18 observations, thoughts and predictions for the week in golf…
- Olympic golf could be great, and they are going in the right direction. I was in support of it returning to the Olympic program. The game is global, the inclusion will fuel interest in nations like China and India and I would argue the history of golf over so many other disciplines that are part of the Olympics only validates its existence. The weightiness of the accomplishment of winning a gold medal is likely to increase in time and the advancement of multiple competitions with team elements is a necessity. Many sports designated as individual pursuits have team components in Olympic competition. Swimming, track and field, gymnastics all have team elements and golf must do the same.
- Off his first win on LIV, Jon Rahm appears in the right frame of mind and body to contend for the gold medal this week. LIV players have won multiple major championships, Koepka’s PGA and Bryson’s US Open, and the addition of a gold medal would be a feather for the LIV Tour. What would the level of accomplishment be for Rahm if he would win the gold medal? It would be the same as Xander Schauffele’s gold medal. A unique accomplishment with gravitas and time is on the side of the gold medal.
- Having the top 25 players in the Olympic field is very good. The absolute best, with the exception of Bryson Dechambeau, are competing and the diversity of nations makes the competition feel grand. Players like Thomas Detry, Victor Perez, Guido Migliozzi, and Corey Connors are a reflection of the quality and that level of player only augments the biggest stars and the second level star like Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Alex Noren. The competition has come a long way since Rio.
- The global texture of the LPGA makes the women’s golf competition a very familiar experience for fans of women’s professional golf. The construct of teams from Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, France, Sweden are LPGA fixtures and the pursuit from World #1 Nelly Korda to repeat her gold medal performance gives the women’s side some real juice and they still have a major and the Solheim Cup to come after the Olympics.
- Keegan Bradley made his first decision as Ryder Cup captain adding Webb Simpson to his vice captaincy staff. Simpson was an assistant captain for the 2022 Presidents Cup, and he exemplifies the new system of leadership that this decision by the PGA was the big pivot. Depending on the performance of several young Ryder Cup veterans like Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth I’m sensing their inclusion at Bethpage one way or the other. The difference must be that the secret handshake society will not be handing out invites to members of the boy’s club. Bradley needs to construct his team, his way.
- KJ Choi is the consummate professional and in the grand scheme his career is underrated. Choi winning the senior Open Championship at Carnoustie is a wonderful story for a delightful person. Choi has represented himself and his nation with dignity and grace for decades and his respect amongst his peers is unmatched.
- I was in northern Michigan this past week and was able to get a quick tour of the re-birth of High Pointe, Tom Doak’s original design in Williamsburg, Michigan. The story of its revival is rich with nostalgia and vision and the land is top notch. It’s a tilted sandbox with very cool green complexes and the intent of the club is to build a communal culture where everyone on the property feels like they are sharing the experience. It’s the Ohoopee model, a very good model.
- The drive from South Bend to the shores of Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes was a surprisingly cathartic four hours. Passing into the state of Michigan not far from the Notre Dame campus might surprise some people but the real pleasant surprise was the sheer beauty of the drive once you pass through Kalamazoo headed toward Traverse City. There were stretches that felt and looked like the eastern end of Long Island and stretches that reminded me of the Pacific Northwest. It is a magnificent part of the country where mile after mile showcases land begging for golf holes to build on them. Climate, charm, beauty and scale make northern Michigan one of my top three places to be in the summer along with New England and the mountains of North Carolina.
- The pleasure of returning to Crystal Downs a year after playing it for the first time last summer was immeasurable. It’s Norman Rockwell meets Perry Maxwell. It’s a gem in every way. The intended nature of the club being a summer retreat is felt from the moment you arrive. The first seven holes are the finest example of acreage usage and maximizing the contour presented to an architect you ever see. The contrast between the lower 7 and the middle of the back nine is sublime. The genius of the greens and the big scale as you looked toward Lake Michigan from the 14th green. It’s where time and excellence stand together and still.
- Bryson DeChambeau’s latest video with former President Trump got a ton a of views, which is of no surprise. The larger point is what DeChambeau is doing to differentiate himself from his peer group. Golf YouTubers range in skill from very good, like the Bryan brothers to garden variety chops. Bryson is the first big time star to enter the space in the middle of his ascendency as a player and as a popular figure to capitalize on the platform to a mass level. Phil Mickelson is way past his prime and the others are not all in like Bryson. His place in the game is unique, now in even more ways than before.
- Jhonattan Vegas loves late July. Three of his four wins have come on July 24, 28th and 30th. He also has shown the ability to extend his winning career by an additional seven years. There are some very good players Vegas has left behind with three career wins. Chris DiMarco, who lost two majors in playoffs and finished 2nd in a third major. Johnson Wagner who is now America’s TV analyst, and I’m here for all of it for a 5 Clubs teammate and Andy North, who also won three times but two of those wins were U.S. Open’s. Not all equal numbers are equal.
- The U.S. junior boys title won by Trevor Gutschewski at Oakland Hills is a great story. Gutschewski is the son of PGA Tour player Scott Gutschewski who was playing the 3M Open in nearby Minnesota. Trevor is a rising senior at Omaha Westside High School and winning a 36-hole final over Tyler Watts at Oakland Hills is a fantastic achievement and a rare feather.
- Does Tiger Woods carve out time to be at the Presidents Cup as a past captain and friend of the current captain Jim Furyk? Moreover, the Presidents Cup is a PGA Tour property that could use the boast in football season to have Tiger on the property in Montreal. I don’t think any member of the PGA Tour board would argue against him adding value to the week by being present.
- The curious case of Matt Kuchar. Kuchar had a chance to win the 3M and he received ample support on the ground in Blaine, Minnesota but his position amongst writers and content creators is interesting. Matt was once the smiling and mischievous darling amongst fans and media but the Mexico caddy-stiffing incident and a couple on course episodes have cast him into purgatory. He is a Vardon trophy winner, 9-time winner, Players Champion and would appear a viable member of the Ryder Cup staff except he’s not.
- Rickie Fowler sits at 102 in the FedEx Cup standings with one event left before the playoffs. Rickie will play in all events he wants to next year because of his popularity and appeal to top sponsors but the next year could portend what the rest of his career looks like. He is financially secure beyond his kids’ lives, and he was never one to overpower golf courses so is the willingness to dig deep like he did last year still there? It’s the human condition time will tell.
- The further we get from the major season the more I believe Scottie Scheffler’s peers will regard him with player of the year, especially if Xander doesn’t win another event. No player would trade two majors for one, but they all know the immense challenge to win and Scheffler won three times the number of events which included the Masters, The Players and four signature series events. Members of the PGA Tour will likely honor that haul over the 2 for 1 argument.
- The medal winners for the women’s Olympic golf competition will be… Gold-Jin Young Ko, Silver-Lilia Vu and Bronze-Celine Boutier. The medal winners for the men’s Olympic golf competition will be… Gold-Scottie Scheffler, Silver Xander Schauffele and Bronze-Collin Morikawa.
- The passing of Mark Carnevale a week ago is still very hard to process. Working with a group of people to produce live telecasts bonds you to each other for life. You must trust each other implicitly to do what’s best for everyone when the mics are hot. It’s also critical that you like one another because it shows when you don’t. Mark was a such a team guy, and he loved the game immensely. It’s so sad and our hearts remain extended to his family during what remains a very challenging time.