Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit on down. It’s a beautiful day in the desert. It looks hot and it is. Patrick Reed is in shorts for the first time ever. The umbrellas are out and it isn’t for the rain.
The 16th tee shot with the baby blue sea hugging the left side is gorgeous. I would say it is the color of Majesticks but damn they have me sour.
Cam Smith is off to a lead after making birdie on his first hole of the day. He wins and the title is his. Talor Gooch and Bryson DeChambeau do have a chance to beat him, but he controls his destiny.
It is quite a scene with the beautiful green grass in a sea of tan sand. The course is really well manicured as it should be, but visually striking.
Harold Varner III, HV3, is out to an early lead at 3 under. Then he dropped a shot but Louis Oosthuizen leaps out to the lead. Dj joins the lead as well.
Brooks jars it from the fairway for eagle and he vaults to the lead at 4 under. Charles Howell joins DJ and Louis t 3 under.
It is a bit breezy out there which is causing some consternation amongst the players. They aren’t comfortable on some distances it seems.
Marc Leishman has it to 4 under and he is your leader with a half dozen guys 1 shot behind. It is really hot out there, there are a lot of shiny faces and that is with the wind blowing pretty steady. Blast oven.
The Majesticks are tied second after the scolding I gave them earlier. Crushers are in the lead, one shot ahead at 4 under.
Charles Howell III, Chucky 3 Sticks is tied for the lead now at 4 under.
The Red Sea is baby blue.
Charl Schwartzel makes a birdie and then flips somebody off. No one commentated on it, but it was funny. He was laughing. You are the commentators- tell me more about what just happened.
Marc Leischman rolls in a long birdie and gets to 5 under. He is your solo leader. Charles Howell is in second at 4 under.
Brooks left a bunker shot on top of a ridge and promptly calls himself a fucking dumbass. Live mics are the best.
We got a drone shot of the 16th hole looking at the desert, green grass, and turquoise sea. Beautiful shot.
DJ gets it to 4 under and is doing DJ things. Sauntering up the pylon.
Let’s talk relegation. Currently the points line is 10 points as it stands with exempt captain Martin Kaymer being 44th. Bernd Wiesberger, Jediah Morgan, James Piot, Chase Koepka, and Sihwan Kim are all in danger of being relegated. Perform or get dropped, the pressure on these guys is far more than the pressure at the top of the leaderboard.
Brooks finishes with a birdie to tie DJ, Chucky 3 Sticks, and HV3 at 4 under in second place.
Bryson is at one under and Talor Gooch and Cam Smith are at even par in the individual championship standings.
Ripper and Crushers lead the team event at 6 under with the Fireballs and Aces right behind at 5 under.
Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit on down. Welcome to moving day in Jeddah.
Dj birdies early and is tied for the lead at 5 under. HV3 birdies and he is at 5 under. Brooks birdies the first and he is at 5 under. What a start we have here today.
DJ is about to tee off and a guy starts wandering out into the fairway… DJ whistles and waves him back and then stripes a fade right down the middle. He is fun to watch.
Brooks’ hair is soaked right now. It is hot. HV3 is carrying a cool towel.
Cam is wearing the sunglasses made famous by the Moody’s bank regulator in the Big Short.
HV3 is your leader after another birdie. Leishman 3 putts from 20 feet and drops down to 4 under.
HV3 duffs a chip and makes double bogey to fall back to 4 under. Leishman has a long putt and then he leaves it long and left and three putts again. He drops another shot and confidence is low for the Aussie.
Brooks has the lead at 6 under par. Brooks is up to 3rd place in the individual title race.
My Majesticks are in dead last again.
Charles Howell III slams dunks it in from the fairway and he is tied for the lead at 6 under.
Brooks makes another birdie and gets to 7 under par. DJ makes birdie and is at 6 under. It’s a birdie barrage early.
Brooks makes another birdie and is at 8 under with a two shot lead.
Long conversation about the OWGR, the official world golf rankings. LIV players don’t get OWGR points and the announcers are pissed. The OWGR are in bed with the PGA tour. They are a joke and that’s enough about that. Phil Mickelson said it best, follow the money.
Brooks gets to 10 under and leads by 5 shots. It is hot and uncomfortable and that is what Brooks likes, adversity. It gets him all fired up. Brooks goes out in 29.
