Golfing News & Blog Articles

76er Matisse Thybulle has been posting warts-and-all videos from the NBA bubble in Orlando. Thanks to reader BB for highlighting volume 4 that shows how NBA quarantine golf looks. In a nutshell: you’ll feel very good about your game seeing what’s taking place down there—albeit with clubs not made for some of the best and tallest athletes in the world.

I’ve embedded a version that starts at the golf portion, but if you are one of those plot zealots who just has to see their reality shows from the start, you can go here.

The PGA Tour said Grayson Murray was the only player to test positive for the coronavirus ahead of the 3M Championship.

Now, call me crazy, but the PGA Tour is back. It’s working.

Even with fields too absurdly big that in weeks like this one at the 3M, where you half expect to see a Mexican Mini Tour great like Club Pro Guy turning up, the PGA Tour is functioning. (For those counting at home, it’s a 197 from a record 803 strength-of-field drop this week).

Yes, there have been the inevitable hiccups, new rules on the fly, tweaks to COVID-19 guidelines and other madness that comes with a pandemic. But CBS and Golf Channel ratings keep getting better by the week at a time of year they always go down, and in spite of having no fan energy.

Increasingly, without locker rooms or droplet spewing contact to probably doom the return, along with Sanford providing on-site testing separate of local labs prioritizing sports leagues in other markets, PGA Tour golf is looking like one sport that can keep going pretty safely despite the ongoing pandemic.

So let’s see if we can screw that up!

The PGA of America still is deciding how it will handle instances of a player in the field testing positive for COVID-19 despite being 10 days removed from the onset of symptoms.

David Law of Scotland shot a 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over Oliver Fisher, Garrick Porteous and Renato Paratore in the opening round of the British Masters at Close House Golf Course near Newcastle on Wednesday.

The PGA Tour Series-China season has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Beth Ann Nichols with news that the Women’s British Open is now the AIG Women’s Open, aligning the “branding” with the R&A’s Open Championship.

The event is set for August 20-23rd at Royal Troon and will be sponsored by AIG through 2025.

“AIG proudly stands as allies with these accomplished players, and with women in business and society,” said Peter Zaffino, President & Global Chief Operating Officer, AIG in a statement. “In the face of challenging global circumstances, we are pleased that our increased support of the AIG Women’s Open will enable these dedicated professionals to compete and break down barriers that will provide a lasting example for future generations.”

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said the new name reflects the championship’s growing stature and broadening international appeal.

The use of “British” in the title was inconsistent with the R&A’s other major professional championship and the push since 2014 to call the Open Championship, The Open.

It’s amazing to read the Monday morning reviews about the changing scores as both the Professional and Amateur tournaments wrap-up ever Sunday. Streaks of birdies or bogies and double bogies seem to happen for no explainable reason. The only way that we can explain these successes or failures is through rays of sunlight or dark clouds that pass over every golfer under pressure. Your brains controls all.

If only we could control our positive mental attitude, even after an unexpected double when we hit into the ruff, sand trap, water or a low hanging tree branch. It’s the unexpected shot that seems to cloud our next few holes, if not the rest of our game. We need to recognize and accept our failures and get back into a positive mental attitude. GET OVER IT!

When Should Our Alarm Bells Go Off  Pay attention to the problems that can throw your game off:
1/ Your playing partners start kidding you about the pressure on your next shot.
2/ You just hit an amazingly long drive on your last hole and expecting to hit even further on your next drive.
3/ The joy of making birdie affecting your next drive (PBSU: Post Birdie Screw-Up)
4/ Hitting the perfect shot only to nip a branch and lose 100 yards on the shot.
5/ When you have 3 other sets of eyes watching you prepare to make a 3 foot putt.

What Happens to Your Mind and Body
1/ Flashbacks of past failures
2/ Your heart and mind start to race so that you rush and limit your backswing
3/ Your muscles tighten up to limit your flexibility.

The R&A announced Wednesday that AIG, a New York-based finance and insurance group, has extended its title sponsorship of the women's major by two years through 2025.

You’ve heard about them, maybe seen them too. Everyday products are being hyped in your Twitter and Instagram feeds. They’re sometimes endorsed by pros, celebrities, and influencers alike. But do they live up to the hype? We take a closer look.

What are Golfers Talking About?

Devices. It’s not only golfers looking for the latest and greatest way to document, track and record our every move. Do you know anyone without a FitBit or an Apple Watch? Do you play with any golfers that don’t use some sort of shot tracking or game improvement gadget? Not on your nelly. (Translation: That’s British for NOPE)

So imagine then, a watch that combines it all. A virtual caddie (and then some) on your wrist that also has the ability to take care of all of your non-golf needs. You need to see your stress score and hydration level on your wrist while doing the laundry or sitting in the board room, right? Sounds perfect, sign me up.

The Garmin Marq Golfer watch can be yours for the extremely un-alarming price of $1,850.

Product Expert

Hi, I’m Harry, and I test a lot of things at MyGolfSpy. I play professionally when I’m not checking and comparing specs on gloves, rangefinders, bags.. ball retrievers.. etc. You can call me the Director of Soft Goods Testing here at MGS. You can also just call me Harry, that’s fine too.

The PGA Tour heads to Minnesota, where Matthew Wolff will defend his title at the 3M Open. Here are our experts' best bets.

