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SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Kerry Haigh is ever the optimist. In Baltusrol Golf Club’s Lower Course, the PGA of America’s chief championships officer has got a layout that’s close to everything he could ask for when setting up a major championship test: bouncy fairways, thick rough and firm greens that make the 6,621-yard par-71 track hosting

ESPN News Services Jun 20, 2023, 12:09 PM ET Jon Rahm still doesn’t know much about the proposed partnership between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, but he knows this much — he’s not dwelling on it. The FedExCup points leader and world No. 2 addressed the media Tuesday in Cromwell, Connecticut, home to this

Only days after Los Angeles Country Club completed hosting its first U.S. Open, the Southland will be identified for securing another national championship, at maybe the most unlikely of courses in the modern age of big crowds and massive hospitality footprints. On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Times reported that Riviera Country Club, which last

Remember last week when the top players in the world fought over a $20 million purse? Well, we’re running that back. This week’s Travelers Championship is a designated event, so there’s a $3.6 million payday for the champ, just like last week’s U.S. Open. Thus, the biggest names in golf have made the trip across

Jun 20, 2023, 04:42 PM ET Nelly Korda is back, pain-free and raring to go at this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after a month-plus away from competitive golf to deal with an ailing back. Korda, the current World No. 2 who is searching for her second major title this week, last played at the

Nan Ryan figures she’s been working for 86 years, starting as a plucky 3-year-old helping sort envelopes for the family’s chicken hatcheries. She’s spent the last 50 years as the founder and executive director of the Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championships in her (and this scribe’s) hometown of Quincy, Ill., (population 39.000). Her remarkable and

Paolo Uggetti, ESPNJun 19, 2023, 01:00 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Just outside of the scoring tent where he had recorded an even-par 70 in the final round of the U.S. Open, all Rory McIlroy could do was stare at the ground in silence. His face reddened by a full day of sunlight, the four-time

It’s human nature to secretly want your opponent to fail, be it in sports or in other competitive walks of life. For some reason, though, it’s a huge no-no on golf, this being the preeminent “Gentleman’s game.” While most would classify many of Augusta National’s rules as archaic, not cheering on a player’s on-course misfortunes

Wyndham Clark’s victory at the 2023 U.S. Open might’ve been a surprise to some, but it didn’t come out of nowhere. Though the 29-year-old Colorado native had only played in six previous majors championships—with no finish better than T-75—the 32nd-ranked player in the world held off the game’s best only a month earlier to win

Mark Schlabach Close Mark Schlabach ESPN Senior Writer Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Paolo Uggetti Jun 19, 2023, 02:07 PM ET LOS ANGELES — As with any captivating Hollywood production, the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club had no shortage of

Tom Watson, the eight-time major champion, has shared this open letter to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour Policy Board. An open letter to Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour’s Board, and to my fellow players: First, I wish Jay Monahan a complete and speedy recovery. I respect the leadership he has shown in

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJun 18, 2023, 09:52 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia LOS ANGELES — When Wyndham Clark was a child, his mother, Lise, liked to put notes of encouragement in his book bag. The notes might have been

LOS ANGELES — He needed 60 feet. Just 60 feet between Wyndham Clark and everything he ever worked for, 60 feet that would tell the world his story, one of personal tragedy and pain and doubt, about the perseverance it takes to drudge through the darkness without the assurance that light will ever come. There’s

The last man many believed would be standing atop a star-studded U.S. Open leaderboard heading into the final round was the last man standing late Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club. That man was Wyndham Clark, who shot a final-round 70 to outlast Rory McIlroy by a shot. The 29-year-old Clark two-putted for par from

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJun 18, 2023, 06:53 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia LOS ANGELES — The final round of the 123rd U.S. Open should provide plenty of drama for golf fans on Father’s Day. Rickie Fowler will try to

Of the many uncertainties to come out of this month’s announcement that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund plan to join forces, whether it might make it easier for LIV players to compete in this September’s Ryder Cup is one of the most curious. On the United States side,

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJun 18, 2023, 01:18 AM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia LOS ANGELES — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler closed with a flurry in the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles has always loved a redemption story. Only three months ago, Brendan Fraser won the Oscar for best actor in “The Whale,” in which he gained considerable weight to play an obese English teacher trying to reconnect with his daughter. “The Whale” came decades after Fraser had last played a lead

As the bogeys finally began to pile up on Saturday at Los Angeles Country Club so too did the critics of the first-time U.S. Open venue. Brooks Koepka got the ball rolling on Friday by saying he’s “not a huge fan” of the course, and Matt Fitzpatrick on Saturday offered the English version of that

Paolo Uggetti, ESPNJun 16, 2023, 09:56 PM ET LOS ANGELES — A few weeks ago, Rory McIlroy found himself doing something unexpected. He had logged into YouTube and pulled up old major championship highlights — his highlights — from the last time he could call himself a major champion: the 2014 Open at Royal Liverpool

Four amateurs made the U.S. Open cut at Los Angeles Country Club, with Vanderbilt standout and former NCAA champion Gordon Sargent sitting at even par and holding a two-shot cushion over the remaining trio. Yet the fight for low am honors might not be front of mind this weekend for Sargent, who with a certain

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJun 17, 2023, 12:14 AM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia LOS ANGELES — As Rickie Fowler walked up the 18th fairway at Los Angeles Country Club on Friday, fans chanted his name. It was a sound the

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Opens are supposed to be about pars, or at least they were for most of the 75 years since Los Angeles last hosted the event. And the press conferences competitors hold during the championship are meant to contain answers about keeping it in the fairway, taking medicine when drives find the

LOS ANGELES — The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have filed a motion to dismiss LIV’s antitrust lawsuit and the tour’s countersuit, ending a nearly year-long litigation battle between the two organizations. The arrangement was telegraphed last week as part of the surprising announcement that the tour and LIV’s financial backer, the Public Investment Fund

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJun 16, 2023, 03:05 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia LOS ANGELES — After a record-setting scoring day in the first round of the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, the world’s best golfers are

The par-3 15th hole at Los Angeles Country Club continues to deliver fireworks. A day after it yielded two aces on Thursday during the first round of the U.S. Open, defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick added to the total on Friday by delivering another ace, this one from 115 yards. Fitzpatrick shot one-over 71 on Thursday

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterJun 15, 2023, 11:27 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia LOS ANGELES — The United States Golf Association prides itself on having the most difficult test in men’s professional golf. Thursday’s opening round of the 123rd U.S.

Hours after Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot the first two 62s in U.S. Open history to lead Wyndham Clark and Dustin Johnson by two shots, McIlroy was five under through nine holes. His 30 was the best nine-hole score of his major career, one which includes four victories. The most ardent of McIlroy fans

(Scroll down for live updates) How the world’s best players navigate this classic George C. Thomas Jr. venue will be most intriguing. Firm-and-fast conditions should challenge players to control and shape shots into these rolling fairways and greens. There should be more of an emphasis this week on the ground game—which is often lost in

Paolo Uggetti, ESPNJun 15, 2023, 08:42 AM ET LOS ANGELES, CA. — Tiger Woods‘ agent stood at the back of the U.S. Open news conference on Monday afternoon and began shaking his head from side to side, his expression part grimace, part smile. One of Mark Steinberg’s other clients was at the podium, and a