AUGUSTA, Ga. — Good afternoon from ANGC. The weather is perfect here. There isn’t a favorite. Jose Maria Olazabal is gunning for Bryson’s record of ♾️ balls hit on the range this year and I spent all day gathering information, quotes and nuggets from the grounds.
One note before we jump in: Our Normal Sport fantasy contests are live on Splash Sports. We are running two contests this year. A big money one for members only (you can still join the Normal Club and get into that one) and one for all readers.
Both presented by Sap’s Original.
The contest is free to enter (with a free Splash Sports account), and first prize is $500. The game is to pick eight players at various tiers. Worst score is dropped, and your other seven are added up. Best score wins, and we pay out the top three spots. I’m not afraid to drop my team right here to see if you can top it.
You can join our contest for everyone right here.
Name drops today: Ethan Fang, Nick Faldo, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day’s balloons, Ben Hogan and Webb Simpson.
Thanks to Sap’s Original for not only sponsoring this year’s fantasy contest but also being a supporter of this newsletter and our hydration. Our bodies thank you.
With how toasty it’s slated to be this weekend, I am in desperate need of some Sap’s Original right now at ANGC. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to wait until I return home.
Their products contain an ingredient stack that actually works together. Electrolytes for hydration. Adaptogens for stress and balance. Aminos to help your body recover faster, even if that recovery is simply stress from watching Jordan Spieth play his first 18 holes on Thursday.
Check them out right here.
OK, now onto the news.
I watched the every hole video with Rory on the trip from Dallas to Atlanta, and I have some thoughts.
1. It is straight up better than the Amazon documentary. I didn’t dislike the documentary at all — I thought it was solid — but the every hole piece is a little nerdier and, somewhat strangely, more emotional. In retrospect, I would like to echo something DJ Pie said the other day that the Amazon doc needed to be more of the people around Rory talking about what that moment and week were like. His parents were the stars, and we needed more from people like his parents and probably a little less from Rory himself.
2. The way he explains what happened on 15 in the “every hole” piece was exceptional. He basically said he couldn’t turn that shot over too much, that it was impossible to do so. Which meant there was some freedom in the swing. And I think we all are aware by now that Rory playing with freedom is, like, a top eight golfer ever.
3. His tears at the end are emblematic of why Rory has become Rory. He is one-in-10-million good at golf. He is also, somehow (?), generationally good at processing through what has happened throughout his life. That combination makes for a one of one athlete. Nobody quite like him. Tiger and Jack were better at golf, obviously, but not as good at talking. A few have been better at talking and presenting but not close to his golf. There are very, very few that have ever been quite like Rory. Not just in golf history but in sports history.
4. My favorite part of the video, which you should go watch, happened when he started listing off the grand slam names.
Sarazen
Hogan
Player
Jack
Tiger
… Rory
Here’s what he said.
It echoed something he said in the Amazon documentary.
I once wrote the following about him.
My favorite thing about Rory throughout his career has been his continued disbelief that he gets to be Rory and that everything he dreamed about as a kid came true. The preservation of childlike joy as an adult is a rare and unusual thing.
Me
It’s difficult to imagine Tiger (or Jack or really any of the greats) saying, “Why me?” about the life they received, the things they accomplished, the work they compiled.
Perhaps it gets old, me talking about this all the time. And I understand that. But the truth is that the display of humility and gratitude from Rory here are things I need to be reminded of on a daily basis. So even if I’m just writing this to myself, that’s OK. May I never presume entitlement to any good thing. May I never tire of saying, “Why me?” to every good gift. It is a wonderful way to life life and one I aspire to every day.
1. We got a great one on Monday with this exchange.
Q. Do you still do that thing with the balloon?
JASON DAY: Yeah, every now and then. Essentially what happens is you have to really understand why things go wrong in your body. So for me, my diaphragm tightens up a lot … the psoas, even the QLs, everything comes in pretty close and they're the main spots that are problems for me.
👌👌👌
2. Tag me next time, Jamie!
I did an hour with U.S. Open champion, Webb Simpson, on what playing the Masters is like, what the hardest shots are, who he likes this week and why the par 3 is his favorite day of the year (and also one of the more normal sport days in golf).
Webb brought a ton of energy, and we had a great time with this one.
This post will continue below for Normal Club members and includes …
• Why I need to issue a mea culpa for Monday’s “10 most likely to win” list.
• Some of my favorite quotes from the first two days.
• A bunch of nuggies from the grounds on Tuesday.
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I’ve always enjoyed your love for golf. So often I see favoritism showed to golfers in the social media world, but I enjoy reading you telling a situation how it is regardless of the person.
The way Kyle has been able to mold a silly Twitter joke (normal sport) into a must-read newsletter on the weekly happenings in our silly game gives a great look into why he's one of the smartest people in golf.
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Kyle's content is a product of a sick sense of humour, a clear passion for golf and unquestionable dedication to hard work. That's not normal!
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It's a treasure trove of the important, the seemingly important, and — importantly! — the unimportant stuff. It's an asset in my inbox.
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