Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley (clockwise from prime left).
Getty Images
Welcome again to the Monday Finish, the place something we sort right here must be thought-about “off the record.” Let’s get to it!
This week, a wierd side-effect of golf’s present ecosystem was a head-spinning cocktail of 24/7 golf. Like, take a look at this timeline (all occasions ET and approximate):
SATURDAY
3:45 p.m. — Lexi Thompson finishes off Aramco Series win in New York
7:30 p.m. — Zozo Championship remaining spherical tees off in Japan
SUNDAY
3:00 a.m. — Keegan Bradley faucets in for his fifth PGA Tour win
5:00 a.m. — LIV’s shotgun begin goes off in Saudi Arabia
6:50 a.m. — DP World Tour leaders tee off in Spain
11:00 a.m. — Brooks Koepka wins LIV Jeddah in a playoff
11:45 a.m. — Adrian Otaegui finishes off a six-shot win at Valderrama
12:15 p.m. — Fred Couples tees off within the final group on the SAS Championship
All that earlier than NFL video games kicked off! Phew. And you thought golf season was over…
Chances are, you missed no less than just a few of the golf photographs struck over the weekend. So let’s run by way of the week’s winners and, properly, not-winners.
WINNER: KEEGAN’S RYDER CUP CASE
There is a contingent of golf followers who dislike watching Keegan Bradley play golf. They complain about his twitchy pre-shot routine, they hate on his Aimpoint placing methodology, they make enjoyable of his post-rule-change placing woes. But these individuals are haters, they’re losers and they’re not welcome on the Monday Finish.
That’s proper, people, that is formally a pro-Keegan area. And whereas I’m contractually obligated, as a son of New England, to root for Bradley, I genuinely take pleasure in watching him play golf, too. In a career stuffed with stoic, blasé dorks, Bradley is the last word try-hard — in a great way. He performs each shot as if his status is on the road. That implies that the low moments are significantly low (Bradley probably nonetheless hasn’t gotten over the 2012 Ryder Cup) however the victories style that a lot sweeter, too.
Enter Sunday on the Zozo, when Bradley mixed his usually on-point ballstriking with a sizzling putter and outlasted the competitors for a one-shot victory that despatched him immediately from the 18th inexperienced into an emotional wreck. “I can’t keep it together,” he mentioned greater than as soon as. This was his first victory because the 2018 BMW Championship, which meant, within the interim, there was loads of attempting exhausting and arising brief. The victory was additionally a testomony to his placing enchancment; per Sean Martin, Bradley went from one of many worst putters on Tour in 2021 to Tour-average in 2022. That is a large distinction.
I additionally love Bradley as a result of he’s not afraid to say what he thinks, what he feels and what he believes. And so though he hasn’t made a U.S. staff since 2014, he wasn’t shy about declaring that as a aim within the instant aftermath of his win.
“This is what I want to do,” he mentioned. “I want to win tournaments. I want to play in Ryder Cups. I want to be in the conversation. This is a good start.”
The Ryder Cup’s a methods away. This win didn’t technically rely for qualifying factors, both. Still, he’s proper: Good begin.
NOT-WINNER: WORKING OUT
Brooks Koepka received the LIV occasion in Jeddah this weekend, his first worldwide victory because the 2021 Phoenix Open. He cited his current enchancment in bodily well being as a key to his victory. And he credited that enchancment in bodily well being to…skipping the gym.
“I haven’t hit the gym in a long time,” he mentioned. “Just trying to be healthy, man. I’ve had quite a few nagging stuff over the year where we weren’t sure if we were going to go under the knife or not, and backing off in the gym has helped.” Koepka added that he feels the most effective he has in three years. All because of skipping exercises! Sure, this can be a setback for the golfers-are-athletes motion, however it could be a step nearer to you, too, being an expert golfer. Just ignore the truth that Koepka additionally received sufficient cash this week that he’s actually going to purchase his brother a lime-green Lambo.
You in all probability can’t do this. But you can cease going to the gym. In that method you might be like Brooks right now.
WINNER: GOING TO SEE BUTCH
Butch Harmon is golf’s King Midas. Stop into Las Vegas with a small swing ailment, get a fast tip and emerge prepared for victory. At least, near-victory.
That’s what Rickie Fowler did this previous week. Fowler started the season with an overhaul of his staff — new caddie, new golf equipment and new coach — and on this case “new coach” meant a former coach, since he used to work with Harmon usually earlier than the legendary swing physician decreased his journey in 2019.
But when Fowler missed the minimize ultimately week’s Shriners, the timing was ripe for a visit to see Butch Harmon. “It’s kind of a combo of old and new,” Fowler mentioned of the modifications.
They labored; Fowler held a share of the 54-hole lead and wound up T2. It’s not successful, but it surely’s not nothing, both.
As for Harmon? This is establishment. Think again to 2021, when he consulted with Jordan Spieth simply earlier than his resurrection from the sting of the highest 100 on the planet again to its prime tier by yr’s finish. Think of Rory McIlroy, who consulted Harmon’s “swing database” a pair years again. And, most related of all, consider Fowler a yr in the past this time. Although the 2 hadn’t been working collectively, Fowler stopped in to see him forward of the CJ Cup after which promptly went on to carry the 54-hole lead earlier than occurring to complete T3. Sound acquainted?
NOT-WINNER: THE MENA PLAN
LIV Golf’s try to avoid the OWGR course of by way of backdoor strategic alliance with the little-known MENA Tour didn’t work as shortly or efficiently as commissioner Greg Norman had marketed to his gamers. That’s to not say it was ineffective; the ploy compelled the OWGR to launch an announcement saying, in essence, they had been desirous about it. Maybe it’ll lead to a speedier judgment. But for now, it seems aggressive and determined and hardly feels just like the motion of a tour that thinks it has a rock-solid reliable case to earn factors. Now that LIV golfers are staring down the ultimate scheduled begins of their season, their rating factors will proceed to dwindle till a judgment is made.
WINNER: SAUDI GOLF’S LET EXPANSION
People have talked for months about what it will appear to be had the PGA Tour cooperated with Golf Saudi-slash-LIV and allowed them to get entangled throughout the Tour’s ecosystem. My guess? It would look one thing like this week’s Aramco Series occasion in New York.
Aramco is an enormous oil firm owned fully by the Saudi authorities and chaired by Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Al-Rumayyan can also be the president of the Arab Golf Federation — and governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which funds LIV. In different phrases, the cash for these occasions and LIV occasions is coming from the identical place. And the Aramco Series occasions are co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour, which is run as a 50-50 three way partnership with the LPGA. In different phrases, all people is already concerned.
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The response is notably extra muted to the Aramco Series occasions. There are loads of causes that’s the case, however partially the shortage of shock comes from the truth that they’re not (but) making an attempt to alter the league’s current construction nor threatening its future. But Aramco’s quiet assimilation into the ladies’s sport has clearly labored: Several of the sport’s greatest stars confirmed up, together with Nelly and Jess Korda, Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson and Leona Maguire. Thompson, who went on to win the occasion, gave an outright endorsement of Golf Saudi’s entry into the market:
“I would say that without the support of Aramco, LET would not be as strong as it is today. And I think they are growing the game of golf in women’s golf, and I think that if you speak to any of the Ladies European Tour players, they are extremely grateful for this opportunity, and I think that’s what Aramco is trying to do. They are trying to grow the women’s game, and I support that fully.”
If the Saudi aim for the Aramco Series is penetrating the ladies’s sport, there’s no query: That’s already occurred.
NOT-WINNER: JORDAN SPIETH’S EGO
Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler confirmed off their pickleball abilities in a mid-week competitors towards former NBA star Dirk Nowitzki and tennis star John Isner. But at what price?! Spieth emerged with out bodily harm, however he did maintain a sucker-punch from Isner within the type of dredging up devastating Masters reminiscences.
After a passing reference to Scottie Scheffler four-putting No. 18 this yr, Isner dropped the hammer on Spieth and the tragic finish to his 2016 Masters, which included an 8 at No. 12.
“You hit about 18 balls on hole No. 12 that one year,” Isner quipped.
“…that’s true,” Spieth replied, little doubt by way of gritted tooth. Sean (under) is true: we don’t speak about that! The grief remains to be too close to.
It’s additionally value noting that Isner has made only one slam semifinal in his profession. You want no less than a pair titles earlier than you possibly can savage Spieth like this.
WINNER: THE CJ CUP
We’ve established by now that it’s soccer season, and your participation in weekend golf-watching is wholly elective and solely good for further credit score. But how ’bout the sector at this week’s CJ Cup! This isn’t one of many Tour’s new Elevated Events however might as properly be with its subject; Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Sungjae Im, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Sam Burns, Tom Kim, Hideki Matsuyama — the gang’s just about all headed to Congaree. We’re not complaining.
NOT-WINNER: PHIL’S SEMANTICS
I’ve already spent an excessive amount of web ink on this subject however Phil Mickelson was requested in Saudi Arabia about his previous feedback concerning Saudi Arabia, to which Mickelson replied that he had not truly given the interview in query. This was a traditional Mickelson deflection, arguing a technicality. It additionally principally labored — whereas Mickelson has by no means denied (and, the truth is, even apologized for) making the now notorious “scary m—-f—–s” feedback, the dialogue turned about off-the-record vs. on-the-record. In the top, Mickelson clarified to SI’s Bob Harig that Shipnuck “obviously took a conversation differently and we’re going to have to agree to disagree.”
We broke that down extra on this week’s Drop Zone podcast:
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
I’m occurring trip this week! In different phrases, I’m taking a break from this pretty — if smoky — nook of the world and can return to Monday Finish HQ well-rested to sort the subsequent Monday Finish in two week’s time.
WHAT’S NEXT
Three issues to look at this week.
In order: Tiger Woods throwing a baseball, Fred Couples hitting your golf sport, me hitting an unlimited shank.
We’ll see you in two weeks!
The writer (cautiously) welcomes your feedback at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
