Tag: Noren

All four women’s major so far in 2023 have produced maiden major champions; Charley Hull among the hope hopes as she looks to win the AIG Women’s Open, five years on from Georgia Hall’s success; watch live on Thursday from 11am on Sky Sports Golf

Charley Hull hopes to take inspiration from close friend Georgia Hall and extend the run of first-time major winners this week at the AIG Women’s Open.

Hull finished runner-up at the Tournament of Champions in January and threatened a major breakthrough at the US Women’s Open last month, finishing tied-second behind Allisen Corpuz, then claimed second at the Aramco Team Series event at the Centurion Club in her next start.

The 27-year-old heads to Walton Heath having missed the cut in three of the four majors this year and never finished higher than 12th in her previous 11 AIG Women’s Open appearances, although hopes to match Hall’s 2018 success and enjoy victory on home soil.

“I finished second the week after the US Women’s Open and it gives me a bit of confidence,” Hull told Sky Sports ahead of the final women’s major of the year. “I feel good.

“I feel in a good mindset and I know what it takes to win events. It would be great to win on home soil, just like Georgia (Hall) did a few years ago. You’ve got to be aggressive to win any tournament I think, certainly for me anyway. I enjoy playing that way and I find it fun.

“It’s really special, especially when it’s in England! We don’t play enough tournaments at home and I’m so much a home person. I love being at home – it makes me happy. I’m looking forward to having my friends and family down there.”

Hall relishing Boutier pairing at Walton Heath

Hall will play alongside Solheim Cup team-mate Celine Boutier for the first two rounds, who is chasing her third consecutive LPGA Tour victory after following a maiden major title on home soil at the Evian Championship by winning the Women’s Scottish Open on Sunday.

“I have been in contention a couple of times after winning in 2018 and it gave me a bit of a boost coming down the stretch,” Hall told Sky Sports. “Hopefully I can be in a good position come the weekend but I am just going to look forward to my tee shot on Thursday first.

“I played with Celine (Boutier) quite a lot this year already and I know her quite well from being partners in Solheim. We have been partners in the Solheim for the past two and I am just really pleased for her winning the last two (events).

“Winning in your home country, I know what that feels like and she is such a lovely person, we will have a lot of fun out there. Mentally it is very tiring, especially being on top of the leaderboard and winning two in a row.

“I don’t know what that feels like but I bet she has got a lot of confidence going into this week and she strikes the ball well so it will be a good couple of days with her.”

A British winner at Walton Heath?

Hall became just the fourth Englishwoman in history to win a major, following on from Karen Stupples, Alison Nicholas and Dame Laura Davies, while Catriona Matthew – the only other British female major champion after the Scot won the 2009 contest – is back several of the British contingent to impress.

“Obviously Charley (Hull) grew up playing this kind of golf down here and had a great US Women’s Open, so I think she will be looking to have a good week,” Matthew told Sky Sports. “Then Georgia, she has been playing well on and off this year, and is a previous winner as well.

“There is a lot of home talent. Gemma Dryburgh of course from Scotland is the Scottish hope that has been coming into some form again this year, so some good ones to look for.”

On whether Dryburgh can force her way into Solheim Cup consideration with a strong performance, Matthew added. “I think even if they sat it is not [on their minds], I am sure it will be there in the back it.

Gemma knows that if she can just have a good result here, that would hopefully just sew up her potentially pick or get her in the reckoning with Suzann (Pettersen). As much as you say you’re not thinking about it, it is always there lurking in the back of your mind especially with only a couple of weeks to go until the teams are announced.”

Watch the AIG Women’s Open this week live on Sky Sports. The preview show is live on Wednesday August 9 from 4pm on Sky Sports Golf, while coverage of the opening round starts on Thursday August 10 at 11am. Stream the AIG Women’s Open with NOW.

Increase in no-cut events and events with limited fields; eight ‘signature events’ form part of 36-event regular season; PGA Tour says new-look schedule will create “excitement for our fans and reward players like never before”; watch the PGA Tour live on Sky Sports Golf

The PGA Tour has released a new “reimagined” schedule for the 2024 season, which features more no-cut events than ever before and an increased $25m prize for the winner of the FedExCup.

Returning to a calendar-year schedule for the first time since 2012, the PGA Tour has described the events as being “interconnected like never before to deliver maximum drama and consequence”.

The FedExCup Regular Season will consist of 36 events.

The 2024 season begins in early January with the ‘Opening Drive’ double-header at The Sentry and Sony Open in Hawaii, and runs through to the Wyndham Championship in early August.

These tournaments include the four majors, The Players Championship and eight ‘signature events’.

At the end of the regular season, the top 70 players will advance to the FedExCup Playoffs.

“We are excited about the roll-out of the PGA Tour’s reimagined schedule and what the season will offer to our fans: a January start with stars competing head-to-head more often, alongside the weekly drama of life-altering moments and the emergence of new stars,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.

“While winning on the PGA Tour continues to be the ultimate – and most difficult – challenge, we have further connected every tournament, with more at stake each week.

“From The Sentry through the FedExCup Playoffs and into the soon-to-be-announced FedExCup Fall, this new, cadence will create consistent excitement for our fans and reward players like never before.

“We are grateful to the membership – especially the Player Directors and Player Advisory Council – as well as our tournaments and partners for the collaboration that has set us up for an exciting 2024.”

The release of the 2024 calendar comes two months after the the PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced a shock proposed agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which funds LIV Golf, to form a new joint commercial entity in order to “unify the game”.

The ‘signature events’ explained

Previously referred to as ‘designated events’ in 2023, the newly-renamed signature events underline the continued evolution of the PGA Tour’s season format.

The eight events are limited-field tournaments with increased prize money and FedExCup points.

Five of these will not feature a cut, but the three player-hosted invitationals – The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament – will still feature a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties and any player within 10 shots of the lead.

The eight ‘signature events’ are as follows:

• The Sentry (January 1-7)
• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (January 29-February 4)
• The Genesis Invitational (February 12-18)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 4-10)
• RBC Heritage (April 15-21)
• Wells Fargo Championship (May 6-12)
• the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (June 3-9)
• Travelers Championship (June 17-23)

Explaining the qualification process for these events, the PGA Tour said in a statement: “The 2024 schedule cadence connects events through several new eligibility paths, allowing trending players to earn Signature Event starts and ensuring every member the opportunity to compete alongside the game’s best.

“The Sentry is the season’s first Signature Event and includes PGA TOUR winners from the previous calendar year as well as the top 50 members from the 2022-23 FedExCup standings (i.e. those who qualify for the BMW Championship, the second FedExCup Playoffs event).

“Eligibility for the remaining seven Signature Events (field sizes anticipated to be between 70-80 players) includes the top 50 members from the 2022-23 FedExCup standings and 15 members who can play their way in through The Next 10 and The Swing 5.”

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is a new addition to that list for 2024 and will feature a revised format. Amateurs will now compete alongside professionals (80 players) over the first two rounds, with the competition limited to professionals only for the final two rounds.

Beem: Designated events with cuts will create more excitement

2002 PGA Championship winner and Sky Sports’ Rich Beem on the new calendar:

“Looking at the schedule I think there’s very few surprises. The designated events and those three which are designated, where they will have cuts – the ones that Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer host – they are going to have a cut into the low 50 [players] and then it will be an increased purse to the winner from $3.6m to $4m.

“I think that will create a lot more excitement for fans at home and for us watching on TV just for the simple fact that a lot of times this year, especially on Fridays, we are looking at a lot of drama for some players trying to finally make the cut.

“If you look at the way, even the top players in the world play the game at the highest level, they are grinding it as much as they possibly can to stick around for the final 36 because they know anything is possible.

“I’m glad we have at least three of those designated events, out of the eight, that are going to go ahead and have a cut line. I think that’s going to be really valuable. What happens with that will determine whether we have cuts going forward in those designated events.”

Watch all the women’s majors, the Solheim Cup, the Ryder Cup and the end of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour seasons exclusively live over the coming months on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the best sport with NOW

Two-time Open winner Padraig Harrington sits 60th on the European Points List and 44th on the World Points List as he aims to become the oldest player in Ryder Cup history; Harrington looking to earn more qualification points at The 151st Open, live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf

Time is running out for players to force their way into Ryder Cup consideration, but could a former captain be an option as a captain’s pick for Team Europe in Rome?

The qualification campaign for Luke Donald’s team runs until the start of September, when the three leading players on the European Points List and the next three on the World Points List will be joined by six captain’s picks.

Several of Europe’s last Ryder Cup team will be unable to compete this time around after switching to LIV Golf, while Padraig Harrington – who was captain for the 2021 loss at Whistling Straits – remaining hopeful of forcing his way into Donald’s plans.

Harrington is without a DP World Tour victory since 2016 but has won five times in 13 months on the PGA Tour Champions, where he has posted top-seven finishes in six of his eight starts, with the former major looking to impress again in The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool.

The 51-year-old would become the oldest player in Ryder Cup history should be make a seventh appearance for Team Europe at Marco Simone Golf Club, with former team-mate Darren Clarke and major-winning coach Pete Cowen both backing him to be selected.

“I would pick him, definitely,” Cowen said on the R&A’s On the Range show. “The way he’s playing and his experience. He’ll be great in the team room and you can rely on him under pressure

“He’s playing great, so he definitely would be in my team.”

Cowen’s views were echoed by Clarke, who told Sky Sports News: “There’s competition there for spots, but the way Harrington’s been playing with us out in on the Champions Tour, he’s hitting the ball further now than he’s ever hit the ball.

“His game is so solid to the green. He’s playing wonderfully well so that’s a good position for Luke (Donald) to have choices of guys playing well, so if he were to pick Padraig (Harrington) I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Harrington open to schedule change to boost hopes

Harrington finished fourth at the season-opening Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and posted a top 10 on the PGA Tour in April at the Valero Texas Open, with the Irishman also performing well at the US Open and impressing at the Genesis Scottish Open before fading over the weekend.

