by Happy Friday, ladies and germs. Here’s to hoping you made it through all the cheesy Valentine’s Day puns okay. I know it’s hard out there. Let’s see where things stand this week.
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WOWgr Vol. 2024.3
No. 1a – Riviera Country Club (Up 11 spots from last week) – Many of us golf fans love watching Riviera week. From the event’s history to the golf course itself, there is something special that happens when Featured Group coverage comes on on Thursday morning. I had the chance to walk Riviera with our team last spring, and even without hitting a shot it was amazing to see the course in person and gain a further appreciation for the architecture and the shotmaking we see during the tournament. What stood out to me most was the fairway movement, both the subtle undulations and the significant valleys and humps you find around the course. The land is as gentle as most make it out to be, but the contours built into the golf course really are amazing.
No. 1b – Nick Taylor when in contention (Up 155) – The Canadian may possess the ever-elusive clutch gene. Before the final round of the WM Phoenix Open, Data Golf noted that Taylor averaged +3.6 True Strokes Gained when in the top five heading into the last lap of a tournament. With a +4.2 on Sunday at TPC Scottsdale, his average only improved. In layman’s terms, Taylor plays some of his best golf when vying for a title. And I’ll be damned if he isn’t one of the most fun players to watch when he’s in the zone.
NICK TAYLOR IS CLUTCH! pic.twitter.com/UdJpm2JwZ7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 12, 2024
No. 4 – Tiger Woods social media catnip (Up 1,442) – It surprises me every time and I don’t know why. I do want to shout out Jonathan Wall’s photos of Tiger’s beaten and battered putter.
No. 5 – Appreciation for the spelling of the word ‘Sunday’ (Up 987) – Never in my life have I thought twice about the spelling of the word. S-U-N-D-A-Y always came pretty naturally. Anyway, here’s a haiku I wrote for Wednesday’s newsletter.
No. 24 – Ambush marketing (Up 433) – It doesn’t sound like all of the chefs following Min Woo Lee actually knew what they were doing at TPC Scottsdale, but the images certainly got the job done for his apparel sponsor.
No. 30 – Using the word ‘sir’ when being dressed down (Up 331) – The haters and losers among us didn’t enjoy Zach Johnson barking at the TPC Scottsdale crowd. I found it positively delightful. And you know whoever called him ‘sir’ will never hear the end of it from their buddies.
No. 35 – Nick Taylor when not in contention (Up 12) – Still a pretty good player.
No. 100 – Inventing cashmere hoodies (Up 400) – They’ve never been made before. Fun fact.
No. 1,773 – The PGA Tour’s Career Money List Exemption (Up 2) – Just about everyone seems to agree that awarding an exemption based on a career money list is rather silly, especially when certain players no longer appear on said list. That said, Charley Hoffman’s performance at the WM Phoenix Open was pretty damn cool to watch. And after a hot start at Riviera, maybe the wily vet really has found something?
WOWgr is always open for submissions and feedback. Let me know who/what deserves to be listed or tell me this ranking was wrong. You’ll be wrong, but I’ll be happy to hear from you anyway.
