If you weren’t watching golf this afternoon, you should’ve been. If you were watching the Olympics, another Timberwolves W, or—god forbid—the NFL Pro Bowl, you missed a gutsy final round duel between three-time major winner Jordan Spieth and Tom Hoge, a winless 32-year-old beauty-in-a-golf shirt from our own backyard. Also Beau Hossler was there but he stinks. Anyway, our boy won in impressive fashion, out-ball-striking and out-putting Spieth en route to a two-shot victory at -19, his first on the PGA Tour.
Hoge started out hot this week at Pebble Beach with a nine-birdie 63 on the card on Thursday. This included a stretch in which he birdied eight of nine holes from #3 to #11. Hoge battled to a 69 on Friday and held steady with a bogey-free 68 on Saturday to hold a share of the lead heading into the final round.
Spieth, on the other hand, looked out of it heading into the weekend after a 70 on Friday left him 11 strokes back. However, he pulled out a 63 of his own in the third round and, after five birdies, held the lead late into the back nine on Sunday.
But that’s when Hoge turned it on. Going into 14, Hoge was two back of Jordan but he buried a 14-foot birdie putt with a perfectly weighted, Spieth-like roll. Then he stuffed a wedge at 16, leading to another (tap in) birdie and, suddenly, a tie for the lead through 70 holes. One brutal par putt miss from Spieth later, and Hoge was in the lead alone. But Hoge had more in him, in the form of a 20-foot bomb for birdie on 17.
That putt just about secured the win for our boy, but we were all forced to watch Beau Hossler stink up the course for a hole before we knew for sure. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old kid from North Dakota got his first PGA Tour victory, earning himself a spot in the Masters and a tour exemption through 2024.
Despite covering sports from the great state of Minnesota, the Loon Boys actually hail from North Dakota, so Hoge’s ties to our homeland make this win that much more sweet. In fact, Tom went to our high school in Fargo about ten years before we did. Hoge was born in North Carolina, but grew up in Fargo, where he won multiple local amateur tournaments, including the Minnesota State Amateur and Detroit Lakes’ famous Pine to Palm Tournament. He golfed at TCU after graduating from our high school and has been on Tour for eight years.
Coming from the middle of nowhere, it’s wild to see a guy who walked the same hallways as us battle and beat the best at the highest level of the sport, but that’s what Hoge did today. Over those eight years on the Tour, he’s given us all a couple of close calls before, but he finished the job this time and, on that back nine, he was clearly the best player out there.
And, this wouldn’t be a Loon State Sports article if we didn’t flex our golf betting expertise, so check it out:
After huge hits on their Luke List to win bets last week, both Loon Magz and Loon Beast had money on Hoge this weekend. Loon Beast even had a $10 bet on Hoge to win this weekend at +5000, earning him an extra $500 to spend on refreshments in Mexico. Personally, I didn’t have any money on the line today (or ever), but the excitement derived from my high school and state pride was more than enough for me.
Fargo Boys Up.
Beau Hossler Stinks.
loonstatesports.com 
One reply on “Fargo Boys Up”
Allen – solid work here and looking forward to your future blogs with Loon State. From what I can tell, you seem to have a fantastic way with words. Maybe a “get to know the intern blog” would go a long way since you’re new? Just a thought…
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