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A Week Inside the Ropes Part 2

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What an amazing feeling, aside from the fact that I had a few cocktails, I was still on cloud nine.  I had no idea what was in store for me, but I did know that I had just achieved something that not a lot of people will ever do; qualifying for a PGA tour event.

This is something that no one will ever be able to take away from me, regardless of how I play in the tournament, or in any other tournament in the future.  I was in shock; I did not know who to call, what was going to happen?  All of these thoughts hit me at once, and I started phoning my buddies and let them know what happened.  Soon word traveled around the club and people there were now coming up to me, people that had never spoken to me before.  They would say things like, “wow I did not even knew you played golf” or “I had no idea you were that good”, or my favorite was “can you get me some tickets? (From guys that would say nothing to you like you were scum).”  I went from being a virtual nobody to someone that people wanted to now talk to, it was pretty awesome.  All because I played well in one event, kind of shocking, as I was the same guy on Tuesday that I was on Monday, I just happened to have a good round under tournament pressure.

So I got to Doral on the Tuesday prior to the event, and with my buddy helping out with the looping duties, I am ready to have the week of my life inside the ropes.  Miami is about an hour and some change away from West Palm Beach, but instead of commuting, I check into the hotel, get changed and head over to Doral.  I am going to get everything I can out of this week, so I planned on staying at the hotel and do it like the tour guys do.  When you arrive at the course the first thing that is really neat is the player parking, if you have ever been to an event and parked where the spectators do, it is usually far away and you walk or get a shuttle, but the player parking is like front row VIP treatment.  We get through security with no problems, park the car and head over to register for the event.  At this point I am like a kid at the amusement park for the first time, looking around in awe, like I had never seen Doral, golfers, or a golf course before, pretty silly, but being inside the ropes for the first time can do that to someone.  Then we get to the players locker room and the registration desk.  The registration people could not have been nicer, going over everything, making sure I know what I am doing, where I am going, etc., because they are fully aware that I am a first timer.  In my registration gift pack, I get a travel bag, a Waterford crystal vase, some other small nik naks, my players’ badge, and some other paperwork.  Now I am off to my locker in the locker room, and I meet the attendant and he shows me where I am, looking around at the names, various clubs around the lockers, then it hits me, I am actually here and my name is on one of these lockers.  Almost shed a tear, gathered myself and cracked  my locker to see what is in there, sure enough 4 dozen brand new pro V-1’s, 5 sta-sof gloves, and a couple of other small treats.  Wow, does it get any better than this?  Yes to my amazement, it does.  

Now it is time to head to the range and do some practicing/shopping.  Anyone who knows anything about the tour, or has played in an event, knows that the PGA Tour guys don’t go without.  Tuesday and Wednesday’s are the days to check out the new gear, if something is not working, you replace it with something that will.  It is like having a proshop of the greatest equipment at your fingertips, and it is all free. 

I go to the driving range first to hit some shots, and get my feet under me.  Not knowing anyone it is a lonely experience especially compared to my usual tournaments where I know 75 percent of the field, and the range is social time where you can chat it up with your buddies about last weeks escapades in south Florida.  So I get into my routine, grab a couple of bags of pro-v’s to hit, how sick is this?  Pro-v 1’s on the range, unbelievable.  I proceed to then Tin Cup my first wedge, hosel rocket down the line, could not have scripted it any better, priceless stuff.  Then over the top pull my second one, as to not hosel it again, and I am ready.  I then get through some more balls and I am now hitting it how I need to be, away from the hosel and in the middle of the club.  Here comes the fun stuff, driver and fairway wood shopping.  The tour reps are walking around trying to get their stuff in the bag for the Darrell Survey.  They want you to play their stuff, and are willing to make sure you have a couple of options.  So a few of the reps from different companies hook me up with some drivers and fairway woods, I would try them out on the course tomorrow during my practice round. 

Off to the putting green to make sure I am rolling it ok.  The first thing that you are aware of when you get to the putting green is all the putters.  Then after you see all the toys, you notice the greens are hard and fast, so you better be ready.  I proceed to roll a few with my Dogleg Left Hog putter (one that I used to qualify with), then I see out of the corner of my eye, the Bettinardi guy has come by to say hello.  Before I can blink I am rolling the rock with a sweet Bettinardi tour issue and rolling it so much better, or at least I thought so.  So the Hog is benched, maybe a little early on, but that is the case.  I am not the brightest when it comes to changing equipment, so the disease continues.  I then make my way over to the Camerons.  Within about the same time I try out 4 or 5 models and decide to go with the 3x black Newport.  Finish up rolling some putts, and I am done with the first day.  I registered, went shopping and hit some shots on the range, even managed to sign a few autographs, what a first day.

Now it is Wednesday, Day 2 and it is practice round day.  There are some pretty cool and not so cool stories about my second day inside the ropes.  It was just one of those days where one good thing would happen, and then you would see a bad thing, then a good, another good, and a bad, pretty weird.

My day starts out in the locker room, got there early to get some eats.  So I grab my breakfast and sit down.  I am by myself as I don’t know anyone, and don’t want to intrude on any conversations.  Then out of nowhere a guy asks if I mind if he sits down at my table as I was by myself, head down shoveling food at the time, and I look up, who is it?,  none other than David Duval.  I was like are you kidding me, of course, it would be my honor.  So he sits down and we engage in some small talk for about 15 minutes while we eat some breakfast.   The number 2 player in the world at the time, just chatted me up, and helped make my week even that more special.  I know that David Duval has gotten some bad press about his game’s demise and lack of interest, but he was one of the nicest people that I met that week at Doral and I wish him nothing but the best in his life.  He even asked me how my round went when he saw me on the range on Friday.  I really thought that was a classy move, and something I will never forget. 

Off to the range to hit some shots, and now there are some players there, Davis Love, Curtis Strange, Carlos Franco, Bob Tway, Joe Durant, Jesper Parnevik, Ernie Els, and so many more.  I was in awe, totally out of my element, yet enjoying every minute of it.  I get done with my warm up and proceed to the putting green, roll some putts, and then I am off to play my practice round if I can manage to find a game.  So I am waiting over by the first tee to pair up with someone, after I got the “that is ok we already have three” line a few times, this guy walks over and says hey do you mind if we join up and go out?  I was like sure, no problem that would be great.  Turns out it is Shaun Micheel, and I do have to say he was again one of the nicer people that I have ever played a round of golf with. We were joined by Bob Tway’s caddy who wanted to walk around and get some yardages. I actually saw Shaun, a year later in Atlanta at the airport there and we talked and he remembered the practice round and all the fun we had, what a really great guy.  Not to mention it was no surprise that he won a tournament like the PGA a few years later, he is super pure and fairly deep.  His putter was a little balky but other than that his game was quite solid.  After the practice round, my caddie needed to head back up to West Palm for the afternoon, so I went off to the range by myself to hit some more shots and get some more practice in.  This is where I had the meeting of a lifetime. 

My buddy Scott works at a very exclusive club in West Palm Beach and had become an acquaintance of Jack Nicklaus’s.  In 1998 or 1999 Scotty started to caddy for Jack, usually about 10 events a year and he happened to be caddying for him this week, he then surprised me and managed to catch me off guard on the range.  As I am hitting balls, he walks by and gives it to me good.  “What the hell are you doing here, this a tour event they don’t let hacks like you play?”  I turn and look in shock ready to snap on someone, and it’s my buddy Scotty, “I know right, this is absolutely crazy”.  He tells me that he saw my name in the paper as one of the guys that qualified and was hoping to catch me out there this week. We proceed to chit chat for a few, meanwhile the range is packed, and there are no spots left to hit, and up walks possibly the greatest golfers of all time, Big Jack.  Scotty introduces me, as if I need and introduction, he is Jack Nicklaus, everyone knows who he is.  Yet again, the niceness continues as big Jack chats me up for about 5 minutes, asking me about how I got in the event, and what I did, learned I was a club pro and we talked some about that, etc.  I was amazed, here is the greatest player in the world, and he is talking to me about my game. Our conversation then ran its course and I was pretty much done hitting balls, so I offered my spot to Jack.  It was the least that I could do for one of the best players ever.  Surprisingly, he graciously declined and told me to finish up, but I insisted and he ended up taking the spot, and I ended up heading to the putting green to roll some more putts.  This is where I witnessed the first disappointing thing of my time inside the ropes. 

I was rolling some putts and chit chatting with some of the pros, Briny Baird, Kevin Johnson, (both of whom I know), Jesper Parnevic, Bernhard Langer, Frank Nobilo, and a few other guys.  It was awesome, they were commenting on some of the local eye candy and some of the equipment and what not, then out of the corner of my eye I see the left handed, Canadian favorite golfer speaking with Steve Elkington and casually hitting some flops.  They were not practicing hard at all; just sort of socializing like mostly everyone else on the green, and this little cute Canadian couple are trying their best to get this young man’s attention without causing a scene. They finally succeed and ask “Is there any way we could get a picture with you?  We came all the way from Canada to see you play and it would make our trip.”  He turns to them and in one of the coldest tones and looks I have ever seen or heard, and says “No, I am practicing right now” and then turns away and totally ignores them.  Hands down one of the rudest things that I have ever seen in my life, and to be honest I totally was expecting the opposite.  I mean the guy was chit chatting and not seriously practicing, it would have taken him a minute to go over there and make this little couple’s whole trip with that one gesture, and there was no one around so it would only taken him a few seconds.  Something you would never have seen Arnold Palmer do, that is for sure.

So I wrap up my practice session and head back to the locker room and my caddy has returned at this point, so we are walking together and we see the winner from the previous week, Robert Allenby.  As we walk by, my caddy says to him, “Man that was the greatest three wood shot I have ever seen”, the guy turns to him and says “yeah” and keeps walking.  I mean what an ass!  That was the other thing that was completely shocking to me.  Here is a guy that just won a PGA Tour event, and a guy passes him gives him a compliment and all he can do is say yeah, I thought that was the second rudest thing that I had seen so far this week, and luckily it was the last bad experience (aside from my play!) that I had while inside the ropes.  Ernie Els quickly erased the Allenby sour taste, as I passed him in the locker room he stopped me and said “Hi, have not seen you around here mate, first time?”  I said yes and we proceeded to chat for a few minutes about this and that.  What a neat guy, to stop someone that you don’t know, say hello and then talk with him about the week and what to expect was something that I was not expecting from one of the best players in the world.  I will never forget that little conversation; Ernie Els is truly a nice person and a class act. 

I won’t bore you with the ins and outs of my rounds on Thursday and Friday, but I will cover a few things that I thought were distinctive and would like to share. 

The first tee shot on Thursday was hands down the most nervous I have ever been on a tee box in my life.  After finishing an impromptu interview for the local NBC news affiliate, I then made my way to the teeing area and it hit me.  I am going to be playing in my first PGA tour event and it is five minutes away.  So I am announced and I can feel my heart ponding, I must have stood over that ball for 30 seconds, the longest in my career, as I am a fast player.  It felt like ages, going over every single swing though, don’t top it statement, and then finally will you hit it already.  Luckily I did not top it, slice it, shank it, or any of that, I killed it, 310 straight down the middle of the fairway.  I honestly could not believe it, as I really cannot remember hitting the shot, swinging the club or anything.  The only thing I remember is picking up my tee and hearing some of my buddies that had come down, hooting and hollering in the crowd. 

The next area that I wanted to touch on was the toughness of the golf course.  I am a seasoned tournament player; having played in over 75 tournaments, this was the hardest course set up that I had ever seen.  The bermuda rough was tall and knarly, the fairways were hard and fast, and the greens were slick, and hard.  It was like your golf course pushed to the max, miss hits were penalized, quality shots rewarded.  The hardest adjustment was the rough length and the speed of the greens.  Playing in Florida we very rarely had courses in the summer months were the greens were 11 plus on the stimpmeter, but this was the case at Doral and it was hard.  The adjustment to the different conditions was definitely part of the downfall in my performance.  I was not used to the arena, or the conditions that the course was to be played under. 

After my week inside the ropes I had a new found respect for any person that has earned their PGA Tour card.  There are so many distractions and pressures for these guys and most handle it amazingly well, while others are just not good people and it would not bother me if I never saw them on TV again.  I was extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience my dream and play in an event on the PGA tour.  There were many guys that made the week that much better, and I appreciate them even more than I did prior to the week.  There is nothing better than meeting someone that you idolize and they in turn are everything you thought they would be.  Despite the fact that I missed the cut and felt I played poorly by my standards, it was the best tournament experience that I have ever had.

In retrospect it was hands down the greatest week in my golfing career and it had been the best week of my life, until being replaced by my wedding.  The ability to play in a PGA tour event, and do it at Doral, was something that I will never forget.  I remember the weeks, months and years that followed were easy and hard at the same time.  Easy because life at the club was better, people seemed to respect me more because of my game, they would ask about tournaments, ask if they could help out financially(although no long playing sponsor deals ever evolved), etc.  Plus I knew that I had accomplished something that I had wanted to do for so long.  I now had to refocus my goals not only in life, but with regard to my game.  Where did I want to go?  What did I want to do?  How was I going to achieve it?  The hard part was that I felt I needed to play great golf every time that I went out there now, and that was to tough for me to deal with.  I put way to much pressure on myself and my game suffered.  I went through periods of great play, followed by periods of poor play and a sometimes a bad attitude to go along with the bad play.  It took me some time to get over that and realize that in the grand scheme of things, it still is just a game, and you need to enjoy any and every moment that you are able to be out there. 

Achieving this goal was a doubled edged sword for me.  Returning to club pro life was challenging, yes the job was a little easier, but at the same time you felt as if you were wasting your time not practicing.  I figured that I could make it, and with the right mix of sponsors and a good work schedule it might be achievable.  Also I had seen what it was like inside the ropes, and to be honest, you don’t want to go back to folding shirts and kissing members rears after being there.  But for one reason or another it just never happened.  I missed qualifying for the Honda Classic by one stroke the following year and I proceeded to miss by two, three and some more my next few attempts for Doral.  I then met my wife, Laura, and my perspective on the game, chasing a dream that may not come true, and life all changed.  I wanted more out of my life, and if I was not going to make it on tour or even on a mini tour, I needed a back up.  So I focused on my club pro career and was on the verge of attaining a head pro position in southern California.  I was offered 10 thousand dollars less than the advertised salary for a head pro position, and at that point I realized that my life in the golf industry would be a short one.

A year later and I am now out of the golf industry, recently resigning my PGA membership, and have returned to college full time to finish my degree in Economics.  I still manage to play some golf, although my game is not as sharp as it was when I played tournaments, give me a week or so to hit some balls, get my timing back, and I will still post a pretty decent number, close to or under par.  Doral was an amazing week, and there were a lot of people that helped make it happen.  I owe everything that happened that week to them and their support.  Without friends this world can be a lonely place, and without my friends, my dream would have never come true.   My journey in the golf industry culminated after being offered a less than gracious salary to be a head pro, but there is one week that I will never forget, and unless you have been there it is hard to explain what it is truly like.  I hope that I have done a fair job at expressing what it is like and if anyone has any questions or comments I would love to hear them.

 

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7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. John Dortmunder

    Sep 26, 2007 at 4:11 pm

    Perks was a first class guy too…

    JD

  2. John Dortmunder

    Sep 26, 2007 at 4:11 pm

    I have a buddy that plays the tour and he let me caddy for him at Westchester a couple years ago. We were paired with Allenby and Perks.

    Starter calls our group and Allenby is not on the tee. Now, depsite the fact that he’s third to hit, and is just across the cart path on the putting green, because he’s not on the tee-box when the group was called he gets hit with a 2-shot penalty. Robert was obviously not happy about it but he (i) never raised his voice, (ii) never brought it up the rest of the day, and (iii) did not let it affect his play/persona the rest of the day.

    #1 is a drivable par-4 and Robert drills his t-shot into the front bunker and just misses his holing the bunker shot by an inch, everyone else in the group was pulling for him to make it. He goes on to shoot the easiest 4-under you ever saw (remember he’s two-over before he ever puts a tee in the ground).

    walking off the 18th he said “nice having you with us John, look forward to seeing you tomorrow”. now I’m pretty surprised that he even remembers my name, much less the “look forward…” commentary.

    my suggestion would be I suspect Allenby was having a bad day, had gotten some bad news or something like that, was otherwise preoccupied…because I saw him up-close and personal for an extended period of time and have nothing but good things to say about him.

    JD

    PS…I do recognize that he has a reputation for burning through caddies!

  3. Dan G

    Sep 26, 2007 at 9:56 am

    Glad I am not the only one that thought that way. But I will say most guys that week were truely good people. Just a few bad apples that stood out.

    Dan

  4. Peter T

    Sep 25, 2007 at 11:50 pm

    Great story.

    BTW, I’m an aussie and can confirm that Allenby is an a$$.

  5. M Anderson

    Sep 25, 2007 at 8:10 am

    Superb stuff – thanks for sharing it with us, especially as so many of us will never get even close to this level.

  6. Dan G

    Sep 25, 2007 at 12:40 am

    Thanks Chris,

    I really appreciate the feedback and well wishes.

    Dan

  7. chris

    Sep 25, 2007 at 12:08 am

    that was one of the coolest stories ever! Not many people get the chance to live out their dream like that, im glad you took that whole week to really appreciate it!! Good luck with your new career, and your family life…hope you keep playing socially!

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Morning 9: Scheffler repeats at Players | Monday PIF meeting | McIlroy takes another shot at Norman

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as an exciting final day at the Players Championship saw Scottie Scheffler retain his title.

1. Back to back, X2

Doug Ferguson for AP…”The roar could be heard from a half-mile away just 16 minutes after the final group set out Sunday in the final round of The Players Championship. It was loud enough to indicate something special had happened. The question was more “what” than “who.”

  • “Moments later, Scottie Scheffler’s name appeared on the leaderboard, and he was on his way, adding another layer to his legend as the best in golf.”
  • “His 8-under 64 tied the Players Championship record for best Sunday score by a winner. His five-shot comeback matched another tournament record. And he now stands alone as the only back-to-back champion in 50 years of the PGA Tour’s premier championship.”
  • “It’s tough enough to win one Players,” said Scheffler, who was coming off a five-shot victory last week at Bay Hill. “So to have it back-to-back is extremely special. Yeah, really thankful.”
Full piece.

2. Cantlay confirms Monday meeting

Golfweek’s Adam Woodard…”On Friday, Golfweek was first to report a group of PGA Tour players were nearing a meeting with the head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in an effort to continue to broker a deal between the Tour and the controversial sovereign wealth fund that has been disrupting men’s professional golf.”

  • “Two sources told Eamon Lynch a meeting was tentatively scheduled for Monday at a private residence in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, following the conclusion of the Players Championship at nearby TPC Sawgrass. Patrick Cantlay, a player director on the PGA Tour policy board, confirmed the meeting with Sports Illustrated on Sunday and tabbed the event as a meet-and-greet.”
  • “Well, I’ve gotta hear out what they have to say, and I will always do my best to represent the entire membership whenever I am in a meeting in that capacity,” Cantlay told SI after his final round at the Players Championship. “I think more information is always better.”
Full piece.

3. Mystery abounds

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”It turns out Monday’s expected “secret” meeting between the PGA Tour policy board player directors and the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is even clandestine for those who are being “strongly encouraged” to attend.”

  • “I don’t even think our membership knows anything about a meeting on Monday yet. I don’t know the details of it,” said Peter Malnati, one of the six player directors who would meet with the fund’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, on Monday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. “I would rather tell our membership first, but, honestly, I think at this point I probably should have more details because there may be a meeting but I don’t even know. I don’t know where it is or how I’m getting there.”
  • “The possible meeting, which was first reported by Golfweek.com and would take place in a private residence, would be the first time the player directors have met with anyone from the PIF. Malnati said Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has been pushing for a face-to-face meeting between the players and Al-Rumayyan “for months.”
Full piece.

4. McIlroy takes aim at Norman

Jack Milko for SB Nation…”McIlroy still wants to see a deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) go through.

But he holds no remorse for LIV Golf’s CEO, Greg Norman.”

  • “They’re a sovereign wealth fund. They want to park money for decades and not worry about it,” McIlroy said of the PIF.
  • “They want to invest in smart and secure businesses, and the PGA Tour is definitely one of those, especially if they’re looking to invest in sport in some way… I have spent time with [PIF Governor] Yasir [al-Rumayyan]. I think the people who have represented him in LIV have done him a disservice, so Norman and those guys.”
  • “Norman has championed LIV Golf’s cause for more than two years now, celebrating its format, players, and how the Saudi-backed circuit continues to ‘change the game.’
Full piece.

5. Boo birds

Bunkered report…”Jay Monahan was booed at The PLAYERS Championship as some golf fans made their feelings clear on the PGA Tour commissioner.

Monahan has been under fire ever since blindsiding his players with a top-secret framework agreement with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund which bankrolls LIV Golf last June.”

  • “He confirmed in his pre-tournament address at TPC Sawgrass that negotiations were “accelerating” with the sovereign wealth fund over a deal to unify the game.”
Full Piece.

6. Scheffler first in money won at The Players

Todd Kelly for Golfweek…”With a first-place prize of $4.5 million on the line, Scheffler came from five shots back on Sunday to win the 2024 Players Championship. And with that, he took over the top spot for most money won in a career at the PGA Tour’s flagship event at TPC Sawgrass.”

  • “Scheffler was previously third all-time at the Players with more than $4.5 million (with most of that earned for winning there in 2023) but now he’s over the $9 million mark.”
  • “He takes over the top spot from Sergio Garcia. Tiger Woods slides from the second to third.”
Full Piece.

7. Winning WITB

*Presented by 2nd Swing*

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (8 degrees @8.25)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X (45 inches)

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X

Irons: Srixon ZU85 (3, 4) Buy here, TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW) Buy here.

Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Hybrid Prototype 10 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50-12F, 56-14F), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60.5-T)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Grip: Golf Pride Pro Only

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Full Piece.
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Tour Rundown: Matching luggage for Scheffler

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For those of us from another generation, the disruption of the golf world that we knew well is both exciting and unsettling. The two most potent disruptors are rival golf leagues, not unlike the turmoil seen in the NCAA, and the Anchorman-style gangs of golf reporters. Reconciled to a past era are the dominance of the U.S. PGA Tour and the monthly golf magazines. One element that will not change, at any time in the foreseeable future, however, is the sanctity of the grand slam and golf’s four male major championships. While the LPGA and the PGA Tour Champions have seen a light and added fifth and sixth power titles, the men’s game remains staunchly in the 20th century.

This last topic surges in pertinence each March, just before the playing of The Players Championship. Two camps stake tents and run banners up the poll. One cries out for elevation of the PC to major status, while the other digs a trench around its impregnable quadrilateral. My personal take is this: Every four years since 2016, golf is played at the Olympics. Is Olympic Gold the equivalent of a major title? Yes, it is. It comes around every 1,500 days and brings elite golfers together in competition at the most important athletic event and venue. In my mind, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele earned major titles in Brazil and Japan, as did Inbee Park and Nelly Korda. As for the Players Championship, why not? The field is stronger by ranking than any major event, and the golf course demands every shot that golfers can create.

The Players Championship is so important to the U.S. PGA Tour that all other tours under its umbrella take the week off. No Korn Ferry, no Tour Champions. The LPGA and the DP World Tour follow suit, which shrinks the amount of watchable golf to two events. On that sour note, let’s run down this week’s play, beginning with the Players Championship and ending with the Asian Tour in Macau.

PGA Tour @ Players Championship: matching luggage for Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler is making a bid to be the player of his generation. From the previous one, a fair number have taken leave from traditional competition. The Johnsons, Koepkas, and Reeds from the 1980s no longer play the events that stand the test of time. The born-in-the-90s generation had its first great champion in Jordan Spieth until he took leave of the senses that brought him to golf’s pinnacle. Spieth’s descent ran opposite Scheffler’s rise.

Scottie Scheffler had won nothing on the PGA Tour until February 13th of 2022. He won on that day in Phoenix, then won three more times by the middle of April. One of those wins was the API at Bay Hill. Last week, Scheffler won for a second time at the Orlando course. Last March, Scheffler won his first Players Championship, by five shots over Tyrrell Hatton. On Sunday, Scheffler dived headfirst into a cauldron of fierce competition. Facing challenges from Olympic champion Schauffele, Open champion Brian Harmon, and U.S. Open champion  Wyndham Clark, Scheffler breathed. As the only man to reach 20 under par, he earned a second consecutive title at Sawgrass and reminded us that it has been two years since he won the Masters and that he is on a tear.

It all began at the fourth on Sunday for Scheffler. After pars at the opening three holes, Scheffler’s driving wedge from 92 yards landed 20 feet shy of the hole, took one large bounce, then spun left, trickling into the hole for eagle. He followed that incantation with another birdie, then two pars. The stretch from 8 to 12 was where the champion made a statement. His quartet of birdies over that run, brought him to 19-under par and let the pursuing pack know that even lower than the winning 17 under in 2023 would be necessary.

And the trio was game. Harman and Clark both dipped below 70, to reach 19 under at the final pole. Schauffele could not find a similar gear and closed with 70 — 69 would have earned him a playoff with Scheffler. It was the extra gear, the ability to go low when all things mattered, that eleveated the now two-time champion to the top of the podium. In five of his eight tour wins, Scheffler has posted a sub-70 round on day four, and four of those have been 67 or lower.

With elegant precision, Scheffler applied the final thrust at the par-5 16th. He played safely away from Pete’s Pond on the right, into the left greenside bunker at the back of the putting surface. His bunker shot was thing of exquisite accuracy, trickling to a planned stop about 20 inches from the hole. The birdie concluded matters and rang the sort of bell that Dye courses tend to display.

Asian Tour @ International Series Macau: Catlin earns playoff victory

There are two sorts of golfers that compete on the Asian Tour, which makes no secret of its alliance with the LIV. The first are the AT stalwarts, the ones who play as golfers have always played, with little guarantee and much pride. The others are the ones who compete on the LIV, eschewing both risk and pride for the guaranteed payday. Their deal costs them world ranking points, so they play in AT events, hoping to qualify for golf’s major events.

This week in Macau, one of those LIV golfers shot 60 on Sunday and did not win the tournament. Hard to believe, you say? Aye, but when another golfer shoots 59 in the third round, follows it up with a 65 on day four, then makes overtime birdie twice at the par-five closer, the razor’s edge of great golf is sharpened. Thus did it happen with American John Catlin and Spaniard David Puig.

It was Catlin who signed for 59, and it took a twisting, eagle putt at the last to enshrine the first-ever, sub-60 on the Asian Tour. It was Puig who closed the gap on Sunday with a 60 of his own, which featured a bogey at the lengthy fifth hole, but was followed by seven birdies and an eagle over the next 13 holes. Catlin had a six-feet putt for the regulation win, but missed. In extra time, Puig nearly holed for eagle at 18, then tapped in for birdie. Catlin’s second danced along the OOB perimeter, before ending on an access road. His drop and pitch left him another six feet to remain alive, and this time, he converted.

At the second go-round of the par-5 finisher, Puig found the green in two, but took three putts from nearly 50 feet. Catlin confronted another challenging pitch for his third, and once again, his wedge game won the day. He tapped in for birdie and the win.

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Morning 9: Rory, Xander, Clark share Players lead | Rory on controversial drop | AK misses Macau cut

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, as day two of the Players Championship gets underway from TPC Sawgrass!

1. McIlroy grabs share of the lead

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Despite hitting two tee shots into the water and being at the center of a controversial drop after the second one, four-time major champion Rory McIlroy opened the 50th Players Championship with a 7-under 65 to grab a share of the first-round lead Thursday.”

  • “McIlroy, the 2019 Players Championship winner, was tied atop the leaderboard with Xander Schauffele and reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, who had much more uneventful opening rounds at TPC Sawgrass.”
Full piece.

2. Xander and Clark also fire 65

Ali Stafford for Sky Sports…“Schauffele, playing in the group ahead of McIlroy, charged up the leaderboard with five birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn to make a bogey-free start to the week and set the initial clubhouse target.”

  • “The pair held a share of the lead until Clark produced a spectacular back-nine birdie run, where he rolled in from 20 feet at the 15th before taking advantage of the par-five next and birdied the 17th to join the group on seven under.”
Full piece.

3. McIlroy drop debate

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”McIlroy rinsed two tee balls into the water, the first at TPC Sawgrass’ par-4 18th hole and the second on the par-4 seventh. While the former prompted some discussion, the latter produced an especially lengthy back-and-forth between McIlroy and the other two players, as the trio spent more than eight minutes trying to determine where McIlroy should drop.”

  • “Initially, the walking ESPN+ reporter said that McIlroy’s caddie, Harry Diamond, said that McIlroy’s ball “absolutely” hit above the red penalty line before kicking into the water left of a long fairway bunker. The one television camera angle showed McIlroy’s ball clearly bouncing once, though it was unclear where exactly it pitched.”
  • “That’s an emphatic 250-yard difference,” an announcer said of where McIlroy was looking to drop, and where he’d have to drop, had his ball not crossed in play.”
  • “It bounced into the water but we were just trying to make sure that it was above the red line,” McIlroy shouted over to his playing competitors, who were inquiring about his thought process.”
Full piece.

4. Beall: Time for a different system?

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”Reputations in golf are a fickle thing, and to compromise them for what may or may not have happened hundreds of yards away is an avoidable gamble. Perhaps McIlroy should have been more open to what his opponents were saying, yet there’s a case that he shouldn’t have had to defend himself in the first place; that should have fallen to a rules official. And the current system isn’t just failing the player whose score is in question. It shouldn’t fall to opponents to police the field, for that responsibility can put them in awkward, uncomfortable positions that can simultaneously put them in an unfavorable light.”

  • “Just because this is how golf has always done it doesn’t mean it has to be this way in perpetuity. It’s a change easier said than done, one that requires more rules officials and more cameras, two resources that are not in plentiful supply. But this week the PGA Tour is returning its Every Shot At broadcast option and its new television center opens up a world of possibility for how the tour is watched … and in some cases, reviewed.”
  • “Much of the conversation this week has been about the tour product, specifically, how it can be enhanced and refined. But the tour’s primary product is its players, and what the tour wants to improve also needs to be protected. In this case, that means protecting them from themselves. Something so valuable shouldn’t be vulnerable to five minutes.”
Full piece.

5. Tom Kim out with illness

Golf Channel report…”Tom Kim withdrew Thursday after eight holes of the opening round of The Players Championship. The PGA Tour sent out a social media post citing an unspecified illness as the reason.”

  • “Kim, who started on the back nine on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, was 5 over par at the time, including two bogeys and a triple bogey.”
Full Piece.

6. Owen Wilson poised to play golf’s Ted Lasso

Hollywood Reporter…”The streamer behind Ted Lasso has placed a series order for a show starring Owen Wilson as a former pro golfer who needs to get his life back in order. The Loki star will also be an executive producer of the untitled series, which comes from Apple Studios and creator Jason Keller (Ford v. Ferrari).

  • “Wilson will play Pryce Cahill, whose golf career ended prematurely 20 years ago. After he gets fired from his job at a sporting goods store in Indiana and his wife leaves him, Pryce sees a troubled 17-year-old golf phenom as his way back.”
Full Piece.

7. AK one of five to miss Macau cut

Paul Higham for Golf Monthly…”Although he was four shots better in his second round, Anthony Kim still came unstuck at the International Series in Macau as he missed his first professional cut in 12 years.”

  • “Kim was one of 21 LIV Golf League stars teeing it up at Macau Golf & Country Club, and one of five to miss the cut along with Harold Varner, Danny Lee, Eugenio Chacarra and Graeme McDowell.”
  • “The American improved from his opening 74 with a second-round 70, but still finished on four over which saw him miss the cut by eight shots.”
Full Piece.

8. Best Driver 2024 is live now on GolfWRX

What’s the best driver of 2024? This year, to answer that question, we have expanded our panel of expert fitters to help you find which of the 2024 drivers is best for your game, breaking down the candidates by clubhead speed.

Full Piece.

9. Photos from The Players

  • Check out all of our galleries from TPC Sawgrass!
Full Piece.
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