1. Reshaping the game? Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…“There will be those who contend the USGA went light on the setup and paved the way for DeChambeau’s paradigm-shifting performance. That’s the same crowd who came down with a convenient case of statistical amnesia when Tiger Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open at 12 under, ignoring that he was the only player under par at Pebble Beach.” “DeChambeau was the only player in red figures (6 under) at Winged Foot, but it’s not the number, as one USGA type explained late Sunday, it’s how he arrived at that number that will keep rules makers awake at night.” “All of the dogma that bound the fabric of the game has unraveled. DeChambeau ate it. All the caveats that came with strongman golf – it’s not controlled enough to work on a “true” major championship test – have been mown down like 5 ½ inches of Winged Foot rough.” “For those who clung to the notion that thick rough and firm greens were all golf needed to bring the body builders back to earth, the sky has fallen.” Full piece. 2. Bryson’s coach: Even if you change the rules, he’ll find ways to win BBC report…”Try to make it tough for Bryson and I’m telling you he will figure out how to beat you,” said his coach Mike Schy. Schy told BBC World Service: “The reality is if you make it so Bryson can’t play he will figure it out. “They can easily change this whole situation by scaling the rough on courses and they aren’t talking about that. “Instead of having the same rough 200 yards out from the green, you scale it. At 200 yards it’s an inch and a half deep. At 60 yards it’s six or seven inches deep. The game can go back to strategy and risk and reward if you scale the rough in the right way. “If you scale the rough it becomes back to how it used to be.” Full piece. 3. Paynes Valley Cup Jason Lusk for Golfweek…“After the narrow fairways, high rough and impeding tree lines at Winged Foot’s West Course in the U.S. Open, the top players in the world surely could use a little relaxing width in a golf course.” “Four of them will get plenty of opportunities to swing away Tuesday, as Tiger Woods welcomes Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose to the opening of his new Payne’s Valley layout at Big Cedar Lodge. That foursome will tee off at 3 p.m. Eastern (on Golf Channel) in the Payne’s Valley Cup on Woods’ first public-access design in the United States.” “Named in honor of Ozarks native Payne Stewart, the three-time major winner who died in a plane crash in 1999, Payne’s Valley will be the third 18-hole course at Big Cedar.” Full piece. 4. Bamberger’s take The eminent Golf.com scribe…“DeChambeau may be too young to really understand what he just did. Tiger, at 27, was like that. He wasn’t when he won the Masters last year, at age 43. This game of golf, especially alongside this thing called life, has a way of growing up all who play it for keeps. DeChambeau is not married. He does not have children. Like Justin Thomas and Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland, he’s in a period in his life where he can devote himself to one main thing: getting better at golf. Tiger remembers what that was like. It won’t last forever. Even Hogan found that out.” “The winner of this 120th U.S. Open, and its $2.25 million first-place prize, was asked what kind of mental strength he takes, from doing things his own way.” “It’s a lot of validation through science,” he said. “If I hit a 40-footer and it says 10.1 miles per hour on the device, I know that I’ve executed it correctly. If I see the ball go two feet past that 40-foot mark, I know it’s perfect. I know I’ve done everything I can in my brain to make my perception reality. I’m trying to make my perception of what I feel and what I think and turn it into proper reality.” Full piece. 5. Love/hate with Johnny Wunder I LOVE what Bryson’s success is going to do to change the game, not only from a “what is possible” standpoint but the trickle-down effect it will have on the average golfer. Think of it this way: Bryson has become the test subject for not only physical optimization but also golf club launch optimization, stability-hell, footwear optimization. Like with Tiger in 2000, the game will shift in a new direction. That’s exciting. I HATE what Bryson’s success is going to do to change the game. The separation between the tour and actual golf will become even greater and the nuance of the game will be lost to speed and power. Gone are the days were a true craftsman can have designs to play on tour and compete. The path to the tour will be speed first and strategy second. The PGA Tour is looking more and more like the NFL every day, and at some point, the courses we love will become completely unrecognizable. No. 1 at Augusta is 450 yards. In the next 10 years, somebody will get to that green on the tee shot. That scares me. It will be great TV though… 6. Zalatoris cashes is Golf Channel’s Will Gray…”Zalatoris shot 70-71 over the final two rounds in difficult conditions to move all the way up to a tie for sixth at 5 over. He finished the week alongside world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, and his top-10 finish means he’s exempt for next year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.” “I just found out that obviously top 10 gets us into next year, too, so that’s obviously pretty exciting,” Zalatoris said Sunday. “I’ve been really working hard over the past couple of years, and nice to finally see it pay off on the big stage.” …”But Zalatoris’ result in one of the most lucrative tournaments of the year highlights the disparity in pay between the biggest events and those on the developmental circuit. In 16 Korn Ferry starts this year, while distancing himself as the circuit’s best player, Zalatoris has made a total of $403,978. For his T-6 performance at Winged Foot, he eclipsed that total and cashed a check for $424,040.” Full piece. 7. Takeaways for Wolff ESPN’s Bob Harig…“The Sunday struggles are the kind of thing that might send a golfer into a funk, causing him to wonder what went wrong and making him the subject of conjecture about how difficult it might be to recover from such a collapse.” “But for Wolff, there should be no such fear. In this case, especially, there is no shame in finishing second — not when you completed 72 holes in even par on a golf course where many expected the winning score to be over par and not when DeChambeau did otherworldly things and was the only player in the field to break par on Sunday.” “Keep in mind that Wolff, 21, was playing in just his second major championship. Only 15 months ago, he won the NCAA individual title for Oklahoma State, and soon after, he turned pro. This was his first U.S. Open; you have to go back to Francis Ouimet in 1913 for the last time a player won the championship in his first attempt.” Full piece. 8. Grillo seeks out Como PGATour.com’s Sean Martin on Emiliano Grillo linking up with Bryson DeChambeau’s coach…“They do share one thing in common: a swing coach. Both work with Chris Como, the Dallas-based instructor whom DeChambeau effusively praised Sunday for guiding him through the radical transformation of his body and game.” “Como’s ability to assist one of the game’s most obsessive tinkerers, and another student with a more laid-back approach, is credit to an under-appreciated aspect of coaching. It’s not just what you know, but how you convey the information to your students. Como can be give DeChambeau the data he craves or tailor his teaching to Grillo, as well.” “Chris is always 100% into it. He adapts to your personality,” Grillo says. “I’m super different to Bryson and we both really match well with (Chris). That’s what makes him very special.” “Grillo said he isn’t planning a Bryson-esque transformation – “I enjoy a lot of other things, and I don’t think adding weight for my job is a priority,” he says – but he has been helped by Como’s instruction. Whereas DeChambeau loves to rely on Trackman readings and his background in physics, it has been a simple key from Como that has benefitted Grillo.” Full piece. 9. Browsing the GolfWRX Classifieds… Member TheRawEdge – TaylorMade SIM Ti 3-wood…It’s been proven to be one of the longest 3 woods ever made, and now this if your chance to get one, for a great price with a very expensive aftermarket shaft. Member Paranorml – The Buck Club ( sneaker head ) cover… If you like to collect rare covers and also happen to be a sneakerhead, then this cover, along with some of the others in this listing are for you. Member Wintohla – Cameron inspired by JT Putter …Scotty Cameron “Inspired By” series putters are a hot commodity and the weld neck JT is already proving hard to find – better scoop this one up quick. See the listings here.