The Ranking: Jordan Spieth's Holiday, Mark Wahlberg's House and 'The Match,' Again
10. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson register for the 122nd U.S. Open at The Country Club. The suspense! This is so much more fun than the old days when you knew both guys were going to show up and play at a major. And when you knew who was gonna win.
9. Jack Newton, a fun-loving Aussie who lost the 1975 British Open to Tom Watson in a playoff, passed away at the age of 72. Newton was a pretty good player who lost the chance to reach his potential in 1983 when he walked into the propeller of a small plane he was about to board, had his right arm severed and nearly died. Newton founded a successful Australian junior golf foundation and left a legacy of fearlessness and humor. As for his accident, he once joked it was a good thing the hospital “had its A-Team on duty” when it happened.
8. Bryson DeChambeau has wrist surgery and will miss next month’s PGA Championship. Bryson is out; Phil may or may not play — who’s going to talk science with the golf media now?
7. Donald Trump scores a victory in court over New York City. A New York State Supreme Court judge overturned an earlier ruling, allowing Trump’s group to retain control of Trump’s Ferry Point golf course after the city tried to cancel its contract with the facility. Yep, here’s that headline you thought you’d never see again: Trump wins!
6. Greg Norman says the LIV Tour may invite some amateurs to compete. Wait, wasn’t the whole idea behind this PGA Tour rival to build a different, better and more lucrative business model for the world’s top pros and make them infinitely richer? It’s starting to look like the LIV Tour is being run by an amateur.
5. Actor Mark Wahlberg’s sprawling mansion near Hollywood is up for sale for $87.5 million. It’s located near Hollywood in Beverly Park, his neighbors include Justin Bieber and The Rock and, oh yeah, it’s got a five-hole golf course on the six-acre property. Sounds like a tear-down for The Bieb or The Rock.
4. Dylan Frittelli was slapped with a two-shot penalty after making what he thought was the par of his life at Harbour Town. His ball became entangled in Spanish moss hanging from a tree so rather than take a penalty drop, Frittelli choked down on a driver and whacked it back into play like he was bashing a pinata. After his round, he was assessed a penalty “for standing astride his line” to play the shot. “The rules of golf remain undefeated,” Frittelli tweeted later. If only there was a golf rule for common sense.
3. Why aren’t we talking about Sepp Straka? Because what could’ve been one of the most memorable rallies at the RBC Heritage came up short. Straka tied for the lead at the 17th hole Sunday when he dunked a 35-foot birdie putt that hit the back of the cup with such force, it popped in the air, caromed off the cup’s left edge and fell in. Straka, a University of Georgia alum who was born in Austria and impressively won the Honda Classic, was unable to get up-and-down at the 18th hole and join the Patrick Cantlay-Jordan Spieth playoff. That’s one win and one near-miss in about just over a month. Other famous Austria alums include Mozart, Strauss and Franz Schubert, no relation to Orange.
2. The Match, an ugly Silly Season stepchild, will return with all quarterbacks but no Phil Mickelson or Bryson DeChambeau. It’ll happen June 1 in Las Vegas, where Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will play Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. So no tour players, just football players? It should be every bit as interesting as a USFL game between the Pittsburgh Maulers and the New Orleans Breakers.
1. Jordan Spieth scored a win on Easter Sunday for the second straight year. This week, it was at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town when he survived a playoff with Patrick Cantlay. Last year, he won the Valero Texas Open on Easter Sunday. Next year, Easter falls on Sunday during the Masters. You know, that big tournament in Georgia where Spieth failed to make the cut. What he needs for Amen Corner is a ball that can walk on water.
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