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Bubba Watson explains Matt Wolff LIV trade that he says knew ‘the world would see as dumb’

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When LIV Golf’s RangeGoats GC captained by Bubba Watson traded away the reigning individual champion of the league, Talor Gooch, for a player who hasn’t performed well in Matthew Wolff, most onlookers of the upstart golf league scratched their head.

Watson, however, defended the move just a few weeks prior to the LIV Golf season being set to kick off at Mayakoba while speaking to LIV.

“I’ve always wanted Wolff. I think Wolff is such a great talent and a great kid,” the 45-year-old said. “Once I made the deal with the Aces for Peter, it was easy to make the deal with Smash because now I’ve got the pieces that I wanted to make this all work.

“I knew the world would see this as dumb. But at the same time, if I’m taking a chance to come to LIV, people may have seen that as dumb at the time. And now people see it differently, right? Two years later, they’re like, ‘Hey, LIV’s not that bad.’

“So, when you talk to me in two years, well, it’s like any sports team when you make a trade. Look at Aaron Rodgers this year. Four plays in, he got hurt. And so, the Jets blew it, right? I don’t know the future, but I can try to guess. And that’s what we tried to do, make our most educated guess.”

Bubba added that he also made the move as a way to help someone in need who’s had mental health struggles.

“I’ve always wanted to be on Matt’s side. Always wanted to be in his camp because he’s young, right? I didn’t tell the world I had mental problems when I was in my early 20s, mid-20s. I wish I had somebody to talk with back then.

“It’s no good for Bubba Watson to play golf or to be part of this world if I’m not going to help people. And so, with Matthew, when I sat back and before I made the trade, the light bulb went off. This is my chance to help Matthew.”

Wolff also seems happy with how things are going so far in his new pink threads.

“I know I’ve got a lot of skill and a lot of talent. For me, the main thing is just mentally making sure that I’m in a good spot, I’m enjoying where I’m at and I want to be out there.

“Being on a team with Bubba, I think he’ll definitely be able to help me out with that aspect. But more than anything, just kind of getting me in a position where I feel like I can thrive and be myself. I really feel like it’s a good fit here.”

Fellow RangeGoat Peter Uihlein is excited to have Wolff on board, and the two have been friends for a while.

“Funny enough, the other day I told Matt, ‘You finished second in the US Open. You won on Tour. You were top 12 in the world at one point. You don’t forget how to play golf,’” Uihlein said. “He might’ve just kind of lost his way a little bit, but it’s not like he doesn’t know how to get that back.

“He just needs to go out there, be himself again, play golf, have fun doing it. It’s ridiculous to watch him. He’s the most talented player I think I’ve ever played with. No doubt he’ll be just fine.”

With the season right around the corner, we will soon find out if Wolff can return to the form that made him one of the most promising prospects in all of golf just a few years ago.

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TaylorMade signs 15-year-old AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year to an NIL contract

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This week, TaylorMade Golf announced that they’ve signed AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Miles Russell, to an NIL contract.

In a statement, TaylorMade called Russell “nothing short of remarkable”.

“Miles’ record setting success at his young age is nothing short of remarkable and we are excited he chose us to support him in his growth as a golfer to continue to accomplish his career goals. Identifying and developing the top junior talent in the world has always been a priority for us at TaylorMade. Miles and his family epitomize the type of athlete and human being we are looking to add to Team TaylorMade.”

Russell has broken plenty of records in recent months. This season, he was named American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Boys Player of the Year, making him the youngest male player to receive the award. The record was previously held by Tiger Woods who was about 10 months older than Russell at the time he received the award.

At age 14, J he became the youngest player ever to win the Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass at age 14.

The 15-year-old also played in his first Korn Ferry Tour event on Thursday, the LECOM Suncoast Classic, and shot a first-round 68.

In the aftermath of the agreement, Russell released a statement.

“I have had a great relationship with the team at TaylorMade for years now and couldn’t be more excited to continue to work with them in the future. TaylorMade has a history of developing the top junior talent in the world to help reach their goals of becoming PGA TOUR and major championship winners. I am looking forward to working with the team to reach those and other goals I have laid out for my career.”

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Group of PGA Tour caddies sign endorsement deal with underwear company

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In an interesting turn of events, a group of PGA Tour caddies have signed an endorsement deal with an underwear company.

Geno Bonnalie (Joel Dahmen), Aaron Flener (J.T. Poston), John Limanti (Akshay Bhatia) and Joel Stock (Will Zalatoris) and John Ellis (Wyndham Clark) have signed a deal with the underwear brand, SAXX.

Here are some details about the endorsement deal:

  • The deal eclipses six figures in total value, extending what last year marked the first significant apparel agreement with a group of pro caddies. Of note, Geno and John Ellis appeared in the Netflix docuseries, Full Swing.
  • The caddies will wear SAXX underwear, shorts and polos on and off the course.
  • SAXX will donate $100 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation for every birdie made by the caddies’ players for the rest of the season.
  • SAXX will bring the Ball Masters to the masses at the Travelers Championship, hosting a fan activation with underwear giveaways, photo opportunities, appearances from the Ball Masters and more.
  • Fans can become an honorary Ball Master, which includes a year’s worth of underwear, among other things. Go to SAXX.com/ball-master-application from now until June 15 to enter.

The partnership is great for the caddies and also represents a great cause.

Check out the video they shared on YouTube:

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Man charged with stealing millions of dollars worth of memorabilia from Augusta National

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Augusta National

According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, a man has been charged in Chicago with stealing millions of dollars’ worth of memorabilia from Augusta National.

The man, Robert Globensky, was charged with transporting the memorabilia across state lines.

The report states that between 2009 and 2022, Globensky allegedly transported “millions of dollars’ worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and historical memorabilia” from Augusta National “and transported to Tampa, Florida, knowing the same had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud.”

The document was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Per the court records there is no mention that Globensky worked for the golf club.

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