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Cody Blick was the best story to come out of Q-school this fall. Blick fired a miraculous 63 in the final round to earn conditional PGA Tour status… all without his golf clubs which had been stolen the night before. But now, at long last, Blick has been reunited with his sticks, via an Arizona woman and a homeless man.

Blick had largely given up on ever seeing his stolen clubs again when his mom, Carla, sent him a text this week that changed everything.

According to Golf Channel, Carla says a woman from Arizona contacted her with a wild story. She had encountered a homeless man recently asking for money, reportedly for a hotel room. The woman then asked the man if he had anything to sell. With that, the man disappeared into his tent and reappeared with a bag of Titleist golf clubs, which the woman gave him $75 for.

Luckily for Cody, his last name “Blick” was stamped on the wedges, so when the woman searched for information about them on the internet, she quickly came across Blick’s incredible Q-school story. Once she realized the true provenance of the clubs, she was able to contact Carla through the Whitepages, who then related the tale to her son.

You may also like Triumph and tragedy at Q-School: Stolen clubs, late rallies, clutch birdies and disaster on No. 18

“I was pretty excited, but I was also pretty skeptical,” Blick told Golf Channel on Friday.

Eventually, a friend of Blick’s met the woman at an In-N-Out Burger in California and gave her $300 to re-acquire the long-lost clubs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOT-J-FbqW/

The clubs ended up being in great shape, especially Blick’s beloved Scotty Cameron putter, but his bag was destroyed.

“It’s a cool story and everything, but the fact that they were in some dude’s tent kinda creeps me out,” Blick said.

You may also like The worst Q-School horror story you’ll read this year

Blick doesn’t plan on using the clubs due to the fact that Titleist quickly provided him with a new set after Q-school, but he’s considering putting them in a glass case eventually to preserve them for history.

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The post #AskAlan mailbag: Which player/caddie duo is unbreakable? appeared first on Golf.

The post #AskAlan mailbag: Which player/caddie duo is unbreakable? appeared first on Golf.

To the questions…
Cody Blick fired a 63 in the final round of Q school to get status. Has there ever been a better round played with rentals? Only close comparison I know of is Sam Saunders medaling in 2015 US Open qualifier with his caddie’s clubs. But he didn’t have to dip into the rental bin. #AskAlan -Chris (@ctimmerman35)
Yes, years from now they’re going to be singing songs in taverns about the Blickman’s round. That took incredible fortitude. It also should give us some perspective as we all obsess over our clubs. I remember at a long ago Presidents Cup, David Duval broke a club and and had to borrow an 8-iron. He used it to flag a tee shot on a closing par-3 to help win the match. Afterward he shrugged it off, saying, “An 8-iron is an 8-iron.” But to your question, the greatest round ever played with rentals might’ve been after FedEx lost my clubs and I had to play the Old Course with decades-old loaners. I hit the ball pretty well, but what made the round so heroic was that I was wearing busted-out rental shoes in which I could feel the contours of all the feet that had preceded mine. No golfer has ever displayed more heroism.
Now that we’ve seen the end of Phil/Bones and Zach/Damon, what is the player/caddie combo that you say will never split up? #AskAlan -Chris (@BetterThanMost)
Pat Perez and Mike Hartford, who also serves as psychoanalyst and wet nurse. They’ve been inseparable since they were teens and H, as he has known, has the final say on club selection. As Perez once told me, “I put my entire trust in H. He’ll say, ‘You’ve got 158 front, 172 hole, 165 over this corner, wind off the left, give me a three-quarter six-iron.’ Bang. Done. He can see it more clearly than I can. With all the pressure and the nerves, it’s easy to lose your head out there.” And these days, it’s easy to lose your caddie, but this is one partnership that will endure.

Have you ever done a Mount Rushmore of golf? -Rich @rdpatterson99
Probably, but since I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning, let’s do it again. Mt. Rushmore is a tough template because it leaves room for only four. Three golfers are no-brainers: Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods. The competition for the last spot is fierce but, with apologies to Old Tom, Seve, Sam Snead, and Byron Nelson, in my mind, it comes down to two: Palmer vs. Hogan. Arnie is the most important popularizing figure in the game’s history. He made the Masters the Masters, compelled every top American to cross the Atlantic for the Open Championship and along the way ushered in golf’s TV age. Hogan is one of the most mythologized athletes in history, across any sport. His many career accomplishments are even more incredible when you consider all the time he missed serving in the Army and recuperating from getting hit by a bus. Who gets the nod? The head says Hogan, the heart says Palmer.
With the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble, should we expect to see a larger pro field at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and thus, most importantly, you finally getting the call for the pro am? -Howard (@hriefs)
The field won’t be bigger but it will better as glory-hungry pros come in to scout Pebble for the first time (a la Tommy Fleetwood) or to peep the modifications to the 13th, 14th and 17th greens and the Open rough lines that are already growing in. The hard part for me isn’t getting the invite but coming up with the $20K entry fee to play in the Clambake. The folks who run the tournament are hard-core about raising money for charity, which means everyone in the field pays full freight. I ‘spose I could start a GoFundMe but that seems kind of tacky. Then again, the readers have a right to know. Hmmmmmmm.
Have you ever visited me? Did you love me? And if you haven’t when will you come see me? #AskAlan -@SweetensCove
You would certainly know if I had been there, because by law I would have tweeted extensively about it, whilst wearing a Buck Club hat. So, no, not yet. But definitely someday soon.

#AskAlan predictions for the now married Jordan Spieth number of victories this year? Over/Under 2. #fan –@eugesounds
Pretty much every week Spieth questions trickle in, and they skew toward this duality. Done?!? The dude is 25! I’ll take the over on two victories – I think he’ll rebound in a big way. Even during the worst season of his young career Spieth still had a chance to win the Masters and British Open. Tee to green he has become one of the best players in the world, and he’ll figure out the putting. He may never again roll it like he did in 2015, but that’s okay, because only a couple of guys in the game’s history ever have. Even with merely very good putting Spieth will still be a threat.
When pros switch manufacturers is it because they believe the clubs/balls are better or just $$$? -@gwdowell
The sweet, unsullied innocence of this question is so endearing. I can imagine you hand-feeding a baby deer when you typed it. I hate to be disillusioning, but it is pretty much always about the money.
I’m not sure she would want to attempt it but could Lexi make the cut at a PGA tour event? -Mike (@mdarmstrong)
Certainly. If she plays well Lexi could easily shoot three- or four-under, which should make the cut at a Tour event. I’d love to see her try it.

You may also like Lexi Thompson outdrives Charley Hoffman on 18th hole at QBE Shootout

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The post Triumph and tragedy at Q-School: Stolen clubs, late rallies, clutch birdies and disaster on No. 18 appeared first on Golf.

The post Triumph and tragedy at Q-School: Stolen clubs, late rallies, clutch birdies and disaster on No. 18 appeared first on Golf.

Sunday’s final stage of Web.com tour Q-School brought with it the reminder that at the margins of professional golf, the line between triumph and failure is razor-thin. Here are some of the Sunday stories from each side of that line.

First, a quick reminder of how this all works:

Final Stage of #WebTour Q-School is winding down …

• Medalist = fully exempt status in 2019.
• Finishers 2-10 and ties = 12 guaranteed starts.
• Finishers 11-40 and ties = eight guaranteed starts. pic.twitter.com/IO5e56uG1o

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) December 9, 2018

The champ

Let’s start with Danny Walker, a Mackenzie Tour player who played his way into the mix and then slammed the door with birdies on his final three holes, closes in six-under 30 on his final nine to win the entire event. That meant holding off a hard-charging much-heralded Norman Xiong by a single shot, and it means Walker will have full Web.com status for 2019. It also meant capping off a 33-birdie week; touche, Mr. Walker.

Cody Blick and the case of the missing clubs

Cody Blick experienced a nightmarish Sunday morning in which he put out a plea on Instagram for the return of his golf clubs, even offering a $5,000 cash reward. Things didn’t look good for Blick; even with his own clubs, he sat at 10 under, outside the cut line, and needed a major rally.

But then, using a set of sticks that included the course superintendent’s driver, pro shop wedges, a ‘random’ set of irons, and a putter heavier than his, Blick did the unthinkable. He shot 63 anyway, closing with three clutch birdies in what he said afterward was “the weirdest week of my life, hands down.” The round of nine-under sent him into a share of 25th place and was enough to impress personalities from across the golf world, including Justin Thomas.

One of the coolest stories I have heard. Congrats to Cody and everybody who earned their @WebDotComTour cards today! https://t.co/Vlu5ECswDU

— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) December 10, 2018

Hot start

Tim Wilkinson birdied the first hole. He parred the second. And then he birdied eight holes in a row to get to nine under for his round through 10 holes. He added one more on No. 17 and posted 10-under 62, catapulting himself a full 50 spots up the leaderboard to finish T16.

Hot finish

Steve LeBrun, a 40-year-old veteran, finished with five birdies in a row — five! — to cap off a 62 of his own and sneak inside the top 40 on the number. He went from T83 to T34 with the finishing flurry. Hat tip, too, to Jack Maguire, who birdied his final four holes to finish off a 64 that got him in on the number.

What an amazing day today! Final day 62 with birdies on the last five holes to finish on the number and secure first 8 events next year on ⁦@WebDotComTour⁩. With God all things are possible. pic.twitter.com/EQHkUVIoqr

— Steve LeBrun (@Stevielb) December 10, 2018

Cold close

Three players bogeyed their final hole to drop to 17 under, a single shot outside the top 40: Joseph Winslow, Yuwa Kosaihira, and Lee Hodges. During a week with so many low numbers, 72nd-hole bogeys were especially heartbreaking.

The horror story

Patrick Sullivan accomplished a rare feat by making a different score relative to par on each of his last five holes (we call this the large straight). But double bogey-bogey-birdie-eagle-par left him tragically one shot shy of the cut line; his finishing two-under 70 dropped him 27 spots on the leaderboard to finish T50.

The way it went down is far worse: Sullivan’s double bogey came as a result of his putting the ball off the green and…into the water.

We've heard all the QSchool horror stories over the years. I was wondering if anyone had ever putted it into the water on the back nine to miss by one? If not…..dibs. 🙋‍♂️

— Patrick Sullivan (@sullivangolf) December 9, 2018

Just as heartbreaking was his par on 18, which was nearly birdie after he stiffed his approach shot and left himself this putt to complete his rally and make it through. But the four-footer didn’t go. You’re sadly correct, Patrick. This is the worst story of Q-School this year.

The fine line can be cruel.

Patrick Sullivan (@sullivangolf) went birdie-eagle on holes 16 and 17 Sunday to move within a shot of the current projected top-40.

This was his birdie try at the last. pic.twitter.com/jSlnrf55ni

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) December 9, 2018

Shot 62…needed 61

Benjamin Alvarado went seriously deep on Sunday, firing another 10-under 62 to jump from T93 into contention — but needed one more shot to sneak into the top 40. His consolation is much-improved conditional status.

Amateur status

Much-heralded amateur Braden Thornberry, the 2017 NCAA Champion out of Mississippi, fell four shots shy of the 18-under cut line and is expected to return to school. He had made earlier comments suggesting he’d turn pro if he had secured status. The other amateur in the field, Minwoo Lee, finished T67, a single shot ahead of Thornberry.

Seeing red

Every single player who finished in the top 40 shot an under-par final round. Just five players in the entire field shot over par on Sunday. Of those players, Spence Fulford fell the furthest, dropping from a secure position in T23 all the way to T85 with a finishing two-over 74.

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The post Wall-to-Wall Equipment: Kevin Na’s potential equipment landing spot, club changes for Kyle Stanley and much more appeared first on Golf.

The post Wall-to-Wall Equipment: Kevin Na’s potential equipment landing spot, club changes for Kyle Stanley and much more appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Wall-to-Wall Equipment, the Monday morning gear wrap-up where GOLF’s equipment editor Jonathan Wall takes you through the latest trends, rumors and breaking news.

Na’s new sticks?

Although he’s still considered an equipment free agent,  Kevin Na made a few surprise changes to his equipment setup at the QBE Shootout. Na replaced his Titleist irons and Scotty Cameron putter with a number of new products, including Callaway’s X Forged UT utility, Apex Pro irons, Mack Daddy 4 wedge (50 degrees) and an Odyssey “Stroke Lab” Tuttle putter (multi-material prototype shaft). Na was also spotted with Callaway’s Epic Flash fairway wood.

View this post on Instagram

@qbeshootout looking forward to great week with my partner @brysondechambeau I’ll be taking lots of notes ? #teamplay #qbeshootout

A post shared by Kevin Na (@kevinna915) on Dec 7, 2018 at 8:10am PST

Na walked away from his staff deal with Titleist midway through last season and won at the Greenbrier with a mixed setup consisting of TaylorMade, Callaway and Titleist equipment. Callaway’s GBB Epic driver just happened to be the first non-Titleist club to make the cut after his departure.

There’s been no confirmation of Na signing on the dotted line with Callaway, but it does seem curious that he’d suddenly add a number of the company’s clubs during a team event where there’s little pressure to break in new gear for the first time.

Is Na Callaway-bound? With January just around the corner, we won’t have to wait very long for an answer.

Stanley adds Titleist, Mizuno

Sticking with the trend of players making significant club changes in Florida, Kyle Stanley dropped his TaylorMade M1 2017 driver and Titleist 718 CB irons for a 10.5-degree Titleist TS2 (Fujikura Speeder 757TR shaft) and Mizuno JPX 919 Tour (4-PW). Stanley reportedly tested a number of iron sets before eventually settling on Mizuno’s latest Tour model.

Kevin Tway put @MizunoGolfNA JPX 919 Forged (3-4) and 919 Tour (5-9) in the bag this week. Leaves Napa with a W. Hell of a way to break in a new set. pic.twitter.com/zOEXMlF78C

— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) October 8, 2018

The JPX 919 Tour has been trending upward since it was first introduced on Tour at the Dell Technologies Championship. Kevin Tway logged his first Tour win with a mixed set of JPX 919 Forged and 919 Tour at the Safeway Open. Mizuno was the iron option of choice for a number of high-profile free agents last season, so it’ll be interesting to see who else decides to choose 919 Tour.

Brooks Koepka, who currently plays Mizuno’s JPX 900 Tour, was supposed to test the irons — along with some new Mizuno woods — during the winter break.

Pepperell won’t have to buy his next putter

The general assumption is that every professional golfer gets his clubs gratis. Not even close. Some players still have to dip into their own bank account when it comes to, say, a new putter. In Eddie Pepperrell’s case, he forked out his own hard-earned cash for four Bettinardi Studio Stock 8 at Core Golf UK in 2017.

He won’t have to worry about paying for the next one after coming to terms on a putter agreement with Bettinardi. The most interesting note regarding Pepperell’s current Carbon Studio Stock 8 is that it happens to be one of the company’s production versions — meaning any recreational golfer can pick one up.

Pro earns Web status with ‘rental clubs’

Cody Blick went through a nightmare scenario during the final round of Web.com Tour Q-School when he awoke to find his golf clubs had been stolen from the house he was staying at for the week. Blick initially offered a $5,000 reward for the safe return of the clubs, but when they never showed, he was forced to make a last-minute decision, cobbling together a makeshift set in an attempt to earn his card.

Cody Blick (@codyblick) woke up this morning and realized his clubs had been stolen.

He proceeded to fire 63 with the Superintendent’s driver, pro shop’s wedges, random irons and a heavier than usual putter to earn guaranteed @WebDotComTour starts #Tourjectory pic.twitter.com/nhFOAveCs6

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) December 9, 2018

Outside of a 54-degree wedge that used to reside in his bag, Blick built the rest of his setup from scratch. The superintendent offered up his driver; the pro shop came through with a through with a couple wedges; and the rest of the setup consisted of a “random” set of irons and a putter that had a heavier head weight than his usual flat stick.

Despite dealing with every equipment hurdle imaginable before he teed off, Blick still managed to birdie his last three holes to finish T25, guaranteeing him starts this season on the Web.com Tour.

Luke Donald bags Mizuno ST190G

You can add Luke Donald to the list of players currently gaming Mizuno’s yet-to-be-released ST190 driver. Unlike the version Keith Mitchell started using during the FedExCup Playoffs, Donald’s ST190G has a few more adjustable features in the sole.

View this post on Instagram

New Driver Alert ? Absolutely loving the new Mizuno ST190 driver. Time to put it to work at this weeks @qbeshootout – out tmr at 10.15am paired up with @andrewlandrygolf #Mizuno #Driver #st190 #tiburon #qbe #naples #drivergoals

A post shared by lukedonald (@lukedonald) on Dec 6, 2018 at 1:40pm PST

The rib-like design on the sole is reminiscent of its predecessor, the ST180, but has been reimagined with a look that was tweaked slightly. With the previous version, the ribs positioned mass deep in the head, further lowering the club’s center of gravity.

Srixon irons, ball for Web.com Q-School qualifier

Michael Gellerman shot 60 at Web.com Tour Q-School with a set of Srixon Z 785 irons and the brand’s new Z-Star prototype golf ball to earn status for next season. Both pieces of equipment just happened to make the cut within the last month.

Along with Gellerman, Ryan Palmer recently replaced his nine-year-old Titleist 710 AP2 irons with a set of Z 785’s. Recent chatter from Tour is that a number of players have been requesting sets of Z 785 irons to test, with the possibility of putting them in play next month.

Oosthuizen’s ‘Blueprint’

The earliest adopter of Ping’s Blueprint prototype irons, Louis Oosthuizen won the South African Open for the first time with the forged blades. Little is know about the design, aside from the fact that it has a slightly smaller blade length than iBlade and minimal offset, making it perfect option for Tour professionals. The weight port located in the toe is likely designed to help with CG position and forgiveness. It’s unclear if any irons in the set feature hollow-body construction.

Louis Oosthuizen becomes the first @PingTour staffer to log a win with Blueprint prototype. pic.twitter.com/wTgXqhfHZZ

— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) December 9, 2018

The post Wall-to-Wall Equipment: Kevin Na’s potential equipment landing spot, club changes for Kyle Stanley and much more appeared first on Golf.

The post Pro gets clubs stolen before final round of Q-School…still shoots 63 appeared first on Golf.

The post Pro gets clubs stolen before final round of Q-School…still shoots 63 appeared first on Golf.

Cody Blick had a bad start to his Sunday morning. But boy was the ending sweet.

The 25-year-old pro was preparing for the final round of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament — with a chance to secure precious Web.com Tour status on the line — when every golfer’s worst nightmare became a reality. His clubs were stolen.

Blick took to Instagram asking for the public’s help and offering $5,000 to track them down.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrLC3wXl–w/

The Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament gives pros a chance to earn guaranteed starts for the 2019 Web.com Tour season. Every player who reached this week’s final stage receives conditional status for 2019, and the top-40 finishers earn guaranteed starts. The winner if fully exempt for next season, 2nd through 10th (plus ties) receive spots in the first 12 events of 2019 and 11th through 40th (plus ties) get into the first eight events.

Blick started the day 10 under and tied for 74th after three rounds, and there was a large group of 14 under tied for 40th (with the leaders at 23 under).

But no clubs, no problem. Scrambling to find a set to use, Blick, who has played mostly on the Mackenzie Tour the past three years, fired a bogey-free, nine-under 63 to vault up the leaderboard. He finished 19 under for the week and T25, guaranteeing him the first eight events of next season.

Check out the bag Blick pulled together below.

Cody Blick (@codyblick) woke up this morning and realized his clubs had been stolen.

He proceeded to fire 63 with the Superintendent’s driver, pro shop’s wedges, random irons and a heavier than usual putter to earn guaranteed @WebDotComTour starts #Tourjectory pic.twitter.com/nhFOAveCs6

— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) December 9, 2018

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