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Morning 9: LIV ratings | Match Play format | Masters video game challenge

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

March 21, 2023

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as attention now turns to the WGC Match Play.

1. A WGC Dell Technologies Championship Match Play format reminder

It’s match play this week, folks! Via Golf Channel Digital…”The 64 players are divided into 16 groups of four (click here for this year’s groups). Each player will compete in match play against the other three players within his group over the first three days. A match victory is worth one point. A tied match is worth a half-point. A loss is worth zero points.”

  • “The player with the most points in his group after three days of round-robin play will advance to the knockout stage…”
  • “If two or more players are tied in their group after the three pool-play matches, then those players will compete in a stroke-play, sudden-death playoff to determine who advances.”
  • “Sixteen players will qualify for the single-elimination portion.”
  • Wednesday: Group play…Thursday: Group play….Friday: Group play…Saturday: Round of 16 (morning); quarterfinals (afternoon)…Sunday: Semifinals (morning); finals and third-place match (afternoon).
Full piece.

2. LIV Golf ratings

Alex Raskin of the Daily Mail…“LIV Golf is already losing its limited viewing audience in its first season on the CW Network.”

  • “The controversial Saudi-backed tour held its second event of the year in Tucson, Arizona last weekend, not that many seemed to notice. LIV drew only a 0.14 rating across 33 markets in the 18-49 demographic, according to Kevin Van Valkenburg of No Laying Up.”
  • “That is somehow worse than the tour’s debut on the CW network, which drew a 0.2 rating in late February.”
Full piece.

3. Pros demand ball rollback…in 1983

From the Golf Digest archives…”Here’s a look back at what some top players from 40 years ago thought of the golf ball distance debate. The arguments for and against a rollback hit on the same points as today, even as the average driving distance on tour has increased by 30 yards since 1983.”

  • “I’ve told the USGA that I think the balls are going too far and that it has to pull them back. It’s wrong for the game of golf.” — Jack Nicklaus
  • “If the golf ball is cut back in distance, we are going to have fewer people playing golf. There will be less need for a USGA to rule the game, because people are going to go play tennis or something else.” — Davis Love Jr.
  • “They’re at the limit right now. The ball shouldn’t go any farther. We’re getting stronger and stronger people out here, and we’re obsoleting courses. This has been building up for about 10 years now, what with two-piece balls that bore through the wind and so forth. Things are getting out of hand. The performance of a ball has to be consistent. We can’t have a ball that goes through the air and isn’t affected by conditions.” — Tom Watson
Full piece.

4. Smart! Remote workers are working at night so they can golf in the afternoon

Steve Mollman for Fortune…”Remote workers are taking a cue from college students. Rather than working 9 to 5, they’re spreading work out to off hours. That means that late afternoons, for instance, are fair game for doing something fun. If you’re planning to work later that night, after all, why not?”

  • “One beneficiary of the shift to remote work, it appears, is golf courses. According to Stanford researchers, working from home “has powered a huge boom in golfing.”
  • “The researchers, Nick Bloom and Alex Finan, studied data from the company Inrix for 3,400-plus golf courses and shared their findings in a recent research paper entitled “How Working from Home boosted Golf.”
  • “Comparing Wednesday in 2022 to the same day in 2019, they found a 143% increase in golfers playing more golf on that day, and a 278% jump in them playing on that day in the mid-afternoon.”
Full piece.

5. “It’s sad”

6. Simpson, long-time caddie split

7. Poulter hits out at Ryder Cup decision makers

Michael McEwan for Bunkered…”Ian Poulter has hit out at the prospect of he and fellow LIV golfer being denied the chance to play on and captain future Ryder Cup sides.”

  • “In a Q&A with Instagram followers, Poulter was asked for his thoughts on LIV’s longevity and the prospect of never becoming Europe’s Ryder Cup captain.”
  • “[The] LIV Golf League is here to stay,” he said. “It’s only 30 rounds old and every start up business takes time.”
  • “I’m so proud to see how far it’s come in such a short space of time. It’s an incredible business and product and it will be incredible.”
  • “And if the DP World Tour chose to not have any LIV golfer as captain after they have supported them and still do for over 25 years, then shame on them. Sad but that’s on them.”
  • “Time will tell and once all the info is out things will change I’m sure.”
Full piece.

8. Masters to host video game challenge

Christopher Powers for Golf Digest..”Between using the word “meh” in a Masters promo last Friday and letting the boys from Dude Perfect through the gates last year, it’s quite clear that Augusta National is dead serious when it comes to getting with the times.”

  • “The club announced its latest “How do you do, fellow kids?” move on Monday, revealing it would be hosting the Road to the Masters Invitational inside of the Press Building on Sunday, April 2, the eve of the 2023 Masters. It is a livestream, video game tournament that pits participants from the sports, entertainment and gaming worlds against one another in the new EA Sports PGA Tour: Road to the Masters video game.”
  • “The event will begin at 6 p.m. ET on April 2, and will run until 8 p.m. ET. It will be streamed on the following platforms and channels: Masters.com; @TheMasters on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook; @EA on Twitch; @EASportsPGATour on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube; @EASports on Facebook; ESPN+ and the ESPN app. For those who can’t tune in that Sunday evening, an edited version of the show will be broadcast on Wednesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.”
Full piece.

9. Iykyk

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

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GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

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A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down. 

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

 

  • GolfWRX may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

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With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

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From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

 

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.

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