On paper, the Genesis Scottish Open is one of the hardest tournaments on the PGA Tour. OWGR allocating a field rating of 404.93 (compared to 395.10 at the Masters) only further bolsters that claim. Then there’s also the fact that 8 of the world’s top 10 made the trip to the UK. No brownie points for guessing why (Open prep).

But…

Presently, only two of those 8 are on the top 10 of the event’s leaderboard! Ludvig Aberg (World No. 9) shot 67-65 in the first two rounds. He is sitting at T3, two strokes behind the leader. Then there’s Rory.

Whether it’s the new haircut… or some words of wisdom from his old coach, Michael Bannon is anyone’s guess. But McIlroy fired a 65 yesterday to move up 27 spots. “All the rust gone?” A fellow media member asked him after.

The World No. 2 replied, ‘Most’ with a smirk. And both the response and his smile were more than justified. Just watch how he opened the second round. Ridiculous!!

Sadly, though, Rory and Ludvig are the only two from their top OWGR peers who are cruising. World No. 3, Xander Schauffele, is five shots behind the leader, Chris Gotterup (-11). No. 1 Scottie (-5) is a further nine spots behind (T21).

Gotterup, a New Jersey native (this is only his second-ever Links tournament, by the way), fired a ‘mighty’ 61 yesterday. Mighty because one, he matched the course record. And two, because the wind was HOWLING, and tossing pros out by their necks!

World No. 5, Collin Morikawa (+4), and No. 8, JJ Spaun (+2), were on the wrong side of the cutline. Justin Thomas and Robert MacIntyre (-1), on the other hand, saved themselves by the skin of their teeth.

Links Golf is in full swing, and only a few have been able to keep their ship steady. And there’s still 36 holes to go!

Barely a month into the summer, it looks like the temperature in and around every golf course is rising. Just in our last edition, you saw how a slow-play brawl snowballed into an unscripted WWE match. Now, apparently, at the very spot where Nick Tarnasky threw a man into a pond, someone has put up a makeshift ‘plaque’.

On a more serious note, though, what is happening?

We are not halfway through 2025, and it seems golf course fights, rage moments are a weekly occurrence. Just a few days ago, someone thought it would be fun to drive an e-truck through a bunker. Another group’s drunken drollery had an amusing final act: doing donuts on the golf course, as you can see below.

Then you have the pros. Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Wyndham Clark, and Stephen Jaeger; it’s rage in and outside the ropes. Is golf stressing folks out? The constant pressure to perform is not something new.

But for pros, much thanks to signature events, and LIV’s arrival, the stake has never been any disproportionately higher, and windows have become narrower. So we get (a little) why Jaeger brutally pounded his club like this.

But are amateurs any better?

Well, no. Worse, in fact. A few months ago, a golfer was arrested for stealing multiple golf clubs from multiple courses. A drunken accident also saw a man die after falling off the golf cart. And the Des Moines police even found an IED placed inside a course!

Golf is a game that teaches you many things—patience, integrity, humility. And now it’s teaching us that it’s time to start changing things for the better.

Let’s admit it. Every one of us wants to make those short pitch shots spin like pros. Players like Jordan Spieth make it look easy… It’s anything but, though. Sure, you’ve gotta clean your grooves, but there's a lot more to it than that. Follow these three steps to spin it better:

Now, these three tips will enable you to make more birdies. But remember, not much can make you win a battle if your weapon is outdated. Which is why you should check out the read below:

Ballet dance for better swing? Pardon, monsieur? Yes, ballet can actually elevate your golf game. Physically and mentally. Hear from this two-time major champ yourself. Ballet is a dynamic dance performance that activates your core muscles. And need we reiterate the importance of engaging core muscles for a good tempo?

On the other hand, it also simulates brain activity and increases your ability to focus. Another key skill you need to stay locked in. So, as ridiculous as it may sound, learning ballet can have a surprising impact on your game. Now, we’re not saying you need to sign up at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York. Instead, you can always just do these simple ballet exercises before hitting the range.