View From The Fairway - Excited About Netflix PGA Tour Documentary Series

Ahead of the DP World Tour's return in Abu Dhabi, Golfshake's Derek Clements addresses the latest headlines across the game in his View From The Fairway.

SKY SPORTS beware! Netflix has linked up with the PGA Tour and golf’s major championships for a documentary series following the lives and stories of top professional golfers across a season of high-stakes competition. And when Netflix takes on projects such as this one it tends to do the job properly. The list of PGA Tour players who have agreed to commit reads like a who’s who of golf. They include commitments from Abraham Ancer, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ, Joel Dahmen, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Harry Higgs, Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Open champion Collin Morikawa, Kevin Na, Ian Poulter, Olympic champion Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Bubba Watson. Additionally, the world’s top-ranked amateur golfer, Keita Nakajima, will participate as he plays in the first majors of his career. Significantly, Bryson DeChambeau has refused to take part.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU withdrew from last week’s Sony Open, citing pain in his wrist. With the huge strains that the American subjects his body to it is perhaps surprising that it has taken until now for his limbs to start to protest. He would do well to learn some lessons from Tiger Woods. The 15-time major champion was the first golfer to turn to the gym and eventually his body gave out. He has gone under the knife more times than he would want to admit, spending months in rehab. DeChambeau could do an awful lot worse than picking up a phone and speaking to Woods and asking him for advice.

TOM WATSON will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an honorary starter at The Masters in April. The 72-year-old is a two-time champion at Augusta and says that being asked to join Nicklaus and Player on the first tee is a huge honour. Watson has provided me with some of my most cherished golfing memories and this is nothing less than he deserves. 

WORLD No1 Jon Rahm says that he is fully rested, 100% fit and looking forward to 2022. The Spaniard won his first major last year and enjoyed a level of consistency that was comparable to Tiger Woods in his prime, but he says that after the Ryder Cup he felt burnt out so decided to take a complete break from the game. The bad news for his rivals is that he says he is now hungrier than ever and has no intentions of giving up his place at the top of the world rankings.

SPECULATION continues to mount about Tiger Woods’ future, with Sky Sports analyst Simon Holmes saying that he believes the 15-time major champion will use the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews as the occasion to announce his retirement from competitive play. Poppycock! Woods may or may not be fit enough to compete at the Old Course, where he has won twice, but one thing I am absolutely certain of is that he will not be standing on the Swilken Bridge posing for photographs as the curtain comes down on his playing career. Not this year at any rate. Let’s all just leave Woods to get on with his recovery. The speculation is pointless and meaningless.

Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography