Leading Edge Golf Weekly Roundup – 4/8

(Click here for the full, media-rich version of this newsletter on leadingedgegolf.ca)

The sun is shining, the snow melting, we are open for expanded hours, and it’s Masters week. Golf season is starting to feel real. Let’s get into it.

What an outstanding weekend of professional golf to lead into the Masters. Nelly Korda has now won four straight starts after she won the T-Mobile Match Play event. Nelly now gets the week off (presumably to watch the Masters too) before the LPGA is back for their first major in two weeks at the Chevron.

On the PGA Tour, it was less historic and more hysteric. Akshay Bhatia was leading by six shots going into the back nine before Denny McCarthy took a flamethrower to TPC San Antonio. Denny birdied 8 of 9 holes to shoot a back 9 28 and tie Bhatia. The playoff continued to be a circus as Bhatia apparently hurt his shoulder while celebrating his birdie on 18 and had his trainer come out and tape his shoulder just off the fairway. Meanwhile, McCarthy rinsed his approach in the greenside creek and the freshly-taped Bhatia played through the pain to stick his wedge close to set up the one putt for the win which also punched his ticket to Augusta this week.

Hit the Links!

Ludvig Aberg should come see us. While attempting to drive the green on 17, Ludvig’s driver head flew off and followed his ball down the fairway. Ludvig looked confused but so was everyone else when the ball ended up on the green anyway.

Ever heard of this Jordan Spieth guy? And that he sometimes winds up in some crazy places on the golf course (see: Open Championship 2017)? On Saturday he went for another classic adventure. After pulling his tee shot on the par 5 18th left, Jordan decided to try to advance the ball rather than punch out and – we all know where this is going – made the situation worse. So from an area that bore no resemblance to a golf course, Spieth intentionally hit at the clubhouse because it was inexplicably not OB and he knew he would get a free drop. That shot then hit the roof before ending up in a gutter. What a time to be alive.

Golf Digest had another great video this week, this time delving into the late Moe Norman’s legendary golf swing.