FRIDAY, JUNE 16
Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit down. Welcome to Los Angeles and the LA country Club. Super exclusive and right next to the most revered house of debauchery in the world, the Playboy Mansion. If this course could talk…. Hugh Hefner the owner of the Playboy Mansion passed away a few years ago, but the zoo that was on the property is still there so there might be some sounds of the monkeys or birds picked up on the hot mic.
Let’s get to golf…Rickie Fowler, the marketing pitchman who outran his playing level is out front at 3 under and Xander Schauffele is also at 3 under. I’m sure we will see a bunch of these guys today early. Justin Thomas is here with bright pink pants and two over already so he is in major form already. Xander has not won a major but he did win a gold medal whereas Fowler has not won a major but contended in a few.
So the star this week is the course. It is as weird as Los Angeles. There will be a par 3 under 100 yards this week and maybe as short as 78 yards and there will be a par 3 at 290 yards or so… I’m already tired of commercials and missed the LIV golf app…. There are the aforementioned sounds of monkeys, there are fairways that slant ridiculously steep leaving some miserable rough as a collection area. The rough is tough and the greens are full of little bumps and nobs. The fairways are much wider than a traditional US Open setup, but the ball doesn’t always like to stay there. There will be a premium for hitting fairways and greens. The weather has been overcast and cool and it rained this morning so the greens are receptive and we should see some low scores.
They are talking up Scottie Sheffler’s ball striking and they just mentioned that if he putts well there probably isn’t anyone that can hang with him except maybe John Rahm. Hey dipshits, I’d like to introduce you to Brooks Koepka. I’m pretty sure that he has more majors than those two combined.
I love the playing through ads… These are great to get a social justice message out for a woke company… I’m now tired of them so I will be skipping all the ads and just watching the golf so I will be missing a LOT of golf but this shit is ridiculous! Watching golf on NBC is like having sex on the beach, it is not very comfortable, and there are some regrets afterward, but you are going to do it anyway. So we got back to coverage and watched one shot and immediately into more ads. Fucking awful… Let me save you some time- get a TIVO or recorder and just skip this garbage. I hate every brand and will never buy them just for ruining a major. 4 shots and now we are playing though… Hold on Fast forward…
Sportsbooks have more liability on Max Homa this week than any other golfer. He has also never come close to a major. That sounds about right. He does have the competitive course record from a round he shot a decade ago in college. He is at 2 under so we will keep an eye on him. Message from the USGA….fast forward. Jacob Solomon is leading at 4 under along with Rickie Fowler. More commercials.
Another look out for Scottie Sheffler warning about if he gets the putter hot… and he leaves it 3 feet short. Pump the breaks on his putter fixes… Rickie Fowler’s golf swing is much tighter on the backswing and he isn’t flattening it out nearly as much as he used to. I haven’t seen him play much lately since he is on the hypocrite tour, which is now one big happy family. Xander gets a 360 degree lip in birdie to get to 4 under, good clean living for the young man. He is one back of Fowler.
Matthew Pavon from France with a hole in one on 15! Very nice. He took it past the flag and spun in back for a Kobe, fitting in LA. Someone will try to steal this line this weekend, but I don’t mind. Fowler gets it to 6 under. The course is soft and there for the taking. Viktor Hovland with an eagle from the fairway. Hovland said he didn’t care for the golf course as it was a bit too quirky for him. That’s a fair assessment. When you hit a good shot you should be rewarded and vice versa. But golf ain’t like that and this hilly canyon-ey course has some unfairness in it…
Sheffler just left another putt 3 feet short… He looks lost which is really weird because a year ago he was not missing anything. He is still 2 under and on the leaderboard. This is not the place for wayward shots, the edges of this course drop off in a hurry.
I’m trying to decide whose shoes are more on brand- Gary Woodland, the man from Kansas, wearing US Flag logoed shoes or John Rahm whose shoes have Vamos written on them.
