PGA Tour

Hovland Takes the ’23 FedEx Cup

August 27, 2023 by Terry Lyons

ATLANTA – Viktor Hovland of Norway earned his sixth PGA TOUR victory in his 98th start at the age of 25 years, 11 months, 9 days and became only the fourth player in history to win the BMW Championship and FedExCup in the same season, joining Tiger Woods (2007, 2009), Billy Horschel (2014) and Patrick Cantlay (2021). He became the eighth player to win consecutive FedEx Cup Playoffs events.

For his efforts the past two weeks and for the regular season work before, Hovland pocketed $18,000,000 and won the FedEx Cup.

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With apologies to Lionel Messi of Argentina, it is safe to say the best 1500 and 5000m runner (Jakob Ingebrigtsen), the best futbol player (Erling Haaland) and the best pro golfer (Viktor Hovland) all hail from Norway.

Hovland’s 68-64-66-63 (-19) – and (-8 start) = (-27) five stroke victory over Xander Schauffele (-22) marked the largest margin of victory in the FedEx Cup starting strokes era. The difference was the FedEx Cup starting strokes – (-8) to (-3).

In his first TOUR Championship start, Wyndham Clark finished solo-third, the best performance among the five first-time participants in the field and the best finish of a player making their TOUR Championship debut since Schauffele won in 2017.

With a fourth-place finish, three-time FedEx Cup Champion Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019, 2022) earned his 10th consecutive Top 10 finish on TOUR, the longest streak of his career.

TOUR Championship | Final Round Highlights

TOUR Championship | Final Standings

1 Viktor Hovland $18,000,000

2 Xander Schauffele $6,500,000

3 Wyndham Clark $5,000,000

4 Rory McIlroy $4,000,000

5 Patrick Cantlay $3,000,000

T6 Tommy Fleetwood $2,000,000

T6 Scottie Scheffler $2,000,000

T6 Collin Morikawa $2,000,000

Full Leaderboard: (link)

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @FedExChamp @TourChampionship

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Aug 27

August 27, 2023 by Terry Lyons

While We’re Young (Ideas) | A Look at the NE Patriots’ Tough Road

By TERRY LYONS

FOXBORO – After missing a few concert dates in Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band came back as strong as ever on Thursday night and they’ll be icing the guitar strings by the time you read this (on Saturday night or Sunday morning) after their second of two shows in New England.

The rock show stage and equipment trucks will head to Met Life Stadium on Sunday but the real question is whether the New England Patriots can bounce back as quickly as Springsteen did.

In two of three preseason games, the Patriots couldn’t break 10 points, the last coming Friday night, a 23-7 loss at Tennessee (hardly the strength of the AFC). New England previously fell, 20-7, to Houston and – in between – they managed a 21-17 victory at Green Bay, hardly the Pack of old. Only the Houston Texans game was at Gillette Stadium.

The old adage is to never put much stock in NFL preseason games, as second stringers battle for roster positions and veterans sit-out for health reasons and load management, but the main issue facing the Patriots as summer preseason games fade to opening day is a dose of reality – a reality speech you won;t hear on Boston sports talk radio or on WBZ-TV.

The fact of the matter is New England has a very tough schedule over the first eight weeks of the NFL regular season.

The Patriots open with two home games, against Philadelphia and Miami. A split would be an admirable outcome. From there, it gets dicey, especially with the fact four of the next six games are on the road. Here’s a quick look at the opening eight:

Sept. 10 – vs Philadelphia
Sept. 17 – vs. Miami
Sept. 24 – at NY Jets
Oct. 1 – at Dallas
Oct. 8 – vs New Orleans
Oct. 15 – at Las Vegas
Oct. 22 – vs Buffalo
Oct. 29 – at Miami

It’s entirely within reason that the New England Patriots start the year (1-7) or, ahem, (0-8) and with their highest hopes of being – (4-4) after eight weeks.

