the strokes first uk tour

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This 2001 Story Of The Strokes’ Rise To Fame Is A Rock & Roll Time Capsule

Online for the first time, this profile of the now-iconic new york rock band—their very first cover story—is a snapshot of the hype around them..

In 2001, for The FADER's 9th issue , writer Eric Ducker tagged along with The Strokes on tour in London for their first-ever cover story.

Fuck Cameron Crowe. First, fuck him for creating Say Anything ’s Lloyd Dobler, the model that produced an idealized standard that no American heterosexual male born after 1970 can attain. Second, fuck him for creating a mythology that acquaintances, relatives and editors confuse with what it’s actually like for a young journalist to go on tour with a rock band, despite the widely accepted fact that movies are not reality.

Actually, Crowe may have confused some rock bands too, for when I first meet New York City band the Strokes , as they drink beer on the roof of London’s Soho House, lead-singer Julian Casablancas says to me, “You’re 22? You look older than that. When I heard you were 22 I was expecting a little guy being like [adopts a high-pitched, naïve tone], ‘Hey guys. What’s up?’” This is especially funny because we are, in fact, the same age and because I am slightly older than the rest of the band (bassist Nikolai Fraiture recently turned 22, lead guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. and drummer Fabrizio Moretti are 21 and rhythm guitarist Nick Valensi is 20).

Truthfully, there were no tripping on acid, jumping into swimming pools, Almost Famous moments during my four and a half days with the band during the end of the United Kingdom leg of their summer tour, except for later that first night when their 23-year-old manager Ryan Gentles gave me the Russell Hammond line, “Just make them look cool.” I told him that they don’t need any help looking cool. Then he corrected himself and said, “I just mean write it how it actually is.”

If this was a story hyping the Strokes I would call it “Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On.”

If this was a story about the hype about the Strokes, I would (predictably) call it “Almost Famous.”

If I were feeling cheeky I would call it “Nearly Well-Known.”

Following the fuzzy logic of phenom-based journalism, there are already more articles about the Strokes that cover them being hyped than there are ones that hype them. So in regards to the hype, I’ll say this: there are people who sing Velvet Underground lyrics (never the appropriate ones) along to the Strokes. There are also people who will tell you that they hate the band without hearing anything by them. Both of these responses are to be expected. In regards to hyping them, I’ll say this: without hearing any music, the FADER knew months ago we were going to feature the Strokes the second photographer Leslie Lyons showed us the publicity photo she took of them.

Five minutes after I meet Casablancas we’re out on the street and he’s got his arms around me and is whispering into my ear, in a tone somewhere between sinister and conspiratorial, “Welcome… welcome.” Then he gives me the rap about Mr. Fly-On-The-Wall-Journalist who hangs out for a couple days and thinks he knows how it is. It’s tough to take Casablancas entirely seriously, because I’m not sure if he is taking himself seriously. Later at Trash, the rock night at a club called The End, it’s a parade of white England’s former fashion trends. There are boys with vintage urban cowboy shirts, boys with mohawks, boys with paper fans who are part of the new wave of retro-foppishness, boys with thick-rimmed indie glasses and flight bags, boys in Idlewild. This is the Strokes’ fan base, so the band doesn’t get recognized or approached much. Instead they look like boys who look like the Strokes.

“We have no intention of being the fashion kings they’re trying to make us out to be.”—Fabrizio Moretti, The Strokes

“I’m in the middle of an emergency. Can I call you back? Actually, I lost your number, can you call me back? I’m at a medical clinic.”

This was when I was still back in America, I had called Gentles on his cell phone to arrange the first meeting between band and journalist. Rock star medical emergencies usually bring three options to mind: (a) over-dose (b) van accident (c) drunken fight with band members or other parties.

Later that day I find out that the emergency is that drummer Moretti broke his left hand after a fall while exiting the band’s van. Now he’s not only unable to play for the next six weeks, but also needs assistance putting on his coat, buttering bread and opening beer bottles. And no, he was not drunk at the time. Just a week and a half into a tour that will last all summer and cover 12 countries, the band cancelled showed in Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham, and nearly postponed the entire venture until Moretti recovered. Luckily, relief came in the form of Matt Romano, the drummer in Gentles’ former band the Selzers and a friend of the Strokes. Romano’s plans for the summer entailed working part-time at a record store before he got the call to sit in with the band being treated like the hottest shit since shit came hot.

Assimilating yourself into a group in just 36 hours is hard enough, but Romano replacing Moretti has extra clauses. None of the Strokes have ever seriously worked with another drummer–the band evolved out of classmates Casablancas, Moretti and Valensi playing music together in their mid-teens–and those within and close to the band describe Moretti’s drumming as “a gorilla on cocaine” and “Superman meets the Green Lantern on speed.” It’s a tough job to fill if you’re not a primate or a superhero with a drug problem.

“Right now I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid—a seven-year-old kid listening to Guns N’ Roses saying to myself, ‘I want to play music.’”—Nick Valensi, The Strokes

When you’re in the middle of it, it’s tough to keep perspective on how big they are. And while they easily sold out every show of their first headlining UK club tour, when they play the Leeds and Reading Festivals at the end of August, it will be on the second stage, billed below Evan Dando.

Surprise! The Strokes actually aren’t the bad boys they’ve been made out to be. Well, they are no badder than most of the boys in their early twenties that you know. They’ve got the usual vices–drinking and girls–but you’d be disappointed if they didn’t and they’re far from out of control. Most of the time, the five have their paws all over each other, and those they consider part of their extended family. It’s a non-stop incestual hug and grope fest. This isn’t to say that the Strokes are pansies. They don’t start shit, but they don’t take it either. Maybe it’s the haircuts that makes everyone think that they’re bad. Maybe it’s because they wear secondhand jackets. Or maybe it’s because Valensi owns a pair of “I ❤️ Jesus” socks. No, it’s probably not the “I ❤️ Jesus” socks.

