Author: Alexandra Caspers

Categories
PGA Tour

Players Championship 2024: Wyndham Clark: “The shot and the putt that meant it all.”

Wyndham Clark at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Getty)
Wyndham Clark at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Wyndham Clark lost his lead on saturday at the Players Championship. While he was lapped by other players he himself made a deciding bogey on 17, when his first shot landed in the water.

Players Championship: Wyndham Clark on his moving day

Q. Did that feel like a pretty important bogey on 17? You seemed really pumped to make that putt. After a mistake like that, is it a big deal?

WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, it’s massive. It’s unfortunate on a hole that’s so iconic and has a bunch of trouble to have kind of your worst swing of the day. But yeah, I followed it with a great swing and a great putt. I’m in the final group tomorrow, which is huge.

I’m hoping that’s a huge point in the tournament and we look back after tomorrow and look at that hole and say, hey, that was maybe the shot and the putt that meant it all.

Q. Does not going to the drop area, is that your thing that you would always do, or is it a circumstances where the pin is?

WYNDHAM CLARK: Fortunately I went first and I had some time to think about it. I asked my caddie John, and he’s like, it’s just too close for us to be able to hit it — the easier shot was just redoing it. We had a good club. Honestly, I made a bad swing and chunked it, and if we went closer, I think it made it a tougher shot.

Q. Did you lose your focus?

WYNDHAM CLARK: No. I mean, I’m not throwing John under the bus by any means, but it was probably a perfect sand wedge. He thought if I nuked it, it could get on top. Kind of, as we were walking to put the ball down, he’s like, Let’s take a little off a full sand wedge. As I was over the ball I kind of got to the top and I was like, take a little off and then I just kind of deceled and chunked it. It wasn’t really a lack of focus or anything. It just was honestly a poor swing.

Players Championship Leaderboard

Q. You shot 70, kind of felt like maybe your bad round, but to still be in the final group —

WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, exactly. I think everyone kind of has one round where they have to really grind it out and make those par putts and bogey putts or whatever it is. I felt like that was today. I’m hoping tomorrow I’ll wake up laser locked-in focused and can go have an awesome round and hopefully have a great finish here.

Q. I heard you talking to Todd. Did you feel like you lost focus at any point throughout the round?

WYNDHAM CLARK: No. I mean, gosh, it’s hard in a final group on a Saturday, and especially when everyone else is making a lot of birdies. Sometimes you can press and try to force the issue, and I thought I did an amazing job. If I make the par putt on 8 and make the birdie putt on 9, could have been a totally different round. I could be at 19 or 20, and we’d be having a different conversation.

I felt like I still played good golf. I hit a lot of good shots. Just seemed like a couple missed clubs, a couple missed putts. Other than that, I thought I played fine.

Q. How important was it for you to be in the final group? Does it feel a bit like Wells Fargo all over again?

WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, I always think it’s great to be in the final group and kind of know where everyone is at, so depending on what the circumstances are, you can either press it or play really smart coming in.

But yeah, it’s fun playing with Xander. He’s so good, and his caddie, we’re all good friends. It’s going to be fun tomorrow. He has the upper leg right now, and I’m hoping tomorrow I bring it and we can have some fireworks and play some great golf.

Q. What do you think makes him tough as a competitor?

WYNDHAM CLARK: He’s so consistent, and obviously you saw today the guy makes a lot of putts. Hopefully tomorrow he doesn’t make that many putts and I make some putts. I have a lot of respect for Xander’s game. He’s just so steady. He doesn’t really have any flaws.

Players Championship Live Blog
Categories
PGA Tour

Players Championship: Watch Scottie Scheffler Getting A Massage During The Round

Scottie Scheffler during round 2 of the Players Championship 2024 on PGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Scottie Scheffler during round 2 of the Players Championship 2024 on PGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)

Scottie Scheffler was treated by his physio during the second round of the Players Championship. It appears to be a problem with his neck. On the tee of the 14th hole, the world number 1 received a massage while sitting on a folding chair. Scheffler, who should have had the honour of teeing off after his birdie on hole 13, allowed his flight partners Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas to tee off first. The two were already on the fairway before Scheffler hit his tee shot.

Video: Scottie Scheffler receives treatment at Players Championship

Scottie Scheffler receiving treatment on the 14th tee for discomfort in his neck. He remains just one shot back of the lead. pic.twitter.com/CM13olqc0y — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 15, 2024

At this point, Scheffler was two shots under par after four holes and just one shot behind the leaders. As a result of his treatment, the flight was informed that they had lost too much time and needed to pick up the pace.

The problems apparently began after his tee shot on hole 12, after which Scheffler enquired with a rules official whether treatment would be possible during the round.

The Scheffler Shuffle is evolving. (He found the fairway.) pic.twitter.com/QjtmuTi1Yf — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 15, 2024

Scheffler would be the first player to defend his title at the Players Championship. After a round of 67 on day 1, he is a good step closer to this achievement, if his neck problems don’t affect him now.

Zum Leaderboard der Players Championship

Categories
PGA Tour

Players Championship 2024: Hovland and Spieth Question Rory McIlory’s Drop

Discussions about Rory McIlroy's drop at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Twitter.com/@KyleporterCBS)
Discussions about Rory McIlroy's drop at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Twitter.com/@KyleporterCBS)

Rory McIlroy hit his ball into the water twice in the first round of the Players Championship 2024. On hole 7, this resulted in a discussion with his flight partners Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland. The discussion centred on the question of whether the ball crossed the red line after crossing the penalty area or whether it bounced and rolled into the water before crossing the line. Another part of the discussion centred on where the ball may have crossed the line.

Players Championship 2024: Discussions about Rory McIlroy’s drop

The PGA Tour captured the entire discussion on video:

Rory McIlroy was pretty sure of his drop on the hole side of the penalty area when Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth questioned whether the ball had really crossed the red line. If it hadn’t, McIlroy would have had to hit again from the tee. According to Spieth, the TV crew were of the opinion that the ball had “one hundred per cent” not crossed the line. However, he himself had not seen where the ball had landed. Hovland couldn’t say for sure either and called the situation “very speculative”. McIlroy, meanwhile, emphasised that he was convinced the ball had crossed the line, he just wasn’t sure exactly where.

A rules official was called in to help and the camera footage was consulted. However, it was concluded that the television images did not provide clear evidence and the decision would therefore have to be made based on the players’ judgement. It was agreed that the ball had landed on land.

McIlroy, to be on the safe side, chose a spot to drop that was on the line a few metres back from where he estimated the ball had crossed the red line. The rules official made sure that Spieth and Hovland were not against the location of the drop, which they both confirmed, even if they still didn’t seem entirely convinced that the ball had actually crossed the line. Golf journalist Dan Rapaport, who accompanied the group, described the atmosphere as “very strange”.

McIlroy took the shot and ended up making double bogey on that hole.

Players Championship 2024: Live Blog

Rory McIlroy: “I started to doubt myself a little bit”

After the round, McIlroy said the following about the situation to the media:
“I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing. I mean, I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence. I was adamant. But I think, again, he was just trying to make sure that I was going to do the right thing.”

“If anything, I was being conservative with it. I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to protect ourselves, protect the field, as well. I wouldn’t say it was needless. I think he was just trying to make sure that what happened was the right thing.”

“I guess I started to doubt myself a little bit. I was like, okay, did I actually see what I thought I saw. But I mean, as long as — I was comfortable, and I was just making sure that Jordan and Viktor were comfortable, too.”

“It is a bit of a blind spot. I think the best view was from the tee, which was the view that we had.”

“I was adamant that I saw it bounce above the red line, but then when someone comes in and says, well, someone thought that it didn’t. Then you’re like — it just puts some doubt in your mind. Again, it’s up to you to be comfortable enough with your decision that you did see what you saw, I guess.”

“It was disappointing not to get that up-and-down on 7, but that’s probably why I give it a little mini-fist pump on 9 to feel like I got one of those shots back. You have to reset and you have to try to get back into the zone that you were in for the 15 previous holes.”

Categories
PGA Tour

Players Championship: Early Hole in One on 17

Ryan Fox with a Hole in One at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Getty)
Ryan Fox with a Hole in One at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Ryan Fox makes the first hole-in-one of the 2024 Players Championship on hole 17. The famous island green is actually known for being particularly challenging and only a few holes-in-one have been made here in the history of the Players Championship. The record was set last year with three aces over the course of the tournament week.

And before most players have even completed half of the round, the first hole-in-one of 2024 has already been made. Mild weather conditions with little wind and an easy flag position made Ryan Fox’s task a little easier.

Player Championship Live Blog

Hole in One at the Players Championship 2024

Categories
PGA Tour

Jay Monahan on the state of the PGA Tour: The focus should be on the fan

Jay Monahan talks about the current state of the PGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Jay Monahan talks about the current state of the PGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)

Commissioner Jay Monahan used the 50th Players Championship, the flagship tournament of the PGA Tour, to provide an overview of the current state of the Tour. The ongoing negotiations with the PIF as well as the partnership with the Strategic Sports Group announced at the beginning of the year took centre stage. The overarching message, however, was that fans should be taken into account in all decisions.

