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The post This U.S. Open (tennis) contender has a golf Instagram and it’s pretty impressive appeared first on Golf.

Except we’re not writing about someone contending for golf’s U.S. Open title, we’re writing about a finalist in Sunday’s tennis U.S. Open final.

Casper Ruud even told ESPN last week he played 2020 U.S. Open (golf) host Winged Foot Golf Club, nearby the tennis U.S. Open venue in New York City, and walked away with a respectable 80. Ruud posted about his visit on his golf Instagram the last week of August.

To shoot 80 at a U.S. Open venue — and apparently doing it from the black tees, which are one step from the back at Winged Foot and clock in just under 7,000 yards at both courses — and then less than two weeks later finding himself in the final of one tennis’ Grand Slams, Ruud is clearly one of those guys who excels at all of the sports that drive us mere mortals mad.

Ruud told USOpen.org he tries to play as much golf as he can, especially when traveling to tournaments.

“So it’s something I do a little bit when we are building up to the tournament,” Ruud said. “I try to play nine or 18 holes here and there if I get the time, but at the same time I’m here to do a job and that is to play tennis, so I can’t look at it as a vacation.”

Ruud’s golf instagram has about 6,000 followers (and growing) compared to his main account which boasts more than 275k. He’s chronicled many visits to top courses in the world from his home country of Norway, to Austria, to notable venues in the North America like Winged Foot, Nemacolin, Big Horn and Indian Wells Golf Resort, a favorite of his.

“You can find golf courses anywhere and so many good ones,” Ruud said. “Indian Wells is a paradise for golf. In New York, the northeastern courses are incredible in their own way. 

He told USOpen.org he carries a one or two handicap and showed off some of his skills with an impressive shot hit right-handed with a left-handed club on his Instagram.

Ruud also told USOpen.org about the similarities he sees between golf and tennis, which is probably why so many greats of the sport are drawn to golf. Former ATP No. 1 Mardy Fish teed it up in the PGA Tour’s 3M Open this summer and I think we’re familiar with a certain friendship, by now, between the GOATs of each sport.

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“I always enjoy a challenge and golf is the same,” Ruud said. “You’re really playing yourself and your own emotions. In tennis you have only splits of a second to react, while golfing you have minutes between your shots.”

As for his strengths, probably another reason to be envious is Ruud is that, like so many other athletes who take up golf, he says he can hit bombs.

“I think my strong side when I play well is my drives,” he said. “Being a tennis player you have some explosiveness in your body, so we tend to hit it quite far, though not quite like the guys on the PGA Tour. If I hit a couple of bombs it can go up to 310 yards, so when I drive it well it kind of builds my whole game. If you drive well you play well, it’s a little bit like this. If I don’t drive well I struggle a lot.”

And while he tries to find a tee time around his tennis schedule, you probably won’t be finding the ATP No. 7 at Bethpage Black or Shinnecock, some of the New York City areas other U.S. Open venues, Sunday morning.

“I try to play as much as I can, but I don’t play 18 holes the day before a match, because I would like to save my energy for [tennis],” he said.

Maybe he’ll be grabbing a quick nine or hitting the range, instead.

NEWSLETTER

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The post Best golf courses in New York, according to GOLF Magazine’s expert course raters appeared first on Golf.

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New York golf by the numbers:

Number of courses and U.S. rank: 832 (5)*
Number of golfers per capita rank: 23*
Average public-course greens fees: $$ out of $$$*
Average daily temp and rank: 45.4 (37)
Annual precipitation and rank: 41.8 in. (25)

*Source: National Golf Foundation

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Best New York golf courses (2020/2021)

1. Shinnecock Hills (Southampton) [1, 2]

Venue for five U.S. Opens since 1986, most recently in 2018, this is William Flynn’s undisputed design masterpiece. Apart from being handed a magnificent piece of land upon which to work, Flynn was given something else nearly as valuable: time. Work commenced in 1928 and the course didn’t open until 1931. True, the Great Depression commenced during construction but the grace with which the holes flow across the property is a tribute to the hands-on, slow-build process.

2. National Golf Links of America (Southampton) [1, 2]

NGLA, or “National,” as it’s known, brought Seth Raynor and C.B. Macdonald together for the first time and what they created still stands as a marvel of strategic design. Some of its template holes, including the Alps 3rd, the Redan 4th, the Short 6th and the Leven 17th, are arguably superior to their namesake holes in the United Kingdom that Macdonald copied. Legendary golf writer Bernard Darwin summed it up nicely when he opined, “The National Links is a truly great course; even as I write I feel my allegiance to Westward Ho!, to Hoylake, to St. Andrews tottering to its fall.”

3. Fishers Island (Fishers Island) [1, 2]

Accessible by ferry or air, this exclusive retreat off the Connecticut coast is populated by the oldest of the Old Money crowd, many of whom still enjoy hoofing it. Why wouldn’t they, given the classic Seth Raynor design that tracks along the island’s northeast edge, the delightful tumbling terrain and the spectacular views of Long Island Sound. Are the 3rd, 4th and 5th holes as intoxicating as any three consecutive holes on this list? It’s a question worth considering.

4. Friar’s Head (Riverhead) [1, 2]

Tree-dotted dunes, open meadows and bluff-top views of Long Island Sound highlight play at this 2003 Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw design. Phil Mickelson opined that it is his favorite modern course. Holes such as the par-5 14th call to mind an East Coast version of Cypress Point. Constant refinements, no matter how small, have helped this course continually power up the rankings. From a presentation perspective, few courses are as dialed-in.

5. Winged Foot – West (Mamaroneck) [1, 2]

Hale Irwin survived the 1974 “Massacre at Winged Foot” U.S. Open to win at seven over par. Geoff Ogilvy didn’t fare much better in 2006, when his five-over total took home the trophy. Mark Brooks, 1996 PGA champion, summed up this Golden Age A.W. Tillinghast design this way: “There are probably six hard holes, six really hard holes and six impossible holes.” Frighteningly contoured, pear-shaped greens, cavernous bunkers and a procession of rugged par-4s define the trouble here. On a “difficulty” scale of 1 to 10, Jack Nicklaus once rated the West course a 12. That said, Gil Hanse’s recent, stunning expansion of all the green pads has brought back an element of creativity with which few parkland courses can contend, all of which was on display at the 2020 U.S. Open won by Bryson DeChambeau.

6. Garden City (Garden City) [1, 2]

Devereux Emmet and Walter Travis share credit for this old-school design that plays across Hempstead Plain on Long Island. The water is 10 miles both north and south, so sea breezes are a frequent companion. Laurie Auchterlonie won the 1902 U.S. Open here with record scores, owing to the debut of the longer, more durable Haskell ball. Garden City’s tilted greens, like the 10th and 15th, are lay-of-the-land architecture at its highest form.

7. Maidstone (East Hampton) [1, 2]

Recently restored by Coore & Crenshaw, Maidstone’s glorious edge-of-the-Atlantic location is once again fully evident. Maintaining coastal dunes is an art form: expose too much sand and it blows away; cover it up and you lose a sense of place. Maidstone has struck the perfect balance. Adding to the pleasure of its romantic location is an exceptional set of Willie and John Park greens, many of which feature dramatic false fronts. A dream course to play on a regular basis.

8. Bethpage – Black (Farmingdale) [1, 2, P]

The Black intimidates golfers with a sign at the 1st tee that recommends the course “only for highly skilled golfers.” Among the highly skilled? Tiger Woods, who won the 2002 “People’s Open,” as that U.S. Open came to be known. Woods was the only golfer to break par for 72 holes, owing to rugged, uphill par-4s, massive bunkers and the wrist-fracturing rough found on this Rees Jones-restored A.W. Tillinghast layout. The Black is one of the great routings, highlighted by the masterful way Tillinghast placed the fairways and greens from the 2nd hole in a valley all the way through the dogleg left 9th. The par-5 4th and its iconic cross-bunkering is a world-beater.

Book a tee time at Bethpage Black.

9. Sleepy Hollow (Briarcliff Manor) [1, 2]

This Westchester County course has always enjoyed a spectacular component to it, courtesy of breathtaking views of the Hudson River. What it lacked was playing interest from 50 yards and in to its greens. That changed in 2016 when Gil Hanse embarked on a two-year project to imbue the greens with a C.B. Macdonald flair that, well, even Macdonald would appreciate.

10. Quaker Ridge (Scarsdale) [1, 2]

This quiet club across the street from Winged Foot has counted Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye as admirers. Its outstanding cluster of gently rolling par-4s, notably the 6th and the 11th, provided a terrific canvas for amateurs such as Justin Rose and Jason Gore in the 1997 Walker Cup. Dating to 1916, the course was made over by A.W. Tillinghast in 1926 and Gil Hanse’s restoration this past decade has the course at peak. The par-3 9th is one of the hidden gem one-shotters in the Northeast, though it may take a few rounds to figure out why.

11. Oak Hill – East (Rochester) [1]

This classic parkland layout has hosted multiple majors and a Ryder Cup. A recent renovation made the suburban Rochester marvel even better, bringing it back in line with Donald Ross’s original design. Architect Andrew Green overhauled the 5th, 6th and 15th holes, cut back trees and re-worked greens throughout the course. The new drainage system allows for faster putting surfaces — expect higher scores (and better sightlines) at the 2023 PGA Championship.

12. Winged Foot – East (Mamaroneck) [1]

Neither as long nor as tough as its illustrious West sibling, the East enjoys its own devoted fanbase for its variety and the encouraging manner in which ground game options are now presented. Great attention has been paid to the mow lines, with short tight fairway grass on the high side of the entrance to all the greens. The dirty secret at Winged Foot is that more than a few consider the 13th and 17th as the best par-3s on the property, an outlandish claim until you play them.

13. Piping Rock (Locust Valley) [1]

Fresh off his work at National Golf Links of America, C.B. Macdonald started adding to his repertoire of template designs at this golf-meets-Gatsby Long Island club. The Biarritz and Knoll holes made their debut here, for instance. Among architecture buffs, Piping Rock’s Knoll 13th with its raised green that falls off starkly on all sides remains its finest iteration. The front nine wraps around a former polo field while the back heads into the hillier portion of the property. The course is also home to one of Macdonald’s finest par 5s, the 6th, which features a bedeviling back plateau ringed by trouble.

14. The Creek (Locust Valley) [1]

An epic combination of parkland and seaside golf, this McDonald-Raynor classic serves up a greatest hits of the duo’s favorite design elements. After a solid but sedate tree-lined opening five holes, the course explodes into glory at the spectacular 6th, which plays into a famous reverse Redan green. From there, players hit down to Long Island Sound. Hole Nos. 10 through 14 wind through sand and water, an unforgettable trip to the beach highlighted by a massive island Biarritz green.

15. Glens Falls (Glens Falls) [1]

With so much content and information available in 2020, stumbling across a “hidden gem” has become progressively more difficult. Yet, this Ross course 30 minutes north of Saratoga Springs was off the radar as recently as five years ago. Situated between the Adirondacks and Green Mountains, the short par-4 5th with its “top hat” green through the par-3 9th to a Volcano green complex are as good a series of Ross holes as you’ll find. The excitement doesn’t let up with the course finishing with its penultimate hole across hilly land to a green in a saddle and a par-3 finisher played across the edge of a lake.

16. Sebonack (Southampton) [1]

In a pairing of unique talents, Tom Doak and Jack Nicklaus teamed up to build this high-end, private course in one of the world’s most hallowed golf zip codes, next door to National Golf Links and Shinnecock Hills. The design reflects each man’s influence, including boldly contoured greens and rough-cut sandy hazards. While there’s no ignoring the prime locale, which offers several sweeping views of Great Peconic Bay, the elegance of holes like the uphill par-5 9th underscore the fact that Sebonack’s artistry could hold up anywhere.

17. Whippoorwill (Armonk)

18. St. George’s (Setauket)

19. Atlantic (Bridgehampton)

20. Wykagyl (New Rochelle)

21. Fenway (Scarsdale)

22. Oak Hill – West (Rochester)

23. Westchester – West (Westchester)

24. Monroe Golf Club (Monroe)

25. Hudson National (Croton-On-Hudson)

26. Century (Harrison)

27. Westhampton (Westhampton Beach)

28. Southampton (Southampton)

29. The Bridge (Bridgehampton)

30. Engineers (Glen Head)

SYMBOL GUIDE

1 = GOLF Top 100 Course in the U.S.
2 = GOLF Top 100 Course in the World
3 = GOLF Top 100 Resort
P = Resort/public golf course

Ed. note: Some courses were omitted from our rankings because they did not receive enough votes.

Course spotlight: Atlantic (Bridgehampton), ranked No. 19 in New York. In one of the toughest markets in the world, Rees Jones set out to create an artificial golf course in a potato field. How many routings did the course have in the first few years? Bobby Ranum, the recently retired superintendent, could be the best I have ever seen. Bobby, along with the head pro and Rees, slowly evolved Atlantic over time, removing artificial mounding and adding central hazards that greatly increased strategy. Atlantic can now hold its head high in that very high-rent neighborhood. — GOLF Top 100 Course Rater

How we rank America’s best golf courses

For the newly released 2020-21 U.S. list, each panelist was provided a list of 489 courses. Beside that list of courses were 11 “buckets,” or groupings. If our panelists considered a course to be among the top three in the country, they ticked that box. If they believed the course to be among Nos. 4-10 in the U.S., they checked that box, followed by 11-25, 26-50, and so on.

Panelists were also free to write in courses that they felt should have been included on the ballot (we had fewer than a handful of such additions in the U.S. vote).

Points were assigned to each bucket; to arrive at an average score for each course, we divide its aggregate score by the number of votes. From those point tallies, the courses are then ranked accordingly. It is an intentionally simple and straightforward process. Why? Because it invariably produces results that are widely lauded. Like the game itself, there’s no need to unnecessarily overcomplicate things.

For much more on how we rate courses, click or tap here.

