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USA Today
19-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Scottie Scheffler grasps control of 2025 British Open after stellar Saturday at Royal Portrush
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Matt Fitzpatrick is annoyed with his putting coach Phil Kenyon. Not for something he did or didn't do to help Fitzpatrick's game but rather because Kenyon has shared his secrets with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. 'His putting is night and day,' said Fitzpatrick, who was paired in the final group on Saturday at the 153rd British Open with Scheffler. 'He's just not missed a putt today. There isn't one putt that he's missed, and that's obviously the difference that's taken him to this unbeatable run.' Scheffler is the leading the field in Strokes Gained: Putting this week and whenever his putter heats up – and outshines his otherworldly ball striking – Scheffler is going to be tough to beat. On Saturday, he shot a bogey-free 4-under 67 at Royal Portrush Golf Club to improve to 14-under 199 – his lowest 54-hole total at a major – and assume a four-stroke lead over China's Haotong Li. Scheffler stayed patient, even when he endured an early 3-putt par, even when he failed to make a birdie in his first six holes and even when he needed to salvage pars at Nos. 11 and 14. 'I think anytime you can keep a clean card around a major championship, you're going to be having a pretty good day,' Scheffler said. 'Sometimes major championships it can be tough to make birdies, and today was one of those days where I just had to give myself some looks and was able to hole a few.' The two-time Masters champion already added the PGA Championship to his trophy case in May and now he's 18 holes away from a Claret Jug and a third leg of the career Grand Slam. Asked how satisfying it would be to conquer links-style golf, he replied, 'it would be nice, but I'm not going to be thinking about that tonight.' Scheffler will be bidding for his 17th Tour title and fourth career major and will attempt to become the seventh Open Championship winner to record four rounds in the 60s. He'll be paired in the final round with Haotong Li, who was a member of the International Team in the 2019 Presidents Cup but suffered the yips and hadn't played in a major in three years. He shot 2-under 69 on Saturday and is alone in second. 'I'm actually quite looking forward to it,' he said of playing alongside Scheffler on Sunday. 'Four shots behind, kind of like play for second, especially play with world No. 1. I just try to play my best out there and hopefully make something happen.' Fitzpatrick, who is seeking to become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo 33 years ago to win the British Open, is in third after shooting even-par 71. He knows he faces an unenviable task on Sunday. 'Let's be realistic, he's five ahead. It's not easy. But if you get off to a good start, you get 3-under through 6, like some of the guys today, 7 the par-5, and all of a sudden you're kind of right back in it, you would hope,' he said. 'It's clear what I have to do tomorrow.' Four golfers are tied at 8 under, including Chris Gotterup, who won last week's Scottish Open, Harris English, Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy. The world No. 2 has had his fair share of battles with Scheffler and was honest as ever in assessing the uphill battle he faces. 'He's playing like Scottie. I don't think it's a surprise. Everyone's seen the way he's played or plays over the last two or three years. He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes,' McIlroy said. 'He's turned himself into a really consistent putter as well. So there doesn't seem to be any weakness there. Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do.' But much like Fitzpatrick, McIlroy can envision a path to coming from behind and stealing the trophy from one of golf's top frontrunners. McIlroy has done it before, most notably at the 2023 FedEx Cup. 'I've got a chance,' McIlroy said. 'I need to get off to a great start like I did today, and if I can do that, anything can happen. I've come from a few shots behind before at big tournaments and was able to win. If I can get off to one of those hot starts again, maybe Scottie feels a little bit of that a couple of groups behind, and you never know. Scottie is the best player in the world right now. I think it's clear for everyone to see. He's just consistently so good each and every week he tees it up, so it's going to be a tall order to be able to catch him tomorrow. But I'm going to look forward to the challenge.' Whomever comes out on top will have the honor of being known as the Champion Golfer of the Year.
USA Today
28-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Peter Malnati gave an epic speech to PGA Tour membership. He walks us through his message
DETROIT – Being a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board has become hard work. On Wednesday, Zach Johnson, who served on the Tour board from 2009-11, applauded the six players who are currently serving during arguably the most turbulent time in the Tour's history. 'When I served on the board, I had to deal with drug testing – should we or should we not? – and FedEx Cup point realignment. That was the heaviest thing I had to deal with and there never was more than three meetings a year,' Johnson said. 'Since COVID, that hasn't been the case.' Peter Malnati, a 38-year-old two-time winner whose two-year board tenure ends later this year, knew what he was getting himself into but ran for the role anyway. He likely would lead the statistical category Strokes Gained: Positive Thinking if Strokes Gained creator Mark Broadie could devise a way to rank it. Adam Schenk may have summed up Malnati's optimistic outlook best: 'He's so nice and he actually means it.' (In this writer's opinion, he's golf's Ted Lasso.) Malnati's speech was a highlight of player meeting On Tuesday, during the Tour's mandatory player meeting, he gave 'an impassioned speech' – that's how fellow pro Mark Hubbard described it – to those players in the 156-man field at the Rocket Classic. [Not all 156 attended. Some were excused because they already had attended a similar meeting the week before at the Travelers Championship or because the meeting time conflicted with a sponsor commitment or other excused absences.] 'Peter talks from his heart,' said fellow Tour policy board member Camilo Villegas. 'He's had a chance to sit on the board and understand why the decisions that have been made in the last few years have been the right decisions at the moment they were made and how the goal posts keep getting moved in an evolving business and constantly analyzing what's for the best because it's a fast-moving and evolving business.' 'I'm pretty honored that anyone referred to it as an impassioned speech, but it was something that I feel really strongly about,' Malnati said in a voice message to Golfweek. Malnati went on to recount the message he delivered to players on Tuesday, during which he admitted he may have signed off on losing his job someday with the Tour implementing a new policy reducing the number of players who retain fully-exempt status from 125 to 100 beginning this year. [Malnati, who entered the week at No. 194 in the FedEx Cup is exempt for next season as the winner of the 2024 Valspar Championship.] What you're about to read is shades of Jim Colbert, a mid-tier Tour member who would go on to win eight Tour titles, who once famously said at a Tour players meeting in 1983, 'It's real simple, boys. Just play better.' When players make arguments that don't directly benefit their own cause, the professional golf ecosystem should listen its hardest … because they're rare. Malnati does that with these remarks. 'I just wanted to say to the membership that I ran for a seat on the board because I cared – really, really, strongly about not losing opportunities and not seeing the Tour get smaller and in my time on the board, both of those things have happened. And because I was on the inside and I saw the thought process, I supported them – doesn't mean they're easy for me. It doesn't mean they don't hurt because they do," Malnati began. 'I feel like the Tour at its core was built around the idea of maximizing playing opportunities and may the best man win. So it hurts to see the best option be to reduce playing opportunities and to see the Tour shrink." Malnati said shrinking Tour makes sense, even if it hurts Malnati continued to share with the membership that there's tangible evidence of late that validates the thought process. [Over the last six months, the Tour has closed nearly $1 billion in new or renewed contracts. Additionally, CBS reported a 13 percent year-over-year ratings increase and a 19 percent year-over-year increase at signature events. Many other metrics are ticking in the right direction, such as its digital platforms.] 'Seeing the success in renewing full-field title sponsorships for long-term deals in the 9-plus-million-dollar per range that's impressive – that's really impressive. It speaks to the fact that these full-field events feel that they're getting good value. And you know it's marked and measurable to see that their fields are stronger than they were when the invitational events that had 120-player fields and then obviously the first year of signature events, they still played at their regular field sizes. That was crushing the full field events and sponsors were really concerned and now to see the momentum where sponsors are back supporting the full-field events at really nice purse levels – that's a huge win for the entire membership.' Malnati wanted them to hear that directly from him and also address the elephant in the room, what he termed 'the thing that we all hate the most, which is the smaller fields and the signature events and the upcoming reduction of fully-exempt cards from 125 to 100 for next season. 'That is simply a re-prioritizing of PGA Tour members that takes guys who go out and play a season on the Korn Ferry Tour and finish in the top 20 and says to them you deserve starts in all the full-field events and I think that's absolutely true now. Is it a great accomplishment to finish in the top 125 on the PGA Tour? It is, it's really good. Is it an even greater accomplishment to finish in the top 100? Yes, I've achieved that twice in my 10 seasons on Tour. I shared that with the membership yet I still think this was the right thing to do because the point of everything we're doing is to identify players who can become superstars and drive the brand forward and so we've got to give those guys that graduate from the Korn Ferry Tour a fair shot to play and so I think going from 125 cards to 100 and then putting the guys that finish 101 to 125 in the next-best conditional category after the Korn Ferry Tour graduates was absolutely the right thing to do even though in a way I was cutting my own head off.' New PGA Tour system to closer mimic Formula 1 How many players would support a decision that might be 'cutting their own head off?' Malnati realizes that barely any players outside the top 100 on Tour generate standalone attention. Sure, there are exceptions like Joel Dahmen (and Tiger Woods wouldn't be Tiger Woods without fields of 156 to beat up on). But fewer players in the arena make it easier for the Tour to market players, easier for fans to know more contenders on a leaderboard, and it's more assuring to sponsors that top-tier players contend or win in their tournaments. Look no further than F1, which is its most popular now, with just 20 drivers who all drive in every race. Same with NASCAR. Athletes in team sports are expected to play in every one of their teams' games. 'Then lastly shared the fact that the system while it creates a very narrow funnel, I said the whole point of what we're doing – the Tour doesn't want to use this language quite this bluntly – we're identifying the top players and get them competing against each other more regularly,' Malnati said. 'So, yes, the signature event model caters to top players, it does, but the thing that I want everyone in that room and everyone on Tour and every fan and every partner to realize is that even though smaller fields are inherently a little bit less competitive because there's fewer guys, the system (we're implementing) right now there's no rules that rule out anyone. J.J. Spaun was not exempt into a single signature event at the start of this year … and he's currently ranked eighth in the world. He played his way there. Maverick McNealy played his way into the top 10 in the world – I think he's 14 right now but he was top 10 in the world. Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, in terms of everything they're able to accomplish now on Tour, they have played their way into that group of top players. They're going to qualify for the BMW Championship this year, be fully exempt for signature events next year and they've played their way into it. 'This system is aspirational,' Malnati continued. 'The funnel is small, but the opportunity is there and it's still objective. It's still golf. If you shoot low enough scores, you will be there, so, I closed by saying my challenge to Brian Rolapp is to continue to grow the opportunity on the PGA Tour. I want to see him grow it for top players, I want to see him grow it for every single member and my challenge to all the members in the room was to go be as competitive as you can be and believe. But the guys who shoot the best scores are our top players and the more that we do that, the more that we go out and put on a show and strive to become top players, the better our product is, the more fans are going to engage with it and the more opportunity will be for everyone. So that was my spiel …. I'm glad someone thought to call it impassioned. I felt very passionate about it. I still feel very passionate about it but it's definitely been hard.'
Newsweek
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Brooks Koepka Beer-Gate Goes Viral amid PGA Championship Dismissal
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Drinking beer is almost a rule in golf, especially if you haven't had a good day on the course. It is a tradition that even the biggest stars cannot escape, and here is Brooks Koepka to prove it. The five-time major champion had a horrendous performance at the 2025 PGA Championship, where he missed the cut by eight shots. The situation cried out for a beer treatment, and Koepka wasted little time in providing it. The X user, identified as 'Keith Blazkowicz, PhD, MD', was lucky enough to run into Koepka in the store while the LIV Golf star was buying his beers, and he wasted no time in posting it: "Went to QT to grab some beer after a rough 18 holes. I think this guy might be doing the same..." Blazkowicz wrote. Went to QT to grab some beer after a rough 18 holes. I think this guy might be doing the same… — Keith Blazkowicz, PhD, MD (@vegasmostwant3d) May 17, 2025 The post went viral in an impressive way, considering it received more than one million views and more than 14,000 reactions in less than 24 hours. Even more impressive is that the author of the post only has 227 followers and did not even tag Koepka. In the picture, which was taken on Friday, you can see that a clock reads 8:10 p.m., meaning that less than three hours have passed since the player finished the second round at Quail Hollow. There is no doubt that not having to play the next day has its benefits. Brooks Koepka of the United States looks on while playing the 16th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 15, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brooks Koepka of the United States looks on while playing the 16th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 15, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images One detail that did not go unnoticed by fans was that the West Palm Beach, Florida native's beer of choice was Miller Lite, even though he is sponsored for a rival brand. Koepka signed an endorsement deal with Michelob Ultra in 2017 and, as far as anyone knows, remains one of the brand's top ambassadors. The 35-year-old has made numerous promotional appearances for Michelob, including two Super Bowl 2022 commercials. Proud to join Team ULTRA! Thanks for keeping me well-stocked. Hope to have something special to celebrate when I get back from Augusta. — Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) April 3, 2017 The five-time LIV Golf winner carded a 36-hole score of 9-over 151, which prevented him from playing the weekend at Quail Hollow. His overall performance included six birdies, 11 bogeys and two double bogeys, with negative stats in five of the six components of the Strokes Gained series. This is Koepka's second straight missed cut in a major championship, having done the same at the Masters last month. It is also his eighth consecutive major without a top-10 finish, the first time that has happened in his career. More Golf: Jon Rahm soars into PGA Championship contention after masterful Saturday
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Justin Thomas ends victory drought with RBC Heritage title after long putt in playoff
Justin Thomas ends victory drought with RBC Heritage title after long putt in playoff Justin Thomas is a PGA Tour winner again. The 31-year-old native of Kentucky birdied the first playoff hole to win the 2025 RBC Heritage on Sunday over Andrew Novak for his 16th PGA Tour title but first in two years, 10 months and 29 days since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. "Winning is hard, really hard," Thomas said. "I forgot how much I loved this." Thomas shot a bogey-free final-round 3-under 68 at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, for a 72-hole total of 17-under 267. He opened with a course-record tying 10-under 61 and went on to become the only first-round leader to win this season. Thomas made birdies at Nos. 5 and 8 on the front nine to take the lead at 16 under. He drained a 25-foot birdie at the par-5 15th in regulation. Thomas won for the first time since becoming a father and joined Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in having at least 16 victories and two majors before the age of 32. Thomas finished third in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week, a vast improvement over his putting last season. After ranking No. 174 last season, Thomas spent time with Xander Schauffele working on his putting technique. The 3-hour session has paid dividends. Thomas has improved to 40th this to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis, Thomas joked, 'I may get an invoice in my locker.' Thomas had four top-3 finishes, including two runner-up finishes this season. 'Everyone wants it bad but he has that chip on his shoulder,' CBS Sports's Trevor Immelman said.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Players Championship: Scottie Scheffler's two victories at Stadium Course by the numbers
Scottie Scheffler has won the last two Players Championships and his statistics from the 2023 and 2024 events show how. Scheffler led the field in the PGA Tour's Strokes Gained tee-to-green index, indicating his proficiency in finding the putting surface with approach shots. But at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, hitting fairways is crucial to finding the greens, because balls that settle into the thick ryegrass rough are difficult to hit with any degree of distance control. Scheffler has had an answer for that, too. He led the field in Strokes Gained Off the Tee last year and was fifth in 2023. Scheffler's scoring average in his two victories is 67.37. All eight rounds were in the 60s. He is 37-under par (20-under in 2024, 17 under in 2023), Scheffler has two eagles, 42 birdies, nine bogeys and 91 pars. One of the eagles was at the par-4 fourth hole in the final round in 2024 and the other at the par-5 second hole in the third round in 2023. He has hit 74.1 percent of his fairways (83 of 112), 75.7 percent of the greens (109 of 144) and averages 28.12 putts per round. When he does miss a green, Scheffler has gotten up-and-down for par 74.2 percent of the time (26 of 35). Scheffler did not bogey a par-5 hole in either tournament and shot a cumulative 21-under at those holes (Nos. 2, 9, 11 and 16). He played the par-3 holes at 5-under and the par-4s 11-under. The only thing close to Kryptonite for Scheffler at the Stadium Course are the par-3 third hole and par-4 fifth hole, where he has made two bogeys at each. Those four bogeys came in last year's tournament. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Scottie Scheffler's two Players Championship victories by the numbers
