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Geoffshackelford.com readers had faith in the 23-year-old

Those words are surreal to type given that just three years ago we were getting ready to know Collin Morikawa better at the 2017 Walker Cup. Even though he stayed at Cal for four years and was an All-American in each, and even though he seems to average 69.2 at every level he plays, it’s nonetheless stunning to see him win at 23 against a field where nearly all of the top players were relevant on a course presented in classic major championship fashion.

Even better, while his ability to hit fairways and overall steadiness was vital, it was the one major risk he took Sunday at the par-4 16th that made the difference. Here’s is Ben Everill’s account at PGATour.com on a shot we’ll talk about for years to come.

I’ve filed for The Athletic on that and many other components from the day, but just in case you missed the shot for the ages, here is Morikawa driving the 16th green where he made eagle en route to his -13 winning total.

Sean Zak at Golf.com sums up the whirlwind energy booster that was Phil Mickelson’s booth (audition?) appearance on Saturday’s CBS PGA Championship coverage.

Mickelson joined the national broadcast for 90 electric minutes shortly after his third round Saturday, and despite the golf at TPC Harding Park being plenty entertaining on its own, what Mickelson brought to the booth was a breath of fresh air. A liveliness filled with information. If social media was any indication — and in this case it probably is — Mickelson’s performance was a hit. Once he really found his groove, it was perhaps his best work on the golf course this season.

The appearance, at least the part I could hear between some other duties and golf watching on site, was this: while over-caffeinated, Mickelson gave the show a jolt of life and inside-the-ropes energy akin to what Tony Romo has brought to CBS’s NFL coverage. Delineating something as small as the difference between missing the 4th fairway right, instead of left, just took you into that mindset of an all-time great who is also competing this week.

But more than that, he just brought a willingness to talk, inject life and make things fun. Generally, I’d say he was almost talking too much, but he also dispelled the myth that golf announcing has to be hushed. Golf needs this kind of analysis and energy to match the increased quality of the pictures and overall production delivery (which CBS is doing this week…along with help from the Kaze drone team and Goodyear Blimp crews bringing the prime cut eye candy).

Now, Phil’s energy level does call into question his motives. Maybe he just had a stronger than usual coffee that is the secret to his weight loss. Or, has he realized his future and it involves getting fit for an IFB and blue CBS blazer? Could he bring a similar passion when under contract and with nothing to prove? Or when he’s not actually playing that week?

Holy Harding Park do we have a zany Sunday on tap at the 2020 PGA:

—2 players a shot back of Dustin Johnson.

—Eleven within three strokes of Johnson.

—Sixteen within four.

For what it’s worth—weather forecast is a crapshoot here—sun and good breezes are forecast for the leaders window Sunday. They were Saturday as well when the fog returned and the wind largely stood down.

With prime time and the Woods-McIlroy-Thomas grouping in the main ESPN window, the worldwide leader had a strong Friday from Harding Park.

For Immediate Release:

The live telecast of the second round of the PGA Championship on ESPN on Friday, Aug. 7, from TPC Harding Park in San Francisco attracted an average audience of 1,763,000 viewers, the event’s largest second round viewership since 2015 and an increase of 20 percent over TNT’s telecast of the second round last year.

The numbers continued the momentum ESPN established with its live coverage of the first round on Thursday, which averaged 1,246,000 viewers, making it the event’s most-viewed first round telecast since 2015 and the second-best opening round in the last 10 years. Friday’s telecast was up 42 percent in viewership from Thursday’s first round.

With golf superstars including Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy in competition during East Coast prime time, ESPN’s audience built early in their rounds and peaked with 2,260,000 viewers from 7-7:15 p.m. ET. The telecast, which ran from 4-10:45 p.m., averaged more than 2 million viewers from 6-10 p.m.

Through two rounds, ESPN is averaging 1,507,000 viewers, including 349,000 viewers in the 18-49 age group. The numbers are up 21 percent and 37 percent, respectively, from TNT’s telecasts of the first two rounds in 2019 and represent the most-viewed first two rounds since 2015.

When Rory McIlroy missed his tee shot right of Harding Park’s third green, the usual army of volunteers and three-deep crowds was not there to direct him to the ball.  After his group that included Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas had hit their approaches, the marshals on hand headed to the green’s right side. It was down deep.

According to Kama Yechoor, a volunteer who had finished his shift and was watching the group, those on hand were looking for the ball in an area pin-high right. Turns out, Rory had not flown nearly that far and the ball was sitting well down somewhere beside the fronting greenside bunker.

Jane Crafter, a former LPGA great and longtime commentator working ESPN’s Featured Group coverage, approached the scene to assess the tee shots and was going to help the search.  Everyone this week is a marshal without spectators. No one wants to see a player lose a ball. Even though the bluegrass roughs were topped off at 3.5 inches, the tall stuff is already a stout five inches in shaded areas.

“I didn’t see it, but I felt it,” Crafter said. She stepped on McIlroy’s ball as she approached.

When McIlroy and caddie Harry Diamond arrived, Crafter was told what had happened, according to Yechoor. He called for a ruling.

Not surprisingly, the 2020 PGA Championship first round fared well in the ratings department thanks to a west coast playing and eastern prime time audience. Even without Tiger Woods who will be in the prime time window Friday.

For Immediate Release:

ESPN’s live telecast of the opening round of the PGA Championship on Thursday, Aug. 6, from TPC Harding Park in San Francisco averaged 1,246,000 viewers, making it the event’s most-viewed first round telecast since 2015 and the second-best opening round in the last 10 years.

ESPN’s telecast, which ran from 4-10:30 p.m. ET, peaked at 1,509,000 viewers between 7:15-7:30 p.m. ET and every quarter-hour of the telecast until 10 p.m. averaged more than 1 million viewers. Viewership was up 24 percent from last year’s first-round telecast on TNT and up 31 percent among adults ages 18-49.

CBS Sports’ Final-Round Coverage of @WGCFedEx is Most-Watched Sports Broadcast of Weekend pic.twitter.com/ulxT9SkR2T

The Clippers/Lakers NBA return on Thursday won the week (barely), but CBS’s coverage of the WGC FedEx St Jude was the highest rated weekend sports broadcast, according to ShowBuzzDaily. The telecast featured a wild final round eventually won by Justin Thomas.

More impressively, it was played against increased sports competition returning from the COVID-19 breaks and summertime weather that often puts a huge damper in ratings (see the 2019 comparable weekend below).

The numbers marked an upgrade over last year’s dreadfully rated FedEx St Jude and the Wyndham Championship, played on a comparable weekend in 2019.

The 2019 numbers:

My story for The Athletic on Tiger’s solid opening round at Harding Park focused on the weird start, group vibe and Tiger’s slight miss at 8 that prevented an opening 67.

ESPN.com’s Bob Harig focused on a similar theme—the surreal start to the round when three of the game’s biggest names were met with silence.

Alan Shipnuck at Golf.com focused on Tiger’s ability to get the most out a so-so day.

Highlights from the featured group that goes at 1:58 pm PT Friday.

The price of a Starbucks latte.

A Triple-Triple at In N Out.

The student rate for a month of Spotify.

All seemingly good deals.

$4.99 for a month of ESPN+ so that you can watch the pre-ESPN PGA Championship coverage?

The CBS crew and ESPN+ broadcast had plenty of focus on the Featured Group of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, which meant we ended up hearing more than maybe they expected as the players waited on the 4th tee

In a nutshell, Tiger explained to Rory why Dodger fans don’t like the Giants-themed golf bags this week, why both think the NFL is doomed and why Tiger does not see MLB lasting past another outbreak.

Rex Hoggard breaks down the conversations here at GolfChannel.com as they looked at McIlroy’s bag.

“Giants’ colors, couldn’t do it,” Woods said.

“I don’t know enough about baseball,” McIlroy said.

“What team do you root for back home? Soccer?” Woods asked.

The Northern Irishman is a Manchester United fan.

“So, Liverpool. It would be like having Liverpool colors on your bag,” Woods said. “That’s how much we hate the Giants. I wouldn’t do it.”

The clip:

Jeremy Turnage reports from Augusta on Mayor Hardie Davis saying he wants golf even if means the likelihood of no fans on site for the rescheduled 2020 Masters.

“I think that based on everything I know about what’s taking place at Augusta National, they’ve been on the front lines of reviewing what the PGA is doing. I think, as you see, the tournament’s happening tomorrow -- the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park -- without fans. And that’s likely what probably will happen here in Augusta. We have a tournament without fans.”

Davis did say, however, that he has faith that the ANGC can move forward with a Masters tournament with fans provided the proper precautions are put in place.

“Do I believe that the Augusta National Golf Club can do it better than anybody? Absolutely,” Davis said.

Add the PGA Tour to the list of organizations cutting staff during the pandemic, reportedly around 50 this week according to several sources. Many of the cuts involved longtime employees presumably offered early retirement. The news comes as the PGA Tour has lost 11 tournaments due to the pandemic, but has not lowered purses for tournaments. Earlier this year, the PGA Tour signed a new $700 million a year television deal with CBS, NBC and Golf Channel commencing in 2022.

The PGA Tour issued this statement:

As a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PGA TOUR – much like many other organizations – has had to identify ways to streamline our operations. While it is never easy to say goodbye to valuable members of the TOUR family, this week’s targeted job cuts will allow us to most efficiently deal with the current climate and prepare for 2021 and beyond.

The news comes as construction continues on the new Foster And Partners designed headquarters where more office space has now been freed up.

My Thursday contribution to The Athletic looks at how players are adjusting to the northern California climate after two months of playing in hot weather.

The four-day forecast by Stewart Williams as of Wednesday afternoon

I’m sprinkling in investment thoughts for the (fellow) degenerates along with some fun notes from Wednesday at Harding Park. The 2020 PGA Championship kicks off Thursday with wall-to-wall coverage by ESPN+ and ESPN.

—COVID-19 testing has gone perfectly. From the PGA of America’s Kerry Haigh today: “With that, we ended up and are using the same testing entities that have been used for the first ten weeks, Drug Free Sport and Sanford Health, and with only one player remaining to be tested, all players and caddies in the field have cleared our COVID-19 protocol. So I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that, and I'm sure 155 players and 156 caddies are just happy, so thank you to all of them.”

—The forecast (above) is extremely favorable for an on-time finish—no thunderstorm chance for a PGA in August!—but suggests the players may be in for a very tough test. The cold makes 7,200 yard Harding Park play forever and even if we get some clearing, the forcasted breezes and sun (please!) should dry things out. The course is in a very good place to prevent an Olympic Club-style bake out, but I’m going to predict the winning score will be -10, which makes the 269.5 over/under intriguing (four-round par is 280).

—Tiger Woods is a great value at 35-1. Seems the money is going elsewhere according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Todd Dewey. I had my doubts given the climate, his Memorial performance and how he looked at the last three majors of 2019. This week? He’s got a determination to his steps, looks focused, is working hard on the greens and as I noted Monday, is in 100% mode with his swing. The course suits his style of play of these days.

I don’t want to judge and Rory McIlroy can certainly afford the hefty price, nonetheless it was a bit of a surprise when the topic of public golf and majors prompted AP’s Doug Ferguson to ask the last time McIlroy was asked to pay (most courses would pay to have a top player give them the time of day).

That it was a former Ryder Cup site, European Tour event site and rich’s guys place was, well, surprising.

From Steve DiMeglio’s item on McIlroy supporting muni’s for majors and the surprise answer:

“Valderrama, 2005,” McIlroy said. “250 Euros.”

That’s about $375 today.

But it was worth it to play the club that has hosted two different European Tour events, two World Golf Championships events won by Tiger Woods and Mike Weir in 1999 and 2000, and the 1997 Ryder Cup won by Europe.

“I’ve always liked the look at Valderrama,” McIlroy explained his decision to pay to play. “I was in Spain. Obviously Ryder Cup course. The Tour Championship of the European Tour was there for a lot of years. I was there and spent a few months’ worth of pocket money to go and play.”

He had not amassed four majors and two FedExCup’s then, but still pretty funny to imagine the pro shop ringing him up.

There are a couple of super reads to help you enjoy this week’s Harding Park PGA Championship just a bit more. Besides the obvious rare major championship playing at a public course, it’s the stories the Cypress can tell that makes this place different.

The San Francisco City has played such a part in that and Sean Martin looks at its history and the many stories to easily forgotten from that championship, with winners ranging from baggage handlers to future pro stars (with a famous 49ers QB contending a few times, too).

One man and multiple winner of The City stands above all others with his ties to Harding Park: Ken Venturi.

The Athletic’s Brendan Quinn takes a deep dive into the life, times and stammering issues overcome by Venturi when he found golf, a story that will certainly be addressed by his longtime CBS colleague Jim Nantz as the tournament unfolds. Nonetheless, this should give you an idea why the Venturi connection here is so profound:

The Venturis lived less than three miles from Harding. Ken played his first round there using borrowed clubs with hickory shafts. His father’s only advice was to count every shot, no matter what, including whiffs. Ken claims to have shot a 172 on his first 18-hole round. (He later said he quite possibly held the course record at Harding for both the lowest score, a 59, and the highest score, that 172.)

Ken stuck with it, playing alone. Blissful seclusion. Just him, his thoughts and his swing. He learned by replicating the swings he saw when caddying, then picked up lessons along the way. He’d play two balls at once, hitting only draws with one and fades with the other. He talked to himself as he played, finding and hearing his words. He saw a correlation between the rhythm of the swing and the rhythm of a sentence. The course became a second home as Fred stopped selling twine at the marina and took a full-time job running Harding’s pro shop. Ethel eventually joined him there, working alongside him in the shop, turning the place into their own mom and pop operation.

This week’s English Championship on the European Tour will be minus world No. 242 John Catlin and his caddie after the two dined out Tuesday night.

From Ewan Murray’s Guardian report on the strict bubble and consequences for a violation in Europe.

Catlin said: “I apologise to my fellow players and everyone involved with the tournament this week for this error of judgement. I understand the European Tour’s decision and accept the sanction.”

Catlin will be replaced in the tournament by South African Wilco Nienaber.       

Among the other elements in this story noted by Murray: Catlin played last week and was familiar with the “bubble” policies.

If you’ve been watching other return sports of late, you know from the mistakes and other oddities that what the CBS golf team has pulled off in a time of pandemic has been nothing short of astounding.

This week they bring more extras, goodies and personnel to Harding Park for the first major, though they are still working with teams in different parts of the world to bring everyone the PGA Championship.

Ad sales have been brisk, according to CBS Sports head Sean McManus. So, with a new deal starting this year, it seems the PGA of America may have negotiated a package that may make for a cleaner broadcast than with the past (awful) contract.

Dave Shedloski reports for GolfDigest.com:

Regardless, ad sales for the network have been strong, and McManus was proud to point out that only a few units remain unsold, and, more importantly for viewers, 50 percent of the national inventory is of the “two-box” variety, also known as the “Eye On The Course” feature that keeps half the screen on the action.

There wasn’t much from Tiger’s press conference/Zoom Tuesday at Harding Park. He was sharp, all smiles and sounding confident in a quest to win major No. 16.

Bob Harig at ESPN.com covered the most pertinent details, including the lower back talk.

And with temperatures hovering in the 50s in the mornings and likely to not reach 70 for most of the week, the ability to get loose will be part of the struggle for Woods.

"I think that for me when it's cooler like this it's just make sure that my core stays warm, layering up properly," he said. "I know I won't have the same range of motion as I would back home in Florida, where it's 95 [degrees] every day. That's just the way it is.

"Talking to some of the guys yesterday, they were laughing at their TrackMan [a measuring device] numbers already. They don't have the swing speed or ball speed they did last week. It's just the way it is. It's going to be playing longer. It's heavy air weather and whether the wind blows or not, it's still going to be heavy. The ball doesn't fly very far here."

Bryson DeChambeau’s disruption of the pro game with his launch angle attack—a rekindling of early 2000’s Bomb and Gouge—meets its first real threat in the form of a major.

We got Bryson’s answer via a Golf Channel interview with Todd Lewis (I could not find it online but will post if it’s linked.)

Dylan Dethier summarized here on Twitter:

Interesting hearing Bryson break down TPC Harding Park:

-Says the course "suits a bomber"
-Says the setup is straightforward: "Not really too much to it"
-Says he'll be hitting driver as far as he can everywhere, because the rough is playable enough to still hit the green

Tony Finau, another top player with abnormal length off the tee and a desire to try more aggressive approach, said this in his Tuesday press conference at Harding Park.