2022 Sanderson Farms Championship Saturday tee times, TV and streaming info

2022 Sanderson Farms Championship Saturday tee times, TV and streaming info

The Sanderson Farms Championship heads to the weekend at The Country Club of Jackson, which is a par-72 track that will measure about 7,400 yards all week.

Thomas Detry has posted back-to-back rounds of 67 to open the tournament and is tied for the lead going into moving day. With Detry at the top of the leaderboard is Mackenzie Hughes. The Canadian caught fire Friday and signed for a 9-under 63.

Sahith Theegala and Gary Woodland are among the notable names to miss the weekend.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the third round of the Sanderson Farms Championship. | Leaderboard

Third-round tee times

Tee time Players
8:30 a.m.
Nick Watney, Brandon Matthews
8:40 a.m.
Stewart Cink, Aaron Rai
8:50 a.m.
Adam Hadwin, Seamus Power
9 a.m.
Paul Haley II, Davis Thompson
9:10 a.m.
Carson Young, Dylan Wu
9:20 a.m.
Will Gordon, Austin Eckroat
9:30 a.m.
John Huh, Joseph Bramlett
9:40 a.m.
Justin Lower, Brian Stuard
9:50 a.m.
Patrick Rodgers, Peter Malnati
10:05 a.m.
Sam Stevens, Lee Hodges
10:15 a.m.
Taylor Moore, Matthew NeSmith
10:25 a.m.
Keegan Bradley, C.T. Pan
10:35 a.m.
Robby Shelton, Hayden Buckley
10:45 a.m.
Zecheng Dou, Tano Goya
10:55 .m.
Luke List, Chris Stroud
11:05 a.m.
Chris Kirk, Sam Ryder
11:15 a.m.
Alejandro Tosti, Scott Piercy
11:30 a.m.
Kevin Yu, S.H. Kim
11:40 a.m.
Adam Long, Greyson Sigg
11:50 a.m.
Cody Gribble, Dylan Frittelli
12 p.m.
Taylor Montgomery, Michael Gligic
12:10 p.m.
MJ Daffue, Ben Taylor
12:20 p.m.
Nate Lashley, Henrik Norlander
12:30 p.m.
Callum Tarren, Austin Smotherman
12:40 p.m.
Brice Garnett, Kevin Roy
12:55 p.m.
Vince Whaley, Joel Dahmen
1:05 p.m.
Denny McCarthy, Andrew Putnam
1:15 p.m.
Ryan Armour, Erik Barnes
1:25 p.m.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, William McGirt
1:35 p.m.
Adam Svensson, Sam Burns
1:45 p.m.
Dean Burmester, Russell Knox
1:55 p.m.
Kyle Westmoreland, Ben Griffin
2:05 p.m.
Kevin Streelman, Nick Taylor
2:20 p.m.
Tevor Cone, Brandon Wu
2:30 p.m.
Stephan Jaeger, Emiliano Grillo
2:40 p.m.
Davis Riley, Nick Hardy
2:50 p.m.
Garrick Higgo, Scott Stallings
3 p.m.
Sepp Straka, Mark Hubbard
3:10 p.m.
Thomas Detry, Mackenzie Hughes

How to watch

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. All times Eastern.

Saturday, October 1st

TV

Golf Channel: 4-7 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 2-7 p.m.

STREAM

Peacock: 4-7 p.m.

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Sahith Theegala, Gary Woodland, Harris English among notables to miss cut at 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship

Sahith Theegala, Gary Woodland, Harris English among notables to miss cut at 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship

JACKSON, Miss. – It’s time for the weekend.

The first two rounds of the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson are complete. It’s the second event of the PGA Tour’s 2022-23 season. Scores were lower during the second round, as numerous players climbed up the leaderboard to put themselves in position ahead of moving day.

Thomas Detry fired his second consecutive round of 5-under 67, and he leads at 10-under 134. Mackenzie Hughes caught fire Friday, shooting 8-under 64, and he’s one back of Detry. Sepp Straka is tied with Hughes after his round of 6-under 66.

The cut was 2-under 142. There are 78 players moving on to the weekend.

Here’s a look at a few notable names who missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship:

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Davis Riley drove the ball 'terribly' on Friday, yet he's right in the hunt at the Sanderson Farms Championship

Davis Riley drove the ball 'terribly' on Friday, yet he's right in the hunt at the Sanderson Farms Championship

JACKSON, Miss. –  Hattiesburg native Davis Riley left the course Friday afternoon at the Sanderson Farms Championship frustrated with his driver and flummoxed by his putting.

