Iss. #236 | Ben Griffin Is Your Next PGA Winner

Iss. #236 | Ben Griffin Is Your Next PGA Winner

"I think we all hoped it would have been a little bit further along, and that's no secret." - Brooks Koepka on the current state of LIV... or me watching my handicap slowly but surely slide back into the high teens.

 

How about a +5000 winner? 

BEN GRIFFIN IS READING THE TRENDS
Because picking winners on golf tournaments is as much a lottery as anything, I am here this week with as sound a bet as you can make at the Texas Open—Ben Griffin to win.
 
A fun few weeks on the Tour has led to some fan favorites finally getting their due with Viktor Hovland coming out of his deep freeze to win the Valspar followed by Min Woo "Let Him Cook" Lee winning in Houston last weekend.
 
Both, according to the original Jason Sobel tweet above, went on record sharing that the original idea was to not play at all before pulling a Pacino and getting pulled back in.
 
Also noticing this trend was PGA pro Ben Griffin—and let me just say that this exact kind of content is where X is at its best. If only we could live in a world where it was all just famous people joking around with each other.
 
Anywho, the pick is Ben Griffin to win. Opening line was +5000. By the time you read this, he will likely be +3 and in danger of missing the cut. But who are you kidding, that's how these bets always go anways.

 

LPGA match play is in full swing

AN ABSOLUTE GAUNTLET
One of the most fun LPGA events on the schedule is already under way in Las Vegas this week at Shadow Creek. A fantastic example of the Tour knowing how to schedule these quirkier events—as the placement of a bracket-style tournament alongside the waning days of March Madness is... I have no notes.
 
For those who may not remember, the field begins with 64 players split into 16 groups of 4—each player gets a match Round Robin style against everyone else in their group. The winners advance to the 16 player match play bracket where over the course of a grueling weekend, a champion is crowned on Sunday evening. Additional details can be found on LPGA site with a nice recap by Amy Rogers.
 
I mean just look at this TV schedule...
 
Wednesday, April 2: 6:00pm – 9:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Digital)
Thursday, April 3: 6:00pm – 7:00pm (NBC Digital), 7:00pm – 9:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Digital)
Friday, April 4: 6:00pm – 7:00pm (NBC Digital), 7:00pm – 9:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Digital)
Saturday, April 5: 6:00pm – 9:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Digital)
Sunday, April 6: 1:30-3:30 (NBC Digital Semifinal coverage)
Sunday, April 6: 6:00pm – 6:30pm (NBC Digital), 6:30pm – 9:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Digital)
 
Best of all, the stars come out for this one as well—Nelly Korda is returning as the defending champ but we'll also get to potentially see a final 16 bracket that includes Rose Zhang, Angel Yin, Leona Maguire, Lydia Ko, Jeeno Thitikul, Ruoning Yin, Jin Young Ko, Celine Boutier and Charley Hull—among others.
 
So the winner will have to play 7 back to back to back to... you get it... matches over the course of five days—at a course, by the way, that Nelly Korda described as "breathtaking and brutal."
 
Should be another fun one and easier to jump into for your more casual LPGA viewers.

 

Love it or hate it—TGL has momentum?

MONEY TALKS
A quick piece on Golf Digest from Coleman Bentley broke down some early thoughts on the TGL's success and/or shortcomings. I'll admit, despite Atlanta ultimately winning the league's first season, I definitely didn't feel it as a must-watch affair. Especially with the abundance of social media clips that get broadcast out during and after the event—I didn't find much value in watching live. If Kisner bladed another one—I'd see it.
 
Coleman lays out that while the league and ESPN are (of course) bullish on the ratings—they also were still outwatched by professional pickleball and corn hole.
 
He also cites an AP report where writer Doug Ferguson dropped this somewhat significant bombshell—

"Expansion is a strong possibility. One group already is planning to bid for a franchise in Dallas and has put the total investment at $77 million."
 
That's not nothing. Are we $6 billion (with a "b") for the Celtics? No—but some day perhaps.
 
Apparently more cities are interested in joining and I'd have to imagine Chicago is high on that list, perhaps DC, or if Jupiter Links is getting one then maybe we see the other off-season golf mecca that is Arizona/Phoenix get one?

 

Come. Watch with me.

FULL SWING S3: EPISODE 6 THOUGHTS
We've finally arrived at the fan favorite episode of the season—and it delivered!
 
EPISODE TITLE:
Last Shot
 
TAKEAWAY 1—JUSTIN ROSE:
We'll save Gary for last...
 
Justin Rose is a guy I wish we heard more from throughout the year. He plays right into some of my favorite dynamics on Tour where a single athlete carries the pride and hopes of a nation. 
 
I forget that one of Justin Rose's best performances at The Open was his debut in 1998—and now, closing in on 30 years later, he still has yet to capture the win.
 
Seeing the crowd react and Justin talk about the goosebumps he felt as he walked up 18 this past season, leads me to want more international events that can provide the stage for more international players to win on their home turf.
 
Imagine Min Woo walking up 18 at the Australian Open with the lead—as the golf-crazed Aussies go absolutely ham in the crowd. Slowly chanting "Let. Him. Cook. Let. Him. Cook." I legit got goosebumps just now imagining that.
 
Until then, all we get on the PGA Tour at least, is the British hometown hero in their native country—battling the elements and grinning ear to ear as the rest of the American field shiver to the side.
 
TAKEAWAY 2—GARY DUB:

Tough to really do Gary's storyline justice here because it's operating in a different zip code from the other players this season.

For those who didn't watch, Gary has been dealing with a lesion in his brain that apparently was pressing on the portion of the brain that triggers fear and anxiety—leading him to a crippling mental state that meant not being able to really live, it seems.

We picked up with Gary and his family after a surgery to repair the issue and, long story short, he's finally feeling like himself and starting to see success on course again.

The entire thing was a reminder of the fact that these are all people—with lives and off-course challenges that many of us will never know. And to see him not only survive but also regain his form in a sport that sees guys just fall off the map for reasons that are FAR less impactful is a testament to Gary's drive.

On a lighter, completely superficial note—his house in Kansas looks awesome. Giant foam pit and indoor gym for the kids, and a MASSIVE simulator room that is the stuff of dreams.

EPISODE GRADE:

A

If you only watch one episode this season, make it this one.
— Scott Fluhler
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