PGA Tour and LIV Golf get to final week before the Masters
Jordan Spieth hits from the rough on the fifth hole during the second round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Friday, March 22, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. Credit: AP/Chris O'Meara
PGA TOUR
VALERO TEXAS OPEN
Site: San Antonio.
Course: TPC San Antonio (Oaks). Yardage: 7,438. Par: 72.
Prize money: $9.2 million. Winner's share: $1.656 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 1-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3:30-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC).
Defending champion: Corey Conners.
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts to a missed putt on the second greenduring the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 17, 2024, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Credit: AP/Marta Lavandier
FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.
Last week: Stephan Jaeger won the Houston Open.
Notes: The winner of the Texas Open earns the final spot in the Masters. ... The field features 30 players who already are exempt for the Masters. ... Corey Conners has won two of the last four times at the Texas Open. ... Past champions Kevin Chappell (2017) and Jimmy Walker (2015) have received sponsor exemptions. ... Rory McIlroy is in the field, giving him eight starts before the Masters. ... Jordan Spieth is playing after missing the cut in his last two tournaments, The Players Championship and Valspar Championship. ... Ryo Hisatsune and Eric Cole are among the Masters newcomers who are playing the week before Augusta National. ... The tournament has not been decided by a playoff since 2009. ... Ludvig Aberg, who played college golf at Texas Tech, is in the field. He is No. 9 in the world. The Masters will be his first major. ... European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is playing on a sponsor exemption.
Next week: The Masters.
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts to a missed putt on the second greenduring the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 17, 2024, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Credit: AP/Marta Lavandier
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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LIV GOLF
LIV GOLF MIAMI
Site: Doral, Florida.
Course: Trump National Doral. Yardage: 7,701. Par: 72.
Prize money: $20 million. Winner's share: $4 million.
Television: Friday, 1-6 p.m. (CW app); Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (The CW Network).
Defending champion: New event.
Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.
Last tournament: Abraham Ancer won LIV Golf Hong Kong.
Notes: LIV Golf has 13 players who will be in the Masters next week, seven of them past champions. That includes Jon Rahm, the defending Masters champion. ... Anthony Kim plays his first tournament in the United States since May 2012 when he withdrew after one round at Quail Hollow. ... Joaquin Niemann has won two of the four LIV events this year. ... Rahm has finished in the top 8 at all four LIV events in his debut season. His best finish is third place in the season opener at Mayakoba. ... The Blue Monster at Doral previously hosted a PGA Tour event for more than 50 years. ... Dustin Johnson won at a World Golf Championships event at Doral in 2015. He has one win on LIV this year in Las Vegas. ... The other 41 players not in the Masters do not have another LIV event for three weeks in Australia. ... Doral previously hosted the LIV team championship the past two years.
Next tournament: LIV Golf Adelaide on April 26-28.
Online: https://www.livgolf.com/
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LPGA TOUR
T-MOBILE MATCH PLAY
Site: North Las Vegas, Nevada.
Course: Shadow Creek GC. Yardage: 6,804. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $300,000.
Television: Wednesday, 4:30-7:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Thursday-Friday, 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Pajaree Anannarukarn.
Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.
Last week: Nelly Korda won the Ford Championship.
Notes: Nelly Korda is the first player since 2012 to get three LPGA wins before April. She will try to become the first player since Lorena Ochoa in 2008 to win four straight starts. ... The Match Play has changed the format this year to feature a 96-player field facing three days of stroke play starting on Wednesday. The field is cut to the top 65 and ties after two rounds, and the top eight cumulative scores after Friday advance to single-elimination match play. ... This is the final event of a Western swing, and the last LPGA event before its first major championship of the year. ... Shadow Creek is among the elite clubs in Las Vegas. It has hosted a made-for-TV match, along with the CJ Cup on the PGA Tour that was moved from South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. ... The Match Play was sandwiched last year between two events in New Jersey and drew a week field. This year it has Korda, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and Rose Zhang, four of the top names on tour.
Next tournament: Chevron Championship on April 18-21.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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KORN FERRY TOUR
CLUB CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Savannah, Georgia.
Course: The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (Deer Creek). Yardage: 7,185. Par: 72.
Prize money: $1 million. Winner's share: $180,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 3:30-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 2:30-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Previous winner: David Skinns.
Points leader: Mason Andersen.
Last tournament: Taylor Dickson won the Astara Chile Classic.
Next tournament: Lecom Suncoast Classic.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour
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EUROPEAN TOUR
Last week: Keita Nakajima won the Hero Indian Open.
Next week: The Masters.
Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Last week: Retief Goosen won The Galleri Classic.
Next tournament: Invited Celebrity Classic on April 19-21.
Points leader: Steven Alker.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
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OTHER TOURS
Augusta National: Augusta National Women's Amateur, Champions Retreat and Augusta National GC, Augusta, Georgia. Previous winner: Rose Zhang. Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, noon-3 p.m. (NBC). Online: https://www.anwagolf.com/
Ladies European Tour: Australian Women's Classic, Bonville Golf Resort, Bonville, Australia. Defending champion: Meghan MacLaren. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
Sunshine Tour: Limpopo Championship, Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate, Mookgophong, South Africa. Defending champion: Ryan Van Velzen. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/
Japan LPGA: Fujifilm Studio Alice Ladies Open, Ishizaka GC, Saitama, Japan. Defending champion: Miyuu Yamashita. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
Korea LPGA: Doosan E&C We've Championship, Teddy Valley Golf Resort, Jeju, South Korea. Defending champion: Yewon Lee. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/
