By Tod Leonard
These days, it usually takes going exceptionally low to win on the PGA Tour, and it’s apparently no different in qualifying for the US Open.

In the first final qualifier played in North America on Monday at two courses in Dallas, 11-under for 36 holes was the number to be the medallist — and there were four players who achieved that — while seven-under was the score that got players into next month’s major at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

In a qualifier that featured numerous PGA Tour pros, the top 13 out of 98 entrants advanced, and a six-man playoff was required for the final two spots. Those positions went to Davis Shore and Roger Sloan, while Adam Hadwin and Austin Cook were the first and second alternates, respectively.

The day’s low score was a 62 fashioned by Matthew NeSmith, who made nine birdies in the morning round at Royal Oaks Country Club. NeSmith, a third-year PGA Tour player who has competed in only one major, shot 69 in the second round at Lakewood Country Club and joined Americans Kurt Kitayama (65-66) and Sean Crocker (64-67), and Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma (68-63) at 11-under.

Among the notables not advancing were 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar, Aaron Baddeley, Rory Sabbatini and James Hahn.

The other more recognisable names to advance were Canadians Mackenzie Hughes (nine-under) and Nick Taylor (nine-under) and American Scott Stallings, who was solo 11th at eight-under.

There was one amateur who reached from this final: University of Texas junior Travis Vick, who shot nine-under. Vick was a semi-finalist at last year’s US Amateur at Oakmont.

The remaining nine final qualifiers — eight in the US and one in Canada — will be contested on Monday, June 6.

You might also like:
Here is everyone who has qualified for the US Open so far
The most infamous 72nd hole major collapses
Rory and the PGA have a major problem
18 takeaways from the PGA Championship
Justin has a drive to win
Mito the surprise leader at PGA Championship
Tiger withdraws ahead of PGA Championship final round
Zalatoris putting things right
McIlroy misses big chance at PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy swing analysis
Is Tiger’s style holding him back?
Rory leads the way at Southern Hills
Forget Dubai, check out the prices for drinks at PGA Championship
Dubai golfer Amelia McKee going pro

The post US Open 2022: These scores were ridiculously low, even in a US Open qualifier appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By E. Michael Johnson
Although the birdie Xander Schauffele made on the short par-4 17th or the sporty up-and-down for par at the last will go down as the decisive margin, it was a bogey he made on a relatively easy par 5 that proved pivotal in his one-shot win over Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia to win the gold medal in the golf competition at the Tokyo Olympics.

Seemingly in control with a four-shot lead that had winnowed to one, Schauffele flared his tee shot on the par-5 14th at Kasumigaseki Golf Club into thick bushes and trees. Lucky to even find the ball, Schauffele took an unplayable lie penalty drop then was fortunate to knock the ball out from the trees. His fourth came up short of the green but he salvaged a much-needed bogey with a timely putt.

Schauffele’s Odyssey O-Works Red 7 CH mallet putter was a key element throughout the tournament. The club features a “crank” hosel, which Schauffele explained to Golf Digest last fall.

“The hosel is interesting,” he said. “It creates a little bit of toe hang whereas many mallets are face-balanced. It helps it swing the head a little easier. I’ve always wanted to be a blade guy but never really got into it. This putter is an old friend of mine that I got away from for a little bit but I’m glad it’s back on this journey with me. It almost swings itself and those two long white parallel lines in back kind of let you know when you’re not doing the right thing with your stroke and when you are.”

MORE: How Rory Sabbatini, born in South Africa and living in South Florida, won silver for … Slovakia

Schauffele also changed golf balls earlier this year at the Memorial, moving into Callaway’s new Chrome Soft X LS, a ball designed to lessen driver spin, which Schauffele was seeking. According to Callaway, Schauffele saw a 200 rpm drop in spin across the bag, giving him the spin window he was looking for—especially on the wedge into the final hole that hit and spun back close to the cup setting up the winning putt for the American.

What Xander Schauffele had in the bag at the Olympics
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X LS
Driver: Callaway Epic Speed (Graphite Design Tour AD BB 7x), 9 degrees
3-wood: Callaway Epic Speed, 15 degrees
7-wood: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero, 20 degrees
Irons (4-PW): Callaway Apex TCB
Wedges: Callaway Jaws MD5 (52 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM6 (56 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM8 WedgeWorks (60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey O-Works Red 7 CH

RELATED: Rory McIlroy says he’s ‘happy to be proven wrong’ about the Olympics

The post The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win the gold medal at the Olympics appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
He claims this was never the plan—that his decision to take up Slovakian citizenship was motivated by benevolence, not a shortcut to winning an Olympic medal. Which, after a brilliant Sunday at Kasumigaseki Country Club, he has done. Silver, to be exact. Rory Sabbatini’s 10-under 61 saw him finish one shot behind Xander Schauffele, who got up-and-down from 98 yards on the 18th hole to win the gold for the United States.

“It sounds quite amazing,” Sabbatini said of will a medal. “It doesn’t sound like it belongs to me. But crazy game this sport we play. So somehow found that golden egg today and I managed to get something achieved, which I didn’t was possible after yesterday.”

MORE: What makes Xander Schauffele’s harrowing Olympic win such a golden moment

For Sabbatini, the medal is the culmination of a peculiar journey that started back in 2018. Born and raised in South Africa, the PGA Tour veteran now lives in South Florida and is a U.S. citizen, as well as holding a U.K. passport. So where does Slovakia come into the picture? Sabbbatini got married to a Slovakian woman named Martina Stofanikova. Her cousin, Rastislav Antala, then the vice president of the Slovak Golf Association—he has since been promoted to president—floated the idea to his cousin-in-law.

“To support her, to support our stepson, getting my Slovak citizenship is important to them as well as her getting her U.S. citizenship,” Sabbatini said in January 2019, shortly after he received his Slovakian citizenship. “The added benefit was her cousin is the director of golf development in Slovakia, and we thought this was an opportunity to bring more kids into the game of golf because they really haven’t had exposure on a national stage to follow golf.”

“This decision was never made to play in the Olympics. This decision was made to support my wife and stepson and to open the door for golf development in Slovakia,” he said. “I didn’t even know I would be eligible.”

Indeed, under Olympic rules, an athlete with dual citizenship can which country he represents.

MORE: Justin Thomas calls the Olympics ‘the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of’

Still, the move was widely seen as a strategic one—Sabbatini, a six-time PGA Tour winner who turned 45 in April, would have a much tougher time qualifying for the South African Olympic team. But Slovakia? The nation has just 9,000 golfers and 26 courses. After Sabbatini, who is ranked No. 204, the highest ranked Slovakian is Petr Vasalek at No. 848. He’d waltz onto the team, which is exactly what happened. It quickly became an easy punchline on Golf Twitter; Brendan Porath, a Golf Digest editor and host of the Shotgun Start podcast, gave him the nickname “the Boy from Bratislava.”

The nickname stuck, but the Slovakia storyline didn’t get much play through the first three rounds in Tokyo. Sabbatini simply wasn’t a factor. He began Sunday seven shots behind the lead and five shots out of the medal contention. He then produced the best round in the (rather short) history of Olympic golf, a 61 with an eagle and 10 birdies—including on the final two holes—to post 17-under 267 and take the clubhouse lead hours before the leaders would finish.

Rory Sabbatini celebrates his closing 61 with his wife/caddie Martina. Chris Trotman

“You know, it’s just, it’s funny, because I was out there today and I kept just trying to remind myself, OK, don’t think ahead, don’t think ahead, just enjoy the moment that you’re in because you don’t know what it’s going to end, just enjoy every hole as it comes,” Sabbatini said. “It just seemed like every time I kind of had a hiccup out there I was like, oh, maybe this is the end of the run, but OK. And then all of a sudden, I kicked back into gear. So it was a lot of fun and it was just one of those rare days that you have on the golf course.”

The round finished with a fitting image: with the ball still a few feet from the hole, Sabbatini began aggressively fist-pumping. After it fell, Martina, his tie to his adopted nation and his caddie this week in Japan, jumped in joy.

MORE: The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win the gold medal at the Olympics

The post How Rory Sabbatini, born in South Africa and living in South Florida, medaled at the Olympics … for Slovakia appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
Kevin Na couldn’t quite track down Bubba Watson during the final round of the 2018 Genesis Open, but his T-2 was his best PGA Tour finish in more than two years and his ninth career runner-up. More impressively — and perhaps, surprisingly — the $663,600 check Na took home from Riviera pushed him past the $25 million mark in lifetime PGA Tour earnings. Not too shabby for someone with one career win. Yep, that’s one win and more than $25 million in on-course earnings. Talk about getting a lot of bang for your buck. Or, buck for your bang, in this case.

It got us thinking if there are other names on the PGA Tour career earnings list who would cause a similar reaction — and of course, the answer was yes. In an age where the average win reaps well more than a $1 million payday, there are plenty of tour pros — from stars to journeymen — who have amassed small fortunes playing golf (Thanks, Tiger). Here are some of the most surprising, not in order of how unexpected their totals are, but how much they’ve made.

Matt Kuchar ($42,402,743): Kuch has long held the reputation as a human ATM, but more than $42 MILLION for someone with seven PGA Tour titles?! That’s a lot of big trips to the bank. Also, at No. 13 on the career money list, he’s the highest-ranked player without a major championship.

Luke Donald ($35,930,932): Similar to Kuchar, Donald has enjoyed a great career that has included multiple Ryder Cup appearances, and unlike Kuchar, a stint at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. However, considering the last of his five PGA Tour titles came nearly six years ago, the Brit still landing at 18th on the career money list — the only golfer other than Kuchar to crack the top 20 despite never winning a major — was a bit of an eye-opener. Not as much as the rest of these names, though …

Charles Howell III ($34,379,173): Chucky Three Sticks has been stuck on two PGA Tour wins for more than a decade, but that hasn’t kept him from raking in cash at a feverish pace. Since that last win at Riviera in 2007, he’s made more than $20 million. Pretty good for someone who has only played in five majors in the past five seasons.

Rory Sabbatini ($30,430,256): Thirty MILLION buys a lot of those silly cowboy hats.

Jerry Kelly ($28,962,248): The Wisconsin native won three times on the PGA Tour, but was a consistent — and busy — performer for two decades who racked up more than 600 starts. “It’s pretty good for a grinder,” Kelly said. Yes it is, Jerry. Yes it is.

Kevin Na ($25,232,107): No one has a better ratio of millions of dollars made to tournament wins. No one.

John Senden ($21,383,767): The Aussie has always been known for his accurate iron play, but that’s a lot of dough for someone with two PGA Tour titles — the last of which came by one shot over, you guessed it, Kevin Na.

Billy Mayfair ($20,303,642): Probably known best for being that guy with the cut putting stroke or the guy who beat Tiger Woods in a PGA Tour playoff, Mayfair had five career PGA Tour wins. Still, cracking the $20 million barrier is impressive for someone whose last victory came two decades ago. And he’s still pulling in paychecks on the PGA Tour Champions, finishing T-2 at the Chubb Classic last weekend.

Brian Davis ($13,323,356): We end with Davis because he’s made the most money of anyone on the PGA Tour with zero victories. Davis edged out Briny Baird ($13,251,178) for this honor. Or is it a distinction? Nah, we’re sticking with honour. Forget about never getting into the winner’s circle — or that unfortunate penalty in a playoff at Hilton Head in 2010 — making more than $13 million playing golf seems like a pretty sweet deal.

Related: I bought shares of a tour pro for a year — here’s what happened

The post They’ve made how much?! 9 PGA Tour pros with stunning career earnings appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
With two missed cuts and a WD in a three-year span at the Wyndham Championship, there’s little wonder that Henrik Stenson for years chose to skip the PGA Tour’s regular-season finale. Not to mention it comes amid a busy stretch of golf and precedes the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The 41-year-old Swede decided to return to Sedgefield Country Club this year, though. First and foremost, adding the trip to Greensboro, N.C., would help him hit his minimum number of tournaments required on the tour.

He ended up getting a lot more out of it than that.

Stenson bookended a couple of 66s with an opening 62 and a closing 64 to win by one stroke over Ollie Schniederjans. It was Stenson’s first victory since the 2016 British Open and first in the U.S. since 2013.

“It’s funny how it goes,” Stenson said. “Sometimes it’s just a coincidence why you decide to go to a tournament and make a change in your schedule.”

The victory reminded him of one he had late in 2012, winning in South Africa. It was his first in three years and kickstarted Stenson on a run of terrific golf that included three wins, four runner-up finishes and three third-place finishes in 2013.

Playing in the Wyndham this year means that Stenson will make five starts in a six-week span, culminating in the Tour Championship and a chance at a second FedEx Cup title to go with the one he won in 2013.

Martin Flores, meanwhile, is just thankful to have another week to play. All it took was a hole-in-one.

After starting the week 139th in the FedEx Cup standings and in need of a good performance to move inside the top 125 to advance to the postseason, the 35-year-old aced the 175-yard 16th with an 8-iron, then birdied the last at Sedgefield.

RELATED: Watch pro make an ace to possibly secure a PGA Tour card

“I knew exactly what I needed to do, especially when I was at the 15th fairway, the par 5,” said Flores, who tied for seventh in the tournament to move to 118th in the FedEx Cup standings. “I knew I needed two more [strokes] and I was fortunate to get three. I’m extremely happy.”

Rory Sabbatini, Harold Varner III and J.J. Henry also played their way into the postseason with Sabbatini moving from No. 148 to 122 by virtue of his tie for fourth after a closing 64. Varner, meanwhile, tied for 10th to climb from 138 to 123, and Henry 16th-place showing, thanks to birdies on two of his last three holes, allowed him to become the last guy in, jumping from 134th at the start of the week.

“I’m not going to lie, I’ve won three times and played on a Ryder Cup and this was probably some of the most pressure I’ve felt, playing today,” said Henry, a 17-year PGA Tour veteran, after shooting a closing 67.

Then there were those who were less fortunate: Zac Blair, David Hearn, Seamus Power and Daniel Summerhays all fell out of the top 125 in Greensboro, and saw their seasons come to an end.

It was a difficult outcome for each.

The tournament-within-the-tournament vibe was perhaps best described by Geoff Ogilvy.

“There is a level of tension and stress in your body that’s just on a different level,” said the Aussie, who came into the week 125th in the FedEx Cup but secured his spot thanks to rounds of 66-66-67 the last three days to tie for 16th in the tournament. “I haven’t felt that since Q-School.”

The post FedEx Cup bubble boys sweat through Sunday at the Wyndham Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.