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Cameron Smith adds to career-defining year with victory at 2022 Australian PGA Championship

detlef32 — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 15:08:42 +0000

When looking back at the wild world of golf in 2022, you will be hard pressed to tell the tale without Cameron Smith. Adding to what has already been a career-defining year both on and off the golf course, Smith claimed the 2022 Australian PGA Championship — the third of his career — at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane, Australia.

Playing in his home country’s PGA Championship for the first time in three years, the world No. 3 was able overcome weather, nerves and his fellow countrymen en route to his fifth win of the year. Getting the better of Jason Scrivener and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune, Smith finished with a 72-hole total of 14-under 270 to win by three shots.

“It’s awesome, mate,” Smith said. “I really didn’t think I had it in me this week me to be honest. The start of the week was a little bit scratchy. The game just got better and better as the week went on other than the front nine today.”

Smith’s game has gotten “better and better” not only throughout this week but throughout this year as a whole. Entering 2022 with three worldwide victories to his name and only one of which resided on the PGA Tour, the Australian shattered what many believed his ceiling to be and continues to do so.

A duel with Jon Rahm kicked off Smith’s 2022 at the Tournament of Champions in Kapalua. Needing to set the PGA Tour scoring record, a scorching Smith reached 34 under for the week to eek by the then-world No. 1 by a single stroke. Finishing atop a limited field of only 38 competitors, it really wasn’t until the spring when the conversation around Smith began to move from “He’s a pretty good player” to “He’s one of the best in the world.”

A weather-riddled Players Championship saw many of the world’s finest curl up as a brutal system rolled through the Jacksonville area the week of the “fifth major.” With a bit of tee time luck on his side at the onset of the tournament, Smith converted this golden opportunity into a golden moment with 10 birdies in the final round at TPC Sawgrass.

Highlighted by his wedge shot on the famed island green par-3 17th, Smith’s bold action on the 71st hole of the championship gave him his biggest victory to date. Similar words would be uttered just four months later when a comeback for the ages transpired at the oldest major championship in the game.

Five birdies in a row and a back-nine 30 saw Smith leapfrog crowd-favorite Rory McIlroy the final day of the 150th Open. Taking on water throughout the third round, Smith reset on Sunday and leaned on his trusty putter for his last stroll around the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Boasting 25 one putts on the week, it was an unlikely up-and-down from behind the road hole bunker on the 71st hole that secured Smith’s first major championship and the title “Champion Golfer of the Year.” Celebrations, beers from the Claret Jug and praise ensued, but not before an eyebrow-raising moment occurred at his winner’s press conference.

“I just won the British Open, and you’re asking about that? I think that’s pretty not that good,” said Smith when asked about a potential move to LIV Golf.

With rumors swirling, intensifying and seemingly coming to life in real time, Smith was again bombarded with questions ahead of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Brushing off the interrogation in a way only a man with a mullet can, the 29-year-old ultimately chose to join the PGA Tour rival after completion of the Tour Championship.

“It felt like I didn’t sleep for a few months,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I was constantly thinking, ‘what will other people think?’ That was a really big factor for me. I feel like I do most things by the book and to be one to step away … was really tough for me.”

Smith’s decision paid dividends almost immediately. Falling one stroke short of a playoff in his debut at LIV Golf Boston, Smith made amends two weeks later with a victory at LIV Golf Chicago. Rounding out his inaugural LIV campaign with a 7-under 65 at Trump National Doral, Smith single-handedly carried his team Punch GC to within one of the LIV Golf Team Championship.

Fast forward to present day, and Smith should have no issues sleeping after his win at the 2022 Australian PGA Championship. Adding to what was already a memorable year, yet in the same sense equally bizarre, Smith has now captured five victories in five different time zones on three different continents on three different tours.

While McIlroy will head into the new year as world No. 1 and winner of the season-long races on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, it may actually be Smith who was the most eye-catching, head-scratching, thought-provoking player of 2022.

Winner of two of the biggest prizes in golf, the subject of controversy and again a champion in his home country, Smith will continue to saunter on. While the path may be one less traveled moving forward, it is a path no less, and one which helped shape Smith’s world class year.

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Tiger Woods will team with son for 2022 PNC Championship as 15-time major winner adds to December schedule

detlef32 — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 18:39:38 +0000

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After playing just nine rounds over the first 11 months of 2022, Tiger Woods is poised to play seven more in the next three weeks. Woods has officially committed to play the PNC Championship Dec. 16-17 in Orlando with his son, Charlie. This marks the end of a three-week stretch in which Tiger will have played the Hero World Challenge (which his foundation hosts), The Match (alongside Rory McIlroy and against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas) and finally the PNC.

Tiger and Charlie finished second in 2021 at the PNC Championship behind John Daly and his son, John II, despite a scorching second nine from the Woods’ on the second day of the two-round event. It was an exhibition tournament that somehow turned into one of the most fun days of the golf year.

It’s true that Woods’ next seven rounds won’t be played with anything near the intensity of his last nine — four at the Masters, three at the PGA Championship and two at the Open Championship at St. Andrews — but it’s still a2 bit surprising to see Woods tee it up this often during golf’s quietest season. Each event makes sense in a vacuum, but on the whole it’s a lot of golf for somebody who is still recovering from a nearly severed leg in a car wreck at the beginning of 2021.

It should also be encouraging for those who want to see a lot of Woods in 2023. We will speculate about his schedule at a later date — perhaps after seeing how he looks in these three events — but it’s difficult to envision Woods, barring a setback, playing three exhibitions at the end of 2022 and then sitting out the biggest events of the competitive golf year in 2023. At the very least, Woods will very likely play in at least if not all four of the major championships.

That’s then, though, and this is now. In the dark of the (admittedly) short golf offseason, Tiger will be a massive draw and a ton of fun to watch, perhaps most of all at the PNC Championship. Because while seeing him at the Hero alongside Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler and at The Match with McIlroy, Thomas and Spieth will be great, watching his son emulate a dad (who is also the best to ever do it) at this event for the third year in a row will probably be the most joyful of them all.

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TaylorMade adds hybrids and utilities to Stealth range

detlef32 — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 05:08:06 +0000

TaylorMade Golf has expanded the range of clubs offered in its new Stealth family, with the launch of Stealth utility irons and Stealth hybrids.

Available at retail in the UK and Europe from July 15, the Stealth UDI and DHY are both designed to fill in the gaps between a player’s most lofted fairway wood and their longest iron.

The Stealth UDI and DHY utilise many technologies found in the company’s previous hybrids and utility irons along with new technological features. The forged 4140 steel L-Face with inverted cone technology, combined with a Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, provide ample distance, forgiveness and workability. Sound and feel are tuned with the use of a new SpeedFoam Air that is 69% less dense, enabling more discretionary mass to be used for optimising the centre of gravity without sacrificing on damping.

STEALTH UDI

The ultimate blend of control and versatility, Stealth UDI is a powerful option from the tee or the turf. Delivering a low launch with mid-to-low spin in a forgiving head design, it’s built for forgiving long iron shots and stingers alike.

Stealth UDI offers a traditional address view with Tour-inspired shaping, a narrower sole width – compared to DHY – and less offset than its predecessors. It’s built to meet the eye of better ball strikers but offers an enhanced level of forgiveness compared to standard long irons.

The weight placement is right behind impact, thus the centre of gravity has been positioned for a lower ball flight, while creating the spin required to shape shots. The CG is comparable to that of P·790 irons, but Stealth UDI has a wider sole for better playability.

The UDI is offered in 18°, 20° (RH/LH) and 23° lofts, with an Aldila ASCENT Black shaft (100X, 90S) and Super Stroke S-Tech (50g) grips. RRP: £219

STEALTH DHY

Designed for power and forgiveness, Stealth DHY delivers a mid-to-low ball flight with distance properties that rival traditional hybrids in an iron-like profile.

It has an inviting address profile, longer blade length and wide sole, creating a generous hitting area that inspires confidence. A rounded heel toe radius enhances playability and turf interaction. The weight is positioned in the sole of the club, creating a lower CG and making it more playable and easier to launch than a traditional iron. That lower CG creates a higher launch than Stealth UDI, giving players the option to choose the launch that best suits their game.

DHY is available in 17°, 19°, 22° and 25° lofts in RH and 19° and 22° in LH, and are fitted with Aldila ASCENT Black shafts (75S, 65R, 55A) and Super Stroke S-Tech (50g) grips. RRP: £219

For details of nearest TaylorMade stockists and custom fitting specialists, visit www.taylormadegolf.eu

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Shot Scope adds ‘Shots Plotted’ feature to help golfers develop best scoring strategy

detlef32 — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 10:57:57 +0000

Shot Scope has developed a new feature of its data capture software that further enhances the experience of users of its golf GPS devices.

The new ‘Shots Plotted’ feature enables golfers to see a historical snapshot of where tee shots have finished up and the club that was used, providing the means to create a strategical plan for every hole.

Shot Scope continues to offer new ways in which golfers can analyse their rounds at their home course or one they have played multiple times – creating a visual map of how to play every hole on the course. From where you make birdies, to where you have struggled with bogeys, this new feature allows you to identify the best strategy to play the hole – maximising your chances of a low scoring round.With a new way to visualise performance, users will have the ability to delve into their golf game in as little or as much detail as they want. With a variety of filters available, the tool is there to assist golfers in the way that benefits them the most. Individual club used, end location of the shot, score, and an individual strokes gained benchmark score are some of the filters that can be applied so that golfers can analyse their game through a different lens each time.

“We wanted to provide our users with tour-level statistics that are displayed in a very digestible visual graphic to make the process of learning about your game as easy as it can be,” said Gavin Dear, Shot Scope’s chief commercial officer. “Having a tool that enables golfers to generate a data driven strategy for every hole will act as a personal score saver that players can refer back to during practice or playing. We’re proud to be able to share this with our community of golfers.”

The ‘Shots Plotted’ feature can be used by golfers who own Shot Scope’s PRO LX+ laser/GPS, as well as any of its data tracking V2 and V3 watches via the Shot Scope app.

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