Officialsportsbetting.com Golf Betting The story of Justin Thomas’ dad and his sentimental wedge stampings

The story of Justin Thomas’ dad and his sentimental wedge stampings

Mike Thomas is a common sight at the side of his son, Justin, during practice rounds on the PGA TOUR. Mike, of course, pulls double duty as both the father and the lifelong swing coach for the former FedExCup champ, and he’s often seen holding a wedge while observing Justin’s swing. The story behind Mike’s club is a special one that illustrates the strong relationship between father and son. To occupy his hands during the long hours of practice days, Mike used to grab one of Justin’s wedges while Justin was practicing nearby. There was one problem. The habit used to aggravate his son. “I mean he just always had to have a club in his hand from my bag,” Justin Thomas told GolfWRX. “And to be perfectly honest, it just pissed me off that I would want to chip with a club and he would always grab a 56 or a 60 (degree wedge). So I’d have to go across the green and get it from him and it was happening every week and I was like, ‘I’m done with this. I’m just going to carry an extra wedge. This is your wedge, don’t touch my other ones.’” And that, as they say, is how this whole thing started. It was in 2019 when Justin gifted Mike one of his old Titleist Vokey SM6 wedges to carry around. Mike still carries the same club, but it looks a little different now. Since the 2019 Genesis Invitational at Riviera, Titleist’s Vokey wedge rep Aaron Dill – who’s the man behind many of the genius wedge stampings on the PGA TOUR – has been stamping important memories and events that Justin and Mike have shared together. “They call it my walker,” Mike said. “I think the first stamp on it was in LA. … It says ‘Meat Coma.’ And the story behind that is we would go to Baby Blue’s BBQ every year in LA, and we basically ate ourselves into a meat coma. “So AD, Aaron Dill with Vokey and Titleist, he put meat coma on there. I think he put ‘Meat Coma 2’ on there somewhere, too.” Other stampings mention tournaments by their trademarks, like ‘Milkshake Invitational’ for the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, which is known for the milkshakes in the Muirfield Village clubhouse. There’s other memories like ‘COVID-19 Quarantine’ and ‘Raising Money for Kids.’ The most recently noteworthy addition is ‘2022 PGA Championship,’ where ‘Champion’ is highlighted in a different color to celebrate Justin’s victory. That’s one of Mike’s favorites. Mike says he never requests a stamping, but when Dill sees him at a tournament, he’ll track Mike down and make the appropriate updates to the wedge. There’s only one problem. They’re running out of room on the club. “He’s got a great imagination for that stuff,” Mike said about Dill. “Somehow he’ll remember where (Justin) was, and he’ll go, ‘OK, we have to put the Scottish Open, the British Open, we have put the Playoffs on there.’ He somehow remembers where he was at. I don’t.” Justin finds joy in looking back at the memories, too. “I like looking at (the stampings),” he says, “and just laughing at the memories.” To solve the space issue, Dill said he’s currently working on an apparatus that would allow him to sturdy the wedge and stamp on the clubface, something he’s obviously never done when building clubs for competition. This wedge is one of a kind, however, with more stories to tell than any other club on TOUR.

Click here to read the full article

Do you want to feel the buzz of a real casino at home? Check our partners guide to the best Live Casinos for USA players.

Round Requests
Type: Round Requests - Status: OPEN
Brian Harman Under 12.5 Greens In Regulation - Round 2-165
Rory Mcllroy Under 8.5 Fairways Hit - Round 2-115
2nd Round Match-Ups - M. Homa vs K. Mitchell
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Keith Mitchell-145
Max Homa+120
2nd Round 3 Balls - K. Mitchell / B. Sowards / A. Hadwin
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Keith Mitchell-170
Adam Hadwin+150
Bob Sowards+1600
2nd Round Six-Shooter - Group C - A. Bhatia / A. Novak / D. McCarthy / J.T. Poston / D. Puig / M. Fitzpatrick
Type: 2nd Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Akshay Bhatia+400
David Puig+400
Denny McCarthy+400
Andrew Novak+450
J.T. Poston+450
Matt Fitzpatrick+450
2nd Round Six-Shooter - Group A - S. Scheffler / X. Schauffele / R. McIIroy / T. Fleetwood / J. Rahm / S. Lowry
Type: 2nd Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+260
Rory McIIroy+275
Jon Rahm+475
Xander Schauffele+500
Shane Lowry+650
Tommy Fleetwood+650
2nd Round Six-Shooter - Group B - K. Bradley / M. McNealy / R. MacIntyre / S.W. Kim / T. Finau / R. Hojgaard
Type: 2nd Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Keegan Bradley+375
Robert MacIntyre+400
Tony Finau+400
Maverick McNealy+425
Si Woo Kim+425
Rasmus Hojgaard+500
2nd Round Six-Shooter - Group E - D. Berger / A. Scott / A. Rai / B. Harman / T. Pendrith / C. Davis
Type: 2nd Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Daniel Berger+350
Aaron Rai+375
Taylor Pendrith+425
Adam Scott+450
Brian Harman+475
Cam Davis+500
2nd Round Six-Shooter - Group D - B. DeChambeau / J. Thomas / C. Morikawa / V. Hovland / L. Aberg / T. Hatton
Type: 2nd Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau+260
Collin Morikawa+425
Ludvig Aberg+425
Justin Thomas+475
Viktor Hovland+500
Tyrrell Hatton+550
2nd Round Six-Shooter - Group F - H. Matsuyama / W. Clark / P. Reed / T. Kim / S. Im / T. McKibbin
Type: 2nd Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Hideki Matsuyama+320
Patrick Reed+400
Sungjae Im+425
Wyndham Clark+450
Tom Kim+475
Tom McKibbin+500
Scottie Scheffler
Type: Scottie Scheffler - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-160
Top 10 Finish-345
Top 20 Finish-1000
Bryson DeChambeau
Type: Bryson DeChambeau - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+225
Top 10 Finish+100
Top 20 Finish-250
Tyrrell Hatton
Type: Tyrrell Hatton - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+250
Top 10 Finish+100
Top 20 Finish-225
2nd Round 3 Balls - M. Kartrude / S. Valimaki / J. Knapp
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Jake Knapp-110
Sami Valimaki+125
Michael Kartrude+700
Jon Rahm
Type: Jon Rahm - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+275
Top 10 Finish+125
Top 20 Finish-200
Collin Morikawa
Type: Collin Morikawa - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+320
Top 10 Finish+150
Top 20 Finish-185
Jhonattan Vegas
Type: Jhonattan Vegas - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+275
Top 10 Finish+150
Top 20 Finish-175
Aaron Rai
Type: Aaron Rai - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+350
Top 10 Finish+160
Top 20 Finish-160
Ludvig Aberg
Type: Ludvig Aberg - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+350
Top 10 Finish+160
Top 20 Finish-160
Viktor Hovland
Type: Viktor Hovland - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+350
Top 10 Finish+180
Top 20 Finish-150
2nd Round Match-Ups - C. Davis vs E. Cole
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Eric Cole-115
Cam Davis-105
2nd Round 3 Balls - E. Cole / E. Steger / C. Davis
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Cam Davis-105
Eric Cole-105
Eric Steger+1400
Keegan Bradley
Type: Keegan Bradley - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+450
Top 10 Finish+225
Top 20 Finish-120
Tommy Fleetwood
Type: Tommy Fleetwood - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+500
Top 10 Finish+225
Top 20 Finish-120
Ryan Gerard
