The PGA Tour’s re-imagined autumn schedule will feature players who finished outside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup fighting for status and priority for 2024 … but not all will be fighting for their tour cards. Justin Thomas missed out on the postseason, but his 2022 PGA Championship win ensures his membership for some time. Ludvig Aberg’s card for next year is secured thanks to the new PGA Tour University programme. And though a number of other notable names like Adam Scott, Billy Horschel and Shane Lowry missed the playoffs this summer, all FedEx Cup points from the 2022-23 PGA Tour season carry over to the autumn, with those inside the top 125 at the end of the autumn earning full status for next season. Meaning, those entering this week’s Fortinet Championship inside the top 100 are almost locks to secure their cards for 2024.

However, a number of notables are also on the bubble. Here are 11 players who are entering the FedEx Cup Fall fighting for full-time tour status.

Maverick McNealy
The No. 1 ranked putter on tour has been out since June due to a left shoulder injury, although he is scheduled to make his return this week in Napa. At No. 108, McNealy’s status should be safe. Luckily, he tends to play well this time of the year, finishing T-18 or better four times last autumn.

Peter Malnati
The 36-year-old — who is consistently named as one of the nicest guys in golf — enters the autumn ranked 116th in the standings. That he’s here despite 18 missed cuts in 29 starts (including five MCs in his last seven outings) is a testament to a T-4 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T-9 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Malnati, who currently serves on the tour’s Player Advisory Council, does have some hope: The Sanderson Farms Championship, site of Malnati’s lone tour win in 2015 along with a runner-up performance in 2020, is the second stop on the autumn slate.

CT Pan. Gregory Shamus

CT Pan
Pan’s career highs have been high: A win at the 2019 RBC Heritage and appearance on the International Presidents Cup team, a top-10 finish at the 2020 Masters, a bronze medal at the 2021 Summer Games. However, a wrist injury knocked Pan out for five months, translating to just 13 starts on the season. Though he logged back-to-back top-five finishes at the Nelson (fourth) and RBC Canadian Open (T-3), he’ll still need a handful of good showings in the upcoming months to stay inside the top 125.

Jimmy Walker
Walker has finished 158th or worse in each of the last four tour seasons as he’s battled back from Lyme disease. He actually backdoored his way into status this year thanks to a number of LIV Golf defectors allowing the former PGA champ to play on a career money exemption. For the most part it wasn’t a pretty campaign. Walker missed eight for his first 11 cuts and 15 of 25 for the year, and ranked 147th in scoring. Yet he begins the autumn season 124th in the FedEx Cup thanks to a nice spring stretch, with four T-25s in a five-event span, and is a past winner at this week’s Napa stop.

Austin Smotherman
The man is no stranger to the bubble. Last year Smotherman seemingly missed out on his tour card in agonising fashion with a double-bogey on his final hole at the Wyndham Classic … only to receive a reprieve thanks to a number of players leaving for LIV Golf. It was mostly a disappointing sophomore campaign on tour for Smotherman, ranking 144th in strokes gained and 135th in scoring and posting just one top-20 finish on the season. But he made the most of that performance, a T-5 at the Mexico Open, putting him right on No. 125 to begin the autumn.

Scott Piercy. Chris Keane

Scott Piercy
Piercy was limited to just a dozen starts due to injury, but the starts he did make were not pretty, missing the cut in five of his last six starts. Piercy hasn’t finished outside the FedEx Cup top 125 since 2014, and as a four-time tour winner would have some status next season.

Harry Higgs
Higgs missed out on full-time status last year, playing this season off the No. 126-150 eligibility list. He spent most of the year inside the top 125 thanks to a good end to the autumn and a solid winter, but Higgs starts this week at No. 132, missing eight of his last 11 cuts and his last four in a row. For Higgs to make a move over the next seven events he’ll need to figure out Fridays: Despite ranking 35th in Round 1 scoring, Higgs ranks 177th in Round 2 average.

Chesson Hadley
A former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Hadley missed eight of his first 11 cuts. After making the weekend at both the Honda Classic and Players Championship, Hadley proceeded to go on another dire stretch, failing to reach Round 3 in six of his next seven starts. So how is Hadley still here? A nice run to end the summer, finishing T-35 or better in five of his last six appearances, highlighted by a T-6 at the Barracuda Championship.

Patton Kizzire
Kizzire hasn’t come close to replicating the success he had at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, where he won the OHL Classic at Mayakoba and Sony Open. He also comes into this part of the season cold, missing five of his past six starts. But the autumn has been when Kizzire has done his best work, with one of his two top 10s this season coming in autumn.

Ryan Moore. Andy Lyons

Ryan Moore
The former Ryder Cupper played on a top 50 career money exemption this season. However, after missing the cut in 17 of 24 events, he’ll need to get something going this autumn to return to full-time status. Three of Moore’s five career tour wins have come in the autumn, although two have come at the now defunct CIMB Classic.

James Hahn
The increasingly outspoken critic of the tour finds himself needing a late-season push to retain full-time status, entering the fall ranked 165th in the FedEx Cup standings. He did have a T-6 at the Barracuda Championship in July, but outside of that showing it’s been tough for Hahn, ranking 130th in strokes gained and 150th in scoring.

The post 11 surprising names fighting for their PGA Tour cards this autumn appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Ranking 87th in the FedEx Cup standings, Maverick McNealy has some work to do to get into the top 70 and qualify for the playoffs come August. But any late regular-season rally is now on hold after the 27-year-old former college player of the year at Stanford announced via Instagram that he’s stepping away from the game to address his injury left shoulder.

 

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A post shared by Maverick McNealy (@mavmcnealy)

McNealy acknowledged he’s been dealing with a torn ligament in his shoulder since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. He withdrew from that event mid-tournament, as well as the Waste Management Open the next week. Since then, he has played nine times on tour with his best finish being a T-36 at the Valspar Championship. And in his last four starts, he’s missed three cuts.

Despite his injury issues, McNealy ranks first on tour in strokes gained/putting

The good news is that McNealy says the injury won’t require surgery, but is being address with extensive rehab techniques that he believes will allow him to return in the fall.

“We are attacking the problem,” he explained, “with physical therapy, biomechanics analysis, golf swing changes and regenerative stem-cell treatments.”

The post Maverick McNealy’s scramble to make FedEx Cup playoffs on hold due to left shoulder injury appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Entering February, the 27-year-old former college player of the year at Stanford had been having a season in which he looked like he was making progress toward a breakthrough first PGA Tour win: eight starts, seven made cuts, five top-20 finishes, 29th on the FedEx Cup points list. It explains why he was among the betting favorites last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But after putting together rounds of 71-71 amid the crazy weather conditions on the Monterey Peninsula, he was forced to withdraw in the third round after nine holes with an injury to his left shoulder.

Fast forward to this week at the WM Phoenix Open. McNealy was still nursing the injury but when you’re playing for $20 million in a designated event, well in the words of Dan Jenkins, you got to play hurt. Which is what McNealy attempted in scrapping around an opening 76 at TPC Scottsdale.

Returning to the course on Friday, McNealy started his second round on the 10th tee with a bogey, but bounced back with a birdie on the 11th. His tee shot on the par-3 12th found the front left portion of the green but left him with a 81-foot birdie try. From there, well, a little bit of madness ensued.

From putting it in the water to a chip-in bogey save.

A roller-coaster hole for Maverick McNealy ? pic.twitter.com/FbcvMnR6r1

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 10, 2023

Putting off a green into a water is something amateurs could related to? Chipping in for bogey? Well, that takes a little bit of mental hutzpah.

With pars on the next two holes, McNealy was one over for the round, but he had decided enough was enough. For the second straight week he withdrew because of his shoulder. McNealy is listed in the field for next week’s Genesis Invitational — another $20 million you got to play hurt scenario — but it will be interesting to see what happens.

The post Watch tour pro roll birdie putt into the water, chip-in for bogey en route to WD at WM Phoenix Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Following a first-round 66 at the 2023 Sony Open that has him in a lofty position on the leaderboard, McNealy is positioned nicely to earn a maiden victory. He could be achieving much greater heights soon, though, as he closes in on his pilot’s licence.

RELATED: Maverick’s club twirl is an instant classic

So when the 27-year-old told reporters at Waialae Country Club on Thursday that he feels like he’s “firing on all cylinders”, this is the rare occasion where that can be taken literally. Here’s how he described his off-season that helped him recharge his batteries. Or, rather, engine.

“Working on my pilot’s licence. Just not too many hours away from taking my check ride, which has been a lot of the fun,” McNealy said. “Just really able to fully focus on the things I want to do and the people I want to spend time with, and just been a super calm, peaceful, fun, productive focused off-season. Just had a great time at home.”

He added that he believes flying has helped with his golf game as well as he enters the meat of his fourth full season on the PGA Tour.

“In my approach, nutrition, sleep, recovery, even mental focus, having a passion outside of golf that trains me and pushes me and challenges me in other ways in flying,” said McNealy, who trailed leaders Jordan Spieth and Chris Kirk by two shots after Thursday’s morning wave. “Yeah, it’s been great.”

Hey, it worked for Arnold Palmer. And whatever Maverick is doing of late is certainly working as well. The former Haskins Award winner at Stanford already has a pair of top 10s and is currently No. 34 in the FedEx Cup standings.

McNealy is coming off a career-best 38th finish in the tour’s season-long competition. But he’s working hard to continue his improvement — getting better by any means necessary.

“Dialing in on-course nutrition and just everything,” McNealy said. “Looking at sleep, how do I sleep better and optimise the rest/recovery so I could push myself hard during the day. There is just a lot of aspects. Just trying to find that one percent everywhere I look.”

Sounds like a guy you can trust with a detailed flight plan. That check ride should be a breeze. In the meantime, he’s got three more check rounds in Hawaii to get through.

The post This PGA Tour pro has his eyes on a first win — and his pilot’s licence appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
Playing in front of a home crowd this week, California native Max Homa expected plenty of love. But on Saturday, even with his own mini cheering section following his every move, he was still second fiddle in his group. That’s part of the deal when you’re playing alongside fellow Cali native Phil Mickelson, who would draw a large crowd if he was playing on the moon.

