#7 Father's Weekend? Denied.
This Week: a boring signature event, a brand new Commish, and a 35-year old addiction admission
Congrats to J.J. Spaun on winning the U.S. Open—he simply hit the fewest bad shots. That’s how this one felt.
I’ve got a lot of takes. Didn’t love the course. Didn’t think the “energy” was there. That said, I respect the hell out of Oakmont and the players who grinded for four days. The conditions looked absolutely miserable—in the way only a classic U.S. Open setup can.
Yes, I know it’s contradictory to complain when courses are too easy and when they’re too hard. Doesn’t matter. I’m doing it anyway.
I wanted more drama. Maybe a few more birdie holes? It was fine. Just fine. And now we move on to the Who Cares Open.
🏌️ The Course: TPC River Highlands – Cromwell, CT
Par 70 | 6,844 yards | Redesigned by Pete Dye in '82, renovated by Bobby Weed in ’89
One of the shortest tracks on Tour
The closing stretch (15–17) wraps around a 4-acre lake and can flip the leaderboard faster than a LIV merger announcement.
Also: Jim Furyk shot a 58 here in 2016. That’s not a typo. Proof!
This is the final signature event of the 2025 season. Much like Harbor Town (which stinks because it’s an incredible venue), no one really cares because it follows a major. Maybe the new PGA Tour Commish will give the schedule a much needed adjustment…
🎙️ New Commish in Town
Quick detour. As you all know, Roger Goodell and I are the best of friends, having spoken at The Masters for a deeply meaningful 6 minutes. Fellow Commissioners just get each other. Which is why I’m happy to give you information on the new CEO of the PGA Tour, Brian Rolapp.
NFL Powerhouse: Rolapp spent 20+ years with the NFL, most recently as Chief Media and Business Officer, where he led massive broadcast deals (Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, etc.) and helped launch NFL+.
Hired for Growth: The PGA TOUR tapped Rolapp to lead its next phase of growth, focusing on media innovation, fan experience, and expanding global influence. He officially starts later this summer.
Monahan Still Around: Jay Monahan will remain with the TOUR through 2026 (YAY!!!!!!!!!!), focusing on governance and helping with the transition. Rolapp will handle day-to-day operations and report to both Boards.
Handpicked by the Stars: The search committee included Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, and Arthur Blank—all of whom unanimously chose Rolapp for his media chops and respect for the game.
Proven Deal Maker: Oversaw the NFL’s 32 Equity investment arm and was key in building long-term brand partnerships with Apple, Nike, and Fanatics.
Player-Backed Vision: Tiger Woods called it “a win for players and fans,” emphasizing Rolapp’s collaborative style and respect for the game’s traditions alongside a fresh, modern approach.
🔥 Players to Watch and Betting Picks
Scottie Scheffler
Defending champ.
Won last year in a playoff (his sixth win of the season).
Still World No. 1, still not blinking. Top 10 at the U.S. Open, business as usual.
J.J. Stones Spaun
Walk-off 64-foot bomb to win the U.S. Open last week. In case you missed it.
To recover from a 40 going out, then shoot a 32 in the middle of a one hour rain delay is incredible. Boring champion? Yeah. But he hit the shots when it mattered.
Wouldn’t bet him with a 10-foot pole this week. He has to be completely beat.
Rory McIlroy
Top 20s every time he’s played here.
Driving it great (2nd SG: Off the Tee at Oakmont) but…there’s something wrong with him, right? I still think it’s burnout from winning in Augusta, and props to him for making the cut and getting a backdoor T20, but he’s in a weird headspace.
Xander Schauffele (my pick to win)
T12 at Oakmont. Has literally never finished worse than T14 at the U.S. Open. Surely he’ll win one of these things. Which is exactly how I feel about Hovland.
Won here in 2022.
Quietly cashing every week.
🏌️ Top 20 Picks
Tom Kim
Lost in a playoff here to Scottie last year after opening with a 62.
Great fit for shorter, strategic courses—exactly what TPC River Highlands demands.
Hasn’t racked up big finishes in 2025, but this is clearly a comfort course.
Bobby Mac
Nearly got into the U.S. Open playoff until Spaun did his thing
Quietly excellent at Oakmont: gained nearly 2 strokes T2G and 1.5 with the putter.
Finished T16 here last year and T9 at The Players this year—strong Dye connections.
Si Woo Kim
Pete Dye’s spirit animal. Past champ at Wyndham, runner-up at The Players, two more top-5s there.
Finished 8th at the PGA Championship and T10 at another Signature Event. Trending.
Has three straight good-but-not-great Travelers results (T26, T25, T11).
Brian Harman
Has seven top-10s here and success at every correlated Dye course.
