Author: James “Jimmy” Caldwell

Pebble Beach Shapes Up as a Signature Test—and a Rory Redemption Story After 35 years covering this tour, I’ve learned that certain weeks carry more weight than others. The Pebble Beach Pro-Am, despite its playful pro-am format and California charm, has quietly become one of the most consequential tournaments on the schedule. This year’s edition, featuring a field that reads like a who’s-who of current golf, feels particularly consequential. What strikes me most isn’t just the quality of the field—though that’s undeniable. It’s the narrative threads converging on the Monterey Peninsula this week. We have a defending champion trying to…

2025 Tech Revolution: How Modern Golf Is Reshaping the Game We Love After 35 years covering professional golf—and having spent several of those years lugging Tom Lehman’s bag around some of the world’s greatest courses—I’ve learned that the game evolves in waves. Sometimes those waves are gradual. Sometimes they hit like a tidal surge. What’s happening in 2025 feels like the latter. The technological transformation sweeping through professional and amateur golf isn’t just changing how we play. It’s fundamentally reshaping what the sport looks like, who watches it, and what it means to be competitive at every level. And unlike…

Tiger’s Ghost at Torrey Pines: Why One Course Defined a Career Tiger Woods won’t be in San Diego this week for the Farmers Insurance Open, but honestly, he doesn’t need to be. His fingerprints are all over Torrey Pines—literally carved into the record books, the greenskeeping charts, and the collective memory of everyone who’s watched him play there over three decades. In my 35 years covering professional golf, I’ve learned that certain players own certain courses. Jack had Augusta. Sam Snead owned Greensboro. And Tiger? Well, Tiger practically *is* Torrey Pines. Seven wins there. A limping, miraculous 2008 US Open…

Patrick Reed’s Qatar Gamble: Why This Week Matters More Than You Think Here’s what casual golf fans might miss watching Patrick Reed stalk around Doha Golf Club this week: we’re witnessing a player actively reshaping his own career narrative in real time, and the stakes are higher than just another trophy. Look, I’ve been around this tour long enough to know that when a guy wins a major like Dubai’s Desert Classic, turns down a lucrative Saudi deal, and then positions himself to earn a PGA Tour card through the European Tour—well, that’s not happenstance. That’s calculation. That’s a player…

The Phoenix Rising: Why Sunday’s Desert Showdown Matters More Than You Think Here’s what I’ve learned in 35 years of watching professional golf: the best tournaments aren’t won by the guy who shoots the lowest score on Sunday. They’re won by the player who understands how to orchestrate a comeback, who knows his own game well enough to trust it when the pressure mounts, and who can tap into something deeper than mechanics when the stakes are highest. This Sunday at TPC Scottsdale, we’re going to see exactly that dynamic play out in the Arizona desert, and it’s going to…

Phoenix Open Preview: Why Scheffler’s Dominance Should Worry the Rest of the Field Listen, I’ve been covering professional golf for 35 years, and I’ve seen my share of dominant players. I caddied for Tom Lehman during some of his best years, covered 15 Masters tournaments, and watched the tour evolve from a gentleman’s game into a precision-engineered sport where analytics and athleticism reign supreme. But what Scottie Scheffler is doing right now? This is different. And as we head into another Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale this week, I think we’re witnessing something we need to properly acknowledge rather than…

The Chubb Classic at 39: Why Naples’ Senior Tour Anchor Still Matters Look, I’ve been covering professional golf since the ’90s, and I’ve watched the PGA Tour Champions circuit evolve from a genteel retirement party into something genuinely compelling. The Chubb Classic—returning this week to Tiburón Golf Club for its sixth consecutive year—is a perfect case study in why these senior events have become essential to understanding modern golf. What strikes me most about the Chubb’s longevity isn’t just the tournament’s staying power. It’s what the tournament represents: a community that has figured out how to keep elite professional golf…

Northern Ireland’s Golf Resurgence Needs More Than Championship Courses—It Needs the Right Home Base After 35 years covering professional golf, I’ve learned that a tournament’s success depends on far more than just the quality of the course. It’s about infrastructure, hospitality, and whether visiting players—and their families—feel genuinely welcome. That’s why the Culloden Estate and Spa matters more to Northern Ireland’s golf tourism future than most people realize. Let me be direct: Northern Ireland has produced Rory McIlroy, one of the five greatest players of this generation. The region has hosted major championships and continues to develop world-class courses. But…