He never looks rushed nor panicked, his silky swing rhythm a natural extension of his unflappable demeanor.
The guy doesn’t get down, nor does he get up.
That birdie gave Kirk a one-shot lead and the ability to play the par-5 18th conservatively.
“It was an unbelievable day,” Kirk said after the $3.6 million victory.
This existential battle has moved into its third year.
Everyone’s a bit tired of talking about it, of speculating.
Because that’s all it is, until a deal is announced: speculation.
We thought we might get something at the end of the year.
They have to make a deal or they’ll lose more guys like Rahm.
“It is what it is.”
He speaks for the majority of golfers.
So much of that success was due to his overhauling of his short-game.
Gone are the days where, in his own words, “I suck at chipping.”
Hovland turned a glaring weakness into a bona fide strength.
Nowhere was that clearer than at the Ryder Cup.
The pin was back-left, and there was a bit of a slope in between him and the hole.
Instead, he pulled the wedge without hesitation.
A man overflowing with confidence.
Even more eye-raising: neither party wants to talk about it.
Hovland declined to comment to Lewis, and Mayo stayed mum when reached by Sports Illustrated’s Gabrielle Herzig.
Hovland went to Mayo for information.
Mayo hooked him up to different machines and helped him learn what mathematical equation produces the desired ball flight.
But what happens when the guy finally gets it?
When he knows what the feels are, what the launch-monitor numbers need to be?
When he knows how to do it all by himself?
Hovland’s not changing his chipping motion now that he’s no longer working with Mayo.
That would be silly after the best chipping season of his career.
It makes sense on the player’s side.
Kapalua week always brings with it new logos.
Still, it was hard to believe: could Nike really let Tiger Woods go?
The answer is yes.
Woods announced on social media Monday morning that his relationship with the swoosh is over after 27 years.
Most of the talk on-site at the Sentry centered around Jason Day’s move from Nike to Malbon Golf.
It’s hard to think of two more polar opposite brands.
Malbon Golf, which is hugely popular with the younger crowd, goes the other way.
It’s almost throwback golf attire.
Loose-fitting pants, pleated pants, printed pants, sweater-vests, turtlenecks.
That stark difference is one of the reasons Day made the move.
He certainly went outside the box.
The pants on Sunday looked like they’d been rolled up in the suitcase all week.
He’s done with tight pants.
That much is clear.
The consensus on Twitter wasn’t a positive one.
But again, Day’s not doing this to impress people who spend time on Golf Twitter.
He’s going outside the box.
Another high profile clothing switch involves Xander Schauffele, who had been with adidas since he turned professional.
A few more changes:
Patrick Cantlay wore a Goldman Sachs hat for the last few years.
It was super villainy.
His new hat logo is for the First Responders Children’s Foundation.
Much less super villainy.
Sepp Straka’s no longer wearing the SQAIRZ golf shoes that are on every other commercial on Golf Channel.
He’s wearing adidas shoes now.
Eric Cole developed a reputation as a joggers guy, but it was more due to necessity than preference.
Now he’s with TASC and wearing normal pants.
Maui is open for business
I got a last-minute opportunity to play in the Wednesday pro-am for The Sentry.
I couldn’t turn it down.
Especially in the throes of winter.
It’s a huge island, and the vast majority of it was spared from the flames.
The area around Kapalua, for example, did not sustain damage.
But the devastation from Lahaina still weighs heavy over the entirety of Maui.
You’re reminded of this as soon as you land at Kahului airport.
There are sobering signs telling tourists not to drive past Lahaina.
Don’t stop and take pictures of it.
It’s as sensitive as subjects get.
No one wants to relive an atrocity.
What they want, desperately, is to keep things moving.
It’s why the PGA Tour returned to Maui just four months later.
In turn, people stayed away.
For an island that depends so heavily on tourism to fuel its economy, that’s a disaster.
Many, many people lost their jobs.
The message this week:Maui is open for business.That’s what they want you to know.
That’s why the tour came here.
The players were all on-board.
Collin Morikawa donated $2,000 for every birdie and $4,000 for every eagle he made during the week.
Tony Finau and family held an Instagram Live event to raise money for the victims.
Patrick Cantlay’s now rocking a First Responders Children’s Foundation logo on his hat.
Everyone was on board.
But it’s about raising awareness, obviously, still about the fires that had happened.
I think we all saw it firsthand, all the players driving in this week.
As for my experience on Wednesday, it couldn’t have gone much better.
A 78-degree day in January.
The wind, which can be an absolute force at Kapalua, played nice.
Here’s a little video recap:
I had an incredible few days on Maui.
you’ve got the option to, too.
Awesome to see him back.
Which, per his own standards, is a success.
Here’s my favorite clip from his debut, which shows his deadpan and just-get-on-with-it style.
Until next week,
Dan
