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☆ PGA Tour’s Commissioner Avoids Saying ‘LIV’ but Is Bullish About Changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Andrew Beaton | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Australia's Lee backs 'tough' PGA Tour changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 7 (Reuters) - Reduced fields and no cuts at designated events will be "tough" on players trying to make the grade on the PGA Tour but will ultimately reward good golf, according to Australian Min Woo Lee. The Tour has approved sweeping changes for 2024 in response to the threat posed by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit, drawing a scathing reaction from lower-ranked players. Designated events were announced by the PGA Tour last August to get the best players competing against each other more often. Leading players, including world number three Rory McIlroy, have said the changes are necessary for the tour to be more competitive. "So I agree with it because, I mean, good golf, you got toplay good golf to play in the best tournaments.

☆ The PGA Tour Is Making Changes—That Look Like LIV Golf
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Andrew Beaton | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Scottie Scheffler reacts during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. The battle for the future of golf between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has also been a clash over how tournaments are played. Now the PGA Tour is adopting a series of changes that happen to include some of the untraditional formats used by its Saudi-backed rival. In a memo sent to players Wednesday and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, commissioner Jay Monahan said the Tour is going forward with a “Designated Event Model” to highlight certain tournaments. Those select events will include a couple of notable features: smaller fields of only 70-80 players and no cut to reduce the field after 36 holes.

☆ Fearless Alcaraz can show next-gen how to topple Djokovic, say sports psychology experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Florida-based Patrick Cohn, who teaches mental skills and sports psychology techniques to professional athletes, said he was not surprised Djokovic was still dominating the next generation. Cohn believes young players must rely on better preparation, tactics and develop a stronger mental game to topple Djokovic. I suggest to younger players that they view opponents as nameless and rankless." Former tennis player Jeff Greenwald, now a sports psychology consultant, said the Spanish world number two possessed rare qualities required to excel at the elite level. He will be a contender and likely one of the players who begins to take a bite out of Djokovic."

☆ LIV ratings trail rival PGA Tour in first CW Network broadcasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIV Golf did not immediately respond to a request for comment. LIV Golf is the first sport to broadcast on the CW Network, after the two parties agreed a multi-year deal in January. Perry Sook, the chairman and CEO of CW Network parent company Nexstar, said on Tuesday's earnings call that the three-day tournament was viewed by more than 1.4 million across the network and its digital platform. "We're very pleased with our first weekend of LIV Golf," said Sook. Bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf attracted some of the sport's biggest names with the promise of supersize paydays and a truncated schedule.

☆ Hollywood producers honor Tom Cruise and 'Everything Everywhere'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb 25 (Reuters) - Hollywood producers celebrated Tom Cruise's career and handed their top film honor to multiverse adventure "Everything Everywhere All at Once" on Saturday at one of the key awards ceremonies ahead of next month's Oscars. The Producers Guild of America honored Cruise with a lifetime achievement award, and several speakers thanked the actor for boosting the pandemic-hobbled movie business with last summer's blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick." "Tom Cruise showed all of us that moviegoing was back," Sherry Lansing, the former CEO of Paramount Pictures, said in her introduction. The 60-year-old Cruise rose to fame as the star of "Risky Business," "Cocktail," "A Few Good Men" and other films. As he accepted his award, Cruise applauded the work of the TV and film producers in the audience.

☆ Court Allows the PGA Tour to Directly Sue LIV Golf’s Saudi Backers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Andrew Beaton | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, left, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi, center, and Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf. Since the beginning of the high-profile legal wranglings between the PGA Tour and its rival LIV Golf last year, the Tour has consistently angled to place LIV’s backing from Saudi Arabia at the center of the feud. Now, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has granted one of the PGA Tour’s chief goals. A ruling issued late Tuesday will allow the Tour to add Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV’s financial backer, and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan , as defendants in its lawsuit against LIV.

☆ Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav faces complex challenges as a combined HBO Max-Discovery streamer preps to launch this spring and staffers fear more layoffs and cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

CEO David Zaslav is expected to provide an update of the company's financials and outlook for the year ahead. WBD also shed more than half its stock price since the merger deal closed April 8, before a more recent partial recovery. But optimism around the company seems to be based on the feeling that things can only go up from here. Discovery to $20 from $16, assuming the heaviest cost cutting is done and despite the fact that the near-term ad outlook is poor. Legacy Warner ad salespeople in particular are frustrated over this approach and worried it'll cost them in the form of a smaller annual bonus than they've come to expect in years past.

☆ How to afford the big price tag of your lifetime 'bucket list'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The 36-year-old public relations professional has an opportunity to check something off his life 'bucket list': Seeing his favorite band, Metallica, play live. Whether Beyonce tickets, Super Bowl weekends or dream vacations after years of COVID restrictions, our bucket lists carry big price tags that seem to be rising every year. So how can we fund our bucket lists, without being totally irresponsible? One solution for this is to save for your bucket list item in a separate account. “There is one item I see on bucket lists that is actually getting less expensive – education,” says Brandon Welch, an investment advisor in La Mesa, California.

☆ LIV Golf finalizes all 12 team rosters for second season
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

February 21 - LIV Golf announced its 12 rosters of four-players teams for the upstart league's second season Monday night, making official the reported signings of Thomas Pieters, Danny Lee, Dean Burmester and Brendan Steele. 35 in the Official World Golf Ranking as of this week, joined Bubba Watson's team, RangeGoats. Players who finished in the top 24 of the 2022 Invitational Series were guaranteed spots for the 2023 LIV Golf League, according to a press release. "In less than a year, LIV Golf has reinvigorated the professional game and laid the foundation for the sport's future. In 2023, the LIV Golf League comes to life," LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement.

☆ Rahm returns to world number one with win at Riviera
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Feb 19, 2023; Pacific Palisades, California, USA; Jon Rahm reacts following his victory in the final round of The Genesis Invitational golf tournament. Spaniard Rahm, 28, made two late birdies to close with a two-under 69 for a two-shot win over home favourite Homa, finishing at 17-under for his 10th PGA Tour title and a fifth win in his last nine tournaments worldwide. "I don't need a ranking to validate anything," said Rahm, who was last ranked at number one in March 2022. "That was a tough week and a tough Sunday. "My streak continues here," said Woods, who has played at the Riviera course 12 times without winning.

☆ Woods closes with two-over 73 at Riviera, says 'headed in right direction'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Feb 19, 2023; Pacific Palisades, California, USA; Tiger Woods before playing his shot on the fifth hole fairway during the final round of The Genesis Invitational golf tournament. "It's progress, headed in the right direction," Woods, 47, told reporters after his first competitive event since last July's British Open. "My team has been fantastic in getting my body recovered day to day and getting me ready to play each and every day." When asked about his schedule, specifically as it pertains to tune-up events ahead of the April 6-9 Masters, Woods remained non-committal. "That's it, that's all my body will allow me to do.

☆ Vince McMahon reportedly wants at least $9 billion for potential sale of WWE
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ex-WWE CEO Vince McMahon reportedly wants at least $9 billion for the company, according to Bloomberg. He has been considering a sale since his return, and several bids reportedly have been submitted. Days after McMahon's return, WWE also announced that Stephanie McMahon was resigning as co-CEO, and Khan would serve as the lone CEO going forward. Last month, Khan said reports that a sale to the Saudi Arabian fund was complete in principle "totally false." McMahon's desired $9 billion is a high ask considering the company reported $1.29 billion in sales last year, and the $9 billion price tag is about 23 times the company's operating income, according to Bloomberg.

☆ LIV Golf’s Saudi Backers Ordered to Turn Over Information in PGA Tour Suit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Louise Radnofsky | Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Dustin Johnson hits from the tee during a LIV Golf event. A federal judge has ruled that LIV Golf’s financial backer, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan , aren’t entitled to sovereign immunity and must turn over information connected with the upstart circuit’s courtroom battle with the PGA Tour. The PIF and Al-Rumayyan had argued that there was no court in the U.S. with jurisdiction over them, saying they were shielded because they are part of a foreign government.

☆ Woods struggles to keep calm, shoots 69 in Genesis return
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Tiger Woods said he was trying to stay calm throughout his first round at the Genesis Invitational on Thursday, where he posted a two-under-par 69 in his first non-major PGA Tour event since October 2020. He competed in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, in December despite developing plantar fasciitis earlier in the month. "Misses, angles, wind - these are all things that have come second nature to a lot of these guys - I haven't really done this in a while," said the 15-times major winner on Thursday. "I was trying to calm myself down all day, trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing out here because I haven't played." Woods, playing alongside Rory McIlroy (67) and Justin Thomas (68), chipped into a bunker on 10, leading to one of three bogeys on the day.

☆ Woods apologizes for tampon prank, poised to make cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

After out-driving Thomas on the ninth hole, Woods was caught on camera handing his friend a tampon. Thomas quickly threw the tampon onto the ground as the two golfers had a good laugh. Many did not find it so funny - social media exploded, accusing the 47-year-old of being sexist, taking the prank to mean Thomas hit like a girl. "It was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn't turned out that way," said Woods when asked about the incident after his second round. "It was just we play pranks on one another all the time and virally I think this did not come across that way."

"I don't know what that reaction is going to be," said Woods, who will tee it up at the PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational this week. "I know that some of our friendships have certainly taken a different path, but we'll see when all that transpires. Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka are among the big names who have left the PGA Tour for the lucrative, Saudi-backed LIV Golf. While banned from PGA Tour events, LIV players have been invited to compete at the Masters. Woods called world number one Rory McIlroy the PGA Tour's "ambassador" and said he had been extraordinary at navigating the new, and at times hostile, terrain.

☆ Scheffler takes top ranking back from McIlroy after Phoenix Open win
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 13 (Reuters) - Scottie Scheffler knocked Rory McIlroy off the top of the world rankings on Sunday after the Masters champion retained his Phoenix Open title in Arizona. Scheffler carded a final round of six-under-par 65 for a 19 under total to claim his fifth PGA Tour title and regain the number one ranking he had held for 30 weeks until October. Scheffler, who took the $3.6 million top prize, won his first PGA Tour title in Phoenix to kick off a run of four wins in six starts. The American won his first major at Augusta National last April and was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year. Spaniard Jon Rahm, who also had a chance to become number one with a win on Sunday, was third at 14-under after closing with a 68, while McIlroy carded a 70 to finish joint 32nd on four under for the tournament.

☆ Woods commits to next week's Genesis Invitational, says 'I'm ready'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 10 (Reuters) - Tournament host Tiger Woods has committed to playing at next week's Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, which will mark his first non-major PGA Tour start since October 2020. "I'm ready to play an ACTUAL PGA Tour event next week," Woods wrote. The Genesis Invitational, which is run by Woods' foundation, is scheduled for Feb. 16-19. Woods then skipped the U.S. Open, the year's third major, so he could focus on the British Open at St. Andrews where he finished nine over par for his two rounds last July. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rose eyes Ryder Cup return after first PGA Tour win in four years
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Feb 6, 2023; Pebble Beach, CA, USA; Justin Rose with the championship trophy following the continuation of the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Rose finished ahead of Americans Brendon Todd and Brandon Wu to lift his first trophy since the Farmers Insurance Open in 2019 and 11th on the PGA Tour. "I haven't even entertained what the Ryder Cup looks like for me, other than I want to be there," Rose said. "What was really important to me was getting off to a good start on the PGA Tour so I wasn't under pressure later in the season, so I could turn my attentions to the Ryder Cup and the European Tour. I thought the simple way to approach it was try to play my way into the top 50 in the world," said Rose, whose victory moved him up to 35.

☆ PGA Tour Reboots Website as Golf Seeks Wider Fan Base
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

The PGA Tour is revamping its digital properties as it works to attract a broader group of fans to golf. The changes come as professional sports strive to draw younger fans who are showing less interest than older generations. The PGA Tour, a membership association for touring professional golfers that co-sanctions tournaments, is familiar with the dynamic. Bite-sized contentThe PGA Tour released a new app in November. “Golf is not a short game,” said Derek Fridman, a design partner at digital agency Work & Co, which worked with the PGA Tour on its digital reboot.

☆ Fitzpatrick joins Woods and McIlroy's virtual golf league
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] January 8, 2023; Maui, Hawaii, USA; Matt Fitzpatrick hits his tee shot on the third hole during the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions golf tournament at Kapalua Resort - The Plantation Course. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY SportsJan 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick has agreed to participate in the tech-focused golf league that is being launched next year by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TMRW Sports in conjunction with the PGA Tour, the company said on Tuesday. The league, whose launch was announced last August, is being billed as a first-of-its-kind experience for golf as each two-hour event will be held on a data-rich, virtual course complete with a tech-infused, short-game complex. Organizers promise a high-energy, greenside fan experience for the short-form version of golf in a coliseum environment with every shot to be shown live on primetime television. Fitzpatrick previously won the 2013 U.S.

☆ Immelman expects Woods to be ready for Masters return
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Tiger Woods will not be at his favourite hunting ground of Torrey Pines this week but former Masters winner Trevor Immelman expects to see the 15-time major champion back at Augusta National in April. 2008 Masters champion Immelman said that despite Woods's inactively he fully expects to see the five-time Green Jacket winner in the field for the year's first major from April 6-9. "I do anticipate him playing the Masters," added Immelman, who makes his debut as CBS Sport's lead golf analyst on Friday at the PGA Tour stop at Torrey Pines, where Woods has won eight times. "He has to make sure he is really ready to walk that course four or five days in a row. "I think a lot of it will depend on how the major golf courses are set up for him."

☆ Reed 'not living in reality', says McIlroy after snubbing American
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reed, who is taking legal action on different fronts since joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf breakaway series, admitted he threw a tee towards McIlroy, who had blanked him, on Monday. "Patrick came up to say hello and I didn't really want him to," McIlroy told a news conference on Wednesday. "I'm living in reality, I don't know where he's living. Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, said that his affiliation with LIV Golf was the reason McIlroy snubbed him. Since my tees are Team Aces LIV tees I flicked him one.

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Secretary of State and Augusta National member Condoleezza Rice attempted to use her influence to stop the U.S. Department of Justice from launching an anti-trust investigation into the PGA Tour, rival circuit LIV Golf said. It is requesting the court grant subpoenas for communications between PGA officials and Rice and other members of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the prestigious Masters tournament. An attorney for the PGA Tour and the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "The glimpses LIV has seen of Augusta members' involvement in the Tour's alleged illegal conduct reveal why the Tour and its directors seek to conceal these communications from discovery," LIV said in the filing on Monday. LIV golfers who have been barred from the PGA Tour were ultimately invited to compete at this year's Masters, which begins on April 6. read moreReporting by Rory Carroll in Los AngelesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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