Mama_Bull Posted June 28, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 1,207 Content Count: 18,470 Reputation: 899 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/14/2003 Share Posted June 28, 2017 TOURNAMENT PREVIEW Koepka chasing brother’s legacy in Aviemore 28.06.17 Chase Koepka admits he has big shoes to fill as he arrives at the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels & Resorts. The American’s brother Brooks starred in the 2013 edition of the tournament, breaking the course record at Macdonald Spey Valley GC en route to claiming a three-shot victory – his third win of the season which secured immediate promotion to the European Tour. Four years on from his Scottish Highlands triumph and Brooks is a Major Champion after his record-breaking U.S. Open performance at Erin Hills – where he equalled Rory McIlroy’s lowest score in relation to par. Chase, at 23 four years his brother’s junior, is still adapting to life in paid ranks and has enjoyed a fine start on the 2017 Road to Oman. After two top five finishes in five Challenge Tour outings this season, Chase believes he is close to joining Brooks as a winner on Europe’s top developmental tour – and has the same high aspirations as his brother. “I do feel like I can follow Brooks to the top of the game,” he said. “I think my game is quite strong, my short game in particular and how accurate I am off the tee, so I just need to keep playing well and shooting low numbers. “This year I’m playing a lot better than last year, and I feel that there has been of bit of an adjustment period for me. I played at a lot of different golf courses and I felt as though it took me a while to get used to everything, but this year I feel like my game is good enough to compete out here. “At the beginning I wasn’t playing as well as I liked and I was a bit hard on myself. But I felt as though the courses over here suited me, so that’s why I stuck with it.” For Chase, the decision to begin his career in Europe was a simple one. With Brooks’ transition from four-time Challenge Tour champion to top ten player in the world well known, Chase admits he often turns to his big brother for advice. He pushes me quite a bit, but I’m okay with that, and I know he wants the best for me. “It is quite nice because he sets a very high bar which pushes me to keep on going,” he said. “He has been such a big mentor for me, especially pushing me to come and play in Europe, and to see him keep on doing well and to be top ten in the world is quite special. “He pushes me quite a bit, but I’m okay with that, and I know he wants the best for me. He thought the best option for me was to come over and play. “It was great to play with Brooks earlier this year. I learnt a lot about myself and where I need to get better. Being in such a high pressure situation I felt as though I handled myself quite well, and to be up at the top of the leaderboard was a very nice experience – especially in my first PGA Tour event.” Chase returns to Aviemore with fond memories, having made his first professional start here last season. “I had such a warm welcome when I came here last year,” he said. “Everyone speaks so highly of my brother, telling me stories of when they watched him play and shoot that lovely 62. I get reminded of it every time I walk into the clubhouse too! “I sent him a message yesterday saying ‘I feel like everywhere I go to you have a course record’. He has left his foot prints, they are certainly big foot prints, but I don’t mind. It is awesome to see that he won here and that sealed his promotion from the Challenge Tour to the European Tour. “It was my first pro event and while I didn’t play too well I do have a lot of good memories from here, but hopefully if play better I can make some better memories this year.” https://www.europeantour.com/en/challengetour/tournaments/2017/ssescottishhydrochallengehostedbymacdonaldhotelsresorts/chase-preview/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Bull Posted June 29, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 1,207 Content Count: 18,470 Reputation: 899 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/14/2003 Author Share Posted June 29, 2017 (edited) USF Men's Golf @USFMGolf 19h19 hours ago USF Men's Golf Retweeted Bobby Lewis Go Bulls! Good luck to @ChaseKoepka & @Richjames4 USF Men's Golf added, Bobby LewisVerified account @Bobby_L Can I get a #GoBulls? @USFMGolf http://www.golfdigest.com/story/chase-koepka-hopes-challenge-tour-experience-can-pay-off-the-same-way-it-did-for-big-brother-brooks?mbid=social_twitter Former USF golfer Richard James shot 65 (-6) and is currently leading the field. Chase Koepka shot 74 (+3) and will need a good round tomorrow just to make the cut. https://www.europeantour.com/en/challengetour/tournaments/2017/ssescottishhydrochallengehostedbymacdonaldhotelsresorts/ Edited June 29, 2017 by Mama_Bull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Bull Posted June 29, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 1,207 Content Count: 18,470 Reputation: 899 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/14/2003 Author Share Posted June 29, 2017 ROUND ONE REPORT King James rules in Scotland ROUND ONE REPORT King James rules in Scotland 29.06.17 Richard James produced the finest performance of his European Challenge Tour career to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels & Resorts. Illness has hampered much of James’ season so far – a burst appendix suffered in May ruling him out for five weeks – but the Welshman showed he had the stomach for the fight in Aviemore today. Starting on the 11th the 25 year old made a fast start. A birdie on the par four 12th – his second hole of the day – was followed by an eagle at the 13th, pushing James to the top of the leaderboard. The man from Aberystwyth, who earned his playing rights for the 2017 Road to Oman by finishing in the top five on the satellite EuroPro Tour last season, continued to get the better of the wind and the rain to card six more gains and post a six under par 65. After an impressive opening round, James was delighted with his efforts having come so close to missing the tournament. “I didn’t think I would be here to be honest,” he said. “I was 17th reserve come Sunday, but I thought I should just gamble and come up here – and I’m really happy that so far it has paid off. “I played really well and holed some nice putts – especially the one on four that was just off the green. I knew in that weather that you were going to hit some bad shots, so I just tried to commit to all my lines and be smart off the tee. I tried not to be too aggressive. “I took my chances really well when I had them after some good iron shots. It was really tough out there so I am very happy with such a good performance today. https://www.europeantour.com/en/challengetour/tournaments/2017/ssescottishhydrochallengehostedbymacdonaldhotelsresorts/richard-james-day-one/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Bull Posted June 30, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 1,207 Content Count: 18,470 Reputation: 899 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/14/2003 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 Chase Koepka shot 68 and is T-49 (Even Par). Richard James also shot 68 and stands alone in second place (-9). http://www.golflive24.com/challenge-tour/sse-scottish-hydro-challenge/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Bull Posted July 13, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 1,207 Content Count: 18,470 Reputation: 899 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/14/2003 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 (edited) Chase Koepka is playing in the Italian Challenge Open. After one round he is T5 (-6). http://www.golflive24.com/challenge-tour/italian-challenge-open/ Chase is #32 on the Road to Oman list. At the end of the season, the top 45 players on the European Challenge Tour play a tournament in Oman. The top 15 then graduate to the PGA European Tour. It is similar to the Web.com tour in the USA. https://www.europeantour.com/en/challengetour/road-to-oman/#Ranking Edited July 13, 2017 by Mama_Bull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skingraft Posted July 13, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 743 Content Count: 13,357 Reputation: 2,482 Days Won: 63 Joined: 12/11/2006 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Golf has been holding it down for a while now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Bull Posted July 13, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 1,207 Content Count: 18,470 Reputation: 899 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/14/2003 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Skingraft said: Golf has been holding it down for a while now Well, it's summer and USF sports are over. We have some USF basketball players playing on various national teams, but most of those games have not yet been played. I suspect someone will post updates. Edited July 13, 2017 by Mama_Bull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Bull Posted July 14, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 1,207 Content Count: 18,470 Reputation: 899 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/14/2003 Author Share Posted July 14, 2017 After two rounds, Chase Koepka is in 4th place at -11. Three players are tied for the lead at -13. http://www.golflive24.com/challenge-tour/italian-challenge-open/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Bull Posted July 15, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 1,207 Content Count: 18,470 Reputation: 899 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/14/2003 Author Share Posted July 15, 2017 After three rounds, Chase Koepka is in 3rd place at -17. The leader is -20 and 2nd place is -18. http://www.golflive24.com/challenge-tour/italian-challenge-open/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Bull Posted July 16, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 1,207 Content Count: 18,470 Reputation: 899 Days Won: 44 Joined: 10/14/2003 Author Share Posted July 16, 2017 Chase finished the Italian Challenge Open T2 (-20), which is his best showing, yet, as a professional golfer. He will move up quite a bit in both the Race to Oman and in the Official World Golf Rankings, when those are updated: https://www.europeantour.com/en/players/chase-koepka-41193#Career-Records http://www.owgr.com/en/Ranking/PlayerProfile.aspx?playerID=21997 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now