Where's The Faith?
Players 2021: Tour pro's family didn't think he'd make the cut, so they bailed. Then he shot 67 on Saturday
Kevin C. Cox
PONTE VEDRA BEACH — To put it bluntly, Adam Long has not been very good at his job in 2021. The 2019 American Express winner started the year with a 69th-place finish at The American Express, and he's since missed four consecutive cuts.
Understandable, then, that his family and friends didn’t have all that much faith in him making the weekend at the Players Championship, where Long is making only his second career appearance. That said, family should always keep the faith, in good times and bad.
But that was not the case for Long, who tweeted this out on Friday evening after making the cut on the number.
Damn, that’s cold.
Unfortunately, Long’s family and friends picked the wrong week to bail on him. The 33-year-old went out early on Saturday morning and took it deep, shooting a five-under 65 at the Stadium Course. It marks his lowest round on tour since the final round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic in December, where Long tied for third.
“I had some family here earlier in the week and they had to get back to other things,” Long said Saturday. “They came out to Bay Hill a little bit last week too, and then next week is a home game for me. I’ve got a lot of people coming in for the Honda. I don’t know, just one of those weeks.”
Long, who vaulted 36 spots up the leader board, had a hard time blaming his family and friends for missing out on the fun.
“I mean, I missed the last 100 cuts in a row,” he said.
Only four, to be exact, but his point was taken.
The tickets went to a lucky follower on Twitter, one who guessed Long’s high school mascot correctly first (the Vikings).
“Threw that in there to make it a little tougher on them," he said. "It was a fun way to have a little fun with the two tickets I had.”
Long couldn’t remember the lucky lady’s name, and the two never even met in person. He doesn’t even know if the woman came out to see him.
“I don’t know. If she did, she didn’t reach out or anything. No shoutouts.”
Jeez, tough crowd.