His inflammatory comments regarding LIV published in 2022 shamed him out of that year’s Masters and PGA Championship, and so he moved to LIV. He’s missed the cut in four of the last five majors he’s played in. Incredibly, of the 25 LIV events in which he’s participated, he’s finished inside the top 10 just twice, and never better than eighth.

You have to wonder if the PIF is getting the ROI it anticipated.

Rory watch

Rory McIlroy, the effervescent Northern Irishman and currently the world’s most significant golfer, would offer a pleasant distraction from the game’s current woes if he completed his career grand slam with a win here. He’s finished in the top 10 in six of the nine Masters since he won the third leg at the 2014 PGA Championship. He finished third on Sunday at the Valero Texas Open.

On the other hand, McIlroy hadn’t finished inside the top 20 of his five previous tournaments, and he’s missed two of the last three cuts at the Masters, including last year.

He’s the No. 2 player in the world, and DraftKings had him as its No. 2 favorite to win, at plus-1,000 as of Monday night.

Their No. 1 favorite was, of course, the world’s No. 1 player ...

Scottie, again

Scottie Scheffler remains the quietest juggernaut in the sports world. He’s held the top spot for 82 weeks. He’s won eight times in the past 30 months, including the 2022 Masters and the last two Players Championships. In his last three starts, he went win-win-T2. Since February of 2022 he’s finished in the top-five 27 times.

And all anybody could talk about was LIV, Phil, Tiger and Rory.

And that’s just the way he likes it.

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