PGA Tour Brunch, Author at Digital Sports Desk https://digitalsportsdesk.com/author/pga-tour-brunch/ Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:05:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_0364-2-150x150.jpg PGA Tour Brunch, Author at Digital Sports Desk https://digitalsportsdesk.com/author/pga-tour-brunch/ 32 32 The Masters: It’s Rory’s Time https://digitalsportsdesk.com/the-masters-its-rorys-time/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-masters-its-rorys-time Sun, 13 Apr 2025 23:30:16 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7466 Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy bested England's Justin Rose in a one hole playoff after they ended up tied after 72 holes at The Masters, the most prestigous golf tournament in the world.

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AUGUSTA – (Staff Report) – Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy bested England’s Justin Rose in a one hole playoff after they ended up tied after 72 holes at The Masters, the most prestigous golf tournament in the world.

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After Rose missed a challenging birdie putt on the 18th green and putted out for par, McIlroy drained his three foot birdie putt to win the hole and a career Grand Slam of wins at the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship The Open and, now, The Masters.

McIlroy was overcome with emotion and fell to his knees, flipping his putter, after making the putt to win his Green Jacket.

“This is my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” the Northern Irishman said. “I think the last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that — yeah, I’m sort of wondering what we’re all going to talk about going into next year’s Masters.”

McIlroy’s 1-over-par 73 left him tied with England’s Justin Rose, who posted 66 and waited for McIlroy to finish. They both shot 11-under 277 for the week.

Re-playing the 18th hole at Augusta National Golf Club, McIlroy’s approach shot rolled back toward the hole and inside Rose’s ball. After Rose missed a birdie attempt and notched a par, McIlroy didn’t flub another chance for a victory.

“There was a lot of pent-up emotion that just came out on that 18th green,” McIlroy said. “A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it.”

It marked the fifth major championship for McIlroy, and his first since capturing the PGA Championship for the second time in 2014.

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McIlroy needed par at No. 18 to win in regulation, but after blasting from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole he rolled a 5-foot par putt too far to the left.

It was a starkly different reaction from when he departed the 18th green following Thursday’s first round, which included a pair of backside double bogeys and dodging the media on the way to the practice area.

Rose spoke briefly to McIlroy after the playoff and later added perspective to what just happened.

“This is a historic moment in golf, isn’t it — someone who achieves the career Grand Slam,” Rose said. “I just said it was pretty cool to be able to share that moment with him. Obviously, I wanted to be the bad guy today, but still, it’s a momentous occasion for the game of golf.”

The new champion — who gave away his two-shot lead through 54 holes with a double bogey at No. 1 — also recovered from a disastrous stretch on the back nine to birdie the 17th hole for a brief one-stroke lead. McIlroy’s bogey on No. 11, double bogey on No. 13 and bogey on No. 14 appeared to send him on track for another final-round collapse at a major.

McIlroy said sending his ball into the creek on a wedge shot on the par-5 13th could have doomed his chances.

“I did a really good job of bouncing back from that,” he said.

McIlroy recovered for a birdie on the par-5 15th hole by drawing a tremendous second shot around a tree, over a water hazard and to 6 feet of the pin, where he two-putted for birdie.

Then he stuck his approach on No. 17 and sank the putt to take the lead.

Rose, seeking his first Masters title, had six birdies and two bogeys across the last eight holes, finishing with a 20-foot birdie putt.

“To make the putt on 18, the one you dream about as a kid, to obviously give myself an opportunity and a chance was an unbelievable feeling,” Rose said.

Rose was the leader after the first and second rounds, and after a tough 75 on Saturday he made a major final-round push. He had only four pars on his card — countering four bogeys with 10 birdies.

Patrick Reed (69 on Sunday) was third at 9 under. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler (69) placed fourth at 8 under, giving him four consecutive top-10 finishes at the Masters.

“I was just proud of the way we hung in there and put up a good fight,” Scheffler said.

Bryson DeChambeau, who figured to be McIlroy’s biggest threat and in the final pairing, took the lead after the second hole before stalling with back-to-back bogeys and a string of pars to skid off the path. By the time he double-bogeyed No. 11, he was tied for ninth and seventh strokes back.

DeChambeau’s 75 left him at 7 under, tied for fifth place with South Korea’s Sungjae Im (69).

DeChambeau said his troubles began with a putt on the third hole that scooted well beyond the cup.

“There’s no way that putt goes that far by,” he said. “I just didn’t realize how firm and fast it could get out here. It’s great experience. Won’t let that happen again.”

–Field Level Media

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It’s Masters Sunday https://digitalsportsdesk.com/its-masters-sunday/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=its-masters-sunday Sat, 12 Apr 2025 23:30:38 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7464 In each of the last eight Masters, the eventual champion sat T2 or better through 54 holes.

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AUGUSTA – Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy experienced his share of “firsts” on Saturday. McIlroy became the first player in Masters history to start a round with six consecutive 3s on the scorecard.

He also had a “second,” as the second player in Masters history to record six consecutive 3s during one round (Jack Renner/1983/R1/Nos. 12-17).

But it was McIlroy’s first time making two eagles in one round at the Masters (Nos. 2 and 15) and he became the first player to do so since 2020 (three players).

McIlroy joined Jordan Spieth (2015), Tiger Woods (2005, 1997), Raymond Floyd (1976) and Johnny Miller (1975) as players with consecutive rounds of 66 or better at a Masters.

And, the big one: McIlroy can also join only five players who have won all four major championships, otherwise known as the career Grand Slam.

If McIlroy completes his career Grand Slam, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, he’d be creating golf history:

  • 90 years after Gene Sarazen/1935 Masters
  • 60 years after Gary Player/1965 U.S. Open
  • 25 years after Tiger Woods/2000 Open

As the great sports day of “Sunday at the Masters” is now upon us, McIlroy will not be out there alone. With a final-round score in the 60s today, Bryson DeChambeau (2nd/-10) would join Cameron Smith (67-68-69-69/2020/T2) as the only players to shoot all four rounds in the 60s in a single Masters tournament. DeChambeau owns the most rounds in the 60s at major championships since the start of 2024 (11).

In each of the last eight Masters, the eventual champion sat T2 or better through 54 holes.

Corey Conners (3rd/-8) seeks his best finish in a major championship (previous, T6/2022 Masters Tournament) as he looks to join Mike Weir(2003) as the only Masters champions from Canada.

Patrick Reed (T4/-6), Scottie Scheffler (T6/-5) and Zach Johnson (T10/-4) are the only past Masters champions among players at T10 or better on the leaderboard. Johnson’s 6-under 66 marks a span of 28 rounds since his last round in the 60s at the Masters (68/R4) back in 2015.

The Masters | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

1 Rory McIlroy 72 66 66 204 (-12)

2 Bryson DeChambeau 69 68 69 206 (-10)

3 Corey Conners 68 70 70 208 (-8)

T4 Patrick Reed 71 70 69 210 (-6)

T4 Ludvig Åberg 68 73 69 210 (-6)

Tournament Leaderboard: (link)


The Masters

COURSE: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia

ARCHITECT: Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones Jr.; Perry Maxwell in 1937

YARDS/PAR: 7,555 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: TBD

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Scottie Scheffler

OVERVIEW: (link)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @The Masters


 

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Senate Subcommittee on LIV Golf https://digitalsportsdesk.com/us-senate-subcommittee-on-liv-golf/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=us-senate-subcommittee-on-liv-golf Sat, 12 Apr 2025 11:00:09 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7457 The PGA Tour and the PIF have supposedly been in negotiations for some time now, though the PGA Tour has since acquired additional funding

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WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations accused the Saudi Public Investment Fund of entering negotiations with the PGA Tour only due to the threat of discovery in their antitrust lawsuit.

The report, released Friday, outlined the subcommittee’s findings from an inquiry into the June 2023 “framework agreement” for a merger between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF’s golf assets, namely LIV Golf.

US Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), chair of the PSI, was among those concerned about “the Saudi government’s role in influencing this effort and the risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over a cherished American institution.”

But the subcommittee’s investigation goes further back to before that shocking announcement, when LIV Golf was pursuing antitrust litigation against the PGA Tour for denying golfers the opportunity to play on both tours.

“The Subcommittee’s inquiry revealed that the first significant back and forth about a potential agreement between the PIF and the PGA Tour began with a renewed push from a representative of the PIF to broker a deal on April 14, 2023,” the report said, “and that a key term of the initial Framework Agreement entered into by the PIF and the PGA Tour involved the dismissal, with prejudice, of pending litigation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

“On April 7, 2023, a judge in the Northern District of California had ruled in that litigation that the PIF and its Governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan, were subject to discovery and depositions by lawyers for the PGA Tour. This deposition would likely have revealed details of the PIF’s operations and Governor al-Rumayyan’s control over its commercial investments.”

Blumenthal went on to write that “U.S. defenses are inadequate to protect against increasingly sophisticated foreign influence efforts by Saudi Arabia and other malign actors and exposed loopholes within the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) that allow foreign governments to escape accountability.”

The PGA Tour and the PIF have supposedly been in negotiations for some time now, though the PGA Tour has since acquired additional funding for its new for-profit endeavor, PGA Tour Enterprises, from a coalition of sports owners and investors called Strategic Sports Group.

The PGA Tour and LIV have held meetings with President Donald Trump, an avid golfer, in recent weeks, which have not produced any material progress in the talks.

–Field Level Media

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Rose Leads Masters After 18 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/rose-leads-masters-after-18/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rose-leads-masters-after-18 Thu, 10 Apr 2025 23:30:15 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7445 Aside from the one Major, he’s finished second and third in the others. Rose won on the European Tour, the Japan Tour, and he’s won in Canada and Australia. In 2016, he won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics.

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

AUGUSTAJustin Rose has won in every corner of the globe. The 44-year old Englishman (born in South Africa) has one Major (2013 U.S. Open), is the oldest player since 50-year-old Fred Couples in 2010 to lead/co-lead through 18 holes at the Masters. Aside from the one Major, he’s finished second and third in the others. Rose won on the European Tour, the Japan Tour, and he’s won in Canada and Australia. In 2016, he won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics.

Rose has a victory at the World Golf Championship and has a FedEx Cup title to his name, and that banked $10,000,000 back in 2018. Add success in the Ryder Cup and it’s just an amazing career.

This weekend, he’s focused on The Masters and his (65) placed him atop the leaderboard after 18 holes, a place he’s now held five times – a Masters record.

Rose carded eight birdies, five on the front nine. He had one bogey which came on the 18th. The round matched his career-low 18-hole score at the Masters Tournament (65/R1/2021/finished 7th).

Three golfers, Corey Connors of Canada, Scottie Scheffler – the defending champion of the USA – and Ludvig Åberg of Sweden are a three shots off the lead.

LIV golfers, Tyrrell Hatton and Bryson DeChambeau are four shots back, shooting (69s).

Collin Morikawa was (-3) after an eagle on 13, but bogeyed three of his last four holes and sits T-27 after shooting E – (72).

Rory McIlroy (T27/E) carded two double bogeys in his last four holes (Nos. 15 and 17). It was his first time with multiple double bogeys or worse in a round at the Masters Tournament since 2014 (R2).

With a hole out from 191 yards on the par-4 14th hole, Fred Couples (T11/-1), in his 40th appearance, makes his first career eagle on a par-4 at the Masters. Couples, at age 65 years, 6 months, 7 days, became the second-oldest to break par in a round at Augusta National Golf Club (Tom Watson/2015/71/R1 at age 65 years, 7 months, 5 days).

Four of the six leaders are international players.

Nick Dunlap finished 18 over with a (90) and will be facing a cut with the top 50 and ties advancing to the weekend. It was the highest 18-hole score on the PGA TOUR since Aguri Iwasaki carded 91 in round two of the 2024 Open Championship.

The Masters | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

1. Justin Rose 65 (-7)

2. Corey Connors 68 (-4)

2. Scottie Scheffler 68 (-4)

2. Ludvig Åberg 68 (-4)

5. Tyrrell Hatton 69 (-3)

5. Bryson DeChambeau 69 (-3)

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Masters Preview https://digitalsportsdesk.com/masters-preview/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=masters-preview Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:00:45 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7443 Scheffler is also seeks to join Jack Nicklaus (1956, 1966), Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001, 2002) as players to successfully defend their title at the Masters Tournament.

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AUGUSTA – The 2025 Masters Tournament is the first major championship of the ‘25 professional golf season. Scottie Scheffler is the Masters’ defending champion and also the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking.

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After missing the 2024 Masters Tournament due to injury, Bernhard Langer of Germany will make his 41st and final start at the Masters Tournament.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, fresh off serving the least expensive Champions Dinner in recent memory, is making his sixth appearance at Augusta National. The 2022 and 2024 Masters champion seeks to become the ninth player with three or more victories at Augusta and with a victory, would join JackNicklaus (1963, 1965, 1966) as the only players to win three Masters Tournaments in a four-year stretch.

Scheffler is also seeks to join Jack Nicklaus (1956, 1966), Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001, 2002) as players to successfully defend their title at the Masters Tournament.

Scheffler has never finished outside the Top 20 in five prior starts at the Masters Tournament (T19/2020, T18/2021, Won/2022, T10/2023, Won/2024) and with his last three finishes at the Masters (Won/2024, T10/2023, Won/2022), he’s one of two players to finish among the Top 10 in each of the last three years. Collin Morikawa (5th/2022, T10/2023, T3/2024) is the other.

Rory McIlroy is making his 17th start at the Masters Tournament. He was the runner-up in 2022 which marked his best performance among seven Top-10 results.

McIlroy, as past winner of the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship, is attempting to become the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam.

  • Gene Sarazen
  • Ben Hogan
  • Gary Player
  • Jack Nicklaus
  • Tiger Woods

McIlroy’s victory at the 2025 PLAYERS Championship marked his 28th win on TOUR (T20 all-time). He’s seeking to become only the third player to win the PLAYERS and The Masters in the same season, joining Tiger Woods (2001), Scottie Scheffler (2024).

With a victory at this year’s Masters Tournament, Collin Morikawa, the World No. 4 and two-time major champion (2020 PGA Championship, 2021 Open Championship) can join three active players (Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson) with three legs of the career Grand Slam.

The 2023 Open Championship winner and last week’s Valero Texas Open winner, BrianHarman heads to his seventh Masters Tournament where he has missed the cut in his last three appearances. Harman made the cut twice in prior six starts (T44/2018, T12/2021).

England’s Tommy Fleetwood seeks his first PGA TOUR win in his 152nd start; last player to earn first PGA TOUR win at a major championship: England’s Matt Fitzpatrick (2022 U.S. Open); finished T3 at the 2024 Masters Tournament, his best result in eight career appearances

The 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth is making his 12th start at Augusta National. He owns five Top-3 results in 11 prior appearances (T2/2014, Won/2015, T2/2016, 3rd/2018, T3/2021).

In 40 rounds at Augusta National, his 70.95 scoring average marks the lowest of any player with 25-49 career rounds); underwent wrist surgery in August following the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship and returned to competition at the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The 2021 Masters champion and World No. 6 Hideki Matsuyama, the only male major championship winner from Japan, has made 12 cuts in 13 appearances at the Masters Tournament (MC/2014).

The Masters field has 25 different countries and territories represented this year, the most since 2015 (24). A total of 95 invitees are scheduled to compete this year.

Preview | The Masters

COURSE: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia

ARCHITECT: Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones Jr.; Perry Maxwell in 1937

YARDS/PAR: 7,555 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: TBD

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Scottie Scheffler

OVERVIEW: (link)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @The Masters

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PGA Tour: Valspar Championship https://digitalsportsdesk.com/pga-tour-valspar-championship/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pga-tour-valspar-championship Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:00:24 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7367 With a field highlighted by Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas, our golf experts break down the tournament and share their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

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PALM HARBOR – (Staff and Wire Service) – The PGA Tour’s Florida Swing rolls on with the Valspar Championship, which tees off Thursday at Innesbrook Resort.

While it lacks the event status of Bay Hill or TPC Sawgrass the past two weeks, Innesbrook’s Copperhead course is among the favorite tour stops for several players. With a field highlighted by Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas, our golf experts break down the tournament and share their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Palm Harbor, Fla., March 20-23
Course: Innisbrook Resort, Copperhead Course (Par 71, 7,352 Yards)
Purse: $8.7M (Winner: $1.566M)
Defending Champion: Peter Malnati
FedExCup leader: McIlroy

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 3-6 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @ValsparChamp

PROP PICKS
–Sam Burns to Beat Xander Schauffele (+110 at DraftKings): Neither player enters in particularly good form, but at least two-time winner Burns is playing a track that he has had tremendous success on in the past — despite missing the cut here last year.

–Corey Conners Top 20 Finish (+120 at BetRivers): This is a strong potential payout for a player who has a pair of top-10s in a signature event and at The Players the past two weeks.

2025 Prop Pick Record: 11-17-1

BEST BETS
–Tommy Fleetwood (+1100 DraftKings) has finished T22 or better in 14 consecutive worldwide starts as he still seeks his first stroke-play victory in the United States.
–Xander Schauffele (+1200) called the state of his game “gross” as he has scuffled to a T40 and a 70th in his first two starts back from a rib injury, but did shoot a final-round 65 here in 2024 and is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 3.
–Sepp Straka (+1600) has been as consistently competitive as anyone to begin 2025, with last week’s T14 adding to a win at the AmEx and a T5 at Bay Hill.
–Justin Thomas (+2000) has three top-10s in his past six event starts, and he has said Copperhead is among his favorite courses on tour. He hasn’t won since the 2022 PGA Championship. He is third at the book with five percent of the money backing Thomas to break his winless drought this week.
–Sam Burns (+2200) has one top-20 result in seven starts this year and missed the cut at The Players, but he has won this event twice.
–Michael Kim (+3000) is already making his 10th start of the season. Fatigue is a concern, with a missed cut last week following five consecutive top-13s.
–Corey Conners (+3500) is a two-time winner on tour who has quietly finished solo third and T6 in marquee events the past two weeks. He leads the field with 16 percent of the money and five percent of all bets at DraftKings backing Conners to claim his third tour win this week.
–Lucas Glover (+6000) is coming off a T3 at The Players as he makes his 20th start in this event.

NOTES
–The field includes 18 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, including eight of the top 25.
–The ninth hole will play from the No. 11 tee this year to add length to the hole and to bring bunkers into play.
–Malnati seeks to join Paul Casey (2018-19) and Sam Burns (2021-22) as the third player to successfully defend a Valspar title in the past seven editions of the event.
–Neal Shipley, the low amateur at last year’s Masters, is in the field on a sponsors exemption. He is joined by Luke Clanton, who earned an exemption by winning the 2024 Valspar Collegiate Invitational before earning his PGA Tour membership through University Accelerated. He is eligible to accept membership upon turning professional at the conclusion of his junior season at Florida State. Blades Brown, 17, will make his fourth start of the season. He tied for 34th at the Mexico Open in his lone made cut this year.
–Vijay Singh set the tournament scoring record of 266 in 2004, while Padraig Harrington set the 18-hole record of 61 in the first round in 2012.

–Field Level Media

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PGA TOUR: It’s The PLAYERS https://digitalsportsdesk.com/players-championship/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=players-championship Thu, 13 Mar 2025 08:00:35 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7322 PONTE VEDRA BEACH – The unofficial “fifth major” of the 2025 PGA Tour season kicks off on Thursday with the first round of The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida. Contested on the famed Stadium Course, one of the year’s deepest fields will vie for one of the tour’s most coveted trophies. Can […]

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH – The unofficial “fifth major” of the 2025 PGA Tour season kicks off on Thursday with the first round of The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

Contested on the famed Stadium Course, one of the year’s deepest fields will vie for one of the tour’s most coveted trophies. Can Scottie Scheffler create history by winning for a third consecutive year?

“The Players Championship is absolutely our busiest tournament outside of the majors and it’s no surprise that Scottie Scheffler is the clear favorite this week as he goes for his third consecutive win in this tournament,” BetMGM senior sports trader Matt Wall said.

The iconic 17th hole with its island green will again be the focus of several prop markets at sportsbooks, including closest to the pin and the number of balls hit in the water.

Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite prop picks along with the best bets to win this week.

THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., March 13-16
Course: TPC Sawgrass, The Players Stadium Course (Par 72, 7,352 Yards)
Purse: $25M (Winner: $4.5M)
Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler
FedExCup leader: Sepp Straka

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 2-7 p.m. (NBC/Peacock); Sunday: 1-7 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @ThePlayers

PROP PICKS
–Michael Kim to Beat Jordan Spieth (-125 at DraftKings): Kim might be the hottest player few people are talking about with five consecutive finishes of T13 or better, including fourth at Bay Hill. His lone PGA Tour title to date came seven years ago at the John Deere, but we like him as a +6500 darkhorse to win this week. Spieth is making his fifth start in his return from wrist surgery and while he has posted a T4 and T9 against softer fields, he has a T69 and missed cut in two signature event starts. He failed to make the weekend here last year.

–Hideki Matsuyama Top 20 Finish (+125 at BetMGM): Matsuyama has four top-10s since 2015 at The Players, tied with Brian Harman for the most of any player in the field. While he has cooled off a bit since winning The Sentry to tee-off the year, he has posted a T13 and T22 in his past two starts, both at signature events, and tied for sixth year last year.

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Inaugural TGL Match a Success https://digitalsportsdesk.com/inaugural-tgl-match-a-success/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=inaugural-tgl-match-a-success Wed, 08 Jan 2025 06:00:36 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7129 Aberg came up big on the fifth hole (Craic On) by sinking a 32-foot, 1-inch putt to make it 5-0.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – The first match of the new TGL was a one-sided affair lacking true suspense. But there wasn’t any disappointment or sad faces to be found after Bay Golf Club rolled to a 9-2 victory over New York Golf Club on Tuesday night in South Florida.

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The new venture, which includes Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as driving forces, was played at SoFi Center, a custom-built 1,500-seat arena. It was certainly much different than what golfers typically experience. And that was just fine by Bay Golf Club’s Ludvig Aberg.

“It was awesome. I always said I was so jealous of basketball and football players because they get to do this a lot and we don’t,” Aberg said. “So this whole stadium-like feel is awesome to be a part of, and it gets you going a little bit differently from a normal golf tournament.”

Bay GC clinched the victory on No. 10 of the 15-hole match that lasted just over two hours. The 15-hole course was custom-designed, and the competition is part virtual and part real life.

The high-tech indoor league features six teams and a 15-match season.

“Just to have the ability to showcase our sport,” Woods said of why he’s excited about the venture. “It’s not traditional golf, but it’s golf — and that’s the main thing.”

Players hit tee and approach shots into a simulated screen that has hole layouts, greens, bunkers and anything else you’d see on a golf course. After the ball lands, the rest of the shots and putts are hit inside the facility.

The fans in attendance were allowed to be vocal — kind of different than the marshal at Augusta holding “quiet” or “no noise” signs.

“You don’t hear that at most events,” Woods said, “but you’ll hear that here.”

Wyndham Clark and Shane Lowry also played for Bay Golf Club, while Min Woo Lee sat out.

“I thought it would be a little bit more of a match,” Clark said. “There wasn’t much trash talk to do because we beat them so bad.”

Lowry liked the atmosphere inside the venue, but he needed some time to adjust.

“It’s quite an intimidating place to play golf because it’s somewhere we’re not used to,” Lowry said.

New York’s team consisted of Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick. Cameron Young was inactive.

Schauffele was surprised his team couldn’t give Bay GC more of a match.

“They played pretty well,” Schauffele said. “It seems like every time their ball hit the screen it was going down the middle, and our ball would hit the screen and be 30 to 40 yards to the right … We have nobody else to blame but ourselves.”

A wrinkle the golfers had to get used to was the 40-second shot clock. A violation results in a one-stroke penalty.

“I didn’t feel rushed,” Fitzpatrick said. “I wish that was in real golf as well.”

Teams rotate possession of the hammer. When used, the hammer doubles the point total of a given hole.

Lowry hit the first tee shot in TGL history to get the festivities going.

Bay GC took a 1-0 lead on the first hole (The Plank) when Aberg made a 9-foot birdie putt.

After Fowler hit his tee shot, he professed to be feeling anxiety.

“This is a new environment,” Fowler said. “So this isn’t something we’re fully used to. You feel the nerves a bit.”

On No. 3 (Set in Stone), Bay GC elected to use the hammer and Clark’s ensuing 7-foot, 7-inch putt was good and worth two points to give Bay GC a 3-0 advantage.

On the fourth hole (Boomerang), Lowry’s 3-foot, 8-inch putt boosted Bay GC’s lead to four.

Aberg came up big on the fifth hole (Craic On) by sinking a 32-foot, 1-inch putt to make it 5-0.

New York earned its first point on the ninth hole (The Spear) to trail 6-1 at halftime.

When Bay GC won No. 10 (Serpent), the victory was clinched — but the remaining five holes were still played due to season tiebreaker reasons (most holes won).

The TGL is starting up one year later than initially planned. The original arena roof collapsed during a storm in November 2023.

