By Alex Myers
“Did you keep playing?”

That’s the question I fielded most after returning from my annual buddies golf trip last August, and it’s one I still feel funny answering. The response never changes, but my tone does, depending on who was asking. Yes, we kept playing. To close family, friends and co-workers (I work at GOLF Digest, after all), I’m not worried about sounding like a monster. But with others, I feel the need to add further justification.

I hate to say, “You had to be there,” because being there for the death of a longtime friend during what’s supposed to be our favourite week of the year was as horrific as you can imagine. But, well, you kind of had to be there. Playing on felt right. Playing on even felt good. And hopefully, this will help explain why.

I participated in my first HGGA Championship in 2001 following my freshman year at Wake Forest. Due to my age I was an outlier on this annual golf trip started by my varsity basketball coach, Mark Finegan (“Fin”), but it instantly became a highlight of my first summer back from college, a break from partying with high school friends to play pretty serious golf with middle-aged men, and, yes, doing a bit of partying as well (two decades later, I’m still hearing about the time I had too many rum and cokes in Ocean City). Tom Roksvold (“Roks”), nine years my elder, was the next youngest in age among this interesting bunch, which began before I was born as the “Hair Gang”—apparently, Fin and his friends used to have great hair—so Roks and I roomed together for many years. It was a comfortable pairing except for one thing: the thermostat. The big guy turned that sucker down as far as possible, often comparing our room’s conditions to that of a meat locker.

Roks (centre, red shirt, white stripes) at the 2003 HGGA Championship in Ocean City, Md. I’m far left with my customary morning soda instead of coffee.

As much as I loved the trip, no one enjoyed it—and looked forward to it—like Roks, who served in the all-important role of Director of Travel, while I had the least important role of Director of Communications (Fin is our Commissioner, and yes, we take this all way too seriously). I saw Roks fairly often during the golf season, but also at Pelham Middle School, where he taught eighth-grade Earth Science and where I substitute taught to supplement my part-time job as a sports reporter at a local newspaper during my first few years out of college. It could be the dead of winter and he might pass me in the hall or see me hanging out in Fin’s office and say, “163 days ‘til the trip!” with that wide grin. If he was trying out a new shot—putting with a hybrid or hitting a knockdown off the tee—he’d often say, “You’re going to see a lot of that on the trip!” Of course, he usually abandoned whatever strategy he planned on employing, but his love of our annual five-day pilgrimage never waned.

Sadly, much of Roks’ spryness on the course did, though, as he crept into his mid-40s and his golf game deteriorated. The full turn in his swing that we always marvelled at shortened, causing a precipitous drop in pop off the tee. Most par 4s suddenly weren’t reachable in two and his hybrids went so short that his irons were basically rendered useless. Roks had always lumbered getting to and from his golf ball, but now he was frequently picking up his ball after a bad tee shot and plopping down in the cart to save energy. Still, he loved just being out there.

Until, suddenly, he wasn’t out there.

Roks was nowhere to be seen on the morning of Aug. 2 as our 8 and 8:10 tee times at Turning Stone’s Kaluhyat Golf Course approached. With Roks’ reputation as an early riser—sometimes getting completely dressed in the middle of the night and waiting quietly for everyone else to get up—this was odd, but not yet a reason to panic. In fact, we first joked about the possible sanctions the Commish would impose on him for his tardiness. With each passing moment, though, things got more serious.

We sent the first group off No. 1 while Fin, unable to reach Roks by phone, drove a cart back to Roks’ room. Suddenly, our group of seven was down to five and we did everything we could to stall, still thinking Roks would join us. Then we got word Fin had gotten no answer when he banged on Roks’ door so he was getting security involved. Moments later, standing on the second tee, an eerie silence was broken by an ambulance’s siren that got louder. And louder. Another text told us medics were there, but Fin wasn’t sure what was happening since he wasn’t allowed in the room. We should come back, he said. Moments later as we made our way back to the clubhouse, another, more chilling text came: “Come back now.”

Nothing was said as we rode and then hoofed it by foot to the nearby hotel where we saw a shaken Fin. He could barely muster two words delivering the tragic news: “He’s dead.” It didn’t seem real. Nor did the next three hours filled with coroners and cops and teary phone calls.

Roks presenting Fin with the green jacket.

The experts said Roks’ heart-stopping couldn’t have been prevented, but it was hard to keep from wondering. Three of us had passed him in the hotel on his way back to his room the previous night. Should we have sensed something? What if we had roomed together like old times instead of him springing for his own suite? Could I have done something? Anything? I also couldn’t help but wonder about the strange timing. Following Wednesday’s practice round, Roks had made the stunning announcement he was passing on his Director of Travel duties to a younger member. Did he sense something?

Roks had left behind a son who was a high school sophomore and a daughter who was at her freshman orientation at SUNY Buffalo with his wife that week. Just two days before, he told me her leaving for college had really hit him during a recent trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond. Now, as a father to a 16-month-old girl, it was really hitting me. I suddenly felt like an asshole for waking up that morning worried about straightening out my driver.

When there was nothing else to do, we decided to get some lunch at the clubhouse and figure out our next move. “How many are you?” the hostess asked. “Seven,” I quickly responded before correcting myself. “Six, sorry.” I always thought the worst part of the trip was not coming home with our coveted green jacket. I never considered we might return without one of our own.

It was at lunch where we shared a few drinks and laughs in Roks’ honour. If there was anything he had loved more than golf, it was having a good chuckle about the game—especially if it involved him needling us. Once after shooting my career-low round over the previous weekend, Roks interrupted whatever class I was teaching* (*babysitting) on Monday. Sporting that same big grin, he didn’t say anything as he walked over to my desk at the front of the room and plopped down a clear plastic bag filled with sand before walking out. The elaborate message was clear to me, but the students had no clue what to make of it.

Funny enough, it was Roks who was officially accused of being a sandbagger at the Lake Isle Club Championship once. And for good reason. He fired an 80 as a 23-handicapper for a net 57, prompting Fin to have to testify in front of the club pro that he was in fact, not a good golfer. Roks would eventually settle to around a 14-15 handicap for many years, an impressive feat considering constant struggles with his weight. On that year’s trip, Roks showed up with a hat embroidered with “Mr. 57,” a nod to his “statistically improbable” net score. He was positively giddy to unveil that clever gem.

Nearly as statistically improbable was another 80 shot by Roks and I in alternate shot the only year the HGGA Championship featured a two-man tournament. After Roks, wearing a Wake Forest shirt he bought to match mine for the occasion, rolled in one final putt to cap an Ian-Poulter-Ryder-Cup-at-Medinah-esque putting performance and all but wrap up our team title, we danced a jig in the gloaming. We exclaimed, “Love ya, buddy!” so much that week I thought the rest of the guys might leave us in Myrtle Beach. I could go on and on, but you get it … good times.

Roks and I in matching garb after our dominant alternate-shot performance.

It was also at that Aug. 2 lunch where Fin relayed a message from Roks’ brother-in-law, a founding member of our little golf group. “He says to go play because Roks would have wanted us to.” That phrase—“so-and-so would have wanted you to”—is often used in situations like this, but it’s hard to imagine a case where it would be more true. Even Roks’ heartbroken wife wanted us to play, going as ridiculously far as to apologize for her husband ruining our trip. So we decided to play on with one change. Our suddenly silly tournament would be cancelled, and the modest prize money would go to Roks’ family.

After lunch, we kept Roks’ clubs on the cart for one final round. It was weird—and yes, nice—to get back out on the course, but it was also impossible not to see those clubs and realize he’d never spin another wedge to kick-in range or hit another hybrid (the guy was an artist with those clubs). People always say after someone dies that you should hug your loved ones, but you should also hug your loved things from time to time.

Perhaps that’s why we were able to still enjoy that afternoon’s round so much. And the final two days of the trip, although Fin and another Pelham teacher left the next morning. In the moments when we were able to forget what had transpired, never had we felt so grateful to be playing. Never had a perfect summer day seemed so glorious. Never had the on-course camaraderie brought so much joy. How could we waste that opportunity?

