The Secret To Greenside Sand Play (Video)

I know you're going to say "But I know this." However, if you're still having trouble with greenside sand shots, YOU DON"T. Pay close attention to what Rick says, fight your natural tendencies, and just do it! You'll be glad you did.

How to Use a "Cheat Swing" (video)

In this short video Russell Heritage explains how to use a "cheat swing" to make swing changes more quickly. I'm a big believer in this concept simply because few weekend golfers are going to have the time -- or patience -- to develop a textbook swing. You don't need something that makes you look good; you need something that can help you score better! Understanding how to use a "cheat swing" can help you make swing corrections on the course so you can score better and enjoy your game more. And the method Russell describes here is one of the simpler ways to use such a technique.

Twofer Tuesday: John Deere Classic

Twofer Tuesday heads down to the Heartland of America and the John Deere Classic, where tractors are part of the trophy presentation.

TPC Deere Run in Silvis IL is definitely a place where you find "horses for courses." No less than six players have won this event more than twice. One of the players to win this event three times is Steve Stricker, and players joked about the "Steve Stricker Annual Annuity Event" for several years.

Defending champion Lucas Glover is hoping to join that stellar group with a second win of his own. But it's not unusual for first-time winners to make the Deere their maiden victory either.

Alas, I'm not picking any past champions this week. Let's give the new blood a chance!

• I think Sahith Theegala is ready to win. He's come close twice now, with last week's runner-up being a good sign. Since the Deere has been so friendly to first-timers, I'm hoping this will be his.
• And I'm taking Denny McCarthy as my other pick. Although his game's been up-and-down this year, his last three events have been T5-T7-MC. Coming back with a chip on his shoulder perhaps, I look for him to do well.

GC's coverage begins Thursday at 3pm ET. And as usual, PGA TOUR LIVE's streaming schedule also starts Thursday and you can find it at this link. The Deere is always a fun and relaxed event... but some weather is expected. In the Heartland of America, people are used to that. Let's see how the pros handle it!

The Limerick Summary: 2022 Travelers Championship

Winner: Xander Schauffele

Around the wider world of golf: In Gee Chun got her third major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship on the LPGA; Pádraig Harrington made his first Champions Tour win a major at the US Senior Open Championship; Pierceson Coody won the Live and Work in Maine Open on the Korn Ferry Tour; Haotong Li won the BMW International Open on the DP World Tour; Ssu-Chia Cheng won the Island Resort Championship on the Epson Tour; Michael Blair won the Elk Ridge Open on the MacKenzie Tour; Jesus Montenegro won the Bupa Tour Championship on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica; Min Ji Park won the BC Card Hankyung Ladies Cup on the KLPGA; Min-gyu Kim won the Kolon Korea Open on the Asian Tour; Ayako Kimura won the Earth Mondahmin Cup on the JLPGA; and Yuki Inamori won the Japan Players Championship on the Japan Golf Tour. [Thanks, IC!]

My Twofer Tuesday picks are back to their old tricks. I had Sam Burns (MC) and Aaron Wise (MC). Both went from decent play on a tough course the week before to poor play on a traditionally easy course this week. What more can I say? I'll try again this week.

• Top10s: 19 for 72 (13 Top5, 6 Top10)
• Winners: 3 for 35
• Top20s: 30 for 72

I'll make this short and sweet. None of us doubt Xander Schauffele's ability to win. He is, after all, the reigning Olympic gold medalist.

But his record with 54-hole leads on the PGA Tour had been horrible. He was 0-for-4 closing out tournaments when he entered the final round with the lead.

That record is now 1-for-5... and he did it the hard way. He hit a sand wedge stiff on the final hole to win by two strokes after Sahith Theegala doubled the 18th to fall one behind Schauffele, who then birdied to finish in style.

It was Schauffele's sixth PGA Tour win, but it was his first solo win in over three years. He teamed up with Patrick Cantlay to take the Zurich Classic team event back in April.

Perhaps this will get him over that mental hump that we all seem to develop in whatever discipline we pursue after we can't get it done a few times. At any rate, it snags him his first solo Limerick Summary in three years... and that can't be a bad thing.

Theegala was leading by one
But a final 6 ended his run
And then Schauffele broke through
To win this one by two
When his final round lead got it done.

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

A Drill for Creating Shaft Lean (Video)

This short video teaches a drill that will get your lead side into the correct position for good impact. I will simply add this: Make sure you understand what that position is. Viewed from the front, your lead leg will appear to be vertical. Viewed from the side, it will appear to lean backward, away from the ball. That's because your lead hip has moved back as you turn toward the target at impact. It's not a difficult position but many players never get there. Practice it and you'll improve your impact.

4 Ways to Beat the Shanks (Video)

That's pretty self-explanatory, I guess. Rick's got four tips and drills to help you stop shanking the ball. If you're struggling with them, surely one of these will help!

How Far to Stand from the Ball (Video)

Here's another short video with a good tip about adjusting how far you stand from the ball with a short club like a wedge versus a long club like your driver WITHOUT ruining your posture. Russell Heritage's tip allows you to keep roughly the same posture through the whole bag regardless of which club you use. Now that's a useful tip!

This Week's Other Major

I would of course be remiss if I didn't also mention the other major being held this week, the US Senior Open.

This year's US Senior Open will be held in Bethlehem PA at the Saucon Valley Country Club. The course they'll be using is called Herbert Strong's Old Course and it turns 100 years old this year, which means all three US Opens this year have been held on courses a century or more old. (Alright, Congressional is only 98 years old, but that's splitting hairs.) A par-71 just over 7200 yards long, the Old Course should give the Champions Tour players should have their hands full. As we saw last week, just because a course is old doesn't mean it's easy for today's players!

Jim Furyk is the defending champion but the favorite this week is Steven Alker, who is arguably the hottest player on the Champions Tour. No one else is anywhere close to his four wins this season and he already has one major (the KitchenAid Senior PGA). Still, I can't help but think Steve Stricker is going to give him a run.

While this event starts on Thursday, you won't be able to watch it unless you've got the Peacock app and, as best I can tell, you need to pay for Peacock Premium to get it. GC's coverage begins on Saturday at 3pm ET.

KPMG and the PGA Double Down (Up?) on the LPGA

KPMG, the PGA and the LPGA dropped a bomb Tuesday at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship -- a $9mil bomb that should have rocked the sports world.

The third women's major of 2022 was already setting up to be big. The newly redone Congressional Country Club is hosting the women for the first time, KPMG's Women’s Leadership Summit on Wednesday is going to be bigger than ever, and Nelly Korda seems to be in form to put up a real defense of her 2021 title.

Then COO of KMPG Laura Newinski, PGA of America President Jim Richerson and LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan held a media presser midday Tuesday to announce that the $4.5mil purse of the 2021 event was going to be doubled this week to $9mil, and that the winner's share would also double to $1.35mil.

LPGA members learned of it through an email sent out during lunch. The shock waves from the unexpected prize bump left players speechless and a joke began to circulate that, upon receiving the email, the lunchroom emptied as players fled to the range to practice.

The KPMG Women's PGA Championship had already taken major steps forward since the PGA of America and KPMG signed on with the intention of making women's golf -- and the role of women in business -- a priority. Now it's the second-highest paying event in women's golf (the US Women's Open has a $10mil purse) with promises to go even higher.

GC's coverage begins Thursday at 11am ET. As hard as it is to believe, with the wave of excitement Tuesday's announcement generated around the event, this week's women's major could end up being an even bigger treat than fans expected.

Twofer Tuesday: Travelers Championship

Twofer Tuesday goes westbound and down to Cromwell CT and the ever-popular Travelers Championship.

After the house of pain that the Country Club dealt players last week, TPC River Highlands should be an oasis of joy. At a mere 6852 yards and a par of 70, the guys who show up this week -- which includes the Top4 in the FedExCup rankings -- should feel like a win here is theirs for the taking.

Of course it probably won't work out that easy. Defending champion Harris English needed 8 extra holes last year to claim his title over Kramer Hickok, and many of the top players have struggled in the past. Perhaps it's the poa greens. We'll see, won't we?

My picks this week are players who didn't do so well last week, players who are likely ready for a course just like the Highlands.

• Aaron Wise has been running hot and cold this season but, with the exception of the Memorial, seems to be playing pretty well on shorter courses. And he made a run last week at Brookline before stumbling, so maybe he's on an upswing in his game.
• And I've taken Sam Burns the last two weeks. The first he gave me a T4, and last week he was in the Top10 and ready to make a run at the title until he stumbled on Sunday. By my calculations he's due for another great finish.

GC's coverage begins Thursday at 3pm ET. Likewise, PGA TOUR LIVE begins their streams early on Thursday; you can find that schedule here. While the Travelers is usually considered a respite from the US Open, last year's 8-hole playoff may have taught the field to think better of this event. But with the field getting stronger each year, we're almost guaranteed a great finish.

The Limerick Summary: 2022 US Open

Winner: Matt Fitzpatrick

Around the wider world of golf: Jennifer Kupcho won the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give on the LPGA; Norman Xiong won the Wichita Open on the Korn Ferry Tour; and Kiira Riihijarvi won the Ann Arbor's Road to the LPGA on the Epson Tour.

I guess I can't complain about my Twofer Tuesday picks as much now. I had Sam Burns (T27) and Matt Fitzpatrick (1). Sam didn't do so well on Sunday but Matt gave me a third winner this season... and two of them are major winners. Hard to complain about that!

• Top10s: 19 for 70 (13 Top5, 6 Top10)
• Winners: 3 for 34
• Top20s: 30 for 70

Perhaps it means nothing but I think I should mention it: It doesn't seem that any of the LIV Golf players factored into the US Open much after Thursday's first round. I don't know if that's the result of being uncomfortable with all the attention or just being tired after a flight back from London, but it does feel like it might be important going forward. As far as I could tell, the fans didn't give any of them a hard time... but it was like they just wanted to stay out of the limelight.

Not so for Matt Fitzpatrick, Will Zalatoris, Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy or any of the rest of the players who put up some great scores on Sunday afternoon. The finish was in doubt until the last player (Zalatoris) putted his second-to-last putt. We saw great shot after great shot, big swings in fortune as players charged then fell back, and players doing the impossible from places we didn't even think they could play from.

In some ways I feel as speechless as Fitzpatrick did, simply because his amazing play stood out so much because his competitors played so well themselves. And Matt's victory came on the heels of some incredible shots in the last couple of holes, under the most pressure, and they made him only the third player in history -- Jack Nicklaus and Juli Inkster being the other two -- to win the US Amateur and the US Open on the same course.

And of course, for Matt that course was the Country Club at Brookline, where Francis Ouimet is credited with really launching the age of American golf.

I guess all I can really say is "Well done, Matt! And while you're celebrating, have a Limerick Summary on me!"

Like Inkster and Nicklaus before,
Fitzpatrick just walked thru the door—
His pro/amateur double
Burst everyone’s bubble
‘Cause Matt’s play was really top drawer!

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

This Is More of a Classic Swing Move (Video)

I'm posting this because it's not unusual these days for instructors to mix classic (like Bobby Jones) and modern (like Ben Hogan) swing techniques, and the grip is definitely one of the main differences between the two.

In modern swings you're usually told to hold the club mainly with the last two or three fingers of your lead hand, but in classic swings you want to focus the grip in the thumb and forefinger of your trail hand -- that's what Alistair Davies is showing you here. You want to focus on the first 1:50 of this video because how much you reroute the club on the way down depends on how your body moves as much as anything.

What you're doing with this grip technique is basically the same thing you do with a tennis stroke. It's the same kind of control move. I won't say it's for everybody but if you're struggling to square the clubface, this may be something you want to try.

Why It's Harder to Hit the Driver Than an Iron (Video)

Why is it harder to hit your driver than to hit an iron? Or perhaps for you, why is it harder to hit an iron than your driver? Mike Malaska has a very simple explanation for the difference, and it may be just the tip you need.

Strategies for Taking Advantage of Risk/Reward Scenarios (Video)

At this week's US Open, players are having to make tough decisions. How can they best take advantage of the possibilities stretched out before them? How can they avoid the pitfalls that will take them out of the competition entirely? Neil Tappin and coach Ged Walters walk you through seven of the riskiest scenarios you'll face and teach you the strategies for success. This video is nearly a half-hour long so allow some time to take it all in.

Don't Forget the LPGA Today

In the midst of the US Open coverage going on today, don't forget that the LPGA is also teeing it up at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. Defending champion Nelly Korda headlines the field. GC's coverage begins today (Thursday) at 3pm ET.

How to Use the Right Foot Back Drill (Video)

I'm posting this short video for one simple reason. This drill is frequently taught in order to help players learn to hit a draw. Mike Malaska explains how the drill is supposed to work and that you don't have to flip your wrists in order to get the draw -- as your body turns, your club path will cause the ball to draw.

