Categories
Live PGA Tour

PGA Tour Tee Times: Martin Laird at the Sanderson Farms Championship

The upcoming Sanderson Farms Championship takes place in Jackson, Mississippi (USA) at The Country Club of Jackson. The event is part of the PGA Tour and has a par of 72. The prize purse for this tournament is $7,600,000, and the current titleholder is Luke List.

PGA Tour Tee Times

Martin Laird from Scotland will start his first round at 07:16 alongside Henrik Norlander from Sweden and Maverick McNealy from the USA. In the second round, Laird will tee off at 12:01.

Ben Taylor from England tees off in the first round at 08:11, accompanied by Troy Merritt and Joel Dahmen, both from the USA. His second-round start time is scheduled for 12:56.

David Skinns, also from England, begins his first round at 08:33 with Vincent Whaley and Chandler Phillips, both from the USA. Skinns’ second round starts at 13:18.

Seamus Power from Ireland, although not British, is notable here. His first round starts at 12:23 with Adam Schenk and Lee Hodges, both from the USA. He tees off for the second round at 07:38.

Player Nationality Round 1 Tee Time Round 2 Tee Time Playing Partners
Martin Laird Scotland 07:16 12:01 Henrik Norlander (SWE), Maverick McNealy (USA)
Ben Taylor England 08:11 12:56 Troy Merritt (USA), Joel Dahmen (USA)
David Skinns England 08:33 13:18 Vincent Whaley (USA), Chandler Phillips (USA)
Seamus Power Ireland 12:23 07:38 Adam Schenk (USA), Lee Hodges (USA)
Categories
Equipment

Under Armour: Golf Collection With New Layers For Winter

Under a new all-encompassing identity for the Golf category that ties into the success of its performance footwear products in the Under Armour Drive Pro Spiked and Spikeless, the all-new UA Drive apparel layers and Drive Pro insulated outerwear will offer golfers modern silhouettes in new fabrications for maximum comfort, as well as the elevated performance and protection from the rain and cold that consumers trust Under Armour to deliver throughout the winter season.

Under Armour 2024: New layers for fall and winter

The standout new layering piece for FW24 is the UA Drive Midlayer. Available in a Crewneck, Hoodie, or ¼ Zip Pullover styles, the new Drive Midlayer is a must-have item for golfers that want a clean, simple design that delivers a super luxe fit and feel.

The new UA Drive Storm Sweaterfleece offers a modern take on one of the brands biggest franchises in Golf apparel, using subtle styling details to the zipper, cuffs and logo applications, plus woven overlays treated with Storm protection.

Stay Warm Through the Cold Season

In the insulated outerwear category, UA has expanded on the range from FW23 by introducing more levels of insulation than before.The full assortment of the UA Drive Pro Insulated Jacket and Vest, Drive Pro Storm Lightweight Insulated Jacket and Vest, and Drive Pro Storm Hybrid range, gives golfers a choice of over 20 different outerwear pieces, with each featuring unique technical properties to allow golfers to perform at their best by keeping them at the perfect temperature in the variable conditions golfers face through the Fall/Winter season.

The UA Drive Pro Insulated Jacket and Vest offer the most protection from the cold through a combination of UA ColdGear Infrared to the interior lining and recycled insulation materials. UA Drive Pro Insulation products feature quilting panels and hybrid blocking, as well as new metallic logo details to deliver an elevated look. Both the Jacket and Vest also feature full-zippered hand pockets to stash your essentials.

For true warmth without weight, golfers can trust in the UA Drive Pro Storm Lightweight Insulated Jacket and Vest. Using a durable stretch woven fabric with octafleece liner, which feels lighter and keeps you warmer, these garments also use UA Storm technology to repel water and without sacrificing breathability. Both pieces also utilise the metallic silver trim package across the zipper and logos, tying into the elevated look and feel of the other items in the Drive Pro outerwear range.

Perhaps the biggest update to the range, the UA Drive Pro Storm Hybrid Full-Zip and ½ Zip are now 70% warmer while being 33% lighter than the silhouette it replaces in the range for FW24. Utilising a hybrid design as the name suggests, Storm Daytona Spacer fabrication and a Storm stretch woven fabric are paired with lightweight insulation in different zones to optimise fit, warmth, comfort and performance.

Pro Storm Lightweight, Drive Pro und Drive Pro Storm (links nach rechts) von Under Armour. (Foto UA)
Pro Storm Lightweight, Drive Pro and Drive Pro Storm (left to right) from Under Armour. (Photo: UA)

Pants & Polos

In bottoms, UA is adding even more breadth to the range with the addition of new Matchplay Pants and Jogger options to complement the Drive Pants range carrying through from SS24, to sit alongside the ColdGear Infrared Winter Pants.T2G, Playoff and Iso-Chill Polos complete the apparel offering for FW24 with new print applications and colour stories to tie in with the full range.

Women & Kids

The Women’s and Kids ranges include all the new fabrics and technologies found in Men’s in appropriate silhouettes, colours and designs. Women’s UA Golf will include the Drive Midlayer a hero piece of the Men’s range, as well as a new Drive Flare Pant and Drive Storm Insulated products. All ranges are backed by a comprehensive selection of seasonal accessories including gloves, mitts, caps and winter headwear.

Text: Under Armour

Categories
European Tour

DP World Tour: 14 LIV Golfers Participate in Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

The 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, one of the most prestigious tournaments on the DP World Tour, is drawing significant attention this year due to the participation of 14 golfers from the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf League. This raises the question: Why are so many LIV golfers allowed to compete in an event of the DP World Tour, especially since many of them are not members of the tour?

Tradition and prestige of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is the only tournament held annually at the famous Old Course in St. Andrews, as well as at Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. This unique event attracts the best golfers in the world, including Ryder Cup stars like Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm. Despite the rivalry between the DP World Tour and the LIV Golf League, fueled by Saudi Arabia’s financial involvement in golf, several LIV players have found a way to participate in this tournament.

Invitations and Special Provisions on the DP World Tour

A key factor allowing many LIV golfers to compete in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is the invitations extended by the tournament committee. The organizers, particularly South African billionaire Johann Rupert, who has been organizing the event for a long time, view this as a way to unite the best golfers worldwide. Rupert has repeatedly emphasized that the future of golf lies in the collaboration of different tours, as demonstrated by the invitation of LIV players.

One example is US American Brooks Koepka, who says the Old Course is one of his favorite places in the world and was invited despite being part of the LIV Golf League. Other players such as Louis Oosthuizen, Talor Gooch and Branden Grace also received invitations from the committee. Other LIV players, however, such as Patrick Reed, have received their starting places through good placings in other tournaments.

Exceptions through appeals

Some LIV golfers who are still active members of the DP World Tour can only take part due to ongoing appeal procedures. Players such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have appealed DP World Tour sanctions imposed on them after competing in LIV events. While these appeals have not yet been finalized, the players will be allowed to continue competing in DP World Tour events while the proceedings are ongoing.

Categories
Live

OWGR: Fleetwood Closes in on Top 10, Rahm Gains Points

The latest World Golf Ranking presents some notable shifts among British golfers. Rory McIlroy remains the highest-ranked golfer from the UK, holding the 3rd position with no change from last week, and an average point score of 8,64. Tommy Fleetwood, improving his rank from 12th to 11th, remains the second-highest British golfer, with an average point score of 4.25.

Robert MacIntyre and Other UK Golfers in the World Golf Ranking

Robert MacIntyre from Scotland retains his 16th place, maintaining his position from the previous week with an average point score of 3.76. Aaron Rai, currently ranked 20th, also holds his position from last week, with an average point score of 3.32. Matt Fitzpatrick experienced a slight drop, moving from 28th to 29th in the World Golf Ranking, and holds an average point score of 2.82.

Top 10 in the World Golf Ranking

Scottie Scheffler remains the leader of the World Golf Ranking, sustaining his 1st position. Xander Schauffele follows in the 2nd spot, with no changes from last week. Rory McIlroy, the highest-ranked British player, is in 3rd place. Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg, and Wyndham Clark also maintain their positions from last week, ranked 4th, 5th, and 6th, respectively. Hideki Matsuyama holds steady at 7th place. Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, and Bryson DeChambeau complete the Top-10, all retaining their ranks from last week. Behind the Top-10 Jon Rahm notably gains points in the OWGR apart from a major tournament with his second place at the Open de Espana.

Position Player Name Nationality Ranking Last Week Average Points
3 Rory McIlroy NIR 3 8.64
11 Tommy Fleetwood ENG 12 4.25
16 Robert MacIntyre SCO 16 3.76
20 Aaron Rai ENG 20 3.32
29 Matt Fitzpatrick ENG 28 2.81
Categories
Panorama Reports

The Logo: Lawsuit Against Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red

Legal dispute: Tiger Woods is in trouble with his new outfit label Sun Day Red. The company Tigeraire from Baton Rouge/Louisiana has filed a trademark lawsuit against the 15-time major winner, Sun Day Red and the outfit manufacturer TaylorMade.

Tiger Woods’ Logo is Claimed to Confuse Consumers

According to Tigeraire, which manufactures cooling systems for the sports sector, such as ventilation systems for football helmets, the trademark, which has existed since 2020, is being blatantly ignored, protected trademark rights and brand identity are being infringed and consumer confusion is being created: the application to register Sun Day Red’s trademark must therefore be rejected. Tigeraire refers to the similarities and likelihood of confusion between the logos of the two companies, which each show a stylised tiger. David Abeles, CEO of TaylorMade, commented on the process: ‘We have full confidence in the protection of our brand.’

