McIlroy begins Ryder Cup tuneup at the Irish Open. Cincinnati is last LPGA stop before Solheim Cup
EUROPEAN TOUR
HORIZON IRISH OPEN
Site: Straffan, Ireland.
Course: The K Club. Yardage: 7,350. Par: 72.
Prize money: $6 million. Winner's share: $1 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Adrian Meronk.
Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
Last week: Ludvig Aberg won the Omega European Masters.
Notes: Rory McIlroy leads the field with the Ryder Cup only three weeks away. The other Ryder Cup players in the field are Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton. ... McIlroy won the Irish Open in 2016. This is his 13th time playing his national open. ... The K Club previously hosted the Irish Open in 2016. It is best known for holding the 2006 Ryder Cup that Europe won. ... Lowry won the 2009 Irish Open when he was still an amateur. ... Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is playing, along with three of his assistant captains — Nicolas Colsaerts, Edoardo Molinari and Thomas Bjorn. ... Adam Scott is playing for the first time since narrowly missing the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour. ... Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge are among the Americans playing this year. ... Adrian Meronk of Poland earned his first European tour title last year at Mount Juliet. ... The tournament was played last year the first weekend in July. Padraig Harrington is in the field for his national open instead of defending his title this week on the PGA Tour Champions.
Next week: BMW PGA Championship.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
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LPGA TOUR
KROGER QUEEN CITY CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Cincinnati.
Course: Kendale CC (Kendale). Yardage: 6,515. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $300,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Ally Ewing.
Race to CME Globe leader: Celine Boutier.
Last week: Chanettee Wannasaen won the Portland Classic.
Notes: This is the final tournament before the Solheim Cup in Spain. The Americans have eight of their 12 players in the field, missing only Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, Lilia Vu and Megan Khang. ... Korda is among seven Solheim Cup players who have yet to win on the LPGA Tour this year. ... Lexi Thompson is in the field. Her last victory was in 2019, and she has missed her last four cuts dating to the Women's PGA Championship (tie for 47th) in June. ... This is the 10th consecutive week on the LPGA Tour, a stretch that began with the U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach and has included stops in Scotland, France, England, Northern Ireland and Canada. ... Rose Zhang accepted a sponsor invitation when she turned pro and then won in her first LPGA Tour start in early June. ... Gabi Ruffels is playing on a sponsor exemption. She already has locked up her LPGA card for 2024 based on multiple Epson Tour wins. ... The field includes U.S. Women's Open champion Allisen Corpuz and KPMG Women's PGA winner Ruoning Yin.
Next tournament: Solheim Cup on Sept. 22-24.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
ASCENSION CHARITY CLASSIC
Site: St. Louis.
Course: Norwood Hills CC. Yardage: 6,992. Par: 71.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $300,000.
Television: Friday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 5-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Previous winner: Padraig Harrington.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steve Stricker.
Last tournament: Vijay Singh won The Ally Challenge.
Notes: Padraig Harrington is not defending his title to play in his national Irish Open on the European tour. ... Steve Stricker is not playing. He is one of five vice captains for the U.S. Ryder Cup team that is taking a scouting trip to Marco Simone in Italy later in the week. ... St. Louis native Jay Williamson is playing on a sponsor exemption. ... Stephen Ames has four victories this year on the PGA Tour Champions. A win this week would tie him with Stricker for most in 2023. Three of Stricker's five wins were senior majors. ... Paul Goydos is playing, two weeks after he five-putted from 18 feet that cost him a victory in Michigan. ... The last seven tournaments on the PGA Tour Champions schedule have been won by seven players. ... The PGA Tour Champions announced a new tournament in Little Rock, Arkansas, next year. ... Mark Hensby and Ken Duke are the only first-time winners this season.
Next week: Sanford International.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
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PGA TOUR
Last tournament: Viktor Hovland won the Tour Championship.
Next week: Fortinet Championship.
FedEx Cup champion: Viktor Hovland.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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KORN FERRY TOUR
Last tournament: Chan Kim won the Albertsons Boise Open.
Next week: Simmons Bank Open.
Points leader: Ben Kohles.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour
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LIV GOLF
Last tournament: Cameron Smith won LIV Golf-Greenbrier.
Next tournament: LIV Golf-Chicago on Sept. 22-24.
Points leader: Cameron Smith.
Online: https://www.livgolf.com/
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OTHER TOURS
Epson Tour: Black Desert Resort Championship, Soldier Hollow GC (Silver), Salt Lake City. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/
Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour: Shinhan Donghae Open, Ocean Course at Club72, Incheon, South Korea. Previous winner: Kazuki Higa. Television: Wednesday-Thursday, midnight-4 a.m. (Golf Channel); Friday-Saturday, 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. (Golf Channel). Online: https://asiantour.com/ and https://www.jgto.org/en/
Challenge Tour: Challenge de Espana, Club de Golf Playa Serena, Almeria, Spain. Previous winner: Jens Dantorp. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/
Ladies European Tour: Big Green Egg Open, Hilversumsche GC, Hilversum, Netherlands. Defending champion: Anna Nordqvist. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
PGA Tour Canada: Fortinet Cup Championship, Country Hills GC. Calgary, Alberta. Defending champion: Tom McBroom. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/canada
Legends Tour: WCM Legends Open de France, Golf de Saint-Cloud, Rueil-Malmaison, France. Defending champion: Gary Marks. Online: https://www.legendstour.com/
Japan LPGA: JLPGA Championship Konica Minolta Cup, Passage Kinkai Island GC, Nagasaki, Japan. Defending champion: Haruka Kawasaki. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