Bryson DeChambeau is at 2 under and playing pretty well tied for 3rd. Hovland got it to 2 under before making a bogey on 13. John Rahm is at even but his putter is doing a lot of heavy lifting. He is not hitting it well enough.
Considering that LA has turned into a homeless cesspool, the LACC is a nice reminder of the past glory of the city. Ricky has a chance to get to 7 under on 15, and he makes it.
Sergio is at 1 over but sporting his Fireball GC brand. Speaking of LIV golfers- Bryson makes birdie and is tied third with Sheffler. Justin Thomas is 10 shots back of the leader on Thursday and in major form in his pink pants. Give the man a microphone. John Rahm hits an iron down the middle and is angry and acts like he wants to break his club. Speaking of major form, the petulant child is back and no one calls him out on it. That mental state is not where a golfer should be, but these announcers can’t say anything bad about the top players. They are praying for a star to emerge.
This course is so interesting with the fairway hiding, appearing and reappearing over canyons. Sheffler is bogey free and 4 under. He is fine.
Ricky Fowler at 8 under and 62 watch is in play. That is the lowest score in a major but it has never been done in a US Open. I do believe Roy McAvoy shot a 62 in an Open. In 1980 at Baltrusol, two opening round 63s by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. Xander and Rickie have a chance to do that or even one better. Fowler and Xander both have moved the ball right to left very well today. This course requires moving the ball both ways with the slopes and undulations.
Xander to 7 under. Justin Rose did some talking about LIV and now he is 6 over and heading home tomorrow night. I’ll say it right now. Speaking of…Brandel Chamblee has made an appearance and is as douchey as he ever was…
The attendance is sparse. It also seems very quiet. I wonder if they couldn’t find patrons that didn’t want to bring their own tent with them.
Branden Grace of the LIV tour has the major record at 62 in 2017 and Rickie has matched him. A record 62! That will be a high bar to clear in that family. Rickie stands alone with the low score in a US Open.
Rickie stood alone for about 20 minutes as Xander Schauffele tied him with a 62. The US Open will not be very happy about that I am guessing and there are a lot of golfers to play today as the second round groups are just heading out for the rounds.
One fun thing about having a highly commercialized and produced broadcast- every time they show someone that you haven’t heard from in a while, you know they are making the long putt. Hovland and Rahm both shoot 1 under 69 and are not out of it, I guess…
Rory has made his way to the first tee, I didn’t recognize him without a foot in his mouth.
Phil Mickelson makes birdie to get to two under and all Brandell had to say was hmmm… I guess he was eating crow…
So I like what I am seeing. Rickie and Cam Smith are both carrying their own water bottles, those metal ones versus using a plastic bottle. Good thinking and way to set an example if it was intentional.
S.W. Kim and Paul Barjon are tied with DeChambeau and Sheffler at three under.
Number 11 is a long par 3 and you are overlooking downtown LA. Beautiful hole.
McIlroy starts birdie birdie and now it seems I have a foot in my mouth. I still hate him like he still hates LIV. He will choke anyway.
The 6th is a 301 yard drivable par 4. A dude named Del Rey hit it to within 3 feet and made an eagle. Fantastic stuff.
Koepka got off to a shaky start with a few shaky short irons. He bogeyed one but made a nice lag putt to save par on 3 and he sits 1 over through 3.
For 83 years the Los Angeles Open was last held here at the LACC for tour players. There is history but it is old history. I guess Riviera has stolen the show all these years across town. This course is fantastic and it is so hilly. It must be a tough walk, lots of elevation change.
Sam Burns with an ace as well today! The 15th has given up twice today. Past the hole and spin backers.
Paul Azinger says that all the LIV players are breathing a big sigh of relief coming into this week. Why would they? They weren’t the ones that compromised their ideals and showed the world what hypocrites they were. That would be the PGA Tour. What a joke this guy is. He didn’t even follow up, just had to get a little propaganda out there to make himself feel better.
Brian Harman has it now to 6 under. The man has that sweet looking lefty swing. I don’t know why baseball hitters that bat left-handed look like they have sweeter swings than right handers, but Harman has the same effect to my eye. McIlroy is one shot behind at 5 under now.
DJ – Dustin Johnson is now at 4 under. Mickelson had it to 3 but back to back bogeys have him at 1 under and still in it but cracks are showing.
Wyndham Clark is at 6 under. This is an all out assault on low scores today. DJ has joined him at 6 under.
Koepka continues to struggle with his irons and is flirting with even par with a handful of holes to go.
Sam Bennett, the surprising amateur who made a nice run at the Masters and just turned pro, is at 4 under and playing very well. I take that back he is at 5 under.
Rory has hit every green through 15 holes and this has only been done twice before in a US Open. Truly a magnificent ball-striking display. He has now moved to 6 under. Wyndham Clark birdies 18 to get to 6 under as well. Harman is back to 6 under. Rory missed the green on 16 with a wedge in his hand after a mammoth drive.
The last three holes are the longest three closing holes in US Open history and that doesn’t include any par 5s. What a tough closing stretch. This course is going to be very different if it dries out and these guys aren’t able to hold these greens.
Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit on down. Welcome to Friday and let’s catch you up. Matthew Fitzpatrick has recorded our 3rd ace of the week. DJ made a quadruple bogey after getting out of position. So there are little numbers and big numbers to be had today. Wyndham Clark is making a move and has himself at 9 under. Tony Finau is making a move and is at 5 under. The two leaders tee off later today, but for now we are watching the course play more difficult. Sam Bennett and Brian Harman are at 4 under. Rory has backed up to 3 under and is sitting 7th.
Wyndham Clark has now backed up to the 8 under and this course is starting to dry out and the greens seem to be getting more difficult.
The big question today is whether there can be follow through from the leader from yesterday because the field has almost caught up, but hasn’t. Wyndham Clark is at 8 under, but next up is Bennett and Harris English at 6 meaning that if Xander or Rickie can post something under par they are going to be in very good shape going into the weekend.
The weather is starting to clear up a bit and if it does and the wind picks up the scores could be higher than this morning just like yesterday. Harris English finished at 7 under after a 66 and Wyndham Clark is back in the lead at 9 under. There is some serious electrical static coming through the broadcast making me think of the technical difficulties prevalent on a LIV broadcast. Of course, LIV has been in operation for only a year. This sound issue makes this damn near unwatchable. If I have to watch commercials, get your shit together people…
Rickie Fowler opens with a birdie to get to 9 under. McIlroy has it going and is now 8 under. DJ bounced back from the quadruple bogey and shot 70 to get it back to 6 under. Koepka finishes the day at even par and will make the cut but has not had his best form. Fowler birdies two and is the outright leader at 10 under. He hits it stiff on 3 and is the leader at 11 under.
Rickie Fowler is the biggest needle mover on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods. That can’t possibly be true can it? This guy hasn’t played in many majors in the last 3-4 years. What are these people talking about or am I the crazy one? He hasn’t even won a major? There was a term for this when I was growing up…horseshit. His golf swing looks fantastic. It’s completely balanced and unrushed.
These greens are wicked. I’ve seen more pros miss putts right 3 feet, short 3 feet or blow it 6 feet past than any tournament I can think of. Even at the Masters, the players know that they are playing fast greens but these greens are sneaky and deceptive I guess because there have been some wild misses.
The leader was putting for the outright lead on 17 and the stands behind him were almost empty. There were more people there today, but what a weird event. Weird course, but cool. Weird crowd areas. Brooks said after his round that he wasn’t a fan implying that it didn’t feel like a US Open. I agree it doesn’t feel like a US Open, but it has been an enjoyable watch. It just feels weird is all I can say.
Xander is backing up with 3 straight bogeys on 13 through 15 and is back to 6 under. Scottie Sheffler is at 5 under and a threat for the weekend.
John Rahm blows a bunker shot past the cup and has a long comebacker. A slam of the club reminds us that he really cares about playing golf. We really don’t care about you or you being a baby.
