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Morning 9: LPGA, Euro Tour restart dates set | Ryder Cup 2020 decision looming | How fast is too fast for Bryson?

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4 years ago

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By Ben Alberstadt
Email me at [email protected]

June 17, 2020

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans. We’ve got an exciting partnership to announce golf GolfWRXers in general and ClubWRX members in particular! Check out the details of GolfWRX x Golf Avenue. 
1. LPGA to resume in Toledo
Golf Channel’s Randall Mell with the details of a newly minted tournament (at Inverness!) and a schedule shuffle…”The LPGA will do a new Ohio two-step in its return to action this summer…Much like the PGA Tour is doing next month, the women’s tour is adding a new Ohio event to give its players back-to-back starts in the state.”
“The LPGA announced Tuesday that it is moving the Marathon Classic in suburban Toledo back two weeks, to Aug. 6-9. This will accommodate a new event, the LPGA Drive On Championship, a 54-hole tournament scheduled for July 31-Aug. 2 at Inverness Club in Toledo.”
…”The Drive On Championship will now host the LPGA’s restart. It will be played without spectators and without pro-ams. There’s no title sponsor with a $1 million purse being funded in part by some of the title sponsors whose events were canceled. The new event will feature a 144-player field.”
2. Euro Tour to restart in Austria
Brentley Romine for Golf Channel…”Instead of resuming action in England in late July, the tour will return two weeks earlier with back-to-back events in Austria. The Austrian Open will be held July 9-12 at Diamond Coutry Club near Vienna, followed by the Euram Bank Open on July 15-18 at Golf Club Adamstal in Ramsau.”
“The tournaments will be dual-ranking events for both European and Challenge tour members, each with E500,000 purses.”
3. Clock is ticking for Ryder Cup
The AP’s Doug Ferguson…”…what do to about the Ryder Cup. A decision could come as early as the end of the month.”
…”This is a complicated decision for the PGA of America, and it’s not as simple as postponing it until next year, as was the case in 2001 after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.”
“Among the many moving parts is the Presidents Cup, the event that looks like the Ryder Cup but isn’t.”
“Never mind that the Presidents Cup doesn’t have the history, tradition or interest level of the Ryder Cup. It’s not even close. But it’s a financial boon to the PGA Tour, just like the Ryder Cup is to the PGA of America, even if not to the same degree…”
“Moving the Ryder Cup back one year would allow for the full experience – for players and fans, even those watching on television…”
“But not having the Presidents Cup next year would be costly to the PGA Tour, which already is out millions of dollars by supporting some of its tournaments that were canceled to help keep them from going under…It’s important to the tour to play the Presidents Cup next year. That’s why the tour went to some of the top players last week at Colonial for a survey.”
4. Foley/Rose part ways
James Corrigan for The Telegraph…”Justin Rose is going it on his own after parting ways with Sean Foley, his coach of 11 years under whom he made his major breakthrough, won Olympic gold and became world No 1.”
“The news will come as a shock to the game because of their successful time together, in which Rose went from outside the top 50 to become one of golf’s biggest stars and Europe’s most important Ryder Cup players.”
“But it understood that when the pair met up again before last week’s PGA Tour return in Texas, Rose signalled his intention to oversee his own swing. The 39-year-old’s third place on Sunday at the Charles Schwab Challenge provided instant vindication after an indifferent spell.”
5. How much speed will be too much? 
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…“DeChambeau said his ball speed was reaching 195 mph, but some players cautioned that he might be approaching the limits of what’s controllable.”
  • “It’s been really impressive to see what he’s done over, say, the last year or so with his transformation and obviously some serious gain in speed and power,” Rickie Fowler said. “Where does it become almost counterproductive as far as too much speed, where dispersion becomes too great? There has to be some sort of peak in there. It seems like it may be around the 190 [mph] area. It gets tough to control the ball going straight once you get to the 200 [mph]-plus area.”
  • “The long drive guys, obviously, have a lot of speed, but they can get away with 1 in 8 [drives] in the grid; 1 in 8 won’t do very well out here on Tour,” Fowler said. “But it is impressive. We’ll see kind of how it works.”
6. Fanless tournament total at 7
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”First it was four. Then five. Now the number of PGA Tour events that will be played without fans is seven and likely growing following news on Monday that the PGA Championship in August will not allow spectators.”
“The PGA Tour’s original plan to return to competition called for the first four events, including this week’s RBC Heritage, to be played without fans. Added to that list is a replacement event scheduled for July 9-12 at Muirfield Village, the PGA Championship (Aug. 6-9) and 3M Open (July 23-26).”
7. 50th birthday gifts for Phil
Steve DiMeglio polled a few of Lefty’s peers to see what they’d consider getting him for the big 5-0.
  • Harris English…”We all need to pool some money together to get him a seat on that Elon Musk flight to the moon. The footage and commentary of Phil on the moon would be incredible.”
  • Zach Johnson…”Some Lulu Lemon yoga pants to accentuate his massive calves.”
  • Colt Knost…”A blank encyclopedia so he can write his own version since he knows everything.”
8. Fowler: I’d wear a mic again
Rex Hoggard for Golf Channel…”After wearing a microphone during last Thursday’s opening round at Colonial, Rickie Fowler said he’d do it again.”
  • “I’m sure there’s going to be more situations or times that guys may wear them coming up. I’m open to it,” said Fowler, who ended up missing the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the first PGA Tour event back. “We’ll have to see where it goes. I think for the first time everything was good, especially for it being live, no delay. Next time we’ll just have to play a little bit better.”
  • “Fowler said he practiced with a microphone attached to his belt last Wednesday to prepare for the round, and that physically it wasn’t an issue.”
9. The DeChambeau distance gap 
Justin Ray of the 15th Club for PGATour.com with some interesting data…”But just how much bigger are Bryson’s drives than his peers on the TOUR? Historically, the difference isn’t as wide as some of the past kings of length.”
  • “In 2003, the average driving distance on the PGA TOUR was 285.9 yards. Kuehne’s average of 321.4 was a colossal 35.5 yards further than the average that season. That’s the largest single-season difference since the TOUR started tracking the statistic in 1980.”
  • “The average driving distance this season on the TOUR is 296.4 yards, meaning DeChambeau is beating the average by 27.4 yards. That’s the 20th-largest single-season difference, just behind Tiger Woods’ 1997 differential of 27.5 yards.”
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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

