Say what you want about it Brian Rolappwho made his mark as an NFL executive, not being a quote/unquote golf guy. Whatever. The man is a fast learner.
When Billy Payne, another football guy (a wide receiver and defensive end at Georgia in the 1960s), became the president of Augusta National in 2006, it could tell you everything you need to know about life and the times Amen Corner. But it looked like he was reading from a Wiki page.
When Rolapp, in a press conference on Tuesdaytalked about the core values of the PGA Tour, he sounded like a true believer. He offered a three-part mission statement about what it means to play the Tour and this is what he said:
“One, the PGA Tour is built on meritocracy. Every player, whether they are a member or want to become one, must earn their place.
“Two, we are a membership organization. We have rules and rules exist for many reasons, including fairness and competitive balance. Rules matter and must be enforced.
“Which brings me to number three: accountability and discipline. These are essential elements for any sports league and they are certainly for the integrity of the PGA Tour and the sport. It is what holds the Tour together.”
These three things, he said, are “guiding principles”.
It would be difficult to say more in fewer words. The whole problem with LIV Golf, from the perspective of the traditional golf fan who follows a traditional sport, was that it did not have those guiding principles. For starters, it wasn’t really a meritocracy. It was a beauty pageant. We want you, Charlie Howell. Jim Herman, ah – leave a message at the sound of the beep.
The people who run Augusta National and the Masters Tournament, over the years, do a good job of asking the same Talmudic question over and over and over again: What would Bob do? Bobby Jonespatron of the club. Sometimes, or more often, there is also a nod to Clifford Roberts. You have to stand for something in this world if you want to endure.
Brian Rolapp, earlier, spoke of “significant change” for the PGA Tour, not incremental change. What we see is a logical change, returning to the roots of the game.
3 Things I think
1. My three things this week are starting points for stepping up the game on the PGA Tour. We’re talking about significant change, not incremental change, starting with … nixing yardage books. Poof – they’re gone. Give each caddy a range finder.
2. You can mark your ball only once on the green, with logical exceptions. Once it’s down, it’s down. The world doesn’t stop spinning.
3. Have a Tour ball that tops out at 310ish for longer hitters. Celebrate the return of the par-5 three-shot and much less waiting for the greens to clear.
(Got your own suggestions? Contact me at the email below!)
Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com.
