
Winner's Bag: Brian Campbell, 2025 John Deere Classic
A complete list of the golf equipment Brian Campbell used to win the PGA Tour's 2025 John Deere Classic:
DRIVER: Ping G440 LST (10.5 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 6 TX Shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Ping G440 LST (15 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 TX shaft, G430 Max (21 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X shaft
IRONS: Ping iDi prototype (4), Blueprint S (5-PW), with KBS Tour 120 S shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey SM10 (52 degrees), with KBS Tour 120 S shaft (56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts
PUTTER: Ping Redwood Anser 2
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Lynch: Rory McIlroy skipping a playoff event is the canary in Brian Rolapp's coal mine
Notwithstanding the widespread commentary mocking bunched panties at Casa Malnati, it wasn't 'very concerning' — nor surprising, or even particularly impactful — that Rory McIlroy skipped the first FedEx Cup playoff tournament this week. It was arguably even advisable since Memphis in August sees heat indexes that the Northern Irish seldom experience this side of the crematorium door. But Peter M. (a thoughtful director on the PGA Tour's Policy Board) was really looking beyond McIlroy to the prospect of copycats, high-performing stars opting to miss important events because the Tour has yet again made the tenderfoot error of hoping its members act in the interest of the organization rather than themselves. McIlroy had said he wouldn't be competing in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, so his absence is hardly cause for pearl-clutching. The surprise is that he's the only eligible player who stayed home. Last year, the world No. 2 tied 68th in a 70-man field at TPC Southwind but dropped only two spots in the FedEx Cup standings. The year prior, he tied for third but didn't improve his rank at all. His chances of winning the Cup were barely impacted, positively or negatively, which doesn't make a compelling case for slogging through a scorching week in Tennessee. The Tour's latest tweak to the playoff system not only doesn't disadvantage stars who stay home, it damned near incentivizes them to do so. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top dozen or so players in the points race are effectively guaranteed spots in the field at the Tour Championship. But as long as the finale in Atlanta employed the much-ridiculed staggered scoring system — in which competitors were spotted strokes on the field based upon their points rank — guys could be helped or hurt by their performances in the two playoff events preceding East Lake. Those starting strokes were eliminated in May and everyone begins the Tour Championship from a level playing field. The implications of that were obvious even before McIlroy sat out. Any of the top stars can now prioritize rest during the playoffs — or even dodge an unappealing venue or draining weather — at no cost to their FedEx Cup campaign, other than the week's paycheck. For FedEx and BMW, who sponsor the first two playoff stops, that's a scenario that requires a lot of faith in players to do the right thing, and that bet hasn't exactly paid off in recent years. The PGA Tour is already in the position of not being able to guarantee its product. The game's biggest stars have filled their pockets with candy: enormous purses, hefty bonuses, equity grants, smaller fields with no cuts, fewer competitors amongst whom the riches must be shared. And what have they given in return? Bugger all. Signature events were mandatory during their first year of existence, but players quickly vetoed that obligation. 'I think it's too hard of a thing to make guys have to play,' said Policy Board director Webb Simpson. 'We're still a sport where you can play when you want to play.' Contracting the talent is the only thing LIV Golf has gotten right, but the PGA Tour is a long way from enjoying the same leverage over its players. And it's difficult to see how that doesn't become a flashpoint between those who think they own the Tour (the players) and those who've actually invested a billion-five into it (Strategic Sports Group). At the Open, Scottie Scheffler said he felt no responsibility to grow the sport by traveling internationally while he has a young family at home. Fair enough. But that's an alarm bell for the Tour's new CEO, Brian Rolapp, and the Whiz Kids of Greater Fenway who hired him. It's tough to realize ambitions for a more global footprint if one of your biggest assets wants to remain at home. Last year's Tour Championship ended September 1. Apart from the Presidents Cup and the exhibition Hero World Challenge, Scheffler didn't compete again until January 30 in Pebble Beach, only the last month of that absence owed to injury. It's suboptimal for the Tour to have a star of McIlroy's stature skip the tournament underwritten by FedEx, but commendable that he's committed to playing later this year in India and Australia (blessed be appearance fees!). Conversely, it's great that Scheffler supports every playoff event, but not ideal that he largely ghosts the sport for a few months afterward. Short term, Rolapp needs to secure the playoffs. He clearly can't do that by contractually obligating his members, so that leaves two options. He can hope for player goodwill and responsibility (the gust of wind you just heard with that sentence was a howl of laughter from Jay Monahan's new cubicle), or he can force them to comply competitively. Seventy guys qualified for the first playoff stop in Memphis. Fifty will survive for next week. Instead of determining those 50 based on FedEx Cup points — which should be discarded after the regular season — let performance under pressure decide who advances. The top 50 finishers on the leaderboard at the FedEx St. Jude should qualify for the BMW Championship, and the 30 best scores move on from the BMW to the Tour Championship. Sitting home ceases to be an option. On paper, it's an easy fix and would guarantee a product for important sponsors and partners. But not much seems to pass muster at the Tour these days unless it caters to the convenience of the top players. Rolapp says he will spend his first few months on the job listening to his constituents. He should spend some of that time telling those same constituents a few home truths, too.


San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Akshay Bhatia shoots career-best 62 to lead in Memphis. Scheffler is 5 back
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Akshay Bhatia had a blazing finish to get his PGA Tour postseason off to a good start, closing eagle-birdie-birdie for an 8-under 62 to post his career low and take a one-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Scottie Scheffler, playing for the first time since winning the British Open for his second major of the year, made bogey on the final hole for a 67, his 10th straight round in the 60s. Bhatia comes into the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. 45, with only the top 50 advancing to the second of three tournaments in the lucrative postseason. The idea is to be among the top 30 who reach East Lake for a shot at the $10 million bonus. He was paired with Harry Hall of England, who is at No. 44. Hall was matching Bhatia until the final two holes, when Bhatia rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th and stuffed a short iron into 2 feet on 18. Bhatia said he has been spending too much time thinking about numbers, whether it's his score or his world ranking or his position in the FedEx Cup. The goal is to keep his mind peaceful. 'I felt pretty relaxed, and I'm just not trying to force anything,' he said. 'It's OK to get mad at golf shots but not at yourself.' Justin Rose and Bud Cauley, who is at No. 53, also were at 64 on a TPC Southwind that has 18 new greens and a course with much thicker rough. Fleetwood is all but set for the FedEx Cup finale at No. 9, though he would love to get that first PGA Tour title to go along with European tour wins against strong fields. He hit 13 out of 14 fairway, and the one he missed led to a birdie when he holed a bunker shot on No. 9. 'People talk about this golf course as a second-shot golf course, but it's only a second-shot golf course if you're in the fairway,' Fleetwood said. 'I hit the ball so well off the tee that I was always giving myself an opportunity.' And then it helped to see the putts drop, four straight birdies to close out his round. Fleetwood has the right outlook for this postseason series. Asked if he looked at the three weeks as one big event or each tournament on its own, Fleetwood said, 'It really day to day.' Projections can fluctuate with shots from anyone on any part of the course. Rickie Fowler, who missed the top 70 who qualify for the postseason last year, came in at No. 64 and shot 66, which projects him inside the top 50. Jordan Spieth was at No. 48. He had to rally on the back nine for a 69 that put him out of the top 50, and then back to No. 50 by the end of the day. Scheffler is assured the No. 1 seed for at least another week. He looked plenty sharp, giving himself a lot of looks at birdie and converting four of them. He missed out on a good birdie chance at the par-5 16th when he drove into the rough and sent the next shot into a bunker about 100 yards short of the green. He also took three putts from 70 feet on the final hole. 'Today was a good day. I did some solid stuff,' Scheffler said. 'Felt like I was close to playing a really great round but ended up with a solid round. Overall a decent start.' This is one of the more important weeks of the PGA Tour because of what's at stake. Not only do the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship, they are assured of being in all the $20 million signature event for next year. Among those on the bubble, Si Woo Kim (No. 46) opened with a 65 and former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark had a 67. 'It's kind of like dicey spot right now,' Kim said. 'And started struggling, so I was like, 'I don't know if I can get through to next week.' But tried to keep it as simple as possible, and that helps me a lot. I had a great round, so hopefully I've got more room the next couple days. Just trying to make it simple and not much think about next week.' ___

NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Akshay Bhatia fires 62 to lead FedEx St. Jude Championship, PGA Tour's first playoff event
Tommy Fleetwood goes from bunker to birdie on the par-4 ninth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Akshay Bhatia had a blazing finish to get his PGA Tour postseason off to a good start, closing eagle-birdie-birdie for an 8-under 62 to post his career low and take a one-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Scottie Scheffler, playing for the first time since winning The Open for his second major of the year, made bogey on the final hole for a 67, his 10th straight round in the 60s. Bhatia comes into the FedExCup playoffs at No. 45, with only the top 50 advancing to the second of three tournaments in the lucrative postseason. The idea is to be among the top 30 who reach East Lake for a shot at the $10 million bonus. He was paired with Harry Hall of England, who is at No. 44. Hall was matching Bhatia until the final two holes, when Bhatia rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th and stuffed a short iron into 2 feet on 18. Bhatia said he has been spending too much time thinking about numbers, whether it's his score or his world ranking or his position in the FedEx Cup. The goal is to keep his mind peaceful. 'I felt pretty relaxed, and I'm just not trying to force anything,' he said. 'It's OK to get mad at golf shots but not at yourself.' Justin Rose and Bud Cauley, who is at No. 53, also were at 64 on a TPC Southwind that has 18 new greens and a course with much thicker rough. Fleetwood is all but set for the FedExCup finale at No. 9, though he would love to get that first PGA Tour title to go along with European tour wins against strong fields. He hit 13 out of 14 fairway, and the one he missed led to a birdie when he holed a bunker shot on No. 9. 'People talk about this golf course as a second-shot golf course, but it's only a second-shot golf course if you're in the fairway,' Fleetwood said. 'I hit the ball so well off the tee that I was always giving myself an opportunity.' And then it helped to see the putts drop, four straight birdies to close out his round. Fleetwood has the right outlook for this postseason series. Asked if he looked at the three weeks as one big event or each tournament on its own, Fleetwood said, 'It really day to day.' Projections can fluctuate with shots from anyone on any part of the course. Rickie Fowler, who missed the top 70 who qualify for the postseason last year, came in at No. 64 and shot 66, which projects him inside the top 50. Jordan Spieth was at No. 48. He had to rally on the back nine for a 69 that put him out of the top 50, and then back to No. 50 by the end of the day. Golf Channel Staff, Scheffler is assured the No. 1 seed for at least another week. He looked plenty sharp, giving himself a lot of looks at birdie and converting four of them. He missed out on a good birdie chance at the par-5 16th when he drove into the rough and sent the next shot into a bunker about 100 yards short of the green. He also took three putts from 70 feet on the final hole. 'Today was a good day. I did some solid stuff,' Scheffler said. 'Felt like I was close to playing a really great round but ended up with a solid round. Overall a decent start.' This is one of the more important weeks of the PGA Tour because of what's at stake. Not only do the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship, they are assured of being in all the $20 million signature event for next year. Among those on the bubble, Si Woo Kim (No. 46) opened with a 65 and former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark had a 67. 'It's kind of like dicey spot right now,' Kim said. 'And started struggling, so I was like, 'I don't know if I can get through to next week.' But tried to keep it as simple as possible, and that helps me a lot. I had a great round, so hopefully I've got more room the next couple days. Just trying to make it simple and not much think about next week.' Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who might be the first playing captain since 1963, opened with a 72. Bradley is No. 10 in the Ryder Cup standings. He played with Maverick McNealy, who is 11th in the standings. McNealy shot 66.