Matt Fitzpatrick’s funny break-the-ice moment, a caddie’s $14 million estate and an unofficial first in golf WAGs history

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we are on a crusade against slow play this year. And, no, we’re not talking about the professional game. In my first full round this year last Friday, my group waited on every single shot on the front nine. And by the sixth hole, the foursome in front of us was already more than two holes behind anyone as you can see from this video:

Just awful. Slow play is a plague. And it only seems to get worse every year. Now, will I actually do anything about it by confronting these golfers? Of course not. But maybe if I stand in the fairway with my hands on my hips and a disgusted look on my face enough times, more people will get the message and pick up the pace. (They did, mercifully, let us play through at the turn.) In the meantime, here’s what was happening across the world of pro golf, where the pace isn’t much better, but it’s not as much of an issue when you’re posted up on your couch with chips and salsa.

WE’RE BUYING

Matt Fitzpatrick: Has there ever been a better golfer than this guy in a playoff at Harbour Town? It’s happened twice now and both times Fitzpatrick has delivered amazing approach shots to set up winning birdies. This time, it was a 4-iron he hadn’t hit all week piercing through a stiff left-to-right wind on the famed closing 18th hole to 15 feet:

Gutsy. Although, as he admitted after, he didn’t mean to be that gutsy with that line. (Shhh, Matt! You had us fooled.) Of course, it helps to be calm and cool under pressure. And the 2022 U.S. Open champ certainly looked to be that—other than that one shaky cross-handed chip on the final hole of regulation—during this funny exchange with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler when they got back to the 18th tee box for the playoff:

With the dramatic win, Fitzpatrick is all the way up to a career-best No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Pretty darn good for someone who was No. 79 at this point last year. And for someone who chips cross-handed.

Acing every par 3 at your home club: Can you imagine doing this? Now imagine doing this at a famous course like North Berwick, home of the original redan par 3? Well, that’s what a guy named Colin Campbell has done:

I don’t care how many times he’s played there, that’s insane. Well done, Colin. I just hope North Berwick offers some sort of hole-in-one insurance for the sake of your bank account.

Hannah Green’s timing: The 29-year-old Australian roared back Sunday from six strokes behind to claim the JM Eagle LA Championship for a third time in five years. Even better? JM Eagle CEO and chairman Walter Wang announced just the day before he was raising the purse by $1 million so Green wound up getting a lot more green after, $150K more, in fact.

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Harry How

“It’s going to be really hard to come back down to Earth next week,” said Green, who has already won four times across the LPGA and LET in 2026, “so that’s going to be my next challenge.”

WE’RE SELLING

Max Homa’s timing: On the eve of the RBC Heritage, I nodded in approval at Homa’s comments against pro golfers throwing temper tantrums on the course. “I don’t like when people beat up the golf course because we deal with it,” Homa said, clearly referencing Sergio Garcia’s actions at the Masters three days before, “and I think breaking clubs makes us look very, very spoiled.” But then I shook my head in disbelief when I saw Homa do this just four days later:

To Max’s credit, he apologized on Monday, but still, that’s a bad look. Especially for someone who got into the tournament on a sponsor’s invite.

LIV Golf’s future: A wild week on LIV ended with a very predictable finish as Jon Rahm won again. But the much bigger story is that the Saudi-backed tour might not have Saudi backing for much longer. Multiple reports say the PIF is pulling funding at the end of 2026 and LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said as much in an interview—which was promptly deleted. (By the way, shout-out to Monday Q Info, AKA Ryan French, for breaking this big story.)

However, he also said the tour will continue this season “full throttle” before trying to find outside investors to continue. Finding people to invest in an entity that loses hundreds of millions of dollars per year seems like a tough sell, but, hey, I wasn’t a business major.

Adam Hayes’ house: As in, the one he’s selling. Maybe I should have been a business major, though, so I might someday be able to afford the home of Jon Rahm’s caddie. Or maybe I should have just become a caddie and befriended one of the most talented golfers of this generation. Check out this spectacular 100-acre spread that Hayes has listed for just shy $14 MILLION:

Now it should be pointed out this doesn’t mean Adam paid this much for the house. And he tweeted he had it built and paid for before his boss went to LIV. But the point remains that the money in pro golf these days is wild—especially while LIV is around. At the rate Rahm is cashing checks, maybe Hayes is looking to upsize.

ON TAP

The golf season moves on with the Zurich Classic, AKA that PGA Tour event with team golf. That means not only will we get to see the hottest player on the planet, Matt Fitzpatrick, in action again, but also his younger brother Alex, my fellow Wake Forest alum (Go Deacs!). LIV Golf takes a break until next month, and the LPGA will have its first major of the year with the Chevron Championship and that new fake water hazard/celebratory pond.

Let’s hope no one hits a golf ball in there! Although if they do, players will get free relief.

Random tournament fact: Another brotherly duo, the Hojgaard twins, finished runner-up at TPC Louisiana last year. However, they’re not in the field this year—surprising!

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Adam Hayes regrets Jon Rahm going to LIV Golf: 14 MILLION-to-1 odds

—The Fitzpatrick brothers will win this week: 11-to-1 odds (Actual odds, favorites!)

—More golfers will try cross-handed chipping this week: LOCK

TWEET(S) OF THE WEEK

Chris Gotterup asked and received regarding his whiff during Round 1. Then had this funny reaction:

Then Andrew Novak had this response to taking a stat stray over missing that 18th fairway:

Well played.

TWEET OF THE WEEK (NON-PGA TOUR DIVISION)

The top Golf Twitter troll does it again.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

It was a wild scene seeing a five-time major champ waiting around to see if he’d get into the tournament:

But it was also classic Brooks looking like he couldn’t care less either way (unfortunately for him, he never did get into the field as an alternate).

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Byrson DeChambeau went off on the course conditions at Club de Golf Chapultepec:

And a couple days later, he was a WD with a wrist injury:

Usually it’s too much grass in the rough and not too little that causes that, but we wish Bryson a speedy recovery.

THIS WEEK IN PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Matt Fitzpatrick’s wife was right there on 18 when he won on Sunday. In fact, she became part of his post-round interview with CBS’ Amanda Balionis:

That might be a first in golf WAGs history.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS

Canelo Alvarez chipped in at the LIV Golf pro-am in Mexico:

And Andy Murray took a super aggressive line with his tee shot on the famed Road Hole at St. Andrews:

No second serves there.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Americans are incredibly patriotic, and I think that was amazing. I guess the only issue is they just have shorter memories because we won in October.” —Matt Fitzpatrick, who had to deal with a very pro-Scottie/America crowd at Harbour Town, with a well-said—and well-timed—dagger. Nailed it, Matt. Just like you nailed that 4-iron in the playoff.

THIS AND THAT

Congrats to 24-year-old Dylan Menante on winning his first Korn Ferry Tour title at the Tulum Championship thanks to a final-round 63. So Jon Rahm wasn’t the only big winner in Mexico on Sunday—although he won about 22 times as much money. … Congrats to 18-year-old Blades Brown on finishing runner-up for his third top-three finish in five starts, one of which came on the PGA Tour. Again, he’s 18. … And congrats to 20-year-old Jackson Koivun on winning his fifth collegiate tournament in seven starts. Talk about a can’t-miss prospect. … Congrats to Stewart Cink on winning the Senior PGA Championship for his maiden senior major. Considering it came by six shots, it probably won’t be his last. … It’s the end of an era as the PGA Tour will not have its traditional Hawaii Swing starting next year. But the Sony Open could remain as a PGA Tour Champions event. If so, it would be just another place for Stewart Cink to win. … And, thankfully, after a brief disappearance, it wasn’t the end of an era in the Costco food court as the chocolate ice cream is BACK: