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US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau lays out plan to overpower Masters

American was only player under par at Winged Foot and is already looking forward to taking his long hitting to AugustaThe Green Jackets cannot say they have not been warned. With seven weeks to go until the Masters begins under towering Georgia pines, Bryson DeChambeau has promised to mirror – or enhance – the approach that delivered US Open glory on Sunday.DeChambeau is not the sport’s most popular figure but, for now, he is easily its most significant. Should the Californian’s style of blast and gouge prevail at the Masters in November then we really would be in the midst of a revolution. “Length is going to be a big advantage there,” the new US Open champion said. “I know...

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Winged Foot looks a painful end of the US Open road for Phil Mickelson | Ewan Murray

The one major that has eluded Phil Mickelson has beaten him for what looks a final time, but he deserves his status as one of the greatestPhil Mickelson may have come to terms with the fact he will never win a US Open long ago. The final confirmation delivered to the rest of us was just more striking than we were entitled to expect.Mickelson cut a shell-shocked figure when heading towards the Winged Foot scoring tent on Thursday, where the 79 at the foot of the card marked the left-hander’s highest 18-hole tally in his national open. Related: US Open golf 2020: second round – as it happened Related: Reed and DeChambeau set US Open pace while big names depart...

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PGA Tour's golden goose continues to cluck like crazy in Covid era | Ewan Murray

Millions of dollars are on offer each week but how sustainable are current funds with the pandemic affecting finances?The PGA Tour can claim to have enjoyed the last laugh. Cynicism about the viability of a new normal in golf’s big time was plentiful even after the Charles Schwab Challenge got under way in mid-June. A plan to welcome spectators back within a month swiftly fell by the wayside and there were some coronavirus-related player decisions to raise eyebrows but, generally, the PGA Tour’s travelling circus has reached this weekend’s season-ending juncture unscathed. There is, in fact, cause to praise golf’s professional return on both sides of the Atlantic as a sporting success story. Related: Sophia Popov snub is as extraordinary...

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Jordan Spieth tries and fails to recover the brilliance of his carefree youth | Andy Bull

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...

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Masters plan for November shows Augusta National is out of touch | Ewan Murray

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...

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