Good tidings, sir! I’m writing you today in a sort of shock. I find myself more enthused about the game of professional golf than I have felt in quite some time, which you know for an old skeptic such as myself is no small statement. What we’ve witnessed Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda accomplish, respectively, on the golf course over the last month-plus has been simply incredible, and quite honestly, not something I was sure was even 

 in this post-Tiger, post-Annika era of optimization and modern technology. But here we are! We’ve watched two young, American stars clearly, 

, separate themselves from their peers. And it has stirred something in me, damnit. I have thoughts I need to share, and several questions for you.

Let’s start here–I can’t get over the parallels running between what Scottie and Nelly are doing. Nelly has won her last five starts, Scottie four of his last five starts (the one non-win resulting in a runner-up). Within their runs, both have captured their second major championship. Their games are similar too— both are supreme ball-strikers, elite around the green, and emerging from public (and painful at times) putting struggles. Personality-wise, both come across as reluctant superstars, not necessarily seeking or relishing the spotlight in which their games have thrust them. But both also seem to be extremely comfortable in their own skin, having built-up support systems of friends, family and coaches to help them block out the noise and concentrate on the one thing each desperately loves: winning golf tournaments. Can you remember two athletes within the same sport, on opposite sides of the gender divide, with so many similarities intertwining in real-time? It’s amazing.

I also want to get your thoughts on what a second major championship portends for both Scottie and Nelly. It feels like more often than not once that second major hits—we saw it with Tiger, we saw it with Inbee Park—the generationally great golfers win more majors quite quickly. So how fun is it that Scottie and Nelly have reached the entryway to generational greatness, and we, as fans, get to see if they’ll burst through or not? If they’re meant to, the next couple of years are going to be a hell of a lot of fun.

Kevin, I wonder: Is it okay to allow myself to feel giddy as a golf fan right now? Or am I setting myself up for disappointment? Is there anything more fulfilling as a fan, though, at least when it comes to individual sports, than witnessing the minting of the next legend of the game? Can you imagine if we get two at the same time?! I don’t know, KVV, spring is in the air, flowers are blooming, and I’m carrying on like a sappy romantic. That’s what these two have done to me. What have they done to you?

Seeing your big, cynical heart melt like a spring glacier brings me — a hopeless sports romantic — no small amount of joy.

You’re right, there is something energizing about watching a star athlete leave the atmosphere in real-time. Somehow, we’re lucky enough to witness two people do it at the same time. The second major always feels a bit like validating a skin. A lot of professional golfers can flash their way into ONE big win, on a week where everything clicks and the stars align. But a second major carries so much more significance. It’s proof that you are part of the game’s history. It also reminds me a little of this Steve Martin quote that I love, about the craft of standup:

It was easy to be great. Every entertainer has a night when everything is clicking. These nights are accidental and statistical: Like lucky cards in poker, you can count on them occurring over time. What was hard was to be good, consistently good, night after night, no matter what the abominable circumstances.

I think that taps into what I love about watching Scottie and Nelly in this current moment. They seem to have embraced the idea that volatility would be easy, and it suits their personalities more to reject complacency and say “I don’t have my best, but the hell with it, I’m winning anyway with what I’ve got today.” That’s the special sauce when it comes to the molding of an all-time great, and I think that’s why this feels different (at least to me) than when Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka won a handful of majors. Inbee Park’s major run in 2013, where she won three straight and six majors in a three year stretch might actually be the bar that both Scheffler and Korda are chasing.

I think disappointment is inevitable, but you also have to leave room for what’s possible. That, to me, is the actual fun part of being a fan. I’ve always disliked the kind of fans who are so married to negativity, and the idea that nothing in the present can ever live up to how good someone was in the past, they refuse to enjoy what was right in front of their face.

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are good examples of this phenomenon. There are certain fans who are so invested in Michael Jordan’s legacy that they spent the entirety of Kobe’s and LeBron’s careers arguing until their last breath that they’ll never measure up to their Basketball God. And it’s not that I disagree as much as I just don’t care. Wouldn’t it just be nice to enjoy what we’re watching without being mad, like we have to defend a maiden’s honor? What is this, feudal England? I just want to watch sports and be entertained, man. I don’t want to be an online knight taking up arms on behalf of Michael Jordan’s legacy.

That said, you’re about to see a lot of this unfold with Scheffler as it relates to Tiger Woods. If he wins the PGA Championship next month, it will be the victory that launches 1000 takes, many of them insisting that a Scottie Slam could never live up to the Tiger Slam for reasons X, Y, Z. There will also be a lot of people who refuse to enjoy it for made up reasons like “Scottie is boring” which is very funny to me as someone who lived through Tiger’s prime and watched him treat even the most banal interview obligations like a deposition.

Here is a question I want to volley back to you: Is one of Nelly’s and Scottie’s superpowers the fact that neither of them appear to be (for lack of a better term) extremely online? I’m so impressed (and envious) of the way they’ve essentially decided that golf is all that matters to them, and all the branding and discourse is kind of pointless. They will answer questions, fulfill their sponsor obligations, and occasionally hop onto a podcast (which we are grateful for) but for the most part, they are just interested in playing golf. Scheffler doesn’t even have a Twitter account, which rules. (If Elon cared about golf, I bet that would enrage him. He would just create a Fake Scottie and slap a blue checkmark on it.) I find them to be old souls in a way that’s refreshing, and wonder if some of their peers might benefit from unplugging.

Speaking of peers, do either of them need rivals to make this year interesting?

with more fun tidbits about Scottie and Nelly, if you didn’t see it yet. A particular nugget I really enjoyed, courtesy of Justin Ray, is the only other time we’ve seen World Number Ones win majors in back-to-back weeks was in 2007 when Tiger and Lorena Ochoa pulled off the feat. Not bad company to keep there.

Anyway, thank you for that Steve Martin quote! I had not seen or heard it, but he captures the banality of greatness perfectly. And it’s funny you brought up Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, because those two have been on my mind a lot lately thinking about the lineage of greatness. Roland Lazenby, in his book, “Michael Jordan: The Life,” said Michael only ever blessed Kobe as a comparison to himself–”he (Michael) said Kobe had done that work to deserve the comparison. He says Kobe’s the only one to have done the work.” I can’t help but wonder if Scottie and/or Nelly are truly worthy of comparison to a Tiger or Annika. It’s one thing to compare results, as we are doing, but the only thing that matters is the work, right? And maybe only Tiger or Annika can tell us who is worthy if anybody is worthy. I’ll tell you what, that each is unconcerned with social media, and the trappings of our online culture, only bodes well in my book that they at least have a chance to ultimately prove worthy comps.

You know, your thoughts on letting personal allegiances blind us to greatness really hit home. As the hardest of hardcore Mickelson fans, I didn’t truly appreciate Tiger’s greatness as it was happening. I never derived an ounce of happiness or satisfaction from it, and while that’s a shame on a certain level, I believe allegiances and rivalries and staking yourself to a side, is really what makes being a fan so much damn fun. So I hear you on the Jordan v Kobe v LeBron arguments and how people will blind themselves from appreciating what’s before them, but I can’t quit those people. Is there anything better than having a drink and passionately debating who is better than whom? I don’t think so. If Scheffler wins the PGA and Nelly gets it done in the USWO, bring on the debates! Let’s hear the hot takes! God knows that’ll be more enjoyable than figuring out where the next source of investment in PGA Tour Enterprises is coming from!

And that brings me to your question on the need for rivals to push Scottie and Nelly this year. We certainly don’t have to have ‘em this year–go out and stack majors you crazy kids–but we’re absolutely going to need them eventually. I mean, come on, rivalries are fun as hell. If work ethic provides the path to greatness, rivals are the weigh stations along the way. I realize golf isn’t as conducive to rivalries as other sports, but I think we’re due a couple, no? And I guess the natural question for you, Kevin, is who would make the best, most interesting foils for Scottie and Nelly?

Before I throw out some fantasy scenarios, can we agree that golf rivalries in general are weirdly unsatisfying?

People loved to claim that Tiger and Phil were rivals (and as huge Mickelson fans during his prime, I think you and I both wanted to believe they were) but how many times did they truly duel when it mattered? I believe the 2001 Masters is the only time they were paired together in the final round of a major where one of them emerged as the winner. I could point to a couple of majors, like the 2010 Masters or 2013 Open, where Phil left Tiger in the dust, but it never felt like they had their Duel in the Sun moment, where everyone else was playing for third place.

I remember writing a piece for ESPN that threw a little cold water on the idea of a Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth rivalry in 2015, suggesting it would never feel like Magic and Bird because the game was too deep, and they wouldn’t face each other often enough for it to feel meaningful. Little did I realize they would win one major between the two of them over the next decade, making any rivalry talk meaningless.

The rare times that golf does give us a clear rivalry that’s compelling, it usually has something to do with a difference in age, nationality or personality. So in the case of Scheffler, we need someone who can serve as a stark contrast to his humility and politeness. We need someone cocky and brash, someone who doesn’t play it safe and likes to pop off to the media. Does that character exist? I think the ideal scenario would be a mixture of Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, particularly since the LIV vs. PGA Tour divide would help fuel some of the tension there. Bryson is showing some promise, but it’s hard to tell sometimes if he wants to chase social media fame or majors.

I suspect Rahm is already annoyed that Scheffler has been anointed as the heir to Tiger because just a year ago, it felt like he was that guy. Hopefully, that provides the motivation needed to get back to Scheffler’s level because, just being blunt, his Masters title defense was incredibly soft. I hope he shakes off the malaise in time for the PGA Championship.

Finding a rival for Nelly might be a harder question. Lilia Vu has the game, and the same number of majors, but what if her back injury lingers throughout the year? They’re both such polite, soft-spoken women, they don’t offer much of a contrast in terms of personality. I do like that they each represent their own aspect of the American dream: first-generation Americans with the broad worldview that comes from your parents growing up somewhere else. Lilia seems unafraid of the big moment, which bodes well for her as soon as she gets healthy. Nelly is going to intimidate a lot of players with her length and steely demeanor, but I doubt Lilia will be one of them.

In summary, Randy, we have an embarrassment of riches in the game right now. Even if Scottie’s and Nelly’s rivals don’t emerge, their pursuit of greatness might be all the framing that we need. It’s not so much that I believe Scottie can catch Tiger (or Jack), or that I believe Nelly can run down Annika Sörenstam, it’s that I love the idea of watching two athletes who are burning with the motivation to try.

I know plenty of people will still long for something that’s already come and gone. I don’t want to take that from them. Tiger and Annika were a lot of fun. But I’m like you, I didn’t appreciate it enough as it was happening. I’m not making the same mistake if one — or both of them — offers us a second chance.

Pen Pals: Scottie Scheffler & Nelly Korda

Getting everyone down there on the same schedule was a heavy lift. Neil and Kevin flew in from JFK (via LAX), Soly and I flew in from JAX (via IAH, where we rendezvoused with Cody and DJ), and Randy flew in from DEN (via LAX, but a different airline from Neil and Kevin). We all departed the US at various times on Sunday and arrived in Sydney on Tuesday morning after 14-17 hour flights from LAX and IAH.

At SYD, customs and immigration were a breeze. The only snag was a few of us getting pulled aside for grass on our golf shoes. We scooped rental cars and headed out to our rental house in Bondi Beach and recharged for a bit (worked out, napped, ate, coffee, etc.) then headed over to Angus & Grace to meet up with some of our local sherpas, before setting off for golf at Bondi up the street.

The weather in Sydney had been uncharacteristically humid and wet in the weeks prior to our visit, and that remained the case while we were there. We were lucky to get some sunshine for both golf and bowls, and the low passing clouds and wind kept the rain away until the next day after we finished up at New South Wales. The goal for day 1 was to knock a little bit of golf off and force everyone to stay up until at least 8 pm that night to help adjust to the time difference. The bowls were a PERFECT thing to do and kept everyone upright and engaged.


The next day was a smooth one at New South Wales. Our hosts were wonderful and Scott Warren did such a great job of coordinating the visit. I cannot wait to see what they come up with for the course’s upcoming renovation/restoration work - the sky is the limit. It definitely came through on the episode, but physically speaking, the combination of our second day on the ground and a massive, hilly, windy routing took a toll on us. I have so much respect for the members who play there daily. When we got to the 15th hole, I truly didn’t know where to hit it. Between the crosswind, the uphill, the native areas lining each side of the hole, and the mental tricks being played hitting between a narrow saddle, I haven’t felt that helpless over a tee shot in years. Here’s a good course tour courtesy of the club, and this 

link will take you specifically to the time stamp on that tee shot

. The aforementioned rain rolled in after we finished, and we drove back to Bondi in the midst of some wet conditions. We rested, dumped footage, and cleaned up prior to hitting the North Bondi RSL and then walked down the street to Sean’s for one of the best meals of the trip, which closes out the season premiere. You’ll be left with a little surprise at the start of 

 before the group splits up, with some of us exploring the city and others playing additional golf.


We referenced it in the episode, but it felt like we were partly in a Lululemon catalog and partly in a massive 

 set in Huntington Beach, CA, but one where everyone just does yoga and looks beautiful all the time and resists the urge to wear many clothes. Bondi worked well for us as a base for this trip since it was between most of the golf we wanted to play, the airport, and downtown. I also prefer getting us in walkable areas, especially if people are fighting jetlag and need some time to recharge and nearby coffee shops and restaurants to fuel up. It’s really tough to get around Sydney with bad traffic, hills, curvy roads, and driving on the left side of the road after over 24 hours of travel, so having a central location was key.

The sewage vent at Bondi Golf & Diggers Club was such a weird, fascinating feature. 

