Bermuda Championship
I think one of the coolest things in golf is when we get to see a player win in their home country. This past weekend we were given just that at The ZOZO Championship. Japan’s very own Hideki Matsuyama captured the ZOZO by 5 shots. While we see this a lot in the USA, it means so much more for these other countries. Many countries only have a few players so when they win it’s a huge deal. This is the same for Hideki and Japan. As we all know he’s no stranger to the winner’s circle, this marks his second win in 2021, the other being the Master’s in April. Not only did Hideki win, he won with emphasis. He ended up winning by 5 shots at 15 under par and to cap off his final round he stamped it with an eagle finish at 18.
The fall season on the PGA Tour is an interesting few months. To some players it’s their time off and for other players it’s absolutely everything. The events that run throughout the fall are the much smaller events. These events provide huge opportunities for rookies and for guys strangling with status and starts. These events are also the least popular too many golf fans because we very rarely see the top ranked players. However these are not only the events I like the watch, these are the events I ultimately try to qualify for as well. Which is why this week is a fun week to write about because I tried to qualify for this event a few weeks back. Although I didn’t make it to Bermuda, it’s going to be a great week of golf nonetheless. (Mike)
The Bermuda championship is typically an event opposite of the WGC in China, but since that event was canceled for the second year in a row we get to see some players we don’t often see here and they’re also playing for more FedEx points than usual since it is the only event on tour this week.
The story for me this week at the Bermuda championship is David Skinns. He is a 39-year-old PGA tour rookie and his story of never giving up and always looking forward to the next tournament is something all golfers can learn from. For 20 years he has teed it up hoping that would be the year he makes it on tour and for 19 of those years he fell short, but this past August he won on the Korn Ferry Tour which pretty much clinched his tour card for the first time in his career. There are many golfers who grind it out like David and never make it to the tour so it is very nice to see when somebody’s lifetime of sacrifice and hard work pays off. It is a great story and I hope David has an excellent year on tour to retain his tour card. Stories like these are why golf is so special. (Tyler)
Pick’s of the Week:
Mike: This week we will continue to see those young rookies chase more cup points. Specifically this week fans should keep an eye on Hayden Buckley. This kid can play. He fought his way through the Korn Ferry and has now notched 2 top 10’s in his first 3 starts. He currently is top 3 in greens in regulation. This is a huge stat for me because the bottom line the more greens you hit the more birdies you’ll make. I’d expect another top 10 out of Hayden this week.
Another young guy who has particularly caught my attention is Nick Hardy. Nick qualified for a string of events in January and made a little splash. After a solid season on the Korn Ferry he’s primed for the big time. He’s made a few cuts so far this season so look for him to really make a statement this week. (Mike)
Tyler: My pick for the week is Patrick Reed. I feel like I pick Patrick Reed a lot, but to me he has under performed recently. I know he has undergone some health issues in the last couple of months, but with a weakened field this week I like his chances to take advantage of that as long as he can hit the fairway. The Bermuda championship has some of the hardest fairways to hit on tour so that is no easy task, but as long as he keeps the ball in play I think his short game is always good enough to give him a chance.
A guy many people are not familiar with, but should be is Lucas Hebert. He had a hot stretch in the summer that he rode out to obtain his tour card successfully. His start this season on tour has not been great as he has missed his first two cuts, but he has proven that he has some serious game and can Play very well in much deeper fields than this week. (Tyler)