As players prepare for the British Major, we should probably have anticipated the field at Dundonald Links playing with a point to prove. The likes of Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter certainly proved their point with scores of -8 for T4 and -7 for T9 respectively. However, the veterans weren't the only ones on the comeback trail in Ayrshire. Rafa Cabrera Bello claimed his first European Tour victory in more than five years with a sensational final day -8 to force a play-off with Englishman Callum Shinkwin, which he ultimately won. The Englishman and the Spaniard were tied at -13 after the closing round, but for a long time it appeared that Cabrera Bello's course-record 64 would not be enough to steal victory from Shinkwin, who entered the tournament as World No. 405.

I made no secret of the fact that my money was on Rickie Fowler before the tournament kicked off. In fact, even after the third round I had Fowler as my favourite to recover a four-shot deficit. But that all changed very quickly on Sunday and by the time I was sitting down to a Sunday roast I was announcing to the room that Rafa Cabrera Bello was going to win the Scottish Open; it was a banker. Four birdies on the front nine put him in a nice position, although he still had a mountain to climb if he was to topple Shinkwin. But the Spaniard conquered that mountain by doubling his birdie tally with four on the back nine for a total of eight for the day. Despite these heroics, Shinkwin needed only a par on the 18th for victory. It would be easy to blame nerves, and you might be right to do so, but I struggle to believe nerves could account for the excruciatingly small margin by which the 24-year-old's putt fell short. In painfully similar fashion, Shinkwin left another putt ever so slightly short on the first play-off hole to hand Cabrera Bello victory in Scotland. Still, the young man leaves with nearly £600,000 and a lesson in the cut-throat nature of top-level golf.

With regards to the Open Championship, Callum Shinkwin, who has climbed 247 spots to World No. 158, qualifies along with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon (finished 3rd) and Australia's Andrew Dodt (finished T4) by virtue of their impressive displays on the Dundonald Links course. In terms of title challengers, Rafa Cabrera Bello will have a taste for victory after a five year drought, whilst Americans Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar posted solid scores despite struggling with the weather. Ian Poulter, though, could be the surprise package as he looks to be returning world-class golf at the tender age of 41. Could the former Ryder Cup hero write yet another chapter in history?

On the other side of the coin, Rory McIlroy missed yet another CUT as he appears unable to recapture his mojo. However, in typical McIlroy fashion, the Northern Irishman wasted no time in heading to Birkdale and putting in a hard graft. No doubt he'll return to form at some point, but could it be at Birkdale? He certainly wants it to be.

Rafa Cabrera Bello - What's in the Bag

Driver- Titleist 917 D2

Fairway Wood- Titleist 915F

Irons- Titleist 716 MB

Wedges- Titleist Vokey SM6

Putter- Scotty Cameron Concept 2

Ball- Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

In what can only be described as a star-studded, £5,443,200 warm-up act, the 2017 Scottish Open promises both an exciting four days of golf and an insight into who we should be watching out for at next week's Open Championship. Whilst it may be easy for us to overlook the importance of the Scottish Open in favour of 2017's third major, the golfers certainly will not. With nearly £900,000, a coveted trophy and qualification for the main event on the line, this truly is all to play for. 

There's one name that really jumps off the page when you talk about potential winners in Scotland; Rickie Fowler. Go on, write off Rickie Fowler. I dare you. There are plenty of reasons for his status as the tournament favourite. More obvious factors include scintillating form of late and the fact that he won this tournament in 2015. However, his case is boosted further when you take into consideration his desire to claim a long-overdue major title next week. Unlike most Americans, Fowler enjoys links golf- giving the Californian a huge advantage over other Statesdide stars like Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka at Royal Birkdale. It doesn't necessarily have to be a win in the Scottish Open (although that would be nice, I'm sure), and Fowler will be well aware of that. Play well, find your rhythm and be ready to win a major. That's got to be the plan from the World No. 10.

