We thought about eschewing a preview of one of golf’s “Big Nine” events in favor of focusing solely on an opposite field sideshow, but decided to do both (See our 

preview of the WGC-Cadillac Championship here

). The golf establishment media are all already hunkered down in South Florida, prepping countless pieces full of obfuscation, the sum of which will no doubt have you ready for a spin around the rejuvenated Doral. But while it’s a BSD field, we at NLU strain to get excited about the stroke play WGC events: limited field, no cut, guaranteed paycheck, pretty boring track (excited about the redesign for sure, though), guys deep in the “process” prepping for Augusta, etc.

There’s a paltry amount of coverage devoted to these opposite field events, which is a shame. What gets our juices flowing is seeing an as-yet-unheralded Jordan Spieth almost snatch this title last year and using it as the springboard for the rest of his virtuoso season. It’s looking at the top-20 finishers in this event last year (which we’ll feature a bit further down the page) and seeing a host of NLU favorites planting the seeds of their emergence. It’s these tournaments that create the confidence (and fattened wallet) that manifests itself later in the year when it matters. A veteran grinder keeps his card off of a strong showing here or a young guy absent exemptions/pecking order squeaks into next week, with the promise of opportunity alive. The Puerto Rico Open, (and it’s Reno-Tahoe/John Deere/Sanderson Farms/Frys.com/Mayakoba brethren) is where YOTTO campaigns are conceived, only to be born later, under the lights of the big stages.

‘The Donald’ is emerging as a heavyweight in the upscale Golf Club game. In a market rife with disposable income, he’s the perfect guy to come into a historic track (or locale) that’s lost a bit of luster and gold-plate the hell out of clubhouses, courses and grounds in that nouveau riche style that’s aggressively ostentatious and the equivalent of crack cocaine to a certain nouveau riche affluent consumer.

Anyway, this week is a Trump YOTTO on Tour with the WGC event at Trump National Doral and the PR Open being played at the Trump International Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The ‘TIGC’ is a par-72, 7,526 yard track that features the tasty triumvirate of palm trees, agua, and birds (not the native variety). The official PR Open website has a nice hole-by-hole layout of the track 

, if you’re so inclined. Basically it’s generous landing areas off the tee all day, relatively large green complexes, and lots of inviting pin locations throughout. A true bomb-and-gouge haven. Like most tropical tracks, it’s all about the wind blowing – and if that happens it seems like 3/4 par-5’s are dead into the wind and there are no reachable par-4’s to speak of (except for MAYBE #3, which plays 386 downwind…but Quiros, Koepka, and Colsaerts are in the field this week!). Other than that, strap on for some long par-4’s, and according to the hole-by-hole, the entire damn course plays into the wind (which apparently doesn’t mean all that much given the ease with which these guys pile birdies every year).

So here’s the deal: we’re getting you amped for that awkwardly canned Golf Channel 6:30p-9:00p coverage each night (which is dumb especially considering Puerto Rico is an hour ahead), featuring depressingly sparse crowds and dudes stalking paychecks. Honestly, though, it’s better in practice than in theory!

Vibe? There really is no vibe. Puerto Ricans could care less about golf. And nobody who does is making the trip. So it’s just these guys against the course. No bullshit.

Scott Brown (not to be confused with the former Massachusetts Senator – I make that mistake ALL THE TIME) won his first career PGA Tour title with a 20-under, 72-hole record score of 268. Shooting a final round 70, he held off charges from everywhere to win by a stroke over Fabian Gomez and Jordan Spieth. According to the ‘Shot Link Update’ portion of PGATour.com’s one-page (don’t strain yourselves, fellas) 

, Brown’s driver was a big key to his win–he placed 7th in driving distance (300.6 yards) and 14th in driving accuracy (71.4%) among the field.

Brown’s win was great and all, but we really want to highlight the rest of the top-20 from last year. Check out the final leaderboard:

It was the NLU maternity ward down in PR last year! The aforementioned Spieth was runner-up, Andres Romero (aka The Latin Mamba) inexplicably didn’t win this thing despite three rounds of 66 or better, Uihlein was way up in the cut pre-Euro power play, Morgan Hoffman banked a tasty T14, and the group at T18 was STRONG AS HELL (Harman, Stroud, Guthrie, and Delaet of note).

This year, Spieth, Uihlein, and DeLaet are up in Miami for the varsity event, reaffirming the somewhat awkward nature of the PR Open–strong finishes are fantastic, but you leave hoping you NEVER HAVE TO COME BACK. In this way, the tournament is kind of like pledging a fraternity–it can be the best experience in someone’s life that they never want to do again. A rite of passage, if you will. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2014 Puerto Rico Open!!!!

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

A note before diving into this section – definitely encourage you all to head to Ladbrokes for all your betting needs. And encourage your bookie to honor those lines, too. They offer the best lines out there, and they go DEEP into the fields. We’ll put it this way – they offer online greyhound betting. That’s as degenerate as it gets. Seriously, if you’re betting on greyhounds, give us a call, you’re next level. #respect

 (20/1) – Somehow this seems like value. Granted we’re high on Stroud (the first Tour pro who followed us on Twitter), he’s been knocking on the door of big Tour success for awhile, drives the ball well, and showed form here last year. He’s a prime candidate to never make this trip again. Over the last five years, his FedEx Cup standing has done nothing but improve–127th in 2010, 106th in 2011, 99th in 2012, 47th in 2013, and currently 25th in 2014–mirroring the rest of his game. Feel like he should be 14/1-ish.

 (25/1) – The odds seemed a bit optimistic at first glance, but Koepka is forming (71-68-68-71 at Honda? We’ll take it), trending (up to #70 in the OWGR, he’s literally knocking on the door), and flossing (his style/verve are impeccable – it’s no wonder he got his start at Free Shoes University).

 (40/1) – There’s gotta be a reason he’s not taking the week off to rest up. T14 here in his last appearance in 2012. Made 6/7 cuts (with the lone MC coming at AT&T when he had to play Pebble during the teeth of the storm) so far in ’14 and has to be itching to get back out there after fading on Saturday last week. Easy guy to root for.

 (40/1) – Georgia Tech rookie was a first round 73 away from making SERIOUS noise at Honda (finished 66-69-69), and finished top-ten at Pebble a few weeks prior. Absolutely menaced the Web.com LY, with four showings of -16 or deeper (and two wins – one of which came at the Web.Com Tour Championship, one runner-up, two thirds, and a T-4 at the Nationwide event up in Columbus, a solid tourney). After ten events on the big tour this year, one has to think Mr. Hadley’s got the lay of the land.

 (50/1) – It needs to be said that Driscoll is carving out a nice niche for himself on Tour – this is the fourth year in a row he’s had his card. He’s been solid this year – 67th in FedEx Cup standings, without really making any noise. His driving accuracy is pretty abysmal, but he makes up for it with a tidy greenside manner. Lot of experience at this event, seems like he’s come in 40th every year. Worth a small flier, especially considering what would happen if he got the big dog dialed in.

 (66/1) – Odds are purely talent-based rather than form-based. This guy is essentially a Harris English clone who’s probably gonna be a well-known name sooner than later. Prime candidate for the PR Open incubator!

 (80/1) – Finished top-25 here in ’11 and ’12 before heading back yonder to Web.com in ’13. By all accounts his game has matured over the last two years, as evidenced by his audubon certification on the web.com LY (4 top-ten’s and a victory in KC, proved he can go low) and 5/7 made cuts on the big circuit so far this year including a super solid 69-68 start at Honda LW (though without much to show for it). He’s ready to pop.

 (80/1) – Has made eight of nine cuts on Tour this year, though just one top-25 to show for it. Perhaps this is the week he makes a strong weekend push.

 (125/1) – People can’t stop raving about his talent. He’s another prime choice for the PR incubator. Has played five PGA events this year, missing his last three cuts at the Farmers, Pebble, and Northern Trust, but did have a T9 earlier at the Frys.com and a T30 at the Shriners. Hopefully he can channel that silly season mojo and make a run this week.

 (150/1) – Finished T21 here in ’09 and T39 here in ’08. Hasn’t played since. Shot a first-round 66 last week at the Honda before flaming out with a Friday 76. Isn’t having a good year this year, but can make birdies in boatloads, which is useful at an event like this.

 would’ve garnered mention here, but alas he’s 40/1. Love his form right now, but really? 40/1!?!? Seems a bit excessive).

It ain’t a game: just buy some good Puerto Rican rum, pour a stiff one and just chill out. It’s time for winter to be over.

Michael Bradley will be making his first PGA Tour start of 2014 in PR. Why is this interesting? The 47 year-old is the Godfather of the PR Open, having won this thing twice (2009 & 2011) so far in its six-year history. As we said above, though, the goal is to never have to come back to Puerto Rico after winning, so being a two-time champ is a double-edged sword in that winning twice is amazing, but it didn’t prove enough to escape JV events. In fact, Mike Bradley is a pretty fascinating guy. Get this–spanning 169 PGA starts over 13 seasons from 2001 through 2013, Bradley has a grand total of 2 top-10 finishes, both being the aforementioned wins at the Puerto Rico Open! Freaking incredible!!!!

Here’s two reasons why Mike Bradley keeps banking PR Opens…

By the way, Bradley is 100/1 to win this week. For reference, the chance of lighting striking the same spot three times is roughly 1 trillion-to-one. In other words, not the best value.

The Puerto Rico Open would seem the perfect jumping-off point for Finchy to move some of those kilos from the NEC LatinoAmerica Series into the lower 48, or at least launder some of that dirty money. But seriously, wouldn’t it make sense to tie this into the whole Web.Com Latin American swing somehow? Maybe scoot this back a few weeks and do it as a half PGA event and then let the top twenty or so from the NEC L.A. Series into the fold?

When I think of Puerto Rico I think of three things: baseball, fiery women, (seriously, can’t think of one Puerto Rican chick I’ve ever met who wasn’t craycray), and rum.

I’m doubting this’ll get mentioned on the telecast, but Puerto Rico is on the verge of a major bond issuance (reportedly in the neighborhood of $3.5 billion). Unfortunately, due to the weak economy hinted at above, as well as a persistent knack of not being completely transparent about its weak financial situation and health, PR’s credit rating currently sits at junk status and yields on existing 10-year bonds are soaring. FUN!

According to the Puerto Rican Tourism Company in a 

, this tournament contributes about $5 million in direct economic impact to the island, with another $22 million in indirect economic activity (trickle-down, y’all). That’s if, of course, you actually suspend reality and allow yourself to believe these usually hilariously unscientific economic impact studies. Regardless, it’s something I guess. If only there was a way to play about a thousand events down here every year…

Apropos of nothing really, but I’m extremely pumped up for the Valspar Championship up in Tampa next week. The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook is a pure ballstriking litmus test. One of the best second third tier events of the year, no doubt.

Puerto Rico Open Preview

*Queue up the ESPN ’30 for 30′ music*

“What if I told you that while the top 50 golfers on the planet would be taking their talents to South Beach, the world’s eyes would be glued to the hot golf action on a tiny island in the Carribbean. The passion. The drama. The 2014 Puerto Rico Open, brought to you by www.seepuertorico.com….”

I get it, I know you guys are pumped for the #SixthMajor (

), but we’re also obligated to cover the WGC-Cadillac Championship in South Beach (I know it’s not in South Beach, but it’s cooler to say than quasi-weird area near the Miami airport). WGC might as well stand for Woods Golf Championship, as he’s managed to win 18 of the 49 individual WGC’s since their debut in 1999. Let’s be honest, it’s a 

 Golf Championship pretty much in title only.

The Blue Monster course at what is now known as Trump National Doral has played host to this event since 2007 (before that it was home to some form of the Doral Open). Gil Hanse has made some significant adjustments to the track under the watchful eye of the Donald. Specifically, the greens have been rebuilt and the bunkers moved all over the place to the point where its been said to be almost a brand new golf course. You can read more about the course changes 

here in Ryan Herrington’s piece for Golf Digest

here in Randall Mell’s piece for Golf Channel

One quick note about Gil Hanse–he’s one of the hottest names in the game of golf course redesign, just don’t ask Luke Donald about it, he’s NOT a fan. Here was what he had to say of Hanse’s redesigned 18th green at TPC Boston:

After the event this week, Hanse will be heading back to Rio to continue work on the Olympic Course (we hear things are 

The WGC events lack any discernible vibe. They’re essentially glorified trips to the ATM (last place got $45,500 in 2013) for the wealthiest players in the world, and when you throw in the Donald’s presence and Cadillac’s title sponsorship, the result is officially the most corporate, lily-white event on the calendar (and that’s saying something!). Put it this way: this event is so white, it listens to Mumford and Sons (Ohhh Kill’em!).

 infamously gave him a putting lesson right before the event. The four major winners from 2013 all finished in the Top 12, and along with Rory and Sergio in the top 8, you had the most stacked top of the leaderboard of the entire season.


