The disappointment on Martin Trainer’s face was obvious when he pushed a 6-foot par putt that would extended the playoff in the Zurich Classic. Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy wound up winning over Trainer and Chad Ramey.
But it wasn’t the worst consolation prize for Trainer.
His portion of the runner-up finish was $525,100, the second-largest payoff of his PGA Tour career behind the $540,000 he earned from winning the 2019 Puerto Rico Open. It also was more than he made in all of the 2020, 2021 and 2023 seasons.
“There’s a lot of really good things to take from this week, and that’s what I’m going to do,” Trainer said. “Solo second finish in the end is still pretty good.”
Solo third also isn’t awful as Ryan Brehm can attest. The big hitter from Michigan was right in the mix with Mark Hubbard, narrowly missing out on a playoff when Brehm’s birdie putt from the fringe grazed the cup.
Third place was worth $343,763 for Brehm, in the final year of his full exemption from winning the 2022 Puerto Rico Open. That was his second-largest paycheck behind the $660,000 he earned from his only win.
Trainer also moved up from No. 171 to No. 103 in the FedEx Cup, while Brehm went from No. 162 to No. 114. Both are in the field for The CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Trainer is at No. 4 in the “Swing Five” list that get into the $20 million Wells Fargo Championship next week.
GOING LOW ON THE KORN FERRY
Frankie Capan III opened with a 58 in the Veritex Bank Championship to further highlight a trend in low scoring on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Scores have been coming down across golf over the last decade, a natural progression. What makes the Korn Ferry Tour stand out is that Capan was the third player this year with a sub-60 round, following Aldrich Potgieter (59) and Cristobal Del Solar (57) in Colombia.
This is the second straight year for the Korn Ferry Tour to produce three sub-60 rounds. Mac Meissner (Lecom Suncoast Classic), Michael Feagles (BMW Charity Pro-Am) and David Kocher (Albertsons Boise Open) each shot 59 a year ago.
No other tour around the world has produced more than two sub-60 rounds in the same year.
Equally remarkable about the Korn Ferry Tour is none of those six players who shot in the 50s in 2023 and 2024 went on to win. There have been 13 sub-60 rounds in Korn Ferry Tour history, and only two players went on to win — Stephan Jaeger in the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic and Jason Gore in the 2005 Cox Classic.
Golf has seen two other sub-60 rounds this year — Joaquin Niemann at LIV Golf Mayakoba and John Catlin at the International Series Macau on the Asian Tour. Both wound up winning.
BRADLEY ON LIV
Keegan Bradley doesn’t know where golf is headed and how it can be healed. “I hear a different new rumor every day,” he says.
But part of him wouldn’t mind seeing a few PGA Tour events with LIV Golf involved.
“I think it would be really fun to have a tournament like the Travelers, where you’re coming down the stretch against a PGA Tour versus a LIV guy,” Bradley said Monday at media day for the Travelers Championship, where he will defend his title in June.
“I think that would be fun for the media. I think it would be fun for the public. I think it could be fun to watch.”
LIV players can play in European tour events as long as they pay fines for being on the Saudi-circuit without having a release. But they are suspended by the PGA Tour, and showing up at a non-major still seems far away.
Bradley said several players who left for LIV were “big characters, good and bad, and great players.”
“And I think eventually you’d see them come back,” he said. “But the LIV guys are going to have to play on LIV. It would just be an event here or there. I don’t think any of them are going to jump over and play full time.”
LEGENDARY LANGER
Bernhard Langer already has defied age by winning every season on the PGA Tour Champions since he became eligible for the 50-and-older circuit in 2007. That includes breaking Hale Irwin’s career victory record with his 46 senior title.
Equally remarkable is the 66-year-old German returns to competition this week in the Insperity Invitational outside Houston just three months after tearing his left Achilles tendon.
Langer tore the tendon Feb. 1 when leaping for a lob while playing pickleball. To no one’s surprise, he followed the doctor’s order by the book. He also was inspired by New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers going through the same injury in September and throwing a football in December, even though he didn’t return.
“That lifted my spirits, hearing he was back on the field throwing the ball after eight or nine weeks,” Langer said. “That encouraged me that I may do something similar.”
What’s next? He has gone 17 consecutive seasons with a PGA Tour Champions title and sees no reason why he can’t extend the streak. This week might be asking too much, though he is a four-time winner of the Insperity Invitational.
DIVOTS
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club reopened the clubhouse Monday after its most extensive renovation in 100 years. The enhancements include more locker room space to provide women’s facilities, a refurbished trophy room, a new heritage lounge and a new shop for members. … Hannah Green’s victory at the JM Eagle LA Championship was her second of the year and moves her into the top 10 in the women’s world ranking for the first time in her career. The Australian is at No. 8. … Shane Lowry became the 114th player to surpass $20 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour. … Adam Hadwin has moved three spots ahead of Corey Conners in the race to get Canada’s second spot in the Olympics. Still to come are two majors and two signature events on the PGA Tour. … FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland has dropped to No. 95 in the FedEx Cup standings. … Now that Guy Kinnings is CEO of the European tour, he takes over as chairman of the International Golf Federation through 2027. Among other things, the IGF oversees golf in the Olympics.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Brendan Steele won $4 million for his victory in LIV Golf Adelaide. He won a combined $3,312,000 for his three PGA Tour victories.
FINAL WORD
“I asked … if we could play a fourth round this week just because I wanted to experience what we have experienced all week for another day.” — Lucas Herbert on playing LIV Golf Adelaide before a home crowd in Australia.
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AP Sports Writer Pat-Eaton Robb contributed from Cromwell, Connecticut.
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