Homa wasn’t mad about it. In fact, he loved every second, feeding off the energy Lefty’s legion of fans provided as he cruised to a seven-under 65 at the Fortinet Championship. The strong third-round move has positioned Mickelson in a tie for third heading into Sunday, and it’s put him just two shots off the lead of Jim Knous and Maverick McNealy. If he could play with Mickelson again on Sunday, he would (he’s not, unfortunately).

“The crowd was awesome,” said Homa, whose second career victory came in his home state last February at Riviera. “There were people out there with—obviously mostly Phil fans, but I had a few in the Cal gear and a couple guys wearing shirts, so it was awesome. Really fun coming to California for me, I have great support out here. And getting to play with Phil, too, you know you’re going to get a big buzz, so it makes everything more fun.”

Homa loves a good buzz on the course, something he was quick to point out to the media at Silverado. On Saturday at the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship, which Homa went on to win, he played alongside World No. 1 at the time Rory McIlroy. Last season at the Genesis Invitational, where he defeated Tony Finau in a playoff, he played the final round with Dustin Johnson, also World No. 1 at the time. There were no fans for that one, but the juice was still there.

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BONUS CONTENT – Off course with Brooks Koepka

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“It just makes it fun,” he said. “I believe in my game a lot more the last two, three years so it’s fun to go out there and play with arguably one of the best golfers of all time and arguably the best golfer in the last 30 years. He’s a great dude, it helps a lot. You get the crowds. When you’re playing well with the crowds, you kind of feed off it, too. I don’t really get that many people watch just me, so it’s nice to have somebody help bring some people to the golf tournament.”

On Sunday Homa will play in the penultimate group with Scott Stallings, who is decidedly not Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson or Rory McIlroy, no offence to Stallings. Should Homa make an early run at the lead, though, there’s no question there will be plenty of juice. The good news is, Mickelson’s group will be a few holes ahead, so Homa will at least be in the vicinity of all that good energy.

Meg Oliphant
Phil Mickelson putts on the 12th hole during round three of the Fortinet Championship.

Phil Mickelson is putting like a kid again
As we pointed out Friday evening, Phil Mickelson extended his arm-lock putter to 41 inches, and it’s already yielding strong results in the 2021-22 season. Following a three-under 69 in the second round, Mickelson kept it rolling, literally, on Saturday, shooting a five-under 67 that included a stretch of five straight birdies late in his round. The putter was a big talking point for Mickelson once again afterward, as it should be. Through three rounds he’s tied for fifth in the field in strokes-gained/putting, and Saturday was his best performance (+2.457 SG/P).

But as Mickelson went on to explain, it’s more than just the club itself. It’s the way he’s actually putting—like a kid again. We’ll let him take it from here.

“For a while, yeah,” said Mickelson when asked if he’d stick with this putter. “Because it’s how I putted as a kid. Like I always had a lot of forward press and all it’s doing now is getting in the same position as a kid, but it’s getting to that same position every time. I’m not overpressing, I’m not underpressing, so my launch characteristics when I get on the Quintic system is very consistent and that’s what I’m looking for.”

Believe it or not, the Quintic system is not something Mickelson made up or Mickelson doing a Bryson DeChambeau impression. It’s a real system that’s used for putter fittings, instruction, and, obviously, for the best players in the world to get all the feedback they need on how they are rolling it. Mickelson may have not had that type of technology when he was a kid, but it’s certainly making him feel young again now. At 10 under par for the tournament, he’s very much in the picture.

Meg Oliphant
Maverick McNealy reacts following round three of the Fortinet Championship.

Undeterred by sluggish start, Maverick McNealy fights back to tie lead
Given the fact he could put his clubs away for good and be just fine financially for the rest of his time on earth, winning on the PGA Tour is not exactly a matter of life and death for Maverick McNealy. Yet, after piling up a number of close calls last season on tour, he’s already back for more in Napa, and he’s displayed some serious fight over the first 54 holes.

Most of that fight was displayed in his third round, which McNealy began with the lead. But the former Stanford standout quickly vanished from the leader board with a front-nine two-over 38 while everybody else made there move. But McNealy was undeterred by the fireworks coming from all over the course, coming home in four-under 32 to regain a share of the lead heading into the final round.

“It was a crazy day, I’m not going to lie,” McNealy said. “That front nine got going pretty quick. Hit it in a few funny spots. We were on the clock I think on I want to say the ninth hole and it was just pretty hectic.”

Despite the chaos, the calm, cool, collected McNealy regained his focus thanks to one good shot, which, as any tour pro knows, is sometimes all it takes to get the train back on the tracks.

“Then got to the 12th fairway,” he said. “I remember hitting a good tee shot down the middle on the 12th with a utility iron and everything seemed to slow down and calm down for me. I started seeing my lines with the putter and I was really proud how I finished.”

McNealy closed with three consecutive birdies, putting himself in the final group and in prime position to grab that maiden victory. It will be new territory, as a handful of his high finishes have come via him nearly chasing down the leaders on Sunday. Tomorrow, he’s the one being chased, a challenge he’s ready to accept.

“I welcome nerves because it allows me to hit shots that I can’t hit under normal circumstances,” McNealy said. “That adrenaline, those nerves, that focus and intensity are states that I can’t achieve in a normal round of golf. That tee shot on 18 was a great example, I was so locked in and zoned in, the few extra miles an hour clubhead speed from the adrenaline and it resulted in my best drive of the day. Like I said, the focus I had with my putter and seeing the lines, it’s an exhilarating feeling and it’s one that I can only get when I’m feeling those nerves.”

Fittingly, on a course Johnny Miller designed, there will be plenty of “NERVES” to go round on Sunday in Napa.

The post Max Homa feeds off Phil’s energy, Phil putts like a kid again and Maverick McNealy overcomes sluggish start appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

McNealy also showcased a sensational club twirl game in this most pivotal moment of his young career. With a chance to win or end up in a playoff with Berger, McNealy found himself one shot back and needing to do something clutch. McNealy hit a spectacular fairway-wood approach at the iconic 18th hole at Pebble Beach—but perhaps just as impressive was the majestic club twirl the former Stanford golfer unleashed from the fairway.

Early contender for “club twirl of the year” belongs to Maverick McNealy. pic.twitter.com/ibi2YeonXS

— Skratch (@Skratch) February 14, 2021

To do so in that scenario was incredibly saucy. It conjured memories of the club twirl Tiger Woods gave during the Presidents Cup at TPC Harding Park back in 2009.

MAV! pic.twitter.com/nv0mRW76s6

— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) February 14, 2021

McNealy’s girlfriend, LPGA star Danielle Kang, also loved the swag she saw from her bae.

Club Twirl. Walk Off. 20ft for Eagle. pic.twitter.com/3pT6GiLpcc

— Danielle Kang (@daniellekang) February 14, 2021

We have seen some impressive club twirls in recent memory. In this situation, with a potential tournament win on the line—at Pebble Beach’s 18th hole … it’s going to be tough to top McNealy’s sauce show on Sunday at the AT&T.

The post Maverick McNealy’s vicious club twirl at Pebble Beach’s 18th hole was an instant classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
It’s no secret what the majority of golf fans we’re rooting for on Sunday at Pebble Beach: Jordan Spieth completing his comeback. Daniel Berger, who Spieth famously walked off at the 2017 Travelers Championship, was not interested in such fairy tales.

Here are four takeaways from the 2021 AT&T.

Daniel Berger has all kinds of guts
After Saturday evening’s stunning reversal of fortune on the final three holes, it was fair to wonder if Daniel Berger, at least in this tournament, was cooked. To suffer such a body blow from Jordan Spieth, the same guy who ripped his heart out at the 2017 Travelers, would simply be too much to overcome. In reality, it may have been a blessing, because there is nothing Berger loves more than coming from behind to win. He did it again on Sunday at Pebble Beach, closing with a seven-under 65 that included a door-slamming eagle on the 72nd hole. After starting the day two shots back of Spieth, he wound up finishing three clear of him. Major guts.

Berger now has four wins on the PGA Tour, and his final rounds in those victories are as follows: 67-66-66-65. In that Travelers Championship he lost to Spieth in a playoff, he also shot a 67. The former Florida State All-American is not scared of the Sunday heat, which will serve him well at the Ryder Cup, should he make the team. He entered the week 12th in the U.S. team standings, but this victory makes him all but a lock.

Ezra Shaw

We’d like a lot more of Maverick McNealy, please and thanks
Prior to this week, the former No. 1 ranked amateur in the world had been in the mix a handful of times in his young PGA Tour career, and almost always because his putter kept him in it. This week, though, we saw the full McNealy package, which included one of the cockiest, sauciest club twirls in club-twirl history in the 72nd fairway. He didn’t make the eagle putt, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway (well, it would have if not for that ridiculous penalty from Saturday).

If you know McNealy’s backstory, you’re well aware he could quit the game tomorrow and do just fine in life. He doesn’t need pro golf, and, let’s be honest, pro golf doesn’t need him either. But after Sunday’s saucy performance, we’ve found ourselves clamouring for more Mav. What a name. What a talent. He’s another one of these young studs who is close to “putting it all together,” as they say, and the more of those guys the merrier.

Harry How

Does Jordan Spieth have the Sunday scaries?
In fairness to Jordan, that he’s contended in back-to-back weeks is solid proof that he’s returning to his old self. This is a great thing. The sport is better with Jordan consistently in it. We are all rooting for this to continue. BUT … are we in the trust tree? OK, good. The Sunday swoon trend is very real.

You may be asking, how can it be a trend if he’s just starting to contend again? Well, if you look at the few times he has been in contention since 2017, the Sunday numbers are not good save for that Sunday 64 at Augusta in 2018. Since then though, it’s been SundayScariesVille.

With the 54-hole lead at Carnoustie in 2018 he shot 76 on Sunday. At Colonial in 2019, he began the final round just two off the lead, and he wound up finishing T-8 after a two-over 72. The following week at Muirfield Village he shot a one-over 73 on Sunday after starting the day just four back. In the first post-restart event at Colonial, Spieth was one shot off Xander Schauffele’s 54-hole lead. He posted a one-over 71 to tie for 10th.

