Just tweet through it

We sincerely apologize for the play on words that you’ll discover later in this newsletter. Just needed to get out in front of that now. We hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

The Cameron Zone

Area 313 has a new name. Cam Davis won his first PGA Tour event this weekend, defeating Joaquín Niemann and Troy Merritt in a playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. A couple of groups ahead of the leaders on Sunday, Davis holed a bunker shot for eagle on the 71st hole and rolled in a six-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to advance to extra holes. During what turned out to be a five-hole playoff, he missed four putts that could have won him the event. Ultimately, a Troy Merritt bogey handed Davis the trophy. Results

A week after the eight-hole pillow fight between Harris English and Kramer Hickok at the Travelers Championship, the playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic initially looked like it was going to wrap up in a quick burst of drama. Joaquín Niemann made his first bogey of the tournament on the first playoff hole (you read that correctly), and Davis had a six-footer to win. But the Aussie’s attempt didn’t even sniff the hole. He and Merritt kept going until Merritt faltered on the short par-3 15th.

On a day of fireworks and excitement, it was a somewhat disappointing finish, like getting food poisoning at the Fourth of July barbeque and spending the rest of the night in the bathroom. Davis left with his first PGA Tour victory but will have to return next year for another chance at the real prize, the undefeated Area 313 Challenge.

Lefty vs. the media

Phil Mickelson posted a T-74 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, but it was his protracted battle with a local journalist that made headlines. On Thursday, Mickelson said he would not return to Detroit after Rob Snell of the Detroit News wrote about one of Lefty’s old misadventures in gambling. Mickelson kept tweeting about the incident throughout the weekend, complaining that the story “undermines many people here in [Detroit] trying to help others.” The reigning PGA champion finished the weekend with some nice comments about the event.

It was all very confusing! As usual, though, Eamon Lynch brought clarity to the matter for Golfweek: “Mickelson has every right to object to coverage he considers unfair, but underlying his response is a trouble expectation that media must function as cheerleaders when the Tour comes to town, and that failure to do so—by writing unflattering stories about him, for example—hurts the event and its charitable beneficiaries.”

Act like they forgot about Jin

One week after giving up the top spot in the Rolex Rankings to Nelly Korda, Jin Young Ko earned her first win of 2021 at the Volunteers of America Classic. Ko shot a final-round 69 to edge Matilda Castren and Gaby López. Results

It hasn’t been Ko’s best season, but she now has six top 10s and a victory in the calendar year. With two majors and a million-dollar prize at the CME Group Tour Championship still to be determined, Ko and Korda are primed for a season-ending battle.

Quick Hooks

Like Phil Mickelson, defending champion Bryson DeChambeau got in a bit of hot water with the media at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. After his caddie Tim Tucker quit on Wednesday, DeChambeau recorded two mediocre scores, missed the cut, and left town without granting any interview requests.

No doubt DeChambeau will be chattier tomorrow, when he joins Mickelson, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers for The Match 4 at the Reserve at Moonlight Basin. You’ve been warned, local Montana reporters. The action will air on TNT at 5 p.m. ET.

He was threatened by a bevy of challengers on Sunday, but Lucas Herbert ground out a wire-to-wire victory at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. This is Hebert’s second career European Tour win, and he will play his second career Open Championship later this month, joining Rikard Karlberg and Johannes Veerman as this year’s qualifiers out of the Irish Open. Results

South Koreans Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim will both skip the Open Championship to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics. Since an Olympic medal exempts South Korean athletes from mandatory military service, this year’s Olympics could be considered the biggest event of Im’s and Kim’s careers.

Cameron Beckman came from behind to clip Ernie Els and win the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on the PGA Tour Champions. It’s his first win on the senior circuit and first title on any tour since 2010. Results

Tragic news out of Georgia: Gene Siller, director of golf at Pinetree Country Club, was shot dead on Saturday after approaching a pickup truck that had been driven onto the course. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support his family.

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Shotgun Start: Bryson skips town, Phil tweets away, and Match 4 Preview

This holiday weekend episode begins with some first-week insights from the first ever Coffee Pot. Then Brendan and Andy offer some reactions to the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where another par-fest playoff anointed Cameron Davis the winner. There are some numbers on Davis’ career to this point that indicate he will be around a long time. They also hit on Bryson skipping town without ever talking to the press and Phil tweeting away in a most confusing fashion. They are perturbed by some media carrying water for Bryson’s messaging, and amused by Rickie refusing to indulge some other silly media narratives. The red grandstands, those are also discussed and Andy comes out against the color in general. At the Irish Open, Lucas Herbert’s pregame meals are pondered and Johannes Veerman’s name is discussed. Dick Mast and Dicky Pride playing together in Dick’s Open is highlighted. News hits on Si Woo and Sungjae opting to skip the Open to better prep for the Olympics. The episode closes with a preview of The Match 4, salivating at the possibilities of a mic’d up Bryson on Tuesday night. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

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