• “The spinal surgeons have been studying how the golf swing of present-day professionals, including Tiger Woods, differs from those of golf veterans, such as Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan.”

• “They say players’ physiques and techniques have changed significantly over recent decades.”

• “Modern players are more muscular and have more powerful downswings and this can put increased force on the spinal disc and facet joints, they believe.”

• “And over time, it can result in a damaging process that the authors call “repetitive traumatic discopathy” (RTD).”

• JW: What is his reaction to the amount of positive attention he’s getting come from the United States?

• “He’s thankful to the level where he can’t explain it in words. He’s very overwhelmed with the amount of fans that he has and the attention that he’s gotten lately. And because of the fans that he has, they bring him a lot more energy when he plays golf.”

• JW: What is he most excited about this week?

• “Right now he’s just very excited to be here and playing in this tournament. He knows that there are a lot of people watching him, and he just wants to…play great and have fun…”

• JW: He has a very unique way of playing…is that just his natural way of playing?

• “He didn’t start playing it this way…it took a while to have his game to evolve, and after a while he found a playing style that worked for him, that fit him, that’s just his natural…way of playing…He wants everyone to know that the way he plays golf, that’s how he plays naturally.”

• “It’s sort of like, for me, like Golf Channel 2.0,” McIlroy said at the launch press conference. “If you’re going to start a golf business, you probably wouldn’t do a 24-7 TV station or network like what happened 25 years ago.”

• The service draws inspiration from Amazon Prime, which, in addition to streaming video, offers free delivery on goods and other benefits. Will McIntosh, Golf Channel’s executive vice president, hopes GolfPass will help hobbyists make the jump from watching golf to playing the game and offer a nice perk for avid golfers.

See Tiger Woods’ old putter and Jordan Spieth’s old wedge in Romo’s bag.

• A bit from Golf Digest’s Joel Beall…”It’s been all good,” Koepka said inside a SiriusXM office, on a promotional tour for the upcoming PGA Championship down the Long Island Expressway at Bethpage Black. “You can use it in a positive light and probably help change people’s lives if you can. And any time you go somewhere, obviously you’re a little bit more recognized, which is nice. You get to meet people, meet fans, engage with them, and that’s part of the fun.”

• “Fun. There have been many words written about Koepka over the last 18 months, a period where the 28-year-old has transformed from fledgling talent into full-blown superstar. Fun hasn’t been one of them, blinded by another topic: respect. Specifically, a lack thereof, a sentiment that’s fueled his drive to capture three majors in his last six tries. And make no mistake, they do fuel him. Koepka lists his slights-the 2015 Presidents Cup snub, a Golf Channel rebuff during last year’s U.S. Open, a horse making a “most dominant performers” ranking over him-as if he keeps a rolodex of each.”

• “I think the respect thing is-I don’t want to say blown out of proportion, that I feel like I haven’t gotten the respect I deserve,” Kopeka said. “The point I was trying to make was just I think if other people had done it, I think it would be a lot different.”

• “Obviously the things with Patrick, it just kind of took on a life of its own,” Koepka said. “We’ve got a group text, and there were some texts that were sent. He kind of apologized.”

• “According to Koepka, Reed also included a message to his teammates: “Don’t believe everything you read.”

• “I’m 36 now and run my own golf-instruction academy (Allison Curdt Golf). I love my job and appreciate everything golf has given me, but it has taken a long time-too long-to get to a good place in my life and career. When I started out, I was regularly passed up for job opportunities and paid less just for being female. Many clubs I’ve worked for or visited have male-only areas I’m not allowed into. Constantly being called a woman golfer instead of just a golfer will mess with your head a little bit.”

• “When I decided to become a PGA of America teaching professional, I hoped that proving my value in golf knowledge and playing proficiency would earn me respect. Turns out, I also had to worry about being too good because some men couldn’t handle it. Early in my career, my male colleagues often hijacked my lessons. Students would call the golf shop, and if I didn’t answer the phone, the message wasn’t passed along. In other cases, whoever answered the phone would say I wasn’t available and offer to take my place. Or my boss would ask me to cover the golf shop during a time that I was busy teaching so that I couldn’t service my students. It was all difficult for me to process. I couldn’t believe being good at my job could hold me back as much as my own insecurities.”

Full piece.