Justin Thomas’ well-timed reverse jinx, a never-before-seen Ryder Cup video and an all-time wild golf fight

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we are still trying to work off that Masters 15. Seriously, things reached another level of gluttony for me in the press building this year, and I blame the classic chicken sandwich. I’ve always loved that thing from the first time I attended the tournament in 2007, but this year, I swear it was better than ever. Just the perfect little kick.

Mmm. And then with that fried chicken patty being used in the chicken biscuit, I had to have more of those in the morning before lunch. And sometimes after. And when you throw in a daily Georgia peach ice cream sandwich, well, you get the point. Anyway, while my body still recovers, let’s talk about all the golf sandwiched into the past week. Damn it. Now I’m hungry again.

WE’RE BUYING

Justin Thomas: With the way this dude has been playing, a win was just a matter of time. More specifically, with how he’s been putting. After finishing 174th in strokes gained/putting last season, JT is all the way up to No. 8 in 2025, and he finished third in the field at Harbour Town thanks to strokes like this:

Great putt and great call by our guy Jim Nantz. And Thomas told his caddie walking to the green that he’d never made a long putt to win a golf tournament. The old reverse jinx! Brilliant! Turns out, he got a little help from his friends, well, friend Xander Schauffele at the end of last year. The fellow two-time major champ agreed to let him “pick his brain” on putting for “two to three hours.” What a guy. Cue Dionne Warwick singing “That’s what friends are for!” (No, really. I love that song.)

Anyway, I also love the fact that JT called a penalty on himself on Saturday. And then got an all-time break, which he took advantage of, on Sunday. A few more examples like that and I might start believing in the golf gods again. Anyway, we’ve talked so much about Rory McIlroy’s decade-long drought in majors, but it was almost as crazy that Thomas could go three years without winning anywhere in his prime. But that’s over now with PGA Tour title No. 16 as he climbed back to No. 6 in the Official World Golf Ranking, three spots behind his buddy Xander. And in the unofficial world golf friends ranking, Xander has taken over the top spot.

Justin Thomas’ course records list: When JT gets hot, JT gets HOT. We saw that Thursday with a 61 that tied the Harbour Town course record. And just last month he tied the course record at TPC Sawgrass. And, well, you get the point. Just look at this insane graphic:

What a list! And he’s only adding to it. Let Justin cook.

Andrew Novak: Another week, another close call for this 30-year-old. This will undoubtedly sting the most as Novak had an eight-footer to win on the final hole of regulation, but there’s so much for him to celebrate. The dude has already made more than $4 million during this breakout season and now the Ryder Cup is a possibility.

Novak also made his first appearance on Golf Digest’s The Loop podcast back in February so BIG things are happening for him. On a serious note, he was one of our favorite guests ever so we’re glad to see him finding such success. And there’s a good chance he gets PGA Tour win No. 1 before he returns to his hobby of hosting an NFL betting podcast. True story.

Neal Shipley: Speaking of guys we like, for those thinking this guy was just a flash in the pan, think again. The young man who rose to fame through a couple funny viral moments at the 2024 Masters has some serious game. And now he’s a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour after a playoff victory at the LECOM Suncoast Classic.

I know Neal’s changed up his diet since his “Built By Waffle House” comments on Netflix’s “Full Swing.” And good for him. I should follow his lead. But I hope he had at least one cheat meal feast to celebrate.

WE’RE SELLING

Joel Dahmen’s (on-course) finish: Three consecutive closing bogeys. Including a missed two-footer on 17. To lose by one. (Congrats to Garrick Higgo, by the way, on earning his second PGA Tour win!) In a tournament you were leading wire to wire. It doesn’t get much worse than that.

HOWEVAH, his finish off the course was more impressive than if he had won his second PGA Tour title. Unlike some people (and we’ll leave it at that), Dahmen answered questions after and was fantastic:

And that’s how you win over fans without even winning. Well done, Joel. (And well done by our Joel Beall writing about Joel.) Hopefully, some of your peers are taking notes.

Wesley Bryan’s suspension: Imagine explaining this situation to a golf fan a few years ago: A PGA Tour pro got suspended for competing in a rival "creator" event on the LIV Golf League? Wild stuff. And everyone shares the blame on this one. You can argue that the tour’s rule is too strict/not fair, but it is a rule. That Wes knew about. And was supposedly warned about.