At the tail-end of the regular season, it doesn’t look any better, as the Patriots will face the two toughest teams in the AFC and two teams on the rise. Their “final four” schedule is as follows:

Dec. 18 – vs Kansas City
Dec. 24 – at Denver
Dec. 31 – at Buffalo
Jan. 7 – vs NY Jets

Two of the huge unknowns of this NFL season are within the AFC East.

Will QB Aaron Rodgers and an improved NYJ offense warrant a playoff spot?
Will the Miami Dolphins continue to improve and can oft-injured QB Tua Tagovailoa stay healthy, take the next step and compete with Buffalo and New York for the AFC East Divsional title?

The prediction here is for Buffalo to dominate the division but for the NY Jets to step-up to No. 2 and a playoff berth. The Dolphins and Patriots are likely to be (8-8, at best) and receive the home version of the game by New Year’s Eve.

Rodgers’ impact – as seen in this year’s HARD KNOCKS – is clearly evident. His throws remain effortless and his tutelage to young NYJ QB Zach Wilson might put the J-E-T-S’ quarterback situation amongst the NFL elite for a decade to come. Meanwhile, New England’s QB Mac Jones will face increasing pressure – both on and off the field – as the New England faithful long for the halcyon days of Tom Brady. Even the wizardry of Patriots coach Bill Belichick can’t team poise and performance under pressure. He’ll have to rely on defensive techniques and let the man who wears the “Mac” in the pouring rain, be very strained.

TID-BITS: Doesn’t the career arc of Phil Mickelson reflect the career arc of Rudy Giuliani (minus the recent State of Georgia indictment)? … A bad night on Chicago’s South Side has given a whole new meaning to the phrase “Bloody Sox.” Police in Chicago are investigating a shooting that left two women with non-life-threatening injuries Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field as the White Sox lost to the Oakland Athletics. In a statement issued early Saturday, the White Sox confirmed the incident and said it was unclear whether the women, who were in outfield seats in left field, were struck by bullets that came from inside or outside the park. Chicago police said one woman, 42, sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, listed in fair condition. The other woman, 26, was grazed by a bullet to the abdomen but declined medical attention. In its statement, the team implied the incident was unprovoked. “While the police continue to investigate, White Sox security confirms that this incident did not involve an altercation of any kind,” the team said. “The White Sox are thinking of the victims at this time and wishing them a speedy recovery.”

BC OPENER: The Notre Dame v Navy (in Ireland) score will be in the books by the time you read this, but the bulk of College Football games will be played next weekend with games beginning Thursday night. On Saturday, September 2, the Boston College Eagles will open their 2023 season at home against an always tough Northern Illinois Huskies squad. BC opens with three home games, the third against potential ACC champion Florida State. That said, the September 16 (Noon) game on ABC will be the annual “Red Bandana” game. Look out Seminoles!

WHEN YOU THINK OF IT: The next few weeks will include some of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. Here’s a quick list – top of mind:

FIBA World Cup of Basketball
TOUR Championship/FedEx Cup Playoffs Finale
Opening of NCAA College Football
Opening of NFL regular season
US Open Tennis
Rugby World Cup
Conclusion of 2023 MLB Season
MLB Post Season
MLB World Series
Solheim Cup
Ryder Cup Golf
Pan American Games (Chile)

PGA Tour: FedEx Cup Finale

August 27, 2023 by PGA Tour Brunch

ATLANTA – Viktor Hovland recorded a third-round (66) in his fourth consecutive start at the TOUR Championship. Hovland has qualified every year since joining the TOUR in 2020 and now holds a six stroke lead to tie the largest 54-hole lead in the FedExCup starting strokes era. The previous best: Scottie Scheffler/2022/Finished T-2).

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Morikawa, Hovland Surge to Lead after 36

August 26, 2023 by PGA Tour Brunch

ATLANTA – With birdies on his final two holes, Collin Morikawa opened with rounds of 61-64 –(125) to break the TOUR Championship 36-hole scoring record of 127, previously set by Tiger Woods in 2007.