The three-time major winner had intended to play on the PGA Tour Champions over the summer, although would be open to playing more on the DP World Tour if it will enhance his chances of a first Ryder Cup appearance since 2010.

“I’ve been playing better, getting better and doing things better, Harrington told Sky Sports on Friday. “The Champions Tour has got me focused better and I’ve started putting better.

“So I’m in a nice place, I’ll see how I play over the next two weeks [Scottish Open and The Open] then have a chat with Luke (Donald) and if necessary I’ll change my schedule and come back and play a few in Europe.

“My intention was to go play some Champions Tour events but if I’m genuinely in contention then I’m prepared to make the effort and change my schedule and come back and prove it.”

Team Europe as it stands

Rory McIlroy extended his advantage at the top of the European Points List with his stunning victory at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday, where he birdied his final two holes to claim a second successive Rolex Series title.

McIlroy leads Jon Rahm on that list and closed the gap on the Spaniard on the World Points List, while Robert MacIntyre moved above Yannik Paul and Adrian Meronk into the automatic qualification spots with his runner-up finish at the Renaissance Club.

Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick hold the other automatic spots as things stand, while Tommy Fleetwood, Victor Perez and Shane Lowry are lurking close behind with just a handful of qualification events remaining.

Which LIV players could feature for Team USA?

The majors are the only opportunity for LIV players from America to earn Ryder Cup qualification points, meaning this week’s event is the last chance to impress and force them into Zach Johnson’s plans for Team USA.

Koepka is well-placed to qualify automatically after following his runner-up finish at The Masters by winning the PGA Championship this year, while a strong performance this week could mathematically secure him a spot for Team USA.

DeChambeau posted a top-four finish during Koepka’s win at Oak Hill and finished runner-up in last month’s LIV event at Valderrama, where Gooch strengthened his claim for a captain’s pick by registering a third victory of the season.

Johnson – who won all five of his matches in Team USA’s record-breaking Ryder Cup win in 2021 – arrives with top-10 finishes in his last three worldwide starts, while Reed was only one stroke back during the latest LIV Golf League event in London earlier this month.

If any of the American contingent were crowned Champion Golfer of the Year this week, it would be difficult for Johnson not to include them among his six captain’s picks when he finalises his team at the end of August.

Watch The 151st Open throughout the week exclusively live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening round begins on Thursday July 20 from 6.30am on Sky Sports Golf.

The non-solicitation clause in the agreement stated that the PIF, the PGA Tour and European tour would no longer “solicit or recruit any players who are members of the other tours or organizations to become members of their respective organizations”

The PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund have responded to a Justice Department inquiry by dropping a clause in their agreement that would have prohibited the poaching of players.

The Justice Department’s antitrust review began last summer and expanded when the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s PIF agreed to a partnership.

The non-solicitation clause was part of the framework agreement announced June 6 and signed by the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF.

The agreement, still being negotiated and requiring PGA Tour board approval, is for the parties to form a for-profit company that would pool commercial businesses and rights. During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price said PIF would contribute at least $1bn.

Key to the agreement was dropping all antitrust litigation, which a federal judge signed off on last month. Below that section was the non-solicitation clause that said PIF, the PGA Tour and European tour would no longer “solicit or recruit any players who are members of the other tours or organizations to become members of their respective organizations.”

The clause was effective May 30, when the agreement was signed.

Following the removal of the clause, the PGA Tour told Sky Sports: “The Framework Agreement sets the stage for an exciting future for professional golf that re-establishes competition at the highest levels of the sport and creates the biggest stage for everyone – players, sponsors, and fans.

“Based on discussions with staff at the Department of Justice, we chose to remove specific language from the Framework Agreement.

“While we believe the language is lawful, we also consider it unnecessary in the spirit of cooperation and because all parties are negotiating in good faith.”

The Times reported antitrust experts warned the clause could violate federal law if it threatened the integrity of the labour market and promised to stifle competition for players, who are independent.

The agreement sets a December 31 deadline for finalizing the deal, though both sides can agree to an extension and with LIV Golf having a set 48-man roster for this season, alternates are available for injury, it was unlikely any player would have left for LIV until the 2024 season.

McIlroy: I would rather retire than join LIV

Rory McIlroy has made it abundantly clear how he felt about short-lived proposals that he and Tiger Woods could own LIV Golf teams and play in at least 10 events a season.

Before the agreement was reached between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and PIF, PCP Capital Partners gave a presentation to two PGA Tour officials entitled “The Best of Both Worlds” that featured the McIlroy and Woods proposal as part of a lengthy wish-list which included PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan becoming a member of the R&A and Augusta National.

Neither had any chance of success even if McIlroy – who said he still “hated” LIV when the framework agreement was announced – has now taken a step back from his role as the biggest advocate of the PGA Tour.

“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on earth I would retire. That’s how I feel about it,” McIlroy said after an opening 64 in the Genesis Scottish Open, which is live on Sky Sports.

“There’s quite a bit of apathy towards everything at the moment.

“There wasn’t a lot of new information there for me [in the Senate hearing], there maybe was for other people, but as I said, I’ve almost been too close to it over the last year and a bit so it’s nice to be able to try to distance myself a bit from it.

“The thing that I’ve realised is, no matter what I do or say or try to show leadership, I’m going to be just fine.

“I’ve tried to step up for maybe the guys that didn’t have a voice early on, but I think with everything that’s transpired over the last few weeks the players are going to find themselves more and more at the table to try to get whatever that is they want out of it.

“Again, as long as I get to play the golf that I’ve known over the last 15 years of my career, I’ll be happy.”

Watch The Scottish Open between July 13-16 ahead of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool from July 20-23, both live on Sky Sports.

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf announced a historic partnership at the beginning of this month; Sir Nick Faldo, who is hosting this week’s Betfred British Masters, believes world No 3 Rory McIlroy can be the chief beneficiary of the proposed new partnership

Sir Nick Faldo believes Rory McIlroy can be the key beneficiary of the current state of flux within golf.

The Northern Irishman finished second in the US Open earlier this month and is currently ranked third in the world, behind world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and the Spaniard Jon Rahm.

After the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf announced a historic partnership at the beginning of June, it seems that the chaos which enveloped the top end of the sport may finally be headed towards a conclusion.

Faldo believes McIlroy can thrive following the shock agreement being struck – and reckons his runner-up finish in the US Open shows how well he’s playing.

“We criticise him for finishing second,” said Faldo. “He’s playing beautifully so if he can just get those wedges a smidgen closer, that changes everything.

“Putting under pressure, to putting for birdie, is a huge difference. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s seriously inspired at Hoylake. That’s where he won last time (the 2014 Open).

“There is scar tissue from nine years without a major and not too many players have come back from a long gap and then go on to reboot your career and win more, but I’m sure he would just love to be able to bowl up, go and practice and play with minimal off-course work and interference.

“You need that when you’re trying to play your best. You’ve got to have that all day long.”

McIlroy admitted he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” when the proposed deal was announced, the four-time major winner having emerged as the public face of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV.

The following week, he cancelled his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, where he finished second to Wyndham Clark to extend his major championship drought.

“I’m pretty sure Rory’s suffered from being constantly asked, being a spokesman (for the PGA Tour),” Faldo said. “You want a clear head when you go and play golf, you want to be able to concentrate.

“I’d rather be playing well and fending off questions about why I finished second than why I finished 152nd. If you finish second, it’s stewards’ inquiry and a dissection but he’s there, he’s playing that well every week.”

Faldo: LIV will not survive | Mickelson: We have confidence in LIV

Earlier this month, the PGA Tour announced it was creating a new commercial entity with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway circuit.

The deal is subject to judicial scrutiny in the United States and details remain thin on the ground, but the “framework agreement” does state that LIV’s future will be determined by the new entity, whose board will be controlled by a PGA Tour majority.

Asked ahead of the British Masters if LIV can survive, tournament host and six-time major winner Faldo said: “I don’t think so, because nobody’s really interested.

“They’re not going to get the sponsorship that they want. They call it a team (event) and it’s not because it’s strokeplay.

“You see your mates on the putting green and say ‘play well’ and you see them in the scorers tent and say ‘What did you shoot?’ That’s it. A team is out there helping, shoulder to shoulder. That’s a true team.

“You have the ultimate team event, the Ryder Cup, you know the passion and the atmosphere of that. They’re not playing with the same passion and atmosphere as the Ryder Cup.

“It’s only half a dozen (players) that are really current, half of the field I don’t really know and half the field are there for the very nice last-placed money that you still get if you shoot 20 over.”

Unsurprisingly, LIV player and HyFlyers team captain Phil Mickelson has a different view and believes everything that the rebels were promised by LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman is coming to pass.

“I think that right now we have basically an agreement to have an agreement and everything over the last couple of years that we’ve been told by Greg and everybody on LIV has come to fruition, so we have a lot of confidence in what they have been saying to us because everything has been happening,” Mickelson said, ahead of the LIV event in Valderrama.

Asked if he felt vindicated by developments, Mickelson added: “I would say I felt appreciation that we got to this point where we’re working together because it makes me confident with where the game of golf is headed in the future.

“We felt like it was going to be about two years roughly before we got to that point. It took a year and a half, or six months quicker than I thought it would be.”

Watch live coverage of both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour on Sky Sports from Thursday with the Betfred British Masters from 1pm and the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic from 6.30pm, both live on Sky Sports Golf.

The US Open saw multiple holes-in-one, two players breaking the lowest round recorded in tournament history and a host of records broken; We look at some of the key moments from Wyndham Clark’s one-shot victory and maiden major title

Wyndham Clark etched his name into the history books with his victory at the US Open, becoming golf’s latest first-time major champion as part of a record-breaking week in Los Angeles.

Clark followed his breakthrough PGA Tour title last month at the Wells Fargo Championship by registering a maiden major, finishing a shot clear of Rory McIlroy at Los Angeles Country Club, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler claiming third spot ahead of Open champion Cameron Smith.

It’s the seventh time in eight years the US Open has produced a first-time major winner, while the tournament will remain long in the memory for all the note-worth records equalled or broken during an entertaining week.

Benign conditions and favourable pins on Thursday saw six players card scores of 65 or lower, the most in single round at a US Open, with this year’s opening round marking the first time in the tournament’s history that the whole field has managed to post a sub-80 score.

Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele were the standout performers on a low-scoring opening day, with Fowler becoming the first player in US Open history to card a ’62 round’ after posting 10 birdies – equalling another record – to set the clubhouse target at eight under.

Schauffele matched Fowler’s total just over 20 minutes later after his bogey-free start to the week, with the pair joining Branden Grace – who set the initial record at The Open in 2017 – in equalling the lowest round in major history.

The field scoring average was 71.38 on Thursday, the lowest for an opening round of the US Open and the third lowest recorded at the event, while the par-three 15th became just the third hole in a US Open to give up multiple holes-in-one on the same day.

Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns both made aces on the opening day, with Matt Fitzpatrick then becoming the first defending champion to make a hole-in-one when he posted the third of the tournament on the par-three 15th early in the second round.

Fowler continued to set more records on his way to opening up a one-shot halfway lead, with the 34-year-old birdieing his opening three holes to move to 11 under quicker than any player has ever managed in the tournament’s history.

A rollercoaster second round saw Fowler post just four pars in a two-under 68, with the American smashing the 36-hole tournament record for most birdies by adding eight on Friday to take his tally to 18.

Fowler’s 130 shots taken across the first two days also equalled the lowest 36-hole score in US Open history, matching the total set by Martin Kaymer on his way to victory in 2014, with tournament records continuing to tumble over the weekend.

Attention on Saturday once again centred around the par-three 15th, which became the shortest hole in US Open history when it measured at just 81 yards. That was some 219 yards shorter than the yardage for the par-three seventh, which was just a yard short from tying the longest par-three in the tournament’s history.

Tom Kim made an early weekend charge with a front-nine 29 in his third round, reeling off six birdies in a fast start, while Austin Eckroat also turned in 29 on Sunday to also equal the lowest nine-hole score ever recorded at the US Open.

It was the first time two 29s have been recorded in one week at a US Open, while Tommy Fleetwood became the first player to recorded multiple 63s in the US Open and just the fourth to do so in major history during his stunning final round.

Fleetwood’s fast finish saw him match the same total he posted on the final day of the 2018 contest, lifting him into tied-fifth, as McIlroy fell just short in his bid for a fifth major title and first since 2014.

McIlroy ended the week on nine under and with a total score of 271, the lowest 72-hole total at the US Open a non-winner, with the 59 greens in regulation made during the week also a tournament record for someone who didn’t go on to claim victory.

What’s next?

The PGA Tour heads to TPC River Highlands next for the Travelers Championship, with McIlroy and Scheffler part of a strong field scheduled to feature 23 of the world’s top 30. Early coverage begins on Thursday from midday via the red button on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 8pm.

Three of the four men’s majors are now completed, with The 151st Open taking place at Royal Liverpool from July 20-23 and exclusively live on Sky Sports.

Brooks Koepka, who won the US Open in 2017 and 2018, claimed a fifth major last month with a two-shot victory at the PGA Championship; Can Koepka enjoy more major success? Watch the US Open live on Thursday from 3pm on Sky Sports Golf

Brooks Koepka is relishing more “chaos” at the US Open as he looks to follow on from his PGA Championship success and continue his ambitious pursuit of a double-digit major tally.

Koepka won four majors between 2017 and 2019 before seeing his career hampered by injury, with the former world No 1 then switching from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit last summer.

The American bounced back from squandering a two-shot lead in the final round of The Masters in April, where he finished tied-second as Jon Rahm claimed victory, to claim a fifth major title with a two-shot victory at Oak Hill last month.

Koepka is among the pre-tournament favourites once again at Los Angeles Country Club, with the 33-year-old confident of focusing on his own game in a week where conversation is dominated by the shock agreement between the tours to try and unify the sport.

“The more chaotic things get, the easier it gets for me,” Koepka explained in his pre-tournament press conference. “Everything starts to slow down and I am able to focus on whatever I need to focus on while everybody else is dealing with distractions, worried about other things.

“I think there’s a few of them [reasons why he peaks at majors], but I think it [enjoying chaos] is definitely one of them. I enjoy the chaos.

“I’m pretty sure I know what it takes to compete in majors. I’ve won five of them and been second four times. And just over my track record how to prepare when you’re here, how to prepare when you’re home for it, I’ve got that, I guess, on lock.”

Koepka sets ambitious major target

Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Walter Hagen are the only male golfers in history to win 10 or major titles in their careers, although Koepka feels he can join that group after a PGA Championship victory he describes as the favourite of his major titles.

“They all mean something different, but this last one [PGA Championship], for all the stuff I had to deal with, all the pain, the tears, all the stuff that went into it,” Koepka, who won the US Open in 2017 and 2018, added.

“Like I said, there’s probably five, seven people in this whole world that really know what I went through and that were there every step of the way. I think they enjoyed it maybe even more than I did.”

On his major target, Koepka said: “I think one thing that was always harped on me was you knew how many majors Jack [Nicklaus] has, you knew how many Tiger [Woods] has, you knew how many Arnold Palmer has, you knew how many Gary Player, [Tom] Watson, all these legends, but I never knew how many PGA Tour events or wins they had total.

“That’s what you’re judged on. It’s major championships. You look at basketball, you’re judged on how many championships you’ve won, not how many games you’ve won. Same thing in every sport.

“Like I said, double digits, that’s what I’m trying to get to. I don’t think it’s out of the question for me. I think the way I’ve prepared, the way I’ve kind of suited my game for these things is going to help me.

“I’m only 33, so I’ve definitely got quite a bit of time. I’ve just got to stay healthy and keep doing what I’m doing.”

Could Koepka return to the PGA Tour?

Koepka was left surprised by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour’s plans to merge their commercial operations with the golf-related businesses of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), who bankroll LIV, although refused to get drawn on his future career plans.

“We [LIV players] didn’t hear anything about it,” Koepka explained. I think that’s the one thing that shocked everybody the most. I ran into Rickie [Fowler] and JT [Justin Thomas] after watching the whole thing and I asked if they knew, and they said they didn’t know.

“I’m not going to go into the future. I don’t have a crystal ball with me. I’m just worried about the US Open. If I can get to [major] No 6 pretty quick, that would be nice. It’s a lot of what-if games. I’m not going to play the what-if game. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.”

Who will win the US Open? Watch the third men’s major of the year exclusively live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 3pm on Sky Sports Golf.

Rory McIlroy’s pre-tournament preparations ahead of the RBC Canadian Open saw him fielding questions about the shock deal between golf’s main tours; Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick both warned of the challenge ahead in integrating LIV golfers back on the PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy was relieved to be back focusing on his own game after the staggering announcement from golf’s tours left for an “uncomfortable” experience ahead of the RBC Canadian Open.

The sporting world was left stunned by Tuesday’s news that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund (PIF) – who bankroll LIV Golf – were creating a newly formed commercial operation to unify the sport, a year on from the launch of the Saudi-backed series.

McIlroy, who has regularly spoken out in support of golf’s traditional tours over the past 12 months, only found out the news a few hours before the story broke and admitted to feeling like a “sacrificial lamb” in his role to try and fend off the challenge from LIV Golf.

The world No 3 – chasing a third consecutive Canadian victory – mixed five birdies with four bogeys during an opening-round 71 at Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto, where McIlroy tried to move on from a remarkable week for the sport.

“The most uncomfortable I’ve felt in the last 12 months was my press conference yesterday,” McIlroy admitted on Thursday. “I would say my energy levels on Tuesday and Wednesday were diminishing quite quickly.

“I wouldn’t say I viewed the PGA Tour as through that altruism lens per se. At the end of the day, this is business and my job is playing golf. So the more that I can focus on that and focus on the birdies and the bogeys instead of the stuff that’s happened in the board room, I’ll be much happier.”

Mcllroy was playing alongside Justin Rose, who posted an opening-round 69, with the pair failing in their pursuit to avoid talking about the week’s shock news during their round.

“Rosie [Justin Rose] and I said, ‘all right, no chatting until lunch’ so that we can actually concentrate on what we’re doing out there,” McIlroy added.

“We started to get in a conversation walking down the first and we’re like, ‘No, let’s stop this. Let’s just focus on our golf and we’ll say what we want to say when we get inside’.”

Rose: Golf merger will ‘need some massaging’

Rose admitted post-round that he initially questioned whether news of the agreement was a prank, given the turbulent past year for the sport, with the former world No 1 not expecting immediate harmony within the sport.

“The news was definitely left field,” Rose said. “The headline seems like it’s just going to be this very smooth transition and ‘come on back, boys, it’s all done now’. I don’t think that’s the case. I still think I’m happy where I am. I’d probably be more concerned if I was on LIV right now than on the PGA Tour.

“We’re looking for a harmonious world of golf. This is what I think this is designed to achieve. That’s not going to be overnight. Obviously there’s a lot of players that you guys want to watch play golf, who we know are on LIV. They’ve got a lot to offer the game of golf. I think just because they made a certain decision doesn’t mean they’re outcasts forever.

“I don’t know what the protocols will be, to be honest with you. I think there would be if it’s just a straight, ‘hey, boys, come on back’, that’s not going to sit well with anybody out here necessarily. So I’m sure it’s going to need some massaging to get it right.

“There’s a lot of guys that have gone to LIV that, I don’t even know what’s going to happen, obviously, but they have sacrificed a lot as well in terms of ranking and all these times of things. So there might not be such an easy step for a few of them if that’s the case.”

LIV Golf members will have option to re-apply for membership with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour following the completion of the 2023 season, with US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick expecting some players from golf’s traditional tours to be disappointed for previously turning down big-money offers to join the rival circuit.

“There’s a million and one things going on right now,” Fitzpatrick explained. “It’s obviously a tough question to answer. I never really got a formal offer [from LIV] anyway. It wasn’t something I was interested in from the start. I purely spoke to them purely out of being nosy as to what they’re going to do, what they’re going to, what’s the setup going to be.

“For me it didn’t really make a difference. I was always going to be on the PGA Tour. Obviously for the guys that did turn down significant amounts of money then that’s probably a tough one to swallow and I feel for them.

“Whether everyone comes back and plays in the field, I’ve still got to beat them in front of me. Obviously there’s a potential sour taste in there for some guys coming back. But at the end of the day, you’re trying to beat the course and that’s what I’m going to try and concentrate on.”

Watch the RBC Canadian Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Early coverage of the second round begins on Friday from midday via the red button, ahead of full coverage from 8pm on Sky Sports Golf.

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf announced on Tuesday they are merging to form “a new collectively owned” entity; the sensational announcement surprised players and pundits alike and has received a mixed reaction from the world of golf and beyond

The world of golf has been expressing its surprise, shock and feelings of betrayal at the stunning announcement that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf are to merge to form a new entity.

More than a year of contention and litigation between LIV and the established Tours and the players who joined the new competition ended in the most astonishing and abrupt fashion on Tuesday with the announcement the three bodies had set up a new commercial entity to “unify golf”.

One American player, Wesley Bryan, replied to the PGA Tour tweet confirming the merger by writing: “Love finding out info on Twitter. This is amazing. Y’all should be ashamed and have a lot of questions to answer.

“I feel betrayed, and will not be able to trust anyone within the corporate structure of the PGA Tour for a very long time.”

The move came as a huge surprise to many professionals, with Canadian Mackenzie Hughes tweeting: “Nothing like finding out through Twitter that we’re merging with a tour that we said we’d never do that with.”

PGA Tour golfer Michael Kim questioned how many people had known the merger was to happen.

He tweeted: “The hell is going on? Very curious how many people knew this deal was happening. About 5-7 people? Player run organization right?”

But six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, one of the players who joined LIV Golf, described the merger as “awesome news”

And Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, who left the DP World Tour for LIV Golf, said: “Common sense has prevailed!!!”

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman had been a notable absentee from the press release announcing the merger, and it later transpired he had only been told about it moments before the news was made public.

But late on Tuesday he tweeted: “A great day in global golf for players and fans alike. The journey continues!!”

Not getting in on the social media reaction was Rory McIlroy, who spent the past year vehemently defending the PGA Tour against LIV before going quiet on the topic in recent weeks.

South Korea’s Byeong-Hun An, known as Ben An on the PGA Tour, and former winner of the BMW PGA Championship, labelled the merger a “win-win” for the PGA Tour and LIV Golf but a “big lose” for players who had remained loyal to the Tour.

He tweeted: “I’m guessing the LIV teams were struggling to get sponsors and PGA Tour couldn’t turn down the money.

“Win-win for both tours but it’s a big lose for those who defended the tour for the last two years.”

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers welcomed the news of the agreement, writing in a statement: “We are pleased that an agreement has been reached which will help men’s professional golf move forward in a collaborative, constructive and innovative fashion.

“We care deeply about golf’s future and are committed to ensuring that the sport continues to thrive for many years to come.

“This agreement represents a huge step toward achieving that goal for golf and we look forward to working with the new entity for the benefit of the sport globally.”

Masters chairman Fred Ridley said: “As we have expressed previously, what makes golf special is its rich history and ability to bring people together. We are encouraged by this announcement, which represents a positive development in bringing harmony to men’s professional golf.

“Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament are-and will remain-devoted to developing the game and celebrating its many virtues.”

Sky Sports Golf analyst and 2014 European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley told Sky Sports News: “Any day that golf is united is a good day.

“The last two years it has not been united. It has been a diluted product for the consumer. There has been a lot of acrimony among the players and the tours.

“It has been very fractious. And the fact it’s going to be united again – in whatever form that may be – is obviously a good day.”

Sky Sports Golf analyst Rich Beem added: “It’s definitely historic news, we’ll have to wait to see if it’s a positive historic.”

The new entity will be powered by Saudi Arabia’s financial muscle, with the statement confirming the merger saying that the Middle Eastern country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would “make a capital investment into the new entity to facilitate its growth and success”.

Amnesty International expressed concern at what it saw as a further attempt by Saudi Arabia to launder its human rights record through the vehicle of sport.

“While this may have taken some golf fans and commentators by surprise, it’s really just more evidence of the onward march of Saudi sportswashing,” Amnesty UK’s Felix Jakens said.

“It’s been clear for some time that Saudi Arabia was prepared to use vast amounts of money to muscle its way into top-tier golf – just part of a wider effort to become a major sporting power and to try to distract attention from the country’s atrocious human rights record.”

And the 9/11 Families United organisation – a group of survivors and the families of victims of the September 11 2001 terror attacks – said it was “shocked and deeply offended” by the merger.

“Mr. Monahan (PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan) talked last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television whether LIV Golfers ever had to apologise for being a member of the PGA Tour,” the organisation said in a statement.

“They do now – as does he. PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed. Our entire 9/11 community has been betrayed by Commissioner Monahan and the PGA as it appears their concern for our loved ones was merely window-dressing in their quest for money – it was never to honour the great game of golf.”

Michael Block, a 46-year-old club professional based in California, carded back-to-back 70s to moved into contention at the PGA Championship; Watch him throughout the weekend at Oak Hill live on Sky Sports Golf

As the world’s best battled to make the cut at the PGA Championship, a veteran professional who charges $125 for a lesson was creating his own Cinderella story at Oak Hill.

Club pro Michael Block will be an unfamiliar name to many, with the reigning PGA Professional Player of the Year one of 20 members of the Corebridge Financial PGA Team who qualified for the second major of the year.

Few would have expected Block to make it through to the weekend, given he has missed the cut in all six previous major appearances, although the American always backed himself to put together a strong performance in Rochester.

“I was expecting that,” Block said after his opening-round 70 on Thursday. “My goal was even par. I feel like I can shoot even par at pretty much any course in the world. A big goal of mine this week is to be on the 18th green on Sunday receiving the low club professional with the champion of the tournament.

The 46-year-old’s total left him closer to the leader than multiple major winners including Rory McIlroy, defending champion Justin Thomas and world No 1 Jon Rahm, before he charged up the leaderboard with a brilliant display in windy conditions on Friday morning.

Block birdied three of his opening five holes in the second round and was in a share of second with six holes remaining, with the American well-placed heading into the weekend after recovering from dropping three shots in two holes to salvage a second successive 70.

“I feel like I’ve got the game this week to compete, to tell you the truth,” Block said. “I’ve made the cut, which is obviously, like I told you, a huge goal. I feel like I could shoot even par out here every day. I feel like at the end of the four days that that might be a pretty good result.”

Block’s Friday to remember

Beginning on the back nine, Block rolled in an eight-foot birdie at the 10th and holed from a similar distance to scramble a par at the next before firing his approach to tap-in range at the 12th.

Block converted from 12 feet at the 14th and cancelled out a bogey at the 17th by birdieing the par-four first, although missed a 10-foot opportunity at the next to move alongside overnight clubhouse leader Bryson DeChambeau.

The 46-year-old failed to get up and down to save par from the greenside bunker at the par-five fourth, then unravelled further when a shank off the next tee only avoided going out of bounds after coming off a tree.

Block eventually carded a double-bogey five to slip back to level par, although responded well to par each of his final four holes in conditions where many of the morning wave struggled.

“I’ve already been in contention, so I feel good about it,” Block said. “I was rolling around, I believe, in second place for quite a while. I was actually very comfortable. Honestly, the couple bad shots I hit had nothing to do with where I was at that time.

“If I’m paired with Jon Rahm or Rory [McIlroy] or — I have no idea how these guys are doing, have not looked at the leaderboard. I don’t know who is going to make the cut. Yeah, that could be kind of huge for me, but at the same time I play with Patrick [Cantlay] all the time. He is No 4 in the world. It’s golf. I’m ripping it, and I’m putting it.”

Can Block claim historic major?

Block who has been Southern California PGA Player of the Year nine of the last 10 years, is the PGA Head Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California and has a clear style on how he coaches his students.

“The old Arnold Palmer ‘swing your swing,’ is a huge thing for me,” Block said. “I don’t teach one way. I teach what that person has the capability of doing and learning, and that’s been a huge benefit of teaching for the last 25 years for me. I’m not trying to teach anybody Tiger’s or Rory’s swing, because that’s just not going to happen.”

No club professional has ever won the PGA Championship, although Block – who practices with Cantlay and Beau Hossler – takes inspiration from past performances at majors and in PGA Tour events as he looks to contend over the weekend.

“I understand how my game doesn’t quite get up to them, but I’m pretty darn close, and I can compete with them,” Block added. “I’ve been gaining that confidence from those finishes in those rounds where I’m like, why not? Why not come here and compete? Why not here at Oak Hill, make the cut? I’m not afraid of them anymore, to be honest.

When asked what his ultimate ‘why not’ would be this week, Block said: “To win, by far. As weird as it sounds, I’m going to compete. I promise you that.”

Watch the PGA Championship throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Saturday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf.