Golf Monthly July 2024

neil.tappin@futurenet.com My first Open Championship as a reporter for Golf Monthly was back in 2007 at Carnoustie. I walked the final round with Sergio Garcia and was just to the left of the final green as his putt to win kissed the lip and stayed above ground. This was an Open for the ages that was dripping with drama throughout that final day, including multiple visits to the Barry Burn by the eventual winner, Padraig Harrington. My abiding memory, however, was of the total silence as Garcia’s ball rolled towards the hole. I’d been to a few big sporting events by this point in my life, but nothing could match the tension and drama of that specific moment. The anticipation, the collective intake of breath, the disbelief and then the…

The divot dilemma I’ve just read an article on Jordan Spieth’s disqualification at the Genesis Invitational and agree the scorecard issue is outdated and needs fixing. But the dumbest, most ridiculous rule has always been fairway divots. You should never be punished for hitting the perfect shot. If you hit your tee ball down the middle of the fairway and land in a divot, you should be able to take a drop… period! Most players at pro level hit it in the same area so there’s going to be a lot of divots. Fairways are meant to be played from – that’s why the grass is shorter – and you’re supposed to be rewarded, not punished, for finding them! Chris Black, via email Handicap matters There’s been much talk about…

Xander, congratulations on winning your first Major at the US PGA. How does that feel? I am very satisfied. I’m tired. It’s just a whirlwind of emotions. It feels amazing. There are just a wide range of emotions for me. Looking up at the leaderboard, I knew I had to birdie the last hole. I was trying to squeak a birdie in there somehow just to have some kind of cushion. It was a hectic birdie, as well, but it was awesome. During the final round, I kept telling myself, ‘I need to earn this, I need to prove this to myself, and this is my time.’ Were you looking at the leaderboard during the final round? A lot was going on around you… I was looking up at the…

Nelly Korda has won six of the 12 LPGA Tour events to have taken place in 2024 – and she’s only competed in eight of them. Her most recent triumph on her truly remarkable run of form came at the Mizuho Americas Open, where the American pipped Hannah Green to the title. The pair were locked a 14-under heading to the 18th at Liberty National Golf Club, but a bogey by Green handed Korda victory. Korda’s streak began at the LPGA Drive On Championship at the end of January and included a win at the Chevron Championship as she clinched the second Major of her career. A T7 finish at the Cognizant Founders Cup brought her run of consecutive titles to a halt at five, but she ensured that was…

“THINGS DIDN’T FEEL VERY GOOD AND WHEN THEY DON’T FEEL GOOD, IT’S LIKE WHAT’S THE POINT OF GOING AND PLAYING?”Viktor Hovland on nearly withdrawing from the US PGA “I DON’T THINK IT HIT ME UNTIL THIS MORNING WHAT ACTUALLY TRANSPIRED YESTERDAY”Scottie Scheffler reflects on a chaotic US PGA Championship week and his tough round on Saturday “I’VE WORKED REALLY HARD TO HAVE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHO I AM A LITTLE BIT BETTER. YOUTUBE HAS BEEN A GREAT PLATFORM TO HELP”Bryson DeChambeau felt the love from the Kentucky crowd “FRUSTRATING WEEK IN KENTUCKY. LOST TO A GUY WHO WAS LITERALLY IN JAIL ON FRIDAY MORNING”Max Homa sees the funny side of his disappointing T35 finish at Valhalla…

5 Five different American players have won the last five men’s Majors, the first time this has happened since 1984. Voices from across the game took to social media to pay tribute to Peter Oosterhuis, who died last month at the age of 75. The Englishman was runner-up at The Open in 1974 and 1982, and topped the European Tour’s Order of Merit from 1971 to 1974. He competed at six Ryder Cups, which all ended in defeat, but compiled a formidable personal record, winning 14 of his 28 matches, including two famous singles wins against Arnold Palmer. He went on to become a well-loved voice on television, both here and in the States, before being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014. WHO AM I? Answer in credit to the…