World Cup fever has reached just about every part of the United States, even the east end of Long Island, where the U.S. Open is taking place at Shinnecock Hills.
While the world’s top golfers compete to win one of the four majors in the sport, the World Cup has provided a valuable distraction.
Rory McIlroy said this week that it was “nice” that Scotland was in this year’s World Cup and that the tournament as a whole has been useful in keeping him leveled going into this week’s U.S. Open.
“It’s nice that it’s on, and especially this week, it’s a good distraction to be able to go back from the golf course and turn the football on and forget about the golf for a little bit,” he said.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has also been tuning in, even though he’s admittedly not the biggest soccer fan.
“I pretty much save all my sports for football. I actually really enjoyed watching the NBA Finals the last few weeks, as well,” he said, referencing the 4-1 series victory that handed the Knicks their first NBA title in 53 years. “I think, if you’re a fan of sport, which I am, you pretty much have to get into the World Cup. I’ve been able to watch a bit. Not as much as I’d hoped to, but I’m definitely paying attention.”
McIlroy is seeking his first U.S. Open title since he won back in 2011, while Scheffler will look to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the lone major he has yet to be victorious at.
The U.S. Women’s Open at Shinnecock Hills may still be 10 years away, but the United States Golf Association expressed excitement over where the women’s game is headed over the next decade before it arrives on the east end of Long Island.
The exciting tournament at historic Riviera Country Club was punctuated by star Nelly Korda coming away with a one-stroke victory over Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez.
“Riviera was a huge stage for the women’s game, and we were super proud of it,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said Wednesday. “It was an amazing experience. If you believe what you saw at Riv makes sense, I can only imagine what the next 10 years is going to be.”
The USGA and R&A announced in a joint statement with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour that they would be taking another look at how they’re approaching upcoming distance rollback measures.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the parties jointly agreed that golf does have a distance issue, “the updated ODS testing approach may not achieve the desired results,” and a “collective willingness to reconsider alternative approaches” to the issue.