It was Avery Brundage, the former president of the International Olympic Committee, who insisted that sport must be amateur, that if played professionally it is instead mere entertainment. To be fair, it was one of the less loathsome viewpoints Brundage held, but over time support for his sentiment has dissolved, not least in the Olympic movement itself. The notion that a sport is sullied when played for pay won’t garner much support these days even in the tweediest corners of the USGA and R&A, yet there remains a debate within golf over that gray area dividing worthy competition from trivial entertainment.
This week—at least in the United States—golf tilts toward the latter. The QBE Shootout, for example, an event formerly associated with a man who could rival Brundage in his disregard for the human suffering happening under those who line his pockets. Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson are in the field this year, continuing a sporadic tradition of women competing alongside men in the team event. The 2024 Shootout will feature more mixed teams, a nod to the old J.C. Penney Classic and not its own roots as a tool for marketing Greg Norman’s machismo.
On the same weekend as the Shootout we also have The Match, another made-for-TV event distancing itself from its once-prominent frontman. This spectacle—pitting Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas over 12 holes under lights—also lands firmly on the lighthearted side of the entertainment vs. competition question, though Phil Mickelson may be among the few watching at home who won’t be entertained.
What the Match and the Shootout offer is a laid-back respite from most every other week in professional golf, when things of consequence are at stake, while still providing sustenance to fans who care not a whit for the World Cup away nor the travails of the Texans at home. What we’ve seen this week—and will next at the PNC Championship —is partitioned from the norm in almost every respect, from format to setting to seriousness. It’s a downy dessert that won’t linger on the palate, but which makes for a pleasing conclusion to a more substantial menu. For such events has this time of year become known as the ‘silly season.’
The ability to distinguish silly from serious is relevant when it comes to LIV Golf, which as a tour aggressively markets itself as entertainment-forward. Audience figures suggest LIV is not to every golf fan’s taste, but there’s a…
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