Off the Tee: Big Upset in the Desert, Stacked Field at Torrey Pines, Rules Changes, New Schedule

In sports, you don't find much bigger underdogs than Adam Long.

At age 31 he's a rookie on the PGA Tour.

His last professional win came on the Hooters Tour in 2011.

In his last five events, he finished a combined 20-over par and missed the cut four times.

But Sunday (January 20) in Southern California, he overcame 500-to-1 odds to drain a 15-foot putt on the 72nd hole to beat, among others, a hard-charging Phil Mickelson at the Desert Classic.

In this edition of 'Off The Tee', Joel Harrington from 4 Deep Golf blog and I discuss Long's unexpected win as well as Mickelson's near miss after an opening round 60.

We also talk about:

• Golf's new rules changes for the 2018-19 season, including putting with the flagstick in, new drop rules, and 'penalty areas' replacing hazards.
• The Farmers Insurance Open tees off Thursday (January 24) near San Diego. Seven-time champ Tiger Woods leads a stacked field.
• What's ahead on the 2019 schedule, including a revamped order of major tournaments.

Here's our full conversation: