Has LIV helped/hurt the competitive edge?

Scott Misha for decades wrote for the Augusta Chronicle and he is now with the Global Golf Post and Irish Examiner. It is Masters Week and we're going to start with bad news. Did they take away your peach ice cream? Actually they did not. The reports of its demise were greatly exaggerated but they have already run out of cheese straws in the press building so you know out of the frying pan into the fire.

Well I'm glad for your sake that that the peach the peach ice cream made it at Scott Misha on Twitter. So take me through the first two and a half days or so. How much of the conversation on the grounds has been about the relationship of the two major tours that are represented? I assume you're counting the live golf as a major tour and if you are well there's been a lot of conversation about it but not a whole lot of aggravation about it.

It's been sort of much ado about nothing. They're just here all playing the Masters and seem to be on their best behavior and nobody's making it that big a deal about it except Greg Norman. Does that as much as anything could possibly speak to how dominant the Masters is?

It probably does. That's a very good way of putting it. Also you know Mark O'Meara did mention that Fred Ridley managed to call all of the past champions before the champions dinner and you know remind them you know what the quorum is like around here. So they were all forewarned and I'm sure that trickled out to the guys who weren't at the dinner table.

So I think you're right. I think when people show up here at Augusta they really do have one thing on their mind and Rory you know I don't know if you saw his press conference that was a perfect illustration. He did not want to talk about live golf. He wants to talk about the Masters and so you know that stuff maybe we'll pick up next week but this week it's about Augusta.

And honestly in a place like this it probably should be about that. Now Fred has Fred Ridley already had his press conference today? He did. He did earlier. So did what did he say because I've obviously been focused on other things. What did he have to say? Did he was he asked about it? He was and he said he's he thinks the proper tone has been set this week and he hopes it changes the conversation going forward as well but he was really it's much very interesting he was asked very specifically about why Greg Norman has was not extended an invitation here like the commissioners of the PGA Tour and Keith Pelley the CEO of the DP World Tour and he did not Greg did not get one as a past major winner or as a commissioner of a tour and Fred Ridley said well basically it's because we think the focus needed to be this week on the Masters saying Greg Norman would have made the focus on himself. Well that's probably accurate.

So I totally do understand that. Washington Post had an article today about Harold Varner and how he said look he's never made any bones about it. It's about he made the decision because it was money and he keeps telling those guys on tour we're not growing the game.

He's he's using colorful metaphors in there. We're not growing the game. We are taking a paycheck. How much how much of this do you think the narrative would have changed if they if everybody went simply would have gone.

Do you see how much they're paying me. It would have prevented a lot of silly conversation quite frankly and a lot of them have looked bad standing up there trying to say anything otherwise. The ones who we've respected the most have been the ones like Harold who basically or even Tom Speeders most recently who said hey they called me up and offered me a check yeah I took it.

Dustin Johnson the same way. Exactly so and so you know what it would have made it a more honest conversation. It still would not have been great for golf and people probably wouldn't like to live golf that but they wouldn't be such villains about it all.

Yeah we had we talked to Mark lie yesterday about this. My position has always been the problem has been Norman that Norman Norman lying about it. This is additive. It's not a it was never additive it was always supposed to be a way to eat at the PGA Tour. It's a however 40 year vendetta he's been carrying. It's transparent to people who pay who have been paying attention since he brought to Tim Finch and the idea of the World Golf Championships or what became the World Golf Championships.

He's always carried a carried an ax about about that. So that to me is the bigger issue. It is and this really has been about him and he's their own worst enemy. They try to keep him from talking even out there and live events now because every time he opens his mouth he gets him and digs the hole a little bit deeper. But they've not had a good week thus far away from Augusta National. You know the announcements going to come out in the next day or two that they lost their arbitration hearing with the DP World Tour. And they were denied by the official World Golf rankings to get points and they lost their case in California meeting the Saudi heads would have to be deposed.

Okay. So they've lost just about ground on every front. But best thing they could have going for him would be somebody went in here. The well first of all very clearly I don't want to make this all about that of those three cases to I expected I expected the DP World Tour to win that fight. I expected the the case in California to go the way of the PGA Tour. I did not expect the World Golf rankings to deny them points. And frankly I think that's the wrong decision.

I do too. I think it would have been a simple thing for them to do because they wouldn't have been a lot of points right. And but I think they're doing it on the principle that they don't they they still aren't adhering to some of the requirements that they want to have. I think that it I think changes could be made and resubmitted resubmitted so they can get them. But it would probably include some form of a cut or some form of a qualifying thing and a way to get in. And when they do that they'll get them.

But it would have been a whole lot easier quite frankly to just give them the points. Maybe even if you just made them increase their field size to 70 something like that would be or maybe not quite 70. But just increase the field size from what it is. I don't have any problem with 54 holes.

I'm going to play that. That's fine. That's what that's what their tour is.

