By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.
For comments: [email protected]
Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour heads to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic. |
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1. 15-year-old finishes top 20 on KFT
Jay Coffin for Golf Digest…”During a week when most eyes were on Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda, the 15-year-old lefty finished off an incredible week with a five-under 66 in the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood Ranch in Florida.”
- “After opening with 68-66-70, Russell finished at 14-under-par total to tie for 20th place. The finish in which he jumped 28 positions on the leaderboard on the final day, gives him an exemption into next week’s Veritex Bank Championship at Rangers Park in Arlington, Texas. He’s the youngest player to finish inside the top 20 on the PGA of Korn Ferry tours, according to records that go back to 1983.”
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2. Understandably, Nelly WDs
Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Nelly Korda’s bid for a record-setting sixth consecutive win will have to wait a few weeks.”
- “A day after capturing the Chevron Championship during a marathon final round in Houston, Korda announced on social media that she was withdrawing from this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”
- “It was not an easy decision,” she wrote. “After the unbelievable week at the Chevron and grinding through the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”
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3. Scheffler’s impressive No. 1 feat
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”After Scheffler’s victory Monday morning at the RBC Heritage, Scheffler upped his points average to 15.016 and increased his advantage in the Official World Golf Ranking over No. 2 Rory McIlroy to more than double McIlroy’s 7.365 average, meaning Scheffler is ranked further ahead of No. 2 than No. 2 is ahead of the last-ranked player.”
- “The last time a No. 1 player had a greater points average was Woods, who was at 15.4564 on Dec. 6, 2009. But Woods was less than seven average points ahead of No. 2 Phil Mickelson at the time. Earlier that year, Woods was 7.735 ahead of Mickelson, which is the last time the gap between Nos. 1 and 2 was greater than Scheffler’s current 7.651 advantage.”
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4. Zurich field notes
PGATour.com’s Adam Stanley…”Rory McIlroy will make his tournament debut alongside good pal, Ryder Cup teammate, and Irishman Shane Lowry – a duo that was firmed up during a celebratory lunch after the Ryder Cup last fall… Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will try to reprise their 2022 win here. Cantlay and Schauffele have both the Foursomes and Four-ball scoring records at this event… Davis Riley and Nick Hardy will defend their 2023 title. No team has gone back-to-back… Three sets of brothers (and two sets of twins!) will play together with twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard and Parker and Pierceson Coody in the field along with Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick. Alex Fitzpatrick and Rasmus Højgaard are sponsor invites…”
- “Billy Horschel, who won last week at the Corales Puntacana Championship, will be without his previous partner Sam Burns, as Burns and his wife are expecting their first child any day. Horschel will instead be paired with fellow University of Florida alum Tyson Alexander. Horschel has won the Zurich Classic when it was both an individual and team event… Other notable pairings include Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris, and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin. The Canadian duo finished runner-up a year ago and would like nothing more than to show Presidents Cup International Team captain Mike Weir how well they play together… Steve Stricker will play his second TOUR event this season (after earning his way into THE PLAYERS Championship), teaming up with Matt Kuchar.”
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5. Tiger’s teammates
Field Level Media report…”Tiger Woods announced Monday that Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner have joined his Jupiter Links GC TGL team.”
- “The virtual golf league headed by Woods and Rory McIlroy will begin its inaugural season next January. Woods also unveiled the team’s logo.”
- “I have already shared my excitement and optimism for TGL as a league and product,” said Woods. “Now that we have finalized our roster with a team of world-class golfers, I am even more confident that this group will proudly represent the Jupiter (Fla.) area and connect with our fans for years to come.”
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6. Woosnam questions Cantlay’s decision
Our Matt Vincenzi…”After the horn sounded to suspend play due to darkness, Cantlay, who’s ball was in the fairway on the 18th hole, had a decision to make. With over 200 yards into the green and extreme winds working against the shot, conventional wisdom would be to wait until Monday morning to hit the shot.”
- “On the other hand, if he could finish the hole, he may just want to get the event over with so he could get out of Hilton Head.”
- “Curiously, Cantlay chose neither of those options. After hitting 3-wood into the green, and still coming up short, the former FedEx Cup champion chose to mark his ball and chip and putt on Monday morning.”
- “Ian Woosnam, who was watching from home, took to X to give his thoughts on Cantlay’s decision making.”
- “Cantlay would end up getting up and down for par when play resumed at 8:00 am Monday morning.”
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7. JT on Scheffler’s “weird” equipment choice
Our Matt Vincenzi…”After Justin Thomas’ third round of the RBC Heritage, the two-time major champion went in the broadcast booth alongside the CBS crew.”
- “While Thomas was watching Scottie Scheffler play on the back nine of his third round, he wondered aloud why Scottie uses high-numbered golf balls.”
- “Does anybody else think it’s weird that Scottie uses high numbers? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an elite player use high-numbered golf balls.”
- “Amanda Balionis who was on the grounds chimed in, reporting that analyst Dottie Pepper had wondered the same thing earlier that day.”
- “I’ve been going about this wrong my whole life,” Thomas jokingly said.