Type: Ryan Gerard - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+450
Top 10 Finish+225
Top 20 Finish-120
Robert MacIntyre
Type: Robert MacIntyre - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+450
Top 10 Finish+210
Top 20 Finish-120
2nd Round 3 Balls - E. van Rooyen / M. Block / M. Hughes
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Mackenzie Hughes+110
Erik Van Rooyen+115
Michael Block+550
Rory McIlroy
Type: Rory McIlroy - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+450
Top 10 Finish+225
Top 20 Finish-115
Xander Schauffele
Type: Xander Schauffele - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+650
Top 10 Finish+275
Top 20 Finish+110
2nd Round 3 Balls - A. Eckroat / B. Bergstol / J. Bridgeman
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Austin Eckroat-120
Jacob Bridgeman+115
Brian Bergstol+1200
2nd Round Match-Ups - J. Niemann vs J. Spieth
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Joaquin Niemann-130
Jordan Spieth+110
2nd Round 3 Balls - L. Glover / M. Homa / J. Niemann
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Joaquin Niemann+100
Max Homa+220
Lucas Glover+250
2nd Round Match-Ups - B. Hun An vs D. Berger
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Daniel Berger-145
Byeong Hun An+120
2nd Round Match-Ups - A. Scott vs J.J. Spaun
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Adam Scott-115
J J Spaun-105
2nd Round 3 Balls - N. Norgaard / B. Hun An / J.J. Spaun
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Byeong Hun An+145
J J Spaun+150
Niklas Norgaard+250
2nd Round Match-Ups - C. Young vs W. Zalatoris
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Cameron Young-110
Will Zalatoris-110
2nd Round 3 Balls - T. Hatton / W. Zalatoris / A. Scott
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Tyrrell Hatton+110
Adam Scott+200
Will Zalatoris+250
2nd Round 3 Balls - P. Rodgers / N. Taylor / D. Burmester
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Dean Burmester+130
Nick Taylor+200
Patrick Rodgers+200
2nd Round Match-Ups - J. Thomas vs C. Morikawa
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Collin Morikawa-110
Justin Thomas-110
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Thomas / D. Johnson / C. Morikawa
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Collin Morikawa+115
Justin Thomas+120
Dustin Johnson+475
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Highsmith / C. Young / A. Rai
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Aaron Rai+120
Cameron Young+165
Joe Highsmith+290
2nd Round Match-Ups - B. DeChambeau vs L. Aberg
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau-165
Ludvig Aberg+140
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Spieth / P. Reed / L. Aberg
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Ludvig Aberg+120
Patrick Reed+200
Jordan Spieth+225
2nd Round Match-Ups - B. Harman vs T. Pendrith
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Taylor Pendrith-115
Brian Harman-105
2nd Round 3 Balls - T. Hoge / M. Pavon / T. Pendrith
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Taylor Pendrith+115
Tom Hoge+210
Matthieu Pavon+230
2nd Round Match-Ups - W. Clark vs T. Kim
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Wyndham Clark-115
Tom Kim-105
2nd Round Match-Ups - H. Matsuyama vs V. Hovland
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Viktor Hovland-120
Hideki Matsuyama+100
2nd Round 3 Balls - H. Matsuyama / W. Clark / T. Kim
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Hideki Matsuyama+120
Wyndham Clark+200
Tom Kim+225
2nd Round 3 Balls - R. Neergaard / P. Kizzire / M. McCarty
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Matt McCarty+140
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen+150
Patton Kizzire+260
2nd Round 3 Balls - B. DeChambeau / V. Hovland / G. Woodland
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau-110
Viktor Hovland+180
Gary Woodland+375
2nd Round 3 Balls - T. Collet / J. Walker / R. Bland
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Richard Bland-165
Jimmy Walker+230
Tyler Collet+475
2nd Round 3 Balls - S. Garcia / D. Berger / R. Henley
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Daniel Berger+125
Russell Henley+175
Sergio Garcia+250
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Dufner / M. Thorbjornsen / S. Micheel
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Michael Thorbjornsen-250
Jason Dufner+300
Shaun Micheel+750
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Rose / C. Smith / B. Harman
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Brian Harman+150
Justin Rose+175
Cameron Smith+200
2nd Round 3 Balls - R. Campos / R. Lenahan / M. Wallace
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Matt Wallace-170
Rafael Campos+150
Ryan Lenahan+1400
2nd Round 3 Balls - B. Bingaman / D. Riley / S. Im
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Sungjae Im-140
Davis Riley+130
Brandon Bingaman+1200
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Vegas / E. Smylie / B. Campbell
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Jhonattan Vegas+135
Elvis Smylie+180
Brian Campbell+220
2nd Round 3 Balls - T. Kanaya / C. Bezuidenhout / T. McKibbin
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Christiaan Bezuidenhout+150
Tom McKibbin+150
Takumi Kanaya+240
2nd Round 3 Balls - K. Yu / L. Gross / J. Keefer
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Kevin Yu-165
Johnny Keefer+140
Larkin Gross+1600
2nd Round 3 Balls - K. Nakajima / T. Wiseman / B. Hossler
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Beau Hossler-105
Keita Nakajima-105
Timothy Wiseman+1400
Regions Tradition
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Stewart Cink+275
Steven Alker+350
Jerry Kelly+600
Richard Green+600
Ernie Els+1000
Steve Stricker+1100
Alex Cejka+1400
Miguel Angel Jimenez+1600
Charlie Wi+2500
YE Yang+2800
Click here for more...
2nd Round 3 Balls - L. Donald / P. Harrington / M. Kaymer
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Padraig Harrington+150
Luke Donald+175
Martin Kaymer+200
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Parry / J. Hicks / R. Fox
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Ryan Fox-170
John Parry+160
Justin Hicks+1200
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Somers / T. Moore / D. Puig
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
David Puig-120
Taylor Moore+110
John Somers+1200
2nd Round 3 Balls - A. Chi / P. Fishburn / S. Power
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Seamus Power-150
Patrick Fishburn+135
Andre Chi+1200
2nd Round Match-Ups - A. Noren vs A. Smalley
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Alex Smalley-115
Alex Noren-105
2nd Round 3 Balls - K. Kitayama / N. Ishee / A. Noren
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Alex Noren-105
Kurt Kitayama+105
Nic Ishee+900
2nd Round Match-Ups - T. Olesen vs J.T. Poston
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
J.T. Poston-115
Thorbjorn Olesen-105
2nd Round 3 Balls - J.T. Poston / R. Hisatsune / T. Johnson
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
J.T. Poston-120
Ryo Hisatsune+115
Tom Johnson+1100
2nd Round 3 Balls - B. Koepka / R. Fowler / S. Lowry
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Shane Lowry+130
Brooks Koepka+170
Rickie Fowler+240
2nd Round Match-Ups - S. Burns vs D. Thompson
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Davis Thompson-115
Sam Burns-105
2nd Round 3 Balls - D. Thompson / B. Cauley / N. Echavarria
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Davis Thompson+145
Bud Cauley+180
Nico Echavarria+200
2nd Round Match-Ups - R. McIIroy vs T. Fleetwood
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy-185
Tommy Fleetwood+150
2nd Round 3 Balls - P. Mickelson / T. Fleetwood / J. Day
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Tommy Fleetwood-130
Jason Day+200
Phil Mickelson+400
2nd Round 3 Balls - H. English / M. Kim / T. Detry
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Harris English+150
Thomas Detry+185
Michael Kim+190
2nd Round Match-Ups - X. Schauffele vs P. Cantlay
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Xander Schauffele-135
Patrick Cantlay+115
2nd Round Match-Ups - S. Scheffler vs J. Rahm
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler-170
Jon Rahm+140
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Rahm / P. Cantlay / M. Fitzpatrick
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Jon Rahm+115
Patrick Cantlay+180
Matt Fitzpatrick+260
2nd Round Match-Ups - R. Gerard vs S. Jaeger
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Stephan Jaeger-125
Ryan Gerard+105
2nd Round Match-Ups - M. McNealy vs R. MacIntyre
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Robert MacIntyre-115
Maverick McNealy-105
2nd Round 3 Balls - S. Jaeger / C. Kirk / R. MacIntyre
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Robert MacIntyre+130
Stephan Jaeger+170
Chris Kirk+240
2nd Round Match-Ups - D. McCarthy vs R. Hojgaard
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Denny McCarthy-110
Rasmus Hojgaard-110
2nd Round 3 Balls - T. Olesen / K. Vilips / L. Canter
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Thorbjorn Olesen+115
Laurie Canter+190
Karl Vilips+250
2nd Round 3 Balls - R. McIIroy / X. Schauffele / S. Scheffler
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+130
Rory McIlroy+145
Xander Schauffele+300
2nd Round Match-Ups - T. Finau vs S.W. Kim
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Tony Finau-120
Si Woo Kim+100
2nd Round Match-Ups - S. Stevens vs H. Hall
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Sam Stevens-120
Harry Hall+100
2nd Round 3 Balls - S.W. Kim / S. Stevens / R. Hoey
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Si Woo Kim+145
Sam Stevens+170
Rico Hoey+220
2nd Round 3 Balls - T. Finau / N. Hojgaard / M. Greyserman
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Tony Finau+125
Max Greyserman+210
Nicolai Hojgaard+210
2nd Round 3 Balls - B. Gates / L. Hodges / B. Griffin
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Ben Griffin-140
Lee Hodges+135
Bobby Gates+1000
2nd Round Match-Ups - A. Bhatia vs A. Novak
Type: 2nd Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Andrew Novak-115
Akshay Bhatia-105
2nd Round 3 Balls - A. Novak / K. Bradley / M. McNealy
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Keegan Bradley+145
Maverick McNealy+185
Andrew Novak+200
2nd Round 3 Balls - T. Lawrence / N. Dunlap / H. Hall
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Harry Hall-110
Thriston Lawrence+220
Nick Dunlap+275
2nd Round 3 Balls - A. Bhatia / D. McCarthy / S. Burns
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Akshay Bhatia+175
Denny McCarthy+175
Sam Burns+175
2nd Round 3 Balls - G. Koch / M. Penge / R. Gerard
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Ryan Gerard-135
Marco Penge+125
Greg Koch+1200
2nd Round 3 Balls - J. Catlin / G. Higgo / J. Droemer
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Garrick Higgo-150
John Catlin+135
Jesse Droemer+1200
2nd Round 3 Balls - D. Newman / D. Van Tonder / V. Perez
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Victor Perez-140
Daniel van Tonder+135
Dylan Newman+1000
2nd Round 3 Balls - E. Chacarra / R. Taylor / J. Lower
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls - Status: OPEN
Eugenio Chacarra-110
Justin Lower+110
Rupe Taylor+1100
US Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+500
Bryson DeChambeau+1200
Xander Schauffele+1200
Jon Rahm+1400
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Brooks Koepka+1800
Justin Thomas+2000
Viktor Hovland+2000
Click here for more...
The Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+550
Xander Schauffele+1100
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Jon Rahm+1600
Bryson DeChambeau+2000
Shane Lowry+2500
Tommy Fleetwood+2500
Tyrrell Hatton+2500
Click here for more...
Ryder Cup 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
USA-150
Europe+140
Tie+1200

Related Post

Fantasy golf: One & Done, Fort Worth InvitationalFantasy golf: One & Done, Fort Worth Invitational

The 11th of 24 contributing events for PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO is this week’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. It’s the second of five majors, all of which are contested over 72 holes and begin on Thursdays. Scroll for tournament notes, 21 notables and three wild cards from the field of 156 in Benton Harbor, Michigan. In the context of the Fort Worth Invitational and nothing else, we’re in a weird position. Whether you measure performance with FedExCup points in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO or earnings, Jordan Spieth should be the clear-cut favorite as your selection. Of course, this assumes that he’s still available because the same thing was said at the Masters. However, he continues to waver between locking in on a solution with his putter and losing the handle. It’s not an uncommon challenge for a touring professional, and he continues to say the right things, but at what point does he begin to worry that there’s a mental roadblock on some level? That he’s not there yet, at least publicly, speaks to the expectation to overcome, but experiencing mere snippets of success also prolongs the frustration. He’s consuming arguably as good a dose of understanding his mettle than at any other point of his career. The same thing can be said for Adam Scott, albeit on a lesser scale because he’s in a different phase of his profession and life outside the ropes, and his struggles with the putter have been a narrative for a longer time. As a result, and oddly enough, the Aussie presents as a stronger option at Colonial if only because you’re going to want Spieth in a major or the Playoffs. If Scott isn’t doing it for you, look at Zach Johnson. He’s enjoyed a really solid season. As the all-time earnings leader at Colonial, you’re going to consider burning him now or at the John Deere Classic. Frankly, it’s a coin flip. With Spieth scuffling, ZJ presents as a worthy pinch-hitter. Kevin Kisner defends his title, and he has to be happy that this tournament rolled around when it did because of his own mild slump. However, swerving based on two consecutive missed cuts (Wells Fargo, PLAYERS) is micromanaging. He checks all of the other boxes. Jason Dufner is the defending champion of next week’s annual northward trek to the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, but he’s a decent option at Colonial. Not unlike how Charl Schwartzel was given a kick in the rear at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Dufner received the same treatment en route to a runner-up finish (with Pat Perez). In his last start, he tied for fifth at THE PLAYERS on his own ball, of course, and where no one can hide. If I hadn’t already burned him, he’d be my pick in Fort Worth. The smattering of notables omitted above includes Jimmy Walker, Brian Harman, Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Jon Rahm. All make sense for another time or test. (Harman’s form prompts patience until the John Deere Classic, which, in turn, green-lights Johnson now.) Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele size up as swings for the fence as relatively inexperienced talents at Colonial, so if you’re front-running, you don’t need to reach. Meanwhile, Chesson Hadley and Adam Hadwin are sound pivots regardless of your current position. If you’re a two-man gamer and you still can’t build a tandem from the endorsements above, consider Danny Lee, Nick Watney and Rory Sabbatini. Steve Stricker also makes sense because he’s basically week-to-week in moonlighting on the PGA TOUR Champions. Grab him while you can. Last but nowhere near least, in a rare bury-the-lede routing of this preview, keep Webb Simpson in your pocket. He’s atop my Power Rankings, but his victory at THE PLAYERS two weeks ago deserves some time to marinate before you use your only opportunity to invest. Naturally, the Wyndham Championship is the default play, but he’s regained the kind of game worthy of consideration in a major. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2017-18. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Jason Dufner … Fort Worth (2); Memorial (3; defending); U.S. Open (4); Wyndham (6); TOUR Championship (7) Rickie Fowler … WGC-Bridgestone (3); THE NORTHERN TRUST (10); Dell Technologies (6) Bill Haas … Wyndham (2) Brian Harman … Fort Worth (4); John Deere (3) Russell Henley … Greenbrier (2) Charley Hoffman … Fort Worth (4); Travelers (2); Canadian (3) Zach Johnson … Fort Worth (2); John Deere (1); Open Championship (5); WGC-Bridgestone (6); TOUR Championship (8) Chris Kirk … Fort Worth (2) Kevin Kisner … Fort Worth (1; defending); Memorial (5); Wyndham (6) Russell Knox … Dell Technologies (7) Brooks Koepka … St. Jude (3); U.S. Open (1; defending); Open Championship (4); WGC-Bridgestone (6); PGA Championship (2) Matt Kuchar … Fort Worth (6); Memorial (2); Canadian (3); WGC-Bridgestone (7); THE NORTHERN TRUST (9) Martin Laird … Barracuda (1) Marc Leishman … Fort Worth (7); Memorial (5); Travelers (2); Open Championship (1) William McGirt … Memorial (4) Kevin Na … Memorial (10); John Deere (9); Wyndham (3); THE NORTHERN TRUST (11) Louis Oosthuizen … U.S. Open (5); PGA Championship (4); Dell Technologies (3) Ryan Palmer … Fort Worth (2); St. Jude (6) Scott Piercy … John Deere (6) Justin Rose … Memorial (6); Open Championship (8); WGC-Bridgestone (7); TOUR Championship (2) Adam Scott … U.S. Open (10); Open Championship (8); WGC-Bridgestone (3); Dell Technologies (9); TOUR Championship (6) Webb Simpson … Fort Worth (4); Travelers (8); Greenbrier (5); Wyndham (1) Brandt Snedeker … Fort Worth (11); U.S. Open (5); Travelers (6); Canadian (3); Wyndham (4) Jordan Spieth … Fort Worth (2); Travelers (6; defending); John Deere (7); Open Championship (9; defending); WGC-Bridgestone (10); TOUR Championship (4) Kevin Streelman … Memorial (1); Travelers (2) Jimmy Walker … Greenbrier (8); Dell Technologies (7) CHAMPIONS ONE & DONE KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship For the fourth consecutive even-numbered year, Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan, hosts. It’s a par 71 at 6,852 yards with five par 3s and four par 5s. Rocco Mediate established numerous tournament scoring records at Harbor Shores in 2016, including the 72-hole mark of 19-under 265. Bernhard Langer is not defending his title due to his son’s graduation from high school. This is the first of three tournaments (all are majors) with a 36-hole cut. Total prize money is $3.25 million of which the champion will earn $585,000. Only the U.S. Senior Open Championship with a purse of $4 million is more lucrative. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment. Stephen Ames … Principal (8); U.S. Senior Open (6); Boeing (2); Shaw (7) Joe Durant … Principal (2); American Family (8); U.S. Senior Open (7); SENIOR PLAYERS (1); 3M (6); DICK’S (12); Boeing (10); Shaw (11); PURE (3); SAS (13) David Frost … U.S. Senior Open (4); 3M (7); Boeing (5); Shaw (8); PURE (1) Fred Funk … Boeing (6); PURE (5) Doug Garwood … SAS (1) Paul Goydos … 3M (1; defending); DICK’S (3); SAS (5) Lee Janzen … U.S. Senior Open (2) Miguel Angel Jiménez … Senior PGA (6); Principal (10); U.S. Senior Open (5); SENIOR PLAYERS (3); Senior Open Championship (4); 3M (9); Shaw (7); SAS (12) Jerry Kelly … Boeing (1; defending); Shaw (5); PURE (2); SAS (4) Tom Lehman … Principal (1); U.S. Senior Open (3); SAS (9) Jeff Maggert … American Family (3); Shaw (5) Billy Mayfair … Boeing (2); PURE (1) Scott McCarron … Senior PGA (11); Principal (1); SENIOR PLAYERS (3; defending); Senior Open Championship (10); DICK’S (4; defending); Shaw (5; defending); PURE (8) Colin Montgomerie … Senior PGA (1); U.S. Senior Open (6); SENIOR PLAYERS (2); Senior Open Championship (10); Shaw (4); PURE (7); SAS (3; defending) Tom Pernice, Jr. … Principal (2); Shaw (3); SAS (5) Kenny Perry … Senior PGA (6); 3M (1); DICK’S (10); SAS (2) Gene Sauers … U.S. Senior Open (5); SENIOR PLAYERS (6); Boeing (1) Vijay Singh … Senior PGA (3); U.S. Senior Open (2); Shaw (5); SAS (1) Kevin Sutherland … Usable everywhere. David Toms … Boeing (2); SAS (4) Duffy Waldorf … Principal (6); Shaw (5) WILD CARDS (short list of golfers not included above but on the rise or still building portfolios after recently turning 50): Bob Estes; Rocco Mediate; Scott Parel

Click here to read the full article