Hello friends, and happy PGA Championship week! I am writing to you all from the media center at Oak Hill, where I am polishing off my first of a few dozen bags of Doritos this week. I’m coming off quite a high — my cousin/best friend got married over the weekend, and now I’m spending the week with my lovely coworkers at a major championship before heading to the Taylor Swift concert this weekend. In other words, there’s a lot to be excited about right now. To make things even better, our rental has a trampoline!
I was definitely not allowed on these things as a hyperactive child, so it’s safe to say I’ll be spending a lot of time on it this week. I’ll either return to Boston having mastered a backflip or with a broken nose, maybe both. I’ll let you all know how it turns out. I haven’t caught up with many players at Oak Hill just yet, but I did come across this awesome bronze plaque of Jason Dufner which is definitely the next best thing.
The long hair! The awkward smile. This masterpiece earns a 10 out of 10 from me. My only hope is that one of these is made in my honor one day, although I’m not sure my ego could handle a caricature version of myself.
Brooks Koepka’s sweet Mother’s Day gesture
Brooks Koepka and his wife, Jena Sims, recently announced that they’re expecting a baby boy. They’re still waiting to celebrate their first official Mother’s Day as parents, but Koepka definitely got some brownie points when he surprised the LIV Golf staff moms with flowers and gifts over the weekend. Check out the sweet surprise below.
How nice is that? He set the Mother’s Day bar pretty high for himself, which is a great sign for Jena Sims’ future Mother’s Days.
Perez’s living room
I was doing my daily (read: hourly) Instagram scroll last week when a certain story stopped me in my tracks. No, it wasn’t another marriage proposal, brunch photo or “new dog!” post on my feed. What I saw was much, much better than that, and I screen-shotted everything in order to share it with you all.
Folks, feast your eyes on the first floor of Pat Perez’s home. Beware: swears ahead!
Wow! The dark mural. The cage-like dining room chairs. The last name on the table. The human sculptures on the wall. This has got to be one of the most interesting athlete homes in the world, right? It’s what I imagine the Addams Family’s home would look like if their father went to LIV. The cool thing about homes is everyone is entitled to decorate it how they want, but I don’t think the darkness in the Perez home would be great for my mental state. The “f ’em” book and rug are a nice touch, though.
JT’s Tiger story
Smylie Kaufman recently launched a podcast, which is great news for all of us because he’s pals with the best golfers on the planet. His first episode featured Justin Thomas, and it did not disappoint. JT shared a story about Tiger and the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, which gave us a glimpse into what it’s like to partner up with Tiger in a team event.
Sounds easy enough, right? For JT anyways. I am almost certain I would not be able to put it in the fairway in front of Tiger Woods.