Golf writer, father, husband, US Marine (1986-90), 15 handicap that wishes he were a 6, co-host of the Golf Channel Podcast w/ Rex & Lav & lifelong Orioles fan.
Rory 😃.
Q. If come Sunday you find yourself in contention and the man to the side of you is a LIV player, would there be more incentive to win?
RM: I mean, I'll be trying to win a golf tournament regardless. They are going to be pretty tired on Sunday; it will be the fourth day.
Brooks Koepka on the LIV Golf situation:
"I don't understand. I'm trying to focus on the U.S. Open, man. I legitimately don't get it. I'm tired of the conversations. I'm tired of all this stuff. Like I said, y'all are throwing a black cloud on the U.S. Open. I think that sucks."
With no script in the teleprompter and no notes Tiger Woods' Hall of Fame induction speech went 2,325 words, 17 minutes and he never mentioned the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship or PGA Championship.
Kevin Kisner is a national treasure:
Q. Sure you've noted that 10 percent of this field is Georgia Bulldogs. What are your thoughts about that?
KISNER: Did you also research how many people from Georgia Tech are in the event?
Q. I did, and it would be zero.
KISNER: (Laughing).
He's snapped a club over his knee, helicoptered another into a pond at Doral and now it seems Rory McIlroy has taken his loss in Dubai out on his shirt (photo
@TourMiss
). Say what you will but the dude is passionate.
After winning $1.74M at the WGC-Match Play Kisner was asked his thoughts on money: "I'm the cheapest guy in the world. I hoard that money like crazy, because I don't want it to run out. I don't know how long I'm going to be able to make 10-footers,” he said.
Callaway Golf to “pause” relationship with Phil Mickelson (1 of 2):
Callaway does not condone Phil Mickelson’s comments and we were very disappointed in his choice of words – they in no way reflect our values or what we stand for as a company.
Asked Tiger’s caddie Joe LaCava how this compares to his victory
@TheMasters
w/ Fred Couples in 1992. “Same score [13 under],” he smiled. “I’d have liked for it to be 14 or 15."
PGA Tour/LPGA announce new mixed-team event (Grant Thornton Invitational w/ 32 teams of Tour and LPGA players) set for December in Naples to replace QBE Shootout.
Pat Perez covered a lot Thursday at Riviera but his take on the Tour's PIP is worth a shout: "I can't win that, I would have to win three times and streak ... It's kind of a joke. Give Tiger the $40M and say we owe you another zero."
.
@McIlroyRory
brings the heat on slow play:
“It should be a warning & then a shot. It should be you're put on the clock & that is your warning, & then if you get a bad time while on the clock, it's a shot. That will stamp it out right away."
USGA CEO Mike Whan was asked if he could “foresee a day” when players are denied access to the U.S. Open based on where they play (ex. LIV Golf). “Yes,” he said.
Tiger texted Koepka for a practice round this week at Portrush, where BK’s caddie is a member. “Still haven’t heard back from him,” Tiger laughed.
#LocalKnowledge
Jason Dufner was asked if he'd ever consider becoming a swing coach: "These guys are psychopaths, man. No. Never. First off, there's no money in it, second off, dealing w/ Tour players is a nightmare. You don't want to be part of it. That's just fact. Ask any of the teachers.”
Another week on the PGA Tour without a positive COVID-19 test. That’s 3,652 on-site tests with 10 positive results since the restart in June and no positive results since early August.
Phil was asked if he was worried about playing Tiger in the duo's November match given his opponent's play in recent weeks: "I'm trying to negotiate a shot a side. It didn't go over very well, but I'm still working on it." That's so Phil.
Rory McIlroy was asked what has changed between now and when he declared the LIV Golf threat over in Feb.: "I guess I took a lot of players' statements at face value. I guess that's what I got wrong," he said.
Charlie Woods asked what he learned about his dad's game this week:
CW: "I feel like I already knew what he was capable of and then yesterday, that's the best he's ever played in a while, and that kind of shocked me a little bit."
TW: "I used to be good." (Laughter)
Koepka said he and DeChambeau talked before their rounds on Sunday about slow play. Brooks said the conversation is supposed to continue this afternoon.
In other Mickelson news, some players have been told that Tiger, not Phil, won last year's Player Impact Program. Still no official word but another hit for Team Lefty.
DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley was asked what he would say to a LIV player who won this week's BMW PGA: "I would go up and I would shake his hand and I would say, 'You have beaten 143 players in a 72-hole tournament, which we believe is a true testament to the game of golf."
Because 71 players made the cut
@usopengolf
Akshay Bhatia will play with a marker. That would be
@JasonGore59
, a former Tour winner and now the USGA’s director of player relations.
And Phil takes an early lead on the first tee: “I’m hitting a Callaway with a jumping me on it . . . it’s from when I won the Masters. What are you guys using?”
Scottie Scheffler received 89 percent of the votes to win the Jack Nicklaus Award and beat Rory McIlroy and Cameron Smith. He becomes the first player to win the PGA Tour POY, PGA Tour rookie of the year and the Korn Ferry Tour POY in his career.
The first guest I could persuade to join me (other than my mom) is past Champion Golfer of the Year and Masters Champion
@ZachJohnsonPGA
. So cool of him to join me in The Open Champions locker room. He is a special person and player.
P. Reed on Tiger’s game: "I was shocked how fluid his swing looked and how far the golf ball was going. He’s always been a little longer than me, but some of those drives today he got out there.”
Tiger was asked about making himself a potential captain’s pick for this year’s Presidents Cup: "I’m going to keep an open line of communication with my players and vice captains . . . this is a team.” We’re going to take that as a yes.
Not sure Eddie Pepperell will have a chance to win
@TheOpen
, but his post-round interview was awesome. "I was a little hungover. I won't lie. I had too much to drink last night,” he said.
Dustin Johnson has resigned from the PGA Tour to play LIV Golf Invitational Series.
"I don't want to play for the rest of my life, this gives me an opportunity to do what I want to do," he said.
G-Mac suggested he'd like to see a "player vote" to decide if LIV golfers should be allowed to play Euro events. Rory didn't agree: “If you're abiding by the rules/regulations of the tours then by all means play, but if you’ve broken rules/regulations, actions have consequences."
DJ ends the Open/British Open debate:
Q. What did you call this tournament growing up, and what
do you call it now?
DJ: Well, it was the British Open growing up for sure, but now I call it The Open Championship.
Q. How come that changed?
DJ: Because that's the name of it.
Tiger was asked about Bryson as a Ryder Cup partner: "I think he would be a great Ryder Cup partner for anyone. The guy is fiery. He's competitive, and we want guys like that.” Welcome to the team Bryson.
Kevin Kisner said the Tour frat house here
@TheOpen
- which includes JT, Jordan, Duf, Zach, Walker, Rickie & Kisner - has a nightly soccer match. "I just try to smash Duf in the face. He's
the all-time goalie,” he said.
Next week’s field at the Valspar Championship includes Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson . . . oh, and Tiger Woods.
No surprise,
@McIlroyRory
deftly cut to the heart of the distance project today: “A lot of the stuff about the ball going too far & technology, it really pertains to 0.1 % of golfers out there. If they want to try to contain what we do as touring professionals, I'm all for that."
That believe it or not that is the grandstand behind the first tee. Imagine the frenzy on the opening tee shots. Plus Le Golf National will be the course for the Olympics in 2224
#RyderCup
European tour CEO Keith Pelley asked the LIV players in this week's BMW PGA field to not wear their LIV team gear. Most did not. Ian Poulter did, with the logo of his team on his shirt. "This is a business I own a part of and I have a right to wear it," he said.
Most PIP talk will focus on Tiger/Phil, but DJ at No. 7 is a bigger surprise. He didn't win in 2021 (he won the Masters in Nov. '20) and has a relatively small social media footprint. By comparison, Player of the Year and 3-time winner Patrick Cantlay wasn't in top 10.
Tiger going with steak and chicken fajitas and sushi for the Champions Dinner at the Masters. He’s also debating on having milkshakes for desert like he did in 1998.
A lot of hot takes and misinformation out there regarding yesterday’s PGA Tour-PIF Saudi Arabia agreement. Maverick McNealy’s thoughts set an interesting tone.
Sergio Garcia has withdrawn from the BMW PGA following an opening 76. No reason was given. The first round was completed Saturday morning following no play on Friday.
Justin Thomas said he spoke with Tiger Woods the day after winning The Players.
“I got to FaceTime, talk with him a little bit after, because I knew he would want to chat and catch up and I knew he was going home the following day. He was in great spirits,” JT said.
U.S. District Court judge releases formal ruling from this week's hearing for suspended LIV Golf players seeking relief to play this week's Tour event. “If LIV Golf is elite golf’s future, what do [players] care about the dust-collecting trophies of a bygone era?”
Talked to Jordan Spieth who is playing his first event since he and his wife, Annie, welcomed the couple's first child. Baby and mother are doing "great" but he still had to be talked into playing (by Annie) the Hero World Challenge.
City officials plan to unveil a plaque on Wednesday celebrating Tiger Woods’ iconic putt on the 18th green at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. The way that putt bounced they could put the plaque in the middle of the green and it wouldn't be in the way.
Jordan Spieth confirmed that he and his wife, Annie, are expecting the couple's first child on Nov. 21. "She feels great, that's the number one priority and everything's going smoothly," he said.
Rory McIlroy told reporters on Friday that he's a member at Quail Hollow. He's also 86 under in his career at Quail Hollow (including '17 PGA) and holds the course record, so . . . yeah, he's a member.
Steve Stricker, oldest player in the field and last player in the field, is currently T-5 after taking a flight from Naples, Fla., this morning when Justin Rose WD’d.
Following his round at the Memorial Tiger Woods was asked about Hank Haney’s comments regarding the LPGA and his suspension by the PGA Tour and XM Radio: “He got what he deserved."
Shubhankar Sharma met Phil for first time today. “Me and my caddie went up to him on the putting green (before round). He thought we were media and said, ‘Not now.’ He came up later and said play well.” Sharma & Phil will be paired on Sunday.
PGA Tour announces, “Recent incidents about pace of play have led the Tour to take a deeper look at its policy on the issue.” Players calling out other players does qualify as an “incident.”