The league has changed since the Warriors reclaimed their crown. Where does every team stand now?
Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux said he was all right after leaving Sunday’s preseason game with a knee injury.
The season’s last tournament and the final stop of the FedExCup Playoffs is here. The TOUR Championship will be at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The course will play as a par 70, measuring 7,346 yards and be putt on Bermuda greens. This course is a Donald Ross design. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $1.2M Pitch + Putt [$300K to 1st] STRATEGY The new scoring system implemented three years ago, what the PGA TOUR refers to as a ‘Starting Strokes’, correlates to the FedExCup standings heading into the TOUR Championship. The top 30 in standings will be playing for a chance to win the $18 million first-place check and the FedExCup trophy. With the most points, Scottie Scheffler ($13,600) starts at 10 under, with second place starting two back at 8 under and descending by a stroke to fifth place. Head to the FedExCup page on PGATOUR.COM for a complete list of where the golfers will start. Donald Ross courses are about positioning yourself nicely off the tee and hitting elite approaches from the correct angles into these Bermuda greens. Even though the region has seen more rain than usual, these greens should play fast as they have over the previous three years. While iron play is paramount on a Ross design, Strokes Gained: Putting has proved more crucial over Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green for the winners over the previous five years. When Rory McIlroy ($10,800) and Xander Schauffele ($12,300) are some of the best golfers on a course, total driving should be an important stat to key in on this week. Fading some golfers high on the leaderboard could prove prudent when filling out rosters. The golfers will be starting with their “finishing” position points on DraftKings, but as we’ve seen in the previous two years, those points can go away fast if or when the leaders are no longer where they started. The top of the leaderboard golfers only come in with their starting points, not the birdies or better points they usually get on the path to victory. McIlroy is the only golfer to win the TOUR Championship and be in the winning lineup (2019). Also, over the previous three years, winning lineups in the main tournament haven’t used their entire $50,000 salary. The most used was $49,800 last season, and the least was $49,500 in 2020. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Rory McIlroy ($10,800) There’s been one golfer who’s been in the winning lineup each of the last three years: Rory McIlroy. The triple bogey on the 15th hole in the first round and nothing going his way on the greens ultimately stopped him from competing last week, but no one was better tee-to-green than McIlroy, gaining 10.56 strokes at Wilmington Country Club. Rory will be a popular pick this week, but rostering chalk at the top of the range for the golfer who’s won the TOUR Championship twice shouldn’t be faded, especially with how he’s playing. We’ve seen the weekend surge from Jon Rahm ($10,900) twice, where he’s started slow and grinded his way to a top-5 finish in FedEx St. Jude Championship and a top-8 finish last week at the BMW Championship. Rahm recorded the lowest gross score last season at East Lake and now starts seven back from Scheffler. Rahm recorded 10 birdies and no bogeys last weekend and ranked second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee over the entire week. His Bermuda putting could worry some managers off Rahm this week, but we all know his upside is massive. Sungjae Im ($9,100) Im could be a potential daily fantasy golf sleeper this week with a bunch of sentiment going toward McIlroy and Rahm. Sunday’s round last week was chaotic, recording five bogeys and five birdies. He birdied the final three holes on Sunday and has finished inside the top 15 in each round of the Playoffs. Back-to-back runner-up finishes at the 3M Open and the Wyndham Championship this season should give the 19th-ranked golfer in the world confidence coming into a tournament he hasn’t played well in the past. A top-8 finish at this year’s Sentry Tournament of Champions and an eighth place at this year’s Masters Tournament are good signs he could be up for the challenge the TOUR Championship presents. Losing strokes through approach in his past two events is not great, and you never want to bank on another spike putting week. Still, with a week like the TOUR Championship, you need to zig when others zag, and Im has been playing well for the last month; hopefully, he can end on a high note. Aaron Wise ($5,400) Since 2019, there have been five total golfers under $6,000 in the winning lineups. Last season, Daniel Berger and Billy Horschel were at $5,900 and $5,100 respectively, and Wise could fill that role this week. Wise is averaging 3.65 strokes gained through approach in the Playoffs and 2.35 off-the-tee. He finished 15th last week but was in the top 5 on Sunday before suffering a late double-bogey-bogey stretch that took him out of a podium finish. Wise has nothing to lose starting at even par, so he should be attacking each pin and scoring like he has been for the past month. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $1.2M Pitch + Putt [$300K to 1st] Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. 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Golf’s ultimate prize hangs in the balance as the PGA TOUR season wraps up with the 30-man TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club. Scottie Scheffler, the four-time winner who led the FedExCup standings for much of the season, returned to the top spot with a T3 at the BMW Championship, while reigning FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay moved into the No. 2 spot with his successful title defense at the BMW. He would be the first back-to-back FedExCup winner. FIELD NOTES: Under the unique Starting Strokes format, top-seeded Scheffler will begin the TOUR Championship at 10 under and with a two-stroke lead as he heads into the finale of the 2021-22 TOUR campaign… Cantlay will be two back and looks to become the first golfer to win consecutive FedExCup titles, making history for the second straight week. He won the BMW to become the first golfer in the FedExCup era to successfully defend a title during the Playoffs.. Will Zalatoris will be ranked third, three behind, heading into the season finale. After capturing his first TOUR title at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Zalatoris withdrew from the BMW citing a back injury… Aaron Wise and Adam Scott made pars on the 72nd hole at the BMW to earn the final two spots in the TOUR Championship… Scott Stallings made the biggest leap into the TOUR Championship field. He started the BMW week at No. 46, but a solo second at the BMW saw him get to No. 12 in the FedExCup standings. This is Stallings’ first trip to East Lake in his 12-year career… KH Lee also moved inside the top 30. JJ Spaun, Joohyung “Tom” Kim, Davis Riley, and Kevin Kisner were bumped outside the top 30… Xander Schauffele will be ranked No. 4, four back, while Same Burns will be ranked No.5. Cameron Smith, who did not tee it up at the BMW due to injury, will return at the TOUR Championship ranked No.6. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives the FedExCup. COURSE: East Lake Golf Club, par 70, 7,346 yards. Every FedExCup champion (from 2007-onwards) has been crowned at East Lake, the host club of the TOUR Championship every year since 2005. Tom Bendelow was the original architect, while both Donald Ross and Rees Jones have had their hands on the storied Atlanta layout in the last century. The home course of Bobby Jones, East Lake is the oldest golf course in the city of Atlanta. The course played to a stroke average of 68.62 last season. STORYLINES: The full field, and more details on how they got there, can be found here… Rory McIlroy closed with three straight birdies at the BMW Championship and will head into the TOUR Championship ranked No.7 in the FedExCup standings. McIlroy, who will start six shots behind, is looking to become the first golfer to ever win the FedExCup three times… Cantlay is looking to become the first to defend his FedExCup title… Ten golfers will be making their debuts at East Lake including rookie Sahith Theegala… Scheffler had held the No.1 spot in the FedExCup standings every week since March, but after missing the cut at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, he was briefly overtaken by Will Zalatoris… The winner of the FedExCup will take home $18 million… Adam Scott started the Playoffs at 77th but finished T5 in the first two Playoffs events to earn a trip to East Lake. 72-HOLE RECORD: 257, Tiger Woods (2007). 18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Zach Johnson (3rd round, 2007). LAST TIME: Patrick Cantlay had a one-shot lead going into the 72nd hole of the 2021 TOUR Championship and nipped a 6-iron to 12 feet to lock in a win of golf’s ultimate prize. Cantlay started the week at 10 under and ended up at 21 under as he survived a tough battle with then-No. 1 Jon Rahm. Cantlay two-putted for birdie on the 18th hole at East Lake, and when Rahm couldn’t chip in to force a playoff, the tournament – and the season – was over. Cantlay’s one-shot victory was his fourth of the season. Kevin Na finished third, Justin Thomas finished fourth, and Viktor Hovland and 2017 TOUR Championship winner Xander Schauffele (who shot the round of the day Sunday, a 6-under 64) tied for fifth. HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) Television: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30 p.m.-7 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m. ET. Saturday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes
NEW YORK – Today, 2K set a tee time for PGA TOUR 2K23, the forthcoming entry in the golf simulation video game franchise from HB Studios. PGA TOUR 2K23 Deluxe Edition and PGA TOUR 2K23 Tiger Woods Edition are scheduled for worldwide release on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, followed by PGA TOUR 2K23 Standard Edition on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. Featuring PGA TOUR icon and all-time sports great Tiger Woods as the cover athlete, PGA TOUR 2K23 celebrates Woods’ legacy by introducing him as both a playable in-game pro and an Executive Director advising the game development team. “It’s not only great to be back on the cover of a video game, but the Executive Director role makes this a truly unique opportunity,” said Tiger Woods. “2K is the perfect partner for me and I am excited to continue impacting the game and culture of golf beyond my play on the PGA TOUR.” Woods leads a roster of more than 14 male and female pros at launch*, including Justin Thomas, Lexi Thompson, Tony Finau, Lydia Ko, Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris, Brooke Henderson and more. Players can step into the tee box as one of the pros in Exhibition, multiplayer and Divot Derby play, or go head-to-head with them in a battle to climb the leaderboard and claim the FedExCup in PGA TOUR MyCAREER mode. In addition to the pros, the broadcast-style presentation and commentary team of Rich Beem and Luke Elvy also return, with the addition of English golf pro and broadcaster Henni Koyack. PGA TOUR 2K23 will include 20 licensed courses at launch. New additions include the South Course of Wilmington Country Club, The Renaissance Club, St. George’s Golf and Country Club and more. The industry-leading Course Designer also returns, offering players the opportunity to build their dream courses and share them with a global online community**. MyPLAYER personalization returns and players can equip their MyPLAYERS just like Tiger with Nike Golf, TaylorMade and Bridgestone Golf apparel and gear. Even more apparel options are available from licensed brands, including Callaway Golf, FootJoy, Malbon Golf, Nike Golf, PUMA, Titleist, TravisMathew and more***. Clubs and balls from brands including Bridgestone Golf, Callaway Golf, COBRA, Mizuno, Odyssey Golf, Scotty Cameron, TaylorMade, Titleist and Wilson are available to deck out players’ golf bags and keep them swinging with swag. In addition to the returning analog stick swing, a three-click swing option is also available for an added level of customization so players can play the way they like. PGA TOUR 2K23 offers new casual modes to help rookies get into the game, while giving seasoned players new challenges and opportunities to work on their skills. The introduction of Topgolf offers a unique experience emulating the popular golf entertainment phenomenon, where players can aim for targets and try to earn the highest score. Training mode offers multiple ways to develop skills, including swing calibration, lessons, chipping practice, a driving range and a putting green. Online multiplayer features also return for PGA TOUR 2K23. Online Societies encourage players to squad up with friends for custom tournaments and full seasons, while Clubhouse Pass will provide post-launch content and goals for players to enjoy well into the future. PGA TOUR 2K23 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and will be available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5 (PS5™), PlayStation®4 (PS4™), and Steam. The game will be available in multiple editions, each with unique cover art depicting painted portraits of Tiger Woods: PGA TOUR 2K23 Standard Edition: • Physical and digital versions for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 consoles, includes the base game; • For PC, includes the base game and the Golden Club Pack, which includes a Golden Putter, Golden Driver, and four Uncommon consumable golf ball sleeves; • Players who pre-order any version of the Standard Edition will receive the Michael Jordan Bonus Pack, which includes playable sports icon Michael Jordan, as well as four consumable Common golf ball sleeves; • Players who purchase the Standard Edition of the game for Xbox Series X|S (physical or digital version) or PlayStation 5 (digital version only) consoles which includes cross-generation dual entitlement will also receive the Golden Club Pack for the game on Xbox One or PlayStation 4, respectively. PGA TOUR 2K23 Deluxe Edition: • For Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, or PlayStation 5 consoles, includes the base game with cross-generation dual-entitlement, as well as the Michael Jordan Bonus Pack, Golden Club Pack, and Deluxe Edition Bonus Pack, which includes 1300 VC (Virtual Currency), a hockey stick putter, gold baseball cap, gold glove, and three Rare consumable golf ball sleeves; • For PC, includes the base game, as well as the Michael Jordan Bonus Pack, Golden Club Pack, and Deluxe Edition Bonus Pack. PGA TOUR 2K23 Tiger Woods Edition (available in digital format only): • Includes all the contents of the Standard and Deluxe Edition for the purchased platform; • Includes the Tiger Woods Edition Bonus Pack – which includes a Tiger Woods TaylorMade wedge set, Nike TW Golf tee shirt, and three Epic consumable golf ball sleeves – plus the Tiger Woods Signature Sunday Pack, which includes a red polo, black pants, black hat, Nike TW Golf shoes, Nike TW Golf belt, and Bridgestone Golf TOUR B XS, Tiger Edition Golf Ball. For more information on PGA TOUR 2K23 and 2K, visit PGATOUR2K23.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #PGATOUR2K23 or subscribe on YouTube.
Max Homa has said that the final event of the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season carries some of golf’s most suffocating pressure, particularly for those on the top-75 bubble. Play well and you’ll have a chance to earn a PGA TOUR card via the three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Falter, and your fate could be Q-School, with an uncertain career path. “You start spiraling on the negatives,” once explained Homa of the prospects of losing full Korn Ferry Tour status. Entering the final event of the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season, Philip Knowles stood No. 87 on the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Eligibility Points List. He knew a good finish was required to keep a guaranteed job for 2023. He booked two flights. One was to Idaho for the Finals-opening Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron. The other was to his adopted hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, to begin preparations for Q-School. Knowles’ wife Olivia flew to Omaha on Sunday morning, unannounced, and was on the 18th green at the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna to provide congratulations as Knowles cemented his first career top-10 finish (T10) to move to No. 67 on the Regular Season Eligibility Points List and cement a Finals berth. Not only was he exempt for 2023, no Q-School needed, but he would have a chance at a TOUR card via The Finals 25. “The fact that I’m going to Boise is incredible,” Knowles said shortly after signing his scorecard last Sunday in Omaha. “Still some processing to do there. First time having locked up full status out here, and having a chance at a TOUR card the next few weeks … it’s awesome.” Knowles accelerated his timetable, to say the least. The University of North Florida alum finished runner-up at the Albertsons Boise Open, carding a four-round total of 21 under at Hillcrest CC to match Will Gordon and MJ Daffue for the week’s low score. Gordon won with a par on the first playoff hole, but all three players have earned the Korn Ferry Tour’s ultimate prize. Gordon earns 1,000 Korn Ferry Tour points for his win; Knowles earns 490 points for a two-way T2. The fail-safe threshold for a player to secure a TOUR card via The Finals 25 is 220 points; both players comfortably surpassed that mark in Boise. (Daffue was already #TOURBound via a top-25 spot on the Regular Season Eligibility Points List.) Six players finished in a six-way T4, which allots 200 Korn Ferry Tour points. In addition to Erik Barnes and Taylor Montgomery, whose TOUR cards are secure via The 25, this group included Scott Harrington, Austin Cook, Thomas Detry and Dean Burmester; these four are seeking a TOUR card via The Finals 25. Although these players are not mathematically safe per the Korn Ferry Tour’s fail-safe threshold, they’ll head to next week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Columbus feeling confident about their chances. For reference, in a three-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals series, the threshold for a TOUR card has been 186 points (2019) and 157.773 points (2021). Knowles arrived at the 72nd hole Sunday in Boise with a one-stroke lead, hit his second shot over the green and was unable to get up and down for par, vexed by Hillcrest CC’s severe back-to-front sloping 18th green. He then burned the edge on a 6-foot par try in the playoff; Gordon tapped in for a winning par shortly thereafter. In the annals of closing bogeys to fall short of winning a title, though, Knowles’ may go down as one of the least consequential. Less than two weeks ago, the native of Bradenton, Florida, was reasonably justified in planning for Q-School. He needed to deliver one of his career-best finishes to keep his season alive. He started the year with conditional status and took advantage of a sponsor exemption into his hometown LECOM Suncoast Classic, chipping in on the final hole and finishing T22, which allowed him to play a mostly full schedule for the remainder of the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour calendar. He had spent most of his career in the proverbial week-to-week grind. Conditional status, Monday qualifiers, mini-tours and the inevitable, instinctual questions of how long to keep going. The nomadic unknown. Now the 25-year-old, who met his wife Olivia when she competed on their high school’s men’s golf team, is headed to the PGA TOUR. “It’s really hard to put into words,” reflected Knowles on a tranquil Sunday evening in Boise. “Conditional life on the Korn Ferry Tour is miserable. It is nothing short of miserable. If you’re Monday qualifying, you’re fighting every week just to have a chance to play. If you’re playing in the events and you’re conditional, you are hoping you’re continuing to play well enough to continue to get starts. “I’m married, I’ve got a kid on the way, and that dynamic of trying to plan things … family vacations, vacations with friends … for a couple of years now, I haven’t been able to plan. Everything’s been spur of the moment, because I couldn’t ‘t tell you where I was going to be next week, or a month from now. “To have experienced that, to play well last week when I had to was incredible. It’s what I felt like was coming. Then to come out here this week … to stand here now and think that I’ve got a PGA TOUR card is crazy.” Crazy, perhaps, but reality.
Kayvon Thibodeaux was able to leave the field after being cut-blocked and walked the length of the sideline before heading inside with a trainer.
The Yankees clawed out a win over the division rival Blue Jays on Sunday, but not before tensions boiled over in the fifth inning when Toronto starter Alek Manoah hit Yankees star Aaron Judge with a 92 mph fastball.
Only 30 players are left in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs. They all head to the Tour Championship hoping to get their hands on the winner’s $18 million.
Patrick Cantlay became the first player to win the BMW Championship back-to-back since the FedEx Cup began in 2007.
