Scheffler trying to rebound, DeChambeau’s victory lap lead golf’s greatest tales

As summer time heats up, there’s just one main championship left in males’s skilled golf — subsequent month’s Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland.

There’s additionally only one signature occasion left on the PGA Tour schedule — this week’s Vacationers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

And the LIV Golf League has hit the second half of its season, heading to its twelfth completely different state for this week’s match exterior Nashville, Tennessee.

Rory McIlroy will not be taking part in within the Vacationers Championship, as he is taking just a few weeks away from the sport after his gut-wrenching end on the U.S. Open. The entire PGA Tour’s different stars are within the area, in addition to rookie Michael Thorbjornsen, who’s making his professional debut.

After lacking the U.S. Open with a left foot damage, two-time main champion Jon Rahm will probably be again in motion on the LIV Golf match. So will U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, who might be nonetheless catching his breath after his gorgeous end.

Here is what to observe in males’s skilled golf this week:

What’s subsequent on the PGA Tour

Vacationers Championship
When: Thursday-Sunday
The place: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
Defending champion: Keegan Bradley
Purse: $20 million ($3.6 million to winner)

Scheffler’s streak

Within the span of 4 days at Pinehurst No. 2 final week, Scottie Scheffler went from being the most well liked golfer on the planet, having received in 5 of his previous eight begins, to 1 who hasn’t damaged par in his previous 5 rounds, together with all 4 on the U.S. Open.

It is merely the character of the sport, in accordance with Scheffler. On reflection, the world No. 1 golfer mentioned he did not have his finest stuff at an unforgiving course. Pinehurst No. 2’s native areas left him in too many troublesome spots off the tee.

“Once I’m not taking part in my finest, I really feel like certainly one of my abilities is sort of managing my approach across the golf course, figuring out the place the misses are,” Scheffler mentioned Tuesday. “When you have got just about a coin flip on whether or not or not you are going to have a swing or not, there’s probably not a aspect of the golf green to overlook it on, there’s probably not areas you’ll be able to play to, you simply need to hit nice golf photographs.”

The U.S. Open was the primary time in Scheffler’s professional profession that he did not break par in a match. He carded 71-74-71-72 and tied for forty first at 8-over 288.

Scheffler hasn’t fared higher than fourth on the Vacationers Championship, however his caddie, Ted Scott, was carrying Bubba Watson‘s bag when he received at TPC River Highlands 3 times.

“He all the time jogs my memory of that,” Scheffler mentioned.

Making the course harder

After Keegan Bradley almost set the PGA Tour scoring document with a 72-hole whole of 23-under 257 on the Vacationers Championship final yr, McIlroy known as TPC River Highlands “out of date” and mentioned improved gear had “handed it by.”

With heavy rains softening the greens, Bradley set 54- and 72-hole scoring data for the match. There have been 44 gamers at 10 beneath or higher, and just one golfer who made the reduce completed over par.

TPC River Highlands ranked because the Fortieth-most troublesome course on tour final season with a scoring common of 68.401. There have been solely 10 programs with decrease averages.

In response, the membership made a number of adjustments, together with lowering the golf green widths on Nos. 1, 6, 12 and 13 and including major tough to a downhill slope on No. 12. Mounding was added to the best tough on No. 6, proper aspect of the No. 9 inexperienced and the left aspect of No. 13. The Nos. 9 and 11 greens have been additionally shriveled.

“Often, there’s some programs that individuals attempt to redo and so they make them worse,” mentioned Xander Schauffele, the 2022 Vacationers Championship winner. “In order that’s simply sort of the way it goes, sadly, simply making an attempt to cater to trendy golf and, you realize, placing bunkers 350 yards and turning.

“Any time you flip a par-5 right into a par-4 it makes the opening worse as a result of the opening was designed to be a par-5 and then you definitely’re hitting a 4-iron into it. So out right here it looks like visually it is a little bit bit extra intimidating, a few of the fairways are tighter on 1 and 6, however the course seems to be the identical for essentially the most half. The inexperienced on 11 is a little bit bit smaller, which is ok as a result of it is a wedge or 9-iron or one thing of that nature. So, total, I believe the course continues to be excellent and the small upgrades to it are factor.”

Thorbjornsen’s professional debut

Michael Thorbjornsen, a former Stanford All-American, earned his PGA Tour card by the 2025 season by ending first within the PGA Tour College pathway for faculty golfers. He’ll make his professional debut this week.

It isn’t the primary time Thorbjornsen, from Wellesley, Massachusetts, has competed within the occasion. In 2022, whereas taking part in on a sponsor exemption, Thorbjornsen completed fourth at 15 beneath, 4 strokes behind Schauffele. Since he was taking part in as an newbie, he could not acquire the $406,700 he would have received.

“That is positively my dwelling, I’d say, on the PGA Tour,” Thorbjornsen mentioned. “Clearly, I made my first PGA Tour begin right here two years in the past as an newbie. Love this place. It is near dwelling. Love the golf course.”

Thorbjornsen, 22, received the 2018 U.S. Junior Newbie and made the reduce and completed 79th on the 2019 U.S. Open. He made the reduce in three of eight begins in PGA Tour occasions as an newbie, most lately tying for seventeenth on the John Deere Basic in July 2023.

“At any time when I see Massachusetts on the hometown, I’m hyperfocused on no matter they’re doing,” mentioned Bradley, who graduated from highschool in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. “So, I am so happy with what he is executed. The rumors of what sort of participant he’s are sturdy. That he is, you realize, very, excellent. I really like that.

“I can relate to what he is gone by to get thus far — winters and stuff like that. So I am all the time pulling for gamers from round right here.”

What’s subsequent within the LIV Golf League

LIV Golf Nashville
When: Friday-Sunday
The place: The Grove, School Grove, Tennessee
Purse: $25 million ($20 million particular person, $5 million workforce); $4 million to profitable particular person, $3 million to profitable workforce

Rahm is prepared

Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm, who was compelled to withdraw from final week’s U.S. Open due to an contaminated wound on his left foot, mentioned Wednesday that he’ll be able to tee off on Friday.

He needed to pull out of the LIV Golf League’s match in Houston after six holes of the second spherical on June 8 due to the identical damage.

“I am feeling good,” Rahm mentioned. “The principle cause for the withdrawal [from] the 2 occasions was the an infection I had and simply to be precautionary in the direction of not making it worse and seeing what steps I can take to stop that from occurring sooner or later.”

Rahm mentioned the wound continues to be on his left foot, however added, “I am not going to essentially make it worse. Loads of issues to comply with up from what occurred to ensure it heals correctly and it does not occur once more.”

Rahm continues to be second within the particular person factors league with 98.17 after ending within the high 10 in every of his first seven begins. He is 36.23 factors behind Torque GC captain Joaquín Niemann.

“I really feel able to stroll and hit it,” Rahm mentioned. “I have never been capable of do a lot. It does not take a lot for me to really feel able to compete. Wanting ahead to it. Simply blissful that I am right here.”

DeChambeau’s victory lap

It has been fairly a trip for Bryson DeChambeau since he received his second U.S. Open title with a 1-shot victory over Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday.

DeChambeau appeared on the “Immediately Present,” “The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “The Pat McAfee Present” and MSNBC. He estimates a few thousand folks have touched the U.S. Open trophy since Sunday.

.@usopengolf winner @ b_dechambeau crashes the monologue to let Jimmy, @theroots and the viewers contact the U.S. Open trophy 🏆 #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/6PjTuPKAjn

— The Tonight Present (@FallonTonight) June 18, 2024

When DeChambeau arrived at The Grove on Tuesday, a crowd of LIV Golf League workers have been there to greet him.

Throughout a information convention Tuesday, DeChambeau talked about studying from issues he should not have executed and saying issues he should not have mentioned prior to now.

“Messing up and studying from these errors and studying endurance, resilience, dedication, persevering with to develop in that capability after which attending to a spot the place I lastly get to showcase my true self and present others what this nice sport means to me, it is given me a lot,” DeChambeau mentioned. “It is time for me to provide again.

“That is what I really like most. That is why this was so necessary for everybody to the touch the trophy. I wished everyone to expertise it as a result of it wasn’t only for me, it was for the turnaround, everybody me going, ‘Wow, that particular person is completely different than what I assumed.’ It was for them, these people who noticed who I now am, who I’m. That is what I wished folks to really feel is that involvement, that appreciation from me saying thanks. It meant so much.”

Bryson’s Olympic snub

After tying for sixth on the Masters, ending solo second on the PGA Championship and profitable the U.S. Open, DeChambeau climbed to No. 10 within the newest Official World Golf Rating.

That also wasn’t sufficient to get him into the 60-man area for the Olympic males’s golf match exterior Paris on Aug. 1-4.

As a result of guidelines forestall a single nation from sending greater than 4 golfers to the Olympics, DeChambeau was the second man out. Scheffler, Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa will characterize the U.S. Patrick Cantlay was eighth within the OWGR.

It is bittersweet as a result of DeChambeau was set to compete within the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, however needed to pull out after he examined optimistic for COVID-19 in closing testing earlier than leaving the U.S. He was changed on the workforce by Patrick Reed.

“Not with the ability to go in 2020 was unlucky for certain,” DeChambeau mentioned. “It was very disappointing. However I obtained sick, and we took the precautions and made the best selections, and I obtained wholesome from it. I recovered. I obtained my scent again. It is all good.”

DeChambeau mentioned he realized he won’t have the ability to compete in workforce occasions just like the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and the Olympics when he left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in June 2022.

“This time round, it is disappointing, however I perceive the choices I made, and the best way issues have performed out has not been essentially completely in accordance with plan,” he mentioned. “I’ve executed my finest up till now to provide myself an opportunity in accordance with the OWGR, however I notice and respect the place the present state of affairs of the sport is, albeit it is irritating and disappointing. Hopefully 2028 will probably be a little bit completely different state of affairs, and it’ll make it that a lot sweeter.”