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Ladies Tours

Olympic Golf: Women’s Round Three Update

Nelly Korda Maintains Lead with One Round Remaining

Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan – The Nelly Korda Show continued on Friday at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Team USA star and World No. 1 player shot a third-round 2-under 69 and maintained her lead at -15 through 54 holes.

Korda holds a three-stroke advantage on the coveted gold medal over India’s Aditi Ashok at -12 and a five-stroke lead over 2016 silver medalist Lydia Ko, Hannah Green, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Mone Inami, all tied for third at -10.

“I’m trying to stay as present as possible. I’m trying to stick to my game plan, trying to execute it,” said, Korda, a six-time LPGA Tour winner who is making her Olympics debut. “Obviously there’s going to be times where I’m going to not hit a shot well and that’s going to stray me from my game plan but I’m just really keeping my mind stuck to my game plan.”

After opening with birdies at 2, 5 and 6, Korda stumbled with a three-putt bogey at the par-5 8th hole. But she had smooth sailing from there, converting 10 consecutive pars to close her round. She pointed to her “fight” on the back nine, dropping in several dicey par saves.

“I didn’t have a really good back nine,” said Korda. “I was kind of spraying it all over the place, I had some testy par putts, but made all pars and I fought really hard to stay in it really or ahead of it.”

Jessica Korda, Nelly’s older sister by five years, is the next highest American, sitting tied for 29th at -2 overall. She was even-par for the day through 17 holes but double-bogeyed 18 to finish at 2-over 73.

Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang round out the American contingent, tied for 34th at -1. Thompson shot her low round of the competition, with a 2-under 69 on Friday, while Kang carded five bogeys and two birdies en route to a 3-over 74.

Due to the high heat and potential for dangerous storms throughout the day, fourth-round play will start off the first and 10th tees, starting at 6:30 a.m. local time.

Interview transcript by Ladies Professional Golf Association

Categories
Ladies Tours

Nanna Madsen: Olympic Golf Round Two Update

Nanna Madsen is a professional Danish Golfer and is competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. After finishing the second round with a total of -9 under-par (69-64), she is currently T2 defending the silver medal, only four shots from the lead. She previously represented her country at the 2016 Olympic Games where she finished at T13.

Madsens’s Career Highlights

Her career highlights include:

-In 2019 she recorded two top-10 finishes and tied her career-highest finish of second at the Indy Women in Tech Championship and ranked seventh on Tour in average driving distance (275.20)

-In 2018 she recorded a season-best T15 result at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic and Finished T11 at the inaugural LPGA Q-Series to earn Priority List Category 14 status for the 2019 season

-In 2017 she was three-time winner asa Symetra Tour rookie led her to become the 12th player in Tour history to earn a “Battlefield Promotion” to the LPGA Tour, playing in three events between late August and early September. Madesen made the cut in 12 of 13 events, earning eight top-10 finishes and led the Tour in scoring average (69.69).

Nanna Madsen is 26 years old and Koerstz Madsen started playing golf at an early age…Her family has influenced her the most…Hobbies include going to the gym, shopping, watching movies and traveling. She is also a active user on social media where she just posted her Olympic Round Two Scorecard. Take a look!

Information from the offical LPGA website

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PGA Tour

McIlroy bringing Olympic mentality to Memphis

Tournament: WGC – FedEx St. Jude Invitational

Rory McIlroy will tee it up at the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis buoyed with his recent form and a new attitude following his debut appearance at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

The 32-year-old missed out in a seven-man play-off for bronze on Sunday at Kasumigaseki Country Club and is just one of a host of players making their way back from Tokyo to compete at TPC Southwind this week, including Golf Medal winner Xander Schauffele.

McIlroy, who won this event in 2014, is hopeful his experience in Tokyo and a newfound freedom in his game will help the Northern Irishman move back into contention once again as 48 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings tee it up in Tennessee this week, including nine of the World’s top ten.

Schauffele clinched gold on a tense final day that saw Slovakia’s Rory Sabbatini shoot a record-breaking round to take silver, while C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei earned bronze after prevailing in the seven-man play-off.

The 27-year-old American is the only medal winner in the field this week but is joined by McIlroy, Open Champion Collin Morikawa, Masters Tournament Champion Hideki Matsuyama and Ryder Cup teammate Paul Casey, who were all involved in the seven-man play-off for the Bronze Medal eventually won by C.T. Pan.

Also making their way from Japan are the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Garrick Higgo, Justin Thomas, Si Woo Kim, Abraham Ancer, Joaquinn Niemann, Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Carlos Ortiz, Sungjae Im and Corey Conners.

Players quotes

Rory McIlroy: “Memphis has now become obviously a permanent stop on the schedule with it being a WGC and then turning into the first leg of the Playoffs next year and it’s great. This course here in Memphis, it’s a wonderful golf course. I think it always produces great winners, great champions. You have to play some really good golf here to contend and win.

“So yeah, good to be back. It’s been a whirlwind few weeks with being over in Europe and then Tokyo last week and sort of here, there and everywhere. It was nice to get a couple nights in my own bed before flying up here last night. Got to look at nine holes of the golf course this morning and do a little practice after this and go out and play tomorrow.

“Last week was certainly unexpected, I would say. I certainly didn’t expect to feel the way I did when I was there, but it was great. It was a great experience. I had a wonderful time. I had a good chance of getting a medal there at the end and didn’t quite pan out, but it was a great week. I’m already looking forward to Paris.

“I think the Olympics was a big week for me last week because I played with more freedom there and that obviously panned out well. I played my best tournament I’ve played since the U.S. Open, which was good.

“So, I think that’s really the the focus for me over these next few weeks, is play with as much freedom as possible. That’s really it. I know if I do that, then I’ll be able to play some of my best golf or at least give myself the chance to play my best golf. More freedom, less thought, more fun, try to have a little more fun with it and then go from there.”

Xander Schauffele: “Still really excited, just an overwhelming amount of positivity coming my way. Just obviously in a really good mood.

“I think the biggest thing for me is being able to sort of hone in and focus on the task at hand this week. What was done last week is done, and we’re going to talk about it a little bit more, I think, but besides that, I need to sort of get back on the time zone, really start to focus more, lock back in and try to play well this week.

“Fortunately I’m not coming to a new property, one that I’ve played a few times and had minimal success on, but I think I’m obviously in decent form coming overseas. Looking forward to the week.”

Collin Morikawa: “Although I wasn’t able to get a medal there even through that long play-off, I’m an Olympian and that’s what happened over the past week is one of the best experiences in my life.

“Obviously winning The Open a couple weeks ago is just awesome. Life’s in a great spot right now, I’m very happy, I’m playing well. I’m having a good time and that’s the biggest thing I think for me at 24 is just to enjoy it. I said I’ve had a lot of fun, especially that summer of turning pro obviously I played really well. You play bad here and there, but overall it’s just about enjoying it, how do I learn, how do I get better. That for me is I want what’s more and what’s next. I want to keep winning, I want could keep putting myself in contention because it’s fun. It’s enjoyable. Those are the kind of pressure situations you want to be in.”

Interview transcript by European Tour Communications

Categories
European Tour

English Open 2021. Home hopefuls excited for special week in St Andrews

European Tour
Tournament: Hero Open
Race to Dubai: Tournament 27 of 42 events
Venue: Fairmont St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
Prize Fund: €1,250,000
Hashtag: #HeroOpen

Tournament Preview

Richie Ramsay is delighted to be teeing it up on home soil once again as the European Tour returns to Scotland for its second of three events on the 2021 Race to Dubai at this week’s Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews.

The 38-year-old recorded his best result at the Scottish Open in five years last month, finishing in a share of 15th, and hopes to carry that momentum into this week’s event in the historic town of St Andrews.

Ramsay is one of 17 Scotsmen in the field, joined by the likes of 2014 Ryder Cup player and winner of the 2019 Hero Indian Open Stephen Gallacher and fellow European Tour winners Scott Jamieson, David Law and Marc Warren.

The next generation of Scottish stars are also well represented this week in Fife, with Grant Forrest, Calum Hill, Liam Johnston and Connor Syme among those going in search of maiden victories on the European Tour

Returning to the site of his Scottish Championship presented by AXA victory last year is Spaniard Adrian Otaegui, who carded rounds of 62-70-70-63 to win his first strokeplay title on the European Tour by a margin of four shots.

Player Quotes

Richie Ramsay: “I’m really happy with how I’ve been playing. The start of the season was a bit slow, but I showed a lot of patience and perseverance. It was easy to get frustrated with the form at the start, but I took the view that I need to be the best I can be every day and just try and stick with that and enjoy that process.

“I’ve reaped the rewards of that in playing well at the Irish and Scottish. A steady week in Wales. I just need to watch the expectations don’t get too high and I stay in that nice, patient process where I’m positive. The three Ps. Try and get into the mix on Sunday and put myself there or thereabouts and have a shot to win.”

David Law: “I’m feeling good. I’m excited. It’s always nice to play in Scotland. It was the first time we came to this golf course last year and I really enjoyed it. The weather is a little different to what it was last October, hopefully it’ll continue like this.

“You need to putt well. There’s plenty of chances out there if you give yourself the opportunity. It’s more of a second shot golf course, iron play needs to be good. There’s a couple of tough tee shots, but it’s not overly demanding off the tee, it suits the guys who are good iron players and good putters.”

Connor Syme: “I’ve been up here quite a few times and had a few looks at the course over the course of the year. My friend Jordan is a member up here as well, we’ve managed to come up for a few knocks which is nice. It’s always nice to play at home and I’m in my own bed.

“The scoring was really low last year, I thought it would be 16 or 17 under but Adrian ended up shooting 23 under which is an amazing score. I don’t think it’s quite as firm and the rough isn’t quite as thick as last year, but it still has the same challenges around the greens. It’s very much off the tee, as the case is with most links courses, just getting in play off the tee and you’ll have some chances. The course is setting up well.”

Adrian Otaegui: “I have really good memories and feelings. With this weather it’s a dream to be back and very nice to get the feeling back from playing the course, walking the holes again. Awesome views today with this good weather. I’m very happy to be back here at the Fairmont.

“It was very satisfying, the way the whole week went, the way I managed it. A very, very good first round. The second and third rounds were very important, they were only two under rounds, but that was key. I didn’t play my best, as good as Thursday and Sunday, but I still managed to shoot under par, keep up there on the leaderboard and a very good final day gave me the win. I was very pleased with the way I played and the way I managed the week.”

European Tour Communications

Categories
European Tour

Clements rejuvenated ahead of Vierumäki Finnish Challenge

Tournament preview

Todd Clements is feeling revitalised ahead of the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge, which takes place at Vierumäki Resort from August 5-8.

The 24-year-old opted to take a four-week break from the European Challenge Tour and has therefore not played since the Kaskáda Golf Challenge at the start of July where he missed his sixth cut of the season.

Clements admitted that a break was needed due to the unremitting nature of the Tour and believes it has given him time to reset before an important run of events.

“The Challenge Tour is a grind,”

he said. “It’s relentless week-in-week-out and you’re just having a go at finishing at the top because it’s top 20 or nothing really. It’s a brutal Tour but really enjoyable in other ways.

“I took a few weeks off, so it has been nice to take a bit of a break from the game and just enjoy being at home for a little while which has been quite refreshing. I’m buzzing to get back out, see a few of my friends and hopefully play some good golf.”

The Englishman is inspired by fellow countrymen on the European Tour, including close friend Richard Mansell who finished fourth on the Road to Mallorca Rankings last season and is hoping that a strong performance in Finland can ignite an upturn in his form.

“Seeing the English boys do well gives you so much belief,” he said. “Obviously Rich being a good friend of mine and seeing what he’s done in such a short period of time gives me great inspiration and allows me to believe that if I’m on my game and get things together I can really press on.

“I’ve got the main goal of wanting to finish in the top 20 and gain my European Tour card, but I set myself intermediate goals of how I need to progress and what I need to work on in my game. I just need to take it week by week and keep making small adjustments to improve. I’ve had some really good spells where I’ve played some great golf but then some poor spells, so I just need to find that consistency and eliminate those bad spells.”

Clements believes accuracy off the tee will be crucial this week and is looking to take advantage of the soft greens at Vierumäki Resort.

“Strategically you have to be good off the tee. The greens aren’t the biggest, so you have to be quite accurate with your second shots and controlling your distances is very important with the greens being quite receptive.”

This week acts as the starting point of a nine-week stretch of back-to-back events on the Road to Mallorca International Schedule, following last week’s hiatus after a run of 14 consecutive events.

The action in Finland gets under way at 7:30am local time, with Clements teeing it up alongside Germany’s Dominic Foos and Frenchman Sebastien Gandon at 1:00pm.

Interview transcript by European Tour Communications

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Live

Official World Golf Ranking: Jon Rahm holds on to first place

Follow the key developments with our straight-talking analysis, getting straight to the point on the developments in the last week and changes in the official world golf rankings.

Top 5 OWGR Leaderboard

# Name Nationality Points Total Points Gained Events
1 Jon Rahm ESP 478.26 248.11 49
2 Dustin Johnson USA 383.57 113.76 42
3 Collin Morikawa USA 456.29 308.68 52
4 Xander Schauffele USA 356.11 202.35 48
5 Justin Thomas USA 368.1 158.75 51

Jon Rahm is currently in the top spot of the official world golf ranking this week. The Spaniard’s points average is 9.7603 at the time of publication. Rahm’s rank has remained unchanged since last week. ​ Next up on the official world golf ranking list is Dustin Johnson, 37 years old, at rank 2. The American has, compared to last week, not moved in the rankings. Ranked third this week is Collin Morikawa, 37, with a points average of 8.7747. Harry Goddard has made the biggest leap this week in the official world golf rankings. has managed to jump 452 places in the world ranking list, and is now sitting at 913 rank. The Englishman jumped in just one week from rank 1365, and now has a points average of 0.09. The No.1 Englishman in the official world golf rankings is currently Tyrrell Hatton, in place 13 and has, since last week, not changed in the rankings.
Categories
Top Tours

PGA TOUR and European Tour Announce Details of Historic Strategic Alliance

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Key Takeaways:

  • As part of Strategic Alliance, Genesis Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship will be included in both FedExCup and Race to Dubai, while Irish Open will see a significant increase in prize money
  • PGA TOUR’s schedule of 48 events includes the move of the first FedExCup Playoffs event to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, sponsored by FedEx

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida, USA, and VIRGINIA WATER, Surrey, England – The PGA TOUR and European Tour today unveiled new details around their Strategic Alliance, with the PGA TOUR also releasing its 2021-22 PGA TOUR Season schedule.

The landmark agreement, announced in November 2020, further enhances and connects the ecosystem of men’s professional golf through a number of areas, including global scheduling, prize funds and playing opportunities for the respective memberships.

In terms of scheduling, the most significant piece of collaboration is the fact that three tournaments will be co-sanctioned in 2022 and therefore count on both the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup and the European Tour’s Race to Dubai next season: the Barbasol Championship; the Barracuda Championship; and the Genesis Scottish Open.

A New Sponsor for the event


The latter event also has a new title sponsor in Genesis, the luxury automotive brand from South Korea, who will now title sponsor two tournaments on the PGA TOUR, with the Genesis Scottish Open joining The Genesis Invitational, which Genesis has titled since 2017; The Genesis Invitational will once again be played at The Riviera Country Club next year (February 14-20).

The Genesis Scottish Open (July 4-10), which is part of the European Tour’s Rolex Series, retains its place in golf’s global calendar the week ahead of The Open Championship (July 11-17), a date confirmed through to 2025. The player field will be a split between members of both Tours.

The tournament will also benefit from the continued commitment of the Scottish Government, managed by Visit Scotland – the agreement also running through 2025.

“We are delighted to welcome Genesis as a title sponsor of a European Tour event for the first time,”


said European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley. “Genesis has a strong history of sponsorship on the PGA TOUR through The Genesis Invitational, and their commitment to the Scottish Open will further enhance one of our premier events of the season.

Although it will be on the PGA TOUR’s official schedule for the first time, the Genesis Scottish Open has a rich history on the European Tour, appearing in the Tour’s first two official seasons (1972 and 1973) and as part of the Tour’s International Schedule since 1986. It has also been part of the Rolex Series – the European Tour’s premium series of events – since the Series’ inception in 2017.

“Adding an existing, strong title sponsor in Genesis to our Strategic Alliance in the form of the Genesis Scottish Open – to be sanctioned by both Tours – is a significant step for the global game,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Coupled with their support of The Genesis Invitational at Riviera, we’re incredibly proud to forge a deeper relationship with this premier brand across the global game.”

Genesis will take over the title sponsorship of the event from abrdn, who are exploring ways for the decade-long partnership with the European Tour to continue moving forward. The venue for the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open will be confirmed at a later date.

“We are extremely excited to become title sponsor of the Scottish Open at this historic moment, as the PGA TOUR and European Tour announce details on their Strategic Alliance,” said Jay Chang, Global head of Genesis. “Genesis and golf share a culture centered on respect, mutual admiration and innovation. We will continue to strengthen our partnership with both Tours to deliver this spirit to golfers, communities and individuals around the world through successful tournaments.”

Paul Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said, “We are thrilled the European Tour and PGA TOUR have identified the Genesis Scottish Open to further develop their Strategic Alliance, and there is no more fitting stage than Scotland, the Home of Golf, on which to embark on such a historic journey.”

In addition to the Genesis Scottish Open being co-sanctioned, there will also be access for 50 European Tour members to each of two PGA TOUR events in 2022 for the first time – the Barbasol Championship, which will be played concurrently with the Genesis Scottish Open, and the Barracuda Championship, which will be played alongside the following week’s 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews. Both events will be added to the Race to Dubai for European Tour members.

It was also confirmed today that as part of the Strategic Alliance and collaboration between the two Tours, the Irish Open will see a significant increase in prize money for its annual European Tour event – to $6 million, starting in 2022 – nearly double the amount on offer at Mount Juliet last month. In addition, the PGA TOUR will continue to work with the European Tour on commercial opportunities across the Tour.

“When we announced the Strategic Alliance at the end of last year, we said it was a landmark moment for global golf’s ecosystem that would benefit all members of both Tours,” said Pelley. “Today’s announcement underlines that promise, with further enhancements to the Genesis Scottish Open, a strengthening of the Irish Open for our members, and direct access for European Tour members to two PGA TOUR events.

“There has been considerable collaboration behind the scenes between our two Tours since November’s Alliance was unveiled, and we are delighted to share these initial developments, which demonstrate our commitment to working together for the betterment of our sport globally.  We will have more to announce in the coming months – this is most definitely just the beginning.”

“With today’s news, I am pleased to say that the PGA TOUR and the European Tour are both stronger than at any time in our history, as we are positioned to grow – together – over the next 10 years faster than we have at any point in our existence,” said Monahan. “We are committed to continuing to evolve and adapt, and with our ever-strengthening partnership with the European Tour, to take the global game to the heights we all know it is capable of.”

PGA TOUR Schedule Highlights:


The 2021-22 PGA TOUR Schedule includes several significant enhancements and features a total of 48 official events – 45 during the FedExCup Regular Season along with three 2022 FedExCup Playoffs events. 

The 2022 portion of the schedule will kick off the PGA TOUR’s new, nine-year domestic media rights agreements with ViacomCBS, Comcast/NBC and ESPN. As part of the agreement, all three 2022 FedExCup Playoffs events will be broadcast domestically on NBC network television, beginning a rotation that continues with CBS hosting all three events in 2023.

Headline news includes the change in location and venue for the kickoff of the FedExCup Playoffs to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, starting in 2022, replacing the Regular Season event that has been held in Memphis since 1958. FedEx will serve as the title sponsor of the event, to be known as the FedEx St. Jude Championship (August 8-14), replacing existing title sponsor Northern Trust after this year’s playing of THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey.

“FedEx is excited that the first event of the 2022 FedExCup Playoffs will be hosted in our hometown of Memphis, Tennessee,” said Raj Subramaniam, President and Chief Operating Officer of FedEx Corporation. “We are proud of our history and the community impact we’ve had since becoming title sponsor of our hometown TOUR stop in 1986. We look forward to the impact it will bring to our local community and will continue to use it as a platform to showcase the groundbreaking work being done by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to golf fans around the world.”

“Since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007, we have made a number of changes to enhance the quality of the FedExCup Playoffs for our players, fans and partners,” said Monahan. “Thanks to the continued support from FedEx as the TOUR’s umbrella partner, we’re proud to bring the start of the FedExCup to Memphis and a course loved by our players. Not only will it be a great test worthy of Playoff golf, but we also anticipate tremendous enthusiasm from a community that has steadfastly supported the PGA TOUR for more than 60 years. And, of course, the important work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will continue to be front and center.

“In totality, the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Schedule, combined with the momentum we have with our now-entrenched partnership with the European Tour, puts the PGA TOUR in a position of strength within professional golf like never before. We’re confident this schedule will give the world’s best players the opportunity to do what they do best – inspire and entertain our fans around the globe while helping our tournaments make a significant impact in their respective communities.”

The 2022 FedExCup Playoffs will continue to include the BMW Championship (August 15-21), which rotates next year to Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, and the FedExCup Playoffs finale, the TOUR Championship (August 22-28), once again slated for East Lake Golf Club.

The PGA TOUR’s flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship (March 7-13), will anchor a true Florida Swing in 2022, which features four consecutive events through The Sunshine State in the spring, including the Valspar Championship, which was played in April/May this past year. THE PLAYERS will be in year three of its March date and as a kickoff to the Season of Championships, with Justin Thomas returning as defending champion.

The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (May 30-June 5) enters the first year of a 10-year agreement in 2022 with new presenting sponsor, Workday. Founded in 1976 by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and held annually at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, the tournament partners for the first time with three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, and Ayesha Curry, an entrepreneur, host and New York Times bestselling author.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the RBC Canadian Open (June 6-12) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, returns to the schedule in 2022 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club. Rory McIlroy won the last RBC Canadian Open, played in 2019.

Other notable items and changes to the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Schedule include (in chronological order):

2021

  • As previously announced, the Fortinet Championship (September 13-19), with new title sponsor Fortinet, kicks off the 2021-22 FedExCup Regular Season at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California.
  • The Ryder Cup will be played the week following the Fortinet Championship, with nine official events played during the balance of 2021 for a total of 10 events to be played in the fall.
  • The reconfigured Asia Swing will begin with THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT (October 11-17), which moves to the United States for the second year in a row and will be staged at The Summit Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, delivering back-to-back weeks of PGA TOUR golf in Las Vegas, as the Shriners Children’s Open will be contested October 4-10.
  • Following THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT will be the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP and World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, with additional details to be available in the near future.
  • As previously announced, World Wide Technology embarks on its first year of title sponsorship of the TOUR’s original event in Mexico, the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba (November 1-7).

2022

  • The Sentry Tournament of Champions – a PGA TOUR winners-only event – leads off the 2022 calendar year (January 3-9).
  • The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (January 31-February 6) and the Waste Management Phoenix Open (February 7-13) trade spots in the schedule, as the TOUR’s event at TPC Scottsdale remains in its traditional date of Super Bowl week.  
  • The Puerto Rico Open (February 28-March 6) will be played as an additional event alongside the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.
  • The Corales Puntacana Championship (March 21-27), in its first year under an extended term, will be played as an additional event alongside the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.
  • The Mexico Championship (April 25-May 1) returns to the calendar as a PGA TOUR co-sponsored event, no longer under the World Golf Championships umbrella. With the field of 132 players, there is an anticipation of additional Mexican golfers in the field to help in inspire and grow the game in one of golf’s key emerging markets.
  • With the biennial Presidents Cup being held at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte in 2022, the Wells Fargo Championship (May 2-8) will be contested for one year at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac, Maryland.
  • The John Deere Classic (June 27-July 3), traditionally played the week prior to The Open Championship, moves one week earlier.
  • Following The Open Championship, the 3M Open (July 18-24), Rocket Mortgage Classic (July 25-31) and Wyndham Championship (August 1-7) close out the FedExCup Regular Season.

The European Tour will announce the initial portion of its 2022 schedule later this month, with the full season announcement to follow in due course.

ABOUT EUROPEAN TOUR
The European Tour is ‘Driving Golf Further’ through our guiding principles of being innovativeinclusive and global

Innovative: The European Tour is driving innovation in golf through the creation of award-winning content, pioneering tournament formats and the use of the latest technology and inventive fan engagement. We have recognised the need for golf to modernise for future fans and we are committed to engaging new audiences whilst respecting the tradition of our sport. 
Inclusive: We are committed to include all who share a love for the game of golf. We are passionate about a closer collaboration with the women’s game, disability golf and promoting the health benefits of playing golf. 
Global: Since the European Tour was formed in 1972, players from 36 different countries have won tournaments, while our live broadcast reaches more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. We also enjoy the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with Rolex, BMW, Callaway, DP World, Emirates, Workday and Zoom as Official Partners.The European Tour also manages the developmental Challenge Tour and the Legends Tour (formerly known as the Staysure Tour) which is the men’s professional golf tour for members aged 50 and older. The European Tour is also the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe, the body which, alongside the PGA of America, administers golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup.

ABOUT PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.

The PGA TOUR, headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, co-sanctions tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, Forme Tour and PGA TOUR Series-China. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 29 countries and territories outside the United States (96 international members). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to 216 countries and territories in 28 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving, and to date, tournaments across all Tours have generated more than $3.2 billion.

Categories
Ladies Tours

Henrik Stenson Congratulates Annika Sörenstam On Her Victory

Stenson gives a heart warming congratulations to his fellow Swedish golfer, Annika Sörenstam. Sörenstam shot a 4-under-par 68 to go wire-to-wire and coast to an 8-shot victory at the third U.S. Senior Women’s Open. “Everything felt so good.. and today I really felt like I played very, very well. To come in here on Sunday knowing what I had to do and I did it, obviously I’m very happy” said Sörenstam when interviewed after receiving the championship trophy for the Senior Women’s Championship 2021 which was played at Brooklawn Country Club.

Categories
European Tour

Daniel Gavins: “I just can’t really believe it.”

August 1, 2021

Daniel Gavins

Northern Ireland

Galgorm Castle & Massereene Golf Club
Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: You mentioned out there how it feels to be a European Tour winner.

DANIEL GAVINS: It just feels amazing. I don’t think it’s going to sink in for a while. Yeah, it’s just a dream come true really.

Q. It was a bit of a roller coaster at the end there. You spent a long time at the range. You were even at the clubhouse watching the TV. What was going through your mind as everything unfolded out on the golf course?

DANIEL GAVINS: To be honest I thought I was going to be a few shots short of winning, so to win, it’s just — I just can’t really believe it. I thought I was going to finish maybe second or third looking at the leaderboard going down the last, but yeah. Must be my week.

Q. As you mentioned, you started the day seven shots off. Did it even enter your mind that you would be sitting here as the winner of the ISPS Honda World Invitational?

DANIEL GAVINS: Not in the slightest, no. Kind of went into today playing each hole as it came and just tried to stay patient out there. A few birdies led to a few more, and yeah, here we go.

Q. You holed some incredible putts out there. Can you talk us through a couple of those putts and a couple moments where you really felt like you had it going on the golf course?

DANIEL GAVINS: Yeah, I mean, the first — it started on the par-3 when I holed a bunker shot for the birdie. It was a pretty tough bunker shot. I managed to hole that. Then the next hole rolled in like a 70-foot putt for birdie, which was a pretty tough hole. And then same on 13 and same on 16, I’ve rolled in 60 feet again on both of those holes, which was a bit of luck in there. But yeah. Unbelievable.

Q. I know you were talking about how you came close to not playing this week. What was the thinking behind that, and how close did you come to not even teeing it up?

DANIEL GAVINS: Yeah, it’s been a pretty long season so far on the Challenge Tour, so I was going to have a week off because there was obviously a week off for the Challenge Tour, and then go for the next kind of nine in a row on the Challenge Tour. But I came because one of my mates was going to caddie for me. So yeah, we just came and really — we treated it like a week to have some fun really. So yeah, that’s what we did. We came and had a little bit of fun, and yeah, here we are.

Q. Given the overwhelming emotions that you’re feeling from a win this week, it’s sometimes difficult to take a 30,000-foot view and put things into perspective, but can you speak about the format, having men and women playing together in this event. You shot 13-under; the winner there ends up shooting 16-under, so it appears like they acquitted themselves quite well.

DANIEL GAVINS: I mean, I think it’s great. I think it moves a lot quicker, so it kind of speeds play up. So I’m all for it. I’ve played it a few times now. We played an event in Australia where it was the same, and that went really well. So yeah, it’s really positive for golf, I think.

THE MODERATOR:

Daniel, thank you very much and congratulations then.

Interview Transcript by ASAP Sports

Categories
Ladies Tours

Olivia Mehaffey: “If I could choose any tournament to have my LPGA debut, I don’t think I could pick a better one.”

August 1, 2021

Olivia Mehaffey

Northern Ireland

Galgorm Castle & Massereene Golf Club
Quick Quotes

Q. How was the LPGA pro debut right down the street from your hometown?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, if I could choose any tournament to have my LPGA debut, I don’t think I could pick a better one. I had my family, friends, my sponsor, so many people that mean a lot to me this week, and walking down 18 was very special for me.

As debuts go, I think this was a pretty good one.

Q. On the course game-wise looked like you figured some things out and turned in an overall good performance. How do you feel about the way you played?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yeah, it was really good. I had a really bad practice round on Monday and I texted my coach and I’m like, I’ve had the worst practice round of my life. Help me now.

And it was just kind of mentally we worked through it, and that’s why it’s so nice to have such an experienced caddie. He’s been on the European Tour, LPGA for so long. He really kept me calm.

We were here on Wednesday and played a little 5-4 match, which was cool, and that’s one of the unique things about this event.

Pretty happy with it overall.

Q. Who’s the caddie and who is the coach?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Gary du Plooy and Jorge Parada.

Q. He works with Carlota.

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Carlota, Giulia, he helps Ryann, too.

Q. Q-School in two, three weeks?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Yes.

Q. What does the travel plan and game plan look like to prepare for that?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Going to spend another week at home. Always try to get a little bit of time here when I can, and head back to Arizona and practice for a week and head out to Palm Springs.

Q. Get adjusted to the heat?

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY: Get used to the heat again.

Press Release by ASAP Sports