Another tourney in the books and a 21-year-old rookie comes through with an impressive win in just his third professional start. The world numero uno takes a numero dos on hole 14 Friday for his second Worm of the Week title and Matsuyama withstands the curse of the Mush Master. Let’s get into it.
PGA Recap
3M Open, TPC Twin Cities, MN
Jackson Koivun. Twenty-one years old. Third professional start. Stood on the back nine Sunday at TPC Twin Cities in his home state with the crowd chanting "Scottie's coming, Scottie's coming" and didn't flinch once. I didn’t see so much as a hint of a brown spot on the back of his golf pants. The kid shot a tournament record 25 under 259 (previously held by Lee Hodges with a -24 in 2023), won by three shots over the world number one, and pocketed $1,584,000 in only his third week as a professional. Way to go kid! Meanwhile I’m pumpin’ out free newsletters and paying $65 a round with a cart. Gotta love it.
His mother was on FaceTime crying. His father was on the course hugging him. The Mush Master had him in his DraftKings lineup and was both crying and hugging himself. We’ll touch on that in the Degen Den. Golf!
Scheffler made his customary Sunday charge with a final round 63 but it wasn't enough, settling for his fifth runner-up finish of the season. His lone win this year remains January's American Express. The robot is starting to show some very human frustration, more on that below.
Hideki Matsuyama finished tied for third at 20-under. The Mush Master had him in the lineup as well. Hideki extended his made cut streak to 29, made money, and thoroughly ignored the curse. The Mush Master's powers appear to be weakening. This is either wonderful or terrible news depending on your DraftKings’ balance.
Next week the tour heads to the Rocket Classic in Michigan. The Mush Master is already making terrible decisions.
Worm of the Week
Ladies and gentlemen, for the second consecutive week, the Worm of the Week trophy goes to Scottie Scheffler. World number one. Winner of 18 of his last 47 starts. A man so consistently consistent that watching him make a mistake feels like witnessing a solar eclipse.
Thursday and early Friday at TPC Twin Cities, Scheffler was a machine. Bogey free through his first 31 holes of the tournament, he sat at 9-under through 13 holes on the back nine, completely in control. The kind of golf that makes the rest of the field quietly consider career changes.
Then came the 14th hole.
From the middle of the fairway, Scottie abandoned his trademark conservative discipline like Costner in Tin Cup and went flag hunting on a tight pin tucked right next to the water on the left. A poor swing. A sudden gust of wind. A ball dropping straight into the lake like it desperately needed to cool off.
Double bogey six.
Three holes later on the par-3 17th, still a bit rattled perhaps, he missed the green and made bogey. A back nine of 38 after going out in a blazing 32. He finished the round and told reporters he was going to "probably just get some rest."
Scottie. SCOTTIE. We have been there. Not at 9-under on a PGA Tour course, of course. But that feeling of watching a perfectly good round evaporate over four holes while the wind laughs at you? That's every Saturday morning for the rest of us. Except it happens in one hole, with a 9. On a par 3.
He recovered to finish runner-up on Sunday which is frankly disgusting and we respect it enormously.
We just couldn’t resist making you our first back-to-back Worm of the Week Scottie. At this rate we may have to name it after you.
Chili Dip Golf Tip
Know When to Lay Up.
Here's something your ego will resist hearing, as does mine: going for it is usually wrong.
You're 210 yards out. There's water in front of the green. You've hit your 3 wood pure exactly twice this season. That one time at the range and once when nobody was watching. And yet there you stand, pulling the 3 wood, telling yourself this is the time.
It is not the time.
The single fastest way to lower your score as a recreational golfer is learning the art of the strategic layup. Here's a simple rule to live by. If you wouldn't bet $20 on making that shot, especially if you wouldn’t even bet the golf tee in your pocket, don't attempt it hero. Lay up to your comfortable yardage, the distance where you actually make solid contact, and give yourself a real chance at a bogey or even a par.
Here's the math your ego ignores. Going for it and finding the water costs you at minimum two strokes. There’s the penalty drop plus the distance lost. Laying up to 80 yards and hitting a decent approach costs you one stroke at most (Ok, I know I’ve then duffed the approach in shame from laying up, but the odds are with you, trust me!) Over 18 holes the difference between a golfer who manages their game and one who goes for it every time can easily be 8 to 12 strokes. I know. I was usually the guy who went for it. Take my advice, I’m not using it kinda thing.
Jack Nicklaus said course management wins more tournaments than talent. Jack won 18 majors. How many have you won? Oh wait, I remember. The same as the number of dates you have scored with the cart girl.
Lay up. Make bogey. Move on. Repeat. Watch your scorecard quietly improve while your playing partners are still searching for their balls (in the water).
Pro tip — the 19th hole tastes significantly better when you've managed your way to your best round in months. Trust the process.
Today in Golf History
On this date in 1968, Lee Trevino won his first US Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. He tied the tournament record and finished four shots clear of a certain Jack Nicklaus. It was also Trevino's first ever PGA Tour win. His first. He showed up, won a US Open, and beat Jack Nicklaus doing it. Most of us can't win a round against the local middle school team.
Trevino went on to win six major championships and become one of the most beloved characters the game has ever produced. Known as "The Merry Mex," he was famous for his humor, his self-made story, and his ability to talk to anyone, on or off the course. He once said "you can talk to a fade but a hook won't listen." Winston the worm could not agree more.
Golf has always rewarded the characters as much as the champions. Sometimes they're the same person. Trevino was proof of that.
The Degen Den
"Winner, winner Chicken Dinner! In an unprecedented turn of events, the Mush Master lands in the money! $100 win on a $25 entry into the big contest on DK. Perhaps the Worm has turned? I doubt it and you should too. Some serious credit to Jackson Koivun, about whom I said this last week : Minnesota kid playing his home state tournament. The crowd will love him. His scorecard will not love him back. SEC player of the year to Mush Master’s Worm of the Week? Time will tell.
Time told alright. Very well done Jackson! Here’s a look at the rest of the lineup:
Me thinks this is a Blind squirrel finds a nut type situation, but I’ll take it!
On to the Rocket Classic. For the sake of brevity, I’m going with Hideki again, you can run but you can’t hide Matsuyama! Gotta go with the kid from Minnesota once more, Koivun, to see just how sturdy this kid’s stuff is. To round it out: H. English, M. Meissner, R. Hisatune, and B. Koepka. Whoa unto those who enter my lineups. Let’s see what difference a week makes, shall we?
Disclaimer: These picks are provided purely for entertainment purposes. Last week's success was a statistical anomaly and will more than likely not be repeated. The Mush Master accepts no responsibility for what follows. If you gamble, don’t gamble. If you don’t gamble, carry on wise one.
Golf Joke of the Week
A husband and wife are playing golf together. On the 15th hole the wife accidentally hits her ball into the woods. Her husband goes in to help her look. Deep in the woods he spots a barn and gets an idea. "Listen," he says, "if I open both barn doors you have a clear shot straight to the green. Just aim through the barn." She agrees, takes her shot — it hits the first barn door, ricochets off the second, bounces back and hits her husband square in the head. He dies instantly.
Years later the woman is playing the same course with a friend. On the 15th hole her ball goes into the same woods. Her friend goes to look and spots the same barn. "Hey, if I open both barn doors you have a clear shot to the green!" The woman turns pale. "Absolutely not. Last time I tried that I ended up with a seven."
Check out the most recent blog post on the website to learn about some solid budget golf gear that won’t break the bank. Your wagering on the par threes will take care of that.
Once again, Thanks for reading, and even more for subscribing if you have done so. See you next Tuesday!