Off the Tee: Tiger Falters, Rory Triumphs, Accusations for Reed, Torrey Pines Preview, and Drones in Golf
The much awaited return of Tiger Woods to the Phoenix Open turned out to be a big bust for the former #1 player in the world.
I talked with Joel Harrington from 4 Deep Golf blog about Tiger imploding in Phoenix in this installment of "Off The Tee":
The guy who did play well in Phoenix was Brooks Koepka, who staged a big final round rally to win, keyed by an eagle on 15.
Here's Joel's take on Koepka's triumph:
Koepka may have his mid set on becoming #1 in the world some day, but the player who currently occupies that spot isn't giving it up anytime soon, after Rory McIlroy won in Dubai over the weekend, finishing 22-under par for the tournament.
Here's Joel on a red hot Rory:
This week's PGA Tour stop is Torrey Pines, in the San Diego area, for the Farmers Insurance Open. No Rory in this one, so Joel is going with a guy we know in Jason Day, and a somewhat unknown, Gary Woodland, as his favorites:
Off the course, some unsettling allegations surrounding Patrick Reed. Several of his former college teammates have come forward claiming Reed stole from them and cheated at qualifying tournaments.
Here's Joel's take on the Reed situation:
A sad week for golf with the passing of Charlie Sifford at 92.
Sifford was the first African-American to play on the PGA Tour, winning a pair of tournaments in the 60's, and two more senior events in the 70's. Even with his success, and players like Lee Elder and Tiger Woods following him, golf is still not gaining traction in the African-American community.
Here's Joel on that::
One of the more interesting videos out there this week features Keegan Bradley battling (and ultimately) taking out a drone with an iron shot.
I asked Joel about whether drones will be something players have to deal with in the near future: