PGA Tour goes to Las Vegas and Jon Rahm makes another European tour start in Spain
PGA Tour
SHRINERS CHILDREN'S OPEN
Site: Las Vegas.
Course: TPC Summerlin. Yardage: 7,255. Par: 71.
Prize money: $7 million. Winner's share: $1.26 million.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Tom Kim.
FedEx Cup champion: Scottie Scheffler.
Last week: Matt McCarty won the Black Desert Championship.
Notes: Matt McCarty is in the field coming off his first PGA Tour win last week in Utah. He says he always tried to Monday qualify for Las Vegas. ... Henrik Norlander finished in the top 10 last week to earn a spot in the field. He moved up 12 spots in the FedEx Cup to No. 119. ... Tom Kim has two of his three PGA Tour victories in Las Vegas and is going for his third straight win at the Shriners Children's Open. The last player to win the same tournament three straight times was Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic from 2009 through 2011. ... The field has six players from the top 50 in the world ranking. ... Former British Amateur champion Christo Lamprecht received a sponsor exemption. He gave up his spot in the U.S. Open this year to turn pro and play the Korn Ferry Tour. ... Tom Hoge is among eight players in Las Vegas who finished in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup this year.
Next week: Zozo Championship.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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European Tour
ANDALUCIA MASTERS
Site: San Roque, Spain.
Course: Real Club de Golf Sotogrande. Yardage: 7,101. Par: 72.
Purse: $3.25 million. Winner's share: $541,667.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel); Sunday, 5-10 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Adrian Meronk.
Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
Last week: Dan Bradbury won the FedEx French Open.
Notes: Jon Rahm is making his third European tour start in the last four weeks and at No. 14 is the highest-ranked player in golf playing this week. ... David Puig and Eugenio Chacarra, two other LIV Golf players from Spain, are in the field. ... Kevin Chappell is making his second European tour start through a category for players who finished between Nos. 126 and 200 in the FedEx Cup last year. He tied for 38th in the Czech Masters. ... This is the final tournament of the year on European soil for the European tour. The last tournaments are in South Korea, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. ... The field has only two players from the top 50 in the world ranking, Rahm and Thriston Lawrence of South Africa. ... The tournament dates to 2010. Matt Fitzpatrick (2021) and Christiaan Bezuidenhout (2019) are the only past champions who have never played for LIV Golf.
Next week: Genesis Championship in South Korea.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
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LPGA Tour
BMW LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Paju, South Korea.
Course: Seowon Hills GC. Yardage: 6,680. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2.2 million. Winner's share: $330,000.
Television: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Minjee Lee.
Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.
Last week: Ruoning Yin won the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
Notes: This is the second stop in the four-week Asia swing. ... The field features nine of the top 10 in the Race to CME Globe, minus top-ranked Nelly Korda. She has not played since the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati on Sept. 22. ... Three of the four editions of the BMW Ladies Championship have been decided by a playoff. The exception was Lydia Ko winning by four shots in 2022. ... Danielle Kang is playing on a sponsor exemption. She has gone 30 consecutive starts worldwide without a top 10 and has plunged to No. 191 in the women's world ranking. ... The tournament has a 78-player field. ... Five players have gone over the $2 million mark in earnings this year on the LPGA. ... Mao Saigo of Japan is leading the points race for LPGA rookie of the year. She is in the field this week after finishing runner-up to Ruoning Yin in Shanghai last week.
Next week: Maybank Championship.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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PGA Tour Champions
DOMINION ENERGY CHARITY CLASSIC
Site: Richmond, Virginia.
Course: The Country Club of Virginia (James River). Yardage: 7,025. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2.3 million. Winner's share: $345,000.
Television: Friday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Harrison Frazar.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Ernie Els.
Last week: Jerry Kelly won the SAS Championship.
Notes: This is the first of three tournaments that make up the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs. The top 72 players qualify for the postseason, though the Dominion Energy Charity Classic has only 70 players. ... Steve Stricker (No. 5) and Harrison Frazar (No. 64) are not playing. ... The top 54 advance to the second postseason event in Arkansas, and then the leading 36 players reach Phoenix for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. ... Ernie Els is the No. 1 seed for the first time in his PGA Tour Champions career going to the postseason. ... Jerry Kelly won last week for the first time in two years. He has been coping with rheumatoid arthritis. ... Angel Cabrera reached the postseason in his first full season on the PGA Tour Champions since serving a prison sentence for gender violence. ... Woody Austin was the only player to move into the top 72 last week to qualify for the first playoff event.
Next week: Simmons Bank Championship.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
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Other tours
Asian Tour: Black Mountain Championship, Black Mountain GC, Hua Hin, Thailand. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://asiantour.com/
Challenge Tour: Hangzhou Open, Hangzhou West Lake GC, Hangzhou, China. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/
PGA Tour of Australasia: Nexus Advisernet WA Open, Mandurah CC, Halls Head, Australia. Defending champion: Simon Hawkes. Online: https://pga.org.au/
Sunshine Tour: Fortress Invitational, Glendower GC, Edenvale, South Africa. Defending champion: Robin Williams. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/
Japan LPGA: Nobuta Group Masters, Masters GC, Hyogo, Japan. Defending champion: Nana Suganuma. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
Korea LPGA: Sangsangin Hankyung TV Open, South Springs CC, Incheon, South Korea. Defending champion: Jinhee Im. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/
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