The Loop
Bryson DeChambeau's pro debut, Ben Crane's prom proposal, LPGA stars lounging, and "Bubbamojis"
Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we’re all about Bryson DeChambeau after his sparkling pro debut. Justin Bieber has his “Beliebers” and I’m proud to announce the formation of DeChambeau’s “Delievers.” In fact, I wrote a song about it:
Then I saw his cap, now I’m a Deliever!
Not a trace, of two planes in that swing.
I’m in lo—
OK, let’s cut it off there, but you get the point. . . Of course, there were a lot of other things going on in golf last week. Let’s take a break from grinding our irons to all be the same length and discuss.
WE'RE BUYING
Branden Grace: Like Danny Willett, Grace is one of those world-class golfers who casual golf fans wouldn’t recognize if he ran them over in the parking lot. Until Sunday, he was probably best known as the guy who hit a ball onto the train tracks when he had a chance to win the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, but now, he’s a PGA Tour winner after his RBC Heritage victory. Now he’s just got to work on his high-five/pound game:
Bryson DeChambeau: How good was DeChambeau’s T-4 in his pro debut? It was a lot better than the pro debuts of guys like Tiger, Phil, Rory, Jason and Jordan, and it has the 22-year-old physics major well on his way to earning his PGA Tour card. DeChambeau led the field at Harbour Town in strokes gained/tee to green, proving his scientific methods have plenty of validity. And he’s already adjusted to the life of a tour pro, giving away his gear after rounds and flying private jets:
Plus, he does a pretty darn good Carl Spackler:
What’s not to like about this guy?
Golf course proposals: Especially when they come after a victory. That’s what happened to Lauren Coughlin, who won the ACC Championship both individually and for her Virginia Cavaliers, and then got the question popped to her by UVA football player John Pond during the trophy ceremony. Aww.
Andrew “Beef” Johnston: The big Englishman (he’s not nicknamed “Beef” because of his love of salads) won for the first time on the European Tour, holding off Joost Luiten and Sergio Garcia at the Spanish Open. Afterward, he said he couldn’t wait to get home to his family and “get hammered.”
We’ve determined we need more Beef in our lives.
WE'RE SELLING
"Bubbamojis": I must admit, these are kind of fun, especially if you send them to people you know don’t like Bubba Watson:
But… charging $1.99 for them? I hope I can expense it.
Edith Royal: The wife of legendary Texas football coach Darrell Royal once turned down a membership to Augusta National for her husband because she didn’t think they could afford it. Not surprisingly, when Darrell learned about this years later, he was NOT happy. “He wanted to kill me when he found out I turned it down,” Edith told the Austin-American Statesman recently.
Josh Pastner: There won’t be any such problem for the new Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach, who recently said he won’t hire any assistant coaches who play golf. Wait, isn’t that hobbyism? We demand a full investigation by the NCAA.
Ben Crane’s prom proposal: No, there doesn’t have to be an investigation of a different kind. Ben Crane simply asked a high school girl to go to prom on behalf of another high schooler. While it was nice of Crane to help the guy out, it didn’t seem like the girl was that impressed. Her first thought was, "Am I supposed to know who this is?”
At least, she said yes.
ON TAP The PGA Tour heads to San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open, aka that event that’s held on the Greg Norman-Sergio Garcia course that all the players seem to hate.
Random tournament fact: That Greg Norman-Sergio Garcia course played as the toughest non-major track last season. No wonder these guys don’t love it.
RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK
-- Tiger Woods is coming out with a set of “Tigermojis”: 1 Million-to-1 odds
-- Bryson DeChambeau has conducted scientific studies on emojis: 5-to-1 odds
-- Andrew “Beef” Johnston drank beer out of his new trophy: LOCK
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Shane Lowry went straight from Augusta National to New York City for his wedding:
Now he’s married -- and he’s got a new nickname: Subway Shane!
VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
The latest brilliant creation by the European Tour featured three foursomes trying to break the Guinness World Record for fastest hole played. Team France shattered the mark and Sergio Garcia hit a shot into the water with a chance to win. The Euro Tour couldn’t have scripted this thing any better.
CUTE VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
This 2-year-old’s swing is better than yours:
THIS WEEK IN TOUR PROS MAKING US FEEL JEALOUS
Rickie Fowler’s cross-handed is also (much) better than yours:
That’s just not fair.
THIS WEEK IN PAIGE SPIRANAC BEING PAIGE SPIRANAC
Oh, no big deal. Just Paige on the cover of GOLF DIGEST:
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I’m an artist. I love to create things.” – Bryson DeChambeau. And again, I'm a Deliever.
THIS WEEK IN LPGA GOLFERS ENJOYING THEMSELVES
Here’s Natalie Gulbis paddleboarding:
And here’s Belen Mozo getting some rays while she reads:
The lesson? Missing the cut in Hawaii is a lot better than missing the cut in other places.
THIS WEEK IN SOMEWHAT COMPLIMENTARY TWEETS
“Buying.” I get it. And thanks for taking the time to match up my awkward facial expressions. Then there’s this:
That might be the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me.
THIS AND THAT
Minjee Lee shot a final-round 64 to win the LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii by one shot, making her just the fifth player in tour history with multiple wins before turning 20. Might be time to form the “Jeelievers” as well. . . . The U.S. Open will have 36-plus hours of live TV coverage, more than 20 hours more than what golf fans got for the Masters. We don’t care who is announcing, that’s a good thing. . . . An Augusta National entrance sign that was thrown out in the 1960s sold for $25,000(!) at a recent auction. A sign that looks like this:
One man’s trash really is another man’s treasure. . . . Turns out, John Daly picked Danny Willett as his Masters “dark horse” and listed the Englishman first when asked to predict a winner at Augusta National. JD was hawking merchandise and dropping knowledge during Masters week.
RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Who is John Daly’s U.S. Open “dark horse”?
What’s Rickie Fowler’s cross-handed handicap?
How many majors will Bryson DeChambeau win? (In his career or this year?)