PGA Tour season over; Saudi-funded LIV Golf returns to stage

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LIV GOLF

LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL-BOSTON

Site: Bolton, Massachusetts.

Course: The International GC. Yardage: 6,944. Par: 70.

Prize money: $25 million ($5 million for team). Winner’s share: $4 million ($750,000 for each winning team member).

Television: LIVGolf.com.

Series leader: Branden Grace.

Notes: This is the fourth of seven regular-season LIV Golf events before the team championship ends the inaugural year at Doral in South Florida. The previous winners are Charl Schwartzel outside London, Branden Grace in Oregon and Henrik Stenson at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey. … Grace leads the points series. … Among the newcomers for the Boston-area event are British Open champion Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman. … Other additions include three players who leave the PGA Tour without ever having won — Cameron Tringale, Harold Varner III and Anirban Lahiri. … The winner gets $4 million. That’s more than Talor Gooch made in 22 starts on the PGA Tour before he was suspended. … This is the first LIV Golf event since a federal judge ruled against three LIV Golf players seeking to play in the PGA Tour’s postseason. … LIV Golf has gone to large markets where the PGA Tour is not playing this year — the New York metropolitan area last month, now Boston and Chicago in two weeks.

Next tournament: LIV Golf Invitational-Chicago on Sept. 16-18.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

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KORN FERRY TOUR

KORN FERRY TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Newburgh, Indiana.

Course: Victoria National GC. Yardage: 7,265. Par: 72.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.

Television: Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Joseph Bramlett.

Finals points leader: Will Gordon.

Last week: David Lingmerth won the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.

Notes: This is the last of three Korn Ferry Tour Finals events to determine the 25 players who earn PGA Tour cards for next season. … The top points earner in the finals is fully exempt (not subject to reshuffle) and earns a spot in The Players Championship. … Former PGA Tour winner Austin Cook was among six players who secured tour cards with their finish in last week’s tournament. … Harry Higgs, who played in his first Masters this year, has missed the cut in both Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He would still have conditional status on the PGA Tour next year if he doesn’t get his card. … Justin Lower is on the cusp of earning one of the 25 cards and probably won’t need it. He is expected to move into the top 125 in the FedEx Cup depending on how many players are suspended for joining LIV Golf. … Victoria National is the 13th course used for the Korn Ferry Tour Championship dating to 1993.

Next week: End of season.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour.html

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LPGA TOUR

DANA OPEN

Site: Sylvania, Ohio.

Course: Highland Meadows GC. Yardage: 6,555. Par: 71.

Prize money: $1.75 million. Winner’s share: $262,500.

Television: Thursday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Nasa Hataoka.

Race to CME Globe leader: Minjee Lee.

Last week: Paula Reto won the CP Women’s Open.

Notes: The tournament has a new title sponsor but has been played at Highland Meadow every time since 1989. … Azahara Munoz of Spain makes her first start since November after coping with an autoimmune thyroid issue. … The LPGA Tour only had two players from South Africa win tournaments coming into this. That number has doubled with Ashleigh Buhai winning the Women’s British Open and Paula Reto winning last week in Canada. … Reto was the fourth straight first-time winner on the LPGA Tour, the longest such streak since 2005. … Last year’s tournament was reduced to 54 holes when the final round was washed out by rain. Nasa Hataoka had a six-shot lead. … Lucy Li, who already has a card for next year through the Epson Tour, is in the field from a top-10 finish last week in Canada. … The field is missing the top two players in the women’s world ranking, Jin Young Ko and Nelly Korda, but has the rest of the top 10.

Next week: Kroger Queen City Championship.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

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EUROPEAN TOUR

MADE IN HIMMERLAND

Site: Farso, Denmark.

Course: HimmerLand. Yardage: 6,686. Par: 71.

Prize money: 3 million euros. Winner’s share: 500,000 euros.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 to noon (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Bernd Wiesberger.

DP World Tour points leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last week: Thriston Lawrence won the Omega European Masters.

Notes: Luke Donald is playing his first European tour event since taking over for Henrik Stenson as Ryder Cup captain. … Thriston Lawrence is in the field as the South African goes for his third European tour victory of the season. … Bernd Wiesberger has won the last two years. He is playing the LIV Golf Invitational event outside Boston this week. … Adri Arnaus at No. 67 is the highest-ranked player in the field. … Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia is playing his third straight European tour event since the PGA Tour season ended. … Jamie Lovemark is playing on a sponsor invitation. He finished 152nd on the Korn Ferry Tour and was not eligible for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. … Matt Wallace is in the field. He won in Denmark in 2018 and lost in a playoff last week. Wallace can have full PGA Tour status next year by moving into the top 125 in the FedEx Cup with LIV Golf defections.

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Next week: BMW PGA Championship.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/

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PGA TOUR

Last week: Rory McIlroy won the Tour Championship.

Next tournament: Fortinet Championship on Sept. 15-18.

FedEx Cup champion: Rory McIlroy.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Last week: Steve Stricker won The Ally Challenge.

Next week: Ascension Charity Classic.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/champions/

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OTHER TOURS

Epson Tour: Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic, Wildhorse GC, Pendleton, Oregon. Previous winner: New event. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/

International Golf Federation: World Amateur Team Championship, Le Golf National and Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche, Paris. Defending champion: Denmark. Online: https://www.igfgolf.org/

USGA: U.S. Senior Amateur, The Kittansett Club, Marion, Massachusetts. Defending champion: Gene Elliott. Online: https://www.usga.org/

Japan Golf Tour: Fujisankei Classic, Fujizakura CC, Yamanashi, Japan. Defending champion: Shuo Imahira. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/

Challenge Tour: B-NL Challenge Trophy, Hulencourt GC, Genappe, Belgium. Previous winner: Alfredo Garcia-Heredia. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/

PGA Tour Canada: GolfBC Championship, Canyon Golf & CC, Kelowna, British Columbia. Previous winner: Jake Knapp. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/canada/en_us.html

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Ladies European Tour: Aland 100 Ladies Open, Alands GC, Kastelholm, Finland. Previous winner: Matilda Castren. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/

Japan LPGA: Golf5 Ladies, Golf5 Club Oakvillage, Chiba, Japan. Defending champion: Yuri Yoshida. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

Korea LPGA: Edaily Ladies Open, Sunning Point CC, Yongsin, South Korea. Defending champion: Su Ji Kim. Online: https://www.klpga.co.kr/

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