Welcome to the second edition of the Free Drop Newsletter – a round of all the talking points from the past week in golf and the latest Free Drop podcast content.
Fun Fact
With his 72-hole total of 22-under par 262, Webb Simpson set a new tournament-scoring record at the RBC Heritage, eclipsing Brian Gay’s 2009 tally of 264.
Weekend Takeaways
Five takeaways from the week in golf, according to Craig Stirton.
Comeback Kirk
Remember Chris Kirk? The guy that has won four times on the PGA Tour and was controversially left out if the United States’ 2014 Ryder Cup team. The man who rose to as high as 16th in the world only to fall off the map in recent years? Well, he’s back!
The past couple of years have been less than kind to the former Eisenhower and Walker Cup representative. Struggles with alcoholism and depression led Kirk to fall off the face of the golfing earth as he tumbled outside theworld’s top-500 and into the golfing wilderness.
A self-imposed hiatus from the game in 2019 was a commendable attempt by Kirk to resurrect his life and golf game. Progress upon his return was painstaking as he missed five consecutive cuts before a minor reprieve – a T60th at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge.
And then, less than a week later he landed his first victory of any kind at the Korn Ferry Tour’s King & Bear Classic. A closing five-under par round and a 26-under 72-hole tally was enough to pip Justin Lower and earn him his first win since the 2015 Crown Plaza Invitational. Though the winner’s cheque pales in comparison to the cheque Kirk cashed for his Colonial win – this may be his most meaningful triumph. A triumph of the human spirit indeed.
A Display of Generosity
At a time when many professional golfers have gone months without making any on-course cash, Ryu So-yeon hung made one of the most heartwarming displays of selflessness in recent memory. After clinching victory on the Korean Tour – her first event since February – Ryu pledged her entire $200 000 cheque to Covid-19 relief.
Make no mistake – unlike their male counterparts, professional ladies do not have money to burn regardless of their standing in the game. Yet the former No.1 clearly felt many other people needed the money more than she did. Suffice it to say she won many new fans along with the golf tournament.
Fritelli Fireworks
Scoring on Sunday at the RBC Heritage was outstanding with the Top-10 at tournament’s end shooting a combined 75-under par in the final round. None went lower, however, than our very own Dylan Fritelli. A nine-under 62 which featured a homeward tally of 29 vaulted the PGA Tour winner into top spot on the leaderboard. This was only temporary, however, as Fritelli finished five shots adrift of eventual champion Webb Simpson. Nonetheless, his barnstorming finish would have boosted his take-home a great deal.
Watney makes history for all the wrong reasons
Nick Watney’s last PGA Tour victory came at The Barclays in 2012. This past weekend he claimed another title albeit a far less desirable one when he became the first PGA Tour player to test positive for Covid-19 prior to the second round of the RBC Heritage. While the positive test is unfortunate it was bound to happen at some point.
Fortunately the 11 people who came into direct contact with Watney all tested negative. Fingers crossed that he makes a speedy recovery and is on Tour again soon. A $100 000 stipend paid out to him means that loss of income is not among Nick’s concerns during what is undoubtedly a worrisome time in his life.
The Old Ways Are Still Best…
All the talk since the return of the PGA Tour has been how big Bryson DeChambeau is and how far he’s hitting the golf ball. Even at Harbour Town where emphasis is placed on precision off the tee, DeChambeau tried to outmuscle the golf courses – averaging 311.9 yards off the tee on Saturday and 295.9 for the week. By contrast, Webb Simpson averaged 282 yards off the tee but hit 85.71% of Fairways and 83.33% of Greens in Regulation – outdoing Bryson by 21% off the tee and 6% on approach shots respectively.
Yet the most noteworthy difference is found with putter in hand. Simpson gained an average of 1.65 strokes on the field putting each round while DeChambeau gained 0.258 strokes a round putting. The difference? Four strokes over 72 holes. Obviously there are other factors to consider too but it certainly is food for thought.
Past Podcasts
Ivanna Samu
Ivanna Samu joined the show to chat about her sensational amateur career, her first few years on the Sunshine Ladies Tour and also opened up about injury struggles and her recent cancer diagnosis. This was certainly one of the most touching interviews I’ve had the pleasure of doing and we can all learn a great deal from Ivanna’s positive outlook on life. Such a great person, can’t wait to track her career in the years to come.
Watch: Free Drop Live With Ivanna Samu
Next On The Tee
There will be no podcasts this week but we’ve got a couple of exciting guests lined up from next week onwards including our first caddie conversation!
Scary Stat
Webb Simpson missed just one putt inside seven feet at the RBC Heritage.
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