Stretch run starts for PGA Tour cards and races to title in Europe and LPGA
European Tour
ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Course: Yas Links GC. Yardage: 7,425. Par: 72.
Prize money: $9 million. Winner's share: $1.5 million.
Television: Thursday-Saturday, 2-8 a.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 1:30-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Victor Perez.
Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
Last tournament: Byeong Hun An won the Genesis Championship.
Notes: This starts the two tournaments that make up the DP World Tour playoffs, concluding next week with a Tour Championship in Dubai. ... The field features 10 of the top 50 in the world ranking. ... Rory McIlroy ends his month break and will compete in the final two European tour events. ... The field features three players from LIV Golf in Tyrrell Hatton, Joaquin Niemann and Adrian Meronk. ... Niemann tied for fourth (Dubai), finished third (Oman) and tied for ninth (Olympics) in his three non-major starts this year. ... Adam Scott is making his fourth start in a regular European tour event this year. ... The tournament previously was part of the Middle East swing at the start of the year. ... Tommy Fleetwood is a two-time winner in Abu Dhabi. ... Billy Horschel is No. 4 in the Race to Dubai. Horschel, who won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, is not in the field.
Next week: DP World Tour Championship.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
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PGA Tour
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Los Cabos, Mexico.
Course: El Cardonal at Diamante. Yardage: 7,452. Par: 72.
Prize money: $7.2 million. Winner's share: $1.296 million.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Erik van Rooyen.
FedEx Cup champion: Scottie Scheffler.
Last tournament: Nico Echavarria won the Zozo Championship.
Notes: This extends a trend of weak fields in North America during the FedEx Cup Fall. Cameron Young is playing for the first time since the BMW Championship in August. At No. 33 in the world, he is the highest-ranked player in the field. ... Lucas Glover (No. 47) is the only other player from the top 50. ... A Masters invitation goes to the winner. Of the 120-man field, 114 players are not eligible for Augusta National next year. ... Three tournaments remain for players who get into the top 125 to retain a full card for next year. Joel Dahmen, who tied for 41st in the Zozo Championship in Japan, moved up two spots to No. 124. ... This is the first course of Tiger Woods Design used on the PGA Tour. ... Billy Andrade, an ambassador for World Wide Technology, is playing on a sponsor exemption. It will be the first PGA Tour start for the 60-year-old Andrade since the Canadian Open in 2014.
Next week: Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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LPGA Tour
LOTTE CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Honolulu.
Course: Hoakalei CC. Yardage: 6,536. Par: 72.
Prize money: $3 million. Winner's share: $450,000.
Television: Wednesday-Saturday, 7-10 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Grace Kim.
Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.
Last week: Rio Takeda won the Toto Japan Classic.
Notes: The tournament starts on Wednesday and ends on Saturday before the LPGA heads to Florida for its final two tournaments. ... Jin Young Ko at No. 9 and Ayaka Furue at No. 10 are the only players in the field from the top 10 in the women’s world ranking. ... Marina Alex is playing after losing in a six-hole playoff at the Toto Japan Classic. ... Nelly Korda clinched LPGA player of the year when Furue did not win in Japan last week. The award is based on points. ... Toto Japan Classic winner Rio Takeda also has seven other wins on the Japan LPGA this year. ... Takeda was the 19th player to win on the LPGA Tour this year. She can take immediate membership or wait until 2025 ... Haeran Ryu has 13 top 10s in her 24 starts on the LPGA this year. ... Among those receiving a sponsor exemption is 14-year-old Honorine Nobuta Ferry, who recently missed the cut in her Japan LPGA debut.
Next week: The Annika.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
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PGA Tour Champions
CHARLES SCHWAB CUP CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Phoenix.
Course: Phoenix Country Club. Yardage: 6,860. Par: 71,
Prize money: $3 million. Winner's share: $450,000.
Television: Thursday-Sunday, 5-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Steven Alker.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Ernie Els.
Last tournament: Padraig Harrington won the Simmons Bank Championship.
Notes: This concludes the PGA Tour Champions, with the winner of the Charles Schwab Cup points list earning a $1 million bonus. ... Ernie Els is going for his first Schwab Cup title. ... The top 36 players in the points list qualify for the season finale. ... Steve Stricker is not playing. Stricker, who has a long history of not playing late in the year on any tour, has never played a postseason event on the PGA Tour Champions ... Stephen Ames has three wins this year and is No. 3 in the standings. He has not won in nearly three months. ... The field includes Long Island club pro Jason Caron, who has a full PGA Tour Champions card for 2025. He stopped playing tour golf in 2009 to pursue his job as a club professional. ... Bernhard Langer has one last chance to win for the 18th consecutive year on the PGA Tour. Langer is at No. 22 in the Schwab Cup standings.
Next week: End of season.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
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Other tours
Japan Golf Tour: Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters, Taiheiyo Club (Gotemba), Shizuoka, Japan. Defending champion: Shugo Imahira. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/
Sunshine Tour: Gary & Vivienne Player Invitational, Gary Player CC, Sun City, South Africa. Defending champion: Gerhard Pepler. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/
Japan LPGA: Itoen Ladies Golf Tournament, Great Island Club, Chiba, Japan. Defending champion: Mao Saigo. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/
Korea LPGA: SK Telecom-SK Shieldus Championship, La Vie est Belle CC, Chuncheon, South Korea. Defending champion: Jinhee Im. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/
Legends Tour: Farmfoods European Senior Masters, La Manga Club, Murcia, Spain. Defending champion: Patrik Sjöland. Online: https://www.legendstour.com/
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