Robert MacIntyre had been the leader in the clubhouse and looked poised to become just the second Scot to win his national championship in the 51-year history of the event. But McIlroy birdied the final two holes in difficult conditions to edge the 26-year-old lefty by a shot and spoil a party the likes of which we saw last month when Canadian Nick Taylor captured the Canadian Open.

RELATED: Rory McIlroy was in awe after losing long-drive contest to a teenager

If you were a Scot, it was a tough finish to witness. Unless, of course, you happened to bet on McIlroy. Such was the case for one man, who happily let Rory know he’d won 300 pounds thanks to his victory. And McIlroy chirped back with a hilarious response. Check it out:

 

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Well played, Rory. Both down the stretch and in that moment.

McIlroy did, in fact, win “a wee bit more,” $1.575 million to be exact. And to be more exact, it sounds like the fan then responded with “Let me buy you a pint!” instead of “I’m happy for ya, mate!” as the caption says. Rory probably should have accepted, because after how Sunday ended he won’t be too popular in any Scottish pubs for a while.

The post Rory McIlroy had a hilarious response to Scottish Open fan who won a nice bet on him appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Remember all those doubts we all had about Rory McIlroy and his ability to perform with distinction on days when the wind is a bit more than light? The time has come to banish such foolish thoughts from previously sceptical minds.

Remember all those doubts we’ve all been having recently about Rory McIlroy and his ability to finish first in tournaments where he has led or at least been in strong contention down the stretch? The time has come to banish those notions, too.

All it took to change cynical minds was two holes.

Standing on the 16th tee during Sunday’s breezy final round of the Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club—winds blowing up to 30 miles per hour by day’s end—McIlroy heard a distant roar. Up ahead, Robert MacIntyre had made an unlikely birdie on the 18th—only the second of the day—to reach 14 under par for the tournament and, more crucially, one shot better than McIlroy as things stood.

OK, no need to panic. The 576-yard par-5 16th was playing into the strongish wind, but it was still reachable with a good drive, one McIlroy duly produced. The second shot, however, was less stellar, as was the pitch. And the resulting eight-footer slipped by. McIlroy would need to make a birdie over the closing two holes—both playing directly into the aforementioned wind—if he was to force a playoff and win in Scotland for the first time in his career.

He made two.

The 5-iron to the short 17th was beautifully struck through the wind, the ball finishing inside five feet from the cup. Birdie.

Clutch shot from @McIlroyRory ?

He’ll have a 6-footer for birdie to tie the lead on 17 @ScottishOpen. pic.twitter.com/uJY2MjTQuJ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2023

Then, following a solid drive to the left side of the elusive 18th fairway, McIlroy hit a low Tiger Woods-style 2-iron to just under nine feet. It was a magnificent shot in both the conditions and the circumstances. Birdie.

Ridiculous approach on 18 from @McIlroyRory ?

He’ll have a good look at birdie for the win @ScottishOpen. pic.twitter.com/BlSgIMGVrC

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2023

And victory, one that clearly brought with it a sense of relief on a few fronts.

“I’ve had my chances over the last couple of months and been knocking on the door,” McIlroy said. “I just haven’t quite been able to get it done. Hopefully this breaks the seal and we can go on from here. I tried to say yesterday that I have improved as a wind player, and I feel like I have. Those two iron shots on the last two holes will prove that.”

The moment brought to mind for McIlroy his finish at the 2013 Australian Open at Royal Sydney when he was walking to the 17th tee one behind Adam Scott with two holes to play. “We were playing in the same group,” McIlroy recalled. “I holed a great putt on 17 for par to stay one behind playing the last. Then he made a bogey, and I made a birdie and I was able to clip him by a shot. I haven’t thought about that tournament in probably years, but when I got myself into this position today, that’s the first thing that popped into my head. Those memories and those experiences stand by you, and that just gave me a good feeling going into those last couple holes to try to do something special.”

Andrew Redington

Special might be an understatement. This was exceptional stuff, even for one so obviously gifted. And he was well aware of a wider significance beyond the destination of the title and the $1.575 million first-place check.

“You’ve got to hit great shots, but you also have to finish them off with putts.” McIlroy said. “That’s something I didn’t do [in the Open] at St. Andrews last year, and it’s something I didn’t do at [the U.S. Open] in L.A. a few weeks ago. So to be able to hole those putts coming down the stretch when I needed to, was satisfying. I don’t feel like it really proves anything. I don’t feel like I need to prove anything in my career. But it’s satisfying to know that I can still do it. It’s nice to have the validation. It’s great racking up top-fives and top-10s, but it’s much nicer heading away with a trophy on Sunday afternoon.”

All of which came at the end of an inward half of 3—in which he failed to birdie either par 5—and followed an opening nine that hinted more than a little that this just might be yet another near-miss in an increasingly long line of frustrations for the World No. 3. In the sort of blustery conditions in which he has historically struggled, the four-time major champion did just that. Four dropped shots scarred his scorecard over an opening ten holes that could have been even worse had lengthy putts for par not disappeared on the first and sixth greens.

At this point, caddie Harry Diamond stepped up.

“Harry told me there were still plenty of chances on this back nine,” McIlroy said. “10, 11, 12, 13 were all playing downwind. So was 15. He was just trying to keep me as positive as he could. Because the field teed off on two tees, I saw that there were some better scores on that back nine. So I certainly didn’t think I was out of it by any means going on to that 10th tee.”

There were some kind words too, for MacIntyre.

“If he can shoot 64 on a day like today, he can do anything,” enthused McIlroy, who shot a closing 68. “That was an unbelievable round of golf. And it’s great to see him back on form as well. He had the win [the Italian Open] in Rome last year, but then sort of went off a little bit. So it’s nice to see him hitting some form again, especially at an important point of the year when he’s looking to try to make the Ryder Cup team.”

Elsewhere and a little lower on the leaderboard, the three exempt spots available to this not already assured of a place in this week’s Open Championship went to Ben An, David Lingmerth and Nicolai Hojgaard, who will join his twin brother, Rasmus, in the field at Royal Liverpool.

The post Rory McIlroy’s clutch Scottish Open finish is the ultimate confidence booster ahead of the year’s final major appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Not once during the 16 years he has played golf professionally has Rory McIlroy won a tournament in Scotland. He’s been close, of course, more than once. Five top-four finishes in the Dunhill Links Championship represent strong evidence of consistent excellence. But throw in three top-three finishes in the Open Championship—two at St. Andrews, one at Carnoustie—and the Northern Irishman’s regular ventures into Caledonia surely represent much frustration.

Still, all of that might be about to end. With two rounds to play in the Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club, McIlroy is atop the leaderboard as he seeks what would be the 36th victory of his already highly successful career. The World No. 3 is at 10-under-par 130 and a shot clear of Tyrrell Hatton, Ben An and Tom Kim.

As many as 25 others are within five strokes of the leader, whose second-round 66 was highlighted by five birdies, all converted amidst a stream of squally showers that eventually morphed into a steady downpour.

“I felt really good about my swing all day,” said McIlroy, whose stellar long game was the dominant feature of his play. “I found something at the Travelers. I’ve got a really comfortable swing thought at the minute and I’ve carried it with me over the last few weeks. It has helped my iron play and wedge play in particular. Both have shown up over the last couple of days.

“My putter was really good yesterday. I holed some good ones but it was more about my ball-striking today. It felt like four-under was probably the worst I could have shot out there. It is nice to know that both ends of the game are in good shape. And yes, I’m in a great position going into the weekend. I wish I could be a couple of shots better, but overall I am really pleased with how the last two days have gone.”

Birdie no.5 of the day for @McIlroyRory as he moves to the top ?#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/DiAqdGFYBD

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 14, 2023

There were even some nice words for the Renaissance course, designed by Tom Doak and recently modified by Padraig Harrington. Never a huge fan of the layout, McIlroy has been mollified by his strong play so far.

“You do start to like places when you play better at them,” said McIlroy with a smile. “Look, it has started to play a little more linksy and a little more challenging over the last couple of years. I know they’ve made some tweaks and it’s nice to play in a little breeze. The rough is up a little bit. But it’s not too penal and gives you a feel for what real links golf is like, especially going into next week’s Open Championship.”

Looking not quite so far forward, McIlroy was making nothing but positive noises about his prospects over the next 36 holes, although he was careful not to make too many predictions. With the forecast hovering between dire and awful, the field will tee off between 7-9 a.m. local time off two tees in three balls, all in an attempt to beat the rain and gales dominating the forecast.

“My aim is to take whatever the golf course is going to give us,” McIlroy said. “I don’t really have any expectations. It would be silly of me to pick a potential target score. So really it’s just about embracing the conditions and making the best of them. I know I’m playing well enough tee-to-green to give myself some looks and hang in there. So I’m pretty confident going into the next two days no matter what the weather throws at us.”

The post Rory McIlroy leads Genesis Scottish Open, is in position to do something he’s never done before appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Going low on the DP World Tour is something Byeong Hun An (Ben to his English-speaking followers) has always been able to accomplish. So even a starling nine-under-par 61 in the opening round of the Scottish Open at a breezy Renaissance Club is nothing new. Back in 2015, An won the biggest tournament on the Old World circuit, the BMW PGA Championship, by six shots. His 21-under-par 267 remains a record for the DP World Tour’s flagship event.

Throw in An’s three years on both the European Challenge Tour and the main circuit and it is clear that the 31-year-old South Korean is no stranger to the sort of conditions that prevailed on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth.

“I couldn’t play any better,” he said with a smile after posting the lowest score in 561 rounds on the PGA Tour. “I drove it well and hit it well and chipped it well and putted well. That’s a clean scorecard. Overall, very relaxed out there and weather was nice, too. I like links golf. It’s different than the courses we play in the U.S. You just have to land it in different spots. I really like it as long as the weather is nice. I prefer warm weather but on a links course, I feel comfortable no matter what. I feel like I’m back home. This is the Tour I started my professional career. It’s been great coming back. It can get tricky hitting shots into the greens but I think I did well today.”

That he did, the former U.S. Amateur champion (at 17, he became the youngest to claim that title when he won in 2009) mixed nine birdies with nine pars over the 7,237-yard Tom Doak-design.

“I hit a lot of shots close, a lot of wedges close,” An said. “It was one of those days. Every shot I hit was from a perfect number. They all pitched right and how the ball reacted on the greens was perfect. Some of the putts I had were very straightforward putts. It seemed like I was last in a good spot. Overall today, everything went really well.”

That level of positivity was especially true on the greens. An holed out unerringly while wielding a long, broomstick putter, an implement that entered his bag only recently.

“This is my fourth week with it,” said An, who missed two cuts and finished T-51 at last week’s John Deere Classic… “I feel very comfortable. When we switched, I talked to other fellows who use the broomstick putter, guys like Adam [Scott] and Si Woo [Kim]. I asked them for the pros and cons and they all said, it looked good. We are trying to get my hands out of the stroke and the long putter helps me a lot with that. I’ve been putting pretty decent over the past couple weeks. I just need more time with it.”

Putting has long been a sore spot for An. He ranked outside the top 175 on the PGA Tour in strokes gained/putting in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, when he lost his card and had to play again on the Korn Ferry Tour. (So far this season he’s T-141st at -.233.) An has been able to poke fun at himself about his “prowess” on the greens in the past.

And he even embraced this tune from Golf Twitter’s parody song King Sam Harrop:

Here's my latest golf song – with credit, of course, to the Beatles.

I think we all know @ByeongHunAn is one of the good guys. So if you happen to see this, Ben, please know that it comes from a place of love!

RTs & YouTube subscribes (https://t.co/gumjIjqmhy) appreciated ? pic.twitter.com/rikpiMAEE9

— Sam Harrop (@sam_golf) July 6, 2020

I had to do this for you @sam_golf ??? pic.twitter.com/brLtCjjd3v

— Byeong Hun An (@ByeongHunAn) July 7, 2020

Since earning back his PGA Tour card for 2022-23, An has stayed busy, playing in 26 events. While only having two top-10 finishes, he’s made 19 cuts and sits 58th in the FedEx Cup standings with the top 70 cutoff for the Playoffs coming in a little more than a month.

It’s been a busy season for An on the PGA Tour, having played 26 events. While only having two top-10 finishes, he’s made 19 cuts and sits 58th in the FedEx Cup standings with the top 70 cutoff for the Playoffs coming in a little more than a month.

While it is possible to analyze scores like this one in Scotland almost endlessly, the explanation for how it came about is, more often than not, quite simple.

“When you’re playing well, everything goes your way,” An said. “We had the wind going up and down a little bit, but you can’t do much about that. And when the wind switches, you have to adjust to it and try to play that way. I feel like it wasn’t a consistent wind today but at the same time when I hit a shot, it didn’t switch right after impact. Basically, everything went my way.”

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Whether his third time playing in a Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club turns out to be lucky or not, Rory McIlroy is off to a best start at a venue where he has had little or no previous success. In 2019, the Northern Irishman finished T-34, and two years later he failed to qualify for the weekend. Not only that, his 2021 visit was marked by a bizarre incident.

