Zozo Championship

Tiger Woods doesn’t do ordinary. The greatest golfer of all time, on his first tournament after knee surgery, won the PGA Tour’s first tournament in Japan to claim a record-equalling 82 PGA Tour victories for himself.

There were question marks over whether the PGA Tour’s debut in Japan would be completed after a typhoon wreaked havoc on Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. After a combination of weather & darkness  delays, the final round continued on Monday morning (Sunday night in the UK) with home favourite Hideki Matsuyama trailing Tiger by three strokes. The PGA Tour could not have written a better script for the Japanese audience.

Eighty-Three Impending

Listen, it’s going to happen. It just has to. And not just for the sentimental reason; Tiger is too much of a competitor to share the record. Sam Snead’s last victory came in 1965, meaning his record of the most PGA Tour victories has been standing for more than a decade longer than Tiger Woods has been alive. Jack Nicklaus’ Majors record might still be miles away, but surely the PGA Tour record is inevitable. Who knows, maybe this will finally get him some recognition in the world of golf.

Race to Dubai

Next up: Shanghai. The WGC-HSBC Champions boasts a hell of a field, and it’s no mystery as to why the big names have gathered… Money. The WGC event precedes the European Tour’s home stretch of lucrative Rolex Series events in Turkey, South Africa & Dubai.

Bernd Wiesberger, with three wins for the season, currently leads the Race to Dubai. However, the likes of Jon Rahm & Shane Lowry are hot on his heels despite only playing 12 tournaments apiece, as opposed to Wiesberger’s 25, thanks to their clinical golf in the biggest events. This offers a strong indicator for the finale, with Tommy Fleetwood in 2017 the only of the past eight champions to play more than 17 events.

Expect to see somebody kick into another gear as the Tour raise the stakes and, apparently more importantly, the pay checks.

Tiger Woods - What's in the Bag?

Not even TaylorMade would've thought we'd be diving into Tiger's winning golf bag twice in a year, especially not in Augusta & Japan! But here we go...

Driver: TaylorMade M5

3-Wood: TaylorMade M5

5-Wood: TaylorMade M3

Irons: TaylorMade P7TW (3-PW)

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 2

Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS

Written by Joseph Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

I suppose golf is a sport, technically, sure.

But we both know it’s so much more.

It is just a game, on paper, you’re right.

 And yet we play all day and toil at night.

From Palmer to Nicklaus; Tiger to McIlroy,

The game of golf is one of happiness and joy.

And then there’s you and me, early on rainy Sundays;

We love this game every day, even if we hate it some days.

We pray in vain to our driver on the tees,

And beg our putter to behave upon the greens.

We watch our heroes on the TV screens,

Because we know they know what golf means.

- Joseph Carabini

Sensational Sunday

Heading into Sunday tied at eight apiece, the 2019 Solheim Cup looked destined to be a nail-biter. The continents were neck-and-neck through the Sunday Singles before a flurry of American points via Angel Yin, Jessica Korda & Brittany Altmore opened up a bit of daylight. When Anne van Dam missed her birdie putt on 18, Lizette Salas took the Americans to 13.5 points. She, along with her teammates, celebrated as if victory were sealed. However, Anna Nordqvist’s comprehensive 4&3 over Morgan Pressel meant that this was not the case.

Bronte Law had conceded a 1UP lead three times through the front nine and found herself one down to Ally McDonald on the 14^th. She levelled things up there, and an expertly executed birdie putt on 16 got the adrenaline pumping; Law celebrating with a scream that excited the crowd nearly as much as the putt itself. Suzann Pettersen, the wildest of wildcard picks, found herself on the 18^th tee tied with Marina Alex, knowing a win could potentially clinch the cup.

News filtered through that McDonald had missed her par putt on 17, meaning Bronte Law won 2&1 and things were tied at 13.5 each. The tournament came down to the final hole. A near-perfect approach from Pettersen left about 6 feet for birdie, but Alex wasn’t much further away. It was sudden-death. Two putts; one to win, one to lose.  Alex stepped up first, and a nervy ten-footer fell away to the right to leave Pettersen with an all-or-nothing putt.

Of course she nailed it.

One Giant Leap for Women’s Golf

Golf does not get better than this. Fans could not have asked for more, and the players could not have delivered any more. The obligatory cliché of writing history was repeated on TV and circulated social media for hours after that finale, but this moment was not about history; it was about the future. Pettersen retired in the immediate aftermath, but she has not left the game behind; she’s propelled it forwards like never before. Don’t be fooled, Captain Catriona Matthew’s decision to pick Pettersen was an enormous risk, but the rewards will be felt far beyond this biannual tournament.

Whilst Pettersen will receive all the plaudits, Bronte Law’s slaying of Ally McDonald in a crunch moment has drawn comparisons to Ian “The Postman” Poulter thanks to a combination of brilliant golf and ferocious competitive spirit. I don’t particularly like to routinely compare everything in the women’s game to its male counterpart, but this did feel like a crowd-drawing prospect. Georgia Hall & Celine Boutier combined to win 3/3 in the Friday & Saturday Foursomes and Saturday Fourballs before both went on to win their Sunday Singles for matching 100% records over four matches. Add to that the likes of Anne van Dam & Charley Hull, and suddenly you’ve got a contingent of young, exciting European prospects.

Not only was this a fantastic moment in the present; it created history and promised so much for the future.

Written by Joseph Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Scotland’s Gleneagles Hotel will play host to the sixteenth edition the Solheim Cup; a competition between Europe and America’s greatest female golfers. The contest, which alternates years with its sister tournament, the Ryder Cup, will run from Friday to Sunday this week (although the Opening Ceremony will take place on Thursday evening). Whether you’re an avid golf fan or new to the sport, the Solheim Cup offers quality, competition and excitement in abundance.

The European Team

From young starlets to seasoned stalwarts, this year’s European team is jam-packed with players that not only promise exciting golf but are also familiar names to golf fans across the globe. Whether you watched Georgia Hall’s thrilling 2018 Women’s British Open victory or have seen the videos of Anne Van Dam’s sensationally smooth swing circulating social media, most golf fans are more aware of the women’s game than ever before. Whilst Hall & Van Dam have already established their names at the age of 23, the likes of Charley Hull, Bronte Law & Celine Boutier are likely to blossom into household names amongst golf fans. These young guns will be joined by the experience of 38-year-old captain’s pick Suzann Petterson in her ninth appearance.

Past Results

In fifteen previous tournaments, Europe have only managed 5 wins. Team USA will be looking for their third consecutive victory for the third time since the tournament’s 1990 inception (three-peats in 1994-98 & 2005-09), but there is no doubting that Team Europe’s players this year are far more competitive (at least on paper) than they had been historically. That Team USA, with their six rookies, are odds-on favourites seems extremely unjust, but I’m sure European Captain Catriona Matthew will be relishing that underdog role.

European Hope

So why, if Team USA have been so dominant, would I fly the flag so adamantly for Team Europe? I’m not saying past results are redundant- especially not winning the two most recent tournaments- but when the women’s game has changed so drastically in recent years, there’s a danger in putting significant stock into those past results. As mentioned before, 50% of Team USA is made up of rookies. It's not the same team that won the past two tournaments, and it's not the same Team Europe that lost those tournaments.

One noteworthy difference is the fact that so many more European golfers play internationally, whilst the Americans have shown far less interest in heading in the opposite direction. Given that this year’s contest will be in Scotland, this can’t hurt the home team. When the 2014 Ryder Cup was hosted on the same course, a seemingly significantly inferior European team took advantage of the familiar setup style to cruise to victory. The same happened at Le Golf National in last year's Ryder Cup. Americans love vast, expansive courses that offer up plenty of birdies... The Europeans aren't so kind to themselves.

Get Watching!

Sky Sports will show the Opening Ceremony from 5:30pm tonight (Thursday) on their dedicated Sky Sports Golf chanel, as well as their Main Event channel. You can catch Friday's coverage from 7:30am on the same channels, as well as Sky Sports Mix, whilst coverage will continue at the same time on Saturday & Sunday.

For those without Sky Sports, BBC will have an hour-long highlights show between 7-8pm on Friday (BBC Two), Saturday (BBC Four) & Sunday (BBC Two)

Make sure you tune in and support the girls in their quest for the cup! It all leads to this moment...

Written by Joseph Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Golf fashion is moving forward; relaxing dress codes and blurring lines between coursewear and leisurewear. As the industry’s leading brands unveil their latest innovations in golf apparel, this new versatile concept is apparent as tradition merges with the latest fashion trends and modern performance engineering. Here, we take a look at five new items arriving in the Foremost Golf Ladies Shop for autumn/winter 2019.

Daily Sports Grace Long Sleeve Polo Shirt

Floral is the new fashion for the golf course, and Daily Sports are leading the way with the flower-patterned Grace Long Sleeve Polo Shirt. In your choice of white (pictured, left) or aubergine colour, this polo features a zippered closure with a faux-crystal puller and subtle decorative rhinestones across the chest. This is a genuine head-turner.

Swing Out Sister Beatrice Heritage Check Trousers

From new fashions to the classics; the Heritage Check pattern in the Swing Out Sister’s new Beatrice Golf Trousers (pictured, right) offers a modernised edition of a classic golf look. Swing Out Sister's lined construction and soft stretch fabric pairs warmth with freedom of movement for performance on the golf course whatever the weather. Meanwhile, the Heritage Check styling looks great from course to clubhouse.

Under Armour Twist Half-Zip Sweater

As athletic clothing becomes increasingly popular as day-to-day wear, the Under Armour Twist Sweater (pictured, left) builds a bridge between the golf course and the streets. Under Armour’s engineering combines a sporty look with athletic performance thanks to UA Tech fabric, so you’ll both look and feel at your best. 

Swing Out Sister Eloise 2 in 1 Puffer Jacket/Gilet 

With easily-detachable sleeves, the Swing Out Sister Eloise Puffer Jacket (pictured, right) seamlessly transforms into a gilet to cater to all your needs. Continuing the theme of versatility, Swing Out Sister have engineered a jacket that is stylish and practical both on and off the golf course.

Galvin Green Leslie INTERFACE Jacket

In the new Leslie Jacket (pictured, left), Galvin Green continues their innovative approach to year-round golf clothing, with INTERFACE-1 technology and a GORE-TEX INFINIUM membrane in this Leslie Jacket. The INTERFACE-1 technology repels water and blocks out wind, whilst GORE-TEX is a world-renowned winter sports performance technology.

The athletic fit and sharp-looking style makes this another perfect golf jacket for the fashion-conscious lady.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Staggering

New year, new format for the PGA Tour finale. Following his first win of the season at last week’s BMW Championship, Justin Thomas moved to the top of the rankings and will begin the Tour Championship on -10. The rest of the Top-5 are last week’s runner-up Patrick Cantlay (-8), World No. 1 Brooks Koepka (-7), Northern Trust Champion Patrick Reed (-6) & PLAYERS Champion Rory McIlroy (-5).

Jon Rahm, Matt Kuchar, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson & Abraham Ancer all sit on -4, whilst the likes of Dustin Johnson (-3), Justin Rose (-2) & Tommy Fleetwood (-1) also start in the red.

Criticisms

The new format has received mixed reactions from fans & players alike, with the main criticism being the amount of winless players qualifying for the 30-man field ahead of those with titles due to a somewhat skew-whiff points system. This sentiment has been echoed by Justin Thomas’ lone victory of an underwhelming season suddenly propelling him to the top of the FedEx Cup rankings. Second-placed Cantlay also has one victory to No. 3 Koepka’s three- including a Major & WGC- due in large part to a runner-up last week… But yeah, that makes total sense. This is in large part a result of far, far too much emphasis on the playoff events and not enough on the Majors.

