Iss. #294 | Total Recall... with Jim Furyk?

"Now, I look back at it and I'm, like, ‘Oh, my God, I am a dork. I've always been a dork.'" - Nelly Korda on her infamous "You've got to risk it for the biscuit" quote when she was 14... or literally everyone reflecting on their youth. 

I entered college just as Facebook became a thing and to this day my friend reminds me of an insanely embarrassing Facebook message I sent him prior to freshman move-in where I was asking about whether or not he "balled"... which, if you've gathered from any of my writing or tone of voice, "balled" is not really something I'm comfortable saying.

All that to say, we are all "dork".

It's giving Beautiful Mind

TOTAL RECALL... WITH JIM FURYK?

I'm convinced that most top tier athletes must have some sort of different functioning brain. Why is it that they all can remember every single detail of their careers? You hear guys like Peyton Manning running through every single play call from iconic victories.

And this week, the PGA Tour asked Jim Furyk to recall every single shot he hit... 10 YEARS AGO when he carded his iconic 58 at the Travelers.

Well, spoiler alert—he can.

Meanwhile, I am notorious for forgetting my own playing partner's score on individual holes—nonetheless recalling what clubs I pulled and how many putts I hit 10 years ago.

A course only Willie could create

RECORDING STUDIOS & 12-SOMES

Thanks to a post from @birdiehouses this week, I learned of a course "8 songs away" from Austin, Texas with a laundry list of quirks—in the best way.

Willie Nelson Cut N' Putt aka Pedernales Golf Course is a 9-hole track that Willie purchased in 1979 for $250,000. And the story gets only quirkier from here.

First off, as you see in the screenshot above, the clubhouse features an actual recording studio where everyone from Ray Charles to Neil Young to Sublime have recorded. You're not seeing that fun fact listed on the Shinnecock Hills website.

My next fascination was the course rules which features a few shoutouts like: 

• Bikinis ok
• No more than 12 in your foursome
• Tell your spouse you're in a conference
• No player should clink coins or pass gas during when another is shooting

Finally, got to respect a course that just says "f it" bring your own whatever. "Coolers are allowed. Sorry, we don’t yet have beer carts driven by sweet young college girls, but hey, we’ve got everything else!"

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

ROLAPP BE ROLAPPIN'

Huge week for PGA Tour news as new CEO Brian Rolapp announced a slew of changes coming for the 2028 season—so figured I'd highlight my favorite three updates below.

3—RELEGATION

The Tour is rebranding the Korn Ferry Tour into the Challenger Series alongside the top tier Championship Series. The Championship Series will feature 23-24 events from February through August at both existing venues as well as new markets. While the Challenger Series will compete alongside with the top 20 earnings spots in the Championship Series the following season and the bottom 40 from the Championship Series will have to battle to keep their spots in a mini-run in the fall.

Loving this. Real stakes and if the storytelling is done right, that battle to keep/earn spots in the fall becomes its own compelling few events to occupy our time in the golfing offseason.

2—EASY POINTS

While they were light on specifics, they promised a simpler points system that fans can actually follow to help determine who keeps/loses their spot on the Tour. No more pinball style jackpots and having to crunch three hours of calculations to figure out the standings/implications in the final events of the year.

1—MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

You spoke, they listened. The Tour Championship will be decided via match play at courses never before played by the Tour. Most people are spinning on the venue front, imagining clubs like Seminole potentially hosting. But the idea of a March Madness style bracket gambling event just before NFL kicks off has my mouth WATERING.

Excellent meme alert

CHECKING IN ON SPIETH AT THE 16TH

ArtButMakeItSports does it again with another iconic golf post following up the Haotong one from the Masters.

And this really is an opportunity to talk about the "checking in with Spieth on 16" meme going around golf social that has me dying. It's basically just Spieth photoshopped into insane locations like the moon, an office building, Mordor—and it's images like above that continue to make it funny.