Category: PGA Tour

Categories
PGA Tour

PGA Tour: WM Phoenix Open 2024 Live Blog

WM Phoenix Open 2024 Live Scores

The WM Phoenix Open in the season 2024 is being played in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of America at the TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course). The tournament starts at the Thursday, 8th of February and ends at the Sunday, 11th of February 2024.
The WM Phoenix Open is part of the PGA Tour in the season 2024. In 2024 all players competing for a total prize money of $8,800,000.
The course for the tournament at TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) plays at Par 71.

The PGA Tour travels to Arizona and plays at the legendary TPC Scottsdale. Scottie Scheffler can defend his title at the tournament for the second time in a row this year.

PGA Tour live

Through the Golf Post Live Blog you can follow all results on the PGA Tour live. Alongside the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), the PGA Tour is the world’s largest tournament series in men’s professional golf. The tour attracts prize money that is just as high as the level of the international elite that comes together at quite a few of the tournaments. The annual highlights of the season are the four major tournaments (co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour), the Players Championship and the final FedExCup playoffs, which conclude the season every year. Signature events were created for this purpose. These include the three FedExCup playoff tournaments, The Sentry, the invitational tournaments (Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament) and four other tournaments, which can change annually.

The PGA Tour has gained its importance primarily through its ability to retain top players through the attractiveness of the tournaments and the size of the prize money, which has risen steadily in recent years. The FedExCup is the American equivalent of the European Race to Dubai, with players collecting points throughout the season until the FedExCup winner is crowned in three tournaments in August. The FedExCup playoffs consist of three tournaments: the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the BMW Championship and the final Tour Championship. The winner of the Tour Championship also becomes the winner of the FedEx Cup and secures the record jackpot of 25 million US dollars.

Categories
PGA Tour

Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele withdraw from WM Phoenix Open

PGA Tour: Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele have both withdrawn from the WM Phoenix Open. (Image: Getty)
PGA Tour: Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele have both withdrawn from the WM Phoenix Open. (Image: Getty)

Viktor Hovland, the fourth-ranked player in the World Golf Ranking, and fifth-ranked Xander Schauffele have both withdrawn from the WM Phoenix Open, which takes place in the American state of Arizona starting Thursday. Despite their absence, the prestigious tournament still boasts a prominent field of players.

PGA Tour: Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele unexpectedly withdraw

According to the PGA Tour, both players will not be part of the field at the WM Phoenix Open this weekend. Viktor Hovland’s decision not to participate has fueled speculation about a potential switch to the LIV Golf League. Although Viktor Hovland has previously questioned the leadership of the PGA Tour, he also emphasized in December that a move to the LIV Golf League is highly unlikely.

After participating in The Sentry at the beginning of January, Hovland’s appearance at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was only his second tournament of the year. The Norwegian finished tied for 58th place there. He had a solid start in the first round but followed it with two 72s before the tournament was cut short to 54 holes. It wouldn’t be the first time he withdraws after a disappointing tournament

Xander Schauffele finished 54th at Pebble Beach, one shot better than Hovland. The two players will be replaced by Victor Perez and Alexander Bjoerk, while Ryan Fox will compensate for another withdrawal by Davis Riley.

Strong field despite withdrawals

The WM Phoenix Open will be held at TPC Scottsdale. Despite the absence of Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele, several other top-10 players from the World Golf Ranking, including Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Brian Harman, will participate in the tournament. Other prominent names include Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, and Rickie Fowler, as well as former major winners Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott.

Categories
PGA Tour

Video: Shane Lowry holes from 234 meters to the albatross

Shane Lowry holed out for the albatross. (Photo: Getty)
Shane Lowry holed out for the albatross. (Photo: Getty)

In addition to a hole in one, many a golfer dreams of an albatross. A triple shot win on just one hole is a rare event in golf and worth just as much jubilation and excitement as a hole-in-one. For Shane Lowry, it happened on the fourth day of the Farmers Insurance Open and the 36-year-old PGA Tour winner holed out for an albatross. The magic happened on the first par-5 of the South Course at Torrey Pines. Shane Lowry holed his ball from 234 meters and celebrated. In the end, the Ryder Cup player finished tied 25th at the Farmers Insurance Open 2024.

In the video: Shane Lowry holes out for an albatross

Categories
PGA Tour

Player Impact Program: Rory McIlroy replaces Tiger Woods

Rory McIlroy snatches the Player Impact Program title from Tiger Woods. (Photo: Getty)

Rory McIlroy secures victory in the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program 2023 and receives a bonus of 15 million US dollars. He takes over from Tiger Woods, who has won the title in recent years. Woods is in second place this year and will receive prize money of 12 million US dollars.

Player Impact Program: Rory McIlroy walks away with 15 million US dollars

The Player Impact Program was introduced in 2020/21 to reward players who generate the most positive interest for the PGA Tour through their media presence. Various criteria are measured: Internet searches, number of news articles, visibility of sponsor logos on TV, general awareness and social media impact. McIlroy came out on top of the top 20 based on these criteria this year, with a total prize money of 100 million US dollars distributed among them. “The scoring model for the program is intended to be as objective as possible with the goal of quantifying the impact each player has on the PGA Tour,” Jason Gore, the Tour’s executive vice president and chief player officer, wrote in a memo.

Rory McIlroy recently attracted attention in the golf world with his withdrawal from the PGA Tour Politics Committee and the postponement of the start of the TGL League, which he founded with Tiger Woods, by one year. His commitment to the PGA Tour and his success on the course continue to make him the face of the Tour, especially when competing against the up-and-coming LIV Tour. In addition to McIlroy’s sporting achievements, his victory in the Player Impact Program now also recognizes his positive impact on awareness and interest in golf.

The top 20 of the Player Impact Program is as follows:

  1. Rory McIlroy — $15 million
  2. Tiger Woods — $12 million
  3. Jon Rahm — $9 million
  4. Jordan Spieth — $7.5 million
  5. Scottie Scheffler — $6 million
  6. Rickie Fowler — $5.5 million
  7. Viktor Hovland — $5 million
  8. Justin Thomas — $5 million
  9. Tommy Fleetwood — $5 million
  10. Max Homa — $5 million
  11. Xander Schauffele — $3 million
  12. Jason Day — $3 million
  13. Tony Finau — $3 million
  14. Collin Morikawa — $3 million
  15. Matt Fitzpatrick — $3 million
  16. Wyndham Clark — $2 million
  17. Cameron Young — $2 million
  18. Justin Rose — $2 million
  19. Patrick Cantlay — $2 million
  20. Brian Harman — $2 million
Categories
PGA Tour

PGA Tour: Youngest talent since 2014

Oliver Betschart (center) qualifies for a PGA Tour event as a 15-year-old. (Source: Twitter / @Bermuda_Champ)
Oliver Betschart (center) qualifies for a PGA Tour event as a 15-year-old. (Source: Twitter / @Bermuda_Champ)

Golf prodigy Oliver Betschart will catch the attention of spectators and journalists in November. Betschart, who lives in Bermuda, qualified for the Bermuda Championship last week, making him one of three players to make it through qualifying.

Golf prodigy on the PGA Tour

Betschart already set a record a year ago when he became the youngest winner of the Port Royal Golf Club Championship. This year, he completed the 54-hole local qualifier with a score of 3-over par, with the win going to Eric West. Betschart will be the second 15-year-old to compete in the Bermuda event. Kenny Leseur already qualified for the championship in 2019. “This has been my goal all year,” Betschart, who shot a final round of 68 in challenging wind conditions, told The Royal Gazette. “And now it’s finally true and it’s hard to accept, but I’m really excited. … Last year I was up here working with the tournament staff and seeing all the work that goes into it, and I’m really happy to be a part of it this year. I was definitely nervous going into the home stretch, but then I hit a lot of good shots,” he added. Betschart missed qualifying for the tournament by one stroke last year, but put in a strong performance this time, playing a 68 before watching pro Chaka DeSilva narrowly miss tying with him with a birdie on 18. Betschart will be the youngest player to compete on Tour since 2014 and the fifth youngest since 2000, with only Michelle Wie (twice), Tianlang Guan (six times), Andy Zhang (2012 U.S. Open) and Lorens Chan (2009 Sony Open in Hawaii) younger. Only twice, however, did any of them survive a cut.

In case of a victory Betschart would follow in big footsteps. In 2013, a certain Jordan Spieth made history when he won for the first time on the PGA Tour. Spieth, however, was already 19 years old at the time. At the John Deere Classic, the current major champion beat his rivals David Hearn and Zach Johnson on the fifth playoff hole and became the youngest winner on the PGA Tour since 1931, when Ralph Guldahl won the Santa Monica Open.

Categories
European Tour PGA Tour

New Membership Opportunities outlined for PGA Tour Members on the DP World Tour

Since 2021, the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour have been in a Strategic Alliance. (Photo: Getty)
Since 2021, the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour have been in a Strategic Alliance. (Photo: Getty)

The DP World Tour today announces new membership opportunities for PGA TOUR members in its 2024 season, a further illustration of the strength of the relationship between the two Tours through the existing Strategic Alliance.

