PGA Tour signature events get high-profile winners and a little more balance

Winnipeg Free Press

6 days ago

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — The PGA Tour has created more paths to the $20 million signature events, such as 10 leading players in the FedEx Cup standings and the five top players on a special list from the events in between. The elite players are still winning them.
Keegan Bradley became the eighth different winner of the eight signature events when he won the Travelers Championship. He also had the worst world ranking (No. 21) of any of this year's winners.
The only other signature event winners outside the top 10 in the world were Russell Henley (14) at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Sepp Straka (17) at the Truist Championship.
As far as current ranking, now all eight signature event winners are among the top 12.
Scottie Scheffler at least gave everyone a chance this year. Scheffler won four of the eight among his seven official PGA Tour titles a year ago. The only one where he repeated was at the Memorial. Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama are the only players to win at least one signature event in each of the last two years.
'I think the signature events have gone great,' said McIlroy, who won at Quail Hollow last year and Pebble Beach this year. 'If you look at the list of winners … I think they work. They get all the top players together. I think they've produced exciting finishes with the best players in the world battling one another, played on some of the most iconic venues that we have.'
The difficulty is the short season. All eight signature events were held over six months, and that doesn't include three majors and The Players Championship.
'This is the last signature event of the year, and it feels like we've only got started,' McIlroy said. 'We're only into June, and we're not even halfway through the year.'
Still to come, of course, is the British Open and two $20 million FedEx Cup playoff events, along with the bonus payout — $25 million to the winner — from the FedEx Cup finale in the Tour Championship at East Lake.
Scheffler's run
Even when Scottie Scheffler is not winning, he's rarely too far behind.
He was part of the 36-hole lead at the Travelers Championship when he opened with a triple bogey and shot 72 to fall nine shots behind. He closed with a 65 and tied for sixth.
Dating to the Houston Open, the world's No. 1 player now has nine consecutive tournaments finishing in the top 10. He had three wins during a four-tournament stretch, including the PGA Championship for his third major.
His actual scoring average during that stretch is 67.8, and he has earned just over $13 million. Scheffler twice finished five shots behind since late March, at Hilton Head and the U.S. Open.
One last chance
The British Open typically has an exemption based on the FedEx Cup that ends after the Travelers Championship. At the request of the PGA Tour, that spot has been moved back one week to end after the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
It's still a long shot.
The category is the leading five players, not already exempt, from the top 20 in the FedEx Cup. Trouble is, the top 30 going into the Rocket Mortgage already are exempt for Royal Portrush.
Michael Kim is at No. 31, and he would require no less than a two-way tie for second (245 points) to reach the points where Robert MacIntyre is at No. 20. Jacob Bridgeman at No. 34 in the FedEx Cup needs outright second place.
One other from the top 40, Ryan Gerard, would have to win this week.
The Open previously offered a spot to the leading finisher in the John Deere Classic. That spot no longer exists. The tour asked for the cutoff to move back one week because the Travelers Championship is a signature event, and some players might not have been in the field.
Open qualifying
The British Open is offering 20 spots from four golf courses on July 1 in the regional final qualifying to see who gets to Royal Portrush on July 17-20.
This is viewed as a significant pathway for players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf, and 16 players are entered in the 36-hole qualifier. That includes 52-year-old Lee Westwood, who has not played in a major since the 2022 British Open, a month after he joined LIV. He will be an Dundonald Links just north of Troon.
There's also a father-son outing at Royal Cinque Ports on the east coast of England, where Ian and Luke Poulter are playing. Luke Poulter nearly qualified for the U.S. Open, instead getting an alternate spot but not getting into the field at Oakmont.
The four regional qualifiers start two days after LIV concludes its event in the Dallas area. Among those signed to play are Graeme McDowell, Peter Uihlein, Paul Casey and David Puig.
LIV's next event is July 11-13 in Spain, a week before the British Open.
Long sponsorships
The PGA Tour has extended the contracts of two of its longest-running title sponsors.
The most recent was AT&T, which began as title sponsor of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 1986. Next year will mark its 41st consecutive year of what now is a signature event. Rory McIlroy won earlier this year at Pebble Beach.
Previously it was John Deere, a longtime partner with the PGA Tour and title sponsor of the John Deere Classic since 1999.
Divots
The Broadmoor will get two more U.S. Senior Opens, in 2031 and 2037. The U.S. Senior Open is being held on the Colorado course this week for the third time. … Joe Hooks, who grew up playing at Detroit Golf Club, shot 68-66 to win the John Shippen Men's Invitational and earn a spot in the Rocket Mortgage Classic this week. … Minjee Lee became the first player to win three LPGA majors this decade with her victory in the KPMG Women's PGA. Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Yuka Saso have each won two. … Tommy Fleetwood surpassed $31 million in career PGA Tour earnings with his tie for second in the Travelers Championship. No one has earned more without a PGA Tour victory.
Stat of the week
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Minjee Lee was the 16th different winner in 16 tournaments on the LPGA this year.
Final word
'Can't be perfect every day. Just trying to do my best.' — Scottie Scheffler on his 2-over 72 in the third round of the Travelers Championship, the fifth time in 55 rounds this year he has been over par.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf