Sportandfashion-news PGA: Reed Finishes The Job & Snake Pit Awaits...

 It is not every week we see a final scoreboard like the one posted at Doral Sunday evening. Trump’s masterpiece proved to be even harder than expected, with only three players finishing in red numbers. In second round, we saw extreme winds make the tough course even harder but the players could not capitalize, even when the weather was right. Doral produced a record number of water balls, which was extremely impressive considering the reduced field size. Although we saw a lot of inconsistent golf, not everyone fumbled all week.

Prior to this year’s event, Tiger Woods held the title for the youngest competitor to win a World Golf Classic event. Now, Patrick Reed can proudly say he stole that title. Reed won the event with a score of four under, holding off Bubba Watson and Jamie Donaldson with a finishing bogey. Players like Dustin Johnson, Woods, and Luke Donald had their shots to seize this tournament, but their inability to outsmart the course lead to their demise. Following the victory, people widely criticized  Reed as he praised himself as one of the top five golfers in the world; it is only fair that I interject my opinion.

Patrick Reed gathered two tournament victories in less than two months plus another win in August 2013 meaning he won three times in seven months coming at the ripe, young age of 23. For him to claim that he is top five in the world is not only an outstanding display of his self-confidence but it also an indication of his vulnerability. When Jimmy Walker was standing on the 18th at Pebble a few weeks back, everyone considered whether or not he was the next great thing. As we have seen, he is a good golfer, but not yet great. Reed is the same. I will step back to say Reed has the skill set and ability to place himself among the world’s best but he is not there yet. Professional golf has always been about consistency and replication. If I was going to send out five guys to get the job done, I can’t say Patrick would even cross my mind. That storyline will be buried by the time The Masters rolls around where he should not even be among the favorites to win.

With that being said, Patrick will take the week off as the field opens back up to 144 at The Valspar Championship, formally known as the Tampa Bay Championship. Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, site of the elusive ‘Snake Pit’, will challenge the players with one of the most difficult tracks on Tour. In order to grab victory here, the winner will have to fight the breeze yet again but remain long off the tee and accurate to the large greens.

My favorite to make it happen is Harris English. I have to admit, this is not an abnormal pick, but I think his game is too hot to deny right now. Harris is fifth in the current FedEx Cup standings and finished in a tie for 16th among the big names last week. He already has one win in this wraparound season and is yet to finish outside of the top 50 in said tournaments.

The 24-year-old ranks fifth in par 3 scoring; which is huge considering he will encounter five each round this week. He also ranks first in scoring average, highlighted by impressive numbers before the cut. You will not see much emotion out of the Georgia native but he is yet another young gun looking to stamp his name on this Tour season.

While the young guns seem to be the ones to watch for lately, I think Luke Donald is looking ready to make a splash. Luke finished well here last year and put together a few solid rounds last week. After some tinkering with his game over the offseason, keep an eye on Donald this week to get back in elite form.

Last week, I thought I had finally picked you guys a winner with DJ, but he let me/us down. I feel good about my pick this week, but hell; I say that every week. Cheers.

Bryan 

Sportandfashion-news PGA: From a Honda to a Cadillac, It Only Gets Better

It is safe to safe that, three days later, the excitement has finally calmed down at PGA National. The pros put on quite the show this week as we saw a rare event take place late Sunday afternoon; a four man playoff.

Going into the final round, I would have bet all my chips on Rory McIlroy to bring home another Honda Classic win. In fact, I tweeted that I thought he should easily win by at least three strokes. Rory seemed to have all the confidence in the world heading into the final round and I honestly thought he was past his Sunday downfalls. Needless to say, Rory showed extreme regression, especially on the back nine, and hacked his way to a final round 74.

With the door open, the dogs leading the field did not shy away. Ryan Palmer, Russell Knox and Russell Henley all posted scores qualifying them to join Rory in the sudden death showdown. When all the dust settled, the young Henley stood alone, holding his second PGA tour win. I don’t mean to make it sound like Henley did not deserve this victory, as he golfed his brains out all week to fight for this win.

