Players share their thoughts on where the PGA Tour postseason should go

ST. LOUIS (AP) 鈥� The FedEx Cup playoff rotation will look similar next year with one exception. The , 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?

鈥淧laying in the Southeast once would be good,鈥� Louisiana鈥檚 Sam Burns said. 鈥淭he Northeast would be probably the best. The West Coast? The problem is you don鈥檛 want to go from California to New Jersey.鈥�

Rory McIlroy would like a word about that. He pointed out that Formula 1 goes from Las Vegas to Qatar in November.

鈥淭he West Coast works really well,鈥� McIlroy said. 鈥淚 think the West Coast swing isn鈥檛 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鈥檙e trying to do.鈥�

Adam Scott is on the PGA Tour boards and was cautious not to tip his hand, though he summed it up by saying, 鈥淵ou go to the best courses you possibly can, and generally the best courses don鈥檛 suit one player or another.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檇 stay away from the monster modern courses, that鈥檚 for sure,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淧utting on my PGA Tour hat for a second, we鈥檙e trying to showcase the best stuff and you want to go to the best courses.鈥�

Brian Harman spoke for several players when he said the was among the most underrated courses on tour, but the August heat kept it from attracting much energy.

鈥淭his is an awesome golf course, but we can鈥檛 get anyone to watch because it鈥檚 100 degrees,” Harman said. “Hole by hole, it鈥檚 a championship course. And attendance was good today. But it鈥檚 ONE HUNDRED DEGREES. People come out when it鈥檚 bearable. This is just brutal.鈥�

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 鈥� his fifth check of $2 million or more this year 鈥� 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.

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 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

鈥淚鈥檝e watched it back and I look a lot more calm than I felt at the time.鈥� 鈥� Ryan Fox on his final five holes of his .

___

太子探花