19th Hole Thoughts

There’s always a lot of stuff going on in the golfing world, but sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the smaller stuff. If you’re looking for a quick rundown of the smaller headlines of the coming week, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are some of the week’s lesser published headlines, along with some hot takes about them.

Jordan Spieth is playing in the Australian Open again this coming week. Regardless of how he plays, he is guaranteed to leave with  substantially more cash than he came with. Spieth is being paid a $1 million retainer fee just for showing up at the tournament. Honestly, I’m pretty jealous. Spieth is already a young millionaire, and this just increases the amount of zeroes he already has in his bank account. Plus, the Aussie Open is a relatively weak field where Spieth has had plenty of success before (2 wins and a T-2 in 3 appearances). Chances are very good that the $1 million appearance fee will turn into an even bigger paycheck at the end of the day

In case you live under a rock, Tiger Woods is coming back in less than 2 weeks. Before he even takes a swing, gamblers are already putting their faith in a Woods return to his winning ways. The 41 year old has been given 20-1 odds to win a major in 2018, which is awfully generous considering he hasn’t even shown his face at a major since 2015. As much as I love to make wagers, I’m certainly not betting the house on Woods’ chances, and based on my professional opinion, neither should you.

The final thought of the day revolves around country superstar Jake Owen. He has been a familiar face in many a pro-am before, and now he will find himself on the professional side of things. It was announced recently that Owen has received a sponsors exemption to the Nashville Golf Open, a Web.com Tour event to be played next June. I think this is a fantastic thing for smaller tours. Bringing a country singer to play a tournament in the home of country music will be a great move for the event, regardless of how Owen plays. More people will come out to support the event, and it will draw more attention to the Web.com Tour, two things that will substantially grow the professional golf circuit, much like Steph Curry’s appearance at an event in Oakland. I know there are critics but I think that the best move for these smaller tours is to keep bringing in celebrity golfers to their events. They may not always bring the level of play required of such events, but they are guaranteed to bring the crowds that these events are desperately looking for.

Written by Paul Choma