Matt Every rose on Sunday while everyone melted down all around him. Adam Scott could not make a putt to save his life (63 putts on the weekend). Every tried to give it away by making a poor decision on a punch out on 16 that lead to a bogey, and by missing a 5 footer on 18 that would have guaranteed a win. The win was the first of his career and of course gets him into the Masters for the first time. Shockingly, the method of complaining on twitter about not getting in did not work for him:

Some Claritin D will clear that right up bro

 Before we had even started the live thread Thursday, Adam Scott had fired off a 62, and Gerry Lester Watson, Jr. had taken an 11 on number 6, and withdrew with “allergies.” This excuse would make sense if the tournament wasn’t played TEN MINUTES from Gerry’s house. As someone who has battled allergies for decades, I know how miserable they are, but this is not an injury. His withdrawal is a slap in the face to any and all of the alternates that would have killed for a chance to play in this tournament, and it’s a slap in the face to Arnie as well. Golf is a humbling game. It’s embarrassing to shoot a high score, I get it. I’ve been there. But quitting is infinitely more embarrassing than shooting 11 over par. Everyone goes nuclear from time to time. You can handle it like a little bitch and take your ball and run home, or you can be a veteran like Lumpy (who shot 80 on Thursday) and go out and pipe out birdies until they make you leave. We certainly aren’t going to be one of them, but people paid for tickets and show up to watch Gerry play.

Whether he is -11 or +11, they want to see the towering tee shots and the shot shapes (and probably want to see the Tour Sauce) in person. If you enter the tournament, you play it out, unless you’re injured and at further risk of injuring yourself. Continuing to play with a running nose and some sneezes put him at zero risk of further injuring himself. This isn’t a Tiger situation with a faulty back that could clearly be damaged further. This is 

 from your home. Your profession is to play golf outdoors, and you can’t be prepared for the outdoor conditions in your backyard? Get outta here with that shit.

 Adam Scott blowing what was once an 8 shot lead pretty much sums up everything we’ve seen from Masters favorites over the last month or so. Between Tiger’s back injury, Jason Day’s thumb, Phil’s dialed back schedule (no top 10’s this year?), Rory playing almost no golf (3 stateside events this calendar year), we’re not exactly flying into Masters week with a lot of momentum from our biggest names. Way too early to sound the alarms, but at least get it on your radar that we could have a Mike Weir-like disaster on our hands for the 2014 Masters.

was in the news for all of the wrong reasons again

, although its hard to blame him this time around. While we support a creative post shout yell if it gets a giggle out of us, there is absolutely no place in the game for the harassment of players during the course of play. Save that shit for the NASCAR track. Yelling at him and distracting him more sure as hell isn’t going to increase his pace of play.

 Matt Every was quietly having a really solid 2013-2014 before this win, so this wasn’t out of nowhere. This week was his 5th top 10 of the season, and it’s only March. We’re a house divided at NLU as to how we feel about Every. On the one hand he’s gone out of his way to propagate that arrogant, edgy Floridian who goes out of his way to advertise that he doesn’t give a shit.

His hilarious pot bust in 2010 created a stereotype that sort of set the tone for the next few years, as 

he didn’t exactly handle that like a mature adult

. Here was his interview at the 2012 Sony Open about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7frSiOlL6c

Conversely, though, how is this any different than NLU favorite Spencer Levin (who we’ve labeled as a breath of fresh air and trumpeted his praises for his not giving a shit ways)? The biggest difference seems to be that Spence is California cool, while Every’s got that rough-around-the-edges Florida grit that isn’t exactly an endearing quality. He made some noise with these comments on Saturday: “A lot of fakers out here just‑‑ just because you wear stupid clothes doesn’t mean you have style. It means you wear dumb clothes.” While he’s clearly still immature, Matt Every seems be taking baby steps to turing the corner from brash, Big Break bro, showing small glimpses of maturity as he creates some credibility (we imagine that being a Big Break graduate is kind of a scarlet letter in tour circles). He’s not for everyone, but he’s a nice counterbalance to some of the drones plying their craft on tour.

It’s tough for us to gain an understanding of someone based upon a few short interviews, sporadic tournament coverage, and a few blurbs in columns. So while we’re there’s positives and negatives with Every, the number of guys who went out of their way to congratulate him on his victory spoke volumes about him and suggests that there’s much more to him than comes through in limited coverage.

I spent an hour trying to figure out how to make the font on this section as small as possible. Remind us of this next time we get braggy about our picks.

Oil Spill of the Week (Brought to you by BP)

For the second consecutive week, the NLU oil spill was obvious. Apparently Gerry was allergic to dry land on his way to carding an 11.

We were able to locate some footage of the event that the PGA tried to destroy:

Adam (we desparately need a nickname for this guy) brought the par 5’s to its knees all week, and eagled number 4 after piping it on from 270 out on his way to a 62.

The Florida Swing ends and gives way to the Texas Swing (doesn’t quite have the same ring to it). This is actually the real week we start looking towards the Masters, as neither the Valero Texas Open or the Houston open attract enough big names to keep us engaged. We’ll start rolling out our Masters previews this week.

Arnold Palmer Invitational Recap

, and leave your comments on the live action below.

Arnold Palmer Invitational Live Thread

The Florida Swing takes a quick jaunt on I-4 over to Orlando’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This event is one of only five tournaments on the circuit that are true invitationals (others being Colonial, Heritage, AT&T National, and Memorial). This means about 20-30 less players, more leeway deciding who gets in, and no Monday qualifier. As such, Bay Hill typically features a slightly smaller field full of top-notch talent, many of whom are playing a home game (although Florida’s golf epicenter has moved 2.5 hours southeast in the past few years).

This year’s tournament lost some luster when Tiger Woods 

 to play at one of his favorite tournaments. Considering Tiger’s track record here (8 titles vs. 7 titles for the rest of the field), it’s safe to say that Arnie and the Golf Channel/NBC will be missing Big Cat this week in their home game (hat tip to 

 on that tidbit). I actually gave a half-laugh to the Bay Hill promos featuring Arnie cutting blades of grass one-by-one, while checking in with Tiger, Phil, and Bubba via phone with the closing line of “Arnie’s ready”. The field now lacks both of the first two names, as well as DJ, Dufner, Els, Furyk, JDay (still nursing that wrist injury), Kuchar, Rory (more on him further down the page), Sergio, and Spieth. The King takes great pride in this event, and for good reason. I share his certain disappointment with this year’s field. Arnie deserves better.

How much you got? After Honda, Cadillac, and Valspar, these guys are ready for a birdie-fest. Chances are that’s not in the cards. If you take Big Cat out of the equation, winning score hovers around 8 deep on a year-to-year basis. It’s not a brutal track, but there’s trouble lurking at every turn and slippery greens can compound mistakes in a hurry. Bay Hill features a strong set of par-5’s, with the 6th hole is one of the most unique holes in golf. It truly tests how big your stones are, as you can bite off as much as you can chew, but there is nothing to give you any idea of depth perception or sight lines.

The finish is similar to TPC Sawgrass up the road with a short, risk-reward par 5 16th with water, a challenging par 3 17th over water, and a stern par 4 finish to a green framed by water.

Overall, it’s a solid track that seems to be well respected by the players, so we are a bit curious as to why the field seems to be on the weak side this year. There’s no doubt in my mind that Arnie compares his event to Jack’s in the same way that he compares their playing careers, and we can’t help but note that his track and his event seems to play second fiddle to Muirfield Village and the Memorial when it comes to the invitationals. However, when it comes to the vibe…

The suburban Orlando cluster castles vibe is predominate. But Arnold Palmer holding court adds an air of regality to the proceedings. Casting aside his legendary record breaking majors, it is Mr. Palmer’s on-course persona and off-course legend that is inspirational. He’s the embodiment of cool. Jack may have won more, but who cares? If given the choice to switch lives with either of them I’d choose Arnie ten out of ten times. This week is essentially a celebration of Arnie. Can you find anyone that has a bad thing to say about him? The dude just has swag. Loved this story from Wednesday:

When Arnie was on his way to lunch, he asked a random tournament security guard if he wanted to join. (That's why he's The King.)



— Chad Coleman (@HashtagChad) 

(all lines courtesy Ladbrokes.com, the Official Bookmaker of NoLayingUp.com)

2 top 3’s in the last 3 years. Primed off a T8 last week at the Valspar. Not great odds, but a no brainer fantasy play.

 – Pains us to say it, but it’s hard not to love Mr. Tour Sauce himself this week. Lives nearby, has had an excellent winter. He finished 4th here in 2012 and 14th a year ago.

– ZJ’s game travels pretty much anywhere. The speed of the greens will play in his favor. Uneven results here the last few years, but aside from an MC in 2010 he’s seen the weekend every year. He comes in well-rested and on the heels of some of the best golf of his career earlier this year. Hasn’t missed a cut since last year’s US Open.

 – Can’t accuse us of not being objective with our picks this week. Great track record here (2 top 4’s in his last three runs here), and played great at the Valspar last week on his way to a solo 2nd finish. I would have imagined better odds for him, but the bookies are onto this one. He’s teed up to make another run this week (although we may be headed for another Monday finish with his pace of play).

 – Finished 3rd a year ago, and we’re hoping the solid play from the Match Play will carry over.

 (We’ve been forced to shop at Whole Foods this week – discounts are hard to come by!)

 – In the top 21 each of the last 3 years here

 – Even our value fliers are horses this week. It just goes with the territory, as this just isn’t a tournament for first-time winners. Westwood cashed nice checks here on a perennial basis in the mid 2000’s, then bailed for a few years. He played mediocre last year. He’s gotta be itching to get back out there after going -4 on the weekend at Doral.

 – Finished top ten here last year. 200/1 is sweet. Duke showed signs of life last week, making the cut comfortably after two solid 71’s. Faded on Saturday for an MDF, but he’s making cuts every week. We’re in.

, kick back, and relax. You’re on golf-watching auto-pilot this time of the year. No need to go too hard.

Bay Hill’s normally a pretty good litmus test for how Tiger’s game is shaping up as we approach Augusta. Well it’s officially time to panic. As Soly battles back problems of his own, I understand what Tiger is going through by hearing his pain firsthand. Do I think he milks it for the cameras? No doubt. But it’s impossible to predict which swings are going to make your back act up, and which ones won’t. I just want Tiger to be back healthy so that the coverage and the storyline is about the golf, and not the injured #1.

Rory has elected to snub the King yet again, what’s his deal? Maybe his Grandfather wasn’t part of Arnie’s Army growing up across the pond (as all of our grandfathers were, along with the rest of the Greatest Generation), but as a student and potential legend of the game, he should have more respect for The King if he intends to sit atop the ‘Iron Throne’ one day. At least offer a standard BS excuse (or the real one: a meeting with the wedding planner he just can’t miss).

I posit that the video below is a top 3 SportsCenter commercial of all time (and if you disagree, Neil will meet you in the comments below):

On the subject of The King and his resume of commercial endorsements, I really admire the way this guy has stuck to his blue collar roots en route to making stupid amounts of money off the course. I highly recommend reading Tom Callahan’s phenomenal Golf Digest piece from 2009 – 

This piece was exactly what I needed to truly understand Arnie’s impact on the game, and on sports in general. Honestly, in my younger years I only knew him as that old guy with white hair in a sweater who would be +18 on Friday at Augusta. Then at a certain point I’d seen enough of him in those tire commercials that were a staple of my middle school years, that I started to dig a little deeper. I’ve had a man crush on him ever since.

Tires, The Golf Channel, air travel, cigarettes, the state of Pennsylvania, iced tea and lemonade, IMG. These are all things that Arnold Palmer espoused. All masculine, American stuff.

Keep an eye on Alex Cejka down in Panama for the Web.com event. He’s in a GROOVE so far this season. We’ve been remiss in not doing a couple hosel rockets on the Web circuit yet this year. That will change soon.

And if you were wondering what the #1 SportsCenter spot of all time is then step up your game. 

Arnold Palmer Invitational Preview

On behalf of No Laying Up, I can’t thank Jessica Korda (

) enough for letting me join the first ever LPGA Hangout today. If you missed it here’s the full, AND THANK GOD, slightly edited version:


At about 9:40, I was finally able to join the hangout, and the entrance looked a little like this:

I came in real hot, amped up to talk some golf! It took a minute for us to get in the flow and I appreciate everyone’s patience, though if you were behind the scenes for the first 9 minutes, this would certainly resonate:

I had a blast partaking on behalf of NLU, and with the technology figured out, we’d love to take part in future Hangouts! A few scalding hot takeaways:

Look for more coverage of the LPGA from us (gambling lines, YOTTO tracking, discussions of LPGA growth initiatives, etc.). While Jessica possesses truck loads of confidence and personality, her style was laid back and sincere, too – definitely cool by me. The breadth and depth of her answers reflected nicely and suggest a media savvy star. My only regret is not having more time to ask the 8-10 other questions I had ready to go, but I’m glad I settled in to let the pro, Kraig Kann conduct the Hangout (Also, I appreciate Kraig pumping a couple questions for NLU early before I showed up fashionably late – #Respect – more on K-Squared shortly). If Jessica ever has a few minutes down the road for a quick interview, the invitation is out there. We’d love to do a 

To highlight Jessica’s answer on the issue of slow play. This is truly is a problem at every level of golf from the local muni courses to the professional ranks, and Jessica phrased it well: Golf is an individual sport and pace of play vary’s with conditions and the course. It’s all about decision making. It comes down to individuals arguing with themselves internally about the best shot or best line, and sometimes we are our own biggest skeptics and we stall. It should be interesting to see how the different organizations within the golf world address this issue – judging by Kraig’s LPGA plug, ‘The LPGA improved 7 minutes on pace of play last year” – the LPGA is taking the lead on this. That’s a solid year-over-year improvement!

Did I mention Kraig’s a pro’s pro? First, I’m impressed by the LPGA’s forward thinking attitude on social media and the risk they took engaging a start-up blog in this hangout. NLU is indebted for the invite (and for the smooth handling of our brash entrance), and Kraig’s professional background as a broadcaster manifested itself as he made me right at home in this Hangout. He’s a class act, and is missed on the Golf Channel, but the LPGA is benefiting tremendously from his touch. As we highlighted in yesterday’s 

, the powers that be at LPGA seem to get it. They’ve identified opportunity abroad, decided to expand globally and are comfortable experimenting with different ways to market the tour’s stars. Taking advantage of Twitter and Google Hangouts gives fans the kind of direct access to their favorite players that could not have been imagined 5 years ago. Big up’s from the NLU squad!

Hanging out with Jessica Korda and the LPGA

(Photo above courtesy of Fly Boys Aerials, 

If you caught this past Sunday’s 60 Minutes piece on drones then read on. If not, 

After watching this feature I’m terrified. My family had a spirited discussion/brain-storming session about all the crazy, nefarious shit we have to worry about in the future with these: invasion of privacy (think paparazzi w/ NSA style tools), a bomb delivery mechanism for terrorists, mid-air collisions, etc. After getting that out of our system some positives emerged, namely the inherent possibilities drones offer in the world of sports broadcasting. Drones will make the SkyCam look downright archaic. There’s a long way to go before this is reality – first step is the FAA figuring out a set of rules, certifications, and regulations (good luck with that), then production crews experimenting, then leagues accepting the new technology but drones will be a reality down the road.

And when that time comes, golf will be a prime area to put drones to good use. it should be a boon for all parties involved (except maybe the tour pros) as production quality will go through the roof and production costs will fall. The aerial shots provided by blimps (and sometimes by helicopters and small planes) are such a large part of the telecast already, imagine having twenty or thirty blimp-like vantages around the course. The possibilities are endless (Imagine putting the pro-tracer feature on a drone? Or using one to find a lost ball?)

Obviously there’s a downside – players would treat drones as if they are a complete nuisance and would surely resist at first. After all, drones do make noise, constant whiny noise. Aside from the sound, are they really much more distracting than a boom camera behind a tee or on a green? Those float above the ground and are operated by professionals. Drones wouldn’t be any different – they’d be operated by professionals at a distance determined by tour standards. Wouldn’t be any more distracting than a bird (and Stevie Williams would have trouble nabbing one of these and throwing it in a lake).

Bottom line: drones are going to be a big part of lives in the future, we might as well seek out some cool uses for them. Read on for a deeper-dive…

CBS News examines the possibilities in the extreme sports world, specifically mountain climbing.

The Atlantic with a quick-hitter on drones in sports.

And Awful Announcing coming STRONG with a look at how Golf Channel is already experimenting with the technology.

Drones and Golf Coverage: A Perfect Match?

We’re privileged and excited to be co-hosting a 

 featuring 21 year-old (and already) 2x LPGA Tour winner Jessica Korda this evening at 7:15 pm EST. To help us prepare, we took a dive into the current LPGA season to see what’s shaking. Below are some quick insights and opinions; stop by and ask Jessica about any of this, along with specific inquiries about her game, her goals, and anything else you’ve ever wondered about concerning the LPGA.

The Race to the CME Globe (CME stands for Chicago Mercantile Exchange – think Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) is heating up early in the year. Paula Creamer (921 pts) currently holds a small lead over veteran Karrie Webb (742 pts) and NLU favorite (our loyalty is easily acquired!) Jessica Korda (587). Creamer is leading thanks in large part to her recent victory at the HSBC Women’s Champions event in Singapore. She earned the win with what is easily the highlight of the year: canning a monstrous, snaking 75-foot eagle putt on the 2nd playoff hole with her competitor, Azahara Munoz, already in for birdie. Walk-off wins don’t get any more exhilarating than that (

yeah, we see you back there objecting, Craig Parry

Speaking of the Race to the CME Globe, the LPGA season will hold its 5th tournament of the year this weekend as they contest the JTBC Founders Cup in Tempe, Arizona. It’s one of 32 worldwide events leading up to the CME Group Tour Championship this November in Naples, FL. Whereas the PGA Tour is now on the reach-around schedule and thus stealthily deep into their current season, the LPGA season is still in its infancy with an exciting year ahead. Recognizing the truly global nature of their tour, LPGA leadership continues to do an exceptional job of making it a true world tour (Finchy and his cronies need to take note and apply lessons learned to the shamefully domestic “World” Golf Championships). We’d also be remiss in neglecting to give a shout-out to the 

 – Mike Whan and Jon Podany, who (like three of us here at NLU) are Miami University (the one in Ohio!) alums. The LPGA seems to be on a really nice “traj.”

The guest of honor in tonight’s Google Hangout, Jessica Korda, sits 3rd at the moment in the season-long CME race. She captured the season-opening event, the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, by one stroke over Stacy Lewis with a 72-hole score of -19 (273). It was Korda’s second career LPGA victory. The most impressive stat concerning Korda in our opinion, though? She hasn’t missed a cut since September 2012. That’s a span of 30 tournaments. We may have to ask Jessica what she tells people she does for living, professional golfer or pro check-casher – Bill Haas isn’t the only member FDIC anymore…impressive.

Of the top-50 women in the Rolex Rankings (basically the women’s OWGR), more than half (27) are from Japan, China, Thailand, or Korea (that also includes Tapei, where world #1, Inbee Park, hails from). Park, in fact, holds a fairly comfortable lead for #1 over Suzann Pettersen at the moment, though we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Suzann (and her 

) have run away and hid from the competition in the Most Physically Fit Rankings.

But back to the world rankings, and specifically the amount of world-class talent across the Pacific – we wonder if there is internal discussion to developing a Solheim-style contest (read Ryder Cup for the unwashed and uninformed) that pits the US vs. Asia? This seems like a no-brainer for the LPGA powers-that-be as they think about how to grow the tour’s popularity, carve our their own global footprint, and market an impressively diverse roster of talent. We’ll be sure to ask ‘ko-host’ on today’s Hangout, former Golf Channel impresario Kraig Kann. “Special K” moved over to LPGA back in 2011 as the Chief Communications Officer and basically oversees the growth strategy for the Tour at home and abroad.

