PGA TOUR and AGA align to educate fans on responsible gaming

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. It was good to get another four rounds under my belt in last week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind in Memphis. Having got out of the blocks a bit slowly, with three bogeys in my first five holes, I played some really solid golf coming in to shoot 68. Then we followed that up with a 69 on Friday to be in a nice position going into the weekend. Even though we didn’t push-on over the weekend, I’ve got to say that compared to where my game was in the first 3-4 months of this season, there’s a definite improvement right through the bag. That’s evident from the number of birdies I’m making most weeks. As always, you’ve got to stay patient and just keep trying to do the right things. We all know this game can turn around in a heartbeat.  Just before we move on, a quick word of congrats to Daniel Berger on his back-to-back wins. I’ve done that a few times in my career and it’s a sweet feeling, no doubt about it. Also, we have to give a shout-out to South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli who won his maiden Tour event in Austria at the weekend. That’s a sweet feeling, too!  So, on to Erin Hills and this week’s U.S. Open. We flew here on Sunday afternoon and, even after all these years, it’s still exciting getting to the golf course, checking-in, and feeling that major championship buzz. This is a new venue for everyone, which is unusual in a major, so we’re all pretty much starting on the same page. The few players that had seen Erin Hills ahead of this week described it as a ‘great course’ and having had my first look today, I’d agree with that assessment. It’s hard to describe the scale of this place. Seriously, this is a huge property! The golf course sits in a rolling, prairie-style landscape with fescue grasses that make it look a little bit linksy in some respects. I like that. Set-up wise, the fairways are generous by U.S. Open standards. There are some blind tee shots, and even a few blind second shots, so one key aspect of these early practice rounds is making sure you’re comfortable with your sight lines. A blind shot is only blind once, as the old saying goes. As with all U.S. Opens it’s going to be vital hitting your share of fairways, not least because the rough is very severe, but also because you’re going to need to work your golf ball both ways into the greens and most likely have to contend with some windy conditions. Hitting from the fairways is a big advantage in that respect.  I must say the whole golf course is immaculate. It’s been closed the past six months, so the playing surfaces and overall condition and definition are really exceptional. The greens in particular are perfect and pure, so you can make some putts here. And the fact is, you have to make putts if you’re going to give yourself a chance to win a U.S. Open. The two times that I won this thing, I had a really great week on the greens.  Talking of which, this is the 20-year anniversary of my second U.S. Open win at Congressional. Generally speaking I’m not the kind of person who tends to look back or get overly nostalgic about the past, but I spoke to the European Tour over the weekend for a story they’re running on their website and that did bring back some special memories. Another of the things I was reminded of was the fact that I went into that week at Congressional with not much form. But things really started to click into place during the practice rounds and my confidence grew and grew as the week went along. As I was saying earlier in this piece, it’s amazing how quickly things can turn around in this game.  So you never know what a week has in store for you; that’s one of the great things about golf. One thing we do know, however, are our tee times. I’m paired with fellow former champions Webb Simpson and Lucas Glover, at 8.35 a.m. CT from the 1st on Thursday and 2.20 p.m. from the 10th on Friday. The goal between now and then, as always in majors, is to get your prep done so that you’re comfortable with the golf course, but at the same time be mindful not to do too much. Pace yourself, basically. This is one of the toughest weeks of the year, mentally and physically, so you’ve got to leave plenty of gas in the tank.  Ever since I made my U.S. Open debut with a top-10 finish at Baltusrol in 1993, I’ve made no secret of the fact that this is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I just love everything about this great championship and I can’t wait to get started. If I can get the ball in play off the tee and hit a few more fairways than I have in recent months, then honestly I like my chances of making some noise this week. That’s always the plan! Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy.

Click here to read the full article…

There are few things as comforting as seeing Phil Mickelson stalking the fairways of Pebble Beach. For some reason, Mickelson and the Monterey Peninsula just make sense. The California native made his pro debut in the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and he's played the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 1995. He's a five-time winner at Pebble Beach, most recently in 2019, and finished third here last year at the age of 49. He's been playing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for so long that he's competed against players born in every decade from the 1920s (Arnold Palmer) to the 2000s (Akshay Bhatia, who's playing this week on a sponsor exemption). As with any great player, it's always interesting to look at the evolution of his equipment. In Mickelson's case, his equipment setup has evolved since his second win at Pebble Beach in 2005, when he bested Mike Weir by four strokes. You can learn a lot about how Mickelson's mind works digging into his bag. These days, the top of the bag is built for long, unapologetic missile launching and the bottom is an artist's toolbox built for variety and satisfying every creative whim. As you will see from 2005 to now, the top of the bag stayed fairly traditional, and as time went on, hybrids, 5-woods, and utility irons found their way in. The wedge set up has always stayed quintessentially Phil, however. Let’s take a look at what he had the bag for three of his wins (2005, '12, '19) and what he has in play today. 2021 Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (8 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X 2-wood: TaylorMade "Original One" Mini Driver Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X 4-wood: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (16.5 degrees) Shaft: KBS TD 80 C5 TX Irons: Callaway Epic Forged (4), Callaway Apex MB ‘21 (5-PW) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 S+ Wedges: Callaway PM Grind '19 "Raw" (54-10, 60-12, 64-10) Shafts: KBS Tour-V 125 S+ Putter: Odyssey Milled Blade "Phil Mickelson" Grip: SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour Grips: Golf Price MCC Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X with Triple Track 2019 Driver: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 3-wood: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero (13.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Fubuki J 80 X Irons: Callaway X Forged UT (4,5), Callaway Apex MB ‘21 (6-PW) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind 19 (54-10, 60-12, 64-10) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 Putter: Odyssey Versa No. 9 White Grip: SuperStroke Slim 3.0 Grips: Golf Pride MCC Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X (with Triple Track Technology) 2012 Driver: Callaway RAZR Fit (9.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC7.2 X 3-wood: Callaway Big Bertha Diablo (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Rombax 80 X Hybrid: Callaway X Prototype (19 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Fubuki 73 X Irons: Callaway X-Forged CB (4,5), Callaway RAZR X MB (6-P) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Wedges: Callaway X Series Jaws (52@54, 60, 64) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG PT82 Grips: Golf Pride MCC Ball: Callaway Hex Black Tour 2005 Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design PM Proto 70 X 3-wood: Callaway Big Bertha WarBird 4+ (16 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design PM Proto 80 X Irons: Callaway X-Tour (3-PW) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Wedges: Callaway Vintage Forged (52, 56, 60) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Putter: Odyssey PM Proto Milled Blade Grips: Royal Grip Sand Wrap Ball: Callaway HX Tour 56

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…