Tiger Sounding Unlikely For 2021 Presidents Cup Captaincy, And That's A Good Sign

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Tiger’s comments at the Genesis Invitational suggest he will follow Ernie Els in not returning to captain the 2021 Presidents Cup squad.

From Ryan Lavner’s GolfChannel.com report:

“I’m struggling with the same issues,” Woods said Tuesday. “As an American, we have two Cups that we’re involved in, not just every other year, where the Internationals are the European team. So the responsibilities on an American are a little bit more.”

Left unsaid: Woods was uncertain about his playing future when he committed to Captaining in 2019. Now that he appears healthy and likely to have a few more good years of competitive golf, his next Captaincy seems 6-8 years away and will likely be a Ryder Cup.

He also doesn’t have to spend the next two years saying how much he looks forward to returning to Quail Hollow, so there’s that too.

Woods also made a fun remark related to his 2019 pairings with Justin Thomas.

Els A One-And-Done Presidents Cup Captain: "I can understand why people become dictators"

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Alex Miceli with a MorningRead.com exclusive on Ernie Els passing up another shot at Captaining the International side.

This was an unusual quote:

“I’m, like, I want to do it. There is so much of me that wants to do it, but I know the hardest thing is to step away,” Els said. “I can understand why people become dictators. You can get hooked on that power.”

Foreplay Pod: "Old Man" Media vs. Barstool

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After going on the Foreplay pod to discuss last December’s Presidents Cup spat between “old” media and the Barstool boys, I’ve come to realize my use of fanboys that so riled their base was in fact, unnecessary and short-sighted.

While I’ll continue to contend everyone with a media pass and signing the same forms should work under the same rules—no matter how outdated—the notion of a fanbase following the sport vicariously through media personalities dates to the earliest days of coverage. Darwin had fanboys who lived for his tournament accounts even a month after there had been a conclusion. Certainly Dan Jenkins elevated the art of fans living vicariously through his SI expense-account maneuvering, both in print and books. And by posting the things we do today on social media (golf, food, sites), all of us take audiences of different sizes on the road with us in different ways, just as the Barstool group does for their audience.

Anyway, with that apology out of the way, here’s the discussion below or as always, you can find on your favorite podcast platform or iTunes, and near the end we do also talk about the extra-fun finish at Kapalua.

Captain America, No More: Where Does Patrick Reed Go From Here?

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Team events have boosted careers and killed plenty of others. They can be cruel that way. They can also let someone like Ian Poulter buy Ferraris like you and I buy bananas.

Patrick Reed seems destined for poster child status as the most buoyed and most exposed by inclusion in a Ryder or Presidents Cup. Where does this combination of hardworking, supremely talented enigma and embarrassing rule-breaker go from here?

Beats me. I never would have guessed he’d be picked again for a Cup team after having the audacity to complain about getting saddled with Tiger Woods, all while playing horrifically at the 2018 Ryder Cup. But the Task Force and specifically, Woods, gave him another shot at the 2019 Presidents Cup. A singles win didn’t make up for his dramatic and turbulent presence.

Some of the best writers in the business took a crack at trying to figure out where Reed—who plenty of fans and writers think deserves time away from the game for his Hero World Challenge cheating—goes from here.

Eamon Lynch at Golfweek wonders who will have the courage to bench “Captain America”.

It’s like you always say: you make birdies, you don’t hear much.

Investing in Captain America comes at a cost, of course. Everyone understands that accounting. Longtime allies will melt away. Reputations built on probity will be blemished. Men of character will sit on the sidelines while one with none takes the field. But payment for that will be due someone else. Captain America’s end, when it comes, won’t be amid the raucous cheers and backslapping that defined his victories. It will be a somber affair, decided in some nondescript office when powerful men, an eye trained on their disillusioned core supporters, say simply, enough.

GolfChannel.com’s Ryan Lavner notes that Reed is now on his own again after surviving the post-Hero backlash within “the protective cocoon of team play.”

No more captains and teammates shrugging off his misbehavior for the sake of team unity. No more reporters being held at arm’s length. No more hiding behind a red, white and blue banner. It’ll be Reed, alone, facing fan criticism and absorbing daggers from his peers.

How Reed navigates the next nine months, until the 2020 Ryder Cup, will be an insight into the rest of his career – and to this point, he’s shown zero remorse or any interest in image rehabilitation.

ESPN.com’s Bob Harig thinks it may just be time for Reed the relentless world traveler to shut it down for a bit of reflection.

Not just because in Reed's nine events since the Tour Championship in August, he's played in nine different countries -- none of which is the United States. (Germany, the Netherlands, England, Japan, China, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, The Bahamas and Australia.)
No, perhaps it is time for some reflection, some introspection. Reed is a unique talent, a guy with plenty of moxie.

But his brashness has gotten him into trouble, and the way he doubled down on the rules incident without acknowledging remorse only served to make things worse. Seems the next few weeks, prior to the start of 2020, might be a window to sort some of that out, perhaps returning with a new perspective.

Tripp Isenhour and I discussed Reed on Golf Central, considering whether he will ever be picked again. I was not about to play the never card given the events of Paris last year.

Ramifications Of 2019's Presidents Cup's Big Ratings: 141% Increase Since Korea

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Of course naysayers will score a few points noting Tiger’s involvement, which still draws up to a million more eyeballs than most golf telecasts. And they won’t be wrong.

But consider what the Presidents Cup was facing this year in drawing an audience: late night finishes in the Eastern Time Zone, Christmas party and event season when people are less likely to be home on a Friday or Saturday night, and the Presidents Cup coming on the heels of a fall when cartoon reruns drew larger ratings than most of the PGA Tour’s fall events (especially non-Tiger Asia swing tournaments).

First, For Immediate Release:

MOST-WATCHED CABLE TELECAST IN PRESIDENTS CUP HISTORY

Saturday’s Final Day Singles Matches on GOLF Channel Featuring Playing

Captain Tiger Woods Sees 141% Increase vs. 2015 Final Day in South Korea 

Viewership Peaked at 2.15 Million Viewers Per Minute (11:15-11:30P ET)

as United States Team Was Completing its Come-From-Behind Victory 

ORLANDO, Fla., (Dec. 16, 2019) – Saturday’s Final Day singles matches at the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia became the most-watched cable telecast in Presidents Cup history, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. 

Airing live in primetime on GOLF Channel (6 p.m.-12:05 a.m. ET), the final day posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.742 million viewers per minute (+141% vs. ’15 Final Day), including 1.705 million viewers per minute tuning in to the linear telecast. Viewership peaked at 2.15 million viewers per minute (1.37 U.S. HH rating) from 11:15-11:30 p.m. ET as the United States team was completing its come-from-behind victory over the International team. Saturday also became the most-streamed Final Day in Presidents Cup history.

There was also this regarding Friday’s eleven hour telecast featuring two sessions. Note that viewership average over eleven hours of golf:

Yet to come in as of this post: NBC’s numbers from the weekend showing the repeat of the sessions. Later in the week we should have a sense of total audience.

But we already know enough from such strong numbers in weird time slots to highlight a few things.

—Sports fans will watch for long spans or dip in for decent-lengths of time if it’s compelling, featuring elite players at a quality venue.

—Team events and match play continue to engage fans in ways that stroke play cannot.

—Never hurts to have a close match.

—The PGA Championship, played at night in Australia, in a winter month, and in Olympic years as many suggested, would have been a ratings success along with a “grow the game” extravaganza.

Clayton: Royal Melbourne Allowed Tiger To Show He's Still Better Than Everyone

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At the 2019 Presidents Cup, a supreme design presented free of distance defenses was both fun to watch and possibly horrifying for the golfers who make a living at the game. Because as Mike Clayton notes for Golf Australia, on a golf course requiring both brains, brawn and control, Tiger Woods was allowed to play freely.

Off the tee he put the ball right where he had to and then set to work with his irons. In fairness, most of them were short ones, but every time he looked up the ball was going right where he aimed it. The trajectory was perfect, the ball shaped to suit the green and only rarely did he take himself out of a hole by missing in the wrong place.



At the par-3 third with 148 yards to the hole, he flew a wedge a step short of the front line of the green and, as every member at Royal Melbourne knows, the inevitability is the ball tumbles back 20 paces to the base of the hill. He was short again at the treacherous uphill, fifth, but they were rare errors. 

It was a master class in playing a treacherous golf course with control and precision and watching Woods swing and hit this week suggests the race is still on for Jack Nicklaus’ major championship record. 



He was the best player here.

This does beg a question. Tiger should ask the governing bodies dragging their feet on distance and equipment regulation how many majors they think he might have won had they not let bomb and gouge become a thing that works? You know, just as a conversation starter.

Why? USA Completes Impressive Presidents Cup Comeback And Not Many Feel Very Satisfied By The Outcome

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The Internationals came up just short at Royal Melbourne. Outside of the Team USA inner circle and some fanboys granted a media pass, this will not be remembered as a genuinely satisfying win by the Americans.

Maybe I’m dead wrong. Perhaps there will be dancing in the streets of Jupiter and residents of Quail Hollow will awake to some overturned cars. A White House visit could include Captain Tiger Woods declaring this better than all of his major championship wins combined.

But I doubt it.

Even though the USA’s 16-14 Presidents Cup win left fewer-than-usual feel-good vibes, that sense will not take away from the often-remarkable golf played by both sides. The sensational Royal Melbourne will also rise above the weeks’ strange vibes, as will the effort by the many rookies in a high-pressure team golf event. The matches were immensely satisfying to watch. All involved should be proud.

And yet the ultimate takeaway from Team USA’s 16-14 win will be one of apathy thanks to the inclusion, embrace and pitiful presence of Patrick Reed.

While Woods played beautifully and carried himself with great class, his captaining left much to be desired. Not only was the Reed selection confounding in the wake of 2018’s Ryder Cup boondoggle, where Reed had the audacity to complain about getting saddled with Woods as he posted what would have been a score in the low 80s, Reed’s place on the team was so unnecessary in a year of major American depth.

Yet Woods rode Reed through three losses before finally benching him Saturday afternoon. A dust-up involving his caddie less than 24 hours after a peculiar 2-down, post-putt mocking celebration only reinforced that Reed is a supreme point-misser who has not learned lessons from past mistakes. Patrick Reed is the guy who over-celebrates after a dunk when his team is down by 30.

Reed’s past “body of work” and complicated presence meant he should not have been rewarded with a Presidents Cup team selection. In a “grow the game” world, Reed’s inability to grasp the very basics makes him capable of doing real damage to the reputation of professional golf.

When Reed cheated in last week’s Hero World Challenge, Woods was left with a dilemma. Leaving him off the team last minute was not feasible, but rewarding him with three starts alongside nice guy Webb Simpson left a bad taste in the mouths of American fans wanting to see a reward for class and quality. Simpson ultimately will regret protesting the “undeserved” heckling Reed received.

Maybe time will heal and wipe away memories of the Reed taint on these matches. Or the strange embrace by both Woods and the PGA Tour of the game’s ultimate 24/7, First Team, All-Conference example of Conduct Unbecoming. For now, this Presidents Cup will be remembered for being won by a team embracing a toxic figure beyond repair. And that’s why even many Americans will not feel good about the outcome.

Patrick Reed's Caddie Gets Into Fan Squabble, Will Not Caddy In Presidents Cup Sunday Singles

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Following his morning loss with Webb Simpson to take his record to 0-3-0 in the 2019 Presidents Cup, Patrick Reed’s caddie and brother-in-law Kessler Karain were battling with unruly fans, with Karain jumping off a cart to physically confront the fan. Bob Harig reports that the PGA Tour investigated and concluded that Karain will not loop on Sunday. Their statement:

“Following an incident that took place on Saturday at the Presidents Cup involving Kessler Karain and a spectator, Karain will not return to caddie for Sunday’s final-round Singles matches. We will have no further comment at this time.”

Fan video caught the tail end of the dispute:

Kessler provided this statement to select media, with the Foreplay Pod the first to post. Note that athletes are now with a capital A.

6.5 To 3.5: U.S. Rallies Late To Prevent International Blowout, Woods To Sit Saturday Morning

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It was a sensational day at firmer and faster Royal Melbourne, with the International team looking like they could win all five matches at one point before a foursomes session tie. This sets up a big Saturday with of four-ball and foursomes.

Woods plans to sit in the morning session, but is sending out the 0-2 team of Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson. The early morning matchups:

While the day was dominated by the Internationals, the standout moments belonged to the Americans turning two tied matches into 18th hole wins.

Patrick Cantlay sank this birdie putt to hold off Joaquin Niemann and Adam Hadwin. At the time, Team USA trailed 6-1.

Tiger’s approach to 18 set up this Justin Thomas clutch birdie putt:

Patrick Reed's "Fun" With The Crowd Highlighted And It Doesn't Go Over Well

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For the second day Patrick Reed and Webb Simpson lost a Presidents Cup match.

Reed, fresh off cheating at the Hero World Challenge, has been hearing it from fans so even though he made a putt just to halve a hole and keep his match at 2 down, the hubris and rage kicked in. The PGA Tour social account, perhaps encouraged by Team USA’s kid-gloves treatment of Reed, gave it a light spin and the commenters were not amused. Golfers, I’m pleased to say, are not embracing the nebulous behavior of Reed despite efforts to sugarcoat his actions.

The post:

And just some of the comments:

Presidents Cup: Are There Aussie Fanatics Paid To Act As Americans?

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Cover your children’s eyes. This could be jarring.

GolfDigest.com’s Shane Ryan wrote about the Presidents Cup first tee scene Thursday and subsequently reported that the group of red-white-and-blue “American” fans seated there are…Australians.

Worse, Ryan says they are part of The Fanatics group, and likely paid by event organizers to act as crazed, noisy, red-blooded Americans. Other outlets are noticing his Tweets, in order starting from the bottom up.

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Clayton On Royal Melbourne: "Perfection isn't always perfect"

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It was a sensational first day at crispy and speedy Royal Melbourne (at least from the approaches in). While much focus has rightfully been on the players, the course really is the star.

The Composite Course’s routing and sequencing is a bit unusual for the Presidents Cup, so Golf Australia’s Mike Clayton looks at that and other minor flaws in what he sees as an otherwise flawless piece of architecture.

He addresses the bland 17th, which is actually a brilliant, Old Course-inspired opener most of the time:

With its hugely wide fairway the opening hole on the West steels from the principle of the shot off the first tee on The Old Course at St Andrews. At both it’s awfully hard to mess the drive up, allowing players the comfort of knowing they are unlikely to ruin their day almost before it has begun. 

The problem is a hole designed to open the course is the 17th this week, making it a bit like reading a book with the chapters out of order. It’s not a bad 17th hole but the 17th on the West Course (9th this week) might be the best par four in the country and the original 17th on the Composite (the 15th) is one of the finest par fives.

The very next hole, the par 5, 2nd West (the 18th) is played off the women’s tee this week as a par four. Whilst the carry bunkers wouldn’t pose a problem off the very back (par 5) tee they are too close to the tournament tee to even look ‘right’ because the scale doesn’t quite work.

A great long two-shotter is thus reduced down to a drive and a short iron and something MacKenzie wouldn’t even recognise if the measure is the clubs he wanted players to be hitting into one of the most beautiful green sites on the course.

Video: Presidents Cup Tribute To Peter Thomson

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Nice to see a tribute to three-time (and only International winning) Presidents Cup captain and Australian golf great Peter Thomson as part of day one’s festivities. Besides the late Australian great’s family at the first tee, this feature aired on the broadcasts and social media.


Whoa: Sharp Internationals Open Up Stunning 4-1 Presidents Cup Lead Over USA

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Royal Melbourne looked stunning.

Quality golf from Tiger and most of the Internationals offset some rust, sloppiness and course management mistakes from the USA. And in what has been mostly lopsided, the International team opened up a stunning 4-1 lead as Team USA looked a bit overmatched at times (jet lag, speedy Royal Melbourne the likely culprits).

Friday’s foursomes, where USA teams have dominated (unlike the Ryder Cup), just got more interesting. This is the International team’s first lead after any session since 2005.

Tactically, the Patrick Reed placement with Webb Simpson will be questioned given Simpson’s recent strong play in matches with Matt Kuchar. Reed, predictably, was heckled loudly on the first tee and received lukewarm reactions throughout the day.

As for highlights, Sungjae Im’s first hole eagle was the only better shot than Tiger’s brilliant wedge and gimme:

Woods chip in at 5 as he carried Justin Thomas to the lone USA win:

Dustin Johnson driving the 11th may have been the most incredible shot of the day. He missed the eagle putt and his team halved the hole.

Friday’s foursomes deprived us of a Reed-Cam Smith showdown, and it sounds like that’s a shame given the tension as reported on by Mark Hayes:

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Reed: If I Had Cheated, "It would have been a really good lie, and I would have hit it really close''

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Patrick Reed’s Presidents Cup press conference was carried live on Golf Channel and his attempt to answer questions about his Hero World Challenge run-in with the rules included an odd rationalization. From Bob Harig’s ESPN.com story on Reed’s remarks and the notion of cheating:

"It's not the right word to use,'' Reed said after a practice round at Royal Melbourne, where the Presidents Cup begins on Thursday. "At the end of the day, if you do something unintentionally that breaks the rules, it's not considered cheating, but I wasn't intentionally trying to improve a lie or anything like that. If I was, it would have been a really good lie, and I would have hit it really close.''

What an odd way to think.

Maybe Patrick’s new irons feature a sand shock absorption feature? Because I’m fairly confident no one who has played golf for any length of time would claim they are unable to see or feel the type of contact with the ground he displayed.

Video of the session, which includes Reed saying the matches are “personal” now that International team members have called him out:

Meanwhile there was little sugarcoating of the Reed situation on last night’s Live From the Presidents Cup (video embedded below):

Brandel Chamblee – “In general, the team will have the appearance of a well-oiled machine, but deep down, the marrow of this team, they will be affected by this controversy. Their DNA as a team has been altered. There are no two ways about it.”

Chamblee – “I have never seen a more obvious breach of the rule than this. One that is not in any way – nobody who watches it in any way will be able to acquit him of what transpired [at Hero World Challenge]. His comments aside, this was a gross breach of the rule. The court of public opinion is a lot harsher than the rule book. The rule book is going to give him two shots. The court of public opinion is going to make him pay for this for a long time.”

Nobilo – “Public opinion says this is far more egregious, but the rule book disagrees with that. That is why were are almost in a double jeopardy situation. If there is anything positive that does come out of this situation, is that this rule is addressed going forward.”

Chamblee – “To have somebody on your team who so flagrantly abuses the rules of the game of golf, and there is no more sacred rule in the game of golf than play it as it lies. They [the U.S. Team] have a couple of hurdles against them. They are on foreign territory and now they have ceded the higher moral ground to the other team.”

Chamblee – “The whole team made a deal with the devil when he was chosen for the U.S. Team. All of the baggage that they thought was going to come with him has multiplied exponentially with what happened last week. I cannot imagine that Tiger Woods’ choices for teammates for Reed can be anybody other than just himself.”

Jaime Diaz – “Everything was smooth and safe but for one thing. He didn’t think he moved any sand. Players are too good and have too much feel to not have a sensation like that. It is just hard to believe. I think this is going to hang him up forever.”

Jim Gallagher, Jr. – “This week might be difficult for Patrick Reed and it could be difficult for his partners. That is the hard part. The captains are trying to deflect it and go forward, but I don’t know if it will keep deflecting because this is growing into a life of its own.”