Rahm was suspended under rules the tour adopted upon the inauguration of LIV that “ensure that suspended members do not negatively impact other players’ tournament eligibility, position on the Priority Rankings or eligibility to compete in the Playoffs and Signature Events.” As such, the tour said that Rahm’s results from the 2022-23 season—in which he won four times and finished 18th in the FedEx Cup—will not count in the points list that prioritizes eligibility for the 2024 season.

The happiest player in the circumstance is likely Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes, who moves from No. 51 to No. 50 in the standings and will now be eligible for the eight signature events in 2024 with $20 million purses. The other trickle-downs are that Alex Smalley moves to No. 60 and gets into two early signature events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, and Carl Yuan will keep his tour card by moving to 125th after he finished 126th following the FedEx Fall.

The tour noted that the final eligibility will be determined on Dec. 31, which leaves open the possibility that others could move up in the standings should there be more defections to LIV.

In the memo’s second section, the tour addressed concerns that were expressed in a petition circulated to the PGA Tour membership last week. That petition requested a “special meeting” to address how FedEx Cup points are calculated; the number of signature events; the PIP Program; and a discussion PGA Tour leadership, policy board and player directors.”

In 2024, winners of signature events will earn 700 FedEx Cup points compared to 500 for winners of other PGA Tour events, with the distribution of points more heavily weighted to signature events for all other finishes. The tour responded on Monday, saying the PGA Tour Policy Board and management team discussed the matter on a recent call and that “the board is listening to the concerns expressed from individual members and takes the concerns seriously.”

The memo noted that there was “considerable effort” to devise the 2024 schedule model, numerous scenarios were considered and the result came from extensive modelling. “Having performed this,” the tour said, “we believe the model approved by the board is the best model to achieve this goal.”

The tour said that it will closely monitor the model in the first half of 2024 and will conduct a thorough review of the system and determine if adjustments need to be made before the 2025 season.

Main image: Orlando Ramirez

The post PGA Tour suspends Jon Rahm, which has domino effect on eligibility for 2024 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

In a memo sent by the tour’s policy board to membership Sunday, and later published on the tour’s website, the tour said discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund remain ongoing while asserting the DP World Tour will continue to be a part of the new for-profit venture, PGA Tour Enterprises.

“Please know that while we can’t get into more details at this time, we are very confident in an eventual, positive outcome for all players and the PGA Tour as a whole,” the board wrote.

SGS is a collective of several investors and firms, fronted by the Fenway Sports Group. The sports conglomerate owns the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Liverpool FC, and a NASCAR racing team. The group also has Fenway Park and the New England Sports Network under its umbrella.

Other members of SGS include Arthur Blank owner of the Atlanta Falcons), Wyc Grousbeck (Boston Celtics), Marc Lasry (Milwaukee Bucks), Tom Ricketts (Chicago Cubs), Cohen Private Ventures (New York Mets) and HighPost Capital. Many of the aforementioned names have an ownership stake in TGL, the Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy mixed-reality circuit that was set to launch in 2024, but was pushed back a year when its facility suffered damage in a storm last month.

The memo to players noted that the policy board had unanimously agreed to continue talks with the SSG after a series of meetings over the past several days to “thoroughly review, discuss and debate the extremely strong proposals submitted by a final set of outside investors.” Published reports had said that three private equity groups previously remained in the mix: Fenway Sports Group, Acorn Growth Cos. and Liberty Media Corp.

The memo comes as the December 31 deadline nears for the PGA Tour and PIF to finalize their framework agreement, although the two parties can agree to push the deadline back. It remains unclear if the private equity backing is an alternative to PIF money, or if it will be used to supplement the deal in order to appease government antitrust regulations.

Sources tell Golf Digest that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan are scheduled to meet face-to-face this week after a meeting planned for last week was postponed.

Adding to the ambiguity is the recent defection of Jon Rahm to LIV Golf (which is financially backed by PIF), a move that some believe could accelerate a PGA Tour-PIF deal, while others think Rahm’s signing could renew professional golf’s civil war. Rahm was the first PGA Tour player to jump to LIV Golf in nearly a year. Speculation is that other players might follow in the coming days as the PIF looks to increase its leverage in the negotiations with the PGA Tour.

Main image: Fenway Sports Group’s John Henry and Tom Werner are among several pro sports owners of the Strategic Sports Group. Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox

The post PGA Tour advances negotiations with private equity group; Saudi PIF discussions remain ongoing appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The rollback would be implemented for golfers of all levels in 2030—different than the bifurcated proposal those governing bodies put forward earlier this year. The USGA and R&A predict a 10-15 yards decrease for golf’s longest hitters, down to 1-5 yards for amateurs.

We have finalized the next step in our years-long effort to address consistent increases in hitting distance and golf’s sustainability.

These changes to the Overall Distance Standard will take effect in January 2028.

— USGA (@USGA) December 6, 2023

Naturally, the rule change caused an eruption from golfers on all sides. Let’s break down some of the most noteworthy reactions.

Bridgestone Golf

Golf ball maker Bridgestone Golf issued a statement effectively saying they don’t like it, but they accept it and are moving on.

Bridgestone Golf statement regarding USGA/R&A distance roll back announcement: pic.twitter.com/L290S6nJtX

— Bridgestone Golf (@bridgestonegolf) December 6, 2023

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy has been outspoken in support of his rollback. After a tweet over the weekend, McIlroy joined Sky Sports on Wednesday morning to support the official proposal, saying that it’ll lead to a more “skilled” game.

"I think this change will make the game more skilful again" ?

World number two golfer Rory McIlroy has backed the new changes to rules regarding golf ball specifications which will see a reduce in distance they travel ?️? pic.twitter.com/XamHvgVhBA

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 6, 2023

TaylorMade Golf

McIlroy’s sponsor, TaylorMade Golf, released a statement on the rollback, expressing opposition but acceptance. On Golf Channel, the company’s CEO David Abeles said: “This decision has been made, and we will move forward.”

PGA Tour

The PGA Tour, with a vast majority of players being against the decision, released a statement questioning the specifics of the new testing protocols, saying they aren’t representative of on-course speeds.

Callaway Golf

Callaway Golf carved out a unique position, expressing disappointment that the USGA moved away from a bifurcated proposal.

PGA of America

The PGA of America released a statement praising the delayed timeline of implementing the new rule, but expressing concerns over a “greater reduction of distance than we would advise” for recreational players.

We appreciate that the USGA and R&A ran a collaborative and patient process over the past several years. We are particularly gratified that they heard our concerns regarding the significant operational challenges bifurcation would have presented and are no longer considering a local rule regarding the ball for elite players. We are also pleased that the proposed change to the ball has been delayed until 2028 for elite players and 2030 for recreational golfers. Given the important role our nearly 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals play in the recreational game, having more time to adjust to the new rule is helpful. We remain opposed to any change that may potentially lessen the enjoyment of the game for recreational golfers or diminish the unprecedented momentum the game is enjoying. It appears recreational golfers will see a greater reduction in distance than we would advise. While this decrease has been lessened, we continue to recommend being more moderate on the swing speed change for the golf ball conformance test. At this time, we continue to have concerns and look forward to continuing this important conversation and finding resolution with all of our golf industry partners.

USGA and R&A CEOs Mike Whan and Martin Slumbers

Defending their own proposal on Golf Channel, Slumbers said that the move was designed to “protect the long-term health and sustainability of the game…with the environmental concerns,” while Whan punched back against some of the proposal’s critics:

“There’s gonna be a lot of ambulance chasers and alarmists that are gonna make this thing seem so much worse than it really is. … I don’t want a few loud voices that are trying to get more clicks and more viewers and more phone calls to drive a frenzy that quite frankly isn’t based in fact.”

.@RandA and @USGA CEOs Martin Slumbers and Mike Whan detail what the universal golf ball rollback announcement means for players of all levels.

?: @GolfCentral breaking news coverage live now on Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/remf2OX3Q2

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) December 6, 2023

Main image: Mike Ehrmann

The post Golf’s power brokers react to USGA and R&A’s golf ball rollback announcement appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

There was speculation on that front last week when Rahm announced he would not participate in the new TGL enterprise formed by McIlroy and Tiger Woods that features teams competing in a golf simulator format. Rahm was originally among the 24 players who agreed to play.

On Monday, McIlroy made an appearance at a press conference for his TGL team, Boston Common, and told reporters he is convinced that Rahm, a two-time major winner and reigning Masters champion, has no interest in going to LIV.

“I spoke to Jon a couple days ago and would be very, very surprised if that were to happen,” McIlroy said. “I’m pretty confident Jon is a PGA Tour player.”

Rahm has yet to dispel the rumours about any potential departure to the Saudi Arabia-funded league since his TGL announcement last Thursday, when he wrote on social media: “I am sad to confirm that I will not be participating in the first TGL season. While I still think it’s a great opportunity, right now it would require a level of commitment that I can’t offer. Best of luck to everyone [involved] and may the best team win!”

The TGL responded with a statement, saying they “understand that players have to balance a lot of different facets of their professional and personal lives and respect Jon’s choice and wish him well”.

Rahm, an 11-time PGA Tour winner, has professed his devotion to the US-based circuit a number of times since LIV Golf was formed.

Main image: Patrick Smith

The post Rory McIlroy is convinced that speculation about Jon Rahm leaving for LIV isn’t legit appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

And, indeed, they did. As Erik van Rooyen walked off with an emotional victory on Sunday at the World Wide Technology Championship, the finally tally was in. The field hit a collective 5,740 tee shots on the par 4s and par 5s over four rounds, and 5,194 landed in the fairway. That’s a 90.48 per cent accuracy rate, an astonishing number when you consider most hit previously in any tournament during the 2022-23 season was 74.94 per cent at the Masters.

En route to victory, Van Rooyen missed just four fairways — and ranked T-25 among his peers. Finishing first in the field was Adam Long, who didn’t miss a single fairway all week, a first on the PGA Tour in 31 years.

“It’s something I’ll be able to say forever,” Long told PGATour.com, “some sort of bragging rights or an interesting stat at trivia nights.”

For the season, Long ranks 13th on tour in driving accuracy, hitting 66.78 per cent. So maybe it wasn’t a surprise that he would be out front in Mexico.

Long admitted he was thinking about keeping his perfect week intact as he played the last hole, the reachable par-5 18th with a fairway bunker along the left side of the hole. Long’s tee shot drifted toward the sand, and because of the way the tee box was positioned, he wasn’t sure if where his ball finished up until he walked a good way up the hole.

“I was like: ‘Ahh come on, don’t make it the last one! It’s all right to miss one, but don’t make it the very last hole,’” Long said. “So we get over the crest, maybe 100 yards before the ball, and it’s sitting right in front of the bunker and it was mine. It hung on for dear life. It was only a few feet from going into that bunker.”

But here’s the scary part: Long ended up 10 shots back of van Rooyen, coming in T-23. And, as it turns out, accuracy hasn’t helped the 36-year-old former tour winner shoot lower scores much this season. Despite playing in 36 events, Long is 142nd in the FedEx Cup points list. Aware he was in jeopardy of losing his PGA Tour card, Long is signed up for the second stage of Qualifying School.

Main image: Adam Long. Orlando Ramirez

The post Adam Long became the first PGA Tour player in 31 years to accomplish this incredible piece of perfection appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

As reported by several media outlets on Saturday and confirmed by Golf Digest, the PGA Tour says tour members will be allowed to compete in the qualifying event, to be held December 8-10 in the UAE.

“Based on the information publicly available regarding the LIV Golf Promotion event, it is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorised series. Therefore, the LIV Golf Promotion event is not categorised as an ‘Unauthorized Tournament’,” a tour spokesman said in a statement. “This classification is subject to change should the details of the event change.”

The top three finishers in the 72-hole qualifier will be promoted to LIV Golf for 2024. What happens if a PGA Tour player is one of those qualifiers has not yet been determined, since tour players have either been suspended our resigned their tour membership to play for LIV.

The PGA Tour decision comes as the organisation continues to negotiate a potential investment deal with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund that has supplied nearly all of the money for the LIV Golf. The entities announced in June that they established a December 31 deadline to come to an agreement.

Main image: Icon Sportswire

The post PGA Tour says it will allow members to compete in LIV qualifying event appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

That’s not to say that Van Rooyen wasn’t pleased to win his second PGA Tour title, especially after struggling for much of the year. And the manner in which he achieved it was something for which he should feel legitimate satisfaction, as the 33-year-old native of South Africa fired a back-nine 28 at El Cardonal at Diamante, capped by an 18-foot eagle putt, to surge past Matt Kuchar and win by two strokes.

But van Rooyen was playing with a heavy heart. His college teammate, Jon Trasamar, is battling terminal cancer, making the win bitter-sweet, if not outright hollow. And Van Rooyen had no trouble letting the world know it — after, that is, taking several moments to collect himself in the immediate aftermath.

For my best friend, Jon @WWTChampionship ? pic.twitter.com/u24Y7H5C9p

— Erik van Rooyen (@FredVR_) November 6, 2023

“There’s bigger stuff in life than golf,” he said, fighting back tears thinking of his former University of Minnesota teammate. “If you look at my ball … it has the initials ‘JT’ and it’s for Jon Trasamar, our best friend. He’s got melanoma, and he’s not going to make it. And every shot out there was for him. And when you’re playing for something bigger than some silly trophy it puts things in perspective, and at the end of the day whether I won here or whether I lost here, it really did not matter.

“Yeah, when something motivates you like that whether you make a putt or miss a putt, who cares?”

Van Rooyen made just about every putt he looked at on the inward nine at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal layout. He began the day a stroke behind Kuchar and Camilo Villegas, who were at 19-under 197 through 54 holes, and he fell farther behind as Villegas birdied four of his first six and then Kuchar took over with as burst of four birdies in six holes beginning with a 25-footer at the par-3 ninth.

It still looked like a two-man battle, but Justin Suh made a back-nine push of his own to get within one of Kuchar before Van Rooyen caught fire. He birdied the first three holes of the back nine, added a two-putt birdie at the 14th and then got over the top by playing his final three holes in four-under.

Entering the week ranked 193rd in the world, Van Rooyen converted from 30 feet at the par-3 16th, added an 18-footer for birdie at No. 17, and then reached the 585-yard par-5 home hole in two shots to set up the winning putt.

Kuchar, who had won this event in 2018, missed the green with his second shot and pitched his third to 15 feet, hoping to have a chance for a tie. But Van Rooyen, who’s only other PGA Tour win was the 2021 Barracuda Championship, never gave him the chance.

Van Rooyen raised a fist in the air after the winning putt found the centre of the cup on the par-5 home hole. It was the crowning stroke in closing nine-under 63 and 27-under 261 total. After retrieving his ball from the hole, Van Rooyen shared a long embrace with his caddie, Alex Gaugert, who broke down sobbing. Gaugert also was a member of the Gophers golf team with Trasamar, whose pro career was confined mainly to the mini-tours.

“Just hung in there and made some fricking awesome putts on 16, 17 and 18,” said Van Rooyen, who at one point this season missed seven cuts in a row.

An emotional winning moment.
@FredVR_ takes the victory with a walk-off eagle @WWTChampionship. pic.twitter.com/qy0EEcCbaT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 5, 2023

Villegas, a four-time tour winner trying to make a comeback from his own personal tragedy — the death of his 22-month-old daughter Mia to cancer in 2020 — birdied the last and tied Kuchar for second place at 25-under 263. Each shot 66.

“A lot of positives this week. Man, it’s been a long few years, a lot of work,” said Villegas, 41, who has slipped to 752 in the world and even did some analyst work for Golf Channel this summer. “This year has been a grind just technically working with my new instructor, working with a new mental coach and getting a little bit older. But I don’t want to stop playing. I love playing. You never know, you never know. You keep waiting for the results to come and you keep grinding and you keep grinding. And obviously this week was a special one.”

“I’m pretty bummed. But I hold my head held high,” said the 45-year-old Kuchar, who was seeking his 10th career title. “Erik played incredible golf. What was that? Eight-under par on the final nine holes is quite an awesome finale, so hard to keep up with.”

The victory was worth $1.476 million for van Rooyen, who was planning to fly to Minnesota on Monday to visit with Trasamar. But the only real value he saw in the endeavour was that he carried his friend in his very heavy heart with each stroke he made.

“It’s extremely immaterial,” he said. “You know, it takes some not too long to mature and it takes others longer to mature, and it’s taken me a while. I’m 33 years old and I’ve got two kids now. That gives you perspective. Then when something like this happens where your best friend who was best man in my wedding — what’s it? Nine years ago now — when he’s hit with melanoma, it puts things in perspective while golf doesn’t really matter.

“When I’m 80 years old, if I get to that age, and I look back, if I lost it, I certainly wouldn’t remember it. I’m going to remember the people that I spent time with, the people that I love, and he’s certainly one of them.”

But now Van Rooyen has a win he’ll always remember, dedicated to a friend he’ll never forget.

Main image: Hector Vivas

The post Erik van Rooyen honours dying friend with emotional win at World Wide Technology Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

You can catch up will all our coverage by visiting the website HERE, or alternatively scroll through the ISSUU links below — from Jason Kokrak and Cam Smith to the Aramco Team Series — or download to your favourite device for later.

Issue No.1 – January 2022

Issue No.2 – April 2022

Issue No.3 – August 2022

Issue No.4 – October 2022

Issue No.5 – January 2023

Issue No.6 – April 2023

Issue No.7 – August 2023

Issue No.8 – October 2023

The post Read all the Arabic editions of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It is no secret that several companies are vying to provide financial backing to the PGA Tour amid the ongoing discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Endeavor, the parent company the WWE, the UFC, and sports agency IMG, and which has a market value of close to $10 billion, was one of the primary interested investors. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel confirmed his company’s bid just weeks ago. “We are in the sports business,” Emanuel said earlier in October. “I’m an avid golfer. It’s one of the great sports. I love it. I think we could add to it what we’ve added to all of our sports based on the flywheel [effect].”

However, Endeavor president and COO Mark Shapiro told Sportico on Friday that its offer to invest and partner with the tour was turned down.

“We’re big fans of golf, and we’ll continue to champion the PGA Tour,” Endeavor’s Mark Shapiro said, “but we’re not going to be an investor at any level.”

Other entities include the Fenway Sports Group (which owns the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Premier League team Liverpool) and the investment firm KKR & Co.

Earlier this month the PGA Tour acknowledged these discussions in a memo to its membership. “We remain focused on reaching a Definitive Agreement with PIF and the DP World Tour, but not surprisingly, these negotiations have resulted in unsolicited outreach and proposals from a number of other interested investors,” the PGA Tour’s Jason Gore wrote in the memo, which has been obtained by Golf Digest. “All of this activity reinforces the Tour’s strong position and our potential for growth.”

The framework between the tour and PIF calls for a new agreement to be completed by the end of the year, although both sides can agree to extend the deadline.

Main image: Jared C Tilton

The post PGA Tour rejects major sports company’s investment bid amid PIF discussions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The tour said India is suspended from PGA Tour-sanctioned competition for six months, with the suspension having begun on September 18, 2023. Staiano is banned from PGA Tour-sanctioned tournaments for three months, with his suspension starting on September 11, 2023.

The tour said it will have no further comment on the suspensions at this time.

Vince India hits a shot during the 2023 Simmons Bank Open. Alex Slitz

India, 34, is a University of Iowa alum who has played full-time on the KFT since 2019 and has career KFT earnings of $569,844. He had eight top-10 finishes from 2019-23 but didn’t post a top-10 this season in 22 starts, while making half the cuts. He has three career PGA Tour starts without making a cut.

Staiano, 26, has played in 17 total events on the KFT over the past two seasons, with the Colorado State product earning $30,910 in the six cuts he’s made. He played eight times in 2023 and made three cuts, with one top-25 finish. Staiano has not played on the PGA Tour.

The tour’s Integrity Programme manual, which was last updated in September 2021, states that its primary purpose is “preventing betting-related corruption in PGA TOUR competitions.”

Among the prohibited actions in the manual is “Betting on Professional Golf Events.” The text of the rules read: “Any Covered Person, directly or indirectly, Betting on the outcome or any other aspect of any PGA Tour event, any other professional golf competition or any elite amateur golf competition (including Olympic Golf) anywhere in the world (“Professional Golf Event”). In this manual, “betting” means (A) placing any money or other thing of value on the occurrence of an uncertain outcome with the expectation of return or (B) participating in any fantasy or other game that awards a prize of value, including any free-to-play, paid or daily fantasy game, unless expressly approved by the PGA Tour.”

Main image: Jake Staiano hits a shot during the 2022 BMW Charity Pro-Am. Eakin Howard

The post Two players from Korn Ferry Tour suspended for betting on PGA Tour events appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.