Besides, there would be plenty of time for mourning in the days to come. Plenty of tears at the wake in which Roks’ personal green jacket that he bought after his maiden major win in 2001 was draped over a golf-themed casket. And plenty more at his funeral the following day at which the priest mentioned Roks’ love of the game just seconds after mentioning his love for his family. Playing golf had temporarily kept us from being engulfed by the sadness of it all. But in that sadness, there was the silver lining that as far as last days on Earth could go, Roks couldn’t have scripted it much better.

He played golf with his friends, he ate some good BBQ, he got a great report from his wife and daughter from freshman orientation, and he hit the tables (Big Daddy also loved to roll the bones). The last text he ever sent that evening came as we readied for dinner. “Enjoying a T&T (Tanqueray & Tonic) across from the entrance to Tin Rooster. #Delish.” Hours before that, he had tweaked our tournament leader for having an inflated handicap. Classic Roks.

Roks and part of my bachelor party crew at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club.

Back to that first, surreal round without our fallen friend, Kaluhyat’s 18th hole is fittingly named “Journey’s End.” But while we won’t be making any more journeys there or anywhere with Roks, our sacred golf trip—one that he will be inextricably linked to as long as it exists—will continue. So, too, will the journeys of those he touched. In September, the Pelham varsity football team, for which he had served as an assistant coach, wore helmets with a “ROKS” decal—and pulled off its biggest win in decades. This spring, Fin will take over the reins from Roks as the school’s varsity boy’s golf coach. And this summer, we will all have a Carolina Peach Tea at Pinehurst’s Ryder Cup Lounge in his honour, a nod to the time the two of us badly misjudged just how potent they are.

Finally, Roks’ tragic death has also spawned plans for a special trip to Caledonia Golf & Fish Club in Pawleys Island, S.C., an HGGA favourite and where we also played for my bachelor party. There, we will fulfil his wish—albeit, much, much sooner than anyone expected—by spreading his ashes on the beautiful par-3 11th. Perhaps, on the steep bank from where once, after taking a tumble, Roks regrouped and chipped in. It’s hard to imagine such joy, but it’s even harder to forget when you’ve seen it. So thanks for the memories, Roks. And, yes, for the excuse to go on an additional golf trip (Love ya, buddy!). Know that as we keep playing on, we’ll never stop missing you.

The post My good friend died on our golf trip. Here’s why we kept playing appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The post Who will end 2018 in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking? (Hint: The list is a LOT different from 2017) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

I worked hard for that hundy, watching and rooting on Tiger as he tried valiantly to get back into the winner’s circle before finally doing it in his final attempt of the season. If you calculate all the time I spent watching Woods, I earned less than $1 an hour, but man, was it worth it. That $100 will go a long way at Cosi. I may even let my wife get her own soda next time. YOLO, right? Anyway, while I digitally count my money (Getting cash in hand is still the best), here’s what else in the golf world has us talking this week.

WE’RE BUYING

Kevin Tway: This has been in the works for awhile, but Tway finally broke through for a first PGA Tour win at the Safeway Open. And he did it in style by finishing with five consecutive birdies (two in regulation and three in the playoff).

Marianna Massey

Congrats to Kevin and congrats to our own Chris Powers, who picked him in our new weekly gambling column as a 55-to-1 long(ish) shot. Looks like Chris and I will be making it rain in the office cafe—wait, he didn’t actually bet on Tway. Dagger. On a related note, Tway didn’t make my list of PGA Tour sleepers this season because I kept it to players under 30 and he (Googles Kevin Tway) turned 30 in July (Phew). That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Danish men’s golf: What a year it’s been for Denmark on the links, most recently with the country being well represented in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory and Lucas Bjerragaard winning at St. Andrews on Sunday. We’ll let Danish legend Thomas Bjorn sum it all up:

European Amateur Champ

Eisenhower Trophy

Rolex Series Winner

Home of Golf Champion

2 members of Ryder Cup Team

It’s turning out to be a pretty good year for Danish Golf! ??????

— Thomas Bjorn (@thomasbjorngolf) October 7, 2018

Shotgun starts: Because of a bad forecast, the European Tour decided to go with a shotgun start for the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This made for a confusing, but fascinating finish when Bjerragaard wrapped up his last hole on 17 with a bogey as Tyrrell Hatton missed a birdie putt on No. 18 that would have tied.

Mark Mulder: The Year of the Celebrity Golfer continued with the former All-Star pitcher firing very respectable rounds of 74 and 75 to miss the cut at the Safeway Open. Mulder was one under through 12 holes in his opening round and wound up beating two PGA Tour pros who shall remain nameless. We went crazy when Steph Curry shot a pair of 74s at a Web.com Tour event last year, but Mulder doesn’t seem to be getting the same sort of love, perhaps, because he’s long retired from his sport. In any event, we’re impressed.

Robert Laberge

Look how cool he looks handing his club to his caddie. Smooth. And it’s the perfect segue to discuss Golf Digest’s newest Athlete Rankings, so please check that out. After you’re done with The Grind, of course. . .

WE’RE SELLING

Blowing five-shot leads: Incredibly, we saw this on both the PGA Tour and European Tour on Sunday. Stateside, it was Brandt Snedeker letting a 10th title slip away in Napa, while Tyrrell Hatton couldn’t hold his large cushion at the Old Course. We’re still proud of Hatton for coming so close to winning after recovering from what sounds like quite the Ryder Cup victory celebration:

What are #RyderCup parties really like? If you’re @TyrrellHatton, you get back to your room at 4am and fall asleep next to the toilet ?? pic.twitter.com/GjJZuaJihz

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) October 4, 2018

Despite the tough loss, we’re pretty sure last Monday was rougher.

Patrick Reed’s story: We’d be lying if we said we weren’t happy that Reed stoked the post Ryder Cup flames, but it seems that his side of the story is unraveling. Fast. First, an unnamed source said Reed’s was “full of sh–” when he said that he was blindsided by his split with Jordan Spieth and now, captain Jim Furyk says Reed knew he was playing with Tiger Woods for weeks before arriving in France. Hmm. The artist formerly known as Captain America should probably shush himself at this point. Not that we want him to, of course. The guy is a breathing gift from the content gods.

Jamie Squire

“Driving for show”: The old adage has long been disproven by statisticians, but it got smashed by a 129-mph swing speed in Napa. Cameron Champ has arrived on the PGA Tour and in his first start as a member, he finished T-25 thanks to a sizable lead in strokes gained/off-the-tee. Champ chipped and putted poorly, but he still took home some solid dough thanks to his prodigious driving. This will not be the last time this happens for the 23-year-old, who registered an average swing speed of 129.66 and an average ball speed of 192.67. Absurd.

Greg Norman on Tiger: “TV ratings are up because of what Tiger Woods does to every other player,” Norman said while appearing on Yahoo Finance’s Midday Movers program. “It’s not just about the one player, it’s about all the supporting cast who are equal if not better than him. He’s just pulling them along to make them more standout.” What in the world is this guy talking about?! Yeah, the ratings of all the tournament’s that TIGER plays in are all way up “because of what Tiger does to every other player” and not because of TIGER. Norman also said he’s “disappointed” Tiger coverage has overshadowed other players. Ugh. Go back to making wine, Greg.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to Malaysia for the CIMB Classic, the first leg of a three-week Asian Swing. Also, for the first time in the nearly 10 years I’ve worked at Golf Digest, there will be a company basketball game on Wednesday night. My goal is to be able to make it to work the following day.

Somebody call corporate on this man pic.twitter.com/a7N6fAAGG7

— The Based Messiah (@bniceloco) October 7, 2018

Random tournament fact: It takes a LONG time to get to Malaysia:

Well, I made it safely to Kuala Lumpur. Left Saturday morning from Jacksonville at 6am. Touched down here at 10:25pm Sunday night. Can’t wait to get to hotel, take a shower and fall asleep on a bed! No matter how long or short the journey is, I love to travel!

— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) October 7, 2018

So long, in fact, that Billy forgot to check his fantasy football team this week, giving me an easy win. Thanks, Billy. Hit ‘em straight on the other side of the world.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

— Cameron Champ would trade his driving for Brandt Snedeker’s putting: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

— Patrick Reed is done taking shots at Team USA: 100-to-1 odds

— I will be absolutely gassed within 5 minutes of playing basketball: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

 

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Felt like a great night to break in the new shirts… fun night celebrating TW’s win in Atlanta! Us players and especially the game is golf is happy to have you back and healthy old man! Here’s to some battles in the future ??

A post shared by Justin Thomas (@justinthomas34) on Oct 6, 2018 at 5:24pm PDT

Can you imagine something like this a few years ago? Tiger throwing himself a party for winning the Tour Championship and two of the best players in the world not only attending, but wearing shirts in his honor? I’m so happy I’m not even mad I wasn’t invited. But I will take a shirt if there’s an extra …

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

I had lost interest in THE MATCH between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. And then this first ad for the Nov. 23 clash dropped:

Tiger. Phil.

The Match is coming to B/R Live on Nov. 23. pic.twitter.com/1XUutyMD6o

— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) October 4, 2018

EVERYONE is fired up again about this, right?

Love TW and Phil to death…. but there’s a 0% chance I order that. I’ll be watching football! ? https://t.co/Zfr11oDA44

— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) October 6, 2018

OK, not everyone …

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“And I’m 48. I’m not going to play tournaments with rough like that anymore, it’s a waste of my time.” — Phil Mickelson on Le Golf National. We’re beginning to think Phil as a Ryder Cup captain’s pick was a mistake …

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL IAN POULTER BEING IAN POULTER

Here’s Ian climbing out the window of one of his Ferraris:

 

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How to squeeze out of a LaFerrari when you have parked it in a trailer for service… Climb out of the window ?????

A post shared by Ian Poulter (@ianjamespoulter) on Oct 8, 2018 at 3:47pm PDT

I’m just amazed he didn’t turn this into another plug for CoolSculpting …

THIS AND THAT

Brooks Koepka was finally, officially named PGA Tour Player of the Year. Thank goodness, because if that chip on his shoulder grew any bigger, it would require surgery. … Fred Couples, 59, shot a second-round 65 at the Safeway Open and was T-15 heading into the final round. It’s really too bad this guy hardly ever plays. … While Kevin Tway joined dad Bob as the 10th father/son winners in PGA Tour history, another famous golf scion, Bill Haas, birdied his final hole to finish T-10 and take a big step toward regaining full playing status. Clutchness comes in a lot of forms when you’re playing for your livelihood. … Congrats to South Korea for winning the LPGA’s UL International Crown. Sure, they had the best team (Even without arguably their best player), but as we saw the previous week, the best team doesn’t always win. … And finally, I’m happy to report Julia can now fit into this gift from my co-workers:

And she didn’t poop all over it yet, so it’s still in the rotation! Hashtag branding.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How are there not more sons of PGA Tour pros on tour?
Is Phil Mickelson personally cutting the rough for THE MATCH?
Does anyone want to bet against Tiger winning next year?

The post Patrick Reed’s story crumbles, Greg Norman’s absurd Tiger take, and the Year of the Celebrity Golfer continues appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Sad movie pic.twitter.com/XtgAVWAl2j

— D.J. Piehowski (@DJPie) September 29, 2018

There is so much to get to that by the time we finish here, there will probably be reports of another fight on the team plane. At this point, I just hope Tiger made it home without hurting his back. Anyway, let’s get to it.

WE’RE BUYING

MOLIWOOD: Francesco Molinari had never won a match in two previous Ryder Cups. Tommy Fleetwood was a Ryder Cup rookie. And yet, they put on one of the greatest pair performances in the history of the event. The two joined Lanny Wadkins and Larry Nelson as the only pair to go 4-0 in a single Ryder Cup and Francesco became the first European to go 5-0. You know you’re big when you get dubbed a celebrity couple nickname when the matches aren’t even halfway done:

Hey America,

Fixed it for you.#Molinari #Fleetwood #Moliwood #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/OPb0Mv8FDC

— bunkered (@BunkeredOnline) September 29, 2018

And they produced this Oscar-worthy video after:

The morning after the week before ?#TeamEurope #Moliwood pic.twitter.com/J5JunSS5Ee

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) October 1, 2018

That was so good the final score should officially be changed from 17½-10½ to 20-8.

Thomas Bjorn: The Dane is often said to look like a villain in a James Bond movie, but there’s one key difference: Bjorn’s plan for world domination actually worked. His MOLIWOOD pairing proved to be brilliant. And those who questioned his captain’s picks (Yes, that includes me) couldn’t have been more wrong. That foursome of Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey outscored a vaunted U.S. quad, 10-2. Speaking of Sergio …

Sergio Garcia: Not only did Garcia prove the doubters wrong, but he also became the Ryder Cup’s all-time leading points earner. The Spaniard passed Nick Faldo, a man who called him “useless” when he captained Garcia in 2008, and had this retort to Sir Nick. “This means a lot to me,” Garcia said. “I have passed some of my heroes today—and Nick Faldo.” Take notes, Team USA. If you dagger people, makes sure they aren’t associated with the team anymore.

WE’RE SELLING

Patrick Reed: How about the discipline the artist formerly known as Captain America showed in throwing Jordan Spieth, captain Jim Furyk, and even Tiger Woods under the bus? Sure, he threw those guys under the bus good, but he waited a good hour after the team’s final press conference. Impressive. Seriously, it’s longer than his wife waited. Pipe down Patrick. You couldn’t break 80 on Saturday! Your opponent’s brother was taking shots at you before that match was even over:

Captain America must have no passport! No sights of him in Paris! #rydercup @RyderCupEurope @EuropeanTour

— Edoardo Molinari (@DodoMolinari) September 29, 2018

(Of course, when I say, “Pipe down,” I actually mean, “Keep it up.” In the world of Internet content, this is the gift that keeps on giving.)

Tiger and Phil: The two legends went a combined 0-6 to make their anything-but-legendary career Ryder Cup records even worse. Of course, Tiger deserves more blame having lost four of those matches and having arrived in France fresh off his Tour Championship triumph. But a struggling Mickelson, who would not have reacted well to not making the squad, proved to be a total waste of a pick. Unless you count his belly being used as a team rallying point. How much are these guys charging for THE MATCH again?

People saying European crowds don’t cheer bad shots: Look, I couldn’t care less if crowds cheer bad shots by opposing players (provided they’re not heckling during the shot), but I got pretty sick of hearing European golf writers and fans say for two years that this happening on their home turf was inconceivable.

2016: “How dare the Hazeltine crowds cheer shots that go in the water! That would NEVER happen in Europe!” — European golf writers

2018: pic.twitter.com/fskThdDuaS

— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) September 30, 2018

So please, let’s stop perpetuating this myth. Also, if you’re not a fan of partisan/hostile home crowds, you might not want to mute the sound in 2024 when the Ryder Cup heads to Bethpage Black.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour returns for a new season after what was technically a one-week break at the Safeway Classic, AKA that Napa event where Brendan Steele always plays well and that host Johnny Miller is upset at Tiger Woods for not playing in yet. Yes, there’s even beef between U.S. players and announcers.

Random tournament fact: For Miller and Mickelson, the off-season was even shorter. Johnny jumped right into hosting duties after flying back from Paris and Mickelson will be the only Ryder Cupper teeing it up this week. His pre-tournament presser should be spicy!

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

— MOLIWOOD will be split up at the 2020 Ryder Cup: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

— Phil will let opponents rub his belly this week: 10-to-1 odds

— Johnny thinks he could have played better than Phil in France: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Not so much a photo, but a screen grab of “WINE GUY,” a fan who was perched by the 16th tee on Sunday holding an entire bottle of wine:

Wine Guy joins Cigar Guy in 2010 …

And Putt Guy in 2016 …

Rumor has it this fan from 2016 is slated as the No. 1 backup for @RyderCupUSA. ?pic.twitter.com/yEdeOnYN51

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 25, 2018

In the pantheon of Ryder Cup legends. He also isn’t to be confused with WHINE Guy. That is Patrick Reed.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (NOT MOLIWOOD DIVISION)

Geno Bonnalie, Joel Dahman’s caddie, created this fantastic movie trailer about their PGA Tour teamwork:

What happens when you give a caddie time off and a sweet new iPhone? You get the trailer to a potential Oscar winner@Joel_Dahmen pic.twitter.com/0T2fo8oU06

— Geno Bonnalie (@GenoBonnalie) September 26, 2018

At least we know of one person who used his short off-season time off wisely.

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Forget about those pre-Ryder Cup rumours (And those post-Ryder Cup rumours) … they’re back! We think!

Mike Ehrmann

And they even went viral with these photos of Dustin playing the dutiful role of Instagram photographer for Paulina.

How this guy still has time to be the world’s best golfer is incredible.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Pick a Patrick Reed quote, any Patrick Reed quote. There’s this:

“I was looking at [Jordan] like I was about to light the room up like Phil in ’14.”

Or this: “The issue’s obviously with Jordan not wanting to play with me.”

Or this: “For somebody as successful in the Ryder Cup as I am, I don’t think it’s smart to sit me twice.”

I didn’t think it could get better than Reed complaining about the seats the PGA Tour gave him to a recent Red Sox game at Fenway park. Whoops.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

The U.S. may have lost and Phil may have gone winless, but Mickelson still produced some interesting moments. First, having teammates rubbing his belly for good luck (we think?):

Was that a @PhilMickelson belly rub we just saw? ?#GoUSA pic.twitter.com/yeBSYFNawl

— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 29, 2018

And then showing off his high-kicking ability:

Phil Mickelson is a legend!!! #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/6o00brfPZx

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) September 30, 2018

THIS AND THAT

The best part of Ryder Cup week for Team USA turned out to be the gift given to captain Jim Furyk by the caddies’ wives, a drawing of Le Golf National by recently freed inmate Valentino Dixon:

 

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Captain Furyk leaves without the Ryder Cup trophy, but with this drawing of Le National by Valentino Dixon. What a news cycle in golf these past 10 days.

A post shared by @ maxadlergd on Sep 30, 2018 at 10:46am PDT

This story just keeps getting better and better. … I had the pleasure of playing with Danielle Kang at the Berenberg Gary Player Invitational at beautiful GlenArbor on Monday. Danielle shot the most effortless 63 you can imagine. I did not shoot 63. … And finally, after forgetting to load up a croissants at Costco for the Ryder Cup, I recovered to buy these delicious chocolate mini-muffins from my local grocery store, DeCicco’s. Here are a couple next to apple to gauge their size:

Waking up early for three straight days, I ate a LOT of these things. I did not eat the apple.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Was that Johnny Miller’s final Ryder Cup?

Was that Patrick Reed’s final Ryder Cup?

Why do we have to wait two more years to find out?

The post Patrick Reed throws Team USA under the bus, more Dustin/Paulina rumours, and MOLIWOOD’s Oscar-worthy video appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we have never been so excited to get dressed for work on a Monday. I proudly pulled my victory red Tiger Woods Nike golf shirt from my closet, literally dusted it off, and floated through my morning transit. Did I draw weird looks from fellow commuters in their suits? Only when I gave a smiling nod to anyone wearing even a hint of red. Sadly, none of them seemed to be doing it for Tiger. Wake up, people! Tiger Woods WON a golf tournament! In 2018! Show some freaking support and spirit! The good people of Atlanta certainly did!

When @TommyFleetwood1 sends you this video tell me you don’t get goosebumps!!!! TIGER!!!!!!!!!!! ??? Class he’s my second favourite golfer ? ? pic.twitter.com/V0wcK53pK2

— Wez (@Wez_chiiiii) September 23, 2018

Wow, what a scene. And what a day. Anyway, let’s get to everything else that happened this week talk some more about Tiger Woods!

WE’RE BUYING
Tiger Woods: I’m not ashamed to admit that the crying like a baby in my house, for once, didn’t come from the baby. When Woods raised his arms after capping his Tour Championship triumph, I wept.

Tim Bradbury

When he hugged caddie Joe LaCava, I wept some more.

Ben Jared

And when he fist-bumped Roger Maltbie, it was full-on waterworks.

Since we haven’t found it anywhere else, @KirkYuhnke & I have decided to bestow this epic fist-bump gif upon golf twitter. @NoLayingUp @the_fried_egg @GolfChannel pic.twitter.com/xsNNWIN1K3

— Greg Dutra (@DutraWeather) September 24, 2018

Flush knuckle contact like that on the move with chaos all around? That might be the GOAT fist-bump. Anyway, after five years, four back surgeries, and countless other hurdles, Tiger Woods is a winner again. As Tommy Fleetwood perfectly put, “What a time to be alive!” Let’s watch that historic walk up the 18th fairway again with comments from those watching (and crying, admit it) as it all unfolded:

The whole world was watching.@TigerWoods delivered. ??#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/b02UXx8vkP

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 25, 2018

Chills. I also won my season-long bet with Brian Wacker that Tiger would win this season. And that $100 is going to go a long way at the Costco food court.

Tiger Woods’ entrances: He’s getting good at these, huh? First it was this look at the PGA Championship:

He has arrived. ? #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/8ePVbgxNZm

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) August 12, 2018

And now this at the Tour Championship:

pic.twitter.com/7IhtiNRhGh

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) September 23, 2018

Good lord, I hope he has a permit for those guns. It was game over once he came strutting in like that.

Justin Rose: Oh yeah, there were other golfers playing at East Lake. Seriously, never has $10 million been more irrelevant, but Rose certainly won’t complain when it gets deposited into his account. And a two-putt birdie to finish T-4 to wrap up the FedEx Cup wasn’t exactly thrilling theater. Rose deserved the big payout for his body of work this season, and we’re guessing the $10 million will help ease the sting of losing his No. 1 world ranking to Dustin Johnson.

Max Adler: Tiger Woods’ win wasn’t the only thing last week that tugged at my tear ducts. The biggest golf story before Tiger’s Tour Championship triumph was Golf Digest’s Max Adler helping to get an innocent man set free from prison with an article he wrote six years ago. Absolutely remarkable. I hope Netflix is getting ready to film Making a Murderer Part II. I couldn’t be happier for Valentino and his family. And I couldn’t be prouder to be a Max’s colleague.

WE’RE SELLING
Tiger knockers: I get that some people don’t feel all warm and fuzzy about Woods’ win. But please, don’t knock the guy because the Tour Championship has a small field and isn’t a major. You’re embarrassing yourself.

Team USA: Jim Furyk has to be ecstatic with the way Tiger Woods is playing heading into this week’s Ryder Cup, but everyone else? Not so much. The bottom four players on the leader board at East Lake were Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson, and Patrick Reed. Suddenly, Tiger isn’t just a captain’s pick, but he might be the team’s best player.

Ryder Cup urns: Look, these are very nice. I just prefer gifts that I can actually, you know, enjoy while I’m still alive. . .

ON TAP After a thrilling Tour Championship, golf fans are in for another treat with the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National outside of Paris. The uniforms, the WAGs, the butt-slaps (Not with the WAGs). Can’t wait.

Random tournament fact: Tiger Woods has played with 12 different partners in his seven previous Ryder Cups. Even crazier? Six of those guys he only played one match with. Not to make excuses for his 9-16-1 record, but, yeah, I’m making excuses.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

— Brian Wacker will make the same bet against Tiger next year: 100-to-1 odds
— Tiger will win the 2019 Masters: 9-to-1 odds (Actual odds, because he’s THE FAVOURITE
— Next week is going to be a big letdown: LOCK

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Again, what an unreal scene at East Lake.

Chris Condon

Chris Condon

Those poor marshals never had a chance.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Larry Fitzgerald may have been more excited than I was when Tiger dropped that eagle to close his opening round. Kidding. I was WAY more excited. But Larry was still pretty darn excited.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (NON-TIGER DIVISION)
PGA Tour pro Kyle Thompson caught someone taking his old golf bags that he’d put out with the trash:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

So I put 3 old golf bags out with the trash and some yahoo pulls up and takes them all! ?

A post shared by Kyle Thompson (@kylethompsonpga) on Sep 17, 2018 at 7:18pm PDT

Hey, you know what they say about one man’s trash. I don’t blame the dude for seeing some staff bags in the dark and snagging them. However, Thompson caught him posting a phony Craigslist ad the next day, and that’s not cool.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

‪https://greenville.craigslist.org/spo/d/nice-set-of-golf-bags/6700986333.html ‬ ‪Well that didn’t take long!!‬ ‪“Cowboy” is gonna make a few bucks off those old @SrixonGolf bags. ??

A post shared by Kyle Thompson (@kylethompsonpga) on Sep 18, 2018 at 8:24am PDT

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Jena Sims just broke some serious WAGs news: Paulina is in Paris!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Eiffel for you, Paris ??

A post shared by Jena Sims (@jenamsims) on Sep 25, 2018 at 7:19am PDT

Previously, one sports book had her showing up at the Ryder Cup as a 3-to-1 underdog, so this is great news — Especially for Dustin Johnson.

THIS WEEK IN TIGER WOODS-ERICA HERMAN PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION
Could this be golf’s new marquee couple? The duo made their winning PDA debut:

Stan Badz

And they also posed for a photo in public for the first time:

Stan Badz

That’s a big step!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I was pretty emotional when Rory [McIlroy] was tapping out, he was finishing out. I looked around, and the tournament was over because I’d already put the bunker shot on the green, and I’d won 80. 80 is a big number. I’ve been sitting on 79 for about five years now, and to get 80 is a pretty damned good feeling.” — Tiger Woods. It feel pretty damned good for the fans who have been waiting for this all that time as well.

THIS AND THAT
Tour Championship TV ratings spiked 206(!) percent thanks to Tiger’s presence. For the non-math majors out there, that’s more than three times the ratings last year’s tournament pulled. . . . Congressional Country Club was awarded the 2031 PGA Championship and the 2036(!) Ryder Cup. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will both be in their 60s. And finally, a big thanks to my wife, A) for putting up with me while I watch Tiger Woods, and B) not showing me this piece of mail until late on Sunday night when absolutely nothing could bring me down:

They finally found me. Sigh.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Will Tiger still be playing golf in 2036?
Will I still be writing about golf in 2036?
What’s the policy on crying in the Augusta National press box?

The post Tiger Woods WINS(!), Golf Digest gets a man out of jail, and Paulina Gretzky shows up for the Ryder Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

RELATED: Enter the 2018 Golf Digest Middle East Amateur Series today! 

I got this @Twitter thing down pic.twitter.com/gUx8XjNrez

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 22, 2018

But then it became painfully obvious that Mickelson’s motivation was to promote THE MATCH with Tiger Woods, who made the Thanksgiving weekend clash of golf legends official hours later. There was some awkward “banter” between the two, but even worse were some of Mickelson’s other ensuing tweets.

Good Morning .@Twitter headed to the gym for a light workout before the opening round! Can’t wait to start pic.twitter.com/HhG0USClTE

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 23, 2018

Up early to start round 2

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 24, 2018

My game, my hair, and my moves are phlowing into the weekend. PHEELING IT! pic.twitter.com/n4wx1xr9VT

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 24, 2018

Oh boy. History could very well end up being defined by two eras: BPT (Before Phil tweeted) and APT. Let’s hope he doesn’t ruin the latter. In the meantime, here’s what else has us talking — and potentially, Phil tweeting.

RELATED: Welcome to the Sand Trap, our answer to the Grind

WE’RE BUYING
Bryson DeChambeau: It looks like the U.S. Ryder Cup team just got a little smarter. DeChambeau would have been hard for Jim Furyk to overlook with one of his captain’s picks, but the physics major is now a lock to make the squad after winning for a second time this season at the Northern Trust. DeChambeau joined Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the only players to win a U.S. Amateur, an NCAA individual title and three PGA Tour titles before turning 25. Decent company.

Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour

Perhaps more importantly, Bryson cleared a pretty big hurdle by picking up his first PGA Tour title without using a protractor. And he got to throw out the first pitch at Monday night’s Yankees game:

From the @TheNTGolf to the @MLB.@B_DeChambeau threw out the the first pitch @Yankees game tonight. pic.twitter.com/PD3vQi4grg

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2018

Looks like Bryson found the proper vector to record a strike. Well done.

Brooke Henderson: With all due respect to DeChambeau’s dominant victory in New Jersey, no one had a more popular win over the weekend — or maybe all of 2018 — than Henderson, who claimed her country’s biggest event at the Canadian Women’s Open. Check out the reception the young star drew:

An emotional and exciting day in history! Fans singing ‘Oh Canada’ after @BrookeHenderson captures her 7th LPGA victory at the @cpwomensopen! pic.twitter.com/MPl2in3HqI

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 26, 2018

Remember Mike Weir struggling and never quite closing out the Canadian Open on the men’s side? This title means so much to natives of the Great White North that winning under all that pressure is probably more impressive than the major she won in 2016.

THE MATCH: Phil and Tiger (But let’s be honest, mostly, Phil) have brilliantly teased this event for months before finally making it official. Is a $9 million match between two aging stars a total money grab? Yes. But is it still worth watching (At least, the first one)? Yes. It’s Tiger vs. Phil with a LOT of money on the line. And besides, it’s been a decade since the Skins Game went away. This fills that silly season void on Thanksgiving weekend.

WE’RE SELLING
THE MATCH on Pay-per-view: I understand these guys were never going to actually risk that much of their own money, but it’s a shame this won’t be shown to the masses for free. Well, relatively free. My cable bill is a total joke. Here’s what Tiger had to say about it. “I think they can afford it and I think it will be done differently. You know, how many times have we all purchased fights, whether it’s MMA or it’s boxing, whatever it may be. We all purchase those fights.”

It’s on @PhilMickelson #TigerVSPhil pic.twitter.com/PZivYPOEf5

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) August 22, 2018

Actually, Tiger, I’ve only purchased one such fight, Mayweather-Pacquiao in 2015. Let’s just say I’m hoping for a little more bang for my buck if I plunk down the reported $25 price on THE MATCH.

Tiger’s putting: If Woods is to win THE MATCH, he’ll have to putt better than he did at the Northern Trust. Woods ranked 79th out of 80 players to make the cut in strokes gained putting, and he made just nine birdies over four rounds. That’s how many birdies apiece I’m expecting from Tiger and Phil in THE MATCH, so if the mallet magic isn’t there, it’s time for the putter to go.

Ryder Cup injuries: Just when Brandt Snedeker was drawing buzz as a potential Ryder Cup captain’s pick, he withdrew from the Northern Trust with back spasms. Although, in the media center, it was initially announced as a chest injury, something that has plagued Snedeker for more than a year. Let’s hope it’s just the back spasms, which weren’t severe enough to keep Sneds from driving himself away from Ridgewood Country Club in his courtesy BMW. Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler’s oblique injury will keep him out at least one more event. I hope Team USA hired a great trainer.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to TPC Boston for the Dell Technologies Championship, the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. This is that tournament that ends on a Monday (Labor Day), and it’s also where CBS hands off coverage to NBC for the remainder of the playoffs. To CBS, well. . .

Random tournament fact: TPC Boston is actually 37 miles outside of Boston. This would be exactly like Bethpage Black being called TPC NYC.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK
— Phil Mickelson will tweet stock tips: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds
— Phil Mickelson will tweet 2nd-half over/under picks: Even odds
— There will be more golf shots shown the next few weeks: LOCK

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION
Paulina happened to be watching with her arms crossed as Dustin did a post-round interview with CBS’ Amanda Balionis, thus creating an instant viral WAGs moment:

“I’m not the jealous type”

A post shared by Fore Play (@foreplaypod) on Aug 26, 2018 at 4:30pm PDT

But while funny, there’s obviously nothing here, people. And Balionis squashed any notion of potential beef between the two with this smiling photo of them together the following day:

Our joint statement on a recent meme: Hi Haters ?

A post shared by Amanda Balionis (@balionis) on Aug 26, 2018 at 3:10pm PDT

At least, we think Paulina is smiling. . .

PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Speaking of PGA Tour WAGS memes, how about Jena Sims running into someone wearing a T-shirt with that viral screenshot of her smiling at Tiger Woods following the PGA Championship?

As we’ve seen with Jena’s interactions with Joe Buck after he infamously misidentified her, Brooks Koepka’s girlfriend has a great sense of humor. Also, where can I get one of those shirts?

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Padraig Harrington tried to sneak a leak during the final round of the Czech Masters and was foiled by a nosy cameraman.

Padraig Harrington vs. The Camerman ???#CzechMasters pic.twitter.com/typOyCghxF

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 26, 2018

Poor Paddy. That may have cost him the title. Although, the eventual winner, Andrea Pavan, caused a fun video as well when his diminutive caddie leapt into his arms in celebration:

Congratulations @AndreaPavan89!

Winner of the D+D Real Czech Masters ? pic.twitter.com/7Il23t4wbh

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 26, 2018

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (WILDLIFE DIVISION)
There was nothing sly about this fox that stole a golfer’s ball on a course in Massachusetts:

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (TRICK-SHOT DIVISION)
We’ve all seen Phil Mickelson’s close-range flop shots over people, but this dude took the trick to another level by only using one hand:

Trust exercise #wow #CGBgolf #notit @golf_gods @anaismeyssonnier

A post shared by Colorado Golf Blog “CGB” (@coloradogolfblog) on Aug 24, 2018 at 4:06pm PDT

Perhaps, this could be one of those side bets during THE MATCH?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Oh, it is.” — Phil Mickelson in response to a fan shouting “That’s gotta be better than Tiger’s” while his shot was in the air. This is peak Phil right here:

Dialed. In.@PhilMickelson is feeling it early @TheNTGolf. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/PsCZuXKY8B

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 25, 2018

And exactly the kind of shenanigans we’re hoping for during THE MATCH.

THIS WEEK IN TOUR PROS ARE JUST LIKE US!
A struggling Tyrrell Hatton went to a New Jersey Golf Galaxy after his Saturday round at Ridgewood and bought a putter.

Well that’s the best $172 I’ve ever spent ???
Was so nice to hole some putts again today, new putter worked it’s magic!
-7 64 to finish the week ??
Onto Boston! pic.twitter.com/PrTNv74bsw

— Tyrrell Hatton (@TyrrellHatton) August 26, 2018

Hatton moved up 40 spots on the leader board on Sunday to T-20 and earned $101,160. Money well spent, indeed.

THIS AND THAT
Jason Dufner wound up being this week’s FedEx Cup Playoffs bubble boy in a good way by finishing No. 100 to extend his season. There were no Getty Images of Dufner from this week, but we’re guessing his reaction to this news looked something like this:

Kevin C. Cox

A recreational golfer was turned away from a golf course in England because of the color of his. . . socks. And we wonder why golf gets a stuffy reputation sometimes. . . . A report informing Scotland it should stop advertising its golf came to light last week. We’re wondering if the same company would recommend Las Vegas not advertising its casinos any more. . . . And finally, the Golf Digest squad of Joel Beall, Christopher Powers, Stephen Hennessey, and myself won a media outing previewing the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black in dominating fashion:

Although, even playing a shamble, we barely broke par. That course is a beast. Still riding high from the victory, I wore this Hawaiian shirt to the office the following day and it set off the most heated style debate since Phil Mickelson showed up to the Masters looking like he was attending a shareholder’s meeting.

As Phil and I now know, being a trendsetter is tough. Also, I blame all those Magnum P.I. commercials on CBS during golf.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER
What will be the winning score at Bethpage Black next year?
What will be the wining score of THE MATCH?
Should I reconsider this Hawaiian shirt?

The post Phil Mickelson joins Twitter, Bryson DeChambeau (probably) joins the Ryder Cup, and a WAGs meme goes viral appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Sam Weinman
Two competing narratives emerged from the build-up and then aftermath of the 100th PGA Championship. Going in it was how uninspired a venue Bellerive Country Club was for a major championship. The other was how riveting the final round there ended up being. This leads to an inevitable but perhaps still uncomfortable question: do we place disproportionate importance on the golf course itself when assessing majors?

Certainly it’s not to suggest that all courses are created equal, and those of us who play the game would almost certainly choose to play a great golf course over one that’s rather forgettable. But as it relates to the actual entertainment value of major competition, Bellerive at least invites a reassessment of the course’s role in the finished product. Hence this point/counterpoint between Alex Myers and myself.

Don’t be ridiculous, of course the golf course matters: As the great philosopher/celebrity golfer Yogi Berra once said, I felt like I had déjà vu all over again while watching the 100th PGA Championship. A week after the PGA Tour went to the homogenous Firestone Country Club for the final time, it took on the equally bland Bellerive Country Club for the first time in a decade. And I was surprised to learn Bellerive isn’t French for “dogleg left.” While the St. Louis course produced a star-studded leader board and a fantastic finish — two things that are easily the most essential to a memorable tournament — the track itself was forgotten as soon as Brooks Koepka put on his cape and flew away. Whereas a great course forges an added layer of connection with golf fans through recognizable holes — and helps build buzz before and during an event (Unlike, “Did you see where Brooks hit his tee shot on… um… that par 4?”) — I’m not sure that even fans who watched all four days could pinpoint any specific holes other than “that one they made drivable a couple rounds and almost got several fans killed.” That was No. 11, by the way. I had to look it up myself. — Alex Myers

Montana Pritchard/PGA of America

You golf course snobs are missing the point: Here’s a dirty little secret about major championship golf: the golf course itself is almost irrelevant. Now, to be clear, this is not to say we prefer bad courses over good ones. Given the choice between splattering Cypress Point or some tired dusty muny on our 54-inch flatscreens, we all know what we’re going to choose. What we are saying, however, is that major championships are ultimately defined by the drama they produce, and we’re willing to overlook all kinds of architectural deficiencies provided the storylines that unfold there are sufficiently compelling. Take plain old Bellerive, which by any objective measure was the weakest of the four major championship courses this season, yet by some random confluence of events, still delivered the best major of the season. If you could guarantee a tournament like this one every time, I’d go back there every year if we could. — Sam Weinman

The post Do major championship venues REALLY matter? With Bellerive fresh in our minds, two editors debate appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we are happy to be back to rearranging our weekend schedules around Tiger Woods’ tee times. My wife was a good sport, agreeing to go on our Costco lunch run earlier than usual. But once I got home, I barely moved from my couch during the rest of daylight hours on Saturday and Sunday. Well, other than an emergency chips and guac run when Tiger made the turn during the final round.

Watching Woods strutting around in a red shirt and stalking the leaders sure is fun, but it also causes me to stress eat. A LOT. You should see the damage I did to a Costco bag of Hershey Kisses. . . Anyway, Saturdays and Sundays are for watching Tiger Woods again. Sorry, honey.

WE’RE BUYING
Justin Thomas: Tiger Woods didn’t win at PGA National, but one of his proteges did. Again. For a second time this season, Thomas won in a playoff, joining Tiger and Jordan Spieth as the only players to get to eight wins before turning 25 in the past 30 years. He also jumped (his good buddy) Jordan in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.

Sam Greenwood

Tiger Woods: We could point to a slew of stats to show the progress Tiger made — 1st in proximity to the hole, 15th in strokes gained approach-to-the-green, a 128.2 MPH(!!!) swing speed on Saturday — but the most encouraging thing was the way he felt as he climbed the leader board. As he said the week before, Woods is focused on “winning time,” talking about things like “posting a number” on Sunday and talking less to his friends on tour.

David Cannon

Thomas said Woods usually texts him with words of encouragement when he’s in the hunt entering the final day, but with Woods in contention? “Crickets.” Tiger Woods is back, people. At least to being the game’s ultimate competitor.

Jessica Korda: While everyone was focused on Tiger Woods’ latest comeback, Korda made a remarkable return from an off-season jaw surgery that makes my recent root canal look like a routine checkup. Korda has 27 screws in her face and has been battling severe headaches, but she managed a four-shot victory at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia in her first start back on tour. This could be just the start of a monster season for the 24-year-old.

Eddie Pepperell: And all this time, I just thought this guy was a great follow on Twitter. Turns out, he’s a heckuva golfer as well. Of course, I kid, but it took Pepperell 129 European Tour starts to finally get his maiden victory at the Qatar Masters. And his Monday blog post might have been even better than his Sunday performance on the course. Here’s how he signed off:

There’s lots more I could say I guess, but that can wait. Above all though, I’m just so happy for my family and girlfriend, all of whom deserve the credit for constantly reminding me who I am. Christ, if I ever get above my station, my sister will put me right. She has a knack for four letter curses and pinpoint truth telling.

Time for a nice dog walk.

We’re rooting for more wins — and more posts — from Eddie.

WE’RE SELLING
18-hole playoffs: Good riddance to this archaic method of settling a golf tournament. The USGA is doing the right thing by switching to a (more) sudden-death method, although the two-hole choice screams of golf’s governing body just trying to be different than the other three men’s majors. In any event, this will go down as the last 18-hole playoff (actually 19) in U.S. Open history:

Bloomberg

And I’m totally good with that.

Larry Fitzgerald’s handicap: On the flip side, I’m not totally good with this. Look, I gave Larry the benefit of the doubt after his dominant Pebble Beach Pro-Am performance as a 10.6 handicap. But somehow, the NFL star’s handicap has gone up in the two weeks since to an 11.3 index. And many, including Peter Kessler, are labeling Larry a sandbagger:

???????????
(11 emojis for Larry Fitzgerald’s 11.3 handicap index) pic.twitter.com/fOOxOcPqHq

— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) February 26, 2018

Friend of mine played with him several rounds. Never over 75. How can this not have been vetted? He’s not the first sandbagger who’s won the pro am in recent years. A lot of ams like Jack Lemmon worked so hard just to make the cut. Not cool.

— Peter Kessler (@peterkessler) February 27, 2018

I don’t think Larry is exaggerating his scores (maybe he just stepped back to the tips), but I also know that after you win a celebrity tournament by eight shots and people start questioning your handicap, you should do everything in your power to make sure it goes down. So I’m throwing a yellow flag here for Fitzgerald getting excessive strokes.

Honda Heckler: Let me do a quick top-five ranking of those at fault in the heckler situation at the Honda Classic on Sunday, in order from most to blame to least:

The heckler.

The heckler.

The heckler.

Tournament marshals.

Justin Thomas.

Was JT a bit too thin-skinned? Sure. But this bozo sounds like he was looking to get ejected. And why did Thomas have to step in and take care of business of himself? He’s got enough to deal with trying to win. In any event, how much funnier would this have been if it was Rickie Fowler heckling Thomas? Sorry, sorry, not endorsing hecklers at golf tournaments. No matter who they are. But seriously, that would have been funny.

ON TAP
The PGA Tour heads south of the border for the WGC-Mexico Championship, AKA that WGC event they used to play at Doral. It’s also where Justin Thomas one-hopped a hole-in-one from 232 yards last year, but Dustin Johnson still won, because Dustin Johnson was winning every tournament at this time last year.

Random tournament fact: With only 65 players teeing it up in the no-cut event, last place pays out $50Gs. Not too shabby.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

— Justin Thomas will one-hop another ace from 232 yards: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

— Tiger Woods’ updated odds to win the 2018 Masters: 16-to-1 odds

— I’m kicking myself for not betting on Tiger when he was 25-to-1 odds: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Now who could all these people be taking a picture of? #HondaClassic pic.twitter.com/vzabkwCZwQ

— Dave Shedloski (@DaveShedloski) February 25, 2018

The weekends are officially TIGER TIME again, folks!

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Last week, Justin Thomas uttered the words “Talk dirty to me” to his golf ball. This week, Alvaro Quiros talked dirty to his in a different way:

“That was a disgraceful shot. I hate it with all of my heart.” ?

Álvaro Quirós did not like his approach to 9 one bit… pic.twitter.com/WiZ8CkmHgp

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 23, 2018

And how about this reaction to Eddie Pepperell’s win that was filmed by his older brother:

????@PepperellEddie pic.twitter.com/TNcG7vehuj

— Joe Pepperell (@joepep_pga) February 25, 2018

So cool.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (TRICK SHOT DIVISION)

We recently came across an Instagram user who goes around catching marshmallows in his mouth in a variety of locations while wearing a “FAT & PROUD” T-shirt. Here’s his golf-related trick “shot”:

Par 4 hole in one. @billy_gregg91 #pga #tigerwoods #golf#justinthomas#jordanspieth #jasonday #johndaily #sergiogarcia#bubbawatson @scheetz_25 ????

A post shared by Mike Regan (@mikeregan11) on Dec 19, 2017 at 8:52am PST

Well done, sir. And after this weekend’s eating performance, can you send me one of those shirts in a medium? On second thought, make it a large.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITIES PLAYING GOLF (SORT OF)

Check out the contract Denver Broncos tight end Jeff Heuerman signed, promising his fiance he won’t buy another new driver for five years:

Compromise is the bedrock of every healthy relationship, as Jeff Heuerman recently found out. pic.twitter.com/l4HuFDJbT1

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 21, 2018

It looks like this poor guy is going to be giving up a lot of yards to his buddies on the course in the coming years, but that might be the least of his problems. . .

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It was a good gallery, good crowd, but it wasn’t obviously anything big. It wasn’t anything remotely close to Tiger’s. But he fully deserves that and he is the needle. He moves the needle. He’s the reason probably why the attendance this week was as high as it was, and you know, they weren’t coming out here to watch Luke List and Justin Thomas. They were coming out here to watch Tiger, so I don’t blame them. I’d go watch him, too, instead of me.” — Say what you will about having a fan ejected and blurting out a curse on the winning putt, Justin Thomas is awesome.

THIS WEEK IN TOUR PROS LIVING THE LIFE

Rory McIlroy is buying up possessions of PGA Tour pros. First, he reportedly purchased Ernie Els’ house and now he’s snagged (one of) Ian Poulter’s Ferraris:

When you see your old love in the car park… and miss it… This F12 was awesome, loved doing the Matte Grigio Silverstone paint and also on the rims, and the Matte Black roof… Interior Grey and burgundy. @rorymcilroy good to see it looking perfect… He know a good car when he sees one. ??

A post shared by Ian Poulter (@ianjamespoulter) on Feb 23, 2018 at 7:10am PST

If any tour pro is looking to sell their boat, Rory looks to be your guy.

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

What are the odds DJ still went with a t-shirt and jeans look for date night? We’re guessing they’re pretty good.

THIS WEEK IN AWESOME JASON DUFNER HATS

This might even top the Biggie Smalls hat Dufner donned earlier this season:

Asked Duf about his “BOSS” hat. No sponsorship deal this year so he’s wearing what he wants. This one, he grabbed from Rickie’s house last night.

“Perfect time, playing with Tiger.” pic.twitter.com/JoR2ISubgp

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) February 24, 2018

I love how he just saw a hat he liked at Rickie’s house and took it. And you know Rickie was planning on taking that to #SB2K18. Savage move, Duf.

THIS AND THAT

Daniel Berger teamed up with Tom Wall to win the gross division of the fabled Seminole Pro-Member on Monday. But seriously, did you see the field?! Berger deserves Official World Golf Ranking points for the title. . . . The USGA/R&A announced a new World Handicap System will go into effect in 2020. I’m not exactly sure how it will work, but somehow Larry Fitzgerald’s handicap will go up. . . . John Daly is once again denying the authenticity of a claret jug replica that was auctioned off as his for $66,000. As the old saying goes, Buyer Beware, especially when it comes to John Daly-related items. . . . Stance announced this sweet new pair of socks (Although, if I’m nitpicking, I’d prefer more green) that features a look back at Jack Nicklaus’ 1986 Masters win:

You know what’s more boss than wearing a “boss” hat at a golf tournament? Wearing your own commemorative socks to the tournament you owned more than anyone. Jack, please rock these at Augusta in April.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Will When will Justin Thomas get to No. 1?

Will When will Tiger Woods win again?

Why are avocados so expensive?

The post Tiger Woods’ ‘message’ to Justin Thomas, the USGA’s stunning reveal, and Larry Fitzgerald’s handicap gets questioned again appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

This is all to say that the concept of buying shares of a professional golfer has a natural appeal to me. Although still probably not mom-approved, it’s a more grown-up form of gambling than betting on the spread of a game. And financial planners always stress how important it is to diversify your portfolio. What’s more diverse than investing in a British golfer you’ve never heard of?

• • •

THE HOOK

I’d never come across such an opportunity, though, until last year when I happened to see a retweet of a tour pro named Dave Coupland. Dave was looking for investors in himself, and I was immediately intrigued.   

Thank you for all the recent support. Shares are selling thick and fast!! Join my journey and success in 2017. ??? #DCGolfInvestments pic.twitter.com/RBmbNouIDq

— Coups (@davecoupland) February 25, 2017

I did my due diligence (Translation: I read Dave’s bio on his website) and learned the 31-year-old had spent his time as a pro between the PGA EuroPro and Challenge Tours. He had also qualified for two British Opens, including the previous year’s tournament at Royal Troon. Coupland, who hails from the tiny town of Boston on England’s east coast, had earned some status on the European Tour by finishing 38th as a rookie on the Challenge Tour in 2014, and he picked up his biggest pro check to date (£24,510) the following year at the Lyoness Open. But that’s the closest he’s come to playing full time on the big stage.

“I’ve stayed very still, and the standard got tougher,” said Coupland in a candid assessment of his career. “If you’re not careful, you can end up in limbo.”

But Buy low, sell high is all I could hear as I read Dave’s resumé. And “I WIN, YOU WIN!” seemed like a pretty good deal to me. So why would this golfer turned golfing commodity offer up a cut of his earnings? Because being a tour pro is ridiculously expensive, and often, this is the only way to make the dream of playing golf for a living feasible.

“It’s common,” Coupland said of player shares on the EuroPro and Challenge Tours. “A few guys I know did it before, and I discussed it with them and thought why not give it a shot?”

Why not give it a shot is also what I thought when I saw the seemingly reasonable price of £100 per share. And once I let the idea creep into my head, the fear of missing out on a good bet that often fuels gambling decisions (What if he gets back into the British Open and wins?!) took over. I definitely needed a piece of the action. Let’s make it two shares, I decided.

Paul Thomas

Wait, was this dumb? Was I just throwing my money away by pouring it into a tour pro? A quick Google search produced a 2012 Golf Digest piece by Peter Finch on the subject with the headline, “The Worst Investment?” Oh boy … But I’ve seen what investing in a small startup can turn into. I watch Shark Tank every week. Maybe Dave Coupland is my Scrub Daddy?

My next order of business was finding a way to justify risking that much. At first, I considered trying to turn it into a work expense for this story, but again, what if I wound up winning some serious cash? I didn’t want to be forced into forking it over to the company. Instead, I figured I could re-allocate the $250 I was about to spend on renewing my air conditioning service plan. I could put that off for one year, right? What’s the worst that will happen? As far as I can tell, all they really ever do is stop by once and tell me my AC is running OK. Plus, there are plenty of great golfers out there who owe their start to some sort of sponsor/investor structure. Zach Johnson is forever grateful for a group that staked him when he was a young pro and now he has a green jacket AND a claret jug. (OMG, Dave Coupland is definitely winning the British Open!) And just like that, I had talked myself back into those two shares.

• • •

THE CONTRACT

Despite a somewhat late start in soliciting investors—I didn’t buy-in until March 31, for example—Coupland was pleasantly surprised with the results. Overall, he sold 52 shares at £100 a pop. That included three shareholders who purchased 10 shares each, something that also got them sponsorship placement on his golf gear. Not surprisingly, I was a rare investor who had no previous connection to Dave. Most were family members, friends or members at Woodhall Spa Golf Club, where Coupland plays out of. But I was happy to be a minority owner in DC Golf Investments. And Dave was happy to take my check.

Armed with a fresh injection of capital, Coupland set up a budget that included entry fees for tournaments, gas money and hotel bills, which he tried to keep to under £200 per week. (Again, being a tour pro is really expensive.) And at the end of the season, Coupland would tally up and divide all his tournament earnings and deposit the money into a separate bank account. It was all very thorough. And official. Here’s a look at most of the contract I signed, which included everything from where my money was going to a provision that Dave would “practice on non-competitive days and train to maintain an appropriate physical condition”:

As with any stock purchase, there’s a tendency to constantly monitor your investment at first. At work, I frequently refreshed Dave’s Twitter feed, where he kept investors appraised of his play—and time in the gym. While at home, my wife caught me checking tournament scores on my phone in the middle of the night a couple times. Although, I’m still not sure she believed that’s what I was doing … (Side note: She also doesn’t know about the $250. Or the risky decision regarding our air conditioning. So please, let’s keep all of that between us.)

Throughout the season, Coupland had several close calls on the PGA EuroPro Tour, including a T-4 at the Great National Hotels Irish Masters in May and another T-4 at the Pentahotels Championship in August (No, not every event on the HotelPlanner.com EuroPro Tour is sponsored by a hotel chain). And alas, Dave didn’t win the claret jug after just missing out on qualifying (You’re lucky, Jordan Spieth).

Despite not finding the winner’s circle—something especially crucial on a tour where total purses are about £50,000 and prize money is weighted heavily toward first place—his consistent play earned him a 15th place finish on the EuroPro Tour’s order of merit. Not bad, but also not quite his goal of a top-five spot, which would have earned him full-time playing privileges on the Challenge Tour in 2018. As Coupland’s season wound down, I knew there wouldn’t be a huge payday coming. However, being a part of his journey—even a small, small part—was strangely satisfying.

Getty Images

• • •

THE PAYOFF

As an investor, it’s not like I influenced his schedule or any club selection, but I got excited each time Dave put himself in contention, and even a little proud whenever he earned a paycheck. And I can only imagine how exhilarating it would be to watch Coupland come down the stretch of a tournament in contention. I know, I know, as a golf writer there’s no cheering from the press box, but what about from the owner’s box? I also wondered if playing golf with people like myself pulling for him—even if mostly for selfish reasons—made Dave feel any different on the course?

“Sure. Especially if you get your head down,” Coupland said. “A few bad breaks a few bad bounces, and you think why is it happening to me? I try to snap out of that. I’m not just playing for myself here, I’m playing for my supporters. It can have a positive effect on things.”

With Coupland’s season complete, it was time for this tour pro to put down his clubs and pick up a calculator to crunch the numbers. Coupland computed each share was now worth £63.93 (His total number investors also figured into the math as stated in the contract). So my two shares purchased for £200 were now worth £128 pounds or about $170 for a paper loss (You like that stock-market lingo?) of around $80 (A slight increase in the exchange rate helped cushion the blow). Here’s the spreadsheet Dave sent out to his investors breaking down his prize money (after a withholding tax and a PGA levy) and payouts:

But you can’t put a price on the proper British slang I picked up following Dave throughout the past year:

What a day! Blowing a gale and off the back tees. It was a slog, played ok but some mistakes. Onto tomorrow. Off to bed now ?? #knackered

— Coups (@davecoupland) October 24, 2017

Knackered! Love it. So based on that, plus the entertainment value/emotional equity I got from investing, I’m declaring the venture a cracking success. The experiment was certainly worth it for Coupland as well. And he’ll have even more backers in 2018.

“Since I’ve done it, people are coming to me and asking about it,” said Coupland, who will spend most of 2018 on the PGA EuroPro Tour again after failing to advance to the final stage of European Tour Q School. “So it’s having a bit of snowball effect.”

I was thinking about cashing out, but Dave’s decision to let all of his backers re-invest their shares for the original value as a thank-you was too tempting to pass up. Who knows? Maybe this summer we’ll swig victory champagne from the claret jug together at Carnoustie. Or maybe I’ll just pop open a celebratory beer at home when we turn a profit for the first time.

“Hopefully, I’ll triple your money this year!” he said.

Sounds like a plan, Dave. Besides, my air conditioning is still working just fine.

The post I bought shares of a tour pro for one year. Here’s what happened appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.