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WOTW: Viktor Hovland’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver in Khaki Green

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Viktor Hovland successfully defended his Hero World Challenge title this weekend. Hovland fired a final round 69, giving him a 2 stroke win over Scottie Scheffler. After the round, Victor received his trophy from Tiger Woods and on his wrist was a green Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver.

WOTW Specs
Name: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver
Reference: 15720ST.OO.A052CA.01
Limited: No
Date: 2021 – Present
Case: Stainless Steel
Bezel: Stainless Steel
Dial: Khaki Green “Méga Tapisserie”
Size: 42mm
Movement: Calibre 4308, 32 Jewels
Power Reserve: 60 Hours
Glass: Saphire Crystal
Waterproof: 300 Meters
Bracelet: Khaki Green Rubber Strap
Price: $29,000 (~$35,000)

Audemars Piguet has been making the Royal Oak Offshore line of watches since 1992 as the larger and more capable version of the iconic Royal Oak. The larger cases, bezels, and straps give the Offshore a stronger look and stand out more on the wrist. The Offshore Diver line was introduced in 2010 and was the first Audemars Piguet watch to be ISO certified.

The case on the Offshore Diver is 42mm and made from a solid block of stainless steel but it does sit tall on the wrist at around 14mm thick. The caseback on the new Offshore Diver features a large display window, made from sapphire crystal, that allows you to view the mechanical movement inside. The caseback is held in place by 8 screws and is sealed to give the Diver a 300 meter water resistance rating. On the right side of the case is the tradition screw-down crown, finished in black ceramic and ping gold, that is used to set the time and day on the watch. The second crown sits at 10 o’clock and it is used to to set the inner rotating bezel. This bezel is around the dial and can be used for timing during dives. On top of the case is the legendary octagon Royal Oak bezel that sits on a large rubber gasket and is held in place by 8 hex screws. Under the sapphire crystal is a Khaki Green dial the the Royal Oak Offshore’s Méga Tapisserie texture. Méga Tapisserie is a sequence of raised squares with a matte finish. The hour markers and hands are made from pink gold and filled with larger amounts of luminescent material for easy reading underwater. A date is located at 3 o’clock and has a magnifying cyclops lens integrated into the glass.

Inside the stainless steel armor is a self-winding mechanical movement that was designed and built in-house by Audemars Piguet in 2021. The Calibre 4308 is an upgraded movement with a date that moves to the next day instantly a new setting mechanism for added durability. The 4308 contains 234 individual parts, offers the wearer 60 hours of power reserve and features an oscillating rotor made from solid 22k pink gold. That rotor is then given a dark grey finish and perfectly hand polished.

Holding this dive watch on Viktor’s wrist is a Khaki Green rubber strap with a stainless steel pin buckle. You are able to quickly change out the strap with quick release buttons on the lugs and pin buckle. Each strap then has steel latches built into them to snap into the lugs and pin buckle. Audemars Piguet makes plenty of $600+ rubber and leather options to dress up, or down, your Offshore Diver.

These Royal Oak Offshore Divers are gaining popularity and at one time pretty easy to get your hands on. This isn’t the case currently and if you can get one at your local Audemars Piguet dealer for the $29,000 retail price, consider yourself lucky. On the secondary market you can expect to add around a $6,000 premium to that retail price.

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I have been an employee at GolfWRX since 2016. In that time I have been helping create content on GolfWRX Radio, GolfWRX YouTube, as well as writing for the front page. Self-proclaimed gear junkie who loves all sorts of golf equipment as well as building golf clubs!

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Morning 9: Rahm talked to LIV duo over leadership responsibility | JT not keeping receipts | Spieth on rowdy crowd

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans. A quick look at the Ryder Cup odds: at DraftKings right now, the US team are surprise favorites at -110 to win — 52% implied probability — Europe +115, and a tie +1000. Place your bets accordingly! Last time out, the Americans were favored to the tune of -175 at Whistling Straits.

1. Rahm talked to Garcia, Poulter about carrying the leadership torch

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…“Although Garcia’s absence will be felt throughout the team room, it has been particularly acute for Jon Rahm. The Spanish duo was undefeated in team play two years ago at Whistling Straits (3-0-1) and would have been the side’s most obvious pairing.”

