golfweloveit

 “I hate it,” said Brooks Koepka’s coach Pete Cowen.

“I haven’t heard a player say a good thing about it. They’ll just deal with it.”

Yje 17th hole replaces the par-3 15th and is 136 yards. With its elevated green and deep surrounding bunkers it’s the shortest hole on the course. It’s a potentially unfair challenge, according to Cowen. 

“It could ruin somebody’s career if the wind goes in the wrong direction all of a sudden or there is bad luck rolling down from the wrong place,”

Why would you make a 120-130 yard par-3 impossible? It’s called an infinity green and that could be it. They could be playing infinitely backwards and forwards across the green.”

From the players Matt Fitzpatrick called the hole “interesting.” And Jordan Spieth said it could produce some “carnage.” So, yeah, better buckle up for this one.

brooks Koepka said “Yeah, that sounds like Pete,” he joked. “I think it’s a good hole. That’s how par-threes should be. I’m not a huge fan of the 250-yard par-threes. All the great par-threes are nine-iron and less and difficult greens.”

The 17th hole replaced the par-3 15th that was in play when McIlroy captured the claret jug the last time Hoylake hosted in 2014.

The most interesting thoughts so far came from Jon Rahm on Tuesday. First he expanded on why he chose to stay loyal to the PGA Tour when he was apparently offered a nine figure sum to move to LIV.

“I wasn’t forced into anything. I chose to stay. But if the tour choose to compensate us I won’t say no”.

When asked about the environmental protestor group Just Stop Oil who have been actively sabotaging British sporting events this summer, he said “I hope they don’t do it when I’m having a bad hole. I have a reputation”.

Protestors have stopped play at Wimbledon and The Ashes and attempted to do so at Royal Ascot but were stopped by security. They were ordinary looking women. Players and caddies this week have been told not to take matters into their own hands.

On the eve of The Open the prize fund this week has been released. A total of $16.5 million up 18% from last year! In 2021 it was a mere $11.5 million.

This crazy money means that the winner takes home $3 million, with the third placed player receiving $1,095,000.

Scottie Scheffler this year becomes the first million dollar a tournament player. In 18 events he has won $18.5 million.

The catalyst to this huge increase has been the LIV situation and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of the Saudi Public Investment Fund is here at Hoylake as a guest of the R&A. I’ve heard a couple of golf broadcasters refer to him as “His Excellency”. I think that’s going too far. Not only does it sound sychophantic it makes him sound like the royalty of the whole sport. Even if he is bankrolling everything now, that’s enough.

I was watching the Aramco Ladies Series at Centurion last weekend and it was noticeable that the branding of the Saudi PIF was on all the hoardings round the course. But there’s no way an event of that clibre could have been staged without their investment. The LET were on their knees when Aramco stepped in as sponsors.

Last year I helped with some research with the R&A into their rebranding after The 150th Open. It was to be a complete change, aligning with nature. But I can’t help feeling that this is the last year we’ll see such pure branding. I expect that the crossed swords logo of Saudi Arabi will be everywhere on the hoardings next year at Royal Troon.

See Rory’s swing at last week’s Scottish Open set to music. Golf BPM has been developed to help golfers time their swing to original music. The film shows the tempo of Rory’s swing which can be copied by any golfer It’s supposed to make practice more effective but it sounds to me like there’s some subliminal soundtrack underneath.

Rory uses his own music for warming up and during practice rounds, He likes hip hop artists like Calvin Harris and said that Adele’s Rolling In The Deep was on his mind during one of his major wins.

Rory says his dream golfing partner would be Kanye West. “I would love to spend 4 or 5 hours in his company just to see what he’s like. It would be very interesting”.

Joh Daly is playing this week in Bermuda on a special exemption.

He has spoken recently on Instagram about the possible film of his life which promises to examine the excesses, scandals and athletic achievements of the “bad boy of golf”.Oscar nominated actor Jonah Hill (Wolf of Wall Street, Moneyball) has been earmarked to play Daly and he has promised to take Hill to a driving range to teach him his over the top swing.

Congratulations to the beautiful couple Martin and Irene Kaymer who were married at the weekend.

And still bewildered at the news that Tom Watson’s third marriage in July to Leslie-Anne Wade has ended after three months.

bewildered not just it makes Greg Norman and Chrissy Evert’s one year marriage look like a Golden Wedding but for the fact that Ms Wade took to twitter to announce it and then interacted with all the comments.

She said this:

“Sadly, the inability to launch and build our relationship properly in these early days forces us to terminate our marriage. He will always mean the world to me and our connection is forever”

It sounded like their union was a silicon valley start up. “inability to launch” what does that mean? She cited an illness, but had said ahe had made a full recovery.

And rhen she carried on tweeting regardless, Very odd indeed.

Just when we thought that LIV had done the remarkable and brought Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau together, hostilities resumed.

Brooks was asked about the difference between him and Bryson to which Brooks said “I don’t let ropes defeat me. I’m also just not a little bitch. And I’m better at golf and life.”

Bryson does look physically different. A lot less bulk.

Below is the horrendous rope incident which Bryson was involved in. Not his fault, poor marshalling. Which shows how inexperienced their staff are that they can’t even handle a gallery rope.