Won earlier this season and finished 3rd at the RBC Heritage (another Dye track).
Basically the Travelers’ version of Matt Kuchar. Annoying if you fade him.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Loves Pete Dye setups. Won the RBC Heritage.
No missed cuts in over two months, 8th at the PGA Championship.
No. 1 in SG: Putting at Oakmont and No. 2 in this field over last 24 rounds on Bent/Poa.
Davis Thompson
Won the John Deere Classic last year, finished 12th at Wyndham, and T10 at The Players this season.
Top-half of this field in Approach, Off the Tee, and 400–450 yard Par 4s (TPC River Highlands has six of them).
Strong proximity numbers from the key 125–150 yard range.
🏌️ Mulligan of the Week
On Friday, I started confidently referring to the upcoming 72 hours as “Father’s Weekend.”
Not Father’s Day.
Father’s Weekend.
As in: Friday through Sunday are now jointly dedicated to the man of the house. Me. The father. The weekend’s namesake. I even tossed out “Fathers Month” like one of those annoying college girls when it’s their birthday.
My wife and our nurse immediately looked at each other with wide eyes, laughed, and said, “Absolutely not.”
Turns out I don’t get a holiday and a 3-day grace period where my only job is “to be appreciated.”
So yeah… mulligan, please.
🤔 What I’m Into This Week
Life Cheat Code: Brush your teeth immediately after dinner if you want to prevent yourself from snacking. I’ve told myself no sweets for this entire week and…hacks are necessary
Bloons TD6 (Send Help). It started with Clash Royale. Now I’m deep into Bloons TD6—a tower defense game with cartoon monkeys and zero regard for my productivity. Do NOT download this. Seriously.
Carlos Greaves, who I know from improv, is an incredible writing talent. Now he’s a Dad and shares what it’s like “When an Anxious Child Becomes an Anxious Parent.” And you know it has to be insightful + funny when this is the picture for the article.
Flossgate: every time I floss, tiny debris hits the mirror like it’s trying to make a point. A year ago, my father-in-law mentioned that every time we leave their mountain house, the mirrors are…stained. Now I can’t not notice. Do I clean it? Only when it reaches Jackson Pollock levels.
🕸️ Cool. Internet. Stuff.
🦷 Speaking of dental…things - did you know dental fillings date back to 11,000 BCE? Beware of a rabbit hole courtesy of Historical Tech Tree, a dangerously deep site that tracks inventions from their first known use, maps out what they led to, and organizes them into categories like medicine, tools, agriculture, and more.
🌍 Atlas Obscura is the definitive guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders. For example, click on a random city and see incredibly random yet interesting activities to do in that city.
Examples:
Moscow: Soviet Arcade Game Museum, the Izmailovo Kremlin (Kremlin Jr. with “vibes” I guess?), or the World’s First Darwin Museum
Washington, D.C.: Underground catacombs, the stairs from The Exorcist, and Culture House, a psychedelic art space inside a reborn church.
Go discover Rome, Barcelona, Budapest, Stockholm, and more.
IFIXIT: A site with repair guides, quality parts, the tools you’ll need, and a community that somehow always knows which screw you forgot.
This is unlocking levels of “Dadding” I never thought were possible—especially for someone who grew up thinking “call the repair guy” was the default setting.
🐾 Homeowner Olympics (aka Bear Watch)
This section is dedicated to my cat, Bear. Technically his name is Berlioz because my wife loves The Aristocats, but that’s confusing for most people, so I just call him Bear.
Side note: she also thinks any Disney/Pixar movie post-2000 sucks, which I’ll have to dive into another time.
Bear is, without question, the worst.
He’s opinionated (aka loud), jumps on everything, and poops on the floor roughly 70% of the time. Not near the litter box. The actual floor. Hardwood, at least—so thoughtful.
He has no interest in eliminating bugs. A roach could walk across his paw and he’d just blink. Maybe a lazy swat if the mood strikes. He’s less pest control and more judgmental bystander.
His reaction to Otto coming home has been…let’s say “complicated.” Otto takes Mom’s attention, which Bear views as a personal betrayal. Now he just stares at us with that classic cat look that somehow combines hurt, superiority, and subtle emotional manipulation. He's not mad. Just disappointed.
He’s almost certainly plotting something. Not sure if he’s more “Pinky” or “Brain,” but I’m leaning “Brain.”
I do love him. He’s like Walmart on steroids - chaotic, overstimulating, and somehow impossible not to watch.
❓ Trivia Question
How many human births have been recorded in Antarctica?
That’s it for this week! See you all next time. Forward this to someone who likes golf, bad jokes, or cartoon monkeys that can be leveled up.