Rahm Standoff Ends, Stakes Get Higher

 👋 Hey Golf Fans,

It’s the Valspar Championship week, and it went down exactly as you expected. Or didn’t. Either way, defending champ Viktor Hovland went home early after missing the cut, along with a bunch of bigwigs. The 36-hole leader is fighting to break a five-year title drought. Meanwhile, Rahm nixed his DPWT appeal, LPGA broadcasts delivered, and Tiger is skipping another event.

Let’s get started…

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Bleak: Jon Rahm has withdrawn his appeal against the DP World Tour. That legal standoff kept his tour status alive for Bethpage last year. But he's refusing to cough up the fines (estimated $3M), which swell with every conflicting event he plays. He rejected a conditional release last month. He refused to resign his card, too, which means the decision to withdraw has now put the DP World Tour in an extremely tricky spot. Find out why. Oh, this might mean European fans can kiss the iconic team dynamics like this goodbye.

Upgrade: Historically, LPGA broadcasts have fallen flat. But the Fortinet Founders Cup marked a bright spot after the partnership with FM. More cameras, slick graphics, drone shots, and shot tracing. We caught player-caddie chit-chat, emotional interviews, and even rare on-course moments. Like the one from rookie Natasha Andrea Oon. She holed out from the fairway and celebrated in the most unique way possible—watch the hilarious video here. The LPGA is trending in the right direction.

Decision: Hoping to see Tiger Woods on the Champions Tour sparks exuberance as misplaced as that of Navin Johnson, whooping, “The new phone books are here!” in The Jerk. The point? Woods isn't playing the Senior Tour. Not yet. He's absent from the Hoag Classic, the final Champions Tour stop before the Masters. Plenty ruled out Tiger’s Masters comeback, too… until Augusta National added fuel to the fire with this curious update.

Thursday’s Result: 40.76% of you rated Rory’s Champions Dinner menu 10 out of 10, 33.8% rated it 7–9, and nearly 14.3% rated it 5–7.

There's an overlooked part of the game you sleep on that would quickly help lower your scores. Yes, we're talking pre-round practice sessions and warm-up routines. Here's how to kick off like Justin Thomas; this will help you lower scores in no time.

• Grab an iron and get in position. Then, pause at key checkpoints on your backswing to ensure the club stays on plane and aligns with your arm for maximum width.

• Exaggerate this feeling to groove it repetitively. Feel the club tracking wide, not sucking inside hands. This prevents the shaft from getting steep later. Watch JT’s arm movements below.

• Once the width feels locked in, hit a handful of shots. If the early setup is solid, the rest flows consistently. Pause as needed. Record a video and use checkpoints to confirm good alignment.

Justin Thomas also believes in switching up your practice shots. He also uses a unique three-tee-peg drill to improve his putting. Check it out below.

Justin Thomas Drill to Help Your Putting

PGA Tour Pro Calls Penalty on Himself, Earns Good Karma →

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As part of our Masters week countdown, we are looking at all 18 holes of Augusta National. With 16 days to go before the first major, today our focus is on Redbud, the famous 16th hole.

Named after the famous “Judas Tree,” this hole is played entirely over water to a green secured by three bunkers. The Par-3 170-yard 16th has witnessed a rare octuple bogey in the 1950 edition. In sharp contrast, the 16th has also seen the highest number of holes-in-one recorded in any hole of the Augusta National.

We suggest you grab one of your favorite drinks for this one. Nicknames are still a playful staple in golf's grand old game. But they have to be iconic or flat-out funny, like Henry Picard's “The Hershey Hurricane,” Sam Snead’s “The Slammer,” or Jack Nicklaus’s “Golden Bear.” (Here's the tale of how Jack earned this one.) Anything else doesn’t work.

That's why eyebrows shot up when PGA pro Michael Block’s son Dylan registered for PGA Tour Americas as “Pootycuts Block.” Sure, there's a ridiculous reason behind this strange decision, as you can find out here. So instead of "Dylan" on leaderboards, tee announcements, and stages everywhere, it's “Pootycuts Block.”

What’s your take on this one?

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

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👥 Follow — Michael Kim is the PGA Tour’s social media star.

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