Firestone love continues for Tiger Woods at World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational

Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Si Woo Kim is dancing Gangnam Style in celebration around Ponte Vedra Beach after becoming the youngest champion of THE PLAYERS. Here’s five observations from THE PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass where Kim was sublime on the way to a decisive, three-shot victory over Louis Oosthuizen and Ian Poulter. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Si Woo Kim is just 21 years of age and, as such, becomes the youngest winner of the PLAYERS Championship, beating out Adam Scott’s old mark by nearly two years. On Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, as others faulted around him, Kim put together a bogey-free 3-under 69 in an incredibly mature performance. Despite hitting just 8 of 18 greens in regulation, Kim managed to scramble his way to a relatively dominant victory. It is rare to see this sort of composure without the benefit of experience, especially on a course as penal as Pete Dye’s masterpiece. His win will likely see him join Nick Price’s International team at The Presidents Cup as new young blood as they try to win the biennial competition for the first time since 1998. Having already won the 2016 Wyndham Championship, Kim is the fourth-youngest player in the last 25 years to win twice on TOUR – behind Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Jordan Spieth. Pretty heady company. Now we just have to see if he can continue the trends like those before him. 2. Ian Poulter might have fallen short of victory. And he might have hit a shank with a chance to win on the line. But it was still great to see some of the old fire in the Englishman’s belly as he went about snatching his best finish (T2) since the 2013 World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions. Just weeks ago, Poulter believed he had missed the terms of his medical and would be scratching around for starts. But he received a reprieve after a recalculation. The change in his status gifted him a spot in the PLAYERS and boy did he make it count. On Sunday, he charged into a share of the lead on the front nine, and when he made a lengthy par putt on the par-5 ninth, we saw some of his trademark passion with an intense fist pump. To be fair, his last seven holes failed to apply any heat on the leader, but he still showed poise to secure a huge jump in the FedExCup standings. He moved from 136th to 58th, and should be in great shape to make the FedExCup Playoffs and secure a TOUR card for next season. Love him or not, he certainly makes life interesting. 3. Speaking of passion and flair – how much fun was it to ride the rollercoaster with the Spanish connection this week at TPC Sawgrass?! Recently-crowned Masters champion Sergio Garcia gave us a poor start, opening in 40, but then a spirited fightback began, including a hole-in-one on the iconic 17th not long after. He then surged into contention through 54 holes only to post his final round 78 to fall well back. We saw similar stuff from PLAYERS first-timer Jon Rahm, who sat well-poised through 36 holes before shooting 82 on Saturday to MDF. And of course then there was Rafa Cabrera Bello who surged to a T4 finish thanks in part to the first-ever albatross on the par-5 16th hole. His celebrations were fun to watch – check it out below. 4. It was certainly strange to not have one of the big guns surging on Sunday at the PLAYERS. Spoiled with some of the most popular players on TOUR in recent years in Tiger Woods, Matt Kuchar, Martin Kaymer, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day as winners of the tournament the large crowds were just waiting for the inevitable rush. Day was paired with Rory McIlroy as the two started eight back but never made a run. The defending champion shot 80 while Rory heads off for his MRI on his back following a 75. Sergio Garcia shot 78 Sunday. Dustin Johnson carded a lovely 68 but was still well off the pace. Fowler signed for a 79 … It was a week for others to shine. It makes this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson very exciting as the likes of Day, Johnson, Garcia and Jordan Spieth (who missed the cut at Sawgrass) join the field. 5. The changes at TPC Sawgrass were for the most part a success. The new green surfaces rolled pure and true and the drivable par-4 12th created a new dynamic to the back nine. A total of 41 players went for the green (hit 3-wood or driver) in the final round compared to 26 in Round 1, 39 in Round 2 and 46 in Round 3. Some players also attempted to hit the green using irons off the tee. While the majority laid back, worried about the risk, the hole did its job – i.e. it made them think. The course is one of the most exciting on the planet where a great score (ace, albatross) or even double digits (Anirban Lahiri had a 10 on the 18th) can be just around the corner.  FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Kim ranked second this week in Strokes Gained: off-the-tee and Strokes Gained: tee-to-green. For the season, Kim had ranked 195th and 194th on TOUR, respectively, producing a stunning turnaround. Kim led the field in Scrambling (22 of 27). 2. Kim’s winning 278 tournament total is the highest at THE PLAYERS since Sergio Garcia won in 2008 (283). 3. With 600 FedExCup points, Kim moves to No. 21 in the FedExCup, while Dustin Johnson (T12) maintained the lead. Last season, Kim was one of two PGA TOUR rookies to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs finale, the TOUR Championship. He ended the season at No. 17. 4. Kim becomes the first player from Asia to win twice on the PGA TOUR before the age of 22. He is one of eight Korean-born players to win on the PGA TOUR and becomes the fifth with multiple victories: K.J. Choi (8), Y.E. Yang (2), Sangmoon Bae (2), James Hahn (2), Si Woo Kim (2), Kevin Na (1), Seung-Yul Noh (1), Danny Lee (1). 5. There was a total of 69 balls in the water on the par-3 17th island green for the week: 19 in Round 1, 29 in Round 2, 10 in Round 3 and 11 in the final round. It was the most water balls since there were 93 back in 2007 and the second-most since the stat was kept from 2003. TOP THREE VIDEOS 1. Take a bow Rafa Cabrera Bello… or a run through the high five gauntlet… after this history making albatross 2. A hole-in-one from a former PLAYERS champ fresh off winning a green jacket. Nice.  3. If at first you have a near air swing … try again. Jordan Spieth shows us how. 

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When Kelly Gibson was 8 years old, his father took him to his first PGA TOUR event at Lakewood Country Club in New Orleans. “I watched Jack Nicklaus beat Miller Barber on my dad’s shoulders,â€� Gibson recalls, the memory of that playoff still vivid even after 47 years. And he’s either attended, competed or been associated with every Zurich Classic of New Orleans since – with the exception of the four years when he played golf at Lamar University. Until this week, of course. There will be no Zurich Classic in 2020. No two-man teams playing at TPC Louisiana – a golf course that Gibson helped design with the legendary Pete Dye and fellow pro Steve Elkington. None of the Big Easy’s famed restaurants like Drago’s and Emeril’s and the Acme Oyster House set up on the property dishing out food for the fans. The tournament is one of nine TOUR events and one major championship that have been canceled as the world desperately tries to flatten the deadly coronavirus curve. Gibson understands, of course, and knows that his hometown has been particularly hard-hit as one of the country’s early hot spots. But there’s still a void. “I never missed it physically hurt, injured, surgery, or anything,â€� says the 55-year-old Gibson, whose last appearance as a player was in 2007. “This will be the first time really in 47 years I wasn’t involved in the tournament in some way, shape, or form.â€� On Tuesday – for the 31st year — Gibson would have hosted a junior clinic at TPC Louisiana for between 50 and 100 youngsters and their parents. Once, Lexi Thompson, an 11-time LPGA champion and Zurich ambassador, helped him with it. Vijay Singh, Charley Hoffman, Jason Dufner and J.B. Holmes, among others, have also demonstrated shots for the kids. “I try to make it interactive,â€� Gibson says. “I usually try to bring up some of the kids to hit. There’s been a few years where if I had the time, and we had the space to do it, I let every single kid that shows up hit at least one shot. “It’s exciting for them because I can remember that first time when I was 8 years old, seeing Jack Nicklaus, and all I’m trying to do is say, ‘Hey, I was in your shoes at one time.’ I’m from New Orleans. I’m from the West Bank. I grew up just like where you grew up, and this is the reality. “It’s essentially like a kid going to a football game and getting to meet (New Orleans Saints quarterback) Drew Brees on the field.â€� Gibson, who is hunkered down at home like the rest of us these days with his wife and two almost-teenaged daughters, also serves on the board of the Fore!Kids Foundation that puts on the Zurich Classic. He knows the charitable impact the tournament has on a wide variety of New Orleans organizations. Restaurants, hotels and bars, among other establishments, also see an uptick in revenue, as well. At the same time, though, the fifth-generation New Orleans native has seen his hometown repeatedly persevere. After the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, Kelly quickly created a non-profit called “Feed The Reliefâ€� and raised more than $1 million to help feed first responders in the port city and neighboring areas. The organization is now the Kelly Gibson Foundation, focused not only on first responders but also the military and children’s athletics, including a robust junior golf tour consisting of nearly 20 events. Turns out, the Zurich Classic was the first major sporting event held in New Orleans after Katrina hit in August 2005, albeit at a different course (English Turn in 2006) because TPC Louisiana sustained considerable damage. And Gibson knows the 2021 edition of the tournament will mark another triumphant return. In the meantime, Gibson is entertaining himself and his friends on Facebook with daily posts about his days on the PGA TOUR. A friend challenged him, and Gibson, a consummate storyteller in person, didn’t back down from doing it in cyberspace. He hasn’t missed a day since that first post at 2:25 p.m. on March 24. “I said, ‘It’s story time. Name a place, a color, or a person. I’ll try to tell a story to help pass this time during this difficult period,’ â€� Gibson recalls. “So, people started replying. Tell a story about Butler National. Tell a story about your favorite golf course on TOUR; least favorite. Tell a story about Dennis Trixler. Tell a story about Lee Janzen.â€� And Gibson has taken those comments to heart. He’s written about meeting presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford at the 1995 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. At the same time, there was the meeting with Ben Hogan that almost didn’t happen. Oh, and the brush with Elton John on his honeymoon. And can you believe he hit seven – count ‘em, seven – spectators are the Greater Greensboro Open one year? “It’s a view into my life which could seem egotistical, or this is just Kelly frustrated doing stuff because he’s bored,â€� Gibson says. “Actually, I’m doing this to entertain friends. “It’s been therapeutic, or maybe cathartic is the word.â€� And we all need a little of that these days.

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