Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where we’re buying lefty clubs and calling our dads to come caddie. MacIntyre mania is here! Let’s get to the news.
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GOLF STUFF I LIKE
The father, the son and the party.
When Scottie Scheffler arrived at the media center about an hour after holing the final putt of last month’s Masters victory, he admitted something interesting: his mind was already elsewhere.
“I feel like playing professional golf is an endlessly not-satisfying career,” he said. “For instance, in my head all I can think about right now is getting home. I’m not thinking about the tournament. I’m not thinking about the green jacket.
“I wish I could soak this in a little bit more. Maybe I will tonight when I get home. But at the end of the day, I think that’s what the human heart does. You always want more, and I think you have to fight those things and focus on what’s good.”
It was a remarkably honest, insightful answer from a man just minutes removed from accomplishing the top feat in his sport. But it made some sense, the way he said it. It wasn’t Scheffler’s first win, his first major or even his first Masters. He arrived as the favorite. He did what he expected. And he was already hungry for more.
That idea of more popped into my head as Bob MacIntyre stood on the 18th green at Hamilton Golf and Country Club on Sunday evening, soaking in a surreal scene. His dad Dougie, a Scottish greenskeeper who’d taught his son the game, stood beside him.
Several weeks back, MacIntyre had admitted he was struggling. He was lonely in the United States. He was playing substandard golf. He was having a tough time being so far from home. But in May he returned to Scotland for a couple rejuvenating weeks. And when he returned to competition in the States he brought pieces of home with him.
MacIntyre’s mother Carol came to the PGA at Valhalla to provide the comforts of home cooking. Her son played his way into surprise contention there and wound up finishing T8. And then last week he called his dad: would he come tote the bag this week? Dougie said yes. The unthinkable happened: they won. MacIntyre had his first PGA Tour win in storybook fashion.
On the 18th green, then, CBS interviewer Amanda Balionis pointed out that MacIntyre’s win wasn’t just a win: it was a gateway to more. He was suddenly into next week’s Memorial Tournament, one of the biggest events on the schedule. Would he have his father on the bag for that event, too?
But MacIntyre rejected the premise of the question. Forget the Memorial. Not only would his father be flying home to Scotland on Monday — Bob would be, too.
“Me and my girlfriend might go home on Monday as well and just have a hell of a party back home because this is incredible,” he said.
Sure enough, by Monday his WD from the Memorial was official. He’s sacrificing entry into an exclusive, big-money event. Because in that moment, MacIntyre recognized he didn’t need more. The win, the moment, the feeling — it was worth taking a pause to celebrate. It was enough. For now, at least.
Savoring something special — that’s golf stuff I like.
WINNERS
Who won the week?
Yuka Saso won the U.S. Women’s Open thanks to a clutch run of four birdies in five holes on the back nine on Sunday, conquering a terrific setup at Lancaster Country Club. Incredibly she’s now won two LPGA events and they’re both U.S. Opens. Saso has said she models herself after Rory McIlroy, but she’s a Brooks Koepka-style big-game hunter.
Bob MacIntyre started Sunday with a four-shot lead and held on to win by one, leaping from No. 75 in the world to No. 39 in the process.
Laurie Canter won the European Open in Germany. It was the first win on any major circuit for the 34-year-old, who turned pro in 2011 and was a founding member of LIV Golf before losing his spot on the Cleeks last year. He’s been filling in on LIV while playing a partial DP World Tour schedule this year, taking advantage of a membership loophole.
And Ernie Els won the Principal Charity Classic, logging the fourth Champions Tour title of his career with a final-round 65 to hold off Stephen Ames and Bernhard Langer.
NOT-WINNERS
But not losers, either.
Tom Kim and Rory McIlroy entered the Canadian Open weekend at two under par, so they wound up paired together for Saturday’s third round. Then they each shot 65, so they were paired up again on Sunday — and each shot 64. That was good enough for the two to share fourth place.
For McIlroy it was another strong showing after a win at Quail Hollow and a T12 at the PGA. “Going into Memorial next week, and then obviously going into the U.S. Open the week after, we’ve got a lot of golf coming up, but really nice to see some good signs in my game this weekend,” he said.
For Kim it was the best result of a busy season; he’s missed just two cuts in 15 starts but hadn’t cracked the top 10 until this. “It’s been tough sometimes, but at the same time it’s been nothing but a blast,” Kim said of his season. Tough game, cheery outlook. Maybe he’s turning a corner.
Hinako Shibuno finished second at the U.S. Women’s Open, the only other woman to finish the week under par. In 2019 she became the first Japanese player to win the Women’s British Open. She almost became the first Japanese player to win the U.S. edition, too — but Saso did instead.
SHORT HITTERS
Stuff you should know, in brief.
–Charley Hull gained newfound cult-hero status thanks to a cigarette-fueled autograph session that went viral. It turns out Hull is smoking in an effort to stop vaping. And it turns out she’s got a kick out of the whole thing, too. More here.
–Lexi Thompson is retiring at season’s end from a full-time schedule. She had an emotional missed cut in her [squints, shakes head] 18th U.S. Women’s Open. That’s quite a few for a 29-year-old.
–Scottie Scheffler’s charges got dropped. I’m relieved to see clearer heads prevail. And glad we got one final 80-dollar-pant joke.
–Rory McIlroy’s LIV approach? In hindsight, he’d do one thing differently.
BIG READ: Want to understand the state of the PIF-PGA Tour deal? This interview Eamon Lynch conducted with board member Joe Ogilvie may be the clearest update we’ve gotten since last June.
ONE DUMB GRAPHIC
ONE SWING THOUGHT
Yuka Saso’s good vibes.
This one’s not exactly technical, but it comes from a two-time major champ. What was the key to Yuka Saso’s Sunday? A consistent process — and a comment from her caddie Dylan Vallequette.
“Before we started he [said] to me, whatever happens today, he’ll be very proud of me. I remembered that all the way,” Saso said. “I think those words [from] him helped me a lot.”
Get one of your buddies to tell you the same before your next round. Boost that confidence, gang! You are not your score.
ONE BIG QUESTION
It’s been two long weeks since…
…we’ve seen a win from either Nelly Korda or Scottie Scheffler. Korda’s won six of her last eight starts, while Scheffler’s last seven starts include four wins and two runners-up. Is this as good as it gets for the World No. 1s — or are we just getting started?
ONE THING TO WATCH
Wyndham.
Wyndham Clark tees up a gap wedge to start his warmup routine. It helped him win the U.S. Open. Maybe it could help you? Here’s our latest:
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
A great joy of my simple Seattle existence is checking out the boats in the Puget Sound, and this week brought a behemoth of a yacht to town: the 118-meter Liva O, a brand-new mega-yacht valued at a quarter-billion dollars that belongs to German billionaire Stephen Orenstein. If anyone has his email address, I’d love to go for a swim in the pool on the rear deck.
But unless I become a deckhand, I’ll see you here next week.
Last thing: Remember what I said at the top about getting the Monday Finish in your email inbox? As a newsletter with fun layout? You can do that HERE. I’d be honored.
