All reasonable suggestions and perfect jumping-off points for other end-of-year lists. But sports are about people. So for this list, we’re going to re-live this most strange year through people’s words. From Torrey Pines to Augusta, from Kobe to Bryson to DJ to some more Bryson, here are 18 quotes that defined the wild journey that was golf in 2020.

• • •

“I don’t know if his genetics ever make him look good to be honest. That body issue—he didn’t have any abs. I got some abs.” —Bryson DeChambeau, Jan. 15

This came during one of DeChambeau’s late-night Twitch streams and it set off another back-and-forth in the ever-simmering feud between the noted golf nerd and Brooks Koepka, noted golf cool guy. Bryson was asked about his ongoing body transformation in comparison with Koepka, who had just posed nude for the ESPN body issue. Clearly, DeChambeau wasn’t impressed. Koepka, not the type to look past a slight, fired back by posting a picture of his four major-championship trophies with the caption “2 short of a 6 pack.” I mean, how else did Bryson think this would end?

You were right @b_dechambeau I am 2 short of a 6 pack! pic.twitter.com/aCJ1jimId6

— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) January 16, 2020

• • •

“He shot free throws with a torn Achilles. It’s hard to imagine he could have the sniffles, let alone have something like this happen.” —Max Homa, Jan. 26

NBA icon Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, which led to a bizarre scene in which the golf tournament felt secondary. Most players—including Tiger Woods—found out after their rounds, and many were visibly shaken at the tragic news. Chief among them was Homa, a Southern California native and a diehard Lakers and Kobe fan. Justin Thomas, Matthew Wolff and Tony Finau were among a number of players who paid tribute to Bryant at the following week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.

• • •

“I’m probably the only one who’s not playing. Same number as the sanitizers in the clubhouse, locker room and dining.” —C.T. Pan, March 12

In a since-deleted tweet, Pan explained his reasoning for withdrawing from the Players Championship prior to the first round. This marked the first real encroachment of COVID-19 on the PGA Tour; there was sparse talk of it the week prior at Bay Hill, but worries mounted as the Players practice rounds wore on and other sports, notably the NBA, put their seasons on hiatus. Pan was the only golfer to withdraw over safety concerns, but by the time Thursday’s opening round was underway, it was unclear whether the tournament would make it to Sunday. At noon on Thursday, just as Hideki Matsuyama was polishing off perhaps the most under-the-radar 63 in golf history, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced that the Players and all events through the Valero Texas Open would be played without fans. Ten hours later a different announcement came.

RELATED: Counting down the top 25 Newsmakers of 2020

• • •

“We’re obviously incredibly disappointed to suspend the PGA Tour season for our players, and our fans.”     —Jay Monahan, March 13

Monahan was speaking at a press conference on Friday, but the brutal news dropped on Thursday night: that all events up through Valero Texas Open had been cancelled. That same Friday, Augusta National announced that the Masters would not be played in April. In the span of 24 hours, the PGA Tour had gone from all systems normal to a full-on cancellation through mid-April. And that, as we now know, was just the beginning.

Cliff Hawkins

• • •

“Billy, JT, Charley, whoever else wants to do this Peloton thing while we’re in quarantine, or social isolation or whatever you want to call it … I beat you again.” —Rory McIlroy, March 21

The quarantine period saw a number of PGA Tour players satisfy their appetite for competition with … cycling? Interactive Peloton rides became the new anti-boredom cure, with Rory McIlroy emerging as the leader of the spinning crew. Golfers organized live rides against each other as well as fundraising rides for different philanthropic causes.

• • •

“The R&A has decided to cancel The Open in 2020 due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.” —Joint statement Augusta National, PGA Tour, R&A, USGA, LPGA, European Tour, April 6

If there’s one positive that came from the COVID-19 hiatus, it’s increased cooperation between golf’s power players. On what was supposed to be the Monday of Masters week, six governing bodies released a joint statement outlining a best-possible schedule for the rest of 2020. Some highlights, which seemed to many like they were a little unrealistic at the time: the Masters moving to November; the ANA Inspiration moving to September; the U.S. Women’s Open moving to December; the U.S. Open moving to September; and the cancellation of the Open Championship for the first time since World War II. In hindsight, the best-possible schedule became the actual schedule.

• • •

“Yeah, it’s going to be a tough financial year. There’s no way around it. And it’s certainly not going to be any better on the Ladies European Tour or the Symetra Tour, two tours that we obviously, I think, without giving away any secrets, that we help subsidize and will certainly subsidize more in 2020 than we thought when we walked into the year.” —Mike Whan, May 1

The LPGA commissioner painted an honest and sobering picture of COVID hiatus’ impact on the women’s game. In contrast to the cash-rich PGA Tour, the shutdown put women’s professional game in a precarious position. Whan’s forthright and compassionate brand of leadership has been lauded across the sports world as a model for how a commissioner should behave, and he successfully guided the women’s game through an unexpectedly difficult year. The LPGA Tour returned to play on July 31 at the LPGA Drive On Championship.

• • •

“Want me to use one of my U.S. Open medals? … I should have three of them that you can borrow” —Tiger Woods, May 24

This was one of many good-natured jabs from The Match 2: Champions for Charity, Tiger tweaking Phil Mickelson for his close calls at the major. The Match 2 saw Woods and Peyton Manning take down Mickelson and Tom Brady in a highly entertaining made-for-TV match at Woods’ home track, Medalist Golf Club in Florida. This was actually the second such exhibition during the PGA Tour hiatus, as a quartet of TaylorMade stars faced off in a skins match at Seminole the week before. And it wasn’t the last—Manning and Mickelson were joined by Charles Barkley and Stephen Curry for The Match III in Arizona over Thanksgiving weekend. 2020, among other things, shall be known as the year that golf exhibitions made a comeback.

Mike Ehrmann

• • •

“I pray alongside them for George Floyd and his family. And I also pray for our unity. We’re strong. We can go beyond the trap of one-dimensional thinking. Once we do, our eyes will see the righteous, our hearts will feel the love, and we’ll have done more to honour all those subjected to evil and its vile nature.” —Harold Varner III, June 2

The killing of George Floyd by police officers sparked outrage across the globe, and while our sport is not typically at the forefront of social change, the golf world used the moment to do some honest reckoning with itself. As one of very few black players on the PGA Tour, Varner suddenly emerged as an important voice in a game whose history is rife with exclusion. The PGA Tour held a moment of silence during its first tournament after the hiatus, the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, at 8:46 a.m.—a reference to the eight minutes and 40 seconds that an officer pinned his knee into Floyd’s throat before he died. In the months since, the tour outlined a plan to combat racial injustice, Augusta National announced it would fully fund a women’s golf program at a historically black college, and The Match 3 raised more than $5 million for historically black colleges and universities.

• • •

“I think there’s a lot of bunkers that are around, like, 290, so hopefully I’ll be able to clear those and take those out of play. So, sorry, Mr. Ross, but, you know, it is what it is.” —Bryson DeChambeau, June 30

As far as actual golf storylines, DeChambeau’s bulk-up dominated discourse virtually all summer. He showed up to Colonial some 30-odd pounds heavier than he had been just three months earlier, a hard-to-believe transformation. A late bogey cost him a spot in a playoff, but it became clear that this was no side-show. He finished T-8 and T-6 in his next two starts, then showed up to the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club, a 1910s-era Donald Ross design that proved no match at all for his thunderous power—he shot 23 under and won by three. The above quote, while undoubtedly humorous, was also rather poignant, underscoring how a player hitting the ball 350-plus yards can nullify so many great architectural challenges of classic golf courses.

• • •

“It’s pretty surreal to think it’s happened this quickly. How many people get to achieve a lifelong dream in their mid-20s?” —Jon Rahm, July 19

Rahm became just the second Spaniard, joining his hero Seve Ballesteros, to become the World’s No. 1 golfer. It happened after a gritty victory at the Memorial, where he tamed a fiery Muirfield Village setup for what looked like a five-shot victory … until the signature moment of the week, his chip-in for birdie on 16, became a chip-in for bogey after a zoomed-in camera showed his wedge causing the ball to move ever so slightly as he addressed it. Good thing margin of victory doesn’t matter on the PGA Tour, or the World Rankings, so the three-shot win was more than enough to see the 24-year-old summit the sport.

Andy Lyons

• • •

“I like my chances—when I’ve been in this position before, I’ve capitalized. I don’t know, he’s only won one.” — Brooks Koepka, Aug. 8

Never one to hide his feelings, Koepka raised some eyebrows with this not-so-subtle dig at his former workout buddy, Dustin Johnson. DJ held the 54-hole lead at the first post-COVID major, the PGA Championship at Harding Park, and Koepka was lurking just two behind when he spoke in his post-round presser on Saturday. He wasn’t wrong, either—Johnson had held three 54-hole leads in majors and converted zero of them, while Koepka had previously had no such problems closing the deal in majors. The controversial comments drew a stark rebuke from Rory McIlroy as well as plenty of golf fans, especially when Koepka shot four over on Sunday to finish T-29. And yet, Johnson’s two-under 68 was also not enough to take home the Wanamaker.

• • •

“I feel very comfortable in this spot. When I woke up today, I was like, this is meant to be. This is where I feel very comfortable. This is where I want to be, and I’m not scared from it.” —Collin Morikawa, Aug. 9.

Morikawa delivered a final round for the ages to win his first major, shooting a bogey-free 64 to leapfrog Johnson and join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as the only four players to win the PGA Championship before turning 24. It was the third victory of Morikawa’s career, which began only 14 months prior to his first major championship.

• • •

“I almost quit playing last year—thank God I didn’t.” —Sophia Popov, Aug. 23

The biggest upset of the year came at the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon. That’s where the 27-year-old German, No. 304 in the Rolex Rankings, shot a final-round 68 for an unlikely two-shot victory. Popov had trudged through the golf wilderness, struggling both with confidence and health for the past six years—including a bout with Lyme disease—and nearly gave up the game in 2019. It’s a very, very good thing she didn’t.

Richard Heathcote/R&A

RELATED: The best things for golfers to come out of the pandemic

• • •

“It’s not a skill to hit the ball a long way in my opinion. I could put on 40 pounds. I could go and see a bio-mechanist and I could gain 40 yards; that’s actually a fact. I could put another two inches on my driver. I could gain that, but the skill in my opinion is to hit the ball straight. That’s the skill, he’s just taking the skill out of it in my opinion.” —Matthew Fitzpatrick, Oct. 11

The Bryson-distance talk did not cease after his torrid summer that peaked with a six-shot U.S. Open victory, and Matthew Fitzpatrick re-fueled it with these comments at the BMW PGA Championship in England. Not a long hitter himself, Fitzpatrick struck some with his comments as offering the bitter lamentations of a jealous player, but there also were plenty who agreed with his assertion that the game is trending in the wrong direction. DeChambeau, to his credit, took the comments in stride, though he did offer this biting response: “Hey, man I would love to help out.”

Andrew Redington

• • •

“I’m looking at it as a par 67 for me because I can reach all the par 5s in two, no problem. If the conditions stay the way they are, that’s what I feel like par is for me.” —Bryson DeChambeau, Nov. 10

All eyes were always going to be on Bryson at the Masters. He had just bludgeoned the U.S. Openiest U.S Open venue into submission, and he had taken a month off to test a 48-inch driver, and he posted evidence of a 400-yard drive to social media. But he drew even more attention on himself with this comment in the leadup, suggesting Augusta’s four par 5s are par 4s in his head, and the par-4 third is essentially a par 3 because he can drive it so easily. This time, the golf gods punched back—DeChambeau made the cut on the number and was never a factor in finishing T-34. It was not, however, a completely drama-free week …

• • •

“So you’re saying if we can’t find it, it’s a lost ball?” —Bryson DeChambeau, Nov. 13

During the second round of the Masters, DeChambeau took out driver on the third and hit a high hook that found the second cut, which was noticeably longer than usual at this November Masters. The ball was never found, much to the disbelief of DeChambeau, who tried to use every rule in the book to his advantage: Standing water? Nope. Ground under repair? Nope. For non-Bryson fans, there was certainly a hint of gleeful schadenfreude in watching him struggle on the course so many believed he would conquer.

• • •

“I’m sorry. I can’t even talk. I’ve never had this much trouble gathering myself.’’ —Dustin Johnson, Nov. 15

This Masters was so distinctly unusual—in November, and without fans—but through 54 holes, the proceedings had followed a familiar script: Dustin Johnson with the lead in a major heading into the final round. It was the fifth time DJ had been in that position, and he’d gone 0-for-4. This time, however, would be different, even if his original four-shot lead dwindled to one at one point early in Sunday’s round. DJ responded with steady play as the afternoon wore on and cruised to a five-shot victory while setting the 72-hole Masters scoring record. In his post-round interview with Amanda Balionis, the famously stoic Johnson let his guard down, struggling to get a word out as he choked back tears. Clearly, this meant everything to a man who is often portrayed as emotionless and apathetic, and it was wonderful to see. In a year that went so awry, Johnson’s victory stood out as a rare feel-good moment and the culmination of a four-month stretch of dominant golf.

The post The long, strange, surreal year in golf, summed up in 18 quotes appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But there’s been another, perhaps unexpected, new normal that actually isn’t so new at all: Driving from one tournament to the next.

At least that’s what C.T. Pan and his wife, Yingchun Lin, are doing, eschewing plush but pricey private jet travel as well as the tour’s more affordable but also more crowded weekly charter flight (another new normal) for the open road.

“Before we bought the RV we searched out the routes between tournaments,” Pan said. “It’s not that bad.”

That depends on one’s definition.

The trip from Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, where the tour resumed its season last week after three months off, to this week’s RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, S.C., covered six states and spanned 1,105 miles, almost all of them on Interstate 20. The drive took Pan and his wife 16 hours in all — nine on Saturday after he’d missed the cut in Texas the day before and another 10 on Sunday — with an overnight stop at Roosevelt State Park, outside Jackson, Miss., along the way.

There, they took in a panoramic view of the Bienville National Forest, lazy scenes of visitors relaxing and fishing along 150-acre Shadow Lake and enjoyed a comfortable night’s sleep. It was a prospect made easier by the fact they’re traveling in a luxe 20-foot long Mercedes Sprinter, which is outfitted with a queen-size bed, a small but modern kitchen and a shower and bathroom.

It has all the safety and comforts of home, including their own pillows, Pan said.

Still, he and his wife have a long way to go. Their trip from Hilton Head to next week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut will take 14 hours. From there, it’ll take about eight hours to get to the Rocket Mortgage Classic outside Detroit. Then it’s only a few hours to central Ohio for the Workday Charity Open and Memorial tournament, both at Muirfield Village.

Of course it wasn’t all that long ago that driving was how most players got from one event to the next. Though Arnold Palmer began flying to tournaments, doing the piloting himself, it wasn’t until decades later that most players took to the skies. In the early 1980s, for example, Paul Azinger barnstormed his way across the country in a 24-foot motor home his first few seasons. Many other players traveled similarly before commercial and private jet travel became the norm. Now, almost no one drives (though Viktor Hovland is also hitting the road in his car these next few weeks).

But these also aren’t normal times. With concerns over the ongoing pandemic, plus a joy for driving, Pan preferred not being cooped up in a steel tube with recirculated air alongside 100 or so of his colleagues.

“During these crazy times [my wife] doesn’t want to fly, and I don’t want to fly,” he said. “And she wants to travel with me.”

Pan, 28, and his wife, both of whom were born in Taiwan, also understand the dangers of infectious disease. He was just shy of a teenager when SARS spread from China in 2002 to his country and elsewhere. Though it was contained relatively quickly with just 8,500 worldwide cases, it had a high fatality rate at 11 percent. In Taiwan, the percentage was even higher with 668 total cases and 181 of them fatal.

That experience, plus reports that Pan and his wife were getting from family members back in Taiwan about the coronavirus, coupled with news reports about the virus’ spread in the United States, shaped Pan’s decision to withdraw from the Players Championship in March the morning of the opening round. Later that night, the tour canceled the tournament and went on hiatus.

“Back in January we knew this virus was different,” he said. “It was a tough decision to withdraw because I had never withdrawn from a tournament, but by March we knew a lot more [about coronavirus].

“We remember [SARS] very much. It was a very scary time. Taiwaneese people are very careful now. We wear masks pretty much everywhere.”

When the Tour announced that it was resuming its season, Pan, who lives in Houston, still had reservations about playing. He thought a June restart would be impossible to pull off and that it would be too soon.

But the tour, he said, made him and his wife feel comfortable with the steps they’ve taken. He said so far they’ve done a “great job” on testing and other protocols to keep players safe.

Pan’s concerns were also eased by being able to carry on in their own bubble, traveling and living out of their RV, which he says that he and his wife will continue to drive to tournaments for at least the next year if not longer.

There is one exception: If Pan qualifies for August’s PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco.

“If I get into that, I probably will fly,” he said. “That’s a tough one to drive to.”

The post C.T. Pan’s new normal in the COVID-19 era: Travel via the open road rather than the friendly skies appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tod Leonard
The field for next week’s RBC Heritage didn’t just attract a star-studded field unseen at Harbour Town. It rivals nearly anything seen for a regular PGA Tour event in a couple of decades.

The participants for next week were finalized on Friday, and of the 154 players currently listed, 114 have won at least one PGA Tour event. According to the Tour, which has field data going back to 2000, that is the most champions in any single tournament.

The notable absence, of course, is Tiger Woods and his 81 career Tour victories.

For the second straight week, the top five in the Official World Golf Rankings are entered: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson.

Among those joining them are Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day, Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, Sungjae Im, Jordan Spieth, and defending champion C.T. Pan.

The top-ranked McIlroy—in contention yet again at Colonial this week—hasn’t played in the RBC Heritage since he was 19. Koepka and Rahm have never competed at Harbour Town. In any other year, they’d likely be absent again. But regular schedules have been shredded after the Tour’s three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There’s one player in the field who has won the Heritage twice since 2000—Stewart Cink. Boo Weekly notched back-to-back victories in 2007-’08, but he’s not entered. The last five winners at Harbor Town are: Pan, Satoshi Kodaira, Wesley Bryan, Branden Grace and Jim Furyk. All but Kodaira are playing next week.

The post You’ll never guess the crazy number of PGA Tour winners in next week’s Heritage field appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
PONTE VEDRA BEACH — The news dropped at noon, while the morning wave of the first round at the Players Championship was enjoying an ideal scoring day at TPC Sawgrass. The serene conditions out on the course—mid 70s, no clouds, no wind—contrasted the rather chaotic scene playing out inside the interview room, where Commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed what we all expected: Due to concerns over the coronavirus, fans will not be allowed at PGA Tour events starting Friday at the Players and running for at least three weeks through the Valero Texas Open the first weekend in April.

“I’ve never played a Tour event like we were going to play tomorrow, with no fans,” Phil Mickelson said. “It will be a very weird experience, and I feel bad for the people here that have supported this tournament for so many decades to not be able to come on out. But this is a pretty serious thing that we need to do all we can to make sure that people don’t lose lives over it that we can prevent.”

For some players, the decision to keep fans from attending starting Friday came later than expected. And perhaps it didn’t go far enough. The NBA announced on Wednesday night that it was suspending its season. On Thursday, the MLS followed suit. So did the ATP. The power basketball conferences cancelled their conference tournaments. The PGA Tour, however, elected to allow thousands of fans, from dozens of states and countries, to congregate at TPC Sawgrass and get within an arm’s length of the best golfers in the world.

C.T. Pan wasn’t having it. The International Presidents Cup team member from Chinese Taipei tweeted that he left Sawgrass well before his tee time, officially withdrawing because he simply didn’t want to expose himself to all that comes with playing a professional golf tournament.

“My wife and I want to protect ourselves from the risk of exposure to the Coronavirus,” Pan said on Twitter. “We are fine and our families are fine. Our lifestyle is like a circus, traveling from one place to another. We believe this is a time to exercise caution by not playing this week.”

Overnight Lucas Glover took to social media to question the letting spectators in on Thursday. After shooting a two-under 70 on Thursday morning, he said that a number of players were “furious” at the Tour’s decision to allow fans on Thursday.

Gary Woodland was on the fourth tee when he heard fans talking about the being prohibited from the tournament come Friday.

“I figured we’d hear it last night,” Woodland said after posting a two-over 74. “Especially with Trump coming out, and the travel ban. Obviously with the NBA postponing their season, you see college basketball cancelling left and right. It was only a matter of time before we did it.”

Woodland said that after seeing the NBA’s announcement, he thought there was a real possibility there would be no golf played on Thursday. He wasn’t willing to go as far as Pan, but the concern on his face was readily apparent.

Cliff Hawkins
Woodland was willing to sign autographs during the practice rounds, but has decided to refrain from that for the foreseeable future to protect himself.

“I stopped shaking hands, signing autographs,” Woodland said. “I talked to some doctors. I have kids. I’m concerned about them. They said it hasn’t affected kids too much, but I have a dad with heart disease and that could really affect him.

“We were supposed to go to Disney on Monday,” Woodland added. “Looks like that’s not going to happen.”

RELATED: Augusta National reviewing contingencies for Masters

This is something of a nightmarish scenario for someone like Bubba Watson, who has been open about his discomfort with crowds and social anxiety.

“I’m a headcase,” he said, “so I’m worried just like anybody else. And if anybody says they’re not worried, they’re lying. It’s something we’re all worried about. … Who knows what I have and what I can pass? Who knows what they have and what they can pass? We’re learning this same as y’all are. Do we show signs or not? Are we a carrier or not?

Watson, who shot a one-under 71, was eager to check in with his wife and kids, who he hadn’t yet spoken to. Before he chatted with media, he also was pulled aside and given a random drug test.

“We’re worried about the wrong things right now,” he said with a smile. “That’s what I told the doc in there—we’re worried about the wrong things. Let’s save that lab for something else.”

Jhonattan Vegas said he was trying to avoid physical contact, and he’s looking into taking a private flight home with his young family after this week—he has a 4-year-old daughter and a 7-month-old son—but, beyond that, he didn’t seem too concerned.

“At the end of the day, it’s out of my control,” Vegas said. “There’s only so much I can to prevent it. I’m a strong believer in God, and it’s up to him whether I get it or not.”

The post Tour pros not surprised with decision to play without fans, taking precautions to protect themselves appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
PONTE VEDRA BEACH — While other professional sports leagues and the NCAA have quickly moved to cancel events due to the coronavirus, the show went on at the Players Championship. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan made the announcement on Thursday afternoon at TPC Sawgrass, the only stipulation being that the tour’s flagship event will be closed to fans for the final three rounds.

C.T. Pan, who was set to tee off on Thursday at 2:06 p.m., didn’t take any chances, opting to withdraw from the event just hours before his tee time. Fellow tour pro Zac Blair sent out a tweet during Monahan’s press conference that read “NBA suspended, ATP suspended, MLS suspended…,” the implication being that the PGA Tour was not taking the coronavirus as seriously as other sports.

Pan is taking it very seriously, at least judging by his response to Blair on Twitter:

Exactly

— Zac Blair (@z_blair) March 12, 2020

Pan then followed up with this statement:

Please see my statement for WD from @THEPLAYERSChamp pic.twitter.com/GZIomUDh91

— C.T. Pan (@ctpangolf) March 12, 2020

This means Pan made the decision to leave this morning, well before his tee time and well before the tour announced the Players Championship would continue without fans. While he didn’t specify a reason for his withdrawal, a later, now-deleted tweet indicated it was out of safety concerns. “I’m probably the only one who is not playing,” wrote Pan, adding, “same number as the hand sanitizers in the clubhouse, locker and dining.”

Pan also sent this tweet after Monahan’s statement was released:

??? https://t.co/1XKtYzpeYT

— C.T. Pan (@ctpangolf) March 12, 2020

He’s not the only player to withdraw, though he does appear to be the only one to do so over the coronavirus. Louis Oosthuizen pulled the plug on the eighth tee, citing a shoulder injury. Because Pan withdrew before teeing off, Brendan Steele, the first alternate, is now in the field.

The post C.T. Pan tweets ‘we already left hours ago, not going to play’ amidst coronavirus chaos appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Kobe certainly had his flaws, but you can’t argue the impact he had on the world. As Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard pointed out, 13(!) PGA Tour pros list him as their favourite athlete in their media guide bios. He was bigger than a sports star, bigger than a brand. His Mamba Mentality is a movement. And one that isn’t going away anytime soon. So let’s keep Kobe in our heads, at least for his relentless drive and tireless work ethic. And let’s keep Kobe, his daughter GiGi and the seven other victims of this tragedy in our hearts as a reminder of how precious our time on Earth is. OK, time to talk about some happier stuff.

WE’RE BUYING

Marc Leishman: The Aussie won the Farmers Insurance Open while playing with a different tragedy on his mind, providing the latest victory for a country looking for any good news. “Pretty amazing, particularly with all the problems that have been happening back in Australia with the fires and people losing their lives. Just devastating really,” Leishman said. “So if this can bring them a little bit of joy, it’s a big win for me personally and then for them as well. I hope this can bring them a bit of joy.”

Sean M. Haffey

Leishman joins Cameron Smith as Aussie winners on the PGA Tour in the past three weeks. Plus, Lucas Herbert won the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Well done to all three providing a much-needed boost and raising awareness and relief funds for what’s happening Down Under.

Sebastian Soderberg: The Swede didn’t come close to winning in Dubai, but he did shatter the European Tour record for fastest round by shooting a Sunday 75 in 97 minutes. Soderberg and his caddie, younger brother Jasper, also got in their cardio workout by 8:45 a.m. and had the rest of the day to do whatever they wanted. How efficient.

97 minutes. 75 shots. ?

Sebastian Söderberg on the fastest round in European Tour history.#ODDC pic.twitter.com/4J4TxH9wV1

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 26, 2020

When it comes to playing quickly, though, Soderberg couldn’t quite catch Wesley Bryan, who played a solo Sunday round at the BMW Championship in 89 minutes. Oh, and shot 69, by the way. That prompted this Grind video in which I tried my best to speed talk like the Micro Machines Man in Wes’ honour:

In any event, golfers of every skill level don’t need to play this fast, but we could all pick up the pace a bit. So to guys like Wes and Sebastion, thanks for the inspiration.

Tiger Woods’ new driver: Not to give TaylorMade free advertising here, but Woods sure looked comfortable swinging the new Sim driver around during his T-9 at Torrey Pines to kick-off 2020.

While Phil Mickelson has resorted to wildly swinging out of his shoes as he approaches 50 (he hit 2 of 14 fairways on Friday), Woods has throttled back by hitting what he calls a “slap cut.” He’s hitting more fairways, his misses are manageable, and “slap cut” is instantly one of my all-time favourite Tigerisms.

WE’RE SELLING

Jon Rahm’s Sunday: First of all, that was a rough start. I mean, wow. ROUGH. It makes you wonder how much more pressure he was feeling to win this tournament than a Euro Tour event. . . To the Spaniard’s credit, though, he made a furious late rally only to come up one shot short. But making matters worse is the fact he thought he was actually tied for the lead when he tapped in for birdie on 18. How can you not know where you stand in a tournament?! How could he not know he needed eagle on 18?! That’s a bad job. A really bad job.

Bryson DeChambeau’s finish: On the bright side, Bryson says his new bulk has “opened new boundaries I never thought were possible.” But his recent quote about hitting it so far that his pace of play won’t matter didn’t hold up too well as DeChambeau was given a bad time on the back nine while contending in Dubai. Also not holding up too well was his play down the stretch as he threw away his chance to defend his title. . .

Today in Dubai, Bryson DeChambeau was put on the clock and given a slow-play warning on the 10th hole.

He went on to shoot 76, T-8, which included bogeying his last four holes. pic.twitter.com/3RovwMAgbM

— Samantha Marks (@SamanthaSMarks) January 26, 2020

Coincidence? Maybe. But this is certainly something to keep an eye on, especially when he plays on the European Tour.

Tiger’s bad break: Seriously, how in the world did this not stay in the hole?!

@TigerWoods nearly holed out from the fairway.

The ball went IN the hole … and came back out. ? pic.twitter.com/ikm21gLSju

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 26, 2020

No, seriously. How? Did anyone ask Bryson? Tiger out here doing magic tricks.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to TPC Scottsdale for the country’s biggest annual boozefest, which also coincides with a golf tournament. Welcome to the Waste Management Phoenix Open! Please try not to get arrested! And if you’re playing golf like Bryson DeChambeau, please try to keep up with the group in front of you!

Random tournament fact: It’s been one year since Johnny Miller signed off on NBC for his last tournament. I miss you, Johnny. I miss you every day. Well, every Sunday, at least.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Tiger Woods would ever make a leader board gaffe on the final hole: 1-MILLION -to-1 odds

—Tiger Woods will win the Masters: 10-to-1 odds (Actual odds, now a co-favourite)

—Johnny would have a LOT to say about Bryson this week: LOCK

TWEETS OF THE WEEK

Fully understand if Bryson wants to keep hitting it 40 past me tomorrow so we don’t have to chat.

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) January 25, 2020

Eddie Pepperell is the best. And he followed it up with this update after he and Bryson played together on Sunday:

We actually got on quite well. And to his credit, he’s sped up.

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) January 26, 2020

Well, other than that bad time, of course.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (PGA TOUR EDITION)

This is pure golf porn, folks.

Flushed. ?

?? pic.twitter.com/kNJUJFnKh0

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2020

Nicely done, PGA Tour.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (EUROPEAN TOUR EDITION)

And kudos to the European Tour CONTENT makers as well for this gem of a game pitting Viktor Hovland and Andrew “Beef” Johnston:

Beef ?Hovland #LuckOfTheDraw ??#ODDC @OMEGAGolfDubai pic.twitter.com/d0glMwwGQj

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 24, 2020

Just don’t try this at home. Unless your course is completely empty.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Lucas Herbert is a European Tour winner. And an honest bloke:

Victory + Australia Day = ? pic.twitter.com/Sj0ObZRnPO

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 26, 2020

Hope Monday morning wasn’t too painful, Lucas. You’re only 24! It gets much, much worse. Trust me.

THIS WEEK IN PGA TOUR PRO-WAGS PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

https://www.instagram.com/p/B704RKDAaz9/?utm_source=ig_embed

Get it? “Boat” load? Good stuff, Jena. Also, by my extensive research of Jena’s Instagram account, this is the first time she’s posted a photo of the couple on a boat together since May 4 of last year. What’s significant about that? Brooks won the PGA Championship that week. So he’s basically a lock-in Saudi Arabia this week.

And how about C.T. Pan going shopping with his wife and sometimes caddie, Michelle:

When it comes to grocery shopping, I’m her caddie. 3 tasks I need to do for her, show up, keep up and shut up. #happywifehappylife #groceryshopping #happymondays #groceryshopping pic.twitter.com/k1nAAFuZDc

— C.T. Pan (@ctpangolf) January 27, 2020

Also, pay up at the end. ? https://t.co/ojLON1xv2R

— C.T. Pan (@ctpangolf) January 28, 2020

Looks like someone learned his lesson from that time he knocked Michelle’s caddying skills on national TV.

THIS AND THAT

The Players Championship’s purse will increase $2.5 million to $15 million total with $2.7 million of that going to the winner. And no one even batted an eye. . . . Phil Mickelson missed his second consecutive cut to start a calendar year for the first time in his career. And at No. 86 in the Official World Golf Ranking, he might have a few more holes on his schedule since he currently isn’t qualified for a slew of big events. . . . Speaking of the OWGR, Jordan Spieth dropped out of the top 50 for the first time since his rookie season. That historic 2015 campaign seems like it was decades ago. . . . The Premier Golf League, a possible PGA Tour competitor, is drawing interest from players, including Rory McIlroy. The bad news for Phil and Jordan? These would be 48-man events. Ouch. . . . And finally, it looks like I need to find a new hiding spot for my fruit snacks. . .

She’s a crafty one. And like Kobe, I’m a proud girl dad. RIP Kobe and GiGi.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

What’s the golf equivalent of Kobe’s 81-point game?

How fast could I play 18 holes walking?

How much should I bet on Brooks Koepka?

The post Tiger Woods’ new toy, Jon Rahm’s brutal leader board gaffe, and a possible good omen for Brooks Koepka appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

My mom introduced me to the game when I was 5. She was a caddie, which is not a very good paying job in Taiwan, but she thought I might enjoy it. Then Tiger Woods blew up in 1996, and my dad looked at me and my potential and said, “You’re going to do that.”

My father was harsh on me, very strict. In the morning he would drop me off a mile down the hill from our house, and I had to run back to earn breakfast. I loved to play golf, but I didn’t really have a choice-—he was going to make me play and practice every day.

They are tough memories … but he did it because he wanted the best for me. And, looking back, it gave me my drive and self-discipline, and most importantly, humility

I met my wife, Michelle, before I came to the United States. She spoke English, so she helped me apply to schools, found Taiwanese host families when I was coming up the pro ranks, helped keep my goals on track. What happens outside a golf course can affect you on it, and she always made sure everything was taken care of so I could focus on golf. She is my rock.

At 15, I moved to America to attend the IMG Academy in Florida. The first year and a half was rough. I couldn’t speak the language. I vividly remember that it took three months to form my first sentence. If I got a writing assignment, it took two hours for a single paragraph. I didn’t have a translator. 

All my emotions came flying out in an incident with my roommate. He was messy and stunk up the joint. And I’m harbouring all these strong emotions but unable to articulate them, and it manifested in me punching a wall and making a big hole. I was so embarrassed, plus I had a huge bill to pay for the damage. That was the most isolated time of my life.

Now, looking back at the rough period, I’m proud of it. I worked so hard, every day, to grasp the concept of English. To take that jump to another country at a young age to chase a dream was a brave choice. And a choice that changed my life.

My father died when I was a freshman at the University of Washington. I missed the funeral. In Taiwan, when you’re 18 years old, if you can’t prove you’re in college, the government makes you serve in the military. My family thought it was too risky to return. I don’t talk about it much because it still hurts. It’s my biggest regret.

My junior year in college I was the world No. 1 amateur. Then I decided to change my swing. I had played in two U.S. Opens, and I knew that if I wanted to play on tour, I needed more accuracy and distance. Simple, right? [Laughs.] People thought I was crazy for making a switch at that point, and my senior year was a slight disappointment because of it, but I was willing to have troubles in the present for a bright future.

It worked. I played seven events on the Mackenzie Tour, winning twice and finishing third to earn a Web.com promotion, and with seven top-10s on the Web [now the Korn Ferry Tour], I locked up my card. I know Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa make it look easy, but getting from college to the tour in under 30 starts is hard!

I had a couple of close calls in my first two years, none closer than at the 2018 Wyndham Championship. I hit my drive out-of-bounds on the 72nd hole to lose. I got unlucky—the ball hit a cartpath and was just across the line—but I had bad thoughts, doubts on the tee. I should have backed off. Being under pressure is an abstract notion, but I found out how real it could be.

That lesson helped me at the 2019 RBC Heritage, which I won by a stroke. The last few holes I wasn’t feeling great, very tired. But I remembered Wyndham, and I focused. I wasn’t going to let myself or my family down. I pushed harder than I ever have. I knew my first win would be special, but to do it when I wasn’t feeling my best was a testament to willpower, and something I’ll remember forever.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Pan poses with the trophy after winning the 2019 RBC Heritage.

Funny thing is, I wasn’t going to play Hilton Head. I was sponsoring an American Junior Golf Association event in Houston that week, my first one, and I have a program of 12 kids from Taiwan that I bring here to help give them an opportunity. I didn’t want to let them down. My wife talked me into playing, that she and my agent would handle things back home. The lesson: Always listen to your wife.

People don’t believe it here, but golf is growing across the globe. I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it. That’s why my AJGA program is so important to me. There are kids in Taiwan who can play; they just don’t get exposure. The chance to be that bridge, to be the person that can make others’ dreams come true … how cool is that?

The post C.T. Pan’s hard road from Taiwan to the PGA Tour appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Pan didn’t let a late slip-up deter him on Sunday at Harbour Town, playing the final three holes in one under and nearly making one more birdie at the 18th, where his second-to-last putt hit the lip and didn’t drop. His four-under 67 was still enough to win by one over Patrick Cantlay, who needed to birdie the final hole to force a playoff but instead made bogey.

Pan’s win comes with a lot of perks, the best of all being an invite to next year’s Masters Tournament, where he’ll be making his debut.

Finishing in solo second was Matt Kuchar, who posted a final-round 67. He’s now finished T-7 or better six times this season, including two wins and a pair of runner-ups.

Scott Piercy and Shane Lowry tied for third with Cantlay, while J.T. Poston, Seamus Power and Kevin Streelman tied for sixth. Dustin Johnson, who held the 54-hole lead, shot a disastrous final-round 77 that dropped him into a tie for 28th. After carding an even-par 36 on the front nine, Johnson went bogey-bogey-bogey-double bogey-double bogey beginning at the 11th hole, falling from 10 under to three under in just five holes.

The post C.T. Pan cards final-round 67 to claim first PGA Tour victory at the RBC Heritage appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
Our definition of the word “sleeper” has changed through the years—this year, we’re going with any golfer younger than 30 who hasn’t won a PGA Tour event or qualified for the Tour Championship—but our penchant for picking guys before they truly breakout as stars hasn’t. OK, so there have been plenty of whiffs along the way, and some of our past picks (like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau) were no-brainers. But there also have been others like Jimmy Walker in 2013 and Aaron Wise last year who have made us look good (Thanks, guys). Anyway, here’s who we’re predicting (in no particular order) to have big seasons in 2018-’19.

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Beau Hossler

Tim Bradbury

It almost feels like cheating to include Beau on this list for a second consecutive year, but technically, he still meets our criteria. However, no one mentioned here came as close to a PGA Tour title as Hossler, who basically had a victory stolen from him at the Houston Open by Ian Poulter. But for a young man who putts this well (Hossler finished fourth on tour in strokes gained/putting as a rookie), there will be plenty more opportunities.

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Joaquin Niemann

Minas Panagiotakis

It took this 19-year-old Chilean just five starts this past summer to earn a special temporary membership on the PGA Tour. Then he needed only three more to lock up full playing privileges for this coming season. Niemann is both the youngest golfer on this list (he turns 20 in November) and the one who most screams future superstar.

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Sam Burns

David Cannon/Getty Images

Golf fans got their first good look at this former LSU star when he outplayed Tiger Woods in the final round of the 2018 Honda Classic. The resulting T-8 was one of several successful PGA Tour cameos, but he spent most of his time this past year finishing fourth on the Web.com Tour’s regular-season money list. With full PGA Tour playing privileges for the first time, expect to see the 22-year-old for college golfer of the year in more late-Sunday pairings this season.

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Cameron Champ

Matt Sullivan

What a name, what a talent. Able to produce ball speeds of more than 190 miles per hour, Champ arguably will be the longest hitter on the PGA Tour as a rookie. But he’s not just a bomber. While averaging 391 yards (Yes, 391 yards) off the tee during the Web.com Tour’s Utah Championship, Champ, 23, also hit two-thirds of the fairways on his way to picking up his first pro win. Previously, this Sean Foley student drew notoriety as an amateur when he was T-8 through two rounds at the 2017 U.S. Open. With his jaw-dropping power, Champ should be an instant fan favorite on the PGA Tour.

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Cameron Davis

Michael Cohen

Another long-hitting Cameron, this 23-year-old Aussie was eighth on the Web.com Tour in driving distance (320.5), third in putting average and second in birdie average. His rookie season on the developmental tour also included a Nashville Open win and finishing sixth on the Web.com Tour Finals money list. But his biggest win came in his home country at the 2017 Australian Open.

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Sungjae Im

Steve Dykes

The South Korean native won the opening event of the 2018 Web.com Tour season and never relinquished the top spot on the money list, capping his fantastic year with a second win at the regular-season finale. In addition to that pair of four-shot victories, Im also had three runner-ups to earn a whopping $534,326. Again, that’s on the Web.com Tour. Yeah, we’d be flashing a thumbs-up as well. Making Im’s accomplishment even more impressive is that he turned 20 in March and is the second-youngest player on this list to Joaquin Niemann.

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Abraham Ancer

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

The surprise 54-hole leader at the Dell Technologies Championship in the FedEx Cup Playoffs should become a more familiar name on the leader board following a second PGA Tour season in which he finished strong. Even with a disappointing Monday in Boston, Ancer’s T-7 was one of three top-10s over his final eight starts thanks in large part to his improved driving. The 27-year-old Mexican is only listed at 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, but he has plenty of pop as evidenced by ranking 41st in strokes gained/off-the-tee.

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Julian Suri

Warren Little/Getty Images

A European Tour winner in 2017, Suri played a split schedule in 2018, but managed to make nine cuts in the 10 PGA Tour starts he made. A T-8 at the Houston Open was his best result in the U.S., but he also finished T-19 at the PGA Championship. Since Suri, 27, didn’t finish in the top 25 of Web.com Tour Finals (35th), he’ll play on multiple tours again, but that won’t keep him from capitalizing on PGA Tour opportunities. And it hasn’t kept him from earning one of the tour’s most unique partnerships, a sponsorship deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Like that franchise, Suri’s stock is on the rise.

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Denny McCarthy

Michael Cohen

A former Junior Ryder Cupper with Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. A former Walker Cupper with Bryson DeChambeau and Beau Hossler. McCarthy, 25, will get a second full season playing against his old teammates on the PGA Tour after winning the Web.com Tour Championship in dominant fashion. Considering how well he played with his job on the line, we’re guessing his second go-round in the big leagues produces more than four top-25s and one top-10.

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Kramer Hickok

Michael Cohen

Just when that whole Jordan Spieth-Justin Thomas best buddy narrative was dying down, golf fans will undoubtedly get sick of hearing about Hickok, 26, being a former roommate of Spieth’s after he graduated from the University of Texas. That’s where the two also played together on the golf team before Spieth put down the books and started picking up major trophies. Now this geography major might just find his way to a PGA Tour winner’s circle as well after finishing second on the Web.com Tour’s regular-season money list in 2018.

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C.T. Pan

Kevin C. Cox

Pan, 26, nearly made himself ineligible for this list with a win at the PGA Tour regular-season finale in Greensboro, but was undone by a disastrous double bogey on the 72nd hole that dropped him to T-2. He added a T-4 at the Dell Technologies Championship and finished 35th in the FedEx Cup standings, nearly qualifying for the Tour Championship. A former World No. 1 amateur during his time at the University of Washington, Pan certainly has the pedigree to be a star. He just might want to work on being more complimentary of his wife when she fills in as his caddie …

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The post 11 PGA Tour sleepers to watch for in the 2018-’19 season appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.