The Positives

Moan as we might (and we are mighty moaners!), the standings have actually shaped up pretty perfectly in terms of entertainment. We know McIlroy can burn through a five-stroke deficit in the blink of an eye, where if he’d been five strokes clear… Well, that’s a different story. He’s joined by fellow aggressive, electric golfers like Koepka (three back), Rahm, Schauffele & Simpson (all six back) with a chance to blow the tournament wide open before the weekend. There are a lot of golfers (the aforementioned DJ, Rose & Fleetwood topping the list) who will have to produce incredible weeks but are more than capable of doing so.

With all that said, nobody broke 65 last year. Tiger struck that number twice en route to his famous comeback, as did Rickie Fowler (starting the week on -2), whilst Patrick Cantlay (starting -8) & Hideki Matsuyama (starting -3) each did so once. The Par-70 East Lake is not a course that’s quite as up-for-grabs as many on the PGA Tour; making a large starting deficit all the more difficult.

Ultimately, though, this setup lends itself to exciting golf. The world’s best must be offensive in their pursuit of the most lucrative prize in golf; attacking the course and taking risks. My advice: Strip back all the surrounding factors and enjoy the world’s best playing for the highest stakes.

Noteworthy

Justin Thomas won the 2017 FedEx Cup, finishing runner-up to Xander Schauffele at East Lake. The current leader has gone T6-2-T7 in three appearances here, but nothing short of the summit will do this week. Rory McIlroy won the tournament at the FedEx Cup in 2016, shooting 64 on Sunday to force a playoff which he won.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The FedEx Cup Playoffs are nothing new, with Tiger Woods (who else?) winning the inaugural event in 2007. But the FedEx Cup has become more lucrative year-on-year, and yet the powers that be are restless in their pursuit of a perfect season finale. Let’s take a look at a few of the changes for 2019.

Money on Their Mind

I’m not really sure I see the point of raising the prize money, if I’m honest. From a strictly financial perspective, if they felt a top prize of $10 million wasn’t enough of a motive last year then do they really think $15 mill this year is a game-changer?
Add to that the new Wyndham Rewards setup- $10 million dished out to the Top-10 players of the regular season- and you have $60 million total up for grabs. Brooks Kopeka, with three victories including a Major & WGC, won $2 mill for topping the charts, whilst Jon Rahm’s tenth spot was worth $500,000.

I would’ve thought there were better investment opportunities, but hey- it’s not my money!

And Then There Were Three…

This is smart. The playoffs will be three events rather than four. Sure, it’s less golf and that’s not (on paper, at least) a good thing, but I’ll take quality over quantity every time. The powers that be will always make decisions with the best interest of their bank accounts in mind, but fortunately that will often coincide with the best interests of golf fans.

The more condensed playoff schedule starts this week with The Northern Trust, followed by the BMW Championship before Tiger inevitably wins a second consecutive Tour Championship at East Lake. All joking aside, this schedule is more intense and, therefore, more exciting.  If anybody is to overtake Brooks Koepka, they’ll need to be full throttle; there’s no room for methodically grinding out results here.

Staggered Start

This is a tough one. I think (think!) I like it, but I have my reservations as I will explain shortly. Amidst the fairytale of Tiger’s return at last year’s showpiece, Justin Rose’s FedEx Cup win was almost totally overlooked.

In 2017, Justin Thomas claimed the season-long prize whilst Xander Schauffele won the tournament. Well… No more! The Tour Championship winner will be the FedEx Cup winner within the new system.

The 30 players in the Tour Championship field will start with staggered scores based on their season rankings entering the event as follows:

•          No. 1: 10-under
•          No. 2: 8-under
•          No. 3: 7-under
•          No. 4: 6-under
•          No. 5: 5-under
•          Nos. 6-10: 4-under
•          Nos. 11-15: 3-under
•          Nos. 16-20: 2-under
•          Nos. 21-25: 1-under
•          Nos. 26-30: level-par

This will likely reward season-long achievements slightly less than in previous years, hence my reservations. That said, it will probably make for a far more exciting finale. Overall, I think it’s for the best but every time you make changes there will teething problems. Yes, these changes are needed, but it will never be perfect and the whole concept won’t move forward or catch on if they are constantly tinkering so the sooner the PGA Tour can settle on a format the better.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

The Women’s British Open is on the brink of something special. Following the success of England’s Georgia Hall at her home Open last year, women’s golf was plastered over every news channel in the country. Now, women’s golf has a chance to grow exponentially in Britain and across the globe.

Branching Out

Hall became the first Englishwoman since Karen Stupples in 2004 (also the British Open) to win a Major. In 2016, Brooke Henderson (PGA Championship) became the first Canadian women’s Major winner since 1968 before Ariya Jutanugarn (2016 British Open & 2018 U.S. Open) became the first Thai golfer, man or woman, to win a Major. In June this year, Hannah Green became the first Australian woman to win a Major since Karrie Webb’s seventh title in 2006.

There’s no denying a South Korean domination of the Majors; winning 47% in the 5-Major era and three of four Majors so far this year. However, we really haven’t seen a domination of the biggest titles by a single player since Inbee Park’s seventh & most recent win in 2015.Woburn Golf Club could very well favour Europeans and, in particular, Brits. This is an opportunity.

Money Talks

The purse is often cited as the main disparity between the men & women’s game. But money doesn’t come from nowhere. If you want an organisation to dish money out, they’ll need to get money in first! So…Chase fans, and the money will come. And I’d be willing to bet that Georgia Hall’s heroics at Royal Lytham & St Annes will have earned some fans. Incidentally, the British Open purse has risen by 40% to $4.5million (around £3.7million) since last year.

A Few to Watch

Ko Jin-young won her first Major at the ANA Inspiration before going on to win her second at The Evian Championship. As such, she is the obvious favourite. Ariya Jutanugarn isn’t far behind, having progressed methodically through this year’s Majors with results of T61-T26-T10-5. Her sister Moriya was just one stroke behind her last week (T6, -10), though. Moriya also caught the eye with an impressive closing 5-under 67 (T12) to at the ANA Inspiration in April.

Lexi Thompson was restored as America’s poster girl after returning from a mental break from the sport, and looked promising with 3-T2 in the first two Majors but fell away a bit (T26-CUT) in the two Majors since.

Charley Hull

Despite Georgia Hall being the reigning Champ, England’s best hope arguably comes in the form of 23-year-old starlet Charley Hull. She was the Ladies European Tour Player of the Year as a teenager and has wins on both the LET and LPGA Tour, including and LET title at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in January. This year, she notched a T12 at the ANA Inspiration and a T16 at the U.S. Women’s Open. If that wasn’t enough, Hull became a member of Woburn Golf & Country Club- host of this week’s tournament- aged 11 so will have a better knowledge of the course than most.

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

As Major season drew to a close at Royal Portrush, the world’s elite golfers breathed a sigh of relief; safe in the knowledge that Brooks Koepka’s torment of them was over for another year. And then… Memphis.

Tough Task in Tennessee

TPC Southwind didn’t yield an abundance of birdies in the way that many PGA Tour courses do. Methodical golf could keep you out of trouble, but attacking the course was risky business. Just ask Jordan Spieth, who managed 7 birdies to a bogey and two triples for par on Thursday and 8 birdies to two bogeys & two doubles on Sunday.

Setting up Sunday

Jon Rahm flew out the blocks with an 8-under 62 before Matt Fitzpatrick went 67-64 for the lead entering the weekend on -9. Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka leapt to the top on Saturday. Rory set the course alight with his 62 to reach -12, whilst Koepka’s 64 put him one shot back. Fitzpatrick sat one further back on -10.

Sunday Sensation

McIlroy entered Sunday leading World No.1 Koepka by one stroke, with aggressive golfers like Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood & Bubba Watson lurking in the shadows. On paper, we were set for a thrilling contest on Sunday. But a contest it was not, as Koepka birdied three of four holes between the third & sixth whilst Rory made the turn with nothing but pars. Despite Webb Simpson firing a 64 to reach -13 and solo second, two more birdies at the 10^th & 17^th helped Koepka cruise to a three-stroke win on -16. However, it wasn’t the birdies that made it clear the contest was over at the turn but rather the fact that he was never in danger of making a bogey.

Rory fell to +1 with two bogeys and a birdie as Bubba, Rahm, Fitzpatrick & Ian Poulter all took the methodical approach to 1-under rounds. Fleetwood’s -4 gave him a T4 (-11) result; a second consecutive week of impressive golf on a big stage without ever truly threating top spot.

Killer Koepka

Sure, we all want to see a neck-and-neck contest, but any true golf fan could sit back and admire the sheer brilliance of the world’s greatest golfer as he played X Factor golf. The amount of times we heard the word “Wow!” from commentators was matched only by the phrase “That’s why he’s World Number One”. We’re all aware of his incredible driving ability, but what makes him the best of the best is the fact that there is genuinely no weak area of his game. He had a perfect putter on Sunday and he was magic with a wedge in hand.  I mean, he found the green with a GAP WEDGE from 150 yards! Oh, and finally, he is the only golfer I’ve ever seen with a mental game that could rival that of Tiger Woods.

It took a while, but there’s no doubting that he’s getting the attention his game deserves now. The entire golf world is purring over Brooks Koepka.

Brooks Koepka - What's in the Bag?

Driver: TaylorMade M5

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade M2 Tour HL

Irons: Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3), Mizuno JPX 919 Tour (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM7

Putter: Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport 2

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com

Portrush & Patriotism

The Open Championship at Royal Portrush was poignant, and Sunday was a celebration. The swarm of fans around the 18^th as Shane Lowry capped his victory has drawn comparisons to Tiger at East Lake, but this moment stands alone. Given that The Troubles are often cited as the main reason The Open didn’t return for 68 years, we witnessed a moment of history as the Northern Irish crowds loudly cheered a Leinsterman to the Claret Jug in united patriotism.

Darren Clarke opened the tournament on the course his house overlooks, followed by Graeme McDowell in his boyhood town. But before the golf had even begun, fans, players and reporters were scrambling for superlatives to heap praise on the venue making its long-overdue return to the Open rota.

Rory McIlroy’s quadruple bogey on the first and eventual Thursday 79 threatened to sour the show. Having entered the tournament as the favourite, McIlroy’s valiant Friday comeback fell a single stroke short of making the cut after 7 birdies to a costly lone bogey. However, the crowd responded to Irishman Lowry’s low-round of the tournament; a blitzing 63 on Saturday to give himself a four-stroke lead for the final day, and suddenly the crowds were singing his name.

Proper Links Golf

The heavens opened along the coastline over the four days, but whilst there was no avoiding getting wet in the rain, spirits could not be dampened. This was what the Europeans would call “proper links golf”. Sunday afternoon saw Portrush turn from tough to outright brutal. In fact, the champion’s closing 1-over 72 was arguably as impressive as his bogey-free 8-under 63. Americans like World No. 1 Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler & Open Champ Jodan Spieth all hoped to mount late charges but fell to +3, +3 and +6 respectively at the mercy of the elements.

Runner-up Tommy Fleetwood was raised on links golf in Sunny Southport, whilst the likes of Lee Westwood (T4), Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton & Danny Willett (T6) cemented a resounding result for British golf.

I find one definitive sign of an entertaining golf tournament is colourful scorecards, and we had that in abundance with everything from Emiliano Grillo’s hole-in-one to David Duval’s 14.

Shane Lowry - What’s in the Bag?

Driver: Srixon Z 585

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade M4

Irons: Srixon Z U85 (driving iron), Srixon Z 785

Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4

Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Exo 2-Ball

Golf Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV

Glove: Srixon

Shane Lowry is officially the Champion Golfer of the Year, and deservedly so. Congratulations, Shane!

Written by Joe Carabini

joe.carabini@foremostgolf.com