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Sergio being Sergio? Not this time

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Before Sergio Garcia’s racially insensitive remarks at the European Tour awards dinner Tuesday night, the golfer had already made a series of imprudent decisions.

He made comments about Tiger Woods pulling a club during his backswing, causing a commotion, which led to an errant shot at The Players Championship. The notoriously malcontent golfer then suggested that Woods had done it on purpose and indicated that he didn’t particularly care for the world’s No. 1-ranked player.

Never one to let sleeping dogs lie or bite his own wagging tongue, Garcia, in a press conference earlier this week, suggested that Woods is a liar, generally impugned his character, and reiterated that the golfer is unlikely to be receiving a Christmas card from the Garcia family.

What began as a difference of opinion or perspective between two of the game’s best has turned into a mess worse than Garcia’s play at the 17th hole at Sawgrass nearly two weeks ago.

If there was an award at Tuesday night’s gala for the “Most Racist Remark since Fuzzy Zoeller at the 1997 Masters” or “Lifetime Achievement in Putting One’s Foot in One’s Mouth,” the Spaniard would likely have been a finalist.

Before we deal with Sergio’s Stupid Comments, Part XXIV, it’s worth noting that I enjoy when the world’s top professional golfers, who are generally reserved when they’re on the record, speak their minds. But his actions over the last two weeks display a real lack of both insight and foresight, which, unfortunately, speaks volumes about his inability to capitalize on the tremendous potential he first showed nearly 15 years ago.

On to the remarks at the center of the present controversy. In response to a question about whether he’ll be interacting with Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open next month, Sergio said,

“We’ll have him ’round every night. We will serve fried chicken.”

In introducing the quote, I nearly said, “On to the meat of our discussion,” but that seemed insensitive in light of the comment at hand. I don’t consider myself a great intellect or an exemplary human being; however, I refrained from the previous statement given my judgement that it could potentially offend or be considered in poor taste, which is exactly what Sergio didn’t do.

Think before you speak, about your audience, the context of your comments and the implications of what you’re saying. It’s not a radical proposition, nor is it a difficult habit to practice; however, it’s a bit of advice that’s essential in any remotely civil society.

Garcia knew the words shouldn’t have left his lips just as they were reaching the ears of the eager press corps, but just like when he spit in the cup at Doral in 2007, he just couldn’t help himself. Certainly, he’s apologized and said the right words since. Unfortunately, apologies rarely redeem a public figure in the court of public opinion.

As a result, he is in hot water — even with his current equipment/clothing sponsor, TaylorMade-adidas golf, who released this statement about Garcia:

Sergio Garcia’s recent comment was offensive and in no way aligns with TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s values and corporate culture. We have spoken with Sergio directly and he clearly has regret for his statement and we believe he is sincere. We discussed with Sergio that his comments are clearly out of bounds and we are continuing to review the matter.

I can write off Sergio’s feud with Tiger over the last few weeks as Sergio being Sergio. But his comment in Europe crossed the line. It’s extremely unfortunate for Sergio as well, who prior to Saturday at The Players appeared to be moving forward — with his putting, with his maturity and toward a major championship.

But he’s taken a huge step backward, and has likely done irreparable damage to his image. And if he thought the hecklers were tough to deal with at the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in New York City, he’s got something coming for him at Merion next month.

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48 Comments

48 Comments

  1. Butchercass

    Jun 11, 2013 at 6:44 am

    Firstly, American fans really need to have a good look at themselves. Shouts of “egg salad, get in the hole, mashed potato, fried chicken.. (oh wait, is that last one rascist?) *gulp..Let the golf speak volumes and mute the small percentage of “fans” that persist in shouting when a player hits a shot. It’s infururaiting.

    Sergio has had some banter..end of conversation.Leave the lad alone. He’s is breath of fresh air if you ask me to all these young robots coming through the ranks. It’s only rascist as it was aimed at a black person. Anyone seen Django at the cinema? Great film.. not rascist.

  2. Mick J

    May 30, 2013 at 4:41 pm

    I am way more upset at the media reaction to this than to Sergio’s actual comments

  3. Jack

    May 29, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    Sergio is a person of the world and is not subject to the idiotic lowest common denominator thinking that has occurred in the USA. His comments were just a joke, nothing more. The behavior of the person asking the question is actually more relevant in terms of racist remarks.

  4. Michael

    May 29, 2013 at 11:54 am

    Tiger said that the Marshall informed him that Sergio had already hit. Then he proceeded to grab his club. The Marshall in an interview said that they rarely speak to the players and no one told Tiger that Sergio had hit. Who is the Liar?

  5. sss2013

    May 25, 2013 at 12:46 am

    What really gets me in all the media coverage is that most articles come across as Tiger being an active participant in all mess-up when he’s hardly said a word. To Tiger, Sergio is nothing but an annoyance not worthy of much consideration or waste of voice…note his “no” response. The media is trying to make Tiger look as “bad” in a tit-for-tat cat fight when he couldn’t care less. HOWEVER, when the uninformed reads articles, it seems as if Tiger going back-and-forth. What a joke…

    • Servost

      May 26, 2013 at 8:09 am

      It helps when you completely own the other guy. Sergio needs to just stop talking about Tiger. And win a few majors, he should do that too.

  6. Billymack572

    May 24, 2013 at 9:55 pm

    Why is this getting more coverage than Tiger’s incorrect drop at the Players, or is it too near to home and damaging to TV ratings to suggest that the prodigal son might be playing at the edge of the rules (have we forgotten the drop at the Masters already?)……

  7. Glen

    May 24, 2013 at 12:36 pm

    Regarding Fuzzy’s statement all those years ago. If you ever get into Augusta you will find that the House Dinner is Fried Chicken with Collard Greens. The press neglected to do any research and blew a non-story into a racial one. It was bad journalism at best and a pre-cursor to today’s journalistic ineptness.

  8. Brad

    May 24, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    Stupid comment from Sergio. Less stupid (but still boy-like) smirking in various press conferences recently from a guy (Tiger) with some real moral issues. Both have incredible game – Tiger is currently in a class by himself. When will a Hogan, Nelson, Nicklaus etc. emerge and bury these immature, stupid boys? Probably never — we have a system now that plants and grows little Scott Hochs and they seem to choke everything else out at an early stage in this sport. (Right now, their patron saint — Finchem — is busy making dangerous noise about the new anchored putting real.)

  9. Keith

    May 24, 2013 at 11:29 am

    Was Sergio’s latest comment out of line? Sure.

    However, it is the media that should be apologizing. I guarantee that if no one had specifically asked Garcia about the Players Incident then he wouldn’t have brought it up. The media thrives on controversy. They know all of the right buttons to push to elicit their desired responses.

  10. Servost

    May 24, 2013 at 9:27 am

    I think Sergio will be playing a lot more golf in Europe for a while. Ryder Cup matches between these two should be interesting.

  11. golftw

    May 23, 2013 at 11:04 pm

    Maybe he just makes good fried chicken; people need to stop pulling race into every single comment. Furthermore, you come off as quite conceded and seem to think you are above Sergio as a person.

  12. scoot

    May 23, 2013 at 5:25 pm

    cheese with that wHine

  13. scoot

    May 23, 2013 at 5:23 pm

    Tiger has owned the little boy for as long as he’s been on the scene. Sergio can’t handle not being anywhere close to the caliber of golf that he is up against. Now Tiger owns him in golf and war of words. Now Sergio is in the alligators. I bet he doesn’t break 80 at the US Open if he even shows up.He will probably have an excuse as to why he can’t make it to the event. He deserves this scrutiny even before this last bit of smartelic childlike behavior. How bout some cherse with that wHine El Nino

  14. Matt

    May 23, 2013 at 4:48 pm

    Ben – Oh, I see what you did there!.. You “refrained” from saying what you thought, by saying what you thought. Is the air thin up there?

  15. yo!

    May 23, 2013 at 2:46 pm

    I have a feeling Sergio will keep his mouth shut (about non-golf matters) from now on … losing your meal ticket from sponsorship is quite a motivator.

  16. Seth

    May 23, 2013 at 12:42 pm

    Tiger and Sergio are just as imperfect as anyone else on the planet. We all have our shortcomings, some more than others yes, but look in the mirror and start there for craps sake. Ridiculous we have to be inundated with this stupidness, yet here I am sucked in and commenting on it.

  17. bobloft

    May 23, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    Am I the only one who doesn’t care about this? Everyone is whining as much as Sergio.

  18. gus

    May 23, 2013 at 11:24 am

    I think the ultimate insult to Tiger was stereotyping him with people which he himself does not associate with.

    • B

      May 24, 2013 at 1:50 pm

      True, he’s not even 100% black. His mother is Thai.

  19. LK

    May 23, 2013 at 11:16 am

    Fried chicken does have a negative connotation bc it is unhealthy and African Americans are stereotyped as being overweight and unhealthy. Would you laugh if Sergio invited you and said he’d be serving bbq poodle? I’m tired of people saying, “But oh, it was just a joke.” How much bullying is just a joke? How many racist comments are just a joke? How many sexist things, and even sexual assault, have been justified as just a joke or “just playing around?” Hey, I know I just slapped your teen daughter on the rear but I’m just playing around. Don’t take it so seriously. See the problem here?

  20. doc19

    May 23, 2013 at 11:13 am

    Also, for those saying it may be a European not being aware thing, his statement after the fact suggests otherwise. He basically admitted as soon as he said it he realized it was a dumb thing to say… and apparently lost sleep over it.

  21. doc19

    May 23, 2013 at 11:11 am

    How did Tiger add fuel to the fire? Personally I think this whole thing was media driven to begin with, watching the Players and the coverage afterwards I felt like I was watching teenagers play “he said she said” during lunch period. It has happened in other sports, I guess it’s the new norm for golf.

    Tiger’s actual response to the apology was this: “I’m confident that there is real regret that the remark was made, The Players ended nearly two weeks ago and it’s long past time to move on and talk about golf.” Doesn’t sound like adding fuel to the fire to me.

    Is Sergio a racist? I don’t think so. Was the comment inappropriate and ill timed? Of course it was. We can debate cultural sensitivity and being PC until we are blue in the face, but we all can agree that a public figure making that statement is just plain stupid and points to poor decision making.

    It is unfortunate really, this guy has all the talent in the world, he should have been winning majors for years. But his problem has never been his swing, it’s the 1 square foot of real-estate between his ears that has held him back.

  22. bdgregor

    May 23, 2013 at 9:25 am

    I agree that Sergio screwed up, and anything even borderline racially insensitive should be reprimanded. However, I haven’t heard anyone point out something I would think is pretty obvious. Sergio has been around a long time, but do remember, he is European. People in Europe are not as aware of what is culturally insensitive in America. You do need to consider that Sergio may have used “fried chicken” as some sort of colloquialism for American food, or what us “yanks” like to eat. I would be willing to be that was more of the angle of his comment than anything sinister.

    • LK

      May 23, 2013 at 11:20 am

      Good point. Fried chicken is an awesome American creation as far as I know. But if so, Sergio would not have had a sick feeling after the dinner like he knew he was in for some serious trouble. The fact that he had a sick feeling means he knew the significance of his error and the racial connotations.

      • CJ

        May 24, 2013 at 9:11 pm

        Could’nt it be possible that someone told him immediately after dinner that what he said was and is considered racially insensitive in the USA?

  23. Mike

    May 23, 2013 at 7:22 am

    Actually Sergio didn’t start this fire by himself….the door was opened by the reporter ” jokingly” asking the question. I personally find it more offensive when a married man with two kids and a wife can’t keep his promise he made to his wife on their wedding day….just saying…..

  24. S5PJM

    May 23, 2013 at 7:17 am

    I think he was just trying to be funny and it came out wrong. I dont believe he is a raciest. He is not an AMERICAN and probably doesn’t even know why a fired chicken reference would be considered raciest by some people anyway. This is a NON ISSUE. Get on with it and play golf.

    • JKratz

      May 23, 2013 at 8:08 am

      I agree, he obviously knew a comment like that had to do with African Americans, but probably didn’t know the complete context. That being said, the media will continue to run the story into the ground like always as their main job is “shock and awe.” I’m waiting for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to now get involved until Sergio makes a large monetary contribution to one of them.

  25. yoboy24

    May 23, 2013 at 12:57 am

    If Sergio had said “fried rice” instead of chicken would this be a big deal? NOPE! And I’m a HUGE TW fan, and don’t particularly like Sergio, but this is kind of ridiculous. If he was a racist we would have known that by now. Get over it and let’s get back to TW killing him every time they tee up. kthanks.

  26. justplay

    May 23, 2013 at 12:04 am

    dude get over it !!!

  27. justplay

    May 23, 2013 at 12:02 am

    making too much out of if always with the racist card !! stop it already!!

  28. who cares

    May 22, 2013 at 11:31 pm

    no one cares about the stupid comments being made, just play golf and bring your A game to the us open next month for the fans

  29. Blanco

    May 22, 2013 at 11:27 pm

    What a dunce this man is. I heard briefly on TGC that he’s claiming ignorance to the 97 Fuzzy comment altogether. Even if he had zero knowledge of that incident (which I don’t buy for one second), he’s essentially validating that the comment was not some “reference” (to Zoeller) but racial rhetoric of his own.

    Finchem and the Euro Tour need to make it well known that such behavior won’t be tolerated in Golf and take disciplinary action. The game took a big step backwards today at the worst possible time. I hope the PGA/EuroTour and especially TMAG set the example in the hopes of “growing the game.” We need to do everything possible to make golf appealing to a new generation of young, diverse athletes from all walks of life.

  30. Zak

    May 22, 2013 at 11:17 pm

    Ron,

    If you think that it’s going to blow over before Merion, you’re underestimating the weight of the comment.

    Vitriolic? I don’t see it. Sergio set this fire all by himself.

  31. Ronald Montesano

    May 22, 2013 at 10:43 pm

    I think that you are adding fuel to the fire by suggesting that hecklers will be bad at Merion. In the first place, there will be fewer fans at Merion than Bethpage. In the second, the majority of fans that heckled Sergio were self-professed muni guys and nothing was done to corral them. The same will not take place at Merion, where the atmosphere will be more like Augusta than Bethpage. In fact, when I read your final sentence, I feel as though you were striving for a vitriolic ending. Show me that I am incorrect, please. That’s not what I expect from your writing.

  32. Cyd

    May 22, 2013 at 10:31 pm

    So Sergio dissed eldrick. Cry me a freaking river. The only people that the slimeball eldrick is a hero to is the sycophant momma’s boy and the green light girl. Not any of them are persons I would want to be around in any type of social situation.

    • Forsbrand

      May 26, 2013 at 7:17 am

      That is a funny comment man, love it. Green light girl ha ha ha, I’m gonna use that in my next conversation!

  33. Minh

    May 22, 2013 at 10:24 pm

    I completely disagree with the level of scrutiny Sergio has received. Everyone is so quick to pull the “race” card. Is it possible for anyone to take a joke? Is laughing at one’s ethnic background still possible?

    My biggest issue with these situations is people choose which stereotypes to accept and which to call “racially insensitive remarks”. Infer a Black man like fried chicken and you’re labeled a racist. Infer a Black man has a large penis and you won’t hear a peep.

    I’m of Vietnamese decent and I laugh off all Asian-related jokes. Yes, we are good at math, sure some of us might have small penises, sure some of us can’t drive, yes we all like fish and rice, and I personally don’t know of any Asian that eats cats or dogs.

    This should be a none issue.

    • world42

      May 23, 2013 at 12:00 am

      Minh, Sergio didn’t say anything about himself, he said it about another man of a different race and ethnic background. Now, if he would have that he would cook him a Spanish dish, then the humor would have been easily seen, but he used a stereotypical saying that is used as a racial slur here in America.

      • B

        May 24, 2013 at 1:46 pm

        world42, I guess what Minh trying to say is that, it’s not racially offensive until you offend Black people. Other races don’t have luxury like this and they often make a big deal of it.

    • Forsbrand

      May 26, 2013 at 7:11 am

      Absolutely, I hear lots of us fans call padraigHarrington “Paddy” or “Irish” are they being racist too? Because both words can be perceived as rasist comments. I would suggest Sergio was having a joke that has been misinterpretated.

    • JT

      May 26, 2013 at 7:48 pm

      Minh, I agree with almost everything you said but you can’t be serious about the cat and dogs thing :).

  34. Mike Hunt

    May 22, 2013 at 10:05 pm

    I can only imagine the hecklers at Merion in June. Sergio is going to get pounded by the not so morally correct US crowd

    • Forsbrand

      May 25, 2013 at 1:21 pm

      Since Golfwrx has covered a European event could we ask Golfwrx to incorporate more European Tour tournaments issues and spotlights please it would be gratefully appreciated thanks

    • free

      May 26, 2013 at 6:01 am

      “not so morally correct us crowd”?

      dude, at least Sergio confined his disparaging remarks to just tiger….

      listen, as a member of the “not so morally correct us crowd” I choose not to take offense at your comment but u may want to contact Sergio and take a seminar on moral relativism….

      see my comment below about the splinter and the log….

    • Arthur J

      May 29, 2013 at 11:14 am

      Mike Hunt? Surely that’s a wind-up.

      • Carey

        Jun 6, 2013 at 1:04 pm

        Ah, yes. A Porky’s reference. My day is complete.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

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The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

  • 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
  • 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
  • 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
  • 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
  • 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
  • 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 LIV Adelaide betting preview: Cam Smith ready for big week down under

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After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide. 

For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.  

The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory. 

The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second. 

*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*

Past Winners at LIV Adelaide

  • 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)

Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami

Green in Regulation

  1. Richard Bland
  2. Jon Rahm
  3. Paul Casey

Fairways Hit

  1. Abraham Ancer
  2. Graeme McDowell
  3. Henrik Stenson

Driving Distance

  1. Bryson DeChambeau
  2. Joaquin Niemann
  3. Dean Burmester

Putting

  1. Cameron Smith
  2. Louis Oosthuizen
  3. Matt Jones

2024 LIV Adelaide Picks

Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)

When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.

At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.

The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.

Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)

Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.

In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.

For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1

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Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.

Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.

But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.

To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.

Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.

If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.

In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.

Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.

While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.

So, what about grooves and face texture?

Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.

Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.

But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?

The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.

So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.

And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.

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