McIlroy returns to St. Andrews for Dunhill; LPGA in Texas
By The Associated Press
EUROPEAN TOUR
ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: St. Andrews, Scotland.
Courses: St. Andrews (Yardage: 7,318. Par: 72); Carnoustie GL (Yardage: 7,394. Par: 72); Kingsbarns GL (Yardage: 7,227. Par: 72).
Prize money: $5 million. Winner’s share: $833,333.
Television: Thursday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel); Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Danny Willett.
DP World Tour points leader: Rory McIlroy.
Last week: Guido Migliozzi won the French Open.
Notes: Rory McIlroy leads a strong field at the tournament that has two major championship courses — St. Andrews and Carnoustie — in the rotation. McIlroy lost the 54-hole lead at St. Andrews in the British Open this year. … Defending champion Danny Willett is making his first start since he lost the PGA Tour season opener by three-putting from 4 feet on the last hole. … A dozen regulars from Saudi-funded LIV Golf are in the field. That includes Talor Gooch, who had never played a European tour event until this year. They are suspended from the PGA Tour. … Billy Horschel has gone from his first Presidents Cup to his second European tour event this month. Also going from Quail Hollow to St. Andrews is Geoff Ogilvy, who was an assistant captain for the International team. … Padraig Harrington was closing in on the PGA Tour Champions money lead until coming over to the European tour to play. … Sean O’Hair is among the Americans playing.
Next week: Spanish Open.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
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PGA TOUR
SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Jackson, Mississippi.
Course: Country Club of Jackson. Yardage: 7,461. Par: 72.
Prize money: $7.9 million. Winner’s share: $1,422,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Sam Burns.
FedEx Cup leader: Max Homa.
Last tournament: Max Homa won the Fortinet Championship.
Notes: Sam Burns won the first of his three PGA Tour titles last year at the Sanderson Farms. … Two PGA Tour rookies were in contention last year, Cameron Young and Sahith Theegala. Young went on to five runner-up finishes and is likely to be named rookie of the year. Theegala had two more chances to win and reached the Tour Championship. … Theegala is in the field. Young is taking the week off after making his Presidents Cup debut. … Harris English and Keegan Bradley are in the field, giving the tournament three of the top 50 in the world ranking. … Burns and Christiaan Bezuidenhout are the only two players who competed in the Presidents Cup last week. … Davis Riley grew up in Mississippi and is one of the bigger attractions. He was a candidate for PGA Tour rookie of the year but narrowly missed out on the Tour Championship.
Next week: Shriners Children’s Open.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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LPGA TOUR
THE ASCENDANT LPGA
Site: The Colony, Texas.
Course: Old American GC. Yardage: 6,475. Par: 71.
Prize money: $1.7 million. Winner’s share: $255,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 12:30-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Jin Young Ko.
Race to CME Globe leader: Minjee Lee.
Last week: Atthaya Thitikul won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
Notes: This is the second time Jin Young Ko will not defend her title as she rests her injured wrist for the end of the season. Ko is No. 1 in the women’s world ranking. … Nelly Korda is in the field as she tries to regain the No. 1 ranking while Ko is out. Korda has yet to win on the LPGA Tour this year. She missed four months this year because of a blood clot in her left arm. … Cheyenne Knight holds the tournament record at 18-under 266. … Among the sponsor exemptions are Texas teen amateur Avery Zweig. … The field includes six of the top 10 in the world ranking. … Lexi Thompson is playing as she tries to end the longest winless drought of her career. She has not won on the LPGA Tour since the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June 2019. … The tournament dates to 2013. It previously was sponsored by Volunteers of America, which now is a presenting sponsor. … The LPGA goes to California next week before its two-tournament Asia swing over the next month.
Next week: LPGA Mediheal Championship.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Last week: Steve Flesch won the Pure Insurance Championship.
Next week: Constellation Furyk & Friends.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/champions.html
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OTHER TOURS
Epson Tour: Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic, Ol’ Colony GC, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Defending champion: New event. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/
Japan Golf Tour: Vantelin Tokai Classic, Miyoshi CC (West), Aichi, Japan. Defending champion: Chan Kim. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/
Asian Tour: Mercuries Taiwan Masters, Taiwan Golf and CC, Tamsui, Taiwan. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://asiantour.com/
Challenge Tour: Hopps Provence Open, Golf International de Pont Royal, Mallemort, France. Defending champion: Alfie Plant. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/
Japan LPGA: Japan Women’s Open Golf Championship, Murasaki CC (Sumire), Chiba, Japan. Defending champion: Minami Katsu. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
Sunshine Tour: Vodacom Origins of Golf, St. Francis Links, St. Francis Bay, South Africa. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/
Korea LPGA: Hana Financial Group Championship, Bear’s Best Cheongna, Incheon, South Korea. Defending champion: Ga Eun Song. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/
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