Worth mentioning, and definitely worth tracking this weekend, is the race for DFL. Robert Garrigus clipped a couple guys at the line last year to claim the honor with a total score of +12, 300. And lest you get the wrong idea here, please note, we’re saying this with complete reverence. All of these WGC events are the absolute best opportunities to see who can maximize their apathy and get ridiculously far out of contention on the weekend. Nothing but total respect (the Tour Championship is probably the best example of one of a no-cut apathy-fest for the back half of the field).

 – #Trending. Three top 10’s here the last three years. We think Sunday was an abberration, and he’s back to playing with confidence. Not great odds to win, but a must play for your fantasy team.

 – Nearly a copy/paste from above. T3, T13, T6 in the last three years.

 – We’ll grit our teeth as we mention he was runner-up here in ’12, finished T18 last year (75 on Sunday), and is in top-notch form this year overall.

 – 7th, and T8 finishes in the last two years, and a solid showing at the Honda on a challenging track. Solid WGC track record with a win at Firestone in 2012. Guy seems to love the big stage events, and this one’s in his backyard.

 – You know he’s due. Hasn’t played particularly well thus far this calendar year, absolutely no momentum after MC’ing last week, which means it’s an ideal time for him to snatch one. Time to start getting serious for His Lefthandedness (

 – You likely forgot he still plays golf, but he showed last year that his limited schedule actually helped his play. Worth the flier.

 – He’s obviously in form and has to be at an all time high in terms of confidence. Why not? Also, LONG.

 – Currently on a run of six straight Top-25’s or better this year. In a small field and the way he can make birdies, this is real value (still need to get him with the physio though).

 – There’s not a golf tournament on the planet that he should be as high as 100/1 in. Just assume he’s going to be in our picks on an ongoing basis, even if his form has been a touch off recently. He’s gonna win once in his next 20 events, believe in the value now?

 – No one can ever accuse NLU of not being faithful to our homies.

Might be a little risky to put this in here, but a small sip every time you hear a reference to Tiger’s back, or health in any matter.

The redesign of the course is mentioned (finish your beer if the Olympic Course is mentioned)

Drink when Donald Trump is mentioned, and finish your beer when he inevitably ends up in the booth.

Finish your beer when they show Craig Parry’s hole out to win in a playoff at Doral in 2004.

Finish your beer when they show the highlight of Gary Koch winning here, and the entire broadcast team ribs him for it.

 Doral played host to one of the better non-major events in recent memory: the 2005 Ford Championship. Tiger and Phil were paired together Sunday, with Lefty holding a two-stroke lead entering the final round. As was the norm back then, Tiger stalked him quickly and effectively, evening things up by the turn and ultimately winning by one shot after Mickelson juuuuust missed a birdie chip on #18. For the day Tiger went 66 to Lefty’s 69. It was vintage Tiger. Check out Big Cat’s physique and dominant aura in the highlights below. Breathtaking.

 We’d be remiss not to point out a couple specifics about Mickelson from the same 2005 tournament: 1) He actually did used to wear plain Ford golf shirts. Like that actually happened. From the guy who came up repping the Hugo Bossiest shit to Plebeian Ford schwag…tragic. 2) The missed chip on #18 provided one of the greatest golf photos of at least my lifetime, if not ever:

 At the risk of a Mickelson overload, one last tidbit we want to mention. We included him in our picks and said he’s due, well allow us to expand with a kinda crazy stat line for your consideration–each of the last seven years (dating back to 2007), Phil has won at least one tournament by early April (up to and including the Masters). His first win of each year came directly on the heels of the following results: MC (’07), MC (’08), T55 (’09), T35 (’10), T24 (’11), T26 (’12), T51 (’13). Phil will get a win by the end of Augusta, and it will probably be on the heels of a shitty week. With his past success at Doral (though that may not mean much due to the redesign), and his unceremonious MC last week at the Honda, this just feels like his spot. (Note to the degenerates: he’s currently 14/1 for Augusta. That could end up being peak value).

 Be warned, this take is so hot it probably deserves it’s own hozzle rocket but whatever, 

– Can we just go ahead and fix the WGC stuff??? Why not just play the Match Play at Doral (or float it to Cypress, Bandon, Streamsong, Cabot Links (probably a bit far-flung), Westchester CC (a regrettable casualty of the Tour going bust on Buick events – that track was sweet) – nobody attends the event, anyway. Make it as visually appealing as possible), move the current “Cadillac Championship” to the start of the year and float it around the globe (like can we get to Japan at some point? What the actual hell. Has there ever been a big tournament in Japan? Logistics nightmare, yes. But rabid fans, great young talent, and truckloads of corporate cash await. The Dunlop Phoenix doesn’t count as a big event. This is an injustice! Consider it, Finchy!), maybe even prior to the Hyundai.

Finchy, Billy Payne, the R&A – everybody is talking a big game – and yet we have the “World Golf Championships” playing a whopping 1/4 events worldwide, and that one event is a silly season afterthought (HSBC). Instead, we’re treated to sites like TPC Harding Park (not a bad course according to NLU’s West Coast Office, but definitely not top shelf) and a brand new suburban Atlanta Capital City Crabapple track that doesn’t even get much regional acclaim. What the actual hell.

There’s too many good courses out there that would love to host a one-off event to waste it on a mediocre site. At some point, think beyond the quick dollar. How about some cross-branding with Euro Tour or South African Tour every few years? There’s an insane amount of wealth to go around, share it! The crazy part is, whatever you lose in short-term corporate sponsor revenue you gain in long-term allegiance. Take the World Cup of Golf this past year – I was absolutely transfixed by Royal Melbourne. Have a WGC event there (make it a primetime spectacle, market it (the Tour’s marketing arm legit pisses me off – enough with the fluff commercials about these guys being good (no shit) and how much personality they have (Duff) or how well they treat the fans (Kuch), cut to the substance and feature the best guys in the world going at it in a truly exotic locale (i.e. not Dubai)).

Not a huge David Stern fan, but he understood the value of in-roads. It’s a global tour now, and yet I still feel like Greg Norman’s mid-90’s plea for a world tour is as far off as ever. Even if you have to cede a little control to some of the other world tours (isn’t that what the WGC’s are about), it’s for the good of the game. Not everything has to be about corporate boxes (tv money still exists if you package it right). Sack up, Finchy (and for that matter, Ty Votaw, since this is the shit you’re specifically tasked with). I realize I just waded into stuff above my pay-grade, but who gives a shit? I’m tired of these guys in power not even attempting to think outside the box.

WGC-Cadillac Championship Preview

Golf is a precision club and ball sport in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course using the fewest number of strokes.

That is wikipedia’s definition of the game of golf. Nowhere in it is “par” mentioned, nor anything about being under par, over par, birdies, bogies, etc. To this day, golf tournaments are held over 72 holes, and the player who finishes the hole in the fewest amount of strokes, wins the tournament.

For as far back as I can tell, each individual hole has an assigned “par,” meaning the number of strokes a skilled golfer should require to complete play of the hole. If you’re reading this obscure golf blog, I’ve said nothing here that you don’t already know.

So please tell me why PGA Tour players seem to care so much about the “par” of a hole? The last time I checked, those 72 holes are the same 72 holes for each and every player. Whether it’s a 530 yard par 4, or a 268 yard par 4, you’ve all got to play it. This doesn’t stop the complaining about turning short par 5’s into long par 4’s, which somehow makes an easy hole a difficult one 

Exhibit A: At the 2013 U.S. Open, Phil Mickelson was got on camera 

“That’s terrible, 274 (yards), we can’t even reach it”

Hunter Mahan also voiced his displeasure in a more vulgar manner:

In 1960, the Masters unveiled a new scoring system that showed a player’s score in relation to par, which transcended live golf viewing, and that scoring method is still in style today. However, that scoring method does not change the fact that it still does not matter whether you’re -25 or +5, if you have the fewest strokes, you are the winner.

If the 3rd hole at Merion was a 274 yard par 4, wouldn’t we all be talking about how great and exciting the hole is? But if it’s a par 3, it’s “not fair”. Yet it has absolutely zero impact on the result of the tournament – only on the cosmetic appearance of your score compared to this arbitrary “par” figure. Why, in the middle of one of the most important tournaments of his life, would Phil Mickelson care enough about the par of the hole to berate the president of the USGA? (I know he wasn’t literally complaining about the par, but we can all agree he wouldn’t have made a scene if the hole was a par 4).

PGA National is one of the toughest on Tour because many holes are awkwardly pinched off the tee, and holes 6 and 10 are converted par 5's



— InTheFlesch (@Steve_Flesch) 

This tweet from Steve Flesch week is what triggered me wanting to write about this, and the conversation seems to come around every time a par 5 is converted into a par 4 (just wait until the U.S. Open this year, where the 16th will play over 530 yards). This is where I admit I fall victim to the par of a hole the same way tour players do. If I see a 500 yard par 5, I’m salivating. If I see a 500 yard par 4, I’m crying.

But a tour player that gets paid by how many players he beats over 72 holes, it blows my mind why they waste their time and breath worrying about par. As a recreational golfer, I judge myself against par. Other than the psychological effect (I’m not nearly sophisticated enough to touch on that), if someone can show me where par matters on the PGA Tour, I’m all ears.

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

Russell Henley won a four-man playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole (the par-5 18th) after every player involved tried his damnedest to not win the tournament in regulation. Henley doubled #15 (coming off birdie at #13 and #14) after pushing his iron shot into the lake, then later ‘Mahan’d’ (too harsh?) a chip on #18 when it appeared he needed to get up-and-down to get to 9-under and join McIlroy in a hypothetical playoff. Speaking of McIlroy, he stumbled to a final round 74 when it looked like he was going to coast to his 7th PGA Tour win. He doubled #16 by chunking his approach shot into the agua from a fairway bunker, bogeyed #17, but then hit the shot of this young year into #18 (GIF below) that left him 13-feet for eagle to move to 9-under. He missed the putt, obviously, steadfast in his refusal to take the trophy. 9-under had become good enough to win because earlier Ryan Palmer made bogey on #18 after lying two in the fairway with a wedge in his hands and 115 yards to the pin. Finally, the fourth playoff participant, Russell Knox, seemed overjoyed just to be in the playoff–as he should have been–he made a very ugly double at #14 and failed to card a single birdie on the back-nine Sunday.

 This is what we had teed up earlier in the day:

All the Rory narratives should stop now, but I doubt they do. A confident, surging Rory was basically all that was missing from an otherwise amazing 2013 season (5 Tiger wins, incredible class of major winners, Horschel-Spieth emergence, etc.). What he did in 2012 seems so long ago after last year’s sub par season and media over exaggeration of it, but this weekend we were reminded how much fun it is to watch him swing a golf club.

Uhhh, oops. PGA National was showing its teeth today (played an average of ~2 strokes tougher than Saturday), so perhaps we cut Rory a little slack for his struggles, but man, didn’t see that 74 coming. Thought for sure after he stuffed the aforementioned 3-wood into #18 that the putt was going to be in the heart and the tournament his, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. What does this mean going forward? Nothing most likely. Although it is fresh meat for scribes who need a narrative between now and the Masters. Bottom line is the guy has two majors and armfuls of international trophies already–I think we can probably just chalk this up as a shitty day. No need to prognosticate on how this affects his Green Jacket chances. In the end, an over-abundance of time with the future in-laws probably was the cause of death for Rory this weekend (NBC mentioned multiple times how Rory’s parents and Caroline’s parents were there to watch all the action).

16 at TPC Scottsdale (*ducks*). Seriously though, I don’t remember the set up of this hole being nearly as bad ass in previous years as it was this year. It doesn’t have quite the closed in, arena-style feel that the 16th at Scottsdale has, but the #17 at PGA National is actually a challenging hole, with real girth and big number possibilities. Playing into the prevailing wind, over water, with huge galleries (they announced about 10k or so on the hole per day) almost surrounding is about as pressure packed as it gets. This hole is all substance, whereas the 16th at Scottsdale is all about that kegger vibe, awesome spectator experience, and the shenanigans the players pull to get in the good graces of the crowds (you’re not seeing Lefty chuck footballs into the crowd at the Honda–though we obviously wouldn’t be opposed if he felt compelled). As far as substance goes, this hole also beats #17 at Sawgrass. The Florida bankers and frat scene finally caught up to their west coast ‘Zona bros in something other than blown out hair, haterblockers, and fake blondes!

 Russell Henley did this for some reason? (courtesy of 

 Rory gave us one of the most bad ass shots of the year, sticking it on 18 from 245, leaving himself a 13-footer for eagle and the win (and does anyway in the game have a better follow-through right now?). The shot lost a bit of luster when he missed the putt, but it still got me out of my seat:

Rory, very conscious of the fact that golfers can never properly execute a high-5 with their caddie, went for the self-five. The guy has clearly been there before:

 Some sneaky back-door top-10’s for Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald, despite basically none of their shots being shown live over the weekend. Brendon de Jonge began the 3rd round one off the lead only to have his rig absolutely highjacked and sold for scrap. His t-63 has to leave some scar-tissue. Former Navy Lieutenant Billy Hurley III finished solo 5th and one shot out of the playoff, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I did not see a single one of his shots. But at least NBC had a 5-minute run down of the Olympic sports.

 The Tiger WMD will be covered to death. As someone who has been through their share of back problems, I can attest that golf is impossible if your back is hurting. Yes, he shot 65 the day before, but a back injury CAN absolutely happen overnight, or even mid day. You can call him a lot of things, but a quitter is not one. Clearly Tiger is not where he needs to be in “The Process”, but I won’t be worried until he struggles at Bay Hill. If he was winning right now, everyone would be pointing how it’s “not a major”, so we can’t kill him when he’s not winning.

 The Bear Trap lived up to its reputation. Throw in the reachable (but not cupcake) finishing hole, and you’ve got one of the tastiest finishes on the entire tour. Besides the tee shot on 16, there isn’t a single shot that you don’t want to see how a player handles. Rory’s double on 16, subsequent bogey on 17, and near eagle on 18 perfectly embodies what you would love to see out of a finishing stretch of holes. Kudos to tour officials for the organization of the track.

Overall a disappointing week. Had some guys well positioned going into the weekend, especially a few lotto tickets, but no one made a serious run over the weekend. Shocked how poorly Schwartzel played, and Horschel’s MC was a kick in the gut (which means we’ll probably triple down on him).

Usually we like to reserve some space in our recap to needle Zach Johnson, and his 2nd hole of the tournament being our ‘Oil Spill of the Week’ certainly would fit the bill, but in reality, we’re including him here simply because of how he bounced back. After dumping two balls in the water (thus unlocking the pgatour.com poop brown scorecard square), ZJ played the rest of his round 7 under. Seven birdies, ten pars, no bogeys, no doubles, no triples, one quad. Just your run of the mill bogey-free 67.

Brendon de Jonge was recently named a starter on the OL of 

, and he almost had an entire football field between him and Rory’s drive on the 10th hole on Saturday (hey, ya hear about that new Wal-Mart they’re building?). Rory got him by EIGHTY-SIX YARDS. Different ballgame, ya’ll. We expect more out of our big ugly’s, especially since Rory is our punter. De Jonge’s ass is on notice.

The Blue Monster had its teeth sharpened in the offseason, as Gil Hanse redesigned TPC Doral under the watchful eye of Donald Trump. A ridiculous field is scheduled to appear there, but if you know us even a little bit, you’ll know the majority of our focus will be on the Puerto Rico Cash-Grab Open. Big week coming up. Can’t wait!

Honda Classic Recap

Sorry for the delay this week. Been a crazy one at NLU Headquarters. Peep the 

, and leave your comments on the action below.

Honda Classic: Live Thread

Welcome to Florida, folks, the home of sunshine (California and Aruba would argue) and the home of the PGA Tour! During a conversation on golf earlier this week, my roommate said, “The Masters is like a month away.”

I said, “No it isn’t, it’s like six weeks away.”

He said, “Whatever, same thing. The point is, it’s on my mind. I’m thinking about it, and you know the Tour guys are thinking about it.”

Well said, Paul. The Florida swing offers a great warm-up to Augusta with the world’s best all playing at least a couple stops as the Tour makes it’s way North to Augusta. This week’s stop is at the PGA National Resort & Spa – Champion Course, so “for the love of Golf (can you hear The Black Knight’s accent),” let’s get to the preview!

Originally a Fazio design, the Champion Course was redesigned by Jack Nicklaus in 1990, making it–I believe–the 647th Nicklaus-inspired course played so far this year. A par-70, 7,048 yard layout, it’s a bear (pun all the way turnt up) of a track 

 as the most difficult non-major venue, averaging “1.138 strokes over par” per round (note: it’s a par 72 from the tips for the other 51 weeks of the year, so take the over-par measuring system with a grain of salt).

The overall theme of the course is precision. Landing areas, especially around pins, are tight and strategically guarded by bunkers, water, and sloping. Guys need to be dialed-in with their distances because misses short or long usually result in awkward, uncomfortable plays to the flag with bogey (or worse) squarely in play. That’s not say there aren’t bailout areas–there are–but you ain’t making birdies from ’em. The Champion Course at PGA National is a lot like Torrey South in that it must be approached with patience (par is a good number all week), only attacking flags when conditions (wind, pin, etc.) and club selection is right and utmost care is given. Rest assured our leaders will be ‘flighting’ the crap out of the ball this week, as it’s especially difficult to keep missing one’s way around without stepping on a land-mine or four.

The most renowned section of the Champion Course is #15 through #17. Glossed the ‘Bear Trap,’ it’s regarded as among (if not 

toughest three-hole stretch in golf. And if the wind is whipping? Forget about it. It becomes a challenge to just bail out and try to save par. Here are Jack and Nick Price discussing the Bear Trap:

As discussed in the clip, #15 is a 179 yard par-3 that appears somewhat benign. But the wind can really wreak havoc on club selection and there’s water front, right, and long right. Short left is a bailout area, with longer left leaving guys in the bunker. As is the case all over, it’s just tough to get the ball near most pin positions, and the wind can bring big numbers into play.

#16 is a 434 yard par-4, relatively short by Tour standards (length isn’t what makes the Bear Trap so formidable), with liquid looming right, and bunkers and rough looming elsewhere. The green is tiered with a bailout short. The challenge on this hole isn’t necessarily the green as much as driving the ball into a good spot so one can attack the flag with a second shot.

#17 is another par-3, measuring 172 yards. Water is again in play (surprise!), guarding short and right. Long leaves one in the bunker, and with the green sloping back to front, it’s a really scary bunker shot back to a front pin when you’re trying to make par. If the Champion were a horse track, this hole would officially be ‘Dead Man’s Corner,’ for the shear number of whips that get piled up here each week.

Located in Palm Beach Gardens, FL (2.5 hours southeast of Orlando on the Atlantic side, north of Miami/West Palm Beach), the Honda Classic on one hand feels like the ghost of the Players’ (locale, venue, copious water, prominent field) while also representing the closest thing we have to a true 

 (both American and foreign-born guys have residences in and around the area. Must be something in the tax code air).

As touched on from the onset, now that the calender has turned to March, and with Augusta looming more prominent by the week, this event is a nice checkup to see who has their swing grooved and who’s still heavy in ‘The Process.’ Difficult scoring conditions are the exception rather than the rule on Tour, so I for one enjoy each chance we get to watch as Pros grind to make par and post red numbers. I also freely admit to rubber-necking a nice car crash or two, which should be provided in spades. Finally, we know any low round posted, especially on the weekend, is a genuine accomplishment, a feat deserving of all the praise and hyperbole admiration we can muster.

Michael Thompson, best remembered for his runner-up finish to NLU folk-hero ‘

‘ for most memorable crashing of the 2012 US Open, opened 67-65 and never looked back through the weekend, finishing 9 under, 271 and besting Geoff Ogilvy by two strokes, Luke Guthrie by four strokes, and a group six back including Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover and Justin Rose. Also in the top-ten (T9 to be exact) were Schwartzel, DeLaet, Westwood One, and Graeme McDowell. Why do we point all this out? Because this thing looked like a damn US Open Lite last year! Expect/hope for more of the same this year.

 – Love his game, especially here, but don’t really love the odds. Still, last three years has gone T9, T9, T6. The harder the conditions, the better the chance he’ll be right in the mix come Sunday.

 – Fair odds. Owns a T9, T5, and T14 last three years, combined with really crisp play last couple weeks, and he’s essentially a must-play.

 – #trending. Was T13 here last year including a final round 74 that saw him give ground on Sunday.

 – Tastier odds for a guy off T9, 4, and T29 and T9 last four starts in this event. Plus, we’re hoping Westwood One can start making some noise and be a real threat going into Augusta.

 – Right in the mix last year before he hit the eject button in the 3rd round (shot 81) . Bounced back with a very respectable 70 in the final round, though, and we have to believe he’s had this tourney circled for some revenge. Steadfastly believe he’s plotting a massive, hostile takeover of the Florida Swing. When a stock you’re in love with loses even a little value, the prudent decision isn’t to sell, it’s to double down. That’s us and Mr. Horschel.

 – you can’t convince me this guy, in his form over the last 8 months, belongs below the 66/1 group. Made cut here last year in only start, though it was an unspectacular T58. I think his game is that of a consistent 40/1 to 50/1 type guy right now. Hence, value play.

 – this one’s practically mandated. We’re really high on this young guy, and his performance here last year is a big reason why (solo 3rd). At these odds we couldn’t face ourselves in the mirror if we didn’t take him.

 – has made the cut five straight times here, including a T13 last year and a T9 in 2012.

 – so Senden probably won’t win this thing, but he’s about as good a tee-to-green player as there is in the world. Hasn’t played the event the last three years, which is why these odds are perhaps so high, but JS made the cut every year from 2007 to 2010 here finishing between T27 and T50 each time. I’ll happily buy a Senden lotto ticket on a this track ALL DAMN DAY.

 – hahaha….JUST KIDDING. But seriously, there are a ton of dudes at 100/1 and higher who are intriguing for whatever reason. Have some fun, throw a couple darts and you’ll probably have a puncher’s chance into Saturday at least.

Slug your beer every time you see a fanny pack. Along with the sun and the PGA Tour, Florida is also home to sketchy pain doctors fanny pack tourism!

Rog (or anyone else on the broadcast team) manages to crowbar sneak in a reference to Johnny winning this event twice (’80 & ’83). Also go ahead and just drink like crazy if you’re upset with the switch back to NBC for the Florida swing. It’s not even golf coverage, it’s just a running conversation between “Rog”, Gary, and Johnny with Dan Hicks making sure everyone stays deferential to what Johnny says from on high. It’s a stale shtick and only tolerable in small doses.

Pour a stiff shot every time an allusion is made to The Golden Bear’s Nephew, Florida State TE/H-Back Nick O’Leary. You know it’s coming at least once during each day’s broadcast since they’re playing on Seminole soil. Although we at NLU have stupid high respect for O’Leary after watching this footage of his gnarly motorcycle accident…The dude walked away with nothing more than scrapes…WHOA!

Begin chugging a col’ beer each time the broadcast cuts to obviously canned footage and Dan says in somber, hushed tones something to the effect of, “this was the scene just moments ago at the [insert hole number] where [insert Pro] became yet another victim of the famed Bear Trap…” The challenge is to see if you can kill your beer before our poor, fallen Pro has finished killing his tournament.

If you’re looking to binge a little bit, take a sip each time NBC points out so and so is “from the area,” or “lives nearby,” or “has a house here.” Like eighty guys do, so you should be good and sauced in time to sit down for family dinner!

Really have to love the way car companies embrace the golf tourney sponsorship. Hyundai kicked things off right this year in Hawaii (though ZJ wasn’t the sexiest winner…), and Honda has been sponsoring this tourney since 1982, though some would argue that Honda and ‘classic’ is an oxymoron.

bounced around like a foster child over the years

, with some rather illustrious stops at cookie-cutter TPC courses along the way. Pro’s used to bitch that 

 and the Country Club at Mirasol wasn’t too much better. It seems they’ve finally found a suitable home – kinda makes you wonder what took so long, as PGA National has been sitting here just about as is since Nicklaus redid it in 1990. Too, PGA National is widely credited as one of the reasons Tiger decided to play the event, along with the close proximity to his house and it fitting in nicely with the rest of his schedule.

Speaking of Big Cat, events always feel bigger when he’s around. Really not too much to say about him thus far other than it’ll be interesting to see where he is in ‘The Process.’ At this point, it’s rather surprising to learn it’s 

more about building for Augusta than actual results for him

The extra-girthy duo of Uihlein and Koepka are in the field this week for a rare US cameo. Can we get these guys boosted in the OWGR just a bit already so they qualify for WGC’s????

There are four power groups which will dominate 1st and 2nd round coverage: Thursday: Rory/Adam Scott/Horschel and Lefty/Rickie/Grame McDowell; Friday: Stenson/Sergio/Luke Donald and Tiger/ZJ/Keegan. Uhhh, OK!

Lastly, and apropos of nothing really, I got a kick out of what Google kept trying to direct me to when I typed in ‘honda classic.’ I finally gave in and let our digital overlords take me there:

If a venue change is needed again, my vote is to TPC Islamabad.

The Honda Classic Preview

Victor Dubuisson won the 17th and 18th holes to force a playoff, got up and down from the desert on the 19th and 20th holes (sending twitter into a frenzy), before finally falling to Jason Day on the 23rd hole of the match. Day earned his second career win with birdie at #15, the short par-4, chipping his second shot close and making birdie as Dubuisson was not able to match after he caught a nasty lie for his second shot. Although not victorious, Dubuisson was a revelation to the broad viewing audience, showing bountiful game, oodles of touch and imagination around the green, and of course that world-class head of hair. People will remember this tournament for his crazy escapes from behind and under cacti to keep the match alive–see GIF’s below (courtesy of 

The next one on the 20th (along with Jason Day’s awesome reaction):

As mentioned above, twitter went absolutely bananas as Dubuisson was blasting through cacti, banking balls off camera cords, and calmly rolling in the subsequent par putts:

Dubuisson just hit a tougher shot than the one I played off Larson's foot. What a shot *golf clap*



— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) 

Stuck behind a jumping cholla?? No big deal for V-Dubs — sticks it to about 3.5 feet. Unreal! 

Take THAT Bill Haas!



— Matt Ginella (@MattGinellaGC) 

Blah ha… Outta the catcus. Long hair don't care.. Who cares about this TV wire. Up and down for par.



— Jason Dufner (@JasonDufner) 

This guy is a freak. Day is LOLing.



— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) 

WAAAAAAAAT are we watching?



— Alex Nicholson (@AlexPGAPro) 

haha this is good stuff



— Bud Cauley (@BudCauley) 

Can't be. Just can't.



— Doug Ferguson (@dougferguson405) 

Those may be the two best escape shots I've ever seen. Allez Victor. 





— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) 

Victor Dubuisson has been on our radar for awhile now, and it was great to see him announce himself on one of golf’s biggest stages. This led our own Tron to wonder:

How are the French so shitty at golf? Is it just because they view it as such a bourgeois sport? They’re a huge population of relatively middle class peeps who like sports. They should have more prominent golfers. And Dubuisson is a stud. The only two guys who are ahead of him in the world rank AND younger than him are Spieth and Matsuyama!

 It was great to watch an entire final round and know that I was going to be pleased with whomever ended up being the winner. Instead of having to watch Bubba drop #TourSauce all over the yard, or root against some no-name schwaldo destined for our No-Fly list, I saw three ‘kids’ with crazy amounts game, plus major-winner and seasoned vet Ernie Els, do battle all day long. A very pleasurable, rewarding Sunday as a fan and viewer.

 Also very nice to see Rickie Fowler bust out of a slump and earn a 3rd place finish and some major OWGR points. His conquests went: match-play-savant Ian Poulter, Hottest-Player-on-the-Planet Jimmy Walker, Top-10-player-in-the world Sergio Garcia, and veteran slowpoke Jim Furyk before losing to eventual champion Jason Day (then defeating Ernie Els for 3rd place). His struggles concurrent to implementing significant swing changes have been well documented, but his poor results were more a result of putting than ball striking. Hopefully this week instills extra confidence in the new swing, and some trust for “The Process.” In general, I feel like the hate has gone too far on Rickie. Yes, he’s “overhyped” compared to a lot of guys in his class of talent, but he’s not “all style, no substance” as some would suggest. The kid can flat out play, and he’s a classy guy as well. We’re rooting for him.

 After what we just watched, it’s hard to suggest changing the match play, but we’re gonna try (credit to Fil for this idea):

I think the following could potentially get the competitive juices going a bit and add much-needed intrigue/drama to the Match Play:

Seed the field 1 to 64 as is currently the case. Conduct practice rounds and whatever else is regularly scheduled on Monday and Tuesday. Then Tuesday evening gather all the players into a conference room at the clubhouse and fill out the bracket in a two-hour, Golf Channel live primetime extravaganza.

The twist is to let the players place their names on the bracket in order of their seeding. So the #1 seed goes first and places his name on the blank board. Then the #2 seed follows placing his name anywhere in the now 63 open slots, then the #3 seed, etc etc.

It will most likely follow a regularly seeded bracket through the first 32 picks or so, but after that it would get 

 interesting as guys begin going after who they want (Hell, I’d love to see some chutzpah from a top seed who goes after another top seed early). So all of a sudden the matches on Wednesday offer instant storylines with low seeds ‘wanting’ to play certain guys, high seeds perhaps feeling disrespected, and maybe a matchup of a couple top seeds sprinkled in.

Our first non-Jimmy Walker WIN of the year is our 3rd total. And although guys are guaranteed a T33 at worst just by participating, we’ll willfully ignore that, dap ourselves for placing all picks within the top-35, and call it a great week!

We bid adieu to the west coast and head cross-country to Florida for the Honda Classic. The Honda has quietly yotto’d the last few years and is now finds itself one of the most prestigious events (non-major, non-WGC category) of all regular Tour stops. Stacked field, challenging course, and primo location for many pros promise another great week of action ahead of us.

Accenture Match Play Recap

In the second installment (read through the Offense 

) of our PGA All-Pigskin scouting report, we head across the line of scrimmage to check out the preseason defensive depth chart highlighting the baddest dudes on tour. The 4-3 scheme features speed and power all over the field, and with the proper tutelage and nutritional oversight this squad could rival a powerhouse outfit like the Oakland Raiders of the last ten years, or at least 

ran a train on their Ivy League opponents

 (Go Lions!!!). As we demand expect our offense to score at will, there’s legitimate concern about the endurance and depth on the defensive side of the ball, so we’ve stockpiled backups at certain positions.

DEFENSIVE END (we want a stable of ‘dogs’ because 

This burly Scandinavian is an absolute bomb threat on the left side. Flashes the ability to dip, rip, replace and run. Can throw guys out of the bar. The 

dark places he’s journeyed to with his golf game

 will only help fuel the monster inside. Measurables are through the roof (he’s a Jay Bilas approved 6’5″) and this Big Swede flashes serious upside. Possesses active hands, but you’d like to see more burst and consistency. Boom/bust potential.

Kuch may look soft and kind, but he’s the grown up version of that quiet, coachable, hard-working high school teammate. All he needs to do is keep contain and hold gaps. The former junior tennis star’s size, steady demeanor, and sneaky athleticism make him perfect opposite the explosive Big Swede. He’s a fiery coach’s project; at practice and in film sessions expect tirades such as, ‘

Hey Kuch, you went to Georgia Tech right? Don’t understand the laws of physics? Get your f***ing ass down, SON! You have to gain depth to get leverage.

Hey Kuch, wipe that f**king smile off your face and quit saying ‘my bad, coach’. And if you can’t do that, I got something else you can help with…you can eat my ass cuz I’m not screaming for my health, SON!

‘ We’d throw Kuchar into the crucible early in two-a-days and watch him sink or swim. We have the feeling he’ll menace gridiron foes just like he’s menaced foes in country club sports.

– The other large Swede has exactly the volatile demeanor and competitive drive (i.e. ‘motor’) to bring it on every play. At 6’1″, he’s longer than many of the NFL’s best and baddest dudes on the d-line (James Harrison and Von Miller both 6 foot), but will still have the pad level to dip and rip on slower tackles (looking at you, De Jonge). One look at the post-round carnage to the locker below, and we see the intensity Big Stense is capable of in the heat of battle.

As evidenced by the role he’ll be filling, English will be working hard on scout-squad honing his craft, in the weight room with our S&C staff (only world-class physios for Team NLU), and with our nutritionist (two words: MASHED POTATOES!!!). May also consider hooking him up with our pharmacist (we’ll announce our pharmacological staff, and other coaching/front-office spots, in 

) to provide the choicest “supps” to aid in the growth process. The frame is there – he’s a legit 6’3″ with a jumbo jet wingspan and the bone structure to load on 45-50 lbs. of lean muscle. The combo of his South Georgia upbringing, SEC roots (UGA product) and his insanely solid mental approach instill confidence that he’ll stay focused on his development. This guy’s work to gain #CertifiedStud status on Tour in such a short time screams value-play and high-upside potential. Like JP Morgan, he’s too damn big to fail.

While this bit player/NLU fringe-favorite hasn’t quite established himself on Tour (

…we hope), that isn’t an issue on the gridiron. The lettuce, the facial landscaping, the pragmatic mindset…he’s the quintessential BIG NASTY. Built like a sequoia, he’ll be tasked with playing assignment football – no freelancing allowed – and taking pride in stopping the run. Great locker room presence.

‘The Tank’ is the A gap plug (sexual innuendo unintentional). He’s a veteran anchor to build around as the former professional weightlifter (squatted over 350 lbs. as a 13 year-old, seriously) plays stout in the trenches with textbook posture, tremendous pad level, and a hilariously low center of gravity. Marginal height and weight hurt his stock a bit, but his lateral quickness and “brick”-like physique should be perfect on early downs and short-yardage situations. May struggle with penetration but will absolutely hold his ground and be active in both gaps. As you’ll see with our LB’s, we can afford to skimp a little bit on size in this spot. Our marketing department is really riding us about growing the game over in Asia – Choi will do wonders for that. Dude’s a rockstar.

The SAM Backer spot begs for a broad, lanky specimen who can set the edge on sweeps, bring the noise on the blitz, and match up with TE’s down field. Scott’s frame, work ethic, and the loose screw every Australian has make him a match made in heaven for this spot. Digging deeper in the film room, expect his lateral quickness and change of direction to be as effortless as his golf swing, and we know he’ll be a gym rat and film disciple under the watchful tutelage of a guy he’s pretty familiar with on our S&C staff. His gait is a bit rigid but we’ll get that straightened out in no time, as our plyometrics program is wayyy too strong.

– An important distinction here is that we’re highlighting a hybrid version of Lee – he’ll need to keep his newly acquired fitness while layering on the excess pounds he carried in the early aughts to pack enough punch as our Mike. This is one where we’re really proud of our scouting department for their willingness to think outside the box, seeing not only the past and present but having the confidence in our staff to mold him into a combination of those. Westwood Version 1.5 is your classic run stopper (a la Brandon Spikes). He’ll probably be a casualty of our need to sub in the nickel package on 3rd down (we’ve got that covered below), but this bowling ball is an absolute necessity on running downs. Lee’s a tough cookie and we respect his grind. His relatively recent move to Florida is a welcome sight (as 

we’ll send him over to nearby Muck City

 to work on his footwork), as is his split with Sean Foley (shows a distaste for godawful hair and haberdashery – we expect our guys to look good on AND off the field). We expect to see a little of this from 1.5 when preseason camp ends:

– A 6’4″ 200 lb corn-fed Willy backer prototype from America’s heartland? Say no more. A bit stiff (lose the plaid collars, bud), but displays the versatility to work in space or in a phone-booth, a load on the blitz. His recent form is shaky but the week-in, week-out consistency he showed from 2009-2012 signifies solid practice habits. Another positive: he’s a man! A negative: he’s forty (actually the Oklahoma State product is 38, but close enough). On an extremely veteran LB corps, he’ll serve as the quiet killer.

– Another young Aussie with something to prove. Anyone who’s seen Jay Day in person knows he’s all girth – an efficient, dense package. There’s a controlled power and swagger to his game on the course that translates well into the mentality required of the lonely, last line of defense. This 

Writing

Puerto Rico Open Preview

WGC-Cadillac Championship Preview

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

Honda Classic Recap

Honda Classic: Live Thread

The Honda Classic Preview

Accenture Match Play Recap

No Laying Up's PGA Pigskin Team - Defense

Friday Links Foursome (What We're Reading)

No Laying Up's PGA Pigskin Team - Offense

Accenture Match Play Live Thread

Accenture Match Play Championship Preview

YOTTO Update (NTO)

Northern Trust Open Recap

Friday Links Foursome (What We're Reading)

Northern Trust Open - Live Thread

How to Act Like a Tour Pro: Part II

Northern Trust Open Preview