Last week in golf: Hosung's petition, stolen clubs, weird new rules
"Last week in golf" is a look back at the compelling, funny, and often strange stories from around the golf world over the past seven days.
Petition to get Hosung to Phoenix
Asian Tour sensation Hosung Choi first broke onto the scene this past June with his eccentric golf swing and on-course antics. Now, there is a petition to get the human highlight reel into the biggest party on the PGA Tour - the Waste Management Open in Phoenix - as a sponsor's exemption.
Imagine this at the iconic stadium hole, No. 16:
Hosung Choi in all of his glory. pic.twitter.com/rWpWkOTNjA
— Skratch (@Skratch) June 25, 2018
Go sign the petition, now.
Hosung doing Hosung things 😂 Love it! pic.twitter.com/rhT0ZZTv9p
— Travis Fulton (@travisfulton) December 22, 2018
Pro's stolen clubs miraculously return
Cody Blick became golf-famous when his clubs were stolen from a rental house in Arizona during Web.com Tour qualifying, right before his final round. He took to Instagram to offer a $5,000 reward to whoever turned them in.
The clubs never showed up but Blick managed to fire a final-round 63 with a mismatched set he put together at the last minute, and earned his Web.com Tour card.
After giving up the search for his stolen clubs, they reappeared after a wild series of events. Here's the Coles Notes version:
An Arizona woman encountered a homeless man, and instead of giving him a couple of dollars, she asked if he had anything to sell. The man went to his tent and presented a beat up Titleist bag full of clubs stamped with the word "Blick." The woman paid $75 and took to the internet to search "Blick." She stumbled across Cody's story, reached out to his mother, and sold the clubs back to his mom for $300.
Unfortunately, the bag was ruined and the clubs damaged, but at least Blick has his sticks back.
Weird new rules
The governing bodies of golf implemented updated rules for 2019, making the Tournament of Champions the first time players and viewers got a taste of the new procedures.
Dropping from the knee looks ... odd.
New drop.
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) January 4, 2019
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/MA3n6H8FN3
The internet had some fun practicing different knee-high techniques.
Watching some @GolfChannel coverage last night inspired to come out and play around with some different techniques to see how I could fully use the new rules to my advantage. Drop #4 is my early favorite for what I’ll be going with this season pic.twitter.com/oPuhqKPQf2
— Tee-k Kelly (@teekkelly) January 4, 2019
Bryson DeChambeau had his moment enshrined a day after calling the rule "absurd."
Also, putting with the pin in is fully legal and pros are taking advantage.
Did @BriceGarnett call bank? 🤔#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/nksssrvNhv
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 4, 2019
Even on short ones.
The flagstick is your friend. 🤝#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/7Hd2gCi4W7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 4, 2019
Worldwide Results
PGA Tour - Tournament of Champions: Xander Schauffele (-23)
HEADLINES
- Potgieter wins Rocket Classic in playoff for 1st PGA TOUR victory
- TOUR's FedEx Cup bonus goes from lump sum to 3 payoffs
- Reed finally wins on LIV Golf with birdie in 4-man playoff
- Harrington prevails in head-to-head showdown with Cink to win U.S. Senior Open
- Potgieter, TOUR's youngest player and biggest hitter, leads Rocket Classic by 2