14-JAN-2020

WOW! Another playoff in Hawaii at the Sony Open with 26-year-old Australian Cameron Smith winning in a muddy playoff against Brendan Steele for his first individual PGA TOUR win. He captured the two-man 2017 Zurich Classic with Jonas Blixt.

Branden Grace won his country’s South Africa Open with a ‘red-hot’ Odyssey Toulon putter, ending a two-year drought with a closing day 62 to take the title from fellow countryman Luis Oosthuizen.

Pat Hurst, a 6-time winner on the LPGA with one major and a half-century of living, has been chosen Captain of the 2021 United States Solheim Team. Pat was an assistant for Julie Inkster during her captaincy and has played on 5 Solheim teams.

Pete Dye passed away 1/9 at the age of 94. We lost a true visionary in golf course architecture. I was fortunate enough to attend his Inauguration Party to the World Golf Hall of Fame at the Dye Preserve, where I interviewed Alice and him in 2008. He loved golf and working in the dirt. Pete joins his wonderful wife Alice who passed in February 2019. Maybe there will be a Dye golf course in heaven. Pete mentored many architects such as Bill Coore, Bobby Weed, Tom Doak and Jack Nicklaus. He was also responsible for Harbour Town Golf Links, Kiawah Ocean Course, Whistling Straits, TPC Sawgrass and 90 other designs.Justice for Justin-Thomas takes Tour of Champions after 3-hole sudden-death at sundown at Kapalua’s Plantation course to open the 2020. JT playing his Titlist clubs & ball outlasted Patrick Reed and Xander Sshauffele for his 12th PGA win at the Sentry TOC.

Kudos to CBS Lead Analyst and LPGA Major winner, Dottie Pepper, for paying off the breakfast tab for the elementary school students in her home town of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

George Bernard Shaw said, ” We don’t stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing.” So, go out and play!

Dave Daubert
Editor