🏌🏻Scheffler Exposing PGA's Truths

Good morning! PGA Tour action shifts to the Detroit Golf Club for the Rocket Mortgage Classic this week.

While a number of top stars have decided to skip the event, there's a considerable financial incentive this time around, thanks to the overall payout increasing from $8.8 million to $9.2 million - the winner will take home $1.656 million.

Today’s Trivia: Who's the defending champion of the Rocket Mortgage Classic? Answer at the end of the email.

⛳ This day in history: The 61st Open Championship ended on this date in 1926 with Bobby Jones winning his first Open title, at Royal Lytham and St Annes, two strokes ahead of Al Watrous.

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Tournaments This Week

PGA Tour: Rocket Mortgage Classic

📍 When and Where: June 27-30, Detroit Golf Club
💰 Purse: $9.2 million
🏌🏻 Headliners: Tom Kim, Akshay Bhatia, Cameron Young, Rickie Fowler

LPGA Tour: Dow Championship (Team Event)

📍When and Where: June 27-30, Midland Country Club
💰 Purse: $3 million
🏌🏻 Headliners: Thompson/Henderson, Boutier/Saso, Ko/Kang

DP World Tour: Italian Open

📍When and Where: June 27-30, Adriatic Golf Club Cervia
💰 Purse: $3.25 million
🏌🏻 Headliners: Darius Van Driel, Rikuya Hoshino, Yannik Paul

ALBATROSS
Scheffler Demolishes Tiger's Record

Scottie Scheffler has now earned 583 world ranking points in the first six months of 2024, demolishing Woods' record of 532 set in the first six months of 2000. Scheffler did himself a favor by winning against extremely talented players, as the OWGR system rates tournament fields as part of its ranking algorithm.

In the current ranking period, Scheffler has amassed 810 points over 46 events. That's nearly double what World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland has earned over the same period -- 428 over 46 events.

💰Scheffler Surpasses $70M: Scottie Scheffler's win at the Travelers was good for $3.6 million and brings his career on-course earnings on the PGA Tour to $70,262,087. He has become only the fifth golfer to surpass $70 million in the all-time PGA Tour money list.

It’s also the third consecutive season that Scheffler has set the record for most official money earned in a year.

🚨Scheffler Exposing PGA's Unfortunate Truth? With the rise of LIV Golf, top golfers are now split between two leagues. The PGA Tour still has a stronger roster overall, but without players like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Joaquin Niemann competing weekly, the gap between Scheffler and the rest of the Tour is much more pronounced.

This isn't to downplay Scheffler's brilliance. The 28-year-old leads the PGA Tour this season in total strokes gained, strokes gained from tee to green, proximity to the hole, birdie average, bogey avoidance, and scoring average.

He's mesmerizing to watch, but golf needs a fearless Scheffler challenger, and no one on the PGA Tour seems interested or capable of assuming that role.

Watch this Story on Youtube

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Tiger Eyes New Chapter In Golf Career

Tiger Woods' performance has declined, and his tournament participation has decreased for various reasons. Now, he is preparing for the next step in his career.

Woods plans to join the PGA Tour Champions circuit after his 50th birthday in December 2025. He would be eligible for the 2026 US Senior Open, potentially his first Major in the new category.

The 2026 US Senior Open will be held at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, and Woods will qualify through one of the exemption categories - one of the exemptions for the US Senior Open is having won any of the Major Championships in the last 10 years. Woods won the Masters in 2019. 

📌 Rory Updates Schedule: Rory McIlroy has once again committed to playing the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the DP World Tour later this year as he looks to edge ever closer to Colin Montgomerie's record eight Harry Vardon trophies.

McIlroy is chasing a sixth Race To Dubai crown, which would bring him level with the legendary Seve Ballesteros, and is hopeful a first ever victory in a championship which has so far eluded him will go a long way in making that happen.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news 

Olympics: Late swings impact 60-player Olympic women's golf competition - check out the players who have made it to the field in Paris.

Investment: TMRW Sports’ Series A investment round unveiled on Monday values the sports technology company behind the TGL golf league at around $500m.

Korn Ferry Tour: John Pak on the verge of PGA Tour card after notching his first Korn Ferry win at the Compliance Solutions Championship.

PGA Tour: Andy Weitz announced as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and Executive Vice President, Investor Relations, for the PGA TOUR’s global operations.

Debut: Golf Galaxy employee qualifies for the Rocket Mortgage Classic via playoff after downing three beers.

LIV Golf: LIV Golf’s Nashville tournament set the attendance record among the league’s United States events to date - more than 40,000 spectators attended the tournament at The Grove over three days, that includes sellout crowds of 14,454 people on Saturday and Sunday.

Watch the stories on Youtube

BIRDIE
These Golfers Have Made The Most Money So Far In 2024

The top 20 of the highest earning list of pro golfers so far this year sees 8 from the PGA Tour and 12 from LIV Golf, and it is players from the more established outfit that largely dominate the higher reaches of the table.

🏌‍♀World No 1 and PGA Tour star Scottie Scheffler stands way out in front of his nearest rival on the combined money list at $27,696.858.

🏌‍♀Directly beneath him is another PGA Tour player, Xander Schauffele but he has less than half of Scheffler’s earnings at $12,636,360.

🏌‍♀In third place is the highest-earning LIV golfer of the season so far, Chilean Joaquin Niemann with earnings of $12,281,848 for the season so far.

🏌‍♀Fourth on the list is another LIV golfer, Bryson DeChambeau, who has amassed his $11,359,667 largely on the back of his Major form, with T6 at The Masters, runner-up at the PGA Championship and victory at the US Open.

🏌‍♀Another PGA Tour player, Rory McIlroy, makes the list in fifth. McIlroy can look back on another successful season so far, which included wins at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and Wells Fargo Championship, giving him earnings of $10,034,665 as things stand.

Check out the complete list.

DRIVING RANGE
Greenside Bunker Shots

In today's video, we share tips and techniques to play greenside bunkers.

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