For Koepka’s latest act, he gave comedy a try, and did a damn good job alongside Joe Buck, who is at Pebble Beach this week to call the U.S. Open on FOX. For those who don’t remember, Buck and Koepka became forever connected when after Koepka won his very first major, the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, Buck misidentified Koepka’s girlfriend Jena Sims. As Sims and Koepka shared a victory kiss, Buck referred to her as Becky Edwards, a professional soccer player whom Koepka used to date. Talk about a major snafu.

Sims, Buck and Koepka have all since made up, though, according to this video from Joe Buck’s Twitter account, Brooks still hasn’t forgotten. Have a watch:

TWEET

Ok, so this is clearly the most-staged thing ever, but that doesn’t make it any less hilarious. Really solid acting skills from Koepka, whose scripted “you’re doing a great job with Romo” shot was money. Same goes for Buck, though he’s kind of gotten used to being everyone’s punching bag, so much so that he’s embraced it. I think it has made him underrated in a way, though you won’t hear that from anyone on social media this week. Expect a heavy dose of “JOE BUCK SUCKS” and “WHY IS JOE BUCK DOING GOLF!?!??” tweets from the various group thinkers on the internet this week. I’ll be over here enjoying Joe Buck’s dulcet tones and his self-aware humour, at least until he’s calling Giants-Cowboys with Troy Aikman in the fall and I realise I hate him again.

The post U.S. Open 2019: Brooks Koepka daggers Joe Buck in clearly staged yet still hilarious video from Pebble Beach range appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
As a professional athlete, few have faced — and succeeded — under pressure like John Smoltz. The Hall-of-Fame pitcher raised his game when the stakes were the highest, posting an absurd 15-4 postseason record while wielding a scant 2.67 ERA. Smoltz took the mound in three playoff Game 7s, and yet, it was a recent three-hole playoff on the golf course at a U.S. Senior Open qualifier that had him feeling nerves like never before.

“There’s things that I’ve been through in golf that baseball couldn’t even prepare me for,” Smoltz said. “You’d think that pitching three seventh games would prepare you for any kind of unnerving or nervous moments, but it was nothing like what I went through.”

Ultimately, Smoltz made it through this latest sports battle, earning a spot in the U.S. Senior Open, which will be played June 28-July 1 at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. And now Smoltz will take a break from his job as a TV analyst for MLB Network and Fox to tee it up in his first major. Although, with Fox broadcasting the event, Smoltz says he could be involved with the coverage. Regardless, the 51-year-old is pumped about getting this unexpected opportunity at competing on a big stage again.

“I’m pinching myself every time I wake up,” Smoltz said.

Smoltz joined this week’s Golf Digest Podcast to discuss that crazy day of qualifying, his intense matches with Tiger Woods through the years, a prescient prediction he made to Joe Buck, and how golf played a role in his free agency. We also talked some baseball, ranging from his Hall-of-Fame induction to his toughest loss and most surprising win. Please have a listen:

https://soundcloud.com/user-96678684/john-smoltz-bryson-dechambeaus-next-big-step-and-a-wild-us-womens-open

The post John Smoltz on qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open, playing matches with Tiger Woods, and how golf affected his free agency appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers

Despite scores foreign to a typical U.S. Open, there was the unmistakable buzz that accompanies the Sunday of a major championship. Justin Thomas had just made history with a Saturday 63 and a packed leader board promised an exciting final round. Unfortunately, it didn’t play out that way. Golf fans saw a potential new star emerge, but the tournament’s finish was a far cry from what we saw at the Masters in April. In any event, there was still plenty to talk about, so here’s one final installment of birdies and (mostly) bogeys.

Birdie — Brooks Koepka: The 27-year-old played the round of his life at the perfect time, firing a 67 to win by four shots. Koepka put the tournament away with three consecutive birdies on holes 14-16 and tied Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open scoring record. The cool customer even allowed himself a fist pump upon tapping in for the victory.

Bogey — Joe Buck: Look, Fox had a pretty good week, but you can NOT misidentify the winner of the tournament’s girlfriend. That is a cardinal sin of broadcasting. But Buck said the name of Brooks’ previous girlfriend, instead of Jena Sims. Ouch.

It’s par-tee time!

A post shared by Jena Sims (@jenamsims) on Jun 17, 2017 at 12:23pm PDT

C’mon, Joe. You’re better than that. Fortunately, eight-time PGA Tour winner/gossip reporter Brad Faxon made the correction a few minutes later. Brad gets a birdie for prompting Google searches across the country.

Birdie — Hideki Matsuyama: A final-round 66 gave him the lead in the clubhouse and a chance to win until the Brooks buzzsaw. Still, Matsuyama’s T-2 performance showed once again that it’s just a matter of time before he wins a big one. He edged Rickie Fowler on the leader board and he still holds a slim edge on him for the title of best current player without a major.

Andrew Redington

Bogey — Hideki Matsuyama’s pace: The pause at the top of Matsuyama’s swing isn’t the only thing slow about the Japanese star. And the World No. 4 took so much time on the 15th hole on Sunday that he was put on the clock. Matsuyama wasn’t penalized, but someday, when pro golf actually cracks down on this, he could be in trouble.

Bogey — Justin Thomas: Golf is a crazy sport, huh? A day after shooting arguably (and yes, this actually caused arguments) the best round in U.S. Open history, JT, playing in the final pairing at a major for the first time, needed 12 more shots to make his way around Erin Hills.

Birdie — Brian Harman: The little lefty (man, he’s probably sick of hearing that), handled himself well playing in the final group at a major for the first time. And that four-foot bogey putt on No. 18 gave Harman a share of runner-up honors and saved him $500,000! Think about that the next time your hands are shaking over a two-footer to win a $2 Nassau.

Bogey — Previous major winners: While Koepka became the seventh consecutive first-time major champ, zero previous major winners finished in the top 20 at Erin Hills. In fact, it was the most recent man to break through in one of golf’s four biggest events, Sergio Garcia, who led the way at T-21. That’s just odd.

Bogey — Patrick Reed: Captain America was rocking his Ryder Cup pants again (Dig his style, why let perfectly good pants go to waste?), but they didn’t provide the same mojo they did during a Saturday 65. Reed shot a two-over 74 to finish T-13 — meaning he still has to hear about how he’s never had a top 10 at a major for a bit longer.

Andrew Redington

Sorry, Patrick.

The post U.S. Open 2017: Sunday’s winners & losers from Erin Hills appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.