The Shag Bag
The Shag Bag is a weekly compilation of amusing stories and anecdotes from the wacky world of golf.
Dayzed and Confused
Kapalua, HI — While the Shag Bag was on hiatus, LeBron James crushed Ellie Day, wife of PGA Tour superstar Jason Day, at a Cleveland Cavaliers game in December. King James landed on top of Ellie while trying to save the basketball from going out of bounds and she had to be removed from the game on a stretcher. Later, it was revealed that Ellie suffered no serious injuries from the collision and would be just fine, despite being a little banged up. Following the incident, Jason Day received a barrage of criticism via social media for not throwing himself in the way of James to protect his wife. Ellie took to Twitter to defend her husband, letting Day’s critics know that she “would not have liked both dudes landing” on her. This past weekend at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the No. 2 ranked golfer in the world spoke about the incident to the media, arguing that even if he tried to get in the way, he wouldn’t have been able to stop the former MVP. “It happened so quick, I’m going to do that? I’m not going to stop a 260-pound guy that’s 6’8 running full speed,” the 2015 PGA Championship winner said. “Ellie took it like a champ though.”
Is it the Shoes?
Kapalua, HI — Rickie Fowler single-handedly put PUMA golf apparel on the map when he debuted on the PGA Tour sporting fluorescent unicolour gear in 2010. Now, six years into his career, the 27-year-old is changing the golf fashion game once again with the high-top golf shoes and jogger pants that he debuted last weekend at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. When reached for comment, Grant Knudson head of Footwear PUMA Golf explained that the California native “expressed interest in wearing a high-top cleated shoe that could be worn with more progressive apparel.” Footwear PUMA Golf’s design team was apparently up to the task and combined its Titan Tour Ignite with one of the brand’s most popular high top models. Although the shoes have no official name and there is no official plan to add the pair to the PUMA Golf catalogue, rumour has it that the company will be giving a few limited edition pairs away in a social media sweepstakes.
No Frost Delay Here:
Sweden — We all thought we were so hard-core when we were playing golf well into December up here in the Great White North. However, in reality, we have nothing on these two Swedish golf fanatics, whose decision to play a little winter golf gives entirely new meaning to the term ‘braving the elements’. Instead of wearing appropriate snow boots or Rickie Fowler-esque high-tops, the Swedes in this video elect to play some golf on ice skates. Obviously, ice skates and golf are an insanely dangerous mix, but these guys seem to have it down. The prospect of skating to one’s ball between shots is actually strangely appealing, yet the notion of losing one’s balance mid-swing and face planting on the ice seems like a major deterrent and risk. That thought seems to creep across the guys’ faces at the 0:36 mark in the video, when their golf clubs are swept across the ice from a large gust of chilly wind.
Green with Envy:
Houston, TX — Who says that a thrift store is not a good place to look for golf clothes? In late December, an employee of the Guild Shop, a well-known thrift store in Houston, stumbled upon an Augusta National green jacket from the 1960s while rifling through a box of old donated clothes. In the weeks since the discovery, Hamilton Tailoring Company, the sole manufacturer of the prized sport coat, has authenticated the green jacket. Unfortunately, for those hoping to procure the coat for themselves, the jacket was sold to the owner of a car dealership in Lebanon, Pennsylvania for a considerable sum, believed to be in the ballpark of $20,000. The Guild Shop says that they will use the money to help fulfill the store’s mission statement, which is serving the elderly in the Houston area. The current protocol at Augusta National is for members to leave their membership blazers on the premises, but this story proves that there are a few green jackets out there. So don’t lose all hope just yet.
Shot of the week: Davis Love III drops a 93-foot putt on the 10th hole at the TOC with his hybrid.
Shank of the week: I know this is football and not golf, but it is still a horrible shank, nonetheless. Cue your Dustin Johnson/Ray Finkle jokes.
