There is a scene in Pulp Fiction where Vincent is confused by Mia’s intercom system as he walks around her seemingly empty house. We are all Vincent this weekend. The PGA Tour is OFF this week. Like, not a single event. Not to worry, we still have plenty to discuss. 

Slow trot to Dubai

The European Tour’s Race to Dubai finishes up with three Rolex Series events this month: the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and the DP World Tour Championship. Bernd Wiesberger leads the chase as the Tour heads to Turkey this weekend. Tee Times

Keeping up with the Europeans

Since most of us have been force-fed FedEx Cup updates for the better part of our lives the year, you might not know anything about the Race to Dubai standings. Well, here they are:

  • Bernd Wiesberger 
  • Jon Rahm 
  • Shane Lowry 
  • Matthew Fitzpatrick 
  • Rory McIlroy 

Wiesberger has had a career year on the Euro Tour. He has played an ironman schedule of 26 tournaments to date, won three events, and notched three other top 10s. Two of Wiesberger’s wins, the Italian and Scottish Opens, were Rolex Series events, garnering him extra RTD points. He is up to No. 24 (!) in the world and enters the final three events with a strong lead over Jon Rahm.

Like Wiesberger, Shane Lowry has had a year to remember. We all watched his dominant performance at the Open Championship, but his season really got going with a big win in Abu Dhabi. He also placed T-8 at the PGA Championship and T-11 at the BMW PGA at Wentworth. 

Fitzpatrick is the only player in the top five without a victory, but he has been incredibly consistent. He has four runner-ups among his six top 10s and is coming off back-to-back top 10s at the Italian Open and WGC-HSBC Champions.

Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy are Jon Rahm and Rory McIlory: you know who they are.

Nasa’s Place

The LPGA continues its jaunt through Asia with a trip to Japan for the Toto Japan Classic. The Toto is the final regular season event before the ladies head back to the U.S. for the CME Group Tour Championship later this month. Nasa Hataoka, a native Japanese player, returns to her home country to defend her title after winning the event in 2018. She will be joined by fellow world-class players Ariya Jutanugarn, Minjee Lee, Jeongeun Lee6, Mi Jung Hur, Jennifer Kupcho, and Hannah Green. A three-round affair, the Toto will get underway on Friday in Japan. Tee Times

Lunch packed up, my boots tied tight…

The second stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School kicked off around the country on Tuesday. Second stage is arguably more important than any other, as all who make it through are guaranteed some sort of status. Plenty of notables, including Bryson Nimmer, Chip McDaniel, Theo Humphrey, Spencer Levin, Akshay Bhatia, and Jordan Niebrugge are off to hot starts at their respective sites. Scoring can be found HERE, and Monday Q Info put together a breakdown.

Quick Hooks

Captains Ernie Els and Tiger Woods are set to make their captain’s picks for the Presidents Cup this week. Els will announce the International picks on Wednesday, while Tiger will take his turn on Thursday night.

Sergio García joined Lee Westwood as the only players to have competed in 60 WGC events without a win. We aren’t saying that’s a relevant stat, or even one you should care about, but it is factually correct. Luckily for Sergio, each one of those 60 starts has resulted in a five or six-figure payday.

The Latest

Eclectic 18 UK – Hole No. 16: “Calamity,” Royal Portrush – The Eclectic 18 UK gets one step closer to the finish with Clyde Johnson’s profile of “Calamity,” the 16th (formerly the 14th) hole at the 2019 Open Championship venue, the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club.This hole is… well, it’s really freaking hard.

The Fried Egg Podcast, Episode 161: Jaeger Kovich, Part 2

In part two of our podcast with golf architect Jaeger Kovich, he and Andy discuss critiques in golf architecture, Jaeger’s Mt. Rushmore of golf architects, and whether or not Seth Raynor is overrated. Jaeger also gives some advice on how to go about seeing golf courses and planning visits, and gets into his pet peeve in golf architecture. If you missed part one, be sure to check it out to learn about Jaeger’s background and how he got into architecture as a kid from New York City. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start… will be hitting your feeds as soon as Andy recovers from a pair of meltdowns by his beloved Bulls and Illini. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Pro Shop

Matthew McConaughey joined Instagram this week. That isn’t golf related, but it is a cultural thing that is sure to bring us all plenty of joy in the future. Anyway, we’re sure if he tossed on one of our B. Draddy t-shirts he would think they’re alight, alright, alright. Get yours today!