The four other teams in the league are Atlanta, Boston, Jupiter (Fla.) and Los Angeles.

Next Tuesday, Los Angeles and Woods-led Jupiter square off in the league’s second match.

–Field Level Media

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In a Bay Club State of Mind https://digitalsportsdesk.com/in-a-bay-club-state-of-mind/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-a-bay-club-state-of-mind Wed, 08 Jan 2025 03:00:08 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7127 Lowry would go on to record the clinching point for The Bay Golf Club over New York Golf Club, besting Rickie Fowler in Singles at the par-5 10th to make it 7-1 and secure the victory for himself and teammates Wyndham Clark and Ludvig Åberg with five holes left

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PALM BEACH GARDENS – (Staff Report from Official TGL News Release) – The Bay Golf Club’s Shane Lowry had the honor of the first shot in TGL history, but forgot to bring a tee to the hitting area to open the match. Following a laugh and a deep breath, the Irishman launched his tee shot into the massive simulator Screen, and it flew safely into the fairway, setting the inaugural season in motion Tuesday under the lights of the indoor SoFi Center in South Florida.

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Lowry would go on to record the clinching point for The Bay Golf Club over New York Golf Club, besting Rickie Fowler in Singles at the par-5 10th to make it 7-1 and secure the victory for himself and teammates Wyndham Clark and Ludvig Åberg with five holes left. The remaining holes were played out for a final score of 9-2.

NYGC (0-1) fell behind on the first hole with Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick looking on as Åberg drained a nine-foot birdie putt at The Plank for the early 1-0 lead. It was that kind of night for NY Golf Club, which found itself on the wrong side of an early two-point swing.

TBGC (1-0) began the match with the Hammer and held onto it for the first two holes. Then, with Clark feeling confident standing over a 7-foot birdie putt to win the par-3 third hole, Set in Stone, TBGC threw the Hammer to increase the point value of the hole to two points and show how quickly it can change the momentum in a match.

NYGC accepted and Clark drained the putt to give his team a 3-0 lead through three holes.

TBGC continued grinding out points with steady play and several spectacular highlights from Åberg. The 25-year-old Swede helped earn another point at the fourth hole, Boomerang, hitting his team’s third shot into the 582-yard par 5 to just four feet. Lowry made the birdie putt to put TBGC ahead, 4-0.

Åberg tacked on another at the par-3 fifth hole, Craic On, draining a 32-foot birdie putt to win the hole and make it 5-0 TBGC with 10 holes to play.

TBGC won its fourth consecutive hole with a stress-free par at the sixth, but NYGC finished strong in Triples thanks to a crafty chip from Fitzpatrick at The Spear, the par-5 ninth hole. That resulted in a conceded birdie and the first point on the board for NYGC with the score 6-1 entering Singles.

TBGC earned two points in the SoFi Cup Standings with the victory, while NY Golf Club will look to pick up its first point of the season in their next match.

NYGC returns to action at 7 p.m. on Jan. 21 against Atlanta Drive Golf Club, while The Bay looks to keep it rolling with two matches on Feb. 17 against Atlanta Drive (4 p.m.) and Boston Common Golf (7 p.m.) as part of a TGL tripleheader.

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TGL Golf Season is Finally Here https://digitalsportsdesk.com/tgl-golf-seson-is-finally-here/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tgl-golf-seson-is-finally-here Tue, 07 Jan 2025 14:00:23 +0000 https://digitalsportsdesk.com/?p=7124 There’s a pretty good argument to be made that Schauffele is the most in-form player in the league with nine career wins on the PGA TOUR, including two majors last season, as well as 15 top-10 finishes.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS – (Staff Report from Official League Release) – It’s almost here. The first season gets underway when Shane Lowry takes the opening tee shot for The Bay Golf Club vs. New York Golf Club tonight.

But before the matches officially begin at SoFi Center, it is time for us to dig in and preview what the next three months of fun, fast-paced, prime time action are going to look like.

Six teams of world class players face off in 15-hole matches at SoFi Center, an indoor arena on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Florida on ESPN and ESPN+ from January-March.

The golf is played into a 64′ x 53′ screen that is 24 times larger than a standard golf simulator. Players will hit off of real grass fairways and rough, and play out of a unique sand that is only used at one other course, which happens to be located in the southeast United States.

