by No, WOWgr still isn’t using distance per shot. We just haven’t figured out how to incorporate it properly. Sorry to disappoint.
Need a refresher on the WOWgr rules?
Vol. 2023.17
No. 1 – Rose Zhang – (No change) – Status quo. NCAA Regionals up next.
No. 2 – Jon Rahm (Up 2) – Good on him for showing up to the Mexico Open to defend his title despite the incredibly weak field. It’s hard to overstate the impact of having a Spanish-speaking Masters champion at this tournament. Wish they weren’t at a fancy resort, but whatever.
No. 4 – Aggregation for good (Up 415) – Ryan French highlights a lot of under-the-radar stories from Monday qualifiers and mini tours, but I can’t remember one that has had as big of an impact as his piece on Mike Sweeney. Sweeney is a struggling golfer who has regularly slept in his car over the years as he’s tried to make it as a pro. Monday Q’s story has led to thousands of dollars in donations to Sweeney’s career, hotel room offerings, and tons of aggregation from bigger publications. Normally it really grinds my gears when larger companies steal stories from independent outlets, but I’m glad this round of aggregation has at least led to donations to a good cause.
No. 5 – Lilia Vu (Up 15) – Good on ya, Lilia! Really excited to see if Vu can launch herself into the top tier of LPGA players over the rest of 2023.
No. 6 – Beer (Up 12) – Apparently the folks at LIV Adelaide drank a lot of beer. Not sure that’s all that surprising. Need to see the figures from the WM Phoenix Open and LIV Jeddah next.
No. 8 – Ryan Reynolds (Up 77) – It’s been a hell of a run for Deadpool. First, he created the best birthday video I’ve ever seen for Rob McElhenny and then Wrexham AFC, a Welsh football team that Reynolds and McElhenny co-own, won its league and was promoted to EFL League 2. I won’t pretend to understand what any of that means, but the photos from the grounds were cool, and anyone who watched the HBO show Welcome to Wrexham will appreciate the wild scenes from the team’s clinching match.
No. 15 – This quote (N/A) – Alan Shipnuck published a piece this week that updated everything that has happened with Phil Mickelson since Shipnuck reported on Phil’s “scary motherf***ers” quote. The whole piece is worth reading, but this quote from an anonymous source is particularly amazing.
That's the good stuff
No. 1,232 – Saying “I’m him” (no change) – Let’s take a look at Chase Koepka’s career, shall we? After a very solid collegiate stint that included four wins while at the University of South Florida, Chase got off to a decent professional start on the Challenge Tour. But after a couple tough seasons, he lost his status and failed to get his footing on the Korn Ferry Tour. That left him without any guaranteed starts. Then, big brother suffers an injury and makes the decision to jump to LIV Golf. Brooks obviously required that Chase get a contract in order for him to sign, and boom, little bro lands the ultimate golden parachute from the Saudi PIF.
It’s objectively hilarious that Chase would make a hole in one in a LIV event and yell “I’m him” to the crowd. Usually “him” refers to a dominant force or someone doing amazing things. In this case, “him” apparently means someone who failed to accomplish anything in professional golf and has a very generous older brother who helped ensure his future. Am I actually upset about this? Of course not. But I cannot imagine a lamer thing for Koepka to yell given his career thus far.
No. 1,431 – Terminal 5 at O’Hare International Airport – (no change) – I appreciate that Delta is pouring money into one of my home airport terminals, but they’ve moved over too early. The gates just aren’t ready yet and the whole place feels like a janitor’s closet. It’ll be great in two years when all the construction is done and the new restaurants are open, but boy it is a scary place right now.
On thin ice – ANTIFAldo (TBA) – He knows what he did.
