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Publication by EssentiallySports |
August 10, 2026 | Edition #342 |
👋 {{readername | Hey, golf fans}},
For the third straight week, a youngster—this time a 24-year-old—won on the PGA Tour. Who’s to say another young 20-something wouldn’t extend the streak this week? We’ll cover Wyndham Championship, PIF London Championship, LIV Golf New York, plus Justin Thomas’s hot mic moment, the mystery behind Carson Young’s mixed bag, and more.
Let’s get swinging…
On Thursday, we said the week at the Wyndham Championship puts a lot at stake. It makes shame physical. Makes the pros kick the air like a slapstick routine. But hardly any of that was visible when Michael Brennan (-22/1st) moved up 58 spots in the FedExCup standings en route to his second PGA Tour title.
Beyond qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs, the victory was significant for another reason. Brennan didn’t realize it until his mom told him. Check out what it is and Brennan’s reaction here.
He started the round tied with Beau Hossler (-19/2nd) but trailed by one on the fourth. Then he rattled off five straight birdies to turn the deficit into a three-shot lead as Hossler bogeyed the ninth.
The danger came again on the 17th when his tee shot nearly went out of bounds, while Hossler mounted a late surge to close the gap. But Brennan’s birdie on the 18th sealed the deal, giving him a three-shot win. Oh, his brother won too on the same day—hear Brennan talk about it here.
It moved him from 105th to 47th in the FedExCup standings.
For the first time since 2017, three PGA Tour pros under 24 won on consecutive weeks.
Beau Hossler needed a win to break into the top 70, but he missed the chance.
Jackson Koivun (-8/T29) remained 70th in the standings, though a victory for Hossler would have pushed him out of that precious position.
Steven Fisk (+2/MC) was the only other player besides Brennan to alter the rankings, sliding from 69th to 71st and missing the playoffs.
Less than 13% of our readers could break par once we leveled up the Daily Nine challenge. You think you are better than them? Test your golf skills below.
Inspiration: If you expected loud cheers for Charley Hull in her home event, you were right. Listen to the roars. And look at this adorable little kid asking for a signed golf ball.
Mystery: Carson Young has spent two out of the last three weeks playing with other people’s clubs. Here’s why.
Question: How many shots do you need to complete a 169-yard hole? This is how many Jordan Smith (-12/T14) needed.
Rare: Davis Thompson (-12/T14) holed out from 186 yards for an albatross. You don’t see that very often, and the man himself couldn’t believe what he just pulled off.
Rampage: Jon Rahm (+8/T41) won the season-long LIV individual title for the… third straight time. How does he feel about it? Remarkably nonchalant, as you can see here.
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Would You Put Jon Rahm in Your Top Five Best Players of the Season?
Last Poll Result: 74.23% of you said Aaron Wise was right to be disqualified at the Wyndham Championship.
U.S. Women’s Amateur: Asterisk Talley beat Anna Iwanaga 8 and 6 in the 36-hole final on Sunday to take home the title. She made her lone bogey on the 11th but didn’t lose momentum for the rest of the day. And why would she when her dad was on the bag? Watch how he reacted to Talley’s victory.
PIF London Championship: 17-year-old Anna Huang (-22/1st) went wire-to-wire to claim her fourth LET title in 11 months and became the youngest player to do so. No surprises; she’s already gathering her own legion of young fans—just check out how this young girl reacted after getting her autograph.
LIV Golf New York: Joaquin Niemann (-16/1st) cruised to his ninth LIV title going wire-to-wire in New York. Guess who Niemann and his wife Christina Hellema Puga got to celebrate it with? Yes, their babies.
Pinnacle Bank Championship: Frankie Harris (1st) shot 59 in R4 to force a playoff with Alistair Docherty (2nd). On the second extra hole, Frankie made par to Alistair’s bogey, winning his first title in six starts. He’s the fourth player in six weeks to shoot 59. And he had the perfect person to celebrate this moment with, as you can see in this video.
We return with our Essentially Golf leaderboard. Here, we rank players on a week-by-week basis. This is what it looks like this time around.
Nelly Korda (-): Yes, she hasn’t played since the AIG Women’s Open, but there’s been little threat to her throne. Korda is enjoying her well-deserved off weeks.
Charley Hull (2⬆️): Hull almost won another title on Sunday. She will just need to be careful not to make any more double bogeys with a multiple-shot lead.
Jackson Koivun (21⬆️): Koivun became the first pro to make it into the FedExCup Playoffs by playing fewer than 13 tournaments. He held his nerves despite the immense pressure, as you will see here.
Joaquin Niemann (45⬆️): The Chilean pro won his ninth title on LIV Golf, the most individual wins in the league. He is also only the second LIV pro to crack the top 10 in our leaderboard in a while.
Michael Brennan (5⬆️): Brennan has been trending upward since The Open. Keep an eye out for this guy in the FedExCup Playoffs.
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