Since the PGA Tour introduced the FedExCup Playoffs in 2007, tour officials have strived to find the best format for determining a season-long champion. Over the past dozen years, the tour has made several changes to the Playoffs points system after the first one was found to have a serious problem in terms of having the FedExCup champion determined in the season-ending Tour … [Read more...]
Golf’s Elite Look Strong Heading into U.S. Open; So Does Matt Kuchar
After the run of problems encountered by the USGA with the U.S. Open in recent years, they return to the one site seemingly immune from the recent snafus regarding course selection/set-up or application of the rules. This year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach features multiple story lines featuring the game’s elite players, starting with Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka and … [Read more...]
Masters preview: McIlroy the Favorite, No Green Jacket for Tiger or Phil
The list of potential 2019 Masters champions is long, with a clear but not overwhelming favorite who comes into the tournament as the game’s hottest player, but who does not have the best relationship with Augusta National. Everything points to a Rory McIlroy victory in Augusta next week. He has finished sixth or better in each of his six starts in PGA Tour stroke play … [Read more...]
Reed fought off more popular challengers to capture 2018 Masters title
Last year’s Masters victory by Patrick Reed may not have been the most well-received conclusion in the tournament’s 80-plus year history, but it was certainly one of the most well-earned. At various stages during Sunday’s final round, Reed was challenged by three of golf’s highest profile performers, each of whom would have been a much more popular champion. Even though … [Read more...]
PGA Tour Preview: Significant Changes Highlight 2019 Schedule
The 2019 portion of the PGA Tour schedule began with two events in Hawaii, and will be followed by four annual stops in California and one in Arizona, the same as it has for the past two decades. After that, the usually standard sequence of tournaments has been significantly shuffled, along with a number of rules changes that are slightly confusing but not overly impactful. … [Read more...]
U.S. loses Ryder Cup in Europe again; Woods goes winless, Furyk fumbles pairings
After all the talk about the immense talent on the 2018 American Ryder Cup team, the final result was the same as that of the previous five matches played in Europe. The U.S. team lost by the second largest margin of the 6-match road losing streak, with Europe erasing a 3-1 deficit after the first session Friday morning to win the team matches 10-6. The Europeans clinched … [Read more...]
Reed, Watson Part of U.S. Ryder Cup Team Looking to Break Losing Streak in Europe
It’s been 25 years since the United States team won the Ryder Cup in Europe, but the U.S. losing streak is not quite as bad it as appears. Or is it? There have been just six Ryder Cup matches played in Europe over the past quarter century, but the Americans’ record in the U.S. during that span is less than stellar, especially compared with the Europeans’ home … [Read more...]
Woods Thrills East Lake Fans with First Victory in 5 years; Almost Wins FedExCup
After Tiger Woods won for the first time in more than five years in the Tour Championship at East Lake on Sunday, the exuberant reaction of both the fans and the media is a strong indicator that all is right in the golfing world. Woods had not won since the World Golf Championship event in 2013 at Firestone, which hosted that tournament for the last time this year. That was … [Read more...]
Kisner Ties for 2nd in British Open; Held or Shared Lead After First 3 Rounds
For the second straight year, former Georgia Bulldog Kevin Kisner made a strong run at capturing a major championship before falling back in the final round. Kisner, a lifelong resident of Aiken, S.C., just across the Savannah River from Augusta, had at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds in the British Open, winding up in a tie for second behind … [Read more...]