Welcome to The Shank Show

A very warm welcome to the first edition of The Shank Show golf newsletter. Our mission is to provide you with a punchy and fun summary of what’s been happening in the world of golf. Our weekly newsletter will get you up to speed with a quick read and a few laughs. The Shank Show is written for golf fans by another golf fan – or as we like to say, a “Fanalyst”. 

We promise to bring a fresh and entertaining perspective on golf that is free from the tired, stuffy and boring takes of the established golf media and broadcasters. We are independent and will call things as we see them – “shanks and all”.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. We look forward to sharing the ride with you as we cover all things golf and have a bit of fun along the way.

Rory McIlroy Claims Scottish Open Title in Dramatic Fashion

Rory McIlroy won the 2023 Scottish Open on Sunday in dramatic fashion, birdieing the final hole at the Renaissance Club to defeat home-town hero Robert McIntyre by one stroke. The victory was McIlroy's first in Scotland and his 24th on the PGA Tour.

The final round was played in tough windy conditions, but McIlroy was able to rise to the occasion. He shot a final-round 68, including an incredible 2-iron stinger approach shot on the 18th hole that set up his winning birdie.

Haven’t seen Rory’s 2-iron? See it here

McIntyre, who was urged on by the Scottish crowd, gave McIlroy a run for his money, shooting a final-round 64 to finish one shot back of McIlroy. Other notable contenders Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Kim faded in the final round to finish T6, shooting +2 and +3 respectively.

The victory makes Rory the first player in history to win the Scottish Open, the Irish Open and the Open Championship. His form is certainly looking good heading into this week's Open Championship, but we’ve seen this many times before from Rors.

The Open Championship 2023: Smith vs McIlroy again?

The 2023 Open Championship, to be held at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, is shaping up to be a cracking final major for the year. Rory comes into the tournament as the favorite ($7.50), but he will face stiff competition from a number of other top players, including Cameron Smith ($13), Scottie Scheffler ($8), and Jon Rahm ($12).

McIlroy, despite all the distractions of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf dramas, and wearing some egg on his face as the deal with the Saudis emerged (more on that in our next issue), is in red hot form right now. He has won two tournaments in the past two months, and is also a past champion at Royal Liverpool, having won this same tournament here in 2014.

However, our little Aussie mate Cam Smith showed blistering form at LIV Golf London 2 weeks ago, winning in impressive style at Centurion Golf Cub. His putting in the final round was simply amazing, and reminiscent of his work with the flat stick at St Andrews last year on his way to claim the 2022 Open Championship. As defending champion, Smithy will be fired up to go back-to-back, and if he can keep his driver somewhat under control, his supreme short game will surely have him in the mix on Sunday. Will we see a repeat of last year’s final round which saw Smith and McIlroy battling it out down the stretch?

Scheffler is currently the world's No. 1 golfer, and he just seems to find a way to always be in contention. Despite his less than conventional swing, and footwork Michael Jackson would be proud of, he just finds a way to put good scores together round after round, week after week. He has not finished worse than 12^th this entire year! His putting has been poor lately, but it may only be a matter of time before he pieces it all together for another big win. Will it be this week though, on a links course that doesn’t necessarily set up well for “American style golf”?

Rahm is a big-time player who always seems to be in contention at major championships. The current Masters Champion now has 2 majors to his name and you sense he is far from done. His recent form has been a little mixed, missing the cut at The Travellers Championship 2 weeks ago, but finishing T10 before that at the US Open. He is sure to be a factor at Royal Liverpool.

Other players to watch will include Viktor Hovland who contented strongly at last year’s Open Championship, Collin Morikawa whose incredible iron play will be very handy in windy conditions, and Brooks Koepka who has won recently on the LIV Golf tour and is the “Alpha Dog” when it comes to Majors.

The venue will also be very interesting. Royal Liverpool Golf Club, also known as Hoylake, was founded in 1869, making it the second oldest seaside course in England. The course is a links course, exposed to the elements, where wind can play a major factor. It is also known for its undulating greens which can be difficult to putt on (good for our boy Smithy). Royal Liverpool has hosted the Open Championship 12 times, most recently in 2014. It is also a regular host of the British Masters, and it has hosted a number of other major tournaments, including the Ryder and Walker Cups.

If you want a bird’s eye view of Royal Liverpool, check out this flyover of the course from Golf Digest.

Schedule for the Week

Your golfing schedule for the week, and how to watch is below:

• The Open Championship - Foxtel & Kayo, Thursday 20/7 to Sunday 23/7 - Coverage starts 3.30pm Thursday.

• The Barracuda Championship (PGAT) - Foxtel and Kayo, Friday 21/7 to Monday 24/7 - Coverage starts 7am Friday.

• Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (USLPGA) - Foxtel and Kayo, Thursday 20/7 to Sunday 23/7 - Coverage starts 5.00am Thursday.

Liked this Newsletter?

We hope you’ve enjoyed this opening issue of The Shank Show newsletter. We are passionate about golf and providing a fresh and interesting take. If you liked reading this newsletter, please make sure you subscribe by clicking the button below and encourage your golfing buddies to do the same.

We’ll be back next week with our debrief of the Open Championship and some analysis of the current state of play between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

In the meantime, we are going to leave you with our “Shank of the Week” - former President of the United States Donald Trump sending a hosell rocket sideways 🤣🤣🤣.