The post Nick Saban’s swing, Max Homa’s dinner recommendations (and an epic fall) | Rogers Report appeared first on Golf.

The post Nick Saban’s swing, Max Homa’s dinner recommendations (and an epic fall) | Rogers Report appeared first on Golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Hello, friends, and greetings from the WM Phoenix Open! I arrived in Phoenix on Tuesday afternoon and hit the ground running ready to have a full day at TPC Scottsdale on Wednesday. Unfortunately the weather had other plans for everyone here, but there was still a lot to see and hear.

This is my first PGA Tour event of 2024, and it very much felt like the first day of school. I’m always happy to be on-site at an event, but I was particularly excited this week. This is my third year of traveling to events, so it’s fun to reconnect with all of the people I’ve gotten to know on the road over the years. The last event I went to was the PNC Championship, and before that the Ryder Cup and U.S. Open, so it had definitely been a while since I’ve seen some of my pals.

Speaking of pals, I was catching up with some of the Barstool guys on the practice green when I kept hearing people yelling my name. Or so I thought. Anyways, it was an instant ego-bump to think that some golf fans were trying to get my attention! That was, until I learned it was the security and volunteers yelling, “Clear!” as players passed through, not “Claire!” which was a very humbling realization.

The 16th hole

As soon as I dropped off my backpack in the media center, I booked it to the 16th hole. The stadium was just starting to fill up when I got there at about 9:30 a.m., and it was jam-packed by the time the first group came through at 11:15. The tee box was lined with security and police officers, probably in case of any over-served fans, but I couldn’t help but feel like I needed to be on my best behavior.

There were a handful of celebrities scheduled to play in the pro-am, and the first big name I saw come by was Nick Saban. What a way to spend his first signing day as a retired man! It’s his first time playing in the pro-am here, but he seemed pretty relaxed. I guess he’s used to being in front of a lot of people in stadiums. He was teeing it up alongside Corey Conners. I thought Saban would’ve teed it up with Justin Thomas due to their Alabama connection, but it turns out Conners has a connection with the legendary football coach as well.

I’m not a swing instructor, but I did consider it my civic duty to capture Saban’s move so all of my loyal readers can take a look. Please note that we are not allowed to capture video on the course at PGA Tour events, so I did the next best thing and took a handful of photos while Saban hit his tee shot on 16, which landed about 10 yards short of the green.

I watched a few more groups come through, and then it started to rain. It quickly got very cold, and the rain turned to hail! About 50 people who were lingering by the 16th tee box made their way into the tunnel between the 15th green and 16th tee. Among the people waiting for the storm to pass? Alex Rodriguez!

The weather

I’m not done talking about A-Rod, but we’ll transition to the weather section of this post. While I never got to watch Rodriguez hit his tee shot on the 16th, I did get to watch him watch the rain, which is almost just as good. He was playing in Emiliano Grillo’s group, and we were in tight quarters as we waited for the hail to stop.

We were only stuck there for about 20 minutes, but I had a half of a turkey sandwich which I was ready to auction off to the highest bidder if it came down to that.

When the rain finally stopped, I sprinted up to the green to see what we were working with puddle-wise. It looked bad here, but it drained within about 20 minutes. The rest of the course wasn’t so lucky.

Play was called for the day soon after, but the practice areas remained open. This presented a great opportunity for people watching, as most of the field headed to the practice areas to put some work in before leaving for the day. I had a quick lunch and sat in for a presser before heading back out toward the range.

Max Homa’s presser

Twitter king and notable good golfer Max Homa headed into the media center for a quick interview once play was called. I know we usually call the Genesis Invitational a home game for Homa because he’s from Los Angeles, but he lives in Scottsdale now, so this is really a home game for him. I asked him about the perks of being able to stay at his own house this week and for any food recommendations he might have. Here’s what he had to say.

“One major perk is my son can sleep in his room, and we know where everything is,” he said. “Last week with the power going out, for example, at Pebble, we were in a house with the Morikawas and we don’t have all of his toys, and now you’re just full-blown entertaining a 1-year-old in a house that’s not baby proofed, and it’s chaotic. So we have at least that going for us this week. Recommendations, I do not go outside of my house other than to the golf tournament this week. It’s a little bit busy. But there’s a lot of great food options here. It depends on your price point. But there’s a lot of great options down by me in Old Town Scottsdale. My favorite restaurant in Scottsdale is called Ocean 44 if you’re looking to spend a little bit of money, and if not, there’s a great place called Eat Up right by my house that I think is fantastic. Quick, healthy, fast food.”

I did take the liberty of looking up both of these spots. Ocean 44 is “a unique seafood restaurant serving the freshest high-quality seafood and world-class USDA Prime Steak & Wagyu selections sourced globally.” Also, their signature cocktails look incredible. Eat Up is very much on the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s a fast-casual place and their sandwiches look amazing. Perhaps I’ll swing by at some point this week.

The practice area

After defrosting and drying off a bit (even by my Boston standards, it was pretty chilly out there), I made my way out to the range and practice putting green. I finally met Min Woo Lee, which I am very excited about because he’s got the best Instagram on Tour and is sponsored by Lululemon. You all heard it here first: I’m manifesting a friendship with him.

Later in the afternoon, the place really began to clear out, so I decided to head back to the media center. The volunteers were warning everyone how slippery and muddy the ground was, but I had to make my way down a massive hill in order to get back inside to get my backpack. I walked slowly and carefully, making sure not to lose my footing. With about four steps left to the bottom of the hill, I slipped. I heard a few people gasp as my legs slipped into the air in front of me.

The fall itself was definitely more embarrassing than painful, which I’d usually be relieved by, but not in this instance. I was inside the ropes which felt a little bit like I slipped on stage. And then people started to clap as I got up. The whole thing was a quick ordeal, but it’s the sort of situation that will haunt my dreams for a few nights (or years) to come.

Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t look much better for the first round of the WM Phoenix Open. Luckily, I’ve learned there’s a lot to see when players are all hanging out together by the clubhouse. Either way, I’m looking forward to another good day at TPC Scottsdale.

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The post Beer-throwing at Phoenix Open needs ‘to be addressed’, says Tour commish appeared first on Golf.

The post Beer-throwing at Phoenix Open needs ‘to be addressed’, says Tour commish appeared first on Golf.

There’s a tricky moment at any great party where the fun approaches the line of decorum. Who will cross the line? Will we all cross it? Will we regret it tomorrow if we do? According to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, the line was crossed at the biggest party in golf this year. 

Monahan spoke with BBC Sport this month and made clear he was not a fan of what went down at TPC Scottsdale at the WM Phoenix Open in February. “It’s never acceptable to be throwing water and beer bottles — we saw it a few times that weekend — and it’s going to be addressed,” Monahan said.

For those unsure of what Monahan is speaking to, the party began slowly, with no aces recorded on the raucous 16th hole through the week’s first two rounds. But Saturday has long been a different beast. The event has often set and re-set attendance records for PGA Tour events on that day over the years. When Sam Ryder made an ace Saturday afternoon, the jam-packed stadium let out a roar, and soon after let all the beers out of their hands.

Absolute pandemonium. 

But did it cross the line? Where was the line? Were fans told they could not recreate what happened when Tiger Woods made a famous ace on that hole 25 years ago?

Monahan admitted to all the circumstances that made such an event happen: Pent up demand for an ace on that hole (it hadn’t witnessed one since 2015); the nature of the pandemic keeping people from communal scenes like that; the inherent history of the 16th hole and the nature of what was built up surrounding it. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise. But a key point is that it didn’t quite stop. 

The next day, Carlos Ortiz made an ace, incurring a similar reaction from the fans, and another delay for clean-up on the green. What’s more, according to the report, Ortiz was hit by one of the projectile pops. Later on, when Justin Thomas chipped in for birdie, and more beer took to the sky, many people determined that, perhaps the line has been crossed a few too many times.

News

But wait, there’s more!

Also on Sunday, a scene unlike any the golf world had witnessed before. A day earlier, Dahmen had joked if his tweet gets enough engagement, Higgs would take off his shirt on the 16th green. As you may already know, exactly that happened. Higgs flashed the crowd on repeat! Dahmen ripped off his shirt and twirled it around over his head! Fans went berserk. 

But did it cross the line? 

“Harry and Joel did get carried away but it’s the atmosphere we’ve created,” Monahan continued. “We’ve got to recognize that’s something we helped to build and when you get situations that need to be addressed, they get addressed.” 

Monahan did not go into detail about ‘addressing’ it would look like. But rumors circled on the PGA Tour the following week that Higgs and Dahmen were both in line to earn fines from the PGA Tour. 

It all begs the question, How do you maintain the biggest party in golf without it going too far? The biggest attendance annually on the PGA Tour is bound to include some fans with pent up energy, motivation, excitement, etc. A gladiatorial scene with an amphitheater of sun-kissed, boozed-up golf lovers are going to react when they see an ace. And one helluva precedent has been set.

A lot of it, many players have argued, is good for golf. Days later, at the Genesis Invitational, Rory McIlroy discussed the scene from his perspective.

“I saw sort of everything that happened. Phoenix is fun, it’s awesome. I think it’s a novelty on Tour. I certainly wouldn’t want every week on Tour to be like that, but I think these one-off events where that can happen I think is good for the game. I think it encourages people from different walks of life to get interested in the game of golf, to feel like it’s not as intimidating.  

“So in that respect I think there are parts of it that are really good and I think it’s a good look for the game of golf to sort of move with the modern times in the 21st century, but there’s a certain line there to be — yeah, just to sort of walk that line between something that is progressive but also doesn’t endanger players, endanger fans, endanger volunteers and I think that was a line that was maybe crossed a couple of times last week. But whenever you get a bunch of people together there’s going to be things that happen and that’s just the nature of it. There’s certainly more pros than cons.”

Collin Morikawa felt similarly, saying that beer doesn’t need to fly every week, but that during a specific tournament, the excitement is worth the attention it drives to the game. “For one time a year, I think it’s fun.”

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The post Monday Finish Minute: Phoenix Open Takeaways and Genesis Lookahead appeared first on Golf.

The post Monday Finish Minute: Phoenix Open Takeaways and Genesis Lookahead appeared first on Golf.

As the PGA Tour moves from Phoenix to Riviera, Dylan Dethier breaks down all that’s happened and all that we have to look forward to. From 16th hole celebrations to Tiger Woods sightings, February is delivering big moments for golf fans.

The post Monday Finish Minute: Phoenix Open Takeaways and Genesis Lookahead appeared first on Golf.

The post Winner’s bag: Scottie Scheffler at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open appeared first on Golf.

The post Winner’s bag: Scottie Scheffler at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open appeared first on Golf.

Scottie Scheffler prevailed on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff at the WM Phoenix Open to claim his first PGA Tour title. Here’s a look at the mixed setup the equipment free agent used to win at TPC Scottsdale.

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft), 8 degrees

3-wood: Nike VR Pro (Fujikura Atmos Black Tour Spec 8X shaft), 13.5 degrees

Utility: Srixon Z U85 (3-iron; Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid Tour X shaft)

Irons: Srixon ZX7 (4-iron; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50-12F, 56-14F degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts), Titleist Vokey Design 2021 Proto (60K degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS Tour Prototype

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Want to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.

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The post ‘It literally moved, like, a dimple’: Rickie Fowler suffers brutal penalty appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘It literally moved, like, a dimple’: Rickie Fowler suffers brutal penalty appeared first on Golf.

This week’s episode of the Rickie Fowler Comeback Tour centers on Scottsdale, Ariz., where they water the fairways with half-empty Coors Lights and the crowds are famously loud, even drowning out Fowler’s pink cactus-print shirt.

We join our hero beside a prickly pear in the sand well left of the fifth fairway at TPC Scottsdale, where Fowler sits even par four holes into the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. (The tournament has been rebranded from the Waste Management Phoenix Open this year, which saves a whole bunch of letters, though technically zero syllables.)

There’s Fowler, his ball beside the cactus, moving little rocks from behind his ball, scratching carefully away at the sand. But then he flinches, just for a moment, after one such scratch, a freeze surely accompanied by the sinking feeling, knowing his golf ball has changed positions.

If your buddy faced the same situation, it’s unlikely that they would handle it the same way Fowler does. It’s tough for Fowler to get away with saying, “Meh, that barely moved,” because his sand-scratching takes place in front of thousands of fans and several cameras beaming high-definition video of the incident around the world. Not to mention that skirting the rules would be a look unbecoming of the former No. 1-ranked person on the National League of Junior Cotillion’s list of “Best-Mannered People.” (Yes, real thing.)

Instead, Fowler calls over a rules official for consultation. It’s tough to hear what the rules official tells him, exactly, but we can take a guess: The official likely tells him that, according to the Rules of Golf, he has incurred a one-stroke penalty.

Colt Knost is there, reporting on the ground for Golf Channel.

“Guys I just spoke to Rickie Fowler; his ball actually moved on [the fifth] when he was trying to move some rocks, and he got a one-shot penalty,” Knost says. “He said it literally moved, like, a dimple.”

If his ball has moved, he should replace it, although since it hasn’t moved more than a dimple, there’s not much replacing to do.

If the rules official had more time, he could also tell Fowler that under the 2019 Rules changes, (explained here by the USGA) there would be no penalty if he’d accidentally moved his ball while he was looking for it, if an outside force moved it (like a playing partner or animal) or if it was on the green, where just about anything goes. But none of this information seems particularly relevant and their conversation seems quite brief, so I’m including it mostly for your own edification.

Knost seems to hold Fowler in the same stead as does the NLJC.

“He does everything with class,” Knost says. “I asked him about the ruling and he said, ‘Yep, well, what’re you gonna do?'”

The announcers may feel worse for Fowler than Fowler does for himself.

“I mean, he just needs to catch a break,” Knost says.

“It’s almost like when it rains, it pours,” Trevor Immelman adds.

They’re not talking about the dimple moving. They’re not talking about this round. They’re talking about Fowler’s career trajectory, and they’re talking about the fact that we, as ticket-holders to the Comeback Tour, are waiting for the show to start.

Fowler reached a career high of No. 4 in the world in 2016. He has slipped each year since, eventually falling outside the top 100 last summer. A T3 at the CJ Cup this fall was heartening — and boosted him to No. 82 in the world — but he’s begun 2022 with two missed cuts. Now, thanks to the cactus and the rock and the one-stroke penalty, a third begins to loom.

He misses the green at No. 7 and makes bogey from the sand. He misses the fairway at No. 8, hacks out left-handed and makes bogey again. He heads to the back nine at three over, scorecard damaged but character intact. The fans await. The Comeback Tour rolls on.

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