How a pro brings hope, joy to pediatric patients
+ Gary Van Sickle announces the second Barky Awards; Is there a shift in opinion about LIV Golf?
ON THE TEE
🏌️Rory McIlroy made a stunning reversal and said on a podcast that he “made a mistake” by being “too judgmental” of players who joined LIV Golf. Is he really trying to make certain Jon Rahm will be eligible for the European Ryder Cup team?
🏌️Phil Mickelson encouraged fans not to “pile on” McIlroy and Greg Norman thanked McIlroy for “falling on his sword” in his statements about LIV. Aren’t there a few open spots available for new LIV players?
🏌️The Sentry is the 2024’s first “signature event” — tournaments that McIlroy fought so hard to create — and he didn’t enter. Is that piling on?
🏌️We don’t yet know if Rahm will own a new LIV team or will be taking over an existing team or who his teammates will be. Isn’t the first LIV event less than a month away?
🏌️The Masters expects to have 77 players compete for the green jacket, one of the smallest fields in years. Do you think Talor Gooch is available?
🏌️LIV players won four straight DP World Tour events at the end of 2023 — Joaquin Niemann, Dean Burmester and back-to-back for Louis Oosthuizen. Is that piling on?
🏌️Angel Cabrera was reinstated to the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions following a two-year prison sentence for assaults on multiple females. So, the Tour can reinstate someone who assaults females but not someone who goes to LIV?
🏌️The PGA Tour’s latest sensation, Ludvig Aberg, hired a new caddie after winning twice in 2023. Wonder who convinced him to make that decision?
🏌️When Rahm joined LIV Golf, Mackenzie Hughes moved into the top 50 on the FedEx Cup list, thereby getting him into all the PGA Tour signature events. Should Hughes find out what kind of wine Rahm likes and send him a bottle — or a case?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
If it's Wednesday, Kevin Corn is delivering hope, miracles
On a weekly basis, the PGA Professional takes his lesson plan to a St. Louis-area pediatric hospital so that children with serious medical conditions can experience the game and just have fun
:: Dan O’Neill | Read
And the winners are ... not who you think
The Barky Awards recognize 2023’s achievements (and other dubious accomplishments)
:: Gary Van Sickle | Read
Opinion: Looking into golf's crystal ball for 2024
How the new year will unfold remains unclear, but The First Call readers have a few opinions on what they would like to see. Plus, the proposed golf rollback continues to roil readers
:: TFC Inbox | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 Maize. Blue. Khaki.
He grew up in Ann Arbor while his father was an assistant with the Wolverines, and after wearing out his welcome in San Francisco, the hard-driving, über-intense Jim Harbaugh has returned to coach his alma mater. Can he restore Michigan's luster before he starts singing Garth Brooks again?
:: Michael Rosenberg | Sports Illustrated | 05.18.2015
📖 Michael Stipe is writing his next act. Slowly
How do you reinvent yourself after being a global superstar? The former R.E.M. frontman is still figuring that out
:: Jon Mooallem | New York Times Magazine | 12.03.2023
📖 Robert Downey Jr.’s third act: “He’s lived a complicated life. He understands the stakes”
Following an Oscar-worthy turn in Oppenheimer, Downey’s inner circle size up the man and his considerable legacy
:: Anthony Breznican | Vanity Fair | 12.03.2023
BUSINESS
SCORECARD
1️⃣8️⃣ The golf industry’s week in review — the names, news and notables that are making the headlines. :: Read
PERFECT PUTT
Lighted Par 3s are the future
Par 3 golf course search results have grown by 64% since 2019, outpacing traditional growth by nearly double. The rise of interest in Par 3 golf courses will translate to lighted Par 3 golf courses. Jared Doerfler spoke with Grass Clippings to learn more about the economics of lighted Par 3 golf courses
:: Jared Doerfler | Read
Each Monday, Jared Doerfler breaks down the business of golf. Subscribe to Perfect Putt here.
ICYMI
This week’s editions of The First Call:
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
LIFESTYLE
THE STYLE LINKS
Puma Golf is kicking off 2024 with good gestures to support the continued efforts for Lahaina, Maui, fire recovery.
:: Janice Ferguson | IG: @janiceferguson_thestylelinks
19TH HOLE
Each episode of the “Course of Life” podcast closes with the guest sharing a favorite 19th hole experience.
Stephen Bradford, co-owner of Dripping Springs Country Club (Dripping Springs, Texas): “I'll usually go with a chicken salad sandwich and a local Texas beer, they never let me down."
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
HOME FRONT
Whitetail Club | McCall, Idaho
Listing: 4305 Song Sparrow Drive.
Stats: 14,625 square feet | 10 bedrooms | 13 bathrooms.
Price: $13,900,000
About: This stunning property is situated on more than two acres and is curated with custom high-end furnishings, interiors, and marble and granite countertops. The home offers spacious bedrooms, including a charming bunk room that comfortably sleeps seven and features two separate side-by-side showers. For entertaining, the lower level offers a recreation room and bar complete with a refrigerator and butler's pantry. It's an ideal space for family gatherings, complemented by an adjacent gym and a sunken hot tub just outside. Adding to the convenience, the entire home is easily accessible via a three-floor elevator. The Whitetail Club’s golf course, designed by Roger Packard and Andy North, is considered one of the top courses in the state and plays 7,200 yards in length. Its training facility has Trackman 4 simulators and players can hit onto live greens. The Club also boasts a 17,000-square-foot clubhouse, indoor tennis and fitness, lakeside activities at The Marina, dozens of trails and The Cove Spa,
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My opinion on L1V hasn't changed because I still support them. I'm not a Saudi Fan or supporter, far from it but I believe the PGA TOUR is one of the most capitalistic businesses in the world and the players deserve the right to choose.