By 1 p.m. local time on Friday, the thermometer in Cromwell, Conn., where the Travelers Championship is being played this week, had reached 95 degrees. But with the humidity at 55 percent, the “feels like” effect on phone apps read an even 100 degrees. Summer has truly arrived in the Northeast.

It calls for maximum hydration for anybody venturing outdoors, and for those on hand at TPC River Highlands, simply standing could produce a heavy sweat. For the players and caddies who are walking close to five miles in their job, they’re gulping water like it’s, well … water.

MORE: Xander Schauffele says contending each week feel ‘like a drug’ for golfers

Word got out this week that Akshay Bhatia even has a bet with his caddie, John Limanti, on who is going to consume more water this week. Now, as we know, the 22-year-old Bhatia stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 130 pounds, so it would seem that he has a lot of room in that body to store liquids (a completely unscientific observation, of course).

And, thus far, the boss is “winning.”

“I’m probably drinking seven, eight bottles of water a day, and then mix that with electrolytes hydration stuff, so it’s a fun battle, it’s good to keep us on our toes about that,” Bhatia said.

It certainly begs the question: Are they vying for “most bathroom breaks” too?

Bhatia doesn’t appear in danger of seeing his golf game go faint. He backed up an opening six-under 64 with a 65 on Friday and, with play suspended by lightning in the afternoon, he was tied for second, two shots behind sole leader Tom Kim.

It’s another impressive performance for a guy who is playing for a seventh consecutive week. Prior to the Travelers, Bhatia already had logged 18 starts in 2024 and notched his second PGA Tour win in April at the Valero Texas Open.

He is, however, seeking a first top-10 start since that victory. Indeed, though Bhatia has nine top-25 results, he doesn’t have another top-10. So there’s obviously room for improvement.

“I just want to keep building on good golf and kind of learning as I go. I feel like I’ve been working really hard on my technique especially this week, and I feel like my coach and I have found a feel that works, so we’re just kind of trying to build on that and focus on that as much as I can.”

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

The post Akshay Bhatia is ‘winning’ this unusual bet with his caddie at Travelers appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Considering the level of his competition over his last five starts, the results are truly impressive. Since mid-May, Xander Schauffele has finished second in the signature Wells Fargo Championship, won the PGA Championship, placed eighth in the signature Memorial, and last week tied for eighth in the U.S. Open. For the season, the San Diegan has 11 top-10s in 15 starts, and only Scottie Scheffler (duh) has been consistently better (12 top-10s, five wins). The winner at Pinehurst No. 2, Bryson DeChambeau, is the only player to have gone cumulatively lower in scoring among the three majors played.

It has truly been a season like no other for Schauffele, who’s won a whopping $12.2 million in the process.

MORE: How Xander Schauffele’s life lessons led to him winning the PGA

And it’s also been one heck of a grind of late. Ater shooting a second-straight five-under-par 65 on Friday at TPC River Highlands to be tied for fourth, three shots behind leader Tom Kim, heading into the weekend of the signature Travelers Championship, Schauffele admitted as much.

“I think I was in a little bit of denial,” Schauffele, 30, said. “This is probably the most in contention I’ve ever been in my life through a pretty hot stretch of golf. I think I’m probably more worn down than … I wanted to admit to my team. I think I got tired once everyone told me that I looked tired. I felt like I was fine.

“It’s a lot of golf and, yeah, I think not playing this afternoon for myself is going to be helpful to sort of rest up and get ready for the weekend.”

The PGA Tour moved up the tee times on Friday because of storms in the Cromwell, Conn., area, and the entire field was done earlier than usual. That meant some recovery time for everyone who has competed for three straight weeks for some of the largest prizes of the season in both money and points.

Understand, Schauffele, whose PGA Championship triumph at Valhalla gave him eight career victories, is not even close to complaining about the work. This is essentially what the tour delivered to the game’s top players so they could have stretches of playing against the top level of competition.

In Schauffele’s case, one week has built on the next.

“For us golfers it’s like a drug to be in contention. It’s an awesome feeling,” he said. “It’s why we practice, it’s why we play the game, at least speaking for myself. Having a lot of opportunities to be in that final group on Sunday, even though I haven’t gotten it done very often—only once actually, in the last two years—is all I could ask for.”

Coached for years only by just father, Stefan, Schauffele has worked more recently with Chris Como, and the golfer has called it a “slow trickle” of information to help him both mentally and physically. As a result, his game is arguably at its best ever.

How is this for a well-rounded attack? Schauffele is second on the tour in strokes gained/total, ninth off the tee, fifth in approach to the green and 17th in putting. It there is anything to improve on considerably, it’s sharpening his iron play; he ranks a surprising 124th in tour proximity to the hole at 39 feet, seven inches.

Asked where this high level of confidence and execution are coming from, Schauffele said, “It’s everything. Golf, it’s not just one thing. You got to be in a good head space. I got a really good team around me, fortunately. You got to do all things pretty well. I think picking up some slack in certain areas of my game that was lacking has helped me compete week-in, week-out, and also given me a little bit more confidence.”

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

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Synchronicity is one of the most important aspects of a good golf swing. It’s going to be really difficult to hit quality shots if your upper body is leading the way in the downswing or if your arms are working independently of your body, like I’m showing in the photo above. Those are common amateur mistakes. There are a number of reasons your swing might be out of sync. Sometimes you might get short and armsy out of fear of missing the ball. Sometimes it’s simply not understanding that the body’s pivot, not the swinging of the arms, needs to govern the swing. You’ll know you’re out of sync if your swing has an “unfinished” look on either side of the ball or if your body remains fairly still while your arms dominate. Have someone video your swing and see if it looks like your body, arms and club are working together. I bet you’ll recognize if things don’t look in harmony. I like to say that the dog wags the tail, meaning the body pivot (the dog) leads the swing while the arms (the tail) follow. I’ve got a simple drill that will help you get a feel for this. I call it the push-palm drill, and if you work on it, it will sync up your action and have you hitting solid shots.

First, get in your address posture without a club and place your right hand under and against your left so the backs of each hand are pressed against each other (below).

Then, mimic a backswing while keeping pressure against the backs of your hands. Your left arm should feel linked to your chest as your upper body coils against your right leg. Meanwhile, your right arm should remain above your left as you reach the top (below). Hold this position for a few beats and feel how your left side is pushing while your right side is pulling. By exaggerating the push-pull action, you are linking your arm swing with your body pivot. This is the feeling of synchronicity you need to make a good backswing that creates and stores energy. As a bonus, this drill also is great for flexibility, helping improve your upper-body rotation away from the ball—which is a real distance booster.

Finally, you can use the push-palm drill to hone a better downswing. Feel like you’re pulling your arms down into the impact zone with your lower body. Remember, the dog wags the tail. Your body’s pivot toward the target initiates the downswing (below). When it properly rotates, you can then let your arms and club swing through the hitting area. That’s what I mean by good synchronicity. The body, arms and club work in unison going back, and then the lower body (followed by the upper body) leads the downswing. It should feel like the body is clearing so the arms and club can whip through. Now you’re synched up and ready to go hit some balls.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

The post Swing out of sync? Here’s a simple drill to get everything working together appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Golf Games Explained is exactly what it sounds like. You want to mix it up and try something new for once? Well, someone has to do the thankless work of playing different golf formats and telling you if it’s worth it. You can thank me later.

It is and always will be the most standard match-play games in golf. And yet, when somebody says, “let’s play a Nassau,” on the first tee, there is inevitably someone who either say A) What’s that? or B) How do you play that again?

In reality, it’s quite simple, even with all the added variations which will get to a little toward the end of this article. For now, here’s how to play a “Nassau.” Now, you can be the guy who introduces it, quickly explains the rules and, ultimately, be the one who has to keep track of all the action and side action. Believe it or not, it’s fun to be that guy, or gal, sometimes.

RELATED: Rules of Golf Review: Why can’t I move my ball when it’s behind an electrical box?

Number of players required: Two OR four players is best for a Nassau, since it’s a match-play game. It can be 1v1 or 2v2. Theoretically, you could do 1v2 if you only have three players, but with handicaps involved, that could make things a bit uneven. Plus, there are more creative games to play when that unreliable friend of yours doesn’t show up to the foursome, like Skins or Wolf.

Best for: Traditionalists. Gamblers. Folks who like to double down on a bet. High- and low-handicappers. People who like to keep it simple.

How to play: Unlike a full, 18-hole match, a Nassau is three separate matches, or three separate bets, if you will. The front nine is its own match, the back nine is its own match, and the “overall,” all 18 holes, is its own match, too. On the first tee, you decide on a dollar amount for all three of those bets. Some folks like to keep it simple and say each match is worth $5, meaning the most you could lose is $15. Others who like to go bigger might make it $10-10-10. You can also make the overall worth a little more if you like—$5 on the front, $5 on the back, $10 for the overall. It’s all up to the group.

So, let’s say you’re 2 down after seven holes. If you fail to win the eighth hole, or you halve it, you lose the front nine. You are now down $5. You continue keeping the overall match score from there, though. So say you lost, you are 3 down overall, you halve the ninth. On 10 you start a new match for the back nine, but you are 3 down on the “overall.”

This makes the back nine mean more and keeps everybody in the game. Let’s say you go on to win the back, 3 up, you’d cancel out the front nine bet and you’d wind up halving the match on 18. In that case, it’s a complete wash and neither team wins. But if you only won the back 2 up, you’d cancel out the front but you’ve lost the overall. In the $5-5-10 scenario we outlined above, you’d owe the winning team $10. If you lost all three ways, front, back and overall, you pay the winning team $20 each if it’s 2v2, and you hang your head in shame.

One other standard element of a Nassau is the press bet, which can be implemented any time you go 2 down. This opens up another bet for the same amount as the original bet. So if you go 2 down through two holes, you can press and open up a new match on the front nine, which you will keep track of on the side starting on the third tee. It is essentially a double or nothing bet. You can also press the overall if you’d like at that point, again opening up an entirely new bet.

Obviously, handicaps are implemented for a Nassau game, allowing players of all abilities to compete.

Variations: For highly-skilled players, you could play a Nassau in the stroke-play format, which would also allow for only three players to compete. Front nine total score, back-nine total score, overall total score.

Technically, the “press” was also a variation, but it’s become so common that it goes without saying that the team who goes 2 down at any point is going to press. You can also add in all sorts of side bets, otherwise known as “junk.” Birdies, greens in regulation (and a par) on par 3s, sandies (up-and-down out of a bunker for par) are the most common forms of junk. Creative folks will also mix in junk like hitting your ball off a tree and still making par (“barkies”). These can all be worth $1 or a higher amount of your choosing. Simply keep track of them throughout the round, tally them all up at the end, and you can add or subtract them from the winning team’s total, depending on which side won the most junk.

Have a fun golf game you play and would like explained to the masses? Hit me up on Twitter/X @Cpowers14 and we’d be happy to share.

MORE GOLF GAMES EXPLAINED

How to play ‘Wolf’: A simple guide to one of golf’s most fun strategic betting games

How to play ‘Vegas’: A basic guide to a golf betting game where every shot counts

How to play ‘Skins’: A basic guide to one of golf’s best money games

What is ‘Swat’? How to play one of golf’s most fun betting games

How to play ‘Snake’: A basic guide to golf’s most toxic putting game

How to play ‘Wad’: The golf gambling game that rewards making putts

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

The post How to play a ‘Nassau’: A basic guide to one of golf’s common match play games appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

This article first appeared in Low Net, a weekly newsletter written for the average golfer, by an average golfer. To get Low Net each week, sign up for Golf Digest+.

Have a topic you want me to explore? Send me an email and I’ll do my best to dive in.

A few years ago, Golf Digest’s net stroke-play tournament featured a unique twist. Rather than have everyone play from the same set of tees, players could choose the tees they wanted, and their allotment of strokes would be adjusted accordingly. The further back you went, the more strokes you got. Move up, and you got fewer.

The broad selection of tee boxes proved a sort of Rorschach test on golfers’ mindsets. Some staffers played the standard tees, while a few boldly went all the way back to 7,100 yards and grabbed a fistful of additional strokes. I went in the opposite direction. In moving up, I was electing for fewer strokes, but figured it’d be fun, and scoring would be easier.

Turns out we were only partially right. I finished near the bottom of the pack.

That day, and in ensuing experiments playing shorter yardage, the consistent takeaway has been that moving up tees is a welcome change of pace. But it doesn’t always make the game easier. If anything, it challenges you to be better in ways you probably overlook.

“It’s probably the best thing you can do when learning how to score,” recent U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau said last year.

First, the obvious: Shorter yardage means less club into greens, which means a better chance of hitting greens in regulation, and more birdie looks as a result. Why would this be complicated? Because nothing in golf is that easy.

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A longer explanation can be best summarized through an experience I’ve chronicled before, when I played an 18-hole round with the PGA Tour pro Joel Dahmen in which I hit Joel’s drives and he hit mine. That day featured all the benefits you’d expect when a tour pro was teeing off from the members’ tees, like when Dahmen left me with a half-wedge into the first green, which I stuck to a foot for an opening birdie.

Netflix

But that round also underscored what DeChambeau and others are referring to when they say shorter yardage is so important for learning how to score. Every time I play forward tees, my perspective on a golf hole shifts. Unlike with a longer club in which I factor in the broad range of potential outcomes, a shorter club narrows my target to the point that I occasionally make devastating mistakes. On the second hole in my round with Dahmen, I took on a tucked pin with my pitching wedge, airmailed the green into a back bunker and made a mess from there.

“I think everyone should be hitting only to the middle of the green unless inside of 50 yards,” said Jeff Ritter, a Golf Digest Best Teacher in Oregon. “Playing more forward, I would think would make it more difficult for players to adhere to this strategy model.”

In short, the “easier” a hole plays, the less attention paid to your limitations, leading to outsized risk. Although magnified in shorter-yardage experiments, this is an everyday problem for most of us. This season three Golf Digest colleagues and I are chronicling the progress of our games and our Handicap Index for an ongoing project, yet my season so far is disjointed. My game feels better than ever, so why have my scores stayed basically the same?

The answer lies in the same tendencies displayed in my round with Dahmen or at that company tournament. Whether because of improved ball-striking or because of forward tees, higher expectations over a shot increase the likelihood of you trying something dumb. It’s why it helps to manufacture those situations to better understand when you can afford to be aggressive and when you can’t.

The irony of playing up on occasion is it’s not likely to immediately lower your handicap index since course ratings from forward tees are generally lower. But if it’s teaching you how to score, the progress will be apparent before long.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

The post How playing forward tees makes you better appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Unless you had a big bet on Bryson DeChambeau or you’re just a sick person, no one enjoyed seeing Rory McIlroy’s heartbreaking finish at the 2024 U.S. Open. It capped a decade of close calls in major championships with his most crushing loss yet as McIlroy missed painfully short putts on two of the final three holes to lose by a stroke to DeChambeau.

It was a brutal watch. And Rory showed just how much it hurt by immediately peeling out of the Pinehurst parking lot and boarding his plane home. The followind day he issued a statement saying he was withdrawing from this week’s Travelers Championship and that he’s “taking a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up.”

THE GRIND: Bryson DeChambeau’s ‘drunk’ drive & Rory McIlroy’s Irish goodbye

There are plenty of people from Brandel Chamblee to Golf Digest’s Sam Weinman who feel McIlroy can learn from this type of loss and be better for it down the road. However, right now, it’s still a bummer for McIlroy and his fans. But now we can already say that something really good has come from his really bad finish.

That’s where Ben Rector comes in. One of our favorite signer-songwriters around these parts, Rector wrote an awesome Masters-inspired theme song featuring Snoop Dogg a couple years back (You’d recognize it as the theme of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball) and he combined with Charles Kelley to perform the prettiest song you’ve ever heard about missing a cut at Pebble Beach. And now, Rector has written a touching song for Rory after his U.S. Open loss. Have a listen:

Well played, Ben. And written.

“These people, they don’t know the weight of dreams. How hard and lonely it can be to carry that flame honestly, to keep from going dim.” Beautiful. And insightful. Thanks for sharing, Ben. Can you put that out as a single I can download?

Anyway, Rory, you take all the time you need. And when you return, your fans—including Ben—will be ready to watch you try (and try and try) again.

RELATED: Scottie Scheffler refused to sign this for a fan—and we don’t blame him

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

The post Ben Rector writes beautiful song for Rory McIlroy after U.S. Open heartbreak appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

A while back, after doing an exhaustive study of how elite players strike a ball on the turf, former pro golfer Bobby Clampett, now an instructor, found that the swing bottom of the best players is up to four inches in front of the ball!

You read that right. Four inches. Their irons descend into the ball, strike it, then slice into the turf and keep heading downward for another couple of inches before ascending again. That’s why you see those carpet strips of grass flying when someone like Tiger pures an iron shot.

You might wonder what they’re doing to create such a powerful impact condition? In short, it occurs because their hands and lower are in front of the ball as the clubhead strikes it. Hard to picture? Here’s a look at defending U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark a millisecond before impact (below). Note his belt buckle and hands. See where they are in relation to the ball?

MORE: Cut your workout time in half with these great exercises

You might think Clark can hit a 7-iron 200 yards because he’s been playing and practicing golf his whole life, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But there’s another reason why he’s able to deloft his irons and compress the ball off the turf, and it doesn’t have to do with outlier golf skill.

It’s a gym thing.

Darin Hovis, a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer, says that “lagging” action, where the clubhead trails the hands and body rotation through the impact zone, can be trained in the gym. It takes a combination of strength, stability and mobility, plus the coordination of moving in multiple planes in a timed action, but it’s easier than you think if you follow his four-part workout.

Hovis, one of Golf Digest’s 50 Best Fitness Trainers in America, trains golfers at Par 4 Fitness in Naples, Fla. and is a +0.1 handicap golfer (so he pure irons as a hobby). He says the key to turning a 7-iron into a 5-iron, by making ball-first contact and taking a divot after, lies in understanding how to use the ground as a leverage post.

“You want to train to learn how to deliver the hands forward of the ball enough to create this dynamic compression,” he says. “A lot of the time amateur golfers throw the clubhead at the ball and it’s actually ahead of the hands at impact. It’s not lagging the way it does when pros strike the ball.”

Watch his four-part training program on how to train for clubhead lag. And click this link if you’re interested in knowing more about Golf Digest’s Fitness Trainer Certification program.

MORE: How I lost 23 pounds in a year—downing burgers, pizza and playing a little golf

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

The post Want to turn your 7-iron into a 5-iron? Do this quick workout appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Long before YouTube Golf became a big deal, the Bryan Bros were pioneers in the space. Heck, that article I just linked to is 10 years old. I’m amazed the link even still works.

Anyway, while both Wesley Bryan and George Bryan are still very much pursuing their tour pro careers—Wesley finished runner-up in the D.R. on the PGA Tour in April and George made his first PGA Tour cut last November—the band is back together making content. And one recent trick shot in particular caught our eye.

RELATED: Scottie Scheffler refused to sign this for a fan—and we don’t blame him

Have a look as Wes drains a putt from 144 yards. That’s right, 144 yards. Or 432 feet. The dude takes a huge whack at the ball with his putter from a spot in the fairway that most people would hit 8-iron and it just rolls. And rolls. And rolls. Until it finds the bottom of the cup. Check it out:

Amazing stuff. “The wand is starting to warm up,” Wes writes in the comments. Look out, PGA Tour.

The only bad thing? As Wes notes in the comments later, this will not be recognized as an official Guinness World Record because there wasn’t an official there. A quick Google search shows that record is 401 feet by Jay Stocki.

But the Bryan Bros don’t need some certificate. They’ve got video proof that this putt was real—and it was spectacular.

RELATED: Watch a giant gator enjoy a big lunch on the golf course

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

The post Watch Wesley Bryan make the longest putt in golf history appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

The week-in, week-out experience for most tour players is a dart-throwing contest. They see the target, calculate the number they want to hit, and try to land it as close to that number as possible. With the soft fairways and greens on tour, drivers may not roll out more than 10 yards; irons, maybe only a yard or two.

But starting on the firm-and-fast turf at the U.S. Open, and extending through the Open Championship, run-out numbers start becoming hugely important. As Sean Zak, a writer at Golf Magazine and author of the new book Searching In St. Andrews, explained on the most recent episode of the Golf IQ podcast.

Zak caddied for PGA Tour player Joel Dahmen at the Genesis Scottish Open during his first visit to Scotland, and found that in the extremely dry conditions that hit Scotland in 2022, the ball could roll upwards of 80 yards with a driver.

It’s something Bryson DeChambeau spoke about last week during the U.S. Open:

“We track on practice days how far the golf ball is rolling. We’ll see on the Foresight how far it lands and then how far it actually goes. So we’ll take those two numbers and say that it’s a 33-yard run-out right now in these conditions, because if it’s downwind it can go to 45 yards. If it’s into the wind, it can go to five yards. It’s a bit based on the conditions at hand and what slopes you land on and where it is in the fairways. You’ve got to just try to make sure you’re hitting it into the correct areas in spots with those types of conditions. That’s really what it is.”

So to help you navigate whatever dry conditions you may face, here are some land-and-roll basics.

Run out number basics The ball will roll more if… …the ground is firm and dry

Because obviously.

…the weather is warm

Because the ball flies, and lands, with more speed.

…you’re playing golf at higher altitude

Because the ball flies through the thinner air for longer, which means it arrives back to earth on a flatter landing angle and with more speed.

…the ball approaches the ground at a lower, shallower landing angle

Because it’s like bowling, in that the best way to roll the ball isn’t to drop it directly down at your feet.

…you’re hitting your ball to an elevated target

Because if you’re hitting to an elevated green, the ball comes into that elevated ground at a shallower angle.

Once again, you can listen to the full Golf IQ episode with Sean below (and subscribe here!)

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com

The post It’s a number pros are about to start caring a lot more about—these are the basics appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Steph Chambers]

Lexi Thompson downplayed that announcing her retirement was the key to rediscovering her prime form. The 29-year-old shared at the US Women’s Open that this would be her final season of full-time play on the LPGA Tour. After missing the cut at Lancaster Country Club, she has played some of her best golf in years.

Thompson was topped by Lilia Vu in last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic in a three-way playoff. The American continued her stellar play with a four-under 68 in the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to take the outright lead after the first round of a major for the first time in her 13-year career.

Lexi Thompson announces her retirement

“I don’t think that has to do anything with announcing what I did,” Thompson said. “It’s just a matter of being comfortable out there and playing free-swing Lexi and just enjoying being out there every step of the way.”

Thompson felt she found something in her swing on Tuesday of last week that allowed her to slow down her tempo, unlocking a free-flowing nature. In her last five rounds, she has hit 78.9 percent of greens in regulation, more than 8 percent higher than her season average (70.5 percent). She hit 14 greens in her opening round at Sahalee Country Club.

After starting poorly in her past two events, Nelly Korda jumps out quickly in search of second major this year

Thompson also credited her success to starting to work with long-time friend Mark Wallington last week. The veteran caddie’s consistent positive affirmations keep Thompson lighthearted and happy on the course. The tandem made a needed birdie on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff at Blythefield Country Club last week, then birdied the first two playoff holes before Vu birdied the third extra hole for the win.

“I don’t know if it was the atmosphere of the event and just enjoying being out there, and just felt more free and enjoyed myself a lot more,” Thompson said. “So it kind of just all clicked.”

Lexi Thompson with the field high!

Make it 6⃣ birdies on the day #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/VZTp8qlslD

— KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 21, 2024

Thompson remained on fire amid the towering trees in Washington state with her ball-striking. She didn’t have a putt outside five feet for birdie over her first three holes, jumping to three-under and tied at the top of the leaderboard. A birdie on the ninth completed a clean opening side with a four-under 32. Thompson carded six birdies to tie her with Nelly Korda for the most birdies despite hitting only six fairways.

“I played solid golf,” Thompson said. “I just try to stay in the moment. There’s a lot of tough holes out there. So just try to visualise and really pick small targets, and just take advantage of the few birdie opportunities that you get out there.”

Thompson is contending in a major for the first time since the 2022 Women’s PGA, where she squandered a two-stroke lead with three holes to play at the Congressional’s Blue course. Her group-mate at Sahalee Country Club today, Yuka Saso, was the beneficiary of Thompson’s back-nine collapse in the 2021 US Women’s Open at the Olympic Club. Thompson lost a five-shot lead before missing out on a playoff that Saso won over Nasa Hataoka. Since then, she has struggled in majors.

Thompson has only made one cut in the past seven majors, that coming in last year’s Women’s PGA, where she tied for 47th place. Before today, she had not broken 70 in a major since the second round at Congressional two years ago. The 11-time LPGA winner’s lone major title came at the 2014 ANA Inspiration a decade ago.

When asked if she could see herself changing her retirement decision should she win a big title, Thompson did not definitively commit to that decision.

“I figured I would be getting that question,” Thompson said. “I’m just taking it one day at a time. I made my announcement. I’m very content with it. Golf is a crazy game, so I’m not going to look too far ahead. Just taking it one day at a time and see where it takes me.”

Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Hannah Green’s love affair with the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Pacific North-West of the US continued during the first round at Sahalee, where she tops the eight-strong Australian contingent.

Out early alongside world No.1 Korda, who signed for three-under to share second with Patty Tavatanakit to sit one behind Thompson, Green opened with a one-under 71 to sit in a tie for 15th after starting her day with a bang.

The 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA champion got underway with back-to-back birdies after teeing off the 10th hole, where Green struck her 134-metre second shot inside three feet for the best imaginable start.

Bogey at the 14th and a third birdie at 16 saw the world No.5 make the turn in two-under before recovering from two bogeys in the middle of her second nine at the final hole of the day.

Sitting even-par, Green struck another pure iron shot from 162 metres at the par-3 ninth, where she rolled in a 16-foot birdie putt to be the lone Australian under par and well placed as she chases a third win in 2024.

Missing out on a win of her own in a play-off last week, Grace Kim is the next best of the Australians after opening with a one-over 73 that was made better late in her round when the Sydneysider dropped a 35-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th to join a tie for 36th.

Similarly ending her day on a high, Steph Kyriacou birdied the par-5 18th to sign for an opening two-over 74, with the 23-year-old alongside Gabi Ruffels and Minjee Lee in a share for 54th.

Ruffels looked set for another enjoyable day at the majors after making the turn in one-under, having started from the 10th before a rollercoaster five-hole stretch which included four bogeys and a birdie.

Opening her first round with a bogey, it was steady stuff around the ultra-narrow Sahalee for Lee, who entered as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

At one-over through nine holes, the two-time major champion mixed two bogeys and a birdie at the par-3 13th after a trademark flushed iron to seven feet to end the day two-over and six behind Thompson.

LPGA rookie Robyn Choi and veteran Sarah Kemp are the next best of the Australians sitting middle of the field after their first rounds of 75 to be three-over and tied for 70th, with Kiwi Lydia Ko on the same score after a final-hole birdie on her return to Sahalee where she lost in a playoff in 2016.

Making her championship debut, Hira Naveed rounds out the Aussies after finishing the first day 10-over-par.

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