In today’s edition of the PGW Daily Rundown, Phil Mickelson is hoping for storms to hit Wisconsin on Thursday; Brandt Jobe ends a very long winless streak; Kevin Na takes a harsh tone with the USGA; Davis Love III finds a new job; and Ariya Jutanugarn becomes the new No. 1 in women’s golf (we think).

Jobe Ends Very Long Victory Drought, Wins in Iowa

Brandt Jobe’s Tour Career in the United States:
PGA Tour (1987-2015): 337 events, 0 wins
Web.com Tour (1991-2015): 34 events, 0 wins
Champions Tour (2015- 6/10/2017): 31 events, 0 wins
Principal Charity Classic, 6/11/17: 1 event, 1 win

 
It took 403 tries, but it finally happened: Brandt Jobe won a tournament as a PGA Tour professional. On Sunday, Jobe held off Kevin Sutherland and his former college roommate Scott McCarron to win the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic by one stroke.

Bullets

• Brandt Jobe fired a final-round 3-under 69 at the Principal Charity Classic at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa.
• At -14, Jobe defeated Scott McCarron and Kevin Sutherland by one stroke, and Bernhard Langer by two.
• Jobe had four birdies to just one bogey in his final round. McCarron, who is also Jobe’s former college roommate at UCLA, tied Jobe’s lead after a birdie on 14, but Jobe played the final four holes -1 to McCarron’s even-par.
• Jobe and Glen Day were 36-hole co-leaders, with Day shooting 76 to drop into 13^th.
• Sutherland had two eagles in his final six holes, including a 2 on the par-4 18^th.
• Jobe has 12 career international victories, most recently on the Japan Tour in 1998, but had gone 0-for on the PGA Tour.

Quotable

“This is nice. It’s a little bit of a relief.”
–Brandt Jobe

Mickelson Outlines Likelihood of U.S. Open Start

Phil Mickelson recently announced that among the events on June 15^th that he has been invited to, he will be going to his daughter’s high school graduation in Carlsbad, California.

 
His other potential engagement, the U.S. Open is a maybe, and according to Mickelson, it is a longshot. At a post-round interview at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, where he finished ninth, Mickelson suggested that to make his tee time at Erin Hills, he will need at least a four-hour weather delay.

Bullets

• Amanda Mickelson’s high school graduation, where she is class president and valedictorian, is at 10am Pacific Time, or noon Erin Hills time.
• Phil was given a later tee time of 2:20pm local time, but will need a significant weather delay to make that tee time. It is much more likely that he will miss the U.S. Open, the one major tournament he needs to complete the career grand slam.
• According to Mickelson, a private jet could get him from California to Wisconsin in three hours and 20 minutes.
• According to the Weather Channel, there is a 40% chance of precipitation in Erin, Wisconsin on Thursday, with the best chance coming in the morning.
• Mickelson cautioned that even if he is able to make his tee time, he is not prepared for the course, as he has never played or even seen it.

Quotable

“I need a minimum four-hour delay, most likely. That’s the way I’ve kind of mapped it out.”
–Phil Mickelson

Mickelson Crumbles After Realizing He Was Tied for Lead

Speaking of Mickelson, he has an exceptional history at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, and added another top 10, finishing solo-ninth after a two-under 68 on Sunday. It could have been much better, however.

 
Mickelson birdied five of his first 10 holes, and through 11 holes was suddenly tied for the lead. Standing on the 12^th tee box, Mickelson looked at a leaderboard and realized he was a leader.

As a result, he lost his focus and triple-bogeyed the par-4. Mickelson has won 42 times on the PGA Tour, but has been stuck on that number since his surprise triumph at the 2013 Open Championship.

Bullets

• Mickelson claimed to have been “shook” by the realization that he was in the lead, as he had not expected to be there. Suddenly, he was no longer chasing, and he had trouble re-focusing.
• He hit his drive on the 12^th hole out of bounds, and then smacked his fourth shot into the water. He ended up with a triple-bogey 7 on the hole.
• Mickelson said that it was “as if he had never won before” and was “a rookie”.
• Mickelson gathered himself from there and played the final three holes in 1-under, but still finished three strokes behind winner Daniel Berger.

Quotable

“I’m playing really well. But because it’s been a while, I’m not as sharp as I need to be,” Mickelson said. “That’s the challenge that I’m at right now, because the physical game is as good as it’s been when I’ve won a bunch of tournaments, but I’m mentally not as sharp and made some mistakes.”
–Phil Mickelson

Davis Love III to Caddy for Davis Love IV at U.S. Open

Both Davis Love III and his son Davis Love IV, who goes by “Dru” attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open last week in sectional qualifiers. Love III didn’t qualify, but Dru was named an alternate.

 
Dru, 23, made the field when the last few spots were named after the FedEx St. Jude Classic, and will have a familiar face on the bag for his first career major: Davis Love III.

Bullets

• Davis Love III has played in 23 editions of the U.S. Open, but this year, will be there as the caddy for his son, Dru.
• Dru recently finished his collegiate golf career, playing for the University of Alabama.
• The U.S. Open will be Dru’s second career PGA Tour start. He missed the cut at his last event, the 2015 RSM Classic, a tournament hosted by Love III.
• Davis Love III has 20 career victories on the PGA Tour, including one major. His insight could be very valuable to Dru.

Quotable

“It’s going to be a lot of fun!”
–Davis Love III

Kevin Na Latest Player To Criticize USGA Set Up 

The USGA has come under a lot of scrutiny in the past few years, and with the U.S. Open set to tee off in just three days, players have again been speaking out against course conditions. This time, it’s Kevin Na, who posted a video showcasing the extreme rough at Erin Hills, the site of this year’s open.

 
Inferring that the USGA is making the course extra difficult just for the sake of being difficult, Na tossed a ball just a few feet off the fairway, where it was completely devoured by the unbelievably thick rough.

Bullets

• Kevin Na posted a video to his Instagram account, with the purpose of bringing attention to the exceptionally thick rough that the players will need to deal with “on every hole”.
• Na drops the ball and immediately has trouble finding it. Once he does locate the ball, he is unable to move it from the thick fescue.
• Na takes a stern tone in the video, clearly displaying his frustration with the course conditions.
• Na becomes the latest player to be critical of the USGA. Last week, Adam Scott said that the USGA has really “dropped the ball” in recent years, and needs to do away with the “even-par” target.
• The top three players in the U.S. Open field in driving accuracy are Steve Stricker, Francesco Molinari, and Jim Furyk. The ability to avoid the worse of the rough could be a very significant factor in the tournament outcome.

The Video

A post shared by Kevin Na (@kevinna915) on Jun 11, 2017 at 10:24am PDT

Quotable

“Erin Hills is a great design course but the fescue is almost unplayable. BTW never found the ball. So don’t hit it in there lol. Straight hitters have a chance! #usopen #erinhills #mikedavis #lostball #usga”
–Kevin Na via Instagram

Jutanugarn Wins in Canada, Set to Claim No. 1 Ranking

After last week’s Shoprite LPGA Classic, it was widely reported that Ariya Jutanugarn would take over the #1 spot in the Rolex Rankings, the women’s version of the OWGR, usurping Lydia Ko, who had held the top position for 84 weeks.

 
Once the math was officially tallied, it turned out that Ko still held the #1 spot, barely. This week, however, there should be no question. After winning the Manulife LPGA Classic in a playoff that featured three of the world’s top five, Jutanugarn is assured to become #1 for the first time. It is the first win of the season for the 21-year-old prodigy from Thailand.

Bullets

• Ariya Jutanugarn won the Manulife LPGA Classic in a playoff over Lexi Thompson and In Gee Chun. The playoff occurred after Thompson bogeyed her final two holes, missing a short par putt on the later.
• After a breakthrough 2016 season where she won five times, the Manulife is her first victory of 2017. Coming into the week, she had eight top 10s in just 12 events, including three runner-up finishes.
• Ko lost the #1 ranking after holding it for 85 consecutive weeks. She has taken off the last three weeks.
• The LPGA Tour still has not seen a repeat winner in 2017, despite being 14 tournaments into the season.
• Jutanugarn will play as the #1 for the first time this week at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ko is also set to play in the tournament.

Quotable

“To be honest, I didn’t pay attention with the ranking. I only want to go out and have fun.”
–Ariya Jutanugarn