Alternate Shot: Pebble Beach Trees, LIV Golf and Bryson DeChambeau's Future

Brendan Porath: Joseph, this is a speed golf version of Alternate Shot. Walk ahead to get ready to hit the second shot and don’t even bother coming back to the tee box.

I am giving you zero heads-up on what’s coming, and vice versa, and we’re going to hit a grab bag of topics, as it feels like a lot is happening right now in the world of golf.

Let’s start the grab bag with: where do you think Bryson DeChambeau will play golf next year, and what do you think is best for his competitive, pro golf game? Remember, we’re moving on this, not issuing Tom Kim pre-shot treatises.

Joseph LaMagna: What is best for his competitive pro golf game? The PGA Tour. Where do I think he’ll play next year? Probably on YouTube and at the four major championships.

His comments to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach indicate as much and that he wants to play in the “tournaments that want (him).” He then goes on to say everybody needs to drop their egos. Rich! I’ll also allow for a small possibility that he plays on LIV, even if in a limited, scaled-back capacity.

Ok, Brendan, I know you and I both got some chuckles out of Scott O’Neil’s press conference earlier this week at LIV Virginia. Pick your one (1) favorite part.

Brendan: What I’ve come to call the “Mother’s Day Opening Prayer” is for sure the best part, and it’s not even close. I almost applaud the attempt at disarming misdirection, having assembled press get out their phones to text their moms at the start of a highly anticipated press conference of a league at the brink.

More substantively as it pertains to his league, or less substantively when looking at the answer, is his “I don’t even know how to think about answering” response to being asked if Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund might pay out existing player contracts. Can’t even THINK about it! Might be important. It does seem to reinforce, in addition to Bryson’s comments, that he’s had no communication with anyone, that the PIF just peaced out and has not been in touch at all. But after we got through the opening monologue full of mixed metaphors, teases that they were close on a plan, just needed to “tighten some screws,” we then get to the Q&A and he can’t even begin to think about answering. As you might expect based on LIV’s current standing, the whole chat was understandably very light on substance, but that amused me.

Sticking with LIV for one more, given that the PIF has bounced, let me propose a question that might be just a yes/no answer. Shouldn't people be rooting for LIV now as the plucky underdog disruptor without morally questionable funding?

Joseph: Um, no. You don’t have to root for a $5 billion failed experiment. LIV has been a failure, at least so far, because professional golf is a beautiful product and it has strayed very far from the spirit of competitive golf. Root for whomever you want.

Having a legitimate competitor to the PGA Tour — whether it is LIV, the DP World Tour, or another entity — is good and we should all want that. But I don’t think golf fans have benefited much from the past few years while purses have skyrocketed, so it does feel like a correction may come at some point.

Let’s change gears slightly. Brendan, what’s a recent golf story or piece of news that you feel like flew under the radar?

Brendan: I don’t know if it flew under the radar exactly, as we’d heard it was in the works, but I was recently intrigued by a giant tree being dropped in the middle of the fairway of arguably the most famous hole on arguably the second-most famous golf course in the United States. I know there’s an origin story here with some nod to history, but of all the things to do at Pebble Beach and the continuous calls for restoration efforts, a big tree at 18 was next up. I had an amusing exchange with our Cameron Hurdus on what could come next: more trees being planted in the 18th fairway, the neatly angled excavations to drop them in not being filled in but left as pits, but then also maybe filled with water, and then with gators. It was a lively back and forth but that’s where we ended up! See you at the 2027 U.S. Open.

Ok, one more turn in this speed round. Who would be the most compelling figure to win the PGA Championship next week? A storyline that is realistic and would have you on the edge of your seat until the final putt dropped.

Joseph: There are flashier answers, but I will go with Adam Scott. For all of the attention Justin Rose has received for his longevity — and deservedly so — Scott continues to defy his age and play fabulous golf. He is hitting his irons as well as he’s hit them in a decade and continues to post ball speed numbers at age 45 that are just about as high as any pro golfer’s. One major championship win just doesn’t capture the brilliance of Scott’s career. I’d love to see him add another. ‍

Brendan: The most gripping winner, though, as is often the case, is your fellow Longhorn, Jordan Spieth. Right?

Joseph: Fine, sure. A career Grand Slam for one of the most popular players in the world would be tremendous for the sport and penetrate the broader sports audience. But Spieth hasn’t been closer than seven shots off a 54-hole lead in a major since finishing runner-up at the 2021 Open at Royal St. George’s. It’s kind of a crazy stat. Spieth is the most exciting answer, and I’d love to see it, but I have a hard time believing it will happen.