Pro golf week ahead: Jim Furyk eagerly anticipating U.S. Presidents Cup prospects in Montreal
Story by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Jim Furyk looks at the performance of the American PGA Tour stars this season and can hardly wait to get to Royal Montreal for the Presidents Cup Sept. 26-29 where he will captain the U.S. team vs. Mike Weir and the International team.
He was speaking especially of the top four players on the points list, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark, who also composed the U.S. Olympic team in Paris, where Schauffele won the gold medal.
“What’s interesting is these young players grew up playing together in junior golf, college golf, they’re playing the Tour [and] as highly competitive as they are, I’m always amazed at how much they spend time together, how much they poke fun at each other,” Furyk said on Monday at the Furyk & Friends Media Day of the comradery those four and other American players have.
“The folks from the PGA Tour over in Paris with them said the four Americans that were on the team were inseparable,” Furyk said. “They said every practice round, the support they gave each other, the help they gave each other, hung out at night … absolutely amazing how much time they spent together. As a captain, those are the things you want to hear. I’m beaming from ear to ear when I hear stuff like that.”
The top six players on the points list after the Tour Championship will automatically qualify for the U.S. Presidents Cup team and Furyk will make six captain’s picks in around two weeks.
Five of the current top six players were on the Ryder Cup team that lost in Italy last year and Furyk is counting on them using that as motivation to insure a 10th Presidents Cup victory in a row.
“I visited a bunch of the players last week in Memphis [the site of the St. Jude Classic] and our guys are ramped up,” he said. “They’re not real happy about the result they got in Rome last year. They’re looking forward to changing things. I don’t think it can get here fast enough.”
Furyk said that the FedEx Playoffs, which are on the second leg this week in Colorado, could decide Player of the Year between Scheffler (who won the Masters and The Players in addition to Olympic gold) and Schauffele (winner of the PGA and British Open).
“If Xander went on to win the FedExCup, then I think it becomes a really difficult decision,” Furyk said. “But amazing, the year that both of those guys have had … absolutely incredible.”
PGA Tour: A return to Castle Rock after 18 years
Event: BMW Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Castle Pines Golf Club, Castle Rock, Colo.
What’s the purse? $20 million ($4 million and 2,000 FedEx Cup points to the winner).
Who won last year? Viktor Hovland went deep with a 61 in the final round at the Olympia Fields Golf Club to beat Scottie Scheffler and Matthew Fitzpatrick by two shots.
How to watch on TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m.). NBC (Saturday, 3-6 p.m.; Sunday, 2-6 p.m.).
Area players entered (FedEx Cup rank): Billy Horschel (19), Davis Thompson (26), Brian Harman (29), J.T. Poston (34).
Notable: The second leg of the playoffs moves to the golf course in the Rockies that hosted the International, an event from 1986-2006 that was conducted under a Stableford Points format. Davis Love III and Phil Mickelson won it twice each. … The top 10 players on the FedEx Cup points list entering the tournament at Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg, Saith Theegala, Patrick Cantlay and Sungjae Im. … The top 30 on the points list after this week advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.
LPGA Tour: Season’s final major is at the birthplace of golf
Event: Women’s British Open, Thursday-Sunday, St. Andrews Old Course, Fife, Scotland.
What’s the purse? $9 million ($1.35 million to the winner).
Who won last year? Lilia Vu cruised to a six-shot victory over Charley Hull at Walton Heath in England.
How to watch on TV: USA (Thursday-Sunday 7 a.m.-2 p.m.); NBC (Saturday-Sunday, Noon-2 p.m.).
Area players entered: Auston Kim.
Notable: The season’s final major returns to the Old Course for the first time since 2013, when Stacy Lewis won. She is in the field this week, along with Nelly Korda, Celene Boutier, Allisen Corpuz, Lydia Ko, Brook Henderson and Rose Zhang. … The Open was played at the Old Course in 2007, with Lorena Ochoa winning.
PGA Tour Champions: Vijay Singh defends at old stomping grounds
Event: Ally Challenge, Friday-Sunday, Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, Grand Blanc, Mich.
What’s the purse? $2.2 million purse ($330,000 to the winner).
Who won last year? Vijay Singh of Ponte Vedra Beach shot 68 in the final round to beat Jeff Maggert by one shot.
How to watch on TV: Golf Channel (Friday, 3-5 p.m.; Saturday, 3-6 p.m.; Sunday, 2-6 p.m.).
Area players entered: David Duval, Fred Funk, Singh.
Notable: Singh won at Warwick Hills for the fourth time in his career. He won there three times when the PGA Tour played the Buick Open there. … Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Retief Goosen, John Daly and Stephen Ames are also playing.
Korn Ferry Tour: Finals begin in Boise
Event: Albertson’s Boise Open, Thursday-Sunday, Hillcrest Country Club, Boise, Idaho.
What’s the purse? $1.5 million ($270,000 to the winner).
Who won last year? Chan Kim went on a weekend tear, posting rounds of 64-64 to beat David Kocher by two shots.
How to watch on TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Sunday, 7-9 p.m.).
Area players entered (KF points rank): Ricky Castillo (24), Danny Walker (30), Thomas Walsh (50), Tano Goya (54), Cody Blick (58), Doc Redman (73), Philip Knowles (84), Chandler Blanchet (85), Chris Baker (88), Rick Lamb (99), Julian Suri (101), Dillon Board (109), Joey Garber (115), Evan Harmeling (116), Russell Knox (119), Fred Biondi (123), Jonathan Byrd (127), Nick Gabrelcik (131), Trey Mullinax (T133), Brett Drewitt (135), Dawson Armstrong (152).
