Storylines From The PGA TOUR's West Coast Swing
Jeff Babineau's Note On Wyndham Clark's Victory At The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am!
In Jeff Babineau's article on PGATour.com about Wyndham Clark, he concluded with “Sometimes, life really does begin at 29.” Spot on! Over the last year, Clark has captured three wins, including the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and now the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. During the third round, Wyndham set the course record with a 60 that included 189 feet of putts made, which equates to about 63 yards! To put this in football terms, Justin Tucker, of the Baltimore Ravens, made the longest kick in NFL history from 66 yards. Clark’s 26-footer for 59 stopped teasingly short. In the end, the extreme weather cut the contest early. After three rounds, Clark stood at 17-under-par with a one-stroke victory over Ludvig Aberg. He told the media that the hole looked “like a bucket” all week. If you’d never heard of Wyndham Clark before the 2023 PGA Tour season, it’s difficult to overlook the 30-year-old now.
The WM Phoenix Open Gets Out Of Control!
First and foremost, congratulations to Nick Taylor on winning the WM Phoenix Open! In the first round, he shot 60 at TPC Scottsdale, becoming just the fourth player to do so on the Stadium Course, before transforming into a straight killer. Down the stretch on Sunday, Taylor carded a birdie-birdie-par-birdie-birdie-birdie to hunt down Charley Hoffman in a playoff! But, it feels appropriate to focus on the chaos that ensued in Phoenix. On Saturday, all alcohol sales were cut off hours earlier than expected due to unruly behavior from fans. Among the antics, there was a man in a kilt showing his backside, a snow angel in the greenside bunker on sixteen, and Zach Johnson yelled “Don’t sir me!” at a contingent of Ryder Cup haters. Droves of spectators donned white sneakers that survived the muddy conditions as well as a pair of white Air Force Ones at a fraternity party. In response, the tournament committee announced that they were closing the gates to try and maintain crowd control. If you had a ticket for the third round, you might not even be let in.
A Tale Of Two Outcomes For Jordan Spieth And Hideki Matsuyama At The Genesis Invitational!
Before we get to Hideki Matsuyama, let’s focus on Jordan Spieth. The Texan was disqualified from the Genesis Invitational after signing an incorrect scorecard. On the par-3 fourth hole during his second round, Spieth missed a short putt for par and carded a four. Unfortunately, Spieth signed for a three on the hole and a total score of 72, which were both incorrect. He accepted this ruling gracefully and humorously encouraged Hideki to double-check his card before signing off for the win! Speaking of the winner, Hideki began the final round six shots back from the leaders. SIX! Nevermind the gap, a godly stretch on the back nine cemented his victory. On the fifteenth hole, from 189 yards out, he hit his approach to eight inches from the cup. On the next hole, from 160 yards out, his approach stopped six inches from the hole. He would go on to shoot a bogey-free 62 to win by three shots over Luke List. With this ninth win, Matsuyama became the winningest Asian-born player in PGA Tour history, surpassing K.J. Choi’s eight victories.
Tiger Woods Begins His PGA Tour Season At The Genesis Invitational!
Tiger’s week at the Genesis Invitational included many firsts. Beginning the season at Riviera Country Club, Tiger unveiled “Sun Day Red,” his new clothing brand with TaylorMade. AntiFaldo’s tweet about the logo made me gasp for air because I was laughing so hard. Tiger also debuted a new caddie, veteran Lance Bennett. Bennett has looped for several tour players such as Matt Kuchar and Sungjae Im. In terms of his performance, Tiger launched “The Shank Heard Around The World" from the fairway of the eighteenth hole. Standing over his approach, Woods struck the ball with the hosel of his 8-iron and sent it directly into the eucalyptus trees off to the right. To quote the Cat, he “presented the hosel first.” According to shot link data, his approach traveled 71 yards at nearly a ninety-degree angle. I've never seen such a miss from the man. The PGA Tour even posted the clip of Tiger’s insane inaccuracy with the caption “No one is immune to the dreaded shank. Not even Tiger Woods!"
Scottie Scheffler's Putting Woes Grow Too Noticeable Not To Discuss!
As we near the major championship season, I need to mention Scottie Scheffler’s demonstrative behavior on the greens at Riv. Whether he tossed his putter or threw his golf ball into the woods, Scheffler was clearly irritated more than normal. The poor putting is nothing new, but his visual frustrations certainly are. Of the 51 players to make the cut at Riviera, Scheffler ranked 51st in strokes-gained-putting. Rory McIlroy, who spent some time in the CBS booth on Sunday, recommended that Scheffler explore mallet putters to ease his woes. It's safe to say that, unlike Wyndham at Pebble, when Scottie stands over putts, the hole does not look "like a bucket.” Cheers!
As a freelance writer, Taylor McCutcheon focuses on golf adjacent, cultural content in the world of golf. Spread the word by sharing Taylor's content.
***Taylor's opinions and commentary are his own and do not necessarily represent the Tour Junkies as a whole.