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Olympics 2024: Dutch Athletes Denied Participation

One of the players denied at the Olympics 2024: Joost Luiten. (Image: Getty)
One of the players denied at the Olympics 2024: Joost Luiten. (Image: Getty)

As Golf Digest proposes, the dream of competing in the Olympics 2024 has been dashed for Darius van Driel and Joost Luiten among the men and Dewi Weber among the women. The Dutch Olympic Committee or the Dutch Sports Federation (NOC/NSF) is responsible for this. Despite meeting the qualification criteria of the International Golf Federation (IGF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the national committee has denied these athletes participation.

According to IGF and IOC rules, the top 15 in the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR), based on the golf world rankings, qualify – with a maximum of four athletes per country. The 60-player field is then filled with the best outside the top 15, with a maximum of two participants per country. For the Netherlands, this includes Darius van Driel and Joost Luiten among the men, as well as Anne van Dam and Dewi Weber among the women. However, the Dutch Olympic Committee has its own criteria for golf.

Olympics 2024: Dutch Committee Blocks Participation

The Dutch Olympic Committee requires a “realistic chance” of placing in the top eight across all sports to approve Olympic participation. To meet this expectation, the committee has set stricter criteria than the IOC and IGF.

These criteria state that women must be placed in the top 24 and men in the top 27 of the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR). None of the four previously mentioned athletes meet this criterion. Anne van Dam is still in because she took advantage of an opportunity created in the fall. If a Dutch golfer is in the top 59 of the OGR, a top-8 finish in a highly competitive tournament is sufficient. The athletes could select eight events in advance where such a result would count. With her second place at the Ladies European Tour Championship 2023, Van Dam was the only one to achieve the required placement.

Van Driel, Luiten, and Weber will have to watch as others compete for Olympic honors and medals in August. Dewi Weber expressed her disappointment in an interview with Golf Digest: “Our own country says, we don’t think you’re worthy to be at the Olympics, and you’re not worth representing the Netherlands.” It’s such a hurtful and sad message to elite athletes like her, Weber said. She also mentioned in the interview that the athletes and the golf association would even pay for the trip themselves.

Joost Luiten also expressed his sadness on X: “I am very sad that I will not be participating in the Olympics 2024. The @nocnsf will not send me, even though I qualified according to the international golf federation’s criteria and the Olympic criteria. They don’t believe I can make it into the top 8!”

Olympics 2024: Switzerland and Austria Benefit from Dutch Participation Ban

If no solution is found by July 9, the date when the official participant list is announced, Switzerland and Austria will benefit. Among the men, Joel Girrbach from Switzerland would move up, and among the women, Sarah Schober would qualify for Paris. Schober would be the second Austrian golfer in the Olympic competition alongside Emma Spitz, while Joel Girrbach would be the only Swiss golfer among the men.

Former Ryder Cup Player Outraged

Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgian golf professional and former Ryder Cup player, expressed his outrage at the decision of the Netherlands on the platform X (formerly Twitter): “Shocking maneuver by Dutch Olympic Committee… gives a clear indication of lack of knowledge of golf.” Even golfers who are lower in the rankings can win a medal, as Slovakian Rory Sabbatini demonstrated. Sabbatini won silver with an Olympic record round of 61 strokes while being ranked 167th in the world at the time. There is at least hope for the Dutch for the Olympics 2028, as the committee has recently shown willingness for change. For Van Driel, Luiten, and Weber, this is likely only a small consolation for now.

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Live

DP World Tour Tee Times: Patrick Reed and Other Americans at Italian Open

DP World Tour Tee Times: Patrick Reed at the Italian Open. (Image: Getty)
DP World Tour Tee Times: Patrick Reed at the Italian Open. (Image: Getty)

The DP World Tour Tee Times for the Italian Open, held at the Adriatic Golf Club Cervia in Ravenna, Italy, have been released. The tournament, part of the DP World Tour, offers a par-71 course and a prize purse of 3.25 million US dollars. Adrian Meronk is the defending champion.

DP World Tour Tee Times

James Nicholas will tee off his first round on Thursday at 7:50 AM from Tee 1, alongside Kristian Krogh Johannessen from Norway and Andrew Wilson from England. In the second round, he begins at 12:50 PM from Tee 10 with the same group.

Chase Hanna starts his first round on Thursday at 8:00 AM from Tee 10, accompanied by Gavin Green from Malaysia and Riccardo Fantinelli from Italy. The second round will commence at 1:00 PM from Tee 1.

Johannes Veerman is scheduled to begin his first round on Thursday at 8:10 AM from Tee 10 with Ashun Wu from China and Gregorio De Leo from Italy. Veerman’s second round starts Friday at 1:10 PM from Tee 1.

Gunner Wiebe’s first round will begin on Thursday at 9:00 AM from Tee 1, alongside Daniel Gavins and Daniel Brown, both from England. His second round will start on Friday at 2:00 PM from Tee 10.

Patrick Reed tees off his first round on Thursday at 1:10 PM from Tee 1, partnering with Laurie Canter from England and Guido Migliozzi from Italy. The second round starts on Friday at 8:10 AM from Tee 10.

Jeff Overton’s opening round is set for Thursday at 1:30 PM from Tee 1, and he will be joined by Grant Forrest from Scotland and Ugo Coussaud from France. The second round will start on Friday at 8:30 AM from Tee 10.

American Players’ Tee Times

Round 1 Start Time Round 2 Start Time Player Nationality Playing Partners Partner Nationalities
07:50 12:50 James Nicholas USA Kristian Krogh Johannessen, Andrew Wilson NOR, ENG
08:00 13:00 Chase Hanna USA Gavin Green, Riccardo Fantinelli MAS, ITA
08:10 13:10 Johannes Veerman USA Ashun Wu, Gregorio De Leo CHN, ITA
09:00 14:00 Gunner Wiebe USA Daniel Gavins, Daniel Brown ENG, ENG
13:10 08:10 Patrick Reed USA Laurie Canter, Guido Migliozzi ENG, ITA
13:30 08:30 Jeff Overton USA Grant Forrest, Ugo Coussaud SCO, FRA
Check out the tee times for all players
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Live

DP World Tour Tee Times: Matthew Jordan and David Law at the Italian Open

DP World Tour: Check out the tee times for the first and second round of the Italian Open 2024. (Image: Getty)
DP World Tour: Check out the tee times for the first and second round of the Italian Open 2024. (Image: Getty)

The DP World Tour Tee Times for the upcoming Italian Open in Ravenna, Italy, are set. The tournament, held at the Adriatic Golf Club Cervia, will feature a number of British and Scottish players. The event, part of the DP World Tour, offers a total prize fund of $3,250,000. Defending champion Adrian Meronk will not defend his title on the par 71 course.

DP World Tour Tee Times

Richard Mansell, from England, starts his rounds at 07:40 and 12:40, accompanied by Masahiro Kawamura from Japan and Angel Hidalgo from Spain.

David Law, representing Scotland, tees off at 12:40 and 07:40. He is paired with Simon Forsström from Sweden and Jacopo Vecchi Fossa from Italy.

Matthew Jordan of England will begin at 12:50 and 07:50. He is joined by Jason Scrivener from Australia and Luca Cianchetti from Italy.

Stuart Manley from Wales starts his game at 13:10 and 08:10. His group includes Mikko Korhonen from Finland and Jannik De Bruyn from Germany.

Grant Forrest, also from Scotland, has his tee times set at 13:30 and 08:30. His playing partners are Jeff Overton from the USA and Ugo Coussaud from France.

