🏌🏻Why Hovland Will Miss Rest Of 2024

Good morning! David Skinns gained more than 4.5 strokes with his approach play and more than 3.5 strokes putting in his opening round 60 at the ongoing Sanderson Farms Championship.

In the 300,000+ measured rounds of the ShotLink era, that's only happened 10 other times.

⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1895, the inaugural US Open was held at Newport Country Club, in Rhode Island, with Englishman Horace Rawlins winning by two shots over Scot Willie Dunn. There were just 36 holes played by the small field of 11 players.

ALBATROSS
Why Viktor Hovland Will Miss Rest Of 2024

Viktor Hovland will not play again in 2024 as the world No 8 recovers from an undisclosed injury. Hovland, 27, withdrew from the BMW PGA Championship last month and will not play in the final stretch of events on the DP World Tour.

Despite playing only two DP World Tour events this year, Hovland will remain eligible for next year's Ryder Cup due to the medical reasons preventing him from satisfying the four-event requirement.

The undisclosed injury would mark the end of a very disappointing year on the course for Hovland, who entered 2024 ranked fourth in the world after capturing the FedEx Cup championship and closing out 2023 with five consecutive top-10 finishes worldwide.

Hovland notably finished T-26 at the BMW and T-12 at the Tour Championship, which is shaping up to be his final competitive round of 2024.

⛳️ Skinns Leads Sanderson Farms C'ship: David Skinns shot a career-best and tournament-record 60 to take the lead after one round of the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Skinns, 42, is a veteran of golf tours around the world and is gunning for his first PGA Tour title.

Thorbjornsen, who turned pro earlier this year, put up nine birdies without a bogey for the second-best round of the day. Tied for third are Gary Woodland and Ben Griffin at 8-under 64.

Rickie Fowler opened with a 3-under 69, and defending champion Luke List shot a 3-under 70.

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TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
The Simplest Method To Improve Your Putting

Aditi Ashok’s stats tell the tale of a woman who knows how to putt. Her strokes gained driving is -.83, ranking her 148th on the LPGA Tour in 2024 - here's what she feels is the simplest way to putt better.

Many amateurs are guilty of grabbing a handful of balls from their bag or emptying a sleeve onto the practice green when they go out to practice their putting. The issue with that, Ashok says, is that it doesn’t properly mimic what you’re going to experience on the golf course.

When you’re out playing, you don’t get three chances at every putt. You only get one.

Practicing with one ball will recreate the presence you have over every putt on the golf course. You may well find your focus will improve, because you only have one chance to make each putt.

You’re going to give it a good effort every time, instead of potentially mentally checking in and out if you have several tries at every putt.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

Hurricane Helene: Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced a $5 million donation that would be made towards the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund. It will be used to support local relief efforts from damage the storm left on the Augusta community.

Golf Course: TGR Design, Tiger Woods’ golf course design firm will build a new course in Aledo, Texas, known as Bluejack Ranch. Bluejack Ranch will be a private, residential club, located on a 914-acre working ranch.

Accident: Australian golfing talent Jeffrey Guan's career is hanging in the balance after a freak accident during a Pro-am event left him with a fractured eye socket. The 20-year-old made his PGA Tour debut last month, but his promising career took a turn for the worse during a qualifier for the New South Wales Open at Catalina Club Batemans Bay near Canberra on September 20.

Credential Program: The PGA Tour informed player agents and managers that it is implementing fees and accreditation to receive credentials for next season - click here to check out the details.

BIRDIE
How Much It Costs To Run A Golf Course

What does it cost to keep up a course? The answer varies with a range of factors, such as climate, competition and type of club.

But here’s a birdie’s-eye view of the average annual expenses for 18-hole courses in the United States.

📍Total Maintenance Costs by Course Type -

Municipal: $621,190
Semi-Private: $567,346
Private: $1,083,647
Daily Fee: $556,613
Overall Average: $810,254

📍Labor Expenses by Course Type -

Municipal: $349,839
Semi-Private: $312,476
Private: $630,104
Daily Fee: $294,456
Overall Average: $463,163

📍Largest Expense Categories -

Labor: 56.74%
Fertilizer: 5.05%
Equipment Lease Expense: 5.01%
Maintenance & Equipment: 4.56%
Fungicides: 4.28%
Fuel and Lubricants: 2.65%

Additionally, there are equipment costs which are often based on engine horsepower. The larger the engine, the more expensive the machine.

Rough mowers, for instance, are expected to fetch about $100,000 in 2023, with fairway mowers coming in at around $80,000; triplex mowers at $50,000; and walk-mowers at $20,000. An exception to the horsepower rule is sprayers, which, depending on the size of the tank and the built-in technology, can cost about the same as a rough mower.

Course accessories, like flags, tee markers and ball washers, don’t qualify as a major expense. But every little bit adds up. On average, courses spend roughly $4,000 a year on these items.

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DRIVING RANGE
Prevent Back Pains

In today's video, we share three drills to prevent back pain while playing golf.

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