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As someone with (next to) no football knowledge, I had absolutely no plan when it came to drafting my Fantasy team, so I went with the “golf crossovers” method. Deebo Samuel? He wore a Tiger Woods mock neck under his jersey one time, so I took him. Michael Thomas? Oh, you mean a guy with the same name as Justin Thomas’ dad and coach? Drafted. I personally would not recommend this method to anyone, but what’s done is done.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams’ touchdown celebration was a nod to golf.

And Detroit is turning into the sports world’s comeback city!

Love it. But I also love what else happened this weekend in the golf world, where we had two pro engagements over the weekend. Let’s get right into it.

Matthew Fitzpatrick gets engaged

We’ll start off with 2022 U.S. Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, who got engaged to Katherine Gaal in Bayhead, N.J. under a beautiful floral arch.

Look at that! Color coordination and the perfect background for photos. Really well done, Fitz.

Unfortunately for us, Gaal is private on Instagram, so these photos are as good as we’ll do. (Kidding, the future Mrs. Fitz can do whatever she wants.)

She is, however, described as an “extremely hardworking and ambitious individual who is able to work exceptionally well in a fast-paced, demanding environment” on her LinkedIn page. I look forward to more photos of the newly engaged couple together on their pre-honeymoon to Rome for the Ryder Cup in a few weeks.

Akshay Bhatia proposes

Fitzpatrick wasn’t the only professional golfer to propose last week. Akshay Bhatia and Presleigh Schultz (who is hilarious on TikTok, by the way) dressed to the nines and got engaged in Napa Valley. Props to Bhatia for repping the brand while in a suit. Nothing screams “company man” quite like a Callaway Chrome Soft hat while you’re on one knee.

If you’re not familiar with their (modern) love story, check out this video from Schultz’s time on Bhatia’s bag.

Also, here’s some ring content for those hoping to take a closer look.

Team USA’s Rome trip

The U.S. Ryder Cup team headed to Rome for a brief scouting trip over the weekend, and despite all the cool content, the biggest takeaway here was that some people didn’t know you could take a weekend trip overseas! But before we get into that, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the team’s willingness to be photographed while getting off an eight-hour flight. I am my most disheveled when de-boarding an aircraft.

Something about navy shorts and a collared shirt just screams Catholic school uniform to me, but these guys look sharp!

I know this definitely isn’t Catholic school, though, because Brooks Koepka’s hair length would definitely break some sort of rule. He’s looking like his 2017 self, which means the rest of the golf world should be very, very scared.

Shoutout to Jim Furyk for sporting his 1999 Ryder Cup uniform from Brookline. Can we please bring those shirts back at some point? They’re phenomenal.

Okay, so here’s where things get interesting. It’s very clear from the above caption that the Rome trip ended after two or so days.

The Ryder Cup Instagram account even posted a video of the plane taking the squad back to the United States, but when U.S. team members Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas showed up in New York on Monday, people truly could not believe it.

Everyone was trying to “well, actually” live photos of Fowler and Thomas (something my therapist says is not a useful way to spend time, but I guess anything goes on the internet). I’ll admit that this might be my favorite type of comment when it comes to golf: people who try to correct others despite being totally wrong. You’ve just gotta admire the confidence.

Anyway, Team USA is safely back on home turf and will return to Rome soon enough.

Xander Schauffele’s monologue

Xander Schauffele may not have been on the scouting trip in Rome last weekend, but he was a hot topic on golf Twitter (or should I say Golf X?) when he uploaded the most … interesting sponsored post I’ve ever seen.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was some sort of “we’re holding you hostage until you do this ad-read” situation. That might have been a smart move on Schauffele’s part, though, because it definitely got people talking. Perhaps more than they would had he just uploaded a more natural video of him speaking about DraftKings! Thankfully, Schauffele’s wife, Maya, took to Instagram to share the real reason behind the quirky video: Xander simply couldn’t keep a straight face.

Sir Nick throws shade?

Sir Nick Faldo and his wife, Lindsay, recently shared the following video to their shared Twitter account.

Not only is Faldo sporting a “Shark Fishing” t-shirt, but he doesn’t mind pointing out his past shark fishing — the kind done at Rae’s Creek in Augusta, Ga. — actually went … pretty well.

“April 1996 was my last shark hunt,” he said. “I did well. I didn’t need a bigger boat, if you know what I mean. The boat was big enough.”

Shots fired! There’s taking digs, and then there’s taking digs that reference to the 1996 Masters. I have to admit that I am all-in on this recent era of golfers over 50 stirring the pot a little bit. It keeps things interesting, not to mention it’s wildly entertaining and funny. I can’t help but wonder how Greg Norman reacted to seeing this video and if the two have been in touch at all. I’m willing to bet that they haven’t spoken.

Photo of the week

Before I let you go, I want to take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate my favorite photo of the week. Despite a handful of great photos and posts from the U.S. Ryder Cup team’s trip to Rome, this spectator at the Ascension Charity Classic takes the cake. It’s one thing to dress like Rickie Fowler at a golf tournament (if you’re under 14 years old, that is), but it’s another to go full-out in a John Daly outfit. From the hair to the Diet Coke, this kid absolutely nailed it.

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She seemed to disagree. When I explained that she was sporting a hand-me-down from the top-ranked golfer on earth, she hardly flinched. “Ok,” she said, apparently uninterested.

To each their own!

There may not have been a PGA Tour event over the weekend, but there was still plenty going on in golf. Let’s get into it. We’ll start out in St. Andrews for the Walker Cup, where Hatgate (the British press thought the “W” on the American team’s hats stood for “win” instead of “Walker”) ended in a dramatic U.S. victory at the Old Course.

That was definitely a positive golf moment this weekend. A not-so positive moment occurred when Anne van Dam’s driver snapped in the middle of her drive to a playoff hole at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.

Proceed to the below images and video with caution, because it’s painful to watch.

I sympathize for van Dam here, but I (unfortunately) empathize with our pal the cart driver. One time in middle school I walked up to my teacher’s desk during a test and knocked over a hand-painted ceramic bowl that her daughter had made for her. My teacher, along with the 15 other kids in my class, gasped as the bowl shattered into a million pieces. Sure, it didn’t cost my teacher the Women’s Irish Open, but that untimely broken object cost me a good night’s sleep. I still remember it 15 years later, and I’m betting our cart driver will too.

If the driver is reading this, I hope they know not to worry. Mistakes happen — and I’ve been told the embarrassment really fades at the 20-year mark.

(Side note: my co-worker and pal Dylan Dethier made a great point here. Knowing what we know now, should we have gone easier on Bryson after his great rope incident of 2022?)

What the U.S. Ryder Cup team is up to

With the Tour Championship behind us and the Ryder Cup just a few weeks away, the U.S. Ryder Cup team has been working hard over the last week or so. We’ll start with Xander Schauffele, whose wife photographed him pumping some iron last week.

Now that’s what proper Ryder Cup preparation looks like. Well, that and a few dozen red, white and blue outfits to wear on the course.

At the end of a long pro golf season, it’s nice to see the pros are finding some time to relax. (Question: is watching college football relaxing?) Justin Thomas attended the Alabama football game over the weekend while Sam Burns threw on an LSU jersey and cheered on his alma mater from home.

I’m fully expecting crowds like Tuscaloosa when I attend Boston College-Holy Cross this upcoming weekend.

And what’s a long weekend without some errands? I’m not sure if the Morikawas are planning to knit blankets for the whole U.S. Ryder Cup team with that yarn, but they definitely have enough to do so.

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the fact that Morikawa is sporting head-to-toe Adidas gear at his local Hobby Lobby. Some might say he was coming off a practice session; I say he’s that committed to the brand.

I’m also willing to bet the Morikawas are the type of people who return their shopping cart to its designated spot, which we all know is the ultimate litmus test for being a good person.

Suzy Whaley and Mark Wahlberg join forces

Is this the golf crossover we didn’t know we needed? Current President of Golf Nation and former PGA of America president Suzy Whaley and Hollywood’s very own Mark Wahlberg held a putting clinic last week at Detroit Golf Club.

From his insanely cool backyard to his partnership with Abe Ancer, it’s no secret that Wahlberg is a huge golf guy. He and Whaley teamed up for an awesome cause last week at the Children’s Miracle Celebrity Invitational benefiting the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and Beaumont Children’s Network, which you can learn all about here.

Joaquin Niemann gets hitched

LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann got engaged in late July, and he and his fiancee Christina Hellema Puga tied the knot in La Serena, Chile over the weekend.

Massive props to them for the quick turnaround on this production. Or maybe the wedding was planned ahead of the engagement? Who knows! Either way, I was very pleasantly surprised to see their wedding photos among the many pieces of Labor Day weekend wedding content on my Instagram feed when I was in the depths of my social media scrolling over the weekend.

Their wedding looked like an absolute blast, and Niemann’s pals Mito and Antonia Pereira were in attendance.

This photo really made me miss their Full Swing episode, where we got to take a look at life inside one of their rental houses while on the road.

Gorgeous photos! Niemann even posted his Instagram carousel with an instrumental version of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car, which is really sweet if you totally forget the lyrics and focus on the tune instead.

Max Homa the Prom King

I was kind of (very) confused when U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson referred to Max Homa as the team’s “prom king” last week. Was that his midwestern way of calling someone cool?

I’ll have to ask for clarification on that at some point, but for now let’s go with it, because that’s exactly what Homa’s pals did when his wife, Lacey, threw him a surprise party to celebrate him making the team.

They even went so far as to get him a sash! I bet whoever sold that thing online is very confused as to why a 32-year-old professional golfer is wearing it, but I sincerely hope it makes its way to Rome. I’m sure it would be a hit in the team room.

Take a look at the surprise (and wholesome video) Lacey put together for Max.

Another Tiger sighting

Another week, another Tiger sighting! I hate to admit that this photo of Mr. Woods watching Charlie play in an event didn’t stir up any emotions for me. I usually get super excited to dissect any and all Tiger content, but we haven’t gotten much more than a few photos of the 15-time major champion walking around in recent months.

I’m not tired of these photos per se, but I need something new and different in the upcoming months. Thankfully I always have the TaylorMade holiday shoot content to look forward to.

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Before we get to all of that, some personal news: I finally got a passport! That means I, like Justin Thomas, am good to go to Rome. Thank you to my coworkers who motivated me through pure doubt — it definitely helped push me across the finish line. Going through all the steps is exhausting! Or maybe (and more likely) I am in a lifelong battle with logistics.

Now let’s get to the less important stuff.

An honorable ace

American soccer player Ashley Hatch’s husband, Jeff Van Buren, recently made a hole-in-one, and they made the perfect video to capture its importance.

Hatch cleared part of her trophy wall to honor Van Buren’s incredible feat, which is now officially up there with an ESPY, so it’s in very good company.

In other hole-in-one news, I was working from my parents’ house last week when I heard a handful of men screaming. I (a worrier) ran outside thinking someone was hurt, but found a four men jumping up and down on the third tee box at Wannamoisett Country Club. Someone had made an ace!

Shout out to the acemaker’s pals for recording the whole scene on the green. I just hope my first hole-in-one has the same level of content capture…

Tiger’s new course

Tiger Woods (golf course architect version) is back. He and Mike Trout shared an update from Trout National with a fun little hype video.

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about course design (sorry, Donald Ross), I don’t have much to say about the land in the video. I see tractors and lots of dirt though, which seems like a good start. I instead decided to focus on a certain 15-time major champion in the clip.

As always, Eldrick looks very cool.

I must admit, however, that I’m a little sad to see that he has parted ways with his usual course-designer attire.

Over the last decade we’ve seen Woods rock some very memorable outfits while watching his courses come to life. The baggy light-wash jeans combined with the white golf belt is forever etched in my brain as one of the most “dad” outfits Woods has even worn. And now? We can’t tell if Tiger is going to tee it up at Augusta National or check out the routing of a new track. That, to me, is a shame.

Phil Mickelson’s Augusta National theft

I’ll start this section out with a confession. In 2015, I got so distracted while talking to a friend at the Boston College dining hall that I walked right out without paying for my lunch. I didn’t realize until after I devoured my Tuscan chicken sandwich and was en route to my philosophy class that I had forgotten to pay. I felt so guilty that when I went back two days later, I asked the cashier to charge me for my lunch twice. He laughed and declined while explaining that it wasn’t that big a deal. Crisis averted.

Anyway, Phil Mickelson shared a much more interesting personal theft anecdote last week — a story that took place at the Augusta National. He took a “short game practice only” sign from an Augusta National range during the 2005 and 2006 Masters in order to do his towel drill there. It worked the first year, but he didn’t have the same luck in 2006.

Props to Phil for sneaking in the “I’m not a betting man” line the same week that Billy Walters’ book, Gamblers: Secrets From a Life at Risk, hit stores. I’d pay to see the Augusta National security footage of this happening. Also, as the reigning champion, was Phil wearing his green jacket after the Champions Dinner when this all went down? Part of me wishes he had been caught (not because I’m a tattletale, but) because the story of a security guard thinking they had an intruder only to find out it was Phil Mickelson would’ve been hilarious. Imagine chasing Lefty down?

Rory’s kind gesture

Good guy alert! Rory McIlroy’s golf ball hit a fan in the arm at the Tour Championship (this isn’t the “good guy” part, don’t worry) and thankfully, the spectator lived to tell the tale despite a large bruise. McIlroy walked over to the fan, signed and wrote “sorry” on a glove and then gave it to the guy.

Luckily for us, the victim’s daughter shared the whole story on social media.

There have been a handful of stories about players giving golf balls, signed gloves and even a new phone to fans who have been hit by bad golf shots at Tour events this year. I can’t help but wonder if (assuming they didn’t get too hurt) this is sort of a genius move. Sure, you get a bruise. But you also get to meet a pro, you collect some sort of souvenir and you get a story for life. I hate to admit that it totally seems worth it.

Viktor Hovland’s wholesome hug

We all know that Viktor Hovland is playing some incredible golf right now, so I won’t bore you by doubling down on that storyline. Instead, I want to talk about my very favorite moment from the Tour Championship, which lasted about two full seconds on my television screen. Just moments after Hovland secured his victory at East Lake, he was seen embracing a state patrol officer as he walked off the green and toward the scoring tent.

I had some fun with the moment on Twitter (maybe I should say X now? I’ll get there eventually, but it just doesn’t feel right yet), but it allowed me to get the full story from someone online.

How cool is that? I am now a big fan of two men named Butch in the golf industry: Harmon and this gentleman from the State Patrol. And not to get too serious, but I love this moment for what it represents. It encapsulates the exact reason why I love golf so, so much — because of the unlikely friendships that come out of it and the way it brings people together. Not all of my pals are from the golf world, but the sport seems to be an underlying theme in many of my friendships. Whether we met at an event, have a mutual friend in golf or simply enjoy watching the same pros tee it up, golf has connected me with so many great people over the last [age redacted] years. In the wild, it’d be pretty unlikely that a kid from Norway who now resides in Oklahoma and a Georgia state patrol officer would hit it off. In golf, it just makes sense.

The U.S. Ryder Cup Team’s Zoom backgrounds

All eyes were on Zach Johnson (and social media) on Tuesday morning as the United States Ryder Cup captain made his picks for Rome.

We already know that Johnson went with Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka. So let’s use this space to take a closer look at what the heck was going on during the captain’s picks Zoom call this morning.

We’ll start at the top left, with Mr. Sam Burns.

Burns looks like the ultimate frat star here. He’s rocking a mullet and an Augusta National polo. This isn’t the kind of shirt you get at the merchandise center at Augusta National. You can only get it from the club’s pro shop, which is a huge flex. Plus he’s got a a staff bag and a signed Presidents Cup flag behind him. All in all, I give his Zoom presentation an eight out of 10.

We’ll skip over the captain and check out Rickie Fowler’s setup next.

The beloved Fowler got a little festive on Tuesday morning! If you look closely, you’ll see that he’s rocking a Ryder Cup t-shirt. Aside from the captain himself, Fowler is the only one in some sort of Ryder Cup swag, which earns him some extra points. That, plus the fact that his wall is decked out in golf swing art, makes his Zoom meeting setup the best one here. Ten out of 10 for Mr. Fowler.

On to the second row! Let’s take a look at Brooks Koepka’s Zoom situation.

Koepka is a brand-new dad, so the fact that his hair is grown out, he isn’t clean-shaven and he looks a little overtired makes total sense. What doesn’t make total sense is that white sculpture in the background. Or it didn’t make sense to me (as a non-art history major) until I did a quick Google search. It appears to be The Winged Victory of Samothrace, or the Nike of Samothrace, which (again, according to Google) represents the goddess of Victory about to alight on a ship whose sailors have just won a sea battle. So basically, this is the perfect thing for a man who is sponsored by Nike and is about to head into battle to have in his living room.

Sorry if I went too far there, I’ve spent the last year or so trying to decode every move Taylor Swift has made so it just comes naturally at this point. At a first glance, Koepka’s background might earn him a generous four out of 10. After figuring out the sculpture, he gets an 11 out of 10. Also, imagine if Koepka’s walls were covered with Smash GC signage? That would’ve really gotten people talking.

On to two-time major champion Collin Morikawa.

This Zoom setup screams “in a virtual college lecture in April of 2020” to me. I’ll be honest, Morikawa didn’t give us much to work with here. He’s got his AirPods in while sitting on a couch with some nicely decorated throw pillows in front of a couple of windows. He looks extremely attentive which, again, makes it look like he’s in class. I’ll give him a solid 6.5 out of 10.

Let’s move on to Jordan Spieth’s Zoom background.

This one says “mature homeowner” to me. We can’t see a lot, but what we can see definitely leaves us wanting more. The cabinets look sleek, the floor is clean, the brown bag in the bottom right shows that the house is lived in and we get the sense that the Spieths are into funky wallpaper from the left side of the frame. Company man Jordan Spieth is rocking an Under Armour hoodie, which makes the whole thing feel relaxed and casual. I give this a nine out of 10, taking away a point because Spieth’s setup is missing some sort of AT&T “it can wait” campaign sign.

And finally, we’re on to Justin Thomas.

I’m not gonna lie, JT looks tired here. Can you blame him? He said he’s had a lot of sleepless nights waiting to learn if he’s on the Ryder Cup team. And then when he found out he was on it last night, he couldn’t sleep due to excitement. Anyways, let’s take a quick peek into JT’s living room.

This Zoom setup is one I like a lot because I can see a lot! We’ve got the television mounted above the fireplace, shelves with lots of fun decor and even some exposed beams. JT appears to stick to neutral colors in his home, which is very different from the Greyson Clothiers apparel he rocks on the course. Interesting! Justin Thomas gets a 10 out of 10 solely due to the fact that he let us see so much of his living room.

That’s all for this week, folks. I look forward to seeing the Zoom backgrounds of Luke Donald and, like, Adrian Meronk next week.

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You know what they say: a security guard’s worst nightmare is a golf fan’s treasure, or something like that. I’m not sure how exactly this happened, and I have no idea if it would fly in 2023.

But back to this upcoming week. Huge shoutout to Layna Finau for explaining how the staggered start works to those who don’t follow professional golf 365 days a year.

I don’t have a formed opinion on the Tour Championship format, so please do not ask me about it. But coming off a weekend of following the U.S. Amateur, I will say that I think match play is awesome and I’d like to see more of it in the future. Definitely in the Olympics, and maybe even at East Lake one day. And speaking of the U.S. Amateur, Nick Dunlap put on quite a show at Cherry Hills last week.

And even better, his college teammates were there to see it all happen.

Before I get into all of the action from last week, I just recently learned that ISPS Handa World Invitational champion Alexa Pano is sponsored by the New England Patriots, which is so, so cool.

It makes me wonder who the best unconventional sponsor would be. A friend of mine used to be sponsored by a bar in South Boston, which was definitely fun. I think I’d want to be sponsored by Trader Joe’s or whatever brand makes hair ties — as I seem to go through a lot of those things.

Jordan Spieth’s birthday beverage

Jordan Spieth‘s 30th was a few weeks ago, but Rome (and my internet sleuthing skills) wasn’t built in a day. Please forgive me for just discovering this superb video of Jordan Spieth on stage at a Midland concert on his birthday.

First off, the band referred to Spieth as “one of the greatest golfers in the entire world” and said he’s accomplished more at 30 than the whole crowd combined before getting the place to wish him a happy birthday. I need someone to start hyping me up the way the band hyped up the 13-time PGA Tour winner. My main focus of this video isn’t the words of affirmation, though. Can we discuss the eagle funnel he is chugging out of? So patriotic of the (likely) 2023 U.S. Ryder Cupper! That thing better find its way into the Team USA locker room in Rome.

Full disclaimer: I had no idea what he was originally drinking out of, but after a quick Google search, I believe I came across the exact one. Here’s a link to it. You’re welcome for all the commission, Jeff Bezos.

A Tiger Woods sighting

It has been entirely too long since we’ve last seen (or heard from) Tiger Woods. Or so I thought, until this weekend, when junior golfer Tien Do teed it up in a Florida State Golf Association event alongside Charlie Woods. And who was there to follow the action? The 15-time major champion himself.

It’s a quick video, so allow me to present you with some (low quality) screenshots of it.

We’ve still got the leg compression sleeve going, but Tiger seems to have traded in his FootJoys for some flip flops. At least for the weekend. The junior golfer also got a photo with Tiger (jealous) and an autograph on his hat.

Folks, allow this post to serve as a warning to you all. All Tiger content is great, but it would make my job a lot easier if things weren’t so blurry. Please allow me to dissect each image the way I was meant to — in HD.

Grandma Susie

The BMW Championship had a very special guest last week when Grandma Susie, an extremely dedicated golf fan, attended her first PGA Tour event. It all started in 2020 when a handful of pros came together to wish Susie a happy 100th (!) birthday.

She graced Olympia Fields with her presence last week and got to catch up with Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Rickie Fowler.

Grandma Susie doesn’t answer her phone when the golf is on, which I can definitely relate to. I’d love to hang out with her and chat all things PGA Tour! Also, I hope to be just like her when I grow up.

Bryson at the U.S. Amateur

2015 U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau headed to Cherry Hills last week to take in the action and show some support for the players, which I absolutely love.

Some of my absolute favorite golf moments have come from when the pros are watching other people play golf — whether it’s a competitor, a junior at the Augusta National Drive, Chip and Putt or a person on the range. So huge props to DeChambeau for making the trip to Denver. He ended up putting on a show and hitting balls with a persimmon at Cherry Hills, which is like, the cool pro golf version of when college freshmen head back to their high school over Thanksgiving break to show everybody what they’ve been up to.

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Let’s start with an admission: Last summer I played a round so poorly it caused me to take almost whole year off from playing. But now? Now I have made my official return to the game of golf. I’ve been hitting balls after work and teeing it up with my little brother who, lucky me, has plenty of patience for me and my mishits. Other than that, not much is new on my end. I’m looking forward to getting back on the road for work in a few weeks, seeing my coworkers in person again and bringing some real-life golf sights and sounds your way.

Let’s talk golf! Congratulations to Lilia Vu on her second major victory of the season (!) as well as to Lucas Glover on his second win in a row on Tour.

That’s some impressive play. Heck, playing at all seemed impressive to me, considering just how hot it was in Memphis at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

I learned something new this week: caddies don’t have to wear their bibs if it’s over 100 degrees out! I feel like perhaps players should be able to wear shorts at that temperature as well, but that’s an argument for another day.

Props to all the players and caddies who were out there enduring the heat in Memphis. I refuse to tee it up if it’s under 60 degrees or over like, 82 degrees, so I simply (and luckily) cannot relate to having to endure such conditions. I can’t imagine it’s much fun!

The pros meet St. Jude patients

Calvin, a St. Jude patient, finally got to meet Max Homa — two years after Calvin designed some golf shoes for Homa! — in Memphis last week.

Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm teamed up with St. Jude patients for a skills challenge last week, and it was one of the most wholesome things I’ve ever seen.

More of this, please!

Lucas Glover’s jokes

Lucas Glover has taken his game to the next level in the past few weeks, and lucky for us fans, that means we’ve gotten to experience some of his dry humor. I have no idea if the 2009 U.S. Open champion even knows if he’s being funny, but his quick remarks in the press center have made me a big fan regardless.

Moments after his win on Sunday, he told Amanda Balionis Renner that he would’ve “hired her a therapist” had she told him he’d win in back-to-back weeks on the PGA Tour two months ago.

Something about his laid back demeanor and southern drawl makes his one-liners even funnier. I’m looking forward to more of Lucas Glover!

Tom Kim’s capris

Tom Kim went viral at Oak Hill after he fell in a swamp and ended up taking a mud bath.

He finished his round with his pants cuffed way up, and like any good viral moment, it was forgotten about too quickly. Many of us thought we’d never see a weird Tom Kim pants situation again.

Well folks, many of us were wrong. It was so muddy at the FedEx St. Jude Championship that Tom Kim once again decided to cuff his pants, and people freaked out.

Turns out he wanted to avoid another Oak Hill situation, and he might be on to something. His pants were much cleaner than that of some of his competitors by the end of the round.

I’m also wondering if this could be sort of a loophole for the “no shorts” rule going forward. I’ll have to ask a lawyer.

The Sims-Koepka baby!

Jena Sims and Brooks Koepka welcomed their first child, Crew, on July 27.

Crew arrived six weeks early and is spending time in the NICU. Sims and Koepka had a baby shower planned for July 29, and decided to donate the party to a local charity, Quantum House, instead of canceling it. Quantum house is a place for kids to stay while they receive treatment for serious medical conditions. The kids got to enjoy the catering, decorations and party that were originally meant for the baby shower. How awesome is that? Check out the video below for how it all went down.

Eddie Pepperell’s dig at Lee Westwood

Now for some less wholesome content. Both Eddie Pepperell and Lee Westwood have been known to be pretty outspoken on Twitter, especially since the start of LIV Golf. There’s a lot to follow here, so let me break down the drama for you.

As you know, LIV golfers are not getting Official World Golf Ranking points right now. So Westwood “laughed” at the current OWGR updates over the weekend.

And that was when Eddie Pepperell chimed in, saying what’s really laughable is the fact that Westwood made a ton of money shooting 20-over par at a LIV event.

Then they started going back and forth, with Pepperell saying that professional golf has become all about money, which Westwood never really denied.

Anyway, this kept me occupied for a few solid hours which is all we can really ask for when it comes to golf Twitter spats. As always, I’m curious how this will get resolved — if it ever does. Will Westwood and Pepperell laugh about it when they cross paths next? Ignore each other? I’m not sure how the post-quarrel protocol works in golf. With siblings, you ignore each other until one of you is hungry enough to ask if the other wants to go get food. And then the argument is over, never to be acknowledged again. I’m not sure I can picture Westwood and Pepperell driving to go get a McDonald’s coke together, but maybe they should give it a try.

Spieth shares a sandwich

There’s nothing better than a peanut butter sandwich on the golf course (unless of course, you are allergic to nuts like two of my siblings). When a fan asked what Jordan Spieth was having for a snack on Saturday in Memphis, Spieth offered the guy half of his peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich!

In the middle of a round during the playoffs! On one of the hottest days of the year! What a guy. I can’t help but wonder if the fan’s golf game will improve after having some of Spieth’s food in the same way that Calvin Cambridge becomes a stellar basketball player after finding Michael Jordan’s old basketball sneakers in Like Mike. If we see that fan competing in the U.S. Open in 2024 (or at least, like, winning the second flight at his club championship) we know who to thank.

My running list of golfers who have attended the Eras Tour

Not only am I mourning the end of golf’s major season after last week, but I’m also mourning the end of the first leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. However, knowing that there are a few golfers who attended (and appreciated) the Eras Tour makes me feel a little better.

First off we have Max and Lacey Homa, who took a trip to Los Angeles to see Swift’s concert. Shout-out to Lacey for documenting the whole thing on TikTok.

In terms of being recognized, I feel like a Taylor Swift concert is a pretty safe place for a professional golfer. I can’t image there’s too much overlap in the Venn Diagram that is Taylor Swift and PGA Tour fans (although I’m working hard to change that), and everyone there is so focused on Taylor Swift’s every movement that they might not even notice anyway.

Next up we have Kyle Stanley, who also really seemed to enjoy his time at the concert. He gets extra points for using Bejeweled lyrics as his Instagram caption.

And while she’s not a PGA Tour player herself, she is golf royalty so I’ve got to give Layna Finau a shout out for attending the concert as well.

Here’s to the next leg of the Eras Tour — and the last few weeks of the PGA Tour season.

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The post Masters tickets, Harman’s homecoming and a major DQ | Rogers Report appeared first on Golf.

My cool dad

The results of the Masters ticket lottery arrived last week, and for the first time ever I actually knew people who won. One of my pals from college got tickets as well as a family friend and even my dad! My family group chat was very active upon learning this news, and I even offered to help my dad decide which of my four siblings he should take by suggesting they apply for the +1 position.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the next morning that my dad revealed that after 10 years of applying for 2-4 tickets, he decided to switch things up this year and just request one. He thought he’d have a better chance of winning this way and it would save him the headache of deciding who to take.

So congratulations to my dad on the ticket and for tactfully avoiding a Rogers family fight.

Harman’s homecoming

Open Championship winner Brian Harman returned to Sea Island after his victory at Royal Liverpool late last week.

The first thing I notice here is not the Claret Jug, but the fact that Harman flew on one of those planes that has steps for you to get off right at the tarmac. I’ve wanted to do that ever since I saw Lindsay Lohan reunite with Dennis Quaid in a similar setting when she returns from camp in The Parent Trap. That kind of arrival, plus the red carpet, is how you know you’re flying in style.

Carlota Ciganda’s wild DQ 

On Friday at the Amundi Evian Championship, Carlota Ciganda was penalized for slow play and eventually disqualified when she signed a scorecard that didn’t reflect the penalty. The fiasco was explained extremely well by my coworker Zephyr Melton. Then Ciganda took to social media to share her side of the story.

So obviously this is bad in terms of golf, but I do think Ciganda might be on to something extraordinary here. Imagine if you just refused to accept your fate whenever you got in trouble? Parents mad at you? No they’re not! Boss unhappy with your performance and wants to meet? No thanks! I honestly have to respect this move just a tiny bit, even if the golf course isn’t the place to implement a total disregard of accountability. I’m sure it would work in other aspects of life. Perhaps I’ll put my hypothesis to the test and let you all know.

Senior Open conditions

The weather on Sunday at the Senior Open included 30mph winds and rain which made for the highest scores in the event in 30 years (!!!) and more importantly, some hilarious photos.

One of the few blessings that comes with awful weather is the fact that you’re allowed to stop caring what you look like in order to stay warm and dry. Thankfully, I watched the whole thing from my couch so was as comfortable as could be — far, far away from Royal Porthcawl.

Some gym inspiration for you all

Feeling unmotivated in the gym? Want to get back into a routine but not sure where to start? Look no further than this video of Miguel Angel Jimenez getting some exercise in at the Senior Open.

Bonus points if you hit the gym in golf clothes and loafers.

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The post Pebble Beach drama, Caitlin Clark’s golf game, bachelorette content | Rogers Report appeared first on Golf.

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Just kidding, maybe, but I did get the chance to take a quick trip to Pebble Beach to spend the day with EA Sports PGA Tour. I got to explore the real-life course while also playing the video-game version, so it’s kind of like I got to see Pebble twice. First I played as Danielle Kang with gamer/golfer Daltoosh and Cassandra Meyer. Then we met up with Kang, who was very excited to see herself on the video game.

It was a quick but surreal trip, capped off by my first-ever red-eye flight home, and I lived to tell the tale (passed out immediately and slept the entire way). There’s a LOT of action unfolding at Pebble Beach this week with the U.S. Women’s Open being played there for the first time (!) so let’s get to it, but only after you watch this incredible video of Michelle Wie West looking back on her career before her final event this week.

How special is that? I will admit I teared up while watching it, and can only imagine how it felt for Wie West to relive those moments.

Some awesome U.S. Women’s Open storylines

There are some really incredible storylines playing out at Pebble Beach this week, and while this isn’t the entire list, here are some of my favorites. We’ll start off with Michelle Wie West teeing it up in her last event.

Again, I cannot imagine the emotion she must be feeling this week. I was so sad to say goodbye to high school sports 10 years ago, and this is … absolutely nothing like that. Wie West has dedicated her whole life to the game, and her playing career is about to come to a close!

There are ends and there are beginnings. We have 20-year-old Rose Zhang playing in her very first U.S. Women’s Open as a professional — and 14-year-old Angela Zhang teeing it up as well!

It’s a week of lasts for some and firsts for others, which is what makes events like this so special. Next we have Lexi Thompson, who is playing in her 17th (!) U.S. Women’s Open at just 28 years old.

I’m the same age as Lexi and cannot think of anything productive that I have consistently been doing for 17 years. Golf Digest’s Luke Kerr-Dineen put this into perspective when he noted that 51-year-old Padraig Harrington just played in his 17th U.S. Open.

