Morning.
Here we are at issue two — sort of feels like back-to-back birdies. One and done was never the plan; let's keep this momentum going.
Not even 30 minutes on ice and a rain delay could derail what happened this week — you'll want to stick around for Reader of the Week. Also got a drill that'll mess with your head a little, a set of irons I've been putting through the paces, and some real stakes heading into the BMW Championship.
Let's get into it.
The Grind
Try this next time you're playing a casual round: leave half your clubs in the car. Odds only, or evens only — doesn't matter which, just cut your options in half.
Here's what happens. You've got a 145-yard shot and no club that hits it exactly. Now you're actually thinking — choke down and swing easy, or open the face and hit it three-quarter. That's not a drill, that's just golf, except now you're forced to solve it instead of pulling the "right" club and swinging the same way you always do.
What it actually builds:
Distance control — learning to speed a swing up or slow it down instead of always reaching for a new club
Real club control — gripping down, three-quarter swings, stuff most of us never practice on purpose
Course management — you start thinking about placement instead of just power, because you don't have the luxury of the perfect club
Shot creativity — low punches, high soft landings, whatever gets the ball close with what's in your hands
Play nine like this sometime. It's humbling, and it'll show up in your full bag the next time you're out.
In the Bag
Spent some time this week with the New Level 702 CB irons, 4-PW, on Dynamic Gold 105 S300 shafts. New Level is a direct-to-consumer brand — no pro shop markup, no tour deal driving up the price. You're paying for the iron, not the marketing.
These are very soft, with a muted click on solid contact. On the mishits, you get enough feedback to know it — without the harsh sting most player's irons give you. There's a tungsten insert in the toe to help keep the face stable through the ball and turf. The head has that classic player-cavity look, with just enough presence to make you feel good taking the swing, while still giving off ball-striker's-club vibes. The forged heads are traditionally lofted, so don't expect any added distance from strong lofts — what you get instead is a soft feel off the face with a launch that lands soft, which is great for playing firm greens like the ones we typically find on Middle TN public courses.
I paired the 702 CBs with the Dynamic Gold 105 S300, which is 15 grams lighter than the shaft weight I usually play. The shaft's lower spin tempered what you'd expect from a traditionally-lofted head — trajectory stayed piercing even on higher shots and held its line instead of ballooning, which is exactly what you want on windy days or when you need a shot to stay under control. I was also able to work the ball both directions, which surprised me a little given how light and low-spin this combo is. Usually you sacrifice some shot-shaping for that kind of penetrating flight — didn't feel like the case here.
The 702 CBs and Dynamic Gold 105 shafts might be worth checking out.
Around the Green
Wyndham Clark holds a five-shot lead heading into today's final round at the BMW Championship, with Rory McIlroy paired right alongside him in the last group. Scheffler, fresh off torching the field by eight shots last week, is way off the pace this time — a rough follow-up to last week's blowout win, proof that even the best player alive doesn't get to be "the guy" every single week.
Five shots is a real cushion, but Rory's the kind of player who can go on a streak at any moment if Clark blinks even a little. Will Rory close the gap?
Reader of the Week
Anthony Graham, 10.5 handicap, played in the General Council of Pastors and Elders scramble at RTJ Senator Course at Capitol Hill this week, and his team won the whole thing by one stroke.
The team was cruising through the round, unaware they were in a tight race for low group of the tournament, when an unexpected weather delay put them on ice right after their tee shot found the fairway on hole 13, with just three holes to play. After waiting 30 minutes with no time to warm back up, they went straight to their approach shots. Anthony was second in the hitting order. He put his approach 170 yards out to three feet, and the team birdied to get to 5 under. A bogey the next hole knocked them back to 4 under.
Then came hole 15 — their last hole of the day, shotgun start — three feet off the green, an awkward uphill lie. His teammate putted first, gave him a read off the line, and Anthony sank it from off the green to close at 5 under. One stroke, championship decided, on the final shot of the tournament. Congrats on the win!
Want next week? Tell me about your week — a good round, a club you can't put down, a shot you're still thinking about on Wednesday. Hit reply.
That's issue two. Appreciate you sticking around for it. Tell a buddy about Sunday Chase and help it grow. That's really the whole plan right now.
See you next Sunday.
— Trent