Le Golf National

Where else could we possibly start? The Ryder Cup venue plays host to the oldest National Open in Continental Europe this week, with the September showpiece very much in everybody's mind. However, inflated Ryder Cup qualification points and a whopping $7,000,000 purse (courtesy of its new status as a Rolex Series event) means this isn't just a recon mission for Ryder Cup hopefuls; a lot is at stake at Le Golf National.

The Albatross course is built for 'stadium golf'; perfect for viewers. There will be plenty to view, too, with a challenging setup from first to last. Plenty of water, slick greens with minimal fringe and undulating fairways mean accuracy is critcal. The wrong spin or bounce half an inch in the wrong direction and forgiveness really isn't on the cards.

The Field

It's very rare that Americans turn their attention to the European Tour, especially when Tiger Woods is in action on the PGA Tour, but that is exactly what's happened. Why? Well, the Ryder Cup is one reason. But France also undoubtedly boasts the better field this week. World No. 2 Justin Thomas has hopped across the pond for the week, joining the likes of Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Alex Noren and reigning champion Tommy Fleetwood.

Fleetwood, Rahm and Thomas are unsurprisingly favourites, with form horses Thorbjorn Olesen and Andy Sullivan forcing their way into pre-tournament contention too. Unfortunately Francesco Molinari is over in the States for the Quicken Loans National (a trade for Justin Thomas, I can only assume), and I'm not entirely convinced older brother Edoardo Molinari will be leading Europe's charge for a pre-Ryder Cup upper-hand in quite the same way. But you never know!

Favourites in France

Sergio Garcia's T12 at the BMW International Open last week could be a sign of a return to form, but he's still being overlooked by many. A good result here would be useful in his pursuit of a Ryder Cup spot.

For the past five years, the player topping the bogey avoidance list has topped the leaderboard at this tournament, so it's worth looking at the men who make the least mistakes. Two-time winner Graeme McDowell (2013, 2014) is thirteenth on that list for the European Tour. He's also a Vice-Captain for Team Europe, so whilst his best golf may be behind him, a strategic approach on a course he knows well makes him a huge each-way shout at 60/1.

Can Fleetwood go back-to-back? Can McDowell defy the odds for his hat-trick? Will Sergio soar once more?

So many questions, but who has the answers? We'll find out come Sunday.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Careless Casey Concedes Championship

With the Ryder Cup very much at the forefront of any golf discussion now, I'm afraid that Paul Casey's Sunday slump is simply more interesting than Bubba Watson's impressive victory. It sounds harsh, but it's true. A Saturday 62 put Casey four strokes clear heading into the final round, but a Sunday 72 handed Bubba a three-stroke victory. Casey's collapse did cost him his third PGA Tour title, but the T2 finish was enough to sneak inside Team Europe's automatic qualifying spots. That suddenly begs the question: Do we want Paul Casey at the Ryder Cup?

To sum him up, Casey only has one win on the PGA Tour since 2009 (this year's Valspar Championship), yet the Englishman has not slipped outside the World Top 20 since stepping inside it with a runner-up at the 2016 Deutsche Bank Championship. Two years inside the World Top 20, but not a single day inside the World Top 10. And does anybody remember how that Deutsche Bank Championship runner-up finish came about? That's right, he conceded a three-stroke lead on the final day to hand the title to Rory McIlroy.

He is Mr Consistent, delivering Top-20 after Top-20. But in the Ryder Cup you don't get Top-20s. You get first or you get last. You win or you lose. Unfortunately for Casey, he has a tendency to not win... Especially when the pressure is on.

Elementary, My Dear Watson

From a man who can't play under pressure to a man who seemingly can only play under pressure: Bubba Watson. Picking up his third Travelers Championship win, Watson shot a Sunday 63 (matching his Friday 63) to go -7 for the day and -17 for the tournament. Stewart Cink, Beau Hossler and J.B. Holmes (that's right, Watson beat Holmes) shared second with Paul Casey at -14. The win made Bubba the first three-time PGA Tour winner of 2018, adding to his WGC-Match Play and Genesis Open victories. Emphasising his position as Casey's polar opposite, Bubba is so incredibly sporadic in his form. His WGC-Match Play win came a week after a T66 and a week prior to his T5 the Masters, before going T57-T44-MC and then winning again at the Travelers. He also hadn't gone better than T35 in six tournaments before winning the Genesis Open.

Other Notables

There were some incredible shots at TPC River Highlands, but there's only one place to start: James Hahn's third round slam dunk hole-in-one. Hahn's ball didn't touch the turf on the Par-3 11th as it soared off the tee, rattled the flagstick and nestled in the cup. If you haven't seen it yet, look it up!

Jordan Spieth's victory-clinching hole-out bunker shot at the 72nd in last year's tournament provided one of the PGA Tour season highlights, and apparently he's a big fan of the bunkers in Cromwell. It wasn't quite so dramatic, but his bunker hole-out at the 6th en route to an opening round 63 put plenty of smiles on faces.

From shots to scores, Rory McIlroy finished T12 with -11. That's all good and well, but staying sub-par every day (64-69-69-67) is the big takeaway for him there. Jason Day tied Rory's score and also went sub-par every day. Last week's U.S. Open winner went ten strokes better than he did at Shinnecock Hills, but his -9 was only good enough for a T19. Spieth faded away after Thursday to a -4 T42 and Justin Thomas fell to T56 after a +3 final round left him at -2 for the week.

Bubba Watson - What's in the Bag

Driver: PING G400 LST

Fairway Wood: PING G

Irons: PING iBlade (2 iron), PING S55 (4-PW)

Wedges: PING Glide 2.0

Putter: PING PLD Anser

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The last man to win back-to-back U.S. Opens was Curtis Strange in 1988-89. Brooks Koepka repeated that feat at Shinnecock Hills, in a tournament that certainly kept the "Strange" theme alive.

Snub-Par

Brooks Koepka finished as No. 1 at +1, Tommy Fleetwood No. 2 at +2, Dustin Johnson No. 3 at +3, Patrick Reed No. 4 at +4, Tony Finau No. 5 at +5 and Xander Shauffele, Tyrrell Hatton, Henrik Stenson & Daniel Berger T6 at +6. Strange, right? But that's just the start.

Controversy

So nobody broke par over the course of the tournament. And of course, that was due to the course. The opening day was an absolute horror show. England's Scott Gregory shot a 92 on the par-70 in his first Major as a professional. However, it was Thursday's marquee group that stole the unwanted headlines as Rory McIlroy went 10-over, Jordan Spieth went 8-over and Phil Mickelson got round in 7-over.

Rory and Spieth did dramatically improve on Day 2; shooting par and +1 respectively, but missed the cut along with Tiger Woods (+10), Jason Day (+12), Sergio Garcia (+14), Jon Rahm (+15) and a whole host of big-name players. Mickelson, however, did manage to make the 8-over-par cut and, thus, prolong his misery. But many still feel that Lefty shouldn't have finished the tournament. Celebrating his 48th birthday, Mickelson caused uproar on Saturday as he jogged after a ball and hit it whilst moving to prevent it rolling off the green. The inevitable calls for disqualification fell on deaf ears as the USGA decided a two-stroke penalty would suffice. This left the birthday boy with a sextuple-bogey 10 for the hole, an 81 for the round and +16 for the tournament.

The USGA faced serious backlash for a lot of issues over the course of the week- including the Mickelson issue- but course management was, without question, the pick of the bunch. Sure, the wind provided a reasonable excuse on Thursday. Friday then saw some more respectable scores (although the bar wasn't set too high), but when so-called "Savage Saturday" rolled around there was simply no hiding and the organisation were forced to apologise for laying out a near-unplayable course. Pin positions were all over the shop and players may as well have been putting on conveyor belts as ball after ball failed to stop rolling. Players, fans and pundits alike united against the USGA. No, we were not entertained.

The Finale

Everything else aside, congratulations to Brooks Koepka. The tournament will be remembered for the controversies and likely branded something along the lines of Shinnecock-up Hills, but Koepka deserves a lot of credit. To win a U.S. Open is something, but to win back-to-back U.S. Opens is something else. He knew even-par would be enough down the stretch and that's exactly what he did. He got the job done.

That said, did you see Tommy Fleetwood?! Wow! The Englishman shot a -7 63 to surge towards the top of the leaderboard and ultimately miss out on top spot by a single stroke. That round equalled the best ever at a U.S. Open, putting himself alongside names like Vijay Singh, Justin Thomas and, of course, Jack Nicklaus. He sat outside the Top-20 at +9 after a Saturday 78, yet finished ahead of World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and Masters Champion Patrick Reed as he claimed the runner-up spot.

Foremost Picks

Maybe it wasn't the tournament we'd all hoped for, but I said prior to the tournament that players had to avoid mistakes before they could think about playing good golf. On that note, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose jumped out at me. On Thursday-Friday Rose and Stenson shot 71-70 to keep themselves hanging around the top of the leaderboard. DJ, meanwhile, was on -4 heading into the weekend and leading the way. Unfortunately Rose closed with 73-73 and Stenson with 74-71, but both finished inside the Top-10 as predicted. DJ's three bogeys on Sunday's back nine cost him dearly as he fell to +3 for third place. Still, not a bad showing by any means.

Brooks Koepka - What's in the Bag?

Driver: TaylorMade M4

3-Wood: TaylorMade M2 Tour

3-Iron: Nike Vapor Fly Pro

Irons: Mizuno JPX 900

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7

Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Tour-Only T10 Select Newport

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

It’s known as the toughest test in golf. Scary, even. Brutal and unforgiving. Oh, and entertaining. You know, so long as you’re not playing. “A difficult golf course eliminates a lot of players. The U.S. Open flag eliminates a lot of players.” said Jack Nicklaus.

I’m letting the stats take the wheel here because, well, they make a great case. So here’s what I’ve found:

Bogey Avoidance

We will look at the more fun stats soon, but the U.S. Open is not a place for mistakes. Neither is Shinnecock Hills. You avoid mistakes first, then you play good golf.

Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Justin Rose. Top five in Bogey Avoidance on the PGA Tour (in order). Rule out Simpson because (spoiler alert!) he doesn’t have what it takes across the board. Bryson DeChambeau also ranks in at 24^th here. Keep that in mind.

It won’t surprise you that the aforementioned top five plus DeChambeau all rank inside the Top-20 for Top-10 finishes this season, all with four or more.

Off The Tee

Strokes Gained (SG): Tee-To-Green and SG: Off-The-Tee. DJ ranks top for both. As Father’s Day approaches, the World No. 1 will undoubtedly swap the “World’s Greatest Dad” t-shirt and mug for “PGA Tour’s Greatest Driver”. Or World’s Great Golfer. I suppose that works too.

Stenson, DeChambeau and Rose all also rank within the Top-20 for both of these stats. However, only Stenson- who tops the list- cracks even the Top-45 for Driving Accuracy Percentage. With tough rough at Shinnecock, this is certainly worth noting.

Get Him to the Green

Stenson tops the list AGAIN… TWICE. SG: Approach-The-Green and Greens In Regulations (GIR) Percentage. The Swede knows how to avoid bogeys, hit fairways, approach the green and get to the green in regulation better than anybody else on Tour.

SG: Approach also looks good for DJ (T12), DeChambeau (17^th) and Rose (27^th). All of them, along with Rickie Fowler (17^th) sit inside the Top-20 for GIR too.

The Picks

You may have noticed that I kept bringing up the same names over and over again (was I too subtle?), and you would, therefore, know that I have my picks locked in.

Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler. Stenson and DJ look the men to beat on the stat sheets, whilst Justin Rose has been tipped to win by the world and his dog. DeChambeau and Fowler are more wildcards, and maybe Fowler is too wild a card, but wouldn’t it just be nice for him to win his first Major straight after getting engaged.

And Finally… Putting

Five picks is greedy, so I had to whittle it down. Fortunately the stats made that part easy too. Only Rose (T10) and DJ (20^th) rank inside the Top-50 for putting. And as it turns out, that’s fairly important.

Stenson is outstanding until the putter comes out, but that is a major flaw. DeChambeau's scientific approach could come in handy, but he's a long shot. Rickie, I'm rooting for you, but nice doesn't win golf Majors. If it did, you wouldn't have been edged out by Patrick Reed (Bitter? Me? Never!). I do expect them all to rank highly though.

So that leaves Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose as my picks to win the 2018 U.S. Open.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

It was historic week on the European Tour as Austria's Diamond Country Club hosted the inaugural Shot Clock Masters; the first tournament in which every player played every shot within a time limit. Finland's Mikko Korhonen picked up his first professional victory at the tender age of 37, carding a -16 to finish 6 strokes clear of 22-year-old Connor Syme.

Whilst the tournament will live long in the memory of the journeyman champion and the rookie runner-up, the experimental format could potentially be a stepping stone to a new era of the game. But how do we feel about the shot clock format?

Player Response

As you would expect, the players loved it. Of course the European Tour wouldn't have gone ahead with the idea without the support of the players. It's pretty hard to play a golf tournament without them, after all. That said, it is surprising how many of the participants claim to have been converted whilst playing.

Sweden's Michael Lundberg actually said "Before the tournament started I thought it was kind of a joke", referring to what he felt to be more time than was necessary. However, Lundberg, along with many other players, soon realised that the clock forced them to "prepare better". Fellow Swede Peter Hanson cited the inability to "over-do things" and "think too much". The word being thrown around most of all in post-round interviews was "commit". You had to commit to your shot. No doubting yourself or getting caught in two minds. This, according to most, actually leads to better shots.

England's Tom Lewis and Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts are already looking forward to using the format again in future, with Colsaerts going as far as to wish it could be in use every week.

So it's a resounding thumbs up from the players. But what about the fans?

Fan Response

As the European Tour stated, this tournament was an experiment. Fan response will be as critical to the success or failure of the experiment as that of the players. Now, just to clear things up, it was no accident that this experiment took place whilst all the big names were off preparing for the U.S. Open. Imagine the outrage if Rory McIlroy was the first player penalised! It minimises the pressure as they work out any kinks because, let's face it, golf fans can be critical.

I think personal experiences with the frustration of slow play means fans can empathise and, therefore, support the concept. But everybody agrees it was more fun to watch and a lot of spectators seem to agree with Colsaerts; use it every week, not just as a novelty.

What Next?

The European Tour have been understandably quiet about future plans for the format, but renaming the Austrian Open 'The Shot Clock Masters' does make me question whether it will be a regular thing. The general consensus seems to be that we want to see more of it. Don't make it a novelty. The more the merrier. People definitely don't object to putting the world's best under more pressure. The concern, I believe, was that we'd see more mistakes, but it's been almost the opposite as players feel that being forced to commit fully means better execution.

What do you think?

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Yeah yeah, I know. Too soon. But have you seen the European Tour lately? 

First & Foremost: Francesco

I was following Francesco Molinari at the BMW PGA Championship when he made that Saturday surge around Wentworth and I can assure you that I wasn't the only one thinking about Team Europe. The man oozed class. To win over a crowd is one thing, but to win it over from Rory McIlroy is another. He did exactly that. I wasn't at the Italian Open the following week, but when the Italian made that incredible birdie putt on Sunday's final hole I'm pretty sure I heard the crowd from my sofa in England. He ultimately missed out on back-to-back titles by a single stroke to Thorbjorn Olesen, but his ability to raise his game when the stakes are raised is a promising sign. Consecutive Rolex Series events- offering extra Race to Dubai points and increased prize money- coincided with inflated Ryder Cup Ranking points (multiplied by 1.5 from PGA Championship until Made in Denmark) and Molinari took full advantage. He now leads the European Rankings.

Making the Cut

Rafa Cabrera-Bello's fourth-placed finish in the Italian Open saw him replace fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia in the sixth automatic qualifying spot. Tyrrell Hatton conceded pole position to Molinari but still sits comfortably in second, with Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy filling the other two spots available through European Points. Cabrera-Bello is currently joined in qualifying through World Points by Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren.

Fleetwood is yet to repliacte his 2017 form this year, but given how good he was en route to last season's Race to Dubai title it would be almost unimaginable for him not to be in France come September. Similarly, English compatriot Hatton hasn't had much to write home about since his T3 at the WGC-Mexico. His last victory came at the 2017 Italian Open and he marked the one year anniversary at last week's tournament with a third consecutive missed cut. I hate to say it, but Hatton's decline in form just so happens to clash with his improved discipline. You would hope that there is another way to find the spark without the aggression, but I'm not counting on it. Alex Noren has registered four top-3 finishes in 2018 but is without a win in over a year (2017 BMW PGA Championship) so, like Fleetwood and Hatton, the Swede needs to step it up to maintain his position.

