Welcome! Where are you, you ask. I’m calling this weekend 9. Think of it as a place to warm 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.
Nelly Korda spoke.
And I can’t help but think this will be one of the LPGA’s highlights of the year.
Korda’s thought had come in a story this week from Punctuality Golf week writer Beth Ann Nichols, and you can read the whole story here. Earlier this month, an indoor simulator league for women was announced – WTGL, which will be played similarly to TGL, the men’s simulator league that started a year ago. And people were excited. There would be golf. There would be exposure. All good things.
But Korda, in talking to Nichols this week, was upset.
Women, she said, should play with men.
“I have mixed feelings about it, if I’m being honest,” Korda said, “and I’m surprised no other girls have, or no one has really talked about it.
“I think it’s a huge and incredible loss that we’re not playing alongside the men. There’s no better way to grow the game and it would have been revolutionary. I think it would be the first time that men and women are on the same playing field, playing for the same amount of money.
“But I also think it’s great that we’re getting this opportunity, so those are my mixed feelings.”
For what it’s worth, I agree, and have previously thought there should be a Ryder Cup style mixed event. But for now, let’s put aside our opinions about her opinion.
Because it’s the thought that counts.
An honest thought. And expressing it.
However, this is not from me. This is from the LPGA commish Craig Kessler. It was just a few months ago, at the LPGA’s season-ending event, where, amid a barrage of questions about growing the LPGA, building stars and creating attention, he said this:
“We compete in the attention economy. It’s not just against other sports. It’s: Should I put on Netflix, should I go out to dinner, should I hang out with friends, should I play in the backyard, should I go play a round of golf?
“Anything that has the potential to grab a fan’s attention, we’re competing against that, so it’s our job to differentiate ourselves, be interesting and capture the fans’ minds in any way we can.”
Now, should Korda and other professionals all go to Talking Head or have their own Part of Friday’s opinion piece on a golf website? No, of course not (although I would happily take a week off). And there’s also the opportunity for Kessler and his team to meet every LPGA professional’s every need. But maybe not.
Think of the professionals who let you think like Korda did. You notice. You saw the headline in the Nichols story and you clicked. (A friendly reminder to do this, if you haven’t.) And you ask for more. Maybe you hang around. Maybe while you’re there, find something else that’s interesting.
And, all of a sudden, people are talking about the LPGA the way they do, say, the WNBA.
“Again, there are no silver bullets for starmaking, and that’s where an ecosystem is needed,” Kessler said last November. “Yesterday we had our partner’s meeting and at the end they kindly asked, what can we do to help. We said two things: Raise your hand if you have ideas or a megaphone that you are willing to share; and, two, make introductions to those who can also support and help.
“There are so many examples we could cite, whether it’s what Nelly did going to the Met Gala or Sports Illustrated or Charley (Hull) going to a state banquet in the UK or some of the recent things she’s done on social.
“We’ve done a massive amount of work for our fans. What the fans want and what the fans want to see more of. And one of the comments we’re getting is that they want to see our LPGA athletes and stars show off the ropes.”
Let’s see if we can find eight more items for the 9th weekend.
Player no. 1 of the LPGA was asked about the burn and her answer was fantastic.
“You know, sometimes you get lazy. You get tired of hitting balls. When you guys have been in the office for a long time, I’m pretty sure you burn out sometimes. But life goes on. You still have… pic.twitter.com/DR29hYGc7u
3. Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour this week and Tuesday we heard from him for the first time publicly since the four-time major winner and LIV parted ways — and I thought what he said about the breakup and comeback was interesting, along with what he didn’t say.
His family played the biggest role, he said. He will now be able to play more events closer to home as the tournament plays almost its entire schedule in the US
Koepka also said he had no regrets.
“I don’t regret anything I do. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve always enjoyed the journey no matter where I’m at. I think that’s one thing – you also learn from everything, everything you’re doing, so I have no regrets.”
And he kept things friendly when talking about LIV. Is this surprising? Maybe a little. Divorce can get messy, and golf’s civil war has been ugly. But the parties involved are playing nice, at least publicly.
“Brooks and I – I talked to Brooks on Friday just to put things in perspective,” LIV CEO Scott O’Neil said earlier this month. “There’s no holy war, at least from our side. It’s like, we’re for LIV Golf and to grow the game globally. In fact, I love Brooks. I root for Brooks. I hope the best for him and his family.
“If that’s what he wants, there’s going to be no better cheerleader for him than me. I’ll tell you what, good for him if he’s getting what he wants and we’re getting what we want. I’m absolutely — I couldn’t be happier for him and for us.”
A delivery for the weekend
4. Speaking of LIV, the circuit starts its schedule next week.
5. This story here it was good. Written by Hugo Lindgren i The New York Times Magazineprofiles Max Greyserman – and how he’s using lessons from his father’s time on Wall Street.
I liked this part:
That’s why the Greysermans adapted their presentation to the language of behavioral economics, listing the cognitive biases that disrupt good decision-making. Because bogeys hurt more than birdies feel good, you are shy on the green and leave your shot short. This is loss aversion. When a great shot boosts your confidence, that’s the ultimate bias. Or when you convince yourself that a string of bad shots is sure to end with the next one, that’s player error at work.
Simply learning the terminology is not a solution to anything. Behavioral economics is, at best, a science of educated guesses; at worst, it is an academic fraud. In real life, cognitive biases distort our thinking as we confuse stories by chance. Subduing your cognitive biases means digging deep, changing the way your mind works.
A guide tip for your weekend
6. This story here it was good. Written by the University of Kansas, it says athletes with better jumping skills have faster head speeds.
Another guide tip for your weekend
7.Below is 40 more minutes of GOLF’s Dylan Dethier talking the golf swing with Jordan Spieth. Enjoy.
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A story that interests me
8. This story here it was good. Written by Barron’s, says a British travel agency is hosting an event this year – in North Korea.
9. The question is, have any writers ever played GOLF on tour?
Yes, Josh Sens has, and this story can be read here. Here is a preview of what he wrote:
In 2011, the year I was there, I gained entry into North Korea by falsifying the facts on my visa application. (I said I was a golf tour operator.) I flew to Beijing, got on a train to eastern China, then winged my way into Pyongyang in a groaning Soviet-built plane that I felt pretty sure was going to crash. I was met at the airport by a North Korean government bodyguard who stuck by me throughout my week-plus stay. He was part sidekick, part enforcer – Stevie Williams in disguise.
A video that interests me
10. Let’s make 10 items! video below it was, well, interesting.
What golf is on TV this weekend?
11. Let’s make 11 articles! Here’s a roundup of golf on TV this weekend:
– Saturday
4:00-8:30 a.m. ET: Third Round of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, Golf Channel
1:00-3:00 PM ET: Farmers Insurance Open Third Round, Golf Channel
3pm-6:30pm ET: Farmers Insurance Open Round 3, CBS
3:00-5:30 PM ET: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Golf Channel
I will never pass up an opportunity to play the Masters. There’s no guarantee you’ll ever play there professionally, and I just couldn’t pass it up. LIV would have to wait, and if it cost me money, so be it. I wouldn’t think twice. You just can’t quit playing the Masters, IMO. I think the Masters is something to be short-sighted about. I would have asked LIV to delay membership until after Masters 2026. I just couldn’t pass up that opportunity.
;)
