Jim McMahon golfs barefoot, once drank 11 Bloody Marys during tournament

Jim McMahon had one of the most eccentric personalities of any player in NFL history, and the former Chicago Bears quarterback is still marching to the beat of his own drum.

McMahon has played in a number of celebrity golf tournaments over the years, and those who have seen him on the course know he prefers to play barefoot. With the weather cooperating at the annual American Century Championship over the weekend, McMahon once again went with no shoes. He drained a nice putt during the final round on Sunday.

Legend behavior: draining putts and playing barefoot. #ACCGolf @JimMcMahon | @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/PJPSBslQvh

— Sunday Night Football (@SNFonNBC) July 12, 2020

McMahon has never missed an American Century Championship in the 31 years the event has been held. His best finish was in 1992 when he came in 14th. As you might imagine, he has some great stories from all the years he played in the tournament, including when he says he drank 11 bloody marys during a round in his 10th year at the event. McMahon told Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on the “Subpar” podcast recently that he threw up late in the round but managed to shoot a 72 after firing an 88 while stone sober the day before. McMahon says he started heaving when playing partner Vinny Del Negro was taking too long to hit his tee shot on the 16th hole. The interview is worth a listen.

Considering he basically came up with his own version of the BYU honor code, we’re not really surprised by anything McMahon does. If he ever wins the American Century Championship, it’s probably safe to assume he enjoyed a few cocktails along the way.

Video: Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa trade long putts in thrilling playoff

Not having fans at golf tournaments has taken away from the excitement of the events, but Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa still managed to put on a show on Sunday.

Thomas and Morikawa squared off in a playoff at the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village. The format was sudden death, and it looked like the playoff could be over quickly after Thomas drained an incredible 50-foot putt for birdie.

FEET!@JustinThomas34 with an UNBELIEVABLE birdie on the first playoff hole.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/T6iuNZrcxH

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 12, 2020

Fortunately for viewers, Morikawa was not rattled. He answered by sinking a birdie putt of his own from 24 feet.

WOW.@Collin_Morikawa with a MUST-MAKE putt to extend the playoff.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/RSYdWRI1sA

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 12, 2020

It’s hard to decide which putt was more impressive. While Thomas had a much more difficult putt, Morikawa had all the pressure on him knowing he had to make his to stay alive. We can only imagine what the exchange would have looked and sounded like if fans were in the gallery.

Morikawa went on to win the event in the third playoff hole.

Tony Romo deals with wrist injury at American Century Championship

Tony Romo’s time at the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Calif. did not go great on Saturday, hurting his chances of winning the event for the third year in a row.

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback dealt with a left wrist injury during his round. He sought some medical attention after a shot on the 16th hole and was seen talking to some medical professionals about his wrist.

Romo later got his left wrist taped and resumed playing on the 17th hole. His form for his tee shot was unorthodox, but he got very close to the hole on his first shot. He was likely just trying to do enough to finish the round.

Romo, who serves as an NFL game analyst for CBS, is an accomplished amateur golfer. He won the American Century Championship in 2018 and 2019 and has attempted to qualify for the US Open and EDS Byron Nelson Championship numerous times.

The 40-year-old retired from the NFL after the 2016 season. Romo only played in one game that season due to a back injury and the emergence of Dak Prescott. His recent contract with CBS was for a record amount of money.

HBO announces two-part documentary series on Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has had one of the most fascinating careers of any sports icon in history, and we are going to get a closer look at the life of the 15-time major champion later this year.

HBO Sports announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Jigsaw Productions for a two-part documentary series detailing “the rise, fall, and epic comeback” of Woods. The first part is scheduled to air on Dec. 13.

According to the press release, the documentary will include never-before-seen footage and interviews with Tiger’s former caddie Steve Williams, golf legend Nick Faldo and others. Rachel Uchitel, who was at the center of Woods’ sex scandal was also interviewed as was “Tiger’s first true love” Dina Parr.

“Few global icons are more visible and less understood than Tiger Woods,” HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson said. “His prodigy came with painstaking sacrifice; his perfected athleticism immobilized him in agony before the age of 40; his self-made fame enabled a self-destructive world of secrecy; and his redemptive reemergence posed as many questions as it answered — not only about one of the greatest sportsmen ever to live, but also the greater American society that engulfed him more than a decade ago.”

Despite the highly publicized scandal, Tiger has remained one of the most private people in sports. Woods also had a DUI arrest a few years back, so it will be interesting to see how the documentary covers that. If done properly, a documentary on Tiger has the potential to be must-see TV.

Report: FOX ends golf TV package, which will go to NBC Sports

FOX made a big move in the golf world when it signed the rights to televise the US Open and other U.S. Golf Association events beginning in 2015. The contract, which they won in 2013, was for 12 years and $1.2 billion, meaning they were paying $100 million per year. But now FOX is getting out of that deal.

The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported on Sunday night that FOX is getting out of the last seven years of its contract. Instead, NBC Sports will take over.

NEWS: Fox is getting out of golf and the least seven years of its 12 year, $1.2B is moving to NBC Sports, The Post has learned.

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) June 29, 2020

ESPN and NBC held the USGA rights prior to FOX winning the bid.

NBC Sports (which also owns the Golf Channel) and CBS own the TV rights to the PGA Tour, so this deal seemingly will strengthen NBC Sports’ golf coverage.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the AP says a source told them NBC is getting a discount and the rights for less than half the amount. And no, that old sex talk incident had anything to do with this development.

Dustin Johnson’s girlfriend Paulina Gretzky has become far less active on social media

Dustin Johnson sprung to the top of the leaderboard at the Travelers Championship with an incredible round on Saturday, which naturally led many fans to social media with one question in mind — where is Paulina?

Paulina Gretzky, the daughter of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, has been engaged to Johnson for many years. She used to be very active on social media, which was a great source of happiness for many fans. Those who flocked to her pages as Johnson was leading the Travelers Championship on Sunday did not discover much new content, however.

That said, all indications are that things are still going well with the couple. Johnson and Gretzky have two sons together, and Andrew Holleran of The Spun pointed out that Paulina shared a heartwarming video of her and Dustin after Johnson shot a 9-under 61 on Saturday.

So why hasn’t Paulina posted more content? We’re unsure, but it probably has a lot to do with her being busy raising two young kids. There have been rumors over the years that Gretzky’s relationship with Johnson was on rocky ground, but she’s still in the 2016 U.S. Open champion’s corner.

Brooks Koepka trying to chase down Rory McIlroy for world No. 1

Brooks Koepka is aiming to chase down Rory McIlroy for the No. 1 world golf ranking.

Koepka reached No. 1 in the world in October 2018 and held that spot for 47 weeks before losing it. McIlroy is the current No. 1, with Jon Rahm behind him, followed by Koepka. Koepka has his eyes on the spot.

“Yeah, I’ve got eyes on Rory [McIlroy]”, Koepka said Wednesday via Sky Sports. “That’s the goal, to get back to No. 1 in the world. That’s the whole point of playing is to be the best.

“If I do what I’m supposed to do, if I take care of my business, then I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t get back to that.”

Koepka hurt his knee late last year, which caused him to miss three months. The break in the golf season due to the coronavirus was “beneficial” to his health, he says, and allowed him to recover.

The 30-year-old from West Palm Beach, Fla. has burst onto the scene the last three years and dominated. He won the US Open in 2017 and 2018 and the PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019. Last year, he finished no lower than tied for fourth in any of the majors.

Both Koepka and McIlroy shot a -2 in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, tying them for 39th.