PGA Championship at Harding Park + Lydia Ko

Before we talk about the PGA Championship, which is about to enter its final round, we must pay tribute the Lydia Ko, a former #1, who has gone 44 tournaments without winning. Normally, we pull for the underdogs and as a former #1, Ko would not qualify as such, but with her multi-year slide into the abyss, she’s become someone we can root for.

At Harding Park, DJ has a 1 shot lead going into the final round, but there are 10+ players who are within striking distance of winning. While we are looking forward to a great final round, with lots of drama, we have to pull for Matthew Wolff for nothing more than his unique "forward press,” if that’s what you call it, and Joel Dahmen. When you look at Dahmen’s background and what he has had to overcome, it’s easy to root for him.

As an aside, it is noteworthy that Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas, who have traded places as respective #1’s the last few weeks, have struggled to keep it together at Harding Park. It shows you how even the best players in the world could do themselves a favor and don a KIT hat to brace themselves against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

We're Rooting for Mackenzie Hughes, Russell Henley & Matthew Wolff to Win the U.S. Open

Why are we rooting for Mackenzie Hughes to win the U.S. Open? Because he’s Canadian and Canadians are nice people. Plus, they rarely ever win on the PGA tour. In addition, Hughes has overcome adversity - once losing his tour card before regaining it five years ago. Outside of his own friends and family, nobody is cheering for Mac. While the last two months have not been kind to Hughes (missed cuts in five straight events) he’s played well this week and is on the verge of winning The Open.

That makes him a solid underdog and a golfer we are pulling for today.

Russell Henley is another rootable player. While he had some early success in his first year on tour - winning the Sony Open by a record margin - he has not won as often as many had predicted when he graduated from the University of Georgia ten years ago. Now a 100-1 shot to win any tournament he enters, Henley is also a guy we can get behind.

While technically not an underdog, Matthew Wolff is easy to root for because of his entertaining and unconventional golf swing. He’s also talked about his struggles with depression and anxiety.

We are definitely not rooting for Bryson DeChambeau because he is a weasel. A VERY LARGE weasel, but a weasel nonetheless.

Remember: we are all underdogs when we step on the golf course. Our golf hats instill golfers with the calm resilience they need to play well.

Epilogue: Unfortunately, Hughes, Henley, and Wolff struggled during the final round and fell out of contention. It is hard to ignore the fact that they did so while wearing PING, Titleist, and Taylor Made hats. One cannot help but wonder how they would have faired wearing our Go-Lo, On in Regulation, or Birddha hats.

REAL golf is BACK!

We’ve played four tournaments following the Covid shutdown: the Colonial, the Heritage, The TPC in Connecticut, and the Rocket Mortgage in Detroit.

A few observations:

1) Bryson DeChambeau cannot be considered an “Underdog.” He’s added 30 lbs (in the space of 4-8 weeks) and is now averaging 350+ yards off the tee. We’re sure he’s a nice guy but he’s making a mockery of the game. Golf is a game of fast followers so it would not surprise us to see half the tour turn to “protein” wink…wink…shakes in order to add 30lbs to 50 lbs (because why stop at 30?). Our prediction: a 240 lb Kevin Na will win at East Lake later this year.

2) Unlike DeChambeau, Brendan Todd is a legitimate “Underdog.” Todd - who is half DeChambeau’s weight - has somehow won twice this year (once after missing 13 consecutive cuts!) after considering quitting the game, having developed the yips with his driver (cue Ed McMahon’s “Hiy-yyyo!!”). If you can’t get off the tee (just ask Ian Baker-Finch), you cannot break 90, let alone win events on the PGA. But Todd has done the impossible and overcome his demons. Well done!

3) Webb Simpson won the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town. Not a surprise because Webb Simpson grew up on a Country Club - not unlike most PGA pros. He has been programmed from a very young age, and with all the resources available to him, is going to win golf tournaments. Not an Underdog. But a couple of the players he competed against at the Heritage are legit. Hat tip to Corey Conners and Sepp Straka. Conners because he was almost done with golf were it not for his PGA win last year (out of nowhere) and Sepp Straka for no other reason because how do you not root for a guy named Sepp Straka?

Also notable: the return of golf means the return of Matthew Wolff, which is a cause for celebration.

Matthew Wolff & Ho-sung Choi

There were all kinds of eccentric golf swings on the tour prior to the modern golf swing getting introduced, There was Trevino, Gary Player, Arnie, Jim Thorpe, Moe Norman, Ray Floyd., and a host of others. Since then, not so much.

Then, almost overnight, the golfing world is reminded that it doesn’t matter how you start the swing, or how you finish, as long as you execute. Matthew Wolff and his odd, unorthodox swing, wins the 3M tour stop in just his 3rd PGA tournament. We were aware of Wolff because he is an obvious talent, and he did manage to win the NCAA individual title within two years of committing to Oklahoma State.

Still, we couldn’t wrap our mind around how someone with a routine and swing more bizarre than Furyk’s could have success. Wolff’s win is something the larger golfing community should celebrate. One, because with his swing he is always going to be an underdog, and two, because his win means we all need to question whether there might not be a different path to success on the course. We spend so much time and effort (and $$) trying to conform to what swing gurus and instructors tell us we need to do in order to be successful. Maybe the answer is to move in the other direction? Away from the status quo? Maybe we would all benefit by introducing a bit of a dance move, instead of a forward press, to jump start our swing?

Or at least, whatever feels comfortable to each of us.

After Wolff’s win, it’s natural to see if there are other professional golfers who ignore conventional wisdom and carve their own path. Five minutes into our search we stumble upon another diamond in the rough: Ho-sung Choi. Check out a compilation of his unique swing style here.

We are now BIG fans of Wolff and Choi and hope they are able to keep it together for years to come.

And, thanks to Wolff’s win and a sponsor exemption, we have Wolff and Choi, side-by-side warming up before this week’s John Deere Classic.

Ho-sung