WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Shane Lowry trumped Bubba Watson twice this week. He held off the surging Floridian by two strokes to win the WGC-Bridgestone Classic at Firestone Country Club (for his first win on U.S. soil, doncha know!). More important, he out-bubbaed Bubba in the escape category. Lowry hit two inconceivable recovery shots from trees, over trees, through trees, for birdies.

The Irish Tarzan now has his eyes on Whistling Straits and the PGA Championship. For a laugh, check out his bats. They’ve seen better days, but they get the job done.

Barracuda Championship

Tied for most-fun-to-watch on the PGA Tour (with the match play, because they’re both different) is the modified Stableford at the Barracuda Championship. Guys were shooting 21-point rounds, which translate to 61’s or 62’s at other events for crying out loud!

On Sunday, Kyle Reifers was cruising to a nice finish when he decided to eagle Nos. 13, 14 and 18. Those birds are worth five points each, and suddenly the 31-year-old was at 22 points on the day (a record) and 47 points for the tournament. He looked like a winner until J.J. Henry woke up from his front-nine slumber with birdies on four of the final six holes to force a playoff.

After both contestants birdied the 18th, Reifers looked to end it with an approach to 10 feet for eagle, while Henry left his iron short of the green. Beware the man who putts first! Henry drained his Texas wedge for eagle, Reifers missed and the tournament was over.

Prez at Farm Neck Golf Club

El Presidente, Barack Obama, christened his family vacay with a round of golf with Larry David. From the bit of video we have at our disposal, two things can be surmised: the president is adept at chipping out from the trees, and he’s a decent lag putter.

That he was in the trees and had to lag a long putt also tells us he’s definitely not spending too much time on his golf game.

Louise Suggs

Only one word need apply: founder. The 11 majors and Hall of Fame recognition are nice, but for Louise Suggs, it was all about getting the ball rolling. Her most-cited quote runs like this:

GOLF IS VERY MUCH LIKE A LOVE AFFAIR. IF YOU DON’T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, IT’S NO FUN. IF YOU DO, IT BREAKS YOUR HEART. DON’T BREAK YOUR HEART, BUT FLIRT WITH THE POSSIBILITY.

With Suggs’ passing, only three of the original 13 LPGA founders remain among us: Marlene Bauer Hagge, Shirley Spork and Marilynn Smith.

Walker Cup

If I were a betting man, I’d bet that there will be two golfers from Nashville on the U.S Walker Cup side this September. One is obvious: Hunter Stewart of Vanderbilt. Ranked No. 5 among world amateurs, won the Northeast Amateur, you get the picture. Now add crosstown-rival(-ish) Dawson Armstrong of powerhouse Lipscomb University to the picture. Armstrong won the Western Amateur in extra holes over Aaron Wise, champion of last week’s Pacific Coast Amateur.

Noteworthy, but not newsworthy

I hung out with Darius Oliver for 90 minutes on Sunday. Oliver is a golf course architecture expert from Australia, in the midst of his second U.S. swing. If you visit his Planet Golf website, you’ll learn more about him, his books and a course he helped design down under, called Cape Wickham.