As a result of the cancellation of 11 events on the PGA Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Captain Steve Stricker today announced revised selection criteria for the U.S. Team in advance of the 2020 Ryder Cup, which is scheduled to be played September 22-27 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.

All U.S. players had the opportunity to earn points beginning in 2019. Those points will continue to be recognized.

The points system for the American team will include the top six players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team. Previously, the top eight players had been expected to secure spots.

Points for the U.S. selection criteria will accrue through the completion of the second FedEx Cup Playoff event (BMW Championship) on August 30, 2020, assuming all such events and the 2020 Ryder Cup take place as currently scheduled.

The remaining six players will be selected and announced by Captain Stricker on September 2 or 3, 2020. Previously, the Captain was to select four players.

Golf Monthly Technical Editor Joel Tadman tests 13 of the latest putter ranges and eliminates two in each of the five categories to determine his top three before choosing his overall favourite model of 2020!

As the PGA TOUR ramped up preparations for next week’s return to competition at the Charles Schwab Challenge, it identified the implementation of a quick, reliable COVID-19 testing procedure for players, caddies and essential personnel as one of the most critical requirements, one that also could carry over to PGA TOUR Champions and the Korn Ferry Tour for the remainder of the season.

It turns out the TOUR had to look no further than an existing partner on PGA TOUR Champions in tournament sponsor Sanford Health. Among the largest health systems in the United States, Sanford Health demonstrated the ability to deliver on-site testing with rapid results through mobile testing units staffed by several lab technicians. So, plans have been finalized whereby Sanford Health will deploy three of the units across the continental U.S., each manned with a driver and three technicians, to cover the three Tours for the remainder of the season.

Each unit will arrive the Saturday prior to the tournament to begin processing RT PCR tests. The test itself takes less than five minutes to administer, and test results are returned within several hours. Approximately 400 individuals are expected to be tested on-site each week.

In this video, Neil Tappin poses 10 golf rules questions that every golfer needs to know. These are some of the most important rules that commonly occur during a round of golf. From practising on the course during the round to identifying your ball, knowing these will help you avoid any unwanted penalty shots.

Chances are, it was not really Mark Twain who said, “Golf is a good walk spoiled.”

Although the phrase is widely attributed to him, there was no record of him ever having said it before a Saturday Evening Post article in 1948, which was 38 years after his death.

The website quoteinvestigator.com indicated that the aphorism was used in 1903 by an unnamed lawn tennis player and in 1904 by the novelist Harry Leon Wilson. In any event, and no matter who said it first, the tart barb toward golf remains a respectful ode to walking.

Walking was and is a focal point in the game and many people still believe each brings out the best in the other. The Walking Golfers Society is a group founded on that very concept.

Rob Rigg, a Toronto, Ontario native who established it, wrote about an insight he gained after he graduated from college: “As I took a step back and began to think less about my game, and more about the experience of walking the course, I began to play better.” Noting that he soon became a single-digit handicap, he added, “What had changed? Simply—enjoying the walk.”

Even the most enthusiastic walking golfers do not begrudge against cart-riders. They understand that some people simply cannot physically walk a course. They also acknowledge that for various reasons, including revenue streams and pace of play, many courses require golfers to ride.