The Stroke Index ⛳ #19 Scheffler is pitch perfect as MacIntyre misfires
Consistent Rahm defends LIV title / Ryder Cup hopefuls at British Masters / Amateur Howell defies the odds / Player sad for Spieth / Third golf boom in Japan / PING prepares for autumn and winter
Good morning and welcome to another packed edition of The Stroke Index. It feels a little odd to talk about the end of season in August, and despite both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League playing out their lucrative conclusions this weekend, there is no campaign finale here and still lots to look forward to.
Ryder Cup fever is beginning to come to the fore as those players not already automatically qualified aim to catch the eye of the respective team captains, and I’m sure the column inches dedicated to the tournament will dramatically bulge over the next month.
Scroll down beyond the Tour news though and you will find a wealth of carefully curated golf content to keep you in the loop. Find out why golf in Wales and Japan has enjoyed a boost, meet the 13-year-old who will tee it up in the BMW PGA Championship pro-am, and discover the delights of South Cumbria. Oh, and if you are already thinking about getting out on your favourite course this autumn and winter, check out the new clothing collection from PING.
Feel free to leave your comments, and if you think I have missed a great story please let me know.
View From the Tee - Results Round-up
⛳ Scottie Scheffler again proved why he is the best golfer in the world as he took advantage of Robert MacIntyre’s poor final day to clinch the BMW Championship. Paul Hodowanic at pgatour.com explains why Scheffler is “compiling something special”.
⛳ Frustrated Robert MacIntyre just wanted to “smash up” his golf clubs after his performance on Day 4 of the BMW Championship, writes Daniel Orme at mirror.co.uk, while Coleman Bentley at golfdigest.com recounts Ben Griffin’s tale of accidentally overdosing on creatine on the first hole.
⛳ Scottie Scheffler’s unbelievable chip-in on the 17th to all but seal the BMW Championship title on Sunday was no doubt the shot of the week - even Robert MacIntyre could only look on in disbelief - below.
⛳ A birdie at the 72nd hole saw Marco Penge win his second DP World Tour title of the year at the Danish Golf Championship, edging out local favourite Rasmus Højgaard to the crown, as covered by europeantour.com.
⛳ Japan’s Ake Iwai won The Standard Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour to follow in twin sister Chisato’s footsteps, becoming the fourth set of sisters to both win on the Tour, reports the Associated Press via lpga.com.
⛳ Jon Rahm endured a second successive playoff defeat at LIV Golf Indianapolis on Sunday, this time to Sebastián Muñoz, but his second place was enough to edge past Joaquin Niemann and defend the Individual Championship title, as explained by the team at livgolf.com.
⛳ Elliott Heath at golfmonthly.com questions whether a flaw has been exposed in the LIV Golf scoring system after Jon Rahm’s Individual Championship victory over this season’s five-time winner Joaquin Niemann.
⛳ In South Africa, Herman Loubser beat Yurav Premlall at the first playoff hole to win the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins of Golf, his first victory since 2022, writes livgolfweekly.com.
FAIRWAY FACT
Former Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson joined Andy Ogletree, Mito Pereira, Yubin Jang, Anthony Kim, and Frederik Kjettrup in being relegated from the LIV Golf league following the conclusion of play in Indianapolis last weekend.
The Week Ahead
⛳ The PGA Tour season reaches its conclusion with the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club, where the best 30 players will compete for the FedExCup. Sean Martin at pgatour.com explains how the course has been redesigned to create real drama.
⛳ The DP World Tour is back in England for the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry, and europeantour.com spoke with Matt Wallace who is still hoping to catch Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald’s eye.
⛳ The LPGA Tour heads to Canada for the CPKC Women’s Open with six of the top 10 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings among the field. Amy Rogers at lpga.com provides five things to know about the tournament.
⛳ Mike McAllister at livgolf.com has all the relevant information about the Michigan Team Championship, which concludes LIV Golf’s 2025 season in a combination of match play and stroke play formats.
⛳ The LET is back this week with the Hill’s Open taking place just outside of central Gothenburg, Sweden. The 54-hole stroke play competition has a purse of €300,000, as described by ladieseuropeantour.com.
Ryder Cup News
⛳ Last week’s BMW Championship confirmed the six automatic qualifiers for Team USA as captain Keegan Bradley’s squad takes shape, and Paul Higham at golfmonthly.com looks at the contenders for the remaining spaces.
⛳ With all but one automatic place in the European team spoken for, this week’s Betfred British Masters is the last opportunity to fill the final space with many having to rely on a captain’s pick, as explained by europeantour.com.
Amateur News
⛳ Unfancied Mason Howell defied the odds to become the 125th US Amateur champion, defeating Jackson Herrington 7&6 in the final. An overview of the championship has been compiled by staff at AmateurGolf.com.
⛳ The teams for next month’s Walker Cup have been announced and Ryan Herrington at golfdigest.com takes a look at the lucky few who will compete for the USA and Great Britain & Ireland at Cypress Point Club.
⛳ The team at randa.org wrap up proceedings in the Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur Championships with victories for Guus Lafeber of the Netherlands at County Louth in Ireland, and France’s Lily Reitter in Conwy, Wales.
⛳ Woking golfer Peter Jackson relied on his mental strength to beat old friend Andrew Smith at Burhill GC and win the English Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, writes englandgolf.org.
Around the Greens
🕳 South African great Gary Player has been lamenting Jordan Spieth’s decline and remembering Seve Ballesteros while discussing the golf swing, reports Alex Perry at todays-golfer.com.
“Jordan Spieth, I think, is the best golfer in the world. But, in my opinion, he was taught the wrong thing. And he just went downhill. He’s such a competitor. He’s such a wonderful man, a wonderful guy for golf, the best short game, best course management, but he just can’t hit the ball. It’s a tragedy.” - Gary Player
🕳 Sky Sports has agreed a contract with the United States Golf Association (USGA) to broadcast the US Open for another five years until 2030. Keith Jackson at golfmagic.com reveals the details behind the deal.
🕳 walesgolf.org describes how Junior Club of the Year Llantrisant and Pontyclun is celebrating a surge in junior membership thanks to its prominent role at this year’s AIG Women’s Open.
🕳 Golf in Japan is reportedly experiencing a ‘third boom’, writes golfbusinessnews.com, and is partly due to younger people being inspired by the global success of Japanese Tour professionals.
🕳 Despite having the power since April to change World Handicap System (WHS) allowances for competitions in Ireland, a survey has revealed the majority of clubs have avoided making alterations in the pilot scheme, as explained by Steve Carroll at nationalclubgolfer.com.
🕳 John Turnbull at bunkered.co.uk suggests a government agency report could prove to be the beginning of the end in a planning saga for a controversial new course in the Scottish Highlands at Coul Links.
🕳 Thirteen-year-old Thomas Peachey stole the golf-foundation.org headlines as he was one of three players to win a place in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am at Wentworth after his performance at the national Unleash Your Drive final at The Grove
🕳 High-profile participants have helped Prostate Cancer UK’s fundraiser, The Big Golf Race, to raise more than £1.25 million so far this year, writes Alistair Dunsmuir at thegolfbusiness.co.uk.
Clubhouse Chat
☕ Jack Backhouse at nationalclubgolfer.com takes the Mizuno ST-X 230 for a test drive and can see why Marco Penge (above) loves it so much.
☕ The nights might be drawing in but while we try and squeeze the remaining life out of what is left of summer, PING is thinking ahead with the launch of its 2025 autumn-winter collection for men and women. Simon Bale at golftoday.co.uk delves deeper.
☕ What happens when you put FedEx, TaylorMade, and a creative studio together? You end up with a completely recycled golf bag that even includes old gloves on the side. It is currently being used by Collin Morikawa in the FedExCup playoffs and Andy Barr at golftimes.co.uk takes a look.
☕ There is no more picturesque place in England than Cumbria, and the fact there is plenty of golf action to be had there is an added bonus. Rob Smith and friends at golfmonthly.com took their clubs on an enjoyable tour.
☕ Having struggled off the back tees at his club’s senior championship, Derek Clements at golfshake.com reels off seven ways that golfers ruin their scorecards.
☕ One way to improve your scores is to master your short game, and in this YouTube tutorial, legend Lee Trevino explains to the Short Game Chef his technique for perfect 30 to 40-yard pitch shots.
Thanks for reading edition number 19 of The Stroke Index. It will return next week with more of the best golf content all in one place to keep you in the swing. This newsletter remains independent, ad-free and free to subscribers.