Jordan Spieth, who has managed to kick away a few solid leads over the past few years, finally notched another victory at Innisbrook, toppling the red hot Patrick Reed and a hard-charging Sean O’Hair. It took two insane flop shots on the last two holes of regulation and a bomb of a birdie putt in the playoff, but Spieth did manage to close out the Valspar Championship. Spieth now has a two PGA Tour wins, not too bad for a guy who was in first grade when Sean O’Hair turned professional.
This week we also got a check-in on Tiger Woods by Notah Begay III, we heard Patrick Reed attempt to dig himself out of the weeds, and were all witness to the mashup of rap and golf (R.I.P. to both).
Before I get too excited about the prospect of Rory McIlroy and Tom Brady playing Augusta National together, let’s hit the links.
Hole #1: Spieth Notches Second PGA Tour Win
Spieth managed a big-time par save on the 72nd hold and a monster birdie putt on the third playof hole to beat Patrick Reed and Sean O’Hair. That’s also the first time the PGA Tour has seen four consecutive playoff finishes since 2001. [Link]
Hole #2: Tiger To Skip Bay Hill, Maybe Come Back for Masters
Tiger hasn’t won the Masters in a decade. Let that one sink in. [Link]
Hole #3: John Daly Calls PGA Tour Drug Testing “A Joke”
It must be a really funny joke, because Tim Finchem is keeping the punchline all to himself. [Link]
Hole #4: Patrick Reed Is Not a Top-5 Defenseman
Next time you’re flipping through Golf Digest’s latest Holly Sonders gallery, take a quick moment to lament the fact that more investigative journalism this year has been done by Deadspin, TobaccoRoadBlues, and WeiUnderPar than Golf Digest and Golf Magazine put together. [Link]
Hole #5: Rory and Tom Brady to Tee it Up at Augusta National
Maybe Brady can teach McIlroy a thing or two about closing. [Link]
Hole #6: “Turbulators” PING G-30 Rap Video
As a fan of both rap music and golf, I’d just like to take a second to point out the fact that there is already a rapper who goes by “Q-Tip.” He was in the famed 90s group A Tribe Called Quest, and would not be caught dead saying “Turbulators.” [Link]
Hole #7: Adam Scott Misses First PGA Tour Cut Since 2012
It’s a rough life Adam Scott lives. [Link]
Hole #8: Golf Digest’s Rory McIlroy Cover Story
A must-read on golf’s top player. [Link]
Hole #9: Notah Begay III Reports from Camp Tiger
I can’t say “he is putting in some solid workdays” is a ringing endorsement, particularly from someone like Notah Begay. [Link]