I decided it was time to fix my driver this week. After hitting rock bottom it was clear an intervention was needed. Unfortunately for me, I think I am in it for the long haul. If you’re fighting your driver too, welcome to the club. If you’re striping it down the middle, I hope you enjoy the read. Just don’t tell me about it. In this issue | A bird with no respect for the Rules of Golf | | Winter greens, and how generous the word “green” is | | TGL’s first trade, a 588-yard drive and golf’s top earners |
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After round three 
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DP World Tour Genesis Championship The final round is already under way as you read this. | 1 | Yuto Katsuragawa | -13 | | 2 | Casey Jarvis | -11 | | T3 | Si Woo Kim | -10 | | T3 | Antoine Rozner | -10 | | T3 | Sanghun Shin | -10 |
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Full leaderboard → | PGA Tour Butterfield Bermuda Championship | T1 | Séamus Power | -16 | | T1 | Austin Smotherman | -16 | | T3 | Corey Conners | -14 | | T3 | Taylor Moore | -14 | | T3 | Ben Silverman | -14 |
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Full leaderboard → | LPGA BMW Ladies Championship The final round is played overnight our time, so it’ll be finished by the time you read this. | 1 | Haeran Ryu | -17 | | T2 | Hye-Jin Choi | -13 | | T2 | Minji Park | -13 | | T2 | Yuri Yoshida | -13 |
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Full leaderboard → | Next week PGA Tour: VidantaWorld Mexico Open, Vidanta Vallarta, 29 October to 1 November LPGA: Maybank Championship, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (West Course), 29 October to 1 November |
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 | Bad bounce of the week |
| YouTube golfer and former pro Luke Kwon had a rather interesting ruling this week. Hitting into an island green on a par 3, his ball catches the lip and rolls into the water. Then a bird (species TBC) fishes his ball out of the water and flies off with it. Before you ask, I used my AI lenses and found no foul play, this is real… I think. My head says you probably have to replace the ball, take the penalty then use the drop zone, or re-tee. What would you call if this happened to your fourball? Watch it → | | Had a worse one? I’ll share the worst every week, so hit reply with yours. |
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Club golf 
Winter rules are here You come out the back of a great summer, numbers on the card have never been lower and the number of beers consumed has never been higher. Life is good. To then be hit with preferred lies, winter mats and temporary greens is heartbreaking, to say the least. I understand why clubs have to put these rules in place and let’s face it, with the weather we get in the UK, clubs do an exceptional job of keeping greens and fairways in great shape. I can get onboard with preferred lies and mats. I think the use of the word ‘green’ in ‘temporary green’ can be generous, especially when the putting surface resembles a waterlogged sponge. There we go. Rant over. How does your club manage winter golf? |
Three things 
Photo: Stefanschenkon, CC0 |
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry involved in historic TGL first I’ve only seen clips of TGL, so I’m hardly the person to review it. But Rory and Lowry making headlines is always worth a look. The TGL has completed its first trade in its history. Lowry now joins McIlroy at ‘Boston Common’, leaving ‘The Bay’ behind. TGL feels like Happy Gilmore 2 has come to life. Still not sure whether that’s a good thing. But if it gets more people watching and enjoying golf, I’m all for it. Thoughts on the TGL? Read it → | Kyle Berkshire Smashes New World Record Long Drive It’s not surprising that the week my driver has never been worse, there is a new world record set. I’d like to think some of my skill has depleted in order for Kyle to wield it (it’s safe to say this isn’t the case), either way 588 yds is a crazy feat… with what seems to be a minor hurricane helping. Read it → | The Highest Prize Money Earners In Men’s Golf In 2026 I can barely justify the cost of a new driver, so looking at what the world’s best golfers earn is a dangerous game. Of course there is no surprise that Scheffler is number one. Matt Fitzpatrick at No. 3 is great to see, he has had a fantastic season and it’s well deserved (even if the $15.6 million is eye watering to say the least). Read it → |
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I’ll catch you next Sunday at 7am when, fingers crossed, my driver will be the least of my problems. 
Bad Bounce & Co · West Sussex |
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P.S. Know someone who blames the bounce? Forward this to them, or stick the link in your club WhatsApp. They can sign up, free, at badbounce.co. |
