The post Star leaderboard, big money and LIV Golf: The biggest storylines for Sunday at the Tour Championship appeared first on Golf.

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After a stormy Saturday, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Co.. will have plenty of golf to play on championship Sunday at the Tour Championship.

Third-round play, at 6:36 p.m. ET Saturday, was suspended for the second time due to lightning in the area, and the PGA Tour called play for the day shortly after 7 o’clock. Fourteen players, including leader Scheffler, will resume their third round at 9:45 a.m. Sunday.

Assuming no major delays on Sunday, the FedEx Cup will awarded, along with it the $18 million first-place prize.

With that, here’s four stories to follow for Sunday’s action:

Long day ahead

Thankfully, the Tour Championship features just a 29-man field, which will make it much easier to get everyone around the golf course on Sunday.

That said, the final twosome of Scheffler and Schauffele were in the 13th fairway when play was suspended, and will have five-and-a-half holes to complete when play resumes. Scheffler, who is even for the round and 19-under for the week, will sleep on a one-stroke lead over Schauffele, the smallest after any day of the tournament.

Many others in contention for the huge FedEx Cup bonus purse will be playing extra golf on Sunday. That is except for Justin Thomas, who has just a 2-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole left to play. That would get him to 15-under for the tournament.

Going down the leaderboard, Sungjae Im, in third, has four holes to play; Rory McIlroy, in fourth, has two holes remaining; and among those tied at 14-under and in a tie for fifth is the penultimate pairing of Jon Rahm and Patrick Cantlay, who will play their second shots to the 14th hole when play resumes.

Close race

Scheffler’s lead, which was at one point seven shots during Friday’s second round and started at two to begin the week, is now just one over Schauffele. Schauffele twice pulled even with Scheffler on Saturday, but the pair mostly held in place, with Scheffler playing even-par golf for 12 holes, and Schauffele shooting one-under.

What looked like a two-horse race at one point has become anything but, with eight players within five shots of the lead going into Sunday. Schauffele started the day two back of Scheffler, but four clear of anyone else.

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“I wasn’t playing my best, but I was kind of hanging in there,” Scheffler said in a brief media session. “I was looking forward to giving myself some opportunities at the end, but then the horn went off.”

Im has a 4-under round through 14 holes going to jump into third at 16-under. Rory McIlroy was 5-under and is at 15-under. There’s a group of four players at 14-under, including Thomas, who is very likely to move to to 15-under once he makes his shorty in the morning to cap off a round of 63.

Big money on the line

In case you haven’t heard, a ton of money is at stake, as this is the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. A total of $75 million is on the line Sunday, including $18 million to the winner.

Second place will net $6.5 million. Even the last-place finisher on Sunday will cash a considerable check, at $510k. Will Zalatoris technically finishes last because of his WD earlier in the week and gets $500k, but that is still more that Tour’s leading money winner from 1984 [Tom Watson] made that season.

LIV Golf rumors

Of course, no story talking about the PGA Tour and looking ahead these days can be done without mentioning LIV Golf. Several outlets reported Saturday that two golfers playing in the Tour Championship — Open Championship winner Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann — would be joining the controversial, Saudi-backed league.

Smith completed his third round on Saturday, firing a 2-under 68 to sit at 8-under and in a tie for 18th after starting the week sixth in the FedEx Cup standings and with a 4-under starting score.

Niemann still has four holes to play and is at 12-under and in a tie for 10th.

The reports indicate that both players, along with several others, including Harold Varner III, Mito Pereira and Mark Leishman, will be in the field for next week’s LIV Golf Invitational Boston.

Quotable

Scheffler on his Saturday night plans: “Just go home and get some sleep and food — sorry, food and then sleep.”

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The post Tour Confidential: Solheim Cup unanswered questions, Ryder Cup captain’s picks and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Solheim Cup unanswered questions, Ryder Cup captain’s picks and more appeared first on Golf.

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, we discuss the Europeans’ Solheim Cup win, Ryder Cup captain’s picks, PGA Tour stars coming to Netflix and more.

1. The 17th Solheim Cup finished on Monday at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, with Europe beating the U.S. 15-13 to win its second straight meeting and fourth in the last six. The Americans were stronger on paper — several Europeans even said so — yet scored just half a point in the event’s opening session and could never claw back. What went wrong for the U.S.? Or, what went right for Europe? And who was the MVP?

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): The European players themselves said that the absence of their own fans created an even greater sense of solidarity for their team. That’s probably true. But it was also about players peaking at the right time and being unleashed appropriately. Witness Leona Maguire, the MVP, set loose in all five matches. She was ferocious. On a side note: is there a more worrisome sign for a team than being considered stronger on paper? It would not be surprising to see a repeat of this result at Whistling Straits later this month.

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): While the players deserve their due, Catriona Matthew out-captained Pat Hurst. Matthew rode the hot hand, leaning on Solheim Cup rookie Leona Maguire, and it paid off with 4.5 points. Hurst on the other hand had some head-scratchers, including her decision to play world No. 1 Nelly Korda in two foursomes matches, effectively limiting the number of shots her best player could hit, while sitting her in the all-important Sunday four-ball. This Cup was won on the headsets.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer: Incisive analysis, Zephyr Melton! This is much less insightful, but Inverness, surprisingly, played firm, some of the bounces were quirky, and it really required shot-making. I saw far more European shot-making than American shot-making. That is, shaping shots, punching shots, using different clubs from around the greens. But there was outstanding play on both sides. The Americans got outplayed. It also sounds like they they got out-lineuped, per Zephyr.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): Sixteen of 28 matches came down to the 18th hole, and Team USA simply didn’t win enough of those. Team match play comes down to making the little putts at big times and Europe thrived in that department. As for MVP? Leona Maguire, easily. She punctuated an undefeated week with a 5-and-4 drubbing of would-be rookie rival Jennifer Kupcho.

2. The first day of the Solheim Cup came with a minor rules controversy, when Nelly Korda’s eagle try slid past the hole on the 13th and settled on the lip of the cup. One of her opponents, Madelene Sagstrom, walked over and picked up the ball, conceding the tap-in birdie. But a rules official said Sagstrom had not allowed 10 seconds to pass to determine if the ball had stopped moving before picking it up, so Korda’s putt was considered holed, and the Americans won the hole and later the match 1 up. The incident made the rest of the match a tense one and few pleasantries were exchanged afterward. Korda said the rules official said they had no say in the matter, and the decision was a unilateral one from the rules committee. “I wasn’t following the rules about leaving the ball for 10 seconds, but I do believe in integrity and honor of the game of golf, and I would never pick up a putt that had a chance to go in,” Sagstrom said. What’s your opinion on the biggest rules drama of the week? Was the right decision made?

Sens: It was a bummer of an incident but the right decision. No doubt Sagstrom had no ill intent but she said it herself: she broke the rules. In that instance, it was not her place to decide whether the putt was going to drop before the allotted 10 seconds.

Melton: It was by the letter of the law, but it was disappointing to see a rules controversy dominate the storylines in a week when there was some great golf. Madelene will surely never make that mistake again.

Dethier: Perhaps it’s better that Team USA didn’t ultimately win the Cup by a single point, because then we’d really keep hearing about this. As it is, the strange quirks of golf rules remain. This was enforced correctly, if unfortunately — and perhaps unnecessarily, but without being on that green it’s tough to say for sure.

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Bamberger: I agree with all of that. There are a hundred ways to parse it, but the most fundamental one is the issue of fairness. Korda had the right to 10 seconds, and, via Sagstrom’s actions, didn’t get them.

3. Patrick Cantlay continued his hot play and won the Tour Championship — and $15 million bonus — on Sunday at East Lake. His FedEx Cup finale capped a three-week stretch that also featured a T11 and win at the BMW Championship. Few golfers have surged over the last month like Cantlay. If you are drafting players for next season, where are you picking Cantlay?

Sens: In my top five with Rahm, Morikawa, Spieth and Thomas,

Melton: He’s definitely in the top five. His consistency is incredible.

Dethier: All the unbeatable golfers are looking beatable, so at risk of being prisoner of the moment I’d take Cantlay just behind Rahm and Xander Schauffele as the Tour stalwarts of the 2022 season. But ask me again in two months and I’m sure I’ll have a different answer.

Bamberger: Very, very, very hard to repeat. Very hard to keep a thing going. Not in my top five. But Jordan Spieth is.

4. The six automatic qualifiers for the U.S. Ryder Cup team are now set with Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Cantlay. Assuming players 7-9 in the standings make the team — Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth — that leaves three more options for captain Steve Stricker to pick on Wednesday. Who would you select? [Editor’s note: Koepka WD’d from the Tour Championship with a wrist injury, and for this exercise we will assume he is healthy enough to play at Whistling Straits.]

Sens: Kevin Na, Sam Burns and Daniel Berger. Different styles, but all share that bulldog trait that makes me think they’d be great teammates and thrive in the atmosphere.

Melton: Harris English, Will Zalatoris, Scottie Scheffler. English is a fringe top-10 player in the world at the moment (11th) and for the other two, I’d like to see some new blood in the mix. Plus I’m a sucker for my fellow Texans.

Dethier: Harris English, Daniel Berger and Kevin Na. English for the steady ball-striking. Berger because he’s a gamer. Na because he seems like a pain in the ass to play against, regardless of golf course or setting.

Bamberger: Na, English, Scheffler. And in that order. Not that order matters.

5. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan met with the media last week and said any fans that breach the Tour’s code of conduct policy are subject to expulsion from the tournament. He also made it clear when specifically asked about fans yelling “Brooksy” at DeChambeau — those spectators will be kicked out. “Is that respectful or disrespectful? That has been going on for an extended period of time,” he said. “To me, at this point, it’s disrespectful, and that kind of behavior we’re not going to tolerate going forward.” What do you think of Monahan’s decision?

