🏌️Rahm 2nd Scheffler 29th

Good Morning! Round 1 of the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge is underway.

Dallas resident Scottie Scheffler returns to his hometown as the favorite but he’s expected to face a tough challenge from the likes of Morikawa, Homa and Spieth.

You can watch all the live action on Golf Channel.

Today's Trivia: Who is the most successful golfer in the history of Charles Schwab Challenge? Answer at the end of the email.

⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1963, Jack Nicklaus, in his second PGA Tour season, made his first hole-in-one of his pro career, which helped him get into a seven-way tie for the first-round lead with a 67 at the Memphis Open.

19TH HOLE
Clubhouse Conversations

ALBATROSS
Rahm #2 Among World's Highest-Paid Athletes

Five golfers feature on the latest Forbes list of the 50 highest-paid athletes in the world, with Jon Rahm coming in second behind only soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rahm's inclusion in the list is not unexpected following his huge deal to sign for LIV Golf last December, his total earnings are reported as $218m over the past year. The Spaniard's play-related earnings were reportedly $198m, with endorsements and sponsorships accounting for another $20m.

Where Do Other Golfers Rank? 

📍Rory McIlroy occupies the 19th spot. McIlroy, who became one of several big-name investors in F1 team Alpine in 2023, had earnings of $80.1m, with over half of that coming from off-course ventures.

📍Tiger Woods is 23rd on the list with on-course earnings of $12.2 million, which are dwarfed by other earnings of $55 million, banking him a total of $67.2 million.

📍No 29 is Scottie Scheffler, who had total earnings of $59.2m during the period, with $39.2m of that coming from his huge success on the course, which includes four wins in 2024 alone.

📍LIV Golf star Cameron Smith sits 43rd on the list with total earnings of $48m and all but $4m coming from his success on the course.

Golf 8th Highest-Paying Sport In The World 

While Forbes released its highest-paid athletes list, Pubity Sport ranks Golf #8 on its highest-paying sports list.

In 2024, the average golfer will make an astounding $1.4 million annually, far exceeding the $150 thousand earned by UFC fighters.

Check out the full list here.

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
New Colonial Era Awaits Golfers @ Charles Schwab

The Colonial Country Club is the PGA Tour's longest-running venue for a non-major and it is about to host the Charles Schwab Challenge for the 78th time over the next four days. But after last year's event concluded with Emiliano Grillo of Argentina the victor, the course underwent a renovation spearheaded by Gil Hanse.

Colonial Country Club opened in 1936 and a significant goal of the $20 million-plus project was to restore the course to much of its original form.

What Are The Changes?

⛳️ Rather than lengthen the course, Hanse left the par-70, 7,289-yard track on the shorter side of things.

⛳️ He removed a concrete spillway that traveled along the 16th through 18th holes, which notably captured Grillo's wayward drive at the last hole on Sunday last year.

⛳️ Every bit of sod has been replaced over about 118 acres. There are new greens, tees and bunkers, and 65 miles of pipes that are part of a state-of-the-art irrigation system.

⛳️ The renovation included the installation of a hydronics system that can circulate cool or warm water to keep the putting surfaces at the peak condition, even during the often-brutal summer heat.

For restoring the course, Hanse relied heavily on a program from the 1941 US Open that included photographs and detailed descriptions of each hole.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

LIV Golf: The LIV Golf League will host its 2024 team championship event Sept. 20-22 at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas.

For Sale: Greg Norman-designed abandoned golf course near Los Angeles hits the market for $17.5 million.

Merger: A merger between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) - the funders of LIV Golf feels closer than ever as the parties are thought to have exchanged term sheets.

Sponsor Corner: Fanatics has agreed a multi-year deal with the R&A to take over the golf organisation’s physical and online retail operations.

Scheffler's Arrest: The Louisville Metro Police Department has scheduled a press conference at 11:30 am ET, Thursday, to give an “update on the internal investigation” into the arrest of Scottie Scheffler at last week’s PGA Championship.

X*PGA Tour: Elon Musk’s X is partnering with PGA Tour to bring golfing highlights to the social media platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced on Wednesday.

BIRDIE
Pros Are Using This Putter Alignment Aid

A single line on the topline is currently the most popular alignment aid among pros - 5 of the top 10 players in the world have one on their putter.

The number expands to seven if you include the single line found on the Spider Tour X mallets used by Scheffler and McIlroy.

🏌‍♀Scottie Scheffler
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X
Alignment aid: Black line (crown)

🏌‍♀ Xander Schauffele
Putter: Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas
Alignment aid: White lines (topline and wings)

🏌‍♀Rory McIlroy
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X
Alignment aid: Black line (crown)

🏌‍♀Viktor Hovland
Putter: Ping PLD DS72
Alignment aid: White lines (topline and flange)

🏌‍♀Ludvig Aberg
Putter: Odyssey White Hot Versa One
Alignment aid: White line (topline)

🏌‍♀Patrick Cantlay
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom T5 Proto
Alignment aid: Black line (topline)

🏌‍♀Collin Morikawa
Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto
Alignment aid: Black dot (topline)

🏌‍♀Max Homa
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom T5.5 Proto
Alignment aid: Black line (topline)

Wyndham Clark and Jon Rahm are the only two players in the current OWGR top-10, who do not use an alignment aid for their putter.

DRIVING RANGE
Hit Wedge Shots Like A Pro

In today's video, Todd Kolb shares a simple lesson on how to hit wedge shots closer to the pin.

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