Weekend Round-Up - DJ Sandbags To A Tour Championship?

Congrats to Dustin Johnson on his big win. I think this week’s Tour Championship validated the PGA Tour’s decision to turn the event into a net championship. With amateur golf chock full of sandbaggers, what better way to make the tournament relatable than having a superior player getting his pops? The lopsided handicapping also freed up golf fans to spend Monday with their families instead of watching the final round on TV. 

I also want to salute the Tour honchos for once again choosing East Lake Golf Club to host the event. We’ve seen this course on TV for decades and there’s not a single memorable hole, which is great, because it allows the players to be the star of the show. 

Feel good story of the week: Brendon Todd donated $200 per birdie to the East Lake Foundation! Great stuff. He won $500,000 this weekend but still carved out $2,400 for charity. They like to keep their generosity on the down low, but I know for a fact that some of these guys like to give till it hurts.

Rory McIlroy became a father for the first time when his wife gave birth to a daughter this week. Here’s hoping she continues the proud tradition of tour pros’ kids turning in to golf prodigies like Jackie Nicklaus Jr., Dru Love, and Duffy Waldorf III.

The PGA Tour dropped the 2021 golf schedule which starts this Thursday and it’s a beast! There’s six majors, 50 weeks of tournaments and the Olympics. There will be so many events that I may have to make a call to Ponte Vedra to see if I have status for a couple. For you golf fantasy geeks out there, I expect big years out of some veteran players who might sneak into more events like Paul Stankowski, Keith Clearwater, Dicky Pride and Jordan Spieth.

Early in the week Phil Mickelson dropped a message on Twitter thanking Tiger for his contributions to the game. Some speculated Phil got news Tiger was retiring while others thought Phil lost some kind of bet. I’m going with Phil had a wine buzz, happened to look at all the commas in his bank account and felt genuinely grateful. I want to add my thanks to Tiger as well. I wouldn’t have my Miata, my timeshare in Branson, or 25% ownership of a Sea-Doo if it wasn’t for the money Tiger brought to the game. Thank you! 

Off the course, tennis star Novak Djokovic was disqualified from the US Open for hitting an official with a ball. I thought that was an overreaction. The whole situation  reminded me somewhat of the '92 Oaxaca Scramble when my partner (Alviro Ramós) threw a club in anger that struck an elderly rules official, shattering her collarbone. Moments later as a crowd tended to her, I hit a massive double-cross into the throng, concussing the woman's husband. Neither myself nor Alviro were DQ'd, but that was a different time.