PGA Tour stays in Florida. LPGA and PGA Tour Champions begin a Western swing
PGA TOUR
VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Palm Harbor, Florida.
Course: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead). Yardage: 7,340. Par: 71.
Prize money: $8.4 million. Winner's share: $1.512 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
Defending champion: Taylor Moore.
FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.
Last week: Scottie Scheffler won The Players Championship.
Notes: The tournament follows Bay Hill with a $20 million purse and The Players Championship with a $25 million purse. It still attracted a reasonably good field, with five players from the top 20 in the world. ... British Open champion Brian Harman is the only player from the top 10 in the world. Patrick Cantlay was planning to play until he withdrew from the tournament on Monday. ... Jordan Spieth is playing. He won the tournament in 2015. Spieth and Justin Thomas, also in the field, are coming off a missed cut at The Players Championship. ... There are two weeks remaining for players to get into the top 50 if they are not already in the Masters. Among those on the bubble are Tom Hoge and Christiaan Bezuidenhout ... The Copperhead course at Innisbrook is regarded as one of the best tournament courses in Florida. ... European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald received a sponsor exemption. He won in 2012.
Next week: Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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LPGA TOUR
FIR HILLS SERI PAK CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Palos Verdes Estates, California.
Course: Palos Verdes GC. Yardage: 6,447. Par: 71.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $300,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Ruoning Yin.
Race to CME Globe leader: Lydia Ko.
Last tournament: Bailey Tardy won the Blue Bay LPGA.
Notes: The LPGA Tour begins a three-week stretch in California, Arizona and Nevada that will lead to its first major championship of the year. Seri Pak is the tournament host for the first time. Pak is one of the most influential players in LPGA history, a pioneer for South Korean players to follow her path. ... Ruoning Yin of China won last year and then went on to win her first major at the KPGA Women's PGA Championship. ... Nelly Korda is playing for the first time since willing in Florida. She skipped the three-week Asian swing. ... Rose Zhang has taken off for her studies at Stanford. She is playing for the first time since a tie for seventh in the season opener in January. ... Lilia Vu, the No. 1 player in the women's world ranking, had to withdraw from the last two Asia events because of illness. She is in the field. ... Among those getting a sponsor exemption is Jiyai Shin of South Korea, a former world No. 1.
Next week: Ford Championship.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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EUROPEAN TOUR
PORSCHE SINGAPORE CLASSIC
Site: Singapore.
Course: Laguna National Golf Resort. Yardage: 7,420. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2.5 million. Winner's share: $416,667.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 1-6 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 12-3 a.m. (Golf Channel); 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Ockie Strydom.
Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
Last tournament: Matteo Manassero won the Jonsson Workwear Open.
Notes: The European tour now starts a five-tournament swing through Asia, going to Singapore, India, South Korea, Japan and China through the first week of May. ... Shane Lowry and Torrey Pines winner Matthieu Pavon give the field two players from the top 50 in the world. ... Paul Casey is playing. He has a relationship with Porsche. Casey now plays with LIV Golf and lost in a playoff in Hong Kong at the last LIV event. ... There is a separate bonus pool for the Asian swing, with $200,000 going to the winner and a spot in the big events toward the end of the season. ... Matteo Manassero is playing for the first time since he won in South Africa. ... Yannick Paul of Germany is competing for one of two Olympic spots, with Matti Schmid making ground on him at The Players Championship. ... Porsche previously sponsored the European Open in Germany.
Next week: Hero Indian Open.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
HOAG CLASSIC
Site: Newport Beach, California.
Course: Newport Beach CC. Yardage: 6,821. Par: 71.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner's share: $300,000.
Television: Friday, 10 p.m. to midnight (Golf Channel-tape delay); Saturday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 6-8 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Ernie Els.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker.
Last tournament: Joe Durant won the Cologuard Classic.
Notes: The PGA Tour Champions is in California for the next two weeks, leading up to the Masters. ... Ernie Els has won the tournament twice in the last three years. ... The field has five former Masters champions in Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Mark O'Meara, Jose Maria Olazabal and Fred Couples. O'Meara no longer plays the Masters. ... Steve Stricker is in the field after missing the cut at The Players Championship last week. His daughter, Izzi, will be caddying for him the next two weeks. Stricker and his daughter played in the PNC Championship last December. She will be playing for Wisconsin next year. ... Bernhard Langer is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon while playing pickleball. Langer says he hopes to be back in May. ... Angel Cabrera is an alternate, though unlikely to get in. ... The sponsor exemptions went to Tim O'Neal and Mario Tiziani. ... The tournament dates to 1995.
Next week: The Galleri Classic.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
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LIV GOLF LEAGUE
Last tournament: Abraham Ancer won LIV Golf Hong Kong.
Next tournament: LIV Golf Miami on April 5-7.
Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.
Online: https://www.livgolf.com/
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KORN FERRY TOUR
Last tournament: Taylor Dickson won the Astara Chile Classic.
Next tournament: Club Car Championship on April 4-7.
Points leader: Mason Anderson.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/
Hoag Classic, Newport Beach CC, Newport Beach, Calif.
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OTHER TOURS
Epson Tour: Atlantic Beach Classic, Atlantic Beach CC, Atlantic Beach, Florida. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/
Challenge Tour: Kolkata Challenge, Royal Calcutta GC, West Bengal, India. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/
PGA Tour Americas: Bupa Championship, PGA Riviera Maya, Tulum, Mexico. Defending champion: Chandler Blanchet. New tournament. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/americas
Sunshine Tour: Stella Artois Players Championship, Dainfern CC, Johannesburg, South Africa. Defending champion: Kyle Barker. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/
Japan LPGA: AXA Ladies Golf Tournament, UMK CC, Miyazaki, Japan. Defending champion: Hinako Yamauchi. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
