Optics and stigmas and past failures be damned. Dustin Johnson is a golf savant, and the brightest star in the sport's galaxy.

It's been less than two months since Wesley Bryan underwent surgery to fix a torn left labrum, but the 28-year-old PGA Tour pro has already resumed practicing. With his good shoulder, at least.
PODCAST: Wesley Bryan on making Jim Nantz cringe and his go-to Taco Bell order
On Monday, Bryan posted a video of him practicing his chipping, and, let's just say he could actually tie one arm behind his back and still beat you at golf. Easily. Check out this spiffy one-handed highlight:
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Of course, this kind of a challenge is a bit unfair considering Bryan's background. Before becoming a winner on both the Web.com Tour and PGA Tour, Wes was half of the trick-shot tandem the Bryan Bros with his older brother, George.
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So saying Wesley has elite hand-eye skills would be underselling it. In any event, Wesley said last month he hopes to return to the PGA Tour later this year. But by the looks of it, his short game is already in mid-seas..

Golf notes: Why Tony Finau was allowed to change his score in Mexico; an amazing statistic involving Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we only need to look at the Academy Awards to see just how toothless golf’s new rules have become. Last year, the USGA limited the use of green books and now, just a few months later a movie called “GREEN BOOK” wins the Oscar for Best Picture?! Talk about the Academy just flaunting its power in the face of golf’s governing bodies.
FacebookPinterestKeyur KhamarThis is all to say the rules were a big topic of conversation once again this week. As was the destruction of actual greens. Sigh. But there was a lot of good going on in the game as well, and all the caddies at a PGA Tour event in Mexico were properly paid this time (we think). Anyway, let’s get to it.
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Dustin Johnson: It’s weeks like these that Johnson’s jaw-dropping talents remind us that when he’s on, it’s not a fair fight. DJ shot 21 under par to win the WGC-Mexico Championship for a second time in three years, won his sixth World Golf Championship and became jus..

Mike McGinnisThey say you can't keep a good man down. But apparently in this participation trophy-strewn millennial hellscape, that definition has been broadened to include aggressively average men as well, with former New Jersey governor Chris Christie rising from the proverbial dead this week to claim perhaps his greatest most-warranted triumph yet: A triple XL Rutgers hoodie hanging in the rafters of the prestigious, totally-not-sketchy-at-all Sports Betting Hall of Fame. Someone kick the Jon Bon, this is cause to celebrate!
So yes, the Sports Betting Hall of Fame is a real thing, and no, it's not just a fancy code word rich people use for “prison”—like when auntie has to go to the “spa” after lighting her neighbor's welcome mat on fire while reciting the closing monologue of Sunset Boulevard faster and faster until the words turn to mush. Founded in 2016 by the London-based Sports Betting Commission, the SBHoF is still in its infancy—it doesn't even have a draft..

R&A chief Martin Slumbers is handling the 'unfortunate incidents' surrounding the new Rules of Golf, but Brexit and its impact on the Open Championship loom

Let's get one thing straight: this is not a LeBron James hate site. In fact, just about all of us at The Loop are #TeamLeBron. Personally, he's the greatest athlete I've ever been lucky enough to watch. Everything he does on the court is remarkable, and I cannot stress “on the court enough.” Off the court, I think we can all agree he's pretty insufferable (at times).
RELATED: LeBron finds a way to randomly dagger Knicks fans after last game against Dwyane Wade
On Monday night though, there were a few on-the-court moments for the King that didn't exactly scream remarkable. With the Lakers fading further and further from the playoff picture by the day, every game is essentially a must-win, especially games against the second-to-last in the West Memphis Grizzlies. With all the talk from LeBron about “activating” into “playoff mode,” it's tough to watch him play this type of defense in a must-win game, wouldn't you say?
https://twitter.com/gifdsports/stat..

The British Open will be staged at Royal Liverpool in 2022

Technically, Dirk Nowitzki has yet to actually say that he is going to retire at the conclusion of this NBA season, and if he wanted, he could become an unrestricted free agent this off-season. But considering he'll turn 41 in June, and the fact that he's averaging just 12 minutes per game and only five points, we've all just assumed this is his last hurrah. Let's not forget he looks like a dad in a men's league game out there at this point. Come to think of it, he's going to dominate a dad men's league in retirement.
RELATED: Doc Rivers once tried to get ejected because Tiger Woods was making a Masters run
Because we've all assumed, almost every visiting arena Dirk has visited has given him a hero's sendoff. The Boston Celtics fans chanted for Dirk to come in, and gave him an epic standing ovation early in the game:
https://twitter.com/espn/status/1081366501628755969
At Madison Square Garden, Knicks fans also chanted “We want Dirk!” and the..