Rose, Rahm and Rory sit in third, fourth and sixth in the world respectively, so it's difficult to see a scenario in which any of them don't make it.

In the Hunt

Surpise surprise, Ian Poulter is racing towards a Ryder Cup place. Not much more than a year ago, Poults sat outside the Top 200 in the world. Now, he's giving the Top 20 a run for their money. Red-hot form when it mattered most is what made the match-play master so popular in Europe, and he tapped into that for his win at the Houston Open to qualify for The Masters in dramatic fashion. I can only see him improving from hereon in.

I've already mentioned that Garcia and Olesen sit just outside the qualifying spots, but they both have a lot of work to do to maintain a charge for the automatic places. England's Ross Fisher is in the same boat, with his T8 at the PGA Championship just his second Top 30 finish in 2018. Finally, Paul Casey. Much was made of the Englishman opting to join the European Tour and secure eligibility, but his Valspar Championship win is the only title he's picked up since 2014. He may be consistent, but he needs more firepower to win on the big stage.

Reasons for Optimism

The States boast an incredible array of talent, but the European Tour is peaking at just the right moment and there is an understandable buzz about the array of talent with renowned superstars and emerging starlets alike. A lot can and will change between now and September, but Le Golf National will play host to a hell of a Ryder Cup. That much is certain.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Bryson DeChambeau

Perhaps when you name your newborn Bryson DeChambeau you're not exactly shooting for ordinary, and the two-time PGA Tour champion is nothing if not extraordinary. His eccentric Puma Golf clothing and innovative One-Length Cobra Golf irons have given him a unique reputation on Tour. His meticulous approach means he is reaping some hard-earned rewards with his second PGA Tour win at the Memorial Tournament.

How It Happened

The victory lifts DeChambeau to No. 22 in the World Rankings, and at just 24 years old there is no doubt about his potential. The likes of Justin Rose, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy were all in hot pursuit come Sunday, making it all the more impressive that DeChambeau held his nerve to shoot a one-under 71. However, it wasn't enough to pull away from Byeong Hun An and Kyle Stanley, who also finished on -15. A makeable birdie putt on the 18th missed left, meaning DeChambeau would need a playoff. Stanley's bogey on the first playoff hole eliminated him, before a Bryson birdie on the second saw him clinch a deserved title.

The Big Guns

Tiger's Thursday par equalled that of Thomas, DJ & Fowler and went two better than McIlory and Mickelson as the big guns failed to fire in the opening round. Friday, on the other hand, saw ten players shoot a 6-under 66, including Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, DJ & Mickelson. Then, on Saturday, McIlroy surged up the leaderboard with a round of 64. Tiger went 67-68 on Friday-Saturday before a level-par final round saw him finish on -9 at T23.

Joaquin Niemann: The Baby-Faced Assassin

Niemann just picked up his third top-10 finish since turning professional... in five tournaments. 19 years old, five professional appearances, three PGA Tour top-10 finishes. Let that sink in. He took sixth spot on his professional debut at the Valero Texas Open, T8 at the Fort Worth Invitational and T6 at the Memorial Tournament. The Chilean may still sit at World No. 223, but that won't last long. He's already climbed 1304 places in less than two months.

Only one teenager has won a PGA Tour event since 1931. Jordan Spieth's win at the 2013 John Deere Classic came two weeks shy of his 20th birthday. Immediately after the winning putt, the commentator said "first of many". It's already the first of 14 and he's only 24. Niemann won't turn 20 until November, meaning he has plenty of time to break Spieth's record. I know I'm getting carried away, but how could you not? This kid is special.

Bryson DeChambeau - What's in the Bag?

Driver: Cobra King LTD Pro

3-Wood: Cobra King LTD Black

5-Wood: Cobra King F8+ Baffler

Irons: Cobra King One-Length Utility (4 & 5), Cobra King One-Length (6-PW)

Wedges: Cobra King V Grind, Cobra King WideLow Grind

Putter: SIK Tour prototype

Golf Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com