Yes, there was golf on TV this weekend.

You’ll never catch Mr. Jones

It was an up-and-down week for Matt Jones. In the first round at the Honda Classic, he shot a course-record-tying 61. On Friday and Saturday, however, he let the field catch him. In the end, though, Jones finished five shots clear for his second career PGA Tour victory and his first since 2014. Results

While not the world’s most consistent player, Matt Jones has made at least 17 starts on the PGA Tour every year since 2008. He’s lost his card a few times, but his good weeks have often been great. After finding a groove during his practice rounds at PGA National, Jones loved his chances. “I was hitting it pretty good on Tuesday, Wednesday, and I said, ‘If someone beats me this week, they’ve cheated,’” he said after his victory.

We would be remiss not to mention that Jones is one of the fastest players we’ve ever seen in pro golf. All hail our pace-of-play king!

No one beats Roberto Díaz 194 times in a row

After more than 12 years playing PGA Tour-sanctioned events, Bobby Díaz has his first career victory. The 34-year-old shot a final-round 68 to squeak by Peter Uihlein for a one-shot win at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open on the Korn Ferry Tour.  Results

Like Matt Jones, Díaz is a feel-good story. He’s sniffed victory on the KFT before, finishing runner-up three times in his career. Lately, the tour life has been particularly tough for him: because of the pandemic, he hadn’t been able to go home to Mexico to see his extended family until recently. So it was an emotional day for the journeyman, and his emotions poured out during his post-round interview. Now No. 22 on the KFT points list, Roberto Díaz has a chance to regain the full PGA Tour status he lost in 2018.

“Only one way to go from here”

Brooks Koepka underwent yet another surgery this week, this time on his right knee. The four-time major winner posted some photos on social media on Sunday with the caption, “Only one way to go from here.” Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch texted with Koepka Sunday night and confirmed the surgery took place on Tuesday, March 16. Koepka withdrew from the Players Championship earlier this month with the injury, signaling potential trouble.

Koepka has dealt with left knee issues in the past, so the revelation that both of his knees now have problems is concerning. He told Lynch that his immediate future is uncertain, but he hasn’t written off a Masters appearance just yet. “Whatever my body says, I’m going to listen,” Koepka said.

Quick Hooks

Justin Harding won the Magical Kenya Open by two shots over Kurt Kitayama on Sunday. Romain Langasque (T-5) and Sam Horsfield (T-8) were among the others in the top 10. Results

Reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Rose Zhang nearly won on the Symetra Tour this weekend. Still an amateur, the 17-year-old shot a final-round 66 before losinga two-hole playoff to Ruixin Liu at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic. Results

If the Honda Classic had ended after 40 holes, Aaron Wise would have won by more than Matt Jones’s ultimate five-shot margin. Wise opened with two rounds of 64 before going 75-73 over the weekend to finish T-13.

Camilo Villegas birdied two of his final three holes to finish T-8 at the Honda Classic, making the most of his first made cut since the Mayakoba Golf Classic in December. Villegas tragically lost his baby daughter to cancer last summer, and since then he has fought valiantly to find his old form on the golf course. While he needed a third-place finish at the Honda to maintain full status on the PGA Tour, his T-8 is good enough for conditional. Villegas will also have full status on the Korn Ferry Tour for the rest of the season.

Jordan Spieth will be a “D Player” in next weekend’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play (via Nosferatu on Twitter). Best of luck to whichever pod he ends up in.

The Latest from the Fried Egg

ICYMI, registrations for two of our events, the Stalemate at Meadowbrook (6/7) and the Cheesesteak at Rolling Green (6/28), are open. You can also enter the lottery for the Coup de Grâce at Dunes Club. Reserve your spot here!

Shotgun Start: An Onda Classic with no juice, TV mishaps in Kenya, and Moe Norman Masters facts

Andy and Brendan have to dig deep to find things to talk about after one of the more lifeless PGA Tour events they can recall. So they begin first with the Illinois basketball loss, some worse for the wear testimony, and a story about walking full speed into a glass door. At the Honda, they praise Matt Jones’ play and pace but also discuss how the Honda is an absolute no-win situation and this week was a conspicuously painful illustration of that. Andy proposes the Tour not schedule an event the week after The Players, in a further attempt to manipulate its status. Brendan ponders Phil getting exhausted by the constant scramble to stay in play while now also never contending, wondering if he might hang it up sometime in the not too distant future. The broadcast disaster on the European Tour is discussed and Bobby Diaz’s win on the Web Tour is praised. His shirt sponsor, however, is questioned. They conclude with Masters Fact of the Day on Moe Norman and the time he made his first trip to the Masters, much to the anxiety of the Canadian Golf Association. They recall the amusing story around his WD from that first Masters. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Pro Shop

Our merchandise shipper is taking a much-deserved week off, so any Fried Egg Pro Shop orders that come in through Saturday, March 27, will be shipped next week! Thank you all for your patience and support.