Topgolfgears Morning 9: Americans get it in gear | Phil thrills | RIP Dave Anderson

By Top Golf Gears On Oct 8, 2018

1. International Crown

Meanwhile, in Incheon, South Korea…AP Report…With a typhoon approaching and rain falling, Michelle Wie and Jessica Korda had plenty of opposition to overcome on the second day of the UL International Crown.

“Wie and Korda led the way as the United States won both fourball matches against Thailand on Friday to move to the top of Pool B in the eight-nation tournament.”

“It was tough out there,” Wie said. “It was cold, it was raining. It was not ideal temperature … but it turned out pretty well.”

“Organizers tried to complete two rounds on Friday because of the approaching Typhoon Kong-rey, but play ended in the middle of the third because of the conditions….Wie and Korda bounced back from Thursday’s loss to Sweden by defeating Moriya Jutanugarn and Pornanong Phatlum 6-and-4. Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson made it two wins in a row with a 4-and-3 victory over Ariya Jutanugarn and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong.”

“The two victories at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Seoul, give the defending champions six points. Sweden is next with four points while Japan and Thailand have three each.”

2. And at the Alfred Dunhill Links…

European Tour report on round one at the Links…”Marcus Fraser and Matt Wallace both birdied their final holes to take a share of the lead after a challenging opening day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.”

“The two men are having contrasting seasons on the European Tour, with Wallace a three-time winner in 2018 and Fraser battling to keep his playing privileges from 175th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.”
“On a day of high winds and very difficult scoring, the Australian carded a 68 at the Championship Course Carnoustie to get to four under, where he was joined by Wallace who matched his score over the Old Course at St Andrews.”

3. RIP Dave Anderson

John Strege at Golf Digest with the news…”Dave Anderson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist with the New York Times and a long-time contributing writer at Golf Digest, has died. He was 89…Anderson had a passion for golf, playing it and writing about it. It was after covering the Masters and before playing a round of golf that he learned that he had won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary.”

“He received the Red Smith Award from the Associated Press Sports Editors Association for contributions to sports journalism in 1994, the Dick Schaap Award in 2005 for outstanding journalism, was inducted into the National Sports Writers and Sportscasters Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 2014 became the fourth recipient of the PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing.”

“I put that right on the same level as the Pulitzer Prize,” Anderson told Golf Digest of the latter award, citing the fact that the three previous winners – Roger Angell, Golf Digest’s Dan Jenkins and Frank Deford – were “three of my great heroes in life.”

4. Phil didn’t advise picking himself in fantasy…

Perhaps you saw the video yesterday from Wednesday at the Safeway Open–a fan asking Phil Mickelson whether he should roster the left-hander in his DraftKings lineup. Mickelson advises him not to.

Well, through one round at least, Mickelson looks like an excellent choice.

Lefty opened the Safeway Open with a bogey-free 65 that included a stretch of six-straight birdies.

5. Best third quarter ever!

Press release…“Golf Channel posted its most-watched third quarter ever (126,000, P2+) across a 24-hour period, up 9% vs. 2017 (116k).”

“September was Golf Channel’s most-watched September ever (132k), up 33% vs. 2017, and becomes the third month this year to set a most-watched milestone (January and March).”

“Golf Digital’s most-streamed quarter ever with 342 million minutes streamed, up 72% vs. 2017…Golf Digital’s record-setting pace in 2018 includes video starts already setting its most-engaged year ever with 53.4 million starts with the full fourth quarter still remaining.”

6. Speaketh the Jack

Digest has a roundup of some of the Golden Bear’s bon mots.

A few…

“Aim and alignment are by far the most important elements of the act of moving a golf ball from A to B. Rub the magic lamp, get the genie to give you any golf swing of your choice from history, and, if you don’t direct it correctly from the beginning, it still won’t reduce your present score by even one measly stroke.”

“Even the gutsiest players learn they can’t try the hero shot all the time.”

“You first have to see the trouble, then think positively about playing away from it. Some players might say they just “let it happen.” Well, you don’t ever just let it happen.”

And of course…”I believe the Ryder Cup is an exhibition by some of the best golfers in the world, great entertainment and an exercise in sportsmanship, camaraderie and goodwill. The individual performances, good or bad, don’t determine who the best players in the world are. Nor does the side that happens to win determine on what side of the Atlantic the best golf is played. Too many people believe otherwise, and that helps make the matches too contentious among the teams and their fans.”

7. Bud’s back

Excellent feature from PGATour.com’s Helen Ross on Bud Cauley’s accident and return to action this week.

A morsel…”The first thing Bud Cauley remembers after the accident is seeing the paramedics who had pulled him out of the back seat of the BMW.”

“The car had veered off the road, hit a culvert and gone airborne before striking a tree, then three others. The BMW finally came to rest in a ditch.”

“Cauley, who was one of four people in the car, was having trouble breathing because he had a collapsed lung. He also had a concussion, six broken ribs and a fracture in his left leg.”

“It was really scary, first waking up,” Cauley recalls. “Obviously, first in your mind is your quality life going forward. And then I thought about … golf and was I going to be able to play again and play the same way. All those things I worried about for a while.”

8. Tyrrell Hatton’s Sunday night accommodations

Regarding the Europeans’ victory celebration…”Sunday night was a bit messy,” Hatton told Sky Sports. “I got back into my room at four in the morning. And then, always the sign of a good night is when you fall asleep next to the toilet.”

Always the sign of a good night, indeed.

9. Cheers, Mark Mulder

He’s getting about 1 percent of the fanfare Steph Curry did during his Web.com Tour starts, but former MLB pitcher, Mark Mulder, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, fired an opening-round 3-over 75 at the Safeway Open. He’s tied for 134th after one round, ahead of Jamie Lovemark, Wesley Bryan, and Adam Hadwin.