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Newsweek
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Golf's Longest Day Sees Caddie Turned Dentist Turned US Open Competitor
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. Over the past two months, the golf world witnessed two of the biggest major victories in history. Rory McIlroy finally donned the green jacket and Scottie Scheffler raised the Wanamaker trophy. Now, with just nine days left before the third major of the season, all eyes have shifted to the $20 million event at Oakmont. On Monday, golfers and spectators witnessed golf's longest day, where professionals and amateurs battle across 10 qualifying sites for 47 coveted spots at the U.S. Open. Caddie turned dentist, Matt Vogt, defies the odds and punches his ticket to the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont. (Image Credits: @mattvogt317/Instagram) Caddie turned dentist, Matt Vogt, defies the odds and punches his ticket to the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont. (Image Credits: @mattvogt317/Instagram) Instagram Among the notable qualifiers were professionals - Max Homa, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young, Emiliano Grillo, Marc Leishman, Bud Cauley, Erik van Rooyen, and a caddie-turned-dentist, Matt Vogt, who turned heads. Caddie turned Dentist honors late father Born in Pittsburgh, Vogt spent six years caddying at Oakmont, gaining an intimate knowledge of the course. It appears that knowledge may pay off, albeit after a lengthy stint away from the golf course. Vogt spent over seven years as a dentist in Indianapolis, but now he has secured a spot in his first-ever U.S. Open, which happens to be at Oakmont. Vogt shot back-to-back 68s at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, finishing 8-under to claim one of two available spots. He will be joined by Brady Calkins, who carded seven under. The dentist's performance was nothing short of astounding. In his first round, he carded four birdies in a five-hole stretch on holes 3, 5, 6, and 7, setting the tone for the day. He closed the round with an eagle on 18, securing a strong 4-under 68. His second round mirrored the first, with six birdies and only two bogeys, ensuring another 68 and a final score of 8-under, enough to punch his ticket to Oakmont. Reflecting on his journey, the ex-caddie was filled with emotions: "I knew I could do this... Oakmont and Pittsburgh mean so much to me. It took every ounce of energy in my body to not think about that all day. I feel like I'm going to wake up from a dream here, but it's real, and I'm so excited." Vogt's triumph was bittersweet. Just two months ago, he lost his father, who had been his biggest supporter. "The ribbon on my hat is for him." He said while removing the cap in honour. "He didn't teach me the game, but we loved sports and shared that bond. When I started playing seriously, he was always tracking me, texting me after every birdie. I knew he was tracking me today. I looked up to the skies, and I knew he was with me. He'll always be with me." After the achievement, he went on posting on Instagram, "This one's for you Dad! Onward... ✅ #LongestDayInGolf" While Matt Vogt's exceptional qualification captured headlines, several big names fell short in Monday's qualifiers. Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Padraig Harrington, Matt Kuchar, and Eric Cole are some of the biggest. Fowler, who had just earned a spot at The Open Championship, couldn't replicate the success for the U.S. Open, missing out after finishing 5-under in the Columbus qualifier. Homa, meanwhile, endured a grueling 36-hole battle, carrying his own bag. His three-putt bogey on the 36th and final hole forced him into a 5-man playoff, where Cameron Young's clutch birdie sealed the last available spot. Do you think the U.S Open will provide them with exemption? Let us know in the comment section below! More Golf: Max Homa, Rickie Fowler Bested in Epic Playoff for Last US Open Spot
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler brings a Grand Slam back into view with PGA Championship win
Scottie Scheffler hits from the fairway on the 15th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler drops the top as he holds the Wanamaker trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler, wife Meredith pose with their son Bennett after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Scottie Scheffler hits from the fairway on the 15th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler drops the top as he holds the Wanamaker trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler, wife Meredith pose with their son Bennett after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Scottie Scheffler celebrates after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) The last chance for another career Grand Slam this year seemingly ended when Jordan Spieth missed the cut at the PGA Championship. The next two days might have changed the outlook. Scottie Scheffler won the PGA Championship with two stretches that were simply sublime. There was the closing five holes on Saturday that he played in 5-under par to build the lead, and the opening six holes on the back nine Sunday to stay there. Advertisement In both cases, he didn't miss a shot. Not one. 'I hit the important shots well this week, and that's why I'm walking away with the trophy,' Scheffler said. 'When I needed to, I feel like I hit the shots.' This was the epitome of execution, enough to wonder if he can win the U.S. Open and British Open over the next two months, the two majors he doesn't already have. Scheffler, with two Masters green jackets and the Wanamaker Trophy, now is halfway home to the career Grand Slam. He's been No. 1 in the world for the last two years, and really golf's best since 2022. He has been No. 1 for 89% of the time since he first got to the top of the ranking. Advertisement Scheffler talked about the career Grand Slam a few days after Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the final leg. As usual, he delivered a dose of perspective. 'I've only won one,' he said, his two majors coming from Augusta National. "That's the other side of the coin. It's not easy to get on the cusp, but it's a lot easier to get on the cusp than to actually pull it off. I've been playing some pretty good golf and I'm not even close.' He is a step closer now, and the way he played at Quail Hollow might make it look closer than it appears. This wasn't his best golf over four days, or even three days. It took him a while to get going in his round the opening two days. His lifelong coach, Randy Smith, was with him on the range Friday evening, placing his hands on Scheffler's hips and crouched over to avoid being hit by the club, all to make sure his hips were clearing. Advertisement But oh, those two stretches. His 3-wood into the 304-yard 14th hole was the shot of the tournament, settling just under 3 feet away that set off his eagle-birdie-par-birdie-birdie finish for a three-shot lead. The only par was a 7-iron off a slightly sidehill lie to a right pin that was awkward. He hit it to 12 feet and called it his best shot of the day. Scheffler doesn't often rank shots. This was special. That was to build a lead. Tougher still was having to hold it on Sunday with Bryson DeChambeau briefly leading and Jon Rahm charging, two daunting sights in a major. Scheffler was struggling, at least by his standards. On eight of nine holes on the front nine, from either the tee or the approach, the miss was to the left. He went from a five-shot lead to a tie with Rahm. His caddie, Ted Scott, doesn't get overly worried about much and suggested to him, 'Maybe you're aimed over there. Just try and hit a little further right.' Advertisement Genius. Scheffler hit every fairway — the bunker on the reachable 14th, which should count given the ideal position — and was in the right spot on every green. 'I knew I needed nine really good holes,' he said. To hear him explain it was brilliant in its sheer simplicity. 'I hit a good shot on 10, good approach shot, and I executed. From there, fairway on 11, really good iron shot. Fairway on 12, really good iron shot. Good iron shot on 13. Good tee ball on 14, good birdie there. Two great shots on 15," he said. Rinse and repeat. 'From 10 to 15, I felt like I executed as good as I had almost all week,' Scheffler said. 'That was a very important time in the tournament.' Advertisement And then it was over before it was really over, just like his other two major titles. He wears everyone down with near flawless execution, the hallmark of his game. Scheffler looked over from the 15th hole to see Rahm on his way to making bogey. DeChambeau had faded by then. Scheffler started the back nine in a tie. He was up by six shots toward the end. He became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to win by at least five shots in consecutive PGA Tour starts in the middle of the season. He won in Dallas by eight, the PGA Championship by five, and now goes to Colonial with expectations higher than ever. Getting on the cusp of the career Grand Slam indeed is hard, and Scheffler is not there yet. But as many comparisons as there are with Woods, it's not too much to think Scheffler can win at Oakmont next month and at Royal Portrush in July. Advertisement He's not thinking that far ahead. Scheffler doesn't set goals, he only appreciates winning. Getting from the first hole Thursday to the 72nd hold on Sunday is what he enjoys. A performance like that — by a player like that — makes it easy to forget McIlroy won at Pebble Beach, The Players Championship and the Masters. It was a weird week for McIlroy at Quail Hollow, mainly the Masters champion feeling above any obligation to speak to the media for four days, even the Irish who have documented him his entire career. The last anyone heard from McIlroy was the day before the PGA Championship started. The career Grand Slam achieved, he said anything else he accomplished in golf would be a bonus. He still competes. He just no longer chases. The chase now falls to Scheffler. And all he cares about his competing. ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf:
