• “The 36-year-old Lashley had the lowest score in his PGA TOUR career, a day after getting a spot at Detroit Golf Club as an alternate. Ranked 353rd in the world and No. 132 in the FedExCup standings, Lashley’s only top-10 finish in his two-year PGA TOUR career is a tie for eighth in the Puerto Rico Open in February.”

• “Ryan Armour and Nick Watney were a stroke back at 64. Chez Reavie, the Travelers Championship winner last week in Connecticut, Charles Howell III and Stewart Cink topped the group at 65.”

• “Both got what they wanted Thursday with rounds of 8-under 62 to share the lead in an opening round that yielded a record number of scores under par on rain-softened Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame.”

• “I saw some good scores from this morning before I teed off, and it looked like there were birdies to be made out there,” said the 52-year-old Stricker, who made his Senior Open debut with seven birdies and a 30-foot eagle putt on the 17th hole to catch Toms.”

• “The Spaniard has won the last three stagings of this event in 2011, 2017 and 2018 and has ten other top tens from 14 appearances at a course he admits is his favourite in the world.”

• “An opening 66 in Sotogrande left him at five under, one shot behind Frenchman Victor Perez.”

• “I love this place, there is no doubt about that,” he said. “It kind of has something with me that helps me.

• “Monday he made a quick detour with hopes of solving his putting woes. But rather than visit a private club or instructor, he walked into a local Club Champion store, which offers club-fitting options to the public.”

• “According to Reed, the draw to that specific store was their Science and Motion (SAM) putting lab, and it’s something he’s done before when on the road for long stretches of time.”

• “I went just to check to make sure that my specs were right,” Reed said. “For me personally, the best way to do it is if I can find a SAM lab. Club Champions have those, and those have high enough cameras and stuff that you can actually see what’s going on. So you can tell by that rather than machines, since every machine has a different variance. But cameras don’t really lie.”

Full piece.

• “It is my great pleasure to announce that 12 women have been formally invited to join the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers this month,” said Alistair Campbell, captain of the Honourable Company. “This marks a milestone in the club’s illustrious history, and we look forward to welcoming all of our new members to share in the great values and traditions of our club.

• “This year marks the 275th anniversary of the club’s first recorded golf competition. We are proud of our club’s rich history but equally excited for its future and the part all of our new members will play in the club’s cherished traditions.”

• “Campbell did not name the 12 women invited to join the club, but they’ve gone through the same membership process as men. That means they have been “proposed and seconded by existing members and five referees. The club’s membership is then invited to write in support, or otherwise, of those put forward, who are personally known to them or have golfed with them.”

• “Caddies have always had to wear a lot of hats out there. Amateur psychologist, part-time motivator, full-time numbers guru, etc. They need to know when to speak up and when to stay quiet in exactly the right moments. Giving yardages and reading putts is the easy part.”

• “Fans don’t often see the other side of that dynamic unless cameras are rolling and microphones pick up the on-course discussions in the heat of competition.”

• “It’s the week of the Brabazon at Alwoodley and, come the end of it, a 16-year-old from Rotherham, Ben Schmidt, will breeze to the title by five shots after an incredible four days.”

• “But the person I’m on the look out for is far removed from most of his peers and is comfortably old enough to be everyone’s dad.”

• “For Euan McIntosh, who turned 50 in February, this is his second coming. Just this past weekend he landed the Tennant Cup, the oldest open amateur strokeplay competition in the world, with a closing round of 62 at Killermont.”

Full piece. 

• “I can take 10 seconds longer to hit a shot, but if I walk 10 seconds faster the total aggregate time is the same, yet they’re penalizing me because I took 10 seconds longer over the ball. It doesn’t make sense”
• “For some people to say, ‘I just go up there and hit it,’ well that’s good for you. If it works for you, it works for you. But I want to be as precise as possible heading into that shot. I want to be right on point and that just requires me to be a little faster walker.”

Full piece.