Oct
2
2017
The most entertaining moments from the U.S. Presidents Cup team’s epic winning presser
By Stephanie Wei under Presidents Cup

The 2017 U.S. Presidents Cup team has been hailed as perhaps the strongest and most perfect squad of players. Led by Captain Steve Stricker, the Americans dominated from the start to finish — which wasn’t exactly a huge surprise given the lopsided (and relatively short) history of these biennial matches, with the U.S. winning 10 of the 12 times its been staged.

There were fleeting moments that were thrilling because, well, two words: Match play. But it was pretty much over after Friday with the Americans . In fact, the Americans nearly clinched the Cup on Saturday, but Anirban Lahiri and Si Woo Kim managed to fend off Charley Hoffmann and Kevin Chappell to win 1-up — it was the only full point clinched by the International Team during both sessions on Saturday.

Still. Sunday didn’t matter. Don’t take it from me — several American players voiced that in the boozy, extremely entertaining winning presser.

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Sep
30
2017
Presidents Cup, Day 3: So you’re telling me there’s still a chance… (*Updated)
By Stephanie Wei under Presidents Cup

One thing we can always count on in golf: Awkward celebrations (with the exception of Beef).

The Internationals finally won their second full point in afternoon four-ball matches to keep the Americans from clinching the Cup…by a point. At the end of Day 3 at the Presidents Cup, the Americans lead the Internationals 14.5 to 3.5. Ouch.

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Sep
29
2017
Presidents Cup, Day 2: Another U.S. rout (in the making)
By Stephanie Wei under Presidents Cup

 

As an American, I have no shame to say that I’ve rooted for the International Team in just about every Presidents Cup since I started covering golf. WTF, that’s treasonous, you say? Well, the reason why is simple. With few exceptions, like two years ago in South Korea, the Americans have dominated the Internationals, and by the time the weekend rolls around, it’s a complete snooze-fest.

In 12 editions of this event, the Americans have won 10 and the Internationals have won once and tied another. I mean, if you want to talk about about exhibitions in golf — and there are quite a few — the Presidents Cup is the first to come to mind. It’s truly a shame.

But I would like to see the Internationals win because, well, this exhibition could really use that to add more interest. Look, the crowds at Liberty National have been great. We all love match play, but following Friday’s action with the Americans taking 4.5 out of the possible 5 points in four-balls, the overall standing after two days is: U.S. Team 8, International Team 2.

With eight points on the line in Saturday (the only day with two sets of matches), the Americans only need 7.5 points to retain the Cup. Yep, that’s right — hypothetically, this could literally be over on Saturday (even though it feels like it already is).

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Sep
20
2017
ICYMI: Podcasts for your evening commute!
By Stephanie Wei under Podcast
paul apyan

Latin America Tour pro Paul Apyan

We’re back! And yes, it’s been a while — from holiday in idyllic Gozo (with poor WiFi and bad cell service, which was bliss after the initial shock that lasted like 5-6 days of not being able to access all the information about the horrible stuff happening all over the world) to a wedding in Seattle, along with some other business TBD. 

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Aug
30
2017
LISTEN: From junior golf to life on Tour, Andres Gonzales (Ep. 18)
By Stephanie Wei under Podcast

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PGA Tour pro Andres Gonzales is one of my oldest and dearest friends. I met Andres and Michael Putnam on the same day at the same time because we shared the same swing coach (Joe Thiel) when we were junior golfers.

Andres and I practiced and played a lot together, and he often caddied for me at qualifiers for USGA events, among other tournaments. In fact, having him on my bag was a huge reason why I managed to qualify for the 2000 U.S. Jr. Girls and the 2001 U.S. Women’s Amateur. I mean, he practically hit the shots and stroked the putts. Okay, not really, but I couldn’t (still can’t) read greens to save my life, which he reminds me practically every time we talk.

We reminisced and took a walk down memory lane with funny and random stories from our youth on and off the golf course — mostly about Andres embarrassing me when I used to be super shy. Like when he pulled this stunt:

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Aug
15
2017
Tiger Woods had pain, anxiety and sleep medication in system during DUI arrest
By Stephanie Wei under Tiger Woods

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I have a lot of mixed feelings about writing this post for a variety of reasons, but since I’ve already been triggered on Twitter, I might as well expand beyond bytes limited to 140 characters.

ESPN is reporting that Tiger Woods had Vicodin, Dilaudid, Xanax, Ambien and THC in his system when he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in May.

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Aug
14
2017
JUSTIN TIME: Thomas breaks through at season’s last major
By Stephanie Wei under PGA Championship

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The PGA Championship felt like a slog-fest for most of the week (or, dare I say, a poor man’s U.S. Open?) — super slick and firm greens, thunderstorms, weather delays, slow play, ultra long (after more rain Friday and overnight) tough scoring conditions — but then the last groups made the turn at Quail Hollow on Sunday, and suddenly, the fireworks and the drama broke out.

At the end of the day, Justin Thomas separated himself from the pack, hitting some gutsy shots and stroking in key putts, along with a couple of moments that felt like divine intervention or tacit approval from the golf gods.

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Aug
14
2017
WATCH/LISTEN: Oosthuizen rises to occasion after completing career milestone
By Stephanie Wei under Humor

I love this so much and I can’t stop watching it on loop — it just makes me smile. 2010 Open Champ Louis Oosthuizen completed golf’s ultimate quest: the career runner-up Grand Slam! After finishing T2 at the PGA Championship, Oosthuizen celebrated the feat just as you’d expect — lip-syncing to Andra Day’s hit “Rise Up.”

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Aug
13
2017
McRib is back: Rory to shut it down for season?
By Stephanie Wei under PGA Championship

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Rory McIlroy might sit out the rest of 2017. And honestly, I hope he does — it’s the “smart” thing to do, but also easier said than done for any competitor.

Following his final round three-under 68 at the PGA Championship, the four-time major champ revealed he hadn’t been completely honest with the extent to which his rib injury was still affecting him. 

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Aug
12
2017
2017 PGA Championship: Round 3 preview with Brandel Chamblee (Ep. 17)
By Stephanie Wei under Podcast

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I caught up with Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee on Saturday morning ahead of the third round of the PGA Championship. We discussed the changes to Quail Hollow, the impact of the weather on the course conditions and what we’ve seen so far from Kevin Kisner, Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, and other notables in the field. Brandel gave his expert analysis on the top contenders and big names and what to watch for this afternoon.

Tune in below or via iTunes, etc. Enjoy!

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