The expanded schedule for 2023 saw the 12 teams jet around the globe to compete in the innovative shotgun-start 54-hole tournaments, with $25 million on the line each time.

The winner’s circle has certainly been a who’s who of big-name golfers this time around with the likes of Charles Howell III and Danny Lee rubbing shoulders with two-time winners Talor Gooch, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka. 

Koepka’s Smash team have had a season to remember, getting on the podium in Orlando, thanks to Brooks’ stunning victory — and now the skipper, brother Chase, Jason Kokrak and latest arrival Matthew Wolff are gunning for more success as they look to defend their Jeddah crown this month in the Individual Title finale ahead of the Team showdown in Miami.

LIV Golf

Kokrak has been enjoying life with his ‘family’ — the Koepkas and Wolff, who replaced Peter Uihlein at the start of this season — and is eager to get back on the course in Saudi Arabia after making such fond memories last year.   

The American 38-year-old signed on ahead of the third event last year at Bedminster to team up with his good friend Brooks and he got to witness Koepka’s maiden LIV Golf triumph first-hand as the captain battled it out in a playoff with teammate Uihlein in the fading light on the Red Sea coast.

“LIV is such a different product to anything else in golf right now,” Kokrak told Golf Digest Middle East. “It is definitely more exciting — it’s faster with 48 guys, and the telecast is faster too.

“In the first year we knew there were going to be growing pains, but you could see a lot of the guys were out there having fun in a relaxed atmosphere, a bit of music, and you are essentially playing golf and practising with your buddies in a super-fun atmosphere.

“Moving into season two has been pretty special as, not only has it been fun, I have seen real growth, both in terms of the broadcasting product but in the teams, the organisations, and how they are operation on a day-to-day basis. 

“The tournaments too are much smoother, especially back to back. Everyone was talking about how much better London was this year than last year and they are learning year on year and event by event to grow and improve. 

“It has been fun for me to look at as a veteran, knowing what goes on behind the scenes to put on a golf tournament and it is pretty great to see just how far they have come in just one year.” 

Now Kokrak is ready to help his team make more history on their return to Saudi — with the bond between players growing stronger despite the line-up change.

“We had Peter Uihlein with us last year and now we have Matthew Wolff, so we have experienced some of those changes already,” he said. 

“It was a smooth transition with no real issues. Peter lives down near Brooks and Chase and they see each other all the time. 

“With Chase and Brooks being brothers it is an easy camaraderie because they have been together and so close for so long. Brooks and I have been friends for many years and see eye to eye, so it has been smooth sailing. 

“No matter what team you are on, there will be disagreements, like any family. But ours is a little different as we have Brooks and Chase in there together. 

“You certainly feel tensions between brothers at times, especially with Brooks being where he is in the world and the level of golf he has been playing for the last seven to 10 years. 

“Both he and Chase had an incredible year last year, but Chase has had a bit of a slump this time. So we hope he can kinda hop out of that and have a couple of good weeks to end the season in Jeddah and Miami.”

LIV Golf

Kokrak is not afraid to let his captain know what he is thinking — even if it concerns five-time major champ Brooks himself. 

“The kid [Koepka] is something else,” Kokrak said. “As soon as he won that major [ 2023 PGA Championship], he was right back to work, tuning up to win another one. So every once in a while I will put him back in his chair and say: ‘You enjoy this for a few minutes. It’s not all work all the time. Take some time to enjoy yourself.’ With the new baby here too, I am hoping he does that in this last month. 

“I think that’s what I bring to the table for him — a good backboard to put him back in his place every once in a while.”

“Brooks is in very elite company with how many majors he has won, but he came all the way through the Challenge Tour, European Tour and then the PGA, dismantling everyone on the way. A lot of people forget that there is always that grind, that challenge to get better and strive to beat everyone each week. A few of those other major winners could learn a lot from him about that in order to win more. 

Despite being the ‘elder statesman’ of the team, Kokrak is still taking things on board trying to keep up with his younger Smash mates. “I’m still learning from Brooks,” he said. “He has re-energised me as a player. I am as fit now as I have ever been at 38, and I see him as someone I look up to and that makes me want to play the best golf I can for my team captain. 

“I had a little slump last year but now I am doing better. I am really looking forward to finishing off the year strong. If I play well, then that can only help the team and we want to be back up on that podium again. 

“Jeddah is a tricky golf course, it normally takes me a few times around to get used to there. It is normally super windy, which can be a struggle for me, but I got a good driver in the bag now and I am putting better so I am looking forward to a strong finish.”

Kokrak cannot hide his smile as he recalls how the drama unfolded last year — even though he was just watching from the sidelines. 

“It was a whirlwind,” he said. “I remember Chase and I walking back and forth on that par 5 18th as they were battling it out [Koepka eventually won on the third extra hole]. We would grab some food and a drink from the players tent then back up we would go to follow Brooks and Peter with our bottles ready to spray, not knowing if it would be on Brooks or Peter…

“It was a pretty special moment as we obviously knew we had the team win and the 1-2, but we didn’t know which way it would go. Watching those two battle it out — teammates, friends, neighbours — on that last hole was something else. Knowing how competitive Brooks is, and I know how competitive Peter is, it was fun to watch as neither was giving an inch. It really was an unforgettable experience walking to the 18th green knowing one of my teammates was gonna win and we also had the team title. I won’t forget that for a long time.”

Koepka himself was delighted with the victory.

“Honestly, to me the big thing was getting the team win,” said Koepka after his triumph, even if it ended up costing him. “I told my brother I’d buy him a Lambo if we won the team thing, so I’ve got to go by one. It’s always fun battling against your friends, and I think it’s special.

“The team aspect is pretty cool We’ve known each other for so long. That’s what you want to do, right? You want to compete with some of your very good friends, go toe-to-toe. This team thing has revived me.”

Image supplied

Even as the season comes to a close, Kokrak knows there is still a lot of hard work to go and he has some unfinished business himself. 

“We are entering every tournament trying to play our best to win, but going back as defending champions of that event certainly has a different side to it,” he said. “We still have to go about our business and go out there and play the best golf we can. It was fun getting up on stage for that first Smash team win and I am really looking forward to going back. 

“I feel as good as I have done in a long time. I definitely want to win multiple times a year. That is a little more difficult as there are only 14 individual events. In really just wanna play my best golf to finish out my career. I have always tried to make as much money as I can — I have a six-year-old and a four-year-old and I have always wanted to retire around 43-44 years old so I can watch my kids grow up and go to all their games and whatever. So, I have a feeling I might be able to do that and look forward to that.” 

However, there is a slight cloud hanging over the Smash team as Chase is in the dreaded ‘Drop Zone’ — the bottom four players will be cut from the 2024 roster and will have to compete in a playoff with the best Asian Tour players to return to the line-up.

“There is such a different vibe, a different feel, and I am trying to take it all in and enjoy this ever-changing, fluid LIV tour,” Kokrak said.

“People come, people go, people join different team and it is all a new experience to take in. You got to work hard and get results, but sometimes you got to sit back, look around and enjoy yourself a little bit.

“To be in that bottom four like Chase, I haven’t really considered it. But in all honesty, in my rookie year on the PGA Tour I remember having four events left and I was going to lose my card. I needed to make something happen and do something special and I finished T2 and top 15 to keep my card. I always strive to play my best golf when I am backed into a corner. These guys have nowhere to go but up and it has been a long, hard year for them. I definitely feel for them because it is a tough game and golf has never given anything to anybody.

“It’s not like the end of the world if they do get cut as they have other tours and places to play in order to try to get back in and I think they should take it as an experience and know how much fun and how competitive this tour can be strive to get back. There is a pathway back — you just got to play good golf! 

“Having a teammate in the bottom four right now, I definitely keep a closer eye on his scores than I normally do, more than I did last year when he was playing really solid golf. He’s just got into a little bit of a slump and I hope he will get a good kick in this last event to get safe. I feel for him but you got to go out there and dig it out of the dirt and make it happen.”

Brooks also had some words of encouragement for his brother. “I told him, I’ve been through that stretch where you’re not playing well,” he said. “He’s working hard, I’ll give him that. That’s why I haven’t gotten on him. I’m proud of him. He’s gutted through this thing, and eventually it’s going to turn right side up, and that’s what I just keep telling him. I’ve been in those shoes two years ago. It will come around.”

Main image: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images

The post The changing face of LIV as Brooks Koepka and Smash return to Royal Greens to defend titles appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

We also reflect on a successful first year for Viya Golf in Abu Dhabi with Cluster Club Manager Julian Danby, get to grips with the new TaylorMade wedges with Robbie Greenfield and look ahead to the third edition of the Golf Digest Middle East Oktoberfest at The Els Club in Dubai.

All this and much, much more in the October 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East available in both English and Arabic.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

See below for the eighth issue of the Arabic edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

If you want to look back at all our previous Arabic editions of Golf Digest Middle East, click here.

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Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut fired an opening five-under-par 66 to take the lead in the Asian Tour’s International Series England at Close House, near Newcastle, as some of LIV Golf’s big names lurked near the top of the leaderboard.

He fired six birdies and one bogey in nasty conditions on the Colt Course, to finish the day one in front of American Liv-er Jason Kokrak and Jaewoong Eom from Korea.

Germany’s Dominic Foos and Suradit Yongcharoenchai from Thailand returned 68s, while LIV Golf and Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter was in group of 10 players on 69.

Sarit played a practice round here with countryman Pavit Tangkamolprasert before last year’s England event, which was played at a different venue, and said: “Maybe that helped a little bit today, there was more rain that time.”

He started on the back nine on Thursday, and birdied 10, and 14 before a brilliant two on the 18th — a difficult 185-yard par-three, that could be the scene of much drama come Sunday. He dropped a shot on the second, but recovered with gains on three, six and eight.

“I have been hitting it really well,” he said. “Today was just about the putting, it is all about the putting. Still need to fix my long putting, I might practice that.”

Sarit triumphed for the first time on the Asian Tour last year, at the season-ending Indonesian Masters, but has struggled this year, until a top-10 finish in the Indonesia Open two weeks ago.

“I had an injury at the beginning of the year, at first it was a back injury, then I got sick, I got Covid, I also had neck and wrist problems,” said the 25-year-old, who was also laid low by Covid last year.

“I took a lot of time off to repair my body, to not get into trouble with injury again, I think that’s worked.”

Kokrak, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour including two in 2021, finished strongly with birdies on 16 and 17.

“Very happy with that,” said the 38-year-old. “I thought I was going along well but not really making any putts. I was hitting it well but thought I should be more under par. Made a couple there at the end, happy with it.

“The course is wet and super long. I would love to see this place really bouncy.”

Ian Poulter. Asian Tour

Englishman Poulter was happy to get in the clubhouse among the leaders after a rough second half.

“Damage limitation,” said Poulter. “Obviously, three-under through nine and cruising but bogeyed the first hole which is my 10th, a par five, is suicide, frustrating to do that. I shanked it down four which is not ideal, nearly made par, and had another bogey on the par three with a pulled eight iron, I was in the middle of the fairway there. Dropping three shots on that nine was poor.”

His son, Luke, an amateur, started well with a 72 although made costly mistakes with the short stick.

Poulter Sr said: “He’s one over, he had four three putts. He will probably slap himself around the head, so he has obviously played good golf, and he has not done his job on the putting green. He is a good golfer, and great he is in the field this week.”

His compatriot, fellow LIV Golfer and playing partner Lee Westwood, who is the Touring Professional for Close House, also looked set to be among the front runners but made a double on his third from last hole and came in with a 70.

American Andy Ogletree, who currently leads the Asian Tour and International Series Order of Merits, signed for a 72, while Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, who claimed the Mandiri Indonesia Open two weeks ago, shot 73.

The post Sarit’s super 66 secures first-round lead In International Series England as LIV Golf’s top guns lurk appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Jason Kokrak’s original travel plans from his home in Ohio to Spain seemed simple enough. Fly from Cleveland to Newark. Then Newark to Malaga, the biggest airport near Valderrama, hosts the course for LIV Golf Andalucía.

All right, Kokrak thought, this will be easy.

But then … his flight was cancelled. That cost him one day and forced him to change his itinerary. So now it became Cleveland to Detroit, then Detroit to Paris, then Paris to Malaga. One additional flight but no other complications.

But then … multiple missed connections. Sometimes by just minutes. Layovers turned from manageable to intolerable. As Kokrak’s travel time increased, so did his stress level.

“Just people not showing up for work, driving the jet bridge – it’s unfathomable,” Kokrak said. “I understand you have certain situations, but every single time. I don’t get it. I think the airlines are at a point where they’re basically banking on the plane flying faster to make up time for stupidity.”

Originally two flights, he finally made it to Spain after four flights -– Cleveland to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Frankfurt, and Frankfurt to Malaga. He arrived at his rental house at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. Tired physically. Exhausted mentally. And with a tee time approximately 60 hours away on a course, he had never seen.

Of course, getting himself to Spain was just half the issue. There was also the matter of when his luggage would arrive – particularly his clubs. The tools he uses to make a living. The tools his fellow Smash GC teammates rely on for contributing low scores.

His Air Tags already had sent out digital distress signals. His bags evidently had found a comfortable spot and decided to become squatters, with no intention of changing locations. “I thought my Air Tags were broken,” Kokrak said, “because my luggage hadn’t moved in over a day.”

So, he was in Spain, but his clubs were not. A backup plan was hatched. Kokrak, his coach Drew Steckel, and his agent found a local golf shop 20 minutes away and headed to go pick them up. Once the clubs were collected, Kokrak planned to have them reshafted and dialled in.

But then … his Air Tags sent out an update. His bags were in Paris, just a 2-1/2 hour flight away. While at lunch, Kokrak got a call. The girlfriend of Nick Heinen, the caddie for Smash teammate Matthew Wolff, had flown to Malaga – and she just happened to be on the same flight as Kokrak’s clubs. As she picked up her luggage from the carousel reserved for international baggage, she just happened to notice Kokrak’s club travel bag lying around.

She called Nick. “What do I do?”

His reply: “Grab them.”

And so, she walked out of the airport with her luggage and the reluctant-to-travel clubs, was picked up by a driver, and delivered to Kokrak. It was 5 p.m. Thursday.

His tee time was now 20 hours away. And Kokrak had still not taken a single shot at Valderrama. He spent the evening – it doesn’t get dark in this part of Spain until 10 p.m. – with Steckel on the range. The session was a productive one. And yet Kokrak couldn’t help but shake his head.

“Kind of a crazy situation,” said Kokrak, vying for Understatement of the Year.

In between all this, Kokrak at least found the time to walk the front nine at Valderrama. Before Friday’s first round, he got up early and walked the back nine. He then added another half-hour to his normal warmup routine.

Then he took his first shot ever at Valderrama, at the par-4 eight. Made par. He then bogeyed the par-4 ninth. On a tough course made even more difficult under windy conditions, it was an ominous sign.

But then … a birdie at the par-4 10th. Then another one at the par-5 11th. Then another one at the par-3 12th – the third hardest hole at the course. Three consecutive birdies on holes he had never played.

Kokrak may have been playing the course blind, but his well-rested clubs had 20-20 vision. He wasn’t surprised.

“I left home striking it nice, playing well, and really pleased with the clubs I have in my bag,” he said. “I was confident when I got my clubs – as long as they weren’t broken or bent.”

Six consecutive pars followed the three straight birdies. He then birdied holes Nos. 1 and 2. He suffered a bogey at the par-5 fourth but bounced back with a birdie at the fifth, then parred the last two holes.

He walked off the seventh green, his last hole of the day, with a 4-under 67 – and a share of the first-round lead with Dustin Johnson.

It was as miraculous and as unlikely a round as you might imagine, given the circumstances and the difficulty of the course. But in this sense, perhaps ignorance truly is bliss. Like all the others seeing Valderrama for the first time this week, Kokrak had no scar tissue. Unlike his fellow competitors, he really had nothing to challenge the most basic of game plans.

“I tell people, you tend to play golf courses that you haven’t played better the first time around than you do after you’ve seen them,” Kokrak said. “After you’ve seen them a couple of times, you know where the trouble is, you know where not to hit it.

“You play a golf course blind and it’s like, ‘Here’s your yardage, here’s your shot, hit it here.’ You just kind of commit to your shot. I think you commit to your shot a little bit better not seeing the golf course.”

Kokrak has shot lower scores in his career. It’s doubtful he’s shot a more impressive one, given all the circumstances. In a season that has thus far failed to meet his expectations, perhaps Friday will be the turning point.

“This could be a confidence booster today,” Kokrak said, “but tomorrow is a new day.”

Thankfully, he can sleep in. The clubs are safely stored. He’s played the course now. Everything is good for the next two days.

Then he’ll fly to London for LIV Golf’s next tournament.

Wish him luck.

The post Flight issues, bags delayed – and somehow Kokrak shares the lead appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The chill in the air Saturday morning at Augusta National Golf Club did nothing to cool down Jason Kokrak’s mood after he needed all of two minutes to complete his second round in the Masters.

Kokrak doubled down on heated statements he made on Friday afternoon after play was suspended with his group that included 1988 Masters champion Sandy Lyle and Talor Gooch on the 18th green.

“I absolutely stand by what I said yesterday. What they did was, in my mind, inexcusable,” the 37-year-old Ohioan said after completing a seven-over 79 and missing the cut at eight-over 152. “To not be able to find a way to let Sandy Lyle walk off that green with his family there and people around to send him off properly … I thought that was wrong. It would have taken a minute to just let him finish by himself.”

Lyle, 65, was competing for the final time in the Masters, ending a run of 42 appearances. The Scotsman faced a 12-footer for par when play was suspended for a second time on Friday at 4.22pm and eventually was halted for the rest of the day. Trees that fell near the 17th green caused the suspension.

On the 18th green, Kokrak, who was left with a 20-footer for par, had words for a Masters official.

“I said: ‘It’s chicken [expletive]. It could have been a really cool moment for Sandy Lyle, his family, the patrons, Augusta National, being the 1988 champion,” Kokrak was quoted as saying Friday. “Him and Larry [Mize] being their last Masters. I asked them for a special exemption. They said they weren’t even going to blow the horn for a few more minutes, but the trees came down on 17.

“I said this is a moment that he’s not going to get again. So I think Augusta National and the rules committee should be ashamed of themselves. And I’m really disappointed for him and his family for him not to be able to have that moment.”

A standing ovation for Sandy Lyle ?

The 1988 champion finishes his last round of competition at #theMasters pic.twitter.com/52kYRguw1K

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 7, 2023

Lyle two-putted his final green when play resumed Saturday morning at 8am to complete an 83. He finished last among players who completed 36 holes at 164. He was philosophical about the unfortunate ending to his Masters playing career.

“We tried to talk to the official that, you know, please, let us finish. But, no, they stuck to the rules and rules are rules and we had to abide by that,” said Lyle, who used a gold replica Ping putter for his last two strokes, one that resembled the putter he used to win his green jacket in 1988. He said spent the late hours last night drinking tequila, “and a bit of whisky tasting at about 1 o’clock this morning”.

Kokrak, 87th in the world, lingered at the back of the Augusta clubhouse for several minutes, even as rain fell more heavily and he was without an umbrella. He was thinking of his own future of Augusta as well.

“It might be my last Masters, too, you never know,” he said. “If the majors think the best players in the world ought to compete, then they should find a way to include them in the future. So we’ll see. I might not be back.”

The post Masters 2023: Jason Kokrak rips Augusta National’s handling of former champion Sandy Lyle’s farewell appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The former world No. 2 was removed as Ryder Cup captain on Wednesday ahead of the announcement, with Team Europe saying: “Henrik Stenson’s tenure as Captain of Team Europe for the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy from September 25 – October 1, 2023, has been brought to an end with immediate effect. In light of decisions made by Henrik in relation to his personal circumstances, it has become clear that he will not be able to fulfil certain contractual obligations to Ryder Cup Europe that he had committed to prior to his announcement as Captain on Tuesday March 15, 2022, and it is therefore not possible for him to continue in the role of Captain.”

One of the most accomplished European golfers for over two decades, has won 21 times as a professional and amassed 149 top-10 finishes. Throughout his career, he has earned more than a dozen honours as the top performing golfer on global tours and competitions, spending over 300 weeks ranked in the top 10. Stenson has appeared as a player in five Ryder Cups, helping lead Europe to victories in three of those competitions (2006, 2014, 2018). Stenson will join Majesticks GC, captained by former world No. 1 and fellow Englishman Lee Westwood.

Jason Kokrak. Jamie Squire

Kokrak, an 11-time winner as a pro, has earned more than 40 top-10 finishes throughout his career. Since September 2020, he has been ranked among the top 50 players in the world, with a ranking as high as No. 20. Beginning in Bedminster, he will compete on Smash GC, captained by four-time major champion Brooks Koepka.

Howell has amassed 102 top-10 finishes throughout his career, including three professional wins. A former NCAA Division I Champion and Haskins Award winner as the country’s most outstanding collegiate golfer, he has been ranked as high as No. 15 in the world and has represented the United States in multiple international team competitions. Howell III will play for Crushers GC, led by 2020 US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau.

Charles Howell III. Mike Ehrmann

Howell III, Kokrak and Stenson join a Bedminster field that will showcase 11 major champions with a combined 21 majors won, four former world No. 1 players and nearly half of its competitors currently ranked in the top 100. The global field represents 13 different countries, features 18 players with 10 or more professional wins and includes future stars of the game who have earned NCAA National Championships and US Amateur Championships among their accomplishments. Players will compete in golf’s most exciting new format for $25 million and the chance to become LIV Golf’s third individual and team champions and earn points towards LIV Golf’s season-long individual competition.

“Henrik Stenson adds yet another outstanding resume to LIV Golf’s global roster of elite players. His career performances spanning majors, season-long individual championships and international competitions have cemented him as a leader in today’s game,” said Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf. “The addition of Jason Kokrak, who has been consistently ranked amongst the world’s best, and Charles Howell III, one of the United States’ top competitors for years, along with English standout Paul Casey further strengthens a field that will put on a show for the fans at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. I’m excited for the third LIV Golf competition and can’t wait for our shotgun start at this fantastic venue.”

The 48-man field will play across 12 teams of four players each. Teams will be announced in the days leading up to the tournament start.

South African Branden Grace of Stinger GC finished at 13 under par to secure the individual trophy at the LIV Golf Invitational Portland at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, while 4 Aces GC captain Dustin Johnson and his new all-American lineup of Talor Gooch, Pat Perez and Patrick Reed took the team trophy in the first LIV Golf event held in the United States.

South Africans have now won the first two LIV Golf events, as former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel earned first prize in the individual competition at the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational London at Centurion Club. Stinger GC, Schwartzel’s team captained by major champion Louis Oosthuizen, took the team honors in London with fellow South Africans and teammates Hennie du Plessis and Grace finishing second and third, respectively. Grace and Schwartzel are now 1-2 in LIV Golf’s season-long individual points standings.

LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster line-up:
Abraham Ancer MEX
Phil Mickelson USA
Richard Bland ENG
Jediah Morgan AUS
Laurie Canter ENG
Kevin Na USA
Paul Casey ENG
Shaun Norris RSA
Eugenio Chacarra ESP
Louis Oosthuizen RSA
Bryson DeChambeau USA
Wade Ormsby AUS
Hennie du Plessis RSA
Carlos Ortiz MEX
Sergio Garcia  ESP
Pat Perez USA
Talor Gooch USA
Turk Pettit USA
Branden Grace RSA
James Piot USA
Justin Harding RSA
Ian Poulter ENG
Sam Horsfield ENG
David Puig (am) ESP
Yuki Inamori JPN
Patrick Reed USA
Dustin Johnson USA
Charl Schwartzel RSA
Matt Jones AUS
Travis Smyth AUS
Sadom Kaewkanjana THA
Hudson Swafford USA
Martin Kaymer GER
Hideto Tanihara JPN
Phachara Khongwatmai THA
Peter Uihlein USA
Ryosuke Kinoshita JPN
Scott Vincent ZIM
Brooks Koepka USA
Lee Westwood ENG
Chase Koepka USA
Bernd Wiesberger AUT
Jinichiro Kozuma JPN
Matthew Wolff USA
Graeme McDowell NIR
Henrik Stenson SWE
Charles Howell III USA
Jason Kokrak USA

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The post LIV Golf: Jason Kokrak and Charles Howell III join Henrik Stenson at third Invitational Series event in Bedminster appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Dave Shedloski
Jason Kokrak was born in Canada, raised in Ohio, and has made himself at home in Texas. He is also learning to reside atop PGA Tour leaderboards.

Combining a hot putter with killer instinct and killjoy indifference, Kokrak continued his late-blooming surge thanks to a late burst of birdies and captured the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open on Sunday for his third PGA Tour win in his last 38 starts – and his second in the Lone Star State this year.

Kokrak fired a closing five-under 65 on the strength of four straight birdies on the inward nine at Memorial Park Golf Course and surged past two sentimental favourites in Scottie Scheffler and Martin Trainer for a two-stroke victory. Scheffler, a Dallas native in search of his first PGA Tour title, and Trainer, emerging unexpectedly from a horrendous slump, each held the lead on the back nine before Kokrak took over.

And to think, Kokrak contemplated withdrawing after a practice round that felt more like malpractice. But a remote range session with his swing coach Drew Steckel – a sign of the times amid the pandemic – did wonders for the 29th ranked player in the world. He stabilized his lower half instead of “dancing” over the ball, as he put it, and waltzed off with $1.35 million.

At 10-under 270, Kokrak finished two strokes in front of Scheffler, the third-round leader, and Kevin Tway. Scheffler, who still led at the turn but bogeyed three times coming home, shot 69 for his second straight top-5 finish, while Tway, one of five players who began the day a stroke behind Scheffler, posted a 68.

“It’s very special because I was struggling with my game at the beginning of the week,” said Kokrak, 36, playing in just his third event of the fall schedule. “I guess you can call me an underdog, but the last couple years I’ve played some pretty solid golf, so I wouldn’t exactly say that I’d be the underdog going in. I guess this week I would be because my game was not in top form and I definitely made the best of it.

“A lot of ups and downs.”

The biggest downer, which in the past might have relegated him to also-ran status, was his completion of the weather-delayed second round early Saturday. Six under par through 11 holes when play was suspended Friday by darkness, Kokrak returned Saturday morning but forgot to wake up his game. Amid breezy and cool conditions, he played his remaining seven holes in seven over par, including a triple bogey at the last, to shoot 71 and fall off the pace. But he was able to regroup for a third-round 66 and then hung around on Sunday while those in front of him failed to pull away.

That included Trainer, ranked 1,310 in the world and owner of just one paycheck in his last 18 starts. He got to nine under and was ahead all by his lonesome when he guided home an excuse-me 71-foot birdie putt on the par-3 11th hole to nose ahead of Scheffler, who bogeyed 10 and 11. But Trainer couldn’t answer Kokrak’s birdie barrage and bogeyed the last two holes to end up T-5. Still, he earned $289,687, nearly double his earnings of $149,766 in the last two years combined.

Kokrak, who won the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in late May, started his rally with a 12-foot birdie at the par-4 13th, which, he said, “gave me a little confidence.” A 23 footer at the 513-yard par-4 14th – just one of three birdies converted there – was crucial given that Scheffler and Trainer both bogeyed what was the most difficult hole of the day. Then he rolled in two more and, now having some experience with winning after going 233 starts before his first victory last fall in Las Vegas, played safe and smart and closed it out.

Three straight birdies move @JayKokrak into the co-lead. ? pic.twitter.com/4pieldjaBP

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 14, 2021

It might be difficult to understand how a guy who languished as a solid but largely unknown member of the PGA Tour is now a three-time winner, but Kokrak is long enough off the tee to compete in this power era and he finally has a putter he can count on. He ranked sixth in strokes gained-putting last season, a massive jump from 151st the season prior and one reason he was on the radar for a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team this fall.

At Memorial Park he ranked third for the week on the green, and on Sunday he finally took advantage of an approach game that produced 15 greens in regulation. He seemingly came out of nowhere, but that has been Kokrak’s story the last 13 months. Only Patrick Cantlay has more wins since the beginning of last season.

“I’ve always been a slow learner … [but] once I learn something, I normally get pretty good at it,” he said.

With the win, Kokrak was projected to move up to a career-best 22nd in the world. Yeah, he’s getting pretty good.

The post Jason Kokrak pulls off 10-shot weekend rally to win the Houston Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
There are a number of players missing from this Open Championship, but—with all respect to those not making the trip to Sandwich—most of the game’s marquee names remain in the field at Royal St. George’s, and a pack of them will be paired together during the Open’s first and second rounds.

Before you ask, no, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau are not in the same group. As discussed at Torrey Pines; this is for the best; better to let that rivalry manifest over the weekend when it matters most rather than during the fleeting nature of a Thursday or Friday. So as we wait and pray for that heavyweight battle to come to fruition, here are 11 pairings to keep us entertained during the first two rounds of the Open Championship.

7:41 am local Thursday/2:41 am EDT — Viktor Hovland, Ryan Palmer, Thomas Detry

Hovland is making his Open debut, and historically this is a tournament that favors—and arguably requires—experience. Conversely, what has made Hovland so good so early in his career is a blissful disregard to his surroundings, beholden to an inner command known only to him. Better yet, compared to the other majors, lights-out putting is not a prerequisite for contention, pacifying one of Hovland’s few weak spots. Throw in Palmer’s continued late-career revival and a red-hot Detry (two T-2s in past four starts) don’t be surprised if these names are on the early board.

8:03 am/3:03 am — Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak, Garrick Higgo

There’s a “weapons of mass destruction” joke in here, but these three are more than muscle. Kokrak is fighting like hell for a U.S. Ryder Cup captain’s pick and a top-five finish would move him from the “charming story that, realistically, doesn’t have a shot” category to “about to burst some star’s bubble” list of contenders. … Higgo is in a bit of a slump with three missed cuts in his last four starts; he’s also won three times since late April so maybe we should keep an eye on him, yes? … As for the third player, let’s save our words for later in the week. Because this is a major and this is Brooks Koepka, so you better believe we’ll be talking about him in greater capacity come Saturday.

9:25 am/4:25 am — Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau, Branden Grace

Aspiring gamblers could find a worse dark horse than Grace, who is back from the wilderness with a win earlier this year along with a fourth-place finish at the Memorial and T-7 at the U.S. Open. … Augusta National is his playground but the Open has been just as kind to Spieth, and Royal St. George’s profile and past point to that providence continuing this week. The only thing keeping him from contending come Saturday will be finding himself in the wrong weather wave. … As for Bryson, this week ends with DeChambeau winning by three, forcing the R&A to convene an emergency session to declare persimmon and balata will be mandated at next year’s Open at St. Andrews OR Bryson becomes so flummoxed by the wind and ground game that he walks off the course and into the sea. There is no in-between.

9:58 am/4:58 am — Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Louis Oosthuizen

No matter what happens on the score card, this will be a long-overdue victory lap for Lowry. … Rahm will be treated with just as much love coming off his U.S. Open conquest. And amidst that parade Louis will very quietly put together two solid rounds to find himself near the lead because apparently that’s a bylaw for majors now.

David Cannon/R&A

10:20 am/5:20 am — Dustin Johnson, Will Zalatoris, Justin Rose

With two months to go before Ryder Cup rosters are finalized, Rose is shockingly on the outside looking in. He also has top-10s at the Masters and PGA, and a third this week can justify a captain’s pick against a blah record the rest of the year. … Speaking of Zalatoris, despite his strong season he’s trending to be snubbed for Whistling Straits. Yet if he contends at Royal St George’s, that would be four top-10s—highlighted by the Masters runner-up—in his past five major starts. And that is a hard, hard line to bypass. … Sticking with the theme, Johnson has his Ryder Cup spot locked up. He also hasn’t finished better than T-10 since February, which by DJ standards is a drought. Royal St. George’s is the site of one of Johnson’s major misses; can his putter wake up from its slumber (71st in putting this season) to give the 37-year-old his long-awaited payback?

1:04 pm/8:04 am — Patrick Cantlay, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Ryan Fox

Cantlay has finished no better than T-15 in his last eight major starts. Fitzpatrick hasn’t logged a major top-10 finish in his last 21 outings. Both are too talented for these streaks to continue.

1:26 pm/8:26 am — Collin Morikawa, Corey Conners, Sebastian Munoz

Morikawa leads the tour in SG/approach by a mile. Conners ranks top 10 in the category (eighth). Munoz is a fine player coming off a strong performance (T-4 at the John Deere Classic) but legitimately worried the poor guy is going to quit after watching Morikawa and Conners pepper flagsticks for two days.

2:48 pm/9:48 am — Phil Mickelson, Tyrrell Hatton, Kevin Kisner

In one sense it’s unfair to Mickelson to view what happened at Kiawah as proof the man can still get it done, rather than recognize what he did defied all we thought we knew about age and sport. In other words, to treat that moment for just that, a moment, instead of extrapolating what is next for Phil. HOWEVER, experience matters at the Open. Creativity matters. Understanding bad breaks are inevitable and possessing the fortitude it takes to bounce back from them really, really matters. In short there’s a decent chance the magic from Kiawah comes alive again in Kent, where Mickelson finished T-2 the last time the claret jug visited Royal St. George’s … As for Hatton and Kisner, our only wish is that Kisner pays tribute to Hatton with his own disgusted club toss at some point. Game recognise game, after all.

GLYN KIRK

2:59 pm/9:59 am — Xander Schauffele, Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler

With Rahm capturing the U.S. Open Schauffele is now the best under-40 player to not have a major. That he’s ditching his ill-fated arm-lock experiment should help the cause … Fowler has shown signs of life over the past six weeks, and did contend at the 2011 Open (T-5). Fowler’s success in the wind is a bit overstated but it’s also not wrong, which is why this week could be the turning point so many hope comes … The Euro cognoscenti desperately wants MacIntyre to be the next big thing. He’s not far away from such status, proving his mettle at the 2019 Open (T-6) and playing well at a number of venues this year. His game is not necessary pretty, yet it’s at its best when things get ugly, the type of game that so often decides who grabs the claret jug.

3:10 pm/10:10 am — Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood, Adam Scott

I know the golf gods are not just but it seems criminal these three men have a combined two majors.

3:21 pm/10:21 am — Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith

Rory McIlroy is an Open champ. He is the fulcrum of the European Ryder Cup team. He is everything a fan could want in a player avatar. So we have no idea what McIlroy did or who he betrayed to get thrown into the crossfire of Reed and Smith, two players who have an interesting past. (Smith called out Reed for his penalty for moving sand at the Hero World Challenge in 2019, then the two exchanged words shortly after at the Presidents Cup.) But if McIlroy traverses this minefield without incident, no one is stopping him from snapping his seven-year major slump.

The post DeChambeau-Spieth, a trio of bombers and a bad-blood pairing highlight our 11 favourite groups at Royal St. George’s appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Kokrak’s role was confirmed on the eve of the 149th Open Championship where the world No.24 has been grouped with Brooks Koepka and Garrick Higgo for the opening 36 holes at Royal St George’s Golf Club.

Victories at the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek and Charles Schwab Challenge in the past nine months, both by two strokes over Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth respectively, has rocketed Kokrak into Ryder Cup contention.

The 36-year-old from Ohio is the second ambassador signed by Golf Saudi in 2021, joining nine-time major champion Gary Player, and will support the kingdom’s governing body bid to introduce golf to new audiences, both globally and within Saudi Arabia.

He’s no stranger to the Kingdom having finished T41 at this year’s Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.

“It was fantastic to come over as a guest of Golf Saudi earlier this year… During my visit I was lucky enough to see the work that is being done to draw more people to our sport, particularly young boys and girls,” Kokrak said in a prepared statement.

“Golf Saudi is doing amazing things for the game whether it’s through their mass participation programs to drive youth engagement or their efforts to ensure environmental sustainability is taken seriously within the sport. So for me it’s a real honour to be named as Golf Saudi’s newest ambassador and to work alongside one of the most forward thinking entities within golf currently. I’d like to share my own insights with them and do my part in terms of growing golf within the Kingdom, while also telling my own fans about the many marvels that Saudi Arabia has to offer.”

.Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi, said: “Watching Jason star in this year’s Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, it was clear his form was going from strength to strength. This is a player who has won at the big tournaments and has also featured in the Masters twice, appeared in eight PGA championships and five US Opens.

“This is no mean feat and at Golf Saudi we think his winning journey is just getting started and as such we feel this is the right time to develop a strong mutual working partnership, learn from his winning mentality and leverage that to support our ongoing development in terms of growing the game of golf in Saudi Arabia.”

The post American late bloomer Jason Kokrak joins Golf Saudi crusade appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Dave Shedloski
Sit up and listen, boys and girls. Write it down. Jason Kokrak isn’t solely the winner of the Charles Schwab Challenge, a victory Sunday over crowd favourite Jordan Spieth that was as gritty as any this year on the PGA Tour. He also is an object lesson.

Well, maybe several lessons. You wait until your mid-30s to win your first two tour events in the span of 17 starts shows the benefit of perseverance. You lean on your caddie to read greens for you because you understand your weaknesses. You stick to a game plan regardless of what your opponent is doing or how the crowd—rather inhospitable at times—reacts to your shots.

But the real lesson is this, and it’s quite simple: learn to putt.

Kokrak’s sudden spurt of success can be attributed to his work on the greens, and that is how he outdueled the master classman of putters, Spieth, at Colonial Country Club for a two-stroke victory. A spotty final-round 70, even par, proved enough for the 6-foot-4 Ohioan to leapfrog over a struggling Spieth, who closed with a 73.

The victory was stuffed with goodies: $1.35 million, a reimagined 1946 Dodge Power Wagon to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the tournament begun in ’46, the highest World Ranking of his career (22nd) and quite possibly serious consideration for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

“I’m a big guy with a big truck, with a big jacket and a big paycheck. So I guess everything’s bigger in Texas, right?” Kokrak, 36, said with, yes, a big smile after he joined Bryson DeChambeau and Stewart Cink as the only two-time winners this season. His breakthrough win came last fall at the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek.

He also knew he was the big outsider. The interloper. His peach-coloured shirt clashed with his red plaid winner’s jacket, and he seemed proud of that. “My shirt doesn’t match the jacket, but that’s OK because I’m the guy that spoiled the party.”

Spieth, hailing from Dallas and, thus, the favourite of the Fort Worth crowd, was vying for his second win this year in his home state. He began the day with a one-stroke lead—his fourth 54-hole lead of the season, tied for most with Sam Burns—but somehow lost his swing on the way to equaling the lowest 54-hole score (15-under 195) of his career. Not even a video lesson after the third round from his swing coach, Cameron McCormick, could save him.

Tom Pennington
Kokrak celebrates with a 1946 “Schwab” Power Wagon given to him after winning the 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge.

Not that his playing partner was having a great day either. Frankly, the final pairing engaged in a battle of attrition, both men having periodic issues finding the middle of the clubface. They gave the one-armed follow-through decent airplay. Spieth and Kokrak combined in equal measure for 10 bogeys. Good thing they had separated themselves from the pack.

Spieth sprayed his way to three straight bogeys early. Kokrak, after birdies at 11 and 13 put him three ahead, suffered two bogeys in a row late to the delight of the well-oiled Texas gallery. That he didn’t have three in a row was the key. Kokrak successfully saved par at 17 from behind the green, sinking a seven-footer to preserve a one-stroke lead and forcing Spieth to gamble at the last. From the right rough, Spieth went at the flag on the 18th green, tugged his approach slightly and watched it skitter into the water. Ball game.

“I played a bad round of golf,” Spieth said succinctly in the aftermath of his third runner-up finish at Colonial to go with his 2016 victory.

“I could have shot even par today and won the golf tournament, but from the very get-go, just a really bad start, and then tried to fight my way through it,” he added. “But I was just really off with my golf swing. I really lost it this weekend. You just have to be in control around Colonial.”

“We had a little bit of an ebb and flow. Both didn’t have our A-games today,” said Kokrak, who two-putted the last for a 14-under 266 total and was able to show up the crowd who he said offered a few less than supportive comments. “Kind of grinded it out. DRob kept me patient, even though I didn’t finish the way I wanted to, but still got the win.”

DRob is David Robinson, his caddie, who receives copious amounts of credit from his boss for helping him read greens. That arrangement is paying dividends. “Ever since we got together four years ago, I called him up and said, ‘Listen, this is going a good ride. I’m a pretty good ball striker and you’re a great green reader, and we’ll make a good duo.”

Tom Pennington
Kokrak has improved his putting this season, which pairs well with being on of the longest off the tee on tour.

It was Robinson who suggested Kokrak go to a longer 36-inch putter, which allows the towering golfer to stand more upright. The Bettinardi Studio Stock 38 putter he has wielded since last summer’s BMW Championship also has a bit more loft.

This season he ranks seventh in strokes gained/putting, an improvement of 144 places from a season ago, an incredible leap. In fact, he hasn’t ranked inside the top 100 in putting the past six seasons. At Colonial, he gained 5.382 strokes on the field on the greens, which pairs nicely with red wine and a 321-yard driving distance average, which led the field. He was fourth in fairways hit.

The putt at 17 was as big as any he made in four days. “It was really big,” he agreed. “Said this is the time to do it. It was nice to roll that in.”

Something else that goes well with good putting is a USA Ryder Cup uniform. Captain Steve Stricker, who knows the value of putting as much as anyone, must be taking a long look at a guy with firepower and finishing touch.

Kokrak, who moved up to 13th on the U.S. points list, is game.

“I didn’t really end it like I wanted to, but, you know, I think it shows that I’ve got a lot of grit and a lot of fight in me,” he said. “Whether I’m in the conversation or not, I’ve had an incredible year. Yes, to make a Ryder Cup or any team event has always been a lifelong goal. I missed out on a Walker Cup as an amateur, and that’s just something that’s a lifelong goal and I would love to be a part of the team. Love to be in that team room.”

Kokrak is the second player in the last three years to win his first two tour titles after age 35, joining Francesco Molinari. He won’t play again until the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course, which will be long and demanding, and, at this point, right in his wheelhouse. He’s even skipping this week’s Memorial Tournament in his home state because, well, that was his plan

“I’ve been getting a lot of flak or that,” Kokrak admitted. “I took off Wells Fargo where I used to live in Charlotte … I apologise for that. These days, you have things scheduled in life with the kids and the wife; it’s part of the schedule. I don’t think I’ve ever missed the Memorial Tournament if I was in, and this is the one year that I’m going to miss. Unfortunately, I’m going to miss this year but hopefully I’ll see Jack [Nicklaus] next year.”

Kokrak went 232 starts without a tour win. He’s now a two-time champ. He seems to know what he’s doing. It took a while, but he’s figured things out.

And, oh yeah, he can putt now, too. Which is, well, big.

The post Jason Kokrak is a dangerous golfer now that he’s found the missing ingredient to his game. (Ask Jordan Spieth) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.