Welcome to the first edition of the Free Drop Newsletter, a weekly round-up of the latest happenings in the world of golf. Newsletters will feature Weekend Takeaways, look back on the previous week’s podcast content and look ahead to content on offer in the coming week. Each Newsletter will be book-ended by a Fun-fact and Scary Stat that I’ve stumbled upon.
Fun Fact
All three of Daniel Berger’s PGA Tour victories have come in the second week of June.
Weekend Takeaways
Five Takeaways from the past week of golf, according to Craig Stirton.
Golf Is Back!
It was a good week to be a South African golf fan. Not only did live golf make a welcome return to our screens with the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge but amateur golfers were finally given the all clear by the minister of Sports, Arts & Culture to peg it up once more. While I haven’t yet teed it up myself, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing the fun mates of mine have had upon their return to the fairways.
I did watch plenty of the PGA Tour this week. Oh how I missed the fight against bleary eyes and being entertained by the high quality golf on display. And my goodness was there some quality golf this week!
Nothing like some Sunday drama
It had been more than 90 days since we’d had live PGA Tour golf on our screens. I missed the to-and-fro nature of tournament golf particularly down the stretch. At various stages on Sunday Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa, Daniel Berger and Xander Schauffele were all in with a shout.
A wayward iron shot that led to a bogey followed by a violent closing-hole lip out put paid to Schauffele’s chances and when Morikawa hit his approach at the last to within 5-feet, I thought he was a lock to pip Daniel Berger by one. An agonising miss meant extra holes and indeed a few more yawns from riveted South African fans watching into the wee minutes of Monday morning.
Morikawa blinked first, pushing his tee-shot which bringing the rough and tree limbs into the equation. Berger by contrast was in position A. An assured up-and-down from the back of the green later and the first event on the PGA Tour Covid schedule went to Daniel Berger. A victory I’m sure that will live long in the memory.
Fanless events are weird
We all knew a tournament without crowds would be weird but Sung Kang’s ace at the par-3 13th on Thursday brought this new normal sharply into focus. Such occurences are associated with high-fives with caddies and playing partners, roars from the gallery and general jubilation. Once again though corona put a dampener on things as players adhere to string social-distancing regulations.
Hometown hero Jordan Spieth too featured incredibly prominently over the first three days. In any other year fans would have come out in their droves to see if the 3-time Major Champion could snap his near 3-year winless streak. Not in the age of Covid-19 though which is a great shame because Spieth certainly resembled something close to his old-self at certain junctures.
The almost practice round feel this week had should be evidence enough that the Ryder Cup needs to be pushed back a year. After all the fans play a significant role in making it the spectacle that it is.
Golf is a fickle mistress
Poor Tom Lehman. This week’s Charles Schwab challenge was made special by the presence of a number of Champions Tour players who had won at Colonial pre-2000. From the likes of Bernard Langer and Olin Brown to David Frost and Tom Lehman, it was fun to monitor their scores in the early part of the week. And heartbreaking.
Lehman rolled back the years on Thursday when he signed for a 5-under par 65. Impressive is an understatement. At 61-years-old sitting just two behind first-round leaders Justin Rose and Harold Varner is no mean feat. Four bogies and an absence of red numbers on Friday put paid to any hope of a Fred Couples at The Masters-esque storyline. Pity. Would have been fun.
Colonial benefits from Corona
When the PGA Tour schedule was suspended after round one action at The Players’ Championship – there was a great deal of uncertainty about the complexion of the remainder of the 2019/20 season. Which events would be rescheduled or scrapped. One thing was clear: Any event that did remain stood to benefit from a field-depth standpoint.
The Charles Schwab organisers lucked out when The Tour tipped Colonial as the site of its return. The upshot was the presence of the top-five players in the world – a first in the 74-year history of the event. With no fewer than 14 players within 3 shots of the lead heading into Sunday including the likes of JT, Spieth and McIlroy, interest was high.
Past Podcasts
Dylan Naidoo
Dylan Naidoo joins the podcast to chat about the success he enjoyed as an amateur: From winning the SA Boys U/17 and U/19 titles to winning a Sunshine Big Easy event as an amateur and representing South Africa at the Eisenhower Trophy. Dylan reflects on being chased down by Joaquin Niemann at the Junior World Cup of Golf (listen out for Dylan’s on point Chilean accent!), the biggest takeaways from his rookie season on the Sunshine Tour and a whole lot more. This was a fun one. Thanks to Dylan for the time! Listen at the link below or on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Photo: Carl Fourie/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images
Val Holland
Renowned instructor Val Holland joins the show to reflect on her sensational 18-year coaching career: From working with 9-time Ladies European Tour winner Lee-Anne Pace, being the National Women’s coach since 2004, her tremendous impact on golf in the Southern Cape and loads more.
Rourke van der Spuy
Rourke van Der Spuy joins the show to reflect on two fruitful years at Columbus State University, his pair of Sunshine Tour victories, a humorous hole-out at the SA Open and a whole lot more. Tune in and join the conversation!
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dzMqUlvl44
Next on The Tee
Women Wednesdays: This Wednesday I will be chatting to Sunshine Ladies Tour pro Ivanna Samu about her dominant Amateur career, her pro career to date and how her world was recently turned upside down.
When: Wednesday 17 June @ 14:00
Where: Facebook: @freedropblog
Youtube: Free Drop
Scary Stat
Collin Morikawa has made 21 consecutive cuts to begin his PGA Tour career – the anti-Justin Rose if you will. At 25, Tiger Woods holds the record for most consecutive cuts to start a PGA Tour career.
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