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Jon Rahm builds a LIV team, PGA Tour in Dubai, LPGA is back, more golf news

Rory McIlroy says he wasn't understanding enough of golfers who joined LIV Golf early on. (1:27)

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In recent weeks, the push to globalize golf has ignited discussions involving PGA Tour standout Rory McIlroy and departing DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley.

McIlroy's "dream scenario" includes tapping into markets such as Australia, South Africa and Japan.

Pelley, who announced last week that he is leaving his post to join Maple Leaf Sports in Toronto, told reporters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday that American golfers have to look beyond their own borders when they think about growing the game.

Part of the delay in finalizing the PGA Tour's framework agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund [PIF] and the DP World Tour is the Saudis' insistence that team golf remain a part of the game. Team events could be played in locations around the world.

"PIF certainly understands the importance of being global," Pelley said, according to a report by The Guardian of London. "This is a global game. Every business now that is growing wants to be global. What I would like to see is the game becoming unified with a global strategy. I think the PGA Tour is coming to the realization [that being global] is the key for the growth. They have heard me say it once or twice."

As the professional game cranks up this week with the first event of the PGA Tour's West Coast swing and the LPGA Tour's season opener, eyes will also be on other parts of the world.

McIlroy and other PGA Tour stars are competing in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the first Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour. Top amateurs from Latin America will be playing in Panama, with invitations to three of this season's majors going to the winner.

Here's what to watch in professional golf this week:

What's next on the PGA Tour

The American Express When: Thursday-Sunday Where: La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, California Defending champion: Jon Rahm Purse: $8.4 million

No defending champion: For the second time in three events this season, the defending champion isn't in the field. Rahm jumped to the LIV Golf League on Dec. 7. He was also the defending champion for The Sentry, the season opener in Hawaii, which Chris Kirk won on Jan. 7. Last year, Rahm captured The American Express for the second time with a one-stroke victory over Davis Thompson .

It's the second straight season in which The American Express' defending champion isn't around to defend his title. Last year, Hudson Swafford was absent after joining LIV Golf.

Rahm will make his LIV Golf debut Feb. 2-4 at El Camaleon Golf Club in Quintana Roo, Mexico. He will captain his own team, Legion XIII GC, as the 13th four-man team in the league.

LIV Golf officials haven't yet announced the other players who will compete on Rahm's squad. Asian Tour golfer Kieran Vincent has been linked to Rahm's team in recent weeks, as has University of Tennessee sophomore Caleb Surratt . Surratt is the 10th-ranked amateur in the world and represented the U.S. in the Walker Cup in September.

A strong field: Even with Rahm absent, there's a strong field at The American Express. It's not a signature event with an increased purse, but that didn't stop 22 of the world's top 50 players from entering.

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler , No. 5 Patrick Cantlay , No. 6 Xander Schauffele and No. 10 Wyndham Clark are in the field.

Former U.S. Ryder Cup team member Daniel Berger is also making his first start in more than 18 months. The four-time PGA Tour winner hasn't competed since the 2022 U.S. Open because of a serious back injury. He tried to play through the pain; the injury was later diagnosed as a slight bulge in a lower disc and deep-bone sensitivity.

"That was the worst six months of my life," Berger told The Associated Press last year. "I've had a pretty easy life. I play golf for a living - it's not that stressful. But there was a point that I would have given up golf for the rest of my life not to feel like that."

Another Block party: California club pro Michael Block , who captured the sport's imagination with his performance (and ace) at the PGA Championship last season, is in the field at La Quinta Country Club.

In September, Block won the Southern California PGA Professional Championship at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. He won the tournament by 4 strokes to earn spots in The American Express and next week's Farmers Insurance Open. Last year, Block carded a 7-under 65 in the first round at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, but missed the 54-hole cut at The American Express. .

After tying for 15th at the 2023 PGA Championship, Block received sponsors exemptions into the Charles Schwab Challenge and RBC Canadian Open and made the World Wide Technology Championship field as a PGA section champion. He missed the cut in each event. Block is currently ranked 602nd in the world.

What's next on the LPGA Tour

Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions When: Thursday-Sunday Where: Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Orlando, Florida Defending champion: Brooke M. Henderson Purse: $1.5 million

Only winners: The 35-player field for the Tournament of Champions includes only winners from the LPGA Tour the past two seasons. The field includes three women who captured four of the five major championships last season: Lilia Vu (Chevron Championship and The Women's Open), Ruoning Yin (Women's PGA Championship) and Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women's Open). France's Celine Boutier , who captured the Evian Championship, is the only major championship winner from 2023 not in the field.

The field includes 20 of the top 50 players in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, including Nelly Korda , Rose Zhang, Charley Hull and Jennifer Kupcho.

Celebrities are out: A group of 46 celebrities and amateurs from sports, music and entertainment will compete in a 72-hole tournament at Lake Nona with modified Stableford scoring. Celebrities will receive one point for bogeys, two for pars, three for birdies, five for eagles, eight for hole-in-ones and 10 for double-eagles. There's a $500,000 purse for celebrities, including $100,000 to the winner.

Former tennis player Mardy Fish , who won the celebrity event last year, is back in the field. Pro Football Hall of Famers Marcus Allen, Charles Woodson and Emmitt Smith, NBA All-Stars Ray Allen and Vince Carter and baseball greats Roger Clemens, John Smoltz and Albert Pujols are also scheduled to compete.

"Almost every year I get at least a couple people that I'm pretty nervous on the first tee," Henderson said. "But a few years ago I played with Vince Carter and I said to myself, 'If I can play in front of Vince Carter, I can play in front of anybody.' So after that it's been a little bit easier."

Former U.S. men's soccer star Landon Donovan has only been playing golf for about a year.

"I don't have any goals this week except to have fun, stay out of the way, get invited back, and hopefully make a few good shots," he said. "This format is unique. I've tried to play a lot more stroke play at home because it just makes you a better player, but this format is unique. If you have a double, triple, quad, bogey, doesn't matter. You just move on to the next hole."

Locked in: The lack of women's lockers at last year's event at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club caused a bit of controversy. The permanent women's locker room at the club was damaged by a storm, so the LPGA planned to have temporary ones delivered. The tour changed its mind, but the lack of privacy and security didn't sit well with some players. The LPGA eventually had 36 temporary lockers delivered to the course.

This year, players and celebrities will have designated locker rooms.

"Similar to other LPGA tournaments, select tournament sponsors and staff will also have access to the clubhouse and this includes the restroom facilities within the locker rooms," Aaron Stewart, VP of sports marketing at Hilton Grand Vacations, said in a statement to Golfweek.

"LPGA players and female celebrities will also have private restroom facilities for players-only in the upstairs area of the clubhouse adjacent to their player-only dining room. We have worked closely with the LPGA to ensure all appropriate security and access policies are followed."

PGA Tour stars in the Middle East

A handful of PGA Tour stars, including McIlroy, Brian Harman , Cameron Young , Adam Scott and Tommy Fleetwood , are competing this week in Dubai. The 72-hole event starts Thursday at Emirates Golf Club and has a $9 million purse, with $1.53 million going to the winner.

