Nothing special about Tiger’s return to playoffs

We all have different reasons we were drawn to the game of golf. That includes the celebrities competing in this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Celebrities, they’re just like us. Some followed a parent to the course. Others were seduced by that feeling of a solidly-struck shot. And some turned to the game after becoming famous, using it as a respite from the stresses of their careers. We took a look at a few of the high-profile names competing at Pebble Beach this week, from an NFL quarterback to a Grammy-winning rapper, and their relationship with the game we all love. JOSH ALLEN Buffalo Bills quarterback The Buffalo Bills quarterback won’t be competing in the Pro Bowl this week. He’ll be playing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am instead. In turning down his Pro Bowl invitation, Allen said he needed to “allow my body to rest and recover from the harshness of the season.” No better place to do that than one of the world’s most picturesque places. Allen threw for 4,407 yards this season, the eighth-most in the NFL, to lead the Bills to their second consecutive AFC East title. The Bills’ season came to an end with a heartbreaking, overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Allen’s love for golf went viral late last year, when he dressed up as Phil Mickelson for Halloween, showing up to the Bills’ game wearing full golf attire, including a visor from Kiawah Island, where Mickelson won last year’s PGA Championship. Allen topped off the outfit by carrying a metal coffee container like Mickelson. It turns out that Mickelson had called the Bills in the preseason to offer an inspirational message. “It was right after he won the PGA and he was right there with his trophy and the golf cart,” Allen told reporters. “He was on the golf course, and he took about 30 minutes to talk to the team and it was really cool. I think it’s just self-knowledge, understanding who you are. I know I don’t play well when I’m frustrated, and again, hearing that from a Hall of Fame golfer, one of the best of all time, to say that type of thing, that resonated well with me, because that’s exactly kind of how I feel, too. It helped me today and hopefully it’ll help me in the future, too.” In 2020, after Allen became the first player in NFL history to record at least 4,000 passing yards, 30-plus passing touchdowns and at least eight rushing touchdowns in a season, he thanked his offensive linemen by buying them golf clubs and lessons. Allen has even used golf analogies to describe his play on the gridiron. “The type of throws where I struggle are kind of the underneath patterns where I’ve got to tone down my arm a little bit,” he once said. “It’s like I’m 100 yards out, and I have a 4-iron.” Golf Digest estimated in 2018 that he was an 11 handicap. MOOKIE BETTS Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Betts’ love of golf went viral four years ago during Spring Training, when he walked through his golf swing while mic’d up during an exhibition game. Another video showed him discussing how changes to his ball position fixed his short-game struggles on Florida’s Bermudagrass. The right fielder’s demonstration was interrupted when he had to chase down a ball hit into the corner of the outfield. Betts was with the Boston Red Sox when those videos went viral. He’s since become a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he appears to be taking advantage of Southern California’s strong lineup of courses. Betts was spotted at Riviera Country Club last week during media day for the upcoming Genesis Invitational. Betts’ appearance at Riviera was a thrill for Max Homa, the Genesis’ defending champion, who grew up in Southern California and is a diehard Dodgers fan. “That’s a living legend. That’s the coolest dude on the planet right there,” Homa gushed after meeting Betts at Riviera. “He’s literally not a human. He’s unbelievable. He’s good at everything.” Betts has a .296 career batting average and .890 OPS. He is a former MVP, five-time Gold Glove winner and four-time Silver Slugger. He led the American League in batting average (.346) and slugging percentage (.640) as a member of Boston Red Sox in 2018, the year he won the American League’s MVP award and led the Sox to the World Series title over the Dodgers. Golf Digest estimated in 2018 that Betts was a 12 handicap. Given his incredible hand-eye coordination – Betts also is an accomplished bowler who has bowled multiple 300 games – his handicap has likely dropped since then. “I haven’t seen him play (golf), but I’d be surprised if he’s not great,” Homa said. “He could probably make it on TOUR if he decided he wanted to do that, just judging by his athletic ability and skills. He’s incredible.” Hopefully Betts won’t be driving a golf cart this week. A 2016 tweet of his showed a fully-submerged golf cart with the caption “Yea no more driving for me.” MACKLEMORE Rapper and songwriter The Grammy-winning rapper and songwriter has a deep love for the game after getting hooked shortly after Thanksgiving 2018. “I hit a 5-iron out of the sand and I hit it pure and I have been very addicted ever since,” he said at last year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I just want that feeling. I play as much as I possibly can, which with two kids is not that often, but that often is at least two to three times a week. So I’ll take it.” He’s developed his game rather quickly. A Morning Read article in October said he was an 11 handicap. He’s even introduced his own line of golf clothing. His Bogey Boys line has a strong retro vibe. It looks like something Johnny Miller or Tom Watson may have worn in their primes. Macklemore looks through thrift shops and old golf magazines for inspiration. “I love that feeling of hitting a great shot. I love hitting a green in regulation, piping a drive,” he said. “I love even just the ups and downs, the humility that the game brings, the swing of emotion, the mental fortitude that it takes, the patience, the spiritual practice of accepting whatever you just did and letting it go, the exercise, the camaraderie. I truly love everything about the sport.” BILL MURRAY Actor and comedian Bill Murray’s biggest impact on golf will forever be his turn as disaffected greenskeeper Carl Spackler in the 1980s cult classic “Caddyshack.” But his second biggest impact has been as the most famous amateur at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Said to be a single-digit handicap, Murray never takes himself or his golf too seriously. When he first started playing in 1993, he connected with a spunky elderly woman for a dance in a bunker that ended with her tumbling into the sand. Although she was fine, it sparked a minor controversy. Soon, though, everyone realized he was good for the event, entertaining the masses and even donating his $14,000 from the Celebrity Challenge to the Salinas library system. For a long time, his pro partner was the mustachioed Scott Simpson, who said that Murray, recognizing that everyone comes out to have a good time, “amps it up a notch … or 10.” Murray switched to D.A. Points in 2011, and with Murray helping him stave off nerves, Points, then 35, shot 17-under to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR after 128 starts. What’s more, Points and Murray won the pro-am. Points, then the 166th ranked player in the world, said he would stick with Murray “for as long as he’ll have me.” Murray, who also has a golf clothing line and, with his brothers, Caddyshack restaurant, said, “I’m thinking of turning pro. I probably won’t. It’s really nice to play with a gentleman. He’s a good person. He’s from Illinois. He’s Lincoln-esque in stature and unfailingly polite.” SCHOOLBOY Q Rapper and songwriter ScHoolboy Q was in the studio, working on a record, when golf highlights appeared on TV. The rapper/songwriter remarked about golf’s lack of appeal, and a colleague issued a challenge. “I’ll bet you $10,000 that you can’t make a birdie within two years,” Q recounted being told. Within 10 rounds, Q cashed the bet, draining a 70-footer. The artist from South Los Angeles overcame a stint in jail by channeling his energies into the rap genre, collaborating with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul and also finding success in solo work, including his major-label debut studio album, “Oxymoron,” which debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200. While he’s not furthering his musical career or raising his two daughters, Q channels his energies into improving his golf game. This week, he makes his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am debut, putting his skills to the test on the national spotlight. Q, who notes Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau as his favorite TOUR pros, credits the golf culture for fostering a positive creative mindset that he carries to the rest of his life. “Golf taught me patience,” he told GQ magazine. “You need that in the music industry, because this (stuff) is evil. Being in the house so much can drive you crazy. “You can always bounce back. Hit a good chip shot, get a good putt, save the day, par. That’s life!”

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BILLY HORSCHEL EARNS SEVENTH TOUR TITLE AT THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT Billy Horschel missed the cut at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, but a pep talk from wife Brittany on their Saturday flight home provided a spark. “She said, ‘Would you rather make the cut, finish middle of the pack … or go home, work with T.A. (coach Todd Anderson) and have a chance to win at Memorial?’” The inquiry proved prophetic, as Horschel authored a 13-under total at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday for a four-stroke win over Aaron Wise at Muirfield Village GC. Horschel used a 7-under 65 on a tricky Saturday to gain separation from the field, and he kept his distance with a final-round 72. The 2014 FedExCup champion earns his seventh TOUR title – also his first individual stroke-play win since 2017 – and he accrues 550 FedExCup points, moving to No. 10 in the season-long standings. A 53-foot eagle on No. 15 Sunday allowed Horschel to soak in the moment over the final three holes, made sweeter by the attendance of his wife, parents and three kids – who raced onto No. 18 green to ask, “Did Daddy win?” As evidenced by Horschel’s congratulatory handshake from tournament host Jack Nicklaus, indeed he did. TOUR RETURNS TO CANADA The RBC Canadian Open returns to the PGA TOUR schedule after two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The TOUR will take over Toronto as the best players in the world get their first look at St. George’s Golf and Country Club since it last hosted in 2010. FedExCup leader and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlines the expansive field while Rory McIlroy returns to defend his title from 2019. Other big names making the trip include PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas, THE PLAYERS champion Cameron Smith, Sam Burns, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry (who finished T2 in 2019), Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Reed. Nearly two dozen Canadians will tee it up at their national Open, led by Corey Conners, the top-ranked Canadian in the FedExCup standings. The winner of the RBC Canadian Open will receive 500 FedExCup points. VIDEO OF THE WEEK MIC CHECK “I think I kind of blacked out for a second when it went in … to kind of see it go over the lip and fall in, I just – you’ve got pure joy as a reaction there. Again, I blacked out. I’m not sure exactly what happened.” – Adam Hadwin on his reaction following his hole-in-one on No. 16 in the second round at Muirfield Village. BY THE NUMBERS 49 – Billy Horschel played a stretch of 49 consecutive holes without a bogey or worse en route to his win at the Memorial Tournament. 6 – This will be the sixth time that St. George’s Golf & Country Club has hosted the RBC Canadian Open, with Sweden’s Carl Pettersson winning the last iteration in 2010. 1 – Wins on the Korn Ferry Tour for Davis Thompson after he claimed the REX Hospital Open. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10

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