So as silly as it seems, I get why he got suspended. But it better not be for an entire year. Again, no one looks good here, especially given the news that Grant Horvat, who also played in the LIV Duels event with Wes, has gotten an sponsor's exemption to play in a PGA Tour event later this year. The whole thing is a mess, much like pro golf in general the past few years. Moving on …

Ben Crane’s DQ: Speaking of rules, like Justin Thomas, Ben Crane called a penalty on himself that no one would have noticed. And it cost him a paycheck after making a rare cut in a PGA Tour event. Even worse? Crane had gotten a huge break with his ball staying in play, but he didn’t even get to use it. Here's how he explained the weird wrong ball situation:

What a dagger. But good for him. For doing the admirable thing, he’ll sleep better at night. I think.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour season rolls on with the Zurich Classic, AKA that one in New Orleans, AKA that one where players team up. Last year, the pair of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry won, which lifted Rory out of a mini winless stretch. And now a year later he returns with a green jacket. Tournament organizers should probably start pitching that to prospective PGA Tour stars. Meanwhile, the LPGA heads to Houston for its first major of the year, the Chevron Championship, where Nelly Korda is the defending champ. And LIV is in Mexico where the PGA Tour used to play at Club de Golf Chapultepec. Fun course!

Random tournament fact: Carlos Franco won back-to-back years (1999-2000) in New Orleans. I remember that fondly because 2000 was the first time I played fantasy golf (we called it rotisserie golf back then) and I had him on my team. So, thank you for your service, Carlos.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Rory will fall to the ground in tears this week: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

—Rory (and Shane Lowry) will win again this week: 3-to-1 odds (Big Favorites)

—Rory’s green jacket has been getting plenty of use: LOCK

TWEET(S) OF THE WEEK

These from statistician Lou Stagner shows just how insane those three consecutive approach shots Rory McIlroy hit late on Masters Sunday were:

And that doesn’t even factor in the pressure of achieving a lifelong dream and making golf history. Speaking of, this from McIlroy (and his team) was awesome as well:

What a journey it's been.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Now THAT’S a tough beat. Hope the young man brought his wallet.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (GENIUS DIVISION)

We relayed breaking news last week that the great Club Pro Guy was making a comeback, and boy, has he already delivered with more genius content. Although, this is actually a never-before-seen video that was supposed to be seen by Team USA before the 2023 Ryder Cup. And then Zach Johnson got cold feet:

I’ve been reluctant to criticize ZJ’s captainship, but man, what a bogey that was. CPG could have altered Ryder Cup history. Hopefully, Keegan Bradley doesn’t make the same mistake.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (ART GENIUS DIVISION)

The United Kingdom put out a commemorative stamp celebrating McIlroy’s Masters win, but this has to be the coolest tribute:

It’s amazing how many talented people are in the world.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (DOPES DIVISION)

We’ve seen plenty of golf course fight videos in our day. In fact, I’d like to think of myself as somewhat of an expert on the subject. But this one is truly special. In a bad way, of course.

Blue shirt should be arrested for turning into prime Mike Tyson, but I do get his frustration. Slow play is such a stain on the game. And the worst part is that most of the time the culprits have no clue how slow they are and don’t even consider letting other groups play through. This doesn’t usually lead to a broken jaw and police being called to the course, but it’s bad.

THIS WEEK IN PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

OK, we need a palette cleanser after that and here’s the perfect one. Justin Thomas’ wife, baby and dad (and mom via phone) celebrating his win in Hilton Head:

By the way, I looked a lot like Mike Thomas over the weekend when I booked my plane tickets for a golf trip to Hilton Head this fall. Can’t wait!

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS

A tip of the cap to Tony Romo for continuing to try to qualify for golf tournaments:

The guy can definitely play, but as Wyndham Clark recently said, there’s a huge difference between “Country Club Good” and PGA Tour good.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You bet on me? I hope it was top five and not to win.” —Andrew Novak to a young fan as he signed autographs following that crushing loss. Talk about a guy who gets it.

THIS AND THAT

Congrats to Ingrid Lindblad on winning her first LPGA Tour title at the JM Eagle LA Championship. “I said winning wasn’t such a crazy goal,” Lindblad said after. “I said that maybe two to three times to media, and here we are. I might need to put up some more goals.” Hey, it usually works for Justin Thomas. … Congrats to Scott Stallings—a fellow golfer with a torn shoulder labrum—on running the Boston Marathon in 4:10:19 and raising $20,000 for "Golf Fights Cancer." He also fought for all golfers to be considered athletes with that respectable time! … The Old Course announced $50 tee times. For Scotland residents. Who win a lottery. Good luck to those who can enter. … In other course news, a new Pinehurst track, Pinehurst No. 11, was announced with Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw as the designers. Sounds great, although there will certainly not be any $50 tee times available. … And, finally, I saw this at the range the other day:

That Cam Smith blue blazer can't actually be catching on … can it?

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How would the 2023 Ryder Cup have gone if ZJ showed CPG’s video?

How much would it cost for a putting lesson from Xander Schauffele?

How many calories are in a Masters chicken biscuit sandwich?