PGA Tour ends regular season in Carolina. LPGA wraps up major season with Women's British Open
WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Greensboro, North Carolina.
Course: Sedgefield CC. Yardage: 7,131. Par: 70.
Prize money: $8.2 million. Winner's share: $1.476 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Aaron Rai.
FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.
Last week: Kurt Kitayama won the 3M Open.
Notes: This is the final tournament of the regular season that decides which 70 players advance to the FedEx Cup playoffs. ... Scottie Scheffler already has clinched the $10 million bonus for leading the regular season in points. ... Jordan Spieth has added this tournament to his schedule to boost his FedEx Cup standing and help his Ryder Cup cause. ... Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley is the only player from the top 10 in the field. But this week is more about the FedEx Cup. Only seven players between No. 31 and No. 70 are skipping the event. The top 50 after the first playoff event get into all the signature events. Wyndham Clark (No. 48) and Min Woo Lee (No. 49) are among those not playing. ... Last year Aaron Rai went from No. 53 to No. 25 by winning the Wyndham Championship. He made it to the Tour Championship for the first time. ... Robert MacIntyre of Scotland, at No. 15, can earn Ryder Cup points this week.
Next week: FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour
AIG WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN
Site: Porthcawl, Wales.
Course: Royal Porthcawl GC. Yardage: 6,580. Par: 72.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (USA Network); Saturday-Sunday, 7 a.m. to noon (USA Network), noon to 2 p.m. (NBC).
Prize money: $9.5 million. Winner's share: $1.425 million.
Defending champion: Lydia Ko.
Race to CME Globe leader: Jeeno Thitikul.
LET Order of Merit: Mimi Rhodes.
Last week: Lottie Woad won the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open.
Notes: This is the fifth and final major of the year on the LPGA. ... The LPGA has played 19 tournaments with a different winner, the longest it has gone without a multiple winner in its 75-year history. ... Royal Porthcawl has hosted the Senior British Open three times and the British Amateur seven times. It also is where Great Britain & Ireland defeated a U.S. team with Tiger Woods in the 1995 Walker Cup. ... Lottie Woad has won twice and missed a playoff by one shot in a major in her last three tournaments, two of them as an amateur. ... Nelly Korda has gone 12 tournaments this year without a win. She is still No. 1 in the women's world ranking and No. 6 in the Race to CME Globe. ... The LPGA has gone 13 consecutive majors with different winners. ... This is the 25th year the Women's British Open has been a major on the LPGA. It replaced the du Maurier Classic in Canada in 2001.
Next week on the LET: PIF London Championship.
Next LPGA tournament: The Standard Portland Classic on Aug. 14-17.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/ and https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
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Korn Ferry Tour
UTAH CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Ogden, Utah.
Course: Ogden Golf & CC. Yardage: 7,045. Par: 71.
Prize money: $1 million. Winner's share: $180,000.
Television: Thursday-Saturday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Previous winner: Karl Vilips.
Points leader: Johnny Keefer.
Last week: Johnny Keefer won the NV5 Invitational.
Next week: Pinnacle Bank Championship.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour
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European Tour
Last tournament: Scottie Scheffler won the British Open.
Next week: Nexo Championship.
Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
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LIV Golf League
Last week: Joaquin Niemann won LIV Golf UK.
Next week: LIV Golf Chicago.
Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.
Online: https://www.livgolf.com/
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PGA Tour Champions
Last week: Padraig Harrington won the Senior British Open.
Next week: Boeing Classic.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
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Other tours
Epson Tour: Four Winds Invitational, South Bend CC, South Bend, Indiana. Previous winner: Yahui Zhang. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/
Japan Golf Tour: Richard Mille Charity Tournament, Noto CC, Ishikawa, Japan. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/
Challenge Tour: Farmfoods Scottish Challenge, Schloss Roxburghe, Heiton, Scotland. Previous winner: Brandon Robinson Thompson. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/hotelplanner-tour/
PGA Tour Americas: Osprey Valley Open, TPC Toronto (Heathlands), Caledon, Ontario. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/americas
Legends Tour: Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, Trump International GL, Aberdeen, Scotland. Defending champion: Robert Coles. Online: https://www.legendstour.com/
Korea LPGA: Aurora World Ladies Championship, Aurora Golf Resort, Wonju, South Korea. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/web/
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What Scottie Scheffler said after first round of FedEx St. Jude Championship
FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler had a solid performance in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on Aug. 7. Scheffler started strongly with birdies on the second and third holes and cruised for most of the day. He finished 3-under 67, with his only bogey coming on the final hole, as he defends his 2024 FedEx Cup championship. "Today was a good day," Scheffler said. "I did some solid stuff. Felt like I was close to playing a really great round but ended up with a solid round. Overall, a decent start." Scheffler enters the second round tied for 12th. Akshay Bhatia, whose 62 was one shot off the course record, leads the tournament, one stroke ahead of Tommy Fleetwood. Scheffler attributed his early momentum to an "easier" stretch in the beginning of the course. "I would say the start is a little bit easier than the rest of the golf course," Scheffler said. "You see the guys shooting low rounds, you've got to get off to a good start. You've got a reachable par-5 on the third and then two wedge holes to start as well. Did a good job getting the ball in the fairway and then hitting some nice approach shots as well." Scheffler noticed the recent renovations to TPC Southwind course, describing the addition of new, fresh greens. He mentioned how the grade of the green was a "good test" during the first round. "I felt like they definitely tried to grow the rough a little bit thicker this year," he said. "Overall, I thought it was a really good test. You've got to hit the ball well out here, and there's great rewards for good shots and the bad shots are being punished as well." Scheffler is set to tee off with Sepp Straka at 9:35 a.m. Aug. 8 for the second round. Reach Commercial Appeal sports intern Alana Thompson at This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: FedEx St. Jude Championship: Scottie Scheffler on his first round
USA Today
an hour 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.' ___
