Hello, everyone. It is the 9th of June. Have a nice day.

“A festival of golf”

A couple of weeks after the Saudi-backed Super Golf League made noise at the PGA Championship, the now Saudi-less Premier Golf League is rearing its head in the run-up to the U.S. Open. No, we’re not talking about its suddenly active Twitter account. PGL CEO Andy Gardiner recently spoke with the BBC’s Iain Carter about the league’s plans. Gardiner said the PGL is planning an 18-event schedule starting in January 2023, working with lawyers to ensure players can’t be banned from other tours, and looking for ways to involve female professionals. Oh, and the league has secured $20-million purses.

As always, we recommend reading the full article, but suffice it to say that the Premier Golf League is determined and absolutely loaded. If the PGL can confirm that its players won’t get blackballed by the PGA and European tours, things are going to get interesting real fast.

The most intriguing of the new developments is the PGL’s declared commitment to women’s golf. If the league increases purses and promotes personalities in the women’s game, it would be doing something the PGA Tour rarely, if ever, does. For years, the PGA Tour has devoted the bare minimum of its substantial resources to lifting up women’s professional golf. If the PGL is genuine in its commitment to do more, that’s a point in its favor.

To be continued…


Dads like nice things too

The PGA Tour may cut an imposing figure, but they aren’t the Premier Golf League’s dad or anything, so they can’t tell them what to do. Speaking of dads, you need to get yours something for Father’s Day. Make it a gift from B. Draddy!

There is nothing dads love more than a clean polo with a sharp collar, and B. Draddy has the best polos in the game. The Liam Polo is a buttery soft, classic-looking wardrobe staple, and the Sport Polo collection features ulta-lightweight materials to keep you cool on hot days.

Right now, you can save 30% on your order at bdraddy.com with code “TFEDAD” at checkout. Whether your dad needs a new polo for his collection, or you’re a dad and you want to treat yourself, head over to bdraddy.com today!

DAD IT UP


Time to grind

Known as the “longest day in golf,” Monday, June 7, was when most of the U.S. Open Final Qualifiers took place. Players tackled courses across the country in hopes of qualifying for Torry Pines next week. A number of PGA Tour players—including Patrick Rodgers, Chez Reavie, Branden Grace, J.T. Poston, Wyndham Clark, Adam Hadwin, and Sung Kang—advanced, while others—like Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, and Jason Dufner—fell short. We’ll have more on these qualifiers in our special U.S. Open preview newsletter, which will come out on Thursday!

Back to the Lowcountry

Starved for pro golf tournaments (/sarcasm), the southeast region will host yet another PGA Tour event this weekend. The brand-new Palmetto Championship is a fill-in for the Canadian Open, which was canceled this year because of Covid restrictions.

While we’ve seen plenty of South Carolina events lately, this one will at least give us a look at a new host in Congaree Golf Club. A 2018 Tom Fazio design, Congaree will be a far cry from the standard PGA Tour venue. The golf course can play extremely firm and fast, with greens that repel in all directions. The drivable par-4 3rd hole and long par-3 14th hole will be among the stars of the show, as will Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and Tommy Fleetwood. Tee Times

Quick Hooks

It’s an easy travel week for the LPGA Tour. The ladies stay in San Francisco to take a shot at Lake Merced Golf Club. Three-time champion Lydia Ko, Sei Young Kim, Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson, Rachel Heck, and Lucy Li are among those in the field. Tee Times

Pro-Ams are back. Stephan Jaeger, Mito Pereira, and Davis Riley all vie for the battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour at the BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Korn Ferry Tour. Tee Times

Many Filipino newspapers dedicated their front pages to Yuka Saso’s U.S. Women’s Open victory. Pretty cool tribute for the 19 year old.

We would like to sincerely thank whatever PGA Tour social media person said that Tom Fazio designed Augusta National. It gave us a good chuckle.

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Paulie’s Picks: Palmetto Championship – Congaree Golf Club plays host to the PGA Tour for the first time. See who Paulie likes for DraftKings and one-and-done leagues!

The Fried Egg Podcast: Mike Clayton on Phil’s Win, World Tours, and the U.S. Women’s Open

Time for a supersized episode! Last week, Andy called up Mike Clayton—former tour pro, current golf architect, and general voice of reason—to talk about Phil Mickelson’s victory at the PGA Championship, ideas for a world golf tour, and Mike’s upcoming project on Seven Mile Beach in New South Wales. They also previewed the U.S. Women’s Open, which was contested at the Olympic Club this past weekend. To follow up on that part of conversation, the Fried Egg boys (Andy, Garrett, and Will) got together to chat about their takeaways from Yuko Saso’s win and Lexi Thompson’s collapse. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start: Golf’s lengthiest couple of days

This special Tuesday episode recaps U.S. Open Final Qualifying, whipping around from site to site with some amusing anecdotes. They begin with a #scoop on how this 2021 U.S. Open may have to be played under protest thanks to an indiscriminate slow play penalty handed out at one qualifying site that cost a Tour pro his spot in the championship. Then they praise, somewhat, Rickie Fowler’s approach to qualifying, sticking around an extra day in Columbus and playing in a 12-man playoff for a second alternate spot. There’s debate over the players who WD and if there should be a penalty for not riding it out.  With several hot KFT pros qualifying, an old but angrier take is rekindled after Brendan and Andy discover there’s a Korn Ferry Tour event opposite the U.S. Open. They conclude by picking a few qualifiers they think could actually contend and some potential alternate sites that could be put in the rotation in the future. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.