Greg Norman, LIV’s CEO, is aware of relegation is coming.
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Welcome again to the Monday End, the place we’ve been watching the Olympics and questioning how far these javelin-tossers may throw a 6-iron. Plus which PGA Tour professional would do finest on the pommel horse. Anyway, to the golf information…
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GOLF STUFF I LIKE
A satisfying win.
Some minutes after the champagne had been popped in Calgary on Sunday afternoon, Lauren Coughlin addressed the media on the CPKC Ladies’s Open and mirrored on the individuals who’d saved her going.
Coughlin grew up in Chesapeake, Va., was the primary woman to play on the Hickory Excessive College boys staff all 4 years and walked onto the golf staff on the College of Virginia. That’s the place this story begins. However it may have ended prematurely a number of instances since. Within the wake of her victory, one particular second got here to thoughts: after her 2017 season on the Epson Tour, when she’d wished to give up, earlier than a dialog with faculty coach Kim Lewellen saved her in it.
Golf is usually a lonely sport but it surely takes a village, and it was clear from the outpouring on social media that Coughlin has loads of followers. She name-checked her husband John, her caddie Terry, her mother and father, her associates, the individuals who’d shepherded her from an aspiring professional to this second, 13 beneath par at Earl Gray Golf Membership, two photographs higher than anybody else in an LPGA discipline.
“Simply makes all of it price it,” stated the 31-year-old, whose win got here in her one hundred and first LPGA Tour begin. “All of the sacrifices that I made, that my husband made once I was simply getting began. My household made once I was simply getting began. Lots of people believed in me once I didn’t and I wouldn’t be the place I used to be with out them.”
The win hardly got here from nowhere; there have been indicators in large tournaments all yr. This was significantly satisfying as a result of it felt earned, approaching the heels of a fourth-place end at the latest main, the Evian Championship, and only a few months after a T3 on the yr’s first main, the Chevron. Simply three years in the past Coughlin wanted a fierce end to the season simply to maintain her LPGA Tour card. When she made a clutch birdie to a tucked again pin on the par-3 seventeenth to construct her result in two, these struggles all abruptly appeared like historic historical past.
“I feel — simply my story on the whole reveals that I’m all the time attempting, I’m keen to only keep in it, I don’t quit. And I feel I confirmed that right this moment,” she stated.
Need to know one thing else cool? This yr’s Solheim Cup is at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership in Virginia. That’s her residence state. It’s the place her story started. It’s no small triumph that her subsequent {golfing} chapter will carry her again there.
Profitable if you’ve earned it — that’s golf stuff I like.
“Yeah, I imply, it was unimaginable,” Coughlin concluded. “I wish to do it once more.”
WINNERS
Who received the week?
Jhonattan Vegas received the 3M Open due to a stellar Saturday 63 and a Sunday the place he did simply sufficient — together with a clutch two-putt for birdie from almost 100 toes on the 72nd gap to safe his first victory in seven years.
Lauren Coughlin received the primary title of her LPGA Tour profession on the CPKC Ladies’s Open due to a clutch birdie on the par-3 seventeenth; she’s now all however assured to be on this fall’s Solheim Cup staff.
Jon Rahm received for the primary time because the 2023 Masters, claiming LIV’s UK occasion due to a Sunday 67 and a three-putt on the ultimate gap from teammate Tyrrell Hatton. Rahm had 9 top-10s in 9 LIV begins getting into this week; he lastly earned the highest spot in his tenth.
Okay.J. Choi received the Senior Open Championship at Carnoustie, the primary senior main for the Korean fan favourite. “Carnoustie [is] unbelievably robust,” he stated. “Is my dream. Very historic for Korean participant to win this.”
And Trevor Gutschewski received the U.S. Junior Beginner regardless of getting into the event because the 3570th-ranked beginner on the earth; as he stated, the golf ball doesn’t care.
NOT-WINNERS
However point-earners, nonetheless.
Final week I wrote about these big-name PGA Tour professionals susceptible to lacking this yr’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. One such participant? Matt Kuchar, who’s the one professional to have certified for all 17 years of the Tour’s playoff system. Whereas his T3 end helped him from 155 to 111, simply 70 make it to Memphis in three weeks’ time.
“Definitely making the playoffs, maintaining my job for subsequent yr, they’re all checkmarks,” he stated. “I usually prefer to verify these off rather a lot earlier within the yr than proper now, however, ’tis the mattress I made.”
He wasn’t the one one to make a transfer. PGA Tour rookie Max Greyserman started the week at No. 88 and shot eight-under 63 to complete solo second; he’s now No. 63 within the standings and will safely qualify for the primary spherical.
Maverick McNealy completed T3 alongside Kuchar to meaningfully enhance his standing; he’s now No. 57, up from 68, and may set his sights on the all-important prime 50 along with his top-70 standing safe.
As for Vegas? He was simply No. 149 getting into the week and now jumps to No. 66. Victor Perez at No. 70 turns into the final man in, with Davis Riley (No. 71) simply 2.6 factors behind.
One other notable not-winner: Angel Cabrera completed T5 on the Senior Open; it was his first senior main begin since his launch from jail in Argentina, the place he served greater than two years on home violence costs. There’s a superb likelihood we’ll see him on the Masters subsequent April.
SHORT HITTERS
This week’s Olympic contenders, prime to backside.
Scottie Scheffler (Group USA, +350) is the clear betting favourite of the 60 golfers at Le Golf Nationwide this week; a win would take his surreal season (a Masters, 5 different Signature Occasions, fatherhood, prison costs) to new heights.
Xander Schauffele (Group USA, +600) has staked a declare to Participant of the Yr honors due to his two main championship wins; he’s additionally the reigning Olympic champ. Whereas Scheffler has been remarkably constant Schauffele has, too — in his final 34 begins he’s completed inside the highest 25 31 instances. It looks like a protected wager that he’ll contend.
Rory McIlroy (Group Eire, +800) generally says that, regardless of his decade-long main drought, he’s received nearly all the things else there’s to win within the sport. He’s largely proper — he’s received the Gamers, the FedEx Cup, the Race to Dubai, Signature Occasions, World Golf Championships, Nationwide Opens, Ryder Cups and extra. No Olympic medal, although…
Jon Rahm (Group Spain, +1200) had an odd, disappointing main championship season in his first yr as a member of LIV Golf. However he had his finest end on the Open (T7) and simply received on LIV for the primary time. He appears to have issues trending in the correct path.
Gaganjeet Bhullar (Group India, +50000) has the second-longest odds on the board; the World No. 295 retains profitable on the Skilled Golf Tour of India and has collected 11 Asian Tour wins over the previous decade-plus, too.
Camilo Villegas (Group Colombia, +75000) is representing Colombia due to his win finally fall’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, however 2024 hasn’t been as sort to him — his finest end is a T35 on the Masters (not a foul spot on your finest consequence) and he hasn’t made a lower since. Shock the world, Camilo!
ONE DUMB GRAPHIC
Rory vs. Rory.
ONE SWING THOUGHT
From Jenny Shin.
The third-place finisher on the CPKC admitted she’d had an excessive amount of espresso on Sunday morning.
“Had actually unhealthy acid reflux disease, so I used to be actually combating that many of the day,” Jenny Shin stated. However she additionally stated she’d tapped into one thing new to shoot five-under 67 — due to a “revelation” from Sunday on the U.S. Ladies’s Open. That revelation?
“Truly taking part in with Charley Hull, she appears to be like so carefree when she performs,” Shin stated. “It’s not one thing that I’m actually good at, so watching her made me liberate somewhat bit. Then I noticed how a lot I used to be overthinking and the way a lot I used to be overanalyzing all the things.
“So I’ve let go partially, I suppose.”
ONE BIG QUESTION
Who on LIV is Greg Norman warning?
