Tag: Justin Thomas

Schupak: Have Presidents Cup captains gone mad? ‘You don’t leave JT (or Nick Taylor) at home’

Certainly, Tiger would have told Furyk, in his own special way, “You’re taking JT, right?”

Zach Johnson’s captaincy of the 2023 U.S Ryder Cup may have ended in colossal disappointment – a lopsided defeat at the hands of Team Europe – but it gave birth to one unforgettable line: “You don’t leave JT at home.”

That was Johnson’s response to his decision to make Justin Thomas, who was mired in a slump and didn’t even qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs last year, a captain’s pick for his 12-man team that represented the U.S. at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome.

Jim Furyk, who is back for a second tour of duty as U.S. Presidents Cup captain after losing in that role in 2018 in France at the Ryder Cup, must have missed the memo because he decided to go with Brian Harman, Max Homa, Russell Henley, Tony Finau, Sam Burns and Keegan Bradley.

It led Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan to frame his question to Furyk during a press conference on Tuesday perfectly: “A year ago everybody was asking Zach Johnson how could you possibly have taken Justin Thomas. Now I’m asking you how can you possibly have left Justin Thomas off the team?” he said.

Thomas still hasn’t returned to the winner’s circle but he managed to record five top-10 finishes this season and shot the seventh-best gross score at the Tour Championship last weekend, a tournament that Homa didn’t even qualify for. The fact that Thomas was 19th in points is irrelevant other than he failed to qualify automatically for the top 6 and put himself in a position where he needed a pick. (The whole reason for allowing picks is so the captain doesn’t have to take Nos. 7-12 in points based on two years of performance in stroke play for a match-play competition and yet Furyk selected Nos. 7-12.)

In Furyk’s defense, Thomas is far from playing like the two-time major winner and former world No. 1 and maybe the analytics that are treated like state secrets screamed that Homa or Henley were the better puzzle pieces — in Furyk’s parlance — but Thomas’s game still matches up against the best and its trending in the right direction of late. Plus, he’s got the “It factor” in match-play events.

More: Meet the six Team USA 2024 Presidents Cup captain’s picks

Furyk’s reply to Ryan’s question was largely a non-answer so let’s move on but he did give a better explanation on Golf Channel for his decision, saying of JT, “He’s a great team room guy, He’s going to play on a ton of these teams in the future as well, and one day be a captain and a great one. Tough omission, but I had to take the 12 guys I saw fit.”

I tried really hard to make sense of why Furyk passed on JT, a player with a 17-7-4 lifetime record between the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, not to mention a team leader who can be the spark in the locker room. Furyk put him out first in singles in 2018 when he was captain and JT delivered by downing Rory McIlroy. And yet he didn’t want that guy on his team.

2022 Presidents Cup
Team USA golfer Max Homa (left), golfer Collin Morikawa (center), and golfer Justin Thomas (right) talk on the eighth tee during the four-ball match play of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

When it was my turn, I asked Furyk an array of questions hoping to bring some clarity but he downplayed any of the possible plausible explanations I could fathom. Furyk’s mistake in making captain’s picks in 2018 was picking players that weren’t a good fit for Le Golf National, with its thick rough that demanded precision over power off the tee. Did he learn from his mistake by passing on JT because he wasn’t a good fit for Royal Montreal? No.

“I see him as a little bit of a chameleon. I think he’s a smart player. I think he can change. If the golf course had asked for us to hit the ball straight and get it in the fairway and get it in play, he can do that. If it asks you to bomb away and power is more important, I think he does it,” Furyk said. “It has a bearing and a weight on it. I think present form has a bearing and a weight. I think your history has a weight. I think there’s a lot of things that go into it.”

Did he pass on JT because his BFF and partner for life, Jordan Spieth, had failed to make the team and had undergone surgery to repair a wrist injury last week? They have become a bit of a package deal, although their form at the 2023 Ryder Cup should have future captains reconsidering if they are going to be a modern-day Seve-Ollie for the U.S. side.

“No, zero. Zero. I think JT has the opportunity to pair with a lot of different guys and also be a leader, if that makes sense. Take the young guy under his arm,” Furyk said shooting down this latest attempt to make sense of it. “We don’t happen to have that many rookies on this team, when you look at it. I think Sahith and Russell are two guys that haven’t played either on a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup team. We have a lot of veteran status, but JT — I realize I didn’t pick him, but I’m not going to say anything but great things about the guy because I love him to death.”

In an interview with Furyk a week earlier, he eluded to the fact that Tiger Woods would have some sort of behind-the-scenes role without really specifying what that would be. Had he discussed the captain’s picks with Tiger, who loves to obsess over this stuff?

“No, I did not,” Furyk said. “Tiger and I have been friendly over the years, but I didn’t give him a call to talk about the picks at all. I think the last time that he was — correct me if I’m wrong. I think Australia is probably the last time he sat in as one of the captains, I believe. I’m sure Davis leaned on him a little bit for Charlotte, but from afar.”

Certainly, Tiger would have told Furyk, in his own special way, “You’re taking JT, right?”

Even Johnson knew it: “You don’t leave JT at home.”

But at least Furyk didn’t snub the only Canadian to win the Canadian Open in nearly 60 years like Mike Weir did. What in the name of hockey was Weirsy doing in leaving Nick Taylor off his team, eh? The fun part is we get to see it all play out in just over three weeks in Montreal and then we’ll know if there was any method to these captains’ madness.

The Match: Looking back at all nine made-for-TV golf matches

Which version of The Match was your favorite?

It’s been nearly six years since the first edition of The Match, the made-for-TV series of silly season golf events featuring everyone from PGA Tour legends to current NFL and NBA all-stars.

In that time, golf fans have been treated to seven different matches, most recently the first to be played using a mixed-team format.

Even though the first edition of The Match – Woods vs. Phil Mickelson in November 2018 in Las Vegas – didn’t quite live up to the hype, it proved there was a market for the competition. Over the years the matches have grown into charitable causes benefitting COVID-19 relief and HBCU’s while still providing golf fans a unique product outside of 72-hole stroke-play tournaments.

Justin Thomas drops all-time response to Presidents Cup snub: He’s becoming a dad in late November

Thomas and wife, Jillian, who married in 2022, are expecting their first child at the end of November.

Justin Thomas was on the wrong end of a call for a captain’s pick this time but if there ever was a year for him not to represent the Stars & Stripes in international team competition, this may be it.

Thomas wasn’t among U.S. team captain Jim Furyk’s six picks announced on Monday to round out the U.S. side for the Presidents Cup later this month in Montreal against the International Team. It marks the first time since 2016 that Thomas won’t represent the U.S. team at either the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. Despite having a 17-7-4 lifetime record in team competition, the best mark of his generation, Furyk opted for Max Homa, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Sam Burns, Tony Finau and Keegan Bradley. A year ago, Thomas was selected for the U.S. side by Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, who passed on Bradley. This time, their roles were reversed. The sentiment a year ago questioning “How is Thomas being chosen?” have shifted to “How is he not a pick?”

“I’m obviously bummed to not be joining the boys in Canada for the Presidents Cup, but completely understanding,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday evening. “Jim has put together a great team. I will be the first one pulling for them and watching, while using it as motivation to not miss a team event again as they are some of my favorite weeks I’ve had.”

Classy. Then Thomas had the ultimate clapback for his haters. Thomas slipped in the fact that he and wife Jillian, who married in 2022, are expecting their first child at the end of November. His Instagram post continued: “It’ll be nice to have some time to work on things, foundation event, some R&R, and even becoming a dad at the end of November.”

Rest up, JT, you’re going to need it for the best job in the world and to be ready for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, which starts on Sept. 26, 2025, or in 387 days.

PGA Tour A/PGA Tour B: An in-depth look at the regular events the top 30 played in 2024 and what it means

“I felt like it forced me to put all my eggs in the signature and major basket this year.”

ATLANTA, Ga. — There’s a PGA Tour A and a PGA Tour B schedule these days and it is evident in looking at where the pros who qualified for the Tour Championship by finishing in the top 30 on the FedEx Cup season-long standings teed it up this season.

There’s always been certain tournaments that attracted the best fields – that’s nothing new – but it has never been more pronounced than it is in the era of the signature events, which feature eight limited-field events with jacked up purses and inflated FedEx Cup points and often no cuts. Former longtime Wells Fargo Championship tournament director Kym Hougham once compared how players fill their schedule to college.

“You have your requirements and your electives. For years, there used to be four requirements – the majors – and the rest of the events were electives. You had four that were a given and then had 14 others to choose from.”

Now there’s eight signature events, the Players and three playoff events. That makes 16 requirements.

“The electives are vying for four or five spots,” Hougham said.

Some are electing to play even fewer than that. Viktor Hovland only played one non-major or signature event this season, the Genesis Scottish Open, which counts as a DP World Tour event for his Ryder Cup qualification. Asked if he may play more regular events next season, Hovland explained that this season he didn’t feel confident in his game and preferred to practice at home.

“I might,” Hovland said. “There are plenty of other tournaments I like to play. If I feel like my game is in a good spot I might just keep playing and add some non-Signature events. I’d love to do that, it just didn’t work out that way this year.”

2024 BMW Championship
Viktor Hovland hits his tee shot on the eighth hole during the final round of the 2024 BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club. (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

Rory McIlroy, who said he expects to finish with 27 worldwide starts by the end of the year, said he’ll play fewer events next season.

“I’m going to try to cut it back to like 18 or 20 a year going forward, I think,” he said on Sunday after his round at the Tour Championship.

There are myriad reasons why players skipped tournaments, ranging from births to deaths to just being plain tired. Some players added starts to enhance their chances of making the Olympics, qualifying for a major, making the Aon Swing 5 to get into a signature event or helping their FedEx Cup chances. Sometimes a player has a sponsorship commitment. Some honored a commitment as defending champion. Others like Tom Hoge just like to play a lot of golf.

“Early in the year I played the entire West Coast chasing the top 50 so I could get in the Masters,” said Hoge, who played 11. “If I take a few weeks off, it usually takes me a week or two to get back in the groove so I like to play ahead of big events.”

But others found that the cadence of the schedule limited the number of times they played outside of the biggest tournaments. Justin Thomas, who wasn’t in the top 50 but ended up playing his way in or getting a sponsor exemption into all of the signature events, didn’t play a single tournament outside the majors and signature events after March.

“The way the schedule worked out we had signature event, major, signature event,” said Russell Henley, who played only three regular events. (He would’ve played the Wyndham Championship, where he has a great track record, but was dealing with the passing of his father.) “Just the way it was set up, I felt like it forced me to put all my eggs in the signature and major basket this year.”

The players who competed in the most regular events typically weren’t in the signature events to start the season. Billy Horschel needed to play 13 regular tournaments, including an opposite-field event (which he won), to make his way back to East Lake. Horschel said he would still play many of the regular events next season even though he’s in the signature events.

“It’s hard to get to Atlanta,” Horschel said. “With my record at events like the Wyndham Championship, I’d be crazy not to go there. Guys are going to realize that they need points and there are other places to get them.”

Matthieu Pavon and Robert MacIntyre both earned cards for finishing in the DP World top 10. Pavon played three regular events right out of the gate but after winning the Farmers Insurance Open in late January in his third start, he played just two more the rest of the season as he gained admission to the signature events. In contrast, MacIntyre didn’t notch his first win until June at the RBC Canadian Open (and then skipped his first signature event at the Travelers Championship to fly home to Scotland).

