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Morning 9: Big names start strong in Ireland | Newest TGL owner | Liu leads on LPGA

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, as day two of the Irish Open gets underway.

1. Solid start for big names in Ireland

AP report…” Shane Lowry needs a good week at the Irish Open to justify getting picked for the Ryder Cup.”

  • “Lowry made seven birdies and shot 4-under 68 at The K Club to lie 3 shots off the lead held by Shubhankar Sharma of India after the first round of the European tour event.”
  • “Aggrieved at being overlooked by Donald, Meronk began birdie-birdie and shot 69 in a solid start to his title defense.”
  • “On a day when Rory McIlroy — the big draw this week along with home favorite Lowry — felt the love of the crowds and also shot 69, Sharma produced a bogey-free round of 65 in sweltering conditions in the afternoon to finish with a 1-stroke lead over five players: Englishmen Jordan Smith and Ross FisherMarcel Schneider of Germany, Kristian Krogh Johannessen of Norway and 52-year-old Dane Thomas Bjorn, who knows all about the joy and pain of Ryder Cup selection.”
Full piece.

2. Another PGA Tour-PIF hearing set

Taylor Giorno for the Hill…”The Senate investigations subcommittee will hold a hearing next Wednesday on concerns over the pending deal between the Saudi-backed LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.”

  • “The hearing, announced on Wednesday, will be the committee’s second regarding the controversial acquisition of the PGA Tour by LIV Golf, which is owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).”
  • “Next week’s hearing appears set to focus more broadly on the PIF’s investments in the U.S. But PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan once again denied a request to testify before the subcommittee.”
Full piece.

3. McIlroy on PIF investment: “The world decided for me”

Mark Harris for OutKick…”The PIF acquired preference shares in McLaren racing in F1 in 2021 before selling them off earlier this summer to Bahrain for a reported $498 million. The Saudi PIF – which has a total estimated assets value of $778 billion – also purchased Newcastle of the Premier League in 2021.”

  • “Those are just two noticeable-name examples, but the Saudi PIF portfolio is only growing, and its investment in professional golf is just the latest entry.”
  • “That’s the way McIlroy seems to be looking at the situation, not only because he’s a smart person, but because it’s the only way to look at things nowadays.”
  • “You see everything else happening in the world, you see big private equity companies in America taking their money – the biggest companies in the world,” McIlroy told the ‘Off The Ball’ podcast.”
  • “There’s a lot of whataboutism and all that stuff, but at the same time, if this is what is happening, then the way I’ve framed it is that the world has decided for me in a way.”
Full piece.

4. Full Swing bump in PGA Tour viewing?

Paul Higham for Golf Monthly…”According to Nielsen Media Research Analysis released by the PGA Tour, the arrival of Full Swing had a direct impact on viewing figures for their tournaments for the rest of the season.”

  • “In terms of both creating regular viewers and bringing new viewers to PGA Tour events on TV, Full Swing seems to have been a huge success in driving numbers for Jay Monahan.”
  • “Nielsen research says that in the USA, 63% of viewers of Full Swing then went on to watch live coverage from the PGA Tour in the two months after its release.”
  • “Additionally, 11% of Full Swing viewers had not watched the PGA Tour in the six months prior to the Netflix release, but then tuned in to watch the live golf afterwards.”
  • “And it gets better reading for the PGA Tour thanks to further research by Xcelerant Omnibus, which showed a big increase in engagement with golf after people watched Full Swing. “
Full piece.

5. McIlroy: R&A ‘seriously looking’ at staging major outside UK

BBC report…”Rory McIlroy believes the R&A is “seriously looking” at holding the Open Championship outside the United Kingdom for the first time.”

  • “The four-time major winner, who carded an opening 69 at the Irish Open on Thursday, says the Portmarnock course near Dublin could be a possible venue.”
  • “Having a course that’s so close to a major city, so close to a major airport, having a great golf course, I think it would be amazing,” said McIlroy. “I think they are seriously looking at it.”
  • “The major is returning to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland in 2025 and McIlroy argues staging it at Portmarnock “would be fantastic”.
  • “He added: “I was looking forward to Portrush but [concerned] in terms of how it would do commercially – there’s so many other considerations to hosting a major championship apart from it being a great golf course.”
Full piece.

6. Newest TGL owner

Jessica Golden for CNBC…”Financier and Mets owner Steve Cohen has bought the founding rights to the New York team in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s upstart golf league TGL, the organization announced Thursday.”

  • “Cohen’s team will be managed by his family office Cohen Private Ventures. It will begin competition in TGL’s inaugural season next year.”
  • “As golf continues to grow in popularity, there’s a demand for enhanced access to the sport and the world’s top players. … We’re excited to be a part of TGL and build a team that makes New York proud,” Cohen said in a statement.
Full piece.

7. Justin Thomas’ dad hits out at report claiming his role as JT’s swing coach has been reduced

Our Matt Vincenzi…[Golf Channel’s Todd] Lewis also said that Thomas had put his father Mike, who’s his swing coach, “in the background a little bit” as he attempts to work through his year-long slump.

  • “He’s still working with his father Mike as his swing coach, but not as much right now. He’s kind of put his father a little bit in the background a little bit. They’ve worked it out together. JT wants to own his swing. Mike wasn’t with him at the Wyndham Championship this year when he tried to make the playoffs, so he’s kind of digging it out in the dirt figuring it out himself but still consulting with his father. By the way, they still have a wonderful relationship.”
  • “On Wednesday, Mike Thomas refuted that report while speaking with Golf Digest.”
  • “You’re kidding. That’s just stupid,” the 62-year-old said.
  • “That’s what some people in the media do. It’s ridiculous. I just left Justin. We worked all morning.”
  • “But listen, if he did fire me, and it was for the better, then what’s the problem? I guess they have to have something to talk about.”
Full piece.

8. Liu leads on LPGA

AP report…Ruixin Liu of China was still suffering from allergies that forced her to withdraw from the LPGA Tour event last week. It didn’t stop her from posting a 7-under 65 on Thursday for her best round of the year and a one-shot lead in the Kroger Queen City Championship.”

  • “Liu started so well that her lone regret was a par on the 12th hole when she hit her approach to 18 feet on the par 5 and three-putted for a par. She had seven birdies through 13 holes and then closed with five pars.”
Full piece.

9. Wedge Stamping Caviar: FedEx Cup Playoffs Edition

A fun (I hope) little item we put together for GolfWRX…

  • “Pop open a tin of the finest beluga, GolfWRXers… Really, it’s less jelly-like substance, more richness of intrigue than salt-cured roe at Wedge Stamping Caviar as we present to you some of the finest instances of hammer-and-stamp work on the PGA Tour spotted during the three events of this year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs.”
  • “We’re kicking off with the featured image of Xander Schauffele’s SM6 prototype, which looks a lot more like an SM5, with some pretty cool “Titleist” stamping.”
  • “Grab your mother-of-pearl spoon and dig in for the rest!”
Full piece.
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News

Morning 9: 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour | Rory on possible return to policy board

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, may a bountiful weekend of golf be in store for you!

1. 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour

KFT staff report…”Frankie Capan III went crazy low Thursday on the Korn Ferry Tour. Nearly in record fashion.”

  • “Capan carded 13-under 58 in the opening round of the Veritex Bank Championship, matching the second lowest score in Korn Ferry Tour history. He fell one shy of Cristobal Del Solar’s record 57, set at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard earlier this year, but it was a heck of a show nonetheless.”
  • “The Minnesota native played an eight-hole stretch in 9-under Thursday, following an eagle at the par-5 ninth with seven straight birdies to begin the back nine at par-71 Texas Rangers Golf Club. He “cooled off” with a two-putt par at the long par-4 17th hole. He arrived at the par-5 18th hole at 13 under for the round, but he found a fairway bunker off the tee, laid up to 134 yards and missed his third shot left of the green. He chipped to 7 feet and drained the par putt to match the Korn Ferry Tour’s second-lowest score of 58, carded by Stephan Jaeger in the opening round of the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae.”
Full piece.

2. Team McIlowery starts strong

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”Late Thursday afternoon in New Orleans, Rory McIlroy rested his head on Shane Lowry’s shoulder.”

  • “It wasn’t the typical post-round moment, but this isn’t the typical event. McIlroy and Lowry teamed up for this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA TOUR’s lone team event, and the all-Irish duo put on a show. Sporting matching pink-on-navy getups, McIlroy/Lowry opened in a best-ball 11-under 61 in Thursday’s Four-ball format at TPC Louisiana.”
  • “This partnership might have stemmed from a boozy brunch last fall, but their opening-round performance at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans gave the field a sobering reminder: They’ll be tough to top.”
Full piece.

3. LPGA Tour: Grace Kim in front

AP report…”Grace Kim shot a 7-under 64 at Wilshire Country Club to take the first-round lead Thursday in the LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”

  • “Playing in the morning session, the 23-year-old Australian capped her bogey-free round with a chip-in birdie on the par-3 18th.”
  • “Well, I chunked my tee shot on the last hole 20 meters short and then I chipped it in it,” Kim said. “I think that’s pretty cool, in front of everyone
Full piece.

4. McIlroy on rejoining policy board

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Rory McIlroy said Wednesday that he is willing to rejoin the PGA Tour policy board if the other player directors want him.”

  • “As first reported by the Guardian, Webb Simpson has submitted a letter stating that he’d like to resign from the board, but only if his vacant seat is filled by McIlroy, who stepped down last fall because of the toll it had taken on him professionally and personally.”
  • “Five months later, what has changed?”
  • “I think I can be helpful,” McIlroy said Wednesday ahead of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he is partnering with Shane Lowry. “I don’t think there’s been much progress made in the last eight months, and I was hopeful that there would be. I think I could be helpful to the process. But only if people want me involved, I guess.”
Full piece.

5. Charlie Woods shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier

Golfweek’s Cameron Jourdan…”Charlie Woods is going to have to wait to play in the U.S. Open.”

“The 15-year-old son of Tiger Woods played Thursday in local qualifying for the United States Golf Association’s national championship, set for June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Charlie played at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and he shot 9-over 81.”

“Charlie’s round featured a bogey on his opening hole, the par-4 first. He then doubled the par-5 second. A pair of pars followed before his lone birdie on the front, but another double the next hole, the par-4 sixth, had him turn in 4-over 40.”

Full piece.

6. Photos from the Zurich Classic

GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.

Check out all our photos at the link below!

Full piece.
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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.

As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.

Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying about our photos from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in the forums.

 

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Morning 9: Tiger’s TGL teammates | Woosnam’s criticism of Cantlay | Rory’s return to tour policy board

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour heads to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic.

1. 15-year-old finishes top 20 on KFT

Jay Coffin for Golf Digest…”During a week when most eyes were on Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda, the 15-year-old lefty finished off an incredible week with a five-under 66 in the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood Ranch in Florida.”

  • “After opening with 68-66-70, Russell finished at 14-under-par total to tie for 20th place. The finish in which he jumped 28 positions on the leaderboard on the final day, gives him an exemption into next week’s Veritex Bank Championship at Rangers Park in Arlington, Texas. He’s the youngest player to finish inside the top 20 on the PGA of Korn Ferry tours, according to records that go back to 1983.”
Full piece.

2. Understandably, Nelly WDs

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Nelly Korda’s bid for a record-setting sixth consecutive win will have to wait a few weeks.”

  • “A day after capturing the Chevron Championship during a marathon final round in Houston, Korda announced on social media that she was withdrawing from this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”
  • “It was not an easy decision,” she wrote. “After the unbelievable week at the Chevron and grinding through the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”
Full piece.

3. Scheffler’s impressive No. 1 feat

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”After Scheffler’s victory Monday morning at the RBC Heritage, Scheffler upped his points average to 15.016 and increased his advantage in the Official World Golf Ranking over No. 2 Rory McIlroy to more than double McIlroy’s 7.365 average, meaning Scheffler is ranked further ahead of No. 2 than No. 2 is ahead of the last-ranked player.”

  • “The last time a No. 1 player had a greater points average was Woods, who was at 15.4564 on Dec. 6, 2009. But Woods was less than seven average points ahead of No. 2 Phil Mickelson at the time. Earlier that year, Woods was 7.735 ahead of Mickelson, which is the last time the gap between Nos. 1 and 2 was greater than Scheffler’s current 7.651 advantage.”
Full piece.

4. Zurich field notes

PGATour.com’s Adam Stanley…”Rory McIlroy will make his tournament debut alongside good pal, Ryder Cup teammate, and Irishman Shane Lowry – a duo that was firmed up during a celebratory lunch after the Ryder Cup last fall… Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will try to reprise their 2022 win here. Cantlay and Schauffele have both the Foursomes and Four-ball scoring records at this event… Davis Riley and Nick Hardy will defend their 2023 title. No team has gone back-to-back… Three sets of brothers (and two sets of twins!) will play together with twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard and Parker and Pierceson Coody in the field along with Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick. Alex Fitzpatrick and Rasmus Højgaard are sponsor invites…”

  • “Billy Horschel, who won last week at the Corales Puntacana Championship, will be without his previous partner Sam Burns, as Burns and his wife are expecting their first child any day. Horschel will instead be paired with fellow University of Florida alum Tyson Alexander. Horschel has won the Zurich Classic when it was both an individual and team event… Other notable pairings include Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris, and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin. The Canadian duo finished runner-up a year ago and would like nothing more than to show Presidents Cup International Team captain Mike Weir how well they play together… Steve Stricker will play his second TOUR event this season (after earning his way into THE PLAYERS Championship), teaming up with Matt Kuchar.”
Full piece.

5. Tiger’s teammates

Field Level Media report…”Tiger Woods announced Monday that Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner have joined his Jupiter Links GC TGL team.”

  • “The virtual golf league headed by Woods and Rory McIlroy will begin its inaugural season next January. Woods also unveiled the team’s logo.”
  • “I have already shared my excitement and optimism for TGL as a league and product,” said Woods. “Now that we have finalized our roster with a team of world-class golfers, I am even more confident that this group will proudly represent the Jupiter (Fla.) area and connect with our fans for years to come.”
Full piece.

6. Woosnam questions Cantlay’s decision

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After the horn sounded to suspend play due to darkness, Cantlay, who’s ball was in the fairway on the 18th hole, had a decision to make. With over 200 yards into the green and extreme winds working against the shot, conventional wisdom would be to wait until Monday morning to hit the shot.”

  • “On the other hand, if he could finish the hole, he may just want to get the event over with so he could get out of Hilton Head.”
  • “Curiously, Cantlay chose neither of those options. After hitting 3-wood into the green, and still coming up short, the former FedEx Cup champion chose to mark his ball and chip and putt on Monday morning.”
  • “Ian Woosnam, who was watching from home, took to X to give his thoughts on Cantlay’s decision making.”
  • “Cantlay would end up getting up and down for par when play resumed at 8:00 am Monday morning.”
Full piece.

7. JT on Scheffler’s “weird” equipment choice

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After Justin Thomas’ third round of the RBC Heritage, the two-time major champion went in the broadcast booth alongside the CBS crew.”

  • “While Thomas was watching Scottie Scheffler play on the back nine of his third round, he wondered aloud why Scottie uses high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Does anybody else think it’s weird that Scottie uses high numbers? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an elite player use high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Amanda Balionis who was on the grounds chimed in, reporting that analyst Dottie Pepper had wondered the same thing earlier that day.”
  • “I’ve been going about this wrong my whole life,” Thomas jokingly said.
Full piece.

8. Rory to rejoin PGA Tour policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Four-time major championship winner Rory McIlroy is poised to return to the PGA Tour’s policy board, pending a vote by the board, which could come as early as this week, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.”

  • “One of the PGA Tour’s most vocal supporters during its three-year battle with LIV Golf, McIlroy abruptly resigned as a player director on the tour’s influential policy board in November.”
  • “He is expected to replace policy board player director Webb Simpson, who intends to step away before his two-year term expires in 2025.”
Full piece.

9. Weir names Presidents Cup assistants

PGA Tour report…”International Team Captain Mike Weir announced Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas as captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will be played at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 24-29.

Full piece.
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