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5 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

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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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Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue

Published

7 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

By
By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the PGA Championship from iconic Valhalla.

1. Is now the time Rory finally ends major drought?

BBC’s Iain Carter…”But given the imperious form he showed in Charlotte last week, perhaps this is the PGA Championship to rekindle the ruthless streak of old. And not just because he is back at Valhalla (the Nordic word for the hall of the fallen).”

  • “It also became clear last week that McIlroy is somewhat persona non grata to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. His views on a global future for this damagingly split sport do not seem to chime with the American dominated body.”
  • “His offer to return to the board from which he resigned earlier this year was rejected and he has been left as a mere non-voting member of the “transaction committee” dealing with a potential deal with Saudi Arabia.”
  • “McIlroy insists there are “no hard feelings” but there should be.”
  • “No player has worked harder for their sport during this period of unprecedented tumult and the board has rejected someone many people regard as the game’s most articulate and enlightened international voice.”
  • “Now is, surely, the time for McIlroy to feel slighted and respond with his clubs. Play as though he has a chip on his shoulder, but in the knowledge that he is generationally the most consistent golfing force out there.”
Full piece.

2. Scheffler in for PGA Champ after birth of child

Jaclyn Hendricks for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler and wife Meredith’s bundle of joy has arrived.”

  • “The couple welcomed their first child, just weeks after Scheffler claimed his second Masters victory in three years.”
  • “Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig tweeted Saturday that the baby was born and Scheffler will play in this week’s PGA Championship — the second major of the season.”
  • “There’s been nothing official from Scottie Scheffler, his team or the Tour… But word is he will be at Valhalla for the PGA next week after winning four of his last five tournaments, including the Masters. He is currently on the Tuesday interview schedule for 3:30 p.m. #babyborn,” Harig wrote over the weekend.”
Full piece.

3. “Erik van Rooyen, friends and family live in honor of ‘Trazzy’”

  • That’s the headline of Ryan Lavner’s superb piece on Erik van Rooyen and his departed best friend Jon Trasmar. An excerpt would be an injustice. Go read it!
Full piece.

4. Stricker out of PGA citing fatigue

AP report…”Steve Stricker decided Sunday to withdraw from the PGA Championship at Valhalla, citing the difficulty of playing four times in a span of five weeks.”

  • “Stricker, 57, was eligible by winning the Senior PGA Championship last year. He, John Daly and Phil Mickelson are the only players to have competed at Valhalla each of the previous three times the PGA Championship was held there.”
Full piece.

5. Why Valhalla is a great venue for major championships

Garrett Morrison for The Fried Egg…”But before we start slinging mud (of which there will be plenty in Kentucky this week), let’s pause to think about why Valhalla tends to generate close final-round battles featuring elite players. It’s not magic: the course has long par 3s and 4s, narrow fairways, and smallish greens surrounded by rough and bunkers. This style of design and setup, which practically defines the PGA Championship’s modern brand, gives an outsize advantage to a skill that many star players share: power. Length off the tee and the ability to muscle the ball out of rough to a well-protected green will be near-prerequisites for contending at this week’s PGA Championship. If Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau show up with any kind of short-game and putting form, they will be in the mix on Sunday. And the presence of such A-listers on the leaderboard will further burnish Valhalla’s reputation as a serious venue.“

  • “It does not follow, however, that Valhalla is a great golf course. In fact, I find it a fairly mediocre and bland one. Very few holes offer multiple options of the tee (the exceptions being the short par-4 fourth and the double-fairway par-5 seventh), most of the greens lack memorable contouring, and the recovery shots from around the fairways and greens are one-dimensional and repetitive. So even if Sunday turns out to be a barn-burner, the first three rounds, when the focus will be on the course and the shots demanded, will probably be sleepier, aside from the inevitable Blockie walk-and-talk.”
Full piece.

6. Dunne resigns from policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Jimmy Dunne, who last year helped negotiate the PGA Tour’s controversial framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, resigned from the tour’s policy board on Monday.”

  • “In Dunne’s resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Dunne wrote that “no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF” and that “my vote and my role is utterly superfluous” now that player directors outnumber independent directors on the policy board. Dunne’s resignation was effective immediately.”
  • “It is crucial for the Board to avoid letting yesterday’s differences interfere with today’s decisions, especially when they influence future opportunities for the tour,” Dunne wrote. “Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction.”
  • “Along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Dunne and policy board chairman Ed Herlihy secretly negotiated the framework agreement with the PIF, which is financing the rival LIV Golf League. Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced the deal on June 6. Most PGA Tour players — including some player directors — were unaware of the deal until it was announced on TV.”
Full piece.
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Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls

Published

1 day ago

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May 13, 2024

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This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)

This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.

LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms

There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.

This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.

Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.

PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte

Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.

Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.

PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week

It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.

The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.

Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.

PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie

Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.

In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again.  Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.

Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.

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