For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

1. TGL to feature shot clocks and timeouts

The details, via PGATour.com…

Shot Clock

• Players will have 40 seconds to hit their shot, or their team will receive a violation and incur a one-stroke penalty.

• The shot clock, displayed throughout the stadium, will be stopped and reset any time the following occurs:

• A player has completed their turn.

• A player incurs a shot clock violation and receives a one-stroke penalty.

• A player calls a timeout.

• A player incurs a Rules of Golf penalty.

• The TGL referee or booth official determines the shot clock must be reset to accommodate a special circumstance.

• The 40-second timeframe is based on a former USGA Local Rule and a current USGA Recommendation on pace of play.

Timeouts

• Each team will have a total of four timeouts per match. Teams can use two timeouts during Session 1 (Triples) and two timeouts during Session 2 (Singles). Timeouts not used during the first session will not carry over to the second session.

• For the team playing their shot, timeouts may be called at any point until the shot clock expires. Opposing teams may call timeouts to “ice” their opponents but must do so before the other team’s player has addressed the ball.

• A team member will signal or verbally call a timeout to the referee, who will acknowledge the call. A team cannot call back-to-back timeouts while on the current shot. They must wait until the shot is hit following a timeout before calling a second timeout.

Referee

• A referee will be on the course to administer TGL’s rules. Additionally, a booth official, who is an expert in the rules of golf, will be monitoring the action.

• The referee will be responsible for enforcing and managing timeouts, the shot clock and rules decisions.

• TGL’s rules will be rooted in the traditional rules of golf played on the PGA TOUR, as well as inherent local rules needed for the league’s unique competition format, technology, and venue.

2. Kraft rips Tiger-designed El Cardonale

Golf Digest’s Alex Myers…“The 2023 World Wide Technology Championship marked the first time the PGA Tour has played a Woods design, and Kelly Kraft made known his negative feelings about El Cardonal at Diamante…”

• “About the golf, not sure where to start,” Kraft wrote on Instagram about the Cabo track. “All I will say is the PGA Tour could do a better job at picking courses to host these events. In my opinion this wasn’t my favorite course, and I’ve played on tour for a little while.”

3. Report: Possible Tour investors

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Last week, the author of “LIV and Let Die”, Alan Shipnuck, reported that John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group was preparing to make a “monster bid” to replace the Saudi Private Investment Fund’s potential stake in the PGA Tour.”

• “Now, Golfweek is reporting that there are five private equity companies vying to be a part of the deal for the PGA Tour.”

• “Those companies include Fenway Sports Group, Liberty Strategic Capital, Acorn Growth Companies, Eldridge Industries, and lastly, a group of influential individuals being referred to as Friends of Golf.”

• “The report indicates that those are the main parties interested, but that doesn’t mean smaller companies won’t go in on the deal with these groups to sweeten the offer.”

• “It’s highly speculated that Fenway Sports Group is still the most attractive suitor given their success in other sports including the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool FC.”

4. Schauffele criticizes father, calls for Tour leadership change

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking to “Today’s Golfer“, PGA Tour star Xander Schauffele said that he’d be open to a change in leadership on the PGA Tour.”

• “I wouldn’t mind seeing some new leadership take place on our circuit,” the 30-year-old said.”

• Schauffele cited a lack of trust as the reason why change might be good for the Tour.

• “I would be lying if I said that I have a whole lot of trust after what happened. That’s definitely the consensus that I get when I talk to a lot of guys. It’s a bit contradictory when they call it ‘our Tour’ and things can happen without us even knowing.”

• “It’s hard. I’m sure there are reasons for what happened, but at the same time, it puts us in a really hard spot to trust the leadership that did some stuff in the dark and is supposed to have our best interests at heart.

• “I am a bit in the dark still. I hate to sit here and hope for the best.”

• “The frustration from Xander seems to stem from the January framework agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Private Investment Fund, in which players were largely left in the dark.”

5. Bermuda Championship Monday qualifiers

PGATour.com staff…”In 2012, a 14-year-old Zhang burst onto the international golf scene when he became the youngest player to compete in the U.S. Open, eclipsing the prior mark set by Tadd Fujikawa (age 15, 2006). Zhang lost in a playoff at Final Qualifying but earned a tee time on Monday of tournament week after another player withdrew. Zhang, a China native who moved to Florida at age 10 to attend the IMG Academy, missed the cut at Olympic Club but generated buzz around his long-term potential. Zhang turned pro in 2018 after his sophomore season at the University of Florida, but he has made just two TOUR starts since his U.S. Open debut.”

• “He’ll add another this week. Zhang earned a spot at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship via the Monday qualifier (contested on Oct. 23), carding 6-under 66 and advancing in a playoff. Zhang has spent time this season on the Asian Development Tour, and he recently missed at First Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry. A big week in Bermuda, though, could perhaps spark a career renaissance.”

• “Argentina native Martin Contini earned medalist honors at the Monday qualifier with an 8-under 64. Zhang, Danny Guise and Kyle Wilshire earned spots via a 5-for-3 playoff; the odd men out were Jimmy Jones and Alex Scott. The qualifier was contested at Omni ChampionsGate Resort (International) in Orlando, Florida.”

6.  Rory: I’d be very surprised if Rahm joined LIV

Reuters report…”When Jon Rahm announced he was backing out of TGL, the new indoor golf league spearheaded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, it ignited rumors that the Spaniard might be planning a leap from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.”

• “McIlroy doesn’t see it that way.

• “The four-time major champion spoke with reporters at a news conference for his TGL team, Boston Common, on Monday and said Rahm has given him the impression he is staying with the PGA Tour.

• “I spoke to Jon a couple days ago and would be very, very surprised if that were to happen,” McIlroy said. “I’m pretty confident Jon is a PGA Tour player.”

7. Rory wants merger to go through

Gabrielle Herzig for Golfweek…”McIlroy stood firmly in favor of the pro game repairing its current fractures and said the PIF’s involvement is essential to that outcome.”

• “No, I would prefer if—I feel like we’ve got a fractured competitive landscape right now. And I would prefer if everyone sort of got back into the same boat. I think that’s the best thing for golf,” the four-time major champion said.

• “So you know, I would hope when we go through this process, the PIF are the ones that are involved in the framework agreement. Obviously, there’s been other suitors that have been involved and offering their services and their help.

• “But hopefully, when this is all said and done, I sincerely hope that the PIF are involved and we can bring the game of golf back together.”