Running 2026 Golf Thread

[Cosmo]

Ah, weather delays. The Tuesday afternoon wave of stroke play qualifying was rained out at our amateur last week, pushing everything back a half day and forcing us to play the final 18 of the championship match on Saturday morning. Was supposed to be round of 32 and 16 on Wednesday, but we only got the 32 in. Some of the younger players wanted to go back out on Thursday for the semifinals because we were done with the quarters by 4 p.m., but we're not going down the road of deciding a U.S. Amateur exemption by having players play 54 holes in a day. (Not to mention one of the semifinalists was 54 and there was no way he was going back out for more that day.) The two stroke play days, you just have to have perfect weather. You might be able to survive a quick burst, but we got about three inches of rain in four hours so there was no going back out there. That said, the course drained incredibly well. We were off the cart paths the next morning, which was pretty awesome and kept things moving along well.

 

[Webster]

That was quick

 

[MileHigh]

Not a bad crowd at 18 for the Travelers playoff this morning.

Hovland wins after snaking in a birdie putt and Scottie misses his shorter birdie putt.

 

[MileHigh]

That was quick

And pretty shocking. that Scottie missed that putt.

Good for Hovland.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

We drove up to Scranton yesterday to see the Big Boy 4014 on display and I had the final holes of the tournament on Sirius. Announcers kept saying Scottie would have these soft conditions to take advantage of when the rain delay ended but he was spraying it all over the course and couldn't. Had a lot of great par saves when he needed birdies.

Also heard Wyndham Clark splash one in the water down the stretch and you could hear a guy in the gallery say, "you hate to see it."

 

[I Should Coco]

Personal golf update: after not so much as swinging a club in nearly two years, my son got me out to play 18 with him during our visit to Milwaukee last weekend.

Almost broke 100, which is my barrier for it being a good round. Shot 101 and that was with two 9s and an 8.

Most importantly, had a great afternoon with my son (who shot 91).

I’ll be back on the local links a few more times this year!

 

[John]

I had something similar. My wife and I went out and played six holes late Saturday afternoon at the country club we belong to. Neither of us had hit a ball in about a year (we mostly play tennis), and it was a blast. I made a pair of pars and the rest bogeys, which was way better than I expected. My results were far better than my shots probably deserved, but I'll take it. I don't have much interest in playing 18, but I do love to get out there for five or six holes on a quiet afternoon, when we largely have the course to ourselves.

 

[Cosmo]

Was supposed to play in an outing tomorrow with Lauren Coughlin up at Keswick Hall as part of a sponsor day, but it's going to 100 degrees in the afternoon so the golf is bagged. Will still have a sit-down interview and a chance to stay at the resort for free, so no complaints. Playing at 8 a.m. Thursday before it gets too brutal. Usually can play that course in a little more than three hours in a cart. One of my favorite places to play, so many combo tee options that there's a perfect distance for everyone out there.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

Attended my (former) hometown John Deere Classic over the weekend. Surely a bias here, but I think that is a very underrated tournament and stop on the Tour, especially when you get it a couple of weeks away from the Open Championship. Very well-supported, corporate-wise and from the community.

Really felt for Ben Kohles. Led for much of the tournament, even by as many as 3 shots on Sunday. Chris Gotterup was playing a couple of groups ahead and shot an out-of-his-mind 62 to get to 20-under. Kohles comes to the 18th at 20-under after parring a great birdie hole on 17, bombs a drive into the fairway and has a nice angle to the green. Pulls his second shot into the water (taking the tournament win off the table), then after a drop onto the fringe, hits a putt to 2 feet, 8 inches. Misses that bogey putt and finishes in a tie for third instead of a tie for second. Puking that short putt cost him more than $300k.

On Friday, we followed the Zach Johnson/Rickie Fowler/Keith Mitchell pairing. Saw Mrs. Fowler/Pole Vault Girl in the process (unless she has an absolute clone running around). I saw Elin at a U.S. Open back in the Tiger days, and Mrs. Fowler was every bit as striking as Elin was. Absolutely stunning. Even my grown daughter noticed her and said, "Holy crap, who's that?"

 

[micropolitan guy]

So you're saying Ricky Fowler, who seems like a nice guy but looks like a doofus, outdrove his coverage?

 

[I Should Coco]

Attended my (former) hometown John Deere Classic over the weekend. Surely a bias here, but I think that is a very underrated tournament and stop on the Tour, especially when you get it a couple of weeks away from the Open Championship. Very well-supported, corporate-wise and from the community.

Really felt for Ben Kohles. Led for much of the tournament, even by as many as 3 shots on Sunday. Chris Gotterup was playing a couple of groups ahead and shot an out-of-his-mind 62 to get to 20-under. Kohles comes to the 18th at 20-under after parring a great birdie hole on 17, bombs a drive into the fairway and has a nice angle to the green. Pulls his second shot into the water (taking the tournament win off the table), then after a drop onto the fringe, hits a putt to 2 feet, 8 inches. Misses that bogey putt and finishes in a tie for third instead of a tie for second. Puking that short putt cost him more than $300k.

On Friday, we followed the Zach Johnson/Rickie Fowler/Keith Mitchell pairing. Saw Mrs. Fowler/Pole Vault Girl in the process (unless she has an absolute clone running around). I saw Elin at a U.S. Open back in the Tiger days, and Mrs. Fowler was every bit as striking as Elin was. Absolutely stunning. Even my grown daughter noticed her and said, "Holy crap, who's that?"

I attended the JDC several times in the 2000s, both as a fan and helping to cover it. I know people laugh about overall totals of 20-under-par or better winning the tournament, but if any of us played there, we'd shoot about 120. It's a very long, tough course for mere mortals like us.

A few things I remember from those touraments:

1. David Duval smoked like a chimney between shots. Somehow I don't remember ever seeing him puff away back when he used to be on TV.

2. Paul Azinger played one year when the tournament was held later, in September (along with quite a few other "big name" PGA players who usually didn't make the trip to Silvis, Ill.). Had a rough round and blew right past the media. ("Not today, guys.")

3. No offense to the ladies of the Quad Cities region, but ... yeah, you could see the players' WAGs from a mile away as they walked along the golf course. What can I say? I enjoyed the view.

4. If there's a better treat on a hot, humid day walking around Deere Run than a Whitey's Chipper ice cream sandwich, I don't know what it is!

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

A chipper and a pork chop sandwich makes for one of the better lunches you'll ever get at a sporting event.

 

[playthrough]

I attended the JDC several times in the 2000s, both as a fan and helping to cover it. I know people laugh about overall totals of 20-under-par or better winning the tournament, but if any of us played there, we'd shoot about 120. It's a very long, tough course for mere mortals like us.

A few things I remember from those touraments:

1. David Duval smoked like a chimney between shots. Somehow I don't remember ever seeing him puff away back when he used to be on TV.

2. Paul Azinger played one year when the tournament was held later, in September (along with quite a few other "big name" PGA players who usually didn't make the trip to Silvis, Ill.). Had a rough round and blew right past the media. ("Not today, guys.")

3. No offense to the ladies of the Quad Cities region, but ... yeah, you could see the players' WAGs from a mile away as they walked along the golf course. What can I say? I enjoyed the view.

4. If there's a better treat on a hot, humid day walking around Deere Run than a Whitey's Chipper ice cream sandwich, I don't know what it is!

I know Duval packed plenty of lips but I didn't know he smoked.

I'm in sync with what Van Valkenburg tweeted recently -- I don't smoke but I kinda like having someone burning heaters in my group. Old school. At my not-at-all-fancy home club there's plenty of smokers to go around.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

So you're saying Ricky Fowler, who seems like a nice guy but looks like a doofus, outdrove his coverage?

Not quite to the level of Jason Dufner, but yes. Definitely.

 

[qtlaw]

Not quite to the level of Jason Dufner, but yes. Definitely.

Ricky was pretty cool until he went Shaggy-style.

 

[playthrough]

Scheffler missed the cut in Scotland, ending his made-cut streak at 78.

Tiger's streak of 142, for my money, is his greatest feat. Also wonder if he had a smaller percentage of no-cut events in that number; he had WGCs and such but Scottie had plenty of signature events.

 

[MileHigh]

You never say never, but I can't see 142 being broken.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Yeah, Tiger’s 142 is there with Joe DiMaggio’s 56 as a record that likely will stand forever.

Scheffler has been amazingly consistent and is having a good year. But not a great one. I bet he’s in the mix at The Open.

Gotta make some time to watch some of the Scottish Open this week.

 

[qtlaw]

Scottie’s “struggles” this year show how tenuous golf is. A few putts drop and he’s having a “great” year.

I played in a member-guest a few years ago and the other team’s guest was a guy who played No.1 at Ole Miss, just striping it, looked like Aberg, 6’4”, statuesque.

I asked “what’s the margin between SEC and PGA”?

Him: “It’s all putting.”

 

[rtse11]

My handicap at the end of last year was 14.3. It's now over 19, because I've completely lost it inside of 100 yards