And now he has last week and this week to add to that not-so-great collection. At WMPO, with a share of the 54-hole lead, he finished with a one-over 72. This week, he led by two at the beginning of the final round, and ended up finishing three back. He did shoot a two-under 70, which you could argue is progress. But he knows better than anyone that that usually doesn’t get it done unless you’re up by seven or eight on Saturday evening. We should urge the same patience he is exercising in this comeback process, but these Sunday stumbles have become the norm since Royal Birkdale.

Harry How

That Nate Lashley debacle on 16 was NSFW
Nate Lashley’s victory at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic was one of the great feel-good stories in recent memory. Part 2 of that story seemed to be playing out on Sunday at Pebble, where Lashley was in full control for 15 holes. Then came the 16th green, where this utter debacle took place:

4 putts from 13 feet.

Nate Lashley was tied for the lead before this triple bogey. pic.twitter.com/kGR3YQbUzG

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 14, 2021

As if the four-jack wasn’t ugly enough, Lashley slammed his putter down on the green as he walked off, which the above clip conveniently cuts out. Letting out frustration is fine, so long as you don’t damage the golf course (cough, Sergio, cough). Not the best look for Lashley, but hopefully he learns from it. He’s too nice of a guy to have his character called into question over one brief lapse in judgement. By the way, we do not condone damaging the putting surface, but that pin position was downright cruel. Lashley was within his rights to helicopter his putter into the ocean.

The post Daniel Berger overcomes disastrous double bogey on Saturday with a gutsy 65 on Sunday at Pebble appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It was fitting that it was Kang vs. Boutier on the final day, Solheim Cup rivals from 2019 at Gleneagles. The 2021 match will be held at historic Toledo, Ohio, course, and their showdown offered a tasty preview. Kang and Boutier had two of the most memorable rookie performances in recent Solheim Cup history, with Kang igniting the crowd and going 3-1-0 in Des Moines in 2017. Boutier made her debut in Scotland last year, winning all four of the matches she played in.

Boutier had a chance to push the tournament to a playoff on the 18th, where her 80-yard approach shot settled three feet below the cup. Kang was in with her par and the one-shot lead. Boutier’s birdie try, however, hit the lip but didn’t fall.

Kang’s win—her fourth in four years—comes after a long break that she says she didn’t really treat like a break. Fully aware of how lucky she was to be in the position she was in as the world changed around her, Kang instead decided to work on her game. She said the normal, short off-season doesn’t give enough time to pay close enough attention to certain details while also giving the body time to heal from small, nagging injuries. But with a lot of time off and no travel to wear her down, Kang was working with her coach Butch Harmon, while also playing with her boyfriend, PGA Tour pro Maverick McNealy, and mini-tour pro brother, Alex Kang. She credits the competitions with the guys as keeping her sharp and ready for tournament play, despite having not played a tournament since January.

“The boys that I play with are so good, that I try and keep up and we always have a competition,” Kang said. “So that keeps me up to date.”

While competition with the guys kept her sharp on-course, Harmon focused on helping her figure out how to hit her 3-wood more consistently and improve her wedge game. “Butch was the mastermind behind it,” Kang said. “He knew exactly what I needed to accomplish and work on, and I had the time.

“I’m not a huge fan of 3-woods and I really worked on 3-wood a lot. I just kept hitting 3-woods until Butch and I got it right,” Kang said. “Eventually he said his goal was to make 3-wood my best club in the bag, and it was a highlight of this entire week. I hit a lot of 3-woods.”

Kang has another golf great helping her: Annika Sorenstam. Kang says she calls and texts Sorenstam when she needs advice and to ask for help with her game. The advice for this week: Be aggressive.

And that’s exactly how Kang played.

After making a bogey at the par-5 13th, Kang and her caddie reset, deciding that there were three birdies left on the course. They wanted to finish at 10 under. When Boutier made birdie at the 14th to pull even with Kang, the plan didn’t change. She continued to hit the aggressive shots.

“It’s a goal that we make that’s a little bit hard to reach, but it keeps me pushing, it keeps me staying aggressive with the golf course so that I don’t get too cautious,” Kang said. “Like on 17, I would have normally hit an 8-iron if I wasn’t told 1,000 times to stay aggressive. So, I took a 7-iron and tried to punch it in the wind, and I went, I think that’s over the green. That’s the one place you don’t want to be, but we stuck to our game plan and it totally played off.”

When Kang won, she was showered with a socially distanced misting of champagne and air hugs from fellow tour pros Amy Yang, Lizette Salas and Lydia Ko. As she sat in the press room answering questions from journalists over Zoom, Harmon called her. Kang said her post-victory celebration would include yelling at the TV as McNealy finishes his round at the Barracuda Championship, going for his own win.

Though Kang has to ultimately convert the shots on-course alone, as every golfer does, she gains great strength from this golf community she’s built around her.

The post Danielle Kang wins LPGA’s first tournament back from lengthy hiatus appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

WE’RE BUYING

Lanto Griffin: Named after Lord Lanto, a spiritual master, Griffin clearly mastered his nerves down the stretch of the Houston Open. He rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt to take the lead on No. 16 before two-putting from 60 feet on the 18th hole to close out his first PGA Tour title. And then the tears flowed like rain—and it was awesome:

Icon Sportswire

It’s been quite a journey for Lanto, who just a few years ago had $30,000 racked up on credit cards and whose biggest golf paycheck until 2017 ($17,000) came from being a fill-in caddie for Will Wilcox at the 2014 Greenbrier Classic. Now he’s No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings and working on a five-week streak of finishing in the top 20. The man named after the Lord of Light is lighting it up. Sorry, couldn’t help it.

Bernd Wiesberger: Speaking of quick turnarounds, the 34-year-old Austrian, who missed most of 2018 with a wrist injury, had fallen to No. 389 in the Official World Golf Ranking in May. But a victory in the Italian Open on Sunday—his third European Tour title since—has him at a career-best No. 22. He’s also the new leader in the Race to Dubai.

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

The guy is really Bernding it up right now! (Again, sorry, couldn’t help it.)

Rickie-Allison: The photos and details are scarce, but Fowler married Stokke on Oct. 5 in what looked to be a lovely beach ceremony:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3fBm4SJDMW/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3fBmdvARtu/

As you can see, Fowler kept it “cazh” with a tee shirt and white sneakers while Allison looked stunning. Shocker, I know. She also showed some serious discipline waiting nearly a week to share a few photos. Clearly, the guests had a social-media ban as well, which is why no videos of the SB2K Crew tearing up the dance floor have surfaced. At least, not yet.

Mike Maddux’s golf: St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux and brother of Hall-of-Fame pitcher Greg Maddux—a strong golfer in his own right—made two holes-in-one in the same round on Monday. As the great Mel Allen would say, “How about that?!”

Big day for @Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux who had TWO hole-in-ones at the Army/Navy course today. His 5th and 6th… pic.twitter.com/3PNc9PzsS1

— Jon Sciambi (@BoogSciambi) October 14, 2019

WE’RE SELLING

Mike Maddux’s staff: Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Mike Maddux’s aces on the golf course have completely outshined his aces on the pitching staff. Hours after news of his golf feat made the rounds, the Cardinals lost 8-1 to the Washington Nationals to fall into a 3-0 hole in the National League Championship Series. It’s looking like Maddux will be playing more fall golf next week rather than participating in the fall classic.

Replacing an old friend: I got a little emotional moving our upstairs couches downstairs (my basement lair looks awesome now), so I can only imagine what Henrik Stenson felt like moving on from his famous 3-wood. But after nearly a decade of hitting that thing like most pros dream of hitting a driver, the 43-year-old Swede has moved on to some new technology.

Rest easy, 3-wood. ? https://t.co/ZgldhZKMuj

— Henrik Stenson (@henrikstenson) October 9, 2019

Hang in there, Henrik.

Golf in Montana: Before you jump down my throat, I think Montana is a beautiful state having been dragged to Glacier National Park multiple times by my parents as a kid. But playing through four hours of snow in early October during the high school state golf championship? No thanks. Then again, I passed on playing on Sunday because the temperature at tee time was flirting with 50, so I’m not the best person to weigh in on this:

https://twitter.com/richard_ecke/status/1181693435557732352

The most amazing part is this group of tough teens shot a combined 240 shots better on the tournament day it snowed. Those kids are freaking warriors.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour begins its Asian Swing with the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, AKA that event with an @ sign in the official tournament title, and island green on the final hole, and a trophy that is anything but a cup despite the tournament name. This is an interesting one! And don’t forget about “The Challenge: Japan Skins,” GOLFTV’s new event featuring Tiger, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, and Hideki Matsuyama. If you live in the U.S., you can watch on Golf Channel on Sunday night. Skins! Back!

Random tournament fact: Brooks Koepka is the defending champ, but has higher odds (9/1) than favourite Justin Thomas (9/2). Do you hear that? That’s a slighted Brooks throwing around a little extra weight in the gym right now.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—The Masters will ever be called The Masters @ Augusta National: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

—Rickie and Allison set their first dance to that song from his Rocket Mortgage ads: Even odds

—Rickie wore Pumas to his wedding: LOCK (Gotta stay on brand!)

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Rich Beem made a rare PGA Tour start in Houston and his 16-year-old son Michael caddied for him.

Tracy Wilcox

Tracy Wilcox

Beats going to school, huh? Beem told Golfweek he was giving Michael 5 per cent of whatever he made. After finishing T-55 and earning $17,400 that comes out to $870. Hopefully, pops rounded up to an even $1,000.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Eddie Pepperell continues to be an absolute delight. Here, he eats and reviews an entire meal in Italy while also getting drunk. Love it.

Part time golfer, full time food expert ?@PepperellEddie reviewing Italian food, as funny as you'd expect.#ItalianOpen #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/opUnnrEBHV

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 9, 2019

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (ON-COURSE DIVISION)

Tyrell Hatton was interrupted during the Italian Open by his fiancé slamming a port-o-potty door. You can’t make it up:

Amazing scenes ??@TyrrellHatton's fiancée slams a toilet door in his backswing!#ItalianOpen #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/8vi8szTt3e

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 11, 2019

“You put me off! You should be ashamed!” So good. As was Hatton’s approach shot moments later. Oh, and his response to it all on Twitter later.

#weddingsoff #toiletgate ??? https://t.co/2hDT7zATUZ

— Tyrrell Hatton (@TyrrellHatton) October 11, 2019

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Not everybody’s going to be a Jordan Spieth or Rickie Fowler or the top in the world,” Griffin said. “Some of us, it takes us until [ages] 28, 29 to get on tour. George McNeill, I talked to him last week, and he was 30 [when he made the PGA Tour], and he’s played for 14 years. So, hearing stories like that, that’s more who I am. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. Life’s still great, and I’m not going to change. This win’s not going to change me, I can promise you that. I’ll be the same person.” —Lanto Griffin is an easy guy to root for.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS

The Washington Wizards took a team-bonding trip to Topgolf ahead of the NBA season—and the results were pretty solid!

? IMPORTANT THREAD ?

We’re at @Topgolf today for team bonding!

Rate the swings, starting with Coach Brooks! pic.twitter.com/BarQMksaKg

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) October 14, 2019

Well, not counting whiffs by Rui Hachimura and Moe Wagner. Guys, stop working on your free throws and work on your swings.

THIS WEEK IN PGA TOUR PROS-WAGS PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

It was quite a week for PGA Tour WAGs. In addition to Allison Stokke tying the knot with Rickie Fowler, Lanto Griffin called his girlfriend, Maya Brown, his good luck charm.

Icon Sportswire

Aww. Meanwhile, Maverick McNealy credited girlfriend and LPGA star Danielle Kang for the best round of his young PGA Tour career after she gave him a “talking to”.” And finally, Pat Perez’s wife, Ashley, became a news source by confirming why her husband was a late WD at the Houston Open.

And some people question why I keep close tabs on these lovely ladies. SMH.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

There’s a chance that Mickelson will have a historic streak snapped this week. The 49-year-old has been inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking for nearly 26 years! The last time Phil wasn’t ranked in the top 50, “Mrs Doubtfire” (Great movie, RIP Robin Williams) was No. 1 at the box office. Not that he seems too concerned about it. Here he is practising Kevin Na’s signature walk-in putt move—in front of Kevin Na:

Playing with Kevin Na who just won in Vegas. Now playing a practice round with him in his native country Korea and he’s rubbing off on me. pic.twitter.com/6lAEEgYLdM

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) October 15, 2019

If Mickelson ever won a Masters like that, he would break the Internet.

THIS AND THAT

Tiger Woods is writing his memoir, Back, with HarperCollins Publishers. I would have gone with GOAT as the title, but that works, too. And at least he’s not naming it “Cardi B.”. . . Henrik Stenson and Annika Sorenstam announced a joint European Tour-LET event where men and women are playing for the same prize. Sounds great. Even better would be if Stenson turns that old 3-wood into the trophy. . . . South African-born Rory Sabbatini is eying a spot on the European Ryder Cup after changing his citizenship to Slovakia earlier this year. Two Rorys on one team might be a bit confusing, just saying. . . . And finally, it’s a bittersweet day because SiriusXM’s Channel 30 is switching from my favourite station, DMB Radio, back to my other favourite station, Billy Joel Radio—something that seems to happen every couple months:

Little did I realize when I heard “Say Goodbye” on Monday night that I was actually saying goodbye. I’ll miss you, Dave.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Why can’t SiriusXM offer both channels at the same time?

Is Tiger Woods a big semicolon guy?

Does Tiger need help writing? Editing? Picking out photos? Anything?

The post Rickie Fowler’s beach wedding, Cardi B’s Tiger Woods reversal, and a big week for WAGs appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
With another PGA Tour season starting at this week’s A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, it’s time for our annual tribute to golfers not to be overlooked as we head into 2019-’20. This year’s list of sleepers is a bit different than past editions. While we kept the same criteria—a player has to be younger than 30, with no PGA Tour titles and no appearances in the Tour Championship—the make-up skews younger than years past. And that’s even with Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa playing their way off this list thanks to quick maiden victories on tour in 2019.

Although fewer returning PGA Tour players made our cut than normal, most of the youngsters below already have serious name recognition. They obviously have serious game as well. So we’re pretty confident that a handful will join Wolff and Morikawa as PGA Tour winners this season—and add to our prior success (Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Champ, etc., etc.) in picking breakthrough stars.

Viktor Hovland

Streeter Lecka

It almost feels like cheating to include this Norwegian native who turns 22 next week, but technically, he meets our super-scientific criteria. Hovland waited to turn pro in 2019 until after he used his U.S. Open exemption from winning the 2018 U.S. Amateur, then narrowly missed earning his PGA Tour card from his play in the summer while competing on sponsor’s exemptions. He earned his spot in the big leagues through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals and is the frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year. Take a look at these stats!

Strokes Gained leaders since June:

OFF-THE-TEE
1. Viktor Hovland, +1.13
2. Rory McIlroy, +1.09

APPROACH
1. Adam Scott, +1.35
2. Viktor Hovland, +1.01

(minimum 20 rounds)

— Sean Martin (@PGATOURSMartin) September 9, 2019

Like I said, leaving him on this list feels like cheating. Anyway, Hovland has also quickly become a pressroom favourite:

Viktor Hovland is now a living legend. pic.twitter.com/ufA4knxDB2

— Skratch (@Skratch) July 10, 2019

Yep, this kid is going places.

