Morning 9: Rahm throws first pitch in inexperienced jacket | Tiger takes stairs | Morikawa: TGL name rivalled Ryder Cup

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Good Wednesday morning, golf followers, because the PGA Tour takes a uncommon week off from motion.

1. Annika an ANGC member?

Adam Schupak for Golfweek…”Annika Sorenstam, winner of 10 girls’s majors and 72 LPGA Tour titles, was just lately fitted for a inexperienced jacket.”

• “In accordance with a number of sources who spoke to Golfweek on the situation of anonymity, Sorenstam, 53, formally grew to become a member at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership earlier this month when the membership opened for the present season. A spokesperson for Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership declined to remark. Mike McGee, Sorenstam’s husband and supervisor, additionally declined to remark.”

• “Augusta Nationwide has historically cited membership as a personal matter and gone to nice lengths to maintain its membership checklist, which is believed to be within the neighborhood of 300 and features a group of a few of the wealthiest and strongest businessmen — and since 2012 girls — personal.”

2. Ultimate 10 Grant Thornton Invitational groups introduced

Through PGATour.com…”Match officers as we speak introduced the remaining 10 groups that can compete within the Grant Thornton Invitational set to debut Dec. 8-10, 2023, on the Tiburón Golf Membership in Naples, Florida.”

• Charley Hull and Justin Rose

• Megan Khang and Denny McCarthy

• Céline Boutier and Harris English

• Andrea Lee and Billy Horschel

• Mel Reid and Russell Henley

• Cheyenne Knight and Tom Hoge

• Madelene Sagström and Ludvig Åberg

• Allisen Corpuz and Cameron Champ

• Ruoning Yin and Nick Taylor

• Leona Maguire and Lucas Glover

3. Jackson Van Paris breaks via at St. Andrews

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Jackson Van Paris was a can’t miss junior participant. Constantly within the combine within the greatest occasions, whilst a 14-year-old on the 2019 U.S. Novice, the place he received a match to just about break Bobby Jones’ report because the youngest to take action. Winner of two AJGA invitationals and the celebrated Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in 2020. In identical breath as, and infrequently forward of, contemporaries similar to Gordon Sargent, Preston Summerhays and David Ford.”

• “School golf, although, hadn’t come practically as straightforward for the Pinehurst, North Carolina, native – that’s, till just lately.”

• “Now a junior at Vanderbilt, Van Paris notched his first school particular person win Tuesday on the St. Andrews Hyperlinks Collegiate. Van Paris carded simply three bogeys over two rounds round St. Andrews’ Jubilee Course, a troublesome format made tougher by chilly and windy situations, and his 9-under complete left him three pictures away from runner-up and Vanderbilt teammate Cole Sherwood.”

4. Extra USGA championships for Pinehurst

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”Six extra USGA championships will likely be heading to Pinehurst within the close to future, underlining the USGA’s dedication to creating the North Carolina mecca one of many governing physique’s anchor websites.”

• “The USGA introduced Tuesday that the 2027 U.S. Girls’s Novice, 2032 U.S. Junior Novice and U.S. Women’ Junior, 2038 U.S. Novice, 2044 U.S. Girls’s Novice and a future U.S. Adaptive Open have been added to Pinehurst’s internet hosting slate.”

• “Bringing extra championships to a venue like Pinehurst is a testomony to the USGA’s dedication to our long run partnership with the resort and our promise of increasing the presence of our group within the space,” mentioned John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer of the USGA. “Pinehurst’s wealthy {golfing} heritage and dedication to excellence make it the right setting for all the USGA’s world-class occasions. Their dedication to our Open championships is unbelievable, and now we’re capable of shine a lightweight on the novice sport right here as effectively.”

5. Morikawa’s putter shaft change

GolfWRX for PGATour.com…”Previous to Summer season 2023, nevertheless, Morikawa and Sweeney seen that the differential between the light-weight TP Soto blade putter head, and the heavy graphite shaft, may very well be affecting his really feel. Morikawa didn’t need the stiffness of the shaft to alter, although, as a result of he favored the consistency it added to his stroke.”

• “So, Morikawa – and Sweeney – wished an additional stiff putter shaft, however with an ultra-lightweight development to raised match along with his TP Soto blade putter head.”

• “The merchandise that Morikawa examined included a Mitsubishi Diamana P-135 shaft, which makes use of the identical weave and supplies that the corporate makes use of in its flagship merchandise, and the shaft is designed to scale back torque and improve stability all through the stroke.”

• “He favored it, however the shaft was nonetheless too heavy.”

• “That’s when Mitsubishi bought into re-design mode and constructed Morikawa a 1-of-1 prototype. In accordance with the corporate, its designers had been capable of retain the identical stiffness because the heavier mannequin, whereas lowering the load of the shaft to 105 grams.”

6. Nelly nonetheless looking

Kent Paisley for Golf Digest…”Oddly sufficient, this season, Korda doesn’t have a win of her personal, however has posted seven prime 10s in 15 begins, has been the No. 1 participant on the planet twice, and has represented the U.S. in each the Worldwide Crown and Solheim Cup. With 4 occasions remaining, Korda is staring down the opportunity of a winless yr throughout a non-COVID impacted season for the primary time since her rookie season in 2017.”

• “I believe the season has been up and down,” Korda defined. “There have been actually good finishes. Initially of the yr golf felt very easy. Simply was top-10-ing, after which I bought injured and the momentum of my season actually shifted. So form of a bit of bit disappointing clearly, however that’s golf, proper? You form of must journey the wave of it. You bought to place your head down and typically work.

• “I’ve been doing that, and I’m hoping for a momentum shift going into this week after which the final two in Florida as effectively. However, yeah, positively a little bit of an up and down yr, which, you realize, they’re sports activities, so I really feel like athletes are at all times form of in a highlight, so when we now have dangerous days they’re actually magnified too. So sadly I’ve positively had just a few of these this yr, however hoping to alter that momentum.”

7. LIV mentioned no?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”In accordance with DP World Tour participant Eddie Pepperell, LIV Golf rejected a possible cope with Jon Rahm previous to the 2023 season because of the Spaniard’s asking value being astronomical.”

• “Whereas talking on “The Chipping Forecast” podcast, Pepperell mentioned LIV approached about fifteen gamers asking what their potential value could be to depart their present tour to affix LIV.”

• “I heard that Jon Rahm… I heard that LIV had approached 15 gamers this yr asking them for a tough determine as to what would get them throughout and I used to be instructed that Rahm’s determine was so prohibitively giant that LIV rejected it. So, make of that what you need.”

• There was some hypothesis that the reigning Masters champion could be open to becoming a member of LIV over the previous few years. Rahm has defended his fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia’s resolution to affix LIV and mentioned he believes the 43-year-old needs to be included within the Ryder Cup sooner or later and known as Garcia’s ban “silly”.

8. Bubba on the up?

Eric J. Wallace for the Palm Seaside Submit…”Bubba Watson might not have been capable of catch Bryson DeChambeau and Crushers GC on the LIV Golf staff championship on Sunday, however a stellar final-round efficiency at Trump Doral Miami proved he’s nonetheless bought the sport to be a star in the way forward for the Saudi-backed league.”

• “Watson shot 67 and his staff, the pink-clad Vary Goats, completed 9-under and two pictures away from the staff championship behind DeChambeau’s victorious Crushers GC.”

• “I’m excited. I went bogey-free on the Blue Monster,” Watson mentioned. “The entire objective was to play stable golf and assist the staff. And I did.

• “What a yr. The Vary Goats got here out of nowhere. We performed nice and simply have to enhance a bit of bit.”

9. Brooks: Individuals are afraid to be trustworthy

• “The 33-year-old made the admission in an interview with Golf Month-to-month, saying: “I don’t care what different folks assume. Individuals are afraid to be trustworthy. These days, we attempt to put it softly so it doesn’t sound too dangerous, however you possibly can’t inform me that’s not what I did.”