Jay Aaron

Account is for sharing the writings of me @ProGolfCritic. Follow me on the main account.

[Jay Aaron @notdrj]

“Anthony Kim is not who you think he was — HE’S BETTER! + My Dad & Golf’s Ability to Heal” by Pro Golf Critic (@progolfcritic) https://t.co/0NDKmIxNpa

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

If you’re a non-American billionaire golf fan or CEO that always wanted a bigger spotlight on golf in your nation, why wouldn’t you invest in @livgolf_league? This is the closest you’re ever going to get to having a Global Tour & securing stars to play in your country. It’s the best deal you’re ever going to get. Objectively what’s your next best option? Beg the @PGATOUR to bring the Presidents Cup every 10-20 years? 😂
Pay Rory $8m over 2 years just so he can say no the next time? 🤷🏽‍♂️
I have no skin in this game at all - I really don’t outside of wanting a better pro golf world and liking LIV. If you want global golf or golf in your country to have a bigger spotlight that you have an investment in - now with no Saudi stigma (which was always fake, yada yada besides the point) - this is your best (& only?) chance.

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

Whatever happened to “Sportswashing” - is that still a term the CGM still uses? Or did they figure out we were on to their game & they abandoned it? Haven’t heard it in a while. 😂

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

🚨Lots of new followers lately. Thank you!Good time for a reminder:⤵️
The primary reason why I rebranded & became “Pro Golf Critic” in 2023 only peripherally has to do with #LIVGolf on a macro level. #1 It’s to help you come to the conclusion that you cannot blindly trust the corporate media. Golf media (maybe of all media) has been easy to criticize, no doubt. LIV saga has exposed this. Now take the lessons learned here & apply to ALL media. Critical thinking. If you take nothing else from me, take that.

#2 Re: #golf - My primary GOLF objective is to advocate for a better, more entertaining, more open & welcoming golf world. Because of what the game has done for me. That’s it. My last @Medium piece explains deeper. EVERYTHING I advocate for tracks back to that, including supporting @livgolf_league & my extreme criticism of the @PGATOUR. If I thought LIV was bad for my golf objectives, I would NOT support, but I KNOW it is, whether you like it or not. And I also know that the PGAT, as it stands now, is bad for my overall golf objectives. That’s evolving and I’m more optimistic now than I’ve been in decades, but they’re not there yet. And I will push them to get there.

I also know they’re all listening because of the people I talk to, the information I’m privy to, and the changes they’ve already made & continue to make. They’re mostly in line with things I’ve advocated for. Good. So I will continue my criticisms of all because I know what’s best for the game in order to make it as big as it can be.

These are my 2 primary blocks & to help navigate you all (and myself) through these thought exercises. No one will ever bully me or pay me off those blocks. Period. That is a promise. 🫡

No, I won’t get everything right - no one will, but that’s part of life. But I’ve also been more right with my analysis than 99.9% of people in golf. True. 🤷🏽‍♂️

TLDR, whatever, but if you got this far, anyone that thinks something different about me, I will point them to this tweet going forward. And if IFL you’re getting in the way of this, you’re probably one of the people that’s caught some of my smoke. No apologies. Just know better for next time. 😂

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

The reason why the golf establishment has wanted LIV dead☠️ is because it’s given the top players too much power/leverage. This is obvious. There’s no reason more important.
Unfortunately, the players have not banded together the way they needed to in order to take full advantage & control the sport. (golfer egos, Rory flip flopping, Tiger issues, lack of unity, etc).
They had their time to cash in & now that’s likely coming to an end. 🤷🏽‍♂️ The writing is on the wall.

Good on the players that were smart enough to cash in & not let others control them.
No matter what the net result, belts will tighten across the sport - all tours. It will all normalize. You’ll see. No one is gonna starve obvi, but they had the sport by the 🧅 2022 to 2024, and they lost it.

Divide & conquer. That’s what the establishment/administrators of the game have wanted. Keep the players divided (propaganda) and you can wrestle control back. @mcginleygolf even said it himself.
Now they have the “promise” of equity that many (all?) may never realize. 🎣
I know this because a similar scenario happened to me when I was the age of most of these players.

You have to divide the money people. Now they’re in cahoots and it’s probably too late. They’re in cahoots as evidenced by LIV getting recognition by the establishment (OWGR, Major exemptions, Masters S/O).
They’ve led you to believe this is about meritocracy 😂 & being anti-Saudi (see the Monahan talking points, Nantz/CBS interview, etc) when all of those clowns and the businesses they own do business in Saudi and make 💰 off Saudi. The PGAT did it right in front of you June 6, 2023. 🤦🏽‍♂️
That’s been a total psyop.

Maybe I thought too much of the @PGATOUR players - I thought they saw this & would continue to leverage - but the propaganda worked. They’re mostly shackled. No big name PGAT players have gone since 2024. Not a coincidence. Just like the establishment wanted. Most are too comfortable to continue leveraging and they “just wanted to play golf,” fine. Maybe it’s fatigue. Maybe some have made enough 💰. Probably part of it. But now the money is gonna be drying up to an extent across the board. LIV even said themselves like 18 months ago the big spending was over. Hope you cashed in because you’ll likely never see it again. Endorsement money won’t be the same either. This was the time. And now it’s likely gone.
Hubris & egos.

I don’t know exactly how the next few years will play out, but I have a good idea. No, the PIF is not going to stop spending on sports or golf. That’s idiotic. 0% chance. More will be spent. But the spend will look different. And we might be right back at 2019 golf, that’s slightly more global, with more team golf. I guess that’s good - but I have a feeling it will all be somewhat homogenous. Once the competition for top talent is gone, and the spend is less, the innovation tends to go with it. Simple economics. Money people win because they can spend less & do their PE thing. Bureaucrats win because their jobs are easier. Maybe slightly better bureaucrats now, true - and if that’s the case we probably will, by default, have a better golf world in the future. TBD.

But yeah, please continue with the anti-LIV propaganda campaign. It does numbers. Even if it’s dumb & misguided and shows you’ve been propagandized. All while the PGAT has been becoming more like LIV since 2022 right under your nose but as long as it isn’t LIV you’re OK lmao. 😂

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

Scott O’Neil was just on the #LIVBroadcast noting that things will continue to evolve at @livgolf_league. They’re looking at a potential evolution of #LIVGolf that blends LIV with National Opens! I LOVE where that could be headed! 👍🏽

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

ANGC Chairman Fred Ridley thanks their “special friends from around the 🌎 that helped make @TheMasters a success.” Including @USGA @RandA @PGA @PGATOUR @DPWorldTour @livgolf_league & @LPGA. This is LIV’s 1st public acknowledgment by Augusta as a friend of the tournament. ✅

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

Bryson spoke with Amanda Balionis today about the state of his game. He’s super confident going into this week having won the last 2 @livgolf_league events. Now it’s really just about fine tuning based on the conditions of the course. Expecting a great week from Bryson! 👍🏽

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

Who does Rory NOT want to put the green jacket on more? 🤔 #TheMasters

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

Me: It’s never been easier to win a @PGATOUR event post-2022.
PGAT bots: 🤬 you’re just a LIV shill & you hate Gary Woodland!🤬🙄
Me: Nah, I like GW, just being real - evidence:
➡️ 40% of the winners from 2020-22 are banned/restricted. Easier to win.
➡️ The top events, the fields are truncated (156 down to 70-80) so every player in the field has a fractionally higher chance of winning in a smaller field. Easier to win.
➡️ The remaining events, you’ve pushed the top players into the elevated events, diluting most fields (Houston) & increasing the remaining players probability of winning. Easier to win.
Example: Scottie Scheffler had ~25% chance to win Houston (source: Data golf). But he WD’d. Now the field absorbs that 25% win probability, which means mathematically, say it with me, it’s easier to win for each remaining player.
Add Rory, Bryson, Rahm, that’s probably close to 50% of the odds.
None played = Easier to win.

IT’S NEVER BEEN EASIER TO WIN on the PGA Tour. (Don’t give me LIV deflection).
Doesn’t mean it’s not hard, but it’s not AS hard. See an Amateur winning an event that Jon Rahm would have played in that he’s won 2x. And 3 other recent winners were banned.

