It Hits a Bit Different When Justin Thomas Says It

The players are starting to get it. Better late than never.

Justin Thomas sent a pretty remarkable letter to PGA TOUR membership on Tuesday. The message: You guys need to lean in. To show off who we are as people. Golf needs more personality.

“The more I think about it,” Thomas wrote, “the more I feel us giving more access and insight can make a WORLD of difference.

“Things such as pre-round interviews, mid-round interviews, wearing a mic, communication of any equipment/swing changes you’re working on with broadcasters, etc.

“I know stepping outside of our comfort zones isn’t always easy. Believe me, in the past I’ve been the first to say “no” before things are even done being asked. I’ve had no interest when someone asks for an interview mid-round or suggests trying something new. But I also know how much the fans love those moments—hearing our thought processes, conversations with our caddies, our reactions to the shots, and understanding the ups and downs of competing at the highest level. I’ve recently done mid-round interviews at both Hero and Sentry and found them totally fine and easy. While we may (at least I know I do) think it’s not that important or interesting, our fans do.”

None of this is groundbreaking information on its own. As the letter notes, Fan Forward research conducted by the tour found that “on-course personality” is the highest ranked driver of interest for young fans. It’s why so many in that age bracket love Bryson DeChambeau and Min Woo Lee—guys who wear their hearts on their sleeve and let the fans in on their journey. It’s also why so many love Grant Horvat and Garrett Clark and Fat Perez.

The YouTube golf explosion has made it patently clear that, to an extremely large and youthful group of people, what you shoot is only part of the reason they’re interested. Sports fans, more than ever, are yearning for the sort of parasocial relationship with athletes that they have with content creators. They want to root for someone they feel like they know.

TGL, for all its wonkiness and weirdness, has shined a light on players' personalities. It has produced genuinely viral moments, and those moments have nothing to do with how good a golf shot is. It's a celebration, or a funny reaction to a missed shot, or some trash talking. Personality, not necessarily golf. But TGL happens once a week with six players. The vast majority of PGA Tour players won't get to step into SoFi Center. So JT's asking them to bring a little bit of that to the real tour.

The letter carries extra weight coming from a player of JT’s caliber. Thomas also wasn’t saying ‘hey guys, you need to get like me.’ He held his hand up and said, quite literally, ‘I’ve literally been one of the worst at this.’ But Thomas has listened to the data and knows he—and everyone else—needs to make a change.

It’s impossible to read the letter outside the context of sagging television ratings on the PGA TOUR. Last week’s American Express rang particularly juice-less: a 5 hour, 10 minute slog with essentially no interaction between the broadcast and the players inside the ropes. This, then, is reacting to a very real issue that clearly has caught TOUR brass’ attention.

Thomas’ piece does, however, make clear that it’s still the player’s choice to do these interviews or not. That’s been the ethos on the PGA TOUR. It’s a member-run organization, which means the players call the shots. Rules that might make the product better have been shut down because they inconvenience players too much. That paradigm seems to be shifting in the fan’s favor, and you have to wonder how long something like remains optional. Nick Saban didn’t stop for halftime interviews because he wanted to.

Here’s the full text of the letter:

Dear Fellow Players,

I hope this note finds you well and ready for the season ahead. As we continue to elevate the PGA TOUR and showcase everyone’s incredible talent, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can better connect with fans and keep building on the momentum we’ve created in recent years.

One thing that keeps coming up in my mind is the role we play in working with our broadcast partners. As many of you know, Max Homa, Adam Schenk, Mac Hughes and I have been part of the Tournament, Fans, & Sponsors PAC Subcommittee. We have been having conversations with NBC and CBS to improve the broadcast for PGA TOUR fans. We’re incredibly lucky to have many passionate people tuning in to watch us every week, but let’s be honest—this game can feel a little distant at times.

The more I think about it, the more I feel us giving more access and insight can make a WORLD of difference. Things such as pre-round interviews, mid-round interviews, wearing a mic, communication of any equipment/swing changes you’re working on with broadcasters, etc. I know stepping outside of our comfort zones isn’t always easy. Believe me, in the past I’ve been the first to say “no” before things are even done being asked. I’ve had no interest when someone asks for an interview mid-round or suggests trying something new. But I also know how much the fans love those moments—hearing our thought processes, conversations with our caddies,our reactions to the shots, and understanding the ups and downs of competing at the highest level. I’ve recently done mid-round interviews at both Hero and Sentry and found them totally fine and easy. While we may(at least I know I do) think it’s not that important or interesting, our fans do. Our Fan Forward research shows that “on-course personality” is the highest ranked driver of interest for young fans (18-34). Getting the younger age group interested and watching our sport could be a huge difference in our popularity. They love the opportunity to be able to have that connection to us as fans, and it humanizes us. The more I’ve watched documentaries and specials on streaming services on other sports, the more I’ve come to realize the main reason I love them so much is the access they provide and the insight the players are giving me; a fan of them and their craft. I had no interest in rooting for certain players, teams, coaches before watching a handful of shows and games. But the way some of them show their cards and how they go about everything makes me an even bigger fan.

Our broadcast partners have committed to us and the fans to modernize their productions and make the players the true focus of the telecast. I’m not asking anybody to be somebody they aren’t or change anything in their routine that would affect their performance. Instead, just be open to possibilities and changes. I’ve had the idea of pre-round interviews similar to football games with head coaches. They pan down to the coach, and he is asked ONE question (one that he knows is coming before asked), gives a 5-10 second answer, and I’m always so tuned in to how they explain their gameplan and layout their approach. Imagine that happens on the first tee before the final few groups, or even after the first tee shot walking off the tee. Something we know will be a harmless question, but really makes the fans feel in our head and there with us. The more we work with NBC/CBS/ESPN, the more they should be able to work with us. I’m sure many of us feel the telecasts can be better, so let’s help them do that. I firmly believe if we make an effort to do some of the things I’ve mentioned that we’ll be proving we care and want to improve the experience for our fans – and that our broadcast partners will need to do the same. At the end of the day, we’re all owners in this Tour. So, the bigger and better we make it not only benefits us financially, it benefits our fans and creates the ability for us to do bigger things down the road. Anybody who has any ideas or thoughts, please reach out to me or any of the TOUR staff to get the ball rolling on ways we can make OUR Tour the best we possibly can.

Thanks guys, and best of luck

Justin Thomas