Monday

Good morning. We understand golf is not at the top of anyone’s mind right now. America has bigger issues to deal with, and we send our love to those who are suffering. Stay safe and be kind.

News and updates

• The PGA Tour is looking to replace the canceled John Deere Classic with a new event. Sources tell The Fried Egg that the Tour will spend back-to-back weeks at Muirfield Village Golf Club, host of the Memorial Tournament.
• The Mackenzie Tour has canceled its 2020 season. The Canada-based Korn Ferry Tour feeder circuit plans to pick back up in 2021. Players with status will retain their membership but will need to find other places to play this summer. Full Story from Carson Williams
• According to Greg Norman, the PGA Tour is considering putting aside a $40-million “pot” to compensate top players and encourage them not to leave for upstarts like the Premier Golf League. Full Story from Michael Bamberger
• After setting off a debate by entering the Korn Ferry Tour’s season opener at TPC Sawgrass, Vijay Singh has withdrawn from the event. Full Story from Joel Beall

Newsletter Notes

1971 All-PGA Tour Team

After a brief break, our All-PGA Tour Teams continue this morning with a trip back to 1971, when some historically great players did some historically great things. Oh, and one guy got really fed up with the PGA Tour.

Gary Player (two wins, eight top 10s) – As was his tendency, Gary Player won quite a bit outside of the U.S. in 1971. His biggest win of the year came at the General Motors Open in South Africa, which he won by 11 shots. But Player had plenty of success on the PGA Tour as well. His two Tour wins came in back-to-back weeks in Jacksonville and Miami.

Arnold Palmer (four wins, 10 top 10s) – The King had 14 multi-win seasons on the PGA Tour, the last of which was in 1971. One of his titles that year was the National Team Championship, where the 41-year-old Palmer and a 31-year-old Jack Nicklaus steamrolled the field by six strokes. Also in 1971, Palmer bought Latrobe Country Club, the course where he worked with his father and learned the game.

Jack Nicklaus (five wins, one major, 15 top 10s) – Early in a decade that he would dominate, Nicklaus registered 11 top-three finishes, including top fives in all four majors. His lone major title in ’71 was the PGA Championship, a tournament that was moved from August to February to accommodate Florida temperatures at PGA National Golf Club (now BallenIsles Country Club). In the final round, Nicklaus was paired with Gary Player, his houseguest for the week. Holding off a run by Billy Casper, Jack birdied the 71st hole to earn a two-shot cushion. On the 18th hole, he hit two straight 1-irons en route to a clinching par.

Lee Trevino, MVP (six wins, two majors, 14 top 10s, Vardon Trophy) – Trevino’s 1971 season was so good that Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Year. He became just the fourth man to win both the U.S. Open and the Open Championship in the same season, joining Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen. Trevino closed out his U.S. Open victory in an 18-hole playoff with Jack Nicklaus at Merion, yet somehow that wasn’t the story of the week. Jim Simons, a 21-year-old senior at Wake Forest, entered the final round with a three-shot lead. He even held that lead after nine holes on Sunday. But Simons made a double-bogey on the 72nd hole and finished T-5.

Dave Hill (zero wins, six top 10s, one lawsuit) – Okay, so this is a sentimental pick. Dave Hill is more of an All-Anti-PGA Tour candidate. In May of 1971, he was disqualified from the Colonial National Invitational after intentionally signing an incorrect scorecard. Hill wrote down a 2 for the 18th hole even though he threw his ball onto the green from a green-side bunker. He was fined $500 and forced to pay before competing in Memphis the next week. Did he pay? Hell no! He filed a $1-million antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour—or as it was called then, the Tournament Players Division of the PGA. The TPD responded by hitting Hill with a one-year probation. Did he back down? Hell no! He upped the lawsuit to $3 million. Ultimately Hill and the TPD settled out of court. One of the most outspoken players in Tour history, Dave Hill may have reached his peak in 1971.

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Shotgun Start: Milkshake Swing, Coffee Pot, Shark Money Pot, and Bubba’s AirBNB

Following the two-hour Ernie Els Spotlight on Friday, this episode is a quick Monday whiparound on some golf news odds and ends. Brendan and Andy first relay an Ernie superstition omission submitted from friend of the program Shane Bacon. Then they relay another golf conspiracy theory from “Spartan Butters,” author of the infamous Brooks sets his schedule to avoid weddings theory. This one is about DJ’s watch. News begins with the Deere replacement event likely becoming a second week at Muirfield Village. Andy pleads for a dramatic setup change for the second event and the two discuss nicknames for this new Columbus double dip. They also hit on Vijay withdrawing from the KFT event that had everyone firing off takes, the cancelation of the Mackenzie Tour season, and Greg Norman saying the Tour might be setting aside a money pot for 8 popular players as a countermeasure against the PGL. How real is this and what kind of Q rating would determine who gets it? Impressions? Retweets? Likes? Lastly, they pay their respects to the Justin Rose hOnma era, which leads to a rambling discussion about equipment one-offs like the Sonartec 3-wood, Orlimar Trimetal and KickX ball. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Coffee Mondays

The Monday blues don’t go away during quarantine. Get some pep in your step with Andy and Brendan’s preferred brew, courtesy of our friends at Bixby Coffee. Shop the Shotgun Start Blend today!