JT and Rory McIlroy made good use of their day off.
Ben Jared/PGA TOUR
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Hello, friends!
I am reporting live from a very wet and extremely windy TPC Sawgrass, where the water on No. 17 has become some sort of golf-ball magnet and the word carnage is being redefined. Not to make this about me, but I walked just three holes before taking my talents back to the media center to put on a dry pair of socks. Before today’s extreme conditions in Ponte Vedra Beach, though, the pros got a rare (forced) afternoon off in Florida due to the thunderstorms. And lucky for us, we got a peek into what they were up to via social media. Let’s get to it.
PB&J and batman for Max Homa
It doesn’t matter if you’re 8 years old or 80, Max Homa had the kind of day off we all hope for (unless, of course, you have a peanut allergy). He and his caddie, Joe Greiner, kicked things off with some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Wonder Bread, made by Greiner’s fiancee. Homa mentioned that he wasn’t allowed to have these as a kid, so even though play was soon called for the day, he was still able to enjoy himself.
After that, Homa manifested some more rain so he could go see the new Batman movie.
Unfortunately, the rain in the movie hit a little too close to home, but I’d still call this a successful rainy day for Homa.
Family time for Rory
Rory McIlroy is pretty private with his family, so it’s not often that we see him in full-on “dad mode.” We got a glimpse of it at the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship, and then again at the 2021 U.S. Open, when Rory was shown holding his daughter, Poppy, from their on-site lodging at Torrey Pines. On Friday, we got a look at the whole McIlroy gang as they left the course, and the whole thing is pretty cute. And shout out to Erica McIlroy, who is rocking the same Lululemon rain coat and bag as I am this weekend.
Quality time for JT and Frank
Justin Thomas’ dog, Franklin, became a household name (kidding) at the 2020 PNC Championship when he was spotted hanging out with some of the stars in Orlando.
Franklin is in Ponte Vedra Beach this week, so JT got to spend some down time with his pup as he waited for the storm to pass on Friday afternoon. Sounds like a great day to me.
Something I wish really happened
Lee Westwood has fired out a bunch of witty Tweets this week regarding his thoughts on the weather. Hey, a new PIP race has just begun, so it only makes sense that he’s chiming in on social media.
But it was this interaction between Westwood and Ian Poulter that caught my eye.
Just two Englishmen joking around before their rounds! In all seriousness, though, that would’ve been hilarious to see. Too bad they didn’t think to play Monopoly yesterday, because Westwood and Poulter surely would’ve been able to fit a few games in. It wasn’t long after this back-and-forth that Westwood was faced with a new decision to make.
Westwood is currently nine-over and T141, so I’ll let you guess which option he went with.