Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns in Memphis.
PGA Tour, Getty Photographs
Good day mates and welcome to this week’s version of the Rogers Report! Between the PGA Tour Playoffs and the AIG Girls’s Open on the Previous Course, we’re shaping as much as have a really thrilling week in golf. The Girls’s Open has me feeling very nostalgic for final fall, when the GOLF crew headed to St. Andrews for 10 days to doc the Notre Dame males’s and girls’s golf groups on the St. Andrews Collegiate, and naturally discover the realm. I had by no means been to Scotland earlier than that journey, and now I can’t wait to return at some point. If you happen to’re ever over there, I wrote all concerning the issues you are able to do whenever you aren’t teeing it up right here. Be sure to cease at Jannettas Gelateria. No must thank me.
Okay, on to the final week in golf.
Bear Burns and Bennett Scheffler
Greatest buddies Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler every welcomed new kids to their households earlier this 12 months, and Bear Burns and Bennett Scheffler have been the celebrities of the present on the FedEx St. Jude Championship final week. The boys have been born only a few days aside, which is form of the dream for the Burns and Scheffler households. A second era of finest buddies! We’ll kick issues off with Bear Burns (nice identify, by the best way), who accompanied his dad to work throughout a observe spherical in Memphis.
Bear watched “Uncle Xander” tee off, after which was handed over to the two-time main champion whereas his dad teed off.
Bear Burns resides the life and he has no concept (but). He’s received a front-row seat to observe the most effective golfers on the earth.
Bear’s buddy Bennett Scheffler appears to be doing fairly nicely, too. Little Scheffler received an amazing view of his dad teeing it up on Friday due to an help from Sam Burns.
I do know they are saying it takes a village to lift a baby, and it’s so candy to see a village of PGA Tour bros serving to one another out and taking care of one another’s children. The Lion King-esque second jogged my memory of when Jordan Spieth held up his son, Sammy, on the 2022 Presidents Cup. We’d like extra of those cute moments in golf, please!
FedEx St. Jude Championship content material kings
After I consider golfers who create nice content material, I consider Bryson DeChambeau and Min Woo Lee. I often think about Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele to be just a little bit extra on the intense facet on the golf course, however they actually rose to the event final week in Memphis. And due to that, I declare them the early contenders for Playoff Content material kings this 12 months.
They already received shouted out for his or her healthful child content material on this article, however there’s extra. The 2 had a humorous interplay within the flash zone, the place gamers speak to media — and I assume Xander Schauffele, relying on the day — after their spherical.
Schauffele has actually picked up on some media tips over time. I doubt he really recorded Scheffler’s solutions, however he knew to carry his cellphone up, and looking out the half is half the battle.
However that wasn’t all. Schauffele had some enjoyable with the PGA Tour’s social crew over the weekend as nicely. As somebody who is understood to joke round at work, I respect these guys’ determination to be critical on the golf course after which just a little extra relaxed after. There’s room for each!
My favourite a part of masking occasions is seeing the gamers present some character, and that’s precisely what Xander and Scheffler did final week. I’m all in on this and hope it continues. It makes golf extra enjoyable. I assume it’s simpler to chill out a bit when one among you has received two majors this season and the opposite has six wins this 12 months, however my level stays.
Scottie Scheffler’s candy gesture
Oh look, another excuse to admire Scottie Scheffler!
The World No. 1 and his caddie, Ted Scott, took a while to talk with nine-year-old Liliana on the 18th inexperienced in Memphis on Sunday. After going by means of a liver transplant, chemotherapy and radiation, Liliana is now again house along with her household and returning to a little bit of normalcy.
I’ve seen gamers meet with younger golf followers throughout observe rounds, however Liliana served as an honorary flag holder on the FedEx St. Jude Championship, so she met Scheffler proper on the 72nd gap on Sunday. What an superior reminiscence for everybody concerned.
The return of Shota Hayafuji
Hideki Matsuyama’s crew was robbed leaving the Paris Olympics, and it left his caddie and coach with out their passports. They needed to return to Japan to get new ones, so Matsuyama had Ryo Hisatsune’s looper on the bag final week.
For these of you who aren’t acquainted with Shota Hayafuji, enable me the privilege of providing you with some info on this man. He first went viral for exhibiting respect to Augusta Nationwide with a bow on the 18th inexperienced when Matsuyama received the 2021 Masters.
Hayafuji additionally received some consideration when he sat above the 18th inexperienced at Riviera and smoked a vape whereas ready for the ultimate teams to complete on the Genesis Invitational. Matsuyama was about to win the occasion, and there Hayafuji was, taking in all of the motion.
It’s honest to say I’ve turn out to be a giant Shota Hayafuji fan over time, so I used to be tremendous bummed to listen to what occurred to him after the Olympics. Positive, Matsuyama performed simply wonderful with out his man on the bag and received final week, however I missed Hayafuji’s presence on the market.
So I used to be very happy to be taught that each one is nicely for Hayafuji. He’s again in the USA this week and able to loop for Matsuyama on the BMW Championship.
