5 Top Stories in Golf This Week
So much has happened this week in golf. There is already plenty of controversy surrounding the Ryder Cup and now one of the most watched players may have damaged one of his biggest assets. But more on that later. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite stories this week we thought you might like.
Read more below!
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The Perfect End to a Great Season for Patrick Cantlay
After an impressive end to the 2020 – 2021 season, Patrick Cantlay has even more to smile about. Cantlay would not only the BMW Championship, but also dominated his competition at the Tour Championship. He captured the FedEx Cup and is set to compete in next week’s Ryder Cup. Cantlay is sitting on top of the world right now.
Patrick discussed what they Jack Nicklaus Award meant to him in a call with reporters.
“I think the fact that it’s voted on by my fellow PGA Tour players, I think that means a lot to me and I’m very grateful and excited to be here,” Cantlay said. “I think it wasn’t something that I necessarily thought was on the radar middle of the year, but then I closed really well and played a lot of really nice golf towards the end.”
Cantlay won 2 more events this season at the Zozo Cup last October and Memorial Tournament this June. The choice for Player of the Year was obvious.
Lessons Learned
“I have definitely tried to learn how to close golf tournaments and I think getting there and seeing what works and what doesn’t and, you know, being able to only do the things that really help you, I think that was really big for me and I feel like I’m much better at closing golf tournaments than I was maybe a couple years ago,” Cantlay said.
“The ability to stay very present and not get ahead of yourself and really block out all the noise about anything other than the shot that you’re going to hit right now. I think that really helped me at East Lake and I definitely pulled some lessons from tournaments where I didn’t get it done to help me get it done this year.”
Among those also considered for the award were Jon Rahm, Colin Morikawa, Bryson DeChambeau, and Harris English.
READ MORE HERE
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Brooks Koepka on Trash Talk & Catching Tiger
Brooks Koepka has never been one to filter himself. He tends to tell it like it is and damned be the consequences. Take his recent comments about the Ryder Cup team. Koepka is an open book and not afraid to say what others won’t.
He even admitted that he gets a kick out of trash talking and getting inside someone’s head. If that wasn’t obvious from his feud with Bryson, then you haven’t been paying attention. He thrives on it.
“Golf isn’t really a sport where you trash talk, but I can trash talk with the best of them. I don’t want to say gamesmanship is trash talk, but it borders the line,” Koepka told Golf Digest’s, Matthew Rudy. “I take so much satisfaction that there’s something wrong in my head about it. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, it’s so intense. I might not always show it, but I’m so intense inside at wanting to beat the living crap out of you at whatever we’re doing.”
“I just want to embarrass you. If golf wasn’t the ‘gentleman’s’ sport it is, I would trash talk my entire way through it. I’d love to be in the NFL and just stand over you like Tyrann Mathieu does after a tackle.”
Cocky or Confident?
He also talks about Tiger’s record and how high he set the bar for every golfer after him. He is very confident he will be able to measure up to those expectations.
“In my mind, I’m going to catch him on majors. I believe that. I don’t see any reason that can stop me. I’m 31. I have another 14 years left,” Koepka said. “If I win one a year, I got Jack. People misconstrue that as being cocky. No, that’s just my belief. If I don’t have that belief, I shouldn’t be out there. If you don’t think you can win, why the hell are you teeing it up?
Well, the man does have a point.
READ MORE HERE
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The Ryder Cup is Next Week & Bryson’s Hands are in Bad Shape
The golfers competing at Whistling Straits next week are preparing to face off with their European counterparts in the 2021 Ryder Cup. This will be Bryson DeChambeau’s second appearance. Of course, that isn’t the only event Bryson is prepping for these days.
Shortly after next week’s tournament, DeChambeau will be competing for the title in the Professional Long Drive World Championships.
“People don’t realise how difficult long drive really is,” the 2020 US Open champion told Golf.com.
“In golf, it’s the one thing where you can judge your accomplishments by a number.
“Not necessarily by going out and playing golf, because you can catch a sprinkler head or catch a bad break or bad wind. You can see the ball speed number. And when you obtain a ball speed number, it’s so different and unique.
“It’s like a shot-putter shot-putting a new record number. You’re trying to find that full potential to break through.”
Bryson is hitting off the tee at upwards of 190 mph and practices for more than an hour at a time. The rigorous training has taken a toll on his hands. With cuts and blisters, DeChambeau pushes through his training in pursuit of achieving a 214 mph swing.
“I do it every week,” he said at the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship. “Is it daunting? Yeah. At first, when I was trying to do it last year, it was very scary.
“But now that I’ve been through it and experienced the worst pains from it, and the most relaxed state of it where I’m not doing any speed training, I know how to kind of balance it – for the most part. Why not go hard at life and do both?”
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Macklemore’s New Golf Fashion Line – Bogey Boys
You’ve got to check out these threads. Rapper Macklemore has released his new golf clothing line titled, Bogey Boys. The brand is hosting a popup in their hometown of Seattle. The area was recently updated and will soon host a virtual golf bar by 2022.
“From the cardigans to the polos to the hoodies, men and women can wear this collection,” hip hop artist Ben Haggerty told the Seattle Times. “It has been a passion project, and also a way that when I say shake up the game of golf, that’s not just clothing. That’s one aspect of it. I think we need to shake up the entire narrative and make it accessible for everyone.”
Bogey Boys said they will have the shop open for business beginning Saturday, September 18th at 1523 10th Ave in Seattle.
READ MORE HERE
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Comedy Great, Norm Macdonald was OBSESSED with Golf
The comedy world and fans alike were shocked by the news of comedian Norm Macdonald’s death on Tuesday. While he will mostly be remembered for his time on SNL as well as his hilarious stand-up, Norm Macdonald was also a huge golf fan.
“Nobody knows golf more than me,” he boasted back in 2018. “Nobody.”
In fact, the very last tweet he sent was during the Open Championship where he gave a shoutout to his favorite to win.
Morikawa shoots a 64 to get to -9. He was my pick for this week, but I laid off at last second due to injury concerns.
— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) July 16, 2021
If you follow Norm on Twitter, you will notice he followed the Tour very closely. He frequently gave his two cents and during the Travelers Championship, he tweeted over a dozen times as he watched Harris English and Kramer Hickok battle it out.
“An incredible show being put on here at the 8th extra hole. The 2 players will never forget it. And both want the win at all. For Hicock (sic) it is the first and the first is a breakthrough. For English a touch of redemption.”
His favorite topic in golf? None other than Tiger Woods. Macdonald seemingly followed every play during the major tournaments and stood by Tiger through all the naysayers on Twitter.
The boys on TV are wondering whether or not Tiger will make the cut, with their sneering laughs. It is the same laugh they employed for years now when asked about Tiger's chance at a return. THEY ARE WRONG!!!!! TIGER WILL DEFEND!!!! TIGER WILL WIN!!!!!
— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) November 12, 2020
Norm even joined GOLF’s, Adam Bastable on his podcast back in 2011 to talk golf after the Masters. You can check it out below.
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