Cantlay Wins Zozo Championship

Last updated on: October 25, 2020 at 6:12 pm by Kermit Zarley

Cantlay Wins Zozo Championship 2020-10-25T18:12:37-07:00 Kermit Zarley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Easy-going, sweet-swinging, gum chomping Patrick Cantlay cruised to a seven-under par 65 today to win the Zozo Championship @ Sherwood in Thousand Oaks, California, by two strokes over two of the world’s best golfers–#2 Jon Rahm and #3 Justin Thomas.

Both Rahm and Thomas really messed up this week to let Cantlay capture his third PGA Tour win. Rahm’s embarrassment was in the first round on Thursday, on his 78-yard wedge shot to the 18th green, when he hit a huge shank. It astounds me to see such good players do that nowadays on the PGA Tour once in a great while. I never shanked a ball in my entire thirty-year full time pro career, and I think there’ve been a lot of us pros who never shanked.

It reminds me of one time when I was playing with Jack Nicklaus and Rod Funseth in the Bob Hope Desert Classic in Palm Springs, California. Like Jack Nicklaus, Rod was a long hitter, and he won nine times on the PGA Tour. (Unfortunately, Funseth died young, in 1985.) But on one drive that day, Rod teed off and hit his ball on the very top edge of the face of his wooden driver. The ball shot way up in the air and didn’t go very far. As Jack and I afterwards were walking down the fairway together, Jack said to me, “How can a pro sky a ball like that?” I smiled and said, “I guess that means you’ve never done that.” He answered, “no.” I thought I probably had.

But with the clubs these PGA Tour pros have nowadays, probably none of them have ever skied a ball as bad as Rod Funseth did that day. Why? Those big-headed drivers have such a deep face that you probably would have to take a giant divot with your driver to sky the ball like that. I don’t even know if that’s possible.

BTW, why do golfers sky a drive or hit an iron shot way fat? It’s almost always because they increase their spine angle considerably on their downswing, resulting in the head dipping. (Thus, it’s not from casting [early release of wristcock] on the downswing, as is often thought.) There was a noticeable difference in that feature between Nicklaus’ swing and Funseth’s swing. Rod did increase his spine angle on the downswing and thus dip his head noticeably, whereas Nicklaus never increased his spine angle on the downswing.

Nevertheless, Jack’s head dipped a little at impact on his long shots, but it was only because his neck bent forward for an instant, making his eyes look more groundward. It was because Jack had such a big turn on his backswing, which he always tried to achieve, and for him to do that with his short neck he had to pull his chin, thus his head, up to let his left shoulder clear under his chin. Because of that, his head then involuntarily did the opposite on his downswing, thus resulting in a little head dip. It was all a matter of his neck straightening on his backswing and bending down on his downswing. I don’t recall Jack ever saying anything about that feature of his swing. It was peculiar to him compared to other PGA Tour pros.

Dustin Johnson, the #1 pro golfer in World Ranking, was scheduled to play this week in the Zozo. But right before the tournament he called in sick and withdrew. Why? He just found out he tested positive for COVID-19. Of course, the golf world wishes him well and that he can compete next month in golf’s last major of the year–The Masters.

Previous Post

October 22, 2020

200th Anniversary of The Jefferson Bible

Next Post

October 26, 2020 Climate Denial Is Not Loving Your Neighbor

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Angels Billy Graham Blog Description Book Reviews Christian Living Christianity Christology Church History Current Events Deity of Christ? Disarmament Eschatology Evangelicalism Ezekiel 38-39 Film Reviews God Golf Gospel Harmonization Health History Holy Spirit Incarnation? Interview Islam Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Jesus Last Empire Literary Announcements Major Championship Winners Masters Monotheism My Books New Testament Old Testament Politics Primitive Weapons Ryder Cup Science Society of Biblical Literature The Bible The Restitution of Jesus Christ Trinitarianism Trinity? Uncategorized Unconditional Love? War on Terrorism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does Revelation say about anyone who adds to the words of the prophecy?

Select your answer to see how you score.

God will add to them the plagues described in this scroll They will be cursed They will be judged They will lose their salvation

Books by This Author Books by Kermit Zarley Blog

See All Titles »