The Starter no.20

We’d rather be golfing. For 6 years, I was the Head Coach of a high school golf program that I must say has had decades of success and pumped out a good amount of college golfers. Am I bragging about myself right now...absolutely not. I basically drove around in a golf cart with gatorades and snacks to keep my golfers fueled and focused. That being said, I did know the PGA Rule Book well and made sure my players were educated and prepared.  I do not doubt that Jordan Speith is beyond educated and prepared when it comes to the PGA Tour rule book, but still made a careless error at The Genesis Invitational this past week by signing an incorrect scorecard which in turn disqualified him from the tournament. He is not the first, and will not be the last, as even the pro's make mistakes and sometimes these mistakes can be quite costly. I know you are thinking, "BY, get to the point already".  My point is short and concise...the majority of society and today's youth have become soft and immediately state that the DQ was too harsh of a penalty for Jordan and professional golfers shouldn't even be keeping their own scores.  I am always one to look for change when needed, but this "down with tradition" mentality is a slippery slope and this one needs to be let alone.  Through the embarrassment, Jordan owned up to his mistake and took full responsibility for his actions as a true professional should. For you softies out there, it's ok to have some adversity in your life and have to pay for it when you make a mistake...it's probably also time to throw out your 5th and 6th place ribbons from elementary school. -BY

Get in Your Home!

Seven tournaments and seven different champions to start the 2024 PGA Tour season. There is some incredible golf being played.

The guy playing the best golf tee-to-green? No surprise that it’s the number 1 player in el mundo, Scottie “Don’t Call Me Scott” Scheffler. He has already raked in more than $2.4 million this season over his five starts, including four top 10 finishes. The man has hit more than 80% of greens in regulation.. the tour average is 69.57%.. SILLYNESS!

How has he not won a tournament so far this season?

Welp, unfortunately our guy Scottie is battling some serious demons on the greens, ranking in the bottom half of players in strokes gained putting. Scottie’s putting woes have been a huge Debbie Downer on his game for years but he may have hit rock bottom last week at Riviera. He entered the weekend dead last in strokes gained/putting. During the first two rounds, he missed 8 putts from inside of 10 feet, including a 3-putt bogey from 9 feet and three misses from within 4 feet. Even more troubling was how visibly upset he was throughout the tournament, at one point, launching his golf ball into the bushes following another 3-putt. 

Craziest stat….through all of that… he still finished T10!

I hate to say it…but I think Scottie may have a case of the dreaded Y word. Yes, that same Y word that transformed Chuck Knoblauch from an All-Star second baseman to a light hitting DH. The same Y word that sent Rick Ankiel, a generational left-handed pitcher, from the mound to the outfield. The same Y word that many credit for keeping Tommy Armour from reaching his ultimate potential (guy carded a 23 on the 17th hole of the 1927 Shawnee Open 😵‍💫 !).

SCOTTIE HAS THE YIPS!!

It may be time for Scottie to consider all potential options to stem the tide. Broomstick putter is an option for sure. Sports psychologist…why not? Lucky Charms every morning for breakfast…no brainer. But I’m thinking even more extreme…

Bring Papa Shango out of retirement to carry your bag..

Tie a lucky rabbits foot to a horse shoe and use it as a ball marker..

Turn your hat inside out when standing over putts under 10 feet..

Scheffler can continue to claim that his putting woes is fake news driven by the corrupt media but the stats don’t lie and they’ve been speaking the truth for the better part of 3 years. Come on, Scheff! Desperate times call for desperate measures. -MM

You Should Tail Me.

Es un infierno! Two backdoor pick winners at The Genesis as Sam Burns and Adam Scott did just enough to cash in for BY making that 5 pick winners in a row! I hope that a few of you believers have been reaping the rewards of this 2024 heater!  Vamos a Mexico!

California has been so good to me, but our next stop is the Mexico Open at Vidanta. If that doesn’t sound like a spell from Harry Potter, I don’t know what does. We have a Greg Norman design, and the weather is set to be impeccable. This will be the third year that this event is held at Vidanta Vallarta with past winners Tony Finau (2023) and Jon Rahm (2022). Tony Finau is the biggest name in the field this week and is set to defend his title.  Although this will be one of the weakest fields we will see on tour this season, the good news is, there is always gambling! If I don’t have confidence now, I don’t think I ever will. I like medium to large plays on both guys this week.  Let’s start with my loose cannon Taylor Pendrith with a top 20 finish at +125.  Pendrith gives me an excited yet frightened feeling that I only get when I am staring down a 7-10 split. His last seven finishes have gone as follows from furthest to most recent tournaments played…T3, T15, T8, CUT, T10, CUT, T9.  Now isn’t that something to get behind! This is my larger play and I think depending on what happens this week I may start to like this guy. Next, would be the smaller play of the two but this one still feels special. Nicolai Hojgaard with a top 10 finish at +190. He had a 2^nd place finish at the Farmers and played solid against difficult fields at the past two tournaments. With his skill set and the field this week, I think this could be a great spot for him and there is money to be won with these odds. At 22 years old, Nicolai can bomb it and I think he is in a healthy spot at this golf course. Nosotros montamos! -BY

Draft Kings DFS 3-Putt Pot

Each week I will give my three strongest value buys for DFS play. I am only getting you started, finishing your line up will be up to you!

• K. Mitchell: $9,900

• D. Ghim: $8,800

• P. Kizzire: $6,800

As always, please remember to gamble responsibly

Spring Swing

The ladies of the LPGA Tour return to action this week at Siam Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand for the Honda LPGA Thailand. Defending champion and 2023 Rolex Player of the Year Lilia Vu returns to the scene of her first career victory with her eyes set on claiming another title. The event marks the first in the three week swing through Asia for the world’s top women. The limited field of 72 players will be competing for a $1.7 million purse in this no-cut event.

Betting Favorite: Xiyu Lin (+1100)

The DP World Tour heads to Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi, Kenya for the Magical Kenya Open. The most whimsical tournament in the world will feature 13 golfers from Kenya, including the Kibugu brothers Mutahi and Njorge. In addition, as a part of the partnership between the DP World Tour and the G4D Tour, 8 of the top players from the World Ranking for Golfers with a Disability will compete alongside of the pros.

Betting Favorite: Thriston Lawrence (+1400)

Ahead of the Florida swing, the PGA Tour makes a pit stop in Vallarta, Mexico for the Mexico Open at Vidanta. The majority of the top players on the tour will take this week off leaving defending champion Tony Finau in prime position to continue his tournament dominance in Mexico.

Betting Favorite: Tony Finau (+700)

Around the Game

🏌️ Waste Management tournament host committee The Thunderbirds released the statement below. The tournament, which has gained a reputation as being the most raucous on tour, will be a major storyline heading into the 2025 season.

🏌️ Weird week in Riviera. Tiger Woods, making his much anticipated return, withdraws during the second round of the Genesis Open setting off a social media speculation frenzy. Tiger blamed back spasms for his mishaps down the stretch in the first round, including this shank on the 18th, so assumptions were made on the reoccurrence of physical ailments that have hampered him. An ambulance showed up. More assumptions were made. Ultimately, Tiger left Riviera on his own accord and credited a case of the dreaded influenza for his untimely exit.

Not to be outdone, Jordan Speith went galaxy brain, signed an incorrect scorecard and was DQ’ed following the second round.

🏌️ Coming off of a 3rd place finish at the South Open in Argentina, Angel Cabrera is set to tee it up on the PGA Champions Tour at the Trophy Hassan II in Morocco. This will be his first start at a PGA Tour sanctioned event following his release from prison last August. The 2009 Masters Champion eyes a return to Augusta this April.

🏌️ Capital One’s The Match. Reminder that Rory and Lexi are taking on Max and Rose on Monday, February 26th in the 9th edition of the event. 

💰️ Expensive Sticks. Honma Golf, the club designer from Sakata, Japan, launches pre-orders for their luxury line of clubs. You may need to take a loan out to afford their full 5-Star series set. This purchase should sit well with spouses across the country.

🎯 Ace Alert. Will Zalatoris secures new rides for he and his caddie via this 1.

❣️Love of the game. Mackenzie Hughes provides his thoughts on the current state of professional golf during this walk and talk.

🤖 Easy Game. Vision Pro shot tracer might be Scottie Scheffler’s answer.

🪂 FOOOORRREE. Did Tommy Fleetwood just hit an ace from the back of a cargo plane?

🏈 Officially official. EA Sports drops their first official trailer for the highly anticipated College Football 25 video game that will be released this summer.