Author: Julian Trips

Categories
Senior Tours

Langer and Jiménez set for Senior Open return

Bernhard Langer and Miguel Ángel Jiménez will return to the Senior Open. (photo: Getty)
Bernhard Langer and Miguel Ángel Jiménez will return to the Senior Open. (photo: Getty)

Langer, a two-time Masters Champion, will bid to capture The Senior Open Presented by Rolex for a fifth time next month, with two of his four victories having come at Royal Porthcawl.

Jiménez, a 21-time DP World Tour winner, is looking to win the Major for the second time in his career after clinching victory at St Andrews in 2018, where he finished one shot ahead of Langer.

Langer loves the Senior Open

Langer, a former World Number One with 42 DP World Tour wins to his name, made history at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2019 as he secured his fourth Senior Open title, overtaking Gary Player and Tom Watson who have both won the Championship three times.

His triumph four years ago was his 11th Senior Major Championship, the most of anyone in the history of the game, and he also set a new milestone as the oldest player to win a Senior Major at the age of 61.

The German picked up his second and third Senior Open titles at Royal Porthcawl in 2014 and 2017 respectively, and he is hoping to complete the hat-trick when he returns to the renowned Welsh links in July.

“I have such fond memories of Royal Porthcawl in 2014 and 2017 and I cannot wait to try and win the Senior Open for the fifth time and third time at this amazing venue,” he said.

“This Senior Open Presented by Rolex is one of the highlights of the year and I am really excited to return to the UK to play in July.

“Royal Porthcawl is one of the best golf courses in the world and one that will test every aspect of your game. I’m relishing the challenge and hopefully I can put on a show for the Welsh crowds again.”

Jimenéz back to where he made his Senior Open debut

Jiménez, a two-time Ryder Cup winner, has two Senior Major titles to his name following victories at the Regions Tradition and Senior Open in 2018, and the Spaniard is relishing the opportunity to add to his back catalogue when he tees it up for the ninth time in this prestigious event.

“Royal Porthcawl will always be special to me because I made my Senior Open debut there in 2014,” he said. “The feeling of winning the Championship in 2018 is something I will never forget and I am incredibly excited to have that opportunity again next month.

“I’ve got some great golfing memories in Wales, including my win at the Wales Open in 2005 and our Ryder Cup victory in 2010 and I’m hoping to make some more this year.”

The duo will join already-announced former Ryder Cup Captains Thomas Bjørn, Colin Montgomerie, José María Olazábal, Darren Clarke, Pádraig Harrington and Ian Woosnam as a star-studded field assembles in South Wales.

Royal Porthcawl is a third time Senior Open host

Royal Porthcawl was founded in 1891 as a nine-hole course before an agreement was made four years later to add another nine holes. In 1909, the club was bestowed the honour of using the prefix Royal – only the second club in Wales to be granted the privilege after Royal St David’s – before hosting its first significant championship in 1951 when The Amateur Championship took place.

This year will mark the third time the venue has hosted The Senior Open Presented by Rolex, with Langer winning in 2014 and 2017. His win in 2014 was by a Championship-record 13 strokes. Northern Ireland’s Clarke will defend his title in South Wales this year, having claimed his maiden Senior Major at Gleneagles in 2022.

Tickets for The Senior Open Presented by Rolex are on sale now, with prices starting at just £25 for adults for championship days. Season tickets, giving holders access to all four championship days plus the Wednesday practice day, are available for only £95. Click here to purchase yours.

(Text: EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP COMMUNICATIONS)

Categories
Equipment

LPGA Launches Affordable Golf Clubs, Accessories and Shoes for Female Beginners and Juniors

Affordable LPGA Golf Equipment is now available at Walmart. (Photos: Walmart)
Affordable LPGA Golf Equipment is now available at Walmart. (Photos: Walmart)

Women’s 13-piece and eight-piece club sets and seven-piece and five-piece junior girls club sets are now available for purchase in more than 1,200 Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com. All club sets include an LPGA-branded golf bag. Women’s club sets start at $199, and junior club sets start at $98.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity”

Complementing the club sets, LPGA-branded apparel items, including polos, skorts, a dress and visor are also now available in select stores and on Walmart.com — providing women and girls even more accessible, stylish options to wear on and off the course. Spikeless golf shoes in both women’s and girl’s sizes round out the collection.

