Monday Morning Caddy - August 7, 2017
It was a big week in golf and we have got all the news right here for you. From Hideki Matsuyama's record-tying win at the Bridgestone to the Solheim Cup picks to Steph Curry's professional golf debut - Austad's Monday Morning Caddy has you covered.
Matsuyama Shoots 61 to Win Bridgestone
If you weren’t watching the final round of the Bridgestone Open yesterday, then you missed out on a pretty incredible round from Hideki Matsuyama. After what he admitted was a pretty crappy warm up, Matsuyama lit the course on fire with a record-tying 9 under 61 to blow out the competition. It was the lowest final round score at Firestone Country Club in four decades.
This is the 25 year old’s second World Golf Championship win and he’s pulled off those victories by a 12 shot margin. We’ll see if Matsuyama will be able to translate that good mojo into a Major victory at the PGA Championship this week.
What’s in Hideki Matsuyama's Bag:
- Driver: Callaway Great Big Bertha - 9 Degree
- 3 Wood: TaylorMade 2017 M2 - 15 Degree
- Hybrid: Callaway Apex - 18 Degree
- Irons: Srixon Z-965 (4-PW)
- Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 (52, 56, 60)
- Putter: TaylorMade TP Collection Mullen Tour Prototype
- Ball: New Srixon Z-Star XV
Is There Anything Steph Curry Can’t Do?
In case you missed it, two-time Golden State MVP Steph Curry decided to try his hand a some pro golf this past week. He joined the field for the Web.com Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae and expectations for his performance were subdued at best. To put it bluntly, no one expected Curry to make the cut in a field of players that are one small notch below the PGA Tour.
He didn’t make the cut, but what did surprise people is how well Curry played. Curry shot a salty back to back 74, beating quite a few of the pros. Steph probably won’t be trading basketballs for golf balls anytime soon, but it’s definitely fun to see him try and cross over.
You Won’t Believe Rory’s Driving Stats from the Bridgestone
While Hideki Matsuyama was busy shooting course records and taking the Bridgestone Championship in style, Rory McIlroy was absolutely crushing his drives all week. Here are a few stats for you:
- 52 out of 56 tee shots travelled farther than 300 yards
- Average driving distance: 328.7 yards (Jason Day came in 2nd at 319.2 yards)
Obviously driving the ball well is one small part of the game and while Zach Johnson finished 53rd in driving distance, he closed out the tournament 4 shots ahead off McIlroy in 2nd place. Still – being able to solidly hit the ball 330 yards off the tee isn’t too shabby!
Solheim Cup Picks Finalized
The Solheim Cup is right around the corner (August 18-20 in Des Moines) and captains Juli Inkster and Annika Sorenstam finalized their rosters this weekend with some youthful picks. Both captains seemed to opt for youth vs experience with their picks and we’ll see how that plays out in a few short weeks. Here are the full rosters:
TEAM USA – Captain Julie Inkster
Lexi Thompson
Stacy Lewis
Gerina Piller
Cristie Kerr
Jessica Korda
Danielle Lang
Michelle Wie
Brittany Lang
Brittany Lincicome
Lizette Salas
Austin Ernst
Angel Yin
TEAM EUROPE – Captain Annika Sorenstam
Carlota Ciganda
Jodi Ewart Shadoff
Georgia Hall
Charley Hull
Karine Icher
Forentyna Parker
Suzann Pettersen
Mel Reid
Anna Nordqvist
Caroline Masson
Emily Kristine Pedersen
Madelene Sagstrom
The Solheim Cup is always a great event with a lot of energy and with so many young golfers, it should be fun to watch!
PGA Championship Favorites
The final Major of the year kicks off on Thursday at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina and it’s shaping up to be a great one! There are a lot of guys who have been playing some great golf this year and as is the case with any major, this is truly anyone’s game. As usual, big names like Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jason Day have to be considered favorites, but there are so many other guys who could easily step up and take this thing. Here are the odds for the top players from GolfOdds.com:
Jordan Spieth 7/1
Rory McIlroy 7/1
Dustin Johnson 9/1
Rickie Fowler 15/1
Jason Day 20/1
Hideki Matsuyama 20/1
Jon Rahm 20/1
Brooks Koepka 25/1
Justin Rose 25/1
Henrik Stenson 25/1
Sergio Garcia 25/1
Adam Scott 30/1
Justin Thomas 30/1
Phil Mickelson 40/1
Matt Kuchar 40/1
Tommy Fleetwood 40/1
Paul Casey 50/1
Alex Noren 50/1
Branden Grace 50/1
Thomas Pieters 50/1
Marc Leishman 50/1
Patrick Reed 60/1
Bubba Watson 60/1
Daniel Berger 60/1
Charley Hoffman 60/1
Louis Oosthuizen 60/1
Ian Poulter 80/1
Rafael Cabrera Bello 80/1
Charl Schwartzel 80/1
Zach Johnson 80/1
Jason Dufner 80/1
Kevin Kisner 80/1
Brandt Snedeker 80/1
Kevin Chappell 80/1
Jimmy Walker 100/1
Lee Westwood 100/1
J.B. Holmes 100/1
Brian Harman 100/1
Shane Lowry 100/1
Francesco Molinari 100/1
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