The Golf Blog: Brooks Koepka wins 3d major at PGA Championship, laying claim to best golfer on the planet

mulligan, 13 August 2018, Comments Off on The Golf Blog: Brooks Koepka wins 3d major at PGA Championship, laying claim to best golfer on the planet
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The Golf Blog says: After capturing a 2-shot lead after 54 holes, Brooks Koepka responded to a reporter’s question about the “star-studded” leaderboard at the PGA Championship. Koepka confidently answered that if he played as he should on Sunday, then he should win the golf tournament. The “star-studded” leaderboard was nary a thought in Koepka’s answer–or mind.

Sure enough, Koepka was right. On Sunday, he plodded his way through a methodical 66, which included bogeys on holes 4 and 5 that opened the door ever so slightly to his nearest competitors, Adam Scott and Tiger Woods. Scott played beautifully until the last few holes and, at one point, tied Koepka for the lead at -14. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods made a valiant run, closing the deficit to 1-shot back of the leaders. Tiger shot an incredible 64 on Sunday, which was all the more remarkable given that Tiger found the fairway only once or twice off the tee and was playing from the woods (no pun intended) on many holes. What did Hank Haney say about “the big miss”?

But it was almost as if Koepka was toying with the field. A guy whose muscles bulge from a much-too-small golf shirt put on the afterburners right when he needed it. Koepka birdied 15 and 16 to get to -16 and a 2-shot lead over Scott, and then cruised into the clubhouse. Koepka is one of the longest drivers on tour, but he’s also pretty controlled off the tee (at least when he’s firing on all cylinders), putting the ball in the fairway with his cut fade. It’s such a weapon. Long-driving accuracy is what separates Koepka from many of his peers who contend at majors, but who are either more frequently wayward off the off (e.g., Rory McIlroy) or don’t have the same kind of distance (e.g., Jordan Spieth). After rattling off 3 majors in a year and a half, Koepka looks every bit of the best golfer on the planet. He’s built to win.



The Golf Blog: How Tiger Woods lost the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie, Hole No. 11, in one flop

mulligan, 23 July 2018, Comments Off on The Golf Blog: How Tiger Woods lost the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie, Hole No. 11, in one flop
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The Golf Blog says: Francesco Molinari, who may be the hottest golfer on the planet the past two months, won his first major at the 2018 Open Championship, with an unbelievable bogey-free weekend. Molinari shot a 2-under to finish 8-under for the tourney, which was 2 shots clear of the field. Third-round leaders Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele faltered on the front nine to give up the lead, but Schauffele recovered and came close, but bogeyed No. 17. And then there was Molinari’s playing partner, ahem, Tiger Woods, who was the first one in that group to take the lead for the tournament on Sunday. Twitter erupted as Tiger was leading another major on Sunday–for the first time in a decade.

But Tiger’s lead was short-lived. Here’s what happened.

Hole 10

Tiger Woods took a 1-shot lead after the front nine, after shooting 2-under 34 and going 7-under for the tournament. Spieth and Molinari were 1 back. Woods hit his 3-wood into the left-side fairway bunker. Woods then hit a miraculous bunker shot from the fairway, swinging his wedge with all his muscles. Woods saved par, to keep a 1-shot lead.

Hole 11

Woods must have been feeling confident or pumped up, because he pulled out a 3-iron on the tee. NBC analyst Johnny Miller immediately questioned the selection, wondering why Tiger wasn’t going with the driving iron with graphite shaft. Miller may have been thinking about the 20 mph wind blowing into the tee and also in a slice direction, or he might have been thinking that Tiger had hit the driving iron well. Sure enough, Tiger made a bad swing with the 3-iron and the ball sliced to the rough, blown even more off course by the wind. On his approach shot, Tiger either bladed the ball or hit a flyer out of the rough, and the ball went straight for the gallery well off-course and deep. Luckily for Tiger, the ball hit a spectator on the head and bounced back toward the bunker and green.

All things considered, it could have been worse–such as with his ball into gourse bushes. Tiger had a green-side pitch, which wasn’t easy, but it was much better than where it looked like the ball was heading. On-course analyst David Feherty said Tiger had 2 options: (1) he could try a high flop shot with very little green to work with, or (2) a pitch to the left side of the green. Feherty said the “more sensible” shot was pitching to the left part of the green, away from the flag. Miller said that Tiger looked like he was practicing for the flop. Feherty remarked, “Really?? Now it’s a party.”

Tiger Woods sets up for a high flop shot toward the pin

But the party was over for Tiger. His flop failed to hit the green. And from off the green, Tiger elected to putt his ball, but it went too far by the hole and Tiger had to settle for a 2-putt double bogey. Tiger had birdied Hole No. 11 three days in a row. But, on Sunday, the hole came back to bite Tiger. Tiger’s decision off the tee and off the green cost him the tournament and a chance at his 15th major, what would have been his first in a decade. Tiger gave up the lead on that hole and never got it back. The high-risk flop shot was unnecessary. It’s something you might see out of Phil Mickelson, who’s known for his gambler’s, go-for-broke mentality. But, with a one-shot lead on the back nine, Tiger probably should have settled for bogey at worst and played the easier pitch to the left side of the green. C’mon, how many times have you seen a flop shot at Carnoustie this week, let along links courses in general?

At 42 years old and in a 10-year majors drought, Tiger may have squandered his best chance to win his 15th major. What could have been.



The Golf Blog: Patrick Reed wins Masters, but golf reporters dwell on estranged relationship with family

mulligan, 10 April 2018, Comments Off on The Golf Blog: Patrick Reed wins Masters, but golf reporters dwell on estranged relationship with family
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The Golf Blog says: Patrick Reed aka “Captain America” showed nerves of steel as he claimed his first major at Augusta National, holding off dramatic Sunday charges by Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. Rory, who?

On what should be a celebration of Reed’s major accomplishment, we were surprised to hear about some apparent backlash against Reed. What did Reed do? We were waiting to hear about some adulterous affair, illegal behavior, or use of performance enhancing drugs (though, with his physique, that wouldn’t be our first suspicion). But those stories never materialized.

Instead, the worst news we heard from some golf reporters is that Reed apparently doesn’t like his parents or sister, and he chose to side with his wife over them. Wait? Is that the big news? The guy don’t like his family. Well, join the club. But, wait, there’s more: Reed’s college golf teammates hated him, and he may have acted like an A-hole in college. For real? That’s it? That’s all you got? That sounds like millions of other college students in the United States. Hold on, there’s more: in a book published a couple years ago, some players apparently accused Reed of attempting to cheat during a college match by hitting the wrong ball. Oh, OK, that sounds serious. But who knows what happened? Remember, Ken Venturi accused Arnold Palmer of actually cheating to win the 1958 Masters!!



The Golf Blog: Jordan Spieth salvages bogey on No. 13 in final round of British Open

mulligan, 24 July 2017, Comments Off on The Golf Blog: Jordan Spieth salvages bogey on No. 13 in final round of British Open
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