pga tour qualifying 2023

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PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry

With PGA TOUR cards at stake for the first time in more than a decade, GOLF Channel and Peacock will broadcast eight hours of live weekend coverage at Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, officially scheduled for December 14-17 at the Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

In addition, Korn Ferry, the umbrella sponsor of the Korn Ferry Tour since June 2019, is expanding its partnership with the PGA TOUR and will be the presenting sponsor for PGA TOUR Q-School.

Learn More about Q-School

Return of PGA Tour Q-School brings back not-so-fond memories of a different kind of pressure

Newest iteration of the pga tour's final-stage qualifying process begins this week at two ponte vedra golf courses.

• PGA Tour Q-School presented by Korn Ferry will be Dec. 14-17 at the TPC Sawgrass Dye's Valley and Sawgrass Country Club
• There will be 16 past PGA Tour winners in the field of 168 chasing five Tour cards for 2024
• Tickets are available at pgatourqschool/tickets for $5. All proceeds will go to charity

Mark McCumber, Fred Funk and Len Mattiace have combined to win 20 PGA Tour events. McCumber and Funk won The Players Championship and Mattiace nearly did. 

They combined to play in 124 major championships and had 10 top-10 finishes. All three had majors within reach late on a Sunday. 

But to a man, they said the pressure of winning on the PGA Tour and competing in golf's five biggest events don't carry as much pressure as competing in a PGA Tour Final Stage qualifying tournament, or, in the more familiar parlance, PGA Tour Q-School — so named because passing the grind of the qualifying process also included classes in rules, finance, media relations and tour regulations. 

Rickie Fowler praises his partner: Lexi Thompson "can hang with the boys"

The 2023 PGA Tour Q-School, presented by Korn Ferry, will be Thursday through Sunday, with 168 players competing in two rounds at the TPC Sawgrass Dye's Valley and two rounds across A1A at the Sawgrass Country Club. The public can purchase tickets for $5 (the total amount will go to charity) for rounds at the Valley Course, with free parking. 

The top five players, plus ties, will earn PGA Tour cards for the 2024 season, with the rest of the players in the no-cut event earning varying degrees of Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Americas status. 

Q-School is 'the most pressure you can feel' 

McCumber, Funk and Mattiace, all long-time First Coast residents (McCumber is a Jacksonville native) have combined to play in 17 Q-Schools. But unlike the glorious memories of victories or valiant efforts in majors, talking about Q-School brings back a flood of emotions that include anxiety, disappointment and at best, relief, with the ones that got them their PGA Tour cards. 

"It's the most pressure you can feel," said Funk, an eight-time PGA Tour winner and the 2005 Players champion who went through the qualifying process five times. "On the PGA Tour, if you don't win, you've got next week. If you don't make it out of Q-School, you don't have another week. You're waiting another year." 

Mattiace, a two-time PGA Tour winner who also played in five Q-Schools, pointed out that players don't get to win Tour events unless they get Tour status. When he was in his prime earning years on the Tour in the 1990s and into the first decade of the 21st century, missing out at Q-School meant playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, where the purses are about an eighth of a PGA Tour purse. 

"It's more pressure because guys don't have anything to lean back on," Mattiace said. "If you're good enough to have won on the PGA Tour, or compete, you've got status. You're disappointed with a missed cut or a missed opportunity but you know you're playing somewhere next week." 

And McCumber, the Jacksonville native who won 10 times on the PGA Tour, topped by the 1988 Players, went through seven Q-Schools, including a time when there were two per year, one in June and another in December. 

It also was a time where there wasn't a developmental Tour, so McCumber's options when he missed the cut for a card in a qualifier was to return to his family's landscape architecture business and perhaps play on mini-tours such as the Space Coast Tour or the J.C. Goosie Tour. 

"The pressure in Q-School is greater than any tournament you'll ever play in," he said. "Great players, like [World Golf Hall of Fame member] Curtis Strange miss it multiple times. I missed it six times and I still managed to have a career when I won double-digit victories. Q-School is a different kind of pressure. It's all or nothing." 

Q-School will have fewer holes, fewer cards 

This is the first year that the Tour has offered membership through the final-stage qualifier since 2012. Between 2013-2022, the qualifying process got players on the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly the Web.com, Buy.com, Nationwide, Nike and Ben Hogan Tour), and they had to earn their cards through a season of work. 

That process still exists: the top 30 players on the Korn Ferry Tour points list earned cards for 2024. But there are now five more up for grabs and the numbers game is a lot tougher than before: when Mattiace and Funk played, for example, the top 25 at Q-School earned cards. 

They and McCumber also had to play six grueling rounds — 108 holes, sometimes each more nerve-wracking as the longest week of their lives went on. 

All three have war stories about making pressure shots to get their cards — or not. 

Players mustered late heroics 

"The Woodlands [in Houston] ... the first time I made it I took about two clubs too many into the 18th green to avoid the trouble in front, and wound up 100 feet over the back of the green," Funk said, recalling one of his best moments in a Q-School. "I needed two putts from there to make it on the number. I knocked the first putt to 5 feet, then made that one to get my card." 

Mattiace also had a pulse-pounding finish at The Woodlands, in 1992. He needed a par at the last to get his card on the number but pulled his drive into trees on the left. 

"I had to do a Bubba Watson shot," Mattiace said. "I hit this big, high hook, over the water and got on the green, about 50 feet from the hole. Then I hit the first putt 5 feet past and made that." 

McCumber's first Q-School was in 1975 in Myrtle Beach, where more than 400 players were spread out on four courses, with only 13 cards up for grabs. He eventually played qualifiers at Pinehurst, the Bardmoor near Tampa and finally at the University of New Mexico golf course in Albuquerque. 

McCumber was safely within the cut line for a card when he started his final round, parred the first seven holes, then made up for a poor drive at the eighth hole by making a 30-foot putt for par. 

He realized, with a flood of relief, that he would get his card barring multiple disasters. 

"When that putt at No. 8 went in it was a total release," McCumber said. "I birdied 9, 10, 11 and 12 and it was easy street after that." 

McCumber finished second to medalist Wren Lum. Nine months later McCumber won the first of two titles at Doral and he never had to worry about Q-School again. 

Q-school atmosphere is tense 

Sometimes a heroic shot in Q-School can mean disaster for others. McCumber remembers a group of four or five players who were already finished with their final round at Pinehurst watching Jim Chance, playing in the final group at No. 18. The players were tied with Chance for the final qualifying spot and if he two-putted from 30 feet, they all got their cards. 

Chance then dropped the putt for birdie, clinching the final spot all to himself and relegating the rest of those players to waiting for next year. 

Mattiace said the atmosphere of a Q-School is vastly different from a PGA Tour event. The practice range, putting green and locker room banter are at a minimum and the tension rachets up every day. 

"I don't remember seeing guys throw up in the locker room but I remember having a lot of sleepless nights," he said. "I'd be playing the shots in my head, over and over, get to sleep around 1 a.m. and maybe got two hours of sleep. It's a lot of stress." 

Funk said golf is not a game at Q-School. 

"It's not fun ... not fun at all," he said. 

What's their advice? 'Stay in the moment' 

Since they played six-round Q-Schools for 25 cards, McCumber, Funk and Mattiace said the strategy under those circumstances might be different from this week's conditions of competition, 72 holes for five cards. 

That said, what was their advice? 

"Stay in the present, one shot at a time, but don't tell yourself, 'all I have to do is finish fifth,'" McCumber said. "Set a goal of winning the tournament." 

Funk has a vested interest in the proceedings this week since his son Taylor is among the players vying for the card. Taylor Funk turned professional six years ago and has already made a noteworthy accomplishment, playing his final 11 holes at 7-under at the Kinderlou Golf Club in Valdosta, Ga., to advance to final stage on the number. Funk shot 66 in the final round and tied for 11th to advance 

Taylor Funk also shot 60 in the final round of a PGA Tour Canada event earlier this year to make that tour's championship and earned status on PGA Tour Americas. 

Fred Funk said he doesn't need to offer copious amounts of advice to his son, who is playing some of the best golf of his life. 

"Taylor knows what he needs to do," Funk said of his son. "You have to realize that if you're at this stage, you're playing well, so go out and trust it. Stay away from the big numbers, the doubles and triples. Those are what will kill you. Let the course come to you and let the scores come to you." 

Mattiace said players should try to visualize every shot on every hole. 

"The power of the mind is very important," he said. "Know how you want to play the holes but also know how to get out of trouble. Every one of these guys is a good player. Any of them can go out on any day, on either course and shoot 6-under. Just get out of your own way and let it happen." 

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Monday qualifiers: Valero Texas Open

Monday Qualifiers

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The Valero Texas Open offered the opportunity for golfers to play their way into the field at TPC San Antonio via a Monday qualifier. Alex Welch claimed low medalist at Fair Oaks Ranch Golf & Country Club in Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, with a 6-under 66. Tom Adrounie and PGA TOUR winner Adam Long each carded 5-under 67s, to earn spots in the field at TPC San Antonio. Peter Kuest achieved the final spot in the field overcoming a 5-for-1 playoff to punch his ticket for the Valero Texas Open.

Alex Welch (6-under 66)

Age: 23 Hometown: League City, Texas PGA TOUR starts: 0

Notes: Carded six birdies in a bogey-free 6-under day around Fair Oaks … Will be making his first start on the PGA TOUR. … Works at his family’s hardware store in the Houston area, where he plays out of Magnolia Creek Golf Club, practicing after his shifts. … Played collegiately for Texas A&M-Commerce but hasn’t found success on minitours and had to get through a pre-qualifier just to make it to his first Monday qualifier.

Adam Long (5-under 67)

Age: 36 Hometown: Jupiter, Florida Alma mater: Duke University PGA TOUR starts: 153 Cuts made: 80 Best PGA TOUR finish: First, 2019 The American Express

Notes: Made an eagle and five birdies en route to a 5-under 67… Made the cut at last week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, the only cut he has made this season on TOUR in four starts.

Tom Adrounie (5-under 67)

Age: 34 Hometown: Orlando, Florida PGA TOUR starts: 1 Cuts made: 0

Notes: Eagled the first hole at Fair Oaks for a 5-under 67 … Previous PGA TOUR start was at 2023 Puerto Rico Open … Teed it up twice on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. … Took an allergy pill the night before last year’s Valero Monday qualifier and slept through his 8 a.m. tee time. “My alarm was going off, my wife was calling me, and, uh, yeah, I missed that one,” he said. “… Probably the worst day of my golfing career, but to make it through today is really cool.”

Tom Adrounie on missed tee time at Valero open qualifier last year to qualifying

Peter Kuest (4-under 68; advanced via playoff)

Age: 25 Hometown: American Fork, Utah Alma mater: BYU PGA TOUR starts: 21 Cuts made: 11 Best PGA TOUR finish: T4, 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic

Notes: Prevailed in a 5-for-1 playoff to secure the final spot in the Valero field … Birdied the second playoff hole making a 25-foot putt … Made one cut so far in six starts during the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season … Advanced from a 4-for-3 playoff at the open qualifier for the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic and went on to finish T4, his first career top-10 on TOUR.

More Information

2019 pga tour media guide, 2018 pga tour media guide, 2017 pga tour media guide, 2016 pga tour media guide, 2016 pga tour champions media guide, 2016 korn ferry tour media guide, 2015 pga tour media guide, 2015 pga tour champions media guide, 2015 korn ferry tour media guide, 2014 pga tour media guide, 2014 pga tour champions media guide, 2014 korn ferry tour media guide, 2013 pga tour media guide, 2013 pga tour champions media guide, 2013 korn ferry tour media guide, 2012 pga tour media guide, 2012 pga tour champions media guide, 2012 korn ferry tour media guide, 2011 pga tour media guide, 2011 pga tour champions media guide, 2011 korn ferry tour media guide, 2010 pga tour media guide, 2010 pga tour champions media guide, 2010 korn ferry tour media guide, 2009 pga tour media guide, 2009 pga tour champions media guide, 2009 korn ferry tour media guide, 2008 pga tour media guide, 2008 pga tour champions media guide, 2008 korn ferry tour media guide, 2007 pga tour media guide, 2007 pga tour champions media guide, 2007 korn ferry tour media guide, 2006 pga tour media guide, 2006 pga tour champions media guide, 2006 korn ferry tour media guide, 2005 pga tour media guide, 2005 pga tour champions media guide, 2005 korn ferry tour media guide, 2004 pga tour media guide, 2004 pga tour champions media guide, 2004 korn ferry tour media guide, 2002 pga tour media guide, 2002 pga tour champions media guide, 2002 korn ferry tour media guide, 2001 pga tour media guide, 2001 pga tour champions media guide, 2001 korn ferry tour media guide, 2000 pga tour media guide, 2000 pga tour champions media guide, 2000 korn ferry tour media guide, 1999 pga tour media guide, 1999 pga tour champions media guide, 1999 korn ferry tour media guide, 1998 pga tour media guide, 1998 pga tour champions media guide, 1998 korn ferry tour media guide, 1997 pga tour media guide, 1997 pga tour champions media guide, 1997 korn ferry tour media guide, 1996 pga tour media guide, 1996 pga tour champions media guide, 1996 korn ferry tour media guide, 1995 pga tour media guide, 1995 pga tour champions media guide, 1995 korn ferry tour media guide, 1994 pga tour media guide, 1994 pga tour champions media guide, 1994 korn ferry tour media guide, 1993 pga tour media guide, 1993 pga tour champions media guide, 1993 korn ferry tour media guide, 1992 pga tour media guide, 1992 pga tour champions media guide, 1992 korn ferry tour media guide, 1991 pga tour media guide, 1991 pga tour champions media guide, 1991 korn ferry tour media guide, 1990 pga tour media guide, 1990 pga tour champions media guide, 1990 korn ferry tour media guide, 1989 pga tour media guide, 1989 pga tour champions media guide, 1988 pga tour media guide, 1988 pga tour champions media guide, 1987 pga tour media guide, 1987 pga tour champions media guide, 1986 pga tour media guide, 1986 pga tour champions media guide, 1985 pga tour media guide, 1985 pga tour champions media guide, 1984 pga tour media guide, 1984 pga tour champions media guide, 1983 pga tour media guide, 1983 pga tour champions media guide, 1982 pga tour media guide, 1982 pga tour champions media guide, 1981 pga tour media guide, 1981 pga tour champions media guide, 1980 pga tour media guide, 1979 pga tour media guide, 1978 pga tour media guide, 1977 pga tour media guide, 1976 pga tour media guide, 1975 pga tour media guide, 1973 pga tour media guide, 1972 pga tour media guide, 1971 pga tour media guide, pga tour champions, korn ferry tour, pga tour latinoamérica, pga tour canada, pga tour series–china.

Charles Howell III had a long PGA Tour career. Now he's sticking to a short LIV schedule

Charles Howell III says it was never about the money when he joined Saudi-funded LIV Golf in July 2022 during its inaugural season. A few eyes rolled, no doubt, especially when he borrowed from the book of (Greg) Norman that golf can be a force for good.

Howell mentioned his 22 years on the PGA Tour ($42 million in career earnings) and the 609 tournaments he played (two as an amateur). It was something different, and the 44-year-old certainly has not looked back.

He has not played any other tournament but LIV Golf since joining. Howell is not eligible for any of the majors and did not attempt U.S. Open qualifying the last two years.

That’s true for some of the other players who defected from the PGA Tour who had exemptions to all four of the majors.

Dustin Johnson has played only the six majors outside of LIV. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau have played seven times — six majors and the Saudi International. Brooks Koepka has played eight times, once in Oman on the Asian Tour and the other at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan, where he has won twice.

And then there’s Patrick Reed, who said upon joining that the LIV schedule would allow him to spend more time with his children. In addition to the 26 LIV Golf events since joining, Reed has played 15 times in events that count toward the Official World Golf Ranking.

It’s still down from the 30-plus tournaments he used to average per year.

LIV Golf plays its fifth event of the season this week at Trump National Doral, a tuneup for 13 players in the field who will be at the Masters next week.

MASTERS FIELD

The Masters currently has 88 players in the field, with one spot available if the winner of the Valero Texas Open is not already eligible.

If it stays at 88 — a possibility considering the Texas Open field has 30 players already exempt — that would be the same number as 2023. So much for the notion the field is shrinking with LIV players not getting world ranking points.

The concern was only 77 players exempt at the end of last year. But the start of 2024 featured eight players earning spots by winning on the PGA Tour, three of them rookies. Only five players earned Masters invitations by winning early in 2023.

Also, the field currently is evenly split between Americans and international players — 44 each, the same as the previous two Masters.

FREE LODGING

The inaugural FM Global Championship is the latest LPGA tournament offering a welcome perk to the players — free lodging.

FM Global says the 144 players who compete in the Aug. 29-Sept. 1 tournament at the TPC Boston will have “exclusive access to a first-class property” a short distance from the course in Norton, Massachusetts. FM Global said it would cover all costs.

When the PGA Tour was at TPC Boston, most players stayed in Providence, Rhode Island.

“By offering athletes at the FM Global Championship complimentary accommodations, we hope to make their experience a little easier — so they can focus on the competition and playing the best they can,” said David Johnson, senior vice president at FM Global.

This is the fourth LPGA event to offer free lodging, joining the JM Eagle LA Championship, the Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey and this week’s T-Mobile Match Play in Las Vegas.

TGL NEW YORK

The New York squad for the new TGL tech-infused golf league that starts next year has native New Yorker Cameron Young, along with a pair of Californians and an English major champion.

Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler, both from the San Diego area, and U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick also will be part of the New York Golf Club, owned primarily by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.

That leaves San Francisco still to fill out its four-man team, Tiger Woods to add three players to his Jupiter, Florida, team and Boston to find a replacement for Tyrrell Hatton, who bolted to LIV Golf .

OLYMPIC UPDATE

Golf Digest has confirmed a Spanish golf website report that PGA champion Brooks Koepka and recent LIV Golf addition Tyrrell Hatton have withdrawn their names from qualifying for the Paris Olympics this summer.

Koepka and Hatton both would have been long shots to make their respective U.S. and Great Britain teams because they only have access to world ranking points at the four majors. Olympic qualifying for golf is based on the June 17 world ranking.

Koepka currently is at No. 31, making him 18th among Americans in the world ranking. The top four (provided they are in the top 15) qualify. Hatton currently is behind Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood.

Keita Nakajima, meanwhile, won his first European tour event at the Hero Indian Open and moved into Japan’s second spot behind Hideki Matsuyama.

Nakajima, the former No. 1 amateur in the world, is at No. 78 in the world ranking. Ryo Hisatsune, who is playing in his first Masters next week, is at No. 86, while Rikuya Hoshino is at No. 88.

JAEGER'S OMEN

Stephan Jaeger reached into his golf bag before the final round of the Houston Open and saw a sign that it might be a good day.

His wife made him three ball markers. One has the name of his 16-month-old son, Fritz, with a four-leaf clover. Another is of his dog. The third one is for his father — it says, “Papa Klaus” — who died two years ago the week of The Players Championship.

“I always pull them out before the round,” Jaeger said Sunday after his one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler. “Whoever I pull out, that’s the one I use for the day. It was my son the first three days, and it was my dad today. I just kind of smiled. That was my good omen for the day, for sure.”

Jaeger said his father’s death was a low point in his life, mainly because he was playing terribly. But that also sparked a turnaround.

“The silver lining in that story is my son was conceived that week,” he said. “That was kind of you lose a life and you gain a life, right? He would be rolling over right now happy.”

Jon Rahm says he is going to a zone defense. That was his way of announcing on X that he and his wife are expecting their third child. He did not say when the baby was due. ... Nelly Korda is the first player since Yani Tseng in 2012 to have three LPGA victories through March. ... Stephan Jaeger became the fourth German to win on the PGA Tour, following Alex Cejka, Martin Kaymer and Bernhard Langer. ... Greg Chalmers got into the PGA Tour Champions event as a qualifier, tied for ninth at The Galleri Classic and earned a spot in the Invited Celebrity Classic the week after the Masters.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Cameron Young earned more money ($915,000) for his runner-up finish in the Valspar Championship than Nelly Korda ($900,000) for her last three LPGA victories combined.

“I love golf. I’ve always loved golf. Sometimes it’s harder than other days.” — Nelly Korda.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

28 - 31 Mar 2024

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Charles Howell III had a long PGA Tour career. Now he’s sticking to a short LIV schedule

First place Team Champions, Paul Casey, Bryson Dechambeau, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri of Crushers GC pose with the Event Team Champion Trophy after the final round of LIV Golf Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Hong Kong Sunday, March 10, 2024. (Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf via AP)

Stephan Jaeger kisses the trophy as he poses for photos during ceremonies after his win in the final round of the Houston Open golf tournament Sunday, March 31, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Nelly Korda celebrates her win in the LPGA Ford Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 31, 2024, in Gilbert, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Cameron Young hits his tee shot on the sixth hole during the third round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Saturday, March 23, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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Charles Howell III says it was never about the money when he joined Saudi-funded LIV Golf in July 2022 during its inaugural season. A few eyes rolled, no doubt, especially when he borrowed from the book of (Greg) Norman that golf can be a force for good.

Howell mentioned his 22 years on the PGA Tour ($42 million in career earnings) and the 609 tournaments he played (two as an amateur). It was something different, and the 44-year-old certainly has not looked back.

He has not played any other tournament but LIV Golf since joining. Howell is not eligible for any of the majors and did not attempt U.S. Open qualifying the last two years.

That’s true for some of the other players who defected from the PGA Tour who had exemptions to all four of the majors.

Dustin Johnson has played only the six majors outside of LIV. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau have played seven times — six majors and the Saudi International. Brooks Koepka has played eight times, once in Oman on the Asian Tour and the other at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan, where he has won twice.

And then there’s Patrick Reed, who said upon joining that the LIV schedule would allow him to spend more time with his children. In addition to the 26 LIV Golf events since joining, Reed has played 15 times in events that count toward the Official World Golf Ranking.

It’s still down from the 30-plus tournaments he used to average per year.

LIV Golf plays its fifth event of the season this week at Trump National Doral, a tuneup for 13 players in the field who will be at the Masters next week.

MASTERS FIELD

The Masters currently has 88 players in the field, with one spot available if the winner of the Valero Texas Open is not already eligible.

If it stays at 88 — a possibility considering the Texas Open field has 30 players already exempt — that would be the same number as 2023. So much for the notion the field is shrinking with LIV players not getting world ranking points.

The concern was only 77 players exempt at the end of last year. But the start of 2024 featured eight players earning spots by winning on the PGA Tour, three of them rookies. Only five players earned Masters invitations by winning early in 2023.

Also, the field currently is evenly split between Americans and international players — 44 each, the same as the previous two Masters.

FREE LODGING

The inaugural FM Global Championship is the latest LPGA tournament offering a welcome perk to the players — free lodging.

FM Global says the 144 players who compete in the Aug. 29-Sept. 1 tournament at the TPC Boston will have “exclusive access to a first-class property” a short distance from the course in Norton, Massachusetts. FM Global said it would cover all costs.

When the PGA Tour was at TPC Boston, most players stayed in Providence, Rhode Island.

“By offering athletes at the FM Global Championship complimentary accommodations, we hope to make their experience a little easier — so they can focus on the competition and playing the best they can,” said David Johnson, senior vice president at FM Global.

This is the fourth LPGA event to offer free lodging, joining the JM Eagle LA Championship, the Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey and this week’s T-Mobile Match Play in Las Vegas.

TGL NEW YORK

The New York squad for the new TGL tech-infused golf league that starts next year has native New Yorker Cameron Young, along with a pair of Californians and an English major champion.

Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler, both from the San Diego area, and U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick also will be part of the New York Golf Club, owned primarily by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.

That leaves San Francisco still to fill out its four-man team, Tiger Woods to add three players to his Jupiter, Florida, team and Boston to find a replacement for Tyrrell Hatton, who bolted to LIV Golf .

OLYMPIC UPDATE

Golf Digest has confirmed a Spanish golf website report that PGA champion Brooks Koepka and recent LIV Golf addition Tyrrell Hatton have withdrawn their names from qualifying for the Paris Olympics this summer.

Koepka and Hatton both would have been long shots to make their respective U.S. and Great Britain teams because they only have access to world ranking points at the four majors. Olympic qualifying for golf is based on the June 17 world ranking.

Koepka currently is at No. 31, making him 18th among Americans in the world ranking. The top four (provided they are in the top 15) qualify. Hatton currently is behind Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood.

Keita Nakajima, meanwhile, won his first European tour event at the Hero Indian Open and moved into Japan’s second spot behind Hideki Matsuyama.

Nakajima, the former No. 1 amateur in the world, is at No. 78 in the world ranking. Ryo Hisatsune, who is playing in his first Masters next week, is at No. 86, while Rikuya Hoshino is at No. 88.

JAEGER’S OMEN

Stephan Jaeger reached into his golf bag before the final round of the Houston Open and saw a sign that it might be a good day.

His wife made him three ball markers. One has the name of his 16-month-old son, Fritz, with a four-leaf clover. Another is of his dog. The third one is for his father — it says, “Papa Klaus” — who died two years ago the week of The Players Championship.

“I always pull them out before the round,” Jaeger said Sunday after his one-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler. “Whoever I pull out, that’s the one I use for the day. It was my son the first three days, and it was my dad today. I just kind of smiled. That was my good omen for the day, for sure.”

Jaeger said his father’s death was a low point in his life, mainly because he was playing terribly. But that also sparked a turnaround.

“The silver lining in that story is my son was conceived that week,” he said. “That was kind of you lose a life and you gain a life, right? He would be rolling over right now happy.”

Jon Rahm says he is going to a zone defense. That was his way of announcing on X that he and his wife are expecting their third child. He did not say when the baby was due. ... Nelly Korda is the first player since Yani Tseng in 2012 to have three LPGA victories through March. ... Stephan Jaeger became the fourth German to win on the PGA Tour, following Alex Cejka, Martin Kaymer and Bernhard Langer. ... Greg Chalmers got into the PGA Tour Champions event as a qualifier, tied for ninth at The Galleri Classic and earned a spot in the Invited Celebrity Classic the week after the Masters.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Cameron Young earned more money ($915,000) for his runner-up finish in the Valspar Championship than Nelly Korda ($900,000) for her last three LPGA victories combined.

“I love golf. I’ve always loved golf. Sometimes it’s harder than other days.” — Nelly Korda.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

PGA Tour 2023 fall schedule to include seven tournaments, $56.6 million in purses

The PGA Tour announced its fall 2023 schedule on Wednesday. There will be seven events "that will provide greater drama and more immediate consequence than ever before" with purses totaling $56.6 million.

The fall slate, which is a continuation of the spring season for the first time since 2013, will run from September through November with a break for the Ryder Cup. 

Jon Rahm has been dominant so far during the 2023 season. The Spaniard is coming off his first Masters win , which brings his championship total this year up to four.

He's not the only one making headlines so far this season as Tiger Woods made his PGA Tour return at the Genesis Invitational . He attempted to play at the Masters, but withdrew midway through the third round at Augusta after he fell to last place while in "constant" pain.

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PGA Tour 2023 fall schedule includes added incentives

Besides the $56.6 million that will be handed out to the winners of the seven PGA Tour events this fall, there is a two-year exemption and entry into the first designated event and the Sentry Tournament of Champions. There will be 500 FedExCup points awarded to the winner of each event. There is also an increased chance of players earning eligibility to participate in The Players Championship. 

OPINION: Thank you, Jon Rahm, for Masters win and keeping the green jacket away from a LIV golfer

2023 PGA FedExCup Fall schedule

• Sept. 11-17 - Fortinet Championship, Silverado Resort and Spa (North Course) in Napa, California
• Oct. 2-8 - Sanderson Farms Championship, The Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi
• Oct. 9-15 - Shriners Children’s Open, TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Oct. 16-22 - ZOZO Championship, Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan
• Oct. 30-Nov. 5  - World Wide Technology Championship, El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico
• Nov. 6-12 - Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda
• Nov. 13-19 - The RSM Classic, Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia

PGA Tour 2023 Challenge Season Schedule

• Nov. 27-Dec. 3 - Hero World Challenge, Albany in New Providence, Bahamas
• Dec. 4-10 - Grant Thornton Invitational, Tiburón Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón in Naples, Florida
• Dec. 11-17 - PNC Championship, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando in Orlando, Florida