8th January Newsletter 2024

RESULTS
Weekly Results From Around The World

PGA Tour: The Sentry - Chris Kirk | -29

NEWS
Short News Snippets From Around The World

Player of The Year. Scottie Scheffler secures back-to-back PGA Tour Player of the Year titles, the first since Tiger Woods in 2007. Winning the Players Championship and WM Phoenix Open in 2023, Scheffler earned 38% of player votes. PGA Tour Rookie of the Year goes to Eric Cole, the only rookie advancing to the BMW Championship. Scheffler's remarkable consistency, with 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes, and a record-setting $21,014,342 in earnings, contributed to his success. I personally think it should have gone to Jon Rahm, but his recent move to LIV Golf hindered his chances.

Rory Softing Up to LIV. Rory McIlroy, once a vocal critic of LIV Golf, softens his stance, admitting he was judgmental and now sees it as part of the sport. Reflecting on the business aspect and understanding diverse player situations, McIlroy emphasizes players' right to make a living. He acknowledges Jon Rahm's move as a "smart business move" and hopes for golf unity.

Day Moves On. Jason Day, former Nike ambassador, signs with Malbon Golf as its first PGA Tour representative, leaving the Nike brand after an association since 2016. Known for connecting with the younger golf demographic, Malbon aims to bring style to the Tour through its partnership with Day, who debuted his new Malbon attire during The Sentry at Kapalua. Hit the link to see his interesting outfits at The Sentry this past week

Pay Up, Patrick. Patrick Reed has been ordered by a Jacksonville federal judge to pay legal fees to news outlets, including Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee, after a defamation lawsuit he filed was twice dismissed. The court found Reed's suit aimed to stifle free speech. Reed alleged conspiracy, defamation, and more against the defendants regarding coverage of rules violations and joining the LIV Golf League. Judge Corrigan dismissed the suit for the second time in September 2023, stating Reed didn't meet the required pleading of actual malice for defamation. Reed plans to appeal, alleging prejudice and unlawful rulings.

Changing To A Lefty. PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk spent his offseason learning to play golf left-handed, practising exclusively with a left-handed set provided by Callaway. Kirk, who didn't touch a right-handed club for over two months, described the experience as a break from right-handed swings and a return to the childlike joy of the game. Despite not achieving his goal of breaking 80 left-handed, the experiment seemingly had a positive impact on his overall game, leading to a victory at the Sentry tournament in Maui.

STATS
Bridie Train 🚂

Sungjae Im made a record number of birdies in a 72-hole event on the PGA Tour with a whopping number of 34. That is 8.5 per round 🤯

He didn’t up winning the event finishing on -26. Meaning he had 8 drop shots.

Birdies per round
Scratch Golfer - 2
10 Handicap - 0.7
18 Handicap - 0.4

The moral of the story here is the birdies are great, but limiting your drop shots is going to make you shoot lower scores.

Play within yourself, play the percentage shot. Going for the safe shot rather than the heroic one is probably the better option.

TWITTER
How My Wife Thinks I Play Golf ⛳

EVENTS
What Can We Expect From The Upcoming Events

PGA Tour: Sony Open in Hawaii - Defending Champ | Si Woo Kim
DP World Tour: Dubai Invitational - Defending Champ | Inaugural Event
LPGA Tour: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions | 18 - 21 Jan 2024
Asian Tour: IRS Prima Malaysian Open | 15 - 18 Feb 2024