The story behind Jordan Spieth’s new haircut at The Open

Editor’s note: Ernie Els is writing a blog in 2017 and this is his latest installment. For more information on the World Golf Hall of Famer, visit www.ernieels.com. First of all, big congrats to Justin Thomas on his first win in a major. He hit some great shots and holed key putts…when he really needed to. That’s what it takes to win one of these.  Actually, after having played with Hideki Matsuyama in the first two rounds I thought it might be his week. When he’s on, his ball-striking is incredible. There are not really any flaws in his game; he’s got the whole package, as they say. But as we all know, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to win a major. You need a lot of factors to go your way. Hideki has paid his dues now, though, and I believe his time will come.  For me … well, playing in my 100th major championship was obviously a cool milestone and a proud moment, especially when you see the other golfers on the 100 majors list (see stats at the bottom of this report). But for me right now, it’s all about fighting hard to get something going, some momentum rolling. My hunger for competition is as strong as ever. So, with that in mind, we move on now to this week’s Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club. It’s the final stop on the PGA TOUR before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs and my team tells me that I need a win to get into the Playoffs. A runner-up spot would mean we probably just miss out. But I can’t go into the week with math on my mind. Just got to treat it like any other tournament and commit 100 percent to playing my best golf from the get-go.  It’s my seventh appearance here and, as always, it’s a real treat to come and play this beautiful old Donald Ross design. Sedgefield is one of the premier private clubs in America and was host venue for the Greater Greensboro Open. In fact, it was here in 1965 that Sam Snead won his last, and all-time record 82nd PGA TOUR event, at the age of 52. Davis Love III also won this tournament a couple of years ago at the age of 51. So maybe there’s something in the water at Sedgefield for us old guys! Joking aside, this is a course that I’ve enjoyed playing over the years so I’m looking forward to teeing it up and hoping for a strong week. Finally, a quick update on our Els for Autism Golf Challenge, which is enjoying another successful run in the U.S. & Canada this summer. Please click here http://www.ernieelscentre4autism.co.za/events.asp for information on how to take part.  Meanwhile, over in South Africa the Drive to SA Open series paid its first visit to The Els Club Copperleaf on July 27, where the guys there put on another great show. Thank you to Juan Geyser, the new golf director at Copperleaf, and to Jacob Mocherene who I hear worked tirelessly to make this day a success. Thanks also to Carl Manser from EOH who entered 24 players; glad to have you all on board! And congrats to the winners, Branus Viljoen and Johan Steyn. The next stop is at another course that has a special place in my heart, Kempton Park, on Sept. 7. Click here http://e4agolf.com if you’d like to take part in that. Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy. The 100 Majors Club 1. Jack Nicklaus – 164 majors 2. Gary Player – 150 majors 3. Tom Watson – 145 majors 4. Arnold Palmer – 142 majors 5. Raymond Floyd – 127 majors 6. Sam Snead – 119 majors 7. Ben Crenshaw – 118 majors 8. Gene Sarazen – 112 majors 9. Tom Kite – 109 majors .Mark O’Meara – 109 majors 11. Bernhard Langer – 104 majors 12. Sir Nick Faldo – 100 majors Ernie Els – 100 majors Phil Mickelson – 100 majors

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POTOMAC, Md. – Notes and observations from Saturday’s third round of the Quicken Loans National, where David Lingmerth fell back with a 3-over 73 but kept the lead by one over Daniel Summerhays (70). Spencer Levin (65) shot the round of the day and was at 5 under, two back. For more coverage from TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, click here for the Daily Wrap-up. LINGMERTH HANGS IN THERE There was stifling heat, and a wild thunderstorm, delaying play one hour and 31 minutes, and there were bogeys. And for the first time all week, there was a double-bogey. All week, players talked up the difficulty of TPC Potomac, and all week the course proved formidable. In the third round, though, its challenges caught up to even the leader. After racing ahead with back-to-back 65s, Lingmerth bogeyed the first hole, double-bogeyed the par-4 fourth after pulling his tee shot into the hazard, and bogeyed the par-5 10th. This was clearly a different day than the first two. “Missed a couple tee shots to the left, which is something that I don’t usually do,â€� Lingmerth said. “And it kind of maybe got me a little unnerved, I guess, with the tee balls for the rest of the day because I didn’t hit as many fairways as I usually do.