Golfing News & Blog Articles

Rory McIlroy's Pinehurst practice round with Martin Kaymer turned into a fascinating lens through which to view his U.S. Open heartbreak.

The post Rory McIlroy, an old friend and a nightmare ending | Monday Finish appeared first on Golf.

Rory McIlroy, who congratulated Bryson DeChambeau for his U.S. Open win, said he'll take a few weeks off after "probably the toughest [day] I've had" as a pro golfer.

Corey Conners found the fairway and the green on the final hole of the U.S. Open, a closing par at Pinehurst No. 2 that landed him in the Olympics for Canada for the second time.

Bryson DeChambeau said on Monday on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he is frustrated that he will not be competing at the Paris Olympics but accepts that his move to LIV Golf ultimately cost him that chance.

The LIV leaderboard for the first three majors of the year has been telling.

The man at the top? Bryson DeChambeau, now a two-time major champion and a player who has overhauled his reputation in record time. DeChambeau, you could make the case, is having a better major season than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. He was T6 at the Masters, runner-up at Valhalla for the PGA Championship and just won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

The rest of his LIV competitors? For the most part, they have been thoroughly disappointing.

Outside of Bryson, there was only one LIV player in the top 25 of the U.S. Open—44-year-old Sergio Garcia, who grinded his way through sectional qualifying, earned a T12 finish.

And of the 12 players who are under par in the aggregate throughout the first three majors (those who made the cut in all three events), only one of them is from LIV:

Here are 50 observations from the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, including thoughts on Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.

The post Bryson, Rory and 1 inspirational email: 50 observations from the U.S. Open appeared first on Golf.

How does Olympic golf differ from PGA tournaments? Check out key facts before the Paris Games.

World-class putters in golf are often the ones who excel under pressure, have impeccable touch, and show great consistency on the greens. Here are some of the best putters in golf history:

1. Tiger Woods

• Style: Known for his meticulous preparation and mental toughness, Tiger's putting stroke is smooth and repeatable.
• Strengths: Clutch putting in critical moments, exceptional green reading ability, and unparalleled focus.

2. Ben Crenshaw

• Style: Often referred to as “Gentle Ben,” Crenshaw's putting stroke is classic and fluid.
• Strengths: Natural touch and feel, especially effective on fast greens. Known for his remarkable performance at Augusta National.

3. Jack Nicklaus

• Style: Nicklaus had a distinctive, methodical putting style, with a slight forward press.
• Strengths: Confidence and composure in high-pressure situations, exceptional lag putting, and great distance control.

4. Brad Faxon

• Style: Faxon's putting stroke is characterized by its simplicity and fluidity.
• Strengths: Renowned for his consistency and smooth stroke, regarded as one of the best pure putters in golf history.

5. Jordan Spieth

• Style: Spieth's putting technique includes a unique look at the hole during shorter putts.
• Strengths: Clutch under pressure, exceptional green reading skills, and a knack for holing crucial putts.

6. Bobby Locke

• Style: Locke had a distinctive hook putting stroke and a stance that emphasized a closed clubface.
• Strengths: Excellent on all types of greens, known for his ability to hole putts from any distance.

7. Seve Ballesteros

• Style: Ballesteros had a creative and confident putting stroke.
• Strengths: Impressive touch and feel, especially in clutch situations. His creativity on the greens made him a formidable putter.

8. Loren Roberts

• Style: Known as the "Boss of the Moss," Roberts' putting stroke is smooth and rhythmic.
• Strengths: Consistency, great touch, and exceptional performance on fast greens.

9. Steve Stricker

• Style: Stricker’s putting stroke is simple and efficient, with minimal wrist action.
• Strengths: Excellent from mid-range distances, highly reliable under pressure, and known for his consistency.

10. Gary Player

• Style: Player used a straightforward and effective putting stroke, often practicing rigorously.
• Strengths: Mental toughness, exceptional focus, and reliable in crucial moments.

These golfers are celebrated for their putting prowess, each with a unique style and set of strengths that have led them to success on the greens. Their ability to hole putts consistently and perform under pressure has made them legends in the sport. Whether it’s the fluid strokes of Ben Crenshaw and Brad Faxon or the mental fortitude of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, these world-class putters have left an indelible mark on the game of golf.

While Wyndham Clark's title defense fell flat, Matthieu Pavon claimed his first top-5 finish in a major. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

Bryson DeChambeau is a U.S. Open champion again, while Rory McIlroy's nearly 10-year drought without a major championship victory will go on.

Rory McIlroy, coming off his fourth runner-up in a major, is listed as participating in this week's PGA Tour event -- the Travelers Championship.

The final-round duel that played out at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday cemented Bryson DeChambeau's evolution while perpetuating a 10-year narrative for Rory McIlroy.

I know I don’t come off this way but I’m actually pretty frugal.

The guy who reviewed $400 pants and consistently spends $200+ on shoes is going to tell you how to spend (and save) your money.

If I were you, I’d listen up. Golf is expensive and only getting worse for your wallet. The good news? You don’t have to sacrifice performance while pinching those pennies. I’ve come up with five surefire ways to save you cash without hurting your game.

Here are the five things I’d never waste money on as a golfer.

1. Full-Price Golf Balls

The first rule of thumb: Never buy golf balls at the golf course. Unless you want to pay $18 for a sleeve of Pro V1s, make sure you bring your own balls.

Let’s face it. You whiffed on Father’s Day. A tie? seriously?

You owe it to Dad to get him something he’ll actually use. Even better, get Dad something he actually wants.

On this, the day after Father’s Day, there is still time for redemption. All you need to do is hit “Add To Cart.”

OluKai and LINKSOUL have teamed up for a Dad-approved collab. Is there anything more “Dad” than a pair of golf sandals?

OluKai is the best in the business when it comes to comfortable, attractive footwear. Couple that with LINKSOUL’s unique SoCal style and you’ve got yourself a Father’s Day ace.

Could Michigan be the most-overlooked golf state?

Home to the third-most golf courses in the U.S. with 859, trailing only Florida (1,262) and California (961), “America’s Summer Golf Capital” doesn’t just offer a ton of options but has various course layouts, styles and topography whether you’re playing on the Upper Peninsula or elsewhere.

While some of its private courses have hosted multiple majors, the Great Lake State boasts a ton of quality public courses from Arcadia Bluffs to Eagle Eye and everywhere in between.

So, without further ado (and in no particular order), here are some of the best public golf courses in Michigan.

Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs Course) – Arcadia, MI

Course Architect: Warren Henderson, Rick SmithSlope Rating: Champion – 75.7/146, Blue – 72.7/140, White – 70.5/134, Gold – 67.8/126, Red – 64.7/120Yardage: Champion – 7,300, Blue – 6,913, White – 6,389, Gold – 5,661, Red – 5,024Green Fees: Dynamic pricing. See website for details.

Undoubtedly the top public course in the state, the Bluffs Course at Arcadia Bluffs is situated on—you guessed it—bluffs high above Lake Michigan. Ranked 14th on America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses by Golf Digest, this links-style track features native grasses, sod-walled bunkers, wide fairways and spacious greens. Open to the public seven days a week April through November each year, the Bluffs Course is a can’t-miss when you’re in Michigan.

Rory McIlroy high-tailed it from the U.S. Open without speaking to media after throwing away a chance to end a decade-long hunt for a fifth major.

He has been a tinkerer, savant, enigma, star, agent of change, pariah, ambassador, influencer and, now, inexorably, Bryson DeChambeau is a two-time United States Open champion. Less than a decade into his professional career, DeChambeau has produced the most unlikely in a series of reinventions: jovial fan favorite who is shaping the game in his own image. He didn’t just win the 124th U.S. Open, he overwhelmed it with a persona as outsized as his drives. The fist-pumping, mean-mugging, baby-kissing DeChambeau did the unthinkable, stealing the crowd from perennial fan favorite Rory McIlroy.

With his vaunted driver misbehaving during a taut final round, DeChambeau, 30, tamed fearsome Pinehurst No. 2 with his too-long wedges and weird putting stance and things that can’t be measured on a Trackman—heart, guts, cojones. The game’s king of content is engaging a new generation of fans while taking his place alongside the all-time greats – the World Golf Hall of Fame recently moved to Pinehurst and DeChambeau might as well have walked across the street after the trophy ceremony to claim his locker. He now has two U.S. Opens, a U.S. Amateur and NCAA championship, nine PGA Tour and two LIV Golf wins (insert winking emoji), to say nothing of 705K YouTube subscribers. Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are the only other players to have won a U.S. Amateur and multiple U.S. Opens.

On Sunday, with huge crowds in a frenzy and Pinehurst teetering on the edge and the entire sports world mesmerized by a thrilling duel between two of the game’s biggest personalities, DeChambeau looked like he was actually having fun. He plays with a newfound lightness of being that allowed him to shake off a missed four-footer on the 15th hole, a gaffe that could have crushed a lesser man.

Indeed, McIlroy played far superior golf to DeChambeau for most of the final round. When Rory birdied the 13th hole, he was two clear of the field and four-under on the day. Over his last decade of vexing futility in the major championships, McIlroy has often been shaky with the putter in crunch time but, to that point, he was pouring in 25-footers like it was his birthright. On the 16th hole, still nursing a one-shot lead, he missed a 30-inch putt—until then, he was 496-for-496 inside of three feet this season—and something broke loose inside of McIlroy. He made a series of nervous swings coming home and then, on the final green, his putter turned into an anvil as he bricked a 3-foot-9-inch putt for par. That will take its place among the most ignominious short misses in golf history, alongside the screwups of Doug Sanders (Old Course), Scott Hoch (Augusta), Davis Love (Oakland Hills), Stewart Cink (Southern Hills) and Dustin Johnson (Chambers Bay).

Hard on the heels of McIlroy’s bogey, DeChambeau went from the native area to a bunker 55 yards short of a back flag but produced what he called “the shot of my life,” leaving just under four feet for glory.

Patrick Mahomes, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka were among those to applaud Bryson DeChambeau's second U.S. Open victory.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished all four rounds over par, the first time in his career he has done so at a major championship.