Wormburner Weekly

One man trapped in his own bunkers. Another in the woods. And could it be the end for the Degen Den? Find out the answers to these mysteries and more in issue # 14. Let’s get into it.

PGA Recap

Michael Brennan is a 24-year-old former Wake Forest Demon Deacon, and he has now won three PGA Tour events in 33 starts. His latest came at the Baycurrent Classic at Yokohama Country Club in Japan, where he finished at 16 under, one shot clear of Jacob Bridgeman and Keith Mitchell. It’s his second win of 2026, after the Wyndham Championship in August, and it was worth $1.44 million. Not bad for a guy who admitted he was nervous coming down the stretch with his brother in the gallery who had flown out to watch.

The man drove it off the tee like the ball had been talking smack to him and needed to be taught a lesson. He averaged over 320 yards, ranked fourth in distance on the week, and hit 15 of 15 fairways in the final round (55 of 60 for the week). That is a sentence no one reading this newsletter has ever written, or had the nerve to even think, about their own round. Sure, I can hit 15 fairways too…a season. He bogeyed 10, birdied 11 and 12, then parred the last six, including a greenside bunker save to about a foot on the par-3 16th.

Keith Mitchell led by two at one point after five holes of 5 under (three birdies and an eagle), then played the last 10 holes in 2 over and fell one short. Bridgeman, the same guy who sank a 3-footer to clinch the Presidents Cup two weeks ago, missed a 5-footer for birdie on 17 that slid right, then left a 55-foot birdie try on 18 four feet short.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele (more on him below) was one back going to 18, drove into the trees, and made double bogey, and settled for a tie for fourth at 13 under. Jordan Spieth, in his first FedEx Fall start, tied for 13th at 11 under after a 67, alongside Adam Scott, whose winless stretch is now over six years. Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 winner here, tied for 21st.

Worm of the Week

Xander Schauffele has two major championships on the shelf and was the defending champ of the Baycurrent Classic. Was. He’s also now the proud owner of a Worm of the Week, which means somewhere out there a man with a green jacket is smiling (Hi Rory).

Here’s the expanded setup. Sunday at Yokohama, Xander is one shot off the lead walking to the 18th tee, and for the entire day he’s been playing golf the way the rest of us play it in our dreams. All he needed was a fairway. A fairway. Something you and I can’t guarantee on any hole of any course on any day of the week.

He took the driver back, swung through it, and sent the ball into the trees. Not “slightly off the short grass.” The Trees. Treebeard, King of the Ents himself, would have admired that ball location. It was the kind of tee shot that makes your playing partners go quiet in the way they only do right before they say “oof.” He made double bogey, shot a 67 anyway, and dropped to a tie for fourth at 13 under, three shots behind Michael Brennan. Do the math on that. A man shoots a 67 on Sunday on a professional tour and still has to think about one swing for the whole plane ride home. I’m usually thinking about that third corndog on the bus ride back.

To be fair, I have personally played the final hole of a casual round needing one more fairway to feel okay about my day, and I have personally found the one tree on the property that was thought to be unhittable. Xander, we’re connected now. Winston has asked me to pass along that he’d love to talk about our foibles in a nice, quiet spot. A fairway, if you will.

Chili Dip Golf Tip

Every golfer has heard “keep your head down” a thousand times. Nobody ever tells you to keep your head, period. Your swing can be fine and your mind can still drive the whole round right into a ditch, along with those Pro V1’s you splurged on. Here’s how to stop the internal Gordon Ramsay from running your back nine and your hot dog at the turn.

Give yourself ten seconds, then let it go. You’re allowed to be mad. Bad shots happen, and sometimes a tree has it in for you. Take ten seconds to mutter, groan, and stare at the sky. Then it’s over. Like the NFL QB you will also never become who throws a pick, have a short memory. The shot you hit is gone, and the shot in front of you is the only one that counts. Dragging a triple bogey from the 6th hole to the 7th tee is how you turn one bad hole into three.

Build a pre-shot routine and stick to it. It doesn’t need to be fancy. Pick your target, take one practice swing, breathe, and swing. The same steps every time. A routine gives your brain a job, and a busy brain has less time to call you out for being a crap golfer. News you and I already know. And throwing a club is not a routine, no matter how consistent you are about it.

One swing thought, max. If you’re standing over the ball thinking “slow backswing, hips first, keep the left arm straight, don’t look up, don’t slice, don’t hit it in the water,” you’ve already lost. Pick one thing. One. The rest of your swing already knows what to do.

Slow down between shots. Most hackers walk fast, talk fast, and swing fast when they’re stressed. Breathe out slowly before you swing, and take your time walking to the ball. A calm walk is free tempo practice.

Don’t do the math. “If I par the last three, I break 90.” Stop right there. The moment you start calculating a score mid-round, you stop playing the shot and start playing the number. Play the hole, write the number down at the end, and add up your 106 over a cold drink at the 19th.

Remember that everyone’s bad at this. Xander Schauffele shot a 67 on Sunday and still hit a tee shot into the trees on 18 (see the Worm of the Week above). Pros lose their heads too. They just recover faster, and nobody is filming you at your Saturday scramble. That you know of. Until you see it on socials. That hat looks good on you though.

Keep your head, and the rest of your game gets a lot more manageable. Lose it, and be ready to buy those drinks at the 19th.

Today in Golf History

Four days from now marks the anniversary of the very first Open Championship, played October 17, 1860, at Prestwick in Scotland.

Eight pros showed up. The course had 12 holes, so they played it three times in one day to make 36. Nobody was in a cart, and nobody had a launch monitor.

The prize was a red leather belt with a silver buckle. Not a trophy, a belt. Golf’s first major prize was basically a wrestling title. I can just picture Mean Gene Okerlund with a mic and that belt standing in knickers near the clubhouse now…

The favorite was Old Tom Morris, who was also the Prestwick greenskeeper. He hit the first tee shot of the tournament, then lost ground because he kept finding bunkers. The bunkers he had reportedly dug himself. How’s that for irony?

Willie Park Sr. beat him by two, 174 to 176, and walked off with the belt.

So the next time you blame the course for your round, remember that the first Open runner-up got beaten up by his own bunkers.

Winston’s take: “Aye, laddie, a man who digs his own bunkers and still lands in them has no excuse. Ye have no excuse as well, but ye still have the balls to blame the wind.”

The Degen Den

In a shocking twist of events this past weekend the Mush Master did not, repeat, did NOT finish in the money. I know, I know, this is SO unlike my lineups as of late. This card did actually finish somewhat respectably in the top 50% at 8049th out of 16,646, which is a sadly staggering improvement from previous entries. My checkbook doesn’t seem to care about a respectable finish however. This week the PGA takes a break until the Butterfield Bermuda Championship kicks off on October 22. I shall be taking a break as well. For you diehard degenerates DraftKings is offering contests for the DP World India Championship slated to start on Wednesday October 14th and I will cover that tourney in next week’s recap. I am considering retiring the Degen Den completely or altering the content in this section, as the losses have piled higher and smell worse than the mountain of manure on the farms just south of my humble residence. Alas my tale of gambling woe is not newsletter worthy, but if you as a reader feel like you want me to keep this section intact as is, or have suggestions for a different format for the Degen Den (other gambling type content for example), please feel free to reach out to me by replying to this email and let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear from you. Meantime, here’s my losing lineup for The Bank of Utah Championship:

Golf Joke of the Week

A golfer stares down a long shot and asks his caddie, “Do you think I can get there with a 5-iron?” The caddie says, “Eventually.”