Kim made good on a Saturday 62 with a closing 66, holding off Adam Hadwin by one shot en route to defending his title at the Shriners Children’s Open.

“It’s very sweet,” Kim said on Sunday evening. “I feel like the first two wins came at me really quick. It took a lot longer than my first two wins to get my third one. But it’s very sweet. This is really for the team. I’ve worked really hard personally, but without their help, I would not even be close to getting my third win.”

Kim came to prominence last summer when he shot a final-round 61—and overcame a quadruple-bogey 8 on his first hole—to capture the Wyndham Championship at age 20 by five shots. The South Korean went from a promising player to a potential star, however, with his performance at the Presidents Cup. His recklessly entertaining play was matched by an energy that can best be described as a golden retriever on Red Bull. For arguably the first time in its existence, the Presidents Cup provided a moment (or perhaps it was the player that gave the event a moment). Whatever the case, while the list of Hall-of-Fame international players is long, the list of those who have resonated with an American audience is short … if even a list at all. Kim’s display at Quail Hollow showed he had the game and personality to assume that mantle, with a win just weeks later at the 2022 Shriners.

And since his Sin City win, Kim has played well. Entering the week he had 10 finishes of T-11 or better over the past year, a stretch highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Open Championship. Conversely, the story of the past season in golf could be told without Kim. That’s not a shot at him or what he’s done or where he could go; the man has only been legally able to drink in this country for three months, after all. But given his fast ascent, coupled with golf’s inclination to facilitate the occasional hot stretch before turning its back on the said recipient, Kim had slightly faded into the background as the sport winds down and heads into 2024. Even as this tournament’s defending champ, playing despite already locking up his top-50 status for next year, Kim’s participation this week felt like a miscellaneous note to the headline of Lexi Thompson’s sponsor’s exemption and ensuing play. That may seem unfair to Kim and perhaps it was, yet with expectations come impossibly high standards and responsibility. That is the price of stardom.

“I think those two wins, I wasn’t really … I was playing my game,” Kim said. “I wasn’t thinking about, OK, I need to win this event, I need to do this. No, I played and it happened. It happened very naturally. It happened very quickly. I think by the end of last year, two wins on the PGA Tour all of a sudden, ranked 13th in the world. Suddenly you feel like you’re right there and you need to do something extra or something. But it really wasn’t. I felt like I almost added a lot of pressure towards myself to perform really well this year. But really it’s been a very big learning curve for me, and it’s very humbling to be able to experience what I’ve experienced this year.”

Then the weekend came, and Kim turned in a nine-under 62 during the third round at TPC Summerlin, giving him a share of the lead with Hadwin and Lanto Griffin. But with 14 players within three of the lead, Sunday promised a horse race. Out of the gate, Kim tried his best to end it early with three birdies on his first four holes, but back-to-back bogeys at the fifth and sixth kept the rest of the pack close. An early 62 from Eric Cole put the former journeyman at 18 under, a number that was matched by a handful of others that seemed to be the number to beat. Kim crossed that threshold at the 13th and appeared to secure the tournament at the drivable par-4 15th. Kim sprayed his drive to the right and his second just cleared a greenside bunker, but he cleaned up the remaining 12 feet for birdie just seconds after Hadwin’s eagle try lipped out. Though maintaining a one-shot lead over Hadwin did not seem imperative at the moment it made what happened next all the more decisive.

At the par-5 16th, Kim hit his approach first and landed his second safely on the green. Hadwin could not say the same. The Canadian could not hold his follow-through, his arms falling to his side and his head pointed towards the ground, unable to watch his ball and hopes disappear into a pond.

“It was like 193 front, 206 pin. It really honestly was just a perfect little cut 6 [iron],” Hadwin said. “The ball still covers the front edge as long as it’s up the centre of the green, and I completely whiffed it, up and out of it, and unfortunately one of my worst swings of the day at the least opportune time.”

Hadwin managed to hit his next shot close but could not convert the save; on a hole where he desperately needed a 4 or a 3 he walked away with 6. A score that proved an especially tough swallow after Kim three-putted for par. Kim played the 17th and 18th without incident, and Hadwin’s birdie at the 18th came after the issue was no longer in doubt. Kim was a winner once more.

“It was pretty intense really. It was just me and Adam, and I feel like it was almost match play once we got past 14,” Kim said. “It was just him and me. It was whether I wanted it or he wants it, and we both just see what happens. It was probably the most emotional final round I’ve experienced win-wise the last year and a half.”

With his win, Kim accomplished a rare feat. Since the new FedEx Cup Fall is an extension of the 2022-’23 season, Kim became the first player since Byron Nelson in 1944 to win the same event in the same campaign. He also became the youngest player in more than 110 years to defend a PGA Tour-recognised title. “Yeah, for sure,” Kim said when asked if he’s coming back next fall. “Three-peat sounds nice.”

Of course, the week itself was a pretty rare thing, too: Leaving Las Vegas a winner. And perhaps a week that moves Kim back to the forefront of the game as the calendar turns, particularly into a Presidents Cup season. That’s because Tom Kim is proving the game he plays is not a game of chance, but a game of skill. There are no sure things in golf, but the prospects of who is becoming and where he can go? Those are far from unfounded hopes.

Main image: Orlando Ramirez

The post Tom Kim wins title defence at Shriners, and does something that hasn’t been done in 110 years appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It doesn’t matter how the rest of the group plays or how many balls find the bottom of the pond or that your luggage got lost on the way… one ace means a win for everyone.

So what happens when three occur on the same golf trip? Maybe go buy a lottery ticket.

Well, three St Louis women on a Las Vegas outing all returned with aces and once-in-a-lifetime stories.

As part of a yearly women’s trip, Carol Cullinaire, Susan Degrandele and Jackie Berez all found the bottom of the hole in one way or another.

First was Carol, who used a six-iron to drain one from 85-yards away. The 84-year-old bought everyone a drink at and went on to say: “This is so much fun, we should do it again.”

Little did she know that Susan and Jackie would follow her soon enough. A six-iron from 99 yards from Degrandele and an 87-yard wedge from Berez both dropped and suddenly a run-of-the-mill golf trip turned into a historic excursion.

“I think anybody that gets a hole-in-one, it’s a super special event. Having it happen when it did with a bunch of really cool women all together, enjoying something we love outside, I think it made it so much more special,” Jackie said. “It was fun getting a hole-in-one but it was even more fun celebrating the other girls and their holes-in-one. It’s kinda something you’ll never forget.”

This particular trip has been an annual get-together for 30 years, and there had only been one hole-in-one prior to this year’s undertaking. That’s certainly been shattered now.

Of course, with a hole-in-one, you have to buy drinks. In case you’re wondering, Carol spent $112, Susan dropped $80 and Jackie’s was a little under $150.

There’s no doubt that every cent was worth it though with three aces on one trip to Vegas.

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But each of the previous made-for-TV events all lacked a little something all the best sporting events have: juice. Juice is unquantifiable. It doesn’t spit out in a statistical model. It’s just one of those things you know exists when you actually feel it.

Make no mistake, the sixth edition of The Match, this one featuring Brady and Rodgers again (on the same team, this time) against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, had plenty of juice. This was glaringly evident when, after missing a rather lengthy putt that Brady knew he needed to halve a hole, he let out a gutteral “OH NO” that you would expect to only hear after a backbreaking pick six on a sultry Monday night in Miami. It was equally evident when his teammate walked in the winning birdie putt on the 12th hole and celebrated like he just clinched his billionth NFC North division title.

It also helped, immensely, that there were real, live, actual fans at the Wynn Golf Club, a feature the prior five matches did not have due to either limited, VIP-type invitations and/or COVID restrictions. The Match VI faced neither of those challenges, and it made for an unforgettable atmosphere in Las Vegas.

Here are six takeaways from by far the best The Match.

Patrick Mahomes was stunningly good

Keep in mind when we say “stunningly,” what we mean is we thought Mahomes would definitely be the worst of the four, and possibly downright bad. Yes, he’s an athletic freak of nature who has had some solid swing videos make the social-media rounds before, and he had teed it up in Tahoe last year, but this was going to be an entirely different arena. The shamble format alleviates some of the pressure, but once you select the better of the tee shots it’s on you from there. There’s no hiding, and you better be good throughout your bag, especially considering he wasn’t getting any shots.

Mahomes was plenty good throughout his bag, displaying the ability to mash the driver, showing off some deft touch around the greens and making multiple clutch putts that kept he and Josh Allen in it. It quickly became clear we’d all underestimated Mahomes’ recent work with former PGA Tour player Hank Kuehne and his brother Trip down in Texas. During a Zoom call with a number of media members last week, Mahomes credited the Kuehne brothers with helping him rein in the big stick and with helping him dial it in on the greens. Whatever he’s paying them (we have no idea if he’s paying them) it ain’t enough. That man CARRIED Allen around the golf course on Wednesday, when the prevailing thought was that the exact opposite would occur.

Mahomes had to take a lap after this chip shot ? #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/AGwwKQOtDY

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2022

The fans added an entirely new element

This was mentioned in the opening but bears repeating: each of the first five matches were seriously underwhelming in the buzz department, mostly a product of COVID. That was not the case for Brady/Rodgers vs Mahomes/Allen, who obviously brought out the exact type of fan needed to give these events some much-needed pop: NFL fans.

Right from the moment all four gunslingers arrived at the makeshift range at the Wynn, you could feel this was going to be different. Bills Mafia was out in full force (those people travel well), and they serenaded Brady with a “Let’s go Buffalo!” song (to the tune of ‘Shout’) while he made his way to the practice area. Everywhere you looked someone had on one of the four QB’s jerseys. And because this was golf and not an NFL stadium, fans could get extremely close to their heroes, and many times the fan reaction to being that close was what I’d imagine the reaction was to Elvis Presley simply existing back in his day. These four dudes are absolute rockstars and are treated as such, though they received their fair share of trash talk as well. The type of trash talk that most PGA Tour pros would hear and promptly call security to have the culprits removed from the premises. Brady? He’s heard much worse over the last two decades as king. Rodgers? He welcomed that type of vitriol in Chicago last season by screaming “I OWN YOU” to Bears fans after a touchdown scamper. Allen and Mahomes are probably still getting used to it, but they handled it just fine. It was a mini-NFL environment in a golf setting, and it was electric.

Tom Brady is the ultimate salesman

No athlete has ever reminded me as much of Phil Mickelson as TB12 did on Wednesday. Constantly smiling and thumbs-upping people to death. “Thanks for coming out,” to everyone that screamed his name. Just the word “BRADY” on his golf shirt. TB12 logo in plain sight at all times, be it on his gigantic Yeti water bottle or the front of his hat, which he wore backwards for about three holes up until the final hole when it turned it back forward knowing there would be maximum eyeballs on the tense par-3 tee that decided the match. It makes sense given his entire social-media presence revolves around selling product, but it’s still so wild to see in person. It’s hard to tell if he’s a real human at times, but he reminds you that he very much is when he’s hitting bad golf shots. Brady hates nothing more than hitting bad golf shots, because hitting bad golf shots means you are losing, and losing is not something Brady does all that often and when he does he does not handle it well. It’s at his lowest points when he’s the most relatable, and those points usually only come when he’s holding a golf club in his hands.

"Some tip you gave me."

Brady had to call out the crew this shot ? #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/w4hf5nBshn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2022

People are not afraid to get hit by a golf ball, apparently

Nowhere was the phrase “common sense is not common” more apparent than at the Wynn Golf Club on Wednesday evening. Because people with common sense would understand that these professional quarterbacks are not professional golfers, meaning you are in the line of fire basically anywhere that isn’t behind them when they are addressing a golf ball. All four guys can move it well on their best swings, but their bad swings are just like the rest of ours, which leads us to the question: Would you stand two yards off the fairway just 20 yards ahead if you or your buddy were on the tee box? The answer (I hope) is no. Brady knows this, and he implored the fans to spread out on the second tee, telling them “guys, that’s really dangerous” multiple times, to no avail. Then, he promptly line-drived one down the left side that could have killed someone but fortunately did not. Turns out, that was one of the few tee shots that didn’t hit someone. It was an absolute shooting gallery, though most folks didn’t care. In fact, I actually heard multiple people wish they were the ones who got struck by the Aaron Rodgers block fade. With the right mix of Vegas sun and refreshments, it’s probably a pain-free experience anyway.

