That's how tough the conditions were in winds that gusted up to 25 mph. Bennett gave himself a huge lead by shooting 64 in Monday’s opening round on the Jubliee Course, and he needed much of it with a scorecard 11 shots higher in Round 2. Ranked 14th in the WAGR, Bennett finished with an even-par total, three shots better than teammate Matthew Comegys. The co-winners on the women’s side scored better than the men, with Texas’ Farah O’Keefe, the WAGR No. 1, and Washington’s Hannah Ounap tying with two-under totals.

The event features four teams total, and the true treat comes Wednesday, when team match play moves to the Old Course. In a cool matchup, Texas and the University of St. Andrews will take on each other on both the men’s and women’s side as the best scoring teams from the first 36 holes. In a thriller for the host men, St. Andrews beat Washington by a single stroke, 42 over to 43 over, to get into the championship match.

St. Andrews coach Ian Muir shared his team secrets with Golf Channel:

That was the goal of the U.S. National Development Program when it launched its state junior team initiative in January 2024. But the chance to create hundreds more opportunities to spotlight talented 13- to 18-year-old boys and girls nationwide was too good to pass up, allied golf associations around the country quickly committing to the idea. In August, Heather Daly-Donofrio, managing director of the USNDP, told Golf Digest the timeline was now the end of 2029 for every state to have a team up and running. On Tuesday, the USGA announced that the goal would be reached officially by the end of 2027, with remaining 20 states committing to identify teams by the end of next year.

“When we launched the State Junior Team Program, the vision was to create meaningful development opportunities for young athletes across the country,” Daly-Donofrio said in the press release. “Having all 50 states committed to the program brings that vision to life and gives us the foundation for a truly national pathway. Most importantly, it will allow more young golfers to access the resources, coaching and competitive opportunities that can help them reach their full potential.”

The rapid expansion of the broken was no doubt aided by a $1.5 million commitment to the program over three years from Augusta National and the Masters Tournament Charities. But the early success of states in creating teams helped build rapid momentum.

For a more in-depth look at the state junior team, check out this feature I wrote about the program this summer.

With gusts of up to 25 mph, we’d consider it to be close to howling here at home, but just another breezy day on the North Sea. At least it was sunny.

Tough conditions, to be sure, but the wind produced a memorable moment for Penn senior Madelein Zang. Thankfully, Golf Channel’s coverage was there to capture it. She had a bogey putt of only a few feet on the St. Andrews’ Jubliee Course and missed it right, less than a foot past the cup. As Zang moved to tap in for double, a gust came up and—voila!— it pushed the ball into the hole. Zang had a fun reaction, grabbing her beanie-clad head in surprise, and her playing partners raised their hands in celebration for her.

The Miura x Curry irons are a combo set: TC-202 cavity backs (4-6) and MB-101 blades (7-PW). Every head gets Miura’s black QPQ finish.

The details are where this custom set gets fun. The 6-iron is a degree weaker than standard at 30 degrees, matching Curry’s jersey number, and the sole reads “30” instead of “6.” The ferrules feature four rings, one for each NBA title. The hosel carries the motivational line Curry writes on his sneakers—"I can do all things." Even the Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts come in a custom SC30 flex.

A portion of the sales goes to Curry’s Underrated Golf Tour, which creates opportunities for juniors from underrepresented communities and for girls in the game. Thirty of the 300 sets come with a certificate of authenticity that Curry actually signed. Good luck landing one when they drop.

We haven't seen much of Rory McIlroy following his second consecutive Masters victory this spring. McIlroy played just eight non-major events across the PGA Tour and DP World Tour between April and October, and now we know why:

He was working up the courage to wear these pants.

Relaxed, retro-modern silhouettes are all the rage in golf right now. We've seen plenty of pros pull off the pleated, wide-leg slack with apolmb, but for every Tommy Fleetwood, Jason Day or Keith Mitchell there's, well, a Rory McIlory.

We don't want to drag McIlroy too hard, though. It's OK to try new things, and if he's comfortable in the them, that's all that really matters. But with McIlory's more compact frame, perhaps he would be better off taking a page out of the Adam Scott stylebook:

Not too loose, not too light, just right.

Congrats to Austin Lemieux, the son of NHL Hall-of-Famer Mario Lemieux, for Monday qualifying for next week's Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The 30-year-old fired a 66, his dad's old jersey number, to finished tied for second behind PGA Tour winner Adam Long and earn one of four available spots from a field of 68 players. Lemieux, who played collegiately at Arizona State, still plays as an amateur despite being a multiple-time winner on the Minor League Tour in Florida, according to Monday Q Info's Ryan French. 

Pretty damn cool, indeed.

Rahm has committed to play in the Abu Dhabi Championship, Nov. 4-8, nearly three years after the two-time major winner bolted for the Saudi-backed circuit on which he earned several hundred million dollars in bonuses and prize money.

Rahm, 31, was banned from the DPWT for refusing to pay fines accrued for his participation in competing events in LIV. He called it “extortion” at one point., But as LIV’s future grew more uncertain, the Spaniard agreed in May to settle the fines and to a stipulation that he play in five events by the end of 2026. Rahm competed twice before his Oct. 7 court announcement about leaving LIV.

Abu Dhabi, featuring a field of the top 70 on the DPWT, marks a truly fresh start, and, barring unforeseen developments, Rahm will need to excel in Europe if he is to return to fulltime golf in America. That’s a long shot for 2027. The top 10 finishers in the Order of Merit earn their PGA Tour cards for the next season, and Rahm currently stands at No. 46. He needs to get into the top 50 after Abu Dhabi to reach the DP World Tour Championship, and it looks like he won’t reach the minimum of five events played as he is on paternity leave as he and wife Kelley await the birth of their fourth child. It’s not yet clear was dispensation he’ll receive for that.

like Michael Kim. We always appreciate the insights Kim shares from life on tour, and his latest info dump showed just how good it is for some of the world's best. The field at this week's Baycurrent Classic in Japan was treated to sushi made by a Michelin star chef:

Best player dining of the year is very high praise, as these guys are treated like royalty just about everywhere they go. But, by the looks of that sushi, I believe him. 

Nicolai Hojgaard may have missed the cut at the Spanish Open, but in making his first hole-in-one in competition during the second round he jumped in front of twin brother Rasmus in that category. And he was happy to let him know about it. With another ace at a pro-am earlier this year, Nicolai holds a 2-up lead on that front, which is both funny that they are taking this brotherly battle so seriously and another reminder that holes-in-one are mostly based on luck if two players of this caliber have made so few. Here's Nicolai talking about his hole-in-one bragging rights—although to be fair to Rasmus, he still has a 2-up lead in DP World Tour titles.