Never seen anything like it! And Randy loves vertical hazards.

 is somewhere I would REALLY like to get back and see. Pacific Northwest surf vibes, sort of set in this valley with the beach right at the center of town, and framed by massive Norfolk Pines. Drove through there on the way down to NSWGC and back. 

, on the north side of the harbor, is another place I’d love to get back and get out to. Exploring the different suburbs via ferries from Circular Quay would be catnip for me, and most of the locals we met recommended it. In episode two, we explore a few other parts of the city.

Jetlag, not really having our bearings, not having seen one another in a while and the general excitement of the trip all add up to being both frayed and saying some dumb shit, which always makes me laugh when I watch them. Whether it’s our first episode of the entire series, Portland, LA, Stockholm, Detroit, or Doolin Pitch & Putt/Doonbeg, we’re all slap-happy and not exactly on-point, which makes for a fun, breezy retrospective.

Neil temporarily losing the Osmo Pocket would’ve been devastating.

 Most of our footage from our travels down to Australia was on there, in addition to a bunch of fun stuff from earlier that day after we landed. If you’re interested in seeing more of that footage, consider joining the Nest and getting access to 

our accompanying “Behind the Scenes” pieces

 that come out on the heels of each full episode. The best part of the whole fiasco was him being mic’d up while he was walking around the property looking for the thing, so some of the audio that’s laid in is just him muttering to himself or talking to random strangers along the way. I love it so much.

When planning this season out, it was a balance of trying to return to the world-class courses in Melbourne that we wanted to showcase correctly, explore parts of Australia that we hadn’t been to previously (since we only did Melbourne and Barnbougle for the first season), and showcase other parts of Australian culture. We also had 10-12 days to accomplish all this and didn’t want to stretch ourselves too thin. We decided Sydney and Adelaide were a must, as well as King Island. I look forward to returning to Australia and getting out to Perth, up to Brisbane and Byron Bay, down to Hobart (saving that for when Seven Mile Beach opens up!), and even to places like Narooma and Port Fairy. Whether due to logistics and time constraints, a lack of great golf (shoutout Queensland), or just other stuff taking precedence, we weren’t able to get a representative sampling of the country, but I’m confident we’re chipping away, while keeping that balance and focus on the best Australian golf courses, at least for what we value.

Additionally, Australia is a really really big country with an inordinate amount of great golf. There’s a standard of golf that’s getting better with each passing year as renovations, restorations, and new builds come online. Setting off to cover the whole thing in a single season is akin to doing one season on all of Canada or the western half of the United States.

Sydney is tricky to pin down as it relates to golf. Given the land it occupies, the brilliant coastline in virtually every direction, and the climate, you would think it would be a golf haven, but that’s just not the case. The area probably punches below its weight when it comes to golf courses (due to a variety of factors that are probably beyond the purview of this blurb.) As things currently stand, it seems like it’s New South Wales at the top of the heap and then everyone else battling for a distant second. Gil Hanse and his associates are currently working on Royal Sydney, which will be a huge boon to the city and hopefully primed for hosting professional events. The Lakes was a consideration due to its pedigree of hosting big events, while The Australian (dubbed “The American” by some, thanks to its Jack Nicklaus design) was not, as it didn’t pique our curiosity or allow the opportunity to see stuff we couldn’t see at home. I wish we could’ve made time for Moore Park to lend some support to the 

ongoing battle over the future of a thriving public course

 in a city without enough public courses. We walked past Woollahra while spending some time in Rose Bay in episode 2, and it looked like a brilliant nine-holer next to Royal Sydney. We considered St. Michael’s, The Coast, and Randwick, as well. Lastly, I tried hard to carve out some time to get up to 

, a couple hours north of Sydney on the coast, but it ultimately made traveling down to Adelaide too complicated. I have it saved for the next trip down. Ultimately, Bonnie Doon and Bondi Golf and Diggers won out over the others, and we’ll have more to say regarding Bonnie Doon in the next episode before we head onward to Adelaide. Too much good stuff to see! More to come on this push-pull in these notes in the coming weeks.

 When planning these things, we use a combination of local friends, various websites (I love

 for context and giving a full picture of the various options), scouring various areas and coastlines via Google Earth, and the various volumes of Tom Doak’s Confidential Guide. The goal is always to seek out best-in-class stuff, while also mixing in some distinctive lesser-known/highly accessible places, and then mix in off-course activities and restaurants that feel at least somewhat representative of the area (often this takes a bit more of a back seat to the golf when we’re pressed for time, but hopefully it still feels proportional.)

 - Wandered into this place down the street from our spot and what a great little find.

 - Our Australian stockist. Matt’s a legend. Great brick-and-mortar shop in the Paddington neighborhood (high-end shopping district.)

 - Could’ve spent another 8 hours there. /will return

 - aspirational bar setup and wildly inexpensive for what the views were. That it’s basically the Aussie version of a VFW lodge blew my mind.

 - A Bondi institution! Blackboard menu that changes daily. Enjoyed some *excellent* bottles of wine courtesy of our Aussie hosts and a small corkage fee.

Tourist Sauce Season 9, Episode 1 Travel Guide

Welcome to the first installment of GHIN & Tonic. Our hope is that this space serves as a callback to the spirit of the original writing that appeared on No Laying Up dot com: unvarnished, wide-ranging, and somewhat random, but with golf as the loose thread. Some will be more golf-heavy, some golf-light - think TrapDraw Podcast plus some golf sprinkled in. We’ll pass the ball around on these on a weekly basis and all will be personal in nature. And if you can’t figure out which sections are “GHIN” and “Tonic”, that’s on you!

We did our usual major hand-outs and have probably awarded at least 200 majors over the next 30 years. HOWEVA, I want to make note: After what we just witnessed at Augusta, the other guys pegged Ludvig’s career major total at TWO VICTORIES. TWO! Meanwhile, Scottie was awarded three future Masters wins and a lot of talk about a calendar year grand slam. I had Ludvig pegged at six or more major wins, which I think is achievable and likely with his mindset, skillset and fitness level. I can’t believe the disconnect. And then to see both of them validate the performance this week at Harbour Town (as if they needed, to) is invigorating. With Scottie playing at this level the margins are so thin for any challengers, so Ludvig can evaluate these performances with absolute clarity on what he needs to work on.

For the record: Ludvig was the #3 ranked amateur in the world when I called his name out during the Ryder Cup, not #1, as was suggested on the pod. Keita Nakajima (#1 at the time) wasn’t mentioned for future Presidents Cup stardom, nor was Pierceson Coody (#2) for even future Ryder Cup appearances. Ludvig is special!