Twofer Tuesday: US Open

Twofer Tuesday chugs south from one Open to another -- from the Canadian Open to the US Open.

It's history time, folks, as we enter the kingdom of Francis Ouimet, champion of the 1913 US Open, where American golf really got put on the map. The Country Club at Brookline MA is truly a legend, having hosted US Opens, US Amateurs and of course the notorious 1999 Ryder Cup. But now the course bears the fingerprints of Gil Hanse, the resident restoration expert for US golf, and this baby's gonna be a bear.

Par-70, 7264 yards of tightly twisting fairways with lots of rough, blind shots... and the look that Quimet, Vardon and Ray saw during their historic battle way back in 1913.

I'm really stuck this week. I can think of a dozen players who could find gold this week... or could see their dreams turn to lead. I really am shooting in the dark this time.

• I'm taking Matt Fitzpatrick this week. He won the US Amateur when it was played here in 2013 and while the course is very different then... could there be some fate at work in that, a century after amateur Ouimet won in 1913, another amateur won the Amateur on the same course? I don't know, and I don't know that Fitz's experience will do him any good this week. But he's been playing well and... well, why not?
• And I'm riding Sam Burns for another week. It's possible that he's too tired after that T4 in Canada last week. But then again, it's possible that he's primed and ready to go for his first major. Again, why not? This place has seen miracles before.

I'm posting the link to the TV schedule (at the bottom of the page) because this is confusing. On just Thursday we've got Peacock, USA and NBC covering five separate airtimes! Here's the Thursday schedule:

• 6:45 a.m.-9:30 a.m. ET (Peacock)
• 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (USA)
• 2 p.m.-5 p.m. (NBC)
• 5 p.m.-7 p.m. (USA)
• 7 p.m.-8 p.m. (Peacock)

And that's just Thursday! At least the biggest event in the US will get the attention it deserves.

The Limerick Summary: 2022 RBC Canadian Open

Winner: Rory McIlroy

Around the wider world of golf: There were a lot of great finishes this week. At the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed, 22-year-old Linn Grant became the first female winner on the DP World Tour when she beat her closest male competitors by 9 shots and her closest female competitor by 14; Thongchai Jaidee won the American Family Insurance Championship on the Champions Tour; Brooke Henderson won the ShopRite LPGA Classic on the LPGA; Robby Shelton won the BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Korn Ferry Tour; Lucy Li won the Carolina Golf Classic on the Epson Tour; Dylan Mostert won the KitKat Group PROAM on the Sunshine Tour; Tommy Cocha won the Fortox Colombia Classic on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica; the USA won the Curtis Cup; Charl Schwartzel won the first LIV Golf event; Sanghun Shin won the KPGA Championship on the KPGA; Tomoyo Ikemura won the Aso Iizuka Challenge on the Japan Golf Tour; Miyuu Yamashita won the Ai Miyazato Suntory Ladies Open on the JLPGA; and Minji Park won the Celltrion Queen's Masters on the KLPGA. [Thanks, IC!]

Another decent week for my Twofer Tuesday picks. I had Sam Burns (T4) and Adam Hadwin (T35). Sam moved into the Top5 with his finish and Adam at least made the cut. I haven't had two players make the cut in a while

• Top10s: 18 for 68 (12 Top5, 6 Top10)
• Winners: 2 for 33
• Top20s: 29 for 68

I don't know if this is a sign of what's going to happen to the LIV Golf events, but the first one received relatively little attention simply because so much great golf happened everywhere else. Linn Grant became the first female winner on the DP World Tour, beating the men by 9 strokes; Brooke Henderson won the LPGA event with an eagle in a playoff; Lucy Li got her first pro win on the Epson Tour; and the RBC Canadian Open returned after a forced two-year layoff with possibly the best final group and the best competition between them that could have happened.

Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau shot 29, 29 and 31 respectively on their front nine. (No bogeys!) Justin Rose set a course record 60 but had a shot at 58. And Sam Burns shot a 65, nearly posting low enough to make the big boys think down the stretch.

And then all Rory did was get his first successful tournament defense ever, shooting 62 while JT and Tony shot 64s. Did I mention that fans were rockin' in Toronto? Rory said it best:

“It feels really good. For the Canadian Open, a national championship, to have a week like it's had, three of the best players in the world going at it down the stretch, trying to win in front of those crowds and that atmosphere … it doesn’t get much better than that.”

In the meantime Rory picks up his 21st PGA Tour win... and at least his 21st Limerick Summary. (I don't remember if I did any for him winning other events.) This is definitely a record worth celebrating. Congrats, Rory!

The stars really put on a show.
Both Tony and J.T. went low
But Rory stayed hot
And the thunder he brought
Made his first title defense a go.

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

7 Gear Mistakes You Don't Want to Make (Video)

Short and sweet -- There are some mistakes you can make when you buy golf gear that will kill your enjoyment of the game. While you might not feel that all of these are mistakes, most of them are things we can all agree on. It's a short video so take a quick look! 

When Your Ironplay Sucks... (Video)

Paige found out she was losing shots because of poor iron play so she did this video on how to do an iron-specific range session, showing you her approach to analyzing the problem as well as giving you some drills to help you improve. Have fun with this!

Rick Shiels Tests Some Exclusive Japanese Titleists (Video)

This video caught my attention because apparently most of the golf companies make special ball and club models that are sold exclusively in Japan. What's the difference? Rick Shiels wondered the same thing so, when one of his viewers sent him a sleeve of Titleist VG3 golf balls, which are a premium ball over there, he decided to test them and find out. Are we missing anything? Here's Rick's review.

Welcome to the Jerry Kelly Show!

Last week Jerry Kelly won the Principal Charity Classic. This week he's defending at the American Family Insurance Championship -- where BTW he was runner-up in 2018 and winner in 2019 as well. (The event wasn't played in 2020.)

Who do you think is the favorite to win this week? 

The University Ridge GC in Madison WI (Kelly and Stricker's home state) is a par-72 measuring close to 7100 yards long. There are five par-5s and five par-3s... and the players tend to eat this place up.

An interesting stat: The 54-hole leader hasn't won the last five times here. And the winner has won by one shot or in a playoff in the last four times. That means EXCITING FINISHES LIKELY!

GC's coverage starts Friday at 6:30pm ET. Who will win this time, I wonder...

Sort of a Break for the LPGA

Oh, don't get me wrong. They're playing this week and the next -- ShopRite LPGA Classic and the Meijer LPGA Classic, respectively. But it's a lull between majors -- the US Women's Open last week (won by Minjee Lee) and the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at the end of the month (defending champion Nelly Korda).

This week, however, belongs to Celine Boutier, the defending champion at the ShopRite.

Last year this event became Celine's second LPGA win and she definitely earned it, beating Jin Young Ko, Inbee Park (Rolex #2 and 3 at the time) and Brooke Henderson down the stretch. And she'll have her hands full trying to defend this year, what with 4 of the Top8 in the Rolex Rankings and several major winners in the field as well.

Of particular interest this week is Karrie Webb's return to the LPGA for one of her occasional appearances. It's just one more storyline to add to an already interesting event.

GC's coverage of the event starts Friday at noon ET. There's also a bit of history going on here as well, because CBS will cover the final round live on network TV. So just because it's not a major this week doesn't mean the LPGA is sleeping on its laurels. Should be fun!

Twofer Tuesday: RBC Canadian Open

This week Twofer Tuesday heads north of the border for some authentic poutine, eh, and the RBC Canadian Open.

The pandemic has played havoc with many events, but not many have suffered as much as the RBC Canadian Open. This event has been cancelled twice, in 2020 and 2021, so 2019 champion Rory McIlroy is the event's de facto defending champion. But at least he's a good one, having won this event by a dominating SEVEN strokes. He'll be defending at a different course but it's hard to believe he won't have a lot of good feelings as he returns to defend his title.

The St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto, Ontario is a par-70 meauring just over 7000 yards. That may not sound impressive but St. George's has hosted the Canadian Open five times, most recently in 2010, and the CP Women's Canadian Open five times as well. This is a respected course with a lot of contours both on and off the greens, so players will face a lot of challenging shots.

I'm torn about my picks this week because this is a great course for some of the shorter, more accurate drivers but a lot of big hitters are in form. And then there's the knowledge factor, as many of the younger players will never have seen this course before. Do I pick form or a Canadian player who might know this place?

One of both, eh...

• My hot pick: Sam Burns
• My Canadian pick: Adam Hadwin

GC's coverage starts Thursday at 3pm ET. And as usual, PGA TOUR LIVE will be streaming; the times are at this link. It'll be good to see some Canadian golf again. This is always a great event that always produces a great champion.

The Limerick Summary: 2022 Memorial

Winner: Billy Horschel

Around the wider world of golf: Minjee Lee won the US Women's Open on the LPGA; Kalle Samooja won the Porsche European Open on the DP World Tour; Jerry Kelly won the Principal Charity Classic on the Champions Tour; Davis Thompson won the REX Hospital Open on the Korn Ferry Tour; Rourke van Der Spuy won the SunBet Challenge on the Sunshine Tour; Bio Kim won the SK Telecom Open on the KPGA; Yu Jin Sung won the Lotte Open on the KLPGA; Kazuki Higa won the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup; and Mone Inami won the Richard Mille Yonex Ladies Golf Tournament on the JLPGA. [Thanks, IC!]

My Twofer Tuesday picks did a little better this week. I had Will Zalatoris (T5) and Matt Fitzpatrick (MC). I'm shocked that Matt missed the cut but at least Will was back on form.

• Top10s: 17 for 66 (11 Top5, 6 Top10)
• Winners: 2 for 32
• Top20s: 28 for 66

They say it's hard to win with a big lead but several players on different tours did it on Sunday. Billy Horschel was one of them.

Was it easy for him? No. He started the day with a 5-shot lead and won by 4. But it's worth pointing out that, while he shot a even par 72, the best round anybody else shot was a 3-under 69... and none of those players were close enough to pose a real threat.

With two big worldwide wins this season, Billy is once again on the move up the OWGR. But does that really compare with the thrill of getting another Limerick Summary? I think not...

A week full of leaders who win—
Who lead from the front, don’t give in
And show us their heart.
Billy Ho did his part
And took the top prize with a grin.

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

A Firm Left Side (Video)

This is a super-short video but it explains a common concept that few players really understand -- using the ground by hitting against a firm left side. Mike Malaska's brief explanation can help you eliminate the misunderstandings and learn to use the ground without excessive hip slide.

7 Putting Grips You Can Try (Video)

Nothing complicated here, just Rick Shiels demonstrating 7 different putter grips -- plus mentioning the possible variations -- and why you might or might not want to use them. If you're unhappy with your current technique and want to try something new, there's enough here to keep you busy for quite a while.

A Quick Mention of the Champions Tour

While the big events this week are the US Women's Open and the Memorial, the Champions aren't taking a nap. They're playing the Principal Charity Classic.

This three-day event is being played at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines IO (no, Marvel movie fans, not Wakanda -- no Black Panther this week), a par-72 measuring roughly 6850 yards. The defending champion is Stephen Ames and, while this event has a pretty strong field, it serves as something as a reprieve after playing two straight majors.

Steve Stricker is back in the field and so's Steven Alker, definitely the two favorites to win this week. But Wakonda doesn't play as a particularly difficult track so the list of potential winners should be pretty large!

GC's coverage of the event begins today (Friday) at 6pm ET.

Stop Standing Up (Video)

When you stand up during your downswing, your hips move toward the ball and your shoulders move backward... and you lose your spine angle. Alistair Davies explains why this happens, gives you some drills to fight the problem and some tips on how to take the fix to the course.

The US Women's Open Is Finally Here!

And the potential storylines are numerous.

First of all, there's Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines NC. That's in my home state and not far from Pinehurst. This course has some serious LPGA history, having hosted this event in 1996 (Annika Sorenstam), 2001 (Karrie Webb) and 2007 (Cristie Kerr). In addition, it hosted the 2019 US Senior Women's Open (Helen Alfredsson). This venue finds great champions!

Then there are the player stories:

• Annika is teeing it up, having won a spot by winning last year's US Senior Women's Open.
• Nelly Korda is returning after surgery for a blood clot.
• Michelle Wie West is making this her last LPGA event. (Maybe she'll play an occasional event, I don't know, but nothing regular going forward.)
• Defending champ Yuka Saso is looking to go back-to-back like Annika and Karrie did.
• Eun Hee Ji, the 2009 champ, grabbed the last spot in the field with a win at last week's Bank of Hope Match Play for a chance to become the oldest major winner from Korea.

And those are just the stories that come immediately to mind!

The US Women's Open will be carried by the USA Network and NBC. USA's coverage will start Thursday at 3pm ET and run for 5 hours. Saturday and Sunday coverage will start on USA and finish on NBC. We're getting some serious golf coverage for this women's major... and it's about time!