Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit on down. First things first, I’d like to offer my condolences to Brooks and Chase Koepka on their loss this week. Their great uncle Dick Groat passed away on Thursday April 27. Dick Groat was an 8-time All-Star and a 2 time World Champion in baseball. He was the 1960 NL MVP. In addition, he was the first Duke basketball player to have his number retired and was an All-American in that sport and the 1952 UPI player of the year, and was the first person to be inducted into both the college baseball and basketball hall of fames. He played half a season in the NBA for the Fort Wayne Pistons scoring 25 points in his second game before enlisting in the US Army for military service. His baseball owner would not release him to play any more basketball after returning from the military. RIP sir. One of the greatest athletes of all time.
So keeping with the animal theme- a monitor lizard is waddling across the fairway and we find out that it is venomous. What the hell are they doing? Get a redneck and a scoped rifle and take that damn thing down, we can’t afford to lose a Majestick to a monitor.
I will remind you that I am a Majestick G Spot for the rest of the year.
It is humid. That lizard had swamp ass and wasn’t even wearing any undies.
The course is absolutely beautiful though. Oh my goodness. How exquisitely manicured.
It is a god damn monsoon on hole 2 and on hole 4 it is sunny and blue sky? What is with these humid environments? They are crazy. Haha, this would be so frustrating to play in. This isn’t a shower, it’s a deluge. Over on 5 Lee Westwood is teeing off in the sun. How crazy.
It was so hot and humid that they were soaked before but now they are soaked through and through so it will be interesting to see if grips can stay dry. There could be some loose swings. We will be delayed for a bit with some standing water on some holes but the course drains very well or so they say.
Technical difficulties- LIV is still growing but we have no sound and weird fairway shots haha. Sound is not working either. It’s funny.
The rain has stopped and it is now 10 degrees cooler says Dom Boulet. Lucky for the players and caddies.
This course, Sentosa Golf Club, is known for requiring accuracy, much like Mayakoba and Tucson. Lots of guys were pulling irons instead of drivers as it is very narrow. It is fun to watch people playing for angles and position golf. It is narrow and also mowed narrow to make it more challenging.
“Trust your instincts” is Talor Gooch’s caddy advice- speaking of I will grab another drink.
Ahhh, and I am back. Bryson is back tied for the lead and this although slimmed down he can still bomb it. Considering the course, its kind of a surprise.
When Sergio makes putts, he is really hard to beat. The guy can hit it but putts like my grandmother.
So TIO means temporary immovable obstruction, think hospitality tents and outhouses- affectionately referred to as a port-a-loos. Often there is a chance to get relief from a cart path and you get a club length, Brooks Koepka got to drop about 200 club lengths relief over in the 16th fairway when he was in the right side on 15. He then drops it about 12 feet and is still tied for the lead with an upcoming birdie putt. That is a crazy ruling but probably the right one due to the tents etc. Crazy.
Lightning delay- to be continued…
About two and a half hours of delay so a little catch up- Team event update- High Flyers led by Phil Mickelson -4 are tied for the lead at 9 under with Ripper GC led by Cam Smith who is tied for the lead at 5 under. No rain- just lightning.
Singapore looks really nice. They should have called it Singarich.
The biggest story of the day is Sihwan Kim. Sihwan has been 69 over par during the LIV season so far and a running joke on the very mean social media. The kid has it going at one under par today. Golf is very hard and having people mock you makes it harder and having people mock you while you join a renegade tour makes it even harder. I hope he has developed some thick skin and it helps him turn it around.
Phil starts with a 66, not bad for an old man. He drove the ball very well today. Cam Smith, Cameron Tringale, Brooks, and Sergio are all at 6 under. But the leader is Talor Gooch, following up his performance in Australia with another superb effort.
High Flyers are in the lead led by Tringale and Phil.
I think I get the genius behind LIV golf- the star power is really good. Cam Smith, Koepka, Phil, Sergio, Louis Oosthuizen, and Dechambeau all on the leaderboard and lurking. It is really a relevant scoreboard.
At the 7th Phil chips in for eagle and takes the outright lead at 52 years of age. Unreal Lefty! Way to go fella!
I think Brooks is going to win a major this year. He is hitting the ball both ways, incredible control, and just needs to putt a little better. I’m actually not sure he is hitting bad putts but maybe he needs to read them a little better. He seems surprised a lot.
Feherty just called Phil Mickelson’s physical condition a freak of nature. Imagine if you fell asleep in 2005 and slept for 18 years. You would wake up and say what the hell happened here? Where is Tiger?
Singapore Resorts World Sentosa has been ranked the best golf course in Asia. I think I would like to play there someday. It is in excellent condition, but those lizards give me pause.
Phil is using his umbrella to protect himself from the sun quite a bit. I think we should call that umbrella a parasol. I’m guessing the parasol was invented by the Spanish considering the literal definition is for sun.
Cam has more hook in that driver than a streetwalker in Thailand.
Talor Gooch is now leading halfway through Super Saturday and possesses a hot putter.
Seeing all the ships in the bay waiting to dock reminds me that the port of Singapore is wither the biggest or second biggest in the world. You want to turn around your economy world? Get a big ass port.
LIV golf have a much more penal penalty for slow play. You are advised, you are on the clock and you are penalized. There are a bunch of very speedy players like Brooks and Matt Jones. It makes it fun to watch and again this and the shotgun start mean that the entire day can be watched in 4-5 hours. It is a much better viewing experience.
Kevin Na is up to a tie for 6 which is one of his best showings. The Ironheads are the Asian themed team and the de facto home team this week and they are up to third in the team competition 3 shots behind the Hy Flyers.
My Majesticks are in last place again. English Imperialism is truly over in Singapore.
No bottled water at Sentosa only canned water. Good for them and their green efforts. Plastics are with us a long time.
Brooks and Talor are both at 12 under now with Sergio one shot back. Phil bogeyed back to back holes on 13 and 14 to sit at 8 under with 6 holes to play.
Sergio makes a 37 ft birdie putt on 15th to vault into the lead at 12 under with 3 holes to play. When he putts well…
Sergio and Talor are leading by one as we go into Sunday. Scott Vincent shoots a tie for the course record 62. The HyFlyers are in the lead at 26 under.
Sunday Funday begins- Sergio won the Singapore Open here in 2018 and will be drawing on those memories. He hits it to a foot on number 1 while a rooster crows in the background. Sunrise in Singapore looks beautiful, shadows and the mist and a beautiful golf course make for excellent tv. Talor Gooch is trying to become the first back to back winner after winning last week in Australia.
My Majesticks are 22 shots back and ready to pounce on any mistakes.
The tee shot on the 5th hole looking at the Singapore skyline is very impressive.
Pat Perez has an underlayer and then is wearing all black. In this humidity, it looks like he might melt. There would only be a mullet and a pair of Jordans left if that were to happen.
Those water holes along the water are scary tee shots, scary approach shots, and hard lay ups. Very narrow, these guys have to be accurate.
Scott Vincent, the little bushy haired fella with a bucket hat from Zimbabwe just won’t go away. He is in solo fourth two shots back of your leaders with 11 to play.
I don’t know what I just saw. Laurie Canter, my Majestick fill-in, on the par 3 17th hits a shot and is disgusted, but then David Feherty asked “I don’t know why?” as he makes a hole in one. He couldn’t believe it but then saves the situation by jumping into the arms of his caddy. It was delayed celebration turned comical. Good for the Majesticks own Laurie. So weird… and so unlike Chase Koepka’s raucous celebration last week in Australia at the Watering Hole.
Scott Vincent is tied for 2nd with Brooks and Sergio at 15 under. Gooch made a 25 footer on 8 to get to 16 under all by his lonesome.
Eugenio Chacarra made a huge eagle putt and Sergio just made birdie to tie Gooch for the lead, that puts the Fireballs up by two in the team competition.
Sergio and Gooch tied at the top with Brooks one back after Sergio gets one back. The Range Goats are now 3 ahead of the Fireballs. All three of the leaders have 10-12 feet but from three different directions as Sergio went left, Gooch went deep, and Brooks right. Interesting, no one gets a read.
Vincent hits his wedge close for another birdie opportunity to get to solo 4th.
Range Goats are probably going to get in the barn with the victory as they have a 3 shot lead now that Harold Varner III is finished. That leaves Gooch out on the course.
Brooks left his putt short, astonishingly. Sergio for birdie and he blows it past, and Gooch with the best putt but narrowly misses right and they are off to 18 unchanged.
Gooch gets home in two on the par 5, Sergio is up in a good spot but short, Brooks is the last to hit from the fairway, and he is one back and he hits a good shot but in the greenside bunker.
HV3 is out and greenside watching Gooch finish up and has a beer ¾ cooked already. He will be celebrating a team title tonight.
Brooks gets out of the bunker and makes a comebacker for birdie but will finish one back of Gooch who is in at 17 under and possibly Garcia who has the same putt only slightly shorter. Brooks finishes solo third if Garcia makes. Sergio to force a playoff…8 ft breaks to his right and he drills it. Fist pump!
To a playoff we go… They are playing 18 again, par 5. Sergio in the fairway. Gooch hits fairway and clears the water by a foot or two. Sergio actually turns and laughs at Gooch about it. Gambling and we will see if it pays off for Talor.
Range Gloats celebrating…nice work commentators. That was clever.
Sergio hits his second in the bunker, but it is on the downslope. If he can get it within 10 feet it will be good because he is shortsided as well. He knew he couldn’t carry it too far and he left it in the rough on the short side. Sergio probably missed his spot by a foot and it sounded excellent. Gooch hits it in the middle and Sergio gives him a thumbs up as he was walking toward the green. Talor in control trying to go back to back. His eagle putt comes up short but a foot away for a tap in birdie. Sergio must make the chip from the rough to tie. Sergio’s chip comes up short and Gooch wins and gets the Range Goats blingy apparatus.
Talk to you in Tulsa.
Insightfully Yours,
G Spot Johnson