🏌🏻Why You Might Be Losing Driver Distance

Good morning! Rory McIlroy had a bit of a shock at the BMW PGA Championship when he smacked another crisp iron at Wentworth only to see the head come flying off his club.

Click here to watch the video.

Today’s Trivia: Who has made the most appearances for Team US in the Presidents Cup? Answer at the end of the mail.

⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1981, the Ryder Cup ended at Walton Heath Golf Club in Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, England, southwest of London, with the United States winning 18.5 to 9.5 points.

ALBATROSS
PGA Softens Stance On LIV Golf

Golfers who play on the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf tour will be allowed in the United States Ryder Cup team and the PGA Championship.

They must be members of the PGA of America to be considered for the Ryder Cup and the body has now added LIV Golf to its list of "approved tours", giving those players membership.

The PGA and Europe's DP World Tour announced a "framework agreement" for a merger with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund - which backs LIV - last year. But talks are still ongoing to repair the fracture in men's golf.

The next PGA Championship is scheduled for May 15-18 at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The United States will host the 2025 Ryder Cup at the Bethpage Black Course on New York's Long Island next September.

While LIV Golf events are still not eligible for Ryder Cup team points, the new policy paves the way for players like DeChambeau – who is third on the US points list after his US Open victory at Pinehurst in June – to make the American team next year, as well as compete at the PGA Championship.

A pathway for LIV Golfers to make the European Ryder Cup team next year had already been created, with the only criterion being all players must maintain their membership on the DP World Tour.

Players must play a minimum of four events on the Europe-based circuit per year, excluding Majors, to keep their membership.

But players that left for LIV have also been given suspensions and fines for violating the tour’s policies.

Last week, Jon Rahm appealed those fines, allowing him to compete in the minimum DP World Tour events this year to keep his eligibility for the Ryder Cup.

All in all, it's clear that golf is gradually becoming more inclusive.

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TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
Why You Might Be Losing Driver Distance

Most amateur golfers have three common flaws that are costing me driver distance - take a look at how you can fix them.

⛳️ Find the Center: If you’re not making center-face contact, you have little chance of getting the driver distance you’re hoping for - hitting off the heel of the clubface is the worst place when seeking more distance.

Once you establish a baseline of where contact is happening, you can make some educated decisions on finding the middle. Additionally, using foot spray on the clubface can help determine where your tee height should be.

⛳️ Create a Coil: If you swing with your arms and shoulders, it doesn’t allow you to properly generate power. You need to create a proper coil in your backswing, which requires rotating to the point where the back and butt are exposed to the target at the top of the backswing.

By doing this, it engages the torso and the legs, which helps generate more power.

⛳️ Quit the Collapse: If you’re hitting the center of the clubface and you’re creating the best coil possible, but still aren’t seeing the power or driver distance you want. What’s another reason you might be losing some power?

It could be due to collapsing in the backswing, meaning the elbows get folded and the hands move too close to the head.

Make sure that the trail elbow is away from the trail side and not plugged in and remove the trail bicep away from the trail forearm.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

LPGA Tour: Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa set the early pace at the Kroger Queen City Championship with a 7-under-par 65 in the first round in Maineville, Ohio.

DP World Tour: Rory McIlroy finished the first round of the BMW PGA Championship two shots behind Englishman Matthew Baldwin - the 2014 champion and last week's Irish Open runner-up finished with a double-bogey to finish on five under par.

TGL: Beau Welling Design, Nicklaus Design, Pizá Golf collaborated with Full Swing and TGL to create holes to challenge top PGA TOUR stars - check out the details here.

Huawei*Golf: Huawei enters Golf market with two new course-compatible smartwatches - the all-new professional golf mode will offer a comprehensive feature suite for the tech-savvy golfer.

Sponsors' Corner: The LIV Golf Dallas event is all set to tee off today - NFL icon Troy Aikman's beer company 'Eight' has become the official beer partner for the match.

BIRDIE
How Ping Changed Women's Golf Forever

PING has a longstanding association with women's golf, but the brand's commitment extends way beyond equipment and apparel.

PING’s founder, the late Karsten Solheim and his wife Louise, believed female professionals were not receiving the same recognition as their male counterparts, and this led PING to sponsor various LPGA events as far back as 1975. When the opportunity arose to sponsor a Ryder Cup-like event for women, the couple embraced it wholeheartedly, and the first Solheim Cup match took place in 1990 at Lake Nona.

The Solheim Cup and the PING Junior Solheim Cup are a testament to PING's unwavering commitment to elevating women's golf. As the official apparel supplier for the European Solheim Cup team, PING ensures that players have access to the best gear to perform at their peak.

Additionally, the company supplies golf bags and apparel for both the USA and European teams in the PING Junior Solheim Cup, further supporting the next generation of female golfers as they compete on an international stage.

PING’s apparel line continues to expand, while G Le3 is the latest range of custom-made clubs specifically designed for female golfers. As a strong advocate of custom-fitting - a concept pioneered by PING over 45 years ago - the company uses insights from product design and custom-fitting techniques to create equipment that makes the game easier and more enjoyable for women of all skill levels, not just for tour professionals.

Kartsen Solheim’s enduring legacy reflected in both competitions and PING’s products is a reminder of the profound influence one person can have in shaping the future of a sport, in particular women’s golf.

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DRIVING RANGE
Kettlebell Drills To Improve Your Game

In today's video, we share three kettlebell drills that will help you improve your game.

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