Tee times released for RBC Canadian Open featuring MSU golfer Ashton McCulloch
Tee times released for RBC Canadian Open featuring MSU golfer Ashton McCulloch
Michigan State golfer Ashton McCulloch is getting another start on the PGA Tour, his third career start on the tour.
For the second straight year, McCulloch will be teeing it up at the RBC Canadian Open. A native of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, the Spartan senior gets to go back to his home nation to take part in an event on golf's biggest stage.
In McCulloch's two career starts on tour, playing in the 2024 RBC Canadian Open and the 2024 US Open, he did not make the cut. He will look to change that in this year's Canadian open.
Tee times have been released for the upcoming event at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley and McCulloch will be starting at 8:13 a.m. on Thursday on the 10th tee, and 1:28 p.m. on Friday on the first tee. He will be playing with Matteo Manassero and Jackson Suber.
McCulloch is a record breaker within the MSU golf program, holding the single-season record for scoring average. A champion of the Canadian Amateur, amongst other amateur championships in Canada.
The Spartan will also be playing in the 2025 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit later this season.
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
At two-year anniversary of PGA Tour, LIV Golf 'framework,' two sides are further than ever
At two-year anniversary of PGA Tour, LIV Golf 'framework,' two sides are further than ever So much has happened since the PGA Tour and LIV Golf entered a historic "framework agreement" two years ago, June 6. One thing that has not happened: A deal uniting the two leagues. Not only have the sides failed to end the sport's longest-running civil war, they now appear further apart than ever. The PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which owns LIV Golf, have had no reported meetings since late February. The sides met twice in February at the White House with Donald Trump, the man who, after being elected president in November, boasted it would take him "the better part of 15 minutes" to bring the two sides together once he's in office. Five months since the inauguration and the wedge appears deeper. "If you want to figure out what's going to happen in the game of golf, go to the other tour and ask those guys," world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said in May about LIV. "I'm still here playing the PGA Tour. We had a tour where we all played together and the guys that left, it's their responsibility, I think, to bring the tours back together. Go see where they're playing this week and ask them." Scheffler's shot at LIV was clear. While the league certainly made an impact on the Tour early by poaching some of its top players along with forcing the Tour to make more money available to its players through signature events and the Player Impact Program, that has diminished. Lynch: Prepare for posturing on anniversary of Framework Agreement that already achieved its goal LIV's momentum stalled since signing Jon Rahm LIV had all the momentum after signing Jon Rahm 18 months ago. That is gone. Tyrrell Hatton followed Rahm, but, since then, the league has not attracted any marquee names. The latest addition, former Arizona State standout Josele Ballester, is No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Meanwhile, the top-ranked amateur, Luke Clanton from Florida State, is making his professional debut at the PGA Tour's Canadian Open. "I want to play the PGA Tour, pretty simple," Clanton said when asked whether he considered joining LIV. "I want to play against the best, I want to compete in majors, and that's it. Simple." The PGA Tour is now in a position of strength as LIV stands firm on its demands to remain under its current format, despite a flawed business model. While the PIF's investment in LIV Golf is in the billions, the return on investment is far less. LIV lost $394 million in 2023, excluding its U.S. events, according to Money In Sport, which published LIV's financials from LIV Golf's UK arm. Although PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in March he can see a future where the leagues are aligned with room to "integrate important aspects of LIV Golf into the PGA Tour platform," he added that "hurdles" remain. "We will not do so in a way that diminishes the strength of our platform or the very real momentum we have with our fans and our partners," said Monahan, who has headed the negotiations with the PIF's Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Monahan's comment came a few weeks after negotiations appeared to have broken down during the late February meeting. The biggest hint came from Rory McIlroy, who said following the meeting it takes "two to tango," before adding, "I don't think the PGA Tour needs a deal." Then Scott O'Neil, who replaced Greg Norman in January as LIV's CEO, told a group of media members in April at Trump National Doral, where LIV held its first U.S.-based event of the season, LIV, too, does not need a deal. "Have to do a deal? No," O'Neil said. "Nice to do a deal? So long as we're all focused on the same thing, which is growing the game of golf. I think we're all kind of up for that." The most recent known offer was in March when the British daily Guardian was the first to report that the PIF was willing to make a $1.5 billion investment into the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises in exchange for LIV Golf continuing its current format and schedule, and Al-Rumayyan becoming a co-chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises. That was quickly turned down by the Tour. LIV Golf still being crushed by PGA Tour in TV ratings The ratings boost LIV was counting on to help its cause after signing a multi-year deal with Fox Sports has not happened. According to the seven Sundays this year in which both tours have held an event, the PGA Tour is averaging 3.1 million viewers on CBS and NBC, while LIV is averaging 175,000 on FOX, FS1 and FS2. About 18 times more. LIV, though, held its first four events in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore; and has since played in South Korea. Those tournaments are being aired at all hours of the day in the U.S. The best comparison came in early April when LIV had one of its highest-profile events of the year, if not the highest, at Doral; and the PGA Tour stop was the Valero Open in San Antonio, a lower-tier event that lacked several stars. Valero drew 1.746 million viewers for its final round compared with 484,000 for LIV. LIV's best ratings were below the average for TGL, the indoor, tech-infused golf league created by Tiger Woods and McIlroy. TGL, in its inaugural season, averaged 500,000 viewers; 650,000 for the 10 prime-time matches on ESPN (nine were carried by ESPN2). LIV's initial attempt to lure PGA Tour players was impressive with Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson among those who made the jump. They were later joined by Cam Smith and Rahm. While Rahm and DeChambeau continue to play at a high level – as do others such as Joaquin Niemann and Patrick Reed – several have regressed since joining LIV. Koepka, Johnson and Smith, who have combined to win eight major championships and were signed to contracts worth at least $100 million to defect from the PGA Tour, according to reports, missed the cut at the year's first two majors – Masters and PGA Championship. LIV Golf not going away … deal or no deal Still, LIV Golf continues to operate as if it will be around … deal or no deal. While the league has not added a golfer of note in the past 18 months, it continues to secure sponsorship deals and attract high-level officials. And O'Neil has restarted discussions with the Official World Golf Ranking for LIV golfers to earn points. The PGA Tour clearly does not need LIV. And with PIF, valued at more than $900 billion, willing and able to support LIV despite it losing hundreds of millions of dollars annually, LIV doesn't need the PGA Tour. That leaves many to wonder whether a deal ever will be made that unites golf's rival leagues. Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
LIV Golf reaches two major anniversaries with an uncertain future ahead
We're in the midst of two pretty significant anniversaries for LIV Golf. If you weren't aware of that, well, that's one of the many challenges that the breakaway golf league continues to face, month after month, year after year. Three years ago on June 9, 2022, LIV Golf's first-ever event teed off at the Centurion Club in London. Two years ago on June 6, 2023, LIV Golf and the PGA Tour announced a stunning 'framework agreement' that brought an end to the legal hostilities between the two tours and, in theory, laid the groundwork for future reconciliation and unification. Advertisement Now, in 2025, the dream of a LIV-PGA Tour unification seems about as likely as Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open next week … and no, Tiger Woods is not playing in the U.S. Open next week. Whatever LIV Golf is now, 'threat' is not it … and for all the PGA Tour's many missteps, misfires and mistakes, there's a very clear leader in the match-play duel between the two. It's worth remembering that for several months in 2022, LIV appeared to pose an existential threat to the PGA Tour. Yes, that first tournament was more spectacle than competition, but it did feature some of the biggest names in the sport — Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia — and some astounding paychecks. Soon afterward, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Bryson Dechambeau would join LIV, giving the breakaway tour a shot of juice and attitude the PGA Tour, at the time, simply couldn't match. Advertisement The problem for LIV, though, was that attitude and gobs of cash were pretty much all the series had to offer. For instance, do you remember who won that first LiV Golf tournament? (Charl Schwartzel.) Do you remember literally any significant moment from any LIV Golf event? (Mayyyyybe DeChambeau's 58 in 2023 , but did you watch it live?) That's the fundamental problem for LIV Golf — it's a series that still, three-plus seasons on, hasn't yet found a way to connect with most fans on a deep level. And two years out from the 'framework agreement,' the PGA Tour doesn't seem particularly inclined to do anything but wait out LIV until its Saudi financial backers either capitulate or pull the plug entirely. This month marks those two significant anniversaries for LIV, but the real dates worth paying attention to are the ends of the most notable LIV contracts — specifically, those of Koepka and DeChambeau. Along with Jon Rahm, the two rivals-turned-bros are the most notable and globally competitive players on LIV, and unlike Rahm, their contracts are coming up for renewal soon. LIV has succeeded in its effort to bring the game of golf around the world, like South Korea, but is still struggling to maintain any relevance. (Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images) (Han Myung-Gu via Getty Images) What they do next will shine a bright light on LIV's future path. Do they opt to re-sign with LIV, betting that the tour will increase its relevance? Or do they opt to end their contracts and sit out the year the PGA Tour requires to re-join its ranks? (They could, theoretically, still play in majors and on other non-LIV tours around the world, just not on the PGA Tour itself.) Advertisement DeChambeau, in particular, is an interesting case. You could argue that LIV Golf is only his third-most-important golf commitment, behind the majors — where he's once again winning and threatening — and his own social media channel. You could also argue that LIV needs DeChambeau a whole lot more than DeChambeau needs LIV right now. The Mad Professor's next move will be a fascinating one to watch — and one he will surely describe in minute detail. It's worth noting that LIV Golf is positioning itself as an organization whose goals aren't measurable by typical metrics like U.S. television ratings or existing fans' buy-in. The goal, as Mickelson noted earlier this week prior to LIV's Virginia event, is to expand the game's reach beyond what the PGA Tour can accomplish. 'We want all the best players in the world to be able to compete against each other more often and on a global scale, and the model that I was a part of for decades just didn't allow for that,' Mickelson said. 'We never played against each other. We didn't have elevated events. We never played all of us against each other outside of the majors. It was not able to move internationally. When they did have tournaments and [World Golf Championships] internationally, a lot of players didn't play. That's disappointing from a sponsor standpoint, from a fan standpoint. When you're paying for these events and television and you don't know what you're buying, that's frustrating.' LIV has managed to snare some young potential future stars, including Tom McKibbin and Josele Ballester, and that could point to a viable future for the tour if it can sustain for that long. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy were both once 'potential future stars' themselves, for instance. And there are certain LIV events — most notably Australia — which have resonated with local audiences. So far, though, LIV hasn't demonstrated it can elevate its own stars let alone create new ones. But on a grander scale, LIV continues to face an uphill fight, a much more challenging one than its founders envisioned — or at least publicly proclaimed — back when LIV burst into existence. On its third anniversary, LIV's future is cloudier than it was on Day One. We'll see where things stand on the fourth.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada coach irate after Vancouver Whitecaps players stricken by illness in Mexico
TORONTO - Canada coach Jesse Marsch expressed outrage Friday that the Vancouver Whitecaps had been 'poisoned' during their visit to Mexico for the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. The Whitecaps issued a statement Thursday saying about half of the 75 people who returned to Vancouver on the team's charter plane after Sunday's game had reported symptoms of a gastrointestinal illness. Whitecaps players Ali Ahmed, Sam Adekugbe and Jayden Nelson missed training after arriving sick in the Canadian camp in Halifax ahead of Saturday's game at Toronto's BMO Field between Canada and Ukraine in the inaugural Canadian Shield tournament. 'They're better now,' Marsch said before speaking at a Canada Ukraine Foundation breakfast Friday. 'They're probably not ready for 90-minute performances (Saturday). But for me, it's appalling that this is the second year in a row that CONCACAF and the powers that be have allowed an MLS team to go down to Mexico for a big final and get poisoned. 'It's ridiculous. Something has to be done to protect these environments.' The Columbus Crew also complained of stomach illness after their loss at Mexico's CF Pachuca in last year's Champions Cup final. Coach Crew coach Wilfried Nancy confirmed afterwards that nearly the entire roster and coaching staff had been stricken by what the club believed to be food poisoning. Marsch acknowledged he had no proof of poisoning but added 'it's not random that two years in a row that this has happened.' 'If I were the Vancouver Whitecaps, if I was the Columbus Crew, if I was MLS, I would be angry. I would be absolutely angry that this had been allowed to happen,' he added. Marsch does have experience of being at the receiving end of dark arts while visiting Mexico with the U.S. or a club team, citing fire alarms in the middle of the night and dancing and singing outside their hotel. 'And those are somewhat spirited, competitive advantages that are created when you go down to Mexico,' he said. 'But poisoning the team is another version.' Marsch said his understanding was the Whitecaps were suffering from food poisoning, Vancouver arrived in Mexico City last Friday and were trounced 5-0 by Mexican powerhouse Cruz Azul in Sunday's final of CONCACAF's elite club competition 'Not only have we lost the game, also we have picked up some sort of a virus and are dealing with that right now,' Vancouver sporting director and CEO Axel Schuster told reporters Thursday. Schuster said it was 'unlikely' any of Vancouver's players experienced symptoms during the game. The Whitecaps cancelled a planned training session Wednesday and held a modified individual session Thursday for players who had been cleared by medical staff. The session was closed to media. The club said in a statement that it is working with local health authorities and an infectious disease expert regarding the illness. CONCACAF did not respond immediately to a request for comment. —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025
