Cutline: Attracting the top in the unstable golf world

In this week's edition, we celebrate another impressive comeback on the PGA Tour, question the timing of some high-profile executive moves, and acknowledge that math is hard for everyone.

maid cut

comeback. Less than a week after Chris Kirk celebrated his second win since returning to the PGA Tour after a high-profile bout with alcoholism, a new redemption story has arrived in the golf world. .

Gary Woodland will make his first start this week since undergoing surgery to remove a brain lesion. Ms Woodland, 39, was diagnosed with a brain lesion last year and underwent surgery on September 18 to remove “the majority of the tumor”. The Sony Open will be his first starting appearance since last season's Wyndham Championship.

“Big [symptom] I just didn't feel like myself. It shook a lot, especially during the night. I tremble. My hands were really shaking.” Woodland said this week. When asked what prompted her to see a doctor, she said, “A lot of fear. That was what scared me the most. I'm a very optimistic person, so I believe that good things will happen.” I was very scared every day, mostly about death.”

Kirk won the Tour Courage Award for his comeback last fall, and with Woodland's return this week, officials should name him the next recipient.

inheritance. No, it's not the constant discomfort of an HBO drama. This successor nomination goes to Guy Kinnings, who has been appointed CEO of DP World Tour. This week he will replace Keith Perry..

While Perry's departure has raised some questions (see MDF section below), the decision to replace Kinnings as chief executive of the European circuit provides some reassuring continuity.

Kinnings joined the European Tour in 2018 after a long career as a player manager in IMG's golf division. He is the European Tour's chief commercial officer and oversaw last year's Ryder Cup in Rome. He also has enough trust from the players to make the transition easier. However, the circuit's continued negotiations with the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will certainly result in an increased learning curve for Kinnings, who will take over from Perry on April 2.

Given the uncertainty in professional golf, it's impossible to say whether Kinnings is the right person for the job, but he certainly was.

Cut completed but not completed (MDF)

move on. The ebb and flow of a professional career knows no boundaries, and few people can learn to know when “the time” is (see Saban, Nick). However, when your job is to be the frontman of a three-headed battle royale, there's something to be said for timing.

This concept applies to two announcements that came out of nowhere this week. R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers and DP World Tour CEO Perry are both leaving their jobs. Both ejections were surprising given the unprecedented changes facing the game.

First Slumbers announced he will step down by the end of the year, more than a month after the R&A and USGA announced plans to roll back golf balls starting in 2028. While a rollback seemed inevitable, the rulemakers' decision, starting in 2030, has been met with pushback by recreational players on many fronts.

However, given that negotiations are underway between the European Tour, the PGA Tour, and Saudi Arabia's PIF, owner of LIV Golf, to create a new commercial model that would bring all three tours under one umbrella. Perry's departure is even more serious.

A press release issued by the DP World Tour notes many of Perry's accomplishments, including expanding the European Circuit's strategic partnership with the PGA Tour, but it remains unclear what impact his departure will have on ongoing negotiations. There is no mention of whether it will be given.

Meanwhile, Perry told reporters in Dubai on Friday that he was “optimistic” that an agreement was reached before departing for his “dream job” as president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. “Target.”

“I hope there is a conclusion, and moving that forward will be my main focus over the next three months,” Perry told reporters. “I definitely intend to stay until April and have told both the PGA Tour and the PIF representatives that that is my priority. I still believe that we have agreed a framework. That's why we signed the deal, and we need to take it forward.”

big picture. Since leaving his position as player director on the PGA Tour's policy committee, Rory McIlroy hasn't shied away from the politics of professional golf at all. In fact, he seems to have become an even louder voice for change.

To be fair, McIlroy was only answering questions at this week's DP World Tour event in Dubai, but the depth of his answers suggests that the Northern Irishman is still very interested in golf's political events. This suggests that they are enthusiastically involved.

“I think everyone needs to start thinking more globally around that, but we need to start thinking globally in a holistic way. [the European] A tour, that tour, and another tour.” McIlroy told Golf Digest.. “What would be the best organization for elite professional golf, the top 70 to 100 players in the world? Especially if the game is going to be different going forward and everything is on the table. ” But I think it’s worth having that conversation. ”

While McIlroy's “dream scenario” of a World Golf Tour is neither new nor controversial, his thoughts on the future of golf were featured in this week's MDF section, which is why he remains on the board of directors. Because it is clear that the agenda should be promoted. Don't expect the best from the outside.

Miscut

Math. There's nothing too egregious about the miscalculation that caused the Official World Golf Rankings to adjust this week's rankings, but it's a stroke of genius humor that the first update under the new rules wasn't tallied. The timing was right.

The problem is, as social media ranking guru Nosferatu (@VC606) first pointed out, if Chris Kirk wins the opening game on Maui, players who have won multiple times in 52 games will be It was supposed to come with a “multiple win benefit.” Weekly ranking window. On Friday, ranking officials corrected the error and Kirk jumped up from 25th place.^th up to 21^cent.

The “Multi-Win Perk” gives players with multiple wins within a 52-week window a 70 percent points bonus (capped at 4 ranking points) and, according to the rankings announcement, “helps players identify emerging talent faster. It was established for the purpose of determining the Changes in the last month.

Again, mistakes happen, and math is difficult, but there's always a perverse sense of joy when a teacher gets an answer wrong.