HV3 mows | Tiger vs. Phil & Game of Thrones | Writing off Romo? | Scottish golf’s problem

By Top Golf Gears On Jul 12, 2018

Good morning, Topgolfgears members. As most of you are signed up for our newsletters, you likely already know that I’ve been sending this little Morning 9 roundup of nine items of note.

In case you’ve missed it, or you prefer to read on site rather than in your email, we’re including it here. Check out today’s Morning 9 below.

If you’re not signed up for our newsletters, you can.

July 10, 2018

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans.

HV3 mows | Tiger vs. Phil & Game of Thrones | Writing off Romo? | Scottish golf’s problem

1. Romo can still play

While he struggled mightily against pro-caliber competition in his sponsor’s exemption to the Corales Puntacana and in U.S. Open qualifying, Tony Romo still has a serious golf game.

According to , No. 9 won the Racine Tri-Course Amateur Championship in Wisconsin by nine shots Sunday-the win was his second at the tournament, which he also won in 2004.

Romo lead by five strokes heading into the final round, which was contested at Meadowbrook Country Club, Romo’s home course (haters will be keen to point to this fact). Rounds one and two were held at Racine Country Club and H.F. Johnson Park Golf Course, respectively.

The Journal Times report also indicated Romo is working with Chris O’Connell and Andy Traynor from Plane Truth Golf and he feels the pieces are falling into place.

2. Shaping the Woods vs. Mickelson duel

How best to make the made-for-TV showdown? Golf Channel’s Randall Mell has a few thoughts.

“It could be one hell of a TV show if it’s packaged the right way….There is so much we still want to know about these two mega stars, about their history together, about what divided them for most of their career, and what brought them together.”

“There is a lot we want to know about what makes them different, and what may make them more similar than we ever realized…There is still a lot we want to know about them as individuals, too, especially Tiger’s softening, his hard life lessons and his willingness to open up more to today’s players.”

Mell offers some shows to build off of (!)

“Game of Thrones ..Yeah, before we can fully appreciate the bond these two warriors appear to be forging in their realm today, let’s revisit the conflicts overcome, whatever it was that made them look so frosty as partners in Friday fourballs and foursomes at the 2004 Ryder Cup. Let’s understand what made Woods and Mickelson look like snowmen standing next to each other on the tees that year.”

“Band of Brothers …We’ve heard how being a part of the ranks of so many American teams eventually helped bring them together, but let’s hear how the ice started to melt, the stories of how they began to connect in ways that led to a more empathetic understanding of each other.”

3. Surprising? The Phil Mickelson dress shirt is really comfortable to golf in

I bit the bullet and tried the Phil Mickelson dress shirt. While it remains, well, not exactly my style, the thing was darn comfortable and you can certainly play golf in it.

Mizzen+Main wanted to make a dress shirt that you can comfortably play golf in…if you want to.

And while some might think Mickelson, a partner in the company, was part of a mere marketing stunt, I can confirm that you can actually comfortably wear these shirts on the golf course.

Mizzen+Main sent me a light blue solid “Nelson Mickelson Edition” shirt, and I put it through the paces on course. It stretches more than you’d expect, is plenty breathable, and still looks like a dress shirt, rather than athletic wear masquerading as a dress shirt (important for the whole “off-course wear” thing).

4. Scottish golf in trouble?

How could this be? The game isn’t doing well in the home of said game? John Huggan (who blocks me on Twitter for some unknown reason) explains.

Only three Scots-Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher-have been part of a European Ryder Cup team in this century. Only one Scot, Russell Knox, is currently ranked in the world’s top 100. Just three more-Martin Laird, Scott Jamieson and Richie Ramsay-are part of the top 200. David Drysdale, the eighth-best Scottish golfer on the planet, is ranked 290th.

Knox, Florida-based since his late teens, has won twice on the PGA Tour in recent years, including the 2015 WGC HSBC Championship in China. But the Inverness-native remains the tartan-clad exception. Elsewhere, Scots are lagging behind. Way behind. More than three years have passed since Ramsay tasted victory at the Trophee Hassan in Morocco. Before Knox won , Ramsay, the former US Amateur champion, was the last Scot to win a regular European Tour event.

By way of contrast, 16 Englishmen have won 31 times during those intervening 40 months (there are currently eight Englishmen in the world’s top 100). And, perhaps more pertinently given Denmark and Scotland’s comparable population and weather, three Danes have won five times on their home circuit, as well as claiming the World Cup in Australia.

In the women’s game, the picture is even more stark.

5. Stenson’s Open start in peril?

Something to keep an eye on…the 2016 Open winner may not be competing in the 2018 edition of the tournament.

Stenson wrote on Twitter: “Sad to have to withdraw from due to elbow problems. Good luck to everyone at Gullane & have great week. Hoping to be fit for Carnoustie.”

6. Jimmy Buffett: caddie?

File under: “Story I should have lead with.” The love-him-or-hate-him prophet of Parrot Heads picked up a bag at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, it seems.

Kevin Casey writes: “The 71-year-old musician was on hand Monday for a U.S. Senior Women’s Open practice round and appeared to actually serve as a caddie for competitor Patricia Ehrhart”

Ehrhart is Buffett’s niece

7. He’s Nie-mann!

A pun so bad, I’ve used it more than once in discussing 19-year-old sensation (and now PGA Tour member) Joaquin Niemann!

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall with the details

“Niemann already attained special temporary membership with a T-6 at the Memorial-his third T-8 or better in five outings-to earn unlimited sponsor invites until the FedEx Cup Playoffs begin. (Niemann’s expected to play at this week’s John Deere Classic.) By earning his card, Niemann joins a group featuring Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth that was able to bypass the Web.com Finals Thanks to a final-round 64 at the Greenbrier, Niemann grabbed a T-5 finish at the West Virginia event.

“It wasn’t enough to earn an invitation to next week’s Open Championship, but he didn’t leave empty-handed. Thanks to his Sunday push, Niemann, with his fourth top 10 in just eight professional events, now has 414 FedEx Cup points. A total well above the projected amount needed for the 125th player in the FEC standings by the end of the Wyndham Championship, meaning, at 19 years old, Niemann has secured his tour card for next season.”

8. A GolfWRX member dreams (nightmare) of Augusta National

GolfWRX member Me05501 had a dream that gave me a chuckle, he writes…

“I had a series of odd dreams the other night, culminating in this one.

“I was in the clubhouse at Augusta National. For some reason I was wearing jeans, and I knew I had to change pants to be allowed on the course.

“However, every time I changed pants, the pants I put on would magically transform into some kind of denim, forcing me back to the locker room to find another pair. Over and over again.

“I suppose the meaning of the dream is clear. I shouldn’t pretend to belong in places I obviously do not.”

9. HV3: A man of his word

“I hate to harp on it, but it’s all about perspective,” said Harold Varner, who was in position to win at the Greenbrier after three rounds. “If I shoot 90 tomorrow, I’m gonna able to go home, and my mom is going to give me a kiss and be like, ‘you’re still a winner.’

“And I’m gonna be mad, but that’s just how it is. And if I win, she’s gonna humble me and be like, ‘you’re not better than me.’ And I thoroughly enjoy that…I’m gonna mow my parents’ grass on Monday . . . so that’s just what I’m gonna do.”

Well, that’s just what he did (see below)