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Weekly Breakdown: Rory’s contentious decision, Torrey Pines props, and shaky putting

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WEEKLY BREAKDOWN: RORY'S DECISION

Welcome back to the Weekly Breakdown, where we’re wondering if Tom Brady is getting out now to give himself a few years to get ready for the Champions Tour… Let’s get to it!

FIRST GROUP OFF

Torrey Pines.

There is a contingent of diehard golf fans who have a notably complex relationship with Torrey Pines. There are a handful of gripes with varying levels of legitimacy, which include the following: It’s boring. It doesn’t take advantage of its surroundings. Narrow fairways and long rough are meh. The greens are bumpy. There are a bunch of forgettable holes that generally just blend into each other. The pond on 18 is silly and makes zero sense in the context of the rest of the course. And then there’s the big one: Given the breathtaking cliffside property, it should be so much better.

I’m not saying those arguments are without merit. At last summer’s U.S. Open I even found myself thinking that a major championship should be held at a course that was less familiar and more exciting. But this week, in the PGA Tour’s third trip to Torrey Pines in 12 months, I found myself fully enjoying the viewing. What gives? A number of factors. Here are a few nice things I’d like to say about this week’s Tour site:

There is no course that has benefitted more from the widespread use of drone shots than Torrey Pines, which can look drab and scrubby from ground level but magnificent with proper perspective. It’s fun to have a PGA Tour course where bogeys lurk around every corner. Showcasing one of the greatest municipal golf complexes in the world on a yearly basis is a good thing for golf. There are a few holes in particular — 3, 4, 12 and 18 come first to mind — that make for terrific entertainment. The leaderboard is always bunched with solid ballstrikers coming down the back nine in the final round. And we’re deeply familiar with the finishing stretch, with memories dating back to Tiger Woods at Buick Opens, various national championships, crowning moments for Jason Day and Jon Rahm and more. That intimate knowledge of fairways, green complexes, drama, pitfalls — it all makes for better viewing. Maybe it’s Stockholm Syndrome. Maybe it’s the fact that all you need for a good Tour event is a close finish on a hard, familiar course. Whatever it is, the Farmers Insurance Open was fun.

WINNERS

Who won the week?

Viktor Hovland’s jinx

This week’s golf was chock-full of nail-biting finishes but the hottest finish came from Viktor Hovland, who seemed out of contention beginning the day six shots back and seemed further out of contention when he bogeyed No. 15 but then finished birdie-eagle-birdie to plant a flag in the clubhouse at 12 under and then deliver a top-notch jinx to his biggest threat:

“There’s some drama, there’s some water, but I mean, Rory [McIlroy] is a pretty good player, so I’m thinking he’s going to close this one off,” Hovland said as he waited. The rest is history — and more on that later.

A reporter asked Hovland if the finish was the best of his career, and he gave a curious qualifier in his answer.

“Under the circumstances, yes, for sure,” he said. What did that mean? Hovland clarified:

“I do distinctly remember a little match that I had in college. We used to do a little Ryder Cup — me and Kristoffer Ventura against Zach Bauchou and Sam Stevens. We were basically playing for dinner and it was kind of getting dark, like this, and it was pretty feisty. We all didn’t want to lose and I remember we were doing stroke-play best-ball, I think, and we were down I think three strokes with three to go, and I finished birdie, birdie, and then eagle on the last to beat them by a shot and they were so mad, and it just brought me so much joy. So I do remember that one.”

The reporter pointed out that this win — worth more than $1.3 million — was more lucrative than a dinner bet.

“It is. But the other one was pretty satisfying, too.” No wonder people like this guy.

Lydia Ko’s latest chapter

It remains hard to fathom, but Lydia Ko — winner of this week’s Gainbridge LPGA — is still just 24. That’s difficult to comprehend because she became world No. 1 at just 17, which means she has already played a lengthy professional career, but it’s also hard because that career has had so many chapters. Early success. Then some struggles. Caddie changes, coaching changes, team changes. And now, with 17 wins under her belt, Ko has validated her comeback tour and cemented herself among the top pros in the world. Since the beginning of 2021, Ko has made 24 starts, missing just one cut while logging 16 top-10s, nine top-threes and three victories. She’s solidly at No. 3 in the world behind the dueling duo of Jin Young Ko (back at No. 1 after this wee

On Sunday, Ko held off Danielle Kang with a clutch up-and-down from a greenside bunker at No. 18. Post-round she reminded everyone that you can’t try to be a past version of yourself; neither life nor golf works that way. And she summed up her feelings succinctly:

“Three words: Excited, cocktail, sleep,” she said. “I’m a little — I could do with sleep right now, thank you. I had a cocktail. That’s why I said cocktail. I feel like my cheeks are getting red, too.”

