⛳️ Grant Thornton Bets

Plus: Rollback may include drivers & balls.

Author

The Shanks Gator
December 06, 2023

Good afternoon! Welcome to Shanks. Thank you to today’s sponsor Wellputt who help us suck less at putting. Due to todays official rollback announcement, it looks like everyone will be hitting the ball less far, so we better learn to putt better.

Golf Trivia: You remember that famous Nike commercial, where Tiger Woods juggles the golfball? What year did it air?

Here's what we've got for ya today:

  • Doin Lines: Grant Thornton Invitational

  • The Rollback Has Been Announced

  • Shots Heard Round The World

  • Tiger To Split With Nike?

  • Thing We’d Buy If We Weren’t Broke

Doin Lines: Grant Thornton Invitational

🚩 Location: Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, FL

💰 Purse: $4M -$1M to Winning Team

👑 Previous Winner: First Time Event

👀 Watch On: Golf Channel, Peacock

Grant Thornton Field and Odds

The PGA and LPGA are teaming up for their first team event in history. Sixteen mixed-teams will compete over three rounds for a $4 million dollar purse.

Here’s the full teams list and their odds: 

How To Watch & Format

  • Friday: 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel)

  • Saturday: 2-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-5 p.m. (NBC)

  • Sunday: 1-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2-4 p.m. (NBC)

On Friday they’ll play a scramble, on Saturday they’ll play alternate shot, and on Sunday they’ll play a modified four-ball, meaning both players will tee off and then switch balls for their second shots, playing those same balls until holed.

Shanks Picks

We have no data on how these teams will perform…as teams, but we know that Sahith Theegala won at Tiburon when it hosted the QBE Shootout and Rose Zhang has had an impressive rookie year on the LPGA.

We also know that Justin Rose and Charley Hull have had strong years individually and contributed to winning Ryder Cup and Solheim cup bids.

Sahith Theegala & Rose Zhang +1000

Justin Rose & Charley Hull +900.

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Rollback May Include Drivers & Balls

Mark Wednesday, December 6th, 2023 in your calendars as Rollback Day.

Yes, the long awaited joint-announcement from the USGA and the R&A has been made. You can read the full statement here. 

What’s the deal?

Let’s skip to the part everyone wants to know - how much distance will you lose? According to the USGA here’s what to expect:

  • Average Elite Male will lose 9-11yds.

  • Average Elite Female will lose 5-7yds.

  • Average Male Amateur will lose 3-5yds

  • Average Female Amateur will lose 1-3yds.

What Else?

In addition to the new ball-testing conditions, the governing bodies will:

  • Expand the testing approach to better detect ‘Driver Creep,’ which can result in drivers exceeding the limits set out in the Equipment Rules. This is a change in the testing methodology for submitted drivers, to identify and proactively address driver models that are within current tolerance levels and have Characteristic Time (CT) values that are more likely to exceed the limit through regular use. 

  • Continue to monitor drivers and explore possible additional options related to distance. Specifically, we will research the forgiveness of drivers and how they perform with off-center hits. This is an ongoing review and we will seek input from and continue to work with the industry, including manufacturers, to identify driver design features that can be regulated as a means to reward center impact position hits versus mis-hits.

What Do Other Stakeholders Have To Say?

PGA TOUR: "Throughout the process, we have provided feedback to the USGA and The R&A and are pleased to see a number of our recommendations reflected in this most recent announcement. However, we believe the proposed increase in test clubhead speed to 125 mph is disproportional to the rate of increase we see when analyzing PGA TOUR radar data. In conjunction with guidance from the Player Advisory Council, Player Directors and Policy Board, we will continue to share our feedback with the USGA and The R&A."

Shanks says: The PGA Tour didn’t want bifurcation, which has lead to a “rollback for everyone”, but they don’t seem to support that in it’s current state either.

Taylormade: CEO David Abeles feels that the decision "is disappointing" and "simply disconnected from what golfers believe is best for the game."

Shanks says: This is a mess! The rollback won’t take effect until 2028, so who knows what could change between now and then.

Shots Heard Round The World

Tiger Leaving Nike?

According to a report from No Laying Up, the upcoming PNC Championship could be the last time we see Tiger Woods wear nike.

That’s nuts.

The partnership between Nike and Tiger has spanned his entire career, starting when he was just twenty years old, and most thought it would last forever.

While the figures of the deal have never been released, it’s safe to assume Tiger has pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars from Nike throughout his career.

Maybe the fact that he was wearing Footjoys last week was a sign of things to come?

Golf Thing We'd Buy If We Weren't Broke

On the heels of a potential breakup with Nike, Golden Age Auctions has listed the original press release from of their relationship from ‘96, which most of us remember as “Hello, World”.

With those two words, the professional golf world changed forever. Tiger Woods was not a professional golfer, and he would alter the golf landscape in nearly every way imaginable.

Offered here is a rare original Nike "Hello World" press release and press kit. Most important (and valuable) is, of course, the press release itself. But included in the original press kit are other items, including 2 digital slide negatives and a print out of images of Tiger Woods. 

Trivia Answer: 1999. You can watch it here. 

That’s all folks! See you Saturday Morning.