Justin Thomas shot an 81 today. My dislike of him is well documented, and I believe karma is real. Have a safe flight home Justin.
Until tomorrow…
SATURDAY, JUNE 17
Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit down. Welcome to moving day. The sun is out and the greens are receptive early but will probably dry out by the time the leaders are off. If the wind comes up the field could be very bunched going in tomorrow, but we will see. For example, Shane Lowry has birdied 2 of the first three. The course looks beautiful and the views will be stunning.
It seems that the golf fans on social media are pointing out what I’ve been writing about as well. The fans just weren’t out here. Some called it a LIV event, which I felt was a cheap shot considering some of the monster crowds that have turned out this year. Some people are saying that no one wants to go to LA. That made me laugh as I totally agree, C Thomas has been saying this forever. California isn’t worth visiting anymore, it’s just too shitty. It seems that many people agree.
Patrick Cantlay goes out at 30. He is 3 under and if he can get to 5 or 6 I think he will have a shot tomorrow. I just think that the scores will be higher in the afternoon and the leaders might not advance much or even back up.
John Rahm missed the green on 18 and then hit a lob shot that was probably average by his standards. We get a club pounding the ground in frustration. This is getting to be an everyday occurrence from the petulant nino. Spare us the classy gentlemen routine MR. Media. A man’s character is revealed during times of adversary. Spoiled brat alert.
I would normally try to give you more details but watching golf on NBC is a brutal watch. So many ads and such. I have been forced to skip ahead in the broadcast. Garbage. They call it playing through, I call it consuming less of your product and hating the process.
The big takeaway is that the front nine is getable but the back nine is playing quite tough. If someone can go out and post something at the start and then par in, it would be a good score.
Tom Kim has a chance to birdie 9 and post a 29 on the front. He makes it. He is at 5 under, and let’s see if he can get it to 6 or 7. He birdies 10 and keeps it going.
Haha, I guess John Rahm hit a sign with one of his clubs on the way to sign his scorecard. This just keeps getting better. Sergio Garcia is roasted for this behavior but everyone is on Rahm’s lap like a dancer at Score’s.
Xander is going full G-Spot Johnson mode. 1st hole of the day- he drives it left into the bunker. He hits the lip and bounces back toward him. Next shot hits the lip again and bounces back and almost hits him. When it was all done he played the par 5 1st in 6. He drives down the wrong fairway on 2 and then hits it into the gallery. He might be drunk…can we get a sobriety check on Xander? Was he doing mimosas all day in the clubhouse while waiting for his tee time? He then chips it out and makes a bomb for par on 2. Wow, utter dogshit for two holes and only drops a shot. That is why they are pros, unbelievable short games.
Tom Kim has 3 bogeys in 4 holes on the back nine as the back 9 takes away what the front side gave away.
Rory makes birdie on 1 and has a chance on two. His sound of contact is absolutely pure. I think he is hitting it as well as anyone right now. The distance control is very good. Clark makes birdie on one and so does Rickie.
Brooks Koepka had it to 3 under and then had a 4 putt on the 81 yard par 3 15th for double bogey. Ouch, that’s one putt for every 20.25 yards. Gotta be a record…
Rory makes a birdie on 3 and Rickie makes a bogey on two and we have a 3 way tie for the lead. Xander makes another bogey on 3 after driving left again so that leaves only Harris English within 4 shots of the leaders at 8 under…a little separation.
Min Woo Lee and DJ are joined with Xander at 6 under while a guy named Nagano just chipped in for eagle and got to 5 under.
Ricky Fowler looks like he has a one plane swing. It goes back and forth on the same plane. That is unique a la Bryson DeChambeu (although he uses same length clubs which makes it look different). If repeatable, that is a very dependable swing if he can keep it.
Xander bounced back with 3 birdies in the last 4 to finish even on the front after starting 3 over through 5 and was lucky to only be 3 over. Wyndham Clark leads by 1 over Harris English and Fowler. Rytutaro Nagano is still at 5 under and tied with DJ and Scottie Sheffler. Cam Smith is one back at 4 under.
Rickie Fowler has a two shot lead at 11 with a 70 footer. His putter is hot today, but Wyndham answers back and is again at 10 under only one shot back.
Scottie Sheffler with a hole out from the fairway on 17. Eagle! He moves to 6 under. This was better than all those hole in ones by a mile! What a shot. In a world of cookie cutter golf swings, this guy and his dance step footwork is the best ball striker and the number one player in the world. I don’t know why the PGA doesn’t realize that he is the star they have been looking for. He made birdie on 18 and is now at 7 under tied with English in 4th.
The marine layer is rolling in and it is cooling things down and I wonder if this is making the course just a little bit easier right now.
Wyndham Clark hits the 18 pin after a massive club twirl and will have a tap in to join Fowler in the final group on Sunday. Rickie almost makes a 40 footer for birdie and then misses the short 5 footer coming back for bogey. So Rickie and Wyndham are your leaders at 10 under. Rory at -9 will be paired with Sheffler in the penultimate group. Don’t be surprised if your winner comes from this second to last group with the #1 and #3 players in the world lurking.
SUNDAY, JUNE 18
Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit down. It’s Sunday in our third major of the year. A US Open champion will be crowned today.
So overnight Victor Hovalnd always came out and mentioned that he wasn’t a fan of this course as a major venue joining Brooks Koepka. I was thinking about why. The course is fantastic in my opinion from a viewer standpoint. It’s dramatic with elevation changes, quirky little shots, variation, and the course is mysterious and steeped in tradition. However, the fairways are ridiculously wide. If I am Victor or Brooks that are premium ball strikers I can see your frustration. The rough is penal this week but because of the slopes and the collection areas a lot of their advantage is taken away. The fairways average about 45 yards this week I’ve heard and that is larger than the traditional PGA width of let’s say 40 yards and that is wider by 10-15 yards of the traditional US Open setup. Instead of hitting a spot and having a big advantage, LACC has proven that the left 1/3 of the 45 yard wide fairway will end up in a collection area with everybody else. This makes it a bit of a wedge contest if you are an average driver of the golf ball. The par 4 number 3 is a great example. Let’s say one of our leaders has been consistently wilder off the tee which would normally bring the rough into play, but now they are allowed to compete because they are putting great or a great wedge player. There are so many tucked little pins that leave small landing areas that they are forced to use to keep the scores down, but if they narrowed the fairways they could open up the pin placements a little. I like the course and would love to play it, but I agree that finding the best player, which should be the major’s goal, not so much. Even last year’s champion was complaining about how few fans there were and that the atmosphere is not what an event like the US Open is normally like. I am torn because I like it as a viewer and a golfer, but these guys are the men in the arena.
Morgan Pressel in the early morning coverage is a shrill distraction that should talk about golf. She might know golf and a lot more than I, but talk golf then. She is just talking about the leaders having to wait around all day. We are aware of when the leaders tee off in a non-LIV event. She could give us an insight about playing golf but instead hypothesizes on what Rory media turn downs mean in his psyche.
I have a confession to make. I turned on the coverage and I went and laid down and took a nap. I woke up and the leaders are still just arriving and not even close to teeing off. I have missed lots of commercials and watching people that have zero chance of winning from 10-15 shots back. Once you have watched LIV where everyone goes out and plays at once, coming back and watching this marketing driven NBC product is not entertaining. This future partnership of LIV-PGA had better think about this long and hard. I remember when the CBS Masters coverage started very late in the day and it was all must see TV. That is not NBC anymore. Give me the CW or the LIV App all day.
Austin Eckroat tied the all time record with a 29 on the front nine and is at 4 under. He matched Tom Kim’s score yesterday. In the long history of US Opens a 29 had been shot 4 times and now the number is 6 and counting. Add to that the 62s shot earlier in the week which had never been done before and I think whatever the US Open was trying to do this week with the wide roughs have proven to be a mistake.
Even the incorrigible Dan Rapaport reported on Twitter that only 23,000 tickets were sold for this event and 14,000 were for hospitality types meaning only 9,000 tickets were available for real golf fans. Tell me the LIV tour isn’t great without telling me the LIV tour is great. I’ll wait. These guys are snakes…
Low Amateur is Gordon Sargent, the longest hitter in the field when he lets it go. He finished with a 69 but had a putt on 18 from about 3 feet and hit it through the cup and it bounced out from the backside. It was like a basketball hitting the back rim. It might be worth watching if that becomes a thing. It was super weird. We will likely be seeing this kid again.
Tommy Fleetwood makes eagle on number 14, the first of the week. He is at 6 under and 4 back of the leaders. He also made eagle on the short par 4 6th. This is how you make a move on Sunday but will it be enough? I think he needs to get to 8 under at least and that is a tough task with the tough closing three holes. He is at 8 under and if it holds, we will have another 62.
Paul Azinger, world class gas bag, says Rickie is so cool it seems that no moment is too big for Rickie. Unfortunately they showed Rickie’s record of leading after 54 holes and he is 2 for 6. It seems like the moment is too big for him more often than not. Do these commentators even think before they speak or are they such star fuckers that they crave access to these players so much that they won’t call it as it is. I understand it with Tiger Woods, who has earned it with his play on the course, but Rickie Fowler with no major titles? If Wyndham Clark wins, the execs at NBC will probably sit down and cry.
Rickie and Wyndham are now teeing off 4 hours and 37 minutes after coverage started. NBC is selling advertising all day for you. Up ahead, McIlroy made birdie and tied the lead at 10 under.
Harris English is 4 shots back but is making Britney Spears out of the second. He chipped his 4th over the green and made a 10 footer for double bogey. He is at 4 under.
Tommy Fleetwood makes a clutch par save on 17 and with a par will shoot 63 and be your leader in the clubhouse at 5 under. Wait just a minute. Fleetwood hits it really close on 18 and has a chance for a 62 on the final day of a major. That has never been done before. Wow! Make the putt Tommy, and he pushed it. 63.
DJ has run two putts achingly close to dropping, his theme for the year. He drops a shot and is at 4 under. He is 6 shots back and is 6 shots over par on the second hole this week.
Wyndham Clark makes birdie on 1 and is your leader at 11 under.
Tommy Fleetwood is about to shoot 62 and on 18 there are empty seats in the stands. He didn’t and they didn’t show up. LA should have to wait another 75 years before they get a US Open. Tommy now has two final round US Open 63s, but no US Open or any other majors. Golf is a crazy game.
Clark makes bogey on 2. Fowler makes bogey as well. Clark and McIlroy are at 10 under for the lead.
Cam Smith is at 4 under but he is earing not two tone but three tone shoes. My god, he looks like a 1930s gangster, which of course he is…
Fowler makes another bogey and drops to 8 under, three back of Clark now. It looks like a 4 person race now considering only 4 people are within 6 of the lead going back to Fleetwood, but these guys are not making hay on the front and the back nine is very very hard. I don’t think Fleetwood’s 5 under will hold up but I would bet that Clark’s 11 under will also not be the winning score either. Predictions are worthless but fun.
Scottie Sheffler went so far left on 7 that he walked into the woods a Texas Republican and walked out a Los Angeles Democrat. He got a temporary movable obstruction ruling and the ability to move his golf ball to where he had a shot although a difficult one. It gives him a difficult chance to save par. Scottie left it short and he is now 6 shots back.
Wyndham Clark with a birdie chance on the short 6th. Clark gets to 12 under and is looking very confident. A stat that I just heard surprised me. He and Rory are tied in driving yardage this week.
Xander has a birdie putt on 9 and he has gotten to 5 under. He makes the birdie and is tied with Sheffler at 6 under now. DJ is one back at 5.
Fowler went from rough to rough on number 7. He is backing up in a hurry. Sorry Azinger, it seems the moment is too big for him. Azinger is such a cliché spewer. Fowler is now at 7 under and 5 back.
