Latest news with #GWK
USA Today
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jack Nicklaus, 6-time Masters champ, sits for Golfweek's survey and doesn't disappoint
Jack Nicklaus, 6-time Masters champ, sits for Golfweek's survey and doesn't disappoint AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jack Nicklaus and the Masters go together like pimento cheese and white bread in April. Six Green Jackets spread over a span of 23 years between 1963 and 1986 is quite an impressive haul. Nicklaus will hit the opening tee shot once more on Thursday, but first he took time to answer Golfweek's Annual Survey, and it's a safe bet you'll learn a few new things you didn't know about the Golden Bear along the way. GWK: What's your greatest Masters keepsake? JN: A lot of people might say a locket. But I don't even know where my locket is. … I would have to say when I finally got my Green Jacket in 1998. You know the story there, but yes, my Green Jacket. GWK: What's one ritual you have or had Masters week? JN: Obviously, it's the Champions Dinner. And the ritual I always like is how prior to the dinner, just going around and talking to everybody you haven't probably seen for a year. GWK: One word to describe the drive down Magnolia Lane? JN: Well, I get a chill every time I drive down Magnolia Lane. No different than to me now than it was the first time I drove down it in 1959. It's hard to compare it to something that people might better understand the feeling. For me, it's sort of like each time I hear our National Anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner. It's almost the same thing, because of the pride and emotions that come with it. I always get a chill, even now. To me, it's sensational. GWK: What's your funniest caddie story at the Masters? JN: Probably how I got Willie Peterson. You know that one, right? It was 1960, and the caddiemaster was asking who wanted to caddie for me. Pond, who caddied for me in 1959, said, 'I don't want Mr. Jack.' He went on to say, 'Mr. Jack works too hard.' So, then he asked, 'Does anybody here want to take him?' And Willie says, 'I'll take him!' Willie took me and went on to win five Masters Tournaments with me. Willie was a character. He was a good man, and he became a good friend. When I found out in 2020 that Willie's grave site in Augusta didn't have a headstone – which sadly was the case for many Augusta caddies through the years – we made sure to right that wrong. GWK: What's your favorite Masters Par 3 Contest story? JN: Probably 2018, when Watson, Player and I all finished in the top 10. Tom, at 68, won it; I finished fourth; and Gary, at 82, was 10th. Oh, and another little thing happened that year. My 15-year-old grandson GT (Gary's son) got a hole-in-one. 😊 I said then and I still feel the same, when asked where that ranks among my Masters memories, it's right up there at the top. GWK: What's an unwritten rule at Augusta National Golf Club that's not well known? JN: An unwritten rule? Oh, one that is not well known. Ok, to have a little fun, the Chairman prefers you wear socks. I remember once Billy Payne, during the Jamboree when they were taking a photo of all the members, saw that two of them didn't have socks on. Billy made them go back to their rooms and get socks on to take the picture. GWK: What's the one thing you miss most about the Masters now that your playing career there is over? JN: Winning it. GWK: Who's your favorite Augusta National member and why? JN: Bobby Jones. He was my father's idol, and mine. GWK: Have you ever taken an item from the club? Could be as small as a box of matches. JN: I took a picture. As in, I took a photo of something. They had these waste-paper baskets in the rooms that we really liked. We wanted something like it at Muirfield Village. So, we took a photo of them. Also, we liked the hooks under the corners of the tables at Augusta National to hang a hat (Barbara interjects and says, 'It's a purse-holder.' Ok, hooks as a purse-holder or for caps.') So, we took photos of those, and we put them in at Muirfield Village and The Bear's Club. GWK: What's your favorite place to eat in Augusta? JN: The Club. GWK: Who do you have sit on each side of you at the Champions dinner? JN: Well, when Arnold was still alive, every year I would have Tiger on one side and Arnold on the other. For years! After Arnold passed, it's been Watson on one side and Tiger sits on the other side. GWK: What's the one change you'd make to Augusta National? JN: I did plans for redoing the second hole for Hord Hardin a long, long time ago. I suggested dropping the fairway and bunkering on the left side. I think it could be argued that the second shot at No. 2 could be considered the weakest shot on the golf course. You stand there on a right-to-left slope, downhill, with a tree in your way that you have to hit a hook around, and the green wants you to hit a high fade. It's really hard to play. There's no easy way to play the second shot at Augusta with a proper tee shot. And another thing. Now that I am 85, and half the membership is probably over 80, and they have added a number of women as members, I would add forward tees. Your perfect foursome for one last round at Augusta National? JN: Easy. My kids. GWK: What's the best shot you've ever hit at Augusta National? JN: It would be hard not to say the eagle putt I made at No. 15 in 1986. If I don't make that putt, I'm not going to get there. I loved the 1-iron I hit into No. 15 in 1975, but I missed the putt. GWK: What's the worst shot you've ever hit at Augusta? JN: The shank over Bob Jones' head on the 12th hole in 1964.
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Masters survey 2025: Nine great answers from Gary Player, the oldest living Masters champ
Masters survey 2025: Nine great answers from Gary Player, the oldest living Masters champ With the passing of Jack Burke Jr. last year, Gary Player is the oldest living Masters champion at 89. He also takes the annual Golfweek Masters Survey more seriously than just about anyone. Last year, we ran his entire response as a Q&A, while this time, we've scaled it back to our nine favorite answers, but don't fear, we promise his "back nine" of answers will be sprinkled in the Masters Survey with the other responses. And with that, it's officially Masters Survey season. Enjoy! GWK: What is your greatest Masters keepsake? GP: For me, the greatest keepsake isn't something you can hold—it's the memories of meeting Bobby Jones and President Eisenhower at Augusta National. GWK: What's one ritual you have Masters week? GP: Every year at the top of Magnolia Lane, I say a prayer of thanks for the privilege of being back at this great tournament. It's an honor I never take for granted. GWP: One word to describe the drive down Magnolia Lane? If you play music, what song do you play in the car? GP: Gratitude. To have played in the Masters more than anyone and to be making my 67th visit this year is simply incredible. Entering into the gates each year, I get out of my car and walk in silence like I did my first tournament. But I do come and go frequently, so, I like to play 'Y.M.C.A.' or 'How Great Thou Art' by Carl Moberg. GWK: What past champion would you most want on your bag? GP: I'd take Jack Nicklaus but you have to get him a cart. GWK: What's one concession item that they should add to the menu? GP: Green juice, they need something healthy for energy that fuels the patrons to walk the grounds all day. GWK: Who do you typically sit next to at the Champions Dinner and what two current players not currently Masters champs would you most like to see at the dinner in the future? GP: I sit next to Nick Faldo and Vijay Singh. Rory McIlroy, he will get there, and Bryson DeChambeau because he is a fantastic person and always makes it a point to greet me with a handshake and hat off every time I see him. I hope to greet him the same way at the Champions Dinner one day. GWK: Your perfect foursome for one last round at Augusta National? GP: Donald Trump, Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and Lee Quo U of Singapore. GWK: What's the best shot you've ever hit at ANGC? GP: This might be considered lucky, but I was buried in the back bunker on Hole 12 under the lip with water on the other side. It was so far under I almost declared unplayable. I decided to hit way behind so it would come back in the bunker. I couldn't' see the ball under the lip so I took a hard swing and it went in the hole. I could try that a thousand more times and never hole it. But that was 80 percent luck. But really, the best shot was my putt in 1978 on 18 from 22 feet above the hole to come back in 30-64 to win. GWK: What's the worst shot you've ever hit at ANGC? GP: It was the year I finished second to Jack (1965). I had the most perfect lie on 15 and knocked it in the water. It didn't even resemble a good shot.
USA Today
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Full Swing's Chad Mumm dishes on Season 3
Full Swing's Chad Mumm dishes on Season 3 Season 3 of Netflix's golf documentary 'Full Swing' is back and the full season dropped earlier this week on Feb. 25. Access is king and makes such a difference in the portrayal of the players. Sadly, still no Tiger or Phil and Bryson DeChambeau, Scott Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who won the four majors and in Scheffler's case almost all of the other prominent prizes (Olympic gold, FedEx Cup) didn't sit for interviews or make themselves readily available. Hopefully, season 4 is the breakthrough year for telling some of the stories we really want to see or else they get lucky again as they did when Matt Fitzpatrick won the 2022 U.S. Open in season 1. But you'll look at Camilo Villegas and Gary Woodland in a new way and several of the wives and girlfriends are fun secondary characters (still waiting for the wives of the PGA Tour episode or spinoff). Also, there's a lot less focus on the PGA Tour-PIF negotiations – not much to tell there – and the civil war with LIV Golf. That was intentional, says Chad Mumm, executive producer of Full Swing. 'We try to get back to basics in this one: characters, humor and heart, the wives. I think it's really good but I always think that. I always watch the cuts in like October and I hate it and I'm like my life is over, this is terrible. By Christmas it's good and by now it's great. I don't know how the editors do it. GWK: What episode do you think will pop with the general public the most? CM: Well, we heard the outcry and we did a caddie episode that focuses on Ted Scott, Scottie Scheffler's caddie, and Carl Smith, Sahith Theegala's caddie, in episode 4, Carrying the Burden. It's a real look at their lives. That one is probably my favorite episode, but episode 1 is really good. Neal Shipley is going to pop for general audiences. He's like a dream character. It's like, imagine Joel Dahmen from season one, but you're like 22 and you have six roommates and your Xbox is propped up on a case of beer in your dorm room and you find yourself playing with Tiger on Sunday at the Masters. It's just great stuff. GWK: Why did your crew target him? CM: You know, we show up at like these events and we try to cover every base. Part of the deal with being able to shoot at Augusta is they said we really want you to tell the story of the amateurs, it's what we do. So, we were chasing all the ams and he made the cut so it worked out perfectly. First scene we shot with him he's playing ping pong with his roommate. GWK: The Canadian boys finally get some love, eh? CM: All of golf media in Canada is so excited to see those boys in the trailer. My Instagram has been full of Canadians, like, finally Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, yes, like, it's there. I don't want to disappoint you. Didn't realize I needed six episodes on Canada. GWK: How big of a character is Rory McIlroy this time? CM: He's in two episodes. One that you will think is super-soft, and one that you will think is great. We did like a him and Shane episode at the Zurich and their childhoods, which is great. It's fun. It's light and soft, but it's got a great title that no one has somehow called me out on yet. It's called 'Thick and Thin.' I can't believe no one said anything, but that's fun. And then, you know the Rory from Valhalla to Pinehurst with Bryson. From the time he comes off 18 to when he storms out, we were right there all the way to the car. That's a good episode. It's gut-wrenching for Rory. GWK: Did Bryson sit for an interview this year? CM: No. I think Bryson is such an interesting character, even in a vacuum, that, like, of course, I would rather him say it in his own words, but, you know, like, you don't even need explain who this guy is. There's so much out there. I think we did a good job. GWK: Is there anything special from the Presidents Cup? CM: It turned out to be the gift for us because of Keegan. In the process of the episode he gets named Ryder Cup captain on the back of Full Swing. Seth Waugh was like this is what tipped our hand. We saw who he was. Why not take a swing? Then he made the winning putt, which people don't really realize. Of course, it didn't matter but we make it feel like it was to win the Masters. We can manipulate people's emotions with music and stuff. It turned out great. We got great access to the international team and OK access to the U.S. team, kind of like at Rome. We got great access to Keegan [Bradley] and a couple of the guys and obviously [Jim] Furyk enough. In that episode we tell the Camilo Villegas story and him and his wife are like, if you're a parent you will bawl. They are so impressive. The way that story came together because of the way the international players on Tour supported him through that, it will make you cry. And same for the Gary Woodland episode. We were in there from his first scan and at every surgery. GWK: When will you know if there's going to be a season 4? CM: It's usually about a month after the premiere. We've got little skeleton crews getting started. Being a Ryder Cup year, the lesson we learned last time is we shot much later so we're staggering our start a bit. The early season hardly ever makes it into the show. Even the Masters is hard to make matter. It's just so early in the year. The Masters is like the beginning for most people.
USA Today
06-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
LPGA interim commissioner Liz Moore already making moves, but does she want the job?
LPGA interim commissioner Liz Moore already making moves, but does she want the job? BRADENTON, Fla. — Liz Moore's first player meeting was a memorable one. The LPGA's new pace-of-play policy, presented to the membership on Tuesday at the Founders Cup, should be a shot in the arm for the 75-year-old tour. Players praised the interim commissioner's humble, transparent, and straightforward style. 'It was a very different tone,' said Angel Yin. 'It was honestly to the point – she's a lawyer. … She listed all the things that she wanted to speak about, spoke about it, and then left. It's not a lot words. It's not a word salad up there, trying to figure out what's going on.' Gaby Lopez went so far as to say she hopes Moore keeps the job. 'We need a strong figure,' said Lopez. Hired on by Mike Whan in 2014, Moore served as the tour's Chief Legal and Technology Officer and Corporate Secretary when she took on the role of interim commissioner, filling in after Mollie Marcoux Samaan stepped down in early January. Moore also chairs the Ladies European Tour joint venture board and is the primary liaison to the LPGA's international business offices in Europe and Asia. The tour is expected to hire its 10th commissioner sometime after the first quarter of 2025. Golfweek sat down with Moore at Bradenton Country Club, site of the tour's first full-field event of the season. Here are excerpts from that conversation: GWK: As interim commissioner, what are your biggest priorities in the short term, with maybe saving some things that you feel like should be for the next person, whoever that might be? Liz Moore: First of all, in terms of establishing priorities, one of the things that I did do, is listen, and that included our whole set of stakeholders, and I'm still listening, and going to keep listening to people like you and others. I learned a lot and it was it was almost overwhelming, and it probably shouldn't have been to me, just the level of passion and support and excitement around this business from everybody – the players, the sponsors, tournament owners. You know, I think they've recognized we've been through rapid growth and a lot of change. But they're focused on the future, and they got a lot of ideas. I've been talking with the team about staying relentlessly focused on really three things. We've got great trends in fan interest and engagement, and it's continuing those trends and the momentum behind that; driving revenue, obviously important to everybody; and then continuing to focus on enhancing the overall experience of the players. Everything we're doing this year is going to be lined up behind that. You're already off to a fast start with pace of play, especially with it being such a massive topic in the game as a whole right now. What are your hopes for what this new policy can do to help the entertainment factor of the tour? LM: Yeah, it's a great question. First, I think it's obviously no secret that pace of play has been a significant issue. It's been written about a lot, and I think that this policy is a significant step forward to hopefully resolving it. I'm really proud that it was a player-led initiative. And I think it's been at least initially, you know, positively received, and I think that they're they're all leaning into kind of working with us on it. They understand the need for it. Is there anything that you feel you should leave specifically for whoever takes the spot later in the year – it might be you, I don't know – things you feel like should follow that person's vision. LM: First of all, I think that we've got just a tremendous opportunity in front of us. I think everybody understands that, you know, the moment is a movement. And so my goal is to leverage that, our goal is to leverage that and use these tailwinds around women's sports to continue the momentum that we have. For me, you know, I think my job is to continue that momentum and my job is to leave a strong foundation and really tee up the tour so that the next commissioner, when they're identified, are ready to execute their strategy and their vision. Is there anything in the listening tour that you wrote down and underlined like five times. Anything really earth-shattering or something that surprised you? LM: Well, like I said, I think the surprising part to me was that kind of overwhelming excitement and passion that everybody has around it, and the potential that they see, and that everybody's really looking forward, which is really exciting. I'm going to keep listening. I think for me, you know, one of the things that I heard was we've got this opportunity now as we go into our 75th year … to kind of recapture some of that agility, some of that grittiness, some of that determination. You know, leaning into the success of the tour, across all stakeholders, and that's the players, the sponsors and our tournament owners. Are you going to throw your name in the ring? LM: You might imagine that I got that question from just about everybody that I spoke with, and first of all, I'll say that I love the LPGA, like you do, and I am very honored to be asked by the board to step in and to serve. As you said, it's unique, you know, a unique position, and I'm really good at the details, but my talents are really best behind the scenes. So I will not be applying for the job.
USA Today
29-01-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Q&A: Cobra president Dan Ladd on Max Homa, 3D printing and the future of golf
Q&A: Cobra president Dan Ladd on Max Homa, 3D printing and the future of golf Learn why Cobra has been waiting to sign Max Homa, how it plans to bring 3D printed irons to the masses and why it supports the PGA Merchandise Show. Show Caption Hide Caption Cobra DS-Adapt X, DS-Adapt LS, DS-Adapt Max-K, DS-Adapt Max-D drivers Cobra made the DS-Adapt drivers more aerodynamic for a wide range of golfers. As the president of Cobra-Puma Golf, Dan Ladd oversees a pair of brands that have high visibility on the PGA and LPGA tours. The golf equipment arm of the company, Cobra, was founded in 1973, and the brand's first impactful club was a wooden hybrid called The Baffler that had 23 degrees of loft and a pair of rails on the sole that helped it skim through the turf. Trusty Rusty wedges soon followed, and in 1991, Greg Norman signed an endorsement deal with the company and obtained a 12 percent ownership in the brand. In 1993, Norman won the British Open at Royal St. George's, giving Cobra its first major win. In the years that followed, stars like Hale Irwin and Ben Crenshaw also played in Cobra gear. They were followed by 2006 U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy, Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter and Camilo Villegas. Today, Rickie Fowler and newly signed star Max Homa are the faces of Cobra Golf, a brand that is one of the most innovative in the industry. So it felt right for Golfweek to sit down with Ladd last week at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, to discuss the show, Cobra's innovations and the company's plans for the future. GWK: So why is Cobra at an event like this, and what do you try to get out of the PGA Merchandise Show? Dan Ladd: Yeah, I mean, we love getting with our customers, right? The golf professionals, media people like you, and getting face to face and talking about our brand and our products, our partnerships, and sometimes finding opportunities to solve issues when they're there out there. There's nothing like it. We like to showcase what we have. I think it's also that we like being around the competition, and a lot of it is here. We think we stand up really well against the competition, so we like those moments where we kind of share a stage and show how we can perform. GWK: The PGA Show was canceled in 2021, and in '22, many companies opted not to come. Are you surprised that it seems like the PGA Show built momentum in 2024 and now in 2025? DL: I would have anticipated that, and that may be a little bit of a surprise for people, but I think there's energy. I still think there are a lot of things that we need to do, as an industry, to stay strong and stay positive. We need to keep saying how do we make it better, how do we make it more efficient, right? GWK: For 2025, what will be one or two things Cobra Golf needs to achieve to be successful? DL: We've got a lot of different innovation stories. Certainly, what we're doing around the future of fitting in our FutureFit (hosel). We think it's a game-changer. We think it's gonna help a lot of golfers or all golfers. So, we're excited to get that in the market and we're excited to deliver better products. You know, we're commercialized 3D printing. We brought out a limited number, as you know, 500, and it was a great success. We're now going to commercialize that in a big way. The response to that over the last few days has been crazy. People were intrigued, and then when they tried it and they performed better, they were kind of amazed. GWK: Tell me about when the R&D team came to and said, 'We want to make 3D printed irons, and they're probably going cost about $3,000 a set.' What was what was your initial take on that? DL: As usual, sometimes when those guys come to me, I think they're crazy, but they're very smart. Our team has been working on 3D printing for eight years. What that is, what it can be. We've got a lot of intellectual property and work around that as well. What we were able to do with Max (Homa), getting him into new product as quickly as we did, which was exactly what he wanted or better than what he wanted. It's been a journey. It hasn't been easy. It's been a huge investment for us, but many times, when people wanted us to give up, our team wouldn't give up. We felt we had something, and now it's coming to life. It's really fun, honestly. It's fulfilling. GWK: You started with 500 sets of the original line at $3,000 last spring, which sold out, and then Cobra had a second release. As many technologies mature, the prices come down, and now a new iron has come out, and the price is about $500 less. Do you anticipate that in the next five to seven years, Cobra will have a 3D set of irons that breaks below $1,700 or $2,000? DL: The work that's going on with the teams right now, and that's not only innovation but our development team, our sourcing team, it's not gonna be that long. It's not gonna be five years. It's not gonna be seven years. It's not gonna be three years. I'm pushing for sooner rather than later. But we're not by cheapening anything. It has to perform. It has to perform better, or we're not going to bring it out, but we are doing a lot of things there. So, will it be this time next year? Will you see it? It's not a goal that we're not trying to go after. GWK: Several advancements changed the world of equipment, like the introduction of multi-layer solid core golf balls, metal drivers, then 460cc drivers, adjustable drivers and moveable weights. Do you think that 3D printing will become something like that? DL: I think it could be a historic innovation. I think it can be game-changing. I think it can make its mark on the game. As you said, all these different historical moments that came in and changed the game in a way and now has a space in the retail world that is pretty strong. We believe this could be that. I believe it will be on the calendar as something that helped change the game. GWK: You mentioned Max Homa before. Obviously, he was the marquee signing for this offseason. How did that partnership come about? Explain the process of getting a new player signed. Who talks to who? DL: We're not a company that is trying to win counts or have the most players, right? So, it's always finding the right people that work within our brands. We've been looking at the list of players through the years, and Max was always at the top of the list. He was always a guy like, wow, he'd be a great fit, a great player, a great ball striker, a great ambassador. He was always on that list but not available. So, all of a sudden, when he had the opportunity to become a free agent, and we started to discussions with his with his agents, and he knows our tour van and the people like Ben Schomin in it, those discussions started. And as a free agent, he wanted to test everything and get to know the people, and that was very important for him. It's a process, a six-month-plus process. We think that for us, he's someone who could move the needle again. GWK: What are the priorities when you're looking at professional athletes that you might want to sign to endorsement deals? DL: We look at two things. Certainly, we want someone to help us grow our brands, right, and get exposure to our brands. And that's no secret. What we say to them, and I think we have a history of it, is we want to talk about their brands and how we can help them grow their brand. I think, historically, what we've done with a Lexi (Thompson) or Rickie (Fowler) or Gary (Woodland), that's important for us. We feel like they deserve that and a company that wants to help build their brand and make them as great as they could be. So, you know, Max is a perfect example. He's got an amazing identity and an amazing brand. One of the things we told him is that we want to help him build that more. We want to amplify that for him, and at the same time, that's going to help us.
