In his new role as senior director of player relations for the USGA, Jason Gore has a clear challenge: Rebuild the relationship between professional golfers and the governing body of the American game.
Gore, a 44-year-old Californian who played 22 seasons on the PGA and Web.com tours, winning a total of eight times, seems to be the perfect man for the newly created job.
“I think I have the one factor that players kind of need and that’s to look at them and say, ‘I get it, I’ve been there.’ That’s the one thing I want to bring to the USGA, the ‘I get it, I’ve been there’ factor,” Gore said.
“For the players to realize I’m going to work my you-know-what off for them because we want to get things right. Players now have a huge voice. We want to make sure we’re not the crazy guys in the lab coats trying to stab them over here. We love golf. They love golf. Let’s all love golf together kind of deal.”
Gore is moving his family from California to New Jersey as he begins this new portion of his career. The idea was broached to him last fall shortly after Gore finished T15 in the RSM Classic and he initially pushed it away, intent on continuing his playing career.
The more Gore thought about it, the more he realized he could make a difference in the game in the new role. A charming, chatty guy who has been immensely popular with his peers, Gore is intent on easing the strain that has developed between the groups as a result of U.S. Open setups and the recent rules uproar.
“It’s being the bridge between the players and the USGA. There’s been a certain detachment or disconnect from both sides. I want the players to know they have a voice and the USGA is listening,” Gore said.
“I want to give the players a voice they need. There are a lot of great ideas and great people on both sides. Everybody needs to get together and maybe not be in the same paragraph but at least be on the same page.”
“I want to go out and shake hands with them, look them in the eye, laugh with them, have a good time, get our point across and then high five.” – Jason Gore
Gore was not hired to explain the new rules to players. In fact, he’s planning to take the USGA’s three-plus hour rules test to find out how much he actually knows about the rules. If there are specific rules issues, Gore can put players in touch with the experts.
“Once players realize there is an olive branch or a helping hand out there for them, they will be a lot more receptive,” Gore said.
It’s clear there has been a disconnect.
“I wish I could be optimistic about it but I will be happy when the relationship gets better. If this is their effort, then great. I hope it happens,” Webb Simpson said.
“(Gore’s) a great guy for it. I think he’ll do a great job. It should help and I hope it helps.”
Gore joins a group that includes Liz Fradkin, who works with LPGA players, as the USGA seems intent on repairing some high-profile relationships. That’s where Gore sees himself being most effective.
“I want to go out and shake hands with them, look them in the eye, laugh with them, have a good time, get our point across and then high five. I really want to give back to players and keep them in the loop,” Gore said.
“I’m going to hand out a card with my phone number on it and I want them to call me if they have any questions. I don’t care if it’s 2 a.m., my phone is always open to players. We want everybody to be happy.”
Green’s Read:
• The Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship this week is a huge moment for both the club and the women’s game. It was a brilliant creation by chairman Fred Ridley and now that it’s here, it feels monumental.
It will attract viewers who are initially curious to see how the women play Augusta National and how the course is set up. Over time, it will grow into a familiar part of the Masters experience, shining a light on the women’s game on a weekend that also celebrates youngsters with the Drive, Chip & Putt competition.
It’s not without its critics, who complain the Women’s Amateur shouldn’t be played opposite the year’s first women’s major, the ANA Inspiration, but they’re missing the bigger point of what this represents and what it can become.
• If you’re wondering what happened to the PGA Tour events at the Greenbrier and in Houston, both will be on the fall portion of the 2019-20 season when it is announced sometime in the near future.
The Greenbrier event will kick off the new season in mid-September followed by the Sanderson Farms Championship, the Safeway Open, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, then the Houston Open in mid-October.
There will also be a three-event swing through Asia and events at Mayakoba in Mexico and Sea Island, Ga., near the end of the year.
• Kevin Kisner said he didn’t know how much money he won Sunday at the WGC-Dell Technologies Championship – it was a tidy $1.7 million – but he remembers exactly how much money he had to start his career.
Kisner said he borrowed $16,000 from his father to start playing mini-tours all those years ago.
“I never asked him for another dollar and I think that’s probably the coolest part of my career is I had to make putts when it mattered starting at a young age and I learned to do it,” Kisner said.
“And when you’ve got to make a putt to clear money for the week to fill your car up or drive back home it makes you a stronger person. So money has driven me my whole life.”
Kisner won the third mini-tour event he played and the paycheck was $16,000. He’s now won approximately $19 million in his PGA Tour career but Kisner still likes to keep his money close.
“I’m the cheapest guy in the world. I hoard that money like crazy, because I don’t know when it’s going to run out, and I don’t want it to run out and I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to make a 10-footer,” he said.
• If you’re wondering how good the Gil Hanse redesign of Pinehurst No. 4 is, the USGA announced Tuesday that the 36-hole final for the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst in August will be played for the first time on two courses, the legendary No. 2 and No. 4. It’s a huge compliment to the work Hanse and the Pinehurst people did with No. 4.