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19th Hole

Tiger’s alarming decrease in clubhead speed before his 5th back surgery

Published

3 years ago

on

Tiger Woods’ close friend Notah Begay talked to Golf Channel this week and shared some insightful information on the pain Tiger felt prior to his latest back surgery and just how much the issue was hurting his performance.

Per Begay, one of the first things Tiger was quick to notice at the PNC Championship back in December was the alarming rate in which his clubhead speed had dropped.

Woods had a PGA Tour-best clubhead speed of 129.2 mph in March 2018, but last month that clubhead speed had sunk to 113mph due to the pain he was feeling.

“I had a chance to visit with him and catch up over at the PNC Championship, but one of the things he did bring up was that he noticed that his clubhead speed was creeping down around 113 (mph), and, I’ve known this guy since he was 9 years old, and he might have been over 113 back then. I don’t think he’s ever crept this low.”  

The analyst also revealed that Woods had “some concern” about having a 5th back surgery, and described the “radiating” pain which forced Tiger to go under the knife yet again:

“I talked to him just recently, within the last hour, and he mentioned that there was radiating pain back down the back part of his leg. Anybody that’s ever had disc problems like myself can realize and understand that’s just a very uncomfortable place to be in. 

Any way you can alleviate the pain, in this particular case, through this procedure, is the way to go, especially if you want to try and pursue elite-level performance.”

For his comeback, Begay told viewers that Woods is back hitting balls already and will have Augusta in mind for his return. As for a blueprint for Tiger to add to his 82 PGA Tour wins, Begay believes hot putting weeks will be key.

“He’s fine. I mean, I literally 15 minutes ago exchanged texts with him, and he was hitting golf balls. It’s not like he’s laying in the bed watching reruns of Friends. He’s gotten the pain alleviated. I promise he wasn’t trying to rip his driver out there, but he’s going to let it come back, he’s going to let it heal and we all know that he’s got the event in April circled.

There’s a lot of torque, a lot of stress, and I think he’s just going to have to play a little bit more of a consistent type of tee-to-green game and then just wait for when the putter starts to warm up like we know it can.”

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

19th Hole

Report: Tiger Woods voted against Rory McIlroy returning to policy board; Will be the only player negotiating directly with Saudis

Published

16 hours ago

on

May 9, 2024

By

According to a report from The Telegraph, the relationship between Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy has soured.

Last week, reports surfaced that McIlroy, who was a member of the PGA Tour policy board during most of the past few years, was looking to rejoin the board, presumably taking Webb Simpson’s seat.

However, on Wednesday, McIlroy revealed that he will not be rejoining the policy board, due to people on the board being “uncomfortable” with that “for some reason.”

The Telegraph has reported that Tiger Woods was among the players who voted against McIlroy returning to the policy board.

The divide is apparently due to McIlroy pushing for the game of golf to unify, whereas Woods, reportedly, believes the PGA Tour is in a fine position where it currently stands.

The Associated Press added another wrinkle to the situation, reporting that Woods is the only player who will be negotiating directly with the Saudis.

The other members of the committee are PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, board chairman Joe Gorder, John W. Henry of Fenway Sports Group, and Joe Ogilvie, who was a former PGA Tour player.

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19th Hole

Phil Mickelson reveals he won’t be pursuing broadcasting career when he retires from golf

Published

2 days ago

on

May 8, 2024

By

On Tuesday, Chris McKee, a Toronto writer and radio host, wondered aloud on his X account if Phil Mickelson will be a commentator after his playing days are over.

“The second Phil Mickelson retires he’ll instantly become the most sought after TV analyst in golf. Would any PGA Tour broadcaster (CBS, ESPN, NBC or Sky) bring him in or would he have to stick to LIV broadcasts? #LIVGolf”

Mickelson saw the post and responded, saying he’s not interested in moving from the course to the broadcast booth.

“Thank you for the kind words. However, just cuz someone CAN do something doesn’t mean they SHOULD do it. Instead of commentating, I’m going to shoot some Pros vs Schmos 9 hole matches. I’ll share insights throughout as well as talk a little smack. It won’t be the highest quality video but it’ll be fun for me to do and fun to watch I think too.”

While I believe many fans would like to see Phil in the booth, his idea of “Pro’s vs Schmo’s” could certainly be intriguing.

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19th Hole

PGA Tour pro sounds off on ‘unfair’ PGA Championship invites

Published

2 days ago

on

May 8, 2024

By

This week, the PGA of America made some surprising announcements regarding the field of next week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.

The event now will feature 16 LIV players with Talor Gooch, Dean Burmester, David Puig, Adrian Meronk and Patrick Reed receiving special exemptions.

PGA Tour player, Dylan Wu, took issue with how the exemptions were used and went to X to share his thoughts.

“Why is there never “real” qualifications for the PGA Championship? You have a points list and World ranking invite. Usually just outside top 100 in OWGR gets in. Chan Kim ranked 104th in OWGR doesn’t get in. SH Kim at 107th isn’t in.”

“Jesper Svennson ranked 108th gets in. Tim Widing 120th gets in. Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald gets a spot. A bunch of guys get leapfrogged even though they’re ranked higher than others. Seems like they just invite whoever they want. Unfair to the guys on the edge like Chan and SH”

“Just seems like the world of professional golf is in a weird spot and I love that the tournament invited a handful of great LIV players but figure out a correct system for a major championship where guys know they’ll be in or not. ????”

Fans who replied to Wu seemed to agree that a more definitive ranking system for the PGA Championship should be established.

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