The 19th Hole Golf Show

The Arnold Palmer Invitational will be played this week for the first time sine the passing of Mr. Palmer last September. While PGA Tour players have been critical of their peers for, in some cases, skipping the event, Ryan Ballengee implores golf to look after the longer-term future of the event. That could include breaking up the Florida Swing as we know it to make sure Bay Hill has a proper, important place on the calendar.

On this episode of The 19th Hole, we dig into Pat Perez's comments about Tiger Woods, why he was shouted down for having an opinion and the comparison in reaction to him voicing his views as opposed to the reaction to Steven Bowditch's DUI arrest.

Tiger Woods withdrew from the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Friday, citing back spasms, his fourth WD with such issues since 2014. So now what? Is this who Tiger is for the rest of his life? Unless he makes drastic changes, Woods' career could be over.

We open up the 2017 season with a look at Justin Thomas' dominating performances in Hawaii, as well a look at how Donald Trump probably won't impact golf at all as President. We also set the table for the year on the podcast and Golf News Net.

We put a bow on 2016 in the final 19th Hole podcast of the year, and we close it with a great guest in up-and-coming PGA Tour stud Jon Rahm. We spoke with Rahm at TaylorMade Golf's 2017 line reveal about his crazy early run as a pro, his equipment, his goals for next year and some of the people who have helped him get to this point. Then we close the show and the year with some news items, including Phil Mickelson's second sports hernia surgery, the birth of the Senior LPGA Championship and Tiger Woods committing to the 2017 Genesis Open.

We look at how Tiger Woods did in his return to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge and what the takeaways should be from his week. We also discuss Hideki Matsuyama's rise with his fourth win in his last five starts. We're also joined by Harvey Silverman, one of the creators of Quick.golf, a pay-by-the-hole concept that's looking to change how golf operators and golfers see their time and tee sheets.

On this week's show, we look at why golf media is struggling and what it means for you as a golfer and consumer of golf news and entertainment. We also talk about how we're going to try to tackle the problem at Golf News Net. Then, Jim Varney joins us from Sentio Golf for a fascinating discussion about his company's new line of putters and all of the little details that go into the flat stick.

As the PGA Tour wraparound season starts, it seems like the golf year is dragging. So why do pro golf tours insist on playing tournaments when the audience is so small? Also, we talk about the possibility of a total shakeup in the world of golf equipment.

Tiger Woods shocked the golf world again on Monday, announcing he was pulling out of his intended comeback at the Safeway Open because of a "vulnerable" game. Will he play again? What's holding him back? Our guest is PGA Tour winner Pat Perez, who will make his own comeback to golf after 7 months out following surgery to repair a torn labrum. We'll talk his return, his relationship with Bill Murray's new golf clothing line and his work on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio.

The 2016 Ryder Cup will be remembered for Patrick Reed's domination, Rory McIlroy's performance of a lifetime, the successes of the Task Force and Phil Mickelson. We talk about it all and look forward to the future of the matches.