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After Thomas and Koepka called out Alan Shipnuck, he responded on social media and offered a timeline cleanser.
When Alan Shipnuck’s exclusive excerpt from his new book “LIV and Let Die” went live, various parts of it went nuts on social media.
One element that blew up was this anonymous comment about Rory McIlroy from a former Ryder Cup teammate.
“F**k, Rory. I’m so sick of hearing how he’s some kind of hero who is saving golf. He’s bought and paid for like everybody else, it’s just that his money is coming from the other side… That he is being held up as some kind of savior on Twitter and by all the fanboys with their shitty podcasts tells you how little people really understand what’s going on.”
That garnered response tweets from Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka, who criticized Shipnuck for attempting to “make money bashing guys, earning zero trust, with a lot of incorrect information. Ridiculous.”
The author responded to their criticisms.
“What JT wants is p.r., or hagiography, not journalism,” Shipnuck wrote. “I’ve written many feel-good stories about golfers and the game, but scrutiny and criticism is sometimes warranted. LIV v. Tour has been incredibly divisive, and I captured that. It’s not my role to whitewash things.”
What JT wants is p.r,, or hagiography, not journalism. I’ve written many feel-good stories about golfers and the game, but scrutiny and criticism is sometimes warranted. LlV v. Tour has been incredibly divisive and I captured that. It’s not my role to whitewash things. https://t.co/UXZoWMKRpB
— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) October 5, 2023
He followed that up with a response to that first tweet, explaining himself even further.
“Also, these quotes that are triggering folks, those are not my words! Folks on both sides of golf’s divide have been very fired up — I captured that emotion, I did not create it,” he wrote.
Some golf fans have requested more information about his choice to use anonymous sources. One fan said that those sources are always a problem and that they should name themselves regardless.
Shipnuck didn’t have to respond, but chose to do so because the value of anonymous sources can benefit a story.
“I understand the critique, but everyone was suing everyone, the Dept. of Justice has been sniffing around, and there was so much potential blowback that some key folks would speak only on the condition of anonymity,” Shipnuck explained. “A necessary tradeoff to get to the heart of the story.”
I understand the critique, but everyone was suing everyone, the Dept. of Justice has been sniffing around and there was so much potential blowback that some key folks would speak only on the condition on anonymity. A necessary tradeoff to get to the heart of the story. https://t.co/2JdJchUMj8
— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) October 5, 2023
Shipnuck didn’t have to explain himself but chose to stick up for his work. He decided to embrace the fire because the smoke was inevitable.
An hour after explaining himself, he chose to take a lighter approach. Shipnuck shared a video of him and his dog to give his followers “a timeline cleanse.”
He could have easily just avoided social media and let it all die down. Instead, Shipnuck opted for transparency and explained his thought process, the way any journalist should.
His book drops on Oct. 17 on Amazon and can be pre-ordered now.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
