“Lazy-hazy-crazy days of summer” takes on a whole new meaning this year. Golf continues, baseball is starting up, and the NBA is back. Weird stuff.

Back to business

It was fun while it lasted. The PGA Tour moved from Muirfield Village to TPC Twin Cities this week, and the difference between the two was clear on Thursday. More than 20 players shot 67 or better in the first round, and Richy Werenski notched a 63 to grab the lead. Leaderboard

Matt Wolff won last year’s 3M Open at -21, and it appears that we’re in for more of the same. While the soft conditions create drama by keeping leaderboards bunched, they don’t always allow the best players to separate themselves. Muirfield Village’s firmness last week allowed Jon Rahm, the new No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, to build an eight-shot lead. He faltered down the stretch, but overall he played stellar golf, and the course rewarded him. This week, the best players probably won’t stand out as much, which may result in a crowded leaderboard on Sunday afternoon. Some may find that sort of sweepstakes entertaining, but it just doesn’t feel like real championship golf.

Enough’s enough

Listen, Tony Finau. It’s time. You’re way too talented to have only one PGA Tour win. We’ve seen you contend in majors and lead after 54 holes in big events. We’ve seen your recent form; it’s been great. And that 206-mph ball speed you posted on Instagram? That 59 you shot at your home course? Impressive. You played beautifully on Thursday and Friday at the Memorial. TPC Twin Cities is soft and in theory sets up even better for you than Muirfield Village. Yesterday, you led the field in SG: Tee-to-Green. So in the words of Herb Brooks, go out there and take it.

Other action

There are a ton of other events in the golf world this week. Here’s a quick rundown:

Max McGreevy and Rick Lamb lead the Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour after one round. McGreevy is looking for his first back-to-back made cuts of the season after finishing T-9 last week in San Antonio. Leaderboard

Renato Paratore, a 23-year-old pro from Italy (obviously), leads the European Tour’s Betfred British Masters through 36 holes. Paratore earned his European Tour card at the age of 17 and has one career victory, the 2017 Nordea Masters. Leaderboard

2019 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Preston Summerhays holds the 54-hole lead at the Sunnehanna Amateur. Leaderboard

The Women’s Western Amateur is down to the elite eight at Prestwick Country Club outside of Chicago. Match Play Bracket

Arguably the largest state open in the country, the Colorado Open started with a bang on Thursday. Corbin Mills leads after a first-round 62. Other notables include Tee-K Kelly (66), Jennifer Kupcho (70), Chris DiMarco (69), Sulman Raza (68), Norman Xiong (69), Colt Knost (69), and Spencer Soosman (68). Leaderboard

Quick Hooks

Aaron Crawford, Martin Trainer’s caddie, Monday-qualified for the 3M Open and beat his week-to-week boss by six shots on Thursday.

Dustin Johnson withdrew from the 3M Open with a back injury after shooting 78 on Thursday. Last week, DJ recorded back-to-back rounds of 80 last week. His poor play is surprising, given that he won the Travelers Championship a few weeks ago, but an injury would certainly explain the situation.

Sponsor invite Tony Romo bowed out of the Korn Ferry Tour event after just four holes, citing a wrist injury.

Uncomfortable with the “bubble” environment, Andrew “Beef” Johnston withdrew from the British Masters. Full Story from John Huggan

With some tasty (and unlabeled!) sponsored content, the PGA Tour has decided to celebrate the fact that technology has diminished the skill required to play the game.

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Bryson and the Pitfalls of a “Player-Run” Organization – Bryson DeChambeau has not only made a fool of himself over the last month, but he’s also exposed why the PGA Tour’s “player-first” mentality has some major drawbacks.

The Yolk with Doak, Episode 24: St. Andrews Beach, Covid-19, and East Potomac

Another new episode of the Yolk with Doak series is available in our podcast feed. Tom and Andy sit down to talk St. Andrews Beach, East Potomac, and much more. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start: Comparing DJ vs. Romo vs. Beef WDs, SponCon rants, BdJ the Birdie King

This Friday episode begins with one final story to cap what became a Miguel Angel Carballo theme week. Then Brendan and Andy get to the initial golf from the Sticky Note Classic, where Martin Trainer got lapped by his looper, DJ bailed after a 78, and the golf course failed to distinguish itself for the right reasons. There’s a brief Michael Thompson career retrospective before a total digression into the PGA Tour Sponsored Content that angered Golf Twitter this week. It’s loud and impassioned for a few minutes before things then go back to normal with what amounts to reading names off the leaderboard of the Colorado Open. On a more poignant note, Andy and Brendan discuss and praise Beef Johnston’s comments and perspective about why he WD’d from the Euro Tour’s first event back. The praise is not there, however, for Tony Romo’s disgraceful WD after four holes on a sponsor exemption on the KFT Tour. News hits on some new Covid bubble allowances as the Tour’s sugar daddy sponsors come up on the schedule this next month. The episode ends with a segment on 3M Open competitor Brendon de Jonge, who is T-10 after saying he’d not been sharp at all and just been on his tractor. It’s a dictatorial move anointing him FVF Jr. winner but they discuss his legendary Zimbabwean amateur feats, how he put on 70 pounds since coming to the USA for college, his goat farm, his cricket background, his Pres Cup appearance, the reasons for his “Birdie King” moniker, and how he got into the VTech HOF before Michael Vick. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Pro Shop

If you find yourself making a quadruple bogey like Dustin Johnson did on Thursday, make sure you’re wearing your Fried Egg B. Draddy Parker Polo! It’s so comfortable, you won’t even notice how poorly you’re playing. Get yours today!