Author: admin

Measuring Greatness: Jack, Tiger, and the Young Stars on Tour

**Jack and Tiger: A League of Their Own**

While Major Championships and Tour wins define a player’s legacy, making cuts and recording Top-10’s are the most revealing measurement of success in professional golf. Not surprisingly, Jack and Tiger set the high-water mark for these criteria as well, and they are the standard of comparison when looking at the current group of highly talented young stars.

In the graphic below, Jack’s numbers include the entirety of his career, through his retirement at age 65—and it is particularly impressive that his percentage of Top-10 finishes remains so much higher than any player other than Tiger, even when his twilight years on Tour are included.

Athletes peak at different ages, and unfortunately, injury also plays a significant role. For Jack, his percentage of Top-10’s actually increased throughout his 30’s (his Top-10 percentage was 71.8% on his 30^th birthday, and 74.5% when he turned 40). Tiger, on the other hand, built the bulk of his record in his 20’s, with serious physical issues beginning to impact his play almost immediately on turning 30. He lost significant portions of the 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2015 seasons, so although Tiger’s Top-10 percentage stood at 66.0% on his 30^th birthday, it fell to 60.4% when he turned 40. And then he lost the entire 2015-2016 season following another back surgery.

Current players are at different stages in their career, so the best way to view performance is by looking at percentages, rather than just the totals. As shown in the graphic below, there is a vast gulf in Top-10 percentage between Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy (No.’s 1 and 2), and Dustin Johnson (No. 3).

**Rory McIlroy and John Rahm: Separating themselves from the Field**

Jon Rahm, at 27 years old, is only just entering the peak performance years of his career, and Rory, at 33, is at the height of his ability. Collin Morikawa, 25 years old, with the same Top-10 percentage as Dustin Johnson and a significantly higher cut percentage, has virtually his entire career before him. It will be fascinating to track the progress of the current group of talented young PGA Tour stars over the next decade and more, when viewed against the eye-popping numbers that Jack and Tiger put up.

Movers

Although Scottie Scheffler has the look of a much more “seasoned” pro, he only just turned 26 on June 21. On top of his Masters victory in April, and strong performance at the U.S. Open (T2), Scottie has made the cut in 18 of the 20 events he’s played this year while recording 9 Top-10’s (including 4 wins). When The Open Championship gets underway at St. Andrews in July, it’s a pretty safe bet that Scheffler will be on the leader board come Sunday.

**Scheffler, Thomas and Spieth: Moving the Needle**

Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, boyhood rivals with 5 major championships between them, are both at the top of the list when it comes to making cuts and Top-10 percentage. Still in their 20’s, each is a lock for the World Golf Hall of Fame when the curtain comes down on their careers.

Will Zalatoris (No. 8), at 25 years old, has already recorded 6 Top-10’s in major championships. While he has yet to record his first Tour victory, his ball striking is second to none. Should Will begin to putt with more consistency, the possibilities are virtually limitless.

Players with Hall of Fame talent who have yet to reach 25 years of age include Victor Hoveland (No. 20), Sungjae Im (No. 23), and Joaquin Niemann (No. 28).

With so much talent currently on the PGA Tour, challenging the records of Jack and Tiger would seem an impossible task—but it makes for tremendous excitement week in and week out.

LIV

While LIV has picked off 7 of the Career Top 30, closer inspection reveals that the Tour hasn’t given up a whole heck of a lot. As a group, the PGA ex-pats played a total of 99 events in the 2021-2022 season, making just 66 cuts (66%) along with a grand total of 10 Top-10 Finishes (10%). Surprisingly, the star of the show is Abraham Ancer with 3 Top-10’s.

**Mickelson, Johnson and Koepka: 4 Top-10’s combined in 2022**

Perhaps it’s mostly related to age, with just one defector under 30 years old (Bryson DeChambeau). Two are soon to be 40 (Louis Oosthuizen–39 and Dustin Johnson–38), Sergio is 42, and Phil just turned 52.

Phil and Dustin have already punched their ticket to the World Golf Hall of Fame, but with only 1 major and 6 Tour wins, Sergio has become an extreme long shot (although his 22 worldwide wins give him an outside chance). Pat Reed with 1 major and 9 Tour wins, has removed himself from any consideration. Koepka, with 4 major championships, has closed out his PGA Tour career with a total of only 8 wins—so his chances of getting to the Hall are now very much in doubt.

The Saudi’s have paid a boatload of money with this venture, but the quality of their purchases have thus far been questionable to say the least.

Share this Article:

LIV Golf: Patrick Reed to Assume Bad Guy Role

**LIV: Patrick Reed—The New Bad guy in Town**

With Patrick Reed becoming the latest big name to join LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson will have to relinquish the bad-guy role he’s been shouldering thus far. Phil can only claim a few months of questionable decisions and unfortunate remarks after decades of good deed and immense popularity. Reed, on the other hand, can point to a vast resume of unsavory incidents and eyebrow-raising episodes going back a great many years.

Even the swarthy new look that Phil introduced for the LIV event in London, and the testy attitude he displayed at the U.S. Open press conference, won’t change the fact that he will eventually return to his natural nice guy habitat. And while Reed has not done or said anything recently to draw the spotlight, you can be sure it won’t be long—and the media will have an enormous reservoir of ammunition to work with.

The Incidents

Most everyone is aware that Reed has been called out a number of times over the years for skirting the rules to improve his lie and gain an advantage on the field. The first was in 2016 during the Barclays Championship at Bethpage, when he was faced with a 300-yard second shot from heavy rough on the long par-5 13^th hole. The ball was sitting down, and it was clear that Reed would have no choice but to lay back with an iron. After placing a wedge behind the ball 4-5 times as if preparing to hit the shot, all the while depressing the tall grass, he suddenly reached into his bag and whipped out a wood—an option that was originally out of the question—and striped it down the fairway to set up a short approach. He didn’t receive a penalty, because there was no official near-by and his playing partners didn’t see it.

Peter Kostis: “By the time he was done, he hit a freaking 3-wood out of there, which when I saw it, it was a sand wedge layup originally.”

