Greetings!
As a reminder, half of our content during major weeks (even fake ones like this week) is behind the paywall. We’d love to have you in the deep end with us. To join as a Normal Club member and get all of our content every major week, you can sign up right here.
And yeah, I wrote that headline. No editor to blame it on now that I’m independent.
And I said it in the same way a parent tells his child, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.”
We’ll get to all that in a bit.
Name drops today: Jon Rahm, Minkyu Kim, Brian Harman and Jesse Cole.
Speaking of parents and their kids!
It’s getting close to take your kids to the range and pray for everyone within three bays of where they’re hitting SZN. And if you are someone who participates, you should absolutely check out Charlie Golf Co. and their collection of clubs and bags.
Events like the Players (and other majors or not majors) always get me and the kids giddy to get out and hit a little bit, and there’s no better way to do it than getting them into some Charlie Golf Co. gear.
Anger and disappointment not included (but almost certain to be present!).
OK, now onto the news.
1. Jon Rahm won LIV Hong Kong last weekend and is now ranked No. 2 in the Data Golf rankings, one spot ahead of Rory McIlroy. Obviously this is not the most notable thing that has happened with Jon Rahm over the last week.
Many of you have seen the clip of him talking about how the European Tour is extorting (!!) LIV players by forcing them to play six events to retain European Tour membership when non-LIV players only have to play four events. Eight of the nine LIV golfers who were offered this deal accepted it.
I don't know what game they're trying to play right now, but it just seems like in a way they're using us to -- they're using our impact in tournaments and fining us and trying to benefit both ways from what we have to offer, and it's just in a way they're extorting players like myself and young players that have nothing to do with the politics of the game.
Jon Rahm
Rory got involved by first saying that this is a good opportunity for the Europeans to prove they meant what they said when they said they would pay to play in the Ryder Cup. Then when the Euro Tour said it would drop all future fines but require the six events to be played, Rory said that sounded like a generous deal and there’s a reason that eight of the nine players took it.
2. This is all quite a mess and it means we’re one step closer to coming full circle on this Phil quote from the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Rory also took a swing at Rahm and LIV’s journey to South Africa next week.
Which isn't a heavy lift. I mean, to retain your membership is four events on the DP World Tour outside of the major championships. And that to me doesn't seem -- yes, okay, maybe, you know, maybe the European Tour gets to have a say in where those two events are, but I mean, I'm sure Jon doesn't want to go to South Africa next week, but he's going there.
Rory McIlroy
LIV responded by posting a video of Rahm saying he’s excited about South Africa. I cannot believe I’m writing all of this out. In the video, Rahm says the following.
You have to think of a LIV event a little bit less like a golf tournament ...
Jon Rahm
He was talking about the fan experience, sure, but this entire thing — all of it, the whole situation — got me thinking about Rahm and what specifically is bothering me these days as it relates to his career.
This post will continue below for Normal Club members and includes the rest of my thoughts on Rahm as well as a Brooks take and a look at the best TPC Sawgrass players since the event moved back to March.
Welcome to the members-only portion of today’s newsletter.
I had to put the good stuff behind the paywall today.
3. You may not love it, but Rahm is probably a top 15 or top 20-type guy all time.
One of the best to ever do it.
Look at this.
That is insane.
Rahm is so much better than he gets credit for. Truly one of the great players of the last 20-30 years. And this entire saga reminded me that he's debasing himself on a weekly basis by pretending like the loud music and Legion 13 logo make up for the shameful decision of choosing money and nonsense over building a meaningful legacy.
And also pretending like he’s the victim!
Rahm should be beating out Scottie and Rory at the Players this week to add to his collection of monstrous wins, but instead, he’s taking on Minkyu Kim and Jason Kokrak in an event in Singapore that nobody will care about.
As a fan of golf and golf history, this infuriates me. Partly because it makes for two more mediocre products instead of one great one, but also because Rahm knows better. He’s smart, he’s thoughtful. He knows money at his level doesn’t mean much. But he did it anyway for reasons I (and maybe even he) may never truly understand.
4. I loved something Brooks said on Tuesday at the Players.
Q. You've experienced many different phases since you turned pro: European Challenge Tour, European Tour, PGA TOUR, LIV Golf, back to the PGA TOUR. Could you identify which of those phases gave you the most beneficial learning curve?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I could say each one of those gave me a different -- it was different parts of my career, and I think each one of those made me learn something different that made me what I think is a better player sitting here today.
I've learned a lot over the years, and I think, you know, coming from the start on the Challenge Tour was arguably the most fun I've had playing golf, touring the world as a 21-, 22-year-old kid. Being over there was a lot of fun. I really did enjoy that.
Brooks Koepka
I don’t think growing up in AJGA golf and playing at Georgia and moving on to the Korn Ferry or PGA Tour is necessarily a bad path. But I do think that the worldly experiences Brooks had at 21 or 23 probably changed him in ways he didn’t even comprehend at that time. They helped make him a mature, gritty and great golfer. And I would imagine that without them, he’s not a five-time major champion.
It’s not everybody’s path, but I think the path of traveling the world and playing in far-flung places should be the path of more young Americans golfers. I think it would often make them better all-around golfers and help them learn ways to play beyond the Trackman golf that’s necessary at the American Express.
Also, this is a sick take. Brooks could have nine majors.
5. This Brentley Romine tweet on Ryan Gerard contained a very unusual (and terrific) story about what Gerard learned from Scottie Scheffler.
To excel on firm, baked-out greens in dome-like conditions, Gerard needed to channel his inner Scheffler.
"A lot of guys, when they take speed off a golf club, the ball flight comes down," Gerard said. "Scottie hits this shot with this smooth knockdown swing, but he launches it higher, spins it more, and it bridges the gap between two full numbers. I've kind of been obsessed with this shot since I played with him the final round of Houston last year, and I've gone about learning how to hit it.
“The ball is a little more forward in my stance, I choke down on it and feel like I'm slowing down through the ball and speeding up after. That launches it higher with less speed. I don't have the extra spin like Scottie, but it's coming out higher and softer. … I think it's going to serve me well at Players, Augusta, PGA, U.S. Open."
Brentley Romine
That is ..
Scottie has so many shots and — maybe more importantly — knows when to use them. Tiger talked about this at the Hero in December.
I could listen to anyone discuss it for hours.
This is also why he’s thrived at Sawgrass (see below), though there is some concern that his success at that golf course may be waning given how he’s looked over the last few tournaments.
6. Here’s a look at the SG leaders at TPC Sawgrass since the Players moved back to March in 2019.
Berger and Akshay 👀
I’m currently trying to pick between Hideki, Morikawa and Ludvig. Also … did not expect to see Brian Harman’s name up there!
7. This is important to remember in the AI era. The appearance of a thing holds our attention for such a short amount of time. But if it gets its hooks in our hearts via story then that is where the magic happens.
It’s the same reason you could watch a robot hit golf balls on the 12th tee at ANGC for 50 hours in a row and feel nothing. But if I gave you the words … Spieth is short right again, and suddenly you have an entire epic narrative.
Story is beautiful. Sometimes it can feel like the only thing we can hold onto.
As Jason pointed out, Jesse Cole — who started the Savannah Bananas — recently said this about the idea of story as it relates to sports.
"We don't ask at the end of the game. I said the game there on purpose. We don't say at the end say, ‘Did you enjoy the game?’ No, we say, ‘Do you enjoy the show?’
Jesse Cole
Thank you for reading our ridiculous golf newsletter that is sometimes (but often barely) about golf. Every edition is handcrafted by me (Kyle) and Jason. No AI, no algorithm, no machines (other than the ones we’re typing and drawing on).
We appreciate your support of it.
Greetings!
As a reminder, half of our content during major weeks (even fake ones like this week) is behind the paywall. We’d love to have you in the deep end with us. To join as a Normal Club member and get all of our content every major week, you can sign up right here.
And yeah, I wrote that headline. No editor to blame it on now that I’m independent.
And I said it in the same way a parent tells his child, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.”
We’ll get to all that in a bit.
Name drops today: Jon Rahm, Minkyu Kim, Brian Harman and Jesse Cole.
Speaking of parents and their kids!
It’s getting close to take your kids to the range and pray for everyone within three bays of where they’re hitting SZN. And if you are someone who participates, you should absolutely check out Charlie Golf Co. and their collection of clubs and bags.
Events like the Players (and other majors or not majors) always get me and the kids giddy to get out and hit a little bit, and there’s no better way to do it than getting them into some Charlie Golf Co. gear.
Anger and disappointment not included (but almost certain to be present!).
OK, now onto the news.
1. Jon Rahm won LIV Hong Kong last weekend and is now ranked No. 2 in the Data Golf rankings, one spot ahead of Rory McIlroy. Obviously this is not the most notable thing that has happened with Jon Rahm over the last week.
Many of you have seen the clip of him talking about how the European Tour is extorting (!!) LIV players by forcing them to play six events to retain European Tour membership when non-LIV players only have to play four events. Eight of the nine LIV golfers who were offered this deal accepted it.
I don't know what game they're trying to play right now, but it just seems like in a way they're using us to -- they're using our impact in tournaments and fining us and trying to benefit both ways from what we have to offer, and it's just in a way they're extorting players like myself and young players that have nothing to do with the politics of the game.
Jon Rahm
Rory got involved by first saying that this is a good opportunity for the Europeans to prove they meant what they said when they said they would pay to play in the Ryder Cup. Then when the Euro Tour said it would drop all future fines but require the six events to be played, Rory said that sounded like a generous deal and there’s a reason that eight of the nine players took it.
2. This is all quite a mess and it means we’re one step closer to coming full circle on this Phil quote from the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Rory also took a swing at Rahm and LIV’s journey to South Africa next week.
Which isn't a heavy lift. I mean, to retain your membership is four events on the DP World Tour outside of the major championships. And that to me doesn't seem -- yes, okay, maybe, you know, maybe the European Tour gets to have a say in where those two events are, but I mean, I'm sure Jon doesn't want to go to South Africa next week, but he's going there.
Rory McIlroy
LIV responded by posting a video of Rahm saying he’s excited about South Africa. I cannot believe I’m writing all of this out. In the video, Rahm says the following.
You have to think of a LIV event a little bit less like a golf tournament ...
Jon Rahm
He was talking about the fan experience, sure, but this entire thing — all of it, the whole situation — got me thinking about Rahm and what specifically is bothering me these days as it relates to his career.
This post will continue below for Normal Club members and includes the rest of my thoughts on Rahm as well as a Brooks take and a look at the best TPC Sawgrass players since the event moved back to March.
Normal Sport is supported by exactly 1,016 individuals, all of whom would be able to hit 17 in regulation.
By becoming a member, you will receive the following …
• The delight of helping us establish Normal Sport.
• 15% off to our pro shop.
• Access to all of our content (like the rest of this post and all major championship content this year).
.svg){kind=spacer}
