The 2023 RBC Canadian Open was a pivotal level for Ben Griffin, the previous North Carolina Tar Heel who’s at the moment the Seventieth-ranked participant on the earth. He determined to skip that week and follow at house as an alternative, having missed 5 of his final six cuts. However, like the remainder of {the golfing} world, Griffin was glued to Golf Channel on Tuesday, Jun. 6, 2023, a crucial second within the sport’s historical past.
“Wow, I can’t consider that is occurring,” Griffin mentioned to himself.
After all, this was when the PGA Tour shockingly introduced its framework settlement with the Saudi Public Funding Fund (PIF). No person knew what it meant on the time. Nor did anybody know what the construction of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would seem like going ahead. However Griffin realized a priceless lesson that day, one which any professional exterior the highest 50 on the earth ought to relate to—even now.
Amid the fracas, participant conferences, and confusion that day in Toronto, one man stored to himself. Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who wound up dropping to Nick Taylor in a playoff later that week, minded his personal enterprise on the vary. He hit ball after ball, not worrying concerning the exterior noise.
“I’m not too fearful about it,” Fleetwood mentioned that day in an interview with Golf Channel, in keeping with Griffin.
“It’s what it’s, and I’m simply going to concentrate on successful this week.”
That mindset paid off for Fleetwood as a result of, if not for Taylor’s historic 72-foot eagle putt, he could have gained his first PGA Tour title.
Quick-forward to this week. On Monday, the PGA Tour authorised a sequence of modifications, which incorporates decreasing the variety of members from 125 to 100 gamers, reducing the sphere sizes of virtually each event, and eliminating a lot of the Monday qualifiers. Amid these stark transformations, Griffin instantly recalled watching Fleetwood hit balls on the vary, specializing in himself and silencing the surface noise.
“I‘ve tried to make use of that mindset that he’s had during the last yr and a half to not get myself too concerned with a whole lot of insurance policies and focus extra on my profession and what’s at stake as a result of, finally, that’s all that issues to me,” Griffin mentioned on Wednesday.
“The insurance policies are going to be what they’re, and my objective is to attempt to win and play in addition to I can.”
Different younger gamers are following this mindset, too, specifically Steven Fisk, who will make his PGA Tour debut this week in his native Georgia. Fisk completed fourth within the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour standings, thus incomes his card for 2025. One of many modifications that the tour authorised is decreasing the variety of PGA Tour playing cards for Korn Ferry Tour graduates from 30 to twenty.
“The modifications are what they’re. Despite the fact that lots of people would possibly say that my place is barely deprived by a number of the modifications, I can have a look at it from a distinct perspective and see why a few of these modifications are being made,” Fisk mentioned Wednesday.
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“Actually, every part that’s been laid out is smart. It could not essentially be what’s finest for somebody popping out of my class, however I nonetheless have so many alternatives subsequent yr that if I play good golf, every part takes care of itself.”
Taking part in good golf will maintain every part when it comes all the way down to the crux of the problem. However nice golf could not even be rightfully rewarded. Gamers must shoot decrease scores since solely so many alternatives shall be accessible.
“I’m not numb to the truth that we’re chopping alternatives, proper? It’s not one thing that sits nicely with me and doesn’t sit nicely with anybody in any of these discussions, however all these choices that get made, they’re all not good or unhealthy,” defined Brian Harman, the 2023 Open Champion who sat on the Competitions and Rules Subcommittee part of the Participant Advisory Council.
“We’re each single sort of professional and con to each piece that strikes round and making an attempt to determine essentially the most equitable, fairest technique to have an incredible product whereas offering sufficient taking part in alternatives for everybody.”
Harman additionally talked about how he participated in conferences for the higher a part of eight months, making an attempt to determine higher reshape the PGA Tour sooner or later. It’s additionally no coincidence that these conferences—and subsequent modifications—come on the heels of an funding from the Strategic Sports activities Group (SSG), a consortium of distinguished sports activities homeowners and personal fairness executives.
“These are actually arduous conversations as a result of I’ve been on each aspect of that token. I’ve been 100 to 125, I’ve been 70 to 100, I’ve been 1 to twenty,” Harman added.
“I perceive how all these blocs really feel, and for me to have to debate how that stuff will get moved round, it’s extraordinarily troublesome and uncomfortable. However you simply have a look at all the data that’s introduced, and also you do your finest to make the absolute best determination for essentially the most quantity of individuals.”
Harman used the phrase “optimistic” to explain the final feeling of gamers about these modifications.
“All of the talks that we’ve all been actually constructive, and every part that we’ve been making an attempt to do, it’s all forward-thinking,” Harman mentioned.
“I imply, who is aware of? Who is aware of? We had the information, we have a look at every part, you do your finest, and then you definitely consider after instances go; it’s all you are able to do.”
However the one factor any PGA Tour professional can do is to take after Fleetwood and concentrate on their recreation and themselves. No person can management what the tour will do.
So, for a participant like Griffin, who just isn’t a high star however a stable participant, their solely choice is to comply with Fleetwood’s mindset. You must block out the noise, work, and follow, and when you do this, the outcomes will come, and every part else will maintain itself.
Griffin has leaned on this precept and ignored the commotion, which has helped him immensely in 2024. He has improved his place within the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) by 30 spots this yr alone and has an opportunity to vault into the Aon Subsequent 10 this week with a powerful end on the RSM Traditional. Griffin additionally has 5 top-10s, which features a T-8 ultimately week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship. His finest end, humorous sufficient, got here at this yr’s RBC Canadian Open, the place he completed solo second to Robert MacIntyre.
“It’s not value being for or towards any form of modifications,” Griffin added.
“They’re what they’re, and my objective is simply to play nearly as good of golf as doable.”
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By. Make sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.