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Jon Rahm's 'embarrassment' over what happened in PGA Championship heartbreak
Jon Rahm has admitted he was "embarrassed" at the way his final round ended at the PGA Championship, but did note he will "just need to get over it" and focus on the future Jon Rahm admits he feels a sense of embarrassment over his final round performance at the PGA Championship. The Spaniard did add, however, that he will take the "positives" from the week into the rest of the season. Rahm started the week bidding to secure his third major title, just like eventual winner Scottie Scheffler. He began Sunday's round five shots behind Scheffler, and despite tying him for the lead midway through, Rahm ended up in joint-eighth place with Matt Fitzpatrick and Kim Si Woo. The 30-year-old's flurry of birdies in the middle of the last round, coupled with an up-and-down front nine from Scheffler, meant that they shared the lead heading into the final few holes. However, Rahm's ultimate collapse over his final three holes of a bogey and two double-bogeys meant that Scheffler took home the Wanamaker trophy. Speaking after the tournament, the Spaniard confessed his shame at how he ended the PGA Championship, but his analogy of the importance of his job has helped him through the awkwardness. Rahm said: "Am I a little embarrassed right now about how I finished today? Yes, but I just need to get over it. "It's not the end of the world. I'm not a doctor or emergency personnel, someone who, if you have a bad day, real things happen. "I'll move on, and it's a positive rather than a negative thing that's happened this week." Despite the negative ending to his round, Rahm also shared that he was enjoying his time on the course, and that the feeling of this loss was very new to him. He added: "It was very tight. "My goodness, I hadn't had so much fun on a golf course in a long time! The wound is quite fresh. But there have been many good things this week and many positive feelings for the rest of the year. "I think it's the first time I've been in a position to win a major this close and I didn't make it. The only times I think I've led a major on a Sunday, I've been able to secure the title, and this is a very different situation." Describing his falter to the finish line, Rahm added: "I think it was a bit of nerves." The golf calendar doesn't slowing down for Rahm anytime soon, however, and he could return to action as early as June 6 to the LIV Golf Virginia tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
The Irish Sun
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Paul McGinley hails brilliance of Scottie Scheffler despite not being at his best during PGA Championship triumph
SKY SPORTS GOLF analyst Paul McGinley has praised Scottie Scheffler's resilience at the PGA Championship. The Dubliner called him a 'phenomenal competitor' for his ability to bounce back after mistakes. 2 Paul McGinley praised the PGA champions depsite not being at his best at Quail Hollow 2 Scottie Scheffler of the United States hoists the Wanamaker trophy as the lid falls off after winning the 2025 PGA Championship Scheffler, 28, saw off a determined challenge from to romp home by This win followed an eight-shot victory in his previous outing in Dallas at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson. And the freak injury that prompted a slow start to 2025 - Scheffler sliced his hand open when a wine glass he was using to cut pasta shattered - is becoming a distant memory. The world number one made 10 bogeys during his triumphant US read more on golf But the Dallas native incredibly followed six of them with birdies on the very next hole. Taking to X, Dublin's McGinley hailed the now three-time major champion , and he reckons the FedEx Cup champion wasn't even at his best during the win at Quail Hollow. He posted: 'His best trait is that of being a phenomenal competitor,' McGinley posted on X. 'He made 10 bogeys this week and he followed those 6 times with birdies on the very next hole!!' Most read in Golf McGinley also highlighted Scheffler's all-around consistency through the bag, ranking top three off the tee, in iron play and around the greens despite not being at his best. He added: 'Nobody else is close to that consistency. Dean Henderson gets emotional live on GMB over death of his dad after FA Cup triumph 'And you wouldn't even say Scottie is at his very best this week so far.' This year's PGA Championship has an overall purse of $19million [£14.3m], a new record, while Scheffler will take home $3.42m [£2.5m], who also extends his points lead at the top of the OWGR. That's up from the $3.3m [£2.48m] taken home by Xander Schauffele last year.
The 42
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The 42
Pádraig Harrington's legacy is seen everywhere at the PGA Championship - even in the size of the trophy
PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON'S LEGACY runs so deep we're all still excavating it, but happily the man himself is occasionally willing to point us in the right direction. Ambling off the putting green at Quail Hollow, Harrington gladly stops for a quick chat on his way to the driving range. Not that Harrington is particularly loyal to the whole brevity being the soul of wit shtick. Twenty minutes later, his caddie comes to find him in full flow and the interview is finished as a walk-and-talk to the range. Harrington's major success changed Irish golf forever – Rory McIlroy praised him last year as the man who lighted the path for the talents who followed – but he tells us he has changed this week's championship in subtler ways. When Harrington won the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills, he was handed the giant, 27 pound Wanamaker Trophy at the on-site presentation but given a replica half the size to take home with him. One problem. Harrington says the world recognises the Wanamaker trophy solely by its size, and so this diet version went neglected during trophy tours and house visits. 'Basically when people saw the PGA trophy they didn't know it was the PGA trophy and they pushed it aside and took a photo with the Open trophy', says Harrington, who naturally saw another flaw to be addressed. 'I completely changed it! I did change it, I'm 100% sure. I went to them and said, 'Guys, you are ruining your brand. Nobody cares about this trophy.'' Advertisement Harrington lifts the full-size Wanamaker trophy in 2008. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo And so the PGA of America responded to Harrington by building a replica 90% the size of the original Wanamaker Trophy. The first of these larger replicas was given to Harrington, and has been given out to every winner since. (He also got to keep the original 50% replica, which he now thinks is at Stackstown Golf Club.) If major championships have been Tigerproofed, then some of their trophies have been Pádraigproofed. The conversation wends further on to the Claret Jug, as Harrington tells us winners have to pay for their keep-at-home replicas. Realising this in 2007, Harrington decided to fill his boots and asked for five of them, after which the Royal and Ancient brought in a rule that limited the number of replicas that can be ordered by any champion. 'I can't believe nobody else asked for more, I would have bought 10!', exclaims Harrington. Along with his Russian Doll-style Wanamakers, Harrington has a lifetime exemption to play this event, hence why he's in Charlotte this week rather than at the Regions Tradition in Alabama, which is one of the five majors on the seniors' tour. 'They have their silliest major this week and I'm not playing it', says Harrington. 'I believe my limited chance of winning this event is much more important than my good chance of winning that event.' He is playing in Quail Hollow this week partly to reset and set himself up for a two-month stretch on the champions' tour that culminates with the Open Championship at Portrush. His game, he says, is fine, but he is playing to get his mind in the right condition. To that end, his long-time sports psychologist Bob Rotella is on site this week. 'I always say Bob's like a school teacher,' says Harrington. 'He gives you your homework and you've to go and do it. But when he's standing there you're more likely to do it. That's not a respect [thing]. It's more about the relationship you have with him. You don't want to let him down. He stands there and says 'right, let's do it!' and you realise 'god I wasn't doing it'. You have to have that buy-in.' Harrington has long-preached Rotella's gospel and McIlroy and Shane Lowry have joined the congregation. The trio played the front nine in a practice round on Tuesday afternoon, and Harrington joked that they are each allowed to use Rotella for three holes only. The 42 weren't alone in probing Harrington's legacy on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier in an adjacent press conference room, Jon Rahm was asked for his lessons from a decade of major championship golf and alighted on an article from the Harrington doctrine. 'You always feel like, to win a major, you have to play perfect, which is not true', said Rahm. 'I remember the R&A did this 20-minute documentary with Open champions, and Pádraig Harrington said in Muirfield in '02, when he played about as good as he could play and didn't win, and at that point he thought he had to get lucky to win a major championship.' Harrington is a kind of influencer in his own right, and he's not exactly leaning away from it. While he's not quite a Bryson-DeChambeau-trying-to-break-50-with-Donald-Trump-level content creator, his Paddy's Golf Tips on YouTube have become a roaring success. 'The most common thing that'll be said to me this week on the golf course is 'I love your videos'', says Harrington. But like all great artists, he is frustrated by the base desires of his audience. Where all of his tips on swing technique are hugely popular, the analytics on his mental tips never do anywhere near the same numbers. 'My technical stuff is very much aimed at a 10-handicap. Technically I wouldn't know what to teach these guys, but mentally I do', says Harrington, gesturing at the world class pros behind him on the putting green. 'If I was a coach I would be either coaching the mental game at the top level or the physical game at the weekend warrior level. But the weekend warrior doesn't like my mental videos.' Not that Harrington is going to stop posting his mental tricks. He happened to play a few practice holes on Monday with Jordan Spieth, not by design but because they were among the very few golfers on a rain-lashed course. The rain fell so hard that fans were barred from entry and puddles pooled across the course, but Harrington persisted partly out of his addiction to hard work, and partly to get an edge. He wanted to see flooded greens so as to be able to easily read their breaks and undulations. He took a photo of the flooded 18th green, and says he'll post it online rather than secreting the hard-earned info for himself. 'I'm not afraid of putting it up but when I do mental stuff like that it does help my competitors more,' he says. 'I don't worry about it. They still have to do it, that's my attitude.' Then again, it would be absurd for Harrington to worry about helping his competition, given his restless, singular mind has been doing that for decades.
