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Tiger Woods chooses Finau, Woodland, Reed, and….himself as his Presidents Cup picks

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Tiger Woods has named himself, Tony Finau, Gary Woodland and Patrick Reed as his captain’s picks ahead of next month’s Presidents Cup.

Both Woodland and Finau are set for their debuts at the event, while Reed will be competing in his third consecutive Presidents Cup. For Woods, it will be the 15-time major champion’s first appearance at the biennial tournament since 2013.

Speaking on the decision to pick himself as playing-captain for the event, Woods stated

“The players, they wanted me to play in the event. It’s going to be difficult, but I also have three amazing assistants in Fred (Couples), Stricks (Steve Stricker) and Zach (Johnson). So that helps a lot.”

Both Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth are big-name omissions from the team which will feature five rookies. Spieth will be missing his first team event since 2012, while Fowler has been on each U.S. team since 2014.

Speaking on the call to leave Fowler out of the side, Woods stated

“That was a tough call to make. He’s a friend of mine. We kept it short. There was no need for a long call. I’ve been on both sides I haven’t been picked. I get it. He’s obviously going to hurt not being there.”

Woods’ four picks are all higher ranked in the OWGR than any of the players of the International side, but the 43-year-old warned that statistical advantage goes out the window once play gets underway next month.

“On paper we certainly have the advantage in the world ranking. Our players have earned that by playing well around the world and playing well in big events. But when we start out on Thursday, it’s 0-0. We’ve got to go out and earn points to win the cup.”

Woods’ decision to choose himself as a player next month means that he will be the first playing captain at team events since Hale Irwin in 1994.

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

28 Comments

28 Comments

  1. Kim Chee

    Nov 8, 2019 at 5:10 pm

    Lots of salty ass Tiger haters in here. And the usual bringing up of his infidelity is sickening. Y’all are carrying a six shooter with only one bullet.

    Everyone deserves a change to change. Whether you care to admit it or not, he has changed. He was humbled big time when the game he loves so dearly was taken from him. He has so much more appreciation for the game and other people now. Take it from someone who has met him personally BEFORE and AFTER his change.

    Stop being so damn salty, you ignorant bags of trash.

  2. Steve C

    Nov 8, 2019 at 4:34 pm

    99% sure that TV execs were in Tigers ear convincing him to play. And I doubt it took too much arm twisting.

    • Big Dan

      Nov 8, 2019 at 5:29 pm

      So much negativity. Tiger is simply the best ever. The event will be so much more interesting with him playing. I for one wouldn’t even consider watching this event if Tiger wasn’t playing. Go Tiger go.

      • Jp

        Nov 8, 2019 at 7:05 pm

        You do realize tiger has not had a winning record nor has the United States won but one ryder cup with him on the team is last Ryder cup appearance he went 0 for 5 in points best ever hardly

      • MT

        Nov 9, 2019 at 11:33 am

        He was the best, but now is inconsistent. His Ryder and President cup record is not stellar.

        He should have given another player the opportunity.

  3. joro

    Nov 8, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    Woods has proven many times he stinks in team play. Look at his past, he cannot play with others, just against others. He and Phil, two of the greatest ever both suck at team play.

    But so be it, he had a choice and he took it leaving someone who could handle team play out. Good Luck Mr. Woods, you had an option and took it now go feed your ego..

  4. Pdq

    Nov 8, 2019 at 2:06 pm

    You know who is happy Tiger picked Tiger? The networks this will draw more eyeballs to the lay golf fan.

  5. Speedy

    Nov 8, 2019 at 1:35 pm

    Go International Team!

  6. Eck42

    Nov 8, 2019 at 1:07 pm

    Just my thought, but I would like to see Captains not eligible to play. I think picking yourself is very selfish.

  7. Dave

    Nov 8, 2019 at 10:04 am

    Patrick Reed….are you kidding me. Why because he was so stellar as your partner? Very disappointed.

  8. JP

    Nov 8, 2019 at 9:14 am

    Tiger picking himself is the right move. IMO only
    .
    If America wins, nobody will be able to question it. Wait for the results and decide then.
    .
    And I agree, Trump is the best thing to happen to America since Columbus.

  9. Weaseling

    Nov 8, 2019 at 3:16 am

    What a selfish move, he himself and waffles house waitresses. Poor move on his part. Imagine the phone call to Fowler… he man I was going to pick u but I picked myself!

    • Obee

      Nov 8, 2019 at 9:57 am

      You an Arnold Palmer fan?

    • B

      Nov 8, 2019 at 10:14 am

      So picking the #7 ranked player in the world, who just won his last tournament played, over the 21st ranked player in the world, who hasn’t played since the Tour Championship is a selfish and poor move? Makes sense to me. Pick a guy who has been worried about a wedding and banging his wife on their honeymoon over a guy who just won and is ranked well ahead of him in the OWGR. Keep trolling bro

  10. john

    Nov 8, 2019 at 1:36 am

    surprised no Fowler .. I would take a Fowler over Reed any day

  11. MW

    Nov 7, 2019 at 10:57 pm

    I guess his back is better…when he wants it to be. Or is it his knee, or his…

  12. Bob

    Nov 7, 2019 at 10:39 pm

    Just confirming that Tiger is a narcissistic, selfish individual! He could have done something good for golf by choosing a young, up and comer.

    • Simms

      Nov 8, 2019 at 1:07 am

      100% correct, it would have been a real shot in the arm for him to just be the Captain. Just as his image was becoming stronger he pulls this bone head mistake…

      • I See Dumb People

        Nov 8, 2019 at 9:33 am

        What are you guys talking about? The guy literally just won last week and also won the Masters. In the tournaments he’s played in at 100%, he’s been great. If anyone else was captain they would pick Tiger. Just because he’s in the driver’s seat he’s not allowed to put together the best team? Tiger not being on the roster would be a mistake. No matter who is making that call.

    • Mike

      Nov 8, 2019 at 2:27 am

      Good for golf, are you drunk? The more Tiger plays with the few years he has left the better it is for golf. The more he plays directly influences the amount of new golfers we have. Nobodys turning on the TV or going to a tournament to watch some up and comer golfer, whether you like it or not Tiger is the draw for people.

      • Bob

        Nov 8, 2019 at 7:19 am

        Wow..has golf participation inclined or declined during the Tiger era? I know it will be hard for you Mike, but think hard….it’s declined greatly! Actually, I’m glad he chose himself. Now…I, for sure, will not be waisting my time watching this event.

    • Obee

      Nov 8, 2019 at 9:54 am

      Sigh…

  13. Jimmy

    Nov 7, 2019 at 10:10 pm

    No kuch, no donkeys..

  14. Kevin S

    Nov 7, 2019 at 9:50 pm

    Tiger is correct. Austrialian courses are vastly different from the states. Once the wind starts blowing, it will be a whole different story. Kevin kisner would be a better select over captain america

    • JP

      Nov 7, 2019 at 10:12 pm

      And Reed is a douche!

      • Miller Time

        Nov 8, 2019 at 9:53 am

        He may be a douche, but he’s the best player on the US team in these types of formats!

    • d

      Nov 8, 2019 at 9:49 am

      reed is a great match player….reed is from texas used to playing in the wind. Hits a natural draw again good for wind…..

      Tiger picking himself is fine. When healthy or focused he is still top 10 player and the number 1 draw period.

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News

Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Wyndham Clark hurts back…still hopes to play

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Reigning U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark injured his back while working out at home Monday, but he hopes to play in this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which starts Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course.”

  • “Clark, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world, said he was lifting weights and “got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and [his] back went.”
  • “It’s not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn,” Clark said. “I’m trending in the right direction. I’m hitting it or feeling stronger and more mobile every day. I’m going to give it my best effort tomorrow and hopefully I can play and compete. If not, I’ve got to get ready for tournaments to come after this.”
Full piece.

2. DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.”

  • “We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.
  • “Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”
Full piece.

3. Charley Hull’s course management problem?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.”

  • “After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.”
  • “While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.”
  • “I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.
  • “The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.
  • “In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else.
Full piece.

4. Sahith’s interesting idea

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Which brings Theegala to his big idea: “There’s got to be something, like a fan challenge or – I think it would be awesome to see a scratch handicap go out and play like the Monday after a tournament, keep the same conditions and see what they would shoot just to put it into perspective how hard a PGA Tour golf course is.”

  • “Theegala loves the thought so much that he’d even come out and watch.”
  • “Shoot, I’d commentate on it,” Theegala added before continuing, “I have a pet peeve, sometimes when I watch golf on TV, a great example is hole 8 at Valspar last week. It’s a 230-yard par 3, the green’s 12 yards wide and someone will hit the middle of the green and, you know, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, really smart shot there.’ I’m like, ‘Well, no, he’s absolutely laced this 4-iron in the middle of the green, that’s right where he’s looking and to hit a 4-iron that straight is really, really hard.’ … Even like chipping, a lot of the stuff just looks flat on TV, but then when you get over the chip, like, oh, great, I have to land it over a mound on a downslope down grain?”
Full piece.

5. Top am Rachel Heck not going pro

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”As Rachel Heck nears the end of her college golf career, she has decided that the LPGA isn’t for her.’

  • “Heck, the 22-year-old Stanford senior who won an NCAA individual title as a freshman and has climbed as high as second in the world amateur rankings, penned a first-person essay for No Laying Up in which she explained her reasoning for remaining amateur after graduation this summer and starting an internship not in professional golf but rather private equity. Heck, a political science major, also will be pinned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.”

Read her piece on No Laying Up: https://nolayingup.com/blog/why-im-remaining-an-amateur

Full piece.

6. DJ’s new LIV signing

Golf Monthly’s Elliott Heath…”Dustin Johnson‘s LIV Golf team 4Aces GC has announced former TravisMathew CEO Chris Rosaasen as the side’s new General Manager.”

  • “Rosaasen, who is a long-time friend of Johnson, is also the founder of the team’s apparel sponsor Extracurricular and has been CEO of the Omniverse Group for the past four years.
  • “He joins with more than 20 years of “brand-building, marketing, and business leadership” according to LIV Golf, which says his “record of innovation in the golf industry will strengthen and accelerate the growth of the 4Aces GC brand.”
Full piece.

7. Photos from the Houston Open

  • Check out all of our photos from this week’s event!
Full piece.
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Four books for a springtime review

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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.

        

Rainmaker

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

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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

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

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