Hello friends and happy moving day from Lancaster Country Club!
Before we recap some of today’s events, I’d like to acknowledge Nelly Korda’s Instagram caption, where she poked fun at herself for the 10 she made on the par-3 12th on Thursday morning.
Having a good sense of humor will get you far in life (or so I’ve heard). Props to Korda for being such a good sport, and I can’t wait to see her tee it up again soon.
Charley Hull’s explanation
Charley Hull has been going viral all week for her cigarette usage at the U.S. Women’s Open, which I’m sure you’re already well aware of. I saw a Tweet that said Hull has gained almost 50,000 followers on Instagram this week alone, and it seems like I can’t scroll for more than 30 seconds on social media before coming across another photo of her smoking on the course.
Some of us were wondering where this habit came from. Surely we would have noticed if by now if it’s been going on for years?
Well, curious folks, you’re in luck. My colleague and pal Zephyr Melton got the inside scoop on Hull’s habit. Turns out she’s smoking cigarettes to break another habit — vaping.
Hey, whatever floats your boat (disclaimer: this segment is not an endorsement of tobacco products. In fact, I take puffs from something entirely different — a rescue inhaler).
The sweetest fans in golf
There were hundreds of kids taking in all of the action at Lancaster Country Club Saturday, and it was so fun to watch them all light up as players dished out high-fives and autographs. There was a young girl who was having players sign her shirt. There were two brothers who screamed “Let her cook!” as Minjee Lee walked by, an ode to her brother’s slogan on the PGA Tour. I saw the same group of kids, who were all about eight years old, at 10 in the morning and then again at 6 p.m. They were there for the day, and they were just as energetic in the early evening as they were first thing in the morning.
It all took me back to the time I attended the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open at Newport Country Club with my aunt. I remember watching the golf, drinking lemonade and getting dozens of autographs on my hat. Eighteen years later and I’m inside the ropes at the U.S. Women’s Open! I hope a bunch of the girls who watched today get inspired to take up golf, work in golf or at the very least, continue to be interested in golf.
Lowry’s important message
My final segment for today’s Rogers Report is a little bit heavier, but it’s something I still wanted to include. We’ve talked about the importance of mental health quite a bit in the golf space lately, and I thought Shane Lowry’s comments to Joe Callaghan from the Irish Examiner were worth sharing here.
“This is what I say about golfers, the ups and downs of professional golf. It’s amazing out here, the highs are so high. But my God, the lows are so low … I just texted all of my friends and said ‘lads, no matter what happens, or what is going on, just give me a shout. Give me a call. Seriously’.”
As great of a golfer as Lowry is, he sounds like an even better friend.