Anyway, that’s just fashion, not an explanation for a disposition. But the Strokes will always be tied to what they wear, whether they like it or not. NME ran an article on the Strokes’ influence on clothing designers’ new lines and even gave advice on “How To Look Like The Strokes.” The answer: go to a thrift store in the East Village. Similarly, not only is it how they look that leads to the assumption that they are bad, but every embarrassing or stupid thing they ever do is exaggerated to take on lifestyle-defining significance. Every time one of them takes a piss in public or gets drunk and knocks into a journalist at a show it adds to their rep. In regards to fashion and their attitude, Moretti responds, “A lot of people try to make us out as this half-fashionable, half-pissed-off band. For the record, we are very fun-loving guys. We have no intention of being the fashion kings they’re trying to make us out to be. We’re geeks that wear the clothes we’ve been wearing for the past five to ten years.”

It’s like they won an MTV contest for talented people: you and your four best friends get to travel the world with amps and per diems and refrigerators backstage filled with beer and whatever types of cheese you desire. Valensi says, “Right now I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid—a seven-year-old kid listening to Guns N’ Roses saying to myself, ‘I want to play music. I want to tour the world.’ If this wasn’t fun, I’d still be studying American Literature at Hunter College. Right now, this period of my life is the most fun I’ve ever had.” So is this the best summer ever? "So far. Fuckin’-A yeah. I mean Fab’s got a broken hand, that’s the only problem.”

“I just took a big ol’ shit,” says Moretti, dropping into the back bench of the van. “I took a big ol’ shit too,” adds Valensi taking a seat next to him. On the way from London to Colchester, a small town in Essex County, we review Gentles’ video footage of the trip so far. We watch the gig in Manchester, the last show Moretti played. The one he played with a broken hand. During “Take It Or Leave It,” the last song of the set, Moretti says, “I was so happy when we got to the last chorus. I was in so much pain.” The band sequestered themselves in rehearsal for the past day and a half, trying to acclimatize Romano to their pace (fuck jet lag, fuck being nauseous). On the ride, Romano listens to Is This It on his discman repeatedly. Fraiture assumes his normal spot riding shotgun, occasionally smacking the TV monitor when a hole in the road disrupts the connections. Valensi reads James Joyce’s Dubliners .

The van pulls into the venue at beer o’clock: already there to greet them is a group of kids in skinny ties and their dad’s old sweaters. Inside, the band sound checks and gets into an argument about the use of a barricade in front of the stage. Valensi and Casablancas are pro, Hammond is con. [Sample Dialogue–Casablancas: “Watching that shit in the van, it looked so stupid with that guy on stage dancing next to me like an idiot.” Hammond: “I thought it looked cool how you kept looking forward and didn’t even acknowledge that he was there.”] The band get progressively more wasted. When they run out of Bud backstage they petition the venue’s bar staff for some tall cans of Fosters and shots of Jack Daniels.

A schedule for the night has the Strokes playing from “10:45—?” but the Strokes don’t jam. Their set lasts roughly 36 minutes, the length of Is This It , and adheres to the order of the track listing. The Strokes don’t do covers, outtakes, encores or much banter besides introducing songs. The Strokes play Not Now Music (my term, definitely not theirs, and not necessarily one you should adopt or base your interest in the band on. Valensi stresses that anyone who wants to know about the band should “if not buy our record, tape it off a friend or come to a show and judge for themselves”). It is music rooted in the past (I’ll let other critics debate which Non-Commercial Yet Influential rock band it most sounds like), but it has the urgency and frustration that takes it back to the future. When I heard The Soft Bulletin by the Flaming Lips in 1999, I realized it sounded like how I imagined the Grateful Dead would sound, before I actually heard the Dead for the first time when I was 12. When I saw Badly Drawn Boy at the Fillmore it was how I imagined old Van Morrison shows to be: somewhere between parody and mystical shit from a family man who is obviously not well.

When watching the Strokes play clubs the obvious way to imagine it as one of those Non-Commercial-Yet-Influential bands playing CBGB or Max’s Kansas City or the Mercer Art Center where everyone in the crowd just came from an Andy Warhol opening and they’re all drunk on champagne and Debbie Harry is waiting tables and you can buy the first issue of Punk from Legs McNeil and you can’t tell if Patti Smith is flirting with you or just being weird and Lester Bangs is making a mess of himself and at the back table, Lou Reed is there. Lou Reed is always there.

But you know that’s bullshit. The Strokes know that’s bullshit. Because it could never have really been that way. That perfect. That contrived. Not everyone could have been beautiful and talented. The sound couldn’t have been good. All of that could never really be going on at the same time. Not everyone could have been there to smile for the downtown ‘78 family picture. And I don’t know if anyone ever threw their panties on stage back then, like someone does in Colchester. But if they did, I hope whoever was holding the mic did the same thing Casablancas does—give it a quick sniff before casting it aside.

“Why does someone else always look like the lead singer in the photos?”—Julian Casablancas, The Strokes

“Why does someone else always look like the lead singer in the photos?” says Casablancas as he, Valensi and Moretti review potential publicity photos for their US tour. He’s right. Someone else is always in the center, in focus. Yet he’s the one who writes the songs, the one who drafted Hammond and early childhood friend Fraiture into the group, the one who gets on Romano’s case the most during rehearsals. It’s his personality—witty, wary, yet with an honesty that can slip into cockiness—that has been generalized as the personality of the entire band. There are other aspects of the press that the Strokes still haven’t figured out. When Valensi says, “I’m interested in getting laid and doing drugs as much as the next guy, but we also have a really good work ethic,” he doesn’t realize the immediate journalistic impulse is to blow that up into a giant pullquote.

The London show is in Heaven, a spot that is usually a gay disco. The show yesterday in Colchester was in what used to be a church. Like they say, it takes all kinds. Tonight is the Strokes’ biggest show so far in what is sure to be a year of big shows. Supermodels and Pet Shop Boys are on the guest list. Tickets that originally sold for £8.50 are now being scalped for £100. The Strokes come through in the clutch. If you’ve ever seen a good rock show, I’ll spare you the details, but man, the Strokes are fun. You should see them, a mix of controlled mayhem and boogie-oogie-woogie. Backstage Hammond is introduced to Jack Rovner, the head of the Strokes’ label RCA, who has flown in for the show. Once Hammond realizes who he is, he gives him a hug and says, “Welcome to the family,” even though normal logic would have the exchange going the other way around.

Later at the after-party in Heaven’s Powder Room, two boys in denim jackets are trying to persuade the wait staff to take off the trance and put on the Stones, but they are told the club “only has gay music.” It’s packed with music journalists, the band’s tech crew, scenesters and autograph seekers. As per the orders of an unknown individual outside of the band’s management team, two club security guards follow Casablancas around the room all night. They’re not stoic Secret Service types (they drink and hit on girls like Casablancas does), but wherever he goes, they’re right behind him. (When told about it the next morning, Valensi says “Last night’s crowd was the nicest of the entire tour. We could have used bodyguards in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester.”) Outside the main room that is a bit much for him, Moretti politely humors a blonde girl with a backless shirt who is on some Keanu shit in what she thinks is consoling him about his hand, telling “You’ve got the power. You’re the one.” But she’s drunk. Everyone’s drunk. Because the Strokes are an American band and when they come to your town, you’ve got to party down.

The platitude is: the Strokes are New York City. But have you been to New York lately? It’s filled with girls in tank tops with thin straps, or one strap, or no straps that have words like NAUGHTY or FLIRT bedazzles across the chest. And the girls are all biracial or European. It’s crazy. Actually, that’s an exaggeration. Nothing’s ever that simple. There also still disturbingly large roaches and old men who cook up and mainline during lunch hour in front of the West 4th subway stop. There are high school kids who pop Ritalin to study for math tests and can afford to buy Prada sneakers to wear just once to the prom. There are arty skaters who thing thug shit is the next move and every move to a new neighborhood comes down to a bar with cosmopolitans and a video store with a David Lynch section. And the Lower East Side, where the Strokes now live after leaving the Upper East Side where they were raised (except the LA-bred Hammond), still smells like garbage all summer.

So are they looking forward to coming back? Casablancas says, “If we were going back to New York now, I’d say ‘Thank God we’re going back to New York.’ But we’re going to all these countries I’ve never been to, so I’m still like mentally prepped for the ride. Do you know what’s going to be fucking really cool is that when we get back to New York, we’re going to have been around the fucking world. It’s going to be like, ‘Hey guys. I was here a few months and I’ve just been… around the world and back.”

The next morning (early afternoon in non-rock time), the Strokes pack up the van for their drive to Amsterdam. Everyone is almost over their hangovers or, in Casablancas’ case, is still wasted. Tour Manager Kevin O’Dwyer informs the group that at the Mallorca Festival in Spain next week they’ve gone from an unknown second stage act to THE BAND NOT TO MISS. To Fraiture’s surprise, Valensi calls shotgun, and as they discuss how it seems to be getting claimed earlier and earlier, Casablancas calls shotgun for Australia. The first joint of the day is rolled. Moretti, unable to effectively push Gentles because of his broken hand, repeatedly pelvic thrusts him and then the exchange turns into a recreation of the Steve Martin/Rick Moranis dance lesson scene from My Blue Heaven . Even the normally quiet Fraiture starts talking shit. And then they’re gone. A rock band in a van with a broken stereo, continuing their good-natured bad boy roadshow.

Watch The FADER's Everything You Need To Know About Strokes' Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.

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Tom Stafford / 11 February 2020

The Strokes announce intimate London show

Fans can pre-order the band's forthcoming new album for presale access.

Find tickets here

The Strokes have announced details of an intimate London headline show, alongside more details of their forthcoming new album  The New Abnormal. 

The newly announced gig will see the band headline The Roundhouse, London on Wednesday 19 February 2020.

How to get tickets early

Pre-order The Strokes’ forthcoming new album The New Abnormal from their official store before 17:00 on Thursday 13 February 2020 to access the presale for this show.*

The presale then begins at 10:00 on Friday 14 February 2020.

Head here to pre-order the album

*Limited availability, code does not guarantee tickets

New York rockers The Strokes first broke through in 2001 with their debut album Is This It. 

The record, which features tracks such as Someday and Last Night , was met with widespread critical acclaim on release and is widely considered to be one of the most influential rock albums of the past twenty years.

Since their debut, the band have gone on to release four more LPs: 2003’s Room On Fire , 2006’s First Impressions Of Earth , 2011’s Angles , and 2013’s Comedown Machine .

Their sixth album The New Abnormal is set to be released on 10 April 2020 and the band recently unveiled the video for the album’s lead single At The Door.  Check it out below:

The new LP was recorded at the Shangri La-studios in Malibu and produced by Rick Rubin.

Ahead of the release of the album, the band will perform a rare intimate live show at London’s The Roundhouse on Wednesday 19 February 2020.

Following the presale , tickets to see The Strokes at The Roundhouse, London will be available from 13:00 on Friday 14 February 2020 through Ticketmaster.co.uk.  

*Please note. All tickets for this show will be mobile only tickets, locked to fans’ Ticketmaster account. Find out more about mobile tickets HERE

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Recent tour reviews

I recently saw the Strokes at the Forum in LA. It twas my first time and they were tight. Julian's falsetto was on point and I got no complaints. I will definitely be seeing them again! We are lucky that they are still together.

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The Strokes were awesome in the auditorium and as I was in the upper terrace I had the perfect view. Made lots of friendships in Belfast aswell on the night through love of the strokes music and live music.

It’s official: they’re back.

The Strokes played in Berlin their first show (in a venue) in Europe in 9 years with a solid combination of their 3 first records, one song from Come Down Machine and 2 new songs (The Adults are Talking and Bad Decisions).

They played with a great mood between them and we could see one of the best Casablancas, joking with the band and the crowd, even singing Last Nite jumping to the public.

I hope this is just the beginning and they play in more venues than during last 14 years.

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Past Events

Here are the most recent UK tour dates we had listed for The Strokes. Were you there?

August 2023

• Fri 25 Aug London, Victoria Park All Points East 2023 - The Strokes Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Girl In Red, Amyl And The Sniffers, Angel Olsen…
• Fri 8 Jul ➙ Sun 10 Jul Glasgow Green TRNSMT Festival 2022 Paolo Nutini, Sam Fender, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Tom Grennan, The Lathums…
• Fri 8 Jul Lytham St Annes, Lytham Green The Strokes Fontaines D.C.
• Wed 6 Jul ➙ Sun 10 Jul NOS Alive '22 The Strokes, The War on Drugs, Stromae, Jungle, Modest Mouse…
• Thu 2 Jun ➙ Sun 12 Jun Primavera Sound Barcelona-Sant Adrià 2022 Massive Attack, Pavement, Tame Impala, Beck, The National…

August 2020

• Wed 5 Aug ➙ Tue 11 Aug Sziget Festival 2020 Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa, Kings Of Leon, Major Lazer, The Strokes…
• Wed 8 Jul ➙ Sun 12 Jul NOS Alive '20 Kendrick Lamar, Black Pumas, Jorja Smith, Khalid, alt-j…
• Thu 2 Jul ➙ Sun 5 Jul Rock Werchter 2020 Pearl Jam, Pixies, Wilco, twenty one pilots, The Streets…

February 2020

• Mon 24 Feb Belfast, Waterfront Hall The Strokes
• Wed 19 Feb London, The Roundhouse The Strokes

August 2019

• Fri 30 Aug ➙ Sun 1 Sep Electric Picnic 2019 The Strokes, Florence + The Machine, Hozier, The 1975, Billie Eilish…
• Fri 12 Jul ➙ Sun 14 Jul Doctor Music Festival 2019 Audiofly, Bedouin (2), Black Coffee, Damian Lazarus, Seth Troxler…
• Sat 25 May London, Victoria Park The Strokes, The Raconteurs, Interpol, Johnny Marr, The Fat White Family, Courtney Barnett, Jarvis Cocker, Anna Calvi, Parquet Courts, Temples, Connan Mockasin, Amyl And The Sniffers, Angie McMahon, BC Camplight, Yak, Dream Wife, Our Girl, Viagra Boys, Bakar, The Nude Party, Willie J Healey, Demob Happy …
• Thu 18 Jun London, Hyde Park The Strokes, Beck, Future Islands, Temples, Public Service Broadcasting, The Wytches, Hinds, Gengahr, Yak, Kieran Leonard (1) …
• Thu 28 May ➙ Sun 31 May Primavera Sound Barcelona 2015 Andrew Weatherall, Antony, Arthur Russell Instrumentals, Baxter Dury, Benjamin Booker…

August 2011

• Wed 24 Aug ➙ Sun 28 Aug Reading Festival Reading Festival 2011 My Chemical Romance, Thirty Seconds To Mars, The Offspring, Deftones, Rise Against…
• Wed 24 Aug ➙ Mon 29 Aug Leeds, Bramham Park Leeds Festival 2011 A Genuine Freakshow, Anguish Sandwich, Arthur Rigby & The Baskervilles, Black Diamond Bay, Castrovalva…
• Thu 7 Jul ➙ Sun 10 Jul Kinross, Balado Airfield T In The Park 2011 2ManyDJs, All Time Low, Arctic Monkeys, Beady Eye, Benga…
• Fri 11 Jun ➙ Sun 13 Jun Newport, Festival Site Paul McCartney, Jay-Z, Florence and The Machine, The Strokes, Blondie, Biffy Clyro, PiNK, Editors, Calvin Harris, Doves, Vampire Weekend, The Courteeners, Spandau Ballet, Paloma Faith, The Hold Steady, Friendly Fires, Mr Hudson, Hockey, Crowded House, The Coronas …
• Thu 10 Jun ➙ Sun 13 Jun Nr Dores, Clune Farm Loch Ness The Strokes, Fatboy Slim, Doves, Ian Brown, 2 Many DJs, Friendly Fires, Annie Mac, Soulwax, Rob da Bank, Cassius, DJ Mehdi, Busy P, Leftfield, Chase & Status, Boys Noize, Enter Shikari, Zane Lowe, Booka Shade, The Bloody Beetroots, Vitalic …

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Davis Thompson qualifies for Open Championship after record-setting win at PGA Tour's John Deere Classic

Davis Thompson and CT Pan qualify for Open Championship from July 18-21; Thompson wins first PGA Tour title with tournament-record 28 under par at John Deere Classic; Pan ends tied for second and beats Michael Thorbjornsen and Luke Clanton to Open spot by virtue of higher world ranking

Monday 8 July 2024 07:50, UK

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Davis Thompson put in record-setting performance as he wrapped up victory at the John Deere Classic and secured a spot in the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Thompson's final total of 28 under par in Illinois eclipsed the previous tournament record of 27 under set by Michael Kim in 2018 and earned him a first PGA Tour title as well as a debut appearance in the British major from July 18-21.

