Jordan Spieth rubs salt in McIlroy’s wounds as | Golf News

Golf followers are buzzing with pleasure with the enduring Masters Tournament simply across the nook.

The motion at Augusta National is set to tee off on April 10 and has been the principle speaking level as PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s stars will lastly be reunited as merger talks proceed.

But earlier than all eyes flip to the Masters, {the golfing} calendar nonetheless has a number of treats in store – with the Valspar Championship presently heating up whereas the Houston Open will start subsequent week, showcasing a roster of prime expertise. And to not point out Donald Trump’s lately contested win.

And, in case you’ve got missed the most recent from the fairways, we now take a have a look at some of golf’s greatest tales over the previous few days.

Jordan Spieth will get actual on Rory McIlroy

Following McIlroy’s gorgeous victory on the Players Championship earlier this week – marking his second PGA Tour win of the season – consideration has swiftly shifted to his type forward of the Masters. For all his success, McIlroy, not like Spieth, is but to don a Green Jacket, having not received the Masters regardless of his spectacular run of main wins from 2011 to 2014.

Spieth, who received at Augusta in 2015, gave his trustworthy ideas on McIlroy’s repeated struggles on the Masters, saying: “Augusta’s just blown up more than it probably should be. In that sense, it gets blown up towards Rory.

“Majors are majors. Augusta’s – you know, if you look at the field, it’s technically the easiest major to win, so the more I think someone focuses on that, the better.” He implied that his rival, McIlroy, ought to’ve bagged three or 4 more majors by now, contemplating his achievements in the more durable majors.

Masters thief sentenced

A person has been convicted after stealing more than $3 million price of property from Augusta National Golf Club. The gadgets stolen embody three of the well-known Green Jackets worn by winners of the Masters event, together with one of Gene Sarazen’s from 1935, one of Ben Hogan’s and one of 4 received by Arnold Palmer.

Richard Brendan Globensky of Evans, Georgia, is claimed to have stolen invaluable historic items from Augusta between 2009 and 2022. He additionally stole Masters-related merchandise such as T-shirts, hats and watches.

The stolen items have been then allegedly bought to a Florida-based online broker for round $5.3M. Following a guilty plea, Globensky was sentenced to a 12 months in jail and ordered to pay Augusta National Golf Club hundreds of thousands in restitution.

PGA Tour star punts putter

PGA Tour participant Patton Kizzire threw a weird tantrum earlier than being compelled to withdraw from the Valspar Championship in the opening spherical of the event. The three-time PGA Tour winner missed a five-foot par putt on the par 3 fifteenth earlier than turning into so enraged that he kicked his putter in the direction of the bunker.

Commentators have been fast to joke about a potential NFL profession, claiming his volley mirrored the size of a subject aim. His antics left the 39-year-old American with a bent putter, forcing him to faucet in for bogey utilizing a wedge.

Scottie Scheffler slams LIV

Scheffler has launched a recent dig at LIV Golf, accusing it of inflicting divisions within the sport since its inception in 2021. The golf world will probably be reunited for the Masters in April, and Scheffler shortly went from saying he missed the golfers who left the PGA Tour to outright blaming LIV.

During a pre-Masters convention call on Wednesday, the world’s top-ranked golfer mentioned: “I positively miss the competitors. They’ve acquired some fairly good gamers on their tour. I nonetheless suppose the PGA Tour has by far the best gamers in the world. The depth of our fields and the competitors that now we have remains to be fingers down the best competitors that there’s in the sport of golf.

“That’s why I’m still playing on the Tour. I love the competition. I wish some of those guys had stayed, but at the end of the day, they made their choice. They knew the consequences of that decision, and I’m not here to change their minds. I hold no ill will toward any of those guys that left.

“They did what they wanted to do, and I can’t control their life. I’m not going to sit here and say they should have done something differently. They made their choice. If we want to figure out why the game of golf is not back together, go ask those guys. Go to wherever they are playing this week and figure out when the game is going to come back together.”

Xander Schauffele’s self-criticism

Schauffele has been struggling with his form since he returned to action at the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month following a rib injury he sustained in early January. After a year in which he clinched two majors and climbed to No. 2 in the rankings, his frustration with himself has been clear to see.

The American is known for being tough on himself when his performances don’t live up to his own high standards. But during his pre-Valspar Championship press conference, he clarified that his self-assessments are not exactly negative.

“I think in assessment you can be as hard as you want,” he mentioned. “When I’m playing out there my expectations aren’t through the roof, I don’t think. When you’re assessing yourself I think it’s important, if you want to elevate your game, to be harsh. It’s easy to be biased and think you’re doing okay.”