That Aaron Rodgers is quite clutch after all

The haters will tell you Rodgers has shrunk in many a big moment since his lone Super Bowl victory, but there was no such shrinking on the golf course. The now four-time MVP was the sneaky MVP on Wednesday, making a birdie on the first to go 1 up and picking up an insanely clutch birdie at the ninth that was just to halve the hole. And finally, with the match on the line, draining a birdie to avoid a closest to the pin playoff and walking it in in style:

A-Rod for the WIN! ? #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/et3paek5DB

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2022

It’s not fair to say he dragged Brady to victory, because Brady did make a huge birdie late in the match that tied it back up, but Rodgers was the steadying force the entire day. He pounds the ball with his driver and consistently strikes his irons well, while Brady has trouble avoiding some big misses and the odd shank or chunk. Rodgers does nothing of that sort, and he expects to make the shot or the putt, just like he expects to fit the ball into that tight window that only he can fit it into. As a result, he’s 2-0 in these matches and has seemingly played a massive role in both victories. He likes to play down just how good he is, which is clearly by design.

The Match was really fun and there should (will) be more just like it

At the risk of repeating everything I’ve already written, I’ll just keep it simple: this match, the one without any PGA Tour professionals, was by far the most fun one yet. It still has some work to do in the format/organisation department, but that matters little when you get the right mix of personalities like this one had and the addition of some rabid fans who would have no idea how to act at an actual professional golf event but can get away with acting like that in this setting. Vegas seems to be the ideal location for these, as fans will have no issue making a trip out of it to see their guys up close and personal, not to mention the fact that Vegas is pretty good at hosting this type of stuff. The hard golf fan may continue to resist, but maybe these just aren’t for the hard golf fan. Judging by the social-media reaction, this one attracted the exact crowd that golf doesn’t have and so desperately needs, so there’s no other way to view it than as a positive.

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The post Mahomes shines, Rodgers comes up clutch (again) and four other takeaways from best ‘The Match’ yet appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The match will be produced by Turner Sports and air the day after Thanksgiving on TNT under The Match umbrella, which began with the Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson match in Las Vegas in November 2018. This will be the fifth edition of The Match and the first since DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers faced off against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady on July 6.

TNT announcers Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley are expected to be featured on the broadcast. Live coverage of the match-play event will feature the usual open mics on the players during the competition, with the ability for them to talk to each other and to the commentators. The broadcast will also be simulcast on TBS, truTV and HLN. Coverage is set to begin at 4 p.m. EST.

DeChambeau, 28, and Koepka, 31, have engaged in a testy back-and-forth dating back to 2019, when Koepka called out DeChambeau’s pace-of-play on a podcast appearance. The feud reached a new level this summer when a video showing Koepka rolling his eyes as DeChambeau walked by him outside the clubhouse at the PGA Championship surfaced in May. In June, after spectators were ejected for calling DeChambeau “Brooksy” at the Memorial Tournament, Koepka took to social media to offer free beer to anyone who’d been kicked off the grounds for heckling DeChambeau.

It was unclear how the dynamic between the two might play out when they would be in the team room together playing for the U.S. at the Ryder Cup. Yet the duo seemed to get along at Whistling Straits, where both featured on the American team that delivered a historic 19-9 blowout of the European side. In the lead-up to that event, DeChambeau hinted at “something fun” that would be coming with Koepka.

Egged on by Justin Thomas, the two hugged it out in front of the camera at the end of the Americans’ lighthearted winner’s press conference on Sunday at Whistling Straits.

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By Joel Beall
Aesthetically pleasing as its confines may be, Shadow Creek will never be confused for Augusta National. Still, players in this week’s CJ Cup are finding the Las Vegas course is serving surprisingly well as preparation for next month’s Masters.

“I think this is actually a great place for—you know, to kind of have a little checkpoint of where things are leading up to Augusta,” said Rickie Fowler.

Speaking to the media Wednesday, both Fowler and Rory McIlroy commented on the similarities between the Georgia and Nevada properties. Specifically, the comparisons of green complexes.

“I was saying yesterday with how good the greens are here and how slopey and how fast and how the course is set up, it’s actually—it’s not a bad place to prepare for Augusta,” said McIlroy, who owns five top-10s as the Masters. “It’s bent, the same conditions you’re going to get there in terms of grass anyway.”

Added Fowler: “These greens could be fairly similar in areas to what we may see at Augusta with what they’re capable there with sub-air as well as here. The greens are very firm as of Monday starting into this week, I’m not sure where they’re going to take them. Greens are rolling perfect. I think something, two similarities we may see at Augusta.”

McIlroy and Fowler weren’t the only ones seeing parallels, with Justin Rose singing the same song. “Yeah, this golf course actually is great preparation for Augusta National,” Rose said. “I think the way the greens putt, I think they’re going to be rolling 12, 13 by the looks of it and plenty of break on them as well, so there’s going to be a lot of putts up and over ridges. The way you’re going to have to feed the ball into the hole I think will start to give you the imagination that you need for Augusta.”

To be clear, there’s no replicating Augusta National, and as Mcilroy noted, this week’s climate (sunny, high 80s) is markedly different than Georgia in the fall. Conversely, McIlroy posited that this year’s pre-Masters lineup might serve as better course work than the traditional spring billing.

“Climate’s going to be a bit different, but it’s not bad preparation. Obviously it’s on the other side of the country, it’s not as close, but when you think about the courses that we play leading up to Augusta, they’re all Bermuda for the most part,” McIlroy said. “It’s Florida, it’s different, right? It’s a different test and a different setup. I think here this week and Sherwood next week, I think that’s going to be a lot of guys’ last event before Augusta and I think they’re going to be two good courses.”

Of course, there’s never been an autumn Masters. Meaning the players aren’t exactly sure what to prepare for.

“Honest, I don’t think we’ll really know until Monday, Tuesday of Augusta what we’re really in for just because no one’s really seen the golf course in November, how it could play, how early they were able to get started as far as the overseed and course prep,” Fowler said.

“But as we all know, Augusta, they can make miracles happen, so I’m expecting to see an awesome place as normal, but it is going to play differently from what we see in April.”

The Masters begins on Nov. 12.

The post Why Rory, Rickie think Shadow Creek is a good test run for Augusta National appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

How often, for example, have you been picked up in a limo for golf? We take that back: Have you ever heard of a golf course that requires you arrive in a limo? Welcome to Shadow Creek.

Intentionally, the North Las Vegas site of the 2018 match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson match, and now the 2020 CJ Cup, has remained a bit of a mystery since it was designed in 1990 by Tom Fazio and Steve Wynn. At first built as a private club for Wynn, the Vegas hotel and real-estate magnate, to entertain his clients and celebrity friends, Shadow Creek has been open to the public for roughly 20 years. And by saying it’s “open to the public,” we must clarify.

There are ground rules to being one of the best public golf experiences money can buy. First, your green fee will cost you $600, second only among public access courses to Pebble Beach (which now charges $575, not including a $45 cart fee or a $95 caddie fee, before tip). But in other ways Shadow Creek is the high-roller’s version of Pebble. For instance, you must stay at an MGM hotel to play Shadow Creek. Legend has it even Bill Clinton’s request to play required the same rules. Only two foursomes of $600-paying MGM hotel guests get out on the course each day—taking the limo from the hotel to the course, which is a 20- to 30-minute ride from the Vegas Strip—and that’s limited to Monday through Thursday. The rest of the time it’s invitees only. If you’re a real high-roller at a Vegas hotel, your concierge might invite you to play. But you gotta spend some serious coin to get that hook-up.

