The week following the Masters is typically spent returning to the normalcy of professional golf and re-learning how to do our day jobs since we all know we didn’t get any work done the week prior.
This past week in professional golf felt different than in years past.
There was a certain buzz in the air that at times almost felt larger than the Masters. It felt like a big golf week as we all looked onto the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage and The LPGA’s Chevron to see if the Scottie and Nellie bubbles would pop; spoiler alert, they didn’t.
We will touch on their dominance but also want to dive into a couple of other areas to keep an eye on moving forward from this week, Colin Morikawa’s Sunday struggles as of late, and Miles Russell, who can’t legally drive but found a way to beat many of the top Korn Ferry players in the world.
It’s Scottie’s World and Everyone Else is Just Living in It
In all of 2023, we said that if Scheffler can learn to be an average putter on tour, no one will be able to beat him. That is exactly what he did this week as he finished 36th in strokes gained putting in the 69-person field.
Fueled by ball striking that we haven’t seen since Tiger Woods Scottie continues to not only win events but completely dominate some of the best fields in golf.
The big question for Scottie is how fatherhood will impact his game.
His superpower seems to be his perspective, balancing a fierce drive to win with a broader outlook on life, thanks to his wife Meredith. If he can maintain his killer instinct on the course while gaining even more perspective from being a father, who knows how dominant he can become.
Korda is What the LPGA Needed
Onto the next for Nellie, while others are fighting for their lives on the course, it appears that Korda is simply coasting along playing what seems like normal golf that is better than everyone else.
This week she goes on to win her 5th start in a row and the first LPGA major of the season despite getting the bad end of the draw this week and playing in the worst of the weather.
In a period where the men’s side of professional golf is divided, it is the perfect opportunity for the LPGA to take a step up in the eyes of golf fans. Nellie is the star they needed to carry the torch.
Up against the men’s Zurich Championship, the LPGA travels to Los Angeles where Nellie will go for history to become the first player to win six straight events. She is already in rarefied air with five tied with Nancy Lopez and Anika Sörenstam.
I have a feeling the golf world will have all eyes on prime-time LA this week just as much if not more than the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Update from April 24th: Nelly decided to WD from the LPGA Los Angeles event this week. In a statement that Korda released on LPGA’s website she said,
“It was not an easy decision. “After the unbelievable week at The Chevron and grinding through the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted….. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”
There is no doubt that her quest for six tournaments in a row when she returns will captivate the attention of the golf world.
Does Collin Have the Sunday Yips?
There’s no need to panic about Morikawa’s performance just yet, given his impressive track record.
In the past two weeks, we’ve witnessed glimpses of Collin’s talent reminiscent of his early career success, winning a PGA Championship and an Open shortly after turning professional.
Last week at Augusta, he remained in contention throughout the week but stumbled with a 74 on Sunday, finishing 19th. Similarly, at the recent RBC Heritage, a final round 72 left him tied for 11th despite being in contention all week.
Morikawa seems to be regaining his form in 2024, but his final-round scoring average rank of 128 on tour is keeping him out of top contention despite solid play.
He hasn’t broken 72 in a final round since February, so it’s worth keeping an eye on him as we enter the major part of the season. If he can improve his final-round performance, Collin could easily clinch one or two major championships this year and is someone to keep an eye on.
Fifteen-Year-Old Nerves are Hard to Beat
Kyle Russell might take the win for the most impressive achievement of the week.
Currently ranked number 2 in the country for junior golfers as a fifteen-year-old, the young up-and-coming superstar finished in a tie for 20 on the Korn Ferry tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood, FL.
I don’t know what you were doing at 15 years old but I wasn’t making 17 birdies and 3 eagles in a Korn Ferry Field.
You also, have to love the 15-year-old nerves as he started his event making birdies on 4 of his first 5 holes.
His top-25 finish gets him into next week’s event on the Korn Ferry circuit where all eyes will be on him to see if he can continue is amazing play.
