Lydia Ko, without a victory this season on the LPGA, birdied the penultimate hole at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla., to send her and teammate Jason Day to a one-stroke victory in the latest iteration of mixed-team golf. The Down Under duo—Ko is from New Zealand and Day from Australia—combined to post 26-under 266 after a best-ball 66 to edge the Canadian pair of Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners.

Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom and Ludvig Aberg were another stroke behind after a sterling 60.

Although there have been male-female pairings recently in other events, including the QBE Shootout and PNC Championship, the Grant Thornton Invitational is the first pure mixed format since the 1999 JCPenney Classic.

The women, keyed up by the opportunity to show how well their games compare to their male counterparts, brought their A-games to the tournament, which featured three formats—scramble, alternate shot and modified best ball—highlighted by Ko’s second shot into the par-5 17th hole from 208 yards with a fairway metal.

“That looks so good,” Day said as the ball sailed towards the pin.

“As soon as it came off the club face, I was like, ‘I think it’s good, please be good,’ and it was heading right towards the pin,” said Ko, who with Day began the final round with a two-stroke lead after an impressive 66 in alternate shot on Saturday. “I don’t think I could have hit that shot 100 times and it would turn out better.”

The ball checked up 10 feet behind the hole, and Ko two-putted for the go-ahead birdie. Ko, 26, also did the honors of closing it out on the par-four home hole, two-putting for par from 30 feet, though Day, after missing the green, chipped to three feet that also could have won it. Each a former world No. 1, Ko and Day split $1 million of the $4 million purse.

“It was kind of weird because it felt like the most stress-free win because I knew Lydia was going to step up in the end, which was fantastic,” said Day, 36, who won his 13th PGA Tour title earlier this year at the AT&T Byron Nelson. “It was a fun week. Having the two tours join this week was a fun way to finish the year. I’m hoping we get to do it for a very long time.”

Madelene Sagstrom thinks the LPGA players more than held their own on the stage with their PGA Tour peers. Douglas P. DeFelice

Aberg, the rookie sensation who was solid in his Ryder Cup debut during Europe’s victory in Italy and then won his first PGA Tour title at the RSM Classic last month, gushed that “I was a passenger at times [Saturday],” during foursomes play. He also was a happy spectator when Sagstrom snaked in a long double-breaking eagle putt on 17 that forged a momentary three-way tie for the lead.

“It’s been a very big week for us, for women’s golf this week, and showing how good we are with you guys,” Sagstrom said. “I feel like on every team we all contributed equal ways.”

They sure contributed their share of fireworks. Another example: Lexi Thompson’s ace at the par-3 16th hole on Saturday that put her and Rickie Fowler in the thick of things before dropping to T-6 on Sunday.

Mutual gushing was the order of the day through 54 holes. Each side had a lot to appreciate about the other. The women got to witness the power the men unleashed with their drivers. The men saw just how well the women scored with overall skill and tenacity.

“I think it’s really cool to marry the tours together,” Tony Finau said. “They’re seeing shots that they haven’t seen with us, and vice versa. We’re seeing shots that we haven’t seen, and we only get to watch these guys on TV, they only get to watch us on TV.”

Ko underscored perfectly what it meant to be paired with Day when she told her caddie she wanted to hang back at the men’s tee on the final hole to watch Day hit one more drive. Afterwards, she joked about the natural regional rivalry between Kiwis and Aussies, “but that was not there this week.”

The hope among LPGA officials is that the Grant Thornton remains an annual event that also opens up other joint ventures with the PGA Tour. Douglas P. DeFelice

What was there was a showcase of pure enjoyment of the game along with excellence. You know what that’s good for? Anyone? We’ll let Ko spell out it for you.

“This week I think every player that’s here, whether it’s the PGA Tour player or LPGA player, I think we’re here for more than just the prize money and winning. It’s about the growth of the game,” she said. “It’s great that we got to win on top of that, but I think with the help of Grant Thornton, this is, I think, a start for so many more exciting things to come, and I’m excited to be a part of this partnership.”

“It will be interesting to see kind of the after-effects going into next year, but I think one of the things is seeing the guys and the gals tee it up together and have fun and us just enjoying being out there together,” Fowler agreed.

