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PGA Tour: The American Express

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LaQUINTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The PGA Tour’s five-event “West Coast Swing” begins Thursday at The American Express in La Quinta, Calif.

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Contested across three courses, the AmEx has long been a staple of the tour schedule. The field includes 21 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, and our golf experts preview the event while providing their favorite prop picks and best bets to win this week.

THE AMERICAN EXPRESS
Location: La Quinta, Calif., Jan. 18-21
Host course: PGA West, Pete Dye Stadium Course (Par 72, 7,187 yards). Other courses: PGA West, Nicklaus Tournament Course; La Quinta Country Club
Purse: $8.4M (Winner: $1,512,000)
Reigning champion: Jon Rahm
FedEx Cup leader: Chris Kirk

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Streaming: Thursday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
X (The platform formerly known as Twitter): @TheAmExGolf

PROP PICKS
– Jason Day to Beat Wyndham Clark (-110 at DraftKings): Clark has been tied to rumors of joining Rahm’s new LIV Golf team, and his mind might already be one foot out the door. After beating only one player at the Hero World Challenge, Clark finished T29 at the limited field The Sentry. Meanwhile Day followed a solo 11th in the Bahamas with a T10 at Kapalua and is a regular at the AmEx, where he finished T18 last year.

– Tom Kim to Finish Top 20 (+125 at BetMGM): After a T45 at The Sentry, Kim arrived early at the AmEx and was seeing playing a practice round at La Quinta on Sunday. He’s only two events removed from a win at The Shriners and The Sentry broke a streak of six consecutive top-20s. Kim also tied for sixth at the AmEx last year.

–Min Woo Lee Top Australian (+150 at DraftKings): Lee hasn’t teed it up since the first week of December, but he ended last season on a serious hot streak. That included two wins in his past five worldwide starts and a solo third at the Australian Open to close out his 2023. Now a full-time member of the PGA Tour, he is paired in this prop against Day (+200), Cam Davis (+300), Harrison Endycott (+1000) and Aaron Baddeley (+1200).

2024 Prop Picks Record: 3-3

BEST BETS
–Scottie Scheffler (+550 at BetMGM) makes his fifth consecutive start in the event. He finished solo third in 2020 and T11 last year. He is the book’s biggest liability, leading the field in the most total winning bets (12.6 percent) and money (31.3 percent) since opening at +650. Scheffler also leads the field at DraftKings with 9 percent of the money backing him at the same odds.
–Patrick Cantlay (+1000) has three top-10s in five previous event starts, and he carded a final round 61 while finishing second three years ago.
–Xander Schauffele (+1100) is coming off a T10 at The Sentry, and he tied for third at the AmEx last year. His odds have lengthened slightly from opening at +1000 at BetMGM.
–Sungae Im (+2000) hasn’t been among the most popular plays at BetMGM thus far, but he is second to Scheffler at DraftKings (+2200) with 8 percent of the money backing him to win. Im’s best event finish was a T11 two years ago, and he kicked off 2024 with a T5 at Kapalua.
–Justin Thomas (+2500) tees it up for the first time in 2024 after not qualifying for The Sentry. He is BetMGM’s third biggest liability as Thomas has been backed by 7.8 percent of the tickets since opening at +2200.
–Kim (+2500) finished T6 last year. He began 2024 with a T45 at The Sentry after closing out last year with a win at the Shriners and a T15 at the DP World Tour Championship.
–J.T. Poston (+2800) opened at +3300, but his odds have been driven down as the book’s second biggest liability, having drawn 6.8 percent of the tickets and 8.4 percent of the money.
–Chris Kirk (+4000) is one of 15 players making their third consecutive start to begin 2024. He backed up his win at The Sentry with a T18 last week.

NOTES
–This is one of only two PGA Tour events that uses a pro-am format (AT&T Pebble Beach) and one of only four that utilizes multiple courses.
–Rahm will not defend his title after signing with LIV Golf last month.
–Former U.S. Ryder Cup player Daniel Berger will make his first PGA Tour start since the 2022 U.S. Open as he returns from a back injury. Ranked No. 25 in the world at the time, Berger enters this week at No. 664. The four-time PGA Tour winner is exempt through 2024 via his win at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
–Bill Haas, champion in 2010 and 2015, is making his 20th consecutive event start, the longest active streak in the field.
–Since the tournament went to a 72-hole format in 2012, Patrick Reed’s 28-under-par 260 in 2014 is the scoring record.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 7th

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on the PGA Tour and Happy 2024

BOSTON – The holidays are a busy time of year, but post holidays might be busier for sports fans. Here at WWYI, you might expect this column to be topped by predictions on the upcoming NFL Playoffs (I like SF and Baltimore – chalk city). Or, maybe a look at the College Football Championship finale between Washington and Michigan (I like Michigan (chalk city II).

Maybe it’s time to dig in deeper to the College Basketball season since the silly season is completed and team are already three or four games into their Conference schedules. St. John’s is (3-1) in the BIG EAST after a nice 10-point upset win at Villanova Saturday – more on that later.

We also have the exciting start of the all new Women’s Professional Hockey League with our hometown Boston entry – known as PWHL Boston instead of some catchy name like the Boston Koalas. (Bruin, by the way, is the Dutch word for brown). The new team and league have opened to much fanfare and full-page coverage in the local paper, even though the club is playing out in Lowell, Massachusetts at the University’s Tsongas Arena – a wonderful venue and good choice for the fledgling PWHL.

But, instead of more coverage of the English Premier League (EPL) or stoking the coals on the Hot Stove season of “The” Major League Baseball, or even talk and typewriting on the NBA or the NHL, I give you the start of the PGA Tour season, a.k.a. the “Opening Drive.”

The professional golfers, those who haven’t cashed checks in LIV Golf, all teed-it up at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on the Island of Maui in Hawaii. The course is several miles north of Lahaina which was devastated by wild fires but the PGA Tour and its significant charity wing will be dedicating money, time and additional resources to assist in the rebuilding and comeback for the town of Lahaina and also Maui as a hole.

On the Tour, 21 of the top 25 players in the world are playing at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, a tournament that expanded its field and increased its purse to $20m to go with 700 FedEx Cup points and full elevated designation by the PGA Tour.

While the Nor’easter bears down on the east coast, viewers can stream ESPN+ for a look at the 81-degree sunshine of paradise by the golf cart lights. At press time, the Sentry Tournament of Champions leaderboard was packed with big name PGA Tour players with the final round on NBC and The Golf Channel this afternoon and evening. Yes, evening as in primetime golf as the time zones help the Tour office open up in the best of times.

It’ll be the same thing next weekend as The Opening Drive’s second event is the SONY Open from Honolulu.

There’s plenty of news on the Tour, so this weekend, I’d urge readers to click HERE for a look at sister-publication – PGA Tour Brunch – as you enjoy your breakfast brunch, lunch or dinner – maybe even a late night snack, depending on where you’ll be watching from for the start of the golf season.

The PGA Tour dignitaries and the powers that be of LIV Golf were not able to complete a deal by their self-imposed December 31 deadline, but they’ve expanded the window and a settlement is expected soon (by April). PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is under intense pressure to make good on a deal but also work the PR lines as the Saudi Investment Fund (often referred to as the PIF, as in Public Investment Fund or Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund) who combined might sink a whopping $3 billion into the PGA Tour and the sport of golf.

“Our goal for 2024 is to reach agreements with SSG (Strategic Sports Group, consisting of individual investors in sports like the Fenway Sports Group and Boston Celtics team managing partner Wyc Grousbeck), PIF and the DP World Tour, bringing them on board as minority co-investors in PGA Tour Enterprises. These partnerships will allow us to unify, innovate and invest in the game for the benefit of players, fans and sponsors,” said Monahan in a memo to the PGA Tour membership, a memo Tour star Collin Morakawa later called “fluff.”

With all the intrigue and drama, the expected deal by the time the entire golfing world tees-off at The Masters, the morning line sees two competing golf leagues on tour in ‘24, one playing four days and 72 holes to determine a champ for each tournament and the other playing three days and 54 (LIV) holes to crown a champ who might clear as much as $3 or $4 million for a single tournament title. (Thus, the increased purse of the PGA Tour’s elevated events – the winner at the Sentry will bank $3.6 million).

When the dust settles, the average golf fan might be left with a bad taste in their mouth as the gentlemen’s game – like seemingly everything else – is screwed up and in flux. Only time will tell if professional golf will settle down and maybe join forces to bring the best players in the world back together each week.

PGA TOUR COM’s Top Tour Players: Rob Bolton of PGATour.com went 223 players deep on his PGA Tour membership rankings chart, more-or-less a Golf Fantasy Cheat Sheet. For the sake of space on your mobile phone, we’ll pass along the Top 20:

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  1. Scottie Scheffler
  2. Rory McIlroy
  3. Viktor Hovland
  4. Collin Morakawa
  5. Justin Thomas
  6. Xander Schauffele
  7. Patrick Cantlay
  8. Max Homa
  9. Jordan Spieth
  10. Sam Burns
  11. Matt Fitzpatrick
  12. Ludvig Aberg
  13. Min Woo Lee
  14. Rickie Fowler
  15. Tom Kim
  16. Tony Finau
  17. Sahith Theegala
  18. SungJai Im
  19. Wyndham Clark
  20. Hideki Matsuyama

Chris Kirk Won at The Sentry AFTER a TL prediction:

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TL’s Two Cents for the Top PGA Tour Pros: Taking the Bolton Top 20 a little further, yours truly thinks the following golfers will break through in 2024:

  1. Tyrrell Hatton (Simply one of the best; could strike on a Major)
  2. Jason Day (Returns to form)
  3. J.T. Poston (That’s Boston, not Boston)
  4. Eric Cole (Rookie of Year takes the next step)
  5. Akshay Bhatia (Showed strong signs last year)
  6. Chris Kirk (Just get him to East Lake)
  7. Lucas Glover (Veteran returns to form)
  8. Harris English (Will battle back)
  9. Shane Lowry (Never count him out; Even at Augusta)
  10. Cameron Young, Cam Davis, Cam Anyone (They’re all good)

HERE NOW THE NOTES: Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was reinstated by the NBA following his suspension for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić on Dec. 12, 2023. Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, made the statement official and will be the man at the NBA keeping a close eye on Green, much the way his predecessor Rod Thorn had his watchful eyes on Dumars’ former teammates, Rick Mahorn and Bill Laimbeer back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s – when the Pistons were known as the “Bad Boys.”

During the period of his suspension, which began on Dec. 14 and resulted in him missing 12 games, Green completed steps that demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players. He has engaged in meetings with a counselor and has met jointly on multiple occasions with representatives of the NBA, the Warriors, and the National Basketball Players Association, both of which will continue throughout the season.

Green re-joins a team in disarray as indications are that coach Steve Kerr has “lost the locker,” or at least temporarily lost the respect of 2021 draft choice Jonathan Kuminga, who vented his frustration to reporters after he played only 18 minutes in a game, indicating he had “lost faith” in Kerr. A day later, Kuminga backed off his comments and in a media session Kerr tried to defuse the issue.

Kerr spoke with Kuminga and made it clear he wished any displeasure remained in-house. “You have an issue, I’m here. I’m the most accessible coach in the league probably. My door is always open,” said Kerr.

TID-BITS: The final weekend of the NFL brings a couple of games where it’s win or go home – in other words football at its best. Still others (like Pittsburgh at Baltimore) saw the Ravens sit MVP candidate and front runner in QB Lamar Jackson as a precaution since the Ravens had already locked up the No. 1 seed in the NFL’s AFC Conference. … Some teams are playing for their Playoff lives while others (see NY Jets and New England Patriots) have meaningless games, unless you think the Patriots should tank for a better draft choice. … Speaking of which, any player who tanks might see his club draft a player at his position, and that veteran player might be out of a job to a newcomer, so don’t think tanking is all that easy to do. … The Carolina Panthers clinched the slot as the worst team in the NFL, but the Chicago Bears have Carolina’s pick. … Of position players in the NFL in 2023, SF RB Christian McCaffrey outperformed all of his peers while Dallas WR Cee Dee Lamb paced the WRs. Miami wide-out Tyreek Hill wasn’t far behind Lamb, and Hill was nursing injuries late in the year. Amongst the higher scoring QBs, here are the Top 10:

  1. Josh Allen – Buffalo
  2. Jalen Hurts – Philadelphia
  3. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore
  4. Dak Prescott – Dallas
  5. Jordan Love – Green Bay
  6. Brock Purdy – SF
  7. Patrick Mahomes – KC
  8. Jared Goff – Detroit
  9. Tua Tagovailia – Miami
  10. Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay
  11. C.J. Stroud – Houston

NCAA INKS a BIG DEAL: The NCAA signed a landmark eight-year media deal with ESPN for 40 championships domestically. Maybe that’s an indication that the sky is not falling within the ranks of the NCAA as bickering over NIL, college football playoffs (hear that, Florida State?) and dozens of other issues the NCAA is facing. (Relatively) new NCAA head honcho Charlie Baker, the former Guv’nah of Massachusetts, is settling issues one at a time.

PGA Tour: Theegala Leads in Maui

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KAPALUA, HAWAII – Collin Morikawa posted a clubhouse-leading, eight-under (65) and looked great doing it until Sahith Theegala came along and bested Morikawa and four others with a first-round leading (64) at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui. Theegala, making his second start at The Sentry (33rd/2023), opened with a career-best (10) birdies. (His previous-high was nine during the third round of the 2022 ZOZO Championship). Theegala also posted a career-best birdie streak with six in a row on Nos. 10-15.

The Sentry is the first event of the 2024 PGA TOUR Season and is serving as the season-opening event on the PGA TOUR schedule for the first time since 2013. Since 2013, the PGA Tour went with 10 “wrap-around” seasons.

In 2024, the TOUR returns to a calendar year schedule, with 36 FedEx Cup Regular Season events followed by the FedExCup Playoffs and FedEx Cup Fall season.

The Sentry is the first of eight Signature Events in 2024, which offer increased purse sizes ($20 million) and FedEx Cup points to the winner (700).

Making his first start since winning the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship in back-to-back starts, reigning FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland (T2/-8) opened with a (65), just one stroke off the lead.

Camilo Villegas (T2/-8) also posted a (65), his 16th consecutive under-par round on the PGA TOUR. He has the most rounds of 65 or better in the last four events (13 rounds) on the TOUR.

Sentry: First Round Leaderboard

1 Sahith Theegala 64 (-9)

T2 Collin Morikawa 65 (-8)

T2 Camilo Villegas 65 (-8)

T2 Sungjae Im 65 (-8)

T2 Jason Day 65 (-8)

T2 Viktor Hovland 65 (-8)

Sentry Tournament of Champions | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua

YARDS/PAR: 7,596 yards/Par 73

ARCHITECT(S): Bill Coore / Ben Crenshaw

PRIZE Money – Purse: $20,000,000; Winner: $3.6 million.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 700

PGA Tour: Greg Norman Thanks Rory McIlroy

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“For Falling on his Sword”

ORLANDO – Golf legend Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, said he is grateful to Rory McIlroy for taking a step toward acceptance of the fledgling tour.

McIlroy has been one of LIV’s harshest critics, but on the “Stick to Football” podcast on Tuesday, McIlroy conceded to being overly “judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start”.

“I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m very appreciative of what Rory said,” Norman said on the LIV Golf Podcast. “It’s been a painful couple of years.

“The reason I say I appreciate Rory to fall on his sword to some degree is the fact that he did judge us by not knowing the facts. He judged us on other people’s thoughts and opinions. I say, ‘Hey, thank you Rory’. This is a significant turning point for everybody.”

Phil Mickelson, one of the early defectors to LIV Golf, also acknowledged McIlroy’s new stance, saying on social media this week: “It’s time for me and others to let go of our hostilities and work towards a positive future.”

McIlroy, a four-time major champion, blasted PGA Tour members who jumped ship for the financially greener pastures of LIV for “betrayal” and accusing them of “tearing the game apart.”

“I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realize that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods’ position,” McIlroy said on the podcast.

“We all turn professional to make a living playing the sports that we do, and I think that’s what I realized over the last two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision,” he added.

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is continuing negotiations to finalize an alliance with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV. The deadline was Dec. 31 before it was extended.

The PGA Tour revealed a so-called framework agreement to merge interests with the PIF, which finances LIV Golf, in a surprise announcement on June 6.

A news release posted to the PGA Tour’s website over the weekend said the tour’s goal was to bring on the PIF, Strategic Sports Group and the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) as minority co-investors in PGA Tour Enterprises — the tour’s new for-profit organization — in 2024.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: 2024 PGA Tour Brunch

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KAPALUA, HAWAII – Happy New Year 2024 and Welcome Home to PGA Tour Brunch and six-times-a-week coverage of the PGA Tour and other assorted news from the world of golf. From today through the Tournament of Champions (conclusion of the FedEx Cup Playoffs), you’ll receive a mobile friendly, e-news drop to your inbox. In most cases it will be around Noon with the following schedule:

  • Wednesday – Tournament Preview with Odds; Field, Tee Times
  • Thursday – Look at 1st Round; News; Field Update(s)
  • Friday – Recap of 1st Round; Leaders; Look at R-2
  • Saturday – Recap of 2nd Round; Notable MTCs; Weekend Preview
  • Sunday – Recap of 3rd Round; Leaderboard; News
  • Monday – Tournament Recap; First Look at Next Tournament
  • Tuesday – Off Day

As the Tour heads east to Eastern Standard, and then Eastern Daylight Time, PGA Tour Brunch will post earlier to be ahead of tee-off times. The general idea is for PGA Tour Brunch to provide a little light reading at breakfast or lunch – thus “brunch.”

Here we go for 2024. Enjoy the season and don’t let the negotiations between the Tour, LIV Golf and all the other distractions get you down.

The Sentry Tournament of Champions is the first of eight Signature Events on the 2024 PGA Tour schedule. The Signature Events will bring together the game’s top players, competing on historic courses while playing for elevated purses and increased FedExCup points.

This year, the Sentry field is comprised of all tournament winners from 2023, along with the Top 50 in last season’s FedExCup standings. FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will highlight the 59-man field. Reigning Sentry champion, Jon Rahm will not compete after signing a $600 million deal with LIV Golf. Rahm will await the completion of PGA Tour-LIV Golf negotiations now expected to be finalized before The Masters. Rory McIlroy (load management) will not compete this week but 21 of the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking will play. The 59-player field is the largest field in tournament history (breaking the mark of 42 set in 2021).

In 2022, Cameron Smith posted a pair of (64s) book-ended by a pair of (65s) to post an amazing 258 (-34) to take T of C honors and the $1,476,000 prize. In 2021, Harris English won in Maui despite not winning a tournament the previous year.

The Plantation Course at Kapalua was the easiest course on Tour relative to par during the 2022-23 season with an average of 4.078 strokes under par, its third consecutive season with the lowest scoring average on the schedule.

Much of the PGA Tour’s charitable efforts for this tournament are dedicated to helping the Maui Community recover from deadly and devastating fires that destroyed Lahaina. See the considerable and ongoing efforts HERE.

Sentry Tournament of Champions | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua

YARDS/PAR: 7,596 yards/Par 73

ARCHITECT(S): Bill Coore / Ben Crenshaw

PRIZE Money – Purse: $20,000,000; Winner: $3.6 million.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 700

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @Sentry_TOC

Sentry Tournament of Champions | Basics

The Tee Times to begin the new year at the Sentry start Thursday at 12:45pm (ET) to 4:39pm (ET).

