Punters Beware: Casey Wins Irish Open

Paul Casey's conveniently now at 40-1 and the former strong contender at the 2010 Open Championship ended a two-year drought in winning the Irish Open convincingly over Robert Rock.

Alistair Tait reports on Casey's mental and physical leap that has come after two years of struggle:

“Psychologically this is huge,” Casey said. “It feels like a first win again. I have struggled with the confidence and this is a huge relief knowing I am moving in the right direction.

“I have great golf in me for 10 years plus. This is a massive confidence boost.”

Jessica Korda Dumps Caddie Mid-U.S. Open Round For BF

Randall Mell reports a real oy veyer from the third round of the U.S. Women's Open at Sebonack.

Korda shot a 5-over 40 on the front nine. She shot a 36 on the back nine with her boyfriend on her bag. By day's end, she was tied for sixth.

“The first few holes, I was very shaky, but my boyfriend/caddie kept me very calm out there, and kept it very light,” Korda said. “And it was kind of funny seeing him fumble over yardage. Like I said, it just kept it very light out there.”

Korda said her boyfriend will remain on the bag Sunday, but he won’t continue to caddie longterm.

“I think everybody has problems every week,” Korda said of the disagreements with Gilroyed. “You blame the caddie, the caddie blames you. It's just up in the air.  I just felt like enough was enough today. I just wasn't mentally ready for it.”

Her post round interview:

Video: D.H. Lee Flipping Off (The Gallery?) His Ball

Jason Sobel quotes D.H. Lee as saying his was gesturing obscenely to his ball but a review of the video would seem to suggest he was looking at the gallery after hitting his second to Congressional's 12th over the green.

ESPN was brave enough to post the video, with the requisite blurring of the heinous hand gesture.

Ernie On Muirfield: “There is rough, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think it’s unfair."

Comments were attributed to Ernie Els on Wednesday about Muirfield but he hadn't played the course until Thursday, telling PGATour.com's Sean Martin that setup looks good to him. And at 25-1 as the last man to win at Muirfield, that's good news to punters.

“I love the course,” Els told PGATOUR.COM on Friday. “I think it’s set up very similar to 1992 and 2002. The rough is good, the fairways are good, some of the holes have been lengthened.”

"The huge leap in distance off the tee on the PGA Tour in 2000 is due to only one thing – the introduction of the Pro V1."

Andrew Rice was "handed a pristine collection of older model Titleist golf balls" that included Tour Balata 100's, Professional 90's and early model Pro V1's. 

He enlisted a consistent driver in Atlantic Golf Club's Zack Brady and had him hit six shots with the old balls and the current Pro-V model on the Trackman. And guess what they found?

"The huge leap in distance off the tee on the PGATour in 2000 is due to only one thing – the introduction of the Pro V1."  An increase in distance of almost 10% over the scuff resistant Professional.

The Tour Balata averaged 261.6 yds, the Professional 90 262.1 yds, the Pro-V1 392 286.4 yds and the current Pro-V1 298.4 yards.

Rory Would Add A Tournament If Not For His Sponsor Obligations

Two weeks before the Open Championship, Ewan Murray quotes Rory McIlroy saying something he may regret.

"I have got a couple of commitments next week and the week after as well," McIlroy said. "If I didn't have those couple of things to do over the next couple of weeks, I probably would have added an event."

Update on 2013-06-28 23:34 by Geoff

**In Derek Lawrenson's account of the Irish Open and the huge hit sponsor's are taking by losing all of the homeland heroes, he mentions another obligation: a cousin's wedding. That helps a little but still likely leaves one of the two weeks as an event that could have been added.

This was McIlroy's last event before the Open at Muirfield in just over a fortnight's time and he admitted in an ideal world he would be playing in the French Open next week, or the final event before the season's third major, the Scottish Open. A couple of contractual commitments have put paid to that, plus a long-time promise to attend his cousin's wedding.  

FM Salmond Sending Junior Minister To Open Championship In Non-Protest Protest

The Telegraph's Simon Johnson with the devastating news that The Open Championship will not be visited by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond in a non-protest of the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers' membership policies.

This is awkward...

Asked whether it was right Muirfield was hosting the Open, he said: “The R&A should have had a good think about this and perhaps politely, behind the scenes, suggested to Muirfield the public profile of being a single-sex club would be difficult.

“I don’t think it helps the game to have the suggestion of a bias against women and the greatest tournament on this planet played on arguably the greatest links golf course should have this impression that ladies, women should be second-class citizens.”

Pssssst...First Minister, the R&A can't ask that because their sister club...err...crazy uncle known as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews has the same policy!

Oh Joy: Muirfield Rough Said To Be Ridiculous, Knee-High

Sean Martin on comments Ernie Els made to Rory McIlroy after seeing Muirfield's "ridiculous" rough recently.

“He said it was like waist-high,” McIlroy said from this week’s Irish Open. It remains to be seen if the rough will be that penal come championship week.

Pretty much the same as last year when I was there (photo below). Hopefully we'll still get to see the ancient wall bordering the property! #Bringbacktherabbitsandsheep

Update on 2013-06-28 18:56 by Geoff

**I've since heard from someone who recently played the course that the Els reference may have been in regard to the last Open and that the rough may not be too severe. We'll know soon enough!

State Of The Game Podcast 23: Mathew Goggin & Merion

Mathew Goggin joined the gang to talk about all things Merion after his fine showing (T21) in this year's U.S. Open. Besides talking about how the setup and logistics worked form a player's point of view, we also learned about Goggin's day with Tom Watson in the final round of the 2009 Open Championship, a subsequent round the two played and the golf course project he's developing in Tasmania.

As usual, you can download the show or listen through iTunes, or in the player below.

Video: Euros Play Blindfolded Closest To The Hole

And the old geezer Ryder Cup captain won.

A few of these guys might want to chip this way all the time.

More Images Of Kananaskis Flooding Damage

Bob Weeks has several shots on the Score Golf blog and thanks to reader Andrew from this Wes Gilbertson story on the dilemma going forward for Kananaskis Country Golf Course and whether it should be rebuilt, or where rebuilding fits on the grand scale of things with so much flooding devastation in Calgary.

GMac: Castle Stuart Too Easy, Too One-Dimensional

Shocking statements from the normally learned Graeme McDowell in justifying why he's skipping the prestigious Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart for the second year in a row.

Jim Black reports:

McDowell, speaking on the eve of the Irish Open at Carton House near Dublin, said: “The Scottish Open has lost its identity and its prestige. Castle Stuart probably has not been a strong enough golf course.

“Let’s see them get the Scottish Open on a phenomenal links golf course with a great purse and get a world-class field back.

“We need to be capitalising a little harder on the week before and after the Open.

“I feel bad singling out the Scottish Open, because I used to love it at Loch Lomond. It was a phenomenal tournament. Taking it to Castle Stuart was designed to get it on a links course the week before The Open and it’s a beautiful venue — but it is probably a little too wide open off the tee and a little one-dimensional.

“But Royal Aberdeen next year is a venue which attracts me. I’ve heard great things about it and it could re-light the event.”

McDowell finished T42 in his lone appearance at the too easy Castle Stuart, the year freak rains softened the course and reduced the tournament to 54-holes.

Phil Mickelson is returning for a third year to the Scottish Open and NBC is providing network coverage in the United States, a first for a European Tour event.

And needless to say, I didn't find the course one-dimensional last year when watching some of the best shotmaking and most interesting play I'd seen in a long time. Some photos from Saturday and Sunday.

Unfortunately, Royal Aberdeen is excessively narrow to offset modern distance and will be a bit too one-dimensional if not widened out. Oh wait, wide is bad GMac! I forgot.

Deadspin: "Country clubs are weeeeeird."

Deadspin's Tom Ley reports the finding of the Chester Valley Country Club's board on denim in the dining room, an investigation of sorts going on out at undoubtedly many clubs across the land struggling to appeal to a younger demographic.

But to those who haven't seen the club world at work, it does sound rather, well, weeeeeird.

USGA On Alert To Make Sure They Don't Shinnecock Shinnecock's Neighbor

Greg Logan on the efforts being made to ensure that the U.S. Women's Open starting today does not get out of hand with gusts to 25 possible.

Jeff Hall and Tom O'Toole talked about the setup issues they are facing at Sebonack.

ESPN2 has the coverage from 3-7 p.m. ET.  

Golfweek is tracking the early play.