Kelly Whaley spent much of the offseason caddying at Seminole and the Symetra Tour player’s short game is better for it.
Kelly Whaley thinks she’d caddied maybe once in her life, for her mom, before she took a job at Seminole Golf Club last November. Knowing that she likely wouldn’t get her first start on the Symetra Tour until May due to limited status, Whaley decided to that she needed to make some money.
Her mother, PGA of America president Suzy Whaley, thought caddying would be a good gig. After an email and a short phone call interview with Seminole head pro Bob Ford, Kelly found herself in the caddie yard in no time. At the time, she was the only female looper.
“My first time going there,” she said, “it’s so private, and you just feel so special when you enter the grounds.”
On Sunday, the renowned club will make its debut on national television for the TaylorMade Driving Relief charity skins match featuring Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.
Whaley, who played college golf at North Carolina, said she stopped working at the club in March when golf courses were shut down in South Florida due to the coronavirus outbreak. She lives with her family at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, about 20 minutes away from Seminole.
Whaley said her first loop around Seminole was with a family friend, so that made her feel more comfortable. The caddie attire at Seminole consists of a white collared shirt, khakis and bib. Her biggest whiff was a dead range finder mid-round. She quickly learned to carry extra batteries.
Members were generous tippers, she said, which will help fund travel when tournament golf cranks up again. She’s signed up for several upcoming Women’s All Pro Tour events in Arkansas and Texas. The Symetra Tour is scheduled to restart in July.
Last year she received four sponsor exemptions on the Symetra Tour and opened with a 66 in her first round to co-lead the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic in her first start.
“I think that really helped me for this year to prepare,” she said.
There were more 60 caddies over the winter at Seminole, she said, and several were also pursuing their dreams of professional golf. Whaley said she was able to play the Donald Ross treasure as many as four days a week if the tee sheet was quiet. Playing on Seminole alongside aspiring Tour players proved a tremendous learning opportunity for the young pro.
The caddying helped too.
“Reading greens for someone else, you’re so much more focused,” said Whaley, “which sounds crazy because you want to play the best when you’re playing. But you’re trying not to screw up – you pay attention to every little thing, things I’ve never really thought of when I was playing.”
The 15th hole is Whaley’s favorite. It’s a par 5 that plays safe down the left side (they call it A1A after a local highway) and shorter down the riskier right side (there’s water). She likes that it was Arnold Palmer’s favorite hole too.
“I had a chance to play not too long ago,” she said. “It was super quick – the greens were like a 13.”
Depending, of course, on how her other job goes, she’d love to be back there working next winter.
Rory McIlroy remembers putting off Seminole’s fifth green from 30 feet. The course will be difficult, even by Tour players’ standards.
Seminole Golf Club isn’t long, but it’s no softy.
The gem in South Florida, one of the legendary Donald Ross’ greatest courses, will make its TV debut at age 91 on Sunday in the TaylorMade Driving Relief charity event featuring world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and world No. 5 Dustin Johnson facing No. 17 Rickie Fowler and No. 110 Matthew Wolff.
Hard by the Atlantic Ocean, the course’s main defense is the wind. If the airstreams are gentle, the par-72, 7,265-yard course can be overpowered. The par 5s go 555, 545, 510 and 555 yards, respectively. Those distances will put little fear into the four players in the lineup.
Still, Seminole isn’t a punching bag.
“I putted off the fifth green from about 30 feet,” McIlroy said of a recent round with Justin Thomas, new Seminole member Tom Brady and club president Jimmy Dunne. McIlroy recalled the story during media availability promoting Sunday’s charity event that will raise millions of dollars for charities affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
“If the wind gets up and the greens are as fast as they were last Friday, birdies might be hard to come by,” McIlroy added. “It’s going to play fast and firm and looks like it will be a little breezy on Sunday, so it will be a good test for everyone. Some of the best green complexes in the world in terms of the thought that needs to go into playing your second shots into the greens and then just how thoughtful you need to be on the greens and around the greens.
“It’s all about the second shot and positioning and leaving yourself below the hole. I think people on Sunday will see that Seminole is more about precision with the iron shots and being really sharp around the greens.”
His charity companions agree.
“I love Seminole. It’s just a fun golf course to play,” Fowler said.
Fowler likened the course’s greens to those found on famed Pinehurst No. 2, another Ross gem where the putting surfaces can be maddening.
“Seminole is very much a second-shot or approach-shot golf course,” Fowler said. “It’s fairly forgiving off the tee, but with how the greens are kind of designed, they’re pretty good sized; but lot of balls will roll and feed off (a green), whether it’s back down through the fairway into bunkers, and that’s where it can get tough, especially if the wind is up. It doesn’t look like it’s supposed to be too windy on Sunday. I think you’re going to see us having some fun off the tee, and then from there is where things will get separated on approach shots and putting.”
But if the wind blows, Wolff said, watch out.
“If the wind blows it’s going to be a difficult course,” he said. “The greens are extremely difficult. They’re very sloped, a lot of subtle breaks, and I’ve even heard that people putt the ball often off the green and into bunkers. I don’t think you’re going to see that from us, but it’s definitely something that I think (makes) putting a huge advantage there. We’ll see what the weather brings because I think that’s going to be the biggest factor in whether there’s a lot of birdies or we’re playing more for defense and just to make a bunch of pars.”
Rickie Fowler and his wife, Allison Stokke Fowler, had some fun with the idea of golf returning without a gallery. It became a commercial.
Golf’s back … ish.
While we’re still a month away from the PGA Tour’s return, competitive golf is coming to a screen near you. This Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 p.m. ET, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson will take on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in TaylorMade Driving Relief, a charity skins match to benefit COVID-19 relief.
Rickie and his wife, Allison Stokke Fowler, had some fun with the idea of golf returning without a gallery. The two shot a video in their backyard in Jupiter, Florida, titled “Crowd Control.” The Farmers Insurance spot will hit the air as early as late Friday/early Saturday and will also run during TaylorMade Driving Relief.
Here’s an exclusive first look:
In addition to “Crowd Control,” the following PSA – also shot by Allison – features Rickie talking about Farmers’ $1 million pledge to Off Their Plate, a fundraising initiative through World Central Kitchen that helps frontline COVID-19 healthcare workers and impacted restaurant shift employees. The PSA will air before and during the TaylorMade Driving Relief.
In line with social distancing, both videos were Fowler family productions, with Rickie and Allison doing all the filming at their home.
“It’s a privilege to support this event, alongside our brand ambassador Rickie Fowler, and provide much needed funds to Off Their Plate, so they can continue to help those most impacted in this uncertain time,” said Farmers Insurance CEO Jeff Dailey.
Assessing PGA Tour props bets for the Driving Relief skins match between McIlroy-Johnson and Fowler-Wolff.
The PGA Tour is nearing its June 11 return with the Charles Schwab Challenge, but first, Rory McIlroy teams up with Dustin Johnson Sunday, May 17 to take on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in TaylorMade: Driving Relief. Below, we look at the PGA Tour betting odds for the outright winner and the top prop bets available at BetMGM Sportsbook.
The high-profile skins match being held at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla. will help raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts. Driving Relief offers golf bettors an appetizer to the May 24 match between Tiger Woods-Peyton Manning and Phil Mickelson-Tom Brady at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla.
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The outright odds to win the two-on-two match haven’t moved since opening a week ago. McIlroy and Johnson, the two higher-ranked golfers in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings, remain heavy favorites.
There isn’t a whole lot of value with the favorites as a $10 bet on McIlroy and Johnson to win the match will return a profit of just $4.48. The same bet on the underdogs would fetch a profit of $16.50, but it’s not enticing enough to warrant a wager.
Play it safe and back MCILROY/JOHNSON (-223) to win outright. Fill out your betting card with some of the best prop bets for a more profitable Sunday afternoon.
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Driving Relief: Best prop bets and picks
Who will lead after 9 holes? Tie (+400)
Under the skins format, multiple holes can be won on a single stroke or putt should any number of preceding holes be halved (tied). Holes 1-6 will each be worth $50,000 with holes 7-15 worth $100,000, hole 17 worth $200,000 and hole 18 worth $500,000.
Chase the value of a 4-to-1 payout and look for the winnings to be split after the opening 9 holes. There’s a total of $600,000 up for grabs on the outbound nine with $1.3 million available on the back. The match won’t truly start until the turn.
Who will win the first hole? McIlroy/Johnson (+240)
The first hole at Seminole Golf Club is a 370-yard par 4. McIlroy and Johnson are the two longest hitters of the four involved in the match. Look for them to leave themselves short pitches into the green and for at least one to make an opening birdie.
McIlroy/Johnson to make an eagle: Yes (+280)
Driving Relief will be played under a Four-Ball (Best-Ball) format whereby the team’s score on the hole will be the lower of the two participants. As such, expect all four golfers to take their fair share of risks.
As noted above, McIlroy and Johnson are two of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour and can reach nearly all par 5s in two strokes. At nearly a 3-to-1 return for both golfers, place a bet on each of them. You’ll need to hit on only one to negate losses.
Each eagle is worth an additional $50,000 for charity, so the golfers will be well motivated.
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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Current and former world No. 1s Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson will take on fan favorite Rickie Fowler and PGA Tour rising star Matthew Wolff in TaylorMade Driving Relief, a made-for-TV, $3 million charity skins match on Sunday, May 17, to support COVID-19 relief.
The event is supported by UnitedHeath Group, which has pledged a total of $3 million to the American Nurses Foundation and CDC Foundation. Farmers Insurance also has pledged a $1 million “birdies-and-eagles pool.”
Fans at home can get in on the action by contributing to the fundraising efforts from home via online donations and Text-To-Give options powered by GoFundMe. Simply text ‘DRIVINGRELIEF’ to 41-411. Standard text rates apply.
Here’s everything you need to know for TaylorMade Driving Relief:
Sunday, May 17 at Seminole Golf Club (36-36=72/7265 yards) in Juno Beach, Florida. Said McIlroy of the famed Donald Ross layout: “one of the most revered golf courses in the world.”
No fans or spectators will be permitted on site.
How to watch, listen
TV: 2-6 p.m. ET (NBC, Golf Channel, NBCSN, Sky Sports)
Streaming: Available via PGA TOUR LIVE (NBC Sports Gold and Amazon Prime Video), GOLFPASS, GolfChannel.com and GOLFTV. Pre-match coverage, as well as the first two holes, will stream on Twitter.
Radio: PGA TOUR Radio will provide live play-by-play coverage on SiriusXM and streaming on PGA Tour Digital platforms.
Format
It’s pretty simple: 18-hole, two-person team Four-ball skins match with carry overs. Each player plays his own ball, with the lowest score winning. Most money at the end wins.
From the press release:
Each team starts with $500,000. The sum of the remaining $2 million will be claimed during the skins match. Holes 1-6 are worth $50,000; Holes 7-16 are worth $100,000; the 17th hole is worth $200,000; and the 18th hole is worth $500,000. In the event the 18th hole is tied, players will play the 17th hole from approximately 125 yards. If that hole is tied the skin will be decided by a closest-to-the-hole competition from the same shortened distance at the 17th hole. If regulation play ends after 5:45 p.m. ET, only the closest-to-the-hole competition will take place.
Additional funds will be awarded during the competition through Birdies and Eagles sponsored by Farmers Insurance. If one team makes multiple under-par scores on a hole, that team would receive an additional $25,000 for each birdie and $50,000 for each eagle.
What they’re saying
“It’s been difficult to witness what so many are enduring over the last several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. … I hope we can provide some respite and entertainment for those tuning in across the globe.” – Rory McIlroy.
“I’m really excited to team up with Rory and to get back out on the golf course. Seminole is a great venue and it will be cool to show it to the world through this event. I’m sure Rickie and Matthew will be ready for us, but hopefully Rory and I can take them and help generate a lot of money and support for charities and those affected most by COVID-19.” – Dustin Johnson.
“When I heard about this event, I couldn’t get involved fast enough. It’s special to be able to have an impact and raise charitable contributions through our sport and to do it with Matthew as a partner. I know how much I have missed sports and golf, especially, so to be one of the first events returning to television is very exciting and I’m proud to have Farmers, one of my sponsors, be a partner of this event as well. Playing aggressive has never been a problem for Matthew and me so we should have no issue testing the birdies-and-eagles bonus pool that has been backed by Farmers Insurance $1 million pledge.” – Rickie Fowler.
“I’m fired up to play alongside Rickie and raise money to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts. Rory and DJ have welcomed me to team TaylorMade with open arms and become great friends so I can’t wait for a fun competition against us Cowboys. Rickie and I are ready to bring our best and more importantly
help the frontline heroes getting us through this extremely difficult time. Special thanks to the PGA Tour, NBC, TaylorMade and all our partners for the opportunity. See you at Seminole!” – Matthew Wolff.
Perfect simplicity makes Seminole Golf Club a great course for match with Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff
Seminole Golf Club is a world Top-3 course.
“Top-3 what?” we hear you asking.
Well, Seminole joins St. Andrews and the National Golf Links of America as one of the three most misunderstood courses in the world.
To Seminole’s true believers, anyone who doesn’t “get it” is somehow willfully ignorant of the course’s obvious charms. To those who have been but left unimpressed, defenders of this haven of Florida golf are yet another in a Kool-Aid drinking band of elitists. Or worse.
As a consequence, Seminole, the National and the Old Course stand apart as the most commonly overrated – and underrated – golf courses in the world.
Fortunately, we can all enter the debate May 17 when the curtain is lifted on this most private of golf clubs, bringing Seminole to television for the first time with the TaylorMade Driving Relief charitable match between Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.
From our point of view, Seminole – in Juno Beach, Florida, and site of the 2021 Walker Cup – should not be considered among the most admirable courses in golf simply because of its mystique or exclusivity. The whispers of greatness that follow such reputations often obscure their true merits.
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Seminole is admirable and worthy of study because Donald Ross, helped by several other architects since 1929, offers for us today a course in the swamps of Florida very much like St. Andrews and the National in that: 1) it is remarkably easy for a group of average golfers to get around quickly, while 2) being remarkably difficult for an expert in that same group to get the ball into the hole quickly.
That is the holy grail in golf design, and Seminole achieves it. Few others do, though many more should.
Seminole is also a place that honors its name as a club. Like many of the celebrated clubs in American golf, if you’re not a member there’s a good chance you many not feel as comfortable as you think you should when crossing a threshold so many speak of in hushed tones. But for those members who call it home, there may be no greater comfort in their golfing lives.
Is that not the purpose of a club?
When it comes to Seminole, endorsements or reservations fall into two separate camps: golf and culture. Often we confuse the two.
If the cultural choices made by generations of club leaders float your boat, all the better. If, on the other hand, those choices make you feel uneasy, you have our sympathies. But those are social choices, not golf choices.
We are here to talk about what makes playing golf at Seminole worthy of admiration. Though the names on the locker room honor boards are indeed impressive.
Some of our happiest rounds at Seminole happened on crisp winter mornings, playing in a 2-ball with a former club champion as our opponent. We shared one inscrutable caddie. Two hours and 45 minutes later, at the peak of the Florida golf season, we finished our matches and never felt rushed. We think the other may have won. We have no idea what either of us shot. It was great fun.
If you’ve ever played golf in the homeland of Scotland, England or Ireland, this is a familiar experience. If you’ve only played in America, it may feel foreign. This is not the time to suggest which is right.
Seminole’s routing is vaunted, and rightly so. Many Golfweek course raters, not to mention readers, ask: What is “routing,” and why is it such a big deal?
In a broad sense, routing is about how an architect lays out the holes on a particular landscape to take advantage of the natural features. In a narrow sense, routing is about remembering how nice it felt to walk from a green to the next tee without thinking about it.
There are three well-documented natural elements in play at Seminole on an otherwise unremarkable site: two parallel ridges running north-south, separated by a low swamp.
The two defining ridges at Seminole Golf Club are marked with the yellow lines. (Map by Google Earth)
The ridge to the east touches the Atlantic Ocean. The ridge to the west touches Florida A1A. In between there’s a swamp. Pretty simple.
What similar natural features does your home course have? Can you see them? Or are they hidden, waiting to be revealed?
Many courses have impeccably maintained turf, artistic bunkers and greens that take a lifetime to learn. Seminole has all this, too, but it is the two ridges that make the secret sauce.
The eastern oceanside ridge contains the following: Four greens. Three tees. Not bad.
The western A1A ridge goes further: Seven greens. Eight tees. And two of the best par-4 holes in golf, Nos. 4 and 6. Even better.
Folks, that’s 15 of the 18 holes that touch either of the two ridges, with a big swamp in between, constantly changing the angle of direction. That’s routing.
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The phrase “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” has been attributed to many authors. At Seminole it applies.
The focus is on golf and nothing but golf, though some cultural choices may lead one to think otherwise. On this compact (and increasingly valuable) sliver of land next to the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach County, every square inch is devoted to golf.
Yes, the clubhouse is a design marvel by Addison Mizner. Yes, there is a swimming pool, though nobody has ever been seen enjoying it.
Everything a golfer may want or need in a golf club is on offer at Seminole. Yet many of the amenities we American golfers have become convinced are necessities seem to be lacking. This can be disconcerting or comforting, depending on your education in golf.
At Seminole, if your partner is in for par and you have a bogey putt that doesn’t matter, you know instinctively to pick up. It’s not about your score, it’s about our game.
“Play well, play fast. Play poorly, play faster.” That’s the humorous but knowing message sold on t-shirts and signs in the pro shop.
Yet Seminole requires patience, even if it seems like an inconvenience at times. Wait for the valet to take your car after crunching the crushed stone in the parking lot. Wait for your member to accompany you to the practice tee, let alone the first tee. Wait to hear from your caddie before you read the line on the greens.
Fast play, yes, but good things come to those who wait, they say. Not one of us is above the game’s mysteries, especially at Seminole.
We can’t wait to watch, and enjoy, one of the world’s Top-3 most misunderstood golf courses on May 17. We hope you do, too.
Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson will face Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff at Seminole Golf Club, for the Driving Relief skins match.
The PGA Tour will return, at least briefly Sunday, May 17 for the TaylorMade Driving Relief skins match with Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson taking on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff. The four golfers will compete in their teams of two at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida, in a charity match raising money and awareness for COVID-19 relief efforts.
Skins are a form of match play whereby the teams will be competing to win each hole and the prize money associated with it. If a hole is halved (tied) the prize money will carry over to the next hole. Multiple holes can be won or lost on a single stroke.
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On paper, the teams are incredibly lopsided. McIlroy and Johnson combine for 38 career PGA Tour victories and five majors. Fowler and Wolff combine for just six PGA Tour wins, with Wolff’s first and only win to date coming at last year’s 3M Open.
McIlroy sits second in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings with Johnson ranked 10th. Fowler is 31st and Wolff is 87th.
The skins format helps level the playing field as a single good or bad hole can drastically flip the match. Even still, the odds aren’t quite enticing enough for Fowler and Wolff with a $10 bet returning a profit of $16.50. It’s better to back McIlroy and Johnson as favorites, with the same bet fetching a return of $4.50.
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Driving Relief: How to watch
When is it? Sunday, May 17. Coverage will air from 2-6 p.m. ET.
Where is it? Seminole Golf Club, Juno Beach, Fla.
Television broadcast: NBC. GOLF Channel, NBCSN, Sky Sports
Digital streaming: PGA Tour Live, GOLFPASS, GolfChannel.com, GOLFTV
Pre-match coverage: Twitter
Get some action on the PGA Tour by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Betting odds and picks for the TaylorMade Driving Relief skins match featuring Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson vs. Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.
The PGA Tour will return, at least briefly, Sunday, May 17 for the TaylorMade Driving Relief skins match with Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson taking on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff. The four golfers will compete in their teams of two at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla. in a charity match raising money and awareness for COVID-19 relief efforts.
Skins are a form of match play whereby the teams will be competing to win each hole and the prize money associated with it. If a hole is halved (tied) the prize money will carry over to the next hole. Multiple holes can be won or lost on a single stroke.
Looking to place a bet on the PGA Tour? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Bet Now!
On paper, the teams are incredibly lopsided. McIlroy and Johnson combine for 38 career PGA Tour victories and five majors. Fowler and Wolff combine for just six PGA Tour wins, with Wolff’s first and only win to date coming at last year’s 3M Open.
McIlroy sits second in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings with Johnson ranked 10th. Fowler is 31st and Wolff is 87th.
The skins format helps level the playing field as a single good or bad hole can drastically flip the match. Even still, the odds aren’t quite enticing enough for Fowler and Wolff with a $10 bet returning a profit of $16.50. It’s better to back McIlroy and Johnson as favorites, with the same bet fetching a return of $4.50.
SUBSCRIBE to Golfweek and get the most comprehensive coverage of golf’s greatest athletes. Click here or call 1-800-996-4653 to subscribe.
Driving Relief: How to watch
When is it? Sunday, May 17. Coverage will air from 2-6 p.m. ET.
Where is it? Seminole Golf Club, Juno Beach, Fla.
Television broadcast: NBC. GOLF Channel, NBCSN, Sky Sports
Digital streaming: PGA Tour Live, GOLFPASS, GolfChannel.com, GOLFTV
Pre-match coverage: Twitter
Get some action on the PGA Tour by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
