🏌️Rory's Flip Flop

Good Morning. Rory McIlroy is one of the very few Tour players with a “soft stance” on LIV Golf and his return to the PGA Tour policy board has apparently been “blocked” by some of the other stars.

This comes a day after the PGA Championship handed out six last-minute invites to LIV Golfers. What exactly are the top stakeholders within the PGA thinking?

We asked you. And, 65% of us feel that the PGA bosses have totally lost it.

Today's Trivia: Who holds the tournament record score (aggregate) at the Wells Fargo Championship? Answer at the end of the email.

⛳ This day in history: Harry Vardon, the only six-time winner of The Open Championship, was born on this date in 1870 on the Channel Islands. He is also immortalized with the term Vardon grip, the label for the overlap method of gripping the club.

19TH HOLE
Clubhouse Conversations

This one is for all you avid golfers out there!

ALBATROSS
Rory Rules Out PGA Tour Board Return

Rory McIlroy won't be joining the PGA Tour Policy Board and claims the process has become "pretty complicated and messy".

McIlroy resigned from the Policy Board in November, but expressed his wish to return and fill the spot left vacant by Webb Simpson's resignation. However, the 35-year-old suggested not everyone was willing to welcome him back.

Tiger-Rory's Relationship On Thin Ice: Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth are some of the top names who apparently blocked McIlroy's return to the policy board.

McIlroy’s ever-softening stance on LIV Golf and the PGA TOUR’s potential merger with its financier, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), has caused the Northern Irishman to have somewhat of a falling out with Woods, who believes the game should remain in its purest form.

Although Woods' relationship with McIlroy remains cordial, their friendship has "soured" due to their opposing views of the future of the game, with the pair having a "falling out of sorts".

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Pros Set To Experiment New Gear @ Quail Hollow

The final three holes at Quail Hollow Club, which is hosting this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, form one of the most famous, and difficult, closing stretches on the PGA TOUR. Now, the course’s par-4 16th hole is even longer.

A new tee was added to No. 16 that can add another 20 yards. The new tee brings the fairway bunker on the hole’s right side back into play for long hitters who used to carry it with impunity.

Equipment Changes @ Wells Fargo: 

📌 Rickie Fowler is making a major switch-up to his popular putter setup. He is experimenting with a new, custom-orange Odyssey Jailbird 380 head that’s equipped with a standard 35-inch putter build, rather than his previous 38-inch counter-balanced setup.

Fowler will couple it with a standard-size SuperStroke Pistol Tour grip for feel and speed control.

📌 Justin Thomas is looking to re-ignite his driver game with Titleist’s new TSR2 driver in the bag. He’s only switching the head, not the shaft though.

Compared to Thomas’ longtime TSR3 model, the TSR2 has a larger footprint and offers slightly higher spin and launch characteristics. The new driver has helped Thomas pick up about 2-3 mph of ball speed, to go along with 1.5 degrees higher launch and more predictable mishits.

📌 Webb Simpson was using an Odyssey V-Line Tank Cruiser armlock putter that he started using around 2016. This week, Simpson is completely switching things up with a new Odyssey Ai-One “Cruiser” Jailbird broomstick putter.

Inconsistent putting has forced Simpson to make the change. He gained inspiration to try out the new Jailbird broomstick putter from Akshay Bhatia, who used a nearly identical putter build to win the recent 2024 Valero Texas Open.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

Merger Update: Tiger Woods will be the lone player on the PGA Tour's five-member subcommittee that will be involved in negotiations with the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Wells Fargo C'ship: Sam Burns back in action after birth of son Bear.

Royal Patron: King Charles III becomes the latest monarch to accept patronage of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

LIV Golf launches the league's first mid-season trading window.

Ryder Cup: European captain Luke Donald was spotted scouting the site of the 2025 tournament, the Bethpage Course in New York and teed off with vice-captain Edoardo Molinari.

BIRDIE
Decoding Nelly Korda's Historic LPGA Run

Nelly Korda is re-writing the LPGA history book. As she tees off to win a historic sixth title this week at the Cognizant Founders Cup, we take a look at the empirical reasons fueling Korda’s sprint to the top of the sport.

⛳️ Korda is averaging more than four times as many strokes gained with her approach play this season at +0.90 per round.

Last season, Korda had positive strokes gained approach in 56 percent of her overall rounds played. This season, that rate is up to 67 percent.

⛳️ The LPGA Tour green-in-regulation rate this season following a hit fairway is 73.5%. When Nelly is in the fairway, she goes on to hit the green 83.7% of the time.

⛳️ Korda is one of just two players who currently ranks in the top 15 on the LPGA Tour in both strokes gained off the tee and strokes gained approach (Haeran Ryu is the other).

⛳️ Korda is gaining 0.84 strokes around the green per round this season, the most of any player. Her average of 2.33 strokes gained tee-to-green per round is more than half a stroke better than any other player.

Read the full article.

DRIVING RANGE
Hip Drills For Impact

In this video, we provide insights into techniques for reducing lower back pain while playing golf and drills designed to enhance impact.

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