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Morning 9: Rory: Players could skip majors | Why Jack wore Sunday yellow | Memorial photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Memorial Tournament gets underway.

1. Nicklaus: ‘I don’t even consider those guys part of the game anymore’

Tom D’Angelo for the Palm Beach Post…”Nicklaus was asked by Golfweek if he was disappointed not to have winners of two of the last four majors — Koepka and LIV’s Cam Smith, last year’s British Open champion — in the field.”

  • “I don’t even consider those guys part of the game anymore,” Nicklaus said Tuesday. “I don’t mean that in a nasty way. This is a PGA Tour event, and we have the best field we can possibly have for a PGA Tour event for those who are eligible to be here. The other guys made a choice of what they did and where they’ve gone and we don’t even talk about it.”
Full piece.

2. Not settled regarding no-cut events

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…“PGA Tour officials said the overhauled 2024 schedule is “90-plus percent completed” and the lineup will be announced later this summer.”

  • The Tour transitions back to a calendar-year schedule in ’24 and the goal was to create a better cadence to the lineup with the addition of designated events.
  • “Our objective is, we used 2023 as a transition and we’d announced our schedule in June 2022. Subsequently, we identified we wanted to create designated events so we boxed ourselves in,” said Andy Pazder, the Tour’s chief tournaments and competitions officer. “It created situations in the current season where you have isolated events, tournaments in between designated events which is far from ideal. The process we have gone through leading up to announcing [next year’s] schedule is we now have the ability to put together a flow to the schedule that will not have isolated events.”
Full piece.

3. McIlroy: Brooks should be in Ryder Cup

James Corrigan for the Telegraph…”Rory McIlroy believes that Brooks Koepka has every right to appear in this year’s United States Ryder Cup team, but maintains it should be a different story for the Europeans who joined LIV Golf.”

  • “Koepka won the US PGA Championship three weeks ago, after finishing second at the Masters in April. However, because he cannot earn qualifying points on the Saudi-funded circuit, and is banned from the PGA Tour, he could still fall out of the top six in the standings who will automatically earn their berths for Rome in September. McIlroy feels US captain Zach Johnson should pick Koepka regardless.”
  • “I certainly think Brooks deserves to be on the United States team,” McIlroy said, speaking at the Memorial tournament in Ohio that begins on Thursday. “I mean, he’s second in the US standings, having played only two counting events. I don’t know if there’s anyone else on the LIV roster that would make the team on merit.”
Full piece.

4. McIlroy: Players could skip majors if purses don’t increase

Golf Digest’s Dave Shedloski…”Should the major championships, including the U.S. Open and Open Championship, find a continual proliferation of purse increases unsustainable, McIlroy said it wouldn’t stop him from competing in golf’s four biggest tournaments, but the organizations that run those championships might risk losing other players. And they can’t afford to do that.”

  • “It wouldn’t stop me from playing a major, but at the same time the major championships basically rent the talent for a week from the PGA Tour, and you could argue from LIV and DP World Tour and wherever else,” he said Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club. “So, the major championships aren’t going to be the product that they are without the top players in the world.
  • “So, would that mean that I would, or anyone would, go to the lengths of not playing a major championship to make a point? No. But that’s just having a reasonable conversation with the governing bodies and the people that run those tournaments and try to come up with a solution.
Full piece.

5. New sponsor for Houston Open

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”The PGA Tour and the Astros Golf Foundation announced Wednesday that Texas Children’s will be the new title sponsor of the Houston Open.”

  • “The event, which has been played in the fall the past four years, is also returning to its historical spot on the spring calendar. Because of the move, the tournament will not be contested in 2023 and instead restart in 2024.”
Full piece.

6. Why Jack wore Sunday yellow

Bill Fields for PGATour.com…”Craig was an outgoing child who made good grades and loved sports and music. His maternal grandparents, Alvie and Earlene Claxton, were avid golfers who moved after retirement to Pinehurst, N.C. where they could enjoy the game. Taught to play by his grandfather, Craig loved golf and had a natural, athletic swing. Knowing the best golfer in the world was a thrill.”

  • “Walking to school one day in 1968 at the age of 11, Craig fell down and later told his mother his leg was hurting badly. He was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, and given six months to live.”
  • “Nicklaus was in Craig’s corner as his illness progressed, doing what he could to lift his spirits during a difficult time. The Golden Bear phoned Craig and sent him notes and souvenirs from tournaments. On one of Nicklaus’s visits to the Smith home, Jack asked Craig about his favorite color golf shirt. Craig and his grandpa believed they played better when they wore yellow, so there was no doubt about Craig’s answer. A plan was set in motion.”
  • “Jack promised Craig that he would wear a yellow shirt during the final round of televised tournaments as a “Hello” to his young pal. “It meant everything to Craig,” Dr. Smith told Golf World in 2011. “When Craig would see Jack on TV in a yellow shirt, he’d say, ‘Hello to you, Jack.’”
Full piece.

7. Jon Rahm’s Muirfield evolution

Jay Coffing for PGATour…”Now world No. 2, Rahm returned in 2020 to defeat Ryan Palmer by three shots. He held a six-shot lead after three rounds in 2021 but had to withdraw because he tested positive for COVID prior to the start of the final round, and he tied for 10th place last year. Oh, and Rahm shot a final-round 64 at Muirfield Village in 2020 to tie for 27th place at the Workday Charity Open during a two-week stretch where the PGA TOUR played two consecutive events here because of the pandemic.”

  • “I think it’s a golf course you kind of need to learn to play a little bit,” Rahm said Tuesday in Ohio. “It gives you a lot of options off the tee on a couple of holes. Getting a couple reps helps. But it’s mainly, it’s a little different to what we play throughout the year. It’s target golf. You put it on the fairway, put it on the proper side of the fairway to give you the best angle to the green.”
  • “Par-3s are all difficult. You have to be really accurate with your iron play. No surprise Tiger has such a success here, right. You just need to come out and be the best. While you’re doing that, it actually makes you think a little bit more than some of the golf courses we go to. So like I said, it’s a fun test and I think that’s why I’ve played well.”
Full piece.

8. Pros to fight roll back of ball

John Turnbull for Bunkered..”Several PGA Tour pros are likely to ‘push back’ golf ball changes from the game’s leading associations, according to Adam Scott.”

  • “The 2013 Masters winner believes proposed changes that could make drives 20 to 25 yards shorter would not go down well with top players.”
  • “Scott, chairman of the Player Advisory Council, said: “I think there’d be some pushback on that from the membership.”
Full Piece.

9. Photos from Muirfield

  • Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!
Full Piece.
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News

Morning 9: Donald to stay on as captain? | Azinger tips Tiger for 2025 captaincy | LPGA seeking investment

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as the fallout from the Ryder Cup continues.

1. Stick around, Luke!

AP report…”European captain Luke Donald was delivering his Ryder Cup victory speech in front of a giddy crowd at Marco Simone when his celebrating players standing beside him started a chant that quickly swept through the grandstands.”

  • “Two more years” was the cry, seemingly led by Rory McIlroy and drawing a broad smile from Donald.”
  • …”No one has captained Europe in back-to-back Ryder Cups since Bernard Gallagher did so, three times in a row in fact, in 1991, ’93 and then ’95. Back then, that wasn’t rare, with Tony Jacklin and John Jacobs having also repeated before Gallagher.”
Full piece.

2. Rory: The angriest I’ve been in a long time

Tom Morgan for the Telegraph…”When asked what had annoyed him most, he added: “The fact that on the 17th green and 18th green I’m trying to get the crowd to quieten down to let Patrick hit his putt. I was trying to afford Patrick the opportunity to do what he did, which is great. And then I’m trying to read my putt on 18 and he’s standing directly in my way. So I don’t feel like I was afforded the same opportunity to make my putt as Patrick was. I was trying to do the right thing. And that was exactly the wrong thing to do. And that’s not the way the game should be played. Especially by a caddie. Well, caddie, player, whatever. I just thought it was completely disrespectful. That’s the angriest I’ve been in a long time.”

Full piece.

3. LPGA seeking investment

Karl Matchett for the Independent…”Over the past two weeks, the sport’s centre stage has been on the team environment rather than the more frequent solo play tournaments, with first the Solheim Cup and then the Ryder Cup both providing thrilling drama and exceptional storylines across the course.”

  • “But while the men’s event pitching golfers from the USA against the best Europe has to offer was reportedly shown for over 100 hours across US television channels, the women’s event – the Solheim Cup – had only 25 hours across cable TV and streaming, report the Financial Times.”
  • “As such, the LPGA is keen to take advantage of the growth in popularity the sport is enjoying, with the FT further reporting the organisation’s commissioner, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, confirming that a “strategic planning partner” would soon be appointed to oversee opportunities around external investment. That comes on the back of a commercial partnership agreed two months ago with the owners of Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group.”
Full piece.

4. Stefan Schauffele, too

GolfWRX Staff…”Speaking to The Times, Xander Schauffele’s father, Stefan, has sensationally claimed that his son’s spot in the side was in jeopardy up until just a few weeks ago.”

  • “Before the biennial contest, players sign a player participation agreement. However, per Schauffele’s father, both Xander and Patrick Cantlay had requested amendments made to the contract drawn up by the PGA of America.”
  • “Amongst these amendments requested was denying a Netflix camera crew entry into the US locker room (which players would not directly benefit from financially.)”
  • “Per the report, the issue was eventually put to a vote by Zach Johnson, and the players voted unanimously in favour of denying Netflix access to their team room.”
  • Speaking to The Times, Xander Schauffele’s father sounded off on the PGA of America, saying:
  • “The PGA of America were not willing to even talk to us about [the three amendments]. It was very late in the schedule right before the team came here [to Rome] to practice because they had moved the deadline and they said, ‘If you don’t sign it by then, you’re off the team’, but they never gave us the contact information of their legal counsel.
  • “Saturday morning of Labour Day weekend [September 2], finally, the head of the PGA of America got wind of this, because it was not him that was blocking it, and put our lawyers in contact with the PGA of America’s general counsel, and then it took a few hours to hash it out and it was fine. Then I received a message that Xander was back on the team. That you can quote. That’s the extent of this and I think it’s shameful.”
Full piece.

5. Kneecapping home-field advantage?

Via Golf Channel…”It’s also time to create a neutral setup. Although the Marco Simone layout wasn’t nearly as extreme as Paris in ’18, it clearly favored the Europeans with slow green speeds and narrow fairways lined with thick rough. It was a similarly biased setup in ’16 at Hazeltine National, with virtually no rough and PGA Tour-quality green speeds that clearly favored the home team.”

  • “Instead of Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America being in charge of Ryder Cup setups, it would likely even the playing field if a neutral party handled those duties. For matches in the United States, let the USGA set up the course; in Europe, it could be the R&A’s responsibility.”
  • “Officials should also give the visitors more flexibility in building the right team by allowing the captain 12 picks, with the home captain getting six. Instead of being hamstrung by automatic qualifiers who might not fit the team, the course or the team room, give the visiting captain complete autonomy to bring the appropriate 12 players.”
Full piece.

6. Calendar adjustment for better form?

Ed Carruthers for the Daily Mail…”Apart from a practice trip to Marco Simone earlier in September there was little opportunity for the American team to come together, never mind play competitively.”

  • “If you asked us when we would like to play the Ryder Cup relative to our schedule, I think we would probably say, give us a week after the Tour Championship or two weeks after and then go, instead of five,’ said Spieth.”
  • ‘It’s hard for me to speak for the rest of the team. For me personally, I’d like to feel pretty sharp going in and obviously individually, I did not have the opportunity to even play any of those events where I may have.
  • ‘But that’s just how I feel. Some guys come off a few weeks off, go through some prep and play great after more time off.
  • ‘I can only answer that question individually, and this year, it wasn’t going to happen.
  • ‘If it were tighter to our Tour Championship and/or even if it were later and we had more of an opportunity to get a little rest and play more of an event or something then it helps a bit.
  • ‘If you look at how that played at the BMW, which is one of the bigger events of the year, and 10 of the 12 finish in the top 15 or something they were in great form.
Full piece.

7. Azinger: Tiger vs Sergio in 2025?

Bunkered report…Tiger Woods has been tipped by former Ryder Cup winning skipper Paul Azinger to lead the United States at Bethpage Black in 2025.

  • “When Azinger’s co-commentator Dan Hicks speculated that “there’s a guy named Eldrick available,” in relation to the next captaincy, he replied:
  • “Yeah, I think he might be the next captain.
  • “Bethpage Black would be a perfect matchup for he and Sergio Garcia actually. Who you never know, two years from now, where we’re going to be.” He then called that rivalry a possible “all-timer.”
Full piece.

8. Rory: Absence of LIV pros allowed team to flourish

Ewan Murray for The Guardian..”Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry believe the absence of high-profile LIV rebels from Europe’s Ryder Cup team allowed younger members to shine.”

