Connect with us

19th Hole

Daniel Berger has never watched golf on TV (not even the Masters). Do you think he’s alone among pros?

Published

on

Daniel Berger doesn’t watch golf. The 25-year-old Floridian said as much in his Golf Digest “My Shot.”

“I’ve never watched it [golf] on TV except out of the corner of my eye. Not one round of the Masters, or even an episode of “Golf Central.” I’ve never seen the Feherty show. If I’ve watched a couple of hours of golf, total, I’d be surprised…I follow golf through Twitter, Instagram and the PGA Tour app. I’m very weak on golf history, because you pick up a lot of that on TV. I know Jack Nicklaus has 18 majors, and that Tiger has 14, but I have no idea who’s third.”

Is this shocking? Do we think most golfers spend their few off-weeks watching the PGA Tour on television, tuning into PGA Tour Live on their phones? Do we think the PGA Tour’s young stars are settling down with a Bobby Jones biography or catching up on their Bernard Darwin? (To be fair, Berger clearly does watch highlights via Twitter, the PGA Tour app, etc)

There’s a quasi-expectation in golf that Tour pros are students of golf history. To suggest that the PGA Tour’s finest didn’t grow up glued to the family TV set during Masters week (at least!) is sacrilegious, in the minds of some, at least.

Berger expands on his blissful ignorance with this exposition of his pre-Masters exposure to Augusta National.

“When I played in my first Masters, in 2016, I knew nothing about Augusta National except what I’d seen playing the Tiger video game. I had a couple of invitations to play the course in advance and appreciated them but was like, “Thank you, but I’m good.” Not knowing what a big deal it was is probably why I didn’t play a full practice round. I walked the front nine on Tuesday with a wedge and putter and played the back nine on Wednesday. I tied for 10th that first year.”

Video games! Berger hasn’t missed the cut in three Masters starts, and his worst showing is a tie for 32nd. Even so, should we be appalled by his lack of reverence for the venerable course and its history? Or does it not matter?

Further, PGA Tour pros have little to gain from the admission that they didn’t grow up watching golf and aren’t students of the game’s rich history, so it’s not surprising we haven’t heard many similar statements. That said, Berger can’t be alone in his position. How many pros do you think are in the same boat (an appropriate metaphor, since Berger says he prefers relaxing on his vessel to watching golf).

Let us know what you think, GolfWRX members. You can read Berger’s full “My Shot” here.

Your Reaction?
  • 22
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW3
  • LOL5
  • IDHT1
  • FLOP2
  • OB4
  • SHANK63

GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief

19th Hole

TaylorMade signs 15-year-old AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year to an NIL contract

Published

on

This week, TaylorMade Golf announced that they’ve signed AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Miles Russell, to an NIL contract.

In a statement, TaylorMade called Russell “nothing short of remarkable”.

“Miles’ record setting success at his young age is nothing short of remarkable and we are excited he chose us to support him in his growth as a golfer to continue to accomplish his career goals. Identifying and developing the top junior talent in the world has always been a priority for us at TaylorMade. Miles and his family epitomize the type of athlete and human being we are looking to add to Team TaylorMade.”

Russell has broken plenty of records in recent months. This season, he was named American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Boys Player of the Year, making him the youngest male player to receive the award. The record was previously held by Tiger Woods who was about 10 months older than Russell at the time he received the award.

At age 14, J he became the youngest player ever to win the Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass at age 14.

The 15-year-old also played in his first Korn Ferry Tour event on Thursday, the LECOM Suncoast Classic, and shot a first-round 68.

In the aftermath of the agreement, Russell released a statement.

“I have had a great relationship with the team at TaylorMade for years now and couldn’t be more excited to continue to work with them in the future. TaylorMade has a history of developing the top junior talent in the world to help reach their goals of becoming PGA TOUR and major championship winners. I am looking forward to working with the team to reach those and other goals I have laid out for my career.”

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

19th Hole

Group of PGA Tour caddies sign endorsement deal with underwear company

Published

on

In an interesting turn of events, a group of PGA Tour caddies have signed an endorsement deal with an underwear company.

Geno Bonnalie (Joel Dahmen), Aaron Flener (J.T. Poston), John Limanti (Akshay Bhatia) and Joel Stock (Will Zalatoris) and John Ellis (Wyndham Clark) have signed a deal with the underwear brand, SAXX.

Here are some details about the endorsement deal:

  • The deal eclipses six figures in total value, extending what last year marked the first significant apparel agreement with a group of pro caddies. Of note, Geno and John Ellis appeared in the Netflix docuseries, Full Swing.
  • The caddies will wear SAXX underwear, shorts and polos on and off the course.
  • SAXX will donate $100 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation for every birdie made by the caddies’ players for the rest of the season.
  • SAXX will bring the Ball Masters to the masses at the Travelers Championship, hosting a fan activation with underwear giveaways, photo opportunities, appearances from the Ball Masters and more.
  • Fans can become an honorary Ball Master, which includes a year’s worth of underwear, among other things. Go to SAXX.com/ball-master-application from now until June 15 to enter.

The partnership is great for the caddies and also represents a great cause.

Check out the video they shared on YouTube:

More from the 19th Hole

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

19th Hole

Man charged with stealing millions of dollars worth of memorabilia from Augusta National

Published

on

Augusta National

According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, a man has been charged in Chicago with stealing millions of dollars’ worth of memorabilia from Augusta National.

The man, Robert Globensky, was charged with transporting the memorabilia across state lines.

The report states that between 2009 and 2022, Globensky allegedly transported “millions of dollars’ worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and historical memorabilia” from Augusta National “and transported to Tampa, Florida, knowing the same had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud.”

The document was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Per the court records there is no mention that Globensky worked for the golf club.

More from the 19th Hole

Your Reaction?
  • 1
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW1
  • LOL2
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP1
  • OB1
  • SHANK1

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending