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I RAN ACROSS THIS CLIP from The Players Championship. Tiger Woods answered the question with good humor.

The career wins (major and other) of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, the two greatest players of their eras, are pretty similar overall and miles ahead of everyone else.

So, who's the GOAT? And what's your criteria?

(I know Tiger isn't finished. He might bag a few more wins.)

I've often noticed that one's answer to this question depends on their age. There's a generational bias.


Source: Who's the Greatest: Tiger or Jack?

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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP IS UNDERWAY at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

At tee off, DJ and Rory were the favorites at 12/1. The pair are currently 1 and 2 strokes off the early lead of 5 under. There's a long way to go.


Odds to Win THE PLAYERS Championship
(Courtesy of Bovada)
Dustin Johnson 12/1
Rory McIlroy 12/1
Justin Thomas 16/1
Rickie Fowler 20/1
Brooks Koepka 20/1
Francesco Molinari 20/1
Justin Rose 20/1
Tiger Woods 20/1
Tommy Fleetwood 25/1
Xander Schauffele 25/1
Bryson DeChambeau 28/1
Jon Rahm 28/1
Jason Day 33/1...

NO MATTER HOW FAR THE GOLF BALL flies and rolls, no matter how long golf courses become, and no matter how modern golf equipment enables a jaw-dropping power game, success in golf still, in large part, comes down to putting.

Jeff Maggert (above), a tour professional who has won eight times on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, five-putted from five feet on the final hole of his opening round at the Hoag Classic. He carded an ugly triple bogey at 18 and posted a 5-over 76.

While I was watching Maggert, I wanted to say, "Stop, take a breath, regroup."

But we've all been there, haven't we? Slapping the golf ball back and forth around the cup. The only difference is that someone in our friendly game probably would have said, "Pick...

THE CLOSER. THAT MIGHT BE an apt nickname for reigning Open champion Francesco Molinari.

Molinari carded an 8-under 64 at Bay Hill on Sunday to finish 12 under in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. That was good enough for a two-shot victory over Matthew Fitzpatrick. Rafa Cabrera Bello, Tommy Fleetwood and Sungjae Im tied for third.

Molinari's third PGA Tour title included a lengthy putt on the final green that drew comparisons to Tiger Woods. (See above highlights.)

"The long game can take you only so far," Molinari said. "You can be in contention and have good finishes more often than other people. But when it comes to crunch time, you have to make the putts at the right time."

Next up is The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. And no, it's not the fifth major.


Source:...

From the New York Times obituary:

I LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS: The swing. The tempo. The sound. The quick reach for the tee. The "perfect" comment.

May we all hit it a little more like Coach Lockey this spring.


Source: Golf Swing Thursday: Coach Lockey

THE USGA HAS BECOME A PUNCHING BAG through the years and for good reasons. But golf's elite players seem to get a pass on their reactions and childish behavior, most recently as it pertains to the new rules.

Why are players (seemingly) excused?

This isn't an aberration. Rather, it's the sports culture in which we live.

Eamon Lynch at Golfweek.com jumped into the topic with both feet: