You may think that doing a preview for major championships would be easier than say, the John Deere Classic (aka the Fifth Major), but it’s actually the opposite. The majors are covered at a nauseating level by every major news outlet, and even bring the Rovell types out of the woodwork to pretend like they’ve been paying attention all year (CRAZY: Martin Kaymer made $5,977 PER STROKE at the 2014 U.S. Open). The hard to reach, off the beaten path facts that we like to dig up have already been beaten over your head (did you know that Michael Greller used to caddie at this course!?).

This year, our national championship is being held at Chambers Bay, a course I (along with most other) know very little about. Considering I’m writing this from 5,000 miles away from the media center, I suggest you get insight on the details of the course from a lot better sources (I recommend 

). It’s tough to really come up with the fresh angle, but I’m not gonna lay up.

When you look at the PGA Tour schedule, it’s kind of shocking to see just how far into the season we are. This is the time of the year when it’s hard to not get burned out on the “regular” tour events, and not just care about the majors. It’s like getting past the dating part of a relationship, and you’re now at the part where you just watch Netflix and refuse to admit that you’re sick of each other. At least you have a few summer vacations scheduled, and the U.S. Open and British Open are the two weekends you’re looking forward to.

I was pumped when I found out there was going to be a U.S. Open aired in prime time, but then I decided to move to Europe and I realized that this is the worst thing that could happen to a human. I’m rearranging sleep and work schedules to budget time to stay up until 4:30 AM Monday morning when coverage wraps in Holland. Am I a hero? Look, I didn’t use the word, you did.

It’s easier and more fun for me to simply talk about this event (and let others closer to the situation talk as well) than write about it, so I broke it down with Shane Ryan this week, as well as discussed his book, 

I’m not embarrassed to say that I really don’t know much about Chambers Bay, especially considering only those that have played the course themselves have any idea what to expect. The one thing I do know is that there will be bitching. At times in the past, I would imagine that players have been hesitant to complain about the truly historic courses, mostly out of respect to tradition of these classic clubs, and out of respect to the membership. Although I acknowledge that most of the grumbling has more to do with the USGA’s alterations and manipulation of the courses than it does the layout, it should be noted that there’s no such built up esteem in regards to the course’s track record for the young Chambers Bay, and no membership to appease. It’s open season, and the pros are going to come hunting for Mike Davis as soon as the first putt rolls comically off a green.

 that lets you get as familiar with it as possible before Fox’s drones inevitably start humming in Bubba’s backswing and get shot out of the sky like a clay disc on a skeet shooting range. Both the 1st and 18th holes can be played as either a par 4 or a par 5 (

), and several holes can be played at greatly varying lengths (in particular, 

 can be played as short as 123 yards, and as long as 246 yards). The teeing areas aren’t really even teeing areas, as the terrain from the previous hole sort of just rolls into the following hole, similar to the landscape at Bandon Dunes and Streamsong. Unconventional, idiosyncratic, and at times, it’s just going to be downright wacky. With Donald Trump announcing his presidential candidacy this week, don’t be surprised if he takes a break from Obama’s birth certificate to take a rip on the brown look of Chambers Bay.

The part that I’m most concerned with are the green complexes. Horschel made a comment about being worried about them, and the image I have in my mind is similar to what I experienced at Streamsong. My one criticism of those courses was that there are elephants buried under those greens, and did not seem to be designed to provoke thought making and strategy, but more just to mess with you and protect the course. I can see Chambers Bay playing the same way.

Nobody loves to complain more than Bubba Watson and Ian Poulter, so bringing them to a U.S. Open is like having Taylor Swift and Adele date each other, then write songs about it. The material potential is just endless. Poulter didn’t even bother making it out to the property before his 

. Ryan Palmer has already stated that it’s “

” Jordan Spieth carefully and tactically labeled it as “

” Ladies and gentlemen, the 2015 U.S. Open!

Lost in the hysteria around the course, the obsession with par, and cutaways to someone’s oil spill several holes away from the key action, is the fact that this tournament is our national championship. Both the USGA and Fox are banking big on Chambers Bay being an absolute spectacle on TV, and I’m anticipating that it’s actually going to live up to the hype. A lot of people are nervous about Fox taking over coverage, as they admittedly have no experience covering golf, but at the same time, I’m fine with a break from the traditional mold of golf coverage. What they lack in golf broadcast experience, they (hopefully) make up for with their overall experience broadcasting sports. When it comes down to it, an alternative to the CBS artificially infused drama, and the NBC Johnny Miller show might not be a completely disastrous option, even if Joe Buck is heavily involved.

there’s going to be drones flying over top Bubba Watson

. Fox is going to have to dress the dude with the remote control to that thing in camouflage or there is going to be a murder on live television. Ted Scott is going to have his work cut out for himself just getting out of the way:

Expect the vibe to be extra jovial. I’ve never been to the PNW, but I imagine that the Seattle folk have been counting down this event for a long time. You’ll see some Jimmy Graham Seahawks jerseys with the tags still on them, and be ready for Pete Carroll to suggest that Spieth hit a flop shot with his one footer to win on the 72nd hole.

 – Bold! I picked him before the season started, and I’m not changing that pick just because he won the first major. If this happens, and you thought my reaction to him winning the Masters was over the top (it was), then be prepared for “teen girl at her first One Direction concert” type fangirl-ing (I’m already embarrassed).

 – Runner up at the Memorial in his last start, and won the Zurich in late April. His slow start to the season seems like a lifetime ago, and he seems like the efficient ball-striker that could really thrive on this course (obviously this is just a guess).

 – Coming off a final round 65 in Memphis, and a strong history at the U.S. Open (T23 in 2014, and T4 in 2013), I just keep picturing Horschel starting wildfires out there in the plains of Washington. A Spieth/Horschel final pairing on Sunday would have longer monologues between players, caddies, and golf balls than an Aaron Sorkin screenplay.

 – A shaky weekend in Memphis where a few truly horrific shots cost him the title can be easily forgotten when looked at through NLU-shaded glasses. Strong performance at the U.S. Open last year, a bomber, and atruly apathetic IDGAF look to him gives me the (perhaps unwarranted) perception that he has the demeanor to succeed on this stage.

Obviously all the big guns are here, so you can’t ignore 

, etc. Keep in mind that I haven’t picked a winner since the Waste Management, despite the fact that we’ve had awesome winner after winner all season.

A few weeks ago, I was telling others that I thought Rory was going to run away with this thing. I’m overreacting by not even mentioning him in the major plot lines for this, but I can’t get those two weeks in Europe out of my head. I’m for sure not counting him out, but I’m saying the same type of things I was saying before the Masters: I just don’t think he’s going to win. There’s really no point in making a statement like that, because the odds are obviously on my side, and I can only look dumb for saying it, but I’m at the point where I trust Spieth more week to week to contend than I do Rory. I’m not alone in thinking Rory’s A-game is better than anyone’s any-game, but I don’t think it’s fair to expect that week to week.

Looking back at some old U.S. Opens, the 2008 event obviously sticks out above them all. Everyone points to the birdie on 18 on Sunday to tie Rocco, but my favorite moment is the eagle on 18 on Saturday. Watch this video, and tell me that there has ever been crowd noise louder than this on a golf course:

The last two American winners of this event are Webb Simpson and Lucas Glover. That ’09 title should have gone to Duval.

 with this take): On that note, four of the last five trophies have gone overseas. This begs the only real question: How long until we take this event to Alabama and Mike Davis invokes 

 and doesn’t allow illegal immigrants in the field? It’s time to protect our borders. (There’s going to be someone that takes this bullet seriously, isn’t there).

Lahiri/Jaidee Watch: Anirban comes in ranked 45th in the world, yet is somehow 500/1 to win. Jaidee is ranked 33rd in the world (!), and is being sold at 300/1. The books straight up tell you how big of a farce the OWGR are.

If you want to join a U.S. Open pool with a chance to win some free NLU t-shirts, 

As mentioned above, I’m assuming that Fox is going to maintain the U.S. Open tradition of showing a complete train wreck from the dude that’s already eight shots off the pace who just took two chips and four putts to finish the 11th hole. Don’t be surprised if 

 comes jumping onto the screen to count out the dude’s knockout:

Enjoy the week and catch us on twitter during coverage 

2015 U.S. Open Preview

I’m finding it more than tough to hide the lack of enthusiasm surrounding this event and keep myself from peeking ahead to next week’s US Open. If FedEx wasn’t 

 in the sponsorship game (not just this tournament, see: the eponymous manufactured season-long points race) this “classic” in Memphis probably wouldn’t exist. However, it’s a good thing it does, as the St. Jude Children’s Hospital is a wonderful organization and benefits tremendously from the platform and funding this event provides. If I’m being kind, I would say that from a viewer’s perspective is certainly a lower tier event. Combine that with the fact that it suffers from a weird spot on the calendar, and you’ve got a weekend that I circle as a travel weekend. Add in that 

 is on his honeymoon, Randy has been working on 

, forgive us if this preview is a little bit short and to the point.

An interesting tidbit on the recent history of the event – ponzi schemer extraordinaire 

 rolled in hard and picked up the title sponsorship from FedEx in ’07 (Woody Austin won that year – dude got his other people’s money’s worth!) and continued on for ’08. After rescuing the event in ’09, dropping it in ’10, FedEx eventually picked it back up and here we are today. If you’re unfamiliar with Allen Stanford or Stanford Financial Group, go ahead and 

, it’s well worth your time – hell there’s even a Vijay Singh appearance!

Federal pound-me-in-the-ass Penitentiary? Sign Me Up!

Par 70, ton of long par 4’s, and small greens. 

. Of note, the 14th hole is a beast – 240 yards to a small green over water. And the 17th and 18th holes provide a great finishing test – just long par 4’s. The list of winners since the event moved to Southwind in ’89 is stout: Nick Price (twice), Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Jay Haas, Justin Leonard (twice), David Toms (twice), and last but certainly not least, Woody Austin.

Bottom line, it’s a TPC course. It rates in the middle of the pack in 

 among tour players, but visually on television you’re left wondering aloud why the tour goes to Tennessee in June. You can almost see the humidity on your set, and you’ll get more than your fair share of unfortunate sweat stains that will make you question whether or not HD is really necessary for an event like this. The pros seem to like this place more than I do, but do any of them have a infrequently updated, low traffic, obscure golf blog? That’s what I thought.

I’ve never been to Memphis and really don’t have any strong connects who know Memphis well. I dated a girl that went to school there, and she turned out to be the worst person ever. That’s my tie to Memphis.

When I think Memphis I think BBQ, Z-Bo, Casey Wittenberg, Three 6 Mafia/Project Pat, John Grisham, and John Calipari’s sleaziness. Surely the frat vibe will be in full force as we’re in the deep south and Ole Miss is right up the road.

Ben Crane won and nobody noticed. The most notable name in the top 10 for me is Horschel.

 – That’s some damn respectful odds, but he played well here last year as noted above, and I have a weird feeling about him peaking at the U.S. Open, so I think he’s worth the play this week as well.

 – Top 5 here in 2013 and 2012, and coming off a top 10 in his previous start. He’s due.

 – He’s locked up special temporary membership, and I already claimed he’s going to win soon, so it’s time to start backing him.

 (he’s been a slow simmer of late and track record is wonderful here, 

 (solid record here, loves to pulverize weak fields), Koepka, and Donaldson are the names that stick out for fantasy purposes. But let’s be clear: The FedEx St. Jude Classic is NOBODY’S fantasy.

! We apologize for the delay, but really, we’re sorry we’re not sorry. It takes a lot of work to get this up and running in an efficient manner, so another shout out to Young Neil for getting this taken care of. The 

 are also back in stock if you’re looking for a Father’s Day gift that your dad probably won’t understand. But seriously, if you want to help out with the costs of running an ad-free site, a sponsorless podcast, and bad gambling habits while still getting something in return, it is very much appreciated.

With the U.S. Open going to the west coast this year, it’s not a coincidence that the field is even weaker than usual. Don’t be surprised to see a big name guy press the eject button hard on Friday if things are going his way so he can get a few extra days to recover and practice out west (Practice!? We talkin’ about practice!?).

Somehow the purse for this event has actually decreased since 2007/2008 – how is that possible, considering the explosion in Tour purses over the last decade? It’s back to the levels of 2007/2008 this year ($1,080,000) to the winner, but I’m hoping this has something to do with more money going to the foundation?

I never got around to posting the May Mailbag because most of it was a love letter to Rory talking about how he’s going to blow the field away at Chambers Bay. I predicted Spieth to win the U.S. Open before the season started so I’m going to just stick with that.

I’m in Budapest this weekend, and I’ve done next to no research. Anyone out there have any tips? Leave them in the comments below.

Bob Garrigus had this trophy in hand in 2010 until a DISASTROUS 72nd hole cost him the tournament:

2015 FedEx St. Jude Classic Preview

Thoughts from my day spent at sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio:

The Columbus sectional is laden with recognizable Tour players, due in large part to the timing every year of The Memorial. It’s split over two courses, one this year being The Lakes Golf & CC, which I’ve had the privilege of playing on several occasions. As I drove to the course, I spent a good bit preparing for the feelings of inadequacy to be brought on by the Pros hitting it to places I didn’t think were actually in play. I’m not saying this makes me brothers-in-arms with Mike Weir, but I think it does provide us a common bond.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the general vibe of the place. ‘Apathetically chill’ is how I’d best describe it. Grabbing a pairing sheet, the USGA folks encouraged me to have a good time and go wherever I wanted. There are no ropes, no noticeably cordoned off areas, and no sense of continually having to walk on egg shells that often accompany Tour events. Sure, you give the players a healthy berth, but you can stroll right up the fairway as you please. On a few occasions I was tossing divots back to the caddie. What I’m trying to say is, you’ll be hard pressed to get any closer to the World’s best. Instead of relying on the guy holding the big, fuzzy boom mic to pick up interesting caddie/player exchanges and funny one-liners, you are him. Very cool.

There weren’t many people at this thing. At least not this year (severe weather was a threat throughout the day). It’s on a Monday which automatically eliminates all the working, productive members of society. Luckily, that’s not me. I wandered up the 10th fairway at one point and became the only person watching Rory Sabbatini and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. It was here that their scorer informed me Sabbatini had made the turn in approximately 75 F-bombs. I never did find out what the course record is out there, but I have to imagine Rory put some distance between he and it.

Sabbo’s caddie ripping a dart. Dude looks like he likes to party a bit.

A quick note on GFC. A lot of these guys can be unrecognizable except for a name on their bag or something. GFC was quite recognizable in that he was the freshest dressed dude out there. He was rocking his patented visor, with a salmon shirt and light cotton slacks. My largest pangs of jealousy on the day may very well have been for the nonchalant, Spanish swag he exudes.

I saw Maverick McNealy was playing and wanted to get a look at one of the NCAA’s best. I followed his group for 4 holes on the back nine. Not really having a good mental imagine of Maverick, I quickly ID’d him thanks to his multiple Stanford logos (hat, shirt, shoes, and ball) and the use of a pull cart by his caddie. I swear these Stanford dudes are ushering in a pull cart revolution in golf, which I’m not sure I’m ready for. Anyway, my short-sample prognosis of his game–ball striking did not stand-out, relatively speaking, by any means (in fact, I was most impressed with Canadian Tour player, Brett Nymeyer, tee to green in his group), but the short game was tight. In a way, I guess I’m describing almost everyone out there in a sense, but I was expecting more of McNealy given his success this year in college. Again, it was a short sample, but I walked away a little bearish I guess. Could be completely mistaken, of course.

Got to watch Michael Putnam for a few holes. Bear of a man. Definitely in play for a spot on either the NLU 

 line this season. Big guy hits it a ton and gets steep on a short iron. Tremendously enjoying for yours truly. He was playing with Sam Saunders, aka Arnie’s grandson. Sam was exuding the most relaxed, friendly vibe of any of the pros I encountered. Of course he was playing lights out (co-medalist), which helps, but he just seemed down to earth and at ease amongst the smattering of people following the group. I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

One thing that is very disconcerting at first is seeing various Tour players wearing shorts. It’s a bit of a sensory shock, especially considering the collective pastiness of their legs. I didn’t bear witness to everybody, but I gotta give Jason Kokrak the ‘Coppertone Pastiest Legs’ award.

Eventually the severe weather hit, which actually worked out well for me, as it gave me time to make the 40 min drive over to Brookside CC, to catch some action on that course and be there for a playoff if needed. Sectional qualifying is a cache of W(M)Ds as is, but more so given the afternoon weather delay. Had this been a decade or so prior, I’m not positive Rummy and the boys wouldn’t have sent some shock and awe to the area.

Totally unfamiliar with the Brookside layout, I wandered on to the property. There were some names I was hoping to catch (Justin Thomas, Bryson Dechambeau, Kelly Kraft, Ken Duke (the Queen and mine’s boy), Greg Chalmers–just kidding), but had no idea where I was going. I eventually stumbled upon the Bo Van Pelt/Billy Mayfair group and decided I probably wasn’t going to find anything better in the remaining holes that were left. First off, Bo Van Pelt is a large man. Secondly, he was enjoying a leisurely go of it thanks to an opening round 65, regularly chatting up their third playing partner, a young kid named Justin Regier, who I have to imagine will always remember the experience fondly, and generally just enjoying himself. He hit some majestic drives, a fabulous 200 yd hooking iron around some trees to about 15 feet, and displayed some deft greenside touch. All in all was very approachable and chill.

Mayfair, on the other hand, was in total grind mode, hovering right around the number. Billy doesn’t hit it anywhere close to Van Pelt, or even Regier, but was pumping in mid to long irons at greens. Ultimately his putter let him down, missing a handful of 15 to 20 footers and ultimately missing the number by a few. Here’s a guy who’s earned over $20 million on Tour (

), but stuck in limbo between the PGA Tour and Senior circuit at 49 years old.

I followed Mayfair and Van Pelt through the completion of their round and wandered over to the scoring area. It was a cool scene as different guys would come in off the course inquiring, “what’s the number?” After a while it was just a mix of spectators, players, and support staff waiting around as the scores were manually posted both from Brookside and The Lakes. After a while, it was obvious a playoff would be needed, but daylight was running out, and DA Points had to get his ass over to Brookside from The Lakes. There was doubt about whether a playoff would go off that evening, or have to wait until Tuesday morning. Luckily DA whipped his courtesy Lexus (from the Memorial) into the lot in time (came in 

Robert Streb and I watching the board. He was in the hunt for a US Open spot AND Pastiest Legs honor.

