PGA Championship Recap
Well, last week’s PGA Championship was one of the most fun majors I've watched in awhile. Two players etched their names in history for very different accomplishments. The first of those two players was Brooks Koepka. Brooks captured his third PGA Championship and his fifth overall major. It’s safe to say that Brooks gets the job done in majors. Throughout the whole week, Brooks looked steady and confident. He battled horrible weather, much similar to the weather at The Masters just a month or so prior where he ultimately finished second. This time around Brooks was not blowing another lead and losing in back to back majors. Despite the drama, the boo’s, and the lop-sided anti-LIV golf media, Brooks shut out all the noise and went to Oak Hill and got the job done. The one part of Brooks’ win that was unsettling and took away from Brooks was in fact the golf media. The pro-LIV media credited this as a LIV win over the PGA Tour when in fact this win has absolutely nothing to do with LIV or the PGA Tour. The sole ownership of this win is Brooks Koepka. LIV didn't help him win this event; he did that on his own and with the help of his personal team. Don’t let any type of media across the board twist this win into something it is not, this is Brooks Koepka’s win, case closed.
The second player that made massive waves and may have jump started an unexpected PGA Tour career is Michael Block. Block is a PGA Professional based out of California. He works and teaches out of Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California. Before this week Block was a normal guy playing section events, a few local PGA Tour events when he qualified and giving lessons. Within seven days Block has become a phenomenon across the golf community. This week at Oak Hill Block finished in a tie for 15th place. While for your average tour player, a T-15 finish in a major is massive for Block it became life changing. From that finish he has qualified for next year’s PGA Championship, he has received two invites into future PGA Tour events, (with more on the way I'm sure) a $300,000 dollar check, and a week full of memories that Block and his family will cherish for life. The best part about all this was Block handled all of this attention with the utmost grace and respect. He was humble, grateful, and confident. In every single interview, Block was seen with a smile from ear to ear, a lot of tears (of joy), and gave the golf community a story that will live on for a very long time. This is not the last we’ve seen of Block and I assure you he will become a pivotal role in the game of golf for years to come.
Speaking of the game of golf in years to come, now that a LIV player has won a major the LIV community is riding high, but the question will forever remain; how long will LIV actually last? As of right now the only available OWGR points that LIV players can attain are through majors and Asian tour events. Now for Brooks specifically with a t-2 and win in the first two majors this year his world ranking is safe and he will now be exempt for the next five years. However, things can’t be said about other current LIV players, more specifically former Master’s champ Sergio Garcia who just completed and advanced through sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open. After back to back 66’s Sergio Garcia will compete in the U.S. Open after being left out of the field of the PGA Championship. Another player that LIV was claiming to be a top 10 player in the world in Taloor Gooch will also not be in the field of the U.S. Open unless he advanced through sectional qualifying. More specifically regarding Gooch, despite many thinking he’s a top player in the world terribly missed the cut at the PGA Championship. All and all at the end of the day LIV will not survive if they cannot reach a situation in which their players receive OWGR. As time moves on players will become more and more frustrated, exemptions will expire and talented players will be left out of majors. When that happens LIV will fall, but until then we sit back and watch how everything shakes out. (Mike)
Last week I was pretty on top of it with my picks. I had Hovland and Brooks being right there on Sunday afternoon. However, I did have the order they would finish flip flopped. Nonetheless, a good week for picks, and hoping to keep the momentum going. My pick to win this week is Tommy Fleetwood. This is a rather strong field post a major, so I expect a decent name to win this week. Tommy is overdue for a win and this is the perfect spot to get it done before the next few weeks of elevated tournaments and majors. Another name I think that is flying under the radar this week is Cam Davis. His game is trending in the right direction and he tends to play well here. We will see if he can find himself with a top 10. (Tyler)