PGA cancels Players and future events

A dozen tournaments into the 50-tournament Super Season, we're still a lot closer to the beginning than the end. Regardless, we've got enough information to guess which 30 players will qualify for the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake on Sept. 2-5, 2021. Eight of the 10 winners from the fall of 2019 went on to qualify for the most recent TOUR Championship, the most since the wraparound season began eight years ago. So, yeah, we'll go out on a limb and say Safeway Open champ Stewart Cink (fourth in the FedExCup standings) is going to make it back to East Lake for the first time since 2009. Could Jason Day, Brooks Koepka and/or Tiger Woods get back to the TOUR Championship? Yes, but chronic injuries make it too risky to put them on this list. Koepka looked especially improved in the fall with a T5 at the Vivint Houston Open and T7 at the Masters, but the fact remains those three are wildcards. So is Italy's Francesco Molinari, who just moved his family to America. Herewith, in no particular order, a fearless prediction for the last 30 men standing: 1. Dustin Johnson - The defending FedExCup champion leads the standings again going into the holiday break, and he may just extend his 252-point lead at the Sentry Tournament of Champions next month, as Johnson has twice won at Kapalua (2013, 18). 2. Bryson DeChambeau - He's second in the FedExCup standings after just three starts in the new season, including a six-shot runaway at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Setback at Masters, where long-ball approach yielded only a T34 finish, but Mad Scientist will be back. 3. Viktor Hovland - Clutch 72nd hole birdie netted him recent Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN. Two-time TOUR winner and pride of Norway is fast catching up to peers Matthew Wolff - Hovland's Oklahoma State teammate - and 2020's breakout star Collin Morikawa. 4. Stewart Cink - Was 144th in FedExCup last season and 179th in 2019. Seems like ages ago now that Cink, 47, is up to fourth in the standings after winning the Safeway Open to end an 11-year victory drought. Kept good times rolling at Sanderson Farms (T12) and Bermuda (T4) Championships. 5. Patrick Cantlay - Prevailed at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD in thrilling finish that also included world-beaters Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas. Missed TOUR Championship last season but clearly has the all-around game to win the whole thing, not just make the field. 6. Rory McIlroy - Struggled after the break, but with wife Erica was keeping a secret - daughter Poppy was born the week of the TOUR Championship. Since then, he has racked up top-10 finishes at East Lake (T8), the U.S. Open (T8) and Masters (T5). 7. Carlos Ortiz - Cue the imminent TOUR Championship debut of Mexico's Ortiz, FedExCup No. 6, whose Vivint Houston Open victory was one of the feel-good stories of the fall. Korn Ferry Tour record shows he can string the wins together when he's feeling it. 8. Jason Kokrak - Victory at THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK was a long time coming (233rd career start) for this Vegas afficionado who turns into one of the game's elites when his putter is switched on. Currently third in Strokes Gained: Putting but 146th in SG: Approach the Green. 9. Justin Thomas - The 2017 FedExCup champion hasn't exactly lit it up in the new season but he has finished no worse than 12th in five starts, including the U.S. Open (T8) and Masters (4th). He'll start the new year ranked No. 8 in the standings. Watch out early as former Sentry TOC and Sony Open in Hawaii winner is a fast starter. 10. Matthew Wolff - Played himself into near exhaustion after the Return to Golf in June. Still chasing second TOUR win but showed consistency with runner-up finishes at Rocket Mortgage Classic, U.S. Open, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Up to ninth in FedExCup. 11. Sergio Garcia - Fell out of world top 50 and missed the FedExCup Playoffs for second time last season. Victory at Sanderson Farms Championship in October broke dry spell dating to 2017 Masters; is now up to FedExCup No. 10. Shame to miss Augusta with coronavirus in November. 12. Xander Schauffele - Hasn't won since 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions but that didn't hold him back much in second-place FedExCup finish last season. Top-10 machine already has a fifth at the U.S. Open and runner-up at THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK this season. 13. Cameron Smith - Co-runner-up with Sungjae Im at the Masters in November, Smith, who will defend his first individual title at the upcoming Sony Open in Hawaii, is just starting to show how good he is after offering fleeting glimpses of potential in team events. 14. Justin Rose - His T3 at the Charles Schwab Challenge in June was a bright spot as coaching and equipment changes led him to finish an uncharacteristic 91st in the FedExCup. The 2018 FedExCup winner and a recent world No. 1 seems primed for a bounce-back year. 15. Cameron Champ - Struggled with inconsistency in rookie year on TOUR but was steadier last season from Safeway Open win all the way to T10 at PGA and 24th in FedExCup. Long driving impressed partner Tony Finau at recent QBE Shootout and is growing into game at 25. 16. Doc Redman - Up-and-comer was 71st in FedExCup last season but is up to 41st going into the break this season after T3 at the Safeway Open and T4 at the Bermuda Championship. Will be a young 23 to start 2021. Ranked 12th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green last season. 17. Harris English - Slumped but is back in spotlight after bounce-back last season (12th in FedExCup). Already has a solo fourth at U.S. Open and three other top-10s this season, and with Matt Kuchar utterly dominated recent (unofficial) QBE Shootout with record 37 under. 18. Sungjae Im - Ironman with eight starts already this season nearly cashed in with T2 finish at recent Masters Tournament. Gearing up for title defense at The Honda Classic in early 2021. Could work on his short game at 234th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green. 19. Jon Rahm - Edged world No. 1 Dustin Johnson in wild finish at BMW Championship and was chasing another victory at ZOZO @ SHERWOOD (T2) until closing holes. World No. 2 contended at Masters (T7) in November but faded with 72-71 weekend. 20. Hideki Matsuyama - Five-time TOUR winner hasn't lifted a trophy since 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational but seems to be on the rise after T13 at the Masters and T2 at the Vivint Houston Open. Still needs work on the greens at 158th in Strokes Gained: Putting. 21. Tyrrell Hatton - Taming temper and reached elite status with breakthrough TOUR win in challenging conditions at Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Makes every swing count with six top-10s in 11 starts last season (seventh in FedExCup). 22. Tony Finau - Still looking for first victory since 2016 Puerto Rico Open; was on the verge of getting it until Webb Simpson birdied last two holes of regulation and beat him in a playoff at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Still growing into sizable game but will likely get there. 23. Scottie Scheffler - Consistent leaderboard presence is off to a poor start this season (92nd in the FedExCup) after getting the coronavirus and missing the U.S. Open. Showed plenty in '20 with seven top-10 finishes, run at PGA Championship, and fifth-place showing in FedExCup. 24. Webb Simpson - Won Waste Management Phoenix Open, RBC Heritage and led in scoring average (68.978) last season. His T8 at U.S. Open in September was best there since winning in 2012; also posted T10 at recent Masters. Aiming for fifth straight East Lake appearance. 25. Matthew Fitzpatrick - He's 108th in current FedExCup standings but coming off victory at the European Tour's season-ending DP World Tour Championship earlier this month. Third-place finish at Memorial and T6 at BMW attests to his toughness in difficult conditions. 26. Tommy Fleetwood - Third at The Honda Classic last season and collected six top-10s in 2019. Lackluster 2020 (92nd FedExCup) but not across pond; T3 at Portugal Masters, second at Scottish Open, and T13 at BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour's flagship event. 27. Patrick Reed - Won the WGC-Mexico Championship and registered top-15 finishes at PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Masters. Was aiming to become first American to win European Tour's Race to Dubai until two late bogeys at DP World Tour Championship (T3). 28. Abraham Ancer - Still aiming for first TOUR win after two runner-up finishes last season. Contended at recent Masters until final-round 76 dropped him to T13; that and T12 at Mayakoba showed TOUR Championship appearance and 18th in FedExCup last season was no fluke. 29. Daniel Berger - Underrated player is only 96th in the latest FedExCup standings. Was one of the hottest in the game over the second half of last season starting with win at Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial. Put him down for the U.S. Ryder Cup team while you're at it. 30. Collin Morikawa - Broke out with wild Workday Charity Open win over Justin Thomas. Hit perhaps shot of the year, driving the green on 16, in winning PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park. Admits to losing focus this season (124th in FedExCup), but it won't last.

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After a fall series where FedExCup storylines had skewed focus towards a resurgent old brigade it seemed fitting to end the 2020 portion of this season with a reminder of the young talent we've been blessed with of late. Viktor Hovland notched up PGA TOUR win No. 2 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN at a rain soaked El Camaleon, making the 23-year-old Norwegian just the fifth European player (since 1945) to earn multiple TOUR titles before turning 24. It's an esteemed list that includes Rory McIlroy, Seve Ballesteros, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm. Here’s five things you may have missed from the shootout on the Mexican coast. 1. Viktor Hovland is a character we can all love The Norwegian former U.S. Amateur champion has been dubbed the smiling assassin at times because he just always appears to be having a great time. He portrays a player who doesn't take the consequences inevitable in this great game too seriously, and as such makes him easy to cheer for. He claims he's terrible in the pressure moments ... claims he's a mess and not comfortable. But yet there was an apparent air of calm over him as he sent his tee shot to the fairway, his approach to 10-feet, and his final putt into the hole on the 72nd hole to win by a shot. If there is a weakness in the youngster's raw game, it is around and on the greens, where at times he can be a little unreliable chipping and putting. In Mayakoba he was 5 of 11 in scrambling for the week and had missed a short birdie putt at the 15th that would have made life extremely tough for the other competitors. Soon after a terrible approach to the 16th had him well short and in sand some 40-yards from the pin. But instead of letting it be the start of a downward spiral, Hovland stuck his third to about the same length as the putt he missed moments earlier. This time, he nailed it. That par left him in prime position to control his destiny and by the time he came to the last he knew birdie would win the title. Facing a 10-footer for it all he smoothed it in like he was one of the best putters on TOUR. Brilliant stuff. Read more here. 2. A second win can be tougher than the first While Hovland chalked up TOUR win No. 2 there were a handful of other players who were looking to do the same that obviously did not cross what can be an elusive barrier. Runner-up Aaron Wise broke through a couple of seasons ago at the AT&T Byron Nelson and positioned himself beautifully on Sunday a couple of groups ahead of Hovland. A birdie on the 15th had Wise at eight-under on his round and part of the lead at 19-under, making the former NCAA champ a huge threat. But despite some great shots coming home he was unable to sink one more critical putt, leaving the door open for Hovland to pounce. Clearly though, Wise is going to find himself with more chances in the coming months and years. Chances doesn't mean wins though. Just ask Tony Finau. With the help of a new putting setup Finau was tied second through two rounds and after an ace and three birdies on Saturday's front nine he was closing in on the lead. Even a poor back nine didn't take him out of it for the final round but it wasn't to be and a T8 finish adds to his near misses. Since his win at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open, Finau has 34 top-10s without another triumph and he hasn't finished worse than 19th in the FedExCup over the last four seasons. Emiliano Grillo jumped out on TOUR in the 2015-16 season and won the Safeway Open first up. He would have been forgiven for thinking it was easy to do. Over the last three seasons he's threatened a few times with four thirds and a runner up so when he took a healthy lead through 36 and 54 holes in Mexico it appeared it might be time. But while others tore up the soft layout on Sunday Grillo shot a 1-over 72 to freefall to a T8 finish. Adam Long, who stared down Phil Mickelson to win his lone TOUR title, looked steeled when he birdied the 16th on Sunday to pull within one of the lead but his next tee shot was wild and with it went his chances of doubling his career win tally. He would settle for a T3 finish. The bottom line? Golf is hard. Winning is very hard. Winning more than once is incredibly hard. 3. Mexico's finest to wait at least one more year for home win Eventually it will happen. There was great hope pre-tournament that this could be the year a Mexican winner could emerge in what has been the countries first regular TOUR stop for well over a decade now. Carlos Ortiz, a winner at the recent Vivint Houston Open, was more than solid on the way to a T8 finish that moved him up to sixth in the FedExCup standings. Abraham Ancer was left to rue a slow start with his 1-over 72 opening round but fought valiantly back to be T12. Roberto Diaz, Armando Favela, Aaron Terrazas and Isidro Benitez were unable to make the cut but all will take invaluable experience away from the week. 4. The production line appears never-ending While we sat back and applauded Hovland's gutsy win his fellow college teammate, and current housemate, Austin Eckroat casually finished T12 as an amateur. The Oklahoma State senior gave a glimpse into some more of the talent coming down the pipeline. Another of those young guns, 18-year-old Akshay Bhatia, Monday qualified into the tournament and once again showed glimpses of why he's backed himself to be professional in lieu of college. After a bogey-bogey opening on Thursday the youngster fought back to shoot 4-under and showed similar resilience to notch up three birdies late in round two after a double bogey threatened to send him home early. His end result of T52 is a little misleading as he dropped shots late Sunday firing at pins with aggressive intent. 5. We lost a legend this past week The news of the passing of Peter Alliss, who was a highly successful European Tour player before becoming the voice of golf in the UK for decades on television, was certainly sad for the golf community. A member of eight Ryder Cup teams, Alliss won 31 times worldwide and was also an accomplished course designer and author. But perhaps his greatest contributions were with a microphone, where on the BBC in England, and the ABC in the U.S., he was arguably without peer talking viewers through the action. Take some time to read about his influence on the game here.

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