casual golf fans might not recognize many of the 25 boys and girls the U.S. National Development Program named to its national junior team roster for 2027. But that’s kind of the point. Support from the USGA through the  USNDP is intended to provide new opportunities for these teenagers to advance themselves on and off the course. To earn their selection—Talley now for the fourth time—each has demonstrated the talent to be considered among the country’s junior elite. With access to world-class coaching and analysis, sports psychology services, sports performance training and nutritional guidance, the hope is that they take the next steps for success; last year’s team members made 41 collective appearances in USGA championships. Eleven of the 25 carry over from 2026, and six of the 14 newcomers were elevated form the USNDP’s State Junior team pathway, a program Golf Digest wrote extensively about in August.

and relax the rule that prohibits them from one day being European Ryder Cup captains, this story from Rory McIlroy probably killed their chances. Speaking before this week’s DP World Tour event in Abu Dhabi, McIlroy told the media about a conversation he had with then tour CEO Keith Pelley in which he said he was thinking of giving up his DP World Tour membership in 2019 to focus on playing the PGA Tour. He could do what he pleased, Pelley said, before reminding Rory of the tour regulation passed in 2017 that permanently bans players who resigns or declines tour membership from serving as a Ryder Cup captain or vice captain. “So,” McIlroy noted, “I nearly made that choice and having that chat with Keith Pelley and knowing the rules, I was like, well, of course I want to be a Ryder Cup captain one day. There was no decision to be made.” Given the sacrifice McIlroy made, and the loyalty he showed to the tour, it’s hard to think tour officials will ever alter the rule for the four LIV defectors. Here's what else McIlroy had to say about the DP World Tour and its handling of the LIV Golf situation.

That's because the second season of Apple TV's "Stick" returns Wednesday, and this time, Wilson's Pryce Cahill character is attempting a playing comeback. And he's doing it with the help of new cast member, Rhea Seehorn, who steps into the role of a golf coach fresh off her Emmy Award win for "Pluribus." We had the pleasure of talking to both stars on a recent episode of The Loop podcast. Check it out here, and please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:

Except perhaps that it hasn’t happened before. But for golf/racing fans who tune into this weekend’s competition at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida, it will be a very on brand moment as Daly’s likeness will be seen in a pair of races thanks to a partnership with Spire Motorsports. Nick Sanchez will debut the image on his No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado in the Craftsman Truck Series on Friday night. Then on Sunday, Daniel Suarez’s No. 7 Chevrolet will display the image in the championship race. The Daly connection comes through Modo, a gaming app that the two-time major winner has worked with since 2024 and that has a deal with Spire Motorsports. “Usually, it’s my pants getting all the attention,” said Daly, who’ll be in attendance in Miami on Sunday, in press release.

Following an absolute banger of an episode in Ep. 2 of the Internet Invitational, Ep. 3 had a lot to live up to. As someone who watched all four hours, it fell a little flat, which was to be expected after the high of "The Greatest Video in YouTube Golf History," which somehow was not an exaggeration. 

But the episode still had its moments, many of them that had nothing to do with the actual golf being played, like Chazzy reeling in a fish while waiting on the group ahead or Jersey Jerry hanging up on Frankie Borrelli after being told every group was playing for $50,000 on the ninth hole. 

And then there was Kevin Kisner explaining how hungover he was after hanging with "the hockey guys" all night:

Hockey guys are a different breed. The worst part? Kisner found out that morning that Dave Portnoy was instituting a "celebrity shot" for the morning session, allowing any team to use Kisner for one single shot in their match at any point. Fortunately for an extremely-hungover Kiz, only two teams employed him, and it was on the same hole. 

In the most recent episode of the Golf Digest video series, Ask The Expert, Broadie emphasized approach shots as an area many golfers overlook, and provided guidance on how to measure their progress.

“I would track your median leave,” Broadie said. “So, how do you do that? Well, you hit shots or record during your round shots from, say, 125 to 175 yards, and you record how far away wereyou from the pin. Sort them from closest to furthest, and you take the middle value, and that's your median leave from150 yards. and then you compare it to a table of benchmarks and you want to see where do you rank compared to your comparison group.”