McIlroy has won the event three times, including a one-stroke victory over Patrick Reed last season, which was preceded by the "tee gate" incident on the practice range.

Last week, McIlroy had a 1-shot lead over Fleetwood heading to the 72nd hole of the inaugural Dubai Invitational. McIlroy pulled his drive into the water and was forced to take a drop. Fleetwood made birdie to collect his seventh DP World Tour victory and his first since November 2022.

Fleetwood, who has won more than $20.3 million on the PGA Tour, is still searching for his first victory on the circuit. The Englishman now lives in Dubai with his family.

"Keep playing to a high standard, practicing to a high standard, putting yourself in those positions all the time, and then you get a chance of winning," Fleetwood told reporters in Dubai Tuesday. "It's not going to work out all the time, and it's very, very hard and there are always players that play great and that are going to be hitting great shots. You just have to be there, and like I say, your times will come."

Amateurs playing for majors

The opening round of the Masters is 85 days away, but an amateur can earn an invitation to Augusta National Golf Club by winning this week's Latin American Amateur Championship at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama City, Panama.

The winner, as long as he remains an amateur, would also receive exemptions into the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina and The Open at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.

Three golfers from Mexico, Omar Morales (No. 74), Santiago De la Fuente (No. 89) and Jose Islas (No. 115), are among the highest-ranked players in the amateur world rankings in the field, along with the Cayman Islands' Justin Hastings (No. 97) and Trinidad and Tobago's Chris Richards Jr. (No. 106)

Aaron Jarvis , the Latin American Amateur Championship winner in 2022, is also in the field. The UNLV sophomore was the event's first winner from the Caribbean. Last year's champion, Argentina's Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira , turned pro and competed on PGA Tour Canada last year.

McIlroy shoots 65, has 3-shot lead after third round in Dubai

Daily Wrap Up

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Rory McIlroy delivered an exhibition of short iron play to shoot 7-under 65 in his third round and build a three-stroke lead at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday.

The top-ranked McIlroy made eight birdies at Emirates Golf Club -- four in a row from No. 1, three straight from No. 13, and another at No. 17 -- and none of the birdie putts were from more than 7 feet.

"I drove the ball better today, which put me in better positions to attack and make birdies," said the Northern Irishman, making his first start of 2023. "It's nearly there, not quite there. I'm just playing really efficient golf right now."

McIlroy did, though, give the chasers some hope by making bogey at the par-5 No. 18, for his only dropped shot of the round, after hitting a fairway wood from around 250 yards into the water in front of the green. After missing a par putt from 8 feet, McIlroy had a look of disappointment across his face as he walked off the green, despite holding a commanding lead.

The four-time major champion made the same mistake on the 18th hole in his final round in last year's tournament to finish a shot behind the leaders, when a birdie would have won him the title.

"I love this golf course, this tournament. I have won here a couple of times ... but I don't think I've won on my first start (of a year)," he said. "I've given myself an opportunity to try to do something I've never done before."

McIlroy was on 15 under overall, with English players Callum Shinkwin (67) and No. 484-ranked Dan Bradbury (68) tied for second place at 12 under.

Seven players sit in a tie for fourth at 11-under par, a group that includes France's Victor Perez (66), the winner last week at the equally prestigious Abu Dhabi Championship.

Spanish player Adri Arnaus briefly held the lead on 13 under after eight holes of his round, but he fell away after bogeying No. 9 and making double-bogey at the par-5 13th. Arnaus is one of those at 11 under.

The tournament is finishing on Monday after bad weather cut short play on the opening two days.

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Rory McIlroy edges Patrick Reed at 2023 Dubai Desert Classic to cap dramatic week on DP World Tour

The dp world tour got the ending it wanted as mcilroy starts his year with a win for the first time.

It started with a tee and ended with a putt. From the beginning of the week, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed were embroiled in a tussle that ended up lasting all four rounds and culminated with a birdie-birdie finish by McIlroy to win the Dubai Desert Classic for the the third time. McIlroy also begins his year with a win for the first time in his decorated career. 

Prior to the tournament, McIlroy ignored Reed's approach on the driving range in Dubai, citing that Reed's lawyer, Larry Klayman, had served McIlroy a subpoena at his home on Christmas Eve. Reed tossed a tee in the general direction of McIlroy (which, this being golf, became a massive storyline) and later referred to McIlroy as an "immature little child."

Then the tournament started.

McIlroy took a healthy lead into the final round in Dubai, shooting 66-70-65 in the first three rounds for what looked like it would be his third win in his last seven starts. Reed, who got caught up in another controversy during the third round on Sunday when his ball may or may not have landed in the tree in which he eventually identified it (see video below for the full story), had different plans on Monday in the finale.

If you haven’t seen the video of Patrick Reed’s tee shot at 17, here it is. pic.twitter.com/sgnKcLH4Sf — Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) January 30, 2023

The former Masters champion was 7 under through 13 holes, and McIlroy couldn't really get going. He played the first 15 in just 2 under, a respectable score but not enough with the whole field charging. On No. 17, though, he hit his approach to 4 feet to make the putt for birdie, and then gave himself a 14-footer for another birdie on the 72nd hole to win the tournament. He canned it for a birdie-birdie finish and the 15th win of his DP World Tour career.

Never in doubt 🙌 @McIlroyRory claims his first Rolex Series victory. #HeroDDC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/GVylbKzHVD — DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 30, 2023

McIlroy has not finished outside the top four in his last seven professional tournaments, and he's won three of those, including last year's Tour Championship and CJ Cup. This one, though, was far more personal because of how everything began with Reed and because he was the one pushing McIlroy toward the finish line.

"Mentally it was very tough today," said McIlroy. "I felt like I could have let my emotions get in the way. I expended a lot of mental energy today trying to focus on myself and focus on shooting a score and trying to reach a number. I had to work really hard to forget about who was up there and just try to focus on myself."

McIlroy has lost to just 10 players in his last seven starts, and he has 12 top-five finishes in 17 starts dating back to the 2022 Masters. He and Jon Rahm, who has won four of his last seven starts, are far and away the two best players in the world. The scary part for the rest of the world is that McIlroy doesn't even feel great about his game right now.

"I think, again, the most satisfying thing to me this week is I haven't had my best, far from it, and to be able to win when you don't have your best, that's the sort of like the Holy Grail of what we are trying to do," said McIlroy. "Really pleased with that side of it but definitely there's a ton of room for improvement going into the next few weeks."

The win means McIlroy joins Els with three career victories at this event, the most of anyone in history.

"Dubai has been a big part of my career and my journey, and you know, to put my name on this trophy for a third time today, to join Ernie Els, is a pretty cool feeling," he said.

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2023 DP World Tour Championship final results: Prize money payout, leaderboard and how much each golfer won

The 2023 DP World Tour Championship final leaderboard is headed by winner Nicolai Højgaard, who earned the DP World Tour win at Jumeirah Golf Estates' Earth Course in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Højgaard won for the first time on the DP World Tour, shooting an 8-under 64 on Sunday to earn the win on 21-under 267 and collect the biggest first-place check in a DP World Tour event.

Tommy Fleetwood , Matt Wallace and Viktor Hovland finished tied for second on the week, with Rory McIlroy finishing T-22 as he coasted to the Race to Dubai title.

Højgaard won the $3,000,000 winner's share of the $10,000,000 purse.

DP World Tour Championship recap notes

Højgaard earned 19.4 Official World Golf Ranking points with the win, with the minimum point schedule removed from the Official World Golf Ranking.

There was not a 36-hole cut, with 50 of 50 starting players finishing the event in the final completed event of the season.

Højgaard earned 2,000 Race to Dubai points as a DP World Tour member, with its season-long Race to Dubai points race coming closer to a conclusion.

As a result of this week, Rory McIlroy has secured his fifth Race to Dubai win ahead of the season-ending tournament.

The 2024 European Tour schedule starts next week with the Joburg Open in South Africa and Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in Australia.

2023 DP World Tour Championship final leaderboard, results and prize money payouts

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16 - 19 Nov 2023

DP World Tour Championship

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PGA Tour stays in Hawaii while European tour starts 2 weeks in Dubai

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Site: Honolulu.

Course: Waialae CC. Yardage: 7,044. Par: 70.

Prize money: $8.3 million. Winner’s share: $1.494 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 7-10:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 4-6 p.m. (NBC), 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Si Woo Kim.

FedEx Cup leader: Chris Kirk.

Last week: Chris Kirk won The Sentry.

Notes: Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland makes his return following surgery to remove a brain tumor on Sept. 18. ... The Sony Open is the first full-field event of the season, with 144 players at Waialae. It starts a three-week points list where the leading five players get into the next signature event at Pebble Beach. ... The field features 37 of the 59 players who were at The Sentry at Kapalua last week. ... British Open champion Brian Harman and Tyrrell Hatton are flying from Honolulu to Dubai for a European tour event next week. ... The Sony Open also marks the return of Will Zalatoris from back surgery. He last played a PGA Tour event in March. ... Among the rookies making their debut are Adrien Dumont de Chassart of Belgium, who earned his card quickly through the Korn Ferry Tour last year. ... Si Woo Kim won the Sony Open last year and that wasn’t his biggest win of the year. Kim and Sungjae Im later won the Asian Games gold medal for South Korea, exempting them from mandatory military service.

Next week: The American Express.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

EUROPEAN TOUR

DUBAI INVITATIONAL

Site: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Course: Dubai Creek Resort. Yardage: 7,059. Par: 71.

Prize money: $2.5 million. Winner’s share: $416,667.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 2:30-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 3-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 2:30-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: New tournament.

Race to Dubai leader: Min Woo Lee.

Last tournament: Louis Oosthuizen won the Mauritius Open.

Notes: Rory McIlroy starts his 2024 with consecutive weeks in Dubai. ... The Dubai Invitational is new and gives the European tour consecutive events there. Abu Dhabi, which used to lead off the Middle East swing, has been moved to November as the penultimate event. ... Tommy Fleetwood, who now has a home in Dubai, is coming straight over from The Sentry in Hawaii, a flight of roughly 20 hours. ... The field has 60 professionals and 60 amateurs. Sunday is only for the pros. Among the amateurs are retired NFL players Larry Fitzgerald and John Elway. ... Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is in the field. It’s his first official competition since leading Europe to victory at Marco Simone. ... The field features five of the top 50 in the world ranking, including Ryan Fox, Adrian Meronk and Nicolai Hojgaard. ... The Dubai Invitational is the first of four consecutive tournaments in the Middle East.

Next week: Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/

Last tournament: Amy Yang won the CME Group Tour Championship.

Next week: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

Race to CME Globe champion: Amy Yang.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Last tournament: Steven Alker won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Next week: Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.

Charles Schwab Cup champion: Steve Stricker.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions/

OTHER TOURS

PGA Tour of Australasia: Heritage Classic, Heritage Golf and CC (St. John), Chirnside Park, Australia. Defending champion: David Bransdon. Online: https://pga.org.au/

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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2024 golf calendar: Key dates, results and venues for the majors, Solheim Cup, Presidents Cup and more

Sky Sports remains the home of golf in 2024, with the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour, along with all of the majors, the Solheim Cup and much more; Watch live every week on Sky Sports Golf

Monday 15 April 2024 01:31, UK

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Here are the dates, venues and results for all of golf's majors in 2024, along with the details for other significant events in the golfing calendar…

Men's majors

April 11-14 - The Masters - Augusta National, Augusta, Georgia [ winner - Scottie Scheffler ]

May 16-19 - PGA Championship - Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky

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June 13-16 - US Open - Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, Pinehurst, North Carolina

July 18-21 - The 152nd Open - Royal Troon, Troon, Scotland

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Women's majors

April 18-21 - The Chevron Championship - The Club at Carlton Woods, The Woodlands, Texas

May 30-June 2 - US Women's Open - Lancaster Country Club, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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June 20-23 - KPMG Women's PGA Championship - Sahalee Country Club, Sammamish, Washington

July 11-14 - The Amundi Evian Championship - Evian Resort Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France

August 22-25 - AIG Women's Open - St Andrews (Old Course), Fife, Scotland

International events

August 1-4 - Olympic Men's Golf Competition - Le Golf National, Paris

August 7-10 - Olympic Women's Golf Competition - Le Golf National, Paris

August 30-September 1 - Curtis Cup - Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course), Berkshire, England

September 13-15 - Solheim Cup - Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Gainesville, Virginia

September 26-29 - Presidents Cup - The Royal Montreal Golf Club, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

PGA Tour's signature events and FedExCup Playoffs

January 4-7 - The Sentry - Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii [ winner - Chris Kirk ]

February 1-4 - AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - Pebble Beach Golf Link, Pebble Beach, California [ winner - Wyndham Clark ]

February 15-18 The Genesis Invitational - The Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California [ winner - Hideki Matsuyama ]

March 7-10 - Arnold Palmer Invitational - Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Florida [ winner - Scottie Scheffler ]

March 14-17 - The Players - TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida [ winner - Scottie Scheffler ]

April 18-21 - RBC Heritage - Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

May 9-12 - Wells Fargo Championship - Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina

June 6-9 The Memorial Tournament - Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio

August 15-18 - FedEx St Jude Championship - TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee

August 22-25 - BMW PGA Championship - Castle Pines Golf Club, Castle Rock, Colorado

August 29-September 1 - Tour Championship - East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia

DP World Tour's Rolex Series events

January 18-21 - Hero Dubai Desert Classic - Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE [ winner - Rory McIlroy ]

July 11-14 - Genesis Scottish Open - The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland

September - 19-22 BMW PGA Championship - Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey

November - 7-10 Abu Dhabi Championship - Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, UAE

November - 14-17 DP World Tour Championship - Jumeriah Golf Estates, Earth Course, Dubai, UAE

Senior men's majors

May 9-12 - Regions Tradition - Greystone G&CC, Birmingham, Alabama

May 23-26 - KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship - Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor, Michigan

June 27-30 - US Senior Open - Newport Country Club, Newport, Rhode Island

July 11-14 - Kaulig Companies Championship, Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio

July 25-28 - The Senior Open presented by Rolex, Carnoustie Golf Club, Scotland

Watch the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and all of the majors in 2024 exclusively live on Sky Sports. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour without a contract with NOW .

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Scheffler's surge, LIV Golf's encore and more Masters storylines

Michael Collins discusses Scottie Scheffler's chances as the heavy favorite at the Masters. (1:04)

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The 88th playing of the Masters arrives at a precarious moment in golf: Its defending champion has since departed for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League, its greatest winner not named Jack Nicklaus has played only five full rounds of golf this year, and the sport's overall ecosystem remains fractured and its future uncertain.

Yet once the first tee shot is hit Thursday, all eyes will be on the best players in the world navigating the sport's most historic venue over 72 holes.

From the favorites to the newcomers to the way the course is playing, here are six storylines to watch at Augusta.

What will the LIV Golf League do for an encore?

A year ago, any doubt about LIV Golf League players being able to compete in the major championships after playing 54-hole tournaments with loud music probably was put to rest. Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka tied for second at the 2023 Masters, then Koepka won his fifth major at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

Defending Masters champion Jon Rahm , who jumped to the LIV Golf League in December, is one of 13 LIV Golf players in the field.

Read more: Jon Rahm wants LIV-PGA Tour unity, but 'it's not up to me'

LIV Golf captain Sergio Garcia , the 2017 Masters champion, insists everyone is getting along fine.

"I mean, you guys love these things," Garcia said. "You keep building up these things, and there's nothing. There's nothing. You guys love to kind of dig and just kind of try to make it sound like we get in the locker room and we're fighting each other and stuff like that. It's not like that. At the end of the day, it's golf. We're all trying to play the best way we can, and that's it."

Eyes on the first-timers

Only one first-timer has slipped on a green jacket at Augusta National Golf Club since 1935: Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. Reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Sweden's Ludvig Åberg aren't your typical Masters first-timers -- they're ranked fourth and ninth in the Official World Golf Ranking, respectively.

Clark has won three times since May and finished second to Scottie Scheffler at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship.

"I mean, stats like that are meant to be broken," Clark said. "I know it's a tall task. It's a challenging golf course. There's a bunch of good golfers. With that said, you have to still bring your game, so it's not like you can just flip a switch and win it.

"But, yeah, that would be an amazing accomplishment, and I like my chances. I really like myself on this golf course. I feel good on a lot of tee shots and approaches, and there's so much creativity, so I feel good coming into the week."

Aberg, 24, already has seven top-10s in 23 starts on tour, including a victory at the RSM Classic in November. The former Texas Tech star said he wasn't aware that a first-timer hadn't won the Masters in 45 years until a reporter mentioned it Tuesday.

"It's a tricky balance, because obviously I'm feeling all the first-time feelings that everyone's feeling, but I'm also trying to be OK with all those things coming at me at the same time," Aberg said. "Because I think once you start fighting it, once you start trying to push it away, I think that's when it becomes tricky."

There are 20 first-timers at the Masters this year, such as Akshay Bhatia (who grabbed a Sunday invitation by winning the Valero Texas Open), Nick Dunlap and Jake Knapp . Dunlap became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991 by capturing the American Express in January before he turned pro.

Scheffler's dominance

There is a certain aura of inevitability following Scheffler around these days that hasn't been true of a golfer since the days of Jordan Spieth in 2015, Rory McIlroy in 2014 and Tiger Woods for many years before that.

The way Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, has been playing as of late, it feels like he is more likely to win his second Masters by multiple strokes than finish outside the top 10. Scheffler already has two wins this season, including at the Players Championship, and seven top-10 finishes.

He is, by all accounts, the player to beat this year and perhaps the best ball striker since Woods himself -- no one is gaining more strokes this season than Scheffler, and he's first in tee-to-green and approach shots.

It's not just Scheffler's ability to consistently be near the top of the leaderboard that's impressive, but it's also the way in which he has shown he can win even when he doesn't have his best stuff.

Scheffler, for his part, isn't leaning into any storyline that positions him as a Goliath of any kind, even if his statistics indicate that, and even if a win this week would only add fodder to such a comparison.

"I try not to look too far into the future," Scheffler said. "I think it's just one of those deals where all I'm trying to do is put myself in contention in the tournament and hopefully finish it off. I really am not looking much past tomorrow. I'm focused on my preparation right now. And those things don't really occupy many of my thoughts day-to-day."

For a 27-year-old, Scheffler appears to be hyper-aware of the fickle nature of the sport even given his dominant run. It's why he has leaned on this adage: Golf doesn't define him; it isn't who he is. It's just what he does.

"I happen to be good at it some weeks, and, you know, I come in here and you guys ask all nice questions," Scheffler said. "And then the next week I'm bad at it, and then some of the questions are viewed more negatively. And that's just kind of the ebb and flow of competing in front of people all the time."

Whatever the first three days look like, it is likely that come Sunday, Scheffler -- should his improvement in putting after switching to a mallet continue -- will find himself with a real shot at his second green jacket. And even if it won't change who he is, a win would further cement his status as the best player in the game.

Hovland's big changes

Norway's Viktor Hovland won back-to-back FedEx Cup playoff events at the end of the 2022-23 season, including the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, which came with an $18 million bonus.

Hovland, 26, was ranked No. 4 in the world at the end of last year. He has finished in the top-10 in three of the past five majors, including a tie for seventh at the 2023 Masters.

After all that success, why would Hovland make significant changes to his swing? He parted ways with swing coach Joe Mayo, who helped him turn around his short game, and has been working with both Grant Waite and Dana Dahlquist the past couple of months.

"I'm still kind of looking for some opinions out there, but I feel like I'm on a good track right now and we'll see where that takes us," Hovland said Tuesday. "But, yeah, I mean, it's one of those things. Like, I was playing great golf last year, but it's not like I'm trying to change my golf swing. It's just sometimes the game of golf, you try to do the same every day, but then things aren't the same every day when you go to the golf course."

After helping the European team run away with a 16½-11½ victory at the Ryder Cup in Rome in late September, Hovland played in just one official event, tying for second in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in mid-November.

When Hovland returned to the PGA Tour at the start of the 2024 season, his swing wasn't the same. He didn't have a top-10 finish in his first five starts on tour and still seems to be searching for answers.

"I took a huge break after last year and when I came back, things were a little bit different," Hovland said. "I had to kind of find my way back to where I think I'm going to play my best golf. And even at the end of the last year, I still felt like, yeah, I was playing great, but I got a lot out of my game and it didn't necessarily feel sustainable. But it's not like I consciously went in and said, 'Hey, we're going to change everything up.'"

