19th Hole
Tour pro’s ‘par of his life’ turns into double bogey after bizarre penalty at RBC Heritage
On Sunday at the RBC Heritage, we saw one of the more bizarre rules violations in recent memory.
Dylan Frittelli’s tee shot got stuck in the tree moss hanging overhead, so he had to hit the ball with the golf club over his head to punch it back into the fairway.
Shot of the ?@RBC_Heritage? by ?@Dylan_Frittelli?
From in the tree moss to the fairway then pars the hole on 6 ??
?@SportsCenter? ?@PGATOUR? pic.twitter.com/RfuunpK0Y6
— Ross Lordo (@RossLordo) April 17, 2022
Amazingly, Frittelli was able to get the ball in a decent position in the fairway and hit his approach shot to ten feet. The South African would then make one of the more memorable pars of the PGA Tour season.
At least he thought he did…
It turns out that what Frittelli did to get the ball back into the fairway was a penalty.
Dylan Frittelli was assessed a two-stroke penalty on No. 6 under Rule 10.1c (making stroke while standing across or on line of play).
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) April 17, 2022
The rules official determined that Frittelli was standing behind the ball and not to the side of it. As expected, the 31-year-old wasn’t too pleased with the two-stroke penalty.
I thought this would be the greatest Par of my life ? I was assessed a 2-stroke penalty for “standing astride” my intended line of play during this shot. The rules of golf remain undefeated ?? ?@SportsCenter top 10 play maybe? pic.twitter.com/KvnIIsXuQ9
— Dylan Frittelli (@Dylan_Frittelli) April 17, 2022
With the apparent par changed to a double-bogey, Frittelli would go on to shoot 76 and finish the tournament in a tie for 66th place.
More from the 19th Hole
- 86-year-old Gary Player shows off remarkable club head and ball speed numbers
- ‘Absolutely disgusting’ – LPGA pro blasts Augusta National for its role in major venue change
- ‘Get it out of my face, man!’ – Brooks Koepka snatches phone from fan during tense exchange
- LIKE4
- LEGIT1
- WOW2
- LOL3
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK11
19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 Memorial Tournament betting preview: Collin Morikawa to reign supreme at Jack’s place
The PGA Tour heads to Jack’s place to play the 2024 edition of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. The Memorial is regarded as one of the most prestigious non-majors of the PGA Tour season, and for the second consecutive year the tournament will be a “Signature Event”.
Muirfield Village Golf Club is a 7,571-yard par-72 located in Dublin, Ohio that features Bentgrass greens. A Jack Nicklaus design, the course was built in 1974 and redesigned by Nicklaus in 2020. The course can play extremely difficult due to its long rough and lightning-fast greens.
The Memorial Tournament will play host to 80 golfers this week, which is down from 120 last year. The top 50 and ties will make the cut. Being a designated event, the field is predictably stacked and will feature most of the biggest stars on Tour. All eligible players have committed to the event in addition to sponsor’s exemptions Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker and Billy Horschel.
Past Winners at the Memorial Tournament
- 2023: Viktor Hovland (-7)
- 2022: Billy Horschel (-13)
- 2021: Patrick Cantlay (-13)
- 2020: Jon Rahm (-9)
- 2019: Patrick Cantlay (-19)
- 2018: Bryson DeChambeau (-15)
- 2017: Jason Dufner (-13)
- 2016: William McGirt (-15)
Key Stats for Muirfield Village
Let’s take a look at five key metrics for Muirfield Village to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.
1. Strokes Gained: Approach
Jack Nicklaus designs all have one thing in common: They reward the best iron players on Tour. When designing Muirfield Village, Jack created a second-shot golf course that strongly benefited golfers who could really dial in their approach shots. With that in mind, does it surprise anyone that Tiger Woods won this event five times?
Strokes Gained: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Scottie Scheffler (+1.37)
- Corey Conners (+1.14)
- Xander Schauffele (+1.14)
- Sepp Straka (+0.88)
- Rory McIlroy (+0.88)
2. Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
Strokes Gained: Ball Striking does include approach, but if there is any week to overemphasize Strokes Gained: Approach, this is the week. The statistic also incorporates Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, which will be important considering the rough at Muirfield Village can be exceedingly penal.
Strokes Gained: Ball Striking Over Past 24 Rounds
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.48)
- Xander Schauffele (+1.88)
- Rory McIlroy (+1.60)
- Ludvig Aberg (+1.56)
- Corey Conners (+1.42)
3. Good Drive %
Driving the ball well will be an important factor. Bombing it off the tee is not a requirement at Muirfield Village, but distance always helps. The rough can get very long, and golfers who can’t put the ball in the fairway will fall out of contention quickly. Balanced and consistent drivers of the golf ball should be the targets this week.
Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds
- Collin Morikawa (+88.1%)
- Tom Hoge (86.1%)
- Sepp Straka (+85.9%)
- Scottie Scheffler (+85.8%)
- Alex Noren (+85.8%)
4. Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass – Fast)
The Bentgrass greens at Muirfield are lightning quick. Whoever can master these difficult putting surfaces has a major advantage at Jack’s place.
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass+Fast) Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Justin Rose (+1.43)
- Thomas Detry (+0.88)
- Sahith Theegala (+0.77)
- Harris English (+0.74)
- Denny McCarthy (+0.73)
5. Strokes Gained: Nicklaus Designs
We often see similar leaderboards when events are hosted by Jack Nicklaus designed courses. The model this week will look to incorporate those golfers.
Strokes Gained: Nicklaus Designs (per round, min. 4 rounds) Over Past 36 Rounds:
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.49)
- Patrick Cantlay (+2.32)
- Collin Morikawa (+1.99)
- Shane Lowry (+1.74)
- Austin Eckroat (+1.67)
6. Course History
We often see similar leaderboards when events are hosted by Jack Nicklaus designed courses. The model this week will look to incorporate those golfers.
Course History (Strokes Gained: Total (per round, min. 4 rounds) Over Past 36 Rounds:
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.75)
- Patrick Cantlay (+2.54)
- Justin Rose (+2.17)
- Collin Morikawa (+1.77)
- Jordan Spieth (+1.66)
The Memorial Tournament Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: BS (18%), Good Drive % (16%), SG: Putting Bentgrass – Fast (13%), Course History (13%) and SG: Total Nicklaus Designs (13%).
- Scottie Scheffler
- Xander Schauffele
- Shane Lowry
- Alex Noren
- Sahith Theegala
- Collin Morikawa
- Rory McIlroy
- Tony Finau
- Keegan Bradley
- Sepp Straka
- Corey Conners
- Viktor Hovland
- Russell Henley
- Si Woo Kim
- Justin Thomas
2024 Memorial Tournament Picks
Collin Morikawa +1800 (Fanatics)
Collin Morikawa has consistently shown up in the biggest events over the past few months. He finished in a tie for 3rd at The Masters, 9th at the RBC Heritage, a tie for 16th at the Wells Fargo Championship and a tie for 4th at the PGA Championship. He also finished 4th in his most recent start at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Iron play is always a strong indication of where Morikawa’s game is trending, and his Strokes Gained: Approach numbers have seen a recent uptick. The two-time major champion has gained an average of 4.0 strokes on approach over his last two starts, which despite not being as good as his peak approach numbers, are a major improvement over the past year or so.
Morikawa has played some great golf at Muirfield Village throughout his career. He won the Workday Charity Open in 2020 and lost in a playoff at The Memorial Tournament in 2021. His two most recent starts at the course have ended in a withdraw and a missed cut, but his current form is much better than it was over the past few seasons coming into the event.
In addition to the strong iron play, the ability to keep the ball in the fairway will be a major advantage for a Memorial Tournament that I anticipate will play relatively difficult. Morikawa has gained strokes off the tee in eight consecutive starts, including 3.8 strokes at the PGA Championship and 4.0 strokes at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
The American has been fantastic at Nicklaus Courses since he burst onto the scene on the PGA Tour, and that was once again on full display at Valhalla last month. In his last 36 rounds, Collin ranks 3rd in Strokes Gained: Total on Nicklaus designs. He also ranked 1st in the field in Good Drive %, which will be a key this week.
