Summer Storylines
Hoping to not become the story, the TGA makes its pick for the U.S. Open
Prison is full of people with stories. They run the gamut from the comical to the horrific to the inspiring. Stories are told to fill the time and build bonds. For the close observer, they are instructive—particularly those that involve overcoming obstacles to achieve victory. Nobody likes a comeback story better than someone who’s been incarcerated.
We in the Thomson Golf Academy love a good professional golf storyline, especially in the majors, and we were all in on Rory completing the career Grand Slam. Coming out of The Masters, we bandied around different ideas for which storyline to throw ourselves into for the PGA Championship. I must confess that, after picking the first major winner, we were feeling a bit full of ourselves, and the notion that we possessed some manner of cosmic influence on the outcome might have been proposed. Prison discussions have a way of finding territory that can be, shall we say, esoteric.
In spite of spirited debate, we were unable to arrive at single-mindedness—which any golfer can tell you is a recipe for disaster. We ultimately settled on a Justin Rose bounceback victory or a Jordan Spieth career Grand Slam as our top picks. There were also holdouts for Rory sweeping his way to a double Slam, Scottie Scheffler taking another step toward his own career Grand Slam, a Ludvig Åberg breakout, and the major rivalry between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf staying hot. If you put the screws to us, we would have told you that our picks were Justin and Jordan, but the fact was that we were all over the place.
Our planned TGA+PGA watch party was nixed when the camp TVs were turned off as part of a package of sanctions due to the discovery of contraband during a shakedown. But we did get word that our guys both missed the cut. A new potential storyline quickly emerged in Western Illinois: by splitting our positive energy, had it somehow transmogrified into a curse? Like a golfer unable to decide between a strong 7-iron and a knocky little 6, had our lack of commitment not only led to a missed green, but two missed cuts? Had we mishandled power that was beyond our novice capabilities and unwittingly created a TGA jinx? We were through the looking glass in our deliberations.
We do not wish to add to the inherent potential for distractions for the players during U.S. Open week—especially at a historic venue like Oakmont. Therefore, we offer a mea culpa to the Universe for our prior equivocation and make our full-throated pick. The TGA membership is unanimous in its desire that 2025 be the year of multiple career Grand Slams. That left us two potentials, and we settled on investing ourselves completely in Scottie Scheffler running the table to complete his Slam. Given his current level of play, we are well aware that this pick is not bold—although Las Vegas oddsmakers may raise an eyebrow.
While we would not blame the golfing public for getting caught up in the storyline of the TGA jinx conundrum, having made our prediction, we now respectfully ask that everyone turn their attention to the action among the players on the course. We are chastened, and we humbly recede into the background of the collective consciousness—into our preferred role as fans of storylines, not their creators. Enjoy the Open at Oakmont (and go Scottie!).