ST. LOUIS (AP) — The FedEx Cup playoff rotation will look similar next year with one exception. The BMW Championship, held this year at Bellerive, will move to Liberty National in New Jersey. The BMW Championship is the only postseason event that moves.
It led to some measure of consternation this year because of the heat wave and three tournaments in Memphis, Tennessee; St. Louis and Atlanta.
All that changes with the revamped 2028 schedule, including the format.
But what makes sense where to play?
“Playing in the Southeast once would be good,” Louisiana’s Sam Burns said. “The Northeast would be probably the best. The West Coast? The problem is you don’t want to go from California to New Jersey.”
Rory McIlroy would like a word about that. He pointed out that Formula 1 goes from Las Vegas to Qatar in November.
“The West Coast works really well,” McIlroy said. “I think the West Coast swing isn’t in a great spot where it is in February. If we could play the West Coast when we should and how the golf courses should play, it would be amazing. Obviously, it would be good for TV. … That makes sense for what they’re trying to do.”
Adam Scott is on the PGA Tour boards and was cautious not to tip his hand, though he summed it up by saying, “You go to the best courses you possibly can, and generally the best courses don’t suit one player or another.”
“I’d stay away from the monster modern courses, that’s for sure,” Scott said. “Putting on my PGA Tour hat for a second, we’re trying to showcase the best stuff and you want to go to the best courses.”
Brian Harman spoke for several players when he said the TPC Southwind for the FedEx St. Jude’s Championship was among the most underrated courses on tour, but the August heat kept it from attracting much energy.
“This is an awesome golf course, but we can’t get anyone to watch because it’s 100 degrees,” Harman said. “Hole by hole, it’s a championship course. And attendance was good today. But it’s ONE HUNDRED DEGREES. People come out when it’s bearable. This is just brutal.”
The chase to replace Tiger atop career earnings is on
Tiger Woods has been atop the PGA Tour career earnings since his runner-up finish at Torrey Pines on Feb. 13, 2000, back when Scottie Scheffler was still a young kid living in New Jersey.
That could be about to change.
Scheffler picked up $3.6 million for winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship — his fifth check of $2 million or more this year — and moved to within $1,034,756 of surpassing Woods. He could do that with a three-way tie for third at the BMW Championship.
Next week, the $40 million purse at the Tour Championship counts as official money (it was always bonus money when Woods played).
It could be a matter of who gets there first. Rory McIlroy is $4,510,794 behind Woods.
Prize money, of course, has been soaring since the first television contract negotiated during the first episode of Tigermania, and lately with big purses in response to LIV Golf. The day Woods took over at No. 1 in career earnings, the entire purse at the Buick Invitational was $3 million.
Solheim Cup takes shape for the Americans
The American team for the Solheim Cup is nearly set except for the three captain’s picks for Angela Stanford for the Sept. 11-13 matches in The Netherlands. The CPKC Women’s Open this week in Canada is the final qualifying event.
Lauren Coughlin clinched the sixth of seven automatic spots last week at The Standard Portland Classic. The previous spots went to Nelly Korda, Angel Yin, Jennifer Kupcho, Yealimi Noh and Auston Kim. That leaves one spot left between Allisen Corpuz and Andrea Lee.
However, the next two selections come from the women’s world ranking. So even if Lee doesn’t win in Canada this week, she locks up a spot in the world ranking at No. 37. The final spot from the ranking would come down to Lee (No. 59), Lindy Duncan (No. 61), Jenny Bae (No. 65) and Rose Zhang (No. 66).
Stanford will announce her two captain’s picks after the tournament Sunday.
Europe filled out its 12-player roster on Aug. 3.
Memorial added to the list of top tier events
The Memorial Tournament is the seventh tournament to announce it will be part of the top-tier Championship Series in the PGA Tour’s revamped schedule that starts in 2028.
The Memorial, hosted by Jack Nicklaus at the Muirfield Village course he designed, has been among the elite tournaments since it began in 1976 and players had dining and balata range balls, a rarity on the tour those days. The announcement, like the others, was not a surprise.
The Memorial joins The Sentry at Torrey Pines, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, the Cadillac Championship at Doral, GO by Raymond James at Sedgefield in North Carolina (formerly Wyndham), the Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands and a new tournament sponsored by Japan-based Sompo.
While the dates have not been announced, the Memorial was founded and has long preferred to be played around Memorial Day. The tournament honors a legend in the game each year.
Jack Whaley leads GB&I Walker Cup team
Jack Whaley has had quite the year. He was a Jack Nicklaus Award winner as the top golfer from the NAIA division at Dalton State. He transferred to Florida State. He won the U.S. Amateur to earn spots in three majors next year. And now he’s off to the Walker Cup.
Whaley is among 10 players for Great Britain & Ireland that will try to win back the Walker Cup from the American team on Sept. 3-5 at Lahinch in Ireland.
Also named to the GB&I team are British Amateur champion Stuart Grehan, Tyler Weaver, Luke Poulter, Eliot Baker, Connor Graham, Ben Bolton, Sam Easterbrook, Niall Sheils Donegan and Josh Hill. Six of the players were on the team that lost at Cypress Point last year.
The Americans announced their 10-man team on Sunday.
Divots
Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Young have clinched two of the six automatic spots on the U.S. team for the Presidents Cup. … Rufus Hack, CEO of Sony Sports, has been hired as president of golf for TMRW Sports, where he will oversee TGL, the women’s TGL indoor league and other golf projects the company is developing. Hack previously was chief operating officer of the European tour and Ryder Cup Europe and was managing director for European Tour Productions. … Friends of Golf is honoring Rickie Fowler and two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Kay Cockerill on Oct. 19 at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. Friends of Golf was founded in 1979 by the late Eddie Merrins, the longtime teaching pro at Bel-Air, and a group of philanthropic LA-area golfers to help aspiring junior golfers.
Stat of the week
For the first time in 149 tournaments worldwide over the last five years, Rory McIlroy finished a tournament without breaking par in any of the four rounds at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The previous time was the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.
Final word
“I’ve watched it back and I look a lot more calm than I felt at the time.” — Ryan Fox on his final five holes of his British Open victory.
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