This week marks the start of the real 2018 PGA Tour (you know, the one with full fields and cuts and guys grinding over five-footers to keep cards and all that) which means it is the start of my yearly mailbags which I’ll pump out once a month, usually when things are heating up. If you ever have a question, just hit me with it on Twitter at @shanebacon or email it in at shane@shanebacongolf.com. With Dustin Johnson’s insane start (and drives) and so many things to look forward to this season, lets get this thing a-goin’!
“Who are your picks for each major? Players on the rise in 2018? Who’s going to win the Sony Open?” Brad S, via email
Well, why not start this thing off with a heavy-hitter question! I hate picking major championships this early in the season because an injury (hello Dustin at the Masters last year!) or just a horrible season in general (Rory last year as well) means things change throughout and a lot of the times you can look like a dolt with your picks.
THAT BEING SAID, I’ll go with these:
Jordan Spieth at the Masters. In my opinion Spieth ranks 11th all-time in players that understand Augusta National and this year will be just his fifth start at the Masters (the 10 in front of him, in case you were interested; Jack, Tiger, Arnie, Player, Phil, Faldo Snead, Demaret, Crenshaw and Couples). Last year was his ugliest start there and he finished T-11 (not bad!), plus if you’re going to go with someone at these majors, why not pick the most obvious face, especially since the Masters is the one constant we have in the major rotation each year. I’ve said for a while I think Spieth ends his career with 4-5 green jackets, and I would be surprised if he wasn’t in contention down the stretch again this year.
Rickie Fowler at Shinnecock. The course demands you drive the ball in the fairway, especially after the USGA went in and tighten those fairways a bit to avoid what Brooks Koepka was able to do to Erin Hills in benign conditions, and I think this course and this player match up perfectly. Fowler is due to give up the title of BPTNWAM, and I think this is the week it happens.
Sergio Garcia at Carnoustie. I just need this to happen. Sergio needs it to happen. The guy that took forever to rake the bunker on the 18th back in ’07 needs this to happen. I can’t live in a golf world where Garcia never wins a Claret Jug, considering he has 10 top-10s at the Open since ’01 and six top-6 finishes at this championship since ’05. Bring on the wind, allow Garcia to sting that new driver all day around this golf course and hopefully we see him finish off what he wasn’t able to a decade ago on this incredible track.
Jon Rahm at the PGA. The toughest major to predict is the PGA, especially when it’s played on a course most of these top stars have never really seen. The last PGA Tour event played at Bellerive was the ’08 BMW Championship and you have to check out the top-10 that week because it’ll remind you of what the PGA Tour used to look like post Tiger dominance and before the wave of young guys.
1.) Camilo Villegas
2.) Dudley Hart
T-3.) Jim Furyk
T-3.) Anthony Kim (!)
T-5.) Stephen Ames
T-5.) K.J. Choi
T-5.) D.J. Trahan
T-8.) Tim Clark
T-8.) Hunter Mahan (!!)
T-10.) Aaron Baddeley
T-10.) Freddie Jacobson
T-10.) Steve Stricker
So yeah, you try to figure out who the heck is going to play well at Bellerive. That’s such a random mix of bombers/pitchers/putters/whatevers that it makes it almost impossible to predict the ’18 PGA, but I’ll go Rahm because why the hell not.
How disappointed in DJ are you for leaving his drive short for double eagle this past weekend?
— Will Netterville (@wnetterville) January 11, 2018
Extremely. We all know the saying, you don’t leave a 433-yard drive for albatross short. What a hack.
What’s your favorite Mexican restaurant in Tucson?
— Steve Misner (@_SMisner) January 10, 2018
Have a couple afternoons to kill in Tucson in a few weeks- Which courses should I check out?
— Matt Bessler (@matt_bess1223) January 11, 2018
If I’m trying to impress you, I’m taking you to Cafe Poca Cosa but if I’m just trying to go somewhere to get some killer mexican food and a Tecate I’m taking you to Lerua’s.
As for Tucson golf (who knew we’d get multiple Tucson questions!), Vistoso is always my go-to (definitely was in college), Sewailo is a lot of fun and considering I just spent last weekend down there, make the drive to Tubac if you can and play where a lot of “Tin Cup” was filmed. A fun 27-hole facility that is totally worth your time.
If a golfer walked out of the locker room at Augusta wearing an untucked Hawaiian shirt on Thursday at the Masters, how many steps would they take before being tackled and/or tased?
— Paul (@PhaliasMaximus) January 10, 2018
It is worth pointing out that Phil Mickelson once wore this (sansabelt?!) outfit at the Masters …
… and Nick Faldo was awarded the green jacket with THIS sweater on.
That being said, the Rickie look (which worked in Hawaii, mind you) wouldn’t even make it past the scripting email before someone at ANGC sent a “yeah … that isn’t going to work” note to his team.
Tiger or Phil: who next will win a golf tournament?
— Matt (@Squactus) January 10, 2018
Everyone loves tossing around the stat that Tiger is the last of those two to win on the PGA Tour (Tiger won the ’13 Bridgestone in August, with Phil’s last victory coming two weeks prior at the Open Championship). But since the start of the 2014 season, Tiger has a total of one top-10 on the PGA Tour while Phil has 16 including five second place finishes. So the cute answer is Tiger, sure, but the real answer is Mickelson. I believe Phil wins this season. If I was going to predict a win I’d take him at Pebble Beach, but I think it definitely happens before we get to Augusta National. His record at Torrey/Riviera/Waste Management/Pebble/Houston is just too good to go another year through that stretch without sneaking out a victory.
Which out of Matsuyama, Fowler, And Rahm are most likely to never win a major?
— Ben Swanton (@BenSwantonSport) January 10, 2018
I will happily take D.) none of the above and run with it, thank you very much. You’re talking about the third, fifth and seventh ranked golfers in the world here that are young and talented! I would be shocked (SHOCKED!) if all three didn’t have a major by the start of the 2020 season and yes, that means all three win one in the next eight majors. Fowler has seven top-fives in majors, Hideki has five top-sevens in the last three seasons in the majors and have you watched Jon Rahm golf his ball? That dude is a major threat at any golf course. So my answer is D and yours should be as well and I’m docking you four Twitter points for even suggesting that one is majorless if they go even five more years of healthy golf, Ben!
“The use of push-carts on Tour … is that something we will ever see? If I was a pro (Certainly not) it would seem fitting to give my caddie a break with the use of a push cart.” Kyle S., via email
I’m told that it is actually against both PGA Tour and LPGA Tour rules to allow a caddie to use a push-cart (you can’t even use one during the final stage of Q-School), so that idea is out and even if there wasn’t a rule, I would be surprised to see caddies using anything to aid in the process of looping. Caddies are a prideful bunch that know they have a tough, tough job. I’ve been on the bag for a couple of LPGA friends of mine in four day events and I was toast by the end of it. It’s exhausting, sure, but it’s also a mental grind to be out there for five hours making sure everything is perfect for your player, with yardages, club selection, raking work, green reading, stepping off hole locations for the next day, and so much more (all of that is if conditions are perfect, btw). I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it; caddies might be the most under-appreciate job in all of sports, not by the players, but by the people around the sport that don’t totally understand just how important it is to have a great caddie and how serious they take their jobs.
Also, my first event ever caddying for a friend of mine, I added a number once instead of subtracting it (luckily I caught it as she was getting set to hit the shot and had to change her from a 4-iron to an 8-eight iron … yikes) and I pulled her putter out as she was getting set to chip a relatively easy pitch shot from just short of the green, only to have her tell me after she hit it, “what, you didn’t think I was going to hole it?” as she stared at the putter in my hand. From then on I always watch the caddies when players are chipping to see if they already have putter in hand or if they are waiting to see where it ends up, giving the player an even bigger boost of confidence before hitting the shot.
What is the most under the radar spot for buddies trips?
— Michael Chapin (@Michael_Chapin) January 10, 2018
Well I am glad you posed this question, Michael, because i just got back from a buddies trip on Sunday and it was one of those under the radar type of spots that turned out perfectly.
Me and nine of my buddies were looking to hit up somewhere in early January and after debating Florida, Oregon and some other spots, we decided why the hell not just stay in Arizona and do it a little closer to home.
We ended up going down to Tubac as I mentioned above, a 27-hole facility with cool cabanas and great food and an incredibly relaxed atmosphere. It was perfect and it got me thinking of just what you’re asking.
So for under the radar, my first advice is simply this; find a spot close to home. If you don’t have to board a flight, even better. I feel like a lot of Americans (myself included) are always looking to get out of where we are when we have so much stuff in our backyards (you can’t believe how many Arizona natives I know that have still never been to the Grand Canyon).
We did Tubac because it was 2.5 hour drive from Phoenix and the simplicity of it helps out on costs and I feel people can commit to these types of trips a little easier.
As for places for a trip, we all know the classic spots at this point; Bandon, Cabot, Streamsong, Pinehurst, and Monterey. Places like Wisconsin and Minnesota are starting to become getaways, but one of the most impressed I’ve ever been with a spot that I knew little about was Prairie Club in Valentine, Nebraska. The question was under the radar, not easy to get to, so that’s why this makes the list because it is about a four hour drive from the Denver airport or from Omaha. But the rooms are elegant and the beds are some of the most comfortable I’ve ever stayed in, the golf courses are great (carts are a bonus), and the H-O-R-S-E course they have, a little par-3 where you basically pick the next green to play to, is a lot of fun for a big or small group of golfers (it’s a “grab three clubs, one ball and a bag of beer” type of par-3).
What would be the knock of a place like that? Well, you won’t be leaving the resort for any nightlife, that’s for sure. It’s as remote as places come, so dinner and drinks will be on property each night, but if you want golf and good company, a good hang and a different place, that’s a place I’d suggest.
My other suggestion is St. George, Utah. You talk about being wowed by a place, this has to be it. So much fun and different golf nestled in the red sandstone cliffs, you will be floored by the golf and the prices of most of the destinations. I went on a media trip to St. George a couple of years ago and walked away knowing it would be a place I’d talk about to people for years because each golf course has a very different personality but they’re all great and breathtaking. The one knock? It’s Utah, which means the nightlife isn’t exactly going to conjure up ideas of Las Vegas on New Years Eve. But you can find a bar to have a drink or two after the round and if you’re a group that places 36 a day, that’s really all you need, right?
What was the best/funniest story from your time playing tournament golf?
— Shook Lopez (@TyrelMoliliswan) January 11, 2018
To be fair, I wouldn’t classify any of the year as “funny” because it was such a grind and I realized quickly I was up against a different breed of players.
But my first ever professional start was a Pepsi Tour event in Phoenix. The Pepsi Tour was around and hosted one or two day events for the most part, a place for guys to get those tournament feels, knowing money wasn’t the main goal.
My dad flew out to ride along with me and as we stood on the 18th tee, I remember leaning over to my dad and saying, “Dude, I’m the only guy in this foursome with a bogey today.” A couple of guys actually chopped it up the 18th to join me in the over-par on a hole department, but it was a gut-punch when you realize you’re the only guy with a square on your card after 17 holes.
Maybe the funniest part of that entire first event was winning two skins the first day and realizing my total earnings were nearly equal to the guy that actually won the event, so at least I got a little cash back in my pocket.
I also remember being paired in my second or third event with a guy that ordered a vodka-cranberry on the second hole (it was an early tee time, mind you). He was “old” to me at the time (probably in his early 30s), and either was having his worst day ever on the golf course or never should have checked that box that read “professional.” He ended the afternoon right around the 90 mark and after shaking hands I watched him toss his bats in the back of a brand new Range Rover and at that moment it all made sense.
The mini tour world is a mixture of beneficiaries and donators. You quickly learn which one you are. Either you’re providing or you’re taking, and you do not want to be in that former group. You also learn quickly what the cut will be. If it’s two days on some simple track, you know it’ll be under par (and this was 10 years ago … now it’s probably 8-10 under just to make the cut on the goat tracks). I remember missing a 20-footer or so on my 36th hole of an event, signing my card and without looking at the website or any other scores calling my uncle and telling him, “I missed it by one.” I just knew. Sadly, I was spot-on. I missed making it to the money by a shot. That’s the life out there, and it is a fast one if you aren’t making any dough.
Who is an underrated American player you could see making a run to the Ryder Cup team?
My choice is Kyle Stanley
— Ryan Leach (@Leach24) January 11, 2018
There is only one answer to this question and it’s Patrick Cantlay. Currently 31st in Ryder Cup points, I would be shocked if he wasn’t wearing red, white and blue in France come late September.
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