19th Hole

Barstool Sports founder shot a 66 (of sorts) at Shinnecock, our Swing Analysis

Published

6 years ago

May 22, 2018

Dave Portnoy, Barstool Sports’ founder, just brought upcoming U.S. Open venue Shinnecock to its knees…kind of.

How did El Pres wind up teeing it up in Southampton? Portnoy wrote about the genesis of the challenge in a characteristic blog post.

“So Riggs and I got in a huge debate a couple weeks ago on Barstool Radio. The question at hand was whether I could win the US Open with unlimited mulligans. For me the answer was a no brainer. Of course I would. That’s not even me bragging. That’s just me knowing what I’m capable of and knowing what unlimited mulligans actually means. I’d 100% birdie every par 3 and then par everything else. That’s -4 a day. Riggs projects the winner at Shinnecock this year will shoot -4 for the entire tournament. The ENTIRE TOURNAMENT. That means I’ll win by roughly 12 strokes. Easy peasy”

“Well apparently the good folks at the USGA caught wind of our argument and have generously offered to let me play Shinnecock on Monday with unlimited mulligans…When I said I’d win with unlimited mulligans I assumed that for the first 2 rounds I’d play from dawn to dusk to achieve my perfect score of -4 per day.”

Was this an insane expectation or something easily achievable? First of all, what do you think Portnoy’s handicap is? 20-25?

Here’s his action

Hole 1: 24 mulligans, 15 minutes, par @stoolpresidente #GoPresGo pic.twitter.com/p4ucOKuRyE

— Viva La Stool (@VivaLaStool) May 21, 2018

Our Tom Stickney had these remarks after watching the video.

“His shoulders open and tail needs to be stuck out more. Portnoy gets the club rotated a touch too much to the inside and it gets laid off on the way back. An over-the-top transition and a faulty pivot causes the fire-and-fall-back finish.”

Having seen his swing, knowing he had a wheelbarrow’s worth of golf balls and a crew of mulligan retrievers, how do you think El Pres did?

Surely, Barstool will produce video of the round beyond the few cell phone videos on Twitter and Instagram. And if you’d like to see those fragments, check out Portnoy’s Twitter, the Barstool Instagram, and well, the myriad of Barstool-related accounts.

But here’s the bottom line: With an innumerable amount of mulligans, the Barstool founder managed to shoot 66.

Today was a great victory for #TeamPortnoy. 4 under 66. EXACTLY what I said. From the Tips. Finished with a birdie on 270 par 3. I didn’t do it for me. I did it for my legacy.

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 21, 2018

Even say he averaged 10 mulligans per shot, shooting four under with, what we’ll label as an “extremely average” swing is impressive. .

Maybe it’s a feat of endurance, determination, and strategy more than it is a great golfing performance, but Portnoy’s performance in Southampton was more than a mere publicity stunt.

And even though we might stereotype the Stoolies as members of the “mashed potatoes” crowd, it’s tough to say the exposure and interaction is bad for the USGA and the U.S. Open.

What do you think, GolfWRX members? Interested? Impressed? Don’t care.

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19th Hole

‘That looks brutal’ – First photo of Tiger Woods’ leg without sleeve shows depth of injury

Published

6 hours ago

Jul 23, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

It’s been a struggle of late for Tiger Woods on the golf course. The 15-time major champion has only teed it up five times in 2024, finishing 60th in The Masters and missing the cut in the other three majors. He also played in the Genesis Invitational and was forced to withdraw.

Woods has many ailments, but none as debilitating as his surgically repaired leg. Since his car accident three years ago, the 48-year-old has rarely been seen without wearing a leg sleeve. However, on Monday, a fan was able to take a photograph of Woods’ leg without the sleeve.

@blakebunkersgolf IG

??? #LOOK: A photo has emerged of Tiger Woods without his leg sleeve @TWlegion

(Via: blakebunkersgolf/IG) pic.twitter.com/ppaGLdXg8X

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 22, 2024

The photo was taken at an event Tiger’s son, Charlie, was playing in by “blakebunkersgolf” on Instagram, and one of the top responses on X towards the photo was simply “That looks brutal.”

Woods has struggled with the lack of reps on the course but hasn’t given any indication as to whether his schedule will look any different come 2025.

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While you’re here, check out BK’s look at Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB.

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19th Hole

John Daly says this is the best golf course in Scotland…and it’s not St. Andrews

Published

6 hours ago

Jul 23, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

John Daly withdrew at last week’s Open Championship with a knee injury, but the 58-year-old was back on the links this week showcasing one of the most famous golf courses in the world for his fans.

While at Trump Turnberry, John Daly recorded a video of the 18th green.

In the video, the 1995 Open Champion shared his opinion that Turnberry is the best golf course in Scotland, even better than St. Andrews.

?????????? #BEST OF THE BEST — John Daly says Trump Turnberry beats out St Andrews for the title of best golf course in Scotland.

Do you agree?

(Via: @LGlick1) pic.twitter.com/Ya7FIJEfp2

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 22, 2024

“Hey everybody, John Daly here. I’m at Trump Turnberry today. I went out and tried to play a little bit. This place is amazing. It is the best golf course in Scotland, I think. St. Andrews is my baby, but I think I just found my new baby. I’m at the 18th green right here, this thing is unreal.”

Turnberry hosted its first Open Championship in 1977, which was dubbed “The Duel in the Sun” when Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus by a single stroke. The most recent Open the course hosted was 2009, where Watson almost won again, but lost to Stewart Cink in a playoff.

The course is not slated to host any Open Championships in the foreseeable future.

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19th Hole

Popular former champ reveals why the 2025 Open Championship may be his last

Published

1 day ago

Jul 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The Open Championship did not disappoint, as both Royal Troon and Xander Schauffele starred in the 152nd edition of the event, with the now two-time major champion pulling away on the back nine.

The Open is a tournament that hosts so many legends of the game, including past champions such as Darren Clarke. After the tournament, Clarke told the Belfast Telegraph that next year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush may be his last.

“Yes, I made the cut here [at Royal Troon], and if I make the cut in Portrush, it will be great and all that sort of stuff, but I’ve got my name on the Jug, and I have my name on the Senior Jug, and I would feel bad taking the spot away from a young kid.

“I was a young kid once, so to take a spot away from a young kid who may fulfil his dream of playing the Championship, sure, I’ve done mine. I don’t know what I will do.”

Clarke fared well at Royal Troon, making the cut and finishing in a tie for 75th.

The Irishman is 55 years of age and is exempt in The Open until age 60 as a result of his 2011 win at Royal St. George’s.

“Royal Portrush, as we all know, is very special,” he added. “The guys all loved it the last time we were there.

“But I’ve been thinking about it quite a lot. I’m 55 now, and I’ll be 56 next year for the Open at Portrush and it may be my last one and thank you very much, that’s enough for me and I can give some young kid an opportunity that I had whenever I was starting off.

“We’ll see, but I am certainly looking forward to being back in Portrush.”