For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the RSM Classic.

1. Mickelson aids pro with Q-School prep

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Phil Mickelson has taken a lot of heat over the past few years. Whether it be his unpopular move to LIV Golf after calling the Saudi’s “scary mother fu*****” to author Alan Shipnuck, or the story from the famous gambler Billy Walters that Phil bet close to a billion dollars over the course of a decade, it’s been an endless sea of negative headlines.”

• “However, over the weekend, Mickelson went above and beyond to help an aspiring PGA Tour player, as shared by “Monday Q Info” on X.”

• “After the first stage of Q-school I sent @PhilMickelson a DM, asking him to help @markbaldwin1 get ready for 2nd stage. I didn’t tell Mark because I never thought phil would respond. Instead, 3 hours later Phil said yes. And this weekend Mark has had “the coolest experience.”

• “I cannot explain how hard this was to not tweet about over the last two weeks. I wanted to respect Phil’s privacy and although obv great content the goal was for Mark to get ready for Q-School so I didn’t want to cause any distractions, and that is Phil’s backyard.”

2. Rory raged

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While doing an interview with the “Irish Independent“, Rory McIlroy shared some more details regarding the argument he had with Joe LaCava at the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone.”

• “The altercation stemmed from a report that indicated Patrick Cantlay was not wearing a hat during play as a protest for not getting paid during the Ryder Cup. After he drilled a clutch putt in the match against McIlroy, the United States team all waved their hat in support of Cantlay. LaCava joined in while on the green and according to McIlroy, went on a bit too long.”

• “Here’s what angered me, my relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently.

• “But when I saw he was getting stick on the 17th and 18th greens, I tried to quieten the crowd for him. And I don’t think Fitz and I were afforded the same opportunity to try and hole those putts to halve the match.

• “I hit a decent putt but I under-read it basically, and Fitz hit a good putt but left it short, right in the jaws.”

• “I shook Joe’s hand, and Patrick’s hand. Those three putts he made on 16, 17 and 18 were fantastic, and under that pressure, to give your team a glimmer of hope going into Sunday was big balls. So, all respect to him.

• “There was a bit of argy-bargy at the back of the 18th green with Fred Couples and Thomas Bjorn – and that’s fine – but as I’m walking back to the locker room I can feel this red mist coming over me: ‘No! That wasn’t right.”

• “As we’re getting up to leave I’m like, ‘I’m going into their locker room now to sort this out, and Shane was like, ‘No Rory. Bad idea.’”

3. More TGL team members announced

PGATour.com report…”Atlanta Drive Golf Club (GC) announced Monday that Patrick Cantlay, currently the fifth-ranked player in the world, seven-time PGA TOUR winner Billy Horschel and six-time PGA TOUR winner Lucas Glover have joined the team representing Atlanta in TGL, the new tech-forward, primetime team golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports in partnership with the PGA TOUR.”

• “The trio joins Justin Thomas to complete the inaugural Atlanta Drive GC roster.”

• “This is a special day for Atlanta Drive GC and AMB Sports and Entertainment,” said Dick Sullivan, CEO, PGA TOUR Superstore and executive overseeing Atlanta Drive GC. “With these elite players joining Justin Thomas as the members of our team, we have put together a player roster that illustrates what we want Atlanta Drive GC to be – competitive, consistent and always in contention to win.”

4. Twins tee it up at RSM

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”There’s a unique bond between the brothers centered around a shared dream: Playing on the PGA TOUR. Each was a highly-touted junior golfer recruited by top Division I schools. They briefly veered off their inseparable path, choosing different colleges before Maxwell transferred after two seasons at the University of Georgia and joined David at North Carolina. Both have remained tantalizing prospects. David ranks fifth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Maxwell ranks 30th.”

• “Now, they’ll get the first taste of their dream. Both are in the field at The RSM Classic. They are the third pair of twins to compete on TOUR this season. Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard competed at The Open Championship while Pierceson and Parker Coody both played The Honda Classic.”

• “David qualified for the event by winning the 2023 Jones Cup, a prestigious amateur event held annually at Sea Island Golf Club in January. Former winners include Justin Thomas, Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia and Corey Conners.”

• “Maxwell initially hoped to play his way in through the Monday qualifier but received a sponsor’s exemption shortly before the event.”

5. How Gordon Sargent bombs it

Golf Digest’s Luke Kerr-Dineen…”The truth is there’s no one reason why a golfer can hit a ball 380 yards. Sargent does lots of things well in his golf swing which give him his unbelievable speed. But perhaps the key move in his golf swing comes right here, at the top of his backswing.”

• “Look closely and you’ll see as his hands and arms complete his backswing, his hips begin unwinding towards the target.”

• “It’s a small movement, but this helps Sargent create an incredible amount of torque, which he uses to create such incredible speed.”

• “The reason why is because of a concept called X-Factor, a really innovative breakthrough that was created and popularized by the legendary teacher Jim McClean.”

6. Berkshire on record-breaking blast

Craig Dolch for the Palm Beach Post…”While having lunch in Bear Lakes’ new clubhouse last week, Berkshire reflected on that moment.”

• “When I caught that ball, I knew it was the hardest ball I hit,” said Berkshire, a 27-year-old Orlando resident who is known for his long dark hair. “It was also spinning enough to stay in the air with a tailwind. With the wind coming off the right, I had a 10-yard-wide window where the ball would carry into the fairway. It felt amazing.”

• “Berkshire understands most golf fans focus on the yardage of his drives, but he and his peers use the ball speed coming off their extended drivers as the true barometer of their talent. Berkshire set a world record with a ball speed of 241.6 mph.”

7. Woodland hitting balls after brain surgery

Gabrielle Herzig for SI…”On Sept. 18, Gary Woodland’s family updated his followers that his brain surgery and tumor removal was successful. The news was a relief, but it was still unclear when fans would see the U.S. Open champion swinging again.”

• “Now, less than two months after the procedure, Woodland is not only holding a club, but it appears that he is gearing up for a return to competition in the coming year.

• “This journey has been very hard but I’m extremely thankful to be progressing and for the unconditional love and support from everyone,” Woodland wrote on Instagram. “You’ve all made this process a little easier for me and my family. Thank you to everyone and I look forward to seeing you all next year.”

8. Tiger falls to career low

9. Photos from the RSM Classic

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