6 pro golf observations from 3 weeks abroad

Manchester – In the past three weeks I jumped from country to land after this foolish competition – from the Scottish Open (PGA Tour) to the Open Championship (Major) to Liv Golf UK. Along the way we have seen breakout stars, fading stars, zero -shooting stars and just enough things you are asking -where is this sport going?

For that we have six thoughts about the state of affairs, interesting observations of the road … and how golf and European football have run parallel paths. Dive into …

1. Gotterup’s traveling stove

It was exactly 17 days since Chris Gotterup 61 shot open in the second round of the Scottish. It was a quiet morning round in Renaissance Club that few people, and few cameras, even followed. But it pushed him to the top of the rankings and from there he did so much. He fell Rory McIlroy at the Scottish weekend, and then did as well as you could against Scottie Scheffler the following weekend. Then he ran to Minneapolis and was contrary again and ended T10.

When we talked 61 after that Friday morning, Gotterup still booked an escape route from Edinburgh to Reno for the Barracuda. He told us that he was planning to play the full season, which means that Reno -> Minneapolis open for the 3M -> Greensboro for the Wyndham championship. My, how things change. He shot NO. 20 in the FedEx Cup And In the American Ryder Cup classification. The first will earn a lot of money, given that he is in a great position for East Lake. The last one, well … a few thoughts:

In many ways this run from Gotterup is exactly what Keegan Bradley wants for his Ryder Cup team. And in other ways it is exactly what he doesn’t want. A final step from a player who was not on your radar, only complicates the schedule building and makes life difficult on the Patrick Cantlays, Wyndham Clarks and Jordan Spieths of the World. It feels like Memphis and Delaware are a two -week trial period for all American “bubble” players, and I hope that Gotterup will last because three things feel very true. 1. His game clearly travels, from Oost-Lothian to Nor’n Ireland to the wet, hot Midden-American summer. 2. It has not only been the last 17 days. Hij has been great since mid-April. 3. He stared down McIlroy and hit him. That must predict well for Bethpage.

2. Koepkas grinding

Three days after his big season I ended with another whole, I found Brooks Koepka at the LIV range on … Ball position. Ricky Elliot worked for different looks from every corner and tried to do some simplicity in the setup of Koepka. It didn’t take long, Pete Cowen observed Koepka, and not long afterwards Graeme McDowell.

“It just feels uncomfortable as shit,” Koepka told Cowen and stepped back after a swing from the driver. G-MAC then stepped in to emphasize how Koepka was needed to keep his attitude as it was not open to Target, that is what he seemed to be more experimenting and leaning more on his front leg.

This is the rather of Nitty-Gritty golf gear that tells a story in itself. A story about Koepka, the 5-way big champion that was not satisfied with his game this summer. About Elliot, the Caddie who spoke very honestly with his professional – something that Koepka says he needs from his team. And McDowell, the teammate who would probably not give a damned, were not essentially his employer.

It may not be much, but it felt like a window in the team element of LIV. Team -Spul is just as important as everything for that company because you have to. They are Allegedly you increase the team fair for 2026 eventsBut it’s not all money. Sergio Garcia absolutely believes that he is doing something for the future of the Spanish Gulf by signing young Spanish players on his team. Bubba Watson says that he will be a non-playing captain in the future and believes that the Range goats will live on the road for years. (Who knows if that will be true, but Watson must believe it. He may have no choice!) The majestys have built up increasingly larger activations at each in the United Kingdom over the years, and it seemed to be a hit at their home audience. Again, she to have To do this. It’s their model! And it is ultimately undermined by their gloomy TV viewers. But it still feels worth mentioning when you see it.

3. How much bigger should have to The open get?

It is possible that the enormous size of this open was open. Especially for the R&A, which claimed that it “set up a new benchmark” for the general viewers, personally and via temporary and digital channels. But there is a worthy question about how big the open has become.

This year’s opening was massiveAnd we may have looked beyond his size because of the obsession of the spectators with the reigning Masters champion. You could scale dunes in Portrush for a better image, but you can’t do that in St. Andrews. Or Royal Liverpool. That complicates a person’s ability to actually be to see The Golf. The iteration of 2025 was helped by the meandering, crissing-crossing course routering, so that fans can move quite easily from hole to hole, fairly easy from nine to the back. But on out-and-back courses mentioned above, in addition to Throne Hebben, the immense crowds usually go to the start/finishing area and do not leak in the size of the course.

That is all relevant … Before you even discussed the home traffic – quietly, Spectators were left disappointed By two hours of delays from a Park-N-Ride on Tuesday at Portrush or how many beds there are in these small, beautiful beach cities. I do not expect that this is much of a problem during next year’s opening in Royal Birkdale, in which both nines return to the clubhouse, with many hosting cities in the area, but it will be the first with a play-in qualifying tournament on the Monday of Open Week. The presence for that day will certainly be on. The R&A wishes presence of keep go upstairs. But where is the ceiling?

4. Where will liv history … live?

During my time in Manchester post open and pre-LIV, I was hid in the Northern district of the city in the National Football Museum. It is a building on several levels that is especially suitable for dynamic visuals (and interactive areas for children), but I appreciated how the trustees did not beams when recording some more fearful topics of English football.

Including were sections on racism and sexism-beam of the obstacles that have not only hindered football but society for centuries, but also more football-oriented issues such as super competitions, foreign investments and priced fans. Nowadays I wondered about the most important fearful problems in Golf, and if we see that one day in, for example, the USGA Museum or the R&A Museum. It is probably too early to archive Liv golf in an official capacity while it keeps puffing, but I certainly have a few artifacts/videos to contribute to my time visiting the tournaments.

5. 13 Rules seem perfect

Although we are talking about European football, I thought it was cute (and nothing more) that the original list of football rules was just as long as the original rules of Golf. Thirteen decisions deep!

Within it was another memory of how well the original rules of Golf persisted – and longer – because the footie rules have certainly changed a lot since 1863. The original pitch? Two hundred meters by 100, in principle twice as large as the current playing field. What about catching the ball? That was apparently one thing.

In the original rules of Golf, however, made in 1744 by the honorable company of Edinburgh Golfers, many kept up. You are still not allowed to change the ball as soon as you have started a hole, you still have to play it while it is, and you still have to start any hole from an area that fits in the original definition of a ‘Teeing soil’. This stuff has largely not changed in 281 years. The people of Muirfield are very right. Something tells me that they could also have seen Golf’s distance problems on the horizon.

5. Not the only one on the summer of summer

In July I saw many people – outside the ropes and inside – screaming for the PGA championship to return to August, intentionally ignoring against the fact of what it left August to begin with: the NFL schedule. Our sport cannot and should not try to compete with football, with which many managers agreed when the PGA was moved to May in 2019. The month of August can best be left to the PGA Tour – the most important supplier of the Pro Game – and the most important sponsor, FedEx, and that is. The toothpaste is already out of the tube!

My thoughts: embrace this fascinating moment in the pro -golf schedule, where the stars of the game go on holiday … as long as they are good. Viktor HOVOLAND went mountain climbing in Norway. Ludvig Aberg also enjoyed some time at home and even ran a 6K race with his girlfriend. Justin Thomas went on a golf buddy trip. Rory Mcilroy took a non-wave trip to Saint-Tropez before taking on the open victory of Padraig Harrington in Sunningdale. These are examples of summer vacation that is desperately needed for everyone on tour. The players who have not earned it unfortunately have a little summer school to do that. Many of them flew from Belfast to Minneapolis for the Fedex Cup points that were offered on the 3M Open. Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler may not have been happy with living work traffic, but their professional status is better for it.

There is something very valuable in Starpower for the PGA Tour – see: Jordan Spieth is playing the Wyndham championship this week – so don’t expect the Tour de Grip to release on August. In fact, they have to embrace it. And insist on the PGA of America Consider a classification change First. ((Wink.)

6. Yasir’s game

I got out to walk a few holes with Bryson Dechambeau during his Liv Pro-Am-Am, partly because I always like to see Bryson his Bryson, but also because he played with Yasir al-Rahalyyan-Aka the straw that stirs the drink in a future PGA tour in investment of billion dollars. No, I did not get any clarity if that investment will actually take place, but I have looked closely at the game of Yasir … again.

It feels irrelevant, but in some respects it is not. According to almost every account, the interest of Al-Rahayyan comes in investing in professional wave from a burning love for golf. He is obsessed, was (at least in one go) very interested in using this investment to gain access to Augusta National, and he regularly appears for LIV Pro-Ams for Face Time with players. Over the years I have been there for a few of this pro-AM-Starts and I think his swing has improved. Is that worth something for the future of Golf? Probably not. Just a stupid small observation. Just like this: I have seen it HE Save a cold shaft over my head on the 9th hole at JCB. Unfortunately the prediction was too fast and the ball followed before I could. However, I saw him play an agile chip about a sponsor for Riyadh Air, who felt like … the whole point.