Welcome to another installment of The Grind, where we’re tired after a weekend of raking leaves and an unprecedented Halloween where candy was given away – 1600 isn’t the most we’ve ever given away, but can it be crushed? in less than three hours? Crazy.
(I see you, turkey hat boy!) And if you’re thinking, how is that even possible?!, well, here’s another angle of my block:
Yeah, it’s pretty wild. On the plus side, my 4 year old turned out to be a great helper/performer. He also set a record by saying “TAKE ONE PLEASE!” which took the burden off me of being an idiot.
Anyway, if you have any candy left over, send it to me and I’ll start stocking it up for next year. Okay, let’s talk golf.
WE BOUGHT
Seamus Power: And maybe Europe found a good chunk to replace some of the LIV guys on the Ryder Cup squad. That latecomer could be Ireland’s Jimmy Walker, who waited until age 34 for his first PGA Tour win, but now has two after a solitary win at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship:
Perhaps most impressive is the fact that THREE times during the tournament he took on the hair-raising 235-yard par 3 16 at the cliff-side Port Royal golf course. That’s the hole where there’s a plaque that says Lucas Glover: “Man, I’ve never been this nervous about a shot.” And he is a great champion and a former Cup president who has had major concussions. Anyway, well done Seamus. You tamed this beast and more than survived the Bermuda Triangle.
The 4 aces: Comparisons to other sporting dynasties are, of course, ridiculous, but we must give credit where credit is due. And the 4 Aces were No. 1 heading into the season-ending LIV Golf Team Championship and wrapped up Sunday in Doral, taking the team title and raising a whopping $16 million.
And while the distribution of the prize money is at the discretion of Captain Dustin Johnson, we expect all four players to receive an equal share. Even Pat Perez, who got away with a clutch lap! And he let Haterz know afterwards. “I never have much pain [showing] I did it today so everyone could shut up, which is awesome. “I don’t mind. I get paid I don’t care.” And he got PAID. He Just look at this chart:
Not bad for someone who averaged 32nd out of 48 players in his eight events. Pat will eventually uncork many more bottles in his (early) retirement.
Nolan Krentz: A few years ago I was playing golf with a guy named Barry Gibbons and wrote about how he broke the record for most rounds of golf in a year (878). Well, Barry has his work cut out for him again, as Wisconsin’s Nolan Krentz was recently recognized for playing 17,820 holes or 990(!) rounds in 2021. Even crazier, Nolan is on pace to break that record again this year!
Unlike Barry, Nolan plays almost all of these rounds on a 9 hole course and uses a push cart. So my husband Barry still has a record for carrying your bag. But wow, what crazy golf. And in Wisconsin no less! Speaking of golf nuts…
A mini leaf blower: They certainly would look like this if you put one of these in your golf bag:
But I think it’s a great idea! Fall golf is nice, but a lot of time is wasted looking for golf balls. Maybe Nolan Krentz can break the 20,000 mark if he gets one of these. In related news, I can’t believe how sore I am from doing the sheets this weekend. But no leaf blower, no matter how big, would help me. The pain only comes from collecting the leaves because we have to pack them in our village. Brutally.
WE SELL
DJ almost lost his eye: You’d think a man who DJs a lot on luxury ships would know how to handle a bottle of champagne, but the two-time Grand Slam champion almost turned into a one-eyed golfer during Sunday’s celebrations in Doral:
I’m glad to see he’s come through this year well and what a year for the 38-year-old who has earned $35 million in prize money without his $130 million contract to sign with LIV. With that money, DJ could buy his own sparkling wine distillery.
Ben Griffin Completion: It was tough watching this guy end up giving away the tournament, but it’s still better than selling mortgages. There are plenty of touring pros out there who say they almost gave up, but this guy really did, working a 9-to-5 admin job for a while. Luckily he has tried his luck at golf again and not only does he have his PGA Tour card but he almost deserves his first victory. What a good story.
Good for Ben and good timing on his part. Being a mortgage loan officer now with today’s interest rates must suck.
Bubba Watson as announcer:
He will get there. He will get there.
IN DRAFT
The PGA Tour heads to Mexico for the World Tech Championships, also known as the Mayakoba event that has everyone wondering if it’s really a sponsor. (It is.) (We think.) Now it’s TimberTech championship week with the PGA Tour champions. Once again, we believe that it is a real sponsor.
Random Tournament Fact: Viktor Hovland is the two-time defending champion. For some reason, the Norwegian is the king of resort golf. (Are there even Bermuda greens in this part of the world?) In any case, he’s listed at 10-1 by three peats, trailing only Scottie Scheffler at 9-1. Here are some other (unofficial) odds:
RANDOM BETS OF THE WEEK
– My mortgage loan officer could do the PGA Tour: 1 MILLION to 1 odds
– Dustin Johnson rakes his own hands: 35 MILLION to 1 odds
— Dustin Johnson won’t open his own bottles for a while: LOCK
PHOTO(S) OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to these parents for the coolest kids’ birthday party of the year:
Also accessories for the family I saw on Halloween wearing matching Augusta National caddy jumpsuits. You guys are cool and brave because you never know when ANGC might want to go to court.
TWEET(S) OF THE WEEK
Come for Justin Thomas who shares a nightmare he was having, stay with Colt Knost for a delicious dagger:
Interestingly, I had a dream about Colt giving me a golf lesson earlier this year. But this nightmare came after I woke up and couldn’t play anymore.
VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Eddie Pepperell and Matt Wallace took on the DP World Tour’s “Endless Hole of Golf,” a fun challenge where the two could play each other by tossing the golf ball or getting dizzy on a swing. The craziest part? Not only did they finish the hole, they both made par!
These guys are really good.
THIS WEEK IN PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION
The 4 Aces and the 4 Aces WAG posed after Sunday’s lucrative win:
And Paulina Gretzky showed her support for Dustin Johnson and the team at the after party:
Though I’m pretty sure this isn’t official team merch.
BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUMES (ROYAL DIVISION)
As always, the Donalds led the way, and with (sort of) a Ryder Cup theme to boot!
Well done. Thanks to Kyle Horn of Golf Digest for his great work as a Club Pro Guy:
He even went a step further by hitting numerous hits during his round. And how about Tiger as… a tiger:
Good stuff, but next time let’s buy him a GOAT costume.
BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUMES (FAKE DIVISION)
There were some great fake costumes floating around, and some golf-themed ones stood out. Here is a sample:
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“My dad used to tell me an old Korean proverb…if you keep farting, you’ll eventually poop.” —Henry Chung, who used that wisdom to advance to the final level of Q School this week. Yes, he really said that:
THIS AND THAT
Atthaya Thitikul was ranked number one in the Rolex world rankings, joining Lydia Ko as the only teenager to reach number one. She’s young enough to still be trick-or-treating, and she’s the best in the world at her job. Excellent. … Speaking of teenagers, University of Tennessee freshman Caleb Surratt shot Bermuda 64-85-65 in his last three rounds. Also amazing. … Congratulations to Max and Lacey Homa on the birth of their first child:
Wait, another camera? …And finally, I admit I’m a bit biased, but I thought these two would be the cutest princesses on Halloween:
And it looks like we have another Choco-Holic on our hands with the boy. he is in the family.
RANDOM QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT
