Victorian Open Archives - Golf Digest Middle East https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tag/victorian-open/ Golf Instruction, Equipment, Courses, Travel, News Thu, 13 Feb 2020 06:53:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/gd-favicon.ico Victorian Open Archives - Golf Digest Middle East https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tag/victorian-open/ 32 32 Larry Fitzgerald defies the odds again, Rory McIlroy’s ex shows off her golf swing, and Rory cries at the movies https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/larry-fitzgerald-defies-the-odds-again-rory-mcilroys-ex-shows-off-her-golf-swing-and-rory-cries-at-the-movies/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/larry-fitzgerald-defies-the-odds-again-rory-mcilroys-ex-shows-off-her-golf-swing-and-rory-cries-at-the-movies/#respond Fri, 14 Feb 2020 01:59:59 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=33099 Welcome to another edition of The Grind where we have mixed feelings about Larry Fitzgerald’s latest romp at Pebble Beach.

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 Alex Myers
Welcome to another edition of The Grind where we have mixed feelings about Larry Fitzgerald’s latest romp at Pebble Beach. On one hand, winning a tournament involving 120 amateurs—many of whom are probably sandbaggers—in convincing fashion two out of three years seems about as mathematically possible as the New York Knicks winning the NBA title this season. Larry was in such control on Sunday he started filming the action!

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:

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:

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

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:

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:

Kidding.

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:

And good to see Tony is a good sport:

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:

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:

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:

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

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?

 

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]]> https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/larry-fitzgerald-defies-the-odds-again-rory-mcilroys-ex-shows-off-her-golf-swing-and-rory-cries-at-the-movies/feed/ 0 Geoff Ogilvy makes plea for more mixed-gender tournaments: “It’s more than just guys in the world who play golf” https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/geoff-ogilvy-makes-plea-for-more-mixed-gender-tournaments-its-more-than-just-guys-in-the-world-who-play-golf/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/geoff-ogilvy-makes-plea-for-more-mixed-gender-tournaments-its-more-than-just-guys-in-the-world-who-play-golf/#respond Thu, 06 Feb 2020 04:12:22 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=32886 According to former U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy, it is time golf's governing bodies get with the program.

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]]> Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

By Joel Beall
Last year the Victorian Open debuted a ground-breaking collaboration between the European Tour, the LPGA Tour, the PGA of Australia and Australian Ladies Professional Golf, with men and women playing concurrent tournaments at 13th Beach Golf Club for equal prize money. The format received rave reviews, and returns this week in Geelong, Australia.

However, while there are a handful of mixed-gender events—most notably, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and Annika Sorenstam are set to host the Scandinavian Mixed this June—the approach has yet to receive global acceptance. According to former U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy, it is time golf’s governing bodies get with the program.

“There’s more than just guys, you know. It just makes sense,” Ogilvy said at the Vic Open. “We should do this more often. The fact that this happens only once in a year is just nonsense.”

Ogilvy, known as one of the premier player-scholars in the game, spoke of experience at last year’s event and how it spurred admiration for his female counterparts.

“All I wanted to do was watch the women and how they went about it,” Ogilvy explained. “Some of them are just machines, they don’t hit bad shots and they hit hybrids on to the green to 10 feet all day.

“It’s just a different style. There’s something to be learned from both sides and there’s enjoyment in watching both styles of play.”

To Ogilvy, part of the problem is rooted in the game’s conservatism, and that perhaps the primary stakeholders are “scared to rock the successful boat they’re riding in.”

“It’s probably just golf being stuck in traditions. You see the Japanese ladies’ tour is a much bigger and more successful tour in Japan than the men’s tour is,” Ogilvy said. “Whenever it’d presented properly, it seems like it’s just as popular. It just needs to have the opportunity. It’s just a bit of creative thinking.”

As for the framework, while the execution does present its share of issues, Ogilvy pointed out professional tennis already employs a successful model to replicate. “I know to some people it’s not complete equality but at least they play at the same place and the same time and play for the same prize money in Australia at the matches.”

For what it’s worth, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan mentioned in 2018 that it was “Only a matter of time” before the Tour features a mixed event, and earlier on Wednesday, the Guardian reported the World Cup is exploring the possibly of changing the tournament to a mixed format.

 

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