Kevin Van Valkenburg @KVanValkenburg Twitter profile

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

2 months

I went to a Jason Isbell show and wrote about the Elephant in the room.

Jason Isbell and The Elephant In The Room

For as candid as Jason Isbell is in Cover Me Up, its meaning is not attached to one specific feeling or moment stuck in time.

nolayingup.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 months

I actually feel bad for the Brads, Chads and Angry Dads who spent the year complaining about Taylor Swift interrupting their football because I spent the season trading Swift/Kelce memes with my 14-year-old daughter (who previously didn't care about football) and now it's like a…

z-Tiffani 🤍 married to Raine

@TayvisHeaven

4 months

OH MY GOD IM SOBBING HYSTERICALLY

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 months

I once asked the Eagles PR if I could talk to Jason for 10 mins about Howie Roseman. They said sure, during our open locker room period. We’ll let him know you’re waiting. Jason got done with meetings with about two mins remaining in the media availability & waved me over.…

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

4 months

Six-time All-Pro and future Hall-of-Fame center Jason Kelce told his Eagles’ teammates in Monday night’s postgame locker room that he is in fact retiring, per league sources. The 36-year-old Kelce became visibly emotional at the end of the Eagles’ 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers. He…

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 months

The best Belichick moment. When the NFL required him to have a camera in his house during the COVID draft, so he pointed it at his dog.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

6 months

Rolling the dice that your employer won’t fire you from your $700k a year gig so you can seem funny and cool on a podcast (while also undermining your profession and enraging your peers) is wild. A potential HOF fumble-the-bag moment.

Awful Announcing

@awfulannouncing

6 months

Charissa Thompson admits to completely making up NFL sideline reports

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

I don't want to dunk on the Northwestern J-students, in part because I think we need journalists now more than ever and punching down in his profession is extremely shitty, but I do want to tell a story about why we call people who might not want to be contacted for stories.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

Favorite Ed Reed on-field anecdote: He intentionally played a certain coverage wrong multiple times early in the season because he knew Peyton Manning would watch it on tape. 10 weeks later, Manning ran a play, threw deep, and Reed sprinted across the field and picked it off.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

I say this without snark: This Scorsese-inspired tracking shot is one of the coolest uses of social media ever done by a school.

LSU Football

@LSUfootball

4 years

No. 9 Joe Burrow

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

9 months

Turning a beloved municipal in *Nebraska* that costs $26 to play so we can have blocks of Soviet style housing with an Orange Theory and a Verizon store is some Galaxy brain stuff.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

11 months

I don't know how any player who turned down LIV money and stayed with the PGA could believe anything Jay Monahan says ever again. He made them take every arrow, hid in an office for a year, then double crossed them on CNBC. Better get them paid, I guess.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

I walked a few holes with Tiger Woods today at Southern Hills, and I would like to try and describe what it sounds at impact from five feet away when he rips a 2-iron off the tee: A thread...

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

6 years

Michael Jordan convinced an entire generation of sports fans (and athletes) that “greatness” had to be a joyless, obsessive, faux-Alpha, corporate endeavor that required humiliating opponents, and 90 percent of bad sports takes can be traced back to people treating it as gospel.

Pelicans Smark.

@LaRocca504

6 years

What’s your most biased sports opinion that you will think is true no matter what?

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

We're in big trouble if we climb the journalism ladder, forget how hard it was to climb, and also roll our eyes at those now trying to climb — while occasionally slipping — a much more treacherous and wobbly ladder.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

6 years

Strategy is generally overrated in Ryder Cups, but you have to give the Euro Tour credit for picking a course with this much water when they’ve got a guy who can walk across it to get to his ball.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 months

@scotty_w_lewis I don’t know, to be honest. I think there is so much in culture to get annoyed by, new people enjoying something you like for their own reasons isn’t worth it. One of the few benefits of aging is you realize (sometimes) it’s fun to see people outside your world enjoy stuff.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 years

What a great shot by @jeffcohenphoto . American Katie Nageotte knowing she’s just win gold.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 months

Professional golfers are welcome to chase whatever payday they can get, but so many forces within the sport seem ignorant of how disinterested fans are becoming when they realize golf's overall message: Fans do not matter.

Jon Rahm, the Rollback and an Entire Reevaluation

Have we hit the point of no return in our enjoyment of men's professional golf? KVV discusses how Jon Rahm's departure to LIV and the rollback further expose the cracks of a broken product.

nolayingup.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

Today is my first day as part of @NoLayingUp . I'm going to be the company's Editorial Director, and lead its expansion of written content. I'm really excited to work with such a smart group of friends. This is my first piece. It's called "Comets."

"Comets"

After 11 years at ESPN, Kevin Van Valkenburg has joined No Laying Up and will focus on covering men's and women's professional golf.

nolayingup.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

6 years

This part of @TomJunod ’s piece on Mike Tomlin is one of the best points I’ve read breaking down our country’s conversation about race.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

11 months

Asked Rory if it’s getting exhausting to have to answer questions about dealing with disappointment. He smiled. “I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship.”

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Few performances have ever been less sincere than Koepka’s “how dare you, I haven’t even thought about this” routine at the US Open last week. Jena was more convincing and committed to a role in the Sharknado movie.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

Hi Lee, thanks for reading. A follow up, if you’ll indulge me, that is related to my point: Do you think it’s been helpful in growing the LIV brand that you and Bryson have combined to break 70 once in your last 12 rounds?

Lee Westwood

@WestwoodLee

1 year

@KVanValkenburg @NoLayingUp 😂😂😂

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 months

Behold, one of the best ball strikers in history.

Steve Scott

@sscottpga

3 months

Does footwork even matter anymore in golf?

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

My favorite Eli Manning anecdote is when Rory McIlroy was at the gym at 6 am during the Masters and Brady and the Mannings walked in and Rory told the press later: Wow it was so inspiring to see how Tom and Peyton grind during the off-season, just so cool. And Eli was there also.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

"I want to thank you," she said, as I handed back the pictures. "I feel like I don't have to explain myself to people anymore; people who might be silently wondering why I didn't help Robyn more. I can just hand them your piece. I don't have to have 100 awful conversations."

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

8 years

Another great Arnold Palmer story from his grandson, Sam.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

I know stuffy country club etiquette well enough to bet that right now, there is some Oak Hill member who is *steaming* about this backwards hat play by JT.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

Even the best college journalists make bad calls. I made plenty. Thankfully, there was no Twitter to sneer at me for not "getting it." Empathy isn't just something we ought to extend to our sources, it's something we ought to extend to the next generation of journalists.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 years

Nothing about the Bryson DeChambeau experience is easy these days. My column from Caves.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

Nantz catches hell often for his occasional cheesiness, but the fact that he said nothing here for over 2 mins and just let the moment speak for itself is wonderful.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 years

What I imagine I look like on the golf course verses what I, more realistically, look like.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

Manning was baffled. Reed’s teammates were amazed. It looked, to a laymen, like a dumb throw by Peyton but later in the year, Belichick called it one of the greatest plays he’d ever seen a defender make. I asked some Ravens why. Found out it was a 10-week rope-a-dope by ER20.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

This @ramonashelburne story remains one of my favorite things we ever did at ESPN The Magazine. Kobe opened up just about every aspect of his life to Ramona, and I'm so glad we have it because it captures him in all his driven, admirable madness.

Kobe Bryant isn't going anywhere

You'd think after the career Kobe has had, he'd just ride off into the sunset. But really, he's just getting started. Black Mamba may be out of the NBA, but not the spotlight.

www.espn.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

I wrote the story. You can read it here. When it came out, I went to return some pictures to her mom, Jackie. I was more nervous than I've ever been in my career, before or since. But Jackie gave me a moment of grace I will never forget.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

Because sometimes people *want* to talk. Sometimes they understand there is a greater good at stake, or that talking helps. If you show them enough empathy, they might even — one day — be grateful you called.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

Possible (even likely) that Zach Taylor and Sean McDermott saved the NFL from itself tonight.

Paxton Boyd

@paxton

1 year

Per Joe Buck, once officials gave each team 5 minutes to warm up before resuming play, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor walked across the field and consulted Bills HC Sean McDermott. Both coaches then sent their teams to their respective locker rooms. Such a classy move by Taylor.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

The mom said: "I'm so glad you called. Because I do want to talk. I feel like Robyn died of depression the same way people die of cancer. Do you want to come to my house? Do you want to read the poetry she wrote? She was a beautiful person."

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

8 months

Jimmy Traina

@JimmyTraina

8 months

This is tremendous television. @MadDogUnleashed explains how he’s gonna drink, take gummies and bet $10,000 on Colorado this weekend, leading to pricess reactions from @mspears96 .

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Aaron Rodgers has gotten a lot of joy this season out of being his “unapologetic self.” I wanted to know if he’d talk about what that meant, so I sent him an email. On the eve of the playoffs, it turns out, he did want to talk, so I mostly listened.

The unfiltered year of Aaron Rodgers

This season, Aaron Rodgers has been brilliant on the field and unapologetically vocal off it. In an exclusive interview with ESPN, he explains why.

www.espn.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

My only Champions Dinner take is this one: Everyone there should be forced to eat what's on the menu, no one should get to order burgers or fries, if someone is afraid to try the sushi, too bad you should have won the tournament last year; if you're in your 70s, tough break.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

So. A bit of personal news. After 11 years, I made the decision to part ways with ESPN when my contract ended this week. It was my decision & I stuck to it even when asked if I might reconsider. I leave with only warm feelings about the place. It changed my life. I'm so grateful.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

Imagine an NFL where Teddy Bridgewater's knee didn't randomly buckle on a practice field in Minnesota four years ago. I wrote about how his recent stint as a starter with the Saints was a window into what could have been — and what still may be for him.

Bridgewater’s brief but brilliant starting run was a glimpse of what could have been

A series chronicling the rise of black quarterbacks in the NFL NEW ORLEANS — His game-day ritual, whenever the Saints are playing at home in the Mercedes-Benz S…

andscape.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

6 years

The ever-so-rare additional clarification and apology to clear up the previous clarification that followed the original apology, which was issued after the initial non-apology drew criticism.

Urban Meyer

@CoachUrbanMeyer

6 years

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

11 months

The idea that the PGA Tour is a "player-run organization" seems kind of blown up today, yes? Not a single player knew this was coming, or got to vote on it, and saw it unfold on TV?

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

Reporting on difficult topics has always been hard. Sometimes you get screamed at by people who, to be honest, have a right to scream at you. I've been screamed at by families before, hung up on, and even felt threatened. But good reporters still make those calls. Why?

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 years

❤️❤️❤️

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Fitzpatrick gets asked what he thinks about St. Andrews being the next major. “Well I’m a bomber now so I’ll probably be driving all the greens.”

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

I cannot emphasize this enough: LIV does not expect to recoup this money WITH GOLF. Or ever be profitable WITH GOLF. People need to stop thinking about this in sports terms. It’s a 10-year chess move by a country that wants to use golf to clean its reputation for biz investment.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

10 months

I would like to fact check the first sentence here.

Tim O'Brien

@TimOBrien

10 months

Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville knows football. He knows much less about public policy — and shouldn’t be toying with national security because he wants to wage a culture war over abortion and reproductive rights.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

Spieth: Should I shape this right to left into the breeze with a hard 9, or let it ride the wind with a soft 8? Greller: [exhale] Spieth: Maybe a low stinger that starts right at the TV tower and fades toward that small child? Greller: So... Spieth: I agree, lot of options.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

One of Baltimore's top COVID doctors -- the chief of critical care division at Mercy Hospital -- dies of COVID infection.

ICU doctor at Mercy Medical Center dies of the coronavirus he worked to help others overcome

Baltimore doctor Joseph Costa, a health care worker on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, died Saturday after contracting the coronavirus he was working to treat. Costa, the chief of the cri…

www.baltimoresun.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

7 months

“Like I said yesterday in the media, I didn't see the incident that happened on the green with Rory and Joe.” —Cantlay

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

8 months

This dude was really good in two Ryder Cups and cared *deeply* in an era where many felt like US players didn’t care enough. It really does feel like that counts for nothing when it comes to him, and everything when it comes to JT, which has to be so frustrating for him.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 years

I covered Michael Phelps in the four-year lead up to Beijing, when (just like Biles) it felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He’s been open about how close it came to breaking him, that he contemplated suicide. IMO, Biles decision today should be celebrated.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

11 months

I wanted to take a day to mull how I felt about the recent golf news before I wrote about it, and where I landed was how The Disease of More has helped golf untether itself from its niche reality. @NoLayingUp

The Disease of More

With the partnership of the PGA Tour and PIF, the Disease of More has officially afflicted all of golf. Is there an antidote?

nolayingup.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

At least Politico didn’t wait until the book tour to release this information.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

Once you stand on the sideline and hear the car crash that happens on every play, you can never un-hear it, and you start to realize *playing* is what’s insane.

Jay Glazer

@JayGlazer

5 years

Andrew Luck retiring is beyond insane

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Tiger said back in 2007 at the PGA Championship when it was 107 degrees, he asked John Daly how many waters he drank during his round. Daly told him he didn't have any water, but he drank about 12 Diet Cokes.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

I went to her house. She showed me Robyn's poetry. Videos of her. She'd been getting bullied at school, teased for being eccentric and different and artsy, and didn't know how to cope. Her mom and dad just wanted me to understand she was more than a name in the police blotter.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

I was standing maybe 30 feet from Fitzpatrick when he hit his approach into 18, and no lie, it was some of the purest contact I've ever heard anyone make out of a fairway bunker. One of the best golf shots I've ear seen in person. Just an absolute teardrop falling from the sky.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

Prodigy. Phenom. Superstar. Legend. Icarus. Scandal. Punching bag. Cautionary tale. Charity case. Relatable. Medical miracle. Doubt. Promise. Skepticism. Stunner. Joy. What a ride, Tiger. A crazy American story.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

The idea that getting a really good quote out of a player would constitute a "loss" for a reporter so fundamentally misunderstands the goals of journalism, I am at a bit of a loss as to what would constitute a win.

Mike Randle

@RandleRant

5 years

Deshaun Watson 1 Reporter 0

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

7 years

It was all a dream I used to read Jesuit Magazine

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

7 months

Sports controversies explained by most egregious offense of etiquette imaginable: Football: Stepping on a player’s head with your cleat Baseball: Throwing 99 mph at someone who hit well against you and was too pleased Golf: Opponent’s butler waving his hat in your general area

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 years

Tiger Woods, the most ruthless competitor of my lifetime, fighting back tears and telling Sands he was just trying to make sure Charlie stayed hydrated out there, might be a dad HOF moment.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

Stop exploiting Pat Tillman's memory, please. He did not want this.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

I asked Matt Fitzpatrick what he thought about Scottie saying he was on “The Bryson Plan.” “I’ve had my drug test and it was negative,” Fitzpatrick said, grinning as he said it.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

17 days

Congrats to everyone who broke this niche sport and then said “If everyone was competing in the same place, that would fix it.”

Josh Carpenter

@JoshACarpenter

17 days

Golf viewership continues to drop: CBS drew 9.589M viewers for the final round of the Masters on Sunday, down 20% from last year. Scottie Scheffler's four-shot win was the second-largest deficit of the season. Lowest final round since 2021 (9.450M for Hideki Matsuyama's win)

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

“So here is how it works: You recruit 10 friends and family members, and each of them recruits 10 friends and family members. And because the teeth whitening paste is so effective — we can’t even keep it in stock — you’ll sell your allotment in weeks. And everyone gets rich.”

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

10 months

Chatted with Rickie Fowler after his round. Asked him about being heckled by a fan, something he believed was a first. “He called me a coward for not going through with my Leeds investment,” Fowler said. “That’s a first. Maybe he should put up his own money.”

