Welcome to Status Update — a free Friday newsletter featuring long and short stories, general ramblings from the week that was, the most interesting things to have recently caught my eye and any other golf-related nonsense I believe to be worth your time.
The Opening Drive
I beat around the bush last week awaiting the official announcement, but with the cat now out of the bag I can air all the dirty laundry (kiddddding). The rumors (which I guess I technically started) are true: The First Cut Podcast has been buried six feet under.
I have known this day was coming for about a month as the news was shared with me during the PGA Show, but the extended timeline has done nothing to lessen the blow. “Bummer” is the word which I keep coming back to which probably isn’t the best word to use — especially for someone who calls himself a writer — but it is the one which encapsulates my feelings.
Talking about golf as many as five times a week with a group of guys who started as coworkers and grew into friends was a privilege I may have taken for granted. While most of my friends are stuck in conference rooms and offices for their meetings, I have been stuck in a virtual greenroom talking about nonsense with a side of golf for the past two years. And trust me, there has been plenty of nonsense to discuss.
To Rick, KP, Greg, Mark, Jacob and Josh — thank you.
Hand up, the outpouring of support and messages on Twitter and Instagram has caught me by surprise — people wondering what happened, where they can listen to me talk about “golf” and what the future holds. Thank you to those of who reached out and to those who have recently subscribed to this newsletter to get my perspective on said “golf.”
That paragraph made it sound like my hermit crab just died or something. Maybe a decent comp? I used to love those fuckers.
I’ll still be on CBS Sports HQ and the Early Wedge (which has expanded to fill the gap left by the First Cut). I’ll still fill guest spots where shows will have me (please reach out to my agent to book those, thanks). I’ll still be talking about golf, but just through a different lens.
When one door closes another one opens, and although the news is a bummer I am excited to walk through that door and see what’s on the other side.
While we were away…
A slow news week in the golf world is always a welcomed sight, and it seems that we have finally gotten one of those (until 9:30 a.m. comes around and something biblical happens). While there may not have been many headlines to come out the past few days, there has been some fun information to come across my desk.
As you all know, I will be flying to Tucson next week to play in the Cologuard Classic Pro-Am. Not going to lie, I am a little nervous. Not about the interviews or the golf or anything tangible really, but about my vanity handicap which will be used for 18 holes. I still have scores in my GHIN from the peak pandemic era (PPE for short). I haven’t played since the end of December. I am 100% going to be exposed (which I guess is a little ironic in a way).
One positive note, though, is I did go to the driving range on Wednesday — approximately 25 golf balls should be enough preparation I thought to myself in the car ride over.
Onlookers were oohing and aahing at my sick skills. Drives were pumped over 300 yards. Iron shots were carved with and against the wind. I felt like the real life Tin Cup.
This did not help my ego…or my back as I haven’t been able to move properly since.
The following week, I will be driving down to Ponte Vedra for a couple days to save the PGA Tour attend the Players Championship. I’m only going early in the week to meet up with some people and hopefully do some cool stuff around TPC Sawgrass. Unfortunately, this means I will miss PGA Tour player Wesley Bryan playing in Wednesday’s Creator Classic.
I cannot catch a break!
And finally, for the the actual news, we have scored an interview in the middle of March with a man who contended at last year’s Masters. Look at the leaderboard, and take your wildest guess. It’s the most obvious person for what it’s worth.
Quotes of the week
I didn’t even want to touch on the actual golf from Thursday due the abomination that took place at PGA National. Sad!