“GOLFUNITY – Reitan’s Breakthrough, The Open 2025 Preview & Golf’s Power Shift” GOLFUNITY EP39

“GOLFUNITY – Reitan’s Breakthrough, The Open 2025 Preview & Golf’s Power Shift”

Welcome to GOLFUNITY – your global golf update hub!
In this episode, we recap the biggest moments shaking up the world of golf in 2025:

🏆 Kristoffer Reitan’s shocking rise from outsider to European Swing Champion
⛳ The Open Championship heads to Royal Portrush – what to expect from the field and the course
🇺🇸 Patrick Reed’s Ryder Cup ambitions return after LIV victory
🔥 LIV Golf and PGA Tour tension – is peaceful coexistence possible?
📈 FedEx Cup payout overhaul explained
👩 Lottie Woad stuns at the Women’s Irish Open
🇿🇼 Scott Vincent and Brian Campbell score emotional tour wins

👉 Don’t miss our full breakdown of winners, rankings, surprises, and what it all means heading into the second half of the 2025 season.

📌 Subscribe to GOLFUNITY for your weekly pro tour insights, major previews, and real talk on where the game is going.

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🎧 Also available on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

#GOLFUNITY #GolfPodcast #KristofferReitan #TheOpen2025 #Portrush #LIVGolf #PGATour #DPWorldTour #RyderCup2025 #GolfNews #rydercup #scottiescheffler

Golf Unity, the most popular golf infotainment podcast in town. Welcome golf fans to Golf Unity. Get ready cuz we’re going to take a deep dive into all the latest, the most exciting, and yeah, sometimes the controversially cool stuff happening across the US golf scene. And you know, with the pros everyone’s talking about. Absolutely. It’s been such a whirlwind lately, hasn’t it? You’ve got these unexpected wins, major tour showdowns. Yeah, it’s a lot. It really is. So, we’re here to break it all down for you on this episode. Exactly. Our mission today for you, our curious listener, is really to cut through that noise, find the key insights, and uh deliver those moments where you just go, “Aha, that’s what’s really going on.” Okay, let’s kick things off with a story that honestly feels almost unbelievable. Brian Campbell’s win at the John Deere Classic. Mhm. Now, here’s the thing. He calls himself a throwback player. He actually loses strokes off the tea. ranks like 171st in driving distance, which is way down there, right? So, how on earth does a guy playing that style win his second PGA Tour event this year? It seems completely counterintuitive in this whole bomb and gouge era we’re in. It really does. But, you know what’s fascinating is that his throwback style, it’s not a weakness, it’s actually his strength. He’s all about precision. Yeah. pinpoint accuracy, amazing short game wedges, chipping, putting the whole nine yards. He’s dialed in. So, it’s not a fluke then these two wins. Definitely not. Think about it. Two playoff wins this season. First, he beats Aldrich Potguider at the Mexico Open. And Potguer is like one of the longest hitters out there, right? Massive hitter. And now he takes down Ameilion Aguero at the John Deere. It just shows incredible skill, smart course management, and uh serious mental toughness. Wow. And his ranking jump is insane. Oh, huge. From 196th all the way up to 55th in the world. It kind of forces you to think. Yeah. Can you imagine? He said it almost made him quit golf altogether. Wow, that’s heavy. But apparently that really low point became this huge turning point. He had this self-t talk moment. Realized he just needed to find the joy in playing again, not just focus on results. And look where it got him. What a comeback. It really shows how much the mental game matters. It’s absolutely paramount. And speaking of dominance, let’s shift gears a bit. Over on the ladies European tour, okay, Lahi Wde, 21-year-old English amateur, she just completely ran away with the KTMG Women’s Irish Open. Ran away with it. How much did she win by? By six shots against a field full of pros. It really felt like her big hello our world moment. You know, six shots as an amateur. That’s that’s seriously impressive. So, what’s her story? She must have a strong background. Oh, yeah. Uh, she’s got a formidable amateur record. She won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this year, which is huge, obviously. Plus five college wins at Florida State. She’s basically been lighting up the amateur scene. Okay, so she’s legit. What about turning pro then? A win like this must put pressure on that decision. Well, it’s interesting. She’s actually super close to getting her LPGA card directly through this LEP program they have on the LE for top amateurs. She just needs two more points. Wow. So, she can basically jump right to the LPGA potentially. Yeah. But she’s been really clear saying she’s not tempted to turn pro yet until she gets those points. Shows real maturity, doesn’t it? Planning her path. It does. Smart move. And there was this great moment. Commenters were saying she’s showing off now after she hit this wedge shot on 17 to like 2 in for birdie. Oh, love that. Shows the confidence. Exactly. That flare, that precision, especially from an amateur under pressure. It says a lot. Okay. So, from rising stars making noise to uh a very well-known player who always seems to be in the mix, especially when it comes to team events, Patrick Reed. Ah, yes. Captain America, right? The buzz is getting loud about him making a serious push for the US Ryder Cup team, even though he’s with Livy Golf. And he just won the individual title at Livy Golf Dallas. This is definitely stirring the pot, isn’t it? Yeah, it feels controversial. It absolutely is controversial and that’s because Reed is such a uniquely effective matchplay competitor. You look at his RDER Cup record, seven wins, three losses, two halves. Pretty darn good and perfect in singles, right? 30 0. Exactly. And everyone remembers that epic match against Rory Mroy at Hazeline in 2016. Just pure intensity, unforgettable stuff. Plus his game, particularly that gritty short game and his putting, especially on Poa Annual Greens, which Beth Paige Black has precisely. It’s tailor made for a tough demanding course like Beth Paige. He thrives in that kind of pressure cooker environment. Okay, but here’s the tricky part, the controversial bit. Yeah, Liv players don’t get RDER Cup points. So, he faces a serious uphill battle to make the team right. Needs a captain’s pick. That’s the core issue. And there’s this direct quote floating around saying that leaving a player like Reed off the team because of politics or clicks would quote betray the spirit of competition. Ooh, strong words. Very strong. And what makes it even more intriguing is Keegan Bradley, the US captain for 2025. He got left off the team himself in 2023. Oh, right. I remember that. He wasn’t happy. Reportedly, it really stung him, feeling like maybe connections mattered more than his performance that year. So, you have to wonder. You have to wonder if he’ll remember that feeling when he’s making his picks. Does performance trump politics? Yeah, it’s a huge question hanging over Beth Paige. It really is a fundamental question about team selection and this whole situation kind of leads us into the bigger picture, doesn’t it? The whole Lovey Golf versus PGA Tour saga. Yeah, the ongoing drama. What’s the latest pulse on that? Well, Liby CEO Scott O’Neal gave an interview recently. He said something interesting that their platforms and audiences are very different and that Levy is seeking coexistence. Coexistence. That doesn’t exactly scream merger imminent, does it? Sounds more like separate lanes. That’s how it sounds. Yeah. It could be a sign that those big merger talks are maybe stalled or perhaps Ellie is just focusing on its own path now. So, what does that path look like? Well, look at their schedule. It’s becoming much more global. Only five tournaments in the US this year. That fits O’Neal’s idea of different platforms, different audiences. Okay, makes sense. But what about the ranking points? That’s still the big issue for IV, right? Absolutely. That’s the elephant in the room. Official World Golf ranking points are crucial if they want to keep attracting top talent and ensure their current stars can get into the majors easily. So without OWGR points, it’s tough to recruit. Very tough. And players risk falling way down the world rankings. That’s why you see lovey guys playing in other events when they can like Peter Wooline and John Catelyn at the International Series Morocco or even big names like Sergio Reed Camer Pig playing the BMW International Open recently right trying to get points wherever they can find them. It’s like a strategic dance. It’s a very delicate one. Yeah. Okay. Shifting from tour politics back to the majors. The Open Championship is coming up. The final men’s major of the year, Royal Portrush. Can’t wait. And there’s an amazing story coming out of qualifying. Oh yeah, Lay it on us. Richard Teter, an amateur from Estonia, he just became the first player from Estonia ever to qualify for the Open. No way. That’s huge. How do you do it? Get this. A walk-off eagle in a playoff to seal his spot. A walk-off eagle. You can’t write this stuff. That is the ultimate feel-good story. Amazing, isn’t it? It just shows the magic of open qualifying and Royal Porsche itself. I mean, it’s a proper Lynx challenge. What makes it so tough? It’s the elements, really. The wind can howl. The rough is brutal. It can rain sideways, sometimes all at once. Classic Lynx golf. Exactly. Holes like the fifth along the coast, the blind tea shot on 14, that tricky par 516th. They demand so much patience and precision. You got to bring your agame, and probably pack some waterproofs. You definitely need the waterproofs. Now, before there’s the big warm-up event, right, the Genesis Scottish Open. Yep. The ultimate prelude. It’s a Rolex Series event co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour at the Renaissance Club and the field is absolutely stacked. Stacked is probably an understatement. Who are we talking about? Okay, deep breath. World number one, Scotty Schoffler, Rory Mroy, last year’s winner. Xander Chauffel, who won it in 22, recent US Open champ, JJ Spawn, Colin Morawa, Justin Thomas, Victor Havland. Oh, and the defending champ, Robert McIntyre. Wow, that’s basically a major field right there. Pretty much. Even Adordo Molinari, the RDER Cup vice captain, was pointing out guys to watch like Christopher Wright, Rory’s great Lynx record, Havlin’s skill in the wind with a $9 million prize purse. It’s going to be intense. Great preview for you, the fan, to see who’s dialed in for the Open. Definitely tuning in for that. Okay, let’s switch gears one last time and talk about the money specifically. Yeah, the PGA Tours FedEx Cup payouts. They’ve made some pretty big changes. Yeah, significant changes to how that massive hund00 million prize fund gets distributed. Okay, break it down for us. How’s it working now? So, basically, they’re spreading the wealth out more across the season and playoffs. There’s now a $20 million bonus pool just for the top 10 guys after the regular season ends at the Windom Championship. 20 million just for the regular season top 10. Yep. With the top guy getting $10 million from that alone. Then there’s another $23 million for the top 30 after the second playoff event, the BMW Championship. Gotcha. and the rest $57 million is for the tour championship finale where the winner still gets a cool $10 million. Okay, so more money earlier in the process. What’s the reasoning? Why shake things up like this? Well, the tour says it’s about tackling increased volatility, really rewarding seasonlong performance and just boosting the overall importance of the whole FedEx Cup journey, not just the final week. And this addresses player complaints, right? I remember Sheffller wasn’t thrilled with the old format. Exactly. Players like Scotty Sheoffller were pretty vocal, calling the old system kind of silly because you could dominate all year and potentially lose out big time based on just one tournament, right? Felt a bit random sometimes. Yeah. So, this new structure is designed to reward that seasonl long consistency more directly and, you know, probably keep the top players happy and feeling like their full season effort matters financially. Which brings up the big question for you, our listener. Do these changes actually make the FedEx Cup playoffs more exciting for you watching at home? Or is this mainly about player satisfaction and tour economics? It’s a fair question because sometimes all the talk about these huge sums of money, it can feel a bit distant from the actual competition on the course, can it? It’s definitely a balancing act between the business side and the pure sport we love watching. So, as we wrap this up, it’s crystal clear, isn’t it? Play golf right now is just incredibly dynamic, full of surprises. You’ve got underdog stories like Campbell, amazing amateur breakthroughs like Lahi Wde, then the ongoing tour rivalries, the money structure changing. It’s constantly evolving. Absolutely. So, thinking about all this, what part of this everchanging golf world are you most excited to follow in the next few months? Is it the Rder Cup drama heating up, the Livey E versus PGA Tour chess match, or just waiting for the next big star to emerge? Lots to keep an eye on. Well, that’s our deep dive for today. Loads of action, loads of insights from across the Garf universe. This has been Golf Unity Weekly Golf News. Hope you enjoyed it. Hey, make sure you ring that bell for notifications so you never miss a deep dive from us and definitely connect with us on social media. Let’s keep this conversation going. Please do. Next time on Golf Unity, we’re going to tee up a really fascinating look at some of the rising stars who look set to completely redefine golf’s future. We’ll dig into how they’re already shaking up the Old Guard with their game and their approach. You are absolutely not going to want to miss that one. Head over to our social media. Yeah. Tell us what you think. Let’s hear it. Give us your predictions for the future of golf. Until next time, keep it in the fairway and hit them straight.