The third major championship of the season, US Open, is just a week away.
Several top golfers on the PGA Tour and Liv Golf League will try to tweak the game before they arrive at the Oakmont Country Club in suburban Pittsburgh next week.
World No. 2 golfer Rory McIlroy will be active in the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA Tour and defend US Open champion Bryson Dechambeau at the Liv Golf League tournament in Gainesville, Virginia.
“We are all trying to achieve feats that have not been done in a long time. “It’s behind my head, as it’s three in a row even better results.”
What’s next on the PGA Tour?
RBC Canada Open
When: Thursday to Sunday
Location: TPC Toronto, Osprey Valley (North Course) in Caledon, Ontario
Defending Champion: Robert McIntyre
Wallet: $9.8 million
Rory is back
After skipping last week’s Memorial Tournament, a signature event, McIlory returned to action north of the border. After winning the Canadian Open in 2019 and 2022, McIlroy tries to make him just the fourth three-time winner (Tommy Armor, Sam Snead and Lee Trevino are the others).
McIlroy likes that the PGA Tour moved Canada’s opening into one month on a schedule.
“I honestly love changing the dates,” McIlroy said. “I love that it’s the week leading up to the US Open. I told this a bit, but before I played this event, 2016, 2017 and 2018, I missed it for the third time in a row at the US Open.
After completing his career grand slam in a victory at the Masters, McIlroy admitted that “crushing the 3-4 hour range every day is a little more difficult than before.”
“You have this event at work in your life and it can happen. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a motive to return to the horse and go back again,” McIlroy said. “The past two weeks have been a good thing for me as a reset, to understand where I am in my head, what I want to do, and where I want to play.
Schaeffler secures a spot for the rider cup
The Ryder Cup is still more than three months away, but world No. 1 golfer Scotty Schaeffler became the first golfer to secure a roster for the US team to compete with Europeans on the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York, September 26-28.
The PGA of America announced Wednesday that Schaeffler had secured enough Ryder Cup points at 25,918.25. This is twice as many golfers as other golfers. Xander Schauffele is second at 11,905.84.
“Scotty continues to prove why he is the number one player in the world, showing off incredible consistency and domination every week,” US team captain Keegan Bradley said in a statement. “He is the ultimate team player and there’s no doubt that he’s motivated to come in September. I couldn’t be more excited about him being a member of the US team.”
The top six eligible golfers will form the team following the BMW Championship on August 17, 2025. Bradley will also make six captain picks.
This is Schaeffler’s third appearance in Ryder Cup. He went 0-2-2 in a 16½-11½ defeat for the US team at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club on the outskirts of Rome in 2023, and 2-0-1 as a rookie in a 19-9 victory at Whisling Straits in Wisconsin in 2021.
“Representing the United States in the Ryder Cup has been one of the greatest honors of my career and I look forward to making it my third time this September,” Schaeffler said. “We’ll do whatever it takes to help our team get the cup back, and we can’t wait to play in front of Beth Page Black’s passionate New York crowd.”
Clanton’s time is finally here
Three golfers at RBC Canada’s Open Field, Luke Clanton, Gordon Sargent and David Ford are making their professional debuts.
It’s already high expectations for former Florida star Clanton, who was two runner-up on the PGA Tour as an amateur last year and tied second in the John Deere Classic and RSM Classic. He was the first amateur since Jack Nicklaus in 1961 with three or more top 10 finishes on the season’s PGA Tour.
Clanton placed 15th at the Farmers Insurance Open and 18th at the Cognizant Classic at Palm Beach this year.
“It was incredible,” Clanton told reporters in Canada. “Like I said, it’s something you’re always dreaming about.
“It’s amazing. I’m excited to go out here and compete. It’s not about money. It’s not about fame. It’s about competing with these guys on tours.
Clanton was the number one amateur in the world before turning professional this week, and he won four times at FSU this spring, winning the Ben Hogan Award as the top college golfer.
Clanton will play the first two rounds with McIlroy and LudvigÅberg.
On Tuesday, Clanton thanked his mother Rhonda. He recently retired after working as a flight attendant for Delta for more than 40 years. And thank Dad David, who sent his son to private schools and owned two businesses to support golf.
“It was incredible for them not only me, but my two older sisters to take us all the things,” Clanton said. “Again, my mother and father are two hardworking people and they never trust it.
