‘Maybe I hit a few too many balls yesterday or something. It was just a little sore.’
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – It’s never good to see a professional golfer reaching for their lower back after hitting a shot. It’s even worse when that golfer is World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who is trying to win the FedEx Cup for the first time to cap off a spectacular season.
But on the 17th hole, Scheffler hit his second shot and touched his lower back with his left hand. PGA Tour XM Radio’s Mark McCumber described it as if “it took his breath away” and Scheffler leaned on his club for an extra second.
Scheffler finished with a couple of pars and posted three birdies and two bogeys for an opening-round, 1-under 71. After the round, Scheffler downplayed any potential injury, saying, “It’s fine.”
Scheffler did concede that he woke up with a sore back and had trouble loosening it up.
“It was hard for me to get through it, and I was laboring most of the day to get through the ball,” he explained. “On 17 I was trying to hit a high draw, and that’s a shot where I’ve really got to use a big turn, big motion.”
Asked to elaborate on what happened, he said, “Maybe I hit a few too many balls yesterday or something. It was just a little sore. I’m sure I’ll get some ice on it and stuff, and I’ll be totally fine tomorrow.”
Would he do any special treatment? “Just normal routine. Just like always,” he said.
Scheffler was paired Thursday with Xander Schauffele, who is second in the FedEx Cup and shot 69 to best Scheffler, the FedEx Cup leader, by two strokes.
Schauffele said he noticed that Scheffler’s back was stiff when he tried to turn his head but joked that it may be a bigger problem for the field than for Scheffler, noting that Scheffler needed treatment on his neck at the Players Championship and elsewhere when he won. “I guess it’s a bad sign for everyone else,” he said.
“That’s as difficult of conditions that any tournament golf has been played.”
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Fraser Riddler called the opening round of the AIG Women’s British Open over the Old Course farcical. As the longtime caddie manager of St. Andrews Links, Riddler has seen his share of challenging conditions and Thursday’s, he said, was among the worst he’s seen.
“That’s as difficult of conditions that any tournament golf has been played – men, women, it doesn’t matter,” said Fraser. “That was brutal out there.”
Jenny Shin of South Korea laughs on the 18th tee during Day One of the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews Old Course on August 22, 2024, in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
For LPGA veteran Jenny Shin, having Riddler by her side was somewhat of a secret weapon in her opening round of 3-under 69. She trails only former No. 1 Ruoning Yin by a stroke. A total of four players broke par in the morning wave, when the winds were consistently blowing 30-35 mph with gusts up to 39 mph. Linnea Strom and Georgia Hall both shot 1 under.
“Some of our shots, if it had any side spin on it, would go straight 30 yards right and look like a legitimate shank,” said Shin, who had such a stunner on the par-3 11th from the tee with a 5-iron. On any other day, what would’ve been an embarrassing shot was just part of the experience.
Shin changed her entire setup on the greens for two weeks of links golf, trying to position herself lower to the ground.
“If anybody remembers, Michelle Wie tabletop, that’s basically what it feels like to me, “ she said, “and it has helped.”
The first time a 20-year-old Shin played the Old Course in 2013, she remembers thinking she’d rather be anywhere but here. She doesn’t even remember finishing tied for 17th that week, but she does recall being unable to sleep at night with the sun going down so late.
This time, a more mature Shin returns to the Home of Golf with a much greater appreciation. Part of that is age and experience, and part of it is the history lessons that come with having a local caddie like Riddler.
“Jenny executed everything just fantastic,” said Riddler. “I just had the best seat in the house to watch it, simple as that.”
Sixteen years ago, Riddler drew the name of an American player named Stacy Lewis for the 2008 Curtis Cup. Lewis leaned on the Old Course caddie like her game depended on it and went 5-0 in the U.S. victory. Things went so well that Riddler offered to quit his job in St. Andrews to come caddie full-time for Lewis on the LPGA. Only Lewis didn’t have any status on tour at that point and was reluctant to let Riddler move his family – including an infant son – with so much uncertainty.
When the LPGA returned to the Old Course in 2013, Riddler came back to walk a practice round with Lewis, who went on to become only the second LPGA player to win a major over the Old Course, joining Lorena Ochoa.
USA’s Stacy Lewis and caddie Fraser Riddler (right) discuss the best way to tackle the 2nd hole at St. Andrews (Photo by Bill Murray/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Riddler eventually made it out to the LPGA, quitting his job at St. Andrews to work for Shin beginning last April. His family is still based in Arbroath, about a 35-minute drive from St. Andrews. His youngest son, Sonny, who was pushed around in a carriage in 2008, is now 17 years old and caddying full-time close to home at Carnoustie.
On Monday, Riddler had a nice dinner with Lewis and her family, and they reminisced on their early success together. Lewis even brought her yardage book from 2008 with her this week.
The weather in 2013 was so tricky, in fact, that play was canceled on Saturday due to wind. Riddler noted that the R&A’s sensible hole locations on Thursday gave them something to work with, though he wondered several times if play should’ve been stopped.
“I think there were a couple of times that it was definitely borderline,” said Riddler, “the girls were really struggling to stand up. I think when it gets to that scenario, that’s unfair.”
Travis Kelce keeps shooting his shot and it keeps working
When news broke the a long-awaited sequel to the 1996 Adam Sandler golf comedy Happy Gilmore was officially a go at Netflix, arguably no one was happier than Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
On Tuesday night’s episode of The Tonight Show, Sandler confirmed they are getting ready to start filming in New Jersey and among the various cameos planned in he script is one for Kelce.
“Travis mentioned it,” Sandler said. “So we have a nice something for Travis.”
The film is still looking to cast extras, so you don’t even need your own podcast show to get involved in the project if you want to try joining Sandler and Kelce on set.
Just as golfers use data analysis to perfect their game, Echo Global Logistics merges technology and data analytics to lead the way in supply chain management services.
Both golf and logistics demand precision, innovation, and continuous improvement. Just as golfers use cutting-edge equipment and data analysis to perfect their game, Echo Global Logistics merges technology, data analytics, and industry expertise to lead the way in offering technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management services.
Dave Menzel, President and Chief Operating Officer at Echo, emphasized the synergy between PGA TOUR professional Denny McCarthy’s values and work ethic and those of Echo Global Logistics. “We pride ourselves on delivering superior customer service to our shippers and to our carriers. And we do that through teamwork, integrity, and a lot of hard work and hustle,” Dave said. “And Denny exemplifies a lot of those qualities and traits. And so, we thought he’d be the perfect candidate for us to partner with, to demonstrate what we’re all about, and how we serve our clients.”
“I’m proud to partner with a third-party logistics firm like Echo,” McCarthy said. “Its reputation as a trusted transportation industry leader is well known and I hope to bring them on this journey with me to securing my first PGA TOUR win.”
“I’ve met President Bush and Obama and I was not nearly as starstruck as when I met Tiger Woods for the first time.”
Former Major League Baseball outfielder Jeff Francouer shared a Tiger Woods story from back in the 2005-06 timeframe when Woods was an absolute menace on the golf course and arguably the biggest name in pro sports.
“I’ve met President Bush and Obama and I was not nearly as starstruck as when I met Tiger Woods for the first time,” Francouer told ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian on his podcast Great Game or What.
Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox used to allow his players to play golf during spring training. One day, they had a 1 p.m. spring training game against the New York Yankees. Francoeur was 22 and had just been named a starter. He was in no position to ask for a day off from training camp. But he didn’t have to because Cox came over to him during stretching and informed him that star pitcher and golf fanatic John Smoltz had an afternoon tee time at 1:50 with Tiger.
“I’m like, I’m fine, Bobby, I’m ready to play,” said Francoeur, 40, a right fielder who played on eight different MLB teams and serves as a TV analyst for the Braves these days. “He goes, ‘No, I’ll make you a deal.’ He said, ‘After your first at-bat today, run through first base and kind of rub your ankle like you hurt it, right?’ He’s like, ‘In two days we’re going to Bradenton.’ You need three starters to play on a road trip. And he’s like, ‘I hate Bradenton’s infield. I don’t want to get any of the guys hurt. So if you go to Bradenton, I’ll let you play with Tiger,’” Francouer recounted that Cox told him.
As instructed, the right fielder grounded out in his first at-bat and ran to first base rubbing his ankle in front of an estimated 12,000-13,000 fans in Orlando.
“Bobby, he waddles out there and he checks on me,” recalled Francoeur before pulling him from the game as a safety precaution. “I run inside, literally throw my golf clothes, didn’t shower, and I get to the golf club and they’re on the first fairway. So I hit my tee shot, we end up playing 27 holes and around 4:30 my wife sends me (a text) that there was an update that said Francouer day to day with a high ankle sprain.”
The things professional athletes did to tee it up with the one and only Tiger Woods.
The UCLA Bruins Men’s Golf team is about ready to get the 2024-2025 season underway. On Thursday, the golf team released their schedule for the upcoming season.
The Bruins will start the season at the University of Washington. The two new Big Ten schools will get together for the Husky Invitational on September 23rd-24th.
The Bruins make visits to Indiana, Georgia, Hawaii, Florida, Arizona, and Maryland this season, outside of California. The Big Ten Championship ios set for April 25th – 27th at Baltimore Country Club. The NCAA Championships are set for May 23rd – 28th in Carlsbad.
The UCLA Men’s Golf team is looking for their first national championship since 2008. That season Kevin Chappel was the top golfer on the squad. UCLA is also home to professional golfer Patrick Cantlay. Last year, the team was led by freshman Luke Powell and junior Omar Morales. Morales got an opportunity to play at the 123rd US Open.
Last month, LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau posted a video to his YouTube channel featuring former United States President Donald Trump, where the pair tried to break 50 from the forward tees. In the latest edition, the U.S. Open champion attempted the same feat with John Daly.
In the video, while DeChambeau was warming up on the range, he handed Daly his 5-wood. The legend tried hitting DeChambeau’s club a few times, but couldn’t make solid contact.
“This is the funniest thing right here, look at this 5-wood, right. When I won my majors, my driver was smaller than this,” Daly said.
DeChambeau, one of the longest hitters in the game, has extremely thick grips on his clubs and the shafts are “something like” 3x-stiff.
“No, I can’t hit these just like you can’t swing like me. Everybody’s different in this game,” Daly said.
There is a difference between going to the range without a plan and practicing with a purpose.
If you go to the range, get a large bucket and randomly hit all 14 clubs in your bag, you’ve come to the right place. Almost everything works out better when you are prepared with a plan. You can focus on benchmarks, improvements, repeatability and consistency.
This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek demonstrates how to structure a week’s worth of practice that yields results.
If you’re interested in any of Averee’s fitness content, click here.
If you’re looking for more instruction, click here.
Here’s how to do it, per NJ Advance Media: “The open casting call will be Tuesday, August 20 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the plaza ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Morristown (3 Speedwell Ave., Morristown). The casting agency is looking for New Jersey locals of all ages and ethnicities.”
If you’re not a “New Jersey local”? Not sure what happens there. But good luck!
Herrington, a Dickson, Tennessee native and incoming freshman for the Vols, converted a hole-in-one in his victory during the Round of 64 against Sohan Patel.
He defeated Patel, 4 and 3, and recorded the first hole-in-one in U.S. Amateur match play since 2018.
Herrington lost the first hole against Patel and never trailed after. He recorded birdies on the seventh and ninth holes to earn a plus-two advantage.
Herrington made his fifth career hole-in-one on the par-three 13th hole. He will next compete against Luis Masaveu in the Round of 32.
