LIV Thought They Had Us Fooled

👋 Hey Golf Fans,

The Internet rarely forgives and never forgets. LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil and the league’s broadcast partner probably didn’t get that memo. They tried to bury one blunder with another. That rarely works. We’ll get to that, and share a simple green-reading tip, but first let’s look at the cut-day frenzy at the LPGA event and 36-hole leaderboard at the RBC Heritage.

Onward…

Before we start with today’s edition, let's kick things off with the stories that've been making waves.

Bryson DeChambeau Vents Frustration at LIV Over Poor Course ↗

“Very Scared”: Collin Morikawa Drops a Concerning Injury Update ↗

Patrick Cantlay Sidesteps Tough Question on Congested Schedule ↗

Every Friday comes with a cut, and every cut carries the heaviness of a dying star, and the lightness of a single falling leaf. But despite looking like little more than a disappointing few hours, the day still leaves us with glimmers of hope.

JM Eagle LA Championship: Sei Young Kim fired her second straight 7-under 65 to snag a one-shot lead at LA. Meanwhile, Chizzy Iwai bolstered her opening-round 63 with a 68 on Friday. How is she doing it? By being carefree. You’ve seen her singing mid-round; now watch her race against her identical twin sister, Akie (-5/T20). She is a pro at everything she does.

A couple of bigwigs like Brooke Henderson (-1), Andrea Lee (-1), Leona Maguire (E), Ruoning Yin (E), and Yuka Saso (+5) missed the cut. Curiously enough, Hyo Joo Kim, who has already won twice this year, pulled out of the event. As did Minjee Lee and Hye-Jin Choi without citing a reason. It’s the final tune-up before season's first women's major, the Chevron Championship, and pros withdrawing midway is rather concerning.

RBC Heritage: No cut to worry about, but the field's still a meat grinder. Matt Fitzpatrick (-14/1st) tops the pile, chasing a second Plaid Jacket. But Viktor Hovland (-13/2nd), Harris English (-10/3rd), and a trio tied at fourth—Patrick Cantlay, Sepp Straka, and Ludvig Aberg (-9)—are breathing down his neck.

Scottie Scheffler, tied for 14th, hit all 14 fairways for only the fourth time in his career. On the flip side, Justin Thomas (+9/82) tanked to the cellar, joined by Tommy Fleetwood (+1/T67) and Chris Gotterup (E/T61).

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End: Looks like PIF is indeed pulling itself out of LIV. Guess who spilled the tea? The CEO, Scott O’Neil, himself, in an interview. The video was deleted quickly, but it’s not easy to evade the Internet. The video has resurfaced, and Scott O’Neil dropped a bombshell in 15 seconds. Check it out below.

If PIF is indeed done with LIV, Bryson DeChambeau will be on the losing side. His contract is up for renewal, and whatever leverage he earned from Brooks Koepka’s exit has vanished into thin air. Either he accepts a pay cut or says goodbye to LIV. Which is why we are listening to every word from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, and you should too.

Revamp: In 2024, Henrico County's Economic Development Authority bought Crossings Golf Club for $3 million. There was a promise: a private firm would pour over $10 million and bid for a PGA Tour Champions event. But two years later, that deal went up in smoke. This week, the county handed the course to North Carolina's McConnell Golf for just $1. Yes, you read that right. This is based on another hope: McConnell will pump $6 million to renovate the course, reopen it to the public, and host some professional events as well in the near future. Look at the beautiful course here.

Thursday’s Poll Result: 90.15% of you said LIV Golf does not have enough value to attract new investors if PIF exists.

Long putts are a headache for every golfer except Scottie Scheffler. On the PGA Tour, he ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting and sixth in putting from over 25 feet. Little wonder he can easily drain 62-foot putts like this one here. The first step to draining putts of that length is green-reading, and Scheffler explained his process.

• Start behind the ball, then walk up to the middle of the line. Note subtle factors such as early breaks, grain direction changes, and slope.

• Identify one key point along which the ball will travel. This will become your primary aim. Move to the side to spot grain shifts and slope direction.

• Now, step back with a clear idea of the ball's path. Take a couple of practice strokes, keeping your eyes locked in on the line and travel point. Watch Scottie demonstrate it below.

In short: Walk the entire putting green to understand slope direction and grain. Then commit to the putt. Here are a few more drills straight from Scottie’s playbook.

The spring of 2024 was just like any other spring in the Diggs family. So when eight-year-old Kasen developed a fever, his parents, Claudia and Cory, thought it was a viral infection. Blood work, tests, and X-rays revealed it was anything but that. Further testing confirmed Kasen had T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The grueling recovery began.

Two years later, Kasen is now healthy and has developed a newfound love for golf. One of the family friends brought a putting mat to the ICU. There was no stopping Kasen. He's since claimed his own putting green, golf cart, and a chalk-drawn VIP parking spot in the driveway. Look at Kasen playing golf in his backyard.

The Diggs family has been selected as the Mission Honoree Family for this year's American Cancer Society Richmond Golf Classic. Funds raised through the event will help other kids like Kasen.

Essentially Golf brings you handpicked, well-thought-out, and not-to-be-missed recommendations to make your weekend more fun.

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