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19th Hole

Former PGA President delivers verdict on whether he thinks LIV pros will play Ryder Cup

Published

11 months ago

on

Second at the Masters and first at the PGA Championship.

Pretty hard to beat, and surely the player obtaining those results is a gimme for the Ryder Cup in just four months time? Apparently not, as all and sundry give their view on qualification for Team USA.

Brooks Koepka, now a five-time major champion, finds himself in 13th place on the OWGR despite none of his efforts on LIV gaining any ranking points and, futhermore, has moved through to second place in Ryder Cup qualifying lists.

The latest table shows the 33-year-old well behind Scottie Scheffler, but in front of Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Young, all of whom making up the current six automatic qualifiers.

Of course, there will be plenty of changes over the next 12 weeks of qualifying, a period that ends with the second Fedex play-off event, the BMW Championship on 20th August. The problem for Koepka supporters (and there are now many more than there were just a few months ago) is that he is unlikely to be able to play that many more points-gaining events than the two remaining majors – US Open in June and The Open Championship a month later.

He is, of course, a major machine. Two wins, one second, and two further top-fives at his home Open, and a top-five and four top-10s at The Open suggest he could pull this one out of the bag. Amazingly, though, he may need to do even better to make the decision for current USA captain, Zach Johnson, and avoid any ‘captain’s pick’, and start another petty argument.

Soon after Brooks Koepka’s historic two-shot victory at Oak Hill on Sunday, viewers witnessed a tense stand-off between Brad Faxon and Brandel Chamblee, each taking a wildly different view on whether the LIV player should be permitted to play at the Marco Simone in September.

Chamblee was widely viewed as having a very aggressive viewpoint, something used by ex-colleague Lisa Cornwell as evidence for her view that, “he’s a bully, plain, and simple.” 

Now, Ted Bishop, the ousted 38th chairman of the PGA of America, has tweeted that he felt Ryder Cup players must be members of the organisation he previously ran, or they are ineligible.

Given the same organisation permitted all LIV players to take part in their own major, switching rules for a competition they also run (in conjunction with Ryder Cup Europe) seems bizarre.

If Koepka was left out for political reasons, heading the race for next in would currently be either Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns or Justin Thomas.

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19th Hole

LET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you

Published

21 hours ago

on

Apr 26, 2024

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On Friday morning, Ladies European Tour player, Hannah Gregg, took to social media to share her weekly expenses playing on the LET.

“Expenses of my first week on Ladies European Tour: Flights: $2600 Work Visa: $350 

  • Food: $377 
  • Caddie: $0 because I have an amazing Fiancé 
  • Hotel: $0 because  @GregChalmersPGA sorted me host housing for the week!  
  • Rental Car: +0 because the Tour Tee guys GAVE me their car  
  • Gas: $165 
  • Entry Fee: $130 
  • Lounge Pass for caddie: $50 
  • Gym: $0 
  • Yardage book: $0 
  • Total expenses: $3672 

Made cut, finished 54th, total earned: $1244 Factor in 35% tax on earnings. To break even, needed to finish 24th. To make money, 21st. Guess we have our goals laid out for next event!”

When factoring in Gregg’s free housing, free caddie and free rental car, it’s evident that most LET players would have to finish well inside of the top-20 to make any money.

With ridiculous amounts of money being thrown around in professional golf these days, it’s important to remember the other side of the coin as well. There are countless professionals out there who struggle to get by on their golf salary.

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19th Hole

54-hole golf tour deemed eligible for OWGR points…but it’s not LIV

Published

2 days ago

on

Apr 25, 2024

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After a seventeen-month application process, a 54-hole golf tour was deemed eligible for OWGR points.

Unfortunately, for LIV Golf and their fans, it was the Clutch Pro Tour.

After the decision, which is effective immediately, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson issued a statement.

“This is a significant milestone for golf, and OWGR is deeply encouraged by the achievement and the continued efforts in developing the sport of golf in the United Kingdom.”

“We look forward to watching the progress of the Clutch Pro Tour as it continues to play a key role in the development of players from the region,” Dawson added.

The Clutch Pro Tour operates in the United Kingdom and features a 36-hole cut. It also has an open qualifying school.

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19th Hole

Charlie Woods attempting to qualify for spot at 2024 U.S. Open

Published

2 days ago

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Apr 25, 2024

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As first reported by Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Charlie Woods will be attempting to qualify for this year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

The first stage of qualifying for this year’s tournament will be an 18-hole local event on Thursday, April 25th, in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

There will be 84 players in the field, five of which will reach the 36-hole qualifier that will take place in June.

Earlier this season, Charlie attempted to qualify for the Cognizant Classic, and struggled, shooting an 86.

If the younger Woods is able to qualify, he will tee it up in the same field as his father in a few months at one of the more historic U.S. Open venues.

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