Weather: Thursday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a 10% chance of rain. As per usual, the trade winds blow in Kapalua and they’re forecast to be at 8-14 mph with gusts to 20mph. Temperatures will range from 67-80 degrees. Chance of rain increases to 25% for Friday-Sunday.

Tournament Overview: (link)

FedEx Cup Info: (link)

PGA Tour, LIV Extend Negotiations

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH –  (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Claiming negotiations were “active and productive,” commissioner Jay Monahan told his PGA Tour members in a memo Sunday that the tour was working to extend the deadline to finalize a merger with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

The PGA Tour revealed a so-called framework agreement to merge interests with the PIF, which finances LIV Golf, in a surprise announcement on June 6. Sunday marked the deadline the two sides originally set for a final agreement.

Monahan previously called New Year’s Eve a “firm target” to complete the deal, but The Telegraph reported this week that the target had been moved to early April before the Masters is played.

A news release posted to the PGA Tour’s website said the tour’s goal was to bring on the PIF, Strategic Sports Group and the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) as minority co-investors in PGA Tour Enterprises — the tour’s new for-profit organization — in 2024.

“These partnerships will allow us to unify, innovate and invest in the game for the benefit of the players, fans and sponsors,” Monahan said in the memo.

Monahan told members that the tour had made “meaningful progress” in negotiating with Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a consortium of U.S.-based professional sports owners led by Fenway Sports Group and including figures like the New York Mets’ Steve Cohen and the Atlanta Falcons’ Arthur Blank.

“As we move forward in our discussions (with SSG), we are focused on the finalization of terms and drafts of necessary documents,” Monahan said in the memo, according to ESPN and the Associated Press, as both media outlets obtained a full copy.

–Field Level Media

McIlroy Resigns from PGA Tour Board

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former PGA Tour FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy unexpectedly resigned as a player director on the PGA Tour’s policy board on Tuesday.

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McIlroy, a four-time major champion who is the No. 2 golfer in the world, was set to serve in the position until 2024 after joining last year. But he announced his resignation in a letter to the entire board, stating that “professional and personal commitments” caused him to step down.

“Given the extraordinary time and effort that Rory — and all of his fellow player directors — have invested in the tour during this unprecedented, transformational period in our history, we certainly understand and respect his decision to step down in order to focus on his game and his family,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo sent to players.

McIlroy’s decision came one day after the board met to mull over alternate investment options since the Tour has yet to finalize a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV Golf.

As one of the golfers who is against a merger with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, McIlroy had stepped into a leadership role after the Tour’s decision on June 6 to create a framework agreement that would establish a partnership between the two sides.

After the news of a potential partnership, McIlroy voiced his frustration during a news conference on June 7 at the RBC Canadian Open. He was informed of the Tour’s plan to buddy up with Saudi Arabia’s PIF just hours before Monahan made an official announcement.

“It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens,” McIlroy said at the news conference on June 7.

Then on Tuesday, Norther Ireland’s McIlroy told reporters that he wasn’t pleased with his position on the board.

“Not what I signed for whenever I went on the board,” McIlroy said ahead of this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. “But yeah, the game of professional golf has been in flux for the last two years. Again, the overall game I think is in really good shape. But everyone focuses on this top level because it is what it is, and it’s an entertainment product and it’s a show, but the faster that it gets rectified, I think the better for everyone.”

Per tournament regulations of the PGA Tour, the other player directors still on the board must elect a golfer to serve out the rest of McIlroy’s term.

–Field Level Media

The Return of Maverick McNealy

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CABO, MEXICO – PGA Tour star Maverick McNealy is a Stanford graduate, and the 27-year-old used his business hat rather than his heart in patiently waiting to make his return to the Tour this week.

McNealy is in this week’s field at the World Wide Technologies Championship in Mexico, his first start since missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open in June. No. 26 in the FedEx Cup standings at the time, McNealy decided it was time to address a shoulder injury that had been plaguing him for four months.

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He considered returning at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, but wasn’t physically ready. McNealy really wanted to play the Shriners Children’s Open just 10 minutes from his home in Las Vegas, but that would have only provided him a minor medical extension to begin 2024.

Instead, McNealy circled this week’s event in Cabo San Lucas. Now 121st in the standings, McNealy is battling for status on tour next year, but he will now be playing on a major medical extension that provides more events to retain his status.

“I don’t know if my number’s good enough to hold up and I don’t want to leave it up to chance to maybe not be able to get all the events to start 2024,” he said Tuesday. “It was a hard business decision to not play Shriners, but I knew that World Wide Technology was going to be an event I could play.

“I’ll have probably around 11 events on this medical, so probably no more than 20 points needed over those 11 events. And I always play well in Mexico and I was really excited to get back out here. Feels like two events I can ease my way, get back in the routine, see where my body and my game are at and then hit the 2024 season running.”

McNealy’s 2023 season began to unravel with a “funny swing” following a long wait on the seventh tee at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. Ranked 60th in the Official World Golf Ranking at the time, McNealy would end up withdrawing from that event and the Waste Management Phoenix Open the following week.

He managed to make his next three cuts, but finished no better than a T36 at the Valspar. Six events and four missed cuts later while also sliding to 92nd in the OWGR, McNealy decided it was finally time to properly address the shoulder injury.

McNealy opted against surgery, choosing rather to focus on physical therapy along with a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection. He also made some alterations to his swing mechanics to alleviate stress on the area, where he said he tore the ligament that connects his collarbone to his sternum.

Now in his sixth season as a professional golfer, McNealy also used the time away from the course to get his pilot’s license. He accomplished that goal, but also discovered that he truly missed life on the PGA Tour when it was taken away from him.

“I think being away from the tour has made me realize all the things I loved and missed about it,” he said. “It’s really easy to get caught up in the FedEx Cup rankings and try to make the playoffs, trying to hit a certain world ranking, working on your game, stressing about all these different things.

“At least for me, I kind of lost sight of the fact that it’s just really, really cool to be on the PGA Tour and be a PGA Tour player. This is the greatest job on the planet.”

McNealy said he has put flying on the backburner for now. It has been “all golf lately” as he has prepared for his return. It’s that daily grind in quest of being in contention come Sunday that McNealy found he also missed.

“Sitting out for four months made me realize I missed the travel. Not that I love sitting in airport terminals for a layover, but I love seeing different parts of the world, the country, eating different foods, meeting different people, hanging out with 50 of the best golfers on the plant and playing practice rounds and $5 birdie games with those guys, testing myself, pushing myself,” he said.

“I love being outside for six to eight hours a day. I love the fact that we get to walk 50 miles.”

There are plenty of major accomplishments for McNealy to pursue in his still-young PGA Tour career. He’s still chasing his first victory — and his first ticket to play in The Masters. McNealy’s has a pair of runner-up finishes on tour — both coming in 2021 — but he has only made one career cut in a major, finishing T75 at last year’s PGA Championship.

McNealy is returning to the tour in a dogfight to retain his status in marquee events, but with a newfound perspective.

“This is what people do for recreation and we get to do it for a job,” he said. “I’m really excited to hit golf shots that matter … like really matter and really count, and test myself and play that way. It just putts things in perspective for me.

“It’s so cliche, you don’t realize what you have until you don’t have it. You always think about it, your years on the PGA Tour are limited and how do I want to spend them. And I’m just going to love being here.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Wide World Technology

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Golf at a Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.

PGA TOUR

LAST TOURNAMENT: Zozo Championship (Collin Morikawa)

THIS WEEK: World Wide Technology Championship, Los Cabos, Mexico, Nov. 2-5
Course: El Cardonal at Diamante (Par 72, 7,452 yards)
Purse: $8.2M (Winner: $1.476M)
Defending Champion: Russell Henley
FedEx Cup Champion: Viktor Hovland

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HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Saturday, 4:30-7:30 p.m. ET; Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel)
X: @WWTChampionship

NOTES: This is the first PGA Tour event to be held on a course designed by Tiger Woods. The tournament had been held in Riviera Maya for the past 16 years. … This is the fifth of seven events of the FedEx Cup Fall that finalizes eligibility for the 2024 season. Nos. 1-50 after the Tour Championship locked in their positions. Nos. 51-60 after the Fall series will qualify for two signature events next year: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational. The top 125 will be exempt into full-field events and The Players Championship, while Nos. 126-150 will earn Korn Ferry Tour status and conditional status on the PGA Tour next year. … Maverick McNealy makes his first start since the RBC Canadian Open in June. McNealy, who is the only tour player gaining more than a shot on the greens this season, has been rehabbing a shoulder injury and fell from No. 26 to No. 121 in the standings during his absence. … Michael Block, the teaching pro who finished 15th at the PGA Championship, is in the field on a sponsor exemption along with Chris Gotterup, amateur Preston Summerhays and open qualifier Billy Davis. … Winners during the Fall series receive world rankings points, a two-year PGA Tour exemption and invitations to next year’s Tournament of Champions, The Players Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship.

BEST BETS: Ludvig Aberg (+900) is seeking his first PGA Tour win, with the rookie Ryder Cup member posting a T2 and T13 in his first two fall events. … Cameron Young (+1200) is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 17 as he also seeks his maiden win on tour. This is Young’s first start since a T15 at the BMW Championship in August. … Sahith Theegala (+1600) claimed his first tour title at the Fortinet Championship and backed it up with a T19 at the Zozo Championship. … Lucas Glover (+2500) is also making his first start since the Tour Championship, where he finished T18 after winning the Wyndham and the first leg of the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude. … Emiliano Grillo (+2800), who won the Charles Schwab Challenge earlier this year, rebounded from a pair of missed cuts to finish T10 at the Zozo. … Chris Kirk (+3300) hasn’t teed it up since the BMW. He has missed five of his past nine cuts, but Kirk won the Honda last spring and has the veteran experience to be a dark horse against a somewhat modest field.

NEXT TOURNAMENT: Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Southampton, Bermuda, Nov. 9-12

DeChambeau, Crushers Take LIV

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MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Bryson DeChambeau rolled in eight birdies on his way to a 5-under 67, powering his Crushers GC to the LIV Golf Team Championship title at Trump National Doral on Sunday in South Florida.

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DeChambeau’s top teammate was Anirban Lahiri of India, who posted the round of the day with a 7-under 65 that featured an eagle, five birdies and no bogeys. Charles Howell III (even-par 72) and Englishman Paul Casey (1-over 73) rounded out the Crushers’ final score of 11-under 277.

That was two better than RangeGoats GC, who finished second at 9-under 279 behind captain Bubba Watson’s 5-under 67.

“We’ve been wanting to win this for a long time,” DeChambeau told the TV broadcast. “Last year really left us a sour taste in our mouth and I can’t be happier with this team of mine. … They worked their butts off.”

The top four seeds — 4Aces GC, Crushers GC, Torque GC and RangeGoats GC — won in Saturday’s match-play semifinals to advance to the final round. Every player’s score counted in the final round as the four squads faced off in stroke play.

Torque, captained by Joaquin Niemann of Chile, finished third at 6-under 282. Niemann did the heavy lifting with a 6-under 66, but his three teammates averaged out to even par.

Defending champion 4Aces fell flat with a team score of even-par 288 to finish fourth. Captain Dustin Johnson had five bogeys and just two birdies for his team’s highest score, a 3-over 75. Peter Uihlein led the 4Aces with a 3-under 69.

Lahiri had an early birdie-birdie-eagle stretch at Nos. 4-6 to kickstart his round.

“I wasn’t tense at all,” Lahiri said. “I was actually really pumped up. I had a couple of Sundays (this season) where I let myself down, but I wasn’t going let them down today.”

Watson concluded his first season with LIV by going bogey-free with three birdies and an eagle for his round.

“The RangeGoats came out of nowhere,” Watson said of his team. “We played great. We gotta improve a little bit, but gosh, (to) finish second for the year, it’s a great place.”

The Team Championship concluded the second season of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf circuit. LIV’s future entering 2024 remains unclear amid the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s framework agreement with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

–Field Level Media