The R&A, wanting to celebrate golf at Royal Troon this week, has the Duke of York as an honorary member and may fear a backlash if his status with the club were to changeThis marks a big week for the R&A. Its corporate wing, denied a week in the sun with a 2020 Open Championship, will seek to emphasise everything that is positive about the sport – in such obscure times – as the Women’s Open rolls into Royal Troon. Yet one element of the backdrop should sit awkwardly. Prince Andrew, a past captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, is still a part of its present. “HRH The Duke of York is an honorary member of the club,”...
In 2017 Spieth became only the second player to win three majors before turning 24, but he has won nothing sinceLast Thursday afternoon in San Francisco three men were out alone on the range at TPC Harding Park: Jordan Spieth, his caddie, Michael Greller, and his coach, Cameron McCormick. Spieth had finished his opening round of the US PGA Championship three-and-a-half hours earlier. He’d shot 73, three-over, and was eight-off the lead, tied 109th. Now he was sitting cross-legged, his arms draped over his knees, staring into the middle distance like the answers he was looking for were hiding somewhere down there at the far end of the range. Related: Collin Morikawa makes grand plans for further glory after US...
Concern over whether majors retain their sheen when big names are absent is offset in this coronavirus-hit yearEven if high hurdles associated with sporting events is now an assumed normal, women’s professional golf is about to enter a run in which nervousness is inevitable. The welcome return of the finest female players in the game is offset in part by the knowledge that the coming weeks will throw up tests far removed from drives and bunker shots.On Friday, the LPGA Tour will resume with its Drive On Championship in Toledo. Next week sees the Marathon Classic take place, also in Ohio. In theory – save the appearance of pro-ams at the second of those tournaments – this isn’t an altogether...
The US golfer hits the ball further than ever did but he needs to realise that experience is the ultimate teacherWhen Bryson DeChambeau exploded through his tight‑fitting shirt all over Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, he went from Bruce Banner to the Incredible Hulk in 10 card-wrecking shots. The 17-stone Californian was crushing the course underfoot when he tumbled to five over, and out of Jack Nicklaus’s Memorial tournament.It took DeChambeau months to pack on 40 pounds of gym-bought muscle and moments for those pumped levers to disconnect from his brain on Friday as his helicopter swing hooked the ball at nearly 200mph into a creek on the 15th. His quintuple-bogey 10 was the worst score of his career. Jack...
With Covid-19 cases surging in Georgia, 16 weeks does not feel long enough for things to change sufficientlyAugusta National is one venue where silence can never be mistaken for inaction. As the United States remains in the grip of Covid-19 – and its sporting calendar impacted accordingly – it would be an error to suppose those who preside over the Masters blithely believe their event is unaffected.In his last bulletin, in early April, Augusta National’s chairman, Fred Ridley, sought to “emphasise that our future plans are incumbent upon favourable counsel and direction from health officials”. This will be the most intense of watching briefs. Related: PGA Tour happy playing a high-risk game to reboot sport in the US | Ewan...