Charles Howell III one hops a chip in and makes birdie and gets to 7 under and solo second.
Brooks just made two pars and burnt two edges. He is locked in.
Sebastian Munoz with a yell of Puta, that doesn’t sound complimentary.
If you lock your dog and your wife in the trunk of your car only one of them is happy when you open it up again. Feherty is on his A game today.
Torque and Crushers are tied at 15 under for the team lead. The majesticks are in last by 6 shots…for fucks sake…. I’m not even capitalizing them anymore.
Bryson is 5 under now and sitting fifth. He has a chance at the title but has to get in the top two. He is 2 shots back of that now. Talor Gooch is now 5 under and is currently leading the individual event.
Brooks with another birdie and he is at 11 under.
Ian Poulter rolls in a 60 footer to get to 1 over the tournament. I can’t wait to cheer for Smash next year.
Stop me if you have heard this…Brooks makes another birdie.
Harold Varner is the first to get to 8 under and that is with a triple bogey so all in all he is playing some good golf.
According to the standings Bryson, Cam, and Talor are all tied at 170 individual points.
Scott Vincent is at 7 under and has played his way into the lock zone top 24. That is an important area for him because he is guaranteed a spot for next year. A kid that has played his way into LIV. That is great to see. He is seizing his opportunity.
Bryson is rolling. He is currently in first in the individual standing. He is at 8 under and tied with HV3.
Vincent makes another birdie and is at 8 under. Wow. Little man from Zimbabwe getting it done.
Brooks just hit a putt right down the LIV line and he missed it left. That means any chance of getting to 59 or 60 is probably out of the cards, but still a lovely round of golf.
Sergio is at 9 under, 7 under today and is in second place.
Brooks shoots 62 and has a 3 shot lead. Charles Howell and Sergio are 3 back at 9 under.
We will see you tomorrow for the last day of the individual season.
Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit on down. Lots of storylines today- individual title, can Brooks close the deal and steal third place?, team standings for next week, players trying to make the 24 person automatic cut line, people trying to not be relegated below the 44 person line. Lots of good stuff plus a great golf course to watch….
Gooch makes a bomb for birdie on his very first hole. Wow. What a start, 60 feet maybe? Bryson hits it into the desert leaves his next shot on the lip of the desert, pitches out to 10-12 feet and makes bogey to start. Two players and two opposite directions to start.
Cam Smith just wipes one right, out of the fairway, over the rough, into the desert and bounces into the water. He is struggling. He is now trekking across the desert looking for his ball. He hits one from the dust to about 15 feet and makes the putt for the wettest and driest par ever.
Brooks makes a long birdie putt and moves to 13 under. HV3 is at 10 under.
Cam Smith has had multiple one handed follow throughs today. He just had another one with a wedge and it almost flew into the water but hit a sprinkler head and came straight back toward the hole giving him a makeable birdie putt.
Joaquin Niemann, HV3, and Sergio are both at 10 under. Can they close the gap on Brooks or not?
Cam just used a word that is a no-no to call a woman in America, but is used quite often in Australia. A word so profound, so disgusting that decorum prohibits listing it here.
Brooks finally bogeys and is at 12 under while HV3 and Neimann are both at 11 under. Drama on Sunday. Bryson just bogeyed after lipping out and he trails Gooch by 3 for the week and he needs to pass him in a big way to win the individual.
Niemann has caught Brooks at 12 under, but Brooks has a birdie putt upcoming. 9 holes to play.
Joaquin Niemann is in the desert off the tee and has a long birdie putt and he holes it and he has the lead at 13 under!
HV3 is at 12 under. Brooks just left a birdie putt ½ inch short. Just off a bit, but still in it. Sergio is one back and lurking as well.
Niemann hits it into the water on his second shot. Wow, people are moving forward and backwards quickly.
Brooks lags another long birdie putt to within a foot. He is playing solid, but no magic. Joaquin Niemann has about 7 feet left for bogey. He misses it and he makes double bogey. He falls back to 11 under and tied with Sergio for third. HV3 and Brooks lead at 12 under.
The Fireballs are leading by 4 at 30 under. Torque and the Range Goats are tied at 26 under for second.
Talor Gooch putts it in from off the green and he is tied at 11 under! He can win the individual and the event title now. Didn’t see that happening from where he was.
DJ is two back but then he hits it into the desert into a clump of sand. He is unable to get it back to the fairway. He will have to scramble to save par.
Talor Gooch is pulling away from Cam and Bryson in the championship standings. He probably has a 2-3 shot swing lead depending on the individual places in the event.
Sergio hits it stone dead and will be joining Brooks and HV3 at 13 under. Brooks has an 8 footer for birdie and the lead. The putt is dead center until the last two feet when it wiggles right as it runs out of pace, about the fourth one that has done that to Brooks.
Three way tie as Sergio joins HV3 and Brooks at 13 under.
The Cleeks are in 3rd place today seemingly out of nowhere. Martin Kaymer was wearing white Cleeks gear which is an outrage, the green is so classic and the best logo in LIV.
Scott Vincent rolls a 30 footer in for birdie and he is at 11 under. He needs to get one more place to get in the guaranteed zone. He is chasing it hard.
Bryson just putts one in from off the green and he is at 9 under. Cam Smith just made a birdie so the championship leaderboard is tightening up as well.
I think Joaquin Niemann just hit his tee shot on 16 into the Red Sea. The man loves his water in the desert. The ball is in the Red Sea, he has one shoe offand is hitting it off the beach He blades it over the green and is sitting on the downslope just over the bunker. Terrible to Terrible to Terrible. He is in danger of hitting it back into the Red Sea.
Talor Gooch has a short birdie putt to tie for the lead. Sergio has a putt for the outright lead from just off the fringe, and Brooks has an even shorter putt for the outright lead. Sergio’s putt is sitting at 7 o’clock on the hole but won’t fall. Niemann makes a great chip and has a 6 footer to save bogey.
So much action happening all over the course. Brooks leaves his putt two inches off the edge again. Talor Gooch makes birdie and is tied for the lead! Niemann makes bogey and falls to 10 under.
Bryson drove it in the desert on 15 and has to hit it carefully and leaves it woefully short in the rough.
Sergio misses the green right and then putts it up to about 5 feet left. He missed. He hasn’t made a putt longer than 3 feet today. This is what Sergio usually does. He drops a shot and is at 11 under. He can’t putt and never has.
A man that can putt is your new leader Talor Gooch who pours in a 15 footer. He is at 13 under.
Scott Vincent is tied for 4th and has enough points as it is to be in the guaranteed zone for next year.
The Cleeks and Range Goats are within 3 shots of the Fireballs in the team competition. Oops some Cleek just made a double bogey because they dropped two shots and are back at 26 under now.
Bernd Weisberger is going to not be relegated as he is in the top 44.
On 18, Niemann is in the water in the desert again. Call him the camel.
Brooks finally makes a putt and it is of the 25 foot variety on 16. He ties Gooch for the lead.
Scott Vincent hits it out of the desert to just a few feet setting up a birdie look as he looks to get closer to the leaders and the all important guarantee line.
Talor has about 20 feet for another birdie. He rolls it in and is to 14 under. The man is on a mission. A mission to make $18 million. It is probably locked up for the championship as long as he gets it in the fairway on his final hole which is 2.
Vincent misses his birdie putt but taps in for par. One par and he is likely in LIV golf next year. He has to avoid getting caught by a couple people one stroke back. DJ, Tringale or Pereira can’t tie him or he needs a birdie. Vincent hits the fairway.
Brooks drove it poorly on 17 yesterday and today takes an iron and has a birdie look on 17 by playing the hole completely differently. He trickles it by another hole. He trails by one going to the par 5 18th.
The Cleeks are back in third. This would be their first podium of the year.
Sergio has a two footer to get to 12 under. He can make this distance and he does. That putt pushes Vincent to 5th and he moves out of the guaranteed zone because he needs to finish in the top 4. Crazy story lines.
Gooch is on the green in two on his last hole. He has clinched the championship event. Cam Smith is in 23rd place and he will take second and $8 million. Brooks Koepka can overtake Bryson for third if he wins.
Scott Vincent on 18 is going for the green from 258 yards away and has to carry water for about 250 yards and he stripes it right on the flag. It rolls right by the flag and has an eagle putt for a guarantee. He smiles at his caddy because he knows how good that is. Incredible shot with his occupation on the line. Clutch! The man deserves to be on LIV next year.
