Matt Fitzpatrick gets engaged, Sir Nick Faldo throws shade
Matt Fitzpatrick and Katherine Gaal, Nick Faldo
Hello friends, and happy fall wraparound season! With no PGA Tour event this past week, I found myself focusing on the NFL instead. I joined a fantasy football league with my pals for the first time this year, and despite my season getting off to a horrendous start, my morale is high because the first NFL Sunday of the year proved pretty good for golf, too.
As someone with (next to) no football knowledge, I had absolutely no plan when it came to drafting my Fantasy team, so I went with the “golf crossovers” method. Deebo Samuel? He wore a Tiger Woods mock neck under his jersey one time, so I took him. Michael Thomas? Oh, you mean a guy with the same name as Justin Thomas’ dad and coach? Drafted. I personally would not recommend this method to anyone, but what’s done is done.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see that Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams’ touchdown celebration was a nod to golf.
Love it. But I also love what else happened this weekend in the golf world, where we had two pro engagements over the weekend. Let’s get right into it.
Matthew Fitzpatrick gets engaged
We’ll start off with 2022 U.S. Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, who got engaged to Katherine Gaal in Bayhead, N.J. under a beautiful floral arch.
Matthew Fitzpatrick and Katherine Gaal’s engagementMatthew Fitzpatrick and Katherine Gaal
Matthew Fitzpatrick and Katherine Gaal’s engagementMatthew Fitzpatrick and Katherine Gaal
Look at that! Color coordination and the perfect background for photos. Really well done, Fitz.
Unfortunately for us, Gaal is private on Instagram, so these photos are as good as we’ll do. (Kidding, the future Mrs. Fitz can do whatever she wants.)
She is, however, described as an “extremely hardworking and ambitious individual who is able to work exceptionally well in a fast-paced, demanding environment” on her LinkedIn page. I look forward to more photos of the newly engaged couple together on their pre-honeymoon to Rome for the Ryder Cup in a few weeks.
Akshay Bhatia proposes
Fitzpatrick wasn’t the only professional golfer to propose last week. Akshay Bhatia and Presleigh Schultz (who is hilarious on TikTok, by the way) dressed to the nines and got engaged in Napa Valley. Props to Bhatia for repping the brand while in a suit. Nothing screams “company man” quite like a Callaway Chrome Soft hat while you’re on one knee.
The U.S. Ryder Cup team headed to Rome for a brief scouting trip over the weekend, and despite all the cool content, the biggest takeaway here was that some people didn’t know you could take a weekend trip overseas! But before we get into that, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the team’s willingness to be photographed while getting off an eight-hour flight. I am my most disheveled when de-boarding an aircraft.
I know this definitely isn’t Catholic school, though, because Brooks Koepka’s hair length would definitely break some sort of rule. He’s looking like his 2017 self, which means the rest of the golf world should be very, very scared.
The Ryder Cup Instagram account even posted a video of the plane taking the squad back to the United States, but when U.S. team members Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas showed up in New York on Monday, people truly could not believe it.
I love that the Sasquatch-ification of Tiger Woods inspires debunking efforts on where Rickie Fowler could possibly be after visiting Rome last weekend. pic.twitter.com/4DEhImTSHD
Everyone was trying to “well, actually” live photos of Fowler and Thomas (something my therapist says is not a useful way to spend time, but I guess anything goes on the internet). I’ll admit that this might be my favorite type of comment when it comes to golf: people who try to correct others despite being totally wrong. You’ve just gotta admire the confidence.
Anyway, Team USA is safely back on home turf and will return to Rome soon enough.
Xander Schauffele’s monologue
Xander Schauffele may not have been on the scouting trip in Rome last weekend, but he was a hot topic on golf Twitter (or should I say Golf X?) when he uploaded the most … interesting sponsored post I’ve ever seen.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was some sort of “we’re holding you hostage until you do this ad-read” situation. That might have been a smart move on Schauffele’s part, though, because it definitely got people talking. Perhaps more than they would had he just uploaded a more natural video of him speaking about DraftKings! Thankfully, Schauffele’s wife, Maya, took to Instagram to share the real reason behind the quirky video: Xander simply couldn’t keep a straight face.
Not only is Faldo sporting a “Shark Fishing” t-shirt, but he doesn’t mind pointing out his past shark fishing — the kind done at Rae’s Creek in Augusta, Ga. — actually went … pretty well.
“April 1996 was my last shark hunt,” he said. “I did well. I didn’t need a bigger boat, if you know what I mean. The boat was big enough.”
Shots fired! There’s taking digs, and then there’s taking digs that reference to the 1996 Masters. I have to admit that I am all-in on this recent era of golfers over 50 stirring the pot a little bit. It keeps things interesting, not to mention it’s wildly entertaining and funny. I can’t help but wonder how Greg Norman reacted to seeing this video and if the two have been in touch at all. I’m willing to bet that they haven’t spoken.
Photo of the week
Before I let you go, I want to take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate my favorite photo of the week. Despite a handful of great photos and posts from the U.S. Ryder Cup team’s trip to Rome, this spectator at the Ascension Charity Classic takes the cake. It’s one thing to dress like Rickie Fowler at a golf tournament (if you’re under 14 years old, that is), but it’s another to go full-out in a John Daly outfit. From the hair to the Diet Coke, this kid absolutely nailed it.
