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Insane Cart Path Bounce Helps Golfer Capture Title at Torrey Pines

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Insane Cart Path Bounce Helps Golfer

Add one more quirky circumstance to the lore of the 18th hole of the Torrey Pines South Course: the cart-path bounce.

Tied for the lead with Tim O’Neal as they stood on the 18th tee on Sunday in the APGA’s Farmers Insurance Invitational, Patrick Newcomb hit his worst drive of the day, way right of the fairway. But his ball hit the cart path and caromed forward for what Newcomb estimated to be another 40 yards. He’d have had no shot at hitting the par 5’s green in two otherwise, but was able to make the gutsy decision to go for it with his 3-wood from 254 yards.

“I drew a great lie,” Newcomb said. “It was a great break, honestly. You always hope for something good to happen down the stretch. I hit such a poor shot, but it went up into a good spot where I could get a clean 3-wood on it. We were just, like, we don’t want to play anymore holes.”

Facing fading light in the late afternoon, just as the PGA Tour players had in Luke List’s one-hole playoff win over Will Zalatoris on Saturday in the Farmers Insurance Open, Newcomb hit a “perfect” approach that sailed over the pond fronting the green and into the left bunker. O’Neal hit a beautiful third-shot approach to 10 feet below the hole—think Zalatoris’ putt to win in regulation on Saturday—and looked like he could be the champion.

But Newcomb pulled off an impressive up-and-down, making a birdie from 12 feet above the hole, and when O’Neal’s putt from lipped out, the 31-year-old Newcomb earned a one-shot victory with a one-under 143 total over 36 holes. He shot a three-over 75 in his first-ever round on Torrey South after recording the day’s best score of four-under 68 on Saturday on his maiden tour of Torrey North. O’Neal, 49 and an APGA regular since its inception, shot the day’s best score of one-over 73 in his first experience on the South.

“I’ve always struggled on Poa annua greens anyway,” O’Neal said. “No excuse for that one [the last putt]. But, yeah, first time playing the golf course, playing it blind, so that was a task right there. All in all, considering playing it blind, I think I did all right.”

Newcomb has played on all of the PGA Tour’s developmental circuits and has partial Korn Ferry Tour status this season after tying for 11th in the KFT Qualifying Tournament. He captured the final event on PGA Tour Latinoamerica in ’21, and this was his first victory on the APGA after posting a handful of top-10s last year.

“Winning is winning,” Newcomb said. “I’ve preached that. Winning a mini-tour event, a weekend tournament at your club, for some cash … winning is winning. It boosts your confidence. I didn’t putt as well as I normally do today, but I held it in there and to get it done means a lot.”

In a historic week for the 11-year-old Advocates Pro Golf Association, Sunday’s round was the first to be shown on national television via Golf Channel. Eighteen players were vying for the tour’s largest purse, including the $30,000 first-place check. That is big, potentially life-changing money for players at this level, and it was no different for Newcomb, a Kentucky native and Murray State alum who said this check probably matched the largest in his career. Last year he was sixth on the money list on PGA Tour Latinoamerica with a win and four top-10s, and he earned just over $52,000.

“The purse [for the Farmers Invitational] was fantastic,” Newcomb said. “When I saw it, I thought there was no way we were playing for that kind of money. I’m super excited. Being from the Korn Ferry Tour … I feel like people at home, they don’t realize it’s not as much of a luxury as people make it out to be. We have to work hard for a paycheck.”

The APGA is a tour that was founded to give minorities more opportunities to play professional golf, but it has not closed the door on anyone either. Tour officials estimate that about 15 percent of the competitors are white, and Newcomb is one of those golfers. He qualified for the Farmers Invitational by finishing fourth on last year’s APGA money list, having started to play the tour in 2021 because it offered more events than other circuits during the pandemic.

“They’ve been great, open arms,” Newcomb said. “They had no issues with me coming out and playing. It’s been a fantastic atmosphere. What they’re doing is great for guys to grow their game and don’t have the money to. You know, this last year I didn’t really have the money to do it, so it’s been fantastic.”

O’Neal, who earned $17,000 for second place, said this year’s event was another step forward for the APGA.

“It’s good for the guys to get a chance to play a PGA Tour event and see tour conditions and kind of see what it’s all about,” he said. “Good or bad, where you need to get. For a lot of guys, playing a course like this, you see how you stack up and things you have to work on to get better.”

This article originally appeared on Golf Digest.

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One of the Greatest Putts in U.S. Open History?

JJ Spaun’s 64-Foot Walk-Off

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When JJ Spaun stood over a 64-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, few could have predicted what would come next. The ball meandered across the slick green, trickling over every contour, picking up speed at the crest, and then—like it had GPS—dropped center cup. Spaun dropped his putter, raised his arms, and the crowd erupted. With that single stroke, he claimed his first major title in one of the most dramatic finishes in U.S. Open history.

But how does Spaun’s putt stack up against other legendary finishes in the tournament’s storied past? Let’s break down some of the most iconic moments and see where this one lands.


1. Payne Stewart – 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst

Perhaps the most iconic putt in U.S. Open history came from Payne Stewart, who nailed a 15-footer for par on the 18th to win by one over Phil Mickelson. The pose—fist pump and outstretched leg—has since been immortalized in a statue at Pinehurst. What made it legendary wasn’t just the putt—it was the context: Stewart’s final major before his tragic death just months later.

Verdict: Iconic and emotional. Spaun’s putt was longer, but Stewart’s was more poetic.


2. Tiger Woods – 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines

Woods drained a 12-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate—while basically playing on one leg. That tournament went to sudden death after an 18-hole playoff, and Tiger prevailed. This was peak Tiger drama, pain and all.

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Verdict: Spaun’s putt was longer, but Tiger’s win was sheer willpower and mystique.


3. Jack Nicklaus – 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

With a 1-iron shot that hit the flagstick on 17 and a crucial birdie putt on 18, Jack sealed a dominant win. His precision and timing under pressure showed why he’s the GOAT.

Verdict: Not a putt for the win, but a signature finishing statement from Jack. Spaun’s was more electric in terms of pure putter drama.


4. Ben Hogan – 1950 U.S. Open at Merion

Hogan’s 1-iron into the 18th fairway and the par to force a playoff—just 16 months after a near-fatal car crash—remain legendary. He won the playoff and completed one of golf’s great comeback stories.

Verdict: Larger-than-life comeback. Spaun’s putt had more flair, but Hogan’s win was heroic.


5. JJ Spaun – 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont

Let’s not underestimate what Spaun accomplished. The pressure was immense. He wasn’t the favorite. And on the most treacherous greens in golf, he buried a 64-foot bomb—a putt most players would be happy to lag to within 5 feet—to win the U.S. Open outright.

Verdict: For distance, surprise, and drama, Spaun’s putt may be the most shocking winning stroke in U.S. Open history.


Final Thoughts

JJ Spaun may not have the résumé of a Nicklaus or Woods, but for one Sunday afternoon in June 2025, he created a moment that will live in golf lore forever. Spaun’s putt was longer than Stewart’s, more unexpected than Tiger’s, and more dramatic than any final-hole finish in recent memory.

In terms of pure clutch putting? It might just be the greatest walk-off in U.S. Open history.


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The Zen of the Shank: Finding Inner Peace in Your Worst Shots

Find your inner peace even when you aren’t playing well.

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Ah, the shank. That glorious, unpredictable misfire that sends your pristine golf ball screaming sideways, often directly into the unsuspecting shins of your playing partner, or perhaps, with a touch of poetic irony, into the very lake you’ve been trying to avoid all day. Most golfers, bless their earnest little hearts, view the shank as a catastrophic failure, a blight upon their scorecard, a testament to their inherent lack of coordination. They curse, they throw clubs, they contemplate a career in competitive thumb-wrestling. But not I. No, my friends, for I, Ty Webb, have found enlightenment in the humble shank.

You see, the shank is not a mistake; it’s a revelation. It’s the universe’s way of reminding you that control is an illusion, that perfection is a myth, and that sometimes, the most direct path to your goal is, in fact, a wildly indirect one. Think of it as a philosophical detour, a sudden, unexpected journey into the unknown. One moment, you’re aiming for the green, a paragon of precision and intent. The next, your ball is ricocheting off a tree, narrowly missing a squirrel, and landing, by some divine comedic intervention, closer to the hole than your perfectly struck drive ever would have. Is that not a miracle? Is that not a sign that the golf gods, much like life itself, have a wicked sense of humor?

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The key, my dear apprentices of the links, is acceptance. Embrace the shank. Welcome it with open arms, like a long-lost, slightly inebriated relative. When that familiar, sickening thwack echoes through the air, do not despair. Instead, take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Feel the gentle breeze on your face. And then, with a knowing smile, open them and observe the chaos you have wrought. Is it not beautiful in its own chaotic way? Is there not a certain freedom in relinquishing control, in allowing the ball to choose its own destiny, however bizarre that destiny may be?

Some say the shank is a sign of poor technique. I say it’s a sign of a vibrant, untamed spirit. A golfer who never shanks is a golfer who has never truly lived, never truly explored the outer limits of their own golfing absurdity. They are content with mediocrity, with predictable trajectories and mundane outcomes. But you, my enlightened few, you understand that the true joy of golf lies not in the score, but in the story. And what a story a good shank can tell.

So, the next time you feel that familiar tremor of a shank brewing, don’t fight it. Let it flow. Let it be. For in the heart of every shank lies a lesson, a laugh, and perhaps, just perhaps, a path to a lower score you never saw coming. After all, as the great philosopher Basho once said, “A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.” And a golf game without a shank? Well, that’s just not golf, is it?

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Meet The Canadian Open Qualifier Tied To ClickIt Golf!

“This week was incredible,” he said. “A dream come true.”

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Josh Goldenberg doesn’t plan to quit his day job. But he had a great time dabbling in his old career.

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He gave up on pro golf, then qualified for his first PGA Tour event.

Read the full story here
https://golf.com/news/josh-goldenberg-rbc-canadian-open/?amp=1

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