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Well earned.

Luke List’s horrendous layup

This sounds like a dig but it is, in fact, admiration. Luke List came to No. 18 at Torrey Pines reeling; he’d just missed a four-footer at No. 17 to fall a shot off the lead. Then he missed left with his tee shot, forcing a layup so that he could get it close to the front-left funnel pin. But then he committed the cardinal sin of Torrey Pines: He layed up into the rough.

But then we saw the benefit of List being a terrific ball-striker and a very strong human being. Even from the rough he was able to generate enough spin that his ball landed softly on the front of the green and settled some 13 feet from the hole. He matched speed with line perfectly, making birdie to force a playoff. And in that playoff, he hit an even better layup from a worse lie (plugged in the right fairway bunker) and followed that with an even better approach shot, which he spun back to inside a foot. That made him a winner. And it was pretty clear just how much that win meant:

ALMOST-WINNERS

So close, and yet…

Danielle Kang’s tunnel vision

Coming off a win at the Tournament of Champions, Danielle Kang nearly made it two in a row — but her birdie try at No. 18 just wiggled past. Kang and Ko dueled their way down the stretch but Kang credited her charge in part to staying in her own lane.

“I wasn’t necessarily paying attention to a lot of what [Ko] was doing, to be honest, because I didn’t even know on 12 she had to hit a provisional because I got up to the fairway and there was four golf balls and I said, What happened here?”

Richard Bland, Ageless Wonder

If it’s possible for a playoff loss to feel like a win, how ’bout the runner-up finish for Richard Bland at the Dubai Desert Classic? As a quick recap: He’s turning 49 next week, he’s up to No. 53 in the world, Viktor Hovland needed 73 holes to beat him and, given the strength of the field, the finish registers as his best-ever result in terms of World Ranking points.

Will Zalatoris (and yes, his putter too)

The wobbly putting stroke of Will Zalatoris was front and center this weekend, largely on the basis of one sketchy missed shortie and two missed putts on 18 (one in regulation, one in the playoff). Let’s attempt something challenging: Let’s try to hold two thoughts in our head at the same time. Will Zalatoris’ putting woes might be real and might also be overstated.

Tee to green, Zalatoris was the best golfer in the field, gaining an extremely impressive 12.5 strokes. On the greens, he was a troubling 64th of the 79 players who made the cut, and he made nothing on Saturday, taking 29 putts on the 15 greens he hit in regulation. He actually made very little on Saturday, too, when he hit it so well he shot seven-under 65 despite losing ground on the greens. That basically never happens.

So the putting isn’t great. No doubt about that. It wasn’t great either, when Zalatoris finished the season No. 122 on Tour in putting, which is below average but well ahead of other notables like Hideki Matsuyama (who won the Masters) and Collin Morikawa (who won the Open Championship and conquered the world).

But let’s remember what Brandel Chamblee said a couple weeks ago in reference to Matsuyama:

“It’s not about who putts the best. It’s about who putts best, amongst the best ball strikers. And when [Hideki] does that he always has a decent chance.”

Zalatoris was a couple of inches from winning last week. If he keeps hitting the ball like this, he’ll have a whole bunch more chances.

Jason Day’s chase for No. 1

Even as he has dropped steadily in the world rankings, Jason Day has continued to talk about the goal of returning to World No. 1. I’ve admired his ability to think big, given he entered this week at World No. 129. But his game was solid through the bag, he turned in a vintage putting performance and contended until the end, finishing one shot outside the playoff and posting his first top-three finish since 2018.

Jon Rahm’s grip on World No. 1

All last week, Jon Rahm looked, uhh, unsatisfied with his game.

He still had a putt on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff. I’m starting to think he’s pretty good.

NOT-WINNERS

Maybe next week?