Augusta at its best

Even before tournament week began, the chatter in the lead-up to the Masters centered around the course being in incredible shape. Having now been on the grounds for a few days, it doesn't take an agronomist or a professional golfer to be able to tell that Augusta's fairways and greens are showing out, more so than usual. That being said, let the players explain it:

"The course is very firm," Xander Schauffele said. "I think it's in incredible shape. It's probably some of the best shape I've seen it in previous years, to be honest."

"The golf course is stunning," Fred Couples said. "It's firm and fast, and it's really, really nice."

"When we came up here last weekend, it was in perfect shape," Tiger Woods said. "And it's only gotten better, which is hard to believe, but it has."

Having experienced an inordinate amount of bad weather at this event in recent years, it appears that the tournament is due for a good stretch of days this week. The only potential hiccup will be Thursday, as the forecast shows potential thunderstorms and rain showers throughout the morning into the afternoon as well as winds ranging from 10 to 20 mph.

"Obviously can't do much about the weather the rest of the week," Justin Thomas said. "But I'm sure that everybody on the greens staff is very, very pleased with where the golf course is at."

Despite Thursday's forecast, the golf course's current state should hold up well throughout the weekend, when the sun will reemerge and likely continue to dry out a golf course that only gets more challenging in such conditions.

"I was hitting 5-irons that were coming into par-5s that were bouncing, tomahawking over the green, and I was like this is pretty cool, it's been a while," Schauffele said. "And when this property plays that way, you're in full team mode with your caddie trying to figure out if you're middle of the fairway, you can be aggressive; but if you're not in the right place, you're playing to certain spots and trying to leave yourself an uphill putt even if it's 12 feet versus a 4-footer that's downhill."

Another record on tap for Tiger Woods

Despite withdrawing early Sunday during last year's tournament due to an injury that led to ankle surgery, Woods extended his streak of made cuts at the Masters to 23 in a row, tying the record for most made cuts at Augusta previously held by Gary Player and Couples.

Woods arrives at the Masters having played fewer rounds of competitive golf than he did last year, but the belief he could win -- and make a record-breaking 24th straight cut in the process -- is still there.

"I think it's consistency, it's longevity, and it's an understanding of how to play this golf course," Woods said of the record. "That's one of the reasons why you see players that are in their 50s and 60s make cuts here, or it's players in their late 40s have runs at winning the event, just the understanding of how to play it."

Read more: Tiger says Masters win can be his if 'everything comes together'

Woods' institutional knowledge at Augusta is second to none given his history and success at the course. And while Woods said his body aches every day and he wasn't ready to perform at any other tournament since his early withdrawal at Riviera due to sickness, he's hoping that his familiarity with the course will help him overcome any physical limitations.

"You still have to go out and execute it, but there's a lot of knowledge that goes into understanding how to play it," Woods said. "The overall configuration of how [greens] roll and how they move and the angles you take, that hasn't changed. That's the neat thing about this. I can still go through the mental Rolodex and bring out a few putts from the '90s that still move generally in that direction and the effect that Rae's Creek has on certain shots and putts. And it means a lot."

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Masters 2024: All 89 players ranked by their chances to win Green Jacket

Every year, the most elite field in golf descends upon Augusta National for The Masters Tournament. SB Nation has ranked them all.

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Despite having the smallest field out of the four major championships, the Masters Tournament never seems to disappoint. But to win the illustrious Green Jacket at Augusta National , you must find plenty of greens in regulation.

Augusta is a second-shot golf course, prioritizing ball-striking more than any other facet of one’s game. Driving and putting are essential, but superior iron play is paramount. You have to put yourself in prime positions on the greens to have a chance, and if you miss in the wrong spots, double bogeys loom.

“You go back and look at Tiger’s wins, I think he was number one in greens hit every single one of those years he won,” said ESPN’s Andy North on a recent media call.

“You look at a guy like Scottie Scheffler, who is such a good iron player, you can’t imagine him not having a great chance to win at Augusta.”

Knowing this intel, the Playing Through team compiled a list of all 88 players in this year’s Masters based on their chances to win.

1. Scottie Scheffler

Nobody on the planet is currently playing better than Scottie Scheffler . His tee-to-green metrics are so good that a halfway decent week with the putter will lead him to a second Masters victory.

2. Jon Rahm

Jon Rahm arrives as the defending Masters champion and obviously has the game to win again at Augusta. Even though he has not played as much this year thanks to his limited schedule with LIV Golf, Rahm is as talented a player as any in the world.

3. Xander Schauffele

Aside from missing the cut at the 2022 Masters, Xander Schauffele has played well in his previous five appearances at Augusta. He’s due for a major breakthrough and ranks second overall in strokes gained on tour. Schauffele has the game to win.

4. Wyndham Clark

Wyndham Clark has a terrific chance to become the first Masters rookie to win since 1979, when Fuzzy Zoeller last did so. He has no glaring weaknesses in his game and is a solid putter. A win at Augusta would cement an incredible 12-month stretch.

5. Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy has not finished in the top 10 since winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January. And yet, from tee to green, he is as good as anyone. But as Scott Van Pelt told us earlier this week, he can win if he rolls in a bunch of 30-footers. That’s a big if, however.

6. Patrick Cantlay

People forget that Patrick Cantlay held a share of the lead late on Sunday in 2019. Like others listed here, he has no flaws in his game but has yet to win a major. He has struggled somewhat in 2023, however.

7. Ludvig Åberg

Finally, Ludvig Åberg will compete in a major championship. Like Clark, he, too, has an excellent chance to don the Green Jacket as a rookie. The young Swede is a superstar in the making.

8. Joaquin Niemann

Joaquin Niemann won the Australian Open in December and fired a 59 at Mayakoba in February, leading to a win. A month later, he won LIV Golf’s event in Saudi Arabia. On top of that, Niemann has recorded three other top finishes in Oman, Dubai, and at the Australian PGA, which helped him earn a special invite to Augusta. He also leads LIV Golf in strokes gained so far this season.

9. Brooks Koepka

No player in the past decade has played better in majors than Brooks Koepka . It would surprise nobody if ‘Big Bad Brooks’ silenced the demons of yesteryear and had Jon Rahm drape the Green Jacket over him in Butler Cabin.

10. Jordan Spieth

This year’s Masters will mark Jordan Spieth’s 11th appearance. In his previous 10 starts, Spieth has only finished outside the top 20 three times, including a tie for 21st in 2019. He has five top-5s and a win in 2015. The Texan loves this golf course.

11. Max Homa

Max Homa has a poor record at Augusta National, which is a surprise, considering he is a solid putter and ball-striker. But he has not had the best of campaigns so far in 2024. A tie for 8th at Bay Hill is his best finish this year.

12. Hideki Matsuyama

We all saw what Hideki Matsuyama could do on Sunday at the Genesis Invitational. He is an otherworldly talent and has won at Augusta National before, so what says he can’t do it again? His four most recent starts: win, tie for 12th, tie for 6th, tie for 7th.

13. Brian Harman

Brian Harman proved himself as a fearless killer at Royal Liverpool last year. Even though he has missed his last two cuts at Augusta, Harman is a terrific putter and iron player. Plus, lefties tend to play well at The Masters.

