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The R&A has entered a partnership with the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS) to launch a media training opportunity at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open.

Working with BCOMS – a black-led organisation that aims to diversify UK’s sports media – The R&A will offer aspiring media professionals from diverse backgrounds a range of placements at the AIG Women’s Open when it is played at Walton Heath from 10-13 August.

Supported and mentored by staff from The R&A, BCOMS trainees will gain invaluable experience across areas such as photography, social media and media relations. They will contribute to content output for The R&A and AIG Women’s Open channels and gain experience and advice to help support their professional development.

Cukture of Inclusivity

Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A said, “The R&A is committed to creating and fostering an inclusive culture in golf. We want more people involved with the sport at every level and that includes working within the industry as well as playing, so we are delighted to be working with BCOMS to offer this opportunity.“This year we are introducing new experiences for fans at the AIG Women’s Open to attract new audiences, but we know there is more that we can do to attract the future workforce of the sport – to educate and inspire individuals from a range of backgrounds that a career in golf is for them, whether they play or not.”Drew Christie, Chair of BCOMS said, “Since 2009 BCOMS has worked to support the next generation of media professionals with the aim of creating a stronger, better and healthier sports media industry. Greater diversity is part of the answer to creating the change the industry needs, and this requires the support of organisations that share our vision and can help achieve it. “There are lots of young people that feel like a career in golf and in the sports media is not open to them, so it’s essential we work with leading organisations like The R&A to create pathways for the future role models within the industry and sport. Providing opportunities like this helps us to do just that.”

Positive and welcome news tonight that Tiger has reached out to the PGA Tour and has been offered a place on the Policy Board. As a new 6th member this means that the players have the majority voice on the board. He said “I am honoured to represent the players of the PGA Tour. This is a critical point and the players will do their best to make certain that any changes made to Tour operations are in the best interests of fans, sponsors and players”. He also said that Commissioner Monahan “has my confidence moving forward”.

This is a big step forward. Justin Thomas, Tiger’s close friend, said “it means a lot” and said that it is important to Tiger and he will take it seriously. Other players talked of a “bold and impressive commitment”

This is a big step forward. Justin Thomas, Tiger’s close friend, said “it means a lot” and said that it is important to Tiger and he will take it seriously. Other players talked of a “bold and impressive commitment”

Jay Monahan said “Tiger’s voice and leadership throughout his career have contributed immesurably to the success of the

PGA Tour and to apply both to our governance and go forward plan at this critical time is even more welcomed and impactful”.

Tiger also needs this direction in his life so a win-win for the sport.

Things seem a little bit stronger now.

This glorious picture shows Bobby Jones teeing off at the King’s Course Gleneagles which he visited on his way home from seeing the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. When word got out that he was coming 5,000 people turned out to watch him.

I normally choose to ignore what is happening on the LIV Golf tour but with the whole sport in a state of disruption it might be time to see if its demise is coming.

This week in New York LIV Golf held a presentation for advertising agencies and global brands to re-introduce their product – Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau attended. The message was “we’re still alive and making plans for the future”

Saudi Public Investment Fund’s Yasser Al-Rummayan is known to like the team concept. He met with LIV players at their Valderrama tournament a few weeks ago and was reassuring about their future. 

However, despite a $2 billion investment, LIV has continued with no corporate signage, no Fortune 500 companies interested in it and until this year no TV partner. The demographics for the people who attend LIV tournaments is interesting. 60% are under 45 years, 30% have never attended a tournament before. This isn’t really surprising as in year one many of the people who attended were on free passes, and were coming along for the free music and a cheap day out as much as anything.

This year’s alliance with CW network has not been successful. Their TV ratings are no longer made public but earlier this year were under 300,000 viewers on the final day of their 54 hole tournaments. This is compared to an average 2 million viewers for a PGA Tour event. They have streamed on YouTube, DAZN and the LIV golf app.

Since the announcement of the merger of the three tours seven weeks ago LIV CEO Greg Norman has said little publicly. The basic framework document of the “NewCo” the new organiation which the merged tours will sit under says that LIV will continue and complete its 2023 schedule, but there’s nothing more beyond that. There are no assurances that LIV will continue as it is, and the PGA Tour have a taskforce working on how LIV players can be reintegrated into the tour. 

This asks the question, what will happen to Greg? It is looking as though he may be ousted immediately. Ron Price the COO of the PGA Tour has said “it would make no sense to bring in that kind of executive to manage a series of fourteen 54 hole events”.

With its team competition, shotgun starts, 54 hole events, smaller fields and no cut tournaments it is distinctive, and the PGA Tour has adjusted to introduce elevated events with smaller fields, no cuts and guaranteed purses. 

But with the PGA Tour working to welcome any interested LIV players back into the fold next year it looks as though the future beyond this season looks very uncertain. 

I will be glad not to have to think about it, I’ll be glad when this mess is all over.

The largest crowds that ever attended the Evian Championship since it was inaugurated in the early 1990s cheered on Celine Boutier to her first major championship win, won on home soil. She was greeted on the 18th green by fellow players and drowned in champagne.

“This has been my dream, and this week felt different. It helped having my family here but away from the tournament to get some normality and take my mind off the tournament. I

On the course I had to trick my mind into thinking that I was playing somewhere else” she said such was the importance of a home soil win.

The native of Clamarat, France was the outstanding player of the week in most categories and she stormed to a six-stroke victory over Brooke Henderson.

In really challenging 25 mph winds she birdied three of the first five holes and only dropped one shot. She said that she played steady and calmly all week. It was an impressive, clinical display that brought out huge support from the fans and the media.

Evian les Bains is the golf course for the Paris Olympic Games next year, an event that Celine will be relishing. She is also looking forward to the Solheim Cup which starts on 22 September, but for now this win caps all of that.

“I’m good for the rest of the year. Nothing else matters”

In a separate incident Carlotta Ciganda was disqualified because she refused to add a 2 shot penalty to her score which was given to her by a referee for slow play on her final hole on Friday. If she hadn’t have been penalised she would have made the cut by one stroke.

Ciganda wrote a lengthy statement on her Instagram account giving her side of the story.

She criticised the tournament officials for their “very poor performance, saying that they don’t understand what professional golf is all about”.

She had a 10 foot putt on the last hole, and the group behind were not on the tee. The office; said that she had taken 52 seconds over the putt. The day was tough with windy conditions and difficult conditions”.

The LPGA Tour responded that Ciganda’s appeal had been heard and denied, therefore a two-shot penalty was added and she opted not to add that to her signed scorecard.

Ciganda has been penalised for slow play in the past but has criticised tournament officials for always picking on the same players.

Elsewhere in Commissioner Monahan’s memo there were details for the first time of the framework agreement for the new entity which merges the three tours.

There will be a Player Benefit Programme which significantky will reward players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour. This is what Jon Rahm said at the Open last week that he fekt players should not ne entitled to. “I stayed because it was the best choice for myself and the goof I want to play”. But he did think there should be some punishment for those who left”.

The reward seems to be equity in the new entity and involvement in the Player Impact Programme which LIV rebels would be excluded from.

A taskforce has been set up to work out the path to reinstatement and to evaluate player disciplime.

I found this to be quite revealing, the insitence on disciplining and punishing those who have left. It’s contradictory. If they hadn’t left the Your would not be dealing with this much money to deprive them of. Revealing language, using discipline and punishment.

In addition, there is a new special advisor Raine Group’s Colin Neville who is tasked with streamlining communications between the Tour and players during the complicated and intensive negotiations setting up the new entity.

There’s such a revolution going on, behind the scenes at The Open Championship ceo of the R&A Martin Slumbers met with Yasser Al Tunayan and the OWGR Committee met to discuss how to reintegrate LIV players back into the rankings.

In a leaked memo from the PGA Tour Commissioner yesterday the PGA Tour are not supporting reducing ball distance.

So, this isn’t such a surprise because nearly all the PGA Tour players were against rollback. Justin Thomas was particularly vocal about it. Strong words “it is not wanted and not in the best interests of the game”, It means that the R&A and the USGA are now in disagreement with the PGA Tour. Bit they will be protecting the interests of equipment manufacturers who wont want to make a sprcisl ball they can’t also sell to consumers. What is surprising is the hard hitting and dismissive language. The tone of the whole memo shows a lot about how Jay Monahan communicates. It’s like this is a solution to a problem which doesn’t exist.

However, it was Jack icklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy who were all more open to the idea of ball rollback.

This spring at Augusta Tiger said ” I think this should have happened a long time ago”.

Jack has previously said “I don’t think the rukes are right about the golf ball. The game has changed so much because of the golf ball”.

A new distance control ball would bring back sourses like asunningdale that are obsolete for championship golf.

This decision just throws more conflict into the path of PGA Tour officials and dismisses years of research.

UK’s number one rap star Central Cee in his video Treat You Better. If you watch this – age restriction. There are some Paige Spiranac size women in hundreds and thousands bikinis who jiggle a bit. If that’s your thing enjoy.

I saw his collab on this is Shawn Mendez not to be confused with but the other singer of the same name Shawn Mendes I saw at the Altice Arena in Lisbon once and there wasn’t room to breathe.

There would have been a better chance of seeing him with some space around on a golf course. He’s been working with avid golfer and Modest Golf owner Niall Horan, who has also been encouraging his golf game. Interesting bowed position at the top.

Earlier today top professional Lee Westwood wrote a column in which he defended our new Open Champion.

I read an article on Monday morning which thoroughly disgusted me. It was on a specialist golf website and the headline declared that ‘golf was due a dud’. The level of disrespect towards Brian Harman and his remarkable victory at the Open on Sunday was astounding.

“You expect that nonsense in the dark recesses on Twitter, but not in one of the best-known magazines in America. I will not name the publication because it has some great journalists who I don’t want to implicate. But, at the very least, the headline should be changed. In short, it is a disgrace and shows a complete lack of understanding of the nature of the sport in that publication’s very own title.”

“Brian converted 54 of his first 54 putts within 10 feet and when he finally missed one – on the 13th during the final round – he bounced straight back with a 40-footer on the next green. I always hesitate to compare anyone with Tiger, but this was undoubtedly ‘Tiger-esque’.”

In his victory press conference Harman said that a member of the gallery had told him thar he was going to lose because “he hadn’t got the stones for it” (another word was probably used) and that had motivated him more.

You can read Joel McBeal’s piece on golfdigest.com

The tension on the practice ground still seemed to be tense between the LIV and PGA Tour players. A bit like this.

Here’s how the LIV players are doing after 54 holes

• -1 Richard Bland, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith, Henrik Stenson
• +1 Thomas Pieters, Abraham Ancer, Laurie Canter
• +2 Louis Oosthuizen
• +3 Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau
• MISSED THE CUT
• +5 Joaquin Niemann
• +7 Charl Schwartzel, Talor Gooch
• +9 Phil Mickelson
• +10 Branden Grace
• +13 Dustin Johnson