Thirty-five years around this game has taught me to read between the lines, and this past weekend painted a troubling picture of professional golf’s current state. Three seemingly unrelated stories—Jupiter Links winning without Tiger in TGL, the LPGA’s botched season opener, and LIV Golf’s limited world ranking recognition—actually tell the same story: our sport is growing in directions it doesn’t quite understand yet.
Let me start with what caught my attention first. Jupiter Links finally broke their losing streak in TGL, but here’s what the highlight reels won’t tell you: they did it without Tiger Woods. That’s not just a footnote—it’s the whole story. I’ve watched Tiger carry tournaments, television ratings, and entire tours for over two decades. The fact that his team performed better in his absence should be a wake-up call for TGL’s architects.
Having caddied through the peak Tiger years, I can tell you the man’s presence changes everything—the energy, the pressure, even how his playing partners swing the club. But TGL isn’t traditional golf, and traditional golf gravity doesn’t seem to apply. Jupiter Links played loose, aggressive golf without the weight of Tiger’s expectations. Max Homa looked more comfortable than I’ve seen him in months. That tells me TGL might actually work better as a platform for the next generation rather than a showcase for legends.
The bigger issue? TGL is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist while creating new ones. Indoor golf with screens and shortened formats appeals to executives who think golf needs to be faster and flashier. But the LPGA’s disaster at Lake Nona shows what happens when you mess with golf’s fundamental rhythm.
Commissioner Craig Kessler’s admission that the tour wasn’t prepared for Monday’s weather-shortened finish was refreshing honesty, but it also revealed something troubling. The LPGA, which should be focused on elevating women’s golf to unprecedented heights, is instead making basic operational mistakes. I’ve covered fifteen Masters tournaments, and Augusta National would never find itself scrambling like this because they understand that golf is ultimately about the golf.
The Lake Nona debacle wasn’t just about weather—it was about priorities. When you’re constantly chasing new formats, new venues, and new gimmicks, you lose focus on the fundamentals. The LPGA has incredible talent right now, from Nelly Korda to Lydia Ko to rising stars like Rose Zhang. These players don’t need shortened formats or Monday scrambles; they need consistent, professional presentation of their extraordinary skills.
Which brings me to the LIV Golf world ranking situation, and here’s where my perspective might surprise you. The decision to award points only to the top 10 finishers isn’t the compromise everyone’s making it out to be—it’s actually brilliant.
I’ve been critical of LIV’s impact on professional golf, but this limited recognition acknowledges a reality many in the establishment don’t want to admit: LIV players are still legitimate competitors, but the 54-hole, no-cut format isn’t equivalent to PGA Tour events. By restricting points to the top 10, the Official World Golf Ranking preserves the integrity of its system while ending the complete freeze-out that was becoming untenable.
More importantly, this decision puts pressure back where it belongs—on the players. Guys like Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, and Dustin Johnson now have a path to maintain world ranking relevance, but it’s a narrow one. They’ll have to perform consistently at the top of LIV events while still competing in majors to maintain their standing. That’s exactly how it should work.
What strikes me most about these three stories is how they reflect golf’s broader identity crisis. We’re simultaneously trying to speed up the game (TGL), maintain traditional excellence (LPGA), and integrate a rebel circuit (LIV), often without understanding what each initiative actually accomplishes.
In my experience covering this sport through multiple evolutionary phases, the successful changes have always enhanced golf’s core appeal rather than replacing it. The FedEx Cup worked because it added season-long narrative to existing tournaments. The Presidents Cup succeeded because it created new team competition without destroying individual excellence.
TGL feels different—more like a video game that happens to involve golfers. The LPGA’s struggles suggest an organization spread too thin across too many initiatives. And LIV’s partial ranking recognition, while reasonable, represents the new reality of a fractured professional game.
Here’s what I think needs to happen: TGL should embrace its role as golf entertainment rather than pretending to be golf competition. Let the young guns play loose and creative while the legends provide commentary and occasional participation. The LPGA needs to focus relentlessly on operational excellence and storytelling around its incredible talent pool. And LIV needs to prove its limited world ranking access matters by elevating the quality of competition, not just the size of appearance fees.
Professional golf is going through growing pains, but growth nonetheless. The challenge is ensuring we’re growing toward something meaningful rather than just growing apart.