Waiting to tee off on the 10th hole alongside Jon Rahm, McIlroy was chatting to his caddie, Harry Diamond, when a man appeared out of the gallery, grabbed the headcover off McIlroy’s driver and took one of his irons out of the bag. He then proceeded to make a couple of practice swings. All of which provoked a classic double-take from McIlroy and bemused looks from all concerned before a pair of security guards moved in to remove the intruder.

Rory McIlroy was part of a bizarre incident ahead of his second round at the Scottish Open, where a spectator came to the tee and took a club from his golf bag. ? pic.twitter.com/FUhNiE342Z

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 9, 2021

This year, so far at least, things are rolling along a little more smoothly. Again starting on the back nine, McIlroy was as many as five under par after only seven holes. Bogeys at the short 17th and the par-4 second slowed his progress. But normal service was resumed over the last seven holes, courtesy of an eagle at the par-5 third and what was a sixth and final birdie, on the 338-yard fifth hole. It all added up to a six-under-par 64 and an air of contentment around the four-time major champion.

“It was pretty comfortable, although I wouldn’t say it was easy,” said McIlroy of a bright and breezy morning at the Tom Doak design on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. “I got off to a great start and holed some nice putts early on. That got my eye in. As I said yesterday, I’m coming in here playing really good golf. I’ve been producing good results and getting myself in contention. So I’m just trying to do the same things while still adapting a little bit to the different conditions I’m going to face in the next couple of weeks.”

Octavio Passos

And that was as much as McIlroy had to say about next week’s Open Championship at Hoylake, the course where he became Champion Golfer of the Year back in 2014. Otherwise, he was all business, focused solely on the matter in hand.

“My mind is pretty much on this week,” he claimed, without even a hint of his tongue entering his cheek. “I’ve got myself off to a great start. I’d love to win the Scottish Open. This event is a massive deal in its own right. And what that could give me for the rest of the summer is important. Yes, we’ve got the Open Championship next week. But there is also the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai, too. So this is a big week. I’m focused on here, but in doing so I’m getting ready for more links golf next week.

“In fact, this week is a bit of a re-set,” he continued. “I didn’t touch my clubs for 10 days after the Travelers. Before the pro-am yesterday I had played only two rounds of golf and had two practice sessions. So I’d had a bit of time away. I have some really good feeling in my swing that are consistent. Even if I do take a bit of time away, I feel comfortable getting back into it. After today, I feel like I’ve returned just where I left off.”

Such was McIlroy’s mood, he even found time to comment on the shots he had hit the previous day with a persimmon wood.

Can’t beat the feeling of hitting out of the screws with a persimmon driver. pic.twitter.com/2anUxWwkZE

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) July 12, 2023

“Roll back the clubs,” he said with a smile. “Roll back the ball. Roll back everything. I see John Huggan nodding his head in agreement. I must say swinging a persimmon wood means you can’t swing as hard as you would with a [modern large clubhead]. You need to hit it out of the middle of the club face. And a persimmon wood looks about as big as a golf ball. It’s cool. It’s a throwback. And that’s why we have a few different tee boxes. We can always move forward and play some old equipment. Every now and then it’s fun to do it.”

Shooting 64 is too, of course.

The post ‘Roll everything back’: Rory McIlroy drops spicy equipment take after strong start to Scottish Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

One day after a group of Scottish Open competitors admitted to varying degrees of bemusement when faced with the inherently unpredictable nature of links golf, former Open champion Shane Lowry was clearly on the other side of this particular golfing coin.

The Irishman, owner of two of the most educated hands in the professional game, has some history by the seaside, much of it positive. Unforgettably the winner of golf’s oldest major at Royal Portrush in 2019, the 36-year-old also claimed the Irish Open title in foul conditions at County Louth in 2009, when he was still an amateur.

Lowry knows how to get things done when the wind is blowing, the rain is falling and many of his contemporaries are wishing they were somewhere other than enjoying a day out on the links.

“I’m not saying I don’t have to think about it at all, but I get back into links mode quite quickly,” said Lowry after playing nine holes at the Renaissance Club where this week he is making his first appearance in the Scottish Open since 2016. “I was actually chatting to Corey Connors about this yesterday. Coming back to links golf is a mental battle. In your mind, it’s hard to get yourself hitting, say, a 7-iron only 130 yards. That’s way more difficult than any physical aspect of the shot.

“So the big thing is seeing the shots, which is something I’ve always done pretty well. I have a good imagination for that sort of thing. I certainly don’t have to work on that or anything else specifically in order to get ready for the Open at Hoylake next week.”

