Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we run down the weekend’s top stories in the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair and get ready for the return of the king…
Rory McIlroy thunders back onto the PGA Tour
It’s honestly getting a bit ridiculous, how Rory McIlroy is winning literally everywhere but at the majors. McIlroy rode a final-round 66 to a two-shot victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a signature event that further signifies McIlroy’s preeminence in the world of golf. We say this every single year, but McIlroy appears to be in the prime of his career, and the best time to win a major is right now … even though he’s now gone more than 10 years without a major win. He has 27 PGA Tour wins at this point, though, and that counts for something. Not as much as a Masters jacket or U.S. Open trophy would, but definitely something.
A Lim Kim holds off Nelly Korda in LPGA debut
Most people, seeing the World No. 1 bearing down on them in the rear-view mirror, would flinch and stumble. Tiger Woods made a career out of inspiring exactly that reaction on the leaderboard. However, at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, A Lim Kim didn’t flinch, didn’t falter, didn’t give up her lead even as Nelly Korda briefly tied her with two holes to play. Kim centered herself, got up and down from the rough on the 18th, and won by two shots to claim the first tournament of the LPGA Tour season.
Tom Kim embodies the slow play debate with one swing
Tom Kim is one of golf’s cheeriest young stars, a guy who’s made for the TikTok age and TGL. But this past weekend, he was at the center of golf’s existential debate — slow play — when cameras captured him taking more than a minute to commit to one golf swing … which promptly went out of bounds.
Golf simply must adapt to changing times and shorter attention spans, and penalizing marathon swing attempts and slow play is a quick way to sharpen up the game. The longer this is allowed, the longer rounds will go.
LIV Golf returns, without Phil Mickelson
Now entering its fourth season, LIV Golf doesn’t really qualify as a “rebel” or “breakaway” tour anymore; it’s a distinct entity with a new network partner in Fox, and — in theory — its own value proposition. LIV kicks off Thursday in Riyadh with night golf there that runs during daytime in America. But the season will kick off without Phil Mickelson, who announced Monday that he’s injured his shoulder and will miss the Riyadh event. Ollie Schniederjans will replace Mickelson this week; Phil plans to play in LIV’s upcoming Adelaide, Australia, event. LIV still has work to do to prove it’s a viable long-term tour, but the broadcast agreement with Fox ought to put the tournament in front of more people … at least once.
Jason Day gets casual … too casual?
Golf fashion has undergone a dramatic, and much-needed, revolution in recent years. The polyester checked and pleated slacks of the ‘80s are a relic; athletic fits and hoodies are in (at some courses, at least). Still, Jason Day is pushing the trend way out past the envelope’s edge with Malbon; last year, he was ordered to remove a loud sweater while playing the Masters, and this year, he played Pebble Beach in sweatpants. Cutting-edge fashion or just giving up? What’s your take?
Trophy of the Week: The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Now this is a damn trophy. A full-on Death Star on a stick, an orb that you could use to summon a genie, a crystal globe that hopefully won’t ever fall to the ground, because what a mess that would make. Rory McIlroy probably isn’t hurting for decor at any of his homes, but this will make for a nice dining room table centerpiece.
Mulligan: Heads up!
A painful episode from the weekend at Pebble, as a marshal took the brunt of a Shane Lowry drive. This one looks like it hurt:
According to the broadcast, the marshal was OK. Let’s hope that’s the truth. Poor dude.
Also this week: Rory returns to TGL, and two days later, we’ll roll into the WM Phoenix Open! Hydrate and line your stomachs, because it’s going to get wild. See you back here next Monday!
