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John Deere Classic reminds fans of the greatest PGA Tour tee markers john,deere,classic,reminds,fans,of,the,greatest,pga,tour,tee,markers,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions

On: July 3, 2024 By: admin

Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

Today’s topic is tee markers!

With the John Deere Classic this week, we wanted to look at some of the best tee markers on the PGA Tour.

Various tournament sponsors get so creative with their materials. From paint cans at the Valspar Championship to the little Waste Management dump trucks at the WM Phoenix Open, the creativity just flows.

Earlier this year, the RBC Canadian Open put itself on the list for its rink hole tee markers — goalie helmets.

There are iconic markers like the U.S. Open and other USGA events, but we wanted to do the more unique options for this article. The traditional ones are just as nice, but creativity goes a long way in this instance.

There are plenty of options, but these are the tee markers we consider to be the greatest on the PGA Tour.

The Greatest PGA Tour Tee Markers

Sanderson Farms Championship

Sanderson Farms Championship uses little chickens as tee markers. However, it’s also a way for the title sponsor to engage with the community. Patients at Friends of Children’s Hospital paint the chickens that sit atop the white Sanderson Farms boxes on each hole.

Valspar Championship

Of course, Valspar is a paint company, so using paint cans as tee markers is on-brand for them. People immediately know the title sponsor because of this, too. We still want to know if paint is in these cans—can someone get this answer for us?

RBC Canadian Open — The Rink Hole

Each year, the RBC Canadian Open changes up “The Rink” hole, but it is one of the most unique things on the PGA Tour. From referee volunteers to the goalie helmet tee markers, it is the most Canadian thing at the Canadian Open. This year, the tournament added an organist to add even more of a facade to the lore.

Wells Fargo Championship

Another iconic tee marker is the Wells Fargo stagecoaches. These were used at the Wells Fargo Championship, but now the tournament opts for the box one with the logo.

Regardless, it’s another excellent marker that is so on-brand.

John Deere Classic

Lastly, the John Deere Classic’s tee markers are truly iconic. The little tractors and various equipment are so creative and fun. John Deere understands its brand, and these tee markers prove it.

This handful of tee markers are just some of the best ones in professional golf. Which pro event has your favorite tee markers? Sound off in the comments below!

ICYMI: Top stories across professional golf

Check out these stories:

Can Jordan Spieth shake off frustrations and win again at John Deere Classic?

Justin Rose qualifies for The Open; see who else made it to Royal Troon

LIV Golf’s Sergio Garcia falls short of The Open, frustrated by slow play warning

Rocket Mortgage Classic gives CBS Sports highest rated non-major/Signature Event of 2024

Solheim Cup: It’s official Lilia Vu easily secures spot on Team USA with World No. 1 Nelly Korda

Rocket Mortgage Classic gives CBS Sports highest rated non-major/Signature Event of 2024

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Solheim Cup: Lilia Vu easily secures Team USA spot solheim,cup,lilia,vu,easily,secures,team,usa,spot,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,lpga-golf,golf-news

On: July 3, 2024 By: admin

Team USA captain Stacey Lewis has her second team member for the 19th edition of the Solheim Cup. From September 13-15 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., Team USA will look to reclaim the Cup on home soil against the European team.

On Tuesday, former World No. 1 Lilia Vu earned enough points to clinch her spot on the 2024 team. She tied for second at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, giving her 1,932.50 total points throughout the qualifying period.

From the 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament through the final day of the AIG Women’s Open on Aug. 25, players can accumulate points to try and qualify for spots on the Solheim Cup teams.

All five of her LPGA victories came during that period. She won four times last season, including two majors, and earned the Rolex Player of the Year.

This season, Vu battled a back injury that forced her to withdraw from The Chevron Championship and take two months off. However, her fifth victory came in her first start back at the Meijer LPGA Classic a couple of weeks ago. The 26-year-old defeated Grace Kim and Lexi Thompson in a three-hole playoff.

Despite her back issues, Lewis knows her experience will be so beneficial in Virginia.

“It’s been very exciting to see how she’s played the last two starts, coming out of the injury with her win and really just picking up where she left off,” Lewis said in an LPGA press release.

“She’s a tremendous player, from ball striking to putting, with a true all-around game. We’re excited to have her back for her second Solheim Cup, with an opportunity to step up and become a leader on this team.”

Vu also qualified for Team USA last year as she made her Solheim Cup debut. She went 1-3-0 at Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, claiming the singles match over Madelene Sagstrom.

The former UCLA golfer became the second automatic qualifier for Team USA in 2024. She joins current World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who secured her spot after the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Korda has six wins since the start of 2024 and held a commanding lead in the points race.

The Open: Justin Rose headlines 16 players who made it to Troon the,open,justin,rose,headlines,players,who,made,it,to,troon,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-dp-world-tour,liv-golf

On: July 3, 2024 By: admin

Englishman Justin Rose will head back to The Open Championship at Royal Troon after carding an 8-under 134 at Burnham and Berrow—one of the four qualifying sites scattered across the British Isles.

It will mark Rose’s 19th appearance in golf’s oldest major, with his best finish coming in 2018, when he tied for second at Carnoustie. The 2013 U.S. Open winner also played at Royal Troon in 2016, tying for 22nd.

“Sometimes you take it for granted—you’re exempt, you turn up and play for many years, but as you get older, things get a little harder, so in some ways, it’s good to have to qualify because it makes you appreciate The Open a little more and how special it is,” Rose said after.

“Coming back to Burnham and Berrow was also special—first time back here since 1997. I was grateful to be back here and walk down memory lane.”

Rose played spectacularly, tying fellow Englishman Dominic Clemmons—an amateur—atop the leaderboard. Mexican Abraham Ancer and Swede Charlie Lindh will join these two players in The Open from Southwest England.

Ancer, Lindh, and Indian Anirban Lahiri finished at 5-under, putting this trio in a 3-for-2 playoff to determine who would go to Royal Troon. But Lahiri failed to make par on the first extra hole, while the other two managed to do so, thus ending Lahiri’s bid of returning to The Open.

Miracles at Dundonald Links

Amateur Jack MacDonald, who grew up minutes from Royal Troon, drained a 25-footer for birdie on the first playoff hole to clinch a spot in the 152nd Open field. He defeated Swede Tim Widing, who has a pair of wins on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, and fellow Scotsman Daniel Young.

But that was not the only magic produced at Dundonald on Tuesday.

Ángel Hidalgo, who hails from Spain and has never played in a major championship, drained a 120-yard wedge shot for an eagle two on the par-4 9th—his final hole of the day—to leap up to 5-under overall and book a ticket to Troon. Talk about clutch.

At 26 years old, Hidalgo has never won on the DP World Tour, but he does have one victory to his name on the Challenge Tour—the European equivalent of the Korn Ferry Tour.

“I’m still shaking,” Hidalgo said of his miraculous shot.

Ángel Hidalgo, The Open — Ángel Hidalgo reacts to his miraculous final shot that got him into the 152nd Open.

“The second shot was perfect distance. It was the first time all day I had a full club and at that type of moment. With nerves I prefer to have a full club. I didn’t see the ball go in but to be honest I don’t care. I just jumped and cried with my caddie, and we deserve it. We fight a lot. All this year we’ve not really had any luck so for it to finally take place in The Open would be a really good gift.”

Meanwhile, Englishman Sam Hutsby did not need any late miracles. He earned medalist honors at Dundonald thanks to a brilliant 8-under 136 over 36 holes. Hutsby finished three clear of Hidalgo and Irish amateur Liam Nolan, who hails from Galway on Ireland’s west coast. It will mark Hutsby and Nolan’s first major appearance.

“It’s hard to process the fact that I’m going to The Open,” Nolan said.

“I’m looking forward to everything: the crowds, it being in Scotland, the Home of Golf, and, yeah, I just can’t wait to go.”

Playoff at Royal Cinque Ports

Matthew Southgate set the pace and won medalist honors in Southeast England, fighting back tears after he made it to Royal Troon. But Royal Cinque Ports saw plenty of other drama unfold on Tuesday.

Australian Elvis Smylie and Spanish amateur Jaime Montojo finished at 3-under par, thus booking tickets to Ayrshire. But this serves as a full-circle moment for Smylie, the left-hander from the Gold Coast.

“Just saying that I’ve qualified for The Open gives me goosebumps,” Smylie said.

Elvis Smylie, The Open, Final Qualifying — Elvis Smylie poses with an Open flag after making it to Royal Troon.

“The last time I went to The Open was at Royal Troon in 2016, when I was 14 years old. Going there as a spectator eight years ago and now going back as a competitor—I don’t know what to say. I just can’t wait for the experience. I’ve already FaceTimed my dad, who’s back in Australia, and he said he will book a flight over. My mum is already over here commentating on Wimbledon, so everyone will come and watch me at Troon. I’m very excited.”

Both Smylie and Montojo will make their major debuts at Royal Troon.

A playoff between LIV Golf’s Branden Grace—the first man to shoot a 62 in a major championship—Jamie Rutherford and Spanish amateur Luis Masaveu determined the final spot from Royal Cinque Ports.

Masaveu won with a birdie on the second extra hole, becoming the 16th amateur to clinch a spot in this year’s Open field.

Nevertheless, a notable name did not qualify from Royal Cinque Ports: 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell. Thomas Detry also failed to finish among the top four.

West Lanchasire sends three Englishmen to Royal Troon

Sergio Garcia headlined the field at West Lancashire, and for the second year in a row, the 2017 Masters champion came up short. He will not make his 100th major championship start; he will do so at Augusta National next April instead.

So, with Garcia not making the cut, West Lanchasire saw two Englishmen finish atop the leaderboard instead: Sam Horsfield of LIV Golf and amateur Matthew Dodd-Berry.

Horsfield and Dodd-Berry finished at 6-under par.

“It’s the greatest moment of my career and everything that I’ve been working towards, even though I should have probably done it a year earlier and played at Royal Liverpool,” Dodd-Berry said.

The Open, Final Qualifying, West Lancashire — From left to right: Sam Horsfield, Matthew Dodd-Berry, Daniel Brown, and Masahiro Kawamura pose during Final Qualifying for The Open at West Lancashire.

“I’m really excited to get to Troon.”

Horsfield is also eager to head to Ayrshire for the 152nd Open.

“I always say to everyone that The Open is my favorite major,” Horsfield said.

“I’d never had that feeling before, the one when they call your name on the first tee—that was the coolest experience. I’m really looking forward to getting back and hopefully continuing to play well. These are the stages you want to play on.”

Englishman Daniel Brown and Japan’s Misahiro Kawamura finished their 36 holes one stroke behind Horsfield and Dodd-Berry at 5-under, thus rounding out the four spots awarded at West Lancashire.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

John Deere Classic: Luke Clanton knows professional golf can wait john,deere,classic,luke,clanton,knows,professional,golf,can,wait,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: July 2, 2024 By: admin

Luke Clanton played phenomenally, finishing tied for 10th at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. The Florida State golfer is back on the PGA Tour for the second consecutive event as he is in the field for the John Deere Classic.

Heading into the final day of play, Clanton sat two strokes off the lead. Many felt he could join Nick Dunlap and become the second amateur golfer in six months to win a PGA Tour event. Instead, he shot an even-par 72 on Sunday.

Despite that level of success against PGA Tour players, the rising junior is not worried about professional golf just yet.

“I want to win a national championship with the team,” Clanton said ahead of the John Deere Classic.

“That’s been my number one goal in college, and we came pretty close this year. All of us back home are very driven this year to do it. Again, I think whatever happens happens. I’m still 20 years old. I’m still learning the ropes as much as I can. I’m going to do what I do.”

Clanton finished as the second-lowest amateur to Neal Shipley at Pinehurst in the U.S. Open and kept the momentum going in Detroit with a 14-under total score. His driver was his best club, as he was No. 2 in strokes gained off the tee at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Clanton is a rising junior at Florida State University and helped the Seminoles get to the national title match against Auburn. He fell 2 & 1 in his final match to J.M. Butler.

However, the 20-year-old had one of the most impressive spring runs. He won three consecutive events, was runner-up in the NCAA Individual tournament, recorded 10 top 1s in 14 starts, and finished with the lowest single-season average in FSU history at 69.33.

He likes to keep it simple on the golf course. Regardless of what he has won in his young career, it is all about golf.

“I’m out here to play the best I can. Simple as that,” he said. “If I put four days together and it gets me more accelerated points, awesome. Number one goal is to play as good as I can.”

Even though he could have won over six figures last week, the youngster is determined to finish school. Clanton knows that professional golf will be there when he accomplishes the goals he set for himself in college.

“I would say I’m probably pretty close to where I wanted to be,” Clanton said. “I would say I think I had pretty big goals growing up, a lot of expectations for what I wanted to do. There is one thing I want. I think that’s pretty obvious of course. I think we’re just going to see what happens in the next couple of weeks.”

That goal is not a PGA Tour victory but an individual and team national championship with Florida State.

For the first two rounds of the John Deere Classic, Clanton is paired with Pierceson Coody and Joe Highsmith. They tee off at 2:44 p.m. ET on Thursday and at 9:24 a.m. ET on Friday.

The youngster’s next tournament will be the ISCO Championship in Nicholasville, Kentucky, from July 11 to 14. Clanton received a sponsor’s exemption. It is the opposite field event to the Genesis Scottish Open. He will also play in the 3M Open on an exemption at the end of July.

The Open: Matthew Southgate fights back tears after qualifying the,open,matthew,southgate,fights,back,tears,after,qualifying,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-majors,golf-dp-world-tour,golf-news

On: July 2, 2024 By: admin

Englishman Matthew Southgate has been connected to the Open Championship for decades.

So it is no surprise that he displayed such emotion after qualifying for this year’s Open at Royal Troon, which will mark his sixth appearance in golf’s oldest major. Southgate carded a 6-under 136 over 36 holes at Royal Cinque Ports to take home medalist honors by three shots at the Southeast England qualifier.

“Sorry,” Southgate said, fighting back tears.

“Just reminds me of my Dad. The Open is the absolute best.”

His father, Ian, who sadly passed away in late 2020, loved The Open almost as much as his son. He grew fond of Tom Watson in the 1970s when the American began to dominate links-style golf in earnest. The elder Southgate also held a membership at Carnoustie, where Watson won his first Open in 1975. Ian Southgate knew everyone at the course and had for years, which explains why 10-year-old Matthew watched Jean van de Vedle’s infamous 1999 collapse play out from one of the most renowned places in golf.

“The marshalls called me and my friends over to sit on the Barry Burn bridge,” Southgate told the Global Golf Post at last year’s Open at Royal Liverpool.

“My legs were dangling over the water as I watched everything happen.”

His Open championship memories as a youngster do not end there.

A decade later, when Watson held the 54-hole lead at The Open, the Southgate father-son duo got in their car on Saturday night and drove up to Turnberry. They could not miss the chance to see their favorite player make history.

Alas, Watson fell just short of Stewart Cink in a playoff. But Southgate has gone on to make plenty of Open memories since then.

He first qualified for The Open in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, where he missed the cut. But two years later, he tied for 12th at Royal Troon. Then he tied for sixth at Royal Birkdale, which saw Jordan Spieth win the Claret Jug. He earned an invite back to The Open in 2018—held at Carnoustie—but tied for 67th. At least he made the cut.

But that would be the last Open his father would see him play.

Matthew Southgate, The Open — Matthew Southgate during 2024 Final Qualifying for The Open

Southgate did not qualify for The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, and then, one year later, the R&A canceled their marquee event because of the pandemic. Southgate also missed out on 2021 and 2022, but he joined the Open radio commentary team for the 150th Open, lending his perspective about what played out at the Old Course.

Funny enough, this year, after qualifying, he joked about his broadcasting experience.

“That’s why I tried so hard over the last five holes; I didn’t want to work it again,” Southgate said, which drew plenty of laughs on The Open radio broadcast.

It’s tears for an emotional Matthew Southgate. This is how much The Open means to him.

Listen to the heartfelt moment as Southgate expresses his passion and determination in his journey.

Catch every interview on FQ Radio. pic.twitter.com/QO2vLrOTU6

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 2, 2024

“No, I can’t wait to see everybody. Troon is a magical golf course.”

Southgate also qualified for The Open last year at Royal Liverpool and played well. He tied for 23rd.

But the Englishman has not been at his best throughout 2024. His best finish came at the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan in April, when he tied for 18th. He has not made a cut on the DP World Tour since then.

“I have had such a tough time the last couple of months, but I played really well today,” Southgate said.

“It has been disaster after disaster, so to finally get something to go right just means everything.”

Now, he will play in The Open at Royal Troon for the second time, the course where Watson won his fourth Claret Jug in 1982. So, perhaps Southgate—like Todd Hamilton and Ben Curtis earlier this Millenium—can continue to play as well as he did in qualifying, shock the world, and win The Open as an ultimate longshot.

Regardless of what happens, his father will smile down upon him with great pride, knowing that his son has already accomplished so much.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

LIV Golf’s Sergio Garcia will not play The Open, falls short liv,golf,s,sergio,garcia,will,not,play,the,open,falls,short,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-majors,golf-news,liv-golf

On: July 2, 2024 By: admin

Sergio Garcia has failed to qualify for The Open Championship.

The LIV Golf star headlined the final qualifying event at West Lancashire Golf Club in Liverpool—one of four final qualifiers across the United Kingdom—but Garcia shot a 3-under 141 over 36 holes, missing out on one of the four spots available by two strokes.

“I tried my hardest to get into The Open; it would have been nice to make The Open my 100th major,” Garcia said on the radio broadcast after his round.

“I love The Open, and I love playing majors. But it’s tough when you’re that close and finish right on the edge. But unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it.”

Garcia attempted to qualify for last year’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool by way of West Lancashire Golf Club as well. But he said the course played tougher this year, thanks to more challenging conditions. That said, Garcia felt comfortable making his way around these seaside links, thanks to his experience from a year ago. He knew his lines and where to miss shots, but the conditions—and other factors seemed to have got the best of him.

The Spaniard expressed frustration midway through his first 18 holes, when R&A officials put Garcia on the clock for slow play, per Ben Parsons of Bunkered.

Sergio Garcia furious at his slow play warning at Final Open Qualifying – saying fans are causing the delays. Here he is taking his anger out at two R&A officials.

“You’re right, we’re always wrong.” pic.twitter.com/hO2mzYgSRa

— Ben Parsons (@_benparsons) July 2, 2024

Garcia said that all the fans following him disrupted the pace of play, not his routine and deliberations.

“The marshals were trying to do the best job they could do, but obviously, we had to stop pretty much on every tee for two to three minutes to hit our tee shots because people were walking in front of the tee and on the fairway,” Garcia said per Parsons.

“Unless we wanted to start hitting people, we couldn’t hit. I don’t think they took that into account, and that was unfortunate. It made us rush. On a day like today, when the conditions are so tricky, and you might need a little bit of extra time here and there, it doesn’t help out. Because of that, I made a couple of bogeys that might cost me getting to Troon.”

He tied for fifth at the 2016 Open Championship, the last time Royal Troon hosted golf’s oldest major. That year, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson staged a duel for the ages, with the Swede fending off the American during an epic final round that saw Stenson win by three at 20-under-par. Stenson’s score of 264 remains the lowest aggregate score in Open history.

As for Garcia, the Spaniard could only make it back to Royal Troon via qualifying because of his LIV Golf affiliation, which has consequently plummeted his Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to 312th in the world. The R&A invites only the top 50 players to round out its 156-man field, meaning Garcia did not receive an automatic bid.

His exemption into this championship expired in 2022—five years after he won The Masters.

“You come out here, you play as hard as you can and hope it’s good enough,” Garcia added on the radio broadcast.

“If it’s not, then we’ll keep trying. Then, you know, The Masters will be my 100th major next April. That’s also a good choice.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

CBS nets highest-rated non-Signature Event at Rocket Mortgage Classic cbs,nets,highest,rated,non,signature,event,at,rocket,mortgage,classic,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: July 2, 2024 By: admin

Akshay Bhatia’s three-putt on the 72nd hole, which left Cameron Davis as the only man standing at 18-under-par, and thus the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic champion, helped give CBS Sports a nice ratings bump.

The network drew an average of 2.472 million viewers for Sunday’s final round at the Detroit Golf Club, a one-percent increase from last year when Rickie Fowler bested Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin in a playoff. Fowler’s win garnered plenty of attention, as he has quite an impressive following among PGA Tour fans. It also marked Fowler’s first PGA Tour victory since 2019. With that said, inclement weather forced the tour to begin the final round early a year ago, leading CBS to air a tape delay in the afternoon, which negatively affected ratings.

Weather had an impact on this year’s tournament, too, mainly during Saturday’s third round.

Yet, luckily for the network, Mother Nature did not create any issues or delays on Sunday, thus leading CBS to yield the highest-rated non-major/Signature Event of the 2024 season, per Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal.

With Bhatia and Davis coming down the stretch, the broadcast peaked with more than 4 million viewers—4.028 million to be exact—during the 6:00 to 6:17 p.m. ET window, per a CBS Sports spokesperson. That’s an impressive figure, considering many of the game’s top players did not compete last week in Detroit.

Similar sentiments can be said about this week’s John Deere Classic, as Jordan Spieth headlines the field. CBS will air live third and final round coverage from the Quad Cities this week.

It will also televise next week’s Genesis Scottish Open live from the Renaissance Club in Scotland.

CBS Sports will then wrap up its 2024 golf season with two more events, which bookend the Summer Olympics in Paris: the 3M Open at the end of July and the Wyndham Championship in August. NBC Sports has the rights to broadcast the FedEx Cup Playoffs this year.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Fantastic Tiger Woods, Paige Spiranac, unique golf tattoos fantastic,tiger,woods,paige,spiranac,unique,golf,tattoos,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions

On: July 2, 2024 By: admin

Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

Let’s have a little fun today! Last week, a photo of this guy who got Paige Spiranac’s signature tattooed on his arm went viral. It inspired us to search the internet to see what kind of golf tattoos people get.

Some people love sports so much that they want a permanent reminder on their skin. They love it so much that they will get logos, players and other moments inked on them. I even have a University of Georgia ‘G’ on my ankle, so I understand people’s love for their teams.

Let’s look at how dedicated these fans are to golf with their tattoos.

Golf Tattoos

The tattoo that sparked this post was that a fan got Spiranac to sign his arm and made that signature permanent.

“Met Tony at an @xgolfamerica event where he asked me to sign his arm. An hour later he comes back with it tattooed on him,” Spiranac wrote.

This tweet has over a million views — it went nuts.

This post sparked us to ask our readers to send in some submissions. I also took a deep dive down the Twitter (now known as X) rabbit hole to find golf-themed tattoos, and this is what I saw.

A Tiger Woods logo — maybe the guy will get the new Sun Day Red logo now that the “TW” is no longer the one Tiger uses.

Another Tiger Woods inspired piece went viral last year. It is a collage of a Tiger with face tattoos, a chain, and a mouth grill. It also includes the iconic club twirl from the 2009 Presidents Cup. This is a work of art, even if it is a little scary.

Tiger won the 2019 Masters; of course, someone recreated it on their calf.

A Phil Mickelson tattoo? It seems Nolan got Mickelson’s logo on the back of his calf after he won the 2021 PGA Championship. Impressive.

This fan got the Callaway logo on his chest, and the brand noticed. It seems Callaway also hooked him up with a full bag of clubs.

These are just a few of the tattoos we found.

Would you ever get a golf-themed tattoo? If so, what kind of ink would you get? Let us know in the comments below!

ICYMI: Top stories across professional golf

Check out these stories:

Patrick Cantlay surprisingly pulls out of PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic

LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed, Thomas Pieters to play in DP World Tour’s BMW International Open

Can Jordan Spieth shake off frustrations and win again at John Deere Classic?

U.S. Senior Open: Richard Bland earns monumental 2nd major victory in dramatic playoff

Watch LPGA Star Charley Hull’s latest viral moment, reinvents the iconic club twirl

LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed highlights BMW International Open field liv,golf,s,patrick,reed,highlights,bmw,international,open,field,sbnation,com,golf,golf-dp-world-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

On: July 1, 2024 By: admin

Before some of the world’s best professional golfers converge upon the Home of Golf in Scotland, the PGA Tour heads to the Quad Cities for the John Deere Classic, and the DP World Tour will stage the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany.

LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed, currently the 101st-ranked player in the world, highlights this week’s field in Bavaria. Reed is eligible to play in DP World Tour events, unlike other LIV Golf players, because he has no outstanding fines or sanctions. The same applies to Thomas Pieters, who narrowly missed out on winning the Soudal Open in his native Belgium in May. Pieters finished one stroke behind 37-year-old Nacho Elvira of Spain.

Reed came up short last week, too. He hoped he could contend at the Italian Open, which awarded two spots into this year’s Open Championship field via the Open Qualifying Series, but he came up short. Tom McKibbin, who lost to Marcel Siem in a playoff, and American Sean Crocker earned those two invites to Royal Troon instead.

The 2018 Masters Champion is not currently listed among the entrants for next week’s Genesis Scottish Open, the final event of the Open Qualifying Series. That could change, however, should Reed win this week in Germany.

The R&A will invite the top three finishers—not otherwise exempt—to join The Open Championship at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick next week.

Other notable players in the BMW International Open field include Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, who left LIV Golf at the end of 2023, former U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer, and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald. PGA Tour Champions stars Bernhard Langer, Thomas Bjørn, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Alex Cejka will also compete this week, fresh off the U.S. Senior Open at Newport Country Club, where LIV Golf’s Richard Bland won his second consecutive senior major.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

PGA Tour: Can Jordan Spieth win John Deere Classic again? pga,tour,can,jordan,spieth,win,john,deere,classic,again,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: July 1, 2024 By: admin

Jordan Spieth arrives at the John Deere Classic as one of the betting favorites, according to DraftKings. But the three-time major winner has hardly played like a tournament favorite throughout the 2024 season.

He has had a frustrating campaign, especially after missing the cut at Augusta National. Since then, Spieth has made eight starts. He missed the cut twice and did not post a finish better than T-29. That somewhat respectable result came at the Wells Fargo Championship, where he shot only one round in the 60s: an opening round 2-under 69.

But these last few months have served as a microcosm of Spieth’s career over the past seven years—a stretch filled with disappointment and agony, considering his stature and accomplishments. He has won only two tournaments since his Open Championship triumph at Royal Birkdale in 2017: the 2021 Valero Texas Open and the 2022 RBC Heritage.

Since then, he has had a few calls, finishing runner-up to K.H. Lee at the 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson and losing to Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff at the 2023 RBC Heritage. He has 13 top 10s dating back to April 2022 but has missed 11 cuts since that juncture, too.

And yet, despite those ups and downs, Spieth, now 30 years old, has a tremendous perspective on where he is at this point in his career.

“Once I know what I’m capable of, I want to obviously stay there. If you fall from that even a little bit, it frustrates you, and then if you fall quite a bit from that, you can be wondering what in the world is going on,” Spieth said ahead of this year’s Charles Schwab Challenge in mid-May.

“It can overtake you, and it did for me for a little while. I think I have a better perspective now, but at the same time, the drive to get to where I know my ceiling has never been higher. So, every day I’m not there, I still walk away feeling like I progressed towards it; I walk away really pleased with my day. But some days, I feel like I didn’t, and instead of being okay with that, I lose a little patience because I know what I am capable of, and not sustaining that every year is something that I’m not okay with personally.

“I think it’s something I wouldn’t change anything that’s ever happened to me. I’ve accomplished pretty much all the goals that I had in golf, albeit, you know, in a short period of time, but the nature of sustaining that is something that I would like to have another opportunity at, and I’ll continue to work towards.”

Spieth went on to tie for 37th that week at Colonial, the course not far from his hometown of Dallas, Texas. He then missed the cut at the Memorial, tied for 41st at the U.S. Open, and most recently struggled at the Travelers Championship, finishing T-63—almost dead last.

But now, after a week off, Spieth arrives in the Quad Cities hoping to establish some momentum before the season’s final major. He has won the John Deere Classic twice, in 2013 and 2015, but nothing says he cannot make it a third time this year—especially since the best player in the field, Patrick Cantlay, withdrew.

Jordan Spieth, PGA Tour, John Deere Classic — Jordan Spieth won the 2013 John Deere Classic in a five-hole playoff. He was only 19 years old then.

And yet, the question is, how?

For starters, Spieth has to gain some confidence in his short game again, an attribute that has been very un-Spieth-like this season. He ranks 78th on tour in strokes gained around the green and 80th in putting—a surprising figure given how good he was with his flat stick when he was at the height of his powers.

Spieth also has to improve his ball striking. He is 110th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approaching the green, 70th in greens in regulation percentage, and 86th in proximity to the hole. He has especially struggled with his wedges, ranking 130th in approaches from inside 100 yards, another jarring statistic that is very un-Spieth-like.

So this week, at TPC Deere Run, a course that yields plenty of birdies, Spieth should play to the middle of the greens and look to avoid the big numbers. He already makes tons of par breakers, making more than four per round, but the problem is that Spieth drops too many shots. He makes bogey nearly 17% of the time this season, ranking 139th on tour in bogey avoidance—a reality that will not win you many golf tournaments.

Thus, Spieth must play conservatively and not press too much on a golf course that gives the player a green light in more ways than one. And if he can do that, Spieth will have a good chance of doing a victory lap in one of those famous green John Deere tractors on Sunday night.

That would undoubtedly shake off his frustrations.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.