Round Start Time Player Nationality Playing Partners Nationalities
1 07:40 Richard Mansell ENG Masahiro Kawamura, Angel Hidalgo JPN, ESP
1 12:40 David Law SCO Simon Forsström, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa SWE, ITA
1 12:50 Matthew Jordan ENG Jason Scrivener, Luca Cianchetti AUS, ITA
1 13:10 Stuart Manley WAL Mikko Korhonen, Jannik De Bruyn FIN, GER
1 13:30 Grant Forrest SCO Jeff Overton, Ugo Coussaud USA, FRA
2 07:40 Richard Mansell ENG Masahiro Kawamura, Angel Hidalgo JPN, ESP
2 07:40 David Law SCO Simon Forsström, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa SWE, ITA
2 07:50 Matthew Jordan ENG Jason Scrivener, Luca Cianchetti AUS, ITA
2 08:10 Stuart Manley WAL Mikko Korhonen, Jannik De Bruyn FIN, GER
2 08:30 Grant Forrest SCO Jeff Overton, Ugo Coussaud USA, FRA
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Live

PGA Tour Tee Times Featuring Defending Champion Rickie Fowler at Rocket Mortgage Classic

Rickie Fowler's tee times at the PGA Tour's Rocket Mortgage Classic. (Photo: Getty)
Rickie Fowler's tee times at the PGA Tour's Rocket Mortgage Classic. (Photo: Getty)

The Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, United States, is set to feature a host of American players. The tournament, part of the PGA Tour, will be played on a par 72 course with a prize pool of $9,200,000. Last year’s champion, Rickie Fowler, will be among this year’s players.

PGA Tour Tee Times for American Players

Ryan Moore will tee off on Thursday at 06:56 alongside fellow American players Tyler Duncan and Brandon Wu. His second round is scheduled for Friday at 12:21.

Brendon Todd’s first round will commence at 07:18 on Thursday, accompanied by Americans Peter Malnati and Davis Riley. He will start his second round on Friday at 12:43.

Joseph Bramlett begins his first round on Thursday at 12:21, joined by Cheng Tsung Pan from Taiwan and American Maverick McNealy. His second round will take place on Friday at 06:56.

Webb Simpson is set to tee off with fellow Americans Daniel Berger and Keith Mitchell at 12:43 on Thursday. Their second round will start on Friday at 07:18.

Rickie Fowler, paired with Will Zalatoris and Cam Davis from Australia, will begin his first round at 13:05 on Thursday. His second round is set for Friday at 07:40.

All Tee Times for the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic 2024
Round Time Player 1 (USA) Player 2 Player 2 Nationality Player 3 Player 3 Nationality
1 06:45 Kelly Kraft Garrick Higgo RSA Carl Yuan CHN
1 06:56 Ryan Moore Tyler Duncan USA Brandon Wu USA
1 07:07 Jason Dufner Kevin Tway USA Nate Lashley USA
1 07:18 Brendon Todd Peter Malnati USA Davis Riley USA
1 07:29 Chris Kirk Erik Van Rooyen RSA Nick Dunlap USA
1 12:21 Joseph Bramlett Cheng Tsung Pan TPE Maverick McNealy USA
1 12:32 Justin Lower Zac Blair USA Eric Cole USA
1 12:43 Webb Simpson Daniel Berger USA Keith Mitchell USA
1 13:05 Matt Kuchar Francesco Molinari ITA Nicolas Echavarria COL
2 06:56 Joseph Bramlett Cheng Tsung Pan TPE Maverick McNealy USA
2 07:07 Justin Lower Zac Blair USA Eric Cole USA
2 07:18 Webb Simpson Daniel Berger USA Keith Mitchell USA
2 07:40 Matt Kuchar Francesco Molinari ITA Nicolas Echavarria COL
2 12:21 Ryan Moore Tyler Duncan USA Brandon Wu USA
2 12:43 Brendon Todd Peter Malnati USA Davis Riley USA
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Live

PGA Tour Tee Times: Robert MacIntyre at the Rocket Mortgage Classic

Robert MacIntyre's tee Times at the Rocket Mortgage Classic 2024 on the PGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Robert MacIntyre's tee Times at the Rocket Mortgage Classic 2024 on the PGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)

The Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, United States, is part of the PGA Tour. The tournament will be played on a course with a par of 72 and offers a prize fund of $9,200,000. Defending champion Rickie Fowler will be participating.

PGA Tour Tee Times for British Players

Robert MacIntyre will be teeing off with Cameron Young from the United States and Joohyung Kim from South Korea. Their first round starts at 7:40 AM, and the second round will commence at 1:05 PM.

Callum Tarren’s group includes Ryo Hisatsune from Japan and Davis Thompson from the United States. Their initial tee time is at 8:24 AM, followed by a second-round start at 1:49 PM.

Matt Wallace is set to compete alongside Chez Reavie and J.J. Spaun, both from the United States. Wallace starts round one at 12:54 PM, with his second round at 7:29 AM.

Aaron Rai will be playing with Alexander Noren from Sweden and Joel Dahmen from the United States. Rai’s first round kicks off at 8:02 AM, and the second round begins at 1:27 PM.

All Tee Times for the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic 2024
Player Nationality Round 1 Tee Time Round 2 Tee Time Playing Partners (Round 1) Playing Partners (Round 2)
Robert MacIntyre Scotland 7:40 AM 1:05 PM Cameron Young (USA), Joohyung Kim (KOR) Cameron Young (USA), Joohyung Kim (KOR)
Aaron Rai England 8:02 AM 1:27 PM Alexander Noren (SWE), Joel Dahmen (USA) Alexander Noren (SWE), Joel Dahmen (USA)
Callum Tarren England 8:24 AM 1:49 PM Ryo Hisatsune (JPN), Davis Thompson (USA) Ryo Hisatsune (JPN), Davis Thompson (USA)
Matt Wallace England 12:54 PM 7:29 AM Chez Reavie (USA), J.J. Spaun (USA) Chez Reavie (USA), J.J. Spaun (USA)
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Highlights Tours

Scheffler-Caddie’s Prize Money Trumps 80 Percent of Tour Players

Ted Scott, Scottie Scheffler's caddie, is one of the PGA Tour's top earners. (Photo: Getty)
Ted Scott, Scottie Scheffler's caddie, is one of the PGA Tour's top earners. (Photo: Getty)

Scottie Scheffler is dominating this year on the PGA Tour, raking in million-dollar prize money after million-dollar prize money. In 15 tournament appearances, the world number one won his sixth title and completed his 13th (!) top 10 finish at last week’s Travelers Championship. This brings Scheffler’s prize money in the 2024 calendar year alone to around 25.9 million euros (27.7 million US dollars). His caddie Ted Scott also benefits from this: with a ten percent share of prize money for Tour victories and seven percent for top-10 finishes, the usual shares on Tour, Scott even outperforms almost 80 percent of Tour players.

PGA Tour: Ted Scott with more prize money than Spieth, Fowler & Co.

On the PGA Tour, caddies usually receive a fixed share of the player’s prize money, which is based on their ranking: Ten percent for a win, seven percent for the top 10 and five percent for making the cut. With these percentages, Ted Scott, Scottie Scheffler’s caddie, would receive prize money of around 2.46 million euros (2.63 million US dollars) in this calendar year alone. That would not only be almost a million euros more than the Tour average, but also more prize money than 80 percent of the Tour players. Ted Scott would be ranked 46th out of 232 players with this prize money. The caddie is ahead of well-known players such as Jordan Spieth (€2.34 million), Adam Scott (€1.56 million) and Rickie Fowler (€1.02 million).

Scottie Scheffler understandably holds Ted Scott in high esteem and credits him with a large part of his impressive successes. The collaboration almost never came to fruition: After 15 intensive years at Bubba Watson’s side, the caddie actually wanted to work more as a golf instructor again. Then came the call from Scottie Scheffler. After careful consideration, Scott accepted the offer from the best golfer in the world at the time and, almost two years later, is unlikely to regret his decision.

Career prize money on the PGA Tour: Scottie Scheffler already in fifth place and on course to set a record

By winning the Travelers Championship 2024, Scottie Scheffler not only achieved his sixth victory on the PGA Tour this calendar year, but also leapt to seventh place in the career prize money list (€65.7 million). Scheffler celebrated his 28th birthday a few days ago and, considering his age, is well on the way to climbing further up the rankings. Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and Dustin Johnson and the top three of Rory McIlroy (€84.3 million), Phil Mickelson (€90.4 million) and Tiger Woods (€113.1 million) are currently ahead of him. Scheffler is also well on his way to setting the record for the highest prize money in a season on the PGA Tour.

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Top Tours

World Golf Ranking: Scottie Scheffler Extends his Lead Further

Scottie Scheffler and his family. (Photo: Getty)
Scottie Scheffler and his family. (Photo: Getty)

The World Golf Ranking has seen some notable shifts among American players this week. Scottie Scheffler remains at the top of the American contingent, holding firm at the number one position in the global rankings with an unchanged spot from last week. His average point score continues to lead, keeping him well ahead in the rankings. Xander Schauffele also retains his position, staying at number three in the World Golf Ranking, with no change from the previous week. Schauffele’s consistent performance is reflected in his stable rank and point score.

See the complete Official World Golf Ranking here

Other top Americans in the World Golf Ranking

Wyndham Clark remains at number five in the World Golf Ranking, reflecting no change from last week. His average point score supports his strong position among the world’s best. Collin Morikawa is stable at number seven, maintaining his rank with his consistent performance. Patrick Cantlay holds steady at number eight, ensuring his place in the top tier of world golf. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau climbs one spot to number nine, indicating a positive movement in his ranking this week.

Top 10 in the World Golf Ranking

The current top player in the World Golf Ranking remains Scottie Scheffler, solidifying his dominance. Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland stays in the second position. Xander Schauffele, as mentioned, ranks third. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg stands at fourth, while American Wyndham Clark holds the fifth position. Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa of the USA are at sixth and seventh, respectively. Patrick Cantlay, another American, is in the eighth spot. Bryson DeChambeau makes his way into the ninth position, pushing Jon Rahm of Spain to the tenth spot.

Ranking Last Week Ranking Player Name
1 1 Scottie Scheffler
3 3 Xander Schauffele
5 5 Wyndham Clark
7 7 Collin Morikawa
8 8 Patrick Cantlay
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Top Tours

World Golf Ranking: Rory McIlroy Remains Best British Golfer, Fleetwood Climbs

Rory McIlroy. (Photo: Getty)
Rory McIlroy. (Photo: Getty)

In the latest World Golf Ranking, Rory McIlroy remains the highest-ranked British player, holding steady at number 2 with an average point score. McIlroy’s position has not changed from last week. Tommy Fleetwood, another prominent British golfer, is now ranked 12th, moving up from 13th the previous week. Fleetwood’s increasing points hint at his improving form.

See the complete Official World Golf Ranking here

World Golf Ranking for British, Welsh, and Scottish Players

Matt Fitzpatrick is the third highest-ranked British player, standing at position 20. Like Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick saw a dip, dropping from his previous rank of 18th. Tyrrell Hatton remains unchanged at 22nd place. Scootish player Robert MacIntyre is now 44th, climbing from 45th last week. These changes impact their strategies going forward.

Top 10 in the World Golf Ranking

Scottie Scheffler continues to dominate the World Golf Ranking at position 1. Rory McIlroy follows closely at rank 2, without any change from the previous week. Xander Schauffele holds the 3rd position. There are minor changes within the top 10; Bryson DeChambeau climbed to 9th place from 10th, while Jon Rahm dropped to 10th from 9th.

Rank Player Country Last Week Change
2 Rory McIlroy NIR 2 0
12 Tommy Fleetwood ENG 13 +1
20 Matt Fitzpatrick ENG 18 -2
22 Tyrrell Hatton ENG 22 0
44 Robert MacIntyre SCO 45 +1
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PGA Tour

Chaos: Climate Activists Interrupt the Last Minutes of the PGA Tour Final Round

The five troublemakers were overpowered right on the green. (Photo: Getty)
The five troublemakers were overpowered right on the green. (Photo: Getty)

The final round of the Travelers Championship 2024 could hardly have been more exciting: Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler, both in the final flight, battled it out for the PGA Tour victory. Scottie Scheffler had a one-stroke lead on the 18th hole, so Tom Kim had to finish the hole with one stroke less than Scheffler to at least force a play-off. Kim managed the approach perfectly, increasing his chances of a birdie. A final on the 18th green could hardly have been more exciting. Just as Scottie Scheffler was about to putt, however, chaos broke out on the green: Climate protesters stormed the scene, causing stunned faces.

Protesters interrupt the PGA Tour final round

Surrounded by hundreds of spectators, Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia, the third player in the flight, were in full focus on the 18th green of the TPC River Highlands. It was in Scottie Scheffler’s hands to finish the tournament as the winner when chaos broke out. A total of five protesters stormed the green from different directions to draw attention to climate change. The local police reacted with lightning speed and overpowered them. The three players and their caddies stood in the middle of it all.

Nobody can say exactly how much the situation influenced the players. Would Scottie Scheffler have holed out for birdie and won outright? Would Tom Kim have had a better focus in the subsequent play-off, which he forced thanks to a birdie, and not lost the first hole straight away?

Tom Kim: “It’s really hard to see”

After the round, Tom Kim reveals that the situation was definitely weighing on him. “The security guards were tackling people and people were getting arrested, like it’s just, it’s really hard to see nowadays,” Kim said. “… It kind of felt like it took my mind off of the moment and just kind of realized what was happening and obviously even though those people did something bad, you still don’t want them to get hurt … the police are trying to protect the players and stuff, I get it, but you still don’t want people to get hurt and I think it just kind of personally just took my mind away from golf a little bit and worried about something else.”

Behind the protest were demonstrators from the radical environmental movement “Extinction Rebellion”, who took a lightning strike on the Moving Day of the Travelers Championship as the reason for their action: “We are all watching the climate catastrophe unfold at warp speed. Our relatively mild disruption of the Travelers Championship calls attention to nature’s much more severe and long-lasting disruptions,” said Miles Grant, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, in a statement.

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European Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour Live Blog: John Parry Wins in th Playoff

Challenge Tour: John Parry Wins third Challenge Tour victory in France. (Photo: Getty)

Blot Open de Bretagne 2024 Live Scores

The Blot Open de Bretagne in the season 2024 is being played in Pléneuf, France at the Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf-Val-André. The tournament starts at the Thursday, 20th of June and ends at the Sunday, 23rd of June 2024.
The Blot Open de Bretagne is part of the Challenge Tour in the season 2024. In 2024 all players competing for a total prize money of €270.000.
The course for the tournament at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf-Val-André plays at Par 70.

The Challenge Tour travels to Pléneuf in the north-west of France. Eight German golfers will be competing in the Blot Open in Brittany.

Challenge Tour live

The Challenge Tour is a professional golf tournament series that acts as the second tier below the DP World Tour. It serves as a development league and offers aspiring golfers the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level, gain experience and qualify for the European Tour.

The Challenge Tour is internationally orientated, with tournaments held in various European countries and outside Europe. This offers players a varied experience on different golf courses and in different competitive conditions. The tour attracts golfers from all over the world who are interested in furthering their careers in professional golf.

As with the Korn Ferry Tour, the top players on the Challenge Tour qualify for the higher tour, in this case the European Tour, at the end of each season. This is usually based on the Challenge Tour ranking, with the best players receiving a Tour card. This promotion is a key goal for many players on the Challenge Tour, as it allows access to more prestigious tournaments, higher prize money and greater visibility in the world of golf.

Overall, the Challenge Tour is a crucial step for many golfers who want to make the leap to the highest level of European golf, the European Tour. It offers a mix of challenge and opportunity that is crucial for the career development of golfers.