Callum Tarren Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

US Open 2022: Think your airline losing your clubs during a major week is rough? Try having it happen twice

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 10:13:37 +0000

Callum Tarren waves on the ninth green during Round 1 of the 122nd US Open. Warren Little

By Ryan Herrington
PGA Tour rookie Callum Tarren would like to make playing in the US Open a habit. Same with appearing on the leaderboard, which the 31-year-old from England did on Thursday after teeing it up in the first group off the 10th hole in the opening round and shooting a three-under 67 for a share of the morning lead.

What Tarren would like not to repeat again is losing his golf clubs during the US Open. Unfortunately, he’s gone 2-for-2 in that department.

Tarren played last week at the RBC Canadian Open but missed the cut, so he flew on Saturday from Toronto to Boston. Fearing a difficult check-in process for the international flight, he got to the airport four hours ahead but cruised through. Too quickly perhaps.

Sure enough, when Tarren landed, his clubs were nowhere to be found. “There was five other players on my flight,” he said. “They all got golf clubs.”

MORE: US Open Day 1 wrap

Tarren came out to The Country Club on Sunday and walked with a wedge in hand. Thankfully that afternoon he got a call that his clubs had found their way to Boston.

“Luckily, there was somebody in Canada who went to the airport and gave the airport staff a little kick,” he said. “This time I got them a little bit faster than last. I didn’t actually get them until Wednesday in Pebble Beach a few years ago, so that was a nightmare.”

Indeed, in his first US Open appearance in 2019 at Pebble Beach, Tarren flew from Atlanta to San Francisco and was then supposed to go to Monterey, but the last leg got cancelled due to a bizarre mechanical failure (the cabin door broke when it was closed with a phone charger in the doorway). Tarren paid $450 to take a taxi from San Francisco to Pebble and was told his clubs would be there the next day. But they didn’t make it, the clubs somehow were rerouted to New Orleans and on to Denver.

It led to a few days of panic as Tarren attempted to prepare for the first major championship of his career while practising with borrowed clubs. Not surprisingly, he ended up missing the cut.

With clubs in hand in Brookline, Tarren seemed to get off to a so-so start on Thursday, sitting one-over through his opening nine holes. He then went four-under over his final nine, including a chip-in eagle on the par-5 eighth, his second to last hole.

“I’m kind of pinching myself … I didn’t realize it was on the top of the leaderboard until I pulled that final put on the ninth hole,” Tarren said.

To say Tarren’s spot on the leaderboard is a suprise is an understatement. After earning his tour card by graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour last fall, Tarren missed the cut in seven of his first eight starts. And in the other, he was disqualified. He’s subsequently earned enough FedEx Cup points to sit 107th on the points list entering the week while ranking 444th in the world.

“Just excited with my start, and let’s see what the next few days holds,” he said.

The post US Open 2022: Think your airline losing your clubs during a major week is rough? Try having it happen twice appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

US Open 2022 wrap: Unlikely leaders, golf ball bandits and 6 other surprises from Thursday at The Country Club

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 06:00:24 +0000

Adam Hadwin. Warren Little

By Alex Myers
Day 1 at the US Open has come to an end, and there were plenty of things that left us scratching our heads. Here are eight surprises from the first round at The Country Club:

Adam Hadwin is your leader

Look, the guy’s a PGA Tour winner and he finished T-9 at the Players Championship earlier this year. But the Canadian’s record at the US Open couldn’t be much colder. In six previous starts, he has two missed cuts with a T-39 being his best finish. And that came 11 years ago at Congressional. And he wasn’t even in the field at Brookline until Paul Casey withdrew last week with his continued back ailment. Still, there he was on Thursday going out in a scorching four-under-par 31 and finishing at that number to take a one-stroke lead after 18 holes. Not bad, eh? Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Callum Tarren is contending

How under-the-radar is this 31-year-old Englishman? He doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. That didn’t stop him from shooting an opening 67, which was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 eighth hole. Tarren has six pro runner-ups, but you’re probably not aware of them since they all came on the PGA Tour China. The 445th-ranked player in the world had his best ever finish — at least, in terms of Official World Golf Ranking points — with a T-5 at this year’s Puerto Rico Open. So he would be quite the surprise winner. Bye the way, here’s what he looks like:

Callum Tarren. David Cannon

Then again, this is a place probably most known for producing a surprise winner. And Francis Ouimet didn’t have a Wikipedia page when he won back in 1913. So you never know!

So is David Lingmerth

Lingmerth, an alternate, got his opportunity when Martin Kaymer withdrew earlier this week, and so far, he’s taking advantage of it. The winner of the 2015 Memorial, Lingmerth has fallen to No. 592 in the Official World Golf Ranking. But he certainly didn’t play like that during a bogey-free 67. Even better, it seems as if he parlayed this week into some snazzy new clothes:

Thanks @swanniesapparel for providing some ? new gear in time for the US Open. Let’s get after it !!?? pic.twitter.com/O5YGD8Dnpl

— David Lingmerth (@dlingmerth) June 16, 2022

Look good, feel good, am I right?

There were no LIV-PGA Tour fistfights

At least, none that we know of. This week marks the first time PGA Tour pros and PGA Tour defectors have mingled since the inaugural LIV Golf event and several players — most notably Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Justin Thomas — have been rather vocal defending their turf/tour. But for the most part, these guys all seem to be playing nice. For now.

Brooks Koepka didn’t dominate

This four-time major champ hasn’t been at his best for a while. Still, this is a guy who has lost to a total of four players over his past four US Opens. And yet he got beaten by more than half the field on Thursday.

Brooks Koepka. Patrick Smith

I know this will shock you, but Brooks didn’t stop to chat with the media after.

Phil Mickelson barely broke 80

Let’s just say Phil Mickelson didn’t have his happiest birthday. The six-time major champ struggled from start to finish shooting an eight-over-par 78 that included a four-putt from 16 feet on No. 6. Let’s also just say that 52-year-olds aren’t supposed to play well at US Opens. Still, this was a particularly rough performance for a man who has had a particularly rough go of late.

Phil Mickelson. Patrick Smith

And … let’s also just say that career Grand Slam ain’t happening this week.

Louis Oosthuizen didn’t do much better

Remember when this guy was seemingly in the hunt at every major last year? Well, that seems like a long time ago. Oosthuizen, who finished T-2, solo second and T-3 in the final three majors of 2021, withdrew at this year’s Masters before finishing T-60 at the PGA, and now he’ll need a miracle to make the cut after opening with 77.

Jon Rahm had a golf ball stolen

In plain sight. On the 18th hole. Fortunately, someone had already marked it in the rough before it disappeared. And Rahm thinks he knows who the culprits are.

“Somebody — I’m pretty sure I know who it was. I recognised the two kids that were running the opposite way with a smile on their face,” Rahm said laughing. “I am 100 per cent sure I saw the two kids that stole it.”

Despite the bizarre situation, Rahm responded by making birdie to shoot 69 and put himself in great shape to defend his title. No word on if he went to local police to help provide a sketch of the thieves.

The post US Open 2022 wrap: Unlikely leaders, golf ball bandits and 6 other surprises from Thursday at The Country Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

John Daly grabs a share of the lead at the Czech Masters with a bogey-free 64 (yes, we’re serious)

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 23:20:43 +0000

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

By Ryan Herrington
The field at the European Tour’s D+D Real Czech Masters is a hodgepodge of sorts. There are a smattering of veterans who didn’t qualify for the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs (Danny Willett, Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington) and a handful of players trying to improve their chances at making Thomas Bjorn’s Ryder Cup squad (Thomas Pieters, Eddie Pepperell), but the lion’s share of those teeing it up are rank-and-file golfers simply trying to play well enough to avoid having tour Q school.

Oh, and then there’s the lion himself. Yep, John Daly is competing.

And competing well we might add. The 52-year-old finished Thursday’s first round tied for the lead after posting a bogey-free 64—his lowest round on tour since he shot a 62 in the final round of the 2009 UBS Hong Kong Open.

John Daly’s lowest round on the European Tour for 10 years ?#CzechMasters pic.twitter.com/OHHx3haUv7

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 23, 2018

Joining Daly in first through 18 holes at Albatross Golf Resort in Prague are Pieters, Gavin Green and Callum Tarren.

The last time Daly played in a non-major European Tour event was this time last year when he played in the Made in Denmark tournament and then the Czech Masters (their order is reversed this year). He missed the cut after rounds of 74-73 at the later, but in Denmark he opened with a 67, shot a third-round 65 and finished T-10, his best showing on the tour since 2012.

A week ago, Daly played at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on the PGA Tour Champions, shooting a 73-77 before withdrawing prior to the final round on Sunday in upstate New York. It was the fourth senior event that he has WD’d mid-tournament this season (out of 11 official starts), a year in which he suffered a knee injury after being in an accident in which a car hit the RV he was in selling merchandise during Masters week in Augusta. Daly also withdrew before even hitting a shot at the U.S. Senior Open, upset that his request to ride in a golf cart had been denied. (And he withdrew from the Open Championship at Carnoustie as well.)

“It’s been one of those years where I’ve been hitting it really good, I’ve just been injured and having to pull out,” said Daly, who does also have three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour Champions in 2018. “I don’t feel great but I got around today and I just played solid golf and it’s great.”

Where we’re going with this is that despite being in first place through 18 holes, there’s a chance Daly might not even still be playing by Sunday. So it’s important to savor shots like this one while you can:

Vintage John Daly…#CzechMasters pic.twitter.com/jPAUSjzGAg

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) August 23, 2018

The post John Daly grabs a share of the lead at the Czech Masters with a bogey-free 64 (yes, we’re serious) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.