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

PHIL: You know, Tiger, I’ve always wanted to tell you this, and I regret not saying it sooner but- (Crosstalk) JACOBSON: BLAH BLAH BLAH WHAT AN AMAZING MATCH THIS IS WHAT GREAT GUYS THERE ARE. Tiger: Wow. Thanks Phil. Let’s never speak of this again.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

One more time, Dan Jenkins 10 Stages of Drunkenness 1. Witty & Charming 2. Rich and Powerful 3. Benevolent 4. Clairvoyant 5. Fuck Dinner 6. Patriotic 7. Crank up the Enola Gay 8. Witty & Charming, Part II 9. Invisible 10. Bulletproof

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

19 days

Please. Stop. Showing. Meaningless tap ins on 18 when there is very important shit going on in the final two groups.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

Probably a Top 10 golf clip for me, easily. Gonna sleep on it but might have to write 500 words about this for Saturday.

Casey Bannon

@CaseyFBannon

1 year

KEITH MITCHELL AT THE BUZZER

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

11 months

What's so funny about a headline like this is: 1. I was the person who asked the question in the scrum, so I feel like I can confidently say... 2. He didn't SOUND OFF about anything. He quietly gave his honest, even somewhat reluctant take, smiling as he did it.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Man. The second putt here doesn't get nearly enough run on highlight reels. It's cooler than any Kevin Na walk-in, and way cooler than the Deep Fake one from the President's Cup that gets so much love (despite being spliced together.)

Skratch

@Skratch

2 years

#TigerTuesdays 3 down with 5 holes to play, Tiger needed the putter to heat up against J.B. Holmes in 2008. Did it ever.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

11 months

Hypocrisies, ranked: 5. "It's about new fans/growing the game." 4. "A shotgun start is more fair." 3. "We love being on the CW." 2. "Golf shouldn't be a monopoly." (A HUGE GAP, like the distance to Mars) 1. "Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?"

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

Whatever happens, the pace at which Brooks plays is such a delight. Fox can barely get Woodland and Rose’s shots in before Brooks has hit, walked to his ball, judged the lie, and taken the club back again.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

If you listened to the Dolly Parton’s America podcast, you’ll realize what a big deal this is. She said she’d purposefully avoided *anything* that could be seen as political her entire career, but also vowed to speak out one day when the cause called for it.

CONSEQUENCE

@consequence

4 years

. @DollyParton backs #BlackLivesMatter . "Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter?"

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

7 years

Here is my story on Eddie Lacy, and what it feels like to be relentlessly mocked on the Internet.

Eddie Lacy is more than a meme

For the first time, Seahawks running back Eddie Lacy opens up about his agonizingly public struggle with weight.

www.espn.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

5 years

Had a quintessential LA moment today. Pulled over to take a reporting call. Quiet, Brentwood neighborhood. I'm talking to a source. Bearded guy, sunglasses, fit and in his 40s, jogs by. He pauses to adjust his knee brace. Glances at me in my car, jogs on. It was Christian Bale.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

6 years

MLB Twitter: Terrible decision. How does the manager not know Harper’s 7th inning 2-out VORP? NFL Twitter: This game is so morally bankrupt, I can’t wa—OMG what a catch!!! (Wait, was it a catch?) NBA Twitter: -I will drive to Temecula and fight you. -O rly? I’m the 76ers GM.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 years

@BunkiePerkins Need to tell you my favorite Popeyes story. A lady friend of mine ordered a 16p with sides. Woman at register asks if it’s to go. Friend says “oh yeah. Obviously I can’t sit here and eat it all myself.” Popeyes employee looks at her and goes: “Bitch, I don’t know your life.”

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Not sure if two hours is enough time for Golf Twitter to prepare itself for Cam Smith to go YOLO on the Road Hole and hit a draw around the backside of the hotel while tied for the lead.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

8 months

Shane Lowry vs. Justin Thomas for the Cup. First man to make consecutive pars wins it for their squad.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 years

You know how every golf journalist tries to say [new Spanish player] is the next Seve? You know who is actually Seve’s spiritual heir? Jordan Spieth. It seems obvious now. He talks to every shot. His driver is often a mess. He’s a magician and open book. He’s the American Seve.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Possible the absolute right way to cover LIV would be to ask Sergio and Brooks super serious questions about their teams *every week* & force them to play along with the farce any of this matters. “Any comment for lifelong Fireball fans who are crushed by this? Is it a betrayal?”

Golf Monthly

@GolfMonthly

2 years

Sergio Garcia's 'Fireballs' may be getting a re-brand...

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Honestly, kudos to Lydia for talking about a very normal part of being a woman in a very normal way instead of acting like there should be some shame attached to it.

Fried Egg Golf

@fried_egg_golf

2 years

Lydia Ko explaining that her mid-round physical therapy was because it’s “that time of the month.” “I know you’re at a loss for words Jerry. Honesty it is!”

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

4 years

Worth re-telling the best Marshal Yanda story in honor of his retirement: When Yanda was a rookie, Chris McAlister brought a taser into the locker room and boasted he’d give anyone $500 if they could take a taser hit. (Football players do silly macho nonsense like this often.)

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

10 months

While I was off reporting on Allisen Corpuz's victory, my daughter asked if she could write about her experience of attending the U.S. Women's Open. I said sure and left her my laptop. (Thank you for all the incredibly kind notes about me getting weepy.)

Little KVV: Reflections from the U.S. Women's Open

KVV's daughter, Keegan, spent the U.S. Women's Open week walking alongside her dad and leaves with heartwarming perspective on the game they both cherish.

nolayingup.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Tiger Woods is one of the best Rorschach tests there is in sports. You can watch him these days and feel a lot of things, all of them valid. Come with me on a ride as we talk about grit, about melancholy, and awe.

There are a lot of different ways to feel while watching Tiger Woods trudge his way around a golf...

Watching the 15-time major champion, in pain and down the leaderboard, walk Southern Hills can conjure a variety of different emotions.

www.espn.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

11 months

Well, I guess Phil did know more than the rest of us.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

21 days

Jose Maria Olazabal is 58 years old, usually plays two competitive rounds of golf every year (at the Masters) and now he's likely going to play two more because he's gonna make the cut while Thomas, Hovland, Spieth, DJ, Harman (among others) go home. This course always delivers.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

I know this about Grant Wahl: He was a person of passion, conviction, integrity and courage. He was the kind of journalist and writer everyone admired. He was so kind to me when I was a nobody and we happened to share a city. Honor him by being fearless in the pursuit of truth.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

22 days

This is a nice picture.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

3 years

No joke, seeing Hiedki get choked up after being so stoic through so many near misses, is really cool. A great moment for golf.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

Very kind of Greg Norman to “let the Masters go off” before announcing who has joined LIV Golf. Would have hated to see the Masters unable to hold its tournament because of the huge announcement by Greg Norman.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

Conspiracy I’d like to breathe life into, please assist if capable: This bunker was not in the original design but someone spilled a splash of coffee on the original plans and everyone was too nervous to ask the Dyes if it was intentional so everyone just went with it.

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

1 year

Golf has brought Brooks Koepka fame, romance and riches, things he assumed would fill up his cup, but ultimately it’s still immortality that he’s chasing. Does he have regrets? He may be the tipping point of golf's civil war. A column for @NoLayingUp .

KVV: Brooks Koepka and the balance of golf's civil war

The sport has brought Brooks Koepka fame, romance and riches, things he assumed would fill up his cup, but ultimately it’s still golf immortality that he’s chasing. Does he have regrets?

nolayingup.com

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 years

The word Orwellian probably gets thrown around too frequently, but claiming you never did an interview — when you previously released a lengthy statement apologizing for that interview — is among the weirdest things I think I've ever seen in sports.

Dylan Dethier

@dylan_dethier

2 years

Interesting moment from Phil's LIV presser in Saudi Arabia. Asked about his previous comments about Saudi, he answers: "So I will reiterate, I never did an interview with Alan Shipnuck."

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Kevin Van Valkenburg

@KVanValkenburg

2 months

McAfee: So, Kamala Harris, bro. I haven’t read much about her. But sharp lady? Good dresser. Locked up a lot of people, bro. How you feeling about this debate? Rodgers: I relish the opportunity to compete. McAfee: Ohhhhhh! That is why he is that dude, folks. AJ Hawk: [nods]

Will McDuffie

@wrmcduff

2 months

NEW: Jesse Ventura has not received a formal offer to be Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate, his son told @ABC Wednesday. Kennedy said last night he has chosen someone, indicating to @ABC that the person -- whom he wouldn't name -- has accepted the position.

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