PGA In Tulsa: Tiger Shows His Hand
Woods delivers excitement but did Team Reed really grovel about the Southern Hills scouting trip? Plus, a preview of potential PGA madness if Mickelson returns. And a weekend wrap-up.
Since The Quadrilateral aims to keep you apprised of all possibilities, I start with a summary of Tiger Woods’ scouting trip to Southern Hills. Then, to better anticipate the 2022 PGA Championship build-up, I micro-dosed on a hybrid of Pure Distinction bent, purple basil and legally imported Swinley Forest mushrooms to prepare you for the wackiest scenarios. Oh, and I offer a recap of this weekend’s golf news.
Tiger Looks Ready To Go. While he’s kept the PGA Championship and U.S. Open’s as schedule “maybes”, Woods turned up Thursday at Southern Hills for the first time since his dominant 2007 PGA win there.
“Everything is so smooth with him now,” Cozby told Golf Oklahoma’s Ken MacLeod (who also posted images and a few videos). “His rhythm is great, he hit it straight and plenty far, he pitched and putted it great. I know guys can hit it past him now, but watching him work was amazing. He’s so meticulous, detailed and immersed in what he’s doing. He was very inquisitive on lines and the best angles.”
Woods happened to visit the same day as a PGA Junior League shoot, meaning there were all sorts of personnel at the course now closed to member play. It turned what was meant to be a low-profile round into spectacle status. In Las Vegas the next day for his TigerJam charity event, Woods was asked about the helicopter that followed six holes of the round and “what’s happening” in Tulsa.
“Uh, not a lot,” Woods said with a smile. Barring the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce taking this the wrong way and demanding an apology, it appears Woods will be celebrated as the week’s headliner. However, several others are on a collision course with Southern Hills and sanity. A preview.
Patrick Reed To Play PGA In Protest? Team Reed’s purported burner account expressed outrage at the sight of Woods exchanging notes with Southern Hills pro Cozby. To ensure fairness, they may have to sue the PGA of America, Twitter, Woods, Cozby, yardage book maker Mark Long and pencil maker Fore Par if they want to expose the conspiracy. They could also sue media outlets for claiming Woods carried Reed around Le Golf National when no one else wanted to be his 2018 Ryder Cup partner.
Phil Decides To Play PGA But Gets Confused For John Daly Upon Arrival. The defending PGA champion has documented his Coffee For Wellness diet and looked like a lean, mean bandido winning at Kiawah. But in cell video showing Mickelson playing Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, he appeared to have added some subcutaneous girth while sporting a grey beard. Worst case scenario: volunteers handling former PGA Champion parking mistakenly direct him to John Daly’s parking spot where he takes an awaiting golf cart filled with Diet Cokes and 18 ashtrays.
