Only Mother Nature stopped Dustin Johnson.
En route to polishing off a thunderous masterpiece in the Northern Trust on Sunday at TPC Boston, Johnson had to head for shelter instead of the winner’s circle just after hitting his tee shot on the 71st hole as storm cells moved over Norton, Massachusetts.
The carefree Johnson, however, wasn’t shaken.
Until then, he was the only feared force on the grounds. And once the foul stuff cleared after an hour’s worth of delay, Johnson needed just seven more shots to beat darkness and complete his thrashing of the best players in the world.
With an 8-under-par 63, Johnson put the bow on a staggering display of power, precision and touch as he sent all others fleeing with rounds of 67-60-64-63 to end at 30-under 254 to win by 11 shots, the largest margin of victory this season.
Wow, these guys are good. He managed to maintain his composure with an 11-stroke lead and two to play? I saw none of the weekend action, but when a guy runs away from the field like that, one assumes it had to be a special week:
He hit all 18 greens in regulation on the final day and won for the second time this season and for the 22nd time in his career.
“Obviously, this was a really good week,” the understated Johnson said. “I missed quite a few short putts, but other than that, I did everything pretty well. My ball-striking was really unbelievable. I found something on Wednesday. I played some really good golf, and it was a lot of fun.
“So I’m looking forward to the rest of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.”
How many of those shorties did he miss? Of course, you know what kind of week it was... One in which a guy could shoot 60 on Friday, and not have the low round of the day.
The Tour Confidential panel did have this on the winner. You'll notice that it took a few questions to get to DJ, but in this case their priorities are beyond reproach. Hold that thought:
3. Dustin Johnson obliterated the field at the Northern Trust, finishing at 30-under and 11 shots ahead of Harris English. It’s fashionable to tweak Johnson for his lack of major titles (one, the 2016 U.S. Open, paired with four runner-up finishes), but his win at TPC Boston was his 22nd career title, meaning Johnson, who is 36, has won more tournaments than Phil Mickelson had through the same number of Tour starts. You’d also have a hard time finding a player who has been more consistent over the past decade-plus, with Johnson picking up at least one win in all but one calendar year since 2008 (2014 was the outlier). How would you encapsulate Johnson’s career to this point?
One of the great underachievers in our game... which is mostly a reflection of his other-worldly talent.
Sens: Ridiculous displays of dominance mixed with bizarre misfortunes and periodic brain cramps. Everything from the waste-area mishap at Whistling Straits to the slip down the stairs on the eve of the 2017 Masters when he was world No. 1 and a heavy favorite to win. That he has only one major is maybe the wackiest of the many weird things that have happened to him.
Periodic? If only....
Dethier: Well put. What’s crazy to me is just how much another major championship — just onemore! — would elevate his resume. When I think of Johnson’s wins, I think of their sheer dominance, and with all the other stars taking turns at world No. 1, we lost track of him for a little while. Not anymore. It feels like gravity has brought DJ back to the top spot, right where he belongs.Piastowski: Maybe it’s just best said this way. Golf is really hard. I think this is fair to DJ. In listening to the players, you get the sense that they believe he’s been, quite possibly, one of the top three or so most talented players, putter to driver, on Tour. Long and accurate off the tee. Long and accurate with his irons. Good with the flatstick. And the regular-season victories reflect that. And four times a year over his career, something just wasn’t just quite right. Now, could he have managed certain scenarios differently? Yeah. Yeah … we do wonder what coulda been. He’ll go down as one of the best ever. And, yeah, golf is really hard.
I'll just remind you of this trenchant insight into the demands of our game:
Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course... the space between your ears.
Bobby Jones
On THAT course, DJ is a double-digit handicapper...Remember, back in the day they would "compliment" DJ by asserting that he was too stupid to feel pressure.
See if you like this reference point:
Bamberger: He is his era’s Tom Weiskopf, without Weiskopf’s style or charm or charisma. He’s a mega-talent who can win on any course, if he can make short putts as he has been. He might surprise us. He might win another major. Either way, his career will finish in the Hall of Fame. You hope Weiskopf gets in before him, though.
He's Tom Weiskopf without the interesting bits? Works for me.
