Rahm back to defend in Mexico, LIV Golf off to Singapore

PGA TOUR

MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP AT VIDANTA

Site: Vallarta, Mexico.

Course: Vidanta Vallarta. Yardage: 7,456. Par: 71.

Prize money: $7.7 million. Winner's share: $1,386,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champion: Jon Rahm.

FedEx Cup leader: Jon Rahm.

Last week: Davis Riley and Nick Hardy won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Notes: Jon Rahm is back to defend his title. He is playing for the second time in the three weeks since the Spaniard won the Masters. ... The Mexico Open was the only PGA Tour event Rahm won last year. He also won twice on the European tour. This year he already has four PGA Tour titles, including his second major. ... The field has only two other players from the top 50 in the world, Tony Finau and Alex Noren. ... Finau closed with a 63 last year and tied for second with Kurt Kitayama and Brandon Wu. ... Gary Woodland is among those in the field, along with former British Open champion Francesco Molinari. ... Twelve players who made the cut last year in Mexico are now in Singapore with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. That includes Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz of Mexico, along with Sebastian Munoz of Colombia. ... Alvaro Ortiz, the younger brother of Carlos Ortiz, is playing. ... Latin America Amateur champion Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira is playing on a sponsor exemption.

Next week: Wells Fargo Championship.

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

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LPGA TOUR

JM EAGLE LA CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Los Angeles.

Course: Wilshire CC. Yardage: 6,258. Par: 71.

Prize money: $3 million. Winner's share: $450,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: New tournament.

Race to CME Globe leader: Lilia Vu.

Last week: Lilia Vu won the Chevron Championship.

Notes: This is a new tournament to the schedule, but the storied course is not. The DIO Implant LA Open has been held at Wilshire Country Club since 2018. It moved this year to Palos Verdes Estates, and a “new” tournament has come to Wilshire. ... Fresh off her first major, Lilia Vu is in the field. Vu and Patty Tavatanakit are among six former UCLA Bruins playing at Wilshire. ... Nelly Korda returned to No. 1 in the women's world ranking. ... Nasa Hataoka won at Wilshire last year. ... The previous three winners at Wilshire — Brooke Henderson, U.S. Women's Open champion Minjee Lee and Moriya Jutanugarn — also are in the field. ... The tournament follows the first major of the year in Houston and still attracted a strong field with the location and a $3 million prize fund. ... From the top 10 in the world, the only players missing are Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson. ... The International Crown is next week in San Francisco, featuring four-player teams from eight countries.

Next week: Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown

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

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LIV GOLF

LIV GOLF-SINGAPORE

Site: Singapore.

Course: Sentosa GC (Serapong). Yardage: 7,406. Par: 71.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner's share: $4 million.

Television: Thursday, 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. (The CW App); Friday-Saturday, 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. (The CW App); Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (CW-Tape Delay).

Defending champion: New event.

Points leader: Peter Uihlein.

Last week: Talor Gooch won LIV Golf-Adelaide.

Notes: This is among nine new events to the LIV Golf League schedule this year. Singapore is one of two stops in Asia. The other is the team championship at the end of the year in Saudi Arabia. ... Sergio Garcia began his 2018 season by winning the Singapore Open at Sentosa. Ian Poulter also won at Sentosa in 2009. ... Peter Uihlein moved atop the standings with his seventh-place finish in Australia. He is the only player to have top 10s in all four LIV events this year. ... Paul Casey (2019), Louis Oosthuizen (2012) and Lee Westwood (2005) all have finished second in the Singapore Open at Sentosa. ... The HSBC Women's World Championship is played at Sentosa, although that is held on the Tanjong course. ... Phil Mickelson finished 16th in Australia, his best result this year in LIV Golf. ... Dustin Johnson is 17th in the standings, but his 4 Aces are leading the team standings.

Next tournament: LIV Golf-Tulsa on May 12-14.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

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EUROPEAN TOUR

KOREA CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Incheon, South Korea.

Course: Jack Nicklaus GC. Yardage: 7,470. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $333,333.

Television: Wednesday-Thursday, Midnight to 5 a.m. (Golf Channel); Friday-Saturday, Midnight to 4:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: New tournament.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last week: Lucas Herbert won the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan.

Notes: This is the second straight week the European tour is in Asia. The tournament is co-sanctioned with the Korea PGA. ... The European tour hasn't had South Korea on its schedule since the Ballantine's Championship at Laguna National in 2013. That was tri-sanctioned with the Korea PGA and the Asian Tour. ... The Jack Nicklaus Golf Club is best known for hosting the Presidents Cup in 2015, which the United States narrowly won over the International team. ... Sangmoon Bae is in the field. He lost in the final Presidents Cup singles match, and then was out of golf for two years for his mandatory military service in South Korea. ... Robert MacIntyre of Scotland and Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark are in the field. Hojgaard's twin brother, Nicolai, has special temporary membership on the PGA Tour and is playing the Mexico Open this week. ... Three former winners of the European tour stop in South Korea — Graeme McDowell, Bernd Wiesberger and Lee Westwood — are now with LIV Golf.

Next week: Italian Open.

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

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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

INSPERITY INVITATIONAL

Site: The Woodlands, Texas.

Course: The Woodlands CC. Yardage: 7,002. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2.7 million. Winner's share: $405,000.

Television: Friday, noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Steven Alker.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: David Toms.

Last week: Mark Hensby won the Invited Celebrity Classic.

Notes: The north Houston suburbs gets its second week of golf. The LPGA Tour's first major was last week at The Club at Carlton Woods. Now the PGA Tour Champions goes to The Woodlands for a tournament that dates to 2004. ... Bernhard Langer is a four-time winner of the Insperity Invitational. He needs one more win for 46 senior titles to break the tour record he shares with Hale Irwin. ... Saturday features the Folds of Honor Great of Golf exhibition, a nine-hole, four-team scramble that includes Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw and 12 other major champions. The four women playing include Nancy Lopez and Pat Bradley. ... The prize fund has increased by $400,000 to $2.7 million. ... Steven Alker won last year, the second of his four PGA Tour Champions titles he won in 2022. ... John Daly and David Duval are in the field after they finished last among 80 teams at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last week.

Next week: Mitsubishi Electric Classic.

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

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KORN FERRY TOUR

HOMETOWN LENDERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Huntsville, Alabama.

Course: The Ledges. Yardage: 7,114. Par: 70.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner's share: $180,000.

Television: None.

Previous winner: Harrison Endycott.

Points leader: Ben Kohles.

Last week: Scott Gutschewski won the Lecom Health Classic.

Next tournament: AdventHealth Championship on May 18-21.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

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OTHER TOURS

Epson Tour: Copper Rock Championship, Copper Rock GC, Hurricane, Utah. Previous winner: Dottie Ardina. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/

Japan Golf Tour: The Crowns, Nagoya GC (Wago), Aichi, Japan. Defending champion: Yuki Inamori. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/

Challenge Tour: Abu Dhabi Challenge, Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Defending champion: New event. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/

PGA Tour Latinoamerica: Diners Club Peru Open, Los Inkas GC, Lima, Peru. Previous winner: Online: https://www.pgatour.com/latinoamerica

Japan LPGA: Panasonic Ladies Open, Hamano GC, Chiba, Japan. Defending champion: Mao Saigo. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

Korea LPGA: KLPGA Championship, Lakewood CC, Yangju, South Korea. Defending champion: A Lim Kim. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/