J.J. Spaun’s spunky Presidents Cup snub retort, a PGA Tour caddie quits mid-round and some shocking (alleged) sandbagging

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we shouldn’t have said anything about the Giants last week. It took one possession in Week 2 to knock Jaxson Dart out—although, thankfully, it looks like he avoided a total disaster with “just” an MCL sprain—and for the world to realize Jameis Winston is much, much more fun to watch when he’s doing anything besides being under center for your team. At times like these it’s nice to remember that the Knicks are the reigning NBA champs and that everything else, as Tiger Woods once famously said, “is gravy.” And with that said, let’s talk about everything else in golf. Oh, and Knicks in five!

WE’RE BUYING

J.J. Spaun: Hopefully, Jaxson Dart can come back from injury as well as this guy. Spaun, who was a WD at the Tour Championship, returned to action at the BMW PGA Championship, and won by two shots.

How about the career resume this guy suddenly has with three PGA Tour titles, a major and, now, the DP World Tour’s flagship event? It’s a good thing Team USA has him on the squad for this week’s Presidents Cup. Wait, never mind! More on that in a bit . . .

Jacob Bridgeman: While Spaun was out proving he was snubbed, Bridgeman was doing the opposite, validating Brandt Snedeker’s decision to make him a captain’s pick at Medinah. The 26-year-old won for a second time this season, claiming the inaugural Biltmore Championship thanks to a Sunday 61 in Asheville.

Is that a chalice? A goblet? Either way, it's a solid trophy. Anyway, Bridgeman led the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting this year and ranked first in that category in Asheville, so you can see why Captain Snedeker is a big fan.

Ben James: Speaking of Sunday 61s, this guy did it for a second consecutive PGA Tour start to finish runner-up for the best result of his pro career that began the week my beloved Knicks won the NBA title in June. Heck, they might be Ben's beloved Knicks as well considering he's from Connecticut.

Talk about a stud. This 23-year-old University of Virginia product seems like a lock to play for Team USA (many times) in the future.

Taylor Snively: But no one went lower than this high school junior, who shattered the Indiana high school scoring record with a 59:

Snively, who plays for Zionsville, is trying to win a third consecutive IHSAA girls golf state title. Good luck to the rest of the field.

WE’RE SELLING

J.J. Spaun being left off Team USA: This is a bizarre situation. On one hand, you had Spaun being left off Captain Snedeker’s squad just days after a Tour Championship WD, which makes sense. On the other hand, it makes no sense that a guy who is healthy enough to win a big tournament the week before the Presidents Cup and who finished 10th in the team standings would not be selected for that team. And, clearly, Spaun was ticked about it, saying he “played with a huge chip on my shoulder” and that Snedeker called him the “odd man out” during a brief 45-second phone call.

Did they not have any communication about the status of the injury? Otherwise how would this guy, who played well as a Ryder Cup rookie last year, be left off the team? Truly a mystery. It probably won’t matter because the U.S. is 13-1-1 in Presidents Cup history, but if the Americans happen to lose a close one, it will be discussed even more.

Being Alejandro Tosti’s caddie: The PGA Tour pro has always had a reputation as a hot head and for going through caddies like the Cleveland Browns go through quarterbacks, but this was something else. Tosti’s current caddie, Cliff Ellis, quit MID-ROUND during Day 1 of the Biltmore Championship. Tosti originally claimed to Golfweek’s Adam Schupak that he thought Ellis was going to the bathroom, but as video that emerged later showed, that’s clearly not what happened as he took off his caddie bib and laid down Tosti’s golf bag in front of him before walking off:

What a wild scene. And what an inspiration to people across the country who would love nothing better than to quit on their boss. To the next person who takes that gig, good luck.

Hitting yourself on the course: Whether you accidentally bang your ankle with your putter or you ricochet a golf ball off your shin, there is plenty of potential for pain out there. Pro Shop’s Chad Mumm found that out the hard way recently:

Fortunately, that has never happened to me on the golf course, but now I’m getting flashbacks to youth soccer and wearing shin guards. That is not a fun area to get hit. I think I’d rather sprain my MCL.

ON TAP

The LPGA’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and the DP World Tour’s French Open will be taking place, but most golf fans will be focused on the Presidents Cup, AKA that one international team golf event the U.S. still wins every time. And no matter how things turn out this week, it looks like the scene on the first tee at Medinah will be electric:

Just hopefully there won’t be any MCs leading NSFW chants against the International Team like we saw at Bethpage last year.

Random tournament fact: Presidents Cup International Team captain Geoff Ogilvy’s oversaw a redesign of Medinah’s No. 3 Course. So much for home-field advantage in this one!

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—A caddie will quit mid-round during the Presidents Cup: 1 MILLION-to-1-odds

—The Internationals will win the Presidents Cup: 3.5-to-1 odds (Actual odds)

—The Internationals will feel less pressure to win the Presidents Cup: LOCK

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Nailed it.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Poor guy. And, yeah, I kinda get it . . . but, man, that’s rough.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

This is an insane video:

Thank goodness no one was seriously hurt. Talk about a miracle.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (SANDBAGGER DIVISION)

Somehow, my guy Yip Strickler continues to find crazier stories, but this one is going to be tough to top. A “5.2” Handicap Index playing a two-man best ball by himself at event at Michael Block’s place of employment, Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club. Well, Blockie, who has been busy on the senior tour, might need to intervene here because the dude shot GROSS scores of 60 and 57 for net scores 55 and 52 in arguably the most shocking (alleged) sandbagging tale ever! Take it away, Yip!

I don’t like that one bit, although I do like that guy's windbreaker . . . Knicks in five!

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (SINGER DIVISION)

We’ve seen clips like this before, but Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis has some serious pipes:

He should perform on Medinah's first tee this week.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (SUPERFAN DIVISION)

This might be the biggest Rory McIlroy fan on the planet:

Talk about a ball knower.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY YOUTUBE GOLFERS

Bryson DeChambeau, with great fanfare, announced his next series called “Bryson’s Backyard Games.” And while it’s a good premise—a bunch of golfers playing at his house with $100K on the line—I don’t think it will take off like his “Hole-in-one Challenge” did. Largely, because it’s the same group of guys (and a couple gals) you see on the YouTube golf scene all the time already (Although, I’m obviously rooting for Chazz). Anyway, here’s the preview:

Meanwhile, we still have no clue what tour Bryson will play on next year. Wild times.

THIS WEEK IN PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Man, did this one pull at the heartstrings. After Manuel Elvira double bogeyed the final hole of the BMW PGA Championship to lose by two, older brother Nacho was there to console him:

It was an ugly 18th hole, but that’s a beautiful sight.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“He did. You can quote me on that.” — J.J. Spaun when asked if Captain Snedeker used the exact phrase “odd man out” during that 45-second rejection phone call. That’s tough, but that Presidents Cup snub might turn out to be the best thing that happened to Spaun.

THIS AND THAT

Congrats to Sandy Scott on winning his maiden Korn Ferry Tour title and claiming his PGA Tour card. And congrats to the Scot on having an all-time golf name . . . The USGA and R&A are asking manufacturers to weigh in on a tour-only golf ball. Again. Yeah, this subject isn’t getting resolved anytime soon . . . And, finally, huge shout-out to Golf Digest’s Kevin Harrigan who teamed up with Stephen Bae to win the Patterson Club’s annual Horserace: