Latest news with #CharlesSchwabChallenge
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
PGA Tour star banked £540k after fellow player's very honest text message – 'Answer is no'
Ben Griffin is a two-time PGA Tour winner and enjoying the best year of his career, but that didn't stop him from cheekily requesting a portion of recent Ryan Gerard's winnings PGA Tour ace Ben Griffin cheekily demanded a substantial slice of Ryan Gerard's £540,000 prize pot after disclosing he played a crucial role in his landmark triumph. Gerard, 25, secured his first PGA Tour victory 10 days ago at the Barracuda Championship, defeating previous champion Erik van Rooyen by three shots. Alongside the silverware came the substantial prize fund that represents the largest earnings of his professional career. Yet there existed a scenario where Gerard wouldn't have even participated in the competition as he was scheduled to jet off to Northern Ireland for The Open Championship, where he held second alternate status. His eleventh-hour journey to Portrush, where Scottie Scheffler emerged victorious, never materialised following a message from Griffin, 29, encouraging him to stay in America and concentrate on the tournament at Tahoe Mountain Club - counsel that has subsequently transformed his fortunes, reports the Mirror US. Griffin, who won the Charles Schwab Challenge in May, explained their communication prior to the Wyndham Championship, where he'll compete against Gerard. "I think anyone would have responded kind of the same way I did to Ryan," he said. "Because he sent the text to both me and my caddie, like 'Hey, I'm second alternate, should I come over there?' I mean, it was Tuesday, the answer's no. Go focus on trying to win that (the Barracuda Championship), don't even, like, look at the leaderboard, don't pay attention to anything, just focus on your tournament and what you're trying to accomplish. "I think any other golfer would have said that, it just so happens that me and Ryan are close and so he texts me." Whilst Griffin himself is savouring a career-best season where he's pocketed over £6million in prize money, it didn't prevent him from cheekily requesting a portion of Gerard's winnings. "Just 50% of his earnings, is all," Griffin quipped. "I still haven't received anything. I've been looking on Zelle and Wells Fargo and Merrill accounts, nothing's hit yet ... I'll take the credit I guess." Griffin last month became entangled in a row involving golf legend Jack Nicklaus, where the Chapel Hill-born player received sympathy from the 85-year-old, who spoke out against on-course television interviews. He was taking part in the Memorial Tournament last month, the tournament that is hosted by the 18-time major winner. After walking towards his ball in the second round, Griffin was approached by Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard, who carried out a walk-and-talk interview. The reporter said: "Joked yesterday, I asked you what your energy levels are like, and your wife had one answer. She said she was exhausted, you said you were fine. How are you?" Griffin replied before coverage switched back to the commentary box where Nicklaus, who was sitting as a guest, expressed his disapproval. "I can't stand that," he said. "The interview on the golf course. Let me tell you how I think, how I feel. I mean, seriously, here's a guy who's leading the golf tournament, he's just hit the edge of the rough, he's got a very difficult shot on a very difficult hole, and you're talking to him about stuff that totally takes his mind off of what he was doing. "How would you think [Ben] Hogan would respond to that question?" TV host Terry Gannon stepped in by claiming: "Times have changed." Nicklaus replied: "You would not have any teeth left if you did. He'd hit you right in the face with it."
Irish Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
How Rory McIlroy's putter tip helped Scottie Scheffler become $100m putting machine
For almost a year from March 2023 to March 2024, Scottie Scheffler failed to win a PGA Tour tournament, which is a hard thing to imagine as he picked up his fourth Major in as many years at Royal Portrush on Sunday. The American was much the same golfer as he is today tee to green, but he could not get the ball in the hole. It reared its ugly head at the Memorial tournament in June 2023, when he gained 20.7 strokes over the field tee-to-green, the second-best performance in the PGA Tour era, yet only finished third. It was because he lost 8.5 strokes on the greens. The previous week at the Charles Schwab Challenge, he finished 71st out of the 72 players who made the cut in putting. Woes on the green continued early in the 2024 season , with no solution in sight, when Rory McIlroy made a rare appearance in the US commentary box at the Genesis Invitational and was asked about Scheffler's putting. 'We've all been through it,' McIlroy said on CBS. 'I've certainly been through my putting woes during the years, and for me going to a mallet was a big change. READ MORE 'The mallet just gives you a little bit more margin for error and that to me gave me confidence I could go forward with that knowing that even if I don't put a perfect stroke on it, the ball's not going to go too far off line. I'd love to see Scottie try a mallet, but selfishly for me, you know Scottie does everything else so well.' In his next event, Scheffler made the move to the mallet, a larger-sized putter head than the average one you get in the shop, and the rest is history. According to No Laying Up podcast, he has made $49 million on the course since the switch, $8 million for the Comcast Top 10, plus $25 million for the Tour Championship, a total of $82 million. With similar bonuses to come at the end of the season and the FedEx Cup which he will be favourite for, the chances are he will have made $100 million in 17 months since the move. Scottie Scheffler celebrates on the seventh green after saving par during the final round of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Photograph:Watching Scheffler warm up on the putting green in Ireland three years apart, at the 2022 JP McManus Pro Am at Adare Manor and the 2025 Open Championship at Portrush, and there was a noticeable difference. In 2022, there was a slight hesitancy and awkwardness, the routine was longer and less comfortable. Before his final round on Sunday, Scheffler took ball after ball under the watchful eye of caddie Ted Scott and putting coach Phil Kenyon and rolled one after the other into the cup. Scheffler was right to be confident. After all, he was best in the field in putting at the Open, his weakness now a weapon. It is no surprise that the rest of the field was left in awe, deflated and not sure where to go next to beat him. In the final round, there were two 16-foot putts for par on the sixth and seventh that kept the round going and inspired Tiger-like fist pumps from Scheffler. Not much gets that sort of reaction out of Scheffler but he knows more than anyone, they were the sort of putts he missed a lot two years ago that he is no longer missing. More than just the change to the mallet was his work with putting coach Kenyon, which started in September 2023, but is only perhaps starting to truly come to fruition this season. Scheffler reserved special praise for the Englishman, formerly a putting coach of McIlroy, in his press conference, and he was one of the first to embrace Scheffler after winning at Portrush. 