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BROOKLINE, Massachusetts— LIV this, LIV that. It’s LIV—erally all anyone can talk about at this week’s US Open. Sorry Sorry. I’ll meet you outside.
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Of course, it is without a doubt the biggest news in the sport right now, and whatever happens Brooks Koepka says or how many questions Phil Mickelson tries to divert, it is a subject that deserves to be discussed and asked. It’s a shame he hijacked one of the best weeks in golf, but we’ll have to chalk it up to bad timing.
That said, the day of Tuesday’s press conference at The Country Club also featured some lighter moments, unrelated to LIV. These were some of our favorites.
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Best Unanswered Answer: Collin Morikawa
Unless you ever go online, you’ve probably noticed that two of golf’s biggest names, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, recently had a pretty incredible pair of weddings. Collin Morikawa, who popped the question to his girlfriend Katherine Zhu last December, would appear to be in the waiting circle in that department. He was asked how planning for the big day was going and gave one of the best non-LIV answers to a question he’ll be hearing all week.
“I definitely know when we’re getting married, but I’m not going to share it,” Morikawa said. “We like to keep things private. I think that’s who we are. I’m sure people will find out, but there’s no way our wedding is going to be as big as theirs. I think yours were pretty impressive. Maybe Kat wants it that way. I don’t know. I do not know yet”.
We already knew the two-time Grand Slam winner was wise beyond his years, but this serves as further proof. He’s not the biggest guy on social media (despite finishing a dagger 11th in the PIP last year), which is quite the pivot of his generation of sharing every moment of his day. It’s no surprise that he’s taking a mommy approach to his pending nuptials. “On brand” as the children say.
Best “I think I got my swagger back… ohhh, ohhh” moment: Brooks Koepka
When he wasn’t telling the media that the LIV controversy is their fault, Brooks Koepka actually sounded a lot like…Brooks Koepka on Tuesday. And by that we mean the older version of Brooks Koepka. Asked if he realizes how difficult it was to return to the US Open like he did in 2017 and 2018, Koepka said, “Yes, I know how difficult it is,” in his usual way. , then he said this:
“My friends talked to me the other day. I mean, I’ve lost, the last four US Opens I’ve played, I’ve lost to four people, which is great.”
Classic case of your guys reminding you how good you are at cheering yourself up before the big dance. Sometimes remembering a little like that can pay dividends. If ever there was a week for him to get back to normal, this would be it. He said it himself.
“I love it, man [the U.S. Open]. It’s a tough test,” Koepka said. “I don’t like these under-25s. [tournaments] where you have to shoot 60 every round just to compete. I like it when it’s a battle. That’s more my style.”
(whispers) Koepka is 55-1 to win this week.
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Best Shot Returned to Media: Rory McIlroy
Considering that all the slingshots and arrows were… thrown and thrown by the media regarding LIV, it was only a matter of time before a player started throwing slingshots and arrows. To no one’s surprise, that player was Rory McIlroy.
After giving his thoughts on the course and then having an interesting exchange with our very own Dan Rapaport about his “dead in the water” comments on LIV from February, McIlroy answered a remote question from a Sports Illustrated for Kids reporter, who asked about the historical significance of Francis Ouimet in The Country Club.
“It’s funny that the best question comes from a child,” McIlroy said. Taste!
The four-time Grand Slam champion answered the question in his typical thoughtful manner.
“This course and the story of Francis Ouimet, 1913. Again, that’s what’s great about golf, the history, the tradition and these stories,” he said. “The fact that he grew up right next to the 17th hole here, and we’re still talking about it to this day over 100 years later. That’s great. That’s the best thing about the game.”
Amen to that. Also, to be clear, we have no idea if it was an actual child who asked the question. The question was read by USGA Championship Communications Director Julia Pine, who did not specify the age of the person asking the question, so McIlroy’s punch might not be correct. Media 1, Rory 0.
Top Golf Saying We’re Stealing And Passing Them Off As Our Own – Jon Rahm’s Former Swing Coach
The defending champion was asked which club in his bag gets him into the most trouble, and instead pointed to the one that gets him out of the most trouble: his putter. Rahm even pointed out that during last year’s epic final round at Torrey Pines, while he felt like he was playing the round of his life at the time, he couldn’t believe how many fairway bunkers he was playing, how many greens he missed and how many putts he missed. He wasn’t perfect, but he was good enough to do it. It was then that he revealed this all-time golf saying from his old swing coach in Spain, Eduardo Celles, that he will never forget.
“The [Celles] I used to say that the short game is like the hospital; when your long game is sick, the hospital usually nurses you back to health, and that’s what he used to tell me,” Rahm said. “I’ve taken it very seriously. I would always tell every junior player I meet, make sure your short game is good before you develop your long game. I think that’s very, very important, developing your feeling.”
Yeah, we’re definitely stealing that. Driver goes all over the place? Did the iron game let you down? Take a trip to the hospital. It will take care of your round until it recovers health.
RELATED: Rory McIlroy on LIV player miscalculation: “I took them at their word and I was wrong”
Best Elephant Keepsake Display: Scottie Scheffler
Not to put all players in a bucket, but most guys have amnesia, in a good way. Like a great NFL quarterback who can lead a winning drive after throwing a pick-six, he must be able to forget bad days and bad shots quickly to be successful on the road. Scottie Scheffler apparently forgets nothing, including the bad. Here he is recapping the 2013 US Amateur, which took place at The Country Club, where the reigning World No. 1 lost in the quarterfinals to Australian Brady Watt.
“Well, that was a really cool event for me,” Scheffler said. “I had won the US Junior that year. It was a really great year for me in golf.
“I have very good memories of this tournament. I have good memories. I was walking with my coach here in 2013, and he was here in 1999 when Justin [Leonard] he putted and was teaching Justin at the time, so we both have great memories of this place.
“I remember being down in almost all my matches and coming back. The three that I’ve won, I came back late in all of them. I think I made a great putt against maybe Brandon Hagy, anyone? I think it may have been Brandon on the 17th. I’ve got good memories of this place. It was a lot of fun.”
In fact, it was Brandon Hagy, whom Scheffler brought down on the 20th hole to advance to the third round of the playing portion of the event. Next up was Matthias Schwab, whom Scheffler finished off at 18, 1 up. Then came Watt.
“I remember plugging it in the short bunker on 18,” he said. “I think I ended up bogeying, and he did a good pair of fours to beat me.”
Dammit. It’s understandable (and often great to hear) when players go shot for shot in tournaments years ago (Tiger Woods is one of the all-time greats at this), but they’re usually the ones who win. Scheffler doing it for an L is a move you just have to respect.
Best answer we heard all day: Cameron Smith
After one of his worst weeks of a breakout season at the RBC Canadian Open, with a T-48 finish, you had to wonder: Would Cam Smith ditch the mullet and break the mini slump?
“No. Nothing yet,” Smith said when asked if he had plans for a haircut. Phew. crisis averted.