Perhaps you know the name Lydia Ko. If so, and even if not, allow us to briefly inform you. This from her Wiki page–the 16 year-old New Zealander (she’ll be 17 in April) made huge waves last summer, when, still an amateur, she won two LPGA events (she didn’t miss a freaking cut in 25 events as an amateur!). She turned pro last October and currently sits 4th in the Rolex Rankings. In fact, she has such promise, the LPGA waived their age-18 requirement for membership.

One topic we’re really curious to hear Jessica riff on tonight, is the coupling of the Men’s and Women’s US Opens this year at Pinehurst. We at NLU think it’s a fantastic idea. Personally, I have to admit I haven’t been the most ardent follower of the LPGA, so this type of creative thinking definitely is meant to pull people exactly like me into the women’s event. Watching each event and being able to look at the other as a reference point will be amazing (especially if the USGA keeps the conditions as similar as possible, save for length). The event is still a few months out but I can confidently say that it’s mission accomplished (unfurl that banner!). There are grumblings about how the course condition will be for the ladies after a full week of play, logistical concerns regarding everything from lodging and grandstand setups to practice availability and what happens if there’s a need for a men’s 18-hole playoff on Monday. While these are all legit questions and I’m curious to see how they’re handled by the suits over at USGA HQ (concerns are probably overblown – the logistical “nightmare” at Merion last year and a couple years ago at Kiawah were both smooth). Geoff Shackelford, among others, pointed out that really the women should be playing first in order to boost galleries, etc. etc. which does seems ideal. Maybe that’s what will eventually happen. Perhaps too someday there will be more dual/piggy-back events between the LPGA and PGA. I know I’d love to see the women take on familiar tracks like Doral, Muirfield Village, Pebble and Torrey each year.

In that same vein, we’re curious as to what Jessica’s favorite tracks are on the LPGA circuit. Would love to know which courses she’d love to see the tour visit in the future, too. Since the women play from about 6,500 yards it would be refreshing to see events being held at venues that are either obsolete in the world of men’s professional golf (Cypress comes to mind – we can dream right?) or aren’t in the rotation due to logistics concerns (Royal Portrush for the Women’s British Open comes to mind).

 tonight and leave some questions in the comments below!

LPGA Early Season Update

Pat Perez set the pace in the early rounds only to fall off the map on Saturday, and he wasn’t alone. Brutal conditions prevailed and Copperhead played more like a major venue than that of a third or fourth tier (that’s for you Bailey) tour stop. Scott Langley (showed some moxie and impressed a lot of people), Kevin Na, and Will MacKenzie were all there at the end, only to see Senden lock up his second career PGA Tour win with the sort of short-game magic that’s evaded him in so many other pivotal moments (if he could putt I can think of an additional 6-7 various titles he would’ve won easily). Luke Donald’s game again showed signs of life, and Justin Rose had an encouraging week, overall (despite the godawful chunk…further down the page). Robert Garrigus has to be scratching his head after being en fuego the first two and a half days (to the point where people were crowning his ass) he kept it between the mayo and the mustard coming home on Saturday, only to crash into the concrete median early in his final round. Credit to him for a solid 34 on the inward nine to stay right in the mix and a T-4 paycheck.

Above all, Copperhead was as solid as advertised. It’s tough to say enough good things about the 16th hole (a truly great driving hole) and the pin position on the 13th hole on Saturday was awesome – not sure I’ve ever seen a green that narrow. Rough was fair, greens were pure, and conditions were tough. The fact that John Senden won further solidifies Copperhead as a ballstriker’s course.

Kevin Na made his appearance well known with his antics, which seemed to be the storyline from the weekend until he got the drop from coverage on Sunday. After being on the clock for most of the day on Saturday,

after the rules official left the grouping and wasn’t timing them, Na’s caddie said “are we being timed still?” Na responded, “No, we’re good”, and then proceeded to take 3 minutes (might be exaggerating) to play his shot. It’s completely unfair to Robert Garrigus, who had to play with Na on both Saturday and Sunday. Guilt by association means that when Na goes on the clock, so does his playing partner, and Garrigus got a bad time when hitting out of some cabbage despite being one of the fastest players on tour. What Na does is disrespectful to his playing partner and to the game.

With that being said, Na’s obviously made huge strides from the 2012 Players Championship Freakshow he foisted upon us. By all accounts he’s sped up his routine (most noticeably on the greens) and really made his pace of play a point of emphasis. Alan Shipnuck tweeted something along the lines of Na being one of the most interesting competitors in the world of golf, if not sports at large. While I bristled at first and chalked it up as hyperbole, when I actually sat back and thought about it I realized that’s not far off. Golf is such an individual game – each guy is out there by himself (albeit with the aid of a caddie) competing against 140-odd other guys, the course, and himself. When you manage to piss off virtually the entire sport and singlehandedly incite rule change discussions, as Na has done repeatedly regarding slow play, the tour circuit must seem like a pretty lonely place (hell, Garrigus’ caddie even said it wasn’t fair that he had to play with him two days in a row). And yet Na doesn’t seem to let it affect him. He’s one of the more forthright, engaging interviews on tour, he’s honest about his struggles, and above all of that, he’s got serious stones. Shit, he almost holed out on the par-3 17th hole this week with everything on the line. After the ball narrowly skated by, he stepped up and buried a 14-footer. Kevin Na’s got demons, but maybe those demons are in the process of building a competitive monster. He’ll win soon.

 As evidenced by the love we were offering on the tweet machine, Golf Channel is doing good work with the “Spotlight Coverage.” I hadn’t really noticed it until this week, but I honestly watched it in equal proportion to the NBC telecast. If you’re not familiar, basically they pick the three best holes on the course and just show those three holes exclusively. Sprinkle in copious amounts of the pro-tracer (the pro-tracer on the 16th tee was downright orgasmic. Side note: Chesson Hadley’s traj/line on that shot was beyond arrogant #respect). Then, add some on-point analysis from Curt Byrum, Scott McCarron, and others (really it’s a solid team effort, with zero ego involved), and golf stats that would make sabermetricians giddy (plenty of trackman stuff – highest spin rate on tour, lowest apex traj out there, longest distance to reach apex traj, highest percentage of right rough shots, etc.), and you’ve got yourself a potent second screen telecast. The other big plus is seeing nearly the entire field hitting the same shots, which is ripe for analysis and makes for fascinating comparisons (especially on that treacherous 16th tee this week).

If Golf Channel keeps this up, I may have to buy a second tv and throw the Spotlight on with sound and mute the NBC telecast on the other screen (maybe that’s not the best thing to say if we want this to continue). The sky’s the limit for this idea, and you have to give producer Keith Hirshland and the guys at Golf Channel props for green-lighting it. At the very least, it’s a great testing ground for some cool features for the main telecast. First class work.

For all the flack we gave Tampa, the hospitality area behind the 17th green got pretty live on Sunday. There were at least some bro’s out there trying to keep it real and give this event some cred, nevermind the smallish galleries. And there was a phenomenal “bababooey!” yell as Senden hit his approach into #17. You know we respect that.

Was great to see Graham DeLaet snap out of his mini-funk and nail down a solid result. He fought back from an opening round 75 (really not a bad round considering the conditions) to post 68-71-68 over the last three days. Not surprising to see him finish well considering his all-around game.

 Not sure I’ve ever seen guys yoyo up and down the leaderboard like what was seen this week. The relatively modest pace set by the leaders kept a huge chunk of the field engaged in the main action and made for a pretty fascinating wire-to-wire race. While this certainly didn’t translate into great cinema down the stretch (largely due to almost everyone pissing down their leg at one point or another), it made for some intense scoreboard watching. It also made for quite a few guys who cost themselves serious money/points this weekend (Goosen especially – that was tough to see Sunday, especially coming off his major medical exemption – he can lock his card up if he plays well his next three events). Some of the young guys faded down the stretch – Spieth and English come to mind. Not bad, just goes to show you this game ain’t easy, even for them.

On the YOTTO front, Will MacKenzie’s T-4 should bump him up well inside the top ten on the 2014 index. MacKenzie’s got a really impressive YOTTO going on in the crockpot right now – he’s tallied eight top-15 finishes in the ’13-’14 reach-around season. To be that high on the YOTTO index this far in without a top-3 finish is incredible. Like all things WillyMac, we’re jealous. Dude’s game is tight, his flow is righteous, and his story is as good as it gets. He’s up to $1.2 million on the year and shows no signs of slowing down.

Let’s hope Patrick Reed responds to his 

Perhaps the easiest oil spill of the year. JD took a 12 on number 16 on his way to a 90.

Here’s the footage. Burn units were on site immediately and the fiasco was well handled by the Valspar volunteers before the fire spread:

Justin Rose, the 7th ranked player in the world, hit one of the most special chunks you’ll ever see from a tour pro.

Get ready for a lot of Tiger this week. Between his ridiculous past success here, and the incredible scrutiny his back is under, and the countdown to Augusta nearing the legal drinking age, the microscope is going to be completely dialed in on his every move. There’s a hoard of people ready to panic if he doesn’t win this event by 4. If he plays poorly, we’re giving the full go ahead to panic.

Valspar Championship Recap

Read our preview of the Valspar Championship here

Leave your thoughts and musings from the Valspar Championship below:

Valspar Championship Live Thread

The Florida swing heads to the Tampa area this week for the Valspar Championship. In a book I recently read – 

The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America

, Tampa is used as the prime example of a city representing the decay of the greatest generation, the causes of the ’08 housing bubble, and what’s happened to the American Dream. Basically, everyone lives in suburbs that are half-full of over-leveraged families or half-developed with abandoned cluster castles. In this largely unplanned sprawl exists a public transit void, leading to a population addicted to finite/foreign oil, and the city itself is void of pedestrians and diversity (which leads to a lack of new ideas brought about by interaction and innovation in diverse urban areas). All in all, a pretty uplifting read, though I digress…

The point being, Tampa, with two and a half professional sports teams (the Bucs were relegated to fractional status thanks to the efforts of Greg Schiano), millions of rust belt transplants, a significant metropolitan area (2.9 million in 2011), and site of the most recent 2012 Republican National Convention, is a hot bed for three things: golf, lots of extremely old people, and a variety of strip clubs (more on those later). So you have a warm weather locale, with tons of old, conservative, white males who have the resources (over-leveraged or not) and time to play golf – so why does no one care about the Valspar Championship? Let’s dig into the preview to find out why…

The course sure as hell ain’t the problem. In fact, it might be the main reason why this event still exists. Located in the relatively random Innisbrook Resort (a Florida resort near the beach without beach access?), the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort is like the grown-up ballstriker’s version of Chuck E. Cheese. This is literally the only valid explanation for why this event has a solid field. Guy’s like the course.

Designed by Larry Packard, who passed away at the age of 101 back in January

, Copperhead seems out of place in central Florida. Framed by trees, old school “lines,” featuring smallish greens, and some subtle elevation changes that catch you off guard, this course demands accuracy and precision. At 7,300 yards it’s definitely not short, but it doesn’t discriminate against the shorter guys in the field, either (the list of past champions is all over the place (most recent first): Streelman, Donald (RIP), Woodland, Furyk, Goosen, O’Hair, Calc, Choi, Petterson, Vijay, Goosen (again), Choi (again), and NLU favorite John Huston in the inaugural event). Aside from Woodland, the formula seems to be fairways, greens, and avoiding big numbers (the poop brown color will be out in full force on PGATour.com this week – there’s an inordinate amount of big numbers here). It’s not really a birdie fest; it’s a tactician’s track.

That thing is legitimately scarier than a hat-less Jim Fury

The big feature is the closing stretch of holes 16, 17 & 18, which is glossed “The Snake Pit.” A long-ass par-3 stuck in between two man-sized par-4’s, this stretch regularly ranks amongst the toughest on Tour. No word on how long it’s been named this: we like to pretend it was dubbed the (Trouser) Snake Pit after the ’11 event in honor of Woodland’s tour de force. The only thing holding this stretch of holes back is the mandatory nickname. After the “Bear Trap” a few weeks ago, this one seems corny (even though it’s probably a harder stretch).

There really isn’t a vibe. Here we’ll touch on the main reason why this event has a negative Q-rating: this event has been wronged by Corporate America. You ready for this?: It started as The Tampa Bay Championship, an almost-silly season event in 2000 opposite the President’s Cup in the fall, was cancelled in ’01 due to 9/11 (it was to be played opposite the WGC American Express Championship), and returned in ’02 as the Tampa Bay Championship presented by Buick when Buick execs decided they weren’t sponsoring enough golf events (and probably because the demo’s for old people with disposable income for a new LaSalle in the region made them swoon). From ’03 to ’06 the event doubled down on being an almost unrecognizable car event as the Chrysler Championship (amongst other Chrysler events in Greensboro, Palm Springs, and Tuscon), playing in a vacuum the week before The Tour Championship (Florida, middle of football season – people probably didn’t even know this thing existed).

In ’07 Finchy’s cronies moved the event to the middle of the Florida Swing and Kirk Triplett brought his PODS swag to town in the the form of a two-year stint as the Portable On Demand Storage Championship (no word on whether spectators received free bucket lids). ’09 brought with it the advent of the Transitions Championship, which was essentially a week long celebration of Trevor Immelman and Kenny Perry. Transitions lasted four years, bailing out really hard in ’12. EverBank, a regional bank out of Jacksonville, magnanimously stepped in as a stopgap and essentially saved the tournament. Valspar came to the rescue this year, and we the fans get to learn about paint products. It’s a win-win! Somehow, amidst all of this corporate tomfoolery, this tournament has always managed to pay a substantial purse. Respect that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgf9cCnK_iE

Boo’s final round 63 stole the show and the wait must’ve been agonizing – dude was done with his round ridiculously early. In the end, Streelman was rock solid all day and his win elicited a lot of goodwill and well-wishes from all over the world of pro-golf. A former looper out at NLU’s future HQ (Whisper Rock), Streels is one of the nice guy’s on Tour, so it was a feel-good Sunday. His ballstriking was on-point.

