The First Call 07-22-2022

FIRST THOUGHT

All of the elements for compelling television viewing were in place — the 150th playing of the British Open, St. Andrews as the venue, Tiger Woods in the field. Tack on LIV Golf tension, a final round with Rory McIlroy in contention and a stout leaderboard and it's not surprising that ratings were high. NBC's coverage of the British Open averaged 2.52 million viewers across its TV and digital platforms, up 16% (2.17 million viewers) from a year ago and 27% (1.98 million) from 2019. Sunday’s final round averaged a 2.8 rating and 4.55 million viewers on NBC (4.73 million including streaming viewership on Peacock and other digital platforms) — the largest Open final round audience since 2018 (6.48 million).

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> Question of the Week: Now that 2022's majors are complete — with Scottie Scheffler (Masters), Justin Thomas (PGA), Matthew Fitzpatrick (U.S. Open) and Cameron Smith (British Open) the champions — how would you rate them as a collective group?
Send replies on this question or other topics to shall@morningread.com. For your response to be published, you must include first and last name, along with city and state of residence. Read last week's responses.

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READ, WATCH, LISTEN

> Golf tournaments, a private jet and a red Ferrari: A tech CEO lived large while his employees went unpaid
[David Jeans | Forbes | Read]

> Charles Barkley pushes back on ‘blood money’ outrage with hope to do both TNT and LIV Golf
[Andrew Marchand | New York Post | Read]

> Inside the PGA Tour’s Washington lobbying effort against the Saudi-funded LIV golf league
[Brian Schwartz | CNBC | Read]

THE INDUSTRY

OnCore Golf’s Andy Pope wins 76th Florida Open Championship

Pope played OnCore Golf’s Vero X1 golf ball to win by three strokes

Ed Oliver GC announces namesake’s biography receives top national honor

'How He Played the Game: Ed 'Porky' Oliver and Golf's Greatest Generation' by author John Riley earns first-place honors for nonfiction biography / history at the National Federation of Press Women’s annual awards

Explore Branson Golf destination centrally located for summer, fall getaways

With air travel woes mounting, SW Missouri Ozarks location is one day’s drive for half of American population

Reinvigorated Dundonald Links to host Women’s Scottish Open, July 28-31

Ayrshire, Scotland, luxury golf resort to showcase golf course, brand-new clubhouse, hotel rooms and standalone lodges

PXG introduces 0211 XCor2 irons with high-end technology that are affordable

Irons integrate XCor2 and power channel technology, and its thinnest club face

Introduced: By Titleist, its Vokey Wedge fitting app for indoor wedge fitting. The app was developed by Titleist and Vokey engineers in collaboration with Titleist club fitting experts. The app is available through authorized Titleist trade partners.

Announced: By Edison Golf Co., it will ship all wedge orders completely free via UPS in the continental U.S. starting immediately. Golfers can select any Edison Forged wedge built to their custom specs, and the company will build and ship it free.

Announced: By the Ladies Professional Golf Association Foundation, the next recipients of the Renee Powell Grant. The grant program honors Powell’s lifelong commitment to golf and will help assist 13 current and prospective LPGA*USGA Girls Golf sites create partnerships and outreach opportunities with youth organizations serving Black girls.

Announced: By Precision Pro Golf, that limited-edition city and state custom designs for the NX10 rangefinder are available now. The latest collection includes a run of skins that depict flags and other iconic images associated with the cities and states. Customers purchasing an NX10 rangefinder ($279.99) can add any of the current custom designs for $20, while limited-edition skins can be bought on their own for $25.

#QOTD

"When things go wrong, don't go with them."

— Elvis Presley

ICYMI

USGA brings World Golf Hall of Fame back home to Pinehurst

Sport’s legendary figures, memorabilia to be honored at Golf House Pinehurst starting in 2024

Canada's home of golf relocating to Toronto as organizations centralize

Golf Canada is moving its offices, along with the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, to a new venue at TPC Toronto

ROUNDS AND WEATHER

> It was another excellent week for golf as rounds played finished up 8% vs. 2021.

> Increased precipitation (+20%) resulted in decreased demand for golf vs. the previous week, but good weather overall contributed to strong rounds performance vs. the year prior.

> The Central Valley, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic finished as the top performing regions vs. 2021. Improved weather can be attributed to the strong showing compared to last year.

> Positive performance is expected from the Florida and Central Valley regions over the next five days. Both areas are on pace to finish up by over 5% vs. 2021.

TUNING IN

LPGA Tour | Ladies European Tour: Amundi Evian Championsihp
Site: Evian Resort Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France.
Television: Today, 5-7 a.m., 9:30-11:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 5:30-9 a.m. (Golf Channel), 9-11 a.m. (CNBC).

PGA Tour Champions: Senior British Open
Site: Gleneagles Hotel (Kings Course), Gleneagles, Scotland.
Television: Today, 7-9:30 a.m., 11:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel), noon to 2 p.m. (NBC).

PGA Tour: 3M Open
Site: TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota | GCSAA Fact Sheet
Television: Today, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).

European Tour: Cazoo Classic
Site: Hillside Golf Club, Southport, England.
Television: Today, 3:30-5:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 4-6 a.m. (Golf Channel).

CALENDAR

JULY
26-27: Multi-Course and Resort Operators Retreat, Charleston, S.C. | Info

AUGUST
1-2: LPGA Leadership Academy, Newcastle, Wash. | Info

OCTOBER
11-13: Golf Inc. Strategies Summit, Kiawah Island, S.C. | Info

NOVEMBER
6-9: International Association of Golf Administrators, Point Clear, Ala. | Info

JANUARY
23-25: Golf Business Conference, Orlando, Fla.
24-27: PGA Show, Orlando, Fla. | Info

FEBRUARY
6-9: GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, Orlando, Fla. | Info

To submit events for the calendar, please include the event name, date, location and informational link to info@firstcallgolf.com.

THE LAST CALL

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