Tag: Major championships

Now that the 2024 men’s major season is over, we ask — are they packed together too tightly?

The Masters has always benefitted from this prolonged sense of anticipation. But the others?

I’m not sure where the time goes but I’ve just racked up my 25th Open Championship. I thought the R&A would’ve commissioned a limited-edition commemorative dish rag to flog in the merchandise tent at Royal Troon. But they didn’t. Maybe for my 50th, eh?

Anyway, if you were to document this glorious longevity in visual form then it would probably look a bit like that old illustration that portrayed the ascent of man. You know, that one that starts with an ape-like figure shuffling around on all fours and slowly morphs into a striding, upright human?

Of course, my evolution at The Open has slithered the other way. The descent of man if you please.

After a quarter-of-a-century spent hunched, slumped and contorted over the laptop, your correspondent now resembles some primitive, grunting, knuckle-dragging ancestor of the bloomin’ gibbon line.

The 152nd Open is done and dusted. In fact, the tin lid has been shoved onto men’s major season for another year. You’ve only got about nine months to wait until it all starts up again at the Masters.

The interminable previews of the Augusta showpiece will probably start tomorrow. Oh look, there’s a panning shot of Amen Corner and some syrupy schmaltz about a few flowers to get you in the mood.

The Masters, of course, has always benefitted from this prolonged sense of anticipation. As for the three other majors? Well, they come at us so quickly these days you half expect to hear a panicked shriek of ‘fore’ before ducking for cover.

Everything is a complete frenzy, isn’t it? Before a ball had been struck in anger at Royal Troon, all and sundry were being implored to enter the ticket ballot for the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush before the deadline at the end of this month. These are breathless times, folks.

The final men’s major of the year arrived amid a riot of sport on the other side of the pond. Thank goodness England’s football team didn’t win the Euros. The Open would’ve been relegated to the news in brief. Golf’s ongoing fight for relevance in this frantic environment goes on.

2024 Masters
Scottie Scheffler speaks during the trophy ceremony after winning the 2024 Masters Tournament. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)

I don’t know about you, but there’s a nagging feeling of unfulfillment as I chisel away at this column. You probably have the same niggle reading the thing.

The rotten summer hasn’t helped. Let’s face it, the last few weeks, by and large, have been as dank as Sawney Bean’s cave. If you were at Troon on a sodden Saturday, you’re probably still nursing a debilitating dose of trench foot.

Sun-soaked TV footage displayed in the media center, meanwhile, of yellow, crisp fairways, sideburns and flares from Opens of yore generated a certain wistfulness.

Weather-wise, certainly in this unfailingly disappointing country, it feels like the golf season hasn’t even started, yet the men’s majors are already consigned to the history books. In a jam-packed schedule, there’s a hectic desire to get them all out of the way as quickly as possible. I’m not really sure who benefits.

You’ve had just 98 days between Scottie Scheffler slipping into the green jacket at the Masters and Xander Schauffele kissing the Claret Jug at The Open on Sunday.

Some folk have probably forgotten what happened at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open such is the crash, bang, wallop nature of the calendar. Before you can say, ‘let’s sit back, reflect on the latest major and savor its majesty’ you’re mired in a gloop of build-up for the next one.

The scheduling of tournaments around the world can be a complex, flustered palaver on par with transferring various items into a different suitcase at an airport check-in when you’ve just been informed that one of the bags exceeds the weight limit.

More: An early look at the 2025 men’s major championship venues

The high and mighty PGA Tour, of course, has to get its FedEx Cup playoff series shoehorned into the prime time before the American football season consumes everything on this side of the pond. The rest of the golfing world has to pander to the demands of Uncle Sam.

The DP World Tour, with a closing swing of decent events coming up after a lengthy break, has desires of its own while golf’s return to the Olympics – the stroke-play event starts in Paris next week – has added another layer of complexity to this scheduling lark. In the years when there’s not a Ryder Cup, there’s a Presidents Cup. Yet more stuff to squeeze in.

To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if The Open got dunted back a few weeks into August. Or we could just cut the whole field to eight players and hold it in October like the very first one at Prestwick in 1860?

The weather would probably be better than flippin’ July. I’m getting carried away there but I’m just not a great fan of this April to July, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it major maelstrom.

The golf writers will always find something to grumble about. It could be worse, I suppose. When Jack Nicklaus won his first PGA Championship in Dallas back in 1963, he achieved it just seven days after finishing third in The Open at Royal Lytham.

There was barely a spare moment to wash undergarments through the mangle for the fraught transatlantic turnaround.

Here in 2024, the men’s majors have passed in a flash. As my 25 Opens prove, time really does fly.

12 golfers have won three legs of the career Grand Slam in men’s pro golf

Only five men have ever claimed a career Grand Slam.

Jordan Spieth has a Masters Green Jacket, a U.S. Open as well as a British Open title on his resume of 13 PGA Tour wins.

But a PGA Championship victory has eluded him so far.

He’s on the list of 12 golfers to have won three of the four legs of the men’s grand slam.

There’s only five golfers that have completed the career slam, and Spieth could be next.

Ahead of the 2024 PGA at Valhalla, he was asked about whether chatter of him needing this one more is a motivation.

“It’s very cool, but I would take any and all and as many majors as possible regardless of where they come,” he said. “It’s just kind of a cool thing if you’re able to hold all four. There’s just not many people in the game that have done that and you have an opportunity to do things that are very unique in the game of golf, that’s what kind of stands out, stands the test of time afterwards, so, yeah, anytime we come to these weeks the idea is to have prep to try to peak for really four times a year, and this is one of them.”

Here’s a look at the list that Spieth is currently a part of.

Max Homa calls out major championship troll the only way he knows how

Homa is the social media gift that keeps on giving.

Max Homa is the social media gift that keeps on giving.

The best follow in golf was back at it on Monday, but not for his classic swing video roasts. Homa, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour who has self-admittedly struggled in the major championships, called out an internet troll from his wife Lacey’s TikTok page for blaming her and his son, Cam, for his major woes.

“That kid and wife are keeping from majors. I’d tell them everyday you’re giving up green jackets for them. Just so they know!” the commenter wrote.

Well, Homa wasn’t having any of that and called out the troll the only way he knew how: with self-deprecating humor.

Classic Max. Just for fun, though, let’s take a look at the stats.

Homa was married in November of 2019 and Lacey gave birth to their son in November of 2022. He made 11 major starts in his pre-child major era and missed the cut seven times. When Homa did make the cut, he finished T-40 (2021 Open), T-48 (2022 Masters), T-13 (2022 PGA) and T-47 (2022 U.S. Open).

In four major starts in 2023 since Cam’s birth, Max has missed just one cut at the U.S. Open and finished T-43 at the Masters, T-55 at the PGA and logged his best major finish with a T-10 at the Open.

Homa will get his next shot at major glory at the 2024 Masters, April 11-14.

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R&A makes key changes to Open Championship exemption categories starting in 2024

The new exemption categories won’t open the door any wider for more LIV Golf players to compete in the Open.

The R&A has made a change to its exemption categories for future Open Championships starting with the 2024 tournament at Royal Troon, but it isn’t to include more LIV Golf players.

On Wednesday the governing body announced that past champions will only be exempt until the age of 55. The current age cap is 60. All golfers currently exempt as past champions will be grandfathered in and still be able to play the Open until 60.

In addition, a new exemption will be offered to players on the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and the Sunshine Tour to qualify through the International Federation Ranking list, where the top five players on the list will earn a spot in the Open. An exemption for the Africa Amateur Champion has also been added.

Solely for the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, July 18-21, Michael Hendry has been granted a medical exemption after he was unable to play in last year’s Open due to serious illness.

LIV players have been clamoring for a special exemption category even before the league withdrew its application for Official World Golf Ranking points. As it stands now, the following 13 players will tee it up at Royal Troon this summer:

Dean Burmester, Bryson DeChambeau. Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Adrian Meronk, Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, David Puig, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Henrik Stenson.

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Pebble Beach another example of how the courses keep getting better for the U.S. Women’s Open

The U.S. Women’s Open is reaching parity with men’s majors when it comes to host courses.

This is a special year as elite women golfers have the chance to experience two great courses for major championships in the United States: Baltusrol’s Lower Course for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Pebble Beach Golf Links for the U.S. Women’s Open. 

That’s back-to-back majors on two major-worthy layouts over the span of three weeks in June and July, with the Women’s Open slated this week.

It wasn’t always this way. Women’s major championships have a checkered history of course selections. 

The U.S. Women’s Open, for example, for decades was played for the most part on a slate of courses that in no way measured up to the layouts on which men’s majors were contested. In most years, with only a sprinkling of exceptions, the greatest women players in the game played less-than-stellar courses – many host sites were solid regional or local tracks, but world-beaters they were not. 

Things began to change in the mid-1980s, as the Women’s Open moved with greater frequency to courses ranked among the top 200 in Golfweek’s Best rankings of either classic (built before 1960) or modern (built in or after 1960) layouts. Women’s Open course selection peaked in 1992 at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, which hosted the event again in 2010.

As measured by average rating, course selection has continued to improve over the past 20 years. Golfweek’s Best utilizes more than 800 raters who evaluate courses according to 10 criteria and then offer an overall rating of 1 to 10. Their votes are averaged to compile various course rankings lists, including the modern and classic lists. In general, any course rated above 6 would be considered by most players to be a nice local or regional course, and in most cases a course rated above 7 would be worth traveling some distance to play. A layout scoring higher than 8 is among the top 60 or so courses in the world, and only seven courses in the world rank above 9 points – Oakmont is among those seven.

The average rating of the host courses for the U.S. Women’s Open has improved in each of the past three decades. For the period of 1993-2002, the average (using the 2022 Golfweek’s Best ratings for data) was 6.924. It improved to 7.100 in 2003-2012, and it climbed a bit more to 7.195 for the 10 Women’s Opens of 2013-2022. Compare that to the average of 6.277 from 1973-1982. 

And course selection only continues to improve. Starting this year with Pebble Beach (using the 2023 Golfweek’s Best ratings for data), the lineup of announced sites for the U.S. Women’s Open scores an average rating of 8.36 among Golfweek’s Best raters. That’s in line with men’s championships and a far cry from the days when the Women’s Open might be played on a course that hardly anyone in the next state over had ever heard of. 

Each of the sites announced to host future Women’s Opens is ranked inside the top 100 Golfweek’s Best modern or classic courses in the U.S. Three of the sites – Oakmont (No. 6 in the 2023 ranking of classic courses), Merion’s East Course (No. 7) and Pebble Beach Golf Links (No. 10) – rank among the top 10 classic courses in the United States. Another four – Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course (No. 14 in the 2023 rankings), Pinehurst No. 2 (No. 17), Riviera (No. 18) and Oakland Hills’ South Course (tied for No. 22) – rank among the top 25. 

It’s been a long wait for course selection for the premium women’s golf event to catch up with that of the men, but things are certainly headed in the right direction. 

Golf Saudi head walks back threat to start his own majors if LIV Golf players aren’t welcomed at the four majors

“The story wrongfully expressed and misrepresented my views.”

The head of Golf Saudi walked back comments he made to a reporter that he would “celebrate” if the four majors restricted LIV Golf players from competing in those tournaments and he would go so far as to “create my own majors for my players.”

If it sounds outlandish to you, you weren’t alone. Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Golf Saudi, comments that ran in a New Yorker story this week were widely panned. The whole story is worth reading but here’s the part pertaining to the majors.

There was speculation that the Masters might ban LIV players. “For now, the majors are siding with the Tour, and I don’t know why,” Sorour said. “If the majors decide not to have our players play? I will celebrate. I will create my own majors for my players.” He went on, “Honestly, I think all the tours are being run by guys who don’t understand business.”

On Thursday evening, Sorour released a statement on social media that neither denied the conversation happened nor that it was off the record.

“I had a casual conversation with a New Yorker reporter at LIV’s Boston event a few weeks ago, during which I expressed my frustration at the unfortunate blackballing of LIV Golf players by the PGA Tour,” his statement said. “When it comes to the majors, tournaments that stand alone and are independent of LIV, I have the utmost respect for the majors. The majors are about history, heritage, true competition and honor.

“The story wrongfully expressed and misrepresented my views. The majors are indeed the best platform where LIV golfers and other tour golfers can compete, despite the PGA Tour’s suspension of our players. As a LIV Golf board member and managing director, I am here to accomplish our LIV Golf investment chairman and the board’s strategic direction by building a team, growing the game and defending player rights. That is my only interest.’’

The upstart league that is at odds with the PGA Tour has long been criticized as a way for the Saudi government to “sportswash” its human rights record. The final of eight LIV Golf events, which are 54 holes with no cuts and guaranteed money for the 48-player fields, is scheduled for next week at Trump Doral in Miami.

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LA Open winner Nasa Hataoka tops list of 10 best players on the LPGA without a major title

Hataoka’s sixth LPGA win puts her in elite company.

Nasa Hataoka’s sixth career victory at the DIO Implant LA Open on Sunday puts her in elite company with Jessica Korda. Together they’re the winningest players on the LPGA without a major title.

Who are the best players without a major? Some on this list, like Hataoka and Korda, have won quite a bit already. Others, like rookie Atthaya Thitikul, make the list based on talent and potential.

Minjee Lee and Jennifer Kupcho are two players who played their way off of last year’s list. Lee won the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, and Kupcho broke through with her first LPGA title at the Chevron Championship earlier this month.

Here’s a list of 10 players (with their Rolex Ranking) who are either primed to win a major or past due:

Rory McIlroy is feasting on chicken sandwiches at the U.S. Open and hungry for another major

Rory McIlroy has put himself in position to chase his fifth major championship title on his first Father’s Day.

SAN DIEGO – Rory McIlroy racked his brain. He was trying to recall the last time he went to sleep in the thick of contention to win one of golf’s four majors.

“It feels like a while since I’ve had a chance,” he said.

Well, it’s been 2,505 days since McIlroy hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy as the winner of the 2014 PGA Championship, not that anyone was counting. That was 24 majors ago.

“I’m trying to think of the last time where I really felt like I had a chance. Carnoustie in ’18 felt like I maybe had half a chance, going into the final day at Pebble in 2019. But apart from that, there’s been some good finishes but never felt like I was in the thick of things,” he said. “I’m just excited for the opportunity to have a chance and be in one of the final groups.”

On the 10th anniversary of his U.S. Open victory at Congressional, his first of four major titles, McIlroy signed for a 4-under 67 at Torrey Pines’ South Course and a 54-hole aggregate of 3-under 210.

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McIlroy was pleased with his tee-to-green game and called his performance in the third round “the best he played all week.” After making a total of 10 bogeys during the first two rounds, McIlroy only made one on Saturday. The difference?

“You have to accept that middle of greens and pars are good, and I got into that mindset today,” he said. “Nothing flashy.”

That’s a formula that never goes out of style at the U.S. Open. McIlroy made a birdie at the second hole and reeled off seven straight pars to close the front nine. He made a short birdie at No. 10 and then holed a flop shot for birdie at No. 12, lifting his 60-degree wedge to the sky in celebration. One hole later, he smoked a fairway wood from 270 yards that caromed off the flagstick at the par 5 and made a two-putt birdie.

“It took a nick out of the flag,” McIlroy said. “(Caddie) Harry (Diamond) called it the best shot I hit all year.”

His lone hiccup happened at 15 when he pulled his tee dead left into the barranca, near a rattlesnake, and took a penalty stroke for an unplayable. He did yeoman’s work to salvage a bogey.

“This is the only tournament in the world where you fist pump a bogey. Only losing one there was a big deal, and getting it up-and-down out of the bunker on 16 and making that birdie on 18 just to get that shot back that I lost, really big.”

McIlroy twirled his club as his second shot to the par-5 18th settled on the dance floor, and a two-putt birdie closed out a sterling 67. McIlroy said he felt a pair of 68s on the weekend would serve him well.

U.S. Open - Round Three
Rory McIlroy reacts with caddie Harry Diamond after putting out on the 17th hole during the third round of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

“I’ve done the first part of that job. Now it’s up to me tomorrow to go out and try to play a similar round of golf,” he said.

To do so, McIlroy will have to go toe-to-toe with defending U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and chase down 54-hole leader Russell Henley and another upstart Mackenzie Hughes of Canada.

It’s been 24 majors since McIlroy’s come out on top at a major, but he’s the most experienced of the contenders in these situations. He’s proven before that he has the mental fortitude required to be a U.S. Open champion.

“It’s the most demanding golf tournament in the world, mentally, and you have to keep your wits about yourself and really stay present and stay in the moment,” McIlroy said. “Even when I was going well today I had to remind myself of that. Twenty-eleven felt like a walk in the park compared to this. You know, if I want to get another U.S. Open trophy, I’m going to have to fight for it a little more than I did 10 years ago.”

First, he was going to enjoy some family time on the eve of his first Father’s Day as a father. McIlroy and wife Erica and daughter Poppy are staying at the Torrey Pines Lodge overlooking the 18th green, where he has feasted on the same chicken sandwich five nights in a row from room service.

“So, I’ll probably make it six nights in a row,” he said. “It’s rotisserie chicken, avocado, sun dried tomatoes, some garlic aioli and some ‘holey’ bread. It’s really good.”

That’s not all that McIlroy is hungry for; he’s hungry for another major too, and he just might get the best Father’s Day present of all, major championship No. 5, on Sunday.

“Mother’s Day was pretty good to us a few weeks ago,” said McIlroy, referencing his victory last month at the Wells Fargo Championship. “So, hopefully we can have the same result on Father’s Day.”

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