DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Servi ce Report) – World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has racked up massive credentials, but his latest achievement came with special significance.

Scheffler won a tournament for the first time this year and did so in a big way, shooting 8-under-par 63 in the final round Sunday for an eight-stroke victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas.

“This story means a lot to me,” he said. “It’s my first start as a pro 11 years ago (in this event). I had my sister (as caddie for the tournament). She’s back there, too.”

Scheffler tied the PGA Tour record for lowest 72-hole score at 31-under 253. His bogey on the par-3 17th prevented him from breaking the record.

Scheffler captured his first championship in more than eight months, doing so near his native Dallas. It’s his 14th PGA Tour victory.

He didn’t enter the tournament at TPC Craig Ranch last year because he was about to become a first-time father.

“It feels like a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice for little moments like these, and they’re pretty special,” he said.

South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen was the runner-up, also shooting 63 for the final round and ending at 23 under.

Joining Scheffler with the hometown vibes for this tournament were Sam Stevens and Jordan Spieth.

“What he’s doing is inspiring,” Spieth said of Scheffler.

Stevens shot 64 for third place at 20 under. Spieth’s 62 tied his personal best on the PGA Tour and allowed him to rise to fourth place at 19 under.

Scheffler led each step of the way for his first victory since wrapping up the Tour Championship on Sept. 1.

After a weather-related interruption Friday and a late-afternoon tee time for Saturday’s third round that finished after dusk, it was smooth sailing for Scheffler on the tournament’s last day.

He began the round with an eight-stroke lead and recorded five birdies, a bogey and then an eagle on No. 9 for a front-nine score of 30. He was 29 under through the tournament’s first 63 holes.

van Rooyen also notched a front-nine 30 but made up no ground.

The hometown favorite then moved into record territory with birdies on Nos. 11, 14 and 15. He was in the rough off the tee on No. 17 and, after his chip shot rolled back off the green, settled for bogey.

But winning a tournament named after Nelson added to the importance for Scheffler.

“He was a great person, a family man, and I’m proud to be the champion at his event,” he said.

Spieth and Scheffler are longtime friends. Being near the top of the leaderboard together was special, but because of the margin they weren’t exactly jockeying for position.

“I don’t think this counts,” Spieth said. “I went off two hours ahead of him. Yeah, it would have been really cool if I were the one in that last group, and at least we were going back and forth a little. That would have been pretty fun, just being hometown players.”

Stevens soaked in the atmosphere. He had his best round of the tournament Sunday, bouncing back after Saturday’s 70.

“It was nice to kind of keep the pedal down a little bit,” Stevens said.

Spieth embraced what has been a steady recent rise. He said good fortune contributed.

“I got a bit lucky on 18. I thought I hit it in the water, and I ended up making birdie,” Spieth said. “Those are the kinds of breaks you need to sometimes shoot 62.”

Eight golfers tied for fifth place at 17 under: Sam Burns (65), Mark Hubbard (65), Will Gordon (65), Eric Cole (67), Kurt Kitayama (68), Ricky Castillo (69), Adam Schenk (69) and Japan’s Takumi Kanaya (65).

–Field Level Media

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AUGUSTA – (Wire Service Report) – Jim Dent, a pioneering Black golfer, one of the PGA Tour’s longest hitters and a 12-time winner on what is now PGA Tour Champions, died at age 85 on Friday.

Dent, who died a week before his birthday in his native Augusta, Ga., was recovering from the effects of a stroke, the PGA Tour said.

“A lot of people will remember Jim Dent for how far he hit the ball, and he really did. Yet his long-term success, especially on our tour, proved Jim was more than just long off the tee,” said PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady. “Jim was as easy going as he was competitive, and he added so much during his time as a PGA Tour Champions player. We offer our sincere condolences to his entire family.”

Dent worked as a teenager caddying at Augusta Municipal Golf Course, known at “The Patch.” He also worked at Augusta National Golf Club but in his adult years never qualified as a player for the Masters in 16 consecutive campaigns on the PGA Tour, when he never appeared in less than 22 tournaments a season.

Turning pro in 1966 and qualifying for the PGA Tour starting in 1971, Dent made the cut in 296 of 450 tour events, including 25 top-10 finishes, and earned $565,809 in official money in a different era for tournament purses.

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McKINNEY, TEXAS – THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson is held in the northern suburbs of Dallas, not too far from the sports paradise of Frisco. The TPC Craig Ranch will host THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson for the fifth time, honoring the legacy of the tournament namesake, Byron Nelson. It was the first PGA TOUR event to be named in honor of a professional golfer. Nelson had 52 career PGA TOUR wins, and won a record – 18 titles with 11 straight – in 1945.

Native Texan Jordan Spieth of Dallas will make his 13th career tournament appearance. His best finish? Was 2nd/2022. He made his PGA TOUR debut as a 16-year-old at this event in 2010 and finished T16 that year. He has finished inside the Top 20 in each of his last three starts on TOUR (T12/Valero Texas Open, T14/Masters Tournament, T18/RBC Heritage)

CJ Group ambassadors in the field include: Byeong Hun An, Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kimand Kris Kim; Im (No. 20) and An (No. 37) are the two highest-ranked players from South Korea in the Official World Golf Ranking.

An interesting factoid: 11 of the last 16 champions at THE CJ CUP Bryon Nelson have been international players, including the last five (Sung Kang/South Korea/2019, K.H.Lee/South Korea/2021-22, Jason Day/Australia/2023, Taylor Pendrith/Canada/2024)

Sung Kang (2019) and Taylor Pendrith (2024) are the two past champions in the field

THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Tournament Facts

COURSE: TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas

YARDS/PAR: 7,569 yards/Par 71

ARCHITECT: Tom Weiskopf

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $9,900,000/$1,782,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Taylor Pendrith

PAST RESULTS: (link)

OVERVIEW: (PGATourCom)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup

BYRON NELSON ORGANIZATION: (link)

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NEW ORLEANS – This is the eighth year the Zurich Classic of New Orleans will be played in a two-man team format, which was introduced in 2017 (postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19). Teams will play Four-ball in the first and third rounds, and Foursomes (alternate shot) in the second and final rounds.

Each player on the winning team will receive 400 FedExCup points, $1,329,400, a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR (through 2027) and entry into the three remaining Signature Events.

This week’s field is highlighted by six players inside the Top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking, including two of the top five (No. 2/Rory McIlroy, No. 4/Collin Morikawa).

Some tournament notes:

• Teams in the field that have won this tourney beforehand: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (2024), Nick Hardy and Davis Riley (2023)
• Players who won with different partners: Billy Horschel (2018 with Scott Piercy) and Ryan Palmer (2019 with LIVs Jon Rahm)
• Players who won in the individual format: Nick Watney (2007), Jason Dufner (2012), Billy Horschel (2013). Horschel is the only player who has won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans both in the individual and team format (2013, 2018)
• Seven teams that finished inside the Top 10 in 2024 are paired together in 2025: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (Won), Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard (3rd), Garrick Higgo and Ryan Fox (T4), Zac Blair and Patrick Fishburn (T4), MaxGreyserman and Nico Echavarria (T4), Thomas Detry and Robert MacIntyre(T8), Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin (10th)
• Charley Hoffman and Nick Watney are the only pair to compete together in all seven previous editions of the team format. The duo has two Top-10s together, including a T5 in 2017.

Zurich Classic | Tournament Facts

ARCHITECT: Pete Dye

YARDS/PAR: 7,425 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $9,200,000/$1,329,400

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy

OVERVIEW: (link)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winners: 400 to each player

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @Zurich_Classic

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The Zurich Classic | Tournament Preview

Each player on the winning team will receive 400 FedExCup points, $1,329,400, a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR (through 2027) and entry into the three remaining Signature Events.

This week’s field is highlighted by six players inside the Top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking, including two of the top five (No. 2/Rory McIlroy, No. 4/Collin Morikawa).

Some tournament notes:

Teams in the field that have won this tourney beforehand: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (2024), Nick Hardy and Davis Riley (2023)
Players who won with different partners: Billy Horschel (2018 with Scott Piercy) and Ryan Palmer (2019 with LIVs Jon Rahm)
Players who won in the individual format: Nick Watney (2007), Jason Dufner (2012), Billy Horschel (2013). Horschel is the only player who has won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans both in the individual and team format (2013, 2018)
Seven teams that finished inside the Top 10 in 2024 are paired together in 2025: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry (Won), Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard (3rd), Garrick Higgo and Ryan Fox (T4), Zac Blair and Patrick Fishburn (T4), Max Greyserman and Nico Echavarria (T4), Thomas Detry and Robert MacIntyre
(T8), Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin (10th)
Charley Hoffman and Nick Watney are the only pair to compete together in all seven previous editions of the team format. The duo has two Top-10s together, including a T5 in 2017.

Zurich Classic | Tournament Facts

COURSE: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, LA

ARCHITECT: Pete Dye

YARDS/PAR: 7,425 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $9,200,000/$1,329,400

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy

OVERVIEW: (link)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winners: 400 to each player

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HILTON HEAD – Justin Thomas defeated Andrew Novak with a birdie-3 on the first playoff hole (No. 18) to take the 17th playoff in RBC Heritage history and first since 2023 (Matt Fitzpatrick def. Jordan Spieth).

It was the fifth playoff on TOUR this season and second consecutive: The others? Sony Open in Hawaii, Mexico Open at Vidanta World, The PLAYERS Championship, and Masters Tournament.

Career Playoff Records:

• Justin Thomas: 5-2
• Andrew Novak: 0-1

Thomas earned his 16th PGA TOUR victory in his 250th start at age of 31 years, 11 months, 22 days. It was his 59th PGA TOUR start since his last victory at the 2022 PGA Championship (span of 1,064 days).

RBC Heritage | Final Leaderboard

P1 Justin Thomas 61 69 69 68 267 (-17)

P2 Andrew Novak 68 65 66 68 267 (-17)

T3 Daniel Berger 70 67 68 65 270 (-14)

T3 Mackenzie Hughes 68 66 69 67 270 (-14)

T3 Brian Harman 66 69 66 69 270 (-14)

T3 Maverick McNealy 70 65 65 70 270 (-14)

Final Leaderboard: (link)

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HILTON HEAD – The RBC Heritage from Harbor Town is the fifth of eight Signature Events of the PGA Tour season. The tournament includes 43 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, headlined by World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 3 Xander Schauffele, No. 4 Collin Morikawa and No. 5 Ludvig Åberg.

The field features:

• 56 players in the field competed at last week’s Masters Tournament, including seven who finished inside the top 10: Justin Rose (2nd), Scottie Scheffler (4th), Sungjae Im (T5), Ludvig Åberg (7th), Xander Schauffele (T8), Jason Day (T8), Corey Conners (T8).
• Four past champions: Matt Kuchar (2014), Jordan Spieth (2022), Matt Fitzpatrick (2023), Scottie Scheffler (2024).
• Seven past FedEx Cup champions: Billy Horschel (2014), Jordan Spieth (2015), Justin Thomas (2017), Justin Rose (2018), Patrick Cantlay (2021), Viktor Hovland (2023), Scottie Scheffler (2024).
• Sponsor exemptions: Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Mackenzie Hughes, and Jordan Spieth.

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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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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.

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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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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