🏌🏻 Rory's Pursuit For A Win

Good morning. It wasn't meant to be for Charlie Woods as he shot a nine-over 81 at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club and failed to make it to the US Open's final qualifying round.

Onto something really exciting now...

🚨Contest Alert: Calling out all the golf aficionados!

Reply to this email with your favorite golfing picture or captured playing a round.

We'll feature the best ones starting next week. Let's feel the drip!

Today’s Trivia: Two players have won the PGA Championship a record five times. Jack Nicklaus and who else? Answer at the end of the email.

⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1952, Patty Berg shot a 64 at the Richmond Open played at Richmond Golf Club in Georgia at a time when women pros were just starting to get recognition for such potential to go low. Berg went on to win by four shots over Betty Jameson.

ALBATROSS
Rory's Desperate Pursuit Of 5th Major Continues

Rory McIlroy had made one thing clear before the start of the season - winning the Masters is #1 on his priority list.

The 4-time Major Champion added multiple events to his PGA Tour calendar to boost his preparations before travelling to Augusta National, but he failed. And with that, his dream of completing a Career Slam has to wait another year.

McIlroy has now shifted focus to winning his elusive fifth major - he hasn't won one since 2014.

What Is Rory McIlroy's Plan?

📍McIlroy has committed to play three times in the four weeks between the Masters and the PGA Championship.

📍McIlroy teed up at the RBC Heritage last week and made his debut at the Zurich Classic yesterday. He will also play the Wells Fargo Championship a week before the PGA C'ship.

📍McIlroy already notched 39 rounds in 2024 (before the Zurich Classic) which is the most he’s ever played in the first four months of a calendar year, by a wide margin.

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
McIlroy and Lowry Set The Pace In Zurich

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry shot an 11-under 61 in Thursday's four-ball (best ball) action, racking up 11 birdies without a bogey.

🚀 4-Way Tie: Four teams are tied for first after the opening round in Zurich. McIlroy/Lowry share the lead with the teams of Ryan Brehm/Mark Hubbard, Ben Kohles/Patton Kizzire, and David Lipsky/Aaron Rai.

The teams will play foursomes (alternate shot) on Friday before the 36-hole cut.

🚨 Hole-In-One: Eric Cole made his first career ace on the PGA Tour on the 207-yard par-3 14th hole. Cole is notably playing the event with his caddie Reed's father Russ Cochran.

Cochran is 65 and made his 600th PGA Tour start.

📌 Low Scores: The scoring average was 65.29 in ideal conditions Thursday - slightly lower than the field’s scoring average of 65.56 in fourball last season.

⛳️ Tough Turf: The turf at TPC Louisiana has more grain in it than any PGA Tour venue, which can make chipping and pitching tricky.

Several golfers switched to wedges with more loft and more bounce to handle the turf. Even for the game’s best players, short game shots around this turf are not easy.

Watch Round 1 Highlights

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

LPGA Tour: Grace Kim shot a 7-under-par 64 at Wilshire Country Club to take the lead after Round 1 at the JM Eagle LA Championship.

Caddie Corner: PGA Tour star Tommy Fleetwood is caddying for his stepson Oscar Craig at the UAE Challenge tournament.

Ace Alert: Rickie Fowler makes hole-in-one with star-studded group at one of the most exclusive golf clubs in the country.

OWGR: The Official World Golf Ranking has announced the 54-hole Clutch Pro Tour is eligible for world ranking points.

Celebrity Ambassador: Gareth Bale has joined Steph Curry's 'Underrated Golf' as an ambassador in time for their inaugural European event.

BIRDIE
These Are The Most Successful Players @ PGA Championship

With the 2024 PGA Championship approaching, we take a look at the golfers who have enjoyed sustained or memorable success at the sport's second Major.

🏌‍♀Gene Sarazen: Seven-time major winner Sarazen is the youngest champion at this Major. He has won the title three times.

🏌‍♀Sam Snead: Snead is another three-time winner of the PGA Championship - his titles spanned two decades.

🏌‍♀Tiger Woods: Before Brooks Koepka earned his back-to-back PGA Championship titles, Woods was the last to accomplish the feat -- in 2006 and '07. Woods has won this Major on four occasions.

🏌‍♀Jack Nicklaus: Only two golfers have won the PGA Championship five times - the legendary Jack Nicklaus is one of them. He also holds the tournament record with four second-place finishes.

🏌‍♀Walter Hagen: One of the early greats of the game, Hagen's five PGA Championship victories all came during the 1920s. He still holds the record for consecutive wins (4) at the event.

Read the full article.

DRIVING RANGE
Drills for Hip Drive and Strength

In this video, we demonstrate golf fitness exercises focused on improving hip drive and strengthening the glutes, utilizing resistance bands.

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