With the women back in action this week at the LPGA’s Pure Silk Classic in the Bahamas we can officially say that all of the major tours are back in action. Paradise Island also saw what’s believed to be the first par-4 ace in the tour’s history.
The annual drool-fest in Orlando took place last week as the golf industry rolled out its newest products that will soon be turning up in a pro shop near you.
But the weather at the Farmers Championship and its effect on the players was the highlight of the week. Trees were down all over the course as play resumed on Monday, but scores were up.
Let’s hit the links.
Hole #1: Monday, Monday
Wow! Just how many stories came out of Torrey Pines this year? We’ll start with these:
- Most of the really big names (Mickelson, Day, Fowler) missed the cut in the Farmers Championship. With the weather on Sunday, they were probably not all that sad about not being out there. In fact, Patrick Reed, who made the cut, withdrew on Sunday, and earned the ire of Graham DeLaet.
- Mickelson, by the way, not only missed the cut. He missed out on redesigning the North Course.
- Scott Brown had a share of the lead on Sunday but turned in one ugly card on Monday.
- Brandt Snedecker shot an All-World 69 on Sunday in the wind and rain to post the clubhouse lead, a stroke back of Jimmy Walker who still had eight holes to play when weather halted the round. On Monday, Snedecker had to cool his heels all day while Jimmy Walker and K.J. Choi faded in the wind. Sneds won without hitting a shot. He now has a first, a second, and a third in his last three starts, and he’s defending champ at his next, which is nice. [Link]
Hole #2: HJ Kim Wins LPGA Opener
Hyo-Joo Kim won the Pure Silk Classic on Paradise Island in the Bahamas by two strokes over Stacy Lewis, who has now been the runner up seven times (with no wins) since the start of 2015. [Link]
Hole #: The Greatest Show in Golf
When it comes to the toys we play with, the PGA Merchandise Show is like Christmas Morning. Here’s the inside scoop from a couple of The Sand Trap’s own. [Link]
Hole #3: Another Stroke of Grace
With the addition of a two-stroke win at the Qatar Masters this weekend, Brandon Grace has quietly amassed seven Euro Tour wins. [Link]
Hole #4: The Rains of Singapore
Torrey wasn’t the only place to get its share of weather this week. When play was suspended Sunday at the Singapore Open because of dangerous conditions, world #1 Jordan Spieth was left with just a five-foot putt to go on the 18th green. He made it on Monday, but South Korea’s Song Young=han hung on over his last three holes to win by a stroke over the American. [Link]
Hole #5: The Other Most Interesting Golfer in the World
He was a physics major at SMU, his clubs are all the same length, and he once spent four months creating a drawing of Ben Hogan. Bryson DeChambeau is not your typical top amateur golfer. [Link]
Hole #6: Well, He Is in High School
Phil Mickelson took offense that young pro Ryan Ruffels, 17, revealed that he took $5,000 off Mickelson in a wager last December. Mickelson said that Ruffels’ revelation was “high school stuff.” [Link]
Hole #7: Long Haired Freaky People Need Not Apply
Thomas Pieters apparently got a haircut courtesy of Photoshop and the PGA Tour. [Link]
Hole #8: Tree Runs into Car
To say that conditions were a little rough on Monday would be an understatement. [Link]
Hole #9: Lydia Ko Gets 1st Car
Needless to say, it is nothing like the 1971 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that I first rocked. [Link]