Clanton bumps far from the tee (his 312.4 yards average will rank 14th on the tour if he plays enough rounds to qualify).
When Clanton was asked if the Liv Golf League was trying to recruit him, he said, “I want to play the PGA Tour, so simple. I want to play against the best, I want to compete in the majors, that’s it.”
Sargent was the 2022 NCAA individual champion and a Vanderbilt freshman at 2023 US Open, with a low amateur. He secured the PGA Tour card through the accelerated route of the PGA Tour University in October 2023, but postponed the Turning Pro back to Vanderbilt.
Ford, who won five North Carolina in this past season, finished first in the PGA Tour College rankings to win the card. He won the Jack Nicklaus Award and the Fred Haskins Award this spring.
All three golfers are guaranteed PGA Tour status through the 2026 season.
What’s next for the Liv Golf League?
Life Golf Virginia
When: Friday to Sunday
Location: Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Gainesville, Virginia
Defending Champion: Harold Burner III
Wallet: $25 million
Bryson’s busy month
Along with tying second in the PGA Championship, US Open Champion Bryceson Decanbaugh crushed tee shots at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mountain Range and Bonneville Salt Flats in the Utah and White House.
For professional golf content King, it was another everyday month with over 2 million followers on its YouTube channel.
“How do you find time to sleep? I actually sleep well,” Deccanbeau said. “This is a lot of plans. If things work based on these game plans and others’ schedules, prepare, strategy and execute accordingly.”
Deccanbeau is a back passenger for several laps of 180 mph in Indiana’s famous oval shape, and he said he is currently using Utah salt in his meal.
A day of life for a recreational golfer… pic.twitter.com/2g7wfzfn6h
– Bryson Deccanbeau (@brysondech) June 2, 2025
Deccanbeau wasn’t sure he would hit a golf ball on the grass behind the White House until President Donald Trump urged him to do it.
“I didn’t think I’d get the opportunity to do that in my life, but the president himself was like, ‘just go there and hit some shots,'” Deccanbeau said. “I was like, ‘Okay, yes, teacher.’ That was quite an experience. It was 105 yards.
The real-life US Open champion says his main goal continues to win golf tournaments.
“Want to win every tournament I’m in? 100%,” Deccanbeau said. “I’m never going to be the most difficult competitor in my perspective, but it also allowed me to do other things that make sense.
“Creating my YouTube channel is something that I always want to do, seeing what Mrbeast and Dude Perfect did in the mid-2010s.
Turning the corner
Torque GC captain Joaquín Niemann hopes he finally rounds the corner after finishing eighth in the PGA Championship. His 72 holes total of 4 under 143 left him with seven strokes behind Schaeffler.
“I didn’t feel like I played my best game,” Nieman said. “At the time, I felt there was more to play better, I knew we could get better results, but I think we could take the positivity and go step by step.
Winning the Liv Golf League wasn’t an issue for Niemann, who first finished five times since February 2024, including three times this season. His success on the Saudi fundraising circuit caused Phil Mickelson to call him the best golfer in the world and frowned.
“I don’t think they’re fully aware of the field and the strength of the field because it’s new. The people you’re playing against are these best and the same players over and over again,” Mickelson said. “Joko is winning, and he plays these guys every week (opposed) John Rahm and Bryson Deconbeau and Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, and he competes at the same level of competition every week.
I’m preparing for Oakmont
Mickelson, Neiman and other Liv golf players believe that four Presidents Cups and the 2024 Solheim Cup in a setup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club this week would be a proper test for next week’s US Open.
“Like next week, there’s green rolling 14-15 on Stimpmeter,” says Mickelson. “There’s a contour, a swell like next week. Short games, touches, tips around the green, rough, speed, rug drills, speed, green speed, and that’s all important here. It’s the same as next week.
When the US Open was last played at Oakmont in 2016, Dustin Johnson had a victory score of 276 under 4.
“It’s going to be difficult,” Nieman said. “I know it’s going to be a good challenge. The greens are flying so I feel like it’s not a 5-footer, 6-footer for birdies.
“They want to win it on par, so at the end of the day it’s not who makes more birdies, so they feel that it’s who’ll reduce bogeys and make fewer mistakes.”
