"The tour basically has said, 'Hey, we don’t want to lose this.'"

Steve Elling delivers the great news that the PGA Tour has kicked in some money to save their satellite radio deal with XM/Sirius. Granted, this means the announcers are now paid by Ponte Vedra and thus will be monitored by those dreaded Odford-clad censors who work from the bowels of the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse.

Still, for my money one of the best ways to improve the, gulp, "value" of the fan experience is to get those little earpiece deals with the XM feed into the hands of spectators. It elevates your experience, particularly on Sunday when the announcers help you follow the conclusion of the tournament.

Anyway, Elling on the prospects of any unvarnished commentary:

According to the source, the tour will handle compensation of the on-air talent and help share production costs. The PGA Tour Network broadcasts 26 live hours each tournament week and has a spate of morning talk shows. The deal must be finalized, but since the tour has already agreed to the network's terms, no hurdles are expected. A formal announcement is expected after Christmas.

It'll be interesting to see how much rope the tour, which doesn’t have the thickest skin as it relates to unvarnished opinions and uncomfortable topics, gives the on-air reporters and show hosts, although it doesn’t seem to be a huge concern at the moment.

"It was all one big family anyway," the source said. "The paycheck's on a different letterhead. Who cares? It's always been the PGA Tour Network. Now it's become an official seat at the table."