News
Team USA holds off International squad for Presidents Cup victory
It was never going to be a Presidents Cup like all the rest, for so many reasons. It wasn’t Tom Weiskopf, skipping the Ryder Cup to go fishing, but the losses of Day and Koepka put the first damper on the teams that were initially selected. It wasn’t high treason, but Patrick Reed’s indefensible actions in the Bahamas were certain to galvanize support for the opposing squad. It wasn’t the MMA octagon, but the shoving of a spectator by a caddie served only to intensify matters. And those are the negatives!
The positive side includes the best golf course we’ve seen in decades, hosting a professional, international team event. Until now, only the Walker Cup venues were in the league of Royal Melbourne, in terms of design and conditioning. A player-captain, only the second in PrezCup history, and a legend at that, won all three of his matches and led his team to victory. Young players arrived on the scene, untested in international team competition; some became larger than life, while others shrunk from the glare of the sun. In the end, a 2-point differential, with more match swings that fit on our fingers and toes. The perfect end to the twenty-teens, the perfect event at the perfect time. Let’s wrap up the 2019 Presidents Cup, just in time for the holidays.
Ground control to Captain Tiger
Tiger finally got out of Tiger’s way in an international event. This thoughtful Woods was different than any we’ve seen in previous Ryder and Presidents Cups. Returned to proper mental, emotional and physical states, he carried this 2019 team on his rhomboids. Before a day-one shutout became a certainty, he lifted Justin Thomas to new heights, winning the day’s only USA point. When Friday looked to be another wound-licker for the USA contingent, Woods and Thomas once again pulled a point from the upside-down. Despite taking Saturday off, Woods’ shots were replaced by his wisdom. He rallied his lineup to 4.5 points of 8, trending in the direction needed for Sunday singles. Saving his most graceful for day four, Woods led Team America into the fray and never trailed in his 3 & 2 win over hot-handed Abraham Ancer. Forget the former holder of the nickname: there is only one Captain America. For all his flaws and his qualities, for his return from the depths of suffering, for his dedication to his craft, Captain America is, once again, Tiger Woods.
Ernie’s mistake
Quick thought: who would you say were the five strongest golfers this week for the International Team? I would have said Ancer, Sungjae Im, Cameron Smith, Louis Oosthuizen, and Hideki Matsuyama. And I would have led off with those five golfers, not the likes of C.T. Pan, Haotong Li, and Adam Hadwin. Els needed to get black flags on the board as soon as possible, and they failed. If your best can’t get it done early, your worst won’t later. Option two: put your veterans out first. Get Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Louis Oosthuizen out in the first three matches. Let them carry their banner into the fracas, a position they’d earned. The brain trust of Team International, so strong in the pairings for three days, did an about-face on Sunday. It either abandoned the metrics that had carried them to the lead, or trusted a flawed algorithm when logic and history were paramount.
Flaws in the system
Team events will always be flawed in their conduct. To begin, the qualifiers who’ve lost their mojo. Golfers like Bryson DeChambeau, C.T. Pan, Haotong Li, and Matt Kuchar, and even Webb Simpson. Fellows who earned their points early on, but failed to show up for matches. There are ways of playing extremely well, yet losing to a hot hand. That was not the case for this quintet. Whatever collision of skill and fate that brought them to these heights, had abandoned them weeks and months before they stepped onto the first tee. Next come the captain’s picks. Until Sunday, not Reed, nor Niemann, nor Hadwin, had done a darned thing to help their squads. Their play was so weak, that their leaders were forced to brace against them. The exceptions were Woods himself, and Fowler, the latter having accrued 2 points in 3 appearances. This was as much a surprise as the failings of the other, aforementioned picks.
The enigma of foursomes
What is it about head-to-head play, that governs all professional, international team play? Is it tradition? Fine. Is it the notion of mano a mano and lining up against a solitary opponent? Okay. Is it the divergence from the norm of 18 holes of stroke play? Acceptable. Fourball is a known commodity. Golfers who succeed at medal play, are likely to play well in fourball matches. Ignore your partner if you must, and play your own game. When it comes to foursomes, there is a misnomer about USA players lacking the temperament, and generosity of spirit, to succeed. For some other reason, players from outside the gilded kingdom, are automatically granted these two traits, which therein give them an advantage in alternate-shot competition. In 2019, team USA won 5.5 of 8 foursomes points. If the ROW squad had merely halved those matches, they would have been 1.5 points closer to victory. Truth is, no one knows what makes a proper foursomes partnership. Is it the best way to identify the proper champion? No. Is it a magically-archaic, outdated anachronism, wreaking havoc on a modern world and its golf? 100 percent. For those reasons, it should always be a part of these matches. It represents the unknown.
Replace singles
Bold statement, I know. Remember, this is a team event, and the emphasis is on team play. I’m not suggesting scramble golf; that’s for the silly season. Probably would take these guys 6 hours per match, with the selection of whose shot, how to play it, where to place it, ad infinitum and nauseum. How about alternate-alternate shot, or sixsomes? Player A drives, player B approaches, player C putts for one team. On the next hole, they shift one slot, then again on the third hole. No? Consider quick-six, where each six holes is worth something, with the three segments determining the winner of the point. Adds a sense of urgency to one of the sessions. It sticks in my craw that sides can establish a proper lead in team play, only to see it vanish upon the abandonment of the essence of the competition.
Comeback kids
Speaking of singles, there were some freakishly-inexplicable comebacks on Sunday. Begin with Tony Finau against Hideki Matsuyama. 4 down on the 11th tee, the pride of Utah somehow won five of the next eight holes to square his match. Only a half point loss for the ROW, but Matsuyama had this one in the bag, and let his mates down, big time. Next would be Patrick Reed. What’s that you say? The guy who one five of his first six holes, with four birdies, against an outclassed Pan, was a comeback kid? Sure thing. You know why. It was a comeback from all the things that had gone wrong over the last fortnight. In truth, Reed deserved to do a Fortnite celebration dance, after his Sunday performance. The maligned Matt Kuchar fashioned a comeback of his own, against Louis Oosthuizen. Koooootch stood 3-down with nine to go, and strode to the 18th tee with a 1-up lead. Sure, he gassed a bogey there, to fall back into a tie, but controlling his own destiny for once, was a big step for the Georgian. As bitter as comebacks are for those who give up leads, they are equally-fulfilling for those who return from the dead.
The golf course
After any time at all in golf, folks talk about the Augusta Influence that drives golf course superintendents to desperation. Ignorant members demand that their courses look and play like The National does … for two weeks of the year. With luck, those members will demand that their courses look and play like Royal Melbourne, instead. No need to saturate fairways and putting surfaces with wasted water. No call to preserve a green hue unknown to Mother Nature. No need to avoid the natural bounce, the intuitive carom, the unpredictable roll, the unsettling roil caused by firm, uneven turf. Golf is infinitely more interesting when unpredictable. Its courses are why we play the game until the moment we depart, boots up, toward the next life. Stop humanizing it, for goodness sake!
Closing thoughts
I’m not looking forward to next year’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, nor the 2021 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow. I have no anticipation that Wisconsin in late September will be at all firm, just as I know that piedmont North Carolina will be equally wet and soft, in September of the following year. I’m hoping for a dry red in 2022, at Marco Simone outside Rome, just as I hope that the yet-to-be-selected site of the 2023 PrezCup matches will be something special. American golf is treelined, windless, blah, even when played on a faux-links like Whistling Straits.
I hope that future captains resist the temptation to select members of their little clubs, their inner circles. Give someone like Kevin Kisner or Kevin Na an experience on a national team. Your win-at-all-costs, keep-it-in-the-family approaches are simply not what the human experience need be, all the time. Imagine an aging Kisner, a septegenarian Na, recalling the time when he was a captain’s pick for a USA squadron. Not Fowler, nor Reed.
Give us prime-time golf from around the globe. Give us venues as magical as those seen on the Wonderful World of Golf, decades ago. These form the inspiration for generations of young golfers; they always have and always will. Knowing that golf will transport you to another continent, another language, another playing surface, is more than any other sport or game can offer. We are a fortunate lot.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.
As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.
Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.
General Albums
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #2
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Alex Fitzpatrick – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Austin Cook – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Alejandro Tosti – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- MJ Daffue – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Nate Lashley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- James Nicholas – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Kevin Streelman – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rasmus Hojgaard – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Tom Whitney – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- SangMoon Bae – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Daniel Berger – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rory McIlroy – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Russ Cochrane – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Aldrich Potgieter – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
Pullout Albums
- MJ Daffue’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Cameron putters – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Swag covers ( a few custom for Nick Hardy) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Custom Bettinardi covers for Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Doug Ghim’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
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News
Morning 9: Tiger’s TGL teammates | Woosnam’s criticism of Cantlay | Rory’s return to tour policy board
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News
Tour Rundown: Six-pack of tourneys follows Masters
Brazil and Texas were kindred souls this week, at least when it came to weather. Both regions experienced torrential delays, and three tournaments were held up. The LPGA, PGA Tour Americas, and PGA Tour Champions were compelled to reduce play or work extra holes into Sunday. As if that weren’t enough, South Carolina and the PGA Tour fell victim to nature’s wrath, with lightning postponing the conclusion of the event to Monday.
The year’s first women’s major championship was celebrated in Texas. The Chevron is gaining a bit of tradition in its second year after relocation. This year’s event culminated in the continued coronation of the game’s current best. The Korn Ferry Tour saw a top-twenty performance from a 15-year old amateur, while the second event of the week on the big tour found a winner in the Dominican Republic. Six events is more than a handful, so let’s get right to it, with this week’s (delayed) Tour Rundown.
LPGA @ Chevron Championship: Korda corrals second major title
The winter of 2022-2023 seems so distant for current Nelly Korda. A mysterious ailment sapped all of her energy, just as the world appeared to have finally emerged from the pandemic. We never quite secured the complete information that we desired, but no one can say that any of us deserved to know more than Nelly wished to share. One thing is for certain: Nelly Korda has returned to top form, and the world number one golfer is at least one level above anyone else on tour.
Korda began her 2024 campaign with a January victory in the Drive One Championship. In her next start, in March, she continued her assault on the record books, with a win at the Se Ri Pak. She won again the following week, at the Ford, then defeated Leona Maguire in the final match at the T-Mobile Match Play, for a fourth consecutive victory. Would the increased hype around a major championship have an impact on her game? Well, no.
Korda began play at the Chevron Championship with a score of 68. She trailed Lauren Coughlin by two after 18 holes, but caught her with a second-round 69. Coughlin would ultimately tie for third spot with Brooke Henderson. Henderson played with Korda on day four, but the middle third of the round was her undoing. Making a late move was Maja Stark. House Stark closed with birdies at 17 and 18 to reach 11 under par. Both Korda and Strak played the final three days in identical numbers: 69 each day.
Korda held a firm hand on the tournament over the course of the final day. She stood minus-four for the round through ten holes, before a bit of sloppy play made things competitive again. Bogeys at 11 and 15 opened the door a wee bit for Stark. Korda was equal to the test, however, and closed stylishly with birdie at 18.
Safely around the green on the 72nd hole
Watch @NellyKorda‘s historic finish now on NBC! pic.twitter.com/1zaAYtbaCz
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 21, 2024
PGA Tour 1 @ RBC: Scottie, so hottie!
Nelly isn’t the only golfer on fire, although Scottie Scheffler still has a ways to go to match her. Scheffler proved this week that he has a game for all courses. After winning comfortably at lengthy Augusta National, Scheffler shifted gears and game to the wee Sea Pines course, and won again. That’s two weeks in a row for the man from New Jersey/Texas, so let’s learn how he did it.
Scheffler totaled 69 on day one, and found himself six shots behind leader J.T. Poston. Scheffler revealed that his teacher, Randy Smith, would tell him that he didn’t need to be the best 15 year-old; just the best 25 year-old. It was easy, then, to play the long game and consider all 72 holes, instead of just 18. Scheffler improved to 65 on Friday, and then went even lower on Saturday. His 63 moved him to the top of the board, and caused the golfverse to wonder if Scheffler would win for a second consecutive week.
Sunday saw all the chasers fall away. Scores between 70 and 72 from Patrick Rodgers, Collin Morikawa, and Sepp Straka meant that others would need to seize the day, if Scheffler were to do more than coast. Wyndham Clark and Justin Thomas each moved inside the top five with fourth-round 65s, but no one ever got close enough to the world number one. The win was Scheffler’s 10th on tour, and made him the betting favorite for next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Scottie Scheffler can save par from just about anywhere.
Including the water ?
(Presented by @CDWCorp) pic.twitter.com/RUqL2sBrr9
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 22, 2024
PGA Tour 2 @ Corales Puntacana: Baton Boy claims 8th Tour triumph
If you’ve ever seen Billy Horschel toss a club, you know that he doesn’t do so in anger. More likely is a calculated, soaring arc, paired with a look of fractured disbelief, followed by a quick catch of the cudgel. Ergo, Baton Boy. This week on the island of Hispaniola, the native of Grant, Florida, outworked and outhustled everyone else on Sunday. Horschel gathered seven birdies and an eagle, on the way to a 63 and a 23-under par total.
The former Florida Gator zipped past the four golfers in front of him, and left the remaining field in the rear-view mirror. Horschel’s round was two shots better than anyone else, and moved him two shots ahead of third-round leader Wesley Bryan. One of the famed Bryan Brothers, Wes closed with birdie at the last to post a 68 that would have won the week on any other day.
Walking it in with a fist pump ?@BillyHo_Golf is 9-under on the day and leads by two @CoralesChamp. pic.twitter.com/N6rjL1GGGA
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 21, 2024
Korn Ferry Tour @ LeCom Suncoast: It’s Widing in extra holes
Miles Russell probably won’t have to serve detention for ditching class on Thursday and Friday. The high school freshman made his KFT debut, survived the 36-hole cut, and toyed with a top-ten finish. He ultimately tied for 20th at 14-under par, six shots behind the three co-leaders. My guess is that Epstein’s Mom will write him a note, and he’ll get a pass. By finishing top-25, Russell earned a spot in next week’s event. Yikes!
Back to the top of the board. Patrick Cover, Steven Fisk, and Tim Widing all found their way to the magic number of -20. Fisk made birdie at the last, after bogeys at 16 and 17. Cover had three bogeys on the back nine, but a birdie at 14 was enough to get him to overtime. Widing was plus-one on the day through four, but played interstellar golf over the final 14. Six birdies moved him from Russell-ville to extra time.
The trio scurried to the 18th tee, where Cover drove into a fairway bunker. He was unable to reach the green with his approach, made bogey, and exited the overtime session. Widing and Fisk returned to the final deck once more, and matters were resolved. Fisk was unable to convert a long par putt, and Widing (pronounced VEE-ding) tapped in for his first KFT title.
The feeling of relief when you know you won. ???
Tim Widing is now a champion on the #KornFerryTour. pic.twitter.com/K0vgiZ21UG
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) April 21, 2024
PGA Tour Americas @ Brasil Open: Mr. Anderson finds a way
Golf is a funny game. Matthew Anderson held a lead with one round to play. He made six pars on Sunday, and sprinkled the rest of his card with birdies and bogeys. In complete contrast, Ollie Osborne played consistently on the day, posting four birdies and zero bogeys. Connor Godsey was not far off Osborne’s pace, with seven birdies and but two bogeys on the scorecard. So, of course, Matthew Anderson won by a stroke over Osborne and Godsey.
Not how, but how many, is another one of those platitudes that we all learn early on. Despite five bogeys through his first 14 holes, Anderson summoned the defiant grit to make birdie at the 71st and 72nd holes. After making deuce at the penultimat hole, Anderson’s swerving effort at the last looked as if it should miss low, but it had enough pace to stay inside the hole and fall for a closing four at the par-five finisher.
Birdie-birdie finish to secure the ?
Mississauga-native Matthew Anderson is your 69th ECP Brazil Open Champion. pic.twitter.com/ONE8hIUjeS
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) April 21, 2024
PGA Tour Champions @ Invited Celebrity: Broadhurst stands tall
What do you call a tournament that begins on Friday, takes Saturday off, and finishes on Sunday? Fortunate is one adjective to use. A weather system moved through Texas this weekend, and made a mess of things in Irving. After Thomas Bjorn signed for 64 on day one, rain and all things counter-productive moved through the Las Colinas resort, ensuring that Saturday would be nothing more than a rest day. When Sunday arrived, conditions had improved, and the game was on. Bjorn was unable to preserve his Friday magic, although he did record a 70 for -8. He finished in a third-place tie with Y.E. Yang.
David Toms, the 2001 PGA Championship victor, presented Sunday’s low round, and moved to 10-under par. Toms made one mistake on the day. He lived in the rough on the 9th hole, ultimately making bogey. The rest of the day was immaculate, as seven birdies came his way, resulting in a six-under par 65. Only one golfer was able to surpass Toms, and that was Paul Broadhurst.
Broadhurst nearly matched Toms for daily honors. His mistake came early, with bogey at the second. He bounced back with eagle at the third, and added three more birdies for 66 and 11-under par. Over his first three seasons on the Tour Champions, Broadhurst won five times, including two major titles. His fifth win came in 2018, making this win his first in six years. A long time coming, for sure, but well earned.
Looking at the hole is working for @PBroadhurstGolf ?
He leads by one after a clutch birdie on 15 @InvitedCC. pic.twitter.com/S0rhcVwaeE
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) April 21, 2024
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Dyson Bochambeau
Dec 16, 2019 at 8:39 am
The International team should have selected Greg Norman instead of Nieman. They needed his veteran presence and course knowledge.
Ronald Montesano
Dec 16, 2019 at 9:25 am
Thank you for writing.
Interesting thought. Too veteran? Busy with business interests?
Terry
Dec 15, 2019 at 10:49 pm
Would have liked to have seen an int’l victory for a change. Not a fan of kucher thomas reed dechambeau woodland. Better luck next time
Ronald Montesano
Dec 16, 2019 at 9:26 am
Thank you for writing.
It was looking so good, for so long, for the International side. As an American, I’d like to see our men follow the lead of our lady professionals, and all of our amateurs, and represent better.
James
Dec 15, 2019 at 2:07 pm
In loudmouth news of Sunday singles:
Patrick Reed 4&3 over Cameron Smith
Patrick Reed 5&4 over Adam Scott
Lesson: Don’t talk sh*t until after the prize is decided.
Ronald Montesano
Dec 16, 2019 at 9:27 am
Thank you for writing.
Could you elaborate? These seem like made-up numbers. Reed defeated C.T. Pan this year, not Smith and not Scott.
CrashTestDummy
Dec 15, 2019 at 1:52 pm
Bottom line is that the US team played better. I don’t believe there is that much strategy in the pairings and lineup that would have change the outcomes.
I disagree that it was Ernie’s mistake. Not a fan of putting the rookies as the anchors to perhaps forced to win crucial points. Too much pressure on them if they have to win their point. The veterans are much better to handle those situations. The players will always try to win their match if they are behind or ahead in points. They want a good record.
Ronald Montesano
Dec 16, 2019 at 9:29 am
Thank you for writing.
If there are International leads on the board, when the rookies tee off, it gives them hope. Putting them out there first, increases the pressure, from my vantage point.
N
Dec 15, 2019 at 12:53 pm
You don’t like the courses selected in America? They could go back to Sea Island, or what about Pinehurst?
Niemann was the International’s downfall. If he had even played for a Tie in all his matches the Internationals would have won. Ernie messed up his choice there. Should have been Corey Connors, paired with Hadwin, the Canadians would have been great. But alas.
Yes of course who would’ve thought the Americans would end up dropping bombs and be so clutch in the singles. But hey.
This whole event never needed to be created. Nobody cares.
Ronald Montesano
Dec 16, 2019 at 9:34 am
Thank you for writing.
Lots to cover here. One at a time, here we go.
1. I love the idea of Sea Island. I also like the sandhills of N.C. Give me Pasatiempo in California, or Streamsong in Florida.
2. We agree on Niemann. Too young. Why was he never paired with Ancer, if only to have the comfort of speaking Spanish with your partner?
3. It was obvious that great players existed outside Europe and the USA. Also a money grab. Have a few more matches like 2019, and I will continue to care!
drjacko
Dec 15, 2019 at 11:25 am
They won. the author’s gripes about picks don’t reflect the following:-
Reed needed that time to rehabilitate from the fiasco of the last Ryder cup. Now he can hold his head high and enter the next cycle of selections on the back of a storming singles victory. Tiger has done a solid for any future American captain.
Fowler has more experience at this level than Kisner and Na- especially in pairs format. Feel free to check it yourself. Even at half strength- he was good enough to anchor.
You can call out Ernie’s strategy all you want. It nearly worked, Matsuyama vs Finau Ooisthausen vs Kuchar in real life, Scott vs Schauffele on paper. Against an American team that apparently was fully higher in standings against every International player aside from Scott and Matsuyama- 16-14 was a monumental effort.
T
Dec 15, 2019 at 4:46 pm
Agree to a certain extent.
But Ernie’s choice of Niemann failed him. Niemann did squat the whole week. It should’ve been Corey Connors, and paired with Hadwin, they could’ve been a dynamic Canadian duo, enough to not lose points and that would’ve been enough to win the thing.
So Ernie can only blame himself for the picks and bad pairings.
Next time in the US, the internationals will get pummelled, again, and nobody will care about this even. Again.
Johnny Mike
Dec 15, 2019 at 10:27 am
September is about the only time piedmont VA and NC courses are firm, fast, and baked. There is a kind of 6 week mini-season every year (though this year it was cut short), and September is the surest bet for it.