Amy Olson is teeing it up at Pebble Beach this week while seven months (yes, you read that correctly) pregnant.

If Olson wins this week, is her child also technically a U.S. Open champion? That’s the kind of fun fact that will turn a lot of heads at a future college orientation one day.

Finally, we have Emilia Migliaccio, who is in the field and calling the shots (literally) at Pebble Beach this week. When she’s not teeing it up, she’ll be with featured groups on Peacock.

Superb U.S. Open content

To accompany the storylines at Pebble Beach this week, there’s been some superb social-media content from the U.S. Women’s Open. We’ll start with one of my favorites things of all time: A golf-Taylor Swift crossover.

I really hope that most of you know what this is replicating, but just in case a few of you don’t here’s a helpful side-by-side:

I’m definitely sensing a theme here, because the U.S. Women’s Open commercial features Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams.”

The U.S. Women’s Open has been pumping out superb content all week, so I guess what I’m saying here is that you should definitely follow them on Instagram and Twitter. They had PGA Tour players pick their winners for the week, a married player-caddie duo play a newlyweds game and more!

Caitlin Clark’s Pro-Am debut

We learned the Caitin Clark was a golf fan during Masters week this year, but it wasn’t until this week that we learned she’s got game on the course, too.

The Iowa Hawkeyes star teed it up in the John Deere Classic Pro-Am on Wednesday and started her round by hitting the middle of the fairway.

Is there anything Clark can’t do? She also had a ton of fans following for her round, and then spoke with the media afterwards.

Zach Johnson gave her some pointers on her game, so don’t be surprised when she starts tearing it up in amateur events. Perhaps she has a Pebble Beach Pro-Am in her future? Only time will tell.

Bachelorette content: Nikki Guidish!

We’ve got another professional golf wedding coming up, folks! I’m sure sure exactly when Patrick Cantlay and Nikki Guidish are tying the knot, but I do know that Guidish had her bachelorette party recently. Thank you to Maya Schauffele, who was at the bachelorette and shared the following photos.

There’s nothing like a good theme night on a bachelorette party, so the sparkles were a great choice. I am extremely curious to see what Patrick Cantlay does for his bachelor party! Is he a Vegas guy? A lake guy? I’d love to know, but as someone who doesn’t use social media that much, we might never find out.

Lil Wayne: my favorite golf fan

DJ Khaled has gotten a lot of love lately in the golf world. He was on the cover of Golf Digest recently and is always posting videos from the course talking about his love for the game. That’s all good as long as we don’t overlook another celebrity who is super into golf as well: Lil Wayne. Not only was he psyched for Rickie Fowler and his win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he has a history of following golf very closely.

There are currently no photos of Lil Wayne on a golf course on Getty Images, but I hope that changes very soon. Weezy, assuming you are a loyal Rogers Report reader, please know that I’d love to hang at an event. Let me know and we can make something happen.

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This was my second week in a row getting outfitted by Adidas, which made packing for two weeks on the road a lot easier. Here are some of my favorite items I sported at Baltusrol.

All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

PINTUCK PULL-ON PANTS

$100

Bring a sleek look to your game in these adidas golf pants. The soft, lightweight fabric has plenty of stretch to allow a full range of motion, and the wide, fold-over waist gives extra support. The slim-fitting style with pintuck details keeps your look on point on and off the course. Made with a series of recycled materials, and at least 70% recycled content.

SHOP

TOUR BADGE HAT

$28

Bring adidas style to your round with this golf hat. It shades your eyes so you can focus on the pin, and the moisture-wicking sweatband keeps you dry when your game heats up. A lightweight build gives you all-day comfort under the sun.

SHOP

1/4-ZIP GOLF PULLOVER

$80

Sometimes a simple polo shirt doesn’t cut it on a chilly morning or a late afternoon at the course. Throw on this adidas golf pullover before you tee off to keep warm and comfortable through every hole. It’s made of a soft fabric blend with a bit of stretch to let you swing comfortably and ensure a full range of motion.

Buy Now

Okay, let’s get to it.

KPMG PGA Championship

My first time at Baltusrol was at the 2016 PGA Championship. I arrived a young, scared intern with little to offer. I’ve been a few times since, but last week was the first time I felt like I really got to know the course. Speaking of the course, the way Baltusrol got its name is pretty interesting.

I got a handful of DMs after this tweet suggesting that I made up this fact! I invite you to simply google the club to find out more information, because it is a wild story.

Okay, on to the winner. I didn’t know much about Ruoning Yin prior to this week, so I decided to do an old-fashioned investigation (read: Instagram profile scroll) on her. I’m sure you can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that Yin’s profile has just nine posts.

And three of them are from her KPMG win! Luckily, we still learned a thing or two about Ruoning before play concluded on Sunday. My colleague (and pal) Zephyr Melton was on site to hear Yin talk about her love for Steph Curry.

Her first Instagram post is actually of Curry.

Yin has a great sense of humor, too. Her landlord, Xiyu Lin, was also competing at Baltusrol last week (yes, two LPGA pros live together in a tenant-landlord relationship). Lin shed some light on some issues they’ve been having at the house.

I’m going to be very honest here and admit that I’ve never even met my landlord. I just Venmo him once a month and that works for us.

After winning $1.5 million on Sunday, Yin had a great line about how things might change back home.

It’s so wild to think that 20-year-olds are winning major championships. I was home working at a summer camp and sleeping on the top bunk in the room I shared with my little sister at that age.

Rose Zhang

I spent a lot of time following Rose Zhang last week. Her press conference was great — she talked about going from winning the Mizuho Americas Open back to Stanford for finals, studying for a computer science exam, and how her practice schedule has changed a bit now that she has media obligations. Zhang is an absolute blast both to listen to and follow out on the course.

There were dozens of people following her practice round on Wednesday, and then at least 100 following her first round on Thursday morning. She seemed like a seasoned veteran, staying calm between shots and signing autographs.

I couldn’t help but notice that Zhang writes left-handed! She and Tom Kim have something in common other than being young golf superstars.

The Gretzky getaway

The Gretzky-Johnson clan headed to Gozzer ranch in Idaho following the U.S. Open for a little getaway to celebrate Dustin Johnson’s 39th (!) birthday.

It was in Paulina Gretzky’s birthday post for her husband that we got a glimpse of her swing in action out on the course!

Before you armchair golf instructors come after that swing path, I encourage you to do something else! I’m jealous that she has DJ to give her lessons — the same guy who gets lessons from Butch and Claude Harmon. The amount of golf swing knowledge trickling down to her is insane.

A huge thank-you to Paulina for sharing a handful of moments from the weekend on her Instagram stories.

I remain curious how they decided who got to ride shotgun here.

