Welcome! Where are you, you ask. I’m calling this weekend 9. Think of it as a place to warm you up for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We will have thoughts. We will have advice. We will have tweets. But only nine in all, though sometimes perhaps more and sometimes perhaps less. But who am I? The following paragraphs tell some of the story. It can be reached at nick.piastowski@golf.com.
I couldn’t tank in golf.
It’s not that I don’t want to and I won’t go any further with this thought. But physically I couldn’t. I already wrestle with kicking, chopping and putting legally, so any nefarious activity wouldn’t be too hard to catch. With my swing, there’s a possible chance that deliberate thought might somehow reveal a fried iron strike.
But then there are the pros.
Who misses fairways and greens during a round – and who can also hit targets mostly on demand.
A friend and I were thinking about all of this last weekend when we were talking about The betting scandal that has rocked the NBA. To quickly recap, Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier has been accused of giving non-public information about his plans to leave a March 2023 game early to a friend, who then sold it to bookies for around $100,000. The story made us wonder if something similar could happen in pro golf.
If you’re thinking it wouldn’t be, there’s hope for you, there is before The PGA Tour safeguards promoted for questionable bets and, in the NBA’s case, the amount of bets that went into Rozier raised alarms. And there’s also the idea that golfers hold themselves to a high standard. The game, it is thought, is bigger than any bet.
Or is it naivety?
And think about the lower levels of professional golf, where breaking even financially is aspirational.
I also wonder about the ease with which a fan can influence a golf score. The game is (mostly) smooth. A scream at the right time, and a small shot goes left – and a hole bet is cashed. Sure, the fan is likely to go up, but that’s nothing a few thousand dollars couldn’t quell. A few years ago, Rory McIlroy talked a little bit about it, then a fan shouted during a Max Homa shootout.
“It’s a little slippery,” McIlroy said, “because I don’t think there’s any other sport — maybe basketball and you can sit on the court, but it’s a different environment — where people can really affect the game here.
“As long as it’s controlled in the right way and as long as there are measures in place so that things like what happened to Max Homa don’t happen. Because we’re all for people here having a good time and being able to put something into an outcome, as long as they don’t think they can come here and affect that outcome. That’s important.”
McIlroy is there. You should be able to bet on it, either in a tournament or away from it. And believe that things will be honest.
Of course, the NBA thought so too.
Let’s see if we can find eight more items for the 9th weekend.
A throwback to the week that was
2. This week, PGA Tour Champions president Miller Brady made several media appearances following the release of the 2026 50-and-over circuit schedule, and he said his tour is ready for a player who will be eligible for age on December 30.
Tiger Woods.
“We’re well prepared,” Brady said on the Golf Channel. “We’ve done some whiteboarding over the last year in preparation for Tiger turning 50, and if and when he plays, our tours will be ready.”
If he plays, it will be fascinating to see the amount of interest.
The question is, does he play anywhere again?
Another takeaway from the week that was
3. Also this week, Grant Thornton’s invitation announced her field for the mixed team event, which again gives me the opportunity in this space to ask that we get a Ryder Cup/Presidents Cup/Solheim Cup style mixed team event.
Americans vs. Euros. Americans vs. Internationals. Americans vs. the World. Scottie-Nelly vs. Rory-Jeeno. Sounds good.
Another takeaway from the week that was
4. You won’t find a better summary of the changes coming to St. Andrews than the one in the video belowby Sean Zak of GOLF.
The last take from the week that was
5. I’m linked to clips I’ve seen of Barstool’s Online invitation. I’m thinking of making time to watch them all. And my 17-year-old nephew has.
It succeeds in character development. This is something golf professionals should think about.
A delivery for the weekend
6. With Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund involved in pro golf through LIV Golf and a still-negotiated deal with the PGA Tour, news about the PIF is evident and various media outlets this week reported on its future strategy. In a story written by the Business Times, I thought this was interesting:
The fund is still working out how exactly it will approach international investments, the people said. After the review is complete, allocations to global deals may increase slightly as portfolio companies are expected to become more active as they look to expand overseas, they added.
Since its inception, PIF has founded around 100 companies in sectors ranging from tourism to AI. The aim is to focus on growing firms in six key areas outlined this week by Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, in what he called “a sneak peek” of the investment strategy.
The plan will rely on consolidation to create more companies that are able to raise their own financing and attract foreign investment, people familiar with the matter said.
You can read the whole story here.
A golf story that interests me
7. Instagram account @timtagolfs i care (And a tip about the hat Daniel Polce of My Golf Spy to write about it first.)
In short, it documents how Tim Ta left his job as an Esports player to play golf. You can find the last post below.
A Halloween costume that interests me
8. Halloween costume below it’s big.
A dog toy that interests me
9. HereDai Poole of pethelpful.com writes about a set of golf clubs – for your dog.
What golf is on TV this weekend?
10. Let’s make 10 items! Here’s a roundup of golf on TV this weekend:
– Saturday
9:30 p.m. (Friday) – 2:30 a.m. ET: Maybank Championship third round, Golf Channel
7 a.m. to noon ET: Rolex HotelPlanner Tour Series Grand Final third round, Golf Channel
Noon – 4pm ET: Hong Kong Open third round, Golf Channel
– Sunday
9:30 p.m. (Saturday) – 1:30 a.m. ET: Maybank Championship Final Round, Golf Channel
5:30 to 10:30 a.m. ET: Rolex HotelPlanner Tour Series Grand Final Round, Golf Channel
10.30am-2.30pm ET: Hong Kong Open Final Round, Golf Channel
What are you emailing me?
11. Let’s make 11 items! This thought was recently emailed to me. It was in response to the story about golf in a Washington prison, which you can read here.
I recently watched the YouTube video about the club and it hit home. I’ve never been to jail or prison, but I understand what sports can do. I lost both my legs in June 2020 due to a bacterial infection that almost took my life. As my health improved and after a year, I was able to get fitted for prosthetics and begin the difficult process of getting back on my feet, as they say.
During the arduous journey of physical therapy, golf was suggested for balance. I’ve never been a real golfer before – I probably went 3-4 times a year with a few friends – so I was starting with a handicap set. I started with just the range of rowing 1-2 times a week, which turned into 5-6 times a week. I “stood” there for hours working on my balance that first summer. By the following summer, I was standing still. It was great in terms of balance as a bilateral transtibial amputee. This is not a note to brag about myself; that means golf was the thing to help me. I actually related to the inmates in terms of focus and wanting to be better not only in golf but in life. I don’t have any tattoos, but people see my legs before they see me. Now I shoot mid-40s for nine holes and keep working on it.
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