Header photo: Justin Aller, USGA

To those of you who can’t finish the sentence started in today’s headline: check out Bo Burnham.

Big boy golf

There’s a ton of golf being played across the professional circuits this week, but the standout event has no (current) professional in the field. The U.S. Amateur got underway at Oakmont Country Club and Longue Vue Club outside of Pittsburgh on Monday. Because of a rain delay, stroke play will continue on Wednesday morning and match play will begin Wednesday afternoon. Scoring

So far, Oakmont is playing, as the kids say, hard af. The scoring average for the first day was a shade over 77, five and a half shots higher than it was at LVC. Reports from the ground suggest that the rough isn’t quite U.S. Open length, but the brutishness of the golf course is fully intact.

Partway through the second round, there are plenty of intriguing names in the mix. Joe Highsmith (Pepperdine), Brian Stark (Oklahoma State), Travis Vick (Texas), Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford), Alex Fitzpatrick (Wake Forest), and Trent Phillips (Georgia) are all but guaranteed match-play berths.

A final note from the U.S. Amateur: the USGA is hosting a press conference on Wednesday with local officials and representatives from both Oakmont Country Club and Merion Golf Club. Just speculating here, but Oakmont and Merion will probably soon join Pinehurst No. 2 as “anchor sites” for the U.S. Open.

Let’s hand out some cards

It’s a big week for players on the PGA and Korn Ferry tours—and not because the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 will be finalized. Many players at the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship are fighting to retain their cards by finishing the weekend inside the top 125 of the FedEx Cup standings, while those at the Pinnacle Bank Championship are vying to join the big tour by getting one of the top 25 spots on the Korn Ferry Tour points list. Not everyone in these fields has a realistic shot at a PGA Tour card, but nearly all of them have their eye on some cutoff or another (top 150, etc.) that would get them guaranteed starts.

Of particular interest is the battle for the top 25 on the KFT, as the graduating class of 2021 will likely be the strongest in history. Because of last year’s pandemic interruption, the Korn Ferry Tour created a super season that has stretched across 2020 and ’21. Players like Stephan Jaeger, Greyson Sigg, Taylor Pendrith, Davis Riley, and Dylan Wu have proven their bona fides over two years and 30+ events.

Given how difficult it has been to crack the top 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, one could argue that a few more cards should be given out this time. The lack of turnover on the PGA Tour last season meant some players kept their status when they probably shouldn’t have. Meanwhile, guys on the Korn Ferry have been grinding for two years to get their opportunity. Tough to break into everyone’s favorite member-run organization!

In any case, the stakes will be very high this Sunday at the Pinnacle Bank Championship. Those who miss the top 25 will enter the three-week cauldron that is the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

Wyndham Championship Tee Times

Pinnacle Bank Championship Tee Times

Quick Hooks

After an exciting week in Tokyo, the top women in the world head to Renaissance Club for the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open. This will be one last tune-up before next weekend’s AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie. Women’s Scottish Open Tee Times

It’s time for Cazoo Round Two! Three weeks after the Cazoo Open at Celtic Manor, the European Tour’s Cazoo Classic gets underway on Thursday at London Golf Club. Eddie Pepperell, Bernd Wiesberger, and Richard Bland headline the field. Tee Times

Jensen Castle’s surprise victory in the U.S. Women’s Amateur earned her a place on the United States Curtis Cup team. Castle will join Rachel Heck, Rachel Kuehn, and Rose Zhang as the U.S. faces off against Great Britain and Ireland later this month. Team USA, Team GB&I

Collin Morikawa is the first American to guarantee himself a spot on Team USA for this year’s Ryder Cup.

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Paulie’s Picks: Wyndham Championship – We’ve got one final ride before the FedEx Cup Playoffs: don’t leave your DraftKings and one-and-done picks to chance! Paulie has you covered.

Shotgun Start: Superfluous caps Top 10, Superfluous “ue” at U.S. Am, and Journeyman of the Week

This Wednesday episode is a wide-ranging look at all the games within the game this week—the top 125 to make the playoffs, the ISP Top 10, the Risk-Reward Challenges, the cards at the KFT, the U.S. Amateur finalist perks, and much more. Andy and Brendan begin with the Wyndham Championship, where Matthew Wolff could win seven figures in the risk-reward challenge. There’s also general confusion over the Business Tour Top 10. They both offer one choice they’d like to see play his way into the top 125 this week. Then it’s on to the event of the week, the U.S. Amateur at Oakmont and uniquely spelled Longue Vue. They hit on the stroke disparity between the venues during the first day, and the stroke disparity between a crispy Oakmont and a rain-soaked one for the second round. There’s a lengthy and often incorrectly informed discussion on what Cazoo, which is now sponsoring another Euro Tour event this week, does as a company. The Journeyman of the Week is Sean O’Hair, who is playing Wyndham and well outside the top 125 in the FEC standings. O’Hair’s career highlights, the infamous upbringing, and current Tour status are covered in this closing segment. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Fried Egg Events

Time is running out to join in on one of our remaining Fried Egg events! Fewer than five spots remain for the Royal Rumble at Lancaster CC on 10/18 and just a couple more are left for Prairie Dunes on 10/4. Make sure to reserve your spot today!