By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.
For comments: [email protected]
Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we look back at the Masters while looking ahead to this week’s RBC Heritage. |
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1. Shane Ryan: Appreciate Scottie’s greatness
Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan…”This is what’s called generational talent, and we haven’t seen it in almost 20 years. Steve Stricker read the tea leaves when he picked Scheffler for the 2021 Ryder Cup—a decision that was richly rewarded—and starting in 2022, he was off to the races. The only hiccup was a few putting woes last year, but even that only served to highlight how remarkable his ball-striking had become—instead of winning, he was finishing third. When he fixed the putting, with help from a new coach and a bit of equipment advice from Rory McIlroy, he soared yet again to the top of the game, but this time he seemed more indomitable, more inevitable, more brilliant.”
- “The sustained success of the last three years has officially made him the best professional golfer since Tiger Woods, a conclusion supported by analytics, the eye test, and every other metric you could dream up. With fewer majors, he has nevertheless leaped past Spieth, McIlroy, and Koepka in terms of pure ability. He doesn’t have their legacy, yet, but if we’re talking about peak performance, he’s already surpassed them.”
- “He’s so much better than everyone else, which is a sentiment that is both commonplace—I saw it on Twitter over and over again—and revelatory. It’s the thing you say because there is nothing else to say. You’re left with the wild truth, which words can describe but never capture.”
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2. Aberg: I want to be No. 1
The AFP’s Simon Evans…”The 24-year-old finished second, four strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler, after carding a final round 69 but he certainly won many admirers among the patrons at Augusta National and beyond.”
- “And his performance has filled Aberg with self-belief.”
- “Everyone in my position, they are going to want to be major champions. They are going to want to be world number one, and it’s the same for me, that’s nothing different,” he said.
- “It has been that way ever since I picked up a golf club, and that hasn’t changed. So I think this week solidifies a lot of those things are there, and we just need to keep doing those things and put ourselves in positions to win tournaments, ” he said.
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3. Homa’s honest answer on double bogey
Golf Channel staff report…”But Homa’s tee shot at No. 12 bounded off the putting surface and into a bush. After a healthy search, Homa found his ball and had to take an unplayable lie. He made double bogey, effectively ending his bid at a maiden major title.”
- “Homa tied for third, seven shots back of Scheffler. Asked about what happened on the fateful 9-iron, Homa offered two replies.”
- “The honest answer is, it didn’t feel fair. I hit a really good golf shot, and it didn’t feel fair. I’ve seen far worse just roll back down the hill,” he said.
- “The professional answer is, these things happen.”
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4. Harbour Town ahead
RBC Heritage field notes, via Adam Stanley of PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler is, for now, set to tee it up at the RBC Heritage. He was clear to say that if his wife, Meredith, would go into labor during the Masters, he would head home to be with her, so it’s safe to assume that same rule will stand at Harbour Town. Scheffler has not shot an over-par round all season and has three victories (and one runner-up). He made his debut at Harbour Town last year and finished T11… Matt Fitzpatrick looks to become the first golfer to go back-to-back at the RBC Heritage since Boo Weekley in 2007-08. Fitzpatrick, a playoff victor last year, has two top-10 finishes this season. He has just one missed cut at Harbour Town over the last six years and he finished fourth in 2021 to go along with two more top-15 results in a three-year span (T14 in 2018 and 2020)…”
- “Jordan Spieth is hoping to continue his run of fine play at Harbour Town after a playoff loss last season and a playoff win the season prior. Spieth has five top-25 finishes at the RBC Heritage in seven starts… Justin Thomas earned a spot in the field after remaining in the top 30 (he’s No. 30) in the Official World Golf Ranking despite a missed cut at the Masters. Thomas, who finished T25 last season at Harbour Town, has two top 10s on the season… Ludvig Åberg, who is tops in the Aon Next 10, will head to Hilton Head for the first time. Åberg has had a fabulous 2024 campaign thus far with four top 10s (including two runner-up results) and is knocking on the door for a victory… Hideki Matsuyama was the only eligible player who did not commit to the RBC Heritage, while Viktor Hovland – after a missed cut at the Masters – withdrew from the field on Saturday.”
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5. Reed’s caddie’s needle
Our Matt Vincenzi…”After a particularly bad drive during his third round on Saturday, Reed’s caddie, Kessler Karain, also his brother-in-law, made a snide but factual comment to Patrick.”
- “Your driving has cost us a lot this week,” Karain remarked.
- “Reed didn’t disagree and told reporters after the round that there was nothing good about his round…
- “A reporter then asked: “It’s a good thing he’s a family member, right?”
- “Yeah, exactly. I’d probably be dragging him up that last hole,” Reed said. “I swear.Just what you want to hear as you’re looking at the ball in the tree, and he goes, ‘You need to drive it better.’ Thanks, Kessler. I appreciate it. Great words of wisdom. Drive it better.”
- “This may be the last major for Reed for a while, as the 33-year-old has not been invited nor qualified for next month’s PGA Championship.”
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6. LIV wants Hovland next?
Ewan Murray for the Guardian…”Rising speculation that Viktor Hovland will be the next high-profile golfer to be coaxed to the LIV tour will increase the need for Ryder Cup Europe to apply a simple qualification process for golfers on the Saudi Arabian-backed circuit.”
- “LIV is forging ahead with plans for 2025, which include new events and the recruitment of more players from the PGA and DP World Tours. The rate of turnover is likely to be increased by the number of golfers who had three-year contracts when joining LIV, which will expire at the end of 2024.”
- “Chatter on the range at the LIV event in Miami this month and again at the Masters largely surrounded Hovland, the world No 6 who starred for Europe in the defeat of the United States in Rome last year. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who also played in that team, have subsequently joined LIV. Hovland missed the cut at the Masters and promptly withdrew from the PGA Tour’s $20m stop in Hilton Head this week.”
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7. Rory’s management: LIV reports are ‘fake news’
Brian Keogh for the Irish Independent…”A report that Rory McIlroy was on the verge of an $850million move to LIV Golf has been slammed as “fake news” by his management.
“Fake news. Zero truth,” McIlroy’s manager Sean O’Flaherty said in an email.
London financial paper “City AM” reported today that sources have told them that McIlroy “could” join LIV Golf
The paper reported that “two separate sources have told City AM that they believe a deal is close. It is claimed that LIV Golf chiefs have offered world No2 McIlroy an eye-watering $850m to join, plus around two per cent equity in the competition.” |
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Dave R
Jun 27, 2017 at 6:07 pm
Tiger will never be competive again. But I sure hope he gets better health wise.
Dollarbill300
Jun 21, 2017 at 9:22 am
I feel bad for Tiger. It’s obvious that he has hit rock bottom. He needs to get people around him that are more concerned with helping him get better mentally and physically than worried about getting their big payday because of him. I have the same problem with my spine that he is going through right now. Almost 2 years ago I had L5 spinal surgery, and I am still having complications from it. I now need to have a fusion surgery as well like he did. The one thing I can tell you is that that type of spinal injury hurts like hell with certain body movements. The medications he is on are exactly what neurosurgeons put patients on after those types of surgeries(opiates, muscle relaxers, nerve relaxers). They are powerful pharmaceuticals, with side effects that make it very difficult to function. On top of that they are addicting as well. Personally, I am not a fan of Tiger Woods as a person, but as a golfer have enjoyed watching him play through the years. I do believe that he was using roids and PED’s throughout his career, but what he is going through now, especially with it being in the public eye is just sad. Doctors are way too happy with pen and prescription pad these days. Prescribing opiates are just an easy way to temporarily cover up a problem. They cause way too many addictions and fatalities. I hope he gets the proper help he needs, and gets off the dangerous pharms.
Chad
Jun 20, 2017 at 8:12 pm
It is all about the back injury. If that back was 100% he could still beat half the tour even in the state he was in when they arrested him.
Old Putter
Jun 20, 2017 at 5:21 pm
At this point…
Dude should just buy a monkey named Bubbles
ooffa
Jun 20, 2017 at 6:36 am
He should have sought a professional chauffeur and avoided all this.
Ude
Jun 20, 2017 at 9:50 am
if you are so smart go tell him
JThunder
Jun 20, 2017 at 5:20 am
“Woods told authorities he was taking Xanax in addition to painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and muscle relaxants.” … Grown adults with long histories of surgery and pain management should know better than to take 4 different medications and drive. Especially with his kind of money – no reason to be driving yourself anyway. Professional help – better late than never.
nathan Gatehouse
Jun 20, 2017 at 4:50 am
like any drug addiction, the first step is recognition that there is a problem. he has done this now, and i would suggest he has a 8-10 year ‘addiction’ he will now try and manage. Good luck, golf needs him back, he deserves to end his competitive days gracefully, not like this.
Was
Jun 20, 2017 at 3:50 am
Quit the social media. That would be a start. But obviously you haven’t figured that out yet with your professional help. May be it’s time for quiet contemplation and no more social media or going out late at night.
Travis
Jun 19, 2017 at 10:00 pm
God how I miss watching him play golf… all I thought over the weekend that I wonder how a 2000-2009 Tiger Woods would fare, and how much fun that would be to watch him play Erin Hills against all these guys…
Dat
Jun 19, 2017 at 9:55 pm
I hope he can turn his life around. Never kick a man while he is down. Tiger has hit rock bottom and can only go up from here.
Tom1
Jun 20, 2017 at 12:07 pm
spot on
PG
Jun 19, 2017 at 9:07 pm
Really too bad that it took this long. If he’s on xanax plus all of the other stuff, I fear he’s broken as much mentally as physically.
firflush
Jun 20, 2017 at 12:07 am
At his height Tiger may have had the strongest mental game of all time, in any sport. So if a guy with one of the strongest mental games ever is currently struggling, then that can’t fare to well for the rest of us mortals.
mowerboy
Jun 20, 2017 at 10:28 am
His mental game was honed for golf and not everyday life/decision making. That’s obvious now. Just because he could focus and do things that seemed extraordinary on the golf course doesn’t mean he should be expected to be superhuman off the course. He never was the person everyone wanted off the course, he never stuck around to sign autographs, or talk to the media more than he was required to do. He never showed a persona of being a great person outside of golf, so its not shocking that he’s had such struggles in his personal life. I wouldn’t let Tiger’s problems pull you down in your own personal life.
Mike
Jun 20, 2017 at 6:12 pm
Tiger’s mental game is woefully overblown. He was the best front-runner ever, but below-average when not leading after 3 rounds. The players with TRULY elite mental games (Hogan, Nicklaus, Jones) all were just as good coming from behind as they were with a lead.
rebfan73
Jun 19, 2017 at 8:50 pm
Help is good…..