Rory McIlroy – file image courtesy of PGA of America
Rory McIlroy’s strong stance against LIV Golf in the first few years of its existence served to polarise the Northern Irishman. Some despised what he had to say as he denigrated the new league’s very existence, while some were very supportive of his unconditional support of the PGA Tour.
Whatever side golf fans took on the debate, there was little doubting where Rory McIlroy stood, and even though he toned down some of his rhetoric in more recent times, there have still been instances where he stands on the subject is clearly obvious.
It is one of the great attributes of McIlroy that he is not afraid to voice his experienced opinions, and as things have unfolded in the last few months his stance has become more validated as LIV Golf struggles for survival despite the positive spin still being applied to its future.
I am an unabashed fan of Rory McIlroy, a still young man who has been great for the game even aside from his defence of the PGA Tour, his game’s swashbuckling style is very appealing, but so too is his understanding of the professional golfing industry. His earlier role on the PGA Tour Board allowed him an inside to many of the discussions on the earlier battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
Today, he spoke ahead of this week’s BMW Championship and predictably was asked questions on the current status of LIV Golf and its players, and was candid in his opinions of where things stand.
McIlroy was asked if he would take any personal satisfaction from the potential demise of LIV Golf
“It’s a hard one. Like, I think I feel like I’ve kept my position consistent that LIV has never been a good thing for the game. So, and whatever 2.0 looks like, if it even happens, you know, they say they’re trying to be more collaborative and all that. But I, this is, this (PGA Tour) is the best platform for the top professional golfers in the world.
“Yeah, were there some things at the start of LIV that the PGA TOUR could have done better? Sure. But I think that, you know, the guys that went, or you look, you think back to the start with, like, say, Phil was unhappy with some stuff or whatever it was. Like, surely that just warranted a conversation instead of blowing the entire professional game up and doing something else.
“I don’t take any personal satisfaction in people losing jobs. Like, that, that doesn’t, that doesn’t seem right. I’ve always felt like this is the best place to play professional golf. And I’m pretty sure if the PGA TOUR were handed 6 billion dollars, it would have done a better job with it.
When asked if he felt having Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and others back in the PGA Tour fold ahead of the next media rights negotiations, McIlroy responded;
“Eventually, yeah, maybe. I mean, look, eventually they will. I’m not part of these discussions, but I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be welcomed back straight away. If they were offered this returning member program back in February, the one that Brooks took, then, yeah, maybe. But that has sort of come and gone. And I think it was said at the time that the deal that they might get going forward, if they do decide to come back, isn’t going to be as good as the one that Brooks got. So, yeah, I would say it’s going to be a tough, tough road back.”
When asked what the PGA Tour should do with the US1.5 billion they have as their current treasure chest, McIlroy responded;
“I think they’re in a great position because I think people tune into the PGA TOUR because they want to see elite competition. And they want to see things that are meaningful and things that matter. I think with the creation of the 2028 schedule and things that the FCC are doing, with Brian and the rest of the team, I think the weeks will be more meaningful, and they will feel like they matter more.
“I think also the closer collaboration with the DP World Tour, obviously the Asian Tour is now being brought back into the fold. I think everyone’s started to work together a little more closely. Yeah, I think, I just think they’re in a really good spot.
“What would I like to see them do with the one and a half billion? I’ve said this to Brian, I’ve said it to people that work for him, Dhruv and whoever else, the PGA TOUR has got an unbelievable marketing platform. They’re on TV basically every week of the year. I think if they could spend that money and try to own more of the golf space.
“You think about the recreational game, and how much that’s booming. They had to get rid of a tee times business during COVID because the reserves got pretty low because of everything that happened. You go down the path of buying part of a tee times website again. You go down the path of like Versant, who I’m involved with; they just bought Full Swing, the tracking company, for 530 million. Like, if another, say a Trackman or a Foresight or whatever came up to buy, being able to put money into that, and then plugging it into this unbelievable platform that you have, the PGA TOUR, and being able to scale it that way.
“So, like from a business perspective, there’s a lot that they could do with the one and a half billion. I think they could own more of the golf space, professional and recreational. And now that all the players have equity in the TOUR, I think that’s the way to grow the enterprise value of the business.
“I mean, I think we all know that by the time the media rights cycle comes up in 2030, if Brian gets the same deal as Jay got in 2020, that would probably be a good deal. With the way everything’s going in terms of linear TV, streaming. Like I, you know — he’s talked about this, the NFL is going to take more of the media rights going forward with their deal. So the other sports are really just fighting for the scraps that the NFL leaves. So if he can get the same deal that we got in 2020, that would be amazing.
“So, in terms of like growing the enterprise value of the business, media rights, sponsorships. Yes, sponsors are going to step up and pay for these Championship Series events, but that money’s going straight back into, like, the tournaments and, honestly, the players’ pockets. But to actually grow the business and grow the enterprise value, they just need to, they need to own more of the game on both sides, professional and recreational.”
McIlroy was asked if there is too much money in the game (much of that, it must be said, because of LIV Golf’s appearance on the world scene).
“No, because I think it’s whatever the market’s willing to pay. And we’re getting sponsors to step up and pay for these titles of these Championship Series events. So, obviously these companies see value in putting that money up. So, I don’t think so. Again, it’s, you know, if someone is willing to pay that, then that’s the market value and, yeah, so, no.
“But I don’t think it should be front and center in terms of, like, what we’re talking about, right. Like, it should be about other things. Like, I think we should — you know, I had a conversation with Brian about this yesterday. We should play into the history of, this is the Western Open. This was started in 1899. Like, we should play into that history. That should be what we are talking about when we come to these tournaments.
“Yes, BMW is putting up the money, and that’s amazing that they do, and they support golf all over the world. But this tournament has so much history, and I think that some of that, as we’ve gotten into, like, commercializing the PGA TOUR, has gotten lost. But I think there’s a way to thread that needle and be able to do both.”
McIlroy’s form in recent weeks has been well below his best, finishing 66th of 70 at last week’s FedEx St Jude Championship, three weeks after his 40th place at the Open Championship, and he knows better than anyone else just what needs to be done to finish his PGA Tour season off strongly.
“I’ve definitely gotten into some bad habits in my golf swing over the past few months. Yeah, as you play tournament golf, the golf swing takes a back seat, and all you’re really trying to do is hit shots and be visual and be instinctive. But as you do that, you can start to revert into some bad habits. And I’ve certainly done that this year.
“Like, I took some time off at the end of 2024 to work on my golf swing, and I came out early in 2025 and I played really, really well. I won three events pretty early in the season. I feel like that was down to the work that I did at the end of 2024. And I feel like I have to do some of that work again. So it’s a bit of a work in progress.
“But I spent the day at home in Florida on Monday, worked with my coach Michael and Harry, and we definitely, I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. But, yeah, I have this feeling in my golf swing that I just, I need to, I just need to engrain, and I just need to hit a ton of balls while doing it.
“Look, if I somehow can put myself in a position to win this week, that would be amazing. But I think just seeing some progress this week from where I was last week would be a win for me. It’s a process, it’s a journey. Obviously you try to build up to those moments where you do put yourself in position to win, but I played 290, 280, 209 PGA TOUR events; I’ve won 30 of them. So there are a lot of times where you walk away, and you don’t win, and you have to take the positives from those as well.
Hillier shares 2nd place at British Masters – Kobori 9th
Daniel Hillier – file image courtesy of PGA of America
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier has finished in a share of second place at the Husqvarna British Masters at the Belfry, a timely return to form for the 28-year-old after a run of indifferent form over the last few months.
Hillier took a one-shot lead into the final round of the weather-disrupted event he won previously in 20023, but made a poor start after gaining the lead courtesy of a third-round 69, which had left him one ahead of Spain’s Angel Hidalgo with another five players one shot further back.
A three-putt bogey at the 4th hole was followed soon after by a double at the 6th after driving it into the right-hand penalty area, and he had fallen three shots off the lead, but a homeward nine of 2 under 34 saw him move into a four-way tie for 2nd place and, with it, a cheque for €199,414.
Hillier took a month off after the Open Championship back in New Zealand, and the refresher seems to have worked well given this was his first event back after a disappointing series of events following what had been a great start to the year, which included his New Zealand Open victory.
Hillier’s performance this week will move him 9 places to 11th in the Race to Dubai rankings, opening the possibility of gaining one of the ten PGA Tour cards for 2027 for those finishing in the top ten at the end of the season.
After narrowly missing out on one of those cards last year, Hillier now has several events with big points available, and now that he is back in form, he is eyeing the prospect.
“It’s definitely on my bucket list,” said Hillier, “I just have to play as well as I can and hopefully the results will take care of themselves.”
Hillier’s fellow New Zealander, Kazuma Kobori, also had a good week with a final round of 66 seeing him jump 16 places to finish in a share of 9th place. It was a good return to form for Kobori, who has also played below his best in recent months, and the finish will move him up 13 places to 71st in the Road to Dubai rankings and earn a cheque for €54,000.
The winner was England’s Joe Dean, whose final round of 63 (the best of the day by three shots) saw him win his first event on the DP World Tour.
Results
Australasians stay in touch at Tour Championship
Adam Scott – close enough if good enough – file image Augusta National
All three of the Australasians who made it to the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for the Tour Championship kept their hopes alive of being part of a gripping finish on Sunday as the race for the FedEx Cup title closes in on the distribution of the largest purse in tournament golf.
Adam Scott added a second round of 77 to go with his opening 66 and at 7 under par he is just three shots from the halfway leaders, Ryan Gerard and Viktor Hovland, and in a share of 7th place.
Scott, who won this event twenty years ago and has regular good finishes in the event when he has made the field since, recorded a bogey-free round as he continues to compete and contend on a regular basis even into his 47th year.
Ryan Fox, who is debuting at the Tour Championship, is in a share of 11th place and four shots from the lead following his round of 68, again recovering from a slow start with three birdies before the turn and although he bogeyed twice in the early stages of his closing nine, a birdie at the last kept him in touch as the weekend looms.
Min Woo Lee led after his opening round of 62, but disaster struck when he tried to get too much out of a recovery at the 5th today and took a triple bogey 7 to fall well behind. He did well after dropping two shots around the turn to fight off a greater slump, adding a birdie at the 13th and, although he was unable to birdie the reachable par 5 last and took par, he heads into day three just five from the lead.
Scottie Scheffler looms as the man most likely when he recovered from bogeys at the 3rd and 4th holes with a series of birdies, and when he added his 6th birdie of the day at the last, he was round in 67 and at 8 under par he appeared very threatening to the whole field as he chases a second win in this event having won in 2024.
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Daniel Hillier finds form at familiar venue
Daniel Hillier finds form after recent struggles – file image Photosport / NZ Open
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier has been well below his best since his win at this year’s New Zealand Open, but a return to the scene of one of his most significant victories has rekindled his form.
Hillier finds himself in second place at the Husqvarna British Masters at The Belfry after further poor weather stopped play with half the field yet to even start their second round.
Hillier, who won this event in 2023, essentially launching his DP World Tour career, has missed four of his last six cuts and seven in his ten starts since his win at Millbrook in March, and is no doubt using some great memories of the Belfry layout to re-establish his significant game.
When play was called on day two, Hillier was two shots behind England’s Marc Penge, both players through 14 holes of round two, which will be completed on Saturday morning UK time. Hillier was two clear of a group in 3rd place.
Hillier had moved to 83rd in the world following the win in his national open but has since slipped to 120th, but he is a highly talented golfer whose recent form defies his normally impressive game.
Penge has, of course, returned from the PGA Tour where he failed to make the playoffs in his perhaps disappointing rookie season in the US, having earned his playing rights there via a superb season on the DP World Tour last year, during which he won three titles.
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Lee brilliant – Fox and Scott start well in Atlanta
Min Woo Lee – equals best PGA Tour round – file image PGA of America
Three Australasians, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott and Ryan Fox, had already confirmed their impressive seasons in 2026 just by being included in the lucrative Tour Championship field, and now all three have made superb starts at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Tour Championship debutante Lee equalled his best-ever PGA Tour score with an opening round of 8 under par 62 to take the lead in the US$40 million event, the 28-year-old ahead by two over Viktor Hovland, Chris Gotterup and Collin Morikawa while Scott and Fox both recorded rounds of 66 to be well placed heading into day two.
Lee was required to play much of his round alone on day one after his scheduled playing partner J.J. Spaun was forced to withdraw through shoulder injury at the 6th hole. For Spaun, the withdrawal means he will finish the event in 30th place and while he will secure a cheque for US$355,000, he misses out on the potential riches of the US$40 million event and the chances of him making the US Presidents Cup team now look in jeopardy.
“It was a little bit weird, said Lee, referring to playing most of the round on his own. “Yeah, I hope J.J.’s okay, first of all. It’s pretty sad to see. You get all the way here, and you can’t play, and that just sucks for the whole team and obviously yourself.
“It was a little strange at first, just like looking for a playing partner and you’re just there by yourself. It was more just maintaining speeds and not rushing because I would just catch the group in front and wait. So I had to just slow down a little bit. It worked out.
“Yeah, very average the last two weeks. It was probably the saddest I’ve been on the golf course, which is not good. We’re really lucky to be out here and play some good golf to get into the playoffs. It just felt so hard.
“It just got to a point where I was looking at what’s in the bags of everyone else and trying to find out what to do, and ended up changing shafts before the week, on the Tuesday. Even my team was very hesitant about it, but the results were really good when I did practice with it, and it was nice to hit shots that I saw out there, and it was really good.
“That was probably the biggest part of the good scoring. Didn’t miss it in wrong spots, missed them in the right spots, and holed some putts.”
Fox and Scott finished earlier than Lee and, with a back nine of 32, Fox has bounced back from an indifferent start to the playoffs to be right in the mix after day one. The highlight, however, would come at the third hole, when, after bogeys at the opening two holes, Fox holed out for eagle from 135 yards at the par 4 to get things moving in the right direction.
“I was just trying to give myself a birdie putt after those first couple of holes,” said Fox. “To see it go in just kind of settled everything down. Me and Tom were joking about being even through 3. Probably would have taken that in the conditions we started in. The rest of the day was actually pretty solid after that. It’s funny, golf just takes one shot sometimes to kind of find it, and that the one shot for me today.
“I had not looked like hitting a good shot for the first two holes. It was kind of funny — the reason I was laughing was because I’d finally hit a good shot, and the good shot was perfect. Yeah, golf’s a strange game like that sometimes.”
Fox was reminded of his all-but-confirmed place in the Presidents Cup team and enthused over the opportunity to play the event for the first time.
“That was probably the biggest goal of the year to make that team, and I think the extra bit would be to qualify automatically, which I think I should be pretty safe for after this week.
“Look, I felt like I gave myself a pretty good chance the last couple. It might have been a little hard done by four years ago, but yeah, I’m very excited to be a part of it this year. We’ve got a great group of guys involved, captains and players.
“I don’t know — obviously it’s not official yet, but all the extended group outings we’ve had and dinners and stuff like that, we all get along really, really well. I’m excited to be part of the team, and hopefully we can do something special this year.”
Scott is a former winner of the Tour Championship, although that came twenty years ago and before it became the culmination of the FedEx Cup; but any player making this field is a potential winner this week, and Scott was excited by the prospect.
“I’d love to get back and win a tournament. Any tournament would do. This one I’m playing in this week would be fantastic.
“To be a FedExCup champion is really one of those career milestones that I’d like to achieve still. I know time is really not on my side for that, but I’m off to a good start, and it could be three days away.”
Scott was also asked about the Presidents Cup at Medinah in Chicago in four week’s time and had this to say;
“Yeah, absolutely, for sure. To have six of us here this week, I think is a great showing. There’s one guy who’s not here who had four straight top 10s up till this week, Sungjae. He’s kind of back on form.
“I said to all the guys at the last dinner we had in Memphis, for me even coming in just seeing Ryan win, Tom Kim win, Min Woo finish second at the Scottish, Si Woo is playing fantastic every week, Sungjae is back, Hideki is top 10ing every week. The momentum looks really good for us. So fantastic.
“A few guys off to a good start today. The momentum is huge. I don’t know how we carry it three weeks on from now, but I think a lot of us are going to be playing before the Presidents Cup too. Anything we can do to kind of keep that rolling and keep the confidence high.
“I think, just from those gatherings, us seeing another player do well is some extra motivation for the other team members to kind of step up.”
But first things first, Lee, Scott and Fox have made fine starts to what is an event which offers all sorts of rewards for just being in Atlanta, along with huge financial rewards in the form of prizemoney, in which the winner earns US$10 million and even 15th place carries a reward of US$560,000 and last place (30th) US$355,000.
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Prizemoney
Gary Woodland – what a remarkable story
Gary Woodland – wins the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach – image USGA
While I have been aware of the quality of golfer Gary Woodland is and have had some appreciation of the battles he has faced, the more I have become exposed to the journey he has been on since being diagnosed with a brain tumour three years ago, the greater appreciation I have for the golfer and the man.
Just a day ahead of playing the Tour Championship for the first time since 2019, a year in which he became US Open Champion, Woodland spoke to the media in an emotional but measured way of the journey he has been on and the battles he continues to face, mainly due to post-traumatic stress syndrome he suffered as a result of anxiety since the surgery which removed not all of the tumour.
As a result of some of the tumour still residing alongside the amygdala, which controls emotions, Woodland suffers episodes which include him wondering if people are out to kill him, and at last week’s BMW Championship in which he finished an amazing 4th, he struggled with what he imagined were drones following him during the third round.
Earlier this year he won the Houston Open for his 5th USPGA Tour title and the first since his surgery, and soon after was very candid in an emotional interview on the impact such issues were having, revealing to the golfing world and beyond the dramatic effect he was facing.
Today he was once again very revealing about the issues he is facing and the journey he has been on to make it into this elite field of the leading 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings.
“Getting back here is — I mean, it’s special, said the 42-year-old father of three. “There’s no doubt about it. It’s something that looked a long ways away to start the year. I’m proud of the way I fought. I’m proud to be here. This is a tribute not only to me, but to my team that has been with me.
“I couldn’t have done this on my own. I’ve got a massive team behind me. This is all the hard work and dedication that they’ve given me and supported me, that has allowed me to be in this position right now. It’s awesome.
“With the people around me, there’s no doubt about it. My wife’s my rock. She’s the one who reminds me in tough times why I’m here, what I’m fighting for.
“This is the only dream I’ve ever had – to be a professional athlete. I owe it to my childhood self to fight every day. There’s a lot of days where I don’t want to do it. There’s a lot of days I don’t want to fight, but my wife reminds me why I am. It’s a tribute to my family who sacrificed so much and gave everything for me to go out and live my dreams.
“I owe it to everyone else — I’m not just playing for myself. Like honestly, I probably was — before all this started, I thought it was about me. This is way bigger than me now. I owe it to them, and I owe it to everyone else that is struggling.
“I had a kid in Memphis who flew over from New Zealand who’s 11 years old and has an inoperable brain tumor, and he wanted to meet me. Wednesday through Sunday, he walked every hole with me. I owe it to him. This is a lot bigger than myself now; I realize that. So when I’m struggling, I fight for them.
“I have a big team that I work with, doctors and therapists, and I’ve talked to them. My good days now are 10s. Like when I have a good day, I think I’m more appreciative. I have a better perspective. My bad days are still 1s. So I struggle sometimes because it’s a massive drop now from 10 to 1, so when I get off, it feels like the end of the world.
“Where before my good days were probably 7s, my bad days were 4s, I didn’t have a big drop. It was just, oh, it’s not great. I still struggle, but I’m learning, I’m understanding where we’re able to put protocols in place. TOUR security has been amazing this year. They’re a big reason why I’m sitting up here too.
“The hardest thing for me, I think, I’ve ever had to do was ask for help, and it’s amazing when you ask for help how many people actually want to help. I got a little off last Saturday and was fighting with a lot of things going on — the drones were bothering me, right? I struggle with stuff behind me. They bothered me for 15 holes. When I asked for help, I asked the TOUR security, I asked the rules official; they went away.
“I don’t have to fight this on my own. I can ask for help, and when you do, people help you. So I’m learning to ask for help to help me get through a lot of things that I’m still struggling with, but I’m a lot better off now than I was six months ago; I know that.
“I think from top to bottom my game’s better than it’s ever been. Statistically it shows that. Randy Smith has been amazing being back in my life and guiding me through all this. I’m as consistent now through driving all the way down through the bag through putting than I’ve ever been. That’s not only exciting for me now, it’s also exciting for me going forward.
“When I came out that I was having brain surgery, I don’t know how many texts I got. Let’s just say I got a hundred. When I came out that I’m battling PTSD, I got thousands.
“People, I don’t think, can relate to the brain surgery. People can relate to what I’m battling now. The amount of messages I got of people just saying thank you because they’re battling stuff that nobody knows about. If I can come out and ask for help and talk about it, then they’ve gotten help too.
“At the end of the day, I want to make this world a better place. If somebody — if my story or my journey or me talking about the struggles I face every day, if that helps somebody else, man, that’s what it’s all about. I don’t want to be remembered as being a great golfer; I want to be remembered as a great person. Hopefully my struggles — my struggles suck. There’s no other way to put it. I have a lot of days that suck, but if that helps somebody else, then that’s going to help me too
“I’ve told my wife this — I’m not going to let this thing beat me. I worked my tail off to get to the PGA TOUR and to be a professional athlete. I’m not going to let that go for something that’s out of my hands.
“I have the ability to get up and fight every day, and I’m going to do that. I have a lot of fight left in me. I believe I have a big career left ahead of me, and I’m not going to let this thing win. At the end of the day, I truly believe I can beat this thing. It’s not easy, but I’ll keep fighting every day to do it.”
Adam Scott speaks Tour Championship and its future
Adam Scott – file image courtesy of the Masters Tournament.
Two Australians and one New Zealander have made it to the elite 30-man field for the US$40 million Tour Championship at The East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Adam Scott a former winner, while Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee have made it to the FedEx Cup season-ending championship for the first occasion.
The winner this week will head to the off-season with another US$10 million in his pocket while the runner-up earns US$5 million and even the last man in the 30-player field is guaranteed US$355,000.
Adam Scott gets to play the event after finishing 28th in the FedEx Cup standings at the completion of last week’s BMW Championship and will make his appearance in the lucrative event where he has been a winner in 2006 but also regularly finishing inside the top ten.
This week, just making it to Atlanta provides a less complicated season in 2027.
Scott spoke to the media on Tuesday and answered questions on this event but also on the future of the Tour Championship, which takes a dramatic turn in its format in the 2028 season.
Yeah, it’s really nice to be back,” said the 46-year-old. “It’s a goal at the start of the year to make it this far for everyone, and just kind of living on the edge a little bit last week and scraped through. Now with the reset, I feel like I’m coming in No. 1 on the FedExCup. It’s a great opportunity for me. All these kind of, I guess, little achievements throughout the season and the rewards are meaningful at this point.
“Certainly looking forward to next year beyond this event. Being in the Signature Events and the majors is a real bonus because this year coming out it was certainly a bit of a burden on me trying to make sure I positioned myself for all the big events. But the schedule wasn’t on my terms.”
Scott was quick to point out that despite being well down the list in terms of eligible players this week, it is more than a case of just making up the numbers.
“I think you kind of summed up my career in your question. I would say consistent. The lows haven’t been terribly low over 25 years. I haven’t really fallen off the map completely. I’ve had my downs, of course. They feel a lot worse than probably what they really are. And I’ve had some highs as well.
“I’ve taken a lot of pride in my game that I’ve managed to maintain myself at generally the top-50 level my entire career, and the TOUR Championship probably requires a little more than that.
“Like I said, I’m out here. I’m not really out here making up the numbers. I take a lot of pride in my game. I want to play well when I’m out here. Happy to be here this week and give myself at least the recognition of being in the top 30 on the TOUR.”
Earlier in the day, Tour Commissioner Brian Rolapp outlined the future for the PGA Tour Championship, and some of the revelations were a surprise.
“I want to touch on the future of the TOUR Championship and our season-ending structure on the PGA TOUR Championship Series,” said Radlapp.
“Starting in 2028, the top 90 players on the season-long points list advance to the PGA TOUR Championship Series finale, the last stroke-play event to finalize the points list and recognize a season-long winner, essentially identifying the best player in the world.
“In addition, players will be battling to secure one of the 32 spots in the TOUR Championship based on the final season-long standings.
“This sets the stage for a re-imagined TOUR Championship, a separate, stand-alone competition that will emerge as one of the most difficult tournaments to qualify for and win, testing the world’s best golfers differently, in a unique competitive format. It’s match play over two weeks, an opportunity to make this an extended moment that commands the attention of golf and sports fans.
“Week 1 of the TOUR Championship is the group stage, eight groups of four. The top two advance from each group, 16 players move on.
“Week 2 is four rounds of match play, all 16 players competing all four rounds. Every match impacts the final standings. The player who goes undefeated will be crowned the winner of the TOUR Championship.
“Each week of the TOUR Championship will be played at a different course. This new format creates an exciting opportunity to showcase some of the most renowned venues in our sport, including places the modern TOUR has never been before.
“Since our announcement in June, we have received a tremendous level of interest from prospective host venues. As a result, multiple discussions are under way, site visits have begun, and we are encouraged by the enthusiasm we are seeing for the future of the TOUR Championship.”
“Yeah, I think the match play was pushed pretty hard by a lot of people around the TOUR who had a say in this,” added Scott. “I would say I came around to the idea of match play. I definitely like the fact that we’re doing it over two weeks. It’s very different. I like the fact that the TOUR kind of dared to really step outside the box on this one and not do some sort of contrived variant of what we have or what we have had with a match play tournament previously.
“This is new and exciting, and I feel like it could be — from a playing standpoint, I hope it’s going to be a really fun end to what’s going to be a tough season of golf. I hope the players will find that it’s a fun finish and they can enjoy it.
“I think also, too, more from the commercial side of things, I think there’s a lot of flexibility with this format moving forward, and it can adapt and hopefully thrive to whatever conditions we face in the future.
“It’s completely different than anything we have in golf. We don’t have an event over two weeks. You can’t really compare golf to other sports. But we see longer competitions in other sports. Maybe the first one that comes to mind over two weeks is like a Grand Slam in tennis.
“I feel like there’s a real opportunity for people to kind of buy in over two weeks and grow as the tournament carries on. I’ll be interested to see if that happens or if that’s not the case.
“As we see with World Cup football or other events that are longer, there’s a chance for it to really develop and it’s not over so quickly. I think that’ll be interesting, and I think it could work well for the TOUR Championship, which should be an important event on our schedule.”
Both Lee and Fox have had excellent seasons just to be in Atlanta this week, both playing the East Lake Golf Club for the first occasion.
Tee Times / Leaderboard
Prizemoney Breakdown
Lee, Scott and Fox clip tickets to Atlanta
Min Woo Lee – heading to Atlanta for the first time – file image courtesy of The Masters
Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott and Ryan Fox have all stamped their tickets to Atlanta after finishing the BMW Championship inside the top 30 of the FedEx Cup rankings, thereby becoming eligible for the riches and benefits of making it to next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
Lee and Fox will make their debuts in the US$40 million event while Scott is back after missing out last year, the former winner of the event in solid form this season despite recording a best finish of 4th (twice) in the 18 events he has played to date.
Lee and Fox finished 47th this week, Lee heading to Atlanta in 21st position in the FedEx Cup standings, Fox just sneaking into the top 30, and Adam Scott ensuring he gets another chance by recording a final-round 67 and finishing 15th, safely in 28th place.
Fox was relieved to have made it after a series of disappointing finishes since returning from his Open Championship celebrations but is excited about the prospect of playing his first Tour Championship.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously I would like to have made it a bit easier the last couple of weeks,” said Fox after his final round of 71 to finish 47th of the 50 players in St Louis, his chances of getting to Atlanta still unclear at that stage
“Obviously being in a really good position and just one decent week would have done it. Tee to green, I played pretty good for three days this week and couldn’t get the ball in the hole. Then played awful today and maybe holed a couple more putts through the middle of the round.
“So golf doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense, to be honest. But I’ll watch the coverage this afternoon and hope it all works out in my favour. I think statistically it’s a pretty good chance of getting there and, yeah, I’m looking forward to Atlanta. My first trip, hopefully.
“I think I’m still trying to come to terms with what happened five or six weeks ago and everything that comes with it. The little cherry on the top will definitely be getting to the TOUR Championship. So hopefully that’s the case, and if it happens to not go in my favour, it’s still been a great year regardless. Ticking off a major championship was like a dream come true. So, yeah, it will be a cherry on top next week if I can get into Atlanta and, yeah, everything resets next week, and hopefully I can find something. If not, I get an extra week off, so it’s a win/win, I guess.”
Lee’s year has been highlighted by his two runner-up finishes at Pebble Beach and the Scottish Open as he continues his rise in the game and his consolidation as a genuine contender for events on the PGA Tour. He gets the chance to finish what has been an already lucrative season in which he has already won just under US$6 million.
Scott’s win at the Tour Championship came in 2006 but, twenty years on, he is continuing to show he is a force at this level with six top 12 finishes in 2026 and missing the cut just twice in his 8 starts thus far.
All three now have the luxury of knowing that their season next year will include all signature events, along with the majors, ensuring their efforts thus far in 2026 have already been well rewarded
The BMW Championship was won by Wyndham Clark, who, after letting his five-shot 54-hole lead slip through 15 holes, steadied the ship to win by three over Patrick Cantlay with Rory McIlroy in third place after sharing the lead with three holes to play.
For Clark, it was his third win of the season and takes him to 3rd in the FedEx Cup standings behind Scottie Scheffler and Matthew Fitzpatrick.
RESULTS
FED EX CUP
Karrie Webb finishes 3rd at US Senior Women’s Open
Karrie Webb – watches a putt at the 14th today – image Steve Gibbons USGA
Karrie Webb has finished 3rd at the US Senior Women’s Open in Michigan, the 51-year-old Queenslander finishing five shots behind the winner, Sweden’s Maria McBride, and three behind long-time rival Annika Sorenstam.
Webb began the final round eight shots behind the 54-hole lead of McBride’s, but with birdies at the 8th, 9th and 10th holes she had closed within two before an agonising three-putt at the 11th effectively saw her challenge for the title disappear.
McBride, who started the day four ahead of Sorenstam, actually lost the lead when dropping four shots by the 8th and stood one behind Sorenstam as she stood on the 9th tee. She missed par 5 with her second, but holed from off the green for eagle and had the lead as they made the turn. Sorenstam drew level at the 13th but a two-shot swing at the 14th when McBride birdied and Sorenstam bogeyed would prove crucial in the run to the line.
McBride extended her lead to four when she birdied the 16th and although there would be a two-shot swing in Sorenstam’s favour at the 17th, McBride had done enough to take the title.
And so 52-year-old McBride, a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour and a five-time Solheim Cup representative, takes the greatest title in Senior Women’s golf at the expense of two of the greatest players in the history of the LPGA Tour.
For Webb, however, it was an impressive showing, once again highlighting just how good one of Australia’s greatest golfing products has been and indeed still is.
Fellow Australians Rachel Hetherington and amateur Nadene Gole finished in a share of 37th.
RESULTS
Webb and Sorenstam – just like the old days
Karrie Webb – in action today – image USGA
Twenty years on from an era where they dominated the women’s game, Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam have renewed their rivalry, the pair sharing second place through 36 holes at the US Senior Women’s Open in Michigan.
The last of Sorenstam’s ten and Webb’s seven major titles came in 2006, and this weekend they look to add to their impressive resumes with perhaps another win in a USGA event.
The pair are three shots behind 61-year-old American Michele Redman, a two-time LPGA Tour winner and now University of Minnesota coach, and tied with defending champion Becky Morgan of Wales.
Webb spoke to the media after her round: “I think patience was probably the key today, which is something I rarely say. To be honest, I felt I played much better yesterday than I did today, but I let it slip late and bogeyed the final two holes, which didn’t make dinner taste very good.
“Today I just tried to stay patient. I’ve made 11 birdies over two days, so seeing putts drop helps offset the mistakes. I also think I learned a lesson from last year.
“It’s hard to hold myself to the same expectations I had when I was competing every week. I know I’m going to hit some poor shots, so I have to move on and not be too hard on myself.
“It feels good. I’m proud that I didn’t let yesterday’s finish affect the way I started today. Birdieing two of the first three holes obviously helped me get off to a strong start.
“I’m really excited to have a chance over the weekend.”
Victorian amateur Nadene Gole is in 22nd place, while NSW’s Rachel Hetherington is 43rd. Another Victorian amateur, Sue Wooster, missed the cut.
SCORES
Rory McIlroy always worth a listen
Rory McIlroy – file image courtesy of PGA of America
Rory McIlroy’s strong stance against LIV Golf in the first few years of its existence served to polarise the Northern Irishman. Some despised what he had to say as he denigrated the new league’s very existence, while some were very supportive of his unconditional support of the PGA Tour.
Whatever side golf fans took on the debate, there was little doubting where Rory McIlroy stood, and even though he toned down some of his rhetoric in more recent times, there have still been instances where he stands on the subject is clearly obvious.
It is one of the great attributes of McIlroy that he is not afraid to voice his experienced opinions, and as things have unfolded in the last few months his stance has become more validated as LIV Golf struggles for survival despite the positive spin still being applied to its future.
I am an unabashed fan of Rory McIlroy, a still young man who has been great for the game even aside from his defence of the PGA Tour, his game’s swashbuckling style is very appealing, but so too is his understanding of the professional golfing industry. His earlier role on the PGA Tour Board allowed him an inside to many of the discussions on the earlier battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
Today, he spoke ahead of this week’s BMW Championship and predictably was asked questions on the current status of LIV Golf and its players, and was candid in his opinions of where things stand.
McIlroy was asked if he would take any personal satisfaction from the potential demise of LIV Golf
“It’s a hard one. Like, I think I feel like I’ve kept my position consistent that LIV has never been a good thing for the game. So, and whatever 2.0 looks like, if it even happens, you know, they say they’re trying to be more collaborative and all that. But I, this is, this (PGA Tour) is the best platform for the top professional golfers in the world.
“Yeah, were there some things at the start of LIV that the PGA TOUR could have done better? Sure. But I think that, you know, the guys that went, or you look, you think back to the start with, like, say, Phil was unhappy with some stuff or whatever it was. Like, surely that just warranted a conversation instead of blowing the entire professional game up and doing something else.
“I don’t take any personal satisfaction in people losing jobs. Like, that, that doesn’t, that doesn’t seem right. I’ve always felt like this is the best place to play professional golf. And I’m pretty sure if the PGA TOUR were handed 6 billion dollars, it would have done a better job with it.
When asked if he felt having Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and others back in the PGA Tour fold ahead of the next media rights negotiations, McIlroy responded;
“Eventually, yeah, maybe. I mean, look, eventually they will. I’m not part of these discussions, but I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be welcomed back straight away. If they were offered this returning member program back in February, the one that Brooks took, then, yeah, maybe. But that has sort of come and gone. And I think it was said at the time that the deal that they might get going forward, if they do decide to come back, isn’t going to be as good as the one that Brooks got. So, yeah, I would say it’s going to be a tough, tough road back.”
When asked what the PGA Tour should do with the US1.5 billion they have as their current treasure chest, McIlroy responded;
“I think they’re in a great position because I think people tune into the PGA TOUR because they want to see elite competition. And they want to see things that are meaningful and things that matter. I think with the creation of the 2028 schedule and things that the FCC are doing, with Brian and the rest of the team, I think the weeks will be more meaningful, and they will feel like they matter more.
“I think also the closer collaboration with the DP World Tour, obviously the Asian Tour is now being brought back into the fold. I think everyone’s started to work together a little more closely. Yeah, I think, I just think they’re in a really good spot.
“What would I like to see them do with the one and a half billion? I’ve said this to Brian, I’ve said it to people that work for him, Dhruv and whoever else, the PGA TOUR has got an unbelievable marketing platform. They’re on TV basically every week of the year. I think if they could spend that money and try to own more of the golf space.
“You think about the recreational game, and how much that’s booming. They had to get rid of a tee times business during COVID because the reserves got pretty low because of everything that happened. You go down the path of buying part of a tee times website again. You go down the path of like Versant, who I’m involved with; they just bought Full Swing, the tracking company, for 530 million. Like, if another, say a Trackman or a Foresight or whatever came up to buy, being able to put money into that, and then plugging it into this unbelievable platform that you have, the PGA TOUR, and being able to scale it that way.
“So, like from a business perspective, there’s a lot that they could do with the one and a half billion. I think they could own more of the golf space, professional and recreational. And now that all the players have equity in the TOUR, I think that’s the way to grow the enterprise value of the business.
“I mean, I think we all know that by the time the media rights cycle comes up in 2030, if Brian gets the same deal as Jay got in 2020, that would probably be a good deal. With the way everything’s going in terms of linear TV, streaming. Like I, you know — he’s talked about this, the NFL is going to take more of the media rights going forward with their deal. So the other sports are really just fighting for the scraps that the NFL leaves. So if he can get the same deal that we got in 2020, that would be amazing.
“So, in terms of like growing the enterprise value of the business, media rights, sponsorships. Yes, sponsors are going to step up and pay for these Championship Series events, but that money’s going straight back into, like, the tournaments and, honestly, the players’ pockets. But to actually grow the business and grow the enterprise value, they just need to, they need to own more of the game on both sides, professional and recreational.”
McIlroy was asked if there is too much money in the game (much of that, it must be said, because of LIV Golf’s appearance on the world scene).
“No, because I think it’s whatever the market’s willing to pay. And we’re getting sponsors to step up and pay for these titles of these Championship Series events. So, obviously these companies see value in putting that money up. So, I don’t think so. Again, it’s, you know, if someone is willing to pay that, then that’s the market value and, yeah, so, no.
“But I don’t think it should be front and center in terms of, like, what we’re talking about, right. Like, it should be about other things. Like, I think we should — you know, I had a conversation with Brian about this yesterday. We should play into the history of, this is the Western Open. This was started in 1899. Like, we should play into that history. That should be what we are talking about when we come to these tournaments.
“Yes, BMW is putting up the money, and that’s amazing that they do, and they support golf all over the world. But this tournament has so much history, and I think that some of that, as we’ve gotten into, like, commercializing the PGA TOUR, has gotten lost. But I think there’s a way to thread that needle and be able to do both.”
McIlroy’s form in recent weeks has been well below his best, finishing 66th of 70 at last week’s FedEx St Jude Championship, three weeks after his 40th place at the Open Championship, and he knows better than anyone else just what needs to be done to finish his PGA Tour season off strongly.
“I’ve definitely gotten into some bad habits in my golf swing over the past few months. Yeah, as you play tournament golf, the golf swing takes a back seat, and all you’re really trying to do is hit shots and be visual and be instinctive. But as you do that, you can start to revert into some bad habits. And I’ve certainly done that this year.
“Like, I took some time off at the end of 2024 to work on my golf swing, and I came out early in 2025 and I played really, really well. I won three events pretty early in the season. I feel like that was down to the work that I did at the end of 2024. And I feel like I have to do some of that work again. So it’s a bit of a work in progress.
“But I spent the day at home in Florida on Monday, worked with my coach Michael and Harry, and we definitely, I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. But, yeah, I have this feeling in my golf swing that I just, I need to, I just need to engrain, and I just need to hit a ton of balls while doing it.
“Look, if I somehow can put myself in a position to win this week, that would be amazing. But I think just seeing some progress this week from where I was last week would be a win for me. It’s a process, it’s a journey. Obviously you try to build up to those moments where you do put yourself in position to win, but I played 290, 280, 209 PGA TOUR events; I’ve won 30 of them. So there are a lot of times where you walk away, and you don’t win, and you have to take the positives from those as well.