It was the longest putt Taylor has made in his nine-year PGA Tour career.

“For that to go in is unbelievable,” an emotional Taylor said immediately after, with the home gallery still in hysterics. “I don’t know what to say.”

On Tuesday, news unexpectedly broke that the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund had announced intentions to create a new for-profit venture, a surprising turn of events after tour commissioner Jay Monahan had vowed for more than a year that the tour wouldn’t do business with the group that had pilfered some of its biggest names to help create the LIV Golf League.

On Sunday, Taylor was holding the RBC Canadian Open hardware just outside Toronto, after capturing his third tour title, with the adoring fans serenading the new champion. Canadian PGA Tour pros Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin and Mike Weir waited anxiously with the masses, hanging on every moment during the four playoff holes. They were not going to miss history.

WALK-OFF WINNER FROM 72 FEET! ?@NTaylorGolf59 wins @RBCCanadianOpen with the longest putt of his career! ? pic.twitter.com/lJtiIM43vN

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 11, 2023

“This is for all the guys who are here, this is for my family at home,” Taylor said. “This is the most incredible feeling ever.”

The drama capped a crazy four days for the British Columbia native. Taylor shot 75 on Thursday and was tied for 120th place. Rounds of 67-63 got him into contention on Sunday, where he actually held a three-shot lead for a moment in the middle of the round. But Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Aaron Rai and C.T. Pan, among others began making birdies, and it was clear that Taylor was not going to run away with his national open.

After a bogey on the 16th hole, Taylor birdied the last two holes to top Hatton by one for the clubhouse lead at 17 under, making a 12-footer on the final hole. But Fleetwood, a European Ryder Cup stalwart searching for his first PGA Tour victory in 119 starts, stormed back and birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to tie Taylor. Fleetwood played a nervy 18th hole in regulation and made par, sending the tournament into a playoff.

Of course, the playoff turned downright nutty. It started raining and continued the entire time.

Both men were short right of the green in two shots on 18 the first time but both got up and down for birdie, Taylor with a chip shot to five feet and Fleetwood by draining a 20-footer. The second time both men, again playing the 18th hole, made par after nervy approach shots. Then they marched to the par-3 ninth hole and hit tee shots to similar distances, around 15 feet, but both two putted for par.

Finally, on the fourth playoff hole, back on the par-5 18th, Fleetwood faced 12 feet for birdie and Taylor was 72 feet away for eagle, having reached the green in two. With the whole country holding its collective breaths, Taylor made the putt for eagle, sending the adoring gallery, Taylor and his caddie Dave Markle, into a celebration that’ll likely last well into the Canadian night.

“It’s huge for our game,” Weir said.

With victory on Sunday, Taylor is the first Canadian to win the national Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954. Minas Panagiotakis

Pat Fletcher was the last Canadian to win the Canadian Open, doing so in 1954. Since records began being kept in earnest in 1983, only one player has been T-120 or worse in a PGA Tour event after the first round and gone on to win—Ian Poulter at the 2018 Houston Open. He opened with 73 then shot 64-65-67 and topped Beau Hossler in a playoff.

“It was the most incredible atmosphere I’ve ever been a part of and it’s not even close,” Taylor said. “I think even walking the first tee today, walking to the first green, there’s ovations on every single tee and green. When Tommy would miss and they would cheer I kind of felt bad for him. But I knew just how pumped they were and they were trying to put every ounce of energy into it to help me pull it through.

“I blacked out when that ball went [on the fourth playoff hole] with Dave. So I’m curious to watch what we did. I don’t even remember what we did. But that was an incredible moment.”

Historical significance aside, the victory was just another piece of a golf résumé that continues to impress. Taylor won both the Canadian Junior (2006) and Canadian Amateur (2007) in consecutive years as a youth and was a standout in college at the University of Washington, being named Player of the Year twice in what was then called the Pac-10 Conference. He was a three-time All-American and won the Ben Hogan Award in 2010 as college golf’s best player.

As a professional, the Canadian Open win is his third on tour, following the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014 and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2020. He’s the fourth Canadian to win on the PGA Tour this year, following Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Svensson and Conners and he’s up to a career-high 44th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He had missed his previous two cuts.

For Fleetwood, he’ll continue searching for that first tour title after yet another near miss. After opening with consecutive rounds of 70, a third-round 64 vaulted the Englishman directly into contention. The final-round 67 was good enough to get into the playoff this time, but he may have a couple sleepless nights thinking about how lacklustre he played the 18th hole in regulation.

All Tommy Fleetwood could do was smile after Nick Taylor’s dramatic putt dropped, leaving the Englishman still in search of his first career PGA Tour title. Vaughn Ridley

“Nice moment for Nick and the fans here,” said Fleetwood, with Hatton, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry watching the playoff to show support. “It’s great to be a part of that Sunday and that playoff. I had my chances, really. It wasn’t to be this time.”

Hatton birdied the last four holes to shoot an eight-under 64, which included a double bogey on the eighth hole. He was a shot out of the playoff. Rai (67) and Pan (70) were tied for third place with Hatton. Eric Cole made nine birdies to shoot 63 and jumped 18 positions on the leaderboard to tie for sixth place with Mark Hubbard.

It was another Sunday disappointment for Rory McIlroy. The World No. 3 entered the final round two shots off the lead and with a chance to win for the second consecutive week. Last week at the Memorial Tournament he shot a final-round 75 to tumble from contention. In Canada, he made consecutive bogeys on Nos. 5 and 6 to quickly drop out of contention again and ultimately shot 72 to tie for ninth place.

McIlroy was the two-time defending champion in Canada and a victory by him would’ve been significant for the game heading into the U.S. Open next week at Los Angeles Country Club. But it’s difficult to be disappointed with the way this prestigious tournament ended. A golf-crazed nation was rewarded with the victory that it had so desperately wanted for seven decades.

And Nick Taylor will never have to buy a beer in his beloved Canada ever again.

The post Nick Taylor can’t believe he just became a national hero, but he’ll take it appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Hadwin, who was born in Moose Jaw, was one of many Canadian tour pros out watching the epic playoff between Tommy Fleetwood and Canada’s own Nick Taylor. On the fourth hole of sudden death, the par-5 18th, Taylor finally ended it with a ridiculously long eagle conversion, sending the Canadian crowd into a frenzy at Oakdale Golf & Country Club.

Taylor’s victory was the first by a Canadian in the Canadian Open since 1954, so you’ll have to forgive our friends up North for going as batsh-t crazy as they did. Among the chaos was Hadwin, who ran out onto the green spraying champagne in Taylor’s direction in celebration. Apparently, security had no idea that Hadwin was a fellow tour pro, a fellow Canuck and a friend to Taylor, with one guard mistaking him for a law-breaking fan and FLATTENING him Terry Tate office linebacker style:

Security is TOIGHT at the Canadian Open ? pic.twitter.com/6cS38bQiYk

— Kayla Grey (@Kayla_Grey) June 11, 2023

Usually it’s only Hadwin’s own wife, Jessica, who is clocking him from his blindside like that (on Twitter, that is). 

All kidding aside, my goodness, what a scene. Hopefully, Hadwin is OK, so he (and we) can laugh it off. Because it’s one of the funnier situations we’ve ever witnessed. Only in golf could a legit PGA Tour pro look so unathletic in plain clothes that he gets mixed up for a fan who got under the ropes and started to cause a scene. What an absolutely ridiculous sport.

UPDATE: We have an alternate angle of Hadwin getting driven into the ground by a security guard, and it shows him hanging on to that champagne bottle for dear life:

Adam Hadwin getting tackled by security (they thought he was a fan).

pic.twitter.com/869HS8uG5l

— Lou Stagner (Golf Stat Pro) (@LouStagner) June 12, 2023

Cripes, Hadwin is lucky he didn’t get hurt. That would have been poor timing with the U.S. Open at LACC on tap this week. Good news is, it appears all is well. Here’s what Hadwin tweeted long after the celebration began:

Words cannot describe the magnitude of what you just accomplished. So proud of you @ntaylorgolf59!

— adam hadwin (@ahadwingolf) June 12, 2023

And yes, Jessica did eventually weigh in, revealing that her husband pulled the most Canadian move of all time after getting run over:

Sorry to leave y’all hanging, had to get the toddler ready for bed. I’m thrilled to report that @ahadwingolf is still among the land of the living and in true Canadian form, apologized to the security guard for being tackled.

— Jessica Hadwin (@jessicahadwin) June 12, 2023

The word “sorrey!” was uttered at least 100 times during this entire exchange. Peak Canada. Taylor, who had a front-row seat, also explained his view of the situation. 

“Corner of my eye I saw he got a nice tackle there,” he said. “I hope he’s all right. He was upright when I saw him later. So I hope he doesn’t wake up tomorrow morning with any broken ribs or anything.”

UPDATE: The “hits,” if you will, just keep on coming. Check out this cinema slow-mo version of the tackle heard round the (golf) world.

