Netflix’s first season of Full Swing was meant to provide an unprecedented, inside glimpse at PGA Tour life. Camera crews got more than they bargained for when, all of a sudden, LIV Golf was tossing around blank checks from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and luring away some of the Tour’s biggest stars, including five-time major champion and reigning PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka.
Well, the drama surrounding LIV and the PGA Tour hasn’t slowed at all. They’ve even struck a tentative alliance to create one gigantic golf league where everybody benefits. Those details are still being hammered out as we speak, but in the meantime, Full Swing Season 2 is about to give us more insight when it premieres on March 6.
Rory McIlroy has been my favorite golfer for a very long time. He was the public mouthpiece for the Tour throughout the whole LIV saga, and the trailer features his viral quote about feeling like a sacrificial lamb. This man is trying to overcome a decade-long major drought and finally win The Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. Think about dealing with the weight of an entire professional sport on your shoulders in the midst of all that. All that noise aside, Rory has continued to play at a top-two level in the world, even if major titles have proven elusive since the 2014 PGA Championship.
Speaking of Rory and controversy, there wasn’t much more of a heated exchange than what happened at the Ryder Cup last year, when American caddie Joe LaCava irked Rory while he prepared to hit a putt.
So much for Full Swing to mine from Rory McIlroy alone! But then of course, there’s a whole load of other exotic personalities and world-class players to tune in for.
Another notable subplot in the trailer stars former world No. 1 Justin Thomas. Sh*t got ugly for him last season, as he missed the cut in all four majors. JT posted an 81 to trunk-slam at the U.S. Open, and then began The Open Championship with a round of 82. Back-to-back rounds in the 80s in majors. Not great!
Thankfully, Thomas has really turned it around of late — and really, his return to form began in the lead up to the Ryder Cup. As great as JT is, he was barely a captain’s pick for Team USA.
Europe has dominated the Ryder Cup for quite some time, and after losing the last event, they routed the Americans 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 this last time around. Rory led Team Europe with four points of his own and a 4-1 individual record.
It looks like Netflix will let us see a good deal of the selection process. Captains always leave a couple guys hanging and devastated. Should be serious drama contained within those narrative threads alone.
What timing Netflix had to launch this series. I think we’ll see Full Swing in perpetuity. Just have to hope Tiger Woods has a little more in the tank so that he can factor more into the mix and lift this show into another stratosphere.