RELATED: ‘It’s only golf’ as players prep for Open Championship at Scottish Open

Indeed, listening to Lowry talk of just how he plays golf by the seaside is an education for anyone looking to master the intricacies of the game’s most stimulating—and often vexing—format.

“Last week at home in Ireland I was hitting 8-irons only 120 yards or so,” he explained. “And I hit some nice shots. At times too, I went the extra mile and hit a 7-iron. Just to exaggerate the feel of what I was trying to do. It’s all about controlling the flight of the ball. Get that part right and judging how far the ball is going to go—downwind, or into the breeze—is more straightforward. Downwind can often be more difficult. It’s always hard to know how far a shot will carry when the breeze is at your back.

“I would agree that the trickiest part of all this is hitting the in-between shots the right distance, no matter what direction the wind is blowing. In those situations, it is all about feel. For me, the technique is almost irrelevant. I just get the yardage, feel the shot and do it.”

545331536 Shane Lowry on the 18th hole at Castle Stuart during the 2016 Scottish Open, the last time he’s played the event. Kevin C. Cox

Hang on though. The number? Isn’t that irrelevant for a man who is clearly an artist more than the sort of scientists that so dominate the modern game?

“The number is just a starting point really,” he added. “For example, let’s say I am 140 yards from the pin and the wind feels like it is going to deliver, say, 30 yards of hurt. So it’s a 170-yard shot. I hit my 8-iron 170 yards, but I know 8-iron is not the play. It will come up short, the ball climbing into the headwind. So I know I have to go down the grip on a 7-iron to keep the ball lower than normal. But at address all I’m thinking about is making a smooth swing. Again, it’s all about the feel.”

In a similar vein, Lowry expressed some contentment with regard to the sometimes-maligned Tom Doak-design he will be playing this week. Nine years ago, he competed in the Scottish Open at the notoriously difficult Royal Aberdeen and arrived at Hoylake for the Open feeling diminished both physically and mentally. The last thing he wants to be doing this week is struggling too mightily, even in conditions he knows play into his strengths.

“I do feel like I have an advantage over most players when it comes to links golf,” he contends. “I’m good in the wind. I see the game very well. That’s my biggest edge. I’m not one-dimensional. Which is not to say I don’t like to play in perfect weather. I do. But I know when the weather gets bad, I have the shots to cope with the conditions.”

As for why he is in Scotland this week rather than following his most recent habit of playing social golf on links at home, Lowry’s explanation is simple.

“It’s just scheduling,” he initially claimed. “Well, that and the fact that I need points for the FedEx Cup and the Ryder Cup.”

Speaking of the biennial contest with the Americans, Lowry is keen to make up for the heavy defeat the Europeans suffered at Whistling Straits two years ago. Already he is part of locker room chat on the subject with the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton.

“I’m obviously hoping to be part of the side again this year,” says Lowry. “I’m not nailed on yet. But the team is shaping up very well. I hear people saying they are hoping for a close match. But I’m not. Although I do think it would be amazing if it all comes down to the last few matches on Sunday afternoon. I was part of a team that got beat very badly last time. But the margins are fine. I think we lost by 10 points. But that is only five matches. Having said that, we have a score to settle. Of course, the Americans won’t be short of motivation either. It’s been 30 years since they have won over here. We are aware of that.”

Still, before all that, there is a big tournament and a major championship to be played. So much to look forward to.

“The thing I love most about the Open is the atmosphere,” Lowry concludes. “Being announced on the first tee is pretty good too. But it is the fans who make the Open what it is—the best tournament in the world.”

The post Shane Lowry easily able to slide into ‘links mode’ with 2 huge weeks ahead appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“So much fun.”
“Loved that the bounce and roll of the ball after landing is part of almost every shot.”
“It’s just so different.”
“I wish we played more of this on tour.”

All have merit, of course, but not often are such comments accompanied by a genuine delight in what traditionalists view as “proper golf.” Too often points are missed, the player stuck when asked to elaborate beyond the obvious.

Then there is Max Homa.

Speaking two months before the 32-year-old makes what will be his second appearance in the Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian, Homa, not for the first time, revealed himself as the rare example of someone who truly “gets” the intricacies and pleasures of golf by the seaside.

Not a huge surprise. Last year, fighting jet-lag, Homa first walked the Renaissance with only a putter and a few balls for company. He also took time to watch other players and how they handled shots unfamiliar to his Californian instincts.

“The type of golf you have to play, encompasses a ton,” he said. “You obviously have to hit the ball well and putt the ball well, but you need to have a creative mind and creative short game. You need to be patient. It brings out a lot in the golfer who finishes on top. I appreciate that a lot. You have to be a complete golfer to get it done for four days. Especially when the weather comes in. Then you have to be gritty and tough and able to adjust to the conditions. It’s an all-encompassing test.”

Anyway, after opening with a brace of 71s, the World No. 6 took himself off to nearby North Berwick for some extra-curricular play. Playing through the lengthy gloaming that is an annual feature in the Home of Golf, Homa finished in near total darkness around 11pm. And it did him no harm. The following day he nipped round Renaissance in 66 en route to an eventual T-16 finish.

I never do this but I couldn’t pass up a round at North Berwick. Ever since I saw the @NoLayingUp vid years ago I knew it was special. Lives up to the hype! https://t.co/a7lA2aWllZ

— max homa (@maxhoma23) July 8, 2022

All of which added up to an experience Homa clearly regards as one of the most memorable, if not spiritual, of his golf life. Ten months on, the smile that immediately followed a reminder of that week was clear evidence of that fact.

“Living in Arizona, it’s not so easy to get a tee-time and make it out to North Berwick,” he said. “So when I was there I had to take advantage. It was on my bucket list for a long time. I’d always wanted to play, and so I had to make the most of it. This year, I’ll try to do something similar just because there’s just so much great golf in that area.”

On that score, Homa is also correct. Quite apart from the fact that Muirfield is next door, the Renaissance is all but surrounded by high-quality links. It’s a lengthy list that includes the likes of Gullane (Nos. 1, 2 and 3), Luffness, Longniddry, Kilspindie and, only a few miles distant, Dunbar.

“Last year, I was obviously trying to play and win a golf tournament,” continued Homa, returning to his theme. “But I’m also human. I want to have some human golf dork experiences. And it worked out. I played great the next day after playing North Berwick. Sometimes when you get that joy of doing something you wanted to do since you were a kid, that can make you find that love for golf, the invigoration that it gives you. So last year was a blast. It was really, really great golf course. And just a really fun day.”

His general impressions over with, Homa was asked for more specific examples of the pleasure he gained during his short, unscheduled expedition off campus. He didn’t hesitate.

“I do remember little things, like just how heavy and strong the wind is mixed with some of that cold,” he said. “One shot that blew my mind. The 16th, a short par 4, has a crazy green.”

For those unfamiliar, the putting surface sits at an angle to the fairway, is raised in front, has a dip in the middle and is high again at the back.

“I happened to hit a good drive and it was in the most boring easy spot,” Homa said. “If it was in a golf tournament I would’ve been happy. But I was frustrated that day because my caddie Joe hit it short left and from 30 yards hit a 5-iron that bounced like four times went up and over, down and up again. It looked awesome. My coach had to hit like a hooking 8-iron from the right. I was very jealous of them getting to try something like that. But there’s so many different shots than what we normally hit. I just find that a lot of fun.”

Far from done, Homa’s active mind moved across the Firth of Forth to St Andrews and last year’s Open Championship. Over an Old Course he was seeing for the first time, the LA native played the first two rounds alongside Tiger Woods and US Open champion, Matt Fitzpatrick.

Max Homa and Matt Fitzpatrick hang back as Tiger Woods crosses the Swilcan Bridge at last year’s Open Championship at St Andrews. David Cannon

“The first day our round took six hours and 15 minutes,” said Homa. “We waited on every hole. All the crossing and everything slowed us down. We were on the 14th hole for like 50 minutes. I was talking to Matt, saying how weird of a day it was. I just never played a round longer. But we both agreed that it would have been a lot more frustrating if we weren’t playing with Tiger at St Andrews.

“Tiger didn’t play great but he had a few shots that, I don’t know how to explain them I guess, but you could just tell how much talent is in his hands,” continued Homa, diving into a description every golfer who has seen Woods on a course that calls for strategic nous more than just power can relate to. “It was so impressive. And his grind. The story we usually tell is on 17 on Friday. He couldn’t make the cut, and he had like an eight footer for par. To anybody in the world that meant nothing, but he called Joe LaCava to help read it and buried it. Right there it was just all those stories you hear about grinding and how much he cares about each and every shot.”

Oh, but he wasn’t done there.

“Watching Tiger walk up the last hole Friday with the heroes welcome was amazing,” Homa went on. “We obviously play to compete and win and it was a bummer of a week for me, but that memory is pretty awesome. I’ll tell my kid about that, and anybody who will listen, how fun that was. Every once in a while you get really lucky to be at the right place at the right time. I felt like I was that week. It was so cool to see that up close.”

It surely was. As is listening to Max Homa talk golf and golfers. He is a man who paints vivid pictures.

The post Max Homa recalls the time he went all ‘golf geek’ in Scotland appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

There are many contenders, Cameron Smith’s 64 at St Andrews on Sunday to win the 150th Open Championship joining the list. Some could point to Charl Schwartzel’s four straight closing birdies to clinch the 2011 Masters. Shaun Micheel’s wondrous 7-iron to within six inches of the flag on the final hole at Oak Hill will no doubt provide the 2003 PGA champion with some support. And those of a more elderly vintage might go for Arnold Palmer’s final-round 65 at Cherry Hills in 1960, a score that gave ‘The King’ his only US Open victory.

There are plenty of others, of course. And every one, no doubt, comes with a powerful/logical argument in its favour. But, in the end, they all come up short.

Here is your champion, your No. 1, the undoubted best of the best, the finish and finisher that finishes any and all debate about finishing.

The record book baldly states that Peter O’Malley — ‘Pom’ to his friends — shot 262, 18-under, at Gleneagles to win the 1992 Bell’s Scottish Open by two shots from eight-time European No. 1 Colin Montgomerie. Nick Faldo, who would go to Muirfield and win the Open Championship for a third time a week later, tied for third. Two other Masters winners, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam, occupied spots in the top 10.

But even that star-studded list of the vanquished only hints at what transpired three decades ago on the endlessly scenic Kings Course that this week plays host the British Senior Open. Here, ladies and gentlemen, is how the genial O’Malley, a stocky Australian known for his metronomic full swing and sometimes dodgy putting stroke, performed over the closing stretch that momentous day to win the first of three European Tour titles:
Eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle.

No, not a misprint. Seven-under. For five holes.

“When Nick Faldo and I arrived on the 14th tee, there was a bit of a delay,” recalls O’Malley, 27 at the time, who was one-under for the round at that point. “Nick isn’t known for talking much, but we actually had a conversation. I can’t remember what he said … I was probably too surprised that he was actually speaking to take anything in. Then again, at that stage I was more concerned with winning one of the five spots available in the Open.”

Faldo had the honour and found the front-left bunker at the green on the drivable par 4. O’Malley’s drive finished maybe 20 feet from the hole, which is when the soon-to-be champion got his big break.

“Nick’s bunker shot finished just outside my ball and on the same line, which was a big bonus for me,” O’Malley says. “He hit a great putt, but it broke a huge amount in the last couple of feet. So I got a great read. I’m sure I wouldn’t have holed my putt had it not been for Nick showing me the line. I probably would have hit the putt he did. But I didn’t. I can still remember the roar I got when I holed it. The noise was incredible. There was a big crowd watching us, Nick was World No. 1, and the atmosphere walking to the next tee was amazing. I had goosebumps when I got there.”

O’Malley’s drive off the 15th tee was uncharacteristically wayward, “the worst shot I hit all day.” But he got lucky.

“I hit it far enough right that I was on the spectator’s walkway,” explains O’Malley, whose other claim to fame in a long career came 10 years later, when he defeated Tiger Woods in the first round of the 2002 WGC-Accenture Match Play at La Costa (“Tiger putted like Pom and Pom putted like Tiger,” jokes former European Tour player Mike Clayton). “That was a big break. I had a good lie. And I hit a really good 5-iron to about 15 feet. When the putt was halfway to the cup, I knew it was going in. The 16th is the little par 3, and I hit an 8-iron to about 15 feet again. I was feeling pretty confident by that stage, and it went in again for birdie. It wasn’t until then that I thought I could win. Although I was really pumped up, that was the first time I had felt adrenaline and been able to control it.”

Montgomerie remembers O’Malley’s play from that day … and the Scottish saltire on his sweater. David Cannon

After another birdie on the par-4 17th, that surge of internal energy was to prove useful on the par-5 18th. The closing hole features a saddle across the fairway at what was an awkward distance for O’Malley. For him, an average drive would fail to carry the rise and leave him unable to reach the distance green in two. Happily though, for a pumped-up Pom it proved no problem.

“I hit one of the best drives of my life there,” he says. “I was still using a persimmon driver and flew it over the hill. Faldo couldn’t do it. He wasn’t that long off the tee for such a big man. I hit a 6-iron right at the flag and had about 15 feet for eagle. I saw the line and just stroked the putt. It wasn’t until the ball struck the back of the cup and jumped up that I realized I had maybe hit it a bit too hard. But it went in. At the time I didn’t realize I had won. There were a few groups still on the course. But I was aware of what I had just done.”

A couple of hours later, O’Malley and girlfriend (now wife) Jill were back at the Gleneagles Hotel. Due to pre-qualify for the Open at North Berwick the following day, he had checked-out that morning.

“They were very nice and gave us a suite at the same room rate I had paid for the previous nights,” O’Malley says. “We had dinner with a group of friends. I spent more on that meal than I had for everything else that week. The next day we checked into a B&B at North Berwick. When we went to a local pub for something to eat, everyone in there knew me. It really brought it home to me what a big deal golf is in Scotland. I’ll never forget that.”

O’Malley celebrates his out-of-nowhere victory. David Cannon

Oddly, the same cannot be said for Faldo. Asked for his memories of O’Malley’s incredible finish, the CBS commentator was stuck for words. Actually, not quite. “I love it when people think just because you were there you can remember what someone else did,” shrugged the six-time major champion.

Runner-up Montgomerie, who played that day in a sweater emblazoned with the Scottish Saltire, hasn’t forgotten though. Years later, the Scot bumped into O’Malley at a tournament.

“I was thinking of you yesterday,” said Monty, who shares a birthday, June 23, with the Aussie.

“Oh really? Why was that?”

“I got a couple of boxes in the mail from my ex-wife. In one was that bloody Saltire jumper.”

Three decades on, O’Malley still gets people reminding him of what went on July 11, 1992.

“It’s amazing what happened,” he agrees. “I’ve always had bursts like that though, where I start to make putts one after the other. But that was the most significant of those. It was a fantastic feeling and finish.”

The best ever actually.

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The post Remembering the greatest individual tournament finish in golf history 30 years later appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The American started the day four shots off the lead but three birdies put him in share and when he picked up another three gains in four holes from the 13th, he led by four.

A bogey-bogey finish took some of the gloss off his round but Schauffele will head into day four at seven-under as he looks for a first Rolex Series win.

“I had pretty much everything going,” Schauffele said. “I was judging the bounces well and making sort of the putts I need to and getting up-and-down when I was missing the green. Six birdies through 16, no complaints, and a tough finish.

“I’ll go to the range, get some better feels going into tomorrow but those are hard finishing holes. So overall, pretty okay with the day.

“I don’t want to think too far ahead but it would be very nice. It would be very special. It just proves that the game can travel, and beating an incredible field, one of the best of the year. I’m just going to focus on what I can do now and not get too carried away.”

Dubai-based Rafa Cabrera Bello is already a Rolex Series champion having won this event in 2017 and he was the closest challenger at five-under, a shot clear of England’s Jordan Smith and American duo Ryan Palmer and Jordan Spieth.

Schauffele arrived in Scotland as a man in form having also won his last start on the PGA Tour at the Travelers Championship after a run of four consecutive top-20 finishes.

Cameron Tringale started the day with a three-shot lead but he stumbled to a two-over 74 despite an eagle on the third

to sit at three under alongside U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who carded a 70, and American Alex Smalley who went round in 67.

There was then a group of eight players five shots off the lead including Swede Alexander Björk and Dane Rasmus Højgaard.

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The post Xander Schauffele aims to double up at Genesis Scottish Open as Dubai’s Rafa Cabrera Bello looms appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

On Friday after finishing up his second round at the Genesis Scottish Open, Thomas Bjorn a 15-time DP World Tour winner and former European Ryder Cup captain, was disqualified from the tournament for signing an incorrect scorecard.

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According to PGATour.com, the 51-year-old Dane shot an eight-over 78 during his second trip around the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, after posting a five-over 75 on Thursday. On the DP World Tour website, Bjorn was listed as having shot a 77. DP World Tour officials said that Bjorn signed for a 4 on the par-4 11th hole when he had shot 5. By mistakenly signing a card with a lower score on a hole than he had shot, Bjorn broke Rule 3.3b, which comes with a penalty of disqualification.

The frustration of the DQ not withstanding, it made little difference to Bjorn’s plans for the weekend. At 13-over, the member of the DP World Tour board was well back of the three-over cut line by the time he had finished his round.\

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The post Scorecard rules issue sees former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn disqualified at Scottish Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.