Charley Hoffman went on a USGA/PGA Tour-abusing rant on Friday, basically going nuts over an existing rule and suggesting it’s a reason players would consider jumping to the proposed Saudi Golf League.
Seriously?
Hoffman’s craziness started on Friday when he hit his tee shot into the water on the 13th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the Phoenix Open. Keep in mind, Hoffman is has a sponsorship deal with WM (Waste Management) and is one of four player directors on the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council.
While taking the drop, the ball started rolling twice, his caddie caught it and he placed it. Now caution would say be very careful, that ball could roll back in the water. It did and Charley had another penalty stroke.
He went nuts.
Hoffman went after the USGA for not changing the rule, using the old “amateurs running pro events’’ line. He then went after the PGA Tour for not having its own set of rules and doing a poor job of marking the penalty area at 13.
He then went even more bonkers and threw out there that his rules experience is among the reasons why players are looking at alternative tours, specifically the one being led by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi money.
“I think I explained it fairly well,” Hoffman said on Saturday after his third round. For the record, he shot 79 and was dead last among the guys who made the 36-hole cut.
“It was definitely in the heat of the moment,” Hoffman added. “I mean there’s no question there. But as I told the rules official when I was done with the ruling that they said, ‘Oh, we’re working on this.’ Well, I said, ‘This shouldn’t have taken X amount of years from when it happened to Rickie (Fowler) at this tournament. That’s not taking care of it, that’s too long in between.”
Hoffman was referencing Fowler’s mishap in 2019, when his penalty drop at the 11th hole on Sunday rolled back into the water. Fowler was penalized another shot but still ended up winning the championship. “How is that a rule that is good for the game of golf and how we play?” Hoffman said. “I mean, not one person at a country club would have taken another penalty for that; why is it, in professional golf, are we doing that?”
After cooling off, Hoffman added there’s no way he’d consider playing in a competing league.
“There’s no way that it’s ever crossed my mind to go over and play for a competitor. Ever,” Hoffman said. “And if it came across in that Instagram post that I have been reached by them – I have not been reached by them – it came across wrong. I added that so the media would catch it, so I would prove my point on the rules side.”
Hoffman reiterated: “I support PGA Tour through and through, and I have no intention of going and playing in another league. But it is a real threat.”
Middle East Hangovers?
Both Viktor Hovland and Harold Varner III had winning trips to the Middle East the past few weeks. Both won tournaments. But both weren’t exactly ready to get back into action at the Phoenix Open.
The 36-hole cut came at two-under par and both missed by four shots.
Unknown Tour Exec Shoots Back At Mickelson:
Evidently, according to one of the Sheriff Of Nottingham’s (aka tour commish Jay Monahan) henchmen, Phil Mickelson doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
A PGA Tour executive, who didn’t want his name revealed in an interview with Golf.com, shot down Phil Mickelson’s notions of the Tour not passing out enough money to the players.
“I’ve never seen anybody be really interested in how we generate the money,” the executive began. “There’s some conversation about it now because, you know, Phil’s making stuff up that’s just not true. But in general, they’re happy that there’s a lot of money that comes from it.”
The Tour said a LOT of money goes to the players — more than $800 million per year, according to a memo shared by the Tour. That figure, according to the same records, represents 55 percent of the Tour’s more than $1.5 billion in revenues — a percentage that is on par with other professional sports leagues, and much more than the figure Mickelson referenced on Gary Williams’ “5 Clubs” podcast in September.
“It’s a difficult situation on the PGA Tour relative to other sports, because in football, baseball, basketball, they have roughly 55 percent of their revenues going to the players,” Mickelson told Williams. “They have great representation, and when they have aggrievements, they go to a certain person. On the PGA Tour, we have 26 percent of the revenue going to the players, and when we have aggrievements, we go to the commissioner, who says, ‘Ah, I don’t really want to pay you anymore, I’m good.’”
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
That was one of the worst, dumbest, premadonna hissie fits in the history of sports.
The Saudi talk was fascinating but this has little to do with that and a whole lot to do with one mans lost credibility.
I’m glad Charlie brought up rickie Fowler who took that same penalty in the same tournament. Of course we all remember rickies and nobody would remember Charlie’s, Which is why he said he pulled this nonsense.
Still Not sure if Charlie actually remembered Rickies situation at the time. If he did he would remember what a class act rickie was then. And in contrast what a Schmuck he made of himself; especially as a WM ambassador and a top player-member on the board.
Hoffman mad e a lot of mistakes here, but not knowing that this could (still) happen is my pet peeve with too many good golfers; especially top level pros like Hoffman; not knowing such basic rules. Instead going on assumptions or slowing pace to be instructed by an official on how to proceed with basic parts of their job.
I mean, how negligent can you be?
And how much of a Jack ass can you make of yourself?
He was funny with the cleanup post but I’m not sure it was good enough.
IMO regardless of the whole Saudi issue the players should be looking to get Hoffman off the pga tour players board. This action shows he isn’t smart enough or well prepared enough for the job. In fact imo he should relinquish it himself, not put anyone in a position to push him out.
He should know that is not a job for a cry baby.
Tom Edrington
Charlie is old enough to know better, that’s the sad part.