For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as we head towards the AT&T Byron Nelson.

1. Ferguson: Westwood did this to himself

The AP’s Doug Ferguson on Lee Westwood’s apparent incredulity…“So no, I never would have believed it had ended like this,” he said, “and there has to be a bit of sadness, of course.”

• “There also must be the harsh realization that he did this to himself.”

• “He was free to choose, and Westwood chose instant riches from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to play in a rival league that threatened the very tour to which he had been loyal all these years.”

• “That can’t be overlooked. There has to be consequences. He should have known that, even if LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman told players they could have it both ways.”

• “Remember, it was Norman who said in a text to Sergio Garcia some 15 months ago about the PGA Tour: “They cannot ban you for one day let alone life. It is a shallow threat.”

2. Barstool Sports to broadcast Korn Ferry Tour event

Dan Rapaport at Barstool with the announcement…“We got tired of complaining about all the things we don’t like about golf broadcasts. So we’re going to do one ourselves.”

• “It’s been hard to keep this one quiet, but the news is now official: Barstool Sports will be the sole provider of live coverage for the NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank, a golf tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour, from July 27-30 at The Glen Club in Glenview, Ill. We’ll be live from 3:30-6:30 p.m. EST on Barstool.tv, and the broadcast will feature Riggs, Trent, Frankie, myself and a bunch of other Barstool personalities.”

• “This is obviously a huge step for the Fore Play brand and for Barstool Sports as a whole. It’s no secret that the company is looking to move further into the live-sporting events business, as evidenced by the Barstool Arizona Bowl and the Barstool Sports Invitational basketball tournament we held earlier this year.”

3. RIP John Bland

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”South African golfer John Bland, who won twice on the DP World Tour before coming to prominence in the U.S. on PGA Tour Champions, has died. He was 77.

• Bland’s death was announced by South Africa’s Sunshine Tour golf circuit. He died Tuesday “after a battle with cancer,” the Sunshine Tour said.”

• “Born Sept. 22, 1945, in Johannesburg, Bland turned pro in 1969 and won his first of 36 titles at the 1970 Transvaal Open. He won the South African PGA Championship in 1977, one of three victories that year and a total he matched again in 1983 when he claimed the European Tour’s Benson and Hedges International over Bernhard Langer.”

4. 62 and a self-DQ

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Tommy Kuhl, who’s currently a fifth-year senior at the University of Illinois, recently shot 62 at a U.S. Open qualifier. The incredible round broke the course record.”

• “Unfortunately, Kuhl was forced to disqualify himself after the round.”

• “Once his 62 was in the books at Illini Country Club in Springfield, he went out to watch one of his teammates, Adrien Dumont De Chassar, compete in a playoff to get the final qualifier spot.”

• “Kuhl told mondayq.com that was when he heard another teammate talk about the aerated greens, which reminded Kuhl that he’d broken a rule by repairing multiple aeration marks.”

• “I felt sick to my stomach,” he said. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t tell the rules official.”

5. 9-year-old attempts USWO qualifying

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”What were you doing at 9 years old?”

• “Bella Simoes, a 9-year-old from Brazil, began her quest of qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open on Tuesday in Naples, Florida.”

• “Simoes is one of 68 players who will take part in the 36-hole qualifier at The Club at Mediterra. The top two finishers advance to the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.”

• “Should Simoes qualify, she would become the youngest competitor in U.S. Women’s Open history, breaking the mark set by a 10-year-old Lucy Li in 2013.”

6. Why USGA’s water conservation efforts matter

Cameron Jourdan for Golfweek…”Last month, the USGA announced a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment toward reducing golf’s use of water.”

• “Efforts to reduce water usage are nothing new in the game, but it’s more vital now than ever.”

• “There’s only going to be more competition for our water resources as population increases,” said Cole Thompson, the USGA’s Director of Turfgrass and Environmental Research. “That’s really what this initiative is, is the USGA committing to hopefully leading the industry toward water resiliency.”

• “The USGA’s $30 million commitment over the next 15 years will advance underutilized strategies and technologies that golf courses can use to economically reduce their use of water, a vital and increasingly regulated natural resource with near- and long-term cost and availability concerns. The work will focus on irrigation optimization, advanced conservation innovation and water sourcing and storage.”

7. Faster than Augusta’s greens?

8. Golf rounds up

Jason Lusk for Golfweek…”The National Golf Foundation, using data from Golf Datatech, reported this week that combined first-quarter rounds played from the past three years in the U.S. are up 17 percent compared to the same first-quarter periods of 2017-2019, pre-COVID.”

• “The monthly comparisons for this year versus 2022 and 2021 aren’t quite as rosy, mostly attributed to weather. A recent NGF/Golf Datatech report showed that overall, rounds played in March 2023 were down 2.3 percent compared to March 2022, which trailed March 2021 when rounds spiked 45 percent as players looked for a break from COVID restrictions. Much of this year’s dip versus 2022 was attributed to the vast rainstorms that slammed parts of the Pacific Northwest and California.”

• “Rounds played were also slightly down in February this year versus February 2022, also attributed mainly to weather. That follows a great January in which rounds played were up 7.1 percent versus January 2022.”

9. Byron Nelson Photos

• Check out our galleries from this week’s tour stop!