The 25-year-old carded a seven-under 64 on Sunday to finish four strokes clear of CT Pan, Michael Thorbjornsen and amateur Luke Clanton, with Pan securing the second Open qualification spot by virtue of having the higher world ranking.

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Thompson led fellow American Eric Cole and England's Aaron Rai by two strokes heading into the final round and never looked in danger of being caught as he birdied five of his first six holes at TPC Deere Run and reached the turn in 29.

The Georgian - who came joint-second at last week's Rocket Mortgage Classic after a ninth-placed finish at the US Open in June - saw his lead trimmed to three shots after he bogeyed 12 with Thorbjornsen making six birdies on the trot between eight and 13.

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However, Thompson birdied 14 to effectively clinch victory with Thorbjornsen bogeying the same hole before picking up a birdie at 18 to end up alongside Pan and Clanton at 24 under.

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Thompson told CBS : "Qualifying for the Open was just an added incentive into this. The goal was to win the golf tournament after getting off to a great start and I was able to finish it off."

Final leaderboard: John Deere Classic

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For the last 3 years, each winner @JDClassic has stayed in the same rental home in Silvis, Illinois. It is officially the Trophy House 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5sj8SL5NBx — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 7, 2024

Bizarrely, the winner of this tournament has stayed in the same rental house for three years running, with Thompson following in the footsteps of JT Poston in 2022 and last year's winner Sepp Straka.

Clanton - who played the back nine in six under - became the first amateur to finish in the top 10 in back-to-back starts on the PGA Tour since 1958 having come 10th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

England's Rai ended up tied for seventh at the John Deere Classic after a two-under 69, with compatriot Harry Hall a further stroke back in a tie for 12th after closing with a six-under 65 that featured eight birdies and a double bogey.

Watch the 152nd Open Championship, from Royal Troon, live on Sky Sports Golf from 6.30am on Thursday July 18.

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Davis Thompson latest to go from Georgia golf under Chris Haack to PGA Tour winner

Make it an even dozen golfers who Chris Haack coached at Georgia that have won on the PGA Tour.

Davis Thompson Sunday became No. 12 when he won the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill., for his first title in his 63 rd career start.

The former two-time All-American was SEC Golfer of the Year in 2021.

Thompson, 25, was runner-up a week earlier at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and finished ninth this summer at the U.S. Open.

“This week my goal was to just kick the door down and get a win honestly,” Thompson told reporters. “Then I was just able to play really well and thankfully I'm in a good spot for the rest of the year.”

Thompson won by four strokes with a 28-under 256. He gets $1.44 million for the win and qualified for this month’s British Open and next year’s Masters.

“I’m so proud of Davis,” Haack said. “Not only did he accomplish his first PGA Tour win but he broke the tournament scoring record and played incredible golf. I’m looking forward to watching his young career continue to unfold.”

Thompson became the second Bulldog in as many years to win the John Deere Classic following Sepp Straka last year.

Thompson stayed in the same house during the tournament as several players in the field including former Georgia golfer Greyson Sigg. Straka stayed in the house last year when he won, but didn’t this year because his family was in town but went over to play cards.

“I stayed in Sepp's room this year,” Thompson said. “I don't know. Me and him may be fighting for that room next year.”

Thompson became the 17 th former Georgia golfer to win on the PGA Tour. Brian Harman also won the John Deere Classic in 2014.

“It's a pretty cool fraternity out here,” Thompson said. “We've got, gosh, I don't know, around ten guys out here. It's just cool to share that with other guys. We're pulling for each other, but at the end of the day we're competing against each other, and it's always fun to talk Georgia football with those guys.”

Thompson was born in Atlanta, went to high school in Auburn, Ala., and lives in St. Simons. His father Todd was a Georgia golf captain in 1987 and 1988.

“I grew up a Georgia fan, so I always loved coming to football games as a kid,” Thompson told the Banner-Herald in 2021. “I’ve just always had that kind of innate desire to play well for Georgia and represent the school the best way possible."

Here are the 12 golfers who Chris Haack coached at Georgia that went on to win on the PGA Tour

Bubba Watson

Harris English

Kevin Kisner

Brian Harman

Russell Henley

Hudson Swafford

Brendon Todd

Keith Mitchell

Sepp Straka

Ryuji Imada

Davis Thompson

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Davis Thompson 'kicks door down' as UGA products win first on PGA Tour

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Scottish Open DFS Plays: Value Picks For Each Salary Range

T he Scottish Open has been a stable of the golf world since 1972. Players have often used it as a warmup for The Open Championship. But since 2022, it has been featured on the PGA Tour schedule as an agreement with the European Tour. The Renaissance Club has hosted the tournament since 2019. We’ll look at the top Scottish Open DFS plays to give you the value pick in each salary range.

The Renaissance Club was designed by top modern architect Tom Doak back in 2008. Doak’s combination of classical links elements along with modern design philosophies has made the course very popular and a very unique track amongst the very old courses often played around the UK. Like many links courses, its toughness is usually determined by the weather. It plays as a Par 71 at around 7,300 yards.

Our model this week is looking at SG: Approach, Opportunities Gained, SG: Off the Tee, SG: Around the Green, Birdies or Better Gained, SG: Par 5, and Driving Distance.

Top Value: $9,000+: Collin Morikawa – $10,300

Collin Morikawa is playing some of the best golf in the world right now. He now has eight consecutive finishes of 16th or better dating all the way back to the Masters. Four of those finishes were in the top four, three of those starts were major championships, and four more of them were elevated events. Point being, he’s been consistently contending in the game’s biggest events.

All facets of Morikawa’s game are currently clicking. That includes the putter, which is usually the only club in his bag that holds him back. He’s a former winner of The Open, which means he’ll be plenty comfortable on a links course in the UK. His ball striking ability will always play well over here. I slightly prefer Morikawa’s price over taking Rory McIlroy for $1,600 more. He ranks 4th in my model.

Scottish Open DFS Top Value: $8,000-$8,900: Sungjae Im – $8,500

Sungjae Im hits a hybrid at the John Deere Classic.

If you don’t count major championships, Sungjae Im continues to be in some fantastic form dating back to late April. The form in those tournaments is 12th, 3rd, 8th, 9th, 4th, 12th. His driver is still very steady, but more importantly, both the irons and putter seem to be finding some great form. Those irons used to be what made Im such a promising young player, but they had been letting him down of late.

Im has now gained 8.3 strokes on approach in his last two starts. He’s also a fantastic player in windy conditions if the forecast changes at all. Another thing to consider is Im has no issue traveling and playing in different environments. This feels like the most solid pick in this range even if he may not have the upside for a victory. Im ranks 12th in my model.

Top Value: $7,000-$7,900: Keith Mitchell – $7,300

Mitchell hasn’t had a ton of success in links golf yet, but a 36th here in 2022 is at least a bit form on this course to lean on. But the difference with this version of Killa’ Keith is he’s become one of the best iron players on the planet. Considering he also prefers playing in winds and on difficult courses, I don’t see why Mitchell can’t find success in the UK this month.

The short game and putter haven’t been as bad lately, which led to solid finishes in Canada and at the John Deere last week. These slow and large greens can also be a good spot for someone who doesn’t do as much of his work with the short game. With his ball striking, Mitchell could have a nice shot here. He ranks 2nd in my model.

Scottish Open DFS Top Value: $6,000-$6,900: Jordan Smith – $6,600

It’s been an inconsistent year for Jordan Smith on the European Tour. With some of the talent that left, it’s disappointing since he should be right at the front of the Race to Dubai. But a T2 last week in Germany has him in form heading to a tournament he loves. Smith has gone 24th and 12th in the Scottish Open since it moved to the improved field.

He’s one of the best ball strikers on the European Tour, and it’s even translated to solid finishes in majors and split fields in the last couple years. The Key for Smith will always be the putter. But we don’t need him to win here. At this price, his steady ball striking should lead to another decent finish in Scotland. He ranks 17th in my model.

Scottish Open DFS Top Value: $5,000-$5,900: Antoine Rozner – $5,600

Antoine Rozner hits an iron at the Italian Open.

We’re going to go with another European Tour player here at the bottom that likely isn’t getting the respect they deserve on more familiar turf. Rozner has started to get things going as of late as he also tries to make a run in the Race to Dubai for a PGA Tour card. He’s a fantastic links player who, like Smith, is a great ball striker that can struggle on the greens.

That’s the type of player we’re going after this week. Rozner was 5th in Italy in his last start and looked really good until a rough back nine on Sunday. He finished 20th in The Open last year and just shouldn’t be priced this low on a course that like this with his current form. Rozner ranks 26th in my model.

Like Heavy.com's content? Be sure to follow us .

This article was originally published on Heavy.com

The post Scottish Open DFS Plays: Value Picks For Each Salary Range appeared first on Heavy.com .

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Cam Davis wins Rocket Mortgage with help from Bhatia; Yin and Thitikul win LPGA team event

Cam Davis celebrates winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament at Detroit Country Club, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Ruoning Yin, left, and Atthaya Thitikul, right, hold the trophy after winning the Dow Championship LPGA golf tournament, Sunday, June 30, 2024, at Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

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DETROIT (AP) — Cam Davis won the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second time, closing with a 2-under 70 on Sunday that gave him a one-shot victory when Akshay Bhatia three-putted from 32 feet on the final hole.

Davis, a 29-year-old Australian who won his first PGA Tour title three years ago at Detroit Golf Club, pulled into a tie with Bhatia with a birdie on the par-5 17th hole.

That proved to be enough when Bhatia’s 4-foot par attempt on the 18th missed low and left for his first three-putt of the week.

Davis finished at 18-under 270 on a day of missed opportunities for the final pairing of Bhatia and Aaron Rai, each of whom shot 72. Davis Thompson (68) and Min Woo Lee (69) also finished one shot back.

The 22-year-old Bhatia was seeking his third PGA Tour title and second this year after leading or sharing the lead after each of the first three rounds.

Cameron Young shot 73 and plummeted to sixth place with two bogeys over the last three holes. Still winless on the PGA Tour, Young broke his driver in frustration on the 14th tee box.

MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand made a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole as she and Ruoning Yin of China won the Dow Championship by closing with an 8-under 62 in the fourballs format.

Thitikul and and Yin, good friends who each briefly were No. 1 in the women’s world ranking, led by two on the back nine over Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho until Ewing rallied to tie. Ewing birdied the 14th and 15th holes and hit a tough chip to save par on the 16th to stay tied.

Thitikul and Ruoning played in the group ahead, and Thitikul hit a tee shot on the par-3 18th over water to 12 feet behind the cup. Her birdie putt was true all the way, and they were all smiles as they headed to the clubhouse to see if it would hold up.

Ewing missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the last hole that would have forced a playoff. She and Kupcho shot a 64.

European Tour

VERCIA, Italy (AP) — Marcel Siem made a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to force a playoff, and he beat Tom McKibbin on the first extra hole to win the Italian Open.

It was Siem’s sixth victory on the European tour, winning in the German’s fourth tournament back after hip surgery in February.

Both Siem and McKibbin finished at 10-under par.

Siem was three strokes ahead of clubhouse leader McKibbin eight holes into his final round. Then four bogeys put him one stroke back going to the 18th. But Siem holed a 20-foot putt to finish with an even-par 71 and force the playoff.

McKibbin posted a bogey-free 65 in his final round at Adriatic Golf Club Cervia. He had the consolation prize of earning a spot in the British Open along with American Sean Crocker, who shot 68 to finish one stroke behind the leaders.

USGA and PGA Tour Champions

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Hiroyuki Fujita held a three-stroke lead with eight holes to play in the final round of the U.S. Senior Open on Sunday when the tournament was suspended because of severe weather at Newport Country Club.

Fujita was 2 under for the day when the horn sounded at 3 p.m. because of storms. The USGA announced at 4:55 p.m. that the tournament would resume Monday.

Richard Bland birdied the first three holes to move into second place. The Senior PGA champion was 13 under for the tournament with eight holes left. Richard Green was 1 under for the day and at minus-12 for the tournament. Steve Stricker, the U.S. Senior Open runner-up each of the last two years, was 2 over for the fourth round to fall six shots off the lead.

Tournament organizers tried to squeeze the golf in between the morning fog, which enshrouded the towers of the nearby Newport Bridge and blocked the view of the greens from the tees, and the severe weather forecast for the afternoon.

Korn Ferry Tour

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Max McGreevy birdied the 18th hole for a 2-under 71 and a one-shot victory in the Memorial Health Championship, moving him to No. 2 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list and assuring a full PGA Tour card next year.

McGreevy was tied with Steven Fisk, who had already posted a 67, when he made birdie to avoid a playoff at Panther Creek.

Fisk, with his runner-up finish, moved to the top of the points list. Jackson Suber shot 66 and finished third.

McGreevy posted his sixth top 10 of the year on the Korn Ferry Tour, including a runner-up finish last month in North Carolina.

Other tours

Florida State alum Fredrik Kjettrup of Denmark won his second straight PGA Tour Americas event when he shot 3-under 69 for a three-shot victory in the ATB Classic in Canada. ... Kathleen Scavo won the Dream First Bank Charity Classic in a six-hole playoff over Daniela Iacobelli on the Epson Tour. Scavo played the 18th hole at Buffalo Dunes seven times in 1-over par — a bogey in regulation to cause the playoff and then six pars until Iacobelli finally made bogey. ... Joel Moscatel of Spain birdied the last hole for a 2-under 70 and then beat Benjamin Hebert of France with a par on the first playoff hole to win Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in France for his second Challenge Tour win this year. ... Alice Hewson of England closed with a 6-under 65 and won a playoff over Tvesa Malik of India to capture the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour. ... Shiho Kuwaki won her first Japan LPGA title when she closed with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Kotone Hori in the Shiseido Ladies Open. ... Hyunkyung Park closed with a 3-under 69 and birdied the first playoff hole to beat Yerim Choi in the McCol-Mona Park Yongpyong Open on the Korea LPGA.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Full recap of Thursday and Friday at the PGA Championship

290 New Updates

Scottie Scheffler arrested by police before second round

World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler was charged with assaulting a police officer outside Valhalla Golf Club hours before starting his second round at the 2024 PGA Championship.

Scheffler — who was also charged with third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic — was released by police just in time to take to the course for his tee-off time of 10:08am ET. He impressed with a five-under round of 66 that moved him into third, at nine-under for the tournament.

The Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections, who posted a mugshot of the 27-year-old, said he was booked in at 7.28am local time and released at 8.40am. Scheffler later described the incident as “a big misunderstanding”.

The start of Friday’s second round was delayed by 80 minutes because of an unrelated crash near the course . Louisville police said a shuttle bus had struck and killed a pedestrian outside the golf club. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg later named him as local man John Mills.

• YOU CAN FOLLOW live coverage of day three at the PGA Championship with us right here .

Akshay Bhatia’s Valhalla history gives him confidence

(Getty Images)

“Did you chunk it?” Akshay Bhatia could only shake his head at the ridiculous question from his friend. Sixteen-year-old Bhatia had just sunk a near-impossible 40-foot chip for an eagle.

And this was not your average hole out. Bhatia did it on the 72nd hole of the 2018 Junior PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. A downhill slider from just long of the par 5, which he reached in two.

With the improbable chip-in, Bhatia defended his 2017 Junior PGA title, becoming the first back-to-back champion in the event’s 48-year history. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas... Bhatia is the only player to come out on top twice.

The confidence Bhatia mustered to visualize and execute that shot explains how he made it back to Valhalla six years later, this time as a PGA Tour player making his first PGA Championship start. Read more about how his story began at Valhalla below.

Akshay Bhatia’s Valhalla history gives him confidence ahead of PGA Championship

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Michael Block on his return: 'I can do well'

Michael Block is back at the tournament where he went from anonymous club pro to national celebrity 12 months ago after making the cut and entering the final round of the PGA Championship six strokes off the lead.

Though his title quest ultimately fell short, it was not without some aw-shucks humility that endeared him to lovers of golf everywhere. Some thought his flirtation with fame would end after 15 minutes, but it's still going — and could be going even longer.

At Valhalla, Block tied the club’s decades-old course record by shooting a 63 during a practice round for this year’s tournament in August.

“I know the course well,” he said last week. “It fits my eye off the tee. The greens, I can see the reads... so when you combine all those things, all of a sudden I can do something.

“I can do well.”

Michael Block’s PGA Championship return may have legs: ‘I can do well’

Will others follow Gooch?

It will be really interesting to see if the PGA of America, the governing body of the PGA Championship, and similar bodies in charge of other golfing Majors continue to invite LIV golfers based solely on their showings on the rebel tour.

As Gabby Herzig said, LIV’s Joaquin Niemann was invited to the Masters last month, but he had deliberately traveled around the world to play in tournaments outside of LIV Golf to earn his place in the majors.

Gooch did not do that, only making two starts elsewhere, at the Hong Kong Open in November and the Saudi International last winter.

Reminder: American Brooks Koepka, the defending champion, is a LIV member and lifted the individual trophy at LIV Singapore last week.

LIV's Talor Gooch gets special invitation

For the first time since the PGA Tour-LIV Golf divide, a LIV golfer has been awarded a position in a major championship due primarily to his performance on the 54-hole team-format tour.

Talor Gooch, who joined the Saudi-backed Tour in May 2022, announced via X that the PGA of America extended a special invitation to compete in the PGA Championship.

The PGA of America traditionally invites the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 100 players to compete. Gooch is currently ranked No. 644.

However, after leaving the PGA Tour, Gooch won three times on LIV and finished as the league’s 2023 individual champion. His sole PGA Tour victory came at the 2021 RSM Classic, six months before joining the upstart league.

LIV’s Talor Gooch receives special invitation to PGA Championship

How many players are out there?

A grand total of 156.

One of those 156 will be lifting the Wanamaker Trophy at the end of play on Sunday.

But which? Stick around for some in-depth profiles of the players and personalities gathered in the Bluegrass State's largest city.

Selected tee times, afternoon: Mickelson, Rahm, Scheffler

• The marquee groups in the afternoon are started with Jason Day- Shane Lowry -Nicolai Hojgaard at 1.18pm/6.18pm.
• After that, Collin Morikawa- Phil Mickelson -Matt Fitzpatrick at 1.51pm ET/6.51pm BST is pretty strong.
• Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm and Cameron Young head out at 2.02pm ET/7.02pm BST, closely followed by Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman and Scottie Scheffler at 2.13pm ET/7.13pm BST.
• Finally, Patrick Reed , Sam Burns and Padraig Harrington bring plenty of big-name recognition in the fifth-last group at 2.35pm ET/7.35pm BST.

Selected tee times, morning: McIlroy, Woods, Koepka

• Heading out at 7.53am ET/12.53pm BST is a strong-looking trio of Ludvig Aberg, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas .
• Shortly after, at 8.04am ET/1.04pm BST is Tiger Woods , Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley.
• Rory McIlroy , Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose begin at 8.15am ET/1.15pm BST, with Cameron Smith , Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland out at 8.26am ET/1.26pm BST.
• Brooks Koepka -Jordan Spieth-Max Homa at 8.37am ET/1.37pm BST is a pretty hard-hitting trio too.

So who's in the first group?

Kicking things off (as it were, no feet are likely to be used) are Americans Michael Block and Shaun Micheel, plus Europe's Ryder Cup captain, Englishman Luke Donald.

Michael Block will hit the first tee shot.

From there, the groups of three go out at roughly five-minute intervals until around 3pm ET, which is 12pm/midday PT, and 8pm BST in the UK.

In case you didn't know, the groups alternatively start from Hole 1 (the first half of the 18-hole course) and Hole 10 (the second half), before swapping over.

What Majors has Valhalla hosted before?

Good question.

The Kentucky course is hosting the PGA Championship for the fourth time, after 1996, 2000, and 2014.

Mark Brooks, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were the winners in those years. Woods and McIlroy are among today's groups, and there is a Brooks competing too... but it's Koepka rather than Mark.

Paul Azinger's US team also won the 2008 Ryder Cup back from Nick Faldo's Team Europe after winning 16 and a half to 11 and a half.

Now, onto today's action...

Second Major of the year

As previously mentioned, this is the second of the four men's major tournaments in the sport in this calendar year.

Scottie Scheffler won the Masters at Augusta in April, and a month and two days later, the PGA Championship is set to begin.

Later in 2024, it's the US Open at Pinehurst, North Carolina in mid-June - ending exactly a month after the PGA Championship starts - and then the Open Championship at Troon in Scotland in mid-to-late July.

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How to watch: 2024 PGA Championship Day One

You can tune in to the action live on TV via the following channels - while, of course, not foregoing our live blog right here.

UK: Sky Sports Golf, Sky Sports Main Event.

US: ESPN, CBS (TV), ESPN+, Paramount+ (online).

Australia: Kayo Sports.

Our venue for the tournament

The picturesque Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Opened: 1986.

Designer: Jack Nicklaus, who knew his way around a golf course.

Length: 7,458 yards (6,820 m).

Some (possibly) interesting trivia for you: Valhalla , literally meaning 'hall of the fallen', in Norse mythology, is where slain warriors live happily under the god Odin. Maybe not that interesting. Only me?

What time does the action begin?

The first tee shots are at 7.15am local time (ET), which works out as 4.15am PT, and 12.15pm (just after midday) for those in the UK.

More on the first group to head out later.

Hello and welcome to Day One at the PGA Championship!

Good morning everyone, how are we?'

We're big on golf at The Athletic , and so we're delighted to be bringing you the first day of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will be among the stars duking it out to lift the Wanamaker Trophy in the men's second golfing Major of the year.

Let's get into it.