19th Hole
Sounds like Justin Thomas has the formula for continued success
Considering, you know, he was just named the PGA Tour’s 2016-2017 Player of the Year and all, Justin Thomas is coming off a pretty decent season. He won five times, including the PGA Championship. He was third in season scoring average at 69.35. He shot 59 at the Sony Open and 63 at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills.
So, yeah, it was a good year, and Thomas had some interesting things to say after collecting his POY trophy.
You can’t let up one bit
Thomas learned the imperative of pouring in birdies in college.
“I love going low. I love making birdies. It’s something I honestly, as crazy as it is, I really think it speaks a lot to the courses that we played in college at Alabama. They weren’t exactly the hardest golf courses, but they were pretty good courses, but you could really score on them, and that’s something that Coach [Jay] Seawell would preach to us.”
“When you go out and play professional golf, you need to know how to make birdies, and you need to know what you’re doing when you’re six-under through nine or have a chance at 59, because you can’t let up one bit.”
Improved course management has been key
Of course, you can’t fire at every pin. Thomas explained caddie Jimmy Johnson has helped him keep the pedal down when he’s cruising and play more conservatively when he’s slightly off.
“I felt like I’ve always had the firepower to do so, but it was just about keeping the pedal down and keeping that aggressive mind frame when you’re playing that well,” he added. “That was something I was able to do, and Jimmy [Johnson, his caddie] did a great job, as well, helping me not change my mind frame and our game plan when we’re playing really well and just continue to attack, and yeah, I posted a lot of low numbers over the last couple years, but especially this year.”
“You could look at me now versus me probably in my rookie year, and I’d say that’s the difference – it’s just experience. You have to pick your spots.”
The combination of stellar birdie making and shrewd bogey avoidance; powerful stuff.
Goals for 2017-2018
Much was made of Thomas’ ambitious goals for 2016-2017, nearly all of which he completed. Looking ahead to the upcoming campaign, JT shed a little light on his goal-setting formula.
“I don’t know who I heard it from back in college or whenever it was, but you just have to break it up. You have to have two to four goals that are very achievable, two to four goals that are in grasp but will be tough, and two to four goals that are maybe a little bit out of the realm and are going to be very difficult to do, but are somewhat achievable if you have a great year like I did this year.”
Seeking advice from the right sources
When asked what he’d to ensure an equally good or better performance in 2017-2018, Thomas offered a wise reply: talk to the handful of guys who have been able to sustain high performance.
“I’ll probably spend some time talking to Mr. Nicklaus about or Tiger because those are guys — those are the only people — or even Jordan, those are the only people I know that have had such success in one season multiple times, and they’ve had to deal with resetting their goals and reevaluating.”
We talk a lot about Thomas’ prodigious birdie making, the raw power he generates with his 155-pound frame, his “Ambassador of Tour Sauce” status. But it sounds like Thomas has learned the critical lessons of course management and standing on the shoulders of giants. Which is to say, he could easily be the 2017-2018 Player of the Year as well.
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19th Hole
TaylorMade signs 15-year-old AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year to an NIL contract
This week, TaylorMade Golf announced that they’ve signed AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Miles Russell, to an NIL contract.
In a statement, TaylorMade called Russell “nothing short of remarkable”.
“Miles’ record setting success at his young age is nothing short of remarkable and we are excited he chose us to support him in his growth as a golfer to continue to accomplish his career goals. Identifying and developing the top junior talent in the world has always been a priority for us at TaylorMade. Miles and his family epitomize the type of athlete and human being we are looking to add to Team TaylorMade.”
Russell has broken plenty of records in recent months. This season, he was named American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Boys Player of the Year, making him the youngest male player to receive the award. The record was previously held by Tiger Woods who was about 10 months older than Russell at the time he received the award.
At age 14, J he became the youngest player ever to win the Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass at age 14.
The 15-year-old also played in his first Korn Ferry Tour event on Thursday, the LECOM Suncoast Classic, and shot a first-round 68.
In the aftermath of the agreement, Russell released a statement.
“I have had a great relationship with the team at TaylorMade for years now and couldn’t be more excited to continue to work with them in the future. TaylorMade has a history of developing the top junior talent in the world to help reach their goals of becoming PGA TOUR and major championship winners. I am looking forward to working with the team to reach those and other goals I have laid out for my career.”
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Group of PGA Tour caddies sign endorsement deal with underwear company
In an interesting turn of events, a group of PGA Tour caddies have signed an endorsement deal with an underwear company.
Geno Bonnalie (Joel Dahmen), Aaron Flener (J.T. Poston), John Limanti (Akshay Bhatia) and Joel Stock (Will Zalatoris) and John Ellis (Wyndham Clark) have signed a deal with the underwear brand, SAXX.
Here are some details about the endorsement deal:
- The deal eclipses six figures in total value, extending what last year marked the first significant apparel agreement with a group of pro caddies. Of note, Geno and John Ellis appeared in the Netflix docuseries, Full Swing.
- The caddies will wear SAXX underwear, shorts and polos on and off the course.
- SAXX will donate $100 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation for every birdie made by the caddies’ players for the rest of the season.
- SAXX will bring the Ball Masters to the masses at the Travelers Championship, hosting a fan activation with underwear giveaways, photo opportunities, appearances from the Ball Masters and more.
- Fans can become an honorary Ball Master, which includes a year’s worth of underwear, among other things. Go to SAXX.com/ball-master-application from now until June 15 to enter.
The partnership is great for the caddies and also represents a great cause.
Check out the video they shared on YouTube:
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- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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Man charged with stealing millions of dollars worth of memorabilia from Augusta National
According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, a man has been charged in Chicago with stealing millions of dollars’ worth of memorabilia from Augusta National.
The man, Robert Globensky, was charged with transporting the memorabilia across state lines.
The report states that between 2009 and 2022, Globensky allegedly transported “millions of dollars’ worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and historical memorabilia” from Augusta National “and transported to Tampa, Florida, knowing the same had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud.”
The document was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Per the court records there is no mention that Globensky worked for the golf club.
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- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
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