Megan Khang, who teamed with Denny McCarthy to finish T-4, also was thinking ahead. “I feel like this is a great … step in the right direction,” she said. “I feel like people are going to get a taste of this event, see how fun it is and how engaging it is of how many families come out, boys, girls. They just see these players on both levels competing and having fun and showing up and putting up some good scores. I think it’s great for not only golf, but for the future of golf.”

Main image: Cliff Hawkins

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In a move that could have significant implications for the USGA and R&A proposal to roll back golf ball distance at the elite level, the World Alliance of PGAs has asked the governing bodies to indefinitely halt its march toward the changes.

In a memo obtained by Golf Channel and signed by PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, the alliance — which includes nine PGAs from around the world — wrote: “We strongly believe in the need to completely scope out all unintended consequences before the introduction of any significant change. Whilst many aspects have been considered we are worried that the proposed changes will have far reaching implications for our game.”

The USGA and R&A announced in March a proposed Model Local Rule that would limit golf ball distance for elite competition beginning in January 2026. Recreational golfers would not be affected, but the proposal stirred a strong and divided debate about whether having different balls for elite players and everyday golfers was good for the game.

Last month, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo to players that the tour would not use the proposed MLR in competition, though he added that he would work with the governing bodies to find an eventual solution.

In their memo, the PGAs, which represent thousands of teaching professionals, say they are “firmly opposed” to bifurcation of the golf ball: “It is something that we feel would lead to division and cause us to lose a very precious characteristic of golf; the fact that we all play on the same course with the same clubs and balls. In our view, this dynamic should be preserved as a fundamental tenet.”

The PGAs cited operational issues, including policing players, retailers and driving ranges having to stock two different kinds of balls, and golfers playing different balls for different events, as reasons it opposes the proposal. The PGAs cited the effect on golf courses and handicap systems and said the governing bodies’ suggestion that elite women players could still play a “recreational” ball could be viewed “very negatively at a time when we are all trying to promote and champion women’s golf and participation”.

The PGAs noted that there was “conflicting data” in regards to the rollback and proposed that the PGA World Alliance work with other industry members to produce a “white paper” that would review all data and possibly include “alternative solutions”.

The notice and comment period for the proposed MLR is set to end next Monday, and the PGAs are asking that the governing bodies push back their implementation of the rollback and keep the status quo as the industry further contemplates “the thorny challenges of bifurcation.”

The PGAs offered to discuss the matter with the USGA and R&A. The USGA responded to the memo, as it did with the PGA Tour, by saying, “We remain in a Notice & Comment period, accepting feedback from voices from across the game. The PGA is an important stakeholder and we appreciate the feedback they have contributed to this conversation.”

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Of all the painful ways to lose a golf tournament, “death by a thousand pars” has to be one of the most torturous. We’ve seen it most recently and prominently from Rory McIlroy at this year’s US Open and last year’s Open Championship, and we’ve seen it from Rickie Fowler on more than one occasion at majors in the past. The phenomenon is exactly what it sounds like: You’re not melting down, but you simply can’t make enough birdies to win, and par follows par in a slow, frustrating march of failure.

Sunday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, before finally grabbing his first win in nearly four-and-a-half years and punctuating a comeback that has seen him rise into the upper echelons after a sustained slump that brought him as low as 185th in the world late last year, Fowler seemed to be mired in that old familiar morass. And if “death by a thousand pars” makes it tough to win a major, it’s an impossible formula for a PGA Tour stop like this one, an unrestrained birdie fest where you only triumph if you confront and dominate Detroit Country Club four times in a row.

Fowler’s start was anything but quotidian, but after three birdies in seven holes, he settled into the familiar slog. An astounding 10 straight pars from holes 8 through 17 took the air out of the Fowler faithful in the gallery, and brought a predictable consequence: the lead he carried into the mid-morning start (tee times were moved up due to a dire afternoon forecast) vanished as he stood on the par-4 18th. The hole had yielded precious few birdies, and now Fowler trailed Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin by a shot. While Fowler had been running in place, Morikawa was in a full sprint and nearly reached 25 under with a birdie putt on 18 that tantalized and then lipped out. Fowler appeared much like he had at Los Angeles Country Club, his body language telegraphing premature disappointment, and his drive to the intermediate rough on 18, while not a disaster, didn’t exactly help.

Then, just when deflation seemed to be the order of the afternoon, Fowler reignited his chances with what has to be one of the most important shots of his career, and certainly the most critical in recent memory. The brilliant approach came entirely against the run of momentum:

Clutch shot from @RickieFowler!

He has a 3-footer left to force a playoff @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/A5CvpZYaBI

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 2, 2023

With that, Fowler did what he couldn’t do at the US Open, which was to conjure the perfect shot at the perfect moment. He later said he felt like his back was to the wall, and when he delivered under those tense circumstances, he was left with a gimme to make the playoff.

Moments later, facing Morikawa and Hadwin at 18 again as the first playoff hole, Fowler seemed to give the impetus right back to his opponents with a slice off the tee, while they hit perfect draws to the left side of the fairway. To his good fortune, though, the grass was tamped down by the gallery, and he had a relatively clean look at the hole. He took advantage, rolling his approach to 11 feet below the hole:

What a shot from @RickieFowler!

He’s left with a 11-footer for birdie @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/gnufBYIFIY

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 2, 2023

The minute this second approach rolled to a stop, it was like the golf gods decided then and there that he’d been tested enough, and all the difficulties, all the struggles of the past years, evaporated in an instant, and the fates lined up on his side as lightning hovered outside the Detroit area. Hadwin over-spun his approach, leaving a long birdie putt that had the added trouble of giving Fowler a perfect read; Morikawa flew his even easier approach into the back rough and duffed the comeback ship; Fowler, facing down a putt to bury his winless demons, and telling himself to hit it hard enough, tucked it into the right side of the hole.

The brief look skyward, the breath that exhaled 1,610 days of futility just before his caddie Ricky Romano embraced him and the first smile appeared, probably said more than any words could, but Fowler had some good words anyway.

“It’s just been a long road,” said the now six-time PGA Tour winner. “I’ll get emotional at some point, whether it’s … in here or when we’re heading home or over this next week.”

RELATED: Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic

Fowler, 34, seemed to be teary-eyed as he held his 1-year-old daughter Maya in his CBS interview with Amanda Renner, but largely held it together later in front of reporters. He’ll head home for a few days now, and then to London for a pre-Open trip with Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and all their wives. But as he spoke Sunday, his mind was drifting to another European event a couple months after Hoylake.

“This was definitely one of the main goals this year was to win,” he acknowledged. “Outside of that … one of the end goals was to be a part of the Ryder Cup team, and that’s still what we’re focusing on right now. Been a part of a handful, and they’re very special weeks, so that’s where I have my eyes.”

Cliff Hawkins

When asked whether he always had confidence he’d return to the winner’s circle, Fowler answered with his usual honesty.

“Not always,” he admitted. “You never really know with this game. You definitely learn to appreciate the good times and when you’re playing well. Yeah, you hope the struggles don’t last, but sometimes they last longer than you would hope for … even when you’re playing well, it’s not going to last forever.”

While Fowler’s win will deservedly overshadow almost anything else that happened in Detroit this past week, the surprise resurgence of Morikawa might end up being almost as impactful.

Rickie Fowler celebrates with his daughter, Maya, after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Cliff Hawkins

“Playoffs suck when you’re on the wrong side of them,” he said bluntly, but the rest of his post-round interview was almost effusively positive. “It’s kind of the old Collin hopefully back … I’m in this little lull and this hopefully is just that boost to just get me out of it.”

Morikawa will skip the Scottish Open and take more time to practice on the links to prepare for the Open Championship, and will hope that a return to form there and in the FedEx Cup playoffs rounds out his season in style and perhaps leads to a spot on the Ryder Cup team.

As for Hadwin, if he was disappointed in not winning—he’s now in the midst of a six-plus-year streak himself—you certainly wouldn’t be able to tell from his own presser.

“I’m stoked, I’m through the roof right now,” he said. “I mean, I got myself into a playoff at the end of the day, that’s what you want. You want a chance to win a golf tournament and I guess I kind of had a chance coming up 18, an outside chance. Then I hit two of the best golf shots I’ve hit all day in a playoff and really even that putt, it just didn’t go in. You know, I can take nothing but positives away from this week.”

It’s a rare tournament when everyone in the top three can feel good, especially after two of them have just lost in a playoff, but something was in the air in Detroit, and positive vibes were the order of the day. The last word belongs to Fowler, who hearkened back to that brief millisecond after the winning putt fell and he seemed to find a kind of quiet oasis; a storm’s eye between the stress he’d just endured and the celebrations to come.

“I was kind of just still and quiet and everyone was going crazy around me,” he said. “It was a nice moment just to kind of feel like the weight on my shoulders was finally off.”

The post ‘It’s been a long road’: Rickie Fowler’s comeback win is special for reasons only he can fully understand appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

First-round leads generally mean little, but specifically can be surprisingly newsworthy, as was the case with Peter Kuest on Thursday. Peter who?

Kuest, 25, was a Monday qualifier for the Rocket Mortgage Classic and as such is among the least likely players in the field to make news on Thursday. Yet he had six 3s and two 2s on his scorecard of eight-under-par 64 at Detroit Golf Club to lead the morning wave of players. At the end of play, he was tied for the lead with Taylor Moore.

He was asked what he would be doing had he failed to Monday qualify. “Probably finishing back in Utah,” he said. “I probably would have gone Tuesday, probably in the afternoon today after practice. I’d probably be finishing right now.”

Kuest, who played college golf at BYU, has some Korn Ferry Tour status, though he has been unable to get in a tournament on that tour. So he’s been turning his focus to the PGA Tour and Monday qualifying. “I’ll definitely play more PGA Tour Mondays,” he said.

This last Monday, he played his way into a playoff—four players for three spots—but got in when one of the players, Hayden Springer, was found to have 15 clubs in his bag and was disqualified.

On Monday, @Peter_Kuest secured his spot @RocketClassic via open qualifying.

After a career low round today, Kuest currently leads by one at Detroit Golf Club. pic.twitter.com/p9nZzIR4wV

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2023

This is Kuest’s fourth PGA Tour start this season. He made the cut in two of his previous three starts, including a tie for 14th at the AT&T Byron Nelson, a tournament to which he received a sponsor invitation.

“It gave me a lot of confidence,” he said. “The tournament committee gave me a spot there so that was nice, really grateful for that. To go play well, it was a bonus. It solidifies that I can play out here. Now it’s just doing it week in and week out.”

Here are other takeaways from the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Ludvig Aberg continues to warrant attention

Ludvig Aberg watches his shot from the 17th tee during the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Raj Mehta

Sweden native Ludvig Aberg is only weeks removed from college golf at Texas Tech yet the quality of his golf continues to prevent the spotlight from venturing too far away from him.

That he is a player to watch again was reinforced in the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He hit all 14 fairways and 17 of 18 greens in regulation, shooting a seven-under 65.

Video game numbers.

A clinical opening round from Ludvig Aberg @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/iZr0XrNWM0

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 29, 2023

Aberg finished first in the PGA Tour University, earning him a full PGA Tour exemption through the 2024 season. He posted a T-25 and a T-24 in his first two starts.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to play a few of these events before so I’ve been exposed to this a little bit, but I think just going back-to-back weeks is a little bit different from what I’ve done before,” he said. “It’s just going to take a little time. I think being OK with being a little bit uncomfortable at times is going to be key. All in all, it’s super fun. It’s so much fun to play these events and I’m looking forward to playing a lot more.”

Justin Thomas’ woes continue

Justin Thomas plays his second shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Cliff Hawkins

The season has been an anomaly in Justin Thomas’ career, which otherwise is a Hall of Fame one in progress, featuring 15 victories and two majors, all before he turned 30 in April. He has won at least once every year since his first victory in 2015, yet he has none this year, and is 66th in FedEx Cup points.

His World Ranking is still a respectable 17th, up from 18th the week before, the highest it has been since the first week of 2017, when he was ranked 22nd.

A tie for ninth at the Travelers Championship last week provided a glimmer of hope that was erased by Thomas’ first-round score of four-over-par 76, placing him tied for 150th in a 156-player field.

On the eve of the tournament, Thomas expressed optimism. “Definitely saw a lot of great signs last week,” he said. “I’m just a couple events away from being right there. And a lot of things can happen. The unknown is the fun and bad part about this game, so we’ll see where it takes us.”

Back to the drawing board was not on his radar.

Taylor Moore shakes slump

Taylor Moore plays his shot from the fourth tee during the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Cliff Hawkins

Taylor Moore has had a strong year that includes a victory in the Valspar Championship in March. Yet he came into the Rocket Mortgage Classic in a month-long slump. He tied for 72nd in the PGA Championship, then missed three straight cuts.

But in the opening round on Thursday, Moore, 29, posted a bogey-free 64 to claim a share of the lead with Kuest. Funny game, this golf.

“With the current state of my game I’ve kind of been stuck in neutral, so this has been really good for me to see,” Moore said. “I felt like I’ve been really, really close and obviously was just stoked to see some putts go in and post a good number.”

The post A Monday qualifier co-leads Rocket Mortgage, Ludvig Aberg continues to shine and Justin Thomas’ woes resume appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Just ask Lucas Glover.

During his first round at The American Express, Glover was standing over a routine par putt when this happened…

? pic.twitter.com/jSpMSRhqva

— brent (@bhaydon5) January 19, 2023

At first I wondered if this was some new and interesting technique, but turns out it wasn’t. He had two other short putts that were caught on camera during his opening round, and each had perfectly normal backstrokes.

Nope, this was a good old fashioned yip. How did it happen? Without delving into the recesses of Glover’s mind, there are a few things that stand out.

First, you can watch in the video above a pronounced pause between his forward press and the start of his stroke. He’s almost frozen over the ball, but the nervous energy and tension keeps building nonetheless.

That’s why, when he does manage to get his stroke going, the movement is so short and jerky. The smaller muscles in his wrists and hands seize up, and his wrists “spasm”.

Pretty fascinating to see what happens the moment Glover's (1 inch?) backswing ends and his downswing technically begins.

No movement in the shoulders, just a twitch of the wrists ? pic.twitter.com/NXpytbF1Fa

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) January 19, 2023

But don’t worry, this horror story has a happy ending. Glover yipped the putt into the hole, and finished strong with a three-under 69.

The post Lucas Glover’s nightmare putting-stroke yip explained appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The juices were flowing by this point, just like the rest of us when we have a good round going.

Could I shoot my best round ever (to this point a 63 on the PGA Tour)? Will I win this tournament? But wait, what if I screw up? Oh, please don’t mess up.

It’s only natural for such thoughts to start entering your head. The difference between a PGA Tour player like Thompson and the rest of us is that he knows the drill, and not even the allure of shooting 59 can distract him.

Career low round for Davis Thompson ?

The 23-year-old birdies the last for an opening-round 62 @TheAmExGolf. pic.twitter.com/hIbAkjzrqn

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 19, 2023

“My biggest challenge today was staying present minded and trying to put one foot in front of the other,” Thompson said after finishing his round. “Your mind definitely starts to wander a little bit. But I played enough rounds to where I try to teach myself over and over you can’t get ahead of yourself.”

Alas, a sub-60 round wasn’t to be. A couple of birdies and no bogeys on the back was good enough for merely a 10-under 62. But that was good enough for a two-shot edge on his five nearest competitors, the second time in his young career that he’s been the Day 1 leader.

Along with Thompson’s impressive start, here are three other takeaways from the first round in the California desert.

Feisty Rahm

Jon Rahm. Katelyn Mulcahy

Among those chasing Thompson is Jon Rahm, who opened with a 64 on the same course to put him, alongside Sam Burns, in the crowded pack at T-2.
Outside of Rory McIlroy, Rahm, winner two weeks ago at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, may be the best player in golf today. He’ll surely be trying to prove that this week, even if the Official World Golf Ranking seems to be conspiring against him. Rahm is one of those players best when he’s got a fire lit under him. And this week, he sounds like a man who’s been given a spark.
“Really badly,” he said in response to a question about how much he wants to capture another win here (he was the Amex champion in 2018, the second of his eight career PGA Tour wins). “What gives me more confidence is I never finished outside the top 14 in this tournament. I’ve been consistent every single time and I’ve given myself a chance.”
Let’s just call this what it is: A warning shot to the rest of the field.

