The Stroke Index ⛳ #9 Who will tame the Oakmont beast?
125th U.S. Open set to test the best / Kouskova enjoys back-to-back wins / Mickelson's magic / St Andrews' economic boost / If the shoe fits / Fleetwood is a content creator.
Good morning and welcome to another edition of The Stroke Index, and welcome also to all the new subscribers seeking a curated fix of some of the best golf stories from this week. The third major of the year is already upon us and one thing is for certain, the next four days at Oakmont will not be a walk in the park for what will likely be the toughest tournament of the year.
The USGA likes to see its flagship event played to par and never makes it easy, but at 7,300-plus yards with fast greens, deep rough, 175 bunkers and even a 300-yard par-3, this will be a test like no other. Of the year’s two major winners so far, Masters champion Rory McIlroy will need to sharpen up off the tee if he is to contend, while PGA champion Scottie Scheffler, on the back of three Tour victories, heads into this week full of confidence.
Yet this is top draw golf and the field is stacked with potential winners - take your pick, it is sure to be thrilling viewing. If you scroll down beyond this week’s U.S Open content you will find a wealth of other golf stories to keep you in the loop over the next few days. As always, if you feel I have missed a story or you want to comment, please feel free to get in touch.
View From the Tee - U.S. Open
⛳ Ross Kilvington at golftoday.co.uk provides all the background tournament information you need to know as the world’s best players prepare to tee it up at Oakmont Country Club.
⛳ If you love digging down on the trending players ahead of this week’s major, or are thinking of having a flutter, Tom Jacobs, Rob Jerram and Rob McGarr at todays-golfer.com pick out their top 20 to look out for.
⛳ The course at Oakmont has probably enjoyed as many column inches as the players this week - Matt Cooper at golf365.com gives 10 good reasons why.
⛳ Matthew Neschis and Kasra Moradi Seni at the Mirror report on some of the top names’ verdicts on sizing up ‘the Beast’.
⛳ One golfer looking to have fun this week is former Oakmont caddie-turned dentist Matt Vogt, who will be teeing up today as one of the tournament’s amateurs, writes Jonathan Veal in The Express.
⛳ Another amateur looking to make his mark is English youngster Tyler Weaver, who enjoyed a practice round this week with two-time champion Brooks Koepka, as described by the BBC’s Iain Carter.
⛳ Mike Hall at golfmonthly.com gives a rundown of the tee times for days one and two if you need to work out when your favourites will be starting and finishing - UK TV coverage will be on Sky Sports.
Results Round-up
⛳ Last week’s Canadian Open went to four extra holes, but Kiwi Ryan Fox finally got the better of Sam Burns for his second PGA Tour win in a matter of weeks. Kevin Prise at pgatour.com reflects on Fox’s sporting pedigree.
⛳ Jennifer Kupcho ended an almost three-year drought by claiming the ShopRite LPGA Classic after making birdies on three of the last five holes. The Associated Press followed the outcome via lpga.com.
⛳ Scotland’s Connor Syme continued the DP World Tour trend of first-time winners with victory at the KLM Open in Amsterdam. The team from europeantour.com caught up with the happy winner.
⛳ scottishgolf.org celebrated Syme’s win and that of Cameron Adam in the St Andrews Links Trophy after a play-off success on the Old Course.
⛳ Why have one LET Tour victory when you can have two? Sara Kouskova did just that by claiming the Tenerife Women’s Open two weeks after clinching the Jabra Ladies Open, as reported by ladieseuropeantour.com.
⛳ livgolf.com describes in-form Joaquin Niemann’s fourth win of the LIV Golf season in Virginia. Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC claimed back-to-back team titles and short game wizard Phil Mickelson created magic (below).
Tournament News
⛳ The LPGA Tour rolls into Michigan this week for the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. With the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship just a week away, this could be a good warm-up. Amy Rogers at lpga.com has the details.
⛳ The Ladies European Tour is in Belgium for the Hulencourt Women’s Open, and for Rosie Davies and Laura Fuenfstueck it will be their first tournament as a married couple, as ladieseuropeantour.com found out.
⛳ randa.org reports on 21-year-old Hannah Darling striving to win The Women’s Amateur Championship, which is taking place in Nairn, ahead of stepping up to the professional ranks later this year.
⛳ Looking for the latest pro rankings? Check out Official World Golf Ranking, Rolex Rankings, Race to Dubai, and FedExCup.
FAIRWAY OBSERVER
DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings believes Rory McIlroy’s decision to play the DP World India Championship and Australian Open later this year will transform the tournaments as he is ‘someone who plays in a way that totally appeals to people’.
Around the Greens
🕳 In this opinion piece at golftimes.co.uk, Andy Barr provides a detailed explanation of the recent ‘non-conforming driver’ furore at the PGA Championship and reveals why weekend golfers have little to worry about.
🕳 englandgolf.org pores over the data as submitted handicaps, iGolf subscriptions and iPlay sign-ups continued on an upwards trajectory in England during May.
🕳 A detailed study has for the first time revealed the impact St Andrews Links has on the wider Scottish economy - contributing £317million annually. golfbusinessnews.com delves deeper.
🕳 Martin Dempster at The Scotsman details how company Novellus Finance has provided a boost for Paul Lawrie’s Tartan Pro Tour with the sponsorship of an event in September.
“Having Novellus on board is a major milestone for us. Their genuine passion for developing the game, coupled with their support for both male and female players, makes them a perfect partner. We’re excited about the opportunities this will create for golfers across Scotland and the UK.” - Paul Lawrie
🕳 golfnews.co.uk reports on talented 13-year-old Ava Gadsby, from East Herts Golf Club, who now has a place on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
🕳 Derek Clements at golfshake.com owns up to the times he has walked off a golf course, but each occasion did have a specific reason.
🕳 Rob McGarr at todays-golfer.com tells the extraordinary story of Australian Matthew Frohmuller, who had the round of his life - shooting a 56 and breaking his course record by six shots - only to lose out in the club stableford to a 41 handicapper.
🕳 He might be a lesser-known golf champion, but Canterbury’s Marc Chapman secured a record-equalling fifth World Crazy Golf Championships title in Hastings, as explained by englandgolf.org.
Clubhouse Chat
☕ The length of the rough at Oakmont has been a hot topic this week - but how do you get out of trouble when your ball settles in the long grass at your local club? Gavin Abson at bunkered.co.uk provides the answer.
☕ Playing golf in ill-fitting shoes is no fun, and people with wide feet can often struggle to find the right footwear. Max McVittie at nationalclubgolfer.com takes a tread test to find the best on the market.
☕ Ahead of next month’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush, The Independent’s Claire Spreadbury discovers why the seaside town in Northern Ireland is becoming a tourism hotspot.
☕ England’s Tommy Fleetwood is taking on the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Rick Shiels by launching his own YouTube channel. The opening episode this week is aptly named How I Practice For a Major - see what you think.
Thanks for taking the time to read edition number 9 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. If you feel I have missed something or would like to see a particular story covered, please let me know. This newsletter remains independent, ad-free and free to subscribers.