  • “[Garcia] did show me a lot of what to do at Whistling and obviously in Paris, as well,” said Rahm, who added that he spoke with Garcia and Poulter before arriving in Rome. “Not that it’s going to be easy to take on the role that those two had both on and off the golf course, but just to hear them talk about what they thought and what they felt is obviously invaluable information.”
  • “With Garcia and Poulter absent, the emotional leadership for the European team now falls to Rahm and Rory McIlroy.”
  • “I don’t think I need to do anything different to what I’ve done in the past. It’s my role to go out there and try to win as much as I can,” Rahm said. “It’s usually the leaders of a team have to go out there and show a little bit more, exactly that, leadership, and getting those points.”
Full piece.

2. On captain Zach Johnson

Brendan Quinn for the Athletic…”For Johnson, being who he is means being very Iowan. Honest. Process-driven. Diligent. He operates with an abnormal attention to detail. He writes everything down and loves lists — making lists, looking at lists, checking things off lists. Though he recently referred to the U.S. team’s analytics crew as the “nerd herd,” Johnson isn’t dismissive of data.”

  • “Organization will not be an issue,” says Love III, one of Johnson’s five vice-captains, along with Furyk, Steve Stricker, Fred Couples and Stewart Cink. “And when Zach makes a decision, he’ll be confident in it.”
  • “The key is for those decisions to be accepted and executed. That takes trust.”
  • “Fellow tour players have long gravitated toward him, a counter, perhaps, to a public image of him that can sometimes translate as ill at ease. He is exceedingly well-liked among fellow pros. In his 30s and into his 40s, Johnson, comfortable in his skin, welcomed the young stars joining the tour. From Rickie Fowler to Justin Thomas to Scottie Scheffler.”
Full piece.

3. JT on Ryder Cup competitiveness

The Golf Channel digital team…“Rory [McIlroy] is a great example,” Justin Thomas said Tuesday. “I love Rory. We get along extremely well. He’s been a role model of mine. He was super nice to me when I was first starting up. He still is. We see each other a bunch.

  • “We played each other in the Ryder Cup and, yeah, we hated each other for 18 holes. Again, it’s nothing personal. It’s not a dislike as a person…”
  • “It’s just, my wife knows,” Thomas said, “if Jill teed it up in the Ryder Cup for the other team, I’m going to try to beat her pretty bad.”
Full piece.

4. “Not keeping receipts”

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Justin Thomas says he hasn’t “kept receipts” for those who have criticized his inclusion in the U.S. Ryder Cup team.”

  • “The only thing that matters to Thomas, he told reporters Tuesday, is that U.S. team captain Zach Johnson and the other American golfers who will take on the European team starting Friday at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club wanted him there.”
  • “After I was picked from the team, it doesn’t matter what it is, especially when it comes to people and stuff online, everybody’s got an opinion and theirs is right and everybody else’s is wrong, at least that’s what generally seems to be,” Thomas said. “So for that exact reason, I stayed away from social media and stayed away from stuff online because I knew nothing good was going to come from it.”
Full piece.

5. Spieth on the rowdies

Gabrielle Herzig for Sports Illustrated…”Over the years, players have demonstrated varying strategies for combating the event’s natural rowdiness. On Tuesday at Marco Simone, Jordan Spieth offered an explanation of those distinct approaches.”

  • “He used a former match-play partner as a pointed example.”
  • “I played a lot of matches with Patrick Reed, when he felt insulted, he turned the notch up,” Spieth said.
  • …”Spieth, however, couldn’t be more different in his approach.”
  • “When I feel insulted, I don’t turn it up or down,” Spieth said. “I’m just like, O.K. they are drunk, move on.”
Full piece.

6. Koepka: I should have 9 majors by now

Our Matt Vincenzi…“While appearing on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” Podcast, Brooks Koepka said he believed he could win 12 majors by the time his career is over.”

  • “The five-time major champion was asked by Big Cat, “How many majors? What’s the number? I know there’s a number in your head.”
  • “Koepka replied, “I feel like I can get to twelve. Think about it, right? Think about how many I’ve already blown. I blew one to Phil, so that’d be six. Tiger, that’s seven. Jon Rahm, so that’s eight. Gary Woodland, lost to Gary. So that’s nine.”
Full piece.

7. Chamblee calls Donald decision a mistake

Our Matt Vincenzi…”For the first time since 1993, the European team has chosen to open the Ryder Cup with foursomes rather than fourball.”

  • “When asked why he made the decision, European captain Luke Donald indicated that he wanted to get out to a “fast start”.”
  • “It’s pretty simple really, we feel like as a team, statistically, we are stronger in foursomes within our team than we would be in fourballs.”
  • “Why not get off to a fast start? That’s it.”
  • “However, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee has questioned the decision calling it a “mistake” on Golf Central.”
  • “It is very important to win the first session from a momentum standpoint. But it’s significantly more important to lead after the first day. If you go back to 1997 to present, starting with fourballs allowed them to end with a strength on the first day, and mostly they’ve dominated in the foursomes.
  • “If you win the first session, you win the Ryder Cup about 60% of the time. But if you win the first day, you win 70% of the time. So in one fell swoop, he’s potentially thrown away a 10% chance, which is a monumental advantage given to the European side, and I think that’s a mistake.”
Full piece.

8. DP World Tour invites for 4 LIV pros

9 Photos from the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (LPGA)

  • Check out all of our galleries here.
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Morning 9: Tiger’s Ryder Cup role | Scheffler’s new putting coach | Tiger caddies as Charlie wins again

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for what should be a thrilling Ryder Cup.

1. How valuable is Marco Simone to the European team?

Max Schreiber for RyderCup.com…”Firstly, the Europeans possess more experience at Marco Simone than their American counterparts, as the DP World Tour’s Italian Open has been staged there since 2021. Many of Europe’s top players have performed well in the event, while nobody on this year’s U.S. Team had played the course before their scouting trip earlier this month.”

  • “The European team has two Italian Open winners, Nicolai Højgaard (2021) and Robert MacIntyre, who beat Ryder Cup teammate Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff in 2022. Plus, Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood all have top tens at Marco Simone.”
  • “And sense a common theme from those players? Yes, they’re all top-notch drivers of the golf ball.”
  • “Højgaard is second on the DPWT this season in strokes gained: off-the-tee, while MacIntyre is 14th. On the PGA Tour, Fleetwood was 31st in that category and Hatton was 13th. Meanwhile, McIlroy just broke the Tour record for average driving distance in a season at 326.3 yards.”
Full piece.

2. Tiger’s Ryder Cup role

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”Woods was a member of the task force that overhauled the U.S. Ryder Cup process following the 2014 matches and he’s remained engaged with Team USA even as his ability to compete has been limited by injury…”

  • “He’s always in the inner-circle, and at this point it’s more encouragement on his side, whether he’s texting the guys or texting the vice captains and captains, he’s there to encourage because he’s very invested in what we do year-in and year-out with Team USA, and that has never ceased and I’m grateful for that,” U.S. captain Zach Johnson said Monday at Marco Simone. “He’s the best player of our generation. Thankfully he’s an American. We are going to utilize his knowledge and his wisdom and his candor and his passion the best we can.”
Full piece.

3. Tiger caddies for Charlie en route to junior tourney win

Christian Arnold for the NY Post…”Charlie Woods added another accomplishment to his burgeoning golf career, with a little help from his dad.”

  • “Charlie — with Tiger Woods caddying — earned a spot in the Notah Begay III National Championship on Sunday.”
  • “He finished 6-under 66 to win the 14-15 age division of the Last Chance Regional.”
  • “It’s great. We just stay in our own little world,” Charlie, 14, said about his dad caddying for him. “We take it one shot at a time. He puts me in my place. I’ll talk about the next tee shot and he’s like, ‘No. This is the shot we’re going to focus on. Focus up. This is what we’re gonna do.’”
Full piece.

4. New putting coach for Scheffler

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”After spending much of this season answering questions about his putting issues, Scottie Scheffler has gone in a new direction to find answers.”

  • “Scheffler was spotted working with putting coach Phil Kenyon on Monday at the Ryder Cup. According to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, Scheffler started working with Kenyon last week in Dallas.”
  • “Scheffler’s putting issues have been well-documented this season with the world No. 1 finishing the year first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: off-the-tee, approach the green, tee-to-green and total, but 151st (out of 184 players) in strokes gained: putting.”
Full piece.

5. Zach Johnson on why Bryson never got a call

Dave Shedloski for Golf Digest…”Still, he felt that he, and a few others who play in the LIV Golf League—Dustin Johnson, who went 5-0 in Wisconsin, being the most obvious omission—should have gotten a bit more consideration.”

  • “I can answer all of those in a very simple manner,” Zach Johnson said Monday during the first captains’ press conference with European counterpart Luke Donald. “We have a points system within the PGA of America, within the Ryder Cup USA. It’s pretty evident how you garner points and which tournaments can accumulate points. I basically, you know, I kept at one point … my own probably top 30, but when it got down towards the end of the process, it was the top 20, the top 25 guys in that point system that I felt like had the merit and certainly, well, should have my full attention. That’s where I was. I was basically in the top 20, top 25 guys in points when it came down to formulating this Team USA.”
Full piece.

6. Marco Simone observations

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”Marco Simone is not short on scenery, the property offering beautiful vistas of the Italian countryside, olive groves, rustic villages and the Roman skyline. But decouple the views from the course and two comparisons come to mind. The front nine at Marco Simone has the shape and styling of Liberty National, a maximalist and artificial design that puts a premium on ball-striking. The green contours are severe, and if the surfaces are not slow and wet they’ll reject any approach less than right. The routing is compact; there’s a sense the club tried to fit nine holes into an area that has room for just seven. The back side, however, is far more expansive in scale. Its topography is dramatic, yet the greens are the less punishing of the two nines. While the back nine still can present its difficulties, it seemed fairly gettable; in that vein, it has an air of Valhalla to it.”

Full piece.

7. Clue to Europe’s pairings?

Bunkered report…”European captain Luke Donald has already sprung a surprise by announcing that the first session at Marco Simone will be foursomes – a format Europe hasn’t opened with since 1993… which also happens to be the last time the US won on the road.

  • “But the big question of which players will be entrusted for the opening session won’t be answered until Thursday’s opening ceremony.
  • “That being said, we may have already been served a significant clue courtesy of the Tuesday practice pairings.
  • “Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Tommy Fleetwood are out first for Europe today at approximately 10am.
  • “They’ll be followed by Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Ludvig Aberg at 10.15am.
  • “Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre and Nicolai Hojgaard complete the set at 10.30am.
Full piece.

8. FYI: Ryder Cup T.V. schedule (ET)

Friday, Sept. 29: Foursomes and fourball from 1:30 a.m.-noon, USA Network

Saturday, Sept. 30: Foursomes and fourball from 1:30-3 a.m. on USA Network and 3 a.m.-noon on NBC.

Sunday, Oct. 1: 12 singles matches from 5:30 a.m.-1 p.m., NBC

9. Obligatory Ryder Cup rough preview

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Tour Rundown: It’s a tie!

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Before we dive in to this week’s tour events, allow a bit of latitude for an opinion piece. Those who do not coach believe that it is proper to place the results of a team tie in the hands of one or two golfers. In our high school leagues, we used to do just that, and it was a dramatic and rotten way to resolve things. After hours of toil, most participants were cast aside, unable to help resolve the overtime. For those who believe that a Solheim, Ryder, Curtis, or Walker Cup tie should be resolved by any fewer than the entirety of each side, imagine being one of the cast-asides. There is a better way.

The Solheim Cup could not have been more lopsided, yet evenly matched, this year. More on that in a bit. The Korn Ferry Tour held its penultimate event in the capital city of Ohio. Tour Champions headed west to the Monterey peninsula of northern California, and the DP World Tour held its French Open on the Ryder Cup course near Paris. With that roster of events in place, we may now advance to this week’s Tour Rundown. Anchors, away!

Solheim Cup @ Finca Cortesin: It’s a tie!

Not since the 1960 baseball World Series has a multi-day competition been so lopsided, yet so close. In that ancient match-up, the Yankees pummeled the Pirates by 35 runs in three of seven games, yet somehow found a way to lose the other four by a total of seven runs. In Spain’s southernmost province of Andalucia, something similar took place.

On day one, the visitors from the USA won all four matches in the Friday morning foursomes, the format least associated with American success. Alternate shot is not their forte, yet there lay Team Europe, in a 0-4 hole. Galvanized, the host squad nearly squared things in the afternoon four-ball matches. Two European sides won their matches outright, while the other two earned half points to close the four-point gap to two, after one day of competition.

Day two anticipated the same sequence of foursomes, followed by four ball. USA won two of the first three matches, with Europe claiming the third. With momentum squarely on the line, the final sides of Andrea Lee/Danielle Kang (USA) and Maja Stark/Linn Grant (Europe) played a match for the ages. After each side won one hole over the first seven holes, the next 10 holes saw nine lead changes. Europe won the 8th, then lost the 9th. This win-then-lose sequence happened three more times until Europe won the 17th hole the final decided hole. Both sides parred the 18th, Europe escaped, one-up, and the matches stood at 7-5, in favor of Team USA.

Saturday afternoon’s fourball matches saw Team USA again struggle in the better-ball format. Only Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin were able to secure a point for the visitors, by a two-up margin. In each of the other three matches, Europe won without seeing the 18th hole. With three points in their favor, Europe had squared the matches at 8 points each. Only the Saturday morning matches were close; in each of the other three sessions, one side won by at least two points.

With 12 singles matches scheduled for Sunday, the winning side was anyone’s guess. The first four matches were won, but each side struck twice, meaning the final eight matches would decide the keeper of the Solheim Cup. The next two matches were halved, with the host side squandering two-up leads with four to play in each. Match seven went to the visitors, and then came the greatest comeback of the three days. Down three holes with six to play, Caroline Headwall made birdie or eagle at five of those holes, and overtook Team USA’s Ally Ewing. Still square, with four matches to play.

Despite a Team USA win in match nine, Team Europe clinched a tie for the cup, when Maja Stark and homebred Carlota Ciganda won by 2 & 1 totals. Lexi Thompson’s final-match victory meant nothing in the end, as the defending champion’s retained possession of the cup until 2025. For anyone who paid for admission this week, the money was beyond well spent.

DP World Tour @ French Open: Japan’s Hisatsune stands tall

It was a rough day for the final trio. Ewen Ferguson posted 76 to drop nine spots, from T1 to 10th. Co-leader Jordan Smith was in for 72, and fell one spot to 2nd position. Kazuki Higa signed for 74, and tumbled to a sixth-place tie. With those golfers out of the way, the stage was cleared for someone to jump and take control. That someone was 21-year old Ryo Hisastsune. The Japanese golfer pulled away from the chase pack with five birdies for an inward 30, ultimately winning by two over Smith.

Day four had to be especially frustrating for Smith. He opened with two birdies, and must have felt that this might be his day. He had exhausted his ration of birdies for the day, and could only muster 13 pars and three bogies the rest of the way. The victory moved the champion up 26 spots of the season-long money ranking, nearly into the top ten.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Nationwide: Xiong not wrong on Sunday in Ohio

Despite a stellar amateur record, the professional go has not been easy for Norman Xiong. The former Palmer and Walker Cup participant has won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour but has not been able to gain traction on the PGA Tour. He’ll have another go at it next year, thanks to his win in Columbus. Xiong stood even with Chandler Phillips through 54 holes over the Ohio State University’s Scarlet course. Phillips headed down the wrong roadway on Sunday, posting a 3-over 74 for a T7 finish.

Closing fast was Australia’s Curtis Luck, whose day-four 66 was the low, fourth-round total. Luck needed more than just his last name, and bogeys at 13 and 18 kept him from reaching 8 under and pressuring Xiong. With a clean card through 17 holes, Xiong needed merely to remain upright over the final 425 yards, to claim the prize. His last-hole bogey made his margin four shots, and his performance moved him to 12th position on the season-long points list.

PGA Tour Champions @ PURE Insurance: Jaidee over Leonard in playoff

Justin Leonard has had a diverse career in golf since turning professional out of the University of Texas. He earned multiple wins on the PGA Tour, including an Open Championshp at Royal Troon. Leonard took to broadcasting, and has reported extensively on the PGA Tour since then. Despite numerous starts on the PGA Tour Champions, Leonard has been unable to secure a first, senior victory. This week, he came oh-so-close, reaching a playoff against Thongchai Jaidee.

Leonard held the round-two lead on Saturday evening but still needed a 54th-hole birdie to reach overtime with the Thai champion. The pair played the 18th hole twice, then the 17th, without deciding a winner. On the fourth playoff hole, Leonard tugged his drive into the Pacific ocean, ultimately making double bogey. Jaidee was able to stay on dry land, made par, and won the second event of his Tour Champions career stretch.

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