Not laying up

Rory McIlroy seemed destined for victory when he stepped to the 17th tee on Sunday tied for the lead with a drivable par-4 and reachable par-5 in front of him. But a messy tee shot on 17 left him scrambling for par and then he laid back with 3-wood off the tee on 18, forcing a difficult decision: From 267 yards, should he pull 3-wood and go for the green? Or should he lay up, try to wedge it close and, if he made par, get into a playoff?

After the fact, the wise golf minds of the internet seemed unanimously incredulous that McIlroy went for it (and dumped it way short, at least 10 yards shy of clearing the water). I actually think his decision to go for it was reasonable, at least at the outset. If he clears the water, he’s very likely making birdie and leaving with the win. If he lays up, birdie is in play, but it’s far less likely — plus par means a three-man playoff and bogey is still in play, too, given McIlroy’s occasional misadventures with a wedge. Plus, McIlroy still had that same wedge shot to get up-and-down for par and force a playoff, so the back-door win was still available.

Instead, I’d say the mistake was in the execution as much as it was the decision to go for it. Perhaps there was mud on the ball that affected its flight. Perhaps he and caddie Harry Diamond misjudged the wind. Either way, you just can’t hit the high, slicey soft one there. He did, and it cost him the tournament.

Justin Thomas’ weekend

On Friday, we seemed destined for a Jon Rahm-Justin Thomas duel in the final round. But that never quite materialized. Yes, Rahm stayed in the hunt, but Thomas disappeared in a peculiar way, making seven bogeys against just three birdies in his final 27 holes to finish T20. It’s tough to pinpoint one issue in particular, because Thomas hit some loose tee shots in the third round while his short game seemed the main culprit on Saturday, losing three shots to the field around and on the greens. Thomas’ weekend isn’t cause for worry — he entered the week with five top-six finishes in his last seven starts — but it does feel like a missed opportunity.

Bleach-blond Brooks

I’m a big fan of Brooks Koepka’s new hair color and his general willingness to do something people will make fun of him for doing. But I think if you go hard on the bleach-blond hair you have to make the cut, right?!

Koepka went all Marshall Mathers before Wednesday’s opening round, but come Friday he shot 74 in his second round to miss the weekend by three. The good news for Koepka: He had plenty of company! Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson were among the list of big names to miss the weekend.

This article originally appeared on Golf.com

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The Bogey Man’s Guide to Accidental Course Exploration: Or, How I Found My Ball (Eventually) in the Rough of Life

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5 days ago

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May 27, 2025

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Ah, golf. The gentle game of precision, patience, and occasionally, profound personal humiliation. You know, the kind that makes you question all your life choices, particularly the one where you decided to spend your Saturday morning chasing a tiny white ball around 18 acres of manicured torture.

Boo here, reporting live from the depths of a particularly thorny patch of “rough” that I’m fairly certain wasn’t on the course map. My mission? To recount a tale of a golf shot so spectacularly off-target, it became less about breaking par and more about breaking new ground. Literally.

It was a glorious Tuesday. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and my swing felt… well, it felt like something. I was on the par-4 7th, a hole notorious for its deceptive dogleg and a bunker that swallows balls faster than a hungry teenager devours pizza. My plan was simple: a nice, controlled fade, landing gently just short of the green. A textbook approach, really.

What actually happened was less “textbook” and more “abstract expressionism.” My driver, bless its misguided heart, decided that “fade” was merely a suggestion, and “controlled” was a concept best left to professional pilots. The ball, a brand-new, gleaming Titleist Pro V1 (because, you know, optimism), launched with the trajectory of a startled pheasant and veered sharply right. So sharply, in fact, it cleared the cart path, hopped over the maintenance shed, and disappeared into what I can only describe as a dense, untamed jungle previously known as “the woods bordering the 7th fairway.”

Now, a lesser golfer, a more sensible golfer, might have declared it lost, taken a drop, and moved on with their dignity mostly intact. But I, dear readers, am Mr. Bogey Man. And the Bogey Man doesn’t abandon his children, especially when they cost $5 a pop.

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So, armed with a 7-iron (optimism again, clearly), a profound sense of misplaced determination, and a faint hope that perhaps a deer had picked it up and was using it as a chew toy, I plunged into the abyss.

The first five minutes were a blur of tangled vines, unseen roots, and the distinct feeling that I was being watched by small, judgmental woodland creatures. My pristine golf shoes quickly became mud-caked relics. My carefully tucked-in shirt became a casualty of low-hanging branches. I swear, I heard a squirrel snicker.

Then, a glimmer! A flash of white amidst the green. “Aha!” I cried, startling a family of robins. I pushed through a particularly stubborn bush, only to find… a discarded plastic water bottle. My heart sank faster than my last putt from 3 feet.

I pressed on, muttering to myself about the unfairness of golf, the existential dread of lost balls, and whether it was too late to take up competitive napping. Just as I was about to give up and declare the ball a permanent resident of the arboreal underworld, I saw it. Nestled perfectly at the base of an ancient oak, gleaming defiantly, was my Pro V1.

The triumph! The sheer, unadulterated joy! It was like finding the Holy Grail, if the Holy Grail was spherical and prone to slicing. I carefully extracted it, brushed off a few leaves, and held it aloft.

Then I looked around. I had no idea where I was. The fairway was a distant, hazy memory. The cart path? A myth. I was utterly, gloriously lost.

It took another fifteen minutes of bushwhacking, a brief but intense wrestling match with a particularly aggressive thistle, and the accidental discovery of what I’m pretty sure was a very old, very moldy sandwich, but I eventually stumbled back onto the course. My playing partners, who had long since finished the hole and were contemplating sending out a search party (or at least ordering another round of drinks), looked at me with a mixture of pity and amusement.

My score on the 7th? Let’s just say it involved a number that would make a mathematician weep. But the story? The adventure? The sheer ridiculousness of it all? Priceless.

So, the next time your ball decides to take an unscheduled tour of the local flora and fauna, don’t despair. Embrace it. See it as an opportunity for accidental exploration. You might not break 80, but you’ll definitely have a story. And isn’t that what golf is really about? (Besides the frustration, the lost balls, and the occasional snickering squirrel, of course.)

Until next time, keep those swings (mostly) in bounds, and remember: even a bogey can be an adventure.

Boo

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Make watching golf more interesting.

Does the idea of sports betting intimidate you? Stick with me and learn how to make watching sports with your partner more engaging and fun.
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1 week ago

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May 23, 2025

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Hey there, ClickItGolf fam!

I’m the Sports Betting Babe, and I’m here to shake up your Sundays and sprinkle a little extra thrill on your tee times. I know most of the guys on here already love golf, but this one’s for the ladies, especially those of you who’ve been watching golf with your boyfriend or hubby and secretly thinking, “Wait, can I actually bet on this stuff?”

The answer is yes, you absolutely can and you should.

I’m going to make golf betting super easy to understand, a little sexy, and a whole lot of fun. You don’t need to be a pro or know who won the Ryder Cup in 1999. You just need to know how to make smart, simple bets and enjoy the ride.

Let’s Start with the Basics: How to Bet on Golf

Betting on golf is like picking your favorite brunch spot. You check the vibe, pick someone reliable, and hope it all works out. Here are the easiest ways to get started:

1. Pick the Winner (Outright)

This one’s like calling your shot. You’re betting on who will win the whole tournament. Odds are listed next to each golfer. For example, +1200 means a $10 bet would win you $120. Favorites are usually listed around +800 to +1400 and less favorites, or long shots, are usually +5000 and up. Big swings, big rewards.

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2. Top 5 / Top 10 Finish

If you’re not ready to go all-in, no worries. These bets are like hedging your weekend plans – low commitment, still fun. Bet on a golfer to finish strong (in the top 5 or 10) instead of winning outright. It’s a safer bet, but still gives you a reason to cheer all weekend long.

3. Matchups

This one’s juicy. Sportsbooks will pit two golfers against each other, and you just pick which one finishes higher. 

For example, if you see a matchup like Viktor Hovland vs. Tony Finau, and you think Viktor is trending hotter, bet on him to beat Tony. Even if neither of them wins, if Viktor finishes 8th and Tony finishes 9th, you win. It’s a simpler way to stay engaged without needing to track the entire tournament field because even if they’re not winning the tournament, you’re winning your bet. It’s low drama, high payoff.