I've already referenced it, but this on his Friday 60 is an eerie synechdoche for his entire career:
4. In the second round at TPC Boston, Johnson was a mind-bending 11 under through 11 holes and seemingly bound for his first-career 59, if not a 58 or 57. But needing to play the final seven holes in just 1-under to post golf’s magical number, Johnson made seven straight pars to shoot 60. It must be asked: Was DJ’s 60 more dazzling – or disappointing?Sens: Both. And in that sense, something of a microcosm of his career.
Dethier: I think what’s overlooked there is just how much easier the opening stretch was at TPC Boston than the finishing portion. Still, it was a bummer watching him pull the wrong club off the tee on 18 (driver instead of 3-wood), leading to an overly conservative layup, which ultimately protected his 60. To answer the question, though, it was ultimately disappointing — but only because our expectations are ridiculous and Tour players have broken our brains.
Piastowski: See my answer to question 3! This really does encapsulate DJ’s career in a way, doesn’t it? We were all imagining what coulda been after he was 11-under through 11. Was he actually gonna shoot 12-under 59? 14-under? Shoot, let’s go to 18-under! Then he parred the final seven holes, and he shot maybe the worst 60 ever, right? That’s just so funny to write. Worst 60. This well-seasoned, perfectly cooked filet mignon is actually a half-ounce smaller than I asked for. I hate it. Haha. Golf is hard.
Bamberger: Dazzling. If that’s the choice, dazzling. The proof is that we’re talking about it. Especially the first 11.Berhow: It was disappointingly dazzling.
Your call. Either great minds think alike, or we've tripped over an argument so blindingly obvious that it couldn't be avoided. Yeah, I'd go with the latter as well...
A few more items tied to the week's golf, beginning with those exciting playoffs. Win or go home it isn't, but there are some folks heading home:
These 5 big-name players just got knocked out of the PGA Tour playoffs
But the list is comprised mostly of the type of player that would be expected to say, "I'm still big, it's just the golf that got small." All you need to do is eye the accompanying picture:
Is it cruel to note that both those guys reached their sell-by date in....oh, I don't know, 2018?
In the lead-in to Boston, we had Rory publicly airing his negative attitude and the effect it was having on his golf. There was also a thought that the venue, where he's won twice previously, might have pulled him out of his funk, but that obviously wasn't the cases. perhaps the high-point of his week was his Saturday pairing with this guy:
Attractive pairing, ugly golf for Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in Northern Trust
NORTON, Mass.—The pairing was glitzy. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Nineteen major championships and an even 100 PGA Tour wins between them.Both players made the cut on the number, and they were the second group off on Saturday morning at the Northern Trust, but there was still a semi-buzz in the air as the game’s biggest stars of the last two decades shared a tee box. Both players hit the first fairway, and both stuck their approaches inside 10 feet. The sun was out and the vibes were positive.The rest of the day … not so much.Woods and McIlroy both struggled mightily on another ideal day for scoring at TPC Boston. Woods lost nearly 3.5 strokes to the field putting en route to a two-over 73, while McIlroy had two front-nine triple bogeys on his way to 74.
Here's a pro tip for you. The second group off is never "glitzy".
But I think we can all relate to this:
In related news, neither player spoke to the media after the round, opting instead for burgers at an outdoor picnic table. There wasn’t much to say, and nothing cures a bad round quite like a burger.
They reportedly didn't talk to the media, yet their comments over a burger are somewhat interesting. For instance, Rory had this about his lackluster play:
“This is going to sound really bad,” McIlroy said. “But I feel like the last few weeks, I’ve just been going through the motions. I want to get an intensity and some sort of fire, but I just haven’t been able to. And look, that’s partly to do with the atmosphere and partly to do with how I’m playing. I’m not inspiring myself, and I’m trying to get inspiration from outside sources to get something going.”
He has spoken in recent weeks about the sameness of the events without fans, and it’s understandable; there’s no way to replicate the feeling of a large-scale Tour event. Graeme McDowell said he felt like a “golfing zombie” earlier this week; McIlroy agreed with that assessment.
It’s always interesting seeing McIlroy process things in real time in his press conferences, and that was certainly the case as he tried to brainstorm motivational tricks on Sunday. Sometimes it helps to set up another game inside his head, he said, or to make a bet with his caddie.
“Maybe that’s the strategy,” he said. “I do that in practice rounds sometimes with Harry (Diamond) and we make a lot of bets and I try to shoot scores and try to win dinner, whatever it is. Maybe that.”
What’s funny is the idea that McIlroy would get more engaged playing his caddie for dinner than merely playing for the FedEx Cup, which has a $15 million first place prize — a prize McIlroy won last season.
That Rory can't get excited about the sill, albeit lucrative FedEx Cup, can only endear him to us, though perhaps the lede is buried. I would argue that there are few players more in need of a strong caddie than Rory, for whom the childhood best friend on the bag might be a leading indicator of a lack of seriousness...
A Major Breakthrough - I did watch some golf over the weekend, just not from that event in Boston. We've seen this movie before, but it's one of great things about our game:
I almost quit playing last year.” That sentence might go down as one of the most unlikely ever spoken during an AIG Women’s British Open champion’s speech. But it’s Sophia Popov’s reality.A battle with Lyme disease that went undiagnosed for three years and resulted in a 25-poundweight loss, and a game that wasn’t up to the standards she knew she was capable of left the 27-year-old German questioning whether she should continue on as a professional golfer. But Popov instead pushed forward into the 2020 season, believing that this is what she was meant to do. Now, all questions are answered: Popov is a major champion, Germany’s first female major winner, shooting a closing three-under 68 at Royal Troon (for a seven-under 277 total) to win by two over Jasmine Suwannapura.In 2019, Popov lost her LPGA card, sending her back to the tour’s Q Series. But that didn’t go well. She missed getting her card back by a shot, landing her on the Symetra Tour. At a time when she wanted to be moving forward with her career, it was a step backward. Then the global pandemic hit, and the shortened Symetra and LPGA schedules resulted in the tour carrying over players’ 2020 status into 2021. Popov was suddenly looking at two seasons on the Symetra Tour. Unless, that is, something seemingly impossible happened, and she was able to win a major—one of only two ways to get from Symetra to LPGA for 2021.
She was the 305th-ranked player in the world heading into this week, but I'm guessing she'll move up a notch. Only Shack seems aware of the unprecedented double just achieved for the first time ever:
Women's Open: Popov Takes The Improbable Troon North-Troon Double
Heh! Geoff explains:
In May, Popov won a Cactus Tour event at Troon North, named for Royal Troon and co-designed by Tom Weiskopf, 1973 Open winner at Troon.
They'll be talking about it for decades...
Those TC writers debated this question:
1. Sophia Popov went from caddying at the start of the LPGA restart to winning the Women’s Open, prevailing by two strokes over Jasmine Suwannapura in difficult conditions at Royal Troon. Popov, who was ranked 304th in the world heading into the week, joins 2003 Open Championship winner Ben Curtis as the only players to win a major while ranked outside of the top 300. Where does Popov’s victory rank among the all-time improbable major winners?
The category was actually retired after that Ouimet guy, but whatever...
Josh Sens: That was epic. Like, Francis Ouimet underdog-hero stuff. In a way, it was almost more impressive than Curtis’ great win, as she started the final day with the lead. That’s a ton of pressure, and a different path to victory than what we saw from Curtis, who was playing well ahead of the leaders and got to post a score early in tough conditions. That’s not to take away from Curtis’ win. Only to marvel all the more at Popov’s.
I actually don't like the Curtis analogy, because he completed his 72 holes of play without any thought that he could win the event. This girl, but also other candidates like Shaun Micheel and Todd Hamilton, slept on the lead Saturday night.
I have no idea what Dylan's been drinking:
Dylan Dethier: It made me think back to those pictures of Francesco Molinari caddying for his brother at the Masters a few years back, which resurfaced when he played in the final group last year. The thing about Molinari, though, is that his playing career was never in nearly so much doubt as Popov’s. She nearly quit the game just last year! Big ups to her — she was relentless down the stretch.
Excuse me? Frankie had made Ryder Cup teams and the like, so Dylan needs to bone up on some golf history.
Nick Piastowski: Man, you could make a case for most improbable. John Daly’s win at the 1991 PGA comes to mind – he had been the ninth alternate at the start of the week – and there have been numerous other out-of-nowheres in history. But Popov didn’t even have LPGA status and made the tournament only after tying for ninth at the Marathon LPGA Classic two weeks ago – and she played in that only after the tournament couldn’t fill the field due to the pandemic. Pretty incredible.Josh Berhow: It’s right up there with some of the best, but I think what makes it really stand out is just how she did it. This wasn’t a little-wind, short-sleeve birdie-fest. This was cold, rainy and windy with all the gnarly fescue and unpredictability of the ground game that makes major links golf great. I think it’s one thing for an unknown player to get hot and run off birdie after birdie and put up a couple of low-60 numbers to snag a major, but I think it’s an entirely different mental test when you are battling the elements and grinding for pars. It’s more taxing. (Four straight rounds of even-par would have been good enough for fifth place!) And to me that’s why I think this is even more impressive for a golfer who was playing for everything with little to fall back on. It was fantastic.
Michael Bamberger: Jack Fleck beating Hogan in that playoff at Olympic might top it. But it was great golf.
I'm shocked that curmudgeonly Mikey Bams would come up with Fleck, though that doesn't augur well for Popov, since Fleck never won another event... Oh, and if I'm being churlish, Jasmine Suwannapura has never been confused with Hogan...
They then follow it up with this silly tangent:
2. Among the other standouts at the Women’s Open (if the social-media raves were any indication) was Royal Troon, which forced the players to play a full arsenal of shots in wild and windy conditions. Given the buzz around the event, would the LPGA be wise to stage more tournaments on the classic links courses of the U.K.?
Dethier: Every tour should aspire to play more tournaments on classic links courses in the U.K. We get morning golf. Windy golf. Clever golf. Random, tricky, hilarious golf. Royal Troon was brutish on Thursday and Friday and yielded more on the weekend. It was terrific to watch and had me looking up Scottish golf trips while I took it in.
Piastowski: Variety is the spice of life, right? I’m for it. Players needed every club in the bag and every shot in the bag to win, which should be what you’d expect from a major championship. Yes, the wind and elements inflated the scores a bit, but no one was immune. When it was over, you really got the sense that Popov was most deserving.
Berhow: The LPGA markets itself as a global tour and does a great job already with stops across the U.S., Asia, Australia and more, but a few more stops in Scotland or England would be very well-received. I’d watch every event on those types of links courses, but that’s also because we just don’t see as much of it here in the States.
Bamberger: Seaside golf, golf in the wind, golf on firm greens is, I think, more enjoyable to play and more enjoyable to watch and more challenging. It’s not by any means the only form of golf. But I’d welcome the chance to see more of it (and play more of it, too).
Of course it would be epic, as it's perfect for the ladies' game, but the thread ignores the challenges of Mike Whan. It is an international tour more than the men's game, but you might have noticed that its center of gravity is far from Europe.
How about we ask for something that would see to be more readily attainable, which is that we take a Solheim Cup to a great links? And how do we feel about the ladies following the men's rota? It's not that I'm opposed, it's just that there seems to be an opportunity being ignored...
Let me digress with this Eamon Lynch piece related to the venue announcement last week:
Opinion: Why Muirfield matters so much to the women's game
Does it? And, if so, is that a good thing?
Eamon frames his argument with that first Women's Open held at The Old Course in 2007, which feels to me like a category error. But here's the gist of his argument:
The R&A’s lineup for the women in the next five years speaks volumes about the organization’s commitment to elevating the women’s game: Carnoustie (2021), Muirfield (2022), Walton Heath (2023), St. Andrews (2024) and Royal Porthcawl (2025).
“This is what we need,” said veteran pro Angela Stanford. “People turn on the TV to watch the course. Now we are on them!”
The Old Course has always been a public venue open to people with cervixes, unlike the Royal & Ancient which was most certainly not cervix-friendly. I do completely get the instinct to go to those places where one hasn't previously been welcome, but I'm not sure replicating the men's rota will actually prove effective. For instance, here's that venue schedule:
The R&A’s lineup for the women in the next five years speaks volumes about the organization’s commitment to elevating the women’s game: Carnoustie (2021), Muirfield (2022), Walton Heath (2023), St. Andrews (2024) and Royal Porthcawl (2025).
To this observer, the two of greatest interest are Walton heath and Porthcawl, for the very reason that the men don't go there...
If I were Mike Whan and Martin Slumbers, I'd be advocating for the development of a Women's Open Championship rota, and wouldn't it be interesting to think through the places one could take this event. Let me just throw out some thoughts:
Instead of following the men to Royal St, George's, can I interest anyone in Royal Cinque Ports or the newly-restored Prince's?
In lieu of Birkdale, any interest in Hillside and that dramatic back nine?
The men returned to Portrush last year, and I'm guessing that either Ireland would take the call. County Down might be too akin to the Honourable Company, but Lahinch would rock. Put the ladies on the Klondyke and Dell holes and it could be magical...
Prestwick anyone? North Berwick? Western Gailes?
You get my drift.
A couple of other items from the week at Troon. This was by far my favorite player all week, though she had a rough Sunday. Here, let me give you a couple of clues:
Here's the background:
Yep, you’re seeing that image correctly. Lindsey Weaver opted for a pushcart instead of a caddie at the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon. The 26-year-old, who played her rookie LPGA Tour season in 2018 and got her card back at Q school in 2019 for the 2020 season, usually hires local caddies. Part of the LPGA’s return protocols included disallowing local caddies. In conjunction with that, the tour allowed the option to not use a caddie at all.But it’s not just about rolling the bag. Weaver is also raking her own bunkers, doing her own yardages, grabbing divots, reading putts, selecting clubs. Sure, these are all things any professional golfer is completely capable of doing, but when you’re out there having to do it all yourself, and you’re the only one doing it by yourself, whilst atop the leaderboard of a major, it can add up.
And humping that pushcart in those Thursday-Friday winds will take it out of you.... or, you know, give you a shin splint. I love it, but then again I'm a little old school...
Next, Sophia Popov is the new Daniel Berger:
Sophia Popov became the improbable winner of the AIG Women’s British Open on Sunday, earning LPGA status for the 2020 season.
But that season won’t start until the Cambia Portland Classic because amazingly, she’s not in the ANA Inspiration field.
How is that possible?
Because the LPGA’s majors are out of order due to COVID-19, Popov’s five-year exemption won’t start until 2021. An LPGA official explained that since the ANA field was basically filled when the tour had to shut down, they’ve chosen to honor that field. The only exemption adjustment was changing the cutoff for top 20 on the money list.
But because Popov, 28, isn’t an LPGA member (she missed out on her card by a single shot last fall at Q-Series), her $675,000 earnings won’t count as official money.
The victory does put Popov into the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in October. It does not, however, get her into the U.S. Women’s Open in December. Like the ANA, her five-year exemption into the Women’s Open begins next year at the Olympic Club.
We all understand how this happens, but one assumes that they'll fix this somehow... Because it's great to hold these majors (I'm talking to you, Mr. Slumbers), but if the field exclude top players it becomes too easy to deride the results.
One last bit before moving on, another incident of... well, whatever will we call it? Whatever it is, it needs to stop quickly, because this ruling will not stand much scrutiny. There seems little doubt that if we were casting for the Dustin Johnson of the LPGA, you wouldn't have to look any further than Lexi Thompson. If DJ is Tom Weiskopf absent the interesting bit, then Lexi is DJ without, you know, the wins...
Toward the end of her first round, and in brutal playing conditions at Royal Troon, Thompson had missed her tee shot out to the right on the par-5 16th. Her ball rolled right up against a tuft of fescue grass, making it tricky to get the clubface clean on the ball.
After sizing up the shot, Thompson very clearly used the clubhead to touch the grass, pushing it away from her ball. Was it an intentional move to improve her lie? That’s what most commenters on social media determined.
That last bit might be the worst appeal to authority ever, the more so because intent is irrelevant. Here we go by Yoda rules, there is no trying, there's only doing or not doing.
But can't we all agree that this is a really bad look for a professional golfer:
Of course, those rules changes to make our game millennial-friendly also include this bit that renders them unenforceable:
“There is no penalty if, before making the next stroke, the player eliminates that improvement by restoring the original conditions….”
Really? You're going to force us to determine whether a blade of grass returns to its original position? And you think we'll respect you in the morning?
Geoff gets it:
Let’s forget the obvious issues with playing it as it lies and spell it out for commissioners and governing bodies of the world intoxicated by playing prowess over rules sanctity these days. A common reaction to Thompson’s actions went something like this: if she did that in my group, at my club or in the Yucatan National Thursday night league play, she’d be penalized.The idea that the golfing public has higher standards these days should be troubling for Commissioners and governing bodies who want to coddle players instead of dishing out penalties. And for the corporations overpaying to sponsor events because the competitors are seen as more righteous than other athletes, when will this perception of pro golfers living above the rules cause them consternation?Not enforcing the rules, including the biggest and most important of them all, could end up becoming very costly for the pro game.
Penalized? More importantly, she'd be shunned...
It's really dispiriting that those charged with the governance of our game seem so reluctant to, what's that word, govern.
Reports of Our Demise... - Golf has enjoyed a moment courtesy of that pesky pandemic. At Fairview we've logged more than double the rounds played in 2019, and unfortunately the course is showing the affects thereof. But this does surprise me a bit:
According to figures from industry research firm Golf Datatech, the numbers from July for the sales of all categories of golf equipment were moving into record-setting territory. In some categories (notably the biggest ticket categories of woods and irons), sales were more than 50 percent higher than what they were last July. Each of the club and ball categories were up more than 25 percent in both units and dollars compared to a year ago. Specifically:Balls: Up 27 percent in units, 28 percent in dollarsPutters: Up 32 percent in units, 36 percent in dollarsWedges: Up 64 percent in units, 74 percent in dollarsWoods: Up 74 percent in units, 68 percent in dollarsIrons: Up 83 percent in units, 93 percent in dollars
I'm shocked that the equipment numbers are that strong, given the shutdowns and associated factors. For instance, we did have TaylorMade show up unannounced for a demo day a while back, but all it accomplished was to trigger complaints from our Fairview Karens, resulting in all future demo days being cancelled.
But given the high level of play I'd have expected ball sales to be the strongest category... shows what I know.
We can only assume that this equipment is excluded from those sales totals:
120,000 fakes seized in largest golf counterfeit raid ever
Just don't you dare call these fakes "Chinese", because that would be racist.
Elder Care - Some folks were quite surprised by this announcement:
Only Phil could think that he's been playing well, though this is a good boost for them (and for us as well):
While Branson isn’t what it used to be—at least until post-COVID shows get people paying towatch performing holograms of Roy Clark, Glen Campbell and Tony Orlando—the next big thing is Phil Mickelson turning up at Ozarks National to begin a new Champions Tour career.
For this special Monday-Wednesday of old man golf, we have a Coore-Crenshaw course making its national TV debut.Then there is Phil’s first grouping with Retief Goosen and 2020/21 Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker. Since carts seem likely at Ozarks, it’s an ideal opportunity for Lefty to show off his cart-driving skills (hint, hint Captain Strick).And finally, there is the group prior to Mickelson featuring Bernhard Langer, Darren Clarke and old buddy Vijay Singh, who might even bring out a special pair of spikes to welcome Mickelson.My listings say Golf Channel is bringing us this fine entertainment from 6-8 eastern time Monday.
Monday golf to watch? On a new Coore-Crenshaw? I'll see if I can work into my busy schedule...
Though I doubt he'd enjoy Eamon's take on it all:
Lynch: Phil Mickelson doesn't really want to play with the old guys, but needs them more than he’ll admit
Phil is a man with a thirst to be relevant. That explains not just his nebulous flirtation with the TV booth but also with the proposed Premier Golf League splinter tour, both of which promise — at wildly differing scales — pay days based on name recognition rather than on performance. That might be the “champions tour” he ultimately dreams of.
Until such times as the Saudis come calling with a wheelbarrow full of blood money, Mickelson will probably learn the same lesson as many legends who went before him: that while the PGA Tour Champions isn’t the big stage he’s accustomed to, it’s still a very competitive arena. Take Herr Langer. The German turns 63 on Thursday. He finished second last week. Beating him might deliver all the confidence Mickelson will need this side of Winged Foot.
Phil still has some good play left in him, as he proved at Memphis. But he also has lots of that other kind, but it's good to see him sufficiently open to the experience. Because last we heard, it wasn't for him:
When will Mickelson get serious about senior golf?
“When I stop hitting bombs, I’ll play the Champions tour, but I’m hitting some crazy bombs now,” he laughed.
One last vist with the TC gang, and then I'll let you get on with your day:
6. Phil Mickelson, who just a few months ago didn’t seem destined for the Champions Tour anytime soon (“When I stop hitting bombs I’ll play the Champions Tour, but I’m hitting some crazy bombs right now,” he said in January), will make his debut on the 50-and-over circuit in the Ozarks this week. Are you surprised to see Mickelson moonlighting out there so soon?
Sens: Not really. A lot of factors go into a decision like that. A gap in a schedule opens. A financial incentive appears. Maybe that all syncs up at a property owned by a guy (in this case, Johnny Morris) with a lot of industry pull. And on and on. All of those appear to have aligned for Phil in this case.
Dethier: Phil likes to play, he likes to talk smack and he likes to win. He’ll be the big man on campus right away when he tees it up on the Champions Tour, and he’ll bring plenty of attention with him, too.
Piastowski: Not really. An opportunity to play competitively and win cash and build the coffee brand? Phil’s in. But … I woulda LOVED to have seen him moonlighting in the broadcast booth. Playing does keep him sharp for Winged Foot, though.Bamberger: My guess is that Phil is setting himself up for next year, to be the first-ever calendar-year winner of the senior golf Triple Crown: U.S. Senior Open, Senior British Open, Senior PGA Championship. He can do it ahead of Tiger.Berhow: No. I mentioned in this same space back in June, when he turned 50, that a few spot starts for him on the Champ Tour would go a long way for that circuit. He knows all of the guys there and can be competitive immediately. It’s a win-win. He can still contend on the PGA Tour if he has a good week too.
You knew someone would mention that other guy... I think Eamon gets it better than Mike at this point:
The PGA Tour Champions needs more, because the next superstar in its queue doesn’t turn 50 until December of 2025, and a man with young kids, a healthy portfolio and an unhealthy body isn’t a good bet to be pegging it against a 68-year-old Bernhard Langer every week.
I know Jack scoffed at senior golf, and then won two Senior U.S. Opens, but.... I just can't imagine Tiger pegging it at a single senior event. Not least because he might be looping for this young star:
When the child of a star athlete starts competing in the same sport, unfair expectations are a given. Results, at least the kind Charlie Woods has produced of late, are much harder to come by.While Tiger Woods competes in the FedEx Cup, Charlie has been busy dominating the South Florida junior golf circuit.Two weeks after winning a nine-hole U.S. Kids event by five shots thanks to a three-under-par 33, Charlie, 11, finished in red figures again on Saturday. This time, he won his 9-11 age division by three shots at a PGA South Florida Section tournament.
This has shown Tiger in a great light, so we'll stay tuned. But how'd you like to be an 11-year old showing up for the final round, paired with Charlie Woods in a red shirt? Unless, you know, Rich Beem or Y.E. Yang have sons that age...
Required Read of the Day - OK, I lied about letting you get on with your day, but you'll forgive me when you read this. As you know, Joel Dahmen is one of my favorite guys out there, not least because he'll never receive a Christmas card from Sung Kang.
Dahmen played in the Boston event and failed to make the cut. What came next isn't quite The Match, but it's highly entertaining:
No, that's one those awful wonderful ideas....
This might be the funniest bit:
Sweeney also sent Dahmen a message of his own on Instagram — a social media platform he actually does use — expressing interest. Out of the hundreds of replies, Dahmen zeroed in on Sweeney and Thorny Lea. The two went back and forth with messages to decide the stakes and settled on a four-ball match.
Sweeney called on his cousin Andrew Roy, a plus handicap with professional-golf aspirations, as his partner. Dahmen chose PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor, his roommate from their days as teammates at the University of Washington. The locals got a few strokes per side, and the match was set for 9:30 a.m. Dahmen just had one last question — could they wear shorts?
“Now I’m just laughing,” Sweeney said. “This PGA Tour player just asked me permission to wear shorts. It just felt surreal.”
Spoiler alert: permission granted:
What are doing still here? Just go read the whole thing and you can thank me tomorrow.
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