Welcome to win country, welcome to the grind that is the 2022-23 PGA Tour season.
After three weeks off, the new Tour season begins and this will mark the last of what has been come to be known as “The Cross-over Season” — that span of events between the Tour Championship and the end of the calendar year.
In 2024, the schedule, in fact, just about everything changes on the PGA Tour.
But first things first. Time for the Fortinet and that means a trip back to wine country for Max Homa where he collected his third PGA Tour win last year at the Silverado Resort where Johnny Miller plays host. After a fairly quiet start with rounds of 67-72, Homa lit it up with a pair of 65s on the weekend. His Sunday afternoon finish was dramatic at the least. After a bogey at the 10th hole set him back, he responded by holing out his second at the par four 12th from 94 yards for eagle. He then ran in a 21-footer for birdie t the 13th, made a two-putt birdie at the par five 16th then dropped in another birdie putt at 17 from 18 1/2 feet. He finished 19-under and edged young Maverick McNealy by a shot.
“That first and second win, it releases a lot of pressure and you end up playing better,” Homa said this week as he looked back on that third victory.
Another notable in the field is Hideki Matsuyama, who has been troubled as of late by a neck issue. Hideki will get in some work to prepare for next week’s Presidents Cup matches in Charlotte.
Rickie Fowler is looking for that comeback season. Fowler has made a caddie change and also made the decision to return to his former swing coach, Butch Harmon.
This week’s field will also have 28 players who earned their PGA Tour cards between the regular season Korn Ferry Tour and the KFT playoffs.
A word to the rookies and those who re-gained their cards — get out and play well in the cross-over events. When the re-shuffle comes before 2023, you don’t want to lose ground and get shut out of the events that start in 2023.
Shane Lowry: “One For The Good Guys”
Three players who make up a big part of the European Ryder Cup team finished first and T2 last week at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Shane Lowry took the title with Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy tied a shot behind. The victory put Lowry back in side the world’s top 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings as he checks in at No. 19.
The field included 18 LIV players, who were, for the most part, a non-factor, including Sergio Garcia who shot 76 on Thursday then withdrew without giving a reason and flew back to the United States, leaving the DP World Tour fairly pissed off.
Lowry made statement after his win: “I wanted to go out and win this tournament for myself first and foremost but I think for this Tour. Everyone that’s stayed loyal to this Tour and everyone that’s done everything for this Tour. I feel like this is one for the good guys.”
8 Comments
forky76
I get that you don’t like LIV, but the bias in your reporting is quite remarkable.. 18 LIV players, were for the most part, a non factor.. lol. I count 2 in the top 5 and 9 in the top 25. Reed and Gooch spent large parts of the afternoon on top of the leaderboard.
Tom Edrington
Reed gained no world ranking points, most didn’t. Those who know what LIV stands for and where the money comes from and the humans rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, well, I stand for human rights, not the right to steal from a public employee’s pension fund to pay off Phil Mickelson’s substantial gambling debts…..I do not consider LIV a legitimate tour, it meets all the criteria for an exhibition…..it’s a joke, it has about 10 players who can actually be competitive…..Cam Smith should have a field day but he failed to win his first outing…..You’re correct in your observation that I have a bias against human-rights abusing countries, ie The Saudis who try and improve their situation through sports washing and this is a prime example…..there’s no business model, they’ve already thrown at least $2 billion at a venture that cannot turn a one dollar profit……They’re already spent the net worth of the PGA Tour…..
forky76
If you let your biases and prejudices get in the way of reporting the facts, then you lose credibility. It is a fact that some of the liv guys were a big factor in the finish of the bmw last Sunday, and that is not how you have reported it.
Tom Edrington
Not bias or prejudice, BELIEFS that the Saudis are human-rights abusers, that is a FACT, things they touch are toxic, Apple TV just gave a firm NO, to broadcasting the circus that is LIV; In my view, a big factor is finishing ONE TWO OR THREE……all good guys in the top three as Shane said, he won one for the Good Guys…..it is inherently WRONG to steal from a public employee pension plan to overpay guys like Mickelson who have a hard time shooting par, he’s averaging around 74 on the exhibition. If you want LIV stuff, you can simply go to their site and hang out there. And, by the way, I noticed the broadcast of the BMW PGA Championship gave NO air time to the Defectors, I think they showed Gooch shaking hands with someone at the finish, that’s it.
forky76
In your reply to my first comment you say you do have biases, now you don’t.. make your mind up.
I wasn’t looking for another rant on the morality of liv, that has been discussed ad nauseum elsewhere. I dont disagree with a lot of your points. Despite what you think about me I am not an advocate for liv. I just like to watch good players play golf, and whether you like to admit it or not, liv has assembled a pretty decent roster of players. They have had their hits and misses, but the product so far as been relatively entertaining. I especially like it has made the pga tour make some long overdue changes that would never have happened otherwise.
Back to the bmw.. Patrick Reed went out early and shot one of the rounds of the day to take the lead for a big part of the early afternoon. Until he was run down by Talor Gooch, who eagled the last with perhaps the shot of the week. He too held the lead and was ultimately ran down by Rahm and Lowry. To say the liv players were a non factor is just false. I watched sky sports and it was a quite balanced coverage with lots of shots from the liv players. I have read online the golf channel aired a heavily edited feed in the US, so I guess that is what you saw. Tell me again the pga tour are not controlling the narrative of the media in the us??
Tom Edrington
LIV is creating constant propaganda, they just bought two “influencers” in the UK to spread their BS. Most of the US media believes what I believe, that it’s basically an atrocity to murder a media member (Washington Post correspondent) then dismember said media member for being critical of the Saudi cruelty……I will put you in the 15 percent who watch or care about LIV, I fall into the 85 percent who wouldn’t watch that nonsense.
forky76
Once again you haven’t really addressed my comment, you have given me another rant about morality.
I can’t remember how I got on your mailing list a few years ago, but I’ve never unsubscribed because I have genuinely found your articles to be interesting and thought provoking. But you have just lost all sense of objectivity at the moment. You are being blinded by your hatred of liv that you can’t see the forest from the trees.
Your articles at the minute seem to either not report things factually (the finish of the bmw) to straight out making stuff up (varner being dumped by Jordan).
Tom Edrington
I don’t “rant” Forky, I prefer facts, as APPLE TV said after turning down LIV, the entire situation is “TOXIC”……I do not “HATE” LIV, I simply recognize how despicable the Regime is that backs this sports-washing venture….now let me give you a journalism lesson, there is news-writing and “Op-Ed” writing…..I inject “Op-Ed” into everything…..my opinion, my beliefs…..we can neither confirm or deny that Varner has been dropped by Nike, given that the majority of American companies find association with this regime to be “TOXIC” per Apple, well, he may still be wearing the stuff in his closet but at some point they’ll stop paying him to wear it. And once again, you are saying something that is not true, referring to my “hatred” of LIV…..making up statement like that will lead to the “trash” button.