THIS WEEK'S EDITIONS OF THE FIRST CALL

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Have golf industry leaders done a good job "growing the game" of golf, and in what ways would you expand the sport?

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BUSINESS

PGA Tour, FanDuel Group: Announce a multiyear extension to their content and marketing relationship that designates FanDuel as an official betting operator of the PGA Tour. Through 2027, FanDuel will become the official odds provider on the PGA Tour’s app and website. Additionally, FanDuel will work to enhance the storytelling of select broadcasts through live odds integrations.

LIV Golf, Coupang Play: Announce that the league’s inaugural event in Korea, taking place at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, May 2-4, will be officially known as LIV Golf Korea presented by Coupang Play. The multi-year partnership further establishes LIV Golf's presence in Korea, with Coupang Play, the streaming service of South Korea’s largest e-commerce company, serving as a principal partner for Iron Heads GC, a team with three Korean-born players, as well as a marketing partner and the exclusive broadcast partner for LIV Golf in South Korea. 

COMPETITION

LPGA, Hanwha: This year's Hanwha LifePlus International Crown will feature one world team, marking the inclusion of athletes who would not otherwise qualify for the competition via country selection. The four-day match-play event, which will feature seven countries and the world team, will be held Oct. 23-26 at New Korea Country Club in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. Participating countries will be finalized following the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship; players to be finalized following the 2025 AIG Women’s Open. The top seven countries will be determined by the combined Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings of the top four players from each country as of the WWGR published after the conclusion of the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship June 23. Countries must have a minimum of four ranked players to be eligible. 

DESTINATIONS

PGA National Resort: Offering through April 30 a 20% discount on its bestselling Gold Golf Experience that showcases the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, destination’s $100 million transformation. The Gold Golf Experience package starts at $580 per night (based on double occupancy) and includes a morning round followed by optional replay rounds in the afternoon at reduced rates. The offer includes a daily round of golf on a choice of either The Fazio, The Match, The Estate, The Champion (with a surcharge) or The Palmer (with a surcharge) courses. 

GEAR

Jondo: Golf eyewear brand will make its first appearance at the PGA Show, Jan. 21-24 in Orlando, Florida. Visitors to the company’s booth will be able to demo the brand’s eyewear and enter to win a South African Golf and Safari Adventure for four.

Famara Golf: United Kingdom-based women's golf apparel brand will introduce its newest collection during its fourth appearance at the PGA Show. Each piece features abstract prints created by founder Liz Harwood and is inspired by the landscapes of Famara Beach in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. In 2024, Famara Golf was named a finalist for Brand of the Year at the Women in Golf Awards and received an Editor’s Choice Award from Golf Monthly.

Bushnell Golf: Launches the Bushnell Launch Pro Indoor (LPi), the next generation in indoor golf simulation. Developed in partnership with Foresight Sports, the LPi provides golfers with personalized performance insights. It retails for $2,799. Through an initial MyBag assessment, golfers hit at least three shots with each club to characterize their unique tendencies and performance. Once completed, the Bushnell Golf app syncs MyBag data from the Foresight Sports app, enabling seamless integration with Bushnell Golf’s Pro series laser rangefinders.

LIFESTYLE

2K: Announces PGA Tour 2K25, the forthcoming entry in the golf simulation franchise from HB Studios that will feature the debut of the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open. Six-time PGA Tour winner Max Homa makes his series debut, joining Matt Fitzpatrick and Tiger Woods, on the respective covers of the standard and deluxe editions. Woods will also be featured on the  legend edition. The iteration of the game, which will include 27 licensed courses at launch, features several franchise advancements, including the addition of new EvoSwing mechanics with a host of new shot types, ball flights, roll physics and visual improvements. PGA Tour 2K25 standard edition will be available on Feb. 28, and players who pre-order the deluxe and legend editions are entitled to up to seven days of early access beginning on Feb. 21.

MEDIA

Fox Sports, LIV Golf: Announce a multiyear media rights agreement that will deliver live coverage of LIV Golf League competition to viewers throughout the U.S. beginning in February with the start of LIV Golf’s third official season. Throughout the season, all three days of LIV Golf tournament competition will air live across the Fox family of networks, with more than half of the league’s schedule airing on Fox or FS1. Select rounds will air on FS2, Fox Business Network and the Fox Sports app, with nearly all of the LIV Golf season’s 210 hours of competition carried live across Fox Sports platforms. All LIV Golf coverage will also be streamed on the Fox Sports app and to LIV Golf+ app subscribers.

PEOPLE

The Abaco Club: Promotes Matt DiMase to director of operations and grounds. DiMase, who has been at the Bahamas destination for the past eight years, will continue to oversee grounds maintenance while taking on golf operations, wellness, athletics and outdoor pursuits.  

Panther National: Announces the internal promotions of Dan Fore to director of agronomy and of Ryan Beech and Ryan Gurrola to course superintendents for the private Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, club. Fore has been with Panther National since the pre-construction of the course and has been involved in all aspects of the golf course development.

LPGA: Names Mary Salter as chief financial officer and treasurer. Salter will oversee the LPGA’s global financial operations, including forecasting, reporting and compliance, while driving the organization’s strategic initiatives and financial performance. Salter joined the LPGA in 2017 as controller and has held several leadership roles, most recently serving as executive vice president of finance. 

LIV Golf: Names Scott O’Neil as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately. O’Neil will drive the strategic vision, business operations and global growth for the league, its 13 teams and roster of golfers. Greg Norman, who was LIV Golf’s first CEO and commissioner, will hand off day-to-day management, but will remain involved with LIV Golf. Prior to being named CEO of LIV Golf, O’Neil served as CEO of Merlin Entertainments, responsible for overseeing the business operations and global growth across its 140-plus attractions in 23 countries.

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