Instagram Trophy Wrap: Sunday Winners Wallace, Alex, McCarron, Hickok, Wilson, USA Women

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While the Dell Technologies crowns a champion on Monday, Labor Day weekend's Sunday gave away mostly straightforward hardware. And yes, I'm lumping in Jeff Wilson's U.S. Senior Amateur win from a few days ago, because, why not?

Congrats to all of the big winners, starting with three-time European Tour winner in 2018 Matt Wallace, who birdied seven of eight holes coming in and survived an all-English, four-man playoff. For his effort, he won the largest salad bowl in golf:

A winner again 🏆🙌🏼 #MiD18

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Marina Alex claimed her first LPGA title in Portland:

@marinaaadee FIRST EVER #LPGAWinnerSelfie 🤳👏🏽⛳️

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Scott McCarron earned both a hat he'll never wear again and a trophy he'll hide ASAP in winning the Shaw Classic.

😁 he couldn’t stop smiling. @shawclassic

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Kramer Hickok adds another breakthrough win for Texas men's golf in 2018, taking the Web.com Tour's DAP Championship.

Nice work by Jeff Wilson in finally winning a USGA event by taking the U.S. Senior Amateur at Eugene Country Club last week.

And finally, congrats to the American women at the World Amateur Team at Carlton House.

Padraig's New Swing Turns Heads, Gets Him A European Tour Second Place Finish

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It's probably too late for 2018 Ryder Cup vice captain Padraig Harrington to get asked for his cart keys back following a Czech Masters second place finish to Andrea Pavan. 

But the 47-year-old, who has tried some intriguing on course moves, is sporting his most fascinating move yet, presumably with an early takeaway pause/set inspired by his work with instructor George Gankas. He also feels he can still win on the European Tour after shooting 20-under-par and who would disagree?

Harrington into the lead 🎯 #CzechMasters @padraigharrington

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Best European Team On Paper Update: Olesen Jumps Ahead Of Poulter, Casey

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I'm not sure if the best European Ryder Cup team on paper remains so in Monty's mind after this week's move by Thorbjorn Olesen, but we have time to mull! At least on current form, however, getting Olesen on the team appears to be a positive. Particularly since Captain Thomas Bjorn has already said he will be hard-pressed to pick his fellow countryman for fear of looking biased.

Will Gray reports for GolfChannel.com on Olesen's second place in the Nordea Masters boosting his spot on the World Points list and within shouting distance of Tommy Fleetwood on the European Points list.

Even if Olesen fails to qualify automatically for Paris, the 28-year-old continues to bolster his credentials for a possible pick from his countryman, Bjorn. Olesen won the Italian Open in June, finished second at the BMW International Open three weeks later and has now compiled four top-12 finishes over his last five worldwide starts including a T-3 result at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational earlier this month.

Also on the outside looking in: Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia. 

Patrick Reed, Scottish Open Winner Brandon Stone Pick Up Hickories And Golf Gods Karma While In Gullane

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Boris Lietzow's Jack White shop in Gullane Was A must visit for several scottish open players

Boris Lietzow's Jack White shop in Gullane Was A must visit for several scottish open players

The Golf Gods clearly endorsed Brandon Stone's affinity for links and hickories and they might have even guided him to victory in the 2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at Gullane. 

A final round 60 came agonizingly close to the European Tour's first ever 59.  Alistair Tait on a breakthrough win for a highly touted player who has struggled, especially on links.

Here is what Stone had to say after about hickories:

Q. And you have a wedding present now of Hickory Golf Clubs. Is that correct?

BRANDON STONE: I do indeed. I don't think it's going to last until the wedding, though, if I'm brutally honest. I think I'm going to get home; I just had a Southwest green put in my house and probably picked up the purist putter I've ever seen in my entire life. It's probably got about 12 degrees of loft on it, 29 inches, but it just sits so flush. So I'm going to be on that. My fiancée was under no illusions that when she bought them for me that they wouldn't be boxed and wrapped up until the wedding. But hey, what are you going to do?

Q. How did that come about? What prompted that?

BRANDON STONE: Just drove past the store, if I'm brutally honest. I mean my fiancée is always giving me a little bit of sticks in that she can't buy someone who has everything something. So when we drove past the Hickory store on Monday afternoon, I said, that would be quite cool. So she was like, perfect. So we went and popped in there yesterday afternoon, and obviously I went to college at the University of Texas, and there was just this beautiful set of burnt orange, untreated leather-gripped Hickories, and I was like, bang, go, 400 pounds later, smiling. Been chipping in the garden at the house all week. I think that might have been helping me because that wedge has got zero bounce on it, so the moment you get a little bit of bounce you feel like you can conquer the world.

Hook 'em horns.

I wrote about Patrick Reed's interest in old clubs for Golfweek and his interest in Lietzow's work. It all started with the Hickory Challenge earlier in the week. And now we have active and very good players into hickories!

Here are some photos of the shop, Reed's set and Boris Leitzow at work:

Brandon Stone On Winning Scottish Open On A Links

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South African and former University of Texas golfer Brandon Stone's final round 60 at Gullane was something, but his post-round comments were particularly enjoyable. 

This on winning at a links course was fun:

I mean I'm going to be brutally honest. I don't think I made a cut on a links golf course in my entire career. Maybe the Open last year. But growing up I always struggled to move the ball way too much in the air. Used to play quite a big draw. Couldn't really move it left to right under pressure or in some strong winds, so the work that we've done just got everything a lot more neutral. The swing and the rhythm felt spectacular today. And yeah, I think the changes that we made, although it was extremely frustrating, you know, when you make those team changes and you're not quite getting the results that you're after and you feel like you're close, but every week you're kind of being kicked down, kicked down like you feel like you're getting two steps forward and three steps back, to sit here now on a Sunday afternoon, with a trophy two feet away from me, knowing that I was the best player in Scotland this week is something I hold very dear to my heart.

Rickie On How Slow Greens Reward Better Putting

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Picking up where he left off here at Gullane, Rickie Fowler opened with a 64 in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. 

In my item for Golfweek, take note of his comments on how slower greens actually bring out more putting skill. 

Good bulletin board stuff for courses chasing Stimpmeter speeds thinking they are making their course a better test of skill!

Video: Golfers Return To Edinburgh Castle!

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Not since that golfing-rebel Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her only child there have such famous links-lovers turned up at Edinburgh Castle, set up for the annual Military Tattoo. 

Very nice turnout of players and fans for this European Tour promotional event:

The 2018 Ryder Cup Course Is Showing A Bias You Won't Believe (At Least If You're Of A Certain Vintage)

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If you're of a certain vintage, you'll remember it wasn't long ago U.S. Ryder Cup captains wanted narrower fairways and thick rough to reward their more accurate-driving group while penalizing the swashbuckling Euros. 

Those who recall that line of course setup-thinking will get a nice chuckle reading Alistair Tait's look at what the Europeans have previewed at Le Golf National last week in advance of this fall's Ryder Cup. 

“The old theory is tight and scruffy,” said Graeme McDowell, one of Bjorn’s five vice captains and a two-time French Open winner. “I paced off the width of the seventh fairway at 270 yards off the tee, and it was only 18 yards wide.

“They (the U.S.) set their courses up wide with semi-rough and middle-of-the-green pins for a birdie fest. We always like to set it up a little tighter and a little tougher and maybe not having the greens quite as fast. Does it (Le Golf National) favor our guys more than theirs? We think it does.”

Trophy Roundup: Molinari Cruises In The National, Park Takes The LPGA, U.S. Senior Open Goes To Toms, Noren Wins The French Open

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What an impressive win by Francesco Molinari to take the Quicken Loans National by eight over Ryan Armour. He was joined by tournament host Tiger Woods to hoist one of the best trophies in golf, and possibly the last one to be given out. Dan Kilbridge on the 35-year-old's win and the first on the PGA Tour by an Italian born player since Tony Penna. 

Someone at the LPGA Tour must be low on Titleist's, with a double mention to our friends in Fairhaven upon Sung Hyun Park winning the KPMG LPGA Championship in a playoff over Soyeon Ryu.

Beth Ann Nichols with the Golfweek game story on changes the 24-year-old made this week to help improve her putting and win a major. 

David Toms held off a strong contingent of pursuers to win his first U.S. Senior Open, as this AP game story explains.

Alex Noren will have plenty of good vibes for the this fall's Ryder Cup after winning the HNA French Open at Le Golf Nationale where the matches will be played.

Alistair Tait explains how the Swede came from seven back to win his 10th European Tour title.

The happiest man in France 🏆😁🤳🏼 #HNAOpenDeFrance #RolexSeries

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The Final Numbers Are In: Faster And Better Play) In Shot Clock Masters!

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I didn't see much coverage of the final Shot Clock Masters numbers, so here they are from the European Tour.

Note the scoring improvement...

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European Tour Chief Keith Pelley talked about the response of players, social media and referees:

Stop This Clinical Study Now And Save Critical Time! The Promising Shot Clock Masters Early Results

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We’ve all heard of those drug studies proving so effective that clinical trials are stopped midway and the most dire cases are allowed to receive the new, revolutionary remedy. 

Pro golf has been on a slow play sick bed for too long.  But after just one round of the Austrian Open/aka Shot Clock Masters, the results speak volumes: as much as 55 minutes faster than the typical European Tour three-ball, rounds 19 minutes faster than the allotted time and no apparent decline in the quality of play. 

The European Tour employed 24 rules officials—the biggest logistical impediment to making shot clocks permanent—who did not hand out a single violation in round one.

Players, as Dylan Dethier notes for Golf.com, are giving positive reviews both on-site or via social media. 

Best of all, while watching there appears to be no sense of gimmickry or a compromise in quality. Just a better flow and a reminder of faster days. 

Time Is Of The Essence: Shot Clock Masters Preview And Primer

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The European Tour's Austrian Open is the "shot clock Masters" and it could not come at a better time for golf, as players bog down for reasons both legit (backups due to reachable par-5s) and not so legit (they take forever and don't play ready golf). 

Here are the five things you must know about this event according to the European Tour.

Essentially you need to know this: 50 seconds to hit a shot, 40 if you are the second or third in a group to play. You have two timeouts to call in case you need extra time.  Otherwise, penalty strokes will be flying.

MorningRead.com's Adam Schupak talked to Keith Pelley about the origin of this idea and to some players who are for the Slow Play Masters, and some against it.

So, Pelley canvassed his players with a simple two-question survey. First question: Do you think slow play is a problem on the European Tour?

"If you answered ‘no,’ the survey was over," Pelley said. "But if you answered ‘yes,’ you got one more question."

Do you want the European Tour to act seriously on curbing this challenge?

Within two days, 70 percent of the membership had responded in favor of taking action.

"We need to try and modernize our game," Pelley said. "The millennials have an attention span of 12 seconds. The Gen Z have an attention span of eight seconds. We're living in a society that is completely different, and I think every game and every sport and every business is looking to modernize themselves, and if you don't, then you run the risk of falling behind."

Matt Adams and I discussed on this week's Alternate Shot:

Don't Try This At Home Files: Pieters Snaps Club Around (His) Neck

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Actually, don't snap a club around anyone's neck, kids. 

Good to see he's mellowing with age.

From round four of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

First, the Sky Sports version...

Lerner with the nice pun on Golf Channel's coverage...