'He's a tremendous coach and a great friend as well,' Scheffler said. Scottie Scheffler poses with the Claret Jug on the 18th green after winning The Open. Photograph:'I had a couple years out here on Tour where I didn't putt as well as I felt I could have. I knew it was in there. It was a matter of figuring out the right things to go and find it. 'Phil's been just tremendous for me. Kind of helped me be more athletic, giving me the confidence I need to go out there and just be committed to what I'm doing.' Kenyon helped with green reading and helped change his grip, but the mallet putter particularly helped him to line up his putts. Having ranked 162nd in 'Strokes Gained Putting' in 2023, losing 0.301 strokes per round, he is 22nd on the PGA Tour now, gaining an average of 0.362 strokes per round. That is almost 2.5 strokes per tournament better on the greens than he was, often the difference between winning and losing. 'You know me, I get asked a question and I give an honest answer. Honest to a fault,' McIlroy said a few weeks later as Scheffler started a run that would lead to 11 PGA Tour victories, three Majors, an Olympic gold medal and an unassailable lead in the world rankings. On Sunday, he said Scheffler was the bar that the rest were all trying to get to. McIlroy may have helped unleash a beast that he wishes was back in its cage.
Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Paul Waring bows out of The Open, Davis Riley added
England's Paul Waring announced Monday he will not participate in The Open Championship this week because of a shoulder injury. Davis Riley will replace Waring in the final major of the year that will start Thursday at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. Waring, 40, is a two-time winner on the European Tour who finished tied for 19th at The Open in 2008. He has played in a major seven times, with five of them at The Open. Riley, a native of Mississippi, has two victories on the PGA Tour, the most recent at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May of last year. The 28-year-old will participate in all four major tournaments during the same calendar year for the first time. Riley finished tied for second at the PGA Championship in May. He missed the cut at The Open in 2023. Waring announced his withdrawal one day after four-time major winner Ernie Els did the same when Si Woo Kim of South Korea was added to the field. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix's 'Full Swing' Star Hit With Unfortunate News
Netflix's 'Full Swing' Star Hit With Unfortunate News originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It hurts more when it feels personal. Especially when the bond seemed unbreakable, on and off the golf course. Advertisement This week, Joel Dahmen and Geno Bonnalie, perhaps the most adored player-caddie duo on the PGA Tour, decided to part ways. Fans first learned of the news through Matt Gannon. Soon after, Skratch's Dan Rapaport confirmed it with a direct quote from Dahmen himself: 'It was time. We had a great run.' That 'run' wasn't just about golf. These two weren't just teammates; they were best friends. Their bromance became the emotional heart of Full Swing on Netflix. Season 2 even showed them tearing up mid-flight when Dahmen told Geno, 'I love the f--- out of you.' Now, it's over. The split adds to a growing list of big-name shake-ups this season. Max Homa and Joe Greiner? Gone. Collin Morikawa and J.J. Jakovac? Done. Even Tom Kim and Paul Tesori broke up this week. This isn't just a trend, it's a full-blown caddie carousel. Advertisement Dahmen, meanwhile, is having a rough patch. He's winless since 2021 and ranked No. 172 in the world. He's hanging onto his PGA Tour card by a thread, finishing No. 124 in last year's FedExCup standings. This year, only the top 100 will get full status for 2026, and he's sitting at 96th. Joel Dahmen (right) and caddie Geno Bonnalie on the sixth tee during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament.© Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images Bonnalie hasn't shared his next move yet. For now, he's more visible off the course, doing commentary and making appearances. But after 10 years together, it's clear this wasn't an easy decision for either of them. Dahmen tees it up this week at the Barracuda Championship. A new caddie will be there. But for fans, something will be missing. Advertisement Related: Jordan Spieth Didn't Hesitate to Name the Kevin Durant of Golf This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
NBC Sports
15-07-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Report: Trump National Doral expected to return to PGA Tour schedule next year
Is Trump National Doral returning to the PGA Tour schedule? According to a Sports Business Journal report, which cited 'five industry sources,' yes. Trump National Doral, which is owned by the Trump Organization, is expected to host its first PGA Tour event in nine years, occupying next year's April 30-May 3 date between the Zurich Classic and Truist Championship. The addition means the CJ Cup Byron Nelson will move back on the calendar and precede the Charles Schwab Challenge, also in the Dallas area. The PGA Tour, which typically releases the following season's schedule in August, already declined comment to SBJ. Located about a half hour west of downtown Miami, Trump National Doral hosted the PGA Tour's Doral Open from 1962 to 2006 before the tournament became a World Golf Championships event from 2007 to 2016. The tournament was moved to Mexico City in 2017. During its absence from the PGA Tour schedule, Trump National Doral hosted a LIV Golf event in each of the league's first four seasons, including this year the week before the Masters. It is not, however, on LIV's 2026 schedule. Other schedules notes from the SBJ report, which ends with a full projected schedule, included the exclusion of the Mexico Open from the next year's schedule, as well as the swapping of spots between the WM Phoenix Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the latter of which will now be played the week before the Genesis Invitational.
