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Top Amateur Shatters Another Course Record at Pinehurst, This One You Have to See/Read to Believe!

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Jackson Van Paris, who just six weeks ago shot a record-breaking 61 at the North & South Amateur to shatter the course record for Pinehurst No. 4, has broken yet another record at the renowned “Eastern Home of American Golf.”

Van Paris, a 19-year-old rising star (yes, you read that right—he is only 19 years old), is a Junior at Vanderbilt University and is a native of Pinehurst. He clearly appeared to have the home-field advantage this past Sunday as he teed off at the resort’s par-3 course, The Cradle. His remarkable display of talent and grace was on full display as he dismantled the track, shooting 9 under for a total score of, wait for it, 18! To put that in perspective, Bryson DeChambeau recently took it on and shot 2 under…Granted, Bryson isn’t known for his short game, and it was a small par 3 track with a par of 27, but all that considered, 9 under through 9 holes is going to be awfully tough to beat. I mean, literally, like EVER! Ill go so far as to claim that one really famous golfer with the name of a large cat probably wouldn’t get close to 9 under! Maybe if it were his day, he was firing on all cylinders and made every putt he looked at. He may get to (-5) under; heck, we will give him even 6 under…

Sorry, Tiger, The gauntlet has been thrown down. Hit me up to schedule the exhibition match Bobby Jones style… In the meantime, check out the layout below and comment at the bottom of the BLOG what you think you would shoot and if you think Tiger (or any other PGA superstar) could break the course record.

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Van Paris, who is now ranked No. 44 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, will compete in the U.S. Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club in the Denver suburb of Cherry Creek next week. He didn’t make the finals at the North and South, but he did win the Sunnehanna Amateur and place in the top 10 at the Northeast Amateur earlier this summer.

Which course at Pinehurst will be Van Paris’s next target, you may ask? “I’d like to conquer the deuce next!” He says it casually over a bowl of oatmeal. “I have my sights set on a score of 29 going out. I like the front nine; it just seems to set up for my eye better. Yeah, I’ll knock down a 29 on the front soon. I can feel it…It’s coming.”

Oh yeah…BTW, he shot an 18-hole round on the nine-hole par-31 course, including seven birdies and a hole-in-one on the sixth hole. Watch out #2 You’ve got a Jackson who is taking dead aim at you… I am not a betting man, but I’d put a Jackson on Jackson to do pretty well anytime he steps foot on the hallowed Pinehurst grounds. See what I did there? There’s no doubt the kids a stick; let’s see what he can do in the coming months. Remember his name. We may be hearing a lot more from this phenom very soon…

Jackson Van Paris, 2021 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods Champion

RECORDS BROKEN AT PINEHURST ???

Well, it’s two down, eight to go for this Vanderbilt phenom at Pinehurst Resort. He has his sights set on breaking the course record on every course at the Resort. Van Paris is having quite the summer on the course; he also won the Sunnehanna Amateur, posting another 61 there. What will Van Paris do next? We can’t wait to see which record at Pinehurst’s 10 courses—soon to be 11—he checks off next. For the record, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin, and Gibby Gilbert share the low round at No. 2, the site of the 2024 U.S. Open, with a score of 62.

Dream big, Jackson! Dream Big! We are pulling for ya’!

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One of the Greatest Putts in U.S. Open History?

JJ Spaun’s 64-Foot Walk-Off

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When JJ Spaun stood over a 64-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, few could have predicted what would come next. The ball meandered across the slick green, trickling over every contour, picking up speed at the crest, and then—like it had GPS—dropped center cup. Spaun dropped his putter, raised his arms, and the crowd erupted. With that single stroke, he claimed his first major title in one of the most dramatic finishes in U.S. Open history.

But how does Spaun’s putt stack up against other legendary finishes in the tournament’s storied past? Let’s break down some of the most iconic moments and see where this one lands.


1. Payne Stewart – 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst

Perhaps the most iconic putt in U.S. Open history came from Payne Stewart, who nailed a 15-footer for par on the 18th to win by one over Phil Mickelson. The pose—fist pump and outstretched leg—has since been immortalized in a statue at Pinehurst. What made it legendary wasn’t just the putt—it was the context: Stewart’s final major before his tragic death just months later.

Verdict: Iconic and emotional. Spaun’s putt was longer, but Stewart’s was more poetic.


2. Tiger Woods – 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines

Woods drained a 12-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate—while basically playing on one leg. That tournament went to sudden death after an 18-hole playoff, and Tiger prevailed. This was peak Tiger drama, pain and all.

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Verdict: Spaun’s putt was longer, but Tiger’s win was sheer willpower and mystique.


3. Jack Nicklaus – 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

With a 1-iron shot that hit the flagstick on 17 and a crucial birdie putt on 18, Jack sealed a dominant win. His precision and timing under pressure showed why he’s the GOAT.

Verdict: Not a putt for the win, but a signature finishing statement from Jack. Spaun’s was more electric in terms of pure putter drama.


4. Ben Hogan – 1950 U.S. Open at Merion

Hogan’s 1-iron into the 18th fairway and the par to force a playoff—just 16 months after a near-fatal car crash—remain legendary. He won the playoff and completed one of golf’s great comeback stories.

Verdict: Larger-than-life comeback. Spaun’s putt had more flair, but Hogan’s win was heroic.


5. JJ Spaun – 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont

Let’s not underestimate what Spaun accomplished. The pressure was immense. He wasn’t the favorite. And on the most treacherous greens in golf, he buried a 64-foot bomb—a putt most players would be happy to lag to within 5 feet—to win the U.S. Open outright.

Verdict: For distance, surprise, and drama, Spaun’s putt may be the most shocking winning stroke in U.S. Open history.


Final Thoughts

JJ Spaun may not have the résumé of a Nicklaus or Woods, but for one Sunday afternoon in June 2025, he created a moment that will live in golf lore forever. Spaun’s putt was longer than Stewart’s, more unexpected than Tiger’s, and more dramatic than any final-hole finish in recent memory.

In terms of pure clutch putting? It might just be the greatest walk-off in U.S. Open history.


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The Zen of the Shank: Finding Inner Peace in Your Worst Shots

Find your inner peace even when you aren’t playing well.

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Ah, the shank. That glorious, unpredictable misfire that sends your pristine golf ball screaming sideways, often directly into the unsuspecting shins of your playing partner, or perhaps, with a touch of poetic irony, into the very lake you’ve been trying to avoid all day. Most golfers, bless their earnest little hearts, view the shank as a catastrophic failure, a blight upon their scorecard, a testament to their inherent lack of coordination. They curse, they throw clubs, they contemplate a career in competitive thumb-wrestling. But not I. No, my friends, for I, Ty Webb, have found enlightenment in the humble shank.

You see, the shank is not a mistake; it’s a revelation. It’s the universe’s way of reminding you that control is an illusion, that perfection is a myth, and that sometimes, the most direct path to your goal is, in fact, a wildly indirect one. Think of it as a philosophical detour, a sudden, unexpected journey into the unknown. One moment, you’re aiming for the green, a paragon of precision and intent. The next, your ball is ricocheting off a tree, narrowly missing a squirrel, and landing, by some divine comedic intervention, closer to the hole than your perfectly struck drive ever would have. Is that not a miracle? Is that not a sign that the golf gods, much like life itself, have a wicked sense of humor?

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The key, my dear apprentices of the links, is acceptance. Embrace the shank. Welcome it with open arms, like a long-lost, slightly inebriated relative. When that familiar, sickening thwack echoes through the air, do not despair. Instead, take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Feel the gentle breeze on your face. And then, with a knowing smile, open them and observe the chaos you have wrought. Is it not beautiful in its own chaotic way? Is there not a certain freedom in relinquishing control, in allowing the ball to choose its own destiny, however bizarre that destiny may be?

Some say the shank is a sign of poor technique. I say it’s a sign of a vibrant, untamed spirit. A golfer who never shanks is a golfer who has never truly lived, never truly explored the outer limits of their own golfing absurdity. They are content with mediocrity, with predictable trajectories and mundane outcomes. But you, my enlightened few, you understand that the true joy of golf lies not in the score, but in the story. And what a story a good shank can tell.

So, the next time you feel that familiar tremor of a shank brewing, don’t fight it. Let it flow. Let it be. For in the heart of every shank lies a lesson, a laugh, and perhaps, just perhaps, a path to a lower score you never saw coming. After all, as the great philosopher Basho once said, “A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.” And a golf game without a shank? Well, that’s just not golf, is it?

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Meet The Canadian Open Qualifier Tied To ClickIt Golf!

“This week was incredible,” he said. “A dream come true.”

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Josh Goldenberg doesn’t plan to quit his day job. But he had a great time dabbling in his old career.

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He gave up on pro golf, then qualified for his first PGA Tour event.

Read the full story here
https://golf.com/news/josh-goldenberg-rbc-canadian-open/?amp=1

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