Welcome to 2019. It has been ten and a half years since Tiger’s last major championship, you can pat down all the spike marks you want, you can putt with the flag in, and Charles Howell III is currently FedExCup #1. It’s a bizarre world here in 2019, but golf is #back. Off to Hawaii!

Island of FedExCup Points

The Hawaiian events always seem like the true beginning to the PGA Tour season. Fall events are nice and all, but the big boys don’t really show up in the states until Maui. The Sentry Tournament of Champions gets underway this week with its strongest field ever. Nine of the top ten in the world are in attendance along with other up-and-coming stars like Cameron Champ and Aaron Wise. Tee Times

The 2018 Boatrace

Dustin Johnson won the 2018 edition of this event by a whopping 8 strokes over Jon Rahm. Starting Sunday with a two-shot lead, he shot a final-round 65 and took a victory lap around the back nine of the Plantation Course. It was his fifth win in a twelve-month period, and he has gone on to win two times since then. (We will not mention what one analyst called “the greatest shot of all-time” and will not be taking questions at this time.)

Storylines

Limited Field – All participants in this field have won an event since last year’s TOC, and that leaves a field of just 34 players. Tiger, Phil, and Justin Rose are the only three winners from the last twelve months that are not in attendance.

New Guy – Rory McIlroy makes his tournament debut in Maui this week. He traditionally starts his year on the European Tour, but with the schedule changes this year, Rory has decided to start in Hawaii.

#1 – Brooks Koepka is also playing this year after an injury-induced last-place finish last year. The three-time major winner has only played this event twice in his career. He finished T-3 in 2016 and dead last in 2018 because of wrist pain. Kapalua fits him very well, and he won the last event he played in.

Paulie’s Picks

It’s a new year with many familiar faces in Hawaii. Here’s who Paulie likes to kick the year off strong at the Plantation Course. Read here

New year, new takes: Resolutions we’d like some golfers to consider, 2019 predictions, and Kapalua picks

It’s a New Year and the Shotgun Start is back after a brief (one episode!) hiatus. Andy and Brendan discuss the Tournament of Champions and how it holds a special place for them as the annual opener. Then they offer some picks for the 2019 majors, a couple awards, and mix in a few possibly insane/extreme longshot predictions. Andy also has a list of some New Year’s resolutions he’d like to see from different golfers and people associated with the game. We wrap with the return of Paulie’s Picks, as Paulie joins with some intel on Kapalua and a few names to tab for the ToC. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify

Other Golf News

Here is a quick rundown of other golf news that has come across the wire over the last couple weeks.

Keith Foster – The renowned architect was arrested in December for his role in smuggling endangered animals into the country. Since the arrest, Olympia Fields and Congressional Country Club have both dropped Foster from the projects in which he was previously involved. Full Story.

Olympia Fields – 2020 – Speaking of OFCC, the Western Golf Association announced that the historic US Open venue will host the 2020 BMW Championship. The north course is still expected to undergo a renovation before the event, but the architect is up in the air. It will be the first time since 2003 that a men’s professional event will be held on the grounds, but it has recently hosted the 2017 Women’s PGA Championship and the 2015 U.S. Amateur. Full Story

Rose – World #2 Justin Rose officially switched to the Japanese golf manufacturer Honma for 2019. In a world where many players are opting out of equipment contracts, Rosie just got paid.

Rules – As you may have heard, there are a number of new rules/rule modifications for 2019. Here is a full breakdown of what you need to know from Golf Channel’s Will Gray. Article

PGA Tour Live – The ever-convoluted golf streaming world took another turn as the tour announced that NBC Sports Gold will now be streaming what was formerly PGA Tour Live. Full article

New Year, New Site – If you haven’t stopped by recently, head over to thefriedegg.com to check out our new digs!