As the PGA of America gets ready to host the first major of 2020 at TPC Harding Park, they will be following the PGA Tour’s guidelines with one key exception, ESPN.com’s Bob Harig reports: negative COVID-19 test results.

Family members, agents and managers will not be permitted at Harding Park, but up to two coaches as well as a physical trainer and an interpreter (if necessary) will be allowed, subject to COVID-19 testing. No one will be allowed onto the grounds prior to getting a negative result, and all of the testing will be done away from Harding Park, starting on Aug. 2.

In recent weeks, the PGA Tour has allowed players continuing to test positive after experiencing some symptoms to play, or, in the case of some players, who’ve experienced no symptoms (and may have received a false positive test result.)

The Scotsman’s Martin Dempster channels what most of us feel about these pandemic-era returns as the European Tour begins its reboot to 2020 with a six week UK-run of events, starting with the British Masters at Close House, a course renovated by host Lee Westwood with Scott Macpherson.

Regarding the European Tour’s efforts to return, Dempster writes:

The tour has spent £2 million plus in developing a health strategy for the rest of the year, and I have every faith that it will be a proper “bubble” compared to what the PGA Tour, at the start at least, had for its return last month.

Dr Andrew Murray, the circuit’s chief medical officer, has been one of Keith Pelley’s key advisors as he plotted these careful first steps and the Aberdonian will be ensuring that everything is carried out exactly how it needs to be at the moment.

“Although golf is back, as Keith Pelley has said, these will not – and should not – feel like normal golf tournaments,” said Murray. “It’s good that we are all back to work in a familiar environment, but things will be completely different with all the measures that we will be putting in place as part of our health strategy.”

Amateur Mike Muehr of Virginia had to WD due to a change in quarantine rules

Thanks to all who sent Greg Mattura’s story on amateur Mike Muehr having to WD from the 100th New Jersey Open despite being in contention, all because he’s from Virginia. The state was added to New Jersey’s 14-day quarantine list Tuesday and officials phoned Muehr to inform him that even after two rounds, he must withdraw.

Golfers making the cut to Wednesday's final round will be required to withdraw if in the past two weeks they have visited states added to the list: Alaska, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Virginia, and Washington.

"A very difficult decision for us to make, but the decision already has been made," Kevin Purcell, executive director of the New Jersey State Golf Association, said late Tuesday afternoon. "The policy was in place, and there's already been people who have withdrawn from the event because they had played in the states that had been on the list at that time."

The New York Times’ Mark Lander, Lara Jakes and Maggie Haberman report that President Donald Trump asked his appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom to help steer The Open Championship back to Trump Turnberry Resort.

The course last hosted The Open in 2009 as Turnberry resort, and was purchased in 2014 by Trump, subsequently renovated, impressively upgraded (my review here for GolfDigest.com), and has since not returned to The Open rota.

According to the reporting, American ambassador and New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV, was advised against any attempt at intervening by his deputy, Lewis Lukens, who later was removed from his position.

Whether the idea ever got to the R&A, hosts of The Open, is unclear. However, according to the report…

But Mr. Johnson apparently felt pressured to try. A few weeks later, he raised the idea of Turnberry playing host to the Open with the secretary of state for Scotland, David Mundell.

In a brief interview last week, Mr. Mundell said it was “inappropriate” for him to discuss his dealings with Mr. Johnson and referred to a British government statement that said Mr. Johnson “made no request of Mr. Mundell regarding the British Open or any other sporting event.”

English golfer Tommy Fleetwood arrived in the U.S. two weeks ago and said he will remain in the country for the rest of the PGA Tour season.

From upstate to downtown, there are countless great golf courses in the state of New York. New York offers a host of public and municipal golf course options, along with semi-private clubs, resorts, and more, all featuring a wide range of challenges and scenery depending on where in the state you plan to play. Here […]

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CBS Sports Scores Highest Viewership Since Return to Live Golf with Final Round Coverage of @MemorialGolf pic.twitter.com/daT0UlvUCF

A few things stand out with the 2020 Memorial final round ratings: it scored an increase in viewership in July over the normal May dates. Generally fewer people are watching television this time of year.

Also, the final round 2.09 was registered going up against NASCAR. Furthermore, Tiger Woods was only briefly part of the rain-delay interrupted CBS window.

Golf Channel also did well with Tiger in the early weekend coverage provided by the CBS crew that has pulled off the return under complicated working conditions:

Record Viewership @MemorialGolf:

Sunday (1-3:30 pm): 1.47 million avg viewers, most-watched @GolfChannel lead-in telecast ever at this event & most-watched since 2019 Genesis Open in February.

Saturday (12:30-3 pm): 1.24M viewers, #2 sports telecast of the day in all key demos. pic.twitter.com/aiVdVJW7QE

California is a big state with an even bigger list of great golf courses, and that selection can make it difficult to narrow down a destination for your next buddies’ trip or golf getaway. We’ve gone through some of our golfers’ favorites and picked out four of the best golf courses in California that give […]

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The Keystone State offers a great breadth of scenery and incredible spaces for every kind of outdoor activity – including golf. Pennsylvania golf courses take advantage of the beauty and features of the state, from Appalachian mountain terrain to the shores of Lake Erie. While a complete list of the great golf courses in Pennsylvania […]

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