But there's a reason why the Champions Tour doesn't get world ranking points. Right. Yeah. All right. So Rory Scheffler. Let's hope so. Rory.

Okay. So we already know who Scott Beshaw is rooting for. Scheffler, Rory, Rahm or the field? Well, I picked in the Irish Examiner coming out tomorrow. You could say the field because I went with behind door number four, Patrick Cantlay.

A little under the radar. There's a lot of pressure on those big three. But then again, they really are separating themselves from the rest of the field. And, you know, what are the obvious favorites? But I went with Cantlay and I think either Corey Connors could sneak in there and do something. I think Jason Day could sneak up there. He's playing really well. I think there are a lot of field options this week who could, you know, push a push aside the big three narrative. But those big three are really, really, really good right now.

And they all feel very confident. What about Cam Smith? I, you know what? I've got him picked in a golf pool, but I just don't know if he's played enough. He hasn't played great. You know, he says, okay, I've only played four events this year. I only played five last year, but you know, he's played nine rounds of competitive golf in 2023. Nine rounds.

That doesn't seem like a lot. Tigers played four. Yeah. Yeah. He's almost played, he's played barely more than Tiger.

That is really stunning. Do you think there's any credence to a lack of competitive edge because of the nature of Liv? I think there's a little bit of credence to it. You know, when you get, when, when your money comes a little bit free, uh, you probably don't, uh, grind quite as hard, uh, to make something happen and, and you're not, they're not getting any world ranking points for it.

So there's, there's nothing but a little extra cash to play for. But, uh, I do think there are a number of guys over there who are going to be very motivated this week that even more than cam Smith have a chance. Dustin Johnson would be one of them. Brooks Koepka, you know, at least showed some form last week on a course that has no comparison to this one.

Let's not even try to. And, uh, and then there's the unmentionable one, uh, Patrick Reed. I thought you were going to say Bryson DeChambeau who would be a less popular winner. Bryson DeChambeau or Patrick Reed. Bryson DeChambeau's chances of winning this thing are less than nil.

Wow. He's, he's, he's, he's not a competitive golfer anymore. He and Phil, uh, have no chance, but I, but I think Patrick Reed is playing pretty good golf and he almost beat Rory in Dubai earlier this year.

Uh, I think he's a serious threat. I remember watching that, uh, that tournament in Dubai and how, uh, how much Rory probably really wanted to beat Pat. I think they both wanted to beat each other, but Rory had some, it would have been more embarrassing. I think if Rory had lost it. Well, especially cause he had a lead and kind of was choking it away and then ended up, ended up getting it back at the end.

But, but Patrick, Patrick, he plays in the villain role better than anybody else right now. And he would, and here would be the place. It would be amazing to see how quiet the reception would be on 18 on Sunday. Uh, we're here to win. Well, no, it wouldn't be quiet because all of the other live tour players have to be there around the 18th grade. If a live player wins. Uh, I read, I read that final thing for Scott Misha, global golf post, Irish examiner, um, make, tell me what, what is the one thing that has held Rory back here?

You mean at Augusta here, but I think it probably is the same everywhere. Yeah. Well, you know, he has some deficiencies in his short game. Uh, it's not, his driver is his greatest weapon. Uh, and, but his short game does have some deficiencies when it's on.

He's fine. Uh, you know, when it's not on, he can, he can let it get away from him here. He's got some mental scars issues ever since 2011 and, and he's had other different things that have kept him from winning and it all builds up and it builds up for everyone here and, and he wants it so badly.

Uh, it makes it very difficult, but, and I think the one, two factor has affected in last year and some of those other majors as well, especially at St. Andrews. But, uh, but you know what? Uh, he, he sounds great this week. He sounds in a fantastic place. And if that driver is the weapon that it can be, he can easily win this week. I, it's the first time I really think he can here. Uh, it would be, would it be the most popular with other than maybe tiger winning again? Yeah, easily.

It would, you know, they played together on Monday and it's the first time I could probably tell you that fans were equally enthusiastic to see both of them out there. Uh, it was, it was a mad house around them because people just love them both. But Lori, Lori has, has, he's transcended the, um, you know, the, the level of, of, of guy that everybody's rooting for these days. Yeah. He's, uh, he's, he's one of the, he's the leader of that tour.

There's no question about that. At Scott Misha on Twitter, Irish examiner, global golf post.com. Hey, thank you very much.

I'm glad the peach peach ice creams not gone. I appreciate it. Thanks. I got to go see my Seamus power back to back home. One's in the par three now. Are you kidding? No, he, yeah, he stayed nine. Oh, good for him.

Good for him. Tell Seamus powers. We said hello.

Well, dude, take it easy. Thanks guys. Uh, Scott B Shaw. Wow. That was a, but you don't want to win the par three contest by the way. Did you know that? No, I did not.

There's a nobody who has ever won the par three contest, won the masters that year. Oh, it's like the president's trophy kind of. Yeah. Very similar. Very, very similar.