Notable: The Korn Ferry Finals begin with a field of 156 at Hillcrest. The top 144 on the points list advance to the Simmons Bank Open Sept. 12-15 in Nashville, the top 120 after that go to Columbus, Ohio for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship Sept. 19-22 and the too 75 make the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in French Lick, Ind., Oct. 3-6.
What are the (golf) odds?
BMW Championship: Hard Rock Bet has Scheffler as the favorite at +350, with Schauffele next at +575. McIlroy is +1200, Morikawa +1400 and Matsuyama and Hovland at +1750.
Women’s Open: Hard Rock Bet has Japan’s Ayaka Furue at the favorite (+1400), perhaps with an eye to her two LPGA victories in Europe: the 2022 Scottish Open and this year’s Evian Championship in France. Korda is next at +1600, following by Jin-Young Ko at +1750.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Pro golf week ahead: Jim Furyk eagerly anticipating U.S. Presidents Cup prospects in Montreal
Scottie Scheffler breaks down in tears on the podium as the National Anthem is played after he won the gold medal in Paris.
Scottie Scheffler breaks down in tears on the podium as the National Anthem is played after he won the gold medal in Paris. © Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Xander Schauffele won the Open Championship. Is he now in PGA Tour Player of the Year race?
Xander Schauffele won the Open Championship. Is he now in PGA Tour Player of the Year race? © Provided by The Florida Times-Union
Pro golf week ahead: Scottie Scheffler enters FedEx Cup playoffs with another Top 10 bonus
Pro golf week ahead: Scottie Scheffler enters FedEx Cup playoffs with another Top 10 bonus
Pro golf week ahead: It’s the Olympics and Xander Schauffele goes after his second gold medal
Pro golf week ahead: It’s the Olympics and Xander Schauffele goes after his second gold medal
Pro golf week ahead: PGA Tour concludes regular season with Wyndham Championship in Greensboro
Pro golf week ahead: PGA Tour concludes regular season with Wyndham Championship in Greensboro
Billy Horschel had a chance to win the British Open. He said it will motivate him in the future
Billy Horschel had a chance to win the British Open. He said it will motivate him in the future © Provided by The Florida Times-Union
Viktor Hovland, hitting out of a bunker during the 2024 Players Championship, is the defending champion this week in the BMW Championship.
Viktor Hovland, hitting out of a bunker during the 2024 Players Championship, is the defending champion this week in the BMW Championship. © Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union
Lilia Vu of the U.S. celebrates her Women’s Open Championship in 2023 at Walton Heath in England.
Lilia Vu of the U.S. celebrates her Women’s Open Championship in 2023 at Walton Heath in England. © Warren Little/Getty Images
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Rory McIlroy enters controversial market in $250M deal growing business empire
Story by Jarrod Castillo & Jarrod Castillo
• 12h • 3 min read
Rory McIlroy has stirred controversy by investing in a contentious venture, becoming part of a consortium that has bought a majority share in TickPick.
McIlroy and his Dublin-based investment company, Symphony Ventures, have teamed up with Brighton Park Capital to acquire a significant stake in the secondary ticketing platform. The partnership is believed to have injected an estimated $250 million into the business.
Secondary ticketing platforms have been criticized for their ticket sales practices, often accused of scalping tickets and reselling them at inflated prices. In February 2024, the European Union’s Digital Services Act made it harder for ticket resellers to exploit potential customers. It’s been reported that the ticket resale industry has siphoned off around $13 billion from fans and transferred it to resellers, highlighting the significance of the act.
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Despite the negative image of secondary ticket marketplaces, McIlroy and Brighton chose to invest in TickPick. While the exact amount contributed by Symphony hasn’t been disclosed, Front Office Sports reports that Brighton fronted a larger portion of the contributions.
Following the investment, co-founders Brett Goldberg and Chris O’Brien will stay on board, maintaining a substantial minority stake. On X, TickPick’s official account posted a message about the financial boost from McIlroy, Symphony, and Brighton.
“Major Announcement,” the post began. “We have secured a $250M growth investment from Brighton Park Capital and @McIlroyRory Symphony Ventures. We’re just getting started, and our commitment to providing the best consumer experience is stronger than ever. Thank you to everyone who has ever supported TickPick!”
Although it has not been specified what McIlroy’s role would be in the company, O’Brien explained he and TickPick would be looking to use McIlroy’s popularity to help grow the company. “[We’re] looking forward to seeing how we can leverage his personality, and his persona in general, to boost our brand,” he said, per Front Office Sports.
TickPick currently has sponsorship deals with the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Twins and the La Liga, with its partnership with McIlroy being its foray into golf. For McIlroy, TickPick represents the latest venture for the Northern Irishman.
Currently, McIlroy is the co-founder of TMRW Sports alongside Tiger Woods, the parent company of Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL). McIlroy also has equity in Puttery, GolfpPass, Golf+, Troon Golf, Hyperice and Whoop, showing his diverse portfolio.
Beau Welling, a renowned golf course architect, has been recruited to join the new TGL league, co-founded by Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. The league is set to launch on January 7 at SoFi Center in Florida, with Welling playing a key role in designing the unique holes for the inaugural season. Stars like Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Justin Rose will be featured alongside Woods and McIlroy.
Welling expressed his enthusiasm: “We are very excited for the world to see the designs, how unique they are and how different TGL is,” according to a statement he released Wednesday. He added, “We’re going to have some of the best golfers in the world playing a version of golf that is new and different, and, to me, that is very exciting.”
He also shared his innovative vision for the sport: “You could start to imagine golf holes in places that you might never imagine golf holes… I started realizing that this was an opportunity to go do something you’d never be able to do, and we ultimately took advantage of that.”
Rory McIlroy has added a controversial new venture to his business empire
Rory McIlroy has added a controversial new venture to his business empire © Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Image
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