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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geohogan
Dec 11, 2018 at 3:21 pm
High prices are due to the tariffs. When the tariffs come off in 2025
and we are at the bottom of the next great depression prices will be much lower.
So much to look forward to!
stephenf
Dec 2, 2018 at 4:11 am
Better be brought to me on each shot by a topless, extremely fit young woman, with an “I’m just bad enough” look.
joey
Nov 25, 2018 at 3:09 pm
$500 per club… now that’s more like in my price range for the best of the best golf clubs.
Tika
Nov 12, 2018 at 1:01 am
So one is redefined c16 iron and another a TMB rebadged…..but cost 2k more……like to see these companies explain why these gonna be so expensive rather than just polish em up and give general “political vague statements”……tungsten, titanium, multi alloys and hollow designs are already being used so what makes these so special……injected with foam or rubber isn’t gonna cut it, lol
Curt
Dec 13, 2018 at 4:14 pm
Same rubber as the proV1’s lol
Ken Tucky
Nov 11, 2018 at 4:45 am
Why the Nike designers gotta be lost and now found?!! Hahaha!! =D That was a good one!!
Scheiss
Nov 10, 2018 at 9:39 pm
In the meantime, Spieth removes the TS2 and puts back the 915 in the bag, and misses the cut
Andrew Levy
Nov 10, 2018 at 2:05 pm
I have hit them both. They were fitting at my club. The 01 is a tmb but a little bit slimmer and short bladed. It was nothing special it just felt clunky. It also didn’t feel that soft. The blade one is the best forged titleist club ever. It felt amazing jumped off the face everything. They even had the four iron with some hybrid shafts in it and it was amazing. But the price tag is so high I will not be giving up my current sticks. Hopefully we see some progression into the 720s. The c16 irons do have characteristics we now see in the 718 tmbs. I am going away next week to try out the proto prov1 and prov1x.
doug
Nov 9, 2018 at 4:59 pm
And fine and dandy and all that, but what’s the point?
These clubs have no connection to the average golfer; none.
And here in Australia, because of the relative weakness of our dollar, they have w@anker/show-pony value, but not much else.
Time for top-end brands like Titleist to take a good, hard look at what Wilson and Cleveland are doing with their ‘Infinite’ and ‘Huntington Beach’ brand of putters. Excellent and affordable kit, at a price that the player on a regular budget can actually afford to buy.
I- and most players I know – are no more likely to spend the kind of money these new irons command, than we are to walk to the Moon. But if Titleist can afford to spend zillions on R&D, just to sell a few thousand sets World-wide…well, good luck to them.
Even at my Australian Top 100 club, most guys I know get the irons they need, spend dollars adjusting the lie/loft/length etc etc…then play those perfect babies until the grooves go.
Mike
Nov 9, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Iron tech is just not evolving fast enough to justify this cost… unless it comes with my own personal RoboCop, which by the looks of the 01 model here, may be a possibility.
ronnie
Nov 9, 2018 at 3:14 pm
I love the shinyer CNCPT 01 model cause its more pretty.
Tom Donnelly
Nov 9, 2018 at 9:43 am
At least we know where the Nike club designers ended up.
ogo
Nov 9, 2018 at 3:10 pm
A second year engineering student could design golf clubs …. which are no technological design challenge. The only challenge is to sculpt the back of irons and the bottom of drivers to suck in the gearhead suckers… it’s called “marketing” and marketing also involves manufacturing decisions…
Dan
Dec 11, 2018 at 1:33 am
Your either trolling or very ignorant. You have no idea what goes into designing a golf club. Is the industry littered with marketing, yes. Why? Because most people are uneducated as to the game so that the marketing jargon is the only way they’ll understand it. Every design change that improves something negatively affects something else. It’s that fact that challenges designers to come up with new ideas to fight physics. Your comment reeks of ignorance
ogo
Nov 9, 2018 at 12:12 am
BREAKING NEWS******* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kuFf8cCQlg
Hailstorm in New South Wales, Australia, hailstones the size of GOLF BALLS!!!
Those Aussies really take their golf seriously !!!!!! 😮
Tom
Nov 8, 2018 at 7:25 pm
If you place an order immediately, you get the sail boat model? “I want that!”
Tom
Nov 8, 2018 at 6:03 pm
Uncle Rico tested these prototypes and “hit the ball clear over that there mountain!”
Blake
Nov 8, 2018 at 4:34 pm
The thing is if im in this price range for irons im just going to get a boutique companies offering before titleist. And i currently play titleist
Robert Pfeil
Nov 8, 2018 at 3:01 pm
Just wait another year and they have a retail set with this technology. That’s how it was with the previous Titleist concept irons/woods.
Ryan Michael
Nov 8, 2018 at 2:54 pm
The rising price of clubs in general will drive new people from picking up the game let alone releases like this! The game needs go down in overall cost. I know you can go cheap with used equipment and put a decent set together for peanuts but there are also people out there who are on the fences about giving golf a try and they read an article about a $4,000 set of clubs and it turns them of to the game all together.
Tom
Nov 8, 2018 at 1:51 pm
They should price them at $1,000,000 per iron and just sell a few hundred sets.
stephenf
Dec 2, 2018 at 4:07 am
you said it.
G-head
Nov 8, 2018 at 12:45 pm
PXG… CNCPT… PXG… CNCPT… PXG… CNCPT… ???? {{{sigh}}}
HBO
Nov 8, 2018 at 12:26 pm
They better hit themselves at that price. Regardless how much you pay for clubs they can’t make you much better than you already are.
Richard Rorty
Nov 8, 2018 at 10:42 am
Flashy equipment for discriminating golfers who are in need of a certain, postmodern, ‘je ne sais quoi’. . .
stephenf
Dec 2, 2018 at 4:08 am
Yeah, something like that. 😉
dat
Nov 8, 2018 at 10:20 am
Should have gone for at least $400,000 per club.
TONEY P
Nov 8, 2018 at 10:06 am
Only a salesman could love those ugly sticks. Now the rich have something else to waste money on.
Brian
Nov 8, 2018 at 8:55 am
Good god are those ugly. A face only a mother could love.
dick head
Nov 10, 2018 at 4:04 pm
you have no idea – a recent online survey showed 85% thought they looked awesome
Ardbegger
Nov 8, 2018 at 8:35 am
Can’t replace my Mizuno SC’s
James Awad
Nov 8, 2018 at 8:34 am
Looks like something some man-bun wearin’ dipstick would think “looks awesome”. Looks like Nike & Cobra had an ugly kid
4K for Titleist?? The cats who can’t properly headweight a custom ordered set – or get the lofts right?
not even if Tiger used ’em to win another major
Yup
Nov 8, 2018 at 2:36 am
CUNcpT
po' boy
Nov 8, 2018 at 1:06 am
OMG!!!! I wish I was the first to see these awesome irons! At $4000 they are boutique clubs for the uber-rich gearheads who don’t have the time to practice… only play at their plush country clubs… oh well…
Tom
Nov 7, 2018 at 9:26 pm
More lipstick on the pigs…..
Roy
Nov 7, 2018 at 4:57 pm
Seems pretty obvious you can build a better product if you are given a higher budget to work with – what makes golf clubs any different??
po' boy
Nov 8, 2018 at 1:08 am
They are status clubs for the uber-rich gearheads who likely can’t play a snot anyway… a statement that I am rich and you aren’t…
Carter
Nov 9, 2018 at 11:51 am
USGA regulations of what clubs can do. That makes clubs different.
Gerald
Nov 7, 2018 at 3:41 pm
So are they saying my tungsten in my AP2s are useless?
Its a hard pass for me.
Ajc273
Nov 7, 2018 at 3:36 pm
I don’t understand the point of this product, especially if they are going to come with a $4,000 price tag. With their MB, CB, T-MB, and AP1, 2, & 3 they seem to have all handicaps and ability levels covered with great clubs. Why would anyone want to pay $4,000 for a set on CNCPT-01 irons when they can get a set of AP1’s for 1/4 the price, unless they just want to tell their friends they paid 4 grand for a set of clubs??
JP
Nov 7, 2018 at 8:30 pm
It’s the pxg effect. My Dad caught a fish THIS big…
golfraven
Nov 7, 2018 at 3:28 pm
Nice but note really hyped about those. Very pleased with my Ap3, T-MB set