McIlroy disrespect, Finau’s getaway, Clark’s latest accomplishment | Rogers Report

Hello, friends, and welcome to this edition of the Rogers Report, where we are considering our options — taking out a loan, maybe? — as we check out ticket prices for next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

My goodness! On one hand, these are really cheap compared to Taylor Swift tickets. On the other hand, that’s a lot of cash just to spend on a day at a course known for its low prices…

Let’s move on.

Matt McCarty earned his first PGA Tour victory at the Black Desert Championship in Utah last week, and the course’s scenery reminded me of another notable course — which, as I then discovered, is just three minutes away from last week’s host site.

The impact that Troy Bolton’s “Bet on it” performance in High School Musical 2 had on me as a kid cannot be overstated. Congrats to both Matt McCarty and Troy Bolton for making names for themselves on beautiful golf courses in St. George. I’m a big fan of both of them.

Rory McIlroy disrespect

I’m usually a big fan of golf analogies and references that take place outside of the golf world. I like seeing the pros at other sporting events, and I couldn’t help but laugh when the presidential debate turned into a conversation about handicaps in June. It always feels like one of those Disney Channel crossover episodes to me and it’s exciting to hear about golf in the wild.

Anyways, Reince Priebus made a golf analogy that I was definitely not expecting the other day on ABC. Check it out.

A few things to note here. One, it feels a little forced. Remember when Jimmy Fallon would feed golfers random one-liners to say during their press conferences? They’d find a way to fit in a random sentence while answering the media, but it always felt a little forced and too random. This gave me the same feeling; he’d been planning this one.

I also thought it was interesting that Priebus went with McIlroy’s loss rather than some of golf’s more infamous meltdowns. Think Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters or Jean Van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999 or Phil Mickelson at Winged Foot in 2006. McIlroy’s finish was brutal, but he’d played a spectacular Sunday up to that point — we won’t see his Sunday at Pinehurst in quite the same light, will we?

Offseason getaways

While there’s still technically fall golf happening on the PGA Tour right now, plenty of players are taking some well-deserved time off. And you know what that means? It’s trip time. You’ll notice I didn’t say “vacation time” — the following excursions seem less relaxing and more exploratory to me.

Anyways, the Finau family went to New York City for a few days last week.

Taking five kids to New York at all requires some serious organizational skill, but taking them to Times Square is like taking on the Big Apple in expert mode. The Finau children are definitely better behaved than my siblings and I ever were, because we barely survived our 2006 trip to the M&M store in Times Square. We still talk about it to this day.

Layna Finau documented a lot of their trip on TikTok, and I commend Tony for making the most of his time in the tri-state area. He teed it up at Pine Valley and Baltusrol, so it was definitely a successful getaway.

Also, it’s safe to say the Finaus are ice cream people, and they are officially invited to join me on the Scoop at any time.

A great Scottie Scheffler comparison

Lanto Griffin called himself the “Scottie Scheffler of making cuts on the number” last week, and it got me thinking. What am I the Scottie Scheffler of? What are any of us Scottie Scheffler of?

Someone out there is the World No. 1 at making Kraft Mac & Cheese. Somebody else is the best Christmas-present wrapper in the world. I used to tell my friends that I’m like, a 12-handicap at running. Not great, but good enough. If I had to name myself the Scottie Scheffler of something, it would probably be something incredibly niche, like making Disney Channel and golf comparisons or spilling water out of the iron when you have three minutes to get dressed.

SDR at Pebble Beach

Some of my favorite things include scenic golf courses, Tiger Woods and shopping for sweatshirts. So I was very excited to see that Sun Day Red opened a pop-up at the Shops of Pebble Beach last week. Anyone there can check out the athluxury brand and some exclusive merchandise only available at the location.

“Pebble Beach is very special to me for many reasons,” said Tiger. “Staying and playing at Pebble is the ultimate golf experience, making it the perfect place for our first Sun Day Red pop-up shop. I’m excited to see fans experience our brand in-person for the first time.”

I’m sad to admit that I don’t think a trip to Pebble Beach is on my schedule any time soon, because I would have loved to get that purple hoodie for myself, and also because the whole place is beautiful. And if you’re lucky enough to be heading there in the next few months, once you’ve finished shopping, get some gelato at Pebble Beach Market.

Caitlin Clark’s near-ace

You know those people who seem to be good at everything? We all had a classmate like that at some point. You already knew they got good grades, but then you found out they’re also super athletic, artistic and they can sing and cook. Also, they spend their free time volunteering at a nursing home or something super wholesome like that.

I’m starting to think that Caitlin Clark is one of those people.

The Indiana Fever star is making the most of her time off by playing some golf, and I’m very excited for her to tee it up in the pro-am at the Annika next month.

You’d think someone who has a full-time gig playing basketball might be a little rusty when it comes to swinging a golf club, but not Caitlin Clark.

I’d ask if there’s anything Clark can’t do, but I think the correct question is “is there anything Clark can’t do really well?” She stuck that shot super close and then made the birdie putt despite aerated greens. I’m also really happy to see that she’s someone who takes the pin out when putting.

Clark’s already sporting a custom pair of Nike golf shoes, so it’s safe to say her preparation for the Annika pro-am is going well.