Brooks Koepka at the U.S. Open; Brooks Koepka reading Tweets
Claire Rogers, Smash GC
Hello friends and happy Thursday from the U.S. Open! It’s a lovely 88 degrees here at Pinehurst, and before I get into anything else, I need to shout out the multiple electrolyte mixes I’ve had in my water this week. My ranking goes as follows: 1. Liquid I.V. (specifically the firecracker Popsicle flavor) 2. Nuun hydration tablets and 3. Gatorade. In semi-related news: I’ve also received a handful of local ice cream recommendations. More to come.
Tiger’s best outfit of the year?
All eyes have been on Tiger Woods‘ on-course looks since the inception of Sun Day Red, but U.S Open Thursday might have been his best fit yet. I liked his throwback shirt at Riviera, but the pink and grey stripes looked sharp this morning. His Thurs Day Pink polo was a complete hit, and I’m looking forward to his looks for the rest of the week.
If we’re talking outfits, I’m definitely not bringing my A-game to Pinehurst this week, so I’m glad at least one of us is. Thanks, Tiger.
Brooks in dad mode … and clap-back mode
One of my favorite people-watching spots at golf tournaments isn’t even on the course. It’s in the player parking lot, where players share their very first and last moments of each tournament day. It’s one of the only spots you’ll see the pros in a laid-back state.
My favorite moment of the week so far came when I ran into Brooks Koepka, who was carrying his son Crew on his shoulders and chatting and laughing as he headed to the car.
“Here we go!” Koepka said excitedly as he got Crew down from his shoulders and put him in the car.
You could tell golf was the last thing on Koepka’s mind as he and his 11-month-old son bonded on their way to the car.
The above anecdote was as wholesome as it gets, but I must warn you that the following video of Koepka is strictly PG-13. As part of a video posted to the Smash GC Twitter page, Koepka read some of the mean tweets people have sent him, and he handled it all perfectly … especially the part about Patrick Reed.
He laughed it off and then stood up for his fellow major champion and LIV Golf pro.
Great job, Koepka. The best revenge is laughing at the haters. Or you know, having five major victories.
The busiest man at Pinehurst
There’s one guy at Pinehurst who has worked with more players than anyone else, and he’s not a coach nor a caddie. Anthony Montanez is the on-site barber for players this week, and although he’s not teeing it up in the U.S. Open, there are still plenty of cuts and fades on his agenda. He’s given a handful of guys fresh cuts ahead of their tee times, and even had the honor of cutting Tiger’s hair.
I’m sure it looks great, but I guess we’ll never really know because Tiger kept his hat on for the post-cut photo.
Luckily, we got hat-off photos of the other guys who visited Montanez this week. Scottie debuted an entirely new look for Round 1 thanks to the barber, and the internet loved it.
I’ll tally up the final scores for the guys who got a haircut at Pinehurst at the end of the week and let you know if it’s something you should consider adding to your pre-round routine.