This isn’t necessarily bad. You might think it’s bad if you’re a traditionalist that wants to ignore these facts and don’t want anything to change and view the Tour through the same outdated lens. That’s fair and your prerogative.
But every player LOVES that they have a better chance of winning events now than ever before. Why most don’t want LIV players back. I don’t think it’s any more complicated than that - you can make other excuses but that’s most of it.
Since it is mathematically easier to win, it just needs to be acknowledged.

By the way, most people, let alone golfers, are going through something at some point in their careers. Just because they don’t share it publicly or trauma dump, doesn’t lessen it. So I applaud GW for sharing what he went through. Does it have any impact on me? Not really - my prerogative, my opinion. But I’ve also never cared less about PGAT events so that has a lot to do with it. You can make me care more by not banning players and stop with this nonsense, but at this point I’ll never look at the PGAT the same way again, knowing what I know that will all come out in time.

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

Don’t try any Duke fans this week.
And don’t say I didn’t warn you. 😂 @TheDukeNation @DukeBetter @DukeNBA @RealJayWilliams

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

The official @livgolf_league 2026 Major Qualifications tracker is here! 11 in @TheMasters so far.
Greens are🔒
Yellows are in as of today, but not locked. @AnthonyKim_Golf currently owns the LIV exemption into @TheOpen which would be his 1st major appearance since 2011.

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

Official @livgolf_league OWGR updates after Singapore🇸🇬:
🇺🇸 Bryson: 41 ➡️ 33
🇨🇦 Richard T Lee: 210 ➡️ 145
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Lee Westwood: 1044 ➡️ 466
🇨🇱 Joaquin Niemann: 182 ➡️ 150
🇪🇸 Jon Rahm: 36 ➡️ 34
🇪🇸 Jose Ballester: 198 ➡️ 175
🇧🇪 Thomas Pieters: 270 ➡️ 223
🇦🇺 Cam Smith: 223 ➡️ 203
🇺🇸 Matthew Wolff: 774 ➡️ 573
🇺🇸 DJ: 704 ➡️ 581
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tyrrell Hatton: 26 ➡️ 27
🇺🇸 Talor Gooch: 1620 ➡️ 974
🇿🇦 Dean Burmester: 208 ➡️ 195
🇺🇸 Brendan Steele: 1681 ➡️ 992
Thomas Detry finished 15th (no points) and went from 61 to 63. Needs a top 2 finish in 🇿🇦 for Top 50.

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

Solid week in 🌎 golf this week with 2 events with major exemptions on the line - notables in each event below:

South African Open🇿🇦 (@TheMasters & Open exemptions for🏆, Top 3 Q for @TheOpen):
🇺🇸 Patrick Reed
🇿🇦 Dean Burmester
🇿🇦 Branden Grace
🇿🇦 Charl Schwartzel
🇿🇦 Jayden Schaper
🇿🇦 Ernie Els
🇫🇷 Martin Couvra
🇿🇦 Hennie Du Plessis
🇿🇦 Dylan Frittelli
🇿🇼 Kieran Vincent
🇪🇸 Angel Ayora
🇮🇹 Matteo Manassero
🇩🇪 Freddy Schott
🇿🇦 Casey Jarvis
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Alex Fitzpatrick
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ben Schmidt
🇨🇳 Wenyi Ding
🇹🇭 Kiradech Aphibarnrat

New Zealand Open🇳🇿 (Open exemption for 🏆):
🇦🇺 Lucas Herbert
🇺🇸 Kevin Na
🇳🇿 Ben Campbell
🇺🇸 John Catlin
🇺🇸 Chase Koepka
🇺🇸 Nick Watney
🇺🇸 Kyle Stanley
🇰🇷 Luke Kwon
🇳🇿 Nick Voke
🇳🇿 Daniel Hillier
🇳🇿 Steven Alker
🇺🇸 James Piot
🇯🇵 Kazuki Higa
🇦🇺 Jed Morgan
🇦🇺 Wade Ormsby
🇦🇺 Harrison Crowe
🇭🇰 Taichi Kho
🇩🇪 Max Rotluff
🇳🇿 Ryan Peake (defending 🏆)

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

Enjoyed this dialogue between @TrevorImmelman & @TigerWoods about the intricacies of putting well on Poa Annua greens. Gotta have confidence & be committed. The strategy adds up over 72 holes. ✅

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

If @PGATOUR fans acknowledged all the innovations that @livgolf_league has pioneered & then integrated that into the PGAT viewing experience, their minds would be blown.
I’m reminded of this any time I try to watch a PGAT event. I mean you literally CANNOT watch most of the actual golf tournament outside of some of (not all) of the leaders on Sat/Sun, it’s insane! 🤦🏽‍♂️

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

I know I haven't written a long form column in a while. But I was waiting for the right time & inspiration. AK winning provided both. I find a way to weave in AK's story with my Dad & our Golf story with the CGM somehow.😂 It's my best work. 15 min read.
https://t.co/nMsk4bs1RI

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

This does not seem real yet. 🤯🤯🤯
In the words of @arlowhite, I need a lie down. 😂.
Congrats to AK! You got me, I was just waiting for the right time to post my story. After this, it’s the right time! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽@AnthonyKim_Golf

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

I’ve said this before - people forget all the time that #golf is supposed to be a FUN, recreational activity that is great for our mental/physical health. Most of us are not professionals. When playing or being a fan stops being fun/healthy, you should prob find something else.

[Pro Golf Critic @ProGolfCritic]

I watched the @PGATOUR for 30 years. I enjoyed it for the most part. But @livgolf_league is SO much more compelling week to week (even with its flaws). The way it’s structured actually makes sense (particularly with the updated points). And what happened today - Young Gun Elvis outlasting Rahm + all the intrigue down the leaderboard (OWGR/year long points) + golf presented in a new way (night golf, team golf, etc) - this is what makes it better.

I really don’t need to convince anyone of this - it’s MY opinion (albeit extremely sophisticated opinion) as someone that has consumed pro golf since the 90s, watches it & thinks about this stuff constantly. I’m honestly only tweeting this because people ask me all the time.

And if you think the current over-sanitized & over-corporatized PGAT model is better:
➡️ Not knowing the names of most events week to week (minimal identity);
➡️ Not knowing who’s in the fields week to week (no consistency, so the points are skewed);
➡️ Watching courses you’ve seen for decades (most of which aren’t good/interesting);
➡️ And you actually like the way it’s presented;
➡️ Or “just like watching because it’s on and that’s your routine.” When I hear “legacy” this is what I think.

If you honestly think that’s more compelling and not because someone else tells you it is, that’s really your personal preference. But that’s just not compelling to me anymore (now), no matter who tries to convince me. Or if you watch for “legacy” then how do you square watching new events without any legacy or an event with a new name of a company you didn’t know existed before? Doesn’t make sense to me either.

If most people were open minded and thought about this, you’d realize what model makes more sense. It’s why the PGAT has been quietly moving towards the LIV model for 4 years (predictable fields, smaller fields, no cuts & a tighter schedule). Even teams with TGL: and the PGAT having a vested interest in it. But none of it is done as well as LIV, because their “legacy” structure doesn’t allow it.

But it all seems inevitable to me and just makes more sense for what they’re trying to accomplish now (investor-driven products) - why they’re doing it. Not hard to see.

BTW, LIV didn’t go to 72 holes because it’s better - it’s solely because the establishment demanded it (either OWGR or thinking it’s better major prep is immaterial - both are the establishment), and they caved. 🤷🏽‍♂️
Any of the 54ers just need to get over this - myself included. I don’t think it’s made LIV better - if anything it’s fragmented the fans/players, and the league isn’t as strong. But it’s still compelling week in/out.

The best & most compelling model probably is combining elements of all tours (mostly the LIV model explained above) with all the best players guaranteed in a top level series across the 🌎 in a variety of formats. But given many 🇺🇸 based players don’t want to or need to do this, and PGAT has no interest (yet), and the 🇺🇸 media defends/protects this, that may not happen.

So LIV is the most compelling product & model for now even without all the best players - “all the best” really is not necessary from an entertainment perspective to be the most compelling with 57-60 players. It would be additive ofc, but if you’re honest with yourself, how many players do you follow in any given event? How many does the broadcast even show? 🤔

But yeah, music, shotgun, yada yada whatever. 😂