Reflections – Looking Back at 2023

In true fashion on my website, I look at all things golf-related. Some of it good, some bad, and some that is plain old ugly like a shank during a greenside. Raise your hands if you’ve had that pleasure. 2023 was a year in golf like I’ve never experienced prior. 

The year was full of good moments for me personally and much like the old 80’s sitcom, “The Facts of Life”. You take the good…. You take the bad… You add them up and there you have the facts of life. Highlights of my 2023 golf calendar year included a return to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. Gaining media credentials for LIV Golf. Speaking of media credentials, I attended my first RBC Canadian Open in June under a media badge and what a historic event that turned out to be!.

From a website point of view there was some tough sledding. My bread and butter over the years has been my equipment reviews and when I went from looking forward to a fall surgery involving an amputation to the surgery taking place in both June and July it was a serious blow. Sure, I was playing some golf like I haven’t in several years but the major blow was not being able to test and review equipment. Yet, somehow when my final numbers came in at the end of the year I had more views this year than in 2022. So thank-you!!!

Let’s look back at some of the good, bad, and maybe ugly golf moments of 2023.

History Made at Oakdale – Oakdale Golf and Country Club played host to the 2023 RBC Canadian Open. It was great to walk the grounds and take in the action. The last time that a Canadian golfer won the Canadian Open was Pat Fletcher in 1954. There were close calls over the last 69 years (the most memorable being when Vijay Singh broke Canadian hearts in a playoff win against Mike Weir). 72 feet. The roar heard around Canada will never be forgotten when Canadian Nick Taylor rolled in an unlikely 72” putt to knock off Tommy Fleetwood who at the moment, was red hot.

A Tackle For the Ages – When that putt rolled in there was a massive celebration on the 18th green at Oakdale. Unfortunately for Adam Hadwin he nearly died there when an overzealous security officer tackled the Canadian PGA TOUR player. I wonder how long it took the greens crew to roll out the imprint Adam’s body made.

LIV Promotions – Lives changed for five golfers during the LIV Golf Promotion Event. Among them was Kieran Vincent from Zimbabwe who was a member of the Liberty University Men’s Golf Team. I watched and followed Kieran for a while at the 2022 Fortinet Cup Championship. I think that you’d be hard-pressed to find a nicer guy. Every spectator and fan in attendance that he saw he thanked for being there. His brother Scott is already on the Saudi-based tour.

Hayden Springer – Speaking of PGA TOUR Canada/ PGA TOUR Americas, former Texas Christian University player Hayden Springer already gained full status on the Korn Ferry Tour after winning the Fortinet Cup. But, what’s better than that? Qualifying for the PGA TOUR through q-School. Making the story even more magical was that he qualified a month after his eldest daughter, Sage, died at age 3. She was prenatally diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a developmental disorder stemming from an extra chromosome. 

PNC Championship – Okay I get it. Tiger (and Charlie Woods) move the needle for this end of season event. It’s predominantly all that viewers saw before the tournament began, during,, and after. How about a little bit less of them and more of some of the other families? Without looking it up, who won? The Langer’s right?! Give me a little more of Little John (Daly), the Singh’s, The Korda’s, and for the love of all things right Annika Sorenstamand son Will McGee. What a great kid.

Grant Thornton Invitational – It finally happened. The PGA TOUR and the LPGA joined forces and had a mixed event. The event was great and met all of my expectations. I thought that the format was fun. To the respective commissioners could we please have more of this style of event but let’s put some world ranking points on the line too. Out of curiosity, how were the television ratings? Too bad that Canada’s Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners came up a stroke short behind winners Lydia Ko and Jason Day.

LIV and Let LIVE – Watch it or don’t. It’s not going anywhere. Stop bitching about it. If you aren’t going to watch, don’t. Oh, and the “Bonesaw Tour” rhetoric. Enough, it is what it is. Oh and Rory do yourself a favor. We know where you stand. Focus on your golf.

A Name(s) to Keep an Eye On – Sudarshan Yellamraju. I got to know Sudarshy a couple of years ago. He turned professional at 16 right after high school. Tall and lanky, this left-handed golfer earned partial status at Korn Ferry Tour -Q-School. On the ladies side Maddie Szeryk and Savannah Grewal will be playing on the LPGA.

And Finally – Coming to the top of the leaderboard at a tournament near you. Canadian flags.  In the professional ranks 2023 was history making as far as Canadians winning on tour. Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp, Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Svensson, Corey Conners, Ben Silverman, Roger Sloan, and Myles Creighton were all winners

Until The Next Tee!!

#fightandgrind