Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we run down the weekend’s top stories in the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair and start to dread the impending Ryder Cup …
1. Ludvig Åberg is officially a Ryder Cup problem now
You could see the wave building offshore for most of Sunday afternoon. Yes, Maverick McNealy was leading the Genesis Invitational, and Scottie Scheffler was back to his usual powerful self, and a pair of Patricks — Cantlay and Rodgers — hung around the top of the leaderboard. But there, just a few strokes back, lurked Ludvig Åberg, and on the final nine, he struck. Four birdies in the last six holes, including a closing seven-footer to win outright, gave Åberg a PGA Tour victory, a projected top-five berth in the world rankings, and an aura of devastating inevitability. Åberg is going through all the requisite steps of stardom now — winning in smaller tournaments, learning how not to lose majors — and before long, he’s going to own the sport. His arrival could not have come at a better time for the European Ryder Cup squad, or a worse one for the United States contingent, which is already reeling. We are entering the Era of Åberg, and we could be here for awhile.
2. Is a PGA-LIV reunification deal close?
Tiger Woods didn’t play in the Genesis; still grieving his mother, he restricted his appearance to the trophy presentation and a brief stint in the CBS booth alongside Jim Nantz. When pressed on the possibility of a reunification of golf’s splintered tours, Woods indicated that the involvement of President Trump seems to be a good sign for getting all of golf back together.
“I think things are going to heal quickly,” Woods said. “We are getting this game going in the right direction, it’s been headed in the wrong direction for a number of years. The fans want all of us to play together, all the top players to play together and we are going to make that happen.”
It’s worth noting that Woods has expressed optimism on multiple occasions before, with nothing resulting. But the involvement of the current presidential administration would seem to be a positive sign for a deal … sometime.
3. Tiger Woods, TGL return strong this week
Woods and TGL, the tech-infused indoor golf league, return this week for the league’s busiest run to date. TGL follows a Presidents Day tripleheader with a Tuesday night match that will feature the return of Woods. TGL has had some ratings success and appears on track for a respectable run as a winter-golf weeknight endeavor. Some players appear much more engaged than others, and after changing the “hammer” rules, a roster overhaul should be on the docket for TGL Season 2. The league needs more players as engaged as Collin Morikawa and Billy Horschel.
4. LIV Golf wraps its most successful annual stop
LIV Golf may or may not be a successful business venture in the aggregate — given the amount of money being thrown its way for relatively small ratings and awareness return, we’d lean toward “not” — but what’s indisputable is that the Adelaide, Australia stop is the tour’s most notable, and most raucous, by a long drive. The pathway to success for LIV is through places like Australia, locales where there’s a golf-mad fanbase ready to turn any event into the WM Phoenix Open … except that there aren’t many events.
At the Adelaide event this year, Joaquin Niemann continued his run of LIV success with a three-stroke victory, while Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC won the team title.
One highlight: Patrick Reed acing the course’s signature “Watering Hole.” Check out this celebration:
5. Justin Leonard wins his first tournament in 16 years
Long as we’re bringing the Ryder Cup up six months early … a Ryder Cup hero of yore is finally back in victory lane following a 16-year absence. Justin Leonard, Open champion and 1999 Ryder legend, won the PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic in Naples by four strokes, holding off Billy Andrade, Darren Clarke and Fred Couples. The victory marked Leonard’s first win since 2008, a nice comeback for a guy who briefly owned the golf world.
Tour Trophy of the Week: Genesis Invitational
This week’s trophy is a solid contender, smooth lines and contrasting metals. Plus, it looks like you could probably drink a full bottle of wine out of that thing, which is always a bonus when you’re assessing a trophy’s value. Any trophy too tall to fit on a bookshelf is automatically a good trophy.
Shot of the Week: McNealy’s horizontal par save
Maverick McNealy couldn’t hold off a charging Åberg at the Genesis, but let’s be honest, there are very few people who could. But at least McNealy will always have the memory of this par save from a ridiculous horizontal lie, a swing closer to a batting-practice cut than an approach shot:
Go ahead. Try that at your local muni. Just make sure your playing partners are behind you. Way behind you.
Coming up this week: Mexico Open at VidantaWorld (PGA Tour), Honda LPGA Thailand, four TGL matches.
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