Okay this has taken some time but I’ve had a change of heart about Rickie Fowler. When Fowler first hit the PGA Tour it seemed like the only notable thing about him was his orange jumpsuit, or what I like to call the “traffic cone” apparel script. Here it is below.
Just found this old image of some of Rickie Fowler's first few apparel scripts when he first hit the PGA Tour. pic.twitter.com/mDrplwdLzq
— Tony Korologos (@TheGolfSpace) April 15, 2017
After this year’s Masters though I’ve changed my tune about Fowler. First I watched some of the pre-Masters interviews and was impressed. Then I saw Rickie on Thursday morning at the ceremonial tee shot, which was just Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. This was the first time Arnold Palmer was missing following his passing. In my opinion, a historic moment in golf. There may have been, but I didn’t see any other tour players who made the effort to attend that ceremony.
At that point in time I realized something. Rickie gets it.
During the Masters he played very well and ended up in the 2nd to last group, paired with Jordan Spieth. Rickie was at the top of the leaderboard even during the final round, before Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia separated from the field.
So this is an official HOG-style hats off to Rickie Fowler. Looking forward to his first major win. Hopefully it comes before 73 attempts unlike Sergio’s did.
#10: Bloggers and social media accounts change their avatar to a photo of the par-3 17th “island green” at TPC Sawgrass
#9: Endless video/audio replays will show Hal Sutton hitting a 6-iron to the finishing hole and uttering the famous TPC statement “be the right club today.” It was the right club. Sutton beat Tiger Woods that day in 2000.
#8: Whenever the term “THE PLAYERS Championship” is written, “The Players” is written in ALL CAPS. That’s what they do.
#7: Video loops of the Fred Couples “par” on the par-3 17th, when he holed out from the tee after dunking his first shot in the water.
#6: Endless video replays of the long putt Tiger Woods drained on the par-3 17th en route to his victory. The putt was “better than most.”
#5: Endless video and commentary about how 482 million golf balls find a watery grave on the par-3 17th every year.
#4: Endless video of PGA Tour pros gagging on the par-3 17th with balls splashing long, short, off the railroad ties, off the path… aaaand into the water on the par-3 17th.
#3: Golf companies and their PR/ad firms show their TPC apparel scripts.
#2: “Dye-abolical” is a common buzzword by announcers who are describing the course design of architect Pete Dye.
#1: Endless “5th Major Championship” discussion, along with nauseatingly repetitive polls, forum discussions, and social media posts as to whether or not THE PLAYERS (remember the ALL CAPS) should be the a 5th major. No it shouldn’t. Let’s not go all “LPGA Tour” on this.
Jordan Spieth
Anything interesting happen in professional golf over the last few weeks? Actually, I wouldn’t know much other than Jordan Spieth set the record for most prize money ever, at somewhere around $22 million. He won the FedEx Cup Reset Cup. When I saw him play as an amateur at the age of 16 (picture) I was sure he was amazing, but had no idea anyone could rake in that kind of dough in prize money in one year.
Yes, a great year. Player of the year for sure. I have/had no interest in the Reset Cup.
Recently Comcast, or as I like to call them “Crapcast,” doubled my TV bill. That was the deciding factor in my cutting the cable and going to NO TV. None. No golf. Nothing. It has been quite nice.
Though I’ve attended and covered many professional “tour” events, I find it quite uninteresting to watch other people play golf, as good as they may be. I’ve watched many greats up close and personal including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Jordan Spieth, Fred Couples, Rory McIlroy, Chi Chi Rodriguez, John Duval (I know what I’m typing), Lee Trevino…. dozens of others.
The pros are great but after I watch them hit a few shots in person I realize one thing:
I’d rather play golf than watch other people play it.
There are some occasions where that’s not the case. The Masters? I’d rather watch it. British Open? Watch it. U.S. Open? Maybe. PGA Championship? Meh. Presidents Cup? Not interested. Ryder Cup? Okay, I watch that…
Where am I going with this drivel? This is a blog. I don’t have to go anywhere. As much as I’ve struggled this year with my game and my attitude, I’ve not watched much golf nor played as much. My last round, one of those nuggets the golf gods throw struggling golfers, might keep me in the game for a bit. Even par. Kind of like making a blackjack on the last hand in Vegas, that round will get me coming back, but golf hasn’t fooled me this time.
TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola
Dates: Sept. 24-27
Venue: East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Ga.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 1-6 p.m. (Live) / 8:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Replay)
Friday 1-6 p.m. (Live) / 11 p.m.-4 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 10 a.m.-Noon (Live) / 10 p.m.-3:30 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday Noon-1:30 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m.-3 a.m. (Replay)
Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern):
Saturday Noon-3:30 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 1:30-6 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
$10 million prize up for grabs: The 2014-15 PGA TOUR season culminates this week with the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. The 30-man field will compete for a chance to win the 2015 FedExCup, and the accompanying $10 million prize. Players sitting in the top-5 in the current standings are in position to automatically claim the FedExCup with a win this week, while those outside of the top-5 will have to rely on how others finish to have any chance at winning the title. The 30 players having qualified for the TOUR Championship have earned invitations/exemptions into the 2016 Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship. Players in the field also are guaranteed at least $300,000 (30th place) and could earn as much as $11,485,000 (winning both the tournament and overall FedExCup).
