Three Off the Tee Issue 15

The gang’s back with another issue of Three Off the Tee (and boy, do we have a doozy). You guessed it; we’re covering the biggest story in the world of golf for the last few years.  Plus, stick around for our final story to find out how going fishing for balls in a water hazard can have you end up in a hospital from a gunshot wound.

Viktor Hovland just clinched the FedEx Cup and pocketed a cool $18 million bonus. Not bad for a guy who once couldn't wait to hit balls off actual grass, right? Growing up in Norway, where daylight's as rare as our birdies, he had to make every sunlit moment count. Imagine if our rounds were as limited as his – uh yeah lets not… Hovland's journey from YouTube swing lessons in the Arctic dark to PGA stardom is wild. And get this: he once said, "I suck at chipping." Gives us hope, doesn't it? If he can turn it around, maybe there's a sliver of hope for our short game too.

So, Zach Johnson's been playing matchmaker for the Ryder Cup, and let's just say, there were some notable names who weren’t swiped right. Justin Thomas? Yep, he's on the list, and I'm scratching my head harder than when I lose a ball on a “straight” drive. Anyway… the guys had more rounds in the 80s than my playlist, and remember that wild drive at the Wyndham? Marco Simone's rough is gonna eat him alive if he doesn't straighten up. But hey, who needs accuracy when you've got... your boy as the team captain? But hey, go Team USA – let's hope JT's form is just fashionably late.

Ever felt like a golf prodigy? Me neither. Joseph Maloof, a 15-year-old from Ohio, just casually sunk three aces in 24 swings. While we're over here celebrating not three-putting, this kid's making golf history. And here's a theory: Maybe folks from Ohio are just trying really hard to master skills that'll get them out of... well, Ohio. I mean, can you blame them? At this rate, the kid will be teeing off at Pebble Beach while we're still trying to find our balls in the rough. Keep swinging, my friend!