This week in GTM: a 39-year-old Kiwi holed the putt of his life to steal a major, an AI “employee” learned to run your product demo, and one startup started paying people to fire their competitors. Grab a coffee — you’re already behind the field.
⛳ THE DRIVE: Ryan Fox and the Longest Prospecting Cycle in Golf
Ryan Fox waited 39 years, played 38 majors, and grew up in a house stacked with trophies that weren’t his — dad Grant Fox is an All Black rugby legend, and his grandfather captained New Zealand’s cricket side. Three generations, three sports, and until Sunday, zero major titles in golf (The Guardian). Then he birdied four of his last six at Royal Birkdale, split the 18th fairway with a 330-yard rocket that untucked his shirt, and drilled an 11-foot-7 putt to beat Cameron Young by one and lift the Claret Jug (PGA Tour). The lesson for your pipeline: the longest sales cycle in the world still closes if you keep showing up to the tee.
🏴 THE FAIRWAY: The 62 Nobody Remembers — and the One That Won
Here’s the wild part: Fox’s Saturday 62 tied the lowest round in major history — the third 62 of the week, after Sam Burns and Lucas Herbert both did it 20 minutes apart on Friday (PGA Tour). Three record-tying rounds, and only one of those guys is Champion Golfer of the Year. Burns took a two-shot lead into Sunday and went birdie-free for his final 12 holes; Herbert faded. Your best demo week means nothing if you don’t close on Sunday. The scoreboard doesn’t remember your Friday.
🟢 THE GREEN: Sable Taught an AI to Do the One Thing Reps Hate
Sequoia and 8VC just dropped $45M on Sable, a company barely a year old building an AI “employee” that runs live product demos — the one sales job software never automated well (AI News Today). Shaun Maguire and Joe Lonsdale both took board seats, and HubSpot’s founders chipped in. This Week’s Hole-in-One Award goes to Sable for reading the room: nobody wants to give the 4 p.m. demo, so build a robot that never gets happy ears. Just remember — a caddie can read the yardage, but somebody still has to hit the shot.
🎙️ FROM THE CLUBHOUSE: Someone’s Paying You to Fire Your Vendor
Default just launched a $1.5M “RIP” fund — that’s Replace Incumbent Platforms — literally offering to buy out your existing GTM contracts so you’ll switch to them (IndustryLens). It’s the golf equivalent of a rival club paying your membership transfer fee to poach you off the tee sheet. Ballsy. If your renewal is coming up and a competitor’s dangling a contract-buyout, that’s leverage — the smartest buyers this quarter aren’t switching for features, they’re switching for someone else’s checkbook. Got a spicy vendor-swap story? Drop it at gtmgolfclub.com and we’ll put it on the green.
🎒 THE CADDIE’S CORNER
Argentine amateur Mateo Pulcini rolled in a 40-foot birdie bomb at the Open, then turned to a crowd full of Englishmen and busted out Enzo Fernández’s World Cup celebration — pure chaos, zero fear (Sportsnet). It’s the golf version of ringing the gong after closing a logo you stole from a competitor. Read the room? He read it and then set it on fire.
🍺 19TH HOLE INSIGHT
Three players shot the lowest round in major history this week. Only one is holding the Claret Jug. Your activity metrics are somebody’s Friday 62 — beautiful, record-setting, and completely irrelevant if you don’t make the putt that counts. Close on Sunday.
Got a story tip, SaaS scoop, or a golf take that belongs in the next issue? Drop it at gtmgolfclub.com — we’ll take it from the rough and put it on the green. Follow us on LinkedIn.