Another note from the pod I think is worth calling out: I gained a much deeper appreciation for the 14th hole at ANGC. The combination of the firmness, the hole locations they chose, the slopes on that green, the width, slope and various angles of that fairway, and the limited depth available to land a shot made for really engaging viewing and a distinct difference between good and great. On the flip side, the opposite seemed true with the par fives, most acutely the 15th hole. The firmness, downhill slope from the fairway and wind combined to suck some of the art and suspense out of that hole to the point that most guys played conservatively, and the ones who did go for it and executed good shots ended up in the same general area just long. It was a cool thing to see how the course ebbed and flowed from a few soggy years into the conditions we were blessed with this year, but on 15 it really called attention to how little those trees down the left side of the fairway make sense. If it’s going to be tough then you’d almost rather encourage guys to go for it if they’re brave enough, regardless of which side of the hole they’re on. Or if you want to add a variable, do so with mounding or something more thoughtful than trees. It will be very interesting to see what “The Riddler” does over the next 3-5 years as far as the course goes. The man seems like a genuine golf nut who values the stuff that us sickos value and will try to bring back some of the MacKenzie spirit to the golf course (on that note, bring back more of the boomerang on 9 green!) One promising note this year was what seemed like a retreat for the second cut. Hopefully, we see that continue so that the fairway height is mowed all the way up to the pine straw, thus reducing the friction on wayward balls that are currently keeping them in the grass!

We made it a point to cast aspersions upon the Pimento and Skip It hats on offer in the Masters Pro Shop (which, Augusta doesn’t need to be doing that stuff - you don’t need to be all things to all people. You’re the Masters! I think there’s a bit of a correction coming on that front with a few things they’re doing that are a little too cute, but we’ll leave that for another day) only to see news of 

this atrocity emerging from the upcoming PGA in Louisville.

 I shudder to think of what the PGA has in store for us next month, between the one-year anniversary of Blockie and all of their social media thirst and their continued post-haste social promotion of ZJ’s tragic captaincy (would link, but they deleted the tweets.)

 I think the Augusta merch situation is out of hand. When I was growing up, or in the 2000s, all through the mid-2010s, and even as recently as 2022 at ANWA, you didn’t wait in lines and you went in, snooped around, bought a few things for friends and one or two impulse items that caught your eye and then you checked out, stored it and got to the golf. It was a quick deal. At ANWA on Saturday, I witnessed lines that stretched for hundreds of yards all the way down to the entrance gates and just didn’t make any sense. It was evident there was a subset of people (I won’t even call them patrons, because that’s not the correct term in this instance) who purchased tickets that day just to get first crack at items in the pro shop. On one hand, it was truly a bummer, because it’s such an intimate experience getting a first look at the course for the week in a more intimate setting and real competition going on. On the other hand, it seemed like they sold quite a few more tickets for ANWA this year, so anything to soak up the crowds a bit. I’m not sure what the solution is: dollar amounts for each transaction? Limited selection on SKUs and variety that day? I know they want to sell things to people in return for money, but the over-commercialization reminds me of the Billy Payne Olympics in 1996! And there may be some 

I was excited to hear about The Patch getting some love and resources courtesy of Augusta National. That said, let’s take it a couple of steps further and get Forest Hills some love, too. That place could be so good, and I know it’s not as simple due to Augusta University running the show over there, but it seems like they’d welcome some support. Augusta can and should be a public-access golf mecca via two different avenues: true best-in-class public courses that already exist (see: Aiken Golf Club) and hopefully those supported by the generosity of Augusta National to get to a certain level, and then private courses opening their doors to the public each April to subsidize the membership costs and bring a taste of the UK or Australia to the States. Palmetto’s perfected this and some of the new national membership clubs around the area are leaning in early. On Forest Hills: Our state championship was there in my sophomore year of high school. It’s a Donald Ross on good land, but I think there are four or five holes that were sold off or used for university development, and then they brought Arnold Palmer Design in to refashion and reroute some things, and I remember thinking even as a 15 year-old who barely knew what golf course architecture was “damn, these holes are different, and actually they stink!”

The ninth hole at Harbour Town has supplanted the tenth at Riviera as the best short par four on tour. I just love it. And last week marked the true ten year anniversary of NLU, as we recorded that first podcast at Harbour Town before Matt Kuchar won in illustrious fashion, holing a bunker shot on the 72nd hole. Somehow, perhaps fittingly, this is the only picture I have from that weekend: the hibachi chef fanning the flames of what would be, while Tim Clark sits nearby:

Speaking of the Lowcountry: I was blessed to get an invite from my friend Rob Collins down to the opening of the new reversible course that he and his partner Tad King built at Palmetto Bluff. I captured a bunch of drone stuff and got to hang with Rob and a few other friends and get a couple of spins around it. We’ll get a couple of reels out on it soon. I described it to my colleagues as “Sweetens Cove with millions of dollars of private equity money and a lot more available dirt.” It’ll be the perfect place for us to film a match at some point. So happy for and proud of Rob. And much like Landmand and Sweetens, there’s a bunch of big, wild stuff that’ll catch your eye, but the detail work and shaping on some of the greens is what really sticks with you. The existing May River Golf Club down there is a personal favorite (best Nicklaus I’ve ever played - he did it right after Sebonack and it seems Doak rubbed off on him) and there’s a new Coore & Crenshaw in the early stages of being built. It’s an extremely private setup, both literally and figuratively, so I take that into account when sharing this stuff, but I think it’s instructive to know what Rob is working on. As you can see below, it’s a giant playground and there are probably 50-60 hole combinations out there. I’m really proud of Rob and Tad and their continued success and creativity. More to come from this excursion:

I’m blessed to take a lot of great trips, both professionally with my colleagues and personally, with my family. Travel and experiences are something that I treasure above all else. The only risk/downside is having a lack of time to properly reflect on them - often it’s onward to the next shoot or the next adventure, directly or with just a few days at home. This happened last year after Scotland when I took one of the better trips of my life with my good friend Jim Hartsell, Paddy Neill, Matt Golden and then flew to London and then LA and then Pebble Beach afterward, and to an extent it happened after our Australia trip earlier this year, after which we flew directly to California for the tour event at Pebble.

Right now I’m trying to do two things: 1) Relive that Australia trip while we piece together the footage to make the episodes and all the accompanying content, and outtakes and social stuff. It’s so fun to see it through the camera on the back end and with talented guys like Cody, Kevin Jackson and Ross Flannigan drawing different things out. Makes you notice different details and makes you want to do it all over again.

2) Catalog and journal everything I’ve been feeling during and after our recent trip to Scotland. A day at Troon has me excited for this summer’s Open Championship, the opportunity to make a quick spur-of-the-moment return trip back over to the Isle of Arran and introduce DJ to people like Ewan and Greg and experience first-hand places like Corrie and Shiskine that he’d only seen through the lens of what we’d shot on the Hartsell project. It meant a lot to go back and see Ewan and Greg and I hadn't expected to get back so soon. Those guys mean a lot to me and I didn’t realize how deeply it would resonate to see Arran in sunshine this time and to be able to introduce someone else to it, much less DJ who had been gobsmacked by the footage of the place. I look forward to taking my family there in the coming years. Then, we were onward to Fife and stopped at some cool under-the-radar spots I’d bookmarked, and we droned and just explored. Pics of the journey below:

And then the main event: five days in St Andrews with the centerpiece being two loops around the Old Course, one in each direction. I’ll leave it there for now, but it was one of the best experiences of my life. I’m confident we’ll flesh it out properly in the videos, and I’m working hard to translate it into some writing. Came back feeling more grateful and introspective than I have in a long time…

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…and knocked out my GlobalEntry interview upon arrival in Newark!

On that note, I promise I’m trying to get the annual Airports TrapDraw Pod recorded, I just need things to slow down for a bit!

All sorts of stuff Randy and I are monitoring on the air travel and logistics front. Will make one of these dispatches air travel and logistics-focused as we lead up to Airports pod. I will say, that the AirTrain at EWR continues to be the single-weirdest piece of transportation or infrastructure I’ve ever encountered.

I couldn't resist snapping this photo to show Randy:

On the food and beverage front, the process of putting together my Champions Dinner menu was such an unexpected delight, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t lead to a fair bit of anxiety, consternation and paralysis over the sheer number of directions to go and the balance between picking stuff you love and creating something more than just a list of those dishes and wines. I loved it. And I loved that everyone else ran with it, too. Randy’s Cincinnati Chili, Casey’s Little Italy rendition, DJ’s ode to Milwaukee, Neil’s yearning to go back to growing up and our ever-talented Mom, Peggy, cooking up delicious, varied stuff every night and not knowing how good we had it, KVV’s bizarro Montana/Baltimore Surf & Turf that I dig, all of it. Just fun!

 that I included in the wine selections menu highly enough. Any of their selections are approachable, relatively affordable and will open up a whole new window into Canary Islands wine that you probably didn’t have any idea about unless you’re somewhat deep into wine. Basically, they’re four friends who make wine all over the Atlantic-influenced regions of Spain. Of their selections, Migan, Lousas, Albahra, Taganan are all good, but the Benje Tinto and Benje Blanco are the first ones I had from them and are among my favorite bottles on the planet. The red is like nothing I’d ever tasted and reminded me of a charcuterie board and umami and salty sea air. And the white has an almost-oily viscosity to it, but without being heavy, and features that same salty smoothness. The farming techniques are wild (the Canaries are VERY far south; volcanic mountainsides; all sorts of marine effect, etc.) and these wines just capture my imagination. Get down the wormhole. Ikewen is another good one from a different producer - if you see it, buy it. 

On that note, Spring Wine Club shipments are rolling in and I’m starting to taste those. Will report back! Also, a listener sent me an Indian cookbook from the standout London eatery 

 - starting to wrap my head around it and feeling a bit  intimidated!

Not sure how or why, but I’ve been deep into making homemade chimichurri sauce for the past couple of months. We’ve got a nice garden going in the back and a lime tree that’s producing like crazy, so maybe it’s just a desire to use those ingredients, but it’s been nice and simple. Marinate some skirt steaks in soy sauce, go nuts on garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, lime, olive oil, oregano and red pepper (and mess with the ratios each time), stir it up, and then put it on a couple of steaks fresh off the grill. Fresh flavors for spring!

On the back end of Scotland and before heading to Augusta, I was unexpectedly in Atlanta by myself for a few days. For the first time since I moved away about nine years ago, I explored the city on my own terms and marveled at how much has changed. Really neat experience to feel like a stranger in a place that I know intimately and sort of fall in love with various things all over again and appreciate the new stuff and the evolution. Went to 

 one night with a good buddy (and our TrapDraw YSL Trial Correspondent, “Magic Jeff”!) who coaches high school basketball and had an exceptional meal, and a wine list that matched the wide spectrum of the menu. Also, went to a couple bougie-ass coffee shops around town, notably East Pole and Spiller Park. Both were good additions to the scene. Also returned to eat at 

 (overpriced, but excellent and distinctive.)

The famous omelet w/ creme fraiche and caviar at Lucian; the coffee-rubbed seared venison w/ beets at TD&TD; the Pork Laap at Snackboxe.

One thing I’ve read, watched and listened to lately:

 Soly and DJ roped me into this NLU fantasy baseball league and it’s gotten me back into following the sport a bit, and while I still refuse to watch the games, it’s fun to track. I’ve gone from not knowing anyone to becoming somewhat of an expert on the current Norfolk Tides roster since the Orioles’ farm system is chock-full of promising prospects. So when I saw this piece in The Athletic’s daily roundup newsletter (which I highly recommend, by the way) 

on a Silver Lake-backed group that’s buying up dozens of Minor League Baseball Teams around the countr

y I perked up. And with ANGC stuff on the brain lately, it was pretty synchronous to find out that Pat Battle is the guy heading the group up. Interesting play! And one that I hope doesn’t yield to MiLB becoming homogenized or bland, as one of the beauties of it is the local element. As much as I’ve disliked baseball in general (stemming from working 81 home games during a college internship for a BAD Cincinnati Reds team), I’ve had some great memories with various family members at Minor League games in Greenville, SC, Davenport, IA, and here in Jax with the Jumbo Shrimp. To read such glowing reviews of a PE-backed firm going in and maintaining a balance of efficiencies and local flair seemed too good to be true, and maybe it is. But it does seem like there’s a level of trust and operational know-how that can’t be faked, especially when considering Battle’s time spent building IMG College and honing a similar strategy and philosophy in a regionalized area such as college athletics. In any case, deep ANGC tie-ins here too, so there are some concentric circles there with Masters stuff above. Also, in the context of the current M&A climate and increased FTC scrutiny, it’s interesting to see consolidation play out in real-time and out in the open in an industry that has an anti-trust exemption.

 but Dream Scenario with Nic Cage just floored me. DJ recommended it before we hopped on a flight to Europe and I was so tickled by it. Thoughtful, bizarre, hilarious, sort of genre-bending and dark. I know Randy loves it, too. Highly recommend. Made me want to watch more movies! Next up, I’m going to fire up “Masters of the Air” on Apple TV on Randy’s rec. I don’t even think I have Apple TV. Nor do I think I’ve even watched any non-sports on TV/Netflix/etc. in months. Also, time to fire up Top Chef Milwaukee and start working towards a fun Perfect Club with DJ on that.

 I’ve been in deep the last few weeks on a podcast (or rather podkast) called 

, which is produced by the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund and hosted by its CEO Nicolai Tangen. Basically, the fund is the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world, and as such, holds massive positions in many of the largest and most innovative companies on earth. They do things a bit differently, as most Norwegians do, and exclude certain companies on ethical grounds, seem to promote genuinely good corporate governance, and use their sway and relationships to get some astonishing guests on this podcast - lots of people who don’t speak publicly much outside of investor calls or corporate summits, much less in a relatively informal, wide-ranging setting. Kind of. There are 66 episodes, and I’m only about a dozen in and have skipped around a bit. It’s very substantive, no-bullshit, direct Norwegian stuff and has some unexpected twists and turns. With confidence, I can say that if you like “How I Built This” or “Business Breakdowns” or “Acquired” then you’ll love this. You can find it here on 

DJ will be taking the reins next week. Cheers! -TC (tron@nolayingup.com)

Nest

GHIN and Tonic: Vol. 1 (TC)

Here is a (incomplete) list of all the stuff the world of golf seems to need from Nelly Korda at any given moment:

She needs to grant interviews and be charming when she does. She needs to appear in commercials, sell products and look fashionable. She needs to inspire more girls (and women) to play golf. She needs to be a spokesperson for the LPGA Tour. She needs to talk about the Olympics, and what it means to have a gold medal. She needs to provide the fuel for an army of social media clout chasers who use slow-motion clips of her beautiful swing to chase engagement. And above all, she needs to rack up wins. To dominate. To etch her name in the history books by capturing majors.

