My potentially irrational thought of the week
IS THE BEST GOLF OF THE SEASON STILL TO COME?
I don't think I have a single example of a major brand doing memes in a way that wasn't cringe on some level... but this post from Golf Digest earlier this week did get me thinking potentially crazy things.
With Brian Harman's win at The Open, the 2023 men's major season has come to an end. Which, upon first reaction, did have me feeling Escobar-esque.
But then I actually considered the next two months of events and... wait... is that??... the sound of the Count Basie orchestra as Frank Sinatra belts "The best is yet it come..."!!!
JULY 27-30 - 3M Open & AUG 3-6 - Wyndham Championship
With some massive names like Justin Thomas, Shane Lowry, Billy Horschel, Joel Dahman, Adam Scott, and my boy Akshay Bhatia all currently outside the Top 70 in FedEx Cup points—there is a TON at stake in these last two events.
AUG 10-13 - FedEx Cup Playoffs Begin
The top 50 advance. Stakes!
AUG 10-13 - AIG Women's Open
The women take their shot at glory across the pond as their major season is still alive and well.
AUG 17-20 - BMW Champsionship
Top 30 advance to the big dance. More stakes!
AUG 24-27 - TOUR Championship
Lest we forget, Rory friggin' won this thing last season! It's stars and the hottest streaking performers of the month, battling it out in a tight 30 man field.
SEP 22-24 - Solheim Cup
Team USA v. Team Europe. Will Rose be on the squad? Will the US get revenge for 2021?
SEP 29-OCT 1 - Ryder Cup
Yet another reason the next few weeks are so impactful, because we still don't have the final points totals for the automatic Ryder Cup participants and if guys like Finau can snatch a W, they're in!
Cheer up Pablo, we're going to be okay!
Talk about stakes!
FROM "CADDIE" TO "THE COMPETITION"
A fun storyline to this weekend's 3M Open was Erik Van Rooyen's aka "The Stache" caddie Alex Gaugert qualifying for the event on Monday. Leading Erik to openly solicit a replacement just days before the event on Twitter... uhhh... I mean X.
And better yet, the officials ended up pairing them together for the opening rounds! As of writing this, Erik was pulling away quite handily, but wouldn't that be a trip if Alex ended up beating him outright.
Who's the caddie now &@#&%?!?!
My little Jack better love golf...
COLLEGE TOURNEY AT ST. ANDREWS!?!
Hot tip coming in from Bad Birdie Michael—designer to the stars and creative genius behind "banner".
On Tuesday, NBC Sports and St. Andrews Links Trust announced the St. Andrews Links Collegiate. This October, collegiate men's and women's teams from four schools will visit golf's homeland to play a three day event culminating in a match play format on the Old Course.
Those lucky four schools? Come onnnnnn Syracuse....
Vanderbilt, damn. Though I guess fun for my sister who got her PhD there... smarty pants.
North Carolina, damn. But whatever, Michael Jordan went there and at least it's not Duke.
Notre Dame, damn. But perhaps a conflict of interest with them being Irish and all.
And Georgetown?!?!?! NOOOOOOO anyone but Georgetown. As a Syracuse alum, that one stings.
No chance I hit this net...
EVEN COUNTRY STARS NEED PRACTICE REPS
Making the rounds on golf social this week was a video of Luke Combs during a tour stop at Gillette Stadium where he's seen on stage hitting balls into a practice net.
The first angle I saw was from some nosebleeds and, while amusing, it struck me more of a light chuckle than anything else.
Then Luke released the original video and WOW did my nerves go to a level ten. My man is at least twice as far as I'd be from that net and there are about a dozen or two people working directly behind it. Add any loft to that club and I guarantee I am knocking out at least three stagehands and sending one off the hozel into some expensive looking light fixtures.
Swing your swing, they say. Very impressive Luke.
A Mount Rushmore sighting in Houston
RUSS HAS HIS DAY
For longtime readers, you may remember the founding three members of the Breakfast Balls Mount Rushmore:
Bruce Bibb (winner of the pro-am before the Phoenix Open a few years back who did it all in a Bad Birdie polo, I put out an open plea for someone to connect me to him, and Bruce himself responded!)
Krissy Carman (USGA Women's Mid-Amateur Champ, assistant golf coach at University of Oregon, and all-around office favorite after competing in the recent US Open at Pebble)
And Russ.
Russ, pictured above, swung by our Houston opening and word on the street is... stole the show. Russ has been corresponding with me via email for years now and while I'll drop a few of my favorite lines below—I can say it's been a wild adventure getting to chat with him and I'm excited the team got to meet him.
Russ's Best Lines:
As a sign-off to his email: "Russ…. owner of 29 polos, 3 quarter zips, 4 t-shirts, 8 hats, 1 glove…oh and one tattoo."
After telling me he got the Bad Birdie logo tattooed on him: "Hopefully not a trademark issue….as it is permanent (and I won’t cut my arm off….)"
After sharing some snippets from his group golf chat: “Fifth day in a row playing in this heat…. Hit the wall on 13…. This is me walking off 18."
We love ya Russ!
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