Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay and Rafael Campos (R-L) — all featured on this week’s Monday Finish.
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Welcome again to the Monday Finish, the place we now have as soon as once more did not earn our PGA Tour playing cards. Let’s get to it!
FIRST OFF THE TEE
Dreams and nightmares.
The Ryder Cup is completed. The Solheim Cup is completed. The NFL is in full swing. Viktor Hovland is hiking across the frozen tundra. We’ve hit golf’s offseason.
But as you effectively know, pricey readers, skilled golf doesn’t have an offseason. Not actually. Not when there are programs to be performed and cash to be made and arcane, weird rulings to be handed out, eternally altering golfers’ careers.
That final bit brings us to this week’s highest drama: the ultimate occasion of the Korn Ferry Tour season. The prime 30 gamers on the factors listing by occasion’s finish earn their PGA Tour playing cards for subsequent season. The relaxation don’t. Enter Shad Tuten, 31-year-old native of Augusta, Ga., who has by no means held a PGA Tour card however was awfully shut on Sunday. So shut, in reality, that he thought the deed was accomplished and his desires fulfilled.
Tuten hadn’t performed his finest golf however he’d performed effectively sufficient; his final-round two-over 74 left him T19 for the event and in thirtieth place on the season-long listing. In by a whisker.
But then golf occurred. As it turned out, Tuten had positioned his ball incorrectly whereas taking raise, clear and place aid on the par-5 fifteenth gap. He’d positioned the ball, watched it roll off its spot after which positioned it once more — apparently simply off to the aspect of the place he’d positioned it initially.
Jim Duncan, who’s the Korn Ferry Tour’s VP of Rules, Competition and Administration, clearly felt for Tuten as he defined the violation.
“Unfortunately that rule requires you to try to replace it on the exact same spot again, and then if it won’t stay at rest that’s when you find the nearest place, just like any other rule that requires placing. When he did not try to place that ball right back on the same spot, that’s when he was under penalty — two shots for playing from the wrong place.”
Here’s the video:
My response: I feel like I’m taking crazy pills! This is a penalty? Does he even put the ball again in a notably completely different place the second time? If so, is it greater than an inch or two? Is it even perceptible? Did Tuten attempt to combat each guidelines official on web site earlier than accepting it? What am I lacking right here?
It appears possible that had the stakes of the second been completely different — i.e. had these guys not been taking part in for his or her PGA Tour playing cards — this is able to by no means even have been thought-about. Heck, in most KFT occasions it wouldn’t have been on TV.
I’d wish to suggest that each golf event would have some type of Common Sense Committee to have a look at issues like this, conclude that there was actually zero intent to violate a rule and actually zero benefit gained and wave it off the best way NFL refs would possibly choose up a penalty flag after conferring. Nothing to see right here! I’m gutted for Shad Tuten.
Still, it’s value noting there was a sliver of goodness that got here from this. For each golfer who falls exterior the highest 30 there may be one other that climbs into it. And on this case that somebody was Rafael Campos, who thought he’d fallen brief by a single spot when he’d missed a brief putt on No. 18. He knew what the putt meant, he stated. He was clearly devastated when he missed it. And then, simply minutes later, when he discovered he’d discovered his manner again in? He broke down.
“I just kept on thinking the amount of work I put in for this year — God, I put in so much work. I’m really happy it paid off.”
WINNERS
Who received the week?
Luke List received the Sanderson Farms in what turned out to be a positively chaotic remaining 90 minutes of golf. Several completely different gamers reached 19 and even 20 underneath par, led by 54-hole chief Ben Griffin, however all of ’em got here again to 18 underneath, the place 5 execs in the end squared off in a playoff. List’s 45-footer was the one birdie putt to drop and the 38-year-old was all of the sudden a PGA Tour winner for the second time.
Just how unlikely was List’s win? After he completed out the 18th gap in regulation he actually gave away his hat to a fan. Once issues began getting tight a couple of minutes later he went again to that child and requested for it again.
“I think my mentality is just put one foot in front of the other and just keep going and try to birdie the next hole,” List stated. “You never know what can happen, obviously, watching how it unfolded. Like I said, I never thought I was even going to make a playoff. To be sitting here is pretty unbelievable.”
Matthew Fitzpatrick received the Dunhill Links, which introduced a unique taste of unusual end when the weekend was practically washed out and the third spherical was accomplished on Monday throughout its three programs, which ranged from “soggy” to “flooded” and required severe creativity simply to complete. But that hardly dampened Fitzpatrick’s spirits; he received his eighth DP World Tour title and did so alongside his mom Susan, who was his companion within the group occasion. They received, too.
“Even with all my wins, aside from a major, you forget about them in the future, and you’ll always remember the one that you won with your mum, so doesn’t get better than that,” Fitzpatrick stated.
Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea received wire-to-wire on the Ascendant LPGA in Texas. Kim’s wire-to-wire win was the sixth LPGA title of her profession, although her first of the season.
“My results this year weren’t bad, but there was some disappointment because I didn’t have a win,” she stated. “I had a lot of the time to think just for myself, and before this year passes I really want to win. This week I was able to accomplish that and it was just a really happy week for me.”
Xi Yu Lin received in one other weird playoff state of affairs on the LET Aramco Series in Hong Kong, the place climate pressured the event into simply 36 holes adopted by a two-golfer playoff; she took down former World No. 1 Jin Young Ko. The event was sponsored by the Saudi PIF, featured prime stars like Ko, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang and served as a reminder that whereas the lads’s aspect continues to work out the way it will look to normalize Saudi funding within the sport, the ladies’s sport is already additional alongside in that regard.
David Puig received for the primary time as an expert on the International Series Singapore, the LIV-backed portion of the Asian Tour. The proficient 21-year-old received wire-to-wire by 5 pictures forward of this week’s penultimate LIV occasion in Saudi Arabia.
Auston Kim received the Epson Tour Championship with back-to-back 65s, leaping from fifteenth to 3rd on the factors listing and incomes her LPGA Tour card within the course of. Gabi Ruffels received the season-long factors race and you’ll meet all 10 LPGA card-earners here.
And Paul Barjon received the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, vaulting himself from No. 45 within the standings to No. 8, comfortably incomes his PGA Tour card for subsequent season. Ben Kohles received the season-long factors listing and you’ll meet all 30 card-earners right here.
ALMOST-WINNERS
Some dropping feels higher than others.
An incomplete listing:
Ben Griffin gave away the Sanderson Farms with bogeys on the ultimate two holes in regulation. “I just didn’t hit very good shots pretty much all day,” he stated succinctly. “Yeah, it’s hard closing out on the PGA Tour, and I should have got it done. It’s a bummer. But I’ll be back.”
Ludvig Aberg‘s post-Ryder Cup week practically resulted in a win; he joined List, Griffin, Henrik Norlander and Carl Yuan within the five-man playoff.
From Norlander: “I’m super proud. I went from thinking I wasn’t good enough to play this Tour to actually believing I can win out here. Things happen, change quickly.”
From Yuan, who holed out from the golf green on No. 17 to offer himself a miraculous probability: “All I was thinking was trying to hole the shot, and fortunately it happened … There’s always hope; never quit. If you’ve got a shot, the ball can always go in the hole. That was a really cool moment for me.”
And from Aberg, the much-hyped Ryder Cup rookie: “I believe taking part in these final couple of holes while you’re in rivalry, while you’re near the lead or chasing down the lead, it’s essentially the most enjoyable you’ll ever have on the golf course.
“I had that experience in Switzerland a couple of weeks ago, and I just want to do it again and again and again.”
Lexi Thompson completed fifth in Texas; she acknowledged she’ll want “everything, really,” as she tees it up on the Shriners this week.
Ryder Cup vice captain Nicolas Colsaerts performed impressed golf en path to a T6 end on the Dunhill; he bested the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre, who he was helping only a week earlier than.
And Anne Van Dam jumped inside the highest 100 on this planet with a third-place end in Hong Kong; the outcome was her fourth podium end on the LET this 12 months after a pair down seasons.
WHAT WE’RE SEEING
Tiger, Tiger, burning shiny.
Tiger Woods spent the weekend at Pebble Beach for the TGR Jr. Invitational, the place he hit some pictures at The Hay, Pebble’s brief course — which was lately redesigned by Woods himself. Here’s how he appeared:
What can we study from Woods’ look? Probably not a ton. Todd Lewis of Golf Channel teased the concept that Woods would possibly goal his Hero World Challenge as a spot to return — however based mostly on the movies and conversations with just a few individuals in attendance, he wasn’t precisely jogging round at Pebble.
Woods hosts the Hero, but it surely’s greater than possible he’ll be keyed in on taking part in the PNC Championship along with his son Charlie simply two weeks later, too. My guess is that, like final 12 months, he’ll prioritize his wellness for the group occasion as he and Charlie look to take down their first title.
Also shoutout to this participant, 11-year-old Holden Bautista, who made two aces (!) on the Hay, the second in entrance of Woods himself…
And then delivered this dagger in that night’s Q&A.
Woods was again hitting balls alongside Max Homa on Monday, giving youngsters a front-row seat to the perfect participant of this technology and the highest points-getter for the U.S. group eventually week’s Ryder Cup. Play exhausting, youngsters — this can be a hell of an occasion.
CLOTHING CORNER
Pat in a Hat
Let’s supply one remaining phrase on Patrick Cantlay‘s hat saga. Actually, scratch that — once he finishes his honeymoon we’ll don’t have any selection however to trace down Cantlay for some solutions, so this would be the second-to-last phrase. The story continued over the weekend with reporting from Michael Bamberger, who relayed a quote from Cantlay on the primary tee throughout a observe spherical on the Ryder Cup.
“I’ll wear a hat when I’m paid to be here like he is,” Cantlay reportedly stated to NBC’s Steve Sands, gesturing to PGA of America’s Julius Mason.
The quote circulated broadly on social media and was held up as some type of affirmation that Cantlay was, in reality, going hat-free as some type of protest in opposition to the PGA of America. If that was true, Cantlay hadn’t been forthcoming in his post-round solutions the place he’d laughed off the thought of it being a protest. That gave the impression to be the conclusion reached by the jury in social-media courtroom.
Once once more I really feel like I’m going nuts. The quote itself? That appears very plausible. Bamberger wouldn’t cross it alongside if it wasn’t. But I don’t know the way that corroborates some type of “protest.” Does it level to Cantlay’s basic feeling that gamers ought to receives a commission to be on the Ryder Cup? Yes, most likely. But not carrying a hat appears to be Cantlay’s private inclination going again to the 2011 Walker Cup. It appears to me that he’d wish to go no-hat in PGA Tour occasions, too, if he wasn’t being paid to rep Goldman Sachs. His remark looks as if a flippant technique to say hey, I’m all good on the hat until I’m contractually obligated to put on it. In different phrases, it’s his choice — not some protest. It’s not just like the PGA of America is being marketed on the hat, anyway. The hats say USA. They have American flags. And I believe, given the remainder of his wardrobe, it was nonetheless fairly clear who Cantlay was taking part in for. Plus, what sort of protest is it for those who simply act shocked when any individual asks you about it?
Maybe I’m splitting hairs right here. And perhaps he ought to have simply worn the hat? But given the depth of individuals’s emotions on the topic these appear to be essential hairs to separate.
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
My spouse and I had simply completed up a hike yesterday after we obtained again to our automobile and each realized on the similar time that one thing was off.
That wasn’t our license plate.
I went round to verify the entrance of the automobile. Plot twist: Not solely was that one a unique license plate, it wasn’t even the identical license plate because the one on the again! So license plates A (entrance) and A (again) had been changed by B (entrance) and C (again). We’re speaking a few multi-vehicle incident right here, of us.
Some mischief was afoot.
According to the police, our new plates got here from two different automobiles in our neighborhood which had additionally been swapped/switched. Ours had most likely been transferred to both a stolen automobile or one used to do one thing shady, they stated.
Why am I sharing this? I assume as a result of that’s what’s occurring at Monday Finish HQ, and since it was a very unusual, mildly creepy realization. Also perhaps the plate theft is a Monday Finish reader. If so, are you able to simply give the license plates again? This is shaping as much as be a DMV nightmare.
WHAT’S NEXT
3 issues to look at this week.
1. Jon in Spain
World No. 3 Jon Rahm hasn’t received in ages (just a few months) however heads to his house open as the favourite by far; he opened at roughly 2 to 1 odds, which is preposterous for any golfer at any full-field golf event. Justin Rose is second-favorite at 14-1; no person else is shorter than 25-1. Jon Rahm is excellent at golf and it’s value seeing whether or not he’ll be capable of reside as much as these wild expectations.
2. Lexi in Vegas
Lexi Thompson has accepted a sponsor’s invite to the Shriner’s, and actually this one has me barely nervous. I’m excited to see an LPGA participant teeing it up alongside the lads, and Thompson’s size off the tee makes her a strong candidate — however her play this season doesn’t. Before the Solheim Cup she was struggling by the worst droop of her profession, posting seven missed cuts and 0 top-30s in 9 stroke-play begins. While her final two tournaments have been encouraging, the thought of placing her underneath this type of strain and scrutiny has me uneasy, realizing the inevitable on-line trolling that may include a less-than-stellar efficiency. Hopefully that uneasiness is unfounded.
3. Tommy in Rome
Just to recollect how the Cup was received…
We’ll see you subsequent week!
Dylan (cautiously) welcomes your feedback at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
