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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Pingback: Scotty Cameron updates Phantom X series putters for 2021 – GolfWRX
Curt
Sep 9, 2020 at 6:07 pm
Would that be a legal club if it had a bigger face and called it a driver?
Mike
Sep 9, 2020 at 8:26 am
I’m guessing that neck is machined with the putter head like the slant neck putters in the select line… they obviously have that machining capability. Then there is a bead of weld added as a secondary process to give it that look. Still pretty cool, but a bit deceiving. Total guess on my part, but I’d make a wager… you can see the machining marks in the neck.
Matt Smith
Sep 9, 2020 at 11:29 am
Fully agree. No way they are hand welding 2,020 of these. It’s the fastback neck with some added material melted to make it look welded
Tom Newsted
Sep 9, 2020 at 7:01 am
I was interested until I saw the price tag. I agree with some of the previous comments that they will sell and will be on ebay for $1500 but it wont be me. You could probably buy an X5.5 and then go through the Scotty custom shop and still pay less.
Gearbox
Sep 8, 2020 at 7:19 pm
Cry all you want guys. This will be $1500 on eBay and they will get it. Scotty is a genius…
Paulo
Sep 8, 2020 at 11:01 pm
Intelligence is relative. He’s only a genius if idiots spend it.
Paul Runyan
Sep 8, 2020 at 6:39 pm
Who Cares….
Acemandrake
Sep 8, 2020 at 1:36 pm
$850 for a putter? The economy must be doing well. This no recession price.
Paulo
Sep 8, 2020 at 12:35 pm
Honestly I can’t think of a company I have less desire to spend my hard earned cash on than Cameron. Exclusive releases with stupidly inflated price tags only available for the select few is something I can’t condone . Pro’s getting putters for free don’t make Cameron the company it is, the people spending the dollars do.
DB
Sep 8, 2020 at 11:20 am
This putter looks incredible and it’s nice to finally see Scotty giving people what they want. For me though, I don’t want a putter with someone else’s name and initials all over the putter and the headcover. I mean I like Justin, he seems cool, but that’s just weird to me.
BG
Sep 8, 2020 at 12:26 pm
My thoughts exactly!
Gearge
Sep 8, 2020 at 10:37 am
I really like my Scotty Phantom X 5.5, not sure how much different this would play (not that I would buy it).
I don’t use OEM headcovers on my clubs, especially a Scotty. This cover just screams “steal me” and probably also “I’m a poser”. At least they are going back to the grey base color on the cover before adding the JT signature stuff. Rather than the ugly yellow Phantom X ones that I woouldn’t have oin it even if I didn’t want to adsvertise I had a Scotty.
Mark M
Sep 8, 2020 at 9:39 am
I’d like to know what’s special about a welded neck. How is it different from the “standard” way they are attached to the body?
Conor D
Sep 8, 2020 at 10:32 pm
The welded flow neck gives the putter a toe hang, in the way JT’s Newport blade did before he switched to the Futura X5. I have a standard X5 34 inch with the single bend shaft which makes it face balanced, which is my preference.
scott
Sep 10, 2020 at 2:31 am
your answer has nothing to do with Mark’s question. The welded look is for “looks only” .. welding has nothing to do with toe hang…
Tim Armington
Sep 10, 2020 at 7:29 am
Sorry guy, but that is hand welded neck it doe affect toe hang.
Chris
Sep 8, 2020 at 9:39 am
I like the putter, but I don’t want a putter that has a player’s name and initials all over it. That’s kind of cheesy to me. I’ll never understand people wearing clothes with a unique players branding on it and this falls in line with. To each their own though.
TJ
Sep 8, 2020 at 9:29 am
People will cry about the price but this is pretty cool. Lots of people want this putter