Obviously, Spieth is one of the most popular players in the game—not just with fans but his fellow players. So Hurley has a tough fight ahead with the 24-year-old “Golden Child” in Tuesday’s election. Conversely, Hurley might’ve swayed some votes with this hilarious video he shared on social media on Monday.

For those of you who don’t know, I am running against @JordanSpieth for Chairman of the @PGATOUR Player Advisory Council. One final push for the voting that ends tomorrow pic.twitter.com/dO2uLiTg3B

— Billy Hurley III (@BillyHurley3) February 12, 2018

Fabulous work by Hurley, the winner of the 2016 Quicken Loans Invitational, who served five years in the U.S. Navy after graduating from the Naval Academy. You know even Spieth cracked up after watching this.

The rest of the 2018 PGA Tour Player Advisory Council, which was named in January, includes Justin Thomas, Steve Stricker, Paul Casey, Roberto Castro, Ben Crane, Andres Gonzales, James Hahn, J.J. Henry, Matt Kuchar, Geoff Ogilvy, Rod Pampling, Harold Varner III, Johnson Wagner and Tim Wilkinson.

The post Billy Hurley III calls Jordan Spieth ‘disgusting’ and a ‘thief’ in satirical attack ad that is absolute gold appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
OK, so technically, Ben Crane wasn’t assessed an eight-stroke penalty. There’s no situation in the Rules of Golf that calls for something that severe, but Crane managed to put himself in a scenario in which he began Thursday’s first round of the Albertsons Boise Open with two four-shot penalties on back-to-back holes for what was essentially one breach of golf’s guidelines. Talk about a tough start.

You’re probably still asking yourself, how is that possible?! We wondered the same thing, but the Web.com Tour’s Kevin Prise did a great job explaining. Basically, Crane mistakenly kept training stickers on his driver and 6-iron. The stickers are used to collect data about his shots when he practices, so in addition to this being an unusual penalty, it’s also one that could only happen to the modern tour pro.

Since having any attachment on a club — even one that doesn’t affect how it hits the ball — is a violation of the rules, when Crane reported it after finishing his first hole, he received two two-stroke penalties for carrying (but not using) a non-conforming club. But the situation got even stranger because Crane only reported the decal on his driver at first. It wasn’t until a few holes later that he also noticed he’d left one on his 6-iron also and since they were reported at separate times, they went down as separate penalties (You max out at two two-stroke penalties for each infraction) so Crane’s opening two pars were turned into quadruple bogeys.

Add it all up, and Crane wound up being assessed eight shots worth of penalties before he teed off on his second hole. Ouch. And yet, Crane, always known for a great sense of humor, took the ruling remarkably well.

“The rules staff did a great job and tried just to make it a four-shot penalty, but the rule stands,” the five-time PGA Tour winner said after. “Eight-shot penalty. It’s a bummer, but it’s the rules.”

Here’s what Crane tweeted later:

Had a new "that's golf" moment today. Was penalized 8 shots for having tiny stickers on two clubs (help launch monitors collect data).

— Ben Crane (@bencranegolf) September 15, 2017

Tournament golf is pretty challenging but it's REALLY difficult when you've accumulated 12 strokes before hitting your second tee shot

— Ben Crane (@bencranegolf) September 15, 2017

But as well as Crane handled the unusual situation, he played even better. Despite being put behind the eight (stroke) ball, Crane played his final 16 holes in three under par. Here’s a clip of his post-round interview:

After receiving two separate four-shot penalties early in his opening round @Boise_Open, @bencranegolf played his last 16 holes in 3 under. pic.twitter.com/vt82SFT5no

— Kevin Prise (@PGATOURKevin) September 15, 2017

At second-to-last on the leader board entering the second round, Crane would need a minor miracle to make the cut at the second Web.com Tour Finals. On the bright side, he still has a chance since using either of those clubs while they were non-conforming would have resulted in disqualification. And after paying such a steep price, we’re pretty sure he’ll never make the same mistake again.

UPDATE: This unusual rules situation got even stranger on Friday morning when Crane was disqualified after telling an official he knew about the second non-conforming club at the time of him reporting that his driver had the training decal on it. Because he knew and didn’t declare the club out of play at the time, Crane was disqualified.

“In his defense, I think that when you get assessed an eight-shot penalty, your head is going to be spinning,” Web.com Tour Vice President of Rules, Competition and Administration Jim Duncan said on Friday.

We’re guessing the head of everyone reading this story is spinning a bit as well.

The post Ben Crane handled an EIGHT-stroke penalty better than you would have (UPDATE: Crane gets DQ’d) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

From the middle of the fairway at the par-4 18th hole at the Scarlet Course at Ohio State University Golf Club, Ben Crane pushed his approach to the green into a deep bunker on the right, on the short side. After watching his ball drift into oblivion, Crane doubled over, then crouched down and lingered over the scene of his crime.

He did well to give himself a look at par from seven feet, but the putt wouldn’t fall, and Crane got what he deserved. It was a microcosm of his season. He stared ahead as he left the green, seemingly stunned, distraught.

Instead of a share of fifth place last Sunday in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, Crane dropped to T-6. For a player closing in on $21 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour, the difference in take-home pay was hardly worth mentioning: $3,250. Yet it was significant. The money he did earn, $34,750, was a nice start in the Web.com Tour Finals. But it didn’t guarantee him a return to the PGA Tour.

It meant he’d have to keep playing, when he’d rather spend the next few weeks at home with his wife and family.

“I think sometimes it’s great to face your fears.” —Ben Crane

“Obviously, the goal is to play as well as you can early and maybe get a little bit of rest before the fall starts,” Crane said after signing for a three-under 68 and nine-under 275 total. “I was able to have a good week this week and get myself off to a good start. So you know, maybe I can play one more and be done.”

It’s not easy for a player like Crane, winner of five PGA Tour titles, to be in this position, essentially falling back to the developmental tour for a four-week qualifying series to regain his status. But he is hardly alone. Dozens of players take that step back each autumn.

Former U.S. Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup player Hunter Mahan was at OSU Scarlet. So were other former tour winners like Jonathan Byrd, Johnson Wagner and Ken Duke.

By any measure the Oregon native weathered one of the most difficult seasons of his 16-year tour career, posting just one top-10 finish and ending up 147th in the FedEx Cup standings. He finished 185th two years earlier when he failed to garner a finish inside the top 25 in 22 starts, but his win in the 2014 FedEx St. Jude Classic, which comes with a two-year exemption, meant he wouldn’t lose his card. This season he had no such protection.

And, strangely, for all the disappointment and poor play he endured, he was largely OK with it. When the sting of that last bogey had dissipated, Crane, 41, said he was encouraged.

Michael Cohen/Getty Images
To make it 17 straight years on the PGA Tour, Crane needs a good performance in the Web.com Tour Finals.

“You know, I think I always was concerned about if I lost my card, you know, would life be OK. And coming out here playing is really good for me,” Crane said, relishing the epiphany that there are worse things than having to grind out golf scores, even if the pay isn’t as lavish.

“It was really an encouraging week. I’m excited to have the opportunity to get my card back if I play well in this series.”

Crane’s task was a bit more challenging because he was missing longtime caddie Joel Stock, who is sidelined with a stress fracture in his leg. Ricky Romano, who caddied most of the year for Aaron Wise, stepped in.

“You know, he never said a negative thing all week. He just put his head down and went to work and played hard,” Romano said.

“It’s not easy to have to come back out here and get your focus, get your motivation. I don’t think Ben takes anything for granted. He came here with one goal in mind, and that was to play well.”

Which he did for the most part.

“I like the way I’m playing right now,” he said. “This is a great test of golf. This is one of the best courses I’m sure we play all year [on the Web.com Tour] and certainly would be one of the better courses on the PGA Tour. You could hold a U.S. Open on this place anytime. Just grow the rough up another couple inches and it’s all you want.”

Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Crane hopes one more good performance in the Finals Series and he can go back, spend time with family and rest up for the fall.

It was no wonder that, given a few minutes to chill, he was able to shake off that last bogey. He knew he had played some of his best golf in some time, and not just because his score in relation to par was his third-lowest of the season.

There was something else, though, and it was related to his earlier comment, that “coming out here … is really good for me.” What could that mean?

“I think sometimes it’s great to face your fears,” he explained. “I played on tour for 16 years consecutively, never lost my card. And I think it’s good to bust through that and go, ‘It’s not that big a deal.’ You know what I mean? I’m thankful for my family, and I’ve got great friends, and my family flew in today to watch me. And so I mean the important things are still the most important. It’s just good to be reminded of that.

“So, yeah, this has been good for me,” he added. “I’m taking a lot away from it.”

Apparently, he was taking away something much more valuable than cash or the chance to keep his job.

Discovery.

That’s good for anyone.

The post The career detour Ben Crane didn’t want but has come to embrace appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Shortly after helping to lead the Golden State Warriors to a second NBA title in three seasons, Curry accepted a sponsor’s invitation to play in this week’s Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic. The decision sparked a big debate over whether Curry should take a spot in an actual tournament, but the two-time NBA MVP proved a lot of doubters wrong with an impressive opening round of 74 on Thursday.

Before he teed off in his first round, sportsbooks listed Curry as +900 (A $100 wager would win you $900) to make the cut and -2500 (Risking $2,500 to win $100) to miss the cut. The over/under for his high score for the tournament was set at 79.5 (TPC Stonebrae is a par 70) and for his low score at 76.5. If you bet on the latter, congratulations. Although you might have a gambling problem.

And if you bet on Curry sticking around for the weekend, you’re crazy, but at least you’re not totally out of it. When Curry concluded his round, he was tied for 140th in the field of 156. Not too shabby considering he’s competing against guys who do this for a living.

After a sluggish start of three bogeys in his first five holes — including a yanked opening tee shot that ended up in the cup holder of a golf cart — Curry got going with his first birdie on TPC Stonebrae’s 16th (his sixth hole of the day):

The first birdie of @StephenCurry30's #WebTour career. ? pic.twitter.com/8ZDFcaRim0

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 3, 2017

Then a par save on No. 18 (his ninth hole of the day) that produced a first big fist pump:

“He’s putting on a show!” ?@StephenCurry saves an unlikely par at the 18th @EllieMaeClassic.

He’s +2 thru nine holes. pic.twitter.com/cd5FZDTwcZ

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) August 3, 2017

Come on @stephencurry30 time to drop some 3’s on that card… ???

A post shared by Ian Poulter (@ianjamespoulter) on Aug 3, 2017 at 10:30am PDT

@StephenCurry30 turning in +2 is one of the purest things I've ever seen!

— Willy Wilcox (@willwilcoxgolf) August 3, 2017

https://twitter.com/JustinThomas34/status/893226220367876096

.@StephenCurry30 making 3 birdies and shooting +4 is super impressive. Great golfer but things can be tougher inside the ropes. Well done

— Ben Crane (@bencranegolf) August 3, 2017

Playing partner Stephen Jaeger said he was impressed with Curry’s game, especially his touch around the greens. He was also happy to get a chance to play in front of so many fans.

“Sam and I are going to be on the PGA Tour next year, so for us, it’s a great experience,” Jaeger said.

Curry has a 2:15 ET tee time for Friday afternoon.

“I want to play better tomorrow,” Curry said. “And now that I’ve gotten the jitters out, hopefully, that will happen.”

The post Watch highlights of Stephen Curry’s impressive Web.com Tour debut appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.