Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where we hope Gold Man is still swinging away somewhere.
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GOLF STUFF I LIKE
A call from Tiger.
There’s a scene from the first season of “Full Swing” where Rory McIlroy is sitting in the locker room at the Tour Championship and checks his phone to find a text from a familiar number.
“He’s always the first,” McIlroy tells the camera as he receives a celebratory glass of wine. “Always.”
Who’s he talking about?
“Tiger,” McIlroy clarifies. “Like, he’ll text you before the last putt drops. Always the first. He’s unreal.”
Apparently that treatment isn’t reserved for superstars, though. On Sunday, following his win at the Puerto Rico Open, 23-year-old rising Aussie star Karl Vilips scanned his phone for new messages.
“I was just scrolling, like, ‘who was texting me?’ I think I got one from a random number that called me as well,” Vilips said in his winner’s interview a short while later. “Then there was a voicemail saying, ‘it’s Tiger’ and I couldn’t like process it in the moment, I was just trying to — I’ll get back to that later. That’s pretty cool.”
The connection is more than random; Vilips is the first pro (not named Tiger Woods) sponsored by Woods’ clothing line, Sun Day Red. Still, it was clear that the message was a surreal cap to a surreal day for a pro playing in just his fourth PGA Tour event. When will it sink in?
“Probably tonight when I’m going through all my messages,” he said. “Been a little overwhelmed by the support that I’ve been getting. It’s just so special that I have so many friends that are reaching out. I think once I start responding to those, call a couple of friends, I think that’s when it will start kicking in.”
Do you call Tiger Woods back first? Before or after your close family members? Navigating the incredible aftermath of a life-changing win — that’s golf stuff I like.
WINNERS
Who won the week?
Russell Henley surged past Collin Morikawa at the Arnold Palmer Invitational thanks to two late birdies and a chip-in eagle on No. 16 at Bay Hill, giving him a dramatic victory that sends him to a career-best No. 7 in the world.
“I’ve grown up watching this event and just seeing all the amazing finishes coming down the stretch, and you never really think you’re going to get that opportunity to come down the 18th and make a par to win,” Henley said. “It’s really just hard to take in right now.”
Karl Vilips won the Puerto Rico Open, which is what the Tour calls an “Additional Event” opposite the Signature Event; less than a year after he was playing golf at Stanford, he’s a PGA Tour winner and up to No. 106 in the world.
Rio Takeda of Japan shot a red-hot 8-under 64 to blitz the field at the Blue Bay LPGA in China and win her second title on the circuit. She finished six shots ahead of Minjee Lee, who was second.
Calum Hill won the Joburg Open on the DP World Tour in a three-man playoff, earning his second victory on the circuit and his first in over three years. The Scotsman moves to No. 160 in the world as the DPWT finishes its “International Swing;” Laurie Canter accrued the most points during the stretch and leads the Race to Dubai.
Sergio Garcia won LIV’s event in Hong Kong by three shots over Dean Burmester, reigniting the debate over his potential Ryder Cup candidacy. It’s a bit early to get serious about playing form, but it’s safe to say that Garcia returning to Bethpage Black as a member of the visiting Ryder Cup team would attract some attention from the local fans.
Logan McAllister won the Astara Chile Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour, a career-changing victory for a pro who had been playing this season on conditional status but now moves to full status and sits at No. 6 in the points list.
Laetitia Beck won the Atlantic Beach Classic on the Epson Tour; the Israeli athlete was one of just three players to finish under par for the week and shot eight under to win by three.
And Soren Kjeldsen, the 49-year-old Dane who lost his status on the DP World Tour last season after a quarter-century of membership, won the Nordic Golf League’s Spring Series Final in a playoff.
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NOT-WINNERS
But not for lack of trying.
As Keegan Bradley went deeper and deeper under par on Sunday at Bay Hill, it became clear that he could potentially steal the event despite starting 11 shots off the lead. But even when his magic ran out, he was left with a spectacular round of eight-under 64, good for T5 and a meaningful number of Ryder Cup points.
That’s almost entirely good news for Bradley. But I have to admit the reality that he could actually play on the Ryder Cup team while also captaining makes me nervous for him. The high of winning as a player-captain would be incredible. Career-changing. It would redeem any past Cup disappointments and immediately become the defining heroic moment of his golfing life. But if he played and the U.S. team lost at home? Oh man. It’s tough to quantify the depths of disappointment that would come with that sort of defeat. So I hope Bradley keeps going low. But the stakes will only keep climbing as he does.
Other notable non-winners: Minjee Lee moved up to No. 11 in the world thanks to her runner-up showing. Collin Morikawa is up to No. 4 in the world and is arguably playing the best golf of his career despite not winning; he finished runner-up for the third time in six starts. Corey Conners snuck to the bronze medal at Bay Hill, firing four rounds between 69 and 71 as he climbed back inside the top 30 in the world. And Michael Kim left us with a Korean saying after finishing in fourth:
“When the tide is right, that’s when you row [your] hardest. Let’s keep on rowing!”
SHORT HITTERS
5 thoughts from TGL.
Last Tuesday I made the pilgrimage to the vaunted SoFi Center for the first TGL match of my life. Five quick observations:
1. The warehouse venue? Pretty cool.
The setting was cooler than I expected. One moment, you’re navigating cones working your way through the parking lot of a state college. A minute later, you’re walking through the doors of what appears to be a large warehouse. And a minute after that, you’re gazing out at Tiger Woods laughing with Tom Kim and Max Homa as they fire drivers into a giant screen from a large swath of bottle-green turf. Y’know how cool people go to giant warehouse parties in like, Brooklyn? This is that but for golf nerds. Edgier than I expected. You’re stepping into a bizarre alternate reality when you walk through those doors.