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8. Rory to rejoin PGA Tour policy board
Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Four-time major championship winner Rory McIlroy is poised to return to the PGA Tour’s policy board, pending a vote by the board, which could come as early as this week, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.”
- “One of the PGA Tour’s most vocal supporters during its three-year battle with LIV Golf, McIlroy abruptly resigned as a player director on the tour’s influential policy board in November.”
- “He is expected to replace policy board player director Webb Simpson, who intends to step away before his two-year term expires in 2025.”
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9. Weir names Presidents Cup assistants
PGA Tour report…”International Team Captain Mike Weir announced Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas as captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will be played at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 24-29. |
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MB
Oct 9, 2017 at 10:08 pm
I love it. Does he get jiggy wit’ it too?
Boss
Oct 9, 2017 at 3:49 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZPQdZLyHYE
Boss
Oct 9, 2017 at 12:13 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlg6-uE5hxo
Someone
Oct 9, 2017 at 11:57 am
Any speculation as to the sigh at the end? you think he was in pain still or disappointed?
Devilsadvocate
Oct 10, 2017 at 7:11 am
Not a sigh it’s the sound of the video returning to full speed
MB
Oct 10, 2017 at 11:50 am
I think he was being sarcastic dude
Someone
Oct 10, 2017 at 10:47 pm
spot on.
bb
Oct 9, 2017 at 12:40 am
lmfaooooooooo
Mad-Mex
Oct 8, 2017 at 6:27 pm
Good Luck and Speedy recovery,,,,,,,, but he wont be more than a side show and ticket seller until the novelty wears off and he joins the Senior Tour….
Crackshot
Oct 8, 2017 at 7:16 pm
His spine is wrecked because papa Woods forced lil’ 2 y.o. Tiger to swing a weighted club with a cut down steel shaft…. and 40 years later he has an 80 y.o. spinal column!!!
Rwj
Oct 8, 2017 at 7:21 pm
More likely his wanna be SEAL mindset and training. He was a small guy trying to carry heavy amounts of muscle
RMF
Oct 9, 2017 at 7:58 am
He’s over 6 foot tall? hardly a midget
MB
Oct 9, 2017 at 1:30 am
It’s because he activated his glutes all wrong with too many ladies of the night
M. Vegas
Oct 8, 2017 at 4:43 pm
Every day is upper body day yo
Scott
Oct 8, 2017 at 3:35 pm
Yawn
The Dude
Oct 8, 2017 at 10:01 am
slow motion will not show his rushed transition (compared to what he use to have)……google his swing from 2001….then look his 2015 transition…..not the same and likely the reason he lost lots of power…
RG
Oct 8, 2017 at 3:21 am
Now all he needs is to be able to hit a driver, fix his short game figure out how to putt again, stop dipping, find a rhythm with some kind of tempo, improve his mental attitude, get his focus back and not break his back and he’ll be back!
JJC51
Oct 9, 2017 at 7:44 pm
Oh, and he will have to remember which coast he is on, Atlantic or Pacific, next time he is pulled over by the cops.
MB
Oct 8, 2017 at 2:05 am
Until he fixes that wicked dip, he’ll never be hit his driver straight again. And I shouldn’t help him or anything lol
RMF
Oct 8, 2017 at 2:45 pm
Tiger has always had a massive drop in his swing?
MB
Oct 9, 2017 at 1:21 am
RMF, yeah, but you can’t hit modern big-headed 460 driver that way. He could do it back then in the 90’s early 2000’s when the heads were still relatively smaller compared to the 460 we have now, when he could still somewhat hit down-ish on it. Now with that dip, he’s all over the place. Not that I want to him to change his swing now, mind you, I don’t want to see him anywhere near the tour again
Crackshot
Oct 8, 2017 at 7:11 pm
He likes to ‘dip’ with his straight driver… he needs no help….
MB
Oct 9, 2017 at 1:22 am
It might have been straight before, but it’s all crooked now since he hit the fire hydrant, and since he’s been caught drooling at the wheel slobbering on dilaudid
cgasucks
Oct 7, 2017 at 10:03 pm
Baby steps…
Jacked_Loft
Oct 8, 2017 at 5:20 am
+1
Crackshot
Oct 8, 2017 at 7:09 pm
He’s got a senior citizen hip, spine and shoulder joints.
RMF
Oct 9, 2017 at 7:59 am
He’s rich he can afford all sorts of things
Steve
Oct 7, 2017 at 8:37 pm
Probably hit the smooth 9 as far as I hit my hybrid.
Crackshot
Oct 8, 2017 at 7:12 pm
you can only hit your hybrid 150 yards? LOL
MB
Oct 9, 2017 at 1:31 am
Oh you give him way too much credit, he meant more like 110 yards
SteveK
Oct 7, 2017 at 7:46 pm
A smooth three-quarter 9-iron shot?
SteveK
Oct 8, 2017 at 2:50 am
One of the TV analysts at the Safeway Open made the comment that most of the golfers were only going back three-quarters with their irons.
I guess the pros can backswing three-quarters to generate enough shoulder torque for their iron shots.
RMF
Oct 8, 2017 at 4:42 pm
if that is 3/4s what fraction is John Rahms swing 1/24