19th Hole
‘Tiger would never do that!’ – Rory McIlroy’s former agent rips 4-time major champ for this act at Augusta
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Rory McIlroy.
The four-time major champ’s Grand Slam bid at Augusta National fell flat with a missed cut, before it was reported that McIlroy’s withdrawal from this week’s RBC Heritage is set to cost him $3 million in PIP money.
Now, McIlroy’s former agent Chubby Chandler has hit out at the 33-year-old, labelling Rory a “mouthpiece for the PGA Tour” and someone who “opens his mouth too much.”
Rory’s poor 2023 Masters performance came as a surprise to many, but speaking to iNews, Chandler revealed why he would bet against Rory ever winning at Augusta.
“If you were a betting man you would probably bet against him winning. He has made winning the grand slam [all four majors] a bigger thing in his head than it actually is.
He is not really driven by number of wins or number of majors per se, but he seems to be driven by wanting to win the grand slam. It’s a massive mental block and it’s getting harder and harder. Every time he gets there he has the pressure from everyone else, but also from himself.”
Then, Chandler did not hold back when it came to expressing his views on McIlroy conducting an on-course interview while in the heat of battle at Augusta.
“To me he has got carried away as mouthpiece of the PGA Tour. He is doing things he shouldn’t be doing and opening his mouth too often. The interview on the fairway [at the Masters], absolutely brilliant TV but not good for Rory McIlroy.
You can’t be having a chat with a guy in the commentary box about the day and the way he is playing, or whatever, then get over a wedge and give it 100 per cent. You would never have got [Jack] Nicklaus doing it. You would never have got Tiger [Woods] doing it.
If you could see into his head back in the days when he was flying around Augusta there was nothing in there other than hitting a golf ball. Now he has commitments with PGA Tour, where he has been groomed as a political figurehead, with TV, with half a dozen really big sponsors.
And they take up time. He now has Workday [software company]. Workday put an add on TV, that will take a day of his time. That clutter manifests itself on the course. He needs to get away from a lot of that, and just trust his talent.”
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19th Hole
‘I drove the living p*** out of the ball today’ – Jordan Spieth left frustrated by ‘bizarre’ current form after opening 73
On Thursday, Jordan Spieth shot an opening round 73 (+1) at the Valero Texas Open. In typical Spieth fashion, the 73 was relatively unconventional with circles and squares all over the scorecard.
On the front nine, Spieth four bogeys and two birdies to make the turn in 38 (+2). On the back nine, things got even more interesting. The three-time major champion made a double-bogey on the par-5 14th followed by an incredible hole-in-one on the par 3-16th.
? SPIETH ACE ?@JordanSpieth makes a hole-in-one on the 199-yard par-3 16th hole @ValeroTXOpen.
(Presented by @CocaCola) pic.twitter.com/kHZKIxKiIZ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 4, 2024
After the round, Spieth said “I’m playing so much better than I’ve been scoring”.
He added that he “drove the living piss out of the ball today”, which caused frustration because one bad drive on 15 created a big number. Spieth then said, “my driving stats don’t look the way they actually feel”.
Jordan Spieth: “I drove the living piss out the ball today..”
(Via: @pmcdonaldCBS)
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 5, 2024
Spieth will try to put it all together in his second round on Friday morning at TPC San Antonio.
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19th Hole
Anthony Kim says doctors told him that he ‘may not have much time left’ ahead of LIV return
While speaking in with the media in his pre-tournament conference for LIV Miami, Anthony Kim revealed that he was told by doctors that he “may not have much time left” at some point during his twelve years away from professional golf.
“I mean, you know, not to get too far into it, but when doctors are telling you that you may not have much time left, that’s a pretty rude awakening. I still think about it to this day when I’m out there and I get frustrated with my golf, you know, how far I’ve come. And other people don’t need to know the journey. I’m going to share it, and the people that find inspiration and strength from it, I hope it can influence them in a positive way. But yeah, it was — I got to a point where, you know, I may not be here speaking to you guys.”
Anthony Kim when asked about his low point over the past 12 years:
"I mean, you know, not to get too far into it, but when doctors are telling you that you may not have much time left, that's a pretty rude awakening. I still think about it to this day when I'm out there and I…
— Matt Vincenzi (@MattVincenziPGA) April 4, 2024
This week, “AK” is making his first start in the United States since his return. Kim has played in two tournaments in both Jeddah and Hong Kong and has finished 53rd and 50th.
Despite the poor results on the leaderboard, Kim shot a 65 in the final round at Hong Kong Golf Club, which is incredibly impressive considering he told David Feherty in an interview this week that he picked up a club for the first time three months before LIV Jeddah.
The 38-year-old credits his two-year old daughter, Bella, for saving his life and being his inspiration.
“I got professional help. I think that I didn’t deal with a lot of the trauma and whatever came from my life, and I buried it because I didn’t want to show anybody weakness, right. And I thought by showing vulnerability, that was weakness, and I’ve come to a point in my life where I don’t care if somebody thinks that about me or not.
“My daughter is all I care about, and I know it almost sounds corny for me to say but as long as she’s proud of me, I’m a happy man.”
Kim is set to tee it up for the first round of LIV Miami at Trump Doral on Friday.
*Featured Image Photo courtesy of LIV Golf*
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19th Hole
Notah Begay gives gloomy update on Tiger’s injuries ahead of 2024 Masters
While speaking with USA Today, Tiger Woods’ good friend, Notah Begay III, discussed the health of the 15-time major champion.
“He’s trying to formulate a strategy and approach that he can work within given the constraints that he’s presented with. And he’s got some constraints,” Begay said. “He’s got zero mobility in that left ankle and really has low-back challenges now, which he knew he was going to have.”
At Begay’s tournament he hosts that Tiger’s son Charlie played in, Tiger told him, “My ankle doesn’t move. So, something’s going to take the stress. I mean, the stress is going to transfer somewhere else.”
At the Genesis Invitational, that pain transferred to Woods’ back, causing him to withdraw from the tournament.
“For the past couple months, he’s been trying to find a way to recover,” Begay added. “He can play the golf. We always knew the question was going to be ‘Can he walk the 72 (holes)?’ That’s still up in the air. But can he recover, from one round to the next? That’s the biggest question that I really don’t know and he’s not going to know either until he gets out there and figures out whether the way he’s prepared for this year’s Masters is going to work for him.”
Last year, Woods made the cut at Augusta, but was forced to withdraw over the weekend due to plantar fasciitis.
The week will be sure to test Tiger, as Augusta National is one of the most difficult walks in golf.
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