News
USGA relaxes U.S. Open exemption rule for U.S. Am winners
No longer will the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur champions have to make the difficult decision of retaining amateur status to take advantage of the exemption into the U.S. Open.
The USGA announced today that, beginning in 2020, regardless of whether a player turns pro or remains an amateur s/he is still guaranteed a spot in the national open.
Previously, players were only entitled to the U.S. Open/U.S. Women’s Open spot if they maintained amateur status, leading to much handwringing over the decision to turn pro.
“We believe this change gives our champions an important option as they choose whether and when to embark on their professional careers,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA Senior Managing Director, Championships. “Given the significant purses awarded at the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, we realize how important it is for players to make the most appropriate decision for his or her career, and the positive impact it could have at the outset of their professional careers.”
We’ve seen different schools of thought regarding the “to turn pro or not to turn pro debate,” but what just befell Viktor Hovland is a perfect illustration of the complications created by the old rule.
Hovland, who won the 2018 U.S. Amateur, elected not to turn pro ahead of the 2019 U.S. Open and played (brilliantly) as an amateur, finishing tied for 12th and turning pro after the event. Fast forward to the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and Hovland isn’t among the 125. Had he been able to compete at Pebble as a pro, he’d have earned enough points to be playing The Northern Trust this week. Instead, he’s heading to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to try to lock up his card.
The 119th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship is going on now at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point., Mississippi. The U.S. Amateur begins August 12 at Pinehurst.
- LIKE29
- LEGIT0
- WOW1
- LOL2
- IDHT0
- FLOP1
- OB0
- SHANK1
Earlier this week, it was the Brooklyn Nets making big news in the NBA with player acquisitions. Now in the golf world, it’s PXG, who is also adding to its roster with a number of new players on both the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour.
The newest members of the PXG roster, which they like to call “troops” are
- Jim Herman
- Sung Kang
- Danny Lee
- Luke List
- Henrik Norlander
- Adam Schenk
- Kyle Stanley
- Hudson Swafford
Speaking to the switch, Sung Kang said
“PXG makes some of the best performing equipment in golf. I know, with the support of Bob Parsons, his team, and PXG clubs, that I am going to be able to take my game to the next level!”
The professionals from the Korn Ferry Tour joining current PXG staffers Scott Langley and Grant Hirschman include
- Kevin Dougherty
- Nicolas Echavarria
- KK Limbhaust
- Justin Lower
- Seth Reeves
- Charlie Saxon
“Between grit and their love of the game, every one of these new players brings something special to the course. We are proud to welcome them all to the PXG Troops and honored that they have chosen to put PXG in play.” -PXG founder and CEO Bob Parsons.
These players join a long list of PXG staff players, which also includes LPGA Tour players Lydia Ko, Katherine Kirk, Austin Ernst, Christia Kim, Brittany Lang, Haley Moore, Celine Boutie, Ryann O’Toole, Gerina Piller, Jennifer Song, Linnea Ström, and Mina Harigae.
- LIKE11
- LEGIT4
- WOW3
- LOL2
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK9
So this happened……
View this post on Instagram
Adam Scott is a God…….
View this post on Instagram
WOW……
View this post on Instagram
BC with a hot take….
Sleeping on the lead feels like you’re waiting to be sentenced in the morning, and in a way you are, because losing is a form of prison and winning is freedom, if only for a day or a week, from the insecurities of sport. https://t.co/LbyNKYQA4E
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) January 14, 2021
Hmmmmmm…..
Great idea.
The juxtaposition with golf would be so cartoonish it would be impossible to ignore how long the frog has been in the water. https://t.co/NOnDCN1EgY
— Lou Brown (@Lou_TireWorld) January 14, 2021
DM @johnny_wunder
- LIKE1
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK3
At GolfWRX, we love golf equipment plain and simple
We are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment for the game in many ways. It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball, it even allows us to share another thing – the equipment itself.
One of the best ways to enjoy equipment is to experiment and whether you are looking to buy-sell-or trade (as the name suggests) you can find almost anything in the GolfWRX BST Forum. From one-off custom Scotty Cameron Circle T putters, to iron sets, wedges, and barely hit drivers, you can find it all in our constantly updated marketplace.
These are some of the latest cool finds from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Member tigercolt77 – Cleveland TL310 driver head
The TL310 is a classic glued hosel, low spin, solid acoustic bomber of a driver, and this head is practically being given away.
To see the full listing and additional pictures check out the link here: Cleveland driver head
Member budcangolf – Miura MB 101 blades
Honestly! Look at these things – how badly do you want these in your golf bag?
Considering their condition this set is a steal.
To see the full listing and additional pictures check out the link here: Miura Blades
Member br61 – 2020 TaylorMade P770 irons
The hottest irons in golf are still selling like hotcakes and if you are looking for a little bit of savings versus buying brand new – this set is your ticket.
To see the full listing and additional pictures check out the link here: P770 irons
Remember that you can always browse the GolfWRX Classifieds any time here in our forums: GolfWRX Classifieds
You can also follow along on Instagram: GolfWRX Classifieds
- LIKE2
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
Bryson DeChambeau watches on in awe at 302-yard 8-iron strike
How to select the proper tees to play from (What tees you should play from)
The average driving distance for male GolfWRX members by age
The trailer for HBO’s new Tiger Woods documentary will give you goosebumps
Justin Thomas apologizes for ‘inexcusable’ homophobic slur at Sentry
Patrick Reed or Paige Spiranac: Who would you rather have on a GolfWRX podcast?
Golf 101: If you could only pick one wedge loft to use, what would it be?
Are new clubs really better?
It might be a good idea to cut down your driver
Charlie Woods WITB
Harris English’s winning WITB: 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions
Harris English what’s in the bag Driver: Ping G400 (9 @9.2 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Kuro Kage XD 70 X...
Joaquin Niemann WITB: 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions
Driver: Ping G425 LST (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6X (45.25″, tipped 1″) 3-wood: Ping G425 Max...
Jon Rahm WITB 2021 (Callaway)
Driver: Callaway Proto Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Aldila Tour Green 75 TX 4-wood: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (16.5) Shaft:...
WITB Time Machine: Tiger Woods WITB 2013
With 2021 newly dawned, we’re in a reflective mood here at GolfWRX, so it seems like a apt time to...
-
19th Hole6 days agoJustin Thomas apologizes for ‘inexcusable’ homophobic slur at Sentry
-
Equipment2 weeks agoAre new clubs really better?
-
News1 week agoSentry TOC Tour Truck Report: New sticks, new companies, and Patrick Reed buys his own threads
-
Equipment3 weeks agoPhil Mickelson spotted with new Callaway driver (and 178 mph ball speed) in holiday video
-
Whats in the Bag1 week ago
Jon Rahm WITB 2021 (Callaway)
-
Opinion & Analysis2 weeks agoAttention – The missing link to golf performance
-
Equipment1 week agoWRX Insider: An exclusive and very rare look inside the bag of Hideki Matsuyama
-
19th Hole1 week agoEx-Golf Channel Lisa Cornwell drops bombshell details of alleged mistreatment from previous employers
Travisty
Aug 6, 2019 at 8:43 am
Finally a smart move by the USGA! Many of the kids who want to turn pro and capture a Tour card will now have more opportunity to do so before the US Open hits, instead of trying to make all that money in the back half of the season once they are officially allowed to turn Pro. This certainly would have helped out Hovland a little this year. This is a great decision by the USGA.
tom
Aug 5, 2019 at 7:23 pm
Good move … but decades too late.
Johnny Newbern
Aug 5, 2019 at 4:04 pm
Such a good move. Well done.