  • “Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio García – all icons for Europe in the biennial event – missed out on the 16½-11½ victory against the US in Italy after their switch to the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit. Ludvig Åberg, Nicolai Højgaard and Robert MacIntyre featured in the winning team as rookies with McIlroy among the more experienced members in the camp.
  • “They’ve had unbelievable Ryder Cup careers and they’ve made their choices,” McIlroy said of the LIV contingent. “They’ve done what they’ve done and no one can take away the impact that they’ve had for the European team over the years.
  • “But I feel like this week not having those big personalities in the team room let other guys have that chance to flourish and to shine: Viktor [Hovland], Jon [Rahm], myself; there wasn’t a ton of space taken up in that room by some of the other big personalities and that just let the rest of the team flourish. It’s a young team. We can all grow together. I could potentially be the oldest person on the team next time. It’s a new era and it’s a pretty good one.”
Full piece.

9. Sanderson Farms Championship photos

  • Check out all of our galleries here
Full piece.
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Trending @ 2nd Swing Golf: Titleist T200 irons and 4 more hot products

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GolfWRX is proud to partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you a new bi-monthly series “Trending @ Swing Golf.” 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online.

In this series, we’ll bring you a roundup of some exciting finds from the golf equipment retailer — and these aren’t your standard bestsellers!

Let’s dig in to this inaugural edition of Trending @ 2nd Swing Golf.

Titleist T200 irons

2nd Swing says: Titleist engineers went to work optimizing the sound and feel of the latest T200 model, and it proved successful. Additionally, both in testing and in 2nd Swing Tour Van fittings, the T200 irons have been among the most consistent players distance irons available. Plus, the T200 has been a popular long iron for better players.

Buy here.

Rapsodo MLM2PRO launch monitor

2nd Swing says: A fantastic new product at an affordable price, the Rapsodo MLM2PRO launch monitor provides superb value for golfers looking to improve their games this winter.

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Callaway Apex UW ’24

2nd Swing says: The new Callaway Apex Utility Wood (UW), part of the 2024 Apex Pro series, is a rocket launcher. In testing, it has delivered ball speeds and distances comparable to a fairway wood despite the having the shape and aesthetic of a hybrid.

Buy here.

Ping i230 irons

2nd Swing says: Ping took their time replacing the i210, but the new i230 irons have turned out to be the winning formula. The i230s offer a slightly slimmer profile and more consistency than their predecessor.

Buy here.

Ping iCrossover

2nd Swing says: The iCrossover has been a favorite among better players in 2nd Swing fittings thanks to the stealthy black PVD finish and a compact shape that delivers high ball speeds and superb control.

Buy here.

 

 

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Morning 9: Europeans reign in Rome | Zach: I wouldn’t change anything | Cantlay denies protest claim

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as the dust settles on another thrilling Ryder Cup.

1. Europe wins 16.5-11.5

PGATour.com staff report…”Europe successfully defended its home turf with a 16.5-11.5 victory over the United States at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy. Things got tight as the final few matches turned to the final nine of Sunday Singles, with the U.S. Team looking to stage a historic comeback, but Tommy Fleetwood delivered the clinching moment in style on the short par-4 16th hole. Fleetwood drove the green and was eventually conceded the hole, as his opponent Rickie Fowler hit his tee shot into the water. This put Fleetwood 2-up with two holes to play. With Europe already at 14 points, needing 14.5 points to win the Cup, no math remained that would allow the U.S. Team to retain the Cup.”

  • “At the time, four matches remained on the course, with the U.S. Team needing to win all four to retain the Ryder Cup. The doubt created some uneasy moments for the European squad down the stretch, but it made the eventual victory all the sweeter.”
  • “Europe carried a five-point advantage into Sunday Singles, 10.5 to 5.5, and weathered the Americans’ feisty comeback effort to earn a 6-6 split on the final day. It was more than enough to regain the Ryder Cup, which the U.S. Team won by a 19-9 margin in 2021 at Whistling Straits.”
Full piece.

2. Takeaways for the teams

Our Ron Montesano…”When the USA squad looks back on this year’s loss, it will point to two specific periods of time in 2023, as critical. The first was the first week of May, when the Italian Open was contested on the Marco Simone course. Not one USA team member showed up to compete, depriving the entire side of an opportunity to play the course in tournament conditions. The next was the first three weeks of September, when the PGA Tour was done for the year, but the DP World Tour was at full speed. Not one USA team member journeyed east to play former Ryder Cup course in Ireland and France. In a nutshell, it seems that the USA were underprepared, and they could ill-afford to arrive in that state.”

