Entertainment
The Englishman who turned around Scheffler’s putting fortunes
When world number one Scottie Scheffler reached out to one of golf’s most sought-after putting coaches in September 2023, he could not have imagined the transformation it would bring to his game.
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Join us on WhatsAppThe American was already a major champion and had won twice that season but he was in a fug. The statistics proved he was the best from tee to green. They also proved he was among the worst with a putter in hand.
PGA Tour players hole 90% of putts from four feet. At that time, Scheffler was making 80%. The best player in the world was ranked outside the top 150 in putting and fending off the same questions every week.
Step in Phil Kenyon, coach to the best in the game.
Within 12 months, Scheffler had risen into the top 15 putters and completed a remarkable season, winning seven PGA Tour events, including a second Masters, and an Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games.
And he arrives at this week’s Open Championship on the back of a run of three victories in his past 10 events – including winning his third major at the US PGA Championship – and finishing in the top 10 in the other seven to reaffirm his position as the world’s dominant player.
“That was a particular high for Scottie after some lows and a lot of discussion about his putting,” Kenyon told BBC Sport of the American’s major victory at Augusta National in April 2024.
“And for him to putt so well fairly early on in my role working with him, that was a highlight for me.”
So what did Kenyon tweak? He helped with green reading, to give Scheffler more confidence in his own ability. He helped change his grip.
But it was a switch from his trusted blade to a mallet putter “to help him with lining up putts” that really sparked a change in fortunes.
After another poor performance on the greens in February 2024, long-time friend and mentor Brad Payne – speaking in a PGA Tour documentary of that season – recounted a conversation they had in Scheffler’s Dallas home: “I said ‘buddy, how are you doing?’ and he said, ‘I don’t think I’m doing well’.”
That was after the Genesis Invitational, where Scheffler finished joint 10th. The mallet putter made its debut in his next event and Scheffler won four of his following five tournaments, including the Masters by four strokes.
Who is Phil Kenyon?
Kenyon, who hails from the seaside town of Southport, on England’s ‘golf coast’, grew up surrounded by the game.
His dad was friends with ‘Britain’s putting doctor’ Harold Swash, who worked with European Tour legends Nick Faldo, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood among many others.
“He would pay me to help him out, carrying his gear around, and was a huge inspiration,” said Kenyon, who was was a decent amateur and turned professional after studying a sports science degree.
He quickly realised he “didn’t have the game” to make a living as a pro so, with Swash as a mentor, started coaching.
“Harold was slowing down at that time so it gave me an opportunity to get stuck in,” he added.
“I’ve been at it 25 years. You just work on your craft day-to-day and it organically develops. I never envisaged travelling the world though, following players to tournaments.”
And while he is quick to deflect the praise, Kenyon’s achievements are impossible to ignore.
Scheffler’s triumph at May’s US PGA Championship meant the Englishman completed the career ‘Golden Slam’ of coaching players to all four major titles and Olympic gold.
Clarke, Henrik Stenson and Francesco Molinari picked up Claret Jugs while under his tutelage; Matt Fitzpatrick and Gary Woodland won the US Open; Justin Rose won gold at the Rio 2016 Games; Scheffler picked up a second Green Jacket and Olympic title in their first year working together.
He also has Tommy Fleetwood and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley among his client list.
‘McIlroy helped make me a better coach’
Kenyon also still coaches from his studio in Formby on Merseyside and is equally as comfortable teaching a pro or an amateur.
“Different players provide different challenges,” he said.
“I can get stuck into the weeds with the best of them if that’s the route you want to go down but it’s about trying to work out the right balance for each player.”
There is a terrific video from 2021 of Kenyon and Rose going through some technical drills.
Both are mic’d up so you can hear Rose asking for reassurance and guidance as Kenyon buzzes round the green, offering words of encouragement while simultaneously checking putter head alignment and confirming slope angles with a spirit level.
Fitzpatrick is more into the stats.
“In comparison to those two, Scheffler plays a lot more ‘feel’ and is a simpler golfer,” said Kenyon.
“He’s less technical, less stats orientated, but equally, if not more, competitive.
“All the best players I’ve worked with are questioning and probing – you’re working together to find the right solutions for them.”
Kenyon also spent some time coaching Rory McIlroy, with the pair hooking up post-2016 Olympics.
“I felt like I did a decent job of improving him technically over that period of time but he felt the need to find other things,” said Kenyon of their time together.
“In hindsight, some things I would have done differently. But I’m glad I didn’t. You learn from it and I became a better coach because of it.
“There are things that I learned through that experience with Rory that have helped me with Scottie.”
Entertainment
Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture
The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.
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Join us on WhatsAppWith the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.
Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?
Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.
“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.
Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..
Entertainment
Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.
Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.
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Join us on WhatsAppIt’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.
These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.
Entertainment
Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses
It looks like LIV Golf is over.
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Join us on WhatsAppThe Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.
That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.
So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.
But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?
Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.
Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour
Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.
That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.
If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.
But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.
Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.
For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.
Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time
With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.
He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.
DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.
He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.
He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.
He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.
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