What happens when you chirp @jessicahadwin on Twitter…

(Sorry @ahadwingolf) pic.twitter.com/1Vs6YqM70Q

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 12, 2023

The post Watch Adam Hadwin get FLATTENED by a security guard while trying to celebrate fellow Canadian Nick Taylor’s epic win appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It was the outcome everyone in the rain-soaked gallery at Oakdale Golf & Country Club wanted to see on Sunday, Canada’s own Nick Taylor walking away the winner at the RBC Canadian Open, becoming the first native in 69 years to win his country’s national title. But it’s the way Taylor did it, taking down Tommy Fleetwood on the fourth playoff hole, that secured the 35-year-old from British Columbia a forever place among the great moments in Canadian sports history.

Let’s set the scene: Taylor, who made birdies on his last two holes in regulation, had hit his second shot on the par-5 18th hole just onto the green, but left himself a 72-foot eagle. In his nine full seasons on the PGA Tour, Taylor had never holed a putt that long, so expecting him to do it with everything on the line was probably a bit much.

But then … well this happened:

WALK-OFF WINNER FROM 72 FEET! ?@NTaylorGolf59 wins @RBCCanadianOpen with the longest putt of his career! ? pic.twitter.com/lJtiIM43vN

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 11, 2023

“I’m speechless. This is for all the guys here. This is for my family home … it’s … I’m very speechless. This is the most incredible feeling ever.”

Fleetwood, whose missed putts on the 72nd hole and the second and third playoff holes would have secured his first career victory on the PGA Tour, could only stop and congratulate Taylor before the Canadian was lost in a sea of humanity that spilled on to the putting green.

So what was running through Taylor’s mind when he stood over the putt? Here’s what he told CBS’ Amanda Renner:

“I had a similar line in the second playoff hole. I knew it was going to be slow with how much rain we’ve had. I wanted to get it as close as I can because Tommy, I thought he was going to make it {he had a 12-footer for birdie]. For that to go in it’s unbelievable. I don’t know what to say.”

Here’s another incredible view of the winning putt:

.@ntaylorgolf59 ? from Abbotsford, British Columbia ??(72 ft 6 in.) for the win pic.twitter.com/fBVMnIQqe5

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 12, 2023

The post Watch Nick Taylor become a Canadian golf legend by holing the longest putt of his PGA Tour career appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tod Leonard
These days, it usually takes going exceptionally low to win on the PGA Tour, and it’s apparently no different in qualifying for the US Open.

In the first final qualifier played in North America on Monday at two courses in Dallas, 11-under for 36 holes was the number to be the medallist — and there were four players who achieved that — while seven-under was the score that got players into next month’s major at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

In a qualifier that featured numerous PGA Tour pros, the top 13 out of 98 entrants advanced, and a six-man playoff was required for the final two spots. Those positions went to Davis Shore and Roger Sloan, while Adam Hadwin and Austin Cook were the first and second alternates, respectively.

The day’s low score was a 62 fashioned by Matthew NeSmith, who made nine birdies in the morning round at Royal Oaks Country Club. NeSmith, a third-year PGA Tour player who has competed in only one major, shot 69 in the second round at Lakewood Country Club and joined Americans Kurt Kitayama (65-66) and Sean Crocker (64-67), and Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma (68-63) at 11-under.

Among the notables not advancing were 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar, Aaron Baddeley, Rory Sabbatini and James Hahn.

The other more recognisable names to advance were Canadians Mackenzie Hughes (nine-under) and Nick Taylor (nine-under) and American Scott Stallings, who was solo 11th at eight-under.

There was one amateur who reached from this final: University of Texas junior Travis Vick, who shot nine-under. Vick was a semi-finalist at last year’s US Amateur at Oakmont.

The remaining nine final qualifiers — eight in the US and one in Canada — will be contested on Monday, June 6.

You might also like:
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Tiger withdraws ahead of PGA Championship final round
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Is Tiger’s style holding him back?
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Dubai golfer Amelia McKee going pro

The post US Open 2022: These scores were ridiculously low, even in a US Open qualifier appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s perhaps the most anxious position for a professional golfer: Sweating out the cut line at a major championship. Pros take pride in making the cut at any tournament, but missing the weekend at the Masters hurts that much more. And because of a slight rule change and an untimely thunderstorm, five players are going to be stuck in purgatory for a whole lot longer than they’d like.

Prior to this year, a player was guaranteed to make the weekend at the Masters so long as they were inside the top 50 (and ties) or within 10 shots of the lead. That rule changed this year so only the top 50 and ties will make the cut. The 10-shot rule is no more.

And as it stands after Friday’s second round was stopped due to darkness, there are 11 players currently tied for 50th place at even par. In normal years, they’d be good to make the weekend so long as the 36-hole lead is 10 under or higher. But with no 10-shot rule, they are firmly in danger of missing the weekend. Six of those 11 still have at least eight holes of their second rounds, so they control their own destiny when play resumes at 7:30 a.m. Saturday—make birdies and make the cut.

But for the five guys who have already finished their second round—well, they’re in for one uncomfortable night.

The unlucky quintet: Collin Morikawa, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Zach Johnson, Sung Kang and Nick Taylor. They will not find out until around 9:30 a.m. whether their two-day total of 144 was good enough for the weekend. If anyone just from even par to one under, the cutline also moves to one under and they’re all off for the weekend.

While they may never admit to wishing bogeys upon their peers—bad karma—they will privately be rooting against the five guys at even par with holes to play, as well as the five guys at one over and the two guys at one under who can all impact the cutline.

Of course, this is the definition of a first-world problem. There are much, much worse situations to be in than hoping for a chance to make tens of thousands of dollars playing golf.

But as far as major championship golf goes, this is about as stressful as it gets.

More from Friday at the 2020 Masters
• Tiger Woods loses momentum, but holds on to his green jacket chances
• Abraham Ancer continues to prove that he’s a big-time player, he’s just missing one thing
• Bryson DeChambeau in danger of missing cut after disastrous third hole
• Jon Rahm hilariously (perhaps inadvertently) burns Bryson DeChambeau with two simple words
• Rory McIlroy had about as terrible a Friday morning as you could imagine at Augusta National
• Why these five guys are going to have an especially restless Friday night in Augusta
• Brooks Koepka’s play has been ‘super sloppy’ and he can still win
• Alert! Augusta National legend Jeff Knox has been called into action earlier than usual this week!
• Justin Thomas broke his odd Masters curse
• Bernhard Langer keeps building on the sneakiest good record in Masters history
• Bryson DeChambeau lost his ball in Augusta’s second cut, which we all figured was impossible
• Why you shouldn’t be surprised about Rory McIlroy’s up-and-down start at Augusta
• What you think about Dustin Johnson says more about you than him
• Who needs a driver at Augusta? Danny Willett cracks his, uses 3-wood off tee and shoots career low
• How the 36-hole cut is determined at Augusta National
• Bernhard Langer has become the oldest golfer to make the cut in the Masters

The post Why these five guys are going to have an especially restless Friday night in Augusta appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Harry How

On the other hand, since I put my handicap police hat on, I’ve had numerous people reach out to me, including Larry’s father, with glowing testimonials about the future NFL Hall-of-Famer (Imagine how good he’s going to get when he finally retires?) and current GOAT of net scoring in golf. So perhaps it’s not right to label him a sandbagger. Although, to be fair, anyone who has ever won a net competition (myself included) has received some ribbing about their handicap. Also, I have never played a full round with Fitzgerald, so I can’t properly evaluate his current 9.0 handicap. Yep, that’s definitely how we should settle this debate. Larry, invite me out to Seminole or Whisper Rock for a few rounds and I’ll be the judge. Preferably, before the cold front arrives here at the end of the week. Either location works for me. Let’s do this. Please.

WE’RE BUYING

Nick Taylor: How has this guy only won once before?! Faced with windy conditions and a pairing with a living legend who everyone was rooting for, this Canadian channelled Clint Eastwood and said, “Make my day.” After a back-nine stumble, a chip-in on 15 and a rare birdie on 17 gave him a four-shot, life-changing win at a place where just last year he announced a life-changing moment.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Byy0P05Fhx2/?utm_source=ig_embed

And now:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8aTH1NlnGz/?utm_source=ig_embed

Pretty cool.

Victorian Open/Min Woo Lee: While Golf Twitter bitched (a bit too much) about coverage of the AT&T Pebble Beach, this tournament rightfully drew rave reviews. Or rather, tournaments with simultaneous European Tour and LPGA events happening on the same course while men and women played for the same purse. Congrats to the two winners, Min Woo Lee and Hee Young Park:

2 trophies. 2 wins. 1 equal purse ? #VicOpen pic.twitter.com/YVgOND8tIQ

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 9, 2020

Lee is particularly impressive. The 21-year-old Aussie who won the 2016 U.S. Junior was already the longest hitter on the European Tour despite weighing only 165 pounds. But he might have put on a few LBs celebrating his first win:

We think @Minwoo27Lee enjoyed his maiden tour win… ? #VicOpen pic.twitter.com/bE151za4KW

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 9, 2020

He just needs to work on his celebrations with his caddie:

We can all relate to this… ?@Minwoo27Lee #VicOpen pic.twitter.com/OpC83PEfEz

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 9, 2020

Then again, so do most tour pros.

Golf Digest: That’s right, GOLF DIGEST. Editor-in-Chief Jerry Tarde partnered with Nick Taylor, received some serious Sunday airtime in that group that also included Phil Mickelson and Steve Young (NBD), and some serious praise from CBS’ Jim Nantz, who noted Taylor had “the calming influence of Jerry Tarde every step of the way.” Our boss did pretty well golfing his own ball too as he and Taylor finished T-2 in the Pro-Am, which is basically a win, because, well, Larry Fitzgerald. And how about Jerry’s sweater game?

Straight fire! OK, now we’re heading into potential brown-nosing territory. And Team Taylor/Tarde finished five shots back despite Nick winning the tournament by four, so it’s not like Jerry played like Tiger at Pebble in 2000. OK, now we’ve gone too far the other direction. . . Anyway, staff writer Daniel Rapaport picked up Matthew Fitzpatrick’s staff bag and helped his Northwestern buddy make the cut:

Not the finish we wanted but what an unbelievable week! pic.twitter.com/etUHs4MsOw

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) February 9, 2020

Talk about a great side gig for a golf writer. Dan, you’re bringing in donuts or something the next time you’re in the office.

WE’RE SELLING

Ernie Els not captaining: After leading a spirited challenge at the 2019 Presidents Cup, the Big Easy said he’s done being the big cheese of the International squad. Too bad. The team seemed headed in a positive direction.

Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Rory McIlroy’s taste in movies: I love nearly everything about Rory McIlroy, especially his running interview series with the Independent’s Paul Kimmage. HOWEVAH, McIlroy made a real bogey with his assessment of “La La Land”:

To be clear, I have no problem with him crying at a movie. “The Shawshank Redemption” gets me every time. Obviously. But “La La Land”?! And specifically the music of “La La Land”?! Rory, let’s go see a real musical sometime.

Bryson DeChambeau’s fitness ranking: All power to Bryson for getting yoked this off-season, but he’s the 24th fittest athlete on the planet? Really? He’s fitter than, oh, I don’t know, Russell Westbrook? Or DK Metcalf?!

Or any NFL player for that matter? Even the kickers are jacked. Or . . . Brooks Koepka? Sure thing, Sports Illustrated. That being said, I love how this list just stokes the silly Brooks/Bryson feud. Live look at Brooks right now:

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to La La Land (Get your tissues ready, Rory!) for the Genesis Invitational, AKA that event Tiger hosts at Riviera, which always prompts lectures from all the golf architect geeks on Twitter. Get ready for a week of hearing about the 10th hole!

Random tournament fact: Tiger Woods has never won in 10 starts as a pro at Riviera, the most times he’s ever played a PGA Tour course without winning. He also teed it up as an amateur in 1992 and 1993, missing the cut both times. Rest assured, you will be able to recite all these facts from memory by week’s end.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Larry Fitzgerald will be let back onto Pebble Beach property next year if he still has a 9 handicap: 1-MILLION -to-1 odds

—Tiger Woods will finally win at Riviera this week: 18-to-1 odds (Actual odds)

—Rory will be ribbed for his “La La Land”/”Pretty Woman” comments this week: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Check out this incredible shot Tim Herron took of Pebble Beach’s 18th hole:

Thankful to wake up at one of my favorite spots on earth today. @attproam pic.twitter.com/gLRKdQuZ8E

— Tim “Lumpy” Herron (@PGALumpy) February 6, 2020

Kidding.

Just an FYI, I found this beautiful pic on the inter web as I can barely take an in-focus shot with my phone!

— Tim “Lumpy” Herron (@PGALumpy) February 7, 2020

Same, Tim. Still, it’s a great photo. By whomever took it.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Shout-out to Sam Harrop for this fantastic song parody about Tony Finau’s lack of wins. The Charles Howell and Rocco Mediate lines killed me:

Many of you will know by now that music is my first love (though golf's pretty high to be fair)

So…I decided to pen an ode to Tony Finau, set to the tune of an REO Speedwagon classic. As you do.

First time I've done something like this, so go easy on me ?

RTs appreciated! pic.twitter.com/9FpX6cB2aw

— Sam Harrop (@sam_golf) February 6, 2020

And good to see Tony is a good sport:

?? loads of funny lines. I dig it bro @sam_golf after the next win I'll be looking for the remix! https://t.co/Kelhg5qnBT

— Tony Finau Golf (@tonyfinaugolf) February 7, 2020

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“There’s more than just guys, you know. It just makes sense. We should do this more often. The fact that this happens only once in a year is just nonsense.” —Geoff Ogilvy on the Victorian Open. Well said, Geoff. And Ogilvy had Golf Twitter in a tizzy talking about karma as he grabbed a share of the 36-hole lead in the event. Too bad there’s no such thing as karma and he finished last among the 38 golfers who made the three-day cut.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS (NOT NAMED LARRY FITZGERALD)

Seeing Macklemore take six practice swings before topping one off the tee was tough, but the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am still produced some fun celebrity moments with Bill Murray. As usual. Here he is sweeping a putt in backward:

Does it get any smoother? ?pic.twitter.com/JlmZ6WOnxR

— GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) February 10, 2020

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS (NOT AT PEBBLE BEACH)

The Rory McIlroy-Caroline Wozniacki engagement didn’t last, but it looks like the former World No. 1 women’s tennis player has held onto a thing or two from her ex when it comes to the golf swing:

Glacier golfing! (Don’t worry the balls were bio degradable) ??‍ pic.twitter.com/huon1S49HZ

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) February 6, 2020

Very impressive.

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

Justin Thomas used his off week to give the two special ladies in his life a nice night at a Las Vegas Golden Knights game:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8WpnhNBu5a/?utm_source=ig_embed

Awww. And JT, if that’s your girlfriend’s idea of a romantic night out, she’s definitely a keeper.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

I would have moved this up to the “buy” section, but it was already getting too long. But even with a tough finish, Phil Mickelson had himself a great week. Just days after saying he’d turn down a potential special exemption into the U.S. Open if he didn’t qualify, Mickelson nearly took care of that himself with a third-place finish. And he did it with his usual flair. Only Phil would be able to pull off a bunker shot like this AND immediately rank it:

Some par saves rank higher than others.@PhilMickelson said this one is in his top 5.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/6Kvjkaiyg2

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 8, 2020

Then the following day, he got up and down from here!

"He's not giving up yet."

Phil continues to thrill. Wow.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/ENryORGr4M

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 9, 2020

He may be outside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, but he’s still the game’s No. 1 content king. And it would be a travesty if he’s not battling the grandstands at Winged Foot in June. Again, CONTENT.

THIS AND THAT

Phil Mickelson became the third player (Sam Snead and Raymond Floyd) to record a PGA Tour top 10 in 30 consecutive seasons. Now that’s some impressive, um, phitness. . . . Editor-in-Chief Tarde hopped on this week’s Golf Digest Podcast to talk about that Pebble Beach experience and tell a great Phil story:

https://soundcloud.com/user-96678684/golf-digest-editors-incredible-sunday-in-the-final-pairing-at-pebble-beach

And finally, check out this guy who was really ready to mark his golf ball. At Costco.

Spring can’t get here soon enough.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Does that dude belong to a good golf club?

If so, does he need a fourth?

Can I bet on Larry Fitzgerald at Pebble Beach next year?

The post Larry Fitzgerald defies the odds again, Rory McIlroy’s ex shows off her golf swing, and Rory cries at the movies appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Sam Weinman
Jerry Tarde has been the editor-in-chief of Golf Digest for four decades. He’s won Lifetime Achievement Awards, played money matches against major champions, and if we thought he wouldn’t be reviewing this post, we might confess to levels of deep-rooted resentment.

And that’s all before factoring in Tarde’s experience last weekend playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The appearance was Tarde’s ninth as an amateur contestant in the Crosby Clambake, and when paired with Canadian pro Nick Taylor on Tuesday night, there was little to suggest this one would rise above all others. Taylor had won one PGA Tour event, an opposite-field start, in 2014, but on Thursday, he eagled the first hole en route to an opening 63. Then he shot 66 on Friday. By Sunday afternoon, Taylor was wrapping up a four-stroke wire-to-wire win at one of golf’s most iconic venues, and Tarde was left to assess where it ranked on his already lengthy list of indelible golf moments.

“Well the whole week was the best week I ever had in golf. And Sunday was just off the charts.” said Tarde, who alongside Taylor finished T-2, five strokes behind winners Kevin Streelman and Larry Fitzgerald in the pro-am portion. “As my daughters kept telling me, ‘It was at the top of the bucket list and you didn’t even know it was on the bucket list.’”

After stealing time on the CBS broadcast in a group that also included Phil Mickelson and his partner, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, we asked Tarde to join the Golf Digest Podcast (19:50 mark) to share his vantage point into final-round competition, and the uncommon dynamics that go with it. For instance, did he know when to leave Taylor alone on the back nine? Was he aware when cameras were on him? And did Mickelson, ever the gamesman, try to get into even his head (Spoiler alert: yes)?

Also on this week’s episode, Alex Myers, Keely Levins and I discuss the most impressive part of Taylor’s win, try to make sense of Mickelson’s surprising stance on this summer’s U.S. Open, and weigh in on the latest distance debate. Have a listen:

https://soundcloud.com/user-96678684/golf-digest-editors-incredible-sunday-in-the-final-pairing-at-pebble-beach

The post Golf Digest’s editor-in-chief played in the final group at Pebble Beach, making your best golf moment kind of lame by comparison appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

And it worked again on Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Only it was Nick Taylor who made it work. The Canadian journeyman beat Mickelson at his own game—doing more Phil things than Phil—to win by four strokes and register his career second tour title. And he did it right in front of the five-time major champion.

It was at times flashy, at times frazzled, but Taylor’s tour of Pebble Beach Golf Links was fine enough in increasingly gusty conditions to finish off a two-under-par 70 and complete just the second wire-to-wire win in the tournament’s history. His 19-under 268 total was four strokes better than Kevin Streelman, while Mickelson, the defending champion, finished five-stroke back after starting the day just one behind.

As expertly as he imitated Mickelson, you’d have thought Taylor had done this kind of thing before. Except that Taylor had posted just 10 top-10 finishes in 159 previous tour starts and hadn’t won anything save for the 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship during his rookie year when that tournament was the undercard to the World Golf Championship in China.

This time he fought in the main event, getting in the same ring with Mickelson in the day’s final pairing, and he only had two missed cuts and two finishes outside the top 30 in his last four starts to buoy him.

The late Bob Rosburg would have said that a player ranked 229th in the world, and with such a thin résumé, has no shot against Mickelson, coming off a T-3 showing the previous week at the Saudi International. But golf is the ultimate charlatan. It’s more unpredictable than an Iowa caucus recount. Taylor built a five-stroke lead through nine holes, watched it dwindle to two and then he chipped in for birdie on the par-4 15th hole to blunt Mickelson’s rally.

Taylor, 31, a native of Winnipeg, became the first Canadian to capture the Crosby Clambake and halted a streak of American winners that started in 2005—the year Mickelson won wire-to-wire.

“Last couple of years I feel like I’ve been fighting for my card, so things have changed,” Taylor said with a big smile, after adding $1.4 million to his bank account, sewing up a two-year exemption, and now, possibly, planning to sleep under his mailbox in British Columbia until his first Masters invitation arrives.

As for Mickelson, he might share the record for wins at Pebble Beach with five, but for the second time in four years he found out that he can’t overcome, um, Taylor-made precision. In 2016, it was Vaughn Taylor who bested the left-hander by a stroke. Mickelson has finished no worse than Sunday’s third place in four of the last five years at Pebble.

Harry How/Getty Images

Phil’s issue was hitting bombs. Usually, he’d love that, but not on this day, not with some short irons in his hands. He flew over more greens than the blimp. In the freshening breezes, Mickelson, despite his five wins and 12 top-10 finishes in 24 appearances, couldn’t figure out how to counter Pebble’s rebellious streak.

It cost him when Streelman closed with a 68 sneak into second place and keep Mickelson out of the top 50 in the world by one spot. Which means the lefty does not qualify for the WGC-Mexico Championship in two weeks, an event he won two years ago.

“It’s disappointing certainly to have not won, but I got outplayed,” Mickelson said after carding two-over 74 and a 273 total. “Nick played better than I did. He holed a couple of great shots. That eagle on 6, the putts he made on 4, 5 and 7, and he just really played some great golf.”

A consolation, if you can call it that, is that Mickelson became just the third player in tour history to finish with at least one top-10 finish in 30 consecutive seasons, joining Sam Snead and Ray Floyd, who, respectively, did it 34 and 33 years in a row.

So the Mickelson game worked for Mickelson, too, though more so on Saturday when he holed out or nearly did so from everywhere but downtown Carmel. But Taylor kept doing him one better in the final round. Phil led in strokes gained/around the green for the week, but he was 34th on Sunday, while Taylor was sixth.

The first dagger Taylor threw at Mickelson came at the par-5 sixth when he was bunkered short of the green while Lefty was sizing up a 40-foot eagle putt. From 47 feet, Taylor blasted it up and in for a 3 to actually gain a stroke when Mickelson missed his putt. That completed a three-hole stretch for Taylor of birdie-birdie-eagle. Then he got up and down from the front bunker at No. 7 after sinking a 13-footer.

Taylor was rolling. And then stumbling. And then saving himself at just the right moment at 15. “That was by far the bigger moment. That was obviously massive,” he said.

Obviously.

Not so obvious is that Taylor had felt like he had been playing well for some time before putting all of the pieces together at Pebble. But as he noted, there is such a fine line.

“I knew coming in this week that my game’s been great for almost a year now. Really driving it great,” he added. “And I think my coach, caddie, we have talked about it, really trying to minimize the mistakes that we make that shoot ourselves in the foot and not necessarily execution errors, just kind of maybe more strategy errors. And we did a good job.”

Taylor has competed in just two majors as a professional. His win Sunday gets him into the Masters and PGA Championship. He almost admitted that he was used to fighting for his card and was rather satisfied just keeping his card every year.

“If you told me for 15 years I would finish 110 on the FedEx Cup, I think I would be fine with that,” he said with a shrug. It wasn’t that he didn’t have goals, but he was having trouble taking the first steps towards them. Sunday’s proceedings should help.

“You never know when that one break happens,” he said. “I had to battle for my card the last few years; I think some of those rounds to keep my card helped me today for sure.

“I don’t think it’s going to sink in for quite some time,” he added. “I don’t know if I blocked out the last five hours and just played golf, and you know, now I’m here with winning with a trophy, it’s amazing.”

The post Nick Taylor wins at Pebble Beach by doing his best Phil Mickelson impression appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Taylor shot a three-under-par 69 at Spyglass Hill on Saturday to complete 54 holes in 17-under-par 198. Mickelson, the defending champion, is one shot back following a round of five-under-par 67 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Jason Day, with a two-under 70 at Spyglass Hill, is alone in third, two off the lead.

It was a tough start for Taylor, who bogeyed two of his first four holes, but he rebounded strongly with a flawless back nine that included two birdies and an eagle.

“I haven’t been in this spot for a while, but again, easier said than done, just play my game, keep my head down,” Taylor said. “If I end up playing with Phil, I’m sure I won’t be the crowd favourite, so just got to keep my head down, do my thing and keep playing, because I’ve been playing well.”

Taylor, 31, will be playing with Mickelson on Sunday as he seeks his second PGA Tour victory. His first came in the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014.

Mickelson employed his short-game wizardry to give himself a chance at winning. He holed a 47-foot bunker shot for birdie at 13, a pitch from nearly 30 yards for birdie at 14, and got up and down for birdie from a difficult position right of the green at 18.

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By Dave Shedloski
Sunday is a big day for Golf Digest at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

In his ninth appearance in the tournament, Golf Digest editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde made the cut in the pro-am for the first time. And the fact that he is paired with Canada’s Nick Taylor, the tournament leader, means that he might steal a few minutes of air time on national television as he’ll join Taylor and Phil Mickelson and his partner, Steve Young, in the final pairing.

Nice company. And at iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links.

“I’m happy to sell my spot to the highest bidder,” Tarde, who also is the global head of strategy and content, Discovery Golf, said jokingly. “This is amazing. Nick is playing nice, calm and balanced golf. We probably would have made the cut just on his ball alone. I’ll have the best view of all how the ending unfolds.”

Taylor, whose 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship victory is the 31-year-old’s lone PGA Tour title, will attempt to become the second player to go wire-to-wire for victory. The other is Mickelson, in 2005, as if he needed more incentive in his title defence. After a 69 Saturday at Spyglass Hill, Taylor leads Mickelson by a stroke and Day by three at 17-under 198.

Taylor and Tarde, who plays to a 12.1 handicap index and a 12 this week, are sixth in the team standings at 23 under, four shots behind 2018 winners Kevin Streelman and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

Daniel Rapaport, a Golf Digest reporter, also will be inside the ropes on Sunday. He has been the caddie all week for Matthew Fitzpatrick, who made two eagles and two birdies on the inward nine at the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country club to shoot 68 and make the 54-hole cut at six-under 209.

Even while paired with a hot player, Tarde has been able to contribute six strokes to the team total, including three on Friday when they played Pebble Beach. Tarde, a former winner of the PGA of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism, says his plan for Sunday, as it has been all week, is to help Taylor where he can and move to the side when he can’t.

“It’s what you’ve done all week, really, so the routine isn’t any different,” said Tarde, whose mobile phone was active Saturday evening as he received countless texts and phone calls from friends. “I’ll just try to keep hitting good shots. The hardest thing, given the circumstances, is trying to play your normal game.”

In truth, Sunday is, more accurately, one of two special days for Golf Digest this week. In association with the tournament and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Golf Digest sponsored the presentation of the Arnie Awards that went to Jordan Spieth, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Young and country music artist Toby Keith for their commitment to giving back through their charitable endeavours in the spirit of golfing great Arnold Palmer.

Perhaps by the end of the final round, Tarde will be holding a trophy of his own.

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