For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as we head to Colonial for the Charles Schwab Challenge.

1. Garcia qualifies for U.S. Open

Golfweek’s Todd Kelly…”Sergio Garcia, who didn’t qualify for last week’s PGA Championship, assured himself of a spot in the next major on the 2023 calendar after advancing through a final qualifying stage Monday in Dallas.”

• “There were 120 golfers vying for eight spots at Northwood Club and Bent Tree Country Club. Garcia finished the 36-hole qualifier at 9 under, tie for fourth, capping his day with a birdie on his final hole.”

• “Garcia was among close to 20 LIV golfers entered in qualifiers aiming to make the 156-man field at Los Angeles Country Club.”

CURRENT 84-player field

2. Queen Rose

AP report…”With a flawless performance at the NCAA Championships, the Stanford sophomore now has done something no one else has, not even Lorena Ochoa: win back-to-back national titles.”

• “Zhang shot a bogey-free, 4-under 68 on Monday to become the first woman to win multiple national titles and tie the NCAA record for wins in a season.”

3. As expected, no Tiger at U.S. Open

ESPN Report…”Woods had April surgery to address post-traumatic arthritis in his right ankle that was caused by injuries suffered in a February 2021 car wreck.”

• He played in the Masters before the surgery, making the cut before withdrawing due to injury, but missed the PGA Championship this past week. He remains without a timetable to return.

• The USGA said Monday that 33 additional golfers have earned full exemptions into the season’s third major, set to be played June 15-18. Among those now exempt based on being in the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday are Jason Day (No. 22), Patrick Reed (No. 44) and Tyrrell Hatton (No. 18).

4. Block on Full Swing?

Matt Cradock for Golf Monthly…”It was a truly memorable and inspiring tournament, with it being reported by Daniel Rapaport that Netflix cameras were, indeed, on site for the tournament, with a large part of the coverage focused on Block’s incredible round.”

• “Prior to his tee time, Block was seen on the broadcast being mic’d up by one individual, with Rapaport, who featured heavily in the first series of Netflix’s docuseries, ‘Full Swing’, tweeting: “Netflix was all over the Michael Block story. I’m sure that Full Swing episode might elicit a tear or two.”

5. Block gets big offer for hole-in-one 7-iron

Our Andrew Tursky…”I caught up with Block on Tuesday in Texas following his dream PGA Championship week to find out more about his equipment setup, and he revealed he currently has a $50,000 offer for the 7-iron that he hit the hole-in-one with. He has many money offers, actually, but $50,000 is the highest so far. He also said the PGA of America wants the iron to display, but he said he’s not yet sure what he’ll do with it.”

• “For now, it’s still in the bag at this week’s 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge, and it has a dimed-out face from 10 years of use.”

• “Here’s what else he had to say on Tuesday when speaking with GolfWRX”

• “I know what they’re gonna do. Period. It’s not because they go further. It has nothing to do with anything. I’ve played a whole bunch of other TaylorMade irons. The new MC’s. They feel great and everything else, but these, as you can see with most of my irons and my wedges – my putter’s over 20 years old – once I have something that I know what it’s gonna do, especially under these circumstances under pressure. When there’s pressure, you need to know exactly what’s gonna happen, and every time I’ve ever tried to put new things in under pressure, it’s failed.”

• “I did (put the lead tape on my irons myself). It was about maybe 4 or 5 years ago. They were just starting to feel a little light, and maybe all the grooves were worn off, I don’t know. But they started to feel light in my hands. And I do it so randomly. If you look at my putter, if you look inside my putter, I mean it is random how I put lead tape on my clubs. But I’m a feel guy. You can see my swing. I’m super feel. They’ve been good. (I’ve had them in the bag) since about 2013. No (I haven’t changed irons since).”

6. Koepka’s coach sounds off on Brandel

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”Harmon saved some of his spiciest takes for the media — of which he also is a member having worked over the years for Sky Sports and as well as hosting his own podcast, “Son of a Butch,” including this on Brandel Chamblee and Golfweek’s own Eamon Lynch.”

• “Brandel is a paid actor by NBC and Golf Channel. All he’s trying to do is get his lines and shows for the Golf Channel. He’s just trying to get lines for Brandel … And I mean, I love him, I think Eamon is a fantastic writer, but for  Eamon Lynch and Brandel Chamblee, who worked for NBC Golf Channel to utter the words ‘sports washing’ when the company they work for televised the last two Winter Olympics in Russia and China with the same leaders that they’ve had. It’s not like they were good leaders back then. It’s not like Putin was a good guy, right?”

7. Ogilvy-Nantz design?

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”Jim Nantz and his former college teammate have united to make their dreams come true.”

• “Mark Haugejorde is the chairman of Tepetonka, a 228-acre, private golf destination two hours west of the Twin Cities, which is set to break ground this year. Having signed the design firm of OCM Golf – consisting of PGA Tour pro Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Cocking and Ashley Meade – to its first original U.S. design, Haugejorde announced Tuesday that esteemed CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz will serve as a design consultant on the creation of The Prox, the club’s short course.”

• “I’ve always had this dream if I wasn’t a broadcaster, I think the most fun thing to be a part of is to shape the Earth and be in golf course architecture,” Nantz said during “The Five Clubs” podcast with host Gary Williams, course architect Gil Hanse and ESPN college basketball analyst and avid golfer Jay Bilas on March 1.”

8. PGA ratings hit 15-year low

Christopher Powers for Golf Digest…”Television ratings for the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship probably don’t rank very high among the things that Brooks Koepka cares about. That’s different for the network that broadcasted that round, CBS, and the viewership numbers being reported from Sunday’s action at Oak Hill Country Club.”

• “According to Sports Business Journal and Sports Media Watch, CBS drew an average of 4.517 million viewers for Koepka’s win on Sunday, the lowest number for a final round of a PGA Championship on CBS since 2008, when Padraig Harrington outlasted Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis at Oakland Hills for his third major title.”

9. Photos from Colonial

• Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!