🏌🏻McIlroy vs Rahm Showdown

Good morning! The Sanderson Farms Championship tees off this week - since 1968, it has raised more than $8.1 million for statewide charities.

For all the latest updates and news from the tournament, follow our YouTube channel.

⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1921, The Haig—Walter Hagen—won the 4th PGA Championship at Inwood Country Club on Long Island, New York. Hagen defeated two-time champion Jim Barnes of England, 3 & 2, to capture his third major championship.

ALBATROSS
McIlroy-Rahm Set For Epic Face-off

The 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship gets underway this week at three of Scotland’s best courses: the Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. Golfers will compete one round on all three courses before a cut is made, and those who advance to the final round will battle it out at St. Andrews for the title.

There are multiple big names in the field including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen and more. Also in the field is Billy Horschel, winner of the BMW PGA Championship earlier this month.

Matt Fitzpatrick is the event’s defending champion and he's back to defend the title. Tyrrell Hatton and Padraig Harrington both have a shot at becoming the first player to win the Alfred Dunhill Links three times.

⛳️ Celebrities In Action: A significant number of amateurs taking part in the event are celebrities, with movie stars, musicians and athletes from other sports appearing, as well as family members of some of the highest-profile professionals.

The bulk of the famous names come from the world of sport, with former soccer players including ex-Real Madrid star and keen golfer Gareth Bale, former Netherlands midfielder and Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit, and former England midfielder turned TV personality Jamie Redknapp.

From the world of music, there are appearances from Linkin Park bass player Dave Farrell, Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres and one of the most successful musicians of the 1980s, Huey Lewis.

Elsewhere, broadcaster Piers Morgan is a regular at the event and he appears again this year.

Other figures from the world of sport include jockey Sir AP McCoy, five-time Olympic gold medal-winning rower Sir Steve Redgrave, former Denver Broncos NFL quarterback John Elway and professional surfer Kelly Slater.

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TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
The Season That Shaped Pro Golf's Future

The Korn Ferry Tour Class of 2014 is pacing toward becoming the winningest class in Korn Ferry Tour history. Graduates have accounted for 64 PGA TOUR victories (second all-time), with ample runway to increase that total.

Some of the biggest names to emerge out of that season are Justin Thomas, Tony Finau and Max Homa - let's take a look.

📌 JT Steps Up: Justin Thomas had turned pro at 20 after two seasons at Alabama.

Thomas would cruise to a fifth-place finish on the 2014 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season standings, safely inside the top 25 (the mark for a TOUR card at the time). Ten years later, he noted his mom as indispensable to the accelerated learning curve.

📌 Finau Finds His Groove: Tony Finau needed seven years as a pro to reach the Korn Ferry Tour.

Finau, then 24, was a consistent presence throughout the 2014 season. After three missed cuts in his first four events, he found a groove with 10 top-25 finishes in a 14-event span to comfortably finish inside the top 25 on the Regular Season standings and earn his first TOUR card.

It was an emotional achievement for Finau, whose mom Ravena had tragically died in a car accident less than three years prior.

Ten years later, Finau remembered the difficulty in traveling solo that season (he and his wife Alayna had recently started a family), but he knew of the Korn Ferry Tour’s importance in reaching his PGA TOUR dream.

📌 Homa Hits The Spotlight: If Max Homa lacked the dazzling outward athleticism of Finau or even Thomas, his ability and grit were if anything overdeveloped.

He found immediate success on the Korn Ferry Tour with a seventh-place finish at the South Georgia Classic in his fourth start. He shot a final-round 63 to win the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX in his next start, added four more top-20 finishes to finish 17th on the Regular Season standings, and earned his first TOUR card.

This is how three of the sport's biggest names emerged during the 2014 season.

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LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news 

Happy Gilmore 2: John Daly will play a part in Happy Gilmore 2. The film officially began production on Sept. 9. Sandler is set to reprise his role as the titular character, Christopher McDonald will also play the role of Shooter McGavin once again and Julie Bowen will return to her role as Gilmore's love interest.

LPGA Tour: World No 1 Nelly Korda and LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam will return to the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes, Dec.19–22, 2024.

PGA Tour: Due to the DP World Tour's strategic alliance with the PGA Tour, 10 European-based golfers are set for a US-based season in 2025 - click here to check out the complete list.

TGL: The Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL is less than 100 days away. The league will kick off its inaugural season on 7 January 2025, but a few days before, a documentary series will be launched about Boston Common Golf - one of its six teams.

BIRDIE
5 Golfers Who Performed The Best @ Presidents Cup

The Royal Montreal Golf Club witnessed some brilliant golf from both teams. Players like Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele brought their A-game to lead the US to triumph - but were they among the best performers?

Let's find out.

🏌️Patrick Cantlay (4-1-0): Cantlay was one of the top performers for Team US at the 2024 Presidents Cup. He collected four points, with his only defeat coming in the Friday foursome.

🏌️Collin Morikawa (4-1-0): Morikawa also finished the week with similar stats, and his only loss also came at the Friday foursomes.

🏌️Xander Schauffele (4-1-0): Schauffele was the third American player to finish with four points. He was paired with Cantlay in the Friday foursome, the only loss of the week.

🏌️Sam Burns (3-0-1): Burns bagged 3.5 points for Team US and remained the only undefeated player for the visitors. He entered the singles with three wins but halved the point with Tom Kim on Sunday.

🏌️Keegan Bradley (2-1-0): Bradley proved his worth at the Presidents Cup, earning two important points for the US team. He played in the Thursday fourball session, where his incredible putting helped the US sweep the hosts.

His second win came in the Sunday singles, where he beat Si Woo Kim 1-up to secure the winning point for Team US.

DRIVING RANGE
Transfer Your Weight

In today's video, we share tips and drills on how to transition your weight properly in the golf swing.

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