Payne Stewart Award Ceremony, Airing Tonight on Golf Channel at 7 p.m. ET: Four-time major champion Ernie Els will receive the 2015 Payne Stewart Award – presented annually to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Payne Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship – during a special ceremony airing live on Golf Channel as a Golf Central special, tonight at 7 p.m. ET. Hosted by Dan Hicks and Todd Lewis, coverage of the award ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. ET within Golf Central, featuring interviews with Stewart’s wife and daughter, Tracey and Chelsea Stewart; Els’ wife and co-founder of the Els for Autism Foundation, Liezl Els; PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem; PGA TOUR professionals Jordan Spieth and Jimmy Walker; and Southern Company Chairman and CEO Thomas A. Fanning. During the award ceremony (beginning at 7 p.m. ET), Els will sit down with Lewis to discuss the award and his accomplishments off the course. Rich Lerner will conclude the special in delivering a tribute essay to Els and his family. Following the ceremony at 8 p.m. ET, Golf Channel will air a special encore presentation of Payne, the critically-acclaimed one-hour documentary chronicling Stewart’s life and career and remembering the dedicated family man, entertainer, jokester and golf fashion-icon.
Golf Central Special on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. ET featuring news conferences with Commissioner Finchem, Spieth: Tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. ET Golf Channel will air a Golf Central Special from East Lake Golf Club, featuring news conferences with PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem (11:30 a.m.) and Jordan Spieth (Noon).
Headlining the field (current FedExCup rankings): Jason Day (1); Jordan Spieth (2); Rickie Fowler (3); Henrik Stenson (4); Bubba Watson (5); Zach Johnson (6); Dustin Johnson (7); Charley Hoffman (8); Daniel Berger (9); Patrick Reed (10); Rory McIlroy (11); Justin Rose (12); Jimmy Walker (13); Robert Streb (14); Hideki Matsuyama (15); Jim Furyk (16); J.B. Holmes (17); Kevin Kisner (18); Danny Lee (19); Scott Piercy (20); Matt Kuchar (21); Paul Casey (22); Brandt Snedeker (23); Steven Bowditch (24); Brooks Koepka (25); Bill Haas (26); Kevin Na (27); Sangmoon Bae (28); Louis Oosthuizen (29); Harris English (30).
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach
Dates: Sept. 25-27
Venues: Pebble Beach Golf Links; Poppy Hills Golf Course, Pebble Beach, Calif.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Friday 6-8:30 p.m. (Live) / 4-6 a.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday 6-9 p.m. (Live) / 3:30-6 a.m. (Sunday replay)
Sunday 6:30-9 p.m. (Live) / 3-5 a.m. (Monday replay)
Broadcast Notes:
Format: 81 professionals will compete alongside one junior golfer and two other amateurs on Friday and Saturday, playing once at each of the course venues, Pebble Beach and Poppy Hills. 23 pro-junior teams, as well as 10 two-player amateur teams will make the cut to compete in the final round at Pebble Beach. The 81 juniors in the field were selected from 55 First Tee chapters throughout the United States. At the conclusion of this week, only three events remain on the Champions Tour schedule prior to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz., Nov. 5-8.
Cook defends: John Cook defeated Tom Byrum by one stroke for his 10th career Champions Tour win.
Headlining the field: Fred Couples, Tom Watson, Davis Love III, Colin Montgomerie, Jay Haas, Vijay Singh, Jeff Maggert, Marco Dawson, Billy Andrade and Kevin Sutherland.
WEB.COM TOUR
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship
Dates: Sept. 24-27
Venue: The Ohio State University Golf Club (Scarlet Course), Columbus, Ohio
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 6-8 p.m. (Tape delay) / 4-6 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Friday 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 4-6 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Saturday 4-6 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 1:30-4:30 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Web.com Tour Finals continue: This week the Web.com Tour stages the penultimate tournament of the four-event Web.com Tour Finals, as eligible players finishing 126-200 in the PGA TOUR FedExCup standings and players finishing 26-100 on the Web.com Tour season money list will compete for a chance at securing one of 25 additional 2015-16 PGA TOUR cards up for grabs at the conclusion of the Web.com Tour Championship. Players having finished in the top-25 on the Web.com Tour money list already having secured their 2015-16 PGA TOUR card also are eligible to complete in the Web.com Tour Finals to try and improve their playing status for next season.
Headlining the field: Jason Allred, Tommy Gainey, Oliver Goss, Cody Gribble, Trey Mullinax, Rob Oppenheim, Kevin Tway, Lucas Glover, Sam Saunders, Billy Hurley and Scott Langley.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Porsche European Open
Dates: Sept. 24-27
Venue: Hartl Resort at Bad Griesbach (Beckenbauer Course), Bad Griesbach, Germany
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 5-7 a.m. / 9 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Friday 5-7 a.m. / 9 a.m.-Noon (Live)
Saturday Noon-3:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 7-11 a.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Sunday 9-11 a.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Cevaer defends: Christian Cevaer finished one stroke ahead of the field for his second European Tour victory.
Headlining the field: Hunter Mahan, Graeme McDowell, Bernhard Langer, Charl Schwartzel, Ben An, Jamie Donaldson, Morgan Hoffmann, Thongchai Jaidee and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
PGA TOUR
BMW Championship
Dates: Sept. 17-20
Venue: Conway Farms Golf Club, Lake Forest, Ill.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 8 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)
Friday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 8 p.m.-Midnight (Replay)
Saturday 3:30-6 p.m. (Live) / 9 p.m.-3 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday Noon-2 p.m. (Live) / 7 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)
Tournament Airtimes on NBC (Eastern):
Saturday Noon-3:30 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 2-6 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Final opportunity to qualify for next week’s TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola: The top-70 in the FedExCup standings are in the field this week, and at week’s end players in the top-30 in the standings will advance to next week’s TOUR Championship in Atlanta and earn a shot at winning the $10 million FedExCup prize. Players sitting in the top-5 following Sunday’s final round will put themselves in position to automatically take the FedExCup with a win at the TOUR Championship next week.
Horschel defends: Billy Horschel finished two shots ahead of Bubba Watson outside of Denver for his second career PGA TOUR win.
Headlining the field: Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson and Jimmy Walker.
LPGA TOUR
The Solheim Cup
Dates: Sept. 17-20
Venue: St. Leon-Rot Golf Club (St. Leon Course), St. Leon-Rot, Germany
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday Solheim Cup Opening Ceremony 11 a.m.-Noon
Friday Solheim Cup Day 1 2 a.m.-Noon
Saturday Solheim Cup Day 2 2 a.m.-Noon
Sunday Solheim Cup Final Day 4:30-11 a.m.
Broadcast Notes:
Format: This is the first Solheim Cup being contested in Germany (previous European host countries include Scotland, Wales, Sweden and Ireland). Four foursome matches and four four-ball matches will be contested on Friday and Saturday, with 12 singles matches to be played on Sunday. Europe will need to win 14 of the 28 points available to retain the Cup, while the United States will need to earn 14 ½ points to take back the Cup.
Europe defends: Europe won the previous contest 18-10 at Colorado Golf Club for their second consecutive Solheim Cup victory. Leading by a single point following the first three sessions, Europe swept the Saturday afternoon four-ball session to take a 10 ½ – 5 ½ lead into the final day. The United States leads the all-time series 8-5, although they have lost the last two editions. Nine of the 12 members of the 2013-winning European team return, while the United States returns 11 of the 12 members from its 2013 team.
United States Team: Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford, Gerina Piller, Alison Lee, Lizette Salas, Brittany Lang, Paula Creamer, Juli Inkster (Captain), Pat Hurst (Assistant Captain) and Wendy Ward (Assistant Captain).
European Team: Suzann Pettersen, Gwladys Nocera, Charley Hull, Melissa Reid, Anna Nordqvist, Azahara Munoz, Sandra Gal, Carlota Ciganda, Karine Icher, Caroline Hedwall, Caroline Masson, Catriona Matthew, Carin Koch (Captain), Sophie Gustafson (Assistant Captain) and Annika Sorenstam (Assistant Captain).
WEB.COM TOUR
Small Business Connection Championship at River Run
Dates: Sept. 17-20
Venue: River Run Country Club, Davidson, N.C.
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Live) / Midnight-2 a.m. (Friday replay)
Friday 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Live)
Saturday 7-9 p.m. (Tape delay) / 3-5 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Sunday 2-4 p.m. (Live)
Broadcast Notes:
Web.com Tour Finals continue: The four-event Web.com Tour Finals continue with its second leg this week, as eligible players finishing 126-200 in the PGA TOUR FedExCup standings and players finishing 26-100 on the Web.com Tour season money list compete for a chance at securing one of 25 additional 2015-16 PGA TOUR cards up for grabs at the conclusion of the Web.com Tour Championship. Players having finished in the top-25 on the Web.com Tour money list already having secured their 2015-16 PGA TOUR card also are eligible to complete in the Web.com Tour Finals to try and improve their playing status for next season.
Headlining the field: Jason Allred, Tommy Gainey, Oliver Goss, Cody Gribble, Lucas Glover, Billy Hurley, Sam Saunders, Scott Langley, Aaron Baddeley, Trey Mullinax and Robert Allenby.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Italian Open
Dates: Sept. 17-20
Venue: Golf Club Milano, Monza Park, Italy
Tournament Airtimes on Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 5:30-7:30 a.m. / 9:30-11 a.m. (Live)
Friday Midnight-2 a.m. (Saturday tape delay) / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Saturday Noon-3:30 p.m. (Tape delay) / 7-11 a.m. (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Sunday 4-6 p.m. (Tape delay) / 7:30 a.m.-Noon (Streaming on Golf Live Extra)
Broadcast Notes:
Otto defends: Hennie Otto won by two strokes over David Howell for his third career European Tour win.
Headlining the field: Martin Kaymer, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Matteo Manassero, Danny Willet, Y.E. Yang, Bernd Wiesberger and Hennie Otto.
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