"As legal betting booms, journalists jump from sports page to sportsbook"

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With professional golf diving head first into sports betting and the media profession shedding jobs, this Ben Strauss Washington Post story asks a fascinating question: how will athletes feel about questions coming mostly from writers filing for oddsmakers or bettors?

The story quotes Teddy Greenstein, recently of the Chicago Tribune and longtime sturdy member of the golf beat who has made the leap from traditional journalism to PointsBet. The entire piece is worth your time, but this bit on the shift in locker room dynamics is especially fun.

Because who and why some will be asking post round questions is of particular note given that pro golfers increasingly take offense at fairly inane questions. Things like, can you tell us if you’ve decided to play Honda since today is Thursday and it starts next week?

So imagine when they are asked if they plan to lay-up on 15 Sunday with a three shot lead or why they were in a screaming match with their caddie.

With that in mind, imagine golf in this scenario painted by Strauss:

But what if they’re not in the locker room? A reporter who specializes in breaking national transaction and injury news — an Adam Schefter in football or Adrian Wojnarowski in basketball — could offer up-to-the-minute information for one book’s customers. Wojnarowski or Schefter could break news not on ESPN or Twitter but in a gambling app.

Chad Millman, a former editor in chief of ESPN the Magazine who is now head of media at the Action Network, a gambling-focused media company, thought those kinds of scoops wouldn’t be that valuable to a sportsbook because so many outlets confirm or aggregate breaking news nearly in real time. But, he said, adding a personality with the huge Twitter following of one of those star reporters could be worthwhile as part of a company’s quest for visibility. It also could be a better investment than paying to slap a company’s name on a team’s stadium or website.

In a sport where the slightest off-course dramas, injuries or other factors could impact a golfer’s ability to perform, the trend toward betting correspondents replacing traditional media is worth monitoring.

PGA Tour: Mixed Results As First Broadcast Incorporates Betting, Live Odds

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First round live odds

First round live odds

On paper, a lightly watched fall event from Las Vegas without fans was the perfect spot to start incorporating sports betting into a PGA Tour event. While the early round execution was as laughably awkward—but befitting of the low budget Korn Ferry-style broadcast effort by Golf Channel—the real eye-opener came during Sunday’s CJ Cup final round.

Jason Kokrak had a one-stroke lead over Xander Schauffele as they arrived at the par-5 18th. And this wagering opportunity—where legal—came from BET MGM as they waited on the tee:

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The announcers ran with the bet and instead of a rather traditional conversation about what needed to happen (Xander must make birdie…no kidding!), this side bet of who would win the hole became mildly interesting and fueled good pre-tee shot conversation.

And then Kokrak unleashed a doozy of a tee shot. The bettor or speculator who was all in on Schauffele making birdie to Kokrak’s conservative par? They lost quickly after this clutch (and huge) tee shot by Kokrak:

Look, it’s a small thing but without fans and a lot to watch, these kinds of twists on traditional golf tournaments added something. Particularly with such a budget-slashed broadcast that made the CJ Cup mostly a nap-inducer for three rounds.

After, there was some discussion about the incorporation. I enjoyed this point from Justin Ray, responding to Jason Sobel’s piece at The Action Network on week one of the new future.