Tom Kim is kicking off the season at this week’s Sentry.
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Golf is again.
Well, virtually again.
It’s been a correct offseason for the PGA Tour; we’ve solely seen selective appearances from the sport’s high stars because the Tour Championship wrapped final August.
Some of ’em confirmed up at Kapalua this week trying totally different. Scottie Scheffler, as an illustration, confirmed up with a full beard, whereas Cameron Young rolled in with none beard in any respect and Sam Burns has formally ditched his mullet. There are new garments on their again, new footwear on their ft, new golf equipment of their luggage, new caddies on their luggage, too.
Before the precise golf begins, then, listed here are just a few little modifications and observations from early-week motion on the Sentry.
Jon Rahm is right here.
No, he’s not on the event. But he’s not distant, both! Jon Rahm’s plans to defend his Sentry title took a sideways flip when he joined LIV Golf in December. But his plans to spend this time on Maui apparently didn’t, as Rahm and his household have spent the week vacationing close by, taking part in golf and working into his former Tour friends, as confirmed by a number of folks on the Sentry on Tuesday.
The trip plans of professional golfers are not often newsworthy, however the truth that the PGA Tour is about to kick off its season and the event’s defending champion, who’s now on LIV, can also be on the town however isn’t taking part in within the event? That’s a wierd signal of the instances. He’s the one professional from the 2023 Sentry subject who has since joined LIV.
Rahm’s presence calls to thoughts Cameron Smith’s displaying at this yr’s Players Championship. Smith was the defending Players champ (and the 2022 Sentry Champ, for that matter) however had been suspended after leaving for LIV; on event Thursday he teed it up on the Yards just a mile away from TPC Sawgrass.
The apparent distinction, after all, is that Smith is a Jacksonville Beach resident and solely traveled just a few miles to play golf, whereas Rahm’s journey was considerably longer. It’s simply not clear whether or not he’s sending a message, he discovered a resort he actually likes or the cancelation charges have been simply that intimidating…
Ludvig Aberg has a new caddie.
Aberg’s new caddie is Joe Skovron, who you’ll know as Rickie Fowler’s longtime caddie and, extra not too long ago, Tom Kim’s caddie. Aberg has performed lower than one full season on the PGA Tour however has already generated sky-high expectations after profitable on the PGA and DP World Tours and impressing as part of Team Europe on the Ryder Cup.
Skovron’s look was no shock; we realized of the partnership just a few weeks in the past as Aberg sought a veteran caddie with big-pressure expertise and let looper Jack Clarke go.
“For next year, all I’m looking for is more experience in these bigger tournaments,” Aberg informed Smylie Kaufman on his podcast.
If the beginning of this week is all about adjusting to the sights and sounds of a new PGA Tour season, Skovron’s transition from the Nike swoosh of Team Kim to Aberg’s three-stripe getup drove that residence.
Tom Kim has a new caddie.
With Skovron departing for a 24-year-old rising star in Aberg, his 21-year-old former boss discovered a new caddie to fill his Nikes.
That job now belongs to Dan Parratt. Parratt is a veteran caddie with expertise throughout the PGA Tour and DP World Tour; his latest costs have included Okay.H. Lee and Ben An, whereas he’s additionally caddied for Alex Noren and Robert Karlsson.
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I spoke to Kim briefly in regards to the pairing and he stated there’s been immediate consolation with Parratt given the 2 have recognized one another for a number of years.
Kim is coming off a victory in his most up-to-date PGA Tour begin, the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas. He has 5 top-10s and 9 top-25s in his final 9 begins worldwide.
Cameron Young has a new caddie.
Cameron Young and Paul Tesori have parted methods to begin the yr. The veteran caddie had joined Young’s workforce final March, which drew important consideration on the time given Tesori’s success on the bag of Webb Simpson.
In some methods the Young-Tesori partnership mirrored that of Skovron and Kim; each concerned rising stars leaning on profitable caddie vets. The pair obtained off to a promising begin with a runner-up end on the WGC-Match Play and a T7 on the Masters. But the remainder of the season was under Young’s lofty requirements.
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This week he has Wayne De Haas on the bag. De Haas hails from South Africa and has a mini-tour taking part in historical past that features wins on the Minor League Golf Tour in south Florida. His caddying expertise features a stint with Ernie Els in 2022; now he’ll kick off the season with Young.
Brendon Todd has a new caddie.
We’ll convey this full circle: Tesori isn’t on Young’s bag however he’s in Hawaii for the season opener. That’s as a result of Brendon Todd picked him up off golf’s figurative caddy waiver wire.
Pros are nonetheless sporting Nike.
There’s been loads of hypothesis about Nike’s future within the golf attire area — hypothesis that solely elevated when Tiger Woods gave a curt reply to a query on the topic on the PNC Championship. Speculation elevated when longtime Nike athlete Jason Day confirmed up in Hawaii sporting Malbon as a part of a new deal.
But Nike is hardly gone from the area. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler wore Nike on Tuesday. World No. 11 Tom Kim did, too. Same with No. 14 Tommy Fleetwood. And No. 20 Tony Finau. But nonetheless no phrase on Woods.
Xander Schauffele and Jason Day are sporting new garments.
Day signed with Malbon, turning into the primary Tour professional ambassador for the posh golf attire model.
He wasn’t the one one with a new clothing sponsor: Xander Schauffele confirmed up sporting Descente, as did his caddie Austin Kaiser. Descente has its background in snowboarding however has dabbled in golf sponsorship with Danny Willett.
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This is Kevin Kisner’s debut.
Kevin Kisner is again on the Sentry this week — however in a unique position than he’s accustomed to. The four-time Tour winner will be part of the community’s sales space for its first two big-time broadcasts of the 2024 PGA Tour season, the Sentry and the WM Phoenix Open, in some form of tryout position for the seat vacated by Paul Azinger.
It’s an ongoing thriller what NBC will do with the seat long-term, with names like Paul McGinley and Geoff Ogilvy additionally floated in latest weeks. But Kisner will usher within the season for NBC’s primetime broadcast.
We’ll be watching.
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