Scouting Xander

Xander Schauffele. Ben Jared

It’s reasonable to says that 2023 feels like a big season for the Xander Schauffele. In 2020 and 2021, the 29-year-old California native combined for four major top-10s but zero tour wins (OK, he did grab an Olympic gold medal in that time). Then last season he won three times only to claim zero major top-10s in exchange.
Predicting what’s ahead for Schauffele would have been challenge enough before he had to WD from the Sentry Tournament of Champions two weeks ago with a back injury. He returned to play this week, posting an impressive opening-round 65 at La Quinta that hints the pain he was feeling in Hawaii might be a short-term issue.
“Yeah, it’s a little sore,” Schauffele said on Wednesday. “Trying to be as patient as possible to take things as slow as possible in terms of getting too many reps in and I guess being stupid in that sense. But I’m known to try to practise too much at times. I’m trying to take this one slow so I don’t hurt it again or do something of that nature.”
Schauffele feels like one of those players whose gift and curse is seemingly always having the potential to do more. His opening round leaves him inside the top 10 through 18 holes. His performance this week won’t define his season — far from it. But these early West Coast swing events may provide a clue for what’s ahead of Schauffele. Will this be the year he truly, and fully, ascends?

Big Toe Burmester

Dean Burmester. Meg Oliphant

Finally, a special shout-out to Dean Burmester, who joins Schauffele at T-7. Like Xander, Burmester is playing hurt, although the 33-year-old South African’s injury comes with an unusual backstory. After a routine power outage at his home, Burmester was playing the role of handyman husband — only to have it backfire.
“Our solar power kind of tripped,” he said. “I was on my way to fix it. My wife was in the shower. I was on my way trying to be the valiant knight, I was trying to be the man to the rescue. And I ran into a chair and broke my baby toe,” he says.
It’s causing him to hang back on his right foot through the ball, Burmester says, rather than transfer weight over to his lead side. He’s also not swinging as hard as he usually would. So far, however, his score doesn’t show any sign of injury.

The post Dream start for rookie and a bizarre broken toe: Day 1 takeaways from Amex appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“What it’s done is made the PGA Tour almost two tiers,” Nicklaus said. “All of a sudden the other tournaments become feeders.”

RELATED: Lowry excited to take position on PGA Tour

It was a reasonable reaction. With 11 events sporting $20 million-plus purses (and the Sentry Tournament of Champions offering $15 million to its limited field), the tour’s top players would see those tournaments as “must-plays” — indeed, to be eligible for payouts from the tour’s Player Impact Programme, they can only miss one of those events. Toss in the majors and the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and that amounts to 19 starts on tour for the year, which doesn’t leave a bunch of wiggle room for other events.

Once the new schedule was revealed, there were some tournament directors at the “other” events who wondered the same thing as Nicklaus: How could they attract any top-ranked players in this new landscape?

“Everybody realises the tour is trying to do something to combat LIV Golf, and that’s understandable,” one tournament director, who asked not to be identified, told Golf Digest in October. “We all want to protect the tour and see it continue to grow. But a lot of us can’t believe they did this. Some sponsors are pretty hot.”

It seems too early to tell whether this will become a real problem or not, considering there have always been some tournaments that attracted better fields than others. But so far in this calendar year, the prospects for impressive fields in early tournaments on the West Coast are equal to or better than they’ve been in the most recent years before the COVID-19 pandemic. And that’s with two “elevated” events looming in the next five weeks — the WM Phoenix Open and Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles.

They’re doing a little bit of extra celebrating in the California desert at La Quinta for this week’s American Express after drawing the strongest field they’ve had since maybe Arnold Palmer was a regular competitor. A year after only one of the top-10 players in the World Ranking entered, five of the top seven — Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris — are set to compete for the tournament’s largest-ever purse of $8 million.

At Torrey Pines next week, when the $8.7 million Farmers Insurance Open is played Wednesday-Saturday for the second time, five of the top 10 are entered, with Scheffler and Cantlay not committed (the deadline is Friday), but major winners Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa playing.

Both fields have one of the game’s most popular players in Tony Finau, while the Farmers will get its usual boost of orange-clad devotees to Rickie Fowler, as well as the ardent followers of former Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama. Arguably, the only true stars that either event is missing are World No. 1 Rory McIlroy (who will play at the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour on the Farmers week) and three-time major winner Jordan Spieth.

Neither the close proximity of events with heftier prizes nor the existence of LIV Golf seems to have affected the big-picture prospects of the AmEx and Farmers.

“LIV Golf didn’t take our best golfers,” said Marty Gorsich, the tournament director of the Farmers Open. “They took the villains and took the guys whose names were bigger than their games.”

Gorsich insisted he was not one of those executives who reacted passionately against the notion of elevated events — the tour has since shifted to calling them “designated” events. He repeated an assertion that he’s no doubt used with his sponsors and corporate patrons. “I was not worried in the least,” he said. “Elevated is not elevating an event, it’s elevating a field. Are a few more guys who are ranked going to change who watches this tournament? I don’t think so.”

Pat McCabe, The American Express tournament director, had a bit more of a practical assessment: “There aren’t any of those elevated events in the month of January, so we fall into a perfect spot. That helps us a lot.”

The post What does it take to attract top players to a regular PGA Tour stop? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated on the sidelines of the fifth LIV Golf event of its inaugural season at Rich Harvest Farms outside Chicago, Mickelson said he had not decided if he will stay as part of the group of seven players who remain of the original 11 who filed the suit against the PGA Tour, now the LIV itself has added its name to it.

In a 105-page complaint filed in early August, LIV Golf players challenged their suspensions by the PGA tour for moving to the new circuit. The PGA Tour is adamant it has the legal authority to issue disciplinary measures. Three of those in the lawsuit — Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones — attempted to receive a temporary restraining order that would allow them to play the FedEx Cup Playoffs; however a US District Court denied the TRO motion.

“Now that LIV is involved, it’s not necessary for me to be involved,’’ Mickelson said. “I currently still am. I don’t know what I’m going to do, really.

“The only reason for me to stay in is (monetary) damages, which I don’t really want or need anything. I do think it’s important that the players have the right to play when and where they want, when and where they qualify for. And now that LIV is a part of it, that will be accomplished if and when they win.’’

Eleven players were originally part of the lawsuit, but Pat Perez, Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer and Jason Kokrak have opted out. US District Judge Beth L Freeman set a tentative date for summary judgment for July 23, 2023, where the PGA Tour will likely seek to dismiss the case, with a trial date expected to begin on January 8, 2024.

Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Ian Poulter, Gooch, Jones, Swafford and Peter Uihlein are the remaining seven players’ name on the lawsuit, along with LIV Golf.

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By Dan Rapaport
AUGUSTA Ga. — After a few hellos to the boys and a measured walk to the short-game area, Tiger Woods entered his comfort zone: three bags of balls, two wedges to alternate between and a bentgrass canvas to work with. Flanked by caddie Joe LaCava and right-hand man Rob McNamara, Woods hardly said a word as he flashed his full arsenal of short-game magic on Monday at the Augusta National practice area. He drew chips to climb up slopes and then he cut chips to spin down them. He nipped one-hop-and-stoppers and compressed back-footers. He hit a number of 4-iron bumps, a new shot he’s grooving to use around some of Augusta National’s reworked greens — like No. 3, where the false front has been steepened even further.

Woods sure didn’t look like a player still unsure of his plans for the next couple days. The official word from Woods is that he’s a “game-time decision” for the Masters. But after playing a nine-hole practice round for the second consecutive day, all signs would suggest Woods will start chasing a sixth green jacket and a 16th major championship on Thursday.

Woods looked far more comfortable ripping driver than he did walking to greet Bubba Watson, or up a slight hill to bear-hug his former coach Sean Foley, who was sporting a blood-red Nike sweater with the TW logo on the backside of the collar. Woods’ gait is by no means seamless; it’s not quite a limp, because it’s more due to the angle of his ankle and the length of his legs than any pain avoidance. But it’s there, an unfortunate reminder of his new reality.

Of course, his presence on these hallowed grounds is borderline surreal. Rory McIlroy said last week that he saw Woods a few months ago and didn’t think he could possibly tee it up in the year’s first major, and Woods’ inner circle held the same belief. But he made serious strides over the last month, according to a source close to Woods, and has played multiple 18-hole rounds back home at Medalist in preparation for this week. He still gets sore after a few hours on his feet swinging clubs, but it’s not a sharp pain.

After Woods wrapped up his range session, he watched his adopted younger brother Justin Thomas smack driver after driver, surely thinking something along the lines of I remember when I could do that. He was then driven toward the golf course, where a four-deep tunnel of people showered him with pure adoration. Woods couldn’t keep the smile off his face, nor could the patrons, nor could playing partners Thomas and Fred Couples. Woods’ face betrayed a deep happiness to be back in competition mode, worrying not about whether he can walk but about whether he can hold an 8-iron into a right-to-left wind.

A grown man, overwhelmed by the moment, spoke for the entire crowd: “I’m about to cry.”

After rolling a few, Woods stepped to the first tee amid what has to be the largest practice-round gallery in recent memory. He striped his first tee shot down the centre and played his second safely to the middle of the green. He missed the putt, but he hardly read it, which is how he approached putting all day — less concerned with any potential score and more with hitting lag putts over slopes and chips from popular run-off areas. Again, if he’s truly not sure whether he’ll play, he’s hiding it well.

He pushed his tee shot into the bunker just right of the fairway at the par-5 second then played safely down the fairway. It’s what happened next that was most encouraging: He said a few words to LaCava with a smile on his face and kept chatting and kept smiling as he used his right leg to push himself out of the bunker without incident.

Woods striped his tee shot on the third then played safely onto the newly rebuilt green. He pulled his tee shot into the long par-3 fourth long and left, which is the miss he’s fighting. Sometimes his body gets a tad slow, he doesn’t clear onto his left side and the swing gets army. It’s understandable, given the circumstances.

He split the fifth fairway and played a beautiful long iron to birdie range but didn’t bother with the putt. A slight pull again on No. 6 was washed away by a pumped drive on the seventh, only five or so yards behind Thomas. His approach just carried the bunker, hopped forward and spun to a quick halt, which drew one of those “oooohs!” from the patrons. He took his time walking up the hill that guards the front of that green, fully aware of his physical limitations. But he made it up just fine, and then he resumed practising.

“What impressed me the most is he’s bombing it,” Couples said after the threesome finished up on 9. “I know JT is not the longest hitter on the tour, but he’s damn long, and he was with him. Flushing it. I never speak for Tiger so I’m not going to. He walked nine holes, I guess he walked nine yesterday, but as a friend, the way he looked, it’s very impressive. It’s a Monday, right? But he didn’t miss many shots and he drove it great.”

Couples then gestured toward his left, up toward the putting green. There was Woods, getting some extra practice in before the light left the grounds.

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Sean Fredrickson, president of the Pacific Northwest PGA Section, perished on Sunday after two planes collided and crashed into Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. Fredrickson’s wife April Upchurch confirmed to KREM.com that Fredrickson and their children Hayden, Sofie and Quinn were on a scenic-flight tour.

“I lost my husband and beautiful children in a plane wreck over Lake Coeur d’Alene yesterday,” Upchurch said. “I am reeling from the loss, but take solace in the fact that they were on an adventure and so excited for their first sea plane ride.”

Fredrickson was the head professional at Oswego Lake Country Club outside of Portland, Ore. and previously worked at Tualatin Country Club in Tualatin, Ore. for 14 years. He won the PGA Professional of the Year by the Pacific Northwest Section PGA in 2019.

The PGA of America notified members of Fredrickson’s death on Monday.

“A rising star in the PGA, Sean led the Section through an unprecedented time, first taking the reins a year early as President and then leading us wisely through this pandemic. We are all better because of Sean’s leadership over the past twelve years,” read an email from the Pacific Northwest PGA Section to its members on Monday. “Many of you have mentioned Sean’s mentorship in your posts. Mentorship was a passion of Sean’s, creating our mentoring committee and our early mentoring conferences. His passion to help many of you was driven by his genuine desire to serve his fellow PGA Professionals. You will carry on this passion.”

Bryan Fisher, general manager of Oswego Lake Country Club in Lake Oswego, said the club was honoured to have Fredrickson as a member of its family.

“His positive spirit and joy for the game of golf was contagious,” Fisher said.

How the crash happened is initially unclear. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are headed to the scene and will conduct the investigation into what happened, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

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