19th Hole
‘Technology has passed this course by’ – Rory McIlroy sounds off on ‘obsolete’ TPC River Highlands
Over the weekend, the PGA Tour made its annual stop at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. While the event doesn’t typically play extremely difficult, this year the scoring conditions were especially easy for the best players in the world.
- Related: Dave Portnoy says he’d ‘fire caddie on the spot’ if they said what Rickie Fowler’s did at US Open
Rory McIlroy, who finished at 18 under and tied for seventh place, spoke after the round about the golf course. The four-time major champion said that he believes “technology has passed the course by.”
“I don’t particularly like when a tournament is like this. Unfortunately, technology has passed this course by, right? It sort of has made it obsolete, especially as soft as it has been with a little bit of rain that we had.”
“So, again, like the conversations going back to, you know, limiting the golf ball and stuff like that, when we come to courses like this they just don’t present the challenge that they used to.”
Rory has been supportive of the USGA and R&A and their proposal for a rule that would dial back the distance of the golf ball for professionals, saying after it was proposed that “I think it’s going to help identify who the best players are a bit easier”.
He added that there are some other ways to help mitigate how easy the course will play.
“You can grow the rough up and hope you get some firm conditions so it gets tricky.
I think the blueprint for a really good golf course isn’t growing the rough up and making the fairways tight. That bunches everyone together.”
“The blueprint is something like LACC where you have wide targets, but if you miss it’s penal. This isn’t that sort of golf course. It’s not that sort of layout. It doesn’t have the land to do that. So, you know, unfortunately when you get soft conditions like this and you’ve got the best players in the world, this is what’s going to happen.”
McIlroy will be in search of his first major in almost a decade next month at Royal Liverpool, the site of his 2014 Open Championship victory.
More from the 19th Hole
- Report: 5-time PGA Tour winner blasted and called a cheat after taking part in scramble listed as 8.8 handicap
- LPGA star blocks fan account that follows her every shot on the course
- College golfer suffers gruesome on-course injury during NCAA Championship
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19th Hole
Golf fans are loving this awkward Bryson fan interaction video at latest LIV event
Over the weekend at LIV Golf London, Bryson DeChambeau continued his solid run of form, finishing in 13th place. Centurion Club had a respectable turnout of fans on site, with plenty following the big-hitting Dechambeau.
At one point, a fan reached out to fist bump the former U.S. Open champion but didn’t quite reach. The Crushers GC, of which Bryson captains, made a light-hearted post on Instagram with a video of the moment.
View this post on Instagram
“These fans edits are getting out of control… ?”
DeChambeau commented on the post, “just a couple inches short…”
The 29-year-old will tee it up next at the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. He had success at the Open Championship hosted by St. Andrews last year, finishing in 8th place.
More from the 19th Hole
- ‘I’ve given up on him’ – Brooks Koepka accuses LIV teammate of being a quitter in scathing attack
- Major golf publication blasted for ‘insensitive’ Bryson DeChambeau post
- ‘Are you that dumb?’ – Dave Portnoy rips CBS over lack of live TV coverage of Rickie Fowler’s victory
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19th Hole
Content creator leaves golf fans triggered after showing how to make the perfect ‘John Daly’ cocktail
John Daly is one of the biggest names in golf despite not having played at very high level for quite some time due to injuries and health issues. Over the weekend, Daly found himself in some social media controversy once again, although it was no fault of his own.
A popular TikTok account, @cookingwith_darryl, mentioned a drink he called the “John Daly” in one of his videos. The food connoisseur has gotten very popular on the app by posting videos while cooking on his Blackstone grill.
“In my opinion there are two drinks synonymous with golf. You want to argue with me? Bring it! One is the Transfusion, the other is the John Daly. Let’s make the perfect John Daly.”
Darryl then went on to explain the ingredients: A chilled glass, vodka, and equal parts lemonade and iced tea.
@cookingwithdarryl Another classic drink for the golf course…The John Daly #drinks #golf #rukiddingme #rhoback ? original sound – dpostelnick
However, the TikTok users in the comment section were furious with the content creator, saying the drink he described was an “Arnold Palmer,” not a “John Daly.”
Darryl was sure to point out the very important distinction between the two: the “John Daly” contains vodka and “Arnold Palmer” does not.
More from the 19th Hole
- ‘I’ve given up on him’ – Brooks Koepka accuses LIV teammate of being a quitter in scathing attack
- Major golf publication blasted for ‘insensitive’ Bryson DeChambeau post
- ‘Are you that dumb?’ – Dave Portnoy rips CBS over lack of live TV coverage of Rickie Fowler’s victory
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19th Hole
‘Heartbreaking’ – Matt Wolff responds after being blasted by LIV teammate Brooks Koepka
Yesterday, Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka publicly blasted his teammate Matthew Wolff in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
“I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that’s not competing,” said Koepka. “I’m not a big fan of that. You don’t work hard. It’s very tough. It’s very tough to have even like a team dynamic when you’ve got one guy that won’t work, one guy is not going to give any effort, he’s going to quit on the course, break clubs, gets down, bad body language, it’s very tough. I’ve basically given up on him—a lot of talent, but I mean the talent’s wasted.”
On Friday morning, Wolff issued his response to Koepka via Sports Illustrated.
The 24-year-old said it was “beyond disappointing” to read Koepka’s comments.
“I read the SI interview with our Captain Brooks Koepka and it was beyond disappointing to me. When I chose to join his Team in 2023, I did so with much optimism about my new home as part of Team Smash and equally as important the chance to be around and learn from a player of Brooks’s stature. Like everyone who has ever played the game at the highest level, I have had competitive moments in the past that I feel I have let myself down and even others in our new team environment. This has been quite difficult for me. My challenges on and off the golf course with my mental health has been well documented. I deal with those challenges every day.
“However, while my 2023 season has not been all I had hoped for to this point, I have made positive strides in managing my life and feel Ike my game is turning for the positive. To hear through the media that our team leader has given up on me is heartbreaking. It’s not what a team member looks to hear from its leader, and I think we all know these comments should have been handled much differently. But I’m moving forward and won’t ever give up on myself. While on course results may not appear now to be positive indicators, I’m trying to win an even BIGGER game with my life.
“Finally, I trust Brooks wants what is best for our team. But it’s hard to imagine his comments in his recent SI interview in any way line up with those priorities. This will be my last comment on this matter. I’m heading out today to the Centurion Club trying to help our team win this week. I appreciate everyone’s continued support and your respect for my privacy.”
Both Koepka and Wolff will be teeing it up at Centurion Club on Friday. Koepka will be playing with Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, while Wolff will play alongside his fellow Smash GC teammates (minus the captain) Chase Koepka and Jason Kokrak.
More from the 19th Hole
- Report: 5-time PGA Tour winner blasted and called a cheat after taking part in scramble listed as 8.8 handicap
- LPGA star blocks fan account that follows her every shot on the course
- College golfer suffers gruesome on-course injury during NCAA Championship
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Gregory Messina
Jun 27, 2023 at 9:40 am
I think Rory is conflating way too many topics in one answer and his response makes no sense at all: ball distance, low scoring, shorter courses, technology etc.
Len
Jun 26, 2023 at 3:25 pm
Not an accurate headline man. Rory commented on technology and how these courses weren’t built for 325 yard drives and 150 yard wedges. Technology is making this course obsolete. No criticism of the course at all.
Crookd
Jun 26, 2023 at 2:59 pm
Nah, Shory Shankilroy, this was a normal, regular Tour stop! It’s supposed to be like this. There should be more like this with crooked and short fairways that require lay ups and not bombed drives on every hole
mwf0001
Jun 26, 2023 at 2:38 pm
What ever happened to narrower fairways and longer rough to protect from scores getting “too low”? Seems like every week we are hearing about technology getting too good for certain courses, but we never see normal tourneys on the PGA Tour with narrower fairways and heavy, penalizing rough. Subsequently, the scores get to the 20 under level.
juan mcain
Jun 26, 2023 at 2:25 pm
Maybe if Rory kept his mouth shut and concentrated on playing better he would win a tournament.
Pingback: Rory McIlroy sounds off on ‘obsolete’ TPC River Highlands - SOCAL Golfer
S
Jun 26, 2023 at 10:33 am
Somebody please stuff a sock in his mouth
If this is the case as he says, then they should quit doing the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii cos that place gets gouged every year
Bob
Jun 26, 2023 at 12:17 pm
Rory’s not wrong. River Hightlands is a good reprieve following the US Open. Otherwise, most Open players take the week off.
The solution is always the same and inexpensive: Make the fairways half the width and the rough an inch longer.
Mike
Jun 26, 2023 at 2:41 pm
Or, for a change, especially after a tough US Open, enjoy the birdie-fest!
Jbone
Jun 26, 2023 at 8:14 am
Hasn’t won a tournament unless it’s double digits under par…
He just doesn’t like that it takes driver out of his hands