I believe he led by 4 after yesterday’s round. Scottie Scheffler I know shot 64. Speaking of Scheffler, he’s -2 thru 4 holes today so Noh’s lead is down to two with 14 holes remaining for Scheffler today. Scheffler is playing in his home state - I think he’ll have something to say about who wins this weekend, especially after Spieth had to WD (another Texas guy).
Jason Day wins the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, his 13th PGA Tour win and first win on Tour since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship.
Looking forward to the degenerate gambler’s edition of the 2023 PGA Championship this week. It will be hosted at Oak Hill Country Club outside Rochester, New York. The last PGA Championship held there was in 2013 and won by Jason Dufner.
One week after being the darling of the PGA Championship, Michael Block is at the bottom of the leaderboard, +11 and 4 shots behind the next worst player. It was fun while it lasted.
I kinda wondered why he was playing, I felt the crash was inevitable. I imagine Charles Schwab paid him something because of last week to get him to Fort Worth, but the story has been ruined. I think Block cost himself in the long run (the next year, until the 2024 PGA Championship).
Plus I saw a clip of him saying he would be one of the best players on the Tour if he had Rory's length (his 4th round playing partner) off the tee. So much for the humility of the everyman.
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. - George Jean Nathan
Maybe he plays better tomorrow. Either way, I don’t blame him for riding the wave from last week into this week nor do I fault him for falling flat on his first round after everything else he must have been doing since he drained that putt to lock down the 15th spot last Sunday.
After all, he’s back out there against a bunch of pros who are used to managing emotions, logistics, media commitments, family and friend commitments, bar tab commitments, etc. and showing up Thursday ready to go.
Hopefully he earns back some pride tomorrow and I hope today’s performance will help him chart out what his plan is for the next year. Every club pro in the country would swap places with him right now for the right to play in the PGA Championship next year.
Carolina delenda est
Not really. Quite the opposite, in fact. It makes his showing at the PGA all the more improbable, and thus, makes it even more magical. Just like his hole-in-one on the 69th hole, slamming into the bottom of the cup on the fly. 'Do that again!' Impossible, which is why it was so wonderful.
Mikey Fairways went 81, 74 at Colonial CC in the Charles Schwab fresh off his T15 performance at the PGA Championship. He’s +15 and in last place. Is he a hack?
Ugly question there. Obviously the answer is that a hack couldn’t have accomplished what he accomplished. No one should be surprised that he wasn’t going to repeat his performance at the PGA Championship one week later. Literally everyone in the field is a more accomplished golfer than he is. But he’s still better than folks typing at a keyboard.
Carolina delenda est
I am not sure everyone in the field is that more accomplished than him. I read he has won 9 Southern California PGA sectional titles and has played with many Tour pros before. I am happy for his success but I think the PGA and other tournaments like the Charles Schwab and RBC Canadian Open that gave him exemptions may be taking his story a bit too far. He had a great weekend at Oak Hill CC but the PGA seems to be cashing in and pumping the story a bit too much. Good for him though, I’d take the time in the spotlight and financial bump he’s gotten. Dead last in the Charles Schwab isn’t a good look for him though. I think on a recent podcast he said something to the effect of if he was as long as Rory off the tee, with Block’s current short game, he’d be one of the best players in the world. I’m gonna have to call BS on that one. Come on man!
Oh, come on, what's wrong with him taking some advantage of being in the temporary spotlight? A teaching pro finishing in the top-15 of the flagship tournament of the organization he works for, against the best players in the world, is worth some celebration. Of course the media are over the top with it, that's what they do ... but I see no reason at all to call foul on him for that. And I also see nothing wrong with the statement he made, I for one have no basis to call BS on it. I see no reason at all to begrudge him his 15 minutes of fame.
I have no problem with him capitalizing on his great performance. I highly doubt however he’d be one of the best players in the world with Rory’s distance though. That seems a huge stretch. The basis I call BS on it is he’s a club pro. The chances of him being a top player in the world with enhanced distance are extremely small.
Drive for show, putt for dough. True as it ever was.
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. - George Jean Nathan
If you can't beat everyone you know every time you tee it up, don't consider trying to play with any tour pro - Korn Ferry or big tour.