Monday, January 13th, 2024 Balls & Bogeys Golf News Edition
Nick Taylor drains improbable 72nd hole chip to win Sony Open
– by James Colgan / GOLF
Per James: “One of the great traits of sports is that they are presided over by a commanding sense of fate…”
B&B POV: Nick Taylor is a dawg. Literally. The pride of the U. of Washington by way of Canada. And yesterday in the Sony Open, that dawg went eating, making an eagle on his 72nd hole, and besting Nico Echavarria (who’s been playing lights out himself the last 4 mos.) in a 2-hole playoff. Woof.
Taylor narrowly missed out on making the International squad for the President’s Cup last fall. Don’t bet against him to make the roster in ’26.
Tiger Woods confirms plan for TGL debut as young phenom is forced to wait
– by Sam Frost / The Mirror
Per Sam: “Tiger Woods will make his TGL debut alongside Kevin Kisner and Max Homa on Tuesday, with rising star Tom Kim missing out on selection.”
B&B POV: Tiger is about to tee it up in a professional golf event. Not a tournament. An event. And it’s live on TV. The 2nd iteration of his and Rory’s TGL Matches.
If you don’t know what TGL is, click here. Tiger, Max and Kiz are taking on Rosey, Morikawa, and Sahith. Indoors. Big ass screen. Real grass (some). A rotating green. A bunch of extras and sponsors sitting in the 1,500 seat arena.
Tiger and his Jupiter Links squad are about to win their first match over LAGC. Bet on it!
PGA Tour Sends Message To Players Regarding Genesis Invitational As LA Fires Continue
– by Jonny Leighfield / Golf Monthly
Per Johnny: “In a memo sent out to players, the PGA Tour said it is too early to discuss how next month’s Genesis Invitational will be affected by ongoing fires in Los Angeles…”
B&B POV: B&B is based in So Cal, 60 miles south of Pacific Palisades. First and foremost, our prayers go out to everyone affected by the fires that continue to burn. As of this morning, the fire line has moved within a half-mile of The Riviera Country Club, host course of the Genesis Invitational, Tiger’s Signature PGA Tour event taking place Feb. 13-16. Our bet is that the tourney takes place during the same window on the tour calendar but is moved either to Torrey, which hosts the Farmers Insurance the 4th week of January, or TPC Scottsdale right after the Waste Management, which precedes the Genesis on the schedule.
If the tourney is going to move venues, it makes sense for it to be staged on a course that has infrastructure and hospitality already built out to handle 30,000+ fans and sponsors. 🙏🏼
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WITB Winner’s Bag: Nick Taylor, 2025 Sony Open in Hawaii
– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys
Per Thomas: Nick Taylor, world #29 and a Titleist man was victorious yesterday in the Sony Open. His gear set-up is comprised of 11 shiny Titleist clubs and three TaylorMade beauties. With T & T both releasing new equipment in ’25, surprisingly, Taylor doesn’t have any of the new goods in his bag yet like some of his peers. Heck, he’s playing with some oldies but goodies. We’ll be keeping an eye on his WITB this season to see if and when he drops in the newest AI-powered golf gear…
Nick Taylor’s Golf Gear:
DRIVER: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees), with Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Blue 6 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees), with Fujikura Atmos Blue Tour Spec 6 X shaft, TaylorMade SIM2 Max (18 degrees), with Mitsubishi Tensei AV 85 TX shaft
HYBRID: Titleist TSR2 (21 degrees), with Graphite Design Tour AD DI 95 Hybrid X shaft
IRONS: Titleist T100 (4-9), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46, 54, 58 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts
PUTTER: TaylorMade Spider Tour Red
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
PAYDAY! 2025 Sony Open Prize Money Payouts
– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys
Per Thomas: Nick Taylor got leid on the 18th green Sunday after his playoff victory. He was also handed one of those big fake checks with $1.56M printed on it, recognizing his performance. He earned every penny after sweating it out during his 2-hole sudden-death playoff with Nico. Both gents played hard, but in the end, Taylor won out. Congrats to Nick. Congrats to Nico as well, who pocketed nearly a million for his fine play. Golf pays. Really well…
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