The Friday Cut: Leona, Tiger, Watson and McIlroy fireworks?
Leona Maguire of Cavan, Ireland looks down the fairway from the 16th tee during the final round of the Meijer LPGA Classic golf tournament at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, MI, USA Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Welcome to ‘The Friday Cut’, your weekly round-up of the top stories across the professional tours.
As we say goodbye to one major championship, we eagerly await the arrival of another with the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship taking our attention this week. In the men’s game this week we have a packed schedule of PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf action, as we all try to recover from a few late nights of live golf. With lots to keep us entertained in the next few days, and plenty to recap from the past week, here are the headlines that have made the cut.
Wyndham Clark wins his first major championship at US Open
I must say, this year’s US Open was not the thriller I had hoped for in the build up. A combination of very slow play, late nights and some low early scoring dampened my spirits - and by the time Wyndham won on Sunday I was ready to move on to the next.
Having said that, let’s take nothing away from what proved to be a phenomenal performance by Wyndham Clark, as he fended off fan favourites McIlroy and Fowler to take the title. After winning his first PGA Tour title just four starts ago at the Wells Fargo Championship, Clark doubled down to take his first major championship, and as a result jumped up to 13th in the Official World Golf Rankings. With two previous missed cuts in his last two US Open attempts, I can’t say I wasn’t surprised to see his name atop the leaderboard last Sunday, but I find myself now asking the question - could Wyndham be wearing the red,white and blue in Rome this September.
Solheim Cup Superstar Leona Maguire takes second tour title
Who can forget the scenes of Leona Maguire taking the fight to the USA in 2021, winning four matches on her way to helping Team Europe to a famous Solheim Cup win. That debut performance on one of the biggest stages in female professional golf highlighted her talent - something which clearly shone through again this week at the LPGA Meijer Classic.
A closing 64, with four birdies and an eagle in her final six holes, helped her to add to last year’s win at the LPGA Drive On Championship. The 28-year-old now moves on to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as one of the leading GB&I favourites, and has been working closely with three time major champion Padraig Harrington to improve her short game. With two LPGA Tour titles now secured, a major championship seems like the logical next progression, right?
Tiger Woods to miss 2023 Open Championship
Former World Number One and all-round ‘G.O.A.T’ Tiger Woods has announced that he will miss the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, as he continues his recovery from injury. Woods won the Open Championship at Hoylake in 2006, and surely would have had hoped to be fit for the final major of the season. Unfortunately, the injury that has already ruled him out of the PGA Championship and US Open has now scuppered the dreams of many fans hoping to see a glimpse of Tiger on British soil again.
Tom Watson weighs in on PGA Tour partnership deal
Eight-time major winner and former Team USA Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson did not hold back when sharing his thoughts on the biggest golf news in recent memory. Watson alleged that the PGA Tour may have been in a “more desperate financial situation that has been previously revealed”, while also raising issues around “unanswered questions” in an open letter to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.
With the United States Senate opening its own investigation into the proposed partnership, Watson also enquired “Is the PIF the only viable rescue from the Tour’s financial problems?”, and stated that “A matter this profound deserves thorough vetting by a representative group of stakeholders which include those, who in the end, define the public image and emotional connection with the PGA Tour”.
I have a feeling this story has a few more chapters to come, and will almost certainly be making an appearance in next week’s Friday Cut. Stay tuned for more, folks.
Coming up this weekend…
With the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol taking centre stage, we are in for a real treat of a weekend. Rose Zhang bids to win her first major championship as a professional, after that scintillating debut LPGA Tour win, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her go close.
The PGA Tour heads to the Traveler’s Championship for another elevated event, so expect the usual fireworks and full-fields of top talent. McIlroy will be looking to put last week’s disappointment firmly behind him, as he looks to convert his good form into a win and gear up for the Open Championship in a few weeks time.
The DP World Tour heads back to Germany for the BMW International Open, with a strong home contingent battling to leave victorious. And finally, for those who want more, LIV Golf jets to one of my favourite golf courses on the planet, Valderrama. The typically tricky Spanish track will certainly test the players, and with some top names including PGA Champion Brooks Koepka in attendance, it will certainly be worth a watch.
