In case you were wondering, we too are signing with the Brooklyn Nets.

Inbee Park Appreciation Day

Nearly 150 players entered the LPGA Tour’s Kia Classic, but by Sunday Inbee Park seemed to be playing in her own tournament at Aviara Golf Club. Making her first start of 2021, the seven-time major winner led wire to wire, finishing with a five-shot victory over Lexi Thompson and Amy Olson. Results

While Inbee Park has made plenty of appearances in this newsletter, most of her success came before The Fried Egg was established in late 2015. Her dominance this week reminded us of those prime years, when she’d routinely sprint past fields. Remember, she won five of her seven major titles by three strokes or more, and she claimed her gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics by five-shot margin over Lydia Ko.

Inbee Park has just three LPGA Tour victories since her win in Rio, but at No. 4 in the Rolex Rankings, she’s clearly still a threat. In her past five events, she has finished in the top six four times, including twice at majors. Her performance at the Kia Classic should give her a lot of confidence heading into next week’s ANA Inspiration, an event she won in 2013.

Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy

Neither of the finalists played the best golf we’ve ever seen, but Billy Horschel beat Scottie Scheffler on Sunday to win the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. On Friday, Horschel toppled Max Homa in a playoff to advance out of pod play, and he proceeded to knock off Kevin Streelman, Tommy Fleetwood, Victor Perez, and Scheffler. Results

This past week at Austin Country Club was yet another reminder that anything can happen in match play. Despite the tournament’s best efforts to keep top players around with its round-robin gambit on the first three days, Jon Rahm (3), Tommy Fleetwood (21), and Scheffler (30) were the only top-30 seeds to reach the round of 16. Another agent of chaos—wind—came to the fore on Sunday, turning the final matches into mistake-filled battles of attrition. But it was still match play, so it was still pretty darn entertaining.

We get it. The PGA Tour wants big names to stick around for the weekend and draw TV viewers. But in match play, the format is the star, and we’d love to see more of it. If you agree with us, may we suggest that you send a letter to the PGA Tour Global Home?

Quick Hooks

It took more than 100 starts, but this tap-in and joyful leap marked Joel Dahmen’s first career PGA Tour victory at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. In extremely high winds on Sunday, Dahmen outlasted the valiant efforts of Sam Ryder and Rafael Campos. You have to feel for Campos, especially after this heartbreaking putt, but Dahmen, who has engendered a lot of goodwill over the years, is a popular champion. Results

Adam Svensson birdied his final two holes in regulation as well as the second playoff hole to defeat Max McGreevy at the Club Car Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. Svensson has played only one full season on the PGA Tour in his career, and this victory may help him earn a second. Results

Daniel van Tonder defeated Jazz Janewattananond in a playoff to win the Kenya Savannah Classic on the European Tour. This is the South African’s first European Tour victory after he notched four wins on the Sunshine Tour in 2020. Results

In accordance with local California regulations, no fans will be allowed on the grounds during the U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club. Full Story

On Friday afternoon, Kevin Na admonished Dustin Johnson after DJ raked back a short putt that had not yet been conceded. There wasn’t much public fallout afterwards, but we’ll forever have the moment when Na put his hand on the world No. 1’s shoulder and educated him on proper match-play etiquette.

A tornado caused significant damage at Shoal Creek Club and the surrounding community last week. Video

On the latest episode of Bryson DeChambeau’s Bizarre Home Videos…

The Latest from The Fried Egg

The Stalemate at Meadowbrook – Fewer than 10 spots remain in our event at Meadowbrook Country Club on June 7. If you’re thinking about entering, make sure to register soon!

Shotgun Start: Ohhhhhhhhhh Billy… Billy, Billy, Billy 

Andy and Brendan hobble into a new week after a tedious Sunday at an otherwise enjoyable WGC Match Play. They react to the baton boy, the motormouth, the Town Crier of Ponte Vedra moving into the Swedish Pancake Club. Andy delights in his self-admonishments that became the soundtrack of the event. Then they get into his modest goals for the rest of his career—winning the grand slam and the Players and making and captaining every team event. The Kevin Na and Dustin Johnson contretemps from Friday is reviewed, as well as the run of sudden death playoffs, which feel like format flaw. Inbee Park, a true living legend, is praised for her win at Aviara, where there was a plea for relief from a fountain geyser. Joely D’s big win in Punta Cana and Danie van Tonder’s victory in Kenya are also covered. News covers a report that there may be no fans at the U.S. Opens in California. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Pro Shop

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