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19th Hole

A dirty joke from Tiger Woods helped Patrick Reed beat Rory McIlroy at the Ryder Cup

Published

7 years ago

on

Doubtless, the Patrick Reed-Rory McIlroy showdown at the 2016 Ryder Cup was the most dynamic and defining match of the competition. But it turns out Captain America needed a little help getting to the first tee ready to do battle.

John Feinstein has written a book about the contest: The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup. In an excerpt published to Golf Digest, Feinstein writes Reed was anything but overflowing with McIlroy-slaying confidence on the range prior to their Sunday Singles match.

“I was tight on the range,” Reed said.

“Really tight. I didn’t like the way I was hitting the ball, and I knew it was nerves. I was telling myself to calm down and just get ready to play, but it wasn’t working.”

Woods was on the range, watching Reed and Jordan Spieth—whom he had taken to describing as “my guys” because they had been in his pod all week—warm up. He could see that Reed wasn’t quite himself. “Hey, Patrick,” he said. “Come here a minute.”

“I thought sure he was going to give me a pep talk, say something about my swing or about just relaxing and not trying too hard,” Reed says. “I walked over there. He had his arms folded. I waited. He looked really serious.

“And then he told me a dirty joke.”

When Woods told Reed the joke, his face never changing expression, Reed broke up.

“It was actually the perfect thing to do,” Reed said later. “It just broke the tension. I went back to hitting balls, and all of a sudden I was loose as could be. I was ready.”

Woods’ love of off-color humor is well documented. Charles Pierce’s controversial 1997 GQ article titled “The Man. Amen” went a long way in establishing that.

Pierce’s article also went a long way in compelling Woods and Team Tiger to clam up, ushering in a public persona that endured until Woods’ Escalade hit a fire hydrant post-Thanksgiving 2009, and like a small geyser of water would shooting forth from said hydrant in a cartoon, news of Woods’ expansive indiscretions flooded the mediasphere.

Feinstein, of course, savvy veteran of the golf journalism game that he is, knew better than to publish Woods’ joke, even though you’d have to assume Reed related it (wouldn’t you want to know what he said?).

So, Tiger Woods will be a capable captain when he’s eventually at the helm of a Ryder Cup squad; he has that “say the right thing at the right time to get the win” gene great coaches possess.

He also remains the man with the ribald sense of humor we met some 20 years ago.

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19th Hole

LET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you

Published

3 hours ago

on

Apr 26, 2024

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On Friday morning, Ladies European Tour player, Hannah Gregg, took to social media to share her weekly expenses playing on the LET.

“Expenses of my first week on Ladies European Tour: Flights: $2600 Work Visa: $350 

  • Food: $377 
  • Caddie: $0 because I have an amazing Fiancé 
  • Hotel: $0 because  @GregChalmersPGA sorted me host housing for the week!  
  • Rental Car: +0 because the Tour Tee guys GAVE me their car  
  • Gas: $165 
  • Entry Fee: $130 
  • Lounge Pass for caddie: $50 
  • Gym: $0 
  • Yardage book: $0 
  • Total expenses: $3672 

Made cut, finished 54th, total earned: $1244 Factor in 35% tax on earnings. To break even, needed to finish 24th. To make money, 21st. Guess we have our goals laid out for next event!”

When factoring in Gregg’s free housing, free caddie and free rental car, it’s evident that most LET players would have to finish well inside of the top-20 to make any money.

With ridiculous amounts of money being thrown around in professional golf these days, it’s important to remember the other side of the coin as well. There are countless professionals out there who struggle to get by on their golf salary.

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19th Hole

54-hole golf tour deemed eligible for OWGR points…but it’s not LIV

Published

1 day ago

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Apr 25, 2024

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After a seventeen-month application process, a 54-hole golf tour was deemed eligible for OWGR points.

Unfortunately, for LIV Golf and their fans, it was the Clutch Pro Tour.

After the decision, which is effective immediately, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson issued a statement.

“This is a significant milestone for golf, and OWGR is deeply encouraged by the achievement and the continued efforts in developing the sport of golf in the United Kingdom.”

“We look forward to watching the progress of the Clutch Pro Tour as it continues to play a key role in the development of players from the region,” Dawson added.

The Clutch Pro Tour operates in the United Kingdom and features a 36-hole cut. It also has an open qualifying school.

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19th Hole

Charlie Woods attempting to qualify for spot at 2024 U.S. Open

Published

1 day ago

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Apr 25, 2024

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As first reported by Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Charlie Woods will be attempting to qualify for this year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

The first stage of qualifying for this year’s tournament will be an 18-hole local event on Thursday, April 25th, in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

There will be 84 players in the field, five of which will reach the 36-hole qualifier that will take place in June.

Earlier this season, Charlie attempted to qualify for the Cognizant Classic, and struggled, shooting an 86.

If the younger Woods is able to qualify, he will tee it up in the same field as his father in a few months at one of the more historic U.S. Open venues.

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