18 observations, thoughts and predictions for the week in golf…
- The news this past weekend that Tiger Woods made a trip to Augusta National is not surprising. Reportedly he played with a fellow former U.S. Amateur champion and Justin Thomas. I can only hope that Augusta National chairman, Fred Ridley, and Tiger busted JT’s chops for not winning the Theodore Havemeyer trophy.
- Tiger’s recon trips have been legendary through the decades. His first look at Bethpage before the 2002 U.S. Open, 2004 at Shinnecock, 2007 at Oakmont when he played with Bob Ford who shared that Tiger literally didn’t miss a shot a week before missing a playoff by a shot. These trips will always be cool, but it’s transitioned from whether he was even money to win to whether he will make it through the week. Here’s hoping for an injury or ailment free Masters for the five-time champion.
- Houston has fantastic history with professional golf and professional golfers including the recently deceased Jackie Burke Jr. and Jimmy Demaret. Memorial Park was Demaret’s haunt for years and this past week was a really encouraging week for the future of the event. After moving venues and moving to the fall the event is back in the spring and with the heavy overseed, the proximity to downtown and the provocative stretch of holes on the inward nine, Houston has a bright future. Rightfully so.
- Sahith Theegala is a delightful guy and a fantastic young player. He was given first pitch honors at an Astros/Yankees game and to his credit he threw from the mound and the ball made it across the plate. It’s a nervy experience for sure and at bare minimum he didn’t go full 50 Cent or Gary Dell’Abate.
- Justin Ray has rightfully established himself as the go to guy for virtually any query related to present day info or historical data on professional golf. I am starting to envision his inbox being like Jim Carrey’s in the movie, “Bruce Almighty”. Give the man a day off please.
- Keita Nakajima, who was ranked #1 in the world amateur rankings for 87 weeks won his first event on the DP World Tour. At 23 years old and moving steadily up the world rankings, he is likely to gain exemptions into majors this year. He professed his desire to get to the PGA Tour and offers Japanese golf fans a belief that they may have their next star.
- Another former world #1 amateur from Japan, Takumi Kanaya also won this past week claiming the opening event on the Japan Tour including shooting 64-65 on the weekend. A former Asia-Pacific Amateur champion, Kanaya now has six wins on the top Japanese tour at 25 years old. The Far East is coming with serious talent.
- The 15th hole at Memorial Park was quite the scene this past week especially on Saturday when the final two groups played the hole in five over par. The hole was measuring 121 yards to the right front pin and world number 1 Scottie Scheffler hit his tee shot to within 10 feet before it retreated off the green and into the water where he proceeded to make double bogey. Walking the fine line between good hole and ridiculous hole is razor thin and according to many players Saturday’s set up made the hole pretty stupid.
- Alejandro Tosti got testy with Tony Finau on Saturday on the fourth green in an effort to determine who was away on the putting surface. John Wood said it was an “icy” situation. Tosti has a few episodes from his time on the Korn Ferry Tour and he was already an interesting story from his roots in Argentina to his college years at the University of Florida. Here’s hoping he remains feisty and confrontational. Since the creation of LIV too many of the guys we would all pick a side for or against are playing on that tour. I toast Tosti for being him.
- The report this week that several top names have already privately declared that they will not participate in the Olympics might be a bit premature. With the reliance on world rankings several of these players may only be stating that they would not make their nation’s respective teams and in the event any of them win a major or closely contend their feelings might be amended. The bottom line is that the golf competition in the Olympics has not gotten the cleanest runaway since it was re-introduced after more than 100 years off the program. First it was the Zika virus excuse in 2016 and then covid effected the field in 2021 in Tokyo. Paris might be the LIV/World rankings wrinkle.
- Bryson Dechambeau recently played nine holes with a ball that would be on the conforming list once the ball rollback is instituted in 2028 for elite players. What was likely an exercise to portray the ball as a disaster and bad for the men’s professional game may have had the inverse effect. I was pro rollback and I’m not more pro rollback because of his melodramatic exhibition but it most certainly made many more curious to see the game played with a rollbacked ball.
- During covid David Skinns was driving a food delivery truck to help pay the bills. He came into this season without a top 10 in his PGA Tour career having played most of his career on the Korn Ferry Tour and now in one month he has two top 10’s and possible starts in signature series events. Keeping the dream alive in his 40’s is always a great story.
- Tony Finau had a solid week in his defense of winning in Houston a year ago last October, but it is simply too much to look at the putting stroke and then glance at the putting stats that show him outside the top 140 on tour and make him a Masters favorite. He is a major contender until further notice, but he hasn’t performed as a favorite and Augusta National is unkind to the uncomfortable on their greens.
- Rory McIlroy will play this week at Valero in San Antonio and I’m not sure there is anything that will occur that will influence anyone’s thoughts about his Masters chances. He will get reasonable consideration but his form and the current form of Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele and a few others should put Rory firmly on the second line of favorites.
- The Augusta National Women’s Amateur has become what everyone thought it would become. Special but it’s not the U.S. Women’s amateur. The amateur is the most grueling and most mentally taxing examination in amateur golf. Playing and winning at Augusta National has massive cache but it’s not the amateur.
- Stephen Jaeger was always productive on the Korn ferry Tour, but he has struggled to find firm footing when he’s graduated to the PGA Tour until now. Nine pars on the inward nine Sunday was mundane but he was playing with world #1 and more importantly his determination to gain speed and distance has changed everything for him, including now being a PGA Tour winner.
- Scottie Scheffler is the surest contender in years. His putter was tepid on Sunday but his second to 18 was a shot no one else could produce. He missed a playoff by a shot with the sloppiest three putt on Friday and a clownish double bogey on 15 on Saturday after spinning it into the water. It’s an almost impossible thought that he won’t be lurking at the worst on the weekend at Augusta National.
- American women winning three events before the first major of the season is a very rare occurrence with Patty Berg, Louise Suggs, Kathy Whitworth, JoAnne Carner and now Nelly Korda. Korda is a freight train headed into the major championship season and she is VERY good for business.