19th Hole
‘You’re making something up’ – Zach Johnson in tense exchange with reporter at PGA Championship
With Brooks Koepka’s most recent of his five major championships occurring over the weekend at the 105th PGA Championship, some focus has shifted to LIV golfers and their 2023 Ryder Cup eligibility.
- Related: Pregnant Jena Sims shuts down hype over the baby name everyone wants following Koepka’s PGA win
Zach Johnson, who will captain the U.S. team, was asked on Sunday if he’d “feel comfortable” with a LIV golfer on the team.
“I don’t know. I can’t answer that,” the 47-year-old said. “I’ll say this: The guys that are on the PGA Tour that make that team, they have direct ownership in that collectively. For me to stand here and say that I would feel comfortable or uncomfortable with it would be, I would think, irresponsible on my behalf because it’s not my team.”
- Related: ‘I was so p****d off’ – Brooks Koepka reveals why he was so dejected in that ‘Full Swing’ scene
With Koepka now being second in the Ryder Cup standings for the Americans, it seems like Johnson is saying he will be on the roster when all is said and done.
Johnson was also asked if he would be “scouting” the other LIV players to see if they are worthy of a captain’s pick.
“Are you expecting me to go to LIV events and spectate?” Johnson asked. “I don’t need to be present. I’m not in the U.S. Open, and given my travel schedule and what I have behind that and in front of that, there’s no reason for me to go out there and spectate when I can watch on television.”
ZJ also disputed the “narrative” that LIV players don’t care about being on the team.
“We’d be lying to ourselves and say that they [LIV players] don’t want to be on the team, right. I’ve heard that narrative. I mean, I get it, too. I’m an American. I want to be on my own team. That’s your goal every two years,” Johnson said.
Finally when asked the following:
“Do you worry about the perception from the LIV guys, respectfully, what you’re saying here is, you’re too busy to go and watch them play. You’ve got too many commitments elsewhere. It’s probably not a massive leap for them to think that you are not in their plans.”
Johnson gave this prickly response: “Again, that’s your opinion. You’re making something up.”
It will be an interesting summer leading up to the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
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19th Hole
Butch Harmon reveals what he worked on with Rory McIlroy during visit earlier this year
While speaking on the “Son of a Butch” Podcast, legendary swing coach Butch Harmon revealed what he worked on with Rory McIlroy when the four-time major champion went to visit him after the Players Championship this season.
Butch Harmon on what he worked on with Rory:
“The work I did with him wasn’t a tremendous amount of changing what he did, it was his attitude and the way he played certain shots. From 150 yards and in he made a full swing like he was hitting a driver and I wanted him to make…
— Matt Vincenzi (@MattVincenziPGA) May 15, 2024
“The work I did with him wasn’t a tremendous amount of changing what he did, it was his attitude and the way he played certain shots. From 150 yards and in he made a full swing like he was hitting a driver and I wanted him to make more 3 quarter swings and chop the follow through off a little. He’s a very high ball hitter, but with short irons high balls aren’t good, it’s hard to control, we wanted to bring the ball flight down.”
The work certainly seemed to help McIlroy, as he went on to win the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in back-to-back starts.
Rory will now tee it up at Valhalla for the PGA Championship, which is the site of his most recent major victory in 2014.
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
Brandel Chamblee says this technological development was key to Phil Mickelson winning major championships
While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee shared that he believes the solid core golf ball helped Phil Mickelson win major championships.
“One of the consequences of the solid core golf ball coming around was it put the straightest of hitters in the rough.
“Phil started winning majors in 2004, I don’t think that’s any coincidence. I think he started winning majors after the solid core golf ball came along and put everybody in the rough.
“And so [Phil] is like ‘I got you in the rough, I’m going to kick your a**. This is my game. I’ve been in the rough my whole career. I can go over trees, through trees, around trees.’
“Because he’s got that amazing creativity and Phil is an underrated iron player, phenomenal iron player. Great, great great out of the trouble. If you put the top-40 players on a list and ranked them in terms of accuracy, he would be 40th.
“So, I think that was one of the consequences of the solid core golf balls was it allowed Phil to win major championships.”
Mickelson went on to win the Masters in 2004 as well as five additional majors from 2004-2021 including three total Masters, two PGA Championships, and an Open Championship.
Check out the full interview with Chamblee below:
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- 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
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19th Hole
Former Augusta National employee pleads guilty to transporting stolen Masters memorabilia; Arnold Palmer’s green jacket among stolen items
The document was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Since then, more details have emerged about the case.
According to Darren Rovell of Cllct, one of the items that was stolen was Arnold Palmer’s green jacket.
The Chicago Tribune also reported that Globensky was able to steal the merchandise due to his role as a former warehouse coordinator at Augusta National who oversaw the Masters merchandise that was sold.
Rovell states that “A source with intimate knowledge of the case said an Augusta National member, who knew the jacket was missing, contacted a well-known collector who had gained a reputation for tracking down rare items. The member’s goal was to return the jacket to Augusta under the guise of purchasing it in a private sale.”
The plan worked, and the man agreed to sell the jacket for an agreed upon price of $3.6 million. After the sale was complete, the FBI swarmed the house of the thief.
Cllct also reported that Globensky pled guilty in a federal court in Chicago on Wednesday and now faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Chicago Tribune adds that Globensky’s plea deal includes an agreement to provide the government a cashier’s check for $1.5 million in the next few days.
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- 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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