RADIO
Joe Nicely looks forward to the return of PGA Tour golf from postponement and discusses some of his favorite things about golf.
The PGA Tour is really close to returning to our lives. Last weekend’s charity match involving Rory McIlory and Dustin Johnson went well, which only strengthens my belief that the Tour might actually be able to pull this thing off next month.
However, the COVID-19 situation is one that remains fluid, so there’s always the chance that things could go wrong, which is somewhat unnerving to think about. For the moment though, let’s pretend that things go smoothly when the PGA Tour shows up at Colonial Country Club and tees it up on June 11th. What are the things you are most looking forward to? A few of mine are listed below.
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Fields That Might Be Ridiculously Stacked
You have to think that different players will take different approaches as to when they’ll return to tournament environments, but it looks as though some of golf’s biggest names are ready to roll immediately. World number one Rory McIlory has already said that he plans to play the first three tournaments back, while Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas have also been very vocal about being ready to tee it up. One of the knocks on the Tour’s biggest stars is that they don’t play enough outside of the majors and events that provide huge paydays, but there’s a chance that we could see some amazing fields over the first month that golf returns.
Great Courses Getting The Attention They Deserve
We often complain that the courses on the PGA Tour are cookie-cutter layouts that promote birdie-fests. While there’s certainly some truth to that, there are some notable exceptions, and a few of them just so happen to be the first tracks we’ll see when play resumes. Colonial is a classic that demands sharp ball striking, the same can be said of ultra-tight Harbour Town, and of another Pete Dye joint at TPC River Highlands. These courses can sometimes get lost in the shuffle of the PGA Tour season, but will have golf fans’ full attention this year.
DraftKings Pricing
One part of my weekly PGA DFS process is trying to guess what the DraftKings pricing scale will look like. I love it when the pricing is posted. Scrolling slowly through the players to check their salaries is always a fun (and underrated) part of the week.
Friday Cut Sweats
Ahhh...Friday afternoon cut sweats are such an essential part of the PGA DFS experience! The intensity of what one player will do over his last few holes - and how that will impact your entire lineup and week - is a very unique aspect of fantasy golf.
Podcasts And Articles
It probably sounds cheesy, but I spend so much time each week regularly consuming pods and articles, that these guys are almost like old friends. I’m definitely ready for a reunion!
Rory's Bounce And Other Random Player Traits
You can always tell when Rory McIlroy is playing well, because he literally gets a bounce in his step that almost makes it look like his Nike's have springs in them. It’s how you know that his confidence is at full blast and there’s a strong chance that you’re going to see some ridiculous shots. It's cocky and brash and truly a thing of beauty. For some reason it always gets me pumped up and I hope to see Rory bee-bopping down fairways very soon. Other acceptable answers in this category are DJ’s “John Wayne Badass Strut”, Tiger fist pumping, Tony Finau being a great human, and Jordan Spieth whining. Hell, I even miss Patrick Cantlay shuffling his feet for 30 seconds while standing over a putt at this point.
A Milly Maker The First Week Back
DraftKings definitely feels our pain and has wasted no time blessing us with a Milly Maker...for the FREAKIN’ CHARLES SCHWAB CHALLENGE!!! Will it be the biggest crapshoot in history? Yes! Will we be totally guessing about each players’ form? Yes! Will I play it anyway? YES!!!
Making A Few Bets
I don’t consider myself a degen gambler, but it has been a long time since I’ve made any type of wager, and dammit, it’s gonna feel good to throw a $10 First-Round-Leader bet on Keegan Bradley again, which is my God-given right as an American!
A Return To Something Resembling Normalcy
No, this isn’t going to magically make everything return to normal, but it’s at least a start. We’ve all dealt with this pandemic in different ways, with some folks dealing with this unimaginably-scary virus in up-close-and-personal ways and others simply fighting never-before-seen levels of boredom. Sports are our country’s great pastime for a reason...they help take our mind off the stresses of our everyday lives...something that’s needed now more than ever.
