"García’s Masters triumph reveals the secret of sportsmanship"

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The Guardian's Andrew Anthony nails down what was so satisfying about Sergio Garcia's Masters playoff win over Justin Rose.

He writes:

He could have started his familiar antics at that stage, snapping at his caddie, grumbling at the crowd, chucking clubs, remonstrating with the heavens, demonstrating that he was, as Padraig Harrington has said, “a very sore loser”.

But instead he accepted the possibility of defeat, made his peace with it, and realised life would go happily on if his Ryder Cup mate Rose emerged the winner. Suddenly the lavishly talented man who wilted against the iron character of Tiger Woods, and twice cracked as the grittier Harrington snatched major victories from his grasp, looked comfortable with – even happy for – his opponent. And finally García won.

Gamesmanship stems from a desire to avoid defeat at any cost. The secret of sportsmanship is that learning how to lose can also teach you how to win.

Ko's Caddie Still Worked One More Week Even After He Was Fired

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Caddie-player foibles are one thing, but while we'd like to laugh at Lydia Ko trying to keep her caddies-fired pace up with her LPGA win total, the latest details suggest this is not a safe working environment.

Tim Rosaforte reports for Golf World on Gary Matthews' firing, which came before he guided Ko to a second place finish in the Lotte Championship.

"In all honesty, there is no communication in the whole camp. You never know anything or are told anything," said Matthews. "The agent [Michael Yim of IMG] called me on the Monday after Palm Springs and said, 'She needed a change, we’re going with somebody else, but you can caddie in Hawaii.'

"I’m like well, never in 19 years have I been fired, and I’m still working for the person. What was so strange for me, we worked unbelievably well in Hawaii, the communication and everything was just phenomenal."

Until it wasn't. Wow.

John Feinstein and I considered the Ko caddy situation on today's Golf Central:

Wesley Bryan's Impressive Rise Up The World Rankings

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Kyle Porter at CBSSports.com does a nice job laying out Wesley Bryan's historic rise to No. 37 in the Official World Golf Rankings after his win at the RBC Heritage.

One month ago, Bryan was ranked No. 72. Three months ago, he was No. 134. One year ago, he was No. 364. At the beginning of February 2016, he was No. 1,127.

Right now, the No. 1,127 golfer in the world is a guy by the name of Daehyun Kim. So how does one go from outside the top 1,100 in the world to the No. 37 golfer who will now be invited to all the WGCs, the Players Championship and all the majors?

Great stuff here on Bryan's move from outside the top 1000...

Ko Fires Another Caddie, This Time After 2nd Place Finish

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Giving Michelle Wie a strong run for player with a penchant for firing luggage handlers, Lydia Ko is splitting with bagman Gary Matthews after just nine events.

More impressively, after Ko had her best start of 2017, finishing second in this weekend's Lotte Championship.

Beth Ann Nichols reports for Golfweek.

And I think I speak for us all in wishing the next caddie the best of luck later his month when Ko returns at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout.

The move by the world No. 1 also comes not long after Ko moved from instructor David Leadbetter to Gary Gilchrist, and from Callaway to PXG.

Meanwhile Cristie Kerr picked up win number 19 in the Lotte.

Meet The PGA Tour’s Biggest Social Media Point-Misser To Date: Grayson Murray

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Golf has been very fortunate to have players use social media largely for the purposes of highlighting sponsorships, thanking tournaments and sharing little glimpses into the life of a tour pro. The LPGA's players were ahead of the curve and remain so, while PGA Tour players have caught up in some regards.

So while I saw some of the chatter on my feed, it wasn't until G.C. Digital put together the musings of Grayson Murray, world no. 155, that I realized we have our first Grade A, All-Conference PGA Tour Social Media Point Misser.

Though Murray's vowed to take a leave from Twitter following the hate he received for questioning the world ranking standing of foreign players--even when one made the semi-finals of the WGC Dell Match Play--Murray inexplicably crossed a line I never thought I'd see a player cross: his idea of a jab back at Ben An was to question the path he took to the tour, even though An is exactly 100 places higher on the world ranking list and certainly far more accomplished as the youngest U.S. Amateur winner...ever. 

