When I was 5,we moved to a house that sits on the right side of the 15th hole at Wildwood Green Golf Club, a semi-private course in Raleigh, N.C. Three years later, my parents went out one afternoon and left me with a babysitter. I convinced her to walk down to the pro shop, get a cart and drive me around to play a few holes. My parents tell lots of stories about how they’d be looking for me in the yard and realize I’d walked onto the course.

● ● ●

My dad played in collegethen professionally for a little while. He was my coach for the first 10 years of my life and taught me the majority of what I know: the fundamentals, establishing routines. He taught me to work hard because just wanting to be good doesn’t make anyone special.

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My swing lacksthe aesthetic appealthat some other guys’ swings have. My move developed naturally without much video. I get made fun of for it. It’s flat, short, my hands work around my body, my wrist is bowed at the top, and the clubface is shut. But I don’t care what it looks like. It’s repeatable.

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TheWildwoodownersprioritizedjunior golf. There aren’t any munys in Raleigh, so Wildwood has taken pride in being an accessible course for everyone. There’s nothing but golf, so that helps keep the prices reasonable. Even though they do 55,000 rounds per year, they give juniors slots to play and pair them with good players. Great players have come out of there such as Grayson Murray, Doc Redman, Carter Jenkins, the list goes on and on. There are a lot of uneven lies, grainy areas, and intimidating shots. All day, it pushes you to make decisions.

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I played basketball, was president of the high school badminton club, and I was in the chess club. Chess is less about execution and more about planning. I find it very Zen and still play today. It allows me to turn my brain on and be competitive with zero risk of injury. I also played violin for 14 years. I don’t play anymore, but I was in an orchestra and a quartet. The violin was always very calming for me. The rhythm and the commitment to pursuing perfection, watching how tiny changes can make a big difference­—it really aligns with golf. My understanding of musical rhythm has flowed into my putting stroke.

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I arrived at the University of North Carolina full of irrational confidence. I was joining a team with a lot of talent, including Ben Griffin. I’d won some AJGA tournaments and thought I was ready to take college golf head-on. My first year, I had six top-20 finishes but didn’t qualify to play every match. It was a kick in the face.

Ryan Gerard with the winner's trophy after winning the 2025 Barracuda Championship

Lachlan Cunningham

RELATED: Five TVs, no dining table and a sword: A look at a PGA Tour winner's 'sicko' home

If things were going well, they would continue going well. If going poorly, they’d go even worse. My first qualifier, we played Hope Valley C.C. in Durham, and I shot 49 on the front from hitting it O.B. a hundred times. There wasn’t stability in what I was doing. It was a lot of rolling off straight vibes and seeing what would happen.

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My coaches worked with meon my attitude: staying positive, walking with confidence, doing everything with conviction. They allowed me to get frustrated—let out a curse under my breath or give the bag a little whack—but it could only last a moment. They wanted me to play with fire, not anger. It’s a fine line. Then the next season, I led the team in birdies.

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I studied economicsand geography.I wanted to turn pro but knew I’d stay four years because my parents really wanted me to get a degree. If you’re going to be successful in golf, learning how not to spend all your money is probably a good thing.

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I turned pro after graduation in 2022and won a U.S. Open qualifier. That got me a signing bonus from Titleist. I had some good finishes in Canada that year and played some Korn Ferry Monday qualifiers. I didn’t have much in terms of sponsors. In Panama, when I was down to $10,000, I knew something good had to happen and soon. A few weeks later, I Monday qualified for the Cognizant Classic and finished in the top five. I was off and running after that. In 2025, I was a PGA Tour rookie and won the Barracuda Championship.

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I want to win more tournaments,win a major and play in the Ryder Cup. I also want to use whatever success I have for good. In Scotland, they have short courses that are open to everyone. I want to open a course for kids like that. It’ll cost them basically nothing and be a safe place for them to get as good as they dream to be, like I had. —With Keely Levins

More From Golf Digest Golf Digest Logo The Undercover Pro: Staying out of the PGA Tour gossip machine Golf Digest Logo The Bonus Years: Understanding the PGA Tour’s retirement reset Equipment The robot test that redraws the rules on fairway woods, hybrids and irons

There are plenty of reasons why the U.S. lost last year's Ryder Cup, but it didn't help that Team USA couldn't get on the same page. Or, rather, the same text chain.

We learned that on Wednesday as one of the team's vice captains, Kevin Kisner, told a hilarious tale on the latest episode of Barstool's Fore Play podcast. As Kisner revealed, captain Keegan Bradley set up a group chat once the American team was set. But one player, Bryson DeChambeau, didn't have an iPhone, which made sharing certain things with him difficult. (Isn't there always that one person on the chat with a different phone?)

RELATED: Rory McIlroy's movie cameo & a famed (and fun) golf artifact resurfaces

To Bryson's credit, he went out and got a new team-friendly phone, but that led to the next problem. Somehow, he managed to give Bradley the wrong number, and, well, take it away, Kiz!

"So some random person in America is getting all these comments from the Ryder Cup team," Kisner says in the clip. "So that was a hilarious start to our Ryder Cup."

Hilarious, indeed. Although, you know who's also laughing? That well-oiled machine known as Team Europe.

"I think the guy, if I remember correctly, like, 'Hey, I don't know what any of this is, but good luck to y'all,'" Kisner continues with the tale. "I think somebody even commented back, 'Whatever, Bryson, funny joke.' And then the guy was like, 'No, seriously, I don't know who these people are."

Let's hope Team USA gets this straightened out before next year's Ryder Cup in Ireland. Captain Jim Furyk already has his first task.

RELATED: J.R. Smith reveals insane golf trip planned with LeBron James

As YouTube golfers have grown in both stature and skill over the past several years, fans have become increasingly fascinated with how the platform's best Joes stack up to golf’s elite pros. Chief among those crossover candidates is Good Good Golf star Brad Dalke, who, it was announced on Wednesday, will make his official PGA Tour debut at the Good Good Championship this fall.

Dalke is already more decorated than 95 percent of golfers on earth. He won the 2015 Junior PGA Championship, played in the Masters and U.S. Open as an amateur in 2017—the same year he won a National Championship as a member of the Oklahoma Sooners—and took home the $1 million grand prize at last year’s Internet Invitational. Needless to say, Dalke has dipped his toe into some of the most exclusive pools in golf, but with the announcement that he will tee it up alongside 119 PGA Tour pros this November, he’s now ready to take the full plunge.

Before the news broke this week, we caught up with Dalke, who was in middle of filming for Golf Channel’s ‘Big Break’ revival, to discuss what his first full PGA Tour start means to him.

RELATED: Grant Horvat and Bryan Bros unveil full roster and rota for $1 million YouTube creator tour, Your Golf Tour

Golf Digest: First of all, congratulations, Brad. You’re going to play on the PGA Tour. What would your younger self be thinking right now?

Brad Dalke: I think my younger self would honestly be just super happy for how I'm living now, and for what this has all turned into. I think as a kid, I always thought I'd be playing on the PGA Tour a lot more than I have since I graduated college. But honestly, I'm just so happy in life. There was a time where I really wasn't happy in life and or with golf, so I’m just super thankful to have this opportunity. And I just think my younger self would be very happy with where I am right now and my mindset on everything.

GD: You’ve played in plenty of pressure-packed situations throughout your career, but do you feel this will be the biggest test of your nerves yet?

BD: I've gotten to play in a lot of very cool events—at the Masters as an amateur, making the National Championship-winning putt. Last year at the Internet Invitational was unbelievable. So, I have gotten used to these high-pressure situations. I leaned on that a lot, especially the Internet Invitational, but I think this will be nerve-wracking.

I haven't played a true competitive event in almost three years at this point. I think there will be a lot of nerves, but I think it's one of those things where once you get through the first couple of holes, you kind of get back into it. I think most importantly, I just want to have fun and, luckily, I have a very good backup plan if things don't go well. I think that will take a lot of pressure off and will just give me a lot of freedom throughout the whole process.

GD: Do you feel any added pressure to perform as “the face of YouTube golf” to a PGA Tour audience that may be unfamiliar with the platform?

BD: I definitely wouldn’t say I'm the face of YouTube golf, but there are a lot of people that want to see me perform in tournament golf and see how I do. But honestly, I think that's unnecessary pressure, and I'm going to do my best to not worry about that. We love the YouTube audience. I'm so grateful for them, but there are a lot of people that you just can't please no matter what you do. I think a lot of people out there will just be happy to see me competing and really rooting for me to do well, and I think playing for them is a huge thing. I hope they're just going to be happy that I'm putting myself out there and getting myself into a PGA Tour tournament.

