We’re pumped to see Carnoustie host the Women’s Open this weekend, but let’s pray that the apparel companies left the “NASTY” references on the cutting room floor.

One last ride

Over the past month, the top women in the world have visited France, Japan, and Scotland. Now they’ve arrived at Carnoustie Golf Links for the ninth and final major of the year, the AIG Women’s Open. Nelly Korda, Jin Young Ko, Sei Young Kim, and defending champion Sophia Popov headline the field. Tee Times

Site of eight previous Open Championships, Carnoustie has hosted only one previous Women’s Open, the 2011 edition, which Yani Tseng won by four shots. With the bloodbath of the ’99 Open relatively fresh in everyone’s memories, Carnoustie was set up in a markedly cautious manner. The course was short by LPGA Tour standards, and even in tough weather, players shot many rounds of 68 or better. Tseng’s winning number was -16.

This time around, let’s hope the R&A allows the old Scottish brute to be its bad self. Women’s golf places a relative emphasis on the ground game, and few venues showcase that skillset as vividly as Carnoustie. The course’s demands for accuracy and versatility make it an ideal host for a women’s major.

Thankfully, the R&A appears to be thinking in the same direction. In an interview with Golf Digest, Grant Moir, the R&A’s Director of Rules, explained the week’s setup philosophy. “We’re not really in the business of trying to get the women hitting the same clubs as the men into the greens,” Moir said. “It can be done. But it would probably need more of a downward adjustment in yardage than we are prepared to make…. We simply want to provide an appropriate challenge for a major championship.”

Quick Hooks

Lady Liberty is ready for duty. The points are quadrupled (… maybe?). The letters are capitalized—and when they’re not, the spaces between words disappear. That’s right: it’s time for the NORTHERN TRUST and the start of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs. Tee Times

Korn Ferry Tour Finals also begin this week out in Idaho with the Albertsons Boise Open. After 25 PGA Tour cards were handed out last week at the conclusion of the supersized 2020-21 regular season, 25 more are up for grabs over the next three weeks. Giddy up. Tee Times

Slovakian hero and Olympic medalist Rory Sabbatini headlines the D+D Real Czech Masters on the European Tour. Jazz Janewattananond, Danny Willett, and Sean Crocker are among the others in the field. Tee Times

The AIG Women’s Open marks the end of Solheim Cup qualifying. Golf Channel’s Amy Rogers wrote about where things stand for Team USA and Team Europe.

The Latest from The Fried Egg

The Rukket Bucket is Andy and Brendan’s spin on the Courier Cup! In partnership with Rukket Sports, the Shotgun Start is doing a weekly pool that will culminate at East Lake on Labor Day weekend. Enter for free to win Shotgun Start merchandise and grand prizes from Rukket Sports!

Paulie’s Picks: The Northern Trust – No time for fooling around, folks. Paulie has everything you need for one-and-done and DraftKings picks for the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Fried Egg Stories: Bobby Clampett and His Golfing Machine

Today, Homer Kelley’s 1969 book The Golfing Machine is a standard text for those who study the science of the golf swing. Famous instructors cite it, as do tour pros like Bryson DeChambeau and Steve Elkington. But in 1982, The Golfing Machine was most associated with 23-year-old Bobby Clampett, who had been schooled in Kelley’s system. Clampett had compiled a stellar amateur résumé, and after two rounds of the ’82 Open Championship, he led by five shots. He was on the verge of validating what he had once told a reporter about The Golfing Machine: “It’s the Bible of golf.” In this edition of our audio documentary series, we tell the story of Homer Kelley, Bobby Clampett, and their quest to prove that science could solve the mysteries of the game. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start: Carnoustie coffee golf, Playoffs confusion, and Big Daddy journeyman

This Wednesday episode begins with the event of the week, the Women’s Open at Carnoustie. Andy and Brendan highlight some of the key tee times and discuss the course setup options that should test the best women’s players in the world. Then they’re on to Liberty National, stumbling through the top 125 players and wondering how the hell some of them got to the postseason given their profiles. The Euro Tour event has a distinct silver medal vibe. The Senior Tour event is really only cause to mention the one time Brendan said something on air that got the Tour to call into Golf Channel. And last but not least is the start of the KFT finals, where the usual mix of familiar names have come down to play for improved status next year on the Tour. The Journeyman of the Week is a Kiwi who did not make the FEC, or the KFT, and will be out there in the woods wandering to try and make his way back. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

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