CNN
 — 

For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, for birdie or for bogey: Lee Westwood and his wife Helen are living every golf couple’s dream at The Open Championship.

The former world No. 1 rolled back the years to make an impressive start in the 153rd edition of the sport’s oldest tournament at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland on Thursday, with his spouse caddying every step of his two-under 69 opening round on a rain-soaked Dunluce Links course.

It may be considered an unconventional – but not unheard of – arrangement for most players, but Westwood never had a second thought about his choice on the bag for his 90th major appearance.

“I prefer to have her caddying for me whenever she can,” the 52-year-old told reporters when he returned to the clubhouse, two shots off the lead.

“It was an easy decision for me. Probably harder for her – she’d rather be at home riding her horse.”

The on-course partnership began in 2018, the duo explained on “The Therapy Crouch” podcast earlier this month.

“I knew I could handle the weight of the bag and what have you, but I didn’t have a bloody clue what I was doing,” said Helen, adding that she had never played the sport before that point.

Yet it was a move that reaped instant reward, with Westwood claiming his 24th European Tour victory on their third tournament together. When the pair married in Las Vegas in 2021, their “honeymoon” the following week was spent contesting the US Open in San Diego.

While technical decisions on the course, like the choice of club or shot, start and end with the seven-time Ryder Cup champion, mental matters often fall upon the caddie’s shoulders.

“Sometimes, when I’m kicking off and having a bit of a moan and a whinge, she looks at me and goes, ‘Are you finished?’” Westwood said.

“He’s in a beautiful spot doing something that he loves. I’m like, ‘Grow up, get on with it,’” Helen added.

With world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and home hero Rory McIlroy favorites among a star-studded field as The Open returns to Royal Portrush for just the third time, Westwood arrived as a 500/1 longshot with some bookmakers – but can take heart from the last time the venue played host on the Causeway Coast.

The Nottinghamshire-born golfer finished tied-fourth in 2019, Helen on the bag once again, as McIlroy and a host of other big names were left reeling by testing conditions.

It can serve as hope in his latest bid to shed the unwanted tag as one of the most talented players to never win a major. The best of his nine top-10 finishes came at the Open in 2010, albeit by seven shots, a year after he had agonizingly missed out on making the tournament playoff by a single stroke.

“I love The Open Championship and I love Portrush,” Westwood said Thursday.

“It’s one of the golf courses where if it wasn’t The Open and somebody said, ‘Do you want to go and play Portrush this weekend?’ I’d probably go. And there’s not many courses like that.”

Westwood’s 28th Open start marks his first since 2022, the same year he left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf. He had been competing in a Dallas event on the breakaway circuit just two days before he stamped his ticket for Royal Portrush with a victory in a final qualifying event earlier this month.

He had held a share of the early lead with Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen and China’s Li Haotong at four-under par following a fourth birdie of the opening round at the 12th hole, only for bogeys at the 14th and 16th to drop him back.

“Links golf more than any golf gives you a chance when you’re our age,” Westwood said. “There’s a bit more run on the ball … you’ve got to use the conditions.”

“Can’t beat a senior name up there on a Thursday … we’ll talk again if it’s up there on Sunday,” he added.

CNN
 — 

American golfer Wyndham Clark has reportedly been banned from Oakmont Country Club after he allegedly damaged the club’s venerated locker room at June’s US Open.

According to a letter from Oakmont Country Club president John Lynch sent to members that Golf Digest – which, like CNN, is part of Warner Bros. Discovery – obtained, the decision was made because of Clark’s “recent behavior.”

“Several of you have inquired about the situation involving Wyndham Clark and the steps being taken in response to his recent behavior. Following multiple discussions with the USGA and the OCC Board, a decision has been made that Mr. Clark will no longer be permitted on OCC property,” the letter said.

“This decision will remain in effect unless formally reconsidered and approved by the Board. Reinstatement would be contingent upon Mr. Clark fulfilling a number of specific conditions, including full repayment for damages, a meaningful contribution to a charity of the Board’s choosing, and the successful completion of counseling and/or anger management sessions.”

CNN Sports has contacted Oakmont Country Club for comment.

When approached by CNN Sports, the United States Golf Association – the governing body of golf in the US – declined to comment.

The course at Oakmont frustrated many of the world’s best golfers at this year’s US Open and only one player, winner J.J. Spaun, finished under par.

In what were tricky conditions, Clark – who won the US Open in 2023 – did not make the cut to play over the weekend and finished at 8-over par.

Following his missed cut, reports on social media circulated that Clark had caused damage to Oakmont’s lockers after one of his rounds. At the Travelers Championship in Connecticut a week later, Clark apologized for his actions.

“I’ve had a lot of highs and lows in my career, especially this year, some lows. I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I’m very sorry for what happened,” the 31-year-old told reporters at the tournament.

“But I’d also like to move on, not only for myself but for Oakmont, for the USGA, and kind of focus on the rest of this year and things that come up. I still want to try to make the Ryder Cup team. I still am on the outside looking in for the FedEx Cup. So I’m starting to move on and focus on those things.”

He was far from alone in his anger last weekend. Many players were seen throwing clubs, slamming them in frustration, and cursing the brutal course.

It’s not the first time this season Clark has expressed his anger on the course. At the 2025 PGA Championship, the world No. 28 threw his club after a drive, damaging a tee box.

Oakmont Country Club is next set to host the US Open in 2033. Clark will have an exception to qualify for the tournament through his 2023 victory.

CNN
 — 

Another major championship means another opportunity for Scottie Scheffler.

The 29-year-old world No. 1, who won his third major at May’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club, is favored to win this week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

By winning, Scheffler would continue the trajectory he has been on over the last three-and-a-half years, aided by a patient approach to the game that’s led to 16 PGA Tour wins, three majors and counting.

If he were to capture a fourth major title in Northern Ireland, Scheffler would add to his growing resume. The list of men’s golfers capturing four major titles includes Old and Young Tom Morris – the father-son duo that hailed from the home of golf in St. Andrews, Scotland – and South African Ernie Els.

It would also be the third different major Scheffler has won, leaving him a US Open victory shy of the career grand slam. Only Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have won all four men’s professional majors.

That doesn’t mean all that much to Scheffler, who rarely discusses the historical stakes of his victories. During his news conference at Royal Portrush on Tuesday, he discussed how quickly the satisfaction of winning dissipates.

“It’s great to win tournaments. It’s a lot of fun,” Scheffler told reporters. “Sometimes, the feeling only lasts about two minutes, it seems like, when you’re celebrating, and then it’s like, OK, now you’ve got to go do all this other stuff, which is great, but sometimes the feeling of winning only lasts a few seconds. It’s pretty exciting and fun, but it just doesn’t last that long.”

Scheffler’s unique admission hinted at a trait of his that has helped him reach his very best on the course.

One reason why Scheffler got to this point, and why he is the favorite this week, is his patience on the course. It is a mindset that was evident during his latest major victory.

Through two rounds of the PGA Championship in May, Scheffler was three strokes back of leader Kim Si-woo. He had not played superbly: he doubled bogeyed the 16th hole on the Thursday and admitted after his opening round he had room for improvement.

In the third round, Scheffler played his first 13 holes in one-under and sat two shots back of Bryson DeChambeau. But he took advantage of the next five holes, carding eagle on the drivable par-four 14th and birdie on 15, 17 and 18.

Scheffler put, and kept, himself in contention over the first 49 holes. However, those final five holes on the Saturday are what put him in control.

The final round was a challenge, as Scheffler was two-over on the front nine and briefly fell into a tie with Spain’s Jon Rahm.

Once again, though, he closed strong with a two-under 34 on the back nine. When he tapped in to close out the five-stroke win, Scheffler hugged his caddie, Ted Scott, raised his arms in the air and slammed his cap on the ground.

His focus and patience had, once again, paid off.

“When I stepped on the tee on Thursday, I’m not thinking about what’s going to happen on Sunday,” Scheffler told reporters after winning the tournament. “I’m preparing for a 72-hole event. That’s what I tell myself on the first tee: it’s 72 holes. That’s a lot of time. That’s a lot of holes. That’s a lot of shots.”

Scheffler’s patient approach has garnered praise from his peers. In a documentary released by the PGA Tour chronicling Scheffler’s 2024 season, a host of pros – including two-time major winner Collin Morikawa and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg – heaped adulation on Scheffler’s patience and focus.

Woods, a winner of 82 PGA Tour events and 15 majors, even compared Scheffler’s mindset to his own.

“It’s over 72 holes, it’s not a sprint, this is over a marathon,” Woods said. “I think there’s the similarity between how we play the game.”

That mentality has shined throughout the last three-and-a-half years. It took a while, though, for Scheffler to develop it.

“I think when I was young, I would either hold it in or kind of blow up,” Scheffler said Tuesday. “Now, I think I do a better job of holding it in but also getting it over to the next shot and almost sharpening my focus to where I’m in a better spot after a bit of frustration than I am before, if that makes sense.”

Before the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, Scheffler was one of the best players on the PGA Tour without a victory. He won Rookie of the Year honors in 2020 and finished in the top 20 in all six majors he competed in across 2020 and 2021. He was also part of the victorious US team at the 2021 Ryder Cup, knocking off Rahm, then the top player in the Official World Golf Ranking, in the singles portion.

But Scheffler’s playoff victory against Patrick Cantlay in Phoenix was a launching pad.

“Definitely nice to get my first win under the belt, and I think the first one is probably always the hardest,” Scheffler told reporters at the time.

Scheffler won three more tournaments in 2022, including his first major at the Masters, and two tournaments in 2023, including the Players Championship.

In 2024, Scheffler was a machine. He won eight times, including a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, the Masters, the Players Championship and the Tour Championship – the last of which netted him the FedEx Cup and its $25 million payout. He became the first player to win at least seven events since Woods did so in 2007.

His encore this year was delayed by a month, due to a hand injury he suffered while making ravioli for Christmas dinner. While Scheffler hadn’t nabbed a victory by the end of April – he already won four times by that point a year prior – his worst finish was a tie for 25th at the WM Phoenix Open. He also finished fourth in his title defense at the Masters, three shots behind the victorious McIlroy.

In early May, Scheffler won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament by eight strokes; his 31-under-par 253 total is the lowest 72-hole mark in PGA Tour history.

His PGA Championship victory two weeks later in Charlotte made him the third player since World War II to win three majors and 15 or more PGA Tour events before turning 29. The other two? Nicklaus and Woods.

His repeat victory at Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament made it three wins in four tournaments. He and McIlroy are the only players to win three times on tour this season.

If Scheffler were to win this weekend, his 2025 season would match up favorably to 2024. This would be his first season with two major victories and would continue the rise that Scheffler himself cannot fully comprehend.

However, he has maintained that golf is not his primary focus. His wife, Meredith, son, Bennett, and his faith all usurp his day job.

“To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling,” Scheffler said Tuesday. “To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what’s the point?

“This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.”

One thing is for sure – all eyes will be on the favorite Scheffler to earn his first Open Championship this weekend.