GD: How does your game feel right now? Do you have any summer plans to start getting into tournament shape?

BD: My game right now does not feel quite ready yet. So far this year, it's been a little more up and down than last year. Some weeks I'm playing really well. Some weeks I'm a little off, but we're really close. I know what I'm working on is the right stuff, and I'm not very far off. Any given day I can go shoot a really good number. It's just a matter of making it a little bit more consistent, like last year. But we're getting there, and I'm going to play some mini-tour events and stuff like that throughout the summer to lead up to all this. That way I can feel like I'm ready and in a competitive mindset because playing tournament golf is much different than playing golf on YouTube or for fun.

GD: Any thoughts on who will caddie for you?

BD: Right now my plan is for my caddie to be Blake Mullen, who's also a part of Good Good. He caddied for me in the Creator Classic that I won last year at East Lake. That was the first time he caddied for me, and he's the perfect personality for me. He's super chill, super fun to be around. I don't like a caddie that over-steps or that I almost feel pressure from when I'm playing in front of them. And Blake is just super chill. I know he's going to act the same whether I'm making four birdies in a row or four bogeys in a row and that's what I want in a caddie. He's just a great dude. I'm excited to have him on the bag.

Tracy Wilcox

RELATED: YouTube golfer Ryan Ruffels qualifies for PGA Tour event via YouTube

GD: If you could be paired with one current tour pro, who would it be?

BD: I think Scotty would be a crazy, cool one. Me and Scotty go pretty far back playing junior golf tournaments since we were like six or seven years old. We'll see if we can get him into this tournament and get him playing down there in Austin. It's close to University of Texas, so hopefully he might want to go down there for a little tournament in November. But I think whoever it is, I think it's just going to be fun. Whatever my group is, we're going to have some big crowds, and it's going to be a blast, but if it was one guy—obviously, we don't know if he's going to play or not—I’d say it’d be Scotty.

GD: Do you have an overall goal at the Good Good Championship? What would allow you to walk away feeling satisfied?

BD: Honestly, I think my overall goal at Barton Creek and for the Good Good Championship is just to have fun with it. Honestly, it sounds so cliché and it sounds almost like parental advice, but that's one thing I've learned throughout this whole YouTube process. I genuinely play better golf when I'm having fun. It makes the game great when I'm having fun, regardless of how I play.

I think for a long time, I put so much pressure on myself, and I really hated golf for a few years. YouTube's really helped bring the joy back into golf for me. Regardless of whether I play good or bad, there will be a lot of golfers out there wishing they could have this opportunity that I'm getting, so I’m just trying to have a good time with it. If I go play great, that's freaking awesome. If I play bad, it's golf. It's literally one of the hardest sports in the world, so all I can do is just go out there, have fun and do my absolute best and see where that puts me.

The PGA Tour’s inaugural Good Good Championship will be held November 9th-15th, 2026, at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas.

Golfpocalypse is a collection of words that runs prior to each week's PGA Tour event, mostly ABOUT that event. Reach out with your hottest takes on absolutely anything at shane.spr8@gmail.com. We'll publish the best emails here.

Here's a question: How many top 20 players have to drop out of a signature event before it's no longer fun?

I ask this in the context of a seemingly more important question facing the PGA Tour ahead of 2027, which is, if you're going to make the entire calendar signature/elevated events, how do you compel guys like Rory McIlroy to actually show up?

We have to wait on that answer, but in the meantime, we can ask where the threshold is. Last week in Doral, you had three of the top ten missing (Rory, Fitzpatrick, Spaun) along with Bobby Mac and Aberg from the next ten. And it was fine! Yes, it would have been better with them, but there were enough stars there to make it fun, and we had Young and Scheffler in the final group.

Same thing this week, in my opinion, where you're missing Scottie, Morikawa, Henley, and Si Woo from the top 20. Despite losing the world no. 1, you'd probably take that trade with last week to get Rory and Fitzpatrick back, but regardless, that doesn't feel like a death blow at all. What's my point, you ask? Well, maybe that the signature model can sustain a decent amount of rolling absences throughout the year, as long as they don't all happen at the same time. (But also, Scottie and Rory need to coordinate like they're the only two doctors at a rural clinic to make sure they're not off at the same time.)

Here are ten things for the Truist Championship, our appetizer for the PGA!

1. Rory owns this town

We may as well start with the obvious—this is Rory's turf. Last year before the PGA we made a video about how wildly dominant he has been throughout his career at Quail Hollow, and you can watch it here, but here were my favorite stats (not taking last year's PGA into account, where he was very much not himself, got dinged for a nonconforming driver, and finished 47th):

+ 10 top-10s in 14 tries (this is more impressive for me than the four wins)+ The course is basically tailor-made for his game, but he somehow (per DataGolf) gains about a stroke more per round than even his own very high expectation.+ He owns the SG career totals on seven of the course's 18 holes.+ He had the greatest final round in PGA Tour history here, back in 2010

The fact that driving is so important here, and there are still so many approaches from longer than 175 yards, feeds right into his strengths—the farther you are from the hole on the second shot, the better he gets. He also just feels good here; he's friends with the president of the club, he got his first PGA Tour win here and it's usually his birthday week. At Quail, everything is constantly coming up Rory.

2. But Cameron Young has become a terminator

When I watched Cameron Young win his first ever Tour event last summer in Greensboro, I was a little taken aback because he looked so invincible. It was giving off those elite vibes you only see every once in a while, where the firepower is so off the charts you start wondering how good he can be. That was tempered by the fact that he'd had trouble winning before, and it felt very premature to tag him with the "next big thing" label.

Since then, he was the only bright spot at the Ryder Cup, he won the Players with incredible clutch play at the end that included the greatest drive we've maybe ever seen and he just crushed everyone—including Scottie—at a signature event. We are no longer tempering; this man feels like a superstar in waiting.

Or, maybe we're tempering a little, because he missed a big chance to win the Masters and looked uncomfortable on Sunday en route to a 73. But that's the last big question: can he do it at a major? Because at Doral, the driving and the putting alone were absurd enough to warrant some pretty intense comparisons.

Long story short, I wished aloud last week for a Young-Scheffler duel on Sunday at Doral, and kinda/sorta got it, so this time I'm invoking whatever powers I've been granted to get Young and Rory going down to the wire at Quail.

3. Quail is boring in a kind of interesting way

As a North Carolina guy (transplant/carpetbagger, but I've been here for over 15 years now, so I'm counting it), I wish I liked Quail more than I do. There's a certain drab, repetitive quality to it, and on an aesthetic level it's made worse by the grotesque mansions lining the fairways, a byproduct of huge amounts of banking money and zero taste.

But what makes Quail Hollow dull—a seemingly unending stretch of long, punishing holes—makes it sort of a fascinating test of who can fight war of attrition best and longest. Do you have power? Can your power hold up over long stretches? Everyone can bomb, but can you bomb straight-ish for four days?

When Rory says that a ball rollback would favor him, I think Quail is his best proof—when everything is punishingly long, this guy will kill you because he never bends or breaks. Three of the hardest 20 holes last year were at Quail, (9, 11, 18), and though two are par-4s and one a par-3, they're basically the same hole.

In fact, they're the last three holes on the course—the so-called "Green Mile"—and it's the toughest three-hole stretch by far on tour every year (as recently as 2024, no. 18 was the literal hardest hole on the entire calendar, and the only one where players averaged a half-shot over par).

It's not the most fascinating design you'll ever see, but it will absolutely wear you down.

4. Ranking the sponsor's exemptions

Why? - Tony Finau - I mean, I guess I understand why—he's a big name—but it has been struggle central for Big Tone, and the last signature they let him into, the RBC Heritage, he finished DFL by a mile.

Double Why? - Mackenzie Hughes - I do understand that these exemptions involve partnerships and connections and all that, but I refuse to stop gawping when it doesn't immediately make sense.

Solid - Webb Simpson - Local boy, in the Ryder Cup captaincy pipeline, so ... sure. Yeah.

Nice - Max Homa - Previous winner here, twice, fun guy, shown flashes of competence lately. This is how you use a sponsor's exemption.

5. The Jordan Spieth Sadness Index (JSSI)

I'm raising it from a 7.6 to a 9.8. Do you realize what this guy just did to us? Do you realize what he's putting us through? He hit all the beats of a comeback story early this year, albeit a bit stop-and-go, and then he shot a beautiful 65 on Thursday at Doral to sit just one shot off Young's lead. This was going to be it. And then? AND THEN?? Dead even the rest of the way. Finished right where he left off, seven under, tied for 18th, with us, his loyal fans, left to limp off licking our wounds again. The Saturday 75 was especially brutal. And what makes this so hard is that he left us still kinda hopeful, but also more broken than ever. Now we have to sit here wondering if that 65 meant anything, or if we're just doomed. This is hell.

6. Could Xander be warpathin'?

I'm just saying ... two runner-ups here in '23 and 24, loves the course and has been lurking all year with top-10s in the Players, the Masters and seemingly everywhere else. We're not talking about Xander very much in 2026—his 2025 season was an effective Men In Black-style memory eraser—but it really can't be long until he's the X-Man again. He's just a little behind his 2024 pace in both SG: Tee to Green and SG: Putting, but not as far as you might think.

7. Golf Tweet of the Week: The Alex Fitz haters are crying

From Digest's own Alex Myers:

Yes! Fitzpatrick was phenomenal at Doral, finishing T-9, and as someone who thinks it's completely fine that we have one tournament a year where you can win with a partner and get a long tour exemption, it was cool to see him stuff it in the haters' faces. It was amazing how fast everyone's enjoyment of the great finish at the Zurich, and the brothers winning together, boomeranged into petty whining about Alex's exemption. It literally happens once per year! It's fine! I hope he wins the next three majors.

8. One Normie Pick, One Weird Pick

I'm taking Young for a back-to-back over Rory on the normie side (my words last week: "I'm rocking with Cam Young for my normie pick, even though it feels like the absolute worst Scheffler will finish is third"... please pat me on the back), and for the weird pick, let's go with Keith Mitchell. His form is just so-so, but he led here after round one at the PGA last year, and he's got two top-10s in the past. Isn't it about time for a weird, out-of-nowhere signature winner?

9. Rogue Golf Thought - Rahm's deal proves LIV and its players have no leverage

This is late-breaking as I'm writing, but apparently Jon Rahm has made peace with the DP World Tour, agreeing to a deal where he pays his old fines and plays five events on their tour (he wanted four, they wanted six, and if you want a breakdown of the entire fight, I've got you covered.) That's a big win for the DPWT, and a win for the European Ryder Cup team who won't have to worry about Rahm being a hold-out next year. Five events represents a nominal concession (and one the DPWT probably didn't have to give), it was probably worth it just to ink the deal.

What it actually represents is another sign that these guys on LIV who didn't bail out already are desperate for a soft landing, and I'd wager a hefty bet that we're getting a return to the PGA Tour announcement soon. This reads a lot like a guy securing his near future as his league collapses, and Brian Rolapp isn't one to miss a chance to deal a killing blow to his rival. Unlesssss ... he can't get out of his contract, and then he's praying like hell that LIV folds this year and doesn't linger on in some diminished form, keeping him in golf purgatory for another few years.

10. Rogue Non-Golf Thought: I need to start eating more hummus

Every time I have hummus, I love it. It's such a reliable, tasty dip, and yet I never have it in my house. Plus, it's made from chickpeas, which will not kill you, unlike every other food in my house. My wife brought home some red pepper hummus the other day, I housed half of it with pretzels in ten minutes, and this has opened my eyes. It's time for a major life change—I'm a hummus guy now, and nobody can stop me. (But I will still never eat a disgusting olive.)

With only one week before the year’s second major, the PGA Tour heads to North Carolina for the Truist Championship and yet another small-field, no-cut signature event. Located just southeast of downtown Charlotte, Quail Hollow Club has hosted a PGA Tour event almost every year since 2003. Along with the 2017 and 2025 PGA Championship, the world-class course also hosted the prestigious 2022 Presidents Cup.

Quail Hollow is typically one of the most challenging courses on tour playing to an average of +0.75 strokes per round. At the two recent majors held here, the course played +1.99 per round. It’s a demanding par 71 that stretches to 7,583 yards from the back tees.

RELATED: Truist Championship picks 2026: Can our experts cash three winners in a row?

The tree-lined parkland layout is a favorite among players, combining pristine conditions with scenic, rolling terrain to create one of the most enjoyable walks on tour. Its routing flows seamlessly, with each green leading effortlessly into the next tee just steps away.

As with any course that has hosted major events, every facet of a golfer’s game will be tested this week. As recent past winners here demonstrate, including Rory McIlroy (four times), Wyndham Clark, Max Homa and Jason Day, distance off the tee and positive long iron play are especially advantageous this week. Another important skill is scrambling for pars on some of the toughest green complexes that players will face all year.

RELATED: PGA Championship picks 2026: Our 13 best bets to win at Aronimink Golf Club

Coming off his recent Masters win, Rory McIlroy returns to Charlotte as the most recent winner here, having cruised to a five-shot victory in 2024. The Grand Slam champion now sits at 30 PGA Tour wins, four of which have come at Quail Hollow Club, further cementing his dominance at this venue.

Here are my favorite plays and fades in each price range for the 2026 Truist Championship.

$9,000+ range Play: Cameron Young, $10,100

Orlando Ramirez

Yes, Rory McIlroy is coming off a Masters win, but it is hard to justify the $1,600 price gap when Cameron Young is also entering in top form after a victory of his own. Young can practically follow the same recipe for success that he had last week in his runaway victory at Doral as Quail Hollow shares many characteristics, placing a premium on driving distance and long iron play. That alignment plays directly into Young’s strengths, and his noticeable improvement on and around the greens over the past year could prove especially valuable on some of the toughest putting surfaces on tour.

Young also dominated the par 4s last week, leading the field with a 38 percent Birdie or Better rate. That success is highly relevant given that Quail Hollow’s par 4s are among the most difficult on tour. Even more encouraging, Young ranks second in this field over his past 36 rounds on difficult par 4s, reinforcing his ability to handle one of the key challenges this course presents.

Cameron Young’s yearly strokes gained summary from the Rabbit Hole.

Sign up for the industry's leading data tool to make golf stats easy to decipher—head to BetspertsGolf.com now and get access to The Rabbit Hole for only $10 for your first month. Use promo code GD10 at sign up for this amazing deal!

Play: Ludvig Aberg, $9,600

Andrew Redington

A well-rested Aberg arrives in Charlotte with outstanding form, having recorded four top-five finishes in his past five starts. Even more encouraging, his underlying strokes gained profile suggests that these ceiling performances should continue, as he ranks inside the top 20 in this field in each of the strokes gained categories over his past 24 rounds. His short game has quietly become a strength as he’s gained at least half a stroke on the field both on and around the greens in six of his past seven tournaments.

Off the tee, Aberg continues to separate himself as one of the elite drivers in the game. He ranks seventh in total driving this season, a skill set that should translate extremely well to a demanding layout like Quail Hollow. He has also been on fire with his recent approach game, gaining 0.89 strokes per round in his last five starts—and often on courses that mirror Quail Hollow with their emphasis on long iron play. His naturally high ball flight with an average apex of 118 feet into firm greens is another advantage, aligning with the profile of past winners at this event.

Read The Line's Joe Idone and John Haslbauer chat with golf writer Alan Shipnuck about the future of LIV and all things Rory McIlroy:

Fade: Robert MacIntyre, $9,300

MacIntyre enters the week ranking second-to-last in the field in SG/approach this year, losing 0.61 strokes per round. In this upper-tier, there is not a single other golfer gaining less than 0.20 per round. He’s recent form is also lacking with a T-42 at the RBC Heritage, preceded by a missed cut at the Masters.

RELATED: Truist Championship 2026: Rory McIlroy's secret weapon at Quail Hollow

$8,000+ range Play: Min Woo Lee, $8,300

Kevin C. Cox

Long known for inconsistency earlier in his career, Min Woo Lee has spent the past eight months reshaping that narrative into one of reliability paired with elite upside. He has recorded nine top-15 finishes across his past 16 starts, a stretch that highlights both his consistency and ceiling. With noticeable improvement in his long-iron play, elite length off the tee and one of the strongest short games on tour, his skill set aligns perfectly with the demands of Quail Hollow.

Fade: Ben Griffin, $8,700

I’m not putting much stock into Griffin’s third-place finish at last week’s Cadillac Championship. The result was driven almost entirely by an unsustainable performance on and around the greens, where he gained more than eight strokes, while actually losing 1.5 strokes on approach. That’s especially concerning given the broader trend, as he has now lost strokes with his irons in eight of his past nine events. That profile is a poor fit for this week’s test, where precise iron play is essential.

RELATED: The Bonus Years: Understanding the PGA Tour’s retirement reset

$7,000+ range Play: Nicolai Hojgaard, $7,800

Carmen Mandato

After a slow start in Miami, Hojgaard closed the week on a high note with a Sunday 66, showing signs of the form that has defined much of his season. Despite a couple of underwhelming recent results, his overall body of work in 2026 remains strong with four top-six finishes, making his current price look too low given both his upside and course fit. He is one of the longest players in the field, ranks 12th in proximity from 200-plus yards, and has been the best spike putter on Poa trivialis greens over the past two years, gaining more than two strokes in 18 percent of his rounds.

$6,000+ range Play: Ryan Fox, $6,600

Icon Sportswire

Fox is my favorite value play this week considering his body of work this year and past success on long and difficult courses. After four consecutive top-25s earlier in the year he was sidelined with kidney stones, which forced him to withdraw from The Players Championship. After a rough stretch, his game is rounding back into form with consecutive top-30s where he has gained over six total strokes ball-striking. He finished 28th here last year in the PGA Championship and has the upside to be in the mix come Sunday.

Sign up for the industry's leading data tool to make golf stats easy to decipher—head to BetspertsGolf.com now and get access to The Rabbit Hole for only $10 for your first month. Use promo code GD10 at sign up for this amazing deal!

Ron Klos (@PGASplits101 on X) is a PGA Tour data analyst for Betsperts Golf.

Jon Rahm said Tuesday that he doesn’t “see many ways out” of his LIV Golf contract as he spoke openly for the first time about what his options will be now that the league has announced it’s no longer funded by Saudi Arabia’s PIF and is looking for investors for it to continue.

The two-time major champion was asked in Washington, D.C., ahead of their event at Trump National, if he was able to get out of his contract with the league if he feels like it’s not suitable for him beyond this year.

“I have no idea, I couldn't tell you,” he said. “I have very few talents in my life, and reading a contract or business are not two of them.

“As of right now, I have several years on my contract left, and I'm pretty sure they did a pretty good job when they drafted that. So I don't see many ways out, and as of right now, I'm not really thinking about it since we still have a season to play and majors to compete for. So it's not something I want to think about just yet.”

He may not be thinking about it yet, but it’s something Rahm is likely going to have to deal with soon. He’s willing to see what CEO Scott O’Neil comes up with first.

“I don't think he would ask anybody to buy into anything without giving us a business plan first,” Rahm said. “Until we have that, I don't think we can really answer the rest, right? It would just be speculation at that point.”

Rahm said that the league has worked with team captains, of which he is for Legion XIII, about their respective ideas. He’s given his opinion but realizes it’s impossible to make everyone happy in a situation like this where there are 57 players and 13 teams.

For now, he’s trying to focus on playing this week in the nation’s capital. He leads the season’s individual standings, has won twice—including two weeks ago in Mexico City—and hasn’t finished worse than fifth place in six events.

But it’s not easy to focus on the golf course when there are so many distractions off of it. On Tuesday, he squashed one distraction by announcing that he and the DP World Tour have ended their dispute and he’s now eligible to play on Europe’s Ryder Cup team next year. The LIV Golf intrusions, however, do not appear to be going away soon.

“It's definitely extra noise, there's no denying it,” he said. “But I think we deal with it as athletes honestly. I think it's part of the job a lot of times, and sometimes that extra noise is internal for something that may be happening family-wise that's not public, which is much worse than this.

“We practice enough so once you get in competition mode, it doesn't matter. It might be a worry before or after, but it shouldn't be once you get to that first tee. We've said a few times, when it's so uncertain and so out of our control, there's really nothing to think about.”

As Bernhard Langer stood over a six-foot putt on the 18th hole at Kiawah Island in the 1991 Ryder Cup his opponent, Hale Irwin, could only muster up one thought.

"I hope he doesn't know what I know."

What Irwin knew was a tip given to him by Pete Dye, who designed the famed Ocean Course. Irwin had played a practice round with the legendary architect at Kiawah prior to "The War on the Shore," and Dye informed him that the 18th green at the Ocean Course breaks more from back to front than you think. 

Langer didn't know, and his putt missed on the low side, securing a 14.5-13.5 win for the U.S. side. Dye's tip may not have helped the U.S. side make an actual putt, but it didn't help the European side make one, either. 

"That's just one of those little things that you can pick up if you spend just an extra moment or two, noticing things," said Irwin, who joined us on this week's episode of The Loop podcast. 

The three-time U.S. Open champ was full of great stories, and some spicy takes on the state of golf, in our full interview, which can be heard below. Please, have a listen, and like and subscribe to The Loop wherever you get your podcasts: