19th Hole

LIV duo outline ambition to compete for the U.S. at this year’s Ryder Cup

Published

1 year ago

Apr 25, 2023

It’s been widely speculated since the inception of LIV Golf that players who’ve joined the rival tour would not be playing in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy.

Not so fast.

Related: Multiple major champ reveals he snubbed LIV Golf approach

Last week, Alan Shipnuck of The Firepit Collective reported that LIV Golfers being chosen for a Ryder Cup spot wasn’t off the table, and he actually believed both Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka will be on the team.

“Despite various misconceptions, they are eligible to play in the Ryder Cup. Dustin Johnson is a no-brainer, and so is Brooks Koepka. It helps that both live in Jupiter, Fla., and mix often with other top Americans during their off weeks. I think DJ and BK will be on Team USA”.

At LIV Golf Adelaide over the weekend, the Sydney Morning Herald asked Dustin Johnson for his thoughts on playing in the 2023 Ryder Cup. The two-time major champion made it clear he wants to be on the team.

“I would love to, absolutely. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed playing and in the last Ryder Cup I played pretty well. It’s one of my favorite events to play in. I’d love to. If I play well for the rest of the year, hopefully I’ll get a consideration.”

In 2021 at Whistling Straits, Johnson was the leading point scorer for Team USA and went 5-0 during the week.

LIV Orlando champion and Masters co-runner-up Brooks Koepka was asked the same question by the publication in Australia, but said he was unsure if he was eligible. However, he added that he’d like to tee it up in Italy if given the opportunity.

“It’s not up to me so I can’t make that decision, but if they choose us, we’ll be ready to go.”

Since DJ and Koepka aren’t accruing points to be eligible for the team, they’d need to be a captain’s pick. Zach Johnson has been quiet on the issue, saying he hasn’t made a decision in regards to LIV players.

“No decisions have been made. There’s still a lot of time left in that regard, and so many fluid factors involved.”

Regardless of how golf fans may feel about LIV, it’s difficult to argue that the United States team would be better off without two of the best American players of their era.

Butch Harmon reveals what he worked on with Rory McIlroy during visit earlier this year

Published

8 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

While speaking on the “Son of a Butch” Podcast, legendary swing coach Butch Harmon revealed what he worked on with Rory McIlroy when the four-time major champion went to visit him after the Players Championship this season.

Butch Harmon on what he worked on with Rory:

“The work I did with him wasn’t a tremendous amount of changing what he did, it was his attitude and the way he played certain shots. From 150 yards and in he made a full swing like he was hitting a driver and I wanted him to make…

— Matt Vincenzi (@MattVincenziPGA) May 15, 2024

“The work I did with him wasn’t a tremendous amount of changing what he did, it was his attitude and the way he played certain shots. From 150 yards and in he made a full swing like he was hitting a driver and I wanted him to make more 3 quarter swings and chop the follow through off a little. He’s a very high ball hitter, but with short irons high balls aren’t good, it’s hard to control, we wanted to bring the ball flight down.”

The work certainly seemed to help McIlroy, as he went on to win the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in back-to-back starts.

Rory will now tee it up at Valhalla for the PGA Championship, which is the site of his most recent major victory in 2014.

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19th Hole

Brandel Chamblee says this technological development was key to Phil Mickelson winning major championships

Published

8 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee shared that he believes the solid core golf ball helped Phil Mickelson win major championships.

“One of the consequences of the solid core golf ball coming around was it put the straightest of hitters in the rough.

“Phil started winning majors in 2004, I don’t think that’s any coincidence. I think he started winning majors after the solid core golf ball came along and put everybody in the rough.

“And so [Phil] is like ‘I got you in the rough, I’m going to kick your a**. This is my game. I’ve been in the rough my whole career. I can go over trees, through trees, around trees.’

“Because he’s got that amazing creativity and Phil is an underrated iron player, phenomenal iron player. Great, great great out of the trouble. If you put the top-40 players on a list and ranked them in terms of accuracy, he would be 40th.

“So, I think that was one of the consequences of the solid core golf balls was it allowed Phil to win major championships.”

Mickelson went on to win the Masters in 2004 as well as five additional majors from 2004-2021 including three total Masters, two PGA Championships, and an Open Championship.

Check out the full interview with Chamblee below:

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19th Hole

Former Augusta National employee pleads guilty to transporting stolen Masters memorabilia; Arnold Palmer’s green jacket among stolen items

Published

8 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, a man was charged in Chicago with stealing millions of dollars’ worth of memorabilia from Augusta National last month.

The man, Robert Globensky, was charged with transporting the memorabilia across state lines.

The report states that between 2009 and 2022, Globensky allegedly transported “millions of dollars’ worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and historical memorabilia” from Augusta National “and transported to Tampa, Florida, knowing the same had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud.”

The document was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Since then, more details have emerged about the case.

According to Darren Rovell of Cllct, one of the items that was stolen was Arnold Palmer’s green jacket.

The Chicago Tribune also reported that Globensky was able to steal the merchandise due to his role as a former warehouse coordinator at Augusta National who oversaw the Masters merchandise that was sold.

Rovell states that “A source with intimate knowledge of the case said an Augusta National member, who knew the jacket was missing, contacted a well-known collector who had gained a reputation for tracking down rare items. The member’s goal was to return the jacket to Augusta under the guise of purchasing it in a private sale.”

The plan worked, and the man agreed to sell the jacket for an agreed upon price of $3.6 million. After the sale was complete, the FBI swarmed the house of the thief.

Cllct also reported that Globensky pled guilty in a federal court in Chicago on Wednesday and now faces up to 10 years in prison.

The Chicago Tribune adds that Globensky’s plea deal includes an agreement to provide the government a cashier’s check for $1.5 million in the next few days.