Sunday, June 5, 2022

Aussie Rules: Minjee Lee Rolls to U.S. Women's Open Title at Pine Needles

When Minjee Lee first announced her presence at a USGA championship a decade ago by winning the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, she was asked by Golf Channel reporter Steve Burkowski if more USGA titles were in the offing.

Her two-word answer: “I’m coming.”

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Cobra LTDx Irons Review - Making You Fall in Love with Game Improvement Irons Again

Cobra Golf isn't just making a splash in the game-improvement irons category in 2022.  They're going all out cannonball with their new KING LTDx irons.  Feel, sound, distance, and forgiveness have all been re-engineered giving golfers everything Cobra can possibly give you.

I've taken my New Cobra LTDx irons out handful of time now.  Some tough courses including Pinehurst No. 2, NCR Country Club, and my hometown Manakiki.  And I can say conclusively LTDx are one of the longest, massively forgiving, straightest irons out today.  Hands down.

Minjee Lee Charges into 54-Hole Lead at 77th U.S. Women's Open

When she successfully defended her U.S. Women’s Open title in 2001 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, Karrie Webb ran away from a stellar field to produce an eight-stroke victory.

Now a fellow Australian with close ties to the World Golf Hall of Famer is threatening to do the same thing on the same Donald Ross layout in the 77th U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica.

122nd U.S. Open Championship - Final Qualifying Storylines for Golf's Longest Day

U.S. Open Final Qualifying on Monday, June 6, will be held at nine sites (eight in the U.S., one in Canada).

Final qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, will be held at the sites listed. The 2022 U.S. Open Championship will be contested from June 16-19 on the Open Course at The Country Club, in Brookline, Mass.

Friday, June 3, 2022

Ten Stats to Know from Round Two of the 2022 U.S. Women's Open

The storylines entering this week’s 77th U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica were seemingly endless. Through two days, the championship has not disappointed.

Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club has yielded lower scores than anticipated, some of the record-setting variety. One surprise performer remains on top of the leader board, with one of the game’s most acclaimed ball-strikers joining her through 36 holes. Meanwhile, the top-ranked player in the world is lurking, a mere three shots off the pace as we head to the weekend.

Minjee Lee and Mina Harigae Share 36-Hole Lead at 77th U.S. Women's Open

Mother Nature gave the field in the 77th U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica a bit of a breather for Round 2 on Friday at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club. Stifling heat was replaced by comfortable temperatures in the 80s and an overnight shower softened the course just a touch.

Give the world’s best players more benign conditions and watch the leader board turn into a sea of red numbers. A total of 26 players are under par through 36 holes, which is 12 more than the combined number of players in red figures through 36 holes of the previous three U.S. Women’s Opens at Pine Needles.

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Ten Stats to Know from Opening Round of 2022 U.S. Women's Open

An exciting Round 1 of the U.S. Women's Open on Thursday at Pine Needles saw an amateur rewrite the record book in the morning, only to be topped by a tour veteran in the afternoon wave.

Here are 10 Stats to Know from Day 1 of the U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica.

Mina Harigae 64 Leads the Way after 18 Holes at Pine Needles in 77th U.S. Women's Open

Fifteen years ago, as a 17-year-old amateur, Mina Harigae made her debut in the U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club. While the week ended with a disappointing final-round 80, Harigae would use that experience to help her win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links title a few weeks later and play on a victorious USA Curtis Cup Team the following year.

Now 32 and a longtime veteran of the LPGA Tour, Harigae is back in the North Carolina Sandhills as one of nine players in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open field to have competed in that 2007 championship.

Royal Albatross Introduces New Mens Styles for 2022

Royal Albartross—the British premium golf and lifestyle brand of shoes and accessories—has introduced four new men’s shoe styles to its 2022 offerings, perfectly timed for Father’s Day gift giving and the heart of the golf season. These latest styles combine artisan craftmanship with sneaker styling to create entirely original looks.

“The versatility of golf shoes is more important than ever, as life with a round between working-from-home becomes our daily escape,” said Alex Bartholomew, Royal Albartross’ Founder and Creative Director. “One thing is certain, it’s now fair game to wear these styles with just about anything. The 2022 line reaffirms our stance to create golf shoe designs that look and feel appropriate from the course and beyond.”

LIV Golf Announces $100 MILLION Commitment to New Global Corporate Responsibility Platform

 LIV Golf today announced the introduction of LIV to Give, the organization’s new global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platform designed to support social and environmental efforts globally and in each of the series host communities. LIV Golf has pledged $100 million to support a broad range of initiatives targeting education, environmental sustainability, golf development programs, and the well-being of communities in the short and long term.

LIV to Give is embedded in the organization’s commitment to grow the game across the world and serve as a catalyst to inspire positive global change. As part of this effort, LIV Golf will work closely with the public and private sectors, host cities, as well as international and local organizations to assist in directing contributions to organizations of need for the greatest local impact.

Bridgestone Golf Introduces Patriotic Liberty Collection

Bridgestone Golf, the #1 Ball-Fitter in Golf, today introduced the Liberty Collection line of USA – themed accessories. Consisting of a MICROFIBER TOWEL, 30oz TUMBLER, two STAND BAGS, PREMIUM HEADCOVERS, BUCKET HATS, e12 CONTACT golf balls, and LIMITED- EDITION USA CAPS, all products in the Liberty Collection feature red, white, and blue colors for a patriotic feel.

“We are proud of our brand presence in the US market and felt inspired to come out with some patriotic products,” said Elliot Mellow, Marketing Manager at Bridgestone Golf. “The new Liberty Collection is a line of premium golf balls and premium quality accessories that provide patriotic color schemes and designs. The collection should appeal to a wide variety of players looking for understated, USA -themed items they can enjoy throughout the year.”

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

SIK by LA Golf FLO M Mallet Putter Review - A Little Hercules on the Greens

SIK by LA Golf has expanded their FLO family of putters with a new FLO M mallet.  They could have easily called this new putter Little Hercules.

I've had the new FLO M in play already at NCR Country Club and Pinehurst No. 2, a couple of courses with pretty difficult greens.  And what's truly amazing about this putter is how it combines a very lightweight, small profile with the kind of substantial stability and forgiveness you normally only see with larger, heavier mallet putters.

PUMA Golf Introduces IGNITE Articulate - Delivering the Ultimate in Flexibility, Comfort, and Control

PUMA Golf introduces its new IGNITE ARTICULATE golf shoe, taking cleated innovation to the next level thanks to an all-new design that features an articulating outsole, midsole and upper that flexes with your foot, delivering the highest level of support.

Built to meet the rigorous performance demands, quality requirements and aesthetic preferences of the world’s best golfers, the IGNITE ARTICULATE combines PUMA’s Tour-validated technologies in a lightweight, extremely comfortable package with a modern athletic silhouette that can handle any swing, from any lie, in any season.

Give Dad an Unforgettable Experience with a Club Champion Gift Card

Club Champion has you covered for Father’s Day this year — now through June 19, Club Champion gift card purchases earn a 15% bonus on denominations up to $1,000.

Considered the premier custom club fitter worldwide, Club Champion offers Tour-quality club fittings and custom-built clubs for every level of golfer. Each state-of-the-art fitting studio houses over 50,000 hittable head and shaft combinations from over 60 golf manufacturers, alongside the best technology and talent the industry has to offer. Dad won’t have to wait to test the suggested clubs; he’ll get to hit the exact club that will be custom built for him.

Arccos Golf Introduces Limited Edition Smoke Smart Sensors

Arccos Golf - the pioneer of big data and Artificial Intelligence for golf - is introducing a new limited-edition ‘Smoke’ finish version on its game-changing Smart Sensors to offer golfers the most accurate shot tracking in the game in a modern look.

Having recently launched its latest generation Smart Sensors (Gen3+) and Link (Gen2) wearable, Arccos is set to provide golfers with a rare opportunity to track on-course data with its new Smoke Smart Sensors using an exclusive variation of the product in a dark grey and black design. This sees the distinctive Arccos green replaced with a stealthy colorway for the very first time.

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Oklahoma Senior Chris Gotterup Wins 2022 Fred Haskins Award Presented by Stifel

Oklahoma senior Chris Gotterup was announced today as the winner of the prestigious 2022 Fred Haskins Award presented by Stifel, recognizing the most outstanding male NCAA Division I college golfer for the 2021-22 season. The announcement was made today by Brian Stubbs, executive director of the Fred Haskins Foundation, and Ron Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO of Stifel.

Gotterup, a fifth-year senior who is the top-ranked NCAA DI men’s college golfer in both the Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, transferred to Oklahoma from Rutgers for the 2021-22 season. He carded victories at the East Lake Cup and the Puerto Rico Classic, and recorded eight top-10 finishes in 12 events overall, highlighted by his two victories, a runner-up finish at the Big 12 Championship and two top-3 finishes. Gotterup finished in fifth place at 1-over par at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships Individual Championships on Monday, and advances to team match play competition with his Oklahoma teammates that begins today.

Titleist Introduces New Scotty Cameron Phantom X Putters

Adding performance options to the Scotty Cameron Phantom X family, three new Phantom X mallet putters – the all-new zero-offset Phantom X 5s and the updated Phantom X 11 and Phantom X 11.5 models – will join the 2022 line when they arrive in shops on Friday, June 17. These new mallets complete a 10-putter lineup of Scotty Cameron Phantom X high-performance mallets that have been trusted to multiple victories on the worldwide professional golf tours and are in play among dedicated golfers everywhere.

Seven new models were released in April – the Phantom X 5, 5.5, 7, 7.5, 9, 9.5 and 12 – with the new additions arriving in select Titleist golf shops worldwide on June 17 and available for pre-order on Tuesday, May 31. The full 2022 Phantom X mallet putter family features entirely new head shapes, as well as updates to popular models. The putters also include a new textured grip, new graphics and premium styling. Tour-preferred milled 303 stainless steel face construction carries through to nearly every new model.

LA Golf Announces 2023 Women's Initiative Led by Michelle Wie West

LA Golf pledged today to treat female golfers the way they should’ve been treated all along by providing its LPGA partners with support on and off the course.

LA Golf will provide its partners full healthcare including mental health days and paid maternity leave, as well as performance-based bonuses. LA Golf will also provide its partners with a personalized concierge service to handle travel logistics and on-the-ground support for select tournament weeks to create a more seamless experience, allowing players to focus on their game.

Adidas signs 1st NIL Student-Athlete Agreement wit/ Rose Zhang - World No. 1 Women's Amateur

Rose Zhang enters the U.S. Women’s Open this week as the best female amateur golfer in the world, having recently added “National Champion” to her growing list of achievements after winning both the individual and team titles at the 2022 NCAA D1 Women’s Golf Championship.

Today, she makes history again by becoming the first student-athlete to join team adidas by entering into a Name, Image and Likeness endorsement agreement with the brand. Earlier this year, adidas announced the first wide-sweeping, equitable and inclusive NIL network reaching more than 50,000 eligible student-athletes across 23 sports and all genders at 109 D1 universities.

How to Watch the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica

The 77th U.S. Women’s Open Championship Presented by ProMedica begins at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., on Thursday, June 2.

And fans both at home and at the course can follow the action more closely than ever before thanks to a number of new and enhanced viewing options.