**2019 Hero Challenge: Building Sand Castles**
*Golf Digest* (golfdigest.com)

Another episode occurred at the 2019 Hero Challenge, when Reed prepared to hit his third shot from a waste area on the par-5 11^th hole. Sand was piled behind his ball, so he placed his wedge behind it and took a couple of “practice” back swings, sweeping the sand away to allow a nice clean strike. This time he was hit with a 2-stroke penalty, because it was simply too flagrant and observed by thousands watching the telecast.

Brooks Koepka: “…there’s no room for intentional rule breaking…Yeah. I don’t know what he was doing, building sand castles in the sand. But you know where your club is.”

The most recent blow-up came during the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, when Reed hooked his approach well left into thick, damp rough. After seeing his ball sitting well down in the grass with little chance of getting his third shot anywhere near the pin, he asked a near-by volunteer if the ball had bounced before coming to rest. When told it had flown directly into the grass without a bounce, making it possible for the ball to be embedded (which would justify relief), he quickly scooped it up and began probing with his finger—determining that it “broke ground” and was therefore entitled to a free drop. He then called for an official to examine the area where he had been probing, and received a favorable ruling. The problem is that television coverage clearly showed that the ball took a low trajectory bounce forward before coming to rest, making the chance that the ball would then “embed” in the ground extremely remote. In light of his prior infractions, more than a few eyebrows were raised.

Xander Schauffele: “Obviously, the talk amongst the boys isn’t great, but he’s protected by the Tour and that’s all that matters, I guess.”

Reed then threw Rory McIlroy under the bus, claiming he had done exactly the same thing. Indeed, Rory had taken embedded ball relief on a shot that bounced before coming to rest. The difference was that Rory’s ball had also been stepped on by a volunteer while he was trying to locate it—and of course, there has never been a question about McIlroy’s integrity.

**Patrick Reed at Torrey Pines**
*Photo by WWLG* (https://www.whywelovegolf.com)

The Rep

Reed’s tremendous talent and laser focused desire to win have always been unquestioned, as illustrated by the success he’s had at every level of golf—but his tendency for rubbing people the wrong way, combined with an abrasive public persona, have fueled his “bad guy” image. Patrick was born in San Antonio, TX and his family moved to Baton Rouge, LA when he was in his mid-teens. His record as a Junior was outstanding, leading his high school golf team to state championships in 2006 and 2007, and he reached the semi-final of the US Amateur in 2008. After High School Patrick opted to play his college golf at The University of Georgia, where his current public persona began to take shape. Confidence is a critical element for success, and Reed possessed it in abundance. His supreme confidence, however, soon morphed into what might be called “disagreeable arrogance,” impacting team chemistry. Following an alcohol related incident that would not typically result in dismissal, Reed was dropped from the program while still in his freshman year.

Jason Payne (Georgia Golf Coach): “While getting to know Patrick through the recruiting process as a coach, a few character issues came to light, that we as coaches thought we could help Patrick with,” he said. “Once Patrick was on campus for a few months, it became clear that Patrick was not going to mesh with the make-up of the team at that time, and he was dismissed from the team.”

**Leads Jaguars to two National Championships**
*Photo by CBS Sports* (https://www.cbssportsf.com)

Reed promptly transferred to Augusta University, where he led the Jaguars to consecutive NCAA Division I golf titles (2010 and 2011), while going undefeated in match play (6-0). The second championship, ironically, came when the Jaguars bested Georgia in the final, with Reed defeating Harris English in the deciding match. The win over English, who also went on to a successful PGA Tour career, burnished Reed’s reputation as a hard-nosed competitor—but his image among peers remained less than stellar.

Kevin Kisner: “They all hate him—any guys that were on the team with him hate him and that’s the same way at Augusta…. I don’t know that they’d piss on him if he was on fire, to tell you the truth.”

Following the second NCAA championship in 2011, Reed turned pro, earning exempt status on the PGA tour by 2013. Throughout his career, Patrick has recorded 9 Tour wins, including a major championship (2018 Masters) and 43 Top-10’s. He has also been outstanding at the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, with a combined record of 11 wins, 6 losses and 4 ties (particularly when he defeated Rory McIlroy in 2016, one of the greatest matches in Ryder Cup history).

His successes, however, have been accompanied by statements and episodes that made Reed less than appealing in the public eye, beginning in 2014 when he declared himself to be one of the top 5 players in world after winning his 3^rd tournament at 23 years old (he was No. 44 in the World Golf Rankings at the time, although the win moved him up to No. 20). At Bay Hill in 2018 an official refused to grant him relief when his ball landed in a bush, at which point he turned to the gallery and said “I guess my name needs to be Jordan Spieth.”

As P.T. Barnum said, “there is no such thing as bad publicity,” so Patrick Reed and LIV may well be a match made in heaven.

LIV Update

Brooks Koepka and Abraham Ancer have become the latest PGA Tour players to announce their intention to join LIV Golf. Following a dismal finish at the U.S. Open, in the midst of a disappointing season in which he’s recorded only 2 Top-10’s and missed the cut in 6 of the 15 events played, Brooks’ departure does not come as a complete shock. Koepka has always focused primarily on the major championships, and with 4 major wins at 32 years of age, still has the opportunity to add to his record and etch his name among the greats of the game. While the USGA allowed LIV members to compete at the U.S Open, and the R&A has announced that they will be allowed to compete at the Open Championship in July, the position of the powers that be at Augusta National and the PGA of America are less than clear with regard to the 2023 Masters and PGA Championship. Should joining LIV prevent him from participating in 2 of the 4 majors going forward, Brooks may have deep regrets over his decision to take the money.

Share this Article:

2022 U.S. Open: Rory Riding High for Battle in Brookline

With his impressive performance at the Canadian Open, it appears that Rory McIlroy is firing on all cylinders in pursuit of his fifth major championship heading into the U.S. Open. Unlike the PGA Championship where he opened with a magnificent 65 and then glided through the second and third rounds with 71 and 74 before finishing with a solid 68 (8^th place), Rory kept his foot firmly on the gas from beginning to end last week, with rounds of 66, 68, and 65 before closing with a sizzling 62 (19 under total). Justin Thomas, brimming with confidence in the wake of his second major championship victory at the PGA, refused to make it easy for Rory in the final round, however. Thomas began the day 2 shots back of Rory at 9 under, and after reeling off six straight birdies from 6 through 11 and adding another at 14, he got to 17 under—within a shot of Rory’s lead. When McIlroy fanned his tee shot into the bunker on the par 3 16^thand made bogey, they were tied going to the last two holes—and Rory had a downcast look about him as he left the green that’s been all too common in recent years.

By the time he reached the 17^th tee Rory had gathered himself and, deciding to let the big dog eat, unleashed a 367-yard bomb that left only a wedge from 127 yards. He then stiffed his approach to 2 feet, and tapped in for birdie. When Thomas faltered with a bogey, Rory carried a 2-shot lead going to the last. At 18 he ripped another 300+ yard drive to the right fairway, once again stiffing his approach (4 feet this time), and tapped in for birdie and his second consecutive Canadian Open Championship.

When Rory kicks it up a notch in the face of a full-on stress test applied by the reigning PGA Champ, it should give the field at The Country Club something to ponder and have golf fans chomping at the bit.

**Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and John Rahm**

The Contenders

Rory certainly looks to be in full control of his game, and it will be shocking if he is not among the leaders come Sunday. He will have a monumental task ahead though, because the field for the 2022 U.S. Open may be the deepest ever assembled for a golf championship. In addition to the red-hot Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, reigning Masters Champion, is at the top of his game as well—and no doubt casting a keen eye toward backing up his win at Augusta with another major championship. The most dangerous player in the field, however, may be Jon Rham. The career numbers Rham has put up on the PGA Tour thus far are eye-popping, and he is past due for his second major. In 120 starts, Jon has finished in the Top 10 an astounding 49% of the time—the highest of any player in the field. In addition, he’s made the cut in 90% of the events he’s entered—so he’s rarely off his game.

Although Jordan Spieth missed the cut at The Masters, he’s recorded a Top 10 in 3 of his last 5 starts, including a win at The Heritage, a runner-up at the Byron Nelson, and a T7 at the Charles Schwab Challenge. With 3 major championships on his resume, Jordan knows how to close under pressure—and his putter is second to none. Although Collin Morikawa has been treading water while making cuts since his strong finish at the Masters (5^th), his driving accuracy and precision iron play is exactly what the USGA looks for in an Open Champ.

Based on his dismal season thus far, one might assume that Brooks Koepka will be lacking confidence when he tees it up at the 2022 U.S. Open today. Don’t count on it. After missing the cut as an amateur back in 2012, Koepka, has played the Open 7 times—recording 2 wins (back-to-back in 2017 and 2018), a runner up (2019), 2 T4’s (2014 and 2021) as well as a T13 in 2016 and a T18 in 2015. Koepka lives for major championship golf, and a win this week would go a long way toward healing the pain of yet another injury-plagued season. Perhaps, Tiger-like, he’ll summon a great performance with sheer will and fortitude.

Based on his uninspired performance at the LIV event in London, and with money no longer an incentive, it will be interesting to see what Dustin Johnson brings to the table at the Open. With so few opportunities to achieve anything meaningful in golf going forward, perhaps Dustin will make a statement. It would seem unlikely, but the talent is still there.

**Young Guns: Sungjae Im, Joaquin Niemann and Victor Hoveland**

The 2022 U.S. Open will also feature a host of mega-talented young stars on the verge of breaking loose at a major—and you can be assured a few will appear on the leaderboard as the championship rolls into the weekend. Will Zalatoris has already recorded 4 Top-10 finishes at major championships in only his second season on Tour, and 24-year-old Victor Hoveland has recorded 3 Tour wins while making the cut in 58 of the 64 events he’s played (91%). Sungjae Im, also 24 years old, has recorded 23 Tour Top-10’s, including 2 wins and a T8 at Augusta in April. Joaquin Niemann, 23 years old, has racked up 21 Top-10’s including 2 wins, and 25-year-old Sam Burns has already notched 4 wins on Tour (3 wins in 2022).

With McIlroy, Thomas, and Scheffler at the top of their game, and so many bright young stars who are poised to burst through at a major, this U.S. Open promises to be memorable indeed—and we are in for a spectacular weekend of golf.

Share this Article:

DJ and Phil to Headline LIV Inaugural Event

It is hard to see “LIV Golf” (Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed series of golf tournaments) posing much of a threat to the PGA Tour over the long term. At some point it will likely go the way of the USFL and the Canadian Football League, but for right now Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson have hit the jackpot. That’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of room in the marketplace for an alternative golf experience, and perhaps Greg Norman’s brainchild is just the ticket for engaging broader appeal. The field for the first event this weekend in London is a bit thin though, so the individual stroke-play portion of the format is not likely to generate much excitement–unless a handicap system is implemented to give the field a fighting chance against DJ.

The “team” element, on the other hand, may provide a dynamic and emotional outlet not generally found at PGA Tour events—with the exception of the Phoenix Open of course. Fans only have a chance to let their hair down and root for a “team” once a year at the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. 12 teams will be competing at each LIV tournament, and each have a team name, logo and color scheme—with DJ’s team announced as the “4 Aces” and Phil’s squad the “High Flyers.” Perhaps “The Gunslingers” might have been a better choice for DJ as he sidles’ up to the first tee (complete with cowboy hat), and “Dark Thrill” for Phil’s squad, now that he’s been cast in the bad guy role (their team color could be all black—which Phil often wears anyway). And when Ricky Fowler finally makes up his mind to jump, perhaps his team can be called the “Biker Boys.”

Keep in mind that professional sport is essentially entertainment, and contemporary golf fans comprise a diverse cross-section of society, not just the high-brow country club set who expect serious golf in deadpan silence with a smattering of polite applause.

The Venues

The LIV Invitational Series will consist of eight events, with the first being played at Centurion Club in the UK just outside of London. Five of next seven will be held in the United States (two being Donald Trump courses—Trump National Bedminster in NJ and Trump National Doral, FL). The other two will be at international venues—one of which being Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jedda, Saudi Arabia (no surprise) and the other Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Format

Each event will include a field of 48 players, with both an individual and a “team” component over 3 rounds totaling 54 holes and no cut. The total purse for each event will be $25 million, with $20 million divvied up among the field for the individual competition, and $5 million split between the top 3 finishers in the team competition. The individual component is straight forward, with the winner for each event determined by the lowest 54-hole score. Individual winners will also accumulate “ranking points,” and the player with the most points will be named the over-all individual champion after the first 7 events have been completed (the overall champion will take home an additional $18 million).

The team component is a little harder to follow. Each event will include twelve 4-man teams, comprised of a “Captain” (named by “LIV”) and 3 additional players who will be selected by the captain in a “draft” prior to each tournament. Team competition is also based on stroke play, and for the first two rounds the team score will be the total of the 2 team members carding the lowest scores, with the third-round team score being the total of the 3 team members carding the lowest scores. The team with the lowest aggregate score after 54 holes will be the winner. Once the first seven events have been completed, the teams will be “seeded” and the final event will be a match play tournament held over 4 days in October at Trump National Doral, FL—with no individual competition.

The structure for the match-play finale is a bit baffling, however. Since the fields will vary for each event, and captains will be named from players among the individual fields, it is unclear how the final 12 “captains” are to be determined for the Match Play tournament (perhaps they are permanent, and required to participate in all 7 events). It is also unclear how the composition of the teams themselves will be determined—since there will be a separate draft of players held prior to each regular event (so players may end up on different teams for each event—unless previously drafted players are permanent members of a particular team, with the draft only applying to new players being added when a team player isn’t participating in a particular event). The basis on which “seeding” will be determined for the Match Play finale is equally mysterious—but all will no doubt be revealed in good time.

The Field

Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Kevin Na comprise the list of familiar names. DJ made the cut in 7 of the 10 tournaments he played this year on the PGA Tour, with 2 Top 10’s (his best being a 4^th at the Match Play and a T9 at the Players). Phil hasn’t played since he missed the cut at the Farmers back in January, and Louie Oosthuizen hasn’t recorded a Top 10 since last season. Sergio has 1 Top 10 this year (a T7 at Mayakoba) and Lee Westwood missed the cut in 5 of the 9 events he’s played.

That leaves Kevin Na (9 of 12 cuts made on Tour this year with 2 Top 10’s) standing in Johnson’s path for the $4 million individual first place check. No wonder DJ had that Cheshire cat smile on his face at the LIV press conference.

The Motivation

Johnson is reported to have received a $125 million bonus for making the move, and based on the competition, he’ll very likely pocket a great deal more. At the LIV press conference, DJ stated “I don’t want to play for the rest of my life,” so it would seem he just can’t get by on the $74 million he’s already won on the PGA Tour. On the other hand, DJ may also have looked around at Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, and a host of mega-talented young guns currently on Tour, and thought it was an opportune time to cash in his chips and slip out the door.

Phil received a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $200 million, and even though he’ll turn 52 in a couple of weeks, the light-weight fields without a cut will give him the opportunity to earn a great deal more. And since his skill with games of chance appears to be quite a few notches below his ability with a wedge, perhaps he simply needs the money.

The Future

The second LIV event will be played June 30–July 2 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, a great track in North Plains, OR designed by Bob Cupp and Andy Johnson. It’s been reported that Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed will be joining the field, which should spice things up a bit. Chances are also pretty good that a few additional name players will announce their intention to jump over to LIV following the U.S. Open (and one of them is likely to be Ricky Fowler, who no longer enjoys exempt status on the PGA Tour).

When asked his reaction to LIV Golf at the Canadian Open press conference, Scottie Scheffler said “I haven’t really noticed anyone missing this week. Maybe outside of DJ.” Come on Scottie, you didn’t notice Kevin Na wasn’t around anymore?

Share this Article:

Top Golf Destinations

**Harbour Town Golf Links, Sea Pines Resort, SC**

When you think about golf destinations, Florida and California immediately come to mind—but you may be surprised to see which states have the largest percentage of high caliber courses. Although Florida and California have the most public courses by far, they are not at the top of the list when you consider the number of quality courses a state can offer, rather than just the total number of courses. So where do you look for the best chance of finding a great golf experience? Here’s what we found.

The GolfDay Rating

The GolfDay Rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect who did the original design, updates that have been done since the course was built, USGA Course and Slope Ratings, current local and national rankings by Golf Digest, Golfweek, and Links Magazine (as well as other authoritative sources), the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning, and current course reviews.

Consideration is also given for facilities that offer junior golf programs, a golf academy or golf leagues. Resort ratings also include a factor for the variety of courses located at the property, as well as the quality of accommodations. The GolfDay Rating is structured on the same basis as a test score—from 0 to 100. An “A” is 90 and up, “B” is 80–89, “C” is 70–79, “D” is 65–69 and below 64 is an “F.”

**Kiawah Island Golf Resort, SC—Pete Dye, Tom Fazio and Jack Nicklaus**

The Results

We looked at the total number of public courses in each state to see how many received a GolfDay Rating of greater than 90 (“A”), and the number that were rated 80 or higher (“B”). South Carolina, Hawaii, Nevada, Delaware and Alabama came in at the top of the list.

South Carolina (#1)

Of the 194 public courses in South Carolina, almost 20 percent received a GolfDay Rating above 90 (A)) and 5 were rated at 100 (A++). With premier golf destinations like Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and Kiawah Island, I guess that should not be a shocker—but there are a great many high-quality courses to be found throughout the state as well. More than half of the courses in South Carolina (55.7%) received a GolfDay Rating of 80 or more.

South Carolina is also home to the Waccamaw Golf Trail, featuring 11 great courses along the coast south of Myrtle Beach. All of the courses on the Trail received a GolfDay Rating above 80, with 6 coming in above 90—and one of them, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, received a rating of 100.

**Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, SC–100 GolfDay Rating**

I’m sure the residents of S.C. are keenly aware of how lucky they are to have so many terrific courses in their midst, while the rest of us mark our calendar and count the days.

Hawaii (#2)

It takes a bit of getting there, and can be a little pricey, but with unparalleled scenery and a host of top-notch golf courses, Hawaii should be at the top of your bucket list. Sprinkled among the islands are 60 public courses, 11 of which received a GolfDay Rating of 90 or higher. Almost half of the courses in Hawaii received a rating above 80, so you won’t have to look far to find quality golf (if you can tear yourself away from the beach).

**Wailea Golf Club, HI—3 superb courses by Robert Trent Jones**

On Oahu, Ko Olina Golf Club received the highest rating at 91.6. On Maui, Wailea Golf Club received a rating of 100, followed by Kapalua Resort-97.4 and Manele Golf Course at the Four Seasons Resort—90.2

On Kauai, Princeville Makai Golf Club heads the list, receiving a GolfDay Rating of 100, while on the Big Island, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel course received a rating of 95.2, followed closely by Hualalai at the Four Seasons Resort (94.9).

Nevada (#3)

Most everyone knows that there are some nice courses in the Las Vegas area, but may not realize just how good so many of them actually are. Reno and Lake Tahoe, in western Nevada, offer quite a few fantastic courses as well. Of the 71 public courses in Nevada, 13 received a GolfDay Rating above 90, and 34 were rated at 80 or higher. Cascata, a Rees Jones masterpiece, received a GolfDay Rating of 99.1 and is located just 25 minutes from the airport.

**Cascata, NV—A Rees Jones Masterpiece**

Near Reno, Incline Village received a rating of 97.1, and 11 other courses in the area were rated 80 or higher.

Delaware (#4)

For a small state, Delaware packs a big punch when it comes to quality golf. There are only 22 public courses in the state, but 4 of them received a GolfDay Rating over 90, and 13 were rated 80 or higher.

**White Clay Creek Country Club, DE—Arthur Hills and Steve Forest Design**

Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club, designed by Arthur Hills and Steve Forest in Millsboro, received the highest rating at 92.4. Other courses in Delaware receiving a 90+ rating include White Clay Creek Country Club (91.9), Odessa National Golf Club (90.7), and Bayside Resort Golf Club (90.6).

Alabama (#5)

If you want to make your golf fantasy come true, look no further than Alabama. In addition to the 11 fabulous courses along the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, 3 courses in Alabama also received a rating above 90 (FarmLinks Golf Club at Pussell Farms—92.7, Timberline Golf Course—91.0, and GlenLakes Golf Club—90.2).

Of the 81 public golf facilities in Alabama, 42 received a GolfDay Rating of 80 or higher.

**Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail: The Shoals, AL—Roger Rulewich and Bobby Vaughn Design**

From the rugged terrain in the northern part of the state where the Appalachian Mountain chain begins, to the beauty of a gulf coast sunrise down south, Alabama offers not only perfect weather just about year-round, but also some of the finest golf courses you will find anywhere in the world.

Share this Article:

2022 PGA Championship: Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris and Mito Pereira

**Justin Thomas: Two Time PGA Champion**

The 2022 PGA Championship was one of the most exciting final rounds at a major we’ve seen in a long time. Justin Thomas, looking for his second major championship, roared up the leader board with 3 birdies on the closing nine holes to shoot a brilliant 67, tying Will Zalatoris at 5 under par to force a 3-hole playoff. The first playoff hole was the par 5 thirteenth, and after Zalatoris narrowly missed an eagle putt, Thomas calmly knocked in a six-footer for birdie to stay even. The second was the 302 yard seventeenth, and Thomas drove the green, making another birdie to take a one-shot lead going to final hole. With a beautiful tee shot and solid approach, he two-putted for par and the Wanamaker trophy as Zalatoris’ birdie effort failed to fall. With 5 birdies on the final 12 holes of a grueling test at Southern Hills, Justin Thomas earned his second major championship in classic style. And while Will Zalatoris came up just short, he maintained his composure and executed magnificently under stifling pressure down the stretch—so you can expect this 25-year-old to be a force at major championships for many years to come.

Another big story to emerge from the 2022 PGA Championship is Mito Pereira, the talented young South American player who led the championship through the first 3 rounds. A costly double bogie on the final hole denied him a chance to win, but the ball striking and putting stroke he demonstrated throughout the week opened everyone’s eyes—and you can be sure he’ll be lifting a championship trophy in the not very distant future.

Justin Thomas

Justin’s victory at the PGA Championship comes on the heels of a solid performance at the Masters, where he finished in a tie for 8^th. He has not missed a cut in any of the 13 events he’s played this season, while recording 8 Top-10 finishes. While everyone’s attention was drawn to the fabulous year Scottie Scheffler’s had, capped off by his win at The Masters, Thomas was quietly putting together one heck of a year as well—and then he brought out the megaphone at Southern Hills. With 15 wins including two major championships, Thomas is headed for the World Golf Hall of Fame—the only question is how far he can climb in the record books toward the all-time greats of the game. He is certainly poised for a monster year, particularly with his powerful showing at the first two majors. There is an abundance of young talent currently on tour who will stand in his way, so Thomas will need to maintain the Tiger-like drive and focus he displayed at the PGA Championship to muscle them aside. Justin only just turned 29, and the book won’t be closing any time soon—but his path for posting career numbers to rival Tiger and Jack will not get any easier. He delivered a powerful message to the young guns on Tour though—and it will be a lot of fun to see how they take it.

Will Zalatoris

Will Zalatoris has not recorded a win on the PGA Tour yet, but it won’t be long—and once the dam breaks, watch out for the flood. Just a few months beyond his 25^th birthday, this Dallas Texas native can flat out play. After making the cut in all 16 events he entered on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020, with 10 Top-10’s including a win, Will earned his PGA Tour card and recorded a T6 in his first event—the 2020 U.S. Open played at Winged Foot in the Fall. In his first season on tour, Zalatoris made the cut in 21 of the events he played, including 8 Top-10’s. The big eye opener is his performance in major championships, where he has recoded 4 Top-10’s in the 9 majors he has played. Will has always been long off the tee, and one of the best ball strikers you’ll ever see (currently 14^th in driving distance and 5^th in greens in regulation), but the putter has always held him back (in 2020 he ranked 170^th on tour in putting)—so he went to work on the practice green where the effort paid immediate dividends as he rolled his ball beautifully at Southern Hills. If Will’s putting continues to come around with the game he plays tee-to-green, it will be an explosive combination, and it should come as no surprised if he blows away the U.S Open field at The Country Club in June.

Mito Pereira

Virtually unknown in the U.S. prior to bursting onto the scene at Southern Hills, Pereira’s outstanding play came as no surprise to golf fans in his native Chile. After winning multiple junior titles, including a victory on the Chilean Professional Tour in 2013 as an Amateur, Mito climbed to number 5 in the official World Amateur Golf Rankings in 2015 at twenty years old. After some time on the Latinoamerica Tour, Pereira joined the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021, and recorded 9 Top-10’s, including 3 wins, earning his Tour card for the 2022 season. Thus far Mito has made the cut in 14 of the 19 events he has played, but showed signs that his game was heating up prior to the PGA with a T13 at the Valero Texas Open and a T17 at the Byron Nelson, where he opened with a 64 in the first round. Pareira currently ranks 4^th on the PGA Tour in greens in regulation, but 143^rd in putting—a pretty clear indicator of why he hadn’t had more success coming into the PGA. He certainly putted well at Southern Hills, particularly under pressure. With his ball striking ability and the experience gained by contending at a major championship on Sunday, look for Mito to begin appearing among the leaders at PGA events on a regular basis (along with his countryman, Joaquin Niemann, who is due to brake out at a major championship in the near future).

Share this Article:

2022 PGA Championship: Rory Puts the Pedal Down at Southern Hills

Rory kicked into gear at the opening round of the PGA Championship on Thursday, and threatened to run away from the field when he moved to 6 under par through the first 14 holes. At that point he held a 3 shot lead over his closest competitor, Will Zilitoris, and it brought to mind the famous Bobby Jones quote about Jack Nicklaus “playing an entirely different game, and one which I’m not even familiar with.” At the end of the day Rory finished with a brilliant 5 under round of 65, one shot ahead of Zilatoris and Tom Hoge. In recent years we’ve seen only flashes of what Rory can do when firing on all cylinders, most notably the final round at the Masters in April when he tied the course record with a sizzling 64 and finished runner up to Scottie Scheffler.

The dry spell Rory’s had at the majors has been marked by extremely slow starts, breaking 70 in the first round only 5 times in the 24 major championships played since 2016—his best being 67 at Winged Foot in the 2020 U.S., where he finished in a tie for 8^th. The difference yesterday was the putter, which came to life on the silky-smooth greens of Southern Hills with 7 birdies—the most in the field. The last time Rory shot 65 in the opening round at a major was the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club, where he went on to a thumping 8 shot victory over runner-up Jason Day.

Friday’s Challenge

The players who tee off early in the day have a considerable advantage, with relative calm and greens that are at least somewhat receptive. In Oklahoma the wind generally kicks up pretty good in the afternoon, and the greens start to dry out and firm up, making the already challenging approach shots at Southern Hills that much more difficult. Thursday’s round was true to form, as only five players broke par in the afternoon, in contrast to those teeing off in the morning where 17 players finished under par. Rory will be teeing it up in the afternoon on Friday, and he will need to pay close attention to his ball flight while maintaining the crisp ball striking that has been his trademark. Having grown up in Ireland however, and with an Open Championship under his belt, Rory is no stranger to the wind—so we will likely see another magnificent performance tee to green. The key will be the putter, and if Rory continues to roll it the way he did yesterday, chances are pretty good that he’ll put some additional distance between himself and the rest of the field going to the weekend.

The Guy’s to Beat

Justin Thomas fired an opening round 67 in the tough conditions on Thursday afternoon, and followed that up with another solid 67 on Friday morning to finish at 6 under going to the weekend. Going for his second major championship, and one of the top ball strikers on Tour, Justin is the guy that will give Rory his biggest test. A few talented young stars hoping to notch their first major championship are also among the leaders, most notably Will Zilatoris (a shot behind after the first round), and Juaquin Niemann who fired a 68 in the tough conditions on Thursday afternoon. Brooks Koepka, lurking at 2 over par after a solid 67 on Friday morning, is poised to make a run as well (and like Rory, bag his 5^th major championship).

The Weekend

The great thing about major championships is that they really don’t start until Saturday. The conditions will be as difficult as they can get, and the pressure will continue to mount until reaching a peak on the back 9 Sunday afternoon. And the 2022 PGA is shaping up to be one of the great ones.

Video Highlights: Rory Round 1
Image by BBC (https://www.bbc.com/)

Share this Article:

The 2022 PGA Championship: Tiger and Phil Update

**Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa Oklahoma**

Tiger still plans to make his tee time on Thursday at the PGA Championship, while Phil has cancelled—opting instead to remain behind his curtain of silence. This is only the fifth time in the last sixty years that a major champion has failed to defend his title. Three of the previous four were due to injury (Art Wall-1960, Tiger-2008, Rory-2015) and the fourth was the 2000 U.S. Open, when Payne Stewart was tragically killed in a plane crash. While the reason Phil has abruptly pulled out of the PGA is shrouded in mystery, the unfortunate result will be further damage to his image and legacy.

Tiger, on the other hand, has once again done the seemingly impossible, playing the Masters last month—and making the cut in his first start in more than year while favorites like Koepka, Spieth and Xander Schauffele were packing up and heading home on Friday. The odds makers will no doubt make Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm the favorites to win, but the overwhelming majority of fans will tune in to see the old guy—so let’s take a look at his chances.

Tiger

Southern Hills will put far less stress on Tiger’s leg than the constant climbing at Augusta National, and 5 weeks of recovery between starts will undoubtedly help. Completing four rounds at a major championship, and the certainty that his body can still perform at the highest level of tournament competition, is also a tremendous step forward. The big question is—how much did Augusta take out of him? It was impossible to miss the pain he was playing through, particularly on Saturday and Sunday. Pushing through pain, however, is nothing new to Tiger (winning the 2008 U.S. Open on a broken leg comes immediately to mind). He also gave up a lot of distance off the tee at Augusta (Tiger averaged 285 yards, in comparison to McIlroy who led the field at 318). On the other hand, Scottie Scheffler was twenty yards behind Rory at 298 yards—and he’s wearing a green jacket (he did pump it up to 311 on Sunday, however). Power has always been synonymous with Tiger, but what set him apart from the moment he came out on Tour was mental toughness and an unmatched ability to focus, most notably on the greens where it matters the most. The number of clutch putts Tiger has drained over the course of his career is impossible to count. On Thursday and Friday at the Masters, he putted like the Tiger we are accustomed to seeing with 24 putts on Thursday and 28 on Friday. The weekend was a different story though, with 36 putts on Saturday and 34 on Sunday—where it appeared that the pain and discomfort finally impacted Tiger’s ability to maintain focus.

Southern Hills is a long course at 7,481 yards from the tips, but while length off the tee will certainly provide an advantage, the challenge will be taming extremely firm and fast greens with diabolical fall-offs to very tight lies. And that is where Tiger is always at his best. Keep in mind as well that Tiger won the PGA at Southern Hills in 2007, so he will have pretty good karma when he tees it up on Thursday. And something tells me Tiger will have a bit more juice on his tee ball in his second comeback start. The key will be the putting though, and how he feels physically heading into the weekend. Everyone has seen Tiger literally “will” the ball into the hole—particularly when a major championship is on the line. While winning may seem like a long shot, remember that this is Tiger—where everything is possible.

Phil

The absence of a public statement from Phil leaves only speculation with regard to his sudden withdrawal from the PGA. The Alan Shipnuck “tell-all” book on Phil is scheduled for release two days prior to the start of the championship, so perhaps Phil believes that his absence will result in less public attention to the book. This doesn’t seem to be a likely reason, however, since the release date has been set for some time now. Some are saying that Phil may feel his game simply isn’t sharp enough after such a long lay-off from tournament competition. This wouldn’t appear to be a factor either, since he’s had plenty of time to practice over the past few months, and he could have pulled out weeks ago. The prevailing conjecture is that Phil is annoyed because the Tour denied his application for a waiver to compete in the LIV event this summer in London, and he is trying to exact some retribution. Unfortunately, if that is the case this will only add to the damage Phil’s image has sustained over the past few months. One thing is certain, the media frenzy and pressure on Phil as defending Champion has been building for some time, and would have reached a boiling point by the time the first round of the tournament got under way.

It’s possible that the confluence of events created an atmosphere where Phil just felt he could not perform to the standard he expects from himself, and he felt it was best for the other players as well to avoid a media circus. Still, it is a blow to his faithful fans who have stood behind him all these years, and were no doubt ready to cheer him on—win or lose.

Share this Article:

LPGA Tour: 2022 Founders Cup

**Upper Montclair Country Club, Clifton NJ**

The Ladies are coming to town! The Palos Verdes Championship is in the rearview mirror as Marina Alex took home the trophy with a one-shot victory over World Number 1 ranked Jin Young Ko. The LPGA Tour now heads east, returning to northern New Jersey for the 2022 Cognizant Founders Cup which will be held at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, from Thursday, May 12 through Sunday May 15.

Jin Young, the current two-time Founders Cup Champion, will be going for three in a row after running away from the field in 2021 with a first round 63 at Mountain Ridge Country Club. She will also arrive with an impressive list of newly minted LPGA Tour records, displaying a level of dominance not seen since Annika Sorenstam reigned supreme. Included among them are most consecutive holes without a bogie (114-eclipsing even Tiger’s PGA Tour record of 110), consecutive rounds under par (34), and consecutive rounds in the 60’s (16). Her record for consecutive rounds in the 60’s is even more amazing when you consider that she had previously tied the mark of 14 before starting her new record-breaking streak.

The Field

In addition to defending champion Jin Young Ko, the Founders Cup field includes 7 of the Top 10 ladies in the World Golf Rankings. Stars include Kelly Korda (No. 2 in the World), Lydia Ko (No. 3), Minjee Lee (No. 4), Atthaya Thitikul (No. 5), Nasa Hataoka (No. 6) and Lexi Thompson (No. 7). Past winners of the Founders Cup who will be teeing it up include Karrie Webb (2011/2014), Stacy Lewis (2013), Kim Sei Young (2016) and Anna Nordqvist (2017). You will also have the opportunity to see 5-time major champion and LPGA Hall of Famer, Laura Davies.

With a field comprised of the most talented lady golfers in the world, this year’s event promises superb golf and the perfect setting to enjoy it.

**Atthaya Thitikul, Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson**

The History

The LPGA Founders Cup was established in 2011 to celebrate the history of ladies’ professional golf and the thirteen trail blazing women who founded the Tour in 1950. The inaugural event was the Tampa Women’s Open held at Palma Ceia Country Club in Tampa, FL, won by Polly Riley, a distinguished amateur player who won more than 100 tournaments in her career. Babe Zaharias, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and among the greatest athletes in the history of sport, won 8 of the 15 events that were held that first year (including all three major championships). Patty Berg would go on to record 60 wins and 15 major championships, while Louise Suggs won 61 times with 11 major championships.

In the 60’s and 70’s, renowned players including Mickey Wright (82 wins/13 Majors), Kathy Whitworth (88 wins/6 majors) and Betsy Rawls (55 wins/8 majors) continued to pave the way for the current LPGA stars. With grace, charm, and a beautiful swing, Nancy Lopez (48 wins/3 majors) carried the torch through the 80’s until Annika burst on the scene (72 wins/10 majors), raising the bar yet again while setting the stage for the magnificent players we see today.

Past Founders Cup champions include Karrie Webb (a two-time winner), Stacy Lewis, Anna Nordqvist and Inbee Park.

**Babe Zaharias, Patty Berg and Louise Suggs**

Upper Montclair Country Club

Founded in 1901 and located in Clifton, NJ, UMCC has hosted tournaments for the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, and The Champions Tour. The course was originally designed by A. W. Tillinghast, with major re-design and renovations by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. in the 1950’s. The PGA Tour came to Upper Montclair in the 60’s with The Thunderbird Classic, followed by the Dow Jones Classic in 1970—with Arnold Palmer and Gene Littler included among the champions. In the late 70’s and 80‘s, Upper Montclair hosted the LPGA Coca-Cola and Chrysler Plymouth Classics, with legendary names like Nancy Lopez and Pat Bradley etched on the championship trophies. From 1993 through 2002, UMCC hosted the Champions Tour with the Cadillac NFL Classic, and winners include Hall-of Famers Lee Trevino (twice) and Raymond Floyd. Most recently, the Sybase Classic was held at Upper Montclair (2007-2009), won twice by one of the most talented and popular players in LPGA Tour history—Lorena Ochoa.

**Nancy Lopez, Pat Bradley and Lorena Ochoa**

Upper Montclair Country Club offers 3 nine-hole courses (West, East and South), and the Founders Cup will be played on the West and South courses. From the Championship tees, the course rating is 73.5 with a Slope is 140.

What to Expect

In addition to great golf, the ladies on the LPGA Tour go out of their way to make you feel welcome. There are times at PGA Tour and Champions Tour events when it can feel as though you are intruding, an irritating distraction. No so at an LPGA Tour event, where you’ll find a warmth and friendliness that feels more like a family outing than a golf tournament. And when you watch the ladies produce masterful shots with more than just brute power, your game will benefit greatly as well.

Share this Article:

Understanding Course Rating and Slope

If you’ve ever been on a golf trip, at some point while sitting down to a nice dinner and drinks with the group, the conversation below has no doubt taken place.

Somebody asks; “Where are we playing tomorrow?”

The trip organizer, sporting a big grin says; “Shiny Bauble—has a Slope of 147.”

Which is immediately met by a universal chorus of approval and excitement, with comments like:

“Wow, 147 Slope–must be a great course,” and “Oh boy, this is going be fun”.

These sentiments may certainly be justified for the low handicap players in the group, but for the 18-handicap golfer—not necessarily so. If Handicap Index alone is used when playing their matches, and not Course Handicap adjusting for the high slope, chances are pretty good that the high handicapper will end up losing a few bucks (and absorb some battle scars as well).

The Slope Myth

Slope Rating is one of the most misunderstood concepts in golf, and figuring out how it’s derived is an even bigger mystery. Most assume the higher the slope, the harder the course—and also that there’s a relationship between slope and quality. There is some truth in both of these assumptions, but a high slope does not mean tougher for everybody, only that average and higher handicap players will have more difficulty shooting the score they are used to than low handicap players.

As for quality, course characteristics that increase slope, such as an abundance of trees and steep faced bunkers, certainly tend to make a course more visually appealing—but also require heavy maintenance, adding a financial strain that may make it difficult for a facility to sustain over-all course conditioning (particularly during tough economic times).

Defining The Slope Rating

One of the things that makes golf so much fun is that regardless of skill level, everyone can compete on an even footing by using their Handicap Index. Handicap Index is derived by comparing the scores you have posted to a course of “Standard” difficulty. The critical element, however, is your Course Handicap. Course Handicap is based on the difficulty of the course you are playing at any given time—so each course is rated by state golf associations to provide that piece of the equation.

Because the characteristics that make a course harder for an “every-day” golfer are not necessarily the same as those that make it difficult for a highly skilled player, the World Rating System provides both a “Course Rating” and a “Bogey Rating.” The Course Rating reflects the projected score that a “scratch” player (0 Handicap) would be expected to shoot, while the Bogey Rating refers to the projected score that an “every-day” golfer (18 handicap) would be expected to shoot—and “Slope Rating” is the difference between the two.

If the Course Rating System determines that on a course of standard difficulty the scratch player should expect to shoot 72 and 18-handicap golfers should expect to shoot 90, the Course Rating is set at 72.0, the Bogey Rating is set at 90—with a Slope Rating of 113. The Slope rating moves up or down based on the difference between Course Rating and Bogey Rating. If a course includes characteristics that would cause the “every-day” golfer to shoot higher scores, but have less effect on a scratch player, then the Bogey Rating goes up while the Course Rating stays roughly the same—which results in a higher Slope Rating.

For example, a course may have a 340-yard Par 4 where the tee shot needs to fly at least 240 yards to clear a water hazard before reaching the fairway (“forced carry”). The scratch player’s tee shot will generally clear the water with ease and leave a short approach, so it’s a pretty easy hole. On the other hand, a high handicap golfer might hit a bucket of balls and never get his tee shot over the water—so for him it’s a nightmare. A hole like this may cause the Course Rating to actually decrease, while pushing the Bogey Rating way up—increasing the spread between them, and making the Slope Rating go higher.

Leveling The Field

The purpose of Slope Rating is to adjust the handicap of any golfer who is not a “scratch” (0 Handicap) player, and thus level the field–not as a measure of over-all course difficulty. If Handicap Index is used alone, without adjusting for Course Handicap, the lower handicap golfer will almost always gain an advantage—and the higher the Slope, the bigger that advantage will be. To adjust your Handicap Index for Course Handicap, you can use the formula below–or visit the USGA website and go to the “Handicap Calculator” (in addition, the Course Rating and Slope Database now includes the ability to enter your Handicap Index and see your Course Handicap for the particular course you are playing).

Course Handicap = Handicap Index × (Slope Rating ÷113) + (Course Rating-Par)

If you have a Handicap Index of 18, playing against a scratch player on a track with a Course Rating of 72 and a Slope Rating of 147, your Course handicap will adjust to 23, while the scratch player’s handicap remains at 0. If you use only Handicap Index, and not Course Handicap, your opponent will gain a 5 shot advantage—and it’s likely you’ll be forking over some cash.

The World Handicap System was implemented to even up the playing field for golfers of all skill levels, so be sure to use your Course Handicap when playing a match. And don’t count on the wily low handicap golfer to volunteer the adjustment—he’s looking forward to settling up at the 19^th hole.

Share this Article: