Europe tries to capture the Solheim Cup for a 3rd straight time. PGA Tour fall starts in California
LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour
SOLHEIM CUP
Site: Gainesville, Virginia.
Course: Robert Trent Jones GC. Yardage: 6,706. Par: 72.
Television: Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 8:45 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel), noon to 3 p.m. (NBC).
Defending champion: Europe.
Last time: Europe overcame a 4-0 deficit after the opening session in Spain to tie the matches through team play. Europe tied in the 12 singles matches for the first tie in Solheim Cup history. Europe won the cup because it was the defending champion.
Series: United States leads 10-7-1.
Notes: Europe will try to capture the Solheim Cup for the fourth straight time. Neither team has won the cup four times in a row. ... The Americans haven't won the Solheim Cup since 2017 when the matches were in Iowa. Lexi Thompson was the only current player on that U.S. team. ... The Americans have two Solheim Cup rookies in two-time LPGA winner Lauren Coughlin and Sarah Schmelzel. Europe's only rookie is Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland. ... Europe is represented by players from eight countries, with four players coming from Sweden. ... Thompson, who said she would retire from a full schedule after this year without saying what that would mean, is playing for the seventh straight time. ... The Robert Trent Jones Golf Club previously hosted the Presidents Cup in 1994, 1996 and 2000. ... European captain Suzann Pettersen made the winning putt in her last Solheim Cup appearance.
Next venue: Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, Netherlands, in 2026.
Online: https://www.solheimcup.com/
PGA Tour
PROCORE CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Napa, California.
Course: Silverado Resort (North). Yardage: 7, 123. Par: 72.
Prize money: $6 million. Winner's share: $1.08 million.
Television: Thursday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Friday-Saturday, 6-9:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Sahith Theegala.
FedEx Cup champion: Scottie Scheffler.
Last tournament: Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship.
Notes: The tournament has a new title sponsor and starts the fall portion of the FedEx Cup. The top 125 after the fall keep full PGA Tour cards. The players who finished between No. 51 and No. 60 are eligible for the first two $20 million signature events next year. ... Six players in the Presidents Cup — three from each team — are playing at Silverado. Also playing is International captain Mike Weir, who won the event in 2007. ... Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton, the No. 1 amateur in the world, was given a sponsor exemption. Clanton has three top-10 finishes in six PGA Tour starts this summer, including a runner-up in the John Deere Classic. ... Tom Hoge is among three players from the Tour Championship who are at Silverado, and the only one of the three who is not in the Presidents Cup. ... Stewart Cink is in the field. A past champion at Silverado, he is coming off a win and a third-place finish on the PGA Tour Champions.
Next tournament: Presidents Cup on Sept. 27-30.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
European Tour
AMGEN IRISH OPEN
Site: Newcastle, Northern Ireland.
Course: Royal County Down. Yardage: 7,186. Par: 71.
Prize money: $6 million. Winner's share: $1 million.
Television: Thursday, 3:30-6:30 a.m., 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Friday, 6:30-8 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (NBC Sports app); Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (NBC Sports app); Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (NBC Sports app), noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay).
Defending champion: Vincent Norrman.
Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
Last week: Matt Wallace won the Omega European Masters.
Notes: The Irish Open goes to Royal County Down, regarded as one of the best links in the world. It shows by the quality of the field, which includes Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre and Nicolai Hojgaard. All were part of Europe's winning Ryder Cup team last year. ... The prize fund of $6 million is equal to what the PGA Tour is offering this week in California. Also equal are the number of players (4) from the top 50 in the world ranking. ... The European tour's flagship event is next week at Wentworth. ... Lowry won the Irish Open in 2009 when he was still an amateur. ... The only other time the Irish Open was held at Royal County Down as a European tour event was in 2015 when it was won by Soren Kjeldsen. It was held three other times at Royal County Down. ... The tournament dates to 1927. ... McIlroy has only won his national Open once, in 2016 when it was at The K Club.
Next week: BMW PGA Championship.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
LIV Golf League
LIV GOLF CHICAGO
Site: Bolingbrook, Illinois.
Course: Bolingbrook GC. Yardage: 7,131. Par: 70.
Prize money: $20 million. Winner's share: $4 million.
Television: Friday, 1-6 p.m. (CW app); Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (The CW Network).
Defending champion: Bryson DeChambeau.
Points leader: Jon Rahm.
Last tournament: Brooks Koepka won LIV Golf Greenbrier.
Notes: Jon Rahm has a narrow lead over Joaquin Niemann in the season points race. They are the only two players who can win because LIV Golf Chicago is the last tournament of the year that counts toward individual play. ... Talor Gooch, a three-time winner on LIV Golf last year, and two-time winner Cameron Smith have their final chance to win this year. Smith likely will have tournaments in Australia at the end of the year. ... Bryson DeChambeau has yet to win on LIV Golf this year, although he does have the U.S. Open trophy. ... This is the final event for players to move into the top 24 and be guaranteed a roster spot in the Saudi-funded league next year. Some players at the bottom of the standings face being relegated out of the league. ... For the majority of the players who aren't in the majors, this is only the second LIV Golf event in the last six weeks. ... Bolingbrook is about 35 miles west of Chicago.
Next week: LIV Golf Team Championship Dallas.
Online: https://www.livgolf.com/
PGA Tour Champions
SANFORD INTERNATIONAL
Site: Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Course: Minnehaha CC. Yardage: 6,747. Par: 70.
Prize money: $2.1 million. Winner's share: $315,000.
Television: Friday-Sunday, 4-6 p.m. (NBC Sports app), 10 p.m. to midnight (Golf Channel-tape delay).
Defending champion: Steve Stricker.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Ernie Els.
Last week: Y.E. Yang won the Ascension Charity Classic.
Notes: Steve Stricker is a three-time winner of the tournament since it began in 2018, including the last two years. ... Stricker won six times on the PGA Tour Champions last year and won the Charles Schwab Cup without competing in the postseason. He has yet to win this year. ... Y.E. Yang won his first senior title last week. The PGA Tour Champions has had as many South Korean winner this year (Yang and K.J. Choi) as the LPGA Tour (Haeran Ryu and Amy Yang). ... Ernie Els is holding a slim lead in the Charles Schwab Cup. ... Former European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn received a sponsor exemption for the second straight week. ... The Champions Tour continues a westward movement by going to Pebble Beach next week, before a week off and then playing in Jacksonville, Florida. ... Stephen Ames and Els are the only three-time winners on the PGA Tour Champions this year.
Next week: Pure Insurance Championship.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
Korn Ferry Tour
SIMMONS BANK OPEN
Site: Franklin, Tennessee.
Course: Vanderbilt Legends Club (North): Yardage: 7,197. Par: 70.
Prize money: $1.5 million. Winner's share: $270,000.
Television: Thursday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel); Friday, 4-6 p.m. (NBC Sports app); Saturday, 4-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 3-4 p.m. (NBC Sports app), 4-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Previous winner: Grayson Murray.
Points leader: Matt McCarty.
Last tournament: Matt McCarty won the Albertsons Boise Open.
Next week: Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour
Other tours
Epson Tour: Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic, Ol' Colony GC, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Previous winner: Isabella Fierro. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/
Japan Golf Tour: ANA Open, Sapporo GC (Wattsu), Hokkaido, Japan. Defending champion: Hideto Tanihara. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/
Challenge Tour: Portugal Open at Royal Obidos, Royal Obidos Spa & Golf Resort, Vau Obidos, Portugal. Previous winner: Marco Penge. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/
Sunshine Tour: Bain’s Whisky Ubunye Championship, Silver Lakes Golf and Wildlife Estate, Pretoria, South Africa. Defending champion: New event. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/
Japan LPGA: Sumitomo Life Vitality Ladies Tokai Classic, Shin Minami Aichi CC (Mihama), Aichi, Japan. Defending champion: Akie Iwai. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
Korea LPGA: OK Savings Bank Open, Club 72 GC, Incheon, South Korea. Defending champion: Da Som Ma. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/
Legends Tour: European Legends Cup, Golf Almerimar, Andalucia, Spain. Defending champion: New event. Online: https://www.legendstour.com/
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