Sens: The better solution would be for Bryson to ignore the yahoos. The people yelling Brooksy are knuckleheads, but the term they’re using is not a slur. Can you imagine what Charlie Sifford would have to say about all this?

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Melton: Seems like too little, too late. The genie is out of the bottle on this one, and the heckling of players — DeChambeau and others — will continue.

Dethier: It seems like it worked at the Tour Championship, based on reporting from East Lake. In certain situations, crowd participation and occasional heckling is a fun and integral part of pro golf, but unoriginal heckling should be punished for its inanity. I think we’re at a net gain here, even if the rule seems lame on its face.

Bamberger: I think Monahan has it right. I suggest a new campaign, with Mike Myers as Austin Powers, saying just two words: “Oh, behave.” If golf becomes too much like other sports it will shoot itself in the foot. It’s different. That’s what makes it special.

6. Our Dylan Dethier broke the news of Netflix teaming with the PGA Tour to launch a docuseries offering an inside look at life on Tour, much like Netflix’s Uber-popular Formula 1 show “Drive to Survive.” Production is set to begin in the 2021-22 season with some big-time players potentially signing on. But what has made “Drive to Survive” take off is the behind-the-scenes buy in from Formula 1 and the drivers. Will the PGA Tour and/or the players allow the same access to make such a show thrive? And a bonus question: if you are the head of casting, who is the first pro you are desperately pitching to join?

Sens: If the lives of Tour pros are as most Tour pros describe them, I don’t think we’re going to be keeping up with the Kardashians here in the way of eccentricities, scandal or surprise. That said, if you really were granted unvarnished access (good luck with that for any of the big names) Tiger, of course. Right?

Melton: I’m not sold on the Tour and agents and players and managers giving up the access needed. I fear it will turn into inauthentic sponsored content. As for a player to join the cast, it’s gotta be Harry Higgs. He’s one of the most compelling characters in golf.

Dethier: It’s been said a hundred times already, but the key to the show’s success will be access and authenticity. Living the daily life of a pro golfer might be mostly monotonous, but when it’s condensed into hour-long form, there’s plenty of juice there. As a dark horse pick, gimme the inside life of Dustin Johnson. Instant TV star.

Bamberger: Dylan typed for me, right down to Dustin Johnson. It could be great, but the obstacles are huge.

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The post For golf fans, Tour Championship and Solheim Cup offer wildly different vibes appeared first on Golf.

The post For golf fans, Tour Championship and Solheim Cup offer wildly different vibes appeared first on Golf.

Maybe this was you on Sunday afternoon, the power of the clicker in your hands.

On Golf Channel, there were 24 female pros — 12 Americans, 12 Europeans — playing (or cheerleading) on a classic Donald Ross course, Inverness, in golf’s most primitive form, match play, for nothing more valuable than the right to hoist a crystal cup.

On NBC, there were two male pros — one American, one European — in Atlanta, on a classic Donald Ross course, East Lake, playing a convoluted stroke-play system with so many millions at stake the money seemed practically meaningless by suppertime.

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Yes, you went back and forth. Of course you did. But where did you log more time? Which event meant more to you?

You of course know how Sunday ended.

Europe has a 2-point lead over the Americans at the Solheim Cup, at Inverness. All 24 women will be on the course Monday, Labor Day, with 12 points and that precious hoisting at stake.

Jon Rahm, the bull-like Spaniard, played four days at East Lake in 266 shots. Nobody played better. Patrick Cantlay, a low-key Californian, traversed those same 72 holes in 269 shots. But he started on Thursday, per contest rules, with a two-shot lead on his nearest chaser (and a four-shot lead on Rahm). So he’s your FedEx Cup champion. Which means he’s now $15 million richer. Rahm, as runner-up, earned $5 million.

Whatever.

Those two will meet up again later this month, at the Ryder Cup. It will be must-watch golf.

Professional golf has never had a September exactly like this, with the pro game’s two best team events, the Solheim Cup and the Ryder Cup, both in September, both with Midwestern datelines. The Ryder Cup will be at Whistling Straits, near Kohler, Wisc., in three weeks. But Inverness first. Ladies first.

In victory, Cantlay said that he doesn’t play golf for the money. Money, surely, is a motivator, but not the motivator. The motivator is what it’s always been, at least to the players we are all drawn to: doing a difficult thing well while carrying yourself with a certain dignity.

The greatness of Cantlay’s six-hole playoff last week against Bryson DeChambeau — sudden death; match play, really — was that it wasn’t about money. Not for us, watching. It was about two totally different personalities, going toe-to-toe. It was the S.S. Minnow’s Gilligan versus Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator. And Gilligan won. On Sunday, he beat Rambo. Except he really didn’t. And he won a great big pile of money. Which means nothing to us and, by Cantlay’s own admission, not that much to him.

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“As silly as it sounds, the money is not what’s really important for me,” Cantlay said. “The money is not what drives me to play this game. Winning golf tournaments, playing golf under pressure, and hitting quality golf shots under the gun — that’s why I’ve practiced my whole life, and [this is] the best feeling in the world, winning golf tournaments. The money is just a consequence of that.”

You can’t have professional golf without prize money. Golf without prize money is amateur golf. But the neatest moments in golf are when you’re not thinking about money at all, and for both fan and player the world becomes ball, hole, club in hand.

That’s why, in no particular order, the four men’s Grand Slam events are so enduring, as are the four women’s majors (sorry, Evian), the three senior majors for men, plus the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup and (some years more than others) the Presidents Cup. In Toledo on Sunday, the earth was shaking when Jennifer Kupcho do her thing and then Mel Reid did hers. As pure sport-as-theater, it was hard — you could say impossible — not to be more drawn to that.

Cantlay was asked about this interesting Sunday in golf, with two very different professional events unfolding at the same time.

“It had to be compelling stuff,” he said. Not even an hour after he was done playing at East Lake, he knew that the Americans had cut into the European lead at Inverness and were trailing by two points. “I’ll be rooting for them to hopefully pull it out,” he said. No question to whom he was referring. Rahm will be doing the same, on the other side.

Cantlay made a little nod to his main sponsor, Goldman Sachs, saying the financial firm first would help him find a place to invest his new millions. Well, of course. But nobody playing at Inverness, on either side, had any stray thoughts like that. They were playing for all the reasons Cantlay mentioned, and then some. It was must-watch golf.

Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com

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The post Patrick Cantlay’s winning clubs at the 2021 Tour Championship appeared first on Golf.

The post Patrick Cantlay’s winning clubs at the 2021 Tour Championship appeared first on Golf.

Patrick Cantlay won the 2021 Tour Championship on Sunday at East Lake Golf Club to capture the season long FedEx Cup Playoffs (and a HUGE check). The Titleist staffer used a bag full of 14 Titleist clubs, and a Titleist golf ball to win this week. Check out the full specifications on his winning setup below.

Driver: Titleist TS3 (Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60TX shaft), 9.5 degrees

3-wood: Titleist 915F (Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70TX shaft), 15 degrees

Hybrid: Titleist TS2 (Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 80TX shaft), 21 degrees

Irons: Titleist 718 AP2 (4-9 iron; True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 Tour Issue X100 shafts)

Wedges: Titleist SM7 (46 and 52 degrees), Titleist SM8 (56 and 61 Proto), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S300 shafts

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Want to overhaul your bag for 2021? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below!

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The post Patty Nice! Patrick Cantlay holds off Jon Rahm to win Tour Championship appeared first on Golf.

The post Patty Nice! Patrick Cantlay holds off Jon Rahm to win Tour Championship appeared first on Golf.

The announcers on NBC’s Sunday broadcast of the Tour Championship were talking about pressure. And Patrick Cantlay was eating. 

Cantlay’s lead was one stroke during the final round, three holes remained at East Lake Golf Club, and 15 mill was going to the winner. And there he was, ruining his dinner. 

“Cantlay having no problem grabbing a snack as he was walking up that hill,” analyst Paul Azinger said on the broadcast. 

No problem at all. 

From there, Cantlay hit to 5 feet on his approach shot on the par-4 16th for a birdie to take his lead to two. On the next hole, the par-4 17th, Cantlay hit over the green on his second shot, and hit short of the green on his third — only to pitch on and escape with both a bogey and his lead still intact. Then on the final hole, the par-5 18th, Cantlay pumped a 361-yard drive, his longest drive of the week, hit his second to 11 feet and two-putted for a birdie, a one-under 69, a 21-under total and the Tour Championship win. 

“Cantlay is stoic,” analyst David Feherty said on the broadcast. “Has not backed down an inch this week.”

Neither did Jon Rahm, the runner-up. Cantlay entered the final round two strokes ahead, Rahm whittled it to one at various points and gave it a run to drop it to none on 18. After a 352-yard drive down the fairway, he ran his second shot just past the hole and off the green, then narrowly missed a chip-in for eagle. He finished at 20-under, while Kevin Na finished third, at 16-under, and Justin Thomas was fourth, at 15-under.

Had players not started with strokes ahead of the event based on their standing in the FedEx Cup, Rahm and Na would have tied for first.

“He earned it,” Rahm said of Cantlay. “He played amazing. That up-and-down after missing from 17, the second shot from 18 to almost make it is even more impressive. “I think you can say he won this. He played amazing golf.

The big takeaway 

Who’s ready to see Patrick Cantlay at the Ryder Cup? The biennial event starts in three weeks.

The 10 big shots 

— Patrick Cantlay, at 20-under, leads Jon Rahm by two shots and Justin Thomas by five entering the final round. 

— Cantlay birdies the 204-yard, par-3 2nd hole after hitting his tee shot to 6 feet, and he moves to 21-under, three shots ahead of Rahm and five in front of Thomas. 

— Rahm birdies the 443-yard, par-4 5th hole after hitting his approach shot to inches, and Cantlay bogeys after three-putting from 70 feet, and Cantlay’s lead is one shot. Cantlay is at 20-under, Rahm is at 19-under and Thomas and Kevin Na are at 14-under. 

— Cantlay birdies the 505-yard, par-5 6th hole on a 5-foot putt, while Rahm pars, and Cantlay moves two ahead. He’s at 21-under, Rahm’s at 19, and Thomas is at 15. 

— Cantlay bogeys the 238-yard, par-3 9th after missing the green on his tee shot, and his lead drops to a shot. He’s at 20-under, Rahm’s at 19, and Thomas and Na are at 14. 

— Cantlay surprisingly misses a 4-foot birdie putt on the 437-yard, par-4 13th, and he remains a shot ahead of Rahm. He’s at 20-under, and Rahm’s at 19. 

— Cantlay and Rahm exchange six straight pars, with Cantlay making putts of 4 feet on both the 530-yard, par-4 14th and the 200-yard, par-3 15th. 

— Cantlay birdies the 458-yard, par-4 16th hole on a 5-foot putt, and he moves his lead to two strokes. He’s at 21-under, Rahm’s at 19, and Na’s at 15. 

— Cantlay misses the green on his approach shot on the 423-yard, par-4 17th, hits a pitch shot short of the green and he bogeys the hole. His lead is back down to a stroke. He’s at 20-under, Rahm’s at 19 and Na’s at 15. 

— On the 579-yard, par-5 18th hole, Cantlay hits a 361-yard drive, his longest of the week, hits his second shot to 11 feet, and he two-putts from there to win the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. 

The final word 

“It was like a one-on-one match play feel, and I think it will be great practice for the Ryder Cup.” — Cantlay on his final-round pairing with Rahm 

The post Patty Nice! Patrick Cantlay holds off Jon Rahm to win Tour Championship appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘I was burning inside’: Pro falls prey to PGA Tour rules official’s post-round prank appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘I was burning inside’: Pro falls prey to PGA Tour rules official’s post-round prank appeared first on Golf.

Pace of play (the slow kind) is a hot talking point on the PGA Tour. But on Sunday, Joaquin Neimann flipped the narrative on its head when, playing solo in the first group of the day at the Tour Championship, he looked more like Usain Bolt than Tommy Bolt.

With nothing but an open course ahead of him at East Lake GC, Neimann and his caddie, Gary Matthews, tightened their laces and made history, needing all of 1 hour and 53 minutes to finish 18 holes. It was the fastest round in Tour Championship history, edging Kevin Na’s 2016 mark by five minutes.

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If Neimann was expecting to celebrate his achievement with pats on the back in the scorer’s tent, he had another thing coming: some light-hearted (if sharp-edged!) needling from Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour’s chief of tournaments and competition, who greeted Neimann and Matthews with a stern look.

“Andy is sitting right there with the rules official,” Matthews recalled later, “and I looked at him, like, this is serious.”

A few moments later, Pazder beckoned over Matthews and Neimann, and here’s how Matthews recounted what came next:  

“He said, ‘Listen, Joaquin, as a professional, you’ve disrespected the game, you’ve disrespected the Tour Championship. This is not how professionals act, and Gary you’ve been out here a long time and you should know that and here is a fine for $10,000.'”

You could cut the tension with a 2-iron.

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“I look at him like, I was burning inside,” Neimann said. “I was going to say something and he’s like, ‘All right, forgive me. Before you say something, I was just kidding.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I hate you.'”

Boom, roasted! By a PGA Tour rules official! Didn’t see that coming.

To the long list of PGA Tour pranksters — Peter Jacobsen, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, et al. — you can now add one more name: Andy Pazder.

You can read more about Neimann’s historic round here.

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The post How the insanely lucrative FedEx Cup bonus payouts are divvied up, from 1st place to 150th appeared first on Golf.

The post How the insanely lucrative FedEx Cup bonus payouts are divvied up, from 1st place to 150th appeared first on Golf.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in which player is bound for FedEx Cup glory at the Tour Championship — and the cool $15 million check that comes along with it. More commonly overlooked is how all that other cash is distributed, i.e., the remaining $45 million!

The FedEx runner-up banks $5 million, third place is good for $4 million, while the fourth- and fifth-place finishers have to settle for a measly $3 million and $2 million, respectively.

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Some of these winnings will be sorted Sunday evening at East Lake, but a good chunk of FedEx Cup change has already been sorted among the 120 players who didn’t qualify for the Tour Championship — from K.H. Lee, who pocketed $200,000 for his 31st place finish in the playoffs down to the pack of players who finished between 126th and 150th (including the likes of Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Tommy Fleetwood) and made $70,000 for their efforts.

Yes, it’s good to be a PGA Tour player in 2021! Here’s the full list of FedEx Cup bonus payouts for the 2020-21 season:

PAYOUTS FOR PLAYERS WHO QUALIFIED FOR THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP:

Win: $15,000,000

2: $5,000,000

3: $4,000,000

4: $3,000,000

5: $2,500,000

6: $1,900,000

7: $1,300,000

8: $1,100,000

9: $950,000

10: $830,000

11: $750,000

12: $705,000

13: $660,000

14: $620,000

15: $595,000

16: $570,000

17: $550,000

18: $535,000

19: $520,000

20: $505,000

21: $490,000

22: $478,000

23: $466,000

24: $456,000

25: $445,000

26: $435,000

27: $425,000

28: $415,000

29: $405,000

30: $395,000

PAYOUTS FOR PLAYERS WHO DIDN’T QUALIFY FOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

31: K.H. Lee, $200,000

32: Charley Hoffman, $195,000

33: Alex Noren, $190,000

34: Si Woo Kim, $186,000

35: Max Homa, $183,000

36: Hudson Swafford, $181,000

37: Cam Davis, $179,000

38: Kevin Kisner, $177,000

39: Keegan Bradley, $175,000

40: Webb Simpson, $173,000

41: Brian Harman, $171,000

42: Marc Leishman, $169,000

43: Cameron Tringale, $168,000

44: Harold Varner III, $167,000

45: Shane Lowry, $166,000

46: Lucas Glover, $165,000

47: Matt Jones, $164,000

48: Carlos Ortiz, $163,000

49: Aaron Wise, $162,000

50: Lee Westwood, $161,000

51: Charl Schwartzel, $160,000

52: Paul Casey, $159,000

53: Sebastián Muñoz, $158,000

54: Tom Hoge, $157,000

55: Branden Grace, $156,000

56: Russell Henley, $155,000

57: Cameron Champ, $154,000

58: Maverick McNealy, $153,000

59: Emiliano Grillo, $152,000

60: Robert Streb, $151,000

61: Jhonattan Vegas, $150,000

62: Chris Kirk, $150,000

63: Patton Kizzire, $150,000

64: Kevin Streelman, $150,000

65: Keith Mitchell, $150,000

66: Harry Higgs, $140,000

67: Mackenzie Hughes, $140,000

68: Talor Gooch, $140,000

69: Ryan Palmer, $140,000

70: Phil Mickelson, $140,000

71: Matthew Wolff, $110,000

72: Seamus Power, $110,000

73: Matt Fitzpatrick, $110,000

74: Tyrrell Hatton, $110,000

75: Martin Laird, $110,000

76: Joel Dahmen, $110,000

77: Ian Poulter, $110,000

78: Troy Merritt, $110,000

79: J:T: Poston, $110,000

80: Pat Perez, $110,000

81: Bubba Watson, $110,000

82: Andrew Putnam, $110,000

83: Doug Ghim, $110,000

84: Brandon Hagy, $110,000

85: Adam Long, $110,000

86: Peter Malnati, $105,000

87: Wyndham Clark, $105,000

88: Adam Schenk, $105,000

89: Lanto Griffin, $105,000

90: Adam Scott, $105,000

91: Kramer Hickok, $105,000

92: Brian Stuard, $105,000

93: Henrik Norlander, $105,000

94: Doc Redman, $105,000

95: Brian Gay, $105,000

96: Roger Sloan, $105,000

97: Brandt Snedeker, $105,000

98: Hank Lebioda, $105,000

99: Tyler McCumber, $105,000

100: Denny McCarthy, $105,000

101: Brendon Todd, $101,000

102: Luke List, $101,000

103: Adam Hadwin, $101,000

104: Chez Reavie, $101,000

105: Brendan Steele, $101,000

106: Sepp Straka, $101,000

107: Garrick Higgo, $101,000

108: James Hahn, $101,000

109: Zach Johnson, $101,000

110: Russell Knox, $101,000

111: Matt Wallace, $101,000

112: Sam Ryder, $101,000

113: Gary Woodland, $101,000

114: Jason Day, $101,000

115: Matthew NeSmith, $101,000

116: Scott Piercy, $101,000

117: Kyle Stanley, $101,000

118: Anirban Lahiri, $101,000

119: Dylan Frittelli, $101,000

120: Richy Werenski, $101,000

121: C:T: Pan, $101,000

122: Matt Kuchar, $101,000

123: Brice Garnett, $101,000

124: Scott Stallings, $101,000

125: Chesson Hadley, $101,000

126: Justin Rose, $70,000

127: Ryan Armour, $70,000

128: Patrick Rodgers, $70,000

129: Bo Hoag, $70,000

130: Camilo Villegas, $70,000

131: Nate Lashley, $70,000

132: Michael Thompson, $70,000

133: Rory Sabbatini, $70,000

134: Rickie Fowler, $70,000

135: Cameron Percy, $70,000

136: Austin Cook, $70,000

137: Tommy Fleetwood, $70,000

138: Chase Seiffert, $70,000

139: Charles Howell III, $70,000

140: Vincent Whaley, $70,000

141: Nick Taylor, $70,000

142: Francesco Molinari, $70,000

143: Mark Hubbard, $70,000

144: Ryan Moore, $70,000

145: Michael Gligic, $70,000

146: Joseph Bramlett, $70,000

147: Bo Van Pelt, $70,000

148: Beau Hossler, $70,000

149: Vaughn Taylor, $70,000

150: Satoshi Kodaira, $70,000

The post How the insanely lucrative FedEx Cup bonus payouts are divvied up, from 1st place to 150th appeared first on Golf.

The post Pro records a scoring mark that hasn’t been done in at least 41 years appeared first on Golf.

The post Pro records a scoring mark that hasn’t been done in at least 41 years appeared first on Golf.

Sungjae Im first set a PGA Tour record. Then, he maybe carded another personal one. 

Im, on the par-3 2nd at East Lake Golf Club, hit his tee shot to 21 feet, hit his putt, then watched as his ball fell over the front of the cup during Sunday’s final round of the Tour Championship. He pumped his fist three times. 

No player, in 41 years of tracking, had now made as many birdies as Im had in a PGA Tour season. To celebrate, the normally stoic Im did something he likely hadn’t done in his 23 years of living. Three fist pumps from Im? Though Labor Day weekend doesn’t traditionally have fireworks, consider this an explosion. 

Im would tack on birdies on 10, 12, 14 and 18, and he’d finish with 498 birdies, five more than Steve Flesch’s previous mark, set in 2000. Since the Tour began tracking birdie totals in 1980, only three players have had 480 birdies or more in a season — Im this year, Flesch, Vijay Singh in 2004 (484) and Im in 2019 (480).

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Im, no doubt, was helped both by the fact that this is the first — and likely only — PGA Tour “super season,” with 50 events, starting with the U.S. Open last September, and the fact that Im is a super workhorse — he’s played 127 rounds over 35v tournaments. Still, one does not make birdies just by entering an event.  

“Who knows if that’ll be the Joe DiMaggio record on the PGA Tour,” announcer Dan Hicks said on NBC’s broadcast, referencing baseball’s record 56-game hitting streak. 

A look at the birdie leaders on the PGA Tour since tracking began in 1980:

1980: Andy Bean, 388 birdies, 104 rounds
1981: Vance Heafner, 388 birdies, 126 rounds 
1982: Andy Bean, 392 birdies, 109 rounds
1983: Hal Sutton, 399 birdies, 113 rounds
1984: Mark O’Meara, 419 birdies, 111 rounds
1985: Joey Sindelar, 411 birdies, 120 rounds
1986: Joey Sindelar, 415 birdies, 117 rounds
1987: Dan Forsman, 409 birdies, 121 rounds
1988: Dan Forsman, 465 birdies, 122 rounds
1989: Ted Schulz, 415 birdies, 114 rounds
1990: Mike Donald, 401 birdies, 114 rounds
1991: Scott Hoch, 446 birdies, 115 rounds
1992: Jeff Sluman, 417 birdies, 111 rounds
1993: John Huston, 426 birdies, 112 rounds
1994: Brad Bryant, 397 birdies, 109 rounds
1995: Steve Lowery, 410 birdies, 107 rounds
1996: Woody Austin, 422 birdies, 117 rounds
1997: Kelly Gibson, 424 birdies, 123 rounds
1998: Chris Perry, 404 birdies, 111 rounds
1999: Chris Perry, 468 birdies, 124 rounds
2000: Steve Flesch, 493 birdies, 123 rounds
2001: Brian Gay, 441 birdies, 114 rounds
2002: John Rollins, 463 birdies, 124 rounds
2003: Robert Gamez, 466 birdies, 114 rounds
2004: Vijay Singh, 484 birdies, 112 rounds
2005: Ted Purdy, 437 birdies, 122 rounds
2006: Daniel Chopra, 435 birdies, 110 rounds
2007: Briny Baird, 411 birdies, 115 rounds
2008: Steve Marino, 440 birdies, 119 rounds
2009: Bo Van Pelt, 395 birdies, 100 rounds
2010: Brendon de Jonge, 429 birdies, 114 rounds
2011: Blake Adams, 433 birdies, 116 rounds
2012: Brendon de Jonge, 425 birdies, 115 rounds
2013: Brendon de Jonge, 399 birdies, 110 rounds
2014: Jimmy Walker, 401 birdies, 98 rounds
2015: Danny Lee, 475 birdies, 120 rounds
2016: Si Woo Kim, 400 birdies, 113 rounds
2017: Charley Hoffman, 423 birdies, 112 rounds
2018: Austin Cook, 419 birdies, 107 rounds
2019: Sungjae Im, 480 birdies, 122 rounds
2020: Sungjae Im, 390 birdies, 94 rounds
2021: Sungjae Im, 498 birdies, 127 rounds

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The post Pro sets course record, plays round in less than 2 hours at the Tour Championship appeared first on Golf.

The post Pro sets course record, plays round in less than 2 hours at the Tour Championship appeared first on Golf.

Some pros swagger their way into golf history. Some stride confidently as they cast their names alongside the very best players in the history of the game.

Joaquin Niemann sprints. And no, that’s not a euphemism.

On Sunday at the Tour Championship, the 22-year-old Chilean set the course record at East Lake. Or, more accurately, Niemann set a course record at East Lake. And perhaps most impressive of all? He did it and still managed to finish in last place.

So, how does a professional golfer manage to acquire a course record and a DFL in the same weekend? Well, he runs. And then he runs. And he runs some more. And then, one hour and 53 minutes later, he finishes running, because his round of golf is over.

Joaquin Niemann’s key to claiming a course record in a last place finish? Grab your stopwatch and start running.

Fans were delighted to see footage of Niemann, his caddie Gary Matthews, and a small group of scorers and standard-bearers running alongside one another as they huffed-and-puffed into the finish line at East Lake on Sunday. The one-time PGA Tour winner shot a pedestrian, two-over 72 — well, perhaps working-class 72 would be a better turn of phrase. But the score was no matter next to the outcome: the fastest round in East Lake history.

After a double-bogey on No. 8 that felt like it lasted “an eternity,” Niemann realized he might have a shot at the record.

“I didn’t know how fast I could get 18 holes, but on the front nine, I decided to play quick but not like crazy quick, not like rushing and hurrying up,” Niemann said (he played the front nine in an hour and three minutes). “But then they told me I did like just over an hour, I was like, ah, I’m just going to rush it and try to break the record.”

Rush, Niemann did, playing the back nine in 51 minutes to eclipse the record by six minutes.

“The best thing of the whole thing was we got to No. 15 and the group that was behind us was Cink and Matsuyama and they were teeing off 8,” Matthews, the caddie, said. “So that was pretty cool because we were trying to figure out how far we would be ahead of them and I think at the end we were trying to beat them before they got to 10.”

As it turned out, Niemann was merely the latest to attempt the East Lake sprint. Like the Turkey Trot, the course speed record has become something of a tradition. The outstanding record was set by Kevin Na in 2016, who earned acclaim for his efforts despite being one of the PGA Tour’s notoriously slow players.

So, how does it feel to be proud owner of both a last-place finish and a sub-2-hour round?

“I am tired,” Niemann said.

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The post The winner of the Tour Championship will take home HUGE money appeared first on Golf.

The post The winner of the Tour Championship will take home HUGE money appeared first on Golf.

After a LONG 2021 season, we’ve finally reached the finish line: the final event of the 2021 PGA Tour season, the Tour Championship. Below, find everything you need to know about the Tour Championship’s massive money prize, including purse, payout information and winner’s share.

Tour Championship final round preview

As it turns out, holding a hefty lead at the beginning of a golf tournament is a fairly accurate predictor for success in that golf tournament. The FedEx Cup Playoff format, which spots the leaders a handful of strokes heading into the Tour Championship, has worked like a charm in 2021. Through three rounds at the Tour Championship, the leader is the exact same person who entered the tournament in first place, and at 10 under: Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay (-20) has held onto his two-stroke lead heading into the weekend, but he’ll have to bring his A-game on Sunday to hold off a host of challengers highlighted by Jon Rahm.

Rahm (-18) is back in the hunt in a big-time event for the first time since winning the U.S. Open in June, and is looking for his first-ever FedEx Cup victory. Behind him, Justin Thomas (-15) is looking to mount a late charge, but has significant ground to make up at East Lake on Sunday.

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Further back, Bryson DeChambeau (-9) is looking to make up ground on Sunday. His foil, Brooks Koepka, withdrew from the Championship on Saturday with an undisclosed wrist injury.

Below, find the complete payout information, including winner’s share, for the Tour Championship’s mammoth $46 million (!) purse; you can catch the action all afternoon long on NBC.

Tour Championship payout information, winner’s share

1. $15,000,000

2. $5,000,000

3. $4,000,000

4. $3,000,000

5. $2,500,000

6. $1,900,000

7. $1,300,000

8. $1,100,000

9. $950,000

10. $830,000

11. $750,000

12. $705,000

13. $660,000

14. $620,000

15. $595,000

16. $570,000

17. $550,000

78. $535,000

19. $520,000

20. $505,000

21. $490,000

22. $478,000

23. $466,000

24. $456,000

25. $445,000

26. $435,000

27. $425,000

28. $415,000

29. $405,000

30. $395,000

The post The winner of the Tour Championship will take home HUGE money appeared first on Golf.