Week in Review - Backstops: Great for golf!

With a no name field to start the 2021 PGA Tour season and my GM unwilling to pay for the NFL Sunday Ticket, the LPGA’s ANA Inspiration got a lot of TV time in the clubhouse this weekend. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for the winner’s jump into Poppy’s Pond. It brings back fond memories of the Cholula Stableford on the Mexican Mini-Tour where the winner was forced to bob for the victory check in an industrial vat of hot sauce. Such a special moment!

With Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson in the hunt on Sunday, the fellas at the club were glued to the TV to see who was going to get soaking wet jumping into the pond. I’ve never seen our male members so interested in women’s golf. 

I loved the backstop on the 18^th hole of the ANA. It gave players the freedom to go for it with literally no risk of making a big number. It was like watching an episode of Holey Moley. I’d love to see the LPGA incorporate more of these features in the future - put a trampoline in a bunker, freeze the water in a pond so balls hop right out of the hazard, offer mulligans for sale - the possibilities are endless.

Despite how badly the viewers wanted Nelly, Lexi or Brooke to win, reality reared its ugly head and South Korean Mirim Lee inevitably won the golf tournament. She showed the guts of Patrick Reed to win the event when literally no one was rooting for her. 

Speaking of wildly unpopular victories, it took 11 years but Stewart Cink finally backed up his British Open win over Tom Watson by winning the Safeway Open. It was a badly needed victory for the veteran who's had to resort to having his kid caddie for him to save a few bucks on the road. Even though Cink won, the star of the show was Harry Higgs. Give golf fans a husky, sloppily dressed guy who swears on camera and drinks a little booze and you’ve got a superstar in the making.

Kevin Kisner got in a little hot water this weekend when he sent a controversial Covid19 tweet in response to Twitter celebrity Rex Chapman. Predictably, the golf media cancel culture crew immediately pounced.  On cue, the tweet was deleted and an apology quickly followed. I sent Kiz a DM to show him my support. I know where to draw the line on social media so I also offered to take a gander at any of his future tweets to avoid future headaches. I’m still waiting on his response

And lastly the US Open starts Thursday at Winged Foot and David Feherty says he expects “a lot of whining” about the extremely difficult course. I’ve made it in this business by zigging when others zag, so I’ll take club professional Ryan Vermeer at -23 to win his first major championship.

Have a great week!