by Those of you who experienced your first WOWgr last week during the Masters may be delighted to know that normal editions are much more tame. Or maybe you’ll hate that. Either way, I make the rules so tough luck.
Need a recap on the WOWgr rules?
Vol. 2023.15
No. 1a – Rose Zhang (No change from last week) – In a shocking turn of events, Rose didn’t win her most recent start for Stanford. Her fifth place finish at the Silicon Valley Showcase is her first non-victory since October. We’ll give her a break.
No. 1b – Jon Rahm (Up 3) – He’s the Sentry Tournament of Champions, American Express, Genesis Invitational, and Masters champion. That’s a Tiger-like start to a season. Scottie Scheffler had a very similar stretch last year before going winless for the rest of 2022, so Rahm could very well cool off for a bit, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Rahm has more worldwide wins (20) than he does missed cuts (14) in his pro career and is playing some of the best golf we’ve ever seen. No one has won more than five events in a PGA Tour season since Tiger did it in 2009. Could Rahm notch six or even seven
No. 2 – Anyone who listens to my Masters picks (Up 774) – This seems to be the only event on the calendar where I have any luck picking winners. Still, picking the winner correctly two years in a row has me feeling a lot of pressure for next year. Also, I don’t think I’ll ever be this correct ever again:
Rahm’s going to win by four and he spotted these fools two shots on the first hole
— Will Knights (@willknightsTFE) April 6, 2023
No. 3 – Brooks Koepka (Up 74) – I picked Rahm to win last week and was rooting for him to beat Koepka. That said, I was genuinely excited to have Brooksy back in the mix. I hate that he jumped to LIV (it seems like he might hate it too). Given his uncertain health and the fact that LIV was going to pay Chase Koepka to get Brooks aboard, I understand his reasons for going. Still, that doesn’t really excuse the choice to sign with a league funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Yet there I was, happy to see him contending.
We tweeted this from The Fried Egg account during the event, but I was surprised at how familiar Koepka’s presence felt given everything that has happened over the last year. He very rarely did much in regular PGA Tour events and we only ever expected him to show up at majors. As Eamon Lynch wrote for Golfweek, LIV would try to claim a Koepka major title as a victory for their league, but Brooks is no one’s plaything. He doesn’t care about LIV events any more than he cared about the Farmers Insurance Open. He wants to rack up majors for himself and himself only. I hope he continues to show up.
No. 4 – Trees (Up 402) – Harbour Town is a big week for them. The damn things are everywhere.
No. 7 – This photo on Masters.com (N/A) – It’s truly unbelievable.
No. 9 – Yung H.O.V. (Up 12) – Back-to-back top-10 finishes in major championships, even if they were non-competitive on Sunday, is something. Plus he shot 64 in the first round of the RBC Heritage. Good to see Vik in form.
No. 11 – Jealousy (Up 883) – Our very own Andy Johnson got to play Augusta National after winning the Masters media lottery.
No. 15 – Mystery (Up 830) – What the hell goes on on Hilton Head Island? Where is Hilton Head Island? Is it a real place? This may be the midwesterner in me but I truly don’t understand the concept of HHI. It seems like a fake place where people go to dress in seersucker and big hats and talk about how great their lives are. Until I step foot on the island I’ll continue to think it’s a big trick being played on much of the country.
Is the lighthouse the center of the maze?
No. 54 – Cannons (Up 947) – Like trees, the RBC Heritage is a big week for cannons. If I liked them more they may be higher than 54th. Never been a big fan. Too bulky and hard to maneuver. Effective though.
No. 745 – Nelly Korda (Down 739) – The No. 2 player in the Rolex Ranking had a nightmare where she eight-putted to lose the Masters. Can’t be having that Nelly! Need more confidence.
No. 942 – Chris Soloman’s commitment to a take (Down 888) – Absolutely no credit will be given if Rahm wins the grand slam given his backsliding last week. C’mon, Soly.
