Volume Four Hundred Ninety-Five

Sergio and Matsuyama win, Tiger Drops out, and Jordan releases some new kicks.

Hittin the Links While most of the country was watching the Super Bowl, there was a bit of golf going on this weekend. Stateside, Hideki Matsuyama won his second consecutive Phoenix Open in a playoff over Webb Simpson, dispatching the U.S. Open champ after four playoff holes. Across the pond in the U.A.E., Sergio Garcia captured his 12th career European Tour victory, going wire-to-wire in Dubai. Among the field of vanquished competitors was Tiger Woods, who dropped out before the second round with back spasms.

We’ll take a look at all of that plus an update from he USGA, a check-in on Nike Golf, and a stroll through the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale.

Let’s hit the links!

Hole #1: Matsuyama Wins Phoenix Open
It took Hideki Matsuyama four playoff holes to finally dispatch Webb Simpson, but he was eventually able to win in Phoenix for the second straight year. The 24-year-old looks like he’s finally starting to put it all together. [Link]

Hole #2: Sergio Wins in Dubai
Sergio Garcia captured the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and while he’s not quite a Masters favorite yet, he’s certainly someone to watch. [Link]

Hole #3: Tiger WDs in Dubai Citing Back Spasms
Tiger Woods’ back acted up between the first two rounds in Dubai, forcing him to withdraw from the event. His opening-round 77 certainly didn’t help ease the pain. [Link]

Hole #4: A Deep Look into TPC Scottsdale’s 16th Hole
Scottsdale’s 16th is routinely the most raucous hole in all of golf. Go on a deep dive with Golf Digest. [Link]

Hole #5: USGA and R&A to Unveil Rules of Golf Updates in March
The USGA and R&A have been planning a complete Rules overhaul for several years, and the results are scheduled to come out in March. [Link]

Hole #6: U.S. Open to Be Richest Purse in Golf
The 2017 U.S. Open will slingshot past the Players Championship and PGA Championship to become the richest tournament in golf. [Link]

Hole #7: Nike Unveils Jordan Brand Golf Shoes
It’s almost a little surprising that Nike hadn’t released a golf shoe previously, given how big a golf fan Michael Jordan is. [Link]

Hole #8: Super Bowl Winning Coach Bill Belichick to Tee it Up at Pebble
Bill Belichick, fresh off his fifth Super Bowl victory as an NFL head coach, will join up with Ricky Barnes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. [Link]

Hole #9: Weekly Woods Wrap-up
Mike “Fluff” Cowen was on the bag for Tiger’s first career major. Let’s learn a bit more about the longtime caddy, shall we? [Link]

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