19th Hole
Hot & Cold: Where strokes were won and lost at the 3M Open
In “Hot & Cold,” we’ll be focusing each week on what specific areas of the game players excelled and disappointed in throughout the previous tournament. On Sunday, Matthew Wolff produced one of the stories of the year by winning on just his third professional start, and here’s a look at where some of the most notable players gained and lost strokes over the four days of action at the 3M Open.
Hot
Matthew Wolff buried a long eagle attempt on Sunday evening to claim the 3M Open, but it was the 20-year-old’s brilliance with his irons which paved his way to victory. Wolff gained 9.5 strokes over the field for strokes gained: approaching the green, which was the second-best total in the field in this area. Check out the clubs Matthew Wolff used to win the 3M Open in our WITB piece here.
Runner-up Collin Morikawa was the only man in the field who struck his irons better than Wolff all week. Morikawa gained a massive 10.5 strokes over the field for his approaches in Minnesota, and the 22-year-old has now gained strokes in this department in all four of his appearances this year.
Bryson DeChambeau produced his best display of the year at the 3M Open, and his putter remains red-hot as we head towards the year’s final major. DeChambeau gained 5.2 strokes on the greens last week, his best total of the year, and he has now gained strokes on the greens in his previous four events.
Cold
Brooks Koepka produced another mediocre performance in a regular tour event at last week’s 3M Open finishing 65th. The 29-year-old struggled with his entire game in Minnesota and lost strokes tee to green for the first time since the Tournament of Champions back in January.
Koepka looking like he'll finish around T65 this week.
He's now finished 50th or worse in 6 of his last 7 non-major events.
— Daniel Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) July 7, 2019
Jason Day was another big name who failed to fire last week, and it was the Australian’s poor display on the greens that led him to a T66 finish. Day lost almost four strokes with the flat-stick in Minnesota – his worst showing with the putter since 2013.
Phil Mickelson endured another wretched week on Tour at the 3M Open, missing his third cut in his last four events. Mickelson lost 6.4 strokes tee to green for the two days he was in town – his worst performance of the year in this area. Worryingly for Lefty is that he has now failed to gain strokes tee to green at an event since March.
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19th Hole
“Is it a Titleist?” – Jerry Seinfeld shares never-before-heard details of iconic scene
On Thursday, legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the Rich Eisen Show and shared an awesome story from a “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Marine Biologist.”
In the episode, a golf ball goes into the blow hole of a whale. According to Seinfeld, that was never in the episode’s script.
Seinfeld recalls saying the night before the filming of the episode, “What if what puts the whale in distress is Kramer’s golf ball?”
“He’s hitting golf balls at the beach. George is at the beach with a girl, we haven’t connected them!”
“We write that speech the night before at two o’clock in the morning…The sea was angry that day my friend.”
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Kramer finishes the iconic scene by asking “Is it a Titleist?” Seinfeld told Eisen the show sought Titleist’s permission to mention its name, saying the ball had to be a Titleist. Fortunately for lovers of the iconic show, the company agreed.
If (somehow) you’re unfamiliar with the scene, check it out below.
More from the 19th Hole
- Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game “on a much more global basis”
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Tiger explains why golf has “negative connotations” for daughter Sam
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19th Hole
Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game ‘on a much more global basis’
While speaking with Bloomberg, golf legend Phil Mickelson acknowledged that he is inching close towards retirement.
“I’m 53 now,” Phil said, “and my career, you know, it’s — if I’m being truthful, it’s on — it’s — it’s — I’m a — it’s towards its end.”
Mickelson added that one of his focuses now is helping other young players.
“Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game has provided me. I’d like them to experience that as well.”
The six-time major champion credited LIV with reaching new markets in golf to help it grow.
“I think that’s exciting for everyone involved in the game because we are going to reach markets that we didn’t reach before. I think it’s going to inspire more golf courses, inspire more manufacturers selling clubs and equipment, but also inspiring young kids to try to play golf professionally. I just see that the game of golf is going to grow on a much more global basis because of the excitement and the presence that LIV Golf has.”
Mickelson is playing at this week’s LIV Singapore and shot a first round 72 (+1).
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 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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19th Hole
Tiger explains why golf has ‘negative connotations’ for daughter Sam
While Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, has certainly inherited his father’s love for golf, his daughter, Sam, has not.
On Wednesday, Tiger made an appearance on The Today Show with Carson Daly and explained his daughter’s relationship with golf.
“Golf has negative connotations for her. When she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her. I had to pack, I had to leave, and I was gone for weeks. So, there were negative connotations to it.
“We developed our own relationship and our own rapport outside of golf. We do things that doesn’t involve golf. Meanwhile, my son and I, everything we do is golf related.”
The nine-minute interview touches on plenty of other subjects, such as Tiger’s relationship with his late father, Earl.
It’s arguably the most open we’ve seen the 15-time major champion in an interview and is most definitely worth watching.
Tiger Woods sits down with Carson Daly to talk about golf, growing up in Southern California, his father and his new apparel line, Sun Day Red. pic.twitter.com/2TFbSNxzxq
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 1, 2024
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 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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