BACK9 NETWORK adds Global Expertise from Inside, Outside Golf Industry

A golf industry visionary, an international technology strategist, a major college athletic director and the CEO of one of America’s oldest life insurance companies are the newest members of the Back9 Network Board of Directors.

Greg Hopkins, Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Golf/Srixon, Michael Michigami, former divisional President of United Technologies Corporation, Paul Pendergast, Athletic Director at the University of Connecticut, and James Wehr, President and CEO of The Phoenix Companies, join Pebble Beach Golf executive Paul Spengler on the board of the world’s first multimedia golf lifestyle and entertainment network.

“Our new Directors truly understand how to build and lead great organizations,” said James L. “Jamie” Bosworth, Chief Executive Officer of the Back9 Network. 

“When you set out to build a global, technology-driven company like Back9, you need to surround yourself with people who have demonstrated how to execute growth and profitability on a world-wide scale.” 

Bosworth, a former executive with golf brands such as Ben Hogan, Callaway Golf, Cleveland Golf, Odyssey Golf and Top-Flite, leads a premier management team of media and golf industry veterans in launching the new network.

Greg Hopkins is credited with turning around Cleveland Golf when he assumed a leadership role in the late 1990’s, reshaping the company’s product line, incorporating new technology, and boosting the company’s presence on the professional tours. Sales skyrocketed 500% during the first seven years of his tenure.

Michael Michigami led the Control Systems division at United Technologies (UTX), was President and CEO of Datapoint Corporation (DPT), and Chairman and CEO of Digital Microwave Corporation (STXN). He is currently a director and consultant to global technology companies.

Before becoming Athletic Director at the University of Connecticut, Paul Pendergast served as President of the Saint Francis Foundation and the Senior Vice President of Development for Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT.  Before joining St. Francis, Mr. Pendergast served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development at the UCONN Division of Athletics from 1998 to 2006.  He was responsible for growing the university’s donor base during its meteoric rise to national prominence.

James Wehr is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Phoenix Companies, Inc. where he was appointed in April 2009 after serving as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Wehr joined Phoenix in 1981 and has a diverse background in finance and investment related disciplines.

Back9 Network will be the premier multimedia lifestyle and entertainment network for golf fans globally. It is being constructed on a multi-platform digital system, providing simultaneous distribution over the Internet and mobile devices. As much a lifestyle network as a sports channel, Back9 will differ from its competitors by focusing on the intrinsic “story” of the sport and examining the players and the world in which golf resides.  The network plans to be broadcasting by early summer 2012.

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Can Morgan Pressel help unite World through golf?

LPGA star Morgan Pressel is traveling to Israel making Aliyah for the first time in her life this week to tour the country and host golf clinics for local children. Pressel will also be leading a roundtable discussion with Israeli and Palestinian youths in hopes of using golf as a medium for teaching valuable life lessons.

 

 

The 2011 LPGA Championship runner-up will take a tour of some of Israel’s most historically-rich places including a private tour of the Western Wall, a visit to Yad Vashem (Israel’s national Holocaust Memorial Museum) and the Dead Sea. Morgan will also be meeting with various Israeli signatories and leaders, including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

 

With the inclusion of golf at the 2016 Olympics, Morgan plans on leading more trips to Israel, to create additional awareness and support for the game, especially among young children and adults.

 

Perhaps more than just children can benefit from the lessons of the First Tee Program...?

 Recently, Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney pledged to a group of Jewish conservatives that his first trip as Commander in Chief would be to Israel. I wonder if a foursome including Iranian, Syrian, Israeli and USA leaders would improve global diplomatic relations?

 

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Read an interview about how Morgan Pressel prepared for the U.S. Women's Open

 

photo credit: @wmgllc

 

 

 

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Does it matter how many golfers Tiger Woods had to beat at Chevron?

An ESPN opinion piece mentioned a few reasons why Tiger Woods may have had an easier time winning his first tournament in two years, the Chevron World Challenge, but I'm not totally buying into it.

The reasons?

Tiger Woods with his Chevron trophy

 

1. Tiger Woods didn't have to beat very many players.

Does it really matter how many golfers are in the field? I will concede that more players increase the chances that more than one will shine but Golfers are supposed play against par. Whether there are eighteen or seventy-five golfers, if you're playing well for four straight days, you have a chance to win.Many of the golfers in this event are already winners and/or have played well this season. They also know that Tiger Woods had won on this golf course on four previous occasions.

Every golfer in the field was itching to win against Tiger Woods on Sunday in order to add it to their resume.

2. ESPN claims that the field of eighteen golfers (some of the finest players of the 2011 season) were not as engaged because this was not an official PGA Tour event.  

Do golfers enter into an event with the prospect of not playing their best or not wanting to win? I understand that there may be a different mindset between a major tournament and all other events during the year but putting together four terrific rounds of golf takes much physical effort and mental concentration: Woods was playing on point this week.

3. Joe LaCava, Tiger Woods' caddie, was quoted in the article as agreeing with the above statements, "He knows it's not 144 guys. He knows it's not the Masters."

4. The former number-one golfer in the world was highly motivated since this event was to help the Tiger Woods Foundation. I'm not sure that more motivation stems from the fact that he's helping his charity or because he went into the event wanting to win it.

Tiger Woods said, "I'm not playing for you guys or anything like that. Just playing to get the 'W'."

To add to the above ESPN list, since this win makes number five for Tiger on the same course, I'm unsure as to why Sherwood Country Club was not added as a reason why Woods won! As Bob Harig stated, "that first victory in more than two years had to come somewhere."

When Tiger was asked how this end-of-season win compared to his other victories, a Cheshire cat smile erupted (actually, the smile could not be undone after his win), "It feels great. … I know it's been a while, but also for some reason, it feels like it hasn't."

Watching Woods I noticed that his drives were errant and he did not play his "A" game but he also got out of sticky situations with aplomb, confidently putting his ball back into play and getting back into scoring position. Tiger Woods "of old" actually peeked out from a winless two years during the final two holes where he sealed the deal but there have been shimmers of hope for some time, especially since his stretch of tourrnaments in Australia.

The only problem I see with the Woods' "progression" is that Tiger will not be playing another formal round of golf until the beginning of 2012 which leaves much time for changing the swing and overthinking; before the final round, the announcers even noticed that he was fidgeting with his putting grip, a sign that Tiger Woods still has far to go to regain the confidence of two years ago.

 

Although Chevron has decided to part company with this unofficial PGA Tour event, now that Tiger Woods is on the comeback trail, I'm sure a new sponsor will not be hard to find.

 

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