Recapping a whirlwind introduction

Highlights from the first few weeks of the Daily Drive

We “soft-launched” The Daily Drive on April 1, perhaps a foolish time to be trying something new with the biggest event of the golf season on deck. But we wanted to hit the ground when there would be things to talk about as we figure this thing out. In case you missed some of the conversation, here’s a little recap of what we’ve done so far. We hope you like what you’ve seen so far and will stick with us as we grow this Substack into something substantial.

All hail Scottie Scheffler at Augusta (Logan Whitton/Augusta National)

Master Scheff, Tiger and Co.

The buildup to the Masters goes on for months, the toonamint dominates the week and the aftermath lingers long after the green jacket gets presented in Butler Cabin. The golf world is still trying to figure out what television ratings mean anymore when so much of the season’s first major can be consumed on via streaming and featured groups and the Masters app.

The one thing we know for sure is that Scottie Scheffler has separated himself from his peers. From his opening 66 to his closing 68, his acquisition of a second green jacket had a distinct air of inevitability about it. Justin Ray was ahead of the curve with his compilation of revealing stats that showed what makes Scheffler so masterful, what made Ludvig Åberg such a compelling debutante and what makes Rory McIlroy’s Masters hopes so mercurial.

From Bryson DeChambeau’s scintillating opening round to his volatile retreat on a Saturday unlike any other; Tiger Woods ran the gamut in a week of all-time highs and all-time lows. He even teased the possibility of being the next Ryder Cup captain by not dismissing the notion.

Rory McIlroy left Augusta still searching for answers to winning that elusive green jacket, but he once again had to squash rumors that he won’t be seeking those answers via LIV Golf.

Way back machine

This medium offers us the opportunity to dig into our personal archives for relevant stories that can be looked at in a new context.

This year’s marked the 20th anniversary of Phil Mickelson’s breakthrough major victory at the 2004 Masters. So much has happened since that it can be easy to forget simple beauty of what that moment meant to Mickelson, his family and the golf world. And the flip side of just how staggering one man’s triumph can be to the ones who came so close.

We started with a recap of Tiger Woods’ difficult journey the last 10 years and an excerpt from Bob Harig’s book about his comeback major victory at Augusta five years ago, which segued into a week where the 48-year-old made more history — good and bad — at the Masters.

We also remembered some of the people in golf who we lost in the previous year, including the man who lived well longer than any major champion in golf history, Jackie Burke Jr.

As an aspiring golf journalism collective, we also point to stellar work from our peers who tell stories in a different way, like Claire Rogers’ beautiful personal essay on a magical day at Augusta and Brendan Porath’s rare experience the Monday after the Masters.