Jackson Koivun’s breakout week, Scottie Scheffler’s sporty gesture and a PGA Tour pro's puzzling text exchanges

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we really feel bad for Adam Scott. Imagine being part of a historic tie in your Presidents Cup debut and then still searching for your first team win after playing in the biennial event a DOZEN times?! Of course, Scott seemingly has everything else in life, but still, I feel bad for the guy. Hopefully, he can eventually lift that trophy—even if it's as a captain. And, hopefully, his arm is OK after that wild handshake with President Trump.

Anyway, let's get to everything else happening in golf.

WE’RE BUYING

Cameron Young/Chris Gotterup: I’ll start with a pair of fellow Met Area guys who really put Team USA on their backs during this (semi-) Miracle at Medinah. For Young, this was expected after an impressive Ryder Cup debut last year. For Gotterup, it only made people wonder what if he was part of that losing squad at Bethpage Black last year. Golf fans were well aware that he can bomb it, but Gotterup led the Presidents Cup in strokes gained: putting. And the two together proved to be a formidable partnership:

This was a great sign for future cup competitions. As was the emergence of this guy . . .

Jackson Koivun: What an absolute stud. I’ve been saying for weeks he should be on the squad and not just for him to get his feet wet in international competitions. The 21-year-old is arguably already a top-10 player in the world. And he certainly showed that on Sunday when he flipped his match against Si Woo Kim before closing things out with two of the sauciest shots ever on No. 18:

We’re going to see a LOT more of this club-twirling young man over the next few decades.

Korean golfers: At times it seemed like Team USA was losing solely to Team Korea with the trio of Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im playing so well. Those guys, particularly, the Kims, also seemed to lead the week in vibes.

As Joel Beall pointed out before the event started, Tom Kim might be the only golfer who is most known for his performance in the Presidents Cup. And that certainly didn’t change this week. Like with Koivun, we’re going to see a lot more of him in this event in the future. Heck, he’s only three years older than Koivun and this was already his third Presidents Cup!

The U.S. in singles: Put the American men golfers in singles matches and watch them go. This has historically been a strength of the team and it clearly still is after that 9.5-2.5 domination at Medinah on Sunday. Heck, take it back to Bethpage last year when an 8.5-3.5 result was the only reason that was even close.

It was the latest reminder that when 40 percent of the points are still available in this format, the U.S. had the Internationals right where they wanted them. Even trailing by three.

WE’RE SELLING

The U.S. in foursomes: On the flip side, the Americans got destroyed in this format. Again. In fact, TEAM USA is just 6-24 in foursomes since the start of the 2023 Ryder Cup.

Yikes. Even the Cleveland Browns think that’s a bad winning percentage.

Corey Conners on the greens: Any golf fan knows that Conners struggles the most on the greens. That being said, his putting was particularly bad on Sunday when he lost 4.61 strokes on the greens, a full THREE shots worse than anyone else, with putts like this:

Ouch. Not that he was alone on the International side when it came to missing short putts on Sunday. Anyway, let’s just say they don’t call Conners the Canadian Crenshaw.

Screaming in someone’s backswing: The Chicago fans were better than the New York ones at Bethpage Black, although that's a very low bar. That being said, they didn’t make it through the week without an embarrassing incident when someone shouted during Nico Echavarria’s backswing on the 14th hole on Sunday. That did lead to Scottie Scheffler displaying an all-time classy move minutes later by giving his opponent a 32-foot putt allowing the two to halve the hole:

Usually, a losing team gets a sportsmanship award, but in this case, the World No. 1 was No. 1 in that category as well.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour FedEx Fall resumes with the Bank of Utah Championship, AKA that one they play at that cool-looking course in Utah that was won last year by Michael Brennan, AKA just the latest Wake Forest Demon Deacon to win on the PGA Tour. Go Deacs! And how about Michael and my Deacs in football after that big upset of Louisville? They should be ranked. On the LPGA, you have the LOTTE Championship, and I will also be trying to defend my championship belt in Hilton Head for the fourth annual Pelham Guys Golf Trip. (We really should have come up with a better name than that.) Which just may have played a role in me putting together this “Fall (Gift) Basket” for my wife:

I’m still learning new ways to be a better Golf Husband, but for those looking for thoughtful ideas/payoffs, you’re welcome.

Random tournament fact: Matt McCarty has finished with a win and a T-3 in the first two playings of the Bank of Utah Championship. No one is happier that this event was created.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Corey Conners will ever lead the PGA Tour in putting: 1 MILLION-to-1-odds

—Matt McCarty will win in Utah again this week: 47-to-1 odds (Actual odds, value?!)

—There will be more “Fall Baskets” in my future: LOCK

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Great stuff. Shane really knows how to rile people up.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

It was Jackson Koivun’s turn to be the single guy posing with all the WAGs, following in the the tradition of Rickie Fowler in 2016 and Viktor Hovland in 2023:

And after the week he had on the course, he’s even more of an eligible bachelor heading into next year’s Ryder Cup.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (FAN DIVISION)

This fan kicking Corey Conners’ ball back in bounds was wild:

And for those wondering, no, the International Team didn’t get to play that as it lies because it was (rightly) determined that his ball was intentionally kicked.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (INTERVIEW DIVISION)

This was . . . interesting on Sunday:

Personally, I think it was a completely fair question to ask by Cara Banks. Scottie hadn’t done any media since not playing Saturday afternoon, which was a pretty big deal! Yes, he could have answered the question in a nicer fashion. However, I also see why he’d find it annoying. In any event, I think many are making too much of this exchange.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS

Unlike the Knicks, apparently, there aren’t a lot of golfers on the Nets:

Also, Knicks in five!

THIS WEEK IN PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Speaking of the Knicks, it appears that Xander Schauffele is the Josh Hart of Team USA:

Knicks fans will get it.

THIS WEEK IN PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION (TEXT DIVISION)

You have to open the tweet to see the entire exchange(s) because it's hilarious. Congrats on win No. 4 in 2026 at the French Open, Matt! I promise, it’s not me texting you.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“This team is going to be a problem in Ireland.” — Brandt Snedeker saved his biggest blunder as captain for after the event was over by giving Team Europe some juicy bulletin board material for next year’s Ryder Cup.

THIS AND THAT

Congrats to Yuna Nishimura on claiming her first LPGA Tour title at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. And it’s the latest reminder that the Internationals would stand a better chance if the Presidents Cup was a mixed event. . . . Congrats to Lauren Coughlin on making NINE consecutive birdies in the same event to tie an LPGA record. OK, so the U.S. would probably still win. . . . Congrats to Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Inbee Park and Jim Nantz on being named finalists for the World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2027. Is it their time? YES! . . . According to Data Golf, Scottie Scheffler was the fifth-best player in the entire Presidents Cup. By how his play was covered, you would have thought he played like a struggling mini-tour pro. . . . And, finally, in extremely exciting news, after several years away, the Costco churro is BACK! (For a limited time.)