CROMWELL, Conn. – They have been woven into the fabric of golf since the days of spoons and niblicks, these words about the swing. Heck, even Old Tom is purported to have said to Young Tom before their first round together: “Rhythm and tempo, son. Rhythm and tempo.” Sound stuff, always. But should you endeavor to take on the challenge of professional golf, here is another piece of advice. Timing is everything. For the latest proof, meet Will Gordon. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times | Morikawa’s made cut streak comes to an end The likelihood that you may not have heard of him is a tribute to bad timing. The chance that you are possibly going to hear a lot about him is a testament to good timing. Timing, you see, is like luck. It comes in two flavors – good and bad – and the trick is to roll with the bad and run with the good. Which returns us to Gordon who has thus far followed the blueprint beautifully here at the Travelers Championship. When he backed up a first-round 4-under 66 with a sparkling 62 in Friday’s second round, Gordon sat atop the leaderboard at 12-under 128. One could suggest he’s halfway through authoring a dramatic story, but some true heavyweights were about to play afternoon rounds (Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau) and Gordon is golf savvy. “I mean, half the field hasn’t played (today), so I’m not really worried about it,” said Gordon. “There’s a lot of golf left, so I could end up a couple of different places.” Ah, the perfect segue into the good timing flavor. The place this week is TPC River Highlands and indirectly Gordon is here because of the pandemic, for had tournament cancellations never been made, he was going to get spots into the Valero Texas Open and Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Had he not played well, who knows how things would have unfolded. Perhaps Gordon might have gone back to play some events on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, where he has status. We’ll never know, because the insidious virus struck and the world turned upside down. In mid-March when the PGA TOUR canceled a flurry of tournaments, plus the entire Mackenzie Tour season, Gordon was at home in Davidson, North Carolina. Like so many other pro golfers with minimal status, he tried to assess his predicament. Worse than the Mackenzie Tour being canceled and losing his spots into the Valero and Puntacana, Gordon could not count starts in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which he’d earned with his play this PGA TOUR season, because that has been canceled, too. Gordon was a lock for those events that dole out PGA TOUR card after a 10th-place finish at The RSM Classic and top-25s at both the Farmers Insurance Open and Puerto Rico Open. “My initial reaction was, ‘Just kind of roll with the punches and take it in stride,’” said Gordon. “Just try to make the most of any opportunity I do get.” That opportunity arrived a few weeks ago when Nathan Grube, the tournament director, phoned to extend a sponsor’s invite and one could say that Gordon is in position to definite what “make the most” means, given that he’s made 15 birdies against just three bogeys. But if you paint his sponsor’s exemption with the “good timing” brush, and certainly you should, it behooves you to study this man’s story and appreciate the sense of “bad timing” that followed him all of last summer. It was as unique a PGA TOUR year as we’ve ever seen, with a group of brilliant collegians getting plenty of spotlight and most of the exemptions. Let the record show, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, and Matthew Wolff have proven that the hype and hoopla was well-deserved. Each has won on the PGA TOUR, each has proven to be immensely worthy of membership. No complaints from any lobby. There was a wrinkle, though. Gordon, the 2019 SEC Player of the Year, was just a notch below. You could dispute how small the notch was, but William Kane is convinced of this: “He was the next-best in that class, but kind of flew under the radar. Most other years, he would have been a big name.” Kane has credentials, having grown up with Webb Simpson and caddied for him on the PGA TOUR for a few years. Now associated with the College Golf Fellowship, Kane could be called a mentor or team chaplain at Vanderbilt. “He’s been a really good friend, so supportive and helpful,” said Gordon. A year ago, when all the sponsor invites were going to Morikawa, Hovland, Wolff and Justin Suh, Gordon did what he does well. He rolled with the punches. He won the Mackenzie-Tour Qualifying Tournament and on the week of the Travelers Championship – where Hovland and Wolff made their pro debuts, and both Morikawa and Suh played – Gordon shot a course-record 60 to take the lead in the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open in Alberta. In nine tournaments in Canada, Gordon missed just one cut and finished 21st on the money list. Not bad. Small progress. But Morikawa, Hovland and Wolff all earned their PGA TOUR cards in short time. Bad timing? You can suggest that, but Gordon is immersed in polish and character, and never did he belabor what didn’t come his way. “Golf is unique,” he reasoned. “You always have the chance to hit the re-start button.” He did that late last fall with an opportunity to play the RSM Classic on Sea Island. Important as it was to close with a 66 to finish tied for 10th, the greater benefit was the good fortune he had to earn a third-round pairing with Simpson. “Webb has been super nice to me,” said Gordon. “But it’s been important for me to see how he has perfected what he does – how he takes ownership of his game, ownership of his life and that has showed me how I need to grow.” When the pandemic put pro golf tournaments on the sidelines and Gordon needed to stay in game shape, it was Simpson who reached out. Games were set up and when Harold Varner III took part in a few of them, “it was good to be around those guys – and with Webb winning last week, it just furthers my belief in myself that I can hang with those guys.” The fact that he didn’t get the Travelers chance last year was bad timing. But when you have the dignity to roll with the punches, you can prove that good timing trumps bad timing.
Gordon making the most of opportunity at Travelers
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Soudal Open | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Adrian Otaegui | +1600 |
Thomas Pieters | +1800 |
Jordan Smith | +2000 |
Yannik Paul | +2000 |
Adrien DuMont De Chassart | +3000 |
Alex Fitzpatrick | +3000 |
Bernd Wiesberger | +3000 |
Richard Mansell | +3000 |
Antoine Rozner | +3500 |
Guido Migliozzi | +3500 |
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1st Round 3 Balls – J. De Bruyn / S. Broholt Lind / P. Figueiredo | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jannick De Bruyn | +120 |
Pedro Figueiredo | +190 |
Soren Broholt Lind | +240 |
1st Round 3 Balls – L. Grinberg / M. Jordan / K. Aphibarnrat | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Kiradech Aphibarnrat | +110 |
Matthew Jordan | +135 |
Lev Grinberg | +400 |
1st Round 3 Balls – R. Cabrera Bello / T. Lawrence / M. Besard | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Thriston Lawrence | +105 |
Rafael Cabrera Bello | +220 |
Matthis Besard | +240 |
1st Round 3 Balls – D. Gavins / J. Weon Ko / J. Meyer De Beco | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jeong Weon Ko | -120 |
James Meyer De Beco | +190 |
Daniel Gavins | +375 |
1st Round 3 Balls – A. Cockerill / A. Hidalgo / M. Kinhult | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Aaron Cockerill | +150 |
Angel Hidalgo | +175 |
Marcus Kinhult | +200 |
1st Round 3 Balls – Y. Paul / S. Forsstrom / Z. Lombard | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Yannik Paul | +120 |
Zander Lombard | +180 |
Simon Forsstrom | +250 |
1st Round 3 Balls – G. Green / A. De Bondt / J. Guerrier | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Julien Guerrier | +120 |
Gavin Green | +125 |
Alan De Bondt | +425 |
1st Round 3 Balls – G. Migliozzi / D. Frittelli / D. Van Driel | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Guido Migliozzi | +130 |
Darius Van Driel | +135 |
Dylan Frittelli | +320 |
1st Round 3 Balls – N. Colsaerts / E. Molinari / M. Siem | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Marcel Siem | +130 |
Edoardo Molinari | +160 |
Nicolas Colsaerts | +260 |
1st Round 3 Balls – H. Long / J. Morrison / F. Zanotti | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Fabrizio Zanotti | +130 |
James Morrison | +150 |
Hurly Long | +280 |
1st Round 3 Balls – A. Arnaus / B. Wiesberger / M. Penge | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Bernd Wiesberger | +100 |
Marco Penge | +210 |
Adri Arnaus | +260 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Schaper / A. Pavan / I. Cantero | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jayden Schaper | +150 |
Ivan Cantero | +160 |
Andrea Pavan | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Dean / F. Schott / R. Gouveia | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Freddy Schott | +145 |
Joe Dean | +185 |
Ricardo Gouveia | +190 |
1st Round 3 Balls – A. Wu / D. Bradbury / N. Bachem | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Dan Bradbury | +130 |
Ashun Wu | +185 |
Nick Bachem | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – F. Celli / J. Davidson / A. Saddier | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Adrien Saddier | +145 |
Filippo Celli | +185 |
Jack Davidson | +200 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Luiten / J. Gumberg / M. Kawamura | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Joost Luiten | +115 |
Masahiro Kawamura | +160 |
Jordan Gumberg | +320 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Winther / L. Canter / D. Whitnell | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Laurie Canter | +125 |
Jeff Winther | +175 |
Dale Whitnell | +250 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Kieffer / L. De Jager / M. Korhonen | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Louis De Jager | +170 |
Mikko Korhonen | +170 |
Maximilian Kieffer | +190 |
1st Round 3 Balls – D. Ravette / R. Paratore / T. Lewis | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
David Ravetto | +140 |
Renato Paratore | +190 |
Tom Lewis | +200 |
1st Round 3 Balls – C. Hanna / J. Harding / S. Kjeldsen | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Chase Hanna | +130 |
Soren Kjeldsen | +135 |
Justin Harding | +320 |
1st Round 3 Balls – Y. Van Doren / J. Girrbach / S. Jones | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Joel Girrbach | -140 |
Sam Jones | +230 |
Yente Van Doren | +325 |
1st Round 3 Balls – A. Blomme / E. Kofstad / M. Rottluff | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Maximilian Rottluff | +150 |
Espen Kofstad | +170 |
Adam Blomme | +210 |
1st Round 3 Balls – F. Kennedy / S. Friedrichsen / W. Enefer | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Will Enefer | +170 |
Frank Kennedy | +180 |
Sebastian Friedrichsen | +180 |
1st Round 3 Balls – C. Mivis / J. Prinsloo / J. Donaldson | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jamie Donaldson | +120 |
Jaco Prinsloo | +170 |
Christopher Mivis | +275 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Tollenaire / G. Porteous / J. Dantorp | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jens Dantorp | +115 |
Garrick Porteous | +150 |
Jarno Tollenaire | +325 |
1st Round 3 Balls – S. Gallacher / M. Armitage / M. Elvira | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Manuel Elvira | +110 |
Marcus Armitage | +150 |
Stephen Gallacher | +350 |
1st Round 3 Balls – R. Mansell / A. Sullivan ?C. Jarvis | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Richard Mansell | +140 |
Andy Sullivan | +170 |
Casey Jarvis | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – T. Pieters / P. Larrazabal / A. Fitzpatrick | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Thomas Pieters | +135 |
Alex Fitzpatrick | +175 |
Pablo Larrazabal | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Stone / S. Jamieson / M. Baldwin | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Scott Jamieson | +150 |
Brandon Stone | +170 |
Matthew Baldwin | +210 |
Visit Knoxville Open | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Tim Widing | +2000 |
Vincent Whaley | +2500 |
Mason Andersen | +3000 |
Quade Cummins | +3000 |
Ricky Castillo | +3000 |
Trent Phillips | +3000 |
Frankie Capan III | +3500 |
Jeremy Paul | +3500 |
Matt McCarty | +3500 |
Noah Goodwin | +3500 |
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Scottie Scheffler Specials | |
Type: Scottie Scheffler Specials – Status: OPEN | |
US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | -150 |
US Open (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +200 |
Win US Open & The Open | +2500 |
KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Steve Stricker | +400 |
Stewart Cink | +650 |
Richard Bland | +700 |
Padraig Harrington | +900 |
KJ Choi | +1400 |
Ernie Els | +1600 |
Jerry Kelly | +1600 |
Miguel Angel Jimenez | +2000 |
Bernhard Langer | +2200 |
Stephen Ames | +2500 |
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Charles Schwab Challenge | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +280 |
Collin Morikawa | +1200 |
Jordan Spieth | +2000 |
Max Homa | +2000 |
Tony Finau | +2500 |
Harris English | +3000 |
Brian Harman | +3500 |
Tom Hoge | +3500 |
Christiaan Bezuidenhout | +4000 |
Keegan Bradley | +4000 |
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1st Round 3 Balls – L. Donald / C. Syme / S. Bairstow | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Conor Syme | +145 |
Sam Bairstow | +160 |
Luke Donald | +230 |
1st Round 3 Balls – D. Law / A. Levy / M. Helligkilde | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alexander Levy | +145 |
Marcus Helligkilde | +175 |
David Law | +210 |
Tournament 3 Balls – H. English / T. Finau / J. Spieth | |
Type: Tournament 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | +165 |
Tony Finau | +175 |
Harris English | +180 |
Tournament 3 Balls – B. Harman / S.W. Kim / C. Bezuidenhout | |
Type: Tournament 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Brian Harman | +170 |
Christiaan Bezuidenhout | +175 |
Si Woo Kim | +175 |
Tournament 3 Balls – T. Hoge / M.W. Lee / D. McCarthy | |
Type: Tournament 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Denny McCarthy | +175 |
Min Woo Lee | +175 |
Tom Hoge | +175 |
Tournament 3 Balls – S. Im / B. Horschel / A. Putnam | |
Type: Tournament 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Billy Horschel | +170 |
Sungjae Im | +170 |
Andrew Putnam | +180 |
Tournament 3 Balls – S. Scheffler / C. Morikawa / M. Homa | |
Type: Tournament 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | -155 |
Collin Morikawa | +230 |
Max Homa | +400 |
Tournament Match-Up – B. Horschel vs D. Berger | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Billy Horschel | -200 |
Daniel Berger | +150 |
Tournament Match-Up – C. Kirk vs H. English | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Harris English | -165 |
Chris Kirk | +125 |
Tournament Match-Up – T. Finau vs S. Kim | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Tony Finau | -120 |
Si Woo Kim | -110 |
Tournament Match-Up – D. McCarthy vs T. Hoge | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Denny McCarthy | -115 |
Tom Hoge | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – M. Lee vs S. Im | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Min Woo Lee | -115 |
Sungjae Im | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – C. Morikawa vs S. Scheffler | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | -275 |
Collin Morikawa | +200 |
Tournament Match-Up – C. Bezuidenhout vs K. Mitchell | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Christiaan Bezuidenhout | -175 |
