blind shots are difficult for me.”

You couldn’t tell. Watson was third in strokes gained/off the tee for his second round and, rather surprisingly, first in strokes gained/putting. But just because a round is bogey-free does not make it stress-free—he made three eight-footers for par and a 13-footer at 18, his ninth hole of the round.

“The last couple holes, I brought a couple of extra sandwiches today, and I started eating to get some energy because the mental part, especially me, wears me down real fast. Today it’s all about the mental grind and trying to stay committed to the shots or the putts even when the wind’s blowing. Even the two-footers, right? It’s very tough.”

Not too tough for bogey-free golf, apparently.

Pure carnage was the story of the day at TPC. The early/late wave was the only wave that got to play in calm conditions, but they are getting their dose of disaster this morning. The Players has turned into a British Open survival test instead of a leisurely stroll in the “Sunshine State”. I personally think that Players should stay in May… the weather is exponentially better and the sub-air under the greens stands a chance of shaping the scores. As Rap says, “sub-air is no match for Mother Nature”. 

Glancing at the leaderboard the lay person may think the best players in the world all happened to play poorly, wrong. The stat that blew my mind was the GIR situation on the 17th hole. The 1st wave hit one ball total in the water at the iconic hole, then the wind started to blow, and the 2nd waves 1st group all hit theirs in the water. This group consisted on Koepka, Schauffele, and Scheffler. Play was getting near impossible as this group of ballers hit the 17th tee.  All of them walked away with double or worse and all of them shot +4-+9. The worlds top players haven’t posted scores like that since umm, last week.

The Florida Swing has been kicking the players while their down since The Honda. I can’t wait to see how the avg. winning scores for each event in FL turn out. Could it possibly be -10 or less at every event? Surely the weather in Tampa will return to somewhat normalcy and the guys won’t be stuck in what my caddy and I referred to as “golf prison.”

Dan Rapaport, GolfDigest

Steve DiMeglio, Golfweek

Steve DiMeglio, Golfweek

Wearing Wednesday red as well as her father wore Sunday red, Sam Woods was flawless.

In introducing her father, Tiger, for induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame on a cloudy Wednesday night, the oldest of his two children cracked jokes and shined bright in a red dress. And the 14-year-old was unbroken when talking about difficult times she has shared with her father.

“About a year ago you were stuck in a hospital bed at one of your ultimate lows and one of the scariest moments of your life and ours,” Sam said referring to her father’s single-car accident last February that nearly took his life. “We didn’t know if you’d come home with two legs or not. Now not only are you about to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but you’re standing here on your own two feet.

“This is why you deserve this; because you’re a fighter.”

Some 44 years after shuffling on to the stage of “The Mike Douglas Show” as a 2-year-old and entertaining Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart and the host by hitting golf balls into a net and hitting a few putts, Woods proudly walked to the podium at PGA Tour headquarters for his rightful induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. It’s been quite the game-changing journey.

“You have to understand, I got to this position because of my upbringing, having two unbelievable parents. But I didn’t get here alone,.” Woods said. “I know that golf is an individual sport. We do things on our own a lot for hours on end, but in my case, I didn’t get here alone. I had unbelievable parents, mentors, friends, who allowed me and supported me in the toughest times, the darkest of times, and celebrated the highest of times.”

Also inducted was former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Susie Maxwell Berning. Visionary and trailblazer Marion Hollins was also inducted posthumously.

During her induction speech, Maxwell Berning, 80, addressed Woods.

“Tiger, I know it’s hard for you to believe, but as young as I am, I won all my tournaments before you were born,” she said to laughter. “And by the way, Tiger, of my three U.S. Opens, the total winnings (were) $16,000. I was wondering if you’d like to swap checks. Perhaps, if not all, we could do one, right?”

Woods smiled throughout.

As a product of the Tiger Woods era, I couldn’t be happier that his induction finally went through. It was obviously a matter of time as he won 82 times. 20 PGA Ture wins gets you in and he eclipsed that feat by more than 4 times. Tiger made the game cool in the 90s, carried the torch for global golf, and totally reshaped the amount of money the Tour offered in their purses. TV stations couldn’t get enough of the “Tiger effect” and therefore the ratings soared as well as the contracts with the tv networks. Every major tour player since 1999-2000 has thanked Tiger publicly at one time or another. The famous line is “Tiger doesn’t move the needle, he is the needle.” When he signed up for the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC in 2015 at the last minute, something in the range of 40k extra tickets were printed and another 250 press passes. TW is the needle

That speech was incredible seeing he didn’t have a teleprompter or anything written down. I’m sure he had a few key points to hit but he spoke for nearly 20 minutes straight from the heart. How could you not be moved by the story of his family taking out a second mortgage so 14 year old Tiger could travel the AJGA Jr Tour. The AJGA is the cream of the crop in Junior golf and if you do well in one your cemented as a D1 golfer. Winning the US Junior at 15-17 didn’t hurt his chances either haha, that is an incredible feat nobody will sniff. Shortly after those USGA Junior wins he won the US Amateur 3 consecutive times. These 6 straight USGA titles aren’t necessarily overlooked but lord have mercy Young Tiger… you were a golfing god. His final US Am title came in 1996 and we all know what happened in 1997, he won the Masters by 12 at 21 years old.

