Friday, February 10, 2023

Major Winners Emphasize Asian Tour and International Series as Pathway for Aspiring Professionals

Recent Asian Tour Q-School Final winner Jack Thompson has continued to impress making the cut at the first International Series Oman, the first of 10 elevated tournaments on the Asian Tour in 2023.

The Australian has played in a field consisting of major champions Brooks Koepka and Charl Schwartzel, in just his second International Series event following last year’s England tournament at Slaley Hall.

Japan’s Kanaya Beats the Breeze to Hold Halfway Lead in Oman

Takumi Kanaya, one of Japan’s most exciting young prospects, made the most of slightly easier conditions in the morning to take the halfway lead in the US$2 million International Series Oman today.

The world’s former number one ranked amateur shot a one-under-par 71 to reach four under par for the tournament, an unassailable lead with the wind getting progressively stronger and blowing the field off course at Al Mouj Golf.

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Ralph Lauren RLX Golf Pre-Spring 2023 Collection Now Available

Ralph Lauren RLX Golf’s Pre-Spring 2023 collection is now available on RalphLauren.com

The latest collection from RLX Golf, spanning men’s and women’s fashion, takes inspiration from Key Largo’s active lifestyle and use of color. Key new colorways include beautiful shades of rose, green, yellow, blue, and peach. Sustainability and performance attributes are featured across both traditional and modern silhouettes alike.

USGA Announces 2023 Exemption Categories for U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Championships

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that four exemption categories will be added for the U.S. Open Championship, beginning with the 2023 championship at The Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club’s North Course, June 15-18.

One additional exemption will be introduced beginning with the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, to be contested July 6-9 at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.

Motocaddy Appoints Mark Kuryak to Lead Americas

Motocaddy has appointed Californian Mark Kuryak as its new President/General Manager in the Americas to drive sales and raise awareness of the world’s biggest-selling electric golf caddy brand in the golf playing nations across both continents.

With over two decades of high-level management and sales experience across a number of successful sporting goods and lifestyle brands, Mark is now responsible for maximizing on-course, big box retailers and online sales opportunities for the innovative brand that ranks as global market leader in electric caddies and complementary golf bags.

Shin Takes First Round Lead at Inaugural International Series Oman at Al Mouj Golf

Yonggu Shin took advantage of benign early morning conditions to shoot a six-under-par 66 to take the first round in the inaugural International Series Oman at Al Mouj Golf today.

The Canadian, who first shot to prominence last year when he finished joint second in the Shinhan Donghae Open, carded six birdies and impressively was bogey free – in the second event of the season on the Asian Tour, and first International Series tournament.

Glowing Praise about Al Mouj Golf Championship Course from Players Competing in International Series Oman

Ahead of the first round at the International Series Oman, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Sihwan Kim and Azzan Al Rumhy attended a press conference at Al Mouj Golf.

The quartet were asked questions on the upcoming event which is the first of 10 on the Asian Tour. Koepka and Garcia gave their first impressions on the stunning golf course here in Muscat as well as sharing their inspirations for taking up the game of golf as kids, whilst Omani Al Rumhy offered his thoughts on the arrival of the International Series to the Middle East.

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Women's Golf Day Announces Inspire Action Award Winners and New Week Long Format

Women’s Golf Day (WGD) has announced the winners of the 2022 Inspire Action Awards.  This year’s awards reflect the tremendous international reach of WGD with winners from: North America – Mark Gore, SVP Golf Operations Invited: Canada – Shannon Cole, Vice President, Brand Marketing, RBC: Scotland – Iona Stephen, Presenter: and Spain – Finca Cortesin.

The awards, which were announced during the PGA Merchandise Show are presented annually and acknowledge the important role that these individuals and organizations play to Engage, Empower and Support women and girls through golf.  Founder Elisa Gaudet also announced that WGD 2023 will be a weeklong celebration, for the first time, offering locations the chance to host an event on any day from May 30th, the same date as WGD’s PALOOZA digital event, through to WGD’s birthday on Tuesday June 6th.

G/FORE Opens Store in Scottsdale

Luxury lifestyle brand and golf footwear innovator, G/FORE is excited to announce the opening of their new retail store location, G/FORE Supply Scottsdale.

This new aesthetically pleasing, monochromatic storefront is in the heart of the Scottsdale Quarter, featuring limited edition styles that customers could previously only explore online at gfore.com, gfore.co.uk, and select international locations.

Stunning Stage and Blockbuster Field Set for The International Series Oman with Strong Event Partnership

The International Series Oman commences on Thursday 9 February, at Official Host Venue Al Mouj Golf – one of the Middle East’s top ranked courses making the perfect setting for the first of the 10 elevated Asian Tour events in 2023.

With enhanced investment for the 2023 season, the 132-player field comprising many of the world’s best golfers will compete for US$2m on the Greg Norman designed layout, which stretches across 2km of stunning oceanfront adjacent to the Gulf of Oman.

WM Phoenix Open Headlines Live Coverage on Golf Channel and Peacock

Live Coverage of WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona – Featuring Eight of the Top 10 Ranked Players in the World – Begins Tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel and Peacock.

Golf Central and Golf Today Studio Coverage Live from 16th Hole at TPC Scottsdale All Week on GOLF Channel.

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Titleist Presents ‘We Go Farther’ Docuseries - The Story of the Titleist Speed Project

We Go Farther,” a new four-part docuseries chronicling the Titleist Speed Project, an R&D breakthrough that drove the resurgence of Titleist drivers on the PGA TOUR, debuts today on the Titleist YouTube channel and Titleist.com/We-Go-Farther.

I teased a little of this at the PGA Show a few weeks ago and encourage you to watch all episodes.  Some really interesting, really dramatic, and really compelling insight and backstory into the Titleist Speed Project.

USGA Launches GS3 - An Innovative Technology Tool Designed to Streamline Putting Green Performance Measurement

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced the launch of GS3, a state-of-the-art golf technology tool that calculates putting green speed, firmness, smoothness and trueness – all with one device.

A rechargeable smart ball that is the same size and weight as a standard golf ball, GS3 creates accurate, measurable, first-of-their-kind agronomic benchmarks that superintendents can use to facilitate change more effectively on their course. The tool has sensors that collect over 15,000 data points, empowering analytics-driven decisions.

Water Oak Country Club and Estates Debuts USGA Rated Championship Golf Course

Water Oak Country Club and Estates, a Sun Communities destination, has opened its newly renovated golf course to community residents and the public. The course recently received USGA accreditation as a championship course and is part of a larger multi-million-dollar revitalization project for the 55+ living community.

Water Oak Country Club and Estates is an active residential community with more than 1,300 homes and resort-style amenities such as the new championship golf course, community swimming pools, clubhouses and various outdoor activities. The community recently announced the expansion of the property with an additional 267 homes available for residents seeking a fun and active lifestyle.

Cost to attend Both the WM Phoenix Open and Super Bowl 57

This week both the WM Phoenix Open and Super Bowl 57 descend upon the Greater Phoenix area. Naturally, our minds might gravitate toward the real possibility of being able to attend both events.

But how much can fans expect to dish out to experience the ultimate Arizona sports weekend? Bookies.com calculated the expenses and determined that the lowest possible cost for one person to attend all four days of the Waste Management Phoenix Open AND Super Bowl 57 comes to a total of $10,209.20!

Aon Risk Reward Challenge at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale

The Aon Risk Reward Challenge is a season- long competition on the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour testing the abilities of the world’s best players to make thoughtful, strategic decisions on the most challenging holes (“Aon Risk Reward Challenge holes”) throughout the year.

And this week the Challenge touches down at the WM Phoenix Open and the 17th hole at TPC Scottsdale.

Fan Favorites Daly, O'Meara, Pavin, and Cook Commit to the Inaugural Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club

The Galleri Classic continues to build on its prolific professional field as it announced a foursome with California ties – two-time major champions John Daly and Mark O’Meara, 1995 U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin and 10-time PGA TOUR Champions winner John Cook – are all committed to play in the inaugural tournament held March 22-26 on the iconic Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club.

The Galleri Classic, named after title sponsor GRAIL’s multi-cancer early detection test, brings PGA TOUR Champions golf back to the Coachella Valley for the first time since 1993, The Galleri Classic will feature 78 PGA TOUR Champions pros – including World Golf Hall of Fame members — playing 54 holes (three rounds from Friday, March 24 through Sunday, March 26) for a $2.2 million purse.

Dundonald Links Garners Two Accolades at Scottish Golf Tourism Awards

Dundonald Links earned distinction in two categories at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards last week, the new luxury resort collecting first-place prizes for Best Clubhouse and Best Sustainability Project.

The popular golf course was transformed into a full, opulent resort that had its first full season in 2022, spearheaded by an extensive overhaul of its clubhouse. The spacious facility has received much acclaim for its Highlands-inspired aesthetic and exceptional Canny Crow restaurant. A quintessentially Scottish whisky room offers tasting sessions, while the resort’s state-of-the-art gym boasts a wide range of equipment. Guests report that the refined, sumptuous clubhouse is the perfect place to relax in post round, with panoramic views over the 18th green and beyond.

Tour Edge Announces Four Iron Sets as Part of the New Exotics 723 Series

Tour Edge, the pound for pound industry leader in performance and innovation, announces four new iron sets as part of the all-new Exotics 723 Series.

Today, Tour Edge announced the all-new Exotics 723 Series irons, including the more compact C723 Iron and the feel enhanced E723 Iron.

Tour Edge Announces New Exotics 723 Metals for Every Possible Swing Type

Tour Edge, the pound for pound industry leader in performance and innovation, introduces their new Exotics 723 Series of metals.

Following the path of the previous Exotics, the tour-winning 722 Series, the Exotics 723 launch features two separate drivers, fairway and hybrid designs designated as Extreme (E) and Competition (C) spec.