With the 2nd pick in the NFL Draft...
INTRODUCING THE TOP GOLF TEST
This week marks the first time since Jay Cutler (slams hand into face) that I've been genuinely excited as a Bears fan. The #1 pick can do that.
But the story here concerns the #2 pick and the genius way that the Commanders decided to evaluate their prospects (and hypothetically decide on selecting Jayden Daniels)—Top Golf.
Last Tuesday, the Commanders hosted 20+ of their top prospects for a group outing at Top Golf. The front office, coaches, and staff were all in attendance and the idea is that it was a chance to see the players in a more relaxed setting to better understand their personalities etc.
Apparently the 49ers and Patriots have done similar stuff, but I think sending to Top Golf in particular is genius.
1) It's still an athletic competition so you can measure (good or bad) whether they've got that internal drive.
2) You can watch for demonstrations of character as they interact with various Top Golf staff and the other prospects.
3) Not everyone is good at golf, and while Top Golf is designed to be more accessible, there is still the performance anxiety aspect to it—AND especially if the prospect has never played, how do they handle being put in a very uncomfortable situation?
If and when I'm ever put in charge of hiring for anything, this idea is rocketing to the top of my list.
Incredible fun fact pointed out by Sports Illustrated, Tuesday is also half-price night at Top Golf. So perhaps Commanders were looking to shave a little off the back-end of the draft budget too.
The PGA announces some payouts
YOU GET EQUITY! AND YOU GET EQUITY!
Guess who bought ChatGPT Pro...?? Expect many more absurd Dall-E images in issues to come. The image above was Dall-E's attempt at capturing the spirit of this section—and also seems to have invented a new ambidextrous golf club.
The actual story here is that the PGA Tour announced to its members the structure for its new player equity program and who will earn what.
36 players will earn a share of $750M based on "Career Points" factored by number of years on Tour, wins, high-profile wins, and Tour Championship finishes. The clear winners here are Tiger with a reported $100M cut, Rory with a $50M cut, and JT and Spieth with $30M cuts each.
Group 2 is 64 "steady and up and coming" players who will split $75M - so the dropoff there is STEEP.
Group 3 is 57 players within the top 125 who will split $30M.
And Group 4 is named "Past Legends" and includes a list of 36 players like Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson who will split $75M based on the “Career Points” formula.
All this money vests on an 8-year cycle and I won't bore you with those details as many of us are still trying to figure out our own company's stock programs. Like how a paycheck says your portfolio is worth $64,000 but only if you stay at the company for another 26 years, promise your first-born, and/or agree to not find another job for 36 months if you leave.
Having no insight into who falls into what category, the structure itself is intriguing except for the Past Legends category. Really wild that over the entire history of the Tour, they can only carve space for 36 players to benefit from this program. Either don't include it at all or just make it into one of those weird $4.19 tax credit refund checks the IRS sends through the mail and award them to everyone who has ever won an event.
Isaiah gettin' some airtime
THE MICHAEL BUFFER OF GOLF
This post from the Korn Ferry checked allllll the boxes to make Breakfast Balls this week as it not only featured one of our squad—Bad Birdie's own Isaiah Salinda!
But it also included the ponytail-wielding announcer for the Lecom Suncoast Classic Pro-Am who put my own first-tee announcing at the Breakfast Balls Invitational to shame. Click through the image above for the full video.
My main question was whether he determined what to say by himself or whether the players could give him a nickname/intro. If it was a solo operation then give him all the kudos because nothing I enjoy more than a typically shy or understated person (like most professional golfers) being put on blast.
Side note - Isaiah was lookin' fantastic. Shop the lewk.
Speaking of the Breakfast Balls Invitational
EVENT TOURNEYS—SO HOT RIGHT NOW
Let's leave this as a rhetorical question, but do Zoolander references age me or is it a timeless comedy classic? The fact that I'm asking the question is likely my answer.
That said, event golf tournaments are all over the place right now and my FOMO levels for each are sky high. When my own mom is sending me Instagram posts of the 8am Golf Invitational, you know there's some pretty impressive market penetration happening.
I won't say that our own Breakfast Balls Invitational was a trendsetter but I do think we're trend adjacent at least.
Between what I've seen in the wild and a few that readers have sent, these were a few that stuck out. Each offering plennnnty of ideas if a BBI Part Two comes to fruition.
The 8am Invitational is hosted by Justin Timberlake (a partner at the golf investing company) and takes place at The Wynn in Vegas.
He brings Jimmy Fallon along (aka cat nip for my mom) and a host of high profile athletes including Michelle Wie West (sigh) and eventual champions Blake Griffin and Chandler Parsons.
It's a two-day event, covered well by golf.com in this piece by Claire Rogers, but what I love the most is how it lacks any sort of seriousness while also including an absolutely stacked field. And since it's a Vegas overnight, they also get a ton of great "celebs getting rowdy at blackjack tables" content.
Camp Jain is easily one of the most unique events in golf.
They set up an event during Masters week at the Augusta Top Golf and the idea was basically a golf themed summer camp for kids.
Click through the image for the video recap but it radiates pure, childlike joy and I'm here for all of it.
Even in my own backyard, I was tipped off to a charity event Tilly's puts on at Mission Viejo Country Club benefitting teen mental health initiatives.
But these people go hard for a theme.
Last year was a superhero event with a lifesize Thor figure, props, and different scenes set up on the tee boxes—and this year it's Around the World in 18 Holes.
This is all getting dangerously close to my concept of a mini-golf style/Mario Golf 18 hole regulation course with obstacles and theme park level set design throughout.
(Still looking for angel investors on that by the way.)
Come. Finish watching with me.
FULL SWING S2: EPISODE 7 & 8 THOUGHTS
We complete my Full Swing recaps with Part 2 of the Ryder Cup, combining episodes 7 and 8 into one mega Ryder Cup recap.
EPISODE TITLE:
All Roads Lead to Rome Part 1 & 2
TOPIC 1:
Team Europe
I'll start by saying, previous to this episode, I would not have been able to pick Luke Donald out from a crowd. That is one normal looking dude. He reminds me of my old PGA Superlatives segment and if you told me he was Most Likely to Have Started His Own SAAS Solutions Company... I wouldn't bat an eye.
My next point? Team Europe just brings it. It's an actual team. Fantastic young/veteran splits, seemingly genuine relationships with one another, and watching Rory coach the younger players was cool to see. Meanwhile Team America is over here giving 2004 Dream Team.
Final note on Team Europe was a new level of appreciation for Justin Rose. My man works out in a golf polo and multiple layers. He brews his iced tea with chunks of strawberry, mint and cucumber. And his family seems like they're from a storybook—all smiling nicely as dad gets the call he made the team, looking out at the entire soccer field in the backyard, and an extremely tasteful outdoor setup.
TOPIC 2:
Team America
Let's just put Tiger in charge and get this over with. Zach isn't the guy. I know this isn't a particularly fresh take. But it has to be said.
TOPIC 3:
The Ryder Cup
From the opening ceremony to the electric atmosphere to the multi-day format leading to the ultra-pressure 1:1 matches to close—it's an excellent product.
I know myself better than to target Bethpage in 2025 but The Golf Course at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027? If I start my campaign now... sell a few polos here, host a few more events there... Breakfast Balls Live from Ireland?
Also, quit playing around and give us an annual LIV v. PGA showdown already.
EPISODE GRADE:
A
I'm likely biased by my own affinity for the Ryder Cup, but it was an excellent end to the series. So much more of a statement tournament to end on as compared to the Tour Championship since there's no guarantee that one of Netflix's guys would win the individual title. With the Ryder Cup it's a guarantee that we see both the joy of victory and agony of defeat.
Very well done follow-up to Season 1 for Full Swing though I can't imagine how they top this next year. For the dozen or so who followed along with me, I appreciate you. For everyone else, I hope it was a nice trip down memory lane?
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