Max Homa’s Presidents Cup fist pump is a reminder: this week rocks.
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Welcome back to the end of Monday or, as they say in Canada, “Welcome back to the end of Monday.” For the news…
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I LIKE GOLF
Domination after dominance.
When, earlier this summer, Lydia Ko won Olympic gold – adding to her silver-bronze haul – she continued to refer to the week as “too good to be true”. When she won the AIG Women’s Open just two starts later she referred to that feeling again: it was a “fairy tale”. And then it came on sunday at Cincinnati, her next start since St. Louis. Andrews, when she shot a final round 9-under 63 to win by five from the Kroger Queen City Championship. Yowza. The surreal summer continues.
For most of the 2024 golf season, Nelly Kordahis winning streak (and, on the men’s side, Scottie Schefflers) was the clear story. We hadn’t seen such dominance in years and years. Ko’s last four starts (finishes: 1-9-1-1) may not equal Korda’s win total, but at this point Ko’s year is much more than an important footnote; she rallied from a subpar golf stretch, turned her season around to remember and revitalized her career. They share the glory of 2024.
Most people didn’t see this coming. Of course not. While her 2022 was great — she picked up three wins and finished the year ranked World No. 1 in what she called a “Cinderella Story” return to the top — her 2023 season was a reality check. It was frustrating and frustrating. If we rewind a year after it ended, Ko poured out her soul in an interview with Kay Cockerill.
“Many things have crossed my mind. This is my 10th year on tour and you start thinking like, Oh, maybe it’s that time? You just don’t know. I think a lot of thoughts go through,” she said at the time. She added that after a particularly brutal year 82, she was talking to the parents of Stacy Lewis and burst into tears. However, she ended the emotional interview on a note: “I think at the end of the day it’s a gift and I’m grateful to be able to do this.” It was the year 2023 under consideration.
So how do we sum up 2024? In short, nothing about this run was guaranteed, that is extra reason to be grateful that her form has returned. Ko is number 3 in the world and trending. And instead of thinking about the end of her career, she’s thinking about what’s left on her bucket list.
“I think it’s always been my goal to do the Grand Slam of my career,” she said. “I thought it would be like that out there. I feel like I’ve already been a part of it THIS fairy tale, then why not?”
wINNERS
Who won the week?
Billy Horschel won BMW Championship in dramatic fashion, finishing bird-bird-bird-bird-eagle. Horschel battled through a three-way playoff and then went down Rory McIlroy with a huge birdie on the second extra hole to win the DP World major event for the second time.
Lydia Ko won for the third time this season and the 22nd time of her career, adding to a fantastic second act of her career.
Ripper GCled by the captain Cameron Smithwon the LIV Team Championship at Maridoe Golf Club in Dallas, shooting 11 under par to defeat the Iron Heads and 4 Aces (8 under each) and Legion XIII (6 under).
Paul Broadhurst won the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach; the victory was the second of the 59-year-old Englishman’s PGA Tour Championship season.
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Non-winners
Not this again…
Rory McIlroy continues to take second place on Sundays. In football, finishing second on Sunday means you haven’t beaten your opponent. In golf it means you beat every opponent except one. But not all seconds are created equal. McIlroy’s high-profile US Open runner-up finish? You could call it a drowning, or at least a self-inflicted loss, thanks missed short shots down the stretch. But last week’s Irish Open and this week’s BMW are harder to categorize.
Think back to the Irish Open. There were good things down the stretch: birdie at 16, a massive drive and lofty 7-iron at the par-5 18th. Still, there were crippling things: bogey at 15, bogey at 17, heartbreaking miss at 18.
There was more good than bad at Wentworth. Birdies on 12 and 14. Eagle on 17. Birdies on two playoff holes. All incredible things. But if there’s one shot McIlroy will be disappointed with, it’s his approach on 18 in regulation: he had a clear look at the green but missed his target so far left that he actually kept it on dry land instead of danger.
So, yes. Mostly good. Since back-to-back victories in May, McIlroy has played 12 events. He has 10 top-12 finishes, six top-fives, three runner-up finishes. Just not good enough.
“It’s golf and I’m playing well,” McIlroy said. “These things happen. It’s just that the game is testing me a little more than it has in the past, but that’s fine. All I can do is keep showing up and try to play the golf I’ve been playing and sooner or later it’s going to end with a win.”
It was quite a remarkable finish that even Billy Horschel – the boy who won! – clearly felt somewhat conflicted about his triumph.
“I think the world is his,” Horschel said. “I think he is the best player of our generation. He has done a lot for the game. You see the support he has here; you see the support he has around the world. He has more crowds and supporters than Tiger Woods. I think he’s great for the game of golf. He does many great things.
“Listen, I’m a golfer at heart. I play professionally on the PGA and DP World Tour, but I’m a golf fan and I want to see great golf and I want to see the best players play well and win, and I know it’s been very close this year. He hasn’t been able to do that and you can feel for someone like that.”
SHORT HITS
Five surprising Presidents Cup records.
The Undefeated: Max Homa has the best record in President Cup history. Seriously. Homa is 4-0-0; no one else in the history of the event has won every match they have played. Kirk Triplett is the closest, with three wins and a draw in four games in 2000.
Losers: Only four USA Cuppers have never won a game, two of them are on this year’s team and one of them is currently the best player in the world. Mark Brooks went 0-3-0 in 1996, setting a record for shutouts. AND Bryson DeChambeau went 0-1-1 in 2019, his only appearance. But Scottie Scheffler (0-3-1) and Sam Burns (0-3-2) want to improve their performances in 2022.
Experienced: Adam Scott played 10 Presidents Cups and played 49 games in those 10, meaning he only played one session EVER. His 11th Cup comes this week.
Pair: Xander Schauffele AND Patrick Cantlay are the two most “experienced” presidents of the USA Cuppers with nine games each; they are each 6-3-0. Tony Finau is the only other three-time Cupper on the team; he is 4.5-3.5 in eight games.
Natives: Corey Conners AND Taylor Pendrith are two of three Canadians repeating on the international team this week, but they’re desperately hoping for a better showing than 2022, when each went 0-4-0 in forgettable debuts.
A MEME CHART
American circulation.
AN IMPORTANT THOUGHT
By Billy Horschel, on a five foot herd.
My thought on that putt (a five-footer for birdie on the first playoff hole) was to get back on the green and be on the chalk line. If everyone has ever seen me in the green, I’ve spent countless hours on a two-point chalk line and just rolling the ball between the two points. And I’ve spent countless hours doing drills where I have to do X amount of shots, and if I don’t, then I have to redo the drill until it’s done.
“And on that putt, I visualized the chalk line starting in right center of the hole, all I did was just imagine me rolling that ball to the chalk line and breaking a little to the left to get in in the hole.”
A BIG QUESTION
Is this the week the International Team makes it?
Look, that would be crazy. But it wouldn’t be that crazy. Sportsbooks have the international team at around +250 to win. The Washington Commanders are +285 to win on Monday night football. If they can beat the Bengals, the Internationals can beat the American side.
USA won by three points at home in 2013. By one point on the road in 2015. By two points on the road in 2019. The last two home Cups haven’t been close, but this one sure will be. Plus, we know from the recent struggles of the US Ryder Cup team that on the road nothing is guaranteed.
Your pro-international argument would go like this: Max Homa is in poor form, Keegan Bradley, Wyndham Clark and Sahith Theegala have had their ups and downs. Scottie Scheffler AND Sam Burns cursed by the Presidents Cup golf gods, the Canadians will rise to their feet and the French screamers will bring back bad memories of the 2018 Ryder Cup. Also, Tom Kim. AND Like Woo Kim. So this begs the question: Why not?
ONE THING TO PRESENT
DP World Tour social media.
The DP World Tour captured some cool behind-the-scenes content at Wentworth, reminding the golf world how it’s done. This was a great example: during the Pro-Am, recently retired tennis player (and new golf nut) Andy Murray talking about the advances in technology in tennis and hitting almost identical sounding topics with the same challenges and exchanges in golf.
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
The National Championship has come to town!
The Senior Women’s Am has arrived at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, marking the USGA’s return to the Emerald City. I headed over to watch a practice round on Thursday and immediately knew I’d be selling these women short: There was some serious athleticism on display as some of them bombed their way around the demanding layout.
If you’re in Seattle, check out the game over the next couple of days. You won’t regret it.
I will be in Montreal. Goodbye!
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Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
