GOES ALL OUT JOHN CATLIN’S ASIAN ADVENTURE BLOCK PARTY COMING TO ENGLAND
THE OLD WHITE Greenbrier plays host once again to LIV Golf this August
4 Time’s Ticking For Tiger
Has the time come for Tiger to hang up his clubs and retire?
The Starter
6 Stepping Up A Level
The Albatros course is center stage for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Mind / Body
8 Journeys
Carl Yuan with keely levins
12 A Little Patch of Augusta
For my second replica golf hole, I looked to the home of the Masters. by jim
nantz
14 Fields of Dreams
How Mike Keiser invented remote architecture. by jerry tarde
58 Swing Sequence
Ben Griffin’s setup keys. by dave allen
60 Work (Out) From Home
No need for a pricey gym to get in shape. by ron kaspriske
62 Stop It Cold From the Sand
Leave it next to the hole with height and spin. by lindy labauve
64 What’s in My Bag Peter Malnati with e. michael johnson
66 The Loop
The 2024 Muny Olympics by coleman bentley
Features
10 One Goal – LIV
American Jon Catlin has realigned his career ambitions for the year. by harry grimshaw
16 Crushing It
Bryson DeChambeau is performing on the big stages but not to much on LIV Golf in 2024. by harry grimshaw
18 Five Iron Dubai
“We want 5i to be every golfer’s destination of choice when looking to refine their game.”
20 A Royal Block Party
A week in the spotlight opened avenues for Michael Block.
24 Xander Tames Troon
The Champion Golfer of the Year had complete control in Ayshire. by harry grimshaw
COVER STORY
26 Wanna Have Some Fun?
Try my new method to hit smoking-high draws. by bryson dechambeau
37 For Their Country
The remarkable stories of five golfers who beat the odds to become Olympians. by matthew rudy
48 The Man Behind Tiger’s First Deals
Agent Hughes Norton breaks his silence with a new autobiography. by hughes norton and george peper
The Gulf Club
57 Club News
A gallery of just a handful of the local winners in the amateur circuit in the region. 37
Time’s Ticking For Tiger
“I just need to keep progressing, then eventually start playing more competitively”
By Harry Grimshaw
Is it time for Tiger to hang up his clubs?
That seems to be a lot of what is being contested at the moment across the gossiping golfing world.
It’s obvious that Tiger’s demise is interwoven from injuries that has resulted in him not even being close to his former field crushing self.
Is it right that pro’s and various media outlets have come out to ask why Tiger hasn’t put his clubs away for good and retire? He definitely doesn’t need the money, everyone on planet earth knows that. But he still believes he can compete, when fit. It’s clear he just loves the feeling of competing, something that has been an integral part of his whole life. Or else why would he put himself through the physical pain?
He’s still the main needle mover when it comes to bringing crowds to a golf tournament, even when he does subject himself to now only playing the majors due to his body not being up for as much wear and tear as it once was.
ship. In 2023, he competed in just the Genesis Invitational (an event he hosts), the Masters, the Hero World Challenge (another event he hosts) and the PNC. And this year, he’s played in the Genesis and all four majors. Outside of the Hero and PNC, Woods has finished no better than a tie for 45th in the events he’s played.
At the 152nd Open Championship, Woods shot rounds of 79 and 77 at Royal Troon to miss the cut. Woods has said he will play the Hero and PNC at the end of this year, though he was unclear what next year would fully look like. But he did say he would 100% be at Royal Portrush for the 153rd Open!
Outside of the Hero Challenge and the PNC Championship, Woods has finished no better than a tie for 45th this year.
Along with his back surgery’s, which haven’t helped, photos have recently emerged of his right leg without the sleeve on after his car accident. Giving us a glimpse of the damage that was done, resulting in multiple surgeries and rehabilitation to Tiger not losing his leg.
Since the crash, Woods’ playing schedule has been regulated. In 2021, he played just the PNC Championship, a major winnerrelative scramble event, with son Charlie. The following year saw Woods play the Masters, PGA Championship, the Open Championship and the PNC Champion-
“Yeah, I’m physically feeling a lot better than I did at the beginning of the year,” Woods said.
“At the end of last year, it was tough, and I haven’t played a whole lot. I think that, as the year has gone on, I have gotten better. I just wish I could have played a little bit more, but I’ve been saving it for the majors just in case I do something pretty major and then take myself out of it.
“Hopefully next year will be a little bit better than this year.”
Determined, as ever.
harry.grimshaw@motivate.ae
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Stepping up a level
The Albatros course at Le Golf National has grown from strength to strength, as it now plays host to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
By Harry Grimshaw
Home to France’s National Open for over two decades, the 2018 Ryder Cup venue and now site to the 2024 Paris Olympics – Le Golf National’s Albatros course, has achieved accolades in abundance since it’s inception less than 34 years ago. Designed by architects Hubert Chesneau and Robert von Hagge, under the vision of the President of the French Golf Federation Claude Roger Cartier, construction commenced in 1987 on the outskirts of Paris.
The course always had one main design feature, and that was to create a stadium-like layout, making it fit to host world-renowned championships for players, spectators, media and television coverage.
Host venue of the French Open since 1991, a key marker on the DP World Tour’s global calendar, the golf course combines the traditional feel of a links course with the modern features of target golf.
Renowned for it’s links layout and slick greens, the final four holes which are surrounded by water, make the Albatros one of the top golf courses in Europe where, in 2018, the final act of the Ryder Cup drama was played out. Does the stage get any bigger than the Olympics?
ALBATROS, LE GOLF NATIONAL, SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, FRANCE
‘When Rahm Went to LIV, I Kept My Card’
I was jealous of other players’ early success, but with my wife as my mental coach, I’m becoming the player I want to be
By Carl Yuan with Keely Levins
After my first year on the PGA Tour in 2023, I finished No. 126 on the FedEx Cup points list; the top 125 keep their cards. I was disappointed to lose my card, of course, but I was focused on earning my status back. I was playing a practice round for Q school when Jon Rahm announced he was going to LIV Golf. He was removed from the rankings, and I was bumped to No. 125. Suddenly, I had full status on tour.
When I was growing up in China, my dad, who worked in the shipping industry, played golf. I was 7 years old when I started following him on the course. When I got tired, I would climb on my dad’s pullcart while the caddie would pull me and the clubs. A few years later, I started hitting balls, and my parents found me a local coach.
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Academics are intense in China, so I spent a lot of time at school. I fell in love with golf because after long days in school, I wanted to be outside. I hit balls as much as I could, usually off a mat at a range. There are far fewer courses in China than in the United States, so I didn’t get on the course often.
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My coach took a group of us to Southern China when I was 10. After I shot 112 in my first tournament round, a snowstorm hit, and the tournament was canceled. It was my first time traveling without my parents, and I got stuck there for an extra day and a half because the roads were closed. We took a train home, which took another two days. It was a rough start to my competitive golf career, but it didn’t deter me.
When I was 13, I went to Florida for a golf camp. It opened my eyes to the things we lacked back home. In the U.S., the practice facilities are tremendous, there is access to launch monitors and it’s easy to play on courses. I moved to Florida and went to boarding school in Orlando to focus on golf.
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I improved my ball-striking, so I was able to execute the shots that my creative mind saw. I was ranked among the top 100 amateurs in the world when I started looking at colleges. I really liked the University of Washington and Seattle, specifically, because there is a big Asian population and great food. It was there that I met Cathy, who was playing on the women’s golf team, and in 2022 we got married. For that alone, it was definitely the right place for me.
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Every year as a team-bonding exercise, we would go to a beach in Oregon in December. Our coaches built a golf course on the sand with whatever they could find: logs, trash, anything. We spent two days in a cabin, playing golf on the beach course. Whoever shot the highest score would jump into the freezing water. We were good friends,
and my shot-making abilities developed because of the constant competition.
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I turned pro after my junior year in 2018. It was hard to leave my teammates, but I knew my game was ready. I played in China and in some DP World Tour events before getting onto the Korn Ferry Tour. After college, my wife played professionally, too, but she didn’t love competition enough to continue. Since she knows what it’s like to make a swing change and how it feels to miss a cut, she is able to really support me.
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After I turned pro, people on the internet started to notice my follow-through. All the motions I make after my swing aren’t intentional. My gyrations are a result of my body doing everything it can to hit the ball to the target. I’ve tried to stop, but it hurts my swing; overthinking and getting technical produces worse results for me.
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In 2021 on the Korn Ferry Tour, I was on the cusp of earning my PGA Tour card, but I had also qualified to represent China in the Tokyo Olympics. Going to Tokyo meant missing four events and likely my chance to get my card, but I felt a responsibility to be a role model for juniors in China. I finished T-38 at the Olympics, and I didn’t earn my tour card. It hurt, but I don’t regret my decision. I came back the next season with more confidence and earned my tour card. It proved that everything I’d done and the decisions my family and I had made had been right.
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My wife took mental-game training courses to help me on tour. It was hard to not be jealous of the early success of guys like Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa. My wife tells me to be a turtle: Move forward at my own pace. With her help, I am making solid steps toward becoming the player that I want to be.
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During my first year, I learned the courses we play and how to build a schedule. I played too many weeks in a row which is a mistake I won’t make again. I’ve started fishing during off weeks to relax. I wanted the chance to learn from my rookie year, and now that I have it, I’m not going to waste it.
YUAN
ONE GOAL –LIV
OVER 11 YEARS, THE AMERICAN HAS 12 INTERNATIONAL TITLES TO BOOT, BUT IT HASN’T BEEN A SIMPLE RIDE
John
Catlin is a hard man to track down. If there is golfer who holds the title of the most airmiles and passport stamps, this is the guy. Golf Digest Middle East sat down with the Sacramento native at the recent LIV Golf Andalucía event at Real Club Valderrama (home to one of his many conquests) to find out more on his Asian adventure that has him in his happiest place so far.
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John, for someone who turned professional just over ten years ago, would “exhilarating” be a good way to describe the journey you’ve been on?
I’ve had an adventurous career that’s for sure. In 2018, I was playing full time on the Asian Tour, and then I made it over to Europe onto the DP World Tour. I was the last person to keep a card in 2019, and then Covid hit, so that was a really weird thing to have to navigate.
Amongst that, I won my first DP World Tour event here (Real Club Valderrama) in 2020 and ended up winning twice more and then I lost my card and went back to Asia again.
Now I’m playing on LIV! So yeah, I would say, it’s been all over the place!
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We will touch on how you came onto LIV later, but what a special venue it is to win here at Valderrama?
Oh man it’s awesome. I mean this is a special place. To have hoisted hardware around here is something I’ll always cherish.
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As mentioned, you gained two further DP World Tour wins in the space of just 13 starts. You were clearly in a positive place back then with golf?
I was for sure. I was hot to say the least. I was playing so well. I just rode the wave to those three wins. I know how to win that’s for sure I’ll tell you that. When I’m playing good, I can win anywhere.
As we know golf can change in an blink. Obviously, you lost your status from the DP World Tour. How tough was that? It was rough. I didn’t know what to do or where I was going to be playing. I didn’t have status in Asia anymore because I wasn’t allowed to go back to play the Asian Tour. So it was a tough time. But I just knuckled down and got my Asian Tour status back, and now I find myself back at Real Club Valderrama, so here we are.
2024 seems to be the standout year from how you started the year, with essentially zero playing privileges, to how it has panned itself to now?
100%. I got a third place in Malaysia in February and that opened the floodgates. Two wins back-toback and then losing in a playoff in Morocco, so I would say my game’s in good shape!
The first of those two wins, on the International Series, in Macau and I went and shot a 59! To be the first person on the Asian Tour to do that is something that I’ll always remember.
Then the very next event was in Saudi Arabia, again on the International Series, I won wire-towire. That one wasn’t really even that close after the third round. A one shot lead after round two and then an eight shot lead going into the final round. I just had one of those weeks where you just make every putt you look at. I almost went bogey free for the whole tournament and finished 24 under par. We are going back to Riyadh Golf Club at the end of the year for the Asian Tour’s season ending PIF Saudi International, so I’ll have those great memories for the end of the year as well.
If you think about where the Asian Tour was when I played full time in 2018 and the prize funds we are playing for now, it’s not even the same ball park. From the way the events are run and the golf courses we get to play, it’s definitely taken a massive step forward.
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You’ve managed to squeeze playing LIV Golf into your busy schedule as well for the time being. How exciting is it to have found yourself on LIV and part of the Crushers team? It’s awesome. I love being part of the Crushers. They’re hard-working guys, just like myself. They want to win and they want to play well, plus I’ve known Bryson (DeChembaeu) for a very long time so he’s welcomed me in.
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Did Bryson give you a direct call up for the spot? No, so I heard from Max Williams in the LIV Golf player relations department. Brett Falkoff, who is Bryson’s manager, said to Max that once Chucky
PROFESSIONAL WINS:
2013 – Arizona Fall 5 – Gateway Tour
2016 – Combiphar Golf Invitational – Asian Development Tour
2017 – EurAsia Perak Championship – Asian Development Tour
2018 – Asia-Pacific Classic – Asian Tour
2018 – Sarawak Championship – Asian Tour
2018 – Yeangder Tournament Players Championship – Asian Tour
2019 – Thailand Open – Asian Tour
2020 – Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters – DP World Tour
2020 – Dubai Duty Free Irish Open – DP World Tour
2021 – Austrian Golf Open – DP World Tour
2024 – International Series Macau – Asian Tour
2024 – Saudi Open – Asian Tour
Clockwise from above: 2024 Saudi Open; 2024 International Series Macau; 2020 Estrella Damn N.A. Andalucia Masters
(Charles Howell III) ruled himself out, I was the first name immediately off Bryson’s lips. So to have somebody of that calibre say that about me was pretty special, and I obviously agreed to step in.
You are currently leading the Asian Tour’s International Series Order of Merit, is that your goal for the remainder of the season to secure your LIV card via that route?
I want to win both. I want to win both the Asian Tour Rankings and the International Series Rankings and then end up back here. I know just the International Series one will get the job done, but it would be great to achieve both.
LIV has been second to none. It’s the best tour I’ve played on, from the way they look after us, the golf courses we get to play on, the team atmosphere, the music, the money! That’s my one goal now, to get on LIV for next season.
A Little Patch of Augusta
For my second replica golf hole, I looked to the home of the Masters
By Jim Nantz
Iappreciate landscaping and golf-course design the way many people appreciate art. That’s why I’ve spent nearly two years developing my second golf-course replica hole. Now that it is completed, I confess I enjoy staring at it as much as I do playing it. Whether it’s during the day or lighted at night, I look out at it with satisfaction and appreciation
for its aesthetics and the little challenges it presents.
Several years ago, the grind of traveling from Pebble Beach to my CBS assignments and other business ventures was amounting to more than 500 hours a year in the air. We were in serious need of a geographic alternative that would mean less travel and more time at home with the family. Fortunately, we found
the perfect proximity fix in Music City, USA: Nashville, Tennessee, which arguably is the nicest community in the country. Although it was difficult leaving our dream home in Pebble Beach on a full-time basis, I knew it would never disappear from my life entirely.
Soon after we settled into our home in Tennessee, I became obsessed by the idea of crafting something special in our
backyard like what I had done 10 years ago at Pebble Beach with a replica of the nearby par-3 seventh. Like the original design in California, this project was as much about making it a playground for our children as it was about golf. My son learned to ride a bike on our putting surface at Pebble. My youngest daughter relished using it as a stage to perform her dances and somersaults as the music played on the sound system. Making our Nashville endeavor the ultimate backyard for our kids was paramount.
The process began by calling my friends at Back Nine Greens to help with the design and address drainage issues. Soon I invited Dominic Nappi and Shane Witcombe to discuss my
initial concepts. Shane had spent many years collaborating with high-caliber architects such as Tom Doak, and Dom had built some of the greatest artificialturf backyard holes in the country for golfaholics like actor Mark Wahlberg and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Together, we tried to approach the project with imagination and an artist’s flair. Several holes seemed worthy of replication. For a while I considered a tribute to the par-3 sixth hole at Riviera, the George Thomas classic with a bunker in the middle of the green. The par-3 12th at Augusta next gained steam, but in the end, the lack of space in our backyard steered us to creating a miniature of the green complex of the par-5 13th-hole at Augusta National.
By breaking free of the par-3 phenomenon that is sweeping the nation, we envisioned a hole with a variety of looks and challenges. Each hitting area would reflect one of the tricky third shots Masters competitors confront at the 13th when forced to lay up. The L-shape configuration of my property, which once seemed a liability, now magically provided the points of view players always see at the Masters.
The green is roughly a 25 percent scale model of the original. The key to authenticity was building a creek bed to resemble the tributary of Rae’s Creek, which from 20 yards away looks frightening to a golfer. Also, a must was accuracy of the putting surface so that it featured the same slopes and breaks— albeit on a much smaller scale—as the green down in Georgia. I even FaceTimed my old buddy Fred Couples and showed him the putt from the left side of the green to the front-right pin. Fred, who has played in the Masters 39 times and won the tournament in 1992, advised that we needed a little less severe left-to-right action than I planned.
Next came the aesthetic touches. We’ve boundaried the property with magnolia trees, azaleas and pine straw. As with my Pebble Beach edition, an outdoor audio system was a must. Yes, the CBS golf theme plays on a loop along with Dave Loggins’ “Augusta” and E.S. Posthumus’ “Thrill of Victory” with its stirring, high-energy track that graces the Masters telecast.
For variety we modified an elevated screened-in patio and turned it into a Topgolf-like hitting bay, replete with a remote-controlled fold-up screen and
heaters for chilly evenings in fall and winter. It is from here and only here where immortality can be achieved. A hole-in-one to the back-right hole location will earn someone a nameplate on my Nashvillian version of the Rock of Fame—something that has inspired many a guest at my Pebble Beach property. Getting a little carried away, I added a “championship” tee from the pool deck that stretches the shot to about 50 yards. Using modulated balls that fly about half the distance of an ordinary ball, the shot will demand a full 56-degree wedge for most of us mere mortals.
We included a few add-ons to make this a full experience. I always wanted a leaderboard that looked reasonably Masters-like. This has been accomplished, and the first three names on the board are those of my children, Caroline, Finley and Jameson. The “in progress” scoring has them at four under par on the second nine, but I’ve warned them that they have a dangerous group of legends—Nicklaus, Palmer and Player, as well as Tiger and Freddie, in hot pursuit. We also installed three 10-foot posts with directional signs pointed toward clubs around the world that have been important to me. If Bryson DeChambeau comes by, I hope he doesn’t uproot one of them and walk away in his best Paul Bunyan swagger, as he did at the Masters this spring. Two of the directional signs point to a nearby comfort station, which had once been our pool house. Inside you will find a slushy and frozen margarita machine, a hot dog warmer and a soft-serve ice cream maker. This is where we’ll go to celebrate your holein-one and your newfound residence on the Rock of Fame.
Although the backyard is dedicated to the children, I’m naming it Hello Friends Village in honour of my late parents. Everyone who knows me is aware of how that phrase became part of my broadcasts as a coded message to my ailing father to let him know I was thinking of him. Above the teeing area on the porch hangs a treasured photograph of Winged Foot that was presented to me years ago as a reminder of a magical Father’s Day in 1974 when my dad took me to that hallowed club to watch the final round of the U.S. Open. In some ways, I guess you could say that Hello Friends Village was 50 years in the making.
BACKYARD FUN Jim Nantz, at his Nashville home, plays his newly completed tribute to Augusta National’s 13th.
Fields of Dreams
How Mike Keiser invented the Remote Architecture Movement
By Jerry Tarde
You might say it started when W.P. Kinsella wrote a baseball novel in 1982 called “Shoeless Joe” that used the haunting refrain, “If you build it, he will come.” The extraterrestrials of Stonehenge may have had the notion originally, but Kinsella’s mantra expressed perfectly that if you create something worthwhile, people will beat a path to your door. The book became a movie in 1989, and a solitary baseball diamond in an Iowa cornfield romanced a generation. Within a decade two visionary golfers built their “Field of Dreams,” and the Remote Architecture Movement was born.
The first was in 1995 when Dick Youngscap hired Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore to design Sand Hills Golf Club on what was once the ocean floor in Nebraska, now ranked No. 8 on America’s 100 Greatest. The second was in 1999 when Mike Keiser opened the David McLay Kidd course at Bandon Dunes on coastal Oregon (No. 40). “There was something in the air that led us to links golf,” Keiser said recently.
Coore draws a stronger connection. He says if Youngscap hadn’t played Prairie Dunes, the Perry Maxwell linksstyle masterpiece in Hutchinson, Kansas, 700 miles from the sea, he would never have built Sand Hills, and if Keiser hadn’t seen Sand Hills (he’s a founding member), we likely wouldn’t have Bandon Dunes, which begat Pacific Dunes (No. 21), Bandon Trails (No. 65), Old Macdonald (No. 72) and Sheep Ranch (No. 115) in Oregon. The sun now doesn’t set on Keiser’s properties from Nova Scotia, Canada, to Tasmania, Australia, to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean to our Best New Public Course of the Year in the middle of Wisconsin. A land rush of imitators have followed.
Keiser stands alone as the single most important positive force in golf during
DIAMOND IN THE DUNES
the past quarter century. When he started Recycled Paper Greetings in 1971, he was a pioneer of environmentally friendly products and later brought his passion for sustainability to golf. More than anyone, he has had a knack for doing well and doing good at the same time, which his two sons, Michael and Christopher, now propagate. Can you name another amateur who made a billion dollars in the golf business?
I first crossed paths with Mike in 1986, although we didn’t really know each other until years later. At the time Golf Digest’s Armchair Architect contest challenged readers to create the best golf hole based on a topographic map, and 22,000 filed intricate designs. Looking back now, two entrants stand out: a 10-year-old kid with a Black father and a Thai mother whose name was Tiger and a Chicago businessman who called our architecture editor Ron Whitten when the results were announced and politely demanded to know why he hadn’t won. Undeterred, Keiser bought 60 acres in Michigan, built the ninehole Dunes Club and launched his new career as a golf-course developer.
Starting with two stated principles he applied them over and over with increasing success. The first is: “Dunes plus ocean equals great golf.” The other is what he calls “one plus one equals three.” One course at Bandon Dunes was a curiosity; a second made it a destination. “By the time we added the CooreCrenshaw third course we proved that one plus one plus one equals seven,” he says. “In my lifetime, and I hope to live a little bit longer, I think there will be 10 courses at Bandon Dunes, a site that no one thought made any sense whatsoever back when we contemplated it.”
In listening to him over the years, I realised he had another principle of success: Never lose sight of the Retail Golfer. I’d not heard of the term before and asked Mike what it meant. He said: “I don’t want to say lousy golfers so I call them Retail Golfers.” His priority is the customers who pay for their green fees, dinner tabs and hotel rooms—not low-handicappers or pros who usually are freeloaders.
After World War II, when Golf Digest produced its first ranking called “America’s 200 Toughest Golf Courses,” the emphasis was on monster courses that challenged tournament players. Keiser took the game in a different direction. Tom Doak told me Keiser used to post
the best-selling greeting cards in his office as a reminder of what was working. On any given day you can ask which of his courses are playing the most rounds, and he’ll know. The frequent answer is Bandon Dunes or Mammoth Dunes—both with oversize greens and wide-open fairways.
“Lousy golfers like hitting greens in regulation even if they three-putt,” he says, “and finishing with the same ball you start with is fun. The only thing worse than looking for your ball is looking for your partner’s ball.”
Keiser’s fourth principle I’ve come to appreciate is his commitment to walking and caddieing. His properties promote if not require walking and taking a caddie, which runs counter to most resort businesses dominated by cart revenue. Five hundred caddies work at Bandon Dunes; 85 percent of the rounds are played with caddies. His philanthropy for caddie scholarships is world renowned. The Evans Caddie Scholarship Foundation honoured him and his wife, Lindy, with its highest award this year, and his friends raised $7.3 million for a special Keiser caddie fund at the dinner.
The final element of his secret sauce I discovered in a talk he gave at the University of Chicago. He got into the recycled business because he thought customers would want to support ecology but found they cared only about price and quality. In fact, it was employees who cared about the environment, and his higher purpose allowed him to attract and retain a better workforce. The same has applied in golf—Keiser’s staff is known as the best for customer service, and his businesses are dedicated to supporting local communities. He would cringe at the metaphor, but Keiser is a walking Hallmark Christmas movie.
A few years ago, Mike invited me to a reunion with Dick Youngscap at Sand Valley. A foursome of old friends sat around a table and listened while they swapped stories and heaped praise on each other. These two pioneers had changed golf. They built it, and we all came. Youngscap, now 85, found perfection in one course and stayed. Keiser, 78, keeps going with no end in sight.
Jerry Tarde prefers Cabot Cliffs over The Lido but hasn’t yet played Saint Lucia.
Mike Keiser, in 2007, surveying what would become Cabot Cliffs in Nova Scotia.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU IS PERFORMING WELL ON THE BIG STAGES BUT STILL STRUGGLES ON LIV IN 2024
Crushing It
12months ago, Bryson DeChambeau signed off at The Old White course at The Greenbrier with not only his maiden LIV Golf title, but he did it in serious style with an absurd final round of 58, 12 under par, the lowest in LIV Golf’s history and just the second in elite professional men’s golf.
The 58 not only proved to be the stamp needed for his first LIV Golf individual victory, but he also considered it then as the “greatest moment of my career”.
“It meant that I could do it again!,” Bryson claimed on being able to break his winning drought.
“Also shooting 58 and a culmination of numerous factors. Having equipment that works, being able to play consistent good golf like I know I have been, just not having things go my way, but finally have them go my way at a LIV Golf event was instrumental in the success and ultimately leading to the U.S. Open.”
The Crushers GC captain stunned the crowds at Pinehurst No. 2 all week in June and picked up his second U.S. Open title after pipping Rory McIlroy to his elusive fifth major.
No player had performed better in the first three majors of the year. But Bryson hasn’t quite matched that form when it comes to LIV Golf this season. He does have six top-10s, including a solo ninth last month at LIV Golf Andalucía, but the 30-year-old has a firm determination on getting his name on an individual title once again before the season end.
“I have got to win one. I need to win one! That’s my full goal, I’ve got to get one done.”
The “Content King” ultimately is known for his distance in the game and attempts to overpower the courses with his length, but the former U.S. Amateur winner is weary of the constant balancing act of distance with accuracy to secure success once again at Greenbrier.
LIV GOLF GREENBRIER
“For me there’s a lot of wedges out there so you’ve got to be able to hit your wedge numbers well. Yes I can bomb it out there but I have to make sure I can hit my wedges solid to have a good chance to win.”
August 16-18
The Old White at The Greenbrier
• Par 71
• Yards 7,186
Total Purse:
$20m - Individual
$5m - Team
Winner’s Share:
$4m - Individual
$3m - Team
The Crushers are currently leading the team standings, despite their narrow playoff loss to the Fireballs in Spain. Bryson is confident with being at the helm, he will guide his team mates to a third title of the season having already lifted silverware in Jeddah and Hong Kong.
“We are focused on doing our absolute best. If each person can do their absolute best and give it everything they’ve got we will be the best team by the end of the year.”
Five Iron – The Premier Indoor Golf Club
“ We want 5i Dubai to be every golfer’s destination of choice when looking to refine their game”
Five Iron UAE’s Director of Golf, Zane Scotland, tells us what to expect from this one-of-a-kind golf experience in Dubai.
Zane, lets start by refreshing our readers on what the model is at Five Iron Golf Dubai?
In short: an indoor golf club by day; a vibrant nightlife destination by night.
During a morning or afternoon at Five Iron, you’ll see members and guests getting lessons with me or our pros, playing 18 holes at their favourite course, or getting a sweat in at our on-site gym and sauna.
But during the evening?
You’ll see guests enjoying food and drink at any one of our four bars and restaurant, as well as our 17 simulators and entertainment areas buzzing with customers playing golf, augmented reality darts, virtual football penalty shootout, and everything in between.
What are the membership models that you have on offer?
We offer two tiers of membership: Gold and Platinum.
Each tier offers members 90 minutes of guaranteed simulator time per day, 20% off 5i food, drink, leagues, and lessons, as well as wildly attractive discounts across the Mina Seyahi complex.
Platinum members will be eligible for additional benefits: access to our on-site Platinum Lounge (where elevated speakeasy meets American country club lounge), 12 free lessons per year, a dedicated concierge, and much more.
If someone doesn’t want to become a member, how easy is it for them to visit?
Super easy. Book a sim on our website, on the Viya app, via WhatsApp, or by calling our friendly reservations team.
Not a member or golfer? Not a problem. We’ll be open to guests who want to experience our award-winning dining, innovative drinks menus, and exciting vibe unrivalled by any other sports and entertainment facility in the UAE.
What golf specific equipment can clients get involved in when visiting, do they need to bring anything?
Not at all. Each of our 17 simulators will be equipped with premium Callaway golf clubs. Additionally, our indoor putting green and 9-hole outdoor mini golf course will feature a variety of Odyssey putters.
“This will be the biggest Five Iron in the world. We are doing this Dubai style!”
Members won’t have to worry about trudging their bags to and from the club, either. We offer our members free bag storage.
Being able to offer PGA Professional lessons must be a big plus with yourself and Olivia Jackson onboard?
Huge. We’re building a top-notch academy here and want Five Iron Dubai to be every golfer’s destination of choice when looking to refine their game (on industry-leading Trackman simulators in an air-conditioned environment, no less!).
With that in mind, keep your eyes peeled for our next coaching appointment, it’s going to be a good one.
Are there future plans for Five Iron Golf in the region?
Absolutely. We are slated to open six Five Irons in the UAE by the end of 2027 and we’re already preparing plans for our second and third sites.
But it’s not just the UAE we’ve got our eyes on. In short, we think this is just the beginning of Five Iron Golf, in the Gulf.
INTERNATIONAL SERIES ENGLAND
August 8-11
August | Foxhills (Longcross)
Par 72 • Yards 6,730
Total Purse: $2m
Winner’s Share:
$360,000
A ROYAL BLOCK PARTY
A week in the spotlight for Michael Block opened avenues for this club pro
American club pro Michael Block had a fairytale week at the 2023 PGA Championship. Not only securing a top-15 finish, but also found himself paired with Rory McIlroy for the final round, in which he even made a slam dunk ace on the par 3 15th hole. It literally was, a dream week.
The moment in the spotlight for Block opened a multitude of opportunities for the 48-year-old California resident. So much so, he has since received exemptions to play in events on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and next up the Asian Tour.
“Blockie” is the latest name confirmed to join a star-studded field for the International Series England at Foxhills Club & Resort as he prepares to peg it up alongside the likes of Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Richard Bland and Anirban Lahiri in the $2 million prize purse tournament.
“I still need to pinch myself that I’m fortunate enough to be able to travel the world playing the sport that I love so much,” said Block.
“I believe The International Series is now one of the best possible avenues for any golf professional throughout the world and I have no doubt that you are going to see more and more budding American golfers doing their best to qualify and play in the International Series.
“The Asian Tour is getting exactly what it deserves in golfs global landscape. It’s been a great tour for a long time and it’s only getting better!
With the excitement forming amongst the stellar field, fans can see the top Asian Tour players plus a host of Major winners and Ryder Cup stars come together, adding to the tournaments anticipation.
“There is no doubt that the strength of the field will be strong, however this is what I live for, to play against some of the best players in the world and compare my game. I already have some practice rounds set up with John Catlin and Berry Henson who are buddies from the states, but I’ve always really looked up to guys like Poulter and McDowell and would love to get a game going with them on one of the days prior to the first round of competition.”
Block has pedigree at Foxhills. As a PGA club pro, he qualified for the 2022 PGA Cup in which his U.S. team came out victorious in a 15.5 – 10.5 victory over team Great Britain & Ireland on the Longcross layout. Memories he will be hoping to feed off.
“It was one of the best memories of my life, hands down! I will definitely be able to look back at that week and take a ton of positive thoughts from it which is so important in the game of golf.
“You must drive the ball well at Foxhills, it reminds me of Riviera back here in Southern California which you need to be able to move it both ways off the tee which is what I really enjoy doing. I’ve also heard that some improvements have been made to the course which I look forward to seeing!
“The clubhouse and facilities there at Foxhills is second to none and I can’t wait to get my hands on one of those sausage rolls at the turn!”
In what has been some year for Block, he isn’t wanting to stop the party just yet, as he continues to ride the wave of what the game of golf has delivered him.
“I wouldn’t change the last 13 months in any shape or form, but it’s definitely been a little more difficult to work on my game while traveling the world and yet, still running a golf course back in Southern California. Life is great!”
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XANDER TAMES TROON
SCHAUFFELE HAD COMPLETE CONTROL ON THE SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN AYRSHIRE, AS HE SEPERATED HIMSELF FROM THE REST OF THE FIELD.
“IT TRULY IS AN HONOUR TO WIN THIS. TO ME IT’S BIG.”
ander Schauffele achieved his second major championship in the space of just three months after securing the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The newly crowned Champion Golfer of the Year fired a remarkable final round 65, six-under-par for a twostroke winning margin from England’s Justin Rose and overnight leader and fellow American Billy Horschel.
Schauffele had complete control on the Sunday afternoon in Ayrshire as he separated himself from the rest of the field on what was supposed to be the “tougher” nine with a run of four birdies in six holes to firmly get his hands on the Claret Jug.
“It means a lot. It’s something all of us play for and it really is a dream come true to be holding this, it definitely hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said.
“My brain is still grinding on this amazing property here trying to get through the holes. I can’t wait to sit back and have a moment with this Claret Jug.”
Victory in golf’s oldest competition wouldn’t of been as plane sailing for the 30-year-old, had he not broken his major duck in May’s PGA Championship success.
“I thought it would help me and it did. I had this sense of calm, a calm I didn’t have when I played earlier at the PGA,” said Xander.
“For some reason I felt calm, I felt collected and I was telling my caddy on the 18th that I felt pretty calm coming down the stretch and he said he was about to puke on the 18th tee.”
In what was a very much a victory for team Schauffele, it was made even more poignant for Xander’s father, Stefan, who was only able to watch on from Hawaii for the victory at Valhalla.
This time round he was very much there in person, with open arms to greet his double major winning son on the back of the 18th green.
“I’d like to thank my entire family, my team, they know who they are, it’s been quite a journey, I feel very honoured hearing my name called with Open Champion right after,” he added.
“I sat down with my dad when I was maybe 15 or 16 and we started to really hash out some goals and dreams of what I’d like to do,” said Schauffele.
“I was on the couch with my dad a lot watching other guys win majors and win big tournaments – my dad and I have definitely talked about this.
“We’ve watched that walk up 18 pretty much every year until I played in The Open. It’s definitely something that we’ve both dreamt of.”
There were, at times, multiple names with one hand on the Claret Jug before Xander crept away with the solo lead. South African Thriston Lawrence one of them, who finished with six straight pars to end in solo fourth spot, helped along after his Saturday 65.
Russell Henley was also impressive, his bogey-free two-under-par 69 good enough for fifth, just one shot behind Lawrence, and one place ahead of 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry, who was five shots back. Spain’s Jon Rahm, South Korean Sungjae Im and World Number One Scottie Scheffler all finished tied-seventh and eight shots off the lead.
With the tougher weather conditions coming earlier in the week, notable names who weren’t to see the weekend’s play after missing the cut at six-over included Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg.
This is Xander’s 12th professional title, in a resume which includes the 2017 Tour Championship and the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club, across on the east coast of Scotland.
“It truly is an honour to win this. To me it’s big. To me, winning the Scottish Open was big because it meant my game could travel. So to double that up and win a major in Scotland is even cooler.”
“Everyone in my family knows how competitive I am. I may not be the guy running around fist pumping, but that’s just who I am,” he said.
“I kind of know how I need to be to perform at a high level.
“If I’m sitting there snapping a club, that would be the same as me running around fist pumping. It would take too long for me to adjust before my next shot to hit a good one.
“There’s obviously a fire burning deep within, or I wouldn’t have a couple majors sitting by my side.”
The World Number Two will head to Royal Portrush next summer as the defending Champion Golfer, going in search of the legendary double triumph.
Players battled with the elements that Troon delivered
It was an early exit for McIlroy as he missed the cut in the final mens major of the year.
See this prototype driver? I’m working with LA Golf to build me something great to use off the tee. Stay tuned.
BY BRYSON DECHAMBEAU
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JESSE RIESER
GROWING UP, I WAS OBSESSED WITH BEN HOGAN. I still have a photo of him swinging a club on the wall in my house. He was the ball-striker I wanted to be. I even copied his grip so that I could hit a fade just like him. Yet, after a few too many disappointing finishes in majors, I realised there’s only one Ben Hogan. I needed to make some changes. Specifically, I wanted more distance, and one of the quickest ways to pick up yards off the tee is to switch from a fade to a draw. The way draws are created, they tend to roll more than fades because they come off the club with less backspin. They tumble instead of checking up. Knowing that, I got to work on developing a powerful draw swing. The results have been remarkable. I swing my driver 129 miles per hour now, that’s 12 mph faster than when I first turned pro, and my average driving distance at the PGA Championship in May was 330.5 yards. I’m even more excited now that I’m working on building a new driver to perfectly match my new swing.
Back to hitting power draws, I gotta say, it’s an awesome feeling when you smoke one. If you want to learn how I do it, I can show you. I’ve helped a bunch of golfers on my YouTube channel with tips to make the game easier—and more fun! Consider this article some of my greatest hits.
Before we get into it, I do have to warn you: If you’re new to golf and/or predominantly hit slices and pulls, don’t be surprised if some of my technique is tough to copy. It might even make your slice worse for a while until you get enough reps in to really feel what your body, arms and club need to do to produce a draw. I’ll try to speed up the process, but remember to be patient. If your goal is to pick up 10, 20, even 30 extra yards on your drives, my power draw is worth the wait.
—WITH LUKE KERR-DINEEN
GET SET TO DRAW IT
I had a lot of fun giving celebrity golfer Paige Spiranac a YouTube lesson. We talked a lot about the importance of getting the simple stuff right, like the setup. It’s easy to do but often neglected. One thing I see, especially with slicers, is that they set up with their hips or shoulders open (aligned left of the target for a right-handed golfer). It’s almost like they’re setting up to slice it on purpose. If anything, they should have their shoulders and hips aligned right of the fairway. That would promote the into-out swing path you need to draw the ball (I’ll talk more about that later).
Just as important as alignment in relation to the target is to make sure everything is matched up (right). You can check this by laying the shaft of your driver across your shoulders, hips, feet, etc. (above). If one body part isn’t touching the shaft and its alignment is more open or closed than the others, good luck trying to produce a consistent shot shape. Also, pay attention to ball position. Play the ball forward in your stance so the club has enough time to close in relation to your swing path (I’ll also explain this later). When you play the ball in the middle of your stance with a driver, you’re putting yourself in position to slice it before you even take the club back. Use your setup to set you up for success.