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Tying Morikawa on the leaderboard, but not with a TOUR record-setting performance, Viktor Hovland recorded a second-round 64 in his fourth consecutive start at the TOUR Championship and sits (68-64 and -16) after starting at (-8) and the No. 2 slot in the FedEx Cup standings after winning last week’s BMW Championship.

Scottie Scheffler (3rd place) enters the weekend two shots back, marking the second time in the FedEx Cup starting strokes era that the No. 1 seed entering the week has not held at least a share of the 36-hole lead (Justin Thomas/2019).

With two great rounds in the 60s (63-67), Travelers Championship winner Keegan Bradley sits in 4th place heading into the weekend. The favorite son of New England plays well in the Georgia sun.

Making his seventh consecutive start at the TOUR Championship, Xander Schauffele (T5) carded a second-round (64) to reach 12-under, recording his 23rd of 26 career rounds under par in the event.

With a 3-under 67, three-time FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy (7th) recorded his 30th consecutive round at par or better on TOUR, the longest active current streak. McIlroy is looking to become the first back-to-back FedEx Cup champion.

Whole Lotta Golf is ahead and they’ll tee it up for third round at 12:21pm today at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta,

TOUR Championship | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

T1 Viktor Hovland – 68-64 (-16)

T1 Collin Morikawa – 61-64 (-16)

3 Scottie Scheffler – 71-65 (-14)

4 Keegan Bradley – 63-67 (-13)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Morikawa, Hovland Lead TOUR Champ

August 25, 2023 by PGA Tour Brunch

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With two great rounds in the 60s (63-67), Travelers Championship winner KeeganBradley sits in 4th place heading into the weekend. The favorite son of New England plays well in the Georgia sun.

Making his seventh consecutive start at the TOUR Championship, Xander Schauffele(T5) carded a second-round (64) to reach 12-under, recording his 23rd of 26 career rounds under par in the event.

Whole Lotta Golf is ahead and they’ll tee it up for third round at 12:21pm today at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta,

TOUR Championship | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

T1 Viktor Hovland – 68-64 (-16)

T1 Collin Morikawa – 61-64 (-16)

3 Scottie Scheffler – 71-65 (-14)

4 Keegan Bradley – 63-67 (-13)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Morikawa Leads TOUR Championship

August 24, 2023 by PGA Tour Brunch

ATLANTA – Collin Morikawa opened with career-low (61) in only his 98th PGA TOUR start. He set the tournament record for lowest opening round in this event. Morikawa has not won on TOUR since the 2020-21 season.

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Keegan Bradley, winner of the 2023 Travelers, recorded his lowest score in 17 rounds at the TOUR Championship, shooting (63).

Viktor Hovland stroked his second first-round lead/co-lead in individual stroke play events on TOUR, but is 0-for-1 in converting to victory. He moved to No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings after winning last week’s BMW Championship, his fifth career TOUR victory.

Adam Schenk’s (63) lifted him to No. 5 on the Leaderboard. He is (-8) and only two strokes off the lead.

TOUR Championship | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

T1 Collin Morikawa 61 (-9)

T1 Keegan Bradley 63 (-7)

T1 Viktor Hovland 68 (-2)

4. Scottie Scheffler 71 (+1)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

FedEx Cup Standings: (link)

PGA Tour Season Concludes

August 23, 2023 by PGA Tour Brunch

ATLANTA – This is it! The final PGA Tour Brunch preview of the 2023 PGA Tour season. It coincides with the final stop of the FedEx Cup Playoffs – the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club.

At the conclusion of the TOUR Championship, the player with the lowest stroke total over 72 holes when combined with FedEx Cup starting strokes, will be crowned the FedEx Cup Champion.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler enters the week at No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings and will begin the tournament at (10-under) via FedEx Cup starting strokes, becoming the first player to enter the TOUR Championship with the lead in the FedEx Cup two years in a row. Scheffler’s official money total of $21,014,342 is the highest in a single season in PGA TOUR history.

Scheffler, who won THE PLAYERS Championship in March, could become only the second player to win THE PLAYERS and the FedEx Cup in the same year – the first since Rory McIlroy in 2019.

The last player to lead the money list in consecutive seasons is Justin Thomas in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Scheffler also leads the PGA TOUR in Greens in Regulation percentage at 74.03 percent and led that category in 2021-22; the last player to lead the TOUR in GIR percentage in consecutive years is John Senden in 2009 and 2010.

Viktor Hovland earned his fifth career title and second of the season at the BMW Championship (first: the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday). Hovland enters the week at No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings and has advanced to the TOUR Championship all four seasons as a PGA TOUR member (best finish was fifth in 2021).

The only three-time FedEx Cup Champion Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019, 2022), will attempt to become the first player to win the FedEx Cup in back-to-back seasons. McIlroy enters the week No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings, his highest position entering the TOUR Championship since the starting strokes format was introduced in 2019.

TOUR Championship | Tournament Facts

COURSE: East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

YARDS/PAR: 7,346 yards/Par 70

ARCHITECTS: Tom Benelow

PRIZE Money – Purse: $75,000,000/$18,000,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy

PAST RESULTS: (link)

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @FedExChamp @TourChampionship

The Way They’ll Start at TOUR Championship

Scottie Scheffler (-10)
Viktor Hovland (-8)
Rory McIlroy (-7)
Jon Rahm (-6)
Lucas Glover (-5)
Max Homa (-4)
Patrick Cantlay (-4)
Brian Harman (-4)
Wyndham Clark (-4)
Matt Fitzpatrick (-4)

FedEx Cup Standings: (link)

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – August 20

August 21, 2023 by Terry Lyons

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Yes, the dateline is Boston – not Liberty Park, NJ and not Olympia Fields (the site of this weekend’s semifinal tournament), nor Atlanta (the site of next week’s TOUR Championship) nor the old fave of Norton, Massachusetts where the TPC Boston hosted the Deutsche Bank Championship/Dell Technologies/Northern Trust Championship, once hailed as a MUST stop for the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs and a gem of a sporting event held every Labor Day weekend of yesteryear.

There was nothing better in the summer sports world than Labor Day Weekend datelines of FENWAY – CHESTNUT HILL – NORTON and FLUSHING MEADOW when a relatively easy step in time management – combined with some swift driving – could parlay an MLB game hosted by the Red Sox with a college Football game hosted by Boston College with a round of professional golf at TPC Boston then a drive to the Billie Jean King/United States Tennis Center for the annual U.S. Open – the raucous finale to tennis’ Grand Slams.

One year, an “all of the above” was coupled with a flight to Philadelphia and a Saturday at the AND1 Summer JAM, held at Temple U’s Liacouras Center to mix some tape and hoops as AND1 re-launched its brand only to be bought-up by yet another distressed brand gold-digger.

The finish that year and others was the Labor Day Monday conclusion to the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoff event, a tournament then hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation.

In 2003, the DBC replaced the Air Canada Championship when the authorities of the PGA Tour collaborated with the sponsors at FedEx to conjure-up a way to tie each PGA Tour season into a nice, neat bow. The players loved the risk v. reward aspects of the TPC Boston and the crowds poured through the gates, giving the Tour a signature event to rival tennis’ grand slam event in Flushing and frequently compete for eyeballs with the opening weekend of college football and the NFL.

Those suits at the PGA Tour and FedEx learned their lessons, though, and eventually streamlined the regular season and playoff schedule to conclude BEFORE the start of college footy and the NFL alike. When the music stopped, no one was playing “Shipping Up to Boston,” and the DBC/Dell Technologies/Northern Trust was no more.

Some of the great PGA Tour golfers who won at the DBC:

2003 Adam Scott

2004 Vijay Singh

2005 Olin Browne

2006 Tiger woods

2007 Phil Mickelson

2008 Vijay Singh

2009 Steve Stricker

2010 Charlie Hoffman

2011 Webb Simpson

2012 Rory McIlroy

2013 Henrik Stenson

2014 Chris Kirk

2015 Rickie Fowler

2016 Rory McIlroy

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Last week, the column touched on the issues facing NCAA athletic administrators around the country.

Sports lawyer Darren Heitner took a look at the happenings surfacing this past week.

“It appears that Georgia high school athletes will soon be able to enter into NIL deals,” wrote Heitner.

“Robin Hines, executive director of the Georgia High School Association, said that he will have a proposal ready for the Association’s Executive Committee meeting this Fall. The expectation is that the Executive Committee will approve the proposal if one reads through the lines on Hines’ overall commentary.

Looking back, Heitner recalled: “Julian “JuJu” Lewis” is a perfect example. As Pete Thamel highlighted for ESPN in a February 17, 2023 article titled, “The prep QB phenom and a million-dollar NIL question,” Lewis, a 15-year-old at the time the article was written, is already being compared to Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. You would think that Lewis can start cashing in on his fame right now, but Georgia’s high school athletic association doesn’t allow for it . . . yet.

“While more than half of the states in the country have legalized name, image and likeness (NIL) deals in some form for high school athletes, the state of Georgia sits at a compelling crossroads. It is home to one of the richest recruiting bases in the country, the back-to-back national champions of college football and a generational prospect in Lewis, who could command well over a million dollars on the open market over the next three seasons,” wrote Thamel.

“As of now, a total of 31 states (as well as Washington D.C.) already allow or are soon to allow high school athletes to enter into NIL deals. Not on that list are states like the aforementioned Georgia, along with Florida, and Alabama, as well as Texas, South Carolina, Ohio, North Carolina, and Mississippi, which tend to produce a lot of talent for the next level. One would think that these states are closely monitoring what happens in Georgia and if as expected the state does decide to start allowing for NIL transactions to take place, they will likely follow suit.

Info From A Joint Survey By Sportico And The Harris Poll

Makes it seem like America at large is warming up to college athletes being compensated and perhaps to a greater degree. From the article:

67% of U.S. adults believe college athletes should be able to receive direct compensation from their schools.
64% support athletes’ rights to obtain employee status.
59% believe athletes should be able to collectively bargain as a labor union.
More Americans today (74%) support athletes’ right of publicity than they did in November 2020 (62%).

The Collective Association Grows To 17 Strong

The trade association that advocates for athletes, shares best practices, and acts as a unified voice to shape the development of the NIL market has added 10 collectives to the fold.

As a reminder, the initial seven founding members were:

Classic City Collective (University of Georgia)
Spyre Sports Group (University of Tennessee)
The Grove Collective (University of Mississippi)
The Battle’s End (Florida State University)
House of Victory (University of Southern California)
Champions Circle (University of Michigan)
Happy Valley United (Penn State University)

The 10 new Collectives are:

Wildcat NIL (Kansas State University)
Garnet Trust (University of South Carolina)
Mass St. Collec)ve (University of Kansas)
The 1870 Society (Ohio State University)
The 5430 Foundation (University of Colorado)
Desert Takeover Collective (University of Arizona)
Every True Tiger (University of Missouri)
The Royal Blue (BYU)
Sun Angel Collective (Arizona State University)
502 Circle (University of Louisville)

Says WWYI, “Let the NIL Be with Us.”

Glover Leads at FedEx St. Jude

August 13, 2023 by PGA Tour Brunch

MEMPHIS – Lucas Glover holds his fifth career 54-hole lead/co-lead and is 1-for-4 converting the victory (2023 Wyndham Championship). He’s the first player to hold the 54-hole lead in back-to-back weeks on TOUR since Patrick Cantlay (2021 BMW Championship, TOUR Championship)

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At 43 years old, Glover became the first player to hold the 54-hole lead at 40 or older in the FedExCup Playoffs since Tiger Woods (42 years, 2018 TOUR Championship).

Odds and probabilities available at: Digital Sports Desk

Making only his second FedEx Cup Playoffs appearance, Taylor Moore (2nd/-13) carded a (65) and leads the field in Greens in Regulation Percentage at 75.93% (41/54) through three round. He earned his maiden PGA TOUR title at the Valspar Championship alongside two other Top-10s this season (T4/Zurich Classic of New Orleans; T4/Rocket Mortgage Classic).

Tommy Fleetwood (3rd/-12) posted his third consecutive (66) and seeks to join Will Zalatoris (2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship) and Camilo Villegas (2018 BMW Championship) as players to win their first PGA TOUR title in a FedExCup Playoffs event.

Max Homa (T4/-11) posted a bogey-free (65) to sit inside the Top 5 through 54 holes on TOUR for the first time since The Genesis Invitational (2nd/finished 2nd). Homa has finished no higher than T42 in six previous starts at TPC Southwind (2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship)

Justin Rose (T23/-6) needed 21 putts to post a bogey-free 9-under (61), tying the course record set by Tom Lewis (R3/2020), Bob Estes (R1/2001) and Jay Delsing (R4/1993). He’s played his last 36 holes at (-12).

FedEx St Jude Championship | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

1 Lucas Glover 66 64 66 196 (-14)

2 Taylor Moore 66 66 65 197 (-13)

3 Tommy Fleetwood 66 66 66 198 (-12)

T4 Max Homa 68 66 65 199 (-11)

T4 Jordan Spieth 63 68 68 199 (-11)

Full Leaderboard (link)

Fowler Ready for FedEx Cup Playoffs

August 10, 2023 by PGA Tour Brunch

*Tee times at the FedEx St. Jude Championship are delayed until 11:10am (ET) because of storms

MEMPHIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Although it’s been over a month since his last top-10 finish, Rickie Fowler is as confident as ever heading into this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn.

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Fowler prevailed in a three-way playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic back on July 2, but has since tapered off, finishing tied for 42nd two weeks later at the Genesis Scottish Open before a T23 at The Open Championship on July 23.

It’s a stark contrast from how Fowler was playing before his victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The 34-year-old had seemingly found his stride, placing inside the top 15 in seven of the eight events prior to his lone title this season, although he did miss the cut at the PGA Championship back in May.

Despite not being able to replicate those types of performances during the final two tournaments of the regular season, Fowler figures the playoffs are as good a time as any to get back on track.

“Excited, probably the best I’ve come into the playoffs as far as a consistent year and how I’ve been playing,” Fowler said. “Nice to come off of getting a little bit of rest, because I was kind of running on an empty tank at the Scottish and the British.

“That was the last of — eight out of 10-week stretch. Got a few days to kind of recharge a little bit at home and get ready for this three-week stretch.”

Fowler is also excited about getting the playoffs started at TPC Southwind, where he shot a first-round 65 last year before struggling over the next three days and carding a 71, 72 and 73 to finish T64 at 1-over 281.

However, Fowler would be open to playing at some new courses during the postseason.

“I like this golf course. I think with the playoffs, it could be kind of cool and interesting to see some more movement,” Fowler said. “East Lake has kind of always been East Lake and the finale.

I think it would be kind of cool to see the Playoffs move around a little bit. I think the only one that really does is the second with BMW. … Like I said, I do enjoy coming to Memphis. I’ve had success at this golf course. I like this place. They’ve got some good eats around here, too.”

Fowler enters the first playoff event with the ninth-most FedEx Cup points, but he still knows it’s going to take a lot to outlast the rest of the field.

“Done a lot of good things this year,” Fowler said. “There’s guys that have definitely played better and won more, but it really comes down to these three weeks, and we have a real chance, but going to need to play really well.”

–Field Level Media