We all knew Tiger was more than qualified and it was simply a matter of time. To see the comments online from the people in attendance almost brought a tear to my eye. TW is a global superstar and inspired millions of young golfers, and rejuvenated millions of older lovers of the game. The similarities to Kobe Bryant are evident as they both exhibited an unmatched work ethic that left people speechless, but most of all it left them in his dust.  I will continue to pray to Tiger nightly as he is my higher power. Get well soon Ture God, Amen.

Adam Schupak, Golfweek

The PGA Tour Commissioner looks forward to having a conversation with Phil Mickelson when’s he ready.

As far as if Mickelson has been disciplined for his involvement in the potential breakaway Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League or other inflammatory comments, Monahan stuck to a familiar response.

“We don’t comment on disciplinary matters, potential matters or actual matters,” Monahan said.

That wasn’t long after responding to a question about the Tour’s transparency by saying, “we have nothing to hide, and we’re proud of what this organization represents, the values it conveys, the way that we run our business. We’re happy to share and answer any question any player has, and for that matter any question that you all have today.”

Monahan confirmed that he has not spoken to Mickelson since excerpts of an upcoming book by Alan Shipnuck were published on The Fire Pit Collective and made clear that Mickelson was in cahoots with the renegade lead, admitting that he had help draft the SGL’s operating agreement.

Shortly thereafter, Mickelson posted an apology of sorts that never mentioned Monahan or the PGA Tour. It ended by saying he would be taking time away from the game to “work on being the man I want to be.” Mickelson isn’t in the field this week at the Players Championship, a tournament he won in 2007.

“The ball is in his court,” Monahan said. “He has said that he’s stepping away and he wants time for reflection. That’s something that I and we are going to respect and honor. When he’s ready to come back to the PGA Tour, we’re going to have that conversation. That’s a conversation I look forward to.”

During an earlier press conference, Rory McIlroy noted that if there’s any area where Monahan has room for improvement, it would be greater transparency.

“I’ve always felt that a few of the bans or suspensions, I think that should all be announced,” he said. “I think that should be more transparent. I’ve always said that.”

It didn’t happen during his annual State of the Tour press conference – in one of the few light-hearted moments of the press conference, Monahan joked that “effective immediately, Rory McIlroy is suspended.”

Monahan was peppered with a series of questions in hopes of learning whether Mickelson is currently suspended or not or will face disciplinary action in the future. The most telling response may have been the following:

“Every player is accountable for their actions out here,” Monahan said.

Monahan said he hasn’t attempted to call Mickelson, and repeated that the ball would be in Mickelson’s court.

“I would welcome a phone call from him,” Monahan said. “But it’s hard for me to talk about the different scenarios that could play out. Listen, he’s a player that’s won 45 times on the PGA Tour. He’s had a Hall of Fame career. He’s won here at the Players Championship. He’s inspired a lot of people and helped grow this Tour, his Tour.”

“So as difficult as it is to read some of the things that were said, ultimately a conversation will be had when he’s ready to have it, and I will be ready to have it, as well.

How often is it that someone spends 30 years in the public eye and gets in zero trouble (except for that insider trading deal of course), then they turn 51 and the sh*t hits the fan. Philly Mick has been everyone’s grandma’s favorite golfer for decades and now he’s losing sponsors like hot cakes. What a difference 9 months has made in the life of Lefty.  When he beat Koepka head-to-head in the final group at the PGA Championship last May his popularity was at an all-time high. Now he’s gonna look like Tony Romo with a blank ball cap.

We talked about Phil a good bit on the Ture Time pod last week and my co-host Jim Renner made a great point when he said, “Phil Mickelson clearly hasn’t had the need to apologize much in his life.” The apology Phil and his team released a few weeks ago was totally half-assed. It was very generic and seemed to just dig the hole deeper. The cloud of confusion about his future golf and when he talks to the Commissioner has just gotten darker and more complicated I’d say. Our golf community is dying for answers but those aren’t coming anytime soon since Phil is “working on being a better man.” The Tour’s dire need to keep things shrouded in secrecy makes this all the more difficult. I understand not releasing info about “banned substance” suspensions but when it comes to something that’s so public it hits different. There will be no hellacious seeds or bombed drives coming from golf’s 2nd highest earner for the foreseeable future… what a bummer.