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GolfWRX Morning 9: Koepka! Kang! | TaylorMade to skip PGA Show?| How big of an advantage is big hitting?

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8 years ago

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1. Koepka again
AP Report…”Koepka, the reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year, shot a final-round 8-under 64 for a 21-under total of 267. Koepka led by four strokes after three rounds.”
  • “Gary Woodland certainly made it interesting. Woodland started the day five strokes behind Koepka but pulled level after making six birdies in seven holes on the front nine.”
  • “The two dueled on the back nine, with Woodland birdieing Nos. 15 and 16 to again pull level. But Koepka did the same, and a bogey by Woodland on the par-3 17th gave Koepka the cushion he needed to close out the win despite a birdie on the 18th by Woodland.”
PGATour.com’s Ben Everill…”Just glancing at the leaderboard, which shows the reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year closing with an 8-under 64 – including a 7-under 29 on the back nine to shoot 21 under – makes it appear this wasn’t a contest on Jeju Island.”
  • “Oh but it was. It’s just Koepka is fast developing the reputation as the clutch king. Give him a sniff of the trophy and you’re going to need a mighty effort to keep it from him. In fact, sometimes a mighty effort won’t be enough.”
  • “Gary Woodland shot 63 on Sunday, joining the lead on a handful of occasions. But Koepka – who had the pressure of the tournament and the fact he could claim world No. 1 status on his shoulders – answered with authority every time.”
2. No. 1
Golf Channel’s Nick Menta with some commentary on the new No. 1
  • “You know,” [Gary Woodland] said, “Brooks doesn’t seem like he cares too much.” Woodland meant that there was little anyone in the field could do to rattle the 54-hole leader.
  • “But his comment also fits the general narrative surrounding Koepka. That he’s just detached enough for fans to have trouble attaching themselves to him. That he’s just a jock here to cash checks and collect trophies, to kick ass and chew bubblegum.”
  • “But for a few moments Sunday in South Korea, it became clear that Brooks Koepka does care. Crouched on the 72nd green with some time to stop and think as Ian Poulter lagged a bit behind, Koepka finally let a moment get to him. Cameras caught the three-time major champion appearing unusually emotional.”
3. Kang battles back
“Danielle Kang shot a 3-under 69 on Sunday to win the LPGA Shanghai by two strokes for her second career title.”
“Kang, who started the final round one stroke off the lead, offset a lone bogey on the par-5 fourth hole with four birdies after the turn to finish at 13-under 275 and hold off a late charge by Lydia Ko, who had the day’s lowest score of 66.” (AP)
Golf Channel’s Randall Mell...”The 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA champion said she has battled anxiety for months now and that her mental struggles have caused her to feel emotionally drained. Kang admitted to standing over the ball for four minutes before she could hit one shot in particular last week in South Korea.”
  • “People might wonder what I’m doing,” she said. “I actually can’t pull the trigger. It has nothing to do with the result. Having to get over that last week was incredible for me.”
  • Kang on her odyssey...”We’re digging deep there. I mean, I had to go through swing changes; I had the swing yips, the putting yips, to everything possibly you could think of.
  • “Overcoming the mentality of the anxiety you feel over the shots, it’s so much that golf does to you and the things that I had to deal with over the course of time that I’ve been on tour. … More so than anything I’m finally at a place where I’m peaceful and happy with my game, with my life. There is just so much more you can get through. I hope I win more; I did the best I can. I’m going to keep working hard and keep giving myself chances and keep putting myself in contention. I’ll win more. I’ll play better.”
4. Garcia on the verge of another (Andalucia) Masters win
ESPN report…”The defending champion was 3 strokes clear of Lee Westwood at the top of the leaderboard after seven holes of his final round before the threat of lightning forced the players off the course in the early afternoon.”
  • “Play was suspended Sunday evening and will restart Monday morning with the tournament already reduced to 54 holes following several suspensions of play during the week.”
  • “Garcia opened with a 4-shot lead after a faultless 64 on Saturday and built on his advantage with a 20-foot putt for birdie at the fourth…The home favourite dropped a shot at the fifth, missing a makeable putt, but then converted two solid pars to stay at 10 under before the klaxons sounded to end play.”
5. No TaylorMade at PGA Show?
Golfweek’s Forecaddie with the news…”TaylorMade will not take part in the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show, The Forecaddie has learned. The deadline to commit came and went last week. The news is a blow to the annual January gathering of golf business principals.”
  • “After conversations with TaylorMade Professional Staff members and key leaders within the golf industry, we will be investing into growth initiatives that we believe will create even greater value for the game of golf,” wrote CEO David Abeles to TaylorMade staff professionals. “As a result of our additional spend, we have decided not to attend the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show.”
  • Abeles delivered the news after noting TaylorMade’s nearly 40-year dedication to the PGA of America and its members, insinuating that savings from eliminating the elaborate show effort will be part of a plan to broaden “support of PGA Professionals across the country.” Abeles said details would be announced in the “coming months.”
6. Brooks cares
Odd we continue to debate this or that a defense is warranted…nevertheless, Ryan Herrington writes…
  • “The golf world has spent the last year, in the wake of all Koepka’s success, trying to figure out the guy-what motivates him, why he doesn’t show much emotion on the course. Koepka seems to wear his nonchalance like his polo shirts, tight around his biceps and loose around the collar.”
  • “Yet that does Koepka an injustice as it suggests that he doesn’t care. His play speaks otherwise. If he didn’t care, why would he keep going out there and beating everyone’s brains in? Wouldn’t it be so much easier just to kick back on his boat, and while away the hours with a fishing rod in one hand, a Michelob Ultra in the other?”
  • “Indeed, if this run of Koepka’s proves anything, it’s that he really does care, more perhaps than he even understood. He cares about the attention he gets-or lack thereof in his mind-from the media, even as he insists otherwise. He cares about proving his game is more than just launching rockets off the tee. He cares about winning, not just major titles, but every tournament he plays.”
7. A slow play penalty arriveth…
John Strege…”After completing play in the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, Corey Pavin was informed by PGA Tour Champions tournament official Michael Petch that he was being assessed a one-stroke penalty. Instead of shooting an even-par 72, he posted a one-over 73 and finished in a tie for 15th.”
Interesting. And by “Corey Pavin,” Strege didn’t mean Bernhard Langer.
8. Distance not the ultimate advantage?
Golfweek’s David Dusek crunched the distance numbers from the season that was. Some of his observations…”The average PGA Tour player last season won $1,329,295, but the chart shows some of the biggest hitters – such as Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas – earned significantly more. At the same time, other players who have high driving-distance averages – such as Trey Mullinax, Harold Varner and Robert Garrigus – earned less. As a group, the 20 longest hitters on the PGA Tour averaged more than $3.5 million in prize money last season, which was 164 percent more than the Tour average.”
  • :As massive as that percentage may seem, it falls within a range that goes several years. In 2017, the 20 longest hitters on the PGA Tour averaged 123 percent more prize money than the PGA Tour average. In the three seasons before that, they earned about 150 percent more, which tells us that as distance off the tee has increased over the last few years, the longest hitters have maintained an edge in terms of earnings.”
9. The importance of practicing under pressure
Our Mike Dowd offered his thoughts on the futility of most practice methods. While this may be something you’ve heard in the past, Dowd’s take is worth a read.
  • “Practice, as most of us employ it, is borderline worthless. This is because most of the practices, if you will, typically employed during practice sessions have little chance of improving our performance under pressure.”
  • “The type of practice that improves performance is, for the most part, rarely engaged in because practicing under typical “practice” conditions does very little to simulate the thoughts, feelings, and emotions we deal with once our performance actually means something. If we want to really improve our performance when it matters, we need to put ourselves in situations, often and repeatedly, that simulate the pressure we experience during competition.”
Check out the piece for his suggestions how to do just that.

 

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Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Tom

    Oct 22, 2018 at 9:43 pm

    My comments were censored and not included….wow what an open forum!

    Reply Report comment

  2. Bert Gwaltney

    Oct 22, 2018 at 7:46 am

    I’ve always had doubts if the PGA Show ever did anything to promote sales, the product sells. Been many times and always had that thought, what does all this accomplish other than wasteful spending.

    Reply Report comment

    • Jose Pinatas

      Oct 22, 2018 at 8:59 am

      Can’t agree anymore… I’ll actually go out on the lines and say for most consumers and PGA members, the show is absolutely useless. Although I believe most PGA members are overvalued, some actually help promote and grow the game, to which the show can be valued to see new inventions and the sort. It’s a right fit/right scenario situation. To me the PGA logo is overused, and they should look at smaller membership with more quality members than a larger membership with less quality. But hey, everyone pays the same dues, so more members=more $$$ for PGA…

      Reply Report comment

  3. Darryl

    Oct 22, 2018 at 7:24 am

    Brooks was incredibly impressive yesterday, just ploughed ahead, picking up shots and every time someone came close, he found another one. Where Justin Rose backed into the World #1 position with solid play but a lot of guys falling off around him on the last day, then hit a couple of poor shots, carded a couple of bogeys and wasn’t able to win a playoff against a player with very little big stage form in the lead up and a well documented excitable temperament, Koepka did it against a form horse (Woodland -27 under for his last 7 rounds), leading from the front and slammed the lid on it by dropping a 20+ footer for eagle on the 72nd to win by a full length. That is ominous for the rest of the field.

    Reply Report comment

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T2 : Jon Rahm, $1,804,000

T2 : Alex Smalley, $1,804,000

T4: Justin Thomas, $843,866

T4: Ludvig Aberg, $843,866

T4: Matti Schmid, $843,866

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T7: Rory McIlroy, $637,050

T7: Xander Schauffele, $637,050

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T10: Chris Gotterup, $496,707

T10: Justin Rose, $496,707

T10: Patrick Reed, $496,707

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T14: Max Greyserman, $364,762

T14: Ben Griffin, $364,762

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T18: Jordan Spieth, $229,128

T18: Stephan Jaeger, $229,128

T18: Padraigh Harrington, $229,128

T18: David Puig, $229,128

T18: Harris English, $229,128

T18: Min Woo Lee, $229,128

T18: Joaquin Niemann, $229,128

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T26: Alex Noren, $125,523

T26: Cameron Young, $125,523

T26: Andrew Novak, $125,523

T-26: Daniel Hiller, $125,523

T26: Tom Hoge, $125,523

T26: Sam Burns, $125,523

T26: Hideki Matsuyama, $125,523

T26: Bud Cauley, $125,523

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T35: Patrick Cantlay, $78,805

T35: Ryo Hisatsune, $78,805

T35: Daniel Berger, $78,805

T35: Ryan Fox, $78,805

T35: Haotong Li, $78,805

T35: Aldrich Potgieter, $78,805

T35: Si Woo Kim, $78,805

T35: Martin Kaymer, $78,805

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T44: Matt Wallace, $53,743

T44: Shane Lowry, $53,743

T44: Jhonattan Vegas, $53,743

T44: Denny McCarthy, $53,743

T44: Chandler Blachet, $53,743

T44: Taylor Pendrith, $53,743

T44: Dustin Johnson, $53,743

T44: Nicolai Hojgaard, $53,743

T44: Michael Kim, $53,743

T44: Kristoffer Reitan, $53,743

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T55: Corey Conners, $34,186

T55: Andrew Putnam, $34,186

T55: Brooks Koepka, $34,186

T55: Mikael Lindberg, $34,186

T60: Sami Valimaki, $29,218

T60: Sahith Theegala, $29,218

T60: Rico Hoey, $29,218

T60: Rickie Fowler, $29,218

T60: Brian Harman, $29,218

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T65: Jason Day, $26,900

T65: Rasmus Hojgaard, $26,900

T65: Keith Mitchell, $26,900

T65: Sam Stevens, $26,900

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T70: John Parry, $25,070

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T75: Elvis Smylie, $24,158

T75: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, $24,158

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T75: Daniel Brown, $24,158

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