Being invited to one of the charitable events held at Shadow Creek is another way to play it. The annual Tiger Jam invitational is held at Shadow Creek, and if you donate enough money (between $17,000 and $30,000), you might even be able to play the course with Tiger’s group. There are a select number of other charity or invitational events also held at Shadow Creek each year, so for those who aren’t Vegas’ richest visitors, you do have a chance to play it.

Once you’re on-site at Shadow Creek, the treatment is superior. I had the opportunity to play there recently, and my caddie kept saying throughout the round: “This is your golf club today. Whatever you want, you can have.” That included drinks delivered to us on the course. For breakfast, order anything you want from the bar, and they’ll make it for you. The veranda on the side of the clubhouse overlooking the 18th hole is an ideal spot to soak in the day.

Shadow Creek debuted in 1993-’94 at No. 8 on Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest, the highest appearance by a new course in our 50-plus-year history of the 100 Greatest. Its rank has fallen a bit since then, currently sitting at No. 26 on our most recent list. Shadow Creek currently sits at No. 5 on our 100 Greatest Public ranking, behind only Pebble Beach, Pacific Dunes, The Ocean Course at Kiawah and Whistling Straits.

The budget used to build this desert oasis was one of the biggest ever in golf. Our Ron Whitten has reported it at $37 million, but that number might even be low. Tom Fazio totally manufactured a lush, green setting for golf with serious elevation out of the desert floor, but he did so in a way that makes it seem like it was natural. Wynn wanted to create some sort of combination between Augusta National, Pine Valley and Sherwood Country Club in Los Angeles, where Wynn played a lot of his golf. To me, it was reminiscent of playing North Carolina’s Quail Hollow Club with the incredible amount of pine straw and trees framing every hole. The elevation changes are incredibly impressive—when you consider this land was flat upon arrival.

At the par-3 fifth hole, in particular, massive trees were planted about 100 feet below the desert floor by Fazio’s construction crew—to give golfers the feeling that you’re hitting your shot above a canopy of trees. The tree line has been cut back over the years, but when Wynn still owned the club (MGM bought it from him in 2000), he’d have the trees replaced from his own nursery every couple of years. Imagine that cost? That’s a normal question to ask on any given hole around Shadow Creek.

If you’re in Vegas, have some money to spend and want to live like a high-roller, we’d suggest doing your best to play Shadow Creek. It’s the type of place you should experience. And now after “The Match” with Tiger and Phil, there’s definitely some added intrigue to this already mystical setting.

Courtesy of Shadow Creek GC

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Which got me wondering: What are some other records for single tournaments in the ShotLink era and before? We can find yearly leaders without much trouble on the PGA Tour’s website, and those are a terrific way to look at single seasons or even careers. Those of us with access to tournament stats also can dig through player performances in specific events and even drill down to specific days. But it’s much harder—impossible for the layman, actually—to compare tournament to tournament and see who had the best week ever, at least in terms of specific skills like putting and driving. That’s what made the Na stats so fascinating; most of us would have had no idea that he just had one of the all-time putting weeks, and if we suspected it, we’d have no way to objectively quantify that instinct. But the stat gurus showed the way.

And it’s one of those gurus, the PGA Tour’s Luis Rivera, who I have to thank for all that comes next. (It’s not the first time he’s helped me, either). I came up with seven categories and asked if he could tell me the best performance in each one, within a single tournament, and before long I had my answers. You can find those stats below, along with some quick commentary for each.

1. The greatest single-tournament bomber
This honour goes to Bubba Watson at the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and Robert Garrigus at the 2010 Reno-Tahoe Open, both of whom averaged 362.1 yards off the tee. Watson finished second, two shots behind Shane Lowry, while Garrigus finished in a tie for 10th. (This stat dates back to 1980.)

2. Most strokes gained/off the tee
This is a similar look to the stat above, though a bit more comprehensive in that it doesn’t just measure length, but also the value of the drive. This honour goes to Rory McIlroy at the 2015 Wells Fargo Championship. He gained 10.683 strokes off the tee that week, the best since 2004, and it won’t surprise you to remember that he won that tournament by six strokes. (Funny enough, I also judged that Rory had the best round ever of the ShotLink era at the same course in 2010.)

Streeter Lecka

3. Best proximity-to-the-hole average
Who had the best approach game? That honour goes to Jay Williamson at the 2003 Colonial, where his average approach landed a mere 20 feet, 7 inches from the hole. Unfortunately for Williamson, who made two playoffs on the PGA Tour but never won an event, the rest of his game wasn’t quite as excellent that week, and he had to settle for a T-28 finish. (Stats here go back to 2003.)

4. Most strokes gained/approach
Again, drilling a deeper than mere distance, who gained the most strokes on the rest of the field with his approach shots in one week? That would be Woody Austin, who gained an unbelievable 3.820 strokes per round just on approach shots at the 2007 St. Jude. He won that event by five shots, and in these first four examples, you can see just how strong strokes gained is as a statistic—while mere driving distance or hole proximity couldn’t predict a tournament winner, strokes gained/off the tee and strokes gained/approach correlated to two champs in McIlroy and Austin.

5. Most strokes gained/around the green
Who exhibited the greatest touch from in close for a whole tournament? The genius in question this time is Fred Couples, at the 2004 Memorial, where he accumulated 2.805 strokes gained per round. That was good enough for a score of 14 under par, but unlike McIlroy and Austin, he didn’t win—he finished second to Ernie Els. (Like all the SG stats, this one goes back to 2004.)

Al Messerschmidt

6. Highest one-putt percentage
Time to get a little obscure! We’ve got a tie on our hands for this one, David Frost (2005 at Hilton Head) and Bob Heintz (2002 at Greensboro) who both finished an astounding 68.06 per cent of their holes with a one-putt. This stat, of course, relies a little on luck in the sense that someone who misses the green with an approach but chips to two inches will get a “one-putt,” while someone who makes the same score on the hole but hits their approach onto the green 40 feet away will not. As such, it doesn’t correlate quite as well to winning. Frost finished T-38, and Heintz was T-30. (This stat goes back to 1992.)

7. Most sand saves
Last, and possibly least, we have sand saves. Three players have managed to go 14-for-14 in this category since 1980, and they are: Jim Carter in Phoenix, 1989, Luke Donald at the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Championship, and Aaron Baddeley earlier this year at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This stat, while impressive, also indicates that the players may have been in the sand a bit too often for their own good: Jim Carter did the best in ‘89 with a T-7 finish, but Donald finished T-49 in a limited field, and Baddeley was T-17 earlier this year at the API.

David Cannon

Statistics in golf get better every year, and while the average stat nerd fan can’t yet look up tournament versus tournament statistics, the comparisons are available. As we saw with Na last weekend, and with the men above in the last few decades, it separates the merely great weeks from the ones that deserve to go down in history.

The post Na’s putter, Couples’ wedge, Rory’s driver: The best single-tournament PGA Tour performances appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Golf Digest has learned that the power duo is proceeding with plans to create a series of high-stakes head-to-head matches featuring many of the world’s top-ranked players, perhaps occurring twice per year—once around July 4 and once at Thanksgiving. Two-man team events also are being contemplated—including Woods and Mickelson partnering in future four-ball matches.

While many pieces to the puzzle are still missing, a television contract has been finalised. Cable network TNT, which shares the rights to this week’s PGA Championship with CBS, has agreed to broadcast the showdown across its multiple platforms.

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WATCH NOW: TIGER AND PHIL’S $10 MILLION MATCH

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Though he hedged, Woods appeared to confirm that additional matches are an option.

“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Woods said Friday at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, while competing in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. “The plans are for this one and possibly more, but you just never know. When we first did the Showdown at Sherwood, it was basically only a one‑time deal, but it ended up going more than that. So, we’ll see what happens with it this year.”

Added Mickelson: “We’re both realizing that we can get a lot more done together than on our own. It’s been fun to work with him [Woods] on Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup as well as our match—and potentially other things.”

