👋 {{readername | Hey, golf fans}},

Good morning. This week’s PGA Tour field looks a lot like the French Open. At Roland Garros, only five from 16 top seeds—and no former Grand Slam champion—remain after Novak Djokovic crashed out. Ergo, we’ll see a new Grand Slam winner. From the looks of it, Colonial too might crown a first-time PGA Tour winner tomorrow.

Let’s get started…

Jordan Smith could’ve joined the PGA Tour last year. He was really close. But Tom McKibbin, 22, earned the final Tour card available to the DP World Tour’s ten best players. Two months later, McKibbin joined LIV Golf. By the time his final decision was made public, the window for Smith to take up McKibbin’s spot was closed.

He played another year on the DP World Tour.

Earned his PGA Tour card via Race to Dubai Rankings.

Now he leads the Charles Schwab Challenge after two rounds.

33-year-old Smith fired back-to-back 65s at Colonial Country Club. He now has a one-shot edge over Michael Thorbjornsen (-9), who moved up 17 spots yesterday. Both are chasing their first PGA Tour victories.

The best round came from A.J. Ewart (-7/T11), who leapfrogged 72 spots thanks to a 63 laced with six birdies and a hole-in-one. Watch Ewart’s ace on the 16th hole less than 24 hours after Brandt Snedeker’s hole-in-one on the same hole.

Zooming out: The bunched leaderboard has Brian Harman (-9/T2), Hideki Matsuyama (-9/T2), JJ Spaun (-8/T6), and Akshay Bhatia (-8/T6) all snapping at Smith’s heels. Garrick Higgo (-6) with his new caddie is sitting at T15. Max Homa (-3/T48), also with a new looper, opened with a 66 on Thursday but slipped to a 71 on Friday and dropped 28 spots on the leaderboard. The cutline was set at 2-under. Haotong Li (+1), Rickie Fowler (+3), Rasmus Hojgaard (+3), and Sungjae Im (+6) all left for the airport on Friday.

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Lucky Charm: Nicole Broch Estrup is back from maternity leave after 15 months. Game got rusty? Not at all. At the Shoprite LPGA Classic, she opened with a 7-under 64 thanks to seven birdies. The score, however, was a bonus, she said.

She was with her husband, Kasper, who is a professional caddie, and her son, Max. That has added a new perspective. Max, she said, is also enjoying being on the course. It certainly looked like that—watch Max tucked into his mother's arms while she was speaking to the media.

Young & Brilliant: Yanhan Zhou turned 18 last month. Little wonder he is the youngest member in the DP World Tour. But don’t underestimate the teenager. On Thursday, the Chinese international fired an 8-under 62 to lead the Austrian Alpine Open. He drained a 32-foot eagle putt, which you can watch here. On Friday, Zhou cooled off a bit, carding an even-par 70. He trails 36-hole leader Andrew Johnston by three shots.

A little more about this kid: he earned the DPWT membership after topping the China Tour’s Order of Merit list last year. Before joining the DPWT, he had won nine tournaments as a professional and became the youngest winner in the China Tour at 14. His swing is pretty sleek as well—have a look.

Last Poll Result: 79.48% of you said you’ve not caddied in any PGA Tour event.

The transition from backswing to downswing plays a key role in ball flight. Oftentimes, amateurs bend their trail arm more or open the upper body early. Here is how to fix that with three simple tips:

PGA Tour Pro withdraws after suffering from a back injury. He was coming off two back-to-back top-20 finishes.

PGA Tour caddie lands a new job barely days after getting fired by his former employer. The caddie also accepted that he failed the player who got a two-stroke penalty.

Scottie or Rory? Brandel Chamblee has his say, and like most of his opinions, this one will stir the pot as well.

Life on the PGA Tour has its ups and downs. Fans see plenty of stars on the range and in marquee events, but the stories of players grinding through fall events and alternate-field tournaments can be just as compelling. On The Drop Zone podcast, Martin Trainer, a one-time winner of the PGA Tour, reflected on the pros and cons of being a golfer on the PGA Tour.

Life on Tour gives a sense of purpose and hope. But it takes very little to dash those hopes as well. 2024 3M Open. Trainer opened with a 6-under 65, hovering near the top of the leaderboard. Comes Friday, the wind picks up, and Trainer suddenly finds himself near the cutline. Care to guess what happens after that? Hear Trainer tell the story himself here.

Grip trainers help build muscle memory, where every good shot begins—your hands. Here are the top three we like.

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