Once players get their ball to the green, they move to the GreenZone, which includes a 41-yard-wide turntable green that can accommodate any number of hole designs created by TGL hole designers: Agustín Pizá, Beau Welling, and Nicklaus Design.

Every team will play five matches — the format of which we’ll get to in a moment — throughout the season and ahead of the playoffs at the end of March.

Let’s take a look at each of the six teams, starting with the Atlanta Drive GC.

Atlanta Drive GC

This team’s competitive nature will be off the charts. It’s a squad full of tremendous iron players who are hellbent on winning any game, match, or event they play.

Justin Thomas

J.T. is an amazing shot-shaper, and he should have the chance to show that off at every turn.

Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay has turned into a terrific match play player, which considering how good his tee-to-green game is, should be frightening for everyone else in the league.

Lucas Glover

One of the biggest flushers in the entire sport, and that should be fully on display at SoFi Center.

Billy Horschel

Perhaps the most competitive player on a team full of outrageously competitive players.

Boston Common Golf

The Ballfrogs may have the best chemistry of any team in the league. Scott and Matsuyama have been Presidents Cup pals for a long time, and McIlroy always seems to emerge as a team galvanizer wherever he plays.

Rory McIlroy

He is not only the best driver of the ball in the game but perhaps the best driver in the history of the game.

Hideki Matsuyama

One of the more underrated tee-to-green players of the last decade, Matsuyama should thrive on the creative hole setups. Just won at the 2025 Sentry.

Adam Scott

Even into his early 40s, Scott is still incredibly strong from tee to green.

Keegan Bradley

Along with Matsuyama, one of the more underrated tee-to-green players in modern golf.

Los Angeles Golf Club

If there was a most “fun” team in the league, this is it! These four seem to get more enjoyment out of playing professional golf than any other group.

Collin Morikawa

He is probably the most accurate player in the league from tee to green and given how creative some of these hole setups will be, that’s going to be extremely beneficial for LAGC.

Sahith Theegala

Theegala hits some truly magical golf shots on Tour and I expect he will hit plenty of them in his TGL matches. He also has some low-key power in reserve that he’ll use if needed.

Tommy Fleetwood

It would not be a stretch to call him the most underrated driver in the world.

Justin Rose

The former U.S. Open champion brings experience and some of the best iron play of the last 10 years of anyone in the world to this team.

New York Golf Club

NYGC just might have the most complete group of players of any team. It’s difficult to find anyone who has any glaring weaknesses and it will be fun to see them come together as a team.

Xander Schauffele

There’s a pretty good argument to be made that Schauffele is the most in-form player in the league with nine career wins on the PGA TOUR, including two majors last season, as well as 15 top-10 finishes.

Matt Fitzpatrick

At media day in early December, Wyndham Clark stressed the importance of doing pre-match work in order to take on some of the holes. Nobody in golf is more prepared than Fitzpatrick.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler has such a great all-around game. He can be put in almost any spot and thrive.

Cameron Young

Obviously a terrific driver of the ball, but Young is a net plus in the three other categories (iron play, around the green and putting), too.

The Bay Golf Club

This is the all-potential team. Three players in their 20s who crush driver and win all over the world, and they’ll be led at times by an Open champion in Lowry. It’s easy to see this being the team that chirps the most, as well.

Ludvig Åberg

He could be a future No. 1 player in the world.

Wyndham Clark

Where is the ceiling? Has he found it yet? Clark is awesome from tee to green and will put up some jaw-dropping numbers off the tee.

Shane Lowry

The all-everything guy on this team. He can do it all but should be especially valuable around the green.

Min Woo Lee

An amazing driver of the ball. If he dials in his approach play, he will be quite problematic for the rest of the league.

Jupiter Links GC

This is a fun team. There is legit talent at the top end of a variety of categories with two amazing iron players in Woods and Homa, a short game wizard in Kisner and somebody who does everything well in Kim.

Tiger Woods

He’s the best iron player in the history of the sport. And also, possibly, the best clutch putter.

Tom Kim

Reminds me a lot of Fowler at this age in that he does everything well. He’s not as long as Fowler was, but the floor is so high with Kim.

Max Homa

Elite-end iron play, and do not – I repeat, do not – let him get hot with the putter.

Kevin Kisner

Possibly the most consistent putter of anyone in the league over the last 10 years. Will it hold up on the So-Fi Center indoor green?

 

 

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