Bonus? It’s a perfect way to gain low-key bragging rights during Sunday brunch.

4. Live Bets

Tournaments stretch over four days. That means the odds shift, players rise and fall, and you can jump in with bets mid-tourney. It’s like shopping sales in real time—see who’s hot in real time and grab the value before it’s gone.

Why Women Should Love Golf Betting

Golf is the perfect sport to ease into betting. It’s slow enough to follow, exciting enough to matter, and gives you tons of chances to win over the weekend. Plus, nothing gets a guy’s attention like a woman who casually drops, “I’ve got Rickie to finish top 10. Let’s go.”

You don’t need to know every stat or swing path. You just need to be curious, confident, and down to learn. The goal? Make betting approachable for women and show the guys we can hold our own.

Why I Love ClickItGolf

ClickItGolf is all about making golf more fun and accessible and I’m all about the same. Whether you’re here for gear deals, course perks, or just that perfect swing tip, this site is your clubhouse. Adding a little betting action into the mix? That’s just next-level fun.

So, ladies go grab your iced coffee, fire up the PGA app, and get ready to make golf weekends a lot more interesting.

Follow me here at ClickItGolf or on Instagram @sportsbettingbabe_official and let’s turn birdies into bankroll.

See you on the green (and in the winner’s circle).

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Meet the Sports Betting Babe: ClickitGolf’s Newest Voice Bringing Style, Smarts, and a Whole Lot of Fun to the Game

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1 week ago

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May 22, 2025

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Hey ClickitGolf family,

I’m thrilled to introduce someone who’s about to shake up your sports weekends in the best way possible.

She’s smart, stylish, funny, and knows her way around a betting slip—please welcome The Sports Betting Babe to the ClickitGolf crew.

Now before you assume this is just another picks column or dry rundown of odds, let me stop you right there. The Sports Betting Babe is anything but ordinary. She’s not here to act like a Vegas oddsmaker or overwhelm you with stats. She’s here to make sports betting fun, flirty, and totally approachable—especially for the ladies.

So who is she?

She’s the kind of woman who can turn heads at a cocktail party in heels one night, then toss on a tee and jeans the next morning to watch a game on the couch with wings and a cold beer. She’s sharp, relatable, and yes she actually loves sports. Not the fake kind of “I’m just here for the vibes” love, but the “I scream at the TV when my parlay falls apart in the 4th quarter” kind of love.

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She lives for big Sunday slates, nail-biter golf finishes, buzzer-beaters, and 9th-inning home runs.

But here’s the best part, her mission is to bring more women into the sports conversation, and she’s doing it through betting.

Betting… but make it fun and responsible

The Sports Betting Babe isn’t trying to be your gambling guru. She’s not claiming to have inside info on who’s winning the Masters or who’s hitting a triple-double tonight. What she is doing is giving you the tools, confidence, and attitude to get in the game and have a damn good time doing it.

She believes sports betting can be empowering. It’s a way to connect, to learn, and yes, to make Sunday brunch with your partner a little more competitive. She’s all about responsible fun, setting limits, understanding your bets, and never taking it too seriously.

More Than Just Golf

Yes, she’ll be writing about golf betting often (because we are ClickitGolf after all), but don’t be surprised when she drops takes on NFL Sundays, March Madness upsets, NHL playoff runs, and MLB long shots. She’s a cornucopia of sports knowledge, and she’s bringing it all to the table served with a smile and a wink.

Her First Article Drops Tomorrow

Her debut piece hits the site tomorrow:
👉 “Ladies, Let’s Bet on Golf—Your Intro from the Sports Betting Babe”

It’s part pep talk, part how-to, and all personality. Whether you’ve never placed a bet in your life or you’ve been riding parlays for years, this one’s for you.

Follow Her Journey

Want more from The Sports Betting Babe?
You can follow her on Instagram at @sportsbettingbabe_official for daily takes, behind-the-scenes fun, and maybe the occasional outfit inspo for your next girls’ night and game day.

We couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to the team. Get ready for bold opinions, plenty of laughs, and a whole new way to fall in love with sports.

Stay tuned,
Bobby

#ClickItGolf #SportsBettingBabe #GolfBetting #SportsBettingForWomen #SmartIsSexy #GameDayFun #ResponsibleGaming

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