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Morning 9: Phil aids pro | Rory details Ryder Cup rage | Tiger falls to career-low ranking

Published

6 months ago

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the RSM Classic.

1. Mickelson aids pro with Q-School prep

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Phil Mickelson has taken a lot of heat over the past few years. Whether it be his unpopular move to LIV Golf after calling the Saudi’s “scary mother fu*****” to author Alan Shipnuck, or the story from the famous gambler Billy Walters that Phil bet close to a billion dollars over the course of a decade, it’s been an endless sea of negative headlines.”

  • “However, over the weekend, Mickelson went above and beyond to help an aspiring PGA Tour player, as shared by “Monday Q Info” on X.”
  • “After the first stage of Q-school I sent @PhilMickelson a DM, asking him to help @markbaldwin1 get ready for 2nd stage. I didn’t tell Mark because I never thought phil would respond. Instead, 3 hours later Phil said yes. And this weekend Mark has had “the coolest experience.”
  • “I cannot explain how hard this was to not tweet about over the last two weeks. I wanted to respect Phil’s privacy and although obv great content the goal was for Mark to get ready for Q-School so I didn’t want to cause any distractions, and that is Phil’s backyard.”
Full piece.

2. Rory raged

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While doing an interview with the “Irish Independent“, Rory McIlroy shared some more details regarding the argument he had with Joe LaCava at the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone.”

  • “The altercation stemmed from a report that indicated Patrick Cantlay was not wearing a hat during play as a protest for not getting paid during the Ryder Cup. After he drilled a clutch putt in the match against McIlroy, the United States team all waved their hat in support of Cantlay. LaCava joined in while on the green and according to McIlroy, went on a bit too long.”
  • “Here’s what angered me, my relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently.
  • “But when I saw he was getting stick on the 17th and 18th greens, I tried to quieten the crowd for him. And I don’t think Fitz and I were afforded the same opportunity to try and hole those putts to halve the match.
  • “I hit a decent putt but I under-read it basically, and Fitz hit a good putt but left it short, right in the jaws.”
  • “I shook Joe’s hand, and Patrick’s hand. Those three putts he made on 16, 17 and 18 were fantastic, and under that pressure, to give your team a glimmer of hope going into Sunday was big balls. So, all respect to him.
  • “There was a bit of argy-bargy at the back of the 18th green with Fred Couples and Thomas Bjorn – and that’s fine – but as I’m walking back to the locker room I can feel this red mist coming over me: ‘No! That wasn’t right.”
  • “As we’re getting up to leave I’m like, ‘I’m going into their locker room now to sort this out, and Shane was like, ‘No Rory. Bad idea.’”
Full piece.

3. More TGL team members announced

PGATour.com report…”Atlanta Drive Golf Club (GC) announced Monday that Patrick Cantlay, currently the fifth-ranked player in the world, seven-time PGA TOUR winner Billy Horschel and six-time PGA TOUR winner Lucas Glover have joined the team representing Atlanta in TGL, the new tech-forward, primetime team golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports in partnership with the PGA TOUR.”

  • “The trio joins Justin Thomas to complete the inaugural Atlanta Drive GC roster.”
  • “This is a special day for Atlanta Drive GC and AMB Sports and Entertainment,” said Dick Sullivan, CEO, PGA TOUR Superstore and executive overseeing Atlanta Drive GC. “With these elite players joining Justin Thomas as the members of our team, we have put together a player roster that illustrates what we want Atlanta Drive GC to be – competitive, consistent and always in contention to win.”
Full piece.

4. Twins tee it up at RSM

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”There’s a unique bond between the brothers centered around a shared dream: Playing on the PGA TOUR. Each was a highly-touted junior golfer recruited by top Division I schools. They briefly veered off their inseparable path, choosing different colleges before Maxwell transferred after two seasons at the University of Georgia and joined David at North Carolina. Both have remained tantalizing prospects. David ranks fifth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Maxwell ranks 30th.”

  • “Now, they’ll get the first taste of their dream. Both are in the field at The RSM Classic. They are the third pair of twins to compete on TOUR this season. Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard competed at The Open Championship while Pierceson and Parker Coody both played The Honda Classic.”
  • “David qualified for the event by winning the 2023 Jones Cup, a prestigious amateur event held annually at Sea Island Golf Club in January. Former winners include Justin Thomas, Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia and Corey Conners.”
  • “Maxwell initially hoped to play his way in through the Monday qualifier but received a sponsor’s exemption shortly before the event.”
Full piece.

