The PGA Tour’s future, big caddie swap, LIV’s latest exclusion
Webb Simpson finished T7 at the Valspar before announcing a split from his caddy Paul Tesori.
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Welcome back to the Monday Finish where we’re glad to have those pesky basketball staples out of the way so we can get down to business this week. But first: the golf news!
FIRST FROM THE TEE
This is the PGA Tour now.
There has been much talk about what non-designated PGA Tour events will look like under the league’s new layered structure. After coming off two consecutive dezzies at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass, we headed into the Tampa metro area this week with an obviously weaker field. Still, the Valspar boasted a handful of big names, led by Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and two-time defending champion Sam Burns.
On Sunday we had a solid outlook on what these quieter weeks are likely to feel like. There were a number of storylines centered around brand players. Could Spieth take a Pre-Masters win? Could Fleetwood Win Its First PGA Tour Event? Could Webb Simpson log his first top 10 since 2021? There were also compelling storylines from relatively unknown people. Adam Schenk chased his first win with his pregnant wife flying in to see him. Cody Gribble was chasing a full-time return to the PGA Tour. you have the idea
In the end it was Taylor Moore who got the hot hand in the Snake Pit on Sunday. (Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course remains extremely tough — and extremely fun to watch.) This is the PGA Tour’s best-case scenario for these events: a mix of big names chasing fame and no names chasing a career-changing victory. If you can get them to compete on a crowded Sunday afternoon leaderboard, even better. So far, so good.
WINNER
Who won the week?
Taylor Moore’s designated future
Moore got hot at the right time, making four birdies on his final 10 holes to make 4-under-67, the second-best round of the day. His reward was hefty: the $1.46 million check for first place is a good start. The instant Masters invite is pretty nice too. And given the emphasis on being in the top 50 next year, Moore’s jump to No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings might be the greatest reward of all.
Danny Lee’s decision
Sunday February 19th Jon Rahm lifted the winner’s trophy at the Genesis Invitational. But rumors followed another player onto the field this week, Danny Leewho missed the cut.
On Sunday, March 19, Lee lifted the winner’s trophy at the LIV event in Tucson. It was his first professional win in eight years – coincidentally also in a four-way playoff. “This individual victory means a lot,” said Lee. “I haven’t won since 2015. I just felt like winning wasn’t my thing, but today that changed. It’s just good to see that I’m able to play good golf.”
Matthew Baldwin’s blowout
The DP World Tour returned to South Africa this week and crowned a well-deserved champion in the 37-year-old Englishman Matthew Baldwin the field flashed 18 points en route to a seven-stroke win – his first on the circuit. He rose from 501st place in the world to 283rd place.
ALMOST WINNER
If you’re not first, you can still get second.
Adam Schenk didn’t win – he was understandably distraught after his bogey on the 72nd hole saved him just one shot outside of a playoff – but he did collect a wad of cash and valuable FedEx Cup points. His money and points tally increased significantly thanks to a missed three-and-a-half foot by playing partner Jordan Spieth. Schenk finished second solo, Spieth shared third place. His companion on the podium? Tommy Fleetwood, whose winning chance seemed to vanish with a hooked approach on the par-5 14, turned a good birdie chance into a disappointing bogey. He finished two shots back.
Meanwhile, it’s been a fantastic week for Cody Gribble. Jordan Spieth’s collegiate teammate has been through the past half decade, trading injury for injury and leaning on his past champion status (he won Sanderson Farms in 2016) for point starts on the PGA Tour. That included a start at the Puerto Rico Open, where he finished T7, which put him in Valspar. He went into the last round just two shots up but stumbled off the blocks with bogeys on 1, 2 and 5 and then with a crushing double on 6. Gribble rallied in his favor with birdies on 7, 10, 11 and 14 to Rise back to a final score of T7. That would have earned him a place in this week’s Corales event in the Dominican Republic, but he was already in the field. Still, it means more points for Gribble, who finishes a respectable 116th in the FedEx Cup.
NON-WINNER
Maybe next week.
Matthew Fitzpatrick made a five-time bogey 9 in 3rd place on Thursday and missed his second straight cut – and his fourth in six starts – as he continues to struggle with a neck injury. However, that 9 certainly inflated his bottom line. Martin DouA world champion on the Korn Ferry Tour but struggling with form on the PGA Tour, he had a chance for his best finish yet before falling 44 places on a Sunday 80. And Keegan Bradley was among the pros hit particularly hard by the gastrointestinal virus that cruised through the dressing room. (Turns out it’s mentioned in the same sentence as Jon Rahm is not always good!)
CADDY CORNER
A cult duo is ready.
NBC sports reporter Kira Dixon written down the final round this Sunday for Webb Simpson and longtime looper Paul Tesori ended particularly emotionally. That would have been understandable based on their results alone; Simpson’s T7 result was his first top 10 since the 2021 RSM Classic. He was still in the world top 10 at the 2021 PGA Championship; less than two years later, his T7 propelled him back into the top 150 at the Valspar.
But there was more to the story than that. Simpson announced Monday that he and Tesori are “changing direction” and ending a 12-year partnership on Simpson’s purse. Meanwhile, Tesori picks up a new loop: reigning rookie of the year Cameron Young.
Tesori and Simpson were together for his win at the 2012 US Open at the Olympic Club, as well as the 2018 Players Championship and several US Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams. Tesori – himself a former Tour pro – is one of the most respected caddies on the circuit.
“Not only was he my caddy and swing coach, he was one of my best friends in the whole world,” Simpson wrote.
It’s reasonable to be skeptical of an announced player-caddy split – who fired whom?! – but in this case, it seems like Tesori had the opportunity to jump on board one of the most coveted bags in the sport. Simpson could also see the value in changing it up given his recent form, although Tesori’s caddy/swing trainer combo will be difficult to replicate. Despite this, he said in the statement that Tesori and his family will always be a part of “Team Simpson.” All good, but the end of an era.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
Why no LIV players in Austin?
If you took a look at this week’s WGC Match Play bracket, you might have noticed something: No LIV players! This is consistent with the rest of the PGA Tour schedule this season; LIV professionals are banned indefinitely. But you may also remember last summer’s Genesis Scottish Open featured a mix of PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV pros – LIV boys can still play DP events pending litigation. And the WGCs are supported by DP World and Asian Tours. So what’s up?! Why not LIV professionals?
It’s not like nobody qualified: Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, Abraham Ancer, Thomas Pieters, Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III, Mito Pereira, Dustin Johnson And Patrick Reed would have been included because of their world rankings. However, because the PGA Tour is the circuit where the event actually takes place, it can essentially reject anyone who doesn’t follow its rules. Here is the explanation the tour gave me:
The application for tournament entry for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play (“Tournament Entry Agreement”) states that entry is subject to acceptance by the Host Tour (PGA Tour) and the International Federation of PGA Tours and may be refused or revoked by either Any time before or after tournament play begins if a player fails to comply with the eligibility requirements set forth in the tournament participation agreement, violates any of the tournament rules of the host tour, or otherwise behaves in a manner that is inappropriate for a professional golfer. In addition, as a condition of participation, all participants must agree to abide by and be bound by the PGA Tour Tournament Rules.
So there you have it! Your Match Play brackets are LIV free.
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
I have [sigh] I’ve re-entered US Open qualifiers, which means I’m either seven rounds away from being champion at Los Angeles Country Club or one round away from making 80 because I only do it once a year Play competitive golf and not nearly as good as I think I should be. Everything depends on your perspective. I choose optimism, so I plan to see you all at LACC in a few months.
WHAT’S NEXT
3 things to watch this week.
1. The Final Match.
As far as I know, there is currently no match play scheduled in the PGA Tour schedule for 2024. That stinks because this event features the most exciting weekday golf of anyone on the schedule. I hope there’s a way to make matchplay economically viable at some point, but for now: have fun with it!
2. The Arizona golf season continues.
The LPGA Tour returns to the Grand Canyon State while the circuit’s US season is in full swing. The LPGA Drive On Championship leads to Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, where eight of the top nine in the world (all but Lydia Ko) will knock it off.
3. The Gear Gang talks about forking:
I did my best last week to simplify the golf ball talk here. But I do rely on our full kit experts for the following details:
Until next week!
