The U.S. Open, PGA/LIV Agreement, and a Hazard Hunters Collection.
Trouble on the Greens at the U.S Open and who's the Bookies Favourite?
The U.S. Open is back and it’s setting up to be a great tournament.
The 124th edition of the U.S. Open starts tomorrow at the renowned No. 2 course at Pinehurst in North Carolina.
Defending champion Wyndham Clark is among the 156 competitors, including world number one Scottie Scheffler, who aims to secure his first U.S. Open title. It would be a fairytale ending for the new dad to win a major on Father's Day.
Three-time champion Tiger Woods has been granted a special exemption to participate, and last year's runner-up Rory McIlroy hopes to break his decade-long major victory drought.
The Pinehurst Greens are Causing Problems
As the anticipation builds, some golfers have been struggling to get the hang of Pinehurst No. 2's greens. Videos are circling from practice rounds that show balls straying some way from their intended path.
The Tour Instagram account shared this video to highlight how tricky the greens are.
Who’s Most Likely to Win?
FanDuel have Scottie as the favourite, It’s hard to argue that one!
I think it will be an interesting battle though, Xander will be riding high with confidence now that he’s a major winner. I’m sure that will have a positive impact on his winning mentality going into the tournament.
Rory’s had a lot going on this week, that’ll either fuel his fire or be a distraction. We’ll just have to see which Rory turns up. With that said, good luck to him and his wife Erica on giving it another go.
Here are some images from Tuesday’s sessions, for a closer look: U.S. Open.
Check out this great question from a budding young reporter named Titus, and Scottie’s response.
PGA x LIV - Draft Agreement Signed?
According to some major media outlets, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are nearing the official merger after a draft agreement was signed just before the U.S. Open, marking a significant moment in the golf world.
Their source is Alan Shipnuck, a biographer of Phil Mickelson, who posted that a draft deal between PGA Tour Enterprises and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been signed. Shipnuck’s source, he says, is a 'prominent agent' with clients on both tours.
It’s all very vague and I’m not sure it’s enough to get too excited yet, I’ll wait for something more official.
Hazard Hunters Drop Spring/Summer Collection
I have to finish with a huge thank you to Hazard Hunters who sent me a package this week. The guys behind the brand were very generous and I received numerous items from Polo’s to T-Shirts, Knits and some accessories.
As some of you may have picked up on from previous newsletters, I work at the intersection of sport and fashion helping athletes secure brand deals. So anything fashion-focused in the sports world gets my attention. We got connected on Instagram and I was instantly intrigued by their creative marketing strategy which certainly puts them in a different lane to most golf fashion brands.
Exhibit A
The quality of the clothing stands up to the quality of their creativity. The knitted vests feel good to the touch, the T-shirt is a streetwear style T that feels heavy (in a good way).
I am especially impressed with the polo’s (above). I like a fitted silhouette and these striped polo’s offer that without being too snug. They’re comfortable with a tapered hem which adds a nice element of style to the shirt, it feels like the style polo you might wear in the South of France, on and off the course.
The accessories are also quality. The driver headcover is as good as any brand you’re already using and the HH first edition ball maker set feels premium. Check out the collection here.
I don’t promote anything I wouldn’t use or wear but I am happy to share these guys with you.
That’s all for this week, don’t forget to reach out to Baller Golf on X/Twitter
Baller Golf is a weekly newsletter that shares a perspective on the business and culture of modern golf. A lot of time goes into this newsletter so if you feel like supporting please consider a premium subscription, every little helps - oh, and it’s a tax write-off if you’re in the business of golf ;)
Get featured in a rapidly growing golf newsletter 📈
Baller Golf is growing fast and we have a passionate audience who love the game. We have advertising options for golf brands, courses, and more. Get in touch.