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USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Three-time PGA Tour winner's secret to success: 'Be obsessed'
PEKIN, Ill. — D.A. Points stood on the Pekin Country Club golf course Monday, not far from the home in which he grew up, remembering a squeaking screen door, practice swings in the dark and a passion that fueled his journey in golf. The 48-year-old Pekin native and PGA veteran returned to host the 2025 Renewal by Anderson D.A. Points Junior Open, an American Junior Golf Association tour event created with his backing to help young players make important progress in their dreams. "The greatest gift I had as a kid was living on this golf course," Points said. "Our house was on the No. 17 hole. I'd go out there every night after dinner and practice chips and putts right on into the dark. "We had this screen door that was so squeaky, I could hear my father open it from three holes away, and he'd yell at me to get going inside." He went on to win the IHSA Class AA state golf individual championship in 1993-94, and led Pekin High School to a team state championship. Then it was playing at the University of Illinois, and on to the PGA Tour and three event wins. Little things like that screen door and devoted parents in Steve and Mary Jo Points built core memories and a love of the game that D.A. Points remembers now, and his passion for passing along those experiences to those just starting out is as great as his passion to play. "To be great at this sport, to be great at anything, really, you kind of have to be obsessed with it," Points said. "The days of just being a naturally gifted athlete that can just walk up on the first tee and go out and shoot 65, those aren't really happening anymore. "Now there's great athletes and they are obsessed with it. To really be great at something, whether it's golf or journalism or TV, whatever it is, you've got to really want it. That's what I'm going to try to explain to these kids." He did that Monday, addressing the players ahead of a Junior/AM fundraising tournament event and followed by an evening dinner and reception. In between, he planned to join his old high school friends for some golf at Lick Creek Golf Course. "Our 30th high school reunion is coming up, but I won't be able to attend it," Points said. "So I'm going to golf with my buddies and this will be my reunion." D.A. Points on TV and radio Points has played in four Korn Ferry Tour events in 2025, while continuing a transition into a PGA broadcast analyst career. He is part of ESPN+ PGA Tour Live coverage, and was working the John Deere Classic last week. Points will work eight different PGA events this season. And he's scheduled for a SiriusXM stint this week — 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday — to discuss the Scottish Open. Golfing in Peoria area laid foundation for D.A. Points When Points was a kid, his mother, Mary Jo, kept a golf scorecard of Pekin Country Club on the family's refrigerator. "The goal was to keep improving on each hole, so she would check my card each time to see if I had set a new best score on one of the holes," Points said. "I had pars on some, then some birdies, and eventually I think I got the composite card down to a 54." When Points was 11 years old, his family connected him with teaching pro Rick Sellers in Bloomington-Normal, on the recommendation of D.A. Weibring. The first time they met, Sellers took out a notepad and began sketching figures. He had advised the Points family that because they weren't members at the club he worked, he could only meet with them one time. "He sketched a fade, a draw, a hook," and explained what they were," Points said, grinning. "He asked me if I wanted to try to shoot one. I asked, 'Which one? I can shoot all three of those.' "Sellers told my parents, 'OK, I can work regularly with him, I'll come to Peoria." And years later, the teaching pro stood up in D.A. Points' wedding. The birth of D.A. Points' tournament The AJGA reached out to Points eight years ago, seeking to increase its presence in Illinois. Points remembered having to travel to Flint, Michigan, to find an AJGA event as a teenager. He was quickly all in on bringing such an opportunity to central Illinois. "Energy, attitude, preparation, those are all things you can control," Points said as he prepared to address the players. "You can't control if you drive it down the middle of the fairway and it goes in a divot. But you can