“These fantastic new items will make it more accessible for women and girls to play golf and enjoy the sport,” said Corey Bender, senior vice president of hardlines – Walmart U.S. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the LPGA and I’m excited to get these products in the hands of our customers as golf season gets in full swing.”

The LPGA has been a longtime supporter of programs and initiatives for female beginners and juniors. Over its more than 30-year history, LPGA*USGA Girls Golf (Girls Golf), a partnership between the LPGA Foundation and the United States Golf Association (USGA), introduces girls ages 6-17 to the game of golf, empowering them with confidence, friendships and life skills. Today, more than 500 Girls Golf sites across the country run programs that impact more than 100,000 young women each year. The LPGA Professionals, the largest membership of women golf teaching Professionals in the world, help support the LPGA Foundation’s various grassroots programs aimed at increasing the engagement of girls and women in golf and serve as industry leaders in diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, the LPGA Amateurs program offers organized playing and learning opportunities for adults of all abilities through local and association-wide events.

“This incredible partnership with Walmart builds upon our organization’s commitment to empowering, inspiring, and transforming the lives of girls and women through the game of golf,” said Matt Chmura, LPGA Chief Marketing, Communications and Brand Officer. “We know that women comprise about a quarter of all golfers in the U.S.— and we also know there’s an opportunity to improve that ratio. By providing affordable, entry-level golf equipment, we look forward to helping even more women and girls experience the lifelong benefits of this great game.”

(text: LPGA Tour)

Categories
Panorama

Toptracer Revolutionizes Golf Instruction with the Launch of Toptracer Coach

The brand new Toptracer Coach. (Photo: Toptracer)
The brand new Toptracer Coach. (Photo: Toptracer)

Toptracer Coach is a web-enabled platform that allows PGA Professionals to create assignments, access data from Toptracer Range sessions, and optimize their coaching sessions by providing objective instruction to their students.

“The best golf experience for everyone”

As an official range technology partner of the PGA of America, Toptracer consulted with certified PGA Professionals throughout the development of its coaching platform. As a result of this collaboration, Toptracer Coach addresses two of the biggest pain points in coaching: creating benchmark assessments that are easy for players to complete and assigning practice sessions in between lessons for accountability. The data collection and management tool relies on the expertise of coaches to create unique lesson plans tailored to each student. Both coaches and students will have access to objective assessments of current skill level, monitor their progress in real-time, and follow a dedicated lesson plan to practice more effectively.


“Toptracer is committed to providing the best golf experience for everyone,” Ben Sharpe, President of Toptracer, said. “We believe when golfers are having fun and playing better, they play more golf, and Toptracer Coach was built on that philosophy. The tool was designed by our talented team, made up of PGA Professionals and former Tour Pros, as well as a vast network of veteran PGA Pros.”

Darren May, PGA tour coach and head of instruction at GroveXXIII in Hobe Sound, Florida, believes Toptracer coach will be a game-changer for golf instruction. “Toptracer Coach crystallizes how a player improves through practice and training,” May said. “The platform links steps in player development, beginning with a standardized assessment and then instructor-crafted assignments in between lessons that keeps students accountable. Toptracer Coach allows for self-discovery on a student’s own time. There’s an appropriate mental load applied to each player’s learning sweet spot, a crucial piece for skill acquisition and execution.”

Industry leaders also believe Toptracer Coach will help instructors grow and scale their business. Don Rea, VP of PGA of America and owner of Augusta Ranch Golf Club, a public golf course in Mesa, Arizona, said: “Toptracer Range provides a funnel for new golfers and there’s an opportunity for PGA Professionals to create their own funnels using Toptracer Coach. Instructors can review practice sessions remotely and keep players accountable through engaging training assignments. Rather than selling time, the platform helps PGA Professionals sell results.”

Stronger connections between coaches and members

Don Meadows, Director of Golf at Quail Valley Golf Club, a private club in Vero Beach, Florida, says Toptracer Coach will also provide a deeper connection with his club’s members. “Toptracer Coach gives our instructors greater visibility into members’ practice sessions than ever before. Those insights, paired with all the incredible data points, and the experience of our teaching staff will forge a more meaningful connection between our coaches and members.”

Alongside the introduction of Toptracer Coach, Toptracer launched two assessment modes: Toptracer12 and Toptracer30. The new game modes will be valuable tools for PGA Professionals using Toptracer Coach, providing a snapshot assessment of their students’ golf game in real-time, without consuming large portions of their coaching sessions.

Toptracer Coach is available to both coaches and students who play and teach at Toptracer Range mobile facilities, the brand’s uncovered grass tee experience. It will be available to all Toptracer Range users on the Monitor product in the fall of 2023.

To find out more about the revolutionary platform, click here.

Categories
Equipment Panorama

Jon Rahm hoping to follow in footsteps of greatness with custom TRAVISMATHEW Cuater shoes at PGA Championship

Jon Rahm will be wearing the TRAVISMATHEW Cuater shoe at the PGA Championship 2023. (Photo: TRAVISMATHEW)
Jon Rahm will be wearing the TRAVISMATHEW Cuater shoe at the PGA Championship 2023. (Photo: TRAVISMATHEW)

Heading to Oak Hill Country Club in good form following four PGA Tour wins in 2023, including The Masters at Augusta National in April, the Spaniard will once again be wearing a custom-painted pair of The Ringer golf shoes.

Vamos Rhambo

The shoe will be in a different colourway to the bespoke custom design white and green pair he wore at Augusta, with this week’s white design detailed with a blue and gold colour combination that pays homage to the PGA Championship logo and the word ‘Vamos’ along the outside of shoe, in reference to his “Vamos Rahmbo” tagline.

As part of his partnership with TRAVISMATHEW, Rahm will be wearing the custom Ringer shoes at Oak Hill this week as he looks to join an illustrious group of players to have won three major championships – with his first two arriving since partnering with TRAVISMATHEW in 2021, which has coincided with his rise to world number one.

Rahm sees the shoes as a gamechanger

Rahm said: “I think the game changer is the shoes I am wearing. They are a lot more comfortable. I have done some great work with the Cuater and TRAVISMATHEW team and I think it has allowed me to be a little bit more stable and up my ball speed and swing speed without being concerned. I can keep that speed up from the first tee shot on Thursday to the last one on Sunday a little bit more consistently.”

TRAVISMATHEW’s premium Cuater performance golf shoe, The Ringer delivers ultimate comfort with lightweight support, breathability, and moisture management in an attractive, waterproof style. The shoes come with layers of moulded foam for ultimate comfort to give golfers the most secure and responsive fit on the market.

Several other top professional golfers also wear Cuater footwear, including Ryder Cup hopeful Sam Burns. The five-time PGA Tour winner will be hoping to continue US dominance at the PGA Championship this week by becoming his country’s eighth consecutive winner of the tournament.
In celebration of the PGA Championship, TRAVISMATHEW is running a Cuater promotion, with anyone purchasing a pair of Cuater shoes gifted a free pair of Cuater socks.

For more information on Cuater click here.

(Text: TRAVISMATHEW)

Categories
Panorama

Brendan Lawlor makes history with inaugural G4D Open victory at Woburn

Brendan Lawlor wins the G4D Open. (photo: Getty)
Brendan Lawlor wins the G4D Open. (photo: Getty)

The two leading players in the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) could hardly be separated in an engrossing final round, before world number two Lawlor claimed victory by two shots over the renowned Duchess Course. The Irishman, 26, finished on a three-over-par winning gross total of 219 after a closing final round of three-over 75, with Popert two strokes further back after his last-day 76.

Head-to-head race between the world’s top two

The championship, held in partnership between The R&A and the DP World Tour and supported by EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association), was one of the most inclusive ever staged, featuring nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups, with players represented from 17 countries.

Lawlor, who has played in a number of DP World Tour events, has a rare condition called Ellis–van Creveld syndrome, characterised by a shorter stature and shorter limbs. With a one-shot lead ahead of Popert overnight, his final day began in disappointing fashion after bogeying the first three holes in the cold conditions. Popert also dropped a shot at the 1st, but his birdie at the par-5 6th gave him a two-shot advantage.

Popert’s bogey at the 8th and Lawlor’s birdie at the 10th saw the pair go level, before two further bogeys from Popert at the 13th and 15th gave Lawlor a two-stroke cushion in a match play-style contest. Lawlor – managed by Niall Horan’s Modest! Golf stable – bogeyed the 16th to give Popert hope but the Englishman found a bush at the last to end his bid.

World number one Popert, 24, who was born with a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Diplegia, has won five times on the G4D Tour in 2022/23 but had to settle for the runner-up spot.

Eight countries in the top ten spots

Spain’s Juan Postigo Arce, the world number four who was born with one leg, put himself into contention with birdies at the 4th and 6th but he had to settle for third place after a closing 74 for eight-over-par. Irishman Conor Stone and Tommaso Perrino from Italy shared fourth place on 14-over-par.

Players from eight countries or territories were represented in the top-ten places to illustrate the international flavour at Woburn.

A field of 80 male and female amateur and professional golfers competed over 54 holes at Woburn across sport classes which cover various categories in Standing, Intellectual, Visual and Sitting.

American Kim Moore – who triumphed in the US Adaptive Open at Pinehurst last year – was the leading female at Woburn, finishing four shots ahead of Ireland’s Fiona Gray. A gross prize was also awarded in each category with the winners as follows:

  • Intellectual 1: Felix Norrman, Sweden
  • Intellectual 2: Casper Holst-Christensen, Denmark
  • Standing 1: Kipp Popert, England
  • Standing 2: Juan Postigo Arce, Spain
  • Standing 3: Brendan Lawlor, Ireland
  • Sitting 1: Terry Kirby, England
  • Sitting 2: Graham Freeman, Belgium
  • Visual 1: Stefano Palmieri, Italy
  • Visual 2: Joseph McCarron, USA

Final scores from the sport classes can be viewed here.

The men’s and women’s gross winners also receive invitations to play in the G4D Tour at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry next month.

Highlights from the championship will be aired on Sky Sports Golf on Tuesday 16 May, at 5pm and 10pm.

The inaugural G4D Open trophy represents the inclusive nature of the championship. This year’s winner will engage with a design team on a permanent trophy to reflect the multiple threads woven among the players on their journeys to compete in The G4D Open.

Woburn continued its rich history of hosting amateur and professional championships with Final Qualifying for The Open from 2014 to 2017 and most recently the AIG Women’s Open in 2019, both played on the Marquess Course.

Key quotes

Brendan Lawlor, Ireland

“It’s just an unbelievable feeling. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’ve put so much hard work into my game the last few months and it’s been trending really well. I just couldn’t get it over the line last year, so it’s been a while since I’ve been in the winner’s circle. I’m proud of myself just to get it done, really happy. I didn’t hit it well all day but I made a lot of clutch putts on the front nine.

“Niall (Horan) has supported me from day one. I’ve been with the guys for four years at Modest Golf!. For a disability golfer, they never treat me differently than anyone else. I’m proud to be a part of that team and hopefully we can get more wins.

“It’s been an incredible week. The volunteers, The R&A, DP World Tour, EDGA, everybody involved has put in so much work to get this championship done. Every player here, we felt like royalty this week. Hopefully this is the start and we’re going to have many more of these major events. Disability golf is definitely on the way up.”

Kipp Popert, England

“It was great fun. I mean this is the first-ever G4D Open and to be in contention I played really well. Brendan deserves it and I couldn’t be happier for him. I holed a lot of good putts and my short game was good this week. Basically it was just one of those days where Brendan beat me. I’m still very happy.”

Kim Moore, USA

“It’s an honour to be the leading female. It was definitely my goal coming in. Although I didn’t play the greatest this whole week, I played good enough. Sometimes in golf that’s what it takes. Fiona played very well and we were battling back and forth.

“The more awareness we have with these championships, the more participation we are going to get. I have no doubt that it’s going to bring more players, more participants, more people into the game – and hopefully more females.”

Categories
Amateur Tours

Brendan Lawlor secures narrow lead at G4D Open at Woburn

Brendan Lawlor leads at the G4D Open at Woburn. (photo: R&A)
Brendan Lawlor leads at the G4D Open at Woburn. (photo: R&A)

The two leading players in the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) are separated by just a single stroke going into the final 18 holes over the renowned Duchess Course.

Ireland’s Lawlor, the world number two, missed chances with his putter in a two-over-par second round of 74 yet still signed for an impressive level-par total of 144.

World number one Popert, 24, dropped three shots in his first four holes but, like his opening round, the Englishman recovered on the back nine to post a three-over 75 and trail by a shot on 145 for 36 holes.

Follow the latest scores from the sport classes here.

The weather is getting better

Popert, who was born with a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Diplegia, has won five times on the G4D Tour in 2022/23 and will chase another notable victory tomorrow. Lawlor, 26, who has played in a number of DP World Tour events, has a rare condition called Ellis–van Creveld syndrome, characterised by a shorter stature and shorter limbs, and continues to impress at the Bedfordshire venue.

On an improved weather day after thunderstorms during day one, Italian Tommaso Perrino and Juan Postigo Arce from Spain, the world number four, are the closest challengers to the leading pair on six-over-par. Perrino has signed for two rounds of 75, with Postigo dropping back after his 79 which featured two double bogeys.

Rasmus Lia from Sweden and Ireland’s Conor Stone are next on the international leaderboard at eight-over. Players from ten countries or territories are represented in the top ten after the second round.

While Lawlor and Popert are both professionals, this week has seen a field of 80 male and female amateur and professional golfers competing across sport classes which cover various categories in Standing, Intellectual, Visual and Sitting.

Free entry for the fans

The championship, held in partnership between The R&A and the DP World Tour and supported by EDGA (formerly the European Disabled Golf Association), is one of the most inclusive ever staged, featuring nine sport classes across multiple impairment groups, with players represented from 17 countries.

An overall winner will be determined at the end of the three rounds on Friday, along with an opposite sex winner and a gross prize in each category.

Spectators are welcome to attend The G4D Open free of charge.

Key Quotes from the players

Brendan Lawlor, Ireland

“I hit it so good again today. I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. I had a few silly three-putts and a lot of putts from inside five feet I missed. So probably looking back on my round I could be five shots better. That’s just golf. All you can do is play yourself in contention for tomorrow and hopefully they will drop then.

“I didn’t really look at the leaderboard but Kipp’s one behind so you never know it could turn into a match play situation pretty easily tomorrow.”

Kipp Popert, England

“I felt I scored well. It was a grind. I got up-and-down. I played in the trees a lot, chipped out a lot. So yeah, to come off there with three-over, I’m still in it. All I needed to do was to be around the lead. I’ve won from behind before and I’ve won from ahead before. I like competing and that’s why I’m here.”

Tommaso Perino, Italy

“The Duchess I like so much because it is a course that is good for me, especially my driver. I’ve missed one driver in four days and it is a course that if you place the driver it is not too difficult.

“I broke my leg in an accident in 2001. But in 2019 I came to the EDGA family and started again to play. It was an unbelievable opportunity to do what I wanted to do before the accident and I enjoy enough my life now.”

Juan Postigo Arce, Spain

“I really didn’t feel great. I started pretty well playing the first few holes but then I didn’t know how to manage my swing all day and was not able to score very well. I know I can score low. I know they can also score high so I hope to have a chance tomorrow.”

(Text: R&A – Communications)

Categories
Highlights Tours

Augusta National Golf Club: How to play a round at the world’s most exclusive golf club

Tiger Woods at the legendary 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Getty)
Tiger Woods at the legendary 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Getty)

Every year, the golf world gathers in front of the TV to watch the pros play the US Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. “Magnolia Lane” leading to the clubhouse, Amen Corner, which has caused many a superstar to despair, and a golf course in perfect condition – the mere thought of Augusta National gives golf fans goose bumps. However, the dream of playing the fairway of the legendary course remains unfulfilled for most. The National Club Golfer shows you how you still have a (admittedly very small) chance of swinging a club in the Mecca of golf one day.

How to play the course at Augusta National Golf Club

As a member of the Augusta National Golf Club, you always have the opportunity to play the course. Only the very fewest are accepted into the select circle of usually around 300 members. Therefore, we take a look at the possibilities to play the Augusta National Golf Club without becoming a member.

As a top amateur golfer

Beginning in 2019, the world’s top women amateur golfers will have a chance to play a round at Augusta National. Although the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship will be played at the Champions Retreat Golf Club on the first two days, after the cut the top 30 will play the final round at Augusta National Golf Club. As a consolation for the rest of the field, all players are allowed to play a practice round on the legendary course on the Friday before the final round.

As an employee at Augusta National

Whether volunteering at the US Masters, caddying for the club or holding another position at Augusta National Golf Club, employees get to play the course. Since the same volunteers help out at the US Masters every year over the tournament days in Augusta, it’s not easy to get on the course this way. If you do make it, you play the course a month after the tournament with the other volunteers. Caddies and other employees have the chance to enter the course with their bag once a year.

As a student

If you study at Georgia Regents University and play on the golf team there, you are particularly lucky. Because once a year, students are invited to the Augusta National Golf Club. And those who study at Emory, Queen’s, Western Ontario or Georgia Tech universities have the opportunity to receive a scholarship to the university in St. Andrews and, in the course of this, to play once on the Augusta National course.

As a member of Augusta Country Club

According to the National Club Golfer, if you are a member of the neighboring Augusta Country Club, you also have the opportunity to tee it up at Augusta National. It is common for members from the country club to be recruited as flight partners if there are not enough players at the National Golf Club for a flight of four.

As an author about the club

Golf Digest’s David Owen gained access to Augusta National in a special way. As part of his book, “The Making of The Masters,” the club allowed the author to play a few rounds with members on the course. “One of them was getting married one day and there was a party at 5 p.m. in the golf store. We realized we weren’t going to make it in time and went straight from the tenth green to the 15th tee. So we skipped Amen Corner. But by that time I had played the holes so many times that I didn’t even notice,” Owen writes about his experience.

As the winner of the lottery among media representatives

If you manage to get accreditation for the US Masters as a journalist – which is difficult enough in itself – you have the chance to win a round of 18 holes in a lottery. 20 media representatives play the course on Monday, the day after the big tournament.

As a friend of a member

The safest way to get into the Augusta National Golf Club is probably to become a member. However, the full list of members is not known and only very few golf fans are likely to get along well with Jack Nicklaus, for example. Despite numerous opportunities, it remains almost impossible for the amateur golfer to set foot on the “hallowed turf”.

Categories
Uncategorized

Players Championship: Horror-Finish to start

Aaron Wise suffered a bitter end in the opening round of the Players Championship. (Photo: Twitter.com/@jumpthesharp)
Aaron Wise suffered a bitter end in the opening round of the Players Championship. (Photo: Twitter.com/@jumpthesharp)

The most famous hole at the Players Championship is certainly the 17th, but Aaron Wise will not soon forget the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass. After a thoroughly solid round, the last hole of his round turned out to be a real mammoth task. Especially with the tee shot he had his problems three times. And that, although he set a record on hole 13.

Second-highest score on 18 at the Players Championship

Aaron Wise, born in Cape Town, experienced a real debacle on his final tee shot at the Players Championship 2023. On hole 18, the 26-year-old started with two over par – a sextuple bogey almost provided the worst score on this hole. His tee shots landed in the water three times in a row – and almost at the exact same spot. The fourth tee shot, which was already his seventh shot due to the penalty strokes, he then played it safe. Very safe to be exact. In the end, his ball did not land on the right side of the fairway, but in the pine needles off the course. At least his ball was playable from there, though, unlike his three tee shots in the water.

As a result, he needed three more shots before his ball disappeared into the hole. In the end, Wise finished the final hole with ten strokes and slipped to second-to-last place on the leaderboard (T141). Wise received words of support afterwards from his flight partner Jason Day, who is familiar with such situations. “He didn’t want to completely blow it, which he eventually did with his fourth tee shot,” Day said. “He just kept hitting the same shot over and over again, unfortunately. We’ve all been at that point where we’ve made those shots, whether it was two, three or four in a row.” Asked if he had any advice for his teammate, Day was sure: “Oh, no…. You should just stay out of the player’s way. Especially if you’re on his team. Just leave him alone for a little bit, because he’s probably pretty irritated right now.”

Not a record, but a record nonetheless

After all, it wasn’t the worst score ever recorded on the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass. Back in 2017, Anirban Lahiri conceded ten strokes on the final hole of the course in Ponte Vedra Beach. However, the highest score was recorded by Australian Andre Stolz in 2005. Eleven strokes remains the (negative) record to this day.

But Aaron Wise had already set another record, and a positive one at that. On hole 13, he hit his tee shot onto the green, where his ball came to rest about 20 meters from the flag. The subsequent putt, however, he holed confidently and thus set the record for the longest putt on 13 for over 19 years. It was a day of mixed emotions for Aaron Wise, but in the end it was probably the anger on the 18th hole that prevailed.

Categories
LIV Tour

405 Million Dollar – LIV Golf prize money reaches new heights

LIV Golf prize money reaches new heights. (Photo: Getty)
LIV Golf prize money reaches new heights. (Photo: Getty)

The sums involved can make your head spin. In its second season, the LIV Golf Invitational Series is handing out a whopping 405 million US dollars in prize money to individual players and teams. Even the last-place finisher in the individual rankings receives more for a tournament than the “average consumer” earns in a year. Four million dollars await the winners of the respective events.

25 million dollars LIV Golf prize money per event

The first of 14 events in the LIV Golf Invitational Series will start in Mexico on February 24, 2023. The Saudi circuit had already made no secret last year that the prize money would be lavish. If you add up all the prize money for the second year of the LIV Golf Tour, the total comes to 405 million US dollars. That this is significantly more than last year is due to the fact that there will now be 14 events instead of eight.

As is well known, the LIV Golf Events are played in individual and team format. Each of the 14 events will be endowed with 25 million dollars, 80 percent of which will go to the individual competition. A prize purse of $4 million awaits the winners of each individual format. By comparison, Scottie Scheffler received about $2.7 million for his victory at the 2022 Masters, perhaps the greatest of all golf tournaments. In the LIV Golf Invitational Series, there’s almost 1.5 times that for each “trade” tournament. Even 48th place, the last-place finisher in the individual standings, will receive a prize purse of $120,000 for every single LIV Golf event in 2023. In the team standings, the winning team will receive $3 million per event – so each player will get an additional $750,000 in hand money.

Bonus payments crown LIV Golf prize money

A team championship is also played out over the entire LIV Golf season. Whoever comes out on top at the end of the year will receive, who would have thought, another bonus: $16 million in prize money for the winning team – so that’s an additional $4 million for each of the four team members.

If you’re still not dizzy from all the money, you can take a look at the bonus payouts for the best individual players. Here, too, those responsible are making another 30 million dollars loose. The best player of the whole season will receive 18 million, the second best eight and the third best four. For Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson & Co., the new LIV season will bring a lot of money into the coffers.

LIV Golf Prize Money 2023

RankingPrize money in US-Dollar
1.4.000.000
2.2.125.000
3.1.500.000
4.1.050.000
5.975.000
6.800.000
7.675.000
8.625.000
9.580.000
10.560.000
11.540.000
12.450.000
13.360.000
14.270.000
15.250.000
16.240.000
17.232.000
18.226.000
19.220.000
20.200.000
21.180.000
22.172.000
23.170.000
24.168.000
25.166.000
26.164.000
27.162.000
28.160.000
29.158.000
30.156.000
31.154.000
32.152.000
33.150.000
34.148.000
35.146.000
36.144.000
37.142.000
38.140.000
39.138.000
40.136.000
41.134.000
42.132.000
43.130.000
44.128.000
45.126.000
46.124.000
47.122.000
48.120.000
Categories
Panorama

St Andrews: Construction work on golf’s most famous bridge causes debate

The landmark in St Andrews: Swilcan Bridge on the Old Course. (Photo: Getty)
The landmark in St Andrews: Swilcan Bridge on the Old Course. (Photo: Getty)

It is one of the best golf courses: St Andrews Links on the east coast of Scotland has attracted not only professionals but also photographers and tourists for years. One of the reasons for this is the Swilcan Bridge. The old stone bridge crosses the ‘Swilcan Burn’ canal of the same name between the first and eighteenth fairways of the Old Course and has become an important symbol of golf. However, reconstruction work around the iconic landmark is now causing uproar.

Turmoil over new paving stones in St Andrews

Day in and day out, tourists, amateur photographers and golfers head to Tiger Woods’ favourite course in St Andrews to take a photo of the legendary Swilcan Bridge. At almost any time of day or night, feet trample the grass around the bridge. Hardly a problem in summer, but in winter it gets muddy. But no matter what time of year the visitors come, one thing is clear: the trampled area around the bridge approach does not look nice. More mud than grass appears when the masses of people want to take their souvenir photos. A reason for those responsible in St Andrews to lend a hand. In an official statement, they announced that reconstruction work is underway around the bridge to remove the brown “eyesores”.

The solution: paving stones. The Swilcan Bridge has been lined with light-coloured paving stones on the left and right. This is to prevent the footpaths from being trampled in the future and the perfectly mown grass from becoming a trampled piece of earth. Instead of having the bridge closed to visitors several times a year, they opted for a “historic” option, as the statement says: “Historically the bridge has previously seen a stone pathway leading onto it and the current works are designed to see if we can replicate this while being fit for purpose for the amount of foot traffic it has to endure,” reads the statement. “The shape of the current installation covers the ground that receives the most traffic as the area where the majority of photographs are taken of people on the bridge.” However, these alterations are not always well received by admirers of the bridge.

Much ado about nothing?

Fans are venting their anger on social media. One Twitter user writes: “But they could have made it look so much better and more natural. This whole installation makes Swilcan Bridge look like a random bridge built 2 years ago and not one of the most historic landmarks in golf.” Evan Gale pokes fun at the ongoing discussions on the internet and posted this tweet with the caption: “Found the culprit”.

However, there are other views. “I’m of the opinion (as someone who hasn’t visited the bridge) that the reaction to Swilcan Bridge is a bit overblown…. it retains its iconic status regardless,” writes Ben from Philadelphia. Either way, the recent alterations are causing uproar in St Andrews and on social media. In the end, however, it is up to the operator which solution he chooses. Whether one likes the circular arrangement of the paving stones or a trampled piece of earth better is something everyone has to decide for themselves. In any case, the new variant looks better than the artificial turf solution from 2019.

The approach to Swilcan Bridge in 2019. (Photo: Michael F. Basche)

By the way, these improvements are not the only ones at St Andrews. Among other things, the clubhouse is currently being built with a basement and a new area for female members who have been registered at St Andrews since 2015. Female golfers have had to cope without their own changing rooms at St Andrews until now. For guests, male or female, the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse is not accessible anyway. They have to be satisfied with the St Andrews Links clubhouse. Whether these renovation measures will also cause a sensation will probably be seen in the coming weeks and months.