The concept of made-for-TV matches is nothing new, but one significant difference this time is the amount of cash potentially on the line; the proposed figure is $10 million, equal to the purse at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational won by Justin Thomas. Sources familiar with the ongoing contractual talks say the PGA Tour is not comfortable with that payout, because it potentially “overshadows” the total purse at all but a handful of its tournaments.

Asked if the tour might have an issue with the sum Mickelson first put forth at the Players Championship, the tour’s Andy Pazder, executive vice president and chief of operations responded via email: “The purse has not been finalised for the Tiger V Phil (sic) match and no agreements have been signed at this stage.”

Hard to not read between the lines. One could speculate that it’s a point of contention.

Another is whether or not the two very wealthy players would—or could—put at risk some of their own money. Sources say the subject has been broached, though to what extent is unclear. It would not be included in the primary stake, but the two might give at least passing consideration to reaching into their own pockets for some kind of press or a side bet to goose interest levels.

“Let’s face it,” said one television spokesman, “for this to work, to get people’s attention, they have to play for some of their own money somehow. Who wouldn’t watch that?”

Pazder did not respond to a follow up question regarding the tour’s stance on this issue.

Another wrinkle to be ironed out is avoiding a conflict with the World Cup of Golf, scheduled for Nov. 21-25, Thanksgiving weekend. A likely scenario is a 6 p.m. EDT start to the Woods-Mickelson match that would require the final few holes at Shadow Creek, the reported site, to be played under the lights—not unlike the Monday Night Golf matches that Woods starred in from 1999-2005.

“There is a lot of nuanced bullsh– still to figure out,” said one person familiar with discussions, who added that the rivals, whose relationship has visibly thawed in recent months with practice rounds together at the Masters and again last Wednesday at Firestone, started discussing a potential high-stakes match more than two years ago. That would be long before Woods underwent spinal fusion surgery and began his comeback last December.

Icon Sportswire

A common criticism of “The Match” and potential sequels is that it is little more than a recycled idea, which is why outside observers express a desire to see golf’s two most famous and popular players slap some of their own cash on the table.

Previous iterations of TV matches include Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, Challenge Golf, Big Three Golf and the CBS Golf Classic, the latter two which were contested at Firestone.

Then there was Monday Night Golf on ABC, which rode the mania surrounding the emergence of Woods, the most dominant player since Jack Nicklaus. Ratings were solid for the first four years—averaging 6.4 with a high of 7.6 for the 2000 match pitting Woods against Sergio Garcia. But numbers slid precipitously thereafter. Mickelson appeared in the final three years in team formats. The final show, featuring major winners Woods and John Daly against Mickelson and Retief Goosen drew a 3.0 rating.

The post As Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson “Match” begins to take shape, some crucial sticking points remain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Say what you will about O.J. Simpson, but the man loves golf. On his first full day as a free man, Simpson was photographed practicing his putting. On a backyard green. At his new Las Vegas residence. Yes, O.J. Simpson has a setup at his new temporary residence that would be the envy of most people. Check out ABC’s video:

Something tells us Titleist isn’t going to use that clip in its next ad campaign.

Simpson, 70, was released from prison on Sunday after serving nine years for an armed robbery at a Las Vegas hotel. He was sentenced to 33 years in jail for the crime, but was awarded parole at the earliest eligible time. His sentencing for the crime happened to take place on the 13th anniversary of his acquittal in the murder trial of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and Ronald Goldman.

According to ABC, Simpson says he plans to move to Florida, where three of his children live. Florida’s Attorney General, Pam Bondi, says Simpson isn’t welcome in the Sunshine State, but an ABC legal expert believes Florida will have to take him.

“He’s going to focus on kids, friends, his family and golf,” Simpson’s good friend, Tom Scotto recently told CNN. “Maybe not the first day or second, but he is going to go out.”

Whether Simpson remains in Las Vegas or moves to Florida, it’s only a matter of time before photos surface of the ex-NFL star on an actual golf course. In the meantime, after spending nearly a decade in a prison cell, Simpson seems content to practice for that inevitable return.

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