Meet our course raters

We empower and hold accountable a group of 97 well-traveled — and well-connected — golfers/aficionados, each capable of expressing their own sense of design excellence at the highest level. The group is seasoned and experienced — we look for raters who know what’s out there, what’s changing and what’s coming down the pike. And from judging posts across four continents, our panelists are positioned to place courses from different regions around the globe into proper context, one of the main reasons GOLF’s Top 100 Courses rankings are the most esteemed in the game.

Other ranking outlets employ thousands of raters. Our less-is-more approach creates a more meaningful and thoughtful list. Think about it: When you plan a golf trip, do you call every golfer you know for their take? No. You contact a handful of people whose opinions you value most.

Meet our full crew of panelists here.

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The post Here’s how you can win tee times with college basketball legends at top 100 courses appeared first on Golf.

The post Here’s how you can win tee times with college basketball legends at top 100 courses appeared first on Golf.

Simply put, Oklahoma’s 68-year-old head basketball coach knows how to attract talent. He’s coached In two Final Fours, boasts more than 600 career wins, and is the only coach in college basketball history to win NCAA Tournament games with five separate programs. With the Sooners, Kruger was responsible for the recruitment of star guard Trae Young. Under Kruger’s tutelage, Young earned consensus first-team All-American and national freshman of the year honors en route to becoming the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Yet despite his success on the hardwood, Lon Kruger might have a better record as a golf recruiter.

Kruger might have played basketball in his early years, but he’s always maintained a keen passion for golf. He grew up a Jack Nicklaus fan, and says today he sits “between a four and a five” handicap. Of course, he doesn’t have a problem finding a game whenever his schedule allows, but it’s not his weekly game that makes him college basketball’s most prolific golf organizer.

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Every summer, he organizes the charity outing of the year — a three-day, 36-hole bonanza at Shadow Creek and Southern Highlands in Vegas to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer. The Las Vegas Classic, as it has since been named, began in 2008 as a way for Kruger to engage boosters and other donors for a good cause. In the 13 years since, it has ballooned into college basketball’s largest charity event, raising some $5 million for the fight against cancer.

“People come down to Vegas every year, it’s kind of become a reunion,” Kruger told GOLF.com. “We’ve got 60 foursomes and 25 coaches bring their boosters to Vegas and we meet up every year.”

But as any good recruiter knows, the job never stops, even if you’re guaranteed a blue-chipper. It’s for this reason that Kruger and more than 100 other prominent college hoops coaches and sports celebrities — from Jim Boeheim to Ken Griffey Jr. — have joined together for the charity auction opportunity of a lifetime. The auction, which runs until Black Friday (November 27), recruits fans to buy a series of typically priceless experiences.

It is called the Member for a Day auction, and it is selling a series of tee times at some of the golf world’s most elite courses with many of the biggest names in basketball.

“Golf is a great way to reach out and relate to your alumni, and certainly for fundraising opportunities like this,” Kruger said. “We’ve got a hundred coaches and celebrities and we’re auctioning them off for a round of golf at some terrific courses. Coaches around the country have done a great job of getting the word out and giving their time and efforts to make a difference.”

Lifestyle

For you, that means the opportunity to work in a tee time at U.S. Open host Winged Foot alongside Iona coach Rick Pitino, don your finest plaid at Pinehurst No. 2 with North Carolina coach Roy Williams, or rip off your blazer and lock into a match with Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim (who Kruger says may be college basketball’s best golfer). Many of the coaches are Hall-of-Famers, as are many of the courses — Colonial C.C., Olympia Fields, Oakland Hills, the Olympic Club and Yale Golf Club join Pinehurst and Winged Foot among the storied golf destinations available for auction. And those are just the opportunities available through the college coaches.

A slew of big-name celebrities with ties to the foundation are also auctioning experiences worth dreaming about through Member for a Day. Fans can bid to join Ken Griffey Jr. for a tee time at Michael Jordan’s brand-new, uber-exclusive club Grove XXIII or a trio of TV stars at their respective home courses: ESPN’s Jay Bilas at Charlotte Country Club, CBS’s Clark Kellogg at The Golf Club, and America’s favorite analyst (and former coach) Bill Raftery at Baltusrol.

If that’s not enough, you can join Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger at Shadow Creek in Vegas (or, if you’re a native Oklahoman, at Tulsa’s own Southern Hills). All the money goes toward the fight against cancer, which might just make one of these once-in-a-lifetime offers worth pulling the trigger on.

In short, the opportunities are endless, as are the opportunities for good.

“People understand that golf is a vehicle by which we’re doing something bigger and better,” Kruger said. “It’s good to see people get together in support of a really, really good cause.”

Fans who wish to bid on a Member for a Day foursome can click on the link here for more information.

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The post Here’s the difference between Masters and U.S. Open rough appeared first on Golf.

The post Here’s the difference between Masters and U.S. Open rough appeared first on Golf.

But there’s one thing ANGC does disclose, and it’s actually not that different when compared to other clubs.

Augusta released all of its mowing lengths for the 2020 Masters on Monday (it has done this before, too), giving fans a small behind-the-scenes glimpse of what the agronomy team is aiming for. Here are the lengths, although this is all subject to weather conditions and growth:

Tees: 5/16 inch
Second cut: 1 3/8 inch
Fairways: 3/8 inch
Collars: 1/4 inch
Greens: 1/8 inch

Great. But what exactly does this mean to you? We asked a course superintendent to help us understand the information.

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“Nothing really off the charts on their numbers,” said the super, whose home course hosted a major in the past few years. “That would be pretty standard at more higher-end private clubs and certain major championships. Some places even [cut] lower.”

The one notable difference, however, is the second cut. Augusta National’s rough (the club calls it its “second cut”) is 1 3/8 inches, according to the club, although in many spots it looks longer than that this week. (More than a few observers have noted that the second cut appears juicier than it has been at any Masters in recent memory.) According to the super, that’s similar to the length of most club’s intermediate rough — and the stuff beyond that is much thicker.

Augusta’s mowing lengths are actually very similar to what the USGA used at Winged Foot for the 2020 U.S. Open in September (although the clubs use some different grasses). Except for the rough, that is. Augusta’s second cut is 1 3/8 inches, which is slightly longer than the intermediate rough along the fairways at Winged Foot (1 inch). But Winged Foot, like many courses, has rough much gnarlier than that first cut. Winged Foot’s primary rough for the Open was 3 1/2 inches and the secondary rough was 5 inches. Augusta National doesn’t touch those lengths.

The super said these mowing lengths are likely pretty standard for Augusta National (whether the Masters is in April or November) and if Augusta had bentgrass fairways it might be cut even shorter. But that’s another thing. Most fans watching from home every year probably don’t know that the golfers are playing on new grass every year.

“Except for putting surfaces themselves, every bit of green grass that someone sees from the Masters coverage is brand new every year,” the super said.

This is because Bermuda grass grows during the summer and serves as a base, and around September the club overseeds ryegrass into the tees, fairways and rough. That new seed grows through the winter and is what you see for a typical April Masters. This year, players are seeing it much earlier than usual.

“That’s one of their biggest challenges,” the super said. “It’s just very new grass.”

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Missing Pete Dye

For the first time since GOLF published its inaugural U.S. Top 100 ranking in 1983, Pete Dye is not among us. The course design icon passed away in January of this year. Yet his influence is strongly felt throughout the ranking. He leaves behind a litany of great layouts (six in the Top 100, four of which are in the Top 50) as well as numerous protégés. Without trying to simplify a complex topic, Dye imparted some key truths to all architects: Be on-site, get dirt under your nails and make it happen yourself. His disciples include Bill Coore and Tom Doak — of the living architects, these designers appear the most in our U.S. Top 100, with seven and five-and-a-half original works, respectively. Pete was an original, too, and along with his wife, Alice, did as much to shape modern architecture as anyone.

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The pandemic effect

Covid certainly manifested itself in this year’s rank. Some clubs adopted a “no guests” policy, which precluded our panelists from visiting many private courses. From a travel perspective, our global panelists ceased stateside visits in February, yet because of the travel ban, our U.S.-based panelists were able to see more courses in America than they might have otherwise. Thus, 2020 turned out to be a fine year for introspection for our U.S. crew. Although we will never know how the results would have been tweaked in the absence of the pandemic, we’re confident that these rankings remain the game’s best and most thoughtfully considered.

Greens with envy

Overstating the importance of greens is nearly impossible. For starters, they’re the targets for every hole ever built! One easily identifiable characteristic of this year’s rankings is that the courses with the best greens continue their dominance on the list. It starts with Pine Valley (No. 1, again), which many argue has the country’s best complexes in terms of contour and variety. As much as the course’s fierce appearance, Pine Valley’s greens have kept it glued to the top of our rankings for decades.

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As the USGA moves toward rethinking a new rota of U.S. Open venues, other household-name courses with great greens — Oakmont (No. 5), Pinehurst No. 2 (No. 11) and Winged Foot (No. 15) — are sure to take center stage. Also, take a look at the architects with the most courses represented. What’s the connection? They were/are master green builders!

As the restoration effort continues to gain momentum and greens are pushed back to their original edges, it’s wonderful to see lesser-known gems like Ross’ Beverly and Mountain Ridge or Travis’ Hollywood or Tillinghast’s Somerset Hills gain appropriate fame. Just one look at Beverly’s 17th green, the 8th green at Mountain Ridge, the 6th green at Hollywood or the 5th green at Somerset Hills confirms as much. If you’re disgruntled that a particular course isn’t ranked higher, ask yourself if its greens are truly special. If they’re fine (but not great), you likely have answered your own question. Courses most likely to make the most headway in 2022? You guessed it: courses with great greens.

Knocking on the door

Courses that fell just outside the Top 100 feature more of the same characteristics as the courses that actually made it, whether you prefer the old-guard style or the new. Restoration work by Ron Forse at two C.H. Alison works (Davenport GC in Iowa and Kirtland outside of Cleveland) have both Golden Age gems on the rise. Two of Ron Prichard and Tyler Rae’s efforts (Beverly CC in Chicago and Cedar Rapids) have placed even more Donald Ross designs on the precipice of Top 100 inclusion as well.

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Truth be told, the statistical difference between No. 80 on our list (Sheep Ranch) and No. 120 (Boston GC) is the smallest it has ever been. Interlachen and Erin Hills (both former hosts of our national championship) fell out of the Top 100 by the tiniest of margins. So did longtime stalwart Scioto, but both the club and the panel are keen to see a purer version of Ross’ original effort versus the one that exists today. Scioto shuts next year, and when our next U.S. ballot rolls out in 2022, don’t be surprised to see it make a concerted charge.

Also, since reimagining the makeup and marching orders of the GOLF ranking panel in 2019, there appears to be a willingness to embrace different forms of architecture like never before. (Kingsley’s inclusion at No. 79 is an example.) Mike Strantz’s Tobacco Road has its highest finish ever (No. 123) and Tom Doak’s reversible course in Michigan (Forest Dunes, No. 115) also joins the Top 120. Given that golf’s ultimate appeal is its dazzling array of diverse playing fields, this is a very encouraging and exciting trend. The aforementioned Sand Hollow — something straight out of a science-fiction movie — might even make it in, which would be a first for Utah. Trust us: If design excellence is out there, our panel will find it. Stay tuned.

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But unfortunately for Lee, disaster struck. Lee missed the putt for par, and an earnest attempt to drain the ensuing 5 1/2-footer for bogey also blew by the edge of the hole. Lee then proceeded to half-heartedly whack the ball back and forth past the hole another three times before his sixth putt finally dropped for a quintuple-bogey 9. Ouch.

Lee withdrew from the championship about an hour and a half after finishing his third round, citing a wrist injury. On Tuesday, Lee took to social media to address the incident for the first time.

“I apologize for my actions at us open [sic] last week,” Lee’s post began, describing those actions as “unprofessional” and “foolish.”

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“My frustration took over me and combined with injury I had to fight with it for all week,” Lee continued. “Still just an excuse. I shouldn’t left [sic] like that.”

Lee concluded his post with a promise to do better. “Now I gonna [sic] take some time off and think about what I did and starting next time I’ll show up as a better person and have better sportsmanship,” he wrote.

Lee is currently ranked 112th in the world. He has one career PGA Tour victory: the 2015 Greenbrier Classic. He also notably won the U.S. Amateur in 2008 at only 18 years old, breaking Tiger Woods’ record by becoming the youngest player ever to do so at the time.

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The post The protein Bryson DeChambeau used to bulk up (and where you can buy it) appeared first on Golf.

Fitness

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In terms of portion size: Wright recommended eating 1.2-2.0 grams of Orgain per kilogram of body weight per day, and if you are going to play a round or two of golf, 20-30 grams of protein approximately three to four hours before you hit the links.

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The post The protein Bryson DeChambeau used to bulk up (and where you can buy it) appeared first on Golf.

The post Inside Bryson DeChambeau’s joyous U.S. Open celebration appeared first on Golf.

The post Inside Bryson DeChambeau’s joyous U.S. Open celebration appeared first on Golf.

On Saturday night, DeChambeau shared his plans for the evening, his secret sauce for final-round prep: Range, gym, steak, Fortnite. Four holes into Sunday’s final round, DeChambeau seized Matthew Wolff’s lead. By No. 10, the result began to feel inevitable. Media members are typically relegated to their keyboards in the minutes following the final putt, but I couldn’t help but wonder: How would his routine differ with a trophy in tow?

What follows is some version of the subsequent events as they unfolded.

The celebration for Team Bryson began while play was technically still going on. After DeChambeau’s triumphant par-saving fist pump at No. 18, Matthew Wolff still had to finish out a two-putt par. The timing was awkward, but it meant that DeChambeau took a moment to look around, to double-check his scorecard, to grin with relief after grinding all week.

When Wolff holed out, DeChambeau started off toward the scoring area — force of habit — but then turned to greet his crew. He fist-bumped his caddie, Tim Tucker, who gruffly expressed his congratulations. His manager, Connor Olson. His agent, Brett Falkoff. His longtime swing coach, Mike Schy, and his more recent swing coach, Chris Como.

Zach Johnson was the lone PGA Tour player there; he gave DeChambeau’s entire crew enthusiastic fist-bumps, one by one.

DeChambeau disappeared into the adjacent building to sign his scorecard, and when he re-emerged there was a surprise: his parents, Jon and Jan, on a jumbo Cisco WebEx screen. He saw them before they saw him, which meant by the time the DeChambeaus saw their son, he was already tearing up, overcome with emotion.

“I love you guys so much,” he said, several times. “Y’all are the best — thank you for sacrificing everything for me, and for this.” It was a sweet moment.

The trophy ceremony awaited. Bryson strode back through an iconic Winged Foot archway and to his winner’s podium, socially distanced from USGA CEO Mike Davis on one side and low amateur John Pak on the other. After Pak presented himself with low am medal, DeChambeau presented himself with the U.S. Open trophy; he gave it a big kiss.

Golf Channel’s Steve Sands, in a trim navy suit, swooped in for a round of questioning. He asked about DeChambeau’s transformation, but DeChambeau followed his own script — he thanked his sponsors first and then his team, with particular care for Chris Como:

“He has done so many great things for me this past year, going through this body transformation, changing my whole golf swing, inspiring me to hit it farther, as far as I can, and he ultimately has allowed me to have the confidence to go forward with that thought process, go forward and attack it and not be fearful of it and try and gain speed and try and press the status quo.

“So I’d be remiss to not say thank you for everything you’ve done, Chris. It’s been an amazing journey, and to many more for sure.”

DeChambeau was feeling thankful. He thanked Pak for asking his perspective (“that was pretty special”) and he thanked the USGA for a terrific tournament, and he thanked the Winged Foot staff and grounds crew, particularly those who kept the lights on for his late-night range sessions.

But that was still just the beginning. When you win a major championship, you’re asked about 100 times what it all means before you’re even allowed a deep breath to think about what it might mean. DeChambeau posed for photos with the trophy with the clubhouse, and then he hammed it up for some sunset shots by the 18th green, and then took a few with various members of his team.

Next was the winner’s press conference, open to the media at large. Typically, a major winner’s presser is held in the expanses of the media center’s interview room, but with all interviews happening outside various masked reporters took their turn asking from stand-up microphones, and DeChambeau played all the hits. He expressed his pride in the process (“So many times I relied on science, and it worked every single time”), his next equipment experiment (“I’m going to be trying a 48-inch driver”), his putting gains (“I was dead last when I came out on Tour… I’m inside the top 10 now”), his weight gains (“6’1, 230-235”) and how he’d describe his win to the USGA (“He’s hitting it forever. That’s why he won. I mean, it was a tremendous advantage this week.”).

DeChambeau has always been bigger than you’d think in person, but now he’s much more that way. Sure, the announcers get carried away talking about him looking like a linebacker, but it’s not so unreasonable — the average NFL linebacker is 6’2, 245, just a shade thicker (and likely slightly quicker). DeChambeau sipped on an Orgain protein shake as he answered questions. A USGA staffer asked if he wanted food and his agent ordered a steak on his behalf: filet, medium, salt and pepper.

But first, more interviews. A hit on SiriusXM. A message for Rolex. A stop-off with Barstool. The car wash!

The herd headed inside Winged Foot’s clubhouse, which is one moat away from a castle and particularly dramatic at night. One large room had been set aside as a dramatic studio; that’s where DeChambeau did a series of sitdowns: Golf Channel. The Today Show. CNN. He told some stories I’d heard before, but they had renewed meaning in this context, particularly one: When his father was battling through dialysis, they turned to Finding Nemo for inspiration. “Just keep swimming” became a family mantra.

I turned to Olson midway through and remarked how I was struck by the sheer volume of it all. So many stops! So many questions! So many reactions! He was nonplussed.

“It’s pretty much like this whenever he wins,” he said. Winning sounds tiring.

After one emotional moment, Olson swept in and called for a break. Time for some food. DeChambeau made it to Winged Foot’s bar and ordered a water; he’s not one for alcohol. His filet arrived, side of crispy potatoes, plus a supplemental slice of pizza from Sal’s, a Mamaroneck staple. He washed that down with another Orgain.

The giddiness had started to wear off, but if exhaustion was (understandably) setting in, it had the effect of settling DeChambeau down. For a golfer who is literally never satisfied, was this contentment?

His work still wasn’t done, but it was close: Two more hits, one for the USGA and the other for ESPN’s Scott van Pelt. It was 9 p.m. now, and it was finally time to celebrate.

The afterparty was at Trump National GC Westchester, in Briarcliff Manor, some 20 miles north of Winged Foot, DeChambeau has a close relationship with the Trump family and Trump Organization Executive Vice President Larry Glick; he’s one of several pros who sports the “Trump” logo on his golf bag and has played at several of their properties.

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Eric Trump played the role of host and hype man, introducing DeChambeau like a conquering hero as he entered the grill room, trophy in hand. The two most famous men in the room made for quite the side-by-side: Eric, who’s 6’5 and lanky, next to Bryson, who’s 6’1 and not.

Tim Tucker, DeChambeau’s caddie, gave a rousing speech (“My guy played his butt off!”) and DeChambeau re-thanked his loyal squad, one by one, Brett and Chris and Tim and as the group — a small crew comprised mostly of friends and club members — roared in approval.

DeChambeau mingled with some of the guests. He snagged another Orgain — Olson always has them on hand — and ordered another filet, too. He even had some wine.

The Seahawks-Patriots game was on one television, but the bartender flipped the adjacent screen to Golf Channel, where a replay of the golf was coming on. Suddenly, there was Mike Tirico on the screen holding the trophy while DeChambeau clutched it in real life, and everybody cheered again.

It was a low-key gathering, as most are these days. There were congratulations, pictures, jokes, cocktails. DeChambeau kept repeating how happy he felt. With him, it’s usually pretty easy to tell.

Numbers dwindled as the evening wore on; DeChambeau’s grins turned into yawns. Eventually, he slipped out to sleep at a suite on property. He had an after-afterparty to attend: He was eager to show his gratitude to fans more directly. DeChambeau and the U.S. Open trophy headed off into the night to fire up a thank-you Twitch stream.

A new major champion, indeed.

The post Inside Bryson DeChambeau’s joyous U.S. Open celebration appeared first on Golf.

The post The irons Bryson DeChambeau used to conquer Winged Foot’s brutal rough appeared first on Golf.

The post The irons Bryson DeChambeau used to conquer Winged Foot’s brutal rough appeared first on Golf.

Sure, Bryson was bombs away all week at Winged Foot, and to a stunning degree of success given the conditions. But the REAL reason behind his first major championship victory might surprise you.

DeChambeau ranked 7th in the field in driving distance at the U.S. Open. Good enough to finish near the top of the leaderboard? Yes. But certainly not enough to justify an acute strategic advantage. No, where Bryson truly separated himself from the field was with his iron play.

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He ranked first in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach (6.98) for the week, a strong indicator for ball-striking ability. And that number is even more impressive precisely because of his performance off the tee. Bryson ranked at the very top of the field for his second-shot ability despite playing a plurality of his approaches from deviously thick rough.

So how did he do it? Well, in part thanks to his Cobra King Speedzone and Forged Tour irons, which marry forgiveness with Bryson’s incredibly specific performance demands. DeChambeau splits his bag between distance irons (King Speedzone) and scoring irons (Forged Tour), trading forgiveness with precision as each shot dictates.

On his King Speedzone low irons, an all-new carbon-fiber topline positions weight lower in the head for forgiveness, working in tandem with forged inserts to maximize each club’s trampoline effect. While his Forged Tour irons feature a vibration-dampening TPU insert to help him find consistent, repeatable distances, regardless of rough length.

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Cobra King Forged Tour Irons

King Forged Tour is a handsome stick that feels sweet and does a very good job of handling your misses. It gives players a real opportunity to hit more greens.

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The post The irons Bryson DeChambeau used to conquer Winged Foot’s brutal rough appeared first on Golf.

The post PHOTOS: Tiger Woods’ first public design, Payne’s Valley, is stunning appeared first on Golf.

The post PHOTOS: Tiger Woods’ first public design, Payne’s Valley, is stunning appeared first on Golf.

The Payne’s Valley Cup is an 18-hole charity exhibition that will have Woods and Justin Thomas battle Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose at Payne’s Valley, which is the newest addition to Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Mo.

Payne’s Valley pays tribute to Ozarks native and World Golf Hall-of-Famer Payne Stewart, who died in 1999. Woods has a growing design portfolio, but this is his first public course. The Payne’s Valley Cup gives him the perfect opportunity to show it off to the public and raise money in the process, with proceeds going to the Payne Stewart Family Foundation.

“I couldn’t be prouder of how it turned out,” Woods said in a release. “It was an honor for me and my TGR Design team to work with [Big Cedar Lodge founder] Johnny Morris and Big Cedar Lodge on this spectacular golf course. I am thrilled that it will be featured during the Payne’s Valley Cup.”

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Payne’s Valley, which had limited holes open for preview play last year, also has a par-3 19th “bonus hole” that was designed by Morris. The course is the latest edition to Big Cedar Lodge’s plethora of options. Four other courses already traverse the sprawling property: a pair of 18-hole courses designed by Tom Fazio (Buffalo Ridge Springs) and Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw (Ozarks National), and par-3 courses designed by Jack Nicklaus (Top of the Rock) and Gary Player (Mountain Top).

Take a tour of Payne’s Valley by clicking through the photos above or below.

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The post PHOTOS: Tiger Woods’ first public design, Payne’s Valley, is stunning appeared first on Golf.