News
FOX Sports leaves Brooks Koepka out of one of its U.S. Open promos, and the defending champion is NOT happy
You would think winning back-to-back U.S. Open championships would entitle Brooks Koepka to an appearance in every promo for this week’s event at Pebble Beach. Fox Sports, however, think otherwise, and the decision to omit the defending champion from one of their commercials has left the four-time major winner fuming.
Koepka brought the subject up in his press conference on Tuesday, stating
“I actually didn’t see it for a long time. A bunch of people on Twitter I think tagged me in it, in the promo. And I guess they were amazed that I wasn’t in it. I just clicked on the link and saw it and watched it. Just kind of shocked. They’ve had over a year to kind of put it out. So I don’t know. Somebody probably got fired over it — or should.”
The 29-year-old also took the time to fire shots at those who have complained about the setup at the U.S. Open in recent years, stating that those complaining are just “not playing good enough”.
“Everybody’s got to play the same golf course. So it really doesn’t make a difference. It doesn’t make a difference if you put it in the fairway and you hit every green. There’s really no problem, is there? So obviously they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do. They’re not playing good enough.”
The four-time major champion tees off on Thursday at 4.47 PM ET alongside Francesco Molinari and Viktor Hovland.
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Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos
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News
Four books for a springtime review
One thing that never changes over time: snowy evenings give purpose to reading (is it the other way around?) It has been a snowy 2024 in western New York, and I’ve had ample time to tuck into an easy chair with a blanket, coffee, and a book. You’re in luck, because despite the title of this piece, I’ll share five books and their worth with you.
There is great breadth of subject matter from one to five. Golf is as complicated as life, which means that the cover of the book isn’t worth judging. The contents begin the tale, but there is so much more to each topic presented within. If you’re like me, your library grows each year. Despite the value of the virtual, the paper-printed word connects us to the past of golf and humanity. Here’s hoping that you’ll add one or more of these titles to your collection.
Hughes Norton interviewed with Mark McCormack for 20 minutes (30 if you count the missed exit at Logan International) while driving the founder of IMG from Harvard to the airport. The lesson of taking advantage of each moment, of every dollar, because you might not get another opportunity, is the most valuable one that life offers. I say to you, be certain to read this book, because another opportunity to bend the ear of Hughes Norton may not come our way.
Hughes Norton was with Tiger Woods for waaayyy fewer years than you might guess, but they were the critical ones. Be warned: not all of the revelations in this tome are for the faint of heart. Some, in fact, will break your heart. Golf was a sleepy hamlet in the 1990s, until the 16-lane interstate called Eldrick “Tiger” Woods came into town. Everything changed, which meant that everything would change again and again, into eternity. Once the ball starts rolling, it’s impossible to stop.
My favorite aspect of this book is its candor. Hughes Norton is well into his time on Planet Earth. He has no reason to hold back, and he doesn’t. My least favorite aspect is that George Peper got the call to co-author the book (and I didn’t.) Seriously, there is no LFA for me, so this is the best that I could do.
Decision: Buy It!
The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor
Michael Wolf, James Sitar, and Jon Cavalier, in abject partnership, collaborated to produce a handsome volume on the work of gone-too-soon, engineer-turned-golf course architect. Seth Raynor was pulled into the game by Charles Blair MacDonald, the crusty godfather of American golf. Raynor played little golf across the 51 years of his life. His reason? He did not wish to corrupt his designs with the demands and failings of his own game.
Jon Cavalier began his photography career as a contributor to the Golf Club Atlas discussion group. I met him there in a virtual way (we still have yet to shake hands) and have exchanged numerous emails over the years. Despite the demands of his day job, Cavalier has blossomed into the most traveled and prolific course photographer alive today. His photography, both hand-held and drone, makes the pages pop. Michael Wolf invited me and two friends to play his home course, despite having never met any of us in person. His words, melded to those of James Sitar, are the glue that connect Cavalier’s photos.
My favorite aspect of the books is the access it gives to the private-club world of Raynor. Fewer than five of his courses are resort or public access, and knowing people on the inside is not available to all. My suggestion? Write a letter/email and see if a club will let you play. Can’t hurt to try! My one complaint about the book is its horizontal nature. Golf is wide, but I like a little vertical in my photos. It’s not much of a complaint, given the glorious contents within the covers.
Decision: Buy It!!
Big Green Book from The Golfer’s Journal
Beginning with its (over)size, and continuing through the entire contents, there is no descriptor that defines the genre of the Big Green Book. It is photography, essay, layout, poetry, graphics, and stream of consciousness. It harnesses the creative power of a lengthy masthead of today’s finest golf contributors. Quotes from Harvey Penick, verse from Billy Collins, and prose from John Updike partner with images pure and altered, to immerse you in the diverse golf spaces that define this planet.
One of my favorite aspects is the spaces between the words and photos. Have your friends and others write a few notes to you in those blank areas, to personalize your volume even more. One aspect that needs improvement: the lack of female voices. I suspect that will be remedied in future volumes.
Decision: Buy It!!!
Troublemaker and The Unplayable Lie
Books that allege discrimination and mistreatment check two boxes: potentially-salacious reads and debate over whose perspective is accurate. In the end, the presentation of salacious revelation rarely meets the expectation, and the debate over fault is seldom resolved. Lisa Cornwell spent years as a competitive junior and college golfer, before joining The Golf Channel as a reporter and program host.
Despite the dream assignments, there were clouds that covered the sun. Cornwell documents episodes of favoritism and descrimination against her, prior to her departure from The Golf Channel in 2021. Her work echoes the production of the late Marcia Chambers, who wrote for Golf Digest in the 1980s and 1990s. Chambers took issue with many of the potential and real legal issues surrounding golf and its policies of access/no access. Her research culminated in The Unplayable Lie, the first work of its kind to address issues confronted by all genders and ethnicities, and immediately predated the professional debut of Tiger Woods in 1997.
My favorite aspects of the two works, are the courage and conviction that it took to write them, and believe in them. My least favorite aspects are the consistent bias that many groups continue to face. Without awareness, there is no action. Without action, there is no change.
Decision: Buy Them!!!!
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
GolfWRX is on site in the Lone Star State this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
General galleries from the putting green and range, WITBs — including Thorbjorn Olesen and Zac Blair — and several pull-out albums await.
As always, we’ll continue to update as more photos flow in. Check out links to all our photos from Houston below.
General Albums
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Thorbjorn Olesen – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ben Silverman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jesse Droemer – SoTX PGA Section POY – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- David Lipsky – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Martin Trainer – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Zac Blair – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jacob Bridgeman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Trace Crowe – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Daniel Berger – WITB(very mini) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Chesson Hadley – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Callum McNeill – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Rhein Gibson – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Patrick Fishburn – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Raul Pereda – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Gary Woodland WITB (New driver, iron shafts) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Padraig Harrington WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
Pullout Albums
- Tom Hoge’s custom Cameron – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Piretti putters – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ping putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Kevin Dougherty’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Bettinardi putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Erik Barnes testing an all-black Axis1 putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Tony Finau’s new driver shaft – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Donald W Ciriacks
Jun 15, 2019 at 11:35 am
oohh….so Fox is now covering golf?? (sarcasm)
Krooks
Jun 13, 2019 at 12:29 pm
Go easy on the harsh comments. Brooks might see this and get his feelings hurt.
bruce
Jun 13, 2019 at 8:48 am
if Koepka wants to be marketable and on promos he might want to try to stop being such a huge dousche
James
Jun 13, 2019 at 12:37 am
Let’s try a different perspective. If Tiger Woods was going for 3 Opens in a row, every news story and every sentence spoken on network would be about Tiger. When he won the Masters, every…. single….. story on Golf Digest website was Tiger Woods for 3 days.
Boring.
Crusher
Jun 12, 2019 at 10:58 pm
Yah, well Fox Sports isn’t exactly the first name in golf. In fact, their US Open coverage has stunk. With the USGA homers Curtis Strange and Paul Azinger kissing butt of the USGA during their poor rulings decisions and the fact that they would be the 2 biggest whiners in golf if they had to play under past USGA conditions, I don’t blame BK for being miffed. But hey, another BK win this weekend and he can tell Fox Sports to shove it and get back to covering Football. Also, Fox Sports the biggest wast of Holly Saunders talent. She has to realize she isn’t going anywhere with that network covering football. Heck, Amanda Balionis is a bigger household name then Holly now because of golf.
Just a thought
Jun 12, 2019 at 8:29 pm
Probably doesnt help that he is one of if not THE most boring people in golf (or in the world). Hard to get excited about someone who shows ZERO emotion. A blank stare doesnt sell much. When ever you see commercials with Tiger in them it usually has a shot of his excitement.
JThunder
Jun 12, 2019 at 8:15 pm
I have to agree with Brooks – he’s going for 3 US Opens in a row, 2 majors in a row… He should be a prime topic on all Open promo. This is why golf loses when Tiger is not around – no one bothers to tell ALL the other stories going on. If Tiger had that record coming in, it would be the talk 24/7 since the PGA.
Fox golf coverage is the worst on TV by a wide, wide margin. I can’t even watch with the sound on. It’s like the whole crew has never seen a tournament before – where the cameras are pointed, who they cut to, the announcers… No surprise that they don’t know who Brooks is.
Dan
Jun 12, 2019 at 1:57 pm
Like jim or not it’s amazing how little respect he gets considering he’s won 4 majors, 2 being the last 2 US Opens
Chris
Jun 12, 2019 at 5:37 pm
Probably because he plays lousy on non major weeks
James
Jun 12, 2019 at 1:36 pm
Not a wh*re for the media has consequences. Good riddance. Fox is owned by Disney anyway. Nothing but grown children with scripted talking points.
BD
Jun 12, 2019 at 12:53 pm
I really hope he doesn’t win. Talk about a prima donna.
n
Jun 12, 2019 at 12:42 pm
Imagine suggesting someone should be fired because you weren’t in all of one broadcaster’s commercials, madness. I like Koepka, but he’s starting to get a bit much now and he’s not doing himself any favours.
overachiever
Jun 12, 2019 at 4:17 pm
+1
NTL
Jun 12, 2019 at 12:06 pm
He has to find something to get him motivated. 3 of the 4 fox commercials he was in an he is complaining???
Gunter Eisenberg
Jun 12, 2019 at 11:59 am
Brooks Koepka is the Rodney Dangerfield of golf…he gets no respect.
atj
Jun 12, 2019 at 5:25 pm
hahaha nice!
JL1127
Jun 12, 2019 at 11:32 am
I swear he’s been getting salty as of late… I get it, don’t get me wrong, but how does being in US Open promos help you win? Do you want to win or do you want to be in commercials? Yes, you can be in both, but if you’re not in the promos then just focus on winning the tourney
John
Jun 12, 2019 at 11:30 am
What an ego maniac. No wonder no one cares about him.
BJ
Jun 12, 2019 at 10:20 am
Is that a shot at Phil?