A PGA Tour duo’s big breakthrough, a dangerous golf tradition and an all-time WAG fail

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we had a crazy, awful thought while watching that Shedeur Sanders prank call: Imagine if that happened in golf? Imagine if Netflix cameras were rolling and someone was just trolling one of those guys getting a Ryder Cup captain’s pick? And then imagine the devastation with them finding out it wasn’t real? Considering Zach Johnson didn’t think his guys could take a funny Club Pro Guy "pep talk" video, I don’t think they would have handled it as well as Shedeur did. Anyway, it was a wild couple days for that young man and it was a wild week in golf. Let’s get to it.

WE’RE BUYING

Team LOOP: We had Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin on The Loop podcast back-to-back weeks in February, and they were two of our favorite guests ever. A legit NFL podcaster and a former mortgage loan officer. So they were an auto-bet for me when I found out they were playing together at the Zurich Classic via this text from The Loop podcast co-host Christopher Powers:

And long story short, I hit my first outright winner in ages. Woo! Team Loop! LFG!

But seriously, these guys are awesome, and it was great that after seeing them both knock on the door for their first PGA Tour title that they finally broke down that door together. And it was great actually seeing a little bit of money in my FanDuel account for once.

Mao Saigo: Speaking of breaking down the door, the LPGA’s reigning Rookie of the Year made her maiden title a major at the Chevron Championship. A WILD Chevron Championship. The 23-year-old Japanese star got the job done when it mattered most, birdieing the first extra hole to win a FIVE-way playoff:

And then, she took the traditional celebratory leap into the pond, where she had a mild scare since she admittedly can't swim all that well and didn’t realize the water was as deep as it was. Remember, we’re not in Poppie’s Pond anymore!

Maybe next year, in addition to the trophy, the tournament should give the winner some floaties.

Joaquin Niemann: Another week, another win on the LIV Tour for this young star. This time, Niemann shot a Sunday 65 at Club de Golf Chapultepec to track down Bryson DeChambeau and others in Mexico City:

With all these wins, though, we’re still waiting for Niemann to really show something at a major. But at least he’ll have another opportunity in that regard. By virtue of his latest win, Niemann will become the first golfer to earn that new LIV exemption into the U.S. Open. So not only does he get a chance to compete, but golf fans don’t have to hear him complain about not getting into the event!

Blades Brown: I realized this week’s Korn Ferry Tour event was one of the biggest shootouts of all time (Shout-out to another stud, Johnny Keefer for shooting THIRTY under to earn his first win), but the 17-year-old shot bookend rounds of 61 and 63 to finish tied for second.

And after, because he earned a spot in this week’s KFT event and is close to gaining special temporary member status, he pulled out of this week’s PGA Tour event where he had already received a sponsor's exemption. What a MATURE decision from this young man. The future is very bright.

WE’RE SELLING

Ariya Jutanugarn’s finish: This is about as brutal as it gets. Jutanugarn was over the green in two on the closing par 5 just needing a par to win when she basically whiffed on a chip shot.

Ouch. The resulting bogey dropped her into that five-way tie and minutes later she lipped out a birdie putt on the same hole to lose the playoff. Ouch again.

Bryson DeChambeau’s Sundays: For all the great that Bryson has done both in tournaments and in the YouTube world recently, his Sundays since winning last year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst have been a bit rough. We all saw him struggle playing in the final group of the Masters with Rory McIlroy earlier this month and at least a few people saw him shoot a disappointing final-round 71 in Mexico including a double bogey on 13 to get lapped by Niemann.

Crazy enough, DeChambeau hasn’t won a LIV event since 2023. Winning is tough. Anywhere.

Assaulting a marshal: That’s what allegedly happened at a Florida golf course when a golfer was asked to speed up play, leading to an altercation that resulted in the golfer being arrested and charged with battery. Even worse? The golfer was 24 and the marshal was 79.

We need more marshals out there helping to move people along. But who is going to want to do that job if stuff like this is happening? Regardless, obviously, a golfer should never resort to this. Even if the marshal is telling you to speed up play when you’ve been waiting on the group in front of you all day.

Flying to the wrong airport: That’s what Jake Knapp’s girlfriend, Makena White, did, somehow, while trying to get to TPC Louisiana on Sunday to see her man in contention. Here’s her original tweet:

Whoops! And here’s her wild explanation for her epic fail:

OK then … On the bright side, she missed Jake's chunked chip on 18. But seriously, Makena is an awesome follow on X/Twitter. Just don’t ask her for any travel advice.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour season continues with the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, AKA the Byron Nelson, AKA that one that the great Byron Nelson used to attend. Meanwhile, the LPGA heads to Utah for the inaugural Black Desert Championship, and LIV Golf heads to South Korea for a rare back-to-back. Plus, the Golf Digest Match Play Championship, AKA that one where I always get my heart broken, is underway.

This year, it looks like my heart will get broken right off the bat as I have to face my nemesis, Greg Snedeker, who has knocked me out two of the three years, in the first round on Friday at lovely Mansion Ridge. If we don’t get rained out again, that is.

Random tournament fact: Five-time British Open champ Peter Thomson won his one and only PGA Tour event in the United States at what was then called the Texas International Open in 1956. The more you know.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—A WAG will mistakenly fly to Louisville instead of Dallas: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

—Scottie Scheffler will win in Dallas: 2.8-to-1 odds (Big Favorite)

—Mao Saigo will be more careful jumping into ponds going forward: LOCK

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Man, it’s great to have CPG back. (Sorry, Ariya.)

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

That’s the look of pure terror right there.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (PRANK DIVISION)

Josh Allen pulled off a nasty prank on Phil Mickelson by switching his rangefinder from yards to meters:

This guy deserves a Super Bowl title so bad.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (FAIL DIVISION)

Shane Lowry cold topped one off the first tee during a practice round, which should have been a hint to everyone not to bet on the defending champs:

Hey, it’s always nice seeing that one of the best players in the world can think and look like a weekend hack—even if it's just for one shot.

THIS WEEK IN PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

With a team event, we get a double dose of WAGs this week!

And I love that Andrew’s wife is named Maddie Myers Novak because my youngest daughter is named Maddie Myers. Hey, maybe I’m related to a PGA Tour winner!

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS

As much as I love Russell Wilson, it was nice to see my Giants trade back into the first round to get their (hopefully) QB of the future, Jaxson Dart. That’s an all-time name for both a QB and a golfer and it turns out he can absolutely crush a golf ball:

Forget about his throwing or running, that's ELITE speed right there. What an athlete.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I'm not really a good swimmer. When I went inside, it was deep and at first, I thought I was going to drown.” —Mao Saigo. Told you it wasn’t an exaggeration!

THIS AND THAT

Tiger Woods has earned $1.91 billion in his career, according to Sportico's latest list of the top-50 richest athletes of all time, a number that grows to nearly $3 billion when adjusted for inflation. That’s a lot of money. … A California golf course threatened to release footage of a couple that’s been having an affair in its parking lot. That's one way to put a stop to that. … Tito’s is offering to pay the bar tab for 20 golfers who make a hole-in-one in the next three months. Of course, this wouldn’t be necessary if we could all agree that’s a ridiculous tradition. … And, finally, with the blessing of my PT—and despite having a repaired meniscus and a torn labrum—I have begun speed training again:

Pray for me.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How much more would Tiger have earned if not for his scandal?

Does Jaxson Dart need a New York golf buddy?

What part of my body will I injure next?