Financial outlook for Koepka, relief for Faldo, Tiger Woods’ birthday bash, a brazen robbery, and Daly’s new camping spot. The Back Nine.
Not everyone was pleased: Vijay Singh literally pulls the money list tour card at the \”tender\” age of 62 – and naturally, there are some voices complaining, for example that the Fijian is taking a start spot away from those who urgently need tournament entries to secure their livelihoods. There’s some truth to that, as with career prize money exceeding $71 million, Singh likely has no worries about daily expenses. But the three-time major champion is a competitor and a \”training beast\” and wants to have another go 24 years after his PGA Tour debut at 29 and with 34 tournament wins behind him. He’s motivated by the challenge of competing against much younger players. Moreover, since the rule allowing a tour card via career earnings exemption for a season of choice exists…
And Singh immediately made his mark upon returning to the tour. The veteran qualified for the weekend at the Sony Open with rounds of 68 and 70 strokes. Barely, but still. With this, Singh became the oldest player since Fred Couples in 2023 at the Masters to make a cut on the PGA Tour. With his weekend performance in Hawaii, Singh achieved the rare feat of making a cut on the PGA Tour in his fourth decade as a professional. Overall, he now has 506 cuts made out of 638 starts and finished tied for 40th place with further rounds of 68 and 69 strokes and a total of five under par for the tournament.
Koepka Eligible to Compete for FedEx Cup Millions
Another Lex Koepka? The LIV returnee could still make serious money this season. Originally, Brooks Koepka agreed to reinstatement as a PGA Tour member and a direct comeback under conditions including donating five million dollars to charity, foregoing shares in the Player Equity Program of the PGA Tour for five years, and waiving participation in the FedEx Cup bonus pool—set to be filled with 40 million dollars in 2026 and paid out at the Tour Championship. However, this prize money has now been declared official prize money by the Tour. The five-time major winner may therefore compete for the $10 million winner’s check and prize money for placings, provided he qualifies for the season finale at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Sir Nick Faldo’s Open-Heart Surgery
With the Masters in mind: Sir Nick Faldo underwent open-heart surgery in the USA and now happily reports back on social media. The six-time major champion, now 68 years old, spent two weeks in Cleveland with his wife Lindsay and had the enlarged aorta preemptively corrected at the Cleveland Clinic by renowned heart surgeon Dr. Lars Svensson. \”Home has never felt so good,\” says Faldo, who will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his last Green Jacket (1989, 1990, 1996) at the 90th Masters next April.