The Stroke Index ⛳ #7 U.S. Women's Open lures world's best
Perseverance pays off for first-time Tour winners / Fleetwood enjoys lucrative gust / Brabazon Trophy heads to Italy / Glover's allegations need investigating / Golf flourishes in the Netherlands.
Good morning. Another week, another major. Whatever tour you follow, the big tournaments come thick and fast this time of year. This week the world’s best female golfers are again in the spotlight as 24 of the top 25 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are among those to tee it up in Wisconsin for the U.S. Women’s Open. Also at Erin Hills will be rookie Chisato Iwai, who secured her maiden LPGA Tour victory in Mexico on Sunday. In a triumph for perseverance, all of last week’s main Tours saw individual first-time winners - with Ben Griffin and Kristoffer Reitan both enjoying successes after once flirting with quitting the sport altogether. As always, scroll down beyond the main Tour news and you will find a wealth of stories to keep us amateurs in the loop. I hope you enjoy this week’s selection of great content and feel free to get in touch.
View From the Tee - The Week Ahead
⛳ Amy Rogers at lpga.com gives the lowdown on all the background details you need to know as the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally takes place at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.
⛳ With Japan’s Yuka Saso defending her title this week, Sarah Kellam at lpga.com takes a look at some of the first-time international winners of the U.S Women’s Open over its 80 years.
⛳ Scottie Scheffler defends while Rory McIlroy is missing as the PGA Tour returns to ‘the house that Jack built’ with The Memorial at Muirfield Village. Michael Croley at pgatour.com takes a closer look at the imposing Nicklaus-designed 18th hole.
⛳ golfshake.com’s Derek Clements gives his verdict on who to look out for as the DP World Tour pitches up in Salzburg for the Austrian Alpine Open.
Results Round-up
⛳ Nailing a number of clutch putts helped rejuvenated Ben Griffin to a maiden individual PGA Tour victory - and a new car - at a gusty Charles Schwab Challenge, as Kevin Robbins at pgatour.com describes.
⛳ England’s Tommy Fleetwood was all smiles after waiting for a gust of wind to give him a birdie on his final hole at Colonial (below), and a few thousand extra dollars as it moved him up to tied-fourth on the leaderboard.
⛳ europeantour.com describes how Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan carded a final day course record and held his nerve to win at the second three-way play-off hole to claim his first DP World Tour title at the Soudal Open. Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson had bogeyed the 72nd hole when only needing a par for victory.
⛳ Another maiden title was secured in Mexico as Japan’s Chisato Iwai stormed to a six-stroke victory in the Mexico Riviera Maya Open, as reported by the Associated Press at lpga.com.
⛳ Sára Kousková continued the first-time winning trend as her final round of 67 (-4) was enough to claim the 2025 Jabra Ladies Open, writes ladieseuropeantour.com.
⛳ Angel Cabrera capped a superb week when he lifted the Senior PGA Championship trophy just six days after securing the Regions Tradition title, as followed by the Associated Press at pgatour.com.
⛳ If you want to see where golfers rank globally, check out these links at Official World Golf Ranking, Rolex Rankings, Race to Dubai, and FedExCup.
Amateur News
⛳ golfnews.co.uk describes how 18-year-old Biagio Andrea Gagliardi could not wait to go home and celebrate with family and friends after becoming the first Italian to lift the Brabazon Trophy at Hankley Common GC.
⛳ East Kilbride golfer Susan Woodhouse birdied the final hole to claim the Scottish Women’s Amateur Championship at Western Gailes GC, with Freya Russell runner-up for the second year in a row, writes scottishgolf.org.
⛳ Jonny Leighfield at golfmonthly.com reports on how talented US amateurs Jackson Koivun and David Ford have graduated from college golf to the PGA Tour.
Around the Greens
🕳 Craig Swan at the Daily Record suggests allegations made by Lucas Glover about driver testing need to be properly investigated by those who run the professional game.
🕳 The BBC’s Iain Carter argues ‘a brilliant putting display’ by Germany’s Matti Schmid at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge ‘could fall under an unwelcome spotlight’ after an image raised questions over ‘anchoring’.
🕳 Archie Griggs at The Express reports on ordained Buddhist monk Sadom Kaewkanjana qualifying for a place at this year’s Open after victory at the Kolon Korea Open.
🕳 Can ex-professional footballer Jimmy Bullard also qualify for this year’s open? Well, he is giving it another go with the help of coach Hugh Marr, as Ben Parsons at bunkered.co.uk confirms.
“How do I get to the next level shooting four, five, six under? Is it available to me with my ability? I don’t know. But I feel I’ve come to the end where I need a coach. I’ve exhausted all the stuff I know.” - Jimmy Bullard
🕳 New data confirms a fantastic start to the British golf season, with higher participation levels. Derek Clements at golfshake.com studies the trends.
🕳 Golf also appears to be finding a new audience in the Netherlands, where the perceived elitism is being challenged thanks to a national ‘welcome to the club’ campaign, writes Senay Boztas in The Guardian.
🕳 Tony Jacklin will return to host the Farmfoods British Par Three Championship in August, at Nailcote Hall in Warwickshire. Andy Barr at golftimes.co.uk looks in more detail at what the galleries can expect.
🕳 Golf Business News reports on a successful hosting of the 6th British Golf Show (South) at Wycombe Air Park, with a Northern show due to take place at Leeds East Airport next month.
FAIRWAY FACT
28-year-old American Will Zalatoris (below) has given up any hope of a Ryder Cup selection this year after announcing he will be out of competitive action until at least the autumn following surgery to repair two re-herniated discs in his back.
Clubhouse Chat
☕ It’s U.S. Women’s Open week, so what better way to mark the occasion than by providing a comprehensive guide to women’s golf. Alison Root at golfmonthly.com has done all the hard work.
☕ livgolfweekly.com travels to Vietnam and discovers three courses amid stunning scenery that should turn anyone’s golf bucket list into a must-do reality.
☕ Finding a golf ball that has a lot of the performance of the top brands without the premium price tag is a welcome discovery. Jack Backhouse sows the Seed for this dark horse at nationalclubgolfer.com.
☕ Ben Griffin’s wonderful chip from the edge of a bunker on the final hole of the Charles Schwab Classic could easily have gone awry. Joe Plecker at golf.com studies the mechanics behind a tournament-defining shot.
☕ If you are looking for a helping hand to read greens better, there are a few drills to choose from. This short Swing Quest YouTube tutorial focuses on ‘aimpoint’ - so why not give it a try and see if it helps you make more putts.
Thank you for reading edition number 7 of The Stroke Index. I aim to bring you all of the latest news and developments from the world of golf. But you can also play a role. Leave your comments or join the chat with suggestions for content that you want to see. And if you notice something I might have missed, do not hesitate to let me know here.