The Friday Cut: The Harman show, hello Evian, PGA loyalty and Luke Donald’s headache
HOYLAKE, ENGLAND - JULY 23: Brian Harman of The United States holds the Claret Jug after his victory in the final round of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 23, 2023 in Hoylake, England. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
Welcome to ‘The Friday Cut’, your weekly round-up of the top stories across the professional tours.
We have reached that moment once again. The curtain has fallen on the men’s major championship season, and an eight month wait begins in anticipation of Augusta. On a more positive note, we have two more women’s majors to be excited about, including the Evian Championship this week, and a couple of team competitions in September that you may well have heard about. With a newly crowned Champion Golfer of the Year, and plenty of fallout from Royal Liverpool, here are the headlines that have made the cut.
Brian Harman steals the show at Royal Liverpool
It has been almost a week since the Open Championship, and I am still struggling to settle on a definitive opinion. On one hand, the course delivered everything I expected from an Open venue and offered just the right amount of jeopardy to keep most players on their toes. On the other hand, the drama just wasn’t there for me over the weekend, in no small part down to the momentous achievement of one Mr. Brian Harman.
A surge up the leaderboard on Friday, when others appeared to be going in reverse, set him up for a strong weekend. Every time an opportunity presented itself for the field to claw something back, he slammed the door shut and for that you have to commend him.
Let’s be honest, whether you agree or not, he wasn’t the most popular winner of the Claret Jug in recent years. I don’t necessarily believe that was a judgement on him personally, but rather his unwavering control over a tournament that is supposed to twist and turn until the bitter end. With McIlroy and local lad Fleetwood in the mix, he was always going to be the pantomime villain, and in an interesting change of pace he holed practically every putt, from everywhere, to claim a victory for the ‘bad guys’.
Still, after taking plenty of grief from the galleries in Liverpool, I bet he will be fired up to upset the locals again in Rome for Zach Johnson’s Team USA.
Goodbye Liverpool, Hello Evian
No more men’s majors… no problem. The week after Harman crushed the field in Liverpool, the best players in the women’s game will be looking to do exactly the same at the Evian Championship. The fourth of five majors in the calendar, the event is held at the picturesque Evian Resort Golf Club - a venue that I must profess my love for.
Set against the backdrop of Alpine summits and the beautiful Lake Geneva, every snapshot of the course could be a perfect postcard picture. Elevation changes and the general absence of flat lies will provide a major-worthy challenge once again, and with 19 of the top-20 in the world teeing it up this week we are sure to have fireworks come Sunday.
A plethora of European contenders make excellent claims to take the only women’s major on European soil, with recent LPGA winner Linn Grant and English favourite Georgia Hall arriving in great form. American rising star Rose Zhang also bids for a first major title, and previous major winners Ruoning Yin and Allisen Corpuz seek a quick fire double.
After a quick google tells me it is a 15 hour drive to Evian, I think I will have to settle for a comfy position in front of the television.
Loyal PGA Tour players to be rewarded through compensation package
In yet another leaked memo, Chief Executive of the PGA Tour Jay Monahan explained that a player benefit programme would be introduced to compensate players who did not defect to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour. The package is believed to be “financially significant in total”, according to the communication from Monahan to PGA Tour players.
In the leaked document, published by the Golf Channel, Monahan also described plans for a new ‘player discipline task force’ will be created to evaluate pathways back to the PGA Tour for those who wish to re-apply.
With the proposed merger between the PIF and the PGA Tour still being investigated by the US Congress and Justice Department, it feels that we are still some distance away from the unity and prosperity sold to us in the initial announcement.
Luke Donald facing selection headache after strong European show at the Open Championship
With just over two months until the start of the Ryder Cup, Luke Donald will surely be scratching his head with what appears to be a quite positive selection headache. A strong week at Royal Liverpool and recent PGA Tour win for Sepp Straka has catapulted him into the mix in what is now a quite congested pool of potential rookies.
Ludvig Aberg has an opportunity at the 3M Open to continue his fine form stateside, while young Dane Nicolai Højgaard demonstrated he can mix it with the best when tied 23rd at The Open. When you also consider the quality shown over the season from players like Aaron Rai, Robert MacIntyre and Yannik Paul, the Captain certainly is not short of fresh blood for Rome.
With top names like McIlroy, Hatton, Hovland, Rahm and Fleetwood looking secure for a ticket on the plane, Donald will need to mull over the fate of Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick as qualification events start to run out.
Whatever the outcome of the selection process, there is certainly a buzz about this youthful and exciting European Ryder Cup team. In my opinion - give me Bob MacIntyre celebrating on the 18th green at Marco Simone, draped in a Scottish flag after steamrolling Brian Harman, any day of the week.
Coming up this weekend…
If you do nothing else this weekend, be sure to tune into the Evian Championship for the fourth women’s major of the season. You will be drawn in by the course, and its idyllic setting, and you will stay for the incredible talent on show from the world’s elite players.
On the PGA Tour, Tony Finau defends the 3M Open as he aims to secure a Ryder Cup spot. Similarly to Tony, watch out for Justin Thomas as he looks to shake some poor form and stake his claim to captain Zach Johnson. European hopefuls Sepp Straka, Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Højgaard also tee it up in what looks like it could be a total birdie-fest.
Baz is a content creator and writer, who specialises in all things golf. He is best known for his weekly coverage of all major professional tours while also sharing his musings on golf travel. He writes ‘The Friday Cut’, every Friday.
