Rogers Charity Classic adds four major champions to tournament field
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'Each one of these exceptional ball-strikers, who have all shown they can deliver on the biggest stage, are great additions to what is shaping up to be another strong field,' said Sean Van Kesteren, executive director of the Rogers Charity Classic, in Friday's release. 'These four continue to be amongst the best players each year on the PGA Tour Champions. They have shown they are still very competitive, and I know they will be ready to duel it out in Calgary.'
Longtime golf fans know these names, and know these resumes.
The 62-year-old Singh is a World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, while both he and Duval enjoyed stints as the top-ranked pin-seeker on the planet.
Between the four of 'em, they have combined for six major titles.
Singh was fitted for a Green Jacket as winner of the Masters in 2000. He also triumphed at the PGA Championship in both 1998 and 2004.
Duval topped the leaderboard at the 2001 British Open, while Toms prevailed at the PGA Championship that same season. Clarke's fan-fave status was only bolstered when he claimed the Claret Jug in 2011.
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Winnipeg Free Press
13 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
US Open '25: Oakmont is the name that stands out in golf's toughest test
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Never mind that Rory McIlroy is finally a Masters champion and the first player in 25 years to join the exclusive list of players with the career Grand Slam. Or that Scottie Scheffler won the PGA Championship and reasserted himself as golf's best player. They are biggest stars in the game heading into the third major of the year. They might not be the main attraction. The one name that gets everyone's attention at this U.S. Open: Oakmont. The course Henry Fownes built in 1903 is tough as Pittsburgh steel. Geoff Ogilvy, a former U.S. Open champion, once said playing Oakmont 'was like the hardest hole you've ever played on every hole.' The USGA doesn't have to do much to achieve what it always wants: the toughest test in golf. Oakmont hosts the U.S. Open for the 10th time on June 12-15, more than any other course in the championship's 130-year history. There's a reason it keeps going back. 'There are certain places in our game where you stand on the first tee and you look out over the landscape, and it's just meant to play the U.S. Open. Oakmont is that place,' John Bodenhamer, the USGA's chief championships officer, said in an interview with Golf Channel. 'It was built for a U.S. Open.' Adding to the hype are players who have gone to Oakmont in the weeks leading up to the U.S. Open and sharing tales of deep rough and greens that make it feel they are putting on linoleum. There have been videos of golf balls in the thick grass with only a few dimples visible. 'I would say all of the rumors and everything are pretty on point,' said Justin Thomas, who toured Oakmont before heading to the Memorial. Xander Schauffele has finished out of the top 10 only once in his eight U.S. Opens. He has yet to see Oakmont, but its reputation is enough for him to realize what to expect. 'It's just a battle. It really is,' Schauffele said. 'It can be extremely rewarding if you are able to stay disciplined for 72 holes. The cliche statement of golf is a marathon — it seems to be the most true feeling when you play at U.S. Opens. You just feel like you're going to war every day.' Bryson DeChambeau is the defending champion, one of eight players who broke par at Pinehurst No. 2 last year. That was a stern test of a different variety, more about domed Donald Ross greens and fairways framed by sand dunes. Before that was the experiment at Los Angeles Country Club, where Schauffele and Rickie Fowler made U.S. Open history, each with a record 62 about 10 minutes apart. In the eyes of Jordan Spieth, what Oakmont provides is a chance to reset what the U.S. Open is all about — narrow fairways, deep rough, tough greens. And at Oakmont, the famous 'Church Pew' bunkers that separate the third and fourth fairways. 'If you miss the fairway, it's really hard to make par. And if you hit the fairway, the job's not done,' Spieth said. 'I think it's a good test. The way I've always talked about Oakmont is the USGA needs one year to be able for people to forget about something they did in a different one. It sets the slate straight. 'It's the easiest Open for the USGA,' he said. 'They don't have to do a lot to it, and it makes it really good for the tournament.' Scheffler made his U.S. Open debut as a 19-year-old at the University of Texas. He shot 69 in the first round and then missed the cut. Now he is a three-time major champion, fresh off his five-shot victory in the PGA Championship. Perhaps more telling was a four-shot victory at the Memorial, where players felt they were getting a preview of the U.S. Open with rough so thick that just getting back to the fairway could be a challenge. The freak injury Scheffler suffered — he tried cutting ravioli with a wine glass on Christmas Day and punctured his right hand — might have set him back at the start of the year. He is in full stride now, winning three of his last four tournaments. Not to be overlooked is DeChambeau. For all the talk about Oakmont's toughness, Winged Foot in New York is another brute of a U.S. Open test. That's where DeChambeau blasted away off the tee and powered wedges out of the rough. He set the scoring record at Winged Foot (274) and won by six. Now he is the defending U.S. Open champion and ready to match muscles with Oakmont. Only five players in the last 100 years have won the U.S. Open back-to-back. 'I think I'm always chasing history. Everybody is. We're all trying to accomplish feats that haven't been done in a long time, and going back-to-back would be great. Three in a row would be an even better accomplishment,' DeChambeau said. 'So it is in the back of my head. 'How am I preparing for it? Just like I would any other tournament. Just like I did last year with Pinehurst, focusing on executing the right shots, hitting the fairways, not three-putting — that's going to be a big deal — and keeping it out of the rough. I try to keep it simple.' That's a recipe for a traditional U.S. Open. Avoiding three-putts is always mentioned at Augusta National. That comes into focus at Oakmont because of its reputation for fast greens. Sam Snead once famously (and jokingly) said of Oakmont, 'I put a dime down to mark my ball and the dime slid away.' One only has to look back at the last time at Oakmont, in 2016, when Dustin Johnson's ball moved ever so slightly as he was stepping in for a par putt on the fifth hole. He didn't think he caused it to move. The USGA didn't tell him until the 12th tee that it was being reviewed, and he was penalized after the fourth round was over. By then, he didn't care — he won by three shots instead of four. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Johnson is bound of the World Golf Hall of Fame, and so is practically every U.S. Open champion at Oakmont, a testament to its stature. Missing is Phil Mickelson, who takes on Oakmont for the fourth time. He missed the cut the last two times at Oakmont, and shot 297 — 18 shots behind — in 1994. The U.S. Open remains the only major keeping him from the career Grand Slam, and this likely will be his last one. Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship at age 50. His five-year exemption to the U.S. Open runs out this year, and he already accepted one special exemption (which he didn't need when he won the PGA). Only once has the USGA awarded a second exemption to a player who had not won the U.S. Open. That was the late Seve Ballesteros. ___ AP golf:
Winnipeg Free Press
13 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
US Open '25: Players to watch at Oakmont for the US Open
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Players to watch at the 125th U.S. Open, to be played June 12-15 at Oakmont Country Club: Scottie Scheffler Age: 29 Country: United States World ranking: 1 Worldwide wins: 19 Majors: Masters (2022, 2024), PGA Championship (2025) U.S. Open appearances: 7 Best finish: Runner-up in 2022 at The Country Club Backspin: The dominant player in golf the last three years, Scheffler has won three of his last four tournaments by a combined 17 shots. A victory would send him to the British Open with a shot at the career Grand Slam. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 3-1 Xander Schauffele Age: 31 Country: United States World ranking: 3 Worldwide wins: 12 Majors: PGA Championship (2024), British Open (2024) U.S. Open appearances: 8 Best finish: Tie for third in 2019 at Pebble Beach Backspin: Schauffele has played the U.S. Open more consistently better than the other three majors. The only time he has finished out of the top 10 was a tie for 14th in 2022. He is starting to find his form after missing two months with a rib injury. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 16-1 Jon Rahm Age: 30 Country: Spain World ranking: 76 Worldwide wins: 22 Majors: Masters (2023), U.S. Open (2021) U.S. Open appearances: 8 Best finish: Won at Torrey Pines in 2021 Backspin: Rahm pushed Scheffler down the stretch at the PGA Championship, his first time seriously contending in a major since joining LIV Golf. He has yet to win on LIV Golf this year. Rahm was low amateur at Oakmont in the 2016 U.S. Open. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 11-1 Rory McIlroy Age: 36 Country: Northern Ireland World ranking: 2 Worldwide wins: 40 Majors: Masters (2025), PGA Championship (2012, 2014), U.S. Open (2011), British Open (2014) U.S. Open appearances: 16 Best finish: Won at Congressional in 2011 Backspin: McIlroy achieved a lifetime dream by winning the Masters in April to complete the career Grand Slam. He was never a factor in the PGA Championship and gained more attention for declining to speak to the media after all four rounds. Driving is key. He missed the cut at Oakmont in 2016. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 7-1 Bryson DeChambeau Age: 31 Country: United States World ranking: 10 Worldwide wins: 13 Majors: U.S. Open (2020, 2024) U.S. Open appearances: 10 Best finish: Won at Winged Foot in 2020 and Pinehurst No. 2 in 2024 Backspin: DeChambeau has become golf's best entertainer and LIV's biggest threat in the majors. He has finished in the top 5 in four of his last five majors. He tied for 15th at Oakmont in 2016 in his first U.S. Open as a pro. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 8-1 Justin Thomas Age: 32 Country: United States World ranking: 5 Worldwide wins: 16 Majors: PGA Championship (2017, 2022) U.S. Open appearances: 10 Best finish: Tie for eighth in 2020 at Winged Foot Backspin: He won the RBC Heritage to end three years without a victory but already was showing he was back to his old form. Thomas has not finished in the top 10 in his last four majors. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 25-1 Brooks Koepka Age: 35 Country: United States World ranking: 404 Worldwide wins: 17 Majors: U.S. Open (2017, 2018), PGA Championship (2018, 2019, 2023) U.S. Open appearances: 11 Best finish: Won at Erin Hills in 2017 and at Shinnecock Hills in 2018 Backspin: Each major brings more attention on Koepka, who has not finished one in the top 10 since he won the PGA Championship in 2023. He has missed the cut in both majors this year. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 40-1 Sepp Straka Age: 32 Country: Austria World ranking: 7 Worldwide wins: 4 Majors: None U.S. Open appearances: 4 Best finish: Tie for 28th at Pebble Beach in 2019 Backspin: He quietly has become one of the biggest threats in golf with his ball striking. Straka joins Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as the only multiple winners on the PGA Tour. The majors are the next frontier. He has missed the cut in both of them this year. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 40-1 Dustin Johnson Age: 40 Country: United States World ranking: 854 Worldwide wins: 29 Majors: Masters (2020), U.S. Open (2016) U.S. Open appearances: 17 Best finish: Won at Oakmont in 2016 Backspin: Johnson returns to the site of his first major championship at somewhat of a crossroads. He feels his game is close. The results suggest otherwise. He is going on 16 months without a win anywhere. He has missed the cut in five of his last seven majors. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 125-1 Phil Mickelson Age: 54 Country: United States World ranking: 1,162 Worldwide wins: 47 Majors: Masters (2004, 2006, 2010), PGA Championship (2005, 2021), British Open (2013) U.S. Open appearances: 33 Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Best finish: Runner-up a record six times, most recently in 2013 at Merion Backspin: This will be Mickelson's 34th U.S. Open and possibly his last. His exemption from winning the PGA Championship runs out this year. Mickelson already received one special exemption in 2021 (that he didn't need when he won the PGA). He has missed the cut in five of his last eight U.S. Opens. BetMGM Sportsbook odds: 300-1 ___ AP golf:
National Post
15 hours ago
- National Post
Rory McIlroy breaks down his first round with new driver at RBC Canadian Open
CALEDON, Ont. — Following a highly publicized failed driver test at the PGA Championship three weeks ago, Rory McIlroy is working in a new driver this week at the RBC Canadian Open. Article content 'It was my first outing with a new driver and I felt like that went pretty well,' he said after a lacklustre one-over 71 at TPC Toronto on Thursday. 'I hit some drives that I liked and that I liked to see, so that was encouraging.' Article content Article content McIlroy's TaylorMade Qi10 failed USGA testing ahead of the season's second major, the fallout from which, he explained on Wednesday, was a major reason he didn't speak to media at Quail Hollow at any point during the championship. Article content I asked Rory about his curious decision not to speak to media after any round at PGA Championship last month. Thought he explained himself well. My column in today's @TheTorontoSun: 👉 — Jon McCarthy (@jonmccarthySUN) June 5, 2025 Article content This week in Caledon, Ont., he is debuting a TaylorMade Qi35 and, despite some encouraging results with his new driver, the five-time major champ couldn't take advantage of soft conditions on a wet, soggy morning at Canada's national open. Article content 'Weather permitting, if it holds off, I'll go hit some balls,' he said. 'It's hard with the driver, like with the one I had been playing with previously, when I missed with it, I was a little bit left. Then my miss with this one is a little bit right. It's just trying to figure that out and manage it a little bit.' Article content The driver had been McIlroy's greatest weapon throughout his entire career and it only has gotten better as the years have gone by. It is vital for the Northern Irishman's chances this week — and, more importantly, next week at the U.S. Open — that he figures out how to get the most out of his new weapon. Article content 'It's a nice feeling to get up the middle of the fairway and fully release it and know it's not going to go left on you,' he said. 'Yeah, a little bit of practice this afternoon and get ready for tomorrow.'