  • “Congratulations to Europe. Once again, they proved themselves to be the Ted Lasso of teams. They showed the world that they like each other, and that they can pass this affinity and affection down, from one generation to the next.”
Full piece.

3. From the winning-point winner

Tommy Fleetwood…”I really didn’t want it to come down to one of us at the back,” Fleetwood said. “I can’t wait to see the rest of the guys, I can’t wait to see the captain, our wives and the rest of our families.

  • “I’m just so happy to play a part in it and so proud to be part of this team. We’ve done what we came here to do. I couldn’t wish for a better bunch of people to do this with. It has been so amazing. It’s the coolest experience.”
Full piece.

4. LaCava extends olive branch to McIlroy

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”American caddie Joe LaCava reached out to Rory McIlroy late Saturday, according to NBC Sports reporter Steve Sands, following one of the most contentious days in modern Ryder Cup history.”

  • “LaCava texted McIlroy’s camp, “Love you guys, I have nothing but respect.”
Full piece.

5. McIlroy denies

Golfweek’s Adam Woodard…”McIlroy’s team reportedly said they felt the same way, which led to LaCava asking for a face-to-face meeting with McIlroy on Sunday morning. According to Sands, that brief meeting happened, and “everything’s been diffused.”

  • “Well, McIlroy begs to differ. After his 3-and-1 singles victory over Sam Burns, Golf Channel’s Cara Banks asked McIlroy about the meeting with LaCava, and the four-time major champion said it didn’t happen.”
  • “I haven’t met Joe,” said McIlroy, shaking his head.
  • “I was focused. I was very focused,” he said of his mindset entering the final match. “I let it fuel me, I didn’t let it take away from what’s been a fantastic week. I used that little incident last night to my advantage.”
Full piece.

6. Zach Johnson: I wouldn’t change anything

Tom Hamilton for ESPN…”Speaking after the end of the competition Sunday, Johnson said he was still processing the three days and would love to start the whole week again.

  • “Four years from now, hopefully we’ll implement a better process certainly than I did and we can show up in Ireland, obviously retain it, get it back in New York [at Bethpage Black in 2025], but keep it once we go back to Ireland,” Johnson said. “So, playing on foreign soil, I mean, I wouldn’t have it any other way as the leader. That’s the way I’m wired. I mean, I don’t know.
  • “I love playing in front of our fans. I know these guys would probably say the same thing. I know they would say the same thing. But there’s something special about coming over here and having to fight because it’s hard, and I like the fight. So, I wouldn’t change anything.”
Full piece.

7. Cantlay denies protest, pay claims

Jessica Marksbury for Golf.com…In the aftermath of Cantlay’s win, NBC Sports’ Steve Sands asked Cantlay once again to comment on the report’s claims.

  • “It’s totally false,” Cantlay said. “It couldn’t be further from the truth. There hasn’t been one word of that all week. The U.S. Team has been close all week. It’s just outright lies.
  • “Yeah, not a shred of truth in the article that just one journalist wrote,” he continued. “It’s crazy that one journalist can put a tweet out there totally unfounded with complete lies and (indiscernible). The crowd ran with it, and I tried to have fun with them all day, smile.”
Full piece.

8. Si-Woo and Sungjae earn military service exemption

Adam Schupak for Golfweek..”While the focus of the golf world this week was the Ryder Cup in Italy, something equally special was happening in Hangzhou, China, at the Asian Games.””

  • “South Koreans Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im helped their home country win the gold medal in golf. That’s a big deal for one reason: It makes the two PGA Tour pros — Im is ranked 27th in the world while Kim is No. 40 — exempt from serving the two-year mandatory military service that is required in Korea.”
  • “Teaming with amateurs Jang Yu-bin and Cho Woo-young, Im, 25, and Kim, 28, cruised to a 25-stroke win over Thailand for the team gold medal Sunday at the West Lake International Golf Course. It was the country’s first men’s golf title in 13 years.”
  • “All able-bodied males are obligated to serve between 18 and 21 months in the military once they turn 19. They can postpone the date of their service but without a significant cultural justification, like an Olympic medal, service is mandatory.”
Full piece.

9. Brooks recruiting?

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