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As summer season heats up, there’s just one main championship left in males’s skilled golf — subsequent month’s Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland.
There’s additionally only one signature occasion left on the PGA Tour schedule — this week’s Vacationers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
And the LIV Golf League has hit the second half of its season, heading to its twelfth completely different state for this week’s match outdoors Nashville, Tennessee.
Rory McIlroy will not be enjoying within the Vacationers Championship, as he is taking a number of weeks away from the sport after his gut-wrenching finish on the U.S. Open. The entire PGA Tour’s different stars are within the discipline, in addition to rookie Michael Thorbjornsen, who’s making his professional debut.
After lacking the U.S. Open with a left foot harm, two-time main champion Jon Rahm might be again in motion on the LIV Golf match. So will U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, who might be nonetheless catching his breath after his beautiful end.
Here is what to observe in males’s skilled golf this week:
What’s subsequent on the PGA Tour
Vacationers Championship
When: Thursday-Sunday
The place: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
Defending champion: Keegan Bradley
Purse: $20 million ($3.6 million to winner)
Scheffler’s streak
Within the span of 4 days at Pinehurst No. 2 final week, Scottie Scheffler went from being the most popular golfer on the planet, having gained in 5 of his previous eight begins, to at least one who hasn’t damaged par in his previous 5 rounds, together with all 4 on the U.S. Open.
It is merely the character of the sport, in response to Scheffler. On reflection, the world No. 1 golfer mentioned he did not have his greatest stuff at an unforgiving course. Pinehurst No. 2’s native areas left him in too many troublesome spots off the tee.
“After I’m not enjoying my greatest, I really feel like one in every of my expertise is sort of managing my method across the golf course, understanding the place the misses are,” Scheffler mentioned Tuesday. “When you might have just about a coin flip on whether or not or not you are going to have a swing or not, there’s probably not a facet of the green to overlook it on, there’s probably not areas you may play to, you simply should hit nice golf photographs.”
The U.S. Open was the primary time in Scheffler’s professional profession that he did not break par in a match. He carded 71-74-71-72 and tied for forty first at 8-over 288.
Scheffler hasn’t fared higher than fourth on the Vacationers Championship, however his caddie, Ted Scott, was carrying Bubba Watson‘s bag when he gained at TPC River Highlands thrice.
“He all the time jogs my memory of that,” Scheffler mentioned.
Making the course more durable
After Keegan Bradley practically set the PGA Tour scoring report with a 72-hole whole of 23-under 257 on the Vacationers Championship final yr, McIlroy known as TPC River Highlands “out of date” and mentioned improved tools had “handed it by.”
With heavy rains softening the greens, Bradley set 54- and 72-hole scoring information for the match. There have been 44 gamers at 10 below or higher, and just one golfer who made the lower completed over par.
TPC River Highlands ranked because the Fortieth-most troublesome course on tour final season with a scoring common of 68.401. There have been solely 10 programs with decrease averages.
In response, the membership made a number of modifications, together with decreasing the green widths on Nos. 1, 6, 12 and 13 and including main tough to a downhill slope on No. 12. Mounding was added to the correct tough on No. 6, proper facet of the No. 9 inexperienced and the left facet of No. 13. The Nos. 9 and 11 greens had been additionally gotten smaller.
“Normally, there’s some programs that individuals attempt to redo they usually make them worse,” mentioned Xander Schauffele, the 2022 Vacationers Championship winner. “In order that’s simply sort of the way it goes, sadly, simply attempting to cater to fashionable golf and, you realize, placing bunkers 350 yards and turning.
“Any time you flip a par-5 right into a par-4 it makes the opening worse as a result of the opening was designed to be a par-5 and then you definately’re hitting a 4-iron into it. So out right here it looks as if visually it is somewhat bit extra intimidating, a few of the fairways are tighter on 1 and 6, however the course appears to be like the identical for probably the most half. The inexperienced on 11 is somewhat bit smaller, which is ok as a result of it is a wedge or 9-iron or one thing of that nature. So, total, I believe the course continues to be excellent and the small upgrades to it are a superb factor.”
Thorbjornsen’s professional debut
Michael Thorbjornsen, a former Stanford All-American, earned his PGA Tour card by way of the 2025 season by ending first within the PGA Tour College pathway for school golfers. He’ll make his professional debut this week.
It isn’t the primary time Thorbjornsen, from Wellesley, Massachusetts, has competed within the occasion. In 2022, whereas enjoying on a sponsor exemption, Thorbjornsen completed fourth at 15 below, 4 strokes behind Schauffele. Since he was enjoying as an beginner, he could not acquire the $406,700 he would have gained.
“That is positively my dwelling, I might say, on the PGA Tour,” Thorbjornsen mentioned. “Clearly, I made my first PGA Tour begin right here two years in the past as an beginner. Love this place. It is near dwelling. Love the golf course.”
Thorbjornsen, 22, gained the 2018 U.S. Junior Beginner and made the lower and completed 79th on the 2019 U.S. Open. He made the lower in three of eight begins in PGA Tour occasions as an beginner, most just lately tying for seventeenth on the John Deere Traditional in July 2023.
“Each time I see Massachusetts on the hometown, I’m hyperfocused on no matter they’re doing,” mentioned Bradley, who graduated from highschool in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. “So, I am so happy with what he is executed. The rumors of what kind of participant he’s are sturdy. That he is, you realize, very, excellent. I really like that.
“I can relate to what he is gone by way of to get up to now — winters and stuff like that. So I am all the time pulling for gamers from round right here.”
What’s subsequent within the LIV Golf League
LIV Golf Nashville
When: Friday-Sunday
The place: The Grove, School Grove, Tennessee
Purse: $25 million ($20 million particular person, $5 million staff); $4 million to successful particular person, $3 million to successful staff
Rahm is prepared
Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm, who was forced to withdraw from final week’s U.S. Open due to an contaminated wound on his left foot, mentioned Wednesday that he’ll be able to tee off on Friday.
He needed to pull out of the LIV Golf League’s match in Houston after six holes of the second spherical on June 8 due to the identical harm.
“I am feeling good,” Rahm mentioned. “The principle cause for the withdrawal [from] the 2 occasions was the an infection I had and simply to be precautionary in the direction of not making it worse and seeing what steps I can take to stop that from taking place sooner or later.”
Rahm mentioned the wound continues to be on his left foot, however added, “I am not going to essentially make it worse. A number of issues to observe up from what occurred to ensure it heals correctly and it does not occur once more.”
Rahm continues to be second within the particular person factors league with 98.17 after ending within the prime 10 in every of his first seven begins. He is 36.23 factors behind Torque GC captain JoaquĂn Niemann.
“I really feel able to stroll and hit it,” Rahm mentioned. “I have never been in a position to do a lot. It does not take a lot for me to really feel able to compete. Trying ahead to it. Simply pleased that I am right here.”
DeChambeau’s victory lap
It has been fairly a experience for Bryson DeChambeau since he gained his second U.S. Open title with a 1-shot victory over Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday.
DeChambeau appeared on the “At the moment Present,” “The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “The Pat McAfee Present” and MSNBC. He estimates a few thousand individuals have touched the U.S. Open trophy since Sunday.
.@usopengolf winner @ b_dechambeau crashes the monologue to let Jimmy, @theroots and the viewers contact the U.S. Open trophy 🏆 #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/6PjTuPKAjn
— The Tonight Present (@FallonTonight) June 18, 2024
When DeChambeau arrived at The Grove on Tuesday, a crowd of LIV Golf League staff had been there to greet him.
Throughout a information convention Tuesday, DeChambeau talked about studying from issues he should not have executed and saying issues he should not have mentioned up to now.
“Messing up and studying from these errors and studying persistence, resilience, dedication, persevering with to develop in that capability after which attending to a spot the place I lastly get to showcase my true self and present others what this nice recreation means to me, it is given me a lot,” DeChambeau mentioned. “It is time for me to present again.
“That is what I really like most. That is why this was so necessary for everybody to the touch the trophy. I needed everyone to expertise it as a result of it wasn’t only for me, it was for the turnaround, everybody taking a look at me going, ‘Wow, that particular person is completely different than what I believed.’ It was for them, these people who noticed who I now am, who I’m. That is what I needed individuals to really feel is that involvement, that appreciation from me saying thanks. It meant quite a bit.”
Bryson’s Olympic snub
After tying for sixth on the Masters, ending solo second on the PGA Championship and successful the U.S. Open, DeChambeau climbed to No. 10 within the newest Official World Golf Rating.
That also wasn’t sufficient to get him into the 60-man discipline for the Olympic males’s golf match outdoors Paris on Aug. 1-4.
As a result of guidelines forestall a single nation from sending greater than 4 golfers to the Olympics, DeChambeau was the second man out. Scheffler, Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa will signify the U.S. Patrick Cantlay was eighth within the OWGR.
It is bittersweet as a result of DeChambeau was set to compete within the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, however needed to pull out after he examined constructive for COVID-19 in closing testing earlier than leaving the U.S. He was changed on the staff by Patrick Reed.
“Not having the ability to go in 2020 was unlucky for positive,” DeChambeau mentioned. “It was very disappointing. However I bought sick, and we took the precautions and made the correct choices, and I bought wholesome from it. I recovered. I bought my odor again. It is all good.”
DeChambeau mentioned he realized he won’t be capable of compete in staff occasions just like the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and the Olympics when he left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in June 2022.
“This time round, it is disappointing, however I perceive the choices I made, and the best way issues have performed out has not been essentially completely in response to plan,” he mentioned. “I’ve executed my greatest up till now to present myself an opportunity in response to the OWGR, however I notice and respect the place the present state of affairs of the sport is, albeit it is irritating and disappointing. Hopefully 2028 might be somewhat completely different state of affairs, and it’ll make it that a lot sweeter.”
