Happy March! The doldrums of winter are nearly over, and spring is almost here — and so is the pollen. Seems like just yesterday I was commenting on Hideki Matsuyama’s record-setting performance at Kapalua.
The PGA Tour season, though, is nine weeks old, with the tenth event at Bay Hill starting Thursday. Is it not hard to believe?
So, what are the main stories of the season so far, or more broadly, golf stories of 2025? Sure, there are week-to-week stories, like the relocation of The Genesis, Rory’s dominance at Pebble Beach, and Brian Campbell winning for the first time in Mexico. But what have been the themes?
All I can see are TGL, LIV Golf and the PGA Tour meeting with President Trump, slow play, Aimpoint, and low scores. I have written about slow play and Aimpoint here and here, by the way, so let's move on.
TGL
Let’s start with TGL.
To me, it is just the LIV format of team golf but in a simulator with an indoor short-game area. The players wearing microphones and spectators in close quarters are nice touches, and the entirety of the technology is impressive. The golf itself, though, I cannot get interested in.
Credit TGL for inking a TV deal with ESPN, as they have been highly active in promoting the weekly events. The Golf Channel has been not far behind, though I am sure that is tied to its agreement with the PGA Tour and the players’ TV rights.
Whether or not TGL is ultimately considered a success is something time will tell.
PGA-LIV negotiations
What about President Trump’s meetings with LIV and the PGA Tour?
Say what you will about our president, but he is a natural negotiator, given his business background. But what has been the result of the meetings?
We have gotten some VERY vague reports, even from those in the meeting itself. Given the international nature of LIV and, to a lesser extent, the PGA Tour, keeping the terms of the meeting quiet makes the most sense. Unfortunately for the golf media, there is not much to report and pundits to weigh in on.
Remember the end of Spies Like Us when Chevy Chase and Dan Akroyd were negotiating a peace deal, and Chase stepped out of the meeting? He was reluctant to say anything because they could lose all progress made in the meeting at that point.
Same here.
Let’s say an attendee were to report a discussion about, let’s say, a joint event in Adelaide, Australia. Potential sponsors, makers and shakers, players, golf media, and others could cast a negative light on the idea, leaving everyone involved with egg on their faces.
Low scores
What about low scores?
Through nine PGA Tour events, more than half of the winning scores were 20-under or lower, those being The Sentry (-35), The American Express (-25), the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (-21), the WM Phoenix Open (-24), and the Mexico Open (-20).
Not to be outdone, Jake Knapp shot a 59 in the opening round of last week's Cognizant Classic at PGA National, and Joe Highsmith finished at 19-under.
Yes, we have heard it before, “These Guys are Good,” and there is no denying the talent. Also, there is no denying certain events/courses tend to result in lower scores than others.
I have said before that low scores, at such regularity, are a turn-off to me, and repeated high scores are a turn-off as well. I like to see anyone play well and make birdies, but I also want to see them take on some risk of a bogey. I do not care for football games that finish 68-66 or 7-3, but a 27-20 or 35-28 game will keep my interest.
One of these days, I will finish the article I am writing about setting up a course for a tournament, but I feel like something else is at play.
The PGA Tour does not want to lose more big names to LIV, regardless of how the negotiations shake out. If players find LIV golfers are having more fun shooting lower scores, perhaps the PGA Tour is trying to follow. Either way, perhaps a little more rough and slightly more tucked hole locations could find a balance.
What if someone had shot a 70 in every round (I authored a longer article about that here) this season thus far? In that scenario, said player would have gone to a playoff at the Farmers, missed cuts, tied for fifth at The Genesis, and finished in the bottom half of the field in the four others.
Regardless of what happens the rest of the way in 2025, I hope the world of golf and the golf media can find a way to keep to the product on the course and the players.