A Strange Weekend for Golf

Entering the last round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship needing a win to secure the title of World Number 1, Cam Smith was assessed a two stroke penalty for playing a ball in the penalty area after a drop in round three. While I don't think the PGA Tour was searching for a way to prevent their latest rumored loss to LIV from winning, the fact the penalty didn't get announced until moments before Smith was teeing off on Sunday didn’t feel like an accident. It piled on to a tournament where current World Number 1 Scottie Scheffler stepped in Cam's line on the green.

What is an interesting consequence of the timing of Smith's penalty announcement, is the sports betting ramifications. Smith went from being two shots off the lead to four shots off the lead. In what was surely a popular bet, Smith's odds would have changed drastically would the public had known about this at the end of the third round instead of the PGA Tour seemingly sitting on the information.

AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

While the weekend had been very strange, we did get to see fan favorite Will Zalatoris get his first win on the PGA tour in thrilling fashion. It took several bounces going his way, as his ball ping ponged on the rocks and avoided water during a playoff. This victory should send Will into the top ten in the World Golf Rankings, and this win was a long time coming. Fans remember Will's heartbreak at the Masters, US Open, and more, and I know I enjoyed seeing his emotion as he buried putts today.

Paul Azinger made sure to take a shot at LIV Golf by saying "I can tell you, there is no amount of guaranteed money that can buy what he's feeling right now." The war for supremacy in golf continues to wage, but young stars like Will show the PGA Tour does have plenty of firepower. It will certainly be interesting to see how the FedEx Cup Playoffs unfold vs if LIV is able to pull in any more big names for their Invitational taking place at the International outside of Boston, MA.

At the end of it all, the weekend does belong to Will Zalatoris and golf fans should be excited to see if this is the catalyst for Will breaking through for his first major next season. He's always been relatable to fans with his sense of humor as 'Mr. Gilmore's Caddy' and his unorthodox putting stroke. I'm sure Jay Monahan is thrilled with this result as well.