And yet, Riley resides near the top of the leaderboard at The Country Club of Jackson and will enter play this weekend in the mix for his first win on the PGA Tour. Sitting tied for third at 7-under for the tournament through the second round’s morning wave, Riley trailed Thomas Detry by three strokes.

“I drove it terribly today,” Riley said. “Yesterday, I didn’t drive it great. One of the worst driving weeks I’ve had so far in a long time. But yeah, when I’ve had an opportunity I’ve just taken advantage of it.”

Riley sat tied for the lead after the first day of play at the Sanderson Farms, shooting a six-under 66. He followed that up with a one-under 71 Friday, this time dealing with the chill that has come along with the morning tee times in Jackson this week.

Riley’s critical evaluation of his play inherently paves the way for weekend optimism. Already in a strong position on the leaderboard, Riley can truly lift off if he can sort out his drives and catch some consistency on the greens.

Sanderson Farms: Friday tee times | PGA Tour live on ESPN+

“I’m optimistic because there’s a lot of things I’m doing well,” he said. “When I have hit the fairway or put myself in a good position, I’ve taken advantage of it. I think it’s a pretty simple fix, just getting some good start lines and going from there.”

Riley, beginning his second full season on tour, is hunting for his first victory. He almost had it in March at the Valspar Championship but fell in a playoff to defending Sanderson Farms champion Sam Burns.

Davis Riley hits off the 9th fairway during Round 2 of tournament play of the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Miss., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.
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There’s still plenty of golf to be played, but Riley has positioned himself to have another run at it this weekend in his home state.

“It would mean the world to have a chance to win this golf tournament,” he said. “But … there’s a lot of work to be done. The game is in a good spot. I didn’t score and do things quite as well as I did yesterday, but I’m still doing a lot of things good. I just need to make a tweak or two here or there and get ready to go again tomorrow.”

More: PGA Tour in Mississippi: Sanderson Farms Championship Friday live updates, highlights

Riley, who graduated from Presbyterian Christian School in Hattiesburg and played collegiately at Alabama, said he took notice of the local support gathering for him in the crowd.

Riley welcomes the boost but also acknowledges the pressure that can accompany it. In three previous starts at the Sanderson Farms Championship, he has missed the cut twice and finished 39th.

Well on pace for his best showing in Jackson, Riley is hoping to approach the weekend with a clear mind.

“I love the golf course, and obviously you want to do well close to home,” he said. “But that’s something that I think I’ve struggled with in the past is maybe putting a little too much pressure on myself to perform, instead of treating it like any other week and feeding off the hometown feel.”

David Eckert is a sports reporter for The Hattiesburg American, part of the USA Today Network. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter @davideckert98.

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Watch: This PGA Tour pro threw his club into fescue in disgust after tee shot on par 3, ended up with 11 feet for birdie

Watch: This PGA Tour pro threw his club into fescue in disgust after tee shot on par 3, ended up with 11 feet for birdie

From now on, when someone does this we should call it a “Hideki.”

Rory McIlroy did it Thursday during the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links on the DP World Tour. After hitting his tee shot on the par-4 seventh, McIlroy took his hand off the club and looked displeased with the strike.

His ball almost found the green 409 yards away.

Well, Emiliano Grillo just outdid McIlroy.

During the second round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi, Grillo threw his club in disgust after his tee shot on the par-3 13th.

After grabbing his club from the woods, Grillo’s caddie had his putter ready because his ball ended up 11 feet from the hole.

Sanderson Farms: Friday tee times | PGA Tour live on ESPN+

We all throw clubs the time, but the result rarely looks like this.

Grillo went on to make par. He signed for a second-round 7-under 65 and is tied for fifth as of 2:00 p..m ET.

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Two-year renovation at popular New Jersey muni track complete, work set to start on second course

Two-year renovation at popular New Jersey muni track complete, work set to start on second course

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The East Course at Middlesex County’s Tamarack Golf Course is playable again after extensive restoration and improvements. The 50-year-old public course reopened Monday following the two-year project which included improved drainage, a new irrigation system, rebuilt tees and bunkers, and plantings. The course sits about 40 miles southwest of Manhattan.

Attention now turns to the facility’s West Course which will close in mid-October to undergo similar upgrades. That project is expected to be completed by fall 2024.

“I am extremely proud of the dramatic transformation our golf courses have undergone and am eager to see the enhancements to come,” Middlesex County Commissioner Director Ronald Rios said in a statement. “Not only will this investment in the Tamarack golf course enhance the quality of life for our residents and attract new visitors to our beautiful county, but these renovations will also improve everyone’s playing experience.”

