Monday Morning Golf Recap
Tournament Details
Name: Sony Open in Hawaii
Dates: January 14th – January 17th, 2016
Golf Course: Waialae CC (Par 70 7,044 yards)
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Purse: $5,800,000
2015 Winner: Jimmy Walker
Tournament Recap
Quick note on this string of Hawaii tournaments before we talk about the Sony Open. I can’t decide if I love or hate these tournaments and it’s all for selfish reasons. I love them because they air in prime time. Nothing better than prime time golf. I live in the central time zone so these tournaments air from 5:00pm – 9:30pm. It’s perfect. You can watch the entire tournament and still have plenty of time to go out and do stuff (or stay in and watch a movie YOLO). I hate them because they’re in Hawaii in January and I can’t stand looking at the perfect weather while it’s -5 without the windchill right outside my window. That’s torture. I’m not an ocean guy but I’m also not an idiot. I’ll take sunny and beautiful over the ice age every time. All I’m saying is it sucks looking at people enjoying perfect Hawaiian weather while I have my heat cranked to the max and I’m still freezing.
Back to the actual tournament itself. Not as much of a star-studded field like the week before at Kapalua. No Spieth, no Rickie, no Day, no DJ, no Bubba. But we had Vijay Singh! Damn right we did. 52-year-old Vijay was even our co-leader after the first round thanks to a 63 but then faded as the tournament went along. It would’ve been awesome to see Singh in the mix on Sunday but a 73 on Saturday prevented that from happening. So instead we had a three-way tie between Fabian Gomez, Zac Blair and Brandt Snedeker at -18 on Sunday with 4 holes to play. Let’s talk about Zac Blair for a second. 25 years old. Looks like he’s 14. BYU guy. Second year on the PGA Tour.
But check out his pre-putt routine
The dude has a serious case of the wiggles and happy feet. I couldn’t even fit all of that in a Vine. There was still more. It kept going and going. Keegan Bradley is weirded out by Zac Blair’s pre-shot routine. I like Blair and it’s always good to see more young guys doing well on the Tour but that shit was hilarious.
Anyway, Fabian Gomez kinda came outta nowhere to win this tournament. It seemed like it was Snedeker and Blair (with some Kevin Kisner thrown in there) most of the way. Then Gomez strung together 7 straight birdies at one point on Sunday and there he was. He shot a 62 in regulation and that was with back-to-back bogeys on 13 and 14. He made a long clutch birdie on 18 to give himself the outright lead at -20. Then Snedeker birdied 18 after soon after Gomez to push the two into a playoff at -20. Blair missed the playoff by a stroke. Our first playoff of the season! Prime time golf being pushed into #FreeGolf is all a guy can ask for on a lazy Sunday night. Sudden death. Gomez vs Snedeker. Play the par-5 18th until somebody fucks up. That person was Snedeker who refused to put his driver away on the second playoff hole. He put it in the rough again. Gomez took out a 3-wood and put it right in the fair way. Par for Snedeker. Birdie for Gomez. It was Gomez’s second PGA Tour win.
Gomez’s scorecards
Shot of the Week
The SOTW goes to Fabian Gomez’s putt on the 18th hole on Sunday. That birdie putt put him at -20 for the tournament and, at the time, gave him the outright lead. A testicle-dragging putt. Miss that and there might not be a playoff and he doesn’t have a chance to win the tournament.
Other candidates for SOTW
Zac Blair’s approach on 18 on Sunday. The best part about this shot is Blair saying, “Oh my god that is so good.” You don’t see that too often. When most players talk after a shot they’re pissed cause they didn’t hit it the way they wanted to. Not Zac. I can’t remember the last time I hit a 3-wood and was like, “That is so good.” Probably because it’s never happened.
Fred Funk chips in for eagle outta the bunker at the par-5 9th on Friday.
Steve Stricker makes eagle at the par-4 10th on Saturday.
Alfonso Ribeiro makes a long eagle putt at the Diamond Resorts Invitational and does The Carlton.
Fan of the Week
Not sure this guy can be considered a “fan” but we’re going with Erik Compton. What do players do after their rounds when they know they’re not gonna make the cut in Hawaii? We rarely find out unless you’re Robert Allenby but apparently Compton goes fishing. We know because the Golf Channel cameras spotted him during their broadcast.
Not sure why I found this so funny but I did. The announcers did too. Compton got a whole bunch of camera time on Saturday. Something about going from golfing for a living to an even more relaxing activity is hilarious. Tough life for these golfers. Do you, Erik Compton. Do you.
Random shit
Greg Norman Out As Lead Golf Analyst At Fox
This news broke last night. Greg Norman out as the lead golf analyst at Fox. Not sure how I feel about it because we don’t have much history with him as an analyst. I can’t recall any memorable moments with him at last year’s U.S. Open so that’s probably not a great sign. That also could be because Fox’s tournament coverage was so awful that Shark simply got lost in the shuffle.
Remember this moment?
Jordan Spieth had just won his second major of the year and Curt Menefee says Spieth doesn’t do anything great. Got it. That pretty much summed up Fox’s debut coverage of golf. So I guess this is goodbye for now, Greg Norman. I’ll always love you and your shark hats. This doesn’t change that in the least. Word on the internet streets is that Fox is looking at Paul Azinger to be his replacement.
Shout Out To Paul Chaplet For Earning A Spot At The Masters
The Latin America Amateur Championship was this past weekend and Paul Chaplet from Costa Rica won. The winner of the LAAC earns a spot at the Masters in April so that’s pretty dope. Paul is 16 and will be playing ay Augusta National. No pressure kid.
No Laying Up Podcast
I went on the No Laying Up Podcast last week and talked Barstool, Rory, Spieth and even some Making A Murderer. The audio didn’t come out great but it was still a really good time. If you’re looking for a good golf follow on Twitter, or just a good follow in general, hit up @NoLayingUp. You can listen to the podcast here.
JOHN DALY WATCH
What the hell? Listen, I don’t totally understand how exemptions work. It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot in golf and I just nod my head and pretend to know what’s happening. But I do know how crowds work and crowds absolutely love John Daly. If JD says he wants too play in your tournament, you let him play in your tournament. It’s as simple as that. He should have a lifetime exemption. He should be able to play where he wants and when he wants. There aren’t a ton of golfers who move the needle in terms of entertainment value but Daly is one of them. People love to watch him hit long drives and burn heaters. What are we gonna do about this? It ain’t right. I have no pull whatsoever so I’m just gonna pout and say John should be allowed to play. So there.
Hot Instagram Golfer of the Week: Blair O’Neal
ICYMI
- John Daly’s Ex-Wife Arrested AGAIN And Her Collection Of Mugshots Is Downright Impressive
- Jordan Spieth Made A Cool $53 Million In 2015
- Tiger Woods Is An Awesome Wingman According To This Story Kevin Na Told
- Rickie Fowler May Or May Not Be Dating LB From The Bachelor