Matt Vogt never had any illusions about himself as a golfer. It’s one thing to dream big. It’s something else, maybe something just as important, to understand the limits of those dreams.
“Honestly, maybe I didn’t dream big enough or maybe, I don’t know, I just never quite had it. I played around a lot of guys who you could tell had it and had a chance to make a shot at professional golf. It never really crossed my mind,” the 34-year-old Vogt said last Monday afternoon as he prepared for his first U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
Part of the charm of the U.S. Open is the annual story of amateurs – often professionals in other lines of work – who play their way into the field. A Pittsburgh-area native, Vogt spent six years as a caddie at Oakmont. He’s now a dentist in Indianapolis, and he earned an Open berth as the qualifying medalist in Walla Walla, Washington. The first player to tee off in Thursday’s opening round, Vogt shot 82-81 and missed the cut at Oakmont. READ MORE
Bryson DeChambeau signaled his desire for a long-term commitment to LIV Golf last week.
During a pre-U.S. Open news conference, DeChambeau said he will start negotiating a new contract with the Saudi-backed league later this year.
“We’re looking to negotiate [at the] end of this year, and I’m very excited,” he said. “They see the value in me. I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we’ll come to some sort of resolution on that. Super excited for the future.” READ MORE
On the eve of the U.S. Open, USGA CEO Mike Whan said that the governing body has no plans to change the way it conducts driver testing at tour events.
Driver testing became a hot topic at last month’s PGA Championship after world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s and Masters champion Rory McIlroy’s drivers were deemed nonconforming.
“I know that if we saw a trend that was alarming in terms of either how many or how far they were moving beyond [the permissible limits], we would change the way we approach it,” Whan said in a news conference at Oakmont. “But with what we’re seeing today, it would be a greater interruption. The juice wouldn’t be worth the squeeze.” READ MORE
Tap-Ins
The PGA Tour will hire National Football League executive Brian Rolapp as its CEO to work alongside commissioner Jay Monahan, ESPN reported last Thursday, citing unnamed sources, after a Sports Business Journal report earlier in the week identified Rolapp as the leading candidate for the new post. READ MORE
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will headline the field at this week’s Travelers Championship, the last signature event of the PGA Tour season. READ MORE
The USGA awarded a $21.5 million purse at the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year, with $4.3 million going to the champion. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity