Author: Tobias Hennig

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Senior Tours

Legends Tour Announces Record Prize Pool of 20 Million for Upcoming Season

The Legends Tour offers a record prize money fund during the 2025 season. (Credit: Legends Tour)
The Legends Tour offers a record prize money fund during the 2025 season. (Credit: Legends Tour)

The Legends Tour has unveiled its first wave of tournaments scheduled for the 2025 season including two new events and an eye-watering prize pool for senior professionals. Legends Tour also continues to offer keen amateurs the greatest amateur experience in sport, playing alongside Legends of the game in stunning locations.

The globetrotting schedule will start with the 2025 Legends Tour Qualifying School played at Gloria Hotel and Resorts, Belek, Turkey (13th-20th January). Following this, sixteen additional tournaments have been confirmed including Barbados, Vietnam, Zambia, Greece, Ireland, France, Italy, Mexico and India.

New tournaments include the Marbella Legends at Aloha Golf Club, in Spain (14th-16th February) and the NI Legends Open to be played at Galgorm, Ballymena (29th-31st August), with more additions to be announced later this year.

(Credit: Legends Tour)
(Credit: Legends Tour)

They join Legends Tour staples such as the flagship Staysure PGA Seniors Championship which will return to Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen (31st July-3rd August) for its third year following the success of previous year’s events and the OFX Irish Legends hosted on the championship course at Mount Juliet Estate (16th – 17th May), which has previously been the venue for five Irish Opens and two World Golf Championships.

Many of the Legends Tour’s brightest stars will be eyeing up Major victory in 2025 at the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club, Bethesda (22nd-25th May), the US Senior Open at The Broadmoor Golf Club, Colorado Springs (26th-29th June), and The Senior Open returning to Sunningdale Golf Club, Berkshire (24th-27th July).

As well as the tournament silverware, some of golf’s biggest names will also be competing for the largest prize pool in Legends Tour history. The €20million (more than €10million of which will be assigned outside of the Majors of senior men’s golf – the Senior PGA Championship, the US Senior Open and The Senior Open) represents a 16% increase in prize funds year-on-year.

Complementing the drama of the professional events will be the unique Legends Experience where passionate amateurs can tee off alongside their heroes in the Tour’s one-of-a-kind pro-am experience. Amateurs live the life of a professional golfer, playing in tournament conditions in-front of the crowds and TV cameras with access to the players’ lounge and locker room, private coaching clinics with our Legends and practice on the players’ range. Amateurs will also enjoy world-class hospitality and attend VIP functions, such as evenings hosted by Ryder Cup Legends. The Legends Experience has now been rolled out to 11 tournaments across the globe.

The Luxe Scot Celebrity Pro-Am will also return to the OFX Irish Legends and the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship and features stars from the world of sport and entertainment competing to raise money and awareness for their chosen charities.
Phil Harrison, CEO of the Legends Tour, said: “Over the summer we have been working hard and 2025 promises to be another incredible year for the Legends Tour.

“Securing new events in some truly spectacular venues around the world is always a key objective of ours, and we are thrilled with the additions to the schedule for this season, as well as the prestigious venues we are honoured to return to.

“Everything from the standard of competition to the number of amateurs getting involved has been growing year on year, and 2025 will be no exception. This is the earliest we’ve been able to announce next year’s schedule due to the new approach to multi-year tournament contracting. Further additions to the schedule will be announced later this year and we cannot wait to see it all unfold.”
(Written by Legends Tour Communication)

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Panorama

Making The Best Choice When Betting

Sports betting has changed over the years. (Photo: Getty)
Sports betting has changed over the years. (Photo: Getty)

Although the internet has transformed many industries over the last 20 years, there’s a strong argument that few have changed as profoundly as the gambling industry has. It doesn’t matter if you’re a sports bettor or somebody who prefers to play casino games; the last two decades have witnessed the most significant shift in an industry that some historians trace back to the beginning of the 1600s.

Now that it’s a multibillion-dollar industry and a predominantly digital force, mobile phones, laptops and PCs have become the new battlegrounds for iGaming companies looking to get a piece of the proverbial pie.

However, today’s quest sends us down the sportsbook route. With hundreds of sports betting markets, some of which have tens of thousands of potential markets to explore, it’s crucial to make the best choice when betting and that you find a platform that you enjoy using to maximize your gaming experience.

Factors to consider with a new betting site

There are new sports betting companies appearing online every week it seems. With all of them offering some sort of offer or new customer promotion, it can be dizzying just to keep up with all the new names and logos spinning around. However, you can implement a few handy tips to help you save time and differentiate providers with decent potential from those with a subpar service.

The newest betting sites should ideally be able to tick every box. Not only are they entering a market where some of the most established companies at the top have multibillion-dollar strongholds, but they need to offer something genuinely different to make up ground on the established names in the industry.

Here are some of the main factors to consider. Understanding these will give you a better understanding of how to make the best choice when betting:

Promotions and bonuses

Sports betting companies can gain ground by offering a quality platform combined with bonuses and promotions that help them stand out. A platform that balances cost-effective bonuses with various markets and a good balance of promotions for new and existing customers is often the sign of a platform with a good business strategy and an eye towards bringing in new customers.

Quality of customer service

It should be a given that a company handling your financial and personal data has efficient and friendly customer service you can contact at any time. We’d expect the same from any other company we use online. However, if you’re having an issue with a payment or a withdrawal, this is where a company with a good customer service setup will shine.

Customer service quality can take many forms, but you want to ensure that the site you use has a multi-faceted approach, including live chat and social media, which are now some of the most popular ways customers seek assistance and lodge complaints.

Range of sports betting markets available

Aiming for a sportsbook that offers your favorite sports betting markets is important. With growing niche markets proving to be a hit in the gambling world, more providers than ever are looking to branch out into virtual sports, esports and smaller markets, such as badminton, athletics and boxing.

While having the most markets doesn’t necessarily equate to having the best platform, whether we’re looking for sports news or a sports betting site or app, the whole industry has now shifted online. So, it’s important that a website can respond to this growing digital demand and provide value and scope to its budding new user base.

Responsible gambling

Another green flag to look for is companies that have a clear section of their site dedicated to responsible gambling and how to identify problems. Although companies are often mandated under legislation to provide tools to assist people, some sites will not have clear guidance regarding responsible gambling; those that don’t are ones to be aware of. Responsible gambling measures include:

  • Time and deposit limits
  • Self-assessment tests
  • Self-exclusion requests
  • Providing contact phone numbers or e-mails of problem gambling organizations

Sites that go above and beyond to protect their customers show they have a good ethos and company culture. Responsible gambling should be the most crucial variable you implement into your gaming. By exploring social media comments and expert reviews, you can often get a good indication of which betting sites fit into this category, both old and new.

Social media and expert reviews

Exploring what the experts say can be a great eye-opener into the quality of a site. If somebody with expertise has had a detailed look at a sports betting platform, not only will experts be able to tell you in detail what the platform does well and where it can improve, but they’ll also indicate the elements to look for so that you can learn how to spot the pros and cons yourself.

A strong social media presence is important for any company; this extends beyond the betting industry, too. While social media platforms have their own characteristics and perceived user base, a betting company with zero social media presence or inactive profiles that do not engage with customers is something to be wary of.

Summary

Understanding how expert reviews can be used as a guiding light to help you find the best platform and develop the best practices when betting is probably the most critical aspect. They’re provided by the people who have tried-and-tested experience and know what they’re looking for. Other angles that speak about their broader business culture include:

  • Social media presence
  • Responsible gambling measures
  • Quality of customer service

We understand that these might not be the integral factors that makes you choose them, but they signal the underlying culture, which experts agree on too. The more sports betting platforms you explore, the easier it becomes to spot the promising platforms and those that are best to avoid.

Categories
Ladies Tours

Women’s Open 2024: Lydia Ko Wins Record Prize Money – Full Earnings Breakdown

Lydia Ko earns almost 1.5 million with her win at the AIG Women's Open. (Photo: Getty)
Lydia Ko earns almost 1.5 million with her win at the AIG Women's Open. (Photo: Getty)

At the Women’s Open 2024, there was record prize money totalling 9.5 million dollars. As the winner, Lydia Ko from New Zealand collected the lion’s share. Ko received almost 1.5 million dollars for the third major victory of her career. The table below shows the total distribution and the prize money received by each player.

Women’s

Position Name Earnings
1 Lydia Ko $1,425,000
T2 Lilia Vu $641,546
T2 Ruoning Yin $641,546
T2 Nelly Korda $641,546
T2 Jiyai Shin $641,546
6 Ariya Jutanugarn $344,457
T7 Akie Iwai $254,960
T7 Casandra Alexander $254,960
T7 Mao Saigo $254,960
T10 Angel Yin $172,856
T10 Linn Grant $172,856
T10 Pajaree Anannarukarn $172,856
T10 Nanna Koerstz Madsen $172,856
T10 Lottie Woad (a) —
T10 Alexa Pano $172,856
T10 Jin Hee Im $172,856
T17 Anne van Dam $130,519
T17 Jeeno Thitikul $130,519
T17 Jenny Shin $130,519
T20 Albane Valenzuela $116,750
T20 Charley Hull $116,750
T22 Momoko Osato $98,605
T22 Georgia Hall $98,605
T22 Ashleigh Buhai $98,605
T22 Linnea Strom $98,605
T22 Celine Boutier $98,605
T22 Andrea Lee $98,605
T22 So Mi Lee $98,605
T29 Paula Reto $73,966
T29 Minami Katsu $73,966
T29 Julia Lopez Ramirez (a) —
T29 Sarah Schmelzel $73,966
T29 Yui Kawamoto $73,966
T29 Rose Zhang $73,966
T29 Alison Lee $73,966
T29 Hyo Joo Kim $73,966
T37 Wichanee Meechai $49,152
T37 Grace Kim $49,152
T37 Ayaka Furue $49,152
T37 Sei Young Kim $49,152
T37 Nasa Hataoka $49,152
T37 Hye-Jin Choi $49,152
T37 Nicole Broch Estrup $49,152
T37 Carlota Ciganda $49,152
T37 Ally Ewing $49,152
T37 Amy Yang $49,152
T37 Leona Maguire $49,152
T37 Esther Henseleit $49,152
T49 Arpichaya Yubol $33,102
T49 Weiwei Zhang $33,102
T49 Kristen Gillman $33,102
T49 Haeran Ryu $33,102
T49 Caroline Inglis $33,102
T49 Gaby Lopez $33,102
T55 Haruka Kawasaki $26,906
T55 Xiyu Lin $26,906
T55 Lee-Anne Pace $26,906
T55 Lexi Thompson $26,906
T55 Mi Hyang Lee $26,906
T60 Lily May Humphreys $20,608
T60 Narin An $20,608
T60 Gabriella Cowley $20,608
T60 Shannon Tan $20,608
T60 Alexandra Forsterling $20,608
T60 Marta Martin $20,608
T60 Shuri Sakuma $20,608
T60 Louise Rydqvist (a) —
T60 Nuria Iturrioz $20,608
T60 Stephanie Kyriacou $20,608
T60 Patty Tavatanakit $20,608
T71 Manon De Roey $15,088
T71 Emma Spitz $15,088
T71 Johanna Gustavsson $15,088
T71 Maja Stark $15,088
T71 Peiyun Chien $15,088
T76 Morgane Metraux $11,500
T76 Emma Grechi $11,500
T78 Bailey Tardy $10,923
T78 Ela Anacona (a) —
T78 Auston Kim $10,923
81 In Kyung Kim $10,491
82 Ursula Wikstrom $10,203

Categories
Ladies Tours

Nine Automatic Qualifiers Named for 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup Team

Stacy Lewis, captain of the US Solheim Cup team, has learned the names of the nine automatic qualifiers who will represent the Red, White and Blue. (Photo: Getty)
Stacy Lewis, captain of the US Solheim Cup team, has learned the names of the nine automatic qualifiers who will represent the Red, White and Blue. (Photo: Getty)

With the completion of the 2024 AIG Women’s Open, U.S. Captain Stacy Lewis has learned the names of the nine automatic qualifiers who will represent the Red, White and Blue at the 2024 Solheim Cup, to be held Sept. 13-15 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va.

Rolex Women’s World Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda, who has six victories on the 2024 LPGA Tour season, leads the list of seven players named to the team via the U.S. Solheim Cup Team points standings. She is joined (in order of ranking) by Lilia Vu, Lauren Coughlin, Ally Ewing, Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang and Andrea Lee.

Additionally, Rose Zhang and Alison Lee will represent the U.S. as the two highest Americans in the Rolex Rankings not among the seven qualifiers from the U.S. Solheim Cup Team points standings.

“I’m just excited to have the team finalized. Much of this crew is repeating from 2023, so a lot of them have experience,” said Lewis. “We had five that were qualified coming into the week, and I’m happy to have Megan and Andrea back again. They were big parts of last year’s success.”


Alison Lee will be playing on her second U.S. Solheim Cup Team and first since 2015. The nine years between individual Solheim Cup appearances is the longest in U.S. Team history; Sherri Steinhauer had a span of seven years between U.S. Team appearances in 2000 and 2007.

“I’m really happy for Alison Lee to be back at the Solheim Cup, with the largest gap between two Solheim Cups,” said Lewis. “It’s been nine years since her last one and I’m excited for her to have a second go at it, to have a great experience and to do it at home as well.”

Experiences Team USA for Solheim Cup 2024

2024 will mark the fourth Solheim Cup appearances for Ewing, Khang and Korda, who all played on the 2019, 2021 and 2023 U.S. Teams. Corpuz, Andrea Lee, Vu and Zhang will also be making their second Solheim Cup appearances, while Coughlin will be a rookie on the U.S. squad.

Lewis also receives three captain’s picks to round out the 12-player American squad. Those players will be announced on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. EDT.

Players started accruing points toward the U.S. Solheim Cup Team points standings at the 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Points were awarded to the top 40 participants at each ranking event, with double points awarded at the five major championships. In the Solheim Cup year, all points values increased by 50%.

The biennial Solheim Cup is the most prestigious international team event in women’s professional golf. In 2023, the European Team retained the Cup following a 14-14 tie with the U.S. Team at Finca Cortesin in Spain. The U.S. Team leads the European Team, 10-7-1, all-time in Solheim Cup competition.

Fans can see full 2024 Solheim Cup ticket details at www.solheimcupusa.com/tickets. Various daily and weekly ticket and hospitality packages are available so fans can enjoy every moment of the action at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
Written by LPGA

Categories
Panorama

Clubs, shoes, balls: PGA Tour pros get it all for free

Michael Kim reveals lots of secrets of golfpros on X (Twitter). (Photo: Getty)
Michael Kim reveals lots of secrets of golfpros on X (Twitter). (Photo: Getty)

Michael S. Kim is a PGA Tour golfer who lives in Dallas, Texas. Born in South Korea and raised in California, he first came to prominence when he claimed his first PGA Tour victory at the John Deere Classic in 2018. But Kim is not only known for his precise shots, but also for running one of the most informative golf accounts on Twitter. He gives us a rare insight into the world of professional golfers and the multitude of free amenities available to them. From equipment to travel perks, here’s what the pros really get.

What do golf pros get for free?

Professionals get almost unlimited access to golf clubs, especially if they use them during the tournament. Whether it’s drivers, putters or special shafts, manufacturers make sure players are well equipped. However, as Kim emphasises, these items lose their appeal for the pros over time, as they are ultimately just ‘tools’ to do their ‘job to the best of their ability’. The situation is similar with golf balls: Kim, for example, regularly receives several dozen balls on order from Titleist during training weeks, depending on demand, without ever having received a cancellation. He normally receives three dozen balls for a tournament week.

The PGA Tour partnerships also provide players with travel benefits. For example, they enjoy preferential status with United Airlines, Avis and Omni Hotels. Although Kim emphasises that he rarely flies with United due to his home base in Dallas, these benefits are of great use to many of his colleagues.

How many outfits do golf pros get

However, not everything is perfectly organised: When it comes to clothing, there are significant differences depending on the partner company. While some companies deliver reliable, high-quality clothing, others experience delays or sizing problems. Kim emphasises that professionals have their clothes washed regularly and do not receive completely new outfits every week – this is more the case with the majors. Shoes are also not changed as often as you might expect. Kim claims to change his shoes about every month and a half, while other players who value perfectly matched outfits may request new shoes more frequently.

For the average golfer, having access to all these free amenities may seem like a dream. But as Michael Kim points out, it’s all part of the job. What seems glamorous from the outside, he says, is simply another aspect of the pros’ daily business, which is all about being as prepared as possible.

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Highlights Tours Uncategorized

The Open 2024: Brian Harman Gets Very Lucky – Ball Takes Bridge Over Creek

Brian Harman at The Open 2024. (Photo: Getty)
Brian Harman at The Open 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Brian Harman is an outstanding golfer, there’s no question about that. But even a defending Open champion sometimes needs a bit of luck. And he deserved it in the final round at Troon. The tee shot on the third hole with a driving iron rolled out so far that it came dangerously close to the small stream that divided the fairway. If it hadn’t been for the small bridges over which the players also cross the burn, the ball would have landed in the water. But as luck would have it, Harman’s ball arrived dry on the other side.

Open Championship 2024 Live Scores

Watch Open Championship: Brian Harman gets lucky

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Highlights Tours

The Open Championship 2024: “Lefty” Robert MacIntyre Saves Par Righthanded

Robert MacIntyre entertains the crowd at the British Open 2024. (Photo: Getty; in the circle: Screenshot Twitter.com/TheOpen)
Robert MacIntyre entertains the crowd at the British Open 2024. (Photo: Getty; in the circle: Screenshot Twitter.com/TheOpen)

After his victory at the Scottish Open, Robert MacIntyre is being celebrated as a new national hero in his home country of Scotland. The 27-year-old is also being celebrated at the British Open, which is being held at the Royal Troon Golf Club on the west coast of Scotland. Not least because “Bob” combines sporting excellence with entertaining qualities. In the third round of the British Open 2024, MacIntyre had to decide on the 18th hole whether to take a baseball swing from the bunker, simply chip over the bunker onto the fairway or try a right-handed swing with his “backhand”.

Th Leaderboard of The Open Championship 2024

The left-handed Ryder Cupper opted for the most spectacular option and positioned himself on the wrong side of the ball and showed an excellent full swing. The fact that the ball flew into the stands did not detract from the aesthetics. In any case, he saved the par with a dream shot to the tap-in from the not particularly good situation that followed his show.

The Open Championship 2024 Video: Robert MacIntyre Plays “The Wrong Way Around”

Categories
Highlights Tours

The Open Championship2024: Justin Thomas 14 Shots Better Than On Friday – On the Front Nine

Justin Thomas at the British Open 2024 (Photo: Getty)
Justin Thomas at the British Open 2024 (Photo: Getty)

How different can the results be on one and the same golf course on two different days? Every golfer can probably think of at least one story about this. Justin Thomas has had a new one in store since the third round of the Open Championship. The 31-year-old from Kentucky tore himself apart on the front nine at Royal Troon Golf Club on Friday and needed 45 strokes to complete the front nine. On Saturday, the two-time PGA champion redeemed himself and played 14 shots better than the day before. With five birdies and four pars, Thomas set the record straight again.

Th Leaderboard of The Open Championship 2024

Disaster on one day, brilliant performance on the other

Par-bogey-bogey-bogey-double-bogey-bogey-par-par were the scores on the first eight holes on Friday, before Thomas brought the series of mishaps to a climax with a triple bogey. After finding a bush with his tee shot, he tried unsuccessfully to chop the ball out, only to drop it a little later. On the back nine of the second round, he saved himself for the weekend with a significant improvement in performance.

Justin Thomas’ scorecards at the British Open 2024 (Photo: Screenshot Golf Post)
Categories
Panorama

Against All Odds: Woods and Timberlake Get Their Bar in St Andrews

Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake will open a bar in St. Andrews. (Photo: Getty)
Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake will open a bar in St. Andrews. (Photo: Getty)

“Slàinte mhath”, says the Scotsman, when toasting with good wishes: In St Andrews, the Home of Golf, there will soon be a new meeting place for this. Despite massive opposition from local residents, who even submitted a petition against the project, superstars Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake have been given the green light by the relevant authorities for their sports bar T-Squared Social. The branch of the pub chain is to be built in the “Auld Grey Toon” cinema: The New Picture House has been in existence since 1930, but has been operating at no more than ten per cent capacity for years and can barely exist independently, according to the current owner.


Nevertheless, the residents are attached to their old film theatre and do not want any newfangled stuff; over 10,000 people signed the petition against the project. The luxury bar in the historic building, less than a kilometre from the Old Course, is to be equipped with large screens and golf simulators, have a bowling and darts alley and create 40 to 45 new jobs. This is the promise of the new operator Nexus Luxury Collection, whose shareholders include the two superstars. The remodelling for T-Squared Social is expected to begin within the next three years; the branch in New York, for example, is doing very well.

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Highlights Tours

Olympic Games: Dutchman sues his way into golf tournament, but…

After the Dutch National Olympic Committee (NOC) refused to allow three qualified athletes to take part in the Paris Games, DP World Tour pro Joost Luiten successfully appealed against his exclusion. The 38-year-old announced this on Instagram on Wednesday. Golf Post spoke to Luiten about the events after his first round at the BMW International Open and the Dutchman explained his situation in detail for the first time.

“I basically sued the National Olympic Committee”, Luiten told Golf Post. “I didn’t agree with the way it went down. I didn’t agree with the rules they had in place. Halfway through the qualification year, they changed the rules. So it was all one big mess and then, you know, I didn’t meet their criteria. But if they would have started those criteria from the start, I would have qualified straight away in two events.”

According to the rules of the International Golf Federation (IGF) and the IOC, the top 15 in the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR), which is based on the world golf rankings, qualify – with a maximum of four athletes per country. The 60-strong field will then be filled with the best outside the top 15, with a maximum of two participants per country. In the case of the Netherlands, these are Darius van Driel and Joost Luiten for the men and Anne van Dam and Dewi Weber for the women. However, the Dutch Olympic Committee had its own criteria for golf, which Luiten and others did not fulfil after they were implemented. However, this only happened after the IGF qualification process had long since begun.

As obliged by the court, the Dutch NOC nominated Luiten in time for the tournament at Le Golf National near Paris. But now there is a new problem. “There’s another bit of trouble because now all of a sudden there are 61 people in the field, not 60, because the IOC gave my spot away already. So now it looks like I could go from one court case to the next, but that’s not what I want. Hopefully they can sort the issue”, says the young family man, fearing for his eligibility to compete.

Luiten’s dissatisfaction with his National Olympic Committee goes far beyond the refusal to nominate him: “The whole problem in Holland is that if you let some people that only know the traditional Olympic sports, swimming, athletics, and stuff like that, if you let them make the rules on golf, you get some silly rules. And that’s what basically this is all about. Showing them that they had no clue what they were doing and that it had nothing to do with golf. Unfortunately I had to go to court for it, but at least now hopefully it will open their eyes.”