joining Pinehurst, Oakmont and Pebble Beach as the fourth of its kind. The governing body did not award the Ardmore, Pa., club, host of a record 20 USGA championships, any additional beyond the five already scheduled: the 2030, 2040 and 2050 U.S. Opens and the 2034 and 2046 U.S. Women’s Opens. Yet John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer, emphasized the importance of the label in terms of defining the relationship the USGA has with the famed club.

“The anchor site designation is about more than just semantics,” he said in a press release. “It represents a shared commitment to plan further in advance, make strategic investments and continually elevate the championship experience.”

The announcement is notable given the U.S. Open has been played at Merion just once in the last 45 years (2013) and that the East Course’s modest length was believed not that long ago that it would make it a less appealing championship site given the distances modern professionals hit the ball. Additionally, Merion’s small footprint means fewer spectators and less revenue for the USGA when holding the Open there. The tradeoff, however, is something the USGA appears willing to make. Said Bodenhamer: “Merion will continue to play a central role in the future of the U.S. Open, and we are excited to build on its remarkable legacy for generations to come.”

in my recent Golf IQ mailbag episode.

I early extend in my own golf swing, and I think one of the biggest causes is hip mobility.

Most of us sit at a desk all day—I literally sit behind one talking about golf—and our hips get tighter and tighter along the way.

Then we go to swing, we have to turn them back and through, and they’re locked up. If you can’t turn, you extend instead. So the easiest fix is to improve your hip mobility.

Get to where you can turn your hips back and through and internally rotate them, and while it won’t solve everything, you’ll take away a big reason you were early extending in the first place.

The former Dallas Cowboys QB also officially became a former NFL on CBS analyst on Oct. 2 while he was playing in a Korn Ferry Tour pre-qualifier tournament. That day got even worse as Romo shot himself out of advancing, but that's not where the story ends. Romo wound up being disqualified from the event for signing an incorrect scorecard, a situation that both Ryan French of Monday Q Info and Michael Bamberger of Golf Magazine dug into. According to a tournament official with whom Bamberger spoke, Romo took responsibility for the mistake and accepted the DQ. Again, it didn't matter in terms of the result, but it opens up questions about what happened in the scoring area after. Click below for the full story.  

And it looks like we're going to be seeing a lot more of Owen Wilson with a golf club in his hands. The actor plays Pryce Cahill, AKA "Stick," a former tour pro who takes a young prodigy (played by Peter Dager) under his wing in the Apple TV series. But in Season 2, Cahill will attempt to make a comeback with the help of recent Emmy winner Rhea Seehorn, who plays his golf coach. It's an interesting plot twist—especially considering Wilson, who wasn't a golfer before taking this part, needed multiple coaches to get ready for shooting. (Golf Digest profiled Wilson's golf journey last year and all the ways he learned about the game.) Anyway, here's a look at the official trailer ahead of the show's Nov. 4 return

It's a newwwww carrrrrr! Come on down, Daniel Hillier! The 28-year-old New Zealander made an ace on the 17th hole during Day 1 of the Spanish Open to win a BMW iX5.

Not too shabby. And Hillier also put himself in a nice position to win a whole lot more this week after an opening 67 that has him one off Eugenio Chacarra's early lead.