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5. Player’s son arrested
Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”Wayne Player, son of golf legend Gary Player, was arrested in Columbia County on fraud charges involving a house he rented during the week of the 2018 Masters.”
- “The 56-year-old Player, Gary’s third oldest out of six children, was charged with deposit account fraud/bad check last Wednesday. According to the Augusta Chronicle, Player had rented a residence in Evans, Georgia-about two miles from Augusta National-for two nights, April 3 and 4, during last year’s tournament. Player gave the Evans homeowner a check for $1,000 on April 4, but the homeowner told police the bank returned the check due to insufficient funds.”
- “The homeowner’s lawyer made multiple attempts to contact Player, and at one point Player contacted the lawyer to say he’d settle the debt. However, the homeowner never received the $1,000.”
- “Player and his company Wayne Player Enterprises LLC are additionally facing a civil suit claiming Player failed to deliver on a promotional package for the 2018 Masters. Todd Feltz says that he and his wife purchased a trip for $6,850 per person that included badges to the Masters and Par-3 Contest, dinner and drinks with Wayne, breakfast or lunch at the Founders Club on April 4 and 5, and a meet-and-greet with Gary Player and other Masters champions.”
6. 30 years at the Phoenix Open
Phil Mickelson reflected on his three decades at the Phoenix Open…
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Thirty years, gosh, I remember when I was in college, it doesn’t seem that long ago that I was playing in my first Phoenix Open,” Mickelson said. “Just amazing how many great memories I have when I come back and play here.”
- “Mickelson still considers his first Phoenix Open win, in 1996, one of his career highlights. The tournament was played Wednesday-Saturday that year because of Phoenix hosting the Super Bowl, and Mickelson delivered in near-darkness by defeating Justin Leonard in a three-hole playoff.”
- “During that final round, Mickelson recalls stiffing his tee shot on the famous par-3 16th hole, which was just a shell of its current self, infrastructure-wise, but already with a rowdy reputation.”
- “I hit this 7-iron, it was kind of dark, it was hard to see, and I hit the ball, launched it pretty high so nobody could really see it, and the ball came down and stuck 3 feet from the hole and didn’t really release much,” Mickelson said. “But nobody could see the ball, and then all of a sudden it’s 3 feet. So it was a very awkward, there wasn’t any buildup to the applause. It was more of like a shock and delay, kind of like 12 at Augusta … I just remember that, that stood out to me as being something pretty cool, different, unique.”
7. Bryan on the DL
Golf Channel’s Will Gray…”After struggling through a difficult season, Wesley Bryan has gone under the knife.”
“The former PGA Tour winner didn’t return to action once the calendar flipped to 2019, and Wednesday he posted to Twitter to explain why. After being diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, the 28-year-old underwent surgery this month and will be out of action for the foreseeable future.”
Full piece.
8. Wagering at the 16th
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss filed a look at gambling inside the coliseum at the WMPO’s 16th hole.
- “Betting in golf is as much a part of the game as walking in a putt or twirling a driver. It’s as common on a local muni as it is during practice rounds at major championships. But on the famed par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the Phoenix Open, the wagering isn’t just more prevalent — it’s louder, too.”
- “You hear them,” Gary Woodland said. “You hear what they’re gambling. And they’re yelling.”
- “And the fans are betting on everything: hitting the green, hitting a bunker, making birdie, which caddie will get to the green first. Yes, even caddies get bet on.”
- “Xander Schauffele’s caddie, Austin Kaiser, hears the bets from the crowd surrounding the 16th every year in Scottsdale. Among all the wagers he hears throughout the season, he called the caddie bets the most “ridiculous.”
- “It’s not uncommon for Kaiser to hear someone shout “Hurry up, green,” referring to the bib color he’s wearing. What does Kaiser do? He’ll slow down or pause for a second.”
9. Iceman Jerry
Golf Channel’s Samantha Marks…”With a polar vortex moving across the midwest, causing temperatures to drop well below zero, many people are being told to stay indoors to avoid frostbite or hypothermia.”
- “But Jerry Kelly said no thanks. Kelly, who lives in Wisconsin, posted this video on Twitter, saying he “had to swing in -45 [degree] chill,” and get some practice in outdoors … in shorts and a t-shirt, nonetheless. “
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19th Hole2 weeks ago
19th Hole2 weeks ago
bbob
Jan 31, 2019 at 10:16 am
Wayne Player. He was a hoot as a junior golfer. Hit it all over the place and didn’t care who was around.