Weekend Wrap: Malnati Heads To The Masters
Weekend Wrap: Malnati Heads To The Masters
Korda wins again. Plus, two-time major winner Ryu to retire at the Chevron, a Q&A with Bob Harig, ESPN adds to its golf coverage team, and the Masters unveils 2024's (likely) most coveted merch item.
The golf may not have matched the March Madness excitement—unless your bracket had No. 13 seed Peter Malnati notching the PGA Tour Board’s first win and top three of 2024. But the weekend produced some satisfying golf. And plenty of news.
We’ll cover the results along with the retirement of an LPGA great, explore Quad Questions with Bob Harig ahead of Tuesday’s book release, and offer profound observations on a substantial Masters social media rollout and attire upgrade for the gnome.
Shall we?
Malnati Caps Busy Week With Win
Fresh off a one-day jaunt to Bahamas confab at Tiger’s condo where it “was like talking to another human being” after meeting a purported adult who prefers to be addressed as His Excellency, Peter Malnati captured his second career PGA Tour title.
A two-stroke Valspar Championship win over Cameron Young was Malnatti’s second on the PGA Tour and offered reminder No. 119 of this young season that the supposed “superstars” are not always as compelling to watch as those achieving life-changing success.
Malnati has been famous of late for his PGA Tour Board of Directors position and the yellow Titleist employed to the delight of his son, Dash. But Malnatti has now booked spots into the 2024 Masters and PGA Championship at Valhalla.
The 36-year-old was making his 259th Tour start with one win at the 2015 Sanderson Farms. Even more incredible: he had a dreadful record in the Valspar: Malnatti had missed six of seven cuts with just a T60 until Sunday’s victory arriving thanks to a final round 67.
“It’s amazing, it’s amazing,” Malnati said in an emotional interview as the adorable Dash seemed ready to wipe the tears away or say “there’s no crying in the Florida Swing.” Someday he’ll tell us.
Malnati came into the week ranked 184th in the world and may be the lone Board voice who appreciates what a week like Tampa’s Valspar mean in the grand scheme of pro golf life.
“I know that the narrative turns a lot when we're coming up to Augusta,” Malnati said in his post round press conference. “In terms of the actual people who participate in golf at the highest level, 90 percent of us dream of the moment that I just had. There's a 10 percent that really do probably gear their schedules and focus on the majors, but 90 percent of the people who have made it to the top level of professional golf and a hundred percent of the people who dream of being at the top level of professional golf, live for that moment that I just had.
“It's amazing. I'm proud of myself, I did a lot of hard work, I'm proud of my family, they supported me, but it doesn't matter, all that hard work and everything. We don't have tournaments to play in if we don't have communities that think these tournaments matter, and if we don't have host organizations like the Copperheads and, you know, several other amazing host organizations around the country, we don't have a PGA Tour.”
Well said. That’s great. Amazing stuff.
Now, about the stuff that really matters, a.k.a. The Masters.
It will be Manatti’s first appearance and just his fourth major start where he’s missed three cuts in three tries.
Malnati’s win brings the 2024 field to 86 players.
Included in the field is Young, who recorded his seventh career runner-up finish at the Valspar and continues a frustrating trend for the 2022 Rookie of the Year. Young at least could unleash some dry, curmudgeonly humor when asked about the emotions he said he’d been better handlign last week.
“Honestly, I realized I wasn't going to win pretty quickly, and I have a four-hour drive home with a one and a two year old, so whatever emotions are attached to that.”
Well okay then!
The New York native remains in fine form as he prepares for a third Masters appearance coming off 2023’s T7.
Also at the Valspar:
Rookie Chandler Phillips (T3/-9) earned his best finish in just 12 starts on the Tour.
36-hole co-leader Mackenzie Hughes (T3/-9) recorded his best finish of the 2024 season.
Xander Schauffele (T5/-8) posted a final round 65 for his third top-five in his last four starts.
Robbie Shelton made a 2 on the par 5 14th Sunday from 258 yards out.
The Valspar was unable to complete the first and second rounds on time after recently expanding the field to 156 players.
Nelly Wins In Palos Verdes
Sinking a 12-footer for birdie on the first playoff hole allowed Nelly Korda to beat Ryan O’Toole for a tenth LPGA title and second win in three 2024 starts.
After eagling the par 5 14th, Korda opened a commanding lead only to bogey three of her next four. It wasa cold and blustery Sunday in Palos Verdes that added to the wild final hole stretch where O’Toole birdied the 15th and 16th, then parred the 18th to force a Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship playoff.
“Once I made the eagle I got a little nervous where got a little ahead of myself and started making some mistakes,” Korda said. “[An] interesting last couple holes: eagle, bogey, birdie, bogey, bogey. I say this all the time, but I seem to always make it interesting.”
Korda was coming back from a brief hiatus not caused by injury.
“I haven't played competitive golf in the past seven weeks,” she said. “I took at least three and a half weeks off, off of golf, so it was nice to have him here all week. I spent two and a half weeks in Prague with my family, which was amazing, in actually cold weather, and I really, really enjoyed it. I don't remember the last time I put my clubs away and wasn't injured and was like in a good headspace.”
In just three 2024 events, Korda has made $586,716 thanks to two wins and a T16. The 25-year-old pointed out how the win came in part thanks to working with coach Jamie Mulligan. He is based out of nearby Virginia Country Club.
“If I was struggling after the round he knew exactly what to say, what to do,” Korda said. “He's also a super positive presence and I enjoy spending a lot of time around him.”
Korda also took pride in managing the gusting winds.
“I wouldn't say I like playing in it every week, but I grew up in Florida so hit a lot of controlled shots, penetrating shots,” she said. “Getting to play British the past couple years, too, I've kind of learned how to manage my game in the wind. It's all about making the least amount of mistakes and give yourself opportunities when you can.”
Korda is projected to become Rolex Rankings No. 1 for the sixth time in her LPGA Tour career and is the first American to win twice before April since Stacy Lewis in 2012.
Tied for third were Gabriella Ruffels, local favorite Alison Lee, and Jiyai Shin, all one back of the Korda-O’Toole playoff.
Shin, a two-time former Women’s Open Champion, was playing as a sponsor exemption and in tribute to her hero and tournament host, Se Ri Pak.
Soyeon Ryu Announces Retirement
The LPGA will be losing one of its kindest, most elegant, sweet-swinging and true class acts when Soyeon Ryu hangs up her spikes after April’s first major.
“After deciding to retire, I spent much time looking back on my career,” wrote Ryu. “So many memories came flooding back, and I felt so many emotions. But the more I thought about it, the more I was thankful for so many things. I am so grateful that I could do what I loved to do, day in and day out, and even make a career out of it. I am not going to lie; I had some hard patches, but despite some of the challenges, I truly enjoyed it all. And more than anything, I feel incredibly grateful for the love and support I’ve received from all of you throughout my career.”
The 33-year-old Ryu made her LPGA debut in 2012 and won rookie of the year. She eventually won six times, including two majors. Besides the 2017 ANA Inspiration (now the Chevron), Ry captured the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open champion over compatriot Hee Kyung Seo in a three-hole aggregate playoff at the Broadmoor.
Ryu was 2017’s Rolex Player of the Year and Rolex ANNIKA Major Award for best scoring performance in the majors. And owner of one of the best swings in the game.
Quad Questions: Bob Harig, Author Of Drive
Veteran golf writer Bob Harig’s Drive is out tomorrow from St. Martin’s Press.
The book serves as an appropriate follow-up to his 2022 hit Tiger and Phil: Golf’s Most Fascinating Rivalry.
For a Tiger Woods fan, aspiring young golfer or lover of golf history, Harig chose to target an eclectic portions of Woods’ career with an emphasis on more recent events witnessed in his role as an ESPN and SI golf correspondent. The result is a breezy, informative and perspective-inducing read about what has “driven” one of the most important figures of our time. A player who, for all of his recent WD’s and oddball dramas, takes as much pride in winning as he does in giving it his all when playing golf.
Harig kindly answered The Quad’s question about the book, now available wherever fine books are sold.
Quad: Knowing that Tiger was unlikely to cooperate while doing his book, why did you decide to go ahead with this—which now looks even more shrewd since his memoir was put on hold?
BH: The backstory to his 2019 Masters win and how he pulled that off amid all the issues he faced for several years was fascinating to me and tying it to the – amazingly – fifth anniversary of that victory seemed like the appropriate time to dive in. This win was unlike any of his others; he was no longer the Tiger that had amassed the first 14 majors. He was vulnerable. Those who played against him no longer feared him. Nearly two years earlier, to the day, he had a serious spinal fusion surgery that in no way guaranteed any golf, let alone winning golf. And that he managed to be a slew of top players. Perhaps it is recency bias, but there is an argument to be made that it is the best of his 15 majors.
Quad: You chose some surprising but oddly compelling portions of his career to focus in on: the cut streak, 12th hole glory and disasters, how he overcame a bout of yips and a surprising struggle to get good medical advice. What drove your thinking on doing the book this way?
BH: There’s been so much written about Tiger and delving into a biography of sorts has been done. But when thinking about what he did to win that Masters, it caused me to consider a bigger picture. We all know about the 82 victories on the PGA Tour, the 15 majors, the immense skill, the work ethic. But in so many instances, his “drive’’ – hence the title – was at the root of what he accomplished. Call it resiliency. Guile. Stubbornness. Never quit. But so many of those examples in the book showed those unique qualities. I thought a small chapter on how he followed up making a 10 at the 12th in 2020 was the perfect example of that and obviously not that big in the overall Tiger story. But with nothing to play for, Tiger birdied five of the last six holes after hitting three in the water. He played with Scottie Scheffler and Shane Lowry and both players raved about what they saw that day and the lessons they learned. The cut streak might be one of his most underrated feats. For seven years, Tiger didn’t miss a cut. Nobody has been halfway to that number in his time.
Quad: You detail someone driven and very legacy conscious regarding his career achievements and also someone who returned to glory in 2019 by taking control of his swing and using his experience, do you think Tiger realizes the risks and giant time drain he’s taken on in signing up to guide the Tour’s future?
BH: My sense is that Tiger is very aware of what he signed up for here. His comments throughout the entire LIV Golf drama have suggested he’s someone who values what the PGA Tour has done and what it means and he doesn’t want to see the long-time records and venues diminished. And given what is going on, that is a possibility. Comparing eras is difficult already, but how do you do it if the PGA Tour as we know it no longer exists? I think he’s fighting to preserve that and feels it’s important to get involved.
Quad: What should we expect to see of Tiger at Augusta this year?
BH: It is difficult to expect much when you consider how little he has played. Not entering the Players came as a bit of a surprise given his previously-stated comments that he thought he might try to play once a month. But he does have a big goal out there: making the cut would mean a Masters record -- 24 in a row. He tied Gary Player and Fred Couples last year with 23. He obviously has a ton of pride and never wants to miss a cut anyway. And while a made cut would not be the ultimate goal for him, doing so under these circumstances is probably a more realistic achievement. He won’t likely acknowledge that but for us to expect more than that is probably asking too much.
Driven is available at Amazon and wherever fine books are sold.