Welcome to the third edition of the Free Drop Newsletter – a round-up of all the talking points from the past week in golf and the latest Free Drop podcast content.
Fun Fact
In 2001 Webb Simpson and Brendon Todd teamed up to win the North Carolina Four-ball Amateur Championship. Were it not for Todd’s inward nine of 40 on Sunday (including a triple-bogey 7), the pair may have won in consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour.
Weekend Takeaways
Five takeaways from the past week in golf, according to Craig Stirton.
Luca Filippi has serious game
I had the pleasure of playing 18 holes with Sunshine Tour Rookie Luca Filippi this past week at Milnerton Golf Club. Being his home course and the site of multiple 61s, I was keen to see him in action.
And he certainly didn’t disappoint. Despite a sluggish start, the man put on a clinic. I now understand why his mates call him “Ball-striker Barry” because tee-to-green he is so ridiculously consistent.
On the rare occasion that he missed the green, as he did on the par-3 11th, his short-game was equal to the task. Where amateurs would most often settle for a par or bogey from where he found himself, Luca made the chip shot look routine as he chipped in for yet another birdie.
What astounded me was the stress-free way in which he breezed to a seven-under 64. He was bantering with our playing partners and I, literally giving me advice on most of my shots on the second-nine but when it was his shot, the focus was unlike anything I’ve seen.
Full disclosure, I was a bit nervous at the prospect of playing with him but Luca went out of his way to make me feel comfortable and help me have a good time.
Keep an eye out for Luca’s name on Sunshine Tour leaderboards when the 2020/21 season gets underway.
In the meantime, check out his interview on the podcast here.
Johnson needs to use Travelers’ as major springboard
Dustin Johnson’s win at The Travelers Championship on Sunday meant that he was won at least once in each of his 13 seasons on Tour. He now has 21 Tour wins including the 2016 US Open. But you know who also has 21 Tour victories and a Major Championship? Davis Love.
No disrespect to Love, he was and still is a fantastic player but one would think Johnson would have a few more Major titles at this point.
His close-calls have been well-documented but the time is now for Johnson to kick on and joins the likes of Brooks Koepka and Rory McILroy as a multiple-major champion.
It’s still mind-boggling to think that Tiger Woods had won 14 Majors by the age Johnson was when he won his first one. Who knows, if he does nab one this season, the floodgates may open and lead to a few in quick succession.
Following his win at TPC River Highlands Golf Digest quoted him as saying: “I feel like I’ve put enough hard work to where my game should be spot on all the time.”
Clearly no shortage of confidence there. Whether that confidence translates into another Major trophy or two remains to be seen.
Tour Life Can Be Lonely
Daniel Summerhays called time on his pro career at the conclusion of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship. Summerhays has been a PGA Tour player for the better part of a decade and in that time has played in 215 PGA Tour events and a further 126 Korn Ferry tournaments. That roughly translates to being on the road for 6 1/2 years and many, many nights away from his loved ones.
But Summerhays has taken the decision to hop off the hamster-wheel that is life as a Tour pro in favour of becoming a school teacher. While the salary he receives will pale in comparison to many of the cheques he received as a pro, being able to spend every night tucking your children into bed rather than phoning and FaceTiming them from hundreds and perhaps thousands of miles away is priceless. And he doesn’t need to sweat over a five-footer on a Friday to put food on the table, either.
Credit to Summerhays for signing off in style with a playoff loss at the Utah Championship. A win would have been a cool ending but I’m sure he’ll take his near-miss all the same.
All the best to Daniel Summerhays in this next phase of his life. Well played, sir!
Past Podcasts
Get caught on up on all of Free Drop’s content: From Nicole Garcia and Val Holland to Kyle De Beer, Dale Hayes and so much more!
Next On The Tee
TBA
Scary Stat
This time last year, Brendon Todd was ranked 1011th on the Official World Golf Rankings. A year, two wins and some more solid results later, Todd- who once battled the driver yips- finds himself 52nd in the world.
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