The 72nd US Open was the first one to played at Pebble Beach in 1972. Jack Nicklaus would prevail even after shooting a two over par 74 in the final round to finish two over par for the championship. Nicklaus finished three shots clear of Bruce Crampton with Arnold Palmer a further shot back in third.
Welcome to GP’s round up of all golfing related activity from the weekend. It’s everything you need to know in a bite sized format, so strap yourself in and here we go!
GolfPunk will be donning their tartan trews on the opening day of the Solheim Cup at Gleneagle for #TartanFriday. Catriona Matthew has been working with Abacus Sportswear of Sweden to produce the official Solheim Cup tartan for Team Europe and the results are as they say north of the border ‘pure tidy’.
It was a great day for Northern Ireland at the final day of Canadian Open from Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Rory McIlroy shot an incredible nine under 61 to take the title by 7 shots and Graeme McDowell finished in the top ten and qualified for The Open.
Derek The Donkey, GolfPunk's grumpy horse-envier delivers his 'Joke of the Week'. He likes nothing better than a proper good laugh as long as it's at someone else's expense...
Rory McIlroy shot a six under 64 in the third round of the Canadian Open to move into a share of the lead with the US’s Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson. McIlroy’s countryman Graeme McDowell slipped back slightly but sits in joint ninth on eight under – Come on Gmac!
Fantastic news that British Open champion Georgia Hall has been awarded an MBE at the age of 23 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. “I couldn’t believe it when I got the letter and it’s such an amazing honour and very cool to have that after my name,” the Bournemouth golfer said.
Graeme McDowell shot a second round 67 at the Canadian Open to sit on eight under, four off the halfway lead which is held by Matt Kuchar and Scott Brown. Gmac still work to do if he is to grab one of the three spots available for The Open but he is well placed come the weekend.
The maxim that you can’t teach old dogs’ new tricks has firmly been dispatched this week as the “Lab Rats” as we have affectionately been called have truly turned over a new leaf, at least for the next 6/7 weeks are concerned.
Welcome to our new feature, Who's Your Favourite, where we ask golf industry insiders who their favourite players are. This week its Michael the owner of GOLFWOD who is currently putting two of our team through his 6 week golf fit challenge.
Keegan Bradley leads, some other folk are in second, third etc., including Shane Lowry of Ireland, but all we care about is how Graeme McDowell is doing. Gmac must be at The Open in July and we are cheering him all the way.
The Open is coming back to Northern Ireland after a break of 68 years. When Max Faulkner, one of the most flamboyant golfers of his generation, won the Open Championship in 1951 at Royal Portrush it would be 18 years until a Brit, Tony Jacklin in 1969, was to do so again.
