European Tour Emphasizes UK Event Cluster, "Golf For Good" Theme In July Return

European Tour Chief Keith Pelley and his team rolled out a “reshaped” season with a six-tournament UK swing in July and August followed by a rescheduled Rolex Series in the fall. The European Tour shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 8th.

While also the rollout is similar to the PGA Tour’s upcoming approach emphasizing health and safety, the European Tour model of putting events in a “cluster” with a community-focused theme offers a start contrast to the U.S. tour’s return the week of June 8th.

From the EuropeanTour.com story outlining the dates, venues (eh…) and “Golf for Good” theme.

The ‘Golf for Good’ initiative will be launched at the new ‘UK Swing’ in July and August, six weeks which will culminate in £500,000 from the European Tour being distributed equally between charities local to the tournament venues and charities chosen by the leading ten players in a mini Order of Merit which will run across the six tournaments.

Pelley felt compelled to explain the cluster in case the rest of Europe felt left out.

“Without question we have had to think differently about the remainder of our 2020 season which is reflected in today’s announcement. As golf’s global Tour, diversity is ordinarily one of our biggest strengths, but in this instance it has become one of our biggest challenges.

“Initially, therefore, based on the expert guidance we received, playing in clusters, in one territory, is the best option in terms of testing, travel and accommodation.

“I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank Betfred, Close House, Marriott, The Forest of Arden, Hanbury Manor, The Celtic Manor Resort and The Belfry for sharing our vision for this ‘UK Swing’ and we look forward to returning to tournament play in July with this innovative stretch of six events.

Still remaining to be lifted are travel bans that could throw a wrench in the rollout, though according to Iain Carter of the BBC, Pelley is confident the bans will be lifted.

The tournaments depend on a lifting of government quarantine measures affecting travellers coming into the UK. There is confidence this will not prove a barrier to the tour, which has seen no play since early March.

"In terms of the UK we are very encouraged and very optimistic that the hotels will be operational by the time we play at the end of July and that we will be able to get some dispensation for our players in terms of quarantine," Pelley added.

"And that is absolutely critical for us."

The sensitivity aspect in the return statement is admirable and in contrast to the PGA Tour, where purses have not been touched and charitable efforts have yet to be outlined (though undoubtedly will).

One tournament not mentioned: the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. Brian Keogh with Pelley’s insistence it remains a priority event to reschedule and the various complications with firming up a schedule spot.

Here is the graphic accompanying the European Tour story:

"Will the PGA Tour's fine line of testing protocols be enough when play returns?"

With exactly two weeks the PGA Tour restarts its season at Colonial, Rex Hoggard wonders if the organization’s threading of “an impressive needle” to balance testing issues is enough. Particularly as the grim total of 100,000 deaths in the U.S. was reached and COVID-19 testing in some markets remains an issue.

The Tour’s plan to bring all of the required diagnostic tools and testing supplies to each event alleviates what would be a bad look in communities where tests aren’t readily available, but it also talks to the limitations of the policy no matter how detailed or well-designed.

Within the Tour’s testing “bubble” are players, caddies and essential personnel, like rules officials, but the vast majority of volunteers, media or the staff at local hotels would not be tested. Instead, they would be screened with thermal readings and questionnaires.

The potential blind spot in the Tour’s testing protocols is a misgiving that at least one top player gave a voice this week.

“An asymptomatic person could operate within a tournament,” Adam Scott told the Australia Associated Press. “If they're not showing symptoms, and I somehow picked it up inside the course, and I'm disqualified, I'm now self-isolating [in that city] for two weeks. I'd be annoyed if that happened.”

I’m a bit surprised at this point that we’ve heard very little from the PGA Tour on two fronts.

First, why exactly volunteers and media are not being tested after Scott raised his concerns?

And second, what is the Tour doing to try and ease the blow of lost charitable dollars to upcoming events? Or, tell us how, as a non-profit organization enjoying significant tax breaks because of charitable giving, is doing with these returning events to promote testing, wellness, a carefully conceived return to normalcy and, or, what they are doing give back to the communities visited.

NGF: 97% Of U.S. Courses, 80% Of Retail Now Open

The latest COVID-19 update from the National Golf Foundation features quite a bit on the retail sector now that 97% of U.S. courses have reopened for play.

Over 80% of golf retail stores are now open, though only 12% of golfers surveyed say they’ve visited.

This longer story highlights some of the retail sector findings.

And here is the update on the course side, where the 97% number is up from 44% in early April.

The Old Course Reopening On Wednesday To Yearly Ticketholders

Given its age and lack of significant closures (except Sundays), there is something symbolic and reassuring to know the Old Course and other St Andrews courses reopen Wednesday.

GolfDigest.com’s Joel Beall with the particulars, just in case you were thinking of trying to get on the ballot.

It will not be business as usual. The letter states that “at this time all courses are available for Yearly Ticket holders only.” Tee times will be made in 12-minute intervals with two golfers per tee time.

There will also be no walk-ups, so if necessary there is a track and trace record of who is on the links.

Last week Scottish Golf confirmed that May 29 would be the earliest return date for Scottish courses. However, a number of courses, especially those in Edinburgh, are targeting June 8 for re-opening.

In other St Andrews-adjacent news, one of the all time great golf pros is hanging up his spikes, and now Crail gets just its second pro in club history.

From Martin Dempster’s story on Graeme Lennie deciding to retire year’s end, to be replaced by David Snodgrass.

“The messages of congratulations have been truly 
overwhelming and humbling. I am extremely passionate about Crail GS and the local community and I am very excited for the 
journey ahead.

“Crail is an incredibly special club, with two amazing courses, a friendly and supportive membership and it is a dream come true to become the next head professional.”

Lennie is retiring after 
34 years, during which time he has helped establish the club as one of Scotland’s favourite golfing destinations. It was also his close friendship with renowned course designer Gil Hanse that led to the American designing Crail’s Craighead Links that opened for play in 1998.

For those dreaming of a St Andrews area itinerary, please keep the courses at Crail in mind. You’ll enjoy this view even more in person:

And the 14th hole on Hanse’s Craighead course:

Winners And Losers From The Match 2: Champions For Charity

Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods returned for a second edition of The Match. The weather was awful, the course a tricky one to maneuver for crews and two legendary quarterbacks were thrown onto national TV with golf clubs. What could go right?

Yet…

Winners

Phil Mickelson – When he’s on and invested, he’s a master entertainer. He dropped only one early groaner followed by high energy and fun. The 11th hole drive and commentary falls into the first team all-legendary TV category. It should be a Callaway commercial. Now interrupting this post for an embed:

Phil goes over the tree line and drives the green on the par-4 11th. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Knib2gL8lx

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2020

Tiger – There will be plenty of wondering what might have been at the Masters, PGA and U.S. Open given his ballstriking performance. Then again, the break may have been Either way, good to see him looking and playing well. He wasn’t excessively chatty but did deliver one especially fun zinger.

The legendary quarterbacks – They played incredibly well given the circumstances and in particular, Tom Brady’s painful struggle to find his swing. Peyton Manning delivered strong energy, one extra-special zinger and charmingly dated Top Gun references, while Brady delivered the shot that’ll be seen on every national highlight show. The Brady hole-out, also worthy of interrupting this blog post:

Hole-out from the fairway ...

Just Tom being Tom. pic.twitter.com/ITxotmL3rr

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 24, 2020

Justin Thomas, Charles Barkley, Brian Anderson—Three guys who either never or rarely do golf were the stars mostly because they knew when to chime in and when to let the players shine.  Thomas’s knowledge of the course and quick adoption of the medium was impressive, particularly confidently and succinctly he delivered his points.  

Turner – They clearly learned from The Match 1 and improved under brutal working conditions. Pile on awful weather, physical distancing requirements, an untested format and losing the Goodyear blimp to rain, and Champions for Charity should have been an unmitigated television disaster. Early on, things appeared headed that way but the energy and pace issues were a result of a 45-minute rain delay and the dreaded energy sapping format known as best ball golf. Strong graphics and tracer work was also turned in by producer Jeff Neubarth and director Steve Beim’s crew.

Sound – Of course there were a ton of issues, but even those turned slightly comical when players were zooming off the tee and unable to hear questions posed to them. The unintentional icing-out effect was cute. But given the crappy conditions and difficulties posed by trying to have players wear both a microphone and IFB for sound, the overall performance was beyond admirable. A nod to the announcers for laying out well for player dialogue after maybe overdoing the silence early on.

Modified Alternate Shot – Once this format took over on the back nine, the pace completely changed. I fear a lot of viewers were lost due to the front nine’s sluggish best-ball format. Their loss, but no one could blame them. Instead, point the finger at best ball.

Cart cams – what seemed like a huge optics nightmare—grown men and rich athletes whizzing around in their personalized decked-out carts—turned into a positive with cameras situated on the inside and the ability (sometimes) to converse with them. And was it me or where those carts moving a bit more rapidly than your normal buggy?

Charity – A whopping $20 million was raised by the assorted sponsors, pledges and viewers. 

Medalist’s drainage – Given the rain and being situated on a swamp, to see the ball rolling and the greens retain speed after being under water when TNT came on the air, a miracle really.

Ernie Johnson - He’s a national treasure and great Barkley foil, but wasn’t able to make it for reasons he explained in this emotional piece that ran early in the show:

Ernie Johnson gave us the best thing you’ll see all year long...#TheMatch pic.twitter.com/FKTgsmIfC4

— Kevin Gray Jr. (@CTSportsRadio) May 24, 2020

Losers

Tom Brady’s Under Armour pants – They split in the fabric—not the seam— and the big reveal came as he went to pick up his hole-out. They’ll be shipping those to UA headquarters for forensic analysis. **Brady later Tweets a suggestion they were NOT UA pants.

Even Brady had fun with it after the match:

Pants wanted in on social distancing I guess... https://t.co/PJBPyFWowI

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 25, 2020

Tiger’s “shorts” - No, they were not cut off rain pants. And they were predictably mocked on Twitter.

Most golf television golf commentators — The freedom of the Turner crew demonstrated how locked up and stale most golf broadcasters have become trying to cheer-lead in a losing battle to fend off PGA Tour censors, agents and other assorted overmeddling point-missers.

Best-ball – It just takes forever. And rarely is the format that good. Granted, the front nine best-ball format of Champions For Charity was better than two-man Skins (!?), but that’s not a high bar. Remember, the Scots have it right even if they may grovel at the “modified” notion. More alternate shot please.

Caddies – it was a rough two weeks for the bagmen of the world. First the lads carried their clubs around Seminole and it was the highlight. Then, even in awful conditions, the loopers left at home were not really missed. Sorry!

That Weird Mid-round Intermission – I’m sure there were logistical and bill-paying reasons but the mid-round intermission was a huge buzzkill.

Florida – In a statement to GeoffShackelford.com, the local Chamber of Commerce: “We are still investigating whether that was the Bahamas or somewhere in South Carolina, not our state for sure.”

Taylor Made Driving Relief – The PGA Tour Entertainment/NBC/Golf Channel precursor was well-intentioned and fine in the grand scheme. But with a pair of buzzkill guest appearances, and despite a better venue and weather, ended up feeling a bit too much like an empty make-good vessel than a chance to lose ourselves in a few hours of fun.

While both of these fundraising events faced hurdles created by the COVID-19 and The Match 2 obviously featured more dynamic participants, the latter provided escapist entertainment and generated four times the funds. So while there should be no winners, Champions For Charity takes this one 6&5 despite having a similar number of pre-planned obligations, promos and an A-Rod appearance. The Match 3? Why not!

The Match (2) Is Here With Lofty Charitable Goals, Souped-Up Golf Carts And Ill-Fitting Dad Shorts On Full Display

The carts are freshly painted, primed, sterilized (for the times) and fully charged. If only they were racing might I be more excited for The Match 2, aka Champions For Charity, featuring Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning taking on Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady.

(TNT has the coverage starting at 3 pm ET and the goal is to raise a minimum of $10 million.)

So yes, a lot will be raised for charity and while the Medalist is no Seminole, the fun factor of two legendary athletes willing to subject themselves to the cruelty of golf in front of millions is way more appealing than last Sunday’s poorly-conceived team Skins Game pancake.

Dylan Dethier has the prop bets in case the early pick 4 at Charles Town is your thing. Sadly, no bets are offered on who wears the worst dad shorts, though Tiger would open as an early -400 favorite based on the above practice round photo.

The four players will each take a cart, leading to this dreadful optic in a time of pandemic:

Find a more South Florida, snow bird, private golf community flex... You can’t. pic.twitter.com/jVpGuzDvxK

— Outside The Cut (@OutsideTheCut) May 24, 2020

The forecast, as of Saturday, was not great. But fingers crossed they will get the match in. With Monday beings Memorial Day, it’s apparently an option if storms materialize.

The forecast for #CapitalOnesTheMatch is typical Florida summer. But as you can see via the @PGATOUR webpage, if there’s weather issue this goes to Monday. —> #golf pic.twitter.com/yur5SmBiCs

— Jeremy Schilling (@jschil) May 23, 2020

NGF: 95% Of U.S. Courses Open, Golfers Finding Normalcy On Course Than Elsewhere

The week-of-May 17th National Golf Foundation COVID-19 pandemic report shows a lot of positive signs in the way of course re-openings, consumer sentiment and maybe most fascinating of all: golfers finding more “normalcy” at the golf course than other places in their lives.

The graph here grabbed for posterity:

The NGF’s CEO, Joe Beditz, was on The Shack Show to shed light on this important work to keep the golf industry informed in these bizarre and awful times. As I noted then, these kinds of stats compiled by the NGF are going to have an incredible calming and informative effect that will hopefully guide the U.S. game through this difficult time.

Adam Scott Taking Wait-And-See Approach To PGA Tour Return

Evin Priest talks to this year’s Genesis Invitational winner and world no. 6 Adam Scott about the PGA Tour’s planned return at Colonial June 8-11.

The verdict? Scott does not think the Tour’s protocols are tight enough and he’s passing for the first seven weeks of play.

"What concerns me is dialogue that (the tour) is hopeful of returning one or two-hour test (results). You'd want that in place before competing.

"The other (concern) is it seems an asymptomatic person could operate within a tournament.
"If they're not showing symptoms and I somehow picked it up inside the course and I'm disqualified I'm now self-isolating (in that city) for two weeks. I'd be annoyed if that happened.

"I thought you'd start quite tight and loosen those protocols to normal if appropriate."

As for his comment on testing and protocols, the two loosest areas that may be a stumbling block for players are with the PGA Tour’s use of nasal swab tests that “at best” will return a result in 24-48 hours. And the “bubble” for travel and lodging is still just a recommendation according to the Tour’s 37-page document, meaning players can use other means of lodging and flight (or car).

Here is the testing element Scott appears to be referring to as not returning results fast enough:

The travel element seems to leave a few holes in the “bubble” but I’m also not sure how else it can be done, which again reminds that expanding fields for this return could turn out to be a huge headache.

On lodging, the bubble hotel is a strong recommendation, but not required:

And this also may be part of Scott’s trepidation given the number of people able to come, go and be exposed elsewhere:

Variety: "TV Networks Bet on Golf to Lure Sports Audiences Back to the Screen"

Variety’s Brian Steinberg talks to various network types to report on how live golf is garnering interest in the ad world at a time when buys are on a severe decline. Whether it’s a scarcity matter or renewed faith in pro golf as a promotional tool, remains to be scene, according to Steinberg:

Others are placing emphasis on golf, too. WarnerMedia has sold all its commercial inventory for its May 24 broadcast of a celebrity golf match between Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Phil Mickelson and Peyton Manning. And CBS is seeing high interest for PGA Tour events it plans to air in June, with appropriate social-distancing requirements. “For us, the PGA starts on June 11 in Texas. We’re seeing very strong demand for that,” said ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish during a recent call with investors.

Golf has long been important to various networks, which fill hours of their weekend schedules televising the Masters and sundry PGA Tour stops. That relationship was spotlighted in early March, when ESPN, CBS and NBC agreed to a new nine-year pact with PGA Tour that could come to at least $680 million.

Whether the current demand reflects a new desire for golf – or for Nascar, another sport that started up last weekend with a race that took place in South Carolina without fans – remains to be seen.

Westwood: "Not worth it" To Travel To America For PGA, Other Tournaments

As the PGA Tour gears up for a return, the likelihood of overseas players traveling to the United States appears increasingly unlikely. Tommy Fleetwood before and now Lee Westwood, talking to Todd Lewis on Golf Central, says it’s “not worth it” to travel to the U.S. with concerns about the pandemic, quarantining and other issues.

This increasingly looms as a huge issue for the three planned majors, which pride themselves on field strength and diversity of representation. Should the rest of the world not want to come here to play, will that factor into final decisions on whether to play the rescheduled PGA, U.S. Open and Masters.

The full interview:

UK Clubs, Green Fees And Replacing Lost Tourism Revenue

The UK Golf Guy has done some incredible research into guest green fee spikes at the UK’s famous courses.

Given the state of affairs, with some centuries old clubs facing potential calamity and many others seeing a huge revenue hit, he argues that lowering fees and welcoming some domestic tourism could be vital to survive the downturn.

Some of the research on green fee changes is really impressive, so hit the link and give him a follow. But

I’ve looked at the increase in green fees for a selection of top courses since 2000. The average summer weekend green fee for these courses in 2000 was £88. Coming in to summer 2020, the average for that same group is over £240. Had the cost increased in line with UK inflation then the average would be only £145.

The highest percentage rises have come at three Open courses - Royal St George’s, Carnoustie and Muirfield. All have gone from sub-£80 a round to over £250. Others, like North Berwick and Cruden Bay, have seen improvements in their course rankings which will have been a catalyst for their increases.

The great Australian golfer, and professor/student of the game, Peter Thomson said that no golf course in the world should charge more than a round at the Old Course, but now a round at Turnberry is almost twice as much.

The increases have been eye-watering, but tee-time sheets have still been filled. There have always been enough visitors willing to pay the prices, while the local market has largely been priced out of playing some of the nation’s most revered courses.

Phil On Brady And Manning In Sunday's Match: "There is going to be a unique pressure"

USA Today’s Steve DiMeglio talks to Phil Mickelson about Sunday’s charity match fearing Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning vs. Mickelson/Tom Brady.

I’ve heard some apathy at the event despite what could be huge amounts of charitable dollars raised, but lost in some of that is just how difficult this will be for Brady and Manning. After all, we saw loose shots from four elite players in last Sunday’s TaylorMade Driving Relief event, and Mickelson notes that the two legendary quarterbacks will undoubtedly be humiliated by the game on national TV.

This alternate-shot wrinkle puts a lot of pressure on Brady and Manning.

“I give them a lot of credit for putting themselves out there because there is going to be a unique pressure,” Mickelson said. “But that’s why it’s going to be so much fun, because we are going to have mishaps and we are going to have some bad shots and we are going to laugh at ourselves.”

Mickelson also said there will be plenty of ribbing, unlike the near silence during his and Woods’ first match in Las Vegas. Each of the four players will be mic’d up, with each riding in their own cart. There will be no caddies or spectators.

I wish they could revisit the carts part, as it was pretty refreshing watching Rory and friends carrying their clubs Sunday.

“We’re Out of Toilet Paper, Hand Sanitizer—and Golf Pushcarts?”

Pre-pandemic, push carts were already infinitely more accepted in the United States than at any point in my lifetime. Largely due to college golfers adopting them in the last seven years or so, pre-pandemic American golfers were increasingly overcoming the supposed embarrassment of using one over a motorized golf cart.

The rest of the world has always been perfectly fine with push carts, pull carts, trolleys, etc… and now, with physical distancing rules or some courses limiting cart usage, the day has arrived when we are witnessing not only an appreciation but a run on the simple devices. Some of the finest courses in the world where they were once forbidden are now okay with push carts. AND golfers changing their shoes in the parking lot.

(Visualize shocked Emoji here.)

Of course any form of walking, even with a push cart is better exercise, connects you with the course and your group (if all walking) and is just a quieter, calmer, more centered experience.

I’ve heard from golfers enjoying the push cart (Charlie Rymer discussed on Shack Show Ep. 2 about his golf in Myrtle Beach with his beloved electric push cart and how much more he’s enjoying non-cart golf). And frequently, I’ve heard from others asking if I know a guy who knows a guy who might have an extra for sale.

Jason Scott Deegan was the first to cover the topic for GolfAdvisor and covered many elements for those needing a reference piece.

But this on the manufacturing side is noteworthy.

"There's been a tremendous rush for push carts," said Craig Ramsbottom, the president of Dynamic Brands, which sells popular BagBoy models like the Nitron. "It caught us off-guard. The demand, it’s hard to describe. ... Over the last week, we got down to zero carts. It's amazing. Whether it was a slower moving model or color, anything and everything sold."

The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton has tackled the topic as well in a piece “We’re Out of Toilet Paper, Hand Sanitizer—and Golf Pushcarts?”

Suddenly, people eager to trade the misery of sheltering in place for the frustration of chasing around a tiny ball realize they need a pushcart.

Mr. Hansen is the national sales manager for ProActive Sports Group, which distributes Clicgear, a line hyped as the “Rolls-Royce of pushcarts.” His firm typically has a strong sense of how much inventory it needs for a season. It takes the estimates, adds a fudge factor and places orders long in advance.

None of its statistical models accounted for a pandemic. As soon as golf courses changed protocols, pushcarts began flying off shelves. Courses tried to order them in bulk. Retailers that sold out wanted more. Individuals went hunting online.

The U.S. has no strategic pushcart reserve. Distributors say it can take weeks or months to get new shipments, a process hardly made easier by coronavirus supply-chain disruptions.

Regular golf carts are never going away and a significant profit motive will always keep them safe. Besides, way too many courses are tough to play without one. But in this bizarre time, let the push cart join things like better tee time spacing, unraked bunkers and slower green speeds as having gained fans.

"Coronavirus is retiring the handshake. Here’s why that could change sports forever"

The LA Times’ David Wharton got the Column One slot to make a substantial consideration of the hand shake in sports going forward.

A sampler but as always, I recommend hitting the link for the full piece:

“It’s just one thing that should change and probably will change,” University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari said on the “BBN Live” show. “The game ends, you point. ‘See you after.’ Call the guy on the phone. These kids stay in touch anyway.”

If the custom fades — and not everyone thinks it will — experts hope something else will take its place.

Contact might not be required, the mere orientation of the hand conveying fundamental information. Think of a friend raising his hand in greeting or people turning their palms upward in exasperation or confusion.

So a simple nod and wave might suffice, or maybe the Hindu greeting of namaste, with hands pressed together as in prayer. When the PGA Tour returns with a tournament next month, officials have asked players to consider “a tip of the cap or an air fist bump or something from a distance.”

“You wouldn’t get the full effect of the actual touch,” Givens said. “But the recognition of another’s physical presence, you’re taking them seriously.”

Air chest bumps have already been a thing in golf.

And maybe Bubba and Chairman Payne were onto something in 2012, minus the face touching.

Ratings: "Driving Relief" Draws A Traditional Tour Event-Sized Audience

While NASCAR’s return garnered massive ratings, golf’s “live” return up against most of the first race back did not stand a chance. Why the attempt at competing with non-exhibition sports, we’ll never know. (Golf was the second biggest sports event of the week in terms of eyeballs and just held off a strong challenge from the Beverly Hills Dog Show.)

More importantly: the only number from TaylorMade Driving Relief that matters: $5.5 million and counting raised for COVID-19 related causes, with United Health and Farmers doing the biggest check-writing.

As for the TV audience, golf fans returned. But when the release compares the exhibition with 2019 Tour events, it becomes clear sports fans probably went with NASCAR.

For Immediate Release:

TAYLORMADE DRIVING RELIEF EARNS 2.35 MILLION VIEWERS (TAD) ACROSS NBC, GOLF CHANNEL, NBCSN & STREAMING

Golf’s Return to Television Has Raised More Than $5.5 Million for COVID-19

Relief Efforts So Far; Donations Continue via PGATOUR.com/DrivingRelief

ORLANDO, Fla. (May 18, 2020) – Live golf returned for the first time in two months on Sunday, with TaylorMade Driving Relief supported by UnitedHealth Group, which saw a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.35 million average viewers (2-6:33p ET; P2+) across NBC, GOLF Channel, NBCSN, along with NBC Sports and PGA TOUR streaming platforms. Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson defeated Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in a charity skins match that has raised more than $5.5 million for COVID-19 relief efforts. Donations are continuing at PGATOUR.com/DrivingRelief.

“Sunday’s telecast helped raise awareness for the American Nurses Foundation, CDC Foundation and Off Their Plate, three organizations on the frontlines of COVID-19 relief efforts. It’s a credit to the PGA TOUR, corporate partners and the players for making this event a terrific success,” said Pete Bevacqua, president, NBC Sports Group. “On top of the funds raised for these charitable entities, audiences were treated to their first look at Seminole Golf Club, which ultimately was the fifth star on Sunday in its television debut.”

A 2.35 million TAD for Sunday’s live broadcast is relatively flat for average viewership compared to CBS’ and NBC’s 2nd Quarter 2019 PGA TOUR Final Round average (2.32M vs 2.38M average viewership, -2%). Additionally, Persons 25-54 garnered 762,000 average viewers, up 44% vs. CBS/NBC’s 2019 2nd Quarter PGA TOUR Final Round average.