With the way forward for a PGA Tour-LIV alliance as murky as ever, we’re someway nearing the tip of one other golf season. Which means relegation on LIV — no less than for some non-protected members of the controversial startup. And LIV’s commissioner Greg Norman joined the published over the weekend to supply a warning to his constituents.
“Gamers know there’s relegation developing and issues are going to alter in a short time,” he stated. “These guys who’re on the sting have gotten to drag their socks up and get themselves going.”
So who’s in danger? That’s a superb query. Gamers ending inside the highest 24 at yr’s finish assure themselves a spot in LIV for 2025. Gamers exterior the highest 24 however inside the highest 48 are within the “Open Zone” and face “potential commerce or launch by their staff.” And gamers 49 or under are within the “Drop Zone;” they’re relegated out of the league and may solely return for the following season by way of qualifying.
Proper now there are eight gamers in that Drop Zone. Scott Vincent (No. 49) who completed No. 22 final season. Laurie Canter (No. 50) who performed simply two occasions this season as a fill-in and has largely been taking part in the DP World Tour, the place he lately received. Bubba Watson (No. 51) whose standing as captain (I’m fairly positive) exempts him from relegation, Kalle Samooja (No. 52), who got here by way of qualifying final yr. Branden Grace (No. 53), who completed second and ninth in LIV’s first two seasons however hasn’t discovered it this yr. Kieran Vincent, Scott’s brother, who made it by way of qualifying, too. After which there are the 2 wild playing cards: Hudson Swafford (No. 55) and Anthony Kim (No. 56) who’ve been taking part in as people and have every did not earn some extent as a result of neither has cracked the highest 25 in an occasion this season.
Norman spoke to the “depth on the driving ranges” as professionals face an unsure future. “We knew that we needed to create this pathway of alternative for the following era,” he stated. “And there are gamers on the market with FOMO proper now. [That’s ‘fear of missing out.’] They wish to get in. So the gamers who’re in, know that there’s that FOMO eager to get in, and so they don’t wish to get out.”
There are others lurking simply exterior the Drop Zone: Pat Perez is No. 48, Harold Varner III is No. 47 and big-name captains like Ian Poulter (No. 45) and Phil Mickelson (No. 44) aren’t a lot increased.
This part is titled “one large query,” however I suppose that large query is definitely a number of: What is going to occur to these relegated fellas? Will any play their approach up the standings in these subsequent few weeks? Who’s coming by way of the door to switch them from the DP World Tour or PGA Tour? Lastly, there’s this: What’s subsequent for Anthony Kim?
ONE THING TO WATCH
Trump on Bryson.
Final week I wrote how surreal it was to have knowledgeable golfer — Bryson DeChambeau, on this case — ship a tweet clarifying the video he’d simply launched with a former president got here earlier than an try on his life. There are few issues extra frivolous than golf challenges on YouTube, in any case, and few issues weightier than a presidential election. However it seems that was simply the primary stage of surreal; the following came to visit the weekend when former president Donald Trump introduced up their “Break 50” problem at a marketing campaign rally.
I’ll allow you to type your individual opinions on the speech and the person delivering it — the Monday End strives to keep away from politics the place we are able to — however I’ll provide this one factor: Trump is getting into dangerous territory telling golf tales to a non-golf viewers. This is identical mistake Biden made on the debate when he introduced up being a 6 handicap. There’s a very particular subset of people that wish to hear about your golf sport and a a lot bigger subset who don’t. Harmful territory. May lose the room.
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday End HQ.
Sundown has crept forward of 9 p.m.; summer season’s hardly over however there’s an urgency to the times as August approaches. For golfers in Seattle meaning one factor particularly: ebook a tee time at Chambers Bay ASAP.
I’ll get to work on that. And I’ll get to work on some early-morning Olympic golf viewing. We’ll see you again right here subsequent week.
Earlier than you go, a fast request: In case you just like the Monday End, subscribe totally free HERE to get it in your e-mail inbox!
Dylan Dethier welcomes your feedback at dylan_dethier@golf.com.