â€� After hitting 12 of 14 fairways in the first round, and 10 in the second, Lingmerth hit just six fairways Saturday. He mostly minimized the damage, though, to remain in the solo lead, where he’s been all week. Also on the bright side: When he won the Web.com Tour’s 2012 Neediest Kids Championship on this course he also struggled in the third round, going 66-66-74-66. If history repeats itself, Lingmerth would go 65-65-73-65 to win the Quicken. “I don’t know if it’s comforting or not,â€� he said. “But I know I can play well out here.â€� A native of Sweden who attended Arkansas, Lingmerth, 29, has one PGA TOUR victory already, at the 2015 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Asked if he sees himself winning six, seven or eight times in his career, Lingmerth said no. “I envision winning a lot more than that,â€� he said. “I think I can win a couple times a year if I just do what I’m supposed to do.â€� SHOT OF THE DAY LEVIN HEATS UP WITH PUTTER Spencer Levin, 33, missed eight straight cuts earlier this season. He’s tried different swing fixes, different caddies. Enter his old friend from UCLA, Grant Zider, whose father, Bob, invented a pixel-design insert that Levin had built into his new Edel putter. The club went in the bag for last week’s Traveler’s Championship, and Levin made the 36-hole cut but not the 54-hole one. He came into this week at 176th in the FedExCup race. It’s a good thing he didn’t give up on the putter. Levin (65) made 128’ 7’’ of putts Saturday. “That’s probably more than I made all year combined,â€� he said before a quick range session after his round. Levin’s 65 edged Patrick Rodgers and Byeong Hun An (66) for low round of the day. Levin came into this week at 116th in strokes gained: putting. This week? He leads the field. He’s also starting to drive the ball better—he hit 10 of 14 fairways Saturday—and “feeling better about my game and feeling better about myself, too.â€� Levin is 369th in the Official World Golf Ranking, but he has flirted with winning. He shot a third-round 63 to take a six-shot lead going into the final round of the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open, but shot 75 to finish T3, two back of winner Kyle Stanley. This time, Levin will be the chaser, not the chased. He could go a long way toward making the FedExCup playoffs with another low round. Also on offer: a spot in the Open Championship. The top four players who are not already exempt and finish in the top 12 at the Quicken earn spots at Royal Birkdale, July 20-23. “It’s been a tough year,â€� Levin said, “but the putts have been going in this week, which is obviously why I’m playing well. So, that’s what it’s going to take tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it, though. I haven’t been in this position for a long time.â€� CALL OF THE DAY   ODDS AND ENDS For the second time in five weeks, Daniel Summerhays will go into Sunday with an excellent chance to nab his first win, as his even-par 70 left him just a shot behind Lingmerth. “My front nine, honestly, I didn’t miss a shot until the ninth hole,â€� Summerhays said. “I felt like I rolled good putts, too, and they were just rolling past the edges.â€� Although putting is normally one of his strengths, Summerhays was in negative numbers in strokes gained: putting for the second straight day Saturday. A 10-year TOUR veteran, he’s making his 189th career start. He led going into the final round of this year’s Memorial Tournament, but shot a final-round 78 to finish T10. Keegan Bradley holed out from 144 yards for eagle at the 18th hole and shot an even-par 70 to remain 1 under for the tournament. He’s tied for 12th place, six off the lead. Geoff Ogilvy, who turned 40 earlier this month and who is playing this season on a one-time-only exemption for players in the top 50 in career earnings, bogeyed the driveable, par-4 14th hole on the way to a 74 to drop into a tie for fourth at 4 under par, three back. After fighting the front nine to an even-par draw, sponsor exemption Arjun Atwal, 44, playing in the day’s second-to-last group, made five bogeys on the back to shoot 75 and fall back to even. Rickie Fowler, after hitting just 13 fairways through two rounds, hit nine fairways and 15 greens in regulation Saturday as he shot 68 to get back to even par. “I haven’t been far off all week,â€� said Fowler, who is eighth in the FedExCup standings. “I felt like I’ve been swinging well. There’ve been a couple tee balls that have just snuck into the rough, I felt like I did a good job of it today hitting a little bit more up the center of the fairway.â€� He’s seven back going into Sunday. BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA That’ll soften the ol golf course up 😬 pic.twitter.com/JkYKxtp8uV — Zac Blair (@z_blair) July 1, 2017 Summer days with Summerhays. ☀ï¸� 😎🌂 pic.twitter.com/Hp3kveeGY7 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 1, 2017 Walk-off eagle ✅🦅 Walk off with the bag ✅😂 Perfect finish for @Keegan_Bradley!#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/to0608SMDz — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 1, 2017 Spencer Levin shot 65 today. “It was the best round I played all year.” Putts made: 33 feet 22 feet 13 feet 10 feet 8 feet 8 feet 7 feet pic.twitter.com/azSbTzliin — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 1, 2017

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While making his bed one day earlier this year, Brooks Koepka started crying in pain. Although he looks like the toughest guy in the room, the physical agony from his injured left wrist – which, after stem-cell treatment and platelet-rich plasma injections, had sidelined him for nearly four months – had reduced him to tears. Soon, he found a local chiropractor near his home in South Florida. The diagnosis? Koepka, with his soft cast removed, had dislocated his wrist while moving too quickly to pull up his bedsheets. “So he popped it back in,â€� Koepka said, “then we’re off and running.â€� And he never stopped. He returned to the PGA TOUR eight days later, spent the summer winning two majors, then finished inside the top 10 after the FedExCup Playoffs before slowing down long enough on Tuesday to claim the PGA TOUR Player of the Year award. “The lowest of lows and the highest of highs,â€� the 28-year-old Koepka said about the most unusual season. “It was pretty dramatic. Look, at the beginning of the season, I was just hoping to be back out playing again. To sit here after winning two majors and Player of the Year, I don’t think I even thought this was going to happen. “This is incredible. It’s an honor. It’s mind-boggling.â€� But it’s certainly no surprise. He has the game (one of the TOUR’s biggest bombers), he has the adaptability (his back-to-back U.S. Open wins were on different setups) and he has the mental mistake (hey, he’s chill) to emerge as one of the TOUR’s 20-something stars, right up there with JT, Jordan, Rory and the rest. “Calm. Collected. Confident,â€� was how Jack Nicklaus described Koepka. Perhaps the only thing he’s lacking is recognition — although being Player of the Year may finally eliminate that issue. Koepka once told Golf Digest that he’s “really good at blending inâ€� and by his own admission, he hangs out in the background as much as possible. “Most people don’t know the real me, my life off the golf course,â€� he said Tuesday. “I can go to plenty of restaurants and not have anybody come up and say anything, where a lot of guys can’t. Look at Dustin (Johnson) or Jordan or guys like that. They can’t do that. I’m still blending in.â€� Then with a laugh, he adds, “I mean, I get confused for Tony Finau most every week.â€� Koepka has turned this lack of attention into motivation. It allows him to play with a chip on his shoulder – much like Michael Jordan would take perceived slights and raise the level of his play against his NBA opponents. “I think you always have to play with a little chip on your shoulder if you want to get the best out of you,â€� Koepka said. “I love competition. I find a way, whatever it is, to try to play my best and get myself up for every event. “I think a lot of the chips that everyone’s been talking about is because I was left off notables as the defending champion of the U.S. Open, just things like that. To be at the PGA, I shoot a decent first-round score and the guy who never won a major shot two higher than I did, and he’s being interviewed. I’m like man, we’re in 10th, 12th place after the first day and I’m like, all right, I won a major this year, two-time major winner – you know what I mean? It seems kind of odd. But whatever…â€� On Tuesday, at least, there was no one slighting Koepka after his peers, his fellow competitors, voted him as Player of the Year. No golfer, from their perspective, had a better season. As a result, Koepka will receive the Jack Nicklaus Trophy. It’s not the first award in Koepka’s home that showcases an image of the Golden Bear. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, and growing up in nearby Lake Worth, Koepka would occasionally see Nicklaus, a longtime resident of the area. Twice, Koepka won junior events at the Bear’s Club. The trophy was a plaque that included Nicklaus trading cards from the high points of his legendary career. “I still have those trophies,â€� Koepka said. “… It’s a very big plaque, as you can imagine, with all his major victories and everything. It’s pretty cool. “Mr. Nicklaus was always exactly what you’d expect he would be, very gracious and very kind. It’s nice to add something else of his to my trophy collection.â€� Provided that chip remains on Koepka’s shoulder, you get the feeling there will be more to come. In His Own Words A chronological list of quotes from Brooks Koepka that reflect the ebb and flow of his 2017-18 season: “Game feels good and excited to start the season.â€� (Oct. 26) “I have some wrist issues. I want to figure that out. I can’t grip anything strong with my left hand.â€� (Dec. 6, via AP) “It felt like someone was jabbing a knife in my hand. The problem is we don’t have any answers.â€� (Jan. 7, via Golf Channel) “I am frustrated that I will now not be able to play my intended schedule. But I am confident in my doctors and in the treatment they have prescribed, and I look forward to teeing it up at the Masters.â€� (Jan. 19 statement) “They said I would be about 80 percent but I can’t play 80 percent. I either have to go full bore or not at all.”(March 20 on decision to not play Masters, via USA Today) “It feels like I’ve been out for six months. … It was torn a lot worse than they originally thought.â€� (April 20, via AP) “There’s nobody more excited to be here than me, I can tell you that. To get back out, it felt like it took forever.â€� (May 13 at THE PLAYERS Championship) “I feel like my game is coming around. … I am finally finding a rhythm and feel like I’m getting really close.â€� (May 26) “I feel like it healed nicely. I like where my game’s trending right now.â€� (June 7) “To have my name on there twice is pretty incredible, and to go back-to-back is even more extraordinary. It feels so special.â€� (June 17 after winning second straight U.S. Open) “I’ll be honest. I’m dead right now.â€� (June 21 at Travelers) “Right now I’m focused on just winning. That’s the only thing I’ve got in my mind. Second place just isn’t good enough. I finished second a lot and just tired of it.â€� (July 17 on eve of Open Championship) “Didn’t play very good. Didn’t strike it good. Never really felt comfortable.â€� (July 22 after finishing T-39 at the Open) “Missing four months, the schedule got completely flipped around for me. I’m having to play a lot right now to play some events because I missed so much time.â€� (July 25 on eve of RBC Canadian Open) “It was as good as I’ve hit it in my pro career. I don’t think I’ve ever driven it as well as I did. .. I feel confident going into next week.â€� (Aug. 5 after WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) “When you take four months off, you really appreciate it and you’re eager to get back out there. Anytime you can tee it up, especially only doing three majors, it makes every one a little bit more important. I kind of fell back in love with the game a little bit.â€� (Aug. 7 on eve of PGA Championship) “When I look at what I’ve done in the past two months, it’s incredible. Looking where I was, sitting on my couch watch the Masters, and to think I would do this, I would have laughed at you and told you there was no way, no chance.â€� (Aug. 12 after winning PGA) “There’s a lot on my mind. I can get to world No. 1, win the FedExCup. It’s a big stretch, these next four weeks.â€� (Aug. 23) “I don’t see why it has to end. If I keep doing what I’m doing, I don’t see why it should stop.â€� (Sept. 27) Brooks By The Numbers Hitting the statistical highlights of Koepka’s season: 68.27 — Koepka’s final-round scoring average. Of the 140-plus primary statistical categories used by ShotLink, it’s the only category this season in which Koepka led the TOUR. It’s also the eighth best final-round average since 1980 when data was first collected. 9th — Koepka’s ranking in Scrambling this season, based on his 64.3 percent success rate. Before this season, Koepka had never ranked better than 108th in Scrambling. 33 — Number of times a player has won multiple majors in the same season. Koepka becomes the most recent player on that list. 411 — Length in yards of Koepka’s longest drive this season, on the 16th hole of the final round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. That tied for the 20th longest drive of the season. 62.5 — Percentage of Koepka’s tee shots that were over 300 yards. No player had a higher percentage this season (see chart below). A Mixed Bag Equipment Insider Jonathan Wall reviews the tools that fueled Koepka this season: Coming off his first major championship win during the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season, Brooks Koepka limited the equipment changes to the driver during the 2017-18 campaign. After opening the year with TaylorMade’s M4 driver, Koepka swapped the club for the company’s M3 at THE PLAYERS Championship, due to the flight it produced and how easy it was to turn the ball over on command. A former Nike Golf equipment staffer, Koepka continues to play a Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron. Mizuno’s JPX-900 Tour irons were originally created with Koepka in mind when he became an equipment free agent following Nike’s departure from the hard-goods industry in 2016. Koepka’s 35-inch Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport 2 putter was refinished prior to his return to the course at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The “T10” represents the 10th anniversary of Scotty Cameron using Teryllium inserts in putters made for TOUR players. Over the years, Koepka has added weight to the putter head, going from a D6 swing weight to closer to D9 with the current version. Driver: TaylorMade M3 (Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70TX shaft), 9.5 degrees 3-wood: TaylorMade M2 Tour HL (Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80TX shaft), 16.5 degrees Irons: Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3-iron; Fujikura Pro 95 Tour Spec X shaft), Mizuno JPX-900 Tour (4-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 (52-12F, 56-10S, 60-08M degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts) Putter: Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport 2 Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

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