Monday, May 6th, 2024 Edition
Taylor Pendrith wins first PGA Tour title at CJ Cup Byron Nelson
– by Jack Hirsch / GOLF
Per Jack: “Taylor Pendrith had plenty of opportunities to take control of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, but he failed to capitalize on his length on TPC Craig Ranch’s drivable par-4 14th and missed a mid-range birdie putt on the difficult par-3 15th…”
B&B POV: O Canada, Taylor Pendrith was the big winner on Sunday in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson just outside of Dallas. Taylor is the 6th Canadian to win on Tour in the past two seasons which is indicative of two things: 1/ The crop of Canadians on tour is exceptional, including personal favorite Nick Taylor who played collegiately at Udub. 2/ LIV didn’t target Canadians when they went poaching.
Congrats Taylor. Keep it up and maybe you’ll tee it up in Quebec in the Presidents Cup this fall. We’re rooting for you – and Nick!
Tiger Woods receives special exemption to 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2
– by Adam Woodard / Golfweek
Per Adam: “The week of Tiger Woods continues…”
B&B POV: The Big Cat has committed to play in the next three majors of the season: PGA Championship, Valhalla Golf Club, May 16-19; US Open, Pinehurst #2, June 13-16; and The Open Championship, Royal Troon, July 18-21. To get into the US Open he had to apply for and receive a special exemption. Was that a hard decision for the admin who received the letter? We’re guessing, no. But just how many can he apply for? We’ll learn that answer over the next decade or so.
WITB Winner’s Bag Presented By Golf Galaxy: Taylor Pendrith, 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
– Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys
– Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys
Per Thomas: Taylor Pendrith won the CJ Cup yesterday, his first PGA TOUR event. With the win, he moved up to #58 in the cockeyed OWGR (cock, because of the ranking anomaly caused by LIV defectors not earning points on the exhibition circuit). He sits one below Alex Noren in world rankings and right above Grayson Murray – both not household names. What does a middling position in the rankings earn you? Definitely not a big equipment deal. But he does have a deal with Srixon – to play their irons and ball.
In addition to Srixon irons, how did he round out his equipment in the CJ Cup? With a smorgasbord of goodies. Four total manufacturers. With a heavy emphasis on Ping woods and Srixon irons. Let’s take a look into his winning bag…
Pendrith’s Golf Gear:
DRIVER: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees), with Accra TZ Six ST shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 80 6.5 TX shaft, G425 Max (20.5 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 90 6.5 TX shaft
IRONS: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4-5), ZX7 Mk II (4-9), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
WEDGES: Cleveland RTX 6 Tour Rack (46, 52, 56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
PUTTER: Odyssey Jailbird Versa
BALL: Srixon Z-Star Diamond
Check out our Best Golf Drivers 2024 edition.
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Brooks wins 4th LIV event, Taylor Pendrith wins 1st PGA Tour title. What’d they make?
– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys
Per Thomas: There’s no way that Taylor Pendrith is disappointed with winning $1.7M along with a Big-A Trophy for besting a C-level field at the CJ Cup. But, had he won the LIV Singapore event yesterday like Brooks did, he would have pocketed $4M; or, if he wins this week in the Wells Fargo Championship, a PGA Tour signature event, he’ll earn $3.6M, a 112% increase over Sunday’s big take home.
Heck, three guys made more than Taylor at the LIV Golf Singapore shotgun – Brooks ($4M) and Australians Cam Smith and Marc Leishman, who banked $1.9M. For all we know Brooks and the Aussies made even more than that when you take into consideration possible team competition monies earned. If we knew who played for the Rippers, Strippers and Fireballs, we’d tell ya’.
Tour Confidential: Brooks Koepka’s heating up, Tiger Woods’ U.S. Open spot and more
– by GOLF Editors
Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Brooks Koepka’s LIV Golf win, Tiger Woods’ U.S. Open exemption, Nelly Korda’s attempt at six straight wins and more.
What does B&B think?
- Will an in-form Koepka compete with Scheffler at the PGA Championship next week? Well, at least they’ll be playing in the same tournament (probably), which is awesome. Hopefully Scottie and his wife give birth to a beautiful, healthy Chipotley-loving newbie after the major championship.
- Any issue with Tiger getting a special exemption into the 2024 US Open? Next question please.
- Jack Nicklaus received eight special exemptions into the US Open during his career. How many will Tiger receive if he wants/needs them? If Tiger were to play in 4-6 more US Opens before he hangs up his spikes, it’ll be a small miracle. Sadly, we don’t think he’ll need eight exemptions.
- Nelly’s going for six straight this week. Prediction? And how big a deal is this story? First off, she’ll compete for the title, at least through Saturday. At some point, mental fatigue will kick in. It happens with every great streak in sport. With that, we hope she blitzes the field by 10 and the story picks up even more international attention. Let ‘er rip Nelly. We’re rooting for ya’.
- Bandon turns 25 this month. How important has the resort’s evolution and stature been for golf? And, favorite course? Nothing in golf compares to Bandon. Not even close (sorry Pebble, Pinehurst, Whistling, Kiawah Island and Streamsong). Bandon has inspired developers to dream and build big. Which is great for golf. The best at Bandon: Pacific Dunes. With a mild breeze. At dawn or dusk. It just doesn’t get any better.
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