Without tournament golf due to the coronavirus pandemic, Webb Simpson still has plenty to keep him busy.
The six-time PGA Tour winner has been enjoying his time at home in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife, Dowd, and their five children, including their year-and-half old daughter, Eden.
“For my job, traveling half the year, this is the most time week after week that I’ve been home to see a child grow up,” said Simpson during a webinar on Friday afternoon hosted by Burns & Wilcox. “So being home the last couple months has been great in that regard.”
That said, his time with the family isn’t exactly a vacation. Even though Webb and Dowd were members of a team to start a new private school in Charlotte, Webb admitted that school at home during quarantine has been tough in a house with kids in third grade, second grade and kindergarten. In the afternoons, the Raleigh native has been playing with the kids, and even playing a little golf.
“The only reason I’m playing golf is because (Quail Hollow) is open for members,” said Simpson. “I just want to keep a club in my hand. I know for a fact we’ve got at least five weeks left (without golf), and I don’t want to feel like I’m playing catch-up the first tournament back.
“I’m trying to stay mentally fresh while getting rested, taking advantage of this time away form the game, because it was a good start to the season and I want to keep that momentum up when we go back,” he added.
A good start, indeed.
Currently ranked ninth in the world, Simpson’s 2020 calendar began with a third-place finish at the Sony Open, followed by a win a month later at the fan-favorite Waste Management Phoenix Open.
“When you’re done with the tournament you feel like you just played a major,” said Simpson, adding that he enjoys the rowdy crowns down the stretch in Phoenix.
“I enjoy (the fans) on the last three holes where most of the crowd is. Where I don’t enjoy it is the front nine, random part of the golf course, where there isn’t as many people and you still have loud, drunk fans yelling at you,” explained Simpson. “That’s a bit of a distraction.”
Simpson especially loves the famous stadium hole, the epic par-3 16th where fans are encouraged to let loose all day long.
“We have no other environment in golf where people are yelling at you as you’re hitting, and that’s fun,” Simpson said with a smile.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from the Phoenix Open is the Masters, which is now scheduled to be played in November. Simpson thinks Augusta in the fall may play similar to his home course at Quail Hollow due to both courses having ryegrass. So what will that entail?
“Early November at Quail Hollow is wet, it’s soft and plays hard because they have to water it enough for the rye to pop and grow in,” explained Simpson. “Augusta in April is firm and fast. In November it’ll play longer, harder, it’ll be colder and windier.”
A more difficult Augusta National begs one question: Is it November yet?