It’s been a while since the 27-year-old has won a big event on Tour, but that could very well change this week at Jack’s place.
Justin Thomas +2500 (BetMGM)
Justin Thomas is winless in last 43 professional starts, dating back to the 2022 PGA Championship. For a player with 17 professional wins and in the prime of his career, that’s a long time.
Other than being “due”, Thomas has shown signs that is just about all the way back from his two-year slump. He has four top-ten finishes this season, with three of those being at a “signature” event or a major. Most recently, he’s finished in a tie for 5th at the RBC Heritage, a tie for 21st at the Wells Fargo Championship and a tie for 8th at the PGA Championship.
JT has loved Nicklaus designs throughout his career. He finished 2nd at the 2020 Workday at Muirfield Village, losing in a playoff to Collin Morikawa. In his last 30 rounds at the course, he ranks 6th in Strokes Gained: Total.
In addition to the obvious course fit, Thomas’ ball striking numbers have come to life of late. He gained 4.1 strokes on approach at the PGA Championship to go along with 4.6 strokes off the tee. Valhalla another Jack Nicklaus design so it’s encouraging to see that’s where he had arguably his best ball striking week of the season. The key for Thomas will be keeping the ball on the fairways this week and he’s improved his SG: OTT performance in four consecutive starts.
Thomas is finally in form and ready to get back in the winner’s circle at Muirfield Village.
Byeong Hun An +5000 (DraftKings)
Byeong Hun An is playing the best golf of his career. This season, the 32-year-old has finished T16 at the Genesis Invitational, T16 at The Masters, T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and 3rd at the Wells Fargo Championship.
The South Korean’s ball striking has been fantastic this year. He’s gained strokes both off the tee and on approach in six consecutive events. An will now head back to a course where he’s had plenty of success. Back in 2018, he lost in a playoff to a surging superstar named Bryson DeChambeau. Ben has five top-25 finishes in eight starts at the course. The few times he missed the cut were in 2020 and 2021 when he was really struggling with his game.
An has had some close calls of late and I believe we need to stick with him for one more week.
Corey Conners +6000 (DraftKings)
Corey Conners is absolutely striping the ball right now. In his past 24 rounds, the Canadian ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Approach, 5th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 22nd in Good Drive %.
At last week’s Canadian Open, Conners ranked 4th for the week in approach and finished in 6th place. In his previous two starts, Conners ranked 2nd in Strokes Gained: Approach at the Wells Fargo Championship and 4th at the PGA Championship. There are very few players on the planet that are currently hotter with their irons than Corey Conners.
Conners has a solid history at Muirfield Village with mixed results. His best finish came in 2022, when he finished T13 and also finished T22 back in 2020. While putting is typically Conners’ greatest weakness, he’s gained strokes on the greens in three of his six starts at the course and ranks 30th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting on fast Bentgrass, so there’s hope that the 32-year-old can putt to field average this week.
Conners’ ability to hit fairways and dial in his mid-irons can propel him to the top of the leaderboard this week at a course that favors ball strikers.
Will Zalatoris +8000 (DraftKings)
I’m not entirely sure if Will Zalatoris is fully healthy based on his recent struggles, but there are enough positive signs for a player of his talent at this number.
Zalatoris made a Friday charge in his most recent start at the PGA Championship, which enabled him to sneak through the cut line. For the week, he gained 3.56 strokes on approach and has gained on approach in nine of his past ten starts.
Although he’s struggled at times, Zalatoris still has some strong finishes in big events this year. He finished in a tie for 9th at the Masters, a tie for 4th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a tie foe 2nd at the Genesis Invitational.
If Zalatoris is feeling fit, Muirfield Village is a perfect course to showcase his strengths. He’s one of the best iron players in the world and already has a 5th place finish in his most recent start at the course (2022).
This is a buy low opportunity on a world class player that has win equity.
- LIKE10
- LEGIT4
- WOW1
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP1
- OB0
- SHANK0
19th Hole
Charley Hull reveals how a fan slipped her his phone number and asked her on a date during Women’s U.S. Open
LPGA Tour player, Charley Hull, made headlines during the U.S. Women’s Open when she was seen smoking cigarettes throughout the week.
?????? Charley Hull was seen ripping a dart on 18 as she finished her 3rd round at the U.S. Women’s Open. @NeilFischerTV
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 1, 2024
After her final round, Hull shared a story about a fan giving her his phone number during the tournament. She told the story during her post-round press conference on Sunday.
????? A fan tried to pick up Charley Hull: “Someone said ‘I’ve dropped something’ and handed their phone # in my hand on a piece of paper…here’s my number, text me so we can figure out where I’m taking you for dinner tonight…I never text him obviously…”pic.twitter.com/DDHujqoHCM
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 2, 2024
“Someone said ‘I’ve dropped something’ and handed their phone # in my hand on a piece of paper, here’s my number, text me so we can figure out where I’m taking you for dinner tonight. I never text him obviously”.
Hull finished in a tie for 19th at the U.S. Women’s Open.
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
New here?
- LIKE37
- LEGIT4
- WOW8
- LOL8
- IDHT0
- FLOP3
- OB1
- SHANK9
19th Hole
CT Pan uses 4 caddies (including 2 fans!) following Fluff Cowan accident during Canadian Open final round
On Sunday’s final round of the RBC Canadian Open, CT Pan’s caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, fell down while walking up a hill on the 3rd hole at Hamilton Golf Club.
? C.T. Pan’s caddie, the legend Mike “Fluff” Cowan slipped coming down the hill on the 3rd hole and was unable to continue caddying. A random fan was asked to carry his clubs the rest of the day. ?
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 2, 2024
The 76-year-old seemed to be fine after the fall, but Pan still needed a caddie for the remainder of his round.
With no other options, golf fan Paul Emerson stepped up to help Pan out.
Not all heroes wear capes, but some wear bibs.
RT to thank Paul Emerson for stepping up in caddie relief! @ctpangolf | @PGATOUR | #RBCCO pic.twitter.com/losw6kPmNG
— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 2, 2024
Emerson soon learned that caddying in a professional event is not for the faint of heart and needed a substitute after about thirty minutes.
UPDATE: The random fan who took over caddying for an injured fluff has been replaced by another random fan. pic.twitter.com/6NzLyZBsY9
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 2, 2024
It didn’t end there.
Adam Stanley, a Canadian journalist, continued to give updates on Pan’s caddie situation throughout the round.
CT Pan update: First caddy was on for one hole, didn’t work out. Now another fan is on the bag. CT’s wife has brought a stand bag to 10 tee to see if he wants her to caddy (she has in the past). Fluff is fine.
— Adam Stanley (@adam_stanley) June 2, 2024
Mike Campbell, someone from caddy services at the club, was brought to help out pretty much immediately.
He worked the rest of the front nine before Al Riddell took over. https://t.co/9beGN7eHfm
— Adam Stanley (@adam_stanley) June 2, 2024
“Fourth caddie? That’s a fucking record now!” – Shane Lowry, with a beauty.
Al Riddell is local, great guy. Nine holes to go. Was watching on TV and came right over. pic.twitter.com/4Rig0aDT4J
— Adam Stanley (@adam_stanley) June 2, 2024
The caddie issues ended there, and Pan was able to finish the round with his fourth caddie.
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
New here?
- LIKE1
- LEGIT0
- WOW1
- LOL1
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
Brandel Chamblee says this is the primary reason why Rory McIlroy hasn’t won a major in 10 years
-
Product Reviews5 days ago
Fujikura 2024 Ventus Blue with VeloCore Plus review: Club Junkie Reviews
-
Whats in the Bag3 weeks ago
Tiger Woods WITB 2024 (May)
-
19th Hole23 hours ago
Charley Hull reveals how a fan slipped her his phone number and asked her on a date during Women’s U.S. Open
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Bryson DeChambeau yells at grown man to return golf ball to kid at PGA Championship
-
News3 weeks ago
Scottie Scheffler arrested, charged, and released after traffic incident at Valhalla
-
Whats in the Bag1 day ago
Robert MacIntyre’s winning WITB: 2024 RBC Canadian Open
-
Whats in the Bag2 weeks ago
Xander Schauffele’s winning WITB: 2024 PGA Championship