control how you react to it when you get there. "I said 'absolutely' when they asked if I wanted to do a tournament here. All these players from around the country, around the world, coming to Pekin. And a chance to talk to them, help them." The 60 boys in the 2025 field include players from 16 states, Japan, China, Thailand and Canada. There are boys as young as Evan Hofferkamp, a Class of 2029 player from The Woodlands, Texas, and Tiger YuanJun Liu, a Class of 2029 Chinese citizen based in Canada. The girls side of the field includes 36 players from eight states and Thailand, Canada, China, India and Hong Kong. The youngest in the field include Class of 2029 players Tiara Dhir, a citizen of India playing out of Frisco, Texas; Maya Fujisawa Keuling from Carmel, Indiana; Hailey Li from Los Gatos, California; Amy Tang from Auckland, New Zealand, and Arwen Wang of China. Hometown players Three Peoria area boys and one area girl are in the field: ● Notre Dame High School's Jack Coulter, Class of 2027, finished 21st at state last fall. ● Dunlap High School's Nolan Eccles, Class of 2027, finished seventh at state last fall. ● Pekin High School's Colin Kemp, Class of 2028. ● Dunlap High School's Sydney Hunt, Class of 2027, won medalist honors at the Mid-Illini Conference girls tournament, added a regional individual title and was named Journal Star girls golfing player of the year. Tournament headquarters is in the Pinehurst room of the Clubhouse at Pekin Country Club (310 Country Club Dr, Pekin). The tournament leaderboard and tee times can be found online daily. On Tuesday, Eccles tees at 8:20 a.m., Kemp at 10 a.m., Coulter tees at 10:10 a.m. and Hunt at 12:10 p.m. Pekin Country Club is a par 72, 6,549-yard challenge for the boys, and a par 72, 6,102-yard challenge for the girls. The three-day, 54-hole tournament is Tuesday through Thursday and includes a cut after 36 holes. It's open to boys and girls aged 12 to 19. Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@ Follow him on @icetimecleve.
Mint
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Mint
John Deere Classic 2025 Live streaming: Where to watch, timings, important dates, prize money and other details
The John Deere Classic 2025, a famous PGA Tour will kickstart on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. Many talented players will be vying for a substantial prize purse, and FedExCup points at the event that promises thrilling golf action. The John Deere Classic is scheduled from July 3 to July 6, 2025, with the following key events: Thursday, July 3: First round begins Friday, July 4: Second round, with the same start time. Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6: Final two rounds Sunday, July 6: Trophy presentation. July 3: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET (1:30 AM – 4:30 AM IST, July 4) July 4: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET (1:30 AM – 4:30 AM IST, July 5) July 5: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET (10:30 PM – 12:30 AM IST, July 5-6); 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET (12:30 AM – 3:30 AM IST, July 6) July 6: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET (10:30 PM – 12:30 AM IST, July 6-7); 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET (12:30 AM – 3:30 AM IST, July 7) ESPN+ will be offering PGA Tour Live coverage starting at 7:45 AM ET (5:15 PM IST) for early rounds on Thursday and Friday, and 8:00 AM ET (5:30 PM IST) on Saturday and Sunday. Streams include the main feed, marquee groups, featured groups, and featured holes. FuboTV also provides streaming access to The Golf Channel and CBS broadcasts. The 2025 John Deere Classic boasts a purse of $8.4 million, a $500,000 increase from previous years. The winner will clinch $1,512,000 and 500 FedExCup points. Here's a detailed payout structure for the top 10 positions: Notably, payouts continue down to 90th place ($13,200). Top star players like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are absent from the upcoming event. The field, however, remains competitive. Defending champion Davis Thompson will return after setting a tournament record of 28-under par in 2024. Other notable participants include Ben Griffin, Jason Day, Aldrich Potgieter, Luke Clanton, Michael Thorbjornsen, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, and Si Woo Kim. The absence of some big names will open opportunities for emerging talents like NCAA champion Michael La Sasso and Haskins winner David Ford.
USA Today
19-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Why is ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on a PGA Tour broadcast? We asked him
Why is ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on a PGA Tour broadcast? We asked him Adam Schefter is going from reporting on the gridiron to covering the action between the ropes on Thursday at the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship. During the first round, the NFL Insider for ESPN and the most plugged-in man on league happenings will cross over to work as a featured group commentator on ESPN+. He'll cover Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley's group, which tees off at 10:30 a.m. ET. 'It's going to be fun to get out of my cage and do something I'm not used to,' he told Golfweek during a phone interview. 'As much as I love my job – and I do – I love the challenge of being able to experience something new. I did about a half-dozen NBA games as a sideline reporter before the pandemic. It was invigorating and refreshing.' When he isn't juggling his multiple cell phones and breaking news on the NFL beat, Schefter says he's a golf junkie who is tuned into ESPN+ and PGA Tour Live every week. He plays a half-dozen times per year, but when asked to describe his game, said, 'Let's just say I'm better at watching golf than playing golf.' More: 2025 Travelers Championship offers a relaxed birdie-fest after the U.S. Open grind He said that discussions about him making an appearance on ESPN+ coverage of the Tour have been ongoing for several months. He was asked to pick a few tournaments that interested him. Originally, he debated doing the Truist Championship last month in Philadelphia, but determined it was too soon after the NFL draft and took a rain check. He looked at the schedule and the Travelers, which is played at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., isn't too far away from the headquarters of "the worldwide leader in sports" in Bristol. He was even able to appear in studio at ESPN on Wednesday. As for prep before his debut walking the fairways, he said that he hasn't been cramming. 'It's not like I had to sit down and study Keegan Bradley and Rory McIlroy. I have a pretty good idea of what they've done,' he said. 'People are always like what do you do to get ready for (NFL) Sunday? I live my life. I kind of live my job. I feel like I kind of live golf Thursday to Sunday.' This will be his first time at the Travelers Championship, a signature event on the PGA Tour. But he already attended a tournament this year as a patron at the Masters in April. In accordance with Augusta National rules, he wasn't able to bring his ever-present phones on property, which led to him getting pranked pretty good. 'I had this one 20-year-old kid come running up to me and he goes, 'Did you hear about the humongous NFL trade?'' Schefter recounted originally on his podcast. 'And my heart dropped. This is on the sixth hole. And I'm like no. And he's like, 'I'm only kidding!' ' Two months later and it's still too soon for Schefter to laugh it off. 'That's really not that funny,' he said. Schefter can't wait to follow McIlroy, the Masters champ, and Bradley, a past champion at the Travelers and the U.S. Ryder Cup captain. He said he planned to be on site close to three hours before his 'call time.' Back in the day, both Pat Summerall and Dick Enberg and more recently Jim Nantz have split time between TV duties with the NFL and golf. Is this a one-and-done or could Schefty be spending part of his off-season on the links? 'I really don't know,' he said. 'I'm thankful and honored they asked me do it. We'll see how it goes. If I love it, I'd be honored to do it again, but after one round they may say let him go back to his sport. Who knows? If it goes well, maybe we'll want to do it again. I know the players, I understand the sport, I know how to report something and we'll see how it goes.'
USA Today
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
ESPN's Adam Schefter will serve as on-course reporter at Travelers Championship
ESPN's Adam Schefter will serve as on-course reporter at Travelers Championship Adam Schefter is one of the most familiar faces in sports television, but he's going to be in a different setting this week than he's used to. Schefty is trading the sideline for the golf course this week, as the NFL Insider for ESPN will work as a featured group commentator on ESPN+ this week at the PGA Tour's 2025 Travelers Championship. On Thursday, he'll cover Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley's group, which tees off at 10:30 a.m. ET. He'll trade in the suit and tie for some golf clothes at TPC River Highlands. "I've been assigned a PGA Tour Live shirt that they got for me, and I guess the pants and shoes are my own," Schefter said during an appearance on Unsportsmanlike. "It's supposed to be very hot on Thursday. I don't know if I can get a clothing deal here." Schefter has covered the NFL for 16 years at ESPN, and he has also dabbled in NBA reporting after Adrian Wojnarowski retired, but this week he steps inside the ropes of a PGA Tour event.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
ESPN's Adam Schefter will serve as on-course reporter at Travelers Championship
Adam Schefter is one of the most familiar faces in sports television, but he's going to be in a different setting this week than he's used to. Schefty is trading the sideline for the golf course this week, as the NFL Insider for ESPN will work as a featured group commentator on ESPN+ this week at the PGA Tour's 2025 Travelers Championship. On Thursday, he'll cover Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley's group, which tees off at 10:30 a.m. ET. He'll trade in the suit and tie for some golf clothes at TPC River Highlands. Advertisement "I've been assigned a PGA Tour Live shirt that they got for me, and I guess the pants and shoes are my own," Schefter said during an appearance on Unsportsmanlike. "It's supposed to be very hot on Thursday. I don't know if I can get a clothing deal here." Schefter has covered the NFL for 16 years at ESPN, and he has also dabbled in NBA reporting after Adrian Wojnarowski retired, but this week he steps inside the ropes of a PGA Tour event. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Travelers Championship 2025: Adam Schefter will be on-course reporter