Tamarack is managed by Indigo Sports, part of the national company Troon Golf, which manages 17 public, semi-private and private golf courses in New Jersey. Indigo also manages Raritan Landing, the county’s other golf course, in Piscataway.

County Commissioner Charles Tomaro called Tamarack ” a world-class facility for our golf-enthusiast residents.”

“Middlesex County has always placed a high value on working with first-in-class partners to deliver high-caliber facilities to our residents,” Tomaro said in a statement. “The partnership between Middlesex County and Indigo Sports is a testament to that philosophy.”

“We could not be happier with the outcome of the renovation work on the East Course,” said Jeff Bebbino, regional manager for Indigo Sports, in a statement. “Middlesex County’s commitment to great golf and affordability to residents is on full display this fall at Tamarack. We’re thrilled to get to work on the West course next and showcase two fantastic layouts in Central New Jersey.”

Located at 97 Hardenburg Lane, Tamarack Golf Course’s two 18-hole layouts were designed by golf course architect Hal Purdy, one of the most prolific golf course designers in New Jersey, whose other creations include the Rutgers University Golf Course in Piscataway, Warrenbrook Golf Course in Warren Township and Fox Hollow Golf Club in Branchburg.

The restoration of the Tamarack courses was designed by Massachusetts golf course architect Mark Mungeam.

Email: [email protected] Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com.

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Men's college golf notebook: Vanderbilt continues to dominate stroke play, five players all shoot same 54-hole score

Men's college golf notebook: Vanderbilt continues to dominate stroke play, five players all shoot same 54-hole score

The Vanderbilt men’s golf team has been nearly unbeatable in stroke play since the start of the 2022 spring season.

That hot streak has continued into the fall. At the SEC fall event, Vanderbilt shot 39 under, beating second-place Tennessee by four strokes. Since the spring, the Commodores are 135-1-2 in stroke play.

Vanderbilt’s Matthew Riedel took home the individual title at 13-under 197, beating a trio of golfers by one shot. Mississippi State’s Garrett Endicott, Tennessee’s Jake Hall and Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent, the 2022 NCAA individual champion, all finished at 12 under.

In the match-play portion of the event, Vanderbilt squared off against Tennessee at Old Overton Club in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, and it was the Volunteers knocking off the Commodores, 3-2. Redshirt freshman Lance Simpson, redshirt junior Jake Hall and redshirt junior Bryce Lewis won their matches to give Tennessee the victory and the sixth tournament title for coach Brennan Webb.

Tennessee

Tennessee won the 2022 SEC Fall Match Play. (Photo: Tennessee Athletics)

The tournament win marks the Volunteers’ first team title since the 2020 Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic, which took place just before the COVID-19 shutdown.

Hall, who finished tied for second place in the stroke play portion of the event, gave Tennessee its first win of the day, pulling away from Vanderbilt’s Cole Sherwood on the back nine after a back-and-forth front nine to capture a 3&2 win. After trailing by a hole to William Moll through 15 holes, Simpson won three straight from hole 16 on, eventually capturing a 2-up victory to give Tennessee its second match win of the day. Despite a furious comeback from Vanderbilt’s Reid Davenport, who won four of five holes on the back, Lewis recorded a tie on 18 to secure the 1-up win and give Tennessee the team title.

Kansas State’s impressive feat

It’s something that’s hard to believe, even seeing it with your own eyes.

The Wildcats won the Old Town Collegiate at Old Town Club in Winston Salem, North Carolina, on Tuesday, but they did it in an incredibly impressive fashion.

All five of Kansas State’s players finished at 1-under 209 for the tournament. Every one. The Wildcats finished at 12 under for the tournament as a team, but Cooper Schultz, Will Hopkins, Nicklaus Mason, Laurenz Schiergen and Tim Tillmanns each finished with the same 54-hole score.

The Wildcats, which shot 4 over in the final round, beat Wake Forest by one stroke in the team competition. The five players finished tied for 16th. It’s the second victory this fall for Kansas State.

Texas Tech wins loaded Inverness Intercollegiate

Ludvig Aberg helped guide Texas Tech to victory in one of the strongest fields of the fall slate.

Texas Tech captured the Inverness Intercollegiate at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, shooting 1 over for the tournament and beating second-place Georgia Tech by six strokes. Oklahoma finished in third and Virginia came in fourth.

Aberg finished tied for fifth at even par 213. His teammate, Calum Scott, finished second at 5 under and two strokes behind Georgia Tech’s Christo Lamprecht. Virginia freshman Ben James and Ohio State’s Maxwell Moldovan tied for third at 2 under.

Cameron Jourdan covers college and amateur golf for Golfweek. Got a college or amateur story? Email him at [email protected].

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Rickie Fowler teams with DJ Kygo and Puma Golf to release new Palm Tree Crew collection

Rickie Fowler teams with DJ Kygo and Puma Golf to release new Palm Tree Crew collection

Longtime Puma Golf ambassador Rickie Fowler has teamed up with world-renowned DJ Kygo and his apparel brand Palm Tree Crew to deliver a Summer-inspired collection.

The idea behind this collaboration was to encourage every type of dreamer to feel closer to the feeling of achieving their goals in cool and comfortable gear. Kygo and Rickie Fowler perform on polar opposite stages, but the adrenaline of doing what you love in front of fans is similar.

Each piece includes a palm tree graphic that demonstrates the laid-back style of Kygo and Fowler’s iconic bold wardrobe. The collection has pieces for both men and women in shades of white, grey and navy.

Puma x Palm Tree Crew Collection

Puma x Palm Tree Crew Collection. (Puma Golf)

“It’s been fun to work with Kygo and PTC to expand and evolve this collab with Puma,” Fowler said. “There’s something special in creating a platform where the worlds of golf and music collide to bring forth amazing product that everyone can relate to.”

Puma x Palm Tree Crew collection

Puma x Palm Tree Crew collection. (Puma Golf)

“Since the beginning, we wanted to create a collaboration with Puma that made people feel like they were a part of something unique and special,” Kygo said. “From teaming up with Rickie Fowler, to visiting the Puma factory in Germany, spending time with the CEO Bjøern, working on new designs and testing out the gear on the course, PUMAxPTC has been an amazing experience every step of the way.”

You can shop the Puma x Palm Tree Crew collection here.

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

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Photos: 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson

Photos: 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson

The 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship is second stop on the PGA Tour’s 2022-23 schedule.

The Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi, is once again the host venue. It will play as a par 72 measuring 7,461 yards. The course opened in 1914. First place this week is good for $1,422,000.

The tournament has been part of the PGA Tour schedule since 1968. Three golfers have won the event twice: Dwight Nevil (1973, 1974), Brian Henninger (1994, 1999) and Fred Funk (1998, 2004). Sanderson Farms took over as title sponsor in 2013.

Sam Burns, fresh off a victorious Presidents Cup, returns to defend his title.

Check out some photos from the tournament.

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Why is LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman's logo on volunteers' clothing at the PGA Tour's Sanderson Farms Championship?

Why is LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman's logo on volunteers' clothing at the PGA Tour's Sanderson Farms Championship?

JACKSON, Miss. — Volunteers are a vital part of any golf tournament.

They help with numerous aspects that can’t be seen on TV, like crowd control and helping to locate golf balls and keeping score. Volunteers are also given similar clothing so they can be located easily and look similar.

However, the volunteers’ clothing at this week’s Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi, has an interesting logo on it.

A shark.

Or to be more specific, Greg Norman’s shark featured on his clothing brand, the Greg Norman Collection.

Nicknamed “The Shark” during his playing career, Norman is now the CEO of the LIV Golf Series, which is currently in numerous legal battles with the PGA Tour.

Sanderson Farms: Tee times, TV | PGA Tour live on ESPN+ | Odds | Round 1 updates from the Clarion Ledger

Volunteers at the Sanderson Farms Championship were sporting jackets and shirts with Norman’s logo on them. There’s a good chance most have no idea what brand the apparel is, though considering what’s happening on a wide scope, it’s quite ironic.

So, how does Norman’s logo get spread throughout a PGA Tour event?

“You want to give the volunteers a good shirt at a reasonable price, and that’s what that is,” Sanderson Farms Championship executive director Steve Jent told Golfweek. “I can’t afford to outfit them, if we want to give more money to charity, in something really high end, but you want to give them something really good. It’s just kind of saved a few extra dollars there.”

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Hurricane Ian damages numerous Florida courses, with a second landfall projected for South Carolina

Hurricane Ian damages numerous Florida courses, with a second landfall projected for South Carolina

As Hurricane Ian still rampages north along Florida’s Atlantic Coast, officials and first responders in the state are focused on providing relief and rescue for the thousands of people most in need. As various local and state agencies assess possible loss of life, golf is of course a low priority for those affected by the storm that approached Category 5 strength as it roared ashore.

With that being the case, it’s still worth a look to see how courses in Florida might have been impacted as well as what might be in store for the second projected landfall in South Carolina as what is now a tropical storm continues north. Golf is a huge industry in both locations, with thousands of employees and hundreds of courses likely already affected – or soon to be – by the devastating storm.

As of Thursday morning, it has proved impossible to obtain status updates for the courses closest to landfall near Fort Myers, Florida. Communications have been compromised, and many residents of Southwest Florida are still without power and could be for days or weeks. Golf course operators and superintendents surely are in the field or attempting to reach their courses to evaluate damage, reports of which will roll in slowly. Golfweek will update this story as information becomes available.

There are dozens of golf courses, public and private, around the Fort Myers area, parts of which are reported to have received winds in excess of 140 mph along with massive storm surges of coastal water and flooding. All that area’s courses likely received damage of some sort, some of it possibly disastrous. Based on past experiences with hurricanes in Florida, it’s likely most of them have trees down, with some courses losing hundreds or possibly thousands of trees. Past hurricanes of lesser strength have proved capable of rendering tree-lined fairways into jumbled messes of snapped conifers and oak trees.

Courses also might be underwater, especially those close to the Gulf of Mexico, the Intracoastal Waterway and inland bays, rivers, creeks and other waterways. In Southwest Florida, that list includes almost every course. Standing water has been reported on courses as far north as The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Pointe just west of Orlando not far from Disney World, and damage also likely includes washed-out bunkers at many courses – in past storms, it wasn’t uncommon to see bunkers inundated or stripped completely of sand.

It could be weeks or months before some of the worst-hit courses are able to reopen. Grass can continue to grow so long as fresh water receded fairly rapidly, but the general cleanup efforts can be extensive.

Golfweek’s Best maintains a list of top courses across the state, both public-access and private. Many of the courses on these lists likely experienced some damage, with several courses in particular a cause for increased concern.

Nearest Fort Myers and landfall, the public-access Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande sits just a few miles from the initial landfall site. Likewise, the private Coral Creek Club in Placida was directly in the track of the storm. Both courses sit near saltwater, with Gasparilla Inn & Club on a barrier island. Emails and calls to that facility were understandably unanswered as relief officials and first responders continue to focus on other more pressing matters. Gasparilla Inn & Club ranks as No. 27 on Golfweek’s Best list of public-access courses in Florida, while Coral Creek Club is No. 14 on Golfweek’s Best list of private courses.

Moving east from landfall, Hurricane Ian will have impacted many other courses on Golfweek’s Best lists as it rolled across Central Florida toward an exit near Titusville, Merritt Island and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center about 50 miles east of Orlando. Top-ranked private courses likely to have felt the effects of the storm include Calusa Pines (No. 2 private in Florida) in Naples; Mountain Lake (No. 3) in Lake Wales; Naples National (No. 7) in Naples; Concession (tied for No. 10) in Bradenton; and the aforementioned Coral Creek Club, among possibly others.

The list is even longer for top-ranked public-access courses along the storm’s path likely to have felt impacts large or small. That includes the three courses at Streamsong (ranked No. 2 Red, No. 3 Black and No. 4 Blue) in Bowling Green; Bay Hill Club & Lodge (No. 5) in Orlando; the two courses at Hammock Beach (No. 11 Ocean and No. 12 Conservatory) in Palm Coast; Hammock Bay (No. 17) in Naples; the two courses at Orange County National (No. 20 Panther Lake and No. 24 Crooked Cat) in Winter Garden; Southern Dunes (No. 26) in Haines City; and Reunion Resort (No. 30 Watson Course) in Kissimmee, among possibly others.

Several of these and many others have reported closures of various duration on their websites and social media. Streamsong,  one of the most popular golf resorts in Florida, is an example of how even inland courses not directly on the center track of the giant storm were affected to some degree. The resort hosted play through Tuesday morning as crews prepped the courses, but it announced on its website that all three courses will be closed through Sunday. That comes at a destination featuring wide-open layouts with relatively few trees in play to have blown down – the hurricane’s massive rainfall and the effects of storm surge can cause closures even miles from the coasts.

“The thing we were most concerned about was our location near the Peace River and possible storm surge, and would we have flooding?” said Craig Falanga, Streamsong’s director of sales and marketing. “But we were really fortunate, and the damage is minimal, just cosmetic really. … We plan to have it all cleaned up and reopen Monday.”

Streansong Resort

Streamsong, home to three top courses including the Blue (pictured), received light damage in Hurricane Ian but was lucky to avoid intense flooding and will reopen Monday. (Courtesy of Streamsong Resort/Laurence Lambrecht)

Anyone with plans to travel and play golf anywhere in Southwest or Central Florida in the coming days and weeks should check with the courses before embarking.

As the storm moves north, it possibly will affect TPC Sawgrass and its two ranked courses (No. 1 public-access Players Stadium and No. 18 Dye’s Valley), as well as the private Pablo Creek (No. 17) in Jacksonville. Those are just the ranked layouts in a region full of dozens of compelling courses.

The storm moved into the Atlantic Ocean late Thursday morning and is projected to make a second landfall mid-day Friday in South Carolina. The projected cone includes courses from Hilton Head and its dozens of layouts north through Charleston – a region that includes Kiawah Island Golf Resort and its highly rated Ocean Course – almost all the way to Myrtle Beach. Golfweek will continue with reports from these areas as they become available in the coming days.

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'If anyone is competing unfairly, it is LIV': PGA Tour responds, countersues LIV Golf in latest legal action

'If anyone is competing unfairly, it is LIV': PGA Tour responds, countersues LIV Golf in latest legal action

Another day, another lawsuit in the ongoing battle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

LIV Golf and three of its players are currently suing the PGA Tour for antitrust violations, and on Wednesday night the Tour responded to and countersued the upstart circuit – led by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – with some charges of its own.

While LIV alleges the Tour uses monopoly power and illegally suspended players, the Tour’s countersuit claims LIV is using players, “and the game of golf to sportswash the recent history of Saudi atrocities and to further the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s Vision 2030 initiatives.”

From the countersuit:

“Indeed, a key component of LIV’s strategy has been to intentionally induce Tour members to breach their Tour agreements and play in LIV events while seeking to maintain their Tour memberships and play in marquee Tour events like The Players Championship and the FedEx Cup Playoffs, so LIV can free ride off the Tour and its platform.

“LIV has openly sought to damage the Tour’s business relationships with its members by inducing them to breach their contractual requirements, even going so far as to pay members’ legal fees to make breaching their contracts with Tour more enticing.”

Eleven LIV players were part of the original lawsuit on Aug. 3 before Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Hudson Swafford and Talor Gooch asked to be removed on Tuesday, joining Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Pat Perez and Jason Kokrak, who all previously removed their names. LIV Golf, who joined the suit in an amended complaint filed Aug. 27., and just three players remain: Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Jones and Peter Uihlein.

More: What to consider after LIV players lose Round 1 in lawsuit vs. Tour

“The Player Plaintiffs that have remained in the case,” the argument reads, “want only to enrich themselves in complete disregard of the promises they made to the Tour and its members when they joined the Tour.”

“LIV, by its own admission, has succeeded in attracting numerous elite professional golfers to participate in its new league. LIV has held numerous events with full fields and has announced a full season for 2023. Both LIV and the Player Plaintiffs baked the financial cost of their suspensions into LIV’s exorbitant signing bonuses, making the Player Plaintiffs whole,” the document states. “Moreover, while LIV and the Player Plaintiffs challenge the Tour’s media rights and conflicting events policies as anticompetitive, LIV imposes similar – indeed far more restrictive – conditions on its players, and the Player Plaintiffs have agreed to them.

“This case is not about unfair competition – if anyone is competing unfairly, it is LIV, not the Tour. Instead, it is a cynical effort to avoid competition and to free ride off of the Tour’s investment in the development of professional golf. Plaintiffs’ allegations are baseless and entirely without legal merit.”

The U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating the Tour for its actions in combatting LIV.

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'I don't want a fractured game': Rory McIlroy explains why he thinks PGA Tour, LIV Golf must try to work together

'I don't want a fractured game': Rory McIlroy explains why he thinks PGA Tour, LIV Golf must try to work together

Always one to give an honest answer, Rory McIlroy has often been on the frontlines and in the headlines in the PGA Tour’s very public battle for supremacy against the upstart LIV Golf.

Despite PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan recently saying the Tour and LIV cannot work together, the four-time major champion thinks that, once cooler heads prevail, the two sides must meet in the middle.

“I’ve always said I think there is a time and a place where everyone that’s involved here should sit down and try to work together,” McIlroy said Wednesday at the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. “It’s very hard for that to happen right now when there’s two lawsuits going on.”

“But look, I don’t want a fractured game. I never have. You look at some other sports and what’s happened and the game of golf is ripping itself apart right now and that’s no good for anyone,” McIlroy continued. “It’s no good for the guys on, you know, this side or the sort of traditional system and it’s no good for the guys on the other side, either. It’s no good for anyone. There is a time and a place for it. I just think right now, with where everything is, it’s probably not the right time.”

“But saying that, I don’t think we can let it go too much longer,” he added. “So I’m all for everyone sitting around the table and trying to figure something out for sure.”

Though the power struggle between LIV and the traditional tours has dominated the game for the last year, McIlroy – who’s playing with his father this week – made sure to note something we’re all too quick to forget: There’s more to golf than the pro game.

“Golf is so much bigger than all of us and I think people miss that,” McIlroy said. “Sometimes our vision of what that game should be is a little bit different but at the end of the day it is golf and it’s a wonderful game and it’s a game that can be played for life.”

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Best affordable putters 2022: Lower your score for less than $150

Best affordable putters 2022: Lower your score for less than $150

Putters are the most polarizing golf club in the bag.

From the highest of handicaps to the tour pros, the putter can make or break your round. That’s why finding the right putter is well worth an investment when building a bag or looking to upgrade.

If you struggle with putting, we recommend a mallet type putter as it offers more balance throughout your stroke and will be easier to get it back to square when at impact. However, if you are fond of the blade look, there’s nothing wrong with that! We have plenty of options for you no matter which clubhead suits your game better.

Even on a budget, you can find a putter that looks sleek when you’re standing over the ball and feels great in your hands. That’s why we here at Golfweek have combed the interwebs to find you the best putters under $150!

Best affordable clubs: Drivers | Irons | Wedges

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Photos: Alfred Dunhill Links at the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns

Photos: Alfred Dunhill Links at the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns

It’s time for one of the most fun events on the DP World Tour.

Several stars of the game of golf have made their return to the Old Course after July’s Open Championship for the Alfred Dunhill Links, although The Home of Golf isn’t the only course hosting play this week.

Carnoustie and Kingsbarns will also be featured and so will family members of the DP World Tour players.

Rory McIlroy will tee it up alongside his father, Gerry, while Matt Fitzpatrick will play with his mom, Susan.

Dunhill Links: Full pairings list

Here are some photos from the week in Scotland at some of golf’s most famous courses.

Source: Golfweek https://ift.tt/dFkAPbY

2022 Folds of Honor Collegiate: Illinois wins team title, Liberty's Jonathan Yaun takes medalist honors

2022 Folds of Honor Collegiate: Illinois wins team title, Liberty's Jonathan Yaun takes medalist honors

Illinois men’s golf shot 10 under this week over three rounds to win the inaugural Folds of Honor Collegiate by 15 strokes.

“That was a goal this week. When you have an event that you believe is going to be around for a long time, has tradition and heritage to it, we wanted to be the first winner and we got it done,” said Illinois men’s golf coach Mike Small.

Illinois fell short last week at Olympia Fields but this time, they finished.

“To have a lead yesterday in the second round was the key to the tournament. … Today when you have a lead like that, you want to come out and expand on it or hold it strongly on the first nine holes, and we did,” said Small. “We are getting better every week and that’s all you can do.”

Illinois had three top-5 finishers at American Dunes: Adrien Dumont de Chassart (T3, 4 under ), Jackson Buchanan (T3, 4 under) and Tommy Kuhl (T5, 3 under).

Fold of Honor CollegiateTeam scores | Individual

Liberty senior Jonathan Yaun notched his second collegiate win after defeating NC State’s Maximilian Steinlechner in a two-hole playoff. Yaun chipped in from off the green on the 18th hole to win the tournament.

2022 Folds of Honor Collegiate

Liberty’s Jonathan Yaun won medalist honors at the 2022 Folds of Honor Collegiate at American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Michigan.

“That was by the grace of God, that’s all I can tell you,” said Yaun. “Underneath that pressure, without his peace out there, just walking and that freedom, I don’t I could’ve done that. Definitely going to give props to the lord there.”

For many people, including Jonathan, the game of golf came second this week. The real importance was honoring the fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our country.

“I played for God and country this week. I played for people who, unfortunately, passed away. It’s very powerful, what they’ve (fallen soldiers) have done. I am very thankful to be able to honor those people today,” said Yaun.

Arizona senior Chase Sienkiewicz shot a course-record 5-under 67 in the final round Wednesday and credited his play to Tyler Pickett, an Army Staff Sargent who was killed in the line of duty in 2008.

“I wrote TP on my ball today because I played in the Patriot All-America Invitational last December. I played for Tyler Pickett. I had his name on my bag all week, so I thought I’d carry him with me today. That was really cool to play for,” said Sienkiewicz.

Sienkiewicz finished T8 at 2 under. As a team, the Arizona Wildcats finished in second at 5 over.

Alex Gelman is the current Ron Balicki Scholarship Award winner.

Source: Golfweek https://ift.tt/dFkAPbY

Sungjae Im dusted off a viral YouTube dance during the Presidents Cup after-party and it was fantastic

Sungjae Im dusted off a viral YouTube dance during the Presidents Cup after-party and it was fantastic

Sungjae Im went 2-2-1 during last week’s Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, including a Sunday singles win over Cameron Young, 1 up.

His highlight moment of the week, however, came after the event was over.

During the after-party, Im dusted off the viral YouTube dance “Gangnam Style” and to say the players loved it would be an understatement.

On a video originally posted to Tony Finau’s Instagram account, the International team captain Trevor Immelman commented “HAHA.” Justin Thomas, one of the USA team leaders, chimed in, “You’re a legend!”

Sam Burns said, “You’re my favorite golfer Sungjae.”

Source: Golfweek https://ift.tt/dFkAPbY

Will the Ryder Cup become the biggest battleground of the LIV golf era? It's possible

Will the Ryder Cup become the biggest battleground of the LIV golf era? It's possible

With all due respect to the Presidents Cup, played last week at Quail Hollow in North Carolina, it ranks a few steps behind the Ryder Cup in terms of interest with golf fans.

Perhaps that’s why the loss of players on both the U.S. and International teams because players made the leap to the LIV tour was not earth-shattering. In fact, rather than bemoaning the damage to the Presidents Cup, Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols insisted this was a chance to fix the Presidents Cup by making it a co-ed event.

So the absence of players like Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed may not have been that big of a deal for the Presidents Cup, at least for the U.S. team. The International team missed players like Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Joaquin Niemann and Abraham Ancer.

But move forward a year, and the mess that was the Presidents Cup this year could become a similar mess at the Ryder Cup. And that could make one of golf’s premier events the biggest battleground of the LIV golf era.

Think about what the American side might look like at a Ryder Cup devoid of LIV golfers. Sure, Phil Mickelson is well past playing in the Ryder Cup, but he was certainly in line for a captaincy or at least another turn as a vice captain. The last time the Ryder Cup was played in 2021 with Americans handing out a 19-9 thrashing of the European team, Johnson went a perfect 5-0-0 in the event. Reed has been a team room problem in the Ryder Cup, but he certainly embraced the Captain America persona.

Top players not in field

Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka supposedly buried their feud at the last Ryder Cup, and both have been on the U.S. team multiple times. Other Americans like Talor Gooch, Matthew Wolff, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na and perhaps even Bubba Watson would have been in the mix for automatic berths or a captain’s pick from U.S. captain Zach Johnson, who will still have plenty of talented players fighting for berths.

The European side for the 2023 Ryder Cup was in flux even without LIV golf showing up. The Europeans were soundly beaten in Wisconsin and felt like an old team that needed new blood. So perhaps the loss of golfers like Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter to LIV is not the worst thing for the Europeans.

But the team has also lost a captain, with Henrik Stenson moving to LIV and being replaced by Luke Donald. Paul Casey could easily have been a 2023 Ryder Cupper. And how could Donald not use a captain’s pick if needed on Sergio Garcia?

Ryder Cup

Lee Westwood of England and team Europe and Sergio Garcia of Spain and team Europe react on the 18th green prior to the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits on September 21, 2021 in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

With the European team in need of fresh blood, some players that could have pushed for a berth, like Germany’s Oliver Fisher and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, are already out of the mix by joining LIV. Who knows who else might make the leap to LIV before the Ryder Cup next year?

The International squad was a big underdog last week at the Presidents Cup, but the European team at the 2023 Ryder Cup might be as big of an underdog if not more.

Of course, the Ryder Cup is a year away and a lot of things could change by then. While LIV commissioner Greg Norman said he no longer has interest in compromising with the PGA Tour, it’s important to remember the Ryder Cup is not a PGA Tour event but a PGA of America event. The PGA Tour does control the Presidents Cup.

The PGA of America didn’t face the problem of LIV players in the PGA Championship in May since the LIV didn’t play its first event until June. With questions of what the four major championships will do with LIV golfers next year, it’s reasonable to ask if the PGA of America will apply the same standards to the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.

Either way, the Ryder Cup will be a big test of where golf, the PGA Tour, the PGA of America and LIV Golf are in one year. The Presidents Cup might be evolving into something new and different.

But the history and the names involved in the Ryder Cup through the years make it an iconic event, an event that could be hammered by LIV defections.

Larry Bohannan is The Palm Springs Desert Sun golf writer. He can be reached at [email protected] or (760) 778-4633. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at @larry_bohannan. 

Source: Golfweek https://ift.tt/v4KNu3A