Articles by Shane Ryan

June 7th, 2018

2018 US Open: The USGA almost always gets the reaction it wants out of players

This is the hidden brilliance of the USGA. The things they do may be wrong, but they function as a bright spotlight, exposing the most sanctimonious, whine-prone players in the sport.

May 17th, 2018

Do the US PGA Tour’s ‘Strokes Gained’ statistics have a sample-size problem?

Should golf writers and TV announcers really be touting any strokes gained rankings in the middle of a season?

May 6th, 2018

Tiger Woods prospers in isolation at Quail Hollow, yet still searching

Each time Tiger Woods walks even a single hole on the US PGA Tour, a small tragedy plays out.

May 3rd, 2018

Ready, set, Rickie!

Fowler says he’s ready to make the career leap we’ve all been waiting for.

April 26th, 2018

Walk-up songs: more than words

Exploring how tour pros at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans are expressing themselves with their entrance music.

April 21st, 2018

Anger & Golf: A Love Story

Even the most mild-mannered golfers are given to fits of anger. Sometimes it helps.

April 11th, 2018

What if Rory McIlroy never does win the Masters?

And in the green jacket, Rory McIlroy has found his white whale.

March 28th, 2018

What can the WGC-Dell Match Play tell us about Augusta? Here are 10 bold predictions

The WGC-Dell Match Play is interesting and unique and fun, but we can’t ignore the fact that it’s also a prelude to something far bigger: the Masters.

March 26th, 2018

Justin Thomas falls in semi-finals, in part because he couldn’t stop thinking about becoming world No.1

Justin Thomas missed a golden chance to become world No.1, but his trajectory shoots upward by the week – and shows no signs of slowing.

March 25th, 2018

Next on Bubba Watson’s big adventure: a duel with Justin Thomas

Bubba Watson’s famously eclectic play – and personality – was on full display today at the WGC-Dell Match Play.

March 22nd, 2018

What makes a good matchplay golfer? Six of the world’s best players try to answer

It’s one of the great mysteries of golf, and one of the great debates: what sort of personality lends itself to success in matchplay?

March 21st, 2018

Ranking the watchability of all 96 matches from the WGC-Dell Match Play group stage

All 96 WGC-Dell Match Play round-robin matches ranked based on pure spectator appeal, personality, skill and storylines.

March 20th, 2018

Fear and Loathing (or something like that) at the WGC-Dell Match Play Selection Show

It’s a slightly bizarre way of drawing player match-ups, but the pre-tournament selection spectacle adds to the drama of golf’s biggest individual matchplay event.

March 15th, 2018

Jason Day is golf’s human Yo-Yo. So which direction is he going?

His win in California was the first sign of that new ascent, and I suspect we’re going to see some more fireworks soon.

March 12th, 2018

Who are the funniest golfers on tour?

A list of the golfers who seem to have demonstrated actual senses of humour in a sport that can be too dry.

February 21st, 2018

Is this part of the calendar golf’s crystal ball?

Can the US Tour’s West Coast Swing help us predict this year’s Major champions?

February 9th, 2018

Ten new formats for professional golf to ponder

Enough with 72-hole strokeplay events. Here are 10 new formats for professional golf to ponder.

February 1st, 2018

Selfishness is a key to success for a tour pro … until it goes too far

Despite becoming the poster-boy for slow play this week, J.B. Holmes is far from being the only touring pro showing a similar mindset.

January 25th, 2018

Tiger Fatigue Syndrome, or why I want the comeback to fail

Would a successful comeback for Tiger really change our perception of him and his career?

January 19th, 2018

The mysteries of Phil Mickelson

The 47-year-old begins another season on the US PGA Tour certain of himself if uncertain of his golf future.

January 11th, 2018

Introducing the Historical Domination Scale: Measuring the greatest years in golf

A points-accumulating system to determine which seasons – and which players – produced the most dominant stretches of golf.