Scottie Scheffler

Richard Heathcote

There was a two-month stretch during the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour season in which Scheffler didn’t finish worse than T-7, winning one tournament and finishing second two other times. The 23-year-old Texas product added another victory in the postseason and is No. 1 on the priority rankings of guys coming from the developmental tour. That means Scheffler is the only 2019 Korn Ferry Tour graduate to be fully exempt on the PGA Tour for 2019-’20, which includes a spot in the Players. If Hovland is the clear favourite for ROY, Scheffler is probably No. 2.

Joaquin Niemann

Andy Lyons

Welcome back, young fella! Although not the youngest player on this list, Niemann, who turns 21 in November, is certainly the youngest with a full PGA Tour season under his size-28 belt (we don’t know his actual belt size, but the kid is skinny). And it was a solid season at that. After getting off to a slow start to his official rookie campaign (Niemann earned his PGA Tour card through sponsor’s exemptions the previous year), the native of Chile found his form once summer rolled around. Starting with back-to-back T-5s at the Travelers Championship and Rocket Mortgage Classic, he finished worse than T-31 only once over his final eight starts while racking up four top-15s.

Beau Hossler

Michael Reaves

Another returner, Hossler is breaking a record he didn’t know existed by making our list for a third time. In a way, that’s not a good sign for his career—when’s he finally going to make good on his potential? But in another, it bodes well in that so many people still believe he’s going to turn into a big-time player. Hossler briefly lost his PGA Tour card this past season, but he quickly got it back with a runner-up finish in the first Korn Ferry Tour Finals event. And now he’s back on this list. Again. So congrats on the record, Beau. Until you break it again next year …

Robby Shelton

Steve Dykes

Like Scheffler, this former college All-American broke out this past season with two Korn Ferry Tour titles. Shelton struggled trying to earn win No. 3 and that battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour, but the 24-year-old still enters this season No. 4 on the priority list of the top 50 grads. In other words, he’s in good shape to get a lot of early starts. We look forward to Shelton and Justin Thomas bragging about how good Alabama football is all season. (Kidding. We’re not looking forward to that.)

Wyndham Clark

Andy Lyons

Clark’s solid rookie season on the PGA Tour finished with top 20s in four of his final seven starts, including a T-5 at the 3M Open. The University of Oregon golfer certainly has the skills for success in today’s tour. Clark ranked fifth in driving distance and eighth in strokes gained/putting this past season. Only 25, there’s plenty of upsides here. And plenty of opportunities for cheeky Wyndham Rewards commercials.

Doug Ghim

David Cannon/Getty Images

The University of Texas golfer (yeah, this list is getting a bit Longhorn heavy) became the latest example of the razor-thin margins at golf’s highest ranks. At the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, Ghim converted an eight-foot curler on the 72nd hole to earn his PGA Tour card and give us one of the best reactions of the year in sports.

For a @PGATour card…. pic.twitter.com/x7wdT33Dqu

— GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) September 2, 2019

In addition to being the low amateur at the 2018 Masters, Ghim has had four top 25s in his 11 starts as a pro on the PGA Tour. That proves the 23-year-old can hang with the big boys—and that clutch stroke certainly won’t hurt his confidence going forward.

Tyler McCumber

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The son of 10-time PGA Tour winner Mark McCumber has steadily climbed pro golf’s ranks the past few years. First, through the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, then with a dominant three-win campaign on the PGA Tour Canada in 2018 and, finally, a solid rookie effort on the Korn Ferry Tour in which he finished 24th on the regular-season money list despite no victories. At 28, he’s the old man on this list, but he’s also got great genes from his old man.

Maverick McNealy

Michael Cohen

Yes, this is the guy who tied Tiger Woods’ record for victories at Stanford. Yes, he’s the son of a billionaire. Yes, he’s the dude dating LPGA star Danielle Kang. In many ways, McNealy has already established himself as a known commodity in pro golf, but he’ll get his first full-time crack at the PGA Tour after finishing 23rd on the Korn Ferry Tour’s regular-season money list. He’s certainly got the talent to be a star, and if this whole golf thing doesn’t work out, we’re pretty sure he’ll be OK.

Kristoffer Ventura

Steve Dykes

Another stud from that incredible Oklahoma State 2018 title team, Ventura graduated and spent this past season trying to make it as a pro. With no status on any tour as of June, a trip to Q school looked like a given until he turned a sponsor’s exemption at the Korn Ferry’s BMW Charity Pro-Am into a T-3. Three weeks later, Ventura won the Utah Championship and added another victory at the Pinnacle Bank Championship the next month. Quite a heater. Between Ventura and Hovland, Norway is suddenly a golf powerhouse.

Akshay Bhatia

Matt Sullivan

He’s definitely the youngest player on this list, and he probably won’t earn any PGA Tour status this season, but … just in case … we don’t want to be late to the party when it comes to predicting big things for this 17-year-old phenom who is turning pro this month. The clear-cut top-ranked junior golfer in the country, Bhatia became the youngest player ever to earn a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team. He begins the 2019-’20 season with no status on any professional tour, but the lanky lefty should get his full allotment of sponsor’s exemptions. Hopefully, he has his driver’s license as he begins life on the road.

The post 11 PGA Tour sleepers to watch in the 2019-’20 season appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.