Keith Mitchell | +135 |
Tournament Match-Up – A. Rai vs T. Moore | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Taylor Moore | -120 |
Aaron Rai | -110 |
Tournament Match-Up – J. Spieth vs M. Homa | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Spieth | -115 |
Max Homa | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – A. Scott vs J. Rose | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Justin Rose | -120 |
Adam Scott | -110 |
Tournament Match-Up – B. Harman vs S. Straka | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Brian Harman | -135 |
Sepp Straka | +105 |
1st Round 3 Balls – A. Dumont De Chassart / M. Manassero / A. Oteagui | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Adrian Otaegui | +110 |
Adrien DuMont De Chassart | +210 |
Matteo Manassero | +240 |
1st Round 3 Balls – P. Waring / N. Norgaard / J. Scrivener | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Paul Waring | +145 |
Niklas Norgaard | +185 |
Jason Scrivener | +200 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Schneider / M. Southgate / G. Forrest | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Marcel Schneider | +150 |
Matthew Southgate | +175 |
Grant Forrest | +200 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Smith / D. Hillier / R. Langasque | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jordan Smith | +115 |
Romain Langasque | +200 |
Daniel Hillier | +240 |
1st Round 3 Balls – R. Ramsay / A. Rozner / J. Veerman | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Antoine Rozner | +160 |
Johannes Veerman | +170 |
Richie Ramsay | +200 |
1st Round 3 Balls – L. Nemecz / D. Huizing / T. Vailant | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Daan Huizing | +145 |
Tom Vaillant | +180 |
Lukas Nemecz | +200 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Schwab / T. Clements / E. Pepperell | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Matthias Schwab | +130 |
Eddie Pepperell | +175 |
Todd Clements | +240 |
1st Round 3 Balls – S. Sharma / G. Wiebe / N. Elvira | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Nacho Elvira | +125 |
Shubankar Sharma | +130 |
Gunner Wiebe | +375 |
1st Round 3 Balls – D. Fichardt / OM. Prakash Chouhan / H. Barron | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Darren Fichardt | +110 |
Haydn Barron | +170 |
Om Prakash Chouhan | +300 |
1st Round 3 Balls – R. Fisher / J. Brun / S. Tarrio | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Santiago Tarrio | +140 |
Julien Brun | +170 |
Ross Fisher | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – S. Garcia / B. Rusch / A. Wilson | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Andrew Wilson | +130 |
Sebastian Garcia | +180 |
Benjamin Rusch | +230 |
1st Round 3 Balls – S. Crocker / D. Brown / C. Hill | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Calum Hill | +175 |
Daniel Brown | +175 |
Sean Crocker | +175 |
1st Round 3 Balls – C. Purcell / L. Ruuska / J. Nicholas | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Conor Purcell | +125 |
James Nicholas | +160 |
Lauri Ruuska | +275 |
1st Round 3 Balls – K. Ulenaers / A. Del Rey / F. Lacroix | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Frederic Lacroix | -105 |
Alejandro Del Rey | +135 |
Kristof Ulenaers | +500 |
1st Round 3 Balls – N. Von Dellingshausen / A. Garcia-Heredia / R. Enoch | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alfredo Garcia-Heredia | +140 |
Nicolai Von Dellingshausen | +170 |
Rhys Enoch | +225 |
Rory McIlroy Next Girlfriend | |
Type: Rory McIlroy Next Girlfriend – Status: OPEN | |
Amanda Balionis | +100 |
Paige Spiranac | +800 |
Natalie Gulbis | +1200 |
Nelly Korda | +1600 |
Sandra Gal | +2000 |
Anastasia Detiuc | +2500 |
Cheyenne Woods | +2500 |
Iona Stephen | +2500 |
Jessica Korda | +2500 |
Paula Creamer | +2500 |
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US Open 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +400 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Xander Schauffele | +1200 |
Jon Rahm | +1600 |
Viktor Hovland | +1600 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +1800 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2800 |
Click here for more… | |
The Open Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Xander Schauffele | +1400 |
Jon Rahm | +1600 |
Viktor Hovland | +1600 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2500 |
Cameron Smith | +2500 |
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Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
The Open Championship – Alex Noren – Top 20 Finish | +175 |
Solheim Cup 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -140 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1200 |
Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -135 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1000 |