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PGA TOUR

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

PGA: Morikawa Ends Two-Year Drought

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CHIBA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Collin Morikawa entered Sunday’s final round at the Zozo Championship in Japan, two shots behind leader Justin Suh. When it was all over, Morikawa turned the deficit into a six-stroke victory, shooting a 63 at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club to win his first title since 2021.

“Would have had to play, as it turns out, really well today to win,” said Beau Hossler, whose 70 was good enough for a tie with Eric Cole for second place at 8-under 272 for the tournament. “And that’s what champions do, right? Collin’s a proven champion on the biggest stages, so kudos to him.”

Morikawa’s Sunday round started with four birdies on the front nine. Suh, playing in the group behind Morikawa, countered with three bogeys, and by the time he made the turn, Morikawa had vaulted into the lead.

Morikawa’s bogey-free 63 was the lowest final-round score to win the Zozo in tournament history. His 14-under finish and six-stroke win was the biggest margin of victory in tournament history, besting Hideki Matsuyama’s five-stroke win in 2021.

“The game felt really good,” Morikawa said. “… Everything just kind of clicked, and we were able to not make any errors really, make the par putts when needed, and it was nice to finish off that front nine with a birdie on 8 and 9.”

Morikawa’s last PGA Tour win came at The Open Championship in 2021. Sunday’s win was his first overall since the 2021 DP World Tour Championship.

“It feels incredible,” he said of his sixth PGA Tour title. “Every win’s so different, and every experience, whether it’s winning or losing, you learn a lot, but this one just meant the world.”

Cole and Hossler entered the round tied for second at 8-under and both shot par 70 on Sunday to finish in the same spot. .

Robby Shelton fired his second 65 of the tournament — he also opened with a 65 — to move into a fourth-place tie with Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa (67). Americans took four of the first five places.

Another American, Suh, held his first-ever 54-hole lead but struggled throughout the round on Sunday with six bogeys and only two birdies. His 74 left him at 5-under for the tournament and in a tie for 10th.

Morikawa pocketed $1.53 million on Sunday. Perhaps more importantly, he walked away with both a sense of satisfaction and relief after the two-year winless drought.

“It feels so good, I can’t even explain it,” Morikawa said of his sixth PGA Tour win. “I knew I was going to get here at some point. It’s like getting your first win, your first major.”

–Field Level Media

Greg Norman Resurfaces and Optimistic

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MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman broke his months-long silence on Thursday, expressing optimism about the future of the circuit and asserting that his role will remain unchanged.

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Norman hadn’t spoken since the PGA Tour announced on June 6 a preliminary agreement with LIV that would see the two organizations and the DP World Tour form a partnership.

LIV’s existence beyond this year was called into question, as was Norman’s position — especially since Norman was unaware that Yasir Al-Rumayyan, head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund that bankrolls LIV, and its then-competitors were discussing an alliance.

Speaking on Thursday in Miami ahead of the season-ending LIV Golf Team Championship at Doral’s Blue Monster Course, Norman told reporters, “All indications are showing that the position of LIV has never been stronger and that the success of our players and our brand has never been in a better place.

“And as we look forward into 2024, we’ve got a full schedule. We’ve got some places we’ve been to before, but we’ve got some new venues as well and we’re reaching different regions.”

Norman added, “With each year that goes by, this is really going to (be) even more exciting for us. I’m definitely seeing a lot of FOMO (fear of missing out) out there. I know, personally I’m speaking to numerous players who want to come to LIV.”

As for his own position, Norman said he was never concerned, even when PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price told Congress in July, “If we reach a definitive agreement (with LIV), we would not have a requirement for that type of position (that Norman holds).”

Norman said, “I knew it wasn’t true. There is so much white noise out there. I pay zero attention to because I know sitting in this seat today, I know every step I’ve made has been for the right reasons, right reasons for the game of golf. …

“I knew LIV was always going to exist. I didn’t need to be involved in the framework agreement because the success was happening here. … “I don’t see LIV going anywhere but up. That’s all I can tell you.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Three Share Lead at Shriners

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SUMMERLIN – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Tom Kim of South Korea and Adam Hadwin of Canada posted monster rounds Saturday to vault into a three-way tie with Lanto Griffin atop the leaderboard of the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas.

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Kim fired a 9-under-par 62, one better than Hadwin’s 63 to sit at 15 under after 54 holes. Kim jumped 25 spots up the leaderboard on moving day while Hadwin improved 19 spots. Griffin, the co-leader after two rounds, shot 68.

Three players are one shot back in a tie for fourth and another four golfers sit T7 just two shots off the lead, including Switzerland’s Callum Tarren, who matched Kim’s 62 for low round of the day. Tarren vaulted 41 spots up the leaderboard and into contention.

Another seven players are just three back T11.

Adding to Kim’s phenomenal round is that he carded two bogeys — and an eagle — to go with nine birdies.

Hadwin, meanwhile, turned in a clean card with his eight birdies.

Second-round co-leader Cameron Champ shot 74, falling into a T24 at 9 under.

–Field Level Media

Ryder Cup, “Same As it Ever Was”

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ROME – There’s one thing to digest if you’re reading your feasting on your early morning PGA Tour Brunch:

It’s a massive 9 1/2 to 2 1/2 lead for Team Europe as the Saturday afternoon four ball session begin.

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Even with a formidable showing in the matches now underway, the Sunday Singles will be the USA’s only way to recover and with the way Team Europe is playing, the possibility of a Team USA comeback is as “Thin as a slice of Prosciutto.”

In its 3-1 session victory, Europe set an all-time Ryder Cup record on Saturday morning when 2023 FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg of Europe defeated the USA’s No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka, 9 & 7. That is – excuse the description – the biggest ass-kicking in the history of the matches.

The previous worst loss in a foursomes match was 7 & 6, which happened three times, most recently by Americans Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson OVER current European team captain Luke Donald and Lee Westwood in 2012.

14 1/2 is the target number for Team Europe to gain possession of the coveted Ryder Cup. Four points are on the line now and TV commentators as stating, “The USA Must Sweep to have a Chance.”

**** At tee-off for these afternoon matches, there were 16 more points to be had and the USA must win 11 1/2 to retain possession of the Ryder Cup.

Pairings for Saturday’s afternoon Four ball, now being played (as of 7:11am ET, the fourth match has teed-off)

Match 1: Sam Burns-Collin Morikawa (USA) vs. Viktor Hovland-Ludvig Åberg (Europe)

Match 2: Max Homa-Brian Harman (USA) vs. Tommy Fleetwood-Nicolai Højgaard (Europe)

Match 3: Justin Thomas-Jordan Spieth (USA) vs. Justin Rose-Robert MacIntyre (Europe)

Match 4: Patrick Cantlay-Wyndham Clark (USA) vs. Matt Fitzpatrick-Rory McIlroy (Europe)

Saturday, Sept. 30 Results

Session Three: Foursomes

Europe – USA – Result

R.McIlroy/T.Fleetwood vs. J.Thomas/J.Spieth – Team Europe won 2 & 1

V.Hovland/L.Åberg vs. S.Scheffler/B.Koepka – Team Europe won 9 & 7

S.Lowry/S.Straka vs. M.Homa/B.Harman – U.S. Team won 4 & 2

J.Rahm/T.Hatton vs. P.Cantlay/X.Schauffele – Team Europe won 2 & 1

Friday, Sept. 29 Results

Session Two: Four Ball

United States Europe Results

Thomas/Spieth Hovland/Hatton Tied

Scheffler/Koepka Rahm/Hojgaard Tied

Homa/Clark MacIntyre/Rose Tied

Morikawa/Schauffele McIlroy/Fitzpatrick 5 & 3 EU

Session One: Foursomes

United States Europe Results

Scheffler/Burns Rahm/Hatton 4 & 3 EU

Homa/Harman Hovland/Aberg 4 & 3 EU

Fowler/Morikawa Lowry/Straka 2 & 1 EU

Schauffele/Cantlay McIlroy/Fleetwood 2 & 1 EU

Ryder Cup Preview

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2023 Ryder Cup | Preview and Schedule

BOSTON – Gone are Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood – the elder statesmen of European golf and mainstays of victory for past Team Europe wins on their home soil. In their place, the likes of Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg.

Gone are LIV golfers (other than Brooks Koepka). Whether they are Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson or Bryson DeChambeau of the USA or Ian Poulter, GraemeMcDowell, Martin Kaymer or Henrik Stenson, in addition to Garcia and Westwood – the formation of the Saudi-based LIV Tour has changed the face of the 2023 Ryder Cup more than anything in the history of the competition, dating back to 1927 when it was played right down the Mass Pike from here in Boston in Worcester, Mass.

In place are two talented rosters of Team USA and host Team Europe players, anchored by FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland of Norway, Rory McIlroy of N. Ireland and Jon Rahm of Spain for the Europeans and Scottie Scheffler, PatrickCantlay and the formidable team of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas of the United States.

Odds-makers have the USA slightly favored even though Team USA hasn’t won on Euro-soil since 1993 – before most of the current US team members were born.

Team Rosters

Europe 🇪🇺

Team Europe Page (link)

Captain: Luke Donald

Rory McIlroy

Jon Rahm

Robert MacIntyre

Viktor Hovland

Tyrrell Hatton

Matt Fitzpatrick

Tommy Fleetwood

Sepp Straka

Justin Rose

Shane Lowry

Nicolai Hojgaard

Ludvig Aberg

USA 🇺🇸

USA Team Page (link)

Captain: Zach Johnson

Sam Burns

Patrick Cantlay

Wyndham Clark

Rickie Fowler

Brian Harman

Max Homa

Brooks Koepka

Collin Morikawa

Xander Schauffele

Scottie Scheffler

Jordan Spieth

Justin Thomas

Ryder Cup Odds

USA (-115)

Europe (+100)

Draw (+1100) – Cup would remain with USA

(As of 9/27) – Odds by Digital Sports Desk – Betting Hero

The Basics

COURSE: Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Rome, Italy

ARCHITECT: European Golf Design in cooperation with Tom Fazio II (2018-2021

YARDS/PAR: 7,181/71

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Team USA (19 to 9)

PAST RESULTS: Last Ryder Cup played at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, USA (Link)

SOCIAL MEDIA: #RyderCup @PGA #RyderCupUSA #GoUSA @RyderCupEurope #TeamEurope

OFFICIAL SITE: (Ryder Cup)

FORMAT: Each of the first two days includes one four-match session of fourball and one four-match session of foursomes. The final day is reserved for 12 singles matches.

FOUR-BALL: In four-ball, each member of a two-man team plays his own ball, so four balls are in play on every hole. Each team counts the lowest of its two scores on each hole, and the team whose player has the lowest score wins the hole. If the low scores are tied, the hole is halved.

FOURSOMES: In foursomes, each two-man team plays one ball per hole with the players taking turns until each hole is complete. Players alternate hitting tee shots, with one leading off on odd-numbered holes, and the other hitting first on even-numbered holes. The team with the low score on each hole wins that hole. If their scores are tied, the hole is halved.

SINGLES: In singles, each match features one player from each team. The player with the lower score on each hole wins that hole. If their scores are tied, the hole is halved.

SCORING: Each match is worth one point, with matches ending in a tie worth ½ point to each side. The first team to reach 14 ½ points wins the Ryder Cup. If the matches end in a 14-14 tie, the team holding the Ryder Cup (USA) retains it.

The Schedule

NBC and USA NETWORK will provide TV coverage of the 2023 Ryder Cup with lengthy telecasts all three days of the tournament. Check out the full TV schedule below.

  • Thursday, Sept. 28: 10am-1pm ET (Opening Ceremonies on Golf Channel)
  • Friday, Sept. 29: 1:30am-12am ET (USA)
  • Saturday, Sept. 30: 1:30-3am ET (USA); 3am-12 Noon ET (NBC, Peacock)
  • Sunday, Oct. 1: 5:30am -1pm ET (NBC, Peacock)

What They’re Saying

An Event Like No Other (RyderCupCom) – (Jim Nantz, does that sound familiar)?

Rory: European LIV Golfers Will Miss Ryder Cup (SkySports)

Comprehensive Preview and Coverage by NBC Sports/Golf Channel (GolfChannel)

Ryder Cup Preview by Golf Magazine (GolfCom)

Ryder Cup Preview, Predictions (ESPNCom)

Ryder Cup: Expert Opinions, Picks (CBS SportsCom)

Why Each Team Can Win (PGATourCom)

On This Day in Golf History

September 27, 2015 – Jordan Spieth completed his magical break-through season on the PGA Tour by winning the year-end Tour Championship at East Lake GC in Atlanta – and with that – the FedEx Cup title. Spieth shot a final round of (69) to beat Henrik Stenson by four strokes. Then 22-year old Spieth won a cool $12.03 million for the tournament and FedEx Cup prize money to bring his season total to $22 million as he also took the purse at The Masters and the U.S. Open. Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | Sept 24

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on Ryder Cup, Best/Worst of NFL

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The Opening Ceremony of the 2023 Ryder Cup will take place this Thursday at 10:00am ET. The foursomes and four-ball competition starts this Friday, September 29th with first tee time at 1:35 AM (ET) and the Ryder Cup will be presented to the winning team on Sunday, Oct 1, 2023 – a week from today.

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TV coverage of the biennial match play golf tournament will be provided by a combination of USA Network and its parent company, NBC Sports. Streaming is available via NBC’s Peacock Network and the Ryder Cup (www.rydercup.com) and the Ryder Cup app.

The TEAMS:

🇺🇸 The visiting USA Team will feature:

  • Scottie Scheffler
  • Wyndham Clark
  • Patrick Cantlay
  • Brian Harman
  • Max Homa
  • Xander Schaufele
  • Sam Burns
  • Rickie Fowler
  • Brooks Koepka
  • Collin Morakawa
  • Jordan Spieth
  • Justin Thomas
  • Captain: Zach Johnson

🇪🇺 The European host team will feature:

  • Rory McIlroy
  • Jon Rahm
  • Viktor Hovland
  • Tyrrell Hatton
  • Matt Fitzpatrick
  • Robert MacIntyre
  • Justin Rose
  • Tommy Fleetwood
  • Shane Lowry
  • Ludvig Aberg
  • Sepp Straka
  • Nicolai Hojgaard
  • Captain: Luke Donald

FUN FACTS: The USA has NOT won on European soil since 1993 at The Belfry. … In 2021, the USA won the Ryder Cup at Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits, marking a record of a 10-point victory, the largest since the USA and Europe (not the UK) squared off in 1979. … The USA has No. 1 rankedScottie Scheffler but Europe can claim No. 2-5 with N. Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, Spain’s Jon Rahm and Norway’s Viktor Hovland. … If you place Hovland at the No. 1 slot because of his 2023 FedEx Cup victory and Erling Haaland as the No. 1 footballer in the world, playing for Man City, you’ll note Norway has the top two athloetes in teh world. Add Germany as the FIBA World Cup champion, and Serbia’s Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets as the MVP of the NBA Finals, you get the picture on the marvelous results being registered by European athletes.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: After this weekend’s three game set with the Chicago White Sox, the Boston Red Sox will have only two more games at Fenway Park before the turf plays host to some Thanksgiving high school football games. The Red Sox face the Tampa Bay Rays (2 games) and the Baltimore Orioles (4-games at Camden Yards) to close out the year against two of the American League’s very best.

Saturday, September 23rd, also known as Week 4 of the College Football season, is really Game 1 for a lot of teams as they face conference competition across the nation. There’s some great non-Conference battles, too, as in Ohio State playing Notre Dame in South Bend.

The “Instant Classic” of the weekend was the Florida State at Clemsongame, won by Florida St., 31-24 in overtime.

There were so many great college football games on TV that my remote threatened to join the United Auto Workers’ picket lines. … The remote was so worn out that it asked for seven days off and an all expenses paid vacation trip to Aruba. … There were so many great games going on at the same time that a friend in New York City walked 8,700 steps as he went from screen-to-screen inside a Sports Bar.

The losers in the deal? How about LIV Golf, being televised by the CW Network facing big-time college football comp on ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2 and everything on ESPN+, FOX, the ACC Network, the Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Net, and so on.

Wouldn’t LIV Golf be better off basing its September tournaments in Europe where they could play to an early morning audience in the USA, say 7:00am to 11:00am ET?

THE BEST AND WORST OF THE NFL: Frequently, there are despicable acts of violence by NFL fans at stadiums across the country. This week? It was too much as a fan in Buffalo was apprehended as the USA Todayheadline read: An unidentified football fan who was naked and “covered in human excrement” was discovered in a construction site hole near the Buffalo Bills home opener on Sunday. The extent of his injuries was a cut on his forehead.

Believe it or not, it got worse. Much worse.

Dale Mooney, a 53-year-old New England Patriots’ fan and New Hampshire resident, fell unconscious in the fourth quarter of New England’s Sunday Night Football game against the Miami Dolphins, falling unconscious in the upper deck of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and could not be revived.

He was punched by a Miami Dolphins fan and fell down, witnesses said, but the blow might not have been the cause of Mooney’s death.

“Preliminary autopsy results did not suggest traumatic injury, but did identify a medical issue,” according to a statement Wednesday from the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office. “Cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending further testing.”

The fact of the matter is that a drunken Patriots fan jawed throughout the game and then confronted a rival Miami supporter. There’s been no formal or final determination by the authorities and the incident remains under investigation.

The incidents this week prompt a listing of the worst fans (and best fans) in the NFL:

WORST FANS:

Worst – J.E.T.S. – Jets, Jets, Jets ✈️

2nd – J.E.T.S. – Jets, Jets, Jets ✈️

3rd – J.E.T.S. – Jets, Jets, Jets ✈️

That’s no typo!

