Opinion

  • I’ve never been more convinced that one of golf’s Majors must become a matchplay event

    Written by Iona Stephen on Wednesday 26 June 2024

    What did I learn while working at the R&A’s Amateur Championship? Professional golf needs more matchplay events… And those events need to be Majors. I had the pleasure of covering the prestigious Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin Golf Club’s spectacular Glashedy Links a few weeks ago. It got me thinking – why doesn’t professional golf have more matchplay events? They’re so captivating...

  • “The five key lessons I learned from my day with the world’s best golf coach”

    Thursday 30 May 2024

    After spending a day with Butch Harmon, Iona Stephen shares the five lessons she learned from the greatest golf coach on the planet… and they’re not all about her swing. Butch Harmon is a legend in the world of golf. The greatest coach in the history of the game and one of the sport’s most recognizable voices, a lesson with Butch...

  • Iona Stephen: “Nelly Korda can be golf’s Caitlin Clark”

    Tuesday 30 April 2024

    All the ingredients are there for Nelly Korda to set the same trailblazing path as basketball superstar Caitlin Clark, and take women’s golf to the next level says Iona Stephen. Some champions come into their sport and capture the imagination. Charisma and character charming fans around the world on and off the field. Partner charisma with the ability to win and...

  • “Golf has to do more to make itself accessible – not let public courses close”

    Thursday 4 April 2024

    Iona Stephen believes her life would be very different were it not for a public golf course in Edinburgh – and wants potential golfers to have an easy and affordable route into the game. Accessibility is, by definition, the practice of making environments (and other things) useable for as many people as possible. In golf, this ultimately relates to...

  • “McIlroy looks disinterested – Tiger and Nicklaus would never have sacrificed a year of their careers like he did”

    Wednesday 13 March 2024

    Speaking ahead of the 50th Players Championship, agent Chubby Chandler questions Rory’s love for the game and says the PGA Tour is “devoid of superstars.” Not known for holding back, Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler lived up to his reputation in a frank interview with BetIdeas in which he gave his two cents worth on McIlroy’s struggles, the personality-lacking PGA Tour, and the...

  • Iona Stephen: “Loss of Pelley and star names is a blow, but DP World Tour’s future remains bright”

    Tuesday 6 February 2024

    Iona Stephen explains why she’s excited about the DP World Tour’s future despite Chief Executive Keith Pelley’s resignation and players departing for LIV and the PGA Tour. Understandably there is some concern about the future of the DP World Tour after a tough couple of months. Big names Jon Rahm, Adrian Meronk, Lucas Herbert, and Tyrrell Hatton have all gone...

  • Beef: “Rory McIlroy has freed himself of the stress and 2024 will be his year!”

    Tuesday 6 February 2024

    As we count down to the year’s first golf Major, Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston predicts who will lift the year’s biggest trophies, whether Tiger will win again, and who will be the breakout star. Two of the things I get asked the most are “Who’s going to win the Majors this year?” and “Who’s the next breakthrough star?”. So, to save me...

  • Iona Stephen: Who I’m backing to win the Majors in 2024

    Wednesday 3 January 2024

    Forget New Year’s resolutions, for golf fans January marks the countdown to the Majors and as you read this, it’s less than three months until the opening tee shots at the Masters! You’ll all have opinions on who will win the biggest events in 2024, and I’d love to hear them, but for now, I’ve looked into my crystal ball to...

  • Beef: “Golf is a mess. We need transparency before it’s too late!”

    Thursday 21 December 2023

    In his latest column for Today’s Golfer, Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston argues why golf needs more honesty from those in charge for the sake of the most important thing of all…the fans. I love golf, but the men’s professional game is in a f*cking mess. No one knows what’s going on and no one is being honest. I’m not blaming everything on LIV...

  • Beef: “I’m all for the golf ball rollback – it will save some classic courses”

    Wednesday 6 December 2023

    Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston weighs in on the golf ball rollback debate and wants to see more strategy and control back in the game with greater risk-reward for pulling out the driver. Any professional complaining about the golf ball rollback should’ve played my comeback event in South Africa. My caddie and I barely had to speak on the tees… the course was...

  • Iona Stephen: “I want to play in the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews”

    Wednesday 6 December 2023

    When the AIG Women’s Open arrives at St Andrews in 2024, Iona Stephen is hoping to have swapped her microphone for her golf clubs and be teeing it up alongside the world’s best. As the new year hurtles towards us, we’ll all be setting golf goals for 2024. Mine? I want to play in the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews!  I...

  • Beef: “The PGA Tour only has itself to blame for Rahm joining LIV”

    Wednesday 6 December 2023

    Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston says the PGA Tour went behind players’ backs, he’s not surprised to see the likes of Jon Rahm ending his loyalty. Jon Rahm has joined LIV Golf after weeks of rumors and social media chat, and it’s be a huge coup for Greg Norman and the Saudis. Jon has previously been vocal in saying that he wouldn’t join LIV,...

  • Beef: “I took being a golfer for granted, but I’m so glad to be back”

    Wednesday 6 December 2023

    Returning to competitive action on the DP World Tour, Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston is thankful for another shot on the game’s biggest stage and is determined to do more than ‘make up the numbers’. It was so good to finally tee it up on Tour again. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a great time doing the podcast and getting my broadcasting...

  • Beef: “Put me in charge of the merger and everyone will be happy”

    Tuesday 14 November 2023

    As he prepares to return to DP World Tour action this week in South Africa, Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston explains how he’d take men’s professional golf forwards if he was in charge of the proposed merger. With the merger of the men’s professional game seemingly up in the air, I’m putting myself in charge of the situation because I’ve had the perfect...

  • Iona Stephen: “Plans to merge LPGA and LET is music to my ears”

    Tuesday 14 November 2023

    Reading LET boss Alexandra Armas’ plans to merge her tour with the LPGA and create a “cohesive, single women’s organization,” is music to my ears. In an exclusive interview with Today’s Golfer, Armas called the move the “best thing for women’s golf,” and said she expects the merger to happen soon. I’m right behind it. It has been discussed in the...

  • Beef: “I didn’t know if I’d ever play golf again”

    Wednesday 11 October 2023

    In the first of his guest columns, Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston tells us the impact of his long-term hand injury, how he feared for his career, and how he’ll be changing his approach when he returns to the DP World Tour in November. When John Robins beat me in a match on his YouTube channel last year, he and TG’s digital editor...

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