Big birthday celebrations

Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim celebrated their birthdays last Wednesday at the Travelers in the most Hartford, Conn. way possible: by going out for pizza. I spent my 17th birthday in Connecticut for an away basketball game in high school, where my team got crushed. Unfortunately, no pizza was involved. This looked like a superb way to ring in Kim’s 21st birthday and Scheffler’s 27th.

The two golfers then brought the celebration home for some cookies, and the video Kim shared is so, so wholesome. Kim described Scheffler as a “big bro” and “advice-giver” in the caption, which is so great.

Meredith Scheffler woke up extra early to make Scottie breakfast before his pro-am on his birthday, which is extremely kind. I cannot at this moment think of anyone, myself included, who I would wake up at that ungodly hour for.

Keegan Bradley!

Not only did Keegan Bradley have an emotional win at the Travelers on Sunday, he also had an emotional week in Connecticut. He said early on that he was thrilled to have his family in town.

He even took a moment during the first round to say hi to his son Logan and wife Jillian.

Congrats to Keegan, but I firmly believe his sons Logan and Cooper were the real winners of the week. They were given trophies of their own after their dad’s win, and they celebrated like they’ve been doing it for decades.

How good are those poses? This is exactly how I want every Tour winner to pose with the trophy from now on. Shout-out to the Travelers for thinking of the sweetest thing ever. I’m hoping for a lot more Keegan wins solely so we can see more of these two being hilarious in front of the camera.

Jokes aside, the Bradley boys appear as polite as they are funny. Logan referring to Chez Reavie as “Mr. Reavie” here is too good and brings me back to a question that I spend a lot of time on: what do the children in Tiger Woods’ life call him? Are his kids’ friends calling him Mr. Woods? Tiger? Something else? I will not be able to properly rest until I get an answer to that one.

Also, what will Sammy Spieth call JT? Mr. Thomas? Uncle Justin? JT? I’m begging for someone to let me know.

Keegan Bradley finished off the night in the most Boston-adjacent way possible: sipping on a Samuel Adams and listening to the Dropkick Murphys.

JT the hype man

We know two-time major champion Justin Thomas is a good golfer, but I’d like to take a moment to appreciate him as a pal, too. Not my pal (though I’m definitely willing to be friends). First, Justin Thomas went out of his way to congratulate fellow Baker’s Bay spring-break vacationer Rickie Fowler after his career-low round at the Travelers.

And on Sunday evening, JT made sure to give the Bradley family some love after Keegan’s win.

Good guy alert! Seeing the pros cheer on their competitors after a round is one of my very favorite things about golf.

A warning for celebrity golfers

I’ll leave you all with this photo of Steph Curry and Butch Harmon, which should leave other celebrity golfers (I’m looking at you, Tony Romo) very, very nervous. If these two are working together, Curry might win the 2024 Masters.

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First, I need to explain to you all just how great the media center food was at the U.S. Open. I’m not sure who to thank for this. LACC? The USGA? Mike Whan himself? I’ll write a handwritten letter to whomever was in charge of this. Every single meal was delicious. Do you ever go to a wedding, glance at the kids’ table and wish you were able to eat the chicken fingers and fries? Me too. Luckily, they had those on site, as well as salads, burgers, tacos and more.

They also had a mid-afternoon snack each day. There was a popcorn machine on Friday, soft pretzels on Saturday and a barista on hand to make whatever drink you desired. Sorry to the folks in line behind me who had to wait as my vanilla lattes with oat milk were hand-crafted each day.

Father’s Day posts

Sunday was Father’s Day, and with a handful of dads in the field at the U.S. Open, the USGA made sure to team up with some Tour kids for a special surprise and the outcome was adorable.

How great is that? I also spent my Father’s Day at LACC, but made sure to get my dad a gift from the merchandise tent per his (many, many) requests. The media center barista also had some fun with my latte on Sunday morning.

The best player-watching spots

LACC is pretty spread out, so it wasn’t easy to find the *perfect* spectating spot on the course last week. I did, however, spend a lot of my time people-watching by the player arrival area, which happened to be right next to player services. I used to think that the best people-watching location in the world was at Washington Square Park in Manhattan on a hot summer afternoon, but I was mistaken. It’s in the parking lot of LACC, where players hop out of their courtesy Lexus SUVs, TrackMans in hand, rocking athleisure and ready to warm up.

This is also a great spot to play a little game I like to call “will that golfer acknowledge me?” The GOLF team had a pretty high batting average here. I got a hello from McIlroy, Finau and DJ, while Dylan Dethier and Sean Zak had a brief conversation with their favorite guy, Xander Schauffele, as he made his way down to the range.

Players usually walk from the parking lot to player services and player dining before heading down to the range, and the USGA was serving some jokes with their meals all week long.

Rickie’s kind gestures

I’d like to discuss Rickie Fowler next. My sister, Ellen, was a multiple-time “Sportsmanship Award” winner in high school. Honors like that are usually reserved for the personality players on a team, but I’d like to hand one out to Mr. Richard Fowler after his performance at LACC, even though his play might make him more of an MVP contender.

There’s a reason kids love Rickie Fowler and why dozens of grown men will dress up in head-to-toe orange at any and all golf events. The people love Fowler! He is unapologetically himself and gets rewarded for it. I mean, it’s hard not to root for this guy. He signed post-round autographs long after his rounds ended over the weekend at LACC.

Shout out to Fowler for doing this. I exclusively leave places via Irish goodbye (this habit probably originated from large family parties or trying to leave church on Sundays as a kid while my parents took upwards of 30 minutes to bid everyone adieu), so this sort of thing would definitely not work for me.

His other kind gestures at the U.S. Open fell on Sunday, and were even more classy than staying around late to make a bunch of kids’ days.

Despite losing to Wyndham Clark, he made sure to tell the U.S. Open champion just how proud his late mother would be of him.

Then he took a few moments to check in on and congratulate Clark as they passed each other by the flash interview area.

Good guy alert! And my final piece of evidence that suggests Fowler deserves the 2023 U.S. Open Sportsmanship Award was what I saw as he walked off the 18th green on Sunday evening. Fowler greeted his parents and wife, and then immediately scooped his daughter, Maya, into his arms. “How’s it going?” he asked her, before asking if she wanted to go see what everybody was up to in the clubhouse.

And when Fowler was asked about Maya in his post-round interview, he explained just how great she is for him.

Fowler just seems like the best. And if this whole “being a superb person” thing isn’t something you can fully relate to, I preset to you the most relatable thing Fowler did all week: carry around an extremely clunky water bottle.

Wyndham Clark

On to the U.S. Open champion! Clark had such a big crew cheering and yelling with him as he made his way to the scoring tent that it truly felt like I just watched a varsity football team win their state championship and he was the quarterback.

And thanks to Clark’s win, we’ve officially got a new WAG on the scene! Clark’s girlfriend, Alicia Bogdanski, works for the Discovery Land Company. That’s all I’ve got in terms of information on the couple for now.

My new pals

For me, the absolute best part of my job is how I am constantly meeting new people on the road. I’ve met caddies, volunteers, other writers and golf fans over the last year and a half or so. When it’s a major week, I feel like I end up meeting even more people than usual. I met people working on Season 2 of Full Swing, USGA employees, photographers, agents and some new caddies this week. I even got to meet the Paulina Gretzky, who, as a big Dustin Johnson fan, I have been eager to cross paths with for years now.

Shout out to my coworker for getting a picture of us chatting. I will cherish it a weird amount.

I also got to talk to Collin Morikawa for the first time this week. We had met once or twice in passing before, but when I was out following a practice round on Tuesday he asked me who my guest was on The Scoop for the week (disclaimer: I had no guest). After that, I cordially invited him to join me for some ice cream and golf talk at some point in the future, and I asked him about LACC and Macklemore’s golf swing as we made our way down the 11th hole together.

My third and final “big meet” of the week was Jordan Spieth’s caddie, Michael Greller.

Bones Mackay introduced me and we ended up talking all about Taylor Swift’s concert, which seems to happen a lot when I’m out on the range.

Max Homa the psychic?

Max Homa may have missed the cut at LACC, but his prediction game was wildly impressive on Sunday. If you missed it, he and Justin Thomas had some fun watching the action unfold during the final round.

And then Max predicted not only the winner, but the winning score.

I would never tell a six-time PGA Tour winner to quit his day job, but if Homa ever does decide to take a new career path, he should become a psychic and make the big bucks. Or a sports-bettor, but I’m not sure if I’m supposed to suggest that.

My favorite adidas looks from the week

Anyone who knows me, has seen me out and about, or even just caught a glimpse of me on a Zoom meeting knows that I’m not exactly stylish. I get about as creative as a black t-shirt and jeans (original, I know) — but I’m always struggling to figure out what to wear on site at a tournament. So thanks to my new pals at Adidas for making my week easy by picking out some looks for me. They saved me a lot of time in the morning, and more importantly, from further humiliation in my family group chat. These were some of my favorite items I sported at Los Angeles Country Club.

My personality does not come with these items (for better or worse), but I guarantee that a bunch of compliments do. I prefer an athletic look while I’m on-site, so that’s what I went with. These are great for any female golfer out there. And a bunch of it is on sale, too!

GO-TO GOLF SWEATSHIRT

$51

Take on those cold mornings and breezy afternoons on the course in this adidas golf sweatshirt. It has a roomy fit and it’s made of a soft cotton blend to keep you warm and comfortable from the time you tee off till the last putt. Banded sleeves ensure a stay-put feel while you swing.

SHOP

GO-TO GOLF JOGGERS

$95

Move comfortably on the golf course in these adidas golf jogger pants. Wear them to play a few casual rounds with friends or to get that early morning practice at the driving range. They’re made of a soft and stretchy fabric that lets you swing with a full range of motion from backswing to that smooth follow-through.

SHOP

KNIT GOLF BOMBER JACKET

$51

Don’t let the chill get in the way of your golf game. Layer up in this adidas golf jacket and stay cozy whether you’re working on your long game at the driving range, playing all 18 holes or kicking back after a long round. It’s made of soft doubleknit fabric and has AEROREADY to help you stay dry from tee-off till the last putt.

SHOP

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The post Charlie Woods at the U.S. Open, Phil’s custom Jordans and the USGA’s jokes | Rogers Report appeared first on Golf.

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A few small notes right off the bat: this event has the best media center food I’ve ever had, the baristas are putting a fun touch on my vanilla lattes AND I recapped the Taylor Swift concert with Michael Greller and Bones Mackay.

Also, Los Angeles Country Club is a tough walk. I’m putting in about 17,000 steps a day and I still haven’t seen parts of the course yet.

I want to give a special shout-out to Salma Ibrahim, the junior reporter who helped cover the tournament on Wednesday. Salma hung out with Kira Dixon, met players and grilled Max Homa in his presser. I got to show her what a day in my life looks like on-site at a major championship, but I’m not sure she needed much of my help — she’s already a star.

I need to really take advantage of my gig now, because Salma is 100 percent coming for my job in a few years.

Charlie Woods at LACC

Tiger Woods hasn’t played in a U.S. Open since 2020, but another Woods was on property at Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday: Charlie. He’s gotta be the only 14-year-old with an inside-the-ropes pass this week. Trust me, those things are not easy to come by.

This is the only photo I’ve seen of Woods at LACC, which is pretty impressive because the golf world is obsessed with the kid. I can’t help but wonder who is in charge of the recent eighth-grade graduate out here. Is someone making sure he’s staying hydrated? Putting on sunblock? This is the supervision my little brother needs on a regular basis.

It looks like Charlie is having an all-time Los Angeles golf week. He teed it up at Riviera the day before making it out to LACC.

That swing looks pretty good, too. Not a bad way to kick off summer vacation! I spent my summer after 8th grade babysitting my siblings for free, but to each their own.

Phil’s kicks

It took me a while to get used to Tiger in FootJoys. Once Dustin Johnson started rocking them too, I pretty much thought I had seen it all golf footwear-wise. But nothing prepared me to see Phil Mickelson rocking Jordans on the golf course.

Would you take a look at those bad boys?

Seeing a 53-year-old man in those kicks reeks of Steve Buscemi in the “how do you do, fellow kids?” meme, but Phil has always transcended his age, so I have no choice but to respect his fashion choice here.

After his round on Thursday, I learned that Mickelson had his shoes custom-made by someone called the “Shoe Surgeon.”

I checked out the Surgeon’s website, and he has a pair of kicks listed at $5,000 and another at $10,000. If you’re not sure how to spend your tax return next year, there’s an idea for you.

USGA’s jokes

The U.S. Open may be the toughest event to qualify for, but once you get here, the USGA is pretty relaxed. Over the years, the governing body has had its fair share of fun with players, from Max Homa’s giant credential to Webb Simpson’s locker nameplate. This year, they’re having a lot of fun with the players at LACC.

It started off over the weekend, when the USGA presented Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler with a tandem bike instead of their Lexus courtesy car.

And then Joel Dahmen had a note waiting for him by the player parking lot.

Then the USGA had some fun with Adam Hadwin after getting tackled by a security guard on Sunday at the Canadian Open.

When Max Homa mentioned that the smoothie cups in player dining were small, the USGA provided a massive glass bowl for him to drink instead. The USGA is off to a very hot start here, and it’s only Friday! Some people might suggest that they adjust their focus to making the course play more difficult, but not me. There’s nothing I love more than a good bit.

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