GOLF

What's next? Cheating at fishing events? Oh wait!

 

If you look at the finely tuned athletes who compete at cornhole at these high levels you can't help but be disappointed that they would resort to using bogus bags. I mean, look at those Bush Baked Beans unis they are wearing !

 

These two guys have won some big purses and even boats in previous tournaments. Years ago here in a billfish tournament at the Jersey Shore, a guy weighed a fish that wa still partially frozen. When they hoisted it up the ice crystals glistened in the sun. That caused them to open the fish up and it was frozen solid inside. That guy and his crew had to leave in a local police cruiser for their own safety.

 

I see that Bernhard Langer won another Champions Tour event at age 65.

Langer now has 44 career victories on the 50-and-older circuit, one away from matching the record Hale Irwin set from 1995 to 2007. Irwin won his last title at age 61.

He shot a 63 in Round 3, that's 2 years under his age. He's pretty darn amazing.

 

Honda Classic is no more, or at least after 2023. They are the longest tenured sponsor of a PGA Tour event, over 40 years.

Why? Well the change in the PGA schedule has devalued the tourney and I guess Honda doesn't feel it's worth the money.

The decision that went into effect in 2019 to compress the primary schedule into nine months and wrap up the FedEx Cup ahead of the college football and NFL seasons hindered Honda's ability to attract a world-class field. When the Players Championship moved back to March in 2019 and Tiger Woods became the tournament host in Los Angeles as the status of the Genesis Invitational was elevated, the Honda was saddled with a challenging date. The 2021 tournament had just five top 50 players and two in the top 20. (This year's edition improved to 12 of the top 50, but four of the top eight who live in northern Palm Beach County chose not to play.)

With the changes to the schedule beginning in January, the Honda will have two elevated events before it - the WM Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational - and two following it - Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship. It makes for a challenging recruiting process - the top players are committed to the elevated events where purses will be $20 million compared to the $8 million for the Honda Classic. It's ironic that the lower prize money of the event is part of its demise as the original winner's share of $52,000 in 1972 made it one of the richest stops on Tour, greater than for any of the four majors, and more than double that of the Masters, which has a first prize of $25,000.

Honda Classic title sponsor pulling out after 2023

 

LIV golfers who qualify will play in this years Masters, they also said that the criteria for 2024 will be announced in April. I think many thought that they biggest weapon against LIV golf would be the Masters, and the other majors denying the LIV golfers access.

Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament. As we have said in the past, we look at every aspect of the Tournament each year, and any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future Tournaments will be announced in April. We have reached a seminal point in the history of our sport. At Augusta National, we have faith that golf, which has overcome many challenges through the years, will endure again."

Masters criteria allow LIV golfers to play in '23

 

I assumed that those golfers who are past champions would be invited regardless of tour affiliation. Many of the others on the LIV tour probably played in enough PGA tournaments to qualify under the Masters requirements. However, as I understand it, the LIV golfers will not be part of the world rankings which means that those who aren't past champions or who qualify from other than the world rankings might not be invited.

 

Tournament of Champions from Maui is one of my favorite tourneys and it's essentially the opening of the Golf season. I love to watch the Pro's hit on #17 which is downhill and sloped pretty severely right to left. I saw John Rahm have a drive (he like a lot of pro's go with the power fade) that got away from him and was going really right of right but the fairway is so wide it caught the top right edge and then rolled down the hill (not just sideways but forward 80yds) to the other side of the fairway where he then his his 2nd shot on the green.

Morikawa is the round 1 leader along with Spaun and Rahm at 64, the score for the field in round one was just under 69 a new record.

Oh did I mention it's absolutely beautiful there.

 

When he was coaching I was not a fan of Rick Neuheisel, called him Slick Rick and reveled in his getting fired at Washington and UCLA. But since he's taken to the airwaves on ESPNU I come to really like him, you can tell he's a family man. Anyway when he talks about Golf it's clear he's good one of his kids, Jerry, played college golf and Rick has taken time off from broadcasting to caddie for him in some tournaments. He's got good stories about those experiences. Here's an interview with him about golf.

SH: Let’s talk golf – When we were offered the opportunity to talk with you, it was an instant yes, I’m not even sure you play golf to be honest with you. So here’s the question: Are you a stick or a hack?

Rick Neuheisel: It all depends on where your perspective comes from. I’ve loved golf since I was seven. The greatest Christmas present I’ve ever received was under the tree when I was seven years old, and it was this beautiful set of golf clubs. I just knew they were from my dad.

I was one of those people who got up super early before everyone else and separated the gifts into piles. I have three younger sisters, so I did all of their piles and had mine ready to go just waiting for the next kid to get up and get after it. We got to the end of the pile, and my dad said, “Rick you forgot something.” I said, “no, I didn’t forget anything, I know I found everything that was mine.”

He said, “no, these golf clubs are for you!” We went and played that day. I shot 73. Now that was for 9 holes, but I’ve been a golf junkie since. I have a few club championships, I’ve been a part of some great events, I love golf. I’m a one handicap, a 1.2 index, and I can’t get enough.

SH: There you go, Mike, another Stick.

Rick Neuheisel: Does that qualify as a Stick?

SH: Absolutely it does. You’ve got a club championship, you’re a Stick. Period. I don’t care who you are. This could’ve been fifteen years ago, and it still counts.

Rick Neuheisel: No, no… you can’t win on the golf course when you’re coaching. I have eight holes in one and seven of those were after I got fired.

SH: So where do you play, who do you usually play with, what are some of your favorite golf stories?

Rick Neuheisel: My wife would love to hop on here and tell you, I belong to too many golf clubs. Because she pays the bills, so when you’re trying to explain why you’re keeping the expense, “it’s just too beautiful of a place” doesn’t go very far with the Mrs. But, I have an addiction. I don’t know what to say to you.

I’m still a member at Bel-Air, which is right across the street from UCLA, it’s a great place to play. I now live in Scottsdale, Arizona, I play at Phoenix Country Club, where they have the Schwab cup. I’m the senior club champion there. I’ve been the senior club champion at Bel Air. I finished second at the senior club championship at Aldarra, which is near where I got fired at Washington. Every place I got fired, I try to win a golf championship, so I have fonder memories about the place, so that when I return I can focus on that rather than the fact that I got shone the door by the brass and the university.

SH: So when you talk about the golf addiction, what’s addicting about it for you? What keeps you coming back?

Rick Neuheisel: It’s where I get my competitive fix. Those of us who grew up as athletes, whether we were playing high school, college, professional, as you grow older and your bones grow a little weary and you can’t run or jump like you used to, golf is still there. And it is popular, and the handicap system allows for everyone to play one another kind of in an equal way. For that, you can play until you’re under the ground. Most people do.

 

Great interview. Thanks, Terry. I like this line: "I have eight holes in one and seven of those were after I got fired." I love his perspective on what the game means to him. He's a true competitor.

 

Epic collapse by Colin Morikawa to blow a 6 shot lead and allow Jon Rahm to win the Tournament of Champions. Great tourney to watch and start to the New Year on the Tour.


KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Jon Rahm began the bold new year on the PGA Tour by coming from seven shots behind to win the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Sunday with plenty of help from Collin Morikawa, who had a spectacular wipeout even by Maui standards.

Rahm was six shots behind on the 13th hole at Kapalua when he ran off three straight birdies and a 12-foot eagle putt, and his final birdie gave him a 10-under 63.

 

Just break his damned guitar!

 

Guess who's caddie needs to go?

 

I think someone's caddy needs to learn the Heimlich maneuver!

 

Jordan Spieth had a pretty good start, top 15 finish was in the hunt for awhile and finished 8 shots behind Jon Rahm. So he goes out and has a great 1st round at the Sony and shoots a 64, the broadcast team is talking all about him and what they expect out of him this year, then he crashes with a 75 in the 2nd round and doesn't make the cut.

Meanwhile going to the weekend at the Sony is a leader board top 10 of nobody I've ever heard of before. I wonder why so many of the guys who play in the Tournament of Champions get on a plane and go home rather than stay for the Sony

 

Si Woo Kim wins the Sony. Now we head into my favorite stretch of golf tournaments.

La Quinta ...in the Calif Desert, 3 courses are played
Torrey ...love this tourney
Pebble ...what can you say
Phoenix ...Mad house.
Riviera .. L.A. Open can you say Poa annua!

 

Low scores in the Desert! I've never played a desert course but the aerial shots with the rich green fairways and then the brown rough/desert are kind of scary to me.

 

What really scares you is when they tell you not to go into the desert to retrieve your ball. The reason "the rattlers are getting active."

 

I doubt that either one of you can hit the ball that far anymore?

 

I was watching the LPGA Tournament of Champions which is at Lake Nona in the Orlando area. They run it a lot like the Pebble Beach Pro/Am with celebs mixed in with the players. Mardy Fish had a heck of a day!

My favorite LPGA pro is Canadian Brooke Henderson. She takes such a big cut at the ball esp with her driver where she has a John Daily like length to her back swing. One thing I notice with LPGA broadcasts is that they rarely if ever tell you how far they have hit their drive. They might say "oh she really hit that one well", but never say how far. On the men's tour you get the yardage on virtually every drive it seems.