His signature shots included a par save from the water, chip-ins for birdie and hole out from the fairway for eagle, that even he did not think went in. The nickname for Henley is ‘The Human Highlight Reel’ and it could not fit any better. Russ regressed following his first victory last season, but I hope he learned from that and keeps up the solid play. He is fun to watch and plays with the intensity the Tour needs. Also, I would, and may, bet a lot of money that he will be paired with Jordan Spieth come Masters’ Thursday.

For the next stage of the Florida swing, the best in the world will shift their attention to Trump’s newly renovated stage at Doral. Since last season, the course as undergone wholesale changes under the ownership of The Donald, but all signs point to a great test ahead. The course architect, Gil Hanse, stated the changes are similar to when you arrange your living room. The horizon remains the same but the location from which you are forced to look at it from has changed, making everything a bit different.

Historically, this has been Tiger’s tournament to lose but he may be a non-factor this week, with continued back issues. We have always had star studded leaderboards where at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, including a top six last year of Tiger, Steve Sticker, Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott. A majority of pundits will look to Rory to bounce back from last week with a win here, but I don’t see it that way.

Give me Dustin Johnson. DJ has the perfect game to tackle this beast. His length off the tee is no secret but his consistency in this 2014 season is outstanding. He finished in a tie for 12th here last year and grabbed a second place rank in 2011. Johnson leads the tour in par 4 and 5 scoring, along with GIR; all categories that could catapult him to that win he has been so close to for weeks.

Although he only carded 4 birdies last week, I also like Phil Mickelson to have a good showing this week, in preparation for Augusta. Hanse’s new course layout has showcased the bunkers, which have always been a strong point for Phil. Also, he won this event in 2009, so he knows what it takes to beat Doral.

Lastly, keep an eye on Kiradech Aphibarnrat. He looked strong here in the early rounds here last year and played well in a losing effort a few weeks back at WGC-Match Play. Aphibarnrat took Justin Rose to the brink and seems to have no nerves when the pressure is applied. He is of course a deep sleeper but could be fun to follow.

Will we have another four man playoff this week? Probably not. But, that doesn't mean we won't see some fireworks.

Bryan

Sportandfashion-news PGA: Jimmy Walks to a Win, Completing Early Season Hat-Trick

I guess now would be a good time to admit the obvious; I would have never guessed I am typing Jimmy Walker won his third tournament this year, especially considering it is only February! It was not pretty coming down the backstretch but a win is a win. Walker started the Sunday at Pebble Beach with a six-shot lead over the likes of Hunter Mahan and Richard Lee, but he squeaked his way to a one-shot victory. The rain, fog and cold weather made it tough to find birdies out there but Walker’s performance in the early rounds gave him the edge he needed. In round one and two, it seemed he made any putt attempted from within 15 feet. As I mentioned before, I don’t know if Walker contends in a major this year but he can no longer be ignored. His talent and consistency is real.

Besides congratulating the winner, there were many other takeaways from the west coast following the National Pro-Am. Dustin Johnson played his first three rounds among one of the most interesting cast of characters we could get together on the links. His ‘amateur’ partner was his future father in law, also known as ‘The Great One’, Wayne Gretzky. They were paired up with the beer guzzling team of Kid Rock and John Daly. I admit, the latter two did not exhibit impress golf skills, but they were sure fun to watch.

Now, this upcoming week we will not have the luxury of NFL quarterbacks and notable celebrities walking the fairways, but we have yet another pivotal event in route to the FedEx Cup. Riviera in Los Angeles will play host the Northern Trust Open. This par 71 is known for long rolling fairways, and an iconic 18th hole punctuated by a beautiful clubhouse atop the hill. With John Merrick as your defending champ, I am confident in saying that I don’t believe we will see a repeat.

As in previous weeks, the eyes of the golf world will be focused on the scorching Graham DeLaet as he continues to search for his first career win. DeLaet finished no worse than eighth in his last five tournaments and got himself a tied for 21st here last year. That type of momentum is dangerous but I am looking to other names to win this week.

I like the calm, cool, and collected Bill Haas to grab his first win on 2014 this week. Bill already notched two top 10’s on the season and holds an impressive recent resume here at Riviera. Haas just missed a playoff here last year, finishing in third when it was all said and done, and won the playoff/tournament the year prior. Although he relies on consistency throughout, Haas is one of the better ball strikers you will see on Tour. If Bill does not get out to an early or mid-round lead, I don’t think he can come from behind, but watch from him to contend this week.

I also cannot ignore the impressive early season efforts of Sportandfashion-news favorite, Pat Perez. It seems hard to ignore that he could be Duf’s older brother, and how can you not love that. Perez finished eleventh or better in the last three starts, starting with a second place finish at his hometown track, Torrey Pines. Pat dominates the par 5’s, with the help of his spin control. Look for him to continue to find the birdies and go low to stay in contention.

Although I am looking forward to tuning in this week, next week is one of the highlights of the year; the WGC-Matchplay Championships. Keep an eye on the players looking to gain the momentum going down to the desert for one of the most exciting weeks of the year.

-Bryan 

Sportandfashion-news PGA: Stallings Survives & Craziness Guaranteed in Phoenix.

As the 2014 calendar year seems to just be beginning, the 2014 PGA season is already in full swing. With the new wraparound setup of the scheduling, the Tour’s finest players are warming up to the meat of the Tour schedule. Last week at Torrey Pines, we saw an early season shootout for what most thought was Tiger Woods' tourney to lose and he did. Tiger did not even make it to Sunday but that did not stop the hungry field around him from surging to the finish.

It seemed we had half the remaining players left in contention coming down the stretch at the daunting South course, but it made for a dramatic finish. Both Gary Woodland and Marc Lieshman had opportunities to control their own destiny, but they both dropped the ball, allowing Scott Stallings to steal the stage.

Stallings shot a four under round of 68 to grab his third PGA Tour win. Scott’s round was highlighted by an approach on the par 5 18th that looked all but guaranteed to end in the water but somehow checked up on the front side of the large finishing green. Stallings posted a nine under which proved to be just enough to outlast the pack behind him as five golfers finished at eight under. Per CBS on Sunday, Stallings is only one of six active golfers with three wins under the age 30 along with Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Anthony Kim. Stallings is a player to watch in 2014.  

Although Torrey Pines is one of the more difficult, and popular stops on tour, this week presents a whole different beast. TPC Scottsdale will play host to the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and one hell of a party with it. This tour stop is far and away the largest attended golfing event of the year and one of the most unique you may ever see during the 2014 PGA season.

The par 3 16th is what makes this course famous, but not because of the course attributes; it is because of the stadium built surrounding the hole, giving the players a feeling like they are teeing off in a not so small arena. Oh, I forgot to mention, most players get the crowd yelling and screaming right before they shot so it sounds more like a football game than a tee box. Although we will not have caddy races this year ( :( ), I expect to see some excitement on the scoreboard.

Phil Mickelson ran away with the tournament last year, and he will be the favorite coming into this week. With his college history at Arizona State, many consider this course to be Phil’s bread and butter. He has won this event three times since 1996 and will look to get his first victory on 2014 come Super Bowl Sunday.

I think Phil is due for regression given his bad back which leaves the door open for others to walk through. Webb Simpson is my pick to grab the win this week. Webb already had a win this season, coming at the Shriners, and is yet to shoot a round over 73 in his 2014 events. Along with that, Simpson has fared well here in his last two showings, both tying for eighth place. Webb leads the tour in many performance categories, including scoring averages, overall birdies and driving distance. I think the driving distance is the x-factor, as Webb is not thought to be a power player and usually uses his precision to string together some birdies.

If you are looking for a party to watch before you Super Bowl party starts, flip over to CBS come Sunday. There will be putts dropping, beers flowing and professional golf being played like you have never seen it before.

-Bryan 

Sportandfashion-news PGA: Walker's Hot Start & West Coast Swing Begins

Bryan Reynolds is on vacation for the next two weeks so I decided to write about golf for a couple weeks.  Truth be told, I did not have much for Thursday so I went with it and I hope it turned out alright. I will return next week.  

In golf, there are many people whom have to grind their way to the top. It is the beauty of golf and tennis because there are only a few cases where the golfer's ascent is very quick and easy. Jimmy Walker won the Nationwide Tour in 2004 essentially a sign that he could be ready for big times to come in the future as guys like Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Jerry Kelly had won before him. It did not happen for Walker as he went up and down for the next several years yet in late 2013, everything seemed to click for him.

