By Ed Travis
Scottie Bounces Back at River Highlands
Scottie Scheffler, after nearly missing the cut at the U.S. Open and struggling for 72 holes on Pinehurst’s greens, put the T-41 finish behind him. He hadn’t played like world number one at Pinehurst and admitted as much in post tournament interviews, but he turned his season back to a positive note at the Travelers. He bested Tom Kim in a playoff for his sixth win of the season and just in case your keeping track, that takes his earnings for the year to almost $28 million.
No Merger…Yet
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is still saying a merger or agreement with the rival LIV/PIF will happen, but we aren’t holding our breath. As the golf world was basking in the afterglow of Bryson DeChambeau’s second U.S. Open championship victory, Monahan reported that the year-long merger discussions with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and LIV Golf is not a done deal.
More discussions are required for an agreement that will have PGA Tour stars and those players and LIV defectors competing on a more regular basis and not just in the four major championships.
Quoting from Monahan’s June 18 report of the recent meeting with PIF in New York,
“During that meeting, we reached consensus on several items, but both parties recognize there is still work to do to reach a final agreement. Our talks are ongoing with the goal of developing a shared vision for the future of professional golf that is pro-competitive and provide players with the best global opportunities.”
It is obvious to those inside and outside the game that the longer it takes to find a solution, if indeed one can be found, the more golf fans and sponsors will lose interest.
A surprising fact is that Nielsen Ratings showed NBC’s U.S. Open television coverage had the most viewers, since 2013, when Phil Mickelson fought a losing duel with Justin Rose.
Tiger Lifetime Exemption
In further announcements during the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods has been given a lifetime exemption to play in any or all of the PGA Tour’s big money Signature Events.
Cantlay Disappointed
Collin Morikawa’s T-14 finish at the U.S. Open was enough to earn him a spot on the United States Olympic Team and end the hopes of Patrick Cantlay’s bid to make the team heading to Paris. The Olympic team is determined by a player’s position on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), after the U.S. Open.
Team USA will be represented by Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele (2021 Olympic gold medal winner), Windham Clark, and Morikawa. Cantlay was one spot behind Morikawa on the OWGR and will have to watch The Olympics at home.
The Bear Growled and the Tour Heard
There was no doubt when Jack Nicklaus agreed to move his Memorial Tournament to the week before the U.S. Open it would not be a permanent change. Since its inception in 1976, the Memorial has been contested two weeks before the U.S. Open. For 2024 the PGA Tour asked Nicklaus to change dates due to spacing out the Tour’s Signature Events with the major championships.
The Memorial is a Signature Event with a $20 million purse. During his career Nicklaus rarely played the week before a major championship and wants to maintain that gap between his tournament and the U.S. Open.
Bryson DeChambeau’s name had hardly been etched into the U.S. Open trophy when Nicklaus announced the 2025 Memorial Tournament would be played the week of Memorial Day.
