Hello friends! It’s been a busy few weeks in the golf world and we have a lot to go over. Between Ayaka Furue winning the Women’s Scottish Open, Tony Finau’s back-to-back PGA Tour victories and the Women’s Open this week, I’m feeling very excited about the world of golf! So good, actually, that I’m going to disregard the fact that I am dealing with a case of the shanks so stubborn it nearly brought me to tears on my work trip last week. Let’s get right into the good stuff instead.
PGA Tour vacations!
Normal people (read: you and I) take vacations so we can play golf. The pros take vacations from golf, and that’s exactly what Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa and their better halves did following The Open Championship. Lucky for us, we got to follow along on Instagram. Check out these pensive men!
Of course, they made some time for fun as well and even pitched this snorkeling photo as a potential image for ESPN’s Body Issue. Previous Body Issue star Brooks Koepka would be proud.
Now, one of the most important aspects of any good vacation (not really, but kind of) is getting THE perfect photo. Morikawa’s fiancée, Katherine Zhu, even employed her husband-to-be as her “Instagram Boyfriend.” For those of you who don’t know, that’s the man who is appointed to take all the photos on a given day. It’s hard work, but nothing a two-time major champion couldn’t handle.
Check out his camera work below.
Jena Sims and Brooks Koepka’s honeymoon
Jena Sims and Brooks Koepka went on a special vacation after The Open as well. They headed to Greece for their honeymoon, and thanks to Sims, it kind of felt like we were there the whole time.
No, I’ve never been to Greece, but between this content and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, I feel like I know it well.
Congratulations again to the happy couple!
The Finau family
Folks, if you are not already on the Finau family train, consider this your sign to jump on. They might be the most fun family on Tour, and we owe it to Tony’s wife, Layna, for sharing an inside look at their lives. From Tony’s rapping skills to what it’s like raising five kids, we get to see it all.
And did I mention how wholesome they are? Tony Finau uses the initials of his wife and kids to mark his golf balls, and here’s how he picks who to go with.
As one of five siblings, I found this particularly sweet. And if you’re reading this, Dad, kindly find a way to incorporate your children into your work like this. Thanks and back to the Finaus.
From Instagram to TikTok, Layna is truly a social media pro.
And finally, the Finaus know how to celebrate big time. Family and friends surprised Finau with flowers and hand-made signs when he landed in Utah after his Rocket Mortgage Classic victory and it was perfect. I struggle to find a family member who is willing to pick me up from the airport 12 minutes away, yet Finau had dozens of people awaiting his return. I guess that’s what happens when you win a PGA Tour event.
The Donalds
Ok, ok. I know I just said the Finaus might be the coolest golf family out there, but what I really meant is they are tied with the Donald family. I have been following Luke and Diane on Instagram for years, so I kind of feel like my pals just became European Ryder Cup royalty and I could not be more excited. Allow me to present you a few of the many reasons why the Donald family (Luke, Diane, Sophie, Ellie and Gigi) rocks.
1. They do Halloween right
The Donald family has a tradition of going all out (and I mean ALL out) for Halloween every year. There’s clearly a lot of planning and collaboration that goes into their costumes — two traits that will make a strong Ryder Cup captain. Check out these costumes from over the years.
2. They match on Christmas
You know what matching on Christmas prepares you for? Matching at the Ryder Cup, which the players, the captains and the significant others will be doing each day.
3. They love to have fun
Yes, the Ryder Cup is about competition. But it’s also about having a good time. And it’s safe to say the Donalds don’t take themselves too seriously.
4. They have a really cute dog
Ok, so this technically doesn’t add much to my argument, but we all like looking at cute dogs so I figured I’d include these. Also, I think I trust people who have dogs more than those who don’t.
And last but not least, they are really excited about this opportunity.
Like, the whole family is on board.
