The PGA Tour has been compared to a vagabond troupe, pitching up at different stages, striving relentlessly to wind up their tasks by every Sunday evening, before moving onto the next event. Last Sunday was particularly challenging after Storm Debby obliterated all golf on Thursday at the Wyndham Championship. It took an enormous endeavour to complete the 72 holes before the curtain of dusk on Sunday. However, this schedule didn’t suit Matt Kuchar who decided to swim against the tide.
Initially, Kuchar seemed eager, when he took his shot on the penultimate hole whilst the previous group, with the ultimate winner Aaron Rai, were still on the fairway. Then Kuchar made an odd decision to mark his ball and postpone the day’s events. His co-players, Max Greyserman and Chad Ramey, decided to end the tournament and resume their everyday life, which left Kuchar, who was in a tie for 12th place with no chance of progressing in the FedEx Cup playoffs, with no option but to return and end his tournament on Monday.
CBS commentator Jim Nantz, who has been covering PGA Tour tournaments since the 1980s, remarked, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” The PGA Tour stated that the game resumed at 8am at the Sedgefield Golf Club and concluded six minutes later amidst a small gathering of officials and media. Ultimately, Kuchar finished with a par.
Lydia Ko, at the age of 27, has now added an Olympic gold medal to her impressive career, adding it to her previous Olympic silver and bronze medals. The New Zealander now has a remarkable career including two major victories, 20 LPGA Tour wins and an Olympic Gold. Despite reaching the heights of world number one at the mere age of 17 in 2015, her journey hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
With her graceful swing and silky putting touch, it’s befuddling to figure out why it’s been so long since she claimed a Major title – back when she was just a youth. Ex-coach David Leadbetter criticised Ko’s intrusive parents for restraining her potential, supporting this with the fact that she made the bold decision to replace not just her coach, but her caddy and equipment too at a time when she was on top of the global podium. Fast forward to 2020, she sadly sank beyond the global top 50, however, a consistent resurgence has rooted her path straight to Paris since 2022.
“For me, this is certainly the pinnacle of life. The level of adrenaline I’ve felt here is something I’ve never experienced before, and doing it in Paris just tops it all off,” Ko expressed. Given her prior announcement to bow out from professional golf at the age of 30, this could well be her final Olympics experience, and what a grand curtain call it would be, if so.
In words
Drawn from Graeme McDowell’s statement following his suspension and fine by LIV for an anti-doping breach in Nashville reads, “LIV mainly differentiates itself from other tours by imposing these rules with strict adherence, which caused some challenge for me. Nevertheless, I understand and respect the need for these regulations and sanctions – they’re fundamental in upholding the sport’s repute.”
For Golfers, the Olympics hold more significance
Regrettably, Leona Maguire’s Olympics mission was hindered by severe flu-like symptoms leading to her finishing at the bottom of the leaderboard at Le Golf National. However, her post-round remarks after the final play revealed how much golfers prize the Olympics and the role it plays in their schedule in its third introduction.
She expressed, “If this was any other occasion, I would have opted out this week. But to represent Ireland at the Games is a privilege that you stick with until the bitter end, regardless of how fruitless it seems.”
The lady from Cavan may not have been playing for a medal, financial gain or a higher ranking in her last two rounds, and certainly could’ve withdrawn, but she persisted.
The sentiments shared by Maguire resonate with Rory McIlroy’s view on the Olympics, where the honour and passion for the game is deemed eminent.
Reflecting on the current state of disarray in golf, one might come to appreciate tournaments considered as the most genuine challenges, playing not for monetary gains, said that source. It provides insights into what aspects of sport truly matter.
Scottie Scheffler, who recently won a gold medal for the US, was moved to tears during the medal ceremony. If he secures first place and the $4m jackpot at the FedEx St Jude Championship this week, spectators might not see a similar emotional reaction.
In figures, the PGA Tour has been quite lucrative for Scheffler, with him amassing 36 million dollars this year. This was all before the FedEx Cup playoffs even commenced and after pocketing the Comcast Business Top 10 bonus.
For players and fans alike, understanding the rules is essential. A hypothetical query in the rule book – if an opponent or co-competitor deliberately alters the player’s line of putt, for better or worse, what is the verdict? The rulebook states that in any scenario, an offender of Rule 1-2 is penalised with loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play, with disqualification an option for the committee if they deem it necessary. If the line of the putt is tarnished, it can be repaired by the player, to replicate the initial conditions. Everyone is entitled to the lie and line of putt they had when their ball stopped moving. This repair can be performed by anyone.
Finally, a glance at Lydia Ko’s equipment during her Olympic Golf performance. Her driver was a Ping G430 MAX 10K, complemented with a Mitsubishi Diamana PD50 stiff. Her 3-wood was also a Ping G430 Max, but a 15-degree one, partnered with a Mitsubishi Diamana PD60 stiff. Moreover, her Ping G430 hybrids, specifically 19 and 22-degrees, were augmented with Graphite Design TourAD HY65 stiff. Her iron set featured Ping i230 (5,6,7-iron), Ping Blueprint S (8,9-iron) along with an Aerotech Steelfiber FC70 Stiff. Onto her sand wedges, she specifically used Titleist Vokey Design SM10 with a specially adjusted degree and grinds, also equipped with AeroTech SteelFiber Shafts.
Prototype of Centre-shafted Scotty Cameron P5 GSS tour Putter
Ball Used: Titleist ProV1X