Golf Monthly Summer 2023

What’s your favourite tournament? For some, it’s The Masters, and for others it’s the drama of the Ryder Cup. But for me, it will always be The Open. The combination of the pure test of links golf and a century-and-a-half of history is unbeatable. As I write this in mid-June, we’re in the midst of a heatwave and social media is full of images of a sun-baked Royal Liverpool, host of this year’s Championship. Fans of firm, fast conditions will be licking their lips in anticipation. If the hot weather continues, we could see conditions similar to 2006, where the course was so dry the fairways turned almost white and Tiger put on a links masterclass, negotiating his way around 72 holes by threading his 2-iron between Hoylake’s bunkers. Whatever…

Same ball for all? The debate continues about the merits of reining in the distance the golf ball travels, especially at the elite level. Most of the clamour relates to the increasing obsolescence of many of our iconic and traditional golf courses. While this proposal is unlikely to impact on us mere mortals, the top pros seem largely opposed to the notion. But, whether for or against the issue, an essential point is being missed. Golf must be the only ball-playing sport where the combatants are allowed to select their own preferred ball of choice. Parallels in other sports might see Ronnie O’Sullivan turning up at The Crucible with his own snooker balls or, heaven forfend, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic arriving at Wimbledon and insisting on playing their own tennis…

Congratulations on winning The Memorial. How does it feel to get your first victory on US soil? Yeah, it’s incredible. Obviously I feel like I’ve won a decent amount of tournaments for only being a pro for four years, but it’s really cool to get my first win on US soil, especially at an event like this where the golf course is arguably harder than most Major Championship courses. The crowds were amazing out there – it felt like a Major. You’ve been playing really well lately and come close a couple of times in Majors. What have you learned from that? You can play great golf and still not win. I think being in contention as many times as I’ve been the last few months or the last year…

Well, who saw that coming? Maybe some of you smart people out there, but certainly not us and certainly not the majority of professional players. After months of posturing and bickering that spilled into the courtrooms, the established tours – the PGA and DP World Tours – announced a shock merger with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the very entity they had previously taken such a hard stance against. The news landed like a lead balloon, catching players and media members completely off guard. Collin Morikawa was out of the blocks quickly, saying: “I love finding out news on Twitter.” He wasn’t alone. In fact, players from both sides of the divide had little to no prior knowledge of the deal, which apparently took all of seven weeks…

SOUND BITES “DOUBLE DIGITS, THAT’S WHAT I’M TRYING TO GET TO. I DON’T THINK IT’S OUT OF THE QUESTION FOR ME” “I THINK THE GENERAL FEELING IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL A BIT OF BETRAYAL FROM MANAGEMENT” “THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE I’VE FELT IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS” “IF THERE’S NO LIV GOLF, I’LL HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE” “I HAD A CAREER DAY WITH MY IRONS TODAY. THE REASON? TWO BOTTLES OF ROSÉ LAST NIGHT” College star wins on professional debut Just a week after Rose Zhang won on her pro debut, Belgium’s Adrien Dumont de Chassart emulated the LPGA star at the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am. Like Zhang, Dumont de Chassart bogeyed the final hole in regulation before clinching the title via a play-off. BRIEFS Korn…

Grip down Grip down and push your hands a little higher at address to get the club’s heel off the ground. Grip too far up with your hands too close to your body and you risk digging the heel in. You want to be brushing the ground via a shallow angle of attack, rather than digging in and taking a divot. There is virtually no release – the clubhead always finishes lower than the hands. The right heel At address, keep your hands fractionally ahead of the ball, with weight favouring your left side 60/40. Lifting the trail heel off the ground to help keep weight on the left side throughout is a good idea, not just in practice but also on the course. Your hands should be pretty passive,…