2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship
Robert MacIntyre tees off on the first hole during the third round of the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis. (Chris Day/The Memphis Commercial Appeal)

Before that, he even played two opposite-field events. In all, he played 17 regular events, the second most of any player to make the FedEx Cup finale, behind only Aaron Rai, who didn’t win until the regular-season finale at the Wyndham Championship and missed all the signature events.

“I think it will be pretty different,” said Rai, who also is in all the majors next season as well as the signature events. “You can’t really miss the signature events.”

He guessed he’d likely play 18 tournaments before the playoffs next season, which would mean dropping from 18 regular events down to six.

It’s difficult to make definitive statements based on one year of data of having signature events but it sure looks like the top players are taking fewer electives than ever, which makes it a tough time to be a regular tournament.

How many non-signature events and majors the top 30 played in 2024

Player Non-major, non-signature event starts Total number of 2024 starts
Scottie Scheffler (4) AmEx, WM Phoenix, Houston, Schwab 19 plus Olympics
Xander Schauffele (4) AmEx, Farmers, Valspar, Zurich 20 plus Olympics
Hideki Matsuyama (5) Sony, Farmers, WM Phoenix, Valero, Scottish 19 plus Olympics
Keegan Bradley (6) Sony, Farmers, Valspar, Schwab, 3M, Wyndham 22
Ludvig Aberg (4) Sony, Farmers, Valero, Scottish 19 plus Olympics
Rory McIlroy (5) Cognizant, Valero, Zurich, Canadian, Scottish 19 plus Olympics
Collin Morikawa (5) Farmers, Valero, Zurich, Schwab, Scottish 21 plus Olympics
Wyndham Clark (4) AmEx, WM Phoenix, Houston, Scottish 20 plus Olympics
Sam Burns (4) AmEx, WM Phoenix, Valspar, Canadian, 3M 21
Patrick Cantlay (3) AmEx, Farmers, Zurich 19
Sungjae Im (8) AmEx, Farmers, WM Phoenix, Cognizant, Schwab, John Deere, Scottish, Wyndham 25
Sahith Theegala (8) Sony, Farmers, WM Phoenix, Houston, Zurich, Canadian, Scottish, 3M 24
Shane Lowry (7) AmEx, Farmers, WM Phoenix, Cognizant, Zurich, Canadian, Wyndham 20 plus Olympics
Adam Scott (6) WM Phoenix, Valero, CJ Cup, Schwab, Canadian, Scottish 19
Tony Finau (7) AmEx, Farmers, Mexico, Valspar, Houston, Schwab, 3M 22
Ben An (6) Sony, WM Phoenix, Cognizant, Valero, CJ Cup, Scottish 22 plus Olympics
Viktor Hovland (1) Scottish 16 plus Olympics
Russell Henley (3) Sony, Cognizant, Valero 19
Akshay Bhatia (13) Sony, AmEx, Farmers, WM Phoenix, Cognizant, Valspar, Houston, Valero, Schwab, Canadian, Rocket, 3M, Wyndham 26
Robert MacIntyre (17) Sony, AmEx, Farmers, WM Phoenix, Mexico, Cognizant, Puerto Rico, Valspar, Houston, Zurich, CJ Cup, Myrtle Beach, Schwab, Canadian, Rocket, Scottish, Wyndham 25
Billy Horschel (13) Sony, AmEx, Farmers, Phoenix, Cognizant, Valspar, Houston, Valero, Puntacana, Zurich, Schwab, Scottish, Wyndham 23
Tommy Fleetwood (3) Valero, Canadian, Scottish 19 plus Olympics
Sepp Straka (7) Farmers, Cognizant, Valspar, Zurich, Schwab, John Deere, Scottish 23
Matthieu Pavon (5) Sony, AmEx, Farmers, Cognizant, Scottish 19
Taylor Pendrith (15) Sony, AmEx, Farmers, Mexico, Cognizant, Valspar, Houston, Valero, Puntacana, Zurich, CJ Cup, Canadian, Rocket, Barracuda, 3M 24
Chris Kirk (5) Sony, AmEx, Cognizant, Schwab, Rocket 21
Tom Hoge (11) Sony, AmEx, Farmers, Phoenix, Cognizant, Houston, Zurich, CJ Cup, Schwab, Scottish, 3M 26
Aaron Rai (18) Sony, AmEx, Farmers, WM Phoenix, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Valspar, Houston, Valero, Corales Puntacana, Zurich, CJ Cup, Schwab, Canadian, Rocket, John Deere, Scottish, Wyndham 25
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (8) AmEx, Farmers, WM Phoenix, Cognizant, Valspar, Valero, Schwab, Wyndham 23 plus Olympics
Justin Thomas (3) AmEx, WM Phoenix, Valspar 19

 

Is the Tour Championship a Presidents Cup audition for Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley?

Thomas: “I obviously really, really want to be on that team.”

One was the “bubble boy” for the BMW Championship. Another is in the same spot at this week’s 2024 Tour Championship.

This week at East Lake Golf Club, Keegan Bradley – 50th a week ago – and Justin Thomas – 30th this week – as well as Chris Kirk are hoping to show 2024 Presidents Cup captain Jim Furyk they deserve a spot on the U.S. team that’s preparing to battle the International squad in September.

The first six players for the U.S. were announced Sunday night as the automatic qualifiers. The other six will be captain’s picks for the biennial competition Sept. 26-29 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Bradley made a jump of eight spots to No. 10 in the Presidents Cup standings after winning the 2024 BMW Championship last Sunday, doing so after arriving at Castle Pines Golf Club in the last position in the FedEx Cup standings.

The 2025 Ryder Cup captain said he’s been having conversations with Furyk about the Presidents Cup roster.

More: Keegan Bradley’s whirlwind summer is only ramping up — as are the Ryder Cup questions

“I’ve spoken to him a little bit. We’re going to chat a little more as the week goes on,” he said Wednesday. “I want to do what’s best for the team. I truly, truly mean that. If what’s best for the team is for me to play, then I want to play. If what’s best is for me to be the vice captain and there’s better pairings, then I’m happy to do that.”

Tour Championship: Thursday tee times | Picks to win | Staggered start

Justin Thomas was the last guy in the field this week. When he finished his round last Sunday in Colorado, he sounded like a golfer who figured he wouldn’t make the cut for East Lake but by the time he got home to Jupiter, Florida, he realized he had a spot in Atlanta.

Now he’s playing the wait-and-see game again. Does he feel like this is an audition week?

“I guess I would answer that, I don’t feel like I am for me, but if I was him, I would say I am, if that makes sense,” he said. “With how many people have an opportunity, I think it would be. … he’s definitely looking at guys that are potential picks and how they’re playing.”

“I’m definitely more at ease now than I was last year about getting picked, and it’s not from a lack of wanting to be on the team or feel like it’s not as important,” he continued. “Just my priorities are in a better place, that if I play the golf that I know I should it’ll take care of itself.

“I obviously really, really want to be on that team.”

Thomas dropped three spots to 19th after the BMW. Chris Kirk, who tied for ninth at the BMW, held steady in the 13th spot.

“I’d say it’s somewhat in the back of my mind,” Kirk said Wednesday. “That’s something that I would absolutely love to be a part of. I’m not going to lie to you about that. But I think that it’s pretty easy for me to just realize that that kind of stuff is so uncontrollable. All I can really do is just go and compete to the best of my ability and just see what happens. But yeah, I’m excited just to be here and have the opportunity.”

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala are the automatic qualifiers. The next six in the standings as of Aug. 28, 2024:

7. Sam Burns

8. Tony Finau

9. Russell Henley

10. Keegan Bradley

11. Brian Harman

12. Max Homa

Furyk will announce his six captain’s picks Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Justin Thomas shoots 68 at 2024 British Open, or 14 strokes better than his start a year ago

“I have yet to play a links course that I dislike or I think is bad,” Thomas said.

TROON, Scotland – A year ago, Justin Thomas made a career-worst score of nine on his final hole of his opening round of the British Open at Royal Liverpool en route to another disappointing missed cut in a major. He looked lost in his game. One year later, Thomas posted 3-under 68 at Royal Troon on Thursday to sit alone in third, three strokes behind leader Daniel Brown at the 152nd Open. Asked to describe the difference in his game from a year ago, he said, “I would guess about 15 strokes better, 13 strokes? What did I shoot?”

He shot 82 a year ago so Thomas should’ve split the difference because the answer is 14 strokes.

“I couldn’t even tell you what I was thinking or how it was then,” Thomas said. “I’m just worried about how I am now, and I’m very pleased with my game and know things are continuing to work in the right direction. I’ve just got to keep trying to play well.”

Thomas, a 15-time winner on the PGA Tour and two-time major winner, has slipped to No. 29 in the world. He ranks 17th in the FedEx Cup with five top-10 finishes this season, so in comparison to last year, his game has shown signs of regaining the form that made him a world No. 1.

BRITISH OPEN: Leaderboard | Photos | How to watch

But he remains winless since the 2022 PGA Championship, and the majors mostly have been a disaster this season. He finished T-8 at the PGA Championship in his native Kentucky but missed the cut at both the Masters and U.S. Open, continuing a distressing trend. He’s missed more than half of his last nine starts in majors.

On a rainy, battleship-gray day in the first round, Thomas carded seven birdies, including the final two holes, despite tricky wind conditions that flipped in the opposite direction than the pros had faced in practice rounds or even back in 2016, the last time this championship was contested here.

“That was wild,” said Thomas, who still managed to birdie two of the first four holes. “ I remember trying to drive 1 and 3 in 2016, and I hit 7-iron into 1 today, and I hit a 3-wood up there on 3 to have a wedge in. But it just was very, very different. But it just was all very typical of an Open, just trying to make the best out of the conditions.”

Thomas, who made his Open Championship debut at Troon in 2016 and began with a 67 that year to sit T-4 through 18 holes before falling to T-53, has struggled at this major more than any other, with nary a top-10 and a T-11 in 2019 as his best showing in seven previous appearances. Yet, Thomas declared himself a fan of links golf.

“I have yet to play a links course that I dislike or I think is bad,” Thomas said. “If I had to choose one style of golf or probably even one golf course the rest of my life to play, it would be a links course.”

At the Genesis Scottish Open a week ago, Thomas raced out of the gate with a flurry of birdies to shoot 62 and assume the first-round lead. Despite taking six more shots this week, Thomas ranked his play as better at Troon.

“I felt like I had great control off the tee,” he said, “just in the sense of, I would say, the quality of play.”

Last week, Thomas tumbled down the leaderboard and finished T-62, saying he didn’t get anything out of his rounds.

“It wasn’t bad enough to shoot over par both days,” he said.

Will this week be any different? Can Thomas piece together more than one good round in a row – preferably four of them – and be a serious contender at the 152nd Open? To hear Thomas tell it, his game is trending in the right direction and as the pros like to say, he said he feels close.

“I’m just doing, I would say, everything better,” he said.

On Thursday, he was 14 strokes better than a year ago and that alone is reason for optimism.

Justin Thomas switches to prototype Scotty Cameron putter at Scottish Open

The 31-year-old has been one of the worst putters on the PGA Tour this season.

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Saying that Justin Thomas has struggled on the greens this season is like saying the wind golfers typically contend with on Scotland’s famous links courses is nothing but a refreshing summer breeze. Statistically, the 31-year-old has been one of the worst putters on the PGA Tour this season, ranking 157th out of 175 players in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Knowing that, maybe it should not be a surprise that the two-time PGA Championship winner has made a putter change this week at the Genesis Scottish Open.

Thomas had been using a custom-made Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 for several seasons, and he used that putter to win both of his major championships, but this week at the Renaissance Club, he added a prototype Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.2 putter to his bag.

The mallet-style putter is nearly identical to the prototype mallet putter that Scotty Cameron made for Jordan Spieth and that Spieth tinkered with at the Travelers Championship. And that’s no accident.

“Paul Vizanko of Scotty Cameron had made one for Jordan, just for him to have and to mess with and to see how he liked it,” Thomas said on Thursday. “I happened to be staying with Jordan a couple of times over that stretch when he got it, and I picked it up and thought it looked amazing. I thought it felt great, and talking with Paul about it, there were a lot of characteristics in the way the putter was built that helped a pretty good amount of my bad tendencies, I would say, that are in my stroke. It’s just able to help that, so I asked them to make me up one and send me one.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9QCrmDPrvo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Phantom 9.2 has a plumber’s neck hosel that has been hand-welded to the head, and is fitted with the same SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour grip that Thomas had on his previous putter. What is new, however, is Thomas’ putter (like Spieth’s prototype) is fitted with a graphite shaft made by UST Mamiya labeled ‘Scotty Cameron Xperimental Prototype.’

Before this week at the Scottish Open, where Thomas shot an opening-round 62 before carding a 72 on Friday, Thomas had never used a graphite-shafted putter in competition. Scotty Cameron has also never sold a graphite-shafted putter at retail.

Thomas’s putter has a short black alignment line extending back from the topline. It does not extend all the way to the back of the putter, but instead stops after about an inch. There are weights in the heel and toe area of the sole so Vizanko and others at Scotty Cameron can adjust the swing weight for Thomas. The Phantom 9.2’s overall shape is very similar to Phantom 9.5 that is currently in pro shops, but there are no milling marks on the top of Thomas’s putter

Alabama golf shares updates, previews brand new facility

Alabama Golf’s new facilities are BEAUTIFUL.

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s golf social media accounts recently shared videos that show the new facilities, and the progress that’s been made on the grounds and new buildings.

The video shows the luxurious indoor amenities the team will have access to, as well as the newly-designed practice course that will help the team prepare for tournaments.

Alabama golf has two national team titles on the men’s side and one for the women. The Crimson Tide’s presence on the national golf scene continues to grow, and the updates to the facilities will surely help with preparation and recruiting.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama golf and athletics.

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Golf equipment used by contenders at the 2024 PGA Championship

Close-up and in-hand images of golf equipment being used by players who are on the first page of the leaderboard at the 2024 PGA Championship.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The rain subsided and the sun eventually came out at Valhalla Golf Club, and as players went through their warmup routines and prepared to take on the course on Saturday and Sunday, Golfweek’s resident gearhead, senior writer David Dusek, was there. Along with his camera, David spent plenty of time in the practice area, observing what each player had in his bag.

The gallery of images below was created throughout the weekend and includes close-up shots of most of the golfers who were in contention to win the Wannamaker trophy and clinch the second major championship of the 2024 season, including the eventual winner, Xander Schauffele.

PGA: Tournament hub | Photos

Photos: Justin Thomas’ transformation from amateur star to major champion

Justin Thomas has seen it all in his journey through golf.

Justin Thomas has seen it all in his journey through golf.

The Kentucky native’s rise to PGA Tour stardom began in August 2009 when he became the third-youngest player to make a cut on Tour at the Wyndham Championship at 16 years, 3 months and 24 days. He went on to play collegiately at Alabama, where he won six times and was a key member of the Crimson Tide’s 2013 national championship-winning team.

Thomas was named PGA Tour Player of the Year in 2017 and claimed theFedEx Cup title thanks to five wins, including his first major victory at the PGA Championship. He won it again in 2022.

Here’s a look at JT through the years: