Record Playoff Doesn't Save Chevron Championship

The Chevron Championship was on life support Sunday afternoon until solo leader Ariya Jutanugarn stubbed her chip on the 72nd hole. It's not a ringing endorsement for the first women’s major of the year when a chip that moves three inches is what finally injects some much-needed excitement into the proceedings. Much more on that later, though.

When Ariya took one for the team, it kicked off a wild ending at The Club at Carlton Woods. The costly bogey opened things up for a host of players. Following Ariya's lead, the final two groups backstopped their way to birdies at the par-5 18th, leading to a five-person playoff between Jutanugarn, Mao Saigo, Lindy Duncan, Hyo Joo Kim, and Ruoning Yin. Back to the scene of the backstopping crimes, the fivesome went.

From the middle of the fairway on the first playoff hole, Yin's soaring second shot into the 18th held the green and set up a rare eagle putt. With no one else able to match her effort, Yin found herself with one hand on the Dinah Shore trophy, but the madness at the 18th was far from over. An inexcusable three-putt by Yin brought Jutanagarn and Saigo, who both still had birdie putts of their own, back in the mix. Jutanugarn saw her birdie chance lip out, which left the 23-year-old Saigo with the biggest putt of her short career. She didn't spoil the gift she was given and can now call herself a major champion. Somehow, a lone birdie on a par 5 in a five-person playoff got the deal done. Just like we all drew it up.

Ninety minutes of chaos can't make up for a week of shortcomings. This year's Chevron Championship will always be remembered fondly by Mao Saigo. The rest of us will remember how it ventured into "so bad, it's good" territory with the antics at the 18th. That's not a space any major championship should ever enter. The third time around The Club at Carlton Woods exposed the event's weaknesses in a big way. The warts have always been there. They were just covered up the past two years with dynamic leaderboards and recognizable winners. This year, almost all of the big names decided to no-show, and the top of the leaderboard didn't do anything to build momentum throughout the week. Add in five and a half hour final rounds, largely due in part to sending groups off in threesomes, and the entire afternoon dragged on until the Jutanugarn chip.

Bad leaderboards at majors happen. No event is immune to them. The problem gets magnified when the championship doesn’t do itself any favors in other areas that make a big tournament feel big. The Chevron still hasn't figured out how to market itself locally and compete with other major sporting events in the area. The course is difficult to get to and a challenge to navigate once fans do arrive. It's important to note, much of this is not on Chevron as the tournament sponsor. They've increased the purse significantly, the players get top-notch treatment all week, and they have put their weight behind numerous charitable causes. The dropping of the ball falls to the LPGA Tour and the company running the event, IMG.

How hard would it have been to have Stacy Lewis, who grew up in the Woodlands, Texas, throw out the first pitch at an Astros game? Couldn't some of the players have gotten tickets to the Rockets playoff game earlier in the week to help build some awareness in the greater Houston area? Three years in, and the Chevron has made no inroads in attracting interest from the fourth largest city in the country.

This is not rocket science (excuse the Houston pun), and local marketing is something any event promoter or sports league starts doing months in advance. It’s true that the Club at Carlton Woods leaves a lot to be desired as a major championship venue. The fact of the matter is that it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Chevron has signed on as the sponsor through 2029. Hordes of fans have shown up at below-average courses for professional golf tournaments for years and years. A bad course can’t be the scapegoat for apathetic attendance.

As the LPGA leaves Houston and gears up for two more majors in the next two months, there are more questions than answers about how Chevron fits into the major calendar. Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols addressed the concerns, noting that a date change could do wonders for the buildup to the women's first major. The LPGA has a gigantic corporation with deep pockets behind this tournament. That's something it has dreamed of having in the past. It has to do its part to shrink the gap between Chevron and the other majors. Even the newest major, the Evian Championship, has figured out a way to build excitement and attract fans despite being hosted at a lackluster course. Next year, let's hope they figure it out. After all, you can’t rely on another flubbed chip on the 72nd hole to spice things up again.

Men’s Pro Golf Round-up: Blockie Sets the Pace

By Joseph LaMagna

Folks, we’re three solid rounds away from the best eight words in golf: Michael Block has qualified for the PGA Championship. The Arroyo Trabuco pro is off to a blistering hot start at the PGA Professional Championship, firing a tidy 7-under 64 in the opening round to claim the co-lead with Tyler Collet. Good luck keeping pace the next three days, Tyler.  

While plenty of golf remains to be played, if you’re interested in watching a legend trot the fairways at a major championship in a couple of weeks, just book the trip to Charlotte now. With 20 spots on the line, it’s hard to imagine the sport’s clutchest athlete letting this opportunity slip from his grasp.  

How does Quail Hollow set up for Blockie’s game? Well, it’s located on planet Earth and has grass, so it sets up just fine. Practically speaking, Quail is a bomber’s paradise, but they said the same thing about Oak Hill, didn’t they? When you’re one of the greatest wedge players of your generation, traditional statistical narratives don’t always apply.

My recommendation? Holes 4, 6, 13, and 17 are the par 3s at Quail. Go ahead and bet the “Yes” side of “Will there be a hole-in-one at the PGA Championship?”, set a lawn chair down on one of those four holes, and let your financial future ride on Blockie’s shoulders.

Note: This is not Corebridge Financial advice, but damn it, it might as well be. ‍

In the world of professional golfers who haven’t yet finished T-15 in a major, Joaquin Niemann took down the title at LIV Golf Mexico City. The 26-year-old Chilean has now won six times worldwide since the start of 2024, including three times on  LIV already this calendar year. Joaco is still on the young end of the spectrum, but one top-20 finish and zero top-10s in 23 major championship appearances is difficult to square with his talent level. The Niemann situation is pretty simple: he’s a top-10 caliber golfer in the world, and if he wants to be considered among the best players in the world, he ultimately needs to showcase his talent at golf’s four most meaningful tournaments.

Lastly, after knocking on the door of victory in his last two starts, Andrew Novak and partner Ben Griffin brought home a win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, marking each of their first career PGA Tour wins. The tournament, which was off air for an extended period of time on Sunday due to technical difficulties, isn’t one of golf’s most serious or prestigious tournaments. Nonetheless, Novak’s Ryder Cup candidacy is becoming serious.

Entering the Zurich, Novak had three top-three finishes on the season, including a T-3 at the Valero and a playoff runner-up at the RBC Heritage in his most recent starts. A win at the Zurich Classic shouldn’t change the calculus of his Ryder Cup chances too significantly, but the result shouldn’t be dismissed entirely, either. As the situation stands now, Novak has work to do to prove he deserves a spot on the roster. He’s played in one major championship in his career – a missed cut at the 2022 U.S. Open – and he doesn’t have a litany of high finishes in strong fields to point to.

But at age 30, Novak is playing the best golf of his career. Should he post impressive performances over the next few months, especially in major championships, he deserves a hard look at joining the American side at Bethpage in September.

‍This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.