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Rory McIlroy Gets Billy Horschel’s Backing After PGA Tour Moves Failed To Address Two Major Concerns:’ Right Changes…’

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Rory McIlroy Gets Billy Horschel’s Backing After PGA Tour Moves Failed To Address Two Major Concerns:’ Right Changes…’

The PIF merger was signed almost 15 months ago. However, there has been no concrete update on the arrangement so far, given that it is almost a year after the deadline. This has left not only golf fans but many professional golfers frustrated. One such player is Rory McIlroy.

According to the Northern Irishman, the golf community comes before the players, and it is only because of their hype that the professionals get the limelight. “I’ve been saying this for a long time: I think golf and golf fans deserve to see us together more than just four times a year. That’s what we’ve tried to do,” said McIlroy. He also added that he thinks issues between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf can be resolved but will require compromise on both sides.

Well, it looks like Billy Horschel too agrees with him. In the latest episode of Any Given Monday with host Ryan French, the PGA Tour Pro said, “The changes need to be done for the sponsors and the fans, and that route and the players need to be on board with those changes. And if that means traveling around the world, or that means doing some things differently than what historically we have done.” He added that the players do not come first, the sponsors and the fans do, and thus the professionals must be on board with whatever changes come along the way.

A while ago, the world got to know that a few PGA Tour pros are reluctant to travel outside of America to play golf, and this is proving to be a major hindrance in the merger. PIF stands for making golf a global sport and giving it visibility everywhere. PIF also aims to make Saudi Arabia the next sports capital, so going outside the US is a necessity. It was also reported that if this does not happen, PIF is even willing to walk away from the deal.

According to the podcast, although there is very little chance of the audience getting the changes they want fast. However, it is important to ensure that the changes made are the right ones, and not just based on reactions, like omitting the qualifiers, which was not something the spectators wanted. “We didn’t make sure that the changes that we make going forward are the right changes that lead to success down the road,” he concluded.

However, it looks like some action must be taken, and quickly. The 2024 season has already faced a severe drop in viewership, both virtually and on the course. And if this goes on, the sport of golf might be at risk indeed.

What caused the drop in the TV viewership rates?

The developments in 2024 have raised significant concerns for golf’s stakeholders. This season has witnessed a 2.2 million drop in the viewership rate excluding the majors. It is around 20% down (2.7m) from its previous year, according to Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter. This is because the inflated money is only concerned about spending on big players instead of bringing on expansion. While the shifting of big names like Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Phil Mickelson might be one of the reasons, there is more.

NBC did not renew their contract with Paul Zainger in November 2023. They gave him lesser pay, and the budget went through cut after cut since he joined in 2018. They also cut down on several resources. “Occasionally, you lose the airplane or the blimp,” then “lose the speed shots and then the big camera that covers the ball from the tee as it flies over the water,”he added in his interview with Golf Week.

He also added that the commercial prospect of the channel is surely one of the reasons behind the drop as it truly hindered the experience of fans watching from home. Not to forget the technical glitches faced time and again. Be it for the US Open live streaming or the tournament at Pebble Beach.

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Golf’s Favorite Son Returns: Jordan Spieth Makes Rare Appearance Post-Surgery

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Golf's Favorite Son Returns: Jordan Spieth Makes Rare Appearance Post-Surgery

Jordan Spieth had been in insufferable pain in his wrist. And well, this is not something that just happened. The injury dates back to late 2017 when he happened to injure it during an intense training session. However, he did not get it fixed right away and became a victim of some bad swing habits. It has been a lingering issue, to put it simply, until now.

After almost seven long years, he finally decided to take care of his injury. On August 31, Spieth announced on his social media that he underwent a successful surgery to curb the issue. This was right after he competed at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.“I had a procedure on my left wrist last week, as I had mentioned was the plan,”Spieth wrote on X. “The operation went smoothly, and I’m grateful for the exceptional medical team and support of (his wife) Annie and my family.”As it turns out, he has finally reappeared, not on the greens though.

The golfer took to his official Instagram account and shared pictures of what looked like a recent vacation that he took with his beautiful wife Annie. In the caption, he wrote, Out of office!”Well, who would not want to be out of office this way? The glimpses he shared were surreal and picturesque. A perfect vacation it seemed.

This update came after almost two weeks of posting a picture with his son, adorable Sammy, wearing a Texas Longhorns jersey. Now his wrist looks better, but that was not the case 15 days after surgery. Speith was seen at the junior fundraiser event, Crush It! Cup. At that time, Spieth’s left arm had the cast, and he could barely move it. Some time ago, Spieth was also spotted alongside Scottie Scheffler as they made it to the 48th governor of Texas, Greg Abbot’s house. There, Spieth could even hold a placard in his left hand.

While the couple looked adorable together and Jordan Spieth looked a lot better, the golf community fixated only on one question throughout the comments section.

The Golf Community is curious about Jordan Spieth’s comeback

Jordan Spieth’s last appearance was almost three months ago, trying to qualify for the 2024 BMW Championship and make it to the Tour Championship. And well, the St. Jude Classic was not his best performance. He scored a disappointing 9-over to drop down to a T68 on the leaderboard after the final round. Now, only the top 50 were to make it to the next event for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, so he did not qualify.

Two weeks later, his surgery being successful was announced. Fans have been waiting to see him play some of his best golf ever since. Taking to this, one of them wrote, “Back better than ever champ”.Another asked him, “When are you coming back, king?”Spieth aims to return to the 2025 season in January with better practice and energy.

The 31-year-old has managed to grab 13 PGA Tour wins and has almost always been a fan favorite. However, the entire 2024 season was what one might call one of his worst career years. Appearing in twenty-two events, he missed cuts in seven of them. His only top-10 finishes came during the first four months of the season, after which his performance only kept declining.

Fans suspect that this might be due to the daunting pain. And now that he is back after the successful surgery, Spieth will get back to his best form. Taking to this, one of them wrote, 😍you look great Jordan. Looking forward to seeing you back on the golf ⛳️ course. Stay strong 🙏🙏”.

The American professional has three major wins in his career. He won the Masters in 2015, the US Open in the same year, and the Open Championship in 2017. The only major he is to grab a win at is the PGA Championship to complete his grand slam. Well, fans are speculating that it won’t be long before he can achieve the feat. Taking this, one of them wrote, “Grand slam incoming”.

While others worried about his prolonged wrist injury commented on his healing process. While one of them asked him, “How’s the wrist?”another simply suggested, “Keep resting up the wrist, King.”.

 

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FROM BROKEN TO BOOMING: Paige Spiranac’s Shocking Confession

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FROM BROKEN TO BOOMING: Paige Spiranac's Shocking Confession

Living under a rock might be the only excuse for not knowing sports influencer Paige Spiranac today. While her social media presence now shines brighter than ever, there was a time when she was a prominent part of the golf world. Back in 2016, she even snagged a tournament win against Hannah O’Sullivan. But despite her talents, her attempt to break into the LPGA Tour didn’t quite work out.

The pressure to succeed took a heavy toll on Spiranac, leading her to eventually walk away from competitive golf. Yet she didn’t leave the sport entirely. Reflecting on her journey, Spiranac has been candid about the mental challenges she faced. “For me, it was never physical ability. It was always mental,” she once said. “I think it has gone better now that I just play it for fun… That’s why my game is even better than when I was playing pro.”She truly is playing better than she was before, her handicap is pretty impressive at +3.4.

Though she loved golf, it seems life had other plans for her—maybe ones that suited her even better. In a recent YouTube video, Spiranac shared a raw and vulnerable side of her journey, opening up about the emotional struggles she went through on the pro circuit. She recalled how she kept track of her handicap in junior and college golf because it was a must, but once she went pro, she dropped it.

“I struggled, I crumbled under the pressure; it got so bad where I had The Yips off the tee. I would cry before and after rounds; I really just did not enjoy competitive golf,”she admitted. Her self-worth got so tied up in her scores that it drained her emotionally, ultimately making her resent the sport she’d always loved.

She was just 12 when she decided to quit gymnastics and pursue golf. In one of the episodes of her podcast last year, she talked about how being a pro golfer was something she knew she wanted from the very beginning of her journey; “From the first golf ball I ever hit, I dedicated everything I had to being a pro golfer. I was homeschooled. I practiced every single day, morning until night. It was my only goal.” Spiranac said.

“Golf is such an interesting sport because you can work out, eat right, practice, and still not achieve your goals. That was something for me that I just couldn’t wrap my head around,” said Spiranac on her podcast before she turned 30 as she opened up about the complexities of golf. This just did not sit right with Spiranac as her parents told her otherwise. She was doing everything in her power to be a stellar golfer and dedicated her life to it, but she wasn’t really going anywhere. It drove her “crazy.” “I had everything to be a world-class golfer, but I just couldn’t put it together and I didn’t know why. It was driving me actually insane. I just got to the point where I just stopped caring,” said the beautiful diva.

Luckily, her story didn’t end there. Even though competitive golf didn’t turn out to be the dream she thought it would be, Spiranac found other ways to make her mark. Through content creation, Spiranac has carved out a career that suits her perfectly because she always wanted to have a social life. While she made it out of the golfing career in the beginning, another golfer stayed thought it and is now exiting, having collected quite a few accolades.

LPGA Tour pro also had similar struggles to Paige Spiranac

Earlier this year, Lexi Thompson announced she would retire from professional golf at the end of the 2024 season. The reason? The same one Spiranac shared: mental health. In an open letter on Instagram, Thompson expressed, “I think we all have our own mental health struggles, especially out here. Unfortunately in golf, you lose more than you win, so it’s an ongoing battle to continue to put yourself out there in front of the cameras and continue to work hard and maybe not see the results you want and get criticized for it. So it’s hard. I will say, yes, I’ve struggled with it. I don’t think there’s somebody out here that hasn’t. It’s just a matter of how well you hide it, which is very sad.”

While fans may still catch her on the greens in the season’s remaining tournaments, Thompson has found a new way to connect. Well, yes, Thompson is now actively on Cameo, where she will be sending custom greeting videos. While Spiranac dove into social media and modeling, Thompson’s taken a more personal route with custom video messages. Different paths, same shared struggles.

It’s admirable to see these golf stars opening up about their mental health battles. It brings them closer to their fans and even helps others feel safe to speak up, too.

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Rory McIlroy’s Bag Holds the Key to Breaking His Winless Streak in the DP World Tour Playoffs

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Rory McIlroy’s Bag Holds the Key to Breaking His Winless Streak in the DP World Tour Playoffs

Rory McIlroy, one of golf’s most formidable players, is gearing up for the DP World Tour Playoffs with a highly refined set of equipment. Although he hasn’t claimed a win in recent weeks, his performance has remained strong, and with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship still on the horizon, McIlroy has a real chance to finish the season with a victory.

Known for his meticulous attention to detail, McIlroy’s gear is almost entirely from TaylorMade, with a few key exceptions. His driver of choice is the TaylorMade Qi10, a 9° model adjusted to 8.25° with a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft. McIlroy has gone back to a longer 45-inch shaft, a decision he made after years of playing a shorter version to improve dispersion.

His fairway woods are just as impressive, with the TaylorMade Qi10 3-wood (15°) and 5-wood (18°), both fitted with Fujikura Ventus Black shafts. These clubs are crucial to McIlroy’s power game, enabling him to cover significant distance.

For his irons, McIlroy uses TaylorMade P Series Proto 4-iron and custom Rors Proto Irons (5-9), paired with Project X Rifle 7.0 shafts. His wedges come from TaylorMade’s MG4 series (46°, 50°, and 54°), while his lob wedge is the classic Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks 58°.

When it comes to putting, McIlroy trusts the TaylorMade Spider Tour X3 putter with a SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour grip, offering the stability he needs for crucial putts. Finally, he plays with the TaylorMade TP5x ball for consistent performance.

With this setup, McIlroy is undoubtedly prepared to close out the season strong. Will his equipment help him claim another victory? Only time will tell!

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