The PGA Tour heads to Japan this week for the 2025 Baycurrent Classic, which was previously known as the ZOZO Championship. It’s a limited-field event with only 78 players teeing it up, but there are some big stars playing this week. The first round begins on Thursday at Yokohama Country Club.
Below, we look at Baycurrent Classic odds from BetMGM Sportsbook’s odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
The favorite in Japan is Xander Schauffele (+1000), who just played for Team USA in the Ryder Cup 2 weeks ago. Fellow Ryder Cup teammate Collin Morikawa (+1600) is also in the field. Alex Noren (+1600), past champion Hideki Matsuyama (+1800) and Min Woo Lee (+2800) are among the other notables teeing it up in Japan this week. Defending champ Nico Echavarria, who won at 20-under, is at +6000
Yokohama Country Club is 7,315 yards long and plays as a par 71, featuring just 2 par 5s on the entire course – though they’re both short at under 540 yards. There are also 2 par 4s over 500 yards and the par-316th is 237 yards long. This is the first time Yokohama Country Club is hosting a PGA Tour event, featuring tree-line fairways in what’s considered a fairly traditional, old-school layout for a course that opened in 1960.
Baycurrent Classic – Expert picks
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 12:16 p.m. ET.
Garrick Higgo (+3300)
Higgo played great this past week in Mississippi, finishing just 2 shots behind champion Steven Fisk on the leaderboard. He was 3 shots clear of everyone else in the field, too, but Fisk’s 8-under on Sunday gave him the title over Higgo. This second-place finish comes after Higgo was T-7 at the Procore Championship to start the FedExCup Fall a few weeks ago.
Rasmus Hojgaard (+2000)
Following Europe’s win in the Ryder Cup, Hojgaard finished T-3 at the Sanderson Farms Championship last week, just 5 shots off the pace set by Fisk. In the Omega European Masters in late August, he came in second after finishing 20-under par thanks to an 8-under on Sunday in the final round.
Hideki Matsuyama (+1800)
It was at a different course but Matsuyama won this event in 2021 and comes into the week in good form after finishing T-13 at the BMW PGA Championship a few weeks ago. He’s back home in Japan and is a good bet to contend on Sunday at an event he holds in high regard.
Baycurrent Classic picks – Contenders
Gary Woodland (+4500)
Woodland started the fall schedule with a strong T-19 finish at the Procore Championship, his third straight top-23 finish this season. Woodland has shown good form this season despite some lulls, and he could continue that this week in Japan.
Matt Wallace (+5000)
At the end of August, Wallace finished tied for second in the Omega European Masters, tied with Hojgaard and just 2 shots behind Thriston Lawrence. He had a good summer and could parlay that into some success this fall.
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Baycurrent Classic picks – Long shots
Ryo Hisatsune (+6600)
Hisatsune is teeing it up at home in Japan where he has a chance to be in contention. He’s made the cut in 2 straight starts, including a T-13 at the Procore Championship.
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Golfweek:
Grayson Murray Classic charity event aims to advance mental health, addiction care
Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama highlight field for PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic in Japan

Think all PGA Tour pros are using the latest $650 driver that just hit the market? Think again.
This weekend, Steven Fisk earned his first PGA Tour win with a Mizuno ST-Z 230 driver. The ST-Z was a huge leap forward for Mizuno, which has been trying to shed the characterization of an iron and wedge-only company for better players, thanks to new technology like its Cortech Chamber.
In fact, the company has continued making the driver for three years since it came out in 2023, and currently, it can be had at retail for just $300. Yes! A brand new driver for just $300.
Fisk isn’t the only player using the ST-Z either. Fellow Mizuno staffer Keith Mitchell, one of the PGA Tour’s premier drivers of the golf ball, also plays the ST-Z, as does Marco Penge, who has won twice on the DP World Tour this season.
All of Fisk’s clubs are actually throwbacks to the earlier part of the 2020s, from his Mizuno MP-20 irons and T-22 wedges to his Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie putter. The only club in his bag that is a current model year club besides his driver is his Vokey SM10 lob wedge.
While most of those clubs (except limited grinds of the wedges, which I’ll link here and below) aren’t being sold right now, his Ping G430 fairway woods are also an excellent deal.
Fisk plays both a Ping G430 Max 3- and 7-wood, and while that popular line has been replaced by Ping’s G440 line, the 430 fairways are still getting plenty of use out on the PGA Tour.
Those fairway woods can currently be found for just $290 at retail.
With both the driver and the fairway woods this week at the Sanderson Farms, Fisk was fifth in the field in strokes gained: off-the-tee, picking up just under four shots. It makes him a perfect example of going with the club that works the best, not necessarily the most expensive or the newest.
Want to find the best driver and fairway woods for your game? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.
Mizuno ST-Z 230 Driver
A straight bias driver with excellent stability from off centre hits. Similar in look and character to the previous ST-Z. Boosted by the CORTECH Chamber to be faster from the face, spin less and deliver an incredible, solid sensation at impact.
Ping G430 Max Fairway Wood
Sizing up your approach into a long par 4, going for the par-5 in two, you want 100% confidence that your fairway wood will give you the solid contact, speed and higher ball flight to get you home. In the G430 fairways, we’ve developed Carbonfly Wrap to deliver more distance by positioning the CG closer to the force line to maximize ball speed, resulting in higher, longer carries. The PING G430 MAX Fairway Wood fits the widest range of golfers with four options (3W/15°, 5W/18°, 7W/21°, 9W/24°).
Mizuno T22 Custom Wedge
With more than 50 years of refining, the Grain Flow forging process in Hiroshima, Japan, Mizuno’s wedges are unrivaled for touch and feel around the green. Properties best demonstrated in Mizuno’s T-Series wedges, developed hand in hand with former world #1 Luke Donald. The latest evolution – the T22 refines Mizuno’s player’s shape once again and introduces four different sole grinds for varying techniques and conditions. One-piece Grain Flow Forged using HD Boron, at Mizuno’s iconic facility in Hiroshima, where Mizuno irons have been produced since 1968, the new T22 wedges feature a microlayer of copper beneath the nickel-chrome delivering an extra split-second of control at impact.The new T22 wedges feature a slightly more compact, ‘modified teardrop,’ profile with an extensively beveled top edge to make it appear thinner. The spin-weighted blade design, created by tapering the upper portion of the blade, helps create a more consistent spin and a more penetrating trajectory.Mizuno’s HydroFlow Micro Grooves deliver great wet weather performance as they are laser etched to release moisture and reduce spin drop off, while the Quad Cut milled, and loft specific, grooves are cut into Boron infused steel to offer a longer effective lifespan.The T22 wedges are available in three finishes; Denim Copper, Satin Chrome, and Raw. The Raw finish comes without the copper underlay, but it will rust over time for a look requested by many of the Mizuno tour players.The expanded grind options include:S Grind – with the minimal sole grind for fuller shots and lower loftsD Grind – with moderate heel and toe relief, allowing gentle manipulation of the clubfaceC Grind – with heavy heel and toe relief for more skilled players and firmer conditionsX Grind – with extreme heel and toe relief for the real short game maestros.Mizuno has strived to “create the best products for consumers” for 115 years, and the new T22 wedges adhere firmly to that original spirit and desire while offering the best performance benefits that modern technology can bring. #ReachBeyond T-22 S GRIND WEDGE SPECIFICATION Club # Loft ° Lie Angle Length (inch) Bounce 45/05 45 63 35.5 5 46/06 46 63 35.5 6 47/07 47 63 35.5 7 48/08 48 63 35.5 8 49/06 49 63 35.5 6 50/07 50 63 35.25 7 51/08 51 63 35.25 8 52/09 52 63 35.25 9 53/10 53 63 35.25 10 54/12 54 63 35.25 12 55/13 55 63 35.25 13 56/14 56 63 35.25 14 57/15 57 63 35.25 15 58/16 58 63 35.25 16 T-22 D GRIND WEDGE SPECIFICATION Club # Loft ° Lie Angle Length (inch) Bounce 54/08 54 63 35.25 8 55/09 55 63 35.25 9 56/10 56 63 35.25 10 57/11 57 63 35.25 11 58/12 58 63 35.25 12 T-22 C GRIND WEDGE SPECIFICATION Club # Loft ° Lie Angle Length (inch) Bounce 56/06 56 63 35.25 6 57/07 57 63 35.25 7 58/08 58 63 35.25 8 59/09 59 63 35.25 9 60/10 60 63 35.25 10 T-22 X GRIND WEDGE SPECIFICATION Club # Loft ° Lie Angle Length (inch) Bounce 58/04 58 63 35.25 4 59/05 59 63 35.25 5 60/06 60 63 35.25 6 61/07 61 63 35.25 7 62/08 62 63 35.25 8 Dexterity: RH Satin Chrome, Demin Copper & Raw. LH Satin Chrome only.
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Oct. 6 (UPI) — Vince Whaley made a difficult shot from inside the water at the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship with a dangerous spectator — an alligator — watching closely.
Whaley’s ball went into the water Sunday at the Jackson, Miss., course’s 11th hole, and he ended up taking the shot from the shallow area while an alligator watched from the deeper waters just a few feet away.

“Absolutely bonkers,” that’s what TV analyst Jim “Bones” Mackay described the atmosphere of Bethpage Black at the Friday morning foursomes. The Ryder Cup atmosphere is always so intense that it leaves even the spectators overwhelmed, but few golfers in the world would face this atmosphere head-on and thrive. At this year’s Ryder Cup, that golfer was none other than the Scientist Bryson DeChambeau himself.
Jamie Lovemark, a former PGA Tour pro who was an assistant to Brandt Snedeker, had a very rare opportunity to be part of the team and shared his candid experience on Friday morning. The atmosphere was electric, as he was also inspired by the pre-game speech Keegan Bradley gave. However, nothing could have fully prepared him for what was about to happen as he walked to the first tee at Bethpage Black.
“I walked through the tunnel… before Bryson teed off first on Friday. And I was nervous. I felt like sick in my stomach,” he admitted. “I’m like, oh my God, I never imagined hitting the tee shot like ever,” he expressed on the Any Given Monday podcast.
No one anticipated what awaited him as he walked through the tunnel. He recalled how, “The crowd’s going buck wild… The sun’s coming up. It’s beautiful. We just had a flyover with like the most insane fighter jets. I’m shaking. And I’m like, I’m not hitting a shot. Thank God,” as he imagined himself taking the tee shot. But no one expected what happened next.
Then, Bryson DeChambeau stepped onto the tee.
In a move that has since become iconic, he didn’t just acknowledge the crowd; he commanded it. Jamie described it vividly, “He tees up, he turns around to the crowd, faces the other way from the hole, and just like stares at them like this… I’m like, oh my gosh.”
This moment was surreal, as the New York crowd went wild, DeChambeau hit a drive of his lifetime, as many analysts called it “the most insane drive ever”. It was an insane yet controlled 350-yard high draw that went over the trees on the right, leaving his ball in front of the first green.
The pressure to deliver was immense in front of the home crowd, but Bryson did, and Jamie Lovemark had nothing but praise, “I’m like, oh my God, that was insane. I also get like sick thinking about if I was hitting that tee shot, how nervous I’d be. I have no idea how he hits that straight so far. And he just stands in there and delivers just an awesome moment.”
This shot not only set the tone for Team America, but it also set the tone for the entire Ryder Cup. Many highlighted how Bryson DeChambeau’s energy lifted the flat crowd on their feet and transformed the moment of the first tee into a full-blown spectacle. His complete confidence in that high-pressure situation captured what makes the Ryder Cup so special. He created a moment that sparked the spirit of national pride. That single swing became a statement, one that announced the arrival of Team USA with power, swagger, and unmistakable intent.
How did Bryson Dechambeau make the Ryder Cup despite being a LIV Golf player?
Bryson DeChambeau’s presence at the Ryder Cup came with a lot of controversy. This was due to how ties with LIV Golf and how the PGA Tour has many restrictions to let LIV Golf players into PGA Tour events. But that didn’t stop him from participating in the Ryder Cup among his PGA Tour teammates
But DeChambeau’s case for the Ryder Cup team is a very non-traditional one. Players typically have to accumulate points to qualify to play in the Ryder Cup. This meant that he had fewer chances to get points through PGA Tour events, and the only tournaments he could get these points were through the Majors. In the 2-year window between the qualification window, DeChambeau secured six top-10 finishes in eight majors. His tie for 10th in the British Open was what ultimately gained him enough points, which got him a spot on Team America automatically.
“Bryson is going to be a very important piece to us winning the Ryder Cup,” Bradley added to Sports Illustrated via a text message. “He brings so much. He brings energy, passion, but most importantly, he’s one of the best players on the planet,” is what Keegan Bradley added about Bryson DeChambeau.
Keegan Bradley even added on how he would pick DeChambeau as one of the captain’s picks, which would have caused a lot of backlash due to his ties with LIV Golf, but thankfully, none of that happened.
DeChambeau didn’t let this amazing opportunity go to waste, as his drive was the perfect answer to the people who questioned his place at the Ryder Cup. His opening tee wasn’t just about distance; it was a message to everyone, letting them know that he was there to compete, to inspire, and to deliver when it mattered most.

Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where the majors are long gone, the Ryder Cup is in the rearview and we’ve truly arrived at golf’s offseason — but people everywhere were still playing make-or-break golf tournaments this weekend. To the news!
GOLF STUFF I LIKE
Ryder Cup stars back on their horses.
After last week’s Ryder Cup celebration, Robert MacIntyre said he’s not sure how he’ll back it up after another win this week.
“We’ll try our best,” MacIntyre said after firing a third consecutive 66 to win the Dunhill Links, marking his second victory in as many years in his homeland of Scotland.
MacIntyre was determined to show he’s got more in the tank when it comes to post-win revelry. He just may need a moment to recharge afterwards. He was, after all, an integral piece of the European Ryder Cup team that built a stunning margin over the first two days at Bethpage Black last week; the U.S. mounted a furious final-day charge but it wasn’t enough. MacIntyre played in the day’s final match and earned a half-point against Sam Burns to round out the 15-13 final score and finish his week at 1-1-1. After that? He planned to be an integral part of the celebration, too.
“I’m meant to be on a plane home tomorrow but I think Shane Lowry and I are getting lost in New York,” he said as the party began on Sunday night.
As fallout continues around the, uh, boisterousness of the home crowd, the away team continued its celebrations with even more top-tier golf. While most of the team took the week off, MacIntyre leaned into his unconventional prep for the Dunhill. It paid off.
“I’ve done everything against the book this week,” MacIntyre said with a smile. “From preparation, I pitched up Wednesday afternoon. But I know the golf courses. Played 12 holes on Wednesday. The diet has not been good this week; I can confirm that. I’ve eaten plenty of takeaways, fish and chips, plenty of others. But yeah, it’s been, yeah, sometimes when you are least expecting it things happen.”
He wasn’t the only one to head from Long Island to Fife; Tyrrell Hatton emerged as his top chaser and finished solo second, four shots back. This is a top tournament for Hatton, who has three wins. He also seems to play particularly well post-Ryder Cup; in three efforts the week following the event, he has finished T3, T2 and now solo second.
“I think the slightly more relaxed nature of this week plays a part. Playing the Ryder Cup the week before under such an intense microscope, your game gets lifted normally in those environments and I feel like I played some really good golf at times last week,” Hatton said pre-tournament. That proved prescient.
One Euro with arguably the most on the line stayed on the same side of the pond. It was an odd week for Rasmus Hojgaard, who was part of the winning side but went winless in two matches. He arrived at the Sanderson Farms physically and emotionally drained — but also in need of a strong week as he seeks to improve his PGA Tour status for 2026.
“Yeah, I’m in a situation right now where I don’t have my card secured, so that’s obviously a big part of this year. Again, get myself back into top 50 in the world is a big thing for me as well,” Hojgaard said ahead of the tournament.
“I think for most of the guys that were there last week, it was a completely different environment, and especially for me. I’ve never experienced such a stressful and pressure situation as that,” he added. “I think there’s certainly things in my game that I can improve, and that’s one of the things that was so good from that week is learning, like, under the intense pressure, what part of the game needs improvement, and that’s what I’m going to take with me from that week.”
The Sanderson offered a less intense but also distinctly different type of pressure, and Hojgaard responded with a Sunday 65 that vaulted him to T3, sending him to No. 75 in the FedEx Cup and essentially guaranteeing he’ll stay inside the top 100 that earn full cards for next season.
Hojgaard was keyed in on MacIntyre’s win — suggesting Team Europe’s bond has carried past last weekend.
“I watched [the Dunhill] this morning at breakfast so I’m super happy for Bob,” he said. “Even Tyrrell, I think he finished second. Good showing from the boys there.”
The good showings continue.
WINNERS
Who won the week?
Robert MacIntyre won the Dunhill Links Championship, the iconic DP World Tour event that spans three of golf’s most epic links courses: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. Weather reduced the event to three rounds but MacIntyre lapped the field anyway, winning by four thanks to a 66-66-66 week.
Steven Fisk emerged as the champion after a back-and-forth battle with Garrick Higgo on the final nine at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Fisk has been a talented player since his parents opened a par-3 course when he was 4 or 5 years old — but he needed a few things to line up to capture his first PGA Tour win. He’s been listening to “Putting Out of Your Mind,” by Dr. Bob Rotella, on audiobook. He’d circled this event knowing he’d be putting on bermudagrass, his preferred surface. And he said he felt a few putts pushed in by Grayson Murray, whose caddie Jay Green now works for Fisk, or by Fisk’s father, who passed away earlier this year.
“I had a couple of helpers out there. I miss him very much, and I know he’d be really proud of how I played all week and especially today to keep my composure and just kind of go about my business the best way I know how,” Fisk said. “I’d like to think that he knew this day would happen.”
Youmin Hwang won the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii. Hwang, a 22-year-old Korean LPGA member who was in the field on a sponsor invite, fired a final-round 5-under 67 to edge out Hyo Joo Kim by a single shot. Hwang’s win also marks the 26th LPGA event in 2025 without a single repeat winner; there have technically been 27 winners in 26 events because of the two-player Dow Championship, which shatters all records.
Adrien Dumont De Chassart won the Compliance Solutions Championship at a tour-record 33 under par, getting gradually “worse” as the week went on by shooting 61-61-64-65 to win by seven. The Belgian 25-year-old also leapt from No. 26 in the KFT’s Order of Merit to clinch his PGA Tour card for next season; just 20 make it. It’ll mark his return to the Tour.
“It’s going to be nice to be able to enjoy my offseason, get back in the gym, work hard and just get ready for 2026 on the PGA Tour,” he said. Now that I know most courses on the PGA Tour, it will be a little easier to prepare. Really looking forward to it.”
Anne Chen won the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, shooting 68-64-69-65 and then outlasting Sophia Schubert on their fifth playoff hole. Chen’s win was her first as a pro, boosting her to No. 11 on the Epson’s season-long race and safely inside the top 15 that make next year’s LPGA Tour. She also became, remarkably, the fourth Duke Blue Devil to win on the Epson this summer.
Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey won for the first time on the PGA Tour Champions at the Constellation Furyk and Friends, capping off a season in which he Monday qualified (Tuesday, in this case) four times and now has full status for 2026 — plus this week’s SAS Championship.
“I grinded for a long time, and finally I can say that grinding and hard work has paid off,” Gainey said post-win. “Man, a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
And Jacob Hillman of the world-renowned Mt. Greylock Regional High School rallied from five shots down and made a clutch birdie at No. 18 to win the Berkshire Classic.
NOT-WINNERS
But still kinda winners.
On Sunday, the Korn Ferry Tour finalized its 75 players who will earn or retain full status for the 2026 season; next week’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship will finalize the top 20 who graduate to the PGA Tour. There were some nail-biting moments on that cut line, none tighter than Blades Brown, the teenage sensation who has continually answered the bell and finished at No. 75 exactly.
James Nicholas finished T3, his best KFT result, to jump from No. 78 to No. 62. Dylan Wu started at No. 81 and finished T12 to jump to No. 71. Cole Hammer‘s T15 was enough to boost him from No. 79 to No. 72. Samuel Anderson was the final pro to play his way inside the 75 cutoff; he bogeyed 15 and 16 as part of a bogey-free back nine and finished at No. 70.
Eight players have officially locked up their PGA Tour cards for 2026:
1. Johnny Keefer
2. Austin Smotherman
3. Neal Shipley
4. Emilio Gonzalez
5. Hank Lebioda
6. Adrien Dumont de Chassart
7. Chandler Blanchet
8. S.H. Kim
Meanwhile the Epson Tour has finalized its 15 players graduating to the LPGA Tour for 2026 (see more on each pro here):
1. Melanie Green
2. Yana Wilson
3. Gina Kim
4. Sophia Schubert
5. Erika Hara
6. Briana Chacon
7. Riley Smyth
8. Laetitia Beck
9. Minji Kang
10. Hailee Cooper
11. Anne Chen
12. Isabella Fierro
13. Michelle Zhang
14. Carla Tejedo Mulet
15. Laney Frye
SHORT HITTERS
Five stories that grabbed my attention this week.
1. Geno Bonnalie, one of the PGA Tour’s most beloved loopers, is back on the bag — not for longtime employer Joel Dahmen but for Isaiah Salinda. So far, no good: 70-77 for an MC at the Sanderson. But it’s great to see Geno back.
2. The 2026 TGL schedule has been released. I cannot believe this is happening again — but at the same time, I’m glad it is? Here’s more on the when, where and Tiger Woods of it all.
3. Fallout continued from the Ryder Cup, with apologies left and right, including from the event emcee and the PGA CEO — plus some musing on green speeds.
4. LIV Golf’s financials for 2024 are fascinating to pore over, if not particularly rosey.
5. Rodeo Dunes, the latest epic project from Coore-Crenshaw and Bandon founder Mike Keiser, is coming together and our Josh Sens was there to check things out…
ONE SWING THOUGHT
From Max Homa, on putting speed:
This came after a Saturday 64 en route to Max Homa‘s T18 finish; he may not be “back,” but this marks his third top 20 in his last six PGA Tour starts.
“I thought my speed was a lot better. I putted for a while yesterday afternoon and kind of just made a little pact with myself that the only thing I would think about was the pace, even on the short ones.
“Stroke has felt so good, and I felt like yesterday missed a few early and started just thinking about my putting stroke too much. Speed got worse, and I don’t think there’s any technical flaw in there. I was really happy with the speed. That’s how you’re going to make long ones, typically. I thought for the most part today it was really consistent.”
ONE BIG QUESTION
Where will the PGA Tour start its 2026 season?
So far all we know for sure is that the Sentry will not take place at Kapalua, which has long served as the annual starting point for the PGA Tour season. This is a loss for Kapalua itself and for the island of Maui, which sees a boost in tourism during and around the event. It’s a loss for the players, who enjoy starting their year at arguably the schedule’s most scenic site. And it’s a loss for Tour fans who have grown to appreciate the primetime escapist viewing that comes from watching the season begin again in a faraway time zone — and climate.
Now the question turns to where the Sentry will relocate. From what we’re hearing at the Monday Finish, there’s been no formal decision made. But it sounds like possibilities include a relocation to southern California — think Torrey Pines, which filled in as Genesis host last season, or a golf course in golf-mad Palm Springs — or Florida, like returning tournament host Trump Doral. So where are they headed? We’ll do some more digging and keep you posted.
ONE THING TO WATCH
More Shane Lowry.
There is, the chant goes, only oneeeee Shane Lowry. Here he is in a past episode of ‘Warming Up’ that I’m inclined to plug in the wake of his Ryder Cup heroics.
NEWS FROM SEATTLE
Monday Finish HQ.
The weather has still been so good here that I’ve just booked a tee time for my annual fall trek to Chambers Bay, which is just a glorious hour south of the city and the site of the PGA Tour event I’ve proposed to new CEO Brian Rolapp. (TBD, to say the least, but he definitely acted curious, even if I’m not sure he’d ever heard of Chambers before I mentioned it.)
It’s also the time of year when the uncommitted golfer is largely weeded out. The fairweather crowd will either stick to the more predictable options of “heading south” or “not playing golf.” Time for the mudders to shine…
We’ll see you next week.

The narrative that Jack Nicklaus would help LIV Golf find its footing in the golf world for $750M didn’t sit right with him. He has helped build the modern PGA Tour. Among such comments were claims that Nicklaus suffered from dementia and “needed to have his car keys taken away.” So, when this information started circulating, Nicklaus filed a defamation suit.
On the receiving end of this suit were Howard Milstein, Andrew O’Brien, and Nicklaus Cos. Nicklaus accused them of planting and amplifying false narratives, sidelining him, and solidifying their control over a brand built on his name. One of Nicklaus’s attorneys, Eugene Stearns, pointed fingers at the rumors.
“What Howard Milstein did, and what the company did, was take one of the most revered iconic figures in this world and try to destroy his reputation,” he told reporters. His argument was based on the fact that Nicklaus’s exit from Milstein’s shared venture “embarrassed” the latter, and he purportedly decided to “slander him [Nicklaus] on the way out the door.”
However, the rival remained firm in their stance.
“The company did not issue any press release announcing it, and the company did not reach out to anybody in the news media to write an article about it,” Malone said in February. “If the company were actually interested in negative publicity, it would have been very easy to just send out a press release.”
“There’s no evidence that Mr. O’Brien or anybody else at the company ever said that Mr. Nicklaus had dementia,” said attorney Gary Malone during a hearing in February. “That was simply made up.”
Now, the latest update in this saga is that the trial officially started on September 29. Attempts were made to get the case dismissed, but it didn’t happen. The trial is expected to last three weeks. Jurors will now decide whether Milstein, O’Brien, and Nicklaus Cos. defamed Nicklaus or defended their business interests from him.
Now, although the entire feud has been ongoing, this particular case reignited in 2022. The saga of $750M, in the span of two days, was picked up by more than 70 news outlets. Several called out the man who had a big hand in founding the PGA Tour as a potential turncoat. Behind the scenes, Nicklaus’ former business associates from Milstein’s camp allegedly celebrated the chaos. “This is remarkable,” wrote O’Brien in an internal message.
For Nicklaus, these allegations are only the latest twist in a partnership gone sour. Tracing its roots to 2007, the golfer inarguably dug his own grave when he agreed to merge his Golden Bear International with the newly formed Nicklaus Companies. Howard Milstein was the messiah who entered the scene ready to finance the $145 million deal through his Emigrant Bank, New York’s oldest. Who knew this was a move Jack Nicklaus would come to regret all his life?
When the dynamics changed between Jack Nicklaus and Howard
The partnership quickly became lopsided. Initially, a 51 to 49 percent share (the golfer taking the larger one), things took a turn when Andrew O’Brien was installed as the president by Milstein. Publicly, the duo called themselves Nicklaus’s partners, even crediting Milstein for saving and doubling the company’s value. The dynamics of the business changed, as the legendary golfer with 18 major wins to his name found his role being reduced to what he once called a “disrespected employee.”
With several blows to his reputation, Nicklaus finally left the company in 2017. Milstein and co. could not bear such an ouster, and they triggered a five-year noncompete clause that barred Nicklaus from designing golf courses or endorsing the products outside the company. What was worse was that they held all the rights to Nicklaus’s name, image, and likeness.
As Nicklaus eventually sought the legal clarity to retain his name in 2022, Nicklaus Companies, the same year, sued the golfer in New York, alleging that he breached his agreements and pursued a leadership role with LIV Golf—a claim that was later dropped.
As per reports, Nicklaus had indeed met with representatives from Golf Saudi. But that was mainly for discussing potential golf course designs, rather than him assuming any leadership role. Initially, there were also reports, which Nicklaus admitted himself, that he was offered $100 million for a “job probably similar to the one Greg [Norman] is doing.” But he rejected the offer twice without hesitation.
“I turned it down. Once verbally, once in writing…I said, ‘Guys, I have to stay with the PGA Tour. I helped start the PGA Tour.’”
Still, the ripple effect of the accusation was major. Nicklaus’ lawyers claimed it caused the golfer “global reputational damage.” Meanwhile, Milstein’s team denied all these allegations, arguing the lawsuit was “one of the deadest times in terms of trying to get publicity.” “The company really was trying to get through a messy situation without engendering much publicity,” Gary Malone said.
As the trial unfolds, several long-buried truths are set to come to light. At an age when most people enjoy peace and retirement, one decision Jack Nicklaus made decades ago has become a hurdle in his later life.

LIV Golf burst onto the scene in 2022, immediately shaking up pro golf. It disrupted its traditional structure. Fans debated. Players chose sides. While it grabbed attention, it also burned money quickly. Heading into 2026, with a hefty loss to recover, Saudi backing alone isn’t enough. Fans, sponsors, and revenue are now top priorities. Solution? To make its boldest move yet: a front-office overhaul.
Greg Norman, CEO since inception, stepped down in September 2025. Scott O’Neil took over. Former CMO Adam Harter left last month, followed by three other executives. LIV immediately filled the gaps.
Heather Meyer became Senior Vice President of Marketing. Previously VP of Marketing for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, she also managed NBA G League content strategy. She now aims to build LIV’s brand for younger, casual golf fans.
Chad Biggs joins as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Partnerships. As the former SVP of Partnerships at Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, he brings experience landing international sponsors—a crucial skill for LIV.
Michael Drobnick becomes Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service. He led ticket operations for the Philadelphia 76ers and has PGA Tour Championship Management experience.
Victoria Hawksley is Senior Vice President of Retail and Merchandising. She spent 15 years at Tottenham Hotspur, then led global sports divisions at Brand Works Management and Li & Fung. She also served as Chief Retail Strategy Officer at Legends Global Merchandise.
All four report to Chris Heck, LIV’s president, formerly of the 76ers.
Priorities are clearer than ever: sponsorships, tickets, merchandise, and fan engagement. Infrastructure for long-term survival is needed now. LIV has burned over $1 billion in three years. The 2026 season will test profitability and sustainability. Success depends on selling tickets, landing sponsors, and moving merchandise. The LIV Golf–PGA Tour rivalry will remain central. A merger seems unlikely, as both leagues continue independently.
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PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said, “The best collection of golfers in the world is on the PGA Tour… We need a more honest conversation about what’s best for the tour and fans.”
Meanwhile, Scott O’Neil stated, “They’ll have a dominant position in the U.S., and I think we’ll be the dominant player in the world.”
LIV has doubled down on its team format, increased purses, and drawn large crowds in the U.K., Chicago, and Indianapolis. Sponsorships with Ping, Callaway, Qualcomm, HSBC, and Salesforce show growing commercial momentum. Nine of its 14 events in 2026 will be outside the U.S., pushing a global footprint.
Even with ongoing debates over Official World Golf Ranking points and DP World Tour fines, LIV’s strategic hires, especially Chris Heck, emphasize sustainable growth and competitive expansion.
LIV Golf’s Strategic Shift: From Disruption to Sustainable Growth
LIV Golf, once known for its bold disruption of the traditional golf landscape, is now focusing on long-term sustainability. Under the leadership of Scott O’Neil, the league is implementing strategic changes to ensure its future viability. O’Neil’s extensive experience in sports and entertainment management is steering LIV towards a more structured and financially sound model.
One of the key areas of this strategic shift is the league’s approach to financial management. Despite attracting top players with substantial financial incentives, LIV Golf has faced significant losses. In 2024, its UK entity reported a loss of $461.8 million, bringing total losses since inception to over $1.1 billion. To address this, O’Neil is focusing on revenue diversification and cost management.
Additionally, LIV Golf is enhancing its global presence. The league has expanded into new markets such as South Korea, South Africa, and Australia, aiming to build a more international fan base. This expansion is complemented by strategic partnerships, including a U.S. TV deal with Fox Sports, to increase visibility and engagement.
These efforts signify a pivotal moment for LIV Golf as it transitions from a disruptive startup to a sustainable entity in the professional sports arena. The coming seasons will be critical in determining whether this strategic shift can secure LIV Golf’s place in the global sports landscape.

The PGA Tour is heading to Japan for the next leg of the FedEx Cup Fall events. Some of the best players on the PGA Tour will all fly across the world to play in the Baycurrent Classic. And the field is packed with some great names like Max Homa, Adam Scott, Tom Kim, & many others. One of them would also be the returning Sahith Theegala, who has only had a brief stint in the Procore Championship since returning from his injury. All of the pros will have their eyes on one thing: the $8 million purse.
While the prize money is attractive, will the players have to worry about anything else besides the threat from their peers? Let’s take a look at the format for the 2025 Baycurrent Classic to check the rules for the weekend qualification.
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Does the 2025 Baycurrent Classic have cuts?
The 2025 Baycurrent Classic is one of the most celebrated events on the PGA Tour calendar. Being an international tournament, it not only shines the light on American talent, but also provides exemptions to the Japan Golf Tour Organization pros. That means the tournament will also feature many local Japanese talents. Despite the range of players, the field is actually quite limited. That’s because the Baycurrent Classic is a special event that will feature only the Top 60 of the FedEx Cup players in the current season after the TOUR Championship.
In total, the entire field will have a total of 78 players. And as it is usually in such limited field events, there will not be a cut after the first couple of rounds. That means all 78 players, should they not withdraw midway through, play all 72 holes of the tournament. This is a great opportunity for the top players looking to get back to winning ways, like Max Homa & Adam Scott. With no cutline to worry about, they focus on pushing themselves higher on the table than just qualifying past the weekend.
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Having said that, who has the best shot at winning the tournament? Let’s take a look at a few great contenders for the event.
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Who can win the PGA Tour event in Japan?
Over the years, the Baycurrent Classic has seen many big names win the title. The most prominent champion to ever hold it was probably the big cat himself, Tiger Woods. In fact, he won the first-ever title when the tournament was first introduced way back in 2019. It was also Woods’s last PGA Tour victory. After that, fans have witnessed Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley, and even the local hero, Hideki Matsuyama, win it. Last year, Nico Echavarría captured the championship, beating Justin Thomas by 1 stroke.
This year, Echavarria will be a favorite again to retain the title. Former champion, Matsuyama, will also get a lot of support from the locals to become the first-ever two-time champion. However, considering how he has gradually improved over the last few weeks, Max Homa will also be a strong contender at the Yokohama Country Club. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the end.

The things players will do to improve their chances of keeping their PGA Tour card.
On Sunday at the Sanderson Farms Championship, Vince Whaley was in contention when he hit his second shot into the water right of the par-5 11th green. The good news: Whaley could still play the ball. The bad news: Whaley had to take his shoes off and wade into ankle-deep water, where just yards away was an alligator with its head peeking above the surface.
“My heart rate’s elevated just watching this,” said Golf Channel analyst Johnson Wagner as Whaley prepared to hit his third shot.
Whaley made a big splash as he swung, and though his ball was dry, it didn’t quite reach the green. Still, Whaley was able to escape with par.
He’d go on to shoot 5-under 66 and finish T-3, which bumped him from No. 102 in FedExCup points to No. 84. With just five events left in the fall series, Whaley has drastically improved his chances of staying inside the top 100 and keeping full playing privileges in 2026.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Steven Fisk said he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of his first PGA Tour victory, and it took birdies on his last three holes Sunday to close with an 8-under 64 to win the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Fisk and Garrick Higgo of South Africa finally separated themselves over the closing holes at the Country Club of Jackson, and they put on quite a show.
They were tied when Fisk missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the reachable par-4 15th. That turned out to be his last mistake.
He holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and Higgo said he heard someone in the crowd say,

Four years ago, Wyndham Clark stood in shallow Louisiana water, his mind racing. “There’s alligators all over this golf course right now, and it’s also one of the ponds where there’s big ones,” he admitted. The Denver native got in quick, pulled the trigger within 15 seconds, and escaped unscathed. His partner Erik van Rooyen later joked, “I’m happy I have a teammate who is willing to risk one of his limbs for me.”
That 2021 Zurich Classic moment seemed like an anomaly. Until Sunday at the Sanderson Farms Championship, when Vince Whaley proved some golfers never learn.
The 30-year-old Georgia Tech grad found himself in a similar predicament during the final round. His ball landed in a water hazard on the par-5 11th hole at Country Club of Jackson. Most players would’ve taken the penalty drop without hesitation. Whaley had other ideas.
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He rolled up his pant legs, removed his shoes and socks, and stepped into the ankle-deep water. The problem? An alligator was floating just a few feet away, watching the entire scene unfold. Golf Channel analyst Curt Byrum captured the moment perfectly: “My heart rate is elevated just watching this.”
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Whaley splashed the ball out successfully. He then chipped his next shot to within three feet and saved par. The gutsy decision reflected the desperation of a player fighting for his PGA Tour card. He entered the week sitting at 102nd in the FedEx Cup standings, just outside the crucial top-100 cutoff for full playing privileges.
The stakes couldn’t have been higher. Under the new fall series rules, only the top 100 players earn full tour cards for 2026. It’s survival of the fittest this week, where every shot matters in keeping PGA Tour dreams alive. Whaley clearly understood that reality better than most.
His final-round 67 propelled him to a tie for third at 19-under par. More importantly, the $318,000 payday moved him from 102nd to 84th in the FedEx Cup standings. That single par save on the 11th hole might’ve been the difference between keeping his card and spending next season on the fringes.
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When PGA Tour’s “Play It As It Lies” Becomes Dangerous
Whaley’s alligator encounter joins a growing list of dangerous wildlife shots on tour. Talor Gooch encountered three alligators near his ball during the 2018 Zurich Classic. After attempts to move two of them failed, and the third continued eating a bunker rake, Gooch wisely invoked the “dangerous situations” rule and took a free drop.
The Rules of Golf specifically allow players to take relief from dangerous wildlife under Decision 1-4/10. The ruling deems it “unreasonable to expect the player to play from such a dangerous situation.” Both Whaley and Clark had that option available to them. They chose differently.
Justin Rose once stripped to his underwear to hit from alligator-infested water at the 2018 Zurich Classic. Meanwhile, Adam Scott made a stunning par save from water at PGA National’s 11th hole during the 2021 Honda Classic. He converted an 11-foot putt after splashing out from the hazard.
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The Country Club of Jackson has become notorious for alligator sightings. The course features multiple resident gators, including one famously named “Fuzzy.” Tournament officials and players have grown accustomed to sharing the layout with these prehistoric creatures.
Yet Whaley’s decision to wade in anyway speaks to something more profound. Professional golfers operate on a different risk calculus when their livelihoods hang in the balance. That single stroke he saved might’ve seemed insignificant in the moment. Looking at where he finished in the FedEx Cup standings, it was anything but.

Two professional golfers from opposite ends of the world have spent years chasing the same prize: a first victory on the biggest stages. One pursuing PGA TOUR dreams, the other conquering the fairways of the LPGA. That singular moment when preparation meets opportunity, when doubt gives way to belief, when talent finally translates to hosting a trophy, happened this weekend for both.
Steven Fisk found it in Mississippi. Youmin Hwang discovered it in Hawaii. Both broke through during the first weekend of October, and their contrasting paths to victory reveal different truths about succeeding at golf’s highest level.
Fisk Delivers When It Matters Most
Steven Fisk stood on the 16th green at The Country Club of Jackson, trailing momentum but not belief. Garrick Higgo had just reeled off four consecutive birdies to erase Fisk’s advantage. The 28-year-old had missed a 5-footer on the previous hole. The South African lefthander was surging.
Fisk rolled in a 40-footer for birdie. The Mississippi crowd exploded.
Higgo answered immediately with a 12-footer of his own, grinning as he put his finger to his lips. The duel was on. Both players birdied the 17th. But on 18, Higgo’s short birdie putt caught the left edge. Fisk had the cushion he needed. His approach settled 4 feet from the cup. One more birdie. One more roar from the gallery.
The Sanderson Farms Championship belonged to the Georgia Southern alum by two strokes. His closing 8-under 64 brought him to 24-under 264, matching the lowest winning score in relation to par in tournament history.
“I came out today with an attitude that nothing was going to stop me,” Fisk said moments after his victory. “I just felt like I’d be standing right here, right now, before the round started. I know I’m good enough.”
The numbers support that confidence. Fisk led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green at 11.912 for the week. His nine final-round birdies represented a personal best in a single round on TOUR. The 264 total fell one stroke short of the tournament’s all-time 72-hole record (Dan Halldorson, 1986) but established a new benchmark since the event moved to Jackson.
Beyond the statistics and the $1,080,000 winner’s check sits the real prize: job security. Fisk entered the week ranked No. 135 in the FedExCup Fall standings, heading back to the Korn Ferry Tour without a strong finish. Now he owns a two-year exemption through 2027 after five years of grinding to reach the TOUR.
“To have some job security is pretty nice,” Fisk said. “It’s been a long, hard year.”
He joins Karl Villips, Aldrich Potgieter, and William Mouw as the fourth PGA TOUR rookie to capture a title this season. He’s the 14th first-time winner overall in 2024-25 and the 15th at the Sanderson Farms Championship, continuing a tournament tradition of launching careers.
Hwang Wins Her Way, On Her Timeline
Youmin Hwang birdied five holes over a six-hole stretch Sunday in Hawaii. That surge carried the 22-year-old South Korean to victory at the Lotte Championship, one stroke clear of Hyo Joo Kim at 17-under par.
The win made Hwang the 26th different winner in 25 LPGA events this season. That ties the record for most different winners in a single season, matching benchmarks from 1995, 2018, and 2022. She collected $450,000 from the $3 million purse. She became the first non-member to win on the LPGA Tour since Rio Takeda at the TOTO Japan Classic last November.
Then Hwang did something unexpected. She declined immediate LPGA Tour membership.
She’s deferring until the 2026 season, choosing to compete as a rookie next year. That means her breakthrough performance won’t qualify as a Rolex First-Time Winner designation in 2025, despite this being her first LPGA victory. It’s an unusual decision that reveals something about how Hwang views her career trajectory.
She competes primarily on the KLPGA, where she’s won twice between 2023 and 2024. She also captured the Foxconn TLPGA Players Championship earlier this season. Rather than jumping immediately to full-time LPGA competition, Hwang wants more preparation. She’s building her game on her terms, arriving when she’s ready rather than when opportunity forces the issue.
Hwang is the sixth Korean player to win on the LPGA Tour in 2025, joining Jin Hee Im, A Lim Kim, Hyo Joo Kim, Somi Lee, and Haeran Ryu. She’s also the second straight Korean to win the Lotte Championship after A Lim Kim’s 2024 triumph.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda tied for fourth at 14-under, earning $117,177. The 2025 LPGA season keeps producing different champions. Twenty-six winners through 25 events. Parity at its most extreme.
FedExCup Fall Standings Shift
Fisk’s victory created movement where it matters most for dozens of players. The FedExCup Fall standings determine 2026 playing privileges. Top 100 players earn exemptions into all full-field events and THE PLAYERS. Nos. 101-150 receive conditional status.
Vince Whaley and Danny Walker both tied for third at 19-under alongside Ryder Cup player Rasmus Højgaard. Whaley jumped from No. 102 to No. 84. Walker climbed from No. 104 to No. 86. Walker’s week included 515 feet, 10 inches of made putts, surpassing Adam Long’s 500 feet, 3 inches as the most at Jackson.
Max Homa finished T18 and moved from No. 107 to No. 99, sneaking back inside the Top 100.
Four players dropped out: Austin Eckroat, Isaiah Salinda, Joel Dahmen, and Lanto Griffin. Five FedExCup Fall events remain. Every round carries consequences for careers.
What First Victories Mean
It’s very common for Professional golfers to chase first victories for years. Practice, sacrifice, close calls, and self-doubt all accumulate until one week, when timing and talent align, that breakthrough becomes reality.
The reality for most, however, is that day will never come.
Fisk spent five years reaching the TOUR, then nearly lost his card before breaking through. Hwang won as a non-member and immediately chose patience over rushing into full membership.
These are the moments that justify the journey. Fisk’s 40-footer on 16 when Higgo was charging. Hwang’s five birdies in six holes to separate from the field. Shots that looked impossible until they weren’t.
The PGA TOUR’s fall season continues. The LPGA Tour moves toward its finale. More players will find that first victory. More careers will change in a single Sunday afternoon. Golf keeps creating these stories because the sport rewards those who refuse to stop believing in themselves when pressure arrives.

Steven Fisk just collected his first career PGA Tour victory and with it, his winner’s check would allow him to buy 3,600 of the Mizuno driver heads he used at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Fisk, a rookie and Mizuno staffer, uses the company’s ST-Z 230 driver, which is now three years old, but still part of their current metal woods line. For the last two years, the driver has been one of the all-time bargains at retail, selling for just $300, $200 off the original price.
And the ST-Z is no budget driver, as proven by a Tour winner’s success with it. Marco Penge also won twice with it on the DP World Tour this season.
For the rest of Fisk’s bag, he uses an interesting mix of older Mizuno gear, like his MP-20 blades and T22 wedges, as well as an Odyssey putter, Ping fairway woods and Titleist Vokey lob wedge.
Keep reading below for detailed specs of Fisk’s bag after his first PGA Tour win.
Steven Fisk makes closing birdie to win Sanderson Farms
In the final round of the 2025 Sanderson Farms, Steven Fisk’s tee shot on the 503-yard, par-4 18th hole travels 333 yards and lands in the left fairway, leaving 151 yards to the hole. His 152-yard approach from the fairway lands on the left side of the green, finishing 3 feet 10 inches from the hole, and he sinks a 3-foot 10-inch birdie putt.
Steven Fisk’s winning WITB at the 2025 Sanderson Farms Championship
Driver: Mizuno ST-Z 230 9.0˚
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XD 70TX
Mizuno ST-Z 230 Driver
A straight bias driver with excellent stability from off centre hits. Similar in look and character to the previous ST-Z. Boosted by the CORTECH Chamber to be faster from the face, spin less and deliver an incredible, solid sensation at impact.
3-wood: Ping G430 Max 15.0
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 70TX
7-wood: Ping G430 Max 21.0
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 80TX
Ping G430 Max Custom Fairway Wood
Sizing up your approach into a long par 4, going for the par-5 in two, you want 100% confidence that your fairway wood will give you the solid contact, speed and higher ball flight to get you home. In the G430 fairways, we’ve developed Carbonfly Wrap to deliver more distance by positioning the CG closer to the force line to maximize ball speed, resulting in higher, longer carries. The PING G430 MAX Fairway Wood fits the widest range of golfers with four options (3W/15°, 5W/18°, 7W/21°, 9W/24°). CARBONFLY WRAP The lightweight composite crown wraps into the heel and toe sections of the skirt, creating weight savings of 10 grams which are reallocated to achieve the lower the CG and increase ball speed. The composite also plays a role in the pleasing sound. FACE WRAP TECHNOLOGY FaceWrap Technology, a variable-thickness, high-strength maraging steel face wraps into the sole and crown of the stainless steel head, generating more flexing for faster ball speed and higher launch for greater distance. SPINSISTENCY The variable roll radius of Spinsistency improves performance across the face (especially on thin shots) by reducing spin to increase ball speed from the maraging steel face. TUNGSTEN BACK WEIGHT A tungsten back weight extends the perimeter weighting to ensure maximum forgiveness. TRAJECTORY TUNING 2.0 Trajectory Tuning 2.0 provides eight hosel positions, adjusting for loft (+/- .5°) and lie (up to 3° flatter than std).
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Irons: Mizuno Pro 245 (4), Pro 243 (5), MP-20 MB (6-9)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper 130X
Lofts: STD
Mizuno Pro 245 Custom Irons
The Mizuno Pro Irons are the result of a longstanding connection between Mizuno’s club engineers and the legendary Grain Flow Forging plant in Hiroshima, Japan. Every fraction of a millimeter and subtle curve has been meticulously considered, shaping the future of golf club technology. KEY FEATURES OF THE MIZUNO PRO 245 / TOUR SPEED AND LAUNCH: Grain Flow Forged HD in Hiroshima, Japan Hollow body GFF 4135 Chromoly face and neck (2-8 iron) Internal Tungsten Weighting (2-7) for improved launch More compact partial hollow scoring irons (9-GW) Soft Copper Underlay for exceptional feel Harmonic Impact Technology for a soft muscle-back feel Traditional blade appearance Increased bounce angle for optimal turf interaction Full Satin Brush finish Available 2-GW / RH and 4-GW LH
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Mizuno Pro 243 Custom Irons
The Mizuno Pro Irons are the result of a longstanding connection between Mizuno’s club engineers and the legendary Grain Flow Forging plant in Hiroshima, Japan. Every fraction of a millimeter and subtle curve has been meticulously considered, shaping the future of golf club technology. Key Features of the Mizuno Pro 243 / Tour Speed: Grain Flow Forged HD in Hiroshima, Japan 4120 Chromoly with Flow Microslot (4-7 iron) Soft Copper Underlay for sensational feel Harmonic Impact Technology for a soft muscle-back feel Wrap Around Sole Grind for improved turf interaction Exceptionally compact players’ profile Increased bounce angle for enhanced performance Full Satin Brush finish Available 4-GW / RH only
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Wedges: Mizuno T22 Raw (46-6S, 50-7S, 55-08D), Titleist Vokey SM10 60.12D
Shafts: KBS C-Taper 130X
Mizuno T22 Custom Wedge
With more than 50 years of refining, the Grain Flow forging process in Hiroshima, Japan, Mizuno’s wedges are unrivaled for touch and feel around the green. Properties best demonstrated in Mizuno’s T-Series wedges, developed hand in hand with former world #1 Luke Donald. The latest evolution – the T22 refines Mizuno’s player’s shape once again and introduces four different sole grinds for varying techniques and conditions. One-piece Grain Flow Forged using HD Boron, at Mizuno’s iconic facility in Hiroshima, where Mizuno irons have been produced since 1968, the new T22 wedges feature a microlayer of copper beneath the nickel-chrome delivering an extra split-second of control at impact.The new T22 wedges feature a slightly more compact, ‘modified teardrop,’ profile with an extensively beveled top edge to make it appear thinner. The spin-weighted blade design, created by tapering the upper portion of the blade, helps create a more consistent spin and a more penetrating trajectory.Mizuno’s HydroFlow Micro Grooves deliver great wet weather performance as they are laser etched to release moisture and reduce spin drop off, while the Quad Cut milled, and loft specific, grooves are cut into Boron infused steel to offer a longer effective lifespan.The T22 wedges are available in three finishes; Denim Copper, Satin Chrome, and Raw. The Raw finish comes without the copper underlay, but it will rust over time for a look requested by many of the Mizuno tour players.The expanded grind options include:S Grind – with the minimal sole grind for fuller shots and lower loftsD Grind – with moderate heel and toe relief, allowing gentle manipulation of the clubfaceC Grind – with heavy heel and toe relief for more skilled players and firmer conditionsX Grind – with extreme heel and toe relief for the real short game maestros.Mizuno has strived to “create the best products for consumers” for 115 years, and the new T22 wedges adhere firmly to that original spirit and desire while offering the best performance benefits that modern technology can bring. #ReachBeyond T-22 S GRIND WEDGE SPECIFICATION Club # Loft ° Lie Angle Length (inch) Bounce 45/05 45 63 35.5 5 46/06 46 63 35.5 6 47/07 47 63 35.5 7 48/08 48 63 35.5 8 49/06 49 63 35.5 6 50/07 50 63 35.25 7 51/08 51 63 35.25 8 52/09 52 63 35.25 9 53/10 53 63 35.25 10 54/12 54 63 35.25 12 55/13 55 63 35.25 13 56/14 56 63 35.25 14 57/15 57 63 35.25 15 58/16 58 63 35.25 16 T-22 D GRIND WEDGE SPECIFICATION Club # Loft ° Lie Angle Length (inch) Bounce 54/08 54 63 35.25 8 55/09 55 63 35.25 9 56/10 56 63 35.25 10 57/11 57 63 35.25 11 58/12 58 63 35.25 12 T-22 C GRIND WEDGE SPECIFICATION Club # Loft ° Lie Angle Length (inch) Bounce 56/06 56 63 35.25 6 57/07 57 63 35.25 7 58/08 58 63 35.25 8 59/09 59 63 35.25 9 60/10 60 63 35.25 10 T-22 X GRIND WEDGE SPECIFICATION Club # Loft ° Lie Angle Length (inch) Bounce 58/04 58 63 35.25 4 59/05 59 63 35.25 5 60/06 60 63 35.25 6 61/07 61 63 35.25 7 62/08 62 63 35.25 8 Dexterity: RH Satin Chrome, Demin Copper & Raw. LH Satin Chrome only.
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JACKSON, Miss. — Steven Fisk said he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of his first PGA Tour victory, and it took birdies on his last three holes Sunday to close with an 8-under 64 to win the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Fisk and Garrick Higgo of South Africa finally separated themselves over the closing holes at the Country Club of Jackson, and they put on quite a show.
They were tied when Fisk missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the reachable par-4 15th. That turned out to be his last mistake.
He holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and Higgo said he heard someone in the crowd say, “Take that, Higgo.” The South African answered with a 12-foot birdie of his own — his fourth in a row on the back nine — and playfully put his finger against his lips with a smile.
Fisk hit wedge that danced around the cup and settled 3 feet away on the 17th. Higgo answered again with a wedge to just outside 3 feet. It appeared as though it would go down to the wire, except that Higgo’s short birdie putt caught the left lip.
Fisk pulled one head with the birdie, and then left no no doubt with an approach to 4 feet for one final birdie to win by two shots over Higgo.
“I came out today with an attitude that nothing was going to stop me,” Fisk said during his Golf Channel interview on the 18th green. “I just felt like I’d be standing right here, right now, before the round started. I know I’m good enough. I thought I could do it.”
And he did, finishing at 24-under 264 for a win that carries big benefits for the 28-year-old who played his college golf at Georgia Southern and who played on the 2019 Walker Cup team at Royal Liverpool.
Fisk was at No. 135 in the FedEx Cup standings, destined to return to the Korn Ferry Tour unless he made up ground during the remaining two months of the Fall Series. Only the top 100 at the end of the season keep full cards.
He now has a two-year exemption through 2027, after it took him five years to get to the tour.
“To have some job security is pretty nice,” Fisk said. “It’s been a long, hard year.”
UT’s Pierceson Coody finished at 14-under par and Dallas resident Tom Kim finished at 15-under par.
Higgo looked to have taken himself out of the mix with a bogey-bogey start to the back nine. But then he ran off four straight birdies to catch Fisk, and was poised to make it five in a row until the short miss at the 17th that cost him.
“My mindset was to birdie every hole,” Higgo said. “I almost did that. Steven did the same, so hats off to him.”
Danny Walker was tied for the lead early on the back nine, but he hit it into the water going for the green on the par-5 11th and made bogey, and then drove left into a hazard on the 17th that led to another bogey. He shot 69 and tied for third with Vince Whaley (67) and Ryder Cup player Rasmus Hojgaard, who had a 66-65 weekend.
All three of those players came away with a small consolation prize. Hojgaard was at No. 87 in the FedEx Cup, which is why he left the Ryder Cup celebration in New York for Mississippi. He went up 12 spots to No. 75.
The other two moved up 18 spots, Whaley to No. 84 and Walker to No. 86.
“I won’t be quite as stressed out, hopefully, around that 100 number,” said Walker, who had missed the cut in eight straight tournaments coming into the Sanderson Farms Championship. “You can just go to play to win, really. That will be a lot nicer feeling.”
Hojgaard, Whaley and Walker were among those headed for Japan for the Baycurrent Classic, the lone PGA Tour stop in Asia this year.

October 2014. Gleneagles, Scotland. Patrick Reed stood over a crucial putt on the 7th hole during his Ryder Cup singles match against Henrik Stenson. The European crowd was relentless, their cheers echoing across the Scottish Highlands every time the American faltered. But when Reed drained that putt, he didn’t just celebrate—he turned to the gallery, raised his finger to his lips, and delivered a defiant shush that would become one of golf’s most iconic gestures. Fast forward to 2025, and that same bold response has resurfaced, this time at a PGA Tour event far from the Ryder Cup’s heated atmosphere.
Garrick Higgo didn’t plan to channel Patrick Reed’s legacy at the Sanderson Farms Championship. But when a vocal spectator shouted “Take that, Higgo!” after Steven Fisk made a crucial putt during their final-round battle, the South African responded instinctively. His birdie on the 16th hole was followed by the same finger-to-lips gesture that Reed made famous a decade ago—a moment that had fans buzzing and Higgo scrambling to explain himself afterward.
The drama unfolded on hole 16 at the Country Club of Jackson. Fisk had just drained a remarkable 40-foot birdie putt. That’s when someone in the crowd decided to make it personal. The taunt cut through the Mississippi air like a knife.
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Higgo heard it loud and clear. His response? A brilliant 12-foot birdie of his own—his fourth consecutive birdie on the back nine. Then came the gesture. He playfully put his finger against his lips with a smile, directly mirroring Reed’s famous 2014 Ryder Cup moment.
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The South African was quick to clarify his intentions afterward. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he explained to Golf Channel. “It was it was just fun. I mean, I didn’t mean anything by it. But it just came out.”
Higgo elaborated on the exchange with characteristic honesty. “When Steven made the pot, somebody in the crowd was like, ‘Take that, Higgo.’ Or something like that,” he recalled. The 26-year-old admitted he was expecting Fisk to make the putt anyway. “Growing up I was always taught to expect that the person was going to make the putt,” he said.
The moment revealed a side of Higgo fans rarely see. He’s generally not an animated player on the course. But this tournament meant something different for him. After battling a hip injury that nearly required surgery, Higgo had reworked his swing and training regimen to avoid going under the knife. His fighting spirit was on full display in Mississippi.
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“I feel like my biggest asset is I fight really well,” Higgo said after the tournament. “My mindset was to try and birdie every hole coming in. And I feel like if I could do that and I didn’t win, then that would be fine.”
Patrick Reed’s Ryder Cup Shush Created Golf’s Most Polarizing Figure
Reed’s shush gesture fundamentally changed his public persona. The moment occurred when Stenson holed a 20-foot birdie putt, causing the Scottish crowd to erupt. Reed was left with a 10-footer to halve the hole.
When Reed’s putt dropped, he turned to the crowd and placed his right index finger to his lips. The reaction was immediate and intense. Rather than quieting the crowd, Reed was booed loudly. He had to scream to the small U.S. contingent: “Come on!”
U.S. Captain Tom Watson defended Reed’s passion. “I like this young man’s attitude, I like his fire,” Watson stated. This endorsement from the legendary captain helped legitimize Reed’s emotional approach.
Reed went on to win his singles match against Stenson 1-up. He finished the tournament with 3.5 points from four matches. The gesture earned him the nickname “Captain America” and established him as one of golf’s most polarizing figures.
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While separated by over a decade, both moments represent pivotal points in golf’s evolving relationship with fan engagement. Reed’s gesture was born from genuine frustration and competitive fire. Higgo’s moment was more lighthearted, reflecting a younger generation’s comfort with crowd interaction.
The juxtaposition reveals how golf continues to wrestle with its identity. The sport maintains traditional values while embracing the passion that modern audiences crave. Both players demonstrated that sometimes the most memorable moments come not from perfect shots, but from raw human emotions.

October 2014. Gleneagles, Scotland. Patrick Reed stood over a crucial putt on the 7th hole during his Ryder Cup singles match against Henrik Stenson. The European crowd was relentless, their cheers echoing across the Scottish Highlands every time the American faltered. But when Reed drained that putt, he didn’t just celebrate—he turned to the gallery, raised his finger to his lips, and delivered a defiant shush that would become one of golf’s most iconic gestures. Fast forward to 2025, and that same bold response has resurfaced, this time at a PGA Tour event far from the Ryder Cup’s heated atmosphere.
Garrick Higgo didn’t plan to channel Patrick Reed’s legacy at the Sanderson Farms Championship. But when a vocal spectator shouted “Take that, Higgo!” after Steven Fisk made a crucial putt during their final-round battle, the South African responded instinctively. His birdie on the 16th hole was followed by the same finger-to-lips gesture that Reed made famous a decade ago—a moment that had fans buzzing and Higgo scrambling to explain himself afterward.
The drama unfolded on hole 16 at the Country Club of Jackson. Fisk had just drained a remarkable 40-foot birdie putt. That’s when someone in the crowd decided to make it personal. The taunt cut through the Mississippi air like a knife.
Higgo heard it loud and clear. His response? A brilliant 12-foot birdie of his own—his fourth consecutive birdie on the back nine. Then came the gesture. He playfully put his finger against his lips with a smile, directly mirroring Reed’s famous 2014 Ryder Cup moment.
The South African was quick to clarify his intentions afterward. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he explained to Golf Channel. “It was it was just fun. I mean, I didn’t mean anything by it. But it just came out.”
Higgo elaborated on the exchange with characteristic honesty. “When Steven made the pot, somebody in the crowd was like, ‘Take that, Higgo.’ Or something like that,” he recalled. The 26-year-old admitted he was expecting Fisk to make the putt anyway. “Growing up I was always taught to expect that the person was going to make the putt,” he said.
The moment revealed a side of Higgo fans rarely see. He’s generally not an animated player on the course. But this tournament meant something different for him. After battling a hip injury that nearly required surgery, Higgo had reworked his swing and training regimen to avoid going under the knife. His fighting spirit was on full display in Mississippi.
“I feel like my biggest asset is I fight really well,” Higgo said after the tournament. “My mindset was to try and birdie every hole coming in. And I feel like if I could do that and I didn’t win, then that would be fine.”
Patrick Reed’s Ryder Cup Shush Created Golf’s Most Polarizing Figure
Reed’s shush gesture fundamentally changed his public persona. The moment occurred when Stenson holed a 20-foot birdie putt, causing the Scottish crowd to erupt. Reed was left with a 10-footer to halve the hole.
When Reed’s putt dropped, he turned to the crowd and placed his right index finger to his lips. The reaction was immediate and intense. Rather than quieting the crowd, Reed was booed loudly. He had to scream to the small U.S. contingent: “Come on!”
U.S. Captain Tom Watson defended Reed’s passion. “I like this young man’s attitude, I like his fire,” Watson stated. This endorsement from the legendary captain helped legitimize Reed’s emotional approach.
Reed went on to win his singles match against Stenson 1-up. He finished the tournament with 3.5 points from four matches. The gesture earned him the nickname “Captain America” and established him as one of golf’s most polarizing figures.
While separated by over a decade, both moments represent pivotal points in golf’s evolving relationship with fan engagement. Reed’s gesture was born from genuine frustration and competitive fire. Higgo’s moment was more lighthearted, reflecting a younger generation’s comfort with crowd interaction.
The juxtaposition reveals how golf continues to wrestle with its identity. The sport maintains traditional values while embracing the passion that modern audiences crave. Both players demonstrated that sometimes the most memorable moments come not from perfect shots, but from raw human emotions.

CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis, known for her dual expertise in golf and the NFL, returned to golf coverage in January 2025 after a six-month break. As the PGA Tour season concluded and the NFL prepared to begin, she announced plans to switch back to football. For now, she’s making a brief return to golf, set to cover the Tito’s Shorties Classic on November 29, 2025.
The news was broken with a video shared on Scratch’s Instagram handle, with a caption that read, “The @titosvodka Shorties Classic is back this November! Hosted by @balionis. Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for player announcements, ticket sales, and some other surprises! #ad”
CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis revealed the schedule and venue for the upcoming Tito’s Shorties Classic, saying, “We are talking about the Tito’s Shorties Classic coming up in November. Mark your calendars, November 29th. One of my many favorite events of the year. First of all, it is in Austin, Texas. One of the greatest cities in the country. Second, it’s at Buttler Pitch & Putt. It’s one of the oldest courses in Austin.”
The Tito’s Shorties Classic is an annual pitch-and-putt charity golf event sponsored by Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Focused on short game skills, it’s played in a lively Skins game format and streamed on the Golf Channel, featuring nine holes of fast, entertaining golf.
Past participants include Keith Mitchell, Harry Higgs, Joel Dahmen, and Beau Hossler. Mitchell once said, “I would say that the Butler Pitch & Putt in Austin is honestly the most fun version of golf I can think of because it really, it’s constant action, it’s quick. It only takes you about an hour to play nine holes. Your level of golf is less important.”
This year, Amanda’s own foundation, Puppies & Golf, will also receive donations from the event’s prize money. “Of course, it’s supporting some great charities, like Tito’s always does, including my foundation, Puppies & Golf. It’s simply become an awesome tradition,” she shared.
In 2024, Tito’s donated $350,000 in total. Joel Dahmen and Joey Cold Cuts won $200,000 for the Dahmen Family Foundation. Harry Higgs and Fat Perez placed second, earning $100,000 for the Fore the Kids Foundation. Keith Mitchell and Robbie Berger secured $50,000 for the Nantz National Alzheimer Center.
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Amanda covered the 2024 event on the Golf Channel alongside the Bob Does Sports crew, adding professional insights and charm to the broadcast.
Now balancing both golf and NFL reporting, Amanda’s success follows years of perseverance and hard work to reach where she is today.
Amanda Balionis’s career and health struggles
Early in her career, Amanda was facing a difficult personal relationship and adjustment to a new city. All of these took a toll on her mental health, as she clearly could not handle them simultaneously. She founded yoga as her aid to cope with the challenges.
Yoga helped Amanda regain confidence and positivity, which helped propel her career. She even earned a 200-hour yoga teacher certification. Recently, she shared an Instagram post saying she is “full of gratitude” to share the practice that has changed her life forever with others.
While she has become mentally strong now, the hectic work schedule still puts a strain on her overall well-being. Early in September 2025, the veteran sideline reporter shared a health update saying that she is battling a pinched nerve arising from her C4/C5 vertebrae. Then, in late September, she revealed her diagnosis in an Instagram post that looked picture-perfect.
The Instagram post made it seem like Amanda is living her best life. But the caption shared a different angle — “We had a month! 3 weeks ✈️ 8 cities 🌆 7 hotels 🛌 3 NFL games 🏈 2 golf tournaments ⛳️ 1 herniated disc 😵‍💫.. ….it is officially time to shut it down. Feeling grateful, fulfilled, and ready to prioritize some true self-care over the next couple of weeks ❤️.”
It may look glamorous seeing her on camera and on her Instagram account. However, these posts reveal the reality and the hard work that goes into achieving her dream job.
Despite all the hard work required, Amanda Balionis continues to juggle between golf and NFL coverage because she likes that. It’s a reminder that if a person is dedicated and focused on it, they can land their dream jobs, too, and would enjoy doing their work.

Rookie Steven Fisk broke through in dramatic fashion Sunday, firing an 8-under 64 to capture his first career PGA Tour victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi. His late-round surge–including birdies on 16, 17, and 18–left him at 24 under for the week, two strokes ahead of runner-up Garrick Higgo.
Entering the final round two strokes behind Higgo, Fisk steadily chipped away at the lead. After the turn, the battle intensified: Higgo reeled off a string of birdies, but Fisk responded with clutch shots and composure under pressure. As the tournament reached its climax, Fisk’s iron to inside three feet on No. 18 and his steady putting sealed the deal.
Battling Back from Behind
Fisk’s final-round performance wasn’t a fluke. He entered the day just off the lead and methodically made his move. His 64 was the low round of the day, powered by birdies at the end and a calmness in pivotal stretches. Meanwhile, Higgo, a formidable opponent with previous Tour wins, kept the heat on until his missed birdie on 18 gave Fisk breathing room.
The contest became a duel not just between swings, but nerves. On the 17th, Fisk sank a clutch birdie putt after Higgo couldn’t convert from close. On 18, with the margin narrow, Fisk left nothing to chance–his precision and mental resolve pushed him past the finish line.
What This Win Means for Fisk’s Career
With this victory, Fisk instantly secures exempt status on the PGA Tour through 2027, giving him job security and freedom to plan his schedule. Prior to this week, Fisk–ranked No. 183 in the world–had been fighting for consistency. Now, not only has he earned his first Tour win, but he’s also made a statement that he belongs.
“Obviously, with the position I was in on the FedExCup points list I had a lot of ground to make up,” Fisk said. “We all think we’re good enough to compete out here and to win, and to come out here today and play like I did, and finally I truly know that I’m good enough to be a PGA TOUR winner is really cool.”
Beyond the stats, the win carried emotional weight. Earlier this year, Fisk lost his father, and this victory felt like a tribute to his memory. His caddie, Jay Green, has connections to the late Grayson Murray–adding further poignancy to Fisk’s day.
“I think he nudged a couple putts in for me for sure, maybe him or Grayson. I had a couple of helpers out there,” Fisk said. “I miss him very much, and I know he’d be really proud of how I played all week and especially today to keep my composure and just kind of go about my business the best way I know how.”
Rising Rookies and Tour Momentum
Fisk becomes the 14th first-time winner on Tour this season, underscoring the depth of emerging talent on the PGA Tour. His victory came at a moment when every stroke counts–the fall events serve as a last push for players to solidify their Tour status and climb the FedEx Cup standings.
According to Golf Monthly, “Fisk’s earnings in 2025 amounted to $670,965, but he now has almost triple that figure, having claimed $1.08m from the overall purse of $6m–by far the biggest payday of his career to date.”
This win also highlights how a strong finish under pressure can define a golfer’s trajectory. Fisk’s composure, shotmaking, and mental toughness in the closing holes showed that he’s not just capable of contending–he can win.

The PGA Tour has announced some changes to its competitive structure in November 2024. Some of these changes can significantly affect golfers’ careers. One notable name that is feeling the pressure of a career threat is Sam Ryder.
After the new policy updates, the exempt status will change from top 125 to top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings. Sam is someone whose card has always been on the bubble. Over his career spanning 8 years, his rank was below 100 in FedEx Cup standings only once, in 2023, when he finished at 61. Despite that, he has somehow managed to be eligible for all these years. But the new eligibility changes mean he now faces uncertainty and heightened anxiety about holding his card.
Currently at No. 110 on the FedEx Fall standings, Ryder was asked how he feels about the change. To this, he can be seen responding that he feels confident in an Instagram video shared by the PGA Tour. “The positive of that is I am pretty comfortable with it. And I know that when my back’s against the wall, sometimes I kind of play my best golf, and it helps me kind of focus. And I’ll try to use that to my advantage,” said Sam Ryder.
It’s no surprise that the eight-year Tour pro has become comfortable with the situation. His FedEx Cup rankings since 2018 are 101, 107, 108, 112, 108, 61, and 125. In 2025, he stands at 110 in FedEx Fall rankings and may face the consequences of the eligibility change. Most people would have focused on the negative aspects in such situations, but Ryder looks at the positive.
He knows that he has been in similar situations throughout his career. His exempt status has never been certain except in 2023. So he knows the situation and plans to use it to his advantage. Ryder has few opportunities left to improve his standings and get the exempt status. And he is already doing well in the currently ongoing Sanderson Farms Championship.
After the first round, Ryder stands tied at a 3rd position with 7-under par at 65. He managed a birdie on holes 1, 2, 4, 10, 15, 17, and 18 to tie at 3 alongside Eric Cole, Vince Whaley, and Trey Mullinax.
It looks like he is determined to stay true to his word and use his experience to his advantage to climb up and get the exempt status for 2026. After the Sanderson Farms Championship, he’s got a chance to improve standings at the Baycurrent Classic and the Bank of Utah Championship in October, and 3 other tours in November.
The aim of these changes is to improve the PGA Tour. “Today’s announced changes build on the competitive and schedule enhancements incorporated over the last six years in seeking the best version of the PGA TOUR for our fans, players, tournaments and partners,” said PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan.
The Player Advisory Council (PAC) and other management teams made the changes based on feedback from the membership over the course of 2024. Besides this, PGA Tour cards awarded to top Korn Ferry Tour players are reduced from 30 to 20. And instead of five and ties, only five golfers will get PGA Tour Q-School cards.
Field size will also reduce from 156 to 144, and possibly further reductions to 132 or 120 depending on circumstances. The PGA Tour also announced some minor changes to the FedEx Cup point system. But this is not the only time the PGA Tour has made changes to its competitive or schedule structure. Let’s look at some changes from the past.
Major PGA Tour competitive and schedule changes
One of the biggest changes was the introduction of the FedEx Cup. It created a season-long points race resulting in playoffs with progressively smaller fields at 125, 100, 70, and 30 players.

Don Rae Jr., the president of the PGA of America, officially apologized via email to 30,000 golf professionals on Thursday regarding comments about the chants directed at Team Europe during the Ryder Cup.
Rae initially compared the vulgar remarks to those typically heard at a youth soccer game, but he has since retracted those statements in his apology.
Team Europe’s victory over Team USA 15-13 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York last week marked its sixth Ryder Cup victory in the past eight events. However, this year’s event was overshadowed by the behavior of some American fans, who directed personal and profane comments at the European players during their quest for victory.

Rory McIlroy hadn’t even left the practice range last Friday morning when a small section of fans at the Ryder Cup started a profane chant aimed at his image on a video screen at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.
The verbal abuse and other inappropriate behavior directed toward McIlroy and his European teammates worsened as the weekend went on. At one point Saturday a cup of beer sailed out of the crowd and hit the brim of a hat worn by McIlroy’s wife, Erica Stoll, who was walking next to her husband.
The poor treatment didn’t prevent Team Europe from claiming a 15-13 win over the U.S. Afterward, McIlroy told reporters, “What happened here this week is not acceptable” and “I think golf should be held to a higher standard than than what was was seen out there this week.”
Derek Sprague, chief executive of PGA of America, told the Athletic this week that he had apologized to McIlroy and Stoll in an email.
Comedian Heather McMahan, who served as a morning emcee on the first two days of the Ryder Cup, also apologized this week for participating in a profane chant toward McIlroy.
And on Thursday — several days after he had seemingly trivialized the boorish fan behavior at the Ryder Cup by likening it to that of attendees at youth soccer games — PGA of America president Don Rea Jr. finally apologized in an email to the organization’s 30,000-plus members.
“Let me begin with what we must own. While the competition was spirited — especially with the U.S. team’s rally on Sunday afternoon — some fan behavior clearly crossed the line,” Rea wrote in the email, which was viewed by the Associated Press. “It was disrespectful, inappropriate, and not representative of who we are as the PGA of America or as PGA of America golf professionals. We condemn that behavior unequivocally.”
It was a different tone from the one Rea took Sunday when the BBC asked him about the unruly behavior of fans.
“Well, you’ve got 50,000 people here that are really excited, and heck, you could go to a youth soccer game and get some people who say the wrong things,” Rea said. “We tell the fans, booing at somebody doesn’t make them play worse. Typically, it makes them play better. And when our American players have to control the crowds, that distracts them from playing. So our message today to everybody who’s out here is, cheer on the Americans like never before, because that’ll always get them to play better and get them out of crowd control and let them perform.”
Asked specifically about the verbal abuse directed toward McIlroy, Rea said: “You know, it happens when we’re over in Rome on the other side. And Rory understands. I thought he handled the press conference just amazingly. But yeah, things like that are going to happen. And I don’t know what was said, but all I know is golf is the engine of good.”
Sprague, who took over as PGA of America’s chief executive in January, told the Athletic on Wednesday that he had apologized to McIlroy’s manager that morning and asked him to pass along a message to the five-time major champion and his wife.
“I sent a long email to share with Rory and Erica and just told him that we will do better in the future,” Sprague said. “I’m the CEO now. I don’t condone this type of behavior. This is not good for the game of golf. It’s not good for the Ryder Cup. It’s not good for any of the professional athletes, and we will do better.”
In video footage from the first tee Saturday morning, McMahan appeared to be taking part in a profane chant aimed at McIlroy. That night, the PGA of America released a statement saying McMahan had apologized to McIlroy and Team Europe and had stepped down from her first-tee hosting duties.
McMahan addressed the situation Wednesday on her “Absolutely Not” podcast, saying she did not start the chant, as some outlets have reported, and said it only once before realizing it wasn’t something she wanted to take part in.
“I will take full responsibility and sincerely apologize to Rory, Team Europe for saying that,” McMahan said. “It was so foolish of me. I did not start the chant. I would just like that narrative to get out there. I did not start it, but any way that I had participated in that, even just saying it once, was so foolish and silly of me.
“And as soon as it came out and they started chanting, I was just like, ‘Oh, the energy just shifted.’ It went from us trying to be fun and funny … to immediately just was negative and felt really kind of toxic. So as soon as I said that I was like, ‘I don’t want any part of this.’”

Gary Player’s record speaks for itself, and it stands right up there among the game’s elite.
He picked up an astonishing 159 professional wins across the globe, including 24 PGA Tour victories and nine majors.
These days, the South African spends his time sharing his insights on the sport, while also passing along valuable tips to amateurs looking to sharpen their skills.
He built his career on an intense commitment to fitness and hard work, traits that set him apart from so many of his peers.
Even as he nears 90, Player still plays regularly thanks to a lifestyle centred on health and routine exercise.
It is easy to overlook just how much time he gives back to amateur golf, especially with everything else he has going on.
You can find plenty of Player’s advice covering all parts of the game – from putting tips to ball-striking drills to building mental strength. But sometimes, it is about what you should not do. This time around, that was his focus.
Gary Player believes three clubs need to be dropped from your bag
In 2009, Player issued a distinct warning, advising amateur golfers to cease using three specific clubs.
During a golf clinic, he was pretty direct about it by saying: “My advice to every amateur, unless you’re a zero handicap, take your 3-iron, your 5-iron and throw them away. This is the new 5-iron (hybrid). This little club here is so important in golf. You people cannot hit a 5-iron, a 4-iron and a 3-iron. The biggest improvement in golf is the ball and these little clubs here (hybrids).”
This clip might be from more than a decade ago now, but what Player had to say still holds up today.
You can even see top pros making the switch to hybrids and seven woods nowadays.
Gary Player reveals his tips for hitting a better driver
Player has also shared some advice for amateurs looking to become more consistent off the tee.
“That side of that club is cancer (outside the line).
“The secret is this side of the club (inside the line). When you stand here, and you take the club there, you’re looking for trouble.
“Every top player in the world, their hands will come slightly on the inside there with the club-head on the outside of his hands.
“You don’t see that, you never see your club do that (wrist hinge with club being taken away inside the plane). The man who strikes the ball from the inside and keeps the club on line longest is best player.”
This is solid advice from Player. Taking your driver outside can easily lead to a swing path that is difficult to recover from.
If you look at how top pros approach their swings, it usually starts with a good takeaway – everything else builds off that first move.

Garrick Higgo is contending at the Sanderson Farms Championship after shooting 13-under through two rounds.
Higgo opted against hip surgery for a labrum injury, instead changing his workout routine to heal.
The South African golfer recently overhauled his swing with coach Sean Foley, a process that initially led to poor results.
JACKSON — Garrick Higgo’s hip injury didn’t impact his golf swing. Just everything else.
The 26-year-old South African shot a 6-under-par 66 in the second round of the Sanderson Farms Championship on Oct. 3. He is 13 under and had a two-shot lead with about half the field still on the course at the Country Club of Jackson.
Higgo, who has battled a recent hip injury, is finally playing well because of two decisions: To overhaul his swing and to not have surgery.
He was scheduled to have hip surgery in early August. There wasn’t pain or rotation problems when he was swinging, but the injury showed up pretty much everywhere else in his life.

Welcome to GOLF’s Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Each Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh will run you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.
There’s no doubt, the fade has become the preferred shot shape at the upper echelons of golf.
The years of players meticulously crafting their swings to move from the inside out and hit push-draws have been replaced with power players pulling the club inside as hard as they can and hitting left-to-right peelers to retain spin and control.
Min Woo Lee, with his 124+ mph ball speed (fourth on the PGA Tour this season), is no exception. So why did Lee just switch into Callaway’s Eltye Triple Diamond Tour Draw driver head?
To understand why Lee, a modern power hitter who typically plays a fade, would switch into a driver head optimized to hit the ball the other way, we need to understand exactly what the Callaway Triple Diamond Tour Draw (herein referred to as the Triple Diamond TD) platform does.
The Triple Diamond head is Callaway’s Tour-inspired driver profile. It’s a slightly smaller head (450 cc), has more of a pear shape preferred by better players and, most importantly for our purposes, it has a right bias.
Lee won earlier this year at the Texas Children’s Houston Open with the Elyte Triple Diamond head, but notably, he had a wild right miss on the 70th hole, leaving the crucial tee ball in the water. He ended up making a bogey and got the win, but the right miss was the ball Lee feared, and it made him gunshy, according to Callaway Tour Content Manager Johnny Thompson. Lee fell from 5th to 102nd this season in Strokes Gained: Off-the-tee this season and hit just 55 percent of his fairways.
“With Triple Diamond, in the direction that his golf swing went. He was, he was looking up sometimes and seeing like, ‘Man, that kind of really slid and I just don’t feel like the golf swing produced that much slide,’” Thompson said. “That little doubt, which, under high-pressure situations, on those difficult golf courses they play, can be very discomforting, especially coming down the stretch.”
That’s where the Triple Diamond TD solves the problem. The Tour Draw head isn’t your typical draw-bias game improvement driver — although Callaway has a staffer, Alex Noren, who uses one of those for similar reasons.
The TD TD was introduced because Callaway found that players, specifically on lower speed tours like the PGA Tour Champions and LPGA, were setting up Triple Diamond heads to negate some of the head’s right bias. It has less face progression (the face of the driver sits behind the center of the shaft — i.e. more offset) and a different center of gravity to help encourage a straighter start line.
That turned out to be just what Lee needed.
“When they tested the Triple Diamond TD with the guys over in Europe, it was almost plug and play,” Thompson said. “Because he didn’t change his shaft. He didn’t change the length, didn’t change swing weight. The weights were even set up very similarly so that the feel of where the CG is in relation to the shaft axis — all that stuff was fairly similar.
“You could almost call it like a single variable change where they just gave a reduction of right bias.”
The new build paid immediate dividends for Lee two weeks ago at the FedEx Open de France where Lee was No. 2 in SG: Off-the-tee and T1 in driving accuracy on his way to a T5 finish.
This week in Mississippi, despite a lackluster 70-73 showing, Lee ranked inside the top-30 in SG: Off-the-tee, picking up more than a shot-and-a-half on the field.
Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond Tour Draw Custom Driver
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Disappearing 4-irons
First, they came for the 1-irons, then the 2s and 3s. Now, even PGA Tour pros are opting to take 4-irons out of their bags in favor of more forgiving 9-woods and hybrids.
At the Sanderson Farms Championship this week, a 12 players are going without a 4-iron, employing a high-lofted fairway wood or hybrid in its place to attack pins at the Country Club of Jackson.
Even as players opted to remove long irons, for a while it seemed like the trend would stop with 4-irons. But now Tour reps are able to adjust internal weighting of hybrids and high-lofted fairway woods to the point where they can produce any ballflight a player needs.
Many of them are replacing them with Ping 9-woods and hybrids.
“10 years ago, I would imagine there had probably been no players without a 4-iron,” Ping Tour Rep Kenton Oates told GOLF. “Now you have 12 guys not using one.”
PING G440 Max Custom Fairway Wood
The G440 fairway family (MAX, LST, SFT) advances PING’s reputation as a Tour-preferred model of choice through a re-designed face structure and low CG system. The face is taller for more confidence off the tee while maintaining a CG location that delivers high- launching performance off the ground. The MAX model (which fits most golfers) is available in five lofts (including a new 4-wood) to provide more gapping solutions. HIGH MOI Easy to launch, stable design increases forgiveness. FLEXING FACE Maraging steel face flexes for more ball speed, optimizes spin. TALLER FACE PROFILE Improves performance off the tee, maintains low CG. FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness.
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Oates said, with the dramatic uptake in use of launch monitors, players are much more aware of their impact numbers and have become less steep in their angle of attack. Couple that with advances in equipment, especially the golf ball, and even pros with speed lose distance with 4-irons because they don’t spin enough. Then they have a gapping issue.
“Let’s say your 7-iron goes 190, your 6-iron is 203, your 5-iron is at 216, well, then the 4-iron is only going 220 or 223 because it’s just not staying in the air,” he said. “That player probably hits their 7-wood 255.”
That’s when a 9-wood becomes a great option because it can consistently carry 230 yards and modern advancements in weighting allow players to control trajectory better. As a bonus, it’s way more forgiving.
“It feels like you have a pitching wedge that you hit 230 yards, which you can imagine that’s a pretty good feeling to have,” Oates said.
He did give the example of a player with a high ballflight who might find a 9-wood always flies that same peak height. But that’s when you can use a 4- or 5-hybrid to fill the gap like Thriston Lawerence and Paul Petersen are doing this week.
Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot Launch
It’s that time of the year when companies are releasing new 2026 gear seemingly every week.
This week, Odyssey’s Square 2 Square Tri-Hot putters launched on all global tours and GOLF’s Jake Morrow got a look at the new designs at this week’s Epson Tour Championship.
So far, the folks at Odyssey are tight-lipped about the new technology in these putters, but from what we can see, there’s an obvious story of the weighting of these putters compared to the original Odyssey Square 2 Square.
The shaft is placed more forward with the S2S Tri-Hot and because the shaft axis of a zero torque putter must be through the CG of the putter, that mean mass must be pushed forward in these putters. That implies less onset than the original S2S, which should offer a more standard look to those coming from a traditional putter.
There appears to be a new dual-material face insert that maintains the AI Smart Face tech from the Ai-ONE line.
Lastly, a new red and black color scheme bears a striking resemblance to Xander Schauffele’s gamer.
Check this out
This section is dedicated to one cool photo we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. For this week, check out this special TaylorMade MG4 wedge gifted to Rory McIlroy at the Travelers Championship in June to commemorate his Career Grand Slam at the Masters.
Odds and Ends
Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout is in PXG’s new Lightning driver (9˚) and fairway wood (15˚) that launched at the Procore. He has the UST LIN-Q White 7F5 in the driver and a Graphite Design Tour AD XC 7-X in the 3-wood … Both Hayden Buckley and Taylor Montgomery added new Titleist GT2 drivers to the bag and Titleist again had more than double the number of drivers in play (62/46%) of any other brand…. Project X launched the new Denali Frost Black and Blue wood shafts this week … Michael Thorbjornsen and Jacob Bridgeman have inserted TaylorMade’s new TP5 golf ball this week … Nicolai Hojgaard switched into a combo set of Callaway X Forged and the unreleased ’26 Apex MBs … With a 71-67 start, journeyman pro Vince Covello is off to the best 36-hole start of his PGA Tour career in his first week using Titleist’s new Pro V1x Left Dash.
3 things you should read/watch
A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.
Amari Avery: What’s in the Bag? – At this week’s Epson Tour Championship, Jake Morrow takes you through the bag of former USC star and TaylorMade athlete Amari Avery, including how she ended up in a split set of P770 and P7CB irons.
TaylorMade P770 Custom Irons
FORGED HOLLOW BODY CONSTRUCTION The forged hollow body construction gives golfers the best of both worlds; beautyand performance. A soft 8620 carbon steel body is paired with an incredibly thinforged 4140 steel face and Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ for a design that is fast,flexible and forgiving even in a compact head shape. FLTD CG FLTD CG strategically positions the center of gravity (CG) the lowest in the long ironsand progressively shifts higher throughout the set. Using up to 46g of tungsten, FLTDCG is designed to provide players with improved launch and playability in long irons and increase spin in the scoring irons. SPEEDFOAM AIR All new SpeedFoam Air is 69% less dense than its predecessor, creating mass savingsthat is redistributed to improve performance. SpeedFoam Air dampens vibrations forexquisite sound and feel while delivering a fast, flexible face. TOUR-INSPIRED SHAPING Featuring elegant refinements, including less offset in the long irons, the new P•770is designed to fit the eye of a more discerning player with visual cues including a thintopline, less offset, and shorter blade length when compared to the P•790. THRU-SLOT SPEED POCKET The Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ provides increased face flexibility while preserving ballspeed and distance on low face strikes.
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How to fill the top end of your golf bag | Bag Builders — We look at Callaway’s three new long game options in the Apex Utility Series and see how you can use them to build out the top end of your golf bag.
Callaway 2025 Apex Custom Utility Wood
The Apex UW is designed for serious, avid golfers seeking the perfect blend of a fairway wood’s power and a hybrid’s versatility. Engineered with Tour feedback and loaded with performance technologies, it delivers a higher, more neutral ball flight with the control all players demand. TUNGSTEN SPEED WAVE A dynamic, 41g+ tungsten wave structure positions mass low and forward, enhancing ball speed and launch—particularly on low-face strikes where players tend to lose distance. STEP SOLE DESIGN A redesigned sole with a stepped geometry reduces turf interaction, helping to maintain swing speed through impact and promoting more consistent contact across different lies. TRIAXIAL CARBON CROWN The lightweight carbon construction allows for strategic weight redistribution, creating a more forgiving clubhead while refining launch and spin for greater shot-making control. TOUR-INSPIRED SHAPING Designed with input from the world’s best, the compact, refined shape and neutral face angle inspire confidence at address and deliver workability from tee to turf.
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Ryder Cup 2025: Inside the golf bags of Team Europe — Take an inside look at some of the key clubs used by Team Europe on their way to winning their second Ryder Cup in a row last weekend at Bethpage Black.
Want to overhaul your bag in 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

PGA Tour players praise the greens at the Country Club of Jackson during the 2025 Sanderson Farms Championship.
Players described the greens as fast, consistent, and some of the best on the PGA Tour.
JACKSON — The way the greens are cut at the Country Club of Jackson has Tequesta, Florida-resident Eric Cole feeling at home.

Imagine having a hip injury so bad that it hurt when you walked, fighting a brutal battle with your body where surgery felt inevitable. Now, fast forward to a few months, and you’re suddenly leading a $6M PGA Tour event. This is the story of South African Garrick Higgo, smiling through a 13-under after 36 holes at the 2025 Sanderson Farms Championship, like none of that ever happened.
Being atop the leaderboard at the Country Club of Jackson didn’t come easy for Higgo. After winning the 2025 Corales Puntacana Championship, a week after the 2025 Masters in an alternate-field event in the Dominican Republic, he suffered a labrum injury that all but wrecked the rest of the season. At the Sanderson Farms Championship, media asked Higgo if surgery was ever an option. His answer: honest and resilient.
“It wasn’t obvious,” he stated. “It wasn’t hurting me in my swing, but walking made it really bad, and then it would pinch the next day. So just figuring out how I can avoid that. I’ve changed the way I work out, just being a bit more clever with that, I would say,” he told the media. Higgo had to completely overhaul his swin. That wasn’t easy.
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“We started the week of Colonial in 2023. It wasn’t fun. I obviously played terribly last year. If you look at how I used to swing it till now, it’s completely different. That whole time frame it’s tough to play competitively. It’s tough to play—compete when you’re on your best, never mind when you’re changing things,” he shared. And not just his swing, Higgo made a conscious effort to switch things up in the gym too.
His workout now was smarter, lighter, and more targeted, focusing on “single-leg stuff.” They were specific to protecting the joint while still maintaining strength. Even though Higgo boasted that he can lift “pretty heavy,” all that heavy lifting has taken a backseat for now. Instead, it’s about training smarter, not harder. The shift in routine has made a real difference, too.
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“Like 1 out of 10 at the moment,” he said, speaking of whether he still suffers from any pain, adding, “just tired. It gets fatigued pretty quickly.”
Higgo had to withdraw from the Barracuda Championship in July 2025. The reason was his hip. It is now good to see him doing better. He poured in late birdies on Friday in Jackson, including a near hole-out from the bunker on the short par-4 15th, carding 4-under in his back-nine. He ended Friday with a 6-under 66.
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It’s a strong position to be in, especially at an event where, for most of the field, every round is about far more than just chasing the trophy.
While Garrick Higgo is safe, other PGA Tour golfers are grinding for status
While most players in the PGA Tour’s fall series are sweating every shot, grinding for points and praying to stay inside the top 100 of the FedExCup standings, Garrick Higgo is playing with a rare luxury — a secured status. His win at the 2025 Corales Puntacana Championship already locked up his PGA Tour card through 2026, and Garrick Higgo isn’t chasing FedEx Cup points like so many others in the fall season.
The PGA Tour’s Fall Series, which includes this week’s Sanderson Farms Championship, is a crucial stretch for players fighting to secure their status for 2026. There are seven events in total, and new rules have tightened the field — only the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings at the end of the Fall will earn full PGA Tour cards next season, down from 125 in previous years.
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Players who are ranked between 101-125 will have conditional status, making every stroke in every event crucial. Each round in these events isn’t just about trophies or paychecks—it’s a battle for points that could make or break a player’s future. And with that pressure, missing cuts can be costly.
But while Garrick Higgo is not chasing status like many of his peers at the Sanderson Farms Championship, that doesn’t make this stretch meaningless. For him, the fall season isn’t about survival. It’s about momentum, confidence, and proving his rebuilt swing and reworked body can hold up under pressure. While others are playing for a future on Tour, Higgo’s playing to show that his comeback is personal and far from finished.

“It wasn’t fun,” Higgo admitted. “I obviously played terrible last year. If you look at how I used to swing it till now, it’s completely different. That whole time frame, it’s tough to play competitive.” After a season marked by both triumphs and injuries, Higgo now finds himself atop the Sanderson Farms Championship at 6-under par. While that alone is an achievement, the South African is prouder of the lessons he has gathered along the way.
Just weeks ago, he was paired with Scottie Scheffler at the Procore Championship. Though he didn’t win, he walked away with something more valuable. Facing the world No. 1 is rare — and cinematic, given how easily Scheffler rewrites records. And when you do get that chance, you leave with a lesson, a new perspective, or even a sense of awe. That’s exactly what Garrick Higgo carried forward.
“I learned a lot. I couldn’t tell you how much I learned, but I learned so much just by watching,” Higgo told the media. “He’s an inspiration for all of us. He’s set the bar so high. It’s just phenomenal how high his skill level is,” Higgo recalled while answering a question at the press conference in Jackson, Mississippi.
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Scheffler’s final round at the Procore Championship showed why Higgo praised him. After a bogey at 11, he chipped in for birdie on 12 and went on to post six birdies against one bogey, winning his sixth PGA Tour title of 2025 at 19-under-par.
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Higgo shot even-par 71 to finish tied seventh at 14-under, five back. “Obviously, he’s got a great mind too, but it’s just amazing how good he hits the golf ball, and he’s putting great, and he chips great. So yeah,” he said.
Scheffler has turned his putting into a weapon this season. He leads in Strokes Gained (+2.743), ranks top 10 in birdie-or-better conversion, and is 18th in one-putt percentage. His clutch shots at Procore only reinforced Higgo’s words.
After a bogey at 11, Scheffler briefly lost the lead to Ben Griffin. He responded immediately on the par-5 12th, hitting an up-and-down birdie to reclaim the solo lead.
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His season is full of similar moments. At the BMW Championship, he chipped in from 82 feet out of thick rough on 17 for a birdie that sealed the win. At the PLAYERS, he buried a 28-foot birdie putt on a par-3.
For Higgo, such shots highlight Scheffler’s resilience. His own year has been marked by fragility after tearing his hip labrum, an injury that nearly required surgery. Instead, he chose to play through the pain.
“It wasn’t hurting me in my swing, but walking made it really bad, and then it would pinch the next day,” he said. “So just figuring out how I can avoid that.” These changes enabled him to return and win the Corales Puntacana Championship, his second PGA Tour victory. This came after a four-year wait, with his first being at the Palmetto Championship in 2021.
That’s what made Procore week meaningful. Unlike others chasing FedExCup points, Higgo already had status through 2026 and a PLAYERS spot. What he needed was confidence — and he found it watching Scheffler.
And he has not been the only one.
Scottie Scheffler’s undeniable mark on pro golfers
Just like Scottie Scheffler inspired Garrick Higgo, so was Justin Hastings, who launched his PGA Tour career this year. While Higgo’s pairings came on Sunday at Napa Valley, Hastings found himself side by side with the No. 1 in round three. A look to his side, and the rookie forgot how to breathe. “Yeah, it was unreal. I just found myself constantly having to take deep breaths and slow myself down.”
Apart from young golfers, even veterans like Jordan Spieth, who have been trying to find their footing for a while, can’t ignore Scheffler’s rising dominance. After watching the New Jerseyan clinch his first victory of the season at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Spieth said, “What he’s doing is very inspiring, what he’s been doing is inspiring given it wasn’t that long ago I was definitely better than him, and now I’m definitely not right now, and I hate admitting that about anybody.”
On the other hand, Scheffler dislikes being called an inspiration. Ahead of the British Open, he admitted that being put on such a pedestal is not fulfilling for him.
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“I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best golfer in the world because what’s the point? This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.”
This humility does not change the reality for golfers like Higgo or Hastings, who see the standard Mr. Inevitable keeps setting. They will always treat it like a compass.

“It wasn’t fun,” Higgo admitted. “I obviously played terrible last year. If you look at how I used to swing it till now, it’s completely different. That whole time frame, it’s tough to play competitive.” After a season marked by both triumphs and injuries, Higgo now finds himself atop the Sanderson Farms Championship at 6-under par. While that alone is an achievement, the South African is prouder of the lessons he has gathered along the way.
Just weeks ago, he was paired with Scottie Scheffler at the Procore Championship. Though he didn’t win, he walked away with something more valuable. Facing the world No. 1 is rare — and cinematic, given how easily Scheffler rewrites records. And when you do get that chance, you leave with a lesson, a new perspective, or even a sense of awe. That’s exactly what Garrick Higgo carried forward.
“I learned a lot. I couldn’t tell you how much I learned, but I learned so much just by watching,” Higgo told the media. “He’s an inspiration for all of us. He’s set the bar so high. It’s just phenomenal how high his skill level is,” Higgo recalled while answering a question at the press conference in Jackson, Mississippi.
Scheffler’s final round at the Procore Championship showed why Higgo praised him. After a bogey at 11, he chipped in for birdie on 12 and went on to post six birdies against one bogey, winning his sixth PGA Tour title of 2025 at 19-under-par.
Higgo shot even-par 71 to finish tied seventh at 14-under, five back. “Obviously, he’s got a great mind too, but it’s just amazing how good he hits the golf ball, and he’s putting great, and he chips great. So yeah,” he said.
Scheffler has turned his putting into a weapon this season. He leads in Strokes Gained (+2.743), ranks top 10 in birdie-or-better conversion, and is 18th in one-putt percentage. His clutch shots at Procore only reinforced Higgo’s words.
After a bogey at 11, Scheffler briefly lost the lead to Ben Griffin. He responded immediately on the par-5 12th, hitting an up-and-down birdie to reclaim the solo lead.
His season is full of similar moments. At the BMW Championship, he chipped in from 82 feet out of thick rough on 17 for a birdie that sealed the win. At the PLAYERS, he buried a 28-foot birdie putt on a par-3.
For Higgo, such shots highlight Scheffler’s resilience. His own year has been marked by fragility after tearing his hip labrum, an injury that nearly required surgery. Instead, he chose to play through the pain.
“It wasn’t hurting me in my swing, but walking made it really bad, and then it would pinch the next day,” he said. “So just figuring out how I can avoid that.” These changes enabled him to return and win the Corales Puntacana Championship, his second PGA Tour victory. This came after a four-year wait, with his first being at the Palmetto Championship in 2021.
That’s what made Procore week meaningful. Unlike others chasing FedExCup points, Higgo already had status through 2026 and a PLAYERS spot. What he needed was confidence — and he found it watching Scheffler.
And he has not been the only one.
Scottie Scheffler’s undeniable mark on pro golfers
Just like Scottie Scheffler inspired Garrick Higgo, so was Justin Hastings, who launched his PGA Tour career this year. While Higgo’s pairings came on Sunday at Napa Valley, Hastings found himself side by side with the No. 1 in round three. A look to his side, and the rookie forgot how to breathe. “Yeah, it was unreal. I just found myself constantly having to take deep breaths and slow myself down.”
Apart from young golfers, even veterans like Jordan Spieth, who have been trying to find their footing for a while, can’t ignore Scheffler’s rising dominance. After watching the New Jerseyan clinch his first victory of the season at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Spieth said, “What he’s doing is very inspiring, what he’s been doing is inspiring given it wasn’t that long ago I was definitely better than him, and now I’m definitely not right now, and I hate admitting that about anybody.”
On the other hand, Scheffler dislikes being called an inspiration. Ahead of the British Open, he admitted that being put on such a pedestal is not fulfilling for him.
“I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best golfer in the world because what’s the point? This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.”
This humility does not change the reality for golfers like Higgo or Hastings, who see the standard Mr. Inevitable keeps setting. They will always treat it like a compass.