19th Hole
Rory McIlroy splits with swing instructor Pete Cowen, returns to Michael Bannon

According to a report from Golfweek, Rory McIlroy has split with his swing instructor, Pete Cowen. McIlroy and Cowen had worked together for the past eight months (check out Rory’s WITB here).
Rory will now work again with his long-time coach, Michael Bannon. The 32-year-old confirmed the coaching change in an interview with Golfweek
“Yes, Michael and I are back working together,” McIlroy said. “I’ve always had a relationship with Pete and I’ll ask for his input if I feel I need it. But now it’s Michael and me.”
It appears McIlroy started working with Bannon again just a few days after his 20th career PGA Tour win at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas. The pair met in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where McIlroy resides. For Bannon, the trip to Florida marked the first time he has been in the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than 18 months ago. He is now in Florida full-time working with Rory as he prepares for next week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
McIlroy’s performance over the past 18 months has been relatively disappointing, missing the cut at both the Players Championship and the Masters. He also finished outside of the top-40 at the PGA Championship.
It is no surprise that Rory is eager to work with Bannon again now that he’s able to be stateside.
Bannon started coaching McIlroy when he was just eight years old.
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- Caddie saves Korn Ferry Tour Qualifier with sharp thinking to avoid rules disaster
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19th Hole
Golfer shoots round of 64 over par at prestigious qualifier

The BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship is one of the biggest events in the American amateur game. Some of the best local and national amateurs showed up this past weekend to play at Inniscrone Golf Club, Pennsylvania.
This year, Alex Seelig and Jack Wallace shared the top spot posting a score of even par. The cut line was 5-over par, which resulted in 16 players advancing through to the championship which will take place in June.
Surprisingly, the golfers who shot the lowest scores weren’t the ones who grabbed the headlines.
Zane Pysher of Green Pond Country Club shot a 64-over-par round of 134 that included a score of 18 on the 17th hole. The Twitter account Monday Q Info was in attendance and provided the details of the hole.
We have a new record at a Qualifier (not a Monday Q)
It’s a 134, and it includes an 18!!! How does one make an 18….well, I have the details. pic.twitter.com/2W9R4MGQaa
— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) May 23, 2022
“Well we hit the 5th hour mark on the 17th tee and his first [ball] didn’t clear the hazard. He hit 4 ball[s] in the hazard from where he had to take a drop so the rules official had him drop on the other side than he hit his 10th shot right behind a tree. Proceeded to hit his 11th right into the tree and had to duck to not get hit by it then punched out, hit, then hit his 13th in the hazard. Put his 15th on the green and made his 18.”
The 122nd BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship will take place June 13-15 and 18 at Philadelphia Country Club and Union League National Golf Club – Liberty Hill.
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- ‘Hey Cypress, we took your best shot!’ – Golfer plays Cypress Point in 70mph howling wind
- The chaotic F1 season finale explained in golf terms is absolutely hilarious
- ‘Don’t drink and order Taco Bell on Uber Eats’ – John Daly’s Taco Bell order is pretty incredible
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19th Hole
How a trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods changed the fortunes of a pro at the PGA Championship

Over the weekend, Dicks’s Sporting Goods was able to help out a pro-golfer in need during the PGA Championship.
In his start at the second major of the season, Lanto Griffin was having alignment issues with his putter at Southern Hills. The 33-year-old noticed his putter grip was off by a few degrees.
After a Day 1 score of +2, he took his putter to the local Dick’s Sporting Goods store and got it re-gripped, where they were able to correct the issue and had Griffin ready for Day 2.
The next day, Griffin posted a much better round of -1, making the cut. He saw his strokes gained putting leap from -0.888 to over 4.5 in round two. He even ended up finishing in the Top 10 for strokes gained for putting for the tournament.
Whether you’re competing in a major tournament or are prepping for a weekend round with friends, you never know when a Dick’s Sporting Goods could come in handy!
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- The chaotic F1 season finale explained in golf terms is absolutely hilarious
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19th Hole
Justin Thomas fires brutal shot at Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher after PGA win

Shortly after his PGA Championship victory, Justin Thomas took a shot at Jimbo Fisher.
The former Alabama Crimson Tide golfer is clearly well aware of Alabama football coach Nick Saban and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher’s recent war of words.
- Related: Justin Thomas gifts caddie Bones the major winning memento he never got from Phil Mickelson
Nick Saban has a rule that he doesn’t celebrate a victory after 24 hours pass after the win. Thomas alluded to that rule while taking a shot at Fisher in the process.
Speaking on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio, Thomas responded to the question alluding to a 24 hour rule with this savage putdown:
“I got a 24 hour rule. I’m not sure what Jimbo Fisher’s rule is but I guess he’s gotta win something first before he figures out his rule.”
Savage.
"I got a 24 hour rule"
After winning the PGA Championship Justin Thomas echoed the words of Nick Saban when it comes to how long the celebration will last.
He also couldn't help but poke fun at a Crimson Tide rival. #RollTide@JustinThomas34 I ?@PGAChampionship? pic.twitter.com/OEBKWP5ho4
— SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio (@SiriusXMPGATOUR) May 23, 2022
Last Wednesday, Saban accused Fisher of paying players to get the number one recruiting class in the country. Fisher responded by calling Saban a “narcissist” and alluded to the fact that Saban may have broken NCAA rules in the past. This past season, Fisher became the first former assistant of Saban to beat him in a game.
Fisher’s comments about Saban were harsh. “Some people think they’re God,” Fisher said. “Go dig into how God did his deal. You may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don’t want to know. We build him up to be the czar of football. Go dig into his past.”
Saban later apologized for singling Fisher and the Aggies out, saying “I should have never singled anybody out.” Saban said on ESPNU radio’s Off-Campus. “That was a mistake and I apologize for that part of it.”
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- The chaotic F1 season finale explained in golf terms is absolutely hilarious
- ‘Don’t drink and order Taco Bell on Uber Eats’ – John Daly’s Taco Bell order is pretty incredible
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