By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected]; @benalberstadt on Instagram)

September 4, 2019

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans.
1. It’s hard out here
AP report…”The new PGA Tour season starts Sept. 12 at the Greenbrier, with six domestic events and one at the Mexican resort of Mayakoba, all of them offering full FedEx Cup points and an invitation to the Masters for the winner.”
  • “Optimism is never higher. The PGA Tour in September is right up there with Major League Baseball in March.”
  • “Now for the bad news: If the last three years are any indication, some 60 percent of the players who earned PGA Tour cards won’t be keeping them.”
  • “Of the 50 players who earned PGA Tour cards last year – either the regular season or the Finals series of what is now the Korn Ferry Tour – 31 failed to finish among the top 125 in the FedEx Cup to retain full status.”

Full piece.

2. The tale of Tom Lewis
AP report…”It was his first trip to Indiana. It was his first time competing on the Korn Ferry Tour. And it was enough for Lewis to shoot up to No. 2 in the three-tournament series to earn a PGA Tour card for a new season that starts in nine days.”
  • “There were several milestones on the way to PGA Tour membership, and forgive Lewis if he didn’t recognize the most recent, and perhaps the most important.”
  • “Six weeks ago at Royal Portrush, he closed with seven straight pars in severe wind and rain for a 1-under 70 in the final round of the British Open. He moved up 18 spots into a tie for 11th, his best finish ever in a major.”

Full piece.

3. Steph’s tournament 
Golfweek’s staff…”The foundation run by Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha, will host an inaugural charity golf event on Sept. 16 along with PGA Reach, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America, to benefit children in the Bay Area and beyond to provide them opportunities to play the game and lead healthy, active lives.”
  • “The Stephen Curry Charity Classic presented by Workday seeks to raise $1 million, according to a release Tuesday from the PGA of America. Curry will host 50 two-person teams comprised of partners and donors at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, where the PGA Championship will be played next summer. The day will feature a skills challenge followed by an 18-hole scramble.”

Full piece.

4. Woods cheers on Nadal
Heather Tucker at USA Today…”Golfer Tiger Woods was among the celebrities spotted watching Rafael Nadal as he defeated Marin Cilic in a round of 16 match.”
“Woods and Nadal are friends and both are among the most successful and recognizable athletes in the world. They also both belong to the Nike family and it’s been reported that Nadal isn’t a bad golfer.”
“It would probably be much better if Tiger don’t see my swing,” Nadal joked.
Full piece.

5. …and returns to watch Serena

Golf Channel team…”One night after watching Rafa Nadal defeat Marin Cilic in his U.S. Open’s Round of 16, Tiger Woods was back at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday, this time watching Serena Williams cruise in her quarterfinal match against China’s Qiang Wang.”
  • “Williams won in straight sets (6-1, 6-0), with Woods once again letting fist pumps fly.”

See the pictures here.

6. Ton o’ Solheim ticket sales
Kirsty McIntosh at The Courier…”The Solheim Cup has become the UK’s best attended women’s golf event – more than a week before the first players tee off.”
  • “Almost 80,000 tickets have already been sold for the seven-day event, which is being held at Gleneagles.”
  • “When the competition was held in Germany four years ago, the attendance was just short of the same figure.”

Full piece.

7. If you shot even par…

Always a fun experiment…This time, it’s Golf Digest’s Ryan Herrington running the numbers and mining the results to see how you’d do as a PGA Tour pro shooting even par in ~30 starts…
  • A bit of his research…”As you can see, shooting even par on the PGA Tour isn’t a bad thing-a golfer would keep his tour card by ranking 118th on the FedEx Cup points list and be able to boast that he cleared a million bucks in one year-but it isn’t going to turn anybody into a household name. The problem here, however, is that the data is skewed because even par at the PGA Championship left you in seventh place. The next best finish for the tour pro who shot even par in every round of every event was a 21st at the WGC-HSCB Champions. The PGA Championship becomes a bit of an outlier. Additionally, no golfer could play in two tournaments in the same week.”

Full piece.

8. The 50 newest PGA Tour members
Priority ranking, and the full list at PGA Tour.com.
9. Reed’s ride
As you may have seen on social media, Patrick Reed showed off his “Masters 911 GT2RS.”
Golfweek’s Forecaddie with the details…”Reed commissioned the car after his 2018 Masters win with dreams of driving the pricey Porsche up Magnolia Lane in his green jacket. However, delivery of the complete custom car was delayed and that glorious dream of excess was squelched. After all, there were still final details to work out.”
  • “Working with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, Reed outfitted the 911 in green with yellow accoutrements galore, including the seat belts, seat stitching and brake calipers. The Man Out Front hears Reed considered painting the car Masters green – Pantone 342 for those keeping score at home – but told folks he didn’t think it would look right and settled on a British Racing Green. The Forecaddie thinks it may be the best move Reed has made in years.”
Full piece.

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