Here is what Korda often needs in return: To be alone. To be given the space to disappear into her own quiet world, often driving by herself from one tournament to the next. Sometimes there are celebratory In-and-Out burgers, sometimes there are early-morning almond croissants, but what’s most important to her is the freedom to hit the road, to see parts of the country she hasn’t seen, to have the opportunity to decompress and think.

“I've always said that staying in my own little bubble really, really helps me,” Korda said. “Not getting too distracted or lost in something that isn't really what I want to be lost in.”

Korda has never loved the idea that she has a responsibility to be the face of women’s golf. She is a private person who prefers time with her family and a small circle of friends rather than time in the spotlight. But she has learned, particularly this year, the spotlight — and the burden that comes with it — is difficult to escape for someone as talented as she is. And so when Korda tees off today in the LPGA Chevron Championship, the first major of the year, she will do so not only riding a historic hot streak of four consecutive wins, but also in the right headspace to potentially allow it to continue.

“I think obviously I'm so grateful and happy to be in this position that I could pull off four wins in a row,” Korda said. “I feel like in sports you're always looking ahead, what's next, instead of reminiscing on what has happened. I'm so grateful for my team that we all kind of live in our own bubble that we take it a shot at a time. That's what I'm going to be thinking about. I think added pressure isn't always a good thing.”

Korda, 25, has matured on the course this year, rounding out her game by improving her putting and her touch around the greens. She has become more of a pitcher instead of a thrower with her irons as well, hitting half shots and lowering her trajectory when the weather demands it. According to Justin Ray, the lead data analyst for KPMG Performance Insights, in the 2023 season, Korda gained .2 strokes per round on approach play, which put her 56th on the LPGA Tour. In 2024, she is gaining nearly a full stroke per round, putting her in the Top 15. She is the only player ranked in the Top 15 in Strokes Gained off the Tee and Strokes Gained Approach.

Page Break

She has also matured away from the course. She has been traveling this year for the first time in her career without her sister Jess, who stepped away from pro golf when she became a mom. (The sisters still talk every day by phone.) A development that could have unmoored Korda has instead sparked one of the most special stretches in the game’s history. Since 2000, only Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam (twice) have won four tournaments in a row.

“She’s kind of our Caitlin Clark out here,” said Lilia Vu, the Chevron’s defending champion. “She is bringing so much to the table — just win after win, just having it, having everything together. She’s done such a good job. So well-liked and loved out here. She brings a big following. She’s a great person.”

Korda understands that, despite what’s happened so far this year, the true accounting of her stature within the game is going to be measured in majors. It felt like she had truly arrived in 2021 when she won her first, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and became the No. 1-ranked player in the world for the first time. But a blood clot in her arm, and a back injury the following year, torpedoed that ascent.

“In 2021 I went on a run, and then in 2022 and 2023 golf really humbled me,” she said. “I think in sports, there are ups and downs. Every athlete goes through the rollercoaster, and that is what makes the sport so great. You mature and grow so much and learn more about yourself.”

The LPGA is still figuring out how to market its occasionally reluctant superstar. When commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan spoke with the media this week, she pointed out that it wasn’t that long ago the LPGA didn’t even have a marketing department. Now they have four or five employees working every week to try and get players like Korda in front of bigger audiences. The league has partnered with the creative branding firm Hana Kuma, co-founded by tennis star Naomi Osaka, to help better tell the athletes' stories.

“Listen, people follow people,” said Marcoux Samaan. “People love to follow a star. So I think we all know that and we all recognize that. We want to make sure Nelly Korda can reach her peak performance also. It's a lot of pressure on an athlete, but she's handled it extremely well. She's on SportsCenter this afternoon. She's got some great interviews with Golf Channel. I think they recognize that responsibility and they also recognize that she's a premier athlete that needs to be able to hone her craft too and make sure that she can reach peak performance and be at her best when she hits the first tee. So it's always a balance, but she's doing a great job with it.”

There is still pressure on Korda to do more than she’s comfortable with, but that’s also a necessary evil, according to Stacy Lewis, current United States Solheim Cup captain.

“I think Nelly does have a responsibility, and she probably doesn't always want it, just knowing her,” Lewis said. “But it's saying, yes. Continuing to play great golf though is No. 1. That's what helps our tour the most is her playing great golf. I would tell her to remember that. I would tell her to do as much extra stuff as you can for us. Every week she needs to be in here talking about it and how good she's playing. I've been in her shoes. I've been the No. 1 in the world and top American, and you're asked to do a lot of things. But give the media a couple hours every week. That's what she's going to have to start doing.”

Deep down, Korda is a golf junkie. She loves practicing and thinking her way through shots and competing. The ancillary stuff is always going to be a bit of a struggle for her. And she is adamant that she needs to do it on her own terms. The LPGA may not have loved it that she chose to skip the Asian Swing this year, opting for seven weeks off and time with her parents and grandparents in Prague, but that time away from golf has also spurred the best stretch of her career and garnered more media attention than playing tournaments in Asia ever could.

“I think everything comes with results,” Korda said. “If you don't have results you're not going to get opportunities. At the end of the day, everything is about results. I feel like for me, the way that I promote the game is just the way I am. I'm very true to myself. I'm never going to do something I'm not really comfortable with.”

Korda knows what a fifth win in a row would mean for both herself and for the game. In 1978, Nancy Lopez won five tournaments in a row, including a major, and ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the front page of the New York Times. Duplicating that feat would be huge for the modern LPGA. Lexi Thompson’s career once offered similar promise, but it didn’t translate into bigger buzz because she simply didn’t win often enough. Korda’s reluctance to jump in front of cameras away from the course may not matter if she continues to dominate. The more she dominates, the more curiosity and demand there will be for viewers to tune in.

“I feel like we just need a stage,” Korda said. “We need to be put on TV. I feel like when it's tape delay or anything like that, that hurts our game. Women's sports just needs a stage. If we have a stage we can show up and perform and show people what we're all about.”

For years, Korda has tried to hold onto a mantra that Hollis Stacy — a three-time U.S. Women’s Open winner — gave her in 2018 on the putting green when she was doing drills a day prior to a tournament. Korda was frustrated that she hadn’t yet broken through and gotten a win, and the frustration was noticeable.

“[Stacy] just said: “When The Time Is Right.” Korda said. “I just put that in my yardage book that week that I won in Taiwan at Swinging Skirts. I said, when the time is right it'll happen.”

The mantra remains written in her yardage book, even today.

Will the time be right for Korda this week to capture her 2nd major and fifth straight victory? Like it or not, the whole sport is watching her, hungry for more.

Kevin Van Valkenburg is the Editorial Director of No Laying Up

On Nelly Korda's Time

 premieres Wednesday at 9pm ET, and because our imagery and footage organization has reached a new level this season, I wanted to pull some of my favorite photos of the trip. These photos were taken by this season's talented production crew: 

First up, this shot from the 13th fairway at New South Wales. It was as if the ship's captain knew the TrapDraw podcast was on-site and helped frame the shot! The confluence of golf and global logistics was heady stuff. I also loved this golf hole. Look for a detailed profile in our Tourist Sauce Recap podcast and episode 1!

I'm going to cheat and use a carousel for 3 related pictures. Our afternoon at Peninsula Kingswood was sublime, and 18 was my favorite finishing hole of the trip. Like most of our afternoon rounds, we had the course to ourselves (Aussies don't seem to play golf in the afternoon!). Tron and I snapped a picture for the personal collection, and the last picture was the scene at sunset having dinner on the patio next to 18. The team is talking Masters prep with Asia Pacific Amateur winner Jasper Stubbs. What a day. 

Turn and Burn - Cody during a bonus round at Portsea G.C.

I will never understand how the man with cement in his back has the best turn and tempo on team NLU! This was an unforgettable driver off the deck during a bonus round at Portsea Golf Club. 

An all time look from T.C. - Cape Wickham #10

In a career of avant-garde fashion, this is one of my favorite looks from Tron Carter. The buff, the shades, the Hitter Blanco point. In the words of Ashley Perez, this look is "iconic." 

Not much needs to be said about Royal Adelaide. I think it will speak for itself in episode 2!

I'm thrilled to say the B-roll Boy is back in a big way this season. We brought some new toys to Oz this trip, and the new and improved DJI pocket camera was a workhorse. Shout out to Cody for adding this camera to our gear list!

A look down the first fairway - #1 Cape Wickahm GC

Cape Wickham was a polarizing course for the team, but I think it had the best opening hole on the trip, a handshake par 4 on the edge of the earth. There's also something very peaceful about watching sprinklers on a golf course. I love this picture.  

#TourSauce on Tourist Sauce

TC from the back bunker -#18  Royal Melbourne West 

D.J. sent this picture through to the team early in the editing process. We had another all-time afternoon and golden hour at Royal Melbourne West. What a shot from Cody behind the lens!

Just a warning, there were some truly egregious sock and shoe combos from my associates throughout Season 9. You've been warned...

King Island

I don't want to spoil anything, but this is a screenshot from what D.J. declared "The best drone sequence in the history of No Laying Up." Our stay on King Island is something I'll remember for the rest of my life. I hope to get back to the island before I die. 

Cape Wickham Lighthouse

I'd like to add something to our running list of 

Neil's Favorite Scenes From Australia

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler woke up Sunday morning feeling overwhelmed. 

His neck was bothering him for the first time all week. His wife, Meredith, was back in Dallas, staying at her aunt’s house. His tee time was still hours away, and he was feeling restless. It was a different sensation than it was two years ago, when he and Meredith cried before he went to the course. Their lives were changing so fast, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it.

This time, he was worried he wanted it too much.

“I was sitting around with my buddies,” Sheffler said. “I told them ‘I wish I didn’t want to win as badly as I do. I think it would make the mornings easier. But I love winning. I hate losing. I really do. And when you're here in the biggest moments, when I'm sitting there with the lead on Sunday, I really, really want to win badly.”

He was grateful his friends were there. A mixture of college pals and people he’d met since getting married, Scheffler invited them to stay at his rental house after his best friend, Sam Burns, missed the cut. The idea of being alone unnerved him. Meredith usually made him breakfast, usually picked out his outfits, and now the simple act of making eggs with toast felt strange.

His friends encouraged him to feel grounded in his faith. Whatever happened on Sunday, they reassured him, was not going to define him.

“My buddies told me this morning, my victory was secure on the cross,” Scheffler said. “And that's a pretty special feeling to know that I'm secure for forever and it doesn't matter if I win this tournament or lose this tournament. My identity is secure for forever.”

How do you beat a guy like Scheffler? He’s not only the most talented player in the game — maybe the most complete golfer since Tiger Woods — he has also learned how to channel the kind of tranquility that comes with contentment, to use it as superpower to dominate.

Years from now, when I think back on the 2024 Masters, there are so many scenes that will linger in my brain. It may not have had a riveting finish, but it came at what feels like an huge inflection point for the future of the game. I wanted to jot down everything I heard, or saw, that I thought might resonate beyond this week. In the end, I kept returning to Scheffler’s serenity.

He is now a two-time Masters champion, seemingly at the peak of his powers.

On Tuesday, the Champions Dinner dinner was winding down. 

The Ensalada de Txangurro (Basque crab salad and potatoes) and the Chuleton a la Parrilla (Basque ribeye steak with lettuce and peppers) picked out by Jon Rahm as a nod to his homeland had been consumed. The stories about Seve Ballesteros, told by the older generation of champions to the younger one, had been exhausted. 

It had been a jovial night, for the most part. Nick Faldo later shared that Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters winner, was “dead quiet” for the second straight year, barely speaking at all.

As the plates were being cleared, Tom Watson asked Fred Ridley, the Chairman of Augusta National, if he could say a few words.

Watson looked around the room. He saw several generations of men, some of them at odds over the future of professional golf, having a great time. The drama over the PGA Tour and LIV had faded, temporarily, into the background. He wanted everyone to remember that feeling, and carry it forward.

"Ain't it good to be together again?” Watson asked.

Silence washed over the room. No one really knew what to say.

“There was kind of an appall from the joviality,” Watson said.

Ray Floyd, the 1976 Masters champion, got up from his seat.

It was an unofficial sign that the dinner was over. Watson wasn’t sure if his message had resonated, but he was hopeful.

“I hope that the players themselves took that to say, you know, we have to do something,” Watson said. “We all know it's a difficult situation for professional golf right now. The players really kind of have control I think in a sense. What do they want to do? We'll see where it goes. We don't have the information or the answers. I don't think the PGA TOUR or the LIV Tour really have an answer right now.”

Scott Sheffler felt sheepish about doing it, but he couldn’t resist saying hello. 

He joked that he hoped it was okay to bother ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt because, after all, they shared the same first name.

“I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your work,” said Scheffler.

“Please. What an honor it is to meet you,” Van Pelt said.

Scheffler then introduced himself to a small group of reporters soaking up the sunshine.

This is what happens on Monday under the big oak tree in front of the Augusta National clubhouse. People from various walks of life cross paths, handshakes are exchanged, and strangers make connections. Scheffler admitted his morning had been a little stressful because his son, Scottie — the No. 1 player in the world — had shown up at the course and forgotten to bring his golf shoes.

“He asked me if I could run to the Nike truck and grab a pair,” Scheffler said. “I had to laugh. I ran to his car and I couldn't figure out how to get it out of park. I spent like 10 minutes trying to figure it out. Finally Nick Faldo walks over and he says ‘Oh you have to hold down this button on the blinker.’ You Americans are so lost.’ I’m like ‘The blinker? Nick, the car I drive came out in like 2012.”

"What a joy it’s been," I said, "to watch your son play golf the last few years."

Scott Scheffler smiled then gave a dismissive wave.

“I’m just happy he’s a good person,” he said. “All that other stuff, that never mattered to me. I’m just so proud that he treats people the right way. That he treats people with kindness.”

Something about the loving way Scott Scheffler talked about his boy moved me, so I asked his son about it the following day.

“You know, my dad — the way I was raised — my dad stayed home with us,” Scottie Scheffler said. “My mom worked. And my dad never really looked at me as a golfer. He never pushed me to become a good golfer. That was never what he wanted for me. My parents pushed more education and being kind to people. So I think playing junior golf, I think sometimes you see a lot of parents who really want their kid to become really, really good at something, and they think that's what's going to bring them joy. But becoming a really good golfer may bring you a little bit of momentary joy, but it doesn't sustain it for very long. Winning a tournament makes me happy for about five minutes, and then you go do a bunch of other things that are a little bit more difficult than winning the tournament.”

Scheffler, whose wife Meredith is 9 months pregnant, said he and his family put together a plan for the week in case she went into labor. A friend got permission from the club to carry a cell phone, and if the baby decided it was time to be born, Meredith was going to call her husband. A private jet would whisk him away, even if he was on the back nine and leading the tournament.

A reporter couldn’t resist asking: What if you’re winning and there are only a few holes left? Do you think she’ll call you in that scenario?

He was smiling, but he was also dead serious.


When the pairings sheet gets passed out at Augusta National, there are three columns of players listed under "Honorary Non-Competing Invitees who are present." It includes a slew of notable golfers, none of whom have won a Green Jacket. Most of the names you would recognize: Curtis Strange, Paul Azinger, Darren Clarke, John Daly, and Jim Furyk.

Greg Norman was not listed among them, but that did not stop him from buying tickets to multiple days of the 2024 Masters. He tried to go through the club for a ticket, his son later revealed on social media, but the club would not give him one, so he decided to buy one on the secondary market. Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters winner and an occasional critic of LIV Golf, couldn’t resist zinging him on social media.

“13 @livgolf_league players in the field for @themasters and none of them could get @sharkgregnorman a ticket? Greg had to buy one? Next year if you need one Shark let me know,” Couples wrote on Instagram.

“So glad we beat you in 2008 at Skills,” Greg Norman Jr. fired back, referencing the parent-and-child ADT Skills Challenge event, now known as the PNC.

It was impossible to miss Norman stalking the grounds in his vintage straw hat. He even wore a pair of black FootJoys as if, any minute, he might be ready to play. A reporter from the Washington Post tracked him down and convinced him to consent to a brief interview.

“Walking around here today, there’s not one person who said to me, ‘Why did you do LIV?’ ” Norman told the Post. “There’s been hundreds of people, even security guys, stopping me, saying, ‘Hey, what you’re doing is fantastic.’ To me, that tells you that what we have and the platform fits within the ecosystem, and it’s good for the game of golf.”

Serenity and security: Scenes from a memorable Masters

AUGUSTA — It’s Sunday morning, so I hope you’ll allow me to make a confession. It’s a little dark, but bear with me.

I’ve been rooting against Max Homa all week.

Journalists are supposed to be objective, but I refuse to be this week. I’m going to be furious on Sunday night if he somehow wins. It’s going to bug me for a while. I want to see him taste disappointment. The further he fell behind on Saturday? The happier it made me.

You see, our teams are matched up in fantasy baseball this week.

My squad (The Baltimore Bums) is currently crushing his boys (The Oppo Tacos). I can’t say for certain, but it’s likely he forgot to set his line-up this week. He doesn’t appear to have an active first baseman. Or a third baseman, for that matter. I’m pretty sure he left a couple pitching spots empty too. I could text him to ask, but he’s probably not answering. In summary, it would be a bit of a disgrace if I didn’t win.

Plus, it would bring me so much joy if he claimed a 

Look, I can’t pretend to be objective here, so I’m not going to try.

If someone else wins the 2024 Masters, I will write the best possible story that I can. I will talk about Scottie Scheffler’s artistry, or Collin Morikawa’s clinical execution. I will try to write the best Ludvig Åberg story that’s ever been written, because that’s what my job calls for.

Until that happens, every ounce of my soul will be silently rooting for Homa.

I won’t pretend like we’re best friends. There are other people in golf media, including several people I work with at NLU, who know him far better than I do. But we’re friendly enough that I can admit I want this for him. I want to see him play one special round at the right time, one he is absolutely capable of, and then watch him return to this place for the rest of his life, earning a seat at the table alongside Tiger Woods, his childhood hero.

I usually try to keep some distance from the athletes I write about. It’s the profession I grew up in. But sometimes life happens. It would be more dishonest at this point if I didn’t bring it up. Even if Homa had never recorded a funny video for my golf-obsessed 12-year-old daughter, even if we’d never traded stories or jokes or texted about our shared Lakers fandom, I’m pretty sure I would be pulling for him this week. It is easy, when you’re a professional athlete, to disappear behind a shield and keep some distance from fans or from media, and Homa has repeatedly refused to do that. At times, it’s probably been to his detriment. He’s done it anyway.

He’s been the kind of athlete we insist we always want — humble, hilarious and human — but rarely seem to get.

Masters champions, I will point out, come in all shapes and sizes, from different countries and different backgrounds. There really isn’t a blueprint, despite what many people think. They’re not all country club kids who are born into privilege. Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros helped blow up that archetype, and Woods and Vijay Singh swept away the pieces. But there is something appealing about the fact that Homa grew up wearing out the dodgy, local public golf course near his home and that he wasn’t an elite recruit or anyone’s idea of a sure thing.

Writing

Pen Pals: Scottie Scheffler & Nelly Korda

Tourist Sauce Season 9, Episode 1 Travel Guide

GHIN and Tonic: Vol. 1 (TC)

On Nelly Korda's Time

Neil's Favorite Scenes From Australia

Serenity and security: Scenes from a memorable Masters

Max Homa Winning is No Longer a Fantasy

Jordan Spieth Is Increasingly Unrecognizable

Admit It: You Missed Bryson, Too

The Real Cost

Bailey Shoemaker Will Be Back

ANWA 2024: Sights and Scenes Heading into the Final Round

ANWA 2024: The Future Is Here

Allow Amari Avery to Reintroduce Herself

Let's Stay Together

Rachel Heck: Why I'm Remaining An Amateur

Hey Golf: More Of This, Please

The Inexplicable Survival of Jay Monahan