PGA Tour Champions the latest to have team tournament
Lydia Ko of New Zealand watches her tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. Credit: AP/Lee Jin-man
The three main U.S. tours now all have tournaments for teams.
The latest edition is the American Family Insurance Championship, hosted by Steve Stricker and moving next year to the TPC Wisconsin in Madison, a course Stricker co-designed in the city he lives.
The leading 38 players on the PGA Tour Champions will chose their partner for the 54-hole event that features two days of better ball with a scramble format in the second round. The tournament is June 6-8 and has a $3 million purse, with players on the winning team each getting $300,000.
“With this tournament moving to a new course in 2025, it’s an ideal time to try a new format as well,” Stricker said.
The PGA Tour’s team event is the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, while the LPGA Tour has the Dow Championship in Michigan.
There also is the Grant Thornton Invitational on Dec. 13-15 in Naples, Florida, for LPGA and PGA Tour players.
Lydia Ko and Jason Day return to defend their title at Tiburon Golf Club, and the 16-team field has some depth to it. Nelly Korda, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, returns to play with Tony Finau.
Matthieu Pavon, left, and Victor Perez, of France, pose with the Olympic rings after a practice round for the men's golf event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. Credit: AP/George Walker IV
Korda, Ko and Lilia Vu are among five of the top 10 in the women’s world ranking who are playing. The highest-ranked male is Sahith Theegala, currently at No. 13. He will play with 12th-ranked Rose Zhang.
The LPGA has 14 of 16 players from the top 50 in the women’s world ranking (Jennifer Kupcho at No. 53 and Mel Reid at No. 374 are the exceptions). The PGA Tour has 11 players from the top 50. The list includes Billy Horschel (paired with Andrea Lee), and Matthieu Pavon in the all-France partnership with Celine Boutier.
Jake Knapp makes his debut and will play with Patty Tavatanakit, a fellow UCLA alum.
Norman's future
Turns out Greg Norman signed a four-year deal when he became CEO of LIV Golf Investments toward the end of 2021.
Celine Boutier of France watches her shot at the 2nd fairway during the first round of Maybank LPGA Championship golf tournament at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. Credit: AP/Vincent Thian
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Norman revealed that his contract with LIV is through next August. Sports Business Journal recently reported the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia was looking to replace the Shark as CEO, though he likely would stay on in a senior position.
“My commitment to LIV has been unquestioned and my commitment into the future is also unquestioned. Time will tell,” Norman said. “Will there be a change in my role? My position and my role is to deliver 2025 and get our schedule done and all the things we need to do.”
Norman also said he remains befuddled why the PGA Tour was never willing to discuss the upstart league. He has not been part of the negotiations involving PIF and the PGA Tour in a potential investment.
“I’ve tried to take the high road. We knew what we had and what we are doing is right. Time and patience is our greatest ally,” Norman said, without mentioning the Saudi money.
“Thirty-six tournaments (in three years) is nothing. The PGA Tour has been around for 56. And we’ve done it in three years,” he said. “That’s why I’m an optimist looking into the future and where we will be in 10 years.”
Meanwhile, LIV announced its second “promotions” event for Dec. 12-14 in Saudi Arabia in which only one player — down from three players a year ago — will earn a spot in the LIV Golf League.
The top 10 and ties will earn full exemptions into the International Series events on the Asian Tour.
Turn out the Vegas lights?
J.T. Poston won the Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas. The question now is will there be a tournament title to defend next year.
The Last Vegas Review Journal reported Shriners is ending its title sponsorship, which dates to 2007 at the TPC Summerlin.
“We have enjoyed a tremendous 18 years as the host and title sponsor of the Shriners Children’s Open,” said Bob Roller, vice president of sports at Shriners. “The PGA Tour has been a tremendous partner along the way.”
He offered no other insight into the decision.
Sanderson Farms was set to end its title sponsorship in Mississippi until deciding to go at least one more year. The PGA Tour replaced title sponsors in Napa, California (with Procore), and in Charlotte, North Carolina (with Truist).
To be determined is whether it finds a sponsor for Las Vegas, or even if it stays on the schedule. The schedule this year went from Utah to Las Vegas to Japan.
Mulligan for memories
The PGA Tour Champions has been referred to as golf’s greatest mulligan, and so much of the focus has been on players in their 50s still able to compete and win upward of a $1 million or more each year.
Padraig Harrington views it differently.
He won the Simmons Bank Championship for his third win of the season, and his 30th official title from five tours.
“I’m reliving my glories here. I’m reliving my past wins,” Harrington said. “There was an unbelievable crowd here, there was a great atmosphere. Hitting those shots wasn’t just about winning this tournament, it was about kind of reliving the past glories. I’m not saying validating past glories, but certainly reliving it.
“Hey, I did this once and I was pretty good at it and I’m not too bad at it now.”
Korn Ferry 2025
The Korn Ferry Tour will have 26 tournaments again, with a few moving parts.
The Compliance Solutions Championship will become part of the four-tournament Korn Ferry Tour Finals, replacing the Albertsons Boise Open. The tournament moves to The Patriot Club just north of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Boise stays on the schedule, as it has been every year since the developmental tour began in 1990.
Also new to the schedule is a tournament in Mexico, the PGA Riviera Maya Championship, about two hours south of Cancun on the Gulf of Mexico. It will be the seventh and final event held outside the U.S.
The Korn Ferry Tour still starts the year in the Bahamas, but the first event goes to the Ocean Club in Paradise Island on Nassau. Golf Channel will televise 10 tournaments, including the opening events in the Bahamas.
Divots
Nelly Korda will clinch LPGA player of the year for the first time as long as Ayaka Furue wins the Toto Japan Classic and decides on Friday to enter the Lotte Championship next week in Hawaii. It would be the first time in 30 years that Americans have won the LPGA’s top award in consecutive years. Lilia Vu won last year. ... Charlotte Country Club has been awarded the 2028 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur and the 2033 U.S. Senior Open. ... Nico Echavarria in the Zozo Championship became the seventh player on the PGA Tour this year to make birdie on the final hole to win by one shot. ... The International Crown, a competition among countries on the LPGA Tour, will be held next year at New Korea Country Club. The event is held every other year. ... The R&A announced an 11-year partnership with the Scottish government and Visit Scotland. They will contribute 11 million pounds ($14.2 million) toward staging the British Open, Women's British Open and Senior British Open in Scotland through 2034.
Stat of the week
The PGA Tour projects 31 of the 43 tournaments on its schedule this year will have players practice in the dark due to daylight and field sizes.
Final word
“It's incredible to win a tournament that Tiger’s won. This is my second victory, so I just need 80 more victories to catch him. I’m on my way, though.” — Nico Echavarria after winning the Zozo Championship. Tiger Woods won his 82nd and final PGA Tour title at the Zozo Championship in 2019.
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