Negotiations with PIF are “accelerating”

Monahan was unable to go into detail about the negotiations with the PIF, but stated that the negotiations are progressing and that he continues to believe that a deal will be the best outcome.

“I do know everyone is curious about the status of our negotiations with the PIF. As I’ve said on a number of occasions, you can’t negotiate a deal like this in public, so I will be brief. I recently met with the governor of the PIF, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and our negotiations are accelerating as we spend time together. While we have several key issues that we still need to work through, we have a shared vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf’s worldwide potential.”

The deal with SSG is by no means an obstacle; on the contrary, it has improved the chances of a successful negotiation, as the expertise behind it is also attractive for the PIF.

“There are a finite number of athletes, and this is a point in time, a unique point in time where unification ultimately puts the sport in the best possible position to take advantage of this growth on a go-forward basis.”

What the fans want

The cooperation with the Strategic Sports Group is also intended to guarantee future growth, but it is imperative that the cooperation between SSG, players and the PGA Tour focuses on the fan.

“Our business thrives when together we’re all laser focused on delivering for our fans. If we fail on that front, we fail on every front. Three weeks ago we had our first Policy Board meeting since SSG became an investor. The substance of that meeting focused primarily on how we can place our current and future fans at the center of our decision making.

We’ve done extensive research with our fans, and what they’re telling us today is simple: They love golf, and they’re loyal to the PGA TOUR. They’re tired of hearing about conflict, money and who is getting what. They want to watch the world’s best golfers compete in tournaments with history, meaning, and legacies on the line at venues they recognize and love. They also want to know how we’re planning to make the sport more entertaining and easier for them to watch and follow.”

Together with the SSG, they want to focus on these fan priorities. That’s why Monahan addressed the fans directly in his press conference:

“We remain committed to this mission-driven formula, and as I close, I want to speak directly to our fans, our most important constituent, and ones that maybe haven’t felt their voices heard lately. All of this talk about investment and growth, I want you to know that we’re focusing that energy on bringing forth the most competitive and entertaining TOUR possible for you. It’s my commitment and it’s our players’ commitment.”

The PGA Tour ethos: Pure competition

Despite concerns that the PGA Tour has been weakened too much by the departing stars, with the unknown faces at the top of the game as supposed proof, Jay Monahan defends the Tour’s current course, especially with regard to the Signature Events and their effect. The Signature Events are a product of the PGA Tour’s balancing act of creating better earning opportunities for the PGA Tour’s top players while bringing them together more often in one place in the interests of both sponsors and fans, but it is still too early in the season to really judge the newly introduced model.

“Early returns for 2024 show that field strength, player participation, and access for full-field and signature events are strong and delivering on our expectations based on the modeled projections. Year-to-date data includes the following: We’ve had 49 unique players outside the top 50 who have competed in signature events with help of the AON Swing 5 and AON Next 10.”

“We are currently tracking at a 60 percent retention rate among the top 50. Using data comparing participation from the top 50 and top 125 in the FedExCup standings in 2023, or versus 2023, the strength of field at full-field events has improved by nearly 30 percent. Better yet, the reimagined schedule is delivering the essence of the PGA TOUR’s ethos: Pure competition which shows just how hard winning is.”

“Three rookies who took distinctly different paths to the PGA TOUR have already entered the winner’s circle in 2024. Nick Dunlap, the first amateur to win on the PGA TOUR since 1992; Mathew Pavon, a new arrival via the DP World Tour top 10, who sits third in the FedExCup standings; and Korn Ferry Tour graduate Jake Knapp. We’ve also witnessed the game’s elite excelling on the biggest stages: Hideki Matsuyama’s Sunday 62 at the Genesis Invitational, to become the most accomplished Asian-born player in PGA TOUR history; Wyndham Clark winning his second Signature Event at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on the strength of a course record 60 at Pebble Beach; and last week, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler pulled away from a stacked leaderboard with a master class performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard to take over the lead in the FedExCup standings.”

“While it’s still early in the season, there are also a number of stars and fan favorites who haven’t hoisted a trophy yet in 2024. They know it, and in talking to them, they’re looking to put an end to that narrative as early as this week.”

Between legacy and new talent

The PGA Tour is in such a good position precisely because it offers the opportunity to “consistantly regenerate talent and create stars.”

“Jason Gore talks about the fact that a star on the PGA TOUR can be born in three weeks, and that’s what we do, and that’s the strength of our product, and that’s the durability of our products.”

Ultimately, it is not just the players, but the history and tradition of the tour and the individual tournaments that make the tour so strong.

“When you have tournaments that have been in place for decades with history, legacy, tradition, great list of champions, familiarity with your fans, on a global basis, there’s a recognition that winning out here is an incredible accomplishment. That emotion that you see on Sunday after a player wins, that emotion that you see from fans, you know, as players are coming down the stretch and they’re seeing our athletes and their exceptionalism, to me that is something that the PGA TOUR has and always will uniquely provide.”

“

But you can never discount, and in fact, it’s a great strength to have that established history and legacy at each one of these tournaments, including this great tournament this week that’s 50 years since its debut, and you look at that list of champions, and the person, the player that drives away here Sunday night winning this championship will have their career and their life changed in very meaningful ways. That’s what we do; we change players’ lives and we change people’s lives, and no organization does that better than the PGA TOUR.”

Categories
Highlights Tours

Luke Donald on the Ryder Cup: The Trickiest Things About Foursomes

(Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Getty)

Luke Donald chats on the range with Mizuno in company of Ben Griffin and Keith Mitchell. He reflects on his past captaincy at the Ryder Cup in Rome, on the positive result but also the decisions a captain has to make leading up to that.

Luke Donald reflects about the Ryder Cup

Categories
LIV Tour

LIV Golf: Rahm’s Team Name and Members Confirmed

Jon Rahm's LIV Golf Team. (Photo: Getty)
Jon Rahm's LIV Golf Team. (Photo: Getty)

Three days before the start of the 2024 season in Mayakoba, LIV Golf announces the line-up and team name for the 13th team, which will be under the direction of Jon Rahm. Under the name “Legion XIII”, inspired by the Legion XIII Gemina in Ceasar’s Army, the new team will play with the mantra “Together we play. Together we conquer.” Captain Jon Rahm will be joined by Tyrrell Hatton, former amateur Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent. There are no more big surprises, the details have already been circulating in the social and traditional golf media with varying degrees of certainty. It was only on Monday that the apparently recent signing of Tyrrell Hatton attracted a great deal of attention.

LIV Golf: Jon Rahm and his 13th Legion

Legion XIII is the first new team to join LIV Golf since the tour’s inception.“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time and are extremely proud of the team and brand we are building,” said Rahm. “As we were developing the team’s brand it became clear that I wanted to fight alongside a group of guys who aligned perfectly with what the team stands for. Tyrrell is a fierce competitor, proven champion, and of course my Ryder Cup teammate. Caleb is one of the brightest next gen stars of the game. And Kieran is a steady, talented ball striker who earned his promotion to LIV and is elevating his game every day.”

Rahm explained more about the meaning he sees in the team name: “The XIII portion of the name was appealing early in the process as it fit the structure of captain (X) and the three players in the lineup (III),” said Rahm. “Plus, we are the 13th team in the league. As for the logo, that was something I was also very passionate about. The soccer team I grew up following (Athletic Bilbao) is called the Lions. It’s just a fierce animal that everybody respects and fears at the same time.”

Rahm’s Legion XIII will consist of:

Jon Rahm, two-time major winner and reigning Masters champion with a total of 20 wins in his professional career.

Tyrrell Hatton, Rahm’s Ryder Cup teammate and 6-time winner on the DP World Tour. “I’m really looking forward to this next chapter, working with Jon Rahm and Legion XIII and getting started this week in Mexico,” said Hatton.

Caleb Surratt, number 10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking with a successful performance at the Walker Cup 2023

Kieran Vincent, who qualified for the league via the LIV Golf Promotions event and whose brother Scott is already a permanent member of the Iron Heads team.

Categories
Live

Tyrrell Hatton to LIV Golf? The Brit could become Rahm’s new team member

Will Tyrrell Hatton join LIV Golf? (Photo: Getty)
Will Tyrrell Hatton join LIV Golf? (Photo: Getty)

Tyrrell Hatton could be the latest and possibly last addition for the 2024 LIV Golf season. At least that’s what the British newspaper The Telegraph reports. According to the newspaper, Hatton has joined Jon Rahm’s new LIV Golf team and signed a contract worth 50 million pounds (approx. 58.6 million euros).

Tyrrell Hatton in talks with LIV Golf

Tyrrell Hatton, ranked 16th in the world, would be a high-calibre addition to the league and has already gained experience with Jon Rahm as a team-mate, most recently at the Ryder Cup in Rome, where Rahm and Hatton competed successfully together. This is another reason why rumours about Hatton have persisted for weeks. When asked about this at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, he confirmed that he had held talks with LIV Golf, but also that he is still happy with his place on the traditional tours at the moment.

“I would say there are several people who have had conversations,” Hatton said in Dubai. “I think that’s part of golf at the moment, but I’m very happy playing on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.”

Hatton’s move would also be a very last-minute one, as the LIV golf season starts this week in Mexico. According to the Telegraph, the Briton is also set to make his debut on the new tour there. Hatton is currently still listed in the field for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. There has been no official announcement from Hatton, LIV Golf or Jon Rahm and his “Legion XIII” team regarding this new addition.

Speculation about new LIV Golf members

The same applies to almost all of the newcomers who are expected to fill the open spots in the 13 teams. Not even the team name for Rahm’s team has been officially confirmed at the moment, but there is speculation that Kieran Vincent, who qualified for the league via the LIV Promotions event, and amateur Caleb Surratt will join the team alongside Hatton.

The transfer of Adrian Meronk to LIV Golf, who is to find a place in Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks, has also allegedly been confirmed by Sports Illustrated. What is certain is that the Cleeks will be strengthened by Kalle Samooja alongside Kaymer and Richard Bland, as the captain himself confirmed in an interview with the National Club Golfer. Like Vincent, Samooja had also qualified via the promotional event. The third qualifier, Jinichiro Kozuma, is to be accommodated at Kevin Nas Iron Heads. Australian Lucas Herbert is also rumoured to be joining Cam Smith’s all-Australian Rippers team.

Most of these speculations should either be confirmed or proved wrong with the start of the LIV golf season on 2 February in Mexico.

Categories
Uncategorized

Confirmed: Jon Rahm joins LIV Golf

Jon Rahm joins LIV Golf. (Photo: LIV Golf)
Jon Rahm joins LIV Golf. (Photo: LIV Golf)

After weeks of rumours, it is now officially confirmed: Jon Rahm will play at LIV Golf from the coming season. This means that the reigning Masters champion and world number three will be joining the tour, which was launched in 2022.

Jon Rahm: “I am officially joining LIV Golf”

“As you can see now it’s official. This is me finally saying after all the rumours, some of them were true, and I am officially joining LIV Golf,” Rahm said in an interiew with Fox News. “It’s not an easy decision. I’ve had a very successful career and I’m happy. There are a lot of things that LIV Golf have to offer which were very enticing, starting with team golf.” The Spaniard will even have his own LIV Golf team, but details of this will be announced at a later date.

In an interview with Fox News, the 29-year-old did not want to confirm any concrete information about the sum that Jon Rahm will ultimately receive for his transfer, but sums of between 300 and 600 million dollars were rumoured in advance. However, Jon Rahm reiterated his position that he is not interested in the money. “I play golf for the love of the game and for the love of golf. I’m an ambitious person but I’m not a greedy one.” As a husband and father, however, he said it was still important to him to provide his family with as many opportunities and as many resources as possible.

Rahm: “I can make it something very special.”

However, the main reason for his decision was: “The love of the game and wanting to grow it in a global market. Being part of the team. Being a captain. Hopefully being a leader to team-mates. It makes me want to work harder than I have done now to actually prove myself.”

“Hopefully some time in the future some kids in Spain will want to be part of this team that I am going to build. Hopefully it’s something that I am related to for a very long time. Hopefully until the day I die. And I can make it something very special.”

Jon Rahm is the next high-calibre golf star to join LIV Golf, after players such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have joined LIV Golf in recent years.

Rahm had originally ruled out a switch, showing no interest in the format and pledging his allegiance to the PGA Tour. However, some time has passed since then and there have been a number of changes in the golf landscape, most notably the co-operation between the PGA and DP World Tour and the PIF. Rahm was also scheduled to be a member of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL, but withdrew from the project before its postponement to 2025 was announced. As things stand, his move to LIV will cost him his PGA Tour membership and could jeopardise future Ryder Cup appearances.

Categories
Highlights Tours

Ryder Cup 2023: Bunker Magic from Tommy Fleetwood

Tommy Fleetwood at the 2023 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Getty)
Tommy Fleetwood at the 2023 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Getty)

Tommy Fleetwood once again proves to be a chipping master. In the singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup, the Englishman turned the match against Rickie Fowler, which had been tied until then, into a lead for Europe on hole 9. He holed out of the bunker on the par 4 for a birdie and won the hole.

Follow the Ryder Cup 2023 Livescoring

Ryder Cup 2023: Video of Tommy Fleetwood’s bunker shot