Tiger and son return to PNC Championship. Q-school returns on the PGA Tour
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
PNC CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Orlando, Florida.
Course: Ritz-Carlton GC. Yardage: 7,106. Par: 72.
Prize money: $1,085,000. Winner's share: $200,000.
Television: Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m. (Peacock), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Peacock), 12:30-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1:30-4:30 p.m. (NBC).
Defending champions: Vijay and Qass Singh.
Last week: The United States won the World Champions Cup.
Notes: Tiger Woods plays for the second time in the last three weeks with his son, Charlie. The PGA Tour Champions sanctions the tournament, so he will be able to ride in a cart. ... Newcomers to the 36-hole event that began as the Father-Son Challenge include Steve Stricker. He will be playing with his youngest daughter, Izzi, a Wisconsin state high school champion. His other daughter will be caddying. ... Lee Trevino has played in every PNC Championship since it began in 1995. ... Padraig Harrington returns, this time playing with his younger son, Ciaran. ... To be eligible, players must have won a major or The Players Championship. Their partner must not have status on a professional tour. ... Woods is playing for the fourth straight year. The best finish was runner-up to John Daly and his son two years ago. ... The two LPGA players in the field are Nelly Korda playing with her father, former Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda; and Annika Sorenstam, playing with her son, Will.
Next tournament: Mitsubishi Championship at Hualalai on Jan. 18-20.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
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PGA TOUR
PGA TOUR Q-SCHOOL
Site: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Courses: TPC Sawgrass (Dye's Valley). Yardage: 6,850. Par: 70. Sawgrass CC. Yardage: 7,054. Par: 70.
Prize money: $510,000. Winner's share: $50,000.
Television: Saturday, 2:30-4:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 1:30-4:30 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Previous medalist: D.H. Lee (2012).
Last week: Jason Day and Lydia Ko won the Grant Thornton Invitational.
Notes: This is the first time the PGA Tour has held a Q-school since 2012. Previously, the only path was through the Korn Ferry Tour. ... The top five and ties earn their cards. ... The Dye course previously held the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Sawgrass Country Club hosted The Players Championship before the Stadium course was built, and scores typically were high because of the wind. ... The 167-man field includes Keita Nakajima, who won the Order of Merit on the Japan Golf Tour this year. ... Kevin Chappell and Martin Trainer each signed up. They played the LIV Golf Promotions last week in Abu Dhabi and earned exemptions in the Asian Tour's International Series. ... Some 16 players with PGA Tour victories are in the field, including Sean O'Hair and Russell Knox. ... Three players from the PGA Tour University rankings are in the field, including former NCAA champions Sam Bennett and Fred Biondi.
Next tournament: The Sentry on Jan. 4-7.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
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EUROPEAN TOUR AND SUNSHINE TOUR
AFRASIA BAN MAURITIUS OPEN
Site: Heritage Bel Ombre, Mauritius.
Course: Heritage La Reserve GC. Yardage: 7,111. Par: 72.
Prize money: $1.2 million. Winner's share: $200,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-8:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Antoine Rozner.
Race to Dubai leader: Min Woo Lee.
Last week: Louis Oosthuizen won the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
Notes: The tournament concludes the first “opening swing” on the European tour. The winner gets $200,000 and a spot in the next Rolex Series event if already a tour member. Min Woo Lee currently is leading the list. ... Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen won for the first time since the South African Open in 2018. He now is with LIV Golf. His world ranking went from No. 441 to No. 197. Oosthuizen is in the Mauritius field. ... Two players from the top five in the opening swing, Darren Fichardt of South Africa and Renato Paratore of Italy, are in the field. ... This is the final official event of the year tied to a recognized tour. No one in the field can play their way into the top 50 for a Masters invitation. ... The tournament began in 2015 and was not held in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ... Kurt Kitayama picked up his first European tour victory in Mauritius five years ago.
Next tournament: Dubai Invitational on Jan. 11-14.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/ and https://sunshinetour.com/
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OTHER TOURS
Asian Tour: Saudi Open, Riyadh GC, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Defending champion: Naraajie Ramadhanputra. Online: https://asiantour.com/
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