2/3/25
January created a lot of headlines and news, and as we roll into February, there will be plenty more as we get closer to the major season, LIV starts its season this weekend, the PGA Tour continues its season with the WM Phoenix Open this week, and TGL has a tripleheader later this month. Let’s dive into the news and headlines.
USGA Announces Two Washington Golfers To U.S. National Junior And Amateur Elite Rosters
In late January, the USGA announced the 2025 U.S. National Junior Team roster and their first-ever U.S. Elite Amateur Program roster. The Junior Team is 11 boys and 11 girls from across the country, while the Elite Amateur Program roster is three men and six women.
Representing Bellevue, 15-year-old Angela Zhang is the youngest player on the 2025 U.S. National Junior Team. Zhang already has a long list of accomplishments, such as her qualifying for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, advancing to the semifinals at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship which took place at The Home Course in DuPont, winning both the Washington State Junior and Women’s Amateur Championships at age 13, and is committed to playing at USC in the fall of 2026. Zhang was named Washington Golf’s Women’s Player of the Year last year for the second straight year and was on the U.S. National Junior Team last year. Zhang also helped Bellevue win the team State Championship in 3A for the second consecutive year.
Also representing Bellevue, Max Herendeen, a 19-year-old, was named to the U.S. Elite Amateur Program roster. Herendeen is currently competing at the University of Illinois in his sophomore year. The Fighting Illini is a powerhouse in the Big 10 and was the number one seed in the NCAA Tournament Match Play Bracket. Herendeen led Illinois in scoring with an average of 70.27 and finished second in the individual NCAA Championships in 2024. Herendeen was named Washington Golf’s Men’s Player of the Year last year. In his freshman year, Herendeen took the Big 10 Freshman of the Year honors. Herendeen went to Bishop Blanchet, where he had a successful high school career. Herendeen was one of 16 players invited to the December practice session for the 2025 Walker Cup, which will take place at Cypress Point Club in September.
For more on the teams and rosters, click here.
Rory Wins AT&T Pro-Am, Pebble Flexes Its Muscles
Rory McIlroy notched his 27th PGA Tour victory after his week began with an ace in the first round at the 15th hole at Spyglass Hill. Over the weekend, McIlroy shot 65 in the third round and 66 on Sunday, with only one bogey over the weekend. Once McIlroy got into his rhythm, he felt unstoppable and unbeatable. It was a vintage McIlroy performance that seems to be the antithesis of his major performances over the last decade.
At some point, you’d think McIlroy will win another major, but if he doesn’t, it will feel disappointing, especially with the grandeur he won his four majors. With each major that passes and he doesn’t win, the pressure mounts for him to end the streak. It was on full display at the 2022 Open Championship, when he shot 70 with a whopping 36 putts and finished in third by two strokes, and in the 2024 U.S. Open, when he bogeyed three of the last four holes to finish runner-up by one shot to Bryson DeChambeau. It’s really hard to win a major. The pressure is suffocating and turns the minds of the best players in the world into a bowl of oatmeal. McIlroy clearly has the tools and firepower to win on the PGA Tour, but can he finally get over the demons of the 2011 Masters, 2022 Open Championship, 2024 U.S. Open, and the last decade of major mishaps? Only time will tell.
As for Pebble Beach, what a golf course. Saturday was epic, with the wind whipping and creating unique shots the players had to deal with. The views of Monterrey Peninsula are always breathtaking, but when it’s a sunny day at Pebble, with the waves crashing onto the beach and some of the best players in the world playing, it’s one of the most picturesque places in the world. There was a moment of concern on Sunday when Rory McIlroy crushed a drive on the par 5, 14th hole, which is 571 yards, and had only a 7-iron in. Those who are pro-rollback, pro-bifurcation, pro-equipment regulation, or all of the above (me) shook their head at the par 5 that played like a par 4. Pebble Beach is a landmark course, a legendary piece of land that holds a rich golf history. It would be a shame if men’s professional golf couldn’t play there due to the bomb and gouge, unregulated equipment era.
LIV Golf Returns This Week For First Event Of The Year
On Thursday, LIV Golf’s inaugural event of the 2025 season tees off from Riyadh Golf Club in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There will be a unique twist to this event, as they will play under the lights and tee off at 6:15 PM local time, 7:15 AM Pacific. This will be the first event that Fox Sports will broadcast as part of a “multi-year media rights agreement.” Over half of the LIV’s season will be aired on either FOX or FS1, with select rounds on FS2, FOX Business Network, and the FOX Sports App. All rounds will be available on the FOX Sports App and to LIV Golf + app subscribers.
This will be an interesting event for multiple reasons. The obvious is the golf under the lights. How will the players react to these unique conditions? It’ll be interesting to see how LIV looks on FOX. They said the on-air talent wouldn’t change, and it will continue to be produced by their in-house team. Now that LIV Golf is signed on with FOX Sports, we can truly start to compare ratings to the PGA Tour.
WM Phoenix Open Week
Last year, the WM Phoenix Open, which is known for its rowdiness, turned ugly. There were numerous incidents with fans, including former Team USA Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson telling a fan, “Don’t sir me.” The “People’s Open” had a particularly rough day on the third round last year, where fans were getting arrested, the tournament gates had to be closed even to fans who had tickets, fan ejections doubled from 2023, and the concessions had to be shut down due to drunk fans. It dominated headlines that had a thrilling ending, as Nick Taylor defeated Charley Hoffman in a playoff. Nick Taylor finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in 2023, as Scheffler won his second straight WM Phoenix Open. Over the last 20 years, only six times has the WM Phoenix Open not been a multi-stroke victory. The tournament is a great appetizer to the Super Bowl and most importantly, you don’t have to deal with ardent NFL fans, who collectively have smaller brains than water fleas.
TGL Continues Before President’s Day Tripleheader
TGL, which had their most compelling match of the fledgling league’s life, featured overtime for the first time last week. Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links GC won their first match over Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf, 4-3. Boston Common will return to action on Tuesday, as they face LAGC, who clobbered Jupiter Links GC 12-1 in the second match of the season. This will be a loaded event, as Boston Common will send out 2025 Team USA Ryder Cup Captain, Keegan Bradley, Rory McIlroy, fresh off his win at the AT&T Pro-Am, and the ageless, Adam Scott. LAGC brings out Tommy Fleetwood, two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, and 2013 U.S. Open Champion, Justin Rose. The match will take place on Tuesday at 6:00 PM on ESPN. The league won’t play next week but will return on President’s Day, February 17th with a tripleheader, starting at 10:00 AM.
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