DP World Tour 2024: Two new memberships

The opportunities fall into two categories: (i) Full membership of the DP World Tour available for players who finish in positions 126 to 200 on the 2022-2023 FedExCup Fall Points List; or (ii) Affiliate Membership of the DP World Tour available to any other PGA TOUR Member when participating in any Race to Dubai ranking tournament in the 2024 season. Affiliate Members and Non-Members will now automatically appear on a new ‘Non-Member Race to Dubai Points List’ following the first tournament where they earn points.

This list will see players accrue Race to Dubai Points and, based on their points, can see them potentially qualify for (a) the DP World Tour play-offs in 2024 and (b) the season-ending Bonus Pool in 2024 if they have played four or more counting tournaments outside the Majors, in line with the current DP World Tour Member regulations.

Should they choose to additionally take up Affiliate Membership, this will give them the potential to earn full ranked membership of the DP World Tour in the following season if their final ranking qualifies them.

PGA TOUR Members who take up Full Membership (Option (i) above) will play from a newly created Category 12 in the 2024 DP World Tour Exemption Category list. Only five players from this category can play in a DP World Tour event in any given week.

To access this category, eligible players must join the DP World Tour as members by Wednesday, December 20, 2023, to compete in tournaments in the 2024 calendar year, but by Wednesday November 22, 2023, if they want to compete in any of the 2024 season tournaments scheduled for November or December 2023.

Consequence of the Strategic Alliance between DP World Tour and PGA Tour

These initiatives – which were discussed and ratified by the DP World Tour’s Tournament Committee – follow on from the one announced last year that will see the leading ten players on the 2023 Race to Dubai (not otherwise exempt) earn PGA TOUR cards for the 2024 season – these cards being ranked after the top 125 finishers on the 2022-2023 FedExCup Fall Points List.

David Howell, Chairman of the DP World Tour’s Tournament Committee, said: “When we announced our Strategic Alliance with the PGA TOUR in November 2021, one of the prime objectives was to give as many opportunities as possible to members of both Tours, and this is another perfect example of how this is working.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, said: “Our Ten Cards initiative will give the opportunity for DP World Tour members to excel on the PGA TOUR next season and this new membership opportunity announced today will give PGA TOUR members the chance to do exactly the same on our Tour. I am excited at the possibilities.”

(Text: European Tour Group Communications)

Categories
European Tour PGA Tour

World Golf Ranking: Collin Morikawa approaches the Top 10

Collin Morikawa wins in Japan. (Photo: Getty)
Collin Morikawa wins in Japan. (Photo: Getty)

Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick continue to hold their own in the top 10. There was no movement in the top 10 of the world ranking this week. In the latest World Golf Ranking, Rory McIlroy (NIR) seized the impressive second place, reinforcing his status as the highest-ranking British player. Right behind him, Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) is holding steady in the seventh position. Also Tyrrell Hatton keeps his rank: He is still on rank 12.

Click here for the full World Golf Ranking

Tommy Fleetwood loses a place due to Collin Morikawa’s rise and is now 15th. Meanwhile, Justin Rose, another British Ryder Cup player, makes up two places and climbs to 37th.

Top Three of the World Golf Ranking

At the top, the players in the top 3 continue to consolidate their positions. Scottie Scheffler remains the undisputed number 1, Rory McIlroy stays on their heels and Jon Rahm rounds off the trio.

A look at the other ranks shows: Norwegian Viktor Hovland is still in fourth place, followed by Americans Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele in fifth and sixth. After Englishman Fitzpatrick in 7th place, the three Americans Max Homa, Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark occupy the last three places in the top 10.

(This article was written with the help of AI)

Categories
European Tour Live PGA Tour

World Golf Ranking: Rory McIlroy Hunting For Number 1

World Golf Ranking: Rory McIlroy und Jon Rahm hunt for the worlds lead (Foto: Getty)
World Golf Ranking: Rory McIlroy und Jon Rahm hunt for the number one spot. (Foto: Getty)

English Charge in the World Golf Ranking

There is only slight movement in the World Golf Ranking for British players. England’s Matt Fitzpatrick is holding firm at seventh for the second consecutive week, demonstrating consistent top-level performance. Tyrrell Hatton, also from England, falls one position to 12th. Slightly further down the rankings, Tommy Fleetwood has dropped one spot to rank 14th.

Check out the entire World Golf Ranking here

Shuffling Order for the Brits Beyond the top 10

British representation continues in the World Golf Ranking with Justin Rose of England sliding three positions to 39th. Scotsman Robert MacIntyre sits in 56th spot. He’s followed by Aaron Rai and Jordan Smith. Completing the best-performing British professionals this week is Matt Wallace, who has made an eight-position surge to reach 89th position.

Review of the worlds top 3

Examining the top of the World Golf Ranking, Scottie Scheffler of the United States remains in pole position, echoing his firm hold on the top spot these last few months. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy follows him at second place, with Jon Rahm of Spain close behind at third.

No movement in the top 10 of the world

The middle and tail end of the top ten in the world see an unchanging continuity of strong performances. Norway’s Viktor Hovland, USA’s Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are steadfast at positions four to six, respectively. Max Homa, Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark, all from the United States, have also managed to maintain their ranks at positions eight to ten.

Categories
PGA Tour

Tour Championship 2023: $75 million split between Hovland, Scheffler and Co.

The 2023 Tour Championship is luring golf's elite with a hefty prize purse. (Photo: Getty)
The 2023 Tour Championship is luring golf's elite with a hefty prize purse. (Photo: Getty)

Georgia opened its doors once again for the 2023 Tour Championship. Payday on the PGA Tour. The final tournament of the FedEx Cup 2023 offered prize money that set its own standards. Almost 20 million US dollars awaited the winner at East Lake Golf Club. But it wasn’t just Viktor Hovland, who won the tournament by five strokes, who cleaned up well, because an entire season came to a spectacular end here. Last year, Rory McIlroy rallied from a six-stroke deficit at the start of the week and a five-stroke deficit at the start of the final day to defeat Scheffler by one stroke and claim the prize money. The size of this prize pool is spectacular: for the enormous sum is as large as the combined salaries of the U.S. Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open.

As play heads into the final stretch this weekend in Atlanta, the payout of the $75 million FedEx Cup bonus pool that players receive for their finishes in the season-long points race is drawing ever closer. As with regular PGA Tour events, the money will be split equally among players if there is a tie in the standings in this final event of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season. So each of the top 150 players in the FedEx Cup rankings will receive something from the bonus pool.

Tour Championship: $75 million to be distributed

Scottie Scheffler will not have forgotten last year and so the world number 1 went into the FedExCup final with extra motivation. He started the tournament at -10 ahead of Viktor Hovland (-8) and Rory McIlroy (-7), while Sepp Straka had a more difficult time in 30th place and started at even par. This put Scheffler in pole position for the event at the Tour Championship. However, the American was unable to maintain this position, playing only one round under par and thus relinquishing the leading position to Viktor Hovland, who did not rest on his starting capital, the eight strokes under par and increased to 7-under par. The young Norwegian thus secured the astronomical prize money of 18 million dollars for the victory.

Places 150 to 125 will receive 85,000 dollars, after which the prize money will increase continuously. From 50th place onwards, the prize money is around 200,000 dollars. However, over half a million dollars was waiting for the top 30 at the Tour Championship. Straka and Co. are therefore already guaranteed the 500 000 dollars after the Tour Championship. The mark of 1,000,000 dollars will be cracked from 10th place in the ranking. In 5th place, there are already 3 million dollars waiting. This is followed by 4th place with 4 million dollars, 3rd place with 5 million and the runner-up with 6.5 million dollars. But as if that wasn’t enough, first place will receive almost triple that amount and can look forward to a whole 18,000,000 dollars. A list of the prize money probably makes some amateur golfers jealous.

Tour Championship 2023: The prize money at a glance

Rank Prizemoney Player
1 $18,000,000 Viktor Hovland
2 $6,500,000 Xander Schauffele
3 $5,000,000 Wyndham Clark
4 $4,000,000 Rory McIlroy
5 $3,000,000 Patrick Cantlay
T6 $2,000,000 Collin Morikawa
T6 $2,000,000 Tommy Fleetwood
T6 $2,000,000 Scottie Scheffler
T9 $990,000 Adam Schenk
T9 $990,000 Keegan Bradley
T9 $990,000 Max Homa
T9 $990,000 Matt Fitzpatrick
T9 $990,000 Sam Burns
T14 $780,000 Russell Henley
T14 $780,000 Sepp Straka
T16 $710,000 Rickie Fowler
T16 $710,000 Tyrrell Hatton
T18 $670,000 Lucas Glover
T18 $670,000 Jon Rahm
T20 $620,000 Tony Finau
T20 $620,000 Tom Kim
T20 $620,000 Si Woo Kim
23 $580,000 Brian Harman
24 $565,000 Sungjae Im
25 $550,000 Nick Taylor
26 $540,000 Correy Conners
27 $530,000 Jordan Spieth
28 $520,000 Jason Day
T29 $505,000 Taylor Moore
T29 $505,000 Emiliano Grillo

Categories
PGA Tour

Players Championship: This is how much prize money each player earned

Scottie Scheffler wins 4,5 million dollar at the Players Championship 2023. (Credit: Getty)

Sunday is payday on the PGA Tour. The Players Championship has always been one of the highest-paying tournaments of the season, but in 2023 a new prize money record was set. 25 million dollars were distributed among the players, with winner Scottie Scheffler alone pocketing 4.5 million dollars. Fünf Spieler verdienten siebenstellig, auch das ein Novum auf der Tour.

Die deutschsprachigen Spieler Matthias Schwab (T54), Stephan Jäger (T44) und Sepp Straka (T65) schafften alle knapp den Cut. Auch wenn es am Wochenende nicht mehr allzu weit nach vorn ging, bleiben auch für sie noch ordentliche Preisgelder bei der Players Championship 2023 übrig.

Players Championship 2023 prize money payout

Platzierung Spieler Preisgeld ($)
1 Scottie Scheffler 4.500.000,00
2 Tyrrell Hatton 2.725.000,00
T3 Tom Hoge 1.475.000,00
T3 Viktor Hovland 1.475.000,00
5 Hideki Matsuyama 1.025.000,00
T6 Max Homa 736.607,15
T6 Justin Suh 736.607,15
T6 Cam Davis 736.607,14
T6 Sungjae Im 736.607,14
T6 Min Woo Lee 736.607,14
T6 David Lingmerth 736.607,14
T6 Justin Rose 736.607,14
T13 Rickie Fowler 447.916,67
T13 Adam Hadwin 447.916,67
T13 Collin Morikawa 447.916,67
T13 Adam Svensson 447.916,67
T13 Christiaan Bezuidenhout 447.916,66
T13 Denny McCarthy 447.916,66
T19 Patrick Cantlay 275.000,00
T19 Jason Day 275.000,00
T19 Tony Finau 275.000,00
T19 Russell Henley 275.000,00
T19 Aaron Rai 275.000,00
T19 Xander Schauffele 275.000,00
T19 Jordan Spieth 275.000,00
T19 Brandon Wu 275.000,00
T27 Wyndham Clark 167.656,25
T27 Eric Cole 167.656,25
T27 Tommy Fleetwood 167.656,25
T27 Ryan Fox 167.656,25
T27 Si Woo Kim 167.656,25
T27 Chad Ramey 167.656,25
T27 Brendon Todd 167.656,25
T27 Danny Willett 167.656,25
T35 Byeong Hun An 114.166,66
T35 Sam Burns 114.166,66
T35 Mark Hubbard 114.166,66
T35 Shane Lowry 114.166,66
T35 Keith Mitchell 114.166,66
T35 Austin Smotherman 114.166,66
T35 Ben Griffin 114.166,66
T35 Taylor Moore 114.166,66
T35 Dylan Wu 114.166,66
T44 Chesson Hadley 75.035,72
T44 Stephan Jaeger 75.035,72
T44 Sam Ryder 75.035,72
T44 Brian Harman 75.035,72
T44 Kramer Hickok 75.035,72
T44 Garrick Higgo 75.035,72
T44 Taylor Montgomery 75.035,72
T51 Lucas Glover 61.416,67
T51 Tom Kim 61.416,67
T51 Cameron Young 61.416,67
T54 Tyler Duncan 58.000,00
T54 Will Gordon 58.000,00
T54 Jerry Kelly 58.000,00
T54 Ben Martin 58.000,00
T54 Matthias Schwab 58.000,00
T54 Gary Woodland 58.000,00
T60 Joel Dahmen 55.250,00
T60 Nate Lashley 55.250,00
T60 Maverick McNealy 55.250,00
T60 Francesco Molinari 55.250,00
T60 Justin Thomas 55.250,00
T65 Patton Kizzire 55.250,00
T65 Alex Smalley 53.250,00
T65 Sepp Straka 53.250,00
68 Davis Thompson 52.250,00
T69 Taylor Pendrith 51.500,00
T69 Scott Stallings 51.500,00
71 Adam Scott 50.750,00
72 Aaron Baddeley 50.250.00
73 Will Zalatoris 49.750,00
74 Sahith Theegala 49.250,00
75 Kevin Kisner 48.750,00