DJ finishes at 11 under. Gooch makes par at the end and shoots 62. He is in the clubhouse at 14 under.
Brooks finds the fairway on 18.
Richard Bland, Dickie B, hits it to 2 feet on 15, his last hole and that could get the Cleeks onto the podium.
Vincent has an eagle putt and he needs it most likely. He has about 4 feet left. What crazy drama surrounding that guy. Dean Burmester needs to make par for Vincent to be in and he misses it moving Abraham Ancer to 11th which gives him just enough points to push Vincent down. Vincent with his birdie putt and it is good! He is tied third currently and currently 22nd. He needs to avoid a couple other scenarios before it is settled. The biggest one is Sergio. If Sergio makes birdie he is out. Sergio is going for the green on 18 and he doesn’t like it. Sergio actually hit it right and short of the bunkers.
Richard Bland just qualified for next year as well. Good for the old man.
Brooks is on in two and needs eagle to win and birdie to tie for the event title.
Two storylines- Sergio has to get it up and down to push Vincent out. Brooks has to get up and down to tie. What I haven’t seen is who Vincent would push out.
If Sergio makes it, he gets in a playoff with Gooch. Sergio hits it well past maybe 10 feet. Sergio hasn’t made a putt outside 3 feet all day so Vincent has the right guy putting it.
Over to Brooks who has a lengthy putt to win outright and eagle. Brooks hammers it by and he has 7 feet left to tie. Wow! That ran down to the water.
Vincent can’t watch and is walking away from the 18th green. Sergio line sit up……and he missed. Vincent is in.
Chucky 3 Sticks makes a finishing birdie and ties for 6th place.
Brooks has to make a 7 footer to force a playoff and that was pure middle. Playoff in Jeddah.
Brooks wins and he takes third in the season long and makes $4 million. If he loses Bryson gets $4M. As a gamble I probably hedge the $2M here if I am Bryson since I can’t control the outcome.
They will play 18 until we get a champion. It is a par 5 so Brooks probably has a slight edge with his distance advantage off the tee. Gooch ahs the momentum today though.
Fireballs win today. Range Goats take second today and get a bye next week. The Cleeks do get their podium thanks to the late birdie by Dickie B.
Here we go…Talor will tee off first. Players and caddies are all drinking water. 607 yards, 555 meters par 5 18th. Talor finds the desert I think, the damn announcers never mentioned where it went. Brooks is in the rough but not in the desert, and will probably have to lay up.
The course is stunning by the way.
Vincent is in the booth. He is a pint sized guy. He made up 17 points this week. He shot 62 yesterday. The support was overwhelming for this young kid. Now, he just needs a haircut.
Brooks has a great lie according to Dom and he has a 4 iron in hand. Gooch is in the desert. They are playing a little match play here. Brooks is laying up mostly because Gooch is laying up. Brooks pulled the 4 iron twice, but with water all down the left it was a very professional decision to take the risk out of the play. More risk than reward there. Very nice to listen to the conversations there. Ricky Elliot Brooks’ caddy told him to not hit it too far, if you are going to lay up then lay up. They kept it back on purpose so Brooks could have a full swing on the wedge and Brooks hits it to 6 feet. Great job. Gooch hits it about 6 feet as well from a different angle.
Brooks putts first. Brooks hasn’t made many putts today, but he pours that one in. That is why he is the best play of his generation. Can Gooch answer? Yes, he does. That’s why he is the player of the year in LIV. Great stuff.
Gooch is in the fairway. Brooks grabs the tee early, and he is as well. Gooch has 253 yards an it is almost all water to carry. Visually imposing. Gooch went for it it curls around and goes in the water. Brooks hit it into the same spot that he did in regulation. He needs to not hit the putt 7 feet by this time.
No group of people have better calves than golf caddies. I will not hear any other argument.
Brooks will putt first and he leaves it 3 inches short but on line, he taps in for birdie. Since Talor’s ball rolled in he could mark it and then take a drop. He has a tough putt from the fringe to tie and it is wide. Dom just broke the news to Brooks that he took third and won $4 million. Brooks’ face lit up and he thanked Dom for breaking the news. They do love their money don’t they?
See you next week in Miami as we find out which team will take home the team trophy.
Insightfully Yours,
G Spot Johnson