Fact or Fiction: The PGA Tour Needs to Avoid Playing Opposite the NFL
The 2024 PGA Tour season is under way and we're back with a second installment of our new weekly staple at SI Golf: Fact or Fiction.
With a hat tip to our friends on the NFL side of the shop, we’ll post a series of topical statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” (we’ll permit some wiggle room) along with a brief explanation.
Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X (formerly Twitter) account or Instagram.
Scottie Scheffler's putter went cold over the weekend at the Sentry.
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Scottie Scheffler lost nearly four strokes to the field over the weekend at Kapalua on the greens, showing that his putting woes of last year haven't been fixed.
FICTION. Scheffler putted considerably better at the Hero World Challenge, where he won, and was positive strokes-gained during the first round at Kapalua. That suggests improvement, even if the entire tournament didn’t play out that way. It is one event. Let’s give him a few more opportunities to see if the stats improve or if the Hero was an aberration. —Bob Harig
FACT. There are signs of progress but, yes, unfortunately it seems as though Scottie is still not nearly as confident with the flatstick as he is with just about every other club in his bag. Statistics don't lie—Scottie's best putting day at Kapalua was on Friday, where he ranked 19th in the field in strokes-gained putting (He came in 27th, 51st and 48th in the other rounds). The fact that he can still finish T5 with those numbers continues to be extremely impressive. —Gabby Herzig
FICTION. Well, yes and no. Could he have putted better? Always. Who can’t? But with the work with putting guru Phil Kenyon in his head, Scheffler looks better and has to feel better with the flatstick, so I’d say it's a work in progress, but trending in the right direction. —Alex Miceli
FICTION. Only because it's too early to say for sure, and Kapalua's greens are slower and grainier than the average Tour course. Let's not forget that Scheffler ranked sixth (in a field of 20) in putting while winning the Hero. If he can just be an above-average putter on Tour, look out. —Jeff Ritter
FACT. We may need to recognize that the world No. 1 is a streaky putter, a label that can be dubious among pros. So there will be weekends like the Sentry but also ones where nearly all the putts drop, and combined with Scheffler's ballstriking those will be tournaments where he laps the field. —John Schwarb
Tour veteran Kevin Kisner made his debut in the NBC booth at the Sentry and the broadcast was better with him.
NEUTRAL. Kisner did quite well for his first time in the booth, but it’s unfair to say that it was better than before with Paul Azinger, who had years of commentary on his resumé. Kisner is not Azinger but he undoubtedly brings something extra. It’s too soon to say if it was better or worse. It was a good start. —B.H.
FACT. Kisner singlehandedly prompted me to pay more attention to NBC commentary than I have in the last couple of years. As a current player and a known trash talker, I was so curious to hear what he had to say. His viral putting advice for "The Golden Child," a.k.a. Jordan Spieth, and quick-witted humor made the Sentry an informative and highly entertaining watch. I also thought he shared a natural dynamic with NBC's Smylie Kaufman and John Wood. —G.H.
NEUTRAL. I think Kisner was refreshing for a week and may be for two, but at some point we have to get past the stick and get some worthwhile information. Can Kiz do that? —A.M.
FACT. Fresh voices are always welcome in the booth and I thought Kisner made a strong debut. —J.R.
FACT. Kisner got the soft opening of a Hawaiian birdiefest and provided a good mix of an active player's insights plus saying what many of us have thought watching Spieth agonize over a short putt. Next on his schedule: the WM Phoenix Open. Should be in his wheelhouse. —J.S.
Fans might watch NFL star Patrick Mahomes play golf (like at the 2023 American Century Championship) but not many are watching golf instead of Mahomes playing football.
Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images
The PGA Tour avoids NFL conference championship games by finishing Saturday at the Farmers Insurance Open but needs to find more opportunities to not play opposite the NFL juggernaut.
FACT. It is amazing that this discussion still takes place. The final regular-season NFL games, especially those in the late window, likely drew some 20 million viewers. This weekend’s playoff games will draw more. A healthy number of those people are golf fans who aren’t watching golf because it is being played at the same time. The PGA Tour went to great lengths to avoid football in the fall, moving up the end of its season, getting the PGA Championship to move from August to May, changing the date of the Players Championship. But it continues to play in January against the biggest games of the year. There are no easy answers, short of not having the events at all—and that’s not going to happen. So why not play Tuesday through Friday? Wednesday through Saturday? Do it for the first four events that conflict with the NFL. It clearly would bring on other issues that are not ideal. But you start a new season and then hardly anyone is watching. It’s a difficult situation for sure. —B.H.
FACT. Seems like a good idea to me, especially in the fall season. But then again, I've never been a huge NFL girl. I was born into the miserable existence of being a Jets fan, so that never helped either. If I'm watching sports, I'll be watching golf or Michigan athletics—Go Blue! —G.H.
FACT. The NFL accounted for 93 of the top 100 most-watched US broadcasts in 2023. That's not a typo, and that's up from 82 of the top 100 in 2022 and 72 in 2020. So how does any sport compete, especially a niche sport like golf? Short answer: It doesn’t, so stay away. If the Tour would let players play in pads and tackle their opponent, then maybe, but since that ain’t happening, just stay away and find a better timeslot. —A.M.
FACT. It's smart of the Tour to finish early during the NFL title games. It should really consider ending on Saturdays in September-November as well. Ditto the LPGA, LIV and any other tour that seeks an American audience. —J.R.
FACT. The Farmers finish shows that the PGA Tour knows what it's up against this time of year. So why doesn't the American Express, coming up next week, end on a Monday? That would make two consecutive weeks of final rounds not fighting football, and I know that creates other logistical headaches but does the Tour want TV eyeballs or not? —J.S.