Pro Golf

Ludvig Aberg is the kind of player Jon Rahm once worried about. It was October 2022 when Rahm was still with the PGA Tour. A fellow Spaniard had gone to the Saudi-funded LIV league and Rahm said the tour needed to give college players a direct path to the big leagues like in other sports. That already was in the works. PGA Tour University began offering the No. 1 college senior a card. In the first year it went to Aberg. Now the Swede has three wins, more than $18 million in earnings and is No. 4 in the world.

For Rory McIlroy, it's all about location. He won at Pebble Beach and that was important to him. He already was looking ahead to major championship venues like Quail Hollow and Royal Portrush. The Masters is always on his mind. More than winning at Pebble Beach was the way he won. McIlroy showed more discipline than usual. He says that's one of the traits he saw in Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy says he's trying to be more of a thinker and less an impulsive player. He thinks that's how Scheffler has separated himself from the rest of golf.

Dottie Pepper didn't anticipate a short message on slow play getting so much attention. But her comments during the CBS broadcast of Torrey Pines struck a nerve. It took 5 hours and 29 minutes to finish the final round. It was 10 seconds slower the week before. Where will it lead? Don't get your hopes up. Pace of play has been an issue for nearly a century. One overlooked example is the USGA executive director lamenting slow play when it took only 3 hours and 27 minutes for a threesome. That was in 1950. One idea is a shot clock.

Josh Saunders, Lancaster Country Club’s director of grounds, was presented with the E.J. Marshall Platter by the USGA on the 18th green following the conclusion of the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday at LCC.