Tag: dustin johnson
The Saudis Aren't Paying Players To Be Silent. We Must Listen For the Lies.
"Obvious lies serve a purpose for an administration," wrote Garry Kasparov, the chess great and courageous critic of Vladimir Putin. "They watch who challenges them and who loyally repeats them. The people must watch, too."
We are entering a week in which golf fans will be inundated with obvious lies from the Saudi International, peddled by players exhibiting all the sincerity of $20 hustlers trying to say it like they mean it.
"I'm trying to grow the game."
"They are trying to change here."
"I'm just here to play golf."
"I want to compete against the best."
"I'm not a politician."
The ashamed might at least look uneasy in their prevarications. The shameless will be all thumbs-up and duplicitous grins. And everyone will depart the Kingdom richer, but only in cash terms. This effort to launder the Saudi regime's grotesque reputation will soil that of many others.
Continue reading "The Saudis Aren't Paying Players To Be Silent. We Must Listen For the Lies."
Author eamonlynchPosted on January 30, 2022 January 31, 2022 Tags AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, bryson dechambeau, dustin johnson, greg norman, saudi arabia, Saudi International, super golf league, xander schauffele8 Comments on The Saudis Aren't Paying Players To Be Silent. We Must Listen For the Lies.
Payouts Outscore Morality at Saudi Event
In the run-up to the 2016 Ryder Cup, a friend of mine sat in a meeting during which a senior official on the American side wondered aloud about the possibility a U.S. team member might take a knee during the ceremonies. It was a laughable notion, as though the official believed Colin Kaepernick were protesting slow play or high taxes — those being the only issues on which PGA Tour players are apt to take a public stand.
That reality was reinforced last week as some of the world's best golfers competed in the Saudi International, a tournament created solely to cast Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's regime in a positive light. The players received stout appearance fees, which was only fair since they had to navigate awkward questions about war crimes in Yemen and that bone saw murder in Istanbul. The payment was more for performing in the media than on the golf course, and the well-compensated chorus remained steady of voice all week.
Dustin Johnson won the Saudi International.
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Author eamonlynchPosted on February 3, 2019 March 23, 2020 Tags brooks koepka, bryson dechambeau, Colin kaepernick, dustin johnson, European Tour, jamal khashoggi, justin rose, Keith pelley, mohammed bin salman, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup, Saudi InternationalLeave a comment on Payouts Outscore Morality at Saudi Event
Mike Davis Steps Away, Snipers Remain
The most popular punching bag in golf finally said "no mas."
Mike Davis has announced that he'll no longer oversee golf course setup at U.S. Opens to better focus on his role as CEO of the U.S. Golf Association. It's a development sure to disorient those accustomed to j'accusing Davis for every shortcoming – real or imagined – at the national open.
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Author eamonlynchPosted on January 7, 2019 January 17, 2019 Tags chambers bay, Donald rumsfeld, dustin johnson, jaime diaz, John bodenhamer, mike davis, oakmont, Olympic Club, pebble beach, Phil Mickelson, shinnecock hills, US Open, USGA1 Comment on Mike Davis Steps Away, Snipers Remain
Ryder Cup Drug Tests Fuel Rumor Mill
The Ryder Cup had its share of weekend thrills for fans, but for players the drama began much earlier. Tuesday evening, to be exact. And not at Le Golf National but seven miles away at the Trianon Palace hotel, which was home to both the U.S. and European teams. That's when officials from the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) arrived unannounced to conduct random drug tests.
The players had reason to be surprised. It was the first time drug tests were administered at a Ryder Cup. That it happened in Paris should be less surprising. The French take their anti-doping laws seriously. That's why Lance Armstrong now owns as many Tour de France victories as Jack Nicklaus.
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Author eamonlynchPosted on November 11, 2018 December 4, 2018 Tags AFLD, brooks koepka, dustin johnson, European Tour, jordan spieth, PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Ryder Cup, Tiger Woods, tim finchem, tommy fleetwoodLeave a comment on Ryder Cup Drug Tests Fuel Rumor Mill
Trump's Golf Game is a Lot Like His Presidency
You can learn a lot about how a president governs by watching his golf game. Bill Clinton, for example, had a reputation for cheating. George W. Bush rushed along, blind to the bigger picture. Gerald Ford was endearingly hapless. And then there's President Donald J. Trump.
I played with him just once, on August 20, 2010, and it was quite an experience. At the time, I worked at Golf Magazine and had been invited to join the editor in chief and a corporate executive at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Back then, Trump was overly solicitous of golf media, eager to influence their course ranking lists to include his properties. The character I saw and heard over those few hours has since become a familiar part of public life.
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Author eamonlynchPosted on October 25, 2018 November 1, 2018 Tags adam levin, alice cooper, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, bob corker, brad faxon, dan scavino, donald trump, dustin johnson, dwight eisenhower, george w bush, gerald ford, golf magazine, john delorean, john mccain, lindsey graham, lpga, mar-a-lago, p.g. wodehouse, pga championship, pga of america, rand paul, Royal & Ancient, samuel l. jackson, Tiger Woods, trump national golf club, trump organization, turnberry, U.S. Women's Open, USGA, winged foot, woodrow wilsonLeave a comment on Trump's Golf Game is a Lot Like His Presidency
Brooks Koepka Outpoints Tiger Woods in PGA for the Ages
It was fitting that the 100th PGA Championship was contested on a golf course with all the design variety of a boxing ring. Sunday's slugfest deserved to be conducted under the Marquis of Queensbury's rules rather than the U.S. Golf Association's.
Brooks Koepka confirmed himself as the undisputed heavyweight champion with his second major victory of the year and third in six starts, having sat out the Masters with a wrist injury. His was a decisive win, but it was a win on points.
This was no knockout. The greatest of them all, a man who has been punch drunk and on the ropes for several years, was still on his feet, and until his very last shot was throwing haymakers with a ferocity not seen in a decade.
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Author eamonlynchPosted on August 12, 2018 October 31, 2018 Tags adam scott, bellerive, British Open, brooks koepka, dustin johnson, jordan spieth, masters, pga championship, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, wanamaker trophy1 Comment on Brooks Koepka Outpoints Tiger Woods in PGA for the Ages
Bland Bellerive Lacks Luster For PGA Championship
There are a few elements essential to the character of a major championship.
It starts with the field. If the world's best consider it optional, it's not a major. Injuries or indictments are the only acceptable excuses for a player's absence.
A weepy Jim Nantz retrospective helps too. Granted, his tendency to wring tears from even the most banal Tour stop has cheapened the currency, but viewers must be persuaded that they're catching glimpses of a significant tournament between the commercials and fluffing of CEOs.
But nothing contributes more to the sense of a major than the golf course. The venue was a vital character in the plots of 2018's majors. Augusta National, Shinnecock Hills and Carnoustie were not incidental to the action.
Which may explain why – so far, at least – this major feels decidedly minor.
Blame it on Bellerive.
The charmless Bellerive, a venue unworthy of the 100th PGA Championship.
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Author eamonlynchPosted on August 10, 2018 October 31, 2018 Tags augusta national, bellerive, British Open, carnoustie, dustin johnson, jim nantz, justin rose, pat perez, pga championship, pga national, pga of america, shinnecock hills, st andrewsLeave a comment on Bland Bellerive Lacks Luster For PGA Championship
No Doubting Thomas is Player of Year
When you've had a season like that of Justin Thomas, it can be difficult to determine the most important metric amid such heady success. Unless you're his dad.
Mike Thomas can recite chapter and verse on the accomplishments that are expected to earn his son the PGA Tour Player of the Year award: the five wins, the first major victory at the PGA Championship, the FedEx Cup title, record-setting rounds (59 at the Sony Open, 63 at the U.S. Open), the Arnold Palmer Award for topping the money list, the 3½-1½ record in his first U.S. team appearance at the Presidents Cup.
The 2017 season has brought an avalanche of accolades for the 24-year-old, but none of those tops his old man's list of what matters.
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Author eamonlynchPosted on October 3, 2017 October 3, 2017 Tags brandel chamblee, daniel berger, dustin johnson, Erin Hills, FedEx Cup, gary player, hideki matsuyama, jack nicklaus, jordan spieth, Jupiter, justin thomas, mike thomas, Open Championship, pga championship, PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson, quail hollow, Tiger Woods, US OpenLeave a comment on No Doubting Thomas is Player of Year
Spieth's Masters Nightmare Should Scare Others Too
Superman teed off with a one-stroke lead in the Masters Tournament on Sunday, but as is often the case in the final round at Augusta National, it was a shell-shocked and defeated Clark Kent who staggered home.
Jordan Spieth had been atop the Masters leaderboard for the better part of three years. On his debut in 2014, he finished second. He won wire-to-wire in 2015, a dominance that continued through the first three rounds this year. By the time he turned for home at 5:05 p.m. this Sunday, Spieth's lead was five shots. But for every dream realized on the closing holes at Augusta National, several nightmares are made real. By 5:50 p.m., the coronation had become a crucifixion.
Superman Spieth unexpectedly turned into Clark Kent in the Masters final round.
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Author eamonlynchPosted on April 13, 2016 April 13, 2016 Tags andy roddick, augusta national, danny willett, dustin johnson, jordan spieth, lee westwood, masters, masters 2016, rickie fowler, sergio garcia, spiethLeave a comment on Spieth's Masters Nightmare Should Scare Others Too