2. It’s a VIP experience.
At its best, the TGL experience is an up-close, intimate look at golf’s top pros in a comfortable environment with food, drink and seats all at your fingertips. It’s also VIP-rich. There are less than 2,000 seats, I believe, but my Tuesday night crowd included Josh Allen, Sam Darnold and Celine Dion. Yes, Celine Dion. It makes you dream of a world where a half-dozen TGL stadiums exist around the country and the who’s-who of the local sports scene turn up to sit courtside (course-side? greenside?) when the show comes to town. But I’m not sure how realistic that is.
3. The rotating green is the wildest part.
I knew the green rotated, but I’d sort of forgotten that it happens every hole. And that requires a green that moves fast. Given the size of the thing, that’s an impressive operation — and requires a green designed to be approached from any angle. Of all the impressive tech, that’s what stood out to me.
4. I wanted to hear more.
The biggest miss from my end was not being able to hear what the pros were saying as they yukked it up greenside. I could tell they were having fun — especially given it was a meaningless match that ultimately turned into a blowout. Tom Kim started celebrating before his chip-in actually lipped out, sending Woods and Homa nearly to tears. But I couldn’t hear ’em. An earbud handed out with your ticket would go a long way. Maybe Season 2.
5. Tiger Woods showed his human side.
TGL has brought out several sides of Woods we don’t usually see. Laughing at his team’s shortcomings. Bantering back and forth with his son, Charlie, who’s never far away on the field or in the stands. Serving as a sport’s organizer and its talent. But during his post-round availability I was most struck by Woods’ comments on his playing future. It was clear just how much he’s still hurting from his mother Tida’s passing.
Asked how much he’d thought about making a PGA Tour start, a shadow passed over Woods’ face.
“Not really,” he said. “This is the third time I’ve touched a club since my mom passed, so I haven’t really gotten into it. My heart is not really into practicing right now. I’ve had so many other things to do with the Tour and trying to do other things.
“Once I start probably feeling a little bit better and start getting into it, I’ll start looking at the schedule.”
ONE SWING THOUGHT
Scottie Scheffler isn’t thinking about a three-peat.
He’s not acknowledging it, at least. And I’m guessing he won’t acknowledge it much in his pre-tournament presser, either. When it comes to his press conferences, Scheffler can sometimes be surprisingly forthcoming, but other times can channel his Tom Brady and talk politely without really saying much of anything. That doesn’t always make for good copy, but I can certainly understand why he does it. So what does he think as he arrives at TPC Sawgrass chasing a three-peat?
“Well, I’m not going to be thinking about that too much next week, just go in there with the right mindset,” he said after finishing off a T11 at Bay Hill. “We’ll head up there tonight and hopefully get some practice in tomorrow when the rain stops, and then get ready for the week.”
ONE BIG QUESTION
Does the PGA Tour need a LIV deal?
For a couple weeks — and through a couple meetings with the U.S. president — it seemed as though a deal between the PGA Tour and LIV may be imminent. But last week some Tour pros and reps seemed to walk back that impression slightly, leading plenty of exhausted onlookers to beg the question: Does the Tour need a deal, anyway?
“I wouldn’t say needs a deal,” McIlroy said in his pre-tournament press conference. “I think the narrative around golf would welcome a deal in terms of just having all the best players together again. But I don’t think the PGA Tour needs a deal.”
McIlroy cited some momentum on the Tour’s side in the form of an uptick in TV ratings during the West Coast Swing and the addition of TGL. He also acknowledged that, while he doesn’t think a deal has ever gotten particularly close, that’s especially true now. Still …
“I think it would still be the ideal scenario for golf as a whole. But from a pure PGA Tour perspective, I don’t think it necessarily needs it.”
I don’t expect we’ll hear a ton that’s new, exactly, from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan when he addresses the media at 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday. But that’ll be one question I’m interested to hear him tackle: Does he think the PGA Tour needs a deal?
ONE THING TO WATCH
LIV’s brand-new shootout.
New stuff happens all the time on LIV Golf, but this is new even by their standards: The league is holding what they’re calling a “reserve playoff” this week for the final spot on one of its teams, the Iron Heads, whose Jinichiro Kozuma is out indefinitely. Four players who LIV keeps as its “reserves” and serve as fill-ins — John Catlin, Wade Ormsby, Kalle Samooja and Ollie Schniederjans — will play off for the spot via the following 18-hole format:
- After six holes, the player with the highest stroke play score is eliminated. If two or more players are tied for the highest score, they continue until a highest score of those players is determined and that player is eliminated.
- After 12 holes, of those remaining players, the one with the highest stroke play score is eliminated. If there is a tie for highest score after 12 holes, those players continue until a highest score is determined and that player is eliminated.
- The two remaining players play the final six holes of stroke play to determine winner. If they are tied after 18 holes, they will continue in a sudden death playoff until a winner is determined.
- Scores do not reset after each “elimination stage.”
LIV’s roster construction is an intriguing subplot of the pro golf world. It’s interesting, for example, that Chieh-Po Lee, who won LIV’s qualifying tournament, never joined a team’s roster but is playing as a Wild Card instead alongside Anthony Kim. (Thirteen teams of four plus two Wild Card pros make a full field of 54.) And it’ll be interesting to see where playing opportunities take these four pros over the course of the year as they press on in LIV Golf limbo.
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
Sam Darnold is coming to town! Sam — I know a great par-28 with your name on it. Hot dogs on me.
We’ll see you next week!
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Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
