Last weekend’s PGA TOUR season-ending finale at East Lake once again showcased the strength in depth within US male golf. 23-year-old Xander Schauffele secured an upset victory at the Tour Championship but second place was good enough for Justin Thomas to clinch the FedExCup and the $10 million bonus. Jordan Spieth finished equal seventh at East Lake and slipped to second in the FedExCup standings and pocketed a $3 million consolation prize. Schauffele finished third in the season-long race.

Xander Schauffele didn’t make the US team for this week’s Presidents Cup but if his form continues he’s likely to secure an automatic place in the USA’s 2018 Ryder Cup team. The International squad, under the captaincy of Nick Price, must be expecting the golden Presidents Cup trophy to remain firmly in America’s grasp. But strange things can and do happen in golf.   

In this edition, we’ve released the first Top 50 ranking update for the North of Scotland, which includes the regions of Angus & Dundee, Perth & Kinross, North East Scotland and North Scotland. Our editor has recently returned from a trip to Central Europe and on the back of his travels we’ve released a new Top 5 ranking for Slovakia. Meanwhile, M. James Ward has contributed two insightful articles, both centred on Liberty National, host to the 12th Presidents Cup matches.

This is the third and final Top 50 regional ranking that we’re producing for Scotland. Our North Scotland review covers the four districts of Perth & Kinross, Angus & Dundee, North East Scotland and North Scotland. Around forty of the courses in this geographical area should feature in our new Scottish Top 100 chart which will be published soon.

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This week’s 12th Presidents Cup matches at Liberty National will provide point blank views of the Manhattan skyline and the iconic Statue of Liberty which is easily seen from a number of holes at the course. Four architect's weigh in on the nature of this year’s matches and how Liberty National will fare as the International team seeks to achieve just its second win in the series.

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Liberty National was not especially embraced when the world’s best players competed on the layout during the 2009 Barclays event but improvements were made with Tom Kite consulting on the 70+ changes made. Kite has seen the superfund toxic former landfill facility from its beginnings and the 67-year-old Texan weighs in on what he sees as the key holes for this week’s event.

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Although the Slovak Republic is a young country, formed in 1993 when it split from the former Czechoslovakia, its golfing history dates back more than a century. The first course was built during the times of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy for rich nobles staying at local luxury hotels and spas. Fast-forward to 2017 and four new courses opened within Slovakia’s national boundaries this year so the game is definitely flourishing here.

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Standing on the 1st green you get that feel of an old school links with the Liverpool to Southport railway breathing on the green. Links? Surely yes, but pine trees aplenty were in view from the 2nd tee and heathland to avoid. What sets this links course apart (yes it is a links) from others in the area is the mix of majestic pine trees that run along many of the fairways. It’s beautifully bunkered yet very penal…

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