Hank Lebioda leads AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Rickie Fowler birdied two of his final four holes and overcame a bizarre triple-bogey on the 11th hole at TPC Scottsdale to win the Phoenix Open on Sunday.

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THE OVERVIEW By Cameron Morfit, PGATOUR.COM When Xander Schauffele lost his tee shot wide-right on the last hole of the U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Germantown, Tennessee, last summer, playing partner Steve Stricker thought the ball might not be findable. Schauffele not only found the ball, he (deep breath) birdied the 18th to make a 5-for-2 playoff; survived the playoff; finished T5 at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in his first major championship start; won The Greenbrier Classic; held off Justin Thomas to win the TOUR Championship (becoming the first rookie to win that tournament in the FedExCup era); and to no one’s surprise was named Rookie of the Year. TOP 30 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2018: We’ll countdown our list with one new player each day in December. Click here for the published players. MORE: Top 30 explanation and schedule Oh, he also finished third in the FedExCup. Any questions? Apparently, the La Jolla, California-born Schauffele, who played for San Diego State, has a game that can travel far and wide. In fact, he claims four nationalities, what with his French-German father and his Taiwanese mom who grew up in Japan. A veritable one-man world tour, Schauffele was delighted to start his sophomore season at the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, where he not only enjoyed the local cuisine, he tied for third. Hard to believe Schauffele missed the cut in his only two PGA TOUR starts of 2016, at the CareerBuilder Challenge and Farmers Insurance Open. If his 2018 is a continuation of his 2017, when he also made 20 cuts in 28 starts, he may have fellow high school Class of 2011 co-valedictorians Thomas and Jordan Spieth looking over their shoulders. Click here to follow Cameron on Twitter BY THE NUMBERS How Xander Schauffele ranked in Strokes Gained statistics during his last full season on the PGA TOUR. FEDEXCUP Current 2017-18 position: 39th Playoff appearances: 1 TOUR Championship appearances: 1 Best result: 3rd (2017) INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDERS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Xander Schauffele in 2018. TOUR INSIDER by Ben Everill Chip on the shoulder much? This youngster came out of nowhere in the minds of many to win twice last season, including the TOUR Championship. In the process, he took Rookie of the Year – and raised the expectation level. If you think this guy is inferior to his competition, he will up his game and prove you wrong and step on your throat on the way past. When the big moments came, he was ready to handle it. Fascinated to see if he keeps it going or suffers from any second-year syndrome. Click here to follow Ben on Twitter FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton It was unprecedented in the FedExCup era for any golfer with some pedigree to carry it to the heights that he reached en route to Rookie of the Year honors in 2016-17. He didn’t shift into overdrive until the U.S. Open, where he tied for fifth. So, despite a massive swing in performance and no doubt confidence, gamers have reason to remain skeptical. For one, he cannot be expected to sustain the pace of the last six months. And while he’s logged five top-fives worldwide since Erin Hills, two were victories that can inflate long-term value for the previously unproven. Click here to follow Rob on Twitter EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Played TaylorMade’s M2 2017 driver and M1 2017 3-wood during the 2016-17 season. Mixed P-Series iron setup includes a P790 2-iron that first made an appearance in Schauffele’s bag during the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Vokey SM6 wedges have a raw finish that gradually rusts over time to produce a well-worn look. Only other non-TaylorMade club is an Odyssey Works Big-T #5 putter. Click here to follow Jonathan on Twitter STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Schauffele is one of the exciting young guns on TOUR and he has the fashion game to match. He frequently steps out in super clean looks that blend classic sensibilities with modern details. He will give Dustin Johnson a run for best dressed on the Adidas staff in 2018. Click here to follow Greg on Twitter

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The DP World Tour today announced its full 12-month schedule for the 2023 season, featuring a minimum of 39 tournaments in 26 countries, once again emphasizing its position as golf’s global Tour. To view the DP World Tour full schedule and release, click here. Record overall prize fund of $144.2 million for regular DP World Tour events next season Increase in Rolex Series prize funds Player Earnings Assurance Programme to be introduced DP World Tour members will compete for an overall prize fund of $144.2 million across the tournaments outside the Major Championships and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play including an increased bonus pool of $6 million for the leading eight players on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex. As part of this record total prize fund, the 2023 season will also see the introduction of a new Earnings Assurance Programme for DP World Tour members. Exempt players in categories 1-17 will be guaranteed minimum earnings of $150,000 if they compete in 15 or more events as part of the programme which was agreed by the DP World Tour’s Tournament Committee last week. Both the record prize fund, increased bonus pool and Earnings Assurance Programme have been made possible by the DP World Tour’s operational joint venture partnership with the PGA TOUR which was announced in June. Keith Pelley, the DP World Tour’s Chief Executive, said: “For us to be able to offer our members record prize funds and enhanced earning opportunities is massive, particularly when global economies are still feeling the effects of the pandemic and with the new challenge of rising inflation significantly putting pressure on costs in all facets of our business. “Our overall prize fund for the 2023 season represents $50 million more than 2021 and also underlines the strength of our partnership with the PGA TOUR, who are working with us to drive revenue and a long-term growth plan. “One of the many benefits we have been able to introduce because of this partnership is the new Earnings Assurance Programme, similar to what they already have on the PGA TOUR. I have always believed that it is an incredible accomplishment for any professional golfer to simply gain their playing rights on the DP World Tour and this new initiative recognizes and rewards that achievement. “Although we will never lose the magic of the meritocracy and purity of a performance-based structure, this now offers certainty of income to those players who have made it to the pinnacle of the professional game in Europe. “Alongside the John Jacobs Bursary for the top five players who graduate to the DP World Tour from the Challenge Tour, it will provide security and a strong platform for emerging players in particular as they come through the global pathways we have created.” Included in the DP World Tour’s record prize fund of $144.2 million is an increase in the tournament prize funds for the first four Rolex Series events of 2023. The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Dubai Desert Classic, Genesis Scottish Open and BMW PGA Championship all move from $8 million in 2022 to $9 million next year, ahead of the $10 million season-ending DP World Tour Championship. The DP World Tour’s global schedule begins on November 24, 2022, with a double header – the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and the Joburg Open in South Africa. The former is one of two tournaments in Australia on the DP World Tour schedule as part of the Strategic Alliance with the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, while the latter is one of six events co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour, also as part of a strategic alliance. Four new tournaments in Asia are also included on the 2023 schedule, with the Singapore Classic (February 9-12) and Thailand Classic (February 16-19) taking place in consecutive weeks, followed by the Tour’s first trip to Japan for the ISPS HANDA – CHAMPIONSHIP (April 20-23) and a return to Korea for the first time since 2013 (April 27-30). In Europe, there are dates changes for several tournaments, including the Horizon Irish Open moving to September 7-10, while the Italian Open will take place from May 4-7 ahead of venue Marco Simone Golf & Country Club hosting the 2023 Ryder Cup from September 29 – October 1. There is also a new three-week summer break in the schedule following the 151st Open Championship and Barracuda Championship (both July 20-23) which has been introduced following player feedback. Further details about the autumn events will be announced in due course. To view the full schedule, click here.

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