This 28-second birdie by Team Rory at the Golf Channel Games was cinema
There were a number of highlights from Wednesday night's pleasantly surprising debut of the Golf Channel Games, but the standout was clearly the Team Relay competition, which had all four players from both teams involved in a little speed golf. One player stood at the tee, one player in the fairway and two around the green, with the competition alternating between the first and ninth holes at Trump Jupiter.
The relay produced a heavy dose of pars and bogeys but plenty of fun as the players raced from shot to shot. On the final try, however, Team Rory, which consisted of Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Shane Lowry and Haotong Li, made a birdie in under 30 seconds that was arguably the most impressive feat of the night.
As Golfweek's Cameron Jourdan pointed out, the 28-second three shows just how insanely long some pros are with their pre-shot routines. Notice how quickly McIlroy plays the approach—and how good it was despite taking 0 seconds to think it over:
Now, keep in mind, these guys had played this hole a few times, though all from different spots. McIlroy did however already get one attempt from the fairway, so he had a feel for the shot requred. Still, being able to just run up and whack it to 10 feet without thinking, checking the wind or discussing what the ADJUSTED yardage is does make you wonder how unnecessary all the pre-shot stuff is on a regular basis. Rory is just that good, too. There's that.
Also, how about Lowry just getting up there and burying the putt? No AimPoint? No view from the other side of the hole? No practice stroke to visualize the break? The HORROR!
Kidding aside, the relay was an excellent watch, as was the 14-club challenge that came after it. Convinced after watching both that the Zurich Classic has a prime opportunity to incorporate both into the team concept and become the most entertaining non-major of the year.