Pro Golf Now

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil was a guest on CNBC's Halftime Report this week, and host Scott Wapner was undoubtedly direct about the potential future (or lack thereof) of the organization. “There are many who believe that LIV’s days are numbered. That once the Saudi money truly runs out that bankruptcy is the most likely option. What makes you think that you can save this league?” Wapner asked.

PGA Tour players were recently surveyed for their opinions on the proposed distance reduction for golf balls. Do you want to hit it shorter? Didn’t think so. It’s likely that pros don’t want that either. But will longer and longer shots render great courses obsolete? While we’ll have to wait until there’s a leak in the results on the “distance issue,” at least the players are being consulted. As owners, they should be.

We already know that the Hawaii event at Kapalua, as well as the Sony Open, have been axed from the 2027 PGA Tour schedule. What tournament might be next? And what does that mean for professional golf? The new PGA Tour CEO, Brian Rolapp, has said he wants all tournaments to be Signature Events. So, from a wishful-thinking point of view, it’s easy to say we want all the events to be Signature Events. But from a sponsorship standpoint, is it realistic? Somebody has to raise the money for the purses.

Max Homa was on top of the world. He played golf at the highest level. He was on the U.S. teams for both the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup. And then he wasn’t. At about the same time his game started to leave him, he was neck deep in social media. But you know social media. There were haters. And that’s hard to take. He confessed that it was easy to get addicted to X. So he just stopped, adding that if something really important happened, he’d hear about it some other way.

When Rory McIlroy fell to his knees and sobbed last April after sinking the winning putt at The Masters, other than being mesmerized by watching his emotions come flooding out, many wondered if this was the final mountain he would climb. Was this enough for him? “I think the story, as it relates to me, is what do I do from now onwards? What motivates me? What gets me going? What do I still want to achieve in the game?

But for one stroke in two Masters tournaments, Justin Rose would have two green jackets. And he came in second at a third Masters to golf's then "Golden Child," Jordan Spieth. Rose has endured playoffs with Sergio Garcia (2018) and Rory McIlroy (2025) and was second by four shots to Spieth (2015). That trio comprises the wunderkids of the 21st century. While somewhat tragic, it was not heartbreaking enough to make Rose give up trying. Because Rose stays in the fight. He's not done.

This year marks the 90th playing of The Masters, and over time, certain characteristics, crazy or not, have shown up in the winners. For this year's champ, it may not be the length of his drives, nor his skill with a putter. It might come down to the first letter of his name. Crazy as it sounds, the winner is much more likely to wear a short-sleeved shirt than a long-sleeved one. In recent years, that is probably weather-related. In the early days of the tournament, it was fashion-related.

When you’ve covered The Masters for four decades, people naturally want to know which one was “the best.” CBS’s Jim Nantz, no surprise, is ready with an answer. And it’s a two-parter, three-parter, four-parter. Nantz started his Masters coverage career in 1986. “Walked into one of the greatest tournaments, if not the greatest tournament of all time,” he said about his debut in 1986, when Jack Nicklaus won his sixth and final Masters. What a year to start.

A person could go crazy trying to recall all of Tiger Woods’ great shots since turning pro, nearly 30 years of them. Maybe that’s what happened to me. So, in honor of his 50th birthday, I instead went to milestones, exceptional moments that you will surely remember. “Hello World” When Woods walked to the microphone at the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1996, no one, other than a few west coast sportswriters, had any idea what to expect. He was still an amateur.

Scottie Scheffler was in the interview room at the Hero World Challenge for the first time since the Ryder Cup, and while he gave some typical Scottie answers, he also talked about his new driver and recapped the highlights of the year. Scheffler is a TaylorMade player, and naturally, when they debut a new club, it’s helpful if he and other top stars, like Rory McIlroy, use it. The new one is called the Qi4D, and he likes it better than the Qi35.