Categories
Fun Panorama

Filming for Happy Gilmore 2: Adam Sandler in a Bathrobe and With a Golf Bag

Insight: A few weeks ago, production began on the long-awaited sequel to the golfing comedy Happy Gilmore; filming is mainly taking place in New York. And so it can happen that you open your front door in the morning and witness lead actor Adam Sandler shuffling around in his bathrobe, lugging a golf bag with him. This is exactly what happened to ‘TikTok’ user Ariana Hailand, who of course immediately shared this very special sighting with the world:

@arianahailand The nicest guy in Hollywood is now the nicest guy in Jersey #AdamSandler #HappyGilmore2 #HappyMadison #Netflix #fyp #NewJersey ♬ Good Day – Nappy Roots

Happy Gilmore 2 Will Be Distributed by Netflix

Some time ago, Christopher McDonald aka Shooter McGavin revealed that Sandler was working on part 2 of Happy Gilmore, and Netflix confirmed this a little later. It is still not known when the film will be finished and aired. But all fans waiting for the continuation of the duel between Gilmore and McGavin can rejoice: it continues just as weirdly.

Categories
Panorama

Jon Rahm Announces Birth of Third Child

Professional golfer Jon Rahm’s third child has been born. Rahm was therefore able to compete in his first DP World Tour tournament of the season.

Birth causes a slight change in plans

After Jon Rahm was unable to take part in the LIV Golf Team Championship last week due to ‘severe flu symptoms’, according to LIV Golf, his participation in this week’s acciona Open de España was uncertain as well. In fact, Rahm’s arrival was delayed by one day: instead of arriving at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid on Tuesday as planned, he arrived on Wednesday and thus missed the Pro-Am tournament. However, the reason for his delay appears to be a happy one: The Spanish newspaper ‘Marca’ reports that his wife Kelley Cahill gave birth to their third child a day earlier, on Tuesday.

The couple announced the pregnancy on Instagram in March 2024. The post shows Rahm and his wife Kelley holding their two sons, Kepa (3) and Eneko (2), in their arms. Rahm wrote ‘Officially moving to zone defense, baby Rahm #3 coming soon!’.

 
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
 

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Jon Rahm Rodriguez (@jonrahm)

At an Open Championship 2024 press conference in July, Rahm hinted at complications with the pregnancy, but did not elaborate.

Now the new baby is born and Rahm is competing at the Open de España with the aim of reclaiming his title. The 2018, 2019 and 2022 winner has the chance to win the trophy in his home country for the fourth time this week.

Jon Rahm’s participation relevant for Ryder Cup eligibility

Rahm’s participation in the DP World Tour tournament is also important for his potential Ryder Cup participation in 2025: only European players who are members of the DP World Tour can represent Europe in the Ryder Cup. The prerequisite for membership is playing at least four DP World Tour tournaments.

After Rahm switched to the LIV Tour in December 2023, he no longer took part in any DP World Tour tournaments. As the Olympic golf tournament also counts, the Open de España is Rahm’s second of four necessary tournaments. Next week he is on the list of participants at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland and in October he would like to play the Andalucía Masters in Spain.

Categories
Panorama

Mini Golf Showdown: Justin Rose vs. Billy Horschel in an Epic Duell

Justin Rose and Billy Horschel, two of the biggest names in golf, met at the first DP World Mini Golf Invitational. But instead of the big golf courses, a completely different terrain awaited them: the 8-hole jungle course at Bear Mountain Adventure Golf in London. This unique event promised not only fun, but also exciting challenges for the two professionals.

Golf Professionals in Miniature – A Duel of the Highest Class

Although the tournament looked like a casual game of fun at first glance, the ambition of the two professionals seemed unbroken. “There’s nothing mini about my game” joked Rose before the duel, while Horschel emphasized: “To win big, you have to think mini”. These humorous remarks made it clear that both players were prepared to give their all to win their first mini golf title. The event was not only an opportunity to put their skills to the test, but also a chance to celebrate their sporting rivalry in an unusual setting.

Precision and Strategy on the Mini Golf Course

The course put the golf stars to a completely new test. Winding fairways, tricky obstacles and heated discussions with their caddies ensured a mixture of laughter and concentration. The jungle course not only demanded precise putting, but also strategic thinking to find the best solutions to each challenge. Horschel, who jokingly referred to the tournament as “the fifth major”, took the competition with a good dose of humor, but also with ambition.

In the end, Billy Horschel triumphed and not only secured victory in mini golf, but also crowned a historic week. After his victory at the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth, he added another extraordinary title to his collection. The battle for the mini golf crown was fierce, but Horschel eventually prevailed and won the inaugural DP World Mini Golf Invitational.

Categories
Panorama

R&A: Golf Participation Continues to Enjoy Growth

The R&A today announced new participation figures that show an increase of more than three million adult golfers playing the sport.

According to new research undertaken for the governing body, there are now 42.7 million on-course golfers (9 and 18-hole) in R&A affiliated markets (outside the USA and Mexico).

The research figures for 2023 indicate a growth of 3.1 million on-course golfers since 2022. The growth trend began before the onset of Covid-19 and is now accelerating faster than the 2020-2022 pandemic period when there was an average of 2.5 million new on-course golfers per annum. The sport continues to increase in popularity, now up 44% from 29.6 million on-course players in 2016.

The new data is provided by national federations in The R&A’s affiliated markets in Asia, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.

R&A: Global Surge in On-Course Golfers

The research also shows that 62.3 million adults (outside the USA and Mexico) consume the sport in some format, an increase of 1.1 million since 2022. It is just the second time an estimate has been made beyond on-course activity to include alternative-only formats, such as pitch & putt, indoor simulator golf and driving range use.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said, “Golf’s popularity continues to grow with a significant increase in the number of people playing the sport both on and off the course.

“There are now 13 million more golfers playing on the course since 2016 in R&A affiliated markets, while there are also millions of others enjoying alternative formats of golf, such as driving ranges, adventure golf and simulator golf, which are vital to the growth of the sport.

“New golfer participation programmes with appealing propositions, promotion and imagery are important for encouraging more people into the sport and retaining them in greater numbers. This is why we continue to work collaboratively with our affiliated national federations and stakeholders to build on this momentum and ensure golf continues to thrive.”

The top five on-course adult golfer markets overall reported are in: Japan (11.4 million), Republic of Korea (8.7 million), Canada (6.3 million), England (4.2 million) and Germany (2.4 million).

Women’s Participation on the Rise

Asia is the leading region for people engaging with golf among R&A affiliated regions, with total adult engagement in golf of 26.2 million. Europe is next highest with 19.7 million adults having some form of golf engagement.

The number of adult registered golfers (those members of a golf club within their national association or affiliated through a direct subscription) increased from 8 million in 2022 to 8.2 million in 2023, with an overall growth of 10% since 2020. Registered women golfers have grown from 1.5 million in 2020 to 1.6 million in 2023.

There was a decrease in those adults who only played formats other than 9 or 18-hole golf  – 21.6 million in 2022 to 19.6 million in 2023 – but this is likely to positively reflect on those moving instead to full-length on-course golf. The percentage of golfers only using alternative formats that are women did grow from 47% in 2022 to 52% in 2023, specifically in key golfing markets.

The R&A is continuing its commitment to invest £200 million over ten years (2017-2026) in developing golf, including sustained work to encourage participation through various initiatives.

(Text: The R&A)

Categories
PGA Tour

Michael Kim: “It’s Honestly a Bit of a Dog Eat Dog World”

Professional golfer Michael Kim is known for sharing insider information from the world of professional golf with his followers on social media. This time, the 31-year-old writes about contact with player agents, experiences, rumors and the different types of agencies. “When you’re first out of college and a really good player, agents will reach out to you directly to you or your head coach showing interest. […] It’s tricky, they’re really good salesman and unless you’ve known them thru someone else, you’re not sure who to trust. You can find MANY examples of agents stealing from the player and/or many shady deals”, wrote Michael Kim.

Offers made to players already under contract

Kim went on to tweet: “It’s honestly a bit of a dog eat dog world. I’ve heard rumors where players were going to sign with an agent and all of a sudden a different agent shows up with a really good deal with a company and the player ended up signing with the new agent for the deal. Some of the shadier ones will come up to a player even though he’s under contract promising a better deal or throw in a line or two to try and create doubt.”

Big or small agency?

In another tweet, Michael Kim describes the decision from a player’s perspective: “As a player, you have to decide what size of agency you want to sign with. Bigger agency with lots of names like Wasserman, or a smaller agency. Bigger agencies already have established connections and thru their bigger players, can even get certain deals or even exemptions into events. But the downside is, because of their big crop of players, in a way you’re all competing for the same pie within the agency. If I know the same level of player within the agency gets a new deal, you can be left wondering, why didn’t I get that deal? A smaller agency, you don’t have to worry about that kind of stuff but also know that in general, the agent isn’t going to have the same amount of power or sway within the industry. You can be the big fish and know that all the big deals might come thru you.”

In his last two tweets on this topic, Kim writes about his personal preferences and experiences.

Note: This is of course one player’s opinion and therefore not an immediate general conclusion, as well as possibly not 100 percent reality. When it comes to contact with agents right after the end of a college career, Kim is certainly a good example. Michael Kim was honored with the Jack Nicklaus Award and the Haskins Award during his amateur career – both famous awards for the player of the year in American college golf. This is likely to have aroused the interest of some player agencies.