It was Alex Cejka, Kevin Chappell, Robert Streb, Danny Lee, and Points vying for 3 spots. They went off the first playoff hole as a 5-some, with a crowd of maybe a hundred or so people following them up the fairway. A cool scene to be sure. Everybody but Cejka made par on the first, with Alex flubbing a couple chips and ejecting from the proceedings. The 4 guys, along with crowd, then marched off to the second hole. Quite dark at this point, I, along with everyone else, assumed this would be it. All four again made pars, though. Amazingly, however, they all agreed to play one more hole. At this point it was beyond dark. Standing down the fairway, you couldn’t see the balls being hit, let alone the guys themselves. We listened for each of the balls to land and marked them for the players. Luckily it was a short par 4, requiring just a wedge for an approach, so all balls were easily able to be ID’d greenside as well. This is where things got pretty hilarious. It’s dark at this point. I mean, forget about being able to read the green, guys couldn’t see the cup from beyond maybe 10 feet, their caddies tending the flag from like 15/20 feet. Nobody made it, so all had short par putts. As it were, Kevin Chappell horseshoed what looked like a 3 footer, while everyone else made, so it was Lee, Points and Streb ultimately claiming the last three US Open spots.

It was a bit surreal standing there in the aftermath, darkness enveloping the grounds, only the lights from the clubhouse in the distance showing the way back. On one hand, I greatly respected the guys’ decision to keep playing. The darkness lent a sense of playful innocence to the affair, like there was a bet needing settled, and damnit, we’re gonna settle it. On the other hand, I was amazed guys would play under those conditions with so much at stake–a US Open berth and all that comes with a strong showing there, not to mention just being there. I know it’s a pain in the ass to get up at 6:00am for possibly just one hole of golf, and travel schedules would need re-arranged, but man. From my perspective, though, I’m glad they played it off that night. It was fun, informal, yet incredibly nerve racking and high stakes. A memorable moment to have witnessed.

This was the light for the 2nd playoff hole. They’d play one more.

My view to the pin just after the drama had ended. It was dark.

All in all, I hope you’ll pardon what became my long-winded musings. If you’ve read this far, I salute you. The main thing I want to convey is how different the atmosphere around qualifying was than anything I’ve experienced on Tour. It’s casual, laid back, free, and lots of fun. I’d encourage anyone to get out next year for the day and take it in. I promise you it’s one of the more enjoyable days you’ll spend around the game all year.

Musings From a Day Spent at Sectional Qualifying

I’ve got story after story from the Memorial. As was mentioned in 

Part I of our Memorial Tournament Preview

, I’ve been attending this tournament since I was a child. Some of these stories are interesting, and some aren’t, so eject from this at your own leisure.

, but I need to share the best Memorial story I have. The year is 1999, and I’m attending a practice round with two friends as an impressionable 7th grader. This is the height of Tigermania, and it took an engineering degree to plan out the proper location to get a glimpse of the Big Feline. After several failed attempts on the front nine, I camped out between the 10th green and the 11th tee and waited, uncapped blue sharpie in hand.

The excitement built as he strode up the hill to the tee, and I was ready. What didn’t help was my small stature as a 12 year old, and I was quickly bullied by grown men reaching over top of me, jamming up against the ropes, desperately sticking their Nike hats with the tags still on them in the Big Cat’s face. My arms remained outstretched despite the claustrophobia, and as Tiger passes by, the mayhem overwhelmed me, and I barely even saw Cat as he walked by. I felt like I had been molested, and couldn’t tell who it was from. But I swore it felt like I brushed Tiger’s shoulder as he walked by, but there was no way to tell, because I couldn’t see anything.

I made my way to the hill behind the 11th tee where I circled back up with my friends (who will 100% validate this story).

“No. But I think I wrote on his shirt.”

“He brushed right by me. I had my sharpie out. I think I wrote on his shirt!”

We moved up even higher so that we could see him on the tee box. There he stood with Butch Harmon, pulling on his shirt to get the full view in sight, and there it was. Approximately a 6-8 inch blue streak from his left pectoral all the way across to his left sleeve. Harmon and him looked at it and laughed. My friends jaws dropped.

I ditched my blue sharpie, thinking that the FBI was going to be hunting down the culprit. I ran home to tell my mom about it, who pretty much rolled her eyes at the story. A few hours later, we’re in the kitchen with the news on, and they do a tease going into a commercial break about an update from the Memorial. Sure enough, they show Big Cat lean down to pick his ball up out of the hole, and as he rises, as clear as day, the blue streak across his chest.

To this day, I do not have Tiger’s autograph, but he has mine.

Armed with my best friend and fellow golf addict Frank, we decided to follow Justin Leonard around one year for reasons that are still unknown. Leonard make a double-bogey on one of the holes on the back, but followed it with a birdie. My 13-ish year old self felt the need to give our guy a boost, so I gave him a “Way to fight back, Justin!” call in a high pitched voice that did not come off nearly as cool as I thought it would in my head. To this day, whenever I follow a terrible hole with a good one, Frank will give me a “Way to fight back, Justin!” call that brings me right back to that awkward encounter every time.

In either 2006 or 2007, Fil, Tron, and I (along with our friend Kyle) are walking into the tournament. When I say that everyone snuck their phone into the tournament, I mean EVERYONE. Cell phones were still prohibited at this point, and to say security was lazy about it would be complimenting the volunteers at the entrance gates. The procedure consisted of them literally just asking you if you had a cell phone on you. Sure enough, I get asked if I have a phone on me. “Yep, absolutely….. I mean NO, NO.” And they STILL didn’t search me for the phone.

 founders were in search of some alcoholic beverages, yet we had not yet reached the legal drinking age. With the abundance of corporate parties, this was rarely an issue, and a friend of ours from Indy tipped us off on a house that we should go to. The only problem was, we didn’t know a single person at this party. He told us not to worry, and to just show up at the Duke Realty house off to the side of the 15th hole, and if anyone asks who we know, just say that we’re friends of a “Wes Podell.” If they really ask questions, say that Wes couldn’t make it because he’s been busy working on the 

. We gathered up the courage to check out the scene, and obtained our beverages, and were feeling pretty good about ourselves. We watched golf from the yard and joked about how it just wasn’t the same to not have our old buddy Wes there with us (a joke we still continue to this day). After a couple beers, someone finally realizes that there are teenagers there drinking beers in their yard, and they asked us who we knew. We went into our speech, but the middle aged man was not impressed. He very kindly asked us to leave. Thanks for nothing, Wes.

It’s 2006, and Nick Price is putting on the practice green after his round. The green is pretty crowded, and there’s a decent amount of people standing around watching. There are two gentlemen there that are CLEARLY attending their first ever PGA Tour event. Cut-off tees, jeans, and cans of PBR that weren’t even available for purchase within the grounds (I’m actually extremely impressed that they pulled that one off, and still don’t know how). These guys are determined to get Nick’s attention…. only they think this is Nick 

, not Price. They are stunned when Price doesn’t turn around to constant “Faldo! Hey FALDO!” yells from less than 30 feet away. This goes on for long enough that finally Price has to run around and yell at them: “I’m not Nick Faldo. I’m Nick Price!” About fifteen minutes later, we’re walking the front-nine backwards when we see these guys getting escorted out the gate on the 8th tee, with their female significant others bitching all the while about how dumb they were.

Lastly, it’s still 2006 and we’re hanging out around the 10th green and see David Duval teeing off. We’re curious to see him as he was in like year three of his prolonged stint in the wilderness (at this point he’d made 13 of his last 61 cuts). As he’s getting announced, this sales-type in his mid-thirties decked out in Nike gear turns to his buddy and says “Look at Duval. That guy is such a menace. I bet he shoots 65 today.” Tron, Fil, and I turn to one another in awe of this absurd proclamation and refer to Duval as a “menace” to this day.

2015 Memorial Tournament Preview, Part II: The Stories

Every year in late May or early June, the game’s best arrive in Dublin, Ohio for perhaps the greatest non-major event on the PGA Tour schedule. The Memorial Tournament gets circled on the calendar every single year for any player of consequence (unless your name is Rory) in what is highly regarded as the best regular stop on tour outside of Augusta National. Always played exactly two weeks before the U.S. Open, on a big boy golf course, unprecedented hospitality, and hosted by the most prestigious champion to ever play the game means you get an absolutely world-class event as the final significant tune up for our national championship.

Muirfield was the site of Jack Nicklaus’ first career Open Championship, and became the name of his pride and joy in Dublin, Ohio, a small suburb of Columbus. Muirfield Village Golf Club was built in 1976 and designed by the Columbus native, and has played host to this event since then. My family set up shop in Muirfield Village in 1992, and my parents still live there to this day.

Growing up in Dublin, Memorial Tournament week was a testament to how cool your parents were, as you spent most of the week begging for a note to get out of school to go seek autographs and golf balls from guys most of us had never heard of. Up until this year, I used it as a get-out-of work excuse and made the eastward trek “home” from Chicago for a week of playing golf, drinking beers with old friends, and watching the world’s elite in the Masters of the Midwest (moving abroad has unfortunately caused me to miss the event for the first time in ages). To say that this tournament hits home to me would be understatement. The Memorial Tournament is the defining event for my hometown, and has been a memory maker for me for two decades.

It may be blasphemous to say, but Muirfield Village may be the closest thing on the tour to Augusta National. Nicklaus admits that Augusta was a huge influence on the design, and to this day, the tournament is run in a similar fashion to the Masters. Like Augusta, the course is known as a second shot golf course, is defined by its tall trees, elegant water hazards, and underrated elevation changes that just can’t be appreciated until you see them in person. The similarities on the back nine get a little bit creepy to the point where it almost feels as if Jack used Muirfield Village as an excuse to remind you of his six Masters titles.

Here are the 12th holes at Muirfield and Augusta, respectively:And the 16th holes at Muirfield and Augusta, respectively (it should be noted that the 16th at Muirfield was reconfigured a few years ago and featured one of the deepest bunkers on tour in the place of where the pond currently sits – Jack moved a massive amount of earth to create the semblance below):

Those two examples are the easiest to illustrate visually, but that is not where they end. At both courses, the first hole is a long, difficult, dogleg right par 4 that is protected by fairway bunkers to the right. The third holes are each short par-4’s that don’t require a driver. The fourth holes are long par-3’s that serve as one of the most non-descript holes at both courses. The 17th is a long, straight away par-4 on both courses, and the 18th is a long, dogleg right par-4 that chutes straight up the hill toward the clubhouse. The par-5’s are all reachable, and the course is ALWAYS being tinkered with, be it lengthening to keep up with the technology pace, adding/moving bunkers, or resurfacing the greens. Muirfield is Jack’s lego set.

A new tee went in on 18 in the summer of 2013 after the Memorial that was used for the Presidents Cup in October of that year, and went into play for the Memorial in 2014. Initial reviews from players are mixed at best. Jack grew tired of seeing guys hit 2-iron down the fairway from 440 yards, then a 9-iron into the green, so he stretched it to 480 yards to a spot I wasn’t sure it was possible to put a tee box. The problem isn’t the added length necessarily. It’s that it now brings the tree that guards the right side of the fairway squarely into play for a well struck tee shot, as seen here:

Here's your angle to 18 green after a 285 yd drive in fw. Pin is behind the trunk. Not sure I agree w new tee box 

The 18th usually plays downwind, but if the wind shifts this week, you could see some ugly numbers on this beast.

When the course was built in the 1970’s, Dublin was nothing but corn fields, and was home to less than 3,000 people. Today, over 40,000 people call Dublin home. The city sits to the north of downtown Columbus, and is less than 20 minutes from the Horseshoe where Ohio State fans have gathered for a century. Columbus prides itself on being a huge sports town, and anyone who has come in contact with Ohio State fans over the last decade-plus can likely attest to that (be prepared to hear some “O-H” chants, followed by “I-O” on the broadcast).

When Columbus finally got its first professional franchise in 2000 with the expansion Blue Jackets, the passion the Buckeye community had for their city was evident from day one. A Jackets game at Nationwide Arena was rated as the number 2 experience 

 by ESPN the magazine. Every game was seemingly sold out, and that area rocked every night despite the team’s lack of success.

What does that have to do with the Memorial Tournament? Well, for nearly a quarter of a century, the Memorial was the only professional event in town, and this week still remains as the second biggest sports week of the year in Dublin, outside of the OSU/Michigan game. The natives come out in droves to watch Tiger dominate this course year after year, and it stands as the place to see and be seen in Dublin. The weather has traditionally been awful (and it looks questionable again early in the week), but the people will trudge through with their umbrellas and golf shoes to watch the world’s best.

And an equal-opportunity bit from our resident SEC-homer, Tron Carter:

I’d imagine that the galleries at this event are a great sideshow for the majority of pros on a tour so predominated by SEC and Big-12 alums as it is. Hot, homegrown, wholesome midwestern women roam the premises, and in tow are bros of all-ages pimping Buck Tech shirts and lids, with some outdated Abercombie gear sprinkled in (corporate hq just east of here). Surely they’ll ramble on into eternity about how overrated the SEC is as they congregate on the 12th and (especially) 14th holes, causing headaches for the marshals patrolling those holes. Overall, it’s a hell of an entertaining scene and one that I appreciate more and more now that I’ve moved back to Georgia after my four-plus years at Miami of Ohio with Soly and Fil (and yes, I know, 

there are a legion of stereotypes in play there

). This is my favorite course on tour outside of the majors, and the scene is there to match.



After the tournament, the fun moves over to the Bogey Inn, a local gin-joint turned once-a-year speakeasy/temporary John Daly bus-side merch-tent/beach-volleyball haven. Basically, imagine an off-site version of the 

. And while I’ll probably get a bit of flack for my anti-OSU diatribe above, I can take solace in the fact that my friends and relatives who reside in Columbus know that it’s one of my favorite cities in the country – a veritable golf mecca, a surprisingly progressive cultural oasis in the middle of Ohio, and home to a bunch of salt of the earth people prone to some good-natured ribbing.

Matsuyama held off Kevin Na’s furious charge on Sunday, but the biggest story was Bubba hitting a ball so far right on 15 on Sunday that it ended up in someone’s backyard. True story: Tron, Fil and I snuck into a party in the backyard of that exact house in 2006, only to be kicked out when our story of who we knew at the party didn’t hold up (full story in Part II).

 – Runner up here in 2010, with mixed results since then. Obviously his recent form is fantastic.

– Considering his recent form, and the fact that he lost in a playoff here last year, I can’t believe he’s not more of a favorite. I’m all over him at this price.

 – Top 10’s in each of his last two starts here, and really could have won this thing in 2013. He’s had a quiet year, but he also played well (if I remember right) in the Presidents Cup here.

(love him on the course, just can’t advise a play at 8/1 as he could very well be exhausted), 

 are all advised this week. I also may or may not have that Tiger guy in my lineup, and afraid to admit it.

It’s disappointing (yet understandable) to not have Rory in the field this week. I feel like this course suits him really well, despite a less than stellar history of results. He can murder the par 5’s, hit driver almost anywhere that he pleases (considering the wide landing areas), and can get some more U.S. reps after his disastrous European vacation.

On that note, why is Bubba not in the field this week? The guy almost ruined my season last year by parading up and down the wide Muirfield fairways with that stupid grin on his face until he hit a ball so far right on 15 that he would have been better off yelling “BENGHAZI” at it rather than “FORE”. For the same reasons I noted above, Bubba can bring this course to his knees, and should be using this as a final U.S. Open tune-up, because he might be able to do the same to Chambers Bay (*shudders*).

Muirfield Village is well known among the players for their world class milkshakes. Get ready for a lot of tweets this week from players on how many milkshakes they’ve had. It’s going to be riveting.

The practice facility at Muirfield is widely known as the best on tour. The range spans 180 degrees so that players can practically simulate any wind environment they’d like. It’s relatively flat, there’s a ton of greens to hit, too. It makes Augusta’s facility look small.

, who will be wedding a beautiful Swede in Atlanta this weekend. I’m sorry I can’t be there with the rest of the NLU gang, but I’ll be there in spirit. Knowing Tron, he’s still going to fire off some takes on Matt Kuchar lacking pop right after he says his vows. Congrats bro!

Stay tuned for Part II, where I’ll share some mostly uninteresting stories from my years attending the Memorial.

2015 Memorial Tournament Preview, Part I

The HP Byron Nelson Championship is to the PGA Tour what the GoDaddy.com Bowl is to College Football. If you didn’t know better, its placement on the schedule suggests a big time event, when in reality it’s simply odd schedule-filler fodder for the marquee tournaments nearby as it’s sandwiched on the calendar by Wells Fargo, Players, Colonial and Memorial. In reality, this used to be a bigger stop on the schedule, as evidenced by the 

The big news that came out Tuesday was that the tournament organizers went all in on the NLU movement by grouping Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, and Justin Thomas (which, I’m sure by now you’re sick of me reminding you of, 

). The question remains, is it safe to have this many pillars of the game concentrated in such a tight space? Although it’s not an official Secret Service policy, there is a reason that the president and vice president of the United States do not fly together. What if an unnamed terrorist came along and sought to end this OWGR takeover from the young guns and was able to take out three heroes with one swipe? With the mob scene that is going to surround this grouping on Thursday, I’m hoping that the Secret Service volunteer marshalls are on the lookout for characters like this:

Keep your eyes peeled for this guy this week

Before proceeding, in the interest of full disclosure I will go ahead and say that I do work for a luxury hotel company (rhymes with Schnitz-Tarlton), which is an obvious rival of Four Seasons in the lux hospitality game. However, any biases I harbor are on the back burner when it comes to golf, as Four Seasons does a fantastic job, and I haven’t been afraid to express disappointment for a couple of the course designs in my company’s portfolio (see: WGC Match Play venue in prior years). So, I’m not at all hesitant to proclaim that Dallas deserves a better showcase course than this bland resort course. By all accounts, the resort itself is topnotch and the conditions are pristine. However, the course itself was rated the 

fourth worst course on the entire tour by the players

, and was described by an anonymous tour pro (who I always envision to be Jeff Maggert for obvious reasons) as: “The worst course we play on tour. It doesn’t reward a good shot. Just terrible all around.” Golf Digest 

. If that doesn’t get you fired up for this week, I’m not sure what will!

The TPC Four Seasons has somehow hosted this event since 1986 (at one time over two courses in an effort to spread the field out and combat weather-related delays), and despite a redesign in 2007 by D.A. Weibring, I’d imagine the strength of the field speaks volumes about the event. The course is defined by its large and undulating greens, along with manufactured creeks and ponds that scream “resort course” and smack golf purists in the face with their stacks of dollar bills. Although come to think of it, well-manicured, artificial mounding doesn’t sound too out of character for Dallas.

Fear not, MetroPlexuals, as it sounds like 

Ben Crenshaw & Bill Coore are coming to your rescue by way of Trinity Forest Golf Club

). Though there’s a paucity of information on relevant facts like if construction started yet, when the course will open, and when the tournament will relocate, it does seem that this site on a former landfill 

presents a unique canvas for the Crenshaw & Coore dream team

 (I’m betting the results will be better than another high profile landfill track – Liberty National). Ironically enough Crenshaw consulted on the original TPC Four Seasons design.

‘s longtime MetroPlex correspondent, Andy Staron, was kind enough to sprinkle his local knowledge this week:

Las Colinas (née El Ranchito de Las Colinas) is a perfectly nice, little planned community set in Irving, Texas that is basically 22 million sq ft of office space and some statues of galloping horses that have somehow garnered the tiniest amount of local notoriety (no word on if they’re the same breed as Ricky Barnes). Las Colinas is sandwiched between DFW and Love Field, and the ease with which you can get in/out/get/grab/bonk is probably why it’s home to nearly as many companies as it is people. Dallas sits just to the east, and shares a regional catch-all designation (The Metrolplex) with Fort Worth, and I’ve got to believe the thousands of businessmen keep the multitude of nearby “massage” parlors in business. Ultimately, everybody knows somebody who works in Las Colinas, but I don’t think anybody cares to know shit about it.

Horses for Courses? 

Dallas is a sports crazy city with a ton of golfers so I expect a full house. What does that mean for the people watching? Just imagine a strong contingent of Matt Stafford and Clayton Kershaw look-alikes milling about (minus the athletic prowess) sporting names like 

. In that same vein, expect a strong showing from the SMU crowd. The more discerning fans in and around The Metroplex likely shot their PGA Tour load at Colonial last week.

Sure, Brendon Todd won, but the real story here is… Mike Weir! Since then he has played in 20 events, and has promptly failed to to make the weekend in 18 of them. Derek Ernst thinks this was a random weekend.

 – I’m going to keep betting him until he wins. Which will be soon. (By the way, can you imagine how nauseating I’m going to be if he wins the week after doing our podcast? If this happens then just feel free to unfollow).

 – Casting the hate aside to point out that the guy has been pretty hammer on the course lately, and currently has longer odds than Mark Leishman (albeit, a very strong track record here) and Zach Johnson. (

: Poults continues to troll me, and has withdrawn. I’m at least trying here Ian. Meet me halfway?)

 – Finished top 10 here in 2012 and 2011, including a runner up in 2011. Expect the Texas narrative to be jammed down your throat if he’s in contention come Sunday, which I expect him to be.

 – What? The 23rd rank player in the world is like 17th on the odds list? Jet lag and recent form may be the contributing factors, but I didn’t expect to see Koepka again this year with these odds (same as Morgan Hofmann??).

 – Got off to a fast start at Colonial but faded. He finished top 5 here last year, and has had a solid last couple of months.

: As much time as I spent ripping on the event and the course, the field at the top is strong to quite strong. Spieth, DJ, J-Day, Sneds, Woodland, and JT headline the field, and combinations of these guys should help you fill out your fantasy rosters.

The other side of the pond has a much more intriguing event this week with the Irish Open at Royal County Down. I previewed this event with resident Irish expert 

Barry O’Hanrahan on our podcast this week

Scott Verplank is making his 28th career start in this event. That’s over half of a year of your life spent at the HP Byron Nelson Classic! Voluntarily! He’s a Dallas resident, but still: 28 weeks of the Byron Nelson Classic kind of sounds like a punishment sentence along the lines of community service.

The Byron Nelson tends to rattle off ridiculous stretches of winners: ’08-’12…Adam Scott, Sabo, JDay, Keegan, Dufner. ’03-’05…Vijay, Ted Purdy (!!!), Sergio. ’95-’97…Els, Mickelson, BigCat. ’78-’80…Tom Watson, Tom Watson, Tom Watson. ’44-’46…Nelson, Snead, Hogan.

Byron Nelson was a gentleman and a class act. Always enjoyed when he held court up in the booth with the CBS crew, damn near up to his death in 2006. Along with his wife Peggy, Mr. Nelson was a wonderful steward of this event. It’s a shame to see the tournament lose it’s footing over the past few years. 

The New York Times took note of the trend way back in 2010

. In my opinion, several things need to happen – the Texas Swing needs to be recombined into a consecutive four week stretch, create a little four week “Texas Cup” for the best finishers in those four events, and the Byron Nelson obviously needs to move to a better course. Texas’ economy is going gangbusters, can’t imagine it would be too tough to dredge up some increased sponsorship dollars.

2015 Byron Nelson Championship Preview

Twitter is awesome, and so is Peter Kostis.

I wiped eight months worth of dust off my clubs this past weekend, and my man 

 got me on film swinging out of my shoes with a driver. He then spliced it together into a “Help Me Kostis” segment like you typically see on your Sunday afternoon CBS coverage. I had no idea this was even possible (all credit to Julien for this video):

I couldn’t let this video work go to waste, so I sought the help I so desperately needed. And Peter did not disappoint:

 I'll be back to you tomorrow! Can you handle the truth? LOL



— Peter Kostis (@peterjkostis) 

I received the following advice via DM from Mr. Kostis:

“Chris. Good stuff. 1st, very athletic, good range of shoulder turn, good head position. Bad Stuff: bad grip, footwork, hip turn, and center of gravity control.



Fixes: Get right hand grip more on top and in the fingers. Roll and release the left ankle so the left knee can get behind the ball better. You must turn the hips better going back but its the knees and feet that restrict the hips. Never restrict the lower body in the backswing.



Google Snead’s swing and copy his footwork and hip turn. Then you won’t get off your right leg so son and lose so much power. Hope it helps!”

Peter Kostis Helped Me With My Golf Swing, Because Peter Kostis is Awesome

In our trusty college football parlance, we consider this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial to be the equivalent to the Cotton Bowl: prestigious, traditional, and entertaining. As one of only five invitational tournaments on tour (only the first 80 on the prior year’s money list are guaranteed spots), it serves as one of the most underrated stops on the circuit. Before proceeding further, it must be noted that Colonial hosted its proudest moment in 2008 when Scoops Callahan took his game to the next level:

Dating to 1936, Colonial Country Club is more commonly referred to as “Hogan’s Alley,” as the long time Fort Worth resident won the eponymous event five times in a fourteen year span. The 7,200 yard, par 70 layout is almost universally revered on tour, and hence rated as the 

, behind only Augusta, Harbour Town, Riviera, and Pebble Beach. Tour players tend to love courses that reward good ball striking with fair, predictable results, and that’s exactly what Colonial gives you. What’s amazing is that in nearly 70 years, the course has been lengthened by less than 200 yards, which owes to the fact that the course was considered long when it was built.

Colonial is a certified bird sanctuary, with the winning score being at least -11 every year since the year 2000, including Zach Johnson’s near 72 hole PGA Tour record of 259 (-21) in 2010. Every couple of years it seems we get a reasonable 59-watch, only to be disappointed. The course record of 61 is shared by six players, two of whom are Texas forever. You have to think there’s a good chance that we’ll see someone post a 60 in the next couple years.

) is rare in that it’s feature holes are often played before coverage starts, but the three hole stretch of holes 3, 4, and 5 is the most demanding and most feared trio on the course. Framed by the Trinity River to its right, the fifth hole is known as one of the best par 4’s in the world. Yet again, we’re subjected to an unfortunate nickname for the three hole stretch, this time called the “Horrible Horseshoe.” (Sidebar: How long until a corporate sponsor sees the marketing potential for a stretch of holes and slaps a brand name on it? The possibilities are absolutely endless. Can’t you already hear Nantz, in his hushed tone: “Well David, we know what’s waiting for him around the corner, it’s the dreaded Deepwater Horizon brought to you by BP. We’ve already seen several oil spills here, but let’s see if he has enough 

Since none of the four of us have actually been to Colonial, we asked longtime NLU ambassador 

The 1st hole is one of my favorites because it is a gentle hole to start on. Only par 5 on that side and a birdie is imminent BUT if you don’t hit the fairway it can make you start grinding right away. Holes 4 & 5 have to be grouped together. Until I actually played here I never realized the hole is over 240 yards and every time I’ve gotten out here it’s been 60 degrees and blowing 20 in my face and necessitated a 3 wood. Such a simple, yet difficult par 3. On #5 you can hit an absolutely perfect drive and still being saying to yourself, “Okay, bogey is good here.” Without a doubt the toughest drive on the course. A cut off the tee is what it calls for and if you are anywhere on the left side, a draw will most likely be the shot of choice coming in, with anything from 4 to 6 iron (save for a select few who’s distance supersedes logic). Incredible hole.

As for the back. The holes coming in are pretty neat. On 15, many guys will hit 3 wood, then a short to mid iron. I personally hit chief absolutely everywhere here (and really whenever I can). It’s a good birdie hole. But the 2nd shot makes the hole. It’s pretty with the water hazard left. A little tug and the hole just got harder. My favorite hole on the course is probably 16. It’s stuck in this corner of the property and at first glance you think it would be a flip wedge hole the way with the way it’s set up…but it’s 2 bills to a pretty tricky green. Just a sneaky difficult hole. Overall, the greens are PURE and so easy to read, which I think contributes to why the scores are consistently low. I love a guy like Sendo to play well here.

Obviously if you can’t tell already, the proprietors of NLU think VERY highly of this course – it’s nice to know we’re not alone! It should be noted that as our network of readers and followers keeps expanding we hope to incorporate more stuff like this into the site, and most especially our previews. (If any of our readers have experience or resources that could help us for future locations, please let us know!)

Another guest spot here – back by popular demand is NLU’s trusted, longtime MetroPlex correspondent, Andy Staron. After growing up in Dallas, Andy took his talents to the midwest for college, but failed to resist the Texas siren song, opting to return within a couple of years, this time to Fort Worth. Here’s his take on the area:

This week, the Tour heads over to the western confines of the Metroplex for a tournament right in the heart of Fort Worth. As with most of the state, it’s good times financially in Fort Worth for business these days. I’d imagine there are economic indicators out the ass that demonstrate this, but there’s probably none stronger than me actually landing a job here (and one that is basically a Ticket Oak this week, holla!). That and literally every damn road and a building every 3 blocks are under construction right now. The Mexicans 

 haven’t had a day off in years! And while the denizens of Fort Worth are all happy to be collecting a paycheck, it’s 

good times for the local oligarchs: the Bass’s, Moncrief’s, Carter’s et al are absolutely cleaning up. The city’s power brokers have sprawled into the worlds of high finance, government, media and even the arts, but of course they all kick started their path to power with Black Gold. Texas Tea. Oil that is. This is Texas after all.

So what kind of characters can we expect to see on the grounds this week? Well, of Texas’ 5 major cities, Fort Worth easily best lives up to the stereotypical depiction of a Texan. I mean, when the rodeo is in town, I’m actually 

 to wear boots and jeans to work. Hell, there’s a twice daily cattle drive that stops traffic just a mile or so north of downtown. Sadly, I don’t think too many belt buckles or ten gallon hats will be popping up in the background of your telecast this week. Nope, I think you’ll pretty much see your stereotypical golf fan. White guys in their late 30’s/early 40’s with polos tucked into their high-waisted shorts following around their kid decked out in Puma (maybe Under Armour this year?) gear.



In what perpetually feels like a heavily one-sided dick measuring contest favoring Dallas, this is the one week a year where Fort Worth gets to whip out a trouser cobra. Colonial is absolutely a point of pride among locals. And that’s before mentioning the city gets to lay claim to Ben Hogan… 

his NYT obit sums it up better than I could ever attempt to

The playoff last year between the dashing, handsome, and true heart throb of golf versus Adam Scott went to the Aussie. Does Adam still play professional golf? His 2015 season is lacking pop, to say the least.

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

 – After dismissing him above, I can’t pass him up at this price. It’s a relatively weak field, and in a year where we get a

 – He’s a ball striker, and fits the course well. He’s been absolutely blazing, so I assumed he’d be in the 25/1 range, but I think he’s worth it at 35/1.

 – Great value here. Plays well here (T18 and T13 in 2013 and 2012), and has quietly had a solid if not spectacular stretch over the last 12 weeks or so.

Television cameras simply don’t do this course justice. It’s not lusciously green like Augusta, nor is it set against the mansions of the Pacific Palisades like Riviera, and it lacks any discernible flair other than the banks of the lazy Trinity River that ambles by. And the tournament itself doesn’t carry the street cred of The Players or The Memorial, and doesn’t 

 like a huge event when you watch on TV. NLU will be rolling out a set of power rankings that rank each and every PGA Tour event beyond the bounds of the obvious. Colonial is borderline top-ten (inclusive of the majors). Stay tuned!

David Frost won this event in 1997 and cashed a check for $288,000. Lefty won it 

Writing

2015 U.S. Open Preview

2015 FedEx St. Jude Classic Preview

Musings From a Day Spent at Sectional Qualifying

2015 Memorial Tournament Preview, Part II: The Stories

2015 Memorial Tournament Preview, Part I

2015 Byron Nelson Championship Preview

Peter Kostis Helped Me With My Golf Swing, Because Peter Kostis is Awesome

2015 Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial Preview

2015 Players Preview

37 Times Skip Bayless Was Wrong On Floyd Mayweather

WGC Match Play: Midway Musings from the Gallery

2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship

2015 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

2015 RBC Heritage Classic Preview

April Mailbag, Part I

2015 Masters Preview

2015 Shell Houston Open Preview

Masters Mailbag