Xander makes a triple on 10 and is done. Rickie makes a birdie and gets to 8 under again and is not out of it because Clark misses the green on 8 by a yard. He would have been staring at eagle, but then was caught in chest high rough and swung and missed on his first try and then hit it over the green on his next attempt. He then makes an unbelievable chip to a foot from the rough behind the green. He makes bogey but still leads Rory by 1.
Clark with an unbelievable save on 9. He misses the green by just a few feet and has to chip it out left, when he does Azinger says no chance to get it close from there and the ball just slowly caught the slope and kept rolling closer and closer and closer. He then makes the putt and pays it off to keep his lead over Rory who missed a makeable putt on 10 the hole ahead of him.
Cam Smith and DJ are carrying the LIV flag tied for fifth on the leaderboard at 5 under.
Sheffler makes bogey on 11 and is now 5 back of Clark. Clark almost holes it from the back of 11 and makes another great par save. Fowler hit it in the front bunker which was dead, but he makes an incredible shot and has a chance to save par but he tugs the putt and backs up to 7 under. These two are showing off world class short games.
Cam Smith makes a 20 footer on 15 for birdie and is now at 6 under.
There is something floating around social media and I don’t know if it is true but I did see the moment. Fowler left a putt short yesterday and a fan yelled “What are you doing?” Fowler looked up and before he tapped it in said “I’m leading the fucking US Open.” The crowd laughed. You couldn’t hear it on the social media posts or on the live broadcast, but if it is true, that’s an all time line.
Rory misses another chance on 12, following just missing a putt on 11. He is hitting it very well and that might keep him out of trouble. That might be enough to win if Clark slips up at all. There is danger out here.
Sheffler backs up another shot and is at 5 under. Cam Smith is alone in 4th now. Cam is tied for 3rd now after Fowler makes another bogey after driving it in the rough on 12.
Azinger just doesn’t think Clark can take down McIlroy. Thanks. Azinger thinks he can make a 35 footer now.
Cam Smith makes an 11 footer for par. The best putter in the world. So tough down the stretch. Cam Smith in the fairway at 18 and if he can make one more he might have a chance. He is posing but still has 25 feet or so. He leaves it 4 inches short. He is your leader in the clubhouse though at 6 under. Great showing for LIV.
McIlroy misses the birdie putt, of course he did, but makes a par. Wyndham is two feet into the rough on 13. Azinger tells us that no player has gotten in on the green from the rough, and of course Clark does. McIlroy misses the par 5 fairway left with a double cross. Only Paul Azinger can give you this fantastic commentary. Go find a monkey and have him spin a wheel and you would be more informed than this clown.
Wyndham Clark with a long lag putt from 60 some feet to about 3 feet on 13. Gutsy, but not done yet. He makes it.
Rory lays up on the par 5 out of the rough on 14. McIlroy with a wedge and dumps it into the bunker. Oh no, that is Sheffler’s ball in the bunker. Rory has embedded his ball into the grass on the side of the bunker. He is going to get a drop and a huge break as he can drop it on top of the bunker. It will be in the rough but a shot to save par. Sheffler’s gets out of the bunker and has a makeable birdie putt to get to 7 under. Rory has the ball running away from him and this will be tough to stop. Maybe 10 feet for par. He misses it, and the commentators are sad, so sad. Sheffler misses the birdie putt and stays at 6 under.
The last commercial of the broadcast before they take us home commercial free. Best thing I have heard all week. Beautiful. Rolex sponsored the last hour. I will have to buy one.
Clark hits it into the fairway and can go for the green in two. Clark with the shot of his life! He gets there in two and has 20 feet for eagle and a four shot lead! Damn!
I just bought a second Rolex. I liked the first one so much. I just had a drone deliver me my first one and said I have two wrists so I felt naked without another one. Another one.
Rory has another 20 footer for birdie and he misses it, of course he does. Another one.
Clark nestles it up there but makes birdie and is at 12 under and a 3 shot lead. Sheffler looks lost with his putter and is still at 6 under with Fowler and Cam. Fowler has a birdie putt and needs it if he wants any chance. He pours it in with a nice stroke and he gets to 7 under and solo 3rd.
Clark has the short par 3 15th which is playing 139 today. Wyndham showed a little nerves by pulling his tee shot and will have a difficult par. Fowler needs to take advantage and pick up at least one shot here. Ricky has about the same putt as Rory did for birdie. Clark has a 8 footer to save par. Rickie misses the putt. Clark misses right and gives one back. He is at 11 under and leads by two.
Rory drives it into the left rough on 16. Rory smashes it out and is across the green for birdie on 16. Rory hit his birdie 6 feet by.
The leader has 3 holes to play and they are a tough three holes. McIlroy with a wedge and dumps it into the bunker. Sheffler makes birdie on 16 and gets it to 7 under tied with Fowler who drove it right on 16. McIlroy makes par on 16. Azinger and the fans love it.
Clark drives it into the bunker on 16 and is up against the face. He is in trouble there. This is Sunday major pressure after getting a little lead there. Rory drove it left on 17 so the leaders are spraying it all over. Rickie is in the bunker on the right and trying to get it close to the green. It goes left and will have his third out of the rough. Rory’s drive went so far left that it went through and into the second fairway. Clark has to pitch out of the bunker. He will have a wedge in for his third. Huge shot upcoming for the leader. He says “be right” and it is perfect! 7 feet uphill for par! On his number! Wow, now he has to make it to pay it off.
Rory comes back from the dead and flies it onto the green and it rolls just onto the fringe. He has a chance to make birdie but from a distance. Sheffler comes up short and ends up in the front bunker. Rory has 30 feet for a tie but he misses it right, of course it does. Rory got pretty lucky to make par there as going into the other fairway was a huge break. Sheffler blasts out and makes his par putt.
Fowler comes up short out of the deep rough and he will make bogey and falls back to 6 under. Clark has a huge putt next, to maintain a two shot lead. He catches the right side and it lips out. He will fall to 10 over and his lead is one.
Rickie drives it down the fairway and now Wyndham has a huge drive to execute. He does and is in the fairway. Both players are in the fairway where you need to be to make par.
Rory is one down and is teeing off on 18. Both he and Sheffler are both in the fairway. Sheffler hits it and has a birdie putt, but Rory is next and has to back off. He restarts his process…nerves everywhere. He hits the green but has probably 40 feet.
Back to Clark and Fowler…Rickie will go first and hits a great shot right over the bunker and will have a birdie putt. Clark pulled it left…Azinger gets really excited! He is in the short stuff and has an angle. Clark chips it to within a foot and maintains his lead with a par on 17. Rickie lags it up to a foot and stays at 6 under.
Rory with his putt from 41 feet and the announcers are saying he is overdue…he misses it because of course he does. Sheffler misses his putt but takes third or a tie for third depending on Rickie. Rory posts 9 under. Clark pars and Clark wins. Clark hits a big fade and barely keeps it in the fairway. This will be a pressure filled iron shot. Rory walks through all the fans and doesn’t acknowledge any of them with no high fives for any of the kids. That is surprising. He doesn’t seem pleased, but I have to think Arnold Palmer would have acknowledged them. Maybe I am a little too cynical here.
Rickie from the fairway goes first and he hits it in the really thick rough short of the green. Clark with a 7 iron to go next. He hits the green, but has about 60 feet left. Two putts and he wins. The crowd is now surrounding the green. This only adds to the pressure. Ricky will go first and chips it just by and will have a comebacker for par. Clark will have an uphill putt for the win, and he hits it to a foot! Wyndham Clark!!!! Major Winner! Now Azinger is pumped for him. Rickie will finish up first from about 13 feet and he misses but taps in for bogey. Clark wins.
The USGA and the PGA tour weeping can commence.
Insightfully yours,
G Spot Johnson