Ok, Brendan, I know you and I both got some chuckles out of Scott O\u2019Neil\u2019s press conference earlier this week at LIV Virginia. Pick your one (1) favorite part. <\/p>\n
Brendan: What I\u2019ve come to call the \u201cMother\u2019s Day Opening Prayer<\/a>\u201d is for sure the best part, and it\u2019s not even close. I almost applaud the attempt at disarming misdirection, having assembled press get out their phones to text their moms at the start of a highly anticipated press conference of a league at the brink. <\/p>\n More substantively as it pertains to his league, or less substantively when looking at the answer, is his \u201cI don\u2019t even know how to think about answering\u201d response to being asked if Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund might pay out existing player contracts. Can\u2019t even THINK about it! Might be important. It does seem to reinforce, in addition to Bryson\u2019s comments, that he\u2019s had no communication with anyone, that the PIF just peaced out and has not been in touch at all. But after we got through the opening monologue full of mixed metaphors, teases that they were close on a plan, just needed to \u201ctighten some screws,\u201d we then get to the Q&A and he can\u2019t even begin to think about answering. As you might expect based on LIV\u2019s current standing, the whole chat was understandably very light on substance, but that amused me.<\/p>\n Sticking with LIV for one more, given that the PIF has bounced, let me propose a question that might be just a yes\/no answer. Shouldn’t people be rooting for LIV now as the plucky underdog disruptor without morally questionable funding?<\/p>\n Joseph: Um, no. You don\u2019t have to root for a $5 billion failed experiment. LIV has been a failure, at least so far, because professional golf is a beautiful product and it has strayed very far from the spirit of competitive golf. Root for whomever you want. <\/p>\n Having a legitimate competitor to the PGA Tour \u2014 whether it is LIV, the DP World Tour, or another entity \u2014 is good and we should all want that. But I don\u2019t think golf fans have benefited much from the past few years while purses have skyrocketed, so it does feel like a correction may come at some point. <\/p>\n Let\u2019s change gears slightly. Brendan, what\u2019s a recent golf story or piece of news that you feel like flew under the radar? <\/p>\n Brendan: I don\u2019t know if it flew under the radar exactly, as we\u2019d heard it was in the works, but I was recently intrigued by a giant tree being dropped in the middle of the fairway of arguably the most famous hole on arguably the second-most famous golf course in the United States. I know there\u2019s an origin story here with some nod to history, but of all the things to do at Pebble Beach and the continuous calls for restoration efforts, a big tree at 18 was next up. I had an amusing exchange with our Cameron Hurdus on what could come next: more trees being planted in the 18th fairway, the neatly angled excavations to drop them in not being filled in but left as pits, but then also maybe filled with water, and then with gators. It was a lively back and forth but that\u2019s where we ended up! See you at the 2027 U.S. Open.<\/p>\n A new (and yet so familiar) addition to the iconic closing hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links. <\/p>\n A second cypress tree has been planted, restoring the hole to it’s original design intent and reinstating the signature look golf fans had come to know until the original was lost in a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/LCCgKp6ROd<\/a><\/p>\n
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