Anytime DubP, Spieth, Harris English, Sergio, Harman, DeLaet, and Coetzee (stupid long) are on the first few pages, you’ve got yourself a girthy final board. All are in the field this week, except Coetzee and Serg who are skipping…

 – By this point on the schedule he’s a grizzled vet. This time last year he was fresh off a runner-up performance in Puerto Rico, fighting the non-member sponsor exemptions shot clock, starting to build cred, and from this event on played almost every event. Think about that–he balled out so hard last year while playing almost all of these courses for the first time. That’s insane. The oddsmakers are obviously putting stock in local knowledge, posting him just behind favorite Harris English (Too Big to Fail), and lumping him with Kuchar and the rotting corpse that is Luke Donald’s game.

 – He’s almost there – the guy might as well be playing with latex gloves, goggles, and a lab coat on, because he’s been in the lab for months. He was right in the mix last week before fading a bit on Sunday and this course rewards fairways and greens. That’s his secret concoction. Fairways and greens.

 – Thrives on difficult tracks like this. In fact, hasn’t finished outside the top-17 here since 2009 (runner-up in 2011). Guy has a US Open, he’s at his best when the conditions are tough. Having a really solid 2014 too. Pretty good value here.

 – He’s been on siesta since Riv, per usual. His game was in form before the break and one shouldn’t expect that to change. It’s obvious he found something in his swing and he’s primed to win an event. He plays this event nearly every year, which has to say something about his affinity for the course, right? 7th here LY, we’ll take the DubP every week (on reasonable tracks) until he wins one this year.

 – Seems to me this would be a track that suits his game. He’s tidy. And his game is back on the upswing. Strong T-12 at Honda (72-68-69-67), could he be building for a second stint inside the OWGR top 20?

 – Showed well in PR last week (which was somewhat depressing – Toms is barely a notch below elder statesman), and has a decent track record here ( lit himself on fire in ’13, T-20th in ’12, T-37th in ’11 (was taking it deep before a final round 74), T-2oth in ’10 (2nd rd 63!), 33rd in ’09). We’ll take a flier – seemed like he had a little spring in his step last week after essentially playing the course blind and posting a blistering opening round.

 – Another guy who’s been on holiday, having not played since the NTO, JLo’s enjoying a nice 2014 with a pair of top-10’s and seven made cuts in eight starts. Finished T4 here last year, and before that went T29, T20 and another T20 the previous three years, respectively. Another guy who seems to be at his best when the conditions worsen.

 – straight off the tee, great putter, thinking outside the box here. He’s playing this event for a reason. Time for him to make a mark stateside. The odds don’t necessarily translate to true talent level (aka value play!)

 – Heady young player who drives the ball well and is polished all-around. Thinking his third week in the states pays dividends and perhaps will be the catalyst for him to start playing over here more regularly. Had a pretty solid T25 last week at Doral.

 – Not much track record here (couple MC’s, T-28 a few years back) but this would seem like the type of course Ricky thrives on: a demanding course that punishes bad shots. Ricky can binge on birdies but isn’t liable to go low over four rounds (has shown more of an ability to do so over the last couple years, but still not his forte). 200/1 seems ripe. Played really well last week, too.

For most of the country, it’s starting to thaw. Get out of the crib, go buy a suitcase of cheap col’ beers (we’re thinking Busch Light, maybe even Original Coors – The Banquet Beer), and go play some golf. The weather is probably still relatively skanky, the course still in crappy shape from the winter, and your game is in even worse shape. But if it’s above freezing (or you live in Cali, Arizona, Texas, or the Southeast) you’re just happy to be out there. Record the tourney while you get some licks in, come back drunk, and flip on three hours of what’s sure to be half-assed NBC coverage from their “B” team this week.

Our guys over at the college football superblog Everyday Should Be Saturday basically make a big part of their living off of hating on Tampa. Here’s two of our favorites: The first one 

ideates on how Tampa won the 2017 National Championship Football Game

 (although it somehow skips over this event).

Okay, back to the Strip Clubs – if you float in certain circles you’re probably pretty familiar with this joint. It also featured prominently in Alan Shipnuck’s book detailing the ascendant late-nineties Rich Beem, as Beem’s then caddie, Steve Duplantis, was a resident of Tampa and a strip club aficionado. Those two details dovetail nicely, as the Mons Venus is the most legendary strip club in a city legendary for it’s strip clubs (just behind Atlanta of the late-nineties). This place has quite the reputation. If you haven’t read Shipnuck’s 

 do so ASAP. (Strangely enough it also features Westward Ho Golf Club up in the Dakota’s rather prominently, which was designed by one, Larry Packard).

Word on the street is that NLU-favorite Kyle Stanley is experimenting with alternative putting methods (Kuchar method, specifically). The last 18 months or so have been a dark time for KFS fans. He’s combined the same exceptional ball-striking we’ve come to expect from him with putting stats that you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemy (well except maybe Gerry Lester Watson, Jr.). In Hilton Head last year we saw him knock it within eight feet on hole after hole, only to miss the putt. The frustration of rooting for one of the best compressers of the ball struggle to get it in the hole is unmatched in golf fandom. When the guy has an average putting week by tour standards, he’s finishing in the top 25. Would love to see him get it turned around and get hot again.

The Florida swing seems longer than usual this year. It’s not. But it just seems like it is. No idea why. I wish we could just fast-forward to Augusta (or at least skip Houston).

Quick note on the Euro event this week– it’s the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco. Wikipedia says that translates to Hassan II Golf Trophy. That’s the tournament’s name. Awesome. Only thing I’ve never been able to figure out, though, is what the winner gets.

There’s a parallel universe somewhere in which this event is named the Dutchboy Championship. And instead of players being greeted by a gigantic snake as they enter the closing stretch of holes, it’s an oversized, bronzed statue of Curt Schilling’s bloody sock. Also, it’s really hard to use “valspar” as a verb – “Curt Schilling valspar’d his sock” just doesn’t have a good ring to it.

Koepka and Uihlein in the field this week (can’t blame them for not making the trip back to Europe from a couple solid weeks stateside, Uihlein at Honda and Cadillac/Koepka at Honda and PR). The Trophee Hassan version 2.0 just isn’t worth the aggravation. And if I had to guess, both of these guys will probably be at Bay Hill.

Valspar Championship Preview

That’s your most current top-25 Index. You’ll probably notice the color-coding of guys’ names. That’s new this week. It directly corresponds to the column 

, which is the reference point by which we are measuring 2014 YOTTOs (have no idea what YOTTO is? Read 

). We’ve color-coded names based on what the percentage of 2013 total purse won translated to in dollars. Here’s the code specifically:

So, for instance, a guy like Vic Dubuisson won zero PGA (Official and Unofficial) dollars last year. Therefore, his starting point as we measure and track his 2014 YOTTO score is 0.00%. In other words, every dollar Vic earns increases his 2014 YOTTO mark. Conversely, a guy like Jason Day won $3.625 million last year, which means he’s gonna have to earn a nice chunk of change this year just to first breakeven from a YOTTO perspective, let alone begin accumulating positive YOTTO (the fact he’s near the top should be a clue to how good his year has been, and the kind of leap he’s making).

A YOTTO score of ‘100,’ therefore, in 2014 for both Vic and Jason Day should be thought about a little differently because of this. Guys with high-hurdles to clear from relatively successful 2013’s have a much higher degree of difficulty in 2014, and thus should be celebrated accordingly. (Note: this is all leading toward the creation of YOTTO tiers once I summon the requisite energy to do so, ideally with some creative labels. Please drop ideas/suggestions in the comments if you’re so inclined).

So with all that out of the way, there are a few interesting takeaways thus far:

1) Of our current top-25, the breakdown of players based on 2013 earnings goes like this:

Greater than $7M (aka Tiger) – 0 players

Guys who earned $1M or less last year are basically announcing themselves to the masses (Dubuisson, Hedley, Renner). Guys above $1M are making certifiable leaps thus far this year, to varying degrees (Walker and Reed to Ryder Cuppers for instance).

2) Speaking of Jimmy Walker, he’s fallen behind Tiger’s 1999 YOTTO high-water mark of 263. Which means he’s liable to win another tournament here soon.

3) The population of guys who made more than $5 million last year consists of the fivesome of Tiger, Stenson, Mickelson, Snedeker, and Kuchar. They currently occupy the rankings in spots #326 (Kuch) and #331 through #334 (out of 334) in this year’s Index. Some of that is model bias as explained above, but it’s also pretty spotty play by the group thus far. With the reach-around schedule having gone live, it ain’t like this year is really that young either.

4) The ‘It’ Group this year (obligatory 

) is Walker, Bubba, DJ, Reed, English, and Day. Those are your POY candidates. Should be among the Augusta favorites too (along with the usual suspects).

YOTTO Update

Mike Francesa, WFAN blowhard from NYC, went off on Patrick Reed for laying up and hitting a 5 iron off the 18th tee on Sunday on his way to winning the WGC-Cadiallac Championship. I know I shouldn’t feed trolls like Francesa, but it’s rare that a big name voice spends this much time on golf, so I’ll go ahead and pick him apart.

If you watched that clip and your brain did not explode, you’re a bigger man than me. If there is ever a topic that we should have authority on, it should be something like this. I mean, 

. We’re all about the guys that play balls to the wall with reckless abandon, but we didn’t even think twice about Reed laying back off the final tee, clearly playing for a bogey to give him a one-shot win.

Francesa’s (awful) take is really unclear throughout the 30 minutes. He ridicules him for laying up, but then says that he understands course management and strategy. He then changes his take to say that you can’t lay up (nevermind that it helped him WIN the tournament) and then post-round proclaim yourself a top-5 player in the world because that doesn’t show confidence. What? Showing you have confidence in your woods is more important than winning a tournament? There are a myriad of reasons why Reed can’t say he’s a top-5 player in the world, but the fact he hit 5-iron off the 18th tee on Sunday surely isn’t one of them.

Next, he says that the players are killing him for laying up. Did ONE single player make a comment about Reed laying up on 18? Several have certainly appeared put off by his comments, but did anyone say a thing about him laying up?

He then goes OFF on callers demanding that someone name another golfer that has EVER played a final hole like that. Seriously? Top of my head, haven’t the last 3 winners at Pebble done it? (Mickelson in 2012, Snedeker in 2013, Walker in 2014). Tiger in 2013 at Doral took his driver out but purposely drove it way right and still almost made a mess of the hole.

Hitting the iron off 18 was the obvious, smart play. I would have been going nuts if Reed had pulled a wood on 18. Help me out here with more specific examples of players hitting irons off the 18th tee to ensure wins.

Mike Francesa's Awful Take on Patrick Reed Laying Up

Previous installments (you’ll want to read before continuing):

We’ve already taught you 30 ways to mimic you’re favorite tour pros, but we’re not close to being done. For some of these, you’re going to have to enlist the help of your playing partner in your 2 on 2 match. Ironically, he’ll be acting as your caddie, even though you’re the one doing the heavy lifting, carrying the team.

You’ve gotten your range sesh in with your alignment sticks, and you’ve done the tee drill on the putting green that has 3 holes cut, making it impossible for the other 50 plebeians to get any practice putts in. Your staff bag is latched onto the cart, and your ProV1’s are marked up. It’s time for #TourSauce Part III:

You’re on the tee for your 2:00 starting time (of course you’ve got a late tee time, you’re on the top of the leaderboard). You’re playing your local muni for approximately the 368th time, but you need to consult with your yardage book just to make sure that greenside bunker 412 yards away isn’t in your reach. You don’t actually even have to have a real yardage book, just use your scorecard. Make sure you wait until it’s your turn so everyone can see just how calculated you are with your approach.

This is an easy one. You’ve struck your 8 iron towards the center of the green, maybe five yards right of the flag. But you’re a tour pro, so you think that you can direct the ball with a simple lean to the left. Don’t be afraid to throw in some color by talking to the ball. Any of the following will do: “Bite!”, “Cut!”, “Ugh, JASON!”, “One Yard, ONE YARD!”

Here’s where you’ll need your partner’s help (we’ll call him Joey). Despite your body contortion and your screaming that could be heard at the clubhouse, your 8 iron ended up 15 feet right of the flag. Green in reg, but this is routine for you. Your playing partner has to have your putter ready to pass to you, and you take it in stride on the way to the green while passing your 8 iron. Don’t worry about the cart, Joey’s got that.

Your 15 footer lips out. You make it clear that you are the only person on the planet that has ever had a lip out. Your reaction is similar to what it would be if you found out your entire family was in a horrible accident. However, this is much worse. This is your 

You’re not done with your tantrum. There was likely a defect in the ball that caused that lip out, so chuck it as far as you can so everyone sees just how unusual a missed putt is for you. However, make sure you throw it toward the next tee box so you can retrieve it (ProV1’s ain’t cheap), just make sure no one sees you pick it back up.

You splash out of the greenside bunker. Joey is already in his pocket, so he volunteers to rake the bunker for you to get you moving. After all, you’ve been walking around in the bunker for several minutes studying the best angle to try to approach the green. On your way out of the trap, you “rake” the sand with your feet, which does absolutely nothing.

Again, your playing partner is playing the role as caddie here. You briefly consulted him for your club choice for your approach, but you don’t even pretend to listen to his advice. You proceeded to chunk it in the water, but immediately blame your “caddie”. Make sure he, along with everyone within shouting range, knows that it was his fault you’ve gotta take a drop.

You blade a wedge over the green at the 120 yard par 3 8th hole. It’s not your fault, and you know that, but you need to make it clear that everyone else knows that. You blame the firm turf, for you’re inability to compress the ball, and the extremely firm green that you airmailed completely. “How am I supposed to play on this!?”

You ignored the forecast on the weather channel in the pro shop, and now it’s starting to sprinkle. Your playing group is playing through the drizzle, but you refuse to continue. You place a call to the pro shop and get the assistant pro out to the furthest point on the course to bring you into the clubhouse and keep your clubs dry.

You make it back out on the course, but you need to make it clear that the conditions are basically unplayable. The only way to get the ball out of the slightly damp rough is to contort your body after your chunk. This lets everyone know just how awful your lie was (ignore the fact that you foot wedged it into a perfect flier). The leg kick lets everyone know that you needed super human strength to get the ball out of the first cut of rough. Thankfully you’ve been spending a lot of time with your physio so this is no problem for you.

You hit your drive into the wrong fairway, and there’s a group coming down that fairway. They’re clearly in YOUR way though. Make sure they know that by directing them as if they’re patrons. Throw in a little “We’re trying to play a little golf here” to make sure they know their place as patrons.

You finish your round, but the match is tied. You show a little respect for your playing partner by removing your hat and shaking their hand. Go out of your way to make it awkwardly professional. The key is the hat removal. Toss in a hug to your playing partner as if he’s your caddie.

Bonus: If you beat your buddy with a putt on the 18th hole, go full Payne Stewart “You’re going to be a father”:

In the case that your match ends in a tie, you must give the people what they want, and settle the bet. You summon the club pro, who takes you back to the 18th tee to start the playoff. Your playing partner can ride in a separate cart. Perhaps sneak in some range balls while your buddy is signing his card.

You finish off the playoff victory, and it’s time to make good on a promise you’ve been making all day. You’ve been getting autograph requests in between every hole, and you’ve responded how you always respond: “After the round guys, thanks.” Grab your winning golf ball and throw your signature on it and hand it to the first patron you see.

You were the first group off in the morning potluck game. You fired an 82, but that’s a net 65, and you like your chances to bring home the pot. You wait out the other 5 foursomes with your family over lunch and a whiskey, while watching from the clubhouse window. After you see Frank miss a 5 footer for 6 net 4 on the 18th, you know you’ve taken home the prize. It’s time to celebrate with your partner and your family.

 and let us know when you see some #TourSauce. And when it finally gets warm enough, try some of these with your buddies and send it to us via Vine or YouTube. We’ll gladly retweet our favorites.

How to Act Like a Tour Pro: Part III

Patrick Reed eeked out another nervy one-shot victory over Bubba Watson and Jamie Donaldson. His 3rd win in the last 8 months puts him in pretty unique company. More on this later…

 Did you guys hear that the course was difficult Friday? It was so difficult that some writers thought it perhaps better to withdraw or get cut then to stick around for a much calmer weekend and free money.

Looks like in the last year of its contract, NBC gets two US Opens.



— Doug Ferguson (@dougferguson405) 

A lot of players very disappointed that there's no cut this week.



— Doug Ferguson (@dougferguson405) 

As it turns out, the smartest guy in this week's field might turn out to be Jason Day.



— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) 

G-Mac after shooting -1 71: “I don’t think I’ve played in conditions this difficult in the U.S. It’s an Open Championship day.” 

I'd bet $1000 to any "scratch" golfer that they wouldn't break 90 on that course today.



— Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) 

Had to lay up 3 times today and non of which were par 5s. 

's



— Keegan Bradley (@Keegan_Bradley) 

 right now. The other 65 guys in the field? Combined 333 over par.



— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) 

 We get it, the course was really hard. The combination of ferocious winds, shaved banks, and turf that hasn’t softened yet made for a lot of water balls on Friday (115, by the best count I saw). The scoring average rose above 76, and the whine-fest got out of hand. Now would be a good time to remind the tour players that the 

par of a hole or a course does not matter

 in a 72-hole stroke play competition. If you want to complain about a bad draw, such as the morning wave getting great weather and the afternoon wave getting a hurricane, I get it. I mean, there still isn’t anything anyone can do about it, but that is a bit unfair. However, on Friday, the conditions were basically the exact same for the entire day for the whole field. It really is a mental test of who wants to complain about the conditions and who accepts it as a challenge. Players want good shots to be rewarded, and I get that. But when the wind blows at the British Open, players rave about how fun it is and how great the challenge is to play a different style of golf. Here in the U.S. on perfectly manicured fairways and greens with soft landing areas, everyone FREAKS OUT when scoring averages rise. If we wanted to see the same style of golf week in and week out, it wouldn’t be called the TOUR.

 Great to have Tiger back in the fold Saturday after his 66 which vaulted him into the pent-ultimate group Sunday. I was going to comment how nice it is to put the “WHAT IS WRONG WITH TIGER” freak-out on ice at least until he doesn’t win the Masters, but then he goes out today, seemingly on the verge of his deathbed, and shoots a birdie-free 78 stoking the fires anew. Part of me likes it better when Tiger is not playing, because then the focus is on the golf and the stories of the guys that are actually leading. Tiger withdrawing from the Honda last week almost ruined an amazing Sunday, as all of a sudden that became the most important story. Obviously golf is at its best when Tiger is at or near the top, but its at its worst when he’s playing and not playing well. If it weren’t for Patrick Reed going ‘FIGJAM’ post-round (more on this below), the Tiger stuff would be incessant not only this week but all the way to Augusta (which it still pretty much will be after the firestorm from Reed’s comments dies off by next weekend).

Articles

Arnold Palmer Invitational Recap

Arnold Palmer Invitational Live Thread

Arnold Palmer Invitational Preview

Hanging out with Jessica Korda and the LPGA

Drones and Golf Coverage: A Perfect Match?

LPGA Early Season Update

Valspar Championship Recap

Valspar Championship Live Thread

Valspar Championship Preview

YOTTO Update

Mike Francesa's Awful Take on Patrick Reed Laying Up

How to Act Like a Tour Pro: Part III

WGC Cadillac Championship/Puerto Rico Open Recap

Friday Links Foursome (What We're Reading)

Puerto Rico Open Preview

WGC-Cadillac Championship Preview

Par 3, Par 4 or Par 5: Why Does It Matter?

Honda Classic Recap