5. How Gordon Sargent bombs it

Golf Digest’s Luke Kerr-Dineen…”The truth is there’s no one reason why a golfer can hit a ball 380 yards. Sargent does lots of things well in his golf swing which give him his unbelievable speed. But perhaps the key move in his golf swing comes right here, at the top of his backswing.”

  • “Look closely and you’ll see as his hands and arms complete his backswing, his hips begin unwinding towards the target.”
  • “It’s a small movement, but this helps Sargent create an incredible amount of torque, which he uses to create such incredible speed.”
  • “The reason why is because of a concept called X-Factor, a really innovative breakthrough that was created and popularized by the legendary teacher Jim McClean.”
Full piece.

6. Berkshire on record-breaking blast

Craig Dolch for the Palm Beach Post…”While having lunch in Bear Lakes’ new clubhouse last week, Berkshire reflected on that moment.”

  • “When I caught that ball, I knew it was the hardest ball I hit,” said Berkshire, a 27-year-old Orlando resident who is known for his long dark hair. “It was also spinning enough to stay in the air with a tailwind. With the wind coming off the right, I had a 10-yard-wide window where the ball would carry into the fairway. It felt amazing.”
  • “Berkshire understands most golf fans focus on the yardage of his drives, but he and his peers use the ball speed coming off their extended drivers as the true barometer of their talent. Berkshire set a world record with a ball speed of 241.6 mph.”
Full piece.

7. Woodland hitting balls after brain surgery

Gabrielle Herzig for SI…”On Sept. 18, Gary Woodland’s family updated his followers that his brain surgery and tumor removal was successful. The news was a relief, but it was still unclear when fans would see the U.S. Open champion swinging again.”

  • “Now, less than two months after the procedure, Woodland is not only holding a club, but it appears that he is gearing up for a return to competition in the coming year.
  • “This journey has been very hard but I’m extremely thankful to be progressing and for the unconditional love and support from everyone,” Woodland wrote on Instagram. “You’ve all made this process a little easier for me and my family. Thank you to everyone and I look forward to seeing you all next year.”
Full Piece.

8. Tiger falls to career low

9. Photos from the RSM Classic
  • Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event.
Full Piece.
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Five Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

8 hours ago

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May 16, 2024

By

It was a year ago that we the north, found ourselves with toes and fingers crossed. The Oak Hill PGA Championship of 2023 finished on schedule, despite the iffiness of weather in upstate New York. It’s 75 degrees today across the Niagara Frontier, which makes it two out of three (2022 was the same way) for sultry, unseasonal weather.

Louisville is, let’s be honest, a much better bet for a May PGA Championship, and Valhalla is an exciting venue for the year’s second major championship on the men’s circuit. Brooks Koepka came in as the defending champion, and Rory McIlroy arrived as the last golfer to win a major at the Nicklaus-designed course. That was a decade ago, and lord, have things changed in the world and golf.

Day one at Valhalla offered walk-in eagles, buckets of birdies, and potential for a record-low, winner’s score. We’ll get right to the meat of the matter, with five things that we learned. After all, if you can make par from the muck, anything’s possible in the land of the horses.

1. X marks this spot

Xander Schauffele went head to head last Sunday with Rory McIlroy, at least on the practice green. By the end of the round, Rors had won for a fourth time at Charlotte, while the X Man sat scratching his head, wondering what went wrong. Fortunately for us, Xander didn’t sulk.

The San Diego State alumnus absolutely torched Jack’s track with 62. Four birdies on the front nine, were followed by five more on the inward side. Schauffele never looked as if bogey was a consideration, and he might have gone even lower. Despite winning the Covid-delayed Gold medal at the Japan Olympics (I consider it a major, btdubs) Schauffele continues to chase an initial men’s major, and the validation that it brings. If 62 doesn’t get you over the hump, who knows what will.

2. Scottie starts strong? Aye.

Last month, Mr. Scheffler won a second green jacket at Augusta National. Last year in Rochester, Mr. Scheffler tied for second in this event. Mr. Scheffler began play today with a walk-in eagle, a one-hop affair that never looked as if it might go anywhere but to its home. Scheffler had a few rough holes, but that’s to be expected from a new dad. Each time he made bogey, he bounced back with birdie, so he has that short memory that winners crave. Surprisingly, Scheffler failed to manage one last birdie at the reachable 18th. Perhaps that miss will motivate him in round two.

3. LIV Check-In

It’s good to check in on the departed from time to time, to ensure that the fellows formerly known as PGA Tour members are doing well. It’s safe to say that some of them can still play. Defending champion Brooks Koepka posted 67 on the day, He had an eagle and three birdies on the day, with only a stumble at the 17th. He’s tied for 7th. Bryson DeChambeau made an eagle of his own, but also had a bogey, at the 12th hole. He cohabits eleventh position with Cameron Smith, who ALSO had a bogey on his card. They are one shot behind Koepka, and a fistful more behind the leader.

4. Sahith and Tony at Schauffele’s heels

Both Finau and Theegala represent a special sort of athletic golfer. Their power and their charisma blend to draw golf fans to their groups. Let’s be honest, too, and say that they don’t look like the traditional professional golfer. As much as Tiger Woods did in the 1990s, they have the power to bring greater diversity to the sport.

In terms of their play today, well, only Xander was better. Finau had a clean card, with six birdies and twelve pars. Theegala had seven birdies, ten pars, and one bogey. Each combined power and finesse to insert themselves squarely in contention, ahead of round two. How will they, and Xander as well, manage the afternoon putting surface on Friday? That’s the great unknown!

5. All those other guys are here!

Rory, Tom Kim, Collin, and Viktor are all at minus-three or lower. Valhalla may not be a traditional golf course, but it is the type of course that the world’s best play well. McIlroy currently sits at minus-five, tied with Robert MacIntyre, Kim, and three others in fourth position.  Maverick McNealy finished fast to reach the same figure, as did Tom Hoge. Morikawa closed with birdie to join the sextet at five below. Both Scheffler and Morikawa finished their rounds late on Thursday, meaning they should see smoother greens on Friday morning. If someone is a betting sould, wiser wagers could not be placed on better names than those two, two-time, major champions. Rory will tee off in Friday’s afternoon wave but, hey, he’s Rory, and he won going away last week at Quail Hollow, a course not unlike Valhalla.

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Morning 9: Tiger 2025 Ryder Cup talks continue | Rory: Tour in a worse place with Dunne’s resignation

Published

19 hours ago

on

May 16, 2024

By
By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the PGA Championship gets underway from iconic Valhalla.

1. Waugh: 2025 Ryder Cup talks continue with Tiger

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said Wednesday that the organization continues to have conversations with Tiger Woods about captaining the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2025 and there remains no firm deadline to get their pick in place for Bethpage Black.”

  • “A day earlier, Woods told reporters here at the PGA Championship that he is undecided about taking on the role next year…”
  • “He doesn’t do anything that he’s not fully committed to,” Waugh said, “and we totally respect that.”
  • “Still, the PGA’s decision to hold off on naming an American captain for the September 2025 matches is a significant departure – at least three months late – from the past five captains.”
Full piece.

2. Rory: Tour in a worse place with Dunne’s resignation

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”McIlroy, who has become an outspoken proponent of a deal with PIF, was denied a spot on the board last week but was named to the “transaction subcommittee,” which will spearhead the day-to-day negotiations. But the loss of Dunne will be a blow to those talks, the world No. 2 said.”

  • “Honestly I think it’s a huge loss for the PGA Tour if they are trying to get this deal done with the PIF and trying to unify the game,” McIlroy said. “Jimmy was basically the relationship, the sort of conduit between the PGA Tour and PIF.
  • “It’s been really unfortunate that he has not been involved for the last few months, and I think part of the reason that everything is stalling at the minute is because of that.”
Full piece.

3. Brandel on AK’s criticism: I thought it was a LIV bot

Our Matt Vincenzi…”On Tuesday during an interview with GolfWRX, Chamblee addressed the feud between Kim and himself.”

  • “At first, I thought it was a bot. But it’s not, it was just somebody who’s been bought.
  • “I thought it was juvenile. Social media is a perfect place for juveniles to go behave like children, like the ball pit at McDonalds without adult supervision. I’m sure Anthony Kim scrolls and gets positive comments and says ‘yeah, these people get me! I’m doing the right thing’. And it’s just juvenile and sad is what it is. I feel sorry for him.”
Full piece.

4. Aberg (knee) ready for PGA

Cameron Morfit for PGATour.com…”Ludvig Åberg said lingering knee soreness that kept him out of the Wells Fargo Championship last week will not be an issue at this week’s PGA Championship.”

  • “The world No. 6 Åberg, who finished second at the Masters Tournament in his very first major start last month, allowed that he is wearing a brace as a precautionary measure.”
  • “Knee’s good,” said Åberg, 24. “It was more of a safety concern last week that I didn’t play. I’m consulting with my doctors, and I trust them with everything that I have, so it’s not bothering me at all this week, and I look forward to playing. I’m wearing a brace just for safety reasons, but it’s nothing that’s bothering me. I’m focusing on the golf.”
Full piece.

5. Masters employee pleads guilty to stealing millions in memorabilia

Sean Leahy for Yahoo Sports…”A former employee of Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia pleaded guilty on Wednesday to transporting millions of dollars worth of stolen Masters memorabilia and historic items, including a green jacket belonging to Arnold Palmer.”

  • “According to federal prosecutors, 39-year-old Richard Globensky made around $5 million over the course of a decade from selling items stolen from the Augusta National warehouse, which were then transported to another party in Florida.”
  • “Globensky pleaded guilty to one count of transporting stolen goods across state lines. As part of his plea, he must hand the government a $1.5 million check this week.”
Full piece.

6. Chamblee on why Rory hasn’t won a major

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee gave his opinion as to why McIlroy has come up empty.”

  • “I just think he can’t find a place mentally where he plays his best golf.”
  • “If you go back and look at what he did from 2011-2014, in that stretch, he led roughly 20% of the rounds he played in major championships. His game has not fallen off, not one bit.
  • “He’s, on paper, pretty much the same player he was. He’s not quite the ball striker he was 2011-2014, not quite, but he’s made up for it with his short game around the greens and on the greens. He’s almost the same player.”
  • “Yet, he’s led just two rounds beginning with the 2015 Masters to the 2024 Masters. I just think that tells you he can’t find the proper way to prepare, the proper way to ease into a round. When he’s needed to play his best, he’s played his worst. When he’s played his worst, he’s then followed it up with his best golf. That’ll tell you that he’s just not in the right place mentally.”
Full piece.

7. Why Scottie’s caddie will have a fill-in Saturday

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler will have a fill-in caddie on the bag for Saturday’s third round of the PGA Championship.”

  • “Ted Scott, Scheffler’s full-time caddie, will miss Saturday’s round at Valhalla Golf Club to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. Scott will leave Friday night after caddying the first two rounds and return late Saturday to loop the final round.”
  • “That’s something we talked about from the beginning of our relationship was family always comes first,” Scheffler said during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday. “It’s the same thing for me as it is for my caddie. It was a pretty easy decision. He told me at the beginning of this year that that was the date.”
Full piece.

8. Chamblee: LIV format makes it impossible to judge player talent

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee explained why he believes the LIV format makes it impossible to determine if a LIV player is playing well.”

  • “Describing the format as “stupid”, Chamblee stated
  • “The format for LIV is just stupid. There’s no other word for it. 54 holes, 54 players start. Willy nilly here and there.
  • “Nobody winning a golf tournament should finish on the third hole on some par three while his closest competitors finish on the 17th hole or the 18th hole.”
  • “When we asked Brandel if LIV players should be in majors, Chamblee indicated that it would be tough to do with no way to truly measure their performance.
  • “It’s just a laughable concept. There’s no way to judge the talents of these players out there. You look at their data, and again, their data is laughable. It’s very hard to hit 75% of your greens and it looks like everybody on their tour is hitting 75% of greens. Who’s keeping their stats? Who’s doing their data? They haven’t gotten their act together.”
Full piece.

9. Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

  • Check out all of our galleries from the year’s second major!
Full piece.
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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

Published

3 days ago

on

May 14, 2024

By

GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.

While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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