IF YOU WANT MORE POWER, YOU NEED MORE WIDTH
To create and store more power for my drives, the feeling I have going back is that while my chest is turning away from the target, I’m getting as wide as possible with my arms (above, left). I’m trying to throw the club out and away from me while stretching my body toward the sky. The more I stretch my muscles on the backswing, the more I can snap them on the downswing, like releasing a rubber band. A good swing thought: Stretch wide, then snap narrow.
When you take the club back, think about rotating into your right side, really feeling pressure all the way up from your right foot to the right hip. At the same time, keep your arms nice and long, even feeling a little stretch at the elbow joints. When you transition to the downswing, the club should feel like it’s dropping and moving in toward your body (left). This creates a kind of power called angular momentum. (That’s a little science for ya there.)
ANTI-HOOK TIP FOR BETTER PLAYERS
I used to be afraid of hitting draws because I didn’t want to overcook one and hook it into the left rough. Watching Jordan Spieth hit his driver, especially when he won all those majors, I noticed he could draw the ball with confidence because he knew how to set his left arm on the club in a way that would prevent a hook. It was really smart. I copied it knowing that while I might hit one 40 yards right of the fairway, I knew I’d never miss one left.
What was the adjustment? When I grip the club, I rotate my left arm clockwise toward my body. This pronation makes my left elbow point toward the target. My goal is to keep this left-arm orientation all the way
through my swing (photos, above). It’s what I call an “anatomical governor.” My arm is at its end range of motion, meaning I can produce a draw with a slightly closed face in relation to my swing path, but my arm won’t rotate any farther and produce a nasty hook. It’s my insurance policy. Remember, this is a betterplayer’s tip. If you tend to slice, you probably want your left arm to rotate more counterclockwise during the downswing, which would help close the clubface and eliminate your left-to-right curve. Hooks aren’t your problem. In fact, if you learned how to hook the ball, you’re well on your way to eliminating your slice and learning how to draw it.
SHALLOW YOUR DOWNSWING— THE RIGHT WAY
The way to create the correct in-to-out path for a draw is to shallow your downswing, but there are misconceptions on social media about how to do it, so let me teach you the right way.
Once you have made a nice, big turn on the backswing, start down feeling as if your back is facing your target for a beat as you drop your hands toward your right pocket (photos , left). This shallows your swing path and slots the club perfectly on that in-to-out path you need to draw it. For a slicer, this move will probably feel radically different than what you’re used to. In fact, it could even be scary because your instinct might be that swinging the club to the right of your target will make your slice even worse. Actually, the opposite is true.
A good feel is that your right elbow drops from the top and bumps your right hip. Once it’s there, turn your arms aggressively through. (Better players should try to keep that leftarm stability I talked about earlier.)
POWER TIP FOR BETTER PLAYERS
The science of a draw is simple: The clubface must point to the left or be closed in relation to your swing direction. To turn a simple draw into a power draw, you need to use your body efficiently and effectively. A power move for me is shifting the mass of my body in the same direction that the club is moving.
On the backswing that means shifting my weight into the middle of my right foot. Then, on the downswing, I feel like I’m free-falling into my left foot (above). As I approach the ball, my club and body are moving out toward the right of
my target (I’d say it’s about five degrees to the right). Point is, they’re working together. This allows me to deliver the mass of my body and club into the golf ball with maximum efficiency. The reason I’m suggesting this tip is for better players is because slicers tend to swing with their weight out in their toes, so emphasising this move in the downswing could lead them to drift with their whole body toward the ball, something called early extension, which leads to an even worse slice. They need to learn how to pivot around the lead leg more and improve their balance and stability.
IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE, HIT MORE DRIVES WITH THE CENTER OF THE FACE
Your ability to hit the ball in the center of the clubface is a huge power component. I don’t care how fast the club is moving—if you can’t do that, you’re losing a huge amount of energy you could be transferring into the ball. My advice, especially for players who struggle with consistency, is that the brunt of your range work should be on finding the sweet spot. One of my favourite YouTube videos is a drill that can help with this.
Take two tees and set them on both sides of a wedge and place a ball between them (above). Now hit some chips with the goal of missing the
tees. That will help you make centerface contact.
When you can do this drill on autopilot with your wedges, start hitting full iron shots through the gate. Eventually work up to your driver, and monitor your success. If you can hit five clean drives in a row, I’m guessing you’ll get your handicap down to about 10. Do 10 in a row and you’re moving into the low single digits.
If you can routinely do it by making a full backswing, slotting that right elbow into your side and moving your body and club on an in-to-out path, you’ve just mastered all the elements to my power draw. Enjoy your new home way down the fairway!
LISTEN, I CAN’T BLAME YOU IF YOU WANT TO SWING AS HARD AS YOU CAN. SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA GET A LITTLE PSYCHO WITH IT.
THEIR FOR COUNTRY
THE REMARKABLE STORIES OF FIVE GOLFERS WHO BEAT THE ODDS TO BECOME OLYMPIANS BY MATTHEW RUDY ILLUSTRATIONS BY NIGEL BUCHANAN
The last olympic golf competition was a leading indicator for its two gold medalists: Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda have each reached even greater heights in 2024. What will the games in Paris this summer portend for the collection of world athletes hoping to challenge the marquee favourites—both of whom are back to defend? Will ascendent young star Ruoning Yin extend China’s traditional strengths in diving, weightlifting, table tennis and gymnastics and win the country’s first golf gold medal? Will Frenchman Victor Perez build on the game’s momentum in the host country that started with the 2018 Ryder Cup? Can a player like the Philippines’ Bianca Pagdanganan energise an Olympics-mad fan base in her non-traditional golf country the way Aditi Ashok did in Tokyo in 2021? Meet Yin, Perez and Pagdanganan along with Poland’s Adrian Meronk and Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela—five players with very different journeys to Le Golf National on Aug. 1 (men’s competition) and Aug. 7 (women’s competition).
RUONING YIN
21, KUNMING, CHINA
There’s nothing subtle about the way Ruoning Yin exploded into professional golf as a teenager. The tiny-but-mighty 5-foot-2 powerhouse won her first three events as a pro on the China LPGA Tour, then won twice as a teenager on the LPGA Tour—including her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The moment wasn’t too big for her to reach No. 1 in the world in late 2023 before Korda began her recent run. But the Olympics? That’s another story.
“It’s already giving me goosebumps,” says Yin, who averages 265 yards off the tee to go with upper-echelon ball-striking and short game. “I feel a bit of pressure to compete because I feel like if you finish outside the top three, you miss the cut, but I will try to enjoy it because it’s my first time—enjoy the journey and the process and try not to focus on the result.”
Her results during her first two LPGA seasons
are what have made her more than a known name in sports-mad China: She’s now getting recognised on the street when walking in her mother’s hometown by fans who want an interaction with the first Chinese player to rise to the top of
the game since Shanshan Feng in 2017. Yin also will be one of the favourites to expand China’s medal-winning dominance beyond its traditional power in diving, weightlifting, table tennis and gymnastics—even if she isn’t quite ready to wrap her head around that possibility.
“It’s an honour to represent your home country and especially to wear that shirt with the national flag on it.”
‘I FEEL LIKE IF YOU FINISH OUTSIDE THE TOP THREE, YOU MISS THE CUT.’
AGE
‘I KNOW THE ENERGY IS GOING TO START PEAKING NOW THAT IT’S CLOSE.’
VICTOR PEREZ
AGE 31, SEMEAC, FRANCE
Victor Perez will be hard to miss in Paris. The three-time winner on the DP World Tour stands out in a crowd anyway because of his 6-foot-5 frame, but he will also be wearing the home colours and competing for France along with countryman Matthieu Pavon. For Perez, the Games are the latest in a methodical rise from college golf through Europe and onto the PGA Tour for 2024.
Perez played at the University of New Mexico from 2011 to 2015 before working his way up through the Alps Tour and then to the European Challenge Tour in 2017. Two wins there propelled him to the DP World Tour, and last year Perez won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship— which helped lock down a top-10 finish in the season-ending rankings that earned him a spot on the
PGA Tour for 2024. Ironically, shifting away from Europe to play has probably made his prep for a home Olympics more focused and serene.
“Being in America has helped,” says Perez, who has three top-25s in his early PGA Tour career.
“You’re not constantly talking about it or being in the shadow of it. But I know the energy is going to start peaking now that it’s close.”
BIANCA PAGDANGANAN
AGE 26, QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES
Does the experience an athlete gains at the Olympics really count when the games are played almost in a vacuum, as they were in Tokyo during the pandemic? Bianca Pagdanganan lived her dream of making it to the Olympics but playing on empty, fan-restricted courses with only her caddy to interact with left her feeling detached from the excitement her friends experienced watching her on television. She’s aiming for the full experience in Paris, from competing to taking in the sights in and out of the Olympic Village.
“Growing up, the Olympics was the biggest stage you could be on. Getting there was just surreal, and when you got to the course, you could feel how grand it was,” she says. “I knew I was in the Olympics, but it was a little strange with all the restrictions and no spectators. I’m looking forward to the spectacle and to experience all the fans as a player and going to see the other Philippines athletes compete. When I’m enjoying myself, that’s when I play my best.”
Pagdanganan has three more years of professional polish on
a game that was good enough to help Arizona win the team portion of the 2018 NCAA Championship and qualify for Tokyo after just a year as a professional. Pagdanganan ranks fourth in driving distance on the LPGA Tour with an average of 274 yards and had her best year in 2023, finishing second once and making eight cuts in 11 events.
“I’ve grown a lot in the last three years,” says Pagdanganan, who tied for 43rd in Tokyo. “I know how to handle myself on the course better, how to handle the highs and lows.”
‘I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SPECTACLE AND TO EXPERIENCE ALL THE FANS.’
‘IF YOU FINISH SECOND OR THIRD IN ANY OTHER EVENT, DOES IT MEAN THAT MUCH?’
ALBANE VALENZUELA
AGE
26, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
If the Olympics represents high achievement amid a mix of global cultures, Albane Valenzuela might be the Olympic ideal. Born in New York City to a Mexican father and French mother, Valenzuela grew up in Mexico City before moving to Geneva at age 6. An elite junior player, she was preparing to go to Stanford for her freshman year when she was low amateur at the ANA Inspiration (now Chevron Championship). That catapulted her into the word ranking and secured her a spot as one of only three amateurs in the field at the 2016 Games
in Brazil. There, she befriended fellow incoming Stanford freshman Katie Ledecky (who won four golds and a silver swimming in Rio) and tied for 21st. Now Valenzuela is preparing to represent Switzerland for her third Games. Even after all her amateur and college accolades and coming off her best season as a pro, Valenzuela doesn’t hesitate when asked where the Olympics rank.
“It tops every golf experience I’ve ever had in my life,” Valenzuela says. “I don’t think there’s anything bigger than representing your country and seeing the best athletes in their
fields from every single country. The emotions you experience are second to none.”
Paris will be extra special: It’s her mother’s hometown, and Valenzuela counts it as her “second home” and favourite city in the world.
“It’s the only event where we’re standing on a podium,” says Valenzuela, who speaks French, Spanish and German along with English. “If you finish second or third in any other event, does it mean that much? Maybe not because you ‘lost’ something. At the Olympics, it has a different meaning, having a medal.”
ADRIAN MERONK
AGE 31, PNIEWY, POLAND
Sometimes it’s easy to pick out the golfer from a lineup of Olympic athletes , but put Adrian Meronk in his Poland team warmup, and he could just as easily pass as a member of the men’s volleyball team or a high jumper.
The 6-foot-6 Meronk was a multi-sport star growing up outside Poznan, focusing only on golf as a teenager because he gravitated toward its solo responsibility. It suits him: Meronk won five times in college at East Tennessee State and again
on the European Challenge Tour in 2019. Getting promoted to the DP World Tour coincided with qualifying for Tokyo as Poland’s firstever Olympic golfer.
The solidarity Meronk felt with the rest of the Polish delegation contrasted with the experience he had leading up to the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone.
Despite winning twice in 2023—including the Italian Open at the host course— Meronk was passed over for a captain’s selection. The bitter-
ness of being left out was one of the reasons Meronk left for LIV earlier this year. Now he’s beyond excited to get another opportunity to play under a flag.
“I love the Olympic Games. I’ve watched every single one in my life,” says Meronk, who was named DP World Tour Player of the Year in 2023. “To be able to represent Poland in Tokyo, seeing all these athletes, staying in the Village, it was a dream come true. I think the Olympics are a big, big part of me.”
‘I LOVE THE OLYMPIC GAMES. I’VE WATCHED EVERY SINGLE ONE IN MY LIFE.’
STYLE CHOICES
Tiger Woods reviews clothing designs with Norton at Nike’s headquarters in November 1996.
The Man First Deals Behind Tiger’s
Agent Hughes Norton breaks his silence with a new autobiography
By Hughes Norton and George Peper
Editor’s note: It is no exaggeration to say that Hughes Norton operated at the epicentre of professional golf for nearly 20 years, helping legendary super-agent Mark McCormack grow the personal-management business McCormack created that at its height called the majority of the top 25 players in the world clients. While at IMG, Norton represented Greg Norman when the Australian World No. 1 was at the peak of his powers and built a relationship with Earl Woods that resulted in the highest-profile new-professional-golfer-representation agreement of all time. Norton also led the negotiations that would make Tiger Woods the highest-earning active golfer on the planet before he hit his first shot for
pay at the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open. In this excerpt from his upcoming memoir, Rainmaker, Norton offers the first glimpse inside the negotiations and machinations that launched Woods’ branding juggernaut—with dollar signs attached that still stick out even in a world of LIV Golf mega-deals. —Matthew Rudy
I can’t recall the precise moment when I heard from Earl or Tiger that the decision had been made [to turn professional], but it was well before U.S. Amateur No. 3 because that week at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club I had with me a couple of very big contracts for Tiger to sign, the fruit of several weeks of “what-if” negotiations with Nike and Titleist. By the time Tiger raised the trophy that Sunday evening in Portland, Oregon, his Nike logo apparel had been sized and tailored, his Nike shoes had been tested for comfort, and a Titleist staff bag emblazoned with his name and filled with a set of custom-fitted clubs was as ready to hit the PGA Tour as he was.
The process had begun two years earlier, just after Tiger won his first Amateur. (I was not officially his agent—I couldn’t be until the day he publicly renounced his amateur status—but we had a tacit understanding.)
My strategy was a bit unorthodox—instead of stirring interest among several apparel and equipment companies in the hope of creating a bidding war, I decided to put all my eggs in two baskets—Nike and Titleist. It was a gamble, to be sure, but one I thought could pay off.
Nike, I suspected, would require more spadework than Titleist, so it was there that I commenced. Thanks once again to the unique resources of IMG, I had a couple of things going for me. A few years earlier our tennis division had established a strong relationship with Nike, bringing them the flamboyant Andre Agassi, who had been the perfect fit for Nike’s studiedly edgy image.
Nike’s director of sports marketing, Steve Miller, was the former athletic director at Kansas State University, where he had transformed a losing football team into a perennial bowl invitee by hiring Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder. Steve would be my interlocutor in negotiating the Tiger deal.
After three or four visits with Miller, I felt my home-
work was completed, and I was ready to talk Tiger. Here was my thinking:
(1) The explosive growth of golf had not gone unnoticed by Nike. The company had made a tentative first move into the game with shoes and apparel and was on the cusp of a bigger commitment into clubs and balls.
(2) Nike prided itself on identifying with only the very best players in their respective sports—Andre Agassi, Michael Jordan, Jerry Rice. Stars drove the Nike brand.
(3) Those guys now were past their primes, aging out of the picture. Nike had not signed a megastar in years. They needed a win.
(4) Tiger would give it to them. The timing was perfect.
(5) Phil Knight was a jock sniffer who simply had to sign the best athletes. If he was already paying Agassi and Jim Courier big bucks, I reasoned, imagine what he might pay the best young golfer to come along since Jack Nicklaus.
With that in mind, I put my cards on the table: “Here’s
CALL MY AGENT
From left: IMG executive Clarke Jones, Woods and Norton in 1996.
I put my cards on the table: ‘Here’s a generational talent with charisma and global appeal who will instantly rocket Nike Golf into the big leagues. . . . But it’s going to cost top dollar.’
a generational talent with charisma and global appeal who will instantly rocket Nike Golf into the big leagues. Not only are we coming to you first and exclusively, but we will give you the opportunity to own Tiger’s identity. The Nike swoosh on his shirt front and cap will be the only branding he displays—no other company logos on the shirt collar, chest, sleeves or back of the hat—a pure Nike message, front and centre, for all to see. Based on his unprecedented amateur achievements, every other company will want him. Nike can preempt them all, but it’s going to cost top dollar.”
Then, swallowing hard, I told Steve about $50 million over five years would get it done. No one else in golf—not Palmer, not Norman, no one—was earning anything like that for apparel and shoes, but through our tennis guys, I knew Agassi’s Nike contract was about $5 million a year, and from Steve I had a pretty good feel for Jordan’s compensation, so I thought, Why not go for it?
Steve’s fi rst response, of course, was “That’s ridiculous,” but he didn’t say forget it. From the beginning he was straightforward about Nike’s strong interest. I figured the $50 million, while an overreach, wasn’t too far from where I might be able to end up, and that was a huge win not simply in sheer dollars but in the worldwide promotional power Nike would bring to the table. No other company in golf had the advertising budget or clout to help make Tiger a household name. On that score, Nike could have argued that it should pay Tiger less, not more. But they never did.
The other unusual part of my proposal on which they did not balk (and I still can’t believe I got it) was all five years of Tiger’s compensation was guaranteed, regardless of his performance. I wanted Tiger to have financial certainty no matter whether he failed to get his tour card, missed Q school, struggled initially or whatever. Nike would have been within its rights to ask for significant reductions in compensation for years two through five if Tiger failed to live up to the hype, but it never did.
Then there were the bonus clauses—dollar figures that were unprecedented in golf. I knew that Nike was used to paying bonuses to tennis players, so I checked the contracts of Agassi and other IMG tennis clients and was astonished to see six-figure payments for victories in Grand Slam events.
Again, I went for it with Tiger: $500,000 per major championship win in year one, increasing $100,000 per year to $900,00 per win in year five. Then I added the same bonus payment related to the Official World Golf Ranking if Tiger were to reach World No. 1: $500,000 in year one escalating to $900,000 in year five. There were
also provisions for ranking second to fifth ($350,000 in year one, increasing to $550,000 in year five) and sixth to 10th ($250,000 increasing to $350,000 in year five). These bonuses were based not on year-end ranking, as ranking bonuses normally were, but on the highest ranking achieved at any time during the year. Thus, even if Tiger were to reach the No. 1 position for just one week, he would get that level of bonus. I guess no one at Nike bothered to check the contracts I had reached for Strange and Jacobsen a decade earlier—$5,000 for a major championship win in year one, $7,500 in year two. Had someone done so, Nike could have laughed my Woods numbers out of the room.
But no one did, and those clauses would add $8 million to what Nike paid Tiger between 1997 and 2001. When Steve eventually came back to me with a counteroffer of $40 million—$8 million a year guaranteed for five years— well, it was the most delightful compromise imaginable. Delivering the news to Earl and Tiger was the most sublimely satisfying moment of my career.
Then a few days later, as the final contracts were being drawn up by our legal department, something astonishing occurred—an attempt was made to sabotage the deal. By one of our rival agents? No, by Phil Knight.
Knight had a notorious hatred of agents, and on this occasion, he decided he would eliminate me. At the 11th hour he secretly dispatched a young Black Nike executive to the Woods home in California with an offer for Earl: “You don’t need IMG. Deal with us directly, and you’ll save the 20-percent commission fee.”
To Earl’s everlasting credit, he called right away and told me about it. Barely able to breathe, I waited to hear the outcome.
“I told the guy no,” Earl said. “I told him to go back and tell Phil Knight it’s important for me to be able to trust someone, and Hughes Norton is that guy.” Earl’s loyalty in that moment meant the world to me.
When it came to equipment, Titleist was the perfect home for Tiger. He had been playing a Titleist ball forever, carried a Cobra (owned by Titleist) driver and Titleist fairway woods and had no loyalty to the Mizuno irons in his bag, confident he could win with any brand of clubs. The timing was perfect to marry Tiger with Titleist and make him the spokesman for their new era of top-line equipment for better players.
I was so convinced that Tiger and Titleist were the ideal match that I had mentioned it to Titleist CEO Wally Uihlein on more than one occasion as Tiger was compiling his USGA Juniors and Amateurs. When the time for negotiation approached, we did most of the back and forth
As the final contracts were being drawn up, something astonishing
occurred—an attempt was made to sabotage the deal.
By one of our rival agents? No, by Phil Knight.
by phone and confidential email. I began by making Wally aware that we had been talking to Nike about some very big numbers. Being the super-prepared guy he was, he parried by reciting the statistics on Tiger’s then-lackluster performance in pro tournaments. However, from the beginning there was a shared understanding that a deal was going to happen, and it didn’t take long to reach the numbers: $20 million for five years (with escalating bonuses like those in the Nike contract).
All that remained before finalising the contract was a meeting. Wally wanted to formalise things with a faceto-face meeting with Tiger, and this was a get-together that needed to be clandestine, so it was agreed that Tiger, Earl, Wally, and I would meet in San Francisco. It was June 1996, and Tiger was just fi nishing up his second year at Stanford, so he was already out there. Wally flew in from Boston, Earl from Los Angeles, and I from Cleveland, all of us converging at a downtown hotel where Earl and Tiger had booked a suite.
I began by going over what the parameters of a deal “might look like if and when Tiger should decide to turn pro.” (At this point the decision had been made but not announced, and it was important for all concerned to stay within NCAA and USGA regulations.) Wally asked
Tiger several questions about his specs and preferences about clubs, shafts, etc. Then he made a very strong statement, assuring Tiger that there would never be a moment when Titleist would ask him to play a product that he wasn’t happy with—the company would not rest until Tiger had exactly the clubs he wanted.
It was a great way to end the meeting, except that it wasn’t quite over. Earl had something he wanted to say. With a twinkle in his eye, he looked at Wally and said, “Now let’s get to the really important issue—when do I get my set of clubs?”
By late August, when Tiger arrived at Pumpkin Ridge for the 1996 U.S. Amateur, everything was in place. I had surreptitiously arranged for him to get sponsor exemptions into most of the remaining PGA Tour events, and Phil Knight had laid on his private jet to take Tiger to the first of those events, the Milwaukee Open, where Nike had made arrangements at a hotel for a Wednesday morning press conference.
That said, Tiger had given no indication of his intentions. A week earlier he had assured his college coach he would be returning to Stanford in the fall, and at Pumpkin Ridge, when USGA president Judy Bell approached him and asked whether he would be playing in the World Amateur Team Championship scheduled for November in the Philippines, Tiger told her he would. Earl had been less circumspect—two weeks earlier he had told a couple of golf writers the decision had been made and would be announced immediately after the U.S. Amateur, but he had also sworn them to secrecy, and the scribes had managed to hold their pens.
Late on Sunday afternoon, when Tiger holed the winning putt to beat Steve Scott on the 38th hole, it was hard to process what Tiger had accomplished. This kid won six USGA national championships in six consecutive years on six different courses—36 straight matches against the highest level of amateur competition. Beyond his own unrelentingly stellar play, there was so much that had to go right. In any of those 36 matches he might have shot 66 yet been eliminated by someone who’d had the round of his life. A bad bounce here, a ball in a divot there, and the streak could have ended.
SWOOSH DREAMS Woods gets fit for the Nike clothes that would define his pro career.
The odds were so overwhelming, I couldn’t help musing that it was all somehow meant to be. I told myself I knew better, but maybe Earl’s bluster was legit: Tiger Woods is the Chosen One.
That evening, before leaving the course, there was one bit of business to attend to. The Nike folks had reserved a room in the clubhouse for a brief meeting. When I arrived with Tiger and his parents along with [Tiger’s swing coach] Butch Harmon, we were greeted by a smiling Phil Knight. With him was a guy I recognised from a visit to Nike.
“This is Jim Riswold,” Knight said. “He’s written some ads for me.” That was an understatement. Riswold, the creative director of Nike’s ad agency, Wieden+Kennedy, was something of a legend in the business, having created several iconic Nike commercials. They included “Air Rabbit,” pairing Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny, and the “Bo Knows” series featuring Bo Jackson.
The most noteworthy ad Riswold would ever create was the one on the tape he was holding in his hand— the “Hello world” message that would signal Tiger’s professional debut. It would be shown for the first time
at the press conference in Milwaukee, and Knight and Riswold were giving all of us an advance screening. At a signal from Knight, Riswold inserted his tape into the player, and all eyes turned to the television monitor in the room. As the video played—a collage of images from Tiger’s childhood and amateur career—a choir sang in the background and the words “Hello world” appeared on the screen. There were no voices in the entire 60 seconds, just Riswold’s script:
I shot in the 70s when I was 8.
I shot in the 60s when I was 12.
I played in the Nissan Open when I was 16.
Hello world.
I won the U.S. Amateur when I was 18.
I played in the Masters when I was 19.
I am the only man to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles.
Hello world.
There are still courses in the U.S. I am not allowed to play because of the color of my skin.
Hello world.
I’ve heard I’m not ready for you.
Are you ready for me?
PROUD PAPA
Woods and father Earl on the eve of Tiger’s pro debut at the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open.
‘Tiger, do you realise you’re now making four times what the No. 1 player in the game, Greg Norman, earns on golf clubs and balls?’
His reaction was muted: ‘That’s not bad, right?’
To say it was unlike any golf commercial I had ever seen would be an understatement, and my first reaction wasn’t all positive. I had doubts about how the “courses I am not allowed to play” line would be received, but I figured Nike knew advertising. Beyond that, there was Earl’s painful history of discrimination—all those country clubs where he and Tiger had been made to feel unwelcome. With respect for that, I kept my thoughts to myself. When the screen went black there was dead silence in the room as we all tried to process what we had just viewed. Then Tiger said, “Can I see that again?”
After the second showing it was, surprisingly, Butch Harmon who spoke first: “That’s the best advert I’ve ever seen,” he said.
There was nothing anyone could add to that. The professional career of Tiger Woods was about to launch.
Two days later in Milwaukee I knocked on the door of the hotel suite where Tiger and Earl were staying. It was time to make things official. In my briefcase I had the two contracts from Nike and Titleist, which, when Tiger signed them, instantly guaranteed him $60 million. Tiger signed them both without comment, indeed without reaction of any kind. Curiously, he had always seemed almost indifferent to the money. Granted, a 20-year-old just beginning as a professional would have little or no frame of reference for the enormity of these contracts, but even when I’d tried to put the Nike and Titleist agreements in context—“Tiger, do you realise you’re now making four times what the current No. 1 player in the game, Greg Norman, earns on golf clubs and balls and more than double what Greg makes on shoes and clothes?!”—his reaction was muted: “That’s not bad, right?”
The third contract he signed that evening was his representation agreement with IMG. It differed in significant ways from most of the contracts I had done, beginning with the commission structure. Working together with Tiger’s attorney, John Merchant, I had agreed to adjust
our fees to a sliding scale similar to the royalties on a book contract: IMG would receive 15 percent of the fi rst $2.5 million in annual merchandising income we earned for Tiger, 20 percent on income between $2.5 million and $5 million, and 25 percent on all income above $5 million. A second clause related to the term of the agreement. The base contract was for four years, from August 1996 to August 2000, but I had added incentives. If in any year IMG were to produce income for Tiger exceeding $16 million, the contract would be extended by two years to 2002; if we could produce more than $26 million, then the contract would extend another two years to 2004; and if we could produce $38 million, it would go one more year to 2005, a total of 10 years. We would earn all six years of those extensions by the end of 1997.
book.
Editor’s Note: Hughes Norton would represent Woods until September 1998 when he was replaced by Mark Steinberg, another IMG agent. At the time Woods cited “overscheduling” as the reason for making the switch. Woods would generate $4 million in fees for IMG in just the first year of their agreement, which continued until 2011 when Woods followed Steinberg to Excel Sports Management. Norton would leave IMG in early 1999 with a $9-million severance package and a 10-year non-compete and non-disclosure agreement. Woods has earned more than $1.8 billion in endorsements and prize money in his 28-year professional career and joined Forbes’ annual list of billionaires for the first time in 2022.
SPECIAL AGENT
Norton, at the Country Club of Cleveland in 2023, and the cover of his new
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Tournament Winners
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BE SOLID AT ADDRESS
Ben Griffin’s setup helps fuel his accuracy and power
By Dave Allen
BEN GRIFFIN’S AMAZING journey from mortgage-loan officer to budding PGA Tour star was one of the feel-good stories of the 2022-’23 season. Not only did the 27-year-old rookie grab the 70th and final spot in the FedExCup postseason point standings, but he came oh-soclose to winning multiple times, twice having back-nine leads on Sunday.
Developing a go-to shot off the tee to help close out these tournaments is something he and his swing coach of five years, James Oh, have made a priority heading into 2024.
“He likes to tee the ball down and hit a little draw or cut,” says Oh, who teaches at Hacienda Golf Club in La Habra Heights, California. “His golf is really dictated by how comfortable he is on his missed shots. The ones that get away are because he gets stuck early and can’t get the clubhead around. We’ve been chipping away at it, and it’s getting better.”
One of the big keys to Griffin becoming more consistent off the tee is his setup. Oh, whose other students include LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year Hae Ran Ryu, says he likes to see Griffin’s shoulders stacked directly over his hips and
his spine angled slightly back at address (above, first image) so that his body is in a more balanced, athletic, “ready” state. Griffin creates additional stability by sinking his feet into the turf, much like a weightlifter about to deadlift several hundred pounds off the ground.
“The stronger my legs feel and the more stability I have, the more I’m able to rotate and the more fairways I hit,” says Griffin, who averaged just over 300 yards per drive in 2022-’23, but hit just 56 percent of his fairways.
The stability in Griffin’s setup is evident in the rest of his swing. Griffin
is now able to take the clubhead back wider and with a square clubface ( above, second image ), because his hands, arms and shoulders are moving together. As the backswing progresses, Griffin loads really well into his right hip without his hips moving any closer to the ball, Oh says, which allows him to turn his shoulders deeper until his back faces the target at the top (above, fourth image).
Halfway down, Griffin’s hips have leveled out and are centered and stacked over his knees again (above, fifth image). This is a critical checkpoint, Oh says,
because Griffin can’t use his legs and hips to rotate if his weight is hanging back. Griffin’s weight has shifted forward as he continues to squat down into the ground, setting the stage for the left leg to straighten and explode upward at impact (above, sixth image). The lead leg posting up also allows him to rotate and clear his hips as his chest stays on top of the ball, which helps him square the face and hit more fairways.
Emulate Griffin’s setup and how he loads his lower body on the downswing, and you’ll not only hit more fairways but crush your drives, too.
WORK (OUT) FROM HOME
No need for a pricey gym membership to get in golf shape
By Ron Kaspriske
most commercial gyms are packed with expensive equipment to, well, get you to buy a membership. It’s a logical marketing strategy, but the reality is, once you’re in the door, you’re much more likely to brush past nearly all that equipment than you are to use it.
Candidly, most golfers need very little to get a good, well-rounded workout that boosts performance on the course and helps avoid injuries, says Jennifer Fleischer, one of Golf Digest’s 50 Best Fitness Trainers in America.
“You’d be surprised how far you can get with a pair of dumbbells, a medicine ball and a resistance band,” she says. “Even doing body-weight exercises with no equipment is super helpful.”
If you’ve been cleared for exercise by a medical professional, here are two things to consider when building a workout, Fleischer says. The first is to include training from four subcategories: pushes (think bench presses or squats), pulls (rows, arm curls, etc.), core strengthening (planks, bird dogs) and lower-body training (deadlifts, lunges). The second is a program that encompasses all three planes of motion. Exercises that have you moving forward and backward, side to side or rotationally—or a blend of all three planes.
To get you started with your program, Fleischer ( right ) demonstrates three moves that meet many of these guidelines while requiring less than $100 of gym equipment.
JENNIFER FLEISCHER, who trains in the San Francisco Bay area, is a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer.
SINGLE-LEG, TABLETOP CHEST PRESSES
Lie back on a bench or ottoman with your head and upper back fully supported but most of your body suspended off the ground like a tabletop. Extend one leg and perform a rep by pushing straight up with the dumbbells. Keep your hips from sagging, and do several reps alternating the extended leg. This enhances power and stability in the swing and strengthens key areas, including the chest, core, glutes and hamstrings.
SPLIT-STANCE MEDICINE-BALL CHOPS
Get into a split stance and hold a medicine ball near the hip of the trail leg. From this stance, rotate your torso and raise your arms until the ball is on the opposite side of your body at about head height. Then reverse the motion until the ball is returned to the start position. Do several reps, then switch hand and leg positions and repeat the “chops” in the opposite direction. This exercise improves lower-body stability and allows you to swing a club across your body under control.
COILING SLIDE BACKS
Get into your golf posture, feet together, and step on a band while holding one end with one hand so that it’s taut. Perform a backward lunge with the opposite leg while hoisting the band upward and rotating at the same time toward the pulling arm—then return to the start. Do several reps, switch hand and leg positions and repeat. This exercise improves coordination and function between the actions of the lower and upper body during the swing.
STOP IT COLD FROM THE SAND
Leave it next to the hole with some height and spin
By Lindy LaBauve
TO HIT A HIGH, SPINNy greenside bunker shot, you need a fair amount of clubhead speed. However, the way you generate that speed is critical to being able to stop the ball close to the hole. Many golfers, based on past experiences with taking too much sand, use their bodies to try to create more speed. They either pull the club down hard with their shoulders or over-rotate their body through the shot. This makes it really hard to control the low
point of the swing and achieve a consistent entry point in the sand—hugely important to success from the bunker. It’s the hands and arms that you want accelerating and providing the speed, not the body. Turn the page to learn how to get your sequencing correct and add speed where you want it most, under the ball.—WITH DAVE ALLEN
LINDY LABAUVE is director of instruction at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.
RELEASE THE CLUBHEAD PAST THE HANDLE
There are very few shots in golf where you want the clubhead coming through impact before the handle, but this is one of them. The feeling you want is that you’re unhinging your wrists and throwing the clubhead underneath the ball. That is what provides the added zip and spin to these shots. The height comes from opening the clubface at address and maintaining the loft on the face as it glides under the ball, with the wrists eventually rehinging the head upward.
To pre-set the clubface, be sure to open it skyward before you take your grip. Also, widen your stance and address the ball just forward of centre. Now, this is very important: Set the shaft straight up and down, with your hands even or slightly behind the ball
(above, left). This creates a cup in the back of the lead wrist. This might feel a little awkward, but it establishes the exact same underhanded-throwing position you want at impact with the clubhead ahead of the handle.
Going back, make a big turn with your chest behind the ball on the backswing (above, centre), then allow your body to unwind naturally as your wrists release and throw the clubhead into the sand (above, right). There’s no need to create more power with your body—the unhinging and rehinging of the wrists will create all the speed you need to blast the ball out with spin.
A good way to practice these high, spinny shots is to draw a half-circle in the sand, with the ball at the apex of the arc. Start with some half-swings and have the clubhead trace the path
of the arc in the sand. Feel as if the clubhead is accelerating underneath the ball and around to the left of your body so that your hands finish near your hip pocket (above). Gradually increase the length and speed of your swing, feeling like your club is moving fastest through the sand.
AGE 37
LIVES
Knoxville, Tennessee.
STORY
Peter has two PGA Tour titles to his name.
I KNOW A GUY
I have to brag on my guy, Titleist’s JJ Van Wezenbeeck, who works on my equipment. I tend to overthink everything in life, and I don’t want to do that with my clubs. JJ works with me once a quarter. We go through my bag and make the changes he feels are necessary. Our relationship goes back to the Nationwide Tour.
WHAT'S IN MY BAG : PETER MALNATI
DRIVER
SPECS Titleist TSR3, 10°, Project X Denali Blue 60 TX shaft.
The adjustable hosel is at the C2 setting. I don’t even know what that is. [Editor’s note: It’s .75 degrees less loft and more upright.] My driving has held me back the past few years, but it has really improved since going to that setting.
FAIRWAY WOOD/HYBRID
SPECS Titleist TSi3, 15°, Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 70 X shaft; Titleist 818H2, 19°, Graphite Design Tour AD DI 95 X shaft.
I’m so comfortable with this 3-wood o the tee. The hybrid is really old. I don’t need more speed. I just need to know what it’s going to do. It’s a fantastic weapon for me into the par 5s.
IRONS
—WITH E. MICHAEL JOHNSON
SPECS Titleist T200 (4-iron), Titleist T150 (5-iron), Titleist T100 (6-9), all True Temper AMT Tour White S400 shafts, Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips.
The T150 5-iron was a no-brainer. I can’t tell a di erence in feel or spin, but it goes higher and has more forgiveness. It also transitions well to the T100s that make up the bulk of the set.
My 60-degree wedge is actually bent to 62 degrees. We have so many pins tucked on edges that the added loft really helps when short-sided.
PUTTER
Scotty Cameron TourType Special Select Masterful 1.5 tour prototype, 34 inches, 3.5°.
I’m not a guy who collects putters. I had one for close to 10 years, but then I had a putting slump. I started 2023 with a big mallet, but that didn’t work. I asked the Titleist guys to give me one that was the total opposite of that, and they came back with this putter. I wasn’t even fit for it, but I’ve putted great with it.
YELLOW MELLOW
Last year my son asked if I could play a yellow ball, so I did. I have enough contrarian in me to like being different, plus there’s no doubt which ball is mine.
FAMILY MAN
I keep this note and photo from my 4-year-old son, Hatcher, in my bag. It says, “I love you, so just go be great.” That’s why lifting him up after winning the Valspar was so special. It was a dream of mine.
PRACTICE AID
We have a lot of perks on tour, but sometimes the simplest ones are best, like this Bushnell X3+ range finder. You might not think a tour pro would get excited over a range finder, but it’s really good.
The 2024 Muny Olympics
As golf takes centre stage in Paris, host some games of your own right at home
By Coleman Bentley
CART-BAG DEADLIFT
PUTTING-LINE GYMNASTICS
FLAGSTICK JAVELIN
RANGE-PICKER SHARPSHOOTING
“STOP-HITTING-INTO-OUR-GROUP” WRESTLING
“I-FORGOT-MY-WEDGE-ON-THE-LASTGREEN” 400M SPRINT
WATER (HAZARD) POLO
CART-ROPE HURDLES
BUNKER LONG JUMP
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