As golf returns to its fatherland, let's take a look at the local Scots in with a shout. The highest-ranked Scotsman in the current world rankings is Russell Knox, who sits at 48th on the leaderboard. However, Knox has seriously struggled to put together any real form, having not even challenged for a top 20 finish since his T11 at the Sony Open in Hawaii back in January. On the other hand, fellow Scot Richie Ramsay jumped 171 places in the world rankings to number 170 with a T2 at the Irish Open last week. At the risk of sounding like a dreamer, could the home crowd spur on a fairytale? Surely it can't be ruled out.

As earlier mentioned, we'll be watching a star-studded field at the Dundonald Links course, and you sure as hell can't have a star-studded field without a certain Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman's dismal start to life with TaylorMade clubs was epitomised as he failed to make the cut on home turf at last week's Irish Open. Whilst things have been pretty bleak since his the mega-money TaylorMade switch, it's not unlike McIlroy to take some time to adjust. However, it would be like McIlroy to rediscover his mojo and hit dizzying form just in time for one of the biggest events on the golf calendar. Could the Irish Open failure be the kick up the backside that he needs to get back to winning ways?

Speaking of winning ways, let's take a minute to talk about the current champion: Alex Noren. The Swede has gradually crept up the ranks with a combination of quality and consistency, climbing from 97th to 9th in the world rankings throughout 2016. Despite showing glimpses of the quality he displayed in 2016, Noren's 2017 has lacked the same X factor as his breakthrough year. He has failed to make the cut in either major this year, although he did manage a 10th place finish at THE PLAYERS Championship before a superb performance at the BMW PGA Championship which yielded his first win of the year. Unfortunately I don't see him defending his title this year as he'll be unwilling to take many risks, wanting to put in a solid performance and set up to at least make the CUT at a major for the first time this year.

I'm going to be boring and go with the obvious favourite: Rickie Fowler. His style of play suits the course and he'll want to set up for a huge victory next week. However, don't rule out a resurgent Rory or a riled up Ramsay.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

25 tournaments, 11 top ten finishes and 2 victories. Not a bad record for a 22-year-old with less than one year as a professional golfer. Jon Rahm may only be in his second season as a professional, but the young Spaniard is already taking the golfing world by storm. In 2017 he has finished in the top 10 in 8 out of 17 tournaments: nearly 50%. Wow!

Securing his second win of the calendar year, Rahm obliterated the field to finish with a course record -24 and a six shot lead. Closest rivals Richie Ramsay and Matthew Southgate, of Scotland and England respectively, were simply outclassed as Rahm shot a closing round of 65 which featured two eagles and five birdies. It was a string of four birdies in a row between the 7th-10th where the Spanish wonderkid showed us exactly what he is capable of.

Englishman Justin Rose finished T4 and Oliver Fisher and Tommy Fleetwood finished T10 to highlight a superb tournament for English golfers, which saw eight English flags between 1 and T20 on the leaderboard. The T10 finish is a huge step in the right direction for Tommy Fleetwood, who now leads the Race to Dubai, as he continues a sparkling 2017 which has seen multiple victories on the European Tour and a fourth-placed finish at the U.S. Open. Tournament host, World No. 4 Rory McIlroy, continued to struggle for form since his mega-money move deal with TaylorMade as he missed the cut on home soil.

Despite what the scoreline suggests, it wasn't all plain sailing for Jon Rahm in the Irish Open. A controversy surrounding his ball marking on the 6th green brewed up a torrent of arguments and abuse, particularly on social media. Most of the abuse wasn't directed at Rahm (few would argue that he would deliberately risk a penalty to move his ball a few millimetres for little to no benefit), but rather towards the European Tour's Senior Referee, Andy McFee, and his decision not to penalise Jon Rahm with a stroke penalty. A four-shot penalty was handed to Lexi Thompson at this year's ANA Inspiration for a very similar issue; two for misplacing her golf ball and two for incorrect scoring. The issues surrounding this ruling are well-documented and it would be fair to say that the referees did not deal with the decision in the correct manner- allowing a TV viewer to all but make their decision for them, handing out the penalty a day later and penalising incorrect scoring when she could not have possibly known it was incorrect (basically penalising her for being penalised).

There are two major differences to be taken into consideration with Jon Rahm's ruling. The first is that he had to mark his ball a putter's length away from the ball's spot in order to clear his partner, Daniel Im's, putting line; meaning it is slightly more understandable that he could have been off by a few millimetres and thus giving him more leeway from the referee. The other difference is that the rule was altered as a reaction to the controversy around Lexi Thompson's ruling. The rule alteration allowed a golfer to use 'reasonable judgement'- suggesting that a referee should be more lenient if the golfer appears to have done his best to place the ball correctly, which Rahm clearly did. This, in my most humble of opinions, justifies Mr McFee's decision not penalise the Spaniard.

On a lighter note, the Spanish superstar deserved his victory as he Rahm-paged (sorry, I couldn't resist!) to a course record less than a fortnight before The Open Championship. Will we see Spanish success at a major for the second time this year? An eighth straight maiden major victor?

It would take a fool to bet against Jon Rahm in Britain's major on the 20th July.

Jon Rahm - What's in the Bag?

Driver- TaylorMade M2

Fairway Wood- TaylorMade M1

Irons- TaylorMade RSi

Wedges- TaylorMade Milled Grind

Putter- TaylorMade Spider Limited Red

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

When I was 14 years old I spent my Sundays kicking a football around the park and doing last-minute homework for school on Monday morning (admittedly far more of the prior than the latter). My parents always said I should be doing something more productive with my time, but what can a 14-year-old kid really do that's so productive? Well... apparently they can win professional golf tournaments!

Attaya Thitikul was just 14 years, 4 months and 19 days old when she won the Ladies European Thailand Championship in her homeland. The amateur Thai teenager became the youngest ever winner of a professional golf tournament yesterday (9th July 2017) when she claimed a two-shot victory over Mexico's Ana Menendez. Thitikul's score of -5 raised plenty of eyebrows as she arrived, through her own admission, with the intention of learning from the best rather than targeting the top prize. The Thai teen claimed she "didn't expect to win" and only competed to "learn techniques from the pro players".

Whilst you would forgive the young golfer for getting a little carried away, her grounded nature shone through as she discussed her plans to delay turning professional in order to gain more experience before taking the leap.

Due to her amateur status, Thitikul was not eligible for the 45,000 euros prize money (which went to runner-up Ana Menenez instead), although I'm sure she won't struggle to attract sponsors by the time she does decide to turn professional

It's easy to slap labels like 'promising', 'up-and-coming' or 'future star' on a young golfer showing signs of great potential, but a 14-year-old winning a professional European golf tournament exceeds any praising platitude or banal superlative we can throw her way.

Flash in the pan or future superstar? Who knows? Who cares? This is a historic moment for golf and one that Atthaya Thitikul can treasure for the rest of her life.

Congratulations, Atthaya Thitikul!

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

In case you missed it, Jordan Spieth produced one of the most incredible winning shots that you will ever see in a golf tournament at the 2017 Travelers Championship in Connecticut. The TPC River Highlands golf course witnessed history- something we have come to expect from Jordan Spieth- as he chipped in from the bunker on the 19th in a shot that can only be compared to... well, Jordan Spieth. A score of 12-under took the young American into a playoff with Daniel Berger, where he would scalp a wire-to-wire victory in the most astonishing fashion. Conjuring up memories of his famous bunker shot that forced a playoff in the 2013 John Deere Classic, Spieth outclassed his fellow American in this year's Travelers Championship playoff. His masterful shot at the John Deere Classic propelled him to the world stage as he went on to become the first teenager in over 80 years to win a PGA Tour event. Spieth became only the second golfer ever to claim 10 PGA Tour victories before the age of 24 with this win; drawing comparisons to the great Tiger Woods, who achieved this feat only four months younger than Spieth (currently 23 years and 10 months), that we had previously believed unthinkable.

If you thought that this would be a fairly routine golf tournament, you were seriously mistaken (there will be a lot of 'seriously mistaken' golf fans following Sunday's finale). A strong field featured the likes of Americans Daniel Berger and Charley Hoffman, who finished 2 and T3 respectively, high-flying Englishman Paul Casey and TaylorMade's new superstar, Rory McIlroy. Despite the impressive finishes of the aforementioned Americans, it was Rory McIlroy that made headlines as usual. The Rory McIlroy-TaylorMade putters saga continued as the Northern Irishman made a mid-tournament putter change, sacrificing his TaylorMade Spider Tour putter for TaylorMade TP Mullen putter. The change appeared to work as his putting improved, although it wasn't enough to haul himself any higher than T17 on the leaderboard.

With The Open Championship less than a month away, this victory gives Jordan Spieth a huge confidence boost to help improve his form in 2017 majors. Oh, and a cool $1.2 million in his pocket.

Jordan Spieth- What's in the Bag?

Driver: Titleist 915 D2

Fairway Wood: Titleist 915F

Hybrid: Titleist 816 H2

Irons: Titleist 716 T-MB

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM6

Putter: Scotty Cameron 009 Prototype (with SuperStroke grip)

Golf ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

It's the most exciting electric golf trolley ever. It's revolutionising the golf trolley market. It's available at Foremost Golf before anywhere else!

Golf Monthly have labelled it Motocaddy's 'most technologically advanced electric trolley ever', whilst GolfALot have praised the 'innovative' technology and 'exclusive', 'super-fast' engineering. It's the Motocaddy S5 CONNECT Electric Golf Trolley. 

The Motocaddy S5 CONNECT is the first ever golf trolley to combine an intelligent GPS system with a smartphone app. From distance to the next green to Facebook notifications, Motocaddy have got it all in one place. The electric golf trolley uses Bluetooth to sync with Motocaddy's smartphone app and transform the electric golf trolley's digital display into an accurate GPS system featuring front, middle and back green distances, overhead maps for 36,000 courses, par for each hole, a clock and a timer. However, Motocaddy didn't stop there. Taking it to uncharted territory, Motocaddy have also included alerts for phone calls, texts, emails and various applications including Facebook and Whatsapp. But don't worry, the cutting-edge electric golf trolley also features a USB charging port so you can stay connected from the first tee to the last green.

Whilst Motocaddy have appropriately called this the 'next generation of electric trolleys', the golf trolley pioneers have maintained the most loved features of previous electric golf trolley models. This includes the EASILOCK and QUIKFOLD engineering for added convenience, a soft-touch ergonomic handle for comfort and adjustable speed settings with nine different speeds to choose from. If the speed control wasn't enough on its own, you can now also control the distance up to 45 metres. This allows you to release the electric trolley on its route and let it stop exactly where you would like.

Clearly user control is a prominent feature on Motocaddy's S5 CONNECT electric golf trolley design, and that control extends to the notifications and alerts. Motocaddy understand that you don't always want to be disturbed during your round of golf, so they allow you to change and adjust these features as you please.

The revolution starts here at Foremost Golf. We have stock before any other retailer, so you can benefit from our exclusive early release date.

PRE-ORDER THE MOTOCADDY S5 CONNECT NOW AT FOREMOST GOLF FOR EXCLUSIVE EARLY RELEASE!

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Consistency has eluded some of the world's best golfers throughout history, but few would believe the current run of consistent inconsistency in major tournaments. Jason Day started a truly brilliant run of seven consecutive maiden major winners when he won the 2015 PGA Championship. Following this, all four majors of 2016 were won by first-timers; Danny Willett in The Masters, Dustin Johnson in the U.S. Open, Henrik Stenson in The Open Championship and Jimmy Walker in the PGA Championship. Sergio Garcia finally managed to claim a well-deserved major title at this year's Masters tournament. Continuing the streak in style, Brooks Koepka claimed a record-equalling 16 under to top the field at the U.S. Open on Sunday.