Here is the full list of offending Tweets, which ends with a profession of love for the President.

And An's reply:

I'm not a fan of the PGA Tour fining players for merely being ignorant, nor do I support the secrecy of fines. However, Murray's disrespect for his peers and general need for attention certainly warrants a deduction from his PGA Tour account, or however that works. Though given his missed cut streak, there may not be sufficient funds. At least he opened with a nice round in Houston!

Day WD's From Match Play To Be With His Cancer-Stricken Mom

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After walking off at the seventh hole in his match against Pat Perez, Jason Day walked into the Austin Country Club clubhouse and requested to meet with media.

Through understandable tears for someone who lost his father to cancer, Day announced that he was withdrawing from the WGC Dell Match Play to be with his mother Dening Day. She is undergoing treament at Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital for lung cancer, with surgery scheduled Friday.

Here was Day making the announcement:

Here is a fun recent memory of Dening, who is no doubt going to fight hard.

Karen Crouse filed a superb story on Day and the role Dening played in raising him to be a champion golfer.

“With everything that went on, for me and my sisters to come out pretty normal on the other side, I think a lot of that has to do with our mom,” Day said.

Continue reading the main story

From his father, Day, 28, learned to play golf and fear failure. From his mother, he learned how to work as if failure were not an option.

On the eve of Australia Day in January, the tide of productivity had gone out in Day’s homeland, scattering workers to near and far vacation destinations. The national holiday fell on the last Tuesday of the month, and a sizable portion of the country’s work force opted to take a four-day weekend, leaving few hands on deck during Monday morning business hours at a shipping company in this port city.

Is Grillo The Heir Apparent To Sergio (In Club Throwing)?

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The artist's reluctance suggests an apprehension that never plagued the Picasso of petulance and Rembrandt of rage, Tommy Bolt.

Let's face it, Rory McIlroy has unleashed some gems but his heart never seemed committed to club throws.

With Sergio Garcia now engaged and seemingly mellowed out from his best works, could Emiliano Grillo be positioning himself as our next great hope?

From Bay Hill courtesy of Skratch and en route to a quadruple bogey reports Golfweek's Kevin Casey.


The justification for the toss which, in this reviewers mind, showed originality and flair.

Talk! Mickelson On Feherty, Tirico On Callaway Live

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A couple of fun talk shows air this week, starting with part one of Phil Mickelson on Feherty, Monday night March 6th (9 pm ET).

Still buzzing from having just attended the monthly Rancho Santa Fe chapter meeting of the Arthur Fonzerelli Society, Mickelson talks Masters and Ryder Cup in part one.

A preview of this comments on Tiger Woods:

On Tuesday at 9 pm ET and streaming permanently thereafter, NBC Sports' Mike Tirico sits down with Callaway Live host Harry Arnett to discuss his new gig as primetime Olympic host and his love of golf.

Great news: Tin Cup is airing twice on Golf Channel during the mid-morning hours, so you won't have a reason to skip Tirico! Last week's season three opener guest was Jim Furyk.

A preview:

Bryson Apologizes To His USGA "Family"

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Bryson DeChambeau, whose side-saddle putter was ruled non-conforming by the USGA, missed another cut and vented about having to abandon the method because he could not use his preferred blade.

Brian Wacker reports from the Honda Classic.

“It [was] a long conversation,” DeChambeau said after a 71 to miss the cut by four shots. “But the USGA essentially doesn’t like me doing it.

“I’m pretty much done with it. They’re not a good organization, and you can quote me on that. I’m part of their family and as family it’s very frustrating to see them stunt the growth of the game.”

I'm not sure about this "family" he speaks but one presumes there are not secret handshakes, just USGA championships which bond the winners with the USGA family.

Anyway, DeChambeau took to Twitter to apologize, though he made similar comments at Torrey Pines.

DeChambeau is mercifully off this week and has a chance to hit a reset button that has included launching new irons at the PGA Show, then trying to play that same week at Torrey Pines. He has also tried to change putting styles and has taken on the weight of "growing the game" which, while very admirable, may be just too much on his plate given how competitive the PGA Tour can be.

Poulter On Borrowed Time: Six Starts To Keep Card

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Ian Poulter may be the most intriguing player to watch as this week's Honda Classic develops. The tournament is one of six remaining starts on a major medical exemption and the former world no. 5 needs $220k or so to retain PGA Tour status.

Doug Ferguson with Poulter's story.

When he returned in the fall, he had 10 events on a major medical extension to keep his card. He played four times on the PGA Tour and missed two cuts. Going into the Honda Classic, he has six tournaments remaining to earn either $220,301 or 154 FedEx Cup points.

That's in the neighborhood of a fifth-place finish.

"I'm on borrowed time," Poulter said. "Yeah, I need to perform well. ... A win would be nice. I have to think that I've got a chance, I really do. The situation I'm in, I have to be aggressive, but I've got to be careful. I can't make many mistakes."

"Are pro golfers losing their longevity?"

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That's the topic tackled by the WSJ's Brian Costa in light of injuries to top players, huge purses, wraparound calendars and signs that we may see shorter runs by tour players.

After setting up the premise, Costa includes this:

Of course, no one wants to end up exactly like Woods, no matter how many tournaments they win along the way. His present is painful and his future appears increasingly bleak. And there are plenty of ways today’s stars can avoid the same fate.

Day said he is making a slight swing change this year that will make it easier on his back even if it is likely to cost him a few yards off the tee. Players are becoming ever smarter about the way they approach fitness. And if more of them break down at earlier ages, their peers can draw lessons from that.

“If these guys only have 10-year careers, that will be more learning for golf,” said 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy. But if they have 20-year careers, that might well be enough for some of them.

Thomas Pieters, a 25-year-old Belgian who is one of golf’s rising stars, said for as much as he wants to win major championships now, he wants to do something else by the time he is in his mid-40s. He has thought about joining some of his friends in the real estate business one day.

“There is more to life than golf,” he said.

Roundup: Rahm's (Seemingly Special) Farmers Win

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Maybe it's that we've been hearing what a supreme talent he is, or perhaps it's just how impressive Jon Rahm was in his post-round press conference. Either way, his back nine 30 over a host of players who vied for the 2017 Farmers title moves him to the seemingly endless list of emerging talents.

Now at world No. 46 after joining 91 spots (according to GolfChannel.com's Will Gray) and, reports CBSSports.com's Kyle Porter, Rahm is the fastest to make $2 million in PGA Tour history (passing Spieth who passed Woods)

He also charmed everyone with his infectious blend of class and enthusiam over winning at Torrey Pines, as noted in Teryn Schaefer's PGATour.com roundup that includes some fun behind-the-scenes footage of his trophy ceremony and celebration.

Doug Ferguson does a nice job telling Rahm's story in this AP look at Sunday's winner.

Golfweek's Jeff Babineau wrote this of Rahm:

Sunday evening, Rahm made for a pretty proud picture sitting next to that beautiful copper trophy of a Torrey Pine that he’d just earned. He loved the golf course before he ever saw it in person, reciting various Torrey Pines’ South highlights (such as John Daly’s bunker shot) he has viewed through the years. It’s an iconic place, and to him, winning here was extra special.

Mark Whicker had some fun anecdotes in this OC Register column, including this from caddy Adam Hayes:

“The college game is so good now,” Hayes said. “If you win there, you can win here, as long as you don’t change anything.’

The most fascinating anecdote may have been Rahm's belief that his excellent English was best shaped by listening to hip-hop. Steve DiMeglio reports this aspect of the Rahm story for USAToday:

The cadence of rap appealed to the latest winner on the PGA Tour as he memorized tracks, especially two of his favorite songs — Eminem’s Love the Way You Lie, and Lamar’s Swimming Pools.

“Memorizing rap songs in English … helped me out a lot to pronounce and actually understand what was going on and keeping up with people in conversation,” Rahm said following his breakthrough win Sunday in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. “You can look (those songs) up. They're good.”

For a deeper dive on Rahm, GolfChannel.com's Ryan Lavner chronicled Rahm's ASU career in 2015.