Walker has been a professional since 2001 and went without a PGA win until October of 2013 and now is a multiple winner as he took home the Sony Open with a closing round 63 giving him a one-stroke win over Chris Kirk. Walker's back-nine is what won him the tournament. He went five under in the final nine holes, and it vaulted him over Kirk who had the three-day lead. Walker is now eligible for all majors, World Golf Championships meaning he puts himself in the mix for a Ryder Cup spot. Now it is still way too early to talk like that yet it is always fun to see a golfer break through. Walker now earned victories in two of his last six starts which is a hell of a way to start the PGA season.

The PGA West Coast swing begins on Thursday with Humana Challenge which what used to be the Bob Hope event where golfers played five rounds of golf. People realized this sounded a bit nuts therefore it scaled back to a regular tournament out at PGA West in La Quinta, California. Brian Gay took home the title last year in a tournament where he and two other golfers broke the tournament four-round record. Basically if you enjoy guys going low like that Flo Rida song, this is your tournament.

It is hard to really peg whom will actually make birdies when out on the course so it is tough to make a prediction. I honestly do not know how Bryan does it each week, but we will throw out some names worth watching this weekend. The first one is Webb Simpson. He leads the PGA in scoring average thus far and second in Greens In Regulation. Also Simpson is in the top five in Par 4 and Par 5 birdies which is important with a Par 72 course. If Simpson stays with how his season has went thus far, he will probably be hunting another PGA trophy this weekend.

Let's stay with the theme of converted birdies because that's what it will take to win this tournament for a couple more picks... Rickie Fowler seems like a natural choice to take control of the course and win the tournament. He also does very well with coverting Par 5 birdies. Same goes for Keegan Bradley who tees off for the first time this season. For an international flavor, David Lingmerth made his name known here last year and I see no reason to believe he will not be near the top of the leaderboard this time around.

I feel like this is the calm before the storm. We have a tournament away before Tiger Woods makes his debut along with some others. This should be a good one to keep us at bay for another week.

Charlie.

Zach Johnson Starts Hot in Hawaii & Looks for an Island Double-Up

Aloha. 2014 has started the same way that 2013 did; with a win by Johnson. This year Zach, rather than Dustin, is the one taking home the hardware from the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Zach Johnson wasted no time getting his first W of the year, and his eleventh of the career. His finished last year hot with an impressive victory at the BMW Championship. Zach took down a star studded field by doing what he does best; driving his ball straight down the fairway and letting his mid-wedge game do the work. Johnson had the help of a couple big putts dropping, but he outlasted the field when it mattered most.

It was no surprise to see Jordan Spieth’s name near the top of the leaderboard as well. Spieth played well, with the exception of a few hiccups, but had the mental fortitude to fight through it and garb a strong second place finish. Zach and Jordan will both remain down on the islands as the tour shifts to Waialae Country Club for the Sony Open.

This course is a par 70, as opposed to the par 73 from last week, but historically is one of the easiest venues on the schedule. The creators designed the course with the trade winds in mind but it looks like the weather this week will allow for birdies all over, similar to last year. The defending champion, Russell Henley, burst onto the scene last year with 26 birdies and only two bogies all week. I would not expect Henley to be a favorite this week, as consistency and experience may play a big factor.

Waialae’s near the top of the list when it comes to difficultly in driving accuracy. As we saw last week, that is a forte of Johnson. Zach already has the tour lead in accuracy and looks to improve that this week. Zach won here in the past, back in 2009, and will come into this week as a heavy favorite. Back-to-back wins on the tour is extremely difficult, but Zach’s game is in prime form and he has the confidence to do it.

It may be early in the season to call it out but what the heck; I think Jason Dufner will find himself in contention again this week. Dufner's driving accuracy has not been impressive to start the year but if he can put together a ball-striking performance like he did at the PGA Championship, he is going to be hard to beat. Look for the big guy to rebound from the Auburn defeat, with a statement performance of his own.

Even if you do not care to watch the golf this week, flip on the footage for a little bit. These course designs are like you have never seen before and the Hawaiian backdrop is stunning. I would be thrilled to be on the same island, let along walk these courses.

-Bryan

20 Questions about the 2014 PGA Season

Bryan Reynolds begins our PGA season. He came on Sports News on Tap in February or March last season so this will officially be his first full season with Sportandfashion-news. Look for all sorts of PGA coverage in the coming weeks and months. We begin with me asking Bryan all sorts of questions about the upcoming season. 

1.) The question till he does it, does Tiger Woods get a major this year? 

No. There, I said it. I think Tiger is the greatest golfer in the world. It is stupid to question that. But with the resurgence to young talent on tour, I will take the field every time. Tiger will be close but I will be the fool that bests against him.

2.) What should our expectations be with Jordan Spieth this season?

I think we should expect him to be a young gunslinger out there. He has all the talent in the world but on his journey to success, he is going to stumble on some failure. I will give him another win in 2014 but if he misses a cut in a major, I would not be surprised.

3.) Out of the four major winners last year, which one could you see winning another major this season?

What a question. If you want to think about how exciting golf is now, this is the perfect way to get the ball rolling. There is no right or wrong answer, in my opinion, but I am going to say Justin Rose. The English golfer seems to have more discipline than the others and I think that consistency will stay true into 2014.

4.) What are your five favorite non-major tournaments?

WGC-Match Play, John Deere Classic, The Players, At&T National, and WGC- Cadillac. The match play is my favorite, even over some majors. I love the head-to-head action and the pressure it puts on every hole. For those who do not understand match play, get to know it; it does not get much better. John Deere is a favorite for me as I have played Deere Run many times myself. It is pretty awesome to see the pros walking the fairways that you once have. It is like Lebron James playing pick-up basketball at your high school gym. Maybe that’s a stretch, but you hear what I’m saying.

5.) If someone wanted to get into the PGA more, what would be your suggestion to them?

Be patient and enjoy the Sundays. I am a scoreboard watcher so I am constantly in tune with what is going on in each tournament. That is a lot to ask of yourself, especially if watching the tour is new to you. If you check the standings Saturday night, then flip on the coverage early Sunday afternoon, you will have a pretty good idea of what is going on. Unlike some other sports, it does not always come down to the last two minutes. Watching the potential winner play his/her back 9 is pretty darn awesome.

6.) Besides the man in Sunday red, who has the most pressure to win a major this season?

Zach Johnson. Many will forget that he has won the one that matters most, but since his victory at Augusta, he has yet to put another exclamation point on his career. Zach returned with a vengeance last year, but with the exception of The Open Championship, he was a dud in the majors.

7.) Is this year the United States finally wins the Ryder Cup overseas?

Yes! I love the chemistry the United States has developed. When you can run out pairings of Tiger and Stricker, and they are not even your number one weapon, you know the other squad is in trouble. The only weakness is their inexperience/age but I think they could overcome that.

8.) Between Golf Channel, ESPN, CBS and NBC who has the best golf coverage?

I think the collaboration that Golf Channel and NBC has established is outstanding. GC does a great job in the early rounds, getting cameras out there, and letting you have a chance to watch every shot if you want to. ESPN does not seem as dedicated as others for my taste. When it is their turn to televise a tournament, they drop everything but in general, most of the crew there could not care less.

9.) Who is the one golfer you can see having a breakout year?

Justin Rose. I guess I do not know if we could consider it a breakout year since he got the major last year but Rose has everything you need to be a stud on tour and it is falling together at the right time. He constantly hung around last season, and I would expect no different come 2014.

10.) What golfer is poised to win his first major this season?

Dustin Johnson. The dude just got engaged to Paulina Gretzy, daughter of ‘The Great One’. Maybe it’s hopeless optimism, but I would think some of the talent and luck will rub off on the big guy. The clock is defiantly ticking on DJ, who will be celebrating his 30th birthday this season. He has been close and this is finally going to be his year.

11.) Who has more pressure on them to be good this season, Dustin Johnson or Sergio Garcia?

Well with my previous answer, I almost have to put the pressure on Johnson. Sergio has just always kind of disappointing, that is what we have grown to expect from him. Dustin still has time, for now, and I think he can live up the expectations.

12.) What golfer could you see taking a step back this year from his 2013 success?

Phil Mickelson. Like many others on tour, he is getting up there in age. I am not saying he is old by any means, but at some point, this is going to take a toll on him. Also, it would not take much to regress from the year he had in 2013. Phil was outstanding and I do not see him living up to that.

13.) Who would be your ideal foursome to play with, current or past golfers?

Fred Couples, Payne Stewart, Tiger Woods, and myself. Freddie has always been around and he has always been great. When Freddie hangs ‘em up in the future, we are going to look back and admire one of the greatest golfers and personalities the game ever saw. When Payne passed away, I was too young to understand the impact he made on the game. The man was a legend; it would be an honor to play with him or against him. I am not always a fan of Tiger but you have to respect him from what he has done. He has brought golf to the forefront and is one of the finest athletes we have in sports. If you get the chance to play with the best, you take it.

14.) Who is the best golf WAG? (Wife or Girlfriend)

I think I got to go Jason Dufner here and his wife Amanda. Duf had himself a handful on the 18th green after winning his first major. Is that not the dream?

15.) Last time the U.S. Open was at Pinehurst, the winner was three over par, much of the same this year?

It is so hard to say. When the U.S. Open at Merion was approaching, much of the talk was how the players would tear it up. That turned out to be far from the truth. Predicting the scoring at this time of year is too tough, especially considering the role weather plays in scoring. I would say No, the players will find the birdies out there, but I could be wrong.

16.) This works with 16.), do you like when PGA golfers look like the rest of us golfing the course or would you prefer higher scoring?
I like when they look like the rest of us because I like to see them recover. That is the difference between them and us. If they double a hole, they should not lose focus; they could birdie the next two. We do not have that luxury. When a course is beating them up, it is a true test of what kind of player they are.

17.) Who is the one golfer nobody is talking about that needs more attention?

Steve Stricker. I do not know if he counts or if this is what we are after with the question but I am ready to see something out of Steve. We all know how good he can be but I am ready for him to win. Recently, he seems he has been a coach like figure to both Tiger and Spieth. I want to see Steve put the pedal to the medal and get himself a major.

18.) To you, what's the most crazy storyline that could realistically happen?

Adam Scott repeats at Augusta. I mean this storyline kind of speaks for itself but he has to be one of the favorites. He has been continuing to play well as of late, and he has everything you need to win the jacket. It helps to have Stevie on the bag, whom has a little experience winning there.

19.) Besides Augusta (That's everyone's number one), what's your top five courses that you would want to play on.

Whistling Straits, TPC Sawgrass, St. Andrew’s, Pebble Beach, and Doral. Kind of a hodgepodge list as I would be satisfied playing any course on tour but these are the big ones for me. Sawgrass is an obvious one; I would like to think I could better Sergio’s effort but who knows how many I would plunk in the water. It would not have to be St. Andrew’s but playing a links style, tour level course is defiantly on the list.

20.) What should we watch for in the first couple months of the season? 

Watch for consistency. Guys like Phil, Justin Rose, and Matt Kuchar, all got out to consistent starts last year and that lead them to big seasons. Being consistent does not mean they have to win, just expect them to remain close and have control of their games. Golf is different than almost all other professional sports in that winning does not define success at all times. Winning makes you great but being consistent is enough for people to remember that you deserve to be there.

Bryan 

The Tap Ten: 2013 PGA Stories

This is the beginning of our 2013 end of the year lists for sports.  I know we will do one for MLB, CFB, CBB, NBA, PGA and NFL. I probably will do a top 20 list of overall moments and if we get real frisky, maybe top 20 figures in sports giving away our first annual Tapper of the Year or something dumb like that. Also as always, these are my lists and I can imagine you have a different one, cool story.  

As the calendar year comes to a close, it is time to reminisce about the year we just lived through. Now, I am not referencing your family memories or your career accomplishments; it is time to take a look at the outstanding season we witnessed courtesy of the PGA Tour.

I do not want to pound you with stats during this holiday season; I would rather paint a picture of an image to go back to from months ago. We all have our favorites but let’s take a look at my top 10 memories from this year:

10) Phil Dominates Overseas
This storyline is pretty self-explanatory but Phil flew across the pond a week before The Open to get a little time in at The Scottish Open. Phil being a guy who does not waste his own time, won that leading up to his outstanding performance at the British. Muirfield was playing like a sheet of concrete but Phil used his flair for the dramatic to coast to a huge major victory.

9) Tiger dominates everything, except the Majors
Tiger Woods started off the year but stumbling in Arizona, at the WGC-Match Play but that was certainly not a preview of things to come. Tiger won at ease it seemed, but struggled to finish the job in majors. Tiger’s biggest victory came at The Players Championship, where he went head to head with Sergio Garcia, which turned out to be easier than he could have thought.

8) Stenson Close All Year, Crowned Season-Long Champ
Henrik Stenson was a name that we constantly saw hanging around the leaderboard all season long. Because of this, Stenson found himself in prime position come playoff time. He won the last two tourneys of the year to put an exclamation point on one hell of a season.

7) Furyk Shoots Elusive 59
Earlier in the year, Tiger flirted with the idea of shooting the 6th sub-60 round in Tour history, but was not able to finish the job. You could say that Jim finished what Tiger started. At the BMW Championship, Furyk carded a 59, punctuated by birding 2 of the last 3 holes. Furyk has the weirdest swing you will ever see, besides my father’s, but he is a mighty fine ball striker.

6) Tiger Misplaces His Ball at Augusta
Friday afternoon at Augusta National and Tiger Woods is in the 15th fairway, right in the thick of it. His approach smokes the flagstick and ricochets back into the creek. From here it seemed simple: drop in the drop area or drop from the previous shot location, no closer to the hole. We thought at the time that Tiger obeyed this rule. Nope. Tiger dropped his ball incorrectly and was penalized come Saturday morning, a deficient he proved unable to fight back from.

5) Duf Daddy Wins his 1st Major, finally!

It would not be a Sportandfashion-news Top 10 if we did not talk about Jason Dufner, right? We have grown to love thebig guy but now he finally came through on the big stage and gave us something to cheer for. Dufner was close a few years back but was unable to close out Keegan for the PGA Championship. This year was different at the PGA Championship. Duf was throwing darts all afternoon Sunday at Oak Hill, and edged out Furyk for his first Major victory.

4) Sergio Finds the Water, Twice.
After a few days of heated remarks and misplaced anger, Sergio and Tiger were neck and neck down the stretch at Sawgrass. Was Sergio really back? Could he fight those Tiger demons to emerge as The Players Champ? We quickly found out that the answer to both of these was a No. Sergio launched his first tee shot on the famous 17th island hole, right in the water. As if this was not degrading enough, he teed up again, and plunked another one in the drink. Oh Sergio, this is why so many love to hate you.

3) Rose defeats Merion at U.S. Open
Justin Rose was/is one of those guys that is always hanging around. We have just been waiting for him to break through. No one was quite sure what to expect from the players where they arrived at Merion but we quickly learned what the course had to offer. Merion was an absolute beast. Rose remained calm, settled in with the fact that there was not going to be a lot of birdies, and beat out Phil and Jason Day to win his first major title. And he did it all for his father, it does not get much better than that.

2) Spieth Wins Playoff at Deere Run
Jordan Spieth wins. I wanted to keep it simple because that is a line that we will have to get used to reading in the upcoming years. Spieth is a stud, and he has all the skills to compete on the Tour now and long time to come. He edged out the defending champ, Zach Johnson, to win his first PGA Tour Event and get his all-important Tour card. I may be biased to this storyline as Spieth is a young guy like me and his victory came on one of my favorite courses to tee it up, but I do not care. J. Spieth is the man.

1) Scott 1st Aussie to Win the Green Jacket
Not only is Adam Scott easy on the eyes for the lady fans, he is an amazing golfer. Scott seemed to have lost his swagger there for a couple years but he was back with a vengeance at Augusta. He stuck his approach on 18 to put himself in control of his first major. If it were not for the effort of the ageless Angel Cabrera, the roars of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” would have echoed through GA, but things did not come that easy. El Pato took Scott to the playoff but Adam sunk his putt, in the pouring rain, to get the monkey off his back, and win the jacket for Australia. 

Sure I might have missed some moments but if these tidbits did not bring back some memories, something is wrong with you. Stay tuned for more golf on the way, as the 2014 season kicks off in a few weeks, and we will be back in full force.

Cheers.

Bryan