Wisconsin's Erin Hills hosted its first U.S. Open, and Brooks Koepka took the opportunity to win his first major championship. It was a truly mesmerising week of golf, featuring a world top three who all missed the cut, a record-breaking round of 63 from Justin Thomas and a surprise English contender. Only two of the world's top 10 offered challenges at the top of the field (Hideki Matsuyama at T2 and Rickie Fowler at T5). Matsuyama showed his class, posting a Friday 65 and a Sunday 66, although a poor showing of 74 on the opening day left him too much ground to make up. Rickie Fowler did almost the complete opposite, racing into a lead with a first round lead at -7, hitting an opening round record in relation to par at 65, but stumbling when the pressure mounted.

Justin Thomas deserves an honourable mention for conquering a long-standing record (9 under 63) and for some quite frankly phenomenal shots, including an innovative putt which he directed 90 degrees in the wrong direction from the cup... and holed!

Another honourable mention goes to Tommy Fleetwood, who hit -11 for a fourth-place finish. A promising result for the 26-year-old with a bright future.

Brooks Koepka- What's in the Bag?

Driver: TaylorMade M2

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade M2 Tour

Irons: Mizuno JPX 900 Tour

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM5

Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2

Congratulations, Brooks Koepka!

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

In 1895, Englishman Horace Rawlins topped a 10-man field at Rhode Island's Newport Country Club, winning $150 in prize money. Thus, the U.S. Open began.

In 2017, more than 150 players will battle it out for the chance to leave with a whopping $2,160,000 at Wisconsin's Erin Hills golf course.

That inaugural U.S. Open consisted of three Englishmen, six Scotsmen and one amateur Canadian. It was hardly a surprise, then, when a European came out on top of the leaderboard. However, with one European in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) top five, you would be excused for doubting a repeat in this year's tournament. Nevertheless, a European winner may be far more likely than you would expect at Erin Hills. Here's why.

Swedes Henrik Stenson and Alex Noren will be relishing what we anticipate will be testing weather conditions- something we are all too familiar with on this side of the pond. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson grew up in South Carolina, so will be used to low winds and sunshine. Stenson and Noren will be licking their lips at the prospect of scattered thunderstorms and strong winds as they take their Callaway drivers to the first tee box on Thursday.

Another European prospect is Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard has every chance of completing back-to-back major victories following his Masters success. Garcia will undoubtedly take advantage of the wide fairways at Erin Hills with his famously consistent driving using the TaylorMade M2 driver. Many have also cited the Augusta-esque greens (which handed him his first major back in April), and the fact that he plays with the same putter- TaylorMade Spider Tour Red- that Jason Day turned so many heads with at the AT&T Byron Nelson, as reasons to put your money on Sergio Garcia.

Of course, World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is the deserved favourite heading into the 117th U.S. Open. Spaniard Jon Rahm is also a strong contender, whilst Jason Day is looking more like returning to the winners' circle with every tournament. It may also be worth keeping an eye out for the World No. 174 Stephan Jaeger, who we are expecting to surprise a few people by getting in the mix for the top 20.

Will golf's greatest player win on home soil? Will Sweden or Spain have stateside success? Or could we see another British champion? Only time will tell.

We saw some truly brilliant golf throughout this tournament, including shots that Byron Nelson himself would have been proud of. The best of these shots came from on and around the green, including masterclasses from Jason Day and Billy Horschel. After Jason Kokrak fluffed his lines to throw away a 5-shot lead at the top of the field, it became a threeway battle between James Hahn, Jason Day and Billy Horschel for top spot. Hahn's lead slipped when he hit three consecutive bogeys between the 12th and 14th. Whilst all three golfers hit bogeys on the tricky 12th hole, Horschel and Day sandwiched their bogeys between birdies to steal the upper hand (or upper Hahnd, if you will).

Pythagoras himself would've lost count of the amount of times we heard the commentator claim to have seen the 'shot of the day'. It will come as no great surprise that the majority of these shots came from the two leaders. Day recovered a miraculous birdie when he chipped in to finish a rollercoaster at the 15th and Horschel emulated his nearest rival's 60-foot putt on the Saturday; draining one himself at the 14th on Sunday.

This tooth-and-nail style produced a playoff between Horschel and Day. However, if you dared to go and make yourself a cup of tea following the 18th hole then you risked missing it all. It took just a single hole for American Billy Horschel to scalp a victory when his Australian competitor lost his cool in the most surprising fashion; missing a 4-foot putt.

Both golfers deserve great credit for their sportsmanlike behaviour. We have come to expect this from the ever-humble Jason Day, but Billy Horschel telling the Aussie 'That's not how I wanted to win it' will silence the critics of his club-throwing antics at The Players.

Billy Horschel- What's in the Bag?

Driver: PXG 0811X (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black 6X

3 Wood: PXG 0341X (15 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS 75 grams 6.5-Flex

5 Wood: PXG 0341 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS 75 grams 6.5X-Flex

Irons: PXG 0311T (3, 5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: PXG 0311T Milled (52-10, 56-10, 60-07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter:  PXG Bat Attack

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Surprisingly, James Hahn also uses PXG clubs; giving the brand that was formed as recently as 2014 something to shout about.

It's also worth mentioning the success that Jason Day had with his TaylorMade clubs at Four Seasons, including the TaylorMade Milled Grind Wedge, TaylorMade PSi Golf Irons and Taylormade Spider Tour Red Putter.

As the final day of golf at Irving approaches, let's take a look back at what's happened so far and what we can look forward to in the final round.

It may not be the most famous tournament on the PGA Tour, but with the list of past winner featuring the likes of Jason Day and Sergio Garcia, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised to see some truly world class golf being played. James Hahn leads the field with a strong -12, although Billy Horschel's -11 score keeps Hahn's lead to a minimum. Meanwhile, 2010 champion Jason Day sits at T3 with Jason Kokrak at -10. Day will feel encouraged after a monstrous climb of the leader board; entering the weekend 10 strokes off the pace before storming his way into contention. If the Australian can play off the momentum in the final round then he has every chance of taking a long overdue victory.

It's been a different story, though, for the other T3. Jason Kokrak sat on a five stroke lead heading into the weekend, only to throw the tournament wide open with the ugliest of rounds, including a triple-bogey at the fifth. It now becomes as much about mental strength as golfing ability for Kokrak, who needs to regain the right mindset before he can even think about regaining the lead.

Day wasn't the only past champion to have a miraculous surge into contention on Saturday, with World No. 5 Sergio Garcia hitting a sizzling 29 on the back-nine to hurl himself into T6 at -8.

Brooks Koepka was the name on the lips of tipsters everywhere, having missed out to Sergio Garcia in a playoff in last year's tournament. However, a disappointing Even on Saturday saw Koepka slip to T24 and all but lose sight of the leaders. Matt Kuchar also looked a promising bet going into the tournament. Sitting at T14 and -6 he's certainly not out of contention, although it poses a serious uphill battle and one that I don't see him winning.

Now, it would be quite simply despicable to not give credit to Jason Day for his outrageous 60-foot putt at the 17th hole of the TPC Four Seasons course. The putting specialist put his TaylorMade Spider Tour Red putter to the ultimate test and it responded extraordinarily well. Perfectly measured, exquisitely weighted and beautifully executed. It's a good thing the golfers can't hear the commentators because Jason Day would no doubt have been lining up more conservatively had he heard the commentator say 'he'll be happy to two-putt this one' seconds before the stroke.