You might call this minutia, and you’re not entirely wrong. But we like to think of it as highly entertaining minutia. So here are 13 things that help tell the story of golf in 2020.

Peloton

In case you forgot professional golfers are richer than gods, a handful of players spent their respective tours’ COVID-19 sabbatical diving into the Peloton fad. (Peloton: The exercise bike for those unaware what regular exercise bikes cost.) Intolerable as this crowd may be, some good came out of it, as Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson and Morgan Pressel raised money for the New York City food bank during a Peloton charity race.

RELATED: Rory McIlroy is a monster on the Peloton

Drones

For all the hype of an autumn-kissed Augusta National, the Augusta looked very much like the Augusta of April, a jewel of exploding emerald at almost every turn. However, new drone technology incorporated by ESPN and CBS delivered aerial views of the venerated property that truly made it a Masters unlike any other.

Golden hour at Amen Corner. #themasters pic.twitter.com/BiTDRSWMcD

— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 12, 2020

Coffee mug

Phil Mickelson is a showman in every sense of the word. He’s also not one for nuance. Which is why Mickelson, who launched his own coffee line this year, took any and every opportunity to plug his new venture, regularly placing a Yeti mug with his brand’s name directly into cameras. Always Be Closing, Phil.

Icon Sportswire

RELATED: Our 50 favourite ‘Phil being Phil’ moments

Tom Brady’s ripped pants

With TB12’s appearance in The Match 2 at Medalist Golf Club in May, the future pro football Hall of Famer was exposed as a sandbagger, received an ungodly amount of schadenfreude during a hit-n-giggle and ripped his pants in the one nanosecond where things weren’t going wrong. Yet the shot that ultimately led to that infamous splitting of slacks—a hole-out for eagle—was the first “Oh-My-Did-You-See-That?!?!!” sports moment since the world shut down in March.

Great Wall of Dinah

Temporary fencing behind the island 18th green on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills C.C. was supposed to replicate the experience of the grandstand that usually is built there for the ANA Inspiration, pre-COVID. In reality, it served as a backboard for players and played a pivotal role in the event’s outcome, with eventual winner Mirim Lee using the structure to keep her second shot from finding water. It was absurd, it was controversial and it was fantastic, because sometimes there’s nothing wrong with a little chaos.

Christian Petersen

Hoodies

It was a small thing that really wasn’t a thing but somehow became a huge thing because everyone needed a dumb distraction. Actually, that about sums up sports in general.

A shared push cart

Local caddies were not used on the LPGA this season, allowing players a chance to use push carts. Or in the cases of Anne van Dam and Sophia Popov, to share one. Popov, who caddied for van Dam the previous week, was in the Marathon Classic field and allowed van Dam to split her high-tech trolly. Better yet, Popov’s high finish at the Marathon conferred an invite to the Women’s British Open, where the 304th-ranked Popov pulled off one of the biggest upsets in major championship history.

Tiger’s stay-at-home Champions dinner photo

The centrepiece was a replica of the Masters trophy. There were dogs looking off-camera and dogs looking at sweets and dogs in general. Tiger’s Miami Vice inspired ensemble. The fact the finest table settings are out for a dinner that appears to be fajitas and sushi. SO many desserts. A glimpse of Tiger’s backyard golf layout, instilling instant envy to those trapped in an apartment, or just general envy for, you know, OWNING A GOLF HOLE IN HIS BACKYARD. As for the quarantine beard … well, we’ve seen worse.

Protein shakes. And fire ants. And broken drivers. And hype videos. And lost balls.

It was a busy year for Bryson.

The post 13 ‘things’ that help tell the story of golf in 2020 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
The legend of Rory McIlroy and his Peloton prowess has grown rapidly in the last few months, his output during training rides (specifically registering 955 kilojoules in one 45-minute session) causing a stir among Peloton junkies. But it was a different golfer who impressed on the bike on Saturday when Peloton and ESPN held its first Pro-Athlete All-Star race.

Morgan Pressel, the 15-year LPGA veteran, competed in the women’s ride and finished second among the eight participants. Pressel’s total output of 226 kilojoules trailed only Olympic middle-distance runner Colleen Quigley (348) and outpaced athletes from the soccer, tennis, basketball and gymnastics worlds.

What an electric ride from all of our female athletes! Congratulations to Colleen Quigley with a commanding victory representing Oregon and USA Track & Field. pic.twitter.com/ZncSxXmmPp

— Peloton (@onepeloton) May 30, 2020

The competition involved a 20-minute ride led by celebrity Peloton trainer Robin Arzon to help the Food Bank of New York City.

In the men’s division, McIlroy was one of three PGA Tour pros in the eight-person race, joined by Bubba Watson and Justin Thomas. But the World’s No. 1 ranked golfer could do no better than fourth in the competition, accumulating 351 kj. Swimmer Matt Grevers, a four-time Olympic medalist, finished first (417), followed by Boston Celtic All-Star Gordon Hayward (397) and former NFL defensive tackle turned broadcaster Booger McFarland (384).

Watson meanwhile finished sixth (275) and Thomas finished in last place (239).

Another gold for the shelf ? pic.twitter.com/H1cZJHL1bp

— Peloton (@onepeloton) May 30, 2020

That McIlroy couldn’t grow his legend on the bike might be seen as disappointing, but he was also a bit of a marked man for Saturday’s competition.

“Since I can’t beat Rory McIlroy on the golf course, my one goal for today is to prove that golfers aren’t athletes,” McFarland said ahead of the race, ultimately accomplishing the task.

Naturally, the trash talk wasn’t limited to before the race. Said Grevers during the competition: “I was trying to listen to [instructor] Alex [Toussaint] and the cues but I think Bubba’s breathing too hard for me to hear anything so I just kind of went.”

By the end of the men’s and women’s competitions, the NYC Food Bank had seen more than 1,000,000 meals donated as the 16 bikers accumulated 4,312 kj combined, far exceeding the 3,000 point goal.

The post Morgan Pressel shines, Rory McIlroy holds his own in Peloton Pro-Athlete All-Star race appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Later this week, the competition will continue. Only it won’t include the sport they’re known for.

Instead, McIlroy and Thomas, along with Bubba Watson and Morgan Pressel, as well as a slew of other current and former professional athletes from other sports, will battle it out in another of their passions: Peloton.

McIlroy, Thomas, Watson and Pressel, will take part in Peloton’s first All-Star ride, which will consist of two 20-minute classes, with noted Peloton instructor Alex Toussaint leading the men’s division and Robin Arzon leading the women’s division. Also scheduled to take part are Gordon Hayward, Kyle Rudolph, Booger McFarland, Matt Gravers, Mike Golic Jr., Allyson Felix, Colleen Quigley, Dawn Staley, Kyla Ross, Michele Smith, Monica Puig and Victoria Azarenka. The competition will be broadcast May 30 on ESPN at 12 noon EDT.

The rider with the highest output number—a combination of cadence and resistance—in each of the two competitions will be declared the winner of that division. Given McIlroy’s excellence on the bike, which Golf Digest reported earlier this year, he’ll be one of the favourites, if not the favourite.

Even better? If the participating pro athletes combine to reach an output of 3,000 kilojoules, Peloton will donate one million meals to the Food Bank for New York City. Given McIlroy’s abilities, as well as presumably those of the rest of the group, that shouldn’t be a problem.

The post Peloton fanatics McIlroy, Thomas, Watson and Pressel to compete in first Pro-Athlete All-Star ride appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Our @AlexMyers3 rewrote the lyrics of "Chances" by Five for Fighting to detail his struggle over whether to bet on Tiger at the Masters. ?

(?: @AlexMyers3) pic.twitter.com/9Qfu4eARja

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 10, 2019

That turned out to be a pretty good omen for Tiger, huh? But a lot has changed since then and we’re not even sure when the Masters will take place again. Of course, a golf tournament is at the low end of peoples’ worries this week, so I promise to not be that guy bitching about not being at the Masters. That being said, I also promise to not be the guy bitching about the guy bitching about not being at the Masters this year. Let’s just agree to be nice to each other during these stressful times, OK? Cool. Now let’s talk about what else is happening—and not happening—in golf right now.

WE’RE BUYING

Indoor trick shots: If TikTok and Zoom are the big winners during this dark time, a close runner-up would be this budding genre. Some of the ones floating around the interwebs are unreal. Here’s the best from the amateur division:

I think we can all agree, this is winning so far? #golf #trickshot #quarantine pic.twitter.com/qbbPba3Op0

— Peter Finch (@PeterFinchGolf) April 3, 2020

Meanwhile in the pro division, the master, Joshua Kelley, just continues to raise the bar:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-CmavqhFo0/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-SKpZzhRO0/?utm_source=ig_embed

No one has ever made the transition to working from home more seamlessly.

This backyard mini-golf course: If you can’t go play golf (more on that later), there are creative ways to get your golf fix at your own house. And these guys might have come up with the best solution:

This backyard mini golf course is next level. ?
(?:Instagram/Connorwags) pic.twitter.com/zdt6DoyaxR

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 5, 2020

Well done, but where does one find that much Astroturf? Do these guys have an Astroturf guy? Is there such a thing as an Astroturf guy?

Sergio Garcia: People are quick to knock this guy when he does something bad, so it’s only fair to praise him for doing something good. Really good. The 2017 Masters champ and his family has donated more than $250,000 to Coronavirus relief efforts.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QRKc3pc2-/?utm_source=ig_embed

That’s about $50,000 per green he damaged in Saudi Arabia last year! Sorry, couldn’t help it. Seriously, Sergio, that’s awesome.

WE’RE SELLING

The Open closed for business: The cancellation of the Open Championship is the biggest blow to the golf schedule yet, as first reported by our Joel Beall and Brian Wacker last week. Nice work, boys, but couldn’t you dig up something a little more positive? Anyway, this is a tough one, made even tougher by part of the report this decision was made so early in part for insurance reasons. Read this:

Hmm. I understand there is a lot of money at stake for the R&A—and it was pretty smart to take out a policy against a possible pandemic—but imagine if the USGA did that for the U.S. Open? Golf Twitter would get off their couches and storm Far Hills, N.J. Well, not now, because we are all under quarantine, but you get the point.

Other postponements: The U.S. Open has been moved to September but will stay at Winged Foot, the PGA Championship has been moved to August and will stay at Harding Park (for now), the Masters is headed to November, and the Ryder Cup will stay in its slot at the end of September. While this all sounds like great news, of course, the only thing we know for sure is the Masters isn’t moving from Augusta National. In other words, it’s all very tentative amid an ongoing global pandemic. Still, let’s keep our fingers crossed. In the comfort of our homes, of course.

Golf course arrests: Three Massachusetts men were arrested for playing golf on a Rhode Island course, a violation of the state’s current quarantine order. And there’s no question the trio knew what they were doing considering they met at a Rhode Island McDonald’s parking lot to load their clubs into a car with Rhode Island plates, and, well, this was the sign posted at the course:

Three (not fore) Massachusetts men arrested after golfing, charged with violating gov's executive order on quarantine (via @HannahDickison) https://t.co/OPwC27MNYX

— Tim White (@TimWhiteRI) April 2, 2020

Strange times, but rules are rules. And until Massachusetts lifts its ban on playing golf, these guys might want to check out those videos above for some inspiration. Or drive somewhere a lot farther away. Actually, don’t do that. Just stay put, everyone. Please.

ON TAP

Again, this was to be Masters week. And while it’s one thing for the Valero Texas Open to be cancelled, it’s another to not be watching golf from Augusta National. In fact, this composition from John Huston—not to be confused with golfer Jon Huston—perfectly sums up the mood:

Random tournament fact: On the bright side, CBS will air the 2004 final round on Saturday and 2019 final round on Sunday instead. As far as substitutes go, that’s some pretty strong programming. So grab some popcorn and enjoy as best you can.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Tiger will serve turkey and stuffing at the November Champions Dinner: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds
—That composer is going to hear from Augusta National’s lawyers: Even odds
—I’m going to cry again watching the 2019 Masters replay: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

A Tiger Woods sighting on Sunday is bound to brighten everyone’s week. Even better? We have an OFF-COURSE WHITE BELT! Alert the fashion police!

?NUCLEAR: Big Cat filling up his Range Rover in Florida this afternoon., in Golf clothes let’s go ? (via IG DM: travers080) pic.twitter.com/R1CTZZlnM0

— TWLEGION (@TWlegion) April 5, 2020

Then again, maybe he was coming to or from the course. In that case, he’s excused. In any event, Tiger Woods. Man of the people. Just out and about pumping his own gas. Love it. I just hope he washed his hands really good after.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Longtime PGA Tour caddie Heath Holt took advantage of raised cups at his course and fired the first Coronavirus-aided “59” by firing at the flagsticks all day. Literally. Check it out:

Historic! The best part is when he says his round was saved because, “Luckily, I made a couple 40-footer comebackers. . . for par.” Great stuff, Heath.

THIS WEEK IN TOUR PRO PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION (AND CHARITY)

You know what they say: The couple that raises money together stays together. OK, so we change what “they say” every week, but this is a cool gesture by LPGA star Danielle Kang and her boyfriend, PGA Tour rookie Maverick McNealy:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ktCpNnVl3/?utm_source=ig_embed

And here’s more info on their #ChallengeEachOther campaign:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

comment below for any questions! Directions: Step 1. Come up with a challenge Step 2. Pledge the amount and challenge someone Step 3. Post and donate! Simple! Our communities need our help and we’re asking for YOUR help in order TO help. @challengeeachother

A post shared by Danielle Kang (@daniellekang) on Apr 4, 2020 at 4:06pm PDT

How cute are these two? I challenge them to sing a duet of “Anything you can do, I can do better.”

THIS WEEK IN OTHER TOUR PROS BEING QUARANTINED

Graham DeLaet has gotten into smoking meats:

5 day brine, 4 hr smoke. First time making bacon. It’s absolutely phenomenal. @BigGreenEgg Wow. ? pic.twitter.com/7pw23M2RQh

— DeLetty (@GrahamDeLaet) March 31, 2020

Bubba Watson is preparing for a second career as a trick-shot artist:

Snuck into @PensacolaGolf… #OffTheRoof #FirstTake #ClubDrop #urwelcome pic.twitter.com/tXrCFF6n18

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) April 3, 2020

And Billy Horschel finally took down the King of Peloton, Rory McIlroy.

We got the ?. We finally able to knock of @McIlroyRory. He pushed me till the end but was able to hold him off! @alextoussaint25. Thanks for the push Rory! #weallgettingbetter pic.twitter.com/BBWu5pG0wh

— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) April 4, 2020

Rory later Instagramemed it was supposed to be his “recovery day,” but let’s let Billy have his moment.

THIS WEEK IN GOLF TV PERSONALITIES BEING QUARANTINED

CBS’ Amanda Balionis has perfected whatever this is:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-nRooYp2m_/?utm_source=ig_embed

Yeah, we’re getting bored too, Amanda.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

U know what helps on a cold November day in Augusta, Georgia? A brand new green jacket

— max homa (@maxhoma23) April 6, 2020

Good call, Max. Although, some Masters-logoed mittens might be needed as well.

THIS AND THAT

Larry David’s Riviera caddie fund seems to have sparked a bunch of similar efforts by other golf clubs. This is like the reverse of his “Spite Store” on Season 10 of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Amazing. . . . Trevor Immelman will take over for Ernie Els as Presidents Cup captain. He also joined us on this week’s Golf Digest Podcast, so please have a listen:

The U.S. Women’s Open is moving to December. As you probably guessed, it is not being held at Winged Foot. . . . And finally, I finally busted this bad boy open:

When I said, “Grab some popcorn” and watch some old Masters tournaments this weekend, I mean that in the most literal sense.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

What would my handicap be playing with raised cups?
How many white belts does Tiger Woods own?
How many days meals will that tub of popcorn last me?

The post A Tiger Woods sighting(!), a tour pro couple pitches in for charity, and a “59” you have to see to believe appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.