4. Eagles 🦅

5. Raiders 🍂

6. Dolphins 🐬

7. Cowboys 🤠

8. Patriots 🇬🇧 —> 🇺🇸

9. Bengals 🐅 (lethargic/front runners)

10. Steelers ⚒️

BEST and MOST LOYAL NFL FANS:

1. Packers

2. Giants

3. Bills

4. Da Bears

5. Broncos

6. Cowboys

7. Seahawks

8. Chiefs

9. DC Commanders

10. Lions

TIDBITS: While We’re Young (Ideas) is NOT a gossip column. It’s not Page 6. It’s not even TMZ. But, the Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce dating “thing” is just too much to let pass by without mention. Rumors began circulating that Kelce and Swift were dating weeks ago, about the time Kelce suffered a bone bruise in practice two days before the Chiefs’ 21-20 season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions.

Kelce missed that game – his first DNP since 2013 – but returned for NFL Week 2 when he scored a touchdown in a 17-9 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While Kelce and Swift have remained silent, friends of Swift and the brother of Kelce have been feeding the frenzy.

“It’s hilarious how much traction this has gotten,” said Jason Kelce, the KC tight end’s brother. “Right now, it’s like that old game in school called ‘telephone’ where everyone is whispering in everyone’s ear and hearing random stuff. No one actually knows what’s going on, especially when you’ve got Jason Kelce on live television telling people both sides … The guy can’t stay out of the frickin’ headlines.”

“I try to keep his business kind of his business, stay out of that world. But having said that, I think he’s doing great, and I think it’s all 100% true,” J. Kelce added.

Sources with a Swift insider resume also broke silence and commented on her behalf.

“She and Travis have hung out twice, and it’s nothing serious. She thinks he is very charming, and they have been texting this last week,” said the Swifty exclusively to The Messenger. “He is a little embarrassed at how much attention they are getting, but he has told her he would love to continue seeing her.”

“They are seeing where things go.” However, the football star has some stiff competition for the singer’s attention. “Her friends are always playfully suggesting people to set her up with,” the source continues.

Calling Tom Brady?

Nah.

SOCCER HUB: The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced that Boston was awarded expansion rights for the league’s 15th team. Boston Unity Soccer Partners (BUSC), an all-female core ownership group led by a diverse and dynamic leadership team, will head-up the venture. The new club is set to kick-off in the 2026 season, bringing world-class women’s soccer back to the country’s No. 9 media market to play in a region with a championship legacy for a fan base that has earned a reputation as one of the most passionate in all of sports.

The announcement follows the addition of two other NWSL expansion teams earlier this year, Utah Royals FC and Bay Area FC, which are both slated to begin play in 2024.

RIP DENNIS D’AGOSTINO: A week after writing a memorial tribute to the NBA’s Bruni Gill, it’s another sad day to recognize the sudden passing of New York Mets, New York Knicks and our NBA Finals/All-Star Game media relations cohort Dennis D’Agostino. … Dennis’ upbeat attitude, a hard work ethic to always get the job done right and a unique personality and sense of humor that was loved and appreciated by everyone he came in contact with over his many years in sports. D’Agostino most recently re-located from his native New York (Whitestone) by way of Fordham University in the Bronx to Los Angeles where he and his bride, Helene Elliott of the LA Times, enjoyed their lives together in a grand way. … This columnist has fond memories of D’Agostino at the Mets, Knicks and at LA Dodgers games but also from the many New York Knicks media trips to Saratoga Race Course. Etched in my mind is the day he inserted a VHS tape of “Day at the Races” – the Marx Brothers’ classic – into a player for a long bus ride from The Garden to Saratoga Race Course for a summertime Knicks’ media outing! … We laughed and laughed and -zip – we were in Saratoga! D’Agostino’s memorial service will be held in New Jersey on September 30.

PARTING WORDS AND MUSIC: While considering a post highlighting the recent stadium concerts performed by Taylor Swift, there’s absolutely no chance this week’s column isn’t going to plug the “Garden-to-Garden” pair of concerts by the Tedeschi Trucks Band to be played this week.

We’ll start off at TD Boston Garden on Wednesday, September 27 and conclude Friday, September 29 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Derek Trucks’ cohort as lead guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band, Warren Haynes, will sit-in at the Boston show, while Phish phenom Trey Anastasioand Norah Jones will each make appearances with TTB at NYC’s Garden.

It’ll be great.

Here’s a sampling of the Tedeschi Trucks Band doing “Anyhow” and Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues,” performed at the most beautiful, striking and astonishing concert venues in the world, at Red Rocks outside of Denver, Colorado.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly Sunday Sports Notebook and news column written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city news stand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, quotes and quips.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.