Monday, July 25, 2022

Erich Fortlage, Grant Lester and Harvey Young Share First-Round Lead at 74th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship

A little wind. Some sunshine mixed with fog. A career-best round and a record nine-hole score. Round 1 of the 74th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on Monday provided a bit of everything.

Grant Lester, 17, of Washington, D.C.; Erich Fortlage, 15, of Paraguay; and Harvey Young, 18, of Australia all posted matching 66s to share the Day 1 lead. Lester played at par-71 Bandon Trails, the stroke-play co-host, while Fortlage, who turns 16 on Thursday, and Young played par-72 Bandon Dunes, where match play will take place beginning on Wednesday.

60th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship Facts and Figures

The 60th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur will be the first USGA championship held in the state of Alaska. Alaska will join six other states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, in hosting one USGA championship.

Alaska has hosted U.S. Open qualifying every year since 2009 as well as numerous U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur qualifiers.

Fujikura Ventus TR Strikes Again with Another Major Win

Fujikura, the leader in performance golf shafts, was honored to be the number one driver and wood shaft on multiple professional tours this week, including the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and PGA Champions Tour.

At the Senior Open on the PGA Champions Tour, Fujikura was the #1 driver, wood, and hybrid shaft at the Major championship. Over 31.5% of the field used a Fujikura driver shaft, with another 25.7% using wood shafts and 16% using hybrid shafts.

Garsen Putter Grips Wins 2nd Major Championship

In just her 5th start with the Garsen Quad Tour putter grip, Brooke Henderson drained an 8 foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole for a 1 shot victory at The Evian Championship.

Since putting the Garsen Quad Tour in play earlier this year, Henderson has now captured 2 titles including her second major championship. Adding to the 2016 British Open, this is the second major for Garsen and 54th tour win.

Saturday, July 23, 2022

Wilson Captures 73rd U.S. Girls’ Junior Title at The Club at Olde Stone

It turns out Yana Wilson is pretty good at this match-play thing.

A week after going 3-0 in the American Junior Golf Association’s Wyndham Cup in leading the West to a resounding victory, the 15-year-old from Henderson, Nev., continued her recent unblemished mark in the head-to-head format by capturing the 73rd U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at The Club at Olde Stone with a 3-and-2 victory over Gianna Clemente, 14, of Estero, Fla., in Saturday’s 36-hole final.

Friday, July 22, 2022

Clemente, Wilson to Square Off in 36-Hole Final of 73rd U.S. Girls Junior

Gianna Clemente and Yana Wilson aren’t old enough to operate a motor vehicle. But on Saturday, one of the two talented teenagers will drive off with the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy as the 73rd U.S. Girls’ Junior champion at The Club at Olde Stone.

Clemente, 14, of Estero, Fla., and Wilson, 15, of Henderson, Nev., each maneuvered their way to a pair of victories on another hot and steamy day in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to advance to the 36-hole final.

PXG Releases New 0211 XCOR2 Irons with Cutting Edge Technology at an Affordable Price

PXG has unveiled the latest evolution in its wildly popular 0211 Irons offering. New PXG 0211 XCOR2 Irons employ some of the cutting-edge golf club technology in the company’s GEN5 series wrapped in a high-performance progressive set design and delivered at a price that will knock your socks off.

“PXG 0211 XCOR2 Irons were engineered to include some of our finest performance-enhancing technology at a ridiculously good price,” said PXG Founder and CEO Bob Parsons. “If your budget is tight and you want to play the best, these irons are the easy choice.”

150th Open Championship at St. Andrews 2nd Most Watched Open in Nearly a Decade

NBC Sports comprehensive coverage of the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews across NBC, USA Network and Peacock delivered the second most-watched Open Championship in nearly a decade, averaging a Total Audience Delivery of 2.516 million viewers to make it the second most-watched Open Championship since 2013.

Overall viewership for the 150th Open Championship was up 16% vs. 2021 (2.174 million TAD) and up 27% vs. 2019 (1.983 million TAD).

Thursday, July 21, 2022

Meet Chris Gotterup - On the Verge of PGA Tour Stardom

Prior to the 4th of July holiday, Chris Gotterup hadn't been home in nearly three months.  In a diabolical, roller-coaster stretch of golf from May through July Chris played in the NCAA National Championships, RBC Canadian Open, U.S. Open, Travelers Championship, John Deere Classic, and Barbasol Championship without any break at all.

I talked with Chris recently from his home in New Jersey and straight up asked him how he's even still standing.  His reply?  "Yeah it's been crazy honestly but I love it all.  And at the end of the day golf is golf, you just gotta go play well no matter where it is."  Wait, what?  Golf is golf?  These words on paper may sound cliché, but for Gotterup this is profoundly revealing of who he is and the depths of his personality both on and off the course.

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Lee Wins Men's Title, Moore Captures Women's Prize at U.S. Adaptive Open

Three days of joyful, inspired play in the Inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open at Pinehurst Resort’s Course No. 6 ended in a dramatic triumph befitting a USGA national championship. Simon Lee, 25, of the Republic of Korea, shot a final-round 71, then went birdie-par in a two-hole playoff on Wednesday to win the men’s overall title over Felix Norrman, while Kim Moore, 41, of Portage, Mich., went wire-to-wire to earn the title of women’s overall champion.

“It's pretty cool to be part of a little bit of history in golf,” said Moore, the women’s golf coach at Western Michigan University. “I’m thankful for my friends and family and their support and all the people back home that are wishing me good luck and have been watching. It's just been very humbling and exciting for me this whole week, and it's just been nothing but amazing.”

32 Players Survive Stifling Heat, Opponents to Advance at 73rd U.S. Girls Junior Championship

If the intensity and pressure of trying to advance out of the Round of 64 on Wednesday at the 73rd U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship wasn’t enough for the competitors, the stifling temperatures that reached the low 90s only added to the anxiety.

Never has the term “sweating out a match” been more appropriate than at The Club at Olde Stone on a steamy mid-July day in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Titleist Introduces Innovative Wedge Fitting App

A new Vokey Wedge Fitting App for indoor wedge fitting – developed by Titleist and Vokey engineers in collaboration with Titleist club fitting experts - is the first of its kind.

Specifically designed to enhance the wedge fitting experience for all golfers, The Vokey Wedge Fitting App golfers enhanced access to quality, precise wedge recommendations to improve their wedge play.

Bespoke Footwear Brand Beckett Simonon Releases Eco-Futuristic & Stylish Spikeless Golf Shoes

Beckett Simonon, a trailblazer in the premium leather goods category, known for bringing bespoke fashion and comfort together - has unveiled the most essential kicks for golfing - Beckett Simonon’s Golf Sneakers, a collection of re-imaginated water-repellent full-grain Italian leather shoes made to reign supreme above the rest.

Featuring avant-garde technology to power up the natural motions of your body while enhancing comfort, these ultra-modern and fashion-forward shoes were designed to morph together eco-futurism and the new wave of luxury fashion.

Arccos Advances Putting Insights with Enhanced Putting Stats

Golfers looking to pin-point where gains can be made in their putting performance and practice methods will benefit from another groundbreaking software feature being launched today by Arccos – the pioneer of big data and Artificial Intelligence for golf.

Available in both individual round summaries and overall player insights within the award-winning Arccos Caddie app, Enhanced Putting Stats has been designed to automatically track the Strokes Gained value for each putt at given lengths. Putting data is also broken down into Make percent and 3 Putt percent at each of the following distances: 0-2 feet, 3-5 ft, 6-9 ft, 10-14 ft, 15-24 ft, 25-39 ft and over 40 ft.

Greener Golf: The R&A saves 153,738 single-use plastic bottles from landfill and oceans at The 150th Open

The R&A continued its efforts to play a lead role in tackling single-use plastic bottles at The 150th Open played at St Andrews, Scotland. Bluewater hydration stations dispensed a massive 76,869 litres of water during the event, equivalent to 153,738 500ml-sized plastic bottles.

“We want to thank The R&A, the organisers of The Open, for taking the lead in providing hydration solutions that end the need for an event to sell plastic bottles of water, and the fans who made the choice to support the planet by purchasing a sustainable Bluewater bottle to replace throwaway plastic bottles,” said Bluewater founder and CEO Bengt Rittri. (photo below) Mr. Rittri noted the 150th anniversary edition of The Open had attracted around 290,000 fans whose hydration requirements were met despite warmer than average weather conditions.

USGA, World Golf Hall of Fame Collaborate to Showcase Golf’s Legendary Figures at Golf House Pinehurst

Building on their longstanding partnership and shared passion to elevate the stories of golf’s legends, the USGA and the World Golf Hall of Fame will create a new visitor experience at the USGA’s Golf House Pinehurst campus, opening in 2024. In doing so, the Hall of Fame will relocate its physical presence from St. Augustine to North Carolina.

Additionally, World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held in Pinehurst in 2024 and 2029, to coincide with the 124th U.S. Open on Pinehurst No. 2 (2024), and the return of back-to-back U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica and U.S. Open Championships, also on Course No. 2 (2029). The first-ever back-to-back U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Open were contested in 2014.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Lee Surges to Lead Men’s Division; Moore Holds on to Women’s Lead Through 36 Holes at U.S. Adaptive Open

In Round 2 of the Inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open on Tuesday at Pinehurst Resort’s Course No. 6, more inspiring stories emerged of players overcoming challenges to compete at a national championship level.

No one has done it better so far than Simon Lee, who shot a second consecutive 1-under-par 71 to surge to a two-stroke lead over Felix Norrman of Sweden in the men’s division, while first-round women’s leader Kim Moore of Portage, Mich., struggled a bit but still holds a four-stroke edge heading into Wednesday’s final round.

ANNIKA Foundation Bringing Next ‘Share My Passion’ Clinic to 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Open at NCR Country Club

The ANNIKA Foundation – the charitable organization founded by defending U.S. Senior Women’s Open Champion Annika Sorenstam – will host its next “Share My Passion” golf clinic at NCR Country Club on Tuesday, August 23.

The ANNIKA Foundation, in partnership with Toro and Mastercard, invites girls between the ages of six and 14 who reside in Greater Dayton and the Miami Valley area to write an open letter or send in a video to Annika telling her why they love golf and why other girls should learn to play. The creators of the 30 most-compelling submissions will be invited to attend the clinic during the week of the U.S. Senior Women’s Open.

Revo Ambassador Annika Sorenstam Unveils Two New Limited Edition Sunglasses

Revo, the global leader in high-quality performance sunglasses, announced today the launch two new limited-edition sunglasses designed in collaboration with Hall-of-Fame golfer, Annika Sorenstam. Featuring custom styles and unsurpassed functionality, the Revo frames are designed to have golfers looking good – both on the course and off.

The Revo x Annika collection features two styles of unisex sunglasses for golfers. One style focuses on lifestyle, made for everyday wear, while the other style is a sports frame made with the links in mind. Each style comes in a choice of three colors and each features Revo’s glare-reducing, NASA-based Light Management System to protect wearers from harmful bandwidths of sunlight.

Open Championship Winner Trusts Fujikura Ventus TR in His Driver and Fairway Wood

Fujikura, the leader in performance golf shafts, was honored to be the number one driver shaft at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews last week. 32.1% of the field in Scotland trusted Fujikura in their driver and 24% of all driver shafts were VENTUS.

After a sensational back-nine, equaling the lowest ever scoring in major championship history, the eventual Claret Jug winner lifted the trophy using the VENTUS TR. The new world number two used the VENTUS TR Blue 6X in his driver and the VENTUS TR Blue 8X in his 3-wood on his way to his first ever major victory.