19th Hole

Henrik Stenson launches staunch defense of LIV Golf ahead of Open Championship

Published

10 months ago

Jul 17, 2023

When LIV Golf was formed, a prevailing narrative was that it would be extremely difficult for the players to compete in major championships due to decreased activity. Throughout the first three majors of the year, that narrative has been disproven.

Related: Cam Smith reveals how he dealt with hecklers during final round of 2022 Open Championship

Henrik Stenson didn’t qualify for the first three majors of the year but spoke to The Guardian about how LIV players have done on the biggest stages of 2023.

“I don’t know if there is a small group that still has that thought but I think the players on LIV have proven over and over in the last six months that they are competitive,” Stenson said.

Related: ‘Stupid cowards’ – Heckler yells during Mardy Fish’s swing to ruin his chance to win celebrity championship

Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed all finished in the top-5 at The Masters, and Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship. The U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country club saw five LIV players finish in the top-30 including Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia.

“I’m not saying 48 LIV guys have been at the top in majors but a big part of the PGA Tour has not been at the top in majors, either. LIV players qualifying for majors, making cuts and being at the top of those tournaments … if people want to keep going on another theme, that’s up to them.

“People said: ‘Oh Brooks didn’t win the Masters because it was four rounds.’ Well, Phil Mickelson finished second because of a fourth-round 65. So which way are you going to have it?”

The Ice Man is excited to finally tee it up at a major this year, and thinks his game is in good shape as we approach the 151st Open Championship.

“With the history I have at the Open, it is the one that means the most to me anyway,” he says. “It is a special event. The Open always brings back great memories.

“I want to play well for myself. If I do all my things right, I still compete at a high level. My issue is that I have not been at my level enough times. Then it doesn’t matter what course or what tournament you are at. I’ve been working hard at trying to get my form back but when things are working, I still have the game to compete.

“Is it good enough to win a major? I don’t know. Yes, I look to prove people wrong at times – that can be a motivator. There’s no question no matter whatever tour you are playing is competitive. You always want to beat whoever is in front of you. I am confident that playing well, I can have a good Open Championship.”

The 2016 Champion Golfer of the Year will look to begin proving the doubters wrong this week at Hoylake.

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19th Hole

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

Published

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

Published

2 days 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

2 days 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.