14. Tony Finau

Tony Finau’s only missed cut this year came at the Valspar Championship, and after his stumble at Innisbrook, he rebounded with a tie for 2nd in Houston. Finau has never missed the weekend at Augusta National and has three top 10s in six appearances.

15. Viktor Hovland

Viktor Hovland has been unable to capture the magic that he discovered in August 2023, when he won the BMW and Tour Championships. He ranks 106th in strokes gained: approaching the green this season, and his short game has escaped him. Still, he is an incredible talent and can contend without his best stuff.

16. Matt Fitzpatrick

Inconsistency has plagued Matt Fitzpatrick so far this season, but his putting and shot-making ability always gives the Englishman a solid chance. Plus, it seems like he is rounding to form. Fitzpatrick finished solo fifth and tied for 10th in his last two starts.

17. Sahith Theegala

Sahith Theegala has had a solid year thus far, with his best finish coming at The Sentry, where he came in 2nd. He finished in 9th in his Masters debut a year ago, which included a chip-in birdie on 16 during Sunday’s final round. Sound familiar?

18. Cameron Young

After missing the cut in his first Masters in 2022, Cameron Young tied for 7th in 2023. The bomber from Westchester is also a terrific ball-striker, but putting has plagued him this season. Still, he has four top-20 finishes, including a solo 2nd at the Valspar Championship.

19. Shane Lowry

Shane Lowry has finished no worse than 25th in his previous four starts at Augusta. The Irishman is a terrific ball-striker, and if he can get his putter rolling, watch out. He ranks 3rd on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approaching the green.

20. Collin Morikawa

Collin Morikawa, a two-time major champion, has looked like a shell of himself in 2024. Still, he has three top-20 finishes, and his ball-striking ability cannot be ignored. But if his putter remains cold, he has little chance to succeed at Augusta.

21. Dustin Johnson

Dustin Johnson shattered records at the 2020 Masters, and he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world when he is on. The question is, will the peak of his powers show up? If they do, Johnson will contend and could very well win a second green jacket.

22. Cameron Smith

One could make the case that Cameron Smith is the best putter on the planet. That usually translates to Augusta National, which features some of the fastest and most undulating greens in the world. The Aussie has three top-10 finishes over the past four years, including a tie for 2nd in 2020.

23. Bryson DeChambeau

The big-swinging Bryson DeChambeau once called Augusta National a par-67. Although that may be true in his mind, he still needs a good week on the greens to validate that thinking. Yet, the 2020 U.S. Open champion has the game to get the job done.

24. Sam Burns

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson selected Sam Burns to the team for his putting ability, which should come in handy at Augusta National. He had four straight top-10 finishes in late January and February but has yet to re-discover that form.

25. Tyrrell Hatton

Tyrrell Hatton’s best finish at Augusta National came in 2021, when he tied for 18th. But he has plenty of experience on golf’s hallowed grounds and has the ball-striking capabilities to succeed. If he can keep his mentality sharp, Hatton can be right there at the end.

Numbers 26 through 89:

26. justin thomas, 27. tommy fleetwood, 28. russell henley, 29. corey conners, 30. si woo kim, 31. eric cole, 32. adam scott, 33. harris english, 34. jason day, 35. tom kim, 36. phil mickelson.

37. Akshay Bhatia

38. taylor moore, 39. nick taylor, 40. min woo lee, 41. emiliano grillo, 42. matthieu pavon, 43. byeong hun an, 44. adrian meronk, 45. denny mccarthy, 46. sungjae im, 47. stephan jaeger, 48. j.t. poston, 49. will zalatoris, 50. keegan bradley, 51. rickie fowler, 52. lucas glover, 53. adam hadwin, 54. nicolai højgaard, 55. chris kirk, 56. patrick reed, 57. adam schenk, 58. sepp straka, 59. erik van rooyen, 60. ryan fox, 61. kurt kitayama, 62. austin eckroat, 63. sergio garcia, 64. ryo hisatsune, 65. justin rose, 66. peter malnati, 67. zach johnson, 68. lee hodges, 69. tiger woods.

70. Cameron Davis

71. luke list, 72. camilo villegas, 73. gary woodland, 74. grayson murray, 75. jake knapp, 76. bubba watson, 77. nick dunlap, 78. christo lamprecht (a), 79. zach johnson, 80. neal shipley (a), 81. charl schwartzel, 82. danny willett, 83. jasper stubbs (a), 84. stewart hagestad (a), 85. mike weir, 86. vijay singh, 87. santiago de la fuente (a), 88. josé maría olazábal, 89. fred couples.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

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Playing the Masters Is by Invitation Only. Here’s How Golfers Get One.

There’s a long list of possible ways, like being a past winner, but the creation of LIV Golf has complicated the process.

By Paul Sullivan

Despite a missed putt on the 18th hole at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, Stephan Jaeger still punched his ticket to Augusta National Golf Club, where he will be playing in his first Masters Tournament this week.

There are many ways to get an invitation to the Masters, and Jaeger, 34, found one of them.

But first, he missed a putt that would have clinched a victory over the former Masters champion Scottie Scheffler . Then Scheffler missed a shorter putt that would have forced a playoff with Jaeger.

In the end what mattered was that Jaeger won the tournament, not how he did it, and in doing so he earned an invitation to the Masters.

“I couldn’t have thought, dreamed up a better week to do it,” he said after his victory.

The Masters, the season’s first major for men, is an invitational, which means it is up to the members of Augusta National to send invitations and create the field of men who will compete for the coveted green jacket. This is unique among the major championships.

This year extra attention has been paid to how players secure their invitation largely because of the rise of LIV Golf, the league that has poached a dozen top players. (More on that later.) But how players earn their Augusta invitations has been part of a bigger story around getting into the PGA Tour’s top tournaments, which have the strongest fields and high prize money.

Fair to say that some golf fans are confused, and that some players are upset about being excluded.

What drew new interest in the qualifying process was Joaquin Niemann ’s journey to play well, win and get the attention of Fred Ridley, Augusta National’s chairman, who could grant him a special invitation.

Niemann, 28, from Chile, had played in four Masters tournaments. His first invitation came in 2018 after he won the Latin American Amateur Championship, which Augusta supports and whose winner gets an invitation. Last year, he finished tied for 16th place, his best Masters finish.

Normally, a player like that would have enough world ranking points to qualify easily for a Masters invitation. But Niemann went to LIV in 2022, and his ranking fell from 18 in 2022 to 91 today. That put him outside the top 50 who get invitations.

Even though he has played well this year on LIV, the league does not qualify for world ranking points because of its staggered starts, shorter tournaments and team format. Other LIV players in the field have exemptions if they are past major champions or were in the top 50 at the end of last year.

These include Jon Rahm, the defending champion ; Phil Mickelson, a past champion who contended last year; and Brooks Koepka, who finished second last year before winning the P.G.A. Championship , which comes with five years of Masters invitations.

So Niemann, whose representative declined to make him available, took to the global road and played on various international tours to showcase himself to Augusta National. He won the Australian Open last year and notched top 10 finishes in three other international tournaments in Australia; Dubai, the United Arab Emirates; and Oman. He also won two LIV events.

Augusta has a history of inviting the best international players. In the 1980s, it introduced Bernhard Langer of Germany, Greg Norman of Australia and Seve Ballesteros of Spain to the world of golf.

Neimann’s plan worked. He received one of three special invitations that went to international players not already in the tournament.

“The Masters Tournament has a longstanding tradition of inviting leading international players who are not otherwise qualified,” Ridley said in February in announcing the special exemptions. “Today’s announcement represents the tournament’s continued commitment towards developing interest in the game of golf across the world.”

Niemann was the only LIV player who wasn’t a former Masters or major champion to get a special invitation. Talor Gooch was ranked 58th in the world when he tied for 34th place at last year’s Masters. He received that invitation because he had been within the top 50 at the end of 2022, which is one of the criteria. He then went on to win three times on LIV that season en route to being named LIV’s player of the year.

Yet Gooch, who is ranked 550th in the world, did not receive an invitation this year and wasn’t happy about it.

“If Rory McIlroy goes and completes his grand slam without some of the best players in the world, there’s just going to be an asterisk,” he said. “It’s just the reality.” McIlroy has won three of the majors, but lacks the Masters.

Few agreed.

So what are the various ways into the Masters? The most coveted is as a past champion. They get a lifetime invitation, though they’re encouraged to stop when they’re not competitive. This year was supposed to be Langer’s final Masters at 66, before he was injured.

Next to that, winning one of the other three major championships gets a player five years of invitations, the Players Championship gets three, and an Olympic gold medal winner gets one invitation.

To honor the tournament’s amateur roots, invitations go to the winner and runner-up of the United States Amateur Championship and the winners of the British amateur, Asia-Pacific Amateur and the Latin America Amateur. The winner of the N.C.A.A. championship also receives an invitation.

Stewart Hagestad, the reigning United States Mid-Amateur champion and a Walker Cup stalwart, will be playing in the Masters for the third time, having won the Mid-Amateur in 2016, 2021 and 2023. He made the cut in 2017, his first year, and won the award for the low amateur.

The rest of the invitations are based on how people have played in recent major championships as well as anyone who won a PGA Tour event in the previous year.

This year it totals about 90 players, a small field for a major championship. The other three majors have qualifying processes. The United States and British Opens are for anyone who can play their way in. The PGA Championship creates its field from touring and club pros.

Yet the split between the PGA Tour and LIV has created a complex situation beyond the Masters: which players get to play into the new Signature Events on the PGA Tour. These events have large purses, limited fields and in some cases no cuts. They’re not majors, but they’re at top courses with stout competition.

Like the Masters, the top 50 in the world golf rankings get into the Signature Events. But then it’s a scramble to fill other, limited spots at some other events. And it’s all new this year.

So, the PGA Tour partnered with Aon, the risk management consultant, to brand the groups that swing into and out of contention, the so-called Aon Next 10, the players who have moved into spots 51 to 60, and the Aon Swing 5, those who do well in the tournaments leading up to the Signature Events.

It’s been even more confusing for fans, and a scramble for players, because who gets into what is a moving target.

Andy Weitz, chief marketing officer at Aon, sees it differently. That confusion is an opportunity to show how the best golfers in the world play over the season.

“We were impressed by the modeling that showed a lot of movement in the top 50 in the course of the year, particularly in numbers 30 to 50,” Weitz said. “It’s fluid in a meaningful way. It creates interesting moments.”

An earlier version of this article mischaracterized Aon’s role in the PGA Tour’s Aon Next 10 and the Aon Swing 5. The company brought the marketing language to the tour, not the idea of creating the categories.

How we handle corrections

Paul Sullivan , the  Wealth Matters  columnist from 2008 to 2021, is the founder of  The Company of Dads , a work and parenting site aimed at fathers. He is also the author of  The Thin Green Line : The Money Secrets of the Super Wealthy and  Clutch : Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don’t.  @sullivanpaul More about Paul Sullivan

Inside the World of Sports

Dive deeper into the people, issues and trends shaping professional, collegiate and amateur athletics..

Minor League Baseball’s Real Estate: The fight over a new stadium for the Eugene Emeralds  highlights a wider challenge for cheaper alternatives to big-league live sports.

New York’s Favorite Soccer Team: Some people splurge on vacations, fancy shoes and motorcycles. A group of dozens of friends, neighbors and co-workers decided to try something better (or maybe worse): They bought a middling soccer team in Denmark .

Here Comes Padel: The sport is played with a racket on a court with a net, but watch out for those bouncing shots from the back wall. Reporters take a look at the padel scene in New York City .

Have the Brands Gone Too Far?: Runners at the Boston Marathon are disappointed that the new finisher medals feature a large bank logo  across the bottom.

How Soccer Embraced Ramadan: In competitions like the Premier League, Muslim pros who once faced pressure to avoid daily fasts  during the monthlong holiday now benefit from custom diets and in-game breaks.

You have come to the Philippines Edition, for other ESPN editions, click here.

Jon Rahm builds a LIV team, PGA Tour in Dubai, LPGA is back, more golf news

Rory McIlroy says he wasn't understanding enough of golfers who joined LIV Golf early on. (1:27)

• Senior college football writer
• Author of seven books on college football
• Graduate of the University of Georgia

In recent weeks, the push to globalize golf has ignited discussions involving PGA Tour standout Rory McIlroy and departing DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley.

McIlroy's "dream scenario" includes tapping into markets such as Australia, South Africa and Japan.

Pelley, who announced last week that he is leaving his post to join Maple Leaf Sports in Toronto, told reporters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday that American golfers have to look beyond their own borders when they think about growing the game.

Part of the delay in finalizing the PGA Tour's framework agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund [PIF] and the DP World Tour is the Saudis' insistence that team golf remain a part of the game. Team events could be played in locations around the world.

"PIF certainly understands the importance of being global," Pelley said, according to a report by The Guardian of London. "This is a global game. Every business now that is growing wants to be global. What I would like to see is the game becoming unified with a global strategy. I think the PGA Tour is coming to the realization [that being global] is the key for the growth. They have heard me say it once or twice."

As the professional game cranks up this week with the first event of the PGA Tour's West Coast swing and the LPGA Tour's season opener, eyes will also be on other parts of the world.

McIlroy and other PGA Tour stars are competing in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the first Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour. Top amateurs from Latin America will be playing in Panama, with invitations to three of this season's majors going to the winner.

Here's what to watch in professional golf this week:

What's next on the PGA Tour

The American Express When: Thursday-Sunday Where: La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, California Defending champion: Jon Rahm Purse: $8.4 million

No defending champion: For the second time in three events this season, the defending champion isn't in the field. Rahm jumped to the LIV Golf League on Dec. 7. He was also the defending champion for The Sentry, the season opener in Hawaii, which Chris Kirk won on Jan. 7. Last year, Rahm captured The American Express for the second time with a one-stroke victory over Davis Thompson .

It's the second straight season in which The American Express' defending champion isn't around to defend his title. Last year, Hudson Swafford was absent after joining LIV Golf.

Rahm will make his LIV Golf debut Feb. 2-4 at El Camaleon Golf Club in Quintana Roo, Mexico. He will captain his own team, Legion XIII GC, as the 13th four-man team in the league.

LIV Golf officials haven't yet announced the other players who will compete on Rahm's squad. Asian Tour golfer Kieran Vincent has been linked to Rahm's team in recent weeks, as has University of Tennessee sophomore Caleb Surratt . Surratt is the 10th-ranked amateur in the world and represented the U.S. in the Walker Cup in September.

A strong field: Even with Rahm absent, there's a strong field at The American Express. It's not a signature event with an increased purse, but that didn't stop 22 of the world's top 50 players from entering.

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler , No. 5 Patrick Cantlay , No. 6 Xander Schauffele and No. 10 Wyndham Clark are in the field.

Former U.S. Ryder Cup team member Daniel Berger is also making his first start in more than 18 months. The four-time PGA Tour winner hasn't competed since the 2022 U.S. Open because of a serious back injury. He tried to play through the pain; the injury was later diagnosed as a slight bulge in a lower disc and deep-bone sensitivity.

"That was the worst six months of my life," Berger told The Associated Press last year. "I've had a pretty easy life. I play golf for a living - it's not that stressful. But there was a point that I would have given up golf for the rest of my life not to feel like that."

Another Block party: California club pro Michael Block , who captured the sport's imagination with his performance (and ace) at the PGA Championship last season, is in the field at La Quinta Country Club.

In September, Block won the Southern California PGA Professional Championship at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. He won the tournament by 4 strokes to earn spots in The American Express and next week's Farmers Insurance Open. Last year, Block carded a 7-under 65 in the first round at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, but missed the 54-hole cut at The American Express. .

After tying for 15th at the 2023 PGA Championship, Block received sponsors exemptions into the Charles Schwab Challenge and RBC Canadian Open and made the World Wide Technology Championship field as a PGA section champion. He missed the cut in each event. Block is currently ranked 602nd in the world.

What's next on the LPGA Tour

Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions When: Thursday-Sunday Where: Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Orlando, Florida Defending champion: Brooke M. Henderson Purse: $1.5 million

Only winners: The 35-player field for the Tournament of Champions includes only winners from the LPGA Tour the past two seasons. The field includes three women who captured four of the five major championships last season: Lilia Vu (Chevron Championship and The Women's Open), Ruoning Yin (Women's PGA Championship) and Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women's Open). France's Celine Boutier , who captured the Evian Championship, is the only major championship winner from 2023 not in the field.

The field includes 20 of the top 50 players in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, including Nelly Korda , Rose Zhang, Charley Hull and Jennifer Kupcho.

Celebrities are out: A group of 46 celebrities and amateurs from sports, music and entertainment will compete in a 72-hole tournament at Lake Nona with modified Stableford scoring. Celebrities will receive one point for bogeys, two for pars, three for birdies, five for eagles, eight for hole-in-ones and 10 for double-eagles. There's a $500,000 purse for celebrities, including $100,000 to the winner.

Former tennis player Mardy Fish , who won the celebrity event last year, is back in the field. Pro Football Hall of Famers Marcus Allen, Charles Woodson and Emmitt Smith, NBA All-Stars Ray Allen and Vince Carter and baseball greats Roger Clemens, John Smoltz and Albert Pujols are also scheduled to compete.

"Almost every year I get at least a couple people that I'm pretty nervous on the first tee," Henderson said. "But a few years ago I played with Vince Carter and I said to myself, 'If I can play in front of Vince Carter, I can play in front of anybody.' So after that it's been a little bit easier."

Former U.S. men's soccer star Landon Donovan has only been playing golf for about a year.

"I don't have any goals this week except to have fun, stay out of the way, get invited back, and hopefully make a few good shots," he said. "This format is unique. I've tried to play a lot more stroke play at home because it just makes you a better player, but this format is unique. If you have a double, triple, quad, bogey, doesn't matter. You just move on to the next hole."

Locked in: The lack of women's lockers at last year's event at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club caused a bit of controversy. The permanent women's locker room at the club was damaged by a storm, so the LPGA planned to have temporary ones delivered. The tour changed its mind, but the lack of privacy and security didn't sit well with some players. The LPGA eventually had 36 temporary lockers delivered to the course.

This year, players and celebrities will have designated locker rooms.

"Similar to other LPGA tournaments, select tournament sponsors and staff will also have access to the clubhouse and this includes the restroom facilities within the locker rooms," Aaron Stewart, VP of sports marketing at Hilton Grand Vacations, said in a statement to Golfweek.

"LPGA players and female celebrities will also have private restroom facilities for players-only in the upstairs area of the clubhouse adjacent to their player-only dining room. We have worked closely with the LPGA to ensure all appropriate security and access policies are followed."

PGA Tour stars in the Middle East

A handful of PGA Tour stars, including McIlroy, Brian Harman , Cameron Young , Adam Scott and Tommy Fleetwood , are competing this week in Dubai. The 72-hole event starts Thursday at Emirates Golf Club and has a $9 million purse, with $1.53 million going to the winner.

McIlroy has won the event three times, including a one-stroke victory over Patrick Reed last season, which was preceded by the "tee gate" incident on the practice range.

Last week, McIlroy had a 1-shot lead over Fleetwood heading to the 72nd hole of the inaugural Dubai Invitational. McIlroy pulled his drive into the water and was forced to take a drop. Fleetwood made birdie to collect his seventh DP World Tour victory and his first since November 2022.

Fleetwood, who has won more than $20.3 million on the PGA Tour, is still searching for his first victory on the circuit. The Englishman now lives in Dubai with his family.

"Keep playing to a high standard, practicing to a high standard, putting yourself in those positions all the time, and then you get a chance of winning," Fleetwood told reporters in Dubai Tuesday. "It's not going to work out all the time, and it's very, very hard and there are always players that play great and that are going to be hitting great shots. You just have to be there, and like I say, your times will come."

Amateurs playing for majors

The opening round of the Masters is 85 days away, but an amateur can earn an invitation to Augusta National Golf Club by winning this week's Latin American Amateur Championship at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama City, Panama.

The winner, as long as he remains an amateur, would also receive exemptions into the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina and The Open at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.

Three golfers from Mexico, Omar Morales (No. 74), Santiago De la Fuente (No. 89) and Jose Islas (No. 115), are among the highest-ranked players in the amateur world rankings in the field, along with the Cayman Islands' Justin Hastings (No. 97) and Trinidad and Tobago's Chris Richards Jr. (No. 106)

Aaron Jarvis , the Latin American Amateur Championship winner in 2022, is also in the field. The UNLV sophomore was the event's first winner from the Caribbean. Last year's champion, Argentina's Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira , turned pro and competed on PGA Tour Canada last year.