Welcome to another edition of Hittin’ the Links! This week we’ll take a look at rookie Xander Schauffele winning for the first time on the PGA Tour, on the same day that another young former PGA Tour winner, Chesson Hadley, won on the Web.com Tour.
We’ll also look into a few shakeups at NBC, as Johnny Miller has announced that next year will be his last and Jim Mackay has signed on to work the Open. We’ll also take a look at a pair of female golfers, one breaking through for the first time, the other back in the win column after a long seven winless years.
Let’s hit the links!
Hole #1: Xander Schauffele Wins First PGA Tour Event
After finishing T5 at this year’s U.S. Open, Xander Schauffele won his first PGA Tour even this week, besting Robert Streb by a shot. [Link]
Hole #2: What’s in Xander’s Bag?
Schauffele is nearly a TaylorMade man through and through, though he does use Vokey wedges and an Odyssey putter. He’s also one of the few players on Tour to use a 2-iron. [Link]
Hole #3: John Rahm Avoids Ball Marking Snafu
John Rahm nearly reignited Rules furor this week, after he incorrectly marked his golf ball during his six-shot victory at the Irish Open. Rahm wasn’t penalized, however, as he was deemed to have used “reasonable judgement” in replacing his golf ball. [Link]
Hole #4: Johnny Miller to Return to Booth for 2018
The divisive Johnny Miller will be returning to NBC to broadcast alongside Dan Hicks for one final season next year. [Link]
Hole #5: Chesson Hadley Wins on Web.com Tour
One-time PGA Tour winner Chesson Hadley won on the Web.com Tour this week, his first victory since the 2014 Puerto Rico Open on the PGA Tour. Hadley bested the red-hot Beau Hossler, who closed with a 64 and only lost by one shot. [Link]
Hole #6: Katherine Kirk Wins LPGA’s Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic
Notching her first victory in seven years, Katherine Kirk earned a spot in the field at next week’s U.S. Women’s Open and picked some pretty impressive hardware in the process. [Link]
Hole #7: Amateur Atthaya Thitkul of Thailand Breaks Ladies European Tour Age Record
Atthaya Thitkul became the youngest winner in Ladies European Tour history, achieving victory nearly 17 months younger than former record-holder Lydia Ko. Thitkul won the LET’s Thailand Championship by two shots as an amateur. [Link]
Hole #8: Jim Mackay Joins NBC’s Golf Coverage
Phil Mickelson’s former caddy Jim Mackay will join NBC full-time starting with next week’s Open Championship. [Link]
Hole #9: Weekly Woods Wrap-up
In this week’s Tiger-themed blast from the past, we’ll take a look at a catalyst for Tiger’s remarkable 2008 season. [Link]