19th Hole
Rick Shiels shoots +41 in 3-round pro-am tourney. GolfWRX members discuss.
There’s no way to sugarcoat this: Rick Shiels’ golf game did not travel with him to coastal Spain. Sorry, Rick, (who is by all accounts a great guy). The YouTube personality, instructor, and club reviewer extraordinaire teed it up in the three-round Costa Daurada International Pro-Am at Lumine Mediterránea Beach & Golf Club in Spain.
Shiels carded rounds of 88, 88, 79 to finish at 41 over par, last in the field of 17 golfers and seven strokes worse than any other pro.
Not surprisingly, GolfWRX members are discussing the popular YouTuber’s performance and asking some tough questions.
Londoner writes
“This is not intended as a bashing thread. We have all had rounds where it felt like our first. But I thought pros had some level of consistency cracked. Ric hit 41 over for 3 rounds in a pro am…
The winner was +2. How does a pro unravel like that?”
Cornwall1888 suggests
“He’s simply not very good, that’s why he makes money from YouTube and sponsors, not playing golf. He’s probably a 2 or 3 handicap who had a terrible week.”
Stumpnav continues the thought that Shiels may simply not be a good tournament player
“I think Rick spends most of his time at the range using his launch monitor and not enough on the course. He knows how to play swing but not how to play golf. Doesn’t diminish his instructional ability or the enjoyment of his channel.”
Hawkeye77 doesn’t think the scores necessarily reflect his abilities as a player
“On vacation with his family, little or no play or practice in winter, not all that surprising. I’ll bet anyone he played with had a great time.”
Plenty, like Merkury10, defended Shiels and offered potential explanations
“All pros can have a stinker like that. We just aren’t watching them on Sunday. They either missed the cut or played the early tee time not televised. I agree with what was said earlier. I suspect he spends the majority of his time in the hitting bay and not out trying to shoot low scores. Rory 5 putted this weekend, and he’s no Rory.”
03trdblack has a theory about where Shiels is deficient
“Serviceable swing but his chipping and putting are pretty bad. He’s a driving range pro that lives on the GCQuad instead of on the practice green.”
There’s much, much more to the discussion and plenty of hot takes on both sides…and plenty of folks who loved or hated the new Driver vs. Driver panelist before he fired three miserable rounds. In other words, you’ll want to check out this thread.
And it’s neither here nor there, but still worth disclosing, Shiels contributed to this site in the past. You can see his archive here.
- LIKE149
- LEGIT39
- WOW44
- LOL73
- IDHT14
- FLOP36
- OB41
- SHANK371
19th Hole
Charlie Woods attempting to qualify for spot at 2024 U.S. Open
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.
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
New here?
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK1
19th Hole
Why Ludvig Aberg is my new favorite player – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing one of the new sensations in the world of golf – Ludvig Aberg. The 24-year-old finished solo second at the Masters a couple of weeks ago, and gained many plaudits, including from several WRXers.
- RELATED: ‘There were a number of red flags’ – Ludvig Aberg reveals why he turned down multiple LIV offers
One member, RoyalMustang, took to the forums to explain why Aberg is now their favorite player, saying:
“I loved the way the Ludvig was out there, having a great time, not taking himself or the situation too seriously. Even after the double at 11, he was like “well, that’s golf!” Loose and relaxed: that’s the way to play. It’s obvious he loves what he’s doing, he loves the big moments, and he loves being a part of it all.
Arnold Palmer was viewed that way. Just like Brooks Robinson was forever viewed as not just a great baseball player, but a great human being and friend to Baltimore.”
And our members have been reacting and sharing their positive takes on the young Swede.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- redfirebird08: “Ludvig has a great attitude, a great smile, and a great golf swing.”
- otto6457: “I’m very lucky to have talked with Ludde several times at the Rawls Course at Texas Tech. He’s a truly nice guy and very friendly. Always said hello when we passed each other in the club house and was always smiling. Watching him hit balls on the range was a joy. He has “that sound” and trajectory to die for. There were many times he was out on the range in 30+ mph winds just hitting the most beautiful shots that just seemed to ignore the wind. World class ball striker. And yes……..I am a fan boy.”
- konklifer: “I like him. In an era of endless waggles and laboring, his swing and pace of play are a joy to watch.
Entire Thread: “Why Ludvig Aberg is my new favorite player – GolfWRXers discuss”
- LIKE12
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK1
19th Hole
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
Over the past year or so, PGA Tour star Patrick Cantlay has taken a great deal of criticism for his pace of play.
Now, Cantlay is once again under fire for a questionable decision he made on Sunday at the RBC Heritage.
After the horn sounded to suspend play due to darkness, Cantlay, whose ball was in the fairway on the 18th hole, had a decision to make. With over 200 yards into the green and extreme winds working against the shot, conventional wisdom would be to wait until Monday morning to hit the shot.
On the other hand, if he could finish the hole, he may just want to get the event over with so he could get out of Hilton Head.
Curiously, Cantlay chose neither of those options. After hitting 3-wood into the green, and still coming up short, the former FedEx Cup champion chose to mark his ball and return to chip and putt on Monday morning.
Ian Woosnam, who was watching from home, took to X to give his thoughts on Cantlay’s decision-making.
Can’t believe my eyes watching Patrick Cantlay why on earth would you hit your second shot then mark your ball absolutely crazy, maybe says a lot ?
— Ian Woosnam (@IWoosnam) April 22, 2024
Cantlay would end up getting up and down for par when play resumed at 8:00 Monday morning.
Following his round, Cantlay explained his decision to wait to hit his third shot the next morning:
“I really did want to finish last night, so I felt like if I could get the ball up there maybe in an easier spot, maybe I would have finished, but as I got the ball up near the green, I realized it would be easier to finish this morning. That’s what I decided to do.”
GolfWRX has reached out to Patrick Cantlay’s management team for a response to Woosnam’s comments.
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
New here?
- LIKE83
- LEGIT15
- WOW12
- LOL34
- IDHT10
- FLOP17
- OB8
- SHANK199
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole3 days ago
Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
-
19th Hole3 days ago
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
-
19th Hole1 week ago
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
-
19th Hole1 week ago
Neal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
-
19th Hole1 week ago
Brandel Chamblee has ‘no doubt’ who started the McIlroy/LIV rumor and why