A jury in Palm Beach County, Florida, last Monday awarded Jack Nicklaus $50 million in a defamation lawsuit against his former company.
The jury found that the Nicklaus Cos. actively participated in the false publishing of facts that damaged the 85-year-old golf legend’s reputation. The lawsuit alleged that Nicklaus Cos. executive chairman Howard Milstein, fellow company executive Andrew O’Brien and others within in the company were instrumental in spreading false stories that Nicklaus secretly negotiated a $750 million deal to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league and that he was no longer mentally fit to manage his affairs, according to The Palm Beach Post’s report on the verdict.
The six-person jury also ruled that Milstein and O’Brien, who were named individually in the lawsuit, are not personally liable.
“It’s always hard in a defamation case to prove damages to reputation, because in particular for a guy like Jack, it’s always such a good one,” Nicklaus’ attorney, Eugene Stearns, told ESPN. “But I think what was important was the dispute that arose 3½ years ago when the company told the world that Jack was selling out the PGA Tour for the Saudi golf, when it was not true. So, we’re happy that Jack’s been vindicated.” READ MORE
Investment bank Goldman Sachs is nearing a deal to buy a majority stake in Excel Sports Management, the sports talent agency representing Tiger Woods, Caitlin Clark and Derek Jeter, the Financial Times reported last Thursday, citing two unnamed sources briefed on the matter.
Goldman’s asset management division was in late-stage talks to buy a controlling stake in Excel from entertainment-focused private equity group Shamrock Capital and its management team at a near $1 billion valuation, the sources said.
Excel was formed by sports agent Jeff Schwartz, who left IMG to launch a breakaway firm in 2002 and was later joined by former IMG executives Casey Close and Mark Steinberg. Steinberg represents several prominent tour pros, including Woods, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose. READ MORE
The Tap Room at Pebble Beach, a steakhouse that has served golfers at Pebble Beach Golf Links since 1949, has reopened following a renovation that has expanded its collection of golf memorabilia.
Chief among the items on display in the refreshed eatery is the wedge Tom Watson used to chip in on the 17th hole on the way to winning the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Rare photos, scorecards and personal items from golf legends also line the restaurant’s walls.
“The Tap Room has always been more than a restaurant – it’s where Pebble Beach history comes to life,” said David Stivers, CEO of Pebble Beach Co., in a news release announcing the reopening. “With a refreshed design and menu, it builds on its legacy as the gathering place where the game’s past and present meet.” READ MORE
Tap-Ins
Rob Maxfield will step down as chief executive of The PGA of Great Britain and Ireland at the end of the year, it was announced Friday. Maxfield has served in the role since 2017. READ MORE
The South Course at Te Arai Links near Auckland, New Zealand, will host the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur, the championship announced last Thursday. READ MORE
Justin Hicks won the Senior PGA Professional Championship on Sunday in Port St. Lucie, Florida. RESULTS
King Collins Dormer Golf Course Design has been hired to design a new 14-hole course in Kohler, Wisconsin, to be named Purebred Farm, Golfweek reported. READ MORE
The Metropolitan Golf Association Foundation has introduced the Mahoney Family Scholarship to support MGA employees, their children, and the children of Metropolitan New York area club staff in pursuing higher education. READ MORE
Trey Jones (Florida State), Dale Dover (Darton State) and Mike Cook (Coastal Georgia) will be inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame in December. READ MORE
Frank Wharton, a longtime club professional in Akron, Ohio, who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s after being part of three consecutive NCAA Championship teams at the University of Houston, died Oct. 17. He was 90. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity