My Heart? In San Francisco

Rory McIlroy’s 4 & 2 title bout victory over Gary Woodland felt breezy, given what the World No. 1 experienced in his quarter- and semi-final matches. Rors was extended to 22 holes by the resurgent Paul Casey on Saturday before emerging triumphant, then had to go all 18 holes on Sunday morning to secure a win against the equally-revitalized Jim Furyk. Gary Woodland, despite the loss, should be given blip status on the radar screen of Ryder and Presidents’ Cup captains. The long-hitting, affable Kansan could make a solid partner in team play.

Related: See the clubs Rory McIlroy and Gary Woodland used at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play. 

How Do You Honor A Trail Blazer and A Legacy Extender?

By ensuring that Calvin Peete be given his rightful spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Peete and Pete Brown passed away last week at the ages of 71 and 80, respectively. Each man crafted a space in the lore of golfers of color, a tendency that has sadly waned in recent years.

Pete Brown was the second African-American golfer to secure a PGA Tour card and the first to win a tournament (the 1964 Waco Turner Open) on that circuit. Brown would return to the titleholder’s circle in 1970 in San Diego.

Calvin Peete became the first golfer of color to win the Players Championship in 1985, the most prestigious of his 12 PGA Tour titles. Despite the disadvantage of a permanently-bent left elbow, Peete developed a game based on unfathomable accuracy. For everything he gave over a brief period of time, open your doors, Sawgrass.

Don’t You…Forget About Me

Seems to be the song that Inbee Park is singing these days. After the remarkable 2013 season, when the World’s No. 2-ranked golfer won the first three major championships to set the golf world abuzz, the Korean golfer has taken something of a back seat to the nascent Lydia Ko.

Well, don’t you forget about Inbee.

A few weeks back, Park was the victim of Sei Young Kim’s inconceivable hole-out for eagle in the playoff for the Lotte Championship. No matter. Park came back against a strong field at the North Texas Shootout to win by three. In the mix were Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis, Karrie Webb, the ageless Juli Inkster and the 2015 upstart Brooke Henderson. When you make moving day happen on Sunday, as Park did with a 65, you usually win, and she did.

Late-April Golf Drama

Whether it’s Ian Poulter’s incessant Twhining (that’s Twitter-Whining for the uninitiated), Keegan and Miguel making a bid for a spot on the undercard of Pacquiao-Mayweather, or Stephanie Wei losing her PGA Tour media credentials, last week had high drama, if that’s your thing.

After stinking the joint up in his first two matches, Poulter declared his third match in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play pointless and continued to roll with the vitriol. No one really knows what was said between Bradley and Jimenez, but we do know that Keegan got up in Miguel’s grill to make his point, while the Spaniard waggled his index finger in admonition. As for Wei, the PGA Tour didn’t take kindly to her posting of video clips to her blog, even if they were made via Periscope, a new app sorta kinda like Snapchat, where the video disappears in 24 hours. Oh, and evidently Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods are no longer a thing. The world turns, folks, the world turns.

USGA, Choose Sunday!

Thanks to a mid-week finish for the USGA’s inaugural Four-Ball Championship, we have no idea who the winners might be. The medalists are Stanford teammates Maverick McNealy and Viraat Badhwar, yet a bunch of mid-ams stole the show. Coolest thing is the eight teams-for-three spots playoff that takes place Monday morning. Sixteen guys duking it out for a spot in the match play round screams organized chaos. Front-row